Wilson Wee calls this man the ‘ugliest Singaporean’ he has caught on camera. According to the 3rd year NTU student, the man shown urinating into the drain is actually the shopkeeper of the mama shop (shown in the background) located opposite Jalan Besar Stadium along Cavan Road. Mr Wee took this photo Sept 2 but says he has seen the man peeing into the drain many times. The 23-year-old is shocked at the shopkeeper’s audacity as the alley is frequently used by office workers to get to the nearby Lavender Food Centre. Mr Wee is worried that such behaviour will give Singapore a bad name, especially since the IMF meetings are just around the corner. He hopes that, with the opening of a coffeshop next to the mama shop, the man will put a stop to this.

Patrick Lee took this picture at 10am today (Sept 8). A swing and some flower pots are placed on three season parking lots in front of a block of HDB terrace houses located directly opposite the Queenstown Swimming and Sports Complex along Stirling Road. According to Mr Lee, the objects have been placed there for the longest time and are apparently used to deter motorists from parking their vehicles there. The swing is wide enough to take up the space of two parking lots. Some smaller pots and bricks are also placed on the third parking lot on the extreme left. Mr Lee thinks this is some selfish residents’ way of saying ‘stay out and keep out!’ The 45-year-old doesn’t think this causes a serious problem, since the carpark is usually quite empty, except when there are football matches at the nearby Queestown Stadium. The people who did this are apparently not reserving the lots for their own vehicles because Mr Lee does not recall seeing any cars parked there.

Benson Tan, 37, saw two trains on the same track between Ang Mo Kio and Bishan stations yesterday (Sep 8) at about 7pm. He said: “The two drivers were facing each other up there and signalling to each other. From where I was, it looked like one of them had mistakenly gone onto the wrong track!” Stomper Mike Muk sent us some scenes at both Ang Mo Kio and Yishun station. Watch them in STOMPcast . STOMP contacted SMRT and found out that the second train was called in to move the train that broke down onto a service track as part of a recovery procedure known as 'coupling'. The North-South train services were disrupted yesterday evening (Sep 8) at 6.50pm between the Bishan and Ang Mo Kio stations. Services resumed at 7.10pm.

This tree dangles over the dining area at Yu Tian coffeeshop at Rowell Road. Mr Magenderan told STOMP: "It can almost hit my head when I’m standing, and it can fall on customers while they’re eating. It’s quite dangerous, especially since this coffeeshop can get quite busy sometimes." A pipe leakage by the side of the building had caused the growth of the plant, which has since grown to the size of a small tree that hangs dangerously from the building.

Surely there can be better advertising methods besides plastering unsightly notices all over the HDB estates? Vincent Leong thinks so. Concerned over the increasing number of such flyers pasted all over his residence block in Toa Payoh Lorong 5, Mr Leong took matters into his own hands – he sent STOMP these MMSes and reported the incident to the police. The matter has since been referred to the Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council. Mr Leong feels that these flyers spoil the cleanliness of the estate, which has just undergone a 2-year upgrading programme. He says: “There are places like bus stops which have notice board panels for such purposes. I hope they can get the responsible parties to clean it up.”

Several Stompers aired their concerns over the recent hazy conditions in Singapore. Haja Jahabardeen, an SMRT station control manager, sent us the above MMS taken at Chinese Gardens at 7.20am today (7 September) Earlier, Mr Chan, 28, an electrician, took sent this MMS on 4 September at a construction site in Ayer Rajah. He was on the 18th level of the building when he noticed the hazy conditions and so snapped this picture and sent it in to us. The PSI level for today (as at 4pm) was 60, still within the moderate range of 51-100 on the PSI index. STOMP contacted NEA (National Environment Agency) about whether the haze has returned.

NEA explained to us that the haziness is due to the accumulation of smoke haze particles under light wind conditions. The diffused smoke haze particles have been carried over to Singapore by the prevailing Southeasterly winds across South China Sea from fires raging in Kalimantan.

Some haziness is expected to prevail over the next few days as the winds will continue to be light and Southeasterly.

The light winds will not be able to fully disperse smoke haze particles brought over from fires in the region. The air quality is however, not expected to go into the unhealthy range. NEA told STOMP that "weather planes" have also been regularly sent out by them to keep the hazardous haze conditions at bay, and to maintain a healthy air quality.

Gavin Khoo saw many of such trees along the roads in Singapore, and sent STOMP two pictures taken on 5 September and 6 September. He says:' This type of trees have been in bloom in the past two weeks everywhere in Singapore, and are a very colourful sight." He guesses they are Singapore Sakura trees, or cherry trees. He is half-correct. STOMP snooped round and discovered these are Pink Mempat trees which have the nickname 'Singapore Sakura' because of the striking resemblence to the Japanese Sakura. The Japanese Sakura blooms once a year in temperate countries at the start of spring. The Pink Mempat needs a prolonged dry spell to trigger its flowering and reproduction cycle and so flowers several times a year here.


Mr Lee, 45, emailed STOMP these pictures of a woman eating an apple and throwing the remnants out of the window of her flat in Block 531A Hong Lim Complex. He says 'he is sick and tired of people forgetting about the littering problem.' He feels very strongly that 'the authorities should continue with the campaign of educating people about the consequences of killer litter.' Hi, Just to share some shots showing how some Singaporean are taking killer littering little without regards to any danger pose to those who are passerby at ground floor. I think its high time that the authority should continue with the campaign of educating people about the consequence of killer littering. The following 4 photos showed a woman eating an apple at her flat kitchen while facing out. The final photo (only shown on 2 nd email due to file size) showed her throwing out the last bit of apple skin head outside her kitchen window although the dustbin is just a mere metre away within her kitchen area. The photo was taken at more than 500 metres away (without her knowing that she's been catch on film) from a super powerful lens of my camera. I would like to keep myself anonymous if you do not mind as I always take photos of people breaking the laws & also kept relevant authorities informed. Eg. illegal poachers, etc. Thanks, Mr Lee Mr Cheah Sai Mun, Senior Property Manager, Jalan Besar Town Council, told STOMP that there are occasional cases of littering in the area as there are lots of diners who visit the nearby Food Centre, but this does not happen frequently. In the event that litterbugs are caught in the act, they are warned and appropriate action is taken. But he explained also that the Town Council simply cannot afford to have people patrolling the area 24-7 looking out for litterbugs.

A new drain opening that was just constructed on Monday (4 September) at Pasir Ris Drive 3 could be the cause of more harm than good says Pasir Ris resident, Linda Loo. The drain opening is to help deal with the constant floods along a walkway near Hai Sing Catholic School and Eastvale condominium. However, Ms Loo said it claimed its first casualty Tuesday evening.

A teenage cyclist’s bike tyre was caught in wide gap in the metal grating, causing him to lose control of his bicycle and fall. Said Ms Loo: “It’s very dangerous, not just for cyclists, but for older people as well. Especially when it’s darker at night and they can’t see the big hole. Even a small child’s foot can get stuck in there! People could easily fall and injure themselves.”

This load of unsecured goods at the back of this truck is an accident waiting to happen, according to Ooi Choon Seng who sent us this MMS.

He was on his way to Ang Mo Kio on Tuesday (5 September) morning when he spotted this Malaysian-registered vehicle on the road.

Mr Ooi tailed the truck for a short distance before getting a chance to take this picture at a traffic junction along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5.

He says: "There was nothing to secure the boxes, and no covering or barrier at the back of the truck. If the driver braked suddenly, the unlucky vehicle behind the truck will get hit very badly."

From Joshua Chia via 75557@stomp.com.sg regarding Mr Ooi's concerns:

Regarding the mentioned snapshot, I share Mr Ooi Choon Seng's concerns about the unsecured goods. However, I like to point out that, during sudden braking, the goods would travel forward, not backward as Mr Ooi has expected.

Two Toyota Wish cars, which had been wheel-clamped at a carpark in Ubi Automobile Megamart, have been left unclaimed by their owners for more than a month.

Michael Chia, who works in the vicinity, tells STOMP that the two Malaysian-registered cars have been parked together in the carpark for “a long time”, but it was only about a month since they were wheel-clamped.

A brown briefcase was left unattended on the used card donation box in the City Hall MRT station at about 4.30pm yesterday (Sep 5). The police had cordoned off the area as part of their precautionary measures. These pictures were sent in by a STOMPer via 75557@stomp.com.sg.

A check with the Police today has revealed that there was nothing suspicious in the briefcase, and it would be handled like a normal 'lost and found' item.

Is this your briefcase?



Jeffy was at Changi Airport Terminal 2 on 1 September when he chanced upon the sight of the McDonald's fastfood restaurant over-run by students mugging it for the examinations. He remarked that ' a lot of them were just buying drinks and hanging on to their seats for long hours.' There were so many of them, he says, that the other customers were unable to get seats. He says:' It may give tourists a bad impression of Singapore.' What do you think? Can't students study elsewhere? Tell us in Talkback »

Got woken from your slumber by the booming of thunder? Charis Welikande was. He sent STOMP this email with the following message. It was raining really hard on the 5th of September in the early morning. Honestly, I have a bit of a phobia of lightning and I'd curl up in bed during a lightning storm. I live in the Upper Bukit Timah area and my window offers a pretty panoramic view of the sky. But this time, I decided to "brave the elements" and look outside my window, armed with my digital camera. I tried my luck at capturing a photo of the lightning and thankfully, after about 10 fluke shots, my hard work paid off.

Philip Tan sent us this email after a quick meal gone wrong.
I bought 3 sandwiches from a food counter in front of the "Cheers" mini mart at Harbourfront Mall on the ground floor.
The sandwiches were wrapped up and appeared full of egg and tuna filling inside, from the transparent front.
When I opened the sandwiches, only the front section had the fillings. the back 70% of the sandwiches were empty. The brand was QT.
Please warn your readers not to purchase this brand in future. A great example of false advertisting. What a modern day rip off."

Karen Ong sent STOMP these pictures of a litter-strewn ground in Little India. She had gone there on 3 September after 11 pm and was greeted by this sight. She wondered,"Hmmmm....TV commercials, and newspapers keep emphasizing IMF World Bank conference with 16,000 visitors around the world are coming to Singapore. With this litter, it's not going to be a good image for Singapore."

Joshua Chia spotted this wheel-less Mazda RX-8 coupe on 2 September at the Old Airport multi-storey carpark. All the wheels had been stolen. The police left a note to inform the public that they have been trying to get in touch with the car owner.

STOMP received this email from a user who responded to the picture: I refer to the snapshot of the Mazda RX8 with its missing wheels with a note from the police attached to the car. Question: The note does not seem to be genuine at all. Shouldn't notes from the police carry a serial number and the police logo? Jerry Lim

Nur Hafiz Bin Mohd Ramlan, 18, sent this MMS to 75557 after he saw this white car crash into a roadside stall just outside Crown Hotel on Orchard Road at 6.45am September 3.

According to Nur Hafiz, four police cars turned up to investigate the matter, and there was a motorbike lying on the road near the accident scene opposite Paragon.

Police confirm that they received a call at 6.20 am about an accident between a motorcycle and a car, which then veered into a roadside stall.

The motorcyclist, a man in his 20s, suffered serious injuries but was conveyed conscious to Singapore General Hospital. The driver of the car and both passengers were not hurt.

Bobby Tay sent this email to 75557@stomp.com.sg lamenting his neighbour's inconsiderate pastime.

Dear Stomp,

This weird single lady who's staying @ Blk 603, Woodlands Drive 42, #10 floor, likes 2 collect rubbish from the neighbourhood's rubbish-chutes & rubbish-dumps area. Unfortunately i am staying in a neighbouring unit.

Since four weeks ago, i noticed she started 2 'display' all the rubbish she has collected along the common corridor.

I called the HDB Sembawang Town Council on 30 AUG 06 2 inform them that the used plastic bags & dirty clothings she 'displayed' is a fire hazard. Also, this weird lady also collected used plastic disposable cups & bowls & filled them all with water & left them along the corridoor as well, & thus it has become a potential aede mosquitoes breeding spot.

Until today, 2 SEP 06, the Sembawang Town Council has not taken any action yet. On 1 SEP 06 i've informed the NEA (National Environment Agency) about this as well.

I don't know who else 2 turn 2 for help thus hoping that by writing 2 STOMP, it will bring immediate attention from the relevant authorities.

Last but not least, 4-5 years ago, this weird lady already started collecting rubbish & storing them along the common corridoor too. At that time, the situation was worst as her rubbish blocked around 50% of the corridoor. Likewise during that time i called the Sembawang Town Council & they also didn't bother about it until one night the rubbish caught fire & a SCDF fire engine was sent. The news was published in the chinese newspapers & channel U TV crew came 2 interview all the neighbours & it was telecast on tv. It was only then the Town Council acted.

Thank u.

Bobby Tay