Snapshots

Eric Kwek, 35, a project executive, has had it. His neighbours have been hanging their clothes out to dry, along with their bicycles, trollies and various other items, in the communal corridor, for 4-5 years now. Before, they had even drilled hangers onto the ceiling, but were made to remove them after complaints were made to the town council. The last straw came when he was carrying many bags, and ended up knocking into their hangers, unable to walk home without bumping into anything. Although he now sees no point in complaining anymore, since his previous complaints have not led to any positive action, the fact that these items are a fire hazard, and block the only escape route available to his family, still worries him constantly.

Fhamy, 35, a salesperson, has noticed many vehicles parking along this spot outside Hyatt Hotel, and thought it was high time that their actions were pointed out to the public. This truck is one of the repeat offenders, along with other delivery trucks and cars, who park there to unload goods, drop people off, and even to make a quick lunch stop. Fhamy feels that these drivers are taking it for granted that they can park there, not realising that they are causing major clog-ups, obstructing the buses who can't drive out from the bus stop behind, and are then forced into the second lane.

Three teenage boys were seen gathering garbage from void decks at Toa Payoh Lorong 8 on the night of 7 October to start a fire atthe park near Block 230.

Slita Trithepvilai, 20, said that they were throwing items such as umbrellas and shoes, among other things, into the fire.

Residents noticed the fire made by the teenagers from their flat windows, and called out to them to stop.

The boys had left the area by the time police arrived, according to Ms Trithepvilai.

Most drivers look for a parking lot to park in. This driver looks for one to park in front of.

Melvin Toh cannot figure out why the driver chose to obstruct other cars at this carpark close to International Plaza on 10 October.

Mr Toh said: "He doesn't want to park in the lot, yet he doesn't want to move to let others park there."

The driver only drove off 15 minutes later.

Tom was at the Vivocity Foodcourt on 12 October at 7.15 pm.

He describes the scene as being 'extremely packed, and people were frantically looking for available tables."

He was very upset with "this particular table that was "reserved" by an umbrella, depriving people with food on their trays who actually need a table," and he says he is "really disgusted with the inconsiderate and selfish person who did that"

What do you think of this? Tell us.

These cars bearing unique number plates have left 36-year old Mr Moh wondering if these are allowed on the roads. He first spotted the Mercedes on 5 October travelling on the PIE; and a BMW yesterday (11 October) at Mountbatten Road.

LTA has clarified that these number plates are legal. Said the LTA spokesperson: "From the photos provided, the licence plates appear to meet the requirements."

According to Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Registration and Licensing) Rules, the display on car licence plates should have "letters and figures are white, silver or light grey on a non-reflective black background for both front and rear or…black on a white reflective background for the front, and on a yellow reflective background for the rear."

In addition, no form of ormentation is allowed to be placed near the licence plate in such a manner as to render it more difficult to read or distinguish the registration number on a moving vehicle.

Regular STOMP contributor Mike Muk is bugged by this question.

Is this a sparkler tree or botak tree?

He says," It must have been beautiful the night the sparklers were set off. But where are all the leaves now?"

He had taken this picture in front of Block 290 Sembawang Town Council.

Joey Teo, 25, was startled at what he saw when he looked out of the window of his Yishun Ring Road flat. This lady was balancing precariously on the window ledge of a 9th storey apartment in the oppposite block, washing her windows for a good 15-20 minutes. She was holding onto the wall, as well as climbing out of the window, which Joey found highly unsettling. He wanted to call out to warn her of the danger, but was worried of what might happen the minute she got distracted!

Another maid just plunged 12 storeys to her death! Join in the discussion.

SS, 26, boarded bus 166 yesterday evening, ready to slump into a seat after a long day at work. The bus, however, was crowded on both levels, so upon spotting an empty seat next to a man, she said 'excuse me' and gestured towards the vacant spot. Imagine her indignation when the uncle said something to her softly in reply, and refused to budge! SS was horrified by his inconsideration, and fumed that his groceries got to have a seat instead of her!

A man was found lying at the side of East Coast Road on 11 October at about 1am.

Mr Tan notified the police when he saw the man asleep on the sidewalk next to the road. He believes that the man was very drunk and fell asleep on the sidewalk.

When the 36-year old company director passed by again 15 minutes later, the man was still fast asleep, but was lying on the road by now.

Mr Tan stopped his car next to the man and called the police a second time.

He said: "It was very scary seeing him on the ground there. Although the road was not that busy, cars could still come by and roll over him."

The police arrived 10 minutes later, and Mr Tan then left the scene.

STOMP checked with police and according to the spokesperson, the man had got on a cab for home after sobering up a little.

The opening of mega-mall Vivo City drove throngs of crowds over to the shopping centre to check out the shops. The Harbour Front Food Junction was likewise beseiged over the weekend, resulting in heaps of plates and other cutlery stacked and left in various corners, as cleaners struggled to clear the mess left behind.

Said Kenneth Tan, 31, a sales executive, who was there on 7 October and took these pictures, "the cleaners at Food Junction couldn't handle the load!"

STOMPers are wondering whether companies here are 'intensifying' their waste disposal during this period of lower air quality.

Prof Benjamin Hill Detenber, from the School of Communication and Information in Nanyang Technological University (NTU), took this picture from the roof of his building on Oct 9.

"It took me a few minutes to get the camera, so I missed the biggest plume of flames and smoke," he said. Mr Detender thought it was 'ironic' that the refineries should be doing such a big blow-off during this hazy period.

Tan Chen Xing, who sent the following picture on Oct 11 taken from a Jurong flat, is also wondering if companies are "contributing to the haze by intensifying their own burning during this period."

STOMP has contacted the National Environmental Agency (NEA) and according to the NEA spokesperson, it is unlikely that companies have intensified burning during the haze period as NEA's pollution control department have been keeping closer tabs on industrial waste emissions in the air.

Join the discussion in Talkback »

Cynthia Tan, 53, was eager to share this sight of her cactus plant blooming – a whopping 13 flowers in one night! This is a rare sight indeed as the flowers usually wilt by the next morning. Ms Tan said that was probably caused by the recent hot weather.

For the past three weeks, residents at Lentor Loop have devised a method of reserving parking lots in this private residential area – by using garbage bins.

26-year old Sherryn observed that this is a frequent sight and sent this MMS to STOMP. She said: "Maybe they're allowed to do it since they stay around there, but I don't think it's very civic-minded of them to do so."

Some residents at Block 202 Tampines St 21 have taken to reserving parking lots with boxes.

According to 27-year old Clarinda Leow, the lot was reserved for a truck which was clearing out furniture and other things. The truck left after half an hour, according to Ms Leow.

Sow Wei Shen, 15, a student, is incensed by the almost daily sight of residents placing rubbish bins and flowerpots to reserve parking lots at Lorong Gambir, Bartley Road.

He took this picture on 10 October and sent it to STOMP with this message:

"This has been happening for a long time already.It is a selfish act by the driver to use dustbins and flowerpots to make sure the lot is his. Even if he doesn't put any dustbin or pots there, other residents will not park their vehicles at that spot as they are all used to it!"

Every morning during the rush hour, two lines of taxis queue up at Bayshore Road, just outside the condominium The Bayshore, to wait for passengers from the condominium.

According to Hsu Li Ren, who sent in this MMS, said that people along Upper East Coast Road are unable to get a taxi as a result of this.

He added: "If the demand is indeed there at Bayshore, there shouldn't actually be a line of cabs waiting there, should it?"

December Tang, 30, a training co-ordinator, is perplexed by the driver in the picture.

In his email to STOMP, he says:

"This lady driver has been doing this for some time. I wonder if it is the contrasting colours that she can't see or understand, or if she is waiting for other people to install black and white poles to tell her where to park."

An incensed Mr Patrick Lee, 45, was angered by the noise created by what he calls 'a bunch of boisterous schoolboys' whom he heard yelling at the top of their voices while playing soccer at an open field near some HDB flats and a carpark in Stirling Road on 9 October at 2 pm.

In his email to STOMP, Mr Lee commented:

"Despite the fact that glass windows and ceramic potted plants were nearby, the boys walloped the football with their might as though they were playing in the National Stadium soccer field.

Then, a loud bang erupted from a stray ball which landed in the front porch of my house. The impact, smashed a letter box and ripped off part of the branches from one of my favourite pots of house plants."

One of the schoolboys then went running over to Mr Lee's home to retrieve the ball, and gave him a "quick apology."

Mr Lee was not appeased. He continued in his email:

"Apparently, to them, it was no big deal even when private properties are being damaged as a result of their "Bo-Chap" attitude.I was infuriated when they continued playing as though nothing had happened. At this point, I took some pictures of them as well as the damaged they had caused. The entire football team (about 10 of them) then marched over and stood right in front of my house in protest of photographs taken of them without their consent. The "star" (circled red), blurted out in defence of the team that "it's only an accident what!". This shows how apathetic some of today's youngsters have become.

I found out later that the boys are students of a secondary school nearby."

What do you think of this? Join in the discussion.

Koh Kay Wah was at Singapore Expo on 11 October for the Innovationation Exhibition organised by IDA and other companies and took these beautiful pictures to share with fellow STOMPers.

In her email to STOMP, she said:

"To make the big display screen hanging on top work , the operator will have to pull the ring attached with ropes. Then you will hear the sound by putting on the headphones. As for the 3 big circular objects with holes all over them ( that look like sea landmines), you will see different videos through those small little holes .

I believe young students will enjoy the trip there ."

Terence Wong, 35, a business development manager, was taken aback when he came across this scene on 11 October at the junction between Horne Road and French Road at 11 am.

The driver of the van had rammed into the jewellery shop in the picture. According to Mr Wong, the accident took place at around 9 am earlier that morning.

He told STOMP:" A pillar in the shop was knocked down and one of the showcases was badly damaged. The police cordoned off the area. But I think this was probably done so to prevent passers-by from taking the jewellery which was strewn on the ground."

Sports cars used as cabs? Why not?

December Tang pointed this out, after establishing that the picture above is, in fact, a cleverly photoshopped picture of a white Subaru WRX that has been circulating on the internet.

"Sports car taxis are a common sight in other countries like Taiwan, Australia, US and Europe," the 30-year-old training coordinator said. "They do make a difference."

In response to this picture sent to STOMP by a bemused BP on Oct 9, the SMRT spokesperson said, "it is an interesting picture but we do not have such a vehicle in our fleet of taxis."

"If the car in the picture exists, we advise the owner to remove the logos immediately as it is a breach of our trademark."

Ms Teo, 55, sent in this MMS of potential killer litter at Blk 618 Jurong West. A resident of the block, Ms Teo said that the family has constantly been hanging birdcages at their window for the past 1 year. Only a hook secures the cages. Ms Teo points out that the consequences might be dreadful should the cages come crashing down one day.

Cars like these blocking the entrance and exit into the motorbike lots at the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) carpark are a dime a dozen.

As a result, bikers have ended waiting for up to twenty minutes so that they can move in and out of the bike lots, says Simon Chay.

Mr Chay and another biker had to wait for more than ten minutes on Tuesday (10 October) before they were able to leave the carpark because of a car (pictured) that was blocking the opening.

Said a frustrated Mr Chay: "Nobody could find the driver, so we just had to wait. When the driver finally came back, she just went into her car and left without even apologising!"

Ou Kok Sum took this photo along Thomson Road, just outside United Square. The 41-year old project manager pointed out that it might not be safe for the worker to be standing at the back of the truck on a busy road as such.

Poh Chee Tiong is infuriated by a Bedok Central shopowner's actions. According to the 43-year old trainer, the two vans were parked in front of other parked cars, causing a great deal of inconvenience to other drivers

Mr Poh's car was one of those which were blocked. He told STOMP that he had to sound his horn and wait for about 20 minutes before the shopowner "took his own sweet time to reverse the vans into season parking lots!"

He added: "It's a very rude and irresponsible thing to do. He should have parked at available lots, instead of parking illegally at his own convenience!"

Several Woodlands residents were alarmed when they saw smoke rising from a multi-storey carpark at Blk 688 Woodlands Drive 75 last night (10 October).

A motorcycle which was parked in the carpark had caught fire. Tee Vui Huang, 34, had heard two loud explosions "that sounded like thunder" before witnessing smoke rising from the carpark, located next to the MRT tracks.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The SCDF received a call at about 9pm. The fire was extinguished in 10 minutes, according to an SCDF spokesperson.

There were no casualties and damage to other vehicles. The area where the bike was parked, however, was left slightly charred.

STOMPers were there to capture the aftermath of the fire. Johnson Soh and Tee Vui Huang sent in several photos of the SCDF and police at the scene.

Jocelyn Tan, 24, an administrative assistant, was enjoying a meal with her friends at a popular coffee shop selling crab bee hoon in Ang Mo Kio, when they chanced upon an unpleasant "special ingredient". After pointing out the worm in the vegetables to the shop assistant, they received a small discount off the bill. Jocelyn, however, points out that that was the least of their concerns; they were more worried about the hygiene levels of the coffeeshop!

Dave Kang has had it. He calls this driver "inconsiderate", having parked his car right smack in the middle of two lots, thus depriving other motorists of being able to park in one.

He had spotted this on 9 October at 1.15pm, and says he also sees 'many drivers parking at Shaw Centre' this way.

Fake fortune-tellers are roaming around town for their next victim, warns Bindi S., a 40-year old homemaker who has fallen prey twice to these men claiming to be clairvoyants.

The most recent incident happened on Saturday morning (7 October). Bindi was walking past Lucky Plaza when a man (pictured left) approached her, and claimed that he could read her fortune from her face.

She told him that she had no time and was not interested in a fortune reading. The man then flashed out a fortune reading card in an attempt to prove his authenticity as a fortune-teller.

She walked on, with the man still tailing her to persuade her. She then took out her handphone and started chatting to a friend.

It worked, as the man decided to give up, after having tailed her for about 50 metres.

Less than five minutes later, Bindi spotted the “fortune-teller” approach someone else (pictured right).

She said: “I was more prepared this time, after my last similar encounter at Raffles City about one week before this.”

A man had approached her at the Raffles City taxi stand on 27 September, with the exact same approach and even the same fortune-reading card.

An incensed Mr Paul Toh Chee Onn had an unpleasant encounter on 7 October when he wanted to wash his car in the multi-storey carpark in Block 683 Choa Chu Kang Crescent at 1.00 pm.

The car in the picture was parked right in the washing bay, thus not allowing other drivers who wanted to use the carwash facility there to do so.

Mr Toh says: " Due to the lack of civic-consciousness of this individual, other drivers and I had to park in other parking lots far away from the washing facility to wash our cars."

Law Chin Soon, 32, a manager, almost could not believe his eyes when he saw this gentleman on the road on 6 October at around 1.25 pm along MacPherson Road.

In his email to STOMP, he says: "He was trying to turn into Upper Paya Lebar Road, and he had another passenger in the front seat of his "car". He did not bother to signal when he wanted to turn right , even occupying the right lane as seen in the picture."

Mr Law wonders if the gentleman in the picture actually pays road tax as well.

Paul CKM was appalled to see the resident of this unit in Sengkang having hung clothes on a pole balanced on the top of the windows in the apartment.

He worries that "all it takes is a small knock, or strong wind, and the whole thing will come crashing down on the people below."

What is worse is Paul recounts seeing a unit "a few floors above having the same thing" balanced on the windows.

Much has been said about road safety, yet this cyclist seemed to have disregarded all issues about it.

Larry Lee, 37, a project co-ordinator, was shocked when he saw the rider on the road along Chua Chu Kang Way on 9 October cycling a close distance from the lorry in front. In his email to STOMP, Larry commented: "As drivers we were taught to watch out for cyclists, so what is this cyclist trying to prove?"

Resident Stomper Mike Muk sent in these two snaps and the following email to STOMP:

Just when you thought that students hogging seats at fast food to study were irritating... Lately, I've noticed this disturbing new trend...Parents studying with their children at fast food restaurants. Parents hogging the place and are actually coaching their kids there.. Are fast food sure great place to study ? Or are their house leaking..?

Mike took these snaps on two separate dates, 7 September and 30 September, showing the same parent and kid team having a study session at Khatib Central's McDonalds outlet.

Why do you think parents do this? Join the discussion in Talkback »

Vincent Lim, 33, a teacher, was trying to find a lot at the carpark behind the Ang Mo Kio library on Sunday, when he noticed that the owner of this vehicle had conveniently parked in the middle of 2 lots. The carpark was very congested at the time, and Vincent could hardly believe the selfishness of the driver. He was not alone, as "many people were shaking their heads and pointing as they walked past".

Jolene Yap, 25, was enjoying a late dinner with her friends on Saturday night at Cream Bistro at Pacific Plaza, when they were disrupted by a loud crashing noise.

They first heard a loud 'kaboosh boom!', which was followed by shards of glass falling from the 3rd level. The bits of glass landed on the floor next to the escalator, but thankfully, no one was in the area at the time.

Jolene was very impressed by the actions of the manager and staff, who assured the customers that everything was all right, and tried to sweep away all the glass bits on the floor.

SY, 36, a marketing manager, was passing by Robinson Road on Monday when he noticed a commotion caused by a large convoy of cars. The drivers were honking their horns and creating a large amount of fanfare, resulting in a carnival-like atmosphere, for about 15 minutes. SY soon found out that it was a marketing gimmick by AIA, to celebrate the launch of their financial healthcheck programme.

They certainly managed to catch the attention of all the passers-by, considering that it is not everyday that you see a whole fleet of cars honking at Raffles Place!

Andy Leong spent his Sunday (9 October) at Sentosa Tanjong Beach and was appalled to see the poor conditions of the male washroom there.

In his email to STOMP, he says:

"The floor is ponding with water making it slippery and dangerous. The waterproofing membranes were all damaged which the water can be leaked from the shower into the monsoon drain. The coat hooks were all broken - resulting that there is nowhere to hang clothes during shower. There is also no soap dish too.

I will only go back when they repair the toilets."

STOMP has contacted Sentosa. This is their reply :

Sentosa will like to apologise for the inconvenience caused to Mr Andy at the temporary washrooms at Tanjong Beach. The washrooms are cleaned regularly everyday. Additional cleaning is also done during peak periods and special events. The washrooms mentioned will be closed for renovation from 30 October 2006 till 13 November. There are also plans to build permanent toilets at Tanjong Beach.

Sandy spotted this "nun" in the picture selling her merchandise in broad daylight at Sims Avenue on 9 October at 6.30 pm.

She is baffled and wonders "what is happening nowadays?" She says this is a common occurrence, and there are "regular ladies" like her seen selling clothes at the same spot.

Loong Chik Tong, a resident at Teck Whye Lane, has seen this sign near his block for several months now.

The signboard says there would be a linkway constructed from March 2006 to January 2007.

Mr Loong is perplexed as he says "The notice board was put up in March 2006, but seven months down the road, zero related activity sighted."

STOMP checked with Mr Wee TC, Head of Business Unit of LandArt, the company responsible for this. He explained that there were some slight issues with earlier design submissions, and there were some problems with the structural designs, and so, some time was taken.

He assured STOMP that work would be completed on time as it is still within the contracted period, and they would be commencing with the construction of the linkway soon.

Paul Toh Chee Onn witnessed this and said it spoilt his weekend for him. He was at a food centre on 6 October at about 12.30 pm when he saw this man light up his cigarette. Paul emailed STOMP and said:

" He did this with prominent NO SMOKING signs right infront of him. And the stall owner does nothing and continues to chat with this individual like nothing is wrong. Moreover the smoker is standing over open trays of sauce for other customers."

Augustine Ashley was getting down from a bus at Woodlands near Jalan Bumbong on 9 October when he "noticed dark smoke rising from behind the trees." His curiosity piqued, he walked closer to investigate and realised it was a "forest fire which was spreading fast. As the fire spread, trees went up in flames and at one point the flames were as high as 8 to 10m. "

The SCDF confirmed they received a call at 5.59 pm on the said day, and they deployed two fire engines to the site. The media spokesperson also explained that this was a bushfire, and an area the size of two basketball courts had been caught aflame. The fire was extinguished after half an hour.

Lee Chin Teck is fuming mad. He calls the driver of this vehicle "selfish" as "the driver is risking his own life and endangering the safety of other obliging motorists' lives by ignoring the simplest of road sign (NO RIGHT TURN), just to save a couple of seconds of his time!"

Mr Lee had spotted the vehicle on 8 October outside Sun Plaza, and had sent STOMP this picture.

The mid-autumn festivities may be over, but it has left in its tracks many instances of charred public property and facilities.

A playground at Blk 107D in Edgefield Plains has been cordoned off since Saturday (7 October) for repairs.

28-year old Jamie Julian and her husband had seen a group of children playing with fire the night before, on the Mid-Autumn Festival (6 October).

Ms Julian sent us pictures of the aftermath: the flooring at the playground and a nearby tree and lamppost were badly burnt.

Isabelle Chua was at Tampines Park on 7 October when she spotted a few groups of children and their parents setting fire to used paper lanterns. The 30-year old in the finance industry said that such an act is “inconsiderate”.

Darren Yan caught a glimpse of the aftermath of the festivities at Bishan Park. Garbage was strewn around the park on Sunday (8 October). The Bishan resident revealed that this has been happening for many years, and added: “I find this to be very bad social behaviour.”

However, it was not only about ugly scenes during this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival.

At a courtyard in Simei Street 5, residents had gathered for a mini celebration on their own with lanterns, sparklers, mooncakes and tea on 6 October. One resident, 27-year old Jughley Lai was “so touched to see such a heartwarming event in my neighbourhood.”

Jalan Buroh has been turned into a makeshift carpark for these container trucks who park along the road daily. The large trucks take up about half the road width, causing traffic obstructions.

Tan Chew Pang, 29, works in the vicinity and has been facing this problem for a few months. His colleagues have brought the matter up to the traffic police, but the problem persists.

He said: "This is really too much, and it is dangerous for other motorists because they can't see oncoming cars sometimes."

Mr Tan tells STOMP that the problem only started when Jalan Buroh, previously a through road, was closed due to a road diversion

The haze on Saturday (7 October) was the worst that Singapore has seen, but it did not deter some from going about their usual activities.

Daniel Beh, 17, spotted these people playing tennis at his condominium in South Buona Vista from 9am to 12pm, despite the thick smog.

Student Garrie Lim, 21, was on bus 193 on 7 October when he spotted this man getting comfortable on the bus, and wanted to share it with other STOMPers.

Every Saturday between 1 to 2 pm, an unusual character stands atop an overhead bridge at Thomson Road, armed with a camera, ready to capture traffic offenders on film.

Derrick Lim, 45, has been observing this man at work weekly. Mr Lim decided to get his camera ready last Saturday (7 October) to snap this shot of the man.

According to Mr Lim, the man is always dressed in plain clothes and is on the bridge next to Thomson Imperial Court every Saturday afternoon. Mr Lim wonders if he could be from a privatized company who is licensed to capture traffic offenders on the roads.

The police are unable to confirm if this operation was a legitimate one or if it was a private company outsourced by the police. However, the police have confirmed that certain traffic operations, such as parking offences and bus lane incursions, are outsourced to private companies. However, only the traffic police may handle speeding offences.

"Aren't we supposed to be a green city?" wonders STOMPer, Tan Lee Chye.

The 54-year old engineer has observed that some trees have been pruned to a point where there are no leaves left. Mr Tan snapped this picture at Balestier Road, close to Quality Hotel.

Mr Tan said: °This is happening all over Singapore, not just at Balestier Road."

Jaywalking these days could cost you your life, especially with the haze that has been shrouding Singapore for the past few days.

Jack Han, 31, took this picture of several jaywalkers at Lucky Plaza on Saturday (7 October), when PSI readings soared to an all-time high of 150.

He was concerned about the lower visibility and greater danger that could have marred motorists’ vision of these jaywalkers, especially at night.

Mr Han said: “People do not realise that jaywalking during hazy weather conditions could put their lives at greater risk.”

Many STOMPers chose to abandon their usual weekend activities and stay indoors instead. For Sivaraaj Krishnan, who suffers from asthma, staying at home in air-conditioned comfort was a clear-cut choice in order to avoid what he calls a “shocking” state of the haze.

In addition, other STOMPers also reported low visibility and air quality on Saturday. Mohamad Mokhtar, 46, is usually able to see Johor Bahru from his Yishun home, but the view was but a shadowy one on Saturday:

The acrid smell of the haze was a common complaint across the board. Over in Ang Mo Kio, Liming said that she could smell the burning smell even with a blocked nose. In the accompanying pictures that she sent in, she describes the scene on Saturday as “an autumn night in the haze” due to the red tinge in the sky caused by the hazy conditions:

With the haze affecting each and every person in Singapore, many STOMPers have contributed their reports, pictures, emails and videos over the weekend, covering locations and situations all over the island.

Check out our special gallery of all your pictures of the haze from every angle.

According to 51-year-old Steven Lee, reddish water is being discharged into this canal beside the Buona Vista MRT Station. "There is a lot of grey residue too - appears to be cement," the manager added.

Mr Lee took this picture yesterday (Oct 8) and noted that there was a construction site in the vicinity.

Naleeza Ebrahim, LTA spokesperson, responds to STOMP's query:

The reddish water is the small amount of slurry that has escaped to the ground surface through underground crevices and flowed into the canal. Slurry is required as part of the tunnel boring operation, for the construction of tunnels from one-north station to Buona Vista Station on the Circle Line. The tunnel boring operation has been successfully concluded. The slurry has also been cleared from the canal.

This pickup truck was spotted along Jurong Port road by Patrick Lee, 45, at 2.25pm on Saturday (Oct 7). It was apparently on its way to Jurong Port to unload its contents which were 'packed precariously, secured with only some thin ropes'.

"The truck's load was actually spilling beyond the rear of the chassis and stacked above the height of its side railings," he added.

According to Mr Lee, the truck reached Jurong port safely without incident.

Cary Chan noticed the protruding exhaust pipe of this goods vehicle along River Valley Road this morning (Oct 9). According to Mr Chan, it was protruding from its rear bumper by at least 20-30cm.

He thinks it poses a danger to other motorists especially motorcyclists as its edge is sharp and the rear pipe is hot.

"Is the owner trying to be 'chic'?" he wonders.

45-year old Patrick Lee sent us this email:

My family and I were taking a stroll outside VivoCity at WTC (8/10) on a Sunday afternoon when something alerted my attention from afar.

A man walking on the pavement nearly fell when he tripped over an low lying object (circled red) planted firmly on the ground. This little object is about slightly more than a foot high and has electrical wires connected and hidden in it. The colour also blended very well with the colour of the surrounding environment, which makes it quite inconspicuous to passerby.

The object appears to resemble some fancy lighting-fixture used to brighten the walkway at night. However, I was unable to find any light bulbs upon closer inspection.

I stood at a distance for about 5 minutes, observing people whisking pass this protruding object, and counted that 3 people had narrowly escaped from colliding into this "thing".

While adults were cursing and swearing after the near-miss-accident, kids, in contrast, were having a ball of a time dribbling and riding on the mysterious object."

STOMP has contacted VivoCity, who emailed us their reply on 10 October:

"The centre management of VivoCity would like to thank Mr Patrick Lee for highlighting this. We have in fact, already identified these light fixtures as a potential hazard to our shoppers and have taken steps to address this.

Light fixtures which are located along arterial walkways will be removed while potted plants will be placed beside light fixtures which are located in the open area on the third storey Sky Park. This will be accomplished by next week.

We look forward to welcoming Mr Patrick Lee and his family back to VivoCity and to receiving more feedback from our shoppers so that we can continue to fine tune and improve our operations and service.

Thank you.

Sonny Phua

Corporate Communications Executive

Mapletree Investments Pte Ltd

Thanks to alert STOMPers like Mr Patrick Lee, potential hazards like these are taken care of by the various managements. Well done!

On Oct 2, STOMP reported:

William Sim, 26, in shipping operations, was driving along Eunos Ave 5A when he had to do a double-take upon noticing the confusing road and street signs. While the sign painted on the road itself indicated that he could turn both left and right, the street sign said 'one way'.

Thankfully, William is familiar with this stretch, and knew that the road had recently been changed, and it was that the street sign that had yet to be updated. Time to update your signs, LTA!

Oct 9 Update: LTA has clarified that the road in question is under HDB's maintenance and they have forwarded this story for HDB's attention.

This is HDB's reply:

The traffic flow along Eunos Ave 5A was reconfigured two years ago, and the road markings were painted over. Over time, the paintwork faded, thus exposing the original markings. We have since erased them and painted the correct ones. We thank Mr Sim for his feedback.

Things get heated up during this Lantern Festival when a few children at Yishun Ring Road light a fire and used an aerosol can to fan the flames, literally.

A resident informed the police, who arrived at the scene at about 8.30pm. But the damage had been done -- the playground tiles and soft rubber foam flooring had been left blackened and burnt.

Mike Muk was between blocks 235 & 236 on the night of 5 October and captured all this on video.

These are damages from three different playgrounds in Yishun witnessed by Mike Muk on Oct 7, the day after the Lantern Festival. Mr Muk wonders, "Do kids realise that plastic can be burnt?"

It is traditional for children to carry lanterns and play with sparklers around the neighbourhood on the Lantern Festival, or Mid-Autumn Festival. However, Mr Muk has witnessed several incidents of children literally playing with fire and damaging public property in the process this season.

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Chang Meng Yaw spotted this strange car being transported on Paya Lebar Road. The 34-year-old engineering assistant thinks that the car might be on a way to an exhibition.

Mr Alien, is this your car?

Stay tuned for more details.

Have you seen this car on the roads? Do you know 'Mr Alien'? Tell us in Talkback »

The 'Alien car' that Chang Meng Yaw spotted at Paya Lebar is actually a contestant at this year's Autostyling Challenge.

The car was brought in from Johor, where the owner and workshop are from. The Alien car was a yearlong project undertaken by Mohd Aidil who had spent a fortune on the modifying this Proton Wira, according to event organisers.

It emerged tops in its round of heats on 19 August and will be eligible for the spot in the Challenge finals at the end of October.

The Autostyling Challenge "essentially an automotive beauty contest" for car enthusiasts to showcase and be judged on their modified cars and accessories, according to the organisers.

Tracking down Mr Alien was made much easier, thanks to STOMPers Michael Tan, 34, and Daphne, 24, who took part in the same round of heats as 'Mr Alien'.

At least two explosions were heard and felt by nearby residents at about 2:15pm today (Oct 6) at 16, Sungei Kadut Way, between Yew Tee and Kranji MRT stations. Fire broke out at a factory that dealt with UV-coating and parquet flooring materials.

The building was in flames, with thick black smoke billowing from the windows and roof.

In the space of an hour after the incident, STOMP received more than 30 videos, pictures and tip-offs from various STOMPers via SMS, MMS and email.