SINGAPORE: The DBS Marina Regatta returns this weekend for a seventh year – this time, with an obstacle course that features both land and water obstacles.

The event, which also sees the region’s top dragonboating teams face off, will be held at The Promontory at Marina Bay over two weekends on May 26 and 27 and Jun 2 and 3, DBS said in a media release on Wednesday (May 23).

However, the pop-up urban beach that featured prominently in previous editions of the event will not return this year. 

Instead, the Battle Bay Extreme obstacle course – billed by the bank as “Southeast Asia’s largest and most technically challenging” – will take centrestage. It features three levels of difficulty – a beginners’ level with water obstacles, and intermediate and advanced levels with land obstacles.

Online registration for the event has closed, but those who want to take up the challenge can register on-site, according to a spokesperson for the bank. 

Visitors can also check out the second instalment of ArtBox Singapore, which will feature more than 400 lifestyle, food and fashion stalls, including social enterprises from across the region. 

There is also a Creators Market, where ticketed workshops on green living and holistic wellness will be held. 

The free yoga and fitness sessions were fully booked, the spokesperson said. 

In the water, more than 90 dragonboat teams and 3,500 paddlers from the region will compete for a total of S$147,000 in prize money – the largest prize purse for the sport in Asia, the bank said in its media release.

For the first time, the competition will see more than 60 youths aged between 14 and 21 take part in a special youth invitational category. There will also be a new adaptive category for paddlers with special needs and/or physical disabilities, as well as a category for cancer survivors, DBS added. 

Admission to the regatta is free but the Creators Market classes and Battle Bay Extreme are ticketed, the bank said on its website. The event will open from 10am to 10pm on May 26 and 27, as well as Jun 2 and 3. 

SINGAPORE: A 24-year-old woman has been fined S$4,000 for illegally importing a sugar glider, said the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) on Wednesday (May 23). 

Nur Syahirah Hussein was caught at Woodlands Checkpoint in February. During immigration checks, a live baby sugar glider was found in a red pouch she was carrying. 

Sugar gliders – small, omnivorous animals that belong to the marsupial family – are considered exotic wildlife that are not allowed to be imported as pets in Singapore.

In addition to the charge of importing animals without a valid licence, a second of charge of failing to ensure that the animal was not subjected to unnecessary suffering was also taken into consideration, said AVA.

“The introduction of such animals may impact our local biodiversity should the animal be inadvertently released,” said AVA.

“More importantly, exotic animals may introduce undesirable animal diseases into Singapore, which could threaten local animal and public health.”

AVA reminded travellers not to import live animals, birds and insects illegally. 

Anyone found guilty of doing so can be fined up to S$10,000 and jailed for up to a year. 

SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has awarded two civil contracts worth S$1.16 billion for the construction of the North-South Corridor (NSC) tunnels, the LTA said in a news release on Wednesday (May 23). 

The first contract, worth S$602.6 million, was awarded to Samsung C&T Corporation, LTA said. Samsung C&T Corporation will be responsible for designing and constructing a 1.37km section of the tunnel, located between Toa Payoh Rise and Marymount Lane. 

The company was also awarded the first NSC civil contract for the construction of the NSC tunnel between Novena Rise and Toa Payoh Rise in November last year. 

LTA said the company has a “strong track record in Singapore”, having completed several major projects including a 1.75km stretch of the Marina Coastal Expressway, the North-South Line’s Marina South Pier Station as well as the Downtown Line’s Expo and Upper Changi Stations. 

They are also currently involved in the construction of the Xilin Station and tunnels, which are part of the Downtown Line Extension, as well as the Caldecott and Marine Parade Stations, which are part of the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL). 

The second contract, worth S$553.8 million, was awarded to a joint-venture between Leighton Contractors (Asia) and Yongnam Engineering & Construction. The companies will be responsible for a 0.64km stretch of the tunnel between Kampong Java Road and Suffolk Walk, as well as the widening of the Rochor Canal. 

Commuter facilities such as pedestrian overhead bridges, sheltered linkways, bus stops and cycling paths will also be built along this stretch as part of the contract. 

Leighton Contractors is an “established contractor in Australia” that has completed many road and railway infrastructure projects in Singapore and overseas, LTA said. It also constructed the Jalan Besar Station and tunnels on Downtown Line and are currently involved in the works for Springleaf Station on the TEL. 

Yongnam Engineering & Construction is an “established local contractor” that has been involved in many sub-contract works for local road and rail tunnel projects, and are currently involved in the construction of six TEL stations, LTA said. 

The NSC will include express bus lanes and cycling trunk routes to connect towns in the northern region to the city centre.

The bus lanes will help reduce commuting times from Woodlands, Sembawang, Yishun and Ang Mo Kio to the city by up to 30 minutes, and also make bus connections between residential towns along the NSC faster, LTA said previously.

The cycling trunk route will link up Park Connector Networks and the dedicated cycling path networks within HDB towns along the entire corridor to the city centre.

It is expected to be completed in 2026. 

SINGAPORE: Starting from July this year, Punggol Polyclinic will pilot a programme with KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital to improve follow-up care for new mothers, and open the first polyclinic-based eye clinic.

Clinic director Dr David Ng announced this during the official opening of Punggol Polyclinic on Wednesday (May 23).

The pilot programme is especially for new mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus who stand a risk of developing Type 2 diabetes later. Under the programme, longer-term care will also be extended to younger children.

It will see a closer hand-over of new mothers from the hospital to Punggol Polyclinic, helping to ensure that women focus not only on their children’s health, but also their own after giving birth.

The polyclinic will also work with the hospital to provide closer follow-up for babies up to the first three years, looking out especially for paediatric obesity. 

He added that while there is close follow-up for babies when they attend immunisations during the first 18 months of their lives, there is a tendency for young children to fall through the cracks after that.

“We find that some of them, when they enter school-going age they may not be fully prepared. So this is a focus of attention here. 

“We’re collaborating with KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital to see how we can improve the follow-up of babies for the first three years of their lives, and ensure they have a good start to their life ahead,” said Dr Ng.

This is part of Punggol Polyclinic’s focus on women’s and children’s health services, which caters to the demographic of Punggol residents. 

About 11 per cent of its residents are children and were aged four and under in 2017 – the highest proportion of children aged five and below in Singapore. 

Since the polyclinic became operational in November, more than 20 per cent of attendance has been for women’s and children’s health services.

FIRST EYE CLINIC IN A POLYCLINIC

Additionally, in collaboration with the Singapore National Eye Centre, Punggol Polyclinic will house a Community Eye Clinic from Jul 30, the first eye clinic in a polyclinic setting. 

The facility will allow patients with stable eye conditions such as early cataract, stable glaucoma, and diabetic eye conditions to seek follow-up care closer to home, saving on their travel time.

Dr Ng said this clinic will ensure the polyclinic will be able evolve and match the needs of its residents as the demographic shifts to an older one over the next 10 years.

OTHER SERVICES ENHANCED WITH TECH

Punggol Polyclinic is also the first SingHealth polyclinic to make use of dispensary technology Outpatient Pharmacy Automation System (OPAS), which makes use of robotics to improve efficiency in packing, and increase accuracy in dispensing medicine to 99.95 per cent.

According to the polyclinic’s pharmacy manager Ms Teo Hui Ling, the system is able to pack up to 150 prescriptions in an hour, double the capacity of packing by hand. 

Aside from that, the polyclinic also makes use of a 24-hour PILBOX system, which allows patients to collect their medication any time from parcel lockers within the polyclinic.

Patients can also find out more about their medication by scanning QR codes on an adjacent information wall. This includes commonly-needed information such as the proper use of asthma inhalers.

On top of that, the polyclinic is the first to have its own research facility to improve on care delivery and understand patient preferences and attitudes better in the polyclinic.

SINGAPORE: Mediacorp has launched the Young Creators Project to nurture and grow Singapore’s creative talent pool. 

The talent development initiative is supported by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and aims to provide budding content creators with resources and skills through several means including funding support, mentorship and access to production resources. 

In June last year, these “young creators” were paired with mentors who were either an executive producer, director, writer or cameraman from Mediacorp Studios, Mediacorp said in a media release on Wednesday (May 23). 

The mentors had offered them “valuable advice and insights”, from the story pitching process to the actual production work-in-progress, they said. 

A total of 11 short films have been produced by students from Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic and are all available for viewing on Toggle. 

“The Young Creators Project is one of the ways we are nurturing local creative talent and providing the platforms for them to showcase their work. We’ve gained new perspectives from working with them too. These students come with fresh ideas for storytelling and are keen to experiment with new formats,” Mediacorp’s chief content officer Doreen Neo said in a media release. 

“Nurturing the next generation of content creators is a great way to encourage new story ideas that will keep local public service content fresh and relevant for Singapore audiences, especially among the millennials. IMDA is happy to support this Mediacorp initiative, and we look forward to the emergence of more innovative ideas by our aspiring young talent,” said Ms Dorothy Lai, IMDA’s director of public service media and assessment. 

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SINGAPORE: When one thinks about Ramadan, the first thing that often comes to mind – for Muslims and non-Muslims alike – is buka puasa. In Malay, it simply means breaking one’s fast. 

The meal takes much of the spotlight each Ramadan, with new halal restaurant openings and menu items dominating the headlines. 

But there is another meal that doesn’t get much airtime, mostly because it usually happens behind closed doors: Sahur or the pre-dawn meal.

Taken between 4am and 5am, it’s when Muslims climb out of bed and putter around in the dark for some last-minute nourishment in preparation for the day ahead. 

CNA Lifestyle talks to six busy Muslim personalities to find out what sahur is like for them – and if it’s at all possible to eat healthy when you can barely stay awake. 

‘SAHUR IS HARD BECAUSE WAKING UP EARLY IS HARD’

For Mediacorp actress and host Nurul Aini, the hardest thing about sahur or suhoor as it’s called in Arabic, is getting up for it. “Sahur is hard because waking up (at 4am) is hard,” she said. “I never used to wake up for sahur, but now that my children are fasting as well, we eat as a family, which we enjoy very much.” 

Nurul’s helper Dewi has been preparing smoothie bowls for the star, who uploads photos of the creations on Instagram with the hashtag #dewibowls. 

This particular recipe contains a smoothie made with frozen banana, mango and pineapple, and poured over a bowl of dragonfruit. The dish is finished with a topping of berries, almonds and granola. 

“The effort she puts in to make these is just A+!” Nurul wrote in one social media post. “We run out of fruits every other day,” she shared in another.  

While many struggle with work and family during Ramadan, especially when it comes to preparing meals like sahur, Nurul is hoping for a more leisurely time this year. 

“I’m not worried at all this year because I’m free from work,” she said. “I was always busy shooting during fasting month, but I put it all aside this year so I can enjoy Ramadan with the family and prepare for Hari Raya.” 

QUINOA OVER RICE 

Eating sahur as a family – early as it is – has always been a tradition for BeritaMediacorp news anchor Hazlina Abdul Halim. 

“Everyone sits at the dining table and we eat together. We might not be able to break our fast together, but we start our fast together. This was the practice in my childhood home and it remains so now that I’m married,” she said. 

To fill up for a day of fasting, Hazlina recommends quinoa nasi lemak, a healthier take on the well-loved local dish typically made with rice.

“Of course, this is a bit of a treat. Most days, we eat just cereal and cold milk, or spread Nutella on sourdough toast,” she said. 

SATISFYING AND ENERGISING

Jayina Chan, co-founder of popular online baby food startup Anya Meals, also favours quinoa. 

She had been observing the fasting month since before she converted to Islam several years ago, and used to be able to sustain on just dates, fruit, oatmeal, or milk and cereal for sahur. But things changed after she had her first child, after whom the business was named. 

“After I got pregnant and started breastfeeding, fasting became more difficult. I would find myself dehydrated and famished by noon,” she said. 

Nowadays, she has more satiating meals, such as this pan-grilled rainbow quinoa salad, which can be prepared the night before and keeps in the refrigerator for up to two days. 

“The beauty of this quinoa salad is that it slowly releases energy into your body throughout day, unlike white rice, which can cause blood sugar levels to spike quickly, leaving you bloated and sluggish,” said Jayina.  

‘LESS COOKING, MORE NUTRITION’

With her three children and the running of FatPapas’ three outlets, Anna Belle Francis has her hands full this Ramadan. 

“On my mother-in-law’s advice, I prepared my home menu for Ramadan way in advance and pasted the list on the fridge. This way, I don’t have to think so hard about what to cook while I’m running the restaurants, going for terawih (prayers) and struggling with little sleep,” she said. 

As part of her Ramadan mantra – less cooking, more nutrition – the former TV star said she will be making a lot of her well-loved spinach rosti because the prep can be done the night before and it allows her to be creative with nutrition. 

“The potatoes can be prepared earlier. Then, all you need is to top it with healthy ingredients like salad greens, vegetables, grilled chicken or smoked salmon slices. We like ours with a side of cream cheese.

“Sandwiches are also a good idea – you can prepare them before hand and use nutritious ingredients like grilled chicken, boiled egg or tuna,” she revealed. 

ONE PAN, ONE COMPLETE MEAL

Zhulaiha Abdul Rahim also adopts the less hands-on approach for sahur, so that she can spend more time and effort interacting with her three young children. 

​​​​​​​

Zhulaiha, who founded Laugh Play Learn, a creative Malay language learning centre with her husband, is an avid cook and baker who promotes easy, healthy recipes on her popular Instagram page Ovenhaven. 

Her passion for nutrition translates into her recommended sahur recipe – one-pan baked chicken with sweet potatoes, which she describes as a “complete meal with complex carbs, proteins and vegetables to keep one full longer”. 

“Sometimes, I add a sunny-side up, but it’s great as it is. The best thing about it is that everything goes into one pan and into the oven, which means less clean-up and no working over the stove,” she said.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Siti Mastura may be a celebrity chef, but she too prefers to keep it simple for Ramadan with a recipe perfected by her late mother and enjoyed by the family throughout the year, even in times of illness. 

“I love bubur lemak halba as it reminds me of my late mother, who would cook a lot of it and heat up a portion each day for the family,” she said. “My whole family loves this and my cooking class students do, too. 

“It’s also what we eat when we’re not feeling well.” 

The porridge is “light, but filling and very yummy”, said Chef Siti, who counts minced meat, salted egg, peanuts, vegetables and anchovies as its ingredients. The star entry is fenugreek, which she said helps with digestion. 

***

RECIPES

Jayina’s pan-grilled rainbow quinoa salad (serves 4, great hot and cold)

Main ingredients: 

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed twice
• 1/2 pomegranate, seeds removed
• 2 tablespoons goji berries, rinsed and soaked
• 1 large carrot, sliced​​​​​​​
• 1 packet young corn, halved length-wise
• 1 bunch French beans, halved
• 1/4 cup frozen peas
• 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 pearl brinjal, sliced
• 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced

Toppings and seasoning:

• 2 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon toasted black sesame seeds
• 1 stalk English parsley, stem removed
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 tablespoons raw and cold-pressed organic virgin coconut oil
• Himalayan pink salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste 

Method:

• Cook quinoa with 2 1/2 cups of water and a touch of salt in a rice cooker. Allow to steam for an additional 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
• Bring a pot of salted water to boil, blanch broccoli florets and frozen peas separately. When they turn bright green, immerse them in ice water immediately.
• Toss carrot sticks in a pan over high heat until all the water has evaporated. Add a teaspoon of coconut oil and continue to cook until carrots start to brown. Set aside.
• Repeat with French beans, young corn and brinjal, one ingredient at a time.
• Assemble cooked quinoa, grilled vegetables, blanched vegetables and pomegranate.
• Top with pumpkin seeds, black sesame, chia seeds, parsley and remaining coconut oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot or cold.

Hazlina’s quinoa nasi lemak (serves 4) 

Main ingredients: 

• 1 cup quinoa, soaked for 30 minutes before cooking 
• An inch bruised ginger
• 3 cloves bruised garlic
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon organic virgin coconut oil 
• 1 soft-boiled egg
• Anchovies and peanuts on the side
• Japanese cucumber, sliced, on the side
• Sambal to taste

Method:

• Cook the quinoa in a rice cooker with 1 1/2 cup of water as well as ginger, garlic, fenugreek, salt and coconut oil.
• Air-fry anchovies and peanuts.
• Serve with boiled egg and choice of sambal.

SINGAPORE: A 57-year-old man was sentenced to jail on Tuesday (May 22) for leading the police on a car chase through the streets of Geylang in 2017.

In the course of the chase on a Sunday morning, Chua Lim Teck had driven against the flow of traffic four times, hit three vehicles and drove through a closed gantry, before finally coming to a stop.

Chua was sentenced to nine-and-a-half months’ jail for committing three traffic offences, including one count of dangerous driving and driving without a valid licence, as well as one Customs-related offence. He was also barred from driving for three years.

The court heard that Chua was pulled over by the police at Lorong 14 Geylang Road for a routine check at around 10.40am on Jul 16, 2017. He was accompanied by his wife in the vehicle, a red van, as seen in video footage played in court. 

When Chua could not produce his particulars, the police officer instructed Chua’s wife to alight, and for Chua to move his vehicle to the side of the road for further checks. But instead of doing so, he continued to move forward and eventually sped off towards Guillemard Road.

This sparked a “protracted pursuit” lasting about four minutes, said prosecutors, during which Chua drove through the small side streets in the Geylang area without regard for traffic rules.

In his haste to get away, Chua collided with a taxi and two parked cars, but did not stop. He dashed through two stop signs and drove against the flow of traffic four times, before driving through a gantry at Guillemard Road, causing it to rip off.

He also drove through a pedestrian crossing while someone was walking on it.

Chua finally stopped his vehicle at a gantry at the entrance of Cassia Crescent. But even then, he attempted to escape on foot and “necessary force” had to be used to subdue and arrest him.

He also claimed that he could not remember his NRIC number.

A total of 180 cartons of contraband cigarettes were later found in his vehicle. It was also found that Chua did not possess a valid Class 3 driving licence.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Chong Yong noted that the chase occurred in a built-up area in the middle of a Sunday morning. “The potential harm for other road users was high, and there were plenty of families walking around,” he said.

In sentencing, District Judge Mathew Joseph described the account of the incident as reading “like an action movie car chase that was fast and furious”.

“This is quite astonishing for any motorist,” he said, adding that Chua had shown a “bold and blatant disregard” for the safety of other road users.

SINGAPORE: This year’s National Day Parade (NDP) theme song is a revamped version of the old classic “We Are Singapore”.

A new prelude breathes fresh air into the song, originally written in 1987, and fashioned after a speech made by founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in 1966.

Launching the theme, theme song, logo and concept of this year’s NDP on Tuesday (May 22), chairman of the NDP 2018 Executive Committee Brigadier-General Alfred Fox said everyone loves the song.

“It is an all-time favourite. You know the lyrics, I do. We sing it all the time. The school kids know it as well,” he said. 

He was speaking at the launch event at the Marina Bay Floating Platform, which is where this year’s NDP will be held.

Lyricist, singer and composer Charlie Lim came up with the new prelude for the song after researching past National Day songs for a week and coming up with a demo.

It was “scary” because the song is so iconic, Mr Lim said.

When asked if people would like the song, he said: “I’m proud of it, I like it, it comes from an honest place. Hopefully, it resonates with other people.” 

His vocals in the original demo, recorded in his home,  were used in the video, as his performance was deemed more “heartfelt” than the one he tried to record in the studio. 

The song was chosen in line with this year’s theme bearing the same name. 

“WE ARE SINGAPORE” THEME AND LOGO

Of the theme, BG Fox said: “It says who we are, where we have come from, what we have overcome and what we aspire to be together.”

There were many ideas and variations in trying to represent “We are Singapore” as a logo, BG Fox said. A durian, an island and hearts were floated as options. After several iterations, a typographic logo was chosen for the first time, he said. The words are within a speech bubble embedded with a crescent and five stars. 

BG Fox described the logo as “enduring” and said it follows the clear message of the theme. 

“It is the voice of Singaporeans proudly proclaiming who we are as a people, as a country and that this is our home,” he said.  

NAVAL COMBAT DIVERS TO JUMP FOR THE FIRST TIME

Along with their counterparts from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Parachute Team, also known as the Red Lions, naval combat divers will be making a water jump, BG Fox said. The water jump is something they do as part of their job, he added. 

A crowd favourite, this year’s aerial display and flypast promise to be spectacular, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF).

BG Fox also said that this year’s military tattoo will be the biggest yet at the floating platform. The Combined Schools Choir will also return after five years. 

As in previous years, the parade will be split into three segments: the pre-parade, the parade and ceremony, and the show. 

Organised by 3rd Singapore Division, along with public and private sector agencies, the NDP this year will involve almost 14,000 participants, volunteers and personnel behind the scenes and on stage. 

Singapore citizens and permanent residents can apply for tickets to the parade from Wednesday to Jun 3.