When it comes to the discerning buyer, purchasing clothes off-the-rack is always a bit of a headache.
There’s always something that can be improved upon, be it a hem that’s not quite right, or a niggling fit issue around the waist. That’s why many women choose to get their clothes altered so they fit to a T.
We’ve listed a few of our favourite tailors who, armed with scissors, needle and thread, can make your garments look as though they were made for you.
1. V.BJORN @ FAR EAST PLAZA
Nestled just around the corner of the fourth floor of Far East Plaza lies V.bjorn.
Helmed by Vanessa, V.bjorn has been the go-to place for alterations within the mall itself, with many of the tenants bringing their customers directly to Vanessa after they would like to tailor their new purchases. In fact, that’s how we came to know about her existence.
Somehow, the perennial debate on whether it’s better to live on the East or West side of our tiny island always seem to get people up in arms.
In spite of the fact that the MRT line separating both sides is but a mere 57km long.
Even my simple claim that west is best for supper-eating folks elicited some very strong sentiments from my colleagues — of which, the best comment came from our chief editor who said I was spreading fake news.
Here are some choice quotes:
“West side got actual food places?”,
“I thought it was just a barren wasteland with some industrial buildings, factories and industrial waste processing plants (i.e. sewage)”
“(I) thought its just one giant park for birds and wildlife,” to which the response was “that’s why one stall sell instant noodles also become famous”.
SINGAPORE: National water agency PUB has released “tens of thousands” of fish into Pandan Reservoir, the latest measure employed to try to control the midge pupae population, it said on Friday (Sep 6).
The release of the guppies, mollies and swordtails into the reservoir was done in a controlled manner that does not affect its ecosystem, PUB said in a Facebook post.
Midges, which are commonly mistaken for mosquitoes, are small insects which exist in and near water bodies.
“While these midges do not bite or spread diseases, they can be a nuisance when present in large numbers,” said PUB.
Residents and businesses at Teban Gardens have been affected as swarms of the insects have infested the neighbourhood.
PUB biologist Tricia Poh releasing fish into Pandan Reservoir to help control the midge pupae population. (Photo: Facebook/PUB)
PUB said insect nets have also been installed at bus stops along Penjuru Road and West Coast Road.
The nets are laced with permethrin, an insecticide used in PUB’s fogging operations. It is non-toxic to humans.
An insect net installed at a bus stop along West Coast Road to help deter adult midges from entering the area. (Photo: Facebook/PUB)
Earlier, PUB said in a Facebook post on Aug 1 that it had stepped up measures to control the rising midge population around Pandan Reservoir.
These include putting more biological liquid larvicide within the reservoir, fogging and misting around the reservoir dyke and surrounding vegetation more frequently, and installing bright spotlights at the Pandan Reservoir pumping station to attract adult midges when they emerge at night. According to PUB, the bright lights deter them from flying into residential estates.
There are approximately 57 species of non-biting midges in Singapore’s reservoirs.
The current dominant midge species that has recently emerged at Pandan Reservoir is a rare one that has not been studied in great detail, said Minister for Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli in Parliament on Monday.
The species exhibits different behaviours from other species, he added.
“Midges cannot be eradicated as they are part of the natural aquatic ecosystem, and will emerge to breed, especially when aided by favourable environmental conditions. Climate change will further complicate our efforts,” he said.
In something that kids today might call a “bruh moment”, the internet recently got highly enamoured over an image shared by the Singapore Armed Forces’ Basic Military Training Centre Facebook page from way back in July.
Said picture simply consists of a young recruit by the name of Muhammad Imran in the midst of what seems to be a rifle inspection conducted by a commando officer.
Really, this would have just been a run-of-the-mill publicity picture by BMTC. But the moment proved to be a weirdly amusing one thanks to the pure swole stature of the recruit, who easily towers over the officer, throwing the power dynamics off-kilter. Understandably, Imran’s appropriately muscular since he’s a rugby player.
Team Singapore has launched a crowdfunding page on GoGetFunding to finance their travel to the Overwatch World Cup later this year.
The team is looking to raise a total of S$30,000 to fund their 8-day stay in Anaheim, Los Angeles in the run-up to BlizzCon 2019, which takes place on 1 and 2 November.
The money raised will cover things like flight tickets, accommodation, transport, and food for Team Singapore, which comprises a total of 10 members. As per Blizzard’s guidelines, this includes six players, one substitute, and three committee members. Here’s a snapshot of the cost breakdown posted on the campaign page:
SINGAPORE: Singaporean diver Ms Tan Wei has been confirmed as one of the 34 victims who died aboard a boat that caught fire and sank off the coast of California, her family told CNA on Friday (Sep 6).
Dive boat Conception sank off Santa Cruz Island after a blaze erupted at about 3.15am local time on Monday. Authorities confirmed that the bodies of 33 victims have so far been recovered, with one still missing.
On Friday, Tan Wei’s older sister Cheerin said DNA tests confirmed that one of the bodies was that of her younger sister.
Her father is flying out to Los Angeles to be with Cheerin’s older brother Sejay to make arrangements for Tan Wei’s cremation, which is set to take place in Santa Barbara on Saturday.
Cheerin had announced the death of her younger sister in a Facebook post on Thursday.
She wrote: “We sincerely thank all relatives and friends for your love and concern as we get through this difficult phase.
“It hurts, it will always hurt, but we will move on.”
DOING SOMETHING SHE LOVED
Cheerin said on Thursday her sister was “the most active one in the family”, and had got her diving licence when she was 17 years old.
Tan Wei grew up in Singapore and moved to the US in 2012, where she studied chemical engineering at the University of Michigan.
After graduation, she worked as a consultant for two years, before doing her master’s degree at UC Berkeley.
In June, Tan Wei moved to Santa Barbara upon graduation and started working as a data scientist.
An avid diver, she was looking forward to exploring the Santa Barbara area, Cheerin said.
“She really enjoys outdoor sports so it’s at least comforting to know that she was doing something she loved in the last few moments of her life,” her sister added.
“She’s a very, very sweet girl who’s like a little bright star among her friends, bursting with energy and joy.”
Singaporean data scientist Tan Wei, 26, is feared dead after a boat that she was on caught fire off the coast of California. (Photo: Facebook/Tan Wei)
The other Singaporean aboard the Conception was Dr Singh, a research scientist with a PhD in electrical engineering from Stanford University.
He picked up scuba diving two months ago, reported The New Paper (TNP).
“My son had a beautiful character. He was always smiling and never short-tempered. That is how I will always remember him,” his father Sojit Singh told TNP.
Authorities have since revealed more details about the blaze.
The Conception diving boat burns during a rescue operation off Santa Cruz Island in California, US, on Sep 2, 2019. (Photo: Santa Barbara County Fire Department/Handout via Reuters)
The 34 victims were trapped below deck in a bunk room that was engulfed in flames. The five surviving crew members said the fire prevented them from climbing down a narrow ladder into the bunk room or gaining access through a window.
Among the other victims were a family of five, a teacher and his daughter, and a diving instructor and marine biologist.
None of the names of the dead, who ranged in age from 17 to 60, has been publicly released by authorities.
The boat’s owner, Truth Aquatics, has suspended dive expeditions on two other boats while the incident is investigated, the National Transportation Safety Board said.
SINGAPORE: For the past month, stallowners at Makan Shiokz coffee shop on the ground floor of Block 49 Teban Gardens have had to watch their regular customers turn around and go home after seeing the swarms of midges plaguing the block.
“At around 6 or 7pm, I see them walk here to buy food, and after they see the midges, they u-turn and go home,” said the coffee shop manager, who only wanted to be known as Zai.
“They don’t even want to come here and take away food. It’s so sad. We couldn’t even do anything,” he added.
Located adjacent to Pandan Reservoir, the coffee shop has seen a 40 per cent dip in business over the past month, said Zai.
He told CNA that the stallowners have grown so frustrated at the swarms of midges that they decided to take the problem into their own hands.
An insect net has been set up by stallowners at Makan Shiokz hawker centre at Block 49 Teban Gardens. (Photo: Marcus Mark Ramos)
“First we tried electric racquets. Then we bought electrical insect traps. Then we tried glue boxes. Then these weren’t working, so we bought small fogging machines to try fogging ourselves, and now we’ve put up this net.
“Every night in August, we even used a paint brush to brush the net and the columns with oil, because it is sticky and the midges get stuck.”
“The problem with (the coffee shop) being here, is because we are located at an angle and there is no HDB blocking us, the wind blows all the midges towards (the coffee shop),” said Zai.
“Whenever they do the fogging, it works for the reservoir, but then the midges come to us. You can see them sticking to the second and third floors also.”
Midges stick to the columns of Makan Shiokz hawker centre in Teban Gardens. (Photo: Marcus Mark Ramos)
He added: “We did email PUB asking if there’s any possibility for us to get compensation, because (the reservoir) belongs to them. But they emailed back and said no way of compensation.” According to Zai, PUB informed residents that the problem is predicted to persist until October.
Midges swarm above a drain in Teban Gardens. (Photo: Marcus Mark Ramos)
“The insects really fly into your food. It makes me uncomfortable,” said housewife and regular customer Ms Normah Johan, 53.
Ms Normah stopped eating at Makan Shiokz for about a month, but recently started going to the coffee shop again as she observed that there has been a reduction in the swarms of midges.
Her husband, Mr Aziz Biat, drives a lorry for work every day, and has to wash it more often because the midges stick to the vehicle after he drives around the area.
“When it was hot in August, there were really a lot of insects flying around. Now it is a bit better,” said the 61-year-old. “Actually this is not so bad, it is just irritating. At least it is not mosquitoes, that actually can be dangerous.”
The couple has lived at Block 24 Teban Gardens for over 20 years. While their home has yet to be invaded by midges because their block is located further away from the reservoir, the family closes all their windows and sprays insect repellent before going to bed.
When CNA visited Teban Gardens between 4.30pm and 7pm on Thursday afternoon (Sep 5), midges were swarming above drains in large numbers, and dead midges had accumulated in crevices on walls and pillars, appearing to be dirt or dust at first glance. Standing still resulted in midges swarming around and getting into one’s eyes, mouth, nose and hair.
Dead midges accumulate on crevices around the HDB estate. (Photo: Marcus Mark Ramos)
At about 4.30pm, Block 31 and Blk 33 Teban Gardens, which directly face the reservoir, were washed down with water jets. And at about 6pm, PUB officers carried out fogging around the reservoir, as well as drains surrounding the blocks next to the reservoir.
Blocks located opposite Pandan Reservoir were being hosed down when CNA visited on Thursday evening. (Photo: Marcus Mark Ramos)
PUB said in a Facebook post on Aug 1 that it has increased the frequency of fogging and misting around the reservoir dyke and surrounding vegetation, frequency and dosage of biological liquid larvicide within the reservoir, as well as the installation of bright spotlights at the Pandan Reservoir pumping station to attract adult midges when they emerge at night.
Pandan Reservoir is now closed to the public from 6pm to 9am for fogging. (Photo: Marcus Mark Ramos)
According to PUB, the bright lights deter them from flying into residential estates. Midge egg masses attached to floating structures and rocks along the edges of the reservoir have also been removed.
Residents and passersby were spotted wearing masks, swatting the insects away and avoiding drainage areas where huge swarms of midges were gathering.
Passersby around Teban Gardens were spotted wearing masks. (Photo: Marcus Mark Ramos)
Mr Lim Thiam Chye, who works in a provision shop in the industrial area near Pandan Reservoir, has worn a mask and a cap to work every day since the midge emergence began in July, to prevent the insects from flying into his eyes, nose and mouth.
“It rained the other day, and the midges disappeared for a while. A few days later, they were back and there was even more of them,” said the 57-year-old in Mandarin.
“I don’t think the fogging has helped. The number of midges hasn’t decreased at all, and the wind is so strong, it just blows them back to the HDB area,” he added.
PUB officers carry out fogging at Pandan Reservoir. (Photo: Marcus Mark Ramos)
After the fogging on Thursday ended, CNA observed swarms of midges returning to the drains and the surroundings just 15 to 20 minutes later.
Resident Xavier Lopez, who has lived at Block 40 Teban Gardens for over 40 years, said the midges emergence happens most years.
“But this is the first time it is like that. It’s been going on for more than a month, last time is at most one week. It’s probably the most insects I’ve seen,” he added.
Resident Xavier Lopez, who has lived in the estate for over 40 years, said this year’s outbreak is the worst one he has seen so far. (Photo: Marcus Mark Ramos)
Mr Lopez said he closes all his windows at home, but this does not prevent midges from flying through the bathroom windows. He told CNA that dead midges accumulate on the floor, walls and mirrors, and he washes the toilet every day. He also does not turn on any lights, even at night.
Student Zena Seah and her family have adopted similar habits, choosing to leave all windows closed at all times. They also avoid turning on the lights, as they have observed that midges swarm around their bright kitchen lights.
Zena, who stays in Block 25 Teban Gardens, said she encounters swarms of midges in the lift when she leaves and returns from school. “I don’t even dare to open my mouth,” she said.
When she eats at the nearby hawker centres, she has also noticed midges landing on tables and chairs.
“There was once I went to the hawker centre to get food, and I saw a table full of black marks. Then the cleaning aunty wiped the table, and I realised it was all dead midges,” she added.
But Zena said that while the midges are a nuisance, they have not affected her family’s daily routines. “We don’t really care. Even if we see them, they’ll die in one to two days anyway.”
The current dominant midge species that has recently emerged at Pandan Reservoir is a rare one that has not been studied in great detail, said Minister for Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli in Parliament on Monday.
The species exhibits different behaviours from other species, like hiding in drains and culverts in the day and swarm above the drains in the evening, he added.
Free-moving oily paper within drains, used to increase the capture rates of adult midges. (Photo: Marcus Mark Ramos)
PUB has greased drain walls to trap midges when they land to rest, and have targeted these areas for fogging, he said. It has also explored the use of free-moving oily paper within drains to increase the capture rates of adult midges.
The netting on the reservoir dyke has also been extended by 1km, said Mr Masagos, acting as a barrier to trap adult midges and reduces the number of adult midges that would otherwise be blown to residential estates.
Speaking in Parliament on Monday, MP for West Coast GRC Foo Mee Har said residents who live near Pandan Reservoir have “suffered greatly” from the mass emergence of midges since July this year.
“This year’s outbreak is the most severe we have witnessed yet and also persisted for the longest time, impacting the daily lives of our residents. Some have likened it to being in a horror movie. If you visited it’s really scary,” she added.
As for Zai, returning home is not an escape from the midges at work. The 46-year-old lives in a unit in the same block.
He spends his free time looking on the Internet for solutions that might work against the midges, but has not found any other options yet. “I do not know what to do anymore. Seriously, I do not know what to do anymore,” he said.
He added that while him and the stallowners used to paint the insect net and columns with oil by hand every night, they have since stopped doing so.
“You can say that we’ve given up. There are just too many.”
SINGAPORE: A total of 761 offences related to personal mobility devices (PMDs) were detected – with 176 devices impounded – in August, LTA said in a Facebook post on Friday (Sep 6).
“Most of the detected offences were registration-related offences, riding of unregistered devices and riding of PMDs on roads,” said LTA.
Cases reported through the MyTransport.SG app helped identify hotspots for more targeted enforcement operations that were conducted in several locations including Marina Bay Sands, Buangkok, Changi Village, Sentosa, Choa Chu Kang, Pasir Ris, Hougang, Woodlands, Telok Blangah and Yishun, LTA said.
The Land Transport Authority in September impounded this device weighing 94kg – five times the stipulated weight limit – during a plainclothes operations. (Photo: Facebook/LTA)
Over the past few months, LTA announced various initiatives to promote and encourage the safer use of PMDs.
It said that it conducted at least 600 Safe Riding Programme sessions over the last three months, while its enforcement team has also expanded to about 200 officers.
In April, LTA made it mandatory for all registered UL2272-certified e-scooters to go for inspections. It has since September 2018 adopted the UL2272 safety standard to improve safety against fire and electrical hazards.
The charging in UL2272-certified devices automatically cuts off once the battery is fully charged, thus avoiding overcharging which could lead to a fire.
Senior Minister of State for Transport Lam Pin Min also announced in Parliament last month that LTA will work with some town councils to conduct a three-month trial to designate pedestrian-only zones where riders must dismount and push their PMDs.
Dr Lam added that LTA will expand Singapore’s cycling path network to 750km by 2025, triple its cycling network by 2030, and improve other infrastructures such as widening footpaths, putting up warning signs and installing speed-regulating strips at PMD accident hotspots.
In the video on Friday, LTA advises PMD users to only use UL2272-certified devices to lower fire risks, and ensure that their device is within the weight limit of 20kg and a maximum width of 70cm.
Climate change is one of the “gravest challenges facing mankind”, as described by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during National Day Rally 2019, and concrete measures have been put in place to prevent Singapore from being flooded by rising sea levels.
That’s a scary thought!
Perhaps, other than building dams, what Singapore can do is to slow down rapid urbanisation and control the usage of air-conditioning.
But there are immediate things that we can do at an individual level.
Here are 10 actions that not only help you save the environment; they also save you money at the same time!
