Individual Assignment 3

Tech: Blogging on the go

Most of us would have owned a physical diary at some point in our lives - at least, back in the days before the advent of the Internet. The diary would be our companion, our confidante, a hassle-free, personal way to record our lives.

But then technology came along and digitised everything. The late 2000s saw the boom of social media and blogging platforms like Blogger, Wordpress and LiveJournal, which were wildly popular among teens and young adults. Diary entries were no longer personal and confidential once they went online - in fact, most of our blogs would feature a visitor counter to track our hits. There were also widgets you could add, like a tagboard, which allowed friends and visitors to leave comments. The high-achievers went even further to add advertisements to their blogs, earning some spare cash from their after-school hobby.

But the fad did not last, and most blogs went defunct in the recent years. With more convenient micro-blogging applications like Twitter, which allows users to post 'tweets' of up to 140 characters, long-form blogging gradually lost its magic.

Now, a new mobile application is set to revive the blogging trend. Dayre (pronounced Diary) is a bite-sized blogging application available on both iOS and Android. The app brings together the best of both worlds - it allows users to post updates of up to 500 characters and at the end of the day, all the posts of the day are combined into one post (like your daily diary entry!). The idea is that you can post as many updates as you want in a day without 'spamming' your dashboard.

Cheo Ming Shen, the founder of Dayre, notes that with traditional blogging, you need to sit down and think about it before hashing out the entire piece. With Dayre, you can do it step by step. “We really want to put micro information into context,” he says.

With Dayre, it's not all about text - the interface gives you five options from crafting a text post, posting stickers, posting an image, a video or geotagging (posting with your location tagged)! And as with other social media applications, your friends or followers will be able to 'like' or leave comments on your day.

Barely three months after its release, the app now has close to 50,000 users - mainly teens and young adults. "It's simple to use, fuss-free and the interface is user-friendly," says Business undergraduate Shantelle Thian, 21, who has been updating her Dayre frequently since November 2013. "I use it especially when I travel - it's a really easy way to document my travel adventures because it allows me to post images and log the locations I've visited!" 

20-year-old Tryne Ong also shares similar sentiments. "I like that there're not too many functions, but enough options for me to make my Dayre interesting. I love the stickers, they're really cute and unique to Dayre," the Literature undergraduate shares. 

But the relatively new app still has room for improvement. The interface gets a little laggy at times, especially when uploading images and videos. Another downside is that the platform is only fully functional on mobile - meaning users can access and read Dayres on the computer, but can only log in and post updates from the mobile application. 

Whilst simple, the app may just be the spark to reviving blogging and for now, it certainly serves the purpose in its motto - for users to 'Share more and create your story.'

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Merry Christmas!

Merry, merry Christmas from all of us here :') May this video warm your heart, regardless whether you're a football fan or not!

Individual Assignment 2 - Christmas arrives at Orchard (and so does the crowd)

The annual light-up is now on - and hordes of locals and tourists alike have flocked to the streets to see it with their own eyes!

(watch in 720p for better visuals!)

Last weekend, the iconic streets of Orchard Road lit up in an elegant blue and white.

Yes, it’s the time of the year again – the annual Christmas light-up in town. This year, the primary light colours are on the conservative side, reportedly to not confuse motorists, according to the Orchard Road Business Association (Orba). Netizens have been abuzz about the decision; after all, which driver would actually be so ignorant as to mistake fairy lights for traffic lights?

Winter Wonderland: Orchard Road brimming with blue and white Christmas lights.

Whatever the colours, the light-up is no less stunning than previous years. The blue and white combination adds a touch of sophistication to the streets and likens the atmosphere to a white Christmas – something one can only dream of here in sunny Singapore.

The crowd on Sunday - unsurprisingly larger than on a normal day - was a mix of locals, curious tourists and photographers honing their skills. Almost everyone along the pavement was capturing their moments with a smartphone, DSLR camera, or even an iPad. 

Photoception! A tourist poses with a festive sculpture outside Wheelock Place

The lighted streets are a playground for photographers. "Every year, the decorations are different, and every year, we get different kinds of shots," said freelance photographer Arthur Wong, 45. "It's like documenting the how Orchard Road has changed."

Feeling blue? The exterior of and steps outside Wisma Atria were adorned in similar colours too.

What's Christmas without the trees? Aside from the fairy lights, the gigantic Christmas tree located just outside ION Orchard is another symbolic feature of the annual light-up. Adorned in colour-changing LED lights, its interior is big enough to accommodate 30-40 people at one time. Within the tree hangs even more fairy lights.

Watt a tree! Iconic LED light Christmas tree outside ION Orchard

Tree of Luxury: Iconic Christmas tree inside Ngee Ann City - decorated in Tiffany & Co. style this year.

The equally iconic Ngee Ann City tree, towering at 16 metres, gives the ION Orchard tree a run for its money. This Christmas tree sports a different theme each year, and this year, luxury jeweller Tiffany & Co. adds a touch of glamour and royalty to it. The tree draws a huge crowd every year, and its gleaming silver, blue and bronze Tiffany ornaments are sure to bring in many admirers once again this festive season.

Retailers are also cashing in on the festive season, launching seasonal sales and new products. Several makeshift stalls and pushcarts hawking Christmas wares have also sprouted in town. 

Cashing in: A makeshift stall on the first level of ION Orchard hawking festive ornaments

Coffee, tea of me? A pair of teenage girls pose for the camera in front of a gift box decoration outside Wisma Atria

Some locals even make it a habit to visit Orchard Road to view the lights every year. Housewife Kelly Lim, 43, was strolling along the streets with her son on Sunday. "My son saw pictures of the light-up on the papers and he wanted to see them for himself," she explained in Mandarin, "We come here every year to soak in the festive atmosphere."

Indeed, the Christmas atmosphere is nowhere as lovely anywhere else on the island. Aside from the lights, other prominent scenes include various groups of choirs carolling, their harmonious voices filling the December air. Dance enthusiasts were also grooving to festive tunes on Sunday as Santas and Santarinas made appearances from time to time. 

"Christmas at Orchard Road has a very nice atmosphere. I love it," added Arthur. 

Naughty or nice? A model posing as Santarina for a shoot on the steps of Wisma Atria

The Light-Up Period is from Saturday 23 November 2013 – Sunday 5 January 2014 and will take place at the following times of the day:
- 6.30pm to 6am on Christmas Eve and both New Year’s Eves;
- 6.30pm to 2am on Fridays and Saturdays;
- 6.30pm to 12 midnight on Mondays to Thursdays and on Sundays.

Week 4 tutorial

(Allegedly) Haunted places in Temasek Polytechnic

Regardless of whether you believe in the supernatural or not, every institution has it own set of urban legends and supposedly-haunted corners - and TP is no exception.

Most students would agree that the School of Design is the 'dirtiest', with its dark, gloomy corridors and cramped work quarters. Here's what a pair of students from the Diploma in Moving Images have to say.

The mentioned 'dark curtain wall' on level six looks like this. It certainly does feel a little uneasy passing through this corridor.



Everyone knows the School of Design's 'horrors', but what about the rest of the school?

Tucked away in an unsuspecting corner on the fourth level of the School of Business is this locked and sealed room - BS26-4-18.

Apparently, it used to be a classroom which was perpetually locked, the glass window on its door blocked out with a piece of paper. The only way to find out what's inside? Peek through the couple of tiny holes on the paper if you're daring enough.

"It is obvious because the words on the door look different from the other classrooms," explains Zarinar Lim, 19, a senior from the diploma in Leisure and Resort Management, "they probably edited it recently to avoid suspicion."

And true enough, the font looks distinctly different and the words appear to be carved not long ago.

What other spooky stories does Zarinar have to tell? Watch:

Could this innocent-looking amphitheatre really be haunted by a 'candy-wrapper' spirit? We'll never know.

E-learning assignment

Philippines braces for strongest typhoon this year

Typhoon Haiyan is pictured in this NOAA satellite handout image taken on Nov 6, 2013 at 23:13 UTC (07:13 Singapore time). PHOTO: REUTERS

Detroit shooting

A small crowd gathers near the scene of a multiple shooting near Al's Place Barber Shop in Detroit on Nov 6, 2013. Detroit police say the shooting incident left at least two people dead. PHOTO: AP

A new dinosaur species discovered

A new species of tyrannosaur unearthed in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah is revealed at the Utah Museum of Natural History Museum in Salt Lake City, on Nov 6, 2013. PHOTO: AP

VIDEO: Dramatic collision between SUV and sedan

Football fans paint TNP's EPL mania red

Arsenal fans (centre) celebrate the Gunners' win against Liverpool on Sunday morning at The New Paper's EPL mania event, held at The Wine Bar at St. James Power Station.

The Wine Bar at St. James Power Station was painted a bright red during the wee hours of last Sunday, as a crowd of 80-odd football fans gathered from midnight to catch the clash between top-of-the-table English Premier League teams Arsenal and Liverpool.

They had turned up for the EPL mania event organised by The New Paper.

It was evident which side garnered more support in the bar that night as majority of the viewers turned up in the Gunners’ red jerseys.

And they were not disappointed as their team went on to score two beautiful goals, trumping Liverpool 2-0.

Never mind that the match took place at 1:30 am in the morning - the fans' enthusiasm was not marred and the bar echoed of 'oohs' and 'ahhs' throughout the night.

The match result was not the only thing worth celebrating. The audience also came to life when prizes for predicting the first goal, half-time and full-time scores, sponsored by L'Oreal Men, were given out.

Student Josiah Ang, 19, was all smiles as he received a cash prize of $190 for correctly predicting the first goal of the game, which was scored at the 19th minute.

As a neutral party he was not pinning hopes on either team, but he predicted the Gunners to triumph and they did. "I just felt Liverpool deserved at least a consolation goal," he said. "They were playing well in the second half."

Undergraduate Nicholas Ong, 24, who was at the event for the first time with his friends, did not think so.

"Arsenal have been in superb form this season, and they were excellent today. Liverpool, on the other hand, were lacklustre and they were flustered after Arsenal scored."

He also added that he would want to attend another EPL mania event. "The atmosphere is great here and the food is good too."

The football fans were treated to a free flow buffet and two free drinks at the venue. They also each received a TNP goodie bag, which included gifts from the sponsors and finger food.

Amidst the predominantly male crowd, retail consultant Anna Chong, 28, stood out. Clad in the Reds' black away kit, she was also one of the few left disappointed by the match result. "Arsenal were the better team today though," she admitted.

"If only there were more Liverpool fans, the event would be more enjoyable!"