Colours, Sights & Patterns At Kampong Glam

In the 19th century, Kampong Glam was essentially an ethnic district with a strong Malay-Arab influence. It was a place where locals patronized for their Arab-Muslim traditional foodstuff and merchandise...

Immersive 4K HDR Viewing Experience With Sony Projectors

Sony’s latest innovative laser light source projector is High Dynamic Range (HDR) compatible with native 4K resolution, creating an amazling clear lifelike experience, as if you are there yourself…

Back 30 Years To Upper Serangoon Shopping Centre

Iconic along this stretch of road is the rectangular block of a nondescript beige-tiled building. The facade of this building is blocked by an overhead bridge. And this is the front entrance to a shopping centre - the Upper Serangoon Shopping Centre… (USSC).

Monti - Singapore's Longest Brunch Every Sunday

Enjoy brunch by the bay concept, complete with stunning views of the Marina Bay and its surroundings, and a fabulous menu and music programme to match at Monti…

Where Freemasons Convene

In 1886, the Masonic Club was established to support Singapore freemasonry. Guess who was the first Freemason in modern Singapore?

What A BIG Screen You've Got There!

Singapore
September 2013

Today's consumers enjoy having an exciting world of interactive entertainment at their fingertips. From streaming movies or television shows to playing games, users now spend a large proportion of their time on their tablets and smartphones - a common sight on buses and trains in Singapore. All that time spent squinting at a piece of glass and plastic is no joke... a terrible strain on the eyes... 

That's why, when Merlion Wayfarer heard that LG is coming up with a phone that promises a whole new viewing experience, she awaited with bated breath...

In line with its "Learning From You" theme, the LG G2 is designed with the needs of the end user in mind.

Equipped with a 5.2-inch Full HD display, the G2 has the largest display in the 2.7-inch width smartphone category. The phone’s bezel is a mere 2.65mm on the side edge. In addition to the expansive viewing experience, LG's proven IPS technology offers superior graphics, accurate colours and clear images without any distortion.

What this means...
  • No more huge chunky phones that can barely fit into your entire palm. The G2 is remarkably light and slim and fits easily into the handbag or pocket
  • A visibly bigger screen with the same clear image and vibrant colours found in the Optimus G

Furthermore, LG's proven IPS technology offers superior graphics, accurate colours and clear images without any distortion. Through IPS, LG has sealed its place among the top manufactures in LCD Display, with other consumer electronics companies are using this display technology from LG for their mobile devices and screen displays.


Best of all these bells and whistles do not add to the weight of a very smart-looking phone - The G2 weighs a mere 143g...


More photos are available on Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa at :

  

The Northern Fresh & Salty

Lower Seletar Reservoir
Yishun
North, Singapore
March 2013

The Yishun Dam separates our northern waters with the Lower Seletar Reservoir, a freshwater catchment area on one side, and the saline seawater on the other side...

A relaxing afternoon by the sea with Malaysia on the other bank...
 
With the cooling sea wind and cloudy sky, fishing there is a breeze...
 


More photos are available on Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa at :
Places - Reservoirs

 

Launch Of HBO Asia's Serangoon Road

Raffles Hotel
Central, Singapore
September 2013
Serangoon Road is HBO Asia’s first Original series, a ten-episode detective noir series set against the tumultuous backdrop of 1960s Singapore, when the global balance of power is shifting and Singapore is at its crossroad; a time when the British colonial rule is coming to an end, independence is on the horizon, and the island state can finally forge its own identity.
  
Stellar cast from Australia, China, and Singapore...
Pamelyn Chee made an appearance to grace the occasion...

 Singapore Sling is served...


More photos are available on Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa at :

   
 

Pandora 3D - Loving Earth In Recycled Luminescence

Gardens By The Bay
Marina Bay
South, Singapore
September 2013

Pandora 3D is one of Keppel Club's main attractions showcased at the Earth Week Exhibition 2013 in March. As part of the Club's Go Green initiative and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, the green message is conveyed through a visually stunning 3D exhibit to remind everyone about the ailing earth and the pressing need to stop exploiting it. Made from 100% recycled materials with the staff's bare hands and taking 5 full days to set up, Keppel Club hopes that every visitor to this exhibition leaves with insights on the importance of human co-existence with Mother Earth.
 
The long queue outside the Pandora 3D tent - 
Everyone is given the full opportunity to experience the exhibit in full...
 
Enter by stepping through ankle-deep dried leaves... Do you get the feeling that you are in a forest?
 
When the curtain is lifted...
  
The explosion of colours just fills you...
  
Flowers glow in their luminescent rainbow...

  
A Keppel Club volunteer explains how the flowers are made from plastic bottles and then painted over with glow-in-the-dark paint...
  
How the flowers look like - 2D and 3D...

  
A rubber frog on a leaf that glows in the dark...
 
A Navi warrior stands guard by the exit - Watch out, he moves!
  
Leaving the tent with a greater appreciation of the environment...

 

More photos are available on Merlion Wayfarer Goes Green's Picasa at :

LG G2 - Completely Devoid Of Side Buttons

Singapore
September 2013
  
Three months after the launch of the Optimus G Pro, LG is once again setting the standards for mobile communication with its superior features. The way mobile phones are used is set to change with the G2.

At the media preview, Merlion Wayfarer had the opportunity to test out the phone. Here's what she likes:
The LG G2 has revolutionized smartphone designs by placing all the buttons at the rear of the device, making it the first smartphone to be completely devoid of buttons at the sides of the phone.

What this means...
  • Easier selfies without the awkward manoeuvring to touch an onscreen button
  • Volume adjustment is much easier during a call

Audio Zoom enables users to zoom in the sound, as they zoom in the images while video-recording. This unique feature uses three stereo mikes, which amplify sound from the specified angle and deemphasize the surrounding noise, so you can zoom in on the sounds you want to hear, and tune out those you don’t.

What this means...
  • Not only is the image enlarged, the sound associated with the area is also amplified. In a noisy environment, the ambient noise is cancelled out resulting in clear audio for videos recorded.
Equipped with a 5.2-inch Full HD display, the LG G2 has the largest display in the 2.7-inch width smartphone category. The phone’s bezel is a mere 2.65mm on the side edge.

What this means...
  • No more huge chunky phones that can barely fit into your entire palm. The G2 is remarkably light and slim and fits easily into the handbag or pocket
  • A visibly bigger screen with the same clear image and vibrant colours found in the Optimus G

The LG G2’s in-built camera offers 13 megapixels and Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS) technology in a slim design without a protruding lens. Other notable features include Multi-point AF, to keep images in focus, and the 360-degree panorama which records a scene not just horizontally but in all 360 degrees.

Merlion Wayfarer finds it unbelievable that a mobile phone can have an optical stabilizer, a technology that has so far been limited to point-and-shoot cameras and DSLRs. Kudos, LG!

Like the Optimus G, the G2 can be used as a remote control for popular home electronic devices. What's better is that you can customize the keys of the remote control panel on the G2.

You’re not always the only one using your phone - but with Guest Mode, you can personalize a user experience for yourself or a guest, controlling which apps and capabilities are available depending on which mode you enable.

What this means...
  • Lending the phone to your children? No problem, they can use the Guest mode with the apps you want them to see.
The LG G2 will be available at major telcos from 21 September 2013.

The red carpet entrance to the event location - Merlion Wayfarer certainly feels honoured to be walking on the red carpet and included in the launch preview! 

The grand façade of the entrance to the pavilion...

Members of the media testing out various features of the phone...
 
Some of the exciting new features of the phones are highlighted in these display panels...

A photo for the media - Gadgets and ladies always go together?

Live testing of the Audio Zoom feature...

The generous goodie bag...
 
  
Learning from the consumer instead of following a manufacturer's agenda
- A truly meaningful tagline...

 Thank you, LG!
 


More photos are available on Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa at :

  

LG Pocket Print - Convenience In The Palm Of Your Hand

Singapore
September 2013

Merlion Wayfarer was recently invited to test out LG's Pocket Print (LG PD233). The Pocket Print is a compact mini photo printer that is small enough to fit into the palm of your hand...

The Photo Print package with the photo printer, a pack of photo paper and the individual photo papers...

The compact size of the Pocket Print - 
Just as "big" as the LG Optimus G Pro with its 72.4 x 120.9 x 24.0 mm dimensions... 

The LG Pocket Print prints out a photo in under one minute!

Showing how fast and simple it is...
A photo on the LG Optimus G Pro and the actual printout - 
The colour of the phone is cooler in tone while the printout is warmer... 

The White Balance difference appears less visible in an indoor shot with artificial lighting...
  
Although convenient, the Pocket Print is not recommended for non-stop printing...
To prevent paper jam, it is fairly easy to open up the cover to load the paper...
   The versatility of the Photo Print is visible in the range of photos under different settings...
    What Merlion Wayfarer loooves about the Pocket Print:
  • Its really compact size and light weight
  • Not necessary to keep the power plugged in when printing
  • Versatility of file transfer methods : Bluetooth, NFC, USB
  • Fast printing speed of under one minute
Perfect for all those selfies lying dormant in your mobile phone!



More photos are available on Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa at :


  

LG Optimus G Pro - One Touch Electronics Controller

Singapore
September 2013

After "Getting Blown Away" by the LG Optimus G Pro (E988) at the Fans' Preview, Merlion Wayfarer was privileged to have full use of a test set for reviewing...

The ultra-clear full HD IPS display with 16M Colors at a resolution of 1920 x 1080 dpi...


The LG Optimus G Pro with its box...

The attractive mosaic bezel casing with the removable Li-Ion 3140 mAh battery...

The compact size of the Pocket Print compared to the phone...
 

What's cool about the LG Optimus G Pro:
  • Uber-clear display with vibrant colours
  • Playing games and watching videos with a huge display maximizes the visual experience
  • Customizable electronics to control most household appliances - Switch off the airconditioner or TV with your phone! 
  • A long battery life due to the higher capacity battery
  • Multiple data transfer methods, e.g. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, Infrared (Not so common these days!), USB 2.0
  • Internal capacity of 16/32 GB with 2 GB RAM
A shot taken with the dual camera mode...
Thank you for the opportunity, LG!

More photos are available on Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa at :