Foreign Weather 4

Singapore has probably got the most unhappening weather, which really raise the question of how necessity weather forecasting is.
On the 5th of March, some highways and roads were closed due to ice sheets, as large as a table top, fell down from the CN tower. Ice was formed due to the freezing rain last week and fell as a result of strong winds.

And on 6th March, an arctic blast struck Ontario and Quebec, plummeting temperatures. In Toronto, the morning temperatures went to 20 below zero, and 36 below zero when factoring in the wind chill.
As such, the weather centre issued an extreme cold alert,
as well as wind chill warning.
Of foreign weather.

Foreign Rail Travel

The misty banks of Lake Ontario from Toronto to Montreal. The train journey took about 6 hours, one hour behind the scheduled time. Rail ticket cost about C$180, not a cheap travel, but probably the better option in an expensive country.
Train loads of goods.
Frozen rail tracks during the deep Canadian winter.
A Canadian winter sunset in the open ice fields. Hardly a living soul in sight.
It is only in such a moment that the sunset can be truly appreciated. Of foreign travel.

Of foreign weather 3

When travelling or living in Canada, one of the daily task is to check the weather forecast. Temperatures and weather conditions changes just like the volatile stock markets. One day it may be around freezing point, the next, 10 degrees below freezing. A moment calm and sunny, the next gusty winds blow from all directions. One should wonder what is the purpose of weather forecast in Singapore, since everyday is virtually the same weather conditions. Whether there is weather forecast in Singapore or not, it does not make any difference at all.


To make matters more interesting, varying weather conditions and weather warnings go on throughout the year. Weather warnings include snow squall, winter storm, blowing snow, blizzard, freezing rain, ice pallets, ice storm, strong winds, wind chills, just some weather warnings during the winter period. Watching the weather watch in Canada, can be as exciting a roller coaster ride itself. Clearly, no roller coaster ride in Singapore is worthy of any mentioning.

Snow covered Queen's park.

Of Foreign Weather 2

Not a fairy tale, but a foreign story come true. Snow really do comes in infinite fanciful shapes.

Not all snowstorm are able to produce such define, visible snowflakes, but when it does, it can be quite beautiful, and the cold can be easily be forgotten.

A car covered almost entirely by snow.

Such freezing weather make it ideal for ice sculpting. A bear drinking ice cola out in the cold.

However, such weather also creates falling icicle that start falling when the sun shines upon them or when the temperature fluctuates above the freezing mark.

Water from a broken pipe that turn solid once they are exposed to the cold air.


Snow may be white naturally, but once they enter the human world, they transform.

They transform from white, to beige, to brown, and finally black. While the streets blanket in white after a snowstorm, they soon turn to the unsightly form after mixing in with the streets of the humans.


Is the snow black or is the human world black?

Black snow and black ice mixed with fresh white snow. It takes something white to reveal the black within.

And everyone brings home a little snow.

This is life 30: Of foreign weather

It was a mild winter for the start of January, with the some greenary present.
This winter, other than the bare trees, may seem like any park in Singapore.
But it just took 10 days for the temperature to drop from 10 degress above zero to 10 degress below zero. Of foreign weather, it can reach near 20 degress below zero, and factoring in the wind chill, it brings the temperature down a further 10 degrees.
Of truely foreign weather, of the reality of winter. The white winter land of Canada is finally here to experience.

Some flowers surviving the frigid foreign weather.

This is life 27: Of foreign streets, Little Italy and Queen Street

Toronto is really a city of great diversity. While Singapore has 4 races, Toronto has over 70 cultures and minorities. A whopping 17 times more diverse. To really get a taste of how diverse this city is, one just has to walk around the streets. One evidence would be the presence of an African community between Little Italy and Chinatown.

The above picture will provide a deeper understanding of the great range of cultures; all sorts of cultures imaginable.

In Little Italy, Toronto and a taste of Sicily.
Some farm produce along Little Italy.
Some reminder of the buildings in Rome.
A poster of Playstation3, and the date indicating '17th of November 2006'. Perhaps a sign of how advance this city is.
While it is good to imagine Toronto as a modern city, some of the police patrol along the streets indicate otherwise.

The greens of the city between Little Italy and Queen Street; an indication of the warm winter of January 2007.

A walk from Little Italy to Queen Street, brings in a totally different atmosphere, and a new distinct flavour. The reason probably is the absence of chain stores, other than the very occasional Starbucks; most stores are probably privately managed, with their own unique characteristic. It very much explain the absolute homogeneity of two distant shopping centres, of Jurong's and Tampines', as one of the many examples of Singapore.
A store selling interesting cards, along Queen Street.
Cafes, private designer, painting and scruptors, among the stores lying along this distinctive flavoured foreign street.

This is life: 26 Of foreign streets

A seemingly impressive building.

Unfortunately, the word 'Bata' has some negative connotation for Singaporeans.

A further walk around the city reveal some old buildings in this modern city.
The residential area of downtown, with creepy bare trees.
More architectural feats along the streets, perhaps ruined by the power lines.


A church along Bloor Street West.


Along the streets, one will be able to view squirrels busy scavenging for food scraps.

They come in grey and black. Although it is the middle of the winter, the January of 2007 had been experiencing spring-like conditions. The otherwise green grass, would be covered in layers of snow. A walk on foreign streets.