Last Sunday I decided to check out the action at The Subaru Challenge at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza Orchard Road for the first time since it's inception nine years ago. This year it is called Subaru Impreza Challenge 2010 - The Asian Faceoff, with challengers from Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Taiwan and for the first time10 new challengers from Vietnam. The prize - Subaru Impreza WRX 2.5L Manual worth SGD 80,000!
I spoke to the guy holding up the placard "DO NOT GIVE UP". He was himself a challenger who have dropped out earlier in the day from car No.9 and was back to give support. It was interesting to see camaraderie developed among the contestants. This guy too have not been there ever before to witness the competition and yet he decided to enter it.
Friends and family members were there to lend their support. Some camped overnight.
And the winner for this year is ........46 year old technician Aloysius Lim, who lasted 75 hours and 17 minutes.
Afterward I took a stroll down the pedestrian mall and came across a two piece band busking. It was a pleasant surprise for me to see a large group of people mostly Filipinos dancing merrily to the music. The band "D' Highlights" comprises an organist and a vocalist. They played mainly lively disco music. They were good. I couldn't resist, so me and my wife did a rock and roll. I would love to see more of this including the HDB heartland. In Shanghai and Beijing people would get together in a neighborhood park to dance freely.
Albert Winsemius (1910-1996), a Dutcheconomist, was Singapore's long-time economic advisor from 1961 to 1984. He led the United Nations Survey Mission to Singapore,[1] and was to play a major role in the formulation of Singapore's national economic development strategy. In 1960, Dr Winsemius led the United Nations team to examine Singapore’s potential in industrialization. At that time, Singapore had just attained self-government and was facing high unemployment and growing population. He presented a 10-year development plan to transform Singapore from an entrepot trade port into a centre of manufacturing and industrialization.
Albert Winsemius Lane as it is called is located off Clementi Road/Sunset Lane. It is not quite a road as you would expect a road to be. It starts from the entrance to the soon to be completed Centre for Aquatic Science Research CASR Blog, squeezed between the NEA South West Regional Office and the Eastlodge Hostel. Set up by Singapore-Delft Water Alliance (SDWA)at the bank of Sungei Ulu Pandan along the the Park Connectors, the centre is set to be the hotspot for freshwater research and is the first if it's kind in Asia. It will be open to the public showcasing their projects and technologies for public education.
Credit: SDWA
SDWA is multi-national, interdisciplinary research Centre of Excellence for Water Knowledge involving PUB (Singapore), National University of Singapore and Deltares (The Netherlands), established through an initiative of the National Research Foundation in Singapore. SDWA is hosted by National University of Singapore and provides research home to scientists and engineers from all partner organizations.
In the recent President's Star Charity, Mediacorp celebrities like Gurmit Singh (picture), Daren Tan, Adam Chen and Paul Foster showed off their gravity-defying stunts of leaps and vaults along with Parkour performance team Ashton Movements. So what is "Parkour"?
From howstuffworks.com
Parkour is an international discipline, sport and hobby that is best described as the art of forward motion in spite of obstacles, or to put it simply: the art of movement. Parkour's chief aim is never to move backward but instead to overcome obstacles fluidly, with strength, originality and speed. The number of possible movements is endless, but here are the basics:
Cat Leap
This move consists of running and leaping from a take off point. Before leaping, the traceur spots where his hands will grab hold of the wall. He launches from the take-off point at a 45-degree angle. As he approaches, he moves his body into landing position that appears as if he's almost sitting in mid air. With legs bent to absorb shock, the traceur makes impact and grabs hold of the ledge while his feet grip the wall. From there, the traceur bends his knees for the power to push up and climb over the ledge.
Roll
Landing from a jump, when the traceur is traveling forward, he lands and bends his knees to absorb the impact. As he does this, he uses the forward momentum to go into a roll over his shoulder to transfer the shock of the landing. He places his hands on one side of his head to ensure minimal impact between his shoulder and the ground and, in the meantime, protects his head. The momentum of the jump enables him to land, roll and continue moving so that he is back on in his feet and in a running position. He does all of this in one fluid movement.
Precision Jump
The traceur balances on the edge of a wall, rail or roof, and spots his landing point. After sizing up the distance, he leans toward his landing point while bending the knees. As he jumps, his arms go up and he straightens his body. As he approaches the landing point, the traceur brings his legs forward to make contact while his descending arms provide necessary counterbalance. Upon landing, he bends his knees to slow down and makes a precise jump from point to point.
Kong Vault
Traceurs use this move to propel themselves over a wall when running toward it. The traceur jumps with a good amount of space between him and the wall, and stretches toward it, planting his hands. By this time, he has made his legs parallel to the ground. As his legs catch up with the rest of his body, he uses his arms to catapult him forward. Before landing, the traceur makes sure his posture is correct and spots where he'll finish the move with either a roll (if executing from height) or will carry on running (if the move is executed at a low level).
Speed Vault
This move allows traceurs to launch over a wall without compromising speed. As the traceur approaches the wall, he lays one hand down and leans sideways as he jumps. His hand briefly touches the wall to keep himself stable, he completes the jump and continues running without any break in momentum.
Whilst Parkour is a human endeavour., train a dog in Parkour and you have "Barkour" haha. Most of us would be familiar with Dog Agility - doggie obstacle course. But compared to Parkour, Agility would be child's play. Parkour is an extreme sports that is physically demanding as you can see.
TreT, a 33 pound, 4 year old American Staffordshire Terrier wonder dog from Ukraine is a hit at YouTube doing the doggie version of Parkour, attracting over 480,000 views.
I spoke to the guy holding up the placard "DO NOT GIVE UP". He was himself a challenger who have dropped out earlier in the day from car No.9 and was back to give support. It was interesting to see camaraderie developed among the contestants. This guy too have not been there ever before to witness the competition and yet he decided to enter it. 
