Demolition - Part I

There’s a construction boom going on in Singapore. Everywhere you turn, a new luxury high-rise is being built. Either it’s private condominiums, or serviced apartments for expats. And it seems like all the firms are competing with each other to have the coolest design – and they are really cool designs. I love the architecture in Singapore.

And these places aren’t cheap either! I went out with a friend, while her cousin was looking for a condo. A 1000 sq ft place was going for about 1.6 million Sing dollars! (That’s about $1M US). And, the places that we were looking were in a good part of Singapore, but by no means the prime areas.

Over the past year, I’ve been watching the construction of a few buildings down the street from me. Now, it’s time for something a little closer to home. About 6 months ago, I found out that the building next to me was going to be torn down, and a new modern residence would be put up.

They started prepping the building a few months ago. And, right after I got back from the US, the demolition began. It’s been really interesting to watch, but as I expected – it has not been a quiet one. Keep in mind that my bedroom is about 50 feet from the demolition (and they work 6-7 days per week). Well, at least I don’t oversleep.

The way they knocked down the building is pretty interesting. They didn’t use explosives (I guess I’m thankful for that), and they didn’t use a wrecking ball. One Saturday, a huge crane came to the building, and lifted 3 construction vehicles to the roof. Then the crane went away – it’s job was done.

Almost immediately, the vehicles on the roof went to work. Using big jackhammer attachments & shovels, they started tearing into the roof underneath them. This went on every day. They were able to completely knock down one floor every day. I’d leave for work & they’d be getting started, and by the time I’d get home – the building would be 1 story shorter.

Which made me wonder… as they destroyed the floor & walls each day – how did they all the equipment to the next level down????

How do you think they did it? Post your guesses to the comments section. (Have I ever mentioned that there’s not enough audience participation on this blog?) ;-)

In a few days, I’ll write the answer. Yes, I did let curiosity get the better of me one day. :-)

Home & Back Again

Well, I’ve added a few more miles to my frequent flyer account. My trip home last month was fantastic! I was able to see almost everyone that I wanted to, but even 3 weeks went by a little too fast. Sorry to those that I wasn’t able to meet up with, but I’ll be back again before you know it!

It was great to be back in Minnesota in the summertime. I was sitting out on my parents deck the first night back, and had lost track of time. It was still light out, so I had assumed it was about 6:30pm (my mind was still in Singapore). It was after 9:00pm! I love the long summer daylight.

I had so much fun while I was back. My friends Jason & Amy had a great BBQ at their place, where I got to catch up with a lot of my college friends & their kids. I had so many grilled burgers & brats that first weekend! I went for buffalo wings & visited the farmers market with my friends Matt & Wipa, and their daughter Elizabeth. I got out for a bike ride with Jay & Brian. I spent some time with my friend Pung, before she left the Twin Cities for her new job. And, I got to meet ReAnn & Jon’s new dog.

Oh, and of course I went to see the Simpsons movie!

I also indulged in many of the food & drinks that aren’t available in Singapore. I had to get my fill of pizza (that doesn’t have paper-thin crust), burritos, Famous Daves, and BBQ’d food! And, Singapore, for the record, has a rather limited beer selection. I had my fill of some of my favorite beers, some awesome margaritas at Bar Abilene, not to mention hard lemonade & iced tea – completely unavailable in Asia.

I also made it back in time for the company picnic at Valleyfair, which I love! Fortunately, I haven’t reached the point in my life where roller coasters & ‘spinny’ rides make me sick. So, it was a good day. Their new roller coaster (completely made of wood) is incredible, by the way. But, when we were in line for the last ride of the evening, it broke down literally on the run before we got on – it was time to call it a night.

At the end of July, I ticked off another year in life. As usual, I had my birthday BBQ out in front of Lake Calhoun. Just like other years, it was a beautiful day & I was happy to spend it with good friends. We grilled, threw a Frisbee around, watched the kids run around, and I even got a call from Jed & Alison in Italy!

That evening we met up with some new friends at a wine bar in Minneapolis, and then made our way to Brits, for a drink up on the roof. Brits is a fantastic bar, and I had a lot of fun that evening!

Then, of course, there was the news that put Minnesota briefly in the International spotlight – 35W collapsed! What a weird day that was! I was at Southdale & got a call from my dad- checking where I was. He told me what happened, and as soon as I hung up, I noticed other people in the mall all getting calls too. It was surreal.

I went down to the bridge site a few days later. Even after a few days, you could still smell the odor of concrete dust lingering in the air. I wonder what else was built into that bridge?

The trip back to Singapore was an eventful one. We had all boarded the plane & waited to leave. Time came & went, and we were still at the gate. They announced that we were waiting for some people (19, I think) from a connecting flight. We waited over a half hour, I think. “Yeah – let’s make a couple hundred people late, all because of 19!” We eventually left the gate & almost made it to the runway, when the plane pulled off the taxiway & returned to the gate. A smoke alarm had gone off, so they had to check it out. Another 30 minutes, and they confirmed that it was a false alarm. Whew! But, everyone on the plane new what was in store – they announced that Northwest flights out of Japan ‘probably wouldn’t wait for us’.

Sure enough, when we got to Tokyo an hour late, all but one of the connecting flights were gone. So, we got put up in a hotel & got to eat at a mediocre buffet. There were about 8 of my co-workers on the flight, all heading to Singapore for a 3 day meeting. We missed day one. And, as icing on the cake – Northwest put us on a different airline the next day, and downgraded all of us. Nice touch!

The week after I got back was very fast paced. We had a big meeting at work, which was why so many co-workers came over to Singapore with me. It was fun to spend some time with them, and it was a lot of fun to go out to dinner with the group.

Thursday, Aug 9, was Singapore’s National Day. We had the day off from work, and that evening I went down to watch the National Day Parade. It’s not so much a parade, as it is a big show put on at a huge floating platform that was recently constructed at the northern end of Marina Bay. The Singapore military & police forces were showcased, as well as different choreographed routines put on by different groups from around the Island.

Tickets were very limited (and I wasn’t even eligible, because I’m not a Singapore citizen). So, I joined probably 30,000 of my closest friends at the southern end of Marina Bay. You could see the stage in the distance, and we had premium seats for when the Singapore Air Force flew over. It gave me a great opportunity to try out the new zoom lens I bought for my camera. :-)

On the following Saturday, I took Matt & Aaron over to Bintan to go golfing. Bintan is an island in Indonesia – just 45 minutes away from Singapore by ferry. The northern end of the island is pretty much just golf courses & resorts used by Singapore. They make a lot of money from Singapore, and have made it very easy on tourists. You can book everything online – ferry tickets, greens fees, etc… When you arrive in Bintan – they fast-track you through immigration, and have a bus waiting to take you to the golf course. They take care of your golf clubs, so they’re waiting for you at the course.

The golf course was really beautiful! There were several holes that looked out over the ocean, and the grounds were really well maintained. We all had caddies, which was a first for me. They helped you line up your putt, and kept you honest on the scorecard. I felt like a pro golfer! (who, incidentally, was having the worst game of his career) Actually, I played pretty well, considering I had been out only once in the previous year.

I hope to post some pictures here - check back!

I'm heading off to Bangkok this weekend for a business trip. I'm looking forward to seeing my Thai friends again. And, I'm also lucky that my trip conincides with my friends' Ann, Chris, and their son Nate's trip. It's going to be a lot of fun!