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Agoda, a digital travel platform, has revealed the top trending holiday destinations today, as international travel is slowly regaining popularity. Explorers are dusting off their suitcases and getting ready to celebrate the holiday season after a two-year hiatus. Indians are increasingly crossing borders to satisfy their wanderlust and seek new experiences. According to Agoda Booking Data, the top five current preferences are South-East Asian countries such as <keyword id="11905404" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="thailand" source="Orion">Thailand</keyword>, <keyword id="8692" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="indonesia" source="Orion">Indonesia</keyword>, and <keyword id="6356662" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="singapore" source="Orion">Singapore</keyword>, as well as European destinations such as France and Switzerland. Indians are looking for scenic views, rich culture, and places where they can enjoy the best of both worlds (mountains and beaches). Interestingly, Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore have consistently topped the list of top destinations, and they were also the most popular pre-pandemic destinations [2019 Booking Data]. Domestic travel booking data show that the lively metropolises of New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, and <keyword id="12864" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="chennai" source="Orion">Chennai</keyword> are the most popular choices within the country. It is unsurprising that <keyword id="826" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="goa" source="Orion">Goa</keyword> remains a strong contender, ranking alongside the bustling metropolises as the ideal beach destination for unwinding. Bangkok will be the world's most populous city in 2022. The bustling city has embraced the holiday season, offering nightlife, beaches, temples, culture, and cuisine, with almost entirely relaxed travel rules. Other Asian treasures that make the top five are Jeju Island, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, and Seoul. Top Global Destinations in 2022: . Bangkok . Jeju Island . Kuala Lumpur . Tokyo . Seoul . Singapore . Bali . Pattaya . Manila . Penang . Hong Kong . Busan . Osaka . Johor <keyword id="14515210" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="bahru" source="Orion">Bahru</keyword> . <keyword id="582547" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="taichung" source="Orion">Taichung</keyword> "We are seeing an increase in international travel this year as travel restrictions ease, demonstrating that people have been looking forward to travelling internationally again for the past two years." Travellers are making the most of their vacations and are eager to visit both domestic and international Asian destinations." "Reliving memories as well as going back to places travelers once enjoyed seems to be the theme this summer. At Agoda, we strive to enable even more people to travel by providing best-in-class travel options both on the website and app, with great deals on accommodation, and flights along with great things to do as travel continue to get back to normal," said Omri Morgenshtern, CEO, Agoda. Summer travel facts: . Indian travellers are excited to re-visit Thailand, followed by Indonesia, Singapore, France and Switzerland this summer holiday season . Bangkok is the top <keyword id="119132" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="asia-pacific" source="Orion">Asia Pacific</keyword> destination for both US and UK travellers, and ranks in the top three spots globally for all regions . Singaporeans are visiting neighbour Malaysia the most followed by Thailand and Indonesia . Australians are the biggest international travelers to Bali, followed by Singaporeans, Koreans, and Indian travelers . American travellers' top three Asia Pacific destinations are Bangkok, Manila and Tokyo

Travel platform reveals that Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore are top destinations for Indians this summer

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Gwyneth Ang got her first job at Burnt Ends, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Singapore.</li><li>She went on to open a hawker stall selling prawn noodles, which later expanded into a casual eatery.</li></ul>It's a full-circle moment for Gwyneth Ang, 30, as she sits on a bar stool in front of the open kitchen of her new restaurant.She started out as an intern at a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/worlds-cheapest-michelin-starred-meal-singapore-noodles-review-photos-2022-2">Michelin-starred restaurant</a>, where she shadowed chefs and took notes.Now, she's leading a team of five chefs at her own restaurant.One Prawn &amp; Co is an 80-seater restaurant in New Bahru, a trendy new shopping center in <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/singapore">Singapore</a> built in a former high school. The restaurant has a modern vibe, with limewashed walls, metallic blue tiles on the open-kitchen backsplash, and hanging lamps to provide a cool mood lighting.<div type="image" title="New Bahru" height="2655" width="3983" msid="114200247" hostid="261" sizebytes="1272632"></div>Almost 10 years ago, as a final-year student at the Culinary Institute of America in Singapore, Ang remembers having to find a restaurant for her internship. When Dave Pynt, the chef-owner of Australian-inspired barbecue restaurant Burnt Ends, visited her school for a guest lecture on wood-fire cooking, she was intrigued."I felt that if there's one skill that I want to learn, it's definitely cooking with wood fire," Ang told BI.She didn't apply anywhere else. "I knew I wanted it," she said. "So I went and got it."When she graduated later that year, she continued to work under Pynt. Burnt Ends is based in Singapore and has one Michelin star. In March, it was ranked No. 15 on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list and No. 68 on the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-restaurants-in-the-world-ranked-2024-6">global list</a>.She worked her way up from being an intern to managing the wood-fired oven.But after two years of working in a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trying-ai-fine-dining-tasting-menu-venhue-new-york-2024-9">fine-dining</a> kitchen, Ang was ready to move on.<h2 id="b488ea2b-c0d6-46ce-a82b-4c27208729ae">Shifting the focus to local cuisine</h2><div type="image" title="A bowl of prawn noodles" height="3127" width="4691" msid="114200242" hostid="261" sizebytes="473800"></div>As a Singaporean, Ang has always taken pride in the country's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/street-food-in-singapore-2014-3">local food culture</a>. However, she felt that prawn noodles — a dish that can be served dry or with soup — was one that could be improved. She decided to develop and sell her own version based on the way she cooked it at home.She knew she had to start small. A <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-the-michelin-list-ruined-hawker-culture-food-for-singapore-2023-6">hawker stall</a> seemed like the perfect sandbox to test her ideas without spending a lot on overhead costs.She partnered with a friend she had met at Burnt Ends to open a hawker stall in 2019. They invested 60,000 Singapore dollars, or around $47,000, into the venture. Ang did not share the name of her partner with Business Insider.It was a vast change from the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/michelin-star-singapore-restaurant-hawker-stall-chef-nasi-lemak-food-2024-3">restaurant scene to a hawker stall</a>. But despite the long hours, cramped working conditions, and slim profits, Ang said she always remembered something she was once told: If you can survive in Burnt Ends, you can survive anywhere."The training was very intense. You learn to understand heat and fire in the most primitive way," she said.<h2 id="b0d88806-4215-4007-9651-20ec15eb15a9">The challenges of running a hawker business</h2>Three years in, the hawker stall had just managed to earn back its capital."I needed to move out of hawker because there was a price ceiling," Ang said. In Singapore, the average price of noodle dishes in hawker centers ranges from around SG$3 to SG$5, data from the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.singstat.gov.sg/-/media/files/publications/economy/ssn124-pg11-15.ashx">Department of Statistics</a> in Singapore show.Amid rising ingredient prices, she was fighting expectations that local food should cost less than SG$6. "The store was too small to contain our ambition."<div type="image" title="Interior of Zhup Zhup" height="3139" width="4708" msid="114200248" hostid="261" sizebytes="388248"></div>So, in 2021, she expanded to a full-service open-air restaurant, first named One Prawn &amp; Co and later renamed Zhup Zhup.Leaving the hawker center allowed Ang to price dishes at a slightly higher price point.In addition to selling local fare like hokkien mee and pao fan, they serve prawn noodles for SG$14 a bowl and SG$20 for their Supreme Prawn Noodle, which is served with pork ribs, tobiko prawn balls, clams, and pork slices.Typically, prawn noodles have a clear, pork-based soup. Ang's noodle broth is prepared with almost 40 pounds of prawn heads and over 60 pounds of pork bones, then boiled for more than 20 hours. The dish is served in a clay pot."The broth is so umami," Darren Ang, a customer in his late 30s, told BI. What makes their prawn noodles stand out is the variety of ingredients, he said.In 2022, the casual eatery earned its first <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/singapore-bak-kut-teh-hawker-food-michelin-guide-bib-gourmand-2023-9">Michelin Bib Gourmand</a>, a rating that recognizes establishments that serve quality food at lower price points.<h2 id="e8dc87de-ed07-47c0-a9ca-0e966643a4c1">Returning to the restaurant scene</h2>Early last year, Lo &amp; Behold Group, a hospitality group in Singapore, offered her team the opportunity to open a restaurant in the new mall.Each tenant at New Bahru is an independent local brand. A representative from Lo &amp; Behold Group declined to comment to BI on how Ang was selected.On returning to a restaurant kitchen after working in a casual setting for almost six years, Ang said the biggest difference was finally using chef terms like "emulsification" and "caramelization.""I can finally talk like that!" she said with a laugh.<div type="image" title="Chefs watch a chef's demonstration." height="3024" width="4535" msid="114200245" hostid="261" sizebytes="650834"></div>But most of all, Ang is excited to create new dishes. The restaurant serves modern Asian grilled seafood at night and prawn-broth ramen during the day, she said. As a callback to her Burnt Ends days, the seafood is grilled or baked using wood-fired methods.Ang credits her ability to develop recipes to the training she received from Pynt.Pynt told BI that Ang was a headstrong chef with great talent."She had very high standards that she was able to follow through with," he said. He had mixed emotions about seeing her go. With good people, you always want them to stay, he said."But on the flip side, you also want to see young chefs spread their wings," he said.<h2 id="260a6920-757c-465f-a99a-535453e7be26">Inspiring the next generation of hawkers</h2><div type="image" title="A woman stirs prawn broth" height="3264" width="4896" msid="114200244" hostid="261" sizebytes="568622"></div>Singapore's food and beverage industry is not easy to thrive in.Teo Kay Key, a research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, National University of Singapore, told BI that hawker food has traditionally been viewed as a cheap source of good and hearty meals priced for the masses.However, this can affect stall owners, who must balance rising operational costs with customer expectations to earn a living."Consumers might not even want to patronize if they do not think it is reasonably priced based on their own evaluations," she said.As a former young hawker who defied these expectations, Ang hopes for young entrepreneurs — especially hawkers, to follow her lead.And she's in good company: Cherry Tan, 29, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/flight-attendant-singapore-airlines-quit-open-hawker-stall-2024-9">left her dream job as a flight attendant</a> at Singapore Airlines to set up a hawker business selling Taiwanese-style teppanyaki with her husband.As a hawker, she estimates that she took a 50% pay cut and had to work longer hours. Still, she feels that it was worth it. "The hawker lifestyle is challenging, but I think if more youngsters are willing to go through this process, it's rewarding," she told BI.Similarly, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/michelin-star-singapore-restaurant-hawker-stall-chef-nasi-lemak-food-2024-3">Shanice Lim left the fine dining scene</a> at 25 to run a hawker stall. "The hawker culture is dying. I wanted to put my brand out there so everyone could have good nasi lemak," Lim told BI.Although she charges at least SG$5 for her dish, which can cost as little as SG$3 at other stalls, she has won over skeptical customers, Lim said.Ang agreed that young hawkers should not give up on their pursuit of quality and charge the appropriate prices."And feed yourself. You're not doing charity," she added. "There will always be people who appreciate the quality you want in your food."Her next goal is to "reach for the stars." In her case, the coveted Michelin stars."It will definitely be an honor to receive an award from Michelin," she said. "But we will continue putting out the best that we can."

Singaporeans are used to paying less than $5 for a meal. This 30-year-old chef charges double, and diners keep coming.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>At around just 277 square miles, Singapore is relatively compact and easy to navigate.</li><li>I grew up here, and think these are the best transportation options for getting around the island.</li></ul>No matter who you talk to, almost everyone says the same thing: "Singapore is so small." As a born-and-bred local who's all over the island, I can attest to that. Singapore is approximately 719 square kilometers, or 277 square miles, which should give you a good idea of how easy it is to move around the country. Here's what you need to know about getting here.<h2>Getting to Singapore</h2><div type="image" title="Singapore Airlines Airbus A380-800." height="2000" width="2666" msid="94787050" hostid="261" sizebytes="249522"></div>Changi Airport and Seletar AirportThe award-winning <a href="https://www.changiairport.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Changi Airport</a> is the country's main gateway and one of the region's biggest transportation hubs, serving over 100 airlines. Navigating your way around the airport is easy — illegible signs and confusing routes wouldn't have helped them nab <a href="https://www.changiairport.com/corporate/about-us/awards-and-accolades.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">over 640 awards</a> since opening in 1981 — and once you arrive you can either take the Mass Rapid Transit system, better known as the MRT/train, or a taxi to wherever you're staying. The train station is called Changi Airport and is located in the basement of terminals 2 and 3. For taxis, be aware that until the end of 2022, <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/surcharge-hike-for-taxi-rides-from-changi-airport-extended-by-six-months-until-end-2022" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">there is a SG$3 increase in surcharges for trips that start from the airport</a> — this means that to just get in a taxi, it can cost you SG$6 or SG$8. <a href="https://www.seletarairport.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Seletar Airport</a> is another point of entry or departure for flights, although it currently only serves one airline, Firefly, a subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines. It's much less crowded than Changi, but it is further from the capital city (also called Singapore). Seletar Airport is convenient for flying to cities like Subang in Malaysia. Big post-COVID-19 plans are underway though: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-04/singapore-s-tiny-second-airport-eyes-future-as-a-flying-taxi-hub" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">It's slated to become a flying-taxi hub by 2024</a>.Cruise ports and ferriesThere are two cruise ports in Singapore, the <a href="https://www.singaporecruise.com.sg/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Singapore Cruise Center</a> at HarbourFront and the <a href="https://www.visitsingapore.com/travel-guide-tips/travelling-to-singapore/marina-bay-cruise-centre/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Marina Bay Cruise Center</a>, and the <a href="https://www.singaporecruise.com.sg/index.php/terminals/scctanah-merah/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal</a>, which serves ferries to and from nearby destinations like Bintan, Batam, and Desaru. By car or trainYou can drive into Singapore from Malaysia via the Tuas or Woodlands Checkpoint. From Malaysia you can also take the <a href="https://shuttleonline.ktmb.com.my/Home/Shuttle" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Shuttle Tebrau</a> train — operated by <a href="https://www.ktmb.com.my/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">KTM</a> — which shuttles passengers between Malaysia's Johor Bahru Sentral station and the Woodlands station in Singapore. The ride itself is just five minutes, but with immigration processes, the entire journey can take up to 40 minutes. From Johor Bahru, you can jump on another train to visit other cities within Malaysia, but note that Shuttle Tebrau only operates between Singapore and Johor Bahru. <h2>Getting around Singapore</h2><div type="image" title="Tampines East MRT Station." height="1891" width="2521" msid="94787052" hostid="261" sizebytes="390454"></div>Public transportThe public-transit systems, <a href="https://www.sbstransit.com.sg/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">SBS Transit</a> and <a href="https://www.smrt.com.sg/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">SMRT</a>, offer buses and trains that are excellent options for visitors. Fares are cheap — prices start from just under a dollar and long trips from one end of the island to the other average around SG$2 to SG$3 — and you can find your way around using a mix of buses and trains, as everything is well-connected.I take public transport daily and find both the buses and trains dependable, but I personally prefer the buses. MRT breakdowns do happen and getting out of that mess can be a real hassle — if this happens, be prepared to add anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes to your trip — and it can get extremely crowded on trains compared to buses. Yes, buses are slower, but you can do some sightseeing and people-watching as you're riding. Most train routes run underground, so don't expect good views unless you're taking the North South Line or East West Line, which have tracks that run above ground. The MRT doesn't operate 24/7 and most stops are closed by midnight or 1 a.m. Cash is accepted on buses, but for the sake of convenience, you're better off buying a card from any MRT station, which you can use on trains and buses and add value to using machines around the station. For easy navigation and planning via apps, there are options like <a href="https://apps.apple.com/sg/app/singabus-bus-timing-mrt/id1044984870" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Singabus</a> for bus schedules and the MRT map.Taxi and ride-hailing servicesIn most central areas, it's relatively easy to flag down a cab, which will likely be with <a href="https://www.comfortdelgro.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">ComfortDelGro</a>, the main company that operates taxi services in Singapore. However, if you find yourself off the beaten path and need to book a ride, there are ride-hailing services like <a href="https://www.grab.com/sg/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Grab</a>, <a href="https://www.gojek.com/sg/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Gojek</a>, and <a href="https://tada.global/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">TADA</a>. Uber and Lyft are not available in Singapore, but these companies operate similarly. Overall, taxis and ride-hailing services can be pricey compared to public transport — a five-minute ride can easily set you back around SG$8 or more, which is why I don't take taxis or use ride-hailing services now. WalkingThe most ancient mode of transportation works well in the Lion City, thanks to its small size. Most things to see and do are within close proximity. For example, it takes less than 40 minutes to get to City Hall — our civic district — from the world-famous Marina Bay Sands, one of my favorite walking routes. Many walkways are shady thanks to trees or man-made covered shelters — a good thing in the sweltering heat. That being said, if you're not used to the humidity, it might not be a bad idea to pack a portable fan or keep your walks to 6 p.m. or later. Singapore's urban planning is amazing, and excellent signage makes it easy to get around.<a href="https://www.insider.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-traveling-to-singapore" target="_blank" rel="noopener">View Insider's comprehensive guide to visiting Singapore.</a>

How to get to Singapore by land, sea, or air, plus a local's tips for using public transit and taxi services

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Tobby Toh and Goh Kai Yi downsized to a three-room public-housing apartment in Singapore in 2021.</li><li>The couple paid 300,000 Singapore dollars, or about $220,000, for the house.</li></ul>When Tobby Toh and Goh Kai Yi were looking for a new home, they knew they wanted a smaller place.At that point, they were still living in their four-room <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/singapore-architecture-shows-why-it-is-blue-zone-dan-buettner-2023-9">public-housing apartment in Singapore</a>. It was a built-to-order, or BTO, flat that they bought in 2017, a year after they had gotten married.BTO flats are new apartments sold by the Housing Development Board on a <a href="https://www.hdb.gov.sg/about-us/news-and-publications/publications/hdbspeaks/an-hdb-flat-for-your-different-life-cycle-needs" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">99-year lease</a>. In Singapore, there are strict rules about who's eligible to buy a BTO apartment. These rules vary depending on <a href="https://www.hdb.gov.sg/residential/buying-a-flat/understanding-your-eligibility-and-housing-loan-options/flat-and-grant-eligibility/singles">marital status</a> and other <a href="https://www.hdb.gov.sg/residential/buying-a-flat/understanding-your-eligibility-and-housing-loan-options/flat-and-grant-eligibility/couples-and-families" target="_blank" rel="noopener">family situations</a>, including non-Singaporean spouses and multigenerational households. The apartments are often <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/housing/bigger-bto-flats-in-serangoon-draw-more-than-13-first-timer-applicants-for-each-unit-on-offer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">oversubscribed</a>, so even the shortlisted applicants must go through a <a href="https://www.hdb.gov.sg/about-us/news-and-publications/publications/hdbspeaks/balloting-process-for-buildtoorder-bto-flats#ProvisionalTenderResults-1">balloting process</a> to determine if they're allocated a flat.Despite being lucky to score a home, Toh and Goh found it difficult to make their monthly payments. "We were always bogged down by our mortgage," Goh, a 35-year-old user-experience designer, told Insider. <div type="image" title="A man and a woman smiling at the camera." height="1920" width="2560" msid="103977814" hostid="261"></div>After doing some calculations, the couple realized they would no longer have to deal with housing debt if they sold their home and downgraded to a smaller apartment, she added.In December 2021, they took the plunge: They sold their BTO home for 628,000 Singapore dollars, or $460,000 — close to double what they had paid five years earlier — and bought a three-room apartment for SG$300,000.The latest data from the local real-estate platform <a href="https://stackedhomes.com/editorial/most-profitable-btos-in-2023-these-ulu-btos-in-the-north-made-almost-3x-for-its-owners/#gs.5nbztb" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">StackedHomes</a> indicated that others who recently sold their four-room BTO flats in the same part of Singapore had made profits of over 70%.<h2>By paying for their new house in cash, they no longer need to service a mortgage </h2>In Singapore, apartments developed by the Housing Development Board, or HDB, must be <a href="https://www.hdb.gov.sg/residential/selling-a-flat/eligibility">occupied for a minimum number of years</a> before they can be sold on the open market.When the minimum occupation period ends, some of those living in BTOs will take the chance to flip their homes, make a profit, and buy a bigger place, Toh, a 36-year-old who was working in finance, told Insider. <div type="image" title="The exterior of the couple's apartment block." height="3024" width="4032" msid="103977817" hostid="261"></div>"But having a bigger house or a bigger car doesn't necessarily translate to a better quality of life for me," Toh said. "For us, we downsized to free up the obligations to pay every month. Then we can have the additional funds to go and do what we want."In fact, he added that they were planning to take a long vacation overseas soon. <h2>The flat they bought also has sentimental value: It was Toh's childhood home</h2><div type="image" title="A before photo of the couple's living room. The space is sparsely furnished, save for a wooden sofa and a TV console." height="3024" width="4032" msid="103977820" hostid="261"></div>When the couple decided to downsize, they already knew they wanted to buy Toh's childhood home.At the time, Toh's mother still owned the apartment but had moved out to live with his aunt a few blocks away. The flat had been rented out for the past nine years, he said. "It's like killing two birds with one stone: I thought if I bought the house back from my mom, she could use the money as well," Toh said.<h2>Their apartment measures about 731 square feet and was built in 1978</h2><div type="image" title="A before photo of the couple's kitchen and dining area." height="3024" width="4032" msid="103977821" hostid="261"></div>Due to its age, the 45-year-old apartment wasn't exactly in the most well-kept condition, Toh said. Some of the wall tiles were cracked, and the window grilles were falling off.Everything about the look and feel of the space was outdated, and walking into the home felt like stepping into the past, he added.To put the age of their home into perspective, the first HDB apartment blocks in Singapore were <a href="https://www.roots.gov.sg/en/places/places-landing/Places/landmarks/my-queenstown-heritage-trail/the-first-hdb-blocks-the-hdb-terraces#:~:text=Blocks%2045%2C%2048%20%26%2049%20Stirling,work%20on%20in%20the%201950s." target="_blank" rel="noopener">completed in 1960</a> — only 18 years earlier than their apartment block. In other older housing estates like theirs, the government even ends up buying back the properties <a href="https://www.hdb.gov.sg/residential/living-in-an-hdb-flat/sers-and-upgrading-programmes/sers">to demolish them and redevelop the area</a>.<div type="image" title="A before photo of the couple's kitchen and living room, as viewed from the kitchen." height="3024" width="4032" msid="103977824" hostid="261"></div>Appearance aside, one thing the couple was sold on was the location: The apartment was located in Geylang Bahru, which is in the central region of Singapore. Their house is about a <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/dir/96+Geylang+Bahru,+Singapore+330096/Kallang+Bahru,+Geylang+Bahru+MRT+Station+(DT24),+Singapore/@1.3223196,103.8682701,17z/data=!3m2!4b1!5s0x31da190eb482b6bb:0xad0170a7fffe880b!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x31da182b0f745cf9:0xd342f419f36214dd!2m2!1d103.8703998!2d1.3234225!1m5!1m1!1s0x31da1990176581cb:0xd61dcfc6ce065d24!2m2!1d103.8716167!2d1.3214581!3e2?entry=ttu">five-minute walk</a> from the nearest subway station and a <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/dir/96+Geylang+Bahru,+Singapore+330096/Raffles+Place,+Raffles+Place+MRT+Station+(NS26%2FEW14),+Singapore/@1.3021407,103.8379755,14z/data=!3m2!4b1!5s0x31da190eb482b6bb:0xad0170a7fffe880b!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x31da182b0f745cf9:0xd342f419f36214dd!2m2!1d103.8703998!2d1.3234225!1m5!1m1!1s0x31da1975e523fdd7:0x8f5e81e2b4516e2f!2m2!1d103.8514941!2d1.2838742!3e0?entry=ttu">15-minute drive from the city center</a>.<div type="image" title="The living room leads into the open-concept kitchen and dining area." height="2822" width="3763" msid="103977828" hostid="261"></div><h2>The couple finds it hard to describe their interior-design aesthetic</h2>"We feel like our aesthetic is a little raw and slightly vintage," Goh said. That said, the couple admitted they didn't follow a specific aesthetic when trying to design their home."We just wanted to keep things functional and basic. Even with the color palette, we decided to go fairly neutral, with green, white, raw wood finishes, and exposed concrete," Toh added.<div type="image" title="The primary living area has a minimalist design, with a TV console and a brown couch." height="3024" width="4032" msid="103978065" hostid="261"></div><h2>The layout was planned based on what worked and what didn't in their previous home</h2>Their current home was slightly smaller than their previous house. To open up the layout, the couple knocked down a few walls and created new doorways.They wanted a kitchen island this time around, as Goh said she remembered them fighting over the stove when they had it lined up against a wall.Their new kitchen island doubles as a dining space to accommodate guests."We wanted a place where everyone could hang out. From our previous experience, we learned that people will gather wherever there's food," Toh said.Having an island between the kitchen and the living room helps bridge the two common spaces, he said."This is like the centerpiece of the house where we can cook, host, and serve," he added.<div type="image" title="There is an exposed concrete beam above their sofa. The exposed concrete beam used to be part of a wall that separated the living room from what is now their home office." height="3024" width="4032" msid="103978066" hostid="261"></div><h2>Some prominent interior design features are the exposed concrete beam and feature wall</h2>The decision to have these exposed concrete features was inspired by some design references they had found."We originally intended to just have one wall, but as they were hacking, we saw corners of plaster on the overhead beam peeling, and we thought we should just expose it as well," Goh said. Thankfully, it came out the way they wanted.The couple tried to do something similar in their previous house, but it didn't look natural that time around."It's only in old HDBs where you can do this because in the new HDBs when you try to hack the walls, the materials are different," Goh said. "You won't get this kind of effect."<div type="image" title="The couple has a chalkboard wall in the house." height="2872" width="3829" msid="103978067" hostid="261"></div><h2>The couple designed the place on their own and worked directly with the contractors</h2>"We did approach designers, but we didn't go ahead with it because we just felt that we already knew what we wanted," Goh said. The couple ended up managing the entire renovation project on their own while juggling full-time jobs. It taught them the importance of being specific when it comes to design directions."It's just that I think these contractors, they wouldn't have aesthetic inputs," Goh said. "Basically, when it comes to alignment or certain materials, you have to be very specific on what you want."<div type="image" title="The couple's office. They share a table that's flushed against a wall." height="3024" width="4032" msid="103978069" hostid="261"></div>The couple remodeled almost the entire home — the only things they kept were the old tiles they incorporated into the floors in the coffee-making corner.Their renovations took about three months, but they moved in before the house was complete. There were still some minor installations left, Goh said.Since the couple downsized their home, they also had to declutter. Apart from getting rid of items they no longer wanted, they also sold off their appliances to buy smaller ones that would fit more comfortably into their home.<div type="image" title="The couple turned the back of their home into a balcony-like space and service yard." height="2601" width="3468" msid="103978071" hostid="261"></div><h2>The couple also did some DIY projects around the apartment</h2>They wanted a microcement finish in their bathroom, which was supposed to be completed by an external contractor.The cost that they were quoted, however, ended up going beyond their budget, so the couple decided to take things into their own hands."When we did the bathroom, it's like, there's no way you can just do it halfway and leave it," Toh said. "Because once you start you'll have to do three layers. And for every layer in between, you have to wait."<div type="image" title="A composite image of the couple's two bathrooms. One is a toilet and the other is a shower." height="1032" width="1375" msid="103978074" hostid="261"></div>Things were further complicated by their decision to turn the common bathroom into a half bath and the master bathroom into a shower-only washroom."Basically, we couldn't use the shower for about a month," Goh said. They ended up installing a temporary shower head in the common bathroom during that period.<div type="image" title="The master bedroom has walls painted in a deep blue shade." height="3024" width="4032" msid="103978077" hostid="261"></div><h2>The couple has a piece of advice for anyone who wants to design their own homes: Don't blindly follow trends</h2>It's more important to design something that fits with your own tastes and preferences, Toh said. After all, a home should be a reflection of the owner's personality and not a reflection of the latest trends because "trends will just die," Goh said."To me, functionality is also important," she added. "I mean, you have to design a space around your own habits. If you are a messy person and you try to go with a minimalist theme, it's just not going to work."The couple provided Insider with proof of their house sale and purchase.

Their mortgage was bogging them down, so they sold their apartment in Singapore and bought a smaller one for $220,000. It was a blast from the past.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Qingming Festival is a time for <keyword id="12188990" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="chinese" source="Orion">Chinese</keyword> communities to honor the dead.</li><li>It involves making offerings — including paper replicas of things — to the spirits of loved ones.</li></ul>With vaccines, medicines, masks, and hand sanitizer, these <keyword id="8764262" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid" source="Orion">Covid</keyword> care packs contain everything one needs to fight the virus. But they're not for the living — they're meant for the dead. Even though the items look very realistic at first glance, it's clear once you pick up a box that everything is, in fact, made of paper and designed to be burned.During the Qingming Festival, which falls on April 5 this year, Chinese communities worldwide honor the dead by visiting and tidying up the graves of their loved ones and making offerings to their spirits. For some people, that involves burning paper replicas of real-life things. Objects burned include paper computers, paper mansions, and even paper mistresses, according to <a href="https://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/paper-offerings-for-the-dead">Eye Magazine</a>. "People believe that these burnt offerings will become the actual objects in the <keyword id="13418180" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="afterlife" source="Orion">afterlife</keyword>, thereby being usable for whoever receives them. That's why when individuals burn large paper boxes, they will often have the names of the deceased written on the box, so it gets to the right person," Terence Heng, a sociology expert at the University of Liverpool, told Insider.<div type="image" title="n Indonesian Chinese family burn offerings decorations during the Qing Ming festival at Mount Gangsir Chinese cemetery on April 04, 2021 in Pasuruan, Indonesia." height="2263" width="3400" msid="90654488" hostid="261"></div>The pandemic has led to the introduction of Covid-themed offerings, on top of the more typical paper models of mansions, clothes, and cars.<a href="https://www.facebook.com/bankahhiang/">At Ban Kah Hiang Trading</a>, one of Singapore's oldest joss paper stores, two types of Covid paper care packs are sold among the thousands of other items on offer for the dead. One comprises paper masks, safety goggles, sanitizer, and digital thermometers, while the other pack has paper vaccines and herbal medicines (each cost S$3.80, or about $2.80)."We always try to keep up with what's going on in the news and sell things based on trends. For example, hotpot and bubble tea have become very popular, so we have paper models of those," store owner Alex Teo, 33, told Insider. <div type="image" title="Hotpot paper model for Qingming Festival" height="2116" width="2365" msid="90654489" hostid="261"></div>"Younger customers especially like to buy what they think are trendy things to burn for their ancestors. Since Covid has taken over our lives, it's not surprising that they want to give these things to their loved ones, too," he said, adding that he has sold about 60 Covid-themed paper packs this year. Across the border in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, Chui Teng Teng has sold more than 1,000 paper vaccine kits at her store, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/yeehen/?ref=page_internal">Yee Hen Trading</a>, since last year's Qingming Festival. But she believes that many of her customers bought them for an entirely different reason. "During this time last year, Covid patients were dying, and many of them didn't have access to vaccines yet. I think people wanted to burn these for their deceased relatives because they felt regret," she told Insider in Chinese. "Their loved ones couldn't get vaccines while they were living, so people wanted to make sure that their relatives got them in the afterlife."Around Qingming last April, Malaysia averaged about 1,200 Covid cases daily, and vaccines were limited to frontline workers, <a href="https://www.who.int/malaysia/internal-publications-detail/covid-19-in-malaysia-situation-report-37">according to the World Health Organization</a>. <div type="image" title="Alex Teo owner of Singapore joss paper store" height="4032" width="2671" msid="90654491" hostid="261"></div>Despite the interest in pandemic-related items, both Chui and Teng said that the more traditional items are still in greater demand. "Usually, it's about offering things that the dead couldn't afford in their lifetime, so people like to burn models of houses and Ferraris," Teo said."Paper clothes and shoes are also essential, so that their ancestors have new ones to wear. People just want their loved ones to have a better afterlife."

Battling Covid even in the afterlife — paper vaccines and masks are being offered to the dead during the Qingming 'Tomb Sweeping' Festival

<keyword id="6699518" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="solar-eclipse">Solar eclipse</keyword> is a rare and highly interesting astronomical event that has triggered human imaginations for so long. Solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the earth and the sun hiding sun partially or fully for a brief period when seen from the earth. The solar eclipse that is coming up in this season will be an ‘Annular Solar Eclipse’ that will occur on December 26, 2019. This eclipse will be the third and the final solar eclipse for the year 2019. About Annular Solar Eclipse An annular Solar Eclipse will result when the apparent diameter of the moon is smaller than that of the sun. In this case, the moon will block most of the sun’s light and cause the sun to look like a ring (annulus) and hence the name annular solar eclipse. An annular solar eclipse will be a spectacular sight in the regions where it will be visible. Regions where annularity will be visible during December 26, 2019 solar eclipse The regions in which the annular solar eclipse will be visible will include Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam. People living in cities like Kozhikode, Coimbatore, Jaffna, Trincomalee, Sibolga, Batam, Singapore, Singkawang and Guam can see the annular solar eclipse clearly in its entirety. Cities like Doha, Madurai, Pekanbaru, Dumai, Johor Bahru and Kuching occur in the regions that will narrowly miss the annular solar eclipse. The best places in India to view the annular solar eclipse The December 26, 2019 solar eclipse will be annular and partial depending on the location from where you see the eclipse in India. In the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, annular solar eclipse will be visible. The longest duration of annularity will be 3 minutes. In Tamil Nadu, you can see the annularity for 3 minutes 11 seconds in Tiruppur and for 3 minutes and 15 seconds in Ammapattinam on the east coast. The annularity will last for 3 minutes in Ooty and since it is a hill station with an altitude of 2200 meters, this location will lead to the best view of the solar eclipse without being obstructed by the clouds. Timing of the solar eclipse December 26, 2019 The partial eclipse will begin a few minutes after 8 am (IST) and will last till 11:30 am (IST). The timing of the annularity will be 09:24 am to 09:27 am in the east coast and 09:31 am to 09:35 am in the west coast. The percentage of eclipse in different cities of India The maximum obstruction of the sun during the eclipse when seen from different cities of India will be 78.8% from Mumbai, 44.7% in Delhi, 89.4% in Bangalore, 74.3% in Hyderabad, 66.0% in Ahmedabad, 84.6% in Chennai and 45.1% in Kolkata. Some important cities in the annular path of the solar eclipse will be Kozhikode in Kerala, Mangalore in Karnataka and Tiruppur, Coimbatore and Trichy in Tamil Nadu.

Solar Eclipse: The best places in India to view the annular solar eclipse

<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image">Jennifer Polland/ Business Insider</div></div>Unlike the rest of <keyword id="6356662" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Singapore">Singapore</keyword>, which primarily consists of carefully planned high-rises, the neighborhood of Tiong Bahru is a historic community that still retains some of its ramshackle charm.
With its Art Deco-style architecture and its small quiet, lanes, Tiong Bahru feels like a quiet respite from the dizzying skyscrapers and frenetic pace of city life.
<a href="##slideshow##">Click here to jump right to photos of Tiong Bahru &gt;&gt;</a>
It was built in the 1930s as the first housing estate in Singapore, but recently it has become the hottest neighborhood in the city.
Today, yuppies, designers, expats, and creative types linger over cappuccinos at hip cafes or peruse boutiques for one-of-a-kind jewelry, clothing, or furnishings.
Meanwhile, vestiges of the old neighborhood persist. There are a few traditional coffee shops where older people gather over kopi (coffee in Malay). And on Sunday mornings, the Tiong Bahru wet market is the place to be. 
It's a study in contrasts, and a combination that adds up to one of the most dynamic and vibrant neighborhoods in the city.
Disclosure: Our trip to Singapore, including travel and lodging expenses, was sponsored by the Singapore Tourism Board.

Take A Walk Around Singapore's Hot New Hipster Neighborhood

Growing up in the New Jersey suburbs, a couple of things defined my summers, among them hot dogs, sunburns, and drawn-out games of backyard <keyword id="12469579" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="badminton" source="Orion">badminton</keyword> with my dad and little brother. We had a net lined with a hot pink streak, and by the time the sun set on weekends, we'd be tired, covered in grass stains, and nursing stubbed toes.Now I live in <keyword id="11895291" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="singapore" source="Orion">Singapore</keyword>, halfway across the world from where I grew up. Bergen County this is not — and here, badminton is no mere evening activity. It's a lifestyle, and a highly competitive one at that."All the way back, badminton has been popular in Singapore," said Clarence Loh, a 41-year-old brokerage owner who started a community badminton group during the pandemic.Singapore (which is smaller than New York City) saw 770,000 court bookings in 2019, according to <a href="https://www.myactivesg.com/read/2019/11/airbadminton-takes-off-in-singapore">Active SG</a>, a government site dedicated to keeping the population active and healthy. The city-state claims an estimated 210,000 active badminton players, which means that some 3.75% of the population identifies as a badminton player.And while sub-4% of a population may not seem like a lot, it's a very active 4% — one that books up courts within a minute of them becoming available, trades and sells off those bookings in a robust secondary market, and just may have the local parenting style to thank for its competitive edge.<h2>A hot commodity</h2>As any Singapore badminton aficionado will tell you, the most challenging part of playing is securing a court.Loh said that online bookings for the week ahead get snapped up within minutes of being posted."The system is not very good," Loh said, explaining that people can only book one court hour per ID card. But some coaches, he said, will show up at courts with 20 people's IDs and book 20 court hours in one fell swoop."The whole ordeal we hear from players is that booking the indoor courts is really hard right now," Loh said. "They're always getting snapped up."Demand is significant enough that two new venues, each of which has 20 badminton courts, <a href="https://mothership.sg/2021/11/suntec-city-badminton/">opened</a> this year alone. One of those venues, Singapore EXPO, is housed in Singapore's biggest convention venue. Courts are <a href="https://www.singaporeexpo.com.sg/play-at-expo">open</a> from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and go for between 12 and 18 Singapore dollars an hour (roughly $9 - $13), depending on the time of day.In an August Facebook post, Heng Swee Keat, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=4322832437755248&amp;id=195137123858154">wrote</a> that EXPO serves a double purpose: It's at once helping make up for Singapore's dearth of badminton courts and fill up its surplus of venue spaces, which have gone virtually unused during the pandemic.Players looking to clock some court time can also book private courts or community courts, many of which are outdoors — or they can turn to the robust off-the-books secondary market.<div type="image" title="badminton court in singapore with high-rise buildings in the background and surrounded by trees" height="2944" width="3926" msid="88328908" hostid="261"></div>Finding Singapore's secondary badminton court market is as simple as going to Carousell, Singapore's version of Craigslist. I searched the site and within minutes had found a handful of listings selling court times (mostly between 5 and 15 Singapore dollars per hour), seeking courts, and offering coaching lessons. I messaged six of them and didn't hear back from five; one declined to answer.Their hesitance to engage with a journalist isn't surprising, given the government's reaction in the past.For the most part, those selling courts appeared to be offloading their purchases at face value, but that wasn't always the case. In February, local outlet <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/play-football-for-300-football-tennis-among-facility-bookings-hawked-by-resellers">Straits Times</a> reported that people were reselling badminton, tennis, and soccer court or field bookings for as much as 300 Singapore dollars. Sport Singapore vowed to clamp down on the reselling practice, ultimately <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/re-selling-of-public-sports-facilities-is-wrong-says-sportsg-as-it-vows-to-clamp-down-on-the">suspending and blacklisting</a> 255 accounts for reselling bookings.After I sent out my inquiries, my Carousell account was terminated for what the site deemed to be "patterns of suspicious activities." I reached out to Carousell for more information, and a rep told me their AI had determined I was a scammer based on the quantity of my messages and my IP location being tied to New York. Following my query, Carousell reactivated my account.Sport Singapore — a branch of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth dedicated to <keyword id="11893855" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="sports" source="Orion">sports</keyword> — did not respond to my request for comment for this story. The Singapore Badminton Association, the governing board for badminton in Singapore, turned down multiple requests for comment.<h2>Taking it to the big leagues</h2>The competitive nature of the recreational leagues is perhaps no surprise if you turn your gaze to the competitive field of professional badminton across southeast <keyword id="11902482" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="asia" source="Orion">Asia</keyword>.In the <a href="https://www.badmintonskills.net/world-rankings/">2021 world rankings</a>, Asian countries (Japan, Indonesia, Korea, China) dominate the lists, with the occasional European country (England, Denmark) sneaking into the rankings. In men's and women's doubles alike, every one of the top 10 teams hails from an Asian country.The sport is popular in the region, said Haresh Deol, the cofounder of Malaysian news site Twentytwo13, because it "requires little space and is an economically friendly sport." As he explained to <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Life-Arts/Life/Why-Asia-loves-the-low-key-but-rising-sport-of-badminton">Nikkei Asia</a>, "all you need is a racket and a shuttlecock, and even without the net, two players can already play a simplified version of the sport, which is common in many neighborhoods in Malaysia."It has also led to fierce rivalries. Singapore's No. 1 player, Loh Kean Yew, drew his fair share of <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/badminton-singapores-loh-kean-yew-shocks-japans-world-no-1-kento-momota">local headlines</a> (<a href="https://mothership.sg/2021/12/loh-kean-yew-coach-beat-chest/">see also</a>: "Loh Kean Yew's coach beats chest vigorously like a gorilla to motivate him during matches") when he beat Japan's top player, Kento Momota, in late November and advanced to the quarter-finals of the Indonesia Open.<div type="image" title="Singapore athletes at the Olympics bearing the country's flag and dressed in red blazers" height="2148" width="2864" msid="88328909" hostid="261"></div>Terry Hee, a fellow professional badminton player, has been competing and training professionally for more than ten years.He was 13 when he started competing internationally; at 16, he made it onto the Singapore national team; and now, at 26, he plays on Singapore's national senior badminton squad. He told me he trains five days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and again from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. On Saturdays, he has a single training session, and Sundays are a rest day.We squeezed in a call on a Thursday, during what I quickly learned was his lunch break between training sessions. When I asked him why he chose to play badminton instead of soccer or tennis, both of which are popular here, he laughed."Are they?" he asked, questioning the other sports' popularity in relation to badminton's. "I started playing when I was 10, and I fell in love with it. It was the only choice I had at that time because my parents wanted me to play sports and get all my energy out."<div type="image" title="Man in neon shirt playing badminton in indoor arena" height="2000" width="2666" msid="88328911" hostid="261"></div>Hee said he thinks badminton is popular in Singapore because it's cheap and it's an easy sport for families to play together. It also dovetails nicely with the predominant Singaporean parenting style, he said: Many parents locally dissuade their kids from setting their sights on professional leagues, which breeds a competitive nature in the non-professional field."Singapore parents are very realistic," Hee said. "They want their kids to study and do well, become doctors. Not many parents would support their kids to do sports as a career in Singapore.""Definitely, parenting plays a part. In terms of career planning, you won't have many choices in sports," agreed Daniel Tan, the founder of Singapore's Be A Champ Badminton Academy. "In Singapore, the majority of parents are still very focused on academics," he added.The pandemic brought about some changes for the sport.Demand for courts has risen as people have sought out local recreational opportunities, the company that manages Singapore EXPO told the <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/badminton-new-courts-at-expo-and-suntec-a-boon-for-enthusiasts">Straits Times</a>.The type of demand has shifted, too. Joseph, a 22-year-old college student studying computer science, said doubles matches used to be the most popular option. But at various points throughout the pandemic, Singapore has capped group sizes at two people (they're currently capped at five), so Joseph and his friends had to switch to singles games to stay within the legal group-size limits.The government-mandated group sizes play a big part in the court shortage, said Tan of Be A Champ Academy. Tan said he saw a sudden spike in interest in badminton three or four years ago with the launch of the Badminton World Federation, though things have also picked up during the pandemic."Before the pandemic and after the pandemic is totally different," Tan said. "Before the pandemic, we could easily fit in one coach and six students in a court. But with the current restrictions, it's four students to one coach. And previously it was even worse — one student to one coach.""The majority of full-time coaches have been on unpaid leave for 15 months because of the courts issue," Tan continued. "When there are no courts and no badminton halls open, we can't do anything — we can't coach." Tan estimates there are roughly 300 full-time and part-time certified badminton coaches in Singapore, and those who have been affected by the court shortage have turned to everything from working as Grab food delivery drivers to COVID-swab administrators to make ends meet.<div type="image" title="a large public housing unit in Singapore that's next to a hilly park and a basketball court" height="3024" width="4032" msid="88328912" hostid="261"></div>Notably, badminton is not the only leisure sport to have seen a spike in Singapore during the pandemic. <a href="https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/covid-19-cycling-popularity-bicycle-sales-shared-bikes-631621">Bike sales and rentals</a> in the city-state soared in 2020 as people looked for activities they could do under lockdown. And, as <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-04-07/singapore-golf-club-prices-at-record-highs-as-augusta-masters-tournament-starts">Bloomberg</a> reported in April, the cost of memberships at one of Singapore's exclusive golf clubs is up 40% from pre-pandemic prices. The rise in leisure sports is also not limited to only Singapore — a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wealthy-americans-doing-hobbies-alone-already-reshaping-economy-2020-6?IR=C">similar trend was observed in the US</a> a mere three months into the pandemic. Of course, it's not all competition, fights over courts, and black-market dealings.Just ask Loh, the brokerage-company owner. He's the third generation of his family to live in Tiong Bahru, a hip neighborhood about a 15-minute drive from downtown that's home to heritage buildings, coffee shops, and high-rise HDB (public housing) units.Loh told me that he used to fly across the Southeast Asian region for work, estimating he used to spend less than two months of the year in Singapore. Then the pandemic struck, borders closed, and, in need of a way to fill time (and get in shape, he said), he turned to badminton.For him, it's a family affair: His dad used to coach at the school level, and Loh trained with the national team in the late 90s. His oldest son is starting to pick up the game too, though Loh doesn't want to push him into it."My dad and I are building up a community of players," Loh said. "We started four months ago and became a beautiful community. Now we have about 34 players — adults and kids. The oldest is mid-40s, youngest is 9 or 10."But the one thing that rang true with everyone I spoke to for this story, whether they were building a professional career or a local community of players, is the court crunch — and the pros are no exception. When Hee is training, court space is arranged for him. It's a different story if he's trying to book one for fun, he said. "There are many private coaches out there who coach in government sports halls, so they'll fight for the courts," Hee said. "Courts open for booking every day at 7 a.m. By 7:01, they're gone."

Inside the wildly competitive world of recreational badminton in Singapore, where players jockey for courts and space is snapped up in minutes

Cloud based technologies for taxi mobility and ride-sharing apps for individual customers are changing the name of the transportation game in Asia. No matter how much one would decry the change, the initial hiccups would soon be streamlined to make the taxi hailing and ride-sharing a better experience for the end users. 
 
Smart apps come as the most desirable shift in the way the world has learnt to move between destinations on an everyday basis. The best part is it is happening simultaneously all over the world. Gone are the days when one part of the globe passed it on to another continent as best practice. 
 
The traditional way of hailing a taxi is now gone faster than we ever imagined and witnessing never-ending innovations. While some companies are ride sharing apps, some are building their own indigenous apps and cloud-tech to get a huge slice of this paradigm shift. 
 
The world’s taxi industry, which was worth $10 billion just a few years ago, has taken a massive hit with this change. 
There are some of the major players that have made a quick impression in this changing scenario. Their success stories are about being early birds. It’s their innovative drive that has made them the prominent names in the sector. 
 
Uber 
When <a href="https://www.uber.com/">Uber</a>, the US startup, expanded to Beijing, it had touched the magic number of 100. The numbers of cities that have taken to Uber are growing with every passing day. It is often seen as a direct rival to taxis. Uber’s service has opened new vistas for people to innovate and grow new businesses in and across the world without having to lose on precious resources. 
 
<keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword> 
This <a href="https://www.olacabs.com/">company</a> is present in Tier-I Indian cities that have witnessed huge growth spurt, and has plans of slowly spreading its wings in other parts of the country and the world too. With over 10,000 vehicles on its network, this app uses real time navigation to record booking from a customer. Its niche is in the excellent understanding of Indian market, by way of having released various sizes of cars that can suit the customer’s needs. 
 
<keyword id="2196710" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="GrabTaxi">GrabTaxi</keyword> 
Present in Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Singapore, Manila, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh, <a href="http://grabtaxi.com/">GrabTaxi</a> is the result of Malaysian startup MyTeksi’s ambitious plans. It is available for various platforms and operating systems. 
 
<keyword id="142673" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="VGO">Vgo</keyword> 
A venture of Vesess Inc that is based out of SriLanka, <a href="https://www.vgohq.com/">Vgo</a> is a web-based management app that can handle business operations entirely, both on Internet and mobile along with booking process. It is completely flexible; open to customization by each taxi company that decides to use the app. Operators can track Vgo drivers in real time, make and change online bookings, and get a detailed overview of their complete fleet. The company is present in Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia and Australia. 
 
<keyword id="3107215" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Didi-Dache-Kuaidi-Dache">Didi Dache-Kuaidi Dache</keyword> 
<a href="http://www.xiaojukeji.com/">Didi Dache-Kuaidi Dache</a>, an irresistible merger of two most rivaled and ambitious players in the domestic taxi sector from China, has created some serious setback for Uber’s growth potential in this economically most prominent Asian nation. AliBaba, China’s most fabled story of eCommerce had invested in Kuaidi Dache, welcomed the merger which opened the gates of higher growth and greater tapping of potential. 
 
Global Taxi Dispatch 
A cloud based software that allows instant booking, live tracking of taxis, simple driver and customer apps, dedicated platform manager and white labelling for taxi companies, <a href="http://www.etaxidispatch.com/">GTD</a> can be tailored to suit start up fleets, SMEs and large scale companies. The dispatching software comes with two ways communication text, using GPRS accessed through only one device and a call centre to boot. 
 
TaxiForSure 
An aggregator of car rentals, much like Ola and Uber, <a href="https://www.taxiforsure.com/">TaxiForSure</a> works with various taxi operators enabling them with technology and growth potential. Having been bought over by Ola Cabs early this year to beat competitors like Uber at a $200 million deal and to grab the biggest slice of taxi market in India, TaxiForSure continues to work independently of Ola. 
 
My Cab Services 
This is a solution that was tailored to design and manage taxi fleets in various sizes. Claiming to be one of the most comprehensive dispatch apps, <a href="http://www.mycabservices.com/">My Cab Services</a> has the most prominent presence in India. Its USP is the call talking and dispatching module to ensure most efficient system of reaching the customer fast and swift, and keeping the user interface clean and uncomplicated, considering the heterogeneous customer base that may not be fully comfortable using apps. 
 
TaxiStartup 
This is a new set of dispatch that is helping companies get onboard with the changing set of taxi-hiring rules. The tools include mobile and web booking with added customer interface that is uncomplicated and easy to use. The app can be hired by any company that plans to run its own fleet of taxis, with due customization at a very economically viable price. <a href="http://taxistartup.com/">TaxiStartup</a> empowers anyone who wants to have their own Uber, Hailo or GetTaxi without having to spend way too much on building the whole thing. 
 
Taxi Finder 
Highly adaptable for fleet management requirements, <a href="http://www.taxifinder.com/">Taxi Finder</a> is a free fleet management and dispatching software. Empowered with cloud dispatch system that can make booking based on customers’ calls, it has inbuilt parameters to save time and plan efficient dispatching of the taxi on various priorities. It also has easy management for corporate companies with ride details being integrated into the end user company’s website or internet applications. 
 
Some of the taxi-booking apps that are used by individual customers have been steadily gaining popularity for their easy navigation and efficient services across Asia. 
(Image: Thinkstock)

10 transport mobile apps that redefine mobility in Asia

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image">REUTERS/Edgar SuMalaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200ER flight MH318 to Beijing sits on the tarmac as passengers are reflected on the glass at the boarding gate at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at approximately 12:20am March 17, 2014. </div></div></div>KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Whether by accident or design, whoever reached across the dimly lit cockpit of a Malaysia Airlines jet and clicked off a transponder to make Flight MH370 vanish from controllers' radars flew into a navigational and technical black hole.
By choosing one place and time to vanish into radar darkness with 238 others on board, the person - presumed to be a pilot or a passenger with advanced knowledge - may have acted only after meticulous planning, according to aviation experts.
Understanding the sequence that led to the unprecedented plane hunt widening across two vast tracts of territory north and south of the Equator is key to grasping the motives of what Malaysian authorities suspect was hijacking or sabotage.
By signing off from Malaysian airspace at 1.19 a.m. on March 8 with a casual "all right, good night," rather than the crisp radio drill advocated in pilot training, a person now believed to be the co-pilot gave no hint of anything unusual.
Two minutes later, at 1.21 a.m. local time, the transponder - a device identifying jets to ground controllers - was turned off in a move that experts say could reveal a careful sequence.
"Every action taken by the person who was piloting the aircraft appears to be a deliberate one. It is almost like a pilot's checklist," said one senior captain from an Asian carrier with experience of jets including the Boeing 777.
There is so far no indication whether the co-pilot was at fault or had anything to do with turning off the transponder. Pilots say the usual industry convention is that the pilot not directly responsible for flying the plane talks on the radio.
Police have searched the premises of both the captain and co-pilot and are checking the backgrounds of all passengers.
Whoever turned the transponder to "off", whether or not the move was deliberate, did so at a vulnerable point between two airspace sectors when Malaysian and Vietnamese controllers could easily assume the airplane was each others' responsibility.
"The predictable effect was to delay the raising of the alarm by either party," David Learmount, operations and safety editor at Flight International, wrote in an industry blog.
That mirrors delays in noticing something was wrong when an Air France jet disappeared over the Atlantic in 2009 with 228 people on board, a gap blamed on confusion between controllers.
Yet whereas the Rio-Paris disaster was later traced to pilot error, the suspected kidnapping of MH370's passengers and crew was carried out with either skill or bizarre coincidences.
Whether or not pilots knew it, the jet was just then in a technically obscure sweet spot, according to a top radar expert.
Air traffic controllers use secondary radar which works by talking to the transponder. Some air traffic control systems also blend in some primary radar, which uses a simple echo.
But primary radar signals fade faster than secondary ones, meaning even a residual blip would have vanished for controllers and even military radar may have found it difficult to identify the 777 from other ghostly blips, said radar expert Hans Weber.
"Turning off the transponder indicates this person was highly trained," said Weber, of consultancy TECOP International.
<h3>NOT IN THE MANUAL</h3>
The overnight flight to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur is packed year-round with business people, Chinese tourists and students, attracted in part by code-sharing deals, regular travelers say.
The lockdown of MH370 may have begun as early as 40 minutes into the flight at a point when meals are being hurriedly served in time to get trays cleared and lights dimmed for the night.
"It was a red-eye flight. Most people - the passengers and the crew - just want to rest," a Malaysia Airlinesstewardess said. "Unless there was a reason to panic, if someone had taken control of the aircraft, they would not have noticed anything."
At some point between 1.07 a.m. and 1.37 a.m., investigators believe someone switched off another system called ACARS designed to transmit maintenance data back to the ground.
While unusual, this may not necessarily raise alarms at the airline and the passengers would not have known that something was amiss, said some of the six pilots contacted by Reuters, none of whom agreed to be identified because of company rules.
"Occasionally, there are gaps in the communications systems and the guys in ground operations may not think much of it initially. It would be a while before they try to find out what was wrong," said one captain with an Asian carrier.
Cutting the datalink would not have been easy. Instructions are not in the Flight Crew Operating Manual, one pilot said.
Whoever did so may have had to climb through a trap door in full view of cabin crew, people familiar with the jet say.
Circuit-breakers used to disable the system are in a bay reached through a hatch in the floor next to the lefthand front exit, close to a galley used to prepare meals.
Most pilots said it would be impossible to turn off ACARS from inside the cockpit, though two people did not rule it out.
Malaysia Airlines said 14 minutes elapsed between the last ACARS message and the transponder shutdown that - in the growing view of officials - confirmed a fully loaded jet was on the run. The ACARS must have been disabled within 16 minutes after that.
In the meantime a voice believed to be that of the co-pilot issued the last words from MH370 and the transponder went dead.
<h3>HIDING IN FULL VIEW?</h3>
The northeast-bound jet now took a northwestern route from Kota Bahru in eastern Malaysia to Penang Island. It was last detected on military radar around 200 miles northwest of Penang.
Even that act of going off course may not have caused alarm at first if it was handled gradually, pilots said.
"Nobody pays attention to these things unless they are aware of the direction that the aircraft was heading in," said one first officer who has flown with Malaysia Airlines.
The airline said it had reconstructed the event in a simulator to try to figure out how the jet vanished and kept flying for what may have been more than seven hours.
Pilots say whoever was then in control may have kept the radio on in silent mode to hear what was going on around him, but would have avoided restarting the transponder at all costs.
"That would immediately make the aircraft visible ... like a bright light. Your registration, height, altitude and speed would all become visible," said an airline captain.
After casting off its identity, the aircraft set investigators a puzzle that has yet to be solved. It veered either northwards or southwards, within an hour's flying time of arcs stretching from the Caspian to the southern Indian Ocean.
The best way to avoid the attention of military radars would have been to fly at a fixed altitude, on a recognized flight path and at cruising speed without changing course, pilots say.
Malaysian officials dismissed as speculation reports that the jet may have flown at low altitude to avoid detection.
But pilots said the best chance of feeling its way through the well-defended northern route would have been to hide in full view of military radar inside commercial lanes - raising awkward questions over security in several parts of the Asia-Pacific.
"The military radar controllers would have seen him moving on a fixed line, figured that it was a commercial aircraft at a high altitude, and not really a danger especially if he was on a recognized flight path," said one pilot.
"Some countries would ask you to identify yourself, but you are flying through the night and that is the time when the least attention is being paid to unidentified aircraft. As long as the aircraft is not flying towards a military target or point, they may not bother with you."
Although investigators refused on Monday to be drawn into theories, few in the industry believe a 250-tonne passenger jet could run amok globally without expert skills or preparation.
"Whoever did this must have had lots of aircraft knowledge, would have deliberately planned this, had nerves of steel to be confident enough to get through primary radar without being detected and been confident enough to control an aircraft full of people," a veteran airline captain told Reuters.
(Additional reporting by Edgar Su, Andrea Shalal, Mark Hosenball and Anshuman Daga, Editing by Nick Macfie)

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