036_five-foot way

Five-foot ways are colonnaded walkways in front of shophouses. Sir Stamford Raffles stipulated this as part of his Town Plan of 1822 to provide shelter for pedestrians from sun and rain. It is one magical space that blurs the boundary between public and private. The ownership right belongs to the owner of the unit so various decorations and floor finishes can be found on the same stretch of the walkway. It is also an extension of what happening inside the shophouse. Coffee shops and eateries use this space as their alfresco dining area, which still allow people to walk through. It’s a nice experience eating there trying to avoid people walking right into you and also, the other way around, walking through meandering pathway crated by leftover space from dining tables.

035_coupon parking

There are two types of short-term parking in Singapore, coupon parking and electronic parking system. Parking coupons can be purchased from post office, 7-eleven and some other appointed sales outlets. There are several of different denominations but the common ones are $0.50, $1.00 and $2.00. Motorists are required to display coupons at prominent location in their vehicles for checking. The tabs on each coupon will have to be torn off to indicate date and commencement time of parking. Parking rates are varied by location. Hourly charges are $1.00 per half hour in restricted zone and $0.50 per half hour outside the zone. This car in the picture was parked in restricted zone. Mathematically, it’s obvious that the owner planned to hang around for 7 hours.