August 30, 2009
7:56 PM
What happened to rights and freedom?
Its been a long time since I've posted anything substantial here. Mostly because book-out time is quite precious, and I'd rather write when there's free time in camp instead.. but lately I can't seem to find the will to do that in camp. Maybe its exhaustion from writing a page a day.. it gets kind of a chore. It started from writing everyday in BMT, then bit by bit, I miss a day or two, then I write weekly. I'm afraid that if I don't do it anymore, I'll probably won't. So while I've found some will to now, I will. =)
Since the thing I've mostly been writing about is army life, a change should be in order. Writing about civilian life, lifestyle and happenings.. mmm, sounds good.
So I realised that being all this while in the army has made me disconnected from whats going on outside camp. After all, the only thing that connects us to the outside world is a newspaper. Places are changing rapidly, especially Orchard. Ion... Orchard Central.. and a whole lot more places being overhauled. And I can't see anything negative about it at all. After all, in the past, as far as I remember, those were either just empty plots of land, or places so insignificant that I can only remember them as such.
I can't say much about Orchard Central. Just took a brief walk around 2 of the floors. My impression is that it doesn't stand out significantly. Sure, it has the glass and reflecty metallic modern look, but in terms of design, it feels standard. Its not too bad, just that I feel it could have been a better job. Still, some parts of it is still under construction, so we'll have to wait for it to the fully completed before we can comment..
Ion though, it really stands out. Vivocity was one of the better places I've seen, but this stands out even more. Not even sure where I should start. I guess.. if I could describe Ion, it would be innovative, dynamic, and an immersive space. Running out of time, so I'll just summarise in a few points.
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Innovation
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-Running advertisements in front of the urinals. How come no one has ever thought of that?
-Interactive shop directory. Scroll through, touch a shop name and it'll give you a full description.
Dynamic
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-Every floor is unique. Just because the escalator is there on one floor doesn't mean it be at the same place on another. Gives a constantly changing scenery as you work your way around the area. The first few times, you'll get quite lost because of this, but at the same time, it'll be fun. Like what they mean when they say to "totally lose yourself"...?
-Really curvy. Very little sharp edges and corners. It works because if you only walk in a straight line past shops, you lose interest easily. But having to work your way around the curves keeps you alert of your surroundings, retail spaces included.
Immersive
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-The entrances into the building are quite prominent. But once you're inside, you'll have a hard time finding the exit, literally. Really really sneaky, but effective. Out of sight.. out of mind, after all. There's very few indications of the street from inside the building. You'll find yourself immersed in the going-ons inside.
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Well yeah. Ion is a really nice place. If I had more time, I'd write a whole lot more. All in all, if there's one place to go over the weekend, it'd be Ion.