5993. TEREA and VEEV

 

TEREA SMARTCORE STICKS™ are specially designed, heated tobacco units made exclusively for the IQOS ILUMA induction heating device. They provide a smoke-free alternative to cigarettes by heating tobacco rather than burning it, featuring a built-in metal element that creates a cleaner, consistent experience without, or with minimal, odor. [1, 2, 3]

Key Aspects of TEREA:

• Exclusivity: Only for IQOS ILUMA; they cannot be used with older IQOS models (e.g., DUO/3) as they will damage the device.
• Technology: Features a fully sealed, tobacco-filled stick with a metal heating element, offering a consistent draw and no tobacco residue.
• Flavours: Available in a wide variety of, including rich/roasted (Regular), refined, crisp, and fruity/cooling flavors (e.g., Oasis Pearl, Tidal Pearl).
• Nicotine: Each stick generally provides a similar nicotine experience to a single cigarette, containing roughly \(0.5\text{mg}\) of nicotine.
• Availability: Widely sold by Philip Morris International (PMI) in various countries, though not available everywhere (e.g., illegal in Singapore). [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]
• -------------------------------------------------------
•  Veev (stylised as VEEV) is a brand of electronic cigarettes (e-vapor products) manufactured by Philip Morris International (PMI).

5992. Oriental Garden Lizard in Banyan Villas Park

 

 

 SINGAPORE - 28 APR 2026: 8.58am. This adult Oriental Garden Lizard (Calotes versicolor) resides in the vicinity of Banyan Villas Park. He is either a male in the non-breeding season or a female. He is basking in the morning sunlight.

Canon R5, 160 mm, 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100

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 2 APR 2026

 

5991. Scarlet Ibis

 

 

Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber) has a brilliant red plumage maintained by eating crustaceans rich in carotenoids. Downward curved beak suitable for foraging inside water.
 

Canon R5 300mm, 1/320 sec, f/16, iso 2500
26 Apr 2026, 10.58am   

 

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 A Scarlet Ibis amid American Flamingos feeding on pellets provided by Bird Paradise

 

 Canon R5 255mm, 1/250 sec, f/16, iso 400
26 Apr 2026, 11.10am   

 

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 Scarlet Ibis (3rd from L) and American flamingos 

 

5990. American flamingos

 

SINGAPORE - 26 APR 2026: 11.12am. The American flamingo is a wading bird with very long, ‘coat-hanger’ neck and very long legs. The adult is hot pink, but first-year birds are brown and white overall, attaining fully adult colors in 2-3 years. It is usually found in flocks in shallow, saline lagoons.

Canon R5, 300mm, 1/400 sec, f/16, ISO 800

 

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SINGAPORE - 26 APR 2026: 11.04am. The adult American flamingo has hot pink plumage, but first-year birds are brown and white overall, attaining fully adult colors in 2-3 years.

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26 Apr 2026. 11.08am
Canon R5, 255mm, 1/320 sec, f/16, ISO 800. 

 

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 26 Apr 2026. 11.08am
Canon R5, 255mm, 1/250 sec, f/16, ISO 400
sharp image, using f/16

 

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Scarlet Ibis (3rd from L) is a small bird

American Flamingos 

 26 Apr 2026. 11.10am
Canon R5, 300mm, 1/320 sec, f/16, ISO 640
sharp image, using f/16

 

 

5989. Silver Zone

Canon R5 75mm, 1/80 sec, f/16, ISO 400

 

 

A Silver Zone is a specially designated residential area in Singapore with enhanced road safety features designed to protect elderly pedestrians, characterized by lower speed limits (\(30\text{--}40\text{ km/h}\)), narrowed roads, and prominent, senior-friendly signage. Implemented by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) since 2014, these zones often reduce senior accident rates by up to 80%. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Key Usage Examples and Features

• Reduced Speed Limits: Vehicles are restricted to \(30\text{--}40\text{ km/h}\) to provide more reaction time.
• Safety Infrastructure: Features include raised zebra crossings, narrower lanes to calm traffic, and two-stage crossings.
• Visual Enhancements: Distinctive yellow and blue signs and, in some cases, "curbless" crossings.
• Strategic Location: Placed near high senior population residential areas, hawker centres, and medical centers.
• Increased Road Hazards Mitigation: Specialized for areas with higher past accident rates involving seniors. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Synonyms and Related Terms

• Senior-friendly zones
• Traffic-calming zones
• Road safety havens
• Elder-friendly road infrastructure [1, 2]

These zones are part of an initiative aimed at making roads safer for senior citizens as part of Singapore's aging population strategy. As of 2026, there are over 40 of these zones

5988. Dillenia excelsa

 

Dillenia excelsa (Purple Simpoh)
Canon R5, 155mm, 1/1000 sec, f/5, iso 640, tripod

1 May 2026. 8.12am

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Dillenia alata, or red beech, produces vibrant, 5-petaled golden-yellow flowers, 6–9 cm in diameter, commonly known as the Golden Guinea flower. These bright blossoms appear in late spring and summer, lasting only one day, but are replaced daily on the tree. They feature distinctive red styles and stamens, with the plant commonly used as an ornamental in tropical regions. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Key Characteristics of Dillenia alata Flowers:

• Appearance: Large, saucer-shaped, bright yellow flowers, often with a slight reddish-pink center.
• Structure: Five obovate petals with numerous stamens and pink to red carpels at the center.
• Pollination: The flower uses "buzz pollination," with anthers that have tiny pores.
• Blooming Period: The plant often has flowers or fruit throughout the year, but flowering peaks in late spring and summer.
• Habit: While the flowers are individual and short-lived, the plant offers a continuous display. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Other Key Features:

• Fruit: Following the flowers, it produces bright scarlet, star-shaped fruit that splits to show seeds surrounded by white, edible pulp.
• Leaves: Deep green, ovate, with distinctively winged petioles (leaf stalks).
• Habitat: Commonly found in coastal rainforests, swamps, and wetlands in Northern Australia and New Guinea. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

These trees are widely regarded as having high horticultural merit for tropical landscapes. [1]

 

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Simpoh tree flower (Dillenia species). 5 large bright yellow petals surrounding a crimson-red centre. 

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Simpoh Flowers 

The Purple Simpoh (Dillenia excelsa) can be found in the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Three varieties are known, of which only variety tomentella, distinguished by its densely hairy leaves, is native to Singapore. Each flower of the Purple Simpoh has purple or maroon stamens (male organs) of two forms. These are visual cues for its pollinators, which are usually bees. The shorter stamens on the outer ring are ‘feeding stamens’ which are handled by the bee as it moves around the flower. While doing so, vibrations from the bee stimulate the release of pollen onto its back from the inner set of longer ‘pollination stamens’. Pollen from the bee’s visit to a previous flower may, in turn, be deposited on the long white stylar branches (female organs). 

Similar flower forms can be found in other Simpoh species such as the Katmon (Dillenia philippinensis). On the other hand, the Simpoh Air (Dillenia suffruticosa) has a different flower structure: white stamens and stylar branches are organised into a central cone which the pollinator grasps and revolves around.