Acne sufferers 'stay youthful-looking for longer'

Teens with flawless skin may be the envy of their peers, but those who are prone to acne may actually have the upper hand in the long run. Ironically, acne-inflicted skin cells have a better built-in defence against ageing that may lead to longer lasting skin, new research claims.

Scientists from King's College London consulted with 1,205 female twins, and found that adolescents with spots tend to stay looking youthful for longer, compared to peers with "perfect skin".

They suggest this may be because people with acne have built-in protection against ageing, with wrinkles and thinning appearing later.

For the study, researchers looked at white blood cells taken from acne sufferers and found they had longer protective caps on the ends of their chromosomes (a strand of DNA encoded with genes). These caps are called telomeres, and can be thought of as having a function like that of plastic tips on shoe laces which stop them from becoming frayed.

Lead author of the study, Dr Simone Ribero said that for many years dermatologists have noticed that the skin of acne sufferers appears to age more slowly than in those who have not experienced any acne.

“Our findings suggest that the cause could be linked to the length of telomeres which appears to be different in acne sufferers and means their cells may be protected against ageing,” he explained.

“By looking at skin biopsies, we were able to begin to understand the gene expressions related to this.”

The researchers also examined gene expression in pre-existing skin biopsies from the same twins to identify possible gene pathways linked to acne. One gene pathway (the p53), which regulates programmed cell death, was also found to be less expressed in acne sufferers’ skin.

Accordingly, the researchers hope to undertake further investigation to identify other genes involved in cell ageing and how they differ in acne sufferers.

The study was published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

Top weightloss tips

Rather than following a diet that will leave you miserable and hungry, why not try a healthy approach to losing weight?

Popsugar.com has rounded up some expert advice from professional nutritionists on top ways for shedding pounds, some of which we’ll share with you here.

The first essential recommendation is to not cut out certain foods, but include more of the good stuff in your daily meals. As mentioned above drastic diets that cut out an entire food group can leave you unhappy, so how are you meant to enjoy your slim figure when you dislike life? Also, it’s more likely you’ll return to the bad foods and binge if they’re avoided entirely. Dietician Leslie Langevin of Whole Health Nutrition tells popsugar.com that cravings should be satisfied on a daily basis, though be sure to do it in the right way, for example a square of two of dark chocolate.

Another top tip is an obvious one; eat more vegetables! That doesn’t mean topping a pizza with plenty of mushrooms, peppers and tomatoes though as there’s no benefits there. Vegetables are not only high in fibre but low in calories, so you’ll feel full for ages without doing damage. Try swapping pasta for spiralised courgette, and making salads a delicious main meal by including chicken breast, fish or pulses if you’re vegetarian/vegan. You should also tuck into vegetables as snacks like carrot or cucumber sticks, along with a healthy homemade dip.

It’s a great help to track your intake of food as well to ensure you don’t overdo it. You may be starving when you reach the evening and want to prepare yourself a big meal, but by looking back at your foods from the day you might realise you don’t need as much as you feel you do. Portion control is essential too, and if you think you’re feeling hungry despite just eating, it’s probably a sign you’re in need of hydration. It’s important to avoid mistaking thirst for hunger.

Don’t be embarrassed to plan your meals and snacks, though you want to make it varied as a regimented line-up will leave you bored and eyeing up naughty goods.

'Mindfulness' approach may help you stay slim

A weight loss treatment which focuses on promoting “mindfulness” may help people shed more pounds, a study claims.

Researchers have looked into a new approach to dieting called Acceptance-Based Behavioral Treatment (ABT), which may help people lose more weight and keep it off longer than those who reduce caloric intake and increased physical activity, known as Standard Behavioral Treatment (SBT).

In a randomised controlled clinical trial, researchers placed approximately 200 obese or overweight people in two groups: SBT or ABT, and went to 25 group sessions over one year, meeting with therapists with expertise in weight loss. The first group received training in nutrition and exercise, including other traditional weight loss strategies, such as how to monitor calories and remove foods from work or home that may induce problematic eating.

The second group received similar training, in addition to the ABT strategies. ABT sessions provided a new clinical approach to weight loss. For instance, people chose a goal based on their personal values, such as living a long and healthy life or being a present, active grandparent.

This allows the dieter to evaluate why their weight loss matters, what do they want in life, and how weight is related to that goal.

After one year the findings revealed participants in the ABT group lost 13.3 per cent of their initial body weight, compared to 9.8 per cent in the standard group. In addition, 64 per cent of participants in the ABT group were able to maintain a 10 per cent weight loss after one year, compared to 49 per cent of participants in the standard group. The success of ABT seemed to be linked to dieters' ability to better curb their food cravings, and to motivate themselves to lose weight.

“Standard Behavioral Treatments (SBT), which emphasise the importance of decreased caloric intake and increased physical activity, can help individuals lose weight for a period of time, but the strategies taught in such a program are difficult to maintain long-term,” said lead author Dr. Evan Forman. “The Acceptance-Based Behavioral Treatment (ABT) method teaches highly specialised self-regulation skills so individuals trying to lose weight can continue making healthful choices long after the programme ends. These skills include mindful decision making, identifying and committing to big-picture life values and a willingness to accept discomfort and reduced pleasure for the sake of those values.”

Researchers hope to conduct further clinical trials into the alternative treatment.

The study results were published in Obesity, the scientific journal of The Obesity Society.

Holidays may help people overcome illness

Feeling ill in the lead up to your holiday? Don’t worry, as a new study has found a break is the perfect cure for those not feeling well.

It’s thought that being in a new environment triggers curiosity that can help boost the immune system, thus resulting in feeling better.

Researchers looked into their theory using laboratory mice, giving them a two-week stay in a bigger cage full of toys and knickknacks. It was found that the exciting setting increased the mice’s white blood cell count, and potentially fending off infections.White blood cells are a big factor in auto-immune diseases being treated too, such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Speaking of the findings, published in journal Frontiers in Immunology, Professor Fulvio D'Acquisto, of Queen Mary University of London, explained: “This effect is remarkable because we haven't given them any drugs, all we've done is change their housing conditions.

“You could say that we've just put them in their equivalent of a holiday resort for two weeks and let them enjoy their new surroundings.”

The professor continued to point out that vacations could be a beneficial prescription from doctors in helping patients recover.

There have been many studies into how holidays coincide with people’s health and it’s a hot topic for experts. In 2015, Corinne Usher, the former head of NHS mental health psychological services in Buckinghamshire, told MailOnline that not taking full annual leave can lead to people making more mistakes in the workplace.

“There is a lot of research into the beneficial effects of taking a holiday, such as making us more creative problem solvers, refreshing our motivation, increasing levels of happiness, and lowering levels of stress and emotional exhaustion,” she shared.

Pregnant women advised to tuck into eggs

Expectant mothers should consider incorporating more egg into their diets, according to a leading health authority.

The European Food Safety Authority (ESFA) is advising pregnant women to tuck into the breakfast staple, because they contain choline - a nutrient which can make children smarter.
In the late '80s the British egg industry was hit by the salmonella crisis, which saw sales plummet and caused widespread concern among expectant mothers. 


However, emerging research has shown that choline, which was officially recognised as an essential nutrient by the U.S. Institute of Medicine in 1998, is vital for the development of the central nervous system of a baby in the womb - as well as being important for the brain, spinal cord and cognitive ability.

According to the Daily Mail, higher intakes of choline during the second trimester have also been associated with better visual memory skills in children at the age of seven.


Choline is often classified alongside the B vitamin complex because it has some similar functions. Thanks to the new research confirming its importance in our diets, the ESFA has now recommended an Adequate Intake (AI) level of 400mg daily for pregnant women, with an AI for adults of 425mg.

With the average medium size egg providing 144mg of choline, two eggs will provide around two-thirds of a pregnant women's recommended daily intake. A baby aged seven to 11 months will get 90 per cent of the choline it needs, and a toddler 100 per cent from a single egg.


TV health expert Dr Michael Mosley is a big advocate of eating the popular protein dish. He told The Daily Mail: "If you want to keep fuller for longer then the evidence is clear that you should eat a breakfast that is rich in protein, like eggs, ham or fish, rather than sugary cereals or toast. Protein is more satiating than carbohydrates."


Memphis Depay drops a big hint that he is losing patience at Man Utd

                              Depay losing patience as a Man Utd reserve player

Memphis Depay has given his biggest hint yet that he is unhappy at Manchester United and is considering his future at the club.

Depay joined United in a high profile move from PSV Eindhoven in the summer of 2015, with his lofty reputation earning him the right to wear the club’s iconic No.7 shirt that had previous been the property of George Best, David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo and Eric Cantona.

Yet even after a change of manager last summer and the arrival of Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford, Depay has struggled to make any kind of impact at United and now it seems his frustration is reaching breaking point.

“A supporting role is not for me. I'm not a player who is happy with the fact that he is under contract with Manchester United,” said Depay in an interview with Metro Nieuws.

“I feel like a loaded gun. I'm ready to play, but to wait for my chance. This is my dream club, but I want to play. This is a man's sport, it's not as if I need to be comforted. I am still convinced of my abilities.”

Depay went on to paint a positive picture of Mourinho’s revamped United set-up, even though he has yet to start a Premier League game this season.

“The training sessions are going well, I'm sharp and fit, but that applies to everyone,” added Depay. “The level has become higher. Jose Mourinho is a top coach. 

“Mourinho has expressed his confidence in me. Personally, but also in the press, but I want to play. I am the same person I was when I went to United and I want to be on the pitch.” 

Commodities trading may open to foreigners

TOPICS

economy, business and finance

SEBI, RBI mull allowing FPIs in commodity derivatives.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has initiated talks with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to allow foreign portfolio investors into the commodity derivatives market.

“We are already in talks with the RBI on this matter,” SEBI Chairman U.K. Sinha said on the sidelines of an event on the completion of one year of merger of Forward Markets Commission (FMC) with SEBI. “The FPI regulations emanated from FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act) and any kind of foreign money coming into the country has to have RBI approval.”

The regulator is also keen to allow other participants such as banks, mutual funds and insurance companies in the commodities market but will do so in a phased manner after talking to other regulatory bodies.

SEBI took over as the regulator of commodity derivatives market on 28th September 2015 and since then has initiated various measures like allowing option contracts, new commodities apart from releasing guidelines for warehouse service providers and online registration of brokers, among others.

‘Cautious manner’

The regulator plans to further develop the market but would do so in a “cautious manner.”

“Our ultimate aim is to develop the market but in a cautious manner. We have strengthened our surveillance mechanism and risk management systems. Our primary aim is to align the systems in the commodity derivatives market with that of the equity market,” said Mr. Sinha.

Going ahead, the regulator plans to take more measures to encourage the participation of hedgers.

Spot polling

SEBI has already set up an advisory committee for commodity derivatives and the committee has further set up separate sub-groups to look into issues of spot polling of prices and how exchanges can rope in more hedgers.

The commodity derivatives market is dominated by two exchanges - Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) and the National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX).

Metals and energy contracts dominate the trading at MCX, which has more than 90 per cent of market share in the commodity derivatives space.

The SEBI chairman said that the regulator is also looking at the “unduly balanced” ratio of business between the existing commodity exchanges.

“There has to be competition since lack of competition is risky,” said Mr. Sinha. “We have to look at creating enough transparent mechanisms so that others can also grow. Competition is required for the long term development of the market,” the SEBI Chairman said.

New commodities

The regulator will soon give the go-ahead for options trading in one commodity each from the agri and non-agri segment.

On the recommendation of SEBI, the government has also allowed futures trading in new commodities like diamond, brass, pig iron, eggs, cocoa and tea.

Further, the advisory committee is also deliberating on issues such as improving the liquidity of the contracts.

Dabur to take on Patanjali with youthful makeover

                                                           Dabur says its honey business is winning back consumers. 

TOPICS

economy, business and finance

company information

The company has identified 100 rare, critical medicinal herbs for cultivation to feed its product line

At a time when Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved has been advancing rapidly in the FMCG market, Dabur India claims it is seeing customers returning to its fold after “flirting” with lower priced products from rivals.

“Honey was the only category that was impacted by Patanjali. There too, we are now seeing consumers, who had flirted with cheaper honey, return to Dabur. The sudden shift that we saw a few quarters back is reversing,” Krishan Chutani, Executive Director (Consumer Care Business) at Dabur told The Hindu.

The Aryuveda industry had reached a tipping point, Mr. Chutani said, and argued that while Baba Ramdev had given Ayurveda “salience”, Patanjali Ayurved was not a competitor as far as ‘pure play Ayurveda’ was concerned.

“When frenzy starts, a lot of people will come with lots of offerings, but eventually customers will accept a brand rooted in rationality and science. Therefore, we are well poised to claim the benefits of this new wave. We have been an Ayurveda firm for 130 years,” he said.

Mr. Chutani pointed out that launch of products by other players, including Patanjali, had helped “share of voice” for Ayurveda rise and Dabur would reap the benefits.

Makeover in works

Dabur is working on a makeover of its products to appeal more to youth and also to increase sourcing of medicinal herbs.

“Dabur had 2,100 acres of rare herbs under cultivation at the end of fiscal 2015-16. This would be increased to 3,800 acres by the end of 2016-17 fiscal. We have already, till the end of the first quarter of 2016-17, increased the coverage to 2,700 acres,” Mr. Chutani said.

The company had identified around 100 rare and critical medicinal herbs. “We are today cultivating 23 of these herbs and have drawn up a roadmap to initiate cultivation of another 27,” he said.

On the ongoing makeover, Mr. Chutani said, “Appealing to young India is what we are focussing on now. A lot of old products are undergoing a shift. Some 70 per cent of India is young. If you don’t appeal to them, it is not good for business.”

Ayurveda products currently contribute about 60 per cent to the NSE-listed firm’s domestic revenue.

Kim Kardashian held at gunpoint in her Paris hotel room

                                                                                                 Kim Kardashian.

TOPICS

unrest, conflicts and war

act of terror

Kim Kardashian's husband Kanye West abruptly ends performance in New York, citing family emergency.

Kim Kardashian West was held at gunpoint by masked men in her Paris hotel room on Sunday, CNN said, prompting her husband, rapper Kanye West, to abruptly end a performance in New York, citing a family emergency. Reports later revealed that Kardashian was robbed by five masked men at around 3 am. Jewellery worth millions of dollars were allegedly stolen from her.

“Kim Kardashian West was held up at gunpoint inside her Paris hotel room this evening by two armed masked men dressed as police officers,” Kardashian West's spokeswoman, Ina Treciokas, said in a statement reported by CNN.

“She is badly shaken but physically unharmed,” the statement added.

Kanye West left his set early at the Meadows Festival in New York.

“I'm sorry I have a family emergency, I have to stop the show,” West said in video footage posted on Twitter by fans who were filming the performance in the New York borough of Queens.

West had been on stage for just under an hour when he said he had to leave. He did not specify the nature of the emergency.

Kardashian West, as well as her sisters Kendall Jenner and Kourtney Kardashian have been in Paris, Billboard magazine reported on its web site, citing their recent Snapchat posts. Kardashian has been a fixture at Paris Fashion Week, which was being held in recent days.

Fan reaction on social media sites to West's departure was mixed, with some saying emergencies can happen to anyone, but others complaining they had paid $300 for tickets and didn't get their money's worth.

Trump launches personal attack on Hillary Clinton

A poster relating to the first debate at the Mack Sport and Exhibition Complex in Hempstead, New York. The campaign is set to turn more personal.

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World

USA

politics

election

Mr. Trump accused her of infidelity and his surrogates defended the statement later

The U.S. presidential campaign is set to turn more personal and bitter as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has made it clear that no topic will be out of bounds in the remaining five weeks to the election day.

Launching the most vicious attack yet on his rival Hillary Clinton over the weekend, Mr. Trump accused her of infidelity and his surrogates defended the statement later. “I don’t even think she’s loyal to Bill, you want to know the truth. And really, folks, really, why should she be, right?,” the candidate told a rally on Saturday.

Several Republican leaders, including former Speaker Newt Gingrich, have been warning Mr. Trump against raking up the eventful marital history of the Clintons, but the candidate thinks he had his hands tied by these restraints when Ms. Clinton stumped him for his alleged remarks about a former beauty queen gaining weight, in the first presidential debate.

Ms. Clinton’s line of attack unsettled Mr. Trump in the debate and has been successful in further alienating him from the women voters subsequently. Mr. Trump is now hitting back, questioning Ms. Clinton’s claims to be a champion of women’s rights.

‘Fair game’

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who is said to be egging on Mr. Trump to target Ms. Clinton on her husband’s sexual adventures, defended the statement. “After she called him a racist, a misogynist, a xenophobic — I don’t know — schizophrenic and I don’t know what else she called him,” Mr. Giuliani ranted. “I think it’s fair game.”

A New York Times report that suggested Mr. Trump may have legally avoided paying tax for two decades has added more fodder to the Clinton campaign. Another report that surfaced this week said Mr. Trump pressured his former girlfriend and later wife Marla Maples to pose nude for Playboymagazine and that she refused.

A report put together by a team of Associated Press investigative reporters said the Republican candidate continuously made inappropriate and sexually loaded comments about women participants and crew-members of his TV reality show, The Apprentice.

Targeting Ms. Clinton for her husband’s breaches will likely consolidate her women supporters, according to the prevailing common sense in the U.S. Some commentators have also recalled how she turned a question on Mr. Clinton’s infidelities to her advantage during a debate when she ran for Senate from New York in 2001.

The Clinton campaign frames the questions as an unfair attack on a woman for her husband’s deeds.

Champion of women?

But that is not how Fox News anchor Chris Wallace — who will moderate the third and final debate between Mr. Trump and Ms. Clinton on October 19 — sees it.

“I think his point with regard to the sex scandal isn’t what Bill Clinton did, it’s more what Hillary Clinton did, and whether she really is a champion of women,” he said on Sunday.

“She has gone after a number of women about allegations that turned out to be true,” he added. Among other things, Ms. Clinton had said allegations against her husband were a Right-wing conspiracy.

Reliance ties up with Dassault to execute Rafale offsets

                                                          India will buy 36 Rafale jets from France’s Dassault Aviation.

TOPICS

defence

military equipment

"This is the largest offset contract to be executed by any defence company in India till date," Reliance said.

Dassault Aviation of France has entered into a partnership with Reliance group to execute offsets for the recently concluded deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets.

The joint venture called “Dassault Reliance Aerospace” was jointly announced by Dassault Aviation Chairman & CEO Eric Trappier and Reliance Group Chairman Anil Dhirubhai Ambani.

“This is the largest offset contract to be executed by any defence company in India till date,” Reliance said in a statement on Monday as the contract value is estimated up to Rs. 30,000 crore.

“The proposed strategic partnership between Dassault and Reliance will also focus on promoting research and development projects under the IDDM program (Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured)…,” the statement added, referring to the new provision introduced in the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2016.

Last month, India and France signed an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) for 36 Rafale multi-role jets in fly-away condition worth €7.87 billion or about Rs. 59,000 crore. The deal has a 50 per cent offset clause to be executed by Dassault and its partners in India.

Industry sources said that the JV will focus on aero structures, electronics and engines and intends to infrastructure and supply chain in India for the aerospace sector.

A huge integrated facility is proposed to be set up at Reliance Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Nagpur. Work is expected to begin in the next couple of months and production intended to begin within 12 months, sources told The Hindu.

“The offsets are only for seven years but the JV will be part of the global supply chain of Rafale jets to support the larger program,” one industry observer noted.

Given the scale of the contract, the JV will partner with 100 odd Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) for sourcing and contracting.

The government expects the offsets to bring in much needed expertise to build the domestic defence and aerospace industry.

Has India put to work a plan for peace?

        Punjab policemen search a sugarcane field at the Chakri post near the border, 20 km from Gurdaspur, on Monday.

TOPICS

diplomacy

India-Pakistan

Sartaj Aziz says Doval has talked to his counterpart soon after India conducted surgical strikes

Amid a war of words over surgical strikes across the Line of Control and the arrest of a soldier in Pakistani territory, India may have discussed steps for de-escalation with high-level contacts in Islamabad.

External Affairs Ministry officials refused to confirm or deny that National Security Adviser Ajit Doval held talks with Pakistan as he had a “separate channel” not routed through the Ministry.

Reports of de-escalation emerged after the Pakistani Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz, told a television channel in Islamabad that after the surgical strikes, Mr. Doval discussed the situation with his Pakistani counterpart, Nasir Khan Janjua.

Mr. Aziz denied that the surgical strikes had taken place, and said the NSAs discussed reduction of tension on the LoC, which had flared up as the Kashmir issue was not being addressed. “Pakistan wants to reduce tension on the LoC and focus on Kashmir,” he was quoted by the TV channel.

Report of de-escalation is significant as Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised India’s past as a peaceful country on Sunday. “We never attacked any country or coveted territory of others. The world should acknowledge that we belong to that country that sacrificed for others,” Mr. Modi said while inaugurating the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in Delhi on Sunday.

The “separate channel” emerged between Mr. Doval and Lt. Gen (Retd.) Janjua in 2015 when they held a round of secret talks in Bangkok to break the deadlock over involving the separatists in dialogue. The talks were held against the backdrop of Pakistan’s insistence on including the separatists in talks. The secret talks were followed by declaration of a comprehensive bilateral dialogue between the two sides. However, it is not yet known if the NSA discussed the details of the surgical strikes.

India had blamed the Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed for the Uri attack on September 18 and the January 2 Pathankot airbase attack. However, China, during the weekend, blocked India’s attempt to blacklist JeM leader Masood Azhar at the U.N. In an unusual move, Mr. Doval met the newly appointed Chinese Ambassador, Luo Zhaohui, on Monday, as reports came in that China was blocking India’s anti-terror attempts at the U.N.

The surgical strikes figured prominently at the meeting of the parliamentary parties on Monday in Islamabad, attended by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, chairman, Pakistan Peoples Party; Maulana Fazlur Rehan (Jamiat Ulema E Islam-F); and Shireen Mazari of Pakistan Tehreek E Insaf. The meeting was called by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after India announced the anti-terror operations that targeted terrorists. The political parties displayed a united front and issued a 20-point statement after the meeting. Referring to the surgical strikes, the statement said, “... we reject Indian efforts to shift the focus from its brutal atrocities to suppress the indigenous uprising of the Kashmiri people for liberation from Indian occupation to false claims of cross border terrorism.”

Southern Ridges In Singapore - The Green Heart Of The City

The Southern Ridges in Singapore was quite an unexpected discovery for me. Just when I thought that I had seen everything green in Singapore after visiting the Gardens by the Bay, but this opportunity made me even more impressed about how much nature is nurtured and preserved in this small country.

Running in a section of the of the Southern Ridges 

The Southern Ridges is a 9km stretch that connects numerous trails across the southern ridge of Singapore. Some of these are connected by bridges, some by steps, and the rest thorough narrow forest trails. The trails are many and quite spread out, and in the few hours that I spent here, I could walk on only some of them. I regretted not having time the next morning, else I would have come for a long jog in these ridges.

What also surprised me a little was how this part of Singapore was not as popular with the tourists, especially from India. I agree that even I didn't know about these when I came to Singapore, but I also think that this needs to change and hence this article :)

There are a total of three parks which are connected by these trails - Mount Faber, Telok Blangah Hill Park and the Kent Ridge Park. There is no specific beginning or the end of this trail and you can practically start and end anywhere you like.

Faber Trail

One of the most popular trails is called Faber trail (about 1km long) which goes through the Faber park and ends at the most iconic part of the trail - the Henderson Wave.

The Henderson Wave

At 36m, the Henderson Wave is the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore and is also popular hangout destination for walkers to simply chill or do some photography. The Henderson Wave is shaped like a wave and hence the name. Its form is anchored by steel arches and filled in with curved ‘ribs’ – slats of Balau wood, a dense hardwood used in heavy construction and which is found only in Southeast Asia.

View of Singapore skyline

View of the bay...

Forest Walk

The Forest walk is about 1.3km long and cuts through dense forests through elevated walkways. You walk or run comfortably with greenery all around and to me this was the most impressive part of the ridges. It's quite a unique experience to even describe in words but if there is limited time, you must certainly do this stretch of the walk.

Entrance to the forest walk

Ah! The lovely green walk...

Henderson walk

Tall buildings near the forest - everything coexists here :)

The walk ends at the futuristic looking Alexandra Bridge. As I was by myself and basically just lazing around, many families requested me to take their family pictures :)

Have a look below at the bridge.

The Alexandra Bridge at the Southern Ridge

These are the two trails that I did, but there is so much more to be done and you must try and spend more than a day here, provided you have time, which I clearly didn't.

Practical information:

Park lighting hours and park opening hours:
Lighting hours for Alexandra Arch: changing LED lights: 7 pm – 12 am daily
Lighting hours for Forest Walk: 7 pm – 12 am & 5 am – 7 am daily
Lighting hours for Henderson Waves: 7 pm – 7 am daily
Safety LED lights on bridges: 7 pm – 7 am daily

Accessibility Info: No wheelchair access

Tips:

- Carry lots of water when you are on the trail - there are very places where you can buy it. I saw a few vending machines, but unfortunately they didn't work. There was another desperately thirsty guy with me and we both looked in vain for a water source.
- There is food and water on top of Faber Hills, so buy it there. There are a couple of more places which might look like food places on the map, but they usually host private parties and you can't just enter by yourself.
- If you plan to go to Sentosa after the walk, take the gondola from the top of the Faber Hills. I didn't do it as I had other plans, but it's certainly looked beautiful.
- Do not be afraid to walk alone into a forest trail - Singapore is extremely safe and you don't need to worry.
- Take a good camera if you love taking pictures - the place has great views everywhere.
- The place is also full of birds and the best place in Singapore for bird-watching.
- Carry a map of the trails - it can be very useful if you are looking for specify amenities.
- If you want, you can do the entire walk in about 3-4 hours, but it's best to go slow and do only as much as you can and enjoy the nature as you do it.
- Do not throw anything anywhere. Just like everywhere else in Singapore, it's prohibited here as well and you will promptly be fined.
- Admission is free, so make the most of it :)

Heritage Trees

Nature is cherished in Singapore and all efforts are made to conserve it, and that brings in the concept of Heritage Trees. If a tree has a girth of more than 5m and has botanical, social, historical, cultural and/or aesthetically value, it qualifies to be a heritage tree.

Read more about the National Parks of Singapore here.

My day ended with the sunset!