Confessions of a Crazed Mind...Hmm?!

The WC so far...

2010-06-25T14:27:00.000+08:00

"This world cup has turned out like WW2! The French surrendered early, the
USA arrive last min and we are left to fight the bloody Germans !""

-Quote from an English fan

Slick gaming monster

2010-06-17T23:47:00.002+08:00

My purchase from the PC show. At long last fulfilled my schoolboy's dream of owning a gaming monster with my own pay. Gonna eat peanuts till the next month though. Might as well...maybe grab a bottle of beer, some peanuts and camp in front of my laptop watching the World Cup or fragging some zombies. :)

Espana no!!!!

2010-06-17T23:19:00.006+08:00

World Cup has begun. Watched in horror as I saw my favourite team, Spain lose to Switzerland. I'm not exactly a soccer fanatic. In fact I don't really know the names of the various players in the team but the reason why I support Spain this time (supported the Germans in 2006 cos well...their colours were kinda cool and their team jersey sold well last time :p) would probably have to go way back to 2008 when I saw them win in the EuroCup 2008. That was even made significant because I watched them take on their opponents over TV in a hostel at Luxembourg and more importantly, because I WAS in Spain when they lifted the trophy! Was chilling in a small bar in quiet Corduba with YS on a Sunday when it all happened and boy the atmosphere was great! We even got free drinks from the bar owner! Good times good times back then...but now well...not exactly too sure. Like what people always say "the ball is round, anything can happen." We shall see what awaits...

The soccer fans cum owners of the bar we were at...free drinks from them :)

The moment when Spain won in EuroCup 2008 (from the TV)

Crazy crazy rain

2010-06-17T22:51:00.002+08:00

Did a site visit on Wednesday and of all the days to do a site visit, it had to be the very morning where the skies seemed to have fallen. It did not help matters when the sites involved were drains and canals and all I saw was the ferocity of the rain and stormwater gushing through the waterways. Well...Orchard Road sure had it real bad.....

Tactical Office Hiding

2010-06-02T12:39:00.000+08:00

Don't drive your vehicle like a tank!!

2010-05-25T20:39:00.003+08:00

Some rant here cos I got involved in a slight accident for the first time since I have been driving. No injuries luckily and to be honest, damage to property was minor. Very minor in fact. Just some scratches to the back bumper of my vehicle while the vehicle that banged into mine came out virtually unscathed.

Should I have been really pissed since it was just a minor accident/incident? Well, 2 reasons actually. One due to the ludicrous circumstances that the incident happened and two, the offending culprit was a SUV.

Scenario: At the traffic junction waiting for the lights to turn green. Green lights come on and everyone's starting to move off and BAM! Next thing I know my car ass got hit. Now, if we were travelling on the highway I might understand that perhaps you would have tailgated my sweet ass and did not stop in time but since we were all stopped by our dear red light and were therefore stationary before moving off....either it means you were dreaming away or you think your huge SUV can run down my small ass car like a friggin tank or simply put, cos the way you drive your SUV is like a friggin tank.

Which brings me to my "often observed but perhaps you might say biased" perception that somehow people who drive SUVs / luxury sedans all drive it like some friggin tank. They are huge, look mean and look ready to plow through anything that stands in the way. Ok maybe too exaggerated but my small vehicle is definitely fresh meat on the grinder for these guys. And did I ever mention that I hate these people who also drive their SUV so slowly like a friggin tank and always hogging the right lane? Right lane's for the fast movers so bugger off, seriously!

WaterAid

2010-05-19T16:37:00.003+08:00

A video done by my pals for the Cannes Young Lions Ad Contest. Do click on this link to support them!

For those not sure whether to watch Iron Man 2 or Ip Man 2...

2010-05-05T22:30:00.001+08:00

...I mean seriously, just watch both la!

Somebody should start telling HDB we need to knock down some walls and transform our living space...

2010-04-29T11:42:00.005+08:00

40 Singapore foods we can't live without

2010-04-15T17:58:00.002+08:00

Link to this site makes my mouth water and stomach very hungry..
40 Singapore foods we can't live without | CNNGo.com

Singaporean accent FTW!!

2010-04-10T14:47:00.002+08:00

I was intrigued by an article in the Life section of the Straits Times today about the Singapore accent in a US video game, so I searched the net for the following 2 vids. It sounds pretty damn funny. Some people might find it as an embarrassment but I find it familiar and amusing and we should be proud that Singapore made it into an international game! It's funny because it sounds like my mum or the auntie from the chemistry lab way back in JC giving me a mission briefing or lecture in chemicals and evaporation. Oh and was I imagining things if somebody was trying to take a dig at the PAP with the Panau government? Keke.....anw I was hoping to hear "I will cruuuuush you like a cockroach!!" ala Masters of the Sea though. That would have been totally awesome!

Gameplay footage

Real SP?!?

2010-04-05T19:45:00.002+08:00

I shudder to see South Park being played out by real actors. This is so damn epic fail that it's actually funny in a way! They are right to say there will only be one SP on Comedy Central!

Gaga's telephone

2010-04-05T19:32:00.004+08:00

Lady Gaga's new song. They sure did successfully transform Beyonce into a pimped out trashy "bottom bitch" on this one. Totally don't understand the MTV sia...

The Egyptian Museum

2010-03-25T14:29:00.003+08:00

And speaking of matric cards and museums, the Egyptian exhibition at the Singapore National Museum: Quest for Immortality is worth an afternoon to head down to. Photos were allowed to be taken without flash for the exhibition though I thought it was kinda odd to take photos of sarcophagus and jars with embalmed organs in them. Regardless, this blog has all the photos. Now I'm pumped to go Egypt!! Who's with me?!?! Rawrr!!!!

Where the hell is the matric card?

2010-03-25T14:11:00.004+08:00

Dancing in the footsteps of Matt Harding....at least the NUS matric card gave me free entry to the recent Egyptian exhibition at the museum. :p

SP Season 14!

2010-03-15T22:43:00.002+08:00

A very apt and timely topic considering all the recent news in the papers about sex addiction, Tiger Woods, Tiger Neo etc etc. Wonder if SP will include our very own Tiger Neo into the picture? Then this would be the first time sillypore would be featured in an episode of SP!! :X

Episode 1401 Press Release
From the Comedy Central Press Release:

SEX ADDICTION IS ON THE RISE IN THE 14TH SEASON PREMIERE OF "SOUTH PARK" BEGINNING ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17 AT 10:00 P.M. ON COMEDY CENTRAL

New York, March 15, 2010 - The latest in scientific testing reveals that some of the boys have a sex addiction problem in the 14th season premiere of "South Park" titled "Sexual Healing" premiering on Wednesday, March 17 at 10:00 p.m. on Comedy Central.

The nation's top scientists come together to put a stop to the recent phenomenon of rich, successful men who suddenly want to have sex with many, many women. After extensive testing, some of the fourth grade boys in South Park Elementary are diagnosed as sex addicts.

Happy CNY to all!

2010-02-21T18:02:00.000+08:00

Toyota troubles

2010-02-18T22:18:00.006+08:00

With Toyota recalling their cars, it's kinda scary thinking of all those potential problems since I have been driving the affected models. The Prius in USA and the Corolla here. And both have seemingly different problems too! One with the brake and accelerators and another with the steering? Gosh! I was pretty impressed with the Prius for its fuel economy as well as the smooth running engine and I did not have any problems with the accelerator. And thankfully so, as I recalled zooming past 70 miles per hour on the winding mountain roads of Tahoe on a snowy night.

And now there's word on the Corolla being messed up too? Well it did sorta mess up for me this CNY. The front latch securing the bottom plate to the front bumper came loose and that resulted in this bottom plate being dragged along the road as the car was moving. Had to stop at the side of the expressway to emergency black-tape the plate back up. Yep you heard me....black-tape...the same kind we use to secure unwanted loose ends for our packs in the army. Upon closer inspection of the latch, saw that it was made of rubber?!? Wow....seems like Toyota really cutting corners this time...

News on possible Corolla recall...can I get a new car?

I say...let's stick it up to Toyota! (Pic of the Prius I drove in the US)

Keeping the Ris(k) Low

2010-02-11T14:05:00.001+08:00

The way she handles those condoms...confirm baby boomz lo!

Safe Sex with Ris Low from clicknetwork on Vimeo.

Blood Type Personality

2010-02-10T22:37:00.002+08:00

Something interesting to share. Btw I'm B, and I agree that given such situations, I would totally react the way the B kids do!

Jan 2010 randoms

2010-02-02T11:56:00.004+08:00

Just some quick updates so far...can't believe January 2010 is gone in a blink.

Anw I would never have imagined that I would be staring at more P&IDs again, just like I did in my previous internship company. Just that this time, alot of things make more practical and $$ sense instead of mindless digging up of info for the process engineers. Oh and how to forget dear Prof Uddin? I'm looking back at his cyclones all over again! There's this weird irony I tell ya....whatever I did for Design 2 and anyhow whack the previous time has somehow turned around and is applicable....for some magical and unexplainable reason...

Ramblings aside, recently returned to TCHS (Hwa Chong JC actually...but I can still never get used to the term HCI) for a visit. Again never would have imagined I would return to my school for work purposes. 8 years ago when I left, I didn't think I would come back in this way...

Regardless it was amusing how this time I was scrutinising classrooms and labs and positioning when I did not really give a damn when I was a student. Timber wood and acrylite glass on the HCI building patterning? Wow...never knew that.. The bio labs look exactly the same when I left college, right from the benches and down to the microscopes positioning and the same auntie lab technician. Regrettably, the arch and open space linking TCHS and the JC where me and my pal used to work till the wee hours on the 木工 under the 道具組 for the annual 黃城夜韵 (or in general the place where everyone seems to paint their banners for orientation and leave it overnight) will now be gone and replaced by more classrooms.

Ah...good yet bittersweet memories....working till late, talking cock, toiling hard labour with nails and wood, skipping lessons, balancing schoolwork with CCA and 木工 side-job...

I wonder if we would say the same about our working lives another 8 years down the road....

The Ipad

2010-02-02T11:38:00.001+08:00

In conjunction with the announcement of the IPad....

Craft more and bury that cad

2010-01-19T22:04:00.004+08:00

No more Cadbury? Kraft eats Cadbury whole.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8467007.stm

Another interesting read on Cadbury's Birmingham legacy.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/birmingham/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8412000/8412655.stm

Looks like it wouldn't be nice for the workers in the UK now eh?

TF: War for Cybertron

2010-01-15T11:41:00.003+08:00

This is supposed to be an upcoming game but I think it would be much better if they did a CG film out of this instead. Love the updated designs while maintaining G1 characteristics.

2009 out! 2010 in!

2009-12-12T23:03:00.003+08:00

This will be my last post for 2009 cos I will be going away for awhile. And what a hectic year it has been. Looking back, the first half of the year was a crazy jolt back from a honey-moon period of 2008 to more lectures, FYP, design and RT. And with that completed, it marks an end to about 2 decades of schooling life and a step into working life. Huge change right there. Though at times I am unsure about my identity and my role in the events to come, hopefully I would have the strength to face whatever challenges that may come. Taking this long break to let my mind wander for a bit...

I wonder what awaits in 2010...

Regardless, here's wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! See ya all next year!

While people were running Stan Chart....

2009-12-07T22:56:00.002+08:00

Just took some photos of the SG cityscape as viewed from the Equinox. It's kinda amazing how so much has changed and developed over this location. Wonder what 2010 will hold when the IRs open....Anw the Padang also displays the aftermath of the Stan Chart marathon...so while ppl were running, I was gorging myself on a buffet with a view above. Wow damn now I am deriving guilty pleasure out of myself... :p

Body Awareness

2009-12-05T23:35:00.011+08:00

Body Worlds is an intriguing exhibition. Well, perhaps because the idea of seeing dead people up close is intriguing. Dead people? Hmm...maybe the term medical cadavers would be more respectful. For the uninformed, Body Worlds is this travelling exhibition of preserved human and body parts...somehow the list has somewhat expanded and they have on display preserved animal parts too.

Some interesting new bits I saw and learnt at the Science Centre today...something they did not teach us during biology lessons:

1) New word called plastination. It's the technique they use for preservation. Basically suck out the water and fats and replace with plastics then harden. Then they can manipulate and position the bodies at will.

2) We have all heard that smoking is unhealthy and numerous ads always seem to scare people by showing grotesque images of blackened lungs. Well this fact is even more reinforced in Body Worlds. Even after plastination, the blackened lungs stand out so prominently. Labels on the exhibit description never fail to point out the fact that the deceased is a smoker. Oh and it seems Santa Claus is a smoker too! (Blackened lungs for the cadaver riding the reindeer sleigh exhibit)

3) Drinking too much alcohol also leads to black spots in the liver. It's called cirrhosis and basically fucks up the liver, leaving behind those blackish dots. Time to cut down on the drinking...

4) The effect of haemorrhage and dementia in the brain looks pretty disturbing. Blood filling spaces in the brain for haemorrhage and the brain becomes more spongy and loose with the onset of dementia.

5) Blood vessels and capillaries when isolated and made into an exhibit looks very much like...floss! Yep...think pork floss on your favourite Breadtalk pork floss bun. Well, make that a blood floss bun then. (I will never look at a pork floss bun the same way again...)

6) Formaldehyde stinks.....real bad.

7) Very certain the cadavers were ang mohs. Larger body mass and those blue eyes staring back.

8) Muscles-wise we aren't that much different from giraffes or horses or a reindeer. Just that maybe certain muscle sets are more pronounced in one species compared to the other.

9) I have a normal blood pressure! 123/82 as compared to the 120/80 norm. Let's keep it that way! Hope I don't have that much LDL (aka bad cholesterol) in me though.

10) Squids and other weird deep sea creatures creep the shit out of me. There's a preserved squid at the exhibition. Freaky...give me a plate of calamari and I would gladly devour it...just don't dangle the live thing in front of me. They seriously look like some kinda parasitic alien from a sci-fi movie.

11) There's a magnetic resonance imaging technique that shows the act of sexual intercourse in MR images. A friend of mine said it was kinky but I don't think there was anything kinky about it. It sure was informative though. Perfect material for the parents explaining the birds and bees to their children. And it sure was funny trying to hear them explain to the children on the spot. In fact, I hear there was supposed to be an exhibit where the cadavers were displayed in a sex position. However, it was not available for this exhibition. How disappointing! Anw from the imaging, it seemed to be hinting to me that perhaps the doggy position would be more suitable for me as compared to the missionary. Hmmmm... :p

Cheaper, better....faster! Whee!

2009-11-20T13:27:00.002+08:00

If you thought the SG MDA rap last year was a classic, then check this out! How typically Singaporean...

随便 is a dangerous word

2009-11-20T00:01:00.000+08:00

I believe in Ammunition!

2009-11-16T15:32:00.003+08:00

This is one American drama series that I am looking forward to. Created by the same guys behind Band of Brothers, let's hope this series will live up to its predecessor. Finally, a drama series of the war genre with hopefully inspirational stories to be told instead of the decadence and atas lifestyles portrayed in Gossip Girls and Privileged or the incredulous "wtf just happened" plot-lines and "cheem-ness" of Lost, Flashforward and Fringe.

Crow shit on the Fri 13th

2009-11-13T13:50:00.002+08:00

The canteen at my workplace...ah...mixed feelings on it. Though it has rather decent western food and duck rice and in general, passable food quality and affordable prices, I think the hygiene is alot left to be desired. No, it certainly does not help that crows will perform shitting parades high up on the ceilings or do a kamikaze zoom fly-by. And perhaps today since it's Fri the 13th, I seem to have been bombarded by 2 landing bombs which narrowly missed me. One went splat on the floor and the other on my table. The last straw came when crow feathers started dropping down, an amazing feat as I really wonder just wtf the crows were up to above me.

Add in the crazy rain that has been pouring non-stop since this month, the skies have fallen on our heads truly!

Let's squish some fruits!

2009-10-25T22:40:00.001+08:00

I flipped in laughter when I saw this. Anyone wanna try this in NTUC someday? Most likely we have to sing opera for our SG folks to understand.

L4D Trailer

2009-10-24T17:06:00.002+08:00

Crazy trailer! New characters, new storyline, lots more action!

About console gaming

2009-10-22T13:54:00.003+08:00

A friend asked me on recommendations to buy a console. Would it be a PS3, an XBox or a Wii? I have never had much experience on console gaming. The closest I got was having a SEGA MegaDrive back in the primary school days and playing Sonic the Hedgehog or spamming the buttons on Double Fury with my bro as we kicked some punk ass.

My personal opinion on purchase as follows:

PS3: Less gaming titles available, so unless you really wanna play specific games limited to the PS3 only (Metal Gear Solid 4 comes to mind), go for it! Also doubles up as the next gen DVD player...aka the Blu-Ray player

XBox: Definitely way more games on this console. It's by Microsoft, wat ya expect? Goes hand in hand with the Windows Live feature where there's quite a bit of exclusive online content to download

Wii: Ultimate family and party gaming console. Most of the games are kid friendly and a favourite for very casual gamers. Having a gathering with friends at a chalet or house party or trying to impress your date for an evening of clean gaming entertainment? Bring on the Wii!

Failing which, there is always another alternative as demonstrated in the video...

WWII renewed interest

2009-10-16T12:01:00.022+08:00

Tried this game called Company of Heroes out of curiosity during one of the LAN parties as the guys wanted to try something new. And whenever we mean something new, it always has to be a game that all of us would be unfamiliar with, so that there would be no unfair advantage. I must say I thoroughly enjoyed this RTS game which is so heavily based on military tactics. All of a sudden, terms like suppressive fire, flanking manoeuvres, artillery barrages and kill zones made more sense than it did in the army. Compared to the RTS of old where a popular strategy would be to amass large numbers of tanks to steam-roll over another player or large numbers of cheap early units to "rush" an opponent, COH limits this with different counters and limited resources. Totally satisfying to see a mediocre infantry man, armed with a Panzerschreck (big bad Nazi bazooka) and a good cover, giving hell to a bad-ass tank / tanks without infantry support. And have you ever wondered just how ridiculous it is in some RTS games for a vehicle to get blown apart only after numerous tank shots? Over here, all it takes is a well-placed anti-tank cannon to ruin your armoured forces. And best of all, it just takes a 3 man infantry crew to man it! Hurray infantry! (If you haven't guessed by now, my support for these mobile guys stems from me being in the infantry division previously) :p

Anw the game led to a renewed interest in the WWII genre as I read up further on the history and battles. (yep, I totally love history classes and particularly the WWII history back in secondary school. Always looked forward to one of those black and white war documentaries shown during lessons.) Re-watched Band of Brothers as I did not fully grasp alot of things back then when I first watched it. (For example, I did not know that episode 9 was, in a small way, a depiction of the Holocaust when the soldiers liberated a concentration camp. Always merely thought of it as an episode lacking in action, yet it was so full of emotion when I re-watched it. Must have been that visit to Auschwitz in Poland that made me appreciate it better now) My best memories of BoB when it first aired in Singapore was its coincidental showing on the weekends right before booking in to Tekong. Oh the noob recruit days 6 years ago! And so the show served as an adrenaline and morale boost before it was back to "chiong suah" in camp, well actually it was more of the action in the show. However, re-watching the series brought about greater curiosity in the battles and operations, and of course ideas of the balance between heroism in the common man with the violence and terror of a war, and eventually the Holocaust. What was refreshing was watching the view points of soldiers in the movie and eventually the actual veterans themselves in the aptly named documentary "We Stand Alone Together" that was never shown on TV.

Speaking of the Holocaust, also watched the Pianist and Schindler's List. Interestingly, these are movies I have heard that were great or won some award during the time they were made, but somehow never bothered or found the time to sit down and watch. Both tell a great and moving story, though I tend to empathise more with the lead in the Pianist as it is more of his personal story through those troubled times and thus more focused on the individual.

To end off, decided to put up some photos that I took in black and white during my summer trip to Auschwitz in Poland last year. Though I felt the impact would have been bigger if the camp was visited in the cold harsh winter, it was nevertheless a sobering and moving experience. To all the Holocaust deniers, I mean seriously...wtf?!? There's no way millions of Jews disappear without a trace of evidence and there's so much of it remaining despite efforts by the S.S to conceal their crimes. Whatever that goes on in their minds is beyond me. It is pure racism, simple as that.

Iron gate at the entrance of Auschwitz I with the motto Arbeit macht frei (Work brings freedom)...an ironic one for those imprisoned are doomed to a horrific fate

Beyond this lies the death wall where countless were lined up against the wall and shot

Electric perimeter fences

Fences lining the exterior of the much larger Auschwitz II (Birkenau) complex

Prisoners would arrive by rail through here and then either marked for extermination or forced labour

Remnants of a gas chamber. German forces in retreat tried to destroy and cover up any incriminating evidence

Periodic table

2009-10-15T21:16:00.001+08:00

Amazing commercial. They sure did not make learning the periodic table that fun back in JC! Totally convinced I am a noble gas!

Come little piggies!

2009-10-10T00:34:00.004+08:00

Interesting article. So this is the new fad in the UK? Little piggies that look like hamsters to me. How do they even breed them? Read the whole pet craze over here.

SP Season 13 lives on..

2009-10-09T11:28:00.004+08:00

Just another good reason to look forward to every Thursdays. Even in death, SP still won't let MJ and other dead celebrities go in peace, wun they? :p Not to forget all the fuss about child pageants or pageants in general (sounds like our very own "boomz" hooha), so check out the clip below.

Anw, there's this contest ongoing where the winner will get to have his / her likeness as a South Park character appear in the season 14 premiere next year. Wow...a chance to appear on the show!! Maybe an inclusion of a new character or somebody extra to kill off!! Details at this link. Pity I can't join, but for fun's sake, just posted my Southpark avatar, of what I would be like in the show, 4th grader style of cos. :p

Drive...whee!

2009-10-07T14:42:00.002+08:00

Totally glad that nowadays I have more chances to use the car as I am driving to work almost everyday. That should help make up for the lack of driving opportunities for the past 4 years since I got my licence. Still reluctant to drive unless necessary though...still firmly believe in taking the public transport especially to town or walking 3 bus stops home from the MRT station...bloody expensive to maintain a car these days and I'm the one repaying the loan. (Must constantly remind myself not to drive the way I did in the GTA games though...)

GTA driving

Sept updates thus far

2009-09-29T22:31:00.003+08:00

Back on cyberspace after a break from the internet and numerous exchanges with the darn telco service to fight for the rights to a new modem. Ain't pretty and lasted for a good 3 weeks. Totally convinced that there's some sorta conspiracy involved in tweaking of phone lines and compatability issues with other brands of modems / routers.

"Hence always use the modem we assign to you!" claimed the service operator. You hear that, Linksys, Belkin and D-Link?!?

Moving along, now in the realm of working space, totally sinking in the working crowd lifestyle. Seems kinda mono except for some of the weekly gatherings with various ppl etc etc...well but even that can get a bit.....mono cos the polite thing is to ask "how's work?" And hence a whole re-ietration of "where you do, what you do, how you do" to everyone on the table.

So that's why we need some random shit and sometimes some of the weird stuff that happens around us to talk abt. Take the Ris Low case...every gathering I go everyone talks about her. Or the NUS dude that has premature ejac or some shit and got charged for harassment for leaving stains on some gal in the bus? Oh and did I mention witnessing 2 grown up adults fighting in the MRT station near the tracks (ala Street Fighter style) after a long day of work somehow perks me up? Just figuring who's gonna fall into the tracks next (KO!!!!)...and what about almost getting stuck in the lift in my own block? Man....can't help but feel thoroughly amused that the lights went out and the door got half jammed so I squeezed and smashed my way out.

Growing more and more cynical and taking glee in such sadism and randomness as it comes along....(patiently awaits the second half of season 13 of South Park to start airing so as to feed my dose of wackiness!)

Internet died on me again...

2009-09-02T13:47:00.002+08:00

Frustrated that my router keeps getting messed up at home. Sucky internet connection. Using the connection in office for the past week or so...shhh! Would have somehow considered going back to school to use the wireless service but after getting my card denied at 6pm back in E2 when I went to the com lab to print stuff (ya my printer died on me too), it's time I realised my matric card is of no use le!!! Well of course other than the occasional passing off as a student when getting student deals or student movie tickets.

Disney and Marvel?

2009-09-01T15:35:00.004+08:00

The announcement of Disney buying over Marvel surfaced recently. The article can be found here at IGN. Main point of interest as quoted: In a deal that combines two of entertainment's most popular brands, The Walt Disney Company announced its agreement to acquire Marvel Entertainment and its over 5000 characters in a stock and cash transaction. Marvel shareholders will receive $30 and 0.745 Disney shares for each share of stock they own. This brings the total price per share to approximately $50, making the total value of the deal around $4 billion.

Right.....so now am I expecting to see Spiderman swinging around in Disneyland? Or watch all the X-Men characters get involved in some gay-ish High School Musical concert? This is the end of Marvel seriously.

Bruno is SO gay

2009-08-25T21:46:00.002+08:00

This admittedly has to be the outrageously gayest movie I have ever watched in my entire life. Nobody pulls these ambush shock humour as well as Sacha Baron Cohen. But I still prefer Borat as it tackles more issues whereas Bruno tends to play around more with the "gayness" card.

Prawns never seem to look that good

2009-08-23T21:54:00.002+08:00

District 9 is a surprisingly refreshing sci-fi flick with an intriguing plot. The style of presentation by using short sequences of interviews and news reports to help describe the background story was interesting but sometimes a little messy. It depicts prawn like aliens as refugees stranded on Earth and being housed and isolated in the slums. Perhaps a direct reference to the refugee problem in Africa? Anw the film highlights the cruelty and selfishness of Man such that in the end, it makes the audience root for the ill-fated lead as well as his alien partner. Action scenes were generally ok, with the inclusion of alien weaponry controlled by alien DNA and a mechanised walker reminiscent of that in Bioshock and Starcraft respectively, which were able to please sci-fi enthusiasts, though I still dislike the shaky camera action ala Cloverfield.

Door : 1 Student : 0

2009-08-18T21:57:00.003+08:00

Posted this here after hearing that one of my friends actually smashed through a glass door after a drunken bout. This one is different, the guy literally smashes through as he's not sure how the door opens!

Da Vinci Genius

2009-08-15T21:03:00.002+08:00

Went for the Da Vinci exhibition at the Science Centre. Since it was just an extra one buck top-up to tour the exhibition AND the Science centre, me and my friends took a trip down memory lane whizzing through and "fighting" with school-children for the exhibits just like the primary school days. Anw the exhibition was an eye-opener. How the heck could there be someone who is so damn smart? This guy dabbles in art, inventions, military engineering and medicine.

Although Mona Lisa and the Last Supper were interesting pieces on their own right, the part on military engineering captured my attention, especially the bit on the UFO-like tank. A short documentary as shown below on what could be known as the grand-daddy of all tanks.

Comic Con 09

2009-08-14T22:11:00.004+08:00

Visited Hort Park in the morning for a green exhibition. It seems nowadays the rage is all about green and clean technology, that plus checking out plants being grown vertically scaled upon a wall, and mixing a bit with plant lovers and gardeners.

Next up was the Toys, Games and Comics Convention at Suntec with loads of Wii entertainment, toys, displays, animation and bringing figureheads of the industry under one roof. Wonder when I will ever get to go to a US convention for it...

Brian Bolland personally drew the Joker face up there and he's one of the several artists that came down for an autograph signing session..

Blythe dolls

And an expensive Barbie one too

WoW minis

Yos and Joes

And finally a whole section dedicated to Transformers. The 2 leaders in various incarnations destined to fight against each other across the different generation line...some of these figures are worth hundreds

And 6 years on...

2009-08-12T22:01:00.002+08:00

How odd...I swore 6 years ago I would never ever have the need to even step close to that very traffic crossing where I narrowly threw my life away. Yet here I was on one morning, I was back at the very same spot in that god forsaken place. Still ever thankful and bloody lucky that I got out of that accident miraculously unscathed.

A Yo Joe or Oh No!!

2009-08-11T21:42:00.003+08:00

Just caught GI Joe recently and I have to admit I somehow enjoyed this loud trashy flick even more than Transformers. If Transformers was way overboard with military porn (still don't understand why all the military shit is needed in Transformers, but for GI Joe it is completely justified), GI Joe is even wayyyy overboard and absurd in terms of the military technology involved. But still it was all good fun. After all, what's not to like about a classic cartoon series in the 80s coming to the big screen and getting a bit of a revamp?

Some points of interest to me:

1) We used to have nuclear weapons, chemical weapons, biological weapons but now nanomite weapons as a WMD? Crazy...but fascinating from an engineering point of view

2) It seems the Joes have gone truly international in our age. While GI Joe has always been an all-American army or America's finest, it seems that the forces of globalisation have won this time. I know diehard fans are gonna make noise over this, especially the Americans.

3) Snake Eyes = Ray Park = Darth Maul from Star Wars. This guy has always been a favourite. I remember always using Snake Eyes in the GI Joe game on the Nintendo console over at my cousin's place when we were kids. He's still one of my favourite and cooler characters around.

4) Baroness is hot! But I want her glasses even more! Functions as a scanner and automatically becomes a pair of sunglasses. Cool!

5) The Doctor / aka spoilers ahead Cobra Commander (read: the big bad guy) resembles sooooo much like Darth Vader! Only Darth Vader without the loud heavy breathing noise! His grand schemes make him the overall mastermind though, so I suppose he could also be the Emperor in Star Wars too! Both look dead ugly to me!

An interesting feature for those who have never heard of GI Joe

NDP song 2009

2009-08-03T14:28:00.003+08:00

Some ridiculously WTF song by mr brown and gang based on this year's NDP song. The first one is the original "What do you see", the other well....the ah beng version of it. NDP songs nowadays seriously more and more very pop culture sia...

Robo dance to Nobody

2009-08-02T22:17:00.001+08:00

Omg...remember my previous post on Wondergirls Nobody dance? It seems that even robots have caught on with the trend!!

The Return to Tokyo

2009-07-31T00:36:00.038+08:00

We arrived back in Tokyo in the late morning and had plans to deposit our luggage at the train station before heading down to Nikko. But little did we know that we faced a whole lot of problems. I wrote this previously in one entry, so I will just reproduce it here again...

Have you ever had the feeling of getting "Lost in Translation"? I'm pretty sure everyone who comes to Japan would surely experience it at least once. And this is one of the more memorable experiences that would make it into my OMFG travel entry. Suffice to say, it was a pretty messed up day cos it was a simple form of miscommunication.

What happened was that we accidentally refunded this Suica card which was an EZ-link card and also used to store luggages. Our original intention was not to refund the card but to actually top up 500 yen into it, so I picked the calculator, pressed 0 to signal that the card had no value, den I pressed 500 yen to show that I wanted to top up an amount of 500 yen. Sounds simple? Apparently, the station attendant was so enlightened that he took our empty card, and refunded us 500 yen for the card! Now we have no card to retrieve our luggages and when we tried to explain to him that we wanted the card back, he kept flashing his "X" sign posture with a "dame ni" meaning "cannot!!!"

What happened next was a series of events leading to us leaving and entering the station multiple times until i think the officer there see us until sian liaoz, getting a lady to write a message in Japanese to communicate our intentions, and waiting for the very nice locker uncle to help us. We screwed their locker system btw...

The whole thing took 2 hours, screwed our plans for the day a little, so I officially term it the day we got SUICA-ed. Yet I was totally thoroughly amused about the whole experience though I was pretty sure my companions were pissed!

Uncle to the rescue!

Rainy weather again...even Doreamon near our hostel has to be taken care of!

This set meal consisted of both the don and soba which was really value for $$

Wasabi grated by ourselves

My dessert and yoghurt from the convenience store

With our plans ruined and poor weather, we were pretty much stuck in Tokyo, but hey, there's always aplenty to do in Tokyo and I suggested going to Akihabara (秋葉原), the Electric Town and mecca of all Japanese anime, manga, cosplay, toys, figurines, AV and land of the otakus!! It is indeed a place loud, flashy and colourful. Oh, and it was a place where we randomly strolled into the display corner and used the computer to check our NUS exam results!

We reached this M Pop place which was a 5 level sex shop and mainly sold sex toys and all sorts of costumes. They even sold weird stuff like girls' used panties and a man-bra. Overheard the other guys back in the hostel about searching for this and they actually bought one to wear in the hostel. Crazy people! Seems like Japanese girls are not an inhibited lot, the majority of them were hanging out around the upper levels, trying costumes and browsing the sex toys. Heck I was even standing beside a lady in the S&M section who was examining a whip for purchase, and then checking me out. No I assure you I'm not into that S&M shit! The guys seem to prefer the basement levels with all the Japanese AV.

Disturbing pic..but I tell ya, I saw this guy actually dressed in a French maid costume walking in Akihabara...that was even bloody more disturbing!

All sorts of costumes...you name it..they have it

As one of the guys back in the hostel describes, he was rather confused over the Japanese obsession over schoolgirls and the borderline pornography that is portrayed in their manga and anime. I'm equally stumped too.

Otakus in action! Being curious Singaporeans who's always interested in a queue, went to check it out!

Seems like it's a launch of some new anime series with free CDs and posters

Another 5 level sex shop, but only this time dedicated entirely to porno DVDs. The famous AV factory!

There were lots of promoters dressed in various costumes handing out brochures. Likewise, lots of Japanese girls dressed as maids handing out leaflets to promote their maid cafe, another trendy thing in Akihabara. While I heard some of them were not allowed to take photos with passer-bys, I tried my luck and landed a cute one! :p

I'm not exactly sure what happens in a maid cafe, but here's one example

Nikkō (日光)

Not to be confused with my arrangement here in my blog, Nikko is in the Kanto region like in Tokyo but a 2 and a half hours train ride out. While it's more shrines and temples, Nikko is significant as it is the site of the mausoleums of the Tokugawa Shoguns. And to honour these shoguns, the shrines and temples are very much more elaborately decorated and flashy as if to show off their grandeur. Add in the mysterious forest setting of tall cedar trees the shrines are situated in, it makes a worthy side-trip from Tokyo.

Rinnō-ji Temple (輪王寺)

Sorin-to, where Buddhist sutras were stored in it and is regarded as a treasure

Forest way into Tōshōgū (東照宮). I would imagine it would look even better in fall.

Elaborately carved sacred animals, most notably; the elephant

The famous "hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil" monkeys

Yomei-mon Gate (陽明門) in the distance

Note the lavish ornate carvings on the Yomei-mon Gate

The Sleeping Cat, one of the sacred animals in carving in the Temple.

On the way to the mausoleum

The resting place of dynasty founder Tokugawa Ieyasu

Bad weather caught up with us again and plans to head down to Lake Chuzenji were scrapped. Some random food encountered along the way...

Yakult packaged in a different way

Refreshing Nikko beer!

Fried red bean dough...it's pretty famous here in Nikko

It's salty yet sweet at the same time with the red bean filling in it

Smiley orange juice

MOS burger

Kuramae Shrine Festival

On our final day in Japan, we were very fortunate to catch a festival at the Kuramae Shrine next to our hostel, and it was close to our departure for the airport! While we missed the Sanja Matsuri (三社祭, this huge festival held at Asakusa) by a week, this event kinda made up for it. Although it was not as huge in scale, it was exciting to see the kids from the neighbourhood jostling and dressed up as the adults pull the portable shrine (mikoshi). We even met into a friendly Japanese uncle sipping on his Asahi beer and recognising us as Singaporeans. He even has friends in Jurong. Wows!

A fitting goodbye to the land of the rising sun!

Hakone - Onsen!!!

2009-07-30T14:45:00.013+08:00

Hakone (箱根) was meant to be our onsen retreat as it would just be a day dedicated to nua-ing in our ryokan in the evening and a small bit of sight-seeing in the afternoon as we had only catered one day for it. Unfortunately, there was heavy rain on that particular day which means...

1) We were not able to catch Mount Fuji....again!

2) Most of the transport especially the Hakone-Tozan cable car was paralysed. And the viable option was to travel by Odakyu Bus. The trip up the mountainous region of Hakone resembled a bus ride up to Genting, except much more rockier. I had motion sickness throughout the whole bus ride. :(

3) Once we reached the top attraction at Ōwakudani (大涌谷), it was a major bummer that due to the rain, it was extremely cloudy and the wind speeds were insane and howling so there was extremely poor visibility. We were mostly confined to the tourist shops and well, just devouring their samples.

4) But it did mean that nua-ing within a hot welcoming onsen in our ryokan away from the cold rainy weather was all the more worthwhile!

From Kyoto to Odawara and then to Hakone-Yumoto (Onsen town) by Hakone-Tozan Line

Lunch at Ishimiya

Yuba soba or buckwheat noodles

Once stirred, it presents a more sticky and viscous texture

Tofu dessert

Hakone sweets...crunchy!

The clearest shot I could get for Ōwakudani without risking getting blown away by the strong winds

Major bummer!! On clear days, supposed to be able to see Mt. Fuji from here

So we hung around in the shops with dozens of other people stranded like us

And whack the famous black eggs (黒玉子) of Ōwakudani!!

My 7-year 仙丹 awaits!

I ate 2, so that makes me erm..14 years overdue? Hurhur...:p

Tastes like hard-boiled egg

Retreated to our ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) and it's one of the better experiences of the whole trip. We had a very cosy place to ourselves, even our own bath area facing the stream outside. Ended up camwhoring in yukata and soaking in the onsen. The ryokan had a public onsen as well as a private one. I waded to the public one and I was actually surprised that there was almost nobody around. Seems like our public bath was very private enough too. Anw I was not used to sitting on the wooden stool in the buff washing up by using the scooper before dipping into the onsen.

We are allowed to wear the yukata anywhere in the ryokan, even to dine. I felt I was wearing a skirt though, feels bloody airy between my legs..

Some of the red bean desserts offered by the ryokan

I personally preferred the ones we bought in Yumoto though

Our dinner and then later breakfast sets where we feasted like siao

Of castles and deer

2009-07-29T21:22:00.017+08:00

I think some of you will probably know what is to come from the title of the post as visitors usually flock to these 2 places in Japan for the afore-mentioned points of interest. First up, castles! And the best place to view one is the Himeji Castle (姫路城 Himeji-jō) as it is one of the best preserved castle in Japan. A convenient side-trip out from Kyoto.

Himeji Castle is indeed impressive and striking with its white walls standing out in the midst of the city. My thoughts of castles immediately switched to that of the samurai, ninjas and Edo soldiers fighting and sieging a castle, just like in Europe where I thought of medieval knights and cannons and kings and queens of the royal court. So I was thoroughly amused by my friends' opinion of castles being places where an evil queen or princess drowns a palace maid, most often in the castle well. Oh wells...I kept my 自high to myself by screaming 攻城!!!!

Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Family crests

I wonder how ninjas would infiltrate the castle?

Low door

Where guards would hide to protect their masters

Steep steps to the topmost 6th floor

I think this was an inverted dragon

Supposed to chop it behind the guide brochure which was given to us, but we only realised this after we left the castle and did it in our passports instead :p

Yes...this is one of the wells in which a palace maid was drowned....so the girls got their thoughts and wishes played out after all!

A quick, yummy and cheap bento set meal I grabbed for myself as we zipped to the next location

So on to the next topic: deers. The deer is regarded as a sacred messenger from the gods in Japan and particularly in Nara (奈良). And they are let loose within a huge park (奈良公園 Nara-kōen). So they are pretty much everywhere and eager and waiting to be fed by tourists. And I really mean eager cos these docile creatures (ya right...) would go berserk at the sight of deer biscuits.

Meet the friendly mascot for Nara. Half deer half erm...monk? Fugly in my opinion..

The 3-storied mini pagoda of Kōfuku-ji (興福寺)

I was thinking of venison in hot plate when I did this....mmmm

Eager deer troops towards excited tourist...nope...no food...

Turns to me for food after unleashing a pile of crap...yes it's visible in the pic

Haughtily saunters off after realising I'm food-less! Hey! You're supposed to be my food!

Up close and personal...I think the deer are seriously used to all these le

The 5 storied pagoda in Kōfuku-ji (興福寺) which could have been a serious contender for the tallest pagoda in Tō-ji

This sign cracked me up...Lonely Planet keeps saying that misguided tourists mistake this for food edible to humans. There's your warning...

Well at least this deer was gentle to the little kid

This deer was soooo obedient that it stood right in front of the Nandai-mon as if waiting to take pictures and pose with it. Naturally all of us did!

One of the twin protectors of the Nandai-mon

Innocent kid vs deer part 2

Tōdai-ji (東大寺), the star attraction here in Nara, as it houses the largest Buddha statue in Japan and it is said to be one of the largest wooden building in the world. Indeed it is an awe-inspring sight.

There's actually a window up there that can be opened and when viewed from afar, the head of the Buddha statue is visible

Loads of people were gathered at this peculiar small hole. It is said that your wishes are granted if you can squeeze through it!

On the way out we saw this poor lady getting mobbed by hungry deer

Her map got ripped to shreds and the deer biscuit selling auntie came to the rescue by gently whacking the deer

Numerous stone lanterns on the way to Kasuga Taisha (春日大社)

Got my chop again!

Other things dedicated to the deer in Nara

Essentially, we squeezed Himeji and Nara into a one day trip, which was a do-able thing but best done early in the morning and with a JR pass to take advantage of the shinkansen. (Shinkansen = fast!) Anw it was a good side trip away from Kyoto with different things to see. More updates soon!

Freeze! Flash Mob Vivo

2009-07-29T02:41:00.002+08:00

Ok Flash Mob is not something indecent. It's more of a freeze concept. Check out this video to see what I mean. I remember it was the exact same video my roomie showed me a year ago.

And a year later, here I am mildly involved in it since my friend is the one organising it. Date: 26th July 2009 Time: 2:15pm Venue: Vivocity. No I did not freeze but I was one of the cameraman involved. Kudos to the dude who edited and made this final vid.

Kyoto - Are you temple-fied / fried yet?

2009-07-28T14:17:00.066+08:00

One of the main highlights of Kyoto is the many shrines and temples that are present within this huge city. After all, it was the ancient capital of Japan and the central seat of power, culture and religion a long long time ago before Tokyo. Even when planning for the itinerary, I was already dizzy with the immense number of cultural places, shrines and temples that were present in the city. So in order not to be temple-fied or let my brains be templed-fried out for a first time visitor, we chose to stick to the more conventional and popular choices. Yet in a city with 17 historic sites under the UNESCO World Heritage list, I'm very sure there's plenty of choices to make in visiting. Safely speaking, you would probably take a few days to actually uncover some of the hidden gems in the city.

Having said that, Kyoto did rank as a favourite place for me throughout the trip, even more so than Tokyo, as I felt that the pace of life there was more laid-back and there's plenty of room to enjoy the serenity of the place. Oh and the food of course! I really mean laid-back because it seems alot of shops close early and most of the attractions which are the shrines and temples are closed by 5pm everyday. So I would certainly recommend a "wake up early and end the night early" routine when visiting Kyoto, as well as spacing out temple and shrine visits and just not be too rushed so that one can fully enjoy the sights of the place.

Navigation around the city was surprisingly easy and mostly done by the public bus actually. Grab a day pass and it's possible to zip easily from place to place. The city is aligned in a grid pattern and the buses usually make a loop around certain parts of the city before meeting back at the Kyoto Station. As for the buses, I must say Japanese bus drivers here in Kyoto are a really thoughtful lot for the senior citizens. The bus driver would stop the bus and get out of his seat to manually arrange a boarding platform for wheelchair-bound seniors. Other things to get used to is that it's a "board first from the back and pay later when you get off at the front" system and all the driver's habit of switching off the engine whenever the bus comes to a stop, whether at traffic lights or bus stops.

Kinkaku-ji Temple (金閣寺)

Undoubtedly the main draw for temples. It's the Golden Pavilion that is set amidst the water that makes it so striking. I saw postcards of the Pavilion in different seasons and I say it's absolutely stunning and unique in those individual settings.

The entrance ticket looked more like those Chinese charms

Supposed to throw a coin into the bowl as offering to the deities. As you can, it's many misses

The many fortune telling machines around in different languages. If it's a good lot, you keep it. If not, it's tied to the string

Ryōan-ji (龍安寺)

I thought the grounds on this temple was more of simplicity. Had a much needed short break here.

Philosopher's Path (哲学の道)

We started on this in the early morning. Honestly I think this route is more suited to be done during the cherry blossom season as it would look really pretty. Otherwise, we were more treated to lots of greenery under the hot sun. Apparently, this path was so named because of a philosophy professor that takes this route to walk to his school. My gosh, I am pretty sure after walking this long road, he's sure to set tough questions for the students! Anw I did not feel very smart after walking the Philosopher's Path... :p

I thought the Ginkakuji (銀閣寺), which is the Silver Pavilion was a bit disappointing as it is not really covered in silver as the name suggests and it was under renovation. Other than that, there's really too many shrines along this route. We popped by into Honen-in that was set in the cooling forest, a tranquil breakaway from the hot sun and city. Other than that, it was more of relying on the directional signs and occasional landmarks to continue on the Philosopher's Path to Nanzenji Temple (南禅寺).

Kiyomizu Temple (清水寺)

This is also another hot choice for temples. But to get there, we had to walk 500 m up a really steep and narrow street lined with tourist shops from the bus stop. One huge reason why it's so popular is the Jishu Shrine, which is where people come to pray for love and buy love charms. Noticed that Japanese girls would come in threes in kimono to come to pray. Needless to say, my female friends were particularly excited to visit the shrine and it was a good place to snag a couple of charms for my single friends back home. In addition, it seems like the bunny or rabbit is a messenger of love and they are seen everywhere. There's also 2 love stones placed 18 m apart where you are supposed to walk in between them blindfolded. If successful, you get your wishes fulfilled, or if you require a bit of help, it means your love life would depend on some middleman / matchmaker. Hmm....think it's supposed to mean that way. Anw I just bought one lot just for fun and I got 大吉 which is like the best lot of all and ever since then, it has been the laughing butt of all jokes amongst my friends. Oh wells....

Met into a few geishas on our way down who were the crowd-stoppers

Our meal for the day; Nishio Soba or Kyoto-style soup noodle with soy sauced based soup served with pancake dessert

And a light snack with green tea puffs...shiok!

Fushimi Inari Taisha (伏見稲荷大社)

This shrine is a bit out of the city, but it was well worth it as it's very unique with hundreds of torii gates lined up. And they look even more reddish under the glow of the afternoon sun. It's dedicated to the fox goddess, as they pray for a good rice harvest. However, can't help but feel it kinda has an eerie atmosphere in the evening, especially with a cemetary in the hills and a popular folk legend that the fox spirits possess people through the fingernails.

When viewed on one side, we did not notice that there were wordings on the torii gates. Turn around and another view was sighted..

Tō-ji (東寺)

This houses the tallest five storied pagoda in all of Japan, standing at 57 m.

Gion district (祇園)

Gion retains much of its traditional feel with its streets lined with the traditional wooden machiya style merchant houses. It's also the place to do geisha spotting as sometimes it's possible to see them zipping past the streets or hopping into a taxi. And as gently lectured by my friends, geishas are not prostitutes but rather entertainers. Heard it's quite expensive to hire the services of a geisha, but we were treated to a crash course of the Japanese culture and arts at Gion Corner which I felt was really worth the money and time spent.

Sights of the Kamo River as we walked across to Gion

Hilarious statue...mind the private bits!

Along Hanami-koji street in Gion

Tea ceremony

Koto music appreciation, used in the imperial court

Flower arrangement

Gagaku music, or elegant music, accompanied by an intricately dressed dancer

A Kyogen, or ancient comic play. This was my favourite segment in the show. It speaks of how these 2 dudes try to drink a pot of wine despite being tied up together. Hilarious expressions!

Kyomai dance style performed by maikos

And lastly, a bunraku puppet play. It was interesting to see that 3 people were needed to handle the puppet and 2 of them were masked

Man...this lady scared the crap out of me 2 times as we passed by the teahouse. She was very fast and responsive to anybody that passed by the shop!

A night stroll over at the Yasaka Shrine (八坂神社)

Nishiki Market (錦市場) and well...just food in general :p

Nishiki Market rightly deserves its title as Kyoto's Kitchen. I dare say there's lots to eat here as well as the surrounding bustling Shinkyogoku area.

On the way to Nishiki Market

Distracted by a religious ceremony at a nearby shrine whilst in search of food though

Kyoto's Kitchen right here laid out in a street

My king sized okonomiyaki

Dessert store which is our best find and treat in Kyoto...although we found out that there's this rule in Japanese restaurants that everyone has to order something and no sharing allowed...it took awhile for the storekeepers to communicate to us as they were speaking completely in Jap

Sweets

Green tea and red bean ice kachang...I love the richness of the green tea..shiok!

Ice cream with beans

Beans and nuts

Our red bean mochi, as well as the special kuei, which we found out needed a bit of effort to make it taste good...notice the tools needed?

First, ground 3 beans at one go using the traditional grinder

Sieve ready in position

Brush the grinded bean flakes into the sieve

And voila! Sprinkle it on the kuei! I tell ya it's bloody fabulous!

At the unagi house where we ate like kings and queens

More random food samples along the way..no we did not just look...we ate!

The Hokkaido crab sign was beckoning to me across the street..the way it danced, the way it moved. Yes that huge crab signage does move!

Our takeaway sushi with Hokkaido crab meat on it. I had to use a creative way of indicating my wish for takeaway and I blurted out "da bao" with running action much to the amusement of my friends and the 2 ladies serving us..

Damage: 1855 yen

Not at Nishiki Market anymore, but eateries close to our hostel..showing the life of a Jap adult after work..

Kyoto style yakitori...the purplish spices added were kinda sour though

Teppanyaki with the friendly and chatty Jap uncle

And finally to end off our stay in Kyoto, just to comment a bit abt our hostel. It was really nice, spacious, cheap and had a slight Japanese-style furnishing to it. I still remember it has a super handy folder in each room with loads of information in it which I stashed about in my backpack when touring Kyoto (but hey i did return the folder!) And best of all, it has a free kimono dress up for the female guests at the hostel. You could sense the excitement in my friends.

HL: Look at me! *Smiles*
Counter dude: Too tight too tight! *Shakes his head*

Anw just to end off by reinstating that I loved my stay in Kyoto. More updates to come!

Thank the Lord for Lonely Planet! A slight Gotemba and Kyoto misadventure...

2009-07-27T00:13:00.011+08:00

If you are wondering what we usually settle for breakfast in Japan on the cheap and full, here's the answer. One of these rice balls is rather filling enough. My life-savers!

The day was supposed to start off by heading to Mount Fuji. However, the weather was crap and as we were to find out throughout the course of the Japan trip, it seems that we would have no fate to see Mount Fuji. So we switched to shopping at Gotemba Premium Outlets at well...Gotemba. Boy was it a horrid choice. Firstly I did not enjoy shopping all too much. Secondly, it was a crazy 2 hours plus train ride there. Thirdly, the shopping wasn't too fantastic either. I realised that the things aren't really all that cheap. Although there's a sale, I would say it's generally more affordable for the Japanese as it is cheaper in Gotemba than anywhere else in the country. Oh and lastly, cos we almost missed our bullet train / shinkansen to Kyoto upon return to Tokyo. Mehhh.... Anw I just sat at certain corners to people-watch and observe Japanese families on their Sunday out shopping.

Even the pick-up bus is telling you to spend.

Hmm....GAP? Pass.......

Even the ferris wheel has to emphasise the premium outlets

The rush back to Tokyo was tense. We had to go back to our hostel to claim our luggage and then head over back to the same station to leave on the shinkansen. Should have utilised the luggage locker services to cut down time. But more on that the next time..... Anw we missed our initial train but luckily it was easy to get onto the next train as it was probably not too crowded at night. Grabbed one of those bento sets to dine on the train. I also noticed that when the train arrives, each entrance would be stationed with at least one cleaner who would then proceed to clean the train and arrange everything neatly for the next ride. And they work so scarily efficiently that they are done within a few minutes. Impressed.

Finally arrived in Kyoto late at around 11 pm. The shinkansen was fast, smooth and generally very comfortable for me. However, it seems like Kyoto pretty much looks very dead by 11 pm and there wasn't much activity going around. Totally unlike Tokyo. Add to the fact that we kinda missed printing out directions to our hostel, we quickly found ourselves a bit lost in the midst of the quiet night. Thankfully for all the lords of Lonely Planet, our hostel was actually featured under the Accomodation section of the Lonely Planet guide which I had borrowed from the library since coming for the trip. Thank goodness!

The sign which caught my eye in the dead of the night from afar. Actually thinking back now, our hostel was very much within walking distance from the train station. Just that the first time navigating the maps in a city in the middle of the night(Lonely Planet maps ain't too detailed but still was our only lead) while lugging backpacks is definitely tiring. Anw, just relieved to finally see the sign!

We even had specific "stern" instructions...guess we were really really late :p

After a tiring long day, this was certainly a welcoming sight. And so it will be for the next few days stationed in Kyoto..

Updates next on Kyoto!

Tokyo Disneysea....where Mickey says Konichiwa!

2009-07-26T00:14:00.026+08:00

"Welcome one and all to a world where imagination and adventure set sail. Tokyo DisneySea is dedicated to the spirit of exploration that lives in each of us. Here we chart a course for adventure, romance, discovery and fun, and journey to exotic and fanciful ports of call. May Tokyo DisneySea inspire the hearts and minds of all of us who share the water planet, Earth." As quoted.

Tokyo Disneysea deserves a post by itself. It is after all an oceanic theme park that is only exclusive to Japan. While I would have liked to do both Disneyland and Disneysea, due to time constraints, the sea seemed like a better call. Everything seems to revolve around this central landmark, in this case Mount Prometheus, an artificial volcano. Starting from the main entrance and going clockwise around Mount Prometheus, there are seven themes or supposedly termed "ports of call" to highlight the major areas. These are Meditterranean Harbor (a reproduction of Venice), American Waterfront (a reproduction of the Eastern Seaboard of the United States), Port Discovery (a science-themed area), Lost River Delta (a reproduction of a tropical rain forest and Indiana Jones!), Arabian Coast (based on Disney's Aladdin), Mermaid Lagoon (based on Disney's The Little Mermaid) and Mysterious Island (based on the books of Jules Verne).

Getting to Disneysea took a bit of time. Remembered it was kinda all the way to the end of the subway line and after that, we had to pay an additional 250 yen to take the Disney Resort line.

My expression as reflected in the train...

Anw, we had a nice welcoming committee at the plaza where a huge globe stood!

And a band too!

The first port of call that resembles Venice

One of the ride highlights is the Tower of Terror. While the rides here are definitely not as insane and dangerous compared to like erm...6 Flags, but they are certainly a bit more so than Disneyland. This is a 13 storey vertical drop-off

Behold!

Our photo...I think I looked kinda expressionless. Although it was indeed heart stopping, I thought the effect would be crazier if they had exposed us outdoors with legs dangling in the air!

Performance at the American Waterfront...Can you spot Mickey and Minnie? Ans: On the life-boat

Aquatopia set within Port Discovery, this strange ride where our craft seemed to move on tracks randomly in the water amidst the whirlpools...

...so we ended up shooting each other on film instead

And shoot we did, with other characters from Disney around the park

Port Discovery also had the Storm Rider ride that puts us in some simulated plane and flying through a storm. They even sprinkled us with water. Ok to say sprinkle is an understatement. But it was then that I realised how the Japanese love giving mission debriefs and explaining the sci-fi like those Power Ranger or Ultraman shows. Man....I swear we waited a good 15 min listening to the Captain's debrief in Japanese.

Next up was within Mount Prometheus with another ride called "Journey to the Center of the Earth". Ooooh scary.... :P

Mermaid Lagoon houses Triton's Kingdom which is this underground lair or sea cavern that is totally for fans of the Little Mermaid. Could sense the excitement in the girls as I think this is like their childhood princess. Anw thought this was one of the nicer set-ups in the park and the theater show put on was incredibly good. The props used and the stage set-up was unique. Ariel, the Little Mermaid, somehow turned out to be an ang moh girl on swings speaking in Jap., much to the disappointment of the girls. Well I certainly did not mind though..keke :p

Just ignore any of my fishy antics within the fish kingdom

The adjoining area was the Lost River Delta which was some exploring theme, more on Indiana Jones though. There housed one of the more interesting rides, the Raging Storm, that has a 360 degrees loop. Ok, it's a really minor one, but hey it's still thrilling! Psyche yourself up! This is DisneySea!

Again, do pardon my silliness

Next up, into the Arabian town for Aladdin!!

We were greeted by a Jap rock band though

Ah...that's Jasmine up there...so there's an ang moh Ariel, so where is thy Jasmine?

But first, these guys were the definite centre of attraction when they showed up!

The poor kid looked so lost! Genie is a hot favourite!

Well....but not as hot as this guy. I think all the girls went crazy over him...like totally crazy!

As the characters took their leave, they were incredibly funny by ducking around bushes and trailing after the bad guy, so much so that everybody chased after them shooting away their cameras like paparazzi!

So now that they are gone, where is Jasmine? Oh mans...major bummer. The girls had their share of eye-candy in Aladdin, but where's the babe? Guess I should go back take photo with the hedge shaped like her. :(

Misc stuff around the shops. The theme is Spring Carnival 2009! Loved the way the carts were decorated.

And the highlight of the day was definitely the parade put on in the evening. Mickey and Minnie arrived in a boat. Was amazed by the energy of the Japanese crowd as they danced, sang, swayed and jumped with the music. Check out the video. Jump jump jump jump! Lucky the guy in front of me did not jump too much or I would have filmed nothing! :p Snapped an uber finale shot with Mount Prometheus erupting right at the final segment!

The night was supposed to end off with fireworks by another performance. However we were treated to a weird segment of fire boats and odd fountains before they cancelled the show due to strong winds. Bummer! Indeed it was definitely very much chillier in Tokyo DisneySea. Was thinking perhaps we were situated close to the open sea.

Anw, apart from the slight disappointment of the fireworks, (oh and the missing Jasmine :p) Disneysea turned out to be memorable and fun! More updates coming up

Tokyo Tokyo!

2009-07-25T16:55:00.040+08:00

Here we are in the bustling craziness of this huge metropolis. So I will just stick to writing about the various districts over the few days of sightseeing. Tokyo is vast and the sheer size and pace of this city is incredibly insane, a jungle of concrete, wires, neon lights, loudspeakers and people. However, I suppose part of the way to sightsee Tokyo is just wandering around the districts at random and absorbing the vibe, occasionally popping into some store to check out the weird and wacky and at other times find some calm at some shrine.

Tsukiji Fish Market

No experience in Tokyo can be complete without having a sushi breakfast right in Tsukiji. You don't get any more fresher at the outlet stores. We wandered around in the market first soaking in the fishy atmosphere though to get ourselves psyched for the food delights.

Had a bit trouble finding the sushi street chain though. While it was one thing to take in the sights of fish being sold, but it's another when hunger pangs come knocking and we are in the middle of a vast fish market. I asked for directions and I was trying hard to think of how to communicate my wishes to the Japanese uncle cos it was kinda dumb to ask and gesture "fish fish" when we are practically surrounded by fish. So I did an eating action coupled with "sushi? sashimi?! oishi?!?" before giving him the thumbs up sign. It worked miracles as he blurted a whole load of Japanese and pointed in one direction before repeating "8, 8, eight!!" Ahh warehouse 8 it seems. Oh the wonders of food breaking down international barriers.

Sushi chains

Incredibly long queue at this popular sushi outlet...

We settled for the neighbouring outlet. For the love of sushi, I endured being pushed, man-handled and rotated by the sushi auntie in forming a "neat" queue outside the store as we waited.

But hey! It was all worth it! For 3500 yen!

Ginza (銀座)

This place speaks of atas and high-end shopping which was really out of our budget. Saw lots of shopping centres.

The Kabuki theatre caught our attention though. Kabuki play is a form of traditional Japanese play and that day was swarmed with loads of Japanese uncles and aunties, some even dressed in kimono

A pachinko parlour. Some crazy game which the Japs love playing. First saw it in some game-show and it's a rather loud and noisy affair.

Ryōgoku (両国)

One of the highlights of the trip was definitely catching the sumo match at Ryōgoku Kokugikan (両国国技館). Our tickets were booked way before the trip and we got seats at the topmost floor to the back. However, much to our delight, it wasn't a full turn-out since it was a few days before the grand finals so there were still seats aplenty, especially those red box seats closer to the stage on the first floor. The red box seats are basically cushions where we sat on and most Japanese folk would kneel on and set up a picnic too in the process. The stage was unique and the atmosphere was incredible, with elderly aunties, screaming ah peks cheering for his favourite wrestler, pleasant looking housewives, whole families young and old, business corporate types and your typical clueless tourist (that's us!) all put into the arena and cheering on the stars of the show. Things quickly heated up closer in the late afternoon where the top division ranks slug it out, since the competition begins in the morning and progresses in order of seniority, from amateurs to pros.

The pic that got my female friends really hot and excited for the sumos...Mmmm

Dinner at one of the eateries near our hostel which served really fantastic chasu ramen. Did not quite dig into the cold sake though....tasted too much like vodka

While at the convenience store, noticed lots of Jap guys checking out the comics at the news-stands. So I decided to join them and pick up one to read. What I saw was manga of schoolgirls or hentai if you want to put it, pics of semi nude models and ok...you get what I mean, yah? It's a common sight in every convenience store we visited throughout Japan.

Odaiba (お台場)

Odaiba Bay resembles Harbourfront quite a bit. It was expensive to get there by subway but very well worth the trip as it has a really nice setting especially at night and after a crazy day in Tokyo perhaps. The huge vastness of the area, the quietness, the cooling wind and the backdrop of the Rainbow Bridge in the distance makes it a perfectly ideal romantic spot. Really got "feel" ah according to the girls. Much of the hype of this area is also VenusFort, a huge shopping centre (well the whole area is a shopping place anw) and the obvious sight of the huge ferris wheel turning in the distance, although I found it more amusing cos it was the place where the girls finally found their Burberry Blue label after hunting high and low for it only to see that it has closed for the night. The Fuji TV building was also grand in its own right.

Fuji TV building

VenusFort

Harajuku (原宿)

This is the place where you get to see both the traditional and the vibrant youth culture. Starting from Meiji Jingū (明治神宮), a huge torii gate awaits us as we walk through a forested area before arriving at the shrine. We even caught a wedding ceremony there which was a very solemn affair.

Instructions were to wash our hands and rinse our mouth before praying. Start with the left, followed by the right while shifting the dipper and then rinse mouth using the palm from the left hand

Wishes written on the tablets and hung

This wish or wishes caught my attention the most though. How true! LOL :p

A wedding procession. My friends were remarking the solemnness of the whole affair and thought that marriages should be happy and noisy events.

And noisy was what we got as we headed over to the teen haven in Harajuku just across the street after the shrine visit. Takeshita-dōri (竹下通り) is this whole line of stalls down this street which more or less is similar in concept to our Far East Plaza in Singapore. The weird, funky and trendy as shown by the Japanese youths.

Gothic lolita

And I caught sight of a very angry Lolita Goth indeed

Somehow noticed these shoes were in the rage...shoes that look kinda oversized to me

Spotted a funky looking house with street graffiti

And over at the main street, a long queue for Forever 21

Shibuya (渋谷)

This is the equivalent of our Orchard Road. A crazy shopping, eating and hangout place for everyone. And this was the first time I got really lost amidst the human crowd. Lost as in mentally lost as I was drowned out by the insane human crowd in the evening. Good place to people-watch though.

The system of buying your meal by getting a coupon dispensed from a machine. After pictures failed us (well as you can see it's not much of pictures but many buttons though), we got the waiter to help us order and punch in our choices

Curry rice, gyoza and ramen

The crazy scramble crossing in Shibuya. People mountain people sea. The building in the backdrop is Shibuya 109, an entire mall worth of shopping just for the ladies, which we gladly let the girls do so while me and Simon sat and people-watch. Hmm...girl watching actually. What better way to do so right outside a popular shopping mall for the girls! :p

Other oddities sighted. Soapland! I would least expect to see this in Shibuya. I won't elaborate here but suffice to say, it's a very Japanese thing and it's rated R.

Office ladies, housewives or students? Hmmm.....

An interesting billboard. FYI, Soft on Demand is an adult video company.

Caught a small fashion event outside a shopping mall

I have no idea what HbC means but everyone wants to take a photo with it. Can't help but notice Jap girls love posing with the V sign

So as clueless tourists, we joined in...

Much noise and performance in the streets to get people to play.......

PACHINKO!!!!

Shinjuku (新宿)

This is a district which somehow got popularised by Jackie Chan's show. Forgot the title but it was something abt Chinese immigrants and the related Chinese gangsters and feuding with the yakuza. To me, it was a place where on one side, you see the government and office buildings and then on the other, it's a vibrant nightlife and shopping district. And that, plus a red-light district that's very much in the open. Yet, if you seek and probe deeper, hidden gems do lie quietly by the side.

Moving from Shibuya to Shinjuku on the subway was a crazy affair and we were stuck in one of those jams and cramming with the rush hour crowd that we tend to associate Japan with...however, honestly I think every city faces the same prob

On one side lies the serious, no-nonsense government buildings

and on the other...shopping, neon lights and more people

Kabukicho (歌舞伎町), the stretch of red-light district. Definitely not as brazenly open like in Amsterdam, but there are agents and gangsters on the streets actively jio-ing men on the streets instead. Oh yea, some dude tried approaching me and even identified me as a Singaporean from the way I was speaking in Chinese to my friends...wows...And I swear I was speaking just in Chinese and not Singlish!

It's R18 down here..

Our brush with Chinese immigrants came in the form of PRCs running the sukiyaki restaurant that we went to. However I was left feeling less than satisfied as I was not full.

My partial satisfaction came in the form of a takopachi outlet round the corner

But perhaps the greatest satisfaction and gem we had discovered merely by randomly walking around Shinjuku was this night market 夜市 set within the shrine compounds. Heck I wasn't even aware that the shrine existed out in busy Shinjuku or even a 夜市 but it was a real welcome breather from the outside. Only later found out it was called Hanazono Shrine. (花園神社) And with a 夜市 comes plenty of food, drinks, entertainment and a bit of insight into the lives of ordinary Japanese folk!

Entrance into the 夜市 with the torii gate sticking out..imagine our surprise when we turned around the corner to see this narrow street filled with stalls!

Lanterns aplenty

I seriously offered a prayer of thanks for this wonderful discovery!

Malt sugar candies

Friendly grandpa with his turtles

It was interesting to see all the adults catching the fish

Games galore

This is sooooo a 夜市!

My bloody satisfied expression as we bought a bit of food to chow down and chill within the shrine compound. I ordered an Asahi beer, although the stall keeper was somehow trying to explain to me that it came with a long piece of avocado that was supposed to be dipped in salt. But who cares? Good food, good beer, gr8 atmosphere. Damn.......

Further updates on the way!

Tokyo Arrival

2009-07-24T22:15:00.020+08:00

Now that I have a bit of time on hand for blogging, guess I am gonna start with my very back-dated log on Japan. I remember it was a very early wee morning flight out and it didn't help that security was sooooo tight and officers were screening us before we boarded our Northwest flight. Add in the spike in H1N1 flu cases over the weekend in Japan and it's increased monitoring, questioning and security presence. The Japanese customs officer wanted me to open my bagpack only to see that it was mostly empty (yep...my huge-ass 100 L bagpack I bought somewhere in London). Then he gestured "shopping?" Ahh yes it's all for a whole load of stash for this trip. But we did eventually survive to reach Tokyo in the early afternoon....

...with face masks on! Eventually kinda abandoned it as this was the only time we wore masks throughout the trip.

And yes, it was seemingly obvious that the Japanese are really conscious of cleanliness. About half of the people wore masks. Toilets were equipped with sanitisers. When you enter certain public premises, there would be attendants on hand to provide hand sanitiser spraying services. And speaking of toilets, I have heard of those remote-controlled toilet bowls with loads of interesting functions. My first encounter led to this at our hostel...

See the buttons? You get back-side washing, air purification, stop and start features

The only thing which I missed was the flush button. While I stupidly searched for the button, it seemed that I have forgotten that in all basic sense, the flush system could just be the typical lever that everyone would find at the side. I was completely noobified at that instant.

Set out to explore the neighbourhood around our hostel, which I must add was an amazingly comfortable one situated in Kuramae. A quiet neighbourhood with adequate convenience stores in the vicinity and a short 10 min walk up to Asakusa. You could imagine our delight when we stumbled upon a Bandai outlet with cute and familiar characters lined up along the street.

The attraction at Asakusa, undoubtedly the Kaminarimon (雷門) with the giant lantern.

As it was late and we were more keen on finding food, settled for tempura at one of the many places recommended by our hostel. As we were starting to fret about the Japanese menu, the nice lady whipped out an English one for us. Saved!

Time to tackle the subway system. The ticketing machine with the ever confusing list of subway stations about. Fortunately I thought it was kinda easy to navigate our way around as directions were clear and we could always recognise the station stops in the Chinese format. (like Asakusa is 浅草 and Kuramae is 蔵前) Hence "蔵前蔵前" became my chant to get back to the hostel. Anw, a short trip would probably cost around 160 to 210 yen. Trouble only came up when interchanging subway lines but we quickly found out that there's a transfer ticket machine to handle the top-up fee. Anw if in doubt, there's always the station officer to approach if noobified. You won't get lost! Period.

Reached the Tokyo Tower. Honestly it wasn't all too impressive from the outside. But hey...every city needs an icon, yeah? Anw the real gem was going to the top and viewing Tokyo's night skyline. It did help that at least the top was a really good atmospheric place for a date though it seemed that schooling students were out on a field trip that night.

And lastly we stopped over to check out Roppongi. Roppongi Hills is really an atas shopping place and Roppongi itself is famous for the night scene with the ang mohs. Definitely a gaijin-friendly place. And famous it is as we saw lots of black people touting their clubs on the street, which led HL to remark that it reminded her of New York. Wows...anyway we were standing in front of this strip club when the black dude tried to proposition me in. The girls hurried across the street as somethig caught their attention more. It was a pet shop apparently graced by Paris Hilton and several other celebrities and their puppies cost like 159,000 yen and above.

More updates coming up soon!

FYPee well and truly over!

2009-07-22T22:55:00.003+08:00

The title says it all. I am well and truly done with NUS as I came out of the office after a very informal presentation, or a discussion more like it over my FYP project. And I was bloody relieved that it has all ended.

So to celebrate the end of FYPee, headed down to the newly opened Ion Orchard and pigged my way there. Must say there's really alot of good food around. From large sized takopachi balls to yummy ice cream desserts (mango snow tiramisu anyone?) and sampling Royce chocs, it was a crazy day of indulgence.

Stopped over at Watami first but was disappointed that the Wagyu beef and the Yakult dessert drinks were not ready for serving to the public yet. Had our fill of crab and scallop croquettes, roasted squid and garlic rice in a stone pot. Shiokness.

Hopped over to Itacho Sushi to try some of the sushi which were supposedly air flown in from Japan, but disappointed again as they weren't ready. Sampled the fatty tuna (6 bucks for one!!) and Japanese seabass (3.80 for this one). Makes a mental note to come back again for the fairy shrimp, wagyu, eel, japanese mackerel the next time when they are ready.

Where the hell is...?

2009-07-21T15:04:00.004+08:00

I must have been slow to catch on this. But apparently it was a Youtube sensation way back a few years ago. Never mind the ridiculous dancing, but the fact this guy has been to so many places over the past few years doing his thing and getting ppl to dig into it garners a bit of respect. This is the 2008 version.

There was even a Visa commercial which I remembered seeing in the cinema but I thought it was another one of those Visa commercials, but yep...that's Matt.

Go check out his blog here It is a very interesting travel read.

Potter and the HBP = ............

2009-07-20T14:43:00.003+08:00

The title pretty much speaks it all. While I am not truly a Harry Potter fan, (I never read the books and I watch the movies just for the sake of watching), this new movie was simply ultimate boring taken to a new level. While the previous 2 movies had some admirable fight scenes and a climax, this one was simply too dull. I suppose the death of "some important prof" was supposed to be the most emo and significant finale scene but it was treated rather.....well insignificantly. The whole movie kinda ended with a ....... and then slowly dropped to an all-new low of ....... and then finally ending with a dotz. Think the whole story also left a lot of things unexplained especially the bit about the half-blood prince. What is the significance of this HBP?!? Or perhaps about the R.A.B?!? In fact, I thought the budding romances between the characters in the show were the more interesting and humourous bits that saved the show. Heck...think of it as the O.C with wands and brooms and magic!

FYPee submitted!!!!

2009-07-14T22:05:00.002+08:00

A huge satisfaction gained by handing in my FYP report finally. Just another presentation to go and I'm done, done with NUS!!

Ice Age 3

2009-07-13T00:08:00.004+08:00

First thoughts: What are they teaching kids these days?!? I was pretty sure that the dinosaurs came way way wayyyyyy before mammoths or sabre-tooths existed! Oh wells...minor gripe, but it was the first thing I noticed and commented when the trailer came out anw.

Secondly, it's a 100% family flick. It actively promotes the idea of happiness when finding your other half (as evidently shown by Scrat forever searching for his acorn and meeting into his other half too....was amused at how the ending played out for him though), the notion of children (like the mammoth main guy getting all excited about his newborn child and the 3 cute baby T-rexes) and the idea of companionship. (as evidenced by the herd the characters have formed throughout the course of the first 2 movies and the need for companionship and support within the characters)

I was more enchanted by the new character Buck though. He's this crazy loner weasel who's really gone completely wacko after spending too much time in Dino land in solitude and on his own seeking a life of adventure. Injects a fresh kind of air needed for the sequel as opposed to the softer "oh-so-safe" and predictable characters that have returned. On the other hand, I think the movie was trying to mean that everyone should have a companion / find your other half if not will end up as cracko as Buck. Wows....trying to imply that I am fast going down that route? Hmm...

Anw, overall a decent movie to catch for 6 bucks.

Commenced lo....or have I?

2009-07-12T22:06:00.005+08:00

Feels kinda weird to not commence and graduate together with my fellow batch of chem engineers. While I was telling myself to be prepared for the decisions I made a year ago, yet somehow still can't help but feel a little odd. Nevertheless I was just glad to have finished off my FYP report (phew! and not much changes to the draft!) before heading down for the ceremony and of course seeing the elation and joy in all my friends definitely makes it worth it. Marks the end of 4 years of uni life, a long journey of education and a step out into the world outside. To the class of 2009, all the best in your future endeavors and thank you for being an integral part of my uni days!

NUS bear bear makes an appearance

Almost but not quite :p

A long road of education from pri sch to uni. I was always amazed of the familiar faces here and there within the cohort. First up, cheers to a pri sch classmate...

...to lower sec. sch classmates

...to TCHS 4D-ians!

...to TCHS NCC!!

...over to Dragonboating! Alright!~

...to a JC classmate

...to the uni ppl I've hung out with!

...to erm....flowery unions?

....to 1PDF! Maju!!!

....to Design 2 group plus 1 extra! :p

...to Exxon!

....to Lufbra SEP travel mates!

...to SEP mutualised friends

...and lastly to all the lovely ladies in chem eng!

玩具大作战

2009-07-05T23:52:00.003+08:00

Attended a really cool toy carnival at the Arts Museum today. It was an exhibition and sale of toys, comics and a bit of cosplay here and there. Really liked the concept of free comics that was handed out to each member of the public. Hey, the admission was free too, so no complaints! Would have liked to see more vintage toys and collections being put up and displayed though. That would have been awesome! Like a mini Singapore Comic-con! Photos test taken from my new Samsung phone...still trying to figure out how to work that thing.....

Terrorists and CS lovers unite!

The 501st Legion

Angry female jedi

And someone else from another galaxy...

Even Spidey came web-slinging down

Spidey balloon. There was an Optimus Prime one which looked super cool too!

I wonder when I will ever see this in Singapore......hmm....

Commies beer

2009-07-04T15:09:00.002+08:00

The North Korean Taedonggang beer that honestly sounds like the name of some nuclear warhead in their missiles arsenal in my opinion. Amidst the propaganda, weird music and kinda creepy narration, the beer promises "relief of stress" to its citizens. Kinda guessing that it would taste similar to China's Tsingtao beer.

K.E as a weapon

2009-07-02T15:53:00.004+08:00

An electromagnetic rail gun prototype that uses kinetic energy to damage. For interest's sake this same reference was used in the Transformers movie to bring down the beloved Devastator in one shot (something which I keep ranting).

RIP MJ

2009-06-27T16:36:00.003+08:00

Another musical legend passes on. Michael Jackson sure did influence generations with his music and suave moves. I even remembered I played "Heal the World" on the organ when I was little. "Beat it" was incredibly catchy too. There was even this memorable zombie dance routine! Anw just to post some vids on the songs which I liked. RIP MJ.

Beat It

Heal the World

Thriller

Transformers = Military Hardware Porn for the U.S of A

2009-06-27T15:24:00.005+08:00

I just caught Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and I had kinda mixed feelings on it.

1) Expect a bad plot. Hmm....nobody gives a damn about plot when it comes to action blockbusters anyway. Just indulge in 2 and a half hours of mindless and overwhelming explosions and pretty soon will forget what the whole mess is about.

2) I seriously cannot stand the pervasiveness of American military technology portrayed in the film. It's as if they are touting the American army, navy and air force is the best. Nothing beats the F22s or some huge ass aircraft carrier or coordinated air strikes (they always have to emphasise this) I was particularly appalled that Devastator went down in a single shot from a cannon from an aircraft carrier. Devastator, a fan favourite and possibly one of the stronger Decepticons in the cartoon series....damn. Reduced to rubble and role as a vacuum cleaner in this film. Not very flattering for a character that charmed many back in the 80s for being the first terror in the Decepticon's arsenal for its ability to form into a huge rampaging robot from 6 smaller ones. Oh yeah and did ya know? Devastator has balls too....doubly appalled and seriously WTF!

However while the point on America's military being all bad-ass, it did expose one flaw in it. I was particularly charmed by Soundwave's (the satellite) and Ravage's (the jaguar-like animal) sneak attacks upon the Americans, something which I believe no force of F22s or standard army would guard against, which pretty much mirrors the war on terror that the U.S is fighting now. In short, having too much of all the fantastic military hardware equipment, or how many missiles or bombs won't win a war of espionage, guerilla tactics and a hard-minded enemy.

3) Fight sequences were too short? Was expecting an epic confrontation at the end. But it was over in erm...10 seconds?! Wow...the forest fight scene was done pretty well though. Can't say the same for the ending. Looked more like a hurried job to me. Heard they fried their IMAX digital imaging equipment at the end.

4) Like most sequels, I feel that the first film was better than the second. Action-wise and CGI-wise, although I agree that this sequel was way much better, however the sore lacking point was that it lacked the personal introduction of some of the various robots compared to the first. I think most ppl would brush it off as the robots being one of the film's cannon fodders for another American air strike (particularly evident in the final battle) but did ya know that most of them had names and had interesting personalities in the cartoons? It's kinda sad that they are now reduced to American bomb targets now. One thing which I did enjoy was the interaction between Megatron and Starscream which has been played out in every incarnation of the Transformers franchise. Everybody likes Megs whacking the cowardly Starscream. Nuff' said.

Having said my piece, I think there are more damning articles out there regarding this movie. Particular points of interest so far are about the squabbling twins in the movie whom some ppl have derided it for being a racist stereotype of black ppl. One article I read was from ENI: Robots in Blackface, which was kinda true in a way.

Best quote from the article "“I purely did it for kids.” Bay says. Fantastic, not only have you made a $200,000,000.00 nationally advertised engine of violence, sexism and hate, but you’ve aimed it at children! Genius! Why should we be surprised? This is a PG-13 movie with misogyny, drug use, violence, alcohol, torture, swearing, tons of onscreen graphic death and a massive toy line that says nice and clear on every package “ages 5+.” Cute."

My personal take: the twins were annoying as hell. Just like Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars prequels.

Other points of contention were the Chinese lambasting the first scene set in Shanghai as being too dilapidated and "lok cock". It's insulting to the Chinese!! And the way the U.S military muscles into Chinese territory....wows!!

Having said that, if you just pay 6 bucks and go into the theatre to immerse yourself in mind-numbing explosions and a popcorn chewing blockbuster, don't think too much, go ahead and forget the long rant which I just posted. Cheers!

After Nobody but CHU comes HAHAHA!

2009-06-22T22:56:00.002+08:00

My friend sent me this link which made me recall the news last week that Changi Airport lost out to Incheon Airport in South Korea in airport rankings. This must be the reason why SG lost out! Somebody really ought to bring these girls to Singapore! (FYI, this MV was filmed in Incheon Airport)

NOBODY BUT CHU LA!!!

2009-06-15T15:34:00.003+08:00

I seriously don't understand the Wondergirls dance song "Nobody" that seems to be gripping everyone. First someone sends me a link to an er xin vid, which led to me trying to find the original to convince myself that it's not some weird cult dance. Then I see it being reported in the Straits Times commenting it has simple dance moves. Next comes Mr Brown's hilarious parody of the song based on the recent swine flu. Now my bro comes complaining to me that he has to learn the dance moves from this song for orientation camp (the hot new craze in camps nowadays?) and I see a friend with a grad trip video doing the same moves. Wows....

The original

Swine flu. Wash your body!

I was sent this vid. I fell out from my chair...

Some bored policemen

Tranny!!!

2009-06-15T15:20:00.003+08:00

I was just recently alerted by my dear friends that Megan Fox is really a man! Alamak, she's just joking only. Wows....for the record, liking Transformers does not translate to liking Megan Fox. I don't wank off to Megan as I don't really find gals with tattoos THAT hot. But what I see is a gal who's very much insecure about her looks from the interview. Even models are so insecure about themselves?!? Oh well....she's only human. Ok enough crap, with about 10 more days to go, bring on the bots anytime cos they are the real stars of the show!! Less human, more bot action!

Some lame-o vid for a CGI hotter Fox

Hanoi - A Cultural Experience

2009-06-03T19:01:00.013+08:00

Started off the day to the museums. First up, visiting Uncle Ho, as the Vietnamese affectionately call him. I'm referring to the late President Ho Chi Minh, where he is given a hero's burial in Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (modelled after Lenin's Tomb in Moscow). The body is embalmed nicely (heard that the body is flown to Mother Russia for maintenance yearly) and of course no photos, no sign of disrespect and perhaps the largest security presence I have seen so far in guarding it. Anw once we have paid our respects, we went to the nearby museum and grounds to learn more abt this guy's past

The Presidential Palace that Uncle Ho refused to work in cos he deemed it too extravagant. Influenced architecturally by the French as it resembles the palaces I saw in Europe before

Instead, Uncle Ho chose to work in a smaller humble house

Children out on a school trip

We got this very confused guard to take a pic with us. At first he thought we wanted him to help us take a photo, but we dragged him in anw. I'm sure the girls did not mind!

The cap with the red star is a popular souvenir

Entrance to the One-Pillar Pagoda

Vietnamese come here to pray if they want to have a child, hence the bountiful presence of lotuses

Ho Chi Minh museum

A visit to the Temple of Literature next. It's the country's first university

This structure is a familiar sight on all the street signs in Hanoi

It is said that rubbing the head of the tortoise will bring good luck in the examinations. Damn....why din I do this b4? Maybe a CAP 5 from here?!

A crane standing upon a tortoise. Think it was meant to symbolise success

Was thinking of grabbing this for a friend. Vietnamese brides anyone? In the end we left with charms instead

Whole place gives me the very Chinese temple feel

Lunch at this popular but slightly more expensive than usual joint for pho noodles

Refused to have pho as I have been eating it for most of the time. Time for something different....broken rice with pork pie!

Broken rice just means the rice grains are finer. The pork pie comes as a lump of processed meat, unlike that served in Europe where it really comes like a rounded pie

Coffee anyone?

Creme caramel to top the dessert

Museum of Ethnology, which covers mainly the culture and ritual practices of the ethnic groups in Vietnam. My favourite museum here in Hanoi

Our little red dot in Vietnamese!

Baskets of traps on a bicycle

Santa Claus sure did customise his wheels on his trip to Vietnam! Anw the exhibit was more of showing the presence of Catholics in Vietnam

Stools!!

A personal favourite was the open-air museums which featured real exhibits of the kind of houses the different ethnic groups lived in. Over here, a water puppet theatre is featured

And this huge structure is a Bahnar communal house, with a height of 19 m. Think of it as a gathering spot for the villagers

Quenched my thirst from the kettle

The reason why the houses were built to tall was to allow the men who hunt in the jungles to find their way back effectively. Alternatively, can also view it as the taller it gets, the more power it represents

Our very own communal gathering

An Ede Longhouse that is over 42 m long

A Giarai tomb surrounded by sexually explicit wood carvings and other carvings of pregnant fertility. It's odd that the Giarai mix the dead with fertility...hmm...

Posing by one of the carvings.....nope no other poses for the other explicit ones...

We ran a little late for the Army Museum which was kinda a bummer as I was hoping to learn a bit of the communist past and the Vietnam war from there. But the museum closed and we were whisked to one of the larger shopping outlets in Hanoi. Note: shopping ain't my thing and it resembled another one of our centres in SG. Anw dinner time was the catch here as we ate right outside the shopping centre by the roadside. It's amazing to see office ladies and common folk huddled around by the roadside for a meal. And what's more amazing, the place was run by a Uncle Ho lookalike...this nice Vietnamese old man that settled us down before whipping up our meals

Goose pho....been a long time since I ate goose meat....Mmmmmm

I tried stacking stools to try to elevate the height so that I could reach my bowl. No success.....

This dessert is fantastic! Resembles like our cheng teng mixed in a cup!

Our friendly and helpful Vietnamese friends

Ended the night at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre. Found it enriching as I could roughly follow what the play was about. I don't understand why people would find this boring or fall asleep as it's just an hour long and there are various different acts in between that convey different meanings. For god's sake, read the brochure!!

The guys then decided to head over to club the night away. But being sceptical of the night scene in Vietnam, I decided to retire early. I was right. Not only did the clubs close by midnight (most Vietnamese, especially the girls, have a strict curfew), my friends ended up in Funky Monkey, some gay bar just round the corner of our hotel. Yep, a gay bar. Pass!

The next morning, Thao offered to take some of us on a motorbike ride around the place. The girls were clearly excited abt it as it was quite an experience to be weaving around the traffic in a bike.

The communal market. Bears some French influence in its design

Still remember the structure which I mentioned was present as a symbol on all the road signs in Hanoi? This is it.

Views around Hoan Kiem Lake. Hoan Kiem means "returned sword", and the name comes from a legend in which King Le Loi was given a magical sword by the gods, which he used to drive out the invading Chinese. Later, while boating on the lake, he encountered a giant turtle, who grabbed the sword and carried it down to its depths, returning it to the gods from whom it had come. This scene was re-enacted in the water puppet theatre too.

The turtle with the sword!

St Joseph Cathedral, suddenly feels like Europe all over again

One difference about the cathedral here and that in Europe is the window grilles. Over here, the grilles are patterned in a Chinese architectural fashion

Another interesting sight is seeing murals upon a backdrop of houses

The interior, while not as majestically decored as that in Europe, serves sufficiently for the mass services for the Catholics here

Sights along the Old Quarter in Hanoi

Plenty of cyclos carrying customers (pronounced sic lo)

Bought some water chesnuts from this lady

A busy and crazy traffic crossing we had to endure everytime for the past 2 days

And here ends a unique trip to Vietnam. Was particularly surprised and touched that our Vietnamese friends actually bought each one of us postcards. They certainly made the whole trip a lot more meaningful!

Say Haaaaaaloooooooong Bayyyyyyy!!

2009-06-03T15:13:00.021+08:00

I was fully anticipating for Halong Bay. I first saw it being featured in Lonely Planet Best in Asia documentary on TV. The dudes actually climbed one of the limestone formations without any gear and plunged straight into the water from a certain height. Damn I swore I would come here one day and I did. People come here for this, to catch the place where the dragon descends. Probably spotting the dragon is the equivalent to spotting the Loch Ness monster in Scotland. Anw the main catch of Halong Bay is the endless ever changing scenery dotted with limestone formations and other sports such as cave exploring, swimming, kayaking or the afore-mentioned rock-climbing.

Reached the harbour where we were greeted by our Vietnamese guide, a very cheerful man who led us to our junk boat. The harbour was literally packed with junk boats of different shapes and sizes. What better way to experience Halong Bay than sail in its waters in one of these boats. No this is Asia, so don't start thinking of yachts...

Our very own junk boat!

And off we sail!

The interior of the junk boat where we had our meals

Kinda disagree on the surcharge if we bring our own water outside. Heard there's even a fine for it if kena caught. Hence the sneaking back to my room to chug down my own bottled water

Lunch is served! The spring rolls are fantastic and the sauce is really something different. Rather enjoyed this simple home-cooked er...boat-cooked meal

First stop to the Dau Go Caves

The interior of the caves were illuminated with various coloured lightings. Stalactites and stalagmites abound, with various formations shaped in different ways possible, till the people have given them names such as Sleeping Dragon, Lion's Mane, Jellyfish, Lovers etc etc.

Forgot what they called this, but the sight of sunlight rays streaming through a huge open crevice was pretty awesome

Our Vietnamese guide had some cheeky idea for this. He called it "Mother's breast". We would like to think of it as resembling a close friend's NIPS!!!!! To the chem eng ppl reading this, think you all would know who. :p

View as we exited the coloured cave

OMG...it's a pretty long hike around the caves

And our journey continues...in search of the fishing village

This guy was fluent in Chinese and was showing us his fishy, erm fish collection

What are the guys looking at?

Apparently everyone was fascinated with disturbing the octopuses that started squirting black ink. They then happily fed live prawns to the huge catfish..buncha sadists!! :p

Boats packed with fruits

Headed on for the hidden cave in a smaller boat. Our guide told us that a scene from the James Bond movie "Tomorrow Never Dies" was filmed at this secret location. While I couldn't recall anything from that movie, I was starting to imagine Bond ducking through the cave with speedboats chasing him and probably getting smashed up in the process

A primary school for the children who live here

The dragon leads the way forward....on to our next location for the night...

The ever changing landscape as we sail further and view the limestone formations as mountains over the horizon

Used a pair of sunglasses to take this shot

A place to drop anchor for the night

And the chance to swim in the waters of Halong Bay. Our guide thought we could swim without life-vests, but being cautious, we grabbed the life-vests from the ship. And honestly they weren't really too reliable as mine came off the moment I dived in!

Sunset over Halong Bay. Gorgeous!

And a sumptuous dinner to end the night

Did you ever think we would let the octopuses go? We actually bought one from the fishing village and had it cooked. Mmmmm this is the result. Goes well with the spring roll sauce!

Spent the night chilling up on the deck of the boat as I watched the stars. While it ain't exactly clear cos it was pretty cloudy, I got a kick out of watching the stars shimmer and occasionally hide behind the clouds and then reappearing again. Kinda like the moment of quietness in the dark in the midst of the vast Halong Bay. Ended up chilling with our Vietnamese guide who also couldn't resist staring into the stars. Was kinda amused that he kept mentioning that we had lots of beautiful girls along on the trip though I kept digressing by mentioning that Vietnamese girls were pretty hot too. He disagreed. Anw, I retired early so that I could catch the sunrise. Unfortunately, was kinda let down by the sunrise cos it was rather cloudy and it was blocked by the limestone formations, but anw I tried to take some morning shots.

The moon beckons...

Early morning misty shots

Kayaking in the morning

Interestingly, caverns and secret caves are revealed during low tides, and we set ashore on one of these caverns in the limestone formations

This guy helped us to take a photo and was here for some DSLR action on his own by climbing all the way to the top

And this is it. We bade our farewells to the magnificent Halong Bay as our boat sailed back to Halong City. The past 2 days were a definite highlight of the trip.

Lunch back at a restaurant in Halong City. No...not this whole bottle of snake wine...

Well it's actually an assortment of lizards, birds, cobras.........

Ride back to Hanoi where we stopped over at souvenir shops. The Vietnamese displaying their hand-made craft

Very unique chess pieces..pity they don't come with the chess board

Dinner in Hanoi at one of the road-side stalls

Snail pho. Looks like soft chewy mushrooms. Have a very strong acquired taste to it. Even the soup has that same taste. Not exactly heavenly, but I was relishing the thought of eating the snail....mmmmMMM!! :)

Our Vietnamese friend, Thao, took us to this cafe with a rooftop terrace where we had the chance to taste Vietnamese coffee. Yeah the name of the cafe sounds pretty messed up. :p

The coffee's to the left, not the plant! It just seemed like an appropriate deco to it. Anw the bitter taste of the coffee was really strong, so I can't really comment much on it cos I don't like drinking coffee in the first place. Mentally takes a note to stockpile Trung coffee at the request of my coffee-loving aunt...

Ended the night with drinks from another cafe. Couldn't resist the urge to drink bubble tea!

First touch in Hanoi

2009-06-03T14:40:00.004+08:00

First impressions of Vietnam as I stepped out of the airport: lots of car-horning / motorbike horning that makes you really feel you are in SE Asia. We were quickly whizzed into a van where I was put in the front with the driver. From then on, it was a bit of a wonder seeing our driver hogging the centre of the huge lane and weaving through motorbikes. Over here, there ain't rules about sticking to your lanes. The driver was also proudly pointing out to me motorbikes where a family of 4 would ride on a bike.

We met a few Vietnamese friends who took us to the night market as it was only open on a Sunday night. However, I was a bit disappointed that the night market was on the verge of closing cos we reached rather late (10pm?!?) and for some reason, I have come to compare all night markets to that of the Taiwanese 夜市 (aka good food!!!) Sadly there wasn't much food around, it was more of people peddling their wares and our Vietnamese friends advised us not to eat there.

Fortunately, we were brought to a place near our hotel that had really good food. Intro the sticky rice or glutinous rice. While some of my peers did not really enjoy it, I thought it was rather flavourful and appetising.

Behold the sticky rice

And a chance to down Hanoi beer. It was surprisingly light and refreshing

Woke up next morning to slowly take in the sights of Hanoi while waiting for the transport to Halong Bay. Some sights along the way:

This nice lady gamely posed for the camera

2 things common in Vietnam. Motorbikes and more motorbikes. The second is actually the sight of people sitting on these very short stools by the roadside having their meals

A mess of wires cluttered in the Old Quarter

For now it's off to Halong Bay before re-visiting the city!

E3 Updates

2009-06-02T21:56:00.006+08:00

Came across some pretty cool content from the E3. The sequel for Left 4 Dead coming out just barely a year after the first was released with loads more stuff. Damn they should make more campaigns and maps though. As for Star Wars, let's just say it's one of the more cooler lightsaber fight scenes I have watched. The time of the Old Republic is certainly a new point of interest and a milking cash cow for LucasArts in time to come. Heck I mean there's a whole 3000 years worth of timeline between the Old Republic and the present movies to fill, so that's where the ideas will start running wild here. Personally I've always thought that the story from the Old Republic timeline from the videogames were very much detailed and well fleshed out as compared to the recent movie trilogy.

Mama says pray harder!

Axe chopper!

Taking the frying pan to a whole new level....ownage!!

Matrix style jedi fight. How come everything seems wayyyy cooler 3000 years ago?!?

I'm back!!!!!! Thoughts of Vietnam and Japan..

2009-06-01T16:55:00.008+08:00

A fabulous grad trip to 2 places: Vietnam and Japan. Honestly both trips were borne out of randomness. Vietnam because of a random mention of backpacking somewhere in SE Asia by a friend (ok...it did not turn out to be a backpacking experience but a guided tour with random ppl instead, nevertheless it was awesome all the same) and also because of a very unconfirmed FYP schedule in the summer sem. As for Japan, I turned down going to Japan at first due to that same unconfirmed schedule, only to have my decision reversed by a very tempting 500 bucks NWA air ticket and approval from my PG. Throw in a swine flu outbreak that erupted before the weekend when I was set to go to Japan and it's a load of "happenings" that took place in preparation for this grad trip. Nevertheless, I'm glad that I saw it through all the way.

Will be a bit of time b4 I actually blog about these places, so I'm just gonna list some memorable experiences about these places:

Vietnam
1) Random ppl on the tour who were really fun to be around with. And it's even more fabulous cos we had Vietnamese friends to take us around. Incredibly informative session when asking about the sights and the language barrier was broken down with the help of these friends. I'm pretty sure the girls did not mind when it came to bargaining!

2) The crazy weaving traffic of motor-cycles. A bit unsettling sitting in the front seat of the van and having to see vehicles coming head-on directly. Over in Vietnam, motorcycle is king! Oh and persistent horning too!

3) Short stools. Vietnamese sit on stools when they eat, and most do so by the roadside. So it's unsurprising to see office ladies, common folk and ppl from all walks of life sitting on this small stool, camping by the roadside eating. I was totally not used to sitting on the stool at all...need to stretch my legs abit. :p
Joining the masses of Vietnamese eating just by the roadside near this cross-junction is an experience by itself.

4) And speaking of eating: Pho (pronounced fur) is their noodles of choice here. Beef pho is kinda like the Vietnamese staple diet. Throw in snail pho. Hmmm...nice though it has a bit of an acquired taste to it. Mix in sticky rice, spring rolls with a different kinda sauce and Vietnamese desserts. Mmmmm...yummy!

5) Museums in Hanoi are a must cos it's the one way to be informed of the history and various ethnic minorities in Vietnam, which adds to the culture experience. A water puppet show is a must for this cultural experience.

6) Halong Bay. Top attraction. Nuff said. With an endless sea and countless limestone formations that dot the horizons, sailing through here on a junk boat means the feeling of getting lost at sea and getting to see an ever-changing landscape. Spend the night staring into the stars and it's like a night show with the stars appearing, shimmering and getting hidden behind the clouds. Swimming and kayaking here also tops it.

Japan
1) I always feel if you can navigate around the subway system in Tokyo, then you are very much able to conquer the rest of the subway systems in the world. And conquer we did, and survive the subway rush-hour too at times. But on the whole, I was rather pleased that we did not get too "hor lan". If all else fails, I find that 比手画脚 helps a heck lot here. you just have to think of creative ways to do it. (Sashimi madness at the Tsukiji market, trying to tell them I want to "da bao" or takeaway, punching in numbers into calculators, waving and pointing etc etc)

2) When 比手画脚 fails, have you ever had the feeling of getting "Lost in Translation"? I'm pretty sure everyone who comes to Japan would surely experience it at least once. And this is one of the more memorable experiences that would make it into my OMFG travel entry. Suffice to say, it was a pretty messed up day cos it was a simple form of miscommunication.

What happened was that we accidentally refunded this Suica card which was an EZ-link card and also used to store luggages. Our original intention was not to refund the card but to actually top up 500 yen into it, so I picked the calculator, pressed 0 to signal that the card had no value, den I pressed 500 yen to show that I wanted to top up an amount of 500 yen. Sounds simple? Apparently, the station attendant was so enlightened that he took our empty card, and refunded us 500 yen for the card! Now we have no card to retrieve our luggages and when we tried to explain to him that we wanted the card back, he kept flashing his "X" sign posture with a "dame ni" meaning "cannot!!!"

What happened next was a series of events leading to us leaving and entering the station multiple times until i think the officer there see us until sian liaoz, getting a lady to write a message in Japanese to communicate our intentions, and waiting for the very nice locker uncle to help us. We screwed their locker system btw...

The whole thing took 2 hours, screwed our plans for the day a little, so I officially term it the day we got SUICA-ed. Yet I was totally thoroughly amused about the whole experience though I was pretty sure my companions were pissed!

3) Rain rain go away! Half of the trip was rainy, though it happened more towards the end of the trip. So that means not getting the chance to see Mt Fuji and Owakudani in Hakone cos it was too cloudy and windy. Think that was very much the most bummer of all.

4) Nevertheless, thanks to the rain, the mood for onsen or hot spring was even more fulfilling. Imagine spending the day just nua-ing in a ryokan and soaking in the hot springs. Shiok!

5) Food! Japanese food = oishi! Fresh, cutely packaged, there's always something different in the corner. And the food here is not as MSG-laden compared to the Jap food in SG. A 60 bucks sashimi and sushi set in Tsukiji Market is one of the freshest you can get in the world. It's totally worth it, even if I got man-handled by the Jap auntie tending to the store when she was trying to get me to queue.

6) The accomodation in Tokyo (K House) was totally reminiscent of those in Europe. Budget backpacker hostel style that was very comfortable and not too expensive. Kyoto accomodation (Budget Inn) was very surprising as it was cheap and resembled a mini-ryokan, with services to try out the kimono for the girls. And of course, to top it all, a night at a ryokan.

7) Neon lights, the human traffic, huge LCD screens. It ain't Japan if you don't spend a night being immersed in the crowded streets in Japan. The weird, the cute, the fashion in Shibuya, the cosplay in Harajuku, the manga, the maids cosplay, the various schoolgirl manga content that seriously stems upon borderline pornography in Akihabara. Ya know what I mean....it's just Japan.

8) Peace and zen at Kyoto. Temples and shrines to fill our time. Fortunately we visited a few and the main interesting ones so that we were not templed / temple-fied / templed-fried out at the end of the trip. Plus: I have an incredibly gd lot at Kiyomizu temple. Er..from the god of love and "good matches"?!? Totally unexpected. Anw, geishas, maikos and a load of other Japanese cultural performances completes the Jap culture experience. Kyoto makes it up there as one of my favourites in Japan.

Off for grad trip!!

2009-05-10T00:41:00.002+08:00

My blog's gonna get a little quiet for a while as I embark on my grad trip to Vietnam and then Japan (fingers seriously crossed for Japan due to swine flu outbreak). So here's wishing all my friends a rollin' smokin' gd time with your grad trips and I suppose I will see most of you next month with plenty of stories to share! Cheers!

My exams are over!!!

2009-05-06T00:20:00.002+08:00

It's over. I can't quite believe it yet. The last exam paper taken in NUS, which probably marks the end of my undergraduate days. Although I'm not quite done with NUS yet as there's still a FYP to go, but that will be promptly settled and will keep me occupied until at least July. But beyond that, for the first time, feeling kinda lost continuity-wise. The world out there is vast and I'm not quite sure where I am headed or what lies ahead.

Sometimes also think our batch is quite suay. Graduating in a bad economic climate + swine flu? 2009 is certainly a year to remember.

FB Manners and You

2009-05-05T01:19:00.002+08:00

I kinda like this video as it really reflects alot on what FB is about. That plus the classic 1940s educational material approach that the video was filmed. Am personally guilty of mostly breaking rule number 2. Oops :p

Hi! I'm Tsunemi Kawashi

2009-05-01T17:08:00.003+08:00

Just put my first and last name into some random Japanese name generator and I got this: Tsunemi Kawashi or 川氏恒美 or 川氏常美. Wondering why there is a 美 in it...anw looks like I will have a new name to go by when in Japan! :)

Official Trailer Update

2009-05-01T17:06:00.001+08:00

Next anticipated trailer update. More kick-ass action!

HOMEY DEPOT!!!

2009-04-29T20:57:00.004+08:00

If you haven't already heard me screaming "Homey Depot", here's the reason y I'm doing it. Imagine having a good half of the exam paper with exact similar questions from the past year and all using the example of some company called Homey Depot...I mean who doesn't want to shout "HOMEY DEPOT" in the middle of the exam hall in glee? :p

Just one more paper to go!

Damn the flu

2009-04-27T16:42:00.002+08:00

This is bad.

New strain of killer flu = Swine flu = Close to pandemic

Close to pandemic = Economy jia lat
Close to pandemic = More people kena
Close to pandemic = Fast spread

Fast spread = Travel restrictions

Travel restrictions = Likely no grad trip

&*^& the flu!

Lucky

2009-04-25T16:50:00.003+08:00

The song "Lucky" by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat which my friend used to propose to his gf and I thought it was really sweet and nice. Plus: the MTV was filmed in Prague, instantly recognisable from the Old Town and the Tyn Church. Was there before and I totally agree it adds even more to that romantic European getaway feel the song brings about.

(Jason)
Do you hear me,
Im talking to you
Across the water across the deep blue ocean
Under the open sky, oh my, baby Im trying

(Colbie)
Boy I hear you in my dreams
I feel your whisper across the sea
I keep you with me in my heart
You make it easier when life gets hard

(Both)
Im lucky Im in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again
Ooohh, ooooh, oooh, oooh,
Oooh ooh ooh ooh

(Both)
They dont know how long it takes
Waiting for a love like this
Every time we say goodbye
I wish we had one more kiss
Ill wait for you I promise you, I will

(Both)
Im lucky Im in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again
Lucky were in love every way
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed
Lucky to be coming home someday

(Jason)
And so Im sailing through the sea
To an island where well meet
Youll hear the music fill the air
Ill put a flower in your hair

(Colbie)
Though the breezes through trees
Move so pretty youre all I see
As the world keeps spinning round
You hold me right here right now

(Both)
Im lucky Im in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again
Im lucky were in love every way
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed
Lucky to be coming home someday

Ooohh, ooooh, oooh, oooh,
Oooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooooh, ooooh, oooh, oooh,
Oooh, ooh, ooh, ooh.

Eat grass, eat meat

2009-04-24T14:44:00.003+08:00

An interesting article from ST about how men are classified as erm...herbivores and carnivores. Read on...

ECONOMISTS and population experts alike have reason to lament the rise of a new generation of young Japanese who are seemingly not terribly interested in love and marriage.

The dating rituals of such Japanese couples seem to lack the sparkle that one normally associates with young people in love.

A recent survey by the Research institute of Industry and Regional Economy, which is under the umbrella of the influential business daily Nikkei, found that over 60 per cent of Japanese below 30 years of age spent most of their dates at shopping centres and outlet malls, or in the homes of their boyfriend or girlfriend.

Many of these young men and women also go on dates wearing just the sort of clothes they would wear every day – stuff likely to have been purchased at one of the country’s ubiquitous low-cost casual outfitters.

For them, going on a special dinner date or a long drive into the countryside in a flashy automobile is also no longer considered the cool thing to do.

These young Japanese would rather just have a simple meal at home, one cooked in the microwave, and watch rented DVDs together.

Such behaviour alarms Japanese businesses.

If young Japanese couples increasingly stay away from fancy restaurants, do not buy clothes to impress their dates, give each other fewer presents, and give cinemas a miss, it means a major setback for personal consumption which in Japan is traditionally fuelled by younger consumers.

Other surveys have found that fewer young Japanese these days crave to have their own cars, a fact that spells trouble for Japanese carmakers.

The country’s birth rate – already a major headache for national planners – will also suffer.

If the dating behaviour of young Japanese is not much different that that of married couples, singles are likely to see little merit or attraction in taking that final plunge.

A decrease in marriages simply means that fewer babies will be born in Japan.

Unlike many European countries where increasingly babies are being born out of wedlock, most Japanese babies today are still being born only to wedded couples.

A lot of the blame for the decrease in the number of marriages in Japan has been put on the modern Japanese male.
In 2006, columnist Maki Fukasawa coined the moniker “grass-eating male” (“soushokudanshi”), in a series of articles about marketing products to men under-35, to describe today's young Japanese male.

“Grass-eaters”, or herbivorous males, will happily graze alongside their female companions and are not given to forming deeper relationships. In contrast, “meat-eaters”, or carnivorous males, home in on their prey.

The term “grass-eating male” has gained wide usage in Japan during the past year, as a result of which the definition of what constitutes a “grass-eating male” has also grown.

It is generally agreed that “grass-eaters” do not see women as sex objects; they are gentle in their relationship with the fair sex; they prefer to be indoors rather than outdoors; and they tend to be delicate by nature.

“Grass-eaters” are also said to be not terribly positive in their attitude towards love or sex, and are more interested in fashion or their own hobbies rather than falling in love.

Moreover, the “grass-eating male” is likely to have a sweet tooth and an ardent interest in food.

It is not unreasonable to suppose that the “grass-eating male” may not be confined to Japanese society.

“Grass-eating males” are also likely to exist in other modern societies where equality between the sexes is regarded as a matter of course.

So ladies, if your boyfriend exhibits some of the traits described above such as being gentle and a foodie, he may well be one of Ms Maki’s “grass-eaters”.

Jia lat sia...Singapore being a foodie paradise..does it mean most Singaporean guys here "chiak chow"? Hmmmm.......what about being an omnivore? Best of both worlds!!

Spidey sighting

2009-04-23T15:53:00.004+08:00

LOL! I think the whole mugging world just went mad during this exam period...

Possible SGs

2009-04-21T21:26:00.002+08:00

I read this article from Channel News Asia with great interest. What would possibly happen to Singapore, the PAP and what the political climate will stand for down the road when the MAN is no longer around.

Possible Singapores, beyond Lee Kuan Yew

SINGAPORE: A People’s Action Party (PAP) split by internal schisms. Future leaders bereft of the "huge political legitimacy" that could be gained from endorsement by the man with unmatched moral and historical authority. These are some of the leadership fates that could befall a post—Lee Kuan Yew Singapore, as hotelier Ho Kwon Ping sees it.

And such "imponderable" scenarios could help explain why a "system of elders" is now taking shape in the political landscape.

"Perhaps it is to restrain factionalism, arbitrate disagreements, groom and assess future leaders, that the positions of senior minister and minister mentor have been institutionalised," said Mr Ho, who feels the PAP’s "extraordinary cohesion" over five decades has owed much to "the forceful personality of Lee Kuan Yew".

Mr Ho, who is also MediaCorp chairman, was speaking on Monday alongside Professor Kishore Mahbubani at a seminar organised by Nanyang Technological University’s Asian Journalism Fellowship programme. The topic? "Singapore Beyond Lee Kuan Yew: Institutionalising the Singapore Way".

Of this future, Prof Mahbubani, who Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, would not rule out a "significant reversal" of Mr Lee’s legacy, or the rise of a stronger Opposition usurping the one dominant party system — though he gave each scenario only a "one—sixth probability".

While a "smooth and seamless transition" was a two—thirds likelihood, Prof Mahbubani harked back to the words of former Deputy Prime Minister Goh Keng Swee, after the PAP’s long monopoly of parliament was broken in 1981. "As (Dr Goh) has wisely told us, failure happens when we fail to consider the possibility of failure."

So, for instance in the unlikely event of a strong opposition arising, would Mr Lee’s legacy be weakened? In fact, the "sharper political debates" arising could make Singaporeans more aware of the "precious political legacy they have enjoyed", said Prof Mahbabuni.

On the other hand, as has happened in South Korea and Taiwan, it could also lead to the old legacies being quickly lost and forgotten by the new generation. "I am frequently shocked when I meet younger Singaporeans who have never heard of Dr Goh," he said.

Both speakers were not alone in expressing uncertainty over how Singapore’s future, sans Mr Lee, would play out. During the Q&A session, which was off—the—record, the audience raised concerns such as how the country would be deprived of its most astute and influential critic — and whether Mr Lee’s legacy, or indeed Singapore, could unravel.

While Mr Lee’s retirement would "create a huge political vacuum", Prof Mahbubani believes Singapore has "done a lot" to protect his legacy, such as instilling a deep culture of meritocracy and incorruptibility.

And Mr Ho had no doubts Singaporeans could "muddle their way through", even if the PAP’s leadership renewal "fails to deliver what it has done for the past 50 years".

Mr Lee’s greatest legacy, he said, "is that the Singapore which he so passionately shaped will outlive not only him, but even his own party, should that ever come to pass".

The reason: In his single most critical imperative — nation building — Mr Lee has largely succeeded, said Mr Ho, who has found young Singaporeans to own a strong sense of involvement and ownership in the country, contrary to stereotype.

"Equally contrary to some people’s wishful thinking, there is not likely to be dramatic, broad—brush social or political liberalisation," said Mr Ho. "This is not a pent up society waiting for the demise of the strongman in order to overturn highly unpopular laws."

Rather, the government has the support of the politically—vital heartland in its pragmatic, incremental approach to change, even as it responds to tomorrow’s generation, he said.

SC2 - Some commentary

2009-04-21T16:03:00.003+08:00

Not really a fan of Starcraft, but I remember it as one of the games that my sec. sch classmates went crazy over. Who could ever forget the times when we had a computer lab for our classroom, and after lessons most of the class was hooked up to the game, XK the pro gamer, WW and ZY screaming "zergling rush!" while others were curious spectators egging the battle on. The comp lab was practically our safe haven.

Anw just kinda amazed that the gaming commentaries nowadays are pretty good and quite similar to those football commentaries. Actually makes a match more worth watching. Heck...I hear that in Korea, Starcraft matches are also broadcast onto the stadium screens complete with commentaries and fans at the stadium. That's how serious these players are.

Push that button!

2009-04-21T00:29:00.002+08:00

Kinda hooked to this Mousehunt Facebook game going on right now. It's basically a game where you set up a trap, bait it with cheese to catch mice and sound the horn (aka push the button) every 15 min. Doesn't require much thinking and it's more of a "push the button" and wait kinda thing for the results of the catch. The prob: I seem to find myself itching to press the button every 15 min to see what happens...very much like Locke in the TV drama Lost. Except he pushes the button as he thinks it will save the world. I push it to rid the world of another virtual mice. Yeahh!!

Some random vid from Lost on pushing the button

TF2 April Update

2009-04-19T15:40:00.001+08:00

Awwww.....poor Bumblebee!! And the gal is still hot as ever! More robot action this time! Enjoy!

After design.........

2009-04-17T17:06:00.003+08:00

How cool is it to actually see your lecturer look-alike pubbing at the Pump Room on a Thursday evening when Design is over? This guy is HIP!!

I'm FREEE!!!!!

2009-04-17T16:58:00.003+08:00

Design 2 ==> officially over
IPPT ======> passed after 4 years (over to Cat Y now)
RT ========> no more going back to Maju for quite a while....
Running ===> still have to improve...
Exams =====> 2 more to go!!
FYP =======> it's gonna be one final obstacle to graduation...can be cleared

Trips =====> Vietnam and Japan here I come!!!

Final week

2009-04-15T00:05:00.003+08:00

Last day of official lessons in school. Late for class, got screwed over by some exchange student, screwed the quiz. Finished Design (Yaaaay!!!) after nights of camping E5 till 11pm. What a way to end my Uni life!

16th April = D-Day

2009-04-13T00:12:00.002+08:00

Come this Thursday I will be truly liberated!! Operation D-Day to commence. I shall be freed from Design and RT!!! I must be freed!!!!

Like fish-sticks?

2009-04-11T18:58:00.002+08:00

The recent South Park episode was pure classic! All it takes is a joke, Cartman's huge-ass ego and making fun of Kanye West. Throw in a killer song at the end and that's crazy! As for the joke, if you get it, you get it...if you don't, you just don't!!

The joke goes like this:
A: Do you like fishsticks?
B: Yes.
A: Do you like putting fish dicks in your mouth?
B: Yes.
A: What are you, a gay fish?

And presenting The Gay Fish Song!

I've been so lonely girl
I've been so sad and down
couldnt no understand why haters joked around
i wannted to be free without the creatures like me
and now i got my wish
cause I know that I'm a gay fish

gay fish
gay fish ,yo
motherfucking gay fish
I'm a fish, yo
going on a gay fate
its alright, girl
making love to other gay fish

all those lonely nights at the grocery store
in the frozen fish-outfit and like a whore
cause i wasnt be a true and so everyone said
that I had to make a switch (gay fish)
Know I know that I'm a gay fish (gay fish)

gay fish
gay fish ,yo
motherfucking gay fish
ah, I'm a fish, yo
going on a gay fish
now where I belong, girl
making love to other gay fish

I used to be scared denying who I was
acting straight, but then going out to the gay fish-clubs
dancing with the marlins making out with all the snappers
I take a salmon home and work that cuttle-fin for hours
But now I'm out and I'm free to love what I want
Being yellowfin, or bass or damn trout in vermont
I slapped that hauling ass make that groper-butt shake
I'll come to your house and have an orgy in your motherfucking fishtank

fatherfucking gay fish
ah, I'm a fish, yo
going on a gay fish
ish, now where I belong, girl
making love to other gay fish

I really get around I'm a slut of the sea
when I say I've got crabs I mean it literaly
I was eating dinner it just had to go down
on that nacre on the dish
cause I'm the gayest till the gay fish

gay fish
motherfucking gay fish
ah, I'm a fish, yo
going on a gay fish
ish, now where I belong, girl

But I got to settle down I cant be a whore
I aint go to just sleep with any fish no more
I found me a lover, a brother whos a across dressing pike, named trish
and together we are gay fish

gay fish
gay fish ,yo
motherfucking gay fish
ah, I'm a fish, yo
going on a gay fish
now where I belong, girl
making love to other gay fish

Why are we in school on a public holiday!?!?

2009-04-11T00:37:00.003+08:00

This is just to show that on a public holiday and a oh-not-so-Good Friday, there's life for chem engineers in NUS in this little cramped place known as E5. Worked my butt off till 11pm...

Week 12 ice cream break

2009-04-08T23:03:00.004+08:00

Week 12 meet-ups and birthday celebrations. Plus the last lecture for finance. Possibly last lecture in NUS? Who knows..times flies...heck....on to the ice cream then to design 2!

Ben and Jerry's Merlionster and 12 scoops of gluttony!

Satisfied Ben and Jerry troopers except for sleepy PY...lol