random pieces of information

Soybeans represent the US’ single-biggest export to China: $9.19 billion in 2009, topping the combined value of semiconductors and plastic materials, U.S. data show. (Source: I’ve forgotten)

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In America, one might call one’s professor “Professor So-and-so” in the beginning, but as the relationship grows closer, one might start using the Professor’s first name. (Source: My Japanese textbook)

(I didn’t know that!)

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All blue-eyed people are mutants. The first blue-eyed human only appeared about 5,000 years ago. (Source: QIkipedia)

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China has 446 million pigs – more than the next 43 pork-producing countries combined – and consumes half of the world’s pork each year.

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Night shots with the Canon Powershot S95

Can I express how happy I am with my Canon Powershot S95?

Apart from the fact that it has some awesome effects (check out more photos here), it is absolutely great for taking night shots if you’re like me – lazy to bring a tripod, too clueless to operate manual settings and too weak to carry around a big bulky camera.

For example - Munich’s Glockenspiel in winter when it was already nearly dark:

This was when it was already pitch-black:

See how beautifully the camera catches the available light from the surroundings?

Or take the Berlin Bundestag at night, taken with only my hands held up in front of my face:

Berlin, by the way, is a very poorly lit city. To give an idea – below you see just one dim (trust me, it was) street lamp; there are no others nearby. Yet the camera is able to pull out what little available light there is to brighten the entire image. And with so little noise as well!

Yayoiken, Singapore

I was happy when I saw Yayoiken the other day at the basement of Liang Court outside Medi-ya, as there was one branch near where I lived in Osaka – I would go there occasionally when I didn’t feel like cooking, wanted some rice and didn’t want a combini or supermarket bento.

And when I saw the prices, I got really excited as their fish items were way cheaper than that of Otoya’s (which is actually cheap in Japan; cheaper than Yayoiken).

I returned on Thursday and was surprised to find myself needing to queue for a table at 7pm. Seems like word spreads fast – who the hell goes to Liang Court? – and that Singaporeans really love their Japanese food.

We ordered the Tonkatsu set and Saba Miso set, both of which I didn’t try:

I had the Miso Katsu set ($13.90) – I loved the runny egg yolk and the potatoes - which had the nice ‘skin’ you get on the surface of potatoes when they’re roasted right. The miso wasn’t too salty and was good with rice, although the spinach did look a bit pathetic.

We also ordered a Saba Shio Yaki (ala carte $6.90, set $9.90). To me, an indication of whether a Japanese place is good is if they can grill their saba to perfection – moist and juicy meat (not dry like so many Japanese restaurants here, e.g Shinkushiya), crisp skin and just the right amount of saltiness. Yayoiken had good saba in Japan, and it’s just as good in Singapore. 

At only $9.90 for the set, the saba at Yayoiken is half the price of that at Otoya – a very good deal. Granted, the saba at Otoya is of higher quality (oilier and more tender flesh) but there’s absolutely nothing to complain about Yayoiken’s saba – it’s good on the tastebuds and good on the wallet.

Japanese family restaurants like Otoya and Yayoiken are meant to provide hearty, wholesome meals at a low cost and with minimal fuss anyway, so Yayoiken gives exactly that feel. In fact, it kinda reminds me of how it used to be like eating there in Japan, so that’s a plus for me – Otoya didn’t exist in Kansai :)

‘ HK citizen’ identity strongest in 10 years

From today's South China Morning Post. I found this significant, as despite increasing economic integration I think HK is still quite different from China. That and the fact that I was once rebutted, with the other party saying that Hongkongers increasingly view themselves as being PRC-Chinese.

Despite increasing economic integration, locals are viewing themselves more strongly as Hongkongers rather than Chinese citizens than at any time in the past decade, a survey has found.

The poll asked 1,016 city residents to rank the strength of their feelings as “Hong Kong citizens” on a scale from zero to 10, and found an average rating of 8.23 points, a 10- year high.

Asked the same question about their identity as “Chinese citizens”, the average rating was 7.01 points, a 12- year low. The poll was conducted from December 12- 20.

The University of Hong Kong’s public opinion programme has conducted such surveys from time to time since the 1997 handover.

Dr Robert Chung Ting- yiu, the programme’s director, said: “This [ trend] is contrary to the [ direction of] China’s economic development in recent years, so it must be due to factors beyond economic development.” But he stopped short of speculating about the reasons behind the fluctuations in these figures.

The pollsters combined all the survey results into an identity index on a scale from zero to 100. City residents’ strongest feelings of identity are as “Hong Kong citizens”, at 79.1 points, followed by “members of the Chinese race” at 72.5 points.

Then came “Asians”, at 72.1 points; “Chinese citizens”, at 67.9 points; “global citizens”, at 67 points; and finally “citizens of the People’s Republic of China”, at 61.1 points.

“The feeling of being ‘ citizens of the PRC’ was the weakest among all identities tested,” Chung said.

Dr Leung Hon- chu, principal lecturer at Baptist University’s sociology department, said some recent issues might have discouraged Hongkongers from identifying themselves as Chinese citizens.

He cited the vote- rigging scandal following Hong Kong’s recent district council
elections, allegedly linked to the central government’s influence in local affairs; and Beijing’s crackdown on dissidents such as artist- activist Ai Weiwei. The controversial security arrangements during Vice- Premier Li Keqiang’s visit in August could also have affected Hongkongers’ impressions of the mainland, he said.

“The sense of identity is not determined by the economic growth [ of a place]. Rather, it is related to whether they feel engaged in or contributing to the development [ of society as a whole],” Leung said.

“The narrowing of the difference between Hong Kong and the mainland in the political and cultural arenas may prompt fear among locals that democracy and human rights, honoured in the city, could be weakened,” he added.

Political scientist Dr James Sung Lap- kung said the weakening local sense of a “Chinese citizen” identity could be tied to a wide range of factors to do with China’s diplomatic relations as well as social and economic developments.

The recent Wukan protest over confiscated farmland, and demonstrations over a proposed power plant in Haimen , Guangdong, could have affected Hongkongers, Sung said. The small- circle chief executive election might also weaken people’s sense of engagement, making them believe Beijing was exerting its influence over the city, he said.

Moving back…

My first post on my Tumblr was on 25th October – exactly 2 months later, I’m sort of moving back here.

The 2 months seemed like way longer actually – there’ve been lots of posts, and many things have happened between then and now. I didn’t expect it to be so short-lived either, although to be fair I’m not abandoning Tumblr totally. Tumblr is great for pictures, and there are people out there who post awesome stuff – I’m following them, and will continue to do so.

Unfortunately, while Tumblr has great design and some good features – I especially like the “post to Twitter” function - there are a few fundamental aspects about Tumblr which are lacking. First, I can’t even search among my posts. Searching based on the post content doesn’t work, while searching among the tags gives me ALL the posts by everyone with those tags. There’s no way to limit the search at all. Second, Tumblr is so exclusive and people have to join Tumblr before any form of interaction can take place – even then, it’s limited to ‘liking’ and ‘reblogging’. What happened to the very simple option of commenting on something? Third, there’s a throve of information on Tumblr, which isn’t really picked up by search engines – which is a pity cos there’s some great stuff out there.

For all those reasons, I think I’m moving back here. I’ll continue to post pictures etc on Tumblr, but I think I’ll do longer posts here. We shall see, at any rate! 

My new pad

I have since moved here – do check it out.

I’m not sure what prompted the move actually. Perhaps it was just boredom that led me to explore Tumblr and set up a new page, but I’m finding it pretty fun to use and it makes my lousy pictures look not-too-bad.

Perhaps I will return to blog here at some point in time, but in the meantime, visit me on my Tumblr.

Sadness is...

Discovering that your normal workday on good days already clocks 9hrs;

Realising that your hourly wage is downright pathetic;

Suffering from chronic lack of sufficient sleep, tired eyes and frequent headaches frm working 10 or more hrs a day;

Realising that you have lost your love for food and satisfaction from eating due to stress and the need to weight watch (as it affects your ability to dance);

Knowing that the brief reprieve in Germany you're looking forward to will only end - all too soon - in more separation for months to come;

Bracing yourself to hang in there till Fri when the event is over, then hang in there till post-event work is completed, then hang in there till the performance (which you tried but failed to get out of) in end Nov, then hang in there till JLPT in early Dec, then hang in there till ballet exams next April.

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Burst bubbles and pretty shoes

I narrated the previous story of being mistaken to be in my teens, and was told:

“Sorry to burst your bubble, but since all the girls in the class are young they’ll naturally think you’re as young as they are too.”

Point taken, but I question the sincerity of the first word. Besides, why say it at all, knowing full well that your hand wields the needle?

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Anyway, my new Grishko shoes have arrived:

They’re really gorgeous, and so far they look fantastic on the feet and feel pretty good too – the initial impression is that they’re better than my Chacott, which are considered “branded shoes” (as expected from what’s sold in Japan).

The shoes may be pro, but unfortunately the wearer is not!

more test shots

So, apparently this girl in my ballet class thinks I look like i’m in my teens (wow), thinks I look younger than she does, and am at most of poly age serving my attachment – hence her question the other day, as to why I was dressed like an OL (which I am).

(^_^)V

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I took a few more shots at Sushi Tei the other day. I think my camera does work rather well in low light.

This was our order of sashimi:

And the soft-shell crab maki with spicy floss:

I also really like this shot of the flame from the solid fuel – I heeded the suggestion to try it at a slower shutter speed of 1. The background gives a fairly accurate depiction of how dark the place was – there was only 1 lamp above us proving the light which you see against the table top.

I was also given this bookmark – can discern several meanings from it :)

Uniqlo + some test shots

I learned today that Uniqlo was really uncool about 10 years ago – not that Uniqlo is cool by any stretch, but it’s perfectly acceptable to wear the brand (and it’s great for basics), unlike in the past where people would be ashamed to admit that they’re wearing something from there.

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In other news, I recently purchased a Canon Powershot s95. I’d decided that my old camera doesn’t quite cut it, and since I’ll never get a DSLR or one of those close-to-DSLR cameras (like the Canon G12 or Olympus Pen E-PL2) I should just get something that’s a higher-end point and shoot.

I’m not sure I like the results of the camera so far though, as the shots seem kinda blurry and grainy in general.

This one was taken with a “nostalgic effect”, which gave the picture a sepia tint – the longnan seeds are sharpish, but the rest are all grainy and blur:

These are just some new shoes I bought – I’m done with cheap shoes from Mitju which fall apart after just a few wears. I think this was on the auto setting, for which I can’t select even the “macro” focus (the flower icon):

Similarly, I took this on the auto setting. All things considered it probably turned out pretty well, as this corner of my room is rather dark. By the way, I’m looking to give away the entire set of the Wimpy Kid books, so let me know if you’re interested in having them.

This was taken using the “vivid colours” setting, although the effect is quite close to what the actual colours were if seen with the human eye. For this setting, the “macro” option is not available either (i.e. auto focus) – the focal area is sharp, but I’m not sure I like the blurring to the sides. Is that even normal?

Thoughts, anyone?

Trivia–Do you know any Viking words?

the world's greatest irony?

So said (what I think is probably) the longest ruling dictator:

"Power does not interest me. After victory I want to go back to my village and just be a lawyer again. - FIDEL CASTRO, 1957"

Thanks to @qikipedia

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search words

i can’t believe people found my JET blog by searching for “13 inch dildos” and “11 inch dildos” and “fist dildos” or “okinawa sex shops” or even “sex shop in sg” – WTH?

All resulting from the one post I made about this shop we walked into in Akihabara. Wow. I’ve never encountered such search terms before, and all were within the past few days – wonder what Google had been doing to give such hits!

Anyways, here’s a cute picture – stole it off someone’s facebook, so can’t credit the actual artist:

I wish I were a happy bunny

Chilling along the Singapore River.

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Grouses

Yesterday was the second time a taxi driver conveniently rounded UP the fare. I don't know why he did it, it's unacceptable! If you don't have change, at least tell me right?

The driver was a little annoying too. I got on at Robertson Quay and he asked if I came from a party at Frasers. Er... the way I was dressed, with laptop in tow? Must be some really uncool party.

Next he asked me what my job was. And that led to question after probing question, despite my obviously evasive answers. He stopped asking about my job after a while - thank goodness for smart phones you can absorb yourself in - but still made some lame attempts at chatting after that. Urgh.

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In other news, I'm swearing off buying clothes online.The latest item just arrived, and it's disappointing cos it looks nothing like what it did on the model, even after factoring in the differences in our figures. The cut isnt the same!

There's also always something lacking in the material quality in the things bought from local online shops - usually it's a little too thin, which I don't appreciate in work clothes. Even worse is that there's something not right about the cut of the clothes - I'd rather spend more on an item I can try on in the shops that fits perfectly. After all, there's no point wearing something unless it makes you look good rite?

ASOS however has some nice stuff. I've been complimented on clothes I've bought from there, and on things I've purchased in person, but not on things from local online shops. I think that's clear indication enough that I should stop buying!

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Finally, just a comment on Straits Times.

Why does our local newspaper insist on restricting full articles to members only, when there are internationally renowned (a category which Straits Times certainly doesn't fall into) newspapers with free, unrestricted access to their articles for at least 3 days?

What is the rationale for restricting access to the full online article, and what does doing so achieve?

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Going against the mainstream

The real question is: do you seek to influence others with your strong opinion, or do you impose your will upon others?

That was the (paraphrased) question I was asked today.

I certainly hope I don’t impose my will upon others; even if I did, i think it’ll be hard to do so, as some of my views are quite different from mainstream opinion on things.

In fact, I think it’s precisely because my views are different that they sometimes come across as being more forceful than if they were echoing the commonly held perception. Compare for example the following:

• Mainstream: I think it makes absolute sense that a man should pay 3-months salary to buy a diamond ring for me. How else is he to prove his sincerity in wanting to marry me, and how can I show off to my friends without a big rock?
• Mine: I think it makes no sense whatsoever to bankrupt the man whose finances you will soon share. Also, if you need to be given a rock before you’ll marry a man, it means that you don’t really want to marry him in the first place.

Also,

• Mainstream: The gate-crashing part of a wedding is the best part! It’s so much fun and we girls should think of the most gruelling and embarrassing activities to put the guys through. Way to go girls!
• Mine: The gate-crashing part of a wedding is a waste of time, energy and resources and should be scrapped altogether. Torturing your man and his friends serves no purpose, more so because you don’t get to witness the activities first-hand.

I think the views put forth are equally emphatic – but i’m quite sure mine are more ‘shocking’ and evoke a larger response than the mainstream ones do (ludicrous as they may be).

I think that part of the reason why I’m tend to assert my alternative opinion is because I don’t see why the mainstream view should be accepted as the natural norm. Why should that be the case?  Certain things don’t make sense, yet sometimes people subscribe to them because everyone else does so too and not doing so means you may be left out, or viewed as being different from others, or unable to compare yourself with others and/or outdo them. It’s the whole keeping up with the Joneses mentality that gets to me - because others do it therefore I should, otherwise I will lose out.

Also, I guess I’m used to the idea of debate, of people voicing their opinions in forceful manner to persuade, convince and most importantly to share ideas and arguments. It’s only through the exposure to alternative points of view that one’s intellect can be sharpened and thoughts refined. Discussion with others who think differently inspire you to think from different angles yourself; you benefit from the process.

Of course, I think there’s also the semi-conscious desire to convert others to my point of view, so that common practices or views which I disagree with or disapprove of will become less common. Haha!

At the same time, it’s also always interesting to have Singaporeans tell me that I’m assertive or opinionated. None of the JETs I was with ever thought to label me as such, simply because there’re people in their home countries who are far more assertive and opinionated than I am, and far more aggressive than I ever will be – in fact, it doesn’t even cross their minds to describe me as “aggressive”, because to them i’m not at all. My assertiveness also paled in comparison two of the other girls who were there.

So back to the question that I’ve asked myself before – why do people’s opinion of me differ so much when i’m viewed against Western societies as compared to when I’m viewed in the context of Singapore’s society?

Pet Peeves

1. Body odour, especially on the train or bus.
2. People who emit sound from their electronic devices or headphones in public.
3. People who don't moderate their volume depending on how noisy their surroundings are.
4. Having my path blocked by slow-moving pple who think they own the road.
5. People who don't move towards the centre of the train.

To be continued...

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My foreign brand wishlist

The opening of H&M prompted Straits Times to run a feature on some of the foreign brands people wished to see in Singapore.

Here are some I’ve come up with offhand:

1. Krispy Kreme – I never fail to buy donuts whenever I spot a store because, for some unfathomable reason, Singapore doesn’t have them yet.
2. Loft – Have this store and you’ll never run out of interesting gift ideas or be short of small trinkets to purchase. Loft stocks nearly everything including furniture, electronics, stationery, party costumes and food. Found only in Japan, and their website is here.
3. La Duree – If you love chewy macarons, this is THE place to get them. It’s arguably the best macaron patisserie in France – those who prefer their macarons bland without the chewiness would probably prefer Pierre Herme instead.
4. Afternoon Tea – It sells pretty and tasteful lifestyle products, as well as a selection of consumables. Certain outlets have a tea room too, which I think will work very well in Singapore. Visit their website here.

Odeon Towers and the Pinnacle@Duxton

My dad brought us out to Hanabi Japanese Restaurant at Odeon Towers one weekend for their Japanese buffet. He had bought a voucher which gave us some discount, but even then the buffet still wasn’t worth it as the food wasn’t that great.

I liked the view there however:

I went exploring Duxton and the Pinnacle@Duxton after that. I think the fun part was getting there, as there were some interesting sights:

There was even a sign for a martial arts school, but the school doesn’t seem to be there anymore:

I think the Pinnacle@Duxton makes a really nice view from the Duxton park area:

Visitors who are approaching it from the Chinatown side must be prepared to walk though, as it took me a really long time to reach the end of the estate where the public entrance is. That my ankle hadn’t fully recovered then made things worse I think.

It’s peaceful once you reach the top though. The view of the cranes, while not the most beautiful sight to behold, was quite superb. The below picture, especially, illustrated the sheer number of containers our port deals with.

Singapore has so many tall buildings:

But what I liked were the “themes” that each block had, and the accompanying props to the theme:

The blocks itself are pretty cool:

some trivia

This blog is so dead, mainly because things have been really busy for the past two and a half weeks. Unfortunately now is only the mid-point in this marathon – I will have to get through next week’s trip and write up my report within a week after I return. Sigh!

Anyway, here’s some trivia.

Did you know that ComfortDelGro runs 13% of London’s bus network? According to Monocle (which is an amazing magazine), ComfortDelGro is one of the world’s biggest transport companies – they have 46,000 vehicles! Their buses are in Australia, Ireland and Scotland, while their taxis are in Aberdeen, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Ho Chi Minh City and Liverpool. Their taxis are also in China, and they are even the 3rd largest taxi operator in Beijing!

       

 

Speaking of China, although the water usage per capita is only 20% of the global average, 660 cities in China suffer from water shortage, with 110 of the cities having severe water shortages.

Everyone also knows about China’s sizable investments and interest in Africa. Did you know that China convinced the African countries in which it invests heavily to close down the Taiwanese embassies they were hosting?

Did you also know that for every 1% increase in GDP, 1.03% of energy is expanded, and whenever an urban population grows by 1%, 2.2% more energy is consumed? Our growth comes at a sizable cost to the environment.

How much energy do you think Singapore consumed for all these?