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: