The no brand blog

Summation of the year...

2009-12-29T16:55:00.000+08:00

http://www.dilbert.com/fast/2009-12-24/

Very apt :D

日本料理...更新一

2009-12-26T01:56:00.004+08:00

Tried 2 new Ramen shops recently, one curry shop, and two new dishes from Asabu Zabo!

Menya Kaiko @ ION B4 has a "localized" broth version which is lighter and the original Hokkaido broth version which is thicker and saltier. I tried their original flavor and it was pretty ok. Could not finish the broth that day, tummy condition not too good maybe. The chef is friendly though, and that adds to the factor for me visiting again one day.

Ippudou @ Mandarin Gallery is tasty. I've only tried their basic Tonkotsu Ramen (Shiromaru), next to try their Tonkotsu Miso Ramen (Akamaru). The only grouse I have is that their Cya-syuu portion, delicious though they are, is tiny. This shop is the second shop in Singapore that I know serves Kaedama (noodle top-up). This shop is now my favorite Tonkostu Ramen (Kyusyuu style) shop.

I can't remember the name of the curry shop, but it is also at ION B4, close to Menya Kaiko. This is good Japanese Curry. It is spicy (not hot), and very dark. The serving (economy size) was quite filling for me. Their Katsu was also pretty well done. Worth more visits.

As for Asabu Zabo, I tried their Miso Ramen + Seafood Curry lunch set. Verdict: disappointing. The noodle tasted like instant noodle (although broth was ok). As for their curry... well let's just say I can cook up a better one using instant curry pack. I'll only order the Tenpura Don and Desert from this shop. Their service is excellent though, and that I like. Also, green tea is free.

Future Targets:
Aoba (ION) - I think the chef already returned to Japan :3
Noodle House Ken (Cuppage)
Menya Shinchan (Robertson Quay)
Tanpopo (Liang Court/Takashimaya)
Ohsho (Cuppage) - although I heard their Cyahan is better than the ramen...
Ichiban Tei (Liang Court)

My current favorite ranking:
Noodle overall: Marutama
Tonkotsu Miso (Hokkaido): Bishamon
Tonkotsu Syoyuu (Hokkaido): Baiohken
Tonkotsu (Kyusyuu): Ippudo (更新！)
Chasyuu: Baiohken
Gyouza: Miharu (only tried at few shops)

CPF un-Life...

2009-09-22T14:39:00.002+08:00

Found an interesting link about the incoming CPF annuity scheme.

On CPF Life

It seems that the scheme by itself is pretty good, but the caveats completely negates the advantages.

日本料理... 爆発だ！

2009-08-04T12:59:00.004+08:00

Since October last year, I've decided to go out and try out more Japanese Restaurants in Singapore. Coincidentally, there is an ongoing boom in Japanese Restaurants. Within the past half a year or so, there should be at least 50 new restaurants that had opened. Personally, I think I have tried about 50 restaurants myself.

Today's recall.
Ramen category:

Miharu (Gallery Hotel) - Hokkaido ramen: Tokusei (special) Tonkotsu Miso & Tonkotsu Miso flavors
Ichiban Tei (Robertson Quay) - Hokkaido ramen: Tonkotsu Miso flavor
Marutama (Central) - No idea (chicken based soup): Basic, Karashi, & Tokusen Aka (red) flavor
Santouka (Central) - Hokkaido [Asahikawa] ramen: Tonkotsu Kara (hot) Miso flavor
Bishamon (Bugis Junction) - Hokkaido ramen: Tokusei (special) Tonkotsu Miso flavor
Yoshimaru (Holland Village) - Kyuusyu ramen: Tonkotsu flavor
Baiohken (North Canal) - Hokkaido [Asahikawa] ramen: Syoyuu flavor + extra Chasyuu
Menya Manpei (Iluma) - Hokkaido ramen: Tonkotsu Miso flavor

Notice that most ramen shops in Singapore are of the Hokkaido version. I wonder why this is so. While it is true that Hokkaido is Ramen Country, I would have thought that ramen from warmer parts of Japan would be more of more easy sell to tropical tounges.

Future targets:

Shigemi Kawahara is better known in Japan as the King of Ramen: the restaurateur and chef is the only person to have won, three times in a row, a nation-wide competition testing the skills of ramen experts.

Singapore, April 18, 2009

Ippudo (Mandarin Gallery) - to open in October
Menya Kaiko (ION) - hope chef sticks around
Aoba (ION) - before the chef returns to Japan!
Noodle House Ken (Cuppage)
Menya Shinchan (Robertson Quay)
Tanpopo (Liang Court)
Ohsho (Cuppage) - although I heard their Cyahan is better than the ramen...

My current favorite ranking:
Noodle overall: Marutama (I am not really partial to Hokkaido style noodle)
Tonkotsu Miso: Bishamon
Tonkotsu Syoyuu: Baiohken
Tonkotsu: Yoshimaru
Chasyuu: Baiohken
Gyouza: Miharu (only tried at few shops)

Micro... finance!

2009-04-22T18:12:00.001+08:00

I now know how to call "Arisan" in English.

It is called ROSCAs (Rotating Savings and Credit Association).

Cool.

To monetize or not to monetize...

2009-03-05T13:26:00.003+08:00

Got this quote off Today Newspaper, about why HDB is only willing to assist downgraders in a "case-by-case" basis:

'There are those who are downgrading because they want to monetise their assets. They live comfortably in a 5-room flat, they sell their flat, they get substantial proceeds and they want to buy a 3-room flat. Such cases are really not the financially hardship type.'

My first thought: Huh? If I can't monetise my "asset", what is the point of its price going up? (Other than enabling the IRS to collect more tax from me that is). What is wrong with wanting to live in smaller house so that I can have more spending cash? I would have worked hard to pay my mortgage interest to the banks, and CPF would have gotten back the money that's meant for my retirement (plus the incurred interest).

My second thought: People who are "living comfortably" in 5-room flats are not likely to want to, or meet HDB's antiquated criteria for 3-room flat purchase anyway.

Given that the average household income in Singapore is approx. $6,000 in year 2008, based on prudent financial thinking, an average property in Singapore should not cost more than $216,000 (3x gross annual salary). And that's already discounting all other expenses such as agent fees, legal fees, renovation, insurance, furniture, etc. Therefore, the price of public housing should be lower than this value, not going 3 times above it! (E.g.: The $600,000+ flats at Boon Keng.)

It gets worse: 'The per capita household monthly income from work for the top 10 percent of the employed households is $7,940 and for the next 10 percent, $3,460. In other words, the per capita income of 90 percent of the households is less than Singapore's average household income.' Source: Department of Statistics' report.

So now, guess who is also at fault for people ending up with properties they can't afford? Hint: this body restricts people from buying properties that are way below their income level and only provide loans for upgrading, not the other way round. They are now turning a blind eye and deaf ears on a problem that they had helped, and still continue to, with great gusto, perpetrate.

Relevance...

2009-03-04T10:54:00.002+08:00

So, there's been a tragedy at NTU.

What I don't get is the recurrent mention about how the student was "an avid gamer".
This "info" appeared in all the articles about him so far.

I don't see why this specific "info" about the student has to be included in every article. People who read it would tend to go "ah, is that one of the reason...?"

I am Indonesian, and also am "an avid gamer" myself. So, hypothetically, if people starts giving me funny looks, then I would have a pretty good idea on who to take it out on yes? (And this is a joke, for those who don't get it.)

And they say that the newspaper is relevant...
Bah, humbug!

Basic needs...

2009-02-10T15:56:00.002+08:00

Found an interesting article about Food Stamps.

I personally think that, when done properly, it can be a good layer of safety net.

Old haunts refurbished...

2009-01-12T10:39:00.004+08:00

I went down to the upgraded Jurong Point mall after hearing that it is now fully open from an acquaintance. And I should say that I am quite pleased. Unlike the original wing, there is no ceiling separating the basement from the skylight at the new wing. This makes it bright and airy despite the heavy human traffic (it was a Sunday). Ding Tai Fung has an open concept restaurant there and there are plenty of new shops. It also appears that the new bus interchange will be located directly beneath this wing. I just hope that the exaust fumes would not affect the air quality in the building. There is also a series of uncompleted flats attached to the new wing. I wonder how much will they sell for. Overall, Jurong Point would be worth visiting again in future.

I still wonder why IMM decided to pull out their shuttle service from Boon Lay. Are they concerned about people in Jurong East using it to go to Boon Lay?

I also visited the relocated Community Library. While it is slightly larger than its predecessor in Jurong Point (which location is now the medical floor), the selection of novels looks to me to be of the same size. The comics collection has improved a little, but still only have much of the same stuff that the other libraries have.

The previous week, I went to visit the Marina Barrage. The waiting area for the shuttle bus at Marina Bay MRT looks like it was thrown together as a side thought. It has no shelter and is sandwiched between a road and a construction site, which makes it a very unpleasant place.

Having reached the barrage, it was quite nice really. The sea breeze was soothing and the view spectacular even in the daytime. I can just imagine how it would be at night. A lovely spot for wine, cheese, crackers, and good companion(s). Also, the New 7th Storey Restaurant that had moved here from Bugis should be worth a visit the next time my parents are here. There is one big grouse though: the inaccessibility of this place after 7:00 pm if one does not have a car. Having to call a taxi to go and return from there would be a royal pain in the tush.

At the other side of the structure is a fenced up area. Another place that I used to frequent when I was younger - the Marina Bay BBQ and Steamboat stalls. I remembered trying to fly kites with my JC friends at the open field before going for scrumptious dinner. That place is now gone. I presume to be transformed into a portion of the integrated resort.

With the landscape changing so fast (among other things), is it any wonder that people in Singapore find it difficult to relate with their country?

2009 is here!

2009-01-02T12:27:00.001+08:00

Happy New Year~!

明けましておめでとうございます！
今年も宜しくお願いいたします！m(__)m

"Improved" service...

2008-12-23T09:01:00.002+08:00

On my way back from IMM (Jurong East), I saw a small notice pasted on the free shuttle bus I was on. Essentially, it states that from 9th Jan 2009, the frequency of free shuttle bus between Jurong East MRT and IMM will be increased to 1 in 10 minutes (I think it is currently be 15 minutes). The service to Clementi and Boon Lay MRT will be terminated. They claimed that this was done to improve their service.

???

I was thinking: "What kind of an improvement is this?". Jurong East MRT is within walking distance from IMM. It just takes 10 minutes or so. Clementi and Boon Lay MRT are not! There is a new shopping centre near Clementi MRT that is being built and, as I have mentioned before, Jurong Point at Boon Lay MRT has almost completed its expansion. Even if IMM has decided to give up competing for customers from these 2 locations, I really can't see how their decision to terminate the free shuttle services as an "improvement" for their customers.

I would very much prefer it had they said: "Thank you for using our shuttle service for all these years. We regret that we're unable to continue providing the service to Clementi and Boon Lay MRT due to (insert true reason here)."

Deja vu... again?

2008-12-19T11:34:00.001+08:00

Found this somewhere:

Happy

Quite apt.

Da Enterpreneur...

2008-12-18T13:01:00.003+08:00

Having recently spoken to two Indonesian enterpreneurs, I have an observation.

Singapore is superficially efficient.
Anything that's standard and routine, can and will be carried out smoothly and quickly.
Anything that's non standard, well, conquering Mount Everest might be easier.

Indonesia is superficially inefficient.
Anything that's standard and routine, can and will be made as draggy as possible.
Anything that's non standard, well, the more grease you have, the faster it gets done. (And this applies to routine stuff too! Woot!)

Last I heard, Singapore's IRAS is kinda overwhelmed by the CoD requests that they don't know how to handle it (and what caused it). My current personal conclusion: Ain't gonna bother with NPWP and CoD till I plan to buy property back home. (Even then it can just be under my parent's name.)

公園で。。。

2008-12-18T12:51:00.003+08:00

光ってる
泥池の中
隠れ鯉

僕に、かわいい笑顔を見てくれるのかな。。。

複雑な気持ち

2008-12-13T08:07:00.002+08:00

断れた
十年ぶりの
告白だ

ホッとしたり、悲したり。
この子はめったにない合う人だと思うので。
僕は普段諦めますが、こう言う場合はそうしてはいけないでしょ。

どうしよう…

Old hangout...

2008-12-05T13:16:00.002+08:00

I went to Jurong Point after work yesterday to check out a Japanese Buffet restaurant - Kuishinbou - that was recommended by my colleague. On my way there, I took bus number 154. I have not been to Jurong Point for a while, but I felt that the journey was taking longer than it used to be. The bus seems to be meandering about unfamiliar landscapes before finally reaching the destination.

Upon arrival at Boon Lay Interchange, I was stunned. The place has changed so much in the past 3-4 years. The MRT station is now filled with shops, the bus interchange has permanent commercial stalls, and Jurong Point itself is currently undergoing a major renovation.

The place was packed! And it was not even a weekend night. I made straight to the "Japanese Food Street" at B1 and took a measure on what's being offered. The section has 3-4 Japanese restaurants and Kuishinbou looks promising. There's also a Japanese Fusion Cafe called Benten on the 2nd floor that also looks promising. It seems that I have added a few more restaurants to my To Try list ^^

The only pity is that the National Library @ Jurong Point has moved.
I hope that the renovations would have been completed when I feel like going there again.

Thou shalt...

2008-11-28T12:50:00.002+08:00

I got this from a Science Fiction Novel I am currently reading.

"Wickedness, selfishness, vanity, greed, arrogance... Yes, I have known all these, have been quilty of all these... But they are obvious faults, easy to recognize and to combat. They are nothing compared to the evils that have been inflicted by sincere bigots obsessed with their own version of Good Works."

Although I don't really agree with the "easy to recognize and combat" part, I find this to be a very astute "observation" that can be applied to many things that has gone "wrong" recently (and in the past).

The Bangkok protest.
The Mumbai incident.

Now we have people of certain religion being banned from practicing Yoga, because it if perceived to have the power to "erode" their faith in the religion. What da?

The Chinese has a saying: "真金不怕火炼" (Lit: Real gold fears no trial by fire). What good is faith if it can be easily swayed?

Certainities of Life

2008-11-27T09:19:00.003+08:00

I went to a "Tax Seminar" at KBRI (The Indonesian Embassy), regarding the "Tax responsibility" of Indonesian citizens that are living overseas. Although the talk itself leave much to be desired in terms of clarity, it did provide me with a basis of what's going on.

Here is the official website:

http://ekonomidanpajak.blogspot.com/

There quite a discussion going on in there, with some information that potentially could be very useful for overseas Indonesians like me. I say "potentially" because I perceive the current system to be a "Beta". And a leaky one which the developers are content on only applying emergency patches instead of embarking on a proper kernel overhaul.

Anyway, I found a comment that attempts to frame the current situation. It is in Bahasa Indonesia though. (Done some layout format)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Saya hari ini baru saja menelpon langsung call center ditjen pajak jakarta = 021-500200, terus saya tanya = apa kita WNI di spore masuk SPLN/WPLN atau SPDN/WPDN, terus dia jawab pake jawaban "copy-paste" = SPLN/WPLN kalo tinggal di spore >183 hari dalam setahun.

Namun ketika saya tanya, la terus kemarin pejabat ditjen pajak ada datang ke kbri spore utk seminar kok ngomongnya kita2 WNI di spore adalah SPDN/WPDN ? Terus baru operator call centernya "ngaku" bahwa memang area ini grey, bisa ditafsirkan macam2 karena kata "niat" yang ambiguous. Dia suruh saya telpon ke departemen yang responsible soal peraturan perpajakan internasional & tax-treaty untuk lebih jelasnya = Sub Direktorat Perjanjian & Kerjasama Perpajakan Internasional. Jadi ini udah "sarangnya" yg responsible for tax-treaty2 indo dgn negara lain dan yg "menggodok" peraturan pajak soal SPLN/WPLN/SPDN/WPDN.

Intinya jawaban mereka gini =Ngga peduli anda mau setaun penuh 365 hari menetap di Spore ngga pernah pulang ke indo, anda akan MASIH TETAP DIANGGAP sebagai SPDN/WPDN kalo anda =

1). anak/istri berada di Indo ATAU
2). punya tabungan/deposito/saham/produk investasi/usaha/bisnis/segala macam objek pajak yg bisa hasilkan duit di Indo atas nama lu/istri lu/anak lu ATAU
3). punya/kontrak rumah atas nama lu/istri lu ATAU
4). anda/istri lu/anak lu berada di Indo lebih dari 183 hari.

Hanya jikalau =

1). anakistri tinggal ama lu di Spore lebih dari 183 hari DAN
2). anda TIDAK punya tabungan/deposito/saham/produk investasi/segala macam objek pajak yg bisa hasilkan duit di Indo atas nama lu/istri lu/anak lu DAN
3). lu TIDAK punya/kontrak rumah atas nama lu/istri lu di Indo DAN
4). lu/istri lu/anak lu TIDAK punya bisnis/usaha/apapun juga yang bisa hasilkan duit di Indo, maka anda BARU BISA dikategorikan sebagai SPLN/WPLN.

Ingat jawaban "copy-paste" pengaduanpajak@gmail = anda SPLN jika anda di luar negri lebih dari 183 hari KECUALI KALO DIATUR LAIN DI TAX-TREATY. Dan Tax Treaty ngomong = anda tax residence Indonesia jika anda punya rumah di Indo ATAU jika punya kepentingan ekonomi (bisnis/tabungan/usaha/deposito/saham dll..) yg lebih "kuat" di Indo ATAU punya kepentingan personal (istri/anak masih di Indo ) yg lebih "kuat" di Indo.

Jangan terlalu berharap sama peraturan " > 183 hari di luar negri maka SPLN/WPLN". Jadi kalo misalnya menurut penjelasan di atas anda adalah SPDN/WPDN maka anda MAU TIDAK MAU WAJIB punya NPWP, tidak bisa lari. Kalo anda masih nekat ngga mau punya NPWP, lebih baik jangan pulang ke indo karena pasti dipalakin/dikerjain di Airport. Kalo cuman dipalak mah masih oke, tapi kalo waktu lu mau bayar fiskal/ngurus bebas fiskal di airport ditanyain NPWP lu ngomong ngga punya, lalu di sono udah ada petugas pajak dan polisi buat tangkap lu, lu bisa apa ?

Satu lagi soal peraturan "> 183 hari" ini lebih dimaksudkan/ditujukan bagi

1). WNA yg tinggal di Indo musti bayar pajak Indo sebagai WPLN atau WPDN DAN
2). WNI yg tinggal di Spore musti bayar pajak Spore sebagai Tax Resident spore atau Foreigner.

Soal COR, tidak bisa buat bebas fiskal. Hanya NPWP yang bisa buat bebas fiskal. Soal bebas fiskal 4X setahun, belum tahu mau dihapuskan atau tidak. Soal fiskal akan dinaikkan jadi 5 juta rupiah. Soal di Tax Treaty diatur bahwa cuman Spore yang berhak majakin income kita di Spore (article 14) ini adalah SUBJECT TO article 4 yang mengatur Fiscal Domicile (soal anda merupakan SPLN/WPLN/SPDN/WPDN ).

Jadi in other words sekalipun menurut article 14 tax treaty anda cukup bayar tax ke spore aja, namun kalau karena menurut article 4 anda masih WPDN, maka anda TETAP harus bayar ppH ke Indo sebagai WPDN.

Semua ini adalah penjelasan bukan dari saya sendiri tapi dari petugas pajak "Sub Direktorat Perjanjian & Kerjasama Perpajakan Internasional" sendiri. Semoga berguna info ini bagi teman2 di Spore.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

However, as expected, there is also another set of conflicting info. Another commenter lamented the possibility that the Tax Bureau in Indonesia might change their mind to our detriment because of all these queries. He prefers that we just hang on to the "regulations" that are already written down.

I also find the point about if I have a child, and he/she owns assets in Indonesia, it would also turn me into an Indonesian Tax Subject, very very strange. So if, let say, Bill Gate's daughter happen to buy a posh bungalow in Jakarta, he becomes an Indonesian Tax Subject along with his daughter? That does not make any sense.

]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

http://www.pajak.go.id/index.php?option=com_docman&Itemid=178itu adalah pdf. di halaman 6, tertulis dengan jelas bahwa subjek pajak luar negeri yang memiliki rumah yang disewakan di NKRI, maka pajak sewanya saja yang dibayar ke NKRI.

Sekarang logikanya: bisa dong seseorang tinggal di luar negeri, jadi subjek pajak luar negeri DAN MASIH memiliki aset di NKRI.

Ini sudah bukti tertulis.

DAN INI CONFIRM SELARAS DENGAN:

1. Penjelasan Ditjen pajak di tengah-tengah seminar (di kahir seminar, dia menarik semua perkataan dia di tengah seminar dan menekankan kata 'niat')
2. jawaban umum dari pusat pengaduan pajak.
3. saya cek samam officer IRAS di singapura DAN pusat pengaduan pajak DAN konsultan pajak independen di jakarta DAN hasil seminar pajak di singapura sendiri
4. ketika UU bilang punya niat untuk tinggal di indonesia, itu ditujukan kepada perantau asing yang merantau ke Indonesia, DAN mengambil manfaat ekonomi (kerja) di Indonesia.

]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

While I would be happy if this is true, (Why can't I own assets in Indonesia - a house perhaps - for the purpose of collecting rent only and not with the intention or "niat" to live there? Of course, I will be paying the proper property and income tax to the Indonesian Goverment with respect to this asset. Singapore does not tax overseas derived income, so that's one less complication to handle.) regulations - written or otherwise - can, and will change. So, I'm not holding my breath.

Taxation... vexing~

Variety I

2008-11-19T10:28:00.003+08:00

I just luuuurve Japanese Variety Shows. That's despite many of them involving food at least 40% of the time (or maybe it is because?). Of course, not all of them are good. But those that are, are very, very good most of the time. Just by watching these, I have managed to: compile quite a list of potential eating places to try out when I am next in Japan, learn more Kanji and Japan in general, and even generate some philosophical thoughts.

These are the 5 main "genres" of Japanese Variety Shows that I know:
-Quiz shows
-Talk shows
-Comedy shows
-Information shows (including Travel shows)
-Competition shows

So, I figured, maybe I'd just introduce some of the shows that I have seen and enjoyed.

Show: 秘密のケンミンSHOW (Regional Secrets - The Show)
Genre: Information

This show showcases the various items/activities/culture that are unique to the various Japanese prefectures. Watching this show reminds me that the world is a huge place filled with wonderful things, and the Indonesian saying: "Lain padang, lain belalang". (Lit: different field, different grashopper). It is kind of amusing that the people in one region tend to assume that whatever it is they have in their hometown is common throughout the country, and are shocked when informed that it is unique to their region.

There are regional food, regional date spots which almost all couples from that region would have visited at least once, regional items that have made their way to Tokyo and received good reception, and etc. The reaction of the guests (participants in the show that all come from different prefectures) however, hints that these "regional specialties" could well be easily acceptable throughout the country. Which implies that there is an underlying cohesiveness among the unique identities.

I wish that the different Indonesian Provinces could learn these "Prefectural Spirit" from Japan to each develop into regions that can live up to the name of "Jamrud Khatulistiwa" (Lit: The Equator Emerald) and to shine brightly on the blue ocean.

恋が来い？

2008-11-19T10:21:00.002+08:00

結婚式で
美女再会
やっちまったな...

Dan dan da daaaan~

2008-11-17T15:16:00.002+08:00

Well, that song did not exactly play on this occasion, but the association is just too thick.

A good friend of mine is finally completely tied up in the matrimonial knot. It is a knot that is more complicated than the strongest sailor knots. And he seems to be quite happy being tied up in knots ( ･ω･)

It was also my first experience of being a "brother". Plans were made on how we can storm the bride's house and appease the "sisters" that guard the bedroom. Plans, which like all good plans, pretty much disintegrated upon first contact. We were outnumbered, and completely at their mercy. But, love (I think it's more about the cash, but that's just me :P) prevails this time.

I am not sure if I ever want to repeat the experience. Then again, I only forsee at most one more "slot" in future. A slight chance, as this other guy has loads of army buddies, of which I am, or, would be, grateful. Still, it was an honor I guess, to be called on as a "brother".

The wedding dinner itself was simple and dare I say it, the most fun wedding dinner I've ever attended. If I ever have one of my own, I guess this would be the way I'd like to hold it. (Minus the musical stuff because I'm all thumbs and crow voiced). The home-made video was also pretty cool (not the usual baby - to - grown up slideshow). We also finally got to know how it all began, and well, I'd say I actually learnt something about "The Art of Wooing" that night. Whether I'll be able to actually apply it is up to debate, it might still come in useful.

I also learnt that despite having met him and her numerous times before this, I know almost zilch about her. (Don't even know her age, gah...) However, I do know that this one match is going to be very, very hard to better. Here's wishing the two of them the best. A testament that should remain as long as the inter-tubes stay operational.

Way to go Sonic~ ^^

Oh really...

2008-10-25T23:50:00.002+08:00

A "wise" man juuust recently did this:

He said: "I have explained this. I think I lost votes after I explained the awful truth. Nobody believed it, but slowly it dawned on them, especially the graduates, that yes, you marry a non—graduate, then you worry about whether or not your son or daughter is going to make it to the university."

Hogwash.

My dad is a graduate. My mom is not. He would not have been one without my aunt making the sacrifices she did for the family. She, who is also not a graduate.
Me and my 2 brothers, we all made it through university just fine.

Awful truth indeed.

Up, up, down, flat?

2008-09-08T13:20:00.002+08:00

Just saw some interesting stuff in the newspaper today.

Seems that the price of oil is going south. From the heights of $130+ per barrel to about $106+.
That's like a reduction of 19% at the minium.
Yet, the news are moaning about how the drop in oil price is not a good thing. Economy's slowing down, they say. Yadda yadda yadda. I say, gee wiz... nothing sells papers like bad news isn't it? (Meanwhile, China is "quietly" spending billions of poundsterlings investing in British company shares.)

And closer home, we have this:

Undoubtedly, Singaporeans can look forward to lower utility bills, more affordable pump prices and cheaper food at the supermarket. Companies could also enjoy some respite in business costs.
But don’t hold your breath for bus and taxi fares to fall anytime soon, barring any directives from policymakers. “The transport operators went through quite a lot to push through the increases, so, they would probably wait and see,” said OCBC economist Selena Ling.

Wha?
Weren't the fares increased due to the "massive hike" in fuel price?
Did the "policymakers" not approve of the hikes for this reason?
And now the fares are going to remain high, just because?
Well done. Make sure you give us bigger dividends to recoup the fare increase ok?

Come to think of it, did the "policymakers" ever push for lower fees?

One totally unrelated info: The Kuching Kolo Mee store seems to have slashed the price for their servings. I remembered paying $4.50 for the Char Siew set, which now sells for $4.00.

Work & Life

2008-08-15T11:13:00.003+08:00

Quote from a local newspaper:

[However, other human resource practitioners Today spoke to said it is still tough to get people to embrace work-life harmony — and the problem does not always lie with the employers.]

[“They are afraid that by working flexi-hours or working from home, such arrangements will affect their career development and their bonuses. People don’t buy your work-life programme just because you have it,” he said, adding that communication is key to overcoming these reservations.]

While the problem now "may not always lie with the employers", I'm sure that they are the root of these problems. What is the initial cause of this "fear" and "insecurity" anyway? Wasn't it the policies/tendencies/mindsets of the employers in the first place?

The employers might now have said, "We have changed! This and that is now ok.".
However, there is no guarantee whether:
-They have really changed
-The changes at corporate level is carried out properly down the line
-The changes will not be reverted
-People will not exploit loopholes (such as categorizing staff as vendors)

After all, employers are the one who control the money and, in Singapore at least, has the deck stacked highly in their favor. (There's not much labor protection law here)

[As for measuring performance, Mr Devilly said it should be based on quality, and not quantity: “We need to get away from the mindset of judging performance based on time spent at a desk.”]

Then why is it, for example, CEO's of companies that went bust still get million dollars golden parachutes hmm? I see neither quality nor quantity here. Or that a "Velvet of Shine +5 (Super Effective on Apples)" is a must have item to defeat the mega-boss called "The Corporate Ladder" if you don't plan on speding years to grind the "performance levels".

Work Life Balance?
Sure.

You (employees) work.
We (employers) have a life.
That's balance.

Affordable (Dream) Home...

2008-07-24T14:23:00.002+08:00

I read a comment somewhere in the intertubes that:

"A person earning $30,000 per annum has no business buying a $500,000 house".
This is in the American context, but I presume that it can be extrapolated for Singapore.

So, I got curious, and tried to find out just how much of a house I "should" be targeting at my current income level. I shall assume that by the time I can buy the house, I have an annual income of $36,000.

By the calculator provided here (US case), I can only afford $130,000 worth of house. (At 4.5% mortgage rate, no time frame.)

Another calculator here tells me that I can afford $128,000 worth of house. That's close to the previous one. (4.5% rate, 30 years, and approx $2000 in property tax + conservancy fee)

This calculator gives a value of $145,000. (It does not include other fees, but it has a downpayment element, which brings the loan itself to $125,000) Again, pretty close to the above 2.

The affordability calculator provided in the CPF site here computes to $165,000. This differs by approx 25%. Even reducing the income a little to simulate tax and fees generated a value of $154,000. Adding a renter that pays $600 a month bumps the figure to $213,000.

While I don't know which basic assumptions differ in the calculators, the US-based calculators are pretty consistent, while the Singapore one encourages higher loan. However, both cases have given me the same indication: Housing in Singapore is really expensive. To think that I'd initially estimated that I can afford a $300,000 loan.

Looks like I have another incentive to find a wife that prefers to remain in the workforce, and able to prioritize between handbags and investment.

56% Income Tax and 25% GST! Really?

2008-07-16T11:09:00.002+08:00

I am always tickled when the Singapore media mentions that tax rate of other countries (in this case Sweden) "justifies" why some things can or can not be done in Singapore.
Here is the excrept:
------
She also pointed to the tax burden in Sweden — tax levied on goods and services is 25 per cent, while income tax is 56 per cent at the higher end of the scale. “We’re quite different in terms of our tax structure, so the Government will have to balance all this.”
------

Of course there's no mention that most Swede (just like most Singaporeans) would not be exposed to the higher end tax rate of 56%.

A simple dig would have unearthed this:
The Swedish Tax System
Swedish Tax Guide for Expatriates
And of course, some wikipedia data.

Now, while I am not an expert at tax matters, just skimming these documents have shown me that the maximum tax rate only affects people who earn at least the equivalent of $65,000. This amount and the tax exempt amount (which, at approx $3500, is less than Singapore's) is adjusted upwards yearly to accomodate inflation.

I also found out that the GST is a tiered one, with 0% levied on basic items such as medicine and public education. Foodstuff in general is taxed at 12% (except restaurant dine-in) and transportation is at 6%. As it is, Singapore has this annoying 10% service charge for restaurants. I did not have to pay any service charge/tips in Japan and I had way better service.

So I have come out with the other end:
The lower end tax a resident has to pay in Sweden is 0%, while it is 7% in Singapore.

(Another oversimplification, if you don't get it)

Priicey~

2008-07-02T21:37:00.002+08:00

Hrmmm...

The taxi fare brouhaha has disappeared! Yet, there is still no follow up on the actual impact of the fare revision.

- Has the system become more efficient?
- Are the Taxi drivers happier?
- Are Taxi users happier?
- Are the Taxi companies happier? (need I even ask this?)

Problem solved? Who cares.

Now, another facet of the "We don't really know what we want, other than money" system.

We want to reduce road congestion.
Therefore: Add disincentives
- Make it more expensive/inconvenient to drive.

However: We give incentives (Wha?)
- Made it cheaper to own cars (lower COE, lower Tax)
- Made it more expensive to take public transport (yearly fare increment)

Homer Simpson would have a field day saying "DOH!".

Now, underpaying bus fare can get a commuter jailed.
But nothing will happen when the bus company overcharges the fare or sell fare cards with deposit that is non-refundable (I have always thought it is refundable).

Another "resolved" matter... riiight...

2008-04-22T10:34:00.004+08:00

Welp, somebody said: "From time to time, problems do take place and this is one instance. Does it mean that therefore, the whole ministry and all its departments are complacent? I think that will be stretching the argument too far."

Uh huh. Where was this feller when somebody else said: "Anyone who believes nothing can or will go wrong in Singapore is living in a make-believe world." and "Singaporeans are being complacent when they believe that the Government will take care of all security matters."?

So, I guess someone *can* and *did* stretch the argument that far (to cover the whole nation even). Besides, is not the ministry and all its departments made up of Singaporeans?

They took how many days to come up with the account and a CG? They should just have videotaped the "re-enactment" where a guard supposedly was able to clear the "obstacle" and escape in under 1 minute to show us. (Although I think they should have handicapped the "actor" with a "limp" for better accuracy.)

Heck, why do I bother.

Even more numbers...

2008-01-25T10:30:00.001+08:00

Hmmm... what's this?

The reported average cabbie earnings is a tad too high?

Oh, that was for the case of a person driving 2 shifts (practically 24 hours, or is it 30 hours? The article indicated at the second last paragraph that a full shift is 15 hours) a day!

Ah! Just an honest mistake I am sure, leaving out such an important factor. But wait a minute...

The average figure per shift now is $159, which becomes $85 after accounting for rent and fuel (how about cab maintenance?). Unfortunately, I am not able to take this figure at face value. The simple reason is, I don't know the actual rental fee, and it is not mentioned in the article. I have seen figures anywhere between $70 to $100. (Approx. $81 from the comment of a taxi driver - SL here [near the bottom of all comments].) And I thought verifying information and providing accurate ones is one of a journalist's duty.

Nice try.

More numbers...

2008-01-23T10:42:00.000+08:00

Hey, look!

Better wait times, higher cab takings!

Another piece of not so informative "proof" that the fare hike is a good thing.
The "better" wait time could have been due to less people taking cabs. Not enough information in the article to form proper conclusion. (Aside from the one it is pushing.)

As for the higher average takings... let me see...
$307 to $318.
Wow! that's like a 3.6% increase! Erm... wait a minute... was not an average increase of 10% reported just recently??

It does not matter that the demand has dropped, as long as it is met I guess...
(sarcasm, for those who don't get it.)

The so not public transport...

2008-01-04T13:06:00.000+08:00

Having taken just 1 taxi ride since the latest "fare enhancement" - approx. $35+ (midnight surcharge) for a 3-stop trip from Toa Payoh to Jalan Jurong Kechil, I read with amusement the following article:

Cabbies are earning more. By approx 10% as it claimed.

And that's after the hike that effectively increased the cab fare by up to 49% in the worst case scenario. (The increase in the basic fare alone is already more then 10% if totalled up)

Hmm, wonder where did the rest of the money went...

Yours? Think again...

2007-11-20T11:35:00.000+08:00

Ahh... back to work...

I was musing about finally buying my own little nest in Sunny Singapore.

And since the "property boom", the price of unaffordable private housing has became, well, even more unaffordable. So, hey, a 99 year lease HDB flat (most likely a lot less since I can only buy second-hand flats) does not seem to be so bad after all. I have already kind of reconciled the fact that "buying" an HDB flat is more "leasing" than "owning", and I had some teeny faith that the Govt. would not leave people stranded. (I head that "upgraded" flats get their lease renewed) However, the ownership of HDB flats is more tenuous that I thought.

It seems that HDB can, at any time they like (after 33 years in this case), force "owners" to sell their flats back for any reason they can cook up ("Rejuvenation" in this case). And unlike a private property "en-bloc" sales, there seems to be no "I'm not selling" option. And HDB still can earn money from the property they have vacated too...

I can just imagine the scenario:
I took a 30-year housing loan to buy a second-hand flat.
5 years later, I was informed that the flat has been en-bloc'ed.
"Settlement" could have resulted in a loss or a profit. (No prize in guessing which is more likely, given that I can't refuse the sale.)
I am also pretty sure that there will be taxation involved, plus possible penalty for early repayment of housing loan.
The property market could have been up or down.

A likely case: I am out of a house, down on cash (paid back to CPF with interest, various tax, less than ideal settlement), and unable to buy another house because of market conditions (plus the new minimum sum rule for CPF usage).

So much for the integrity in property ownership.

What am I to do now?
I guess I'll have to continue to rent, and save to buy a house in Bintan or somewhere.
After all, Indonesia does not seem to be much worse when it comes to property ownership after learning that this kind of thing can happen here.

Panadol not included

2007-10-15T17:29:00.000+08:00

Viennese Waltz is the most headache inducing dance I've learnt so far.
And we're not even moving at the "normal" speed yet...

Round and round they go...

2007-09-07T15:40:00.000+08:00

Well, well, well...

The "Compulsary Annuity" is also being bandied about as "Longevity Insurance".

Wait a second.

An Insurance is generally something that is bought/prepared to provide protection in the event of catastrophic/unexpected situations. Like, being hospitalized (Medical Insurance), owning a car that suddenly develops a crush for trees (Auto Insurance), having a neighbour trying to re-enact rescue scenes in Ladder 49 (Property Insurance), and etc.

This makes it sound like living beyond 85 is not something to look forward to. Can I opt out already?

(I know, I know, the topic's monotonous, but I am really miffed with this. Especially considering that it is very likely that my "insurance premium" is as good as gone.)

Opt out no more

2007-08-22T10:50:00.000+08:00

I had intended to write about my holiday, but the mood's all gone. The straw has fallen. Brace for impact!

Gee, they are doing it after all. Who'd thunk?

"Giving more details on the compulsory annuities, Dr Ng said only part of the minimum sum from the CPF will be set aside for it." - Manpower Minister.

Sounds "reasonable" initially doesn't it? Every "member" contributes.

However, the ST paper has this information: On annuities, which will be made compulsory for members aged 50 and below, Dr Ng explained the CPF member pays a basic premium which goes into a general pool that will start giving out monthly payouts after the member turns 85. However, if he lives less than 85 years, the premium goes towards supporting others in the pool who are still alive.

Young people funding their elder's retirement? Err... is that not a varitation of a pension system? (Wait, in the long run, did this not turn out pretty bad for similar systems in Japan, America, and etc.?) As far as I know, when a person purchases an annuity in the traditional sense, the payout only goes to that person and the designated family members. Not to strangers. Furthermore, if it is deducted directly from the OA (like how MediShield is deducted from Medisave), it would seem that the deduction continues even after a person stops contributing to the CPF before the age of 50.

I do not know how many people realize this but, this is effectively a new form of Taxation. It is a pension tax. And there's no escaping it.

I really like the last quote in the CNA article: "The government is not preventing members from investing their CPF funds." Ho hum, really? If this goes the way I think it is going, they are only reducing my total available investable assets.

Sigh, that means I'll have to maintain a larger portion of my portfolio in "Cash".

Opt-out nation

2007-08-15T13:29:00.000+08:00

Okay, first there is the opt-out organ harvesting scheme.
Then, the opt-out CPF insurance plans (e.g. Eldershield)
Later, (maybe) the opt-out HIV-screening for hospital admission (huh? males only?)
Even later on, comes this: "Govt may make buying annuity compulsory"

I really am wary when the people in charge here say "maybe", because a policy will just get pushed through regardless of whether people like me (I would think the majority in this case) disagree. Not that I can do anything about it anyway.

Get $500/month till I am 100? What about inflation? What if I croaked at 70 or 80? That'd be $150.000 - (5 or 15)*12*500 = $120.000 or $60.000 free money for the company that provides the annuity (discounting their investment gain). Heck, $150.000, properly invested, can easily earn an average of $9.000 per annum! (at 6% return). I can hire a financial adviser and use a wrap account (-1% management fee) and still get $500/month while still retaining the capital!

I had decided on not using my CPF money for property purchase. But if doing so will enable me to go below the minimum amount required to trigger the "compulsary annuity purchase", I will consider using it for property purchase. (The economic feasibility still need to be thought out. Argh!)

When I retire, I damn well want to enjoy *my* money, and I can plan my own spending, thank you very much! I think I have mentioned a few times how I hate the CPF system. This is like a straw the size of a lamp post on my poor skinny camel's back.

GST Refund? Try Again...

2007-07-25T18:01:00.000+08:00

Whew, I survived another trip home. This one was pretty ok actually, I had good food, good rest, and even my first DOTA session with my brothers. Could have been more peaceful though, and I did my share of kitchen chores! More on the vacation later...

While I was waiting to board my flight to Indonesia, I overheard at least 3 conversation with this theme: "Not being able to claim the GST refund because the queue was long." So, I guess I will have to advise all my overseas friend to check in at least 2 hours early if they want to claim their GST refund. On top of that, I also better notify them about the fine print (somehow, the GST listed here is still 5%), so that things like this does not happen.

Despite the claim of low tax, anything that can be taxed, will be taxed (lots of hidden cost too). The only saving grace may be that the current system is not as convoluted as the one in the US (yet?). I'm still quite befuddled about how the taxation applies to Unit Trust and Foreign Derived Income. The IRAS website seems to say that they are exempt from tax, but not in a way that is clear enough for the average tax payers.

A good way to motivate me to spend less too.
As it is now, something that is priced at $100 is actually $107. (This is what my baseline annual expenditure is at)
Add the lowest income tax bracket (3.5%), and it becomes $110.88. Why is this higher than $110.50 (7% + 3.5% = 10.5%)? Because in this case, the GST is applied on post-taxed income, which turns it into double taxation.

At 5.5% tax: $100 -- $113.23
At 8.5% tax: $100 -- $116.94

This would be what goods will cost for any income spent over the $20,000 bracket. I'm glad that I am still well within the "safety" zone.

The ultimate (so far) seat chopper!

2007-07-11T13:55:00.000+08:00

In Singapore, we have this concept of "chope-ing" seats. Basically, it is an informal style of seat reservations in the crowded economy food eateries (Hawker Centres and Food Courts) where there are no waiter/resses to take your order and no 10% service charge that do not actually get employed to provide service. I have yet to see this be used in a fast food eatery such as KFC though.

The general tool for this reservation is the non-exciting pack of tissue paper. A table with a tissue paper on it is treated as if it has "reserved" stamped (chopped, in singlish) on it. Although I myself have never used it, I do wonder who started the trend. Quite a useful system I think, from the perspective of a single guy who tends to eat out alone. It is tough to queue for food, look out for seats, and hope that the ones you find would still be available by the time you reach there.

Now, here is the amazing episode. It has got nothing to do with eateries though. I was on a crowded bus one day, heading for my class. It even had people standing at the second level (where I was seated, and no, they are not supposed to do that.) 2-3 rows behind me, there was a guy who had his bag occupying half of the available seat. He appeared to be so engrossed with his PSP (Play Station Portable), that he managed to completely ignore another guy who was standing right beside the seat. (I think the standing guy tried to say something, which I did not catch) 10 or so minutes later, his phone rang and he answered briefly in a kind of annoyed tone before going back to his game. 2-3 minutes later, a gal came up the stairs, walked pass my seat, and plonked herself beside the guy (whom had somehow removed his bag). Turns out that he was reserving a seat on the bus for her, and they managed to time the boarding somehow.

I was like "..."

It has begun...

2007-06-26T17:09:00.000+08:00

The canteen near my workplace has increased their prices by 12%-15%, while the price for a similar fare in a neighbourhood hawker centres has gone up by 7%-12%.

I hope I can still live within my current food budget after this inflation stabilizes.

Ho hum...

2007-05-18T14:37:00.000+08:00

I just found another category in the web-filtering company's arsenal.

Tasteless.

This should also apply to their own site.

Education, schmucation...

2007-05-11T10:30:00.000+08:00

Recently I have been reading quite a bit about the state of education in Singapore.
Most are from the view of educators, and people who are not having said education being applied to them (the adults).

The environment has changed indeed. When teachers are being appraised by everything else but the thing they are actually supposed to do - teaching and interacting with their students - something's definitely off with the system. I could agree that measuring the growth of students as a teacher's main appraisal criteria is no easy task. However, when the other appraisal criterias takes up so much of a teachers time - time they could have used to help their students learn and grow - that they become overworked, it does not make sense.

Thinking about this brought me back to my own days as a student. I remembered starting out very slowly in Primary 1. That was when I first started to really learn my A B C's and numerals. Here nowadays, most kids already have to know how to read by the time they enter Primary 1. My "class ranking" did not pick up until I entered Primary 5, only to fall again when I entered Secondary 1 in Singapore. It went up again, and remained in the upper percentile until I entered University (personal hindsight: lousy choice of a degree).

My University grades really sucked. Not a single 'A' in my core subjects and plenty of 'F's. (Knowing a few someone elses who can get 'A's in their core modules without breaking a sweat does not help :P). Somehow, with minimum study, I managed a few 'A's in my electives. As I think about what I learnt about in University, and trying to recall some of the examination questions, I wondered how on earth I managed to graduate in time.

There is one common factor though. It is easier to find "fun" and therefore "excel" in something that is enjoyable. Even the "perception" that something as enjoyable is usually sufficient. Unfortunately, being able to switch perceptions and maintaining them is a difficult skill to practice.

Murphy's other facet...

2007-05-06T10:46:00.000+08:00

"Stuff" always come to you when you least need it. (Remember that namecard you needed desperately to find last week? Viola! It is sitting there right on the television. It was not there when you looked last week!) When you really need it, it will be running away from you at warp 9 speed and hide in a meteor field.

I just had an offer to apply for an interview, and it seems that the company is pretty desperate to hire someone competent in the languages I work in because they are not placing any background requirement even though the position is in a quite specialised field. I do view it as an opportunity, and I am very grateful to the person who thought that I am probably good enough to apply for the position. It's just that this came at quite an inopportunate moment. Although I gripe about my work sometimes, I like what I am doing, and I also like it that my current company is pretty flexible with its office hours. Plus, I have just signed into a permanent contract with them.

In the Singapore's "everybody for him/herself" environment, the correct move would have to go and apply for an interview. But silly old fashioned me believe that I should at least justify my current company's recent "trust" in me. (It may also be that they themselves are trying to retain "talent" in the improving job market, hur hur hur...) Plus, I do not want to waste the other company's time and resources if I have already decided that I'm most probably not going to take the job. I think I know at least one reason why they are finding it hard to get experienced people. The Japanese who are already doing similar jobs would be paid much higher back in Japan (and the pay in Singapore was hinted to me to be pretty good). Although I wonder why they did not turn to well reputed agencies like JAC if they are that desperate, and would there be enough time for in-house training since they seems to be that pressed for time.

The interesting timing is... this opportunity did come at the end of my current contract. So if I had not signed on, I would have applied for the interview. (Whether I get it or not is another story.) It is after all, in an area that is expanding tremendously in Singapore. Time will tell if I made a big boo boo out of this opportunity. But it is good to know that linguistic capabilities can command quite a demand. Now all I need to do is to sharpen it further! (Which is hard to do in Singapore... gah...)

On a matter that might be related... I have gotten 2 friendster request from people whom I can't for the life of me recall knowing. One of them at least had a familiar name, but the face in the pictures is not the one I remembered. And both are ladies. Weird...

Your money is my money...

2007-04-30T18:39:00.000+08:00

I decided to take a look at the CPF website to learn about how I can
get back what is mine. What I found was a whole lot of Red Tapes separating me from my moolah.

From the CPF website as of 19th April 2007

"Supporting and caring for a rapidly aging population will be an increasing strain on Singapore's younger generations. Today, 10 economically active persons are supporting one elderly. By 2030, only 3.5 persons will be supporting one elderly! Therefore, it is important that you plan
early for a secure retirement."

Wha? Singapore does not have a pension system that pays out monies until a retiree kicks the bucket. (Except for some superscale civil servants) In Singapore, all your "pension" comes from your own pocket, and you may not even be able to take out a large part of it (Medisave). If your CPF runs our before you don't need it anymore, too bad for you. It will just "help" you not need the CPF faster. I hence do not see how this "decline" in youth economic support is going to affect Singapore as much as let say, Japan. Especially since Singapore is favoring the GST, which is revenue source that does not depend on the income of a tax payer.

"From 1 January 2013, members who reach 55 can withdraw their Special and Ordinary Account balances only after setting aside the CPF Minimum Sum and Medisave Minimum Sum. However, members can still withdraw the first $5,000 at age 55."

Am I going to get my money back after I retire? Not so fast! It is going to be more and more difficult to withdraw the money before the age of 62. Especially if I have enough to meet the CPF Minimum Sum (which will surely be more than $120000 by the time I retire). If I happen to meet the CPF Minimum Sum, then I'll have to top up my Medisave Minimum Sum too (currently $28,000)! Whee!

If I have used my CPF to pay for a property, then the CPF Board effectively "holds" part of my property as long as I do not have enough money left to meet the CPF Minimum Sum. On top of that, if the property is sold, then I have to return the money that I have used for the purchase
plus the applicable interest rate on that amount back into the CPF account. So, suppose that I have used $20,000 from my CPF to purchase the property, selling it 5 years later means that I have to return $22,628 back to my CPF account at the compounded OA interest of 2.5%. (Cool, I got to pay interest to myself for "lending" money to myself.) Recently, I learnt that this "return with interest" system also applies to CPF money that was used for education. I now wonder if the system also applies to CPFOA approved investments.

How about Medisave then? Turns out that it can only be used to pay for "approved" treatments, from "approved" institutions, up to the maximum "approved" amount. Nevermind that I may be able to go to Thailand to get similar treatments, inclusive of airfare and pampering in their medical resorts, at competitive prices. I can't use Medisave to pay for it! If I have good international medical insurance, then my Medisave can sit back and look even prettier. I have also just recently learnt that there is a fee to pay if I want to use Medisave to pay for my medical bill. Great isn't it? I've got to pay for the privilate of using my own money!

"The remaining Medisave balance, after the payment of the last medical bill, would be distributed by the Public Trustee to your family members under the intestacy laws for non-Muslims or the Muslim inheritance law for Muslims, if you had not made a nomination. If you wish to distribute your Medisave balance differently, then you would have to make a
nomination, if you have not made one yet."

Yeah sure, finally I get the money back. After I'm dead! Still, I'm not able to discern whether the payout will be in cash, or directly put into my inheritor's CPF account (gee wiz).

I really would rather CPF be more like America's 401(k) plan. Participation is voluntary, contribution rate is not fixed, and there are no such thing as "Minimum Sums".

Adages With a Twist

2007-04-19T19:51:00.000+08:00

We all have heard the saying of: "Give a man a fish and you've fed him for a day. ---"
I just found an interesting second half for this in a novel I read.
"--- Teach a man to fish and you can sell him rods and reels and hooks and sinkers."

Me? I'll provide the baits.

Up, up, and away!

2007-03-20T23:02:00.000+08:00

GST, Employer CPF contribution (which frankly, I don't want), Prices
(Inflation), transportation, NETS charge, medical fees, and housing. Everything is going up, except the renumeration of most people, and bank savings interest rates.

Income tax? pshaw! I don't even earn enough to "benefit" from any cut
in this category. I was asked in a recent conversation: "Since you think
that Australia is better, why don't you move there?". My answer was:
"Unfortunately, it is mainly because if inertia. I have gathered a
substantial amount of inertia in Singapore, such that moving to another place is simply not worth the bother, YET.". This question arose after I had
stated that, despite the higher tax rates, I would still be able to
accumulate better savings and have better welfare in Australia if I had
worked there, keeping to my current level of expenditure. And that this
would be even more true for the Australians, who are the natives.

I have head this argument about how high the tax rates are in other
countries many, many times. High tax = bad! (for us who are paying) And I would not say that it is wrong. However, I have never heard the argument place together with the real wages in those respective countries, nor the various welfares that are in place. Having experienced Japan, I have several examples of my own. One is what I called the "Big Mac
Comparison". A McDonald's part time worker in Japan earns about 800 yen per hour. That is enough to buy a Big Mac meal, which costs about 650 yen.
The same worker in singapore would only earn about $3.50, which is not
enough to buy a Big Mac meal ($5.00+). Even if the worker in Japan had
been taxed 20%, just another 10 yen would have been enough for the meal.

It seems that there are real economist who used this similar vector.
Although as I understand it, theirs focus more on how the different
currencies fare against each other. I used mine as a model to compare
earning power to spending power.

My "savings" rate in Singapore is still pretty good though. I can only
hope that it does not get bad enough to make other places much more
attractive. Moving is such a hassle, but it does put a new spin to: "When
the going gets tough, the tough get going" (away, that is).

Translation: The way to overcome adversity is to try harder (elsewhere). Because currently, "trying harder" as an employee does not always equate to "getting better" in Singapore. A lot depend on your employers, and they hold all the cards, with the blessings from the powers that be.

My company has been pretty fair so far, and for that, I guess I should be thankful?

Ah! Ha? Hmmm...

2007-02-28T20:46:00.000+08:00

I have just weathered another visit by my dear parents. As usual, my
mom is complaining that my dad is not watching what he eats, and my dad
is complaining that my mom is overly restricting his diet and activity.
(And people wonder why I can't stand going back home for too long
stretches of time...)

This time, there was not so much "hint" on wanting me to get a
galfriend, (aside from this phone number of a gal whom supposedly was met by
one of their friends on a trip somewhere that happens to be living in
Singapore...) my mom reported that my wily younger brother, whom it seems
to have begin to receive similar questions recently, has conveniently
used me to deflect the probes. (Yes, the: "But mom, elder brother should
be first." line of defense.) But, one stranger who shared the "backpack
hotel" that they stayed in very conveniently threw the sagely: "You
should be getting hitched" advice just after a very short small talk
introducing me and what I do. Looks like there's no escaping it...

I attempted to put a shield by saying that there are one or two ladies
that seemed promising initially, but unfortunately, both are attached.
(This is 50% fictitious)

"Where did you get to know them?", asked mom.
"In my dance class.", I said.
"You know what? I think you should not go for anyone whose hobby is
dancing.", she said.

In my mind: Huh? Now she's actually telling me not to go for a gal, if
she dances? What about the "You're not so young anymore, don't be too
picky and try to settle down" speech?

"But mom, this is a ballroom class. It used to be an activity that is
only accesible to the aristrocrats. There's nothing wrong about dancing,
is it?"
"Not so good.", was all that she was willing to say.
I wonder why is she against dancers in particular, because my aunt
happened to have said a similar thing to me just last year. As I do know,
perception is a very strong force, and where does this negative
implication came from? And I am kinda worried about what other "criterias"
would my dear mom find "unacceptable". Stuff like dancing can be hidden,
but there are others that can't be.

Anyway, as far as parents go, I think that mine has done pretty well.
It is not their fault that their eldest son is still unable to get a
daughter-in-law for them. (Aside from not providing me with more gene of
the adonis variety.) And if the time ever comes, I don't think they will
be objecting too much. (I hope)

It's new year already?

2007-01-24T20:37:00.000+08:00

A very belated Happy New Year 2007 to everybody!

I did not do nothing much, mainly because I somehow do not feel the
urge to go "say farewell to the current year and welcome the new one." I
literally felt the year turning when I was in Japan. The weather getting
hotter before plummeting to freeze my ears off, the trees going from
green to bare in a blaze of yellow-orange-red flames, the rainbow that
peeks out as greenery swept across the bare earth, and the pink storm of
petals accompanied by merry banter. But here, nothing, nada, zilch. It
comes with living in the tropics I guess, or maybe I am just
chronogically insensitive.

This year would be the end of my current 2-year work contract. From the
way things are looking, I am pretty sure that I would be asked to renew
it. Not a bad proposition really, I kind of enjoyed my current work,
and it keeps my "early" retirement investment plan on course. (Would be
good if it speeds up but, I take what I can.)

Now, on to the news about a new MMO

I got the feeling that unless the teacher in charge is a gamer like me,
they would probably be left far behind by their charges (woo... wordplay).
I amused some of my ex-students when I told them that I too played Ragnarok Online
(before going into discussion on why certain ways of doing things are
better). Games can, and do teach a lot of skills. The challenge lies in
applying these skills outside the game world. For example, getting over
18 people to cooperate properly in an in-game quest, is approximately as
hard as getting them to do so in real life. I see a lot of problems
when running quests that mirror real life habits. Most notedly - being
unprepared, being late, and being unable to remain cool under fire.

Granted that while failing a quest in-game would not say, crash the
stock market or sink the titanic, the basic skillset is the same -
information gathering, planning, preparation, and execution. It is quite
stressful being what is called a "raid leader" in a game. A raid leader is
like a project manager and a master sergeant rolled into one. Your raid
group depends on you to get them through the quest, coordinate the boss
fights, and divide the loot. You will also be held somewhat accountable
if the raid fails due to a character called Leeroy Jenkins. If you run
a succesful raiding guild, your name is likely to be dragged through
the mud by jealous people. Being me, I am glad that I do not have to take
this role.

In game, my favorite activity is to craft things and sell them to other
players. It does reflect what I would like to do in real life too.

Jet Lee's got nothing on this guy

2006-12-06T22:07:00.000+08:00

I have just recently started helping our resident taichi master.
I have yet to see someone so adept at channeling effort without even barely breaking a sweat. Incredible. Thankfully this will be just for one moon. I wondew how can one achieve this kind of mastery without having to meet the karung guni man.

Anyway, Red Rock Deli potato chips is very nice!
Although I guess Calbee's Spicy flavor is still my favorite.

Proof that filters are dumb

2006-11-22T20:35:00.000+08:00

Just out of a lark, I tried accessing Ms. XX's blog from the office.

Guess what? I got through.

And they block me from my own blog...
Harrumph!

Doodz! your Rights are Mine! (DRM)

2006-11-20T19:36:00.000+08:00

While I am not really a huge consumer of paid media, it does irk me that more and more companies are trying to tell their customers that they do not really own the thing that they have purchased. The customers are merely "borrowing" the product via a license. Some have even tried to push their licensing scheme to unbelievable lengths. I read somewhere that merely opening the wrap on a Windows Vista box would be equivalent to agreeing to all the licensing terms that can only be read after the
software is actually installed. On top of that, you have also further agreed to any amendments that they might make to the license in the future, with no time limit. (So if they say you can't install firefox, for example, you have no other recourse.)

If I buy a media, I expect to have full control of it. Copying it for a friend might be iffy, but giving it away to a friend, and have it not work just because she's using a different device to play it is just plain silly. From the look of how this is going, the media companies might even be tying to make it against the law to even give the product away (because it is licensed to you and it is non-transferable!).

Then you have things like this:

"Universal Music CEO: iPod owners are thieves"

It is probably true that a lot of music in the 60GB iPods might not have been purchased off the net. The thing is, this is not really about the music. Not to mention that they have made it illegal to convert tracks from CD's that I already *own* (very few) into digital media.

Apparently it is not enough that the record labels get royalties on the digital music that they sell, now they want royalties for each sale of the music player device too! It is like bread companies demanding royalties from companies that make bread toasters. While Apple has not budged, Microsoft (maker of Zune) has agreed! Maybe they will go after Sony next - you know, for all the walkmans. (I did not realize this earlier, but I recently found out why blank medias can be purchased. Part of their sale goes to the record companies.)

And this:

"BestBuy: our prices are copyrighted"

Uh... so, if you're selling an apple for $1.00, I can't list it for the same price?
(You can't copyright a price list. Duh.)

I am just glad that there are still people out there who are opposing all these DRM (Digital Rights Management) and copyright abuse. I am already doing my part (by not purchasing any cripple-ware products). I just hope that the trend will improve.

Data mining...

2006-11-14T19:26:00.000+08:00

What a coincidence...

Goldmine!

Instead, the company is filtering a lot of blogs and forums, that has
been classified under Internet Communications by the filtering company
(a totally separate entity) classifies them under Internet
Communications. The company have been trying to improve customer service recently,
and although most people who complain about the copier machines in their
office may not state the brand name, or the company they work for, it
could still prove to be a good vein for mining general complaints about
the type of machines and services the company is providing, and
anticipate it. Their loss.

(You can tell how I feel about the filtering don't ya :P)

Even I had one instance when an eatery (or a person who is more
familiar about the operation) left me a well thought out comment about what I
wrote quite some time ago. With the extra info, I was able to present a
more accurate picture (and I really should go down to try that place
again, because I was complaining that it was closed.) That is good
feedback.

Unfortunately, I do not get to try out many new things with my "weird"
lifestyle. I can give some negative view about the Upperdeck
distribution of chase cards in their latest WoW CCG, or about how the price of
virtual items in FFXI Online has plummeted, or why Caylus is my current
favorite boardgame, but I might as well be talking rocket science where
the general readers are concerned. Needless to mention that I do not
think I have enough readership to matter :P

However, as I have noted that I would require more "nodes" in future
(even they are just coordinates) I think I shall try to contribute more
nodes of my own.

My space

2006-11-10T22:10:00.000+08:00

No, not that jungle where pixelated denizen frolic through the jungle
of html codes. It is about people, and the places they tend to spend
most of their time in.

I have observed this pattern about the spaces I occupy as time goes by.
In a typical weekday, I would be in my bedroom, my desk in the office,
the canteen(s), the hawker center(s), and the library. During the
weekends, there would be other libraries, the dance studio, and some shops -
mainly game related, and some eateries. Let's call these "spaces where
a person tends to spend more time at" as "nodes". Essentially, we
commute from nodes to nodes in our daily lifes.

It was the same even when I was in Japan. Initially, I started
with 4 nodes - my "apartment", my classroom, the 牛丼 (Beef-bowl) eatery,
and the convenience store. Learning from my classmates who had been
there longer than I did, 3-4 more eateries were added. After I moved to a
new abode, the supermarket node got added. Then there is the park
nearby my school, activity room in Waseda university, plus 3-4 Izakayas. For
weekends, there were 2 English language cafes. All in all, there were
about 15+ nodes.

Hence I have been wondering if this phenomenon applies to most people,
and what are the factors that contribute the equilibrium number of
nodes per individual. Granted that the number of different spaces that an
individual tend to gravitate towards would be different (mine is about
12+ now), I believe that the average person would not have more than 30.
Among the hawker centres, for example, I tend to gravitate towards only
one or two stalls. I will, however, start searching for another node if
the quality of a current node is no longer able to meet my expectation
(like hawkers who scowl all the time.)

Then there are a group of people that keeps on looking for new spaces.
That would be one of the defining characteristic of an "expert". Even
then, I could still argue that that person is just orbiting a supernode
. Example: a person who knows all the bakeries in Singapore - "the
supernode", and knows where to find the best bakery - "the nodes" for a
particular type of bread. This person may be clueless about prawn noodles
(another supernode).

Personal conclusion: I tend to have fewer nodes, and I am presently
content with just these few selections. However, I think it will be good
for me to increase my nodes. Whenever my parents are here, I would be
quite clueless on where to take them to eat (because they like to say "up
to you", but will start to hem and haw when I say "Ok, Burger King
then"). I guess I just need to know more people of the "expert" breed, with
supernodes that I can tap into :P.

Blank

2006-11-09T18:56:00.000+08:00

I find that I can write better when I am in the office.

I wonder if it is a factor of time, or a need to write and read anything other than technical literature that drives this phenomenon...

Anyway, I found a way to write stuff still at the office.
But it seemed that the e-mail server ate up my mail.
(Or don't tell me I can't even write out to a web-based e-mail anymore? Gotta experiment...)

Update:
Mail got through! Phew...

Mini calamities

2006-10-19T19:46:00.000+08:00

Alrighty then...

One of my favourite Japanese TV programme seems to have ended its successful 9 year run.
It is the Dotch Cooking Show, and it really is a pity as I had just discovered their website recently.

As I was about to make a post about this, I found out that I have been subjected to a censorware.
That's right. I have fallen under the yoke of a corporate web filtering service that has managed to eliminate over 60% of my daily content, including all the free web-mails, and messenger systems (although I don't use this one a lot).

I really, really do not like this kind of artificial restrictions. Especially when it is implemented in the name of "security". For one, we are all now under the mercy of the company that provides the filter. If they decided to classify Wikipedia under "Miscellaneous" (which is one of the filters), *poof* there goes one of my sources of data. As it is, I am already unable to access some of my translation and writing resources as they have been classified under "Internet Communications", which is also filtered.

Gah... going to work has just lost some of its lustre.

Fallen empires...

2006-10-03T12:35:00.000+08:00

It seems that quite a few people got really upset with the way the US Government has been acting. Having been living in a single party majority "democracy" most of my life, I really can't relate on how these liberal and conservative things work. All I know is that it does not bode well for some of my investments, and might even affect the health of the company I am working for (US dollars revenue).

Anyway, I have finally confirmed that the westerner run western stall at the cafeteria has turned into a ghost town. It was not that surprising though, as the quality of their fare has been decreasing steadily.

First, the westerner dissapeared and got replaced by an easterner. This replacement was at least quite jolly, and seems to be keeping up the standard of the food. Then came the senior citizen helper, and the foreign talent assistant. As time goes by, the jolly easterner stopped coming to the stall, and the two underlings were left to run the stall by themselves.

The vegetables became undercooked. The variety of condiments got slashed. The extra salad bowl went into the limbo. My favorite chicken thigh dish gets the mary chia treatment, and the potato wedges had to do the extra duty of wedging the now wobbly stall. On top of all of these, somehow they decided that raising the price is a good idea. (Hey, we're selling less now, so let's up the price to retain the same level of profit!)

It reminded me of the story that Ms. E told me about how the standard of Bread Talk in Singapore has dropped, and that the ones in Indonesia is even worse. It seems that a lot of us are not as conscientious in keeping up the standards as compared to let say, the Japanese. I am aware that it is not an easy thing to do, keeping up standards, and often it is a thankless endeavour as people tend to take things for granted after a while. It is just sad to see that guality often had to give way to greed.

I wish they had retained the noodle stall...

Thou doth protest...

2006-09-15T15:17:00.000+08:00

Everywhere I snuck to read these past few days, I see IMF, WB, protest. And it seems that before the main event itself has started, Singapore has reapt nothing but "bad publicity" about what has been happening in this "much awaited" event.

I am not going to talk about that. That horse has been beaten, quartered, put back together, tenderized, and turned into basashi. I was more interested in the nature of protests in itself.

Protests, as it has been portrayed, is something that brings untold destruction in its wake. It is a manifestation of unreason and violence, in the form of a demented angry mob. The thing is, truly peaceful protests are not much covered by the media. There could have been 10 peaceful protests for every 1 violent one, and most of us would never know about them. Dull things and everyday things do not sell news. Scandals do. I wonder if this "negative orientation" is something that is in-built in the human psyche, or something that is conditioned.

I feel that the basic nature of protests, is to gain attention for a cause, regardless of whether it is for a good, bad or nonsensical. And it is one of the very few tools that is available to people in the "powerless" camp. The main reason protests usually involve a large number of people is that, that's about the only way they can gain enough attention. People who hold the power generally have no use for protests. They just act, because they can. Hence the problem of: you're welcome to protest all you want, we "hear" you (but that does not mean that we'll "do" anything).

As it is, it seems that most of the featured protests that have occurred in these kind of events, have been chaotic. With all the (very loud) background noises, it is more difficult for those who have truly legitimate reasons to make themselves heard. What happens when human beings are denied attention? They will act to gain it. And what's perceived to be the most effective way? Well, seems that violence is currently in the lead, nevermind that it does not directly help the cause, but hey, they grab attention!

Having said that, there is also this thing about "violent" protests. Often, there are instigators, and these instigators sometimes has nothing to do whatsoever with the main cause for the protest. Sometimes, they were even hired by people with ulterior motives just to rile the crowd. A peaceful crowd do not turn into a raving mob just because.

I think that protesters in general are already fighting a steep, uphill battle.
They are viewed as distruptions.
They face apathy and inertia.
Peaceful protests are very easy to ignore.
Violent protests have sealed their nuance as "negative".
They start out low in the scale of power and influence, and hence have to compensate by numbers - Large numbers result in control problem, and are prone to mob mentality instigation.
The issues they raise often would result in a "loss" for their opponent - These opponents usually have much higher prestige and power, and people do not like losing stuff.

I have to say I can symphatise with the "true" protesters. Even their "allies" are fickle at best.
There are just too many opportunistic people out there.

MMO fan service

2006-09-04T16:50:00.000+08:00

Now, this is one cool website.

http://mmoart.com/

One, I am a gamer, and I think it is pretty cool for one to be able to own a nice poster of one's favourite online character. Two, it is doubly cool that people can make a living doing things they really like to do, without the pressure from upper management. (The stress of making ends meet is another story). I am also an artisan by heart. I like to use my hands to make things. Translation is a pretty good fit for me because it is also a craft, much like writing. I used to do a lot of tracing when I was a teenager, and this kind of make me want to practice again. Drawing, like every craft, requires dedicated practice.

I wonder how my MMO character would turn out in their hands. They even have the option of drawing your real facial features into your character, for no extra charge. Kind of tempting. Now all I have to do is get the uber cool looking gears and pose for a screenshot.

You call this an award?

2006-09-01T14:03:00.000+08:00

I stumbled across the asiablog award webpage (surfing is such a dangerous business...) and browsed through the nomination categories.

My interest was piqued when I saw one category. (No, not the xxx one!)
It said: "Best Japan Blog". Since I do not really have the chance to read a good many blogs in Japanese (really slow reading), I was initially happy that I might have found a good source of good ones to add to my reading list.

That is, until I got crushed by dissapointment.

First, none of the blogs are in Japanese.
Second, none of them seems to have been written by a Japanese. Although there is one or two that I can like. (E.g. Pink Tentacle and Neomarxisme)
Third, one of them is not even a "Japan Blog". It basically aggregates movie clips from Japan that are available in YouTube, and then proceeded to make awful, uneducated comments about them. (The feller who runs it does not know a shred of Japanese. Go figure.)

The category would be more aptly named "English Blogs about Japan". (And if that YouTube aggregator wins, the suffix - by clueless people - must be added.)

Quick, quick, sloooow...

2006-08-29T12:42:00.000+08:00

I guess I might start going for lessons again now that the new classes are being held on Saturdays.

Anyway, last week I finally decided to try another Indonesian eatery at Lucky Plaza - The Ayam Bakar Ojolali (I wonder why it is not Panggang - Roast). Currently, there are at least 4 different eateries there. Maybe one day we would be able to see "Little Indonesia" forming in the middle of Orchard road.

The decor was pretty spartan, in a cafe-like environment. It looks clean, and I feel that the decor and furnitures are better than Es Teler 77's. A pretty good looking place. I just feel that there is something 'clutterish' about the place that I can't exactly put a finger to though.

I had the Roast Chicken ($5.50) and Es Ojolali ($2.50) - coconut water with shred coconuts, selasih and syrup. All prices are as it is. (GST and Service charge included most likely)
Tasted pretty authentic, and it was tasty. I only wish that they could give more rice and side (tahu and tempe) for the price they charge. The kecap manis (sweet soya sauce) there is pretty good too, and so is the sambal (said my dining companion).

I also had the pleasure to try out "The Hog's Breath" western eatery at Holland Village after the weekend meetup session. While not a very big fan of red meat steaks, they serve the best steak I have ever had in Singapore. I am not sure about the price, but $24+ for 200g and sides should be quite reasonable for this kind of quality. I had their cheeseburger ($ 15+) instead, and that was pretty good. The patty was cooked thoroughly while retaining its juicyness. The place has nice decoration, but the air conditioning flow was not very good. It could get pretty warm in there. We then adjourned to NYDC's for some desset, cool air, and of course, more games.

As I normally eat at the hawker centres, spending approx. $3 per meal, or fast food restaurants for approx $6 per meal, it kind of amazes me how much people can spend for their meals in Singapore. That night, I spent over $25 for dinner (and excellent company of course). Must be my spartan lifestyle... (or simply low pay?)

Modern age matchmaker.

2006-08-14T16:13:00.000+08:00

I just received an SMS from Mom, which contains an e-mail address.
She said that it belongs to a child of a friend of Dad's.

I thought: "Maybe she needs me to contact the person for some business or something."
So, I scrolled down to check out the address and further instructions.

There were no further instructions.
Looking at the address, the owner is most likely a lady.

I dread the day she learns how to send MMS.

These come in threes...

2006-08-11T16:53:00.000+08:00

Awrighty then~

Since I have managed to finish my project sliiightly earlier, it is time to update :D

Oh yeah, about the negative experiences.

Just as I was returning from my trip to Bandung, I had a bad case of Stomach Flu. It could be that I needed to reacclimatize my stomach to the local food (as I have not been back for 3 years), or I was just too tired from all the travelling and did not have enough constitution to withstand the cooler air in Bandung. We sually call this "Masuk Angin" in Bahasa Indonesia, and I am not sure what would be the equivalent in English.

The usual treatment for this type of illness is what is called "Kerokan". That is where a mixture of "Kayu Putih" oil and Vicks Vaporub (or other medicinal oil) is applied to one's back, and then a hard, smooth object (usually shaped like a small disc) is used to "scratch" lines on the back. Just several passes is usually enough to make the back look like a zebra crossing. This treatment is purported to release negative energies from the body.

The weird thing is that after the treatment, I began to have really bad ache on my shoulders. This has never happened before. The ache remained for quite a few days. The treatment did help with my queasy stomach though, but I ended up not being able to sample much of my favorite foods back home. (What a waste~!)

Thinking back, that ache might actually have helped me avoid another problem. The thing is, I received quite a few of the "dreaded queries" and "well meaning advices" when I went back. Thankfully, there weren't any "recommendations". (Wait, there were two, and one did not follow through) From my auntie, my neighbour, and verious friends of my parent's. Being sick gave me the excuse of not being impolite for not being enthusiastic to discuss the issue further. I managed to deflect all the queries pretty well I guess. Although I was quite miffed by one of them who suggested that I am a "total loser" in my current status. I plead excruciating pain (which was only a slight exaggeration) and escaped when he tried to regale me with his exploits as a young man. (This guy seems to have been educated in America. Go figure.)

I have to say though, it is not reassuring to know that these line of queries would not really stop even after the first issue is answered. It will then just mutate into another form...

Every cloud has a silver lining.
Watch out for the lightning. :P

How much?

2006-07-28T12:40:00.000+08:00

Whew... finally some breathing space.

I have been busy catching up with work since I got back, and then there was that back-to-back Saturday and Sunday gaming sessions, and then the family (mom, dad, bro, aunt, uncle, aunt, cousin) were here for a whole week, and I have to entertain them. Then there is the upcoming Boardgame Championship on 29th and 30th of July at Kim Seng CC. Busy busy busy.

My cousin declared that she would not like to live in Singapore. She prefers Surabaya (where she is now currently pursuing a degree). My bro was fascinated by all the second hand phone shops, and MP3 players. My mom insists that I pay for meals when dad is not around, while my aunt vehemently refused to let me pay (there was a 'mini scuffle' in one of the restaurants to see who gets to pay). The wallet battle was a tie. (I paid twice, she paid twice, and I think dad paid for the Thai Village dinner, which I could not attend because I had food poisoning! Talk about suey...)

My holiday was pretty good, although I would have preferred a more sedate pace. There were so much travelling that it gave a rushed feeling. I had quite a lot of good buys though. Good quality work shoes for $30, clothing for $10 a piece, good restaurant food at $6 per serving, and great road side stall food at $1 per serving (prices did go up...). Indonesia is a country where you can have a $5 designer haircut, and yet have to fork out $1 for one slice of "designer bread" at the mall, just 15 minute's drive from that hairdresser.

We made quite a few trips to Jakarta, and I finally managed to take a peek into the gaming community over there. I am happy to say that there is actually a community, although it is still in an early stage. Availability of boardgames is also quite an issue. The new malls in Jakarta are quite impressive too. I think they still need some work with regards to interior design, lighting, and maintenance. I also made a trip to Bandung to visit my aunt, and to partake even more delicious fares. We went to this place called "The Valley", and it was gorgeous. Imagine yourself sitting in an open air restaurant, breating in the cool, clean and fresh mountain air while being served scrumptious fare. Dinner for 4 there only runs up a bill of $50. This place is like a mountain resort, and they have twin sharing cabins for $100 per night. It even has swimming pool! My aunt told me that there are numerous similar establishments in that area, and that this is one of the better ones.

Anyway, it is kind of refreshing to see my immediate family in Singapore instead of back home. Here, I get to show them how to go where. Although I am pretty clueless about where to go.

And, I'll write about the "negative" experiences later :P

~Sweet Home

2006-07-11T16:56:00.000+08:00

I made it back!

In one piece! (And not gaining enough weight as I had to fall sick for 2 days!)
To meet a piling stack of work to do...

So far so good though. The boardgame scene in Singapore seems to be gaining more momentum, and there is a budding one in Indonesia. Plus, it seems that the number of good lookin ladies back home has increased.

Keep tuned in for more :P

Home~

2006-07-01T12:32:00.000+08:00

After 2 full weeks of overtime, I managed to just clear enough work so that I won't be swamped too badly when I got back.

Going back to Indonesia for a week.

I hope not to gain too much weight :P

Which will you order?

2006-06-20T12:46:00.000+08:00

When a group of people are given the option to choose between 2 mouth watering dishes, with the chance of some going hungry if they pick the wrong dish, it makes for great entertainment. And that's one of the core themes of "The Dotch Cooking Show". I made it a point to not miss this cooking show when I was in Japan. It is a very well made show. (The clones that had appeared in Taiwan and Singapore are not even half as good.)

The show had undergone a few changes, but the basic framework is still the same: 2 competing kitchens - the yellow kitchen and the red kitchen, each with its own dish of the week, presenter, chef, and special assistant (whom did not exist in the earlier shows). Plus 9 celebrity guests, of whom 1 - Kusanagi from SMAP - is a permanent face on the show. Each kitchen prepares its own dish, and the 9 guests will have a final vote to decide which dish will be served. The catch - those who voted for the dish that lost, would not get to eat anything and have to watch the winners eat.

It usually starts innocuously. The presenters and the 9 guests would have a brief chat, after which the guests have to pick either kitchens to patronize. The 2 chefs then begin the battle by showing off the ingredients and their skill at turning them into delectable dishes. The camera pans from one side to the other, giving each presenter the chance to persuade the guests to vote for their dish. Halfway into the show, the special assistants would come in to bring the "Special Ingredient" for their respective dishes, along with a footage on what kind of effort went into the creation of those ingredients. Then the guests would be given a chance to sample the special ingredient and to reassess their choices.

This portion of the show has changed. Where it used to be that all guests had the chance to sample the ingredient, it was changed so that only one random guest gets to taste it. It also seems that now there is no tasting segment at all.

Each kitchen would then bring out their cheering teams in the form of footages from famous restaurants serving their dishes. The Japanese are mavericks when it comes to make food look good on TV, and this show is a cut above the rest when it comes to presentation of food preparation. I would have gone down to those restaurants in a flash, have I had the money ><. Meanwhile, the chefs are putting the finishing touches to their dishes. Once the dishes are complete, both presenters step up and ask: "さて、今夜のご注文は、どっち？", at which the guests would press a button to show their preference, and seal the fate of those who would go hungry for the night. (Including the presenter of the losing kitchen.)

I like the variety of comments and jokes that permeates this show, compared to the generic "Oishii" that dominates other programs. The people that are torn with indecision as they are being seduced by two equally enticing dishes. The superb lighting and camera work that amplifies the allure of the food. The mini documentaries on their special ingredients. Although I don't know if I would ever want to be in that show. Losing would be quite painful, and my estimation on which side would win has a dismal accuracy of 33% :P

Oh boy...

2006-06-14T14:17:00.000+08:00

Well well well,

I have not been writing for quite a bit because I have been pretty busy at work, since I am kind of rushing projects to make time to take the leave that I had already announced like 3 months back. Plus, a new big project is going to come in next week, and it seems that no extra time had been allocated even though it was already known that I am taking 1 week's leave next month (the other languages get 1 extra week). I really do not understand.

On top of that, there had been a slight increase in the number of boardgaming sessions that I can attend! There is now at least one session for every week of the month except for the 4th week, and there's nothing like three straight games of Puerto Rico to burn off the weekly dose of work stress.

And there is more! I have found some full episodes of one of my favorite Japanese TV show on YouTube! It is called: 「どっちの料理ショー」 or "The Dotch Cooking Show!". Unfortunately, I have almost watched all of those that is available *sigh*.

Anyway, today is slightly empty, and I am feeling pretty sleepy right now. Writing is good to clear some cobwebs :D

Book fair, not fair!

2006-05-30T17:00:00.000+08:00

Books! Books! Books!
There were books all over the ... urr... floor!

I was slightly stunned by the spectale that waa lied out before me as I entered the 5th Exbition Hall at the Expo. And after looking around for an hour, I was feeling dissapointed.
Books haphazardly slotted into boxes, rows and rows of them upon the gray concerete floor.
And they were not even separated into fiction/non-fiction sections! The horror~!

To be fair, they did have a few shelves up, but they were also either filled with random books, or filled with Robert T. Kiyosaki's book and that Da Vinci Code guy's books. There were some by tony Buzan too, and I was tempted to buy more when I saw the signs: "Cash only" on my way to the cashier. At the feet of the signs, there were cardboard boxes partially filled with books, supposedly left there by people who gave up buying when they realized that they did not bring enough cash.

Adding to the tragedy, the ATM machines were located all the way at the other end of the Expo building. So I made my way over, only to find that there was only one ATM machine in the whole huge complex, and it was a DBS ATM (Nooooo...ooo....).

To think that I took an hour train ride just for this.

It seems that books fairs are good if you do not have a specific book in mind to buy. It is also good if you're looking for fiction books. I went there in hope of finding some writing books, and well, it would be like looking for needles in a haystack. Only the haystack keeps on getting moved around by other people. It would take a lot of time to sort out though all the boxes of books, which process would be made even more painful by irresponsible people dumping books that they pick from one stack to another stack.

Gaaah~

Western Food!

2006-05-26T12:29:00.000+08:00

I finally decided to try the Westerner run Western Food stall at the canteern. Here's my rating so far: the stall actually serves pretty good fare for the price. I had a lasagna, with potato wedges as side dish, and a dollop of tartar sauce.

It was actually pretty tasty, reasonable for the price range of $4.50, and the potato wedges are actually pretty excellent. I might begin to frequent this stall more often. Plus, it is not often that you get greeted with "How are you today Sir?" in Singapore foodcourts.

Now, onto the meme - 6 weird things about me.

1. I like to mix my condiments. My standard concoction would be Chilli sauce + Tomato ketchup, with a ratio of 1:1.

2. I like to observe nature, but I don't think I'll be able to live in a rural settings.

3. I prefer to do things alone most of the time. That includes eating and watching movies. But I do play a lot of MMORPG.

4. I can't live without reading materials. I almost always have something to read within easy reach, wherever I am.

5. I communicate better in a 'chat' environment. It afford me more time to compose my mind and create better expressions.

6. I am irritated by people who bring their significant others to gatherings, and then proceed to virtually ignore everyone else. If they are going to do that, they might as well not come.

Country Food!

2006-05-15T12:23:00.001+08:00

Satay, Soto, Gado-gado...

Oh, sorry, my mind was wandering...
A colleague of mine recently asked me if I have ever been to the Rice Table, and he was surprised to hear that I have never been there, being an Indonesian. I am kind of intrigued with the assumption that people who are living in a foreign country would actively seek out all the eateries that offer dishes from their home country. I have of course heard about tourists that refuse to eat anything 'local' and would go all out to find (or bring lot of) familiar food and would rather starve otherwise (disclaimer: exaggeration).

Of course there would be times when I would miss the food back home, but I don't really bother searching for it here as usually it would end up being:
1. Tasting "somewhat not right".
2. Very costly when compared to food back home.

Anyhow, I ended up having some Malay food today. It is the closest approximation that is available near my workplace. Here is where I have found other interesting trends.
1. The Malay food in Singapore is, on the average, more expensive compared to Chinese food of the same 'class', and many times, do not really taste much better. (So far, there are only 2 stalls in Singapore that I feel like revisiting)
2. Chinese restaurants in the class of Crystal Jade and Thai Village do not really have a Malay equivalents. (Indonesian restaurants are another story)

So I usually would end up paying more for sub-par food (to my tastebuds). Rice + 1 veggie and 1 meat for $3, while I can get Rice + 2 veggies + 1 meat for $2 from another chinese stall. But oh well, the craving has been minimally scratched. I might have to check The Rice Table out, as my colleague said that he has heard other Indonesians claim that it is authentic enough, and another complained that she could not get into the restaurant twice already as it was fully booked. Besides, $20 for a dinner buffet is not too outrageous (unless you think in terms of Rupiah :P).

Would you like me to verify your confirmation?

2006-05-08T12:19:00.000+08:00

I think I am going to really, really start to dislike some synonyms. Oh, they are fun enough to learn about and use, but I do not like being unsure if what I am writing is going to be understood correctly by the intended recipients.

Recently, one of the phrase I was given to translate is: 設定確認
設定 is not really a problem as it is basically the "Settings" of a machine.
確認 is the problem here, because of the lack in context. It can be generally translated as [Confirm], that in itself has 4 meanings:
1 : to give approval to : (ratify)
2 : to make firm or firmer : (strengthen)
3 : to administer the rite of confirmation to
4 : to give new assurance of the validity of : remove doubt about by authoritative act or indisputable fact

Furthermore, the Merriam-Webster dictionary shows that [Confirm] has the following synonyms:
[Validate] = implies establishing validity by authoritative affirmation or by factual proof
[Corroborate] = suggests the strengthening of what is already partly established
[Substantiate] = implies the offering of evidence that sustains the contention
[Authenticate] = implies establishing genuineness by adducing legal or official documents or expert opinion
[Verify] = implies the establishing of correspondence of actual facts or details with those proposed or guessed at

(Notice most of the relations are implying something)

So, I translated it as: "Verify Settings", because from what I can infer, some checking is required in this context. Today, I was informed that they already have a current translation that says: "Settings Confirmation", and asked for advice. (I was not even sure of what kind of advice they wanted, as they only state that this phrase currently have 2 translations.)

I advised them that in case of problems, it would be better to use [Verify]. I could not really go into detail though, as the advice is to be written in Japanese.

To me, both words can be used to mean "to check that", but [Confirm] has a nuance of "commitment" that is lacking in [Verify]. You press the "confirm" button when you are sure that the choice is what you want, and you press the "verify" button to check if it is not.

I find it hard to explain the difference beween these nuances in other cases.

Besides, 設定確認 can be the contraction of 設定の確認 or 設定を確認.
"確認" is a noun in the former, and a verb in the latter.

Just adding an "of" would change the meaning too.
Confirmation of Settings -> Settings Confirmation = the act of confirming the settings (Passive Action)
Confirmation Settings = a type of settings (Noun)

I really need better instructions!

On Cafeterias...

2006-05-05T12:33:00.000+08:00

One of the cafeterias near my workplace had just undergone a change in management.

Unfortunately, this has resulted in my favorite Noodle Stall gone missing. I have not managed to find many noodle eateries that server noodles that are tasty to my tastebuds, and this stall was one of them.

On the other hand, this is also the first time I have ever seen a Westerner serve food in a 'Food Court' environment in Singapore. It is one of the new stalls, and the prices are approximately 40% more expensive than the nearest competitor's. I think I would give it a try to see if a Westerner made Western food is any different :D

I will miss the noodle though...

On competition

2006-04-28T12:41:00.000+08:00

This post was inspited by Sonic's writeup.

I feel that the actual criteria for a competition, is simply whether you are better than the rest of the people that does the same thing. The problem now comes when money is required to actually stage the competition in a large enough scale (not to mention the prizes).

Magic: The Gathering (M:TG) competitions can continue in such a large scale, and pay out very good money simply because it is the nature of the game. Being collectibe, it has a steady source of revenue. For them, the competitions serve as: 1. Perpetual promotion vehicle, 2. Magnet for new competitive players that buy a lot of cards. 3. Traders in secondary markets that also buy a lot of cards.They do not need external sponsors because M:TG is self-sustaining.

Cybergames companies, on the other hand, do not have a constant revenue source. They require sponsors, and are currently limited to a small pool of potential sponsors. Only MMORPG's have constant revenue source, and they are the most difficult to create competitions that are meaningful to the mass. Sponsors pay money in the hope that their advertisement gets across to the group of people that most likely would end up buying their products/using their services.

Like, why should the achievement of a golfer that plays better golf than almost everyone else (e.g. Tiger Woods) be more significant than that of a Quake player that plays better Quake than almost everyone else (e.g. Paul Nelson)? Both of them got to where they are with lots of effort and time. Somehow the society perceives that it is. I just do not think that it should be.

I do see it changing though. More and more people are growing up sorrounded by virtual worlds. It is just a matter of time before there are enough people getting involved for sponsors to start fighting for advertisement space. I just hope that they do it tastefully.

This, for example, is a pretty good 'Geek Ad'.

And in China, Coca-Cola is already involved with World of Warcraft. Maybe they are trying to make Coca-Cola the Asian equivalent of the current stereotypical Western Computer Gamer Geek's drink of choice - Mountain Dew.

I am awake!

2006-04-24T12:01:00.000+08:00

After enduring 4 days of drowsyness, I am finally (almost) fully awake!

Not having eyelids that weigh like lead is indeed a great feeling.
I have not had to take medicine with 'might cause drowsyness' effect very often, and I guess this shows that at least my body still has low tolerance to drugs of certain types. Good in sense that they will be effective for me, bad in a sense that the side effect(s), if any, would linger longer too. Anyway, it is good to finally return to alertness.

Or, it might just be the coffee...
Hmmm... coffee...
(Dangit, am I turning into a coffee addict already?)

Weird week

2006-04-22T22:16:00.000+08:00

This has really been a very strange week for me.

I went and joined the Settler's of Cattan preliminary rounds, and only managed to place 4th (out of 8), and then I missed the bookfair that I was supposed to go to because I stayed back to play RA! and Razzia!

I intended to order a plane ticket home from my usual travel agent, only to find out that they have closed down. I ended up purchasing my first online ticket from Zuji, only to realize that I have booked the wrong flight date. One call to the customer service officer, and *poof* went $25.

Caught stomach flu, and could not find my company card before going to the clinic (it was actually in my bag) and *poof* went another $30. The dumb medicine made me so drowsy all the while, but luckily I managed to complete my project in time.

I finally got my much awaited copy of "Treasures of Aht Urhgan" (expansion for Final Fantasy 11), only to realize that it is a DVD coded software, and I only have a CD rom. Hence I have to fork out another 60bux for a DVD rom, and wrestle with my PC to install it before I can install the game.

On the bright side, I won 3 out of 4 games in today's M:TG Dissension pre release, with 2-0 2-0 2-0 and 0-2 record. Not bad :D (No dual lands though.. boo hoo...)

Gotta rein in this runaway $$ syndrome....

To Thai or not to Thai...

2006-04-17T12:16:00.000+08:00

Last week, I was treated to a dinner at Thai Village.

The ambiance was good, and very Chinese, which got me wondering initially about the name of the restaurant. And well, it is a chinese restaurant with a slight Thai flavor. They do not have Tom Yum soup or Mango Salad, but they have Shark's Fin Soup - of which I had a share.

The service is good, and the food is delicious. I am not really partial to the expensive Chinese dishes such as Abalone and Shark's Fin Soup, but well, this is a once in a few months kind of thing, plus I am not paying for it so... :P I personally don't get the Chinese obsession with this particular food item, but I do realize the significance of including it in an order.

The item that really gave me a pleasant surprise was their Gelato dessert. Glazed with chocolate, shaped and colored to look like a real fruit, these icy desserts are a real treat! Each of them even has a chocolate 'Seed'. (The peach one had a Ferrero Roche in it). I had an 'Apple', and it was grrrrrrrrreat. (Even better than the Shark's Fin :P) The gelato is not cloyingly sweet, and it is really smooth. The chocolate "peel" just melts on the tongue.

Overall recommended. A dinner for 4 should cost an average of $40-$50 per head when sharing one medium pot of Shark's Fin Soup.
I heard a lot of other Indonesians there, as well as saw other International clientelle. Many of the servers are not too good with English though, so have a Chinese speaker handy for better facilitation.

Abstract game!

2006-04-13T17:18:00.000+08:00

Found this gem of a frustating game.

Planarity

Try at your own risk :P
(Purpotedly addictive to certain wiring of mind)

Mini dilemna...

2006-04-12T17:31:00.000+08:00

On my way to work today, I encountered a lady sitting on the floor of the underpass that I had to go through every work day. She was obviously distressed, and she kept asking if there is a bus to Hougang from there, and that she needed to get home to take her insulin shot.

As far as I know, there is no bus from the nearest 2 bus stops that goes anywhere near to Hougang. As I was thinking, one of my collagues happened to see us, and she also had no idea if any bus there goes to Hougang. So, we tried to tell the lady to take some other bus to the MRT instead. However, she insisted to only wanting to take one direct bus. (Well, she got here somehow right?)

So I pondered calling the police for assistance. I asked my colleague if she knows how this call to 999 might work out, and she too had no idea. Neither of us has ever called the police before. However, suddenly the lady insisted that she'll walk to the bus stop, and ask other people about the bus to Hougang since we weren't being helpful. And she did, just like that, leaving two baffled office workers (us) behind.

It seems that she does not want to have anything to do with the police. I do wonder though, aside from getting her into a taxi, what else could have been done in such a case? Especially since the person is behaving erratically.

Random Quotes V

2006-04-07T12:52:00.000+08:00

"Edgy and interesting" is for premarital adventuring. "Funny, kind and able to cope with a broken faucet" is marriage material.

- a lady forum poster

When I again had trouble with a leak at my previous abode, I tried a few methods to try and fix it myself, as calling for a plumber is not exactly cheap. Both the faucet and the pipe were leaking this time.

I tried to duct tape the faucet. - It did not work.
I tried to duct tape the pipe. - It did not work.
I tried to use epoxy glue on the pipe. - It did not work.

I gave up and I called my friend, who recommended to me, an economical plumber.
As the plumber worked, I observed what he was doing. Then I asked him, where did you learn how to fix stuff like this? He said that he had to "steal" the skills from other people as there seems to be no formal training school for it, and the people in the trade are reluctant to share their techniques for fear of competition. Reminds me of the medieval age guild system...

So I got the plumbing fixed, with $30 for the damages - New faucet + water valve + piping. (He said that this kind of job would usually cost up to $50)

Looks like a handyman course could make good money here. Plus, I have learnt something - turn off the water mains before attempting epoxy glue, or anything else even.

Homes in the cloud

2006-04-03T19:44:00.000+08:00

Want to see an ultra cool apartment?
We present to you!

The Tower

It even has a movie-like name...

I wonder what will be the occupancy rate of this kind of lodging, and how may days out of the 365.25 days in a year that the people who owns one of these will actually spend living in it.

And this is yet another point for making money.
It takes big money to make even bigger money. And no, those money won't trickle down to the masses.

Now, imagine living on the topmost floor of a 1km tall apartment, that is marketed as being the most sxclusive of homes on earth. Right smack in the middle of Dubai, and enjoying the view of the far off sea... And the lift decided to break down... :P

Home... is where my boxes are

2006-03-24T14:45:00.000+08:00

I have finally settled into my new place.

And truth to be said, it is actually a pretty excellent place.
Now all it need is to be filled with gamers, and have a better kitchen!

There is also this weird smell in the common areas, my friend told me it is the new flooring.

Ambiguity part 1

2006-03-21T16:21:00.000+08:00

Trust the Japanese to have one phrase that could mean both "Appropriate"/"Suitable" and "Anyhow"/"Random".

That word is 「適当に」

So... do you want me to change the value appropriately, or randomly?

Paths...

2006-03-17T19:31:00.000+08:00

謎の旅
おばさんが行く
さようなら

A mystery trip
Auntie has to undertake
Fare thee well, I say

A B C D...

2006-03-15T14:44:00.000+08:00

I tend to be very sympathetic with the young kids nowadays. It seems that by primary 1, they are already expected to be able to read and comprehend quite a wide range of materials. I feel that they are being pushed too fast.

I remembered starting to learn how to read and count only from Primary 1. (k - a - ka, k - i - ki, kaki "foot". 1+1=2) I can't really recall much about pre-school, but there seemed to be a lot of play and discovery activities. Look at where I am now. I still function pretty well linguistically.

That reminded me. I overheard a lady sitting beside me complaining about the language that she is learning (quite loudly, I assure you). She claimed that it is weird. She could not find a pattern on how the collective form for this language vary with the item being counted. That was when I guessed that she was talking about Japanese. Sure enough, she started giving an example about counting books.

"?!" But the collective for books is constant...
And then I realized that she must be referring to: 「本」, which is used to count long objects in Japanese. I wonder if I should just have taught her how to.

Anyway, the move is 95% complete, only 1 more box to transfer today.

Plus: Finnish Art of Conversation

What is a game?

2006-03-14T14:17:00.000+08:00

I found a nice description of this thing that I really, really like to do.

A game is:

A system in which players engage in an artificial conflict, defined by rules, that results in a quantifiable outcome

Quoted from Rules of Play by Eric Zimmerman and Katie Salen.

It came from this article: http://shufflebrain.com/etech06.htm, and I found another very interesting blog that brings multi dimensional views about games: http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/

Coincidentally, one of posts in there - How to be an expert - kind of ties in with one comment that I made in another blog today. In that comment I stated that genius are born, while the post said that anyone can be a genius, as long as they are dedicated, willing to put in all the time and focus. Here is the crutch. I believe that people are somehow born with an inclination to certain abilities. Whether they develop it or not, is another story.

For example, assume that person A and person B both put in the same amount of effort (per hour) learning Japanese. However, person A might just need to put in 800 hours of study to clear JLPT1 compared to person B's 1200 hours. They will both end up at similar competency level, but unless person B really, really likes or needs Japanese, he might have been served better by pursuing, let's say Cooking (where person A regularly gets sugar and salt mixed up). The time required is of a different scale altogether.

Sure, I probably could be a Scrabble GM like Sonic by putting in the hours. Why would I want to do that if I can probably learn another language in the time I would need to memorize the scrabble dictionary :P.

Transmigration

2006-03-13T12:05:00.000+08:00

Whee! I have finally completed 90% of my move. Got myself quite a nice place (would be a lot nicer with no owner), and transplanted my internet connection! (More on this later).

Unfortunately, my friend who drives does not have a vehicle available to help me move this time (his dad took it to Malaysia), but he came down to help me with the heavier boxes. Thank you Mr D.! Here's where the complications began. I had to make the main move using 3 taxi trips that cost me a total of $15. Not too bad.

However, I found a disturbing trend with the taxi drivers in Singapore. Seems that most of them are not too pleased when being flagged down for the purpose of moving a few boxes. I only took 6 box with each trip, and they were not exactly humongous either. One driver just immediately drove off after I asked him if he's willing to go into the complex and have me load the boxes. Out of the 3 drivers that actually took my stuff, only one even bothered to get out from the cab to open the baggage compartment. One gave quite a sour face at the end of the trip, and the other asked me: "Why did you not get a friend to help?" while keeping his rear glued to the driver's seat as I unload my stuff. (I had help on Saturday, and I made 1 last trip on Sunday for my comp and all the other light stuff.)

I do not think that they are really obliged to load/unload any baggage, but helping passengers should be part of the service no?

The last time I moved, I met a really, really nice taxi driver. I was actually planning for 2 trips due to all the stuff I need to move, but he insisted that we try loading everything in at once (we managed), and even helped with the loading and unloading! I guess I have used up a lot of my "taxi driver luck" when I met that nice gentleman.

I should have obtained his contact number or something...

Inspiration

2006-03-09T17:05:00.000+08:00

Inspired by Anonymous_X's link spring cleaning, I have decided to adopt the method to make own list of links that would be a lot easier to manage. (Sparing me the use of the "edit template" steps!) These are for stuff that I do not need to refer to often, but looks like a good source of information on what interest me ^^.

*Drumroll*

Pizza + Geek =
Cooking for Engineers
Presentation Zen
Wonderland - games
Ward-o-Matic - Animation
Animator-John K
http://www.svioklascontext.com/
http://www.kith.org/logos/
http://www.sf.airnet.ne.jp/ts/index.html
http://nesheimgroup.typepad.com/
http://www.ceebot.com/colobot/index-e.php

Conundrum

2006-03-06T13:19:00.000+08:00

I am usually too lazy to clean up my room. Papers everywhere, dust bunnies makes comfy nest under my bed, books form mini hills, coat hangers frolick on my bed...

But, I can't stand it when a location gets real messy at the end/in the middle of a party. Me and the whole class was invited to join a potluck party by one of my classmates. And from the location, she seems to be making better money than me ><. As the party progresses, I was clearing up empty containers/plates/cups that were abandoned near me. (People appeared and left in waves, so there were a constant stream of containers being orphaned.)

After a while, the party hostess asked: "Do all Indonesian males help with cleaning up the way you do?" and I was like: "Erm... I guess most of us do, yes." (What else can I say?) Seems like I was the only guy that was actively demolishing the growing mountain of rubbish.

It is interesting the kind of pre-conceptions each of us carry in our heads and how they influence the way we view the world. Usually these pre-conceptions are very hard to break intentionally. But it looks like I had inadvertedly broke quite a few, and mayhaps introduced some, hopefully better, ones. Like - Indonesian (chinese) guys = makes good butlers :P

I should have probably asked her to observe other Indonesians (when available) as I contradict myself a lot.

Boardgames galore!

2006-03-03T10:01:00.000+08:00

To many people, the word 'boardgame' usually brings up the image of a Monopoly board in their mind. This is actually quite an achievement of Hasbro's. They have indirectly managed to monopolize people's *idea* of what a boardgame is. They now control Wizards of the Coast too, but that's another story.

Enter the euro boardgames. People whom I try to introduce these games to usually ask me why is that I am so passionate about boardgames which most people do not even know the name of?

1. They are mighty fun! There are dexterity games [Villa Paletti], matching games [Blink], building games [Puerto Rico], area control games [Carcassone], brain burning games [Logistico], abstract games [Blokus], party games [Jungle Speed], negotiation games [Diplomacy], fantasy games [Runebound], rolepaying games [House of the Hill], auction games [Modern Art], filler games [Holiday!], and many, many more. Plenty of people who has tried a few of these games would come back for more. There are enough variety to suit almost everybody's needs (well, some people just don't dig boardgames at all, and I respect people's preferences). In fact, I think I have not played the same game more than 10 times so far, except for Settlers of Cattan (that was the only one available like 4-5 years ago).

2. Thinking large, I would like to think that I am helping to 'break' this mindset of what people think a 'Boardgame' is. When I say I play boardgames, I want people to ask: "Which ones?" instead of: "You play Monopoly?" or "Is that like Mahjong?".

Now, where to buy these wonderful games? As far as I know, there is only one store that carries a wide variety in Singapore. [Paradigm Infinitum]. However, Singapore is viewed as a small market in this niche entertainment and the suppliers do not really put us in high priority for shipment. (Translation: once current stocks are sold out, you'll have to wait quite a while for new ones to arrive.) It is better to go there when you already roughly know what you want to buy. The staff are quite knowledgeable about how the games works, but as there are literally hundreds of them, you can't really expect them to know all (especially since they do not get to play wrapped items, and new releases.)

How about if you are totally clueless about these games? Fear not. All you got to do is drop by Settlers Cafe with some friends and try out the games. I would regommend going as pairs or groups of 4-5. There are not many 3 or 6 player boardgames. The one in Clarke Quay currently has a better boardgame library. Low on cash? Signup with Singapore boardgamers meetup group (for free!) and join us for games twice a month at very affordable rates. Details are in the website, and do RSVP as slots are limited. You can also read about them in Boardgame Geeks. (I would say that actually playing is a lot more informative though.)

To be fair, there are also at least 2 other game cafes that I am aware of.
The Mind Cafe
Pitstop Cafe
So you could shop around. I have never been to these other two cafes, so I cannot comment on them.

Disclaimer: I *do not* work for any of the above mentioned establishment. (Although I kind of wish I am ^^.)

Figures...

2006-03-02T10:41:00.000+08:00

Looks like my "sin" profile is pretty accurate.
And I already know that I am lazy :P

Greed:	Low
Gluttony:	Medium
Wrath:	Low
Sloth:	Very High
Envy:	Medium
Lust:	Medium
Pride:	Medium

Take the Seven Deadly Sins Quiz

Where in Bali is Indonesia?

2006-02-21T11:27:00.000+08:00

Bali is *not* a country.

Apparently, these people thought otherwise:

http://www.chesterton.co.uk/international/default.asp

Random Quotes IV (or not so random...)

2006-02-20T14:25:00.000+08:00

Only two things are infinite, the universe and the stupidity of mankind, and I'm not sure about the former.

~Albert Einstein.

Sonic weapon... (not the blue critter)

2006-02-17T12:04:00.001+08:00

*Tom toro tom tom tom*
*Clash Bang*

Ahh... Chinese Lunar New Year would not be complete without this familiar sound of lion dance rythm. Pretty good entertainment!

That was what I initially thought as I was having my meal in a hawker center a few days back.
But wait a minute... the sound is getting louder, are they going to perform somewhere nearby? It turned out that I was right. These "dancers" were "performing" right beside my seat. Or rather, their drum was. And it was madly annoying.

I thought that if the hawker center was going to hire these guys to perform and bring good luck for them, they should have arranged for the troupe to perform at the open space just next to the stalls, and not have the lion stroll among the customers.

That was when I went: "Wait a minute... This does not seem right." A proper lion dance performance usually involves a 'chai ching' (picking the greens) and the arragement of an elaborate lucky symbol on the ground using fruits and vegetables, as well as some 'standard' lion dance moves that have special meanings. These guys were just shaking the lion head right in front of each stall, and not even perfoming a single "stand" (where the "head" - the guy acting as the front 2 legs - hops to stand on the "tail" - the other guy acting as the rear 2 legs.). Adding to the weirdness is that they were using a Black Lion - that is supposed to have the most aggressive, to make their limp "performance".

Then it dawned on me. These are equivalent to those 'pengamens' (so called "street performers") back home! They operate in much the same way those "street performers" in Indonesia operate: annoy the heck out of the customers until someone pays them to go away. (Believe me those drums were annoying when played less than 1 meter away from you.) It felt a lot like extortion to me though.

I have witnessed a new breed of 'pengamen', and I find it ironic that a symbol that traditionally is invited to bring good luck, is being paid off as they are bringing "bad luck". I wonder if this will catch on in Indonesia too :P

It is called a "Lion Shake".
(See if you can see the pun :D)

I feel like a hobo.

2006-02-15T21:43:00.000+08:00

Well, I have just been informed that I can only stay in my present place for 1 more month.

Time to go house hunting again.

Why can't these people tell me stuff earlier?
Gaaaah!

Write, write, write.

2006-02-14T16:15:00.000+08:00

Got myself some quick reference for writing.
I do wonder how useful it would be to write manuals though, I might put myself asleep first reading them outloud.

Twitchy eye

2006-02-10T22:46:00.000+08:00

After lunch today, my right eyelid began twitching about once every 20 or so minutes. Initially I thought it was due to the fluorescent lamp that is blinking in my office (really irritating). But after the repairman came down and fixed it, the twitching syated. Grrr...

Google to the rescue!

Oh, it said that I am stressed and fatigued. Well... who'd have thunk!

On the boardgame side, I am now trying to 'infect' some of moi dance mates with the boardgame virus. So far it looks promising... :D

Limited perceptions...

2006-02-08T11:55:00.000+08:00

I "stumbled" upon some opinions voiced by some of my fellow human beings that currently reside within (I assume) 60km radius of me, and I am amazed by the things that people formulate in their heads (or maybe knees for some). Although by now I should have realized that the amazement is redundant.

While some people insists that their children should be given the opportunity to learn a third language in school, some other are commenting that most people are not smart enough to learn two languages, and hence the second language should be scrapped. Yay to science and mathematics in Chinese (then they will argue which form is better)
一加一合计二！不是啦，等与二！
(One plus one totals two! No, it should be equals two!) <- approximation

While a group of teenagers spoke up against what they perceived to be a 'brainwashing' program, a professional adult gave the program glowing reviews while he does not have first hand knowledge nor has he experienced the said program as it is newly launched. Neither could his children have had as they too are grown ups. It seems that relevancy is being classified as "redundant" in more people's minds.

Then there is the international scene. Which one is worse? Cartoons or Death threats?
It seems that the correct answer is: It depends on which side of the fence you're on.
These people are not stupid, they are just very very limited in their perception. These limits come from various sources, and some are close to impossible to alter. Although it still baffles me how on earth people could be limited such that they think stereotypes could be debunked by acting exactly like the stereotype.

We will do all the things you said we did until you do not dare say that we did such things no more!!!!!!1111oneoneoneeleven!
And: X insulted us! We shall insult Y to show how wrong X was!
See? They might as well play a game of chicken, only in this case, one of the chickens has a 'force field' in the form of ignorance.

I see a red, round object with waxy surface and one line sticking out from the top.
That might be an Apple. Am I really seeing an Apple? It might be a Cherry.
A Japanese might see a "Ringo"
A Chinese might see a "Ping guo"
An Indonesian might see an "Apel"
An apple farmer might see "dollar signs"
What does a squirrel see?
If I drop it into a dolphin enclosure, what does it see? Food? Toy? or even a Threat? (Bright colors often signify threat in nature.)

I guess it is true, people do live in a world of their own creation.
I once said to a colleague: "If a person intends to take offense, even the words 'Thank you' can be a source of contention."

New year... what new year?

2006-02-04T00:09:00.000+08:00

The two new years have came and gone... and I rather felt that something is missing.
I missed the feel of a year's actual passing as there is no seasonal change here. Although I personally am not very partial to winter, it was an interesting experience to actually yearn for the the weather to get warmer. And even more interesting when you see the grey earth suddenly sprout greenery, and then color all over the place.

Anyway, another haiku.

裸な木（はだかなき）
緑の上着（みどりのうわぎ）
を待っている（をまっている）

The buck naked trees
For green and lush overcoats
Awaiting they are

Happy Dog Year!

2006-01-27T20:45:00.000+08:00

Well well, it has been a very busy month, and it is still going to get even more busy.

Signed up for my Business Japanese course...
(Although I still wonder how on earth am I going to improve on the writing front in English)

Finished my dental treatments,

Continued with class and met quite an interesting character... (currently interesting, hopefully not annoying later on.... I seem to see the potential in that person)

Got my tap fixed (it just suddely sprung a leak),

Got some new year goodies for myself,

And played in a Magic pre-release. (Did badly... grrr...)

Being busy certainly killed a lot of my musings. Like I was thinking on how irritating the previews that is being played on TV mobile are. Anyway, this also goes to show that I should probably be bringing a mini notebook where I can note down interesting moments of clarity.

With that,

Wishing everybody out there a happy and prosperous lunar new year.
May you stay healthy and successful in your ventures.

Belated GaMECON 1 sequel!

2006-01-18T21:06:00.000+08:00

All righty then!

I fnally managed to clear all my backlogs! (Including the extra work from freelance translations)
There is still at least 2 new projects coming my way, but for the moment (this week anyway), I am free!

And so the memory of GAMECON 1 i still fresh in my mind.

On the first day, I got up pretty early and made my way to the restaurant. It was surprisingly quite empty (at 8.00am), and I managed to get myself comfortably seated pretty quickly. The food was great, and looking back, I should have smuggled some crossiants out to snack on as I got so busy during the event itself that I did not manage to get proper lunches and dinners! (Volunteers who dissapeared to play games during their shift did not help.)

We were among the first few people to turn up at the venue, and as there were no one around to guide us to our section, we spent quite sometime wandering about, and trying to find our boardgame boxes. On top of that, it seems that the arangement was again changed at the last minute, and our billboard was misplaced somewhere in the big hall.

In the end, we took things into our own hands, found the billboard, and requisited extra chairs and extra tables by ourselves instead of waiting. Finally everything was set up (and I got to play on the giant Palazzo Paletti once!) and we waited in anticipation. Once the doors were open to the public, there was hardly enough time to think too much.

We was supposed to work in 2 shifts of 3 hours each, but most of the volunteers from Singapore ended up "working" for most of the 12 hours, me included of course. I had a lot of fun teaching the games that I was assigned to, played with the people if they have not enough players, and in general keeping an eye out so that all the game components stayed where they are supposed to be - on the table.

During my break time, I wandered over to the tables just next to our section and helped to teach a game of "Settlers of Cattan", and managed to play 2-3 games of "Through the Desert". I also attempted to purchase some Magic Land cards from Ravinca, but unfortunately, they were already going for like 60 Ringgits each! Bummer...

I also had a nice conversation with a mother whose son is joining the Warhammer 40k tournament. She initially thought that she would have to be bored out of her mind until she found out about our boardgaming section. Unfortunately I did not get to teach her any games. (I saw her photo though, she must have came back during my lunch break.)

Time passed really fast when you're gaming. I managed to grab some traditional cakes backstage for tea, but by 10 pm, my stomach was grumbling. Luckily, there was one Roast Chicken store that was still open. I got myself a set meal that consisted of 1/2 chicken, fries, vegetables and garlic bread for only 6 ringgit! Plus a big bottle of green tea from the supermarket.

Retiring to my room, I turned on the tv and munched while watching "Around the World in 80 days", starring Jackie Chan! A perfect end to a perfect day.

Meetup disaster.

2006-01-10T23:58:00.000+08:00

Last meetup was not so good.

The place was really packed, and I had to stand around for a good 30 minutes before even getting a seat.

Problems:
1. A lot of people who turned up did not register beforehand.
2. Playing space was reduced by half without advance warning.

I still managed to squeeze a few games in, but this is not to good...

Anyway, I missed a mini convention today, because I have to work!
Gah, luckily this would be my last freelance job in a while.

Learnt a lot.
Mainly, game time is very, very valuable to me.