Some not-so-good news from Japan recently... blunders, scandals and bad news...
Bad/blundering civil servants..
Cannabis blunder at Tokyo airport
Somewhere in Japan, someone is walking around with 142g of cannabis (worth 1 million yen), "complementary" from Narita International Airport's customs department...
Government official molests woman on train
Quoting what the suspect said to the police: "It's true my hand struck her five or six times, but I did not molest her". Well, if that is not molest, then what is???
Unsafe food..
Cream puffs mistakenly sprinkled with detergent
Needle found in retort pouch curry
Senba Kitcho 'served leftovers for 20 years'
Stressed out "salarymen"
Record 268 compensated for job stress / Work-related suicides double over 5 years
But it is not all gloom and doom in the land of the rising sun... :)
Japanese skier Miura reaches summit of Mt. Everest at age 75
Robot powered by long lasting batteries scales Grand Canyon
Family gives hospital 5 mil. yen for 'saving lives'
Japanese conductor's multiethnic orchestra helping to build new Kosovo
Japan pledges $560 million to Global Fund for AIDS, TB, malaria
Toyota building battery plant in Japan to rev up hybrid production as oil prices soar
May 26, 2008
May 25, 2008
Recap: Week of 19 May
Well, it was a slightly more stressful week last week.. but nothing that I couldn't handle.. :)
The scheduled presentation at Prof K's seminar did not proceed as planned, as we spend the whole 1hour 45mins going through the slides of 2 graduating Masters students for their thesis presentation this coming Wednesday.. I am not complaining though as I had witness how, in my own personal opinion, academic guidance should be given..
And I must say there is a VAST difference in the way Prof K and Prof O guide their students.. Prof K scrutinizes every single slides and every single sentences of his students' slides, right down the remarks for the graphs and diagrams. He told them how and what to write so that the examiners would be able to grasp what the students are trying to convey instantly, and how to re-phrase certain sentences so that there will not be any wrong assumptions or false impressions that might affect their grading.. Where else Prof O would just allow his other students to point out the "short-comings" of the student presenting.. He barely speak more than 10mins..
So these are 2 different management styles, one is kinda like micromanaging while the other would just empower his students (to put it kindly).. but in my opinion, there should be a certain degree of micromanaging as students would need the full attention of their professor to help them through their Masters thesis defense presentation.. I would rather be scolded/criticized and have my thesis scrutinized thoroughly by my professor before the actual presentation, and in the end be well-prepared, then to be "machine-gunned" by the examiners during the real thing.. Thank goodness I chose the course that didn't require me to write a 100-150 page thesis.. ;)
As for my Japanese grammar mid-term last Friday, I think my chances of getting a passing grade is kinda slim.. 50-50.. :( :( Don't know why but my brain tends to freeze and go blank whenever I take a Japanese grammar exam.. It is not that I didn't study, in fact for this mid-term exam I did study, pretty hard too, but it is just a psychological mental block which I need to overcome.. :x Also, I take ages to come out with a coherent sentence using the words given.. My mind is full of ideas, but somehow I just can't string a proper sentence out fast enough.. Maybe it is because I tend to create the sentence in English first, then try to translate it into Japanese.. sometimes that sentence would be in Chinese, and I need to translate it into Japanese... so my mind is quite messy I think.. maybe that's why I have problem making a grammatically correct Japanese sentence as there are too many languages going through my mind.. :x Mmmm...
Anyway, let's see what my result will be this Friday.. hopefully I can still maintain my straight A grades this semester..
The scheduled presentation at Prof K's seminar did not proceed as planned, as we spend the whole 1hour 45mins going through the slides of 2 graduating Masters students for their thesis presentation this coming Wednesday.. I am not complaining though as I had witness how, in my own personal opinion, academic guidance should be given..
And I must say there is a VAST difference in the way Prof K and Prof O guide their students.. Prof K scrutinizes every single slides and every single sentences of his students' slides, right down the remarks for the graphs and diagrams. He told them how and what to write so that the examiners would be able to grasp what the students are trying to convey instantly, and how to re-phrase certain sentences so that there will not be any wrong assumptions or false impressions that might affect their grading.. Where else Prof O would just allow his other students to point out the "short-comings" of the student presenting.. He barely speak more than 10mins..
So these are 2 different management styles, one is kinda like micromanaging while the other would just empower his students (to put it kindly).. but in my opinion, there should be a certain degree of micromanaging as students would need the full attention of their professor to help them through their Masters thesis defense presentation.. I would rather be scolded/criticized and have my thesis scrutinized thoroughly by my professor before the actual presentation, and in the end be well-prepared, then to be "machine-gunned" by the examiners during the real thing.. Thank goodness I chose the course that didn't require me to write a 100-150 page thesis.. ;)
As for my Japanese grammar mid-term last Friday, I think my chances of getting a passing grade is kinda slim.. 50-50.. :( :( Don't know why but my brain tends to freeze and go blank whenever I take a Japanese grammar exam.. It is not that I didn't study, in fact for this mid-term exam I did study, pretty hard too, but it is just a psychological mental block which I need to overcome.. :x Also, I take ages to come out with a coherent sentence using the words given.. My mind is full of ideas, but somehow I just can't string a proper sentence out fast enough.. Maybe it is because I tend to create the sentence in English first, then try to translate it into Japanese.. sometimes that sentence would be in Chinese, and I need to translate it into Japanese... so my mind is quite messy I think.. maybe that's why I have problem making a grammatically correct Japanese sentence as there are too many languages going through my mind.. :x Mmmm...
Anyway, let's see what my result will be this Friday.. hopefully I can still maintain my straight A grades this semester..
May 22, 2008
Record high..
The crude oil price has risen to a record high USD$135 per barrel today in New York.. According to Bloomberg, "Oil has risen 19 percent this month as analysts have increased their price forecasts because of supply constraints and demand growth." For more detail, read it here..
As the oil prices kept going north, everything else is following suit.. except salaries... :( :( American Airlines will charge its passengers USD$15 for the first check-in luggage!! :o :o This came two weeks after it had decided to levy a USD$25 fee on the 2nd piece of check-in luggage!! More here. The usual 20kg of allowed luggage capacity will no longer be a given if you fly AA.... Unbelievable!! AA will be the first major airline to charge for check-in luggages, but it will only be a matter of time before the rest of the airlines follow suit..
If the trend goes on, I won't be surprise if one day the airlines start weighting its passengers and charge the passenger for every extra kilograms or pound he/she weights!!!!
As the oil prices kept going north, everything else is following suit.. except salaries... :( :( American Airlines will charge its passengers USD$15 for the first check-in luggage!! :o :o This came two weeks after it had decided to levy a USD$25 fee on the 2nd piece of check-in luggage!! More here. The usual 20kg of allowed luggage capacity will no longer be a given if you fly AA.... Unbelievable!! AA will be the first major airline to charge for check-in luggages, but it will only be a matter of time before the rest of the airlines follow suit..
If the trend goes on, I won't be surprise if one day the airlines start weighting its passengers and charge the passenger for every extra kilograms or pound he/she weights!!!!
Man Utd won!!
YES!! YES!!! Manchester United won the UEFA Championships League on penalty 6-5 after drawing 1-1 with Chelsea in full and extra time... :)
So the Red devils managed to (sort of) match their treble triumph of 1998-99... :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)
May 21, 2008
A Pleasant Surprise
Had my karate promotion exam last Wednesday.. it was for the promotion from level 8 to level 7. I would still be in purple belt if I pass this exam..
Today was the result announcement.. What a big surprise it was.. :) Instead of the expected level, I was promoted to level 6!! :) :) :)
Note the addition line of remark at the bottom of the result slip.. "Special promotion of 2 levels" or something to that line of meaning..
There were 4 of us in level 8 who took the exam last week, but all of them were absent for the practice today, so I have no idea if all of us were given a 2-level promotion or I was the only one.. but anyway, I was really quite surprised to say the least.. Cos I knew that I made quite a lot of mistakes, here and there due to nervousness, during the exam, so I was just hoping for a normal 1 level promotion..
So now I will be in green belt!! :) ;) :p
Today was the result announcement.. What a big surprise it was.. :) Instead of the expected level, I was promoted to level 6!! :) :) :)
Note the addition line of remark at the bottom of the result slip.. "Special promotion of 2 levels" or something to that line of meaning..
There were 4 of us in level 8 who took the exam last week, but all of them were absent for the practice today, so I have no idea if all of us were given a 2-level promotion or I was the only one.. but anyway, I was really quite surprised to say the least.. Cos I knew that I made quite a lot of mistakes, here and there due to nervousness, during the exam, so I was just hoping for a normal 1 level promotion..
So now I will be in green belt!! :) ;) :p
May 20, 2008
This week and last..
Lots of things had happened the last 7 - 8 days and more things are scheduled to happen this coming week..
May 12
I think to Chinese all over the world, this date will not be easily forgotten for many years to come.. The earthquake in Sichuan, China measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale had struck on an otherwise usual Monday afternoon.. Many had been rescue since while many more are still buried under the rubbles.. Donations and (medical/search & rescue) help are pouring in from all over the world.. The good and ugly side of human nature can be seen clearly in these time of great calamity... Looters and robbers exist alongside heroes and selfless common people.. May help reach all those who needs them in time.. For the rest of us who are blessed, please donate to help these people..
May 15
CBS Corporation agreed to buy the popular computer and technology website CNET Networks for US$1.75 billion.
Another M&A that the verdict if it will re-energize the big media corporation is yet to be out..
May 21
UEFA Champions League Finals between Manchester United and Chelsea will be held in Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow... The newly crowned Premier League champions Manchester United will be targeting a first Champions League/domestic league double since 1998-99. I could still remember watching the team who won the treble then.. Peter Schmeichel, Roy Keane, the Neville Brothers, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, etc... Hope the Red devils will win it!! Also I haven't been able to watch a single soccer match in Japan.. :(
The above were all international news/events.. As for me..
May 21
Presentation at Prof.K's weekly seminar..
May 23
2 Japanese Grammar Mid-term Exams.. :# :#
May 12
I think to Chinese all over the world, this date will not be easily forgotten for many years to come.. The earthquake in Sichuan, China measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale had struck on an otherwise usual Monday afternoon.. Many had been rescue since while many more are still buried under the rubbles.. Donations and (medical/search & rescue) help are pouring in from all over the world.. The good and ugly side of human nature can be seen clearly in these time of great calamity... Looters and robbers exist alongside heroes and selfless common people.. May help reach all those who needs them in time.. For the rest of us who are blessed, please donate to help these people..
May 15
CBS Corporation agreed to buy the popular computer and technology website CNET Networks for US$1.75 billion.
Another M&A that the verdict if it will re-energize the big media corporation is yet to be out..
May 21
UEFA Champions League Finals between Manchester United and Chelsea will be held in Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow... The newly crowned Premier League champions Manchester United will be targeting a first Champions League/domestic league double since 1998-99. I could still remember watching the team who won the treble then.. Peter Schmeichel, Roy Keane, the Neville Brothers, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, etc... Hope the Red devils will win it!! Also I haven't been able to watch a single soccer match in Japan.. :(
The above were all international news/events.. As for me..
May 21
Presentation at Prof.K's weekly seminar..
May 23
2 Japanese Grammar Mid-term Exams.. :# :#
May 18, 2008
All Not Enough..
There has been lots of news in past few weeks stating all kinds of shortages, which in turns meant that prices for these items would increase to meet the demand... Even without learning economics, one would know that with limited/low supply, people would have to fork out more money to pay for those items..
Some of the recent news that foretell an imminent food shortage and rising food cost..
In Japan
They can't believe there's no butter
Food shortage may lead to Japanese diet change
Food crisis looms for Japan as prices rise
Japan’s Hunger Becomes a Dire Warning for Other Nations
In Malaysia
Food crisis forces Malaysia into barter: palm oil for rice
Cut costs, plant your own vegetables
Price of rice seems to go up every day
M'sia fails to buy 500,000 tonnes Thai rice
Globally
No country in the world can escape from the shortage as every economy is tightly integrated.. Some headlines..
Global food crisis looms as Asia's rice bowl empties and world price soars
Asian states feel rice pinch
Wales warning of food shortage
Food Rationing Confronts Breadbasket of the World
And instead of putting in efforts to resolve the looming food shortage crisis, fingers are being pointed at the following people/reasons...
Hannity And FOX News Blame Al Gore For Global Food Crisis
Biofuels blamed for food shortage
Bush points food finger at India
Maybe it is time for countries, with vast land mast, to forget about chasing after all those high-tech jobs and go back to farming.. Even I am considering a possible career change.. Mmmmm...
Some of the recent news that foretell an imminent food shortage and rising food cost..
In Japan
They can't believe there's no butter
Food shortage may lead to Japanese diet change
Food crisis looms for Japan as prices rise
Japan’s Hunger Becomes a Dire Warning for Other Nations
In Malaysia
Food crisis forces Malaysia into barter: palm oil for rice
Cut costs, plant your own vegetables
Price of rice seems to go up every day
M'sia fails to buy 500,000 tonnes Thai rice
Globally
No country in the world can escape from the shortage as every economy is tightly integrated.. Some headlines..
Global food crisis looms as Asia's rice bowl empties and world price soars
Asian states feel rice pinch
Wales warning of food shortage
Food Rationing Confronts Breadbasket of the World
And instead of putting in efforts to resolve the looming food shortage crisis, fingers are being pointed at the following people/reasons...
Hannity And FOX News Blame Al Gore For Global Food Crisis
Biofuels blamed for food shortage
Bush points food finger at India
Maybe it is time for countries, with vast land mast, to forget about chasing after all those high-tech jobs and go back to farming.. Even I am considering a possible career change.. Mmmmm...
Chasing Cars
Song by: Snow Patrol
Album: Eyes Open (2006)
We'll do it all
Everything
On our own
We don't need
Anything
Or anyone
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
I don't quite know
How to say
How I feel
Those three words
Are said too much
They're not enough
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life
Let's waste time
Chasing cars
Around our heads
I need your grace
To remind me
To find my own
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life
All that I am
All that I ever was
Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see
I don't know where
Confused about how as well
Just know that these things will never change for us at all
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
Album: Eyes Open (2006)
We'll do it all
Everything
On our own
We don't need
Anything
Or anyone
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
I don't quite know
How to say
How I feel
Those three words
Are said too much
They're not enough
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life
Let's waste time
Chasing cars
Around our heads
I need your grace
To remind me
To find my own
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life
All that I am
All that I ever was
Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see
I don't know where
Confused about how as well
Just know that these things will never change for us at all
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
May 8, 2008
Ground moving...
Even after coming to Japan, I was never really concerned about earthquakes, but I must say I felt quite spooked early this morning when a 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck.. :# :#
Information from Japan's Meteorological Agency.
I was not asleep yet during that time.. I was busy downloading songs into my iRiver MP3 player.. then suddenly I felt the room shaking.. it just kept shaking.. maybe for just about 10 seconds or more.. but it was quite nerve-wrecking.. normally for quakes under 5 (magnitude), the most I would feel will just be a slight swaying, but this time round, even the curtains were swaying and the cupboards were making squeaking sound.. I was seriously contemplating whether I should go hide under the table or not.. :# :# :#
It was quite an "experience" to say the least.. :# although the epicenter was about 160 kilometers (99 miles) northeast of Tokyo at a depth of 35 kilometers,it felt near enough.. For me, I wouldn't want to bet my life when the "Big One" comes.. Although most if not all the buildings in Japan are earthquake-proof, I don't want to take that kind of chance.. This is yet another strike against me working in Japan after graduation....
Information from Japan's Meteorological Agency.
I was not asleep yet during that time.. I was busy downloading songs into my iRiver MP3 player.. then suddenly I felt the room shaking.. it just kept shaking.. maybe for just about 10 seconds or more.. but it was quite nerve-wrecking.. normally for quakes under 5 (magnitude), the most I would feel will just be a slight swaying, but this time round, even the curtains were swaying and the cupboards were making squeaking sound.. I was seriously contemplating whether I should go hide under the table or not.. :# :# :#
It was quite an "experience" to say the least.. :# although the epicenter was about 160 kilometers (99 miles) northeast of Tokyo at a depth of 35 kilometers,it felt near enough.. For me, I wouldn't want to bet my life when the "Big One" comes.. Although most if not all the buildings in Japan are earthquake-proof, I don't want to take that kind of chance.. This is yet another strike against me working in Japan after graduation....
May 5, 2008
Golden Week 2008
In Japan, "Golden Week" comprises Shōwa Day (昭和の日) on 29 Apr, Constitution Memorial Day (憲法記念日) on 3 May, Nature Day (みどりの日) on 4 May and Children's Day (こどもの日) on 5 May. It is the longest stretch of consecutive public holidays here..
(Un)fortunately this year, 3rd and 4th May fall on a Saturday and Sunday, so only 1 day (on 6 May) was given as a replacement holiday. Thus instead of a long stretch of holidays, it was kinda "broken" into 2 short parts: 29 Apr (1 day) and then 3 - 6 May (4 days including weekends). For many schools and companies, this year's Golden Week is only 2 (week-)day long... Most people still need to work from 30 Apr to 02 May... :(
However, my graduate school has declared those 3 days (30 Apr to 2 May) as holidays, so no Masters classes from 29 Apr to 6 May but there will be make-up lessons later.. :( Frankly, I would rather have classes on those days since other departments/faculties within the University were business as usual.. I had initially thought that the whole University was closed from 29 Apr to 6 May and had planned out how to utilise these holidays.. Luckily, I chatted online with one of my classmates, Chua-san, and found out that the Japanese classes are still on between 30 Apr and 2 May!! If not, I would have missed my Japanese classes twice in a roll, after I was KO-ed by flu the week before..
Here are some of the things I had accomplished during this Golden Week:
1. Rearranged my room.
With a smoker for my (new) neighbour, I can't help but smell the cigarette smoke every time she opens her window to smoke.. So I shifted my bed away from the window and put my study table there instead. Also with the almost weekly weekend karaoke/party sessions by the PNs in my floor, I need to move my study desk away from the door to minimize the noise level when I am studying..
So now I am no longer sleeping parallel to the cooking stoves in the kitchen next door, but I have "created" many other not-so-good Fengshui arrangements (an overhead shelf over my head, the ceiling lights hanging over my legs, etc). However, I would gladly take a chance against these unseen "bad-vibes" versus those irritating noise and smell..
2. Read Economics.
So far, I had managed to read until Chapter 23 of one of the required text books. I have 16 more chapters to go.. Hopefully I could finish it in 2 weeks and then start on another required text book. Unlike fictions or non-fictions, these texts require full concentration as everything is linked. If I don't understand section 1, I will not understand section 2.. so I could only read about 3-4 chapters a day.. maybe as time goes by, with more practice and increased understanding, I could increase the number of chapters covered per day. Gambatte!! :)
3. Visited Ryogoku Kokugikan (両国国技館) and Edo-Tokyo Museum.
Did this last Saturday (3 May) with a group of Malaysians. Will write about this in a separate blog entry.
Some of the things that I had hope to accomplish but with only 1 more day left, it is going to be tough..
1. Revise my Japanese.
Need to do some serious revision if I hope to maintain my grades for them.. Am still unable to string a grammatically coherent long sentence.. :( :(
2. Read 2 books.
One of them is The Battle for God by Karen Armstrong and the other is Reading Freud by Tony Thwaites.. Hopefully, I can complete them by end of this month...
3. Draft out the outline for my theme research for this semester.
I need to hand in a 10-15 page report by end of this semester, but I am still unable to decide what topic to research on.. Need to, at least, a rough idea what I wanna do and start my research and not wait till the last minute, making a mad rush for the dateline. And this semester, the professor that is going to grade my report is known to be very strict and demanding, so I can BS my way through as before... stress... stress..
There will not be any more public holidays till end of July, so I need to somehow get all these reading and studying done.. for this semester there will be many more exams (midterms and finals) than the previous one, while the number of reports required more or less remains the same.. thus I think once I get through this semester, the following 2 semesters would be much easier and freer.. I hope.. 加油啦！
(Un)fortunately this year, 3rd and 4th May fall on a Saturday and Sunday, so only 1 day (on 6 May) was given as a replacement holiday. Thus instead of a long stretch of holidays, it was kinda "broken" into 2 short parts: 29 Apr (1 day) and then 3 - 6 May (4 days including weekends). For many schools and companies, this year's Golden Week is only 2 (week-)day long... Most people still need to work from 30 Apr to 02 May... :(
However, my graduate school has declared those 3 days (30 Apr to 2 May) as holidays, so no Masters classes from 29 Apr to 6 May but there will be make-up lessons later.. :( Frankly, I would rather have classes on those days since other departments/faculties within the University were business as usual.. I had initially thought that the whole University was closed from 29 Apr to 6 May and had planned out how to utilise these holidays.. Luckily, I chatted online with one of my classmates, Chua-san, and found out that the Japanese classes are still on between 30 Apr and 2 May!! If not, I would have missed my Japanese classes twice in a roll, after I was KO-ed by flu the week before..
Here are some of the things I had accomplished during this Golden Week:
1. Rearranged my room.
With a smoker for my (new) neighbour, I can't help but smell the cigarette smoke every time she opens her window to smoke.. So I shifted my bed away from the window and put my study table there instead. Also with the almost weekly weekend karaoke/party sessions by the PNs in my floor, I need to move my study desk away from the door to minimize the noise level when I am studying..
So now I am no longer sleeping parallel to the cooking stoves in the kitchen next door, but I have "created" many other not-so-good Fengshui arrangements (an overhead shelf over my head, the ceiling lights hanging over my legs, etc). However, I would gladly take a chance against these unseen "bad-vibes" versus those irritating noise and smell..
2. Read Economics.
So far, I had managed to read until Chapter 23 of one of the required text books. I have 16 more chapters to go.. Hopefully I could finish it in 2 weeks and then start on another required text book. Unlike fictions or non-fictions, these texts require full concentration as everything is linked. If I don't understand section 1, I will not understand section 2.. so I could only read about 3-4 chapters a day.. maybe as time goes by, with more practice and increased understanding, I could increase the number of chapters covered per day. Gambatte!! :)
3. Visited Ryogoku Kokugikan (両国国技館) and Edo-Tokyo Museum.
Did this last Saturday (3 May) with a group of Malaysians. Will write about this in a separate blog entry.
Some of the things that I had hope to accomplish but with only 1 more day left, it is going to be tough..
1. Revise my Japanese.
Need to do some serious revision if I hope to maintain my grades for them.. Am still unable to string a grammatically coherent long sentence.. :( :(
2. Read 2 books.
One of them is The Battle for God by Karen Armstrong and the other is Reading Freud by Tony Thwaites.. Hopefully, I can complete them by end of this month...
3. Draft out the outline for my theme research for this semester.
I need to hand in a 10-15 page report by end of this semester, but I am still unable to decide what topic to research on.. Need to, at least, a rough idea what I wanna do and start my research and not wait till the last minute, making a mad rush for the dateline. And this semester, the professor that is going to grade my report is known to be very strict and demanding, so I can BS my way through as before... stress... stress..
There will not be any more public holidays till end of July, so I need to somehow get all these reading and studying done.. for this semester there will be many more exams (midterms and finals) than the previous one, while the number of reports required more or less remains the same.. thus I think once I get through this semester, the following 2 semesters would be much easier and freer.. I hope.. 加油啦！
Baby photos
Okay, time to share some baby photos.. not mine, but of my godson, Rio.. :) who will be 1 year old this coming September..
The first three photos were taken in February, when I went over to Singapore for a visit..
I met up with Voone and Dean, Rio's parents. They were back in Singapore for Chinese New Year. We had breakfast and lunch together on that day.. Due to my short visit, I was able to meet them just once.. :( :(
The next two photos are more recent. Voone sent them to me recently.. See how big Rio has grown.. he is now learning to walk!! :) :) :)
I would soooo love to visit them in Gold Coast, Australia... Maybe end of this year.. Or maybe next year's summer... anyhow, I need to start saving........
The first three photos were taken in February, when I went over to Singapore for a visit..
I met up with Voone and Dean, Rio's parents. They were back in Singapore for Chinese New Year. We had breakfast and lunch together on that day.. Due to my short visit, I was able to meet them just once.. :( :(
The next two photos are more recent. Voone sent them to me recently.. See how big Rio has grown.. he is now learning to walk!! :) :) :)
I would soooo love to visit them in Gold Coast, Australia... Maybe end of this year.. Or maybe next year's summer... anyhow, I need to start saving........
Outwit, Outplay, Outlast..
If you are a reality show fan you would know that I am talking about (to me, at least) "THE" reality show, Survivor. In its 16th season, this group of survivors are proving to be one of the most entertaining..
The recent 3 episodes had proved to me that people are getting really good at it.. maybe they still grumble about how harsh the environment is, about how little sleep they are getting because they are too wet/hungry/scared/whatever to sleep at night, about how little food/water they are having, etc, etc.. but one thing the players are getting better at was the strategizing, backstabbing and blind-sighting one another..
First it was Ozzy, who found the hidden immunity idol and was seen as in control of the entire situation at the camp. He was strong, he has his alliance with the favorites and he felt safe. Then in came the girls, lead by Parvati and Cirie, who decided that Ozzy was too much of a threat and has to go. The girls, with exception of Amanda, perpetually blind-sighted him at the tribal council. He didn't have a clue that he was being targeted, and thus did not play the hidden immunity idol. :o Blind-sight No.1. :o
Then it was Jason's turn. He was sent to Exile Island by one of the girls, Natalie, and found the hidden immunity idol. Again, the girls plotted to get rid of him when he didn't win the immunity necklace. Always being left out of the loop, he desperately wanted to be included in any alliance, thus he took the bait and not played the hidden immunity idol during tribal council when Natalie informed him that the girls were going to vote for another guy and not him, and told him that she sent him to the Exile Island for a reason, which was to allow him to find the hidden immunity idol. :o Blind-sight No.2. :o
Due to the unavoidable withdrawal from the game of one of the 2 guys left in the tribe because of medical problem and the winning of the immunity necklace by the last guy in the tribe, the all-girl alliance were forced to choose one of their own to vote out in the tribal council... Since Amanda was deemed as the least evil-doer among the girls, she was targeted. Maybe she had foreseen this coming that she volunteered to go to Exile Island for a chance to search for the hidden immunity idol, that was found twice but never used, after losing the reward challenge.
After solving the last clue and realising that the hidden immunity idol was actually placed in the camp, Amanda was able to convince the tribe that she didn't find the idol by going through all her belongings in front of the group. With the help of Parvati, she managed to find the opportunity to dig for the idol at camp site, while at the same time playing the part of a player resigned to her fate of being voted out next. Amanda even kept up with the act during the tribal council convincing everyone that she was helpless to stop her own departure from the game..
After all the votes were cast, Jeff asked, the usual question of, if anyone would like to play the hidden immunity idol. The facial expressions of the tribe members were priceless when Amanda calmly pulled out the hidden immunity idol and presented it to Jeff.. Even the members of the jury were flabbergast. But almost all the jury seemed happy that Amanda managed to pull this "stunt" off.. In the end, Alexis, one of the fans, was voted out. :o Blind-sight No.3. :o
Now there are only 5 survivors left.. 2 fans and 3 favorites.. things would only get more interesting from now on.. for 1-in-5 chance to US1 million dollars, what would the survivors do next?? :)
The recent 3 episodes had proved to me that people are getting really good at it.. maybe they still grumble about how harsh the environment is, about how little sleep they are getting because they are too wet/hungry/scared/whatever to sleep at night, about how little food/water they are having, etc, etc.. but one thing the players are getting better at was the strategizing, backstabbing and blind-sighting one another..
First it was Ozzy, who found the hidden immunity idol and was seen as in control of the entire situation at the camp. He was strong, he has his alliance with the favorites and he felt safe. Then in came the girls, lead by Parvati and Cirie, who decided that Ozzy was too much of a threat and has to go. The girls, with exception of Amanda, perpetually blind-sighted him at the tribal council. He didn't have a clue that he was being targeted, and thus did not play the hidden immunity idol. :o Blind-sight No.1. :o
Then it was Jason's turn. He was sent to Exile Island by one of the girls, Natalie, and found the hidden immunity idol. Again, the girls plotted to get rid of him when he didn't win the immunity necklace. Always being left out of the loop, he desperately wanted to be included in any alliance, thus he took the bait and not played the hidden immunity idol during tribal council when Natalie informed him that the girls were going to vote for another guy and not him, and told him that she sent him to the Exile Island for a reason, which was to allow him to find the hidden immunity idol. :o Blind-sight No.2. :o
Due to the unavoidable withdrawal from the game of one of the 2 guys left in the tribe because of medical problem and the winning of the immunity necklace by the last guy in the tribe, the all-girl alliance were forced to choose one of their own to vote out in the tribal council... Since Amanda was deemed as the least evil-doer among the girls, she was targeted. Maybe she had foreseen this coming that she volunteered to go to Exile Island for a chance to search for the hidden immunity idol, that was found twice but never used, after losing the reward challenge.
After solving the last clue and realising that the hidden immunity idol was actually placed in the camp, Amanda was able to convince the tribe that she didn't find the idol by going through all her belongings in front of the group. With the help of Parvati, she managed to find the opportunity to dig for the idol at camp site, while at the same time playing the part of a player resigned to her fate of being voted out next. Amanda even kept up with the act during the tribal council convincing everyone that she was helpless to stop her own departure from the game..
After all the votes were cast, Jeff asked, the usual question of, if anyone would like to play the hidden immunity idol. The facial expressions of the tribe members were priceless when Amanda calmly pulled out the hidden immunity idol and presented it to Jeff.. Even the members of the jury were flabbergast. But almost all the jury seemed happy that Amanda managed to pull this "stunt" off.. In the end, Alexis, one of the fans, was voted out. :o Blind-sight No.3. :o
Now there are only 5 survivors left.. 2 fans and 3 favorites.. things would only get more interesting from now on.. for 1-in-5 chance to US1 million dollars, what would the survivors do next?? :)
Masak Masak V
Okay, showcasing some of my other recent culinary creations... :)
Lotus root with pork rib soup (莲藕排骨汤).
Got the slow cooker from my Brother recently so I decided to cook some nice soup for myself.. As the ingredients available here is limited (both in terms of choices and also what I like to eat.. :p), I decided to cook some lotus root with pork rib soup..
As you can see on the price tags on the ingredients, they are not cheap... I only added a few cloves of garlic and that's all.. no seasoning, no salt, no ajinomoto.. all natural! :)
After almost 5 hours of cooking, this is the end product.. :)
Beef/Pork Rendang
Next, I tried cooking rendang with another cookery that I bought recently.. I am using some of the rendang spices my ex-colleague brought me when he (and his wife) came over for sight-seeing in April..
The recipe called for 500g of beef but the prices of beef in Japan is not cheap, I decided to mix in some pork too.. Yes, I do know that these two kinds of meat get cooked at a different rate, but I just wanna try it out and see the difference.. So I bought about 300g of beef cubes, which cost me 680yen and another 300g of pork at about 430yen.
This is not the first time I am cooking rendang.. Been cooking my own rendang (with those pre-packed spices) since my days in Singapore.. but this is the first time I am using 2 kinds of meat and using the new pot I just bought.. The end result was not very satisfactory.. Somehow it seemed to be slightly more watery even though I did not add any water to it, which is a no-no when cooking rendang.. maybe I didn't really defrost the meat thoroughly.. or maybe the beef in Japan is different.. anyway, I am not complaining as I love the extra kuah with my bread.. :)
I only ate half of the rendang and kept the other half in the fridge.. and the next day, I had rendang/curry mee!! :) :) The noodle was supposed to be ramen.. :p so instead of using the ramen soup, I just put the cooked noodles into the left-over rendang... added a couple of small sausages.. and there I have it, my own curry mee!! :) :)
Yaki soba
Bought some pre-packed yaki soba noodles. Here the seasonings were given inside the pack, so all I did was to add in 1 carrot that I bought for 98yen and a packet of fish cake (223yen) and I would have myself some nice yaki soba (or in plain English, fried soba). Nothing too fanciful nor difficult.. Just using my trusty rice cooker!! :) :)
Shall try more dishes using whatever ingredients I can find in Japan in future.. Need to get my hands on some dark soy sauce (老抽).. then I would be able to do some really nice dishes.. :) :)
Lotus root with pork rib soup (莲藕排骨汤).
Got the slow cooker from my Brother recently so I decided to cook some nice soup for myself.. As the ingredients available here is limited (both in terms of choices and also what I like to eat.. :p), I decided to cook some lotus root with pork rib soup..
As you can see on the price tags on the ingredients, they are not cheap... I only added a few cloves of garlic and that's all.. no seasoning, no salt, no ajinomoto.. all natural! :)
After almost 5 hours of cooking, this is the end product.. :)
Beef/Pork Rendang
Next, I tried cooking rendang with another cookery that I bought recently.. I am using some of the rendang spices my ex-colleague brought me when he (and his wife) came over for sight-seeing in April..
The recipe called for 500g of beef but the prices of beef in Japan is not cheap, I decided to mix in some pork too.. Yes, I do know that these two kinds of meat get cooked at a different rate, but I just wanna try it out and see the difference.. So I bought about 300g of beef cubes, which cost me 680yen and another 300g of pork at about 430yen.
This is not the first time I am cooking rendang.. Been cooking my own rendang (with those pre-packed spices) since my days in Singapore.. but this is the first time I am using 2 kinds of meat and using the new pot I just bought.. The end result was not very satisfactory.. Somehow it seemed to be slightly more watery even though I did not add any water to it, which is a no-no when cooking rendang.. maybe I didn't really defrost the meat thoroughly.. or maybe the beef in Japan is different.. anyway, I am not complaining as I love the extra kuah with my bread.. :)
I only ate half of the rendang and kept the other half in the fridge.. and the next day, I had rendang/curry mee!! :) :) The noodle was supposed to be ramen.. :p so instead of using the ramen soup, I just put the cooked noodles into the left-over rendang... added a couple of small sausages.. and there I have it, my own curry mee!! :) :)
Yaki soba
Bought some pre-packed yaki soba noodles. Here the seasonings were given inside the pack, so all I did was to add in 1 carrot that I bought for 98yen and a packet of fish cake (223yen) and I would have myself some nice yaki soba (or in plain English, fried soba). Nothing too fanciful nor difficult.. Just using my trusty rice cooker!! :) :)
Shall try more dishes using whatever ingredients I can find in Japan in future.. Need to get my hands on some dark soy sauce (老抽).. then I would be able to do some really nice dishes.. :) :)
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