Man of Malaysia

I have just finishing reading the book "Man of Malaysia"(MoM) by Tan Kok Seng, a Singaporean. When I was a Secondary School boy in the 80s, his book "Son of Singapore" was my literature book. So the author was not unfamiliar to me.

The author described his life from 1959 to 1968 in Malaya. During that era, he was married, continued to work as a chauffeur for his boss and friend, lost his job and was almost broke before becoming a egg seller in a market in redhill (after moving back to Singapore). It is an easy and interesting read showing the life back in 60s in Malaya. In the early 60s, Singapore was part of Malaya and residence could travel between the 2 states without much imigration restriction. Life was not easy as jobs were not readily available. A daily earnings of $4 to $6 (monthy of about $150) was already substantiate. He tried to be self employed by being a provision shop owner but suffered lost as his customers did not pay him while on loan for purchases. He was almost robbed and killed by police imposter who visited him at night but he was fortunate not to open his door. He tried to be a driver again but was treated badly by his engineering supervisor in a tin mine. In the end, the family had to return back to Singapore which was a wise decision. It was in Singapore where he found success as a egg/chicken seller. His wife gave birth to a son and a daughter in the 60s and they managed to purchase a flat from the government.

I could understand some of the places where he described in MoM; Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Ipoh, Taiping and Kuching Sarawak. It also reminded me of a tin dredging machine which I had visited many year ago near Taiping. He also described his experience seeing some important VIPs of that era, Chief Minister of Singapore (Mr Lee), Foreign Minister of Thailand, etc.

In "Son of Singapore", I could remember he worked as a coolie as a teenager. It was not really fun to read as literature means I had to remember the facts.

It was a good read for those interested to find out the life in the 60s and also his attitude and determination in life. The book is available in Singapore library under code 920.

Fish Soup

Some years ago before Blk 22 Hawker Centre at Toa Payoh Lor 7 undergone upgrading, I had patronised this fish soup stall named "Da Xi" (Literally means Big Slim). Even though I visited this Hawker Centre often, today is the first time after many years (probably 8 to 10 years) that I eat at the same stall.

The fish soup with bee hoon costs $3.50 today.  Even though the soup base was not as tasty as many other fish soups, the fish serving was considerably large in considerating the cost. It was still served by the same owner after all these years. A proof that hawker centres create long lasting job and they allow food to be afordable. An air-con coffee shop would have the same dish at $4.50 perhaps with a lesser serving.

The stall owner still could remember me and gave me two cubes of azar pineapple.

V22 Osprey Vectoring

V22 Osprey Tilting Rotors

A close look at the rotors show that they are not fully horizontal or vertical. They show an angle to the wings. A process of vectoring the thrust from the twin engine to 2 directions. Vertically to create lift and horizontally to create forward motion. Wonder whether the V22 can fly backwards? A conventional helicopter can do that although slowly.

When the rotors are tilted fully horiztonal, it should fly faster than a conventional helicopter.

RSAF Black Knights F16

Black Knights F16

F18 Hornet

Republic of Singapore Air Force Black Knghts F16 in Airshow 2014. Uniquely coloured red and white with the State Flag painted above.

The sonic boom of 5 F16s flying just above was fantastic.

Other planes involved in the Flying Display include Indonesia KT-1B Woong Bee, F18, V22 Osprey vertical takeoff plane. The display could be seen from Changi Beach Park.

Astronomy - Telescope & Time

I attended a talk on astronomy at Toa Payoh Library on Saturday 8 Feb 14 conducted by Gary Chee from Astro Sg. The talk gave a brief amatuer guide to buying and using a telescope. Generally telescope is classified into 3 types (1) Refractor - using lens to bring object closer (2) Reflector - using mirrors to concentrate the light and hence bring object closer (3) Schmidt Cassegrain - which is a hybrid mirror and lens telescope.

While there are various types of telescope, there are certain advantages and limitations to each type which buyers have to consider including portability, magnification, cost etc. Also, there are other factors which can influence the quality of image and they are light pollution, cloudy sky, earth atmosphere etc. I have this feeling that unless a high capital cost is spent on purchasing quality telescope, there will be insignificant impact on the image for amatuer grade telescopes.

I also watched a document (on youtube) on the concept of time and was given a brief understanding of the meaning enthropy. It is shown that the definition of event occuring "now" will be impacted by motion and gravity. Motion refers to whether the object is moving towards you or away from you. If the object is moving towards you, the impact of that event may be felt in the future. Even though both the object and you are feeling the same "now". It was also mentioned that since there was no evidence of future being coming into the current time, it could be inferred that time travelling, especially travelling back in time may be difficult practically. I was thinking that with the relationship between mass, gravity and speed (which has a component of time), it would be insurmountable for time travel as it would either involve mass to be infinetly big or that such attempt would require breaking down a living organism into particles that would not have a desirable outcome when those particles are put back together.

Nonethelesss, science is evolutionary. It is less than 500 years old that men are still proclaiming that earth is in the centre of universe (before Galileo discovery). However, science has always changed current theory and concept. There could be more game changing discovery that deviates from our current beliefs.

Noodle at Kebun Bahru Market

A few days ago, I was at Kebun Bahru Market. There was a queue formed at a noodle shop facing the road. I joined the queue as it must be a good food stall and ordered a bowl of $4 noodle. The noodle was served in a ceramic bowl and came with a bowl of soup. The serving of the noodle was small and insufficient for an adult. There were a few pieces of fried pork fat in the noodle.

However the worth of the this shop comes from the bowl of soup. It was sweet and tasty with ingredients such as pork meat ball, pork slides and egg. I had initially thought that the tastiness of the soup came from MSG (monosodium glutagate). I am senstive to MSG and will feel thirsty if too much MSG was added. However, surprisingly, I did not feel the presence of too much MSG. The soup must have been cooked through long hours of brewing to achieve that tastiness.

I did not like the taste of the chilli padi that accompanied the food. It tasted sour and vinegar was added.

Overall if you like tasty soup, you would like the food from this stall. But be prepared to get hungry soon as the serving was small.

The name of the shop was 新建兴.

Audi A3 Sportback 2013

Audi A3 Sportback

I received the COE for this car today. An un-defensible purchase in terms of value for money.

When a Honda Civic costs SGD$137,500 and a premium brand cost slightly more, it is not difficult to make a choice.

This car has a few gadgets: Adaptive Cruise Control, Daylight Running Illumination, Auto Headlights, Auto Rain Sensor, Auto Engine Stop in red light (can be turned off), Vehicle Stability Control. Audi MMI. Bluetooth connection, Voice Activated Command, Paddle Shift.

Other impressive points: 1.4 litre with TFSI means a lower road tax, an expected fuel consumption of 14km/litre (yet to be verified). 15,000km service interval. A nice design. Full leather seat.

Likely Weakness: Same platform as the VW Golf means the notorious DSG 7 speed transmission may be shared. No GPS navigation. No spotlight at this price.

Johor Prawn Noodle

Johor Prawn Noodle

It was a Johor day trip on 9 Nov 13. On the way back, we stopped over at a coffee shop near Nusajaya and had lunch. I ordered prawn noodle. It was completely different in look from Singapore prawn noodle (also known as Hokkien mee). It was more watery and taste was about 60% as close as Singapore version. The stall owner added chilli and it was quite spicy. Ingredients include bean sprout, prawn and squid.

Being out of Johor town and at a rather obscure location, the prawn noodle costed only RM5 (SGD$2). Singapore Hokkien mee would easily cost SGD$4 (RM10). I prefer Singapore version.

Best Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake without Chilli at Blk 127 Toa Payoh West

This best carrot cake which I have been eating from more than 10 years is located at Blk 127 Toa Payoh West Hawker Centre (Chey Sua Carrot Cake). I have been eating this good food even before the rebuilding of the hawker centre, when it was a single storey building.

The carrot cake is quite famous and usually crowded. It operates in the morning and will close by mid-day. There are 3 stall owners, 1 man and 2 women.

It is special because the owner fries the egg above the carrot cake in a crispy manner. There is a good fragrance even before putting it in your mouth. The owner makes and steams the carrot cake within its stall premises and she has been doing so for many years. In comparison, carrot cakes from other stalls are factory made and the way it is cook is usually fragmented. This carrot cake stays integrated.

Brahminy Kite

This morning I found a Brahminy Kite circling round the estate. It was clearly looking for her prey. It was the first time I saw it flew in the estate. This bird is found in South Asia and is in the same family as the eagles and hawk. Its most distinct feature is its white head and brown wings. A closer look at its beak show it is yellow in colour. It circled the small park looking for food but could not find any before flying off to another location.

Dylon Fabric Dye

Bought 2 packets of Dylon Fabric Dye from Spotlight at Plaza Singapura. One is Jean Blue, the other is Velvet Black. It cost S$6.90 each and the dye is in powder form.

I have followed the instruction on the back of the packet, including adding 250g of salt and using warm water. The Jean Blue dye was used on my pair of old but comfortable jean (close to 9 years old).

The result was quite satisfactory and the original blue of the jean was dyed back after fading. The only comment is that if the original colour prior to the application of dye is inconsistent, the final result will follow that inconsistency, ie light areas will remain lighter as compared to the rest of the jean. Nonethelss for S$6.90, it is a value for money option to restore the condition of the jean. Please take precaution when applying the dye as it may irritate the skin.

Before Dye

After Dye

Online Purchase

In recent weeks, I have tried online purchase in an attempt to lower my cost of purchase. Not all online purchases are value for money. Some are probably more expensive. The main disadvantages of online purchase are trust on the seller and the time required for delivery which can be as long as 3 to 6 weeks. The other consideration is a lesser feel on the quality of the product as well as sizes to match individual needs.

In general, my views of purchases are as follow:-

(1) Ebay - Sellers understand that buyers are from all over the world. Hence, they are willing to send products overseas with some giving free delivery (ie costs are included in their price). I have not used tracking as I am ready to loose the purchase to reduce cost.

(2) qoo10 - The website is tailored to locals (Singapore). Prices quoted are in SGD. Products are limited to the usual dresses, shirts, electronics etc. The prices, other than those on promotion, may not be cheaper than those in retail.

(3) Tao Bao - China main online retail portal. Sellers assume you are from China. Purchases have to made through a logisitcs forwarder. The process is more tedious than the 2 webpages mentioned above. But the varieties are fantastics including imitation products. Buyers have to be careful as prices can deviate between sellers. If sellers are chosen correctly, they can offer a very good value for money even when logistics and delivery costs are added. A good understanding of chinese is necessary.

Example of value for money purchase: a Targus keyboard purchased for about S$75 a couple of months back from a retail shop costs only S$21 from purchase on line. They are highly similar with only Targus logo missing. Both are made in China. A difference of more than $50.

2 Memorable Places - Help Me Find

There are currently 2 places in this world that I had been and wished to visit again but could not remember or able to find the locations.

The first location is a place in Southern Thailand. I flew in via an army helicopter in around 1989. What I could remember of this lovely place was that it was an airfield before reaching Hatyai.  An extremely simple place for refilling of fuel for the metalic bird. The elevation of that airfiled is not at mean sea level. It is probably 30 to 50m above sea level. I could remember that after refilling, we took off from a cliff. The most important feature is a Buddha meditation carving embedded within the cliff. The Buddha rock carving is probably as high as 20 to 30m facing the sea. The depth of the carving is probably 5 to 10m deep. I have tried to find this location in the internet for many years but could not find it. If you could know where this is, please drop me a message. (Note: It may be an island not within the main land)

The second location is a place in South Africa. There was this restaurant in South Africa (could not remember the location, but maybe it was in the outskirt of Cape Town, something like Camps Bay - not sure). The restaurant is facing the sea. The most important feature is that the outdoor tables face slopping hills that runs to the sea. When my coursemate and I were there in 1997, it was sunset and it had one of the most beautiful sunset I had seen. I remember that I had crayfish for dinner. There was also 1 place in South Africa which was memorable. The High Commissioner to South Africa had treated us to a resort at night. The resort was out of town and out of city nights, when you looked up at the night sky, it was a sky filled with beautiful stars, an image I could still remember. Absolutely stunning. The ambient temperature then was cold and the feeling was fantastic.

The problem of remembering is that I was not told the specific locations of these 2 places. So there was no deep memory. The other reason is that I did not have a camera with me in Southern Thailand and my film camera was damaged (possibly due to cold weather) in South Africa.

If you know the places, appreciate it if you could let me know. Thanks.

Quote of the Month

"The Voyager-1 spacecraft has become the first manmade object to leave the Solar System."

12 September 2013
BBC News Science & Environment (Headline)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24026153

Canon EOS 70D

Canon EOS 70D with 10 to 22mm EFS lens

Bought the Canon EOS 70D with 18 to 55 mm lens today at the price of S$1496.

Initial feel is that it is an interesting camera because of its available high ISO of 12800. My EOS 450D only produces 1600 max. With such a high ISO in the 70D, the photo can be taken at slower speed and smaller aperture. However, my initial feel is that compared ISO of 100 for both cameras, the EOS 70D seems to take a slightly longer exposure time.

EOS 450D is a simple to use camera and it served its function well. I had this camera for more than 5 years. Well depreciated. But there are servere limitations such a low 1600 ISO and no movie camera. I would still continue to utilise it with perhaps the EFS 18 to 55mm lens with image stabiliser.

The EFS 18 to 55mm lens has 2 advantages: (1) a stm which has no vibration or sound and (2) image stablisation.

Phuket 5 - Symbol of Thailand

Elephant of Thailand





The other symbol - Red Bull Drink (10 Baht)

Phuket 4 - Beaches

Yanui Beach

The best beach that I had visited in Phuket - Yanui Beach
Like - Quiet, Simple, Tranquil, Peaceful

Patong Beach

The worst beach that I visited in Phuket - Patong Beach
Dislike - Crowded, Full of Commercial Activities

Note: Photos above are not edited

Other beaches visited in Phuket - Kata Beach, Kata Noi Beach, Karon Beach
Note 2: Phuket waves are stronger than many beaches. Could be due to the western part of the island is facing the Andaman Sea and Indian Ocean with few islands in between to reduce the energy of the waves.

Phuket 3 - Food

Fried Fish and Omelette at Le Siam - Good

Green Thai Curry at Le Siam - Good

 

We tried different food from high end restaurants to a few mid range restaurants. I notice that from a taste perspective, these restaurants did have one or two dishes that were great, the rests were just mediocre. For example, in Le Siam Restaurant at Jungceylon, the fried eggs, green Thai curry and fishes were great. However, the Tom Yam was not that good.

Tom Yam Soup at Raya Restaurant - Good

Raya at Phuket Town

Raya Restaurant - An old traditional building with timber staircase in the centre of the house

In Raya, Phuket Town, the Tom Yam was reasonably good, but the rest of the dishes we ordered were just average. I generally preferred the clear Tom Yam without coconut milk. Raya Restaurant is housed in an old Thai building with some of its structure still in timber.

Pad Thai at S&P Restaurant - Good

In S&P Restaurant in Central Festival, the Pad Thai (Thai noodle) was reasonably good.

Green Thai Curry that tasted like drinking coconut milk - Bad

There was another restaurant located off Karon Beach - Patak Road, while price was lower than the rest of the restaurants, had a green Thai curry that was filled with coconut milk and it tasted bad.

Phuket 2 - Star Glazing

 

Generally, Phuket tends to be cloudy in August. Couple with some city lights, no tripod, it would be difficuly to capture nice astro-photos. But I tried.

Info of the Photo
Canon 450
ISO 800 (pumped to a high ISO below distortion of ISO1600)
30 sec exposure (max automatic exposure without Bulb)
No tripod
22 / 17 mm focal length
f4.5
Manual Focus (slightly below infinity)
Taken on the roof of Pacific Club Resort facing the beach (Western Sky)
Time about 10:30pm S'pore Time, 9:30pm Phuket Time - 24 Aug 13
JPEG - Edited by camera, no further editing made

Phuket 1 - Hotel & Transport

Pacific Club Resort, Phuket

Panaromic View from Roof of Resort

Visited Phuket, Thailand from 22 to 25 Aug 13.

Arrived in Jetstar flight of 8:20am from Singapore. No delays and arrived ahead of time.

Stayed at Pacific Club Resort, a hotel located off Karon Beach. The good thing is that Karon Beach is less crowded than Patong Beach. This will give some peace and tranquility which should be the case during a holiday. The bad thing is that it is 1.5 hours from the Airport due to probable jams and distance. It is a great facility suitable for family and has a great view of Karon Beach and the sea from its roof top, that comes with a swimming pool. Family can make use of the kitchen (with refrigerator) for larger room, free wifi and complimentary baby cot. We paid about S$175(12800 baht) each day for a 2 bed room with breakfast. The only thing we felt was unsuitable for the family is one of room toilet has a glass block wall wall which could present some modesty issue, especially when the bathing area is facing the corridor. There were a few new resort coming up near this resort. Competition will possibly mean better prices for consumer. Walking to Karon beach would approximately take 10 to 15 minutes. We didn't walk but drove to the beach. There are less commercial activities than Patong Beach, especially so at the northern end.

To enjoy Phuket, it is advisible to rent a motocycle or a car. We rent a Toyota Vios, a manual geared car from Avis Thailand. We found that it would be cheaper to rent the car on the spot in Phuket island rather than booking through internet. From the online booking plus additional insurance, it costs about S$165 for 3 days of rental.

Quote of the Month

 

"A man falls in love through his eyes, a woman through her ears"

From the Internet

Casio SGW 400H and 5600E

SGW 400H

5600E

Bought 2 Casio watches on 8 Aug 13 from 3D Watch Shop at Bencoolen.

The first one is SGW 400H, a twin sensors watch that measures atmospheric pressure, temperature and height. It also gives a rough guide to the weather condition, whether it is fine or cloudy. Except for atmospheric pressure which is more or less constant in room condition, temperature, height  and weather condition have large variations. Height for example give a reading of +/- 5 meters. It has 100m water resistance which is sufficient for most uses. Price of the watch is SGD$72.

The Casio 5600E is a G-shock. This was my second G-shock watch. The first one was given by a friend more than 10 years ago. The 5600E costs SGD$98. Interesting features include its tough solar capability which means the watch is solar powered. According to the shop, the watch could last for 7 years if it is charged consistently. It has a very classic Casio design which can last for many years. It has a 200m water resistance which is possibly deeper than what a human bare body can dive. Compared to round men G-shock, it has 4 rather small buttons for controls. The face of the watch is also smaller than men G-shock. The watch has a power saving function which will be turn on (no display) when it is dark and between the time of 10pm and 7am. It has a power reserved indicator which reminds me of some high end expensive automatic watches that have similar function mechanically.

Both watches have standard features such as world time, countdown timer, stop watch, alarm and hourly signal.

Happy 48th Birthday, Singapore

Singapore celebrates her 48th Birthday.

A time to reflect on the progress made so far by her working class of labourers. Hope that the Government will announce measures and policy change to tackle issues of housing, transport and challenges that she will face with 6.9 Million population. In the mean time, Happy Birthday!

Durian

Durian - One of South East Asia treasure. Some like it, some don't.

Bought 3 small sized durians for S$10 in July. This month quality doesn't seem good. About 1 to 2 months back, bought 3 mid size durians for S$10 which is much better in quality. Better quality durian meat is soft, creamy, strong fragrance and yellowish in colour. Traditionally, June to August each year is durian harvesting season.

Singapore imports durian from Malaysia.

PSI In Singapore Hit 401

N95 Masks

 

PSI Reading 21 Jun 13

 

The Pollution Standard Index(PSI) in Singapore (3 hrs) hit a record 401 on 21 June 13. A PSI above 300 is classified as hazardous. The PM 2.5 concentration level was above 200 ug/m3. Visibility had dropped to approx 50m. My eyes were feeling irritated by the pollutants. There were some sneezings. Very few pedestrain was seen walking on the road. Open air coffee shops have lesser number of patrons when everyone tried to stay indoor. The advisory note given was also to stay indoor. Long queues were seen waiting to purchase N95 masks for protection against inhalation of pollutants. Air purifiers were sold out and customers could only lodge in their order for new stock.

A historical moment.

My Favourite Street Food (Singapore)

Satay

 

Fish Ball Noodle

(1) Satay

(2) Dim Sum (Originate from Hong Kong/China)

(3) Hokkien Prawn Noodle

(4) Beef Noodle

(5) Wan Tan Noodle

(6) Roast Duck

(7) Laksa
(8) Fish Ball Noddle

Beef Pho

 Other International Food:

(1) Beef Pho (Vietnam)

(2) Masala Thosai (India)

(3) Okonomiyaki (Japan)

(4) Unagi Rice (Japan)

Note 1: Not in any order of preference
Note 2: Due to variation in quality, there may be some that are not as good as the better ones.

Onigiri

Onigiri

Photograph from other source

When I was in Japan in 1997, a morning breakfast may include a simple onigiri, made from Japanese rice wrapped in dried seaweed infilled with crab meat or tuna. Japanese vinegar has been added in the rice. A simple, cheap and delicious breakfast. The cost back then was about 100 to 120 yen each and the onigiri are available in many Japanese convenient stalls. I had understood from my friend that there is an unique way to remove the plastic wrapper so that the seaweed remains intact with the triangular rice.

Just bought one from a supermart in Singapore today. After discount, the onigiri costs S$2, which is about 150 yen.

SIA - A Great Way To Fly

 

Bought some SIA shares (Singapore Airlines) today. Base on SIA Financial Report for FY12, it appears that the asset is more than its liability. Recently, SIA prices have been falling due to its poor financial performance amidst a bear market. A drop of more than 7%.  There are negative views and concern as SIA purchased a new fleet of airplane which may harm its financial sustainability. Recently, SIA had also announced that it is not giving special dividend for the current year.  A deviation of its  usual practice of issuing special dividend once every 2 years.

A Sunday Times reporter has also written an article on 2 Jun 13 highlighting the poor service associated  with its subsidiary SilkAir. The reporter wrote that his request, written as well as through phone call, for front passenger seats for his elderly parents were ignored. Even though the crew on board tried to salvage the situation, the initial impression of poor communication which led to poor service has been formed.

With so much bad publicity, why buy SIA? The answer is simple, the price has dropped to a reasonable level. The net asset is more than the current price. I invest for the long term waiting for the price to appreciate. The immediate threat is the price of fuel which airlines like SIA pay substantially as an operating cost. The price of oil has been hovering between US$90 and US$100 level. Stability of oil price is important for companies to price their goods and services. The other threat is competition in the air transport industry.  This will be challenging for SIA.

SIA closes at S$10.35 on 7 Jun 13. This blog is not an inducement to purchase SIA shares.

Wu Song and the Tiger

When I was a 11 year old boy (Pri 5) in Catholic High (Pri), my Chinese teacher had taught the story of Wu Song and the Tiger. In essence, the story was about a hero (Wu Song) who killed a hill Tiger using a stick and his fists. The story was shown above and it was closely resembling to the story told when I was 11 years old. The text was extracted from my daughter e-learning on-line programme. When it was played, it bought me back in time to the days when I was a School boy.

During the lesson, my Chinese teacher had asked for the story to be acted out.  I was chosen to be Wu Song, the hero. Till this day, I wondered why my teacher had chosen me. Perhaps, I was a class monitor. Nonetheless, I was given a stick (from the classroom broom) and a classmate of mine was the tiger. We acted according to the text and I could remember that the stick was supposed to hit the tree branch in the story. That was translated to the broom hitting the classroom light fitting.

That was the first time I had acted and though it was a simple act, I had great memory of it. I had a fantastic Chinese teacher and his surname was Zhang (Lao Shi).

World Street Food Congress 2013

I have visited the World Street Food Congress and eatern some of the following international food:-

Soft Shell Crab Burger from Euro Trash (USA)

Vietnamese Rice Cake with Banana infill (Vietnam)

 

Vietnamese Egg/Prawn Cake with Fish Sauce (Vietnam)

French Desserts with Avocado (France)

 

Glutinous Rice Dessert with Coconut Fruit Flakes Dress with Sugar and Salt (Thailand)

 

Bharpati ?? (spelled wrongly) (India)

 

Kue Pancong (Indonesia)

 

My favourite are Vietnamese Rice Cake (for its sweetness) and Bharpati ?? (for its spice).

Visiting these street food vendors makes me wonder what are my favourite street / hawker food in Singapore. Stay tune.