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.

Wan Ton Noodle Part 2

I made a posting on 1 July 12 on Wan Ji Wan Ton located at Blk 115 Bukit Merah View Market.

I went back to order to the dumpling noodle with char siew. The dumplings available in fried and soup base were nicely done and declicious.

The stall owners went the effort to ensure the quality of the dumplings. The vegetable was also served in large quantity.

A neighbour patron enjoying noodle from the same stall, was heard commenting that the quantity served was larger than many other wan ton noodle stalls.  The dumpling noodle costs S$3.50. The wan ton version will cost S$3.00.