Tiger Leaping Gorge

虎跳峡

 

Altimeter shows 2555m above sea level

Small water fall in the mountains

Fallen rocks blocking the path

 

One of the most beautiful gorge in the world.  It is located next to the famous jade dragon snow mountain (玉龙雪山) and about 2 hours from Lijiang.

One can see the gorge at the ridge or from the valley. I had chosen the higher means.

Highest peak I had achieved was about 2550m. Valley is about 1770 to 1800m. An ascend of more than 700m is not an easy task considering the thin air.

Jin Sha River passes through which leads to Zhang Jiang and the water would discharge to the sea near Shanghai. River is muddy coloured due possibly to erossion from the mountains.

The famous 28 bends was a steep climb to the peak. Luckily I was on a saddle of a horse. A 1 horsepower to carry me up the hills.

 

After the peak, I had negotiated the down slope from the peak to Tea Horse Guest House (from 2550m to about 2200m). It took me about 2 hours for the walk. It was equally challenging due to uneven grounds, rocks and slippery surface. Walking down needs balance and the implication of an error is unimaginable. I had fell once on the way down and my toes had abrasion.

Tea Horse Guest House was the place I had stayed a night.

Best place to study geography – Water Cycle at work. The clouds, moutains, river, water fall, valley...

Lesson learnt while treking : Take the challenges / difficulties one step at a time. By clearing the huddles one step at a time, you can clear the bigger problem and reach your target.

China Impression

China chef tends to add MSG to their food to make it tasty. However, it makes me extremely thirsty after consumption. It does not bring out the natural taste of food.

No availability of Google and its related sites in China. However gmail is available. Alternative search engine will be Yahoo.

Chinese Yuan is a controlled currency, only available for exchange with foreign currency in designated banks. You will need to make declaration and fill up forms to make an exchange. This makes it troublesome for tourists but prevents unauthorized transaction.

TV programmes have many channels showing World War 2 nationalistic shows. Even the actors spoke Japanese to make the show more realistic. The continuous nationalistic education will be problematic for Chinese-Japanese relationship. It will also be problematic for Sino-Asian relationship especially in the current south China sea territorial disputes.

When I took public transport, I did see some Confucianism values from Chinese youngster giving up seats to senior citizens. The immigration officers in custom are also courteous. However, some members of public are bad manners with self-centric behaviour. It will probably take a generation or two for more refined culture, which was lost during the cultural revolution. 

Shu He

束河

A nice town out of Li Jiang. It is much quieter than Li Jiang but still has a fair share of tourists. Things sold in Shu He can be cheaper than Li Jiang if you know how to bargain. There are many silver jewellery shops. But for a tourist without training, it is difficult to identify which are good silver.

I tried the beef skews which cost 10 yuan for 3 skews. The beef is from local yaks. It is the best food I have tried in Shu He. The rest of the food I tried have too much msg for my liking. I have tried the skews twice and in both times, I have shared some with dogs looking pretty much in a hungry state. The skews are available on street hawkers, it is therefore important to look for one that barbecue the meat well and has a high turn over.

I stayed in Maple Inn in Shu He which has a wonderful owner who will help tourists with travelling plans and any trouble faced along the way. The Inn is about 500 m from Shu He main gate which means there is less inconvenient to carry your luggage to inner Shu He. Reservation was made through Booking.com.  Kudos to Will and Anna.

Li Jiang 22 to 26 July 2014

丽江

A sign that confirms UNESCO Heritage site since 1999 by then Chinese President

High Altitude of approximately 2200 to 2400m. Because of the high altitude, temperature is a cooling 17 to 21 celsius in summer. High altitude will make breathing slightly difficult and sometimes there may be a need to grasp for air especially when there is strenuous exercise. It is also a rainy season in June/July. In July, the sun only set around 8:30pm.

It is a Unesco World Heritage site since 1999. The city is a tourist attraction town with many commercial activities. It is a city of mountain and water (山水之国). River dissects the town and there are bridges to cross. As a tourist attraction, there is effort to make the city (at least the old town) clean.

I stayed in Shu He 束河 which is a town about 30 minutes from Lijiang. Public bus number 11 travels from Lijiang city centre to Shu He main road. From the main road to Shu He gate is about 15 minutes walk. The public bus fare is 1 yuan (equivalent to SGD$0.2) whereas a taxi will cost 40 yuan. The public bus has announcement to inform the bus stop that it is stopping making it easy to navigate with knowledge of chinese.

Being a tourist attraction, prices are not cheap, a simple noodle meal costs between 15 to 20 yuan while a can of coke is about 4 yuan.  Road is well built but traffic in the city can be jammed up.

 

Singapore to Li Jiang is about 4 hours flight. Airport to city is about 45 minutes.

Tanglin Halt and Commonwealth Crescent Hawker Centre Food

I went to 2 hawker centres in Queenstown area today.

The first was the Tanglin Halt Market. The market has an unique curve roof in the cooked food section with nice upturn lights. The cooked food section was not that big but many of the stalls were opened. There was a queue formed at the Sa La Yi Wei, 沙辣一唯，a local laksa stall. I ordered the prawn, chicken, bean curd with white mee hoon which cost $4. The verdict: The white mee hoon seemed to be undercooked and it was not as soft as an average laksa stall. The laksa gravy was thick and good taste but the portion was not substantial. The rest of the ingredients were normal. Would I queue again for the laksa? Unlikely. I may consider if there was no queue. The menu was stated in partially in Japanese. I suppose this must be recommended in Japanese tour guide.

The second hawker centre was nearby at Commonwealth Crescent Market and Food Centre. The location of the hawker centre was quite obscure and within an old housing estate. I first tried the cheng teng at 喜乐亭 which had added special ingredient at $0.90. Bedok Food Centre had similar cheng teng although it was selling at $1.80 with slightly larger portion.

I was pleasantly surprised to find a nice wan tan noodle stall 云记。The noodle was selling at $2.50 but the portion of noodle was big in consideration of the price. The cha siew pork was served in large quantity and the wan tan was also nice. The noodle is best eaten without chilli in my opinion. I was happy to find this cheap and good stall. The stall offers other noodle and rice too. There was no queue. Would I queue for this wan tan noodle? Definetly.

 

Noodle that cost only $2.50 and taste delicious

Dow Jones Breaks 17000

Before US Independence Day, 3 July 2014, the Dow Jones Industrial Index breaks 17000, a rise of 92.02 points over the previous day and finish at 17068.26.

It is the first time in history that DJII breaks the 17000 points. Good news for those who stayed invested. Will it continue to rise? Long term yes. Short term may have correction. Stay invested for long term gains.

Nikon FM2 N

Nikon FM2

With 28mm 1:2.8 AI Lens

I have recently also bought a Nikon FM2N in addition to Canon AE-1 Program. This is bought through Ebay and it is a chrome body. The price of FM2N is about 6 times the price of Canon AE-1 Program. Of course, there are cheaper Nikon around but the FM2N seems to have demand that supported the price. The price was supported due to the famously durability of the FM2N as compared to others of the same period. It could still function without a battery (similar to my Yashica FX3) Nikon produced the FM2 from 1982 to 2001. The earlier version was produced the same time AE-1 Program was produced. From 1984, the N version was produced with a higher flash sync speed. There is also a T version which is for its titanium shutter screen.

The FM2 was famous for its high shutter speed which is the fastest in the 80s at 1/4000. I remember an advertisement showing the incredible fast speed of photography that it was able to capture a speeding bullet and for the bullet motion to be freezed as it passed through its target. I think Nikon FM series cameras (especially the chrome version) are beautiful because of its uniquely black top housing the prism. We can see that the new Nikon Df is designed with the FM series in mind. It is the Nikon Df that makes me attracted to the Nikon FM series. For less than 10% of the price of a new Nikon Df body, about USD$2400, I get a full frame SLR that has similar design and still have plenty of spare change even with 35mm films and processing costs considered. Of course, the Df will depreciate over time as it is highly electronic and digital based. While FM2 is fully mechanical/analog that has depreciated and will probably hold its value. Hopefully, it will be an collectible item.

I spent some time trying to understand the compatibility of various lens mount in different period of time, from Ai, Ai-S, AF-S, AF-D, VR to G. I have the impression that Ai lens can still be mounted on the latest DSLR camera although certain functions may be impaired. However, Canon makes distinction between FD and EOS mount, although a photographer can purchase a FD-EOS adaptor to mount older lens.

If I could recall correctly, as a teenager, Nikon cameras did not capture my attention. Probably because it was expensive and more professional. As a poor student, I could only afford Yashica and even Canon was considered expensive. I never had a Nikon until recently when I bought a Nikon Coolpix S2600 which is a cheap compact camera. In these days, Canon and Nikon mainly do not manufacture their cameras/lens in Japan, most were made in China/Thailand/Malaysia. In the 80s, the camera and lens from these 2 companies were made in Japan.

Some thing unique about FM2N is that the lock position of the camera is when the film advance lever is in its close position. In order to press the shutter release, I have to pull the film advance lever out. This is different from Yashica or Canon cameras. Old cameras like the AE-1 Program does have a lock mechanism that is independent of the film advance lever. For my Yashica FX3, there is no lock mechanism. Secondly, FM2N has a camera back lock lever. To open the camera back, I have to push the lock and also pull the film rewind knob at the same time. This is something not found in Canon or Yashica cameras. I found this troublesome in the FM2N.

The camera does have the advantage of displaying the aperture setting within the viewfinder. This assist the photographer to know exactly the aperture of the lens while looking at the viewfinder. My impression is that Nikon attempts to be different in features as compared to the rest of the camera brands, some are interesting and good while others might not be.

Nonetheless, the FM2N is a very good looking camera, with the right proportion, sharp features and great colour combination on its body.

Polar Bear of Singapore Zoo

The polar bear (name Inuka) of the Singapore Zoo photograph taken by Yashica FX-3 with 50mm f2 lens on Fujifilm Superia 200 film (digitalised). When I was a Secondary school boy, some 30 years ago, I had taken a photograph of a polar bear rising from the pool of the Singapore zoo. Now 30 years later, I have taken the photograph of polar bear using the same camera and lens 30 years ago.

Inuka is the offspring of Sheba (died in 2012) who is the daughter of Nanook. I have taken the photograph of Nanook and Inuka. Polar bear has an average lifespan of 25 years old.

Nikon 28mm f2.8 AI and Canon 28mm f2.8 new FD

Canon 28mm f2.8 new FD

Nikon 28mm f2.8 AI

I bought the 2 lenses recently. 28mm lenses are of course used in landscape photography. While they are of similar optical angle, the cost differs significant even though both are likely to be more than 30 years old. The Nikon 28mm costs US$128 while the Canon 28mm costs US$21.50, a difference of more than 5 times. These are market prices.

Physically, the Nikon has very attractive and colourful aperture ring and distance information, The Canon on the other hand is a sombre green and white. Currently, lenses from both firms are white and gold on black plastic. The Nikon AI lens design is certainly unnique and a representation of an era long gone. The colours reminded me of Frank Muller Colour Dreams watch.

The Canon new FD lens has a feature not commonly found in lens. The aperture can't be adjusted manually by pushing the lever on the rear. This, I found out after reading from the internet. The aperture can be adjusted when the lens is mounted on a FD body. This is different from Nikon and Yashica lenses. With the feature, I can only test the lens aperture when I use it with a film. I am not sure whether this feature will affect the functioning of the lens when it is mounted on a DSLR with an adaptor.

Canon and Nikon lenses have a different usage preference. For Nikon the smaller f number for aperture is on the right side to the photographer, while for Canon, the smaller f number is on the left side. Likewise the focus ring is also turning against each other in relation to the distance. This may confuse photographer especially so when habit is formed.

Canon 50mm FD f1.4 S.S.C Lens

Canon 50mm FD f1.4 S.S.C with breech lock

Front of the Lens

I have received my Canon 50mm FD f1.4 S.S.C lens bought from Ebay.

First impression is the breech lock is different from all the lens I have owned. It is screwed via a turning ring. In order to screw on, the red dot on the ring must be reset to its zero position before it can be attached to the body mount of Canon AE-1 program. While turning the ring, the lens body does not move unlike modern lens design. I have to spend some time trying to mount the lens on the body.

Secondly, I am fortunate to get a rather clean body with not much scratches on the lens body and the glasses. So it looks pretty decent. The lens uses a 55mm lens filter.

I am currently trying to test it and the result will only make known after the film is developed. I noticed that on Canon AE-1 program and for that matter the A series of Canon camera, the original viewfinder focusing circle in the centre is a horizontal line instead of a slopping line (in Yashica FX-3). I find that the slopping focusing line is more easy to achieve focus. This is because the realistic world has many horizontal lines which coincide with the focusing line and hence does not differentiate easily.

The bokeh from its 1.4 aperture is nice looking through the viewfinder. Hopefully the developed photos stay the same. The lens is heavy because of its metalic component compared to plastic 50mm lens that is currently available. Hence the side grip on the body of AE-1 program is useful. The lens also has a automatic 'A' aperture which will work with the Program model to automatically select aperture and shutter speed.

The distance guide on the lens is coloured brightly for photographer to read. I realised that I have to estimate the distance of the subject and adjust the distance accordingly before even looking at the viewfinder. Something that modern camera and lens do have the convenience over vintage ones.

Yashica FX3

Yashica FX3 body

I have sent my Yashica FX3 to repair. During the discussion with the expert, it reinforces the theory that mechanical equipment, whether it is a watch or a camera, the full mechanical one has a better value than the electrical ones. The FX3 has a mechanical shutter and it will function whether the battery is installed. There are small batteries used for light metering. The Canon AE-1 Program has a curtain shutter and only works with a battery installed.

I bought the FX3 in 1983 for a cost of between SGD$300 to SGD$350 (reminded by the expert). Now the repair cost is SGD$250 due to problem with the shutter (mirror goes up but does not come down) and a fungus growth lens which needs cleaning.

The camera and lens have nostalgic value as they were the first SLR I bought and started my long relationship with photography. The totally manual camera means that it is good to learn photography skills and technique. Even the focus is manually done. 35mm SLR is the predecessor of the full frame digital camera. Considering that a full frame digital camera now cost between $4000 and $5000, it is considered cheap to repair a SLR camera for full frame photography. Somehow, SLR camera traditionally was sold with prime lens instead of zoom lens. Zoom is done by the photographer legs to some limit.

Being the traditional 35mm film, the result of your shoot is only made known after the negatives are processed. There is no corretive action. The film can be digitised and correction made in Photoshop. There is no memory of the shutter speed or aperture setting unless it is purposely recorded.

I remembered I won a school competition (3rd prize) using the camera. The photo was of a polar bear surfacing from underneath water.

Star Wars X Wing Fighter

X Wing Fighter from Revell Painted with Weathering Theme

X Wing Fighter from the movie

The Star Wars X Wing Fighter model from Revell. The model was purchased from Amazon.com. It was easy to fix given its snap tite system between various components. I applied some Tamiya paint on the model with the intention to create weathering effect on a spacecraft.

Star War movie had used scale spacecraft models and weathering effect on their X wing fighters. They were used on a pitch black starry background.

I am quite pleased with the completed model. It is one of the iconic spacecraft from my childhood in the 70s. The other significant spacecraft is the battlestar galactica humans fighter.

Canon AE-1 Program

Canon AE-1 Programe

I have recently bid and bought a Canon AE-1 Program. The camera is delivered today.

It is in good condition and the shutter fires. The exterior is better than expected for a camera that is easily 30 years old.

When I was a secondary school boy, I had a Yashica FX-3, it was fully mechanical and could function without batteries even though batteries could be added for light metering purpose. My classmate had a Canon AE-1 Program, it was one of technologically advanced camera given its program feature which allowed automatic selection of aperture and possibly speed of shutter. It was then the envy of the photograhic society. Somehow it had affected my subsequent purchase of Canon EOS camera.

On first feel, it is heaviler than my Yashica. It has a silver aluminium top as compared to black finishes of my Yashica. The sound of the shutter is very different from my Yashica. I feel that the Yashica has a more mechanical sound which gives confidence to the photographer. The aluminium finishes has the classic look which current retro looking digital camera such as the olympus OMD EM10 tries to emulate. AE-1 Program has a electronically controlled self timer for delay firing of shutter. Yashica FX-3 uses a dial pointer which to me has more classic look.  In my opinion, the Nikon FM series 35mm camera has a more classic external finishes than the Canon AE-1 Program. Canon AE-1 Program has a winder provision which the Yashica FX-3 doesn't.

For a price of 16 pound body only(from UK, excluding shipping cost), it has certainly well depreciated considering the cost of digital camera nowadays. Hopefully, the shutter speed is accurate. I will know when I test it with a 35mm film.

Apple IIe

Apple IIe

The Apple IIe computer was sold in Singapore around 1983. I had the first opportunity to use IIe in school in Secondary 2 (1983). I remember there were a few computers in the computer lab with the school trying to teach a new generation of technology. The language if I recall was basic with commands such as Goto, Print etc. It could do basic mathematical calculation (+ - x / ). At that time, I did not appreciate the reason why this machine was useful as there were limited applications. I don't recall there was a mouse even though the photo above shows one with a mouse. The Apple logo has an array of colours which is not the present design. That was the first time I used an Apple product :-).

Old Airport Road Food Centre

This morning, I was at Old Airport Road Food Centre. Tried the Ru Ji Kitchen and the Lao Fu Zhi Fried Kway Teow. I shall only comment on the Ru Ji Kitchen. From the signage, it appears that the original stall is previously from Holland Drive market.

Ru Ji Kitchen had a queue form when I was there on a weekday morning. I could imagine the length of the queue when it was weekend. The Kitchen sells fishball noodle, a simple dish, but it does very well on the 3 components making it, firstly the fish balls are handmade, secondly the fish cake is the fried type and lastly the noodle was blended in a sauce comprising mainly of pork oil which makes it tasty. The fish balls are softer than ordinary. The fish cakes are fried to make the skin crispy and better taste. It was a good breakfast. It is worth the $4.00 that I paid.  

Old Airport Road Food Centre has many cooked food stalls and this is complement by the readily available carparks at the front and back of the centre.

Singapore Art Appreciation

Chen Soo Pieng Landscape

Stepped into the National Museum of Singapore this morning as I wanted to see the People's Collection which showcases some of the artefacts of post war Singapore from 50s to 80s.

But I was pleasantly surprised to see an art exhibition by local artists in one of the hall. The name of exhibition is A Changed World: Singapore Art 1950s to 1970s. It was raining heavily outside so I stayed back and listen to the exhibition by a guide, Ms Geraldine Tan. The artists include Chen Wen Xi, Chen Soo Pieng, Chua Mie Tee, Liu Kang and many others. They were Singapore pioneer artists who had been trained in the traditional chinese painting and exposed to western paintings in post war era. Today is the last day of exhibition.

The guide explained the intend of various paintings well. In western paintings from my trip to Europe many years ago, I learned that artist used paintings to hide certain message and was conveying certain narrative of the times. One must closely examine the paintings to understand and interpret the paintings.

I like Chen Soo Pieng landscape impression shown above. My interpretation is that it shows a house in an isolated place next to a tree. The colours are rather sombre which gives a rather depressed feeling. There are patches of white above the house which I interpet as smoke from the house. There is another unique significance which I notice is the portrait format of a landscape painting. I also notice that the black strokes have chinese paintings tradition. The presentation reminded me of some western style paintings. However, the name of the artist at the left bottom corner in chinese is significant evidence that it was painted by a chinese local artist. The name shows "Si (4 horizontal lines) Ping".  Soo Pieng was famous for painting balinese women with elongated arms, which are his signature features. I understand from the guide that his painting is found in $50 Singapore note (rear).

It is sometimes good to appreciate cultural art piece.

Audi A3 Sportback Price March 2014

The Audi A3 Sportback price in Singapore this month is S$149,999 (USD$118,300). The A3 Sedan price is S$153,999. A difference of S$4000 for the conventional boot. The price of CAT A COE in March is $76,999.

The A4 sedan will cost S$173,999, a difference of $24,000 as compared to A3 sportback.

After driving the A3 sportback for more than 3 months, I find that it is an efficiency car, with a petrol consumption of 13.8 km/litre with the start/stop function turns off. I always turn off the start/stop function and it is quite troublesome. There are reasons for doing it mainly because I am afraid over long term, the start/stop funciton, being a new technology, may affect the engine mount supporting the 1.4 litre motor. I feel that there is vibration once start function kicks in just like the starting of each trip and this may weaken the engine mount. In addition, the starter motor is of lesser stress if the start/stop function is disabled. The start/stop function has to be manually turned off unless programming is done to overwrite it.

To achieve petrol savings, the car also attempts to step up to its 7th gear quickly. At 100km/hr speed, the engine revolution is just about 2100 rev for a 1.4 litre car. If power is required, the driver can switch to sport mode for more sustained acceleration or manual gearshift(paddle shift).

I added a passive bass speaker within the car compartment to improve the quality of sound from the standard Audi sound system. It improves the sound greatly.

Blk 89 Circuit Road Market - Hao Ji Cantonese Porridge

Hao Ji Cantonese Porridge

There was a queue formed in front of this stall. Instinctively I went to queue. There was a variety of porridge available from fish, pork, squid, centuary egg. I ordered the centuary egg with pork porridge this morning. It was tasty and texture of the porridge was good. The serving of minced pork and centuary egg was reasonable considering the affordable cost. It costs $2.30 without addition of egg. The stall owner had a big pot of plain porridge which he was preparing. A simple but yet enjoyable breakfast. It closes on Monday.

I had also tried a mee siam at $2.00 from 123 Traditional Cusine in the same market. The mee siam gravy was of acceptable standard. It is rare nowadays to eat something of $2.00 value.

Quote of the Month

"What drives me is an awareness of the essential loneliness of man - we are alone when we're born, we're alone when we die."

~ Bruce Davidson, photographer

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.