Cheap & Good Food

S$2 vegetarian bee hoon from Mayflower Hawker Centre. The quality is reasonably good. The fired bean curb are crispy and taste good.

 

S$2 black char tau kway from North Bridge Road Hawker Centre. I recommend the black one because it has the burnt dark sauce fragance. The stall offers $1.50 plate, of course with a smaller quantity.

RAM and Windows 7, 8 & 9

4 years old damaged RAM Chip Sets each 2GB

My Dell Inspiron 580 is more than 4 years old (bought in June 2010). It originally comes with 6GB RAM but recently I noticed that the programs and speed of the PC is terribly slow despite efforts in removing unwanted programs. Then I realised that the RAM was down to 2GB, the remaining 4GB seemed to be unreadable or damaged.

Not knowing which RAM chip set was damaged(there are 3 of them as shown above), I decided to replace the 3 pieces of RAM with a single 4GB RAM set (DDR3) After replacement, the programs run on smoothly. A desktop with 4 years of continuous usage is considered old. But I trust that my Dell can still run for another year or two. Good workhorse.

It runs on Windows 7, which is acknowledged as the best operating system from Windows and to some it is better than Windows 8.1. I have a Dell laptop running on Windows 8.1 but I still continue to use my Windows 7 desktop.

Recently, there was rumour that the new Windows 9 will be released soon (Sep 14) by Microsoft under the new CEO. When I bought Windows 8.1 laptop, the salesman said that the laptop was loaded with Windows 7 and believed it was a better OS. However, I proceeded to pay Microsoft for Windows 8 and subsequently upgraded it to Windows 8.1. The laptop doesn't come with touchscreen, as such it is difficult to use the much promoted Windows 8 Metro interface. I had initially thought that with the promotion of touchscreen interface, there would be attempt by monitor manufacturers to produce large quantity of touchscreen monitors, hence over time, reduce the cost and price. I was wrong. At the time of lauch, a 23 inch touchscreen standalone monitor cost about S$550. Now after 2 years since Windows 8 was released, the 23 inch touchscreen monitor still costs about S$500. Why would anyone pay this price for touchscreen feature when a non screen 23 inch probably cost half of that price? The non-cooperation from monitor manufacturers means that consumers are still using the conventional non touchscreen monitor, aka Windows 7.

Microsoft Office 365 introduced for Windows 8 ran on a yearly subscription format. The non subscription version will cost much more. This is asking consumers to pay Microsoft on a yearly basis. Why this arrangement? This discouraged consumer to upgrade to Windows 8 or Microsoft Office 365.

What I hope to see in the new Windows 9?
Traditional Windows Start Button
More stable Internet Explorer with less security issues
More stable Operating system with less requirement to upgrade
Forget about subscription base Microsoft Office
Full compatibility with older softwares

Well, Windows 7 continues to serve me well even though it is more than 4 years old.

Horse Riding

The Horse (7 years old) and my shadow

This was my second time riding a horse. Both times, my butt hurt after riding, probably due to incorrect riding posture. The first time was in South Africa. The second time was in Tiger Leaping Gorge in China. In China, the task was more strenous for the horse because it was an uphill climbing task and secondly I was much heaviler. I could recall that in the first attempt many years ago, the horse did run for a short distance.

In China, the horse had to stop for a few moments either to breath or for me to adjust my seating postion (as I was shifted too far back). The horse man had to coerced the horse to move. Obviously the horse man said that I was inexperienced in horse riding. The horse understood the path that it had travelled well and due to familiarity, it would stop at certain spots for rider to take photograph. This remind me of the chinese phrase "老马识途" which means an old horse will know its path travelled (and will not be lost).

In the modern days of cars which boast more than 100, 200 bhp. This horse is only 1 horse power and yet it could take me to the peak of a mountain in rugged terrain.

My Favourite Street Food Singapore

Eng's Noodle Wan Tan Mee

I have written about my favourite Singapore steet food on 16 Jun 2013 and one of my favourite is wan tan noodle.
http://e21s.blogspot.com/2013/06/my-favourite-street-food-singapore.html

This wan tan noodle is from Eng's noodle house in Tanjong Katong Road. It opens from 11am to 9pm daily. Interesting taste comes from its extra spicy chilli sauce and a special taste sesame oil. The noodle has also a different texture as compared to conventional.

Breathing in High Altitude

Correct breathing is important for sports. At an altitude of more than 2000m above sea level, the air is thinner and the atmospheric pressure is lower. There is tendency for the body to grasp for air and the heart beat would go faster even for a simple activity like climbing a stair. This was what I had felt from trip to Li Jiang and Tiger Leaping Gorge.

However, once I am back on sea level, breathing seem to be easier as you can feel the higher concentration of oxygen. It is less strenuous to the body and the heart beat would be in a calm state. Exercising seem to be easier (perhaps it is psychological) when oxygen is in abundance.

It is common for competitive sportsmen to train in high altitude so that the same body can perform better in normal atmospheric pressure. Example of such sportsmen : Lewis Hamilton

Blk 207 New Upper Changi Hawker Centre (Bedok Town Centre)

Bedok Chwee Kueh located at Bedok Town Centre Hawker Centre. I usually see a crowd in the morning queueing for the chwee kueh. They are selling at market price hence why the crowd? It is due to the large quantity of diced preserved radish that is nicely prepared. The signage shows that it has been in business since 1996.

Highly recommended if the queue is not too long.

For more information on chwee kueh, it is available in wikipedia.

Li Jiang / Shu He Food

Beef Noodle



Bitter gourd with fried egg - It tasted good because of MSG but became extremely thirsty after that and the taste lasted the whole night. This is the power of chemical seasoning.

Noodle with Pork at Naxi Guest House. No appetite to eat after exhaustion. Also pork cubes were not fresh.

Dali Beer - Initial taste was strange probably due to the ingredients in which the beer was made. But drinking further, it was fine. Cost between 10 to 15 yuan per bottle.

Vegetable Noodle - Not much appetite to eat. This was pale in comparison with what the Koreans hikers and family had. I was thinking of Singapore good food during this dinner.

Fried Rice - Again MSG was added.

Another Vegetable Noodle - Noodle in soup was good because the MSG was diluted and secondly all the ingredients were thoroughly boiled. This shop served free chinese tea and had free wifi.

This was the best meal I had in China. Plain porridge with Xiao Long Bao. Special mentioned was the plain porridge which had a sweet fragrant. It was either corn or barley. In Singapore, our plain porridge is really almost tastless. But this is good. Xiao Long Bao was also good. It cost me less than 15 yuan for this breakfast. For once, I was pleased that there was little or no MSG.

This is the shop that sell the plain porridge and xiao long bao. It is located near Zhong Yi Market and old Lijiang town. The eating place has a very classic chinese look.

Lijiang Zhong Yi Market

忠义市场

Interesting market located just outside Lijiang Old Town. They sell fresh produce, food and daily necessities.

Bought some peaches there.

Tiger Leaping Gorge - Star Glaze

Focal Length = 13mm
Aperture = f7.1
Exposure Time = 30 sec
ISO Speed = ISO 8000
No Tripod, Camera placed on formwork facing sky, Cloudy evening
Location = Half Way Guest House, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Yun Nan China
Altitude about 2250 m above mean sea level

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.