Guangzhou Part 6 - Luo / Law / Loh Ancestors Hall 良溪罗氏大宗祠



Entrance to 罗氏 Great Hall

The statue of the Founder - 罗贵

The red poster shows the donations made by various members of 罗氏

 

 

The Hall was built in year 1707 during the reign of Emperor Kang Xi. The Hall was built using bricks and timber. There are 13 beams in the Hall. The Hall is a cultural preserved building in Jiang Men city since 2004. The Hall is well preserved.

罗氏 Ancestor Place of Worship and Respect. The carving and dragon are lined in gold.

The tablets showing 罗氏 descendants from all over the world, including Vietnam, Hong Kong, Malaysia and various Provinces in China

The Courtyard of the Hall

A pond facing the Hall



Entrance to 良溪 village where 罗氏大宗祠 is located


Photos and information correct as at July 2016. Photos are all rights reserved of this blogger.

 

More information on the internet:-

 

Wikipedia:-

https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%89%AF%E6%BA%AA%E7%BD%97%E6%B0%8F%E5%A4%A7%E5%AE%97%E7%A5%A0

 

Chinese blog:-

http://blog.163.com/wurthsam@126/blog/static/128538124200982310144618



 

Guangzhou Part 5 - Jade

Jade Market in Guangzhou

Guangzhou has a market dedicated to selling Jade jewelry and accessories. It is located close to 长寿路 station along the 长寿 西路 . There are many shops selling all sorts of jade made accessories. The only issue is finding the right price. For those who are familiar with jade, the quality is classified into 3 grades, A, B and C. A being the most original jadeite rock. B has been processed and C has been bleached. An illustration of B and C grades is shown as display in Guangzhou museum. C grade jade can be in the price range of US$50 to US$500. Grade B is probably US$500 to thousands. Grade A can cost more than US$5000. While the variety is there, the question is how to establish the price without knowing which grade.



Jade B and C grade, Guangzhou Museum

Jadeite Rock, Guangzhou Museum

While in Guangzhou, I was looking for a jade traditional Chinese stamp (印章). I walked around 长寿 西路 and found that the price could be from RMB1500 to RMB 2500 for a stamp with a dragon carving on top.  In the end, I found a RMB500 jade Chinese stamp. This was found after walking round the shops in the rain. After purchasing the jade, I had to find a carving master to carve my name on the jade. A shop which I asked quoted RMB400 and needed a few days. I walked away and was fortunately to find one craftsman in the Airport who was willing to carve on the jade for RMB100.  Finding the right price and avoiding being exploited are keys to getting the right jade pieces.  The trick is to make comparison.

Guangzhou is the centre of jade trade because of the huge demand from the Chinese. These jade were mined in neighbouring Myanmar and were bought over by traders.

Guangzhou Part 4 - Cost of Living

While travelling to Xin Hui, the driver had asked me a hypothetical question, "would it better if my ancestor had not travelled to Singapore and we had stayed in China?"  My immediate reply was that many Chinese currently are requesting for immigration to overseas, among other countries, Singapore. There must be reason for this. Firstly, it is because of the education system which enable Singaporeans to be taught in both English (the commercial language) and a mother tongue. Secondly, the ability of Singaporeans to travel easily without the need of a Visa, which includes countries in the Euro zone and the US.

It sets me into deeper thought on what would I be if I were to be in China, perhaps a small business man, a farmer, an office worker? Would I enjoy the same convenience and wealth as a Chinese or Singaporean? Of course, my deeper concern is the need to go through the Cultural Revolution in the 1970s, although Guangzhou area would not be so severely affected.

羊城晚报 Article

It also sets me thinking on the cost of living in China, specifically in big city like Guangzhou. I had specifically brought back this article from the local newspaper, 羊城晚报, dated 7 July 2016. In the article, a reader had asked for advice for purchase of property. She shared that she is earning a monthly salary of about 7000 RMB (about S$1400) and she is approaching 30 years old soon. She is asking what value of property can she purchase assuming that she has a saving and parental contribution of about 700,000 RMB (about S$145,800). The newspaper expert advised that the value of property that she can purchase is about 1,100,000 RMB (about S$229,000). A $1.1 million RMB unit is only about 50 to 60 sqm.  For bigger area of more than 90 sqm, the cost can be in excess of $2 million RMB (about S$416,000). See photo from a property agent.

From a simple mathematical ratio, a Guangzhou resident needs $1.1million/7000 = 157 months of salary to purchase a property. Comparatively, a Singaporean (single and about same age) needs $300,000/4000 = 75 months. It is less stressful for the Singaporean to purchase a government subsidized public housing of about 90sqm. Both Singapore and China(Guangzhou) has a Central Provident Fund system which allows residents to make use of the fund to partially pay for the purchase of the property.

Secondly, the cost of meal in Guangzhou is between 10 to 20 RMB. While in Singapore, a hawker centre meal will be between S$3 to S$5. Comparatively, it is still cheaper to eat in Singapore.

However, the killer expenditure in Singapore is private transport. The purchase of a car will set the comparative advantage back.

The driver and I subsequently discussed the topic of retirement. For that, I would think China, especially the third or fourth liner cities and suburb would offer much better lifestyle for retirement. The driver shared that he could retire in the suburb of the city of his birth, Si Chuan with a big house and a garden to grow crops of his own desire. He shared that the house has 10 rooms. Whenever, there is an urge to visit the city, he could just drive and purchase things that he needs. I agreed.

Guangzhou Part 3 - Ship with Canvas Sail



Canton Waterfront painted in 1845, Guangzhou Museum.



 Replica of a ship with canvas sail (帆船), Guangzhou Museum



Contribution from overseas Chinese from Canton, Guangzhou Museum

My paternal grandmother came from Xin Hui, Canton Province prior to WWII.

She came to seek better fortune and livelihood in South East Asia（南洋） and eventually landed in Singapore.

In Guangzhou Museum, there was a large section that showed the contribution of people from Guang Dong Province(Canton) who travelled world wide for the purpose of work and supporting families back home. In display was this large replica of a ship with canvas sail (帆船). It is the basic mode of transport prior to the war. Probably, it took a month to sail from Canton to South East Asia. In present day, an airplane will take 4 hours. My grandmother had taken the canvas sail ship to travel.

Guangzhou Part 2 - Food in the City

While in city of Guangzhou, I tried the egg tarts. There are many shops selling egg tarts. I especially like this shop that bakes its own tarts and other pastries. It is located at 文昌北 road. The name of the shop is called 'Sisters Bakery' (姐妹 烘焙). The nearest train station is chang shou road station. It is so nice that I went back to the shop twice. The price of the tarts was 5 RMB for 4 nos.

The difference between egg tarts in Guangzhou and in Singapore is that in Singapore, the tarts have a thick pastry base. While the tarts in Guangzhou are baked with thin crust that are almost in layers. The egg content is soft and tasty. Most of the time, the tarts are baked within the day of sale, hence freshness is guaranteed. I wished we could have this egg tarts at that price in Singapore.

Sisters Bakery

Egg Tarts

Sisters Bakery

Other than tarts and pastry, locals Cantonese like to eat porridge and 肠粉. In Guangzhou, the 肠粉 is thicker and there are ingredients such as pork and vegetable in it. A thicker layer satisfies the hunger but much effort is needed to chew.  In shop serving 肠粉 to locals, the price of the dish can be as low as 6 RMB (S$1.25) which is a cheap breakfast and provides a filling food. The sauce is good too.

肠粉

I also noticed that in Guangzhou, when a person ordered traditional wan ton noodle (传统云吞面），it is actually soup based. In Singapore, 云吞面 is usually not soup base, unless otherwise specified.  See below. The shop is located very close to Sun Yat Sun Memorial Hall and the price of the noodle is 13RMB.

传统云吞面

Guangzhou Part 1 - Food in Xin Hui

I was in Guangzhou China from 3 to 8 July 2016.

In the few days in Guangzhou city, I felt that the food culture was diluted by the infiltration of food from other cities. In a big city with short time, it was difficult to find authentic good food. Most of the time, there were food from Si Chuan and spicy food from the North.

When I travelled out of the city to Xin Hui (新会）, I was most fortunate to find this local restaurant located at the junction of 田心 road and 骑虎西 road, where I had a good Cantonese claypot rice. The restaurant is named 曼特宁.  I ordered the pork ribs claypot rice for 20 RMB (S$4.20) and it comes with a soup and a vegetable dish. In China, it is common to find food spiced with monosodium glutamate (MSG) to make the food tasty. However, I will feel extremely thirsty after consuming MSG. In this claypot, however, it was tasty enough without the use of MSG. There was Chinese black bean commonly used in Cantonese cooking. Also special was the soup which was prepared with octopus and corn. The claypot rice was worth every penny which I paid for.

Xin Hui is a city in Jiang Men (江门）Guangdong (Canton) Province. It is about 1.5 hours drive from Guangzhou city.

Whole set for RMB20

A Tasty and Good Pork Ribs Claypot Rice at Xin Hui, China

曼 特宁 Restaurant

Location of the Restaurant. From Baidu Map

Audi Q5 Quattro

Audi Q5 2.0

 

I have the opportunity to drive this car, an Audi Q5 2.0 Quattro (Year 2014). In Singapore, this car retails at about S$200,000.

As compared to A3 which I own, A6 which I had driven, the Q5 has a different feel.

Cons of Q5
* The brake is weak as compared to A3. It takes a lot of leg effort to stop this car.
* High fuel consumption. Estimate it to be 10 km/litre for expressway and much less for city travel. A few probable reasons, firstly it is a 2 litre car, then it is heavy and lastly it is 4 wheel drive.
* The A3 feels more agile and highly maneuverable. The Q5 is very much bigger in size and driving it requires more attention. I do like the big side mirror.

Interior of Q5

 

The Good about Q5
* The suspension is better as compared to A3 but not as good as A6, especially Avant. A3 tends to vibrate more as it is lighter in weight comparing it to Q5.
* The sitting position is such that getting in and out is easy. The ride height is very convenient especially for older folks.

* The power steering works well even though this is a heavy car. Turning is light.

* It is spacious both at the front and rear seats.

Soon Heng Rojak

For those who lived and are living in Toa Payoh will know Soon Heng Rojak. Soon Heng was first located at Silver Stream Coffee Shop 银川, next to the existing Blk 175 Toa Payoh Lorong 2. The Coffee Shop was demolished due to the construction of HDB Hub in the late 1990s. Soon Heng Rojak was then moved to a corner coffee shop at Blk 177 Toa Payoh Central. It is currently located at the basement food court of HDB Hub. At any one time during its operating hours, it would have a patron line formed.

After many years of missing this rojak due to long queue, I have the opportunity to eat Soon Heng rojak today. Still as good although it was not prepared by the boss himself. The queue was about 20 minutes. It is good because of the fine sugar and the prawn paste. For the 'youtiao' (fritters), I remember that the boss would toast the 'youtiao' in a small oven to make it crispy. Now, the 'youtiao' was probably toasted (didn't see it done), but was not as crispy as before as time has lapsed when the rojak was mixed. Due to its popularity, all ingredients are prepared in bulk, from pineapple, peanut, 'youtiao', tao pok, jicama etc. It is still good. Many critics have said this is one of the best Chinese rojak in Singapore. It is currently available at $3, $4, $5 and $6 portion.

Buffett Purchased Apple

One of the greatest investment news this week is the purchase of Apple stock by Berkshire Hathaway, the investment vehicle of Mr Warren Buffett who is known to dislike technology stock. His aversion of technology companies had led to his avoidance of the technology stock bubble and subsequent crashed in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

It is known that Mr Buffett prefers down to earth companies, such as newspaper, insurance and manufacturing entities that produced great profits with proven track record. It is also important to note that Mr Buffett would have high confidence over the management of the companies before his purchase. Hence, many observers were surprised that he had spent US$1 billion to purchase Apple.

I had my own share of mistakes made in purchasing technology stock, aka Creative Technology. Please see http://e21s.blogspot.sg/2015/11/creative-technology.html

If Mr Buffett had purchased Apple stock 5 years ago, I would probably have understood him. However, currently, I am puzzled why he feels that the stock is under priced when most of its products had already reached maturity, ie iPhone, iPad, MacBook etc. The only recent product is iWatch. How would this create the growth engine for Apple? Not forgetting, Apple had competitions from Windows, Google and Samsung. Perhaps Mr Buffett had found new ways to valuate technology companies. Perhaps it was a decision not made by Mr Buffett himself, but by his successors.

Apple is now (17 May 16) trading at about US$94 . At the time of purchase, which was a few months back, it could be purchased at more than US$100. Lets see its performance over time.

Alfa Romeo Brera

Alfa Romeo Brera

I saw this nice Alfa Romeo Brera in grey colour and dark rims. The rear of the car is beautifully curved and distinctive. The curvature is in one continuous loop which is difficult for family car when space is a consideration. But this is a coupe, hence beauty is emphasized more than functionality. The rear lights are also matching with the curves.

The front of the car is however a disappointment. The car is beautifully curve at the rear, but there is a break in the design when the head lights of the car are straight and the front bumper edge is sharp. I think the flatness of the front panel is to match the Alfa Romeo grille. Not many people fancy the grille design as it looks like a skeleton nose with the head lights as the eyes.

Alfa Romeo Giulia (from Alfa Romeo USA)

It would have been better if the Brera front has a more rounded, curved bumper and head lights like the Alfa Romeo Giulia although I must say I still find the grille difficult to accept.

I would give the rear a 9 marks out of 10. But the front is probably 4 out of 10.

SIA - Disposal

On 7 Jun 13, I wrote that I had bought SIA equity. I finally sold the equity on 11 May 16, about 3 years of holding, for a profit of approximately S$1200. I sold it at a price of S$11.59/share. There was a price hike on 11 May 16 as a result of outstanding financial performance in the last quarter. In its last quarter, profit was $224.7 Million. Reason cited was lowered global fuel price.

However, just 2 days later, on 13 May 16, the price of SIA equity plunged to S$11.00. This was because of investors fear on the intense competition from middle east airliners, such as Etihad and Qatar Airways. Within a time span of 2 days, investors' sentiments could change from bullish to bearish.

This reinforces my view that local equities generally perform cyclically. It is important to be content with the gain and exit when there is sudden exuberant on the performance.

Will I be interested in SIA? Possibility, if the price is right. Currently, the global market sentiment is not overly bullish and China is in bear territory. Hence, equity prices are going to be softening.

SIA dividend is between 2% to 3% annually depending on the company performance and the purchased price. SIA had announced a final dividend of 35 cents per share which is higher than average. Expecting a jump in share price prior to its book closing date.

Talking Tom Cat Game Level 100

Talking Tom Cat Game Level 100

I finally reached Level 100 on 18 Apr 2016. This is after daily opening the App, even when I was in Germany for holiday. The game involves a few simple tasks, feeding the cat, bathing it, making sure it goes to the toilet, giving it tender loving care and of course making the cat sleep. Other than that, the room can be decorated, the cat can have new clothes etc. It is almost like  Tamagotchi, the Japanese game popular in the late 1990s.

At Level 100, shown above, the cat has a free soldier hat. The game is suitable for people who love routine business with a high degree of discipline, even though it can be boring at times. I played it on my Samsung Galaxy Tab first generation. It is the only app that I continue to use on this Samsung tablet.

Jiu Jiang Shao La

The stall (九江烧腊）is famous for its roasted meat and roasted duck. As it is a Saturday, the queue was long and I had to be in the line for close to 1 hour to purchase the 3 different types of meat (烧肉，烧鸭， 叉烧）. People were just buying in packets.

The quality of the roasted duck and meat is good. It is one of the famous cooked food stalls at Ghim Moh Market which was recently renovated. I would say that the meat was over burned in thick marinating sauce in order to create the roasted aroma. Hence the skins of both pork and duck are crispy and people like them.  It is slightly expensive, but quality comes with a price. The sauces given was ordinary.

The approach in preparing and cooking the meat is quite similar to Fei Fei Shao La at Jurong East.

Would I queue for another 1 hour to enjoy this? Probably not.

Hi Fi Turntable

I saw this turntable selling at Mustafa Singapore for S$248. It has a Lenco brand which I have not heard before. Model is L-85 and the box stated a USB direct encoding, probably to translate the analog signal to digital format with a USB output for storage. The interesting point is the price which I felt was reasonable, although I have no idea of the quality.

Below the box is an audio technica turntable.

Historically, I had not been playing music on turntable. When I was born, the cassette tape was already available. Hence, all my songs were either kept in cassette format or CD format. Recent years, there was a growing interest in turntable and a revival of audiophile view that the music from turntable is better than CD. Music from vinyl record is argued to be analog and music in its original form. However, none has argued that cassette tape which is also in analog format is of better quality.

As I have not owned a turntable or vinyl record, it would be difficult to comment. But a cheap turntable may make me interested. I have also read that due to the growing interest in vinyl records, the prices of such records have been rising.

National Gallery Singapore - Interesting Painting

Chua Ek Kay

Not too long ago, I shared a painting by Arnulf Rainer displayed at Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich.
http://e21s.blogspot.sg/2015/08/germany-part-12-interesting-painting.html

When I was in National Gallery recently, I noticed another interesting painting by Artist Chua Ek Kay which was entitled Yellow Door 1 and 2.  It is white piece of Chinese calligraphy paper with 2 strokes of black ink at the upper half of the paper. At the bottom, there are traces of ink.

I did not appreciate the intent or the artistic value of the Yellow Door. It is too abstract.

There are other nice calligraphy in the Gallery such as Pan Shou 'Poem of Zither' shown below. It has strong calligraphy strokes which show the effort and control required of the painter.

Pan Shou Calligraphy

British Pound

As a result of 'Brexit', the British pound has been depreciating, to a level not seen historically. Now, the British pound is trading at less than SGD$2. (S$1.96 to 1 pound).

I am reluctant to hold the pound as it was historically trading on a downward trend. It used to be SGD$3 to 1 pound and had been sliding since. However, it is attractive enough that I exchange for some. I may use it in the future for travelling purposes.

A brand new Porsche 911 Carrera black edition in UK cost around 75000 pound (including VAT) which is equivalent to SGD$147,000. Yummy.

The cheapest new Porsche 911 in Singapore is more than SGD$500,000.

Su-30 MKM / USAF C17 Globemaster III / Korea Black Eagles

Black Eagles in Cork Screw Demonstration



Black Eagles in Formation

USAF C17 Globemaster III

2 years after Singapore Air Show 2014, it is once again time for the Air Show 2016. I went to Changi Beach to catch the flight display from Malaysian Air Force, USAF and South Korea Air Force Aerobatic Team.

It was a disappointment day for several reasons. Firstly, the sky was cloudy as it had been raining yesterday and today morning. This makes the photos terrible with a dull grey background. Secondly, the flight height was much higher and there was less opportunity for a close up shot, with the exception of the USAF C17 Globemaster III. The Su-30 MKM being a highly maneuverable aircraft had a flight display that was close to the centre of Airshow. It didn't venture out to other surrounding areas as there was little turning radius needed for this aircraft.

Even the Aerobatic team from South Korea using the T-50B could be better. The formation flying was not as tight and 1 aircraft was visible to be far from the group (see photo above). From far, the T-50B looks like a F16.

I love the engine boom of the aircraft when they fly past. The C17 Globemaster III was directly above me and the sound of its 4 Pratt & Whitney turbofans was awesome.

Hi Fi System

Sony DAV-DZ150K

American Acoustics Speaker

Recently, I had re-opened my box of Sony DVD home theatre system, DAV DZ150K. I have rekindled my interest in hi fi system again after stopping this interest for a long while. While doing my research, I wanted to buy a new integrated amplifier and a set of speakers. I have set my eyes on the Sony MAP-S1 costing over SGD$1000 and a pair of Wharfedale 220 speakers costing over SGD$400. The WhatHiFi magazine had given a good review on the Wharfedale speakers. They are bookshelf size and could fit into my room. If I had a bigger room, I might have bought the B&W 683 S2 speakers which are floor standing speakers costing about SGD$2800.

However, all the plans did not come through as I remembered my Sony DAV DZ150K which was a free gift when I bought my Sony 40 inch LCD TV back in 2007. Hence the system is 9 years old. But it hasn't been used.

As for the speaker, I had 2 existing American Acoustics speakers (Model D5550E) which was not been used for at least 15 years. It was bought in perhaps 1989 period. I could recall that the speaker cost about SGD$1400. Back then, it was a substantial amount.  I remember that the sales man had used Madonna 'Like a Prayer' song to create the deep bass and fantastic vocal that American Acoustics speakers can create. I tested the song in the current Sony DVD home theatre system and it still sounds great. Each speaker has 1 tweeter, 2 mid-range and 1 12" woofer.

The Sony system comes with 4 surround speakers, 1 center speaker and 1 woofer. Basically a 5.1 surround setup. I have kept all the speakers except for the woofer which currently creates the deep bass I am looking for. Sony uses their proprietary wire connecting pins for the amplifier. The wires from Sony with the connectors are therefore important for the speakers to be connected. It also comes with a remote controller. The amplifier has a rating of 108W per channel at a distortion of 1% THD.

I remember that when I started my hifi hobby back in early 1990s, I had 2 amplifiers, a 2 channel NAD and a 4 channels Pioneer. I also had a Yamaha digital surround system. The 2 amplifiers drive a 6 speakers system for the surround effect. But it was not easy as wires are running all over the place. I had a Teac CD player bought around 1990 and a Philips cassette player.

Subsequently I had a Marantz home theatre system with Boston Acoustics speakers. The system was underused as its quality of sound was not good in an open room, with no acoustic treatment. I also found it hard to control the amplifier to a preferred sound.

Now I am back to my stereo setup, without surround. I still find that a car hifi sounds so much better than a room (with no acoustic treated finishing).

The current music industry faces the challenges of 'cheap music'. Music are downloaded from internet through MP4 or MP3 at no cost or low cost. Musician earns through concert sales than sales of CDs. CDs shops have been out of business. It also affected the manufacturers of hi fi equipment. Nowadays, these manufacturers are selling boutique hi fi systems which are more expensive. The general public will go for system that compliments their TV, eg sound bar. People spends less time on listening to music(through hifi) than to surfing on the Internet.

Quote of the Month

"The 62 richest billionaires own as much wealth as the poorer half of the world population."

..... Oxfam, 2016

The wealth of the poorest 50% dropped by 41% between 2010 and 2015, despite an increase in the global population of 400 million. In the same period, the wealth of the richest 62 people increased by $500 billion to $1.76 trillion.

Sony A6000

Sony A6000 in silver body with 16 to 50mm lens with optical steady shot

I bought the Sony A6000 recently as a lightweight portable camera. The Canon 70D is just too heavy for casual photography. Sony has compact size camera and I was contemplating to get one. However, in consideration of the sensor size and image quality. Decided to go for a bigger sensor but yet portable camera.

In the race before my purchase was the Olympus OMD-E10 and Canon M3. All 3, including the Sony A6000 are mirrorless camera.  I didn't choose the Canon M3 because of the size of the standard lens and it does not come with an electronic view finder.

The Olympus OMD-E10 (mark I) was very attractive in terms of price as it was about $150 cheaper and the shape of the camera was very classical. It also stands out for its 3 axis image stabilization mechanism.

The Sony A6000 won because of its APS-C sensor which is a bigger sensor than the Olympus. It also won because its standard lens has a wider angle which is important for my style of photography. At its widest angle, it is 16mm which multiply by a crop factor of 1.5 gives a 24mm lens in the full frame standard. The Olympus only managed a 28mm at its minimum. This 2 factors gives the Sony a marginal edge.

After using the Sony A6000 for a few days, I notice a few operation issue, (I) the position of the video button is a awkward position (2) the manual is not comprehensive enough. (3) The auto ISO function seems very eager to increase the ISO level. (4) the battery is easily exhausted. Sony gave an additional battery (5) Image file size is large for a APS-C camera. Some outdoor photos can have a file size of more than 10 MB.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

Wishing everyone a Christmas full of happiness, great health and filled with joy. Have a fantastic year ahead!

Fei Fei Wan Ton Noodle

Fei Fei Roasted Noodle

This is another wan ton noodle with a long queue. Waited 20 minutes just to buy the noodle. It is Fei Fei Wan Ton Noodle at Yuhua Village Market and Food Centre in Jurong East. The noodle costs $3 each.

The sauce of the noodle is average in taste and they do not even add the chilli sauce for you. The sauce is in front of the serving area and it is up to the patron to decide how much chilli he wants. The main attraction lies in the char siew, the roasted pork that they serve. It is chunky and the sauce (of the char siew) is delicately made. The meat is also softer than other stall selling char siew rice or wan ton noodle. The owner prepares it with great dedication and effort to make it unique. In fact, for many patrons who had queue for the dish, they usually ask for more serving of the char siew. However, I noticed that the char siew was roasted beyond the normal temperature, hence it is slightly burned.

Understand that Fei Fei sells roasted duck but it was not available on the day of my visit.

Would I queue for another 20 to 30 minutes again? Probably not as I think a good wan ton noodle must excel in all areas, including the noodle, the sauce and the balance of chilli sauce. In addition, I generally do not prefer burned char siew.

BMW M3 - An Article in Automobile Magazine Nov 2015

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An interesting article on Automobile Magazine about history of BMW M3 in the United States. Author of the article is Ms Laura Burstein.

All rights reserve of Automobile Magazine.

Star Wars - The Force Awakens

Stormtrooper from The Force Awakens

Its showing at the end of the month... Star Wars - The Force Awakens.

I am not sure whether JJ Abrams is able to deliver the flavor of the original trilogy. I don't think it is easy for him as considerations have to be made on the historical setting, continuation of legacy and bring interest in the new trilogy. Each set of trilogy has its own helmet design for the stormtroopers.

Associated with it are all the merchandise, marketing and events associated with the movie.

A promotion event was held at Vivo city and it attracted a crowd.

Looking forward to watching it in cinema.

After Note:
I warched The Force Awakens on 30 Dec 2015. General impression is that JJ Abrams did successfully blend in the legacy of Star Wars, especially the original 1975/6 version, into The Force Awakens. Watching it lets viewer recall the flavor and storyline of the first movie. Things like the monster game on board millennium falcon, the x wing fighter, tie fighter, a bigger death star which were all brought back to screen. The Director introduces new ideas such as stormtrooper who has weapon that can challenge a light sabre, the energy from a star generates power for the death star, ability of the Force to stop a blaster fire in mid air and the cute BB8. The death of Han Solo is regrettable and is similar to the death of Obi-Wan in the first movie.

There are questions left unanswered:- Who is Snoke? How did he come into power? Who is Rey and her ability to use the Force? Looks like she was taken away from her family when she was young.

I think that the graphic representation of Snoke reminds me of Harry Potter Voldemont. I dislike the sudden bomb blasts and surprises from the movie.

Overall I do like The Force Awakens. I just hope that the second part in this new trillogy does not follow the storyline of the Empire Strikes Back.

Updated on 30 Dec 2015