Smithsonian Messerschmitt ME 163 Komet



ME 163 Komet

Again this was my second time seeing the ME163. This aircraft is located at the Steven F Udvar Hazy Center. I realized that the wing of the ME 163 was made from wood to make it light weight. This is not a full jet engine and propulsion is derived from rocket which burnt a highly flammable fuel mixture. Hence weight is an important consideration.

Smithsonian Messerschmitt ME262

Messerschmitt ME262 in Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum

 

Cockpit of ME 262

This was the second time I had the pleasure to see a ME262. The first time was in Munich Deutsche Museum. The link to the first blog on ME 262 is --> http://e21s.blogspot.sg/2015/08/germany-part-18-messerschmitt-me-262.html

I found that the Smithsonian museums were generally poorly lit, probably due to protection of artifacts.  The photo for this ME262 was not so good, given that flash photography is generally prohibited in a museum.

The unique feature of this ME262 is the presence of Nazi sign at the rear vertical stabilizer. Unlike the Munich version which had the sign removed, this version in Smithsonian kept the original sign.

Secondly, the cockpit is clearly presented to visitors of the museum as a platform was erected next to the aircraft.

A beauty of its time.

Washington DC Food

Chipotle - A nice blend of rice, cheese, cream, beef steak grilled and seasoned in Mexican way. Not bad for a different taste. Chipotle is located throughout United States.

Fuddruckers - Claimed to be the world's greatest burger. Hmmm..... The one I ate has a Kobe Beef name on it and cost me US$11. It was no doubt tasty, but the taste came from salt and MSG. In fact, I found many American restaurants, except those high ends, have MSG.

McDonald Big Mac - This is located at Steven F Udvar Hazy Center. It tasted like any other Big Mac but again I felt thirsty after consuming it(usually due to presence of MSG). Could be due to the sauce (barbecue and sweet & sour which are available in Singapore). Cost me about US$9 for the meal. Reminds me of Big Mac Index.

The Bakery Pie - This is the most value for money food I had. In fact for 3 breakfasts, I had this. I purchased this from Walmart in Washington DC. Guess how much? .......... US$0.50 per box. It tasted good with its pie filling deliciously made. There were a few flavors.  I tried the lemon and peach pies. Highly recommended.

Vietnamese Pork with Rice - Restaurant is located near Chinatown, I had the intention to eat Vietnames pho but I was too hungry and decided to eat rice. Again it is tasty. My taste bud told me that it has MSG. Cost me US$18 including tips.

This is a proper Restaurant within Smithsonian National Gallery of Art - Salmon with salad. The butter that came with the meal was very nice. I didn't taste MSG in this meal. Cost me US$30 including tips.

New York - Subway

Notice the trash box within the station

It is not easy to navigate New York subway even for experienced travelers. Its complex network of train is one of the most challenging ones I have seen. More difficult than Guangzhou, German, Singapore, Malaysia train network. Just look at the Subway map and one will understand why.

There are a few considerations for travelling in New York subway (from my limited 4 days experience in New York). It needs a lot of logical thinking and common sense:-

(1) Direction - Uptown v. Downtown. Sometimes the signage will just show Brooklyn or Queens and traveler must know the map of New York well to know the position of the end point against the train station one is heading.
(2) Express v. Local stops - Certain train station will have local and express train service and hopping on a local train may extend the travelling time. For example A, C, E lines may indicate different express or local line even though they may be heading to the same direction. How to differentiate? It is through the subway map, the train station signage and announcement made by train operator. This is the most challenging aspect of travelling on the subway.
(3) Exit location - Train stations may have many exits and getting on to the right exit needs experience. For example, 23rd Street/ Court Square has exit on 23rd Street and 21st street. Distance between exit can be 1 km apart. I ended at the wrong exit on the first day to the hotel and had to walk. Fortunately I have iPhone Map to guide.
(4) Different subway line within the same station - Going to the right one requires examination of signage. Especially important if traveler wants to change subway line. It may involve finding the right platform (which can be the same one or a different one).
(5) Train may be taken off the line as and when announcement is made by the operator. Traveler has to listen to the announcement which is typically in American slang. The other indication is when everyone gets off the train.

Apart from that, train can get delayed because of technical issues. I had the experience of slow train on the E line. 

In addition, there are strange people asking for money in the train.

New York - An Interesting Poster

An interesting poster being displayed at Ellis Island. It shows 4 gentlemen trying to stop an immigrant from coming on board (to USA). The gentlemen were all very well dressed showing that they were wealthy. Behind them were silhouette shadows of the gentlemen respectively. The shadows indicated that they were once poor who had come to America to look for wealth and opportunity. They succeeded and became wealthy. Their actions seems to show that they had forgotten their humble beginning of immigrants to the United States.

It is a reflection that shows the current situation the United States is facing: trying to stop immigrants from coming to United States. To make America great. But the proposition has forgotten the roots of their humble forefathers who had come to America to seek a better future and brighter prospects.  To live an American dream.

New York Porsche 911

I saw this 2 Porsche in dusty and being repaired condition in Brooklyn. My guess is the garage wanted to sell the Porsche and might include repair cost to the final bill. From the side mirror, it looks like it is a 912 Coupe model.  Being a classic Porsche, I don't think the price will be cheap.

Coincidently, Porsche has announced its 1 millionth production 911. To mark the event, Porsche has designed a modern rendition of the original 911 of 1964 (with its chrome rear mirror and its green body).



Copyright of AFPRelaxNews

Other than Porsche, I saw this beautiful Mercedes C43 with nice rims in New York:-

Also, I saw Tesla being sold in Washington DC. The advertisement behind shows that monthly installment is about US$1000/month. This model comes with autopilot.

New York Wall Street Charging Bulls

The number of visitors at Bowling Green for Charging Bull is enormous (see photo above). It is simply impossible to take a proper photo of it unless it is at weird timing. It becomes a symbol of New York Stock Exchange and Wall Street.

Fortunately, unknown to tourists, the original bulls and bear statue is located at the Museum of American Finance. There are few visitors and they can touch the bulls and bear as long as they like. The history of the bull and bear figures is also narrated below it. Of course, I rub it for luck.

Original Charging Bull and Bear



And Story behind the Charging Bull and Bear

Washington DC Aircraft

One of my objective of visiting Washington DC is to see the beautiful planes at Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum as well as the Steven F Udvar Hazy Centre. These planes are my favourite.

F14 Tomcat - One of the most beautiful fighter aircraft in the work. Retired but still flying in Iran Air Force. Sweep wings and fantastic looking body. The F14 is the base for Macross Valkyrie cartoon / toys. War proven aircraft.

SR71 Blackbird - Nicely designed with sleek bodyline. Aerodynamic as it needs to travel more than 3 times the speed of sound. Black colour for better heat dissipation during high speed travel. Leaking fuel during takeoff and need to refuel for mission.

Mitsubishi A6M zero fighter - Big Engine head. High maneuverability. World War 2 Japanese military dogfighter.

United Kingdom Spitfire - Unique wing design. World War 2 Royal Air Force high performance interceptor.

USA Vought F4U Corsair  - Unique wing design. Pilots in the Corsair have achieved a kill ratio of 11:1 against enemy aircraft.

New York Food

Awesome food - NY Pizza Suprema. Great tasting Suprema Special. US$5 for a slice. Located near Penn Station. Founded for over 50 years (according to the information board). They sell only pizza. Must try.

New York Fish & Chip - Personally, I prefer Singapore Fish & Chip as the batter is thicker and fuller taste.

Street Food - NYC Hotdog. Cheap and good. US$3. Quick and simple tasty meal for a rush to the next destination. Love it with mustard and tomato sauce. Note: At Times Square, it costs US$10 for the same hotdog by a street food vendor. I walked away. Buyer beware.

My breakfast from LIC Hotel - Typical American breakfast. Bacon, sausage, egg, cereal and apple juice. I like it.

New York LIC Hotel

LIC Hotel

LIC Hotel Room

I stayed in LIC Hotel for 3 nights. It was awesome to stay in this hotel located at Long Island City which is 10 minutes train ride to midtown Manhattan. The nearest train station is 23rd Street/Court Square with E and M subway line running through. It takes only about 5 minutes of walking to reach the train station nearest entrance/exit.

Being out of Manhattan, the hotel room is reasonably price, hence it was fully booked at the time of check in. The price was inclusive of breakfast which to me is good. A good breakfast before setting out provides energy for the rest of the day.

There are restaurant and convenience store near the entrance/exit of the train station. Bathroom has a very powerful hot water shower system which is fantastic after a day of sight seeing. The room is clean and quiet for a good sleep. The roof has a great view of NYC skyline, beautiful during day break and at night.

I have no issue with security even though I travel alone.

The small feedback I had was a lack of kettle in the room and the air-conditioning sound a bit loud. Other than that LIC hotel is a fine traveller hotel.

New York and Washington DC - 29 April to 9 May 2017

New York City

United States Capitol

I had the pleasure to visit New York and Washington DC, United States of America from 29 Apr to 9 May 2017. The dates are inclusive of travelling time between Singapore and US East coast which is one of the longest journey that I had taken. I have travelled by China Southern Airlines and transit in Baiyun Airport in Guangzhou. Flight time alone between Singapore and Guangzhou is about 3 hours 45 minutes and between Guangzhou and New York is 15 hours. Transit time varies between 3 hours and 8 hours. It was really a tiring flight couple with a wholesome 12 hours in time difference between the 2 cities.

During the trip, I had visited the following places:-

New York City
(1) Top of the Rock, Rockefeller Building
(2) Times Square
(3) Wall Street and Museum of American Finance
(4) Chinatown NYC including the Museum of Chinese in America
(5) September 11 site
(6) Brooklyn bridge (ie at the side of it)
(7) Statue of Liberty and Liberty Island
(8) Ellis Island
(9) Chrysler Building and Empire State Building (from the external)
(10) Museum of Modern Art
(11) Grand Central Terminal
(12) Central Park

Washington DC
(1) Smithsonian Institution Building (The Castle)
(2) Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
(3) Smithsonian National Museum of American History
(4) Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
(5) Smithsonian National Gallery of Art
(6) United States Capitol (from the external)
(7) Washington Monument
(8) Lincoln Memorial
(9) World War 2 Memorial
(10) Vietnam Veterans Memorial
(11) The White House (from a distance away)
(12) Ford Museum and Petersen House
(13) Chinatown Washington DC
(14) Steven F Udvar Hazy Center

I am impressed with all the museums but found that the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) price of entry (at US$25) too expensive for the number of art pieces.

The security in US museum is high and the highest ever was seen in John F Kennedy Airport. In the Airport, I had to remove all the belongings in my pocket, my shoes, my belt and laptop/tablet had to be taken out of the bag.  I went through the 360 degree body scanner. On top of that, security officer performed a body search. My check in luggage lock was removed by TSA Security.  All in the name of security, it makes air travelling a bit frustrating and scary. The airport was also filled with armed military personnel. To reduce the inconvenience (not to mention recent bad publicity on US airliners), I opted for Amtrak train between New York and Washington DC. Amtrak Northeast Regional train is one of the most profitable route for Amtrak even though it took 3.5 hours for the ride. The train ride was quiet and smooth. The only complaint I had was in NYC, a traveler would not know which gate to line up until about 15 to 20 minutes before train arrival. After which, a long line would form to get up the train. Everyone was looking patiently at the information board at Penn Station. There wasn't any security check, only a request for ticket which was fair.

Weather was between 10 degree (in NYC) to 20 degree (in Washington DC). One of the memorable event was walking through rain in Washington DC with just a plastic poncho. I was totally drenched with my shoe filled with rain water. Fortunately, it wasn't as cold as New York.

Being first world cities, hotel fares were the highest ever. This makes travelling to NYC and Washington DC expensive. I will share more subsequently.

For Singaporeans travelling to United States, there is a requirement to apply for ESTA permit which costs US$14, even though it is VISA free. Current regulation only allows US$10,000 to be brought into United States. Anything more, traveler must declare at custom.

Star Wars - Rogue One

Walker of Rogue One

Watched Star Wars Rogue One yesterday night.

As a person who had watched every episode of Star Wars since 1977, I find Rogue One enjoyable. Memorable parts include:-

(1) Darth Vader who was dead in Part 6 was alive in Rogue One. Love it when he uses the light saber
(2) All the familiar original X-wing and Tie fighters. Space fights scene was good. The use of aiming mechanism onboard Tie fighters is a reminiscence of the same used in A New Hope.
(3) Director made the security facility (internal) in Scariff looks like the original Star Wars Death Star
(4) The original storm troopers
(5) The original star ship and fleet
(6) The original Imperial walkers (from Empire Strikes Back)
(7) Admiral Ackbar and its space ship
(8) The connection with Star Wars A New Hope where the last part of Rogue One is the beginning of A New Hope. Awesome connection.
(9) A relatively simple story

What I hope can be improved:
(1) Digital animated actor like Princess Leia and Tarkin is unreal, but good effort. Rogue One use of animation (or rather the less use of it) is still better than Star Wars Part 1 (The Phantom Menace) battle droid, which is totally artificial. The K2 unit seems realistic enough but could not recall the presence of K2 unit in A New Hope.
(2) Why would the top of the security facility has openings that allows human size droid or person to go through. Isn't that a security breach? Ventilation duct should not be opened in the first place.
(3) Strange that Rogue One is multi-racial but A New Hope does not reflect that. Obviously for commercial reason.
(4) There are birds on another planet far far away from Earth? Most of the Planets are quite earth like other than Darth Vader Planet Mustafar.
(5) The storm troopers vehicle on Planet Jedha is basically an earthly tank. Could have been more creative in imagination. Something which Star Wars Part 4 to 6 had achieved.

Lastly, Rest in Peace Carrie Fisher (aka Princess Leia).

Messerschmitt Me 262 Plastic Model

Me262 Plastic Model

Real Life Me262 from Deutsche Museum

Painted in accordance to the colours found in the real Me 262 at Munich Deutsche Museum. The colours could be off due to poor recognition of colours from Tamiya paint palette.  The plastic model is from Revell which I bought it from a souvenir shop in Deutsches Museum Flugwerft Schleissheim in 2015. However, it has one defect, the box does not enclose a decal of the German airplane. The other issue is that the plastic is not balance on its wheels, it is more heavy and rotate about its rear. I like the design of this plane which is so unique of its era and even from today perspective. It looks like a shark.

Braised Duck Rice at Zion Riverside Food Centre

Boon Tong Kee Kway Chap and Braised Duck

Big Bowl of Rice Flat

Zion Road Hawker Centre

There are 3 stalls at Zion Riverside Food Centre selling duck and kway chap specialties. The stall with the longest queue is usually Boon Tong Kee Kway Chap and Braised Duck ( 文通记 ). The queue will include foreigners who are attracted usually to braised duck rice or noodle.

I ordered the duck and kway chap mix for 2 persons which cost S$9 + S$1.50 (3 bowls of rice flat at 50 cents each). The bowl is bigger than many other kway chap stalls that I have eaten. The gravy that was poured over the duck and kway chap mix was generous and tasty.  Many of other stalls gravy tasted salty but this stall gravy has an unique taste which I like. The duck meat was also cut in thin pieces which made it easier to chew and blend well with the gravy.  Overall, I would consider Boon Tong Kee Kway Chap very good.

There are 2 downsides. Firstly, the tau pok was not that good as it was not soaked in the gravy for too long which made the texture harder than those soft ones commonly available. But some patrons may like it that way. Secondly, the gravy has MSG which I could feel the thirst in my mouth after consumption.

Zion Riverside Food Centre is a nicely located hawker centre next to a beautiful river located in a prime location. The only problem is its difficulty to find a parking lot during peak hours.

Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice

Claypot Rice at Smith Street Hawker Cetnre

Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice

Lian He Ben Ji Claypot 联合本记 is located at Smith Street Hawker Centre in Chinatown. It occupies 2 stalls #02-198 and #02-19. It opens from 4:30pm to 10:00pm daily (except Thurs - not verified).

I had ordered a S$20 mixed claypot rice with $3 vegetables. The S$20 pot was meant for 4 persons and it had a mixture of chicken meat, chinese sausages, salted fish and rice seasoned in black soy sauce. The claypot could be ordered for $5, $8, $10, $15, $20 and $25.  The stall had a few stoves to cook the claypot rice and it was quite famous locally.

My view is that the claypot rice is better in taste than the one at Blk 729 Ang Mo Kio Central Hawker Centre. However, it was not the best I have eaten. It could be better if the rice was cooked slightly dryer and more crispier. It was still soft when served. Secondly, the salted fish pieces were better to be cut to smaller pieces. I have eaten more fragrance salted fish. The chef had added MSG as I could feel thirsty after eating it.

The best claypot rice I had eaten was in XinHui, Guangzhou, China. That claypot rice tasted  authentic and reminded me of what I had eaten when I was a young child. The review could be seen here:-

http://e21s.blogspot.sg/2016/07/guangzhou-part-1-food-in-xin-hui.html

Merry Christmas

 

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Fantastic Year Ahead!!

Its the most wonderful time of the Year !!

Goldman Sachs

Sold my Goldman Sachs (GS) equity on 7 Dec 16 (US Date) for US$234.50. This happens when the Dow Jones hits 19,549.

I bought this equity because of Mr Warren Buffett.  He had bought US$5 billion of preferred stocks and said back in 2008: "Goldman Sachs is an exceptional institution. It has an unrivaled global franchise, a proven and deep management team and the intellectual and financial capital to continue its track record of outperformance."

I bought 20 shares of Goldman Sachs on 31 Oct 2008 when the price was US$87.76 and 10 shares on 16 Apr 2010 when the price was US$157.99. When I first bought the equity, Dow Jones was at 9,200. The index has since been through a roller coaster and now has gained more than 10,000 points since 2008.  The profit from GS is one of the best ever from Investment. A reminder that US equity still presents a good opportunity for investment when the price is right.

Mr Buffett had liquidated some of his holding in GS in 2015.

I am still holding Citibank which has been one of my worst ever, other than Creative Technology. The reason why I had brought Citibank equity back in Feb 2008 was that Singapore Temasek Holdings had purchased it, prior to the Great Financial Turmoil of 2008/9. What a great mistake I had made. Still holding it as a loss.

Thanks to Mr Buffett for his wise insight.

Jinhao 163

Jinhao 163

In July 2016, I bought this Jinhao 163 fountain pen in Guangzhou for RMB60 (equivalent to about SGD$12.60). The shop sells mainly roller ball and ball point pens but it has only 1 fountain pen which is the one I bought. It has a medium nib which is suitable for my style of writing.

It is smooth in writing and I can feel the ink flow without much difficult. The pen uses a ink pump system similar to my workhorse pen, the Waterman Expert II Dune.

The body has a rather nice finishes and I hope it doesn't tarnish over time.

I am generally satisfied with the quality in relation to the price paid and this is the third cheapest fountain pen after my Hero 336 and Hero 441 pens.