Day 3 - Tokyo Game Show

My feet hurt.

Today has basically been walking, walking, walking and more walking. But it was worth it. It's always exciting to attend something for the first time. Especially something like the Tokyo Game Show. Took many pics but decided I won't spam my blog with them. If you're interested, visit my album. I've uploaded the pics there.










It was really very exciting. Took me about an hour from my hotel to Makuhari Messe, the exhibition centre where the TGS was being held. As I made my way from the station to the exhibition hall (about 8 to 10 min walk) I couldn't believe the people that were thronging in the same direction. I started worrying if they might even stop selling the tickets! When I finally reached the hall, I went to the overseas visitors booth. For printing out an application form, I paid 1000yen instead of 1200yen to get into the show. After receiving my ticket, I eagerly made my way to the actual exhibition floor, another 3 to 5mins walk away. As I reached the main entrance, my heart raced as I heard the wonderful sounds of video games blasting through the speakers.

The TGS is really something to behold. Just take a look at the pics in my album. The booths are all so elaborately decorated. Just take the first one which I saw, the one by Koei. This booth has got two gigantic LED screens on the left and right of the huge monitor you see in the middle. Yeah, images were flashing everywhere! Really breath-taking.















TGS took up three huge halls. But it was still not enough for the crowds that thronged th place. The first hall was anchored by Microsoft's Xbox360 while easily one third of the second hall was taken up by Playstation. The final hall was filled with some booths selling game/anime merchandise, an eating area and 2 huge performance zones. Basically, I went from booth to booth, snapping pics and watching some of the shows. There were dances, game shows, demos, etc, etc. On top of that, many were queueing to try the games. That was one thing I couldn't be bothered to do. Some queued for hours just to play a game for 10-15 mins! Sorry.. no patience for that. But the shows more than entertaining enough to occupy my time.

One thing which you can't help noticing are the famous booth babes. Yes, I admit, I took pics of them too. I mean, everyone was taking pics. It was hard not to snap a few. In between the first two halls, there was a large area designated for the japanese to do Cosplay. Wow.. this was one of the largest gathering of cosplayers I've seen. These japanese are really committed to their love for these anime characters. I even saw middle-aged cosplayers pushing their baby in a pram!
















I was most excited to visit the Playstation booth. Of course, I wanted to see the PS3 in action. I must say that the games do look quite good. I particularly like LAIR, a game involving dragons battling in the air. But I don't know if it's really a big leap over the xbox360. It's not surprising that the Playstation booth is probably the MOST crowded one of the whole show. The queues to try the games were hours long! I didn't have much patience to join any of the queues. It's nice to hear that Sony has dropped the japanese launch price of the PS3. But, it's gonna be hard to shell out almost S$750 for the console alone.. not forgetting that I'll have to buy a game or two, which will cost at least another $150. Oh well, let's wait till november to see what happens.
















Here are some pics of the stuff I collected from the show. The one I'm most happy with is the Playstation 3 paper bag and the folders for the new movie, Eragon. Next to the Playstation bag is the xbox360 bag advertising the new game Blue Dragon.









After the game show I decided to stop by Akhihabara on the way back. Bought some UMD movies for the PSP. Warner Brothers are having a sale for many of their movies on UMD. Couldn't help it, only about S$12 each. Bought the entire Harry Potter series, The Goonies and Matrix Revolutions. I think they are supposed to have Corpse Bride available. Gonna go hunting for more cheap UMDs tomorrow!

Tokyo Day 2

Spent the day revisiting some of my favourite places. Started off with a visit to Ginza where the Sony Building is. On my way to the Sony Building, I walked past the Nissan HQ which had a very nice concept car being displayed. It's only a three seater, and I doubt I can fit... heh heh. Personally, I think driving a car has been made so much more complicated than it actually is. Someone ought to start a revolution and simplify the way we drive. As usual, old systems are hard to change, regardless of how inefficient they are... like the QWERTY keyboard... but that's another story.














Next stop was the Sony Building where I got finally set my eyes on a real-life PS3. Personally, I don't think it's really that big as many of the websites/magazines say it is. Looks prerty cool. But I must say that I don't really like the spiderman font they used for the 'PLAYSTATION 3' logo. Wish they had stuck to something more Playstationey.
















The showroom had other cool stuff like the VAIO computers which are probably only released in Japan. Also watched a Blu-ray demo in their high def viewing room.

After Ginza. went to Shibuya and Shinjuku. Actually, I went to Shibuya coz they had a shop there selling big clothes. But as I was walking around, discovered two other favourite shops, Tokyu Hands and Mandarake. Tokyu Hands is a great place for Hobbyists and DIY enthusiasts. If I remember correctly, they tried opening one in Singapore many years ago, but it kinda died. Mandarake is like a huge manga/collectibles shop. This is only a branch so the selection is not bad but not as good as the original shop which I visited a couple of years back.




















Spent the rest of the day hopping from shop to shop in Shinjuku. The usual Tsutaya shop, Bic Camera, Sakura electronics, Kinokuniya... decided I didn't have time to visit Akhihabara and Ikebukuro. Will probably do them on Sunday or Monday.. As for tomorrow... it's Tokyo Game Show time!

Before I go.. here's a pic of the yummy dinner I had. Tempura prawn & veggies with rice and soba noodles.

One reason why I chose to stay near Ueno station is this toy store which is just opposite the station. Yamashinoya - 7 storeys of wonderful toys! haha.. Luckily I controlled myself. Was so tempted to start spending money.



Anyway, that's all for first day. Decided to call it a day and get back to rest. Looking forward to doing some anime/toy/electronic shopping tomorrow. So it's pretty much off to Ikebukuro and Akhihabara (electronics mecca!). Then Saturday is reserved for Tokyo Game Show. Can't wait!

After settling in, I immediately popped into one of my favourite dinner places, Matsuya. Cheap and reasonably good. The meal you see here, rice, miso soup, pork with fried vegetables cost 610 yen. That's about 9 bucks. Yeah.. not cheap by Singapore standards, but it's quite reasonable for Japan. Actually can get some bento boxes for about 300-500 yen. Maybe for tomorrow's dinner.

Checked in for my flight at 4am this morning. I must say that the security is even tighter after the recent London terrorist scare. For the Northwest flight, other than the usual search at the check-in counter, they had another thorough check just outside the boarding gate. We had to line up and let the airport security comb through our carry-on bags. And, all electronic devices had to be turned on for a 'function' test. To make sure that it does what it's supposed to do. I tell you.. I felt a little malu lar. I had my laptop, my handphone (which most people have), my Nintendo DS, my digital camera and my portable media player. Luckily I kept my PSP in my check-in luggage. So most people just carried their laptop (which we hbad to start up) and maybe a handphone/PDA while I was struggling not to drop any of my electronic devices.

Well, check-in, though long, was smooth and we departed from Singapore on time at about 6am. I pretty much slept all the way to tokyo. One of the reasons why I like Northwest flights. You stay up the night before, then sleep on the plane all the way to tokyo.

Tokyo immigration took almost an hour. They had like 10 counters and hundred of people queuing up for their turn. Surprisingly, met some old church friends. Haven't seen them in a few years and it was a real coincidence that we were on the same flight, visiting the same place! Finally, got on the Keisei Limited Express train to JR Ueno where my hotel was located.

This time, I picked a small place called 'Oak Hotel' about 8 mins walk from Ueno station. One main reason is they were one of the cheaper places which offered free internet access in the room... so that I can access the net at night..blog... play wow... heh.

Here's a pic of the tiny room. Not bad actually for less than 6000yen. Better than the place I stayed in last year. Even have a tiny 17inch LCD tv (at the bottom left corner of the pic). Well, it's gonna be home sweet home for the next 5 days.

Off to Tokyo Game Show

Off to Tokyo early tomorrow morning. Catching the 6am... yeah... AM... flight to Tokyo. I don;t intend to sleep tonight. Probably play WoW or watch TV until 3.30am then take a cab to the airport.

Quite excited coz the main reason for going to Tokyo is to attend the Tokyo Game Show! Yeah! Have always wanted to attend it (second to attending the famous Electronic Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas) and now, since no job... can finally attend it!

Hopefully, the internet connection is good at the hotel I'm staying in. Certainly hope to keep this blog updated with my adventures in Tokyo and the Tokyo Game Show.

Actually, visiting Tokyo is quite normal for me liaoz. I pretty much know what I want to do, what I want to see... visit Akhihabara, shop at Toys R Us in Ikebukuro, visit the Bic Camera shop and Yodobashi Camera shop (which are actually electronic megastores), and also visit all the anime merchandise shops. Shiok.

Will be gone for 6 days. Probably spend a day or two at the Tokyo Game Show.

Shiokz.

Went to Miramar Hotel with some friends for dinner. Chinese a-la-carte buffet. Food was ok. Some dishes were good, but a few were quite scary. We ordered some egg & scallop omelette thing and the egg just tasted wrong. We guessed they probably used those 'liquid egg' things. Yuck.

After dinner, we decided to take the MRT back so we walked along clarke quay. And that was when I saw something which was totally unbelievable. If you are familiar with Clarke Quay, they had put up these huge umbrella-like things which are supposed to help moderate the temperature around the place... make it cooler. From afar, they look ok. But some people think the umbrellas are an eyesore. Well, I've always seen them from afar. Tonight, I actually walked past them and could not believe how they actually looked! Underneath each umbrella is some ventilation-air-circulation thing. Just take a look at the pic below and tell me what you think it looks like! I mean... rows and rows of them! It's kinda shocking. Maybe we can start selling clarke quay as the holy land of fertility. sigh. Talk about lousy designs.



Then, we popped by meidi-ya, the japanese supermarket in Liang Court. Caught sight of the super expensive fruits. Yep... if you look closely at the pic below, you can see the cost of the grapes. The green ones cost S$99 for the box and the green ones cost S$45. Cheap eh? They better taste like droplets of heaven for that price!

Biennale

Walked past sculpture square and say this exhibit. Quite interesting, piles of broken ceramic laid out in what looks the outline of a space shuttle. I'm not arty enough to know what it means. Just thought it looked nice.

Bikebulance... How's that for creative new words! Wonder why we're not using manbulances...

Sad State of Scifi in Sg

It's really pathetic.

As part of Science 06 programme, they are having a sci-fi film festival at Golden Village. But when I clicked the link, I was deeply disturbed at what they were defining as Scifi. The three films they are showing are: XMen3, Fantastic Four and The Day After Tomorrow.

Scifi?!!!

Singapore really needs a good scifi convention to kick start the love for this genre.

Side bars updated. Pai seh. Must update more often.

Thank God for mentors

One thing I've come to realize is the importance of mentors in our lives. I think all of us, at one point or another, need to have mentors whom we can turn to who can share their experience and guide us in considering the options we face.

I met up with my former boss (when I was working in the travel industry) for lunch. It was a very pleasant time. We chatted, discussed my life after resigning, she shared about her goals in her work life, basically, just talked about life. It's great to chat with someone knowing that she is listening to you and helping you to sort out things that are important to you.

It's hard finding mentors. I think it's all about being able to find someone whom you can click with and of course, the person is also willing to click with you. So far in my life, I can probably only think of no more than 5 people whom i can call my mentors. I still keep in touch with 2 of them. As for the others, they were mentors to me at different points in my life. Really appreciate them.

As I reach this crossroad in my life, Thank God for mentors!

Just realised i've got a few lego Star Wars figures... Now super tempted to collect more!

Lego X-Wing!

Here's the Lego X-Wing I bought... Took me almost 2 hours to finish building it. Doesn't it look simply awesome!?















The details are impressive. The cockpit opens and you can put either Luke Skywalker or Wedge Antilles into the cockpit. See the little R2D2 behind?















Here's a view of the back. The wings can open and close using the knob at the back. See the two sets if rubber bands on the left & right of the knob? They use the tension of the rubber bands to allow the wings to close when the knob is turned.















The whole set comes with SIX lego figures! From the left, we have Hans Solo, Chewbacca, Luke Skywalker, Princess Liea and Wedge Antilles. And in front, good ol' R2D2. Now, I'm kinda hooked on collecting the lego star wars figures... sigh... more ways to spend money.















Next, I'm hoping to get the Slave 1. Apparently, it's in very limited suppy in Singapore. A few months ago, I helped my brother to buy a Slave 1 from the Lego shop in Ngee Ann city. Now regret not getting it for myself... so hard to find....

Lego Star Wars

Was at Thomson Plaza last nite and there was a lego fair. There were some models of Lego Star Wars toys. This Imperial Cruiser is a real beauty! Now to find the hundredS of dollars to buy it... There were also the new batman and spongebob range. And no, i'm not too old for lego. In fact, bought myself a lego x-wing! Will post pics later.

The Host

This movie has been really hyped by various reviews in the newspapers & magazines. The trailer also looked quite decent. So, I decided to give it a shot, despite it being a Korean film.

Before talking about the movie, just a few words about the cinema. I finally decided to go to The Cathay cinemaplex to see how the new cinemas are. Well, it's a pity the whole mall is still not ready. So many empty shops. Quite sparse and boring. They have 2 ticket counters on the ground floor. When I arrived, there was a short queue and only one counter was open. There weren't any signs giving any directions. The queue moved really slowly so I decided to see if there are more counters upstairs. Found the cinema on level 5 and there were many more counters there... all empty. There really should have been signs at the counter on the ground floor. The cinema lobby was ok. Strange thing was that the ticket counters were all the way towards the far end away from the lifts and escalators. Thought it was a weird, out-of-the-way kinda place. The snacks counter was quite large and they tried to sell a variety of stuff. But I don't think it was quite popular. How to bring a salad into the cinema to eat? And behind the counter, I saw some sad looking chicken wings (the middle part only) drying under the hot lamps of the food warmer. Finally made my way into the cinema (hall 2) and ok lar, the chairs were not bad, but I didn't think they were very special. They were in fact quite similar to the chairs in Shaw cinema at Century Square, Tampines. One point to note, it was nice that after the movie, we exited through a proper carpetted exit which led directly back to the main lobby. I absolutely hate the cinemas that exit through dingy, smelly stairways. Unfortunately, GV is most guilty of this. It's like, 'Thanks for your money, the movie's over, you can now exit through the smelly corridors.."

Ok, on to the movie.

The Host is a weird movie. At times, they try to make it a monster horror. But then, very often, there are scenes which are just outrightly silly. So as I sat there, I couldn't decide if the director wanted me to be scared or happy. I mean... it's a bit difficult to be scarily happy right? Then at times, it also seems that they are trying to satirize politics and also laugh at their own korean people. There were attempts to mention SARS, birdflu, etc and also make fun of Americans. But then, later on, there is also an american who sacrifices himself. It's all quite confusing.

The monster effects were not bad. Done by WETA, same company that did Lord of the Rings, so quite decent lar. Basically, it's like a huge mutated... hmm... tadpole? with feet? It's not all CGI. Quite a few scenes were with an actual model (I think it is lar).

The movie is about how this father (together with his brother, sister and father) try to rescue his daughter. Again, at times, there are attempts to be hardwarming heartwarming. But then, there are times when the scenes are slapstick funny. If you watch this movie, tell me what you think about the funeral scene. I just couldn't decide whether to feel sad or laugh at that scene.

So, does this movie live up to the hype? Personally, I don't see what's the big deal. Dunno how this movie can be like a top-grosser in Korea. Must be a korean-thing. Can watch lar. But be prepared to be confused.

Heh... Finally got around to doing it...

The subconscious speaks

Last night, I had my first vivid 'freedom' dream since I resigned.

Can't remember all the details, but I was with a group of my old friends (whom I've not met in a while... must arrange a gathering soon) at some chalet/camp. I told them that I was jobless and suddenly, the dream took on a wonderful sense of flightiness (my favourite kind of dream!). Basically, the floor was wet cause it was raining and I started sliding/skating on the wet floor everywhere. I was going down corridors, swinging around pillars, flying down steps... The sense of freedom was really quite shiok! This is probably second to my next favourite dream of being able to soar through the air.

Oh well, there was an added bonus to this dream. For some reason, we had to fight a monster spider (yes, I know it doesn't make sense. It's a dream after all.) and when we defeated it, by stuffing it into some vending machine slot (don't ask me how, we just did it), a branch magically dropped (like an RPG game... obviously playing too much games... ). And you know the power of this branch? It could clean up everything with a simple wave! lolz. Talk about the subconscious speaking. I then skated around, waved the branch over the table, bed, bags, etc, and everything magically packed itself up. If only life was so beautiful. heh.

Then, as with all dreams, I had to wake up.

It was good, no, AWESOME, while it lasted.

To the podiatrist...

Decided to do something about my ingrown toenail today. I've been putting it off coz the pain seemed to have subsided but over the weekend, it kinda came back. I was a little apprehensive coz when I went to my GP the last time, he said if he cut it, I would be probably on mc for a week or two. Didn't want to be out of action for so long.

Well, I was going to my GP but at the last minute, I googled 'ingrown nail' and found a reference to the Singapore Podiatrist Association. haha.. yeah.. bet you didn't noe such an association existed! heh.

Oh well, I thought, if I'm gonna get this done, might as well go to a specialist. So I made an appointment and turned up at 4.30pm at the Singapore Foot Centre.. bet you didn't noe such a centre existed!

The whole thing was pretty easy and painless. The podiatrist took out her special equipment and uber scary nail clippers (like some wire cutter...). In less than 15 mins, she cut out the piece of nail which was digging into my toe. I wanted to post a pic here... but thought it might be a little too extreme to post a toe nail here...

Anyway, the pain has pretty much subsided and everything should clear up in a week or two.

Really wish I had gone to see her earlier.

Superstar Wannabes

Auditions at Toa Payoh central. Looks like it's time for another singing competition. Hope it's better than Singapore Idol which pretty much sucks so far.

Mobile blogging

Cool... Just found out how to link my k800i to my blog. Now can blog whenever and wherever!

RIPB Farewell

Last Saturday, the prefects organized a farewell party for me. It was really memorable and I really must thank all the organizing committee and the prefects for a wonderful time.

Started off with the emcees ushering me into the empty & dark LT. Then, the lights were suddenly turned on and I was 'assaulted' by the prefects who ran down the isles and 'poked' little stickers all over me! Hmm.. have no idea what the significance was, but must say it was a surprising start. Looking up, I saw some former prefects from the class of 2005 and 2004. It was really heartening to see that they had turned up. Thanks for taking the trouble to be there! The LT was also decorated with pictures of the prefects and events which the board had undertaken over the last 3.5 years. Great decorations!




After that, we had some party games. Quite fun actually. I really enjoyed the silliness and the fun that we have laughing at and with each other. I think being in the board is a tough job. We really need moments like this to relac and destress. Thanks to those who were involved in the planning of the games. Silly but effective and enjoyable.



Then we had birthday celebrations for July & August babies. They played this 'game' where the birthday boys had to guess a number between 0 and 1000. Everytime they guessed a wrong number, they could add an ingredient to a slice of cake. This went on till the last guy who guessed the correct number. He would have to eat the cake+crap on it. First twist, at the end, they wanted all birthday boys to eat it. Second twist, they wanted me to have the last bite. Heh.. aiya, pretty expected lar. But it wasn't that bad really. The curry powder (thankfully not too spicy) and sesame seed oil pretty much covered up the taste of everything else. Must say the lumpy cheese added an interesting texture to the whole concoction.

After the cake was the video. It was really excellent. I think the video is gonna be something I'll remember for a long time. Guess some scenes which stick in my mind are: the many handphones (which I apparently change everyday... ) and zongyi going 'BOOOYYSSS!!" into the camera... lolz. Really funny, but really memorable.

I'll admit that the next part of the programme was a little awkward coz they opened the mic to those who wanted to say anything to me. As the prefects shared, it really brought back memories of the times I had worked with them. I can't help but realize the HUGE stacks of proposals I must have thrown back at the prefects for them to rethink and rework. Of course, with some of those memories came some regrets. Sometimes, I know I'd been too harsh and there were also prefects I had not had the chance to work closely with. I'm really grateful to so many of you who took the mic to say something. It was a real encouragement to me.

Next, there was the handover of the baton to Mr Teo who would be taking over the care of the board. It's funny how the baton has become this symbol. When we did the ultramarathon, the board wanted to challenge ourselves and push ourselves beyond our perceived limits. I think in the end, this baton does represent much of the spirit which the board should possess.

Finally came the gift. Wow. It was really a thoughtful gift. First was the DIY shelf with the letters R-I-P-B in front. Then there was the book of compiled well-wishes. There was also the CD-Rom with the video and a mock-up of a mosaic poster which they had done. The last thing was also one of the most significant, a 4-level name card holder with the names and responsibilities of all th prefects which I have worked with in the 3.5 years that I have been prefect master. As I looked through the names at home, it reminded me of all the prefects I had worked with. Thanks. Can't say that enough.



And finally, we had food, and the prefects also put the huge styrofoam crest we had used for almost 3 Prefect Investitures. Hard to believe it's really been so long.



I've said it many times in this post, and I'll say it again, Thanks to everyone for a really great farewell party. I have enjoyed my time as prefect master. This is due very much to all the prefects I had the opportunity to work with. Thank you and good luck!

(More pics can be found in my album.)

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams,
Live the life you've imagined."

Pretty much describes the the point in my life which I'm at. Thanks.

Japanese Potty Training

Japanese Potty Training

Wow... the japanese have videos for everything... saw a snippet of this at the Emmy Awards and found the whole thing on Youtube.

Take a look. Beware of extreme toilet action.

WoW Stuff

Oh yah, never posted this the last time. I bought these World of Warcraft stuff from China on my two recruitment trips.

First pic are a pair of rings. One says 'WARCRAFT' and the other "WORLD OF WARCRAFT'. If I remember correctly, they cost about S$10 each. Really cool. I think these are the official WoW merchandise in China. The second pic are four rubber key chains. They only cost less than S$1! Obviously not official stuff. heh.

Yes, I admit. I'm seriously addicted to WoW. Sigh.

Long Hu Men (Dragon Tiger Gate)

Hmm, I'm jobless today. Unemployed. In other words, no income. :P For the next few months, gonna have to live off my savings.

Got up at 9am today. Bummed around a little. Read the papers then decided, what the heck, it's Day 1 of my jobless life, so back to bed I went. Woke up again at 12noon. After scanning through the day's news, decided to go catch a movie - Dragon Tiger Gate.

Actually, I've heard really mixed reviews for the movie. I think I've seen reviews giving it 1 star to reviews giving it 4 stars (out of 5). Well, Eng Wah cinemas were having a $5 special so I decided to give it a go (not say any other good movies out there lar).

Dragon Tiger Gate (or Long Hu Men) is based on the popular chinese comic of the same name. I never read those comics. Chinese not good enough. I never could understand which were the names of the people and which were the names of the kungfu strokes. Confusing.

DTG has got pretty good action sequences. The fighting is well choreographed and I especially like the finale fight scene. The whole movie should be like that lor. They had all the special kungfu moves with the accompanying special effects. Very cool.

But unfortunately, that's about all that's good about the movie.

The storyline was VERY boring. If not for the fighting sequences, I'd be bored stiff. Hated all the attempts to work in a romantic storyline. Hated the predictable bad brother-good brother scenes. Hated the bad-guy-turned-good-guy plot.

The actors. Hmm.. You really need to look the part. For most of them, the cast were ok. The biggest problem to me is the main star, Donnie Yuen. He's a great fight choreographer & martial art fighter. But he needs to realize that he just can't carry a movie. He was so uncharismatic and you can't help but wish someone younger, and more wuxia-like had taken on the role. He basically looked like a lao-ah-beng in the movie. Donnie should really just concentrate on doing what he's best at and stop trying to be a movie star.

For 5 bucks, I think DTG is a decent movie. If you've not watched it, go catch it, but only for the kung fu scenes. Forget about the storyline parts. Go buy popcorn and drinks or go to the toilet everytime they start talking. lolz.


Here's the movie poster as well as a cover from one of the Long Hu Men Comics. Just for comparison.

Farewell to 1Q 2005

Like to thank 1Q (2005) for the farewell party they put together for me last Thursday.

It's been my pleasure to have been your FT last year. Thanks for being such a spirited class. I've enjoyed being both your Physics Teacher and Form Teacher. You are such a diverse class but at the same time, I'm really glad that you were pretty united. Sure, there were the occasional hiccups and arguments, but by and large, it was great to see you all get along so well.

Thank you for the video. Really brought back memories. Especially the one with you guys in the fake ponytails. Yeah, really like it's RGS Youth day rather than RI Youth day.. heh.... You guys just wait. If any of you ever get famous or important, I tell you, these photos will come back and haunt you! I will keep the video safely for a long time... might help in my retirement fund next time! lolz.

Thanks for the very meaningful present. Dunno if it was intended or otherwise, but I really like the fact you used the mirror frame from last year. Made it so much more thoughtful. Most self-loving class indeed! haha.



It's hard to thank all of you individually. So I shan't try in case I leave out anyone. Thanks to the whole class for putting the farewell party together.



They served me anti-grav cakes! Wow.. must get the receipe.

Well 1Q (2005), good luck for your next 2 years in RI. Enjoy your last few months together as a class. Don't bully Mr Jee and Mdm Kwek.

I'm sure we'll meet up again in the future. See ya!

Free!

It's just past midnight and 28th August 2006 is over.

So, my last day in RI, is officially over.

Free at last!

One week since my last post. Hmm, looks like I might be losing interest in blogging... haha.. no lar. Just a little difficult to blog coz the last week has been quite busy with things like prefects interviews and packing up my stuff in the staff room.

I spent the whole afternoon clearing up as much of my stuff as possible. Really... 5.5 years of rubbish. I really have a lousy habit of hoarding stuff. My room is also like that. Plenty of stuff which I think I might use some time, some where. Today, it was just throw, throw, throw, throw, throw.

Tomorrow's my last day in RI. Can't believe it was 3 mths ago that I'd made the decision to leave. 3 mths really do pass by very quickly.

1Q (2005) and the prefects threw farewell parties for me. They were very memorable. But I decided that I would blog about them and my thoughts about leaving only after I've left. So, there should be plenty of updates in the following week. Check back if you are interested.

For the last two days, I've been amusing myself with Mr Brown's podcast about PM Lee's National Day message. The song they did making use of PM Lee's voice was hilarious! Wonder if he'll be permanently shut down! lolz. Maybe the gahmen is being tolerant since PM Lee talked so much about embracing IT developments. If you haven't heard it, pop by mr brown's blog and try it out.

Well, before the actual posts come out, if the guys from 1Q 2005 and the RIPB pop by here, I want you to know that your farewell parties have really encouraged me. Please accept my heatfelt appreciation for the effort and planning in putting the parties together!

I went to watch Lake House today. Yeah, I know, total chick flick. But for some reason, I really wanted to watch it. I think it was partially the idea that Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reaves was pairing up again. And I thought the story was kinda interesting (though hopelessly flawed, as are all time-paradox stories).

Well, this post is not so much about the movie (which was kinda ho-hum anyway) but about the service at GV Great World.

The movie was scheduled to start at 2.20pm but then at 2.30pm, an announcement was suddenly made, saying that due to techinical difficulties, the movie would start 10mins late... ok lor.. so I waited. And waited. Then at 2.45pm, they said they were still working out the problems (heh, in not-too-good english) and that the movie would start in about 15mins. Haha... people started to leave the cinema. I decided to just wait it out. Nothing much else to do on a Sunday afternoon.

As I waited, I couldn't help but wonder why didn't the cinema staff do something to like, make us a little happier. I thought, a small packer of popcorn or small drink... really wouldn't cost much to the cinema. Yet there was just waiting and waiting. Finally, at about 3.10pm, the movie restarted.

So ok lor, watch lor.... about 10mins into the movie, the manager (at least I think it was the manager) crept up to each of us in the cinema, apologised and gave us a complimentary ticket for a GV movie. I thought... not bad... was a nice end to the 'saga'... heh. At least they tried.

Hmm, wonder if I can get a job at GV? Might be interesting....

Countdown

8 days to go. Then things will change.

It's hard to say what I am feeling right now. Must admit, there is a sense of freedom, relaxation. But then again, there's so much to do before the end.

Todae was kinda surreal. Was flipping through the Recuitment Ads in yesterday's paper when I saw my job being advertised. Heh. Was a strange kinda feeling.

Oh well. I've made my choice. Now to look forward.

Photo Album updated with pics of Dinghu Mountain

It's good to be home

Yeah, it's really good to be home. Home sweet home.

As per usual routine, time to go for laksa & chicken rice.

Guangzhou was interesting, but we were only there overnight coz our flight home was on Friday, not Thursday. Although only a short few hours, I managed to find their toys & gifts wholesale centre.. .and it was like discovering heaven! It was basically 6 storeys of shops doing wholesale for toys and gifts... you know, things like soft toys (I bought a totoro soft toy for only $3!) and handphone straps, etc, etc. It's so huge but I had only 2 hours to explore the place. Got myself a small lava lamp for $5 and an electrostatic discharge globe (you know, the scientific looking glass globes with lightning-looking things inside) for only $12! So shiok. I'm seriously thinking of taking a short trip to Guangzhou to properly visit the place!

Well, whatever it may be, it's still good to be home. :-)

Finally, I had to include this pic. Around the park were some billboards of comic works. It's quite funny coz I don't think they realize what the english words really meant! I mean, this is supposed to be a family oriented park and I thought it was funny to find the 'F' word displayed so prominently at the entrance of the park!

There was a cultural park near the start of the trek. Supposed to have some cultural performances there but we missed them coz we went on the trek. Here's the huge urn in the park. Makes a pretty picture with the mountains in the background.

Here's a pic from the end point of our walk, near the top. There are two waterfalls. One obvious one on the right (which is actually part of the 'ren-pu' and the other one is hidden in the left. Can see?

But the trek basically brought us to see the various waterfalls within the area. Quite nice actually. There were about 3 or 4 waterfalls. Tiring, but beautiful. This is a pic of the 'ren-pu' or 'human-waterfall'. It's so named coz it was formed with two waterfalls at a angle, looking like the word 'ren' which is 'human' in chinese.

We were deciding whether to do the 'walk'. The girl at the counter said it was a fairly easy 60min walk, so we decided to give it a go. Boy was she lying... the walk was through a jungle track and there were also parts where we had to go up steep inclines (no doubt with steps cut into the rock). It was kinda unexpected, and what was supposed to be a leisurely visit ended up being quite an exercise... not something I would look forward to.

On our way to Guangzhou (our flight to Singapore departs from there) from Zhaoqing, we took a detour to Dinghu mountain as we were a little too early to check in to our hotel in Guangzhou. Here's the lake ('hu') which is at the top ('ding') of the mountain. Hence the the name 'Dinghu' mountain or 'Mountain with Lake at the top".

This is the hotel we stayed in at Zhaoqing, our last stop for this trip. The one thing which amazes us is how long the hotel corridor was! This is probably the longest hotel corridor which I have ever seen. From the lift to our rooms (which would of course be near the end of the corridor), the distance was about 100m! It's really hard to imagine what was going through the architect's mind when he designed such a hotel.

Yesterday, 5 August, was a long day of testing, interviews and marking. We had a Parent Teachers Meeting today and then some free time after that. I went to Dongmen (东门) and it was really a busy busy busy place. Here's a pic of one small corner of the place. Note the nice big MacDonalds sign in the middle? Looks like corporate America is really reaching into every corner of the world. There's also Walmart in Shenzhen and a couple of other cities that we've been to so far.



Dongmun is a huge place with plenty of shops. Unfortunately, most of them are fashion & home stuff, hardly of an interest to me. There was however this place called Comics City (动漫城) which was a wonderland to me! Basically, 2 floors of shops selling cartoon/anime/comic stuff. Found really cheap Totoro stuff. Of course, it's probably not original, but really, the quality is good and it onli costs like S$6... So, if u are a comic/anime fan and ever happen to be in Shenzhen, don't miss out on this place.

I arrive into Shenzhen on 4 August. We were really very fortunate. Apparently, on 3 August, a typhoon struck Shenzhen and over 300 flights were delayed. Flights trying to enter Shenzhen were also diverted to other cities. We were really worried that the thunderstorm would not let up but other than an overcast sky, the weather was fine and cool.

Deja Vu

Sigh.

Guess what. My wallet got stolen tonight.

I don't know why. Must be something to do with me and recruitment trips. In all my personal travels, I have never ever got anything stolen or lost. And yet, on last year's India recruitment trip, my passport was stolen and now, in this year's China recruitment trip, my wallet (thankfully not my passport) got stolen.

Basically, I was on my way back from the supermarket to the hotel. Walking along a busy stretch of road, no more than 1.5m in front of my colleagues. My wallet was in my waist pouch which I was holding by the handle in my right hand and kinda swinging it a little as I walked. My colleague suddenly pointed out to me that the zipper was open. When I looked in, I noticed my wallet was missing.

Strangely, I wasn't really upset. I mean, what's the point right? Frankly, I thought I had taken reasonably care of my wallet. Didn't even take it out to flash the money or anything. Of course, I could have held it tightly to my chest, so maybe that's something I'll have to learn.

On a sad note, in my wallet were about 400 RMB (approx 90 singapore dollars), 2 credit cards and my IC. Replacing my IC will cost about $100.

On a brighter side, they thieves didn't take my camera and brand new Sony Ericsson K800i. Heh. Joint cost of the two is many more times than the replacement of my IC and the money lost.

Oh well. Whatever will be will be. No point crying over spilt milk. Just have to be EVEN more careful next time.

Finished with Changchun (长春) and am now in Wuhan (武汉). We flew from Changchun to Beijing (abt 1.5hrs) then after a 3hr stopover, flew from Beijing to Wuhan. We were quite lucky actually. Apparently, Beijing has been experiencing thunderstorms in the afternoons. Just yesterday, over 300 flights were delayed (some by a day!) because of a thunderstorm. When we arrived in Beijing, the weather was nice and sunny! When we arrived into Wuhan, we heard that Beijing was experiencing thunderstorms with floods. Phew. Talk about luck!

Wuhan is supposed to be known as one of the four 'ovens' of China. Temperatures here can reach up to 37 degrees. Sigh. Not looking forward to the hot weather. We'll be here for just a short couple of days before we're off to Shenzhen.

Am already missing laksa and chicken rice.