Thursday 15 May 2014

Singapore Flag Burnt


I was looking for how much selling cardboard pays (coz I had put a few pieces of cardboard by the side of a trashbin downstairs at my void deck & as expected they disappeared when I returned.).

I finished reading the cardboard article on Asiaone. Then saw the side news: Burning of Singapore Flag by Vietnam Rioters...

The news says the SG flag was burnt due to "anti-China" protests. I was thinking what has "anti-China" feelings got to do with Singapore? We are not China.  And their people are also in Singapore.  Seeing the SG flag being burnt in the photo... I think they burnt the wrong flag.

When it comes to flags, it's easy to mistake which country is which. That's what I thought when I was young. Some countries' flags are really similar.  I figured this might be the case here, except that it's the sotong blur Vietnamese who burnt the wrong flag. I think because of the red with stars.  A flag that they should know since it belongs to a neighbour country (SG) where their people also work there. Yet they mistake for China's flag.

Turned out I was right. So sotong blur these people. How the heck can employers hire them in Singapore?

The burning of a Singapore national flag by Vietnamese protesters, who apparently mistook it for the flag of China...
Update Fri 16 May:  Now, how did "anti-China" become "anti-foreigner" protest?  http://therealsingapore.com/content/several-singapore-run-factories-vietnam-set-fire-anti-foreigner-protesters

So did they mistake the SG flag for China's or not? Apparently not. 

If even the "peaceful" Vietnamese know how to protest against foreigners over the China oil rig, how come SG people just keep quiet about the flood of foreigners in SG, NS & CPF? 




Tuesday 13 May 2014

Paranormal Incident @ Berlayer Creek SG

Tues 13 May

Maybe SPI might want to bring their measuring counters & stuff there. Or maybe these instruments won't be able to measure a thing.

Prior to entering into such things, I always think positively & realistically & walk calmly as though I don't know it's there. There is no need to run.

At about 9.30pm tonight,  we just finished buying stuff from the NTUC @ ARC & were on our way to the Labrador MRT.  I felt a bit bloated from the spaghetti dinner I made & saw that the full moon was beautiful & bright.

Been wanting to go up to the nearby Berlayer Creek roof top for a while now, but every time some students or people will be there. Tonight, saw that there was nobody. Perfect to view the moon.

Bro was reluctant as we made our way to it after coming down from the overhead bridge to the MRT.

There was a smell as we approached. Probably the decomposing vegetation around. It smelled of urine so I guessed maybe some people come here at midnight & hang around. But I said nothing while glancing around the dark area with the vegetation behind & some plants around.  Best to say nothing.

Bro said it was smelly just as we stepped into the area from the MRT.

The place really needs some proper lighting. The darkness is unacceptable & dangerous. The lamp post at the side don't even work.

I looked up & the moon was so bright like a halogen light with four shots of light around it. Very clear &  cloudless sky tonight.

My idea was to go up to the rooftop & splat myself on my back on the wooden floor to relax looking up at the night sky & moon.

As we approached the ramp, bro was talking about Bestway having 3 storeys in the past & I told him jokingly to stop talking about Bestway coz he had been talking about it earlier. He said, "Happy time mah.".

As we went up the ramp, he said they sold very excellent top quality wood furniture unlike the Ikea now.  I said, "Orh, like Pine like that?". He said, "Yeah.".  Then he suddenly didn't say anything anymore.

I was also preoccupied with something while walking.

These tendrils of overgrown plants on the right wall kept sticking out top & bottom. Quite annoying. Don't they prune them?  They are completely overgrown. Not only that, the wall was emitting heat from having absorbed the heat during the day. Quite warm on our right side.  We were on the longest ramp section & it seemed a rather long way more to go even though I could see the end. 

More than that, the more I walked up, the greater the sense of foreboding ahead.  Something was in front & the feeling grew stronger with every step.  This is not the first time I have felt this way about a place.  I preferred to think that it was caused by the wall of overgrown plants along our right.

Just as I was considering whether to continue, Bro said, "Got funny feeling.".

Straightaway, no questions asked, I turned around (with sudden weird & brief goosebumps) & we proceeded to get down.

If he had not said it, I might still have ignored my feeling & continued to the top. But that is a big Maybe because the feeling was quite strong. I may have turned back anyway without him saying it.

When we turned around,  Bro said, "Walk faster.". So we did. I got that sudden, brief goosebumps again.  He bumped against me & I could feel him hurrying beside me, practically almost going to run if I wasn't there.  I chuckled because it was funny even though I understood how he felt (although I didn't feel it).

As we reached back to the start of the first short ramp, he exclaimed with a relief-releasing chuckle that it was a "Clementi re-enactment" (referring to our grandmother's Clementi block in the past where separately as kids, we used to feel there was something pursuing behind us every time we used the stairs alone. Only recently when we talked about it, did we realize we had felt the same thing, except I was calmer at that time because I was older & same as now, preferred not to show my fear. I was able to control my reactions better than bro who said he had flown down the staircases at that time and didn't care if he scraped his small hand on the railings.).

When we returned to the MRT, he said he had felt a presence behind along a part/turn of the ramp, but when he turned, there was no one there. He dismissed it but the feeling returned at another part & again there was no one there.

I said I had felt nothing behind, but it was in front.

But either way, we both agreed the feeling was rather strong & disturbing. He said he wasn't even thinking of anything about the place at the time while happily recounting the happy times of the Bestway emporium.

I said, I had already considered there might be something there when there was that urine smell when we approached, that's why I didn't mention it. He said, "Then you still want to go??!".  I said, "Aiyah. Just calmly walk, it's Ok.".

Back home,  I said I turned back with him no questions asked when he said "got funny feeling". He agreed it was the first time there was no protest from me.  I said, coincidentally when he said it, I was also feeling the same thing.

We both agree there is something there. He said even that one time when we went in the hot afternoon, he also didn't feel good about it. Hmm... well, I admit it wasn't great at that time (too hot weather), but... it didn't feel the way it did tonight. Maybe it's the wall of overgrown plants tonight? He denies it's the plants. He said he wasn't even thinking of the plants.  He had dismissed the plants since it's no big deal during army.  It was something following behind.

When there are such feelings when we go to a place, I always tell bro that people buying new houses should hire us (I said so on our way walking back home).  But they hire Fengshui "masters".  But we can charge cheaper.  But then these days, it's BTO apartments. Don't even get to see or choose the houses they buy even though spend more than half a million. Absurd. It's worse than buying beauty boxes.

Just now, Bro explained clearer than we were just going up the last longest ramp when he felt a presence coming up the ramp below us. He turned to look back but there was no one there. He dismissed it since I didn't show any notice of it and continued walking behind me.

But suddenly,  the presence was just behind him as we went up the ramp. He turned back again to look but again, nobody there. That's when he said, "Got funny feeling.".

At that point, he thinks the presence must have then gone in front of me. That's when I felt a strong/stronger sense of foreboding in front the more I went up. That presence was trying to prevent us from going up. Perhaps, it was on ground level, but saw us coming closer & it rushed up to stop us.

That would be the only explanation that matches with what we were feeling at that time.

Bro thinks it's better not to disobey that feeling. Perhaps there is something wrong along that ramp. Better to stop & turn back.

I said I didn't feel anything behind us. I agree there is something there, but perhaps, he had heightened the feeling that it was chasing us out from behind? Well, he admits perhaps he had heightened his feelings although he doubts it.  On my part, I also think perhaps, he has keener senses than me regarding such things because I shut such things out.

I told him about the stone steps of a Japanese castle.  I said if he thought the Clementi stairs were horrible, these stone steps are much worse.  If he were there, he would feel like wanting to run up those steep stone steps at the risk of falling off.  The feeling is very strong that there is something behind (waiting for you to fall while you climb). He said I had never mentioned it before. I said I just ignore it.  (It's not something of importance compared to the overall beauty & experience & probably just my imagination. It actually took a lot of will power to just ignore it at that time).

I don't know whether the stone steps are the originals or reconstructed, but there is definitely something there. It was bad enough that I told myself at that time, that I don't want to be going down those steps again when I go down. There has to be another way down.




List of Useless/Useful Skincare Products from Korea, Australia etc...Reviews

I have purchased directly from many skincare brands & will give you lists & reviews of their products that I have already tried & tested.

Payment with Paypal or local ATM bank transfer.





Tuesday 6 May 2014

Mink Printer for Make-Up on TechCrunch

7 May Wed 1:39pm

The moment I saw her surname "Choi", straightaway I was thinking "Hongkee" (from Hong Kong). It seems Harvard is now producing foreign grads who aren't up to the mark just like NUS now. Is it true anyone can graduate from Harvard now?

https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/harvard-girl-figured-3d-print-165045734.html
http://techcrunch.com/2014/05/05/mink-is-a-3d-printer-for-makeup/

1) Are you sure she's from Harvard? She can't spell "convenience".

2) Her blouse open at the front is used as subtle persuasion = Male judges & mainly male audience.

3) Unprofessional delivery. Defensive attitude, afraid of audience's negative reaction. Rather than the desire to communicate the idea of this new thing, she is letting her defensive emotions get in the way.  Used the word "freaking".  In the demo, she said she is using a particular thing: "Why? because I like it.". 

4) Her replies to the judges are not credible. She has not thought out much (as one reader also commented). 

5) As one reader commented, how is this 3D? 

6) The judges should be female. She will surely get a lot of questions & doubts regarding the product.

7) Why was there a rush to produce a "hacked" demo? Why didn't she take the time to do it well if she really cared about her idea?


She said she has failed many times before. I can see why. This printer of hers... I don't think is going to work.

1) Targeting the wrong buyers. The money-spenders are in the older group of women who have buying power & greater needs for skincare & cosmetics.

2) There is more to the cosmetics industry than just colors.  It is also about branding & the "raw materials" as she put it. If it were just about colors, anyone could have done it and the cosmetics industry wouldn't have lasted so long. Cosmetics users for instance, for eyeshadow, will compare the spread of the product, how long it stays etc...

Also these days, consumers are looking for more natural & safe products for use on their skin & face. If she can provide such true natural/organic & safe cosmetics products at cheap/affordable prices than what other companies are doing now, it will work better than her printer idea.

But she is lazy. She prefers just getting "a cut" & leaving everything else to the big companies such as Epson. Just like a Hongkee would, she just wants quick money with a flimsy idea.

3) Getting Epson or any printer company to do this cosmetics business... is a bad idea because these companies don't know about cosmetics. Companies that are specialized in doing a particular product are bad at trying other products that they have no experience in doing.



The Tempest (Japanese Drama) Ep 10 Last Episode

12:46am  Wed 7 May.

Hmm.. looking at my laptop clock date, in another day, it will be my birthday.  Dad already called to wish me happy birthday yesterday morning.

Hahahaha... eh, this man is handsome. Checking up on him, he is 183cm tall. Wow! [In this Wiki pic, he looks a little like my Amby (Ambrose Hsu) *looks at his date of birth* ^_^].

So tall, no wonder he carries the clothing so well. Looks good in samurai dress up & even better in western dressing. So Dashing. ^_^ Wow wow!

Didn't think he looked handsome at the start. Looked a little silly. But I started considering him right after the old lady (Oba) called him "good-looking".  He had come to Son Neion's house holding an umbrella in the rain & the old lady told Son Neion that there is a good-looking man looking for her.

Hmm... he does seem to look a little better after that... but not yet handsome. Only later, the more he asserts his influence, strength & conviction, he started looking handsome.  Hehehehe...

He's also quite intelligent & dependable. Coming to her rescue very quickly even without her asking or telling him anything. Too bad however, that he has rather old-fashioned ideas, although... not entirely old-fashioned.

Actually, I don't quite understand him.  On the 1 hand, he wants to free her from old fashioned ideas, so that women like herself can freely study & educate themselves. He wants her to be herself, so that she don't need to hide her gender anymore. On the other hand... he wants her to quit being brilliant & just be a housewife for him.

Don't know why he keeps insisting on her being a woman for him.  In this regard, he is not much different from the young king who also wants her as a woman for himself.

In this last episode... I really hate the singing in between. Sounds like Malay.  Wrong time, wrong place, wrong background "singing", wrong singer. Very jarring.

Also, their clothing. Since the start, I have been noticing that their clothing looks Malay with that cap they wear on their heads. Weren't they influenced by China dressing? How come they are wearing Malay type of clothing?

Even their dancing is Malay style. Strange.  Is it some kind of island effect? Because Singapore's Malay community dressed like that in the past as well.

What a mess this last episode.  All because of wrong decisions of 1 woman & 1 young king.  As the prophetess said, she doubts Son Neion was forced into sleeping with the young king. I have to agree.

Son Neion wasn't forced into doing anything she didn't want to. She could have talked the young king out of it. She chose to sleep with him & bear his kid. She intended to have her child have the blood of the 2 dynasties & sit on the throne when the time comes.

What was disappointing was that she disappointed the love of that samurai. When the Commodore Perry wanted to enter Ryuukuu, she told the samurai Asakura to protect his Japan instead while she will protect her Ryuukuu. She then sent the enemy over to Japan.

Although even with her brilliance, she could not think for both her Ryuukuu & Japan, it's still rather unforgivable & disappointing for her to just dump the enemy onto Asakura's country. It just means she didn't care for him.

Her decision, resulted in Japan fighting very bloody civil wars with all the samurais destroyed. In the end, her plan backfired anyway. Ryuukuu was absorbed into Japan. According to history, Japan captured the Ryuukyuu king.

In this drama, the young king foolishly surrendered. His reasoning for surrendering doesn't make sense. And why didn't he purchase ammunition beforehand? Even the Japanese knew to get weapons to fight among themselves. Even the Shinsengumi bought weapons & western clothing to fight in Hakuouki (anime).

This young king just wants to have sex all the time. -.-

In episode 9 when he wanted Son Neion in the bedroom, she should have negotiated thus: If you want my brains, then set me up as Son Neion & don't meet in the bedroom ever again. If you want my body, then sorry, when you need my help, I am busy with the baby. If you want my heart, sorry, it is for myself to have. I decide who to give it to. It is in your best interest to accept my brains since it is the greatest asset of all 3.  (if you will not, then you were not entirely smart to begin with.).

Here is the handsome Asakura-dono. Just ignore his strange old-fashioned yet not old-fashioned views. Just admire him. ^_^

Very nice here, as he turns his head looking aside, in long Hakama (pants). I was actually thinking he looks good in that long skirt... haahaha... click to enlarge. By the way, I didn't watch on GoodDrama.



Below: View from the ship as he leaves Ryuukuu, "never" to return. His lord Nariakira passed away, ruining all plans for Ryuukuu takeover.  So handsome as he looks towards shore where Son Neion is watching.


*looking closer at his Wiki info* Tanihara Shosuke. Eh? He married a married woman (who divorced)?

Below:  So Dashing!!!! So Charlotte Bronte!! He should do Jane Eyre as Rochester!


Below:  Ohhh... he looks so much like my Ambrose Hsu (when he was young & handsome like this). This hairstyle suits him. The sharp down turns of the white collar suits him. *sighs* And with such deep voice....


I wonder how different this drama would have been if Korean scriptwriter who wrote for Faith, wrote it. Definitely, the romance part between the Satsuma samurai & Son Neion would have been given more attention. ^_^ The female lead might not have done what she did with the young king & the samurai & Choukun.  Would be interesting to see how the romantic Korean scriptwriter would have turned it.

This script by a man, is still a male's point of view. He seems to want to make women into...  women. The decisions he makes for Son Neion, might not be what a female scriptwriter would agree with. I certainly don't agree with what he did with Son Neion.

The ending is.. kinda ... well, I won't say it's no good, with that dashing samurai returning as expected but in his lovely western suit.  It ends the same way it started.  So, that's nothing to wow about.

Son Neion's son is also not handsome at all. And the drama creators didn't age Choukun, the young king & Son Neion enough (after so many years). Only the samurai looks noticeably aged (and handsomely so).

OOHhh... I have to see that handsome man in his dashing western clothes again as he smiles.  *goes to replay the scene*

It can be said he loved her to bits...  but she, I feel, is not worthy of his love when she saved her Ryuukuu at his expense. And even when she so-called loved him, she still slept with that awful-looking young king.


How can 2 persons (1 Japanese, the other Taiwanese) look so much alike? The resemblance is strange in this comparison. On the left: Here's my Amby (Ambrose Hsu) when he was around 25 yrs old. On the right is Tanihara Shosuke age 39 when he did Tempest.



Monday 5 May 2014

The Tempest Japanese Drama 「テンペスト」

Tues 6 May 2:25am

I can't stand stupid women. What's the matter with her? Watching her, I very pek chek.  Just finished Episode 8. Aiyo shit. How can she have sex with that stupid king who is so much younger than her? Crap. What the heck. And she's supposed to be a genius?? *rolls up eyes* Can't believe it.

Who is the scriptwriter? *checks Wiki*  Oomori Sumio 大森寿美男. A man.  The same guy who did Nezumi-Kozo (starring Takizawa Hideaki).  Nezumi was quite nice, how come this Tempest has such lousy main character?  So unstable, the way she swings from brilliant to stupid.  (How come IMDb says he wrote only 1st episode when the Japanese official site states him as the scriptwriter?)

When she's a man (eunuch), she's brilliant. When she dresses as a woman, she becomes stupid. What is this? Transformation arts? Like those anime where the kid hero becomes cool & brilliant when wearing glasses & becomes silly when take off glasses??


I can't say Tempest is lousy, because it's not quite. There are 2 strong male characters there, with a quite good-looking Satsuma samurai Asakura. And the romance part is quite captivating. This untouchable romance thing because she's a man. I was waiting for more but episode 7 & 8, she's just disappointing as a woman. Totally.

I actually watched this drama to see Gackt. Hahahaha... silly funny man.  He died also with a funny expression. Jyo Teigai. What a name. Supposed to work for Shin (China in that era).

At first, the first 2 episodes were quite boring. I was giving it a chance & continued with the 3rd episode. It started getting better from there with the Asakura guy & I was waiting to see Gackt who later appears in episode... 5 (I think).

I heard of Tempest while checking out what people said about Gackt & in a forum, there was some mention of his role as Jo Teigai with his long tongue that he uses to pleasure women even though he is an eunuch. And some people said they were totally grossed out. So I was curious what tongue... CGI? I was having the impression that it was some kinda long snake-like tongue.

Turns out, his tongue looks real, just longer and with a point compared to other people's tongue. He probably practised in the mirror to make it look that way. I didn't know Gackt has a tongue like that? I don't think it was CGI-ed.

The pleasuring part... wasn't really there. Didn't see anything except Opium in a room with pretend-sleepy women.  His fans recorded scenes of his inane laughter on Youtube and I watched it, but in the actual drama, it wasn't anything that special.  His role was surprising very short. Around 2 episodes before he is killed.

The title says BS時代劇  「テンペスト」.  I keep thinking BS for bullshit every time I see it before an episode starts.  Bullshit period drama The Tempest. 

In episode 9, she's going to be pregnant. Ah, crap. This king is so... what an ass. Punk. Deepens his voice just to sound older. Goddamn punk.  A true wise leader would have reinstated her as the great Son Neion, rather than insult her by making her a woman. What a fool.  Both of them.

I don't know how true this Son Neion story is in real life history. I first heard of the Ryuukuu islands (present day Okinawa) in a recent news about China & Japan fighting over it.  I then read up on Ryuukuu's history from a library book (some time back & I have forgotten much of it because there wasn't anything significant.). 

China & Japan are still fighting over Ryuukuu even after so long. Because Ryuukuu was used as an administrative office for China at that time, their buildings & clothing reflect that.  Okinawa actually has its own dialect from since that time (which I was surprised & amazed to know when I read about it since I assumed it's Japan).

Last night, I was thinking it's a pity they allowed the Americans to set up naval base there. Some time back, that bad incident happened--US men raping an 8 yr old girl.  The Okinawans were naturally angry but I think nothing happened to get rid of the US presence there even though the Okinawans have been against it for a while.

There was a man from Okinawa who used to cook at the Jap food counter bar outside the cashier counters of Meidi-ya supermarket. He told bro & me that he was from there when he got to know us better (we ate there quite regularly).  He once gave us desserts in the form of cut red bean/green bean jelly diamond-shaped on a plate. Very nice man.

Around the last time we met him, he gave us a packet of red bean rice topping. Said to put it into the rice cooker.  The red beans is a celebratory ingredient. Said he was giving it to us in celebration of our Singapore's National day. ^_^  What a nice man.

He also gave me a tip on how to make the rice fragrant. He could speak just a little English while I could speak just a little Japanese. So, it was fun.

I do miss him. That last time... or maybe it was the last last time... he told us his wife and kids were around & nodded in their direction while bro & I were eating at his counter. We never did catch a look at his wife or kids.

Hmm.. I wonder if all Okinawans are like him. I will keep in mind they have a dialect different from Japanese if I go there one day. I keep thinking if I might see him there. If I do, I will disturb him about that Jap food counter that he left behind. Bet he doesn't remember me.

Sad that just before he left, there was an unfriendly Japanese man cooking in his place. He said it was his boss.

Well, we didn't like his boss's cooking anyway.  After the Okinawan man left, his boss left & the counter changed hands to some foreigner Filipino or such. Very lazy. Food must have been bad since very few people ate there. And 1 Japanese woman was so angry one day, she went back to complain loudly.  Something about some missing dishes she ordered but wasn't packed with her order (I can't quite recall).