Ugly Foreigners/Visitors in Japan 日本の醜い観光客。

Japan time 6pm. Normally, I see only Japanese. But here's the first time I'm seeing foreigners in this train station due to their Prime Minister's plan of attracting more tourists recently.

It's a sad day to see foreigners here because this place isn't touristy. The commuters at this train station are mainly students & businessmen.

It's pretty obvious these are Ang Mohs (Caucasians). There are 4 of them.

I first noticed when one of them (outside of the screen-shot) started taking photo/s of the train. It's just a regular train, nothing special. Yet he was taking photo/s of it.

Then look at their size. Fat.  Especially the fat rude man in his bright shirt with his arm elbowing out.

Japanese people eat sparingly & healthy meals & they are not fat. And they wouldn't stand as if they owned the place with their elbows in the way of passage. This is a very rude & inconsiderate fat tourist. Even when people walked by, he never stopped elbowing like that. One Japanese schoolgirl even looked at him as she walked past.

Since he can't respect the place & people, why bother going to Japan? Save the money & go elsewhere.

Japanese people also do not lean, especially ladies. That fat woman in white is clearly leaning against the wall.  I have never seen a Japanese person lean against this wall in all my observations of this train station. Japanese women don't slouch like that in public & they don't dress so casually sloppy (& they don't wear jeans).

Also, Japanese people don't dress in bright clothing. Definitely, they won't wear such a bright blue-green shirt & stick out.

This is what is meant by ugly tourists when you let them into your country. Even when they stay just a while, they are a pain.  迷惑, 面倒。

My Love From The Stars Ep 18 (restaurant background music)

I'm now re-watching the series. It's still nice. I just watch parts that have him. :)

I've always wanted to say that in this episode, the Chinese restaurant scene where Do Min Joon is having tea with Cheon Song Yi's father & brother, the background music is actually the Japanese song from Hakkenden anime.

In Hakkenden, it's called Shino's song & has lyrics.  The main male character Shino sings it very beautifully while being carried on the young & handsome Rio Satomi's back.




Restaurant scene @ 35.34. I love the way Do Min Joon turns away while politely drinking from his cup. Such an old-fashioned & gentlemanly etiquette like in those Joseon days.  End scene, I always laugh seeing him throw the ring case onto the table & say, "Here, that's for you.". So damn funny. Proposal like that. But I completely understand how he feels.

How Much Do SG Office Workers Make In a Day?

On the surface, looking at a monthly salary, it might seem like a lot. But assuming a person earns $4000/month net (after CPF deduction) working 5 days a week. $4000/20 days = $200/day.

Assuming a conservative figure of 9 hours work per day (usually it's more), the person earns only $200/9 = $22.22/hour.  Pretty measly amount (and less with more hours).

That's why many office people don't actually "work", disappear whenever they can & avoid getting things done. Whenever possible, pretend to be always busy. And for heaven's sake, don't answer the phone.

Organizations like the Town Councils, Housing Development Board etc...

For many jobs, the salary is less than $4000/month gross.  CPF takes at least $500 away.

A police sergeant only gets $2500/month gross to sit in the police post or settle domestic disputes. Pretty lousy salary for settling petty &/or violent domestic quarrels & neighbourly shit. The headache & mental disturbance the sergeant get from intervening in such shit = Completely not worth the time.

Assuming same conditions at 9 hrs, 5-day week. Miserable pay for an hour in your life that can't be gotten back working for some damn company that has no damn connection to you.

$3500/month net = $19.44/hour
$2500/month net = $13.89/hour
$1800/month net = $10/hour  (no better than a waitress/waiter in a pub).

$5000/month net sounds like a lot but it's only $27.78/hour.  (not even $30/hr).
$7000/month net = $38.89/hour  (still little but a little better)

Does it mean that higher paying jobs have people who are more willing to get things done? No. In fact, higher pay just makes people work even less. An empty desk.  At this higher pay, don't even need a reason or excuse why you're not there. And that's how a country or an organization falls apart.

How to Pick Good Sellers from Taobao (Tips & Advice)

Wed 22 Jul 2015

Choosing the wrong seller can be expensive (& painful). There are many "how to shop" reviews, but none provides tips & explanations on how to pick a good & honest seller.

Many Taobao sellers are unscrupulous in various small & big ways.

But contrary to what people may think, choosing good sellers is not a hit & miss. Neither does it depend on luck.

Picking the correct seller on Taobao depends on several points. Get these points right, and you'll be sure of a good purchase 99.99% to 100% of the time.

What to look out for when picking sellers on Taobao?  Get my guide.  It Works. Guaranteed for anything you are purchasing. :)

For only $5.  Just leave a comment here with your e-mail (that won't be disclosed) & you'll get payment details.  After which, enjoy knowing the secrets in this guide!

Blackball SG Dessert has been Blackballed

I am disappointed with the Blackball signature dessert served at Harbourfront. 

The appearance & portion of their signature dessert have changed.

Some time ago, it was a bigger plate with a big portion and a lot of shaved ice. Can be shared with another person.

But this evening Mon 20 July, the Blackball dessert didn't even look like the menu picture.

When I ordered, the China man even asked in broken English (that sounded Burmese), "Like in the picture?". I said yes.

He served a surprisingly small & flat portion. At first, I thought he had gotten our order wrong & asked bro to check whether it has ice when he went to collect.  Before bro could ask, the man said in Chinese that the ice was underneath.  Why is the ice underneath when it should be on top?

When I scooped the dessert, the ice was very little.  The ingredients were also little. Cutting costs? Need more profit?

Because the ice was little, the dessert looked flat in the bowl.  It wasn't a mountain.

Very disappointing, particularly on such a hot day. 

And since it didn't even look like in the menu picture, it's a fraud.

I won't be eating Blackball again. Especially when it's from China. I ate it a few times in the past (with hesitation) & just this once (with hesitation) because I was thirsty for an ice dessert. Since the quality & presentation have deteriorated, I won't be eating it again.

The staff turnover rate for this outlet is high. In the past, the staff used to be very generous with their servings. It was an older woman and a man. But they changed to young women cashiers who I saw were rude. So I never ordered. Now with this incident, I definitely won't be going back.

Feedback contact form in their website received no reply.

Parenting Tips/Advice: For Kids

I was walking towards the upper part of Mount Faber when a man, woman & child on a bike came down the slope. The child was seated on the bike but pushing it along contemplatively with his/her feet. Didn't seem happy.

The man said to the kid, "You see? If I didn't give you this situation, you won't have this chance to learn.".

The kid was silent. The woman was silent.

If you are the kid, say this:  "If you didn't give birth to me, I wouldn't need to learn this shit, now would I? If you had kept your selfish dick in your pants, I wouldn't be in this situation. Stupid man.".

Organic Food in Singapore is for rich people (& Zenxin review)

If you're broke, organic food is going to be tough.  I've been buying organic food & feeling the pinch of the costs. If I'm rich, of course it's nothing.

I read that organic produce in US is cheap. Just 10 US cents more than non-organic. One woman blogger said that Australian organic produce are so cheap & plentiful unlike in Singapore.

Yesterday, I bought 2 small packets of organic onions, 1 packet of organic ginger  & 1 small organic broccoli. $15+. Expensive.  And that's already cheaper than Zenxin. Good thing is that it's fresher than Zenxin.

Frankly, Zenxin is lousy. Their vegetables can't keep, not even 1 day. Means their produce is not fresh in the supermarket. Coming from Thailand & other countries, by the time they get to the shelves, it's already how many days old. In fact, while on the shelves, the leaves are already yellowish. Very seldom the leaves are fresh.

Zenxin is also dishonest. Example #1, the potatoes are packed in a way that hides spoilage.  So when you buy home a packet and turn a potato around, you might find that there's a rotten hole or dent that couldn't be seen from the outside. This is not accidental. The person who packed it did it purposely. Example #2:  tomatoes may have an open cut down one side that is not noticed during purchase.

I've stopped buying Zenxin for a while already.  Not fresh & expensive. Costs more than other organic produce from other places.  Only very occasionally, I may buy their maize.

And very few Zenxin products are from Australia. Majority of their items are cheaply produced in Thailand which I don't like.
 
Thailand's soil, water & air are polluted. Look at the number of transgenders coming from there. Pesticides. Even if the items are stated organic, the soil is poor. The produce are of poor quality.

Other items are from Malaysia & China.  Countries with poor soil & pesticides. Even if that area of cultivation is certified organic, the soil is still poor.

Also, Zenxin harvests their vegetables too late? The leaves are very tough & large. Fibrous (too old) & inedible.

Some time ago, I bought their Xiao Bai Cai a few times & they were always bitter.  Strange. I stopped buying.  The non-organic Xiao Bai Cai never tasted bitter. I've also tried a local organic farm's Xiao Bai Cai recently & they aren't bitter.

Organic produce should be cheap or at least cost just a little more than non-organic. It's an excuse to charge more by saying that there are more losses for producing organic compared to non-organic crops.

No pesticides use (or no synthetic chemical pesticides) does not necessarily equate to greater losses. There are natural methods to prevent losses. For example: Using nets. Using biological controls (natural predators of pests), using organic pesticides & fungicides derived from other plants. Utilizing crop rotation to minimize colonization of pests for any particular crop.

Since Zenxin is a Malaysian company,  it's no surprise it doesn't source from our local Singapore farms.

Local organic farm produce are cheaper than Zenxin & of course fresher (even if the soil may not be as fertile or good as Australian soil).

Many years ago while I was choosing fruits at NTUC supermarket, a man (supplier or staff) told me that Australian produce is good because their soil is good.  He firmly said so & nodded while telling me.

Buying local organic farm produce, I find that the vegetables are able to keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.  It's a safe bet that they were harvested on the day of my purchase from a reseller shop. The leaves are fresh & green, the stalks are freshly cut. And it's a big bag.

Zenxin should be edged out of the supermarket shelves by a better & superior rival. Don't know why Giant supermarket only has Zenxin. Useless.

Oddly, our local organic farm produce don't appear on supermarket shelves & those interested have to make long trips to the individual farms. Odd because in other countries, their organic farm produce have markets & fairs among the communities.

I still haven't gotten enough enthusiasm to make the Kranji Express bus trip. It's just sooo farrr awayy...

With the high prices of just a few packets of organic produce, I end up eating less vegetables. I won't buy non-organic anymore.  If only there were more organic produce from Australia coming to Singapore & at cheaper, more affordable prices.

These non-organic companies are terrible. Even bananas are not safe. 

Unfortunately, non-organic bananas are really delicious. I love them very much. Easy, convenient & nutritious. But I've quit bananas after reading articles on banana pesticides.

Sad.

Unfortunately, organic bananas are very rare in organic shops. Seriously Rare. When they do appear in organic shops, they are green & don't seem able to ripen in the shop.

You people in Australia are lucky to have organic produce easily accessible & cheap. Don't take it for granted.