Rant 1207 / Now I Can Art

13 Nov 2014

Bought a bouquet of statice from Far East Flora at Thomson at $13.60

After a day of pressing in a thick book under two other thick books.

After 3 days of pressing.

Lending her a book and decided to give her a surprise.

Her reaction was kinda mild though. Maybe she's just as shy as I am. It's been 4 dates and I still haven't got the guts to hold her hands - the furthest I went was to put my arm around her shoulders.

Next date I'll do it.


















23 Nov 2014

The stuff above didn't work. She abruptly stopped talking after the evening of the date. It was weird because the last thing we talked about was an exhibit and she had promised to go. I have a rough idea what happened, on hindsight, and surprisingly, I am not that upset about it.

Got another target now. Haven't seen her before so wondering if she's overweight. We can chat though, mostly because she seems chatty. Will see her on the coming Sunday.

My 桃花运 (luck in romance?) has been pretty good recently. First the 4 dates with that girl, now this.

How it started is pretty unbelievable, except it actually happened.

So I went to an online forum I frequent and said," Ok I've just returned to 'single without target' from being 'single with target'. I bet some ladies are probably happy now because they have a chance."

Yea, I don't know why I got so egotistic there but somehow I just typed that.

Half an hour later, a girl asked if she could have "a queue ticket". Whether it was a joke or not, I didn't know, but I did tell her to PM me if she was serious.

Then someone reminded me that "all the cards are on the table" and I should make the first move.

So I did. Next Sunday, date promised.



















The 3-part documentary series "The High Art of the Low Countries" is awesome if you're want a better understanding of Dutch art, including those of Van Gogh and Rembrandt.

The narration was just so clear and informative that even I can understand something of the appeal of Rembrandt's works now. When I go to Amsterdam next year, it will be easier for me to appreciate the works displayed in the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum.

Before this, I had no idea what Rembrandt was about. Heard of the name but that was it. Now I know that his works tend to be more than meets the eye, like in the case of The Night Watch.

At first glance it appears to be a painting of a group of militia about to set out to do something, maybe to a battle. Their weapons are ready and they stand proudly, their leader is making the signal to march.

But if we take a closer look, there is quite a different picture in the details.

First, the man in orange on the left is loading his musket as if he barely knows what he's doing, holding the tube gently, and is afraid that his fingers may get blown off. Second, the shorter man in the centre left behind the main character in black has accidentally misfired, almost hitting another man. Third, the man in dark red on the centre right, behind the man in yellow, is studying his gun as if he doesn't know much about it.

Finally, why on earth are they wearing such finery if they're soldiers about to march?

This showed me one thing about art - in order to appreciate art, you have to be able to take in and process a lot of details that we may normally unconsciously filter away.

Anyway, the group paid Rembrandt handsomely for this piece of work without knowing he was really mocking them in it.

Rant 1206 / Just Wow.

10 Nov

So my bro just got a computer from Googoo Custom Computers. Pretty cool. It's probably the first custom PC website in SG, so now we don't have to go to that terrible place known as Sim Lim Square anymore.

But my PC has no issue at the moment so I don't need their service. Looks good though.























Just agreed to go to Amsterdam on the first week of Feb 2015. Just one week. There is only a rough plan of visiting the city for 4 days and then probably Berlin for another 3.

Initially wanted a stopover at Berlin or Doha but realized the air fare won't be worth it. Instead, we'll take a train to Berlin, but we won't be booking it in advance. While looking for train tickets, we checked the various websites and got some low prices from some third party website, but the cheapest was not available when we tried to search on the website of the carrier itself.

At that point, a friend who was present last night but won't be going with us suggested that we should just buy the tickets there since it won't be peak season and it can be cheaper since we aren't booking early enough to get early bird discounts.

Later she told me that's partly to see if everyone was as easygoing as they claimed to be.

We decided that that was ok, and at worst we could just go somewhere else. Amsterdam is close to so many other interesting cities anyway.

And we'll be renting an apartment. Woot!

Looks like I'll be flying A LOT in the next several months.

12 Dec to 5 Jan: NZ
21 Jan to 27 Jan: Seoul
31 Jan to 9 Feb: Amsterdam + Berlin
18 Feb to 1 Mar: HK + ??? (Unconfirmed)

I really wish the ABTC will get approved soon so that I can use it for three of these trips.

Since the application date was in the middle of September, hopefully it will arrive in time for my NZ trip.






















Also bought an annual travel insurance policy from Liberty. Totally worth it now.





















11 Nov

Nothing on my shopping list despite the sales online.





















12 Nov

Bought nothing from the sales.


















Made some mistakes but it was fine later. I feel stupid though. Wrote a cheque to my corporate bank account and wrote the account of my personal account in the same bank on the back.




















Don't think I'll make it into my cousin's firm.

Rant 1205 / So Many Firsts Again

So my Applecare has expired over half a year ago. Though this is one reason why I'm tempted to upgrade to a new iPad, it doesn't seem necessary right now. In fact, the only real issue with it is the updates - they are so big these days that I have to delete a lot of stuff to make space in my 16GB of memory.

Lesson learnt: spend a bit more next time and get at least 64GB.

At this rate, I'll have to wipe out everything to install updates in 2016.

Everything else is fine though. Absolutely no need to get a new iPad yet.


























Went to Diamond Walker to take a look. Kinda interested in getting a pair of chelsea boots but not worth it to me yet. S$600+ minimum so I'd rather spend that kind of money on a pair of working shoes first. Still considering if I should buy a pair in Korea, although I probably won't. If I really wanted to, I could have visited the John Lobb in Taipei.

$600+ was just for a pair of shoes with the cheapest leather and soles. If I wanted better stuff, it would have exceeded $1000. At that range, I might as well fork out a little more and get a pair of John Lobb's City II.

The main thing about Diamond Walker is that they offer different colours and leather types for each part of the shoe, so you can have really funky styles without paying a lot more. But I'm only interested in getting better shoes for work right now, so John Lobb would be a better option.





















Went out with a girl on Saturday. I think this will be my first real success. Hopefully it's the only one I will ever need in this part of my life. The first date wasn't even over when we discussed our second date lol

She's a high-flyer though, travels a lot and stays in hotels more often than I thought anyone her age could. Heck, she had enough points in her card to get a free week-long stay in some resort in Bali because she charges her expenses to her own card before requesting for the money from her company.

Seems to like me well enough even before the date to want to chat everyday, so things are looking up again!

We went to the potted plant shops/nurseries at Thomson Road because she liked flowers. Learnt quite a bit about her during the walk, such as her favourite colours and some things about her family. Ate at Junction 8, relatively cheap fare compared to what she eats at her company's expense every night when she's overseas, and right now, she's overseas every weekday. Just flew off just now (Sunday night).

Such an adorable girl, but I don't think I will say more about her here.





















Went to what we call a "hang flower joint" for the first time on Friday night. It was unplanned because I was only going to a concert where a friend was performing. Apparently she had a good impression of me during our trip to the shotgun range and a guy friend decided to give us an opportunity to really interact.

But I already got a date with someone more interesting so I just went to make friends with her, no more than that.

After the supper, I decided to follow that guy who helped us to join his friends to drink. After some discussion, they decided to go to a hang flower joint.

It was certainly educational.

The basic idea is that while some pubs have ladies who accompany you to try to make you drink more, in this sort of place, you are given the opportunity to bid for the girl you want.

At first, they just walk around or sit around till you try to make conversation with them.

Some time later, they will go to the stage where guys can pay real money to bid for girls. The girls will go to the winning table while the rest will return to the table they were at before.

We managed to get a group of Korean girls and they were friendly enough, but TBH quite average looking although their typically Korean thick makeup made them looked good. One of them was with me most of the night and really tried to make me drink even though I was quite stiff throughout the night.

Despite my friend's weak attempt at persuading me to bid for her, I refused to pay for her. Somehow she got a bid though, and everyone thought it was from me. She even came over to thank me but I told her the truth. The winner turned out to be a group of Indian guys who were at a table near us, and the funny thing was that after a while, she came back to me even though I was clearly far less fun and unwilling to tip.

The reason was that they kept trying to feel her. I guess that's a valid enough reason, even though I had the impression that that's the norm in her job. In contrast, I barely wanted to touch her. At most, I just pat her on the back or held her shoulder whenever she won for me at dice.

Initially we played "scissors paper stone", aka "rock paper scissors", and I kept winning (because we kept picking the same at first but she always rotated among the three, never repeating the previous), so she gave up after several glasses. Then we played dice with a few others, and since I was already all red from the few glasses I had, we teamed up and she played while I drank if she lost. She never did. That was why I patted her back and held her shoulder.

Near the end, after we finished our tower and she failed to persuade us to get another, she walked over to an empty table and watched the stage. It was then that the friend told me I should tip her, and at the same time I felt that she had tried so hard on a guy like me, so I did. Took out a $50 note, walked to her, put my right arm around her shoulders while holding the bill in my other palm, and held her hand. For some reason, she gripped my hand (and the money) really hard. Still don't get why. Then she returned to the table even though there was no reason for her to do so since I neither danced nor chatted with her. She tried to make me dance before. Didn't work.

Since it was late, we left soon after, and coincidentally, the place closed about 3, so by the time we were done with the washroom, the girls were leaving too, and we left with them.

I was not in their car, but I've never seen a girl get so enthusiastic at waving to me at 3am. Maybe it helped that I remembered her name when I said goodbye to her. The biggest possibility, however, was that I had given her a rather large tip for nothing (from her perspective). Another possible reason was that she usually didn't get any tip this big.

On a somewhat unrelated note, it's possible to bring them home for sex for free if they like you well enough. Some will want payment though, but all these are negotiated privately.

The next time my cousin comes over, I now have friends who can recommend me such places, and if that fails, I now know one place to bring him and his friends to, and explain how the system works.

Also, that place was rather cheap. $50 isn't a big tip for such ladies in Singapore, hence the ladies there weren't that good-looking.

TBH I just pity them, hence I'd rather if I never have to use their services at all. Blaming them for taking this path is like blaming MCD for obesity - if there's no demand, they wouldn't be there in the first place, yes?

I just wonder what kind of issues made them turn to this trade.

Rant 1204 / My First Trip To Taipei Alone

30 Sept 2014




Booked 2 limo airport transfers for this Taiwan trip, but only on the SG side.

I get one free transfer for every hotel/flight charged to my Prestige card exceeding $500, up to 4 per year.

Since I won't be needing any till the NZ trip in Dec, they might as well get used up asap. Right now, I'll probably only use up three.

Wonder what sort of car they use for this.

The trip to the airport is an overkill since I'm going during off-peak hours and cabs will be easy to find, but the trip back home will be totally worth it since there's the airport surcharge and the peak hour surcharge. Overall, I'll be saving about $50-60 on cab fares.

But the best news I'm getting is that they just made a change to the Priority Pass airport lounge access - it's now unlimited instead of just 4 per year, but only for the primary cardholder. Although the supplementary card is free, it doesn't get this perk.

I think this also means no guests :(

But I won't be needing this access in SG before flying to Taipei. Not sure about the way back, but it's possible to try out the one at Taoyuan, depending on my schedule.

It's great that this isn't linked to Citigold, but the Prestige card, since I don't plan to remain as a Citigold member for very long.


























08 Oct 2014

Ok this trip to Taiwan was a lot more interesting than most of the other trips I've been on in recent years, hence it's worth the effort to record it here.

It began with the free limo ride from home. The taxi driver sent me a SMS to inform me that he's already downstairs and I went down. It's like taking a Mercedes taxi except all I need to do is sign a form at the end of the journey.

Arriving a little early, I decided to try using my Priority Pass card from Citibank to check out the airport lounges here. Note that there seem to be at least two tiers of lounges at Changi Airport, the first being the premier lounges located separately hosted by organizations like DBS Treasures, and the second being lounges like this Ambassador Transit Lounge I visited.

The sticker that works as the entry pass

Free flow buffet and drinks but they were not impressive. Main thing seems to be that the lounge was awesomely quiet - great for napping in.

The view at the outdoor area wasn't that great, although it was the same view as the Skygarden. In fact, the outdoor area was just a fenced-off section of one end of the Skygarden.

Exchange rate at Taoyuan airport was better than that found at Changi.

Astar Hotel at Zhongshan. Not too bad for a boutique hotel, enough for 3 stars even though boutique hotels technically have no stars. Old though, hence the low rate of about S$80 per night despite the location. Speaking of location, Zhongshan is apparently known for its sleazy bars and KTV lounges. Didn't know that until a tour guide mentioned it. In Taiwan, if a bar/KTV lounge has a Japanese name, it's probably sleazy because the Japanese like to indulge in that sort of thing after a hard day's work.

This may be the only time when I didn't make full use of the tub. In fact I only soaked in it twice in the 7 days I was there, mainly because the lighting and decoration made the water seem yellowish and I couldn't tell if it was actually really yellowish.

My first 卤肉饭 (braised pork rice) in Taiwan. It was awesome!

粉肠汤 (small intestines soup)

And that was my dinner.

 

And that was breakfast. A simple stir-fried cabbage, a braised egg and a bowl of fish-and-cockles porridge.

 A temple near the wholesale market I visited.

Another nearby temple which was also near the Raohe Night Market, and this one was way bigger.

Don't ask me why...

Taiwanese temples are pretty modern these days.

An art installation nearby.

Third cup of bubble tea for the day and it wasn't even 4pm yet.

肉圆 (meatball, Taiwanese style)

A squirrel! Spotted while resting on a bench in the park.

Beef cubes at the night market. This is the teriyaki flavour - just the same beef cubes with teriyaki sauce.

鲜肉包 (meat bun)

Beancurd dessert

卤味 (braised... everything)

 炸牛奶 (fried milk)

Also bought the braised stuff back because it wasn't very comfortable to eat there.

And some fried crabs. 200NTD for this. Not too bad.

And some fried prawns. Also 200NTD.

 4th day. Went to take a half-day tour and it began with a gondola ride to Maokong, and we took the Crystal Cabin which had a transparent floor. Very long queue for this even though it costs more than regular cabins which also had no queue.

 View from the station.

 Long queue for Crystal Cabins.

 Transparent floor

 Every station had this map.

 Temples everywhere!

 Tea plantations everywhere since this area was known for tea cultivation.

 Street food at Maokong station but it was full of tourists. Instead we went straight to the next stop.

The tea promotion institute

 Free tieguanyin

Free pastries from the tour agency

The tea bible.

Different types of tea

A tea flower. Eventually it will bear fruit and produce seeds that are used to make tea oil.

A nearby street with lots of food stalls, it's supposed to be pretty old and is known for its fermented beancurd, although another thing I feel is unique is the tea-related food like the pastries made with tea seeds.

Pastries made with tea seeds.

油饭, some sort of glutinous rice with mushrooms and meat sauce.

Grilled chicken butts. Literally tastes like ass. And ass tastes good.

Fermented beancurd.

Lunch. This place is almost impossible to get to without a car. We did see one cyclist on our way back though.

Those noodles are handmade and residents nearby do come over to buy some, as a few did during our meal there.

Boiling the noodles for us.

Original plain noodles and green-tea-flavoured noodles, mixed with tea oil. Very nice. Unfortunately a little plain or we would have eaten more. No side dishes available.

Our noodles normally costs 50NTD per pax.

How they make their noodles.

More tea plantations. Apparently you should see a hammerhead shark in the middle of the oxbow lake and a dolphin to the right.

Malt sugar!

They also make 腐乳 (another kind of fermented beancurd), fermented soy beans and soy sauce.

Here they prepare the glutinous rice for the malt sugar.

Original flavour.

Special flavour, made with these three ingredients in addition to the malt sugar.

How it's made.

They also sell biscuits made from the beans but those received the least amount of attention.

A closer shot of the rice.

The sprouts used for the malt sugar. They are grown indoor to keep them from growing green, since green sprouts turn the mix bitter.

卤肉饭便当加猪脚 (braised meat lunch set with an additional side of braised pig trotters)

Plus an additional side of braised large intestines. And that was dinner.

 Sun Yet Sen Memorial Hall

 Dance groups practising outside.

 Meat roll

 Chinese chives bun

 Meat bun (again)

 Mushroom and pork porridge, small size.

 Fried squid, pretty good.

 A local market

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. I'm surprised a guy like him has a bigger hall than Sun Yat Sen, but then again, Sun Yat Sen didn't choose his.

 His MRT station even has that.

Pig's blood soup! Was at a night market tour where I met my tour guide who was kinda cute and extremely friendly. Even took photos of me posing with other food with her phone, but I'm not posting those here.

Small sausage wrapped in big sausage.

 It's a meat sausage in an even bigger rice sausage.

Braised duck head, duck neck, 甜不辣.

Found the Confucius Temple.

 But first, breakfast.

 Back to the temple.

 Cute lol.

 I like the concept but we won't be seeing them anytime soon in Singapore.

 Peanut ice cream. She shaved the peanut candy and put it on some crushed peanuts and ice cream.

 Taipei 101

Long queue for the tickets.

 The other half of the ticket queue.

 The queue for the elevator.

 Taiwan beer, just trying out of curiosity.

Ordered a personal name seal here the following morning.

 That's his namecard. 1600NTD for this, might have been a little too much, but it seemed good.

Took the MRT to Danshui (Tamsui) because the girl who was my tour guide at the night market the other night offered to bring me around in this area.

That's Bali, just not the one in Indonesia.

This place was where the Japanese used to store their petroleum products and got bombed to smithereens by the Americans.

 A1 gei3. it looks interesting and is a giant dumpling containing rice vermicelli and some other stuff and covered in some kind of red sweet sauce.

 And that was dinner.

 The next morning, she got up early to bring me to have some beef noodles and since we were early, I decided to have this first.This chain is very popular, even on weekdays but we were so early the place was empty.

The beef noodles (with beef tendons). The ambience was bad though. If felt as though they were rushing everyone to eat quickly and go.

 Had one last braised pork rice at the airport lounge for free before leaving.

 Free limo ride from my credit card. Frickin awesome!

In the process of moving all the way down...

I literally just laid down for most of the journey home from the airport after exploring enough. And I didn't have to queue!

Too bad this airport transfer is only available for free four times a year.