Down Under in Singapore

It's been a while since I have posted which in itself has been bad. This week, I have spent time cleaning my desk and moving into a new cubical. Always an interesting experience/event... cleaning up that is. I happened to find a copy of Top Spin that Bec Cartwright's husband signed, a business card from a talent agency from the time a talent agent spotted me in a Manila nightclub asking if I could star in some big movie or TV show (I think it was Manila's Most Wanted), some old training courses (remember the 7 Habits?) and even some CD-Rs. (These are the things that came before HD-DVDs, which are now subsequently out of date).

The first 2 months of the year have been a blur. February was a real blur. Things started with a business trip to Taiwan (specially Taipei). From what I saw, there was a lot of rain, a really tall building and some great street food. Traveling for work isn't always fun as work tends to get in the way of the travel...

I also traveled to Tokyo (where I went to my usual kebab shop in Shinjuku) and also Seoul in Korea. It was also my first visit to Korea. I got to see the office and the hotel, which incidentally is possibly the best hotel I have stayed in. The Park Hyatt rocks. I had a desire to eat Dog, but never found it.  I did manage to find Starbucks and also some Korean BBQ (though, I think in Korea, it's just called BBQ.. actually, it's probably called something else entirely considering most people don't speak English except for that lovely lady at the hotel reception that told me to call her anytime) Something interesting I ate in Tokyo was milt. It was so good, I went back for seconds. I would bore you with the details, but all I will say is that I think I have a feeling I know how women who really love their men (or are being paid a lot of money) feel while on their knees. Do I really need to paint a picture?

Winnie and I did manage to get away a couple of times during the month. Over Chinese New Year we went to Krabi in Thailand. Absolutely loved the place. The limestone cliffs were amazing. Food was cheap and the place wasn't as sleezy (I looked for the associated red light areas, but couldn't find any). I haven't updated my flickr site for a while, but this is one of the first things I will put up.

Later in the month, my family traveled to Hong Kong for my aunty Lucia and Uncle TC's wedding anniversary. It was good to catch up with family. My nephews have grown. Kevin has a lovely girlfriend that at least to my understanding he doesn't have to pay for (see photo below of Kevin trying to explain this to Nana) and my grandmother is still looking well for her age. Kevin and I are trying to tie up another Eurotrip later in the year with Nana. Hopefully this works out considering I don't need a reason to travel (I am fairly certain I inherited this trait from Nana) and Kevin is now living in London. My aunt was also looking great, considering she is still being treated for lung cancer. Seeing the number of friends and family members there that night, made me appreciate even more how the people around you shape your life and that its a cardinal sin to take for granted your loved ones.

As a family we had an opportunity to take some "professional" photos in a studio. Ok replace studio with "dodgy looking corner of a factory building". I am yet to see the photos, but I am told they looked good. What was interesting was that the camera man had an expensive camera (Canon) and used auto-focus. Now, I am not bitter that I wasn't asked to do this task (for free), but I did manage to take some semi-decent photos on the anniversary dinner night (again, I need to upload them to Flickr).

Next week, Winnie and I are off to Japan for a short trip. Tokyo, Hakone and Kyoto will be our stopping points. I am then back in Seattle at the end of March. Will update you guys along the way.

It's been a while since I have blogged. I managed to get to a few places late last year in Europe which as nice. Even managed another football game in Germany. Tokyo Game Show was fun as well.

Anyway, we spent Christmas and New Years back in Sydney. Still the best city in the world.

May you all have a great 2008. Will see you online.

No, it wasn't Tokyo Game Show, but it was a start (for Singapore). Last weekend, Singapore played host to the Cyber Convention Asia at Suntec City. As you can see it was a fascinating show to say the least... ok not really. It was rather small. The EA booth show cased some pretty cool games coming up from their end. Perhaps FIFA 08 will actually be different to FIFA 07, 06, 05... The Simpson's game did look good on the Xbox 360.

The Sony and Nintendo booths were surprisingly sparse and empty. There didn't appear to be a lot of interest for the PS3, but that could have been just the timing of when I was there. The Nintendo booth had women (booth babes) that I couldn't bring myself to take photos of as they looked like they were on their school holidays....

Next week I am off to Tokyo Game Show. Hopefully more to report from there. The few images I did take can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/doggiesrule04/sets/72157601971412399/

A couple of weekends ago Winnie and I had a wonderful opportunity to get away as for once the stars aligned and we were able to get some time off from work together. We took this opportunity to finally go and see Cambodia's most touristy town: Siem Reap. The first thing I noticed about this place was it has a wonderful airport. It seemed small, but fitting for such a great place.

The town itself was touristy to say the least. Hotels line the main street. Hotels with the name Angkor in it. Restaurants with the word Angkor in it. Massage places with the name Angkor in it. Reason for this is because Siem Reap is famous for the temples of Angkor. Angkor was at the heart of the Khmer Empire in its day and it is the most famous temple is Angkor Wat. (followed closely by Angkor When, How and Why.. boom boom.. groan..) After a great trip to Egypt earlier this year, Winnie and I made it a point to get to this place. I'd like to point out at this point of the blog that the fact that I work in the Computer Game industry and that Lara Croft may have been responsible for making this place all the more touristy, this was not a motive to come and visit this place.

Temple wise, the most impressive sites we saw were Angkor Thom, Angkor Wat, Preah Khan and Ta Phrom.

Angkor Thom was the first temple we went to visit. It was the last of the temples built in the Angkor era and was impressive architecturally. The gateway to Angkor Thom resembles the eye of a needle as bus loads of tourists try to go through it, while the top of the entrance shows a massive head, closely resembling Winnie's face after a big night out on the town. The Bayon, which is the center at the center of Angkor Thom is a large temple that has 54 towers each with a 4 sided massive head (think back to Winnie's face.) It's a bit of a climb to the top, but impressive nonetheless worth it. It's at this point of this blog that it's worth pointing out that the Angkor temples are a photographer's dream location. There are amble sites, as well as culture to be seen. If one actually knew what they were doing with their digital SLR that was purchased about 9 months ago, this would have been helpful. What may have been even more helpful is the fact that one should not go to this place during the wet season if you want to take sensational photographs.

Angkor Wat is impressive in that the pictures you see of this place does not do it justice. The size and feel of the temple is understated from the time you get out of your car to walk across the moat and up the causeway to the temples. It's not only until I got up close to the temples did I get a sense for just how huge it was. It's also at this point, I realised exactly how small the people of the time's feet must have been because the steps were tiny. I can honestly say it was an achievement to get to the top of the Angkor Wat temple (and then wait 30 minutes with the loads of tourists hanging on for dear life to get back down). Again a great place to take photos. Also a great place to test the patience of your marriage if you plan to go there twice a day to wait for that perfect sunlight moment to get that perfect shot depending on which way the sun is facing and which side of the temple you are shooting. (I love you dear).

Preah Khan and Ta Phrom were impressive for me because they appeared to be in a more rustic state as nature (the jungle) started to take over the temples. It was before the Ta Phrom in which I asked my one stupid ignorant tourist question for the trip and that was to ask about Angelina Jolie. You might remember her for such films as Hackers and for having a husband that is a dead set look alike of myself. Anyway, I did ask where where the Tomb Raider movie was filmed and whether she was famous in these parts. Of course my driver could have said anything (in terms of where the movie was filmed) and I would have believed him as to be honest, I really didn't pay much attention when I wasted 90 minutes of my life watching that movie. In terms of her being famous in Cambodia, this was a given as her child was adopted from there. So in going back to my original question, part of the movie was filmed in the Ta Phrom. Seeing massive trees growing throught the temples here was a sight to see. So were the hundreds of Japanese tourists taking photos of them..

The people in Cambodia were warm and friendly. It is somewhat heartbreaking to see kids on the street begging for anything and while I get annoyed at the average tourist scam, I did have a soft spot for the security guards who were trying to gain an extra buck in offering to be tourist guides. From the limited knowledge that I have about Cambodia's history, it's hard to imagine that the people there today are what was borne out of some of the happenings in the mid to late 1970s. Amazingly, the people today are happy and working to get an honest buck. Its a time in which I really do appreciate the things I have and try not to take for granted the fact that I've never had to go through anything remotely like that.

My last comment about Siem Reap was that it was hot. Freaking hot. I don't think I've stopped sweating yet now that I think about it. Sight seeing wise, Winnie and I did this in early mornings and later afternoons. The rest of the time was used to read about this guy called Harry Potter while sitting by a pool. Also, if you are worried about eating a roadside stalls there, don't be. We found the food to be excellent (and cheap). It's almost like Thai food, but not spicy (more herbs). Fish Amok was our favourite.

• Winnie and I have booked a trip to Cambodia (next week)
• The Asia Cup came and went. Australia went home on the same night I was stuck in an emergency ward for running into someone's elbow. (It wasn't Vinnie Grella's). Kids, all I will say that in cricket, if a ball is skied, one should always call for it...
• I discovered http://www.tafiti.com/
• I started reading Harry Potter Books (finished the first 3 so far)
• I've logged 2 complaints against Comfort, the taxi company in Singapore. Might start making a habit of this..
• I got an Xbox 360 HD-DVD player
• Winnie and I have moved apartments. (Geylang)
• The Singapore National Day came and passed.
• I saw Transformers 3 times
• I wanted to watch Transfomers 33 more times...
• I tried Dragon boating a couple of times and vowed to go back again.
• I never went back to do dragon boating again.

Today is Eat Dinner with your Family day at work. People are leaving work now (office closes at 3pm today). While I could write about the comedy that is "Eat with your Family Day" during Family week (a government initiative), that would be too easy to pick on.

Instead, at the stroke of 2:54pm today Singapore time, we were greeted with what looked like a twister over the East Coast of Singapore this afternoon. Here is a photo one of the gals took from the office.

Can't say that this is something you see everyday. (Glad I skipped that last meeting I had today...) I used to make fun of the fact that they even have weather reports here in Singapore, let alone the fact that they have weather reports for different parts of Singapore. Must be hard to predict weather that is always around 30 degrees, hot, steamy with afternoon showers. I even noticed that there is a Windows Vista gadget specfically to track Singapore weather by regions on the island. Won't be making fun of this anymore...

 As part of the Make A Wish Foundation’s Konsole for Kids Charity Auction in Australia, (http://www.xbox.com/en-AU/konsolesforkids/viewall/) you can now bid for former Miss Universe: Jennifer Hawkin’s Xbox 360 console?

Ok, it's not actually her console, but a console that has her airbrushed on it. I am certain this is the first time an airbrush has been associated with this lass.

You can bid here for it. Bidding ends on the 30th of April 07: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320105752079

It's been an interesting couple of weeks in good old Singapore.

After getting back from a family visit in Hong Kong, like has consisted of work, gym, eating, playing Xbox and reading Running with Scissors. Work, gym and Xbox have been pretty much the same (though going through Star Wars Lego II has been fun). Running with Scissors is a little twisted, dry and really out there. Some very funny bits, but overall it makes me appreciate the fact that I think I had a normal childhood (if there is such a thing). Last weekend Winnie and I went back to Mayan Sari @ Bintan for some R&R. Great weather and the water was warm. What more could you ask for?

While I have had some time on the ground in Singapore, I have had a chance to do some reflection in terms of what life is like here. It has almost been 2 years (June) since I moved here and I think I am getting into the swing of things. For example, I finally noticed that Subways (Eat Fresh!) are really popular here. I would say I go there for lunch about once a week... Not only is there often a queue, but I also finally noticed that they have a meal of the day.. and it's actually pretty good value. I can literally save $1 a day. It took me a while, but I now know how to save money in lunch. (I must be getting more local, though to be fair, I always was a tightarse before I came here. I should however look at getting my eyesight checked.)

Talking about saving money, I got into a semi-disagreement with a taxi driver the other night near Orchard Road. The time was about 7:59pm and 40 seconds. I know this, because we were about to enter the ERP (Electronic toll) and the cabbie decided to pull over (along with at least 3 other cars in front of us). I thought there was an accident up ahead or thought that (along with my eyesight) my hearing might be having issues and that an ambulance was behind us. Then I remembered (poor memory to add to my other issues) that I was in Singapore and no one pulls over to allow emergency vehicles through. I quizzed the taxi driver for an explanation for his sudden braking and he said he wanted to save me $1 by waiting 20 seconds for 8pm to come about so that I would not have to pay the ERP. After arguing for him to move (he didn't) for about 21 seconds, the ERP turned off and we went through. I did save $1. I'm wasn't sure at the time if this could be considered kiasu behaviour as the only fear of losing would be the loss of $1. That's SGD$1, or USD0.75.

Funnily enough, I did find out what Kiasu behaviour is at work. (it's happened twice now at work and I don't normally blog about work, but the first time involved people taking multiple items from my desktop when I said I was moving desks. Items of value in which I would have thought people understood to take one each, but obviously this was mistaken for one armload each).

On this new occasion, I must admit that I was part of this behaviour, but for a good reason (there is always one right). After following a girl in a miniskirt down the hall (this wasn't the good reason.. it was a good reason, but not the reason), I noticed that they were having an IT day in which vendors were selling IT goods to the staff in our office. They were also selling $5 headsets (of good quality) and a queue had formed. Some in the office joined the queue without knowing what the queue was for (to those who don't live here, this is absolutely normal behaviour). Others like me asked what was going on and just asked others to buy me a set. Now, the issue here is not so much the fact that the headphones were cheap. It's just that I have about 10 sets of headphones at the moment (and only one head... [Insert immature joke here] and 2 ears). I clearly don't need new headsets, but I figured since everyone else was getting them, I should join along..

Probably a sign to move to a new country...

A few things happening at the moment. Firstly...Taken from Yahoo News...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A senior White House official on Tuesday admitted he was floored by the news that Singapore's prime minister earned five times more than US President George W. Bush.

"I'm going to emigrate and run for office in Singapore," the official said on condition he be identified only as "a senior administration official who sits in disbelief after reading that story."

On Monday, the Singapore government had announced a fresh 25.5 percent pay hike for Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, boosting his salary to 2.05 million dollars per year.

Bush gets paid 400,000 dollars per year for doing his job, according to the White House.

Combined with personal investment income, he and his wife Laura reported 618,694 dollars in taxable income in the 2005 fiscal year. They had to pay 187,768 dollars in federal taxes.

But maybe Bush shouldn't feel so bad. The Singaporean's paycheck is eight times fatter than Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's.

I don't have a huge issue about anyone's pay increase. Best luck to the sod that gets his or her increase. What really stuns me is that the way the media here seems to feel the need to justify to everyone why this is necessary. When the media does this, I think that it's only PROPA that we look at the GANDAs in our media literate society.

Clearly this is something that concerns people as money does around here. You could hear the mad rush of people lining up and then re-lining up for the free ice-creams that Ben and Jerry's were giving out yesterday. Maybe everyone next year should consider getting 22.5% more ice-cream. That way, you can feel somewhat better about the lack of money in your pay check.

Lastly on Sunday, Winnie and I went to watch the Phantom of the Opera @ the Esplanade (The 2 big durians in town). Nice show and a great evening. We have been seen this show previously in Sydney, but it was a good opportunity to see our first Musical in Singapore. Prices are a little more steep (see, money is important), the theatre itself was great. Also, I really appreciated the nice touches they add to musicals here. They strategically place musicians around the theatre (we were in the dress circle) with their Mobile phones and they let them go off at specific moments during the show. For example, in the climatic scene in which the Phantom sings to Christine about of the Music of the Night, a few sudden beeps of the old Nokia at the punchline of the song, only adds to the greatness of the musical that I am sure Andrew Lloyd Webber tried to inspire.