Hong Kong Trip 2017 - Day 5

Day 5 was the day we returned to sunny and humid Singapore to resume our normal lives again.  After we had some light breakfast which consisted of cookies and tea, we just walked around the hotel to explore.

The lovable Mickey & Minnie mouse - LG G5

Hong Kong Trip 2017 - Day 4

On day 4 of our trip, we started with a buffet breakfast at the Disneyland Hotel's Enchanted Garden.  It was a character breakfast where various Disney characters will walk around and take photos with us.

The buffet spread was amazing; lots of variety and cutely decorated Disney character food.  Need I say more?

Just look at all that food!  Too many choices! - X-T2 + XF16mm F1.4R

Hong Kong Trip 2017 - Day 2

Day 2 started at 9 in the morning.  We planned to visit Citygate Outlets (https://www.citygateoutlets.com.hk/)  at Tung Chung which is approximately 45 minutes away from Tsim Sha Tsui.  However prior to that we made a quick visit to Jenny's Bakery to buy all the cookies my wife wanted so that we could settle the packing later on that night.

Jenny's Bakery Tsim Sha Tsui - LG G5

Hong Kong Trip 2017 - Day 1

During the March school term break we took a 5 day trip to Hong Kong.  It was the first time the kids went to some place other than Indonesia.  The weather was very nice too, at a cooling 17-21 degrees Celsius.

It was very exciting from the very beginning, we couldn't wait for the plane to take off once we were on board.

Waiting for other passengers to board - LG G5

Seoul Biz Trip Feb 2017 - 안녕하세요

Last week I just came back from a business trip to Seoul.  It was the first time in my life I had ever been to South Korea as I had never thought of or imagined travelling here. It was definitely an eye opening trip for me.

The Singapore to Seoul flight was at 2:45 a.m. in the morning, I really hate night flights because I have trouble sleeping in aeroplanes, and true enough I could only manage 1 hour of sleep in that 6 hours flight.  I was in the same flight as my boss by the way, but we had different seating.

That's the plane to Seoul - RX100Mk3

Home Made Cold Brew (みずだし)

So a colleague in office told me that he likes cold brew coffee.  I had tried one in Starbucks but was not really impressed by it so I dismissed it as some hipster brewing method for people with too much time.  However, I also know this colleague of mine to have quite a distinguished palate - at least for coffee.  So if he said cold brew is good, then it must be good.  Perhaps the one in Starbucks had not been up to my standard, so I thought I'll try to brew one myself.

The brewing instrument I use this time is a Hario Mizudashi pot.  I bought this pot in Batam 6 years ago and used it to brew tea instead....  Well, now I use it to brew coffee.  

As for the coffee itself, I used 100% Java Arabica at 100 grams.  The ground has to be medium coarse.  A good reason for a medium coarse ground is so that the water can pass through the ground coffee and then through the filter when you pour it in.  Coffee connoisseurs might say that it is for better taste and less grimy final solution (whether coarse or fine you'll still see some sludge deposit at the bottom of the container).  Well, I'll just say use medium coarse ground and let it stay at that.  

100 grams of Java Arabica from Excelso

The First 3 Weeks of 2017

By now, Lincoln had finished 3 weeks of Primary 1.  It has been a trying period for him, I & my wife.  There's no change in the time he has to wake up every morning, but his new routine (which is not well controlled) is causing quite a bit of problem.  Fortunately Lindsay has been adapting well in her new child care, Mandarin and reading class, I just regret that I have been neglecting her studies as I'm too preoccupied with Lincoln.

Lincoln's problems:

1. he doesn't want to take naps after school and since both I and my wife are working, nobody can force him to - this means that by the time I get home and guide him to do his homework he'll be too sleepy to pay attention.  I end up having to blow my top every weeknights just to guide him with schoolwork.

2. he doesn't jot down his homework details so I don't know whether he's doing enough or less or more... But after the 1st parent teacher meeting yesterday, I can safely say he's not doing enough..

3. his Mandarin is..... hopeless I guess.... he just can't remember the letters and he can't get his 笔画right. With weekly 听写on every Tuesday, that's also giving me a lot of pressure..

4. Due to 1 to 3 above, Lincoln has been showing his rebellious side more prominently as of late, partly because I limit his TV time to weekends only now.  No tablets and phones either.

The teachers will list down the homework there, but Lincoln just won't write them down in his communication book - took that photo during parent teacher meeting yesterday

Lincoln's Graduation Party

Last Friday was Lincoln's graduation party at his school - he's already on full holiday now, getting ready for his trip to Purwokerto next Monday.  The party was a private event for the graduating class of 2016.  It was an intimate gathering for the kids as they were about to say their goodbyes to each other soon.  For Lincoln it was just 3 days away from his last day there.

Lining up to get their graduation presents

Double Promotion - Orange Belt 7th Kyu!

I went for my grading 5 weeks ago and got a double promotion.  From 10th kyu to 7th kyu.  In belt language that means I'm an orange belt now.  So I skipped yellow belt and went straight from white to orange.  Lincoln didn't join me in grading that time because he still couldn't remember his Heian Shodan (平安初段) and Gohon Kumite (五本組手) steps.  

My "new" orange belt

Linc's P1 Orientation

Last Friday Lincoln and I attended his school orientation at Zhangde primary school.  It was an important session as it was the 1st time I had to send my child to Primary 1.  It was the time to get some knowledge and information on what he has to do/bring to school, what should I do as a parent, etc, etc.

Lincoln was the first in his class to assemble.  I was rushing to make sure I get the good seat!

First Student to Arrive!

Lousy Weeks

It's been quite a while since my last entry.  Things had been crazy too.  A slew of major enhancements were released for one of my projects.  Testing was complex, even up till now there's still one function which I'm not confident to wrap up.  At least most are already cleared...

And some news concerning work came early this week too which no doubt caused some jitters (http://www.seatrade-maritime.com/news/asia/japan-s-k-line-mol-nyk-to-integrate-container-shipping-business.html) in the office.  With the current market situation however, this is a logical move, better to merge, be lean and efficient than to sink (like Hanjin...) although it will come at some major expense on the staffs of the 3 companies who, if fortunate enough will be re-deployed to the new company or other existing businesses else it's the door for some of them.  

I'm actually more angry than disappointed at this news.  I mean, I've been working on the project for 3 years by now and there's a chance that it might not go off.  Even if it does go live, usage will be limited to less than 2 years if the merger plans go according to schedule.  

Performance wise, I know that I've been doing quite well too and I had been looking forward to next year's appraisal.  But with things the way they are now I'm back to square one.   

Going forward, I have to maintain a positive outlook and see this as an opportunity, although exactly for what, I don't know just yet.  I'll be waiting and looking out for some signs (which will somehow appear, I hope..).  

Here's a closing for this "lousy" entry: 

Coconut Ice Cream + Jellied Water Chestnut From Co+Nut+Ink at Esplanade

~ Photo taken with LG G5 ~

Tex-Mex Fridate

[UPDATE: Coyote Tex-Mex has since been closed]

Last Friday I & my wife had a Tex-Mex themed Fridate.  We visited this place called Coyote Tex-Mex (http://www.coyote.com.sg/).  It's a nice, quiet and romantic place in Phoenix Park, Tanglin.  The place was just recently re-opened under the same management; the establishment was formerly called Spruce (http://www.spruce.com.sg/) and they used to serve American & Italian food.  That's the most likely reason why you can still find a small selection of Italian dishes in Coyote's menu.  The original Spruce still operates in Bukit Timah now.

For us, it was certainly a nice welcome change from our usual Italian, Japanese or Western fridates which has become somewhat predictable, if not, routine.

Coyote does not disappoint.  The ambiance is very nice, food is good, friendly staffs, child friendly environment too - although you might want to bring a mosquito repellent for them in case you want to let them play in the bouncy play ground downstairs - not that I'm saying they have mosquitoes there but it's always better to be safe than sorry.

Wifey wanted terrace seat as it was very cold inside, it was raining whole day so outdoor seating was pleasantly breezy

My Brain Close Shop on Weekends

Lately I mean.... Seriously, for the past 3 months or so, weekends have been spent ferrying kids to the tuitions and activity classes that I seldom get quality rest and self-time on weekends....  It does not help that I feel work has been unrewarding too as of late; I have reached this state of "hidup segan mati pun tak mau" - it keeps things running but no more than that.

Saturday morning starts with taking Lincoln to his reading class, after that we go for lunch and he continues with his Mandarin class while I do the weekly grocery shopping.  Previously I would shop with my wife but she has since been taking Muay Thai classes on every Saturday afternoon so I shop alone now.  After that I'll pick up Lincoln and we head back home and it's time for me to exercise and finally help Lincoln with his homework or just play around with the kids.

Sunday starts even earlier than Saturday with Lindsay's ballet class, followed by brunch, an hour or two of family time and then karate class for Lincoln and myself.  Karate class is the only thing I look forward to on weekends (other than spending time with the kids), it's the time when I can have some sort of meditation (funny yeah... karate for meditation..).  After class I still have to do more homework catch-up with Lincoln in case we didn't finish it on the night before.

I really enjoy the karate class, especially when practicing and doing Kata (型).  The swishing and flapping sounds my Gi makes is familiarly soothing.  In a way, I'm putting back the puzzle pieces together after 22 years of not practicing karate.  I can see that "黒帯" (black belt) within reach even as I'm starting at white again now.

Sometimes I feel like my weekend is just as jam-packed as my weekdays and I'm on auto-pilot almost everyday, which I don't really enjoy....  That's why on weekends it feels like my brain "close-shop" too.

Here's a closing shot for this "brainless" rambling:

"Closed" sign at Lincoln's Reading Class - that bokeh is real not fake like the one in iPhone 7 ;p

  ~ Photo taken with LG G5 ~

So.... What's Up Doc?

Got myself an ASUS RT-AC88U router as my main router to replace my (close to) 2 years old D-Link DIR-868L.  It's not a bad router but when having more devices connected in the house, having faster speed is not such a bad thing: AC3100 vs. AC1750.

So far I've been getting by with that DIR-868L and a DAP 1665, which at AC1200 is really slow when I have many devices turned on at the same time.

My plan is to use the RT-AC88U as my main router and turn the DIR-868L into an Access Point.  It will be a very powerful access point at AC1750 with 6 internal antenna and smartbeam technology.

First phase is of course to install the main router which is really a piece of cake:

RT-AC88U after installation

Another Quiet Week

This week has been rather uneventful as Lindsay and I are both sick.  I still haven't recovered from my 1 week old flu while Lindsay must have gotten the flu from me; she'd been having fever for the last 2 days and still going on now.

On Saturday I decided to take the kids to Marina Bay Sands for a stroll.  My wife suggested that we should have lunch at the DC Superheroes Cafe - a DC Universe thematic restaurant in Marina Bay Sands Shoppe.  It was an interesting restaurant serving western food with DC super heroes' attributes.  The restaurant has a strong American feel (which I mean by decorations and food served).  It was an opportunity to try out new things in a new ambiance.

I had a Superman themed "Smallville Burger Set" which is not bad actually.  The nachos' dip was tasty and the burger itself was not bad.  The patty was juicy albeit tasting a bit strange since it was chicken - I reckon they should have just served a crispy fried chicken rather than mince it - but overall quite delicious.

That's my lunch!  Couldn't finish the nachos so asked for the kids' help to finish them

Finally Registered Lincoln For Primary 1

Last month was the time we had to register Lincoln for a place in Primary 1.  I had wanted to try my luck registering him in a good (or rather, "famous") school, the choices being Radin Mas primary school or Alexandra primary school.  I thought that being born in a tiger year which is not a very popular year, he might have a good chance to get into either of these famous schools.  (I don't know why I kept on typing "famouse", I guess reading Geronimo Stilton books with Lincoln really got into me!!)

When the phase for his registration was about to start, I was very hopeful because there were quite a number of vacancies left in each school, between 16% to 20% of the total available vacancy.  However, by day 2 any hopes to get into either of those school were completely dashed.  They were oversubscribed.

Mount Faber Fridate

It's been a while since my last post.  Been very busy....  Registered Lincoln for his primary 1 next year, getting 2 new fish tanks for the wife (it's her hobby but I'm the one footing the bill..) and quite a few others...  Been feeling under the weather too with a flu.

Last Friday was me & my wife's fridate as usual.  This time I decided to go to a slightly more romantic place at Mount Faber.  We live quite near to Mount Faber but never really visited the place in the last 10 years I've lived in Tiong Bahru.  Better late than never!

The venue for our Fridate is a restaurant called Spuds and Aprons at Faber Peak.  The restaurant's ambiance and view is spectacular.  Food is certainly above average, though still need quite a bit of effort to get to fantastic.

Inside Spuds and Aprons

Another Special Fridate

There was a period when I wanted some interesting Fridates with my wife so we went around trying new spots.  Another hip place we tried was the famous 2AM Dessert Bar in Holland Village.

We arrived quite early in 2AM as we didn't make any reservations and it was a Friday after all.  But we can't have dinner made up of desserts only so we ordered some savories to go along.  

Chicken Taco; there was another Mac and Cheese but it looked like any other so I didn't take the photo

Linc's MMA Trial

Last Saturday we took Lincoln to Evolve MMA for a trial class.  I & my wife thought that it would build his self confidence and release some of those excess energy so that he can focus better when he studies too.

He attended a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) and a Muay Thai class back-to-back.

Linc in his BJJ getup

LG G5 - Finally

Okay, so my handphone change could not wait any longer.  My old G3 just stopped detecting my memory card altogether and some of my apps that are in the memory card became inaccessible.  While I could transfer the app to internal storage, it also means that I would run out of space in the phone.  Taking photos also mean that they will be stored in the internal storage.

So I checked my telco provider's website for the contract rate.  I was really lucky that the G5 had a $200 off promotion.  I had also passed the minimum re-contract period which means that they will waive the $200 (yes $200, not $100 which I previously thought!!) admin fee if I re-contract now.  My G3 itself is still worth $150 if I trade it in.  So not wanting to delay any longer (while the promotion is still on) I decided to just go for a G5.  All-in-all I got it at a price of $229, which is not bad for a flagship.  I had considered the Samsung S7 but the price difference was a good $320.  So I thought the G5 is a better buy, where dollars and cents are concerned.

The G5 is really a sleek phone.  While it has a metal feel, it's not so heavy as compared to let's say the Sony Z5 Premium.  The G5 feels more comfortable in hand.  It's thinner than my G3 because the back is flat and not curved.  But what I really like is the fact that it is light despite some of the metal parts in the body.  The loudspeaker placement is also better this time, which is at the bottom of the phone instead of the back which makes the ringtone and any other notifications more audible when placed inside the pocket.

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