This is a daily chronicle of my trip to Taiwan from 9th to 24th May 2006 with Ronghua and partially Boon Liang. I am trying to blog about all 15 days, so it takes time..sorry.. Not to mention the fact that I conveniently forgot about this once I started working. If you wanna read all that have been posted, pls click on Taiwan Adventure category here, or on the left sidebar.

And so yet after another boring night watching tv in room, we headed back to Hualien on a coach, with me as usual stopping just short of OD-ing on motion sickness medicine. So long as it works. Back at Hualien, we stopped by a muachee 麻署 store. Make it a big store, with the photos and autographs of many celebrities. It’s essentially their factory as well, where they make the daily muachee, which unfortunately can only be kept for a day or so. The pre-packed ones can be kept for 3 mths i think. Bought those, pretty good stuff, which my family and carlin can attest to.

We planned on taking a train back up north to Taipei to complete our circumnavigation of the whole island. There was a thought of going to this town called Su’ao 苏奥 about 50km north of Hualien. This indescript town has the only cold springs in Taiwan, but the train schedule was not favourable since we didnt wanna end up reaching Taipei at 2am with no accommodation. So yet another place got sacrificed.


An often understated delicacy in Taiwan is the railway food 火车便当. (more…)

Man this just simply blew my brains out!

Check this out.. Three-legged tortoise gets a wheel
Tina the three-legged tortoise has been retrofitted with an air-filled tire and shock absorber to help her get around.

I can’t believe that a video like this can result in blog post and long comments about morality issues. I wasn’t even close to that chap’s level of thinking.

Of cos simple-minded ppl like me think about the fact that the lecturer was willing to step down from his position and allow ppl and himself as well to laugh at himself. Believe me, that is not easy for professors to do. I must also say that it is not easy for school teachers to remove their straitjackets and laugh @ themselves with their students.

• from one of the “(unattached) horny buggers” -

This is a daily chronicle of my trip to Taiwan from 9th to 24th May 2006 with Ronghua and partially Boon Liang. I am trying to blog about all 15 days, so it takes time..sorry.. Not to mention the fact that I conveniently forgot about this once I started working. If you wanna read all that have been posted, pls click on Taiwan Adventure category here, or on the left sidebar.

So the prev night saw us staying in yet another budget hotel, though this time more welfare. Separate beds, major major plus point. Sleeping on the same queen-sized bed for the past 4 nights wasn’t good, considering that I’m a big roller on bed.

The day started at 6.30am with a short walk to the bus station directly across the road from the hotel to catch the 7am bus to Taroko Gorge 太鲁阁. Taroko Gorge is rated as the die-die-oso-must-see-if-not-come-taiwan-for-fuck? destination in Taiwan. The past 12 days have made us abit more wise in the sense that we would recce what bus to take, from where and where to get off the night before or @ least a few hours beforehand. Saves us a lot of trouble and from being marked as robertos. Sadly there wasn’t a friendly uncle like back @ Chiahyi. I was all prepared for this bus ride after the Alishan puking debacle and took like 2 motion sickness tablets..heh..

I was prepared for the bus ride but not for the sights as the bus went up the mountainous road.

(more…)

Went vhive suntec to buy a chair and chanced upon outsidestanding english again

let us assembly it for you

Dear 3L,

You never thought that physics teacher would be so net-savvy and found so many of u ppl’s blogs rite..haha! Knowing that u ppl will now come here to spy on me, i might as well post something for u ppl.

Back in july when they told me that I would be taking over your class, I was worried. Some of the teachers said that you ppl are not performing well blah… and I was worried that I may make things worse. Your prev teacher has some faith in you guys, telling me “these ppl are not stupid, they are just abit lazy and need more motivation.” It wasn’t easy for me to teach in the 1st place, having no formal training. I remember the prac session that i had with u ppl, 1st time got someone demo lab to u all rite. Believe me, i was nervous then..but i think @ the end it turned out fine.

4 mths down the road, I must say that I have learnt quite abit about the ppl from your class. It became clear that although most of u guys may be stuck in 2nd gear in terms of academic performance, but you’re roaring like a ferrari in other areas. I try to recall as many ppl as i can here, but sorry if i’ve missed out on you.

The 1st one who struck an impression on me was huimin, who took initiative to look for me for extra coaching before the common test. I talked to you for a while and learnt that you wanted to be a lawyer. I hope that you will stay focussed on your goal and eventually succeed..

Jiahui, I remember you as the one who will always ask me qns privately in class, esp when i’m standing near your table. Looking at how determined u and the rest of the SJAB gals were for the drill competition illustrates the fact that you can do well so long as u put in enough effort.

How about the number of blue rings i see in this class? Wantian, Zhixin, Junqi, Eunice, Wini..did i miss out any? From the 4 of u, it proves that being the last class doesn’t mean that you will amt to no good. Your cca teachers and mates obviously saw strengths in you that you yourself may or may not recognise.

Some of you may not be wearing blue rings for ur cca, but u still have impt roles to play. I look out from the window at TRC and see Janson leading the sec 1 ncc cadets in marching. I see Xinhang running about to settle the ncc stuff. Even though you may not be at the top, your leadership qualities can emerge in other ways.

The P singled out the class today for some praising in terms of music and art. I think i saw evidence of that in the canteen. Correct me if i’m wrong, xinhang, zhixin and huifang’s works were up on the display. I hear marian play the piano before at the canteen. Also had the chance to see huiyi and yen chai perform in the band @ openhouse. the school’s dance n choir are renowned for their prowess, and wanling and kaiting’s efforts in their respective grps have to some extent contributed to the grps’ strengths.

You ppl are also way too active. I see the tennis rackets in class, and the number of athletes in ur class. Strong runners, table tennis players, netball captain…did i miss out any? fill me in pls..

So after talking so much, what’s the point that I want to raise? Every person has his or her own strengths. Some of it may be obvious for all to see, like academic performance where everyone can see an A1. Some talents are more sublime, like an inclination towards the aesthetics, or leadership capability. In a perfect world, nobody would be judged solely based on academic performance. Other factors would play a key role in determining if a person is successful or not.

Sadly, we live in Sg, and Uncle Lee long time ago decided that the only way to move fwd for Singapore is to be a meritocracy, based on academic performance. And unfortunately that has become the main measure of success here, though views are starting to change.

All you ppl need to do is to look deep within yourself, or ask ur closest friends, what are my strengths. What are the things that i can be proud of. What are the areas that allow me to walk with confidence. After that, do not be haughty. Use this slight gain in confidence to propel yourself forward. Start simple, start small. Making even seemingly small gains in your academic work may seem insignificant to you or others now, but remember that travelling 1 mile in a long journey of 1000 miles means that you only have 999 miles to go. Keep a steady pace, you will get there.

Never look down on yourself, never say that you can’t do it. You can’t do it because you’re either not trying hard enough, or that you’re looking from the wrong angle. One goes thru a doorway by finding the key to unlock and open the door, not continuously ramming against the door. Take a short breather, digest what you have done and try again.

I leave you with a quote from everyone’s favourite physicist, Issac Newton

“If I have seen further it is by standing on ye shoulders of Giants.”

That Giant lies within you.

Admin matters: should you guys need help, you ppl know where to email me. And your chalet hor..can someone email me the details and the hp number of @ least one of you ppl. I promise to try my best to go down

Thanks for the pizza too

I’m sure we have all heard about the Wee Shu Min Scandal, and Strict Times had an article on it, highlighting the fact that her father is a MP.

I would really think what kind of parents you are determines what kind of kids u will have. The father claimed that her blog is a private one and ppl should not be reading it, and that her statements are not really wrong if u go deeper beyond the harsh language. Sounds like uncle lee right?

your pants is down, i’m sorry that i have to tell u that

I woke up really early this morning n went to the market for breakfast for a change. What kind of spoilt my breakfast was this middle-aged lady who obviously is a regular @ the market, judging by the number of ppl whom she greeted. She greeted everyone “HAPPY NEW YR!”.

Seems like there is some problem with our national education, especially on understanding other races and religions. Just because Lunar New Year is the biggest festival for the Chinese doesn’t mean that the biggest fests for other races/ religions must be their new years. Try wishing a Christian happy new yr on 25th Dec then.

I see that Starhub Cable has sponsored a new team for the EPL..

Aston VANILLA

Make no mistake, your eyes are not playing tricks on you. The title is Shit! and of cos we are gonna discuss shit. You really thought that it’s shit as in shit, something gone wrong. No, it’s literal.

Most ppl would consider shitting to be highly-private activities, incl me. I mean, the removal of waste material from the body is like the bangla worker clearing the thrash @ the refuse centre for the hdb estate. It’s a necessary job, we appreciate it but that doesn’t mean that we are gonna celebrate it right?

Recently I’ve been surrounded by ppl who discusses shitting so openly that it makes me cringe sometimes. Talk about the mild cases first. Friends who are chatting with me over msn or in person, all is fine until they say “brb, gtg toilet”. Believe me, that is enough info liaoz, I dun need to noe wat you are going to do in the toilet. It’s ok, it’s not gonna raise my IQ or make my day to know what you’re doing in the toilet. Of cos some of them has to tell me, “i gonna shit” or “i gonna take a dump”.

Shitting is private, i dun even like to use a cubicle in a public toilet next to another cubicle where someone is obviously shitting. No i dun believe in “Shitting in unison” or “Giving each other moral support”. I dun wanna smell yours.

Not sure if anyone else saw this ad, but a nutrition company that was trying to peddle fibre pills put this ad in one of the local papers, Today or ST, can’t remember.

Floater or Sinker? The next time you visit the toilet and before you flush, take a look at your faeces. If it is a floater, it means that you have enough fibre in your diet. If it is a sinker, it means that you don’t have enough fibre. So are you a floater or a sinker? =)

Thanks to this ad, i’m looking down into the toilet bowl with greater detail these days. How bout those wanna-float-cannot-float-wanna-sink-cannot-sink types huh?

My mum is another one. She has a weak bowel so she always finds herself in situations where she has to cheong for toilet. Once in a while when she’s home n she needs the toilet, then zhun zhun both toilets are occupied. She will never bang the door when my tenants are inside, only bang door if me, my pa or my sis. 快点！！给我用！！ 要出来了！！ So even if u’re naked n half-soaped up while bathing, u better get ur ass out of the toilet. Failing to do so will result in retribution later.

So happens that last wk she chased my dad out from toilet while he was showering halfway. After that it would usually turn out to be peaceful until she came out w/o flushing n said that my dad’s underwear fell into the toilet bowl n she pooped all over it.
. …. ………. …………….

My dad to his credit suggested disposing it, but insisted that my mum had to retrieve it herself. No person is going to rumage thru his/her poop, much less someone’s else. So my mum, in her usual melodramatic self went to the kitchen, all the time muttering “臭死了”. Came back with a plastic bag to cover her hand b4 reaching in to pick out the underwear AND THEN PROCEEDING TO WASH IT. All the time telling me to come n see, of cos i refused.

I’m sorry if i have caused you to lose your lunch or appetite. haha!

I wrote the section in quotes long time ago but chose not to publish it then. However recent developments have changed this decision and hence here it is. The last 2 paragraphs are the recent developments in the Durian War. Some seller has to wake up her idea yea..

Seems that we are always surrounded by cerita buah buahan, fruit stories, especially during the elections period when we talk about chikus being ripe enuff to pick, or a particualar issue being somewhat very thorny.. Well i have my own durian story too..heh..

You know, I love durians alot, or rather I love the process of choosing them alot. All the shaking, smelling, listening in order to pick a real gem of a durian, the process is more impt than the eating of the durian itself i guess.. Heck, even paying for the durian is worth it, all just to select a good durian. The secondary benefit is obviously savouring the fruits of my labour, ie the selection process and payment.

I select my durians from 3 vendors, run by very different bosses. A is a govt-backed durian seller. Lots of funds, lots of stall helpers, they run their business on a very professional, abeit in a very detached manner. And they have the best durians, which they know, and they are very proud of. They even allow young kids to come in, sniff @ the durians, select them and even pay for them, but they are not allowed to eat the durians. The experience of being able to select the atasdurians is good enough as a payment.

B is a stall that’s backed by the top academic minds in Singapore, who have decided that selling durians is something that can be done easily and also, make themselves look like they have a softer side, not just doing academic research. B enjoys a steady stream of customers who are undergraduates just like me, and it’s durians are definitely not as good A’s. However the buyers keep on coming back, we all know one another and it’s a good place to sit down to not just choose durians, but also to interact with your fellow buyers. The boss used to be someone real friendly, who spoke his mind about lousy durian selectors and rewarded good selectors with better durians.

C is an old-time stall which is trying hard to modify its business model to match itself against A n B. Word has it that it’s backed by the govt, although now it’s directly administered by a former durian buyer @ B. She has obviously learnt enough from shopping at B to decide that she too can be a good durian seller. The durians here are the lousiest, come to think of it. But @ least her durians are of uniform quality, it doesn’t take much effort to select a decent durian. What’s more, if u end up selecting till after 11, she gives u an extra durian to make up for the late nite cab ride to get u home. They have a rewards program, buy enough and regularly from them and you become a senior buyer, getting access to the D24s

I started this love affair with selecting durians from B 2 years ago and then eventually expanded to both A n C. Despite the fact that i get better durians at A, as much as I can, i would still wanna buy more often from B even though A has more durian-selection opportunities. I mean, who wouldn’t wanna buy from someone familiar mah..

Alot of things are changing at B though, the 大老板 and 小老板 (big and small bosses) just left, and now the stall is run by 2 ladies who obviously have big plans for the stall. Wanna compete more with A, bring in more D24 and Red Prawn durians..heh.. Sadly right now, the durians are not any better but there are more restrictions to how u select durians. You can’t sniff too much, have to decide fast. You have to sniff in a certain way, as set by 小老板, who also decided that customers must select their durians by a set of rules fixed by the two of them. Quite a few durian buyers are getting frustrated, some have even stopped buying durians from B altogether. With my commitments now, I only go back to select durians once in a while when i’m free or when i see that the stall is lacking customers and i dun mind extra durians for consumption.

Recently around B, there are some new durian stalls set up. And they make it easier for you to select your durians. Being new, they don’t really have rules in place yet, so all up to the experienced buyers to set the standards. Good durians, better than those at B, are available. However B decided to be anal and starts to select its customers, making a rule that if you wanna buy from B, you cannot buy from anywhere else near B without declaring. Declaring doesn’t mean approval, it probably means getting a NO from B.

I think it has gotten to a stage where I dun even go back to B so often to buy my durians. Heck, with my work commitments, I have restricted myself to mainly C. B is now only for old time’s sake when their business is bad and i volunteer to go buy durians from them. The only plus point about there is that friends are there.

HPIM0027
Originally uploaded by jkaiser.sg.

This monday’s paper, crappy news on the front cover.. sunday must be a REALLY slow news day….

Bloody ass by the way, drink driving still nvm, hit n run..jail him pls!

HPIM0023
Originally uploaded by jkaiser.sg.

Taken with my new pda phone, HP ipaq 6595..heh.. Damn messy i realised, with all the exam scripts in the cabinet above..

Some things never change, i’m stil blaring tunes out from my pc

After falling asleep at 11pm and only waking up @ 5am just now, an early start to the day was called for, just to get some work done and clear some of the guilt. The morning effort started by showering and going downstairs to buy breakfast from the kopitiam. No such thing as healthy breakfast, only oily kuay teow with fried egg and veg, plus kopi, the addictive drug for almost all teachers.

Turning out of the carpark, with all the roads largely clear, I couldn’t smell the haze, probably the coolness of the early morning is doing a good job masking it. Passed by 2 bus stops where i saw a few students from my school waiting for the bus @ 6.15am. Reminds me of the good old days when i was going to the same school at the same time in order to beat the crowd, and end up reaching the school at 6.20am and sleeping in classroom b4 flag raising.

Along the way, 10 or so traffic lights, and I can never do a grand slam. A grand slam’s when u go through all the traffic lights w/o stopping, ie. green light all the way. From Bt Timah to Sunset Way, i glided thru all the junctions with ease. Whatever little traffic was avoided with a rightward flick of my turn signal and overtaking. Secretly i was hoping for a grand slam, having cleared half of the lights so easily. A grand slam’s better than finding a 4-leaf clover i bet. It’s probably gonna be a good day after all.

Alas! My 4th leaf of the clover got ripped off @ commonwealth ave, last min red light. No choice but to jam brake. As if it’s heaven’s way of mocking at me to think that i can beat the odds so easily, the rest of the lights found it convenient to turn red on me each time i approach.

6.40am, in school… Earliest ever…

I will not be responsible for any damages to your screeen

Anyone tried the rojak @ old airport road? Toa Payoh Rojak, ok the name sounds so out of place, literally..but yea it’s one of the best rojaks in singapore. It’s run by this old couple who works at their own pace (read: very very slow) to prepare the portions one by one.

So u go to the stall, 1st thing u do is to take a Q number. You only come back to order when ur Q-number comes up on the electronic display. Considering how low tech the stall and that couple looks, they still can have electronic display. The numbers go up till 60 i think, and so what happens if there are no more numbers.

“卖完了”

………….

The last 2 times i went down, kena that..so today die die oso must eat. Got number 42 when the display showed 28. Ended up waiting for 30 mins thereabouts, and another 5 mins to prepare the portion before i got my prized portion of rojak

Heavenly, absolutely…

Sunday morning is a good day to ride into johor for food i realised, either for delicious bak kut teh or some other stuff. Definitely not seafood at that time of the day, and doesn’t make sense to eat seafood on your own, super lugi..

So today i had something in mind, but i didnt noe how to get there until i got some road directions from a bike forum. Printed it out and stuck it under my IU cover. After 21km and 20 mins of riding, and nearly ending up in a ditch, i reached my destination. This food, i’m ABSOLUTELY sure that u can’t find in sg

Yes, A&W! heh…

How can one eat there w/o drinking root beer float, with double scoops of ice cream…

Coney dog, all time fav

Ice-cream waffle with single scoop (should have taken double)

Anybody keen for outing? I can take 1 person on bike, if more ppl then need to have a car.. dun need worry about parking, just park outside the restaurant. You can see your car/ bike there..heh… If go on a sunday, i throw in a visit to Noah’s Ark Natural Animal Sanctuary as well..heh..