que pasa

The mood for piano playing

2008-08-21T16:45:48+08:00

Today the younger son of my host family really struggled to practice his piano. He clearly didn't want to and his mom had to practically threaten him (but I knew with no intention to execute) in order to get him to sit down. And even when he did, boy was it painful to observe and hear.

The little boy reminded me of myself – how torturous I felt when I had to practice. I hated piano when I was learning it and finally I had a fight with my mom in 5th grade about it and insisted that I want…

I CAN be an okay kid

2008-08-13T10:23:31+08:00

Lately I've been doing some strange things. I did the dishes at 845am this morning. I played the piano (albeit rather choppily) yesterday. I've been cutting fruits for my friends' kids. I've been making a pot of coffee every other morning. I do laundry and hang the clothes out and bring them in when they are dry. Went with my friend to buy vegetables. That is not my normal behavior at home with my parents, not even when I live alone. I think my mom would be pleased if she found out.

It's almost as if all the ideal behavioral…

Not impressed

2008-08-09T12:39:39+08:00

Googled for reviews on the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony just now and it seems that the world really liked what it saw. Stuff along the lines of "perfect 10", "perfect night" and "rave reviews" were peppered among my search results.

I disagree though. I think the Chinese were trying too hard. I know that it's rare to have such an opportunity when foreigners watch the country with their prior prejudices put aside, but the crash course in the evolution of the nation was absolutely unnecessary.

I also felt that the build up was poorly done. I thought such ceremonies should…

News: Restricted internet freedom for Beijing Olympics

2008-07-31T18:03:16+08:00

Honestly, I wasn't surprised this was going to happen – that the original intention to have unrestricted internet access in China during the Olympics was an incredible notion and would soon be overturned.

I must admit though, that I don't know what the big deal is. Perhaps it's because I come from a country where the press serves the government and there’s censorship, so you could say I'm already used to such "oppression" and "limited rights". But I don't feel particularly oppressed, ignorant or feel that my rights have been violated.

I can see why China feels that it must…

Adventures of this gaijin in Kyoto

2008-07-31T18:08:46+08:00

Right, on to the second part of my Japan trip – Kyoto. Gaijin is the Japanese word for foreigner, which I totally was.

Shinkansen is FREAKIN expensive
I paid 13,000 yen for an unreserved seat in economy class, one way. Took 2.5 hours to reach Kyoto.
I wanna say that the Shinkansen really no big deal, you can't tell how fast it’s going (i.e. super fast), but apparently, that’s why it's such a big deal. Oh well, I always thought the idea was to watch things zip by until your neck hurts from trying to turn so fast...

Anyway, just…

The Dark Knight

2008-07-31T18:09:36+08:00

Heath Ledger did a fantastic job with The Joker, I’m impressed!

This movie was very enjoyable and worth my time and money, perhaps even better than Iron Man.

Must see on big screen, the bigger the better!

News: Name change

2008-07-25T16:02:39+08:00

Ok, sorry if I seem insensitive, but this girl's name is really funny.
But it was so bad that I support her for fighting for a name change.
She won by the way.

Mt. Fuji summer pack list and notes

2008-07-23T07:47:43+08:00

If you're planning to climb Mt. Fuji in the summer and you're planning to spend a night at one of the cabins for a night, here's what I recommend you pack:

- Winter jacket (for strong winds and cold weather during the night and when ascending to the summit)
- Ear warmers & scarf, thermals/long johns (unless you're really resilient)
- Cap (provide shade under sun, block face from flying sands, keep head warm)
- Extra T-shirt and long sleeve shirt (layer as you go up)
- Wet wipes
- 2 litres of water
- Energy bars/snickers/beef jerky/biscuits
- High…

Headlines from Tokyo

2008-07-21T21:23:08+08:00

I had a fantastic time in Tokyo hanging with Joy, Seng and Jukebox. I don't think we were in Tokyo city proper, but that was just fine, I was just there to chill. Didn't go shopping or even step into Shinjuku or Ikebukuro - will do that on my way back.

Just followed along with whatever Joy and Seng had on - which was quite a bit actually. We went to Joy's kids' club, camping with their neighbors, hung out/had meals with their friends, and climbed Mt Fuji. I didn't have a camera but you can ask Seng if you…

Half a plane full of kids

2008-07-07T17:50:17+08:00

My flight back to Singapore was half filled with Chinese 3rd graders. They were on some program that the Singapore government is running, their bright red t-shirts exclaiming singaporeedu.gov.sg on the back. I dreaded the flight, 50 little boys and girls had the potential to turn the 5 hour flight into a nightmare.

I have to say, it didn't turn out as bad as I thought. Except when they kept exclaiming (in Chinese), "Earthquake! Earthquake!" when the plane was trembling as it took off. Except when they kept going "Woooe... woooe..." whenever we encountered turbulence. Except when they kept calling…