Coasters

Recently, one guy is just back from Thailand. And he bought me some coasters, which I'm being advise to blog about it. It came in 3 different design, the washer and screw, Chillies (a spicy fruit which makes me tear if i chop it) and bamboo design. I personally like the bamboo best.

Coasters

Since I've bought Starbucks during a minor break, decided to use the coasters during lecture, sliping Starbucks while copying notes #likeaboss

Starbucks #likeaboss

Contentment is when you appreciate the things you have got

One will only appreciate and be contented with the things one had already get. (Got is the past tense of get)

As with the definition of ‘have got’ being ‘to possess’, thus meaning, one will be contented when you appreciate the things you possess. 

And that is what makes some not being exactly being contented. Like money, lots of it and land and cars and even a yacht. It is the perusal of such materialistic tangibles which makes them contented. And more than usual, they will keep thinking, why am I doing all this? Working so hard just to get the tangibles and in the meanwhile, forsaking all those friends and family? In which at a pivoting point in the lifes, they will be thinking of what really makes them happy, content and fulfilled.

When I think I’ve got you

I realised I’ve not

For when you’re gone

I started to miss you more

More than the stars this galaxy can contain

More that I can ever think of

Simply,

I just yearn for you

Blackball @ Clementi

Glass Jelly which cost $4.50 a bowl. Priced more than the usual (a bowl from hawker centre cost $1 at most), but have the ability to convince people to buy because of 3 points:
1. It is from Taiwan
2. It is unique (wayy unique)
3. It is new

Newly open Blackball (ok, not so new just as i discovered from their FB page it started operations in April...some 2 months which frankly, to me is 'old') at Clementi smaller and less hyper shopping mall, Cityvibe, level 1 (next to Long John Silver). With some seats available for dine-in customer and a counter which reminds me of a typical bubble tea shop (with the Q number on the receipt and the electronic display of your Q).

The shops sells virtually bubble tea and glass jelly. Just tried the Glass Jelly, which differs greatly from the local version. All along, I thought Singapore is the only country (maybe Malaysia and Hong Kong) which eats Glass Jelly every other day. But no, Blackball from Taiwan (land of Bubble Tea and Fried Pork Chops and your typical cheesy TV soap) proves otherwise, with a real quirky way of eating. 

Packaging- looks like some usual Glass Jelly

When open the cover, it looks just like a typical normal Glass Jelly

The quirky ingredient inside. Nom Nom Nom

Now, this bowl of dessert contains toppings, including Taro, Sweet Potatoes, Bubble Tea Pearls, Red Bean (my fav) with the traditional Glass Jelly. Glass Jelly is well-known for it's cooling properties in TCM. This creates a twist of a classic dish and turns Blackball Signature into a contemporary local dessert.

Being a typical person who orders Bubble Tea without pearls, I'm not liking the pearls. However, compared to Gong Cha, i think it is more of the same usual standards. It is quite chewy, but with a 'tough' interior. It is none where to a close fight to Eskimo smaller pearls.

The sweetness of the Glass Jelly cannot be customised. But I can certainly taste some 'medicine' in it, with the softness of the Jelly. Taste of the other toppings, however, are moderate, with some (like the yellow colour long thingy) being extremely chewy, with no quick outburst of taste. Perhaps it is masked by the strong taste of the medicine.

We usually add sugar syrup to Glass Jelly, but over at Blackball, some cream is used. Taste of the cream=complement the whole thing into a more unique and taste-bud blown experience.


The cream gives it a rather 'milky with some savoury' flavour. So in all, I think I might be back for seconds, but there's some room for improvement for the recipe. Perhaps it is not suited for the average Joe. 

Singlish, or just the local lingual?

Many people had been debating over the use of SInglish in Singapore. Singlish, a word deriving from Singapore and English, so in simple terms means Singapore-styled English. What might truly be unique is that Singapore might be the only place which a significant number of singaporeans are receptive of Singlish. 

Singlish, although is more commonly regarded and perceived as Singapore-style English, however, is more of a style of communication used more informally and thus, internally. Singlish is a combination of local culture, dialect and languages. But is there a real difference in Singapore-styled English and Singlish?

One does not simply type the ‘leh’ and ‘lah’ in emails, though they might use the occasional ‘liao’ instead of already, to sound more chummy. So perhaps it is more of the vocabulary used vocally.

Singlish, at best is a local slang. As with all other English-speaking country/cities, they do have their own English slangs and dialects. Like in London, their English is divided into the ‘posh’ sounding like Hackney to the working-class Essex accent. Likewise, they did have their own unique set of vocabulary.

Just like the Welsh. You do not see them typing ‘in a wee bit’ in their emails for formal communications (sometimes even informal context). 

English as a language in Singapore does have a long presence, dating since colonial times, however, the effective functional use of it doesn’t really start till the 60s.Now in Singapore, almost 100% of the citizens are able to speak in English. Well, basic conversation probably.

What is most important is the justification of using Singlish in formal context. Even though the intended audience is a fellow Singaporean, however, that doesn’t much gives excuse for using SInglish. With English now being the official language now (together with Mandarin, Malay and Tamil), it is best to follow the protocol like any wise and obedient Singaporean. 

Anthropology of Singlish

Why Singlish is so popular even till today, and will a better educated generation of Singaporeans, together with none native speakers of Singlish kill this local slang?

Singlish is popular might well derive from the past. Now, we know Singlish is a combination of local dialects (llike Teochew, Hokkien, Cantonese and Hakka) with Malay, Tamil and Mandarin. Or in local term, a rojak(a Singlish word) of languages. To the untrained ears, Singlish may sound like Malay or Chinese dialect. With the pioneers of Singaporeans being not well-educated (most of them learn English on the job), and speak at least one form of dialect at home, English to them was a foreign language. Although Chinese characters was used in local newspapers, however, it is being read differently (since the dialects shared the same wordings, just pronounced differently). 

With the rise of America as a Superpower in the 50s (and Russia, but what are the odds of an ex crown-colony supporting communism), Singaporeans quickly realised the need of English to be able to survive in the long run. 

Singapore economic landscape in the 50s comprises of factories and heavy industry. So, many of them learn English in their 20s (which makes it harder). For the luckier ones whose family own a shop (usually selling provisions to the westerners), those patrons will teach them some few words of English. 

The emerging importance of good English is not just being found in Singapore. It was a worldwide phenomenon, like the popularity in Grammar schools in the UK. 

So, with certain English words sounding like some local dialects, the local dialects were being used in place of the English words. Sounds absurd, I know, but that is how people learn English back then.

Now, will Singlish ever dies? It might one day, but just not yet. 

Likewise in the UK, Scottish Gaelic and Welsh are still relatively spoken in the local community, Singlish is also being spoken across the island. The local dialect had not fallen and extinct to proper English. But just like in the UK, it is widely unacceptable for one to mix the languages together.

So, Singlish is still here to stay- for now. Unless there is a huge influx of foreigners one day, where their perception of Singlish is only just ‘leh’ and ‘lah.

Hong Kong-Ocean Park

Cable Car

A view from the cable car heading up to the mountain (The star attractions of the roller coaster)

35th Anniversary of Hong Kong Ocean Park

Sea Lion feeding time

Sea Lion performance

Inside the aqua-rium with lots of fishes. It is the best i've been to

Panda theme buns

Panda!

Free Sticker Lady

It’s been already on the news; a young lady with a passion for local arts had been apprehended by the local police for vandalism. Some of her ‘works’ include spraying with stencils on the road, and pasting of sticker on public infrastructure. The typography on the stickers are actually not vulgar at all, and by all means, a refreshing sight (to me).

The young lady in question (a Samantha Lo) had been charged with vandalism and had been sentenced to 3 years jail. The big question is not the hefty jail term (by which a doctor received a 4 weeks sentence for drink-driving, and killing someone) compared to other serious (and horrendous) crime. But what constitutes to vandalism.  

Vandalism Act in Singapore

The vandalism act was actually introduced on 17 August 1966. And on the second reading, the then Minister of State for defend explained the need for the bill as “The writing of slogans, drawing of pictures, painting and marking or inscribing on public and private property has been rampant”. Now in Singapore, the government introduce law to help protect public infrastructure (like banning of chewing gums to protect MRTs).

The minister continued his speech, which blurs between democracy, arts and self-expression by saying, “used by anti-social and anti-national elements in the name of democracy, but their crude artistic feats in effect destroy and deface what democracy has built for the people.”

What actually is interesting of this Act is the efficiency of imposing it to parliament. According to Wikipedia, it was read for the third time and passed the very same day. There wasn’t any objection or whatsoever. When passed, the Act becomes:

(a) without the written authority of an authorised officer or representative of the Government or of the government of any Commonwealth or foreign country or of any statutory body or authority or of any armed force lawfully present in Singapore in the case of public property, or without the written consent of the owner or occupier in the case of private property —

(i) writing, drawing, painting, marking or inscribing on any public property or private property any word, slogan, caricature, drawing, mark, symbol or other thing;

(ii) affixing, posting up or displaying on any public property or private property any poster, placard, advertisement, bill, notice, paper or other document or

(iii) hanging, suspending, hoisting, affixing or displaying on or from any public property or private property any flag, bunting, standard, banner or the like with any word, slogan, caricature, drawing, mark, symbol or other thing; or

(b) stealing, destroying or damaging any public property.

Free Sticker Lady?

In fairness, the inscribing on the road with the word “My Grandfather Road” does falls under part (i), which is a drawing on public property without any written authority or any means. This makes it Vandalism, so as to speak. The law is just.

What are worrying might be the perception people had about graffiti, freedom of speech, self-expression and art. Definitely, I think, the judge imposes the highest sentence possible to deter others from committing the same offense. But will this actually deter others from committing the same offenses? With the recent MRT vandal, where the Swiss is sentence to a few strokes of the cane, will the public ever learn there is a proper place and avenue? Well, perhaps there aren’t any proper avenue.

For her sticker pasting antics, it is more of a humorous side. Initially, many of us thought it’s some marketing stunt/campaign. Wordings are not vulgar, and instead are light-hearted.

What actually infuriates most people is the police is actually not apprehending other forms of un-sightful vandalism- advertisement pasted everywhere on lamppost, traffic light poles.

When will the public learn, that they are not above the law, and the law is indeed, above us all.