I am a 好汉!

Attempting to do star jumps... 

Hutong 胡同

Now, it is not easy to say Hutong like the Beijingers. They say it with a 'r' at the end, so it sounds like Hutongr. I am pretty sure that people from other provinces or countries will not say it as well as a Beijinger. 

Anyway, Hutongs are narrow streets within a neighbourhood. They are the corridors of Siheyuan , traditional courtyard residences. So imagine an area filled with Siheyuan and the streets between them are hutongs. 

 

Some paintings on the walls of a hutong. 

Singapore has Orchard Road and Beijing has Wang Fu Jing

All countries have their own unique and famous shopping streets. Singapore has Orchard Road and Beijing has Wang Fu Jing Night Market (王府井). There are many shopping malls along this street; some have been here for decades and some were only built a few years back. This is the place you should visit if you are to visit Beijing as there is a fusion of new and old stuff - you can find high-end brands such as Gucci and LV or you can turn around at the corner ahead and see traditional Chinese masks and keychains. 

The name of this street is derived from this well. Wang = King, Fu = Residence, Jing = well.

Look at the malls they have here, old ones are being renovated and upgraded while new ones are being built from time to time.

Inside this relatively new mall, I found a Uniqlo store!! Seems like Uniqlo can be found in most of the big cities. The large LED screen was showing a World Cup match and an area was furnished with chairs so that shoppers can sit down and enjoy the matches. 

One can find a lot of old Chinese stuff here... I tried the 冰糖葫芦 but didn't like it - too sweet for me. 

For those who are adventurous enough, you can try the fried scorpions or starfishes... 

  

There is a church here, St Joseph's Church. From wikipedia: "A small church was first established in 1653 on the open grounds by the Jesuit Father Lodovico Buglio.^[1] Later several earthquakes and wars gradually destroyed the church. It was rebuilt in 1904 as a Romanesque cathedral, with strong pilasters and one high and two low vaults displaying a grandiose architectural style. After the restoration in 1980, the church reopened. Because of its geographic location, the Church faces west."

The church as seen in the day.

Some interesting statues along Wang Fu Jing. 

Bird Nest? In Beijing?

Yup, there is a huge bird nest in Beijing. 

Unless you have been staying in Mars for the past 2-3 years, you should know this 'bird nest' pretty well. The official name for this place is the Beijing National Stadium and 'Bird Nest' is the nickname given to it (as it really looks like one). It was used in 2008 for the Beijing Olympics. 

The Bird Nest came into sight as our coach reached our destination.

The design is really unique and it really looks like a Bird Nest.

The weather was hot so this ice pop really came at the right time.

Now say "茄子"

Ready, Set, GO!!!!

World Expo 2010 @ Shanghai (Part 3)

The rainy weather made my pictures looked gloomy.

The South Korea's pavilion walls are decorated with the Korean words.

In short, the World Expo 2010 @ Shanghai is definitely worth a visit but do expect to see people and more people everywhere.

World Expo 2010 @ Shanghai (Part 2)

Queues, queues, people, people...

The Expo mascot.,, Haibo!

Some of the corporates' pavilions at Puxi

World Expo 2010 @ Shanghai (Part 1)

Some pictures from my trip to the World Expo 2010 @ Shanghai. There were long queues almost everywhere, waiting time for the Saudi Arabia Pavilion broke the record with 8 hours. This is crazy... Nevertheless, it was an interesting experience and I would recommend people to go and take a look. By the way, the pavilions over at the Puxi side are more interesting and more related to the theme, "Better City, Better Life".

The Singapore Pavilion looks better than the pictures; but still there are other more interesting pavilions in the park. 

Our Asean neighbors are located near to the Singapore Pavilion. 

Some performance going on at the Asia Square.

I kind of like the design of this pavilion, simple and nice. 

Canada Pavilion looks good, too bad the queue was too long. As a matter of fact, almost all pavilions have long queues.

This pavilion has straw mats covered all over it; a lit cigarette will definitely set the place on fire.

The design of the Egypt Pavilion is quite cool too... look at the curves... 

Because of the long queues, many visitors brought along their own stools/chairs. 

iMAT?

This is Funny ~ ~ ~

City Harvest Church Saga

Wow wow wow... things are getting interesting in Singapore. First there were the MRT jumps, the dead bodies found at Sentosa and Marina Sands IR, a teenager got his fingers chopped off by some Malaysians and now the CHC Saga is ballooning - bigger and bigger. 

The public, including myself, has always been mindful of this organisation. Many years ago, I went to CHC once when it was still located at Paya Lebar. I remembered the people there were very friendly and warm to me. It felt like we were friends for a long long time... it felt good but at the same time, a little eerie... I couldn't help but thought to myself, "something is strange here". I went twice but that was it. 

Then, CHC produced a pop singer, Sun Ho who is the wife of the CHC's pastor Kong Hee. Never really like her, partly because I couldn't relate to her songs and partly because she is from CHC. I am not sure if she is really popular or if her supporters are only from CHC. She tried her lucks to venture into Taiwan but I guess the result is so-so. Then, she went to the USA and produced a few singles; one of which is "China Wine". It sounds alright but her MV was not what people expect from a pastor's wife or rather, from a Christian.

With the investigation still going on, there have been a lot of voices from both sides - the general public and CHC's supporters. One side is cheering that the organisation is finally being looked into while the other side is showing their support for their leaders. There is no sign that the comments on forums, facebook and twitter are slowing down. The comments by CHC's supporters are getting scarier too.

Look at this guy's comment, "CHC is half as the strength of the SAF regulars combined. Some regulars will even join us. If we want to build an army, we can. We want to buy arms, we have the money given to us by God to buy. No weapon shall form against us. CHC will be victorious, no matter what."

"When he arrived, the king asked him, "Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?" "Attack and be victorious," he answered, "for they will be given into your hand." - 2 Chronicles 18:14

God will give us victory if we are willing to fight in the name of the LORD."

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=401892991219&comments   

I doubt he will do what he said but we never know. Why are these people brainwashed till this stage? They must recognize that the government is not against Christianity but are checking on the church's management. They must calm down and think sensibly, can they? Religions don't teach people to kill or hurt one another; humans are the ones who look into it too much and made it complicated. 

Honestly, CHC has been around for a long time, why now? I mean, why is the investigation been carried out now? Is somebody trying to score points? He has not achieve anything significant and if the election is going to be held this year, he has to show that he is the best man to lead Singapore. Or is he not? Fishy fishy fishy... 

   

Yummy Su Su Su Sushi!

I got these sushi from a shop that opened one week ago. Looking at the crowd during the dinner hours, it sure is tempting. This packet of sushi cost me RMB$20 (SG$4) and I can say I am very satisfied with the taste and quality. Well, it turned out that 10 sushi are not enough for me, I need more!!

12 suicide cases at Foxconn, Shen Zhen (China)

Seriously, these people should think twice before jumping. Even if the work is stressful, there bound to be ways to solve it. 

Think about your family, your friends... Or perhaps they thought about all these: the compensation paid out by the company is huge, did they jump so that their family members can get this sum of money? I don't know but I think it is really foolish for them to do so. 

次数	跳楼事件综述
第十二跳	5月26日晚11点富士康深圳龙华厂区大润发商场前发生第12起员工跳楼事件。死者是C2宿舍一位男性。
第十一跳	5月25日凌晨，富士康科技集团观澜园区华南培训中心一名员工坠楼死亡。
第十跳	5月21日凌晨4时许，富士康一名21岁的男员工从宿舍跳楼，伤重不治身亡。
第九跳	5月14日 21岁的岳西小伙梁超在深圳富士康龙华厂区宿舍楼7楼楼顶坠地 。
第八跳	2010年5月11日，龙华厂区女工祝晨明从9楼出租屋跳楼身亡，24岁。
第七跳	2010年5月6日，龙华厂区男工卢新从阳台纵身跳下身亡，24岁。
第六跳	2010年4月7日，观澜樟阁村，富士康男员工身亡，22岁。
第五跳	2010年4月7日，观澜厂区外宿舍，宁姓女员工坠楼身亡，18岁。
第四跳	2010年4月6日，观澜C8栋宿舍女工饶淑琴坠楼，仍在医院治疗，18岁。
第三跳	2010年3月29日，龙华厂区，一男性员工从宿舍楼上坠下，当场死亡，23岁。
第二跳	2010年3月17日，富士康龙华园区，新进女员工田玉从3楼宿舍跳下受伤。
第一跳	2010年1月23日,凌晨4时许，富士康19岁员工马向前“高坠死亡”。

It's Vegan-Day!

Today is Wednesday and I declare, "Every Wednesday shall be Vegan-Day!"

The following tables indicates the CO2 production in kg CO2 equivalents per kg of meat depending on the animal:

1 kg of meat from	produces kg CO2e
beef	34.6
lamb	17.4
pork	6.35
chicken	4.57

Source: Environmental Impacts on Food Production and Consumption. http://www.defra.gov.uk/science/project_data/DocumentLibrary/EV02007/EV02007_4601_FRP.pdf

Less meat + dairy products = Reduced personal carbon footprint. 

Hello Hello Durian

I finally bought one durian seed today!! 

Yum Yum ~ ~ ~ 

Win a Condo

Wow... this sounds good huh... win a condo... who doesn't want?

Bad habits in PRC

Have you ever seen a PRC Chinese spat on the floor?

Have you ever seen a PRC Chinese dug his/her nose in public?

Have you ever seen a PRC Chinese dug his/her ear in public?

Have you ever heard a PRC Chinese talked loudly?

Have you ever seen a PRC Chinese mom helping her child to pee in public?

Have you ever seen a PRC Chinese man wearing bermudas and leather shoes with long white socks?

If you have, then I can assure you that all these habits are very common in their country, PRC.They grew up with such habits and not surprisingly, they brought it to Singapore when they came along. To us, it is totally unacceptable and uncivilized. But to them, it is very normal; their grandparents did it, their parents did it so now they do it. 

Of course, not all PRC Chinese are like this, but I dare to say most of them are. 1.3 billion is a very huge figure and PRC is a big country. People differ from the north to the south, from the east to the west. I think it will take forever for them to change. But then, I think they feel that there is no need to change and hence, don't want to change. And with so many disasters happening to this big Asian country one after another, there are more important issues that need more attentions. 

I am very sure that I wouldn't want to stay in such a place for long. Yucks...   

Oh My...

I had McDonald's for lunch last Friday and I upsized my meal to get the free World Cup 2010's glass (see picture below). 

I couldn't finished my fries so I packed it up to go and headed to the supermarket to get some fruits. 

Oranges didn't look good but I was desperate for some Orangy Vitamin Cs so I just got a few. Think the bad weather previously resulted the bad harvest - there were no local oranges and the local apples didn't look good too. 

At the cashier's counter, I placed the bag of oranges, my World Cup glass and my fries down as I searched for the $10 bill. The cashier picked up and scanned the oranges, then she tried to scan my french fries! She flipped the bag of fries over and over to look for the code to scan but couldn't find. Obviously she could not find the code as my fries was not from the supermarket. I repeated thrice to her that that was french fries from McDonald's. She took a while to realize the message that I was trying to bring across. 

That was not the end, she took my World Cup glass and repeated her actions all over again. "Oh my... " was all I could say... I told her once again that the glass was from McDonald's and not from the supermarket. Then did she 'wake up' suddenly. 

Strange huh... Maybe she was too tired from the work... maybe she was trying to play a trick on me... maybe it was really my fault for placing the glass and fries on the counter... maybe...  

Goodbye PTIs

Wanted to post this the other time but I forgot. Physical Training Instructors (PTIs) or what is now know as Fitness Specialists (FS) will be officially stepping into history. I wonder if this move has anything to do with the decreasing population - lesser citizens = lesser physically fit guys to serve the nation = decrease redundant positions to make way for more effective ones. 

Who will the army outsource the job to? Will we see Foreigners conducting exercises for us? Will we see Foreigners "punishing" us? I certainly do not hope so. 

I shall always remember that I used to be a PTI and the memories at the School of Physical Training.  

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking...ry_514368.html

Apr 14, 2010 
Civilian trainers for SAF 
Outsourcing non-core services frees up soldiers for combat jobs
By Jermyn Chow 



The Basic Military Training Centre's physical training instructors, like First Warrant Officer Mohamed Suhaimy Abdul Rashid (right), 48, are being replaced by civilian fitness instructors. The civilians will conduct gym training, aerobics, endurance runs and the military's IPPT. -- PHOTO: MINDEF

THE days of the much-feared physical training instructor of the Singapore Armed Forces are numbered.

That taskmaster in a white singlet who puts every chrome dome through punishing physical training will be replaced by civilians, as physical training throughout the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is outsourced to commercial fitness outfits.

The Straits Times understands that the PTIs, known as fitness specialists in the SAF, will replaced by the end of next year. 

Read the full exclusive in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.

Testing Testing...

This post is posted via email. 

Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore

The annual marathon is back!


http://marathonsingapore.com/

Although at first look, the name is the similar, it is not!! It used to be called the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon. But Singapore Sports Council (SSC) decided to do it without the Singapore Athletic Association (SAA); hence, they renamed it by changing the order of the 2 words.

Nonetheless, I will still sign up this year and challenge myself to run 42.195km.

Hello Blog... I am back!!

Dear gohsteven.blogspot.com,

I am sorry that I neglected you for quite a while. How have you been? I hope you are not mad at me for not posting any stuff during this period of time. But hey, I am back now!!

I promise to fill you up with lots of posts, pictures and videos!!
That is a promise that I will stick to, please believe me.

Thank you!

Regards,
Steven

PS: Back to blogging!

wah wah wah...

For the past week, it had been thrilling for me.

Last Friday, I got a call from Jetstar Asia to inform me that KS and I were selected for the JetSaver Light Challenge!! Woo hoo ~ ~ ~

So that means a free trip to Kota Kinabalu from 29th Sept - 1st Oct!! It was a good surprise to win this as I suddenly have the urge to fly in a plane.

Then today, I was just trying my luck to call into 987fm for the Mediacorp Subaru Impreza WRX Challenge - The Asian Face-off. As usual, the "line is busy" messages kept popping out. Just as I was about to give up, my call got through. As it rang, I wonder if Ms Vendetta will really really pick up my call!! A little sceptical about it and just before I pressed the "end call" icon, my call was picked up.

Honestly, I really doubt if I can last the whole contest and be the last man standing. I need my sleep. However, I think I will still give it a go!! Wish me luck ~ ~ ~