Narnia
My Rating: *****
Genre: Fantasy
Casts: unknown people lah

What can I say...............
One word........ : Fantastik!
Go watch it even if it's your last dollar.

Straight forward storyline. And eventhough the show is 2 hours and 20 minutes long, I actually did not fall asleep. Unlike similar predecessors such as Harry Porter and Lord of the Rings. Somehow, the movie managed to keep me engaged.

Bought 6 tickets yesterday at GV Tiong Bahru. I went with 2 little cousins, sis, Chup and aunt Rose. For the sake of the kids and Chup I thought. Actually I wasn't very keen with the show. I mean, just imagine, lions and beavers start talking. Must be a ridiculous and childish show. I was wrong. Regret I did not.

For once, I could actually pronounce the names of the characters. They use simple names like Edmond, Peter, Susan and Lucy. Easy, right?

The Queen's costumes are very impressive too. Notice how her crown reduces in height from long towering ice spikes to small pathetic little horns.

I enjoyed the show thoroughly. Go watch it!

........... the one who has been playing Yahoo Dynomite since morning.

The Best of 2005

The year is coming to a close. We take stock and cast a quick glance back. I looked through the photos I'd taken during the year and selected these as my favourites. It's not about their merits as photos; it's just that for some personal reasons, they meant something to me. The vertical shot of the diver is taken in Cebu, Philippines. He's a stranger, but came round the bend just as I was wishing for a subject to fill the scene. The shot of the eagle is at Tenggol, taken from our live-aboard boat. I was testing out the continuous shooting mode. The interior of Morton's was a commissioned work, so that was pretty satisfying. The mating pair of mandarin fishes were from the house reef of the resort I frequent in Manado. I had to be still for about 25 minutes in semi-darkness to get the shy fishes to "get on with it". The underwater camera only works in wide-angle mode, so no chance for the shallow depth-of-field look. The 2 action shots are of young boys; one in Paris, another in Takengon, Aceh; both testing the effects of gravity. At Prambanan, near Solo, Java, a group of dancers are tutored by a remarkable man, who was pretty stern with them. The crashing waves were experienced in monsoon-season Cebu, and after a dive, it can be nauseating. I took the shot to keep my mind off puking. The last shot is a reminder of the 4 or 5 days of drive in Switzerland and Alsace with Venny, Jessie and Lini. The autumn scenery was often spectacular. Sitting in a powerful Audi car wasn't so bad either. It was a good year.

Chup

The Office Lobby

This is a preview of the office lobby I designed in Qingdao. My role was more or less advisory (meaning it was not a financial thing). I went to the site and did a few rough sketches during my first trip and 2 weeks later, went back for a short working session with the local designer and contractors and here's the result they came back with within 5 days.

Certain details are still not quite "there" yet; the lighting, the overall colour and some of the furniture; the perspective is also kind of distorted, too much wide angle, and the black hand-rails are too "dense". But I'm nit-picking. They've pretty much nailed down what I wanted. It was a pleasure working with them. Next, to see it built...

Chup

Qin's Terra-cotta Army

“What do you think of it?” my host asked.

In front of us there stood an army of terracotta warriors and their clay horses. It is supposed to number about 1,000 in what is known as Pit 1 (top photo). There are 2 other pits and the total number of soldiers combined is estimated to be about 8,000. Why estimated? Well, because not all the figures have been excavated. From trial pits, it is assumed that there are more than 6,000 warriors that remain to be excavated from Pit 1 alone.

What did I think of them then? Frankly, my mind was elsewhere and I enjoy taking my time to think. I was trying to register them; their scale and artistry, the pretty guide’s lilting English, and the -5 deg C temperature of Xi'an on that morning of 18 Dec. I was trying to make some sense of the Qin era, comparing them with the other world power at the time, which was the ascendant Rome. The Egyptians were well on their way to obscurity, important only for their granaries. The age of Bronze was just over, and the age of Iron has begun. The Romans and the Greeks before them cremate their heroes, didn’t they? But the guy who gave his name to the Mausoleum; King Mausollos of Caria, he had himself a pretty impressive tomb, didn't he, and that was around 350BC, about 150 years before the Qin tomb…

That mausoleum was built in Western Turkey, under the influence of Greece and Persia at the time, in a town they called Halicarnassus (left). The materials were hardy; they worked with alabaster, marble, and stone. And then there was Hadrian’s Mausoleum in Rome (today’s Castel Sant’Angelo), a much grander one than Augustus’ Mausoleum (top right). This was the 2nd Cent AD, and the form of Hadrian's Mausoleum is still pretty much intact today. And of a millenium older are the pyramids of Egypt, from Saqqara to Giza. They too had been built with weighty marble and stones...

It would take me a while to think about the figures of Xi'an, and to put everything into some sort of perspective. Compared with the stone counterparts, the earthy potteries of the terracotta warriors are a shade more, dare I say, humble. I don't think my earnest host would be pleased to know what I was really thinking about, actually. He would've thought me a hard-to-please snob. It would've been impolite not to have been impressed.

But I don't want to appreciate the terracotta warriors in ignorance of all its world. It's only after I give them some kind of context can I then zoom in to study them, and hopefully to love them. And since returning from China, I've been reading up on them, sketching them and catching the odd movie or two that features them. Slowly, indelibly, they've been etched in my memory. I've managed to finish Chen Kaige's "The Emperor and the Assassin" (1999) last week (It was excellent!). I hope to catch "The Terracotta Warrior" (1989) and "The Great Conqueror's Concubine" (1994) again soon, if I can find the DVDs... And I'm scheduled to give a lecture on Chinese Architecture to my class in 2 weeks' time, according to the syllabus planned months ago. So I'm just warming up to the subject.

Chup

@@@*!&&##$$#$@!!!!!!!!
My office has blocked my blog!!!
There. One less thing to do in the office.
I can edit and add new article, but I can't view the blog page.
And neither can all my other colleagues.
The office IT people managed to install this SMARTFILTER which is really smart! Blocked BLOG and also msn web messenger!
Now if my blog counter stats drop drastically, it's all the fault of the IT Department.

... the one who is going to be VERY bored at office from now on.

Aerial Shots

I'd the opportunity of flying again over the weekend. It was a late afternoon flight, followed by an early morning one. These are some shots over the coast of Johor and the stretch of mountains between Beijing and Xi'an (a 1.5 hour flight).
Chup

Pride & Prejudice
My Rating: ***
Genre: Drama
Casts: Keira Knightley (Elizabeth, girl on poster), Matthew MacFadyen (Mr Darsey, guy on poster)

Nodding away comfortably in the lullaby of the conversation spoken in beautiful English when Lina elbowed me from my right. She always disturbs me when I fall asleep in the movie!

Those who love classics by Jane Austen would love the movie. I watched it with Fransiska, Titin who both simply adored the movie. Lina said the English is too "Chim" for her to understand.

Pleasant movie but not really my cup of tea. Boy likes girl, girl thinks boy too snobbish. Boy touched girl's heart and they fall in love and live happily ever after. It's OK.

Plot outline courtesy of Golden Village:

The glorious world of Jane Austen is at last brought back to the big screen
in all its romance, wit, and emotional force in Pride & Prejudice. Faithful
to the setting and period of the beloved novel and filmed entirely on location
in the U.K, this is the first movie version of the story in 65 years.The classic
tale of love and misunderstanding unfolds in class-conscious England near the
close of the 18th century. The five Bennet sisters – Elizabeth, or Lizzie (Keira
Knightley), Jane (Rosamund Pike), Lydia (Jena Malone), Mary (Talulah Riley), and
Kitty (Carey Mulligan) – have been raised well aware of their mother’s (two-time
Academy Award nominee Brenda Blethyn) fixation on finding them husbands and
securing set futures. The spirited and intelligent Elizabeth, however, strives
to live her life with a broader perspective, as encouraged by her doting father
(two-time Golden Globe Award winner Donald Sutherland).When wealthy bachelor Mr.
Bingley (Simon Woods) takes up residence in a nearby mansion, the Bennets are
abuzz. Amongst the man’s sophisticated circle of London friends and the influx
of young militia officers, surely there will be no shortage of suitors for the
Bennet sisters. Eldest daughter Jane, serene and beautiful, seems poised to win
Mr. Bingley’s heart. For her part, Lizzie meets with the handsome and – it would
seem – snobbish Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen), and the battle of the sexes is
joined.Their encounters are frequent and spirited yet far from encouraging.
Lizzie finds herself even less inclined to accept a marriage proposal from a
distant cousin, Mr. Collins (Tom Hollander), and – supported by her father –
stuns her mother and Mr. Collins by declining. When the heretofore good-natured
Mr. Bingley abruptly departs for London, devastating Jane, Lizzie holds Mr.
Darcy culpable for contributing to the heartbreak. But a crisis involving
youngest sister Lydia soon opens Lizzie’s eyes to the true nature of her
relationship with Mr. Darcy.The ensuing rush of feelings leaves no one
unchanged, and inspires the Bennets and everyone around them to reaffirm what is
most important in life.

... the one who just bought a new kettle with the brand "TAKADA" for S$25.90

SAW II
My Rating: ****
Genre: Thriller
Casts: Donnie Wahlberg (Police Officer Eric), Tobin Bell (Jigsaw), Tony Nappo (Gus Victim 1), Tim Burd (Obi Victim 2), Beverley Mitchell (Laura Victim 3), Glenn Plummer (Jonas Victim 4), Emmanuelle Vaugier (Addison Victim 5), Franky G (Xavier Victim 6), Shawnee Smith (Amanda Victim 7), Erik Knudsen (Daniel as policeman's son Victim 8)

If you can look beyond all the blood and the gore, I think this is an extremely cleverly written movie. Just like it's predecessor SAW, the movie ends with an unexpected twist. How a serier killer kills without laying a finger on his victims. Not advisable for the faint hearted. I left the theater feeling amazed at how anyone can think of such plot.

Plot Outline by IMDb: Jigsaw locks a few unlucky people in a booby trapped shelter and they must find a way out before they inhale too much of a lethal nerve gas and die. But they must watch out, for the traps Jigsaw has set in the shelter lead to death also

... the one who has to refund a TEFAL kettle costing S$64.90 to Carrefour.
7-day return policy!

iSh article on Frankel House

The latest issue of "iSh" magazine is out in the bookshops. It will be on sale till early-Feb 2006. My article on Frankel House is featured. For some reason, it was not the final version approved by the architect and myself, but an earlier version. I reproduce below the final version that was not published. I visited the house during a thunderstorm, and the photo at left shows it in its wet state...

"The house on Frankel Street is one of the first projects completed by RT+Q architects. It is a house that the firm of RT+Q defines in Modernist language as being “composed of recognizable geometric shapes that fulfill the functional spaces, assembled in a composition of planes and voids while expressing the clarity of structure and materials.” Indeed, history and continuity appears to be the hallmark of the house here. It is history and continuity with the modern tradition we speak of, a tradition launched by the revolutionary French villas of Le Corbusier in the 1920s and influential the world over ever since. It is no secret that RT+Q is a firm with a strong grounding in the works of Corbusier (one of the partners, Rene Tan has given public lectures on the subject) and it is not uncommon to see the master’s principles absorbed and reapplied in the firm’s designs, even if done subconsciously. In the Frankel house, one can trace in particular the primitive outlines of Corbusier’s Pavilion de l’Esprit Nouveau of 1925, except that it is here elaborated upon and finished with care and finesse. Corbusier’s pavilion had been intended as a showcase for the Purist living that he idealised, where the inhabitant is a sort of a universal man, muscular and scholarly, shorn of cultural clutter, living amidst white walls that look out to the greens. Behind them was the idea that these houses would become prototypes for mass production in the same way that Ford was churning out his automobiles. The social agenda was for the common man to be able to own a healthy space to live in, full of light and the breezes.

Much of these qualities can be found in the Frankel house, and some of these, such as natural light and openness, are provided for in abundance. Hence, though the Frankel house is strikingly elegant and photogenic, we nevertheless feel that we are treading on familiar grounds. But Rene Tan is quick to state, “We want to look at architecture at its rightful place as a plastic art, as opposed to decorative, applied art.” And in an earlier published interview with the author, Rene had said, “We like to see if one can restore architecture to the realm of the sculptural, to architecture that is sectionally more fluid and plastic.” This may presumably be read as a comment against the current preoccupation on materiality and surface ornamentation that so alluringly typify the works of Herzog and De Meuron and Rem Koolhaas, whose influences are beginning to be felt in Singapore in increasing ways. But whether he is aware or not, Rene has stated the exact sentiment that Corbusier had when he publicized the Purism movement in art. Actually, Purism was comprised of only two artists: Amédée Ozenfant and Corbusier himself. In their own manifesto, Après le Cubisme, published in 1918, they derided the heirs of Cubism for producing an art that was essentially decorative and ornamental, and inferior to an approach that would give attention to the basic, essential form of objects. Moreover, they believed that fantasy and individuality had no place in modern art. They were advocating their ideal art, and what was applicable to Corbusier the artist was also applicable to Corbusier the architect. While the machine crept into Corbusier’s paintings, so that everyday objects were stripped down and made precise and ‘pure’, the houses Corbusier began to design in the 1920s became streamlined machines to live in. In the 1920s, his designs for either mass housing or one-off villas would have been shockingly minimalist and plain-looking to a public accustomed to gilt.

In present-day Singapore, “plain” would be a relative word. Compared with Corbusier’s villas, the Frankel house would be a marvel of sophistication, and hardly basic at all. On the contrary, the palette of materials and the crafting of joints are exquisite. But view Frankel alongside its more gaudy and ornate neighbours and the same sensation of refreshing classiness that Corbusier’s villas had originally engendered will still come shining through. Architecture has once again been created from the most basic of means; balanced proportions, solid and voids, natural colours, simple rectilinear planes, transparency and shadows, spatial continuum, and a whole range of possibilities that does not rely on ornaments and symbolism. They are what Rene means when he says “plastic” art. The other key word Rene used was “fluid”. This has to do with the manipulation of the walls as a continuous element that loops up to be the roof or folds back to form the floor, a play of folding plates, not quite so evident in the case of Frankel but more so in his forthcoming projects.

Like Corbusier, RT+Q’s design approach is methodical and disciplined. The house is stretched to form a C-shape with the open end facing the east. All rooms are treated with views to the garden courtyard, which is organized around a pool. The breakdown between indoors and outdoors can be practically total, as the double-storey height glass doors are slit open across the breath of the living area wing. These 6m high glass-sliding doors are a technical ‘showcase’; they glide without noise at the slightest effort from the user. The 2 sets of them give the house its pristine character, delineating its prime spaces, defining enclosure or exposure. It reminds one of what Alvar Aalto once said to his client, “For the same reason as I previously wished to turn your garden into an interior, I now wish to make your hall into an ‘open air space’.” Fully opened, the front garden becomes inextricably joined to the central garden, something that the owner of the house found particularly appealing “at night”.

An underlying structure pervades the layout, a co-relation of the parts to the whole, a model of modular coordination. True to form (pun intended), there is nothing arbitrary or fantastic here. For example, the pattern formed by the vertical and horizontal slits on the large blank wall at the front is repeated on the blank wall across the pool at the back. And the triangular form of the master bedroom balcony is inversed in the pool corner below. Rene speaks of the fugue in music (he is an accomplished pianist) and its effects are embodied in his architecture. The geometric discipline is only breached once, by a semi-circular wall of the shower room next to the pool area. A visual highlight of the composition is provided by the gorgeous open spiral-stair that goes up to the roof deck. In doing so, it punctuates a trellised canopy that seems to hover around it. For me, it is the crescendo of what Rene calls a “total musical space”. Whether intended or not, this spiral-stair detail is the iconic emblem of the house in the same way that a tree going through an oculus has been for Corbusier’s 1925 pavilion. So the Frankel house, while not breaking any new grounds, can be seen as RT+Q’s “declaration of intent”; the first of a series to come where he will be reaffirming and expanding on the tenets of Modernism in the pared down, purist way, as well as individualizing them to suit each client and site."

Chup

CHICKEN LITTLE
My Rating: ***
Genre: Comedy Animation

I am sure many are attracted to this movie because of the aggressive publicity prior to the launch. The unforgettable ChickenDance screened before every movie, that says:

Before we begin the movie,

There is one last thing.

We need you to do...

Then came Chicken Little dancing frantically with the familiar song, mayaheee... mayahooo... maya ah ahh ahhhhh ahhhhhhh.......

After seeing this trailer, I guarantee everyone will immediately fall in love with that cute little chicken with his oversized brown pants and skinny chicken legs.

The show was rather disappointing to me though. I watched it on 3 Dec 2005 along with my little cousins and a visiting friend from Canada at Yishun Golden Village.

The animation is adorable, and some parts of the show deserve some chuckles. Scenes like how Chicken Little is strapped onto the back seat of his father's car with the oversized seat belt was quite hilarious. The beginning of the show was quite funny but I started losing it somewhere in the middle. Nodding off every now and then. (Then again, I nod off even in Harry Porter and Lord of the Rings...)

But overall, I find the story line rather weak. On top of that, I was rather turned off by the deep low voice of Chicken Litte. He is supposed to be a little chikinnnnnnnn....

I guess you can wait for the DVD to be released for a little home entertainment. For those with little children, my cousins love the show though.

...... the one who is looking forward to my steak sandwich for lunch later

AeonFlux

My Rating: **

Cast: Charlize Theron, Marton Csokas, Jonny Lee Miller

Genre: Action, Adventure

Would have given it one * if not for some credits for commendable sound and computer effects. When I saw the trailers, I told myself, I am not going to watch this movie! I did anyway due to some unforseen circumstances!

Me and a colleague was supposed to be watching "Zathura" that evening of 13 Dec 05 but only to realize at the last minute that it's not showing in cinemas anymore!

Still we rushed down to Plaza Sing, next door to my office, to try our luck. Looking at the mad school holiday queue, I thought we won't expect much luck .

Since we were there oredi, we decided to settle on "Perhaps Love" starring Takeshi Kaneshiro and Jacky Cheung.

SOLD OUT!! There goes our 2nd choice.

Counter lady by now looked visibly irritated. How rude! Is it our fault that their tickets are sold out?

We learnt something new though.

For those who don't know, Plaza Sing Golden Village actually screens what you called "Surprise Screening". Screened every Tue 7 pm and tickets are going at $5 (Normal Price $7). Their clue reads:

Leave your worries behind, sit back, relax and be entertained with a movie of
our choice. The movie shown has never been screened for public session at the
cinema before. Go on, do something different... * The rating for this movie is
PG. Genre: Comedy. Hint: Especially for ladies.

Even the "Surprised Screening" was sold out! Colleague doesn't watch horror. So SAW II was out of Question. I have watched both Chicken Little and Prime. Now how, brown cow?

That was how we settled on our 4th choice - AeonFlux.

Ok, so I digressed.

I was supposed to talk about the movie. But I felt the need to explain the reason of watching a movie I swore I would never watch. Let me summarize AeonFlux in a few words.

Adolescent movie.

Very noisy.

Concentrates on showing every curve of Charlize Theron's figure.

Even, Golden Village own movie critic has not much to say about this movie:

Charlize Theron stars as Aeon Flux, kick-ass secret
agent of the
future, who is sent to assassinate a government leader and
finds herself in a
Byzantine world of intrigue and trouble.

...... the one who is looking forward to my steak sandwich for lunch tomorrow

New Architecture of Qingdao (Part 4)

This will be the last entry on Qingdao for now. It stems from my conversation with my tennis kakis on Sunday. By coincidence, one of them has been stationed in Qingdao for 3.5 years in the 1990s. She said she couldn't recognise the city today. It has changed so much in so short a time. Another, who judges sailing events, was in Qingdao for one such meet, and said the city decided that sailing will not be done in the old part of the city but at the coast of the new city, and boom, they created an expansive urban promenade from the shore to the city council building, marked by a prominent red globe sculpture and zoned out-of-bounds to any buildings. "Looks damn impressive from the sea," he said. Construction speed is frentic. Shangri-la Hotel is building a major new wing and it's only basement excavation now. But they expect it to be up and running by end-2007. My host is confident that his half finished factory will be completed for occupation by next Mar. Things get ahead of bureacracy sometimes, and so new cars that come onto the streets are allowed to be driven without a licence plate, as long as the drivers have papers that show the licence plate is being processed. (Yup, that's a Merz CLK in front of our windscreen. And in front of it is the new City Council building, which commands unimpeded views of the sea down a few city blocks.) The prize of all this speed is a hotchpotch of architecture, a bizzare mixture of styles and materials in the new downtown. It would have been worse mess, I think, had they not been hammered into some semblance of urban order by height and massing control, and subjected to wide walkways and boulevards, things which, I was told, were learnt from Singapore. (Well, to have learnt from Singapore is really to have learnt from USA, since most of our top planners were trained in USA.) But the one thing they did or didn't learn from Singapore, was the masterstroke of building a new downtown away from their old city. (Hush now, but just what is the leaden MRTC building doing in the part of our town where a part of Chjimes was? And just whose bright idea was it to demolish the old National Library and Bras Basah park?) Well, the old part of Qingdao, where the railway station is, is still charming and old, I was told, but I didn't get to see it. Next trip perhaps. For now, one can view the swaggering skyline of the new Qingdao with the comforting thought that they can be always be done over again without much pain or regret. After all, they're all less than 15 years old. All of it!
Chup

World's tallest artificial christmas tree

Had a really, really shitty weekend, and I shall not elaborate on it. But before it turned bad, we had gone up to Mount Faber on Saturday to visit what the papers had called the world's tallest artificial christmas tree. I was excited enough to bring my tripod up with my camera, and we braved the packed carparks together with our friends. What ingenious structure do they have to hold it up, I wondered.

Well, turns out- nothing. They were using the existing telecom pylon that was up on Mount Faber and had just draped it with artificial leaves and a few thousand light bulbs. That's it? This is it? It certainly looked far better from far. Better for me not to have known this than be thus conned. Trust me, the other views on Mt Faber are more interesting...
Chup

China: A Century of Revolution

One of the sweetest privilige of teaching is the availability of time and resources that are suddenly placed at your disposal. Movies, we can always rent from the Video Shop. But that outstanding documentary you remember watching from years ago? You'll have better luck buying it from Amazon today. Or else, try the library...

Well, still in the grip of my China fever, I've been able to dig up a documentary series I watched and recorded on video cassette way back in 1989. It's now available in DVD of course, and as timely and relevant as ever. It's 6 hours long, but its first 2 hours are mind-blowingly engrossing. Those episodes covered the years from 1911 (the year China became Republic) to 1949 (the year it became Communist). The reason for its appeal is its archival footages, which you marvel as to how BBC got them together in the first place. Some of the images are beyond anything Zhang Yimou or Chen Kaige can conjure up. Like a river full of barges with rigid fan-sails, docking onto a bank, and battalion of soldiers with rifles jumping out from them. Or civilians being executed by a shot through the back of the neck, and then the next... They're still haunting for its immediacy. Even today, 16 years after the series is made, and in spite of the fact that it is a BBC production, I would still rank it as the definitive survey of China's 20th century.
Chup

Animals in Switzerland

For a complete change of topic, here are some shots of the happy few in happy Switzerland. Switzerland has been 1.5 months ago. I'm beginning to forget about the terrific time we had there. These are a means to remember. No commentary is needed. The animals are well-fed and well-treated. They were a joy to photograph. The shot of the swans is now my wallpaper.

Chup

How often do you change your bedsheets?

A friend of mine, R, changes hers once in 6 months! Or did I get it wrong? Maybe it's once in a year?

She said there is nothing wrong. She always showers before she sleeps. So the bedsheet is always clean. Makes sense I thought. Maybe I am the paranoid one. Or could be also due to pressure from another clean-freak-colleague who was so shocked beyond words when I told her I usually change bedsheet once a month. She said minimum is 2 weeks!

Now, let's go back to my friend, R. R's logic is, if she is clean before she jumps into bed, then there is no reason why bedsheets have to be changed so regularly. I couldn't find any answer to counter that. Until I came across this article in yesterday's TODAY by a Tan Hui Leng.

Most people think that a little nasal obstruction and sneezing is
harmless......... Also known as hay fever, allergic rhinitis is caused by
allergens such as dust or pollen and affects about 66 million people worldwide.
And because the condition does not severely hamper daily living, patients often
do not take it seriously. In Singapore, the number has increased over the years.
40% of children suffer from this condition and 20% of them have asthma.

Then after I read this article, I realize R always has sneezing fits. She blows her nose all the time. Well, almost all the time, as far as I can recall. And very often, she is always suffering from sore eye. Red or swollen eyes. (Which she makes full use off to get sick leave from work). Now, could it be the bedsheet?? Clean she may claim it to be, but what about the inevitable dead cells she is shedding every second and the dust present in the house. I am sure that contributes to the millions of dust mites dwelling in her mattress of her pillows?

If you visit "National Allergy", you will find this:

Wash sheets, blankets, pillowcases, mattress pads and comforters every
10-14 days in hot (140o F) water. This kills the microscopic dust mites and
washes out allergenic dust mite waste, the real offender. Or consider using
a product like de-mite™, a laundry additive that can be used in any water temperature to control mites.

S0 my friend, do you think this could be part of the reason?

So what is the standard for changing of bedsheets? Every 2 weeks? Every month? You tell me.

By the way, this same friend shares one towel with the rest of the family. It used to be herself, mother, and 2 sisters. Then 1 sister got married, so it's down to 3. Then another sister moved to Hongkong to work. So it's now down to 2. Of course, the towel is then changed every few days. I have nothing against this. Promotes family bonding and save the earth :) but on the bedsheet thing, I think it has to be changed a little more often than 6 months.


... the one who is heading to Punggol for dinner tonight

Beijing Airport

The Beijing airport was covered with a thin layer of snow on the morning of 3 Dec. On the distance tarmac, a long, curved roof was under construction. We had to walk onto the tarmac to board our bus to the Air China plane, and I snapped away, only to be told off by the guard. My client said only a few years ago, I would've faced more severe penalties. Yes, but I told him that that shape out there is Norman Foster's new aiport taking form. And I had to record it! Below are 2 of Foster's competition-winning images of the airport, Beijing's Terminal 3, that has to be finished by 2007 to cope with the following summer's Olympics. It will have steel trusses painted blood red, and ceiling painted in orange. He said it was like a dragon rising, I think. But it'll look an awful lot like Hong Kong's airport, another one of his design, reharshed with colours. Some have praised that (mainly architects), but many of my friends (mainly tennis kakis) find it bland and unimaginative. My friends prefer KL's International Airport. Personally, I don't mind either but I rate Foster's airport planning far more efficient than Kurokawa's KLIA. And in an aiport, efficiency is pretty much just about everything. The Chinese have chosen well. Beijing's T3 will be quite a sensation when completed. Chup.

What are the Capital Cities in the world?

A colleague said, or rather insisted that Abu Dhabi is a country and not a city. Do you know if it's a country or a city? What about Dubai? If it's a city, which country is it in? If it's a country, what is its capital city?

What is the capital of Canada? Errmmmm…. Errr…… A clue was given. Starts with "C". …………….Errrmmmm…. Errrr…. Conversation goes like this:

O: It's Canberra lah!
L: What??! Can't be. That's the capital of Australia!

(O laughed out loud).

I joined the laughter and added confidently. Ya lah, you are wrong. Canberra is capital of Canada lah.

L: Huh??? Then wat's the capital of Australia?
O and Me: Errrmmmm…. Errrr…. Canberra??
Me: That means Australia and Canada have the same capital city??

We later realized that L was right. Canberra is indeed capital of Australia! Capital of Canada is Ottawa!!

So I concluded many of us are quite ignorant about capital cities of major countries. For the good of all, I have listed some common countries and their capital cities. And for the more serious readers, the population as well.

And another thing, Rio De Janeiro is a city in Brazil. But not its capital city.


Country, Capital City, Population by Regions
(Asia, Oceania, Middle East, East Europe, West Europe, Africa, Central America, North America, South America)

You can click here for a very good map of exact country location.

















Nearest to us. MUST KNOW!!!
Asia
Bangladesh, Dhaka: city 3,839,000; metro area 8,500,000
Bhutan, Thimphu 30,340
Brunei, Darussalam Bandar Seri Begawan, 52,300
Cambodia, Phnom Penh, 900,000
China, Beijing, 12,033,000
India, New Delhi, 294,149
Indonesia, Jakarta: city 9,160,500; metro 11,500,000
Japan, Tokyo: city 8,162,444; metro 28,025,000
Korea (North), Pyongyang, 2,741,260
Korea, (South), Seoul, city 10,231,217; metro 11,968,000
Laos, Vientiane, 442,000
Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, 1,145,000
Maldives, Male, 62,973
Mongolia, Ulan Bator, 619,000
Myanmar, Rangoon
Nepal, Kathmandu, 535,000
Pakistan, Islamabad, 201,000
Philippines, Manila, city 1,654,761, metro 9,280,000
Singapore, Singapore, 3,044,000
Sri Lanka, Colombo, (official) 1,994,000
Taiwan, Taipei, 2,643,439
Thailand, Bangkok, 5,882,000
Vietnam, Hanoi
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Oceania
Australia, Canberra, 307,700
Fiji, Suva, 200,000
New Zealand, Wellington
Palau, Koror, 12,299
Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby, 250,000
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Middle East
Afghanistan, Kabul
Bahrain, Manama, 140,401
Iran, Teheran
Iraq, Baghdad
Israel, Jerusalem, 2,550,500
Jordan, Amman, 963,490
Kazakhstan, Astana, 280,200
Kuwait, Kuwait City, 151,060
Lebanon, Beirut, 1,100,000
Morocco, Rabat, 1,220,000
Oman, Muscat, 350,000
Qatar, Doha, 300,000
Saudi Arabia, Riyadh
Turkey, Ankara, 2,890,025
United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, 363,432
Yemen, Sana, 1,972,011
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Europe (East)
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, 310,000
Cyprus, Nicosia, 186,400
Czech Republic, Prague, 1,215,771
Finland, Helsinki, 515,765
Greece, Athens
Hungary, Budapest, 2,008,546
Poland, Warsaw, 1,642,700
Romania, Bucharest, 2,351,000
Russian Federation, Moscow: city 8,415,549, metro 9,299,000
Yugoslavia, Belgrade, 1,168,454
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Europe (West), Scandinavia & UK
Austria, Vienna, 1,600,000
Belgium, Brussels, 949,070 (metro)
Denmark, Copenhagen, 1,339,395
Egypt, Cairo: city limits 7,010,000; metro 10,72,000
France, Paris
Germany, Berlin, 3,471,418
Iceland, Reykjavik, 103,036
Ireland, Dublin
Italy, Rome, 2,693,383
Liechtenstein, Vaduz, 5,067
Luxembourg, Luxembourg, 75,622
Monaco, Monaco, 30,400
Netherlands, Amsterdam (official), 724,096
Norway, Oslo, 483,401
Portugal, Lisbon, 677,790
Spain, Madrid, 2,947,228
Sweden, Stockholm, 703,627
Switzerland, Bern, 129,423
United Kingdom, London, 7,007,091
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Africa
Botswana, Gaborone, 138,000
Central African Republic, Bangui, 706,000
Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, 2,200,186
Kenya, Nairobi, 2,000,000
Madagascar, Antananarivo, 1,000,000
Mauritius, Port Louis, 134,516
Nigeria, Abuja, 339,000
Rwanda, Kigali, 232,733
Senegal, Dakar, 1,729,823
Seychelles, Victoria, 25,000
South Africa, (official) Pretoria, (legislative) Cape Town, (judicial) Bloemfontein
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Central America
Bahamas, Nassau, 171,542
Costa Rica, San Jose, 315,909
Cuba, Havana, 2,241,000
Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo, 2,100,000
El Salvador, San Salvador, 972,810
Jamaica, Kingston, 104,000
Mexico, Mexico City: city 8,735,400; metro 18,131,000
Nicaragua, Managua, 974,000
Panama, Panama City, 450,668
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North America
Canada, Ottawa, Ontario (unavailable)
United States, Washington, D.C., 606,900
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South America
Argentina, Buenos Aires: city 3,000,000; metro 12,000,000
Bolivia, Sucre, 131,800; Administrative capital: La Paz, 713,400
Brazil, Brasilia, 1,800,000
Chile, Santiago, 4,601,434
Colombia, Bogota 1,945,448
Paraguay, Asuncion, 502,426
Peru, Lima, city 5,681,941; metro 7,443,000
Venezuela, Caracas

...... the one who's feeling more enlightened now