edmund wee

Day 5 is the last day in Hong Kong, as we would be returning on a 8.30pm flight to Singapore.

We left our luggage at the lobby and went to Mongkok to do our final shopping at Ladies’ Street.

They sell lots of products from clothes, fake watches, souvenirs, shoes and soft toys, counterfeit bags and more. Haggling of prices is allowed, but if you bargain and agreed on the price, make sure you buy it otherwise the street vendor might get angry. I bought T-shirts, souvenir key-chains, a pair of sunglasses and a car transmitter for Ipod, at bargained price.

At around 3.30pm, we went for a meal of Dim Sum nearby our hotel, and after which we collect our luggages from our hotel.

We made our way to the airport using MTR and upon reaching our destination we returned our Octopus Card and got back the remaining value as refund.

At 8.30pm, we departed from Hong Kong back to Singapore.

Day 4 in Hong Kong is totally devoted to Disneyland. It was a day where we relived our childhood once again.

In the morning, we took an MTR to Sunny Bay station and from there we had to transfer to Disneyland Resort Station. As it was a Sunday morning, lots of tourists and locals flocked to Disneyland. The ticket cost HKD350 which is SGD$70!

Disneyland is really a child’s fantasy. The landscape is designed and decorated with a classic old American theme with colourful painted streets with candies, ice-cream, toys and souvenir stores alongside it. A mini fire-station, a bakery, mini train station, camera stores, parks, amusement rides add on to this dreamland. There is also a retro double-decker bus and classic old western taxi driven by service crew to provide transportation. A mini train system built within the theme park help to transport visitors from one attraction to another.

We spent more of our time taking photos with Disney characters and tried a few of the rides like Space Mountain and Autopia. Fancy a soldier in Disneyland taking kiddy rides, but image here isn’t the greatest concern as there will always be a kid in all of us

We ended our tour of Disneyland at 5.30pm after watching the Lion King performance, which was performed in a mixture of English and Cantonese, and I became confused by their dialogue and got bored. We left Disneyland after the Lion King performance ended at 5pm.

Next we proceed to Tsim Sha Tsui and visited Avenue of Stars, which we failed to do so on Day 1. Avenue of Stars is located next to the river separating Tsim Sha Tsui and Central. Every night at 8pm, there would be a multimedia light and sound performance – Symphony of Lights. It is a light display by laser beams and search lights from the buildings from both sides of the river. I must admit it is not very impressive so we left halfway through to continue to our next stop –  Jordan Station.

At Jordan, we shopped at the local night market and I bought a backpack from one of the street vendors. For once, I felt like a mute because the street vendor spoke to me in fast Cantonese and I could not even understand or reply. It’s really difficult to grasp and the older Hong Konger doesn’t understand Mandarin. So I had to bargain by typing my preferred price into the vendor’s calculator. Numbers speak louder than words!

From Jordan, we shopped all the way back to Tsim Sha Tsui and returned to our hotel. In the hotel, I tried to packed everything I had into the backpack I just bought. Everything fits in nicely and I realised it was a good purchase at that kind of price. And then we all slept when all of Tsim Sha Tsui is still awaked!

On Day 3, we visited The Giant Buddha at Lantau Island in the morning. The station to alight is Tung Chung Station. Outside Tung Chung Station is a huge shopping centre –  Citygate Outlets

As it was public holiday, lots of locals and tourists formed the cable car queue. We were quite impatient to wait for the cable car so we took a bus up. Each bus ticket is HKD 26 which is around SGD$5 and you can use the Octopus Card.

I am glad that I took the bus instead of cable car, because the view offered by the bus is definitely more. En route up the steep mountains to the Giant Buddha, one can enjoy the scenery of Lantau Island.

Around 3.30pm, we descended from the mountains and return to Tung Chung Station, after which we shopped at Citygate Outlets. This shopping mall housed lots of factory outlets stores of major brands selling at discounted price. Tourist crowded most of the branded stores.

Dinner was at Food Republic in Citygate Outlets. Yes! Hong Kong do have Food Republic. I tried the Fried Hokkien Noodle to see if it was comparable to our Singaporean version. I was quite impressed, taste not exactly the same but nice in its own way, and it comes with a bowl of soup, really unique! It cost HKD 40 = SGD$8!

After dinner, we took MTR from Tung Chung Station to Central Station which is the nearest station to the famous wax musuem at The Peak – Madame Tussaud. We encountered long queues of visitors as today was Labour Day Holiday and we queued for almost one and half hours!

We paid HKD 200 for the 3-in-1 combo package which includes The Peak Tram ticket, entry to Madame Tussaud and sky terrace.

The tram up to the peak was very unique as it ascend up the mountain at almost 45 degrees! The bad thing was they have got only one tram operating up and down the mountain, and that explained the very long queue.

The highlight of the night was definitely inside Madame Tussaud Museum. We went around posing with celebrities and famous icons. But the night ended with us patiently waiting with the crowd for the tram down the mountain. By the time we got to the bottom, it was already almost 12am and we fast-walked to Central MTR Station. We thought like in Singapore, we had missed the last train but luckily train services were still available.

When we exited from Tsim Sha Tsui station, the streets were still buzzing and alive unlike the Central district during midnight.

Walking back to our hotel from Tsim Sha Tsui Station under the brightly-lit neon signboards, we saw locals still shopping, eating, snacking at dessert and fast food joints, contractors working on renovations of retail stores by the streets. Hong Kong is definitely a city that does not sleep!

We chose to visit Macau on the 30th April so as to avoid the Labour Day Holiday crowd.

In the morning, we walked from our hotel to China Ferry Terminal. It is roughly 30 minutes as we walked to the speed of the working crowd travelling to work on a cool Friday morning. China Ferry Terminal is situated inside Harbour City which is a shopping mall, very similar to Harbour Front in Singapore. I was using the toilet and I saw a logo on the toilet roll holder and realised that Harbour City actually belongs to a property developer company in Singapore. No wonder, they are very similar!

A 2-way ferry ticket to Macau cost roughly HKD300 which converts to SGD$60, with flexible departure and return time. Ferries operates at 30min interval so it is really convenient. We took the 9.30am ferry to Macau. It’s exactly one hour on board and I slept all the way to there to prevent sea sickness.

Entry to Macau was easy, queue up, fill up the immigration form and there you go. Singaporeans need not apply for VISA to Macau and the best thing about Macau is that they also accept Hong Kong currency.

Macau is quite different from Hong Kong. The architecture and streets are mainly influenced by the Portuguese. And they call it a “City of Sin” and it is like the Las Vegas of Asia. I had to agree because during the taxi trip to visit The Ruins of St. Paul, I saw quite a few casinos among the grand hotels- really is a “Disneyland for Gamblers.”

We spent fruitful time at The Ruins of St.Paul buying local snacks, T-shirts and taking photos against the magnificent Ruins of St.Paul.

Lunch was at a Macau cafe. I found the menu similar to a Hong-Kong cafe’s menu and I didn’t tried the famous Macau Pork Chop Burger.

After lunch, we proceed to visit Macau Tower. Initially, the plan was for us to go up to the top of the Macau Tower to catch the bird-eye view of Macau City, but after some ticket price calculations, we decided not to go up. It cost HKD 100 roughly SGD$20 per person! We found it expensive and did not proceed. Later we learnt that there is a sky-jump at the top of Macau Tower, definitely not for the faint-hearted.

We found a free shuttle bus outside the entrance of Macau Tower, that would take us to the City of Dreams and The Venetian Macau. Both are entertainment hub with casinos, hotel, shopping, performance and food. A must-visit tourist’s attraction!

I also made the first bet of my life at The Venetian Macau, placing a joint-bet with a friend at a game of Russian Roulette. I lost HKD 100, roughly SGD$20. I was very disappointed as to how unlucky we could be. Our bet was on an even number so if the ball drops on any even numbers, we still wins. This means that there was a 50% chance of winning and we lost! That moment the “Rain of Luck theory” from the Hong Kong salesman suddenly struck me! (Refer to HK Trip Day 1)

Later, we proceed to try some jack-pot machines, and total damages of the day – HKD160, roughly HKD$35. I did not even win once! So morale of the story, don’t gamble!

Down and dejected from our lost, we proceed to eat our dinner at a food court in The City of Dreams. After which we catch an animation performance at The Bubble – Dragon’s Treasure.(source from youtube)

After the performance, we explored the City of Dreams and took some photos. Around 8.30pm, we took the free shuttle bus from The City of Dream back to Macau Ferry Terminal. From there, we board the 9.30pm ferry back to Hong Kong.

In Hong Kong, along the way back to our Hotel, we shopped at an Esprit Factory Outlet but left the store empty- handed as the prices were not any cheaper than in Singapore.

Comparing Hong Kong and Macau, I think Hong Kong have a better transportation network than Macau with its extensive MTR network. Really convenient for free and easy travelling. In Macau there is no MTR, we had to depend on taxis and the free shuttle bus provided by the casinos.

So try make full use of the shuttle bus even if you don’t intend to gamble, there are shopping, performances and food outside the casino. Definitely worth a visit!

We took a Jetstar flight at 0630am on 29-04-10 from Changi Airport Terminal 1 and reached Hong Kong at 1030am. First thing we did was to buy an Octopus Card which is Hong Kong’s equivalent of Singapore’s EZ Link Card. The service counter is conveniently situated at an area after you cleared the customs.

Went directly to Empire Hotel at Tsim Sha Tsui by MTR. This is the cheapest way to travel from the airport to Tsim Sha Tsui – Starting from the airport, we transferred at Tsing Yi Station and from there we bought a single trip ticket to Tsim Sha Tsui Station. The alternative way is take Airport Express MTR, which connects the airport directly to the Central area, but this cost a lot more.

The hotel we are staying is Empire Hotel at Tsim Sha Tsui. After checking in, we went for Dim Sum and explore the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui area, visited attractions like the 1881 heritage and ferry terminal area. Shopped at local street stores and tried the mango ice at Xu Liu Shan(Hui Lau Shan in Cantonese). I realised the eating out expenses in Hong Kong is rather high as compared to Singapore. A typical dessert meal of mango ice is minimally priced at HKD 30 which is at $6 onwards. At night, it rained heavily and spoiled our plan to visit the Avenue of Stars. Interestingly, a salesperson at a fashion outlet later told us that raining on the first day of our vacation represents luck. Probably that’s what Hong Kong people believes in.

One thing I realised about people in Hong Kong is that they usually eat dinner late, and we also had a late dinner that day in KFC at 9pm. One unique thing I found out is that KFC in Hong Kong actually provide plastic gloves for diners to peel the chicken!

It had been a eye-opener for me – the buildings, the trademark signboards of Hong Kong streets and the neon lights. The moment I exit the MTR underground pass, I thought I was in a Hong Kong film setting. Quite surreal when considering the day before, I was still in camp!

I know it’s quite a serious topic but I felt the need to type out my opinion so here it goes, please endure.

Recently the debate of the town was regarding Ministry of Education’s idea to reduce the weightage of Mother Tongue language of the PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examination). Presently, a primary school child studies 4 subjects – English, Mother Tongue Language, Maths and Science. The weightage for each subject is at 25% and these adds up to a total of 100% for a child’s PSLE score. But now, there are plans to reduce the weightage of the Mother Tongue Language, lowering it to probably 20% or 15%.

The purpose claimed is to reduce the huge amount of stress faced by Primary school students when studying for their Mother Tongue Language, so as to make the learning of Mother Tongue Language more enjoyable, since there is less emphasis on grading.

Personally, I strongly object to this idea. But instead of condemning this idea, I would like to take a light-hearted approach.

Let’s begin by raising an analogy here using IPPT as an example since I am a NSF currently, and this is what I thought of.

First, I say PSLE is like IPPT, because both are tests and they rhymes.

Secondly, PSLE examines an individual’s knowledge accumulated during his course of study at Primary level. And IPPT gauge an individual soldier’s fitness level. So in a way, they are similar.

Thirdly, PSLE consist of English, Mother Tongue Language, Maths and Science, while IPPT consist of Sit-Ups, Standing Broad Jump, Shuttle Run, Pull-Ups and 2.4Km Run.

Lastly, Mother Tongue Language is like Standing Broad Jump because the higher the mark, the better you are.

By explaining the above factors, I just want it to be a fair comparison. Let’s start the scenario.

For example, if I know that I am poor in my Mother Tongue Language, I would practice and improve on it by reading, writing, listening and speaking more. If I knew that I could not “standing-broad jump” far enough to pass my IPPT, I would worked on my leg muscles more and even had to stay back for remedial training in the army. I believed most will agree with me on this –  you reap what you sow.

Next, lowering weightage of Mother Tongue Language is equivalent to lowering the passing mark on the standing broad jump mat. As a result, the standards of IPPT Gold, Silver and Pass will dropped. Same goes for the standards of Mother Tongue Language. Not sure if most will agree but by logic it’s sounds true.

It was also mentioned in the papers that there were instances of very bright students who excelled in English, Maths and Science except Mother Tongue Language, these people missed out on places in top schools as a result of poorer Mother Tongue Language proficiency. Actually, this is the group of people that I believed are the supporters of the idea.

With regards to this issue, let me continue the IPPT analogy. In the army, there will always be a minority group of soldiers who performed well for IPPT stations but for goodness sake, could not pass their standing-broad jump. How does camp commanders deal with this bunch of unfit soldiers?

They took away their nights out and implement remedial training! It’s tough at first, every soldiers hated it but slowly the results starts to show. Instead of lowering the standards, what MOE could do is to think of ways to help this group of children instead of accommodating their weakness.

Of course, you don’t go to command school if you fail your IPPT and do you deserve to go to top school if you don’t do well for your Mother Tongue Language?

Next, some parents being practical also questioned the time their child spend on studying of Mother Tongue Language, as their child could use the time to focus on English, Maths and Science. To answer this, I had to quote from my father – “always learn what you can learn, and keep it in your pocket, you never know when you will be using it.” To put it simply, it’s actually about keeping an open mind.

Lastly, I believed that a mind of a child is like a sponge. They learnt by absorbing knowledge from parents, teachers and the environment or through self-discovery, by playing or trial and error. Making mistakes and facing failure is part and parcel of life and is acceptable. The worst and most dangerous thing a parent can do is to narrow the mind of their child with their own adult perception and mindset and set limits for their own children – their imagination is lost forever.

Finally, the ministry can lower the weightage of Mother Tongue Language for all they want but a leader with foresight should work out what’s best for the future of Singaporean children.

This gets more and more interesting.

So now, Google had re-route its China’s site to its Hong Kong site.

Personally, I see it as an unglamorous move when not so long ago, the search engine giant just mentioned that they will be moving out of China with a high possibility 99.9%. So now they played with their words and escaped to Hong Kong. Smart move? I don’t think so.

At the initial stage of this thorny issue, China opened the door to them –  saying that a horse that turns back for greener pasture is a clever horse ( as contradictory to the common Chinese idiom that a good horse doesn’t turn back for greener pasture)

Google didn’t buy that and exclaimed that high chances they will be leaving. By declaring that they are leaving China, I believed was Google’s game of testing the depth of the water (meaning the limits of the Chinese govt). Of course the authorities would not be held to ransom and Google are stuck with their own words, they couldn’t take them back.

One thing that all of us can agree on is definitely China is too huge a market to ignore. And I believed Google surely knows this. Deep in their heart, they knew they had to stay. But to stay without giving out a signal of resistance or fight back China, would infer that they are giving in and being bullied and that means weak. The scenario is Chinese hackers are already stealing codes from them, with the govt closing one eye. How can Google accept that? Google knew they had to fight back.

The search engine giant did not want to comply to their censorship laws. They want to implement an uncensored google site for China, and this I believed is their way of fighting back. Imagine exposing China’s sensitive information – for example the Tiananmen Incident to its own people, China would definitely be angry. Google’s uncensored website for China is their “revenge”.

China definitely was not pleased. They insisted that Google obey the internet laws in the country.

Google says its either an uncensored version of google.com.cn or they are leaving. Chinese authorities of course will not buy that.

Here comes the critically part. Now, Google couldn’t take their words back. This time, I really thought Google was leaving for real.

But very unexpectedly, Google played their words smartly and “within the internet geographically” they really left. They moved from .cn to .hk. It’s amusing but I believed Google is buying time.

By moving to Hong Kong, the ball is now in China’s court. There are 2 ways China could reply.

One is to close one eye  - allowing Google to stay there with an uncensored HK Google site.

Second is to show their authority, and censor the Hong Kong Google site as well. But this could invoke protests from the Hong Kong netizens who are not afraid to show their dislike and make their frustrations known. And who knows they might really get to gain sympathy votes from the Hong Kong netizens who could support them with a protest? If it happens, Google could use the people’s voices against the government, which I believed they might if there’s any strong voices.

But at this point of time, Google.hk is already censored.

The ball is now back in Google’s court. Let’s see how they proceed. It’s a huge dilemma, but one thing I know for sure, is actually Google don’t want to leave at all.

Last week in camp, I was walking back to my bunk alongside 2 of my friends, both who are going to ORD in March. (Let’s name them – “X” & “Y” for convenience sake.)

Along the way back, we started joking about army-related stuff and “their clearing of leave” since they were going to ORD. Then “X” and I started teasing “Y” about giving us an ORD treat, cause we always like to tease “Y”.

However, “Y” knowing that we always “bullying” him, joked that he would give us a treat if he struck lottery. We laughed of course, knowing that he ain’t serious.

Then “X” and I pressed further and asked what he would do with the money if he really struck lottery. All in light-hearted tone.

“Y” replied that he would give the money to his “ah po.” (meaning grandma)

I was “transferring/downloading/replacing” my blog files and suddenly my blog homepage  come up with this error. I spend the whole afternoon meddling with this error and now it’s solved. I realized this is a very common error faced when using wordpress and here’s a clearer solution on how to solve it.

Problem – “I keep getting an “Error establishing a database connection”  but I’m sure my configuration is correct.”

1. Start by going to phpMyadmin which comes with your web host. (Take note of user which is highlighted below)

2. Click on your blog’s database name. As seen below I had it mosaic. Then click on the “SQL” tab. We are going to do a SQL Query to refresh the password.

3. If you are using a version of MySQL before version 4.1. Type in the line as above.

Otherwise use – SET PASSWORD FOR ‘example’@'localhost’ = OLD_PASSWORD(‘youroriginalpassword’)

4. SQL Query should execute successfully, and try refreshing your blog again.

I hope this helps.

If it fails, you may need to use your host’s control panel to reset the password for your database user or read additional resource from http://codex.wordpress.org/Installing_WordPress#Using_phpMyAdmin

Click on the picture and drag around.

It’s too detailed and imagine the size of the country, it’s really amazing and their web-makers/technopreneurs will catch up sooner or later!

I was reading newsweek the other day, and the focal point was on this topic: Google vs China. It goes like this: Google suspect Chinese hackers hacking into their system. However, Chinese officials did not admit. Then Google threatened to pull out of China using censorship issues as an excuse, China kept quiet throughout the whole issue. Then, Google reversed their words and said they will not abandon their computer engineers and staff in China, hoping to continue their operations in China and wants to begin negotiations with the Chinese authorities.

Google vs China? In the long run, I think China doesn’t depend on Google, definitely it will not want be held to ransom by Google. But if Google pull out of China, it could be a wrong move for Google as it will lose its market.

A Chinese scholar described the whole situation very appropriately by saying that “Google has fired an arrow that cannot be drawn back.”

Quite interesting to see how things will proceed. Personally, I think Baidu will be quietly watching this show! It definitely wouldn’t want to be involved. “Let the government deal with it.” One thing is for sure, China will definitely not be held to ransom by Google. That’s how I see it

By the way, pictures above:
Chengdu(China)