Unboxing
Dec 12th
I really shouldn’t be spending money when I’ve got big expenses looming on the horizon, but I figured that since my old machine’s selling on the second hand market for nearly the same price as a new (entry-level) iMac anyway, I might as well upgrade (downgrade?) now while I have the time to spare to mess with it (and sell my old stuff).
I lose the mobility, but I figure I can use my school-issued Windows laptop if need be. For a 40% increase in screen space, this is pretty sweet! Processing/graphics power has actually taken a hit, but with the recent Xbox purchase I don’t really need a powerful computer for gaming, anyway.
Gallivanting around town
Dec 5th
I’d got a free eat@Meritus card through the OCBC credit card promotion and am thus currently enjoying 50% off meals at the Chatterbox (when dining as a pair). I actually quite enjoy the chicken rice there, although since that was the only thing I’d tried I thought I should experiment a little. I got myself a Nasi Goreng Istimewa, and Ailin ordered the Lobster Laksa, but they were rather… lacklustre. Certainly not worth the high prices, even after the discount. I’m sticking to chicken rice in the future!
(We also had fun with the Marché cow at 313@somerset. It’s nice to see Marché making a return in Singapore, although I don’t think I’ll be eating there anytime soon.)
Toast Box is currently giving out free drink vouchers to bribe you into voting for them for ‘Best Brands’ or something, so all you need to do is to approach people in the shop who are giving out surveys and send a SMS text message in front of them (after filling in a very short survey) to receive a free voucher. The text message costs 20¢, so it’s not entirely free, but that’s a pretty good deal nonetheless!
Ippudo Singapore soft launch
Dec 4th
Ippudo’s finally arrived in Singapore, and after a failed attempt to get in yesterday (the queue was too long so we didn’t bother waiting), we plotted to get there when it opened today at 1130 and voila! We procured our ramen fix.
The ramen was pretty pricey at $15++ (add extra meat to your meal and you’ll probably end up paying in excess of $20), but wow, was it tasty! The broth isn’t as sinfully (porkily) thick and delicious as Daruma Taishi in Japan, but it was well mixed with garlic oil and miso to create a beautiful blend of flavours. This might now be my favourite ramen place in Singapore, topping even Yoshimaru.
They even included a comic (in English, Japanese and Chinese) in the restaurant explaining the intricacies of ordering ramen, presumably for (Kyushu-style) ramen newbies. I’d found it pretty confusing initially, until I realised that the panels are arranged in a right-to-left manner, the way Japanese manga is. Amusing stuff.
Google Street View in Singapore
Dec 2nd
ZOMG IT’S HERE!
My home, as photographed by Google
So Street View has finally arrived in Singapore. To play with it, go to Google Maps and zoom in on a location (or drag the yellow man icon onto the map).
It’s relatively fun (and probably creepy) checking out your friends’ houses, if you know their addresses, but you can do the same for miscellaneous famous (or not) spots, too.
Mandai Zoo area – View Larger Map
Rear view of Merlion – View Larger Map
The creepiness that is Haw Par Villa – View Larger Map
I wonder how this makes money for Google? Are businesses able to pay to list their details on Street View, perhaps?
Endorsed vandalism
Nov 24th
Today’s Pearls Before Swine strip is pretty much an open invitation to indulge in some wiki-vandalism – and lo and behold, it’s already been done!