Did pretty much what we did in Shanghai - shopping and eating.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
One Week in Greenhills
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
One Week in Shanghai
Our whole stay in Shanghai can be described in just two words: shopping and dining. First night we arrived in Shanghai, we trooped down to the nearest Chinese restaurant for late dinner. The weather was fairly cold, but I had a sleeping baby wrapped around me for warmth. And with the wife feeding me tasty morsels,
I can't complain, except for the locals smoking cigarettes beside us.
The other guys were on the hunt for iPhone 4s, which I'm told is currently very hot and very rare. Lunch is at this old traditional restaurant at the basement for some authentic Shanghai dishes. Spent the afternoon looking after Aidan, while the wife did some shopping. Passed by FIL's favourite DVD store for the latest TV series and movies (ahem!), then dinner at Heng Shan Xiao Guan for some HK cuisine. The guys later went out for a massage. Me, I took a stroll along Jin Ling Road until I got to The Bund. The night is a bit cold, but magnificent views on both sides of the Huangpu River.
Too bad I only brought along the wife's Ixus instead of my proper DSLR. By 10pm, the buildings started turning off their lights. Took a left at Nanjing Road, and headed back to the hotel. Things got scary when I got the pedestrian street. This may be Shanghai's main shopping street, but at this time of night it's a bit deserted.
Some guy would approach you with flyers or stuff they want to sell. I was later approached by a smartly-dressed woman asking for directions. I admitted that I'm a tourist myself, and can't really help her. This doesn't seem to deter her, as she struck up a conversation asking me personal questions. She then invited me to join her (and her friends) for some coffee.
Right. Thanks, but no thanks. I'm not about to pay for overpriced drinks for you and your partners in crime. Giving her a lame excuse about meeting my friend back at my hotel, I went my own way.
Finished late, so we just had a quick pasta and sandwich at the Italian cafe downstairs. Then off to Han City (a.k.a. Taobao City) for some cheapo shopping. The locals can immediately tell you're a foreigner, so have your bargaining skills ready. From the first quoted price, divide it by ten. Yeah, it might be too low, but the saleslady will let you know anyway. Name a price which you're comfortable with.
Be prepared to walk away. The saleslady usually will give you her best price by then. If not, you can always still ask around, and come back later. That's how we got Crocs for RMB30, sweaters for RMB50, rubber shoes for RMB50, and three T-shirts for RMB100. Note that these are all kiddie/toddler items. Nothing for the adults. Dinner at Maboonkrong Restaurant.
not some Vistalizatorized Chinese version, which took literally hours to complete. And you don't get shonky excuses like "Oh, the laptop you wanted was actually out of stock. Why I don't I give you one with a slower CPU and chipset and smaller hard drive, but I'll give you an extra 2GB RAM. Heck, I'll even throw in a free 4GB USB stick?" Supposed to have dinner at Din Tai Fung, but the place was packed. They're willing to open a function room for us, for a minimum consumable charge of RMB3000. No thanks.Saturday, November 26, 2011
Movie 2011.11.26 - Exam
Suspense-thriller with a nice plot twist. So there are eight people in a bare classroom during the final round of selection for a prestigious job with a mysterious and powerful corporation. They were given three rules and 80 minutes to answer one question. The only problem - their questions sheets are all blank. What follows is an extended character study on how individuals react in stressful situations, as they try to figure out what the heck is going on. In the end, the CEO was after a person with the right moral fibre and compassion for his/her fellow man, as the company was about to introduce a new drug for the current pandemic(?). Quite liked the movie as it kept me guessing.
Hardly Normal Ixus
Cocky fat salesman either doesn't know his stuff, or trying to push me to buy a higher-priced item with a higher commission for himself.
Was after a 115HS for $148, but he was recommending the 220HS, which is priced at $70 more. According to the guy, compared to the 115HS, the 220HS has a better processor, full HD recording, and dual-core. Wow! But wait, there's more! He's also throwing in a 4MB SD card $40, a carry case worth $25, and extended warranty worth $100. All this for an extra $70! Man, I would be crazy if I don't take this deal!
Well, call me crazy, but I know for a fact that both cameras use the same DiG!C 4 processor. Heck, even my 550D DSLR has the same processor. Dual processor? We're talking about an ultracompact IXUS here. Only the EOS 7D and the EOS-1D Mark IV pack dual processors. As for full-HD video recording, both models support it. It's even written on the body of the camera. Did I point these out to the salesman? Of course not. Gerry Harvey is not paying me to educate his staff.
Even at the last minute, the guy was still pushing me to get the $100 extended warranty. For a $148 camera? No, thanks. I have a feeling the salesman might pull a fast one, so down at the cashier, I quickly opened the package to make sure everything is there - camera, cables, battery, etc. Only when I got home did I found out that he slipped me a blue camera, instead of the silver one I asked for. It's a good thing the wife is not too fussy.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Movie 2011.11.25 - Shaolin
From what I heard, this is actually a remake of Jet Li's film debut, The Shaolin Temple. It was just after the breakup of the Qing Dynasty. The local warlords and the foreign powers are fighting among each other for power and wealth. Warlord Hou Jie (Andy Lau) chases down rival Huo Long to Shaolin Temple, and shoots him dead, despite the monks' pleas for mercy. Afraid that his sworn brother might want to share in the spoils, he hatches an assassination plot. He finds out too late that his brother has no such plan. Worse, his own right-hand man Cao Man (Nicholas Tse) betrays him, and turns the assassins on him and his family. His daughter dies during the ambush, and his wife eventually leaves him. The cook (Jacky Chan) in Shaolin takes him in and teaches him compassion and enlightenment. Hou Jie later discovers that Cao Man has been selling relics to foreigners in exchange for arms.
He hires labourer to dig up these relics, then kills them off after the job. Cao Man eventually locates Hou Jie and send his army to catch him. The foreign powers decides it's a good time to wipe out everyone and starts bombarding Shaolin. Hou Jie sacrificed himself to save Cao Man from certain death from a falling beam, thereby repaying an earlier debt. The monks managed to fight back to foreign devils, but the temple is left in ruins.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Movie 2011.11.24 - The Sorcerer and the White Snake
Reworking of an old Chinese legend where a herbalist meets and falls in love with a thousand-year old white snake, who has accumulated enough XPs to be able to transform itself into human form. Eva Huang plays the sultry white snake, while Raymond Lam plays the herbalist. Jet Li plays Abott Fahai, who goes around catching demons. He makes it his mission to capture the White Snake, even though she is doing any mischief and her only crime is to liaise with the herbalist.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Google Music
Been hearing some much about Google Music, I decided to join in. It came out of beta a few days ago, but it's still US-only. Engadget has a good article on how to bypass this restriction.
Basically, you use a Tor browser to sign up for the Google Music service. Make sure you use a US exit node, so Google won't complain. Once you've signed up successfully, download the Music Manager to start uploading some songs. The upload process is a bit slow, so don't try to upload your whole music library now. A few choice songs will do just to test out the service.
You can listen to your online songs via any browser or using the native Android app. Again, the app won't be available to you unless you're in the States. In this case, Market Enabler is your friend. A quick search for com.google.android.music.4.0.9.apk is also bound to get you some hits.
Having a cloud-based music locker that stores 20,000 songs for free is nice, but I don't listen to that many songs, and I can simply dump them on my microSD card for fast and local access without eating up my data quota. Anyway, free is free.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Movie 2011.11.12 - Leaves of Grass
This is one messed-up movie. I had no idea what it was about, so I didn't know what to expect. You have this esteemed Ivy League classical philosophy teacher on his way up. Then you have his identical twin brother who designed and manages this state-of-the-art hydroponic drugs glasshouse. The loan sharks are hot on his tail, so he cooks up a plan to lure his good brother to come visit, while he goes to Tulsa to finish off the loan sharks. So I was thinking something like The Hangover. Not.
The bad brother and his sidekick kill off the loan shark and his goons in cold blood, then rushes back to town pretending nothing ever happened. Just as the good brother is about to leave for the airport, some depressed Jewish dentist saw through their scheme and came to the house with a gun to blackmail them. Good brother stepped up and managed to diffuse the situation. Bad brother made a sudden move, so the dentist shoots him. Outraged, the good brother fires back. A few seconds later, the police came. The dying bad brother took possession of the incriminating gun, so good brother is not implicated.
To pay for the funeral costs and support his widowed pregnant SIL, good brother talks to the remaining goons if they're willing to buy off the greenhouse. Say what?! The bad boys reckon they should have it for free. Good brother turned and left, but not before getting hit with a crossbow arrow right through the chest. The sidekick killed off the bad guys and took him to the hospital. The Hangover this is definitely not.
Friday, November 04, 2011
Movie 2011.11.04 - Gran Torino
Great acting from Clint Eastwood as a grumpy old war veteran. Wife has recently passed away, so it's just him living in a predominantly Hmong suburb overrun by youth gangs.
He started getting close with his neighbor's kids and fought off the gang members when he can. Obviously, the gang didn't like his meddling, and took some tough measures against the kids. Feeling guilty for the gang's retaliation, he went to the gang's lair for a showdown. Before he had a chance to take out the cigarette lighter from his breast pocket, the gang members opened fire, witnessed by all the neighbors. The bad boys are hauled off to jail, and there is peace in the community again. Such a sad movie.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Audiobook 2011.10.28 - iCon: Steve Jobs
Full title is iCon: Steve Jobs, The Greatest Act in the History of Business. The unauthorized biography written by Jeffrey S. Young and William L. Simon tracks his rise from making and selling blueboxes with Wozniak to founding Apple Computer, to getting booted out of Apple, to founding NeXT Inc., to buying Pixar from Lucas, and back to heading Apple and unleashing iPod into the world.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
JVP to JVT
Firmware releases for the SGS is becoming less and less. I feel JVT is going to be one of the last. Instead of waiting for ICS, I bit the bullet and flashed (again) my SGS to JVT.
- flash stock JVT ROM from sammobile
- flash CWM-enabled kernel (I chose Semaphore)
- do a couple of wipes, do a couple of formats
- flash the Romkitchen ROM
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Movie 2011.10.23 - Hannibal Rising
I can't imagine Hannibal Lecter as a sword-wielding teenager traveling from country to country hunting down his enemies. And a Japanese aunt in France from a samurai clan? That's a bit of a stretch.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Movie 2011.10.21 - Get Smart
The movie plot is not that smart, but I have to admit there are times when I laughed out loud. Steve Carrell is funny because he's such a clueless guy. Dwayne Johnson is funny because of his deadpan lines. Masi Oka and Nate Torrence are funny because their acting is over the top.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Audiobook 2011.10.14 - Beethoven's Piano Sonatas
With classical music, I tend to listen to the parts I like (the familiar ones), and skip through the slow, boring, unfamiliar ones. With this audiobook playing in the car, I'm forced to listen through all of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas.
Saturday, October 08, 2011
Din Tai Fung at The Star
Went to the city to look at QVB's new light show projected on the central dome. Had a bit of time to kill, so ended up at The Star. Didn't know the renovation work on the facade is already completed. Mighty impressed with the clean open design. Some of the boutiques like Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Salvatore Ferragamo are not yet open, but you can still window-shop at Chanel, G-Star RAW, and CK Jeans. Food court open, too. There's Flying Fish and Chips, Kampung, Messina Gelato, and Din Tai Fung. Adriano Zumbo's Patissier is also supposed to be around, but I don't see it.
Friday, October 07, 2011
Upgrading the Huawei U8300
This little beauty running on Eclair is just begging to be upgraded. Out of the box, it came with build U8300 V100R001AUS C34B257SP01. Latest official build available is U8300 V100R001AUS C34B271. Interestingly, Huawei's pulled it off their website. Good thing someone made a copy and is hosting it.
- create dload directory on SD card
- extract UPDATA.APP from the ZIP archive and copy to dload folder
- go to Settings --> SD card and phone storage --> Software upgrade --> SD card upgrade --> Confirm
- Root the device with z4root. It's not in the Market anymore, but Google can help you find the apk. Root process takes a while to complete.
- Install ROM Manager and flash CM Recovery. When asked, choose Huawei Ascend.
- Copy Adrenalin RC1 and updates to SD card.
- Reboot into recovery mode, and do a full backup of your current ROM in case something goes wrong.
- Do a wipe data/factory reset.
- Install Adrenalin 2.3.5 RC1, then fix permissions.
- Reboot the device.
- Reboot into recovery mode, and flash Adrenalin 2.3.5 RC1 Update2, then fix permissions.
- Reboot the device.
- Reboot into recovery mode, and flash kernel patch (optional).
- Clear Dalvik cache.
Thursday, October 06, 2011
Huawei U8300
What do you expect to pay for an Android smartphone that has the ff. features:
- Android 2.1 (Eclair)
- 528MHz Qualcomm MSM7225 processor
- 256MB RAM, 512MB Flash
- 320x240 pixel QVGA, 2.6-in resistive touchscreen with 256k colours
- 3.2MP camera with LED flash

- gravity sensor, digital compass, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor
- dedicated torch key and trackball
- GPS
- WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
- Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP
- microUSB 2.0
- 3.5mm jack
- QWERTY keyboard
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
Whole-Day Sunshine
Customer tried to do a remote upgrade and failed. Now the system is in a funny state, and the only way out I can see is a clean install. Bootloader-based FTP install doesn't work possible due to VLAN issues. What do to? Tried calling my colleague down in Melbourne. No answer. Boss says worst case I have to fly down first thing in the morning. After having only three hours of sleep during the night?! Sure!
Sunday, October 02, 2011
Churros at the Baby and Toddler Show
It's a day of discounts. Went down to the city for the Baby & Toddler Show at Sydney Exhibition Centre. Parked at the newly opened Wilson Parking at Darling Quarter for $9 flat-rate. Entrance to the show was free as we got complimentary tickets from Coles.
On our way out, we were offered complimentary tickets to MasterChef Live. Went to the nearby St. Moritz at Harbourside for $5 churros and hot chocolate for two - courtesy of Groupon.