Mall-Hopping

Tonight I went back to Funan to check out some digital cameras. They're cheaper here than Sydney, but even so those digital SLRs are still quite expensive! Doubled back to the City Hall MRT station where I took some pictures of St. Andrew's Cathedral. It's grounds have been under redevelopment for like years now. So I passed through City Link Mall and ended up at Suntec City Mall. The shops start to close at 9pm, so I went to Marina Square next. The whole place is being renovated, so there's not much to see, unless you're into renovations and stuff. Ordered a meal of mixed meat noodle just before the food court closed. Would've preferred my favourite chicken rice, but all the other food outlets have closed already. Finished off the night with pictures of the Esplanade and the Merlion Park.

Training in Shopping

One good thing about working in a multinational company is somehow it makes the world feel smaller. Doesn't matter which country you're based or where you go for training, you tend to meet the same people. Our instructor used to be based in Espoo, and he's been living in Singapore for three years now. One of my classmates is the same guy I worked with in Kuala Lumpur a year ago. Another classmate flew in from Sydney for today's 1-day course. And there's this girl who's my classmate 5 years ago under the same instructor, I think. Small world, indeed.

The day went by pretty fast. By 6:30pm, I'm back on Orchard Road doing my tourist thing. Spent the whole night browsing the shops at Funan IT Mall. LaserLight and Sembawang on the ground floor are good places to look for CDs and DVDs. There are other shops out there selling cheaper CDs, but they're dodgy. I'm not saying they're fakes - there are no counterfeit CDs anymore in Singapore. Sim Lim Square reformed a long time ago. What those cheap CDs are, they are original fakes. The CDs are original all right, but not the singers. Get my drift?

Another good CD shop is Gramophone CD along North Bridge Road. Wide selection of normal and audiophile CDs and DVDs. I was on my way back to the hotel when I chanced upon That CD Shop. Yes, that cd shop. They carry lots of imported CDs and the genres range from techno to house to lounge to chill-out to Latin to jazz to fusion. The salesladies are very knowledgeable about their music and quite helpful and friendly, too. I, um, ah, didn't buy any though. They have branches in Pacific Plaza, Tanglin Mall, and Great World City if you're interested in the salesladies, I mean, CDs.

I Want My Broadband!

There's only three things I look for in a hotel room: a working thermostat, a comfortable bed, and free broadband. Too bad Royal Plaza on Scotts doesn't offer the last one. There's an in-room vault, but who would want to steal my Philippine passport. The free mini-bar is a nice touch, but I prefer to stay away from beer and softdrinks. The welcome chocolates are great. Looks like I'm only welcome on the first day, as they didn't replenish them the next day. There is ample lighting, the TV platform swivels, and the hair dryer is kept in the office table drawer. I could never figure that one out.

An hour later, being the quintessential tourist, I'm already prowling the streets. Some tips for fellow tourists out there:

• Familiarize yourself with the hotel surroundings. Note the street names - might come in handy if ever you get lost. (In Singapore?!)
• Get yourself an EZ-Link card - works on the MRT, buses, and even in McDonald's and some cafes.
• Make the Singapore Visitors Centre your first stop. Get your fill of street maps and brochures on the latest events and happenings.
• Check out the shops, get a feel for what you want to buy, but don't make any purchases yet. Who knows? Prices might go down the next few days or the shop next door could be selling it cheaper.
• Wear the lightest of clothing. It's always hot and humid in Singapore. I would've gone out in shorts and singlet, but I'm not too sure if there's a fine for that or not.

My Cabbie Is a Tour Guide

I don't know why, but every time I come to Singapore I take the airport shuttle bus which is shared among 6 to 7 people, instead of taking my own taxi. It's true that the fare is cheaper at S$7, but it's not really the point - the company pays for the transportation costs anyway. Just a habit, I guess. Now, this taxi driver we got is a talkative one. By the time we got to the city, he has already interviewed us - where we're from and what we're doing in Singapore. He also gave us a short background of Singapore's history and a few important facts and figures.

Did you know that:

• Singapore has a total area of about 700 sq. m.
• It's about 130 kms. from the equator, which explains its tropical climate.
• It was founded by Sir Raffles about 200 years ago.
• Population is about 4.4 million - 75% Chinese, 18% Malay, 5% Indian, and others.
• 80% of the people lives in HDB flats. Don't ask me what HDB stands for, but it's government-subsidized apartment units.
• A 3BR unit would cost around S$150k; a 4BR unit is around S$250k, while a 5BR one will set you back by S$350k. A condominium unit is around S$500k. If you've got money to spare, landed property starts at S$1.5M.
• Most of Singapore's highways are flanked by raintrees, also called the 5pm tree because it's leaves fold up during that time. When its leaves fall off, they shrivel and shrink, and are easily carried away by wind.

SQ Movie Marathon

What do you do when you're strapped onto your seat for 8 hours with no mobile, no laptop, and no PDA? Watch movies, of course! As usual, KrisWorld has quite a good selection of regular Hollywood fare, art films, and a mix of HK/Korean/Japanese/Bollywood movies. I was feeling adventurous, so I went for Hollywood.

Madagascar
Liked the jokes and the banter, but this is not a movie you're likely to watch again. The animation is good enough, but nothing groundbreaking. The voice talents are great, except that they are so distinctive, I'm actually "seeing" Ben Stiller and Chris Rock and Jada Pinkett-Smith when their characters talk. The plot's a bit thin - makes you feel like it's really a half-hour TV episode peppered with jokes and situational comedy to make it a full-length film.

I especially liked the penguins. They still walk funny and flap their wings. Who would've thought they break out of zoos, know karate, commandeer ships, etc? And the lemurs dancing to "Move It" are so funny.

Hitch
Now this is the romantic comedy for me. Aside from the few interracial stereotypes and contrived ending, I quite liked the film.

Story is about this anonymous Date Doctor called Hitch who advises shy geeks on how to win the girl of their dreams. Hitch will be your personal trainer for the first three dates, where he'll teach you everything you need to know to make a good impression on your target. From then on, you're on your own. So Hitch gets this fat tax accountant called Albert as his client, who has his eyes on celebrity socialite Allegra Cole. It's almost certainly mission impossible, but Hitch probably feels it's a challenge. Hitch walks Albert through the tricks of the love trade - from playing hard-to-get to dancing to kissing. Everything's coming up roses, but little does Hitch know that his new love interest Sara, who's a gossip reporter for a tabloid, is on to him. In a way, she felt Hitch was playing "the game" with her, so she makes an expose - and all hell breaks lose. Now every woman in New York who has met her husband in highly coincidental ways wants to know if Hitch is somehow involved.

This being Hollywood, all loose ends are quickly and happily tied up. Taking a cue from Albert, Hitch makes a big fool of himself in front of Sara, and that's how he won her affections back.

Some choice quotes from the movie:

• You cannot use what you don't have. She wants the real you. It's your job not to mess it up. Listen to what she's saying and respond.
• 8 out of 10 women believe that the first kiss will tell them everything they need to know about a relationship.
• Life is not how many breaths you take, it's the moments that take your breath away.
• Never lie, steal, cheat, or drink. But if you must lie, lie in the arms of the one you love. If you must steal, steal away from bad company. If you must cheat, cheat death. And if you must drink, drink in the moments that take your breath away.
• Basic Principles - no matter what, no matter when, no matter who... any man has a chance to sweep any woman off her feet; he just needs the right broom.
• Relationships are for people who are waiting for something better to come along.
• Basic Principles - no woman wakes up saying "God, I hope I don't get swept off my feet today!" Now, she might say "This is a really bad time for me," or something like "I just need some space," or my personal favorite "I'm really into my career right now." You believe that? Neither does she. You know why? 'Cause she's lying to you, that's why. You understand me? Lying! It's not a bad time for her. She doesn't need any space. And she may be into her career, but what she's really saying is "Uh, get away from me now," or possibly "Try harder, stupid," but which one is it? 60% of all human communication is nonverbal, body language; 30% is your tone, so that means 90% of what you're saying ain't coming out of your mouth. Of course she's going to lie to you! She's a nice person! She doesn't want to hurt your feelings! What else she going to say? She doesn't even know you... yet. Luckily, the fact is that just like the rest of us, even a beautiful woman doesn't know what she wants until she sees it, and that's where I come in. My job is to open her eyes. Basic Principles - no matter what, no matter when, no matter who... any man has a chance to sweep any woman off her feet; he just needs the right broom.
• So how does it happen, great love? Nobody knows... but what I can tell you is that it happens in the blink of an eye. One moment you're enjoying your life, and the next you're wondering how you ever lived without them.

Gosh, it's movies like this that gives hope to ageing bachelors everywhere.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith
This movie is probably for people who'd like to see for themselves if there is really something going on between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Well, I've been a bit behind my gossip columns and women's magazines, so I decided to go for this one. Big mistake. That's another two hours wasted from my lifespan. This movie is just incredible. Not incredible as in "Wow! Great!", but incredible as in, "Who would even think of making this movie?!" What's even more incredible is that this movie made a killing at the box-office. Figure that out.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith spent the first part of the movie ignoring each other - exchanging pleasantries and enjoying home-cooked dinners over a very long table. You would've thought that two married people will be more interested in what their spouses are doing; especially when assassins are supposed to be inquisitive and paranoid by nature. I mean, living in the same house with your spouse for 5 (or was it 6) years, and not having any hint that he/she kills people for a living?! And that scene where Mr. Smith intentionally let a wine bottle slip, and Mrs. Smith caught it in mid-air without even looking. It's crystal clear to everyone then that their covers are blown, but noooo, Mrs. Smith simply dropped the bottle onto the carpet, and the two hypocrites rushed off to get the towel when in fact they were off to get their favorite weapon. Why the pretense when after that incident they spent a good part of the movie hunting each other down?

Ok, so later husband and wife join forces to take down their employers. (How's that for employee loyalty?) This is the part where their on-screen chemistry should start to kick in, but all we get is bickering, bickering, and more bickering. The car chase scene is quite good, but marred by their incessant chit-chat and one-upmanship. And that big showdown at the department store - Mr. and Mrs. Smith were being bombed at and shot at by scores and scores of professional killers, but they still managed to kill off everyone without getting hurt. Jeez, I guess love conquers all.

Spanglish
The flight's not long enough for me to finish this movie, but I like it. When I saw Adam Sandler in the cast, I went, "Oh no, not again." Surprisingly, Mr. Sandler toned down his OA antics. Acting by the Mexican housekeeper and her daughter is natural and made the film feel authentic. The chubby daughter in the movie is quite cute - especially when the breaks into her toothy smile complete with shiny braces.

Peter vs. the Wolf

This is another presentation by the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra as part of the Spring Festival celebrations. Note that the title is Peter vs. the Wolf and NOT Peter and the Wolf. An Australian premiere based on Justin Locke's sequel to Prokofiev's musical, and produced together with actors from the Phoenix Theater Productions.

The story continues from where the original left off. The Wolf breaks out from the zoo and ends up in the concert hall. He tells the audience he was framed and proceeds to tell his side of the story. In the courtroom, the Wolf defends himself against charges of first-degree "duckicide" by Peter and the DA. The Willoughby Symphony Orchestra is on hand to provide live accompaniment with different sections of the orchestra representing the cat, the duck, the bird, the wolf, Peter, his Grandfather, etc. During the cross-examination, some orchestra members were even called to the stand to "testify" with their instruments. Educational and entertaining!

Art on Wheels

Joined the Art on Wheels bus tour being run by the Willoughby Council. The minibus drives around the neighborhood with specific stops where everyone gets off the bus, and the tour guide explains the history of the place, or the significance of a particular artwork or sculpture. A great way to discover new places and lots of photo opportunities.

We dropped by the Civic Center to check out the 14 Willoughby Bicentennial Banners draped on two sides of the auditorium. About a thousand residents worked for four years o the appliqued and embroidered panels, which shows a pictorial history of Willoughby. In front of the Pacific Place residential block is a bronze sculpture called Shadow Play by Daniel Tobin. The work, which looks like a sail, is constructed in faceted bronze with glass shards throughout. At night, the sculpture is lighted from within, and a warm glow emits from the glass shards.

We also visited Daphne (by Gaye Porter) at the Willoughby Park, the tiled fountain at Marshman Park, and the sandstone-carved animals at Hallstrom Park.

Cabramatta Moon Festival

The Moon Festival is celebrated across Asia during early September. The actual date varies every year as it is determined by the equinox - when day and night are equal in length. It is also on this day when the moon is at its brightest and roundest. Families have reunions and eat mooncakes and gaze at the moon.

We got to Cabramatta around 4pm, and things are really swinging by then. The town centre of Cabramatta was closed off to vehicular traffic and packed with stalls selling food, toys, food, clothes, food, trinkets, food, lantern displays, and more food. The residents and visitors are out in full force, and everyone was having fun. There were carnival rides and jumping castles for the kids; breakdancing competitions and dance workshops for the young ones; even a karaoke-style concert for the oldies. On the center stage, we have skits, song and dance numbers, acrobatic acts, martial arts displays, lion dances, and the lantern parade.

Chatswood Spring Festival

Also known as the Willoughby Spring Festival, this is one of the more popular community festivals. We got to Chatswood a bit late already, but there's still lots to see. The city centre is divided into zones, each with its own theme. One zone is called Green Street with environmental demonstrations, bush gardens, rainwater stands, and info kiosks. The main street is where most of the stalls are - crafts, arts, Chinese trinkets, gourmet food, etc. The Civic Centre houses the Willoughby Art Prize and the Spring Flower Show - mostly orchids. Right in front of the Civic Centre is the Kidzone. There are kiddie shows, circus acts, and hands-on juggling tutorials. Used to know a number of juggling tricks, but I seem to have forgotten most of them.

Swatch Labirinto

How often does one get to come across a Swatch AutoQuarz? Go in any Swatch Shop and you'll find the Originals, the Skins, the Chronos, the flik-flaks, the Beats, the Ironys, etc. but an AutoQuarz? I reckon it's as rare as a Swatch Solar. So when I saw the Labirinto (STK404) on sale, I just have to buy it.

Had a pretty nasty experience with Swatch's plastic battery compartment breaking off, that's why I'm using an Irony. I'm sure it's not gonna happen to the AutoQuarz because there is no battery! As the name implies, it's an automatic but it uses a normal quartz movement. Like an automatic, it uses a rotating weighted half-disc to generate energy (when you move your hands). But instead of storing this energy in a mainspring, it is used to power a micro-generator, which charges a capacitor, which in turn powers the integrated circuit, which makes the quartz crystal oscillate, which controls the timing of the stepper motor, which drives the gear train, which ultimately moves the hour, minute, and second hands.

The Labirinto's back cover is transparent, so you can actually see the rotating weight and a portion of the circuit board and the gears. I also noticed a silver disc which looks very much like a button battery. Hope it lasts as long as the watch.

Michelle Leslie is a Muslim

Funny what a 15-year jail sentence can do to one's religious beliefs. Michelle Leslie is an 18-year old Australian model who was caught on her way to a Bali dance party with two Ecstasy tablets inside her Gucci handband. At first she denied they was hers. She then changed her story that it was her friend's and she asked her to keep it in her bag. Interrogated by the police, she confessed that the tablets were actually hers, and that she was addicted to them, and that she planned to take one of them during the party.

A week later, Michelle Leslie says she's a Muslim and now wears a hijab. She is covered from head to toe, even with a headdress to cover her head and shoulders. I really don't get it - she models lingerie as part of her job and was wearing little but body paint in an event last year.

I think it's about time Schapelle Corby reveals that she's also a Muslim.

An Absurd Movie ... Unleashed

Given a choice of Wedding Crashers, Monster-in-Law, Kicking and Screaming, Lords of Dogtown, and Unleashed (a.k.a. Danny the Dog), I chose the least of all the evils. It's still a bad choice. Very bad choice.

Who would've thought that with Luc Besson as director, Yuen Wo-Ping as martial arts choreographer, Jet Li and Morgan Freeman as main characters, and Massive Attack providing the soundtrack, we'll still end up with a bad movie like this?! Compared to The One, Romeo Must Die, and Kiss of the Dragon, there's way less fight scenes in Unleashed. I'm all for quality-not-quantity, but we're all better off watching Jet Li's old kungfu movies. That was before he had crazy ambitions of conquering Hollywood. I've watched lots of his Shaolin movies and Once Upon a Time in China series, and his moves are just awesome.

The fight scenes in this movie are too unrealistic. People don't line up to attack you. They don't wait for their turn to get their butts kicked. And there's only so much beating a person can take before they go down. Even the drama aspect of the movie is badly developed. Morgan Freeman is good as always, but I guess it's not enough to inspire his fellow actors. Not sure what happened to Jet Li here, but his acting is downright pathetic. His character is supposed to be psychologically abused and illiterate, but that's no excuse to carry a single facial expression throughout the film. He was poker-faced in Hero, but his emotions still show through. As for Victoria, who is supposed to be 18 years old, living with a blind man and playing the piano all day long must've influenced her mental and emotional development in a bad way. No 18-year old girl is as carefree/happy/innocent as her.

Total waste of time. I should've just watched Sin City again.

Cross City Tunnel Walk

The Cross City Tunnel from Rushcutter's Bay to Darling Harbour is finally opened, bypassing 18 sets of traffic lights. It is also NSW's first fully-electronic toll road - no toll booths, no cash, no stopping.

To celebrate the event, a charity walk called "Walk for the Salvos" was organized before the cars are allowed through. It was not as interesting as I thought it would be. A colleague actually asked me, "What's there to see?" And she's right. It's just one long two-lane tunnel. A good number of people showed up for the walk though.

Lost in The Island

If you've watched The Matrix, Gattaca, Minority Report, and any one of Michael Bay's films, you can safely skip The Island because there's nothing new here.

The movie is about the cloning of humans as source of replacement parts for their "sponsors." DNA samples are taken from wealthy sponsors, and a matching clone is bred inside pods not unlike those found in The Matrix. Once they've grown enough, they are laid out on beds and given their first education. Instead of jacking in and having training modules uploaded into their brains, they're simply brainwashed with memories of the childhood they never had and shown promotional videos of The Island. This is how every resident in the facility believes that the whole planet has been poisoned by pollution, and that The Island is the only pathogen-free zone left.

The whole place looks industrial and utilitarian in design. The sets are probably taken from Gattaca. Everyone dresses in white tracksuits and wears white Puma trainers. (I want one!) White for the clones, black for the supervisors. Every aspect of their lives is watched and monitored, just like in Gattaca. Everyone is supposed to be content eating their oatmeal and tofu meals, waiting for the day when his/her name is drawn from the lottery and shipped off to The Island. But Lincoln Six Echo (Ewan McGregor) wanted more. He started having dreams; he started asking questions; he saw a flying bug that should not be there at all. And he started getting chummy with Jordan Two Delta (Scarlett Johansson). Because of these, he was brought in for a consultation with Dr. Merrick. The same engineers who designed the retina-scanning spiders in Minority Report must've created these mini-bugs that crawl into your eye sockets, scan your brains, and comes out of you like kidney stones.

To make a long story short, Lincoln Six Echo eventually founds out the awful truth about "going to The Island." When Jordan became the next winner, he busts out of the underground compound with Jordan in tow. A whole string of inconsistensies ensue:

• After years of brainwashing about the outside world being a dangerous place, Lincoln and Jordan have no qualms about wandering about in the desert.
• With no real-life experience whatsoever, there were able to survive the real world pretty well.
• Lincoln has never imagined or seen any motor vehicle before, but he was able to drive a supercar and a flying motorbike.
• Clones are immortal. The whole police force can't bring them in. An elite team of ex-GIGN and Navy Seals can't bring them down. They fall off a skyscraper trapped inside a glass-and-steel corporate logo, and they simply walk off unharmed.

Did I mention the product placements?

• Lincoln wondering where his other Puma shoe went
• Lincoln and Jordan duking it out on Xbox virtual reality
• Aquafina for the clones, Budweiser and Michelob Light for everyone else
  
• Nokia 8800 for mobiles calls, Cisco IP phones for video calls
• Speedo for the swimmers
  
• Calvin Klein for Jordan Two Delta
  
• Cadillac Cien for the boys
• Ben & Jerry's for the kids
• Hummers, Chevys, and Chryslers for Michael Bay to smash up
  
• MSN Search if you're lost

Talking about lost, I rushed back home just in time to catch the last 30 minutes of the last episode of Lost's first season. Somehow, Charlie and the gang were able to retrieve turnip-head - not sure what happened to the French woman. The guys on the makeshift raft saw some bleeping on the radar and uses the flare gun. They attract a pirate ship, and Walt gets kidnapped. Jack, Kate, and John blows up the mysterious hatch. We see a long narrow tunnel leading down all the way to Season Two (coming next year).

Tsinoy.com EB #2

After something like 8 months, I attended my second Tsinoy.com EB at Paramatta's Charcoal Mine. It's good to see the same old people like blue_chips and his girlfriend, bobmacks, akimacks, and bowen. The Korean BBQ buffet is great, too.

City2Surf 2005

This is actually my second time to join the Sun-Herald City2Surf, but this year the company fielded a team. We were supposed to meet up at St. Mary's Cathedral at 8:30am for a group picture. By 8:45am, I was still queuing up at Hyde Park to pick up my bib. I saw this girl wearing a black Nokia Terminal9 shirt, so I figured she's a teammate. We waited at the church steps, but didn't see anybody else.

The run is supposed to start at 9:30am, but it started later than that. The Sun-Herald Start people went first, then the HSBC Start, then about 15 minutes after time zero, the Back of the Pack started running. I wouldn't really call it "running" with so many people crowding the streets. I spent the first few kilometers weaving in and out of the traffic, keeping to the footpaths as much as possible. The going from Rushcutters Bay to Double Bay to Rose Bay is relatively easy because there's lots of shops and spectators around. There are live bands and drinking stations here and there to refresh the runners. The Durex guys, the Super Friends, and the guys in full body paint are back this year, but I didn't see the running brides and the green dinosaurs.

The point from Rose Bay is where things start to get serious. The upward slope is steep, and most people are content to do brisk walking. It's not called Heartbreak Hill for nothing. By the time I got to kilometer 11, my legs can't take the pounding anymore. It's not sprain or cramps, but my knees hurt with every step I take. I figured if I keep on running, it'll make pain go numb, and I would be fine until I finish the race. Bad idea. The pain got worse so I had to limp all the way to the finish line. It's a pity because it's all downhill from there (literally). I could've shaved minutes off my time if my legs didn't give up.

Last year I did 130 minutes and 58 seconds. This year was 110:11 for 14 kilometers. Not bad. Because of a late start, my real time was actually 93 minutes and 3 seconds. Not bad at all.

Reading/Computer Glasses

Went to my health provider's eyecare center to pick out a pair of reading glasses.

The guy who attended to me was quite helpful. My idea was to look for some pairs within my price range, then select the most ideal one. The guy is of another opinion: he said comfort is first priority; we'll worry about the price later. So went through racks and racks of frames: Boss, Nike, Oakley, Emporio Armani, Calvin Klein, Polo Ralph Lauren, Timberland, Van Heusen, etc. I must've tried on more than 40 pairs of glasses. He highly recommends the Nike frames - around A$350 each. He gave a few of them to his former flame. Too bad things didn't work out. After all the wining and dining and presents he showered her with, she went back to Singapore after finishing her studies.

I feel for you, mate. Just glad you're not selling cars. It would hurt even more then.

Carnival of the Animals at Chatswood

Attended my first classical concert since coming to Australia.

The Willoughby Symphony Orchestra staged a multimedia performance art concert at the Willoughby Civic Centre Concert Hall featuring Mozart’s Serenata Notturna, Copland’s Appalachian Spring Suite, Stravinsky’s Soldier’s Tale, and Saint Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals. The last two pieces are the main draw because they had a computerized slideshow presentation running in synch with the music.

For Carnival of the Animals, they had two young guest pianists. They started off with the Introduction and Royal March of the Lion, and they are really good! They were a bit off-key with The Pianists, as they were supposed to be. When they got to The Swan, their fingers were just flowing across the keys. Everything is just right, with the minor exception of The Fossils. I think the lady played the xylophone a bit too loud, and didn't blend with the symphony well. Anyway, not bad for 35 bucks.

The Last Amazing Race

Still can't believe Rob and Amber didn't win The Amazing Race #7. I mean, these guys are totally ruthless and scheming since the start of the race, and they deserve to win. (Huh?!) Uchenna and Joyce, who ultimately won the race, started the last leg with $0 to their credit. Heck, they had to hitch a ride to the airport and beg for taxi money there just to get to their first destination.

When Rob and Amber got on that plane to Miami at the very last minute, that should've been the end of Amazing Race 7. But no, they had to re-open the boarding gates and the airplane door just to let Uchenna and Joyce in. Reality TV? Yeah, right. As luck (or the scriptwriters) would have it, Rob and Amber got lost in Little Havana looking for "The King of the Havanas." Conveniently enough, Uchenna and Joyce's driver speaks Spanish, so when he asked for directions to "El Rey de los Habanos," he had no problems finding the place.

That said, a guy who sincerely thanks people who refuse to give him money and insists on paying the correct taxi fare before running into the final pit stop deserves U$1,000,000.