Been there, done that, bought the tee shirt.
30/04/2004
Welcome to the other side, Google
Much as they resisted selling out, Google finally filed their IPO plans. Welcome to the world of short term revenue, and slow sinking beauracracy. Hope you make it.
Right, I know what I say anywhere about Google would probably be tagged sour grapes, but I’m confident I can be objective enough to dish good stuff. I still like Gmail, their ugly excuse for a free email service (well, 1 gb of storage can be very convincing), Orkut was fun for a while, and when you get them to define a term in the search box (eg: define googol) the result isn’t truncated like Y! Search’s is. And they even have time for a quirky sense of humour.
What does get on my nerves is how the wannabes like to refer to Google like it’s the best thing invented since sliced bread. Yes they’re a great search engine, yes, they set their priorities right and I’ve no doubts they’ll potentially build fabulous world dominating products. Especially since everyone at Why-bang is busy writing documents and having meetings about why they should be doing this and that instead of doing it.
Yes, they’re now a Cultural Phenomenon. You’re a smartie pants savvy internet user if you Yahoo!ed way back then, and want to go to Google today.
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MSN should just give up the race now. Hotmail is an inferior piece of crap (2mbs of storage? What – Bill can’t afford the extra disk space? Or does the OS take up too much of it?), MSN Messenger is a promise of something better, but mostly fails to work for me because I didn’t do my stupid Windows updates. They should just do the honourable thing – get out of the market while they still look scary.
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What a difference a couple of years makes
Look, the point is, Google isn’t the first Internet pin-up, they aren’t the first Internet company mentioned on TV, yeah they’re now a verb. But they’re not the only ones with founders from Stanford who found a better way to organise data on the internet. In the beginning, there was Dave and Jerry.
<useless trivia>
From 40 under 40: Richest (Fortune Magazine, Sep 15 2003)
#5 David Filo
#6 Jerry Yang
#7 Sergey Brin
#8 Larry Page
That article also highlights these facts:
1. “Chief Yahoo!” sounds infinitely better than “President”
2. The Google dudes took the spaces held by the Yahoo!s the year before (though this year they’ll probably blow the whole list out of the water)
3. Jeff Bezos is doing really well for a guy who’s not showing any profit
4. Michael Dell looks like Richard Kind from Spin City
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And it’s a load of crock that Google “took the internet out of geekdom and made it cool”. In my book, instant messaging and Napster did that.
Lest we forget how the road to hell is paved with good intentions, lemme put this out there. They all started the same way – wide eyed, hopeful that they’re working on great inventions, products that will change and define the way people live.
To me, the real question is how long they stick to doing no evil.
Oh and by the way, no one really knew who they were until Yahoo! used them to power a previous incarnation of the Yahoo! search engine.
So there. Take that. Send your little bots and index this page or do I have to post this on blogspot (watch out for the exciting nasal spray addiction ads)?
Perceptions
29/04/2004
The nice bit about these new fangled gadgets…
Is that besides being totally cool, sometimes, they come in handy. Like how TV shows can be recorded and burnt onto a VCD. Lovely. I missed Perceptions last night, but I’m going to watch it tonight (cos tomorrow Mozz will be in the office and I’m sure he’s going to ask).
Take another look
A co-worker of mine from another office came by for his quarterly visit. He recently lost close to 10kg, grew his beard out and got new pants. I saw a chick from the sales team check him out. They never used to give him another look, and some of the previous sales chicks found him scary. What a difference the weight makes.
Which brings me to the next thing, the double coincidence of wants.
I’ve a bunch of single friends. Men, and women, from different eras of my life, and different circles. The men always want to get set up with my friends. The women, I suspect are too shy to ask. But anyway, it’s just hard – it’s either the chicks aren’t what the guys are looking for, or vice versa (what else can it be?). So how did I get stuck in the middle?
Gee whiz
27/04/2004
Finally got what I was hankering for
That elusive G. Gmail to be precise. Yay! 1 gigabyte of email storage. Now I just need to find something to do with all that space… I can’t wait for the fallout in the free email space. Will Hotmail do something? Will Y! Mail do more than just not count my bulk mail and trash in my miserable 6mb quota? Such exciting times.
I haven’t really used GMail yet, but so far it seems really quick. Reply and forward functions are already loaded onto the page, so you won’t have to wait for the page to refresh to do something simple like forward an email. The addressbook is a bit pared down, just simple name and email format.
On the other hand, it’s a bit spartan. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t think it looks like Y! Mail (maybe with the exception of the colour scheme). Sure there are some similarities – the navigation on the left, the pull down menu to report spam etc. But engineers haven’t been known to be big fans of reinventing the wheel, so I’m not surprised at that. I don’t know, for now I think I’m still used to Y! Mail so I miss the nice extras like getting notification on Y! Messenger when I get new mail, and the disposable email addresses. It also can be argued that with 1 GB of storage, who needs it? I don’t know yet.
Cube Curios
The night before I left for Hong Kong I did a bit of research so we’d have an idea where to go. After taking in a couple of walking tours from Frommers, I made up my mind to head to Hollywood Road to check out the antique and curio stores. I decided that I was going to get a wooden Guan Gong figurine.
As the patron saint of beancurd sellers and according to Pantheon.org “He opposes all disturbers of the peace. He is charged with the task of guarding the realm against all external enemies, as well as internal rebels.” Hokey, I know. But nonetheless I thought it would be a nice addition to the office alongside the toys and books and essential oil lamps and curios from all over the world.
Most of the stores only had old ones – what did I expect shopping at antique lane – and they were way large, I think they were meant for altars. But I did find a suitable sized Guan Gong eventually.
Guan Gong, settling in with my books and files
So I settled for this one – it’s not wooden nor carved, but close enough. One of my co-workers mentioned in passing over breakfast that he knew for a fact in some companies figurines like this which can be construed as religious would probably not be allowed. My boss, in his usual fashion, said it wouldn’t be an issue in this office.
More cube curios
I just found out that they sell the cube tee shirt thing at the local Muji across the street. So I bought another 2.
Saying a lot of nothing I wanted to say
I originally wanted to comment about The Office Season 2, but got distracted and dished out a whole heap of other crap in this post. Only 1 word describes Season 2: painful.
You can’t always get what you want
26/04/2004
The Office Season 2 has arrived
Yay! Now that it’s right here next to me, I’m really tempted to start watching it even though I’m in the office. But I suppose blogging in the office is as far as I’ll go on a Monday.
I’m not exactly thrilled to bits to be doing what I’m doing at work these days – answering to the WC (though less often now that it’s past his 2 week threshold) and writing reports. The business cases are really boring the crap out of me. But I suppose it’s not unexpected – if 3 year olds now ask questions 10 year olds asked asbout 20 years ago, it’s not surprising I’m tired of it 4 years into the job.
Lunch at BCP yesterday
My brother celebrated his birthday at his favourite No Signboard at Kallang yesterday. It was a really sunny day, and the sky was clear.
We ordered the steamed crab, as usual.
Happy Birthdays
25/04/2004
Happy Birthday Siginah!
April is like a super birthday month, when it rolls into the twentieth, a flurry of birthdays follow. What is it about all these Tauruses?
The Office Season 2
I really enjoyed Season 1, and was sure that it wasn’t available anywhere else, after all, it was on pre-order at Amazon. So I went ahead and ordered it. When I got to Hong Kong it was everywhere, it was in all the DVD stores. It wasn’t any more expensive than what I paid, either.
Being Alert
I guess everyone’s taking the terrorist alert thing really seriously this time – what with all the announcements about reporting suspicious unaccompanied packages and stuff on the MRT. And what about suspicious people with suspicious packages? Haven’t they heard of suicide bombers?
Slew of weird dreams
I had a bunch of weird dreams, I can’t remember anything in detail right now, besides the ones where I still think I’m in Hong Kong, Aoki having gastric acid overload and I was searching for antacids, and the one with the creepy bathroom at the old Shell Club that was along Paya Lebar Road.
Addendum
22/04/2004
That sinking feeling
19/04/2004
Back from Hong Kong
And things have gotten back to normal again. Full swing of things, work and all. I only received 135 work related emails while I was away, that was pretty manageable. Guess those Out of Office notifications are real handy.
Hong Kong Hospitality
Well, due to a lot of stupidity on my part, we almost missed the flight coming home. No, not because we got to the airport late, in fact, we got there early with plenty of time to spare.
I spent to much time browsing in the mall at the departure hall, and forgot about the time. When we started moseying to the gates, we realised that the flight was on Final Call. Crap. We were probably about 20 gates away, no check-in luggage, just loads of handcarry stuff – our 2 cabin bags, bags of foodstuff I just bought, the Macross Special Pack KF got, camera bags, computer bags, fannypacks and backpacks. I panicked, grabbed a small cart, loaded the cabin bag and foodstuff on, and ran towards the gate.
When I finally got to the gate, I heard some airport worker call me – he asked if I had dropped a piece of luggage behind. I looked down, and realised I dropped the cabin bag. UGH! It was 5 gates away, he said. I was totally panicking then. The flight attendant said to hand in my boarding pass first, then get the bag. Ok, I did that. By the KF caught up with the rest of the stuff, left it with me, and went back to get the missing bag.
We were supposed to get to the gate by 1.45pm. By the time everything was done, it was 2pm. 
On the plane I was thinking really hard about the incident, and realised that if KF had dropped the bag and not me, I’d probably be on his case like the hellspawn bitch I am. But he went back and got the bag without so much as a word or look. All he said was we just have to get to the gate earlier the next time.
Every man for himself
19/04/2004
Hong Kong 19 Apr
Hong Kongers are so loud. I usually never feel any sense of Singapore being my home and the way I like it until I go on vacation. In the US, I really miss the food and the nearness of things. In Hong Kong, I miss the cleanliness, the quiet, the order of things.
The thing about Hong Kong is that the people are so self absorbed. The place feels as if no one cares about anything other than himself. Of course with all general statements like that always go down badly. I will admit that this is not always the case 100% of the time. But I’d put it at 80%, so that falls under the general statements rule.
You can tell from the (lack of) urban planning. Everything is everywhere, it’s as if things just happened that way, no one really bothered to allocate the areas to anything. The way the people stand in front of the MTR doors even though there are lines drawn and incessant instructions in 3 languages to let passengers alight first.
You can tell from the errant bootleg vcd and knockoff handbag sellers who proliferate the Ladies’ Market.
You can tell just by taking a deep breath.
Anywhere in Hong Kong, there are throngs of people, looking different, but walking the same. They bump and shove and knock into you without so much as a “woops, sorry”. They talk on their cellphones like no one else exists, and Nokia technology is so bad that they need to shout to be heard about the most mundane things – I want to go to the KTV lounge, this guy at the office is an asshole…
For all their smiley tourism campaigns, what they couldn’t change is the very heart of their people.
Today we went to breakfast with Pete at someplace near his hotel before heading to Muji. There was a large Muji store about 3 blocks away and Pete is in love with the store. I guess it’s very him, the colours, the stripes and checks and the earth tones. I bought the coolest tee shirt – it is squashed into a 3 inch cube.
Then in the afternoon, we sacrificed going to Sham Shui Po where Golden Arcade is in favour of Lantau Island, to visit the Bronze Buddha. I was a little grumpy by then, cos I was tired from the last 2 days, and I was hungry (I’m always hungry in Hong Kong). We took the MTR and walked to the Star Ferry Terminal, only to be told that we needed to head to another ferry terminal to catch the ferry to Central (on Hong Kong Island) and then switch to another ferry that would take us to Lantau Island. We then take a bus that would take us to the top of the Mountain. The trip there would take 2 hours, it was 3pm, the monastry closes at 5.30pm – it was going to be close.
The ferry rides were fun enough – it costs HK$21 per person one way to Mui Wo (the harbour on Lantau Island) it took about 45 mins. You can even use your Octopus card. The bus (No. 2) ride from Mui Wo to Po Lin Temple where the Bronze Buddha is cost us HK$16 per person (again you can use your Octopus card). That also took about 45 minutes. It would be a good idea to head to a Visitor Centre (there’s one at the Star Ferry Terminal) to get the ferry and bus schedules.
Anyway, the ride up to Po Lin temple is an eye opener. I guess it’s Hong Kong’s answer to the highway that leads to Yosemite (I forgot the number). It is a narrow one lane 2 way snaking path at the side of the mountain. Along the side of the roads you’ll see classic examples of Hong Kong nonchalance. Farms are messy and unkempt, as are the shrubs planted at the sides of certain portions, next to the scattered litter all the way up. There are parks and exercise areas and picnic areas, along with free-roaming cows that poo everywhere. There are ugly dilapidated 1970s residential buildings haphazardly mixed into the fray. Rusty roofs adorn makeshift containers which serve as offices for the Power/Water department. It’s like a throwback in time, or something you’d expect from a third world country. Certainly not Hong Kong, home of Asian entertainment, the Whampoa Group, Li Ka Shing and Tony Leung.
Yes, I am the hypercritical, anal whining complaining Singaporean. And proud of it.
So serene, so peaceful
I have to say this, though. Once I got to the top of the mountain, and trudged up the stairs to the top where the Bronze Buddha sat peacefully overlooking Hong Kong – everything melted into the background. It was as if I was in a different place, it was peaceful, even with all those annoying smoking mainland Chinese tourists. I felt hopeful. And in awe.
And I begin to think, maybe this is Hong Kong’s charm. It’s spikey and bruque on the outside, but at the very centre – in the heart of things – you’ll find your peace. I walk down the stairs with a different perspective. This, afterall, is what they are. Is it wrong? After all, for all that’s said and done, they’re a bustling metropolis, affluent and boasts some of the most successful entrepreneurs. Perhaps this is their state of being.
KF and I wander around while waiting for Bus No. 2 back to Mui Wo for dinner. We stumble into the grounds of a Taoist Temple. Two nuns are standing outside talking. More accurately, they were bitching. About someone else, but they were saying how they couldn’t stand so-and-so and what they did in unflattering terms. If you closed your eyes you could almost imagine that infernal bitching coming from 2 office workers.
And everything comes back into my mind, like a familiar stench. Yes, this is what they are, it’s not wrong. I just don’t enjoy it. I suppose I have a long way to go in attaining any form of enlightenment.
Today’s adventure in a nutshell:
- Breakfast with Pete
- Muji
- DVD shopping near Nathan Road where the creepy shophand walks over and tells me he thinks I look nice. Err, well thanks
- Lunch near the Hotel at Sun Wah Noodle Restaurant (24 hour!)
- Peninsular Hotel (where some asshole holding a hardcover book brushed my hand and bruised it)
- Trip to Lantau
- Dinner at Turkish Restaurant at Mui Wo near the ferry terminal where KF’s leg was dinner for an army of mosquitoes
- Back to Central, we head to Ladies’ Market for some last minute shopping for Mom and my aunt
- Mission accomplished, back at hotel
The Hong Kong Adventure
18/04/2004
Hong Kong 17 – 18 April
It was a big wait. Waited to fly out of Singapore, for an hour. Apparently, some luggage screw up caused it. Right. Anyway, waiting just go get out of Singapore in that tiny little seat for an hour is excruciating.
So we got into Hong Kong about 3.30pm or so, and then tried to find the shuttle that was supposed to send us to the hotel. After some struggling, we found the guy, who told us to wait till the other people on the ride showed up. By the time we left the airport, it was about 4.10pm. We were the last stop in the route, it was raining, and there was a horrible jam on our side of town. It felt like we were circling the place for ages.
Finally got to the hotel about 5.10pm.
One big wait.
So here’s our adventure so far: dinner at swanky Din Tai Fang, and the Night Markets of Mongkok.
Porridge places in Central near the Gold and Silver Exchange which don’t open on Sundays led to Hollywood Road, which is a lovely quaint place, and Wing Kut Street, which is closed on Sundays as well.
Lunch at Take Hachi at Causeway Bay, and Little Manila and Jakarta also spotted in the same location. Anime stores! Streetside waffle balls and Times Square. The foodcourt, and Glutinous Rice Balls in Sweet Potato soup.
The highlight was definitey the Midlands Escalator (we went all the way up) and Victoria Peak. Lovely view. Dinner at Macau Restaurant near the Hyatt Regency at Tsim Sha Tsui topped off a hectic but productive, painful but fulfilling day.
Hong Kong!
18/04/2004
So just a quick one. It’s day 2 in Hong Kong. And Hong Kong is still, well, just Hong Kong.
Yesterday we did the night market thing. Ladies Market, Fish Market, Seafood Market… we walked a lot, but bought nothing.
Today we went to Sheung Wan – I wanted to go to Wing Kut Street to get some cheap costume jewellery. But it was closed. We walked through Hollywood Road or Street, and I bought loads. Got a Kuan Gong (except in porcelain), that will go in the office. And other curios, That was good.
Now we’re deciding where to go to lunch, so updates later. Stay tuned.
