Singapore food

There is quite a lot I have to say about Singapore food.

Canteens:
The food is terrible when you first start, despite the many choices. And then you think "it's not so bad...", and then after a week of eating it, block my culinary imagination to such an extent that I feel like I could eat it forever. Nutritionally speaking, I think Singapore canteens are significantly better than HK cafeterias, which, while offering tastier meals, are almost always unbalanced. Portion sizes are way too small here, so I always feel like eating another set. (I never do though) Dessert options are great. Depending on canteen, it's usually waffles, beancurd, bean-soups and crepes. Fruits are always available, whereas they are scarce in HK canteens.

But something happens every Friday night that revives my taste buds.

Street Food (Food centers):
I go out for food on Fridays because my nearby canteen closes for the weekends.
Street food can be pretty nice, but also disappointing. There is no precise guarantee of quality. Often overrated. 60% probability of being good.

Food courts:
Usually found in malls, their quality is pretty consistent and taste similar everywhere. They look better than they taste, which isn't all that bad, except it usually is a bit bland, lacking in ingredients and soul-less. I don't think anybody eats in these places everyday, considering prices aren't exactly low either.

Which brings me to restaurants:
Like in HK, expect to spend more while in a restaurant. However, quality is usually guaranteed, especially when guided by Gwun Yiu. Good restaurant food costs a bit more than in HK. Budget-wise, restaurant dining offsets the savings of eating at the canteens and food-courts. The 17% extra (10% service charge, 7% GST) is usually the difference in comparison to HK.

What I avoid / what I love:
When eating out, I usually avoid dim-sum, as it just isn't as good here.
Having said that, Indian & Malaysian food is superb here, if one has a taste for these. Japanese food is also excellent, though it usually costs much more. Western food is not particularly attractive here given the Southeast Asian options. HK food is usually quite a bit off in taste here, so I am sticking with Singaporean staples (eg. Laksa, curries, 3/4-dish rice, Self-select noodles, Malaysian rice dishes) that are usually done satisfactorily.

My lunch favorites have got to be Laksa and curry, both of which contain great quantities of coconut milk and spice. I am not so sure they will fit well with the HK summer, but they sure do suit the tropical environment here.

As for dinner, I am still eating around.

Top 5 things people regret when they're dying

From the Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/feb/01/top-five-regrets-of-the-dying

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
The main theme here is people not doing what they really wanted to do when they were healthy enough to do them.
In an increasingly "interdependent society", it is easy to get the idea that life was either following others or leading others - both actions which have "others" in them, meaning that you will have to adopt the values of others. But that's not the problem - the problems come when the values clash and your values are not fulfilled.

2. I wish I hadn't worked so hard.
The article says that many men have lamented this. I agree. While one is working too hard, it may feel like there is no choice except this.

3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.
I wish they generalized this into "I wish I had the courage to communicate better with other people". Settling with the limited choices provided by poor communication, one confines themselves in life.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
Give your friendships the time and effort they deserve.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.
I believe it is a GOD-GIVEN right for all human beings to pursue happiness. Yet it is up to us to choose happiness, just as one must choose to exercise their civil rights.

The article can be best summarized as "Find and fulfill your self-interest" - before it is too late!

Relating back to "exchange", I think it is the fastest way to learn these lessons. I think I would have regretted some of the above if I died last semester too. Right now, I am happy.

Google redirects blogs to country-specific URLs

From
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/12/02/01/2012211/google-begins-country-specific-blog-censorship

bonch writes "Google will begin redirecting blogs to country-specific URLs. Blog visitors will be redirected to a URL specific to their location, with content subject to their country's censorship laws. A support post on Blogger explains the change: 'Over the coming weeks you might notice that the URL of a blog you're reading has been redirected to a country-code top level domain, or "ccTLD." For example, if you're in Australia and viewing [blogname].blogspot.com, you might be redirected to [blogname].blogspot.com.au. A ccTLD, when it appears, corresponds with the country of the reader's current location.'"