reubs's Xanga

the beef is back

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 00:20:25 GMT

It's much easier to compose a rambling, angry rant than a meaningful blog entry.

beefs.blogspot.com

I'm now taking submissions for beef stories. If you've got beef with anyone or anything be sure to let the world know.

living conditions

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 04:16:03 GMT

The noisy upstairs neighbors sing karaoke at ungodly hours of the night and it sounds like a cat being thrown into a blender over and over again.

The downstairs couple likes to hold marathon yelling competitions around midnight and they like throwing furniture at each other. I'm convinced that one day they're really going to kill each other.

Lastly, our bathroom has a large, ugly pipe running through it carrying the rotten fecal matter and urine of all the floors above us... and there's a crack in the pipe or something because the noxious fumes are leaking out.

Engrish and Stupid Signs: A Compilation

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 02:34:48 GMT

http://www.zooomr.com/photos/zig2101/sets/43160/
You may get a "Page not found" error when you click the link, but just keep hitting refresh and it should show up eventually. That's the price you pay when you use a free service.

Roti Prata is Roti Awesome

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 03:27:36 GMT

When I first got to Singapore, one of the first dishes I fell in love with was Roti Prata, because there was an awesome prata place near my old apartment. It's basically fried dough and curry. I usually try to avoid food that will kill me, but I haven't had a nice prata breakfast in a long time so I had to go find some near my place. The prata was average, but the real surprise was the ice Milo. Milo's already pretty sweet to begin with but they added copious amounts of sugar, condensed milk, and chocolate syrup and served it in a fairly large cup. That's refreshing to see, beacuse most drink stands try to cheat you by using smaller cups and/or adding more water/ice to your drink.

My Prata breakfast was the perfect way to end the morning after watching the Pacquaio fight. I had to watch a day later because I couldn't see the it live, so I had to avoid reading the news and talking other Filipinos so they wouldn't spoil the results for me. Needless to say, I'm proud of Manny. He really delivered.

Davy Jones's Locker of Deliciousness

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 05:36:06 GMT

Davy Jones wouldn't last one hour in Asia. I mean, look at him, he's delicious! Crab, octopus, squid, muscles, barnacles, and seaweed, combined into one scrumptious all-you-can-eat buffet!

The Cashless Society: I don't think we're quite there yet

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 07:57:38 GMT

Some people see a cashless society as a sign that the end of the world is imminent. If that's the case, then Singapore should be safe, at least for now. I bring this up because despite efforts to make cashless transactions more convenient, many still fight against it, still clinging to their bags of money with huge dollar signs on them.

There's something here called NETS, which is pretty much the same thing as a debit card. It's nice for me because I don't have to pay a stupid international fee like I do every time I use my credit card out here. In practice, however, sometimes I feel penalized for using NETS. First of all, it's true that NETS is accepted almost everywhere in Singapore, but it's those few places that REFUSE to accept it that drive me absolutely nuts. It's usually certain restaurants that think they're too good for NETS (*cough* SUBWAY) and certain taxi-drivers who are the culprits.

Even when the place does accept NETS, it doesn't guarantee that you'll have a nice and guilt-free experience. Before, I felt bad breaking out a $50 bill and asking if they had enough change but some merchants make me feel even worse as I bring out the NETS card and I end up saying "Can I use NETS? Is it ok? It's not gonna hurt your feelings, right?" because sometimes I get crazy looks or blank stares when I'm trying to use it. Maybe it's just me and I'm insane but whenever I use a taxi, about half the time they either don't take NETS or they claim that they've never even seen or used the NETS machine in their cab before. They kinda act surprised that it's even there in the first place. They kinda shrug and swipe it and say "Well, I've never used this before and I don't think it's gonna work but we'll try it anyway for you, Mr. Asian who talks like a big foreigner!" and I sit there nervously as they swipe the NETS card, once, twice, thrice, and nothing happens and they say, "See? I told you. You just wasted 2 minutes of my precious time which I would have used to pick my nose"... but if by some miracle the card swipe succeeds then I'm like "HALLELUJAH PRAISE JESUS!!" ...the point is--IT SHOULDN'T HAVE TO BE LIKE THAT. I should just be able to swipe the card with no questions or judgemental stares and be done with it. Is that too much to ask??

Speaking of places that take NETS but make you not want to use it... IT Malls like Funan and Simlim are the worst. Officially, they all accept NETS but the truth is, they charge you extra for using the service. Most places like to say they'll remove the NETS charge from the total price if you pay in cash so you end up running to the ATM and withdrawing thousands of dollars just so you can buy an unlocked iPhone with a gazillion 50 dollar bills. It's a good thing Singapore is so sanitary and safe otherwise I'd probably get mugged every time I walked from an ATM near an electronics store.

I don't know if my experience is uniquely Singaporean or if it's just uniquely me... others who've had similar or different experiences with NETS are free to chime in too, but for me, I'll use NETS whenever I can, yet keep a bag full of coins handy for those times when I get attitude from my sassy cab driver.

question

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:13:49 GMT

Is it better

to be really good at one thing

or

to be average in a lot of things?

Asians in Prison Break Season 4 (some spoilers)

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 02:25:54 GMT

Some of you might remember my commentary on the character "Bill Kim" from Prison Break Season 2.
However, you most likely have no idea what I'm talking about. A lot of people gave up on Prison Break after Season 1 but to me it's been interesting enough to continue giving it my weekly attention.

Well, after a long absence in Season 3, asians have made a comeback and are stronger than ever in Season 4. One of the asians on Prison Break this season is your typical triad/mafia gangster aZiAn. He ruthlessly killed one of his own guys (a staple of hardcore villains) and threatened T-Bag with one of the most menacing "I'll-shove-chopsticks-into-your-eye-orifices look" I've ever seen. He'll probably play a more prominent role in the later episodes of the season.

The other guy is your typical asian nerd who's good at math and hacking (but not much else). In the following picture we see the other characters being stumped by the device known as the "comp-u-ter" and the only one who can save the day is....yup, you guessed it---ASIAN MAN...or if you prefer his rather non-asian-sounding name: Ronald Glenn.

His character is meant to be an unlikable sleaze-ball, and the actor does a really good job of playing the part. He is verbally and physically abused constantly by Lincoln Burrows and largely ignored by the rest of the gang (until they require his services). In the latest episode he was up to no good in Las Vegas and and we find out he's been banned from all casino establishments (as most gambling-addicted asians should be). Now thanks to him, acquiring the final Scylla card will be that much more difficult. You can expect more derision from Burrows in the next episode. My prediction is that Ronald's gonna do something noble to redeem himself by the end of the season but then he'll die by getting shot in the stomach.

UPDATE: Never mind, he ended up betraying everyone and dying a horrible, shameful death (although I was really close on the getting-shot-in-the-stomach thing)

My Experience with the Samsung Omnia

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 09:05:13 GMT

Previously on 24, I wrote about my experiences buying the Omnia in Singapore. Now I'll discuss what it's like to use it.

First of all, a few disclaimers: I consider myself a cellphone minimalist, in other words, I'm a cheapskate, so getting a phone that does more than make calls, text, and store more than 30 messages was a huge step. I paid a lot for the Omnia but in the long run I'm saving more money because I refused to sign a ridiculously expensive 24-month contract. I don't need 3g and don't need to be on the internet 24 hours a day anyway... as if I didn't sit in front of the computer enough already...

Here are some of the gadgets I used to carry with me at almost all times:

Thanks to the Omnia, I now only have to carry one cancer-causing device in my pants instead of six.
How can I describe my feelings about the Omnia? I love it, but i'm not IN love with it. It has its faults.. for one thing, it's Windows Mobile so it crashes sometimes and the interface isn't as polished and responsive as the iPhone's. Occasionally, I'll have to tap something twice or the phone will stutter while receiving messages or phone calls.

Also, to say the Omnia lacks proper documentation would be the biggest understatement of the known geek world. Luckily there are plenty of online resources for Windows Mobile users, and Singapore has a particularly vibrant online-community for PDA/Smartphone users (geeks). It definitely takes some getting used to, but once you do, the Omnia will become your best friend. Imagine taking your computer from ten years ago, turning it into a phone with a touchscreen and sticking it in your pocket. Exciting, scary, and dangerous, isn't it? Technology has come a long way. I don't think we're too far off from the day when you'll be standing around with three other friends and say, "Hey, let's play The Ninja Turtles arcade game!" and then you all just pull out your cellphones, connect wirelessly and use Turtle Power to beat the holy stuffing out of the Shredder and his minions.

Good:
* the phone is sexy - and I mean that in the most non-sexual way possible
* can play most movies without needing to convert them
* extremely customizable
* better texting (touchscreen feedback, phone-like input method beats QWERTY)
* cut and paste
* no iTunes
* a real file manager
* 5 megapixel camera and video function
* wide variety of free programs and hacks
* emulated games
* the phone gets better with each new firmware update (improved battery life, etc)
* made by the Koreans, who also brought us other hits such as "My Sassy Girl" and "Fate"

Bad:
* virtually no documentation-- Samsung tells you to go google yourself
* interface isn't as intuitive/responsive/slick as the iPhone's
* screen isn't as crisp and clear as the iPhone's
* doesn't sync with macs out of the box (you'll need sync-mate)
* not good for action games ... touchscreen interface = bad NES controller
* Windows Mobile occasionally freezes your phone
* crappy earphones that you must ram into your earhole. They fall out almost every 10 seconds.
* at times it can feel like your pants...are on... FIRE!!!!!!!! (but the iPhone does it too) )
* you feel left out whenever one of your friends says "Hey there's this cool new iPhone app that just came out!!!

Appletastic

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:57:54 GMT

My Mac officially crashes more often than my PC. The Mac equivalent of the "Blue Screen of Death" is the "Kernel Panic" (or the semi-opaque screen of death). It may look nicer and more "user-friendly" but it's actually the same thing. Recently though, my Mac froze so badly that it couldn't even bring up the Kernel Panic screen... it pathetically tried to turn my monitor semi-opaque but it only got part of the top. At least Windows can bring up the blue screen of death most of the time. And what was I doing that was so processor and memory intensive that it caused my computer to crash? Checking email. With Windows, at least it wouldn't freeze unless I was actually doing stuff with my computer that wasn't as lame as "checking my email"

Some of you are probably thinking "Well, if you hate macs so much just go back to windows." Well, the problem is I still hate Windows too. And Linux. Maybe I just hate computers.