why wy?

Singapore beat Malaysia at soccer tonight, on penalties. A bit sad that I had to contend with watching it in the office (am working) instead of being at the National Stadium, which I just found out is being torn down to make way for a new sports complexmajing. The news came out in August last year and stirred up a big debate, but like with most old buildings in Singapore, they get replaced in the name of progress. For The Greater Good. Etc.

I'll miss the Stadium, I haven't spent enough time there, never got to sample the famous triangular curry puffs or coffee in a condensed milk can. So it was built in the '50s and didn't have enough female toilets, but it had a retro coolness that you can't just replace.

I've only been to the Stadium twice, both times when it was full, and the feeling is electric. The first was a Michael Jackson concert (it rocked, okaay) and the second was a Singapore vs Indonesia soccer match a few years ago, long after the heyday of Singapore soccer (Singapore got kicked out of the Malaysian league in the '90s after winning the title). No matter which team you support, everyone gets to yell referee kayu (which apparently means stupid in Malay, but I always assumed that it meant ref unfair).

The best feeling: When a wave is going on, and you can feel the entire concrete building tremble as people stomp their feet.

design porn at square mag. work safe, as long as you don't purr or sigh too loudly at the beautiful chairs, lamps, taps, showers, houses etc. (my colleagues have already been around twice.)
I especially love the tap, the way it allows light to illuminate the flow of water.

Got back from Fragrant Harbour last night, and what was a one week holiday felt like a two week break - which is a good thing.

Did some rock climbing and now sporting cuts on my hands to prove it. We also trekked on an island, urban trekked (ie shopping), rode on a junk, and ate. A lot.

This is the view from central craigs, at the START of the climb. Not shown - the long trek uphill, first concrete steps, then a trail, then scrambling over rocks, and climbing a steep incline of rock with just a rope to pull yourself up. Don't look down.















Rock climbing on Tung Lung Island. Very pretty, unfortunately most of the climbs are quite hard! For more climbing info go to hongkong climbing. HK climbs are graded harder than Singapore climbs, so if it is stated as 6A, it is really a 6B.

There's more to HK and skyscrapers and dim sum. We met a guy who had done the seven peaks and both poles (he runs an outdoor shop), a whole bunch of Singaporean bankers, lawyers and academics, and had a pretty good laugh all round.

On the downside, the pollution is baaadd. On some days, even the buildings across the harbour are a blur. Residents blame the factories in China, and they have a point. Over Chinese New Year, when everything shuts down for the holidays, the skies turn blue again.






Contentment.

clip of an ang moh kid speaking perfect singlish at a school play. Close your eyes and tell me if there is a difference.