Bradley's Old Fashioned Weblog

July 2009 Solar Eclipse in Singapore

July 22, 2009 Bradley Farless7 Comments

I’d been looking forward to this solar eclipse for weeks, ever since I first heard about it. I even took the time to write it down, and enter it as an entry with an alarm in my iPhone’s calendar. I didn’t want to miss it! Last night I went to bed, rather anxious to wake up and witness this, the longest solar eclipse for the century.

So, I wound up waking up early and, much to my dismay, I could hear the sound of rain. I hoped it would clear up but as the time for the eclipse got closer, it kept coming down harder and harder.

When it was time for the actual eclipse, I looked out my window and saw only this:

And then I realized my laundry was hanging to dry…

Singapore was supposed to be along the southern edge of the solar eclipse’s path, so I was hoping to see something exciting. The animated map I’d looked at showed Singapore in shadow. It did get a bit darker during the minutes when the eclipse was supposed to affect Singapore, but it wasn’t that noticeable. It wasn’t much darker than it would normally be during a thunderstorm.

So, it wasn’t quite what I’d hoped for, but we can’t have everything right?

Pocari Sweat

July 21, 2009 Bradley Farless12 Comments

No, a Pocari isn’t an animal, or a person’s name. It’s a drink!

I’ve seen this quite a few times and always intended to snag a photo of it, but I just never got around to it.

Would you drink something called Sweat? When I look at this can I think of the sweat sliding down someone’s back, so … well no. Just not for me!

What this does make me wonder though is who was in charge of naming this product? In today’s world, multicultural awareness is something of a must, and I get the feeling that the company missed the mark when they branded this.

Any idea what the original message was supposed to be here?

Goldilocks Treats

July 20, 2009 Bradley Farless8 Comments

Goldilocks is a pretty well known bakery in the Philippines. You can find outlets all over the place there and the things they sell are really tasty. The first time I was in the Philippines over a year ago I noticed the place and we wound up buying some cakes to try them out. Well, my wife already knew they were good. She just wanted to share the joy I guess.

The cakes were very good, and I’m looking forward to the next time I’ll be able to get something from them. There are bakeries all over Singapore but the things that are produced here aren’t quite as “Westernized” as what I’d like. Generally they’re more bland and it’s nearly impossible to find fruit filled pastries.

The snack pictured at left is called ‘polvoron’. I’d never heard of it before, and found the following information about it when I looked it up (source):

Polvoron is powdered milk candy, made of flour, sugar butter and powdered milk. The flour is toasted, all the ingredients are mixed and shaped into round or oval-shaped molds. It is believe that making polvoron started during the American occupation to use up the huge amount of powdered milk brought in by the Americans. Polvoron over the years has become one of the most loved sweet Filipino delicacy.

It has a sweet taste to it, but it’s mild. It’s not something that will make your teeth feel like they’re rotting out of your head with every bite. Also, it’s dry and has a tendency to stick to the teeth and gums, so it’s best to have a drink handy while eating this.

Microwaving Shoes

July 19, 2009 Bradley Farless10 Comments

There is a shoe store here in Singapore, in Tampines, that has a microwave sitting on the floor of the store.

I happened to be sitting there, idly looking around the store while my wife tried on shoes. That’s when I noticed it. I sat there, looking at it, trying to figure out why they have a microwave in a shoe store. Then I put two and two together. If you look at the reflection in the mirror above the microwave, you’ll see a treadmill.

The treadmill is in the store so you can test out your potential purchase. That’s a pretty good idea I suppose, but then I really thought about it and realized that it’s kinda gross. There can’t be just one set of shoes set aside for this purpose, since everyone wears different sizes. This means that people ask for the size they need, try it on, and then possibly test it out on the treadmill as well. But, what happens when the person decides they don’t want the pair of shoes they tested?

I guess that’s where this microwave comes in. I imagine they put the shoes in the microwave and toast them to dry them out and potentially kill bacteria or fungus. I have to wonder how effective that really is though, and I also have to wonder what sort of effect that has on the shoes. Of course we all wash our shoes sometimes, and in the US it’s not uncommon to put them on a rack and run them through the dryer, but that wears down the shoe. So, if a few people try on a pair of shoes and they get nuked and then you decide to buy them, you have a brand new used pair of shoes, potentially complete with fungi, bacteria, dried sweat, and already decomposing rubber.

At first glance this sounds like a great way to convince people to buy a product. On the other hand, you wind up selling people something that’s not on par with the price they’re paying, and running shoes aren’t cheap here.

Keep in mind that this is all speculation. I suppose it is possible that there is one test pair of every size of shoe that’s separate from the pairs they have for sale, but given the price of shoes here, and common business sense, I doubt it.

Update:

The mystery has been solved, and unfortunately it’s not quite as entertaining or provocative as I had imagined.

The microwave, or toaster oven, sitting there is used to heat up ‘heat moldable’ shoe inserts that the store sells. These inserts are then put in the shoe and the person puts their foot in it to have it mold to their exact foot contours. It’s done at the store as a convenience to the customer.

“Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” Review

July 18, 2009 Bradley Farless9 Comments

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was definitely the worst film out of the series so far. In fact, it’s the worst movie I’ve seen since that ridiculous thing they called a film and labeled “The X-Files: I Want To Believe”.

My first problem with this movie is that it felt entirely disjointed. This was especially true of the first half of the movie, where the scenes bounced back and forth, and a lot of things were presented with no explanation. Also, there were scenes that felt entirely unnecessary to further the plot. Also, I’m not sure even the directors knew what they wanted the plot to be. What I mean is that the trailers indicated that this would be a movie with a lot of action and a lot of important events, when in reality, nearly every action sequence in the movie was in the trailers. The rest was dry. It was like watching a high school love drama, complete with mushy kissing scenes, teenage angst, and jealousy.

Also, Harry Potter has always been about magic. Where was the magic in this movie? Again, the most astonishing thing you’ll see in the film was already shown in the trailers: Dumbledore summong fire. The rest is weak. Little balls of light flying from wands, and some steam coming from potions. The previous films were special effects masterpieces that thrilled the imagination. This, by comparison, was boring to the point of not even caring. No magical creatures, very few magical devices. Nothing imaginative in the least, which has been a staple of Harry Potter films. There is nothing in this film that compares with the giant spiders, the flying car, the magic train station… none of it. This was so sad by comparison. I just can’t emphasize enough how… dry it was. The whole thing lacked energy and seemed to deviate from what the story was really about.

Based on what we saw in the trailers, we were expecting some incredible event. The trailers hinted that there would be some sort of magic spillover into the real world. There was, for all of about 4 minutes. And… what was the point of the whole bridge collapse anyway? Just to have something exciting happen to keep the audience awake? Just to use in the trailer? I fought boredom for the duration of the film, constantly in anticipation of the action sequences that never came.

The last thing I’d like to know is where is the character development? Harry Potter is supposed to be The Chosen One, but his abilities are, in most cases, less than extraordinary. Shouldn’t he have learned something new by now, or at the least become powerful enough to defend himself? Sure, he’s still in school, but… come on. He’s The Chosen One right? He’s supposed to defeat Voldemort, but he still has a hard time beating someone who’s supposed to be less than his equal, like Malfoy.

In the end, the film ended abruptly, leaving me entirely disappointed and in disbelief that a Harry Potter movie had been so bad, so dry, so … worthless. This movie really sucked the life out of the series for me. I’m not looking forward to the next Harry Potter movie anymore, and I even wonder if there would be any point to reading the books at this point. Books are always better than the movies, but in this case, if the series gets this bad towards the end, I’m not sure I want to bother.

Typical Movie Experience in Singapore

July 16, 2009 Bradley Farless13 Comments

Going to the movies in Singapore can be an ugly experience if you’re not prepared for it. I’ve often been told by Singaporeans that this is a small island and there isn’t much to do. I’m not sure I can agree with that, since there seems to be quite a lot to do here. There’s definitely more to do than in most places I’ve lived, but I suppose it’s a matter of perspective. Regardless, I think that mentality is partially why going to the movies has become so popular here. More so than what I’ve come to expect anyway. Every movie is packed, even the bad ones.

The first thing you should know about going to the movies in Singapore is that you HAVE to book your seats in advance. That’s not something I was used to, coming from the US. There, it’s possible to book your seats in advance through the internet if you want to, but it’s often not necessary. In some cases, there is no internet booking and you just have to show up early enough to get a ticket before the movie you want to see is sold out. In Singapore, even days after a movie has been out, if you wait til the last minute and try to get your tickets at the theater you’re likely to be disappointed. Movie theaters here fill up fast, often leaving only the front two or three rows open to latecomers. I’ve sat through a movie in the 3rd row before, and it was a very unpleasant experience that left me with a stiff neck.

So, booking online is a must. All of the major theater chains here offer the service and to get really good seats, you should try to book at least a day and a half or two days in advance. Ya, crazy right? That’s especially true if you want to book a ticket for a Friday or Saturday night. For example, about six hours ago (Thursday night at about 8pm) I booked tickets for tomorrow afternoon for a 4:40 showing. Half of the seats were already taken. Ah, and if you haven’t guessed, tickets are booked on a selected seat basis, whereas in the US it’s a first-come first-served when it comes to getting the best seats, regardless of when you bought your ticket.

An example of the seat selection screen for Cathay. Notice the timer. If you don’t finish in time the seats become available for someone else to book. Also, keep in mind that this screen cap was taken 18.5 hours before the movie starts. The blue Xs are occupied seats.

An example of the Cathay booking confirmation screen.

A friend of mine in Italy asked me what sorts of things you can expect to find at the refreshment stands in a Singapore movie theater, and in this regard things are basically the same as you would find in the US. You’ve got popcorn (sweet and salted), nachos, soda and other drinks and candies. I think there are hotdogs too. This is a bit off-topic, but I was amused to find out from Rowena that in theaters in Italy you can usually find beer at the refreshment stands. That’s an interesting example of cultural influence.

Once you get your refreshments and present your tickets you can head to the theater hall and find your seats. You would think that at this point everything would go about the same right? Well, sure, for the most part it does. You sit down and get to see some previews, the admonition to turn off your cell phone ringers, and the warning that video recording is illegal. But, interspersed with those previews and warnings are many, many commercials. Half the time they’re local commercials for small businesses and they’re really not that great. Also, there are a LOT of them. I mentioned that right? If your ticket says your movie starts at 4:30 PM, you can expect the actual film to not start until roughly 4:50 PM or a few minutes later. I can understand sitting through a few previews and maybe a Coke or Sprite ad, but not 20+ minutes of the stuff. So, when we go to the movies we tend to walk in a few minutes late, or we mess with our cell phones while waiting for the actual film to start.

After that it’s smooth sailing.

Just some other, dry info: Tickets are usually 8.50 to 10 SGD apiece and refreshments are high as well, though that’s not anything new for most people. For two people going to the movies and getting refreshments you can expect to spend 35 to 40 bucks.

Spinach Bacon OmuRice From Manpuku

July 14, 2009 Bradley Farless2 Comments

Lunch on Sunday was Spinach Bacon OmuRice from the Manpuku restaurant in Tampines 1. I didn’t remember seeing the stall before and the dishes looked interesting so I thought I’d give it a try. I was later told by a friend that it was added recently.

As you can see from the picture, this dish is a big tasty omelet covered in a white cream sauce with bacon and spinach. I was actually disappointed with how little spinach there was on the dish. I was hoping for more. There was a nice amount of bacon, but it wound up not being enough either.

You see, I had sort of expected there to be a more interesting filling in this omelet, but instead it was filled with just plain fried rice and a very small amount of mushrooms. I think I sifted through the rice and only found 5 tiny pieces of mushroom total.

It was tasty, but as soon as the sauce, bacon and spinach were gone, the rest of it became rather bland. A good dish introduces a lot of variety, to keep your mouth and tastebuds happy. This one just didn’t do the trick for me and I don’t think I’ll order it again.

Strangely enough, we wound up meeting friends later in the evening at this same restaurant and one of them ordered the exact same dish. She didn’t finish it either and commented on how it wasn’t very good after the toppings were gone.

Cosplayers in Pasir Ris, Singapore

July 14, 2009September 4, 2021 Bradley FarlessLeave a comment

Sunday afternoon, my wife and I were on our way to the Pasir Ris MRT station when we saw this couple strolling down the sidewalk. I was surprised and my wife told me we should run and get pictures with them, so of course we did.

Their outfits are really cool, but I have no idea what anime or game this is supposed to be from. Maybe someone can help me out here?

Banana Caramel Crème Crêpes

July 13, 2009 Bradley Farless4 Comments

Not much to say here. I just wanted to share the photos and make you drool!

On Saturday night (yes, that was a busy day for us!) our last stop before heading home was Plaza Singapura (another mall). On the bottom floor there was a small Japanese Food Fair set up. Well, that’s what the signs called it, but in reality it was just two stalls. One was selling sushi and one was selling crêpes.

After eating the sushi (which came with free green tea by the way) I had an urge for something sweet and we tried out one of the Banana Caramel Crème Crêpes. I took some photos while it was being prepared:

What’s missing from these photos is that the batter was first poored onto a flat black metal pan. I call it a pan but it had no sides. Perhaps a reader can give a name for it? After the ingredients were added it was rolled up into a paper and handed to me like an ice cream cone.

The flavor wasn’t overpowering. I mean, the crème wasn’t exceptionally sweet. The flavors all augmented each other well and the final product was delicious! I could’ve eaten another one by myself after the one we shared!

Orchard Central Mall in Singapore

July 13, 2009 Bradley Farless7 Comments

Saturday evening my wife and I were wandering down Orchard Road. We didn’t have any real goal in mind. We just wanted to be out of the house for a while and take in the sights. Orchard Road is usually pretty interesting. I’ve seen everything from centurions to acrobats to musicians there.

While walking down the road we saw a building that we didn’t recognize. It looked like a recently renovated, recently opened shopping center. We decided to check it out. Sure enough, it was a new mall called Orchard Central. As we passed through the doors we were handed a brochure. We were also handed a fairly basic looking map that proved to be rather useless later.

Rather than make our way upstairs inside the building, we used the long escalators that were mounted to the front face of the building. It was a really neat experience. Two of the escalators we went up traversed at least four floors nonstop. Also, there was a plexi-glass shield beside the escalator that came about as high as my head and not much else so we got a great view as we went up. Adding to the atmosphere there are several observation decks outside the building. The escalator leading to the roof area was closed. I suppose it’s not finished yet but I’m interested to go back when it is, if just for the view.

Here are two shots I took from the highest observation deck I could get to:

A view of Orchard Road from a deck at Orchard Central Mall

After reaching the top and taking in the view for a while we moved inside. The interior of the mall is not at all what I expected. First off, most of it is still closed and under construction. I would even say that there are more closed than open stores there. That’s not a bad thing, I suppose, but it just seems odd. The second thing that was weird about the mall is that the interior didn’t look like a mall. My wife was the first to point it out and after she mentioned it, it was pretty obvious to me too. It looks like the building used to be an office building and the interior was renovated to turn it into mall space. The hallways were just too oddly placed for it to have been intentional.

The other thing we discovered about the mall is that it’s incredibly hard to get around in. That’s why I mentioned that the map we got at the front door on the 1st floor was practically useless. If you start from the top down it’s like trying to work your way through a maze full of dead ends and trick passages. There are places were it feels like there should be a way through and there’s just a blank wall. There are other spots where you would think there’s a way to the stairwell, but in front of you is a huge open area that looks 3 floors down. Oh, or a fake rock climbing wall that spans four stories and causes you to have to backtrack. We could have taken the elevators all the way down to the first floor, but that wouldn’t have been much fun. Instead, we went around, by trial and error, until we got tired. Then we found an elevator and took them to another floor that had escalators, which we then took down to the first floor. Sounds complicated right?

Besides its crazy interior, there wasn’t much interesting about the mall. It had a pretty standard selection of stores when we went through it. There were a few names I didn’t recognize, but they were on all of the shuttered, still under construction stores. When we go back to get a look off the roof, hopefully they’ll be open too.

A final thought: I wish there were a First Person Shooter with a stage modeled after this mall’s floorplan. I mean, look at it. It even looks like something from an FPS: