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USA 2012: Riding Chicago

Chicago is such a marked contrast from Ann Arbor. This is the Big City personified, with high rise buildings everywhere, and old buildings standing next to the swanky new ones.

When I got here, the temperature was 24°C, a little unusual for this time of year. I even complained that I didn't get to wear my warm clothing. Me and my big mouth because the next evening, it plunged to 7°C with rain and winds. And it's the wind that gets you, cutting into you like a blade. I understood finally why they call Chicago the Windy City.

I love the old buildings here, like The Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago.

I also made my pilgrimage to the Vivian Maier exhibition at the Chicago History Museum. She is one of my favourite street photographers, and she captured people and the cityscape in her photographs, most of it in Chicago.

And of course, I found a little time to cycle my Bike Friday Tikit in Chicago. One fine afternoon, after lunch, I rode along the 18-mile-long Lakefront Trail that hugs the coast of Lake Michigan.

From my hotel, a short ride on the street took me to this funky tunnel to the trail.

Then it was just 18 miles (or 29km) of sweet bike path with a most gorgeous view.

At the south end of the Lakefront Trail is Navy Pier, a major tourist attraction.

At the north end of the trail, there are other parks, small harbors and scattered sculptures.

I cycled with my jacket, gloves and wooly hat, and found it warm enough for riding in 10°C temperatures. You generate heat once you ride a little harder.

By the time I headed back to the hotel, I could see the blinking lights of other riders, making their way home by bike as the sun set. I wish I had more than two days here to explore more of the Windy City. I shan't wish for cold winds next time though.

A Halloween costume suggestion

This Halloween, dress up as a Resale HDB Flat.

Because the COV and prices are really really scary.

Or you can also go as a COE.

The smallest iPad. EVAR…

First it was the new iPad. Then iPad mini.

Stand by as Apple announces the iPad Shuffle, the smallest iPad ever: It has no screen and apps open randomly.

USA 2012: Riding around Ann Arbor, Michigan

I had great time speaking to the Singaporeans in Ann Arbor, Michigan. There were many students and some working adults.

I also met some married couples with babies. They got do national duty leh!

I think we brought the warm weather to Ann Arbor. It's supposed to be 6-9°C in the day here but it has been 24°C for the last two days. I just needed to wear just my t-shirt (and pants lah) to cycle my Bike Friday Tikit (thanks My Bike Shop!)

Zingerman's was one of the first stops we made. They make the awesomest sandwiches. I had the corned beef Reuben. Yum.

Ann Arbor is lovely in the fall. The colours are everywhere and the university town has a laid back character that I totally enjoyed.

I spent most of my time riding around the Huron River. It has a lovely bikeway and you can even canoe on the river. I rode as far north as Barton Pond, and also rode past Argos Cascade, Bandemer Park, and the Cedar Bend Nature Area in the south.

It was a lovely ride and I am glad I brought the bicycle along.

In other news, I am ensuring that I am properly moisturized while I am here in the US. But trust my wife to give me a body lotion that has "jojoba and shea butter" for my trip. I smell womanly now. And yummy too.

Hello Ann Arbor, Michigan!

I am finally here in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It took more than 30 hours to fly here from Singapore: Singapore to Frankfurt, then to JFK in NYC, then after a four-and-a-half hour layover in JFK, a Delta flight to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW).

I lost track of how many movies I watched already. I tried not to watch stuff I had already watched (which is really difficult, since I kinda review movies and catch premieres all the time). I recall catching Safe (Jason Statham rules), Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (so-so) and Disney's Tangled (very good) on my flights.

My first meal in the US for this trip was McDonald's at JFK airport. I know, it is tragic. I miss my Bak Chor Mee already.

I didn't have time to whip out the camera so here are some photos from my iPhone 4S. Below is the view of from my SQ A380 flight and one above is of the Detroit Airport.

The DTW airport is surprisingly pretty. Lots of shops and a tram system INSIDE the terminal. It looks like a scene from the movie Total Recall. One of the best looking airports I have seen in the US (sorry, LAX and JFK, you guys need to upgrade).

By the time I reached my hotel in Ann Arbor, it was time for dinner. I had a very nice sea bass at the hotel restaurant.

I spent the night sleeping on the opposite side of the hotel bed because the wifi signal was too weak at the head of the bed. Such is the life of an internet junkie.

I fell asleep watching the US Elections news blasting away on the telly, with news folks analyzing every word and gesture made by Romney and Obama on their third debate ("You see that pat he made on the back? It means he is in charge…").

There were also countless commercials whacking the other candidate and his policies ("I am so-and-so and I approve this message.").

It seems like yesterday I was here in the US to see Obama run against McCain in 2008. Back then, when I was in Congress watching Obama speak about the need to get the bailout voted through, his hair was black. It is now white after four years in office.

While I was up in the air, Tim Cook announced the new iPad mini and a tweaked new iPad (iPad 4?). I hope you guys didn't buy an iPad 3 a.k.a. New iPad yesterday. Never buy stuff just before an Apple announcement (says he who bought an Airport Express just before the new one was announced).

It is now 6am here and it should be 6pm in Singapore. Why am I up so early? Yep, say hello to my friend, Jet Lag. My body clock will take a while to adjust.

I also took the Bike Friday Tikit folding bicycle out of my luggage and set it up last night. I hope there will be time to do a little riding around Ann Arbor.

The Hills are alive…

I enjoy reading the MOE Facebook page. Sometimes I cannot resist commenting…

Fast food gantries

Hmmm. Are these gantries trying to tell me something?

"He Laughs"

I just had to share this.

The boy recently turned nine. And his younger sister, Joy (aged six going on to seven) made this card for him.

It says:

"Dear Koko (哥哥 in Cantonese), you are named "Isacc" (sic) because you have laughter in your heart. The day mommy had gave birth (sic) to you, the whole house had laugter (sic). Happy Birthday!"

I later found out that she got the meaning of Isaac's name from a baby name book on my bookshelf.

It is amazing how a kid like her can understand the basis of why we chose that name for her older brother. Indeed, the Wife and I felt the need to have laughter in the household when Isaac was born, after the tough period dealing with Faith's autism.

May the faith, laughter and joy never cease in our family… even as I now go over to the study and give my son a reprimand for goofing off when he is supposed to be studying for his Primary 3 exams.

Gen 21:6: "Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.”

"We've got a little more to show you"

Wife: "So, there's a new iPad mini coming issit?"

Me: "Er, yeah. Why?"

Wife: "Nothing. Just wanted to know."

What a strange conversation.

the mrbrown show: it's not the journey: part 2 (video)

Youtube link: http://mrbrwn.co/T2NAEM

Smell good for the ladies, smell more, more good.

Part 1: http://mrbrwn.co/RBzXJ5

Name and Shame

Here's a possible future scenario:

MOE: "If you break your bond, we will name & shame you on our website."

Scholar: "I already have a website with graphic photos of my sexual exploits."

Back to the drawing board.

On a related note, I read the headline from Asiaone too quickly:

"Asean scholar in flap over sex blog"

And saw "fap" instead of "flap".

SG Buzz: Heading for Ann Arbor, Chicago and Seattle

I am leaving for the U.S. next week to speak and meet up with overseas Singaporeans at Ann Arbor (Wednesday, 24th Oct), Chicago (Friday, 26th October) and Seattle (Saturday, 27th October). Click on the dates for details.

The Overseas Singaporean Unit also interviewed me for their website (where I stole this photo from). You can read it on their site.

I will also be doing some cycling in the three cities on my Bike Friday Tikit (thanks to sponsor My Bike Shop) and I will share my cycling experiences too.

See you all in America next week!

P.S. This is the SECOND time I've gone to the U.S. during an election. The last time I was there was Obama vs McCain during September/October 2008. Haha!

Shanghai 2012: Home of the Bund

This is the view from the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, or 东方明珠塔. It is 468m high and was the tallest structure in China until 2007, when it was beaten by the Shanghai World Financial Center. You could say it was beaten by one of its own.

The queue was long and somewhat frustrating. It costs RMB180 ($36) to get to the very top (RMB108 for senior citizens) and the very top is a tiny lift that can take 10 people at a time. So be prepared to queue and queue during busy periods.

But once you get up there, the view is pretty awesome. You can see the Bund and all the tall buildings in Shanghai. On a clear day (which is rare in Shanghai), you probably see beyond the city.

At the lower observation deck, the floor is made of glass and this is where we had the most fun. If you have a fear of heights, the view from here can turn your legs into jelly.

I missed the Bund the last time I was in Shanghai (I know, how could I, right?). So this time, I made it a point to get there. By night, the Bund is really beautiful.

An old traffic cop at this junction in front of The Swatch Art Peace Hotel took a liking to me and spent fifteen minutes telling me stories about the street of buildings. Like how the British owner of The Fairmont Peace Hotel (left one, below) went to court to prevent the Bank of China building (right one, below) from being built taller than the Peace Hotel and won.

So the Chinese stuck a taller flag pole on their building. I am not sure if the stories the uncle told me were true but it was fun to listen to anyway.

This is the skyline of Shanghai from the Bund. Neat eh?

Yuyuan Garden (豫园) was less interesting and not really worth the entrance fee.

I did like the surrounding areas though. Like the small parks where old folks hung out and danced or had tea.

Also in the area is The City God Temple or Chenghuang Miao (上海城隍庙), one of the most significant Taoist temples in Shanghai. It was built during early 1400s, during the Ming Dynasty.

You'd think by now we'd tire of temple hopping but we were keen to visit The Jade Buddha Temple (玉佛禅寺).

Mom and I eavesdropped on a particularly good Hong Kong tour guide who explained things very clearly and wittily, and we learned quite a lot from listening to him.

the mrbrown show: it's not the journey (video)

Youtube link: http://mrbrwn.co/RBzXJ5

Smell nice for the ladies.

Part 2: http://mrbrwn.co/T2NAEM

Punggol to have 7 new waterfront districts

According to the news, Punggol will have seven new waterfront housing districts.

This is what I think they will be named: Edgevale by the Bay, Edgedale by the Bay, Edgevale by the Dale, Edgedale by the Vale, Bayvale by the Edge, Dale By the Vale's Edge and Edgedale by the Vale by the Bay.

Rumour: Before HBO decided to make "Serangoon Road", they wanted to make "Punggol" but they got lost looking for it.

[original graphic from Business Times]

Nanjing 2012: A city that doesn't forget

The drive to Nanjing from Yangzhou took about two hours. Mom and I planned to make Nanjing our base (also our flight departed from here).

Our first stop was 中山陵 or the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum. The Chinese call Dr Sun 国父 or Father of Modern China. Located at Purple Mountain (紫金山), it is quite grand tribute to the man who overthrew the Qing Dynasty in 1911 and ended the feudal system.

The place was crowded with tourists because it was still Golden Week in China, the week where almost everyone is on 10-days of leave due to the National Day holiday and the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Our driver couldn't drive up to the entrance of the mausoleum at first, and when we were almost resigned to making a long walk up the hill, a tout offered to take us up via his own secret shortcut… for RMB100 ($20). We paid up and he guided us to the first step of the 392 steps that led to memorial chamber.

Mom could not resist taking a photo with the student groups visiting the place.

And when you get to the top, you turn around and you will see the most awesome view of Nanjing. Definitely worth the trip there.

Our next stop was Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum (明孝陵), where the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty is buried. It is a really peaceful and pretty place for a stroll.

The Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall (南京大屠杀遇难同胞纪念馆) is a place I had mixed feelings about visiting. While it is a must-visit place to know more about the atrocities which happened in 1937 when the Japanese invaded Nanjing, you will also leave the memorial hall with a heavy heart.

According to the memorial, 300,000 lives were lost in this tragic chapter of history. Mom and I spent more than two hours here, more than we expected. It was worth every minute.

We also visited Xuanwu Lake (玄武湖), a delightful lake and park. It is one of the most relaxing places we visited during this trip. We chose not to walk or take a tram, but jumped into one of the little rental electric boats (RMB60 or $12 for an hour, with a RMB100 refundable deposit).

There was no operating instructions, no life vests, nothing. So Mom and I just got on our boat and I turned on the little engine and steered my way around the huge lake. We didn't see the black dragon that the lake was named for.

The lake is a popular spot for bridal photos. And we drove our little boat up close to gawk. My Mom and I had a hoot laughing at my poor boating skills.

One of the last places we visited in Nanjing was the Nanjing Confucius Temple (南京夫子庙). Because we didn't want to take a cab and be stuck in traffic, Mom and I took the MRT to the nearest station there and hopped on a motorcycle-powered pedicab.

The Temple area is actually a big shopping area, complete with instant photo pushcarts. Cameramen offer to take your photo with the super tacky dragon wall (that lights up at night) as the backdrop, and print the digital file with their inkjet printers, for a fee, of course.

I am not sure if the great scholar and thinker Confucius would approve of the touristy commercialism of the place.

Mom and I decided to finish the evening with some desserts from the pushcarts at 夫子庙, but all I could smell was the Smelly Tofu stall.

the mrbrown show: all night long

Photo by Cory Doctorow

Don't eat too much of the right, or wrong thing or else will all night along at mrbrownshow.com!

Play "the mrbrown show: all night long"

Taipei 2012: mrbrown cycles Taipei (video)

My buddy/cameraman, Ryan, and I went to Taipei in September (read the blog posts here, here and here), and we rode the bikeways there with our folding bicycles (Bike Friday Tikit and Tern Link P9 kindly sponsored by My Bike Shop).

Let us take you on a little tour!

Youtube link: http://mrbrwn.co/Wp21nD

Freefall!

As I watched the video of Felix Baumgartner doing his jump from the edge of space, my mind went, "How does the suit fit his giant testicles of titanium?"

The man broke altitude and speed records set by retired Air Force colonel, Joe Kittinger, in 1960, by jumping from 128,100 feet, from earth's stratosphere.

The only way I can beat Baumgartner is by jumping to earth from the moon. Or jumping from the sun.

Don't worry, I will jump from the sun at night, when it's cooler. 

Baumgartner also reached speeds of Mach 1.24 during his 4-minute-20-second freefall. Yes, he broke the sound barrier.

I broke the sound barrier once. They smelled it before they heard it.

Stay Classy. Always.

I also got hypothetical question. Not linked to anyone in real life, of course.

"Mr. Tan likes to run for president. One day, he thought got enough people like him. So he ran. But he lost his deposit and got burned.

Should Mr. Tan run for president again, as he now knows a lot less people liked him than he first thought, and go back to writing puzzle books?"