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Tearing through the night streets of Hong Kong in a Public Light Bus

Ryan and I wondered through the streets of Hong Kong at night to try out some of the Smart Pro Modes of the Galaxy Camera, like the Light Trace mode. I think people were wondering why these two fellows were taking photos from a dinghy street corner under an overhead bridge.

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

Later in the night, we took one of the infamous Minibuses, also known as Public Light Bus. The drivers of these buses are known to be a little reckless but they do get you to where you need to go, fast. You can ask the driver to stop at any point on his route, kind of like a taxi.

We got the full Initial D treatment because the route to where we stayed, the residences at Shek Yam Road, required a ride up the hills, on curving roads.

I asked Ryan what the digital display was for and he said it was the speed of the bus in KM/H. If it goes above 80KM/H, it is above the legal limit for these buses, and in theory, you can scold the driver for driving too fast. I doubt anyone ever does this and I didn't want to be the first to do so.

The more sedate form of travel were the trams. I loved those. The nostalgic feeling, trundling along the tracks, was awesome. A very different experience from the white-knuckle thrill of a minibus.

Seven Million in Singapore

A government White Paper projected that Singapore could reach 6.9 million population by 2030, with foreigners making up nearly half of that.

What would Seven Million in Singapore look like?

1. Your HDB flat will be near the MRT… next to the underground tunnels.

2. Off-peak hours for public transport will be 1am to 5am.

3. You won't need to give up your seats to the elderly passengers on trains anymore. There won't be any.

4. Getting a place for your kid in the school of your choice will be a televised national bloodsport.

5. Your homes will come with an extra bedroom. It used to be called the storeroom.

6. Shoebox apartments will really be the size of shoeboxes.

7. @rainnabe: If everyone spits at the same time, there will be a flash flood.

8. Pulau Tekong will be the next Punggol New Town.

9. @sakkksak: In Singapore, people don't take to the streets to protest. They trend #SevenMillionInSingapore on Twitter instead. (Streets no space mah -mb)

10. Pinnacle@Duxton will be remembered as a quaint little building from a time when HDB flats were only 50 storeys high.

11. ‏@ShunfuMart: Better probability that at least one person will want to have sex with you.

12. @BumBait: #SevenMillionInSingapore PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE stay away from Serangoon Gardens TYVM (Serangoon Gdns will be the first to go lor. -mb)

13. In 2030, it will be illegal to take public transport without using underarm deodorant.

14. If we all farted at once, the methane produced would delete the ozone layer above Singapore.

15. @josephgohkk: If we all dig nose at the same time, the pisai will be enough to block a MRT tunnel.

16. @direcow: Every road junction is an illegal gathering.

17. We will find out at 2030 that gahmen thinks we can actually do eight million, or eighteen, even.

18. Nice timing hor. After Punggol East by-election then announce white paper for Seven Million in Singapore.

19. Before Punggol East by-election: "Look, shiny new MRT lines by 2030!"

After Punggol East by-election: "…needed for Seven Million in Singapore."

the mrbrown show: the courtship of Punggol East

Soul-searching happens, after a by-election loss, at mrbrownshow.com!

Play "the mrbrown show: the courtship of Punggol East"

Up and down the Central-Mid-levels escalators of Hong Kong

Here's the strange thing. I've been to Hong Kong many times but this was my first time going up the Central-Mid-levels escalators (中環至半山自動扶梯).

It is the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world, and Ryan and I rode it to the top to take some photos from up high.

We also shot a little video about the Samsung Galaxy Camera's long zoom lens and how to use it creatively.

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

Hong Kong's Tsim Sha Tsui by night

Ryan and I went to Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade one night to try some night photography with our Samsung Galaxy Camera. We had a lot of fun doing that and thought we'd share a little how-to video with you.

Youtube link: http://mrbrwn.co/112OQhc

Look like boh lang leh…

EDMW Forummer rowrife made these gifs from national tv news showing the losing PAP candidate on his Thank You parade at Punggol East. A bit sad leh, like waving to no one liddat/ *crickets*:

But you gotta give Dr Koh some credit for gamely doing this with a smile and not a long face.

Still, this SGAG poster captured the Forever Alone feeling perfectly:

Hey ST, remember this poll?

Guess you needed to ask more people in Punggol East.

Don't worry, we don't blame you for getting the numbers wrong, since your boss Warren Fernandez said "This was not a full-scale survey, or scientific poll, by any means.”

Guess The Punggol East Headlines

1. @mrbrown: "Punggol East loss not representative of country."

2. @mrbrown: "Ah Lian hammers Doctor from behind at by-election." (HT to my brother)

3. @Daniyyel7795: "Punggol East speaks: For itself"

4. ‏@Eurieth "WP wins Punggol East BE with worst election results to date since 2011 General Elections at 54.52%"

5. @chunchuan: "WP vote share drops from Hougang By-Election"

6. @northernstarlit: "LEE wins Punggol East by-election."

7. @KStheKopite: "Rejected votes won KJ and Desmond Lim'

8. @mrbrown: "PAP candidate does well despite being a new face."

9. @JulianLimCP: "WP wins in Punggol East BE, PAP still forms majority in Parliament"

10. @shawnsylee: "Singapore Elects Another Female Member of Parliament"

11. @ChickenMacabre: "French coalition forces storm Islamist stronghold in Mali"

12. @danielgoh: "Punggol East disowns son" #fathope #nothappening

13. @gniynail: "Manchester City progressed to round 16 of FA cup"

14. @passingsights: "Voters of Punggol East hand mandate to Dr Koh to serve as Chairman of Punggol East Grassroots Chairman"

15. @kingofboredom: #GuessThePunggolEastHeadlines "WP Win not as Good as Hougang Win"

Thoughts from Punggol East by-election night

1. I hereby declare the winner of Punggol East by-election : RIVERVALE MALL!!! Or is it Rivervale Plaza?

2. I hereby declare the winner of Punggol East by-election:: Hougang Blk 322 Coffeeshop!!!

3. The Saiful fella from CNA looks very sian that he has to cover RP's Kenneth Jeyaratnam at Punggol East by-election.

4. I DEMAND A RECOUNT BETWEEN RP AND SDA'S VOTES!!! TOO CLOSE TO CALL!!!

5. Question on everybody's lips for Punggol by-election: If RP & SDA's votes combined together, can get back at least one deposit or not?

6. I DEMAND A RECOUNT BETWEEN THE NUMBER OF WP SUPPORTERS AND PEOPLE JUST BUYING KOPI AT HOUGANG BLK 322 COFFEE SHOP!!!

7. 353 votes for Kenneth Jeyaratnam. His deposit lost its deposit.

8.. 168 votes for Desmond Lim. His deposit's deposit lost its deposit.

9. WE HAVE TWO AH LIANS IN PARLIAMENT!!!

10. Dr Gillian Koh on CNA is an researcher at the School of Lee Kuan Yew Studies. Or something liddat.

11. Has CNA's S Ramesh been working out?

12. There were more spoiled votes than votes for RP and SDA combined.

13. Results of the Big Slap of 2013: WP's Lee Li Lian wins with 54.52% of votes cast, over PAP's 43.71%.

14. I guess Punggol East town council needs a new financial software system now.

15. Congratulations to the Spoiled Votes for coming in a strong third in the Punggol East by-election.

We turbojet to Macau

Today, we go to Macau, declared Ryan. I said, ok, then promptly forgot to take my passport along (DOH!) and we only found out on the double-decker bus to the ferry terminal. So we did something else and shifted our Macau plans to the next day.

I had forgotten that Macau is another country. Or at least it needed a passport for entry, even though Hong Kong and Macau now belong to China.

Ryan told me to watch my wallet as we boarded the high-speed Turbojet ferries. Macau has quite a reputation for pickpockets and we Singaporeans are so used to our city's safety that we take things for granted overseas. Nothing like a lost wallet or smartphone to ruin your trip.

Breakfast was congee and zha leong. Mmmmm, zha leong. It's yew char kuay wrapped in thin chee cheong fun and tastes soooo good. I love the congee in Hong Kong too, the taste is different from ours in Singapore. Mine had slices of fish and pork bits.

The first thing that hits you when you reach Macau is the giant casinos, like the two Lisboas owned by gambling king Stanley Ho. We took the free shuttle service to the hotels but spent more time wondering the streets of Macau.

The second thing that struck me was how European Macau looked. This is undoubtedly due to the fact that was a Portuguese colony for a long time, until 1999.

There were tourists everywhere, more than I expected. I am told that most of the 500,000 population (about two Ang Mo Kios) work in the casino/tourism industry of Macau.

It seems the locals don't usually gamble in the casinos, unlike in Singapore, where we need a levy to keep our own people out. I guess it is not easy to gamble openly when you live in such a small community and your cousin's friend's sister can tell your mother he saw you blowing your salary at the baccarat tables yesterday.

The main tourist attraction, besides the casinos, seems to be the Ruins of St. Paul's (Portuguese: Ruínas de São Paulo). The ruins of this 16th century Portuguese cathedral are all that remain after the ravages of fire. The southern stone façade is the one most people take photos in front of.

I enjoyed walking the cobbled streets of Macau, away from the more touristy shops, to see the old stores like an old Chinese laundry and a cheongsam maker.

It is like peering into the past, and we don't see this kind of history in our own fast-modernizing Singapore much anymore.

Maybe we should slow down a little. And enjoy our heritage more.

Oh, I almost forgot the food porn. Here is what we had for tea, 義順紅豆雙皮奶 or Red Bean with milk pudding at a place called Yishun.

The quieter side of Hong Kong

Ryan and I decided to venture a little further out today with our Galaxy Camera, away from the hustle and bustle. We headed to the ferry terminal and went to Lamma Island (南丫島), the Pulau Ubin of Hong Kong. Ok, maybe somewhere between Pulau Ubin and Sentosa.

It is a laid back kind of place, an island shaped like a Y (hence the the Chinese character 丫 in its name) or a tree branch, filled with hills and nature. It also has a beach, which I am told is very popular during summer.

We got off the ferry at Yung Shue Wan (Banyan Bay) and started to walk along the main street and then the hike began. Nothing too strenuous, just occasional hills. We stuck to the paths and it was very easy to do, especially in 20°C weather.

Halfway in our walk, we decided that we would head for Sok Kwu Wan, and depart from the ferry point there.

The main form of transport on the island seems to be bicycles. We saw very few cars and the occasional motorised mini-trailer used to haul goods and construction material. The lack of cars did make the island very pleasant to wander through. It was a stark contrast to the busyness of Hong Kong and Kowloon.

We finally reached Sok Kwu Wan, and along the way, saw some "Kamikaze grottos" that were supposedly used by the Japanese to store boats that were meant to the used on suicide attacks on Allied ships passing by the island. But the story goes that the war ended just as this plan was hatched so the grottos never saw Kamikaze action.

We had a late lunch in one of the eateries at Sok Kwu Wan after our day of walking. It was a smaller snack house, and we had wanton mee pok with ham and eggs on the side. We avoided the big seafood restaurants because we were wary of their Newton Hawker Centre vibe.

We found out there was a ferry service operating from Sok Kwu Wan that goes to Aberdeen so we decided to try that instead.

It wasn't anything fancy, this ferry service, mind you. Just an old but sturdy vessel. But even as we got aboard, we noticed the ubiquitous Octopus card reader. Octopus is the Hong Kong equivalent of our ez-link card, but way better. It is accepted in more establishments than ours, and it is found on all kinds of public transport, like MTR, buses, minibuses and ferries, including, it seems, old ones like this.

Why can't we integrate our public transport cashless systems better instead of all the competing technologies like ez-link and NETS Flashpay? Why can't we learn from the Hong Kong Octopus or Japanese Pasmo cards?

We also have additional cashless payment systems like CashCard, MasterCard PayPass and Visa payWave (seen in more movie theater ads than in real shops in Singapore, it seems to me), which confuses me even more. My POSB ATM card now has logos for PayPass, FlashPay and ez-link. What happened to keeping it simple?

I love ferry rides. Maybe it's the kid in me. The sea breeze caressing my face, the sight of seagulls flying and hanging out together, the seasickness when the waters are choppy… ok, maybe not that last part. But our ride was smooth this time anyway.

When we reached Aberdeen, we saw the jumbo floating restaurant there but headed instead for our next destination, Happy Valley Racecourse, for dinner. Here is a last bit of food porn, our dinner of fish balls with noodles made of fish meat, with a side of wantons, in hot and spicy soup.

Our evening was spent at Happy Valley Racecourse, their turf club. It is a classy place, at least to me, and had both the hardcore punters and the ang moh socializers.

We stayed for a few races, soaking in the atmosphere. It didn't feel dodgy at all, and felt very festive. Although you have to get used to punters shouting at their horses, and talking to you, a total stranger, about their thoughts and tips. They even had a DJ spinning. I don't think the punters paid the fella any heed.

We stood on the fence by the track, and at one race, was even at the starting point. It was quite fun to be that close to the action.

I have to say that the horses here, besides the funny names, have really muscular legs. Maybe I should exercise more.

Mmmm, Seduction

What if voters like a little seduction?

Sandwich Class

Me: "PM said at the Punggol East rally that PAP got help the sandwich class wor. Why I don't feel so helped leh?"

Friend: "You are not the sandwich class. You are the paper wrapper around the sandwich."

Hong Kong, here we come (with our new camera)!

Hours after we got back from cycling in KL, Ryan and I found ourselves back at the airport bound for Hong Kong. My suspicion is that whatever weight we lost riding on Sunday, it will all come back after we tucked into our first dish in Hong Kong.

We are here to explore Hong Kong with the Samsung Galaxy Camera, a camera that has the Android Jelly Bean OS built in. It is not a phone but it has 3G and Wifi. It is not a tablet but it lets you go online and do the things you do online. It is kind of a camera on steroids.

I was skeptical at first. How would it fare as a travel companion? We wasted no time taking it out for a spin (that photo above was our first meal in Hong Kong, Zha Leong with congee, yum!).

All the photos here were taken and edited on the Galaxy Camera and uploaded to Instagram, Twitter and Facebook (and all the social media sites we frequent). Yes, taken with the camera and edited in-camera (it comes with Photo Wizard but we used Snapseed app for simple edits). We also hashtagged our photos with #galaxycamera so you'd know what the photos were made with if you saw it on my Twitter or Instagram feed.

For the rest of the week here in Hong Kong, Ryan and I will be posting more photos of the Galaxy Camera in action, so do keep a lookout on this blog, on my Instagram (@mr_brown) and my Twitter feed (@mrbrown).

We will also be producing some videos to show you how to get the most out of the Galaxy Camera after we return.

We have unlimited mobile Internet for just HK78 ($12.70) for 7 days via a one2free prepaid sim. We bought three sims: one for me, one for Ryan and one for the camera.

This is me buying some curry fishballs-on-a-stick at Kwai Fong MTR station. It is like Lok Lok but sold from a store instead of at the back of a van.

This was taken from a double decker bus. I love making black and white images. We are staying in the suburbs and taking public transport a lot. I am very impressed with the Hong Kong public transport system, although I realized that Hong Kong has many bus ads for celebrity tuition teachers whose sole qualification to teach is good looks. What is up with that?

Sham Shui Po Market was one of our early stops. It is a mecca for all kinds of shopping. I love the feel of the place, and the chaos.

My only complaint about Hong Kong so far is the weather. I came expecting a cool 18-21°C. It's been more like 24°C and above lor. So much for my jackets.

Here are two more photos of a lunch and a dinner.

That's Portugese chicken chop rice and wanton soup.

This was dinner consisting of a steamed Sek Pan fish (garoupa) and brinjal with minced pork in a claypot (not seen in the photo). The fish was only S$11.

I am entertaining myself reading about the Punggol East by-election too, and since it is the week of the hustings, my Facebook feed has become like a James Joyce stream of consciousness novel about things like the Tuesday WP rally.

Still, nothing will distract us from our mission to eat and shop in Hong Kong, and sharing our photos with you. Stay with us this week!

Year of the What?

Apparently, next CNY is going to be the Year of the Sperm.

Or Orange Skinny Big-Head Worm.

[photo via @HossanLeong]

Chionging our way through KL at OCBC Cycle Malaysia 2013

Ryan and I were in KL over the weekend to ride at OCBC Cycle Malaysia, the second year this event has been held in Malaysia.

We brought along two foldies, a pink Moulton TSR and a white Tyrell fx, with super-comfy Rido saddles, kindly sponsored by onesport for our 48km Challenge ride. We also shot some video with our sponsored Looxcie HD cameras. I will share that in a later post.

We were joined by bloggers like @Sivasothi a.k.a. Otterman who blogs at Cycling in Singapore, Kevin a.k.a. @BrainOpera and other media friends like Shawn and Adrian.

We spent Saturday watching the races like the Men’s Open and Masters’ Criteriums, where the pros showed us how fast they can ride.

In the photo below is the lead dancer of a group that did a dance number just before the Men's Open Criterium.

Ryan muttered to me just before the pre-race dance began, "They'd better not be doing Gangnam Style…" and just as he finished that sentence, the overplayed music of Psy kicked in. It was like a pre-Criterium war dance of joy.

As for this next photo, I have no idea how it got into my camera. I think her role was to pass the prizes and the starting airhorn to the VIPs.

On Sunday morning, we woke up at 4am and met at 5.45am at our hotel lobby for the short ride to the starting point at KLCC.

Yes, FOUR. A. M.

That is the time I usually go to SLEEP but I was a good boy and slept early on Saturday night.

Kevin was there with his Pugsley and its giant tires (it drew a LOT of attention). That's Shawn Chung behind Kevin, who rides like the wind (he overtook us on his third lap while Ryan and I were at our second of four laps around KLCC).

Siva was there with more lights on his bike than a Christmas tree. He is a kindred spirit because I love lights too. Siva took a photo of me adjusting my timing chip on my Moulton.

When all of us were assembled, we rode to join the riders at KLCC and found ourselves in front of the second wave. I have no idea how we ended up there but Kevin has a photo of us poised to go.

I looked like i was high on cough mixture in that photo.

[Photo courtesy of Julian]

Ryan and I fell behind, to the back of the pack very quickly but we knew our own pace. We were to do four laps around Suria KLCC, a total of 48km.

Once we started riding, we realized how many slopes there were in the route. Good grief, some of these inclines went on forever. But once you reached the top, bombing downhill was fast and fun. We also got to see the potholed streets of KL, and it took some maneuvering to avoid them.

Kevin has a photo of the road marshal who bravely stood for an hour warning cyclists to slow down before a dangerous sinkhole.

There were some riders who overestimated themselves and pengsan-ed by the second lap. There were a few who buanged but no one was seriously hurt, I think. Some rode too fast over humps or huge cracks on the road, and blew their skinny racing tires out, requiring a tube change by the road.

What was amazing was that the organizers managed to close so many roads in the heart of KL for those few hours on Sunday morning. Although that did not stop one or two stubborn Malaysian cars and motorbikes from trying to break into the closed roads filled with us cyclists. They got a lot of "Oi!" and shouts of "Idiot!" from all of us.

While others were trying to beat their personal times, Ryan and I had but one goal: to finish our 48km Challenge in time for breakfast back at the hotel. You can tell we have our priorities straight. And in case you are wondering, we did make it in time for the buffet. It was a fun weekend indeed.

Angry Bird science

The teacher did say "using the same Red Angry Bird" but the boy's answer was hilarious.

[seen on Josephine Tan's FB]

Punggol East By-election: Posts by me and others from around the Net

What Singapore Political Parties Look Like When They Gather [by Every Day Party].

Why do Reform Party Facebook posts look like they were written by an angry 16-year-old? (I think they apologized for this, soon after.)

Kenneth Jeyaretnam out-posters his opponents. [pic via TODAY]

Get your free nasi lemak here! [via Fabrications by Anntonii]

After his failure to be an MP, Zeng returned to his other life as Desmond Miles of Assassin's Creed. The Brotherhood lives on.

True Story [by Joshua Chiang]

the mrbrown show: Punggol East By-election Fever

Youtube link: http://mrbrwn.co/13DftH0

Our intrepid news team talks to a Punggol East by-election hopeful.

Punggol East by-election: A roundup of photos from Nomination Day

Some of my thoughts as I looked at photos from Nomination Day.

Tuck in your shirt lah. [photo: TODAY]

Comment from Gwee: "Dun block his way leh! let him donate!" [photo: TODAY]

The Face of Democracy. [photo: TODAY]

Bee Boo Bee Boo, Parrot Man lai liao! According to TODAY, Zeng Guoyuan won't be running and he says he's now throwing his support behind WP. But what if his parrot supports SDA? [photo: TODAY]

Li Lian has a big pair of eyes! [photo: TODAY]

Is it just me or has Pritam gotten hairier? [photo: TODAY]

Mao Mao, cut your hair already. [photo: TODAY]

Kee Chiew pew pew! [cartoonized photo: Joshua Chiang]