Resolved my Wifi issues after upgrading to 10.6.8

Updated 01 Sep 2011: Added in the command to change the Airport default behaviour
Updated 02 Nov 2011: Added the removal of com.apple.alf.plist 
Updated 04 Nov 2011: Added updating of DNS entry
 
Recently I had a lot of Wifi issues with my Mac Mini when I updated my Snow Leopard operating system  to 10.6.8. I was unable to get a reliable Wifi connection and I had no wired connection as I wanted a "no-wire" home. I tried many solutions such as recreating my Wifi connection, changing channels and even changing the encryption type but all didn't work.

After researching for a few weeks, I finally found the magic bullet to resolve the Wifi issue. For my situation, it was the DNS cache issue. To resolve the Wifi issue, just do the following:

1. Launch Terminal
2. Run sudo /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Apple80211.framework/Versions/Current/Resources/airport en1 prefs JoinMode=Preferred JoinModeFallback=KeepLooking
3. Type in your current account password (assuming you're in an administrator account)
4. Run dscacheutil -flushcache
5. Run rm /Volumes/Macintosh\ HD/Library/Preferences/com.apple.alf.plist 
6. Add the current DNS IP address of your Mac under Network > Advanced

That's it. Point 2 will help to set your Wireless to by default join your preferred networks and if it is unable to find your preferred networks, it will continue looking for it. Point 4 will in a way help you reset your Wifi settings (DNS). The file in point 5 somehow got corrupted I think and removing it resolved the issue.

My wifi speed somehow became faster (but still not as good as before) after adding the DNS IP address in the Network settings. I find it weird but I won't question speedtest. Take note that you should add it in even though your router or modem is already giving you a DNS IP address which you can see in a light shade of grey in the network settings. Add it in anyway.

This series of steps resolved my Wifi issue. Whew...

Concept of Peak Hour leads to a vicious cycle

I never like the concept of increasing frequency of public transport during peak hours because I personally feel that it leads to a vicious cycle. The reason is quite simple. If you know that the frequency of the public transport is 2 mins from 7am to 9am, you will try to time your journey between this time, thus creating more congestion.

Therefore, the solution to me is to abolish the concept of peak hour. For example for MRT, set a standardised frequency of 3-4 mins. The problem with the concept of peak hour is that it is encouraging people to travel between a certain time period, thus creating more congestion. This will in turn cause havoc to the frequency as everyone is trying to "squeeze" into the public transport during that time period.

I do like the idea though that the transport operators provide discounts to encourage people to travel during a certain time period instead of the concept of "peak hour". I feel that this method is a better way of doing crowd control.

If the concept of peak hour is kept, please look at how Hong Kong does it. The frequency is so close and I don't see people squeezing into the train since the train seems to come in back-to-back.

The Direct Road to Error

I quote from Moliere:

Unreasonable haste is the direct road to error.

This is particularly true for IT projects as management very often does not understand why such projects require such a long gestation period. Some do not understand that certain things cannot be done in haste as it will lead to further problems down the road.

Still, I will try my best to fight for the schedule that will allow the project to complete with minimal problems.

"Well done" Mediacorp

It's amazing that the General Election 2011 results are shown across all channels but the President Election 2011 results, our head of state and highest office in the land, is only shown at ChannelNewsAsia.

"Well done"!!

Random Food eaten around Hong Kong

Below are some pictures of random food that we ate at Hong Kong, and comments. :)

山水豆花 @ Tian Tan Buddha - Unique taste. It tastes like ginger soup with Dou Hua.

Japanese Udon at Teresa New Life Coffee Shop near Tsim Sha Tsui (Exit K) - Comes with drink and salad. Affordable food and tastes quite ok.

Durian Mochi at Honeymoon Deserts! The durian taste is actually quite strong.  :)

Red bean soup with dumplings at Honeymoon Deserts. Quite ok.

Beef and Dumplings noodle at one of the 茶餐厅 at Mong Kok. Normal.

XO Broccoli at one of the 茶餐厅 at Mong Kok. Quite ok.

Wanton Noodle at one of the 茶餐厅 at M. Normal.

Bubble tea at one of the restaurants in Wan Chai (Taiwanese food). Nice! :)

Beef noodle at one of the restaurants in Wan Chai (Taiwanese food). Nice! :)

Chicken set at one of the restaurants in Wan Chai (Taiwanese food). Nice! :)

I have moral authority so ... ...

.
.
Person A: I believe I have explained the job scope of this position. How will you do things differently from the others interested in this position?

Person B: Since the position is a position of leadership, I will use the moral authority vested in me to fight for the welfare of this team and ...

Person A: Excuse me, but this is not within your job scope so ...

Person B: Yes I understand. But by virtual of this position, I have the moral authority ... ...

Person A: Sorry, but what you have mentioned will be decided by the management. You can however provide feedback and comments, which we will take into account in our review.

Person B: By virtual of this position, I must be involved in the discussion ... ...

Person A: Sorry, this is within the job scope of the management and not for this position that we're currently offering. I hope you can understand the extend of the job scope.

Person B: But ... ... ...


Please do not choose for the sake of opposing. Choose our Head of State wisely.

Wong Chi Kei @ Hong Kong

Wong Chi Key (黄枝记) was a random restaurant that we went into at the basement (or ground floor?) for dinner while we were walking around City One Plaza at Sha Tien, Hong Kong.

 
Apparently, this restaurant is famous for its congee and wonton noodles and popular among locals, which we were totally unaware. We ordered 4 dishes and after the meal, I understood why it is popular among locals. The food is really good. The food costs slightly above HKD260, but I think that's because of the type of food we ordered. :)

Would I go there again? Most probably I would. It was very filling. Below are pictures of what we ordered and some comments.

Vegetables with oyster sauce. Vegetables cooked quite well.

Wonton soup with a number of wontons within

Wonton closed up. The wonton is quite good, best I've eaten so far in Hong Kong.

Fried Ee Mian with Mushroom and Abalone (I think). Tasty and filling

Fried Ee Mian with Mushrooms and pork (I think). The Ee mian is not too salty and blends in well. Filling too.

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co @ Hong Kong

After lining up for a very long time to get up to Victoria's Peak at Hong Kong (more information in the post here), I decided to try something different and tried the food at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. It's a small restaurant overlooking the buildings around Hong Kong Island, which allows you to view the Hong Kong Symphony of Lights that will start at 8pm every night, together with the music.

The restaurant is quite dimly lit but cosy as you can see from the pictures of the table below.

This restaurant is famous for its shrimps of course but due to the budget that we allocated, I guess we could only try out the cheapest food there, All-American Burgers & Fries (for 2). We also ordered Onion Rings and for souvenirs, we ordered 2 drinks where we're allowed to bring back the cups. :) Sounds little? For your information, the meal costs about HKD450

The burger is cooked according to your specifications and the chips are not that salty. Onion rings are quite good though. I guess however you're paying more for the ambience. Not cheap by the way. :) Below are the pictures of what we ordered.

My Bubba Gump souvenir, complete with flashing lights at the bottom which can be turned off! :)

All-American Burgers & Fries - Meat a little dry (medium well) but definitely very filling.

Nice tower of onion rings!

Yu Man Fang @ Hong Kong

Now it's time to talk about food! Visited the Yu Man Fang (誉满坊) @ Hong Kong Island, also known in English as "Dim Sum". Yes, simple and easy to remember. It's located at 63 Sing Woo Road, in-between the Wan Chai and Causeway Bay MTR, near the Happy Valley Sports Ground. Take a look at the map below.



View Larger Map

Below is the picture of the entrance of the restaurant.

The interior of the restaurant is a blend of traditional and modern furnishing, which is something that I liked. Take a look below at one of the pictures that I've snapped. Just lovely.

Even though we were there at around 2pm, we still had to wait for a while for our seats as the restaurant is full. The meal was only for 2 so we did not order much.

You should try the food there, although it's not that cheap. The meal costs slightly above HKD200, including service charge. Below are the pictures of what we ordered and some comments on the food.

Tea (香片)

狗不理包子- Quite dry and not really juicy. Not the best I've eaten

Spring Rolls (银萝金丝脆春卷) - Nice and Crispy!

Xiao Long Bao (鱼翅鲜肉小笼包) - Soup is hot and the meat does not have the pork taste

Vegetarian Carrot Cake (清蒸香滑萝卜糕) - Quite good and not that oily!

Roasted Goose Bun (蜜汁烧鹅叉烧包) - Meat is tender, tasty and not oily. Nice Bun!

Vegetarian Food @ Po Lin Monastery, Hong Kong

I've tried the vegetarian food when I visited the Tian Tan Buddha at Hong Kong. You can read more about the Tian Tan Buddha in the post I've written here, that includes the cost of the meal and where you can buy the meal ticket.

The À la carte set meal only starts from 11.30am. If you like vegetarian food, you should try it. The normal set consists of 4 dishes, 1 bowl of soup (老黄瓜+番薯) and 1 pot of rice (enough for 4 bowls). The vegetarian food is quite good as it's not oily and not that sweet. The portion of food given was also quite large. The deluxe set will have 2 additional dishes I believe.

Below are some pictures of what we've eaten and some comments.

Vegetarian Spring Roll - Crispy and not oily. Yummy!

Toufu in sweet and spicy corn - The toufu was superb, but I'm not used to the corn. To me its a weird mix :p

Not sure what this is but it looks like Luo Han Zhai (罗汉斋). Not that oily but still quite tasty.

Xiao Bai Cai (小白菜) with Mushrooms.  Tasty!

Random Photos @ Hong Kong

Below is a picture of a church that I passed by in-between Wan Chai and Causeway Bay.

Below are paper mache figures displayed at Times Square at Causeway Bay.

Below is the big figure of someone sitting in the middle of K11 mall near Tsim Sha Tsui station.

Below are pictures of lego displays in a shopping mall at Wan Chai.

is 

Below are pictures of Snoopy wedding dresses at Sha Tian Citylink Plaza.