Whew... 1 performance down.

Whew... This has been a real busy week. Somehow, I managed to pull-off the performance yesterday. We played Anime Medley and Prince of Egypt. I got most of my parts correct, considering that I did not look at the score for a month. Does that mean that my playing improved? Or its just my memory? Oh well...

I had a slight scare though. The soloist got mobolized yesterday, and everyone was staring at me after that. I told them good luck. :D Luckily the soloist came back and said that he had 8hours to report back so he continued. Whewwwww. At least something went right this week.

Got a score. Impressions of Japan. Weird piece. C Major, but with so many flats. Hmmm... Guess I have to find time to take a look later. Busy busy busy... Just because of 2 trips I made. Things really pile up fast.

Why everything must happen at the same time?

I've no idea if I'm plain unlucky, or this is the norm. Whenever things happen, everything happens at the same time. Whenever things doesn't happen, nothing happens no matter what I do. Sometimes, I do wonder if all of us are plugged into a central matrix or something.

The past 1 month, I've been flying around, and I've some things that I meant to do that are pilling up.

In the middle of my trips, I got instructions to shift from my Windows laptop, to a Macbook. Luckily, I'm able to figure out how to do my everyday job using the Macbook. Will post some of the Macbook tips soon. Learned some stuff.

After that I received news that even though I missed guitar practise for 1 month, I might need to solo today for a performance!! Okay... I thought that was bad news.

Later on just 1 or 2hours before knocking off yesterday (I meant to knock off on time so I could go back and practise), my boss sprung a surprise on me and I ended up staying until 9+pm so I could rush something out for Monday's meeting. I had to wake up early this morning to practise so I can put up a credible performance later.

Okay, so you might be asking why am I writing a blog entry when I have a performance in a few hours time. That is because my hands hurt terribly. :( Ouch...

Who is more corrupt?

On my trip to Jakarta, someone remarked this statement which I cannot think of an easy answer. Who is more corrupt? The person receiving the money? Or the person giving the money?

Very often we only think about the people receiving the money. How about the person who's giving? I never thought about it. Shows that I need to learn to look more at 2 sides of the story.
Hmm...

Guang Liang at Jakarta

Well, it seems that I was lucky to be able to catch a concert by Guang Liang at Jakarta on 10th August 2007. Basically there were a few singers there. Yang Ming, Vina Panduwinata, and the last was Guang Liang. It was held at Sangs International Executive Club.

It was quite interesting... For Yang Ming, after singing some songs, he actually downed one whole jug of beer. I'm not sure what was that for though. I came late because of the famous Jakarta traffic jams so I'm not sure what songs did he sing.

When Vina's turn came, that was the interesting part. Although I don't understand the words she were singing, I understand the music. It was quite upbeat, and different from Chinese and English music. I think she sang 1 song which I've heard before. As what I've indicated in the previous post of "Greetings from Jakarta", the key part was that she came down on the stage and "flirted" with the audience below. :)

For Guang Liang, what can I say... Good and solid voice. He said he's coming out with his album in Oct. He apologized for the long wait because he needs time to compose his compositions. I guess it'll be worth waiting for. His pitching was quite accurate, but he seems to be drinking alot of water. His low pitch seems to be a little unstable though. He sang all his compositions, and all his hits. He also sang a duet with Vina. Yes... Vina chinese pronunciation was not that good, but it was quite enjoyable. Vina actually wrote all the chinese words in English so she can sing it. Dedication to the arts...

For some reasons, I think Guang Liang purpose in Jakarta was more of the Malaysia tourist ambassador. He was showing alot of clips promoting Malaysia as a tourist attraction. :)

All in all, quite an enjoyable performance. The fans at Indonesia are definitely more "friendly" than in Singapore. :)

Jakarta Immigration

It's good to be back in Singapore. After traveling around, you really learn to appreciate Singapore.

For Jakarta, there is actually no need to be in the airport 2 hours before. That might just be me, but I cleared everything with a half an hour buffer even though I was there just 1 hour before the flight. Just a post here to take note of Jakarta immigration at the airport, which is slightly different.

1. You will need to present your passport to the guard first before checking-in. Just mention e-ticket, or show them your passport and itenarary.
   
2. Proceed through the normal baggage screening. Remember about the rules about the 100ml bottles and stuff.
   
3. Proceed to the airline counter and check-in. You have to pay the airport tax of 100,000 rupiah at that point in time.
4. Proceed to the immigration. You will pass though a booth where an official will be stationed. Just show them the passport, which will indicate you're not an Indonesian. If you're an Indonesian, you will have to pay tax at that point of time.
5. After immigration, find your gate. There are a couple of shops inside, but I did not find anything particular of interest. There are many DFS shops around, so just walk towards your gate.
6. At the gate, you will go through another baggage screening.

That's it. Just to remember about the 100,000 rupiah tax. This reminds me of Shanghai 3 years ago. The airport tax has to be paid separately too.

Oh yes... Before I forget, before departing to Indonesia, it will be wise to print out your itenarary. Seems like the Indonesia immigration might not accept e-Ticket and you might be delayed un-necessarily. However departing from Indonesia was okay for e-Ticket.

The flight back to Singapore was quite interesting too. The flight was delayed due to air traffic congestion. :) This was the first time that I've encountered a landing where the nose was pointing towards the ground instead of upwards. Very fast landing. Maybe because the flight was delayed 20mins. Oh well... :)

Ok, time to clear all my stuff. Darn... My conductor still wants me to perform this Saturday and I have not touched the score for a month. Oh no...

Greetings from Jakarta

Wrapping up my business trip over here. Just spent a few hours writing my report last night. :) Short trip here, but it has left an impression on my mind. I can't imagine that the slums in Jakarta are so close to the airport. To think its the capital city.

Anyway, I flew in here a few hours after the earthquake hit Jakarta. According to the locals here, life still goes on as per normal. Nothing special for them.

Think the Singapore traffic jams are bad? You've not seen anything yet. You should see the Jakarta traffic jam. Far worse... The roads are also not that well maintained. However, life still goes on, abeit a little slower (because of the jams)

This trip makes me appreciate Singapore even more. But still, only with criticisms, will improvements come. ;)

I don't think I have time to do any sight seeing, but just last night, I've caught a concert by Guang Liang here in Jakarta. Pity I didn't have my camera with me this trip, but his voice is good. No pitching problems and he sang all his compositions, and the popular ones like 约定，童话，第一次. It was quite relaxing... They had a few other singers too, one local. The local singer actually came down on stage and teased my boss and me. Luckily, or unluckily, I've no idea what is she saying. So I just kept shaking my head, and laughing. :) According to the locals, she wanted me to hug her tightly, or something along those lines.

All in all, it was a good trip. I've learned a lot, in terms of ERP functions, and life in other countries. I've enjoyed the Guang Liang concert too for my rest and relaxation. :) However, I think someone might not be too happy with me since I flew off so soon after my Shanghai trip. Sorry dear...

I still have some posts for China. :) I'll see if the picture I've taken of Guang Liang on my handphone is good enough. Flying back soon in a few hours. So many things to do... Oh well. That's life... Ganbatte.

Shanghai Eateries

This is the post dedicated to eating. :) Based on my recollection, the food was rather cheap 3 years ago. However, now the situation has changed. The food prices have risen to close to Singapore. It's hard to find cheap food now.

Here's a list of places that I've tried:

KFC
> The most popular fast food restaurant there. I managed to grab a bite there before I left Shanghai. The food is surprisingly non-oily. They sell Portuguese tarts too. Not bad...

Chen2 Wang2 Miao4
> Otherwise known as Yu4 Yuan2. There's a very popular Xiao3 Long2 Bao1 there. There are basically 3 queues there. The bottom queue is for take-away. There always seem to be a long queue there. If you go up the stairs, there will be 2 more queues. Turn to the right, it's the cheaper side. Turn to the left side, it's the more expensive side. The difference is double I think. One of the best I've ever eaten. Much better than the standard over here. The skin is not too thick, not too thin.

Below is a picture of the name of the Xiao3 Long2 Bao1 restaurant:



Zheng4 Da4 Guang2 Chang3
> As stated in the previous post, the Yi4 Cha2 Yi4 Zhuo1, otherwise known as Chamate, is not bad. I think it's on the 5th or 6th floor. There's also a hidden cheap restaurant at basement 2. However, it's not very nice. Still, it's cheap. Heard that the Ajisen there is also not bad. Didn't try it though.

Jia1 Le4 Fu3
> Carrefour. :) Just in case anyone is interested. I've only been to the one at Jin1 Qiao2 (PuDong), but that's because I stay near that area. There's a pretty nice Vietnamese food restaurant in the building next to Carrefour. The Pho is not bad. Only about S$6. That building contains mostly eateries. Within Carrefour there is also a food court, and Secret Recipe, and some other restaurants.

Shi2 Dai4 Guang2 Chang3
> This is near Ba1 Bai2 Ban4, which I mentioned in the previous post. It's just across the road. I've tried the food is on the 6th floor. When you get out of the lift, turn left. There's a restaurant called something Ah1 Shu1 (Uncle). I don't quite like their Xiao3 Long2 Bao1 though. Maybe because I've tried the one at Yu4 Yuan2. :) Note that the restaurants there are quite expensive though, relative to Shanghai that is. 2 people eating might cost you about S$50. I've seen many people turning right when getting out of the lift. That one looks more high class. Not sure what restaurant is that.

There is a little shopping there too, but things look too high class for me. :)

Qian2 Xiang1 Ge2
> This place is situated at Shang1 Chen2 Lu4, Pu3 Chen2 Lu4. It's quite near Ba1 Bai3 Ban4. Basically, they sell Guizhou Cuisine. Translated, almost everything has chili. But you can get an overdose of chili. Their frog is not bad, and their doufu. It's expensive though. I did not get a chance to look at the bill, but locals do not get to eat there.


That's about the places I've tried. The average pricing I seen there is about S$3 in the shopping malls. That's like Singapore pricing, so if you're going to Shanghai, don't under-estimate the food if you're going free and easy.

Going to Jakarta early tomorrow so I guess I better turn in early. Hopefully I'll be back in 1 piece.

Shanghai Places Of Interest

Updated: Title and Dong1 Fang1 Ming2 Zhu1

I had to squeeze in some time to go around the economy powerhouse of China. However, the temperature does pose a problem. Average temperature of 38 degrees, and sometimes 40 degrees. Days are usually quite hazy, traffic is horrible, people smoking everywhere. But still...

These are the few interesting places I've been to. I'll be writing in hanyu pinyin because I noted it in this way, in case I write wrongly. :)

Zheng4 Da4 Guang2 Chang3
> Situated at Lu4 Jia1 Zui3. It's quite near the Lu4 Jia1 Zui3 MRT. Basically, it contains quite a lot of assortment of shops, from the cheap to the expensive. If you're looking for cheap stuff, take note of the 1st floor. :) So far, I found this to be the most value for money mall I've visited. You should visit the Yi4 Cha2 Yi4 Zhuo1 (Chamate in English I think - Food). The food there is averagely priced though.

I managed to snap a shot of the mall below:


Bin1 Jiang1 Da4 Dao4
> Situated at Lu4 Jia1 Zui3. It's quite near the Lu4 Jia1 Zui3 MRT, and Zheng4 Da4 Guang2 Chang3. Otherwise known as the bund. The scenery is quite nice at night, if its clear. Mainly because of the different architecture buildings surrounding the bund.


Dong1 Fang1 Ming2 Zhu1
> Basically somethings that looks like a long tower. It's quite near Lu4 Jia1 Zui3 MRT and Zheng4 Da4 Guang2 Chang3. I think there's some sort of entrance fee. Maybe so that you can go up the tower. However, I don't think its worth it due to the poor weather conditions. If the weather is good, I will assume that you could have quite a spectacular view of Shanghai.

Below is a picture taken at night:



Ba1 Bai3 Ban4
> Otherwise known as Yaohan. :) Around that area, there is also the Tai4 Ping2 Yang2 Shu4 Ma3 Zhong1 Xin1, which is like our Sim Lim Square. There seems to be another PC Mall, but it wasn't open yet when I was there. I think the nearest MRT is Dong1 Chang1 Lu4.

If you're looking for internet access, there's a Wang3 Ba1 opposite the Tai4 Ping2 Yang2 Shu4 Ma3 Zhong1 Xin1. Quite cheap, but quite smoky. However, this is China. Everywhere is smoky. :)

Da4 Mu2 Zi3 Guang2 Chang3
> Took a taxi there so I'm not sure if it's near any MRT. Basically, I only know there's a KTV there. I think there are some shops there too, and an arcade. :)

Xu2 Jia1 Hui4
> Basically, the Orchard Road of Shanghai. I don't think I need to say more. ;) There's a Xu2 Jia1 Hui4 MRT there.

Zhen1 Si1 Da4 Wang2
> Sells silk dresses and cloths. I would say the cloth is cheaper than Singapore, and the quality is quite good. Frequented by many ministers and celebrities. According to the taxi driver, it's at Tian1 Ming2 Lu4, Guang3 Ming2 Lu4 (I hope I got it right). It's very near Xu2 Jia1 Hui4 MRT, so if you take a taxi from there, the taxi should be able to bring you there. You can walk there from the MRT too, although I don't really remember the route.

Ren2 Ming2 Guang2 Chang3
> Another central area surrounded by shopping malls. Singapore's Raffles Shopping Centre is also located there. There is a Ren2 Ming2 Guang2 Chang3 MRT. Quite near Xu2 Jia1 Hui4.



One thing to note. The taxi meter there starts at 11RMB. Meter doesn't run as fast as Singapore. :) For example, taking a taxi from Ba1 Bai3 Ban4 to Bin1 Jiang1 Da4 Dao4 is less than 20RMB (I remember 14-16RMB).

Oracle OpenWorld 2007

I had the opportunity to be sent to the Oracle OpenWorld 2007 held at Pudong International Convention Centre in Shanghai. I've been to many seminars like Microsoft, Sun, and Oracle. By far, sad to say, I still prefer the Sun Tech Days which I went last year.

Main reasons:

1. Speakers speak good English
2. Slides and presentation mostly matches
3. Ambiance and food is good. :)

For this Oracle OpenWorld 2007 held in Shanghai, I do not like it for the following reasons:

1. Speakers sometimes speak English, sometimes speak Chinese.
2. Slides are almost always in Chinese (especially for the Japanese speakers), but the speakers mostly speak English
3. It was 40 degrees in Shanghai, and most of the keynotes start late.
   

Judging from the price of the seminars, Sun Tech Days still beats OracleWorld.

However, in terms of knowledge, I think I learned more at OracleWorld. Basically, over the 3 days of talks, I've understood quite a fair bit of what's Oracle roadmap ahead, and the suite of products it is pushing out, and most importantly, the reason why they are doing it. It's always nice to learn from the big guys.

Below is the picture of their main entrance:


Below is the picture on the day of the registration (I was early):


Below is the picture of their keynote (looks cool right?):


The main purpose of this seminar though, was to promote their Oracle 11g database, WebCentre and Fusion Middleware. They also proved to the world that the companies they bought over are alive and well, and new versions are out.

Previously, they have also released quite a few applications free like JDeveloper, SQLDeveloper, and 10g Express. I was quite impressed with their SOA suite and that they are pushing all their applications (Siebel, Peoplesoft, JD Edwards) into 1 common platform, which is their Fusion Middleware.

They have some "eye candy" too, like integrating Second Life with their Oracle Store. Their integration with Hitachi RFID systems was quite interesting too. Couldn't really take a picture because there were too many people. :)

The weird thing I observed happening in this seminar though, is that sometimes people will strike up a conversation with you in the keynote session. Trying to drum up business I guess, but it's quite irritating, and distracting.


It might be because it's held in China, that the slides are in Chinese. However, have you tried reading Chinese, and listening to English at the same time. Well... Don't try. I ended up listening to one side only.

I'll try to write later on where I went in Shanghai during the days I was there.

Back from Oracle OpenWorld

Finally back from China... Oracle OpenWorld was held in Shanghai International Convention Centre by the way.

It was as hot as 40 degrees over there. When I have time, I will post some stuff from Oracle Openworld, and about the places I went to in Shanghai. I had "adventures" there too. :p

Reason is I'm flying again... To Jakarta this time for business. Luckily it will be a short trip. However, I have to settle a lot of stuff. I hope I will have time.

In case you do not know, blogger is banned in China. :)