2015 Vacation Day 4 - Singapore

Today we're having breakfast with the orangutans. Singapore Zoo has an ongoing promotion where you can have buffet breakfast at Ah Meng Restaurant and have pictures taken with the orangutans. The zoo opens at 8:30am, and breakfast starts at 9am. Animal appearance is only from 9:30 - 10am.

Took the 138 bus from AMK Hub to the zoo. Protip for you. Once you clear the zoo entrance, head straight for Ah Meng Restaurant and start queueing up. This is how you get the best seats in the house (terrace, actually), right in front of the stage where the orangutans make their appearance. In our case, we took a leisurely stroll, looking at this and that. By the time we got to the restaurant, there's already a long queue of people.

The food is nothing to write home about - typical fare you'd get from a hotel breakfast spread. There's your scrambled eggs, ham, bacon, sausages, roti, steamed veggies, dimsum, hash brown, breads, pastries, fruits, fruit juices, brewed coffee, tea, ice cream, etc. Food aside, I guess most of the people are here for the orangutans. On cue, they came swinging down the trees, and walked across the branches towards a raised wooden log, which serves as the "stage". Some of the staff were on hand to prevent the visitors from getting too close. The orangutans started having their breakfast, while people line up for picture-taking. Another staff is holding a snake for people to pet and to put on their necks. More photo opportunities.

By 10am, almost everyone has left the restaurant to explore the zoo. By the time we got to the Shaw Foundation Amphitheatre for the Splash Safari Show, the show was almost finished. A volunteer from the audience was asked to throw a frisbee for the sea lion to catch. The guy kept messing it up; to the delight of the audience. The sea lion performed a few more tricks and splashed the audience with water as farewell. For the elephant show, we got to the venue half an hour early, allowing us to choose the best spot - under the shade and near the exits. Noticed that the emcee for both shows is the same lady who hosted the breakfast. Must be a demanding job. Last show for the day is the Rainforest Fights Back Show featuring lemurs, spider monkeys, otters, macaws, etc. The shows are pretty entertaining, humorous, sometimes informative.

Visited a few more animals' habitats before calling a day. The heat was just overbearing. Cooled off a bit at KFC nearby, then took the 138 bus back to the AMK Interchange.

2015 Vacation Day 3 - Singapore

Agenda for the day is lunch with the wife's friends at the No Signboard Seafood Restaurant at Esplandade. We learned our lesson from yesterday, so left a bit early today. Walked around the Esplanade lobby and the bay. The whole place is transformed since I was last here. Back then, the whole Marina Bay Sands area was still under construction, so no Helix Bridge, no ArtScience Museum, and no Marina Bay Sands. Didn't really get to appreciate the lunch, as I was minding the kids, and not really a seafood fan.

Post-lunch, we walked past the Esplanade Outdoor Theater, then The Float@Marina Bay floating platform and grandstand, the Youth Olympic Park, The Helix Bridge, past the ArtScience Museum, into The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. Welcome change from the stifling heat outside. Even better since there's Santa's Village on the ground floor skating rink. After that, we had snacks at the DC Comics Super Heroes Cafe. Nice decor, expensive food. We had chicken nuggets and fries and chicken hotdog and strawberry drink and iced chocolate - all for SG$40. The kids enjoyed the ambience, so can't really complain.

Next stop - Gardens by the Bay. We were planning to buy tickets to Flower Dome and Cloud Forest online, but didn't anymore out of laziness. The thinking then was that the Gardens has been around for a few years already, and we don't expect that many visitors. WRONG! The whole place was packed with people lining up to buy tickets. On one hand, I want to go to the airconditioned observatories to escape the heat. On the other hand, I don't want to be queuing for hours this late in the day. My next option is that SG$3 shuttle service. Talking to the harassed lady at the counter, she assured me that shuttle only makes designated stops at the Conservatories and the Visitor Centre, and does not actually go Supertree Grove, while the kids amused themselves. I really wanted to catch the 7:45pm Garden Rhapsody light and sound show, but the wait is going to be too long. By the time we decided to get on the OCBC Skywalk for a 15-minute walk among the trees, the queue at the ticket counter has stretched to infinity, and the next viewing session is another hour later.

around the gardens. In the end, we just sat under the

At this point, we decided to go to the Singapore Flyer instead. Passed by McDonald's. Another inifity line stretching out from the entrance. Good thing there's a Café Crema next door where we got some drinks and pastries. After the snacks, my youngest promptly dropped off to sleep. There goes the Flyer. Sloshed our way through the crowd, all the way to Bayfront MRT, then home.

2015 Vacation Day 2 - Singapore

First thing we did when we woke up was to go to the nearby FairPrice grocery store and buy milk and bottled water. I know that tap water in Singapore is potable, but you can never be too safe with kids. Agenda for the day is lunch at Ocean Restaurant by Cat Cora. The restaurant is actually located inside the S.E.A. Aquarium in Resorts World Sentosa, previously the world's largest aquarium. One side of the restaurant looks out to Open Ocean habitat - guaranteed to be a stunning view of the marine vista. I've personally never heard of Cat Cora before, but she's supposedly the first female Iron Chef (America) in Singapore.


Getting to the restaurant took us longer than we thought. Got to the Ang Mo Kio MRT station via AMK Hub. Got off at Harbourfront VivoCity and joined the long queue of people buying tickets to Sentosa. Good thing we asked because as long as you already have an EZ-Link card with at least SG$4, you can simply get on the Sentosa Express light rail. Then again, that's another looong wait. And as far as we can tell, there's no queue in place, so everyone was just milling around the entry gates. Got a pram? Well, that's just too bad because people definitely will cut into your space.


So we get to Resorts World Sentosa with no idea where the aquarium is and where the restaurant is. Turns out the only access is through the Hard Rock Hotel, down the basement parking, across to the West Zone car park, where the Equarius Hotel is. I guess that's how the restaurant maintains its exclusivity. We made reservations weeks ago, and I'm sure this is all written down somewhere in some confirmation email, but we failed to take notice. Lesson learned.

Got to the restaurant half an hour late, but it's no big deal, as it's mostly empty even at 12 noon. First thing you notice is this floor-to-ceiling transparent window that looks out to the aquarium. The water casts a blue tint across the whole restaurant. With stingrays and sharks and schools of fish swimming by, the view is pretty impressive and calming.

Food is very expensive. Starters at SG$20. Mains at SG$30. Desserts at SG$18. Minimum spend of SG$38 per person. Kid's meals for SG$22. For me, it's cauliflower soup, Kurobuta pork belly, and chocolate delights. Portions are small, but presented nicely and tastes pretty good. It's definitely an experience to try. If you're after value for money, better go somewhere else.

After lunch, we took the free shuttle bus from Equarius Hotel and ended back at Hard Rock. Came out of Festive Hotel, and took some photos at the Lake of Dreams fountain. Would've liked to explore the rest of Sentosa, but it was just too hot. Hopped in Candylicious to cool off a bit, then took the MRT straight home.

2015 Vacation Day 1 - Singapore

SQ5122 flight from SYD to SIN. Been a while since I got on a Singapore Airlines flight. Very impressed with the updated KrisWorld in-flight entertainment (IFE) system, which uses Panasonic Avionics' eX3 platform. Whereas before the only way to control KrisWorld is via the game controller-like handset, now both the screen and the handset is touch-enabled. The handset actually has a touchscreen. On economy class, the IFE screen size is also bigger than before. The bottom of the LCD screen comes with a reading light, which is a nice thoughtful touch. The console also comes with some new ports. There's an A/V port labelled iPod. I guess this is where you connect your iPod to listen to music and watch videos. There's a USB port where you can access media on your USB stick and a USB charging port to charge your devices. There's also supposed to be an AC power outlet with a universal plug underneath the seat, but I didn't go about looking for it.

Normally, I would've spent the whole 8-hour flight watching the excellent selection of movies, but this time I'm travelling with the wife and two kids, so no such luck. We bought a seat for the 21-month old baby, thinking he'll sit there quietly watching Frozen or playing some arcade games. Turns out all he wanted was to sit on my lap and mess with the touchscreen. Note that for toddlers less than two years old, they have to be strapped on to an adult using a infant seatbelt during take-off and landing.

It has also been years since I've visited Changi Airport. Doesn't seem to have changed much. The shops are pretty much the same. The carpets are exactly the same. Instead of heading to immigration, we went straight for the iShop counter to claim our Changi Dollar Vouchers (CDV). A promotion of the Changi Transit Programme, Singapore Airlines and SilkAir passengers who transit through Changi from eligible countries (including Australia) are provided with SG$40 CDV to spend in duty-free shopping. SD$20 to be spent on cosmetics and perfumes; SG$20 on everything else. To claim your vouchers, simply present your electronic ticket and boarding pass. SGD160 all up - not too shabby.


There are virtually no queues at immigration by the time we got there. (Han Mei Ling's sculpture of the family still stands there on one side.) Only reason we got stalled is because we didn't provide the complete local address. Our luggage were the last off the conveyor belt. The pram we checked in was nowhere to be found. I was to steal one from the lost and found area when the wife found it at the Oversized Luggage area. Unfortunately, the pram got banged up during the flight and won't travel straight. No queues at customs. Everyone was simply walking straight through the "Nothing to Declare" exit. Very long taxi queue. The wait wasn't too long though as there were airport staff directing people to the taxis waiting at the parking bays. Pretty organized.
First impression upon getting out of the airport? Extremely hot and humid. Makes me wish I was wearing T-shirt and shorts.

Backup up Outlook

When making a backup of the Outlook directory (\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\), once in a while I would get an error saying that file copy can't be done. Actual error message says:


"Error 0x80070021: The process cannot access the file because another process has locked a portion of the file."


Obviously, this is after making sure that Microsoft Outlook has been closed, and verified via Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc). Normally, I would just restart the laptop, and restart the backup. But there's a better way.


If you have a smartphone that syncs with Outlook, make sure you disconnect it from Outlook.
If you have any other applications that make use or sync with Outlook's calendar, contacts, etc., like Lync or Skype, make sure you close those programs. In my case, it was Cisco WebEx Connect.

Green Slips

Also known as Comprehensive Third Party (CTP) insurance. In NSW, there are currently seven Green Slip insurers. Instead of getting quotes from each of them, Motor Accidents Authority (MAA) provides a green slip calculator that asks you a series of basic questions, and gives a fairly accurate estimate of how much each insurer will charge you. Prices include Medical Care and Injury Services (MCIS) and GST. You can find the calculator here: http://prices.maa.nsw.gov.au/

Thing is, I can't remember who's my current CTP insurer. And I didn't get a renewal notice or email. I was hoping to get a better deal through a renewal of policy.

Turns out Roads & Maritime Services (RMS) offers a free greenslip and registration check service at https://myrta.com/regcheck/ Simply enter the plate/registration number, and you'll get a free report with basic vehicle info, registration and CTP insurance details. Anything more, you'll need to pony up $21 for a vehicle history report.

For everything related to green slips, visit www.greenslips.com.au. Heck, then even have their own calculator.

For When rm Is Not Good Enough

So one day I find myself with a directory with more that a million files that need to be cleaned out. A simple rm * is not going to work because of the number of files (argument list too long). First thing I tried is:
find <directory> -name "alarm.*" -mtime +360 -exec rm {} \;
This worked, but takes too long because you have find, xntpd, and rm working sequentially. I also noticed that xntpd is just hogging all the CPU.

Then I tried removing mtime, but it still takes too long. If I try some other filename patterns, find just quits - maybe because there are just too many matches.

Instead of using -exec rm, someone suggested using the -delete argument to make it safer, faster, and more efficient:
find <directory> -type f -delete
Unfortunately, my find doesn't support this argument.

Another suggestion is to do a loop via bash:
bash# for i in *; do
> rm -f $i;
> done
While this works, you're still deleting files one at a time, so very slooooow.

Another trick is to create an empty directory, then rsync it with the directory to be nuked:
rsync -a --delete empty_dir/ full_dir/
Again, unfortunately, my locked-down system doesn't even have rsync, and I'm too lazy to copy it in.

The other way of doing it is to remove the directory totally, then recreate it. One downside is that the new directory might not be exactly the same as the one you deleted, so some applications might not work anymore.

What ultimately worked for me is:
ls -f| xargs rm
By disabling sort, you don't have to load the entire directory listing to memory. The unsorted ls simply streams its output. xargs then passes on as many filename as possible to rm for deletion.

Movie 2015.01.29 - Crazy, Stupid, Love

I have so many movies, my hard disk is starting to fill up. First movie I've decided to purge is Crazy, Stupid, Love. Nothing wrong with it - well-known cast, quirky plot, though nothing outstanding.

Couple of 25 years divorces because the wife slept with a colleague. Depressed husband meets womanizer in a bar, and takes lessons from him to get his mojo back. Meanwhile, his 13-year-old son is in love with the 17-year-old babysitter. The babysitter rejects him because she has a crush on the husband. To get the husband's attention, babysitter takes some nude photos of herself with the intent of giving them to him. Her parents, who are friends of the divorced couple, discovers the photos. Womanizer finally meets the girl of his dreams, and changes his womanizing ways. Girl turns out to be the daughter of the divorced couple. In the end, I believe the couple gets back together.

Plot twist: babysitter gives the nude photos to the lovestruck kid as a special gift to get him through high school.

Google Opinion Rewards Not Rewarding

For those who haven't heard of Google Opinion Rewards before, it's an app where you answer some quick anonymous surveys, and earn Google Play credits that you can use towards apps, music, movies, games, and books in the Google Play Store. Doesn't work for devices though.

Not sure when Google Opinion Rewards actually launched in Australia, but I believe I was an early adopter. I've been getting on average about 9 surveys per month, and the payout is not too bad, considering the amount of effort in answering the surveys. Lately, I've noticed that the surveys are becoming fewer and fewer. And with the few surveys that I'm getting, the app tells me that it has some trouble submitting my response, and will save the results and try later.

If you've been getting similar messages, this is most probably due to adblockers not allowing submissions to go through to Google's servers. If your custom ROM comes with built-in adblocking, disable it temporarily. I, for one, is using AdAway. After disabling adblocking and rebooting, I had 4 surveys sent through successfully.

If you don't want the hassle of disabling and enabling adblockers and rebooting every time, simply add survey.g.doubleclick.net and clients4.google.com to your whitelist.

Movie 2015.01.25 - Astro Boy

Simple movie with a moral lesson to impart without being too preachy. Didn't know the origins of Astro Boy before this, so it's all new (and interesting) to me.

Astro Boy is actually a boy robot created by Dr. Tenma to replace his son Toby, who passed away during an industrial accident at the Ministry of Science. Astro Boy is gentle, caring, and helpful because he's being powered by a blue core. On the other hand, we have the red core, which is unstable and represents negative energy. It's election year, and President Stone of Metro City has this bright idea of declaring war on the Surface to boost his popularity. Dr. Tenma refuses to give up Astro Boy's blue core, so President Stone uses the red core to power up The Peacekeeper. It somehow absorbs President Stone and seeks to destroy Astro Boy. The two are evenly matched. Metro City is so heavily damaged that it dropped out of the sky and landed on the Surface. To prevent further destruction, Astro Boy flies into the Peacekeeper, and they both explode. President Stone is removed from the Peacekeeper unharmed, and is promptly arrested. Meanwhile, Astro Boy is deactivated, as the blue core has been drained after it bumped with the red core.

There's no chance of having a sad ending as this is a kids' movie. Zog, a robot whom Astro Boy revived before using a dose of blue core, gives back some of the energy, and reactivates him. Yay!

Cloud Storage Manager

With so many cloud storage providers offering free storage, you're bound to have signed up for a few of them. Question now is, how do you keep track and manage all your files scattered out there? With online cloud storage managers, of course. Basically, you sign up for an account with the service. You register all your cloud storage providers with that service. Then, you can start managing your all your files from the different providers using one single interface.

When it comes to cloud storage managers, these are the more popular ones:

• Primadesk aims to be the one-stop-shop for all your online services. Aside from cloud storage, it can also manage your social, photo, and email accounts. It also supports cross-service file transfers. The only downside is the lack of OAuth support. This means that you have to provide Primadesk with login information for all registered services. Primadesk is from the guys who created ZoneAlarm. Give that I don't use ZoneAlarm, I've decided not to use this, too.
• JoliCloud has been around for a while. It first started out as an Ubuntu distribution for netbooks with strong emphasis on cloud integration/services - pretty much like ChromeOS. Their cloud storage manager is called Drive. The UI looks pretty neat and slick. It supports OAuth, . It can handle your social accounts in a unified feed. It supports file previews and built-in MP3 player. Does not support cross-service file transfers. There's only a limited number of services you can register. If you want more, you have to do some social media shares promoting the service.
• Otixo is pretty much the same as JoliCloud's Drive. Supports OAuth AND cross-service drag-and-drop file transfers. At the moment, it only allows for 5 file transfer at a time between services for the free account.

For now, I'm trying out both JoliCloud Drive and Otixo. In terms of UI and features, I'm leaning more towards Drive.