Rejuvenation...by Highway 1

My blog has been under neglect again. This always happens when im fighting internal battles with myself, and feeling lost. Re-alignment of direction is always so tiring when corporate changes occurs year after year. Rejuvenation is always very much needed during such times....and luckily, there are always people here to drag me out to enjoy this beautiful country(“美国”）.

Pescadero State Beach



Pigeon Point Lighthouse




The Four of us...

Crepe Party @ David's!!

Its so David to organize a crepe party. What the heck, he is french afterall. Watch the master chef in action - Free crepe-flipping tutorial!

My turn...




....and i OBVIOUSLY suck at it!! Just look at my astounded expression.... basket!


I love the house parties here. People gather, make friends, mingle, and share the joy of living despite being from all over the world. This is what i call celebrating diversity.

This is what i call Silicon Valley.

Black Angus Steakhouse

Shaorong & Weijie is going back to Singapore after completing their internship. And we have earlier decided to experience the authentic US prime rib before his departure on the 19th of Dec.

Black Angus Steakhouse was the restaurant of choice. Awfully ex in sg, but its ok-priced here.


The sample platter was kinda interesting. A mixture of all kinds of their appetizer, inclusive of some loaded baked potato, with crispy skins on the outside, and supple on the inside...impressive.

This is the Angus-cut, Prime Rib. I couldn't believe a steak this red is medium-rare! But boy was it tasty! Succulent it was, and simply tender. Amazing thing was, its not marinated. Never had anything like this back in Sg. I feel so cheated by Jacks Place!!


Woah, this was cool shit! Its the Chocolate Alaska. 2 brownies and a scoop of ice-cream under the foamy, baked marshmallow mess.....

Last Autumn in Sunnyvale...

This autumn will have a special place in my heart. The reddish leaves remind me of my 1st month here. Suddenly, it also tells me how i will look back with nostalgia when its time for me to return.

Spring and Autumn are my favorite seasons. However, they always seem so short. Its funny how life deals with us the good times, and the bad. Good times always seem so short, just like spring and autumn. Not-so-good times are always a little longer - winter. The beauty of autumn only lasts those 2-3 short weeks, and winter stays for months to bring all the beauty to dust.

Winter Indulgence...

Nothing like a lazy, winter Sunday morning, and a mug of Aik Cheong Kopi... plus a shot of milk...low-fat please!

How i miss my kopi-C!

Relief to be back!

Its one week back to Sunnyvale, and it is such a relief to be back! Feels terrific to be home!(err...home?!)

I realized how much i missed this place after the 'hardship' in Shanghai. Don't be mistaken. My hosts treated me extremely well, and brought me out for many lavish meals. Far more hospitable than my US counterparts.

However, the entire environment in the valley juz beats it hands-down. Why?


1) The fresh air! Nowhere beats the air in California!

2) The weather. Not too hot in summer, not too cold in winter.

3) The traffic. No ridiculous amount of horning, no unnecessary cutting into lanes, respect for pedestrians, courteous drivers etc etc.

4) Smoke-free clothes.

5) Able to walk freely without fear of phlegm "bullets"

6) 100Mbps Cable access, VS 512K DSL(the most common in China)

7) Free access to any, and every website

8) No more vulgarities.

9) Open, friendly society. No more alienation just because i can't speak a word of Shanghainese.

10) Finally, PEACE of mind.

Will i miss Shanghai?

I am finally back to Sunnyvale. On my final few days in Shanghai, I admit, i have been too harsh musing about this rapidly developing city. I was wondering what do i really like about this unique city.

1) You can live cheaply if you choose to. (ie. RMB$3 for a bowl of noodles by the streets VS RMB$50 for one at DinTaiFung) Besides, where can you find "Tao Sar Pao" for RMB$0.8(currently S$0.16)

2) I have been taking cab for the entire month, and not a single cab driver has refused me.

3) The poor along the streets is a constant reminder of how fortunate i am.

4) The night lights of the city

5) The hospitality of the Chinese

6) The beauty of the ancient towns

7) Piracy of books!

8) How this 1month helped me put on 1kg of fat.....


I dun think i have much to miss about Shanghai afterall. Its nice for a vacation, especially in autumn-winter(25 degC to 0 degC). Beware of Summer though. I heard it can shoot to a temp of 38degC.... plus humidity level equivalent to Singapore....

Being back in Sunnyvale feels so good. The air is fresh, and my clothes are smoke-free. Being there made me realize how much i detest smokers.

"Blur" Camera...or...?

Just an idea of what i had been breathing for the past month......

Musings on Shanghai..

Its one more week before i leave for Sunnyvale. I have been musing about Shanghai for 3 weeks now. Thanks to all my colleagues who have been patiently listening to me.

1) Terrible terrible service. Pleasant smile + warm service = Sunnyvale, Straight faced + warm service = Singapore, Grouchy look + cold service + heck-care attitude = Shanghai.

2) Blaring horns start at 6.30am, ends at 10pm. No tea break, no lunch break.

3) For the 1st time in my life, i see cracks on almost every taxi driver's steering wheel(where the horn is). It just goes to show how often they use their horn.

4) Ever experienced the feeling of biting sand between your teeth after you take a small breath through your mouth?

5) Every taxi driver swears at least 50 times a day.

6) Everyone is trying to snatch a piece of the road. As if there is not enough road for use!

7) "hhaaaarrrrgggghhhhh Puuuiiiiii!" - Red alert! Dart your eyes to watch out for phlegm bullets!

8) I think my lungs have accumulated a layer of 2nd hand cigarette smoke juz after this assignment.

9) Unfriendly - people look at me like an alien when i try to ask for directions.

10) Finally, how i wish i was more diligent during secondary school chinese lessons!

Waterways of ZhouZhuang(周庄）

I decided i had enough of city life, and i decided to pay a neighbouring town a visit.
Took a cab down to 旅游集散中心 where i paid an exhorbitant RMB140 to 周庄。 $40 for the bus ride, and $100 for the entrance fees. Ridiculous.
The ride took almost 2 hours, with plenty of honking and cursing from the bus driver. So much that i almost thought we would never make it.



1st impression: Very very tourist-ty.
You recognize a very touristy place in China by all the peddlers who sell tiny trinkets and snacks at exhorbitant prices. Prices are always brought down by the following steps:

1) Look like you really like the item of interest
2) Offer 1/2 to 3/4 of their asking price(which they will try to compromise)
3) Decline their offer.....
4) ...and start to walk away..


周庄is considered one of the ancient towns(古镇） of China. Having maintained their buildings for over 900 years, it has become a tourist attraction. She is largely well-known for her waterways, and is known as the number 1 water town in China.


Some interesting shops occupy the area too. There is a beancurd shop that makes soyabean milk from the "old-school", huge, stone grinder. They also have old women making clothes by spinning cotton threads.

Finally, its time to go back to Shanghai. But i managed to snap a sunset of 周庄 before i leave. Overall, i think the place is nice, albeit abit too touristy for my liking. No doubt the buildings are still in place, but the town have lost much of its ancient flavour.

Too much, in fact.

Coincidence!!

Never met a single time for the last 7 years despite being in Singapore all the time.

Its funny how being in Shanghai for barely a week help old friends meet.


城隍庙will hold a special place in our hearts.

If i was not greedy enough to queue for the famous Nanxiang 小笼包，and he was not choosy enough to shop further....we would not have met.

Brother scouts reminisce old times together reading maps. But this time, Darren & i, are reading the map of Shanghai. Worst still, its all in Mandarin!! Somehow, it helped us remember how we always got scolded by Tan Boon Heng and the rest of our chinese teachers....

Ahhh.... the good 'ol days...

20 Million People spending a weekend...

With 4.5million people in Singapore, most of us already feel the G.S.S(Great Singapore Squeeze)

Just check out 20million people in Shanghai.....




Transfer this amount of people onto Orchard Road....Unimaginable.

"Soup Bao"-汤包

Instructions to Enjoy:

1) Pay RMB$11 to get a straw, pair of chopsticks together with your bun。
2) Stick the straw into the bun and enjoy the tasty soup.
3) Fumble with your disposable chopsticks and enjoy the rest of the bun.

China blocks Blogspot!

I dunno how they do it. But i am unable to access my own blog! I can only access blogger.com to edit my blog. If any of videos fail to load, pls leave a note, i will see what i can do.

For now, i can only use Mozilla Anonymouser to access my blog. (yay!...long live Mozilla!). But still, i am unable to view the videos. I hope they come up with a solution soon!

263m up on the Pearl Tower(东方明珠塔）

I was so busy with the videos that i had forgotten about a brief intro regarding the Geographical aspects of Shanghai..


Shanghai is mainly divided into 2 parts, Pudong(浦东) and Puxi(浦西) and are separated by the HuangPu river(黄浦江）. Amazing thing is, they actually managed to construct a tunnel beneath the river from Pudong to Puxi for vehicles, and the light rail.

As shown in the map, 外滩 is actually located in 浦西, and 东方明珠塔 is located just across 黄浦江 in 浦东。

Of course there is more to that. But i am too ignorant to explain further. I only know that Shanghai is further broken down into districts.

I prefer to feign ignorance and enjoy the view from above.....

In this video, you can see 浦西 on the left, and 浦东on the right. I have noticed that the structure of the buildings in 浦西 is a little more scattered and disorganized. 浦东, on the other hand, is more organized and orderly. Somewhat like dominoes. Probably because 浦东 is newer in development, and the government has learnt from previous lessons that a messy infrastructure can create tonnes of problems.

The Bund(外滩） & Pearl Tower(东方明珠塔）..

After going to Cheng Huang temple, we proceeded to 外滩. While the vids a few days ago shows the night scene, these vids are taken in the day. Here, we can really see what is so magnificent about the Pearl Tower(东方明珠塔）.




东方明珠塔 , as i was told, is actually owned by the TV station. Reason why it is built to such a great height, towering over most buildings in Shanghai, is because it is the source of TV signals throughout the whole of Shanghai. The top of the tower probably carries the signal boosters that emits all the TV signals. Video below shows a close-up of the Pearl Tower.

Cheng Huang Temple...(城皇庙）

It was nice of my colleagues from Excelics-Shanghai, Hu XiaoYan & Hong YaPing to bring me out for some sightseeing this weekend. Its funny how they treat me like a little boy, coming to the hotel to pick me up and their gentle persistence to see me safe in the cab before they take the light rail after the long day. After the independence and that was expected of me in the US, this treatment really required some getting used to!

城皇庙is pretty grand. With interesting statues and figurines. And not scary like the ones in HawPar Villa! They are pleasant, and emit a certain character in their posture & expressions. Interesting, but commercialized. Not that im complaining. But the appearance of Starbucks in such a place really spoils the rustic feel of the ancient temple.

People actually pay a 150RMB to place their names on tags to ensure good luck for an entire year? You mean i need to pay to be a member of good luck?... Aww man...

Darkness amidst the Light - Disparity between the rich & poor..

Managed to knock off a little early, and i headed down to 外滩（The Bund) for some sight-seeing. I chanced upon this little street off the famous, brightly-lit, 南京路(Nanjing road)

Very odd feel. 南京路 is brightly lit, with plenty of branded name shops. Poshly dressed gentlemen, and ladies throng the streets. But this small alley...appears to be at another end of the spectrum.




Notice how the dark alley emerges onto Nanjing road...

Shanghai "Lights"...

Shanghai is just another city.

But i must admit, their night scenary is impressive.

古浪路-Possibly the Worst Road in Shanghai...

Taxi drivers complain about this road all the time...
You can find the deepest cracks here...

Need i say more?

Note: Videos were taken with extremely steady hands, in an Extended-BMW 7 series

Disclaimer: Pls take anti-motion-sickness pills before watching the video clips.

Chaotic...

I used to think orchard road was chaotic.

When i reached US, i thought SF was even more chaotic.

Now living in Shanghai, i think the previous 2 is nowhere near.

Shanghai "Nights"..

Had been facing the raging winds and rains(due to the typhoon in Taiwan) on my 1st day in Shanghai, and i did not want to thread too far away from my hotel.

The 2nd night was dry enough to thread further to secure my mobile line and essentials. While im curious about how "outdoor cooking" in Shanghai tastes like, i think i will hold my curiosity until my stomach fully adapts to the conditions here.

Just an idea on what outdoor cooking is like:

7 Day Tour - Singapore...

Had a great time in Singapore for a little break from work. 7 days to reminisce my past routines and lifestyles...and relive the life with family and friends around me. My 1st day made me realize how much i missed my family. And my last day made me realize that times have changed and i have to be strong. Every Singaporean....has to be global. Singapore is too small. That is our strength and that is our weakness. Because we are small, we realized much earlier than our lumbering neighbours that globalization will come sooner or later. This realization made us accept this fact more readily, than most others.

Food is still good in Singapore, and i still love it. My best memory is sipping Yuan Yang, and having thick-goey-sinful-peanut-butter toast at 新旺茶餐厅 in Marina Square. Wonderful recommendation by WP. No food pics here....was too greedy. Left hand on the yuanyang, right hand on the fork....no hands for the camera...


Weather was great too. Felt great skating in breezy ECP with WP...finally. Beats skating alone in Sunnyvale.

1st Meeting with SFBAMS

Had a picnic at the Elizabeth lakes in Fremont this weekend with SFBAMS- San Francisco Bay Area Malaysian and Singaporean Group (http://www.sfbams.biopharmweb.com/). It was certainly a nice weekend with good asian food and Singlish.

Being a non-profit group, i find this group highly commendable in providing the network for Singaporeans and Malaysians in this area. Its really funny though, how Singaporeans and Malaysians are so united overseas, but are faced with endless amount of bickering back home.

How i look forward to the next picnic!

Yosemite-Half Dome....

Have been pretty slow to update my blog due to work. Well, i can update my blog with what i had learnt about GaAs devices... hah... but it will make this blog so boring!!....

Finally managed to gather enough energy to conquer Yosemite again. This time, however, is with a group of NUSEA interns. Cool bunch of energetic students.... making me drive 5 hours through the night up the mountains!

The aim this time round was to scale Half Dome(which is not possible in Fall/Winter). But Yosemite in summer .... is not so magnificent.



This was the amount of water we saw at Vernal Falls the last time in Spring(with WP)....










This is what is left in summer...:(























But oh well, the objective is the Half Dome. After walking 5 hrs of up-slopes, we are hungry, we are worn from the lack of sleep, and dry from lack of water......we finally see the half-dome....and we see a trail of people scaling it already.



Frankly, this is my steepest climb ever. Almost 80 degrees....and looking at the trail of people, i was imagining someone from the top tumbling down like a bowling ball.... i think the outcome will be disastrous. But heck it.... we just kept going!



















Finally... the top of Half Dome.....



A video from the top of Half Dome...

Burlingame - A flavour of its own.

The harsh week ended nicely with a good lunch with Warren in Burlingame, a small town very near to SF. However, its a really pretty town with a flavour of its own.













Something caught me by surprise though..... they've juz got a new Quickly Outlet....thats like...errr... so passé...

Culture Differences - Part IV: Entrepreneurship Drive

Its has been months since i pumped up another thought on Culture Differences. Of course there are tons of many others...but this is one significant difference - Entrepreneurship Drive.

After immersing myself in the culture here in SV for 8-9mths...i have been utterly brain-washed....or should i say that my vision has "improved". Thoughts these days have constantly been on the brink of being entrepreneur, rather than a microwave design engineer. When i look back, i am surprised how much my mindset have evolved.

Prior coming to SV, i will never have thought of being my own boss. Life in Singapore is just too comfy. Being in that environment for 25yrs of my life, i always thought of joining a big company, and rising through the ranks, just like many others, just like the norm. Its stable, has good benefits, and with equal CPF contributions made by the company, what more can Singaporeans ask for? There is so much to lose if one was to come out to be his own boss. To the new, budding entrepreneur, welcome to the World of Terror!

I've always hidden behind this curtain of terror, never exploring past it. Now in SV, i have finally taken a peek behind the curtain to see what beholds. Today, i think...behind this dark curtain... it may just be worthwhile.

The Wineries of Napa Valley

This week, JC managed to coax me out of my comfortable weekend routine to join her friends at Napa. Its a good 2 hrs drive up north beyond SF into an entire valley filled with wineries and scenary.



We visited a couple of Wineries like Berlinger and Sterling. Its quite an eye opener. They are just like educational wine tours coupled with wine sampling. In sg, i can probably sample to my hearts content and take the $0.85 Volvo home. But here, we had to watch our intake as we still have to drive home.


At the end of the day, i think this place is more for wine-lovers where they can try a huge variety of wines. Not for me though.... i am still more enthused with the beauty of Yosemite anytime...:)

The "Flattened" World

I just realized how flat this world has become.

60 years ago, people who ventured overseas had only one method of communicating with their families -Letters. And it took months to reach each other. Neither was it reliable, or even cheap. And illiterate families were worse off... they had to rely on others to read the letters.

20-40 years ago, such situations relied mainly on telephones, which were more instant, and more real, and you could hear, and almost feel each other's presence. The cost however, was expensive, and each phone call was greatly cherished. Additionally, it was costly & unreliable.

Today- I just had a conference call with 3 other of my poly mates, in this almost 'flat' world. All 4 of us are based in 4 difference areas of the world, Ketan in UK, Chuan in Japan, Donald in Sg, and myself, in the States. It was instant, and FOC. The experience - Amazing.

Chat with Chuan - Japan

Chuan is now in Japan, on a similar program as i am. We were exchanging views on how Singapore is lacking. Before we came out to "see the world", Singapore was so perfect.....but not anymore. Singapore is so rush-rush-rush, and people are so concerned with their own lives, to the extent that some of us think that the world only revolves only around us.

He sent me some pics of Japan.... wayyyy cooolll.... would love to go there one day! Since he is too boh chup to blog, i will be posting on his behalf.
If there is one thing that the Singapore Government is uniquely good at, is giving out cash packages....that is Uniquely Singapore!

Baby Shower

Though i have been invited to many Vietnamese-organized parties in my company, i realized i have not posted anything on them.

This time, its an early "Baby Shower" party for 2 of the lab girls.... going away for maternity leave for a couple of months. Vietnamese party = Vietnamese food.... loads of them, in fact. Funnily, i dun find them familiar at all, even though Singapore is well-known to have cuisines of all sorts.
One of my favorites is this spring roll which they call bo` bi'a.
Not our usual "Popiah" as you can see, and not pronounced in the same manner too. Its basically like our "Chee Cheong Fun", but with much thinner "skin", and filled with all sorts of vegetables and shrimp/pork/beef.
It is usually dipped in peanut sauce, which i find it a striking resemblance with our Satay sauce.







Another hot favorite of mine is the ba'nh nam. Its just like a piece of flour cake, with some kind of shrimp concotion on top. My inexperienced taste buds could only reconize the taste of the shrimp....the rest of the flavours are kinda....ermm.. foreign??... But its simply delactable!










Some Vietnamese aunties noticed how much i was enjoying the food and further probed about my opinion of getting a Vietnamese girlfriend who is able to satisfy my tastebuds....goodness. Almost feeling myself blushing, i politely excused myself to get more food... heh.

Here is a pic of some of my wonderful, hospitable and kind, Vietnamese colleagues.


On a final note, i wonder if i would still be able to enjoy such small & cosy company events in Singapore. I'm beginning to like the culture here. And i'm falling in love with the typical US no-OT work culture. Somehow, it answers many Singaporeans' dream of having quality family life....and it answers the government's concerns about keeping families together. What is the point of having one "Eat with your family day", but eat in your cubicle for the rest of the 364 days?