Tera anyone?

Wow! First there was the megabytes, then the gigabytes, and before you know it, now it's the terabytes!!! Such capacity being made available to the man on the street, where none was possible previously.

And how much is a terabyte? It's a trillion (1,099,511,627,776) bytes or 1024 gigabytes. Or a million million!

Boggles the mind. But the financial markets are also seeing such numbers being thrown around. Scary indeed.

I can't think of so big a number... yet. Have just gotten used to the gigabytes on my PC.

Of earth and all them living things

How much do you care? 60 minutes earth hour? Is that it? A concerted effort to highlight the plight of the planet, but many still choose to distance themselves from such happenings. Seriously though, the entire city lights cannot be switched off. Think of the criminal minds, with hands rubbing in glee, waiting to pounce on the unsuspecting. Just read the papers today, about a boy and a girl waiting at a bus stop together with two other motorcylists. A car stopped, two men got down and held all at knife point ("parang"), robbed them, then took the girl away and violated her. Then, ram into the cars of single woman drivers, and further robbed the poor victims. Such is the state of crime in the city, getting more and more rampant as economic dysfunction continue to pressure some to the darker unsavoury life.

My point? Yes, do the duties to protect the earth. Do your bits for charity. But how often have you walked away when someone said, "Please help. Am raising funds for this or that charity home?". How many can one help? Is it a crime to help one but not another? It made me think, because I myself am not immune to such indecisions. Was at a mall earlier, and someone came up to me asking for a donation for a welfare home, should I have given? Am I expected to give to one and all who come a knocking? Where does charity begin, and where does it end?

I seem to be digressing, but ultimately, we cannot help everyone. We can merely do our best to alleviate the pain of others, and do our fair share to prolong the life of the planet. Seriously though, an awareness is just the beginning. Good if one and all had switched off those lights between 830pm and 930pm today. But how many plastic bags do you have at home? How many non-earth friendly things do you unconsciously hoard? Are we then really united to show the world we care, or merely paying lip service, and said, "Done that! I switched off those lights. Have done my share. That's it!". An awareness, yes. But surely more will come from that. We can only hope.

Beezee

Haven't been posting for a while. Since coming back from the holidays, been extremely busy at work, what with a few big meetings scheduled for middle of the month. At least now, have a bit of breathing space. But boss will be away for a bit, so pressure on me for a while to "jaga kedai" or "look after the shop".

Not only that, been attacked by the coughing gems. Think it is more the throat irritation which causes the cough. Strong antibiotics have helped somewhat, but a persistent and lingering cough is there. More so when I talk too much or sing too much.

Well, rather than writing a lot, will just have a brief summary of incidents/feelings:
a) Wonder why some people think too highly of themselves. Perhaps they have been whispered to wrongly and as a consequence, have been misguided. Unfortunately, reality checks have been unwelcomed.
b) Wonder why some people only see the black and white. Whatever happened to the shades of grey? Either you are with me or against me kind of mentality? Notice the "me" mentality.
c) Been royally screwed by the watchdogs TWICE! Firstly, with statements that interest rates are too low already, and have been "frontloaded" (that is, reduced by a lot early on already), and then, just about two weeks later, go and cut interest rates again! Secondly, shocked the market with quite a few long tenured bond tenders. And after repositioning portfolio for weaknesses in the long end of the yield curve, the auction calendar was unpresedentedly changed, with a reduction in the number of long tenured tenders and changing to short tenured tenders! WHAT DE!!! *&!~@^*#&. But it's Lent! Must not swear! Within a span of three months, have been jolted twice by regulatory inconsistency. In essence, the watchdogs are trying to influence the market.
d) Planning for a mini "contemplative" do. Someone suggested for compline (new word for me). Thinking of doing Mendelssohn's "If with all your heart...", but not sure how it will fit in. I haven't fully memorised it yet:

Of a land across the ocean - Macau - Part 4

As much as I dislike to say it, the Venetian in Macau is nice BUT a pale comparison to the actual Venice. It's almost too clinical, too neat, too nice, too picture perfect!?! Water is too clean? But no doubt, it looks very beautiful, with the wonderful artificial blue sky, the sweeping arches, the canals, the wonderful buildings, etc. There are even gondolas to be tried. Customed performances, shopping galore, what is there not to like?

Seriously though, it is a marvel in itself, being housed within a building, with casinos, hotels, etc. It makes for an interesting visit, and promises wonderful architecture when one visits the European countries. Wonderful colours abound, but somehow, too picture perfect, at least to me.

However, it is a must see if you really visit Macau, as it is certainly an attraction in itself. So, after all that, I think Macau is a buzzing city, with bright lights and many tourist attractions. But within that hustle and bustle, there is a feeling of calmness, more so when you visit Coloane. Old folks aplenty, taking strolls, siting on benches whiling the time away on the phone (and one of my friends jokingly said, probably on the phone to the remisier punting the market away). And amidst all the visitors, life goes on, with bricklayers, road menders, bus drivers, and shopkeepers. All trying to make a living and make some sense of life.

I guess wherever one would go in Macau, the sights and sounds, be it in the city centre or outskirts, would draw one and all over and over again. For some, a day trip is sufficient, but for me, even three days were insufficient to see and feel this wonderful place. Just be prepared to be adventurous with lots of walking. After all, that's the best way to visit a new place. Sometimes it is not the destination which matters, it is the hidden gems you find along the way that makes it all worthwhile (but still, my poor aching feet!).

Of a land across the ocean - Macau - Part 3

O lord, really, the egg tarts! Before going to Macau, I have been told to try a few things. Namely, the portugese egg tarts, the almond cookies and the pork chop buns! And I tried them a plenty certainly.

However, not all shops sell good ones though. For the egg tarts, many shops sell these, especially along the more touristy spots going up to the Ruins of St. Paul. Most are smaller version tarts. Taste quite nice, but nothing really spectacular. The ones we went for was in the sleepy town of Coloane, to try at Lord Stow's Cafe. The egg tarts taste quite good, and the difference is in the smoothness and richness of the fillings and the crispiness of the pastry, which incidentally, still stayed crisp even after 6 hours (yes! we ta-paued some back to the hotel). I think it is one of the better egg tarts I have tried, but alas, couldn't bring some back to Malaysia. However, not cheap though, each egg tart costs MOP7, which is about RM3.30!! Imagine paying that here in KL, but I guess when one is away on holiday, the willingness to spend is greater.

Another must try (as I have been told) is the pork chop buns. We went to various shops to sample the goods, but I think the nicest I tried was near the St. Joseph Seminary Church. They sell curry noodles there too, but I think famous for their pork chop buns. Since there were seven of us, we had to wait a bit to get seats, and even had share the pork chop buns. Couldn't even have one each!!! We wanted to order more, but the owners "rationed" us because they were fast running out! Imagine that! The shop was kind of small and a bit cramped, but I guess that's the novelty of it all. Lots of customers though, and at times, there was even a queue for seats.

What is not so commonly known, is that this shop called "Mak Si Fu Tim Pan", situated in one of the smaller alleyways near Senado Square. Think the owner has been in business for over 15 years, and his tong sui (dessert) is a must try! I particularly liked the black sesame tong yuin (glutinous rice balls) with some peanut paste filling, and had it three days in a row. It was creamy, rich tasting and non too sweet! Yummy!

The only thing is the lack of seats, but my group was comfortable just getting some chairs and sitting outside the shop. The weather in Macau was cooling the time we went, so it was very pleasant. We even did some promotional activities for Mak Si Fu, especially when som fae others walked pass the shop and contemplated whether to eat or not, we happily receommended our favourite desserts!

Almond cookies? Well, to be honest, not my favourite, but came highly recommended when one goes to Macau. I think the quality differed from shop to shop, and there were certainly so many shops selling almond cookies. The good thing is that one can try the cookies before buying, so can pick and choose which suited individual taste. They make good souvenirs to bring back home though, and the cookies were presentably packed as gifts. Still, I would prefer Lord Stow's portugese egg tarts or Mak Si Fu's desserts anytime. But alas, was unable to ta-pau back.

I didn't manage to take more food pictures though, but we certainly ate a lot during the trip. Even tried the local Dim Sum in one of the shops we chanced upon for breakfast. Left it to my friends who were more than trigger happy to do the snapping of photos. One thing we didn't manage to try, was authentic portugese food. Perhaps next time. The only thing I found not satisfying was the chilly oil. Think Macau shops used some kind of bean paste. Hong Kong's chilly oil still reigns supreme! However, Macau still have so much food types to offer, so, if you ever do go to Macau, do try out the various food there.

Of a land across the ocean - Macau - Part 2

If you go to Macau, the local currency is MOP. Yes, although you can interchangeably use Hong Kong dollars, you would lose out slightly. The exchange rate when I was there at the Macau Airport was HK$1 = MOP1.01/MOP1.05. However, the money changers in the city itself provided better rates. So, don't change at the airport for a lot of MOPs unless you really have to.

Temples, yes, certainly a lot of that in Macau as well. Went to the famous A-Ma Temple, the oldest in Macau dating as far back as 1488. Quite a lot of tourists, I think mostly from China. Saw the NaCha Temple as well. From the various tour sheets, the NaCha temple is listed as next to the Ruins of St. Paul, but on our final day, when a few of us went our separate ways either to shop or take in further sights, I came across another temple supposedly also to NaCha, but the "ChiuPhai" or signboard said "Old Temple of NaCha", so I guess I saw two different ones. One of the movies I recall when young was the story of NaCha, saw it in the movie and was fascinated with the story of a young kid ascending to godhood.

In Macau itself, the grand architecture, with European influence, and signboards also in Portugese!, certainly delights. A cosmopolitan city filled with tourists, and locals providing a nice blend. I thought the weekend at Senado Square was too crowded, but other days was fine. Better for picture taking without the large crowd.

One of the evenings, we even managed to cover Macau's Fisherman's Wharf. It's a different place at night, especially with the monuments being lit. However, couldn't walk the whole length of the place as most of my friends' were suffering from walking fatigue.

Certainly interesting are the many alleyways, I call them hidden gems, as each is unique in itself. Many who venture to Macau perhaps miss these, and will miss the various small shops or eateries promising salivating food and what nots.

Food? I left out food in Macau?!! What de..!! Don't fret! Coming up next, together with the famous Venetian!

Of a land across the ocean - Macau - Part 1

When someone mentions Macau, the first thing which pops to mind are the Casinos! Yes, there are plenty abound, for many to squander their hard earned savings away in the hope of striking it rich. The glitter of bright lights, and call of instant wealth, etc. certainly draw throngs to this unique land.

Myself, I went to see the sights instead, and certainly plenty to see, that is, if you don't mind walking quite a bit. Land of pilgrims and Catholicism, with a large Jesuit community I think.

There were certainly a lot of churches, and since coming back and reading about the historical facts, it made the whole trip even more meaningful. I guess to have read about them in the first place would be good, but may not be as interesting as couldn't put picture to fact. Should have done my research and brought details and read there and then, when the whole church and details are in front of me, but never mind. Still interesting to read post fact. And we managed to cover quite a few;
a) Macau Cathedral;
b) St. Dominic Church;
c) St. Augustine Church;
d) St. Joseph Seminary Church;
e) Penha Church;
f) St. Francis Xavier Church;
g) Ruins of St. Paul.

I think there are many other churches but we were unable to cover more given the time we had. I have heard comments that one day is enough in Macau, but seriously, there are a lot of things to see. One day perhaps, just to get a flavour of Macau, but even with three days, I thought it wasn't enough. Outskirts also had things to see, especially the St. Francis Xavier Church in Coloane. Had to take a bus there, but the sleepy town of Coloane is so peaceful.

And you know what? My friend who did the bookings for AirAsia (zero fare! yippee!) got the dates wrong and booked us one week ahead of the long weekend in Malaysia, but it was a blessing in disguise, as during the first Sunday of Lent, there's an annual procession between Macau Cathedral and St. Augustine across the streets and through Senado Square. Got to watch it first hand, but there were so many people.

When the procession started, there was a hushed silence even with the large crowd (well, except for the clicking of cameras). And as the Cathedral Bell tolled, and I watch the procession pass in initial silence, with a few god-fearing folks kneeling in front of me, I had goose pimples! I felt a deep sense of connection and awe. I guess it was a moment thing, with the reverential silence, the tolling of bells, and the beginning of chants, as well as the sombre band procession after. Cos' when I caught the procession the second time round across other streets, the feeling was absent. A magical moment for me indeed.

Of course, Macau is not only about churches, religious museums, as well as sacred artifacts and signs, it is also rich in other religious culture, with temples aplenty. And a friend commented, given the whole "religiousness" about the place, it is a contradiction in itself to see so many casinos within the vacinity as well. Well, true enough, but I guess that is what makes Macau unique. Will cover more in the coming posts.