I'm Mr. Lonely

Just returned from Singapore yesterday. The house felt so empty. Miss the kids so much. Won't get to see them till August. Will I survive this?

It's only been a day and I feel so empty. I finally understand how my parents feel with me being away.

Really wish I could be home again. Gave up everything when I moved to the US. There's nothing left for me back in Singapore. If there was...

Till we meet again...

This isn't goodbye. See you again in another life.

Hang Tough... Please

When I heard the news, I felt my insides twist inside-out. I'm still in shock. My heart bleeds for you and your family.

We're suppose to get lake houses next to each other when we retire and become fishing guides.

Hang in there buddy. Please pull through.

Heron Chardonnay 2008

Heron Chardonnay 2008 (California).

1st day: The first thing that hit me was the smell of peaches. Peach is very prominent on the palette with citrus as more of an accompaniment. The pear was very faint. Seems overpowered by the peach. Not as smooth and buttery as expected.

2nd day: Still smells peachy. The bite is sharper but the peach flavor not as strong. Lost most of its buttery texture.

5th day: Mild peach scent. More acidic, but not as acidic as I thought it would be after 5 days. No longer buttery, more like a regular chardonnay.

Whites have almost no tannins. Whatever tannins present is probably from the wood barrels. Most whites are probably good straight from the bottle. If any breathing is requied, probably 5-15 minutes is all they need.

Tannins are probably why reds taste better after a couple of days after opening but not whites.

The Heron Chardonnay 2008 @ $17.99 is a nice chardonnay that taste amazing. But it was classified as a buttery chardonnay and it was not as buttery as I expected. The Heron Chardonnay 2008 is good with seafood, kaya toast, medium cheese and lightly spiced foods.

Excelsior Chardonnay 2009

This is going to be my maiden post on wines. It's not meant to be pretentious, just a way for me to remember the wines I have tried.

Went looking for a buttery/creamy chardonnay. Found four. The first one I tried was the Excelsior Chardonnay 2009 (South Africa). Tried it over three days.

1st day: Bouquet consist of lemons and limes with a hint of oak. Immediately taste the citrus with a slight oak aftertaste. Goes down smooth with a buttery texture.

2nd day: Bouquet still has a nice citrus punch. The citrus taste has toned down a little to balance out a little better with the oak. A little more crisp and not as buttery.

3rd day: Bouquet a little flat. Seems to taste more sharp. Lost most of its smooth, buttery texture by now.

At $11.99, the Excelsior Chardonnay 2009 is a good value. IMO, it taste best on the 1st and 2nd day. Goes well with some seafood, medium cheeses and lightly spiced foods.

Cultural Differences Or Rudeness?

You can take a person out the ghetto buy you can't take the ghetto out of a person. There are so many immigrants who can't seem to shake off their bad habits even after migrating to another country.

It's one thing to bring your culture, it's another to bring your bad habits. Once you migrate, you need to learn the polite culture of your host country.

I was at the craving station at Golden Corral getting some brisket. A Chinese woman jumped in next to me and told the cook she wanted "that piece". That was the piece the cook was going to give me. It was the fatty part of the brisket that I (and most Asian people) like. Maybe the cook probably thought she was with me and gave her the piece.

How do I know that she's Chinese? Because I'm of Chinese descent. From her speech, I can tell that she's from Fuzhou, China. As with every country, there are polite and rude people. Unfortunately, there seems to be more rude people in China than most develop countries. Same applies to many Asian countries, except for Japan.

Asian countries have a long way to go before evolving into a polite and graceful society.

Before we have an outcry, there are also both rude and polite people in western societies. I am comparing 1st world countries in general and not the psychotic fringes. If China wants to be a world leader, they need to develop their people. China is still a long way from being a 1st world country.

Many westerners may be surprised by this revelation because they think Asians are all smiley and friendly. But they probably only have superficial interaction with Asians. Aside from my disenchantment with the Singapore government, one of my other reason for migrating is the appalling state of Singapore's social culture. I just didn't want my kids growing up in that environment.

But it seems like I jumped out of the pan and into the fire. We went from socially inept people that we don't know to socially inept people we know. But that another story that we won't broach... for now.

There is a difference between culture and rudeness. Don't use cultural differences as a reason for being rude.

Waves Of Change Crashing Into Singapore

An opposition party (Workers Party) finally won a GRC. A GRC a.k.a. Group Representation Constituency was meant as a way for minorities to get elected as an MP (Member of Parliament). Many Singaporeans viewed the GRC as a way for the PAP (People's Action Party) to get weak candidates elected by riding on the coattails of stronger candidates.

Instead of having one person in an election ward, a GRC groups several candidates in a larger area by combining several election wards. So voting is for the whole group, not the individual.

The GRC made it hard for opposition parties to get elected to the PAP controlled parliament. This is due to a lack of capable candidates willing to join the opposition and fear of the ruling party. Most older Singaporeans have some level of fear for the PAP. Some of this fear has transferred to the younger generation.

Unfortunately for the PAP, this fear has mutated into resentment. Many of my peers feel that the PAP have lost touch with the people. There's a strong sense of disconnect.

The PAP has had uncontested power for so long that they think they are gods, or at least that's how many Singaporeans sees it. The PAP just does whatever it wants without regard for Singaporeans' opinions.

Well, the PAP finally lost a GRC. The Workers Party fielded strong candidates to contest the Aljunied GRC and won. Congratulations and please make a difference in parliament.