Prepps blogg

This Wednesday and Thursday Singapore experienced the aftermath of the two earth quakes off Indonesia.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20767461/

The effect of the first earthquake to our condominium was worrying. At the 21st floor, it felt like the tower was vibrating. On top of this unpleasant experience (that people on the ground hardly noticed), the fire alarm of our neighbour condominium went of at 4 AM Friday morning...

Anyway, all's well that ends well.

Our condominium here in Singapore is located in one of two 36-storey high twin towers (the Duke and the Duchess), also known as the DeRoyale project, within a 10-minute walk to the vibrant Toa Payoh.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toa_Payoh

DeRoyale is much like a fortress with its iron gates and numerous surveillance cameras. At any given time there are at least 2 uniformed guards patrolling the property. All condos here come with a intelligent digital lockset and a panic (safe) room. On top of that, many condominium owners choose to invest in heavily armored front doors. Why all this security is needed is still unclear.

Within a distance of 200 meters from DeRoyale lies the infamous Balestier road,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balestier_Road

well-known for its food with budget hotels sprucing up the area as well as prostitutes. The neighborhood has something of a bad reputation among the locals which partially explains the (by Singaporean standards) low rent of our "luxurious" unit.

http://www.straitsconstruction.com/deroyale/

Ahoy, prepare t' be boarded. Me will be back in Sweden between Jul 25th t' Aug 12th. Gar, where can I find a bottle o'rum?

Living in Asia you quickly adjust to its customs. This is my second stay in Beijing, and the second time I visit its markets. These are my guidelines:

First off, make up your mind about the maximum price you are willing to pay for the item(s) that caught your eye. This may sound easy enough, but it is considerably more difficult to do so with sellers swarming around you trying to sweet-talk, stress or intimidate you into making a quick (or even unintentional) buy.

Ask for the marketers "best price". Shake your head at said price (always, ofcourse, with a smile on your face). Explain that you are aware of the pricing tactics in the markets, claim to live in Asia or something similar, and then ask for their "Chinese prices".

Frequently they then will tell you to name your own price. A simple rule is to start out with 1/10 of their initial "best" price and then work upwards with small increments. If they still decline when you are beginning to close in on your maximum price, thank them politely for their time and slowly begin strolling away towards the next stall (neighbouring stalls usually carry the same or similar items). If they don't call you back after a couple of steps your bid probably really was to low and you can try again at the next place, now with a slightly higher bid.

Some examples (1 CNY is almost 1 SEK, also remember that it always is cheaper to buy in bulk):

Prices per item, in CNY, with a range reflecting the quality of the piece,

T-shirts, blouses & tank tops: 40-60.
Boxers & panties: 5-10.
Shoes: 100-200.
Watches: 200-250.
Passport holders: 60-120.

Popular "brands" include: Diesel, Gucci, Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana, Tag Heuer and Breitling.

Finally, some no-no's:

Don't be cheap; a couple of extra CNY's really isn't that much to argue about (unless you want to make a point to a fierce seller).

Don't lose your temper; even if a discussion over a price gets heated and the marketers intrude your personal space (this is a common tactic in order to intimidate you).

Don't stroll to far into the stalls; many sellers invite you in and then block the way out with their (and their co-workers) persons making it difficult for you to use the "then I'll see what the next stall has to offer" routine.

Shop 'till you drop,

-Prepp

In about one weeks time I once again head for Beijing, China. This time to attend the FERM 2007 conference. One of the keynote speakers is Robert Engle, Nobel prize winner in economics 2003.

Last week our Swedish visitors for two weeks left for the homeland. I trust they returned with many pleasant memories of their Singapore/Bali stay.

To my great pleasure reseguidens own Lotz laid her eyes on a conversation I had with Zappe50 about our cravings for Swedish food in general, and licorice in particular, and gave me the tip to try out the Norwegian Seamen's Church (located at 300 Pasir Panjang Road, Singapore). Sure enough, not only do they sell Swedish candy, they also offer a impressive Scandinavian barbecue buffet each Sunday after the service. Hat's off to Lotz.

We (Uma and me) are now back in Singapore after five sunny days filled with snorkeling, wakeboarding, jet skiing and sightseeing in beautiful Bali. Sad to say I find myself having mixed emotions on Bali. On the one hand it is a paradise with its magnificent nature and friendly people, on the other it feels like a Egypt light. Frequently the very same people that smile and laugh with you will not think twice about scamming you for money, any which way they can. Despite this we both feel that Bali is a place we want to return to in the near future.

Outside the hotel everything seem to focus around the dollar. Don't be surprised if you can negotiate prices down to 1/4 of the starting price. This goes for everything from wood carvings and kites to tours and spa treatments. A reliable guide can be hard to find. We were lucky enough to get in contact with a Mr Putu, who did a good job showing us around the island for a reasonable price. He can be contacted via pt_p12a@yahoo.co.id for tour, spa and water sport services.

Todays title is a quote by my beloved travel partner Uma. While discussing the hotel checkout time she, to the great amusement of myself and the Conrad concierge staff, innocently exclaims "when is putang (Mr Putu) arriving to pick us up?".

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=putang

; )

As some of you may have noticed, I haven't updated my pictures for quite some time now. The reason for this being a broken LCD display on my Canon digital IXUS. A cracking occurred during the snowboard season. When I called Canon's Swedish office they told me that the repair cost would end up at about 2000 SEK, so I decided to postpone the repair until after my arrival to Singapore. Turns out this was a smart move. Canon Singapore made the repairs and serviced the camera for $ 83 SGD (about 375 SEK).

Tomorrow Uma and I fly to Bali for our 5-day getaway. The title of todays entry is the motto of Bali and translates to "Prosperous Bali Island".

Long time, no update. Here are some bits and pieces of what has happened since the last entry.

First off (and by request). Yes, Uma and I are still seeing eachother. In fact, we celebrated our first month as a merry couple with a nice lunch buffet at the Conrad Centennial just some weeks ago. In the beginning of May we are leaving Singapore for a 5-day romantic getaway in Bali, Indonesia.

How about the research then? At the moment I am finalizing my contribution to a joint paper that is to be submitted to the 'International Symposium on Financial Engineering and Risk Management' held the 11-12th of June in Beijing, China. The submission deadline is the 30th of April. Hence, time is short and working days are long.

In case you were wondering, the title of this entry is a line from this weeks funniest internet clip - "The Landlord". Watch it yourself at

http://sjl.funnyordie.com//v1/view_video.php?viewkey=3efbc24c7d2583be6925

... and it may very well be true. One; today I (finally) collected my visa. It is a long-term social visa, which means that I won't have to apply for an extension until December. Two; as a direct consequence, my colleague and I could finally apply for cable TV and broadband. Three; last, but certainly not least, I finally won the heart of Uma. Life is good.

Today I went to a Salsa trial class with Uma, my beautiful Singaporean Salsa partner in crime. I was very impressed by the professional instructors at the Dance En Motion school. In one hour they managed to walk the class through a warm up, the origin(s) of Salsa, the structure of the music and the basic (La Style) steps. We even had some time over for partner practice. I did not expect La Style Salsa to be so big down here. Even though the Cuban basic step is being taught the locals don't seem to use it for what they refer to as 'street Salsa'. However, I was told that the Afro Cuban Salsa scene is slowly growing stronger. Anyway, I am very much looking forward to Salsa class and the Saturday social dance at the Amara Hotel. Who would have guessed that the Salsa scene in Singapore rivals that of Uppsala?

http://www.dance-en-motion.com/MainIndex.asp