Kent's Digital Ink

Ice skating at De Lierhof / Ijsschaatsen op De Lierhof

noreply@blogger.com (Kent) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:43:00 +0000

As you may have read, most of Europe, including Amsterdam, has been under an unusual winter freeze. It's been below freezing for over a week, and the canals have now frozen over.

In fact, the canal outside of my apartment has gone from a boat dock to frozen solid, and some people have made a makeshift ice skating rink!

Interestingly, these frozen canals are something very special for Amsterdammers, because now you see people skating on the canals! Apparently, this hasn't happened for over 10 years, and there's a huge discussion on whether a special race, the Eleven City Tour or "Elfstedentocht" will be held, something that only happens when the canals freeze. Apparently, it's over a 250km ice skating race, and officials are concerned whether the ice will support 16,000 people skating on the ice. I wonder if this is all overblown, especially when Minnesotans drive their car on the ice!

Pretty cool that when the canals freeze, you have a "skating highway" throughout all the various Dutch cities!

Minnesota weather in NL

noreply@blogger.com (Kent) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:03:00 +0000

Update: HUGE snowstorm in NL today... probably 3-4 inches of snow. 850km of hughways throughout the are jammed due to snow. Despite this, people are STILL BIKING!

Just came back to NL after a vacation in SE Asia, and whew, it's cold here! It's like Minnesota weather... 20F (-10C), meanwhile, I hear that it's fairly warm back home in MN

I remember once telling Sen that walking in the cold (ie, below freezing) is no problem. BUt after biking a few blocks yesterday in that weather.. whew, it's COLD!

Who knows, either SE ASia reset my temperature expectations, or there's a big difference between the short walk from your car to the office vs. biking outside in below freezing weather.

btw - I arrived in NL from SE Asia with only a fleece... good thing I packed a jacket in my luggage which was completely useless while in SE Asia...

Back to the NL, and soap...

noreply@blogger.com (Kent) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:34:00 +0000

Happy New Years - I'm back to NL after a too-short visit back to the US. Strangely, seems like forever that I was back in the US, but also seems too short. It's a very strange feeling to have multiple homes.

I had this realization today after arriving at the airport that Amsterdam is feeling very familiar. It's so strange to go on a long flight, wake up in a new place, which seems strange and familiar at the same time. Especially when 3 places seem "home" to me - whether it's in Ohio where I grew up, in MN where I've been living, or NL where I've been working.

This particularly makes things complicated when people ask me now, "Where do you live?" or "Where are you from?". It usually goes something like "Well, I'm living in the NL now, but my actual home is in Minnesota, where I work, but I'm from Ohio". By then, most people have a really confused look on their face. Guess there's no simple answer for that question. I'm sure lots of international students in the US or even college students who study in a different state probably have similar identity crises, or even Americans posted overseas too. I wonder how long does it take for somebody to change their answer from where they grew up as a child as "Home" to where they're living as "home. Maybe it takes life-events like the birth of a child, or marriage, or just many years before people identify a new place as "home".

And in a random comment - I was thinking how some things I do in my house are still very "American". For example, bath soap. It's much more common in Europe to use bath gel instead of soap bars. However, I still prefer the soap bar. But - since soap bars aren't common here, it's difficult to find things like soap dishes! I had to import that one from the US.

Then - I was thinking - with the water being quite hard here (lots of calcium), soap bars don't lather up very well. Maybe that's why bath gel is more common? Would be interesting if that was a local adaptation to the water conditions here.

Any thoughts on soap from my readers? And welcome any comments on the thoughts about what defines "home"?

Poffertjes Time!

noreply@blogger.com (Kent) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 23:30:00 +0000

All the Christmas decorations are coming out in Amsterdam, it really feels like a special time, with special foods and drinks. They've really borrowed a lot from the German Christmas markets, but with a Dutch twist.

First - you start seeing these food trucks "Oliebollen krammen" showing up in various plazas, including Schipol Plaza!!

I loved the photo above because it was such a gray/cloudy day, I was in Schipol grabbing lunch before a train, and outside, in the corner of Schipol plaza, right outside the exit to get to the taxis, there's this bright little food truck sitting there..

Inside these foodtrucks, they're essentially mobile donut makers, frying up oliebollen (oil balls, there's got to be a better English translation!), and other variations, include apple-filled oliebollen, and of course, wafels.

Then, inside the city, they've converted many public areas, like the Leidseplein from an area with seats for the bars nearby and vendors into an super small ice-skating rink, and huts selling all sorts of great hot snacks for the cold, including bratwurst, churros (spanish donuts?), poffertjes (incredibly yummy mini-pancakes with butter and powdered sugar), wafels, pannekoeken (Dutch pancakes, a cross with a crepe and American pancake), chocomel (warm hot chocolate) and gluhwein (sweet warm red wine) Other plazas, like the Rembrandtplein are also converted into festive little areas.

It's so nice to see these little huts, it really feels festive! And, there's nothing like being in the cold weather and enjoying hot freshly-made poffertjes with a cup of warm hot chocolate! You've got all the essential food groups - pancakes, butter, sugar, and chocolate milk!

But - five Euros for the poffertjes/mini-pancakes! Totally worth it!

Learning about fiets (bikes)

noreply@blogger.com (Kent) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 12:46:00 +0000

There's a probably one word that is quickly learned in NL, it's fiets, Dutch for bike. You learn this word quite quickly, because of all the signs:
geen fiets (no bikes)
fietsen worden verwijderen (bikes will be removed)
fietspad (bike path)
Het Zwarte Fietsplan (name of a bike shop that includes a large basket in the front)
Bakfiets.nl (a bike for families, with a huge scoop/bucket in the front for little kids to sit in)

One of these days, I'll post a collection of photos, a sort of "fiets anthropology" that shows all the different sorts of fietsen found around town...

I've also wondered why the Dutch word for bike is so different from all the neighboring languages (ENglish, French, German)... and found this great article on Radio Netherlands "Fun Fact Friday"... apparently, the word fiets is so important in Dutch, there's lots of sayings that have evolved around it! Here's the story from the Fun Fact FRiday..

Bicycle = fiets:

The Dutch word for bicycle is fiets (pronounced "feets")... and nobody really knows why. In most languages, the etymology is obvious - the English bicycle, meaning "two wheels", the French vélocipède, meaning "fast feet", the German fahrrad, meaning "ride wheel".

This was originally the case in Dutch as well - the bicycle was officialy known as a rijwiel or "ride wheel". This term can still be found in combination with other words such as rijwielhandelaar or "bicycle store"

Some people say the word fiets came from E. C. Viets, a bicycle-maker in the 1880s, but it appears that the term was in use ten years earlier. Others suggest it is a corruption of the French word for speed,vitesse or even the French word for bicycle vélocipède. Still others say that it's an onomatopoeic word that simply sounds like a fast-moving bicycle: ffts. It has also been suggested that the word fiets is derived from vietsen, meaning "to move quickly" in Dutch dialect.

In any case, bicycles are a part of Dutch daily life and the word fiets has made its way into many common expressions. Here are a few typical examples:

Op díe fiets. Literally: On that bicycle. Figuratively: Oh, that's what you mean!
Wat heb ik nou aan mijn fiets hangen? Literally: What's hanging on my bike? Figuratively: What's going on? What's happening? (Said by someone who is *really* surprised.)
Geef mijn fiets terug. Literally: Give me my bike back. Figuratively: It's a joke referring to WWII when the Germans confiscated many Dutch bicycles; it's used to make fun of Germans.
Snel door heen fietsen. Literally: To cycle quickly on. Figuratively: To go through something quickly, as in an agenda item on a meeting.
Op een oude fiets moet je het leren. Literally: You have to learn on an old bicycle. Figuratively: Young people should learn about sex with an older (trusted) lover.

Passport photos, is it really that difficult?

noreply@blogger.com (Kent) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 22:01:00 +0000

I'm seriously behind on blog posts, but just had to post about an amusing topic... passport photo requirements in the Netherlands, which is related to my work permit here. Ever wonder why some people have these terrible passport photos, where it looks like jail mug shot? I know why now....

My work permit in NL was finally approved, and one of the requirements is a passport photo. The immigration agency clearly outlined that the passport photo is a highly important part of the process. There are strict guidelines on what the photo should contain, and I should have a professional, authorized photographer to take my photo. US passport photos are not acceptable. Photo booth photos are not acceptable.

What?? Professional authorized photographer? Seriously? I've done my own passport photos before with a SLR and Photoshop, why would i ever use a professional photographer? And authorized photographers? How hard could this be? Sounds crazy.... until I read the Dutch regulations for passport photos. (and are sometimes completely comical)

1. Length from ear to ear must be 16-20 mm, and from chin to tip of head must be 26-30 mm (really? is the inspector going to measure my photo? and what if you're Vincent van Gogh, missing an ear?)

2. Dark eyeglasses are not permitted unless you have a medical exception and a doctor's signature (hm.. I guess the Unabomber's photo is OK if he was legally blind?!! And, I guess I'm in Amsterdam, there's probably a doctor's certificate for almost anything)

3. Head be fully visible, except for those with high hairstyles, who are allowed to have their hair outside the photo frame.

4. My personal favorite and exact quote: "Broad smile and an open mouth is not allowed. That does not mean that there needs to be a surly or sullen look."

HILARIOUS! The IND says I need to have a neutral expression, and even advises me that a neutral expression doesn't mean I shouldn't look sad or surly. Hah!

If you're curious, ask me to post my photo (which I did myself) - I don't think there's any neutral expression photo that doesn't look sad or surly..

Things I Miss, part II

noreply@blogger.com (Kent) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 18:57:00 +0000

I discovered today, of all the things I would miss, I can't believe it's something so simple...

a steak knife!

Made a steak today for dinner, and realized that this well-furnished apartment only has butter knives (and 1 cheese knife).

Strangely, I can't find a set of steak knives in the stores here!

Things I miss

noreply@blogger.com (Kent) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 12:31:00 +0000

I had dinner with a INSEAD friend's classmate yesterday, an Dutch native that's spent some time in the US, and he asked me an interesting question. "Is there anything that you miss?"

It's interesting to think about what things you really miss, even when in a very diverse/international city like Amsterdam. Of course, you'll always miss the company of people and friends that you have in your home town, but what "things" did I miss? Thinking of this gives one an interesting perspective on what is your core identity.

In no particular order, here are some of the things I missed:

Mexican food: this one is probably top of mind because I tried to find a recommended Mexican place this weekend (via dutchgrub.com food blog), but they were closed for vacation! I need to find my Casa Lupita!
NPR: this one surprised me, but on my weekends here, I really miss the voices, stories, and laughter from listening to weekend NPR programs like Car Talk or "Wait Wait, don't tell me". Luckily, there's podcasts or NPR streaming, and I'm actually listening to Weekend Edition Sunday right now, covering the 9/11 memorial service in NYC.
Long Drives in my car: this one is usually associated with NPR, since I'm often driving around on weekend errands, listening to NPR. I know this one doesn't seem very environmentally friendly, but sometimes it's really handy to have a car. I've done a lot on my bike over the past weeks (strapping groceries, pizza boxes, takeout onto to the back of my fiets), but sometimes you're just limited to how much (and how big) of things you can carry on the bike
Minnesota summers / State Fair: Those last days of summer in MN are really special, the last few long nights and warm evening weather, and the the fun/people watching associated with the state fair. Something to really savor before the weather turns to fall and winter.

On a more serious note, Sept 10, 2011 marks ten years of starting work after graduation, and Sept 11th, 2001 was my first true "working" day at Guidant. Spend some time today to honor those affected by that tragic day.

De Lierhof

noreply@blogger.com (Kent) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 08:31:00 +0000

From De Lierhof

About 2 weeks ago, I moved into my new place in Amsterdam... it was hard trying to decide where to live. Living in the center meant that I could feel like I was in a city (since I've always lived in the suburbs), and live in one of these traditional Dutch apartments, but it also meant I had less space, and ladder-like steps if I chose an apartment above the ground floor. Since the Dutch buildings are so tall (and they're not very deep), you need some serious steepness to go up the stairs. Although you'd think that the traditional Dutch buildings are deep, there's typically a garden (or mini-park) behind the buildings, and you'd never realize this while looking at these tall buildings from the street level.

Or, I could live slightly at the edge of the center (still in Amsterdam), closer to the hospital, and a bit more space.

View Larger Map

In the end, I chose edge of center, which has been completely amazing. I have a tram stop in front of my apartment, it's 20 minutes by tram/metro to the hospital, or I can ride my bike, straight-shot, to the hospital, in... 20 minutes! And I'm really not that far from the center, I can reach the Leidseplein (main entertainment, restaurant area) in about 10 minutes by bike or tram. Plus it helped that this apartment already had a flatscreen TV, so I could hook-up my laptop to watch movies, etc.

And ironically, the owners of my apartment are actually living in the US now, in Georgia!

Photos under the Picasa album...(click top photo)

Bank account, finally opened!

noreply@blogger.com (Kent) — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 12:39:00 +0000

Opening a bank account was probably the biggest piece of culture shock for me here. First, as I've mentioned earlier, it's almost impossible to open a bank account in NL without a social security number (which I don't need for my short stay here). However, that makes it hard for me to pay my rent, since it's equally hard for me to setup foreign wires from the US while I'm here.

Luckily, the SSN only a Dutch bank regulation, and Belgium (only 1 hr by train, and one of my assigned sites), gladly welcomes your money if you're non-resident. And, Belgium cards work in the Netherlands! And everything can be done online. So much for laws... and ironically, my account is opened at the Belgian branch of a Dutch bank (ING).

Opening an account is a lot of work though. I started the process on Aug 5, and finally got my cards on the 26th.

1. You have to setup an appointment (!!) with the bank, can't just walk-in to open an account.

2. At my appointment, be prepared to bring a lot of paperwork: passport, employment contract (proving that you don't officially work in Belgium and not subject to Belgian tax), business cards (in case the employment contract wasn't enough), and proof that you are non-resident (ie, live outside of Belgium).

3. Even after all that, your account isn't immediately opened. Somebody has to REVIEW your paperwork, then they'll notify you that an account has been opened. (this took 1 week)

4. Your ATM card isn't issued immediately, it's shipped to the bank, and you need to go there to pick it up!

5. To use online banking, you need to get a special "card reader" (see photo), which supposedly makes your online banking more secure, but in reality, just makes it more troublesome to use. Whenever you login to online banking, you insert your card into the "card reader", it'll generate a one-time code, which you enter into the website. Similar authentication is used when you make online payments, you type a code from the website into the "reader", and it responds back with a number, which you re-type back into the website. Sounds like an RSA secureID, but more clunky. This "card reader" is also specially shipped to your bank, luckily, my branch already had one, so I didn't have to wait again for this.

Although it was painful, it's finally nice to have a local account, makes it easier, since some ticket machines here only take Euro Maestro (Mastercard affliate) cards, so none of my US cards work. That's really inconvenient, esp when you can't quickly get a ticket for a train departing in a few minutes from the machine, and there's a long line at the ticket counter...

There are some good parts though: I withdraw from ANY ATM in Europe (not just my bank's ATM) for no cost. (much better than the US system where I have to pay to withdraw my own money from other bank's ATMs.... these fees are a pure profit center for a bank). And most importantly, I can finally make my rent payments online instead of doing wires from the US!

One more interesting twist: when signing up for an account, you get your own bankier. Strangely, even if you have any questions or issues, you're supposed to only setup an appointment with your bankier. It seems so quaint, I've never had a single person to go to for US banks in the past, and especially now, when all my banking is online.

Shopping is tough!

noreply@blogger.com (Kent) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 20:22:00 +0000

I'm sure many of you have had that experience of going into a new grocery store in a new city, not knowing where anything is, and spending lots of time in the store trying to find all your things.

Well - that's my experience every time I go shopping! First, I don't know where anything is, Second, everything is in Dutch, so it takes longer for me to figure out if I'm buying the right thing, especially for speciality items.

Like today - my goal was to buy shampoo (easy), and rubbing alcohol (hard). The rubbing alcohol was for my computer... I had spilled coffee all over my Thinkpad keyboard during a sleep study. Luckily, the Thinkpads are really tough - the coffee didn't damage the computer, but made the keys super sticky. Luckily, there are YouTube videos on how to clean the keys, using alcohol.

So I go to the drugstore, and start looking around. While I entered, I found 3 Chinese students who were also equally confused. Hilarious scene... 4 foreigners all really confused in the drugstore. I was trying to figure out if brandspiritus (95% ethanol) for EUR0.85 or alcohol ketonatus 96% (EUR2.50) was the same as isopropyl alcohol. Google translate on my phone didn't help either.. then I had an idea. Just smell it! brandspiritus definitely wasn't isopropyl alcohol... wish I had figured that out instead of trying to figure out the labels.

While I was searching, one of the Chinese guys came up to me, said hello in Chinese, and we started chatting a bit. It was s nice to find somebody else who is equally confused.. This guy was looking for face soap, and didn't know where to look. So, I tried to help, but it was really like 3 blind mice! must have been hilarious for the staff to watch. In the end, after a lot of searching, I found the soap... in two different places!

I think I lost over an hour in that shop trying to figure where things were at, and it wasn't a big shop!

Repeat that with the new grocery store I tried, and it made for a long (but entertaining) afternoon.

More great stories to come, including:

my new apartment
bike locks
toilets
how to buy beer if you want only 1 bottle...

Update: Now that I think more about it, brandspiritus is probably something for burning (wicker candles?), since brand = burning.... it would also explain why it was in a huge bottle vs. the smaller bottle for rubbing alcohol...

Already famous

noreply@blogger.com (Kent) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 11:43:00 +0000

Just a quick funny post for today, seems like that I'm already well-known by my Dutch ENT colleagues. When I was first introduced to some of them, they they found a video dedicated to me on Youtube.... (for those of you who haven't heard about this yet...)

Going Dutch - more details

noreply@blogger.com (Kent) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 20:41:00 +0000

Seems like a bunch of you really enjoyed this last post. So - I decided to post a map to give you a sense of how it can be truly faster by bike than even tram.

From Sint Lucas Andreas hospital to Rembrandtplein is about 5km (~3 miles). Public transit time estimates 30 minutes for that ride!

And from the map, you can get a sense of how small Amsterdam truly is. The hospital is on the far eastern edge of the city, while the Rembrandtplein is just a bit east of the Center...

It's amazing, that even a bike could beat public transit!

View Larger Map

Going Dutch

noreply@blogger.com (Kent) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 21:59:00 +0000

As anyone that's visited Amterdam knows, bicycles are completely everywhere. Not until last week Friday did I totally understand how much you could do with a bicycle!

I decided to have dinner with one of our colleagues in the hospital, and the restaurant we were going to across the city. She had a bike, and I had arrived by tram. No problem, I thought, I'll just take the tram and meet at the restaurant.

Instead, I was offered a ride on the back of a bike, side-saddle style. You know, like what you see in the old 50's movies, or when travelling in Vietnam, one person pedalling, and the other riding off the back of the bike, with both legs on one side.

Really, I thought? Is it really possible? Our colleague, she said "yeah, it's the fastest way. People do it all the time". Here's when I realized I was up for a real cultural experience.

First - it's really tough to hop onto the back of a bike when both you and the bike need to be moving at some speed. That takes a bit of finesse. Not only that, there's not exactly a lot to hold onto on the back of the bike.

Second - it's kinda scary! like 3rd world scary! Dutch bikers are super aggressive, so I had cars passsing me on the side, the bike passing very closely to parked cars, other bikes overtaking us within what felt like inches! I would have been more afraid if I was actually facing towards the street instead of facing the sidewalk (ie, my legs were hanging off the right side of the bike, and bikes ride on the right side of the street)

In all though, it was a completely hilarious experience. After a couple of times, I mastered the technique of hopping onto the back of the bike quickly, and efficiently, and mastered hopping off when we came to a "red light" or street crossing. And, looking at the map, it's really amazing the progress that we made across the city. And as my friend pointed out, bikes are the most efficient way to cover the city!

She gave the following true example: a taxi from central station to home is about 20 mins and costs EUR25. A tram takes about 15 mins, and it's maybe EUR2-3, but a bike, takes 10 mins, and it's free!

Maybe I need to find a way to lease/rent a bike for my time here?

Image credits: http://www.curbside.on.ca

A bottle or can? (een flas of blikje?)

noreply@blogger.com (Kent) — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 13:33:00 +0000

Past week has been super busy, and even though I don't have an apartment just yet, my co-worker based in Antwerp has just returned to the US, and luckily, I can stay in his place. It's so much better to be in a house than the tiny hotel room I've been using. Plus I don't have to pay EUR10 a day for wifi, and I get a kitchen where I can cook something. (not that Belgian/Dutch food is bad, but it's nice to have something simple)

Testing the use of my language skills can be hard, especially when you're understanding more written words, but understanding spoken words is hit/miss. I had a great experience today while getting lunch at the Panos Panini shop. Decided to try to speak "only Dutch", regardless if I get in trouble or not. Luckily it's a slow day this weekend in the shops..Here's the hilarious conversation (and for me to remember my new words from today):

Kent: Can I order a prosciutto panini? (Kan ik een prosciutto panini neemen?)
Host: Is that for here or to go?
Kent: For here, and also an ice tea (voor hier, en ook een ice tea)
Host: You want the bottle or the can? (these were words I didn't know.. it was like you want the or the , where x and y are unknown)
Kent: Uh, I want the carbonated one (met gaz)
Host: (sooo graciously patient, and not switching to English, goes over to the fridge): We have a bottle (raising the bottle) or a can (raising the can) (een flas of een blikje?)
Kent: Ooooh!! I'll take the smaller one (but not knowing the correct word for 'can') - (de klein..)

then.. after I finish my lunch, I asked:

Kent: How do you say "this" (raising my can) in Dutch?
Host: Een blikje... (a can)
Kent: "Blikje?"
Host: Ja, blikje

Whoever you were, thanks for speaking slowly, being patient, not switching to English, and helping me learn! I'll never forget what is een blikje.

Newcomers / Nieuwkomers

noreply@blogger.com (Kent) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 21:02:00 +0000

Newcomers / Nieuwkomers

Past few days have been interesting, trying to arrange for housing and a bank account. I really have a better appreciation now for international students who arrive in the US who try to get all these things done.

Househunting was fairly straightforward, given the rental agency recommendation from a INSEAD colleague (that network is SO helpful), and I may have found a place. One amusing thing happened while apt hunting, where I stopped into a shop to buy a bottle of water. I went to the register, and the guy said in Dutch what I thought was "seven", and I was really confused, seven? seven Euros for a bottle of water? (mind you, I was jetlagged but awake).. and I thought, OK, I'll put out EUR7. I first started with the EUR2 coin, and was about to pull a EUR5 note, but then he just took it and gave me back EUR1.30. My rental agent laughed, and said to the shopkeeper: "nieuwkomers", which I was obviously one. Note: do people in NL say seven to mean seventy? How do you know when it's just seven or seventy? Just like how in Chinese you'd say 1 dollar, 4, meaning 1 dollar, 40 cents?

Anyhow, one task checked off the list.

However.. step 2, opening a bank account has proven to be more difficult. You'd think that a bank in NL would be more than happy to have your money, even the ones like Rabobank or ING, which were bailed out in the crisis. But no.. this turned into a really complicated case. First, every bank insisted that I needed a social security number to open, even though I had read accounts of people opening a non-resident account. I mean, I'm sure there are wealthy Russians, Indonesians, or other people coming into open accounts in the Netherlands with their overseas money. Even ABN-Amro advertises a non-resident account (but with a EUR20k minimum!) But getting a social security number is not easy - you have to prove that you have a work visa, a resident permit etc... but that not required for people who are here on short stays. Argh - seems like I just fell into a loophole in government policy. I'm sure that banks are checking social security numbers to avoid terrorist groups opening a bank account, etc, but I don't think I fit that profile. Please - take my money! You're a bank!

oh well - when frustrated, you just have to laugh. Just like a t-shirt I saw yesterday at a shop for baby clothes... the shirt said: "BABY GENIUS", and underneath it, was the text: "q t (pi)", as in the symbol for "pi". Hilarious!

noreply@blogger.com (Kent) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 22:15:00 +0000

Will it fit? (based on the ads - "Will it blend?")

Resurrecting this blog after months in hibernation.... After almost 2 months in anticipating, I've finally packed for my NL trip... and very last minute too. Flight was scheduled for 11am on Sunday, and I just started packing around mid-morning on Saturday! And.. after viewing all my clothes, I started wondering, will it all fit? My goal was to get all my stuff (clothes, office equipment, etc) into 2 bags...

This problem is compounded by the fact that I have to pack for both summer/winter!

Sure enough, by 2am, I was totally packed into two bags! Although one is really pushing the limits. Better hope I don't see a busted bag and a trail of clothes and office equipment when I land in Amsterdam!

It was interesting to think about what to pack... should I pack spices there so I can make curries and biriyani dishes? What about the awesome Shun santoku knife that I love using? Would I ever be able to use a regular knife again? And what would I do without a rice cooker? In the end, only the curries made it (well, we'll see if TSA had other thoughts), but I'll see if I can go back to basics in the kitchen.

And also what about some music? I knew my cousin's classamte is living in NL with a piano, should I bring something to play? Or speakers for the computer? In the end, only the music made the cut (nice and thin), but it was interesting to see how we become so reliant on our "tools" at home, and these types of long trips force you to re-think what's truly important (especially when there's only so much you can carry). especially after just catching an old rerun of "Up In the Air" a few days before this trip...

noreply@blogger.com (Kent) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 04:48:00 +0000

Another HDR attempt, Palazzo Fountains in Las Vegas. I think LV has a lot of great photo opportunities inside and outside the casinos.

This was an awesome trip due to the Expedia SAVE300 promotion... $80 for flight, hotel, 2 show tickets, spent $12 on car rental, and did a coupon run for the first time. Plenty of fun with friends as well.

noreply@blogger.com (Kent) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 01:54:00 +0000

Long time in waiting..

Received this hilarious email today.. (note today's date. Nov 30, 2010).. for an order I placed OVER 2 years ago!!!!

We are pleased to inform you that we have submitted 152 miles to your American Airlines AAdvantage® Account: 12345

These miles were provided to you for your order number 600KL081808 placed on 8/18/2008 11:25:12 AM.

Best regards,
Steven Lee, President
AtBatt.com

noreply@blogger.com (Kent) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 05:04:00 +0000

My First attempt at HDR... NYC skyline from "Top of the Rock"

noreply@blogger.com (Kent) — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 02:15:00 +0000

The magic of night markets

From Malaysia 2010

Night markets are very common across Asia, it seems like a cross between a state fair (where you get lots of street food), and a flea market (where you can buy almost everything). And it happens every day. And, every day, it can be different. And, given these tropical climates, once the sun sets, things get a lot cooler, and people start going outside to enjoy the cooler nighttime air.

I still remember the first night market I went to, in Taipei, as a young kid. I remember it being a really mysterious experience.. I was only in 2nd grade, brought there by an uncle who spoke only a little English (because I didn't speak any Chinese). There were all these vendors, with a bunch of toys, placed on blankets on the street, dimly lit under a few fluorescent or incandescent light bulb. Then, there are these games that you could play and win prizes, and places to get lots of snacks.

Even after all these years, night markets are still a mysterious but exciting place for me. In Malaysia, they're called pasar malam, (literally, night market), and it's a similar, but different process. Of course, there's always the food vendors there, but there's a lot more: you can buy groceries, household utensils, clothing, pirated DVDs / CD, toys. Only thing missing that they didn't have were the carnival games. And all of these vendors, literally, operate out of the back of their car. S asked if I've ever been to a pasar malam, and I thought I did, but she said the one behind her house was the best. So we went to go check it out...

From Malaysia 2010

When you arrived, it was PACKED. Imagine a few small streets, closed to traffic. The first section we walked into was full of food vendors. You could smell the cooking oil in the air, mixing with people lined up at various stalls. We saw apom (a crispy crepe, filled with peanuts and sugar), kuih (sweet and sticky desserts), fried campadak (looks like a jackfruit, but with a nuttier taste), zong zi (Chinese wrapped sticky rice dumplings).

From Malaysia 2010

While taking photos, I noticed a guy putting his hands to block photos of things each time I took them. And it wasn't even his stall!! Wasn't sure if he was trying to be annoying or what... so I just explained, with a smile, I'm just taking photos. But S, being so fast on her feet (especially in Chinese), started saying "Do you know who this is? He's a famous US photographer for a travel magazine!". This guy (who apparently was also a food vendor), was asking "which magazine?". Again, S, being much quicker on her feet, said "it's one of the biggest in the US".

Suddenly, this guy's behavior changed completely 180 degrees! He motioned for us to come towards his stall..... a motorcycle.

From Malaysia 2010

He was explaining how his stall is so famous, it was already out of food, and that I should take photos of his setup. (Note: famous has a particular meaning in Malaysia/Singapore. Once a stall becomes "famous", people suddenly become willing to wait over 30 minutes for your food, and to pay a premium. Problem is.. sometimes there are 'too many' famous places, some of which are just copycats of the original) Then he went on to explain what days he's at the PJ pasar malam, his particular speciality (cha shao, Chinese roast pork), and to come back some other time. Amazing how people sometimes will change their personality when they think somebody important is nearby. Hah... hope he doesn't read my blog. =)

From Malaysia 2010

But one of the most interesting things I saw in the pasar malam, was the ability to buy clothes and kitchen utensils. S said that I should get some socks here, but I was a bit skeptical. I remember from previous experience that night market quality was quite poor, and didn't want to be wasting my money. It was clear that the socks were from generic Chinese manufacturers, but they were really cheap, I think 5 pairs for RM10, or about US$3.50. After much stubbornness on my side, S convinced me to buy a few. And, in hindsight, they're not bad. She even mentioned how all of her socks were from the pasar malam. I guess for < $1 per pair, who would ever want to buy socks in the US?? Similarly, her sister picked up some trash baskets and pots/pans from the household things vendors. The most interesting thing about these vendors is that they literally operate out of their cars. The sock vendor had a bunch of trays, and the van was parked behind their stall. Similarly, the household utensils guy had a small minivan completely full of pots, pans, baskets, silverware, almost anything you could find in a Wal-mart. I wondered how much money it took to start a business like this? Your overhead is practically $0, your working capital is tied up in whatever you could carry in your car, and your business is completely in cash. And, if you're a night market vendor, what do you do during the day? Did they just run a shop during the day, and packed things into a car for the night markets? S mentioned that vendors will often travel to different night markets every day... what system was there to make sure there weren't too many sock vendors in one market, and not enough in another? If you're the sock vendor, what do you do if your socks go out of fashion?

In any case, night markets still provide lots of entertainment for me... you go with a bunch of friends, share snacks as you walk down the aisles of stuff, take pictures of interesting things, and have a chance to observe a culture by how they spend their evenings...

noreply@blogger.com (Kent) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 03:30:00 +0000

Gambling and roller-coasters in Genting

From Malaysia 2010

(wonder what the Hotel Third World looks like?)

If there's one thing that Chinese people love more than eating, it's probably gambling... and dangerously so.There's always stories you hear about old Chinatowns in the US, full of gambling dens, etc. That's for a reason.. it's because Chinese people really love to gamble. And we saw lots of it in Genting.

I'd never been to Genting before, but it's in the highlands of Malaysia, about 1-2 hours outside Kuala Lumpur, and its high enough in the mountains that the air is significantly cooler than KL... so cool that S had to wear a fleece jacket, and I (being from Minnesota), just had to put a t-shirt under my short sleeve polo shirt. It's amazingly refreshing to be such cool weather when it's 90+ degrees and humid in KL. It's so cool that there's no need for air conditioning in the hotel room. (probably the only place in Malaysia where that's possible)

Strangely, Genting caters to two very different groups of people.

From Malaysia 2010

Malaysia's first roller coaster...

Group 1 - Non-Gambling
First - there's an indoor and outdoor amusement park, shopping, games, and restaurants. You'll see lots of international tourists here, it was particularly crowded with Middle Eastern tourists, particularly those from Saudi Arabia, with some Indians and Malaysians. We met a funny couple from Saudi Arabia.. the husband's name was Mohammed, it was his first time to an amusement park, and he was scared of the rides (even the simple ones, like the swing that lifts up in the air goes in circles). His wife (we didn't get her name), was completely covered in black, but had some fashionable shoes on. She was scared of EVERY ride - even the swing, or go-karting. (maybe because women don't drive in Saudi Arabia?). Somehow, Mohammed convinced her to do the rocking pirate boat ride... which she was still shell-shocked after coming off. But she was a good sport, laughing as we tried to convince them to try other rides with us.

It's funny to see the amusement park, which could be easily mistaken for any amusement park in the US. But there are some odd things... like this space shuttle that looks a lot like the US one, except it has a Malaysian flag (granted, it looks like the US flag), but it says MASA on it. Yes - I know Malaysia has had their first astronaut, but it's strange to see a Malaysian flag and "MASA" on what is actually a US spacecraft.

MASA? on the US Space Shuttle?

The other odd thing is how any of the concession stands for snacks look like something you'd find at the state fair... except all the words appear to be in English, but not understandable. Instead of seeing "cotton candy, hot dogs, and pop", you have "Powerpop, Manjoo, and Mee Goreng". The only one I recognize there is Mee Goreng = fried noodles.

Group 2: - Gamblers
HUGE gambling halls, and you'll primarily see Chinese, with some Indians and international (primarily European or Australian) visitors. One of the halls we were in was decorated in a Chinese style.. huge open room, lanterns hanging from the ceiling, huge wall murals. And it's nothing like Las Vegas...

First, there's no waitress bringing you free alcohol. You have to get your own drinks.... as long as its hot tea, water, or Milo (hot chocolate).

Second - it's amazingly QUIET. There's no ruckus from slot machines, mainly because there aren't any. People are playing card games... and VERY seriously, and very superstitiously. I sat down at a table to play Pontoon (a blackjack variant). The bet size is more my style... RM25 = $7. As soon as I put my chips down, there's a middle aged auntie next to me who takes my chips (!!) and moves them to another player's spot. I say (in Chinese) - "you can't do that!", then she starts spouting off (good thing I didn't understand everything), that she didn't want to open up another position, it would be unlucky, the cards are bad etc. After my bonus hunting experience, I know it's all statistics. I move my chips back to my spot.

Ironically, my "spot" actually becomes "hot", and she starts putting her money into my spot. So much for unluckiness of opening a new "spot". By the end of the night, I win RM 100 (about USD30). Probably the first time I've won anything ever in a casino. Good thing my blackjack training came in handy. Amazing to see how many people don't know how to play perfect strategy... and taking really bad side bets too.

We saw some very interesting people while gambling. First - there was this older man (80's probably) at our table who was literally falling asleep AT THE TABLE. The dealer had to slap his hand in front of his cards to wake him up. Probably a sign of too much gambling. Second - while playing, we kept on hearing this guy shout out "picture! picture! GOOD-BYE!" at the Baccarat tables. Then we realized he was doing it at really random times, and probably had Tourette's syndrome. I went over to investigate.. with all that shouting, you'd think he'd be playing for big stakes. Nope.. just RM10! (US$3!)

Genting was great fun.. although a bit constraining. It's a lot like Vegas - food is expensive (by Malaysian standards), but usually good, although it's satisfying to get a KFC snack after a late night of playing pontoon. You can do the rides during the day, but non-gambling entertainment is limited at night.

Oh - and the funniest part of my Genting story... We went to do this bumper boat ride, it's a bit like bumper cars, except you're on a floating raft with a small motor. As we're in line, an employee takes out a scale and ruler (like the kind you see in a doctor's office). I thought he was going to measure the kid in front of me, but he points to me and says:

"Can you please stand on the scale?"

I stand on the scale.. and it reads... 76.5 kg

"I'm sorry sir, you can't take this ride. Maximum weight is 75 kg"

I was absolutely embarrassed. I'm too heavy for this ride?! 75 kgs is nothing! (apparently he hasn't been to the US yet). There seemed to be other people in front of us who were clearly above 75 kgs, except I was the one targeted. I think S was laughing all the way back to the hotel... she totally wanted to do the ride, but I was "too heavy"

That was definitely a first.. I'm too overweight for the ride. I explained to S, once you take out my shoes, my wallet, and the two phones I'm carrying, that's probably 1 kg already. Sure enough, 1 wk later in Singapore, I weighed myself without all that stuff. 74.5 kgs. End of story.

noreply@blogger.com (Kent) — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 03:09:00 +0000

Why breakfast is the most important meal...

There's something special about getting breakfast while traveling in Asia, especially in Malaysia or Singapore. I'm not normally a breakfast guy, nor do I normally get breakfast in the hotels (I prefer street food, as explained by this postfrom EatingAsia) , but sometimes, just sometimes, while travelling in Asia, you can find some fantastic breakfast buffets in the hotel, especially "local" ones

(although you have to be careful about not eating too much, because a combination of a overloaded stomach and hot tropical weather makes for an uncomfortable day... not to mention making you so full that you miss out on other snacking opportunities throughout the day)

While in KT, S and I stayed at the Felda Residence Hotel, which is one of the newer hotels in Kuala Terengganu, and its architecture seems to be inspired by the "Sail" Burj Dubai hotel in Dubai (but not nearly as grand). Interestingly, the Felda group is actually a Malaysian conglomerate that's better known for its palm oil plantations, but I guess they're strangely trying to diversify by going into the hotel business?)

It's one of the few times we didn't book anything in advance, and we just showed up to see what we could negotiate, as anything is negotiable in Malaysia. They had a promotion going on, RM200 per night, and it came with a free buffet breakfast!

Free breakfasts can be hit or miss, but this one... absolutely amazing. Given KT's predominant Malay population, there was a lot more Malay-influenced dishes there, such as roti jala (the lacy crepe seen in the picture), beef rendang, a chicken and fish curry, nasi lemak (my all time favorite breakfast food - coconut rice with some curry, fried peanuts and anchovies and an egg), char kway teow (another favorite), and a new dish I hadn't seen before, nasi kerabu (a blue-colored rice with small condiments, lower right corner in photo). I had to absolutely try everything on the menu!

Not only was this buffet amazing, but the next day.. they changed it all up! New dishes every day!! Including an amazing mackerel curry. Must be interesting to be the chef there, I think he/she just makes whatever he/she feels like, or whatever is fresh, which is a good philosophy for food.

There was a "western section" at this buffet, but it was pretty sad.. an omelette station, some "sausages" (really just chicken hot dogs, since Malays can't eat pork), and toast. I think everybody else was equally excited about all the curries.

Might seem strange to Americans to eat curry and rice for breakfast, but I think it should be eaten anytime! =)

S and I were really happy about the buffet, and as she put it "it was the best breakfast of the entire trip".

noreply@blogger.com (Kent) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 02:47:00 +0000

Relaxing, snorkeling, enjoying beaches in Pulau Redang

I'm not really a beach person.... but I had heard some amazing things about the beaches, sealife, and snorkeling in East Malaysia, so I thought I'd go see it firsthand. For our trip to Malaysia, S's sister was able to book a package for Pulau Redang, a common beach resort area, about 1 hr off the coast from Kuala Terengganu.

Most people in the US really don't know about Malaysia as a beach / snorkelling destination, but I was really surprised to see how well known it was by Australian and even European tourists! Pulau Redang is a fairly large island, and there are a number of resorts scattered across the beaches. Interestingly, each resort seems to cater to a different audience. The one that we were at had more Europeans and Chinese-Malaysians there. During one of the snorkelling runs to the marine park, we saw boats from other resorts that catered more for Malays. Very interesting...

S's sister chose the Coral Redang Resort, which was supposedly owned by one of Malaysia's sultans. A little far off from the main jetty, but there were porters to help carry (literally carry...) your bags to the hotel. It was a nice quiet place, with its own pool, beach access, and most importantly, clean rooms with cold air-conditioning. It was literally so cold - that my camera equipment would fog up the next day. Probably not the greenest thing to do....... but a nice break from the tropical heat.

During the day, there were only a few things you could do - lay on the beach, go snorkelling, take diving lesssons. Since we had heard about the amazing coral.. we went snorkelling. It was really amazing - the clearness of the water and the sheer abundance of the coral and fishes really reminded me of the first time snorkelling, in Pulau Tioman, also in Malaysia. But this place was HUGE! Unfortunately, with my vision so bad... I could only make out the large details of the corals, or the small fishes that would approach you. Unfortunately, I didn't find out until much later that there are such things as "powered" snorkel masks, that help correct your vision! Only if I had known earlier...

One of the other places we went to was a protected marine park... unfortunately, ALL of the resorts bring their people there to visit, and not too long after we arrived, it literally became a swimming pool, full of people. Some people even brought some bread to feed the fishes, with one couple literally bring a whole LOAF of bread with them. A German guy we met on the boat mentioned that this was really bad for the fish, that they'd explode after over-eating the bread. Not sure how true it was, but interesting to note...

Resorts are always interesting, because everything is somewhat "contained", including your meals. This place had a half-decent buffet every day, although nothing really special, which was a pity, because there's always so many good Malaysian dishes to eat elsewhere. One of my funniest memories is how S's family tried to cajole the chef into making barbeque lamb the next evening. Malaysians crack me up about how "forward" they can be about expressing what they want. I think it started out like this:

S's dad to staff: "I hear the kanbing (lamb) is really good, do you have it on weekends?"
Staff: "No lah, no lamb this weekend"
Dad: "Oh, but the lamb is really famous... we came all the way to this resort to have kanbing"
Staff: (looking a little indifferent... thinking why does this guy want lamb?)
Staff: "Kanbing is too expensive, have to get it from the ferry..."
Dad: "You see lah, we paid so much money for this resort, why can't you buy lamb?"

Another staff comes by..

Dad: "You're going to make sure we have kanbing tomorrow, right?"
Staff: ??

Sure enough, the next day.. we saw the staff starting up the charcoal bbq. And guess what we had? Lamb! I was personally hoping for a whole lamb roasted on a spit, but no such luck.

The other interesting thing about the resort were the European families that were staying there. We got to know an interesting German-Iranian couple (husband was German, wife was Iranian), who was bringing wife's parents/brother/sister from Iran with them. You really don't see many Iranians in the US, and with all the anti-Iranian rhetoric in the US news, you'd think they would be "scary", anti-West, etc. But the "grandmother and grandfather" were so adorable! We were playing volleyball, and they were watching from the side, so we welcomed them in, including the "grandfather". This is what I really like about Malaysians, they're really inclusive of other people, always inviting others in. After the game, we find out that the "grandfather" used to play volleyball as a child in Iran. The family had been in the resort for over 2 weeks (!! wish I had German vacations!!), and they were going back to Kuala Lumpur. They left the resort the same time as we did, and amazingly, about 1 week later, when S and I were shopping at KLCC, guess who we ran into? The husband/wife, who were shopping at Zara for their daughter! Amazing - the chances of randomly meeting the same person twice?

After a few days in Redang, I think I was ready to get "plugged in" back into a more hectic life. It's really hard for me to lounge around and do nothing.. although it was fun to snorkel, learn some photography tricks from Charles, and generally chit-chat with everybody.

On the way back, the resort had included land transfer from the jetty back to the airport. The problem was, our flight was at 9pm, but we arrived back in KT around 3pm!! And the driver of the mini-bus was prepared to take us back to the airport! So, I saw this Malaysian "bargaining" mindset take hold again. S's family was able to convince the driver to drive us all around KT to visit places (like the Crystal mosque, the market, the Batik factory, etc), and we'd pay him extra for his time, although the fuel was the "company's". Luckily, he had nothing else to do, so we was willing .As they say.. "Malaysia, boleh (possible), Everything else also can" (with money - my addition). Can you imagine that? It was hilarious... I don't think it'd ever cross my mind in the US, to try to negotiate with the bus driver to take me someplace else! I'm glad we did it though, S and I were able to see a few more sites that we missed on the original KT rounds, and we had a chance to stop by the market to go crazy eating durians (ie, the last post)

And a list of what I ate (that was memorable..):

Nasi Lemak, coffee shop inside Kuala Terengganu Airport

noreply@blogger.com (Kent) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:39:00 +0000

Exploring the east coast of Malaysia, starting with Kuala Terengganu (KT), land of sultans, mosques, and seafood

I've done a lot of travelling within Malaysia, but never have really explored the East Coast area, which is often difficult to access, but is home to some amazing beaches, snorkeling and diving. S and I planned this amazing Malaysia mega-trip back in Oct, and thanks to some cheap advance airfares from AirAsia (RM49 incl tax / US$15), I finally had a chance to explore KT!

KT is in the state of Terengganu, in northeast Malaysia. This area is supposedly where Islam was first introduced to the country, hundreds of years ago by Arab traders. As a result, the population here appears to be more Malay dominated, you see fewer Chinese and Indians, and more Malay is spoken here... Since I was travelling with S, I was in luck, but it was so strange to hear her speak in Malay (albeit a bit rusty). Can you imagine - somebody you've known for over 3 years, and suddenly they're speaking a language you don't really understand? And it seems that they're understanding all of the responses? It's probably as surprising as finding out your parents were spies for the Russians!

KT is normally a transit town, most people don't spend much time here, since they're usually on the way to the resort islands of Pulau Redang or Pulau Perhentian. We were actually on our way to Redang, but had to wait a few days in KT before S's family could meet us there. KT is actually well known for a couple things:

1. Turtles - given the location on the east coast of Malaysia, there are some famous sea turtles (some of whom are endangered) that are in the area, and come to lay their eggs on an nearby beach. Lots of tourists come here to watch them do that...

On the other hand - lots of tourists (and locals) love to come to KT to eat... turtle eggs! I was shocked. We were exploring Pasar Panyang, the main market in KT, and nearly each stall had these small plastic bags filled with ping-pong ball shaped turtle eggs. I sure hoped they weren't the endangered ones. Sure enough, when S's family came into town, they bought some turtle eggs to try. And - like a good (but a bit scared) foodie, I tried one (again, praying that wasn't an endangered one). S's mom cooked them in the teapot in the resort hotel, and interestingly, no matter how long you cook it, the white part doesn't become completely hard. I tried one.. and it tasted like a salty potato, with a similar texture. Egh - not so sure why people like it so much.

2. Mosques - being the cradle of Islamic civilization in Malaysia, there were a number of mosques. Both of them were really beautiful buildings, but surprisingly, empty. Supposedly, the Saudis were involved in building the crystal mosque, but there's accusations of mishandling of the money. Something like RM300m (~USD100m) was spent on the project.

3. Food!

I have this theory that taxi drivers know where all the best food is. In fact, there's even been books written about this theory. We lucked out in having a great taxi driver (RM25/hr) take us around town, since much of KT's sites are inaccessible via foot or public transit. After sightseeing, he took us to this great seafood stall (or warung) near the airport, and right next to the beach. It was great - Malay style fried seafood - shrimp, small crabs, keropok (fish sausage), sotong (calamari). You knew it was fresh, and the location was completely random. Those dishes, plus a limau ais (iced lime juice) makes a perfect snack after a day of sightseeing.

Later on, when we returned to KT after visiting Pulau Redang, we went crazy eating durians at Pasar Payang. Durian is the "King of Fruits" that "stinks like hell but tastes like heaven". It's actually quite nice - the texture reminds me of butter, and it tastes like a sweet soft cheese. Since durians are in season, they were literally "falling off the truck", and at great prices too - RM5/kg! They're normally like RM15 in KL. I think S's whole family and I consumed something like 5-6 durians all at once.

After eating durian, one feels quite heaty - so conveniently, there was a cendol stall nearby, which is probably my most favorite drinks! Who can resist an iced drink with coconut milk, palm sugar, some sweet beans, corn and jellies? It's completely refreshing on a hot summers day.

Travelling with S was interesting - I learned about a lot of botany and things from her childhood... who knew that you could suck the nectar from a Hibiscus plant? And that crabs walk sideways, not forward? I was completely shocked! Despite my "small town roots", I was really sounding like a city boy. Guess that's what happens when you don't grow up in the tropics (or a developing country...)

Where I ate:
1. Malay Seafood Stall: Jalan Pantai

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2. Pasar Panyang - turtle eggs, durian, cendol, and whatever else fits your desires..
Jalan Sultan Zainal Abidin, near the main jetty

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