Category: Observing Life

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I See I Write

We Made Some Bold Predictions About the Garmin Fenix 9

Concept infographic imagining the future Garmin Fenix 9 smartwatch lineup, featuring titanium models in carbon gray, burgundy red, and silver, alongside speculative upgrades such as improved battery life, next-generation sensors, AMOLED and solar refinements, and enhanced navigation features.
A fun speculative poster I created while my partner and I spiralled deeper into the Garmin Fenix rabbit hole. What started as a broken Venu touchscreen somehow evolved into philosophy, ageing, identity, titanium screws, AMOLED debates… and perhaps future matching watches.

Thousands and thousands of words have been exchanged between ChatGPT and me about one topic: the next Garmin flagship watch. I won’t drag you through the whole labyrinth we built together, but after hours of back‑and‑forth I found myself fantasising about a Fenix 9.

This fascination began when my first‑generation Garmin Venu appeared to die while we were in Jeju. Its touchscreen stopped working and it wouldn’t reboot. I was almost delighted: perhaps this was my chance to upgrade. I have become more active in recent times and could use a better watch.

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Game Reviews I See I Write

Marvel Heroes: A Second Life Through Community and Preservation

Cubist illustration of a white-haired heroine standing on a fractured, glowing battlefield after a battle, with companions behind her
My Rogue stands where the world fractured—some endings, it seems, don’t quite end.

What a story. It couldn’t have been told any better. Nor could anyone have foreseen this.

Launching a Superhero Dream

Marvel Heroes launched in June 2013 under the leadership of David Brevik – known for Diablo II and Hellgate: London – as a free‑to‑play online ARPG. The launch was rocky and initial growth was stifled, yet the team aimed high. They expanded beyond Windows to macOS in November 2014 and eventually to console versions in June 2017.

At its height, even after a divisive decision to make the game more console‑friendly – to the frustration of many PC players – Marvel Heroes boasted a large roster of heroes, a robust end‑game system, and a bounty of costumes and team‑ups. A brisk monthly schedule kept new heroes coming, often in step with fan requests and film releases.

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Diary I See I Write

A Peranakan Gathering: Rediscovering the Peranakan Museum After 15 Years

Illustrated Peranakan street party with lanterns, food stalls and people celebrating under soft evening light.
A whimsical depiction of the Armenian Street Party, capturing the vibrant Peranakan celebration.

Oh, time flies. It really does. The last time I visited the Peranakan Museum was more than 15 years ago. I even have a blog post to prove it!

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Observing Life

Meanwhile at Mok Swee Kee When the Chicken Rice Uncle Just Walked Out and Quit

I work at Raffles Place. Once a week, when the workload is manageable, I take a pleasant 700-meter walk along the river for lunch at one of my newfound chicken rice spots.

It’s quite easy to miss this eating place, which offers both indoor and outdoor seating. One time, I was on my way to Funan Center when a signboard for an Indian restaurant caught my eye. I followed it down a flight of stairs and, in the basement, stumbled upon Mok Swee Kee Chicken Rice.

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Observing Life

After 8+ Years of Driving a Hybrid Car, I Don’t Think It’s Worth It

Better fuel consumption, reduced impact to environment, these are some of the promises of driving a hybrid car. But after more than 8 years of driving Mazda 3 2.0L model, with 2 failed capacitors after a mileage of 60,000 km – and they are expensive to replace (S$2k or US$1.5k each) – I’d rather drive a regular car. Here is why.

Under the hood of my 8 years old hybrid Mazda car. The capacitor is located at the bottom of the bottom right compartment (hidden).
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I See I Write

Stop Saying “On Priority” At Work

Yes, it is annoying.

Have you ever received an email, with a request. And the sender copied Tom, Dick, Henry, and their relatives, and said, “do this on priority.”

That always triggers me. Why?

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Observing Life

Constantly On a Timer!

These days, I feel that I am constantly be reminded of time. It gets worse after the start of the pandemic. In the past, when I worked in the office and when there was a meeting, we had to book a physical meeting room. Participants could be from different buildings. Few turned up on time, unless it was a very important meeting. Back then, people needed to walk from one building to another, take a lift from one floor to another, or stopped by the bathroom and/or pantry. Now? People work remotely. Meetings are setup remotely. Once the meeting notification appeared, people join the meeting online. When I had a take a bathroom or water break, even with 1 minute late, people start to get impatient and message me if I am joining the meeting now. Right now!

What happens to the good old days when people chit chat before the meeting started while waiting for the rest to join?

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I See I Write

Horrible Experience at Café&Meal MUJI Plaza Singapura

I had one of the most humiliating experiences at MUJI Plaza Singapura, no fault of mine. It was so absurd that it took me a meal’s time – not at MUJI – to internalize.

I enjoy the food menu at MUJI. It strikes a good balance between tasty food and healthy food. The price is more premium. But once in a while, it is OK.

It was during a weekend. Faced with a table shortage during lunch hour, I joined a queue. In front of me was a big group of young people. Further down, there were tourists from Indonesia. The queue was long. And I was queuing alone. Since I had no one to talk to, I looked at my phone most of the time. I recalled the waitress passed by and asked, “Table for how many?” I said two. She quickly moved on. She looked stern, in her late fifties. Highly efficient.

To control the crowd entering the cafe, there was a barrier. It was closed when the cafe was full. And it was open when tables were available.

I was looking at my phone when I sensed the big group before I had entered. I saw the barrier was opened. I presumed that it was my turn. So I entered, looking for a table. But there was none. The cafe was full.

Naturally, I returned to the front of the queue. The barrier was opened. As I rejoined, a woman in her thirties stopped me and accused me of queue jumping. Then out of nowhere, the waitress appeared and testified that she did not see me in the queue! I was speechless. I told my side of the story. The barrier was opened. I thought there was a table available. Hence, I walked in.

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Observing Life

Yes, Go For 32GB RAM

It is a common struggle. Should I spend more money to get 32GB of RAM or would 16GB suffice? Today, I played Diablo 4 while letting my video editor run in the background. Yes, my laptop utilized more than 16GB of RAM. I suppose, 32GB RAM is … justified?

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I See I Write

Goodbye Android … 12 Years We Had Fun

For 12 years I have been an Android user. Who would have known that my very first Apple product purchase is an iPhone 14 pro max? Here is a little story of my migration from Android to iOS.

Illustration by hitandrun.

Let’s get right to the point. Despite all the innovations Android and the hardware companies have over the years, despite all the years of denial, Apple simply makes better products. The followings are the specifics after 12 years of using Android products.

  • Android OS is fragmented, leaving manufacturers to update their custom OS. I have a 5-year-old Samsung S3 tablet. Samsung stopped updating the OS 2 years ago. Without security patches, would I feel safe using the perfectly fine albeit slower tablet? Err no. I have a work phone, a 4-year-old iPhone 8 provided by my company. Till today, Apple still patches the phone’s OS. I feel reassured.
  • Google phones in recent years are just not that good. To experience pure Android OS, you need a Google phone. My first Google phone was an LG Nexus 4. It was a great phone. Google has a few great phones post-Nexus 4. But Google has no interest in markets outside the US. I was able to purchase a Nexus 4 using a fake US address (the things we do to get a Google product). Google closed the loop for Nexus 5. Pixel 5 wasn’t even available here in Singapore. As for Pixel 6, with that fingerprint scanner fiasco plus other issues, I ain’t gonna get a Google phone in near future.
  • Android hardware doesn’t last. My Samsung A series lasted just over 1 year. The screen was dead. It isn’t covered by the warranty and repairing it may as well get another midrange Samsung phone. Prior to that, it was a Note phone. My household had two. Both died after 2 to 3 years. Both screens died in the end.
  • Unlike Apple, Google really doesn’t care about the markets outside the US. I got to experience Google Music when I had my Nexus 4 purchased using a fake US address. Once they closed the loop, they cut me off from Google Music because I am from Singapore. We can’t buy Pixel 5. Although Pixel 6 eventually arrived in Singapore, the cool color combos are not available. I don’t have to put up with this level of discrimination when using Apple products.
  • Google products including Android are the worst offender when it comes to user privacy. It is a conflict of interest really. Google’s advertisement revenue comes directly from our personal information and browsing history.
  • You may say top-of-the-line Apple vs Google vs Samsung cameras are very closely matched. But looking at the day-to-day photos from all sources, consistently, Apple users take better photos. What gives?
  • I was used to thinking that Apple products are too expensive compared to Android. But with hardware that doesn’t last and OS that doesn’t get patched after a set number of years, Apple’s price tag is justified.
  • As subjective as this may sound, Apple’s design is beautiful.