Youth Olympic Games- YOG in Singapore Ends
Unfortunately, the coverage of the YOG has been pretty dismal in my opinion. The only time I was really excited about the games was when the torch ran through my neighbourhood. Other than that, the matches on TV have not been that interesting to watch, partly due to the poor commentary (some reporters seemed to not know what was going on) and also the lack of cameras to switch from one event to the other for a broader coverage. (Let's face it, we can't all be interested in all the sports!)
Hardly anyone outside of the participants seem to know about the games either.
"Huh, 'YOG?' What's that?" and this bewildered look doesn't disappear after explanation of what the YOG is.
The games have been good, the participants remarkable. It's wonderful to see the young people at their best and not only when they are "on" but also the way some are so courteous with the judges, coaches, opposing team, and just the genuine smiles and cries of agony they had on their faces.
The lesson here though is: Marketing is supreme in our world of all sorts of distractions, ehrm information, at our fingertips.
Sad Bear
This is what I felt like after a long day of walking around Beijing's hutongs. Hot, dry, and smelly at turns, several hours on my feet outside just was not the way to go.
I spotted this handsome thing while walking along Nan Luo Gu Xiang street behind Hou Hai. They're trying to save this place from destruction as the city government is planning to tear down the decrepit buildings and make it look like Qian Men - i.e., empty and with no sense of history.
They really shouldn't as the place is thriving as it is. Landowners and tenants alike should just ante up and renovate their units so that there are no electrical and water hazards while keeping the place "real". Beijing should learn from Shanghai's Tai Kang Lu which is doing well although it does receive threats of being shut down every now and then.
Sometimes, it's the stuffed animals on display who really know how we feel.
Stunning Singapore Skyline
We had dinner at the Singapore flyer last weekend to celebrate some friends' birthdays and had a fantastic time inside our capsule. It was a bit unnerving to have so many people snapping pictures of us inside but at the same time it was fun to actually be served dinner as we went around, watching the sun set and then seeing the Singapore night sky come alive.
This picture was taken by my iphone camera using the Pano app, stitching together 3 pictures.