Looks versus weight

Should I get a Game Boy or a PSP? Been agonizing over this question for a week.

I must have games when I have to queue up for anything or when I’m on the plane or subway. My phone used to do the job but the buttons are starting to wobble from all the frantic pressing. Phones aren’t made for playing games are they.

So I shopped around yesterday but went home empty handed. The Sony PSP’s display is superb but with the size and weight I might as well be carrying a rock. Forget it. The Nintendo Gameboy has a nice practical size but the display is like crap. Even an ordinary phone’s display puts it to shame. Forget it too.

Surely there be something as small as a Gameboy with the display of a PSP? And with a dedicated joystick? Hate the idea of going back to the Nokia N-Gage but I may not have a choice. Hmm… should I risk it? It’s so last decade though…

Jakarta the sequel

Not sure what to say about this 2nd trip to Jakarta other than the fact that I spent 2 full days at an office trying to understand some people’s operational problems. I was there representing my dad, which was an effort considering the people I had to deal with were as old as he is. You don’t know what its like to sit in meetings where people spoke a mix of broken English and Mandarin laced with a thick Javanese accent.

All was not lost though. For some strange reason Indonesia always makes me hungry and I had a feast for the 3 days. The people there seem to have a love affair with chillies and they put it in everything they eat. If you think its the same in Malaysia, wait till you see people carrying around a packet of raw chillies for a snack, like popcorn.

One thing I must say, their Chinese food tastes a little weird. Here’s a version of their wantan mee.

I’m sure a person from Xiamen will have the same sentiments about Malaysian wantan mee.

Here’s more food in a Veitnamese cafe in Block M, the equivalent of KL’s Lot 10 which was near the hotel I was at.

The only night I was free to roam, I spent at Citos or Cilandak Town Square, a heavily guarded R&R place catering mainly to expatriates. Come to think of it, it reminds me of the Curve.

Jakarta’s a city of contrasts. Some parts of it would blend right into New York City and some looks like the poorest sections of Sierra Leone. Its very crowded but not as bad as Hong Kong. Maybe in my next trip I’ll have more leisure time to get a more balanced view of the place.

Anyway while at Pondok Indah Mall, their equivalent of 1-Utama, I came across this interesting sign. I’ll leave you to your imagination as to what the sign is about.

Back to a mess

Arrived home very late last night and went straight into panic mode when I heard about the Minnesota bridge collapse. Spent half the night trying to locate 3 friends living in the Minneapolis St. Paul area. Thank god they’re all safe. Hard to believe the bridge I had taken numerous photos of is now at the bottom of the Mississippi.

This morning I’ve to wade through the mess left by the stock price sneeze in Wall Street. Doesn’t look like a very good homecoming this time.

My trip was tiring but got the job done. I’ll say a bit more about it a bit later in the day if I’m up to it.