New gen kites

I decided to buy some new kites to replace my existing kites.

Wishing Star

This will replace the triangle starter kite that can fly in little wind. This shape should be very easy to fly, though it may need a bit more wind due to its weight. Width is 85 cm. It has 3 permanent tails. I don't feel they are necessary, but they fit the wishing star motif. Costs 35 yuan (S$6.60).

Modern Fighter

This will replace the ugly Fighter Plane kite. I'm buying the right color this time — blue! They are about the same size — its width is 1.4 m. Should be just as easy to fly. Costs 19 yuan (S$3.60).

Some pics show a detachable tail, but the one I got is not. I will cut it off. The tail breaks the fighter plane immersion.

Retro Bomber

Wingspan of 3 m. This will be my largest kite. It looks abstract, but is not ugly. There are two versions: 210T polyester (格子布) for 66 yuan (S$12.45), 40D nylon (雨伞布) for 86 yuan (S$16.30). I think it is better to go with nylon at this size.

Has an optional 6 m tail that costs 20 yuan, but I did not buy it. I don't like tails, though I think this kite will benefit from it, just like the Seagull — both have long and narrow wings, so they are easily unbalanced.

There is a 3.5 m wide Space Station kite. I thought of getting it, but I felt it would not be easy to fly. Also, the Retro Bomber kite looks way better.

Pirate Ship

This looks so much better than the rainbow Sailing Ship kite! It is slightly more expensive: 163 yuan (S$30.75) vs ~125 yuan, but it is well worth it. Unfortunately, it is out of stock everywhere. Need to wait for next batch, don't know how long it'll take.

Stearman Biplane

This does not just look better than the Biplane kite, it is better. First, its wing is 100 cm across, so it has more surface area. Second, it is made of nylon cloth, so it is lighter. The spinning propeller is a nice touch.

Unfortunately, there is no OEM version. This costs US$66 — excluding shipping — at a USA website, now raised to US$92 due to tariff. This is way over my budget, so this remains on my wishing list.

There is also a Sopwith Camel variant. The plane is more famous, but I feel the artwork is too busy.

The Seagull returns

I bought a 3 mm rod from TaoBao to replace the rod I lost — together with an end-cap. It matches perfectly, color aside, after cutting. I like white. The Seagull will be able to fly again!

Except I already bought a replacement Seagull kite, so I'll probably sell this away. I did not consider buying a replacement rod earlier since it was not cost effective. However, I bought something else that made shipping free for the rod.

The new Seagull's material feels coarser, it is polyester. The old one feels softer, is it polyester or nylon? Is it softer due to age? I can't tell — I'll sell the new one if the old one is nylon.

I also bought a plastic 'ring' to glue onto a broken ring on my Sailing Ship kite. I had looked high and low for such a part but could not find it. It finally dawned to me that it was cut from a hollow plastic tube. I bought the tube. As I had guessed, it was an exact match.

黄城夜韵 2025

Overall: good.

Show 1

A scammer decided to go on a show to expose how scams work due to a pang of conscience. In the first segment, the scammer shared why he became a scammer.

He was scammed by a 'successful' old friend who introduced him to 'investment'. This part is accurate. He became a scammer to repay his debt, but ended up addicted to the money. It does not work that way. Scammers are not local and they do not get rich from scamming. They are probably abducted to operate in scam centres overseas.

In the second segment, he showed how he tricked an old woman by impersonating a police officer. The presenter was very upset and cut it short. It was revealed the old woman was her mother and she was depressed over the lost money even now.

I think this can hit too close to home to be comfortable. I feel Chinese nationals are especially susceptible to Government Official Impersonation scams, locals probably malware apps.

The producer forced the presenter to continue with the show as it was a hit. He threatened that she was dispensable.

In the third segment, the scammer explained why he had a change of heart. His daughter was disappointed her father was always busy, then she found out the nature of his work. She won a composition writing competition in school and her work was, "My father, a hero", which of course was antithesis of what her father was actually doing. When she had to pose with him on stage, she could not do it. She threw her compo at him and ran off the stage.

The presenter advised the scammer to turn himself in.

Show 2

Show 2 started with a boy waking up from a hospital bed, then went on to save his mother in various outlandish scenarios. He always failed to do so cos he hesitated at the crucial moment. He never gave up and tried again the next day, but when he peeled off the calendar, it was always Sunday.

Next, he was on a bus with his mother and the bus met with an accident. He was rescued, but rushed back into the bus to save his mother. As he carried his mother out, there was an explosion...

The next scene was him lying on a hospital bed. His mother said she always complained he was hesitant, but he did not hesitate during the crash, so he managed to save her.

The doctor delivered the bad news that there was no hope for the boy, but the mother refused to give up. She would continue to wait for her son to wake up. She then tore the calender to reveal the next day, Monday.

The story is pretty good. Good fighting choreography. The musical segments, though very short, were a bonus.

Show 3

Show 3 was a story about three friends, two boys and one girl. It started with them as kids in the 60s. Their parents were illegal hawkers. They then time jumped 10 years as teenagers in the 70s. Their parents now operate in hawker centres.

One boy was really good at cooking and already had multiple branches. The other boy just wanted to take over his father's chicken rice stall. The girl was good at studying and went to University of Cambridge for studies. The two boys went to the airport to send her off.

I thought it was a love story and the next time jump would be 10 years later, as young adults. Who would the girl choose?

A love story would resonate with the audience, most of whom are in this stage of life.

No, the time jump was 40 years later.

The chicken rice stall was now run by the boy, now an old man. It was still very traditional, accepting cash only. The boy's son wanted to innovate, but met with resistance from his father.

The successful boy came back, but he was dressed quite shabbily. We soon found out why, his business failed during COVID and he was left with only his original stall. He said his son would come back to run it and they would be neighbours once again.

The girl appeared next, pushed in a wheelchair by her daughter. She came to reminisce her childhood.

The three of them had a dramatic reunion. But this was problematic. It meant the girl never met up with them even once in 40 years.

Throw in a backdrop of transiting to English in the 60s, male chauvinist attitude of the older generation, keeping up with the times (electronic payment) and business failures during COVID.

Too clever for own good

Logitech slim keyboard

I wanted to clean the keys thoroughly, so I removed them. When I try to put them back, the plastic clips broke.

The keyboard is still usable, provided I don't tilt it far enough for the keys to drop out.

There goes my last wired keyboard.

I still have two USB wireless keyboards. I won't be removing their keys for cleaning any time soon!

I kept a wired keyboard around cos I had issues entering the BIOS with wireless USB keyboard. By right it should work just as well, but there are too many ways it can fail.

Bread-and-butter issues

Cost of living, employment and housing.

Sharply rising rental causes everything to be expensive. PAP does not like price control. Instead, they give vouchers to "subsidize". The ironic effect of "free money" is that it causes prices to go up!

Job security is always an issue. PAP is always about companies and businesses. Jobs will come "naturally". But locals do not have the right skillset, so need to import. And the trend does not last long enough for a new generation to be trained. By the time they graduate, their skills are already irrelevant. Older folks are not better off. If your industry disappears, your skillset becomes useless. Can you really re-skill?

The demand for HDB flats is very high and some people — new citizens? — are willing to pay very high for them. Can BTO flats be priced lower so that they are affordable? No, because they can be sold for a tidy profit once MOP is up — this shows the inherent demand for flats — and PAP can't have that. So they give 'grants' instead. Like all subsidies, grants have the opposite effect: they make prices go up. Also, grants are not free, you need to pay interest on it.