Pokemon Go - FOR GOODNESS SAKE

POKEMON GO.

The highly-raved game has been the talk of the town for the longest time ever, with everyone anticipating the release.

Everywhere I went, it was Pokemon here, Pokemon there.

When I first installed the game, I was hit by a wave of nostalgia as the interface reminded me of my Gameboy which I used to play when I was a young kid. For a moment, my brainwaves time-traveled.

Pokemon was a hit back then, with many different version releases and I have to admit I was hooked.

In the new century, the game has now evolved cleverly.

It has made use of GPS technology which requires the gamer to catch pokemons in real life by PHYSICALLY going to places instead of a virtual walk-through.

(So you can imagine the sight of people holding their phones and walking around like wandering souls trying to search for virtual pokemons)

Talk about taking the game to another level huh.

And now comes the part that I would like to complain.

As much as I think this game is an enjoyable one for the young and old, THIS IS SUCH A ROAD HAZARD.

I don't think it is of any use that gamers were urged to be careful when playing it because I am pretty there will still be reckless people who WILL NOT LOOK OUT FOR THEIR SURROUNDINGS.

Yes, I have met a guy who was so engrossed on the phone that he did NOT lift his head for even a second and literally WALKED right into me.

And guess what?

He stared at me as though I had killed his family and had the cheek to let out a loud "TSK", clearly indicating that I was the one at fault.

Tsk what Tsk? 我没有 TSK 你，你就应该偷笑了!

*Fuming*

Hello, do you expect people to give way to you because you are busy catching pokemons on your phone?

How about doing that on the road, make sure you don't lift your head and focus on your phone so your pokemon won't run away?

And when you collide with a car, blame it on the driver because he should have known better. 

(I don't think you are even alive by that time to blame the driver anyway)

Honestly, I won't be surprised if accident rates are higher after the release of Pokemon Go.

Not that I am trying to curse people out there, but it is the truth.

Even without Pokemon Go, youngsters were already engrossed in their phones while texting, etc.

So please, PLEASE... Lift your head and look out for what is in front of you. Lifting your head only takes a mere 1 second or less (unless your head is so heavy that you can't lift it).

And to small kids out there, please do not wander around at night with the reason to catch Pokemons.

There are weird uncles aka 怪伯伯 out there waiting to pounce on you.

Your intention is to catch Pokemons, but their intention is to catch you.

No, I am not trying to scare you... But this is a likely scenario that will happen.

And when it does, it will be too late.

I don't know why I am beginning to sound like a typical naggy mother here, but I just hope that you guys will not compromise on your personal safety while playing the game. 

I know how it feels to be engrossed, and it can get pretty scary when safety is neglected.

Do not wait until something bad to happen then regret it. 

OK??????!!

Review:- The Mama Shop

Disclaimer: I am not sponsored to write this blog post in any way. It is purely written based on my VERY own opinions. You may disagree with me, but to each his own.

For a long while now, my colleague and I have been hoping to visit "The Mama Shop" located at 195 Pearl's Hill Terrace. It was near our workplace anyway, so we thought it would be a pretty nice idea to drop by the place during our lunch hour. (And we finally made it there yesterday)

Yes, if you haven't known by now, it is the cafe set up by Mediacorp's artistes, Felicia Chin and Sora Ma.

We have seen many photographs of the cafe online, and boy, did it pique my interest!

I mean, it appeared to have a concept that was so TOTALLY my style. I LOVE everything retro, and the cafe was the definition of that.

I'm a person who digs oldies, so this is surely a must-go place for me. No doubt about it.

Unfortunately, we did not have a really positive first-time experience there.

Firstly, the location was a bit off and certainly not the most convenient location one can expect. In fact, both my colleague and I spent quite some time figuring the way to get to the location (There was not even a single obvious sign near the area). If it wasn't for the publicity through media coverage, I am pretty sure nobody would be aware there IS actually a business going on there.

In order to get to the location, we had to walk up a slope (or "hill", if you prefer to call it) that appeared isolated. It was a small one-way route that I would definitely not walk alone at night.

It did not help that the sun was scorching hot during the time we went - so hot that I believe a raw egg would turn cooked under the natural heat of the sun.

When we finally reached The Mama Shop, we were surprised how small it actually is in reality.

There were only 3 tables outside the cafe, and 2 extra ones directly under the sun without any shelter. (I assume that the 2 tables were meant for customers who patronize in the evening as there was definitely NO way any sane human is able to sit there for more than 5 seconds without being set on fire from the sun. Hell no, I am NOT exaggerating!)

So we managed to choose our table and sat down, with a cheery-looking guy serving us the menus.

I would say the customer service was good.

I've read that there was no physical menu before, but they do now.

The cafe serves light food that are suitable for small eaters like me (No, there isn't any rice, noodles)

There are burgers though, and I have to say that they aren't cheap.

I ordered a cup of regular-sized Red Bean Slush ($3.90 for the regular-sized cup and $4.90 for the bigger one)

It took quite awhile to arrive, but I have to say that the drink was quite good thirst quencher. Not to mention that red bean has always been my all-time favorite! 

(Do note that it is on the sweet side, so if you are one who does not fancy a sweet drink.. It may not be ideal for you)

I had to drink it fast as it was melting at a fast pace!

Here were the 2 dishes that we tried:-

(Supposedly Cheese fries?)

Their cheese isn't your typical liquid kind of cheese, but more of the dried kind. I was not sure what other ingredients were in it, but they tasted a bit weird. Not the best fries I have eaten so far, but I can't verify that much since I seldom eat fries to begin with)

On the other hand, my colleague is a fries fanatic but she did not like this one either.

Here's the second one I chose - I forgot what it is exactly called, but they were seaweed chicken wrapped in waffles and sprinkled in taco sauce (the similar sauce from taco balls)

Strong taste, I'll say. I felt like I was eating taco balls! Haha.

It was a refreshing experience tasting the combination of seaweed chicken and waffles.

Okay... ...The price isn't that bad - $4.90.

I've read from another customer's experience that she felt it was a "time-travel" experience being physically there as the set-up seems to lose touch with the current world of technology.

I was expecting the ambiance to be totally retro, so it was a little bit disappointing that I saw a  Macbook and english pop songs being played in the background. *shrugs*

I do, however, like the items that are sold there (of course, the prices are marked up to quite a large extent) - with many childhood stuff spotted, such as those "water console" games, snake and ladder boardgames, childhood snacks, just to name a few.

Probably it was just a wrong timing to be there during lunch time that spoiled our mood, but I guess we will not be returning there anytime soon.

I would say the cafe is overrated to a certain extent (mainly because it's opened by Mediacorp artistes and have garnered hardcore support from their fans).

[WARNING: NOSTALGIA OVERLOAD!] Back to the Old School times!

I have no idea why I am feeling so much nostalgia these days that inspire me to post this entry.

Somehow I miss, as in... I REALLY miss those days when I was a young kid - being taken good care of by my parents, playing with my toys without giving a damn to what was happening in the world. Isn't that one of the advantages of being a kid?

 Life was all about you, yourself and still YOU. There was no financial burden, political issues, relationship problems... All you cared about was just probably your HotWheels toy or five stones.. or maybe you were outdoors playing a round of zero point or hopscotch with your neighbors and friends.

If you are not feeling the nostalgia already, I'm gonna' post some old-school photos here (credits to: http://www.facebook.com/irememberSG) that I have experienced through MY childhood days! Let's see if you are around the same era as me..

(Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN ANY RIGHTS TO THE PHOTOS HERE. If you happen to be the owner of the pic and would like it to be removed, please let me know!)

#1: PAGERS!

Pagers!! I am glad I have been through this era when I thought owning a pager was so cool! Unfortunately,  I never got around to actually owning one - except having a toy version of it. My sister was luckier though - She was old enough to own a pager at that age -and  I remembered hers was a blue one!

But hey - Doesn't this particular model appeal to you as well (I had the toy version of it!)?

#2: Mobile phones! (Yes, the old school Nokia times!)

Gosh, this picture brings back so many memories as well. Remember those times when mobile phones seemed to be mainly revolving around Nokia and Motorola only? (Heck Apple, it wasn't even much of a mention during those times!)

I miss the old school midi-like ringtone, and the pride I felt just by owning one Nokia 3120. LOL. Not to mention that nobody was worried about battery life, etc. Come to think of it, mobile phones have indeed came a long way and have transformed quite enormously!

I am sure you have owned a Nokia at least once in your lifetime... Right?

I used to be ADDICTED to this game, which could be found in every old-school Nokia phone. Yes, it's none other than the classic SNAKE game. Darn, I could spend hours and hours trying to beat my own high score! It was such a fun game; one that I would never fail to play in the toilet when I was shitting. *Ahem, excuse me. Cough*

#3: Nintendo Game Boy

OMG. Look at all the game cartridges! Remember all those 100-in-1 games that were widely sold in electronic stores? Think Super Mario, Ping Pong, Tennis, Donkey Kong, Tetris, Pokemon etc.

If I am not wrong, I own 3 different Gameboy consoles throughout the years. I began with the color version (as illustrated in the above picture), and eventually ended with the DS version.

I would spend so much time battling the Pokemons, catching wild ones in the woods, etc. A pity that I am not that much into games anymore, but those would be memories that are etched in my mind for as long as I live. Come on, they made up a part of my childhood, too! How about you? 

#5: Brick Game

Okay, I think this appeared way before the Gameboy, right?? (I'm not completely sure, just making a wild guess) BUT hey, I had this one too! Granted that there were not many games contained in this console (it only has Tetris in it), but it was already enough to keep my entertained for hours! The joy of seeing the bricks disappearing as I matched them in a row was just so addictive. In fact, I remembered hallucinating those bricks even when I closed my eyes just before I slept! LOL. Speaking about obsessed.

#5: Beyblades

Hmm. I didn't really own a Beyblade, but I have definitely been through those times when Beyblades were furiously trending. Mind you, one Beyblade wasn't cheap, you know.

I remembered my ex-classmates would bring them to class and played them, and I unexpectedly got myself a pirated version; which was just as fun except that it wasn't the real thing. (Oops, forget I said this. Please)

#6: Aeroplane Chess

Aeroplane chess! I owned one, but I don't really remember exactly playing it. Nonetheless, this is considered a part of my childhood board game collection.

#7: Alphabet erasers

The alphabet erasers! Collecting them all in a full set was such a trend! I had lots of them back in my time, and most of them were well-used! There were the alphabet version and flags one, too! I think these erasers serve an educational purpose as well. Are you one of its avid collectors too??!

#8: Chocolate Waffle Biscuit

The waffle biscuits that could be found in party packs during birthdays! I remembered my classmates distributing their packs (myself included) ; and it would be inclusive of this waffle biscuit!

That's some nice Ovaltine candies! I think there are still places in Singapore that are selling them. Nonetheless, they are still a part of my childhood! Not to forget Horlicks as well!

#9: Ovaltine candies

I loved these! I couldn't decide which I preferred better - Ovaltine or Horlicks. I think these candies are still available somewhere in Singapore in some mama shops. Have any of you spotted this?

#10: Mcdonald's Coupons

Hoho. I somehow remember this! I would cut out coupons from newspapers (unlike now, when e-coupons and MMS-style are so mainstream) for Mcdonald's Value Meals! 

#11: Ding Dang and Tora chocolates (+ Toys!)

YES YES YES. Both were my all-time favorites! I would often find myself in a dilemma between both. (Somehow, I felt that Tora had better toys, but it was more expensive)

 I admit I was not that into the chocolates... BUT the mysterious toys that came in the box. Sometimes, I "weighed" the boxes in my hand and attempted to figure out which would have better toys. Heavier = Better toys. Hahaha, that used to be my mentality. Was it just me, or did anyone have similar style too?

#12: Whistle candies (I don't really know what they are called)

I have always been fascinated by these circle-like candies. They produced whistling sounds when you blow one using your mouth. Kids my age at that time would use these to irritate the adults, and hey, it was pretty funny!

#13: Disc Biscuit?

Okay, I don't really know what they are called, but those biscuits were definitely a part of my childhood! They were commonly found in mama shops, etc. I remembered the taste being sweet and the biscuits would melt in my mouth! Somehow, I am starting to have a craving for these. Where can I find them now?!?!

#14: Pola snack

Pola snacks! Not really that nostalgic to a large extent since they are still readily available now (In fact, I just had one weeks ago).. But I have to compliment on the taste! These animal biscuits are quite salty, but are strangely addictive. I remembered buying them from the tuckshops during my primary school days using 20 cents. Haha.

#14: Chocolates

Since young, I have always thought that these were cheap imitations of M&M chocolates! Yes, they actually look quite similar, but somehow have different tastes.

 Cheap as they may be (it cost around 10 or 20 cents per packet), these became a part of my childhood as well.

#15: Ice popsticks

AH, I love SUCKING from these! Those were commonly sold at 10 and 20 cents each. They were trending like wildfire during my primary school days. It was such a usual sight to see kids sucking them after school hours in their school uniform! My usual practice was to break it into half and shared with my mum. Ah, those were the days... ..

#16: Paddle Pop Ice-cream

I would call this rainbow ice-cream because of its colors. It tasted unique; and just right for my taste buds. I know Paddle Pop still exists, but just not that easily found now.

#17: Flying Gliders

Ah, was this sold at $1 (if I am not wrong?) I had them! These gliders were made of Styrofoam-like material and could glide quite swiftly. I would throw them as high as I could, and they would bump into the wall and fell. Hahaha.

#18: Assorted Rubber balls

OMG, this has got to be one of my favorites as a child - Bouncy rubber balls! They would come in these kinda machines as pictured below; and there were so many random various designs that appealed to me so much. I remembered those smaller-sized balls cost me $0.20, and the bigger ones at $0.50.

Yes, I have a huge collection of them - and they are still in my house, stashed away somewhere!

#19: Collectible trading cards

Laser/Hologram cards! Those cost $0.20 from the card machines!! I would target the design I wanted - and prayed hard that I would REALLY be that lucky.

Somehow,I ended up with a huge collection of such cards as well, ranging from Digimon, Pokemon, celebrities' photo cards and even my favorite ones from Huan Zhu Ge Ge drama series!

Those cards were trending furiously then ; and collectors would exchange with one another if they had similar cards.

Yes, this is a pic of the machine! So DAMN nostalgic and I am sure it would be found in a museum somewhere in future. LOL.

#20: Phonecards

Do you remember these phonecards?! I was an avid collector! Those were the days when not everyone had the luxury to own mobile phones or computers with internet connection. My mum would often buy these to call back to her relatives in Malaysia, and I would be waiting for her to use up the value in the card just so I could add them to my collection! One of the reasons why these cards were worth collecting was because of the different designs. I would follow my mum to the nearest store and choose the design that I wanted. Some were even limited editions!! *squeals in joy* Such simple life desires then. Ah.

#21: Pop Pop sand...crackers?

OMG the POP POP white crackers that can create really some LOUD "POP" sounds when thrown on the floor! I was so fascinated by them! In fact, my bff and I have been searching for these everywhere, in the hope that we can play with them again. If anyone has any information about it, please... let us know! :) 

#22: Pick-up sticks

Pick-up sticks anyone?! It was such great joy to play with my dad and friends in the past. One slightest movement of any stick and you shall lose your turn. Does anyone still play it now that mobile phones have taken over ALMOST every childhood game?!

#23: Tamagotchi 

I was so PROUD to finally own one after my dad GAVE IN to my demands. I was such a little brat... I refused to let my dad sleep until he verbally agreed to get one for me, which he eventually did. It was considered one of the latest technology during that time - and I was so fascinated by the idea of having an electronic pet.

It wasn't cheap at that time (but I knew nothing about hard-earned money when I was just a kid).. So hey, I love you, my dear daddy! Thank you for getting me one after much of my nonsensical persuasion.

#24: Mcdonalds' Happy Meal Toys

I love all these collection, and I fondly remember the Sesame Street beanie series! No, I didn't collect them all, but I had a few. They are so adorable, aren't they? I just love collecting Happy Meal toys from Macdonalds', and I can say that I grew up with them.

#25: Stickers

Collecting stickers were one of my favorite hobbies! (Alongside with collecting phonecards. Haha) I have always had a great fascination for stickers, especially hologram-like ones. I remembered having Doraemon, Hello Kitty, random cats/dogs stickers... and a few were given by doctors who praised me for being a good sport when I visited their clinics with my dad. Aww. Such sweetness. Will any doctor still give me stickers now?! *thick-skinned*

#26: Card games

Old Maid, Donkey, Happy Family card games.... I remembered these cost around 60 to 80 cents for one pack! It was great fun to play with a group of friends. Those were the times when mobile apps didn't exist at all.. and PEOPLE ACTUALLY HAD REAL, PHYSICAL FUN.

#27: Autograph/Diary books

GOSH #()$*()#$. I grew up in this trend, all the way straight up to my secondary school days! Kids at my era would be found having beautiful autograph books, which we would pass around in class. We would write our profile (such as addresses, telephone numbers, etc) using different colored pens ... and ended with some cheesy friendship poems. I was quite a fickle-minded child though, I kept changing different autograph books and would get my classmates to write over and over again.

#28: Bubble Blower

Heck, I wasn't really good at blowing these. I would often get my dad or friends to blow them for me, and I would be having so much fun with the transparent, sticky temporary bubble-looking balls. They are still around somewhere, just that nobody really plays them anymore.

#29: LaoFuZi comic books

I am sure any of you reading this blog entry here would have heard of this famous LaoFuZi comic series. I would never get tired of them, and could even read them repeatedly during toilet breaks and such.

#30: Mr Kiasu

Mr Kiasu! I read alot of MR Kiasu comics from the library - and they were great! Now let's see if I am able to get them from the libraries again... I would love to read them after such a long while.

#31: PETS Coursebook

Homework, homework, homework.. Does that give you the jitters? What used to be a nightmare has since became a fond memory. I remembered the PETS coursebook very well - that came along with the PETS Worksheets that were not pictured here, unfortunately.

There were different pets that represented different educational levels! Which was your favorite? I guess mine was the squirrel!

#32: Computer

Yes, the times when such computers were considered the latest technology. Huge CPUs, monitors... It's really fascinating how computers have transformed to what they are like now. In the past, there were no DVD writers, had low internal storage, etc. Heck, Internet was expensive those days as well. My childhood consisted of games that came in CD-roms. Sim City 2000, The SIMS, etc.

Games of that era couldn't be downloaded (unlike now =_=), so being able to own games in CD-roms were somewhat... exciting.

*EDIT* I found one super nostalgic video that had me buzzed back to the past. This is Sim City 2000, a game that I used to play with my elder sister when I was very young!

#33: Diskettes (Floppy Disks)

3 and a half floppy discs! These were used as main storage media devices, way back before thumbdrives and external HDDs came into view! I am proud to be through this era because I always thought I was a clever kid to copy and paste computer games in it. LOL.

#34: Sony Discman

I planned to own one, but eventually never did. If I was not wrong, I took one over from my sis, who was always a step ahead of me in terms of technology. Haha. Those were the non-MP3 player times. Music wasn't even readily available for download during those era. People actually spent money to purchase original CD albums!! Who was the market spoiler that started the music download trend?!?!

#35: Interesting Pencils...

I am sure many would remember this. I had them in my pencil boxes and I could switch the leads as and when I wanted!

#36: Hao Gong Ming (Good Citizen) text book

I'm curious, does this still exist in primary schools today? These were textbooks that educate children on how to be a good citizen.

But I guess people like Steph Micayle/Stephanie Koh hasn't been through this era before. LOL.

#37: Shoe Whitener

Remember these school shoes?! Those shoe whiteners were so handy and useful in making the shoes look white!

#38: Kodak Films

Back to the non DSLR or digital camera times. When I was young, my dad would take me to the Kodak store and purchase such films before any family outings or overseas trip. Those were the times when photographs did not exist in soft copies; and somehow it was an exciting feeling to be looking forward to how the photos turned out when we collect them from the store!

#39: Public telephones

Sadly, these were no longer around. I think they are still useful despite the fact that we have mobile phones in terms of emergency usage. These were hugely popular during the pager days, when people would need one to call back whenever they received a page.

#40: Public buses

Remember this design of the bus?! So retro! I have to admit that I used to love non air-con buses better than air-conditioned ones as I preferred the natural breeze more.

Carbon monoxide aside, it was actually a "shiok" feeling having my hair fly all over my face as the bus sped! (Windows seat FTW!)

Okay, there are actually a LOT more nostalgic objects that are worth a mention in this entry, but I guess there are simply too many to name! Probably I shall do a Part 2 sometime. 

Remember to share this post if you like it and have been through the era! :)