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What Asians look for in Google

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 06:43:11 +0000

People will search for the weirdest things online apparently, with mixed results and responses

CNNGo Singapore columnist mrbrown got tipped off about some rather strange results when you type in "Why" (with a space) at Google.com.sg. It's probably not meant to be racist, but it certainly shows that people will think about the oddest things, top of which apparently is "why indians are so smelly."

There must be a lot of Curious George types out there, but the reactions are mixed as well, ranging from "surprisingly hilarious" by mrbrown follower Noel to "So much close mindedness (sic) in Singapore" by tushaar. But we think Peters summed it up well, posting "Nothing shameful. It's people trying to understand other people without offending them. Imagine you were to ask an Indian friend the same question? At least by using Google, one is being discreet."

We poke around online to find out how the autocomplete function on Google works, and according to an entry by Asylum.com, Google's "algorithms use a wide range of information to anticipate the queries users are most likely to want to see," according to a company spokesperson who declined to be named (who would blame him?). He added that "the most important signal used for ranking search queries is popularity" and that "sometimes it may not be immediately obvious why a 'funny' suggestion is relevant, but upon further research, you'll discover that the suggestion is actually a popular phrase from a book, movie or other source."

So there you have it, the reasons for the Google autocomplete results might be totally innocent or completely irrelevant. But we can't help wondering what other results are lurking so we went poking around the Google search sites in our other Asian cities, asking the eternal questions of who, what, when, where and how.

From Google.com.hk, typing in "why" -- why are thin people not fat (because if they were, they wouldn't be called "thin")
From Google.com.ch, typing in "where" -- where is my mind (god, we hope you didn't lose it)
From Google.co.in, typing in "what" -- what is a computer (it's the thing you're tapping on now)
From Google.co.in, typing in "why" -- why are Indians so smart/ugly/cheap/obsessed with fairness (pick one!)
From Google.com.th, typing in "how" -- how gee (gee?)
From Google.com.th, typing in "why" -- why I like you (we wish we knew, but try the Aunt Agony section)
From Google.co.jp, typing in "where" -- where the hell is matt (yes, where the hell is he?!?)

This is all in jest but it's all out in the public domain, folks. So don't take it too seriously, it's just for your afternoon reading pleasure.Tags: Google Singapore, Google search, Google autocomplete

Chippendales muscle in on Macau and Hong Kong

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 03:50:38 +0000

The latest update on ticket sales for the immensely popular male dance troupe

The Chippendales, that bunch of hunky, waxed, male dancers who do choreographed one-arm push-ups and syncopated hip-thrusts before ripping off their clothes, are coming to town. Scheduled to appear at FINDS tomorrow night, the RSVP list for the gig is full. But fans are encouraged to show up at FINDS at around 10pm to try their luck. The free show will last for a quarter of an hour in the moderate-sized Scandinavian restaurant where fans will be able to get close to the action.

Or go to Macau for the weekend, where Chippendales are headed next to perform at Sands Macao. Their Saturday show is already sold out, but tickets are still available for Friday night. March 19, 8pm, HK$280-480. Tickets through hkticketing, CotaiTicketing.

The Chippendales' visit for Hong Kong and Macau is part of their Asia Tour. They were in Singapore last week where grannies nearly dropped their fake dentures in the audience, and one female journalist's boyfriend dared to go to the show with her.

Tags: Macau, Hong Kong restaurants, Finds, Cotai, Chippendales

Kool and the Gang: Still fresh after four decades

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 03:00:04 +0000

The evergreen band of best friends share their favorite Singapore food and secrets on keeping cool in the tropics

In an era of flashing disco lights and shiny spandex, Kool and the Gang were icons of funky party music, with hits such as "Get Down on It," "Celebration," "Jungle Boogie" and "Ladies Night" still being heard nightly across dance floors all over the world. CNNGo gets down with original member Robert "Kool" Bell who spoke on behalf of the band, prior to their appearance at this year's Mosaic Music Festival from now until March 21.

CNNGo: Hey guys, you feeling "Fresh" about your gig in Singapore?

Robert Bell: Yes, we are and we’re excited about coming to Singapore.

CNNGo: How will you keep your cool in sunny Singapore, and what's some of your favorite local foods?

Bell: We have been to Singapore before and we will try to hang out in the shade and drink nice Kool lemonade. We'll be chowing down on chicken rice.

CNNGo: How did Kool and the Gang get started? You're all old friends, right?

Bell: Kool and The Gang started in 1964. We had several name changes. We started off playing Jazz, our name at that time was the Jazziacs. After that we called ourselves New Dimensions. Then we changed our name to Kool and The Flame but later had to change it because at that time James Brown and the Famous Flames were a well known group. In 1964 we created the name Kool and The Gang. We came out with our first record. We are all good friends and we all grew up together.

CNNGo: How did you decide to shift from jazz to pop-funk?

Bell: (Laughs) We started off playing Jazz, more funkier music and into a mix of Funk and Jazz. In the 1970s we did more of a funk sound like our songs "Funky Stuff," "Hollywood Swingin'" and "Jungle Boogie." In the 1980s our sound was more pop like our songs "Ladies' Night," "Celebration," "Fresh."

CNNGo: Some of the dance moves were funky. Did you have to spend a lot of time on your routines for the shows?

Bell: We did rehearse a lot. We’ve made various changes to our routines and we’ve had several choreographers over the years.

CNNGo: Your music has been used for several films, such as "Rocky", "Saturday Night Fever" and "Pulp Fiction". That must have been crazy. Did you meet Travolta?

Bell: We never met John Travolta but it was all interesting. We were happy that Mr Travolta and the producers used our music in their various films that he did.

CNNGo: We love the old band photos. You guys really had some stylish threads. Best outfits?

Bell: I would have to say they were the outfits that we wore on the album cover "Something Special."

CNNGo: Your first hits were mainly instrumental, like the smash "Jungle Boogie". How did you choose James Taylor for your lead singer?

Bell: When we decided that we wanted to get a lead singer we were in New Jersey working at the House of Music and JT worked there as well. The Producer that we were working with at the time Eumir Deodato (Grammy Award-winning Brazilian musician, record producer and arranger) heard that we were looking for a lead singer and recommended we try out JT. He auditioned and we liked him. We thought that he had the right blend of sound for what we were trying to do and what we were looking for in a lead singer.

getting there

Kool & the Gang in Concert
March 20, 7.30pm
Esplanade Concert Hall
www.koolandthegang.com

Tags: Singapore concerts, Mosaic Music Festival, Kool and the Gang

No paint, no pain on the battle grounds of Tag of War

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:48:10 +0000

It's the latest in high-tech team-building with some cool-looking guns and gizmos

Paintball. Great fun. Very painful. Anyone who's been on the receiving end of a paintball cluster shoot-out can attest to the massive bruises that result. How about LaserQuest or LaserTag? Popular, but limited in scope and location, since the guns could only work in dark places.

Now, there's a new game in town which combines both -- Tag of War.

In a nutshell, it's paintball warfare using the LaserQuest technology. No messy paintball stains or bruises but still with the same combat experience. And since there's no actual ammo or shooting injuries, there's no age or size restrictions, and can be played anywhere. The organizers can even bring the game to your office or home, if you're so inclined.

How's that for realism?

The realistic laser guns come with sound effects like live firing, being-shot reactions and bullet reloading (just to name a few) to simulate actual combat, and can be fired in close proximity, unlike paintball where there's a minimum safety distance to fire (in the more sympathetic clubs). There's also no ammo limit, so you can blast away as much as you wish.

The technology works on the same principle as LaserQuest, where you wear a vest with sensors and shoot at your enemy with the attached laser gun. The sensors pick up shots to indicate who's been hit and a tally is maintained on the master control, so the combat situation is totally realistic and incorporates a more wider shooting range of up to 300 meters (for those who like to hunker down and snipe at opponents).

According to Happy Planners, the people who introduced Tag of War to Singapore, the game can be planned as a team-building event or just as a recreational activity (like LasetQuest or paintball). Prices start at S$33 per person for standard gameplay, with two missions at selection locations (both indoor and outdoor) lasting 15-20 minutes each, while customized gameplay for corporate events start from S$60 per person and is tailored to different learning objectives (for example, leadership, communication, planning, delegating, motivation, etc.). For more details, check out www.tagofwar.com.sg.

Tags: Tag of War, paintball, corporate event

Save the date: Twitter Twestivals coming to Asia March 25

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 07:01:59 +0000

Twestival is for Twitter fanatics, those looking to donate for a good cause, or those that just want to meet some interesting new people in their city

What the devil is Twestival? The short answer is that Twestival is a Twitter Festival where twitterers gather in one place, on the same date -- March 25, 2010 -- to talk about their favorite social network.

But something the folks organizing this year's various Twestivals (details and Twestival websites listed below) want to get away from is the misconception that people come to the parties just to tweet or talk Twitter. It is more of a social networking party that's about meeting people and getting to know some of those Twitter buddies in real life -- building on online relationships, essentially.

Even for those of you that might not have the foggiest of clues about tweeting, twitterers, Twitter or social networking, buying tickets to the local Twestival in your city will send proceeds to charity organizations. For example, Hong Kong Twestival proceeds will go to Concern Worldwide (which deals with literacy and education for women in some of the poorest countries in the world, with Haiti getting a portion of the money.)

Please see below for Twestival venues, prices and more information on Twestivals across the region.

Hong Kong: http://hongkong.twestival.com | Perri Gorman @bethebutterfly | tel: +852 6506 8882

Mumbai: http://mumbai.twestival.com | VJ KM @adropofwisdom | tel: +91 9886068649 (contact for India)

Shanghai: http://shanghai.twestival.com | Peter Davison @ourmaninsh | tel: +86 138 1695 1914

Tokyo: http://tokyo.twestival.com | Michael Todd @mqtodd

Singapore: http://singapore.twestival.com | Mike Foong @mikefoong | tel: +65 8139 0262

Beijing: http://beijing.twestival.com | David Feng @DavidFeng | tel: +86 13910039329

Kuala Lumpur: http://kualalumpur.twestival.com | Niki Cheong @nikicheong

Penang: http://penang.twestival.com

Kota Kinabalu: http://kotakinabalu.twestival.com | Jackie Miao for Kota Kinabalu @kktwestival

Bangalore: http://bangalore.twestival.com

Chenna:i http://chennai.twestival.com

Cochin: http://cochin.twestival.com

Delhi: http://delhi.twestival.com

Goa: http://goa.twestival.com

Kolkata: http://kolkata.twestival.com

Seoul: http://seoul.twestival.com (Korean language)

Tags: twitter, Twestival

All the flavors of Singapore for just one dollar

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 02:00:00 +0000

It's All About Taste at this joint promotion with HungryGoWhere and Ibis Singapore for local favorites priced at one dollar

Hotel Ibis on Bencoolen is bringing back their All About the Taste promotion which ran last year, but this time, there's a extra 'early bird' tie-up with local foodie website HungryGoWhere. From now til March 31, the first 15 diners for lunch and dinner who dress in red and say HungryGoWhere need only pay S$1 for a set of 3 dishes.

The regular promotion is priced at S$15 for three dishes, S$18 for four items and S$22 for five (excluding taxes), and there's 20 menu items to choose from, including all-time local favorites like chili crab, pepper crab, chicken rice, fried hokkien mee and barbecued stingray. The HungryGoWhere special is strictly on a first-come-first served basis and no prior reservations will be entertained of course.

Needless to say, considering this country's appetite for good food and even better deals, we expect a long line of people in red to start forming way before the operating hours. Just keep it civil, people. We don't want a repeat of the great MacDonald's Hello Kitty incident of 2000.

getting there

Hotel Ibis on Bencoolen
170 Bencoolen Street, Singapore
Open 12pm to 10.30pm daily
tel +65 6593 2886
www.hungrygowhere.com/singapore/it_s_all_about_taste

Tags: Ibis Singapore hotel, HungryGoWhere, food blogs

Get Seen@Dempsey -- Lionel Boh's world of lifestyle eye wear

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:58:12 +0000

At Seen@Dempsey you can sip designer coffee and read designer magazines before picking out the latest designer eye wear

Most people walking into an eye wear shop probably don't expect to have all the paraphernalia of a high-end café at their disposal. But that could be set to change at Seen@Dempsey. It's a cool designer-optical shop located next to Tawadang microbrewery in the foodie haven of Dempsey Hill, where you can leaf through Tatler magazines or sip on Nespresso coffee while perusing hip designer frames displayed on cake stands and the day’s promotions scribbled on chalkboards.

CNNGo catches up with Lionel Boh, owner and managing director of the one-and-only designer frames boutique at Dempsey, about what it’s like to be Seen@Dempsey.

CNNGo: Isn’t a frame a frame? What's the big selling point for Seen@Dempsey?

Lionel Boh: We are as serious about eye care as we are about fashion. We provide state of the art clinical eye examinations and we educate our customers about the importance of choosing the right lens for their lifestyle. Fashion-wise, most of our frames are individually handcrafted and not sold in most optical stores. We like to source niche brands that are prestigious but not "commercial". For instance, 3.1 Phillip Lim (named one of the best emerging talents by the U.S. Council of Fashion designers in 1997) and Fabien Baron (noted French art director and current editorial director of Interview magazine) worn by the likes of Reese Witherspoon and Kate Moss are only sold exclusively here. For certain brands, we sell only one of each model, so our customers are the first and only ones to wear them in Singapore.

CNNGo: What is the profile of your typical customer?

Boh: Trendy, well-traveled, concerned about eye care and very friendly. There are also the celebrities who visited, most recently, Sir Cliff Richard.

CNNGo: We’ve heard that you provide more than prescription services.

Boh: Yes, we serve complimentary cappuccinos and our customers are invited to exclusive champagne parties.

CNNGo: Have you had any drunk customers from next-door neighbour, Tawadang?

Boh: (Laughs) So far, no. However, we do get many customers not just from Tawandang, who typically drop by after dinner. We usually advise them to test their eyes on another day if they have been drinking to ensure an accurate reading.

CNNGo: What about your designer frames. Are there any that will raise some eyebrows?

Boh: Yes. Alain Mikli produces some really bold, architectural pieces, and Kirk Originals, worn by eyewear-maverick Sir Elton John, come in traffic-stopping colors and glitter.

CNNGo: We’ve also heard that Seen@Dempsey sometimes closes at midnight. Why?

Boh: A lot of our customers generally stream in after dinner. They get so comfortable that they usually forget the time. Interestingly, we get a lot of questions about lens technology from our male customers. So it is not uncommon to see their girlfriends or wives -- who had already made their purchases -- waiting while their men shop!

CNNGo: Who would you really like to prescribe designer frames for (dead or alive)?

Boh: I'd love to outfit our very own Prime Minister Lee (Hsien Loong) with Kirk Originals.

getting there

Seen @ Dempsey
Blk 26 Dempsey Road #01-03, Singapore
tel +65 6475 0730
Open daily from 11am to 11pm
Seen@Dempsey Facebook page

Tags: Singapore shopping, Singapore fashion, optic shop, Dempsey Hill

Duke Orange: Singapore's latest Internet sensation

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:17:43 +0000

He's striped, furry and probably the most purrr-fectly adored thing since Lassie, at least in one Singapore office

There's something about the Internet that seems to bring out the animal lover in people. Exhibit A: The insane number of cat videos posted on YouTube. Exhibit B: Maru the cat, one of the most popular pets in the world, and currently the ninth most subscribed YouTube channel in Japan. Exhibit C: Duke Orange, the adopted striped tabby who's developed such an office following that he has his own blog (written by his owner), Twitter account, Facebook Fan page, live video stream, YouTube videos and even a Duke Sightings dedicated webcam. Even Today Online dubbed him as "as Singapore's National Online Cat."

His besotted loyal followers (who call themselves Dukakis, an amalgamation of "Duke" and "kaki" from the Malay word meaning friend or buddy) even threw the feline an "Orangetron" birthday party in February, complete with Duke memorabilia goodie bags, photo taking session and a flood of kitty presents (including one inspired piece of Warhol-esque artwork by an adoring Dukaki). Pet jewelry blogstore Paw Glam also organized a charity giveaway contest, where the winner gets to pick a designer collar for Duke Orange and the proceeds go to the Stray Kitty Fund.

The famous feline wasn't always this fortunate though. He was a stray who was adopted by his current owners and became the office pet. Numerous blog posts, photos and belly scratches later, he became an Internet sensation, amusing and entertaining Singaporeans all over, even allergic and cat-phobic ones. There are even proxy petting sessions for those not in the country.

We have to give it to Duke Orange though. That's one tame, attention-loving cat. Head down to dukeorange.posterous.com to check out what's the fuss is all about.

If you're a Dukaki, drop us a line and explain to the doggie lovers why the fascination for Duke.

Tags: video stream, Singapore cats, pets in Asia, funny video

Waiting for love: Why service staff deserve so much more

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:10:31 +0000

CNNGo's Singapore editor Larry Loh dons a uniform for a day and discovers a new respect for beer pullers and waiters

I was a waiter for a day, and I doubt anyone remembered me.

But that is the nature of those who serve. It was the single most humbling, yet strangely memorable experience I have had in a long time. I did my utmost to make sure every customer I met had the best time possible, and the odd thing was that if I did my job right, no one would remember my name. That makes anyone in the service industry an unsung hero, in my personal opinion.

I was asked to go incognito in a service setting as part of a media exercise for Singapore Tourism Board's "Go The Extra Mile for Service" or GEMS Up campaign. I consider it karmic retribution for the collective grief I've given service folks over the years. But it was also an interesting opportunity for a glimpse into what goes on behind the kitchen walls and understand what it takes to keep a customer happy.

And what an eye-opening glimpse it was.

I was placed in the good hands of the managers at Brewerkz Riverside Point (the American-style restaurant and microbrewery chain), who clothed me, fed me, gave me a super-condensed crash course on how the whole operation works, then threw me into the kitchen to start as a runner (the person who brings out dishes from the kitchen to the table staff). Brewerkz is a great example of an established F&B business -- the Riverside Point outlet seats 240 diners within and over 300 in the alfresco areas, and typically runs a staff strength of 40-60 people at any one time.

A few caveats though. This particular exercise is obviously a sampler of sorts, and placement was with accredited Singapore Service Star partners, who already have good business practices and sound customer policies in place. I didn't get the full service training experience, since it takes a minimum of two weeks for most people to get up to speed (Reb Koh, my Brewerkz manager, told me it takes about two to three months for anyone to be considered experienced). And despite being told not to hold back on me, word leaked out that I'm from the media, so I had the sneaky feeling they were sheltering me from the more back-breaking tasks. I'm also Singaporean born-and-bred, so there are no language barriers, and I'm older and (hopefully) more mature than most of their younger staffers.

The invisible sequence of service

Remember the title sequence from Nicholas Cage's quite forgettable "Lord of War" movie, which traces the journey of a single bullet from when it's manufactured in Ukraine to that morbid moment when it's fired by a South African guerilla? If someone could film the first-person perspective of an order when it's being made in a restaurant to the second it's delivered to the waiting mouth of the customer, I guarantee you it'll be no less awe-inspiring and unforgettable.

From the moment any customer walks in, gets seated, orders from the menu, gets served, calls for the bill and leaves after payment, there's a whole process that's set in motion that calls for a level of teamwork and near-military coordination that FEMA should take notes from. It's almost like ballet, the way things are carefully balanced and moves are carried out.

Take for example, an order of a burger and beer. The restaurant greeter sits you down. Your waiter takes your order. The order's sent down the system, where it's automatically tabulated and split into two chits -- one to the kitchen and one to the bar. The kitchen, staffed by a team of ten or more, springs into action to prepare the burger and side order of fries and salad -- all in a matter of minutes so it's hot and fresh. The bar section draws the beer from the keg, tapping just the right amount of head. The server picks up the order, speeds it along to the waiter or delivers it right to the table ands checks that everything's in order.

Now, throw in a menu of over a hundred items, different types of beverages, and factor in all the permutations it entails. Repeat the process a few hundred, if not a thousand times and add in the complexities of juggling table allocations, reservations, marketing promotions, payment modes, condiments, laying and clearing tables, and a multitude of other not-so-little details. One single hiccup along the way and voila, instant customer complaint. Now you're getting a glimpse of the big picture.

The waiter's best friend

So, why should we care about what goes on? It's to throw some light on how hard it is to be a waiter, or any service staff for that matter. But there are hordes of people who do it with a smile, five or six days a week, for months, sometimes years. In working shoulder-to-shoulder with the folks at Brewerkz, they showed me all the tricks of the trade -- how to hoist up and balance a full platter of food on your shoulder, carry three pints of beer in one hand, pour a beer with the perfect head, and a hundred other need-to-know tasks.

Ultimately, the desire to please is paramount. Everyone I talked to genuinely wanted to keep customers as comfortable as possible. As Anthony Lee, operations director of Brewerkz, told me, "Guests and customers are actually not that hard to satisfy. Warm food on time -- that's what most people want. Everything we do is just to make that happen every time."

And a smile can make a world of difference I found out. I'd go back repeatedly to a nice restaurant, café, store or shop just because I feel welcomed there, whereas one bad experience with a surly staff member and I'd probably never return again.

I know the next time I finish a good meal or drink, and have been served by a friendly face, I'll be leaving a nice big tip.

And I'll try to remember their names too.

Editor's Note: Special thanks to Anthony, Reb, Shah, and the rest of the Brewerkz Riverside Point team for putting up with this meddlesome reporter, showing him the ropes and not flinching when he almost broke numerous plates in the process. Respect.

Tags: Singapore service, service standards, customer satisfaction, Brewerkz Singapore

Watch and learn from Singapore's first bloggers' symposium

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:25:20 +0000

The who's who of Singapore's blogging world gathers in a real place for a change

The word's already out in the blogsphere, but if you don't like your life in the virtual world, blog advertising agency Nuffnang is organizing Singapore's first Blogger Symposium. Some of the more well-known (or notorious, depending on how you view them) bloggers will be present in the real sense of the word to share their experiences and impart some wisdom on surviving in the online arena.

The various categories are represented, including Xiaxue for lifestyle blogs, ieatishootipost for food blogs, oureverydaythings for parenting blogs, Mycherrymagazine & Belluspuera for fashion blogs and TechieLobang for technology blogs. During this symposium, you can ask questions and interact with one another.

If you're interested to attend, sign up with your blogger of choice from the five bloggers above -- seats are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and there are goodie bags and chances to win Canon digital cameras for participants.

getting there

Nuffnang Bloggers' Symposium
Kong Si Auditorium, Singapore Management University
81 Victoria Street, Singapore
April 3, 1.30pm to 5.30pm
www.nuffnang.com.sg/symposium

Tags: singapore blogs, Singapore bloggers, Asian blogs