News & Technology: Samsung Galaxy S3 with 1.4GHz Exynos 4 Quad??

Image from Google Play

Just a few days ago, Samsung got me to suspecting the announcement of the flagship Galaxy S3 and writing an entry Technology: Samsung Galaxy S3 Is Launching Today?, which ended up with nothing but some uninteresting teasers.

Which means, more waiting.

Luckily, the wait won't be too long as Samsung announces the Samsung Unpacked 2012 will be held on 3rd May 2012 in London. Samsung has even released an app on Google Play for anyone to get first hand news on the event.

And the most exciting of all, is that Samsung Galaxy S3 will come with a 1.4GHz Exynos 4 Quad processor !!!! That means, it will be 3D ready while cutting down energy use by 20%!!!

Image from blogcdn

Exactly how good it will be? Check out the video below!

For more information on the processor, you can visit: http://www.samsung.com/exynos

Looks like iPhone 5 will be under a lot of stress now! But iPhone 5 might still have time to change their specifications, but will they be able to produce their phones fast enough?


Vocabulary:
flagship -- (n)[C] the best or most important product, idea, building, etc. that an organization owns or produces
teaser -- (n)[C] a brainteaser, a problem for which it is hard to find the answer, especially one which people enjoy trying to solve as a game


Resources:
Technology: Samsung Galaxy S3 Is Launching Today? @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2012/04/technology-samsung-galaxy-s3-is.html

The Next Galaxy @ Samsung

http://www.thenextgalaxy.com/

[UNPACKED 2012] Teaser 2 @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NnVU8R6mAU&feature=player_embedded

Samsung Unpacked 2012 @ Google Play
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.samsungmobile.unpacked2012_1&hl=en

Samsung announces 1.4GHz Exynos 4 Quad as basis for Galaxy S3 @ Engadget
http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/25/samsung-announces-1-4ghz-exynos-4-quad-as-basis-for-galaxy-s3/

Samsung Exynose
http://www.samsung.com/exynos

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/flagship_1?q=flagship
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/teaser?q=teaser

News: Steve Jobs' Movie on Cinema Late 2012??

Image from gadgethelpline

It's time to clear some entries again so I will be posting a number of them today because they cannot be combined into one single entry. Here's the first one,

Image from MacWorld

We will all have a chance to see Steve Jobs' in the cinemas by the end of this year, thanks to Ashton Kutcher, who happens to fit quite nicely with Steve Jobs' looks. According to reports, this movie will cover his life from 1971- 2000 [1], which means, you won't be seeing Kutcher holding an iPhone which was released in 2007 [2], nor a Macbook which was first released in 2006 [3], but maybe you can see him talking about an iPod which was released in 2001 [4], and definitely will see him with a iMac G3 [5].

iMac G3
Image from brokenequipment

Will the story be interesting? Will Kutcher pick up that Apple for a photo-shoot? We'll see that by the end of this year.


Resources:
[1] Ashton Kutcher's Steve Jobs Biopic Will Cover Life from 1971-2000 @ First Showing
http://www.firstshowing.net/2012/ashton-kutchers-steve-jobs-biopic-will-cover-life-from-1971-2000/

Dude Where’s My iPad? Steve Jobs Movie Starring Ashton Kutcher Filming in May – Release Set for Late 2012 @ Read Our Blog
http://blog.gadgethelpline.com/dude-ipad-steve-jobs-movie-starring-ashton-kutcher-filming-release-set-late-2012/

[2] iPhone @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iphone

[3] MacBook @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacBook

[4] iPod @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipod

[5] iMac G3 @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMac_G3

Food: More x2 Fish@Hong Kong Wet Market

It's time for some revision and also add some fish names to your brain.

For revision, I highly recommend you read Food: More Fish@Hong Kong Wet Market, Food: Groupers@Hong Kong Wet Market and Food: Serious Crab Time!!!! for new fish, of course you should read on.

Most Hong Kongers know these fish, but other readers from other parts of the world may not know how they taste like, so I will try to make a few short descriptions about their texture and their common cooking method.

Purple-Spot Bigeye
Really big eyes!! This fish is usually skinned simply by tearing off the leathery skin and then steamed with soybean paste. Texture-wise, it is not smooth at all, it may even be coarse and rough, but it has that strong taste of seawater fish. Sashimi? Unsure.

Purple-spot Bigeye
Image from foodnetworksolution

Japanese Threadfin Bream

What was once abundant and cheap fish used for pan-fried or boiling soup has become scarce, expensive and a Japanese delicacy on the sashimi plates. Extremely crunchy as sashimi, soft and mashy when pan-fried. I like the Japanese style better, but not recommended if you buy those from the local fish markets. This fish is easily recognisable by its yellow stripes across the body.

Japanese Threadfin Bream
Image from baasfood   

Eel
Hong Kongers love American eels. They chopped them, steamed them with blackbean paste and that fish oil will melt into the sauce. Otherwise, Japanese eels are grilled or seared as sushi. Can be crunchy or tender, but watch out those mini-bones!

American Eel
Image from Wikipedia

Pomfret

Again another one often pan-fried or steamed with blackbean paste. Extremely soft and easy to eat as the bones will detach from the meat semi-automatically after steamed, comes with yellowish fish oil. Strong in taste. Sashimi? Not sure either. This fish can grow up to 1m long!

Silver Pomfret
Image from yetanotherfoodguy

Chinese Noodlefish

Never eaten in singular form as the fish is so small that it is barely half a finger long. They are captured in the thousands and sold sun-dried with salt. Some eat them as snacks, others handle them with their chopsticks before the Chinese main courses are served, meaning as appetisers. 

Chinese Noodlefish
Image from pic.cas.cn  

Unicorn Leatherjack Filefish

Very tough and rough skinned fish allowing your mummy to skin the fish with one cut and one pull. Not particularly handsome look but the meat is unbelievably smooth and soft. Usually steamed with dried tangerine peels but there are many other cooking methods. Hard to find nowadays and their extraordinary tough skin tells you that they live in the gaps of rocks and are hard to catch.

Unicorn Leatherjack Filefish
Image from content61.eol.org

Vocabulary:

scarce -- (adj) not easy to find or get

mashy -- (adj) similar to mashed -- crushed

recognizable -- (adj) 

 

(UK usually recognisable) 

easy to recognize

grill -- (vb) [T] (US also broil) to cook something by direct heat, especially under a very hot surface in a cooker

sear -- (vb) [T] to burn the surface of something with sudden very strong heat

crunchy -- (adj) describes food that is firm and makes a loud noise when it is eaten

barely --  (adv) by the smallest amount; almost not

capture -- (vb) [T] to take someone as a prisoner, or to take something into your possession, especially by force

tangerine -- (n) [C] a fruit like a small orange with a loose skin

A piece of tangerine peel
Image from  tastehongkong

Resources:
Food: More Fish@Hong Kong Wet Market @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2009/08/food-groupershong-kong-wet-market.html

Food: Groupers@Hong Kong Wet Market @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/02/food-more-fishhong-kong-wet-market.html


Food: Serious Crab Time!!!! @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2009/08/food-serious-crab-time.html


Fishipedia @ ParkNShop
http://www1.parknshop.com/WebShop/FishList.do?type=1

Threadfin Bream@ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threadfin_bream

American Eel @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_eel

Eel @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eel

Japanese eel @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_eel

Pomfret @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomfret

Chinese Noodlefish @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salanx

Unicorn Leatherjack @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicorn_leatherjacket

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/scarce?q=scarce+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/mashed?q=mashed
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/recognizable?q=recognisable+#recognizable__3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/grill_1?q=grill+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/sear?q=sear+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/crunchy?q=crunchy+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/barely?q=barely+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/capture_1?q=capture+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/tangerine_1?q=tangerine+

Technology: Samsung Galaxy S3 Is Launching Today?

Image from tgeltaayehxnx

Why is there a countdown clock? If you visit http://www.tgeltaayehxnx.com/, you will see it. What is coming soon in about 5 hour's time?

If you rearrange the jumbled website URL, something like my entry Event: Hppay Aripl Floo's Day Wtih Knledowge!, you will find 'The Next Galaxy". A further explanation can be found if you view the source code of the webpage, something I happened to discover because I wanted to put the countdown clock on this entry,

Image from tgeltaayehxnx   

What you can see is "A Whole New Universe", "Discover how Samsung is about to challenge the way you view the GALAXY once more."

This is getting really exciting!!!

Then there is a leak of a series of photos, including this one,

Image from blogcdn

Which phone has a model number of GT-I9300 and runs on Android 4.0.3 ICS? So far, none. What's more, this phone doesn't have a home button so all buttons are virtualized on the front screen.

Could this be real???

Image from fonearena

And what is this smartphone? Why is the video made in Vietnam and not made in Korea?

What about this poster?

Image from blogcdn

We definitely have a lot of questions, but looks like the mystery will be unwrapped soon enough -- in about 5 hours' time.


Vocabulary:
jumble -- (vb) [T] to mix things together untidily
mystery -- (n) [C or U] something strange or not known which has not yet been explained or understood
unwrap -- (vb) [T] to remove the paper or other covering from something

Resources:
TheNextGalaxy?
http://www.tgeltaayehxnx.com/

Event: Hppay Aripl Floo's Day Wtih Knledowge! @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2012/04/event-hppay-aripl-floos-day-wtih.html

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/jumble_3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/mystery_1?q=mystery
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/unwrap?q=unwrap

Food & Restaurant: Mutekiya (無敵家) @ Wan Chai Grand Opening Day

It's a great honour to be the first person to write an English review for this new branch.

Actually, I was also the first one to write an English review on the Internet the last time Sheung Wan shop opened. (See: Food and Restaurant: Mutekiya (無敵家) @ Locky's English Playground)

The following part will be posted on Openrice.com in the near future. But if you read my blog, you will always get the first hand news.

********************************

Already I am a big fan of Mutekiya Sheung Wan, so there is no reason not to visit the new shop in Wan Chai on its Grand Opening Day.



The decor's absolutely fantastic with so much original Japanese elements in it. From the mini-roof tiles, to the display wine containers,

to the lamps and lamp covers, to the kites and the salt and pepper containers, everything has been carefully selected to bring that Japanese culture into the shop -- so caring, so detailed, typical Japanese Kaizen philosophy embedded everywhere you look.

The red pillar with a variety of sake bottles on the wall is the centre of attraction, drew camera flashes after camera flashes that day.

The scrolls hanging down the walls were also cute and joyful, creating that warm and cosy home-like feeling. There are simply too many things to keep you busy, you won't feel bored while waiting for the food to arrive.

I went there twice in two consecutive days, day 1 I went with my girlfriend and ordered their signature Shrimp Wrapped with Chicken Skin x 2 skewers, as recommended by Michael, crispy juicy prawns

Tonkotsu ramen, Shoyu Gyokai ramen, Onsen eggs and the most unique Salt Ice Cream and Yuzu Sorbet for dessert! Oiishi!!!!! Oiishi from us, Oiishi from the two Japanese guys who were sitting next to us. We had some nice chats in English (to my surprise, their English is really good).

Day 2, I went for dinner by myself. I ordered the Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen and also the Jellyfish in Yuzu. The hotness of the Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen was just nice for my taste but may be a bit spicy for the girls; the crunchy fresh fruity Jellyfish was strong in the sweet and vinegar taste, pairing up with the spicy ramen, absolutely remarkable!

I will be back more often, because compared with Sheung Wan, Wan Chai is more convenient for me.

Resources:
Mutekiya Official Page
http://hk.restaurant.openrice.com/mutekiya

Food and Restaurant: Mutekiya (無敵家) @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2011/08/food-and-restaurant-mutekiya.html

Culture: Gestures -- The OK, Hang Ten & Loser Signs

Little M.J. with the OK sign
Image from we talk anything, anything about Se.Mio.Tic.

I think some of you still remember my entry titled Culture: Italian Popular Gestures. Previously, I told my students to research on cultural differences and yesterday in one lesson, a student of mine did a nice one on the "OK" gesture.

To many, the sign will mean nothing but simply "OK" or "OK?", but is that universal? Are there exceptions in some countries and doing that will cause embarrassment? It is worth looking into.

Yan Pu (left) and Julie Len with a group of vaccinated children
in Le Du County, flashing the “OK” sign, the symbol that the
Jade Ribbon Campaign implemented to indicate protection from hepatitis B. 
Image from stanford.edu

Quoting from Wikipedia,

1. In some Mediterranean countries, as well as in Brazil, it represents vulgar expressions: either an insult (you are an asshole), or the slang for anus itself.*
2. In Australia and Portugal, it can either mean okay or zero.
3. In Chinese number gestures, it is the hand gesture for number three.**
4. A similar gesture, the Vitarka mudra ("mudra of discussion") is the gesture of discussion and transmission of Buddhist teaching. 
5. In Japan, it also means zero or money.***

* I have consulted my Brazilian friend / Assistant Professor Francisco at the Hong Kong Polytechnic Univeristy about this, and he said the following,

"yes, it is absolutely correct, but there are two things. the way it is in the picture, with the three strechted fingers  upwards, that means perfect. if they are down, that it is extremely rude. we just don't use it to mean 'good job, perfect' because it seems out-of-date, old-fashioned. and the other one, well... too rude and offensive."

** In Hong Kong, seems like this one is more for the older generations, because the easier way is to use the middle three fingers instead of the last three.

*** Last night, I went to have dinner and consulted my good "Sister" / friend / student Sally, who is an expert of Japanese language, as well as two local Japanese gentlemen, and they all agree that this sign can mean zero or money, and they explained that it means money because it is the shape of  a coin; however, they also said it can also mean OK in Japan.

Vitarka mudra, Tarim Basin, 9th century
Image from Wikipedia

So, that's it for the OK sign.


Then when I was reading the recent hit article on CNNGo.com titled How to be a Hong Kong local: 10 tips on faking it, I saw the following Obama gesture which the article called it the "hang ten" hand sign.

Obama with the Shaka sign for the the Punahou Marching Band from Oahu, Hawaii
Image from Peter Bowes

In Hong Kong, it means the number 6. Do a little search on Wikipedia and I found that "Hanging Ten" is a surfer's phrase which means standing on the surfboard with ten toes over the edge while surfing.

Hang Ten, look at her toes please!
Image from 160over90

Further research unveiled the true name of this gesture -- the Shaka sign, and it is often associated with Hawaii, which is also why Obama showed off this gesture when he was at the 2009 Inaugural Parade with the Punahou Marching Band from Oahu, Hawaii. 

As for the meaning, Wikipedia said "Depending on context it can also be used to communicate notions such as "thank you", "hi", "howzit", and the like."

Image from Weird Worm

Last but not least, the most popular gesture on the show TopGear, if you have watched the show I have recommended last time in the entry, Listening & TV: Skeleton VS Mini-Cooper @ TopGear, you should not be surprised to see the following gesture.

The Loser Sign by Jeremy Clarkson of TopGear
Image from Flickr

In the show, it is used to address the lost party as "Loser", exceptions on Wikipedia are too minor so this hand gesture can be considered as rather universal, but demeaning.

There will be more discussions on gestures in the future, so please support, subscribe and like this entry and the English Playground!!



Vocabulary:
vulgar -- (adj) disapproving rude and likely to upset or anger people, especially by referring to sex and the body in an unpleasant way
anus -- (n)[C] the opening at the end of the alimentary canal through which solid waste leaves the body
Hang Ten -- (n)[U] a surfer's phrase which means standing on the surfboard with ten toes over the edge while surfing.
Inaugural -- (adj) [before noun] an inaugural speech is the first speech someone gives when starting an important new job / an inaugural event is the first in a series of planned events
demeaning -- (adj) causing someone to become or feel less respected



Resources:
Culture: Italian Popular Gestures @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2011/06/culture-italian-popular-gestures.html

How to be a Hong Kong local: 10 tips on faking it @ CNNGo
http://www.cnngo.com/hong-kong/life/how-be-local-10-tips-faking-it-316802

OK Sign @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OK_sign

Hang Ten @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hang_ten

Shaka Sign @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaka_sign

Listening & TV: Skeleton VS Mini-Cooper @ TopGear  @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2012/01/listening-tv-bobsleigh-vs-mini-cooper.html

TV: TopGear (with fast cars and British accent)  @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/08/tv-topgear-with-fast-cars-and-british.html

Loser @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loser_(hand_gesture)

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/vulgar_2
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/anus?q=anus+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/inaugural?q=Inaugural+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/demeaning?q=demeaning+