After Tea, It is The Undersized Filo

May I present to you, the Prince and Princess of Shangri La
A Toast to the Fair Princess. M must be thinking, "Mummy, is this lame or what?" You need to check out D's and SK's blogs to see more pictures of these two fellas.
I can eat plates of chocolate and forget the rest of the buffet.
The Rose Verandah and the tea setting fit for a Queen

Today has been a really eventful day. SK, D, and myself decided to have one nice afternoon sipping tea like tai-tais (slang for rich married women) before we all go different paths - one is delivering a baby in 10 days time, the other going to Japan for the next two years, and myself, I am returning to office in 2 days time.

We went to Shangri-La's Rose Verandah for high tea. Great ambience, but not too great food. What struck me is their 101 teas that got me intoxicated again. I had Morning Star, a 8 herbs and fruit blend that is totally wonderful.

We couldn't stop observing these two young ones. Again, they captured our hearts with their funny antics and may I say, their relationship.

Today is also TS's birthday! I rushed to get a last minute gift (but well-thought one) before going back. It was a total anti climax.

Isn't it a little small? I like it bigger.

But don't you like the design? It is so sleek.

Ok, look, (taking out a slip from the filofax) it says here, for women to fit into their handbags!

Is it??? ok ok, we change tomorrow, I still got receipt.

Stress.

Lesson learnt - PLEASE DO NOT BUY A LAST MINUTE GIFT EVER.

I Can Do It!

Bought this pair of blades from Vancouver during the hols and only have time recently to try these out.

Post Chinese New Year Activities

My hongbao from my parents! I shan't show you pictures of me "counting" my harvest.


Something I made with my red packets. My school taught me how to make it.

No Title, Some Ramblings

Apart from feeling fat from the excess eating and snacking, (not from CNY but because I am stressed), I am also feeling tired.

Tired trying to finish my thesis and getting the last bit information I need to complete. People just have no time for you, even if this thesis got to do with them, sigh. But it is not their fault. We are too busy chasing our own things in life. And in 10 days, if nothing changes, I have to report back to work. That is enough to make me feel like eating more. Let's hope there is good news (hoping that 'that' something will come true).

Cannot believe that it has been 6 months since I stopped work. What have I done? I have not even taken a shopping spree, had afternoon tea, go to the park when everyone is at work, work out, volunteer at Ryan's school. I am going back to work. But one thing is for sure. I am not going to work like there is no tomorrow. I remembered living the life of a vampire, at the office at 7am and leaving at 9am, never see daylight...

There is more to life than work.

Jay Chou - Chrysanthemum Flower Bed [Ju Hua Tai]

Please on loud loud. This song is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. The Curse of the Golden Flower is directed by Zhang Yimou, who is also one of my favourite directors...never want to miss any of his movies. In this movie, the underlying theme is about a mother's love/auguish for her son...very touching.

After returning from China, it makes me reflect on who I really am. Being brought up in a westernised society, am I still true to my Chinese roots? When we converse in Chinese in China, they had difficulty understanding us. And after looking at all the Chinese history before me, I am proud of the richness of the Chinese civilisation.

I am Chinese.

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Gong Xi Fa Cai, nian nian you yu!
Happy Chinese New Year to all!

Will You Bring Me Home?

"Hello, will you bring me home?" So cute.

Let's see if you know the answer to this riddle.
How did Hello Kitty starve to death?

Live to Eat? Plan to Eat.

Breakfast: Tim Sum at Garden Restaurant along Nathan Road. The BBQ Pork "Bao" outer bun melts in your mouth!
Brunch: We eat while we walked








Lunch: Hong Kong noodles, shiok.

Tea break Part 1: Smelly Toufu. I am not touching this...after knowing how it was prepared.

Tea break Part 2: This ice cream is one of the best ice creams I have tried...I ran to the van kiosk to get it, I am not sharing with anyone.
Dinner: Portugese fare






We didn't have good experiences with our hotels in both China and HK. I have blackmarked these two hotels in my memory; Red Wall Hotel in Beijing and Tatami Hampton Hotel in HK.

Do You Accept My Love? Happy V Day 07!

We spent V Day at The Peak, Hong Kong. No flowers, gifts, or saying sweet not-hings...just quality time spent together doing what we like most..shopping and eating!

TS and Me. Having Mac's top with a view to kill.


My first "love letter" from Ryan. I was quite curious if he understood what is the meaning behind Valentine's Day..He said it is to Love one another. And he was quick to add on that there are two types of girlfriends. One is to love, the other is a friend. On his love note, I even had to circle Yes/No to indicate if I accept his love note.

"Not a Lucky Hero Until One Reaches the Great Wall"

Chinese Saying: Want to be a hero? Climb the Great Wall! Here's a direct translation


Day 2
We went to the Great Wall today. Journey there was quite smooth. We got a cab driver to "bao" (slang for booked) the whole day trip that includes 3 places - Great Wall, "shisiling" (Ming's Thirteen Tombs), and Forbidden City. We were glad we went at this part of the year, there were not many tourists. Heard from cabbie that it is usually so packed that you see people only, not the great wall.
The Great Wall was only a 1half hour drive from Beijing. On the way there, we saw other parts of the Great Wall. We went to the Badaling Pass (the renovated portion) but next time, if I have the chance, I would like to go to Simatai section, which is still in its actual state of ruins. And I advise that if you really want to see one of the marvels of the world, do go when you are still young cos I realise, even at my age, I have problems climbing the Great Wall! It was tedious! But it was so amazing to see history right in front of you.

I don't know much about Chinese History but this trip opened my eyes.

TS at the memorial of the 'Ming Thirteen Tombs"

At the Ming's Thirteen Tombs, I was equally in awe. The 13 tombs are actually the burial ground for the 11 emperors of the Ming Dynasty, including their Empresses, and I think 9 concubines and 1 eunuch. Each has their own "kingdom" in that large piece of land. Only one has been evacuated, that of Emperor Wanli and his two empresses. We had to walk through his "kingdom" and at his tomb, we had to descend about 6 storeys below. The coffins (replicas) were kind of errie. The King's coffin (those Chinese red ones) was placed in between his two empresses surrounded by their treasures and all.












The Forbidden City is huge. We covered in 3 hours what their locals would cover in 1 week to study every part of the city.


Come to Beijing, you must try their famous "Peking Duck". This restaurant is recommended by our cabbie, it is at "qian meng" (Chinese for Front Door) which is actually one of the last 3 existing Guard Tower of the past to enter the City of Beijing.
This restuarant has been opened since the late 1800s. But what they are serving now is "fast food Peking Duck", characterised by the plastic plates, cutlery, paste, soup...It is greasy, oily, and fatty, but it is shiok!

But I still think I have eaten better elsewhere, even in Singapore.

Done with the day, my feet are killing me!

Tea Intoxication

I think I had 60 chinese tea cups of tea today. Walked the stretch of Maliandao today, which is famous for its "Cha Cheng" (Tea City). They were very eager to invite you into their shops to "have tea". We went into this Tea ware shop where the sales girl was really sweet and explained patiently about the teas. Her name was also incidentally, Tian Tian (Sweet Sweet).

Of course after so many cups of teas in so many shops, we had to visit the toilets which is not the most pleasant thing to do here.

I tried my hand at serving tea, it is an art really.

Off to Beijing and Hong Kong!

I am leaving town tomorrow for Beijing and Hong Kong. Hope to post some beautiful pictures of The Great Wall and Forbidden City and not forgetting the shopping and eating in Hong Kong.

Cannot believe I am going back to the cold so soon again. But looking forward to the trip though it is going to be a mad rush. My main purpose is to go to the tea market which is the largest in China (and I think the world) with 600 tea stores. I am going to immerse in the Tea culture.

What A Way To Start the New Year!

My new handphone.

Didn't planned to get one cos my beloved pink samsung served me well the last two years. But the sales exec (bought it over the phone, free delivery somemore) was really nice and gave me an irresistable deal and number. Let's say it has lots of 111111 and 888888. I am kind of supersitious these days...maybe getting older.

But 18 is a damn good number according to the Chinese. Read out in Cantonese - yak fatt, meaning sure prosper. To have this kind of number in Singapore, you normally have to bid $1000 for it. Being the typical "kiasu", "bargain" Singaporean, I would never have done that.

And the phone I was eyeing...a K800i Sony Ericsson, with Cybershot function...a cool phone. And I got it at a great offer...let's say less than $100.

No prizes for guessing what I will be flashing this Chinese New Year - Feb 18th.

Music please..."I am On My Way...

Things are starting to look like there is direction, some hope. At least, I made some concrete plans to end my misery due to some self-inflicted decisions I have made last year. I thought I could cope with all that, but I guess, I can't! I can't cope with living in a incense-smoked environment, I can't cope with being car-less, I can't cope with living out of boxes and I can't cope with housework.

I was a wreak, a total wreak. But that was last year, just 38 days ago...

Now, I am on my way! There is this song my friend dedicated to me. We were adding actions to it and was funny...On My Way. (JY, if you read this, please share the details of the piece, thanks!)

I have bought a "car", took the first step to get a new place, handing in my thesis this month, going to start a business, TS quit with blessings, took on a new job, I called the Town Council to look into the incense burning matter along my corridor. Still doing housework but that's alright now.

And today, I may have an answer to whether I will be going back to my C.S work. I have been offered a job elsewhere. Can't say much now...am keeping my fingers crossed.

According to my friend, JY, she told me it is a good year for Rabbits. She checked already. More next time on this horoscope thingy.

An Rachmaninoff Addiction

Esplanade by night

Inside the concert hall. Sat on the fourth floor but it doesn't matter. The acoustics speaks for itself.

A 'Rachmaninoff' addict. That's me.

We went to watch a classical concert at the Esplanade Concert Hall. Debussy's Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun was one of the best versions I have heard. Sound was well-balanced. Dynamics not too contrasting, instruments made their entry subtlely, creating an impressionistic illusion.

The pianist is a Russian big name and he probably played the Rach II a thousand times over. Missed the sustained bass note once at the first few measures and that made me sit at the edge of my chair for like 3 seconds. Tempo was a tad too fast at the beginning, a little tricky for the pianist and the orch to sychronise. The second movement was beautiful and the third, crisp and flawless. Somehow though, it lacked something, some lustre or magic. But on the whole, I appreciate it that he didn't overdo it. It was him, it was simply delivered and he obliged with two encores!

When one listens to Rach II, it is easy to be spellbounded. I would never forget one of my early hearings of this piece played by another Russian big name at VCH. Sat in the 2nd row, 4m from the pianist. He was amazing. He probably had also played this a thousand times, er, maybe 999 times. He was humming with the piece, moving with the music, as if he was playing Richard Clayderman. But this was a piece that is considered one of the world's most demanding piano pieces. It was unforgettable.

Brahms' Symphony No. 4 in E Minor was zzzzzzzzzz all the way.