I will be reaching Sg by midnight this Tuesday, which is merely two days away.
Feel a bit excited, as I will see seeing everyone again, but I am in a little flurry to buy some last minute stuff for family. Aiya, the likes of Pineapple Tart, Lap Cheong, Skin products, Medicated Oil. On Tuesday itself, I will buy a dozen egg tarts before heading to the airport. Enough!
Monday, January 19, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Chocolates
This is a mental reminder to check out Jean-Paul Hévin Chocolatier at Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui Harbour City Unit 212. Apparently, he insists on using the Coco produced from Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia & Madagascar. What amazed me is how their signature shop in Paris looks like. I am so drooling ... (taken from a blog called BM)
I have tried Maison Du Chocolat at Pacific Place. Their Champagne Truffle is very pleasant. Also a Parisian joint, the center is a smooth, creamy ganache delicately infused with Fine Champagne cognac covered with a layer of dark chocolate and dusted cocoa powder. (lifted from Maison du Chocolat's website)
A mental note to buy some back home. Of course they have Godiva here, but maybe Parisan Pattissiers offer a good alternative to Belgium ones.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Names
I was reading the Post Magazine and came across a reflection by a Singaporean in HK about unusual names in HK. It was Hextan, I myself have come across names like England, Queenie, Cesario ... I no longer find any name very shocking.
Anyway this reflection article said he did an online search on the name Hextan, and the closest he came to was a small village in Hertfordshire, England, called Hexton. Apparently using places names as personal names has a long history, especially among the Chinese.
"Surnames such as Huang, Chen, Zheng, Wu and many others were originally the names of feudal states of the Zhou Dynasty (1064BC-256BC). These states were rented out to relatives of the ruling famiy, allied clans, descendants of former dynasties and able servants who had helped found the dynasty. Over time, the rulers and citizens of some of these terrotories took the names of the fiefdoms as their family names. Not all Chinese surnames were orginally place surnames, however, the most common Chinese surname Wang, (literally Prince), refers instead to the rank of the clan's progenitors."
A bit of insight on my surname. According to Wikipedia, the three most common surnames in Mainland China are Li, Wang and Zhang, which make up 7.9%, 7.4% and 7.1% respectively. Together they number close to 300 million and are easily the most common surnames in the world. How Zhang became Teo is because of Hokkien or Min Nan translation. Min Nan, or "Southern Fujian" language) refers to a family of Chinese dialects which are spoken in southern Fujian and neighboring areas. Many of the diaspora emigrated to SE Asian nations, and i think my grandma is from Shantou, which is an Eastern Guangdong prefecture.
An aside to this post is that after Chinese New Year, when the weather gets warmer, I will start backpacking into nearby areas in China.
Anyway this reflection article said he did an online search on the name Hextan, and the closest he came to was a small village in Hertfordshire, England, called Hexton. Apparently using places names as personal names has a long history, especially among the Chinese.
"Surnames such as Huang, Chen, Zheng, Wu and many others were originally the names of feudal states of the Zhou Dynasty (1064BC-256BC). These states were rented out to relatives of the ruling famiy, allied clans, descendants of former dynasties and able servants who had helped found the dynasty. Over time, the rulers and citizens of some of these terrotories took the names of the fiefdoms as their family names. Not all Chinese surnames were orginally place surnames, however, the most common Chinese surname Wang, (literally Prince), refers instead to the rank of the clan's progenitors."
A bit of insight on my surname. According to Wikipedia, the three most common surnames in Mainland China are Li, Wang and Zhang, which make up 7.9%, 7.4% and 7.1% respectively. Together they number close to 300 million and are easily the most common surnames in the world. How Zhang became Teo is because of Hokkien or Min Nan translation. Min Nan, or "Southern Fujian" language) refers to a family of Chinese dialects which are spoken in southern Fujian and neighboring areas. Many of the diaspora emigrated to SE Asian nations, and i think my grandma is from Shantou, which is an Eastern Guangdong prefecture.
An aside to this post is that after Chinese New Year, when the weather gets warmer, I will start backpacking into nearby areas in China.
Monday, January 05, 2009
I want simplicity and faith in myself
Tracy Chapman - Sing For You
One, two, .. one, two, three, four Sweet and high at the break of dawn
Simple tune that you can hum along too
I remember there was a time
When I used to sing for you
Do do do, do do do Do do do,
do do do Do do do, do do do
I used to sing for you
Do do do, do do do Do do do,
do do do do Do do do, do do do
Knew all the words to the popular songs
With the radio on full volume I remember there was a time
When I used to sing for you
Do do do, do do do Do do do,
do do do do Do do do, do do do
I used to sing for you
Do do do, do do do Do do do,
do do do do Do do do,
do do do
Forget the chorus,
you're the bridge
The words and music to everyday I’ve lived
There’s nothing, I wouldn’t give
For one more time,
when I can sing for you
Do do do, do do do Do do do,
do do do do Do do do,
do do do
Oh Yeah Do do do,
do do do Do do do,
do do do do Do do do,
do do do
Soft and low when the evening comes Holding you,
sleeping in my arms
I remember there was a time
When I used to sing for you
Do do do, do do do Do do do,
do do do Do do do, do do do
I used to sing for you
Do do do, do do do Do do do,
do do do do Do do do, do do do
I used to sing for you
One, two, .. one, two, three, four Sweet and high at the break of dawn
Simple tune that you can hum along too
I remember there was a time
When I used to sing for you
Do do do, do do do Do do do,
do do do Do do do, do do do
I used to sing for you
Do do do, do do do Do do do,
do do do do Do do do, do do do
Knew all the words to the popular songs
With the radio on full volume I remember there was a time
When I used to sing for you
Do do do, do do do Do do do,
do do do do Do do do, do do do
I used to sing for you
Do do do, do do do Do do do,
do do do do Do do do,
do do do
Forget the chorus,
you're the bridge
The words and music to everyday I’ve lived
There’s nothing, I wouldn’t give
For one more time,
when I can sing for you
Do do do, do do do Do do do,
do do do do Do do do,
do do do
Oh Yeah Do do do,
do do do Do do do,
do do do do Do do do,
do do do
Soft and low when the evening comes Holding you,
sleeping in my arms
I remember there was a time
When I used to sing for you
Do do do, do do do Do do do,
do do do Do do do, do do do
I used to sing for you
Do do do, do do do Do do do,
do do do do Do do do, do do do
I used to sing for you