Shanghai was great. Met with China "laojiaos" like Jack and Dan from SMU, Sam and his wife Grace, and Alex - Pris's colleague. Went to eat Ma La Hotpot, Di Shui Dong, Xiao Long Bao at Cheng Huang Miao, Ningbo Tang yuan. I even had the experience of eating at a SOE's canteen, and oh Intercon's breakfast was delightful!
It was reasonably priced tailored blouse at RMB100, and one tailored black jacket at RMB260, another at RMB200. I had it tailored at the commercialized ('read - so many lao wais!') texile market near Nanpu Bridge train station. This guy at some leather shop made me drink beer with him! And i went for much-needed massage at Ming Massage - it was surely a far walk from what I was instructed to be a near walk! The decor was amazing, very zen, and the massage baju was good elastic material, not your cheap cotton kind! It cost something like RMB108 for 60mins, plus it was quiet, could unwind from that intense two days of meetings! Visited Awfully Chocolate (their chinese name is 'au fu li' full stop, oops) and the fudge was too melty for my taste. Shop very true to the clean white barewalled interior.
All credit to the spicy food, i have got a huge ulcer on my cheek (near my wisdom teeth surgery), that lasted for a week. I could hardly speak, and had no appetite. Thank god its getting better. I went to the doctor - on the pretext of getting a MC, but obviously the doctors in HK are too pragmatic to even offer. I suffered, while my colleague was gloating behind my back. By chance (and part by plan) she didn't get to see my visitor for one week, Smoochie. This little Snauzer has amazing bowels, none of my dogs ever mastered the skill of holding their pee overnight, and she did it. See, I allow only selected bitches to my apartment - those who know how to behave.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Friday, February 06, 2009
Shanghai Advice
"I think you can stay at Le Meridien, its really nice, rooms cost 1100 from a discount agency.
Places that you can visit, places to eat – I got more eateries than I have places to visit…
1) Jap Restaurant: 长宁路890号玫瑰坊广场EF32 – good yakitori and sake!
2) Small lobster Restaurant: 虹桥路217号- if you’ve never experienced small lobster eating, try it once! Get the 年糕 ver.
3) Fakkin’ good Sichuan food: Jinjiang Dickson Mall area, look for 滴水洞 http://www.shanghainavi.com/food/restaurant.php?id=11
4) 小肥羊 – I always eat that when I go to Shanghai, WITHOUT FAIL!
5) Go to Xintiandi also ba, that’s all I know of Shanghai! "
~NH
" Hi, attached is the namecard with the addresses for Sichuan food (pretty spicy but its good. must book in advance hor). The following restaurants are also good, check out the reviews (must book too or go early)
- Spicy joint : http://www.dianping.com/shop/2061259
- Mushroom Hotpot : http://www.dianping.com/shop/2244928
- 789 Hotpot : http://www.dianping.com/shop/2198275
If you wanna try good xiao long bao, I would recommend a stall in this old town called 七宝 Qi Bao. There is a train station with this name on line 9 (i think). Once you emerge, there will be a shopping centre... but if you go across the road and walk in a bit further.. there is an 'old town'. Surprisingly, its filled with more locals than tourists and there's a food street there which is usually very crowded. The xiao long bao stall is near the bridge beside a pavilion. They are famous for their crab-roe xlb. The ah-balling stalls there are also worth trying. Have fun!"
~John
Places that you can visit, places to eat – I got more eateries than I have places to visit…
1) Jap Restaurant: 长宁路890号玫瑰坊广场EF32 – good yakitori and sake!
2) Small lobster Restaurant: 虹桥路217号- if you’ve never experienced small lobster eating, try it once! Get the 年糕 ver.
3) Fakkin’ good Sichuan food: Jinjiang Dickson Mall area, look for 滴水洞 http://www.shanghainavi.com/food/restaurant.php?id=11
4) 小肥羊 – I always eat that when I go to Shanghai, WITHOUT FAIL!
5) Go to Xintiandi also ba, that’s all I know of Shanghai! "
~NH
" Hi, attached is the namecard with the addresses for Sichuan food (pretty spicy but its good. must book in advance hor). The following restaurants are also good, check out the reviews (must book too or go early)
- Spicy joint : http://www.dianping.com/shop/2061259
- Mushroom Hotpot : http://www.dianping.com/shop/2244928
- 789 Hotpot : http://www.dianping.com/shop/2198275
If you wanna try good xiao long bao, I would recommend a stall in this old town called 七宝 Qi Bao. There is a train station with this name on line 9 (i think). Once you emerge, there will be a shopping centre... but if you go across the road and walk in a bit further.. there is an 'old town'. Surprisingly, its filled with more locals than tourists and there's a food street there which is usually very crowded. The xiao long bao stall is near the bridge beside a pavilion. They are famous for their crab-roe xlb. The ah-balling stalls there are also worth trying. Have fun!"
~John
Chinese New Year Trip
I am very sure i will remember 2009 as the year where many people i know get hitched and hook up.
I ve been to Singapore and back, from 21st Jan - 3rd Feb. Met up with lots of friends and spoke to people i haven't met up with the previous trip back. Was happy to spend quality time with my dear family as well. I was quite happily in bliss. Happy for Antz, who got himself a great looking girlfriend, and Alf who will be doing theatre full time!
Coming back to HK, i was previously charged and motivated to make 2009 as best as I can as a salesperson. I have started changing some of my clothes to make myself feel and look better! Somehow, I feel a bit restless, but perhaps I have some backlog to clear before I can start on a clean slate. So, all moving along. All good.
Things I would like to do this year:
- Dress like a woman
- Get a Masters!
- Join a team sport or club
- Continue rock climbing with Bern
- Travelling on the weekends into China
I ve been to Singapore and back, from 21st Jan - 3rd Feb. Met up with lots of friends and spoke to people i haven't met up with the previous trip back. Was happy to spend quality time with my dear family as well. I was quite happily in bliss. Happy for Antz, who got himself a great looking girlfriend, and Alf who will be doing theatre full time!
Coming back to HK, i was previously charged and motivated to make 2009 as best as I can as a salesperson. I have started changing some of my clothes to make myself feel and look better! Somehow, I feel a bit restless, but perhaps I have some backlog to clear before I can start on a clean slate. So, all moving along. All good.
Things I would like to do this year:
- Dress like a woman
- Get a Masters!
- Join a team sport or club
- Continue rock climbing with Bern
- Travelling on the weekends into China
Monday, January 19, 2009
Coming Home
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!
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 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