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

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

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!

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.

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.

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

Classic Chocolate Roulade

Roulades may be retro, but this was a really fun option. I figured I had a Boxing Day food party, so if this turned out good, I could share it with my friends. This chocolate cake and ganache (I realised how great Valhorna chocolate bars taste over cocoa power!) was easy to make, the chocolate leaves at the top needed a bit of work ( I had to dust melted chocolate on Bay leaves, then peel them off when they have chilled!). Will definitely make it again, but in a chocolate swiss roll kinda way, without the chocolate leaves!

Serves 5-6
Cake Ingredients:
Eggs
Caster Sugar
Flour
Cocoa Power
Vanilla Extract
Fresh Blueberries
Chocolate Leaves
Icing Sugar

Ganache Ingreadients:
DarkValhorna Chocolate
Butter
Thickened Cream
Rum