First Trip to China - Yunnan (云南), China (中国)

Before my memory fails me, I better get my butt hand typing on the best overseas trip I ever have.

Yunnan, China

I do apologise for this utmost late entry since it was some 18 months ago (my trip was in March 2008). But it was a long trip (8 days; long for my standard), so many photographs were taken (to be exact, 1413 pictures) and the magnitude of cultural differences/shocks was so great! I was at a serious loss of words to type and I had no idea where to start.

This overseas trip will definitely be spread over a few entries since there were just too much things! Although my initial stereotypical impression of China was one of a traditional, backward, scheming, dirty society, I was slapped left and right with the truth

The people were friendly, the streets were clean (rural areas may differ), the hotels were modern and most importantly, the food was really quite good! Not to mention the breathtaking scenery that China is famous for and the cool weather in Yunnan (at least for those places I travelled to)! The temperature was never more than 20 degrees when I was there.

Scenery

The magnificent Stone Forest (石林), the deep Jiuxiang caves, the beautiful Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (玉龙雪山) with the old town in Lijiang, the snow capped mountains surrounding Shangri-La and the picturesque Dali fronted by Erhai lake in front and backed by a long line of Cangshan Mountains. I would love to settle down in Dali when I retired!

Stone Forest

Jiuxiang Caves

Old Town of Dali

 Foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

 Old Town of Lijiang

Another area in Old Town (Lijiang)

 The waterways in Old Town (Lijiang)

Facing the Erhai Lake (Dali)

The back of Dali; the magnificient Cangshan Mountains

In Shangri-La; one of the nature reserves

Culture

With over 25 minorities residing in Yunnan, you will be treated with the different cultures, customs and traditional dressing every time you travelled to a new county; the 5 different ways of burials by Tibetans in Shangri-La, the three cups of tea ceremony by the Bai tribe in Dali, the matriarchal culture of the Naxi tribe in Lijiang and many, many more.

Numerous cultural villages are also available to further your knowledge of the various minorities. And you may consider a relaxed stroll down the old streets of Dali and Lijiang, where you absorb the rich history of the area.

One of the cultural villages in Lijiang

A typical Tibetan dwelling

Food

Contrary to popular perceptions, the food was not THAT oily and I did have meat and fish every meal! As with Chinese custom, two bottles of beer are provided for each table every lunch and dinner! I have never been a beer drinker but in the cold weather (at one time, zero degree Celsius), they were really warming to the body!

With overseas trips, a piece of boring but nonetheless good advice is to maintain an open mindset and embrace the culture of the host country. And with that mentality, I learnt a lot, I ate a lot, I enjoyed a lot over the span of 8 days.

It was a definitely a fruitful trip, affirmative.

Popiah (薄饼)

Picture taken from another popiah buffet i attended

This dish snack is so simple to make, you will be wondering why people buy from the popiah stalls in hawker centres or coffee shops.

Okay i think i know! It MUST be the steamed Jícama (also known as Mexican Turnip). Or was it because there are just too many ingredients used? The popiah skin?

Nevermind!

My mum decided to have popiah buffet for the past few nights and i realised how fun it was to add the stuff you loved and roll them into THE perfect popiah.

My personal favourites include steamed prawns, sliced hard boiled eggs, a lot of sweet prawn paste, a few slices of chinese sausages, a big scoop of peanut bits and just a tablespoon of Jícama.

Roll them up and viola, its complete!

Dun need to cut into small portions lah! Just hold it with two hands and chomp down! It was finger licking delicious!

This one was by my mum. The correct, almost perfect proportion.

In case you are wondering what is popiah (goodness gracious me), please click HERE.

Anagram is FUN!

For most, if not all, Dan Brown's fans, one of the amazing factors is the use of anagrams in the novel, Da Vinci Code.

Still remember the famous artist featured extensively in it, Leonardo da Vinci? Which can be re-arranged as "O, Draconian devil"! How evil can tat be?!  

I was really drawn by the use of such intelligent methods, not to mention the awesome plot, which was full of mystism, symbolism, religions and deep conspiracy.

Unfortunately, i was really lazy to re-arrange my name (or that of my friends and family) and see what i can get. I seriously thought it could be The Great One! Okay, my name does not have the letter H, G or even R! Tat explained how bad im!

BUT, luckily, i managed to surf upon this website called Anagram Genius.

Although quite limited for the basic online search, which is good by the way, it does provide some interesting but at times meaningless anagrams.

My name anagrams to On Active. Sounds sexual right? Hahahahahaha. And im not going to tell. Some other anagrams of my good friends;

Alex Chiu = Hi! Ace Lux.

(sounds like e soap!)

Korny Kon = 'n' York 'n' OK.

(ha?)

Vanessa Tan = An ant saves.

(Vanessa is gonna be saved by an ant?)

If you wish to know more anagrams of your name (or any words), download the trial software available in the same website (mine anagrams to 1,421 findings)!

According to the website, Dan Brown used this infamous software to generate the anagrams for Da Vinci Code!

Yes, i AM active! :)

The Soup Spoon @ Bugis Junction

I am a great fan of Western soup due to its intense savory taste. Unfortunately, to find a bowl that is economically priced and yet filled with ingredients is not easy.

A bowl of beautifully presented mushroom soup from Tao's

I can count with my short and fat fingers the number of good Western soups I tried. No, Campbell is not one of them; truthfully far from it. A good soup will be the mushroom soup from Tao’s Modern Cuisine or the lobsters bisque soup from Jack’s Place.

Fast forward to a wet, rainy and obviously cool day (which is an appropriate time to enjoy a bowl of hot, steaming soup!), I decided to finally give Soup Spoon a try after hearing so much from the Great Kon and SSaNeVa.

At around $5.60 to $8.20 for a regular bowl, it is not a cheap economical deal (at least not for me). But a look at what regular means (please look below), I am sold! The regular size, to me, can be a noodle bowl in many food courts! Thinking ignorantly that it will be a small bowl, I topped up the soup  for a half wrap and a shop-brewed ice tea (additional $3.90).

Oh, it was also very heartwarming (and of course, generous) to see a piece of complimentary wholemeal bread right beside the bowl of soup. It was all ready to be dipped into the soup and eaten by us.  

So here goes my reviews!

Mushroom Soup (also known as the mouthful Velvety Mushroom Stroganoff)

Thick, creamy and with tons of mushroom bits! Each scoop of the soup, each bite of the billions millions thousands hundreds bitty nitty mushrooms was just so so heavenly. This should be the basic standard for all mushroom soups!~!

Clam Chowder Soup (from Boston

Likewise with the mushroom soup, it was rich and thickened with vegetables and clams! But personally, I found it a bit too overbearing in ingredients and not soupy enough. But obviously value for money!

Mushroom Chicken Half Wrap

Initial taste test was a “Yuck”! But as you chewed deeper, the earthly taste of fresh mushroom coupled with the simple taste of chicken made a really good, healthy combination. I finished it!

Lemon Tea

My favorite was from Kentucky Fried Chicken!

Here’s another one! :P

With 10 outlets spread all over Singapore, you will not need to travel far to enjoy this gem. Not to mention that Singapore is just a small red dot on the world map.

For more information on The Soup Spoon, its outlets and menu, please visit HERE.

Marina Barrage

 

Picture Taken from Here 

The latest dam in Singapore, it attracted large groups of Singaporeans and foreigners at its initial launch. Touted as a "beauty spot" with the beautiful skyline of Singapore right in front, you have to agree (look at my fierce shihtzu staring at you) by the number of persons proudly professionally holding their DSLRs and diligently clicking away.

Okay, we all know the government is not stupid enough to create one area purely to see the buildings downtown. According to the government website (PUB), the barrage serves 3 significant purposes:

1. Water Supply (as Singapore's 15th reservoir)
2. Flood Control (flooding amongst areas like Chinatown during the rainy season etc)
3. Lifestyle Attraction (yes!)

Good to go gahmen!! You managed to make a boring dam so damn interesting that it has become a tourist attraction.

With the lightly salted sea breeze and the great scenary surrounding you, i am not surprised if someone set up a table with a checkered tablecloth and started having a glass of Domaine Romanée-Conti with his/her loved ones. 

Even when night falls and the sky turns into shades of red and blue, the area still exudes a certain relaxed and romantic streak. Awwwww...... 

Anyway, besides the impressive view of the skyline (so long the haze stays away), the barrage has a gallery educating the public on Singapore’s efforts towards environmental sustainability.

Personally, i found it be very informative, very interesting; almost like  Singapore Discovery Centre (albeit a smaller one). It is also a great area to hide from the hot weather (aircon - the greatest invention)!! 

There are also water structures you can cool yourself with! Be prepared to jostle with the screaming, innocent and happy kids. 

 

 This little girl so cute! She even posed for me.

On a final note, the marina barrage is a favourite with

• families (the amount of kids power in the gallery can be rather disturbing),
• friends (picnicking at the grass patch at the top floor) and
• couples (yes, Elijah. I saw how you almost sucked out the breath from Caly). 

At times, you can even see people flying kites! During the Singapore's Grand Prix (some time around September every year), you can also hear the tyres screeching plus seeing the signifcantly air pollution emerging across the pool of water. 

Opps sorry, you can hear but you can never see the race track. 

Us goofing around (yes, the youngest is quarter a century old)

For more information on Marina Barrage, its opening hours and how to get there, please visit PUB.

Dream - A Malay Boy

I don't always remember my dreams; I dreamt, i woke up, i remembered for a few minutes, i forgot.. somewhere around this sequence. Hahahaha.

Although i have tried to forget this particular dream, which happened on Friday night (or should i say Saturday morning), i have not been successful at all! The face is now a bit hazy but i can still remember the dream pretty well.

I was just walking along the streets and every now and then, i will see a Malay boy staring at me from e corner. He was about 7 years old and i can feel his piercing eyes. Every now and then, i can hear him screaming!

Not any scream. It was high pitched... very high pitched!

Shocked everytime i heard it, i was also equally confused. Why am i seeing him? What is his purpose? The dream continued aimlessly and before long, i saw what happened....

SILENT

It was like i am the third party looking at a previously happened event. I was driving my car and reasons unknown, i reversed the car.... without knowing that the Malay boy was right behind it...

I knocked him down.

It was in slow motion. He gave the exact same scream i heard; piercing, and full of anguish, pain and suffering. I was inside e car and din hear a single thing, not a single thing. I saw what happened. It was horrifying!

With beads of sweat on my back, i woke up abruptly without knowing if its true or not. It was so bloody real! I needed to pee badly but the night was still early (4am). I was frightened; not knowing if the boy was lurking at the dark corners of the kitchen or balcony.

BUAY TAHAN!!

Anyway, i shall check with my mom on her dream almanac for any 4D numbers.

Color Checking - What Colour Animals Are You?

I love personality tests! Besides the fact that they are usually quite interesting, most of them (facebook sucks in those tests) allow you to measure yourself against the results, regardless how true it really uis.

The above mentioned link (click the heading.... =_=!!!) was sent to me by one of my colleagues and it was the first time animals were being used! Not just any animal but one with different colors. Heard of pink panther, black panther? what about blue one? green one?

My analysis as follows:

A zoomed in translation!

• Brown panthers personality is very cheerful, and free from care (true).
• Such character attracts people and helps to build up network of connections (what do you think?).
• Brown Panthers have very pure heart, and dislike anything crooked (i have always know im pure hearted and angelic).
• You devote to others full heartedly and faithfully (i agree).
• You are very independent and at the same time a hard worker (i believe im).
• Because of this personality, other people naturally see you as a leader (eh... i have my doubts on this).
• Money wise, and in personal relations, you have good fortunes (relationship i think im, but money.... i need more).
• You are weak in sales and bargaining (sniff... tats why i quit my previous job..).
• You tend to lack to see insight, but smartness is Brown Panthers belief, so you can negotiate in your own pace, and can lead the others to come along (eh....).
• You are strong willed person with pride, and do not like to loose (im. period).
• You get interested in many things and tend to challenge new things (tats why i get bored so easily!).
• But you lack the last step forward, and therefore need more modest effort making (i do?).
• You have a personality of a daydreamer (i love to enjoy life).
• When this fantasy leads to real project, it can end up in development of extremely unique item that may sell millions (really?).
• You are suited to idea creating occupations such as in advertisement (well... i enjoy microsoft publisher).
• However, you are not too good at balancing out the money and the work, so you need to be careful on that (i eat a lot and i know where the money goes to).

I think it is 85% true!! But im gonna have my reservations on the development of an extremely unique product that will bring in millions!

Go and determine for yourself!