Sight Beyond Sight

一《本》情书

2016-03-04T21:40:00.002-08:00

如果那天没下雨，如果从来没遇过你, 今天的我会是如何？会勇敢的参赛吗？我今天的改变全因你的出现。全因你的守护。

好享受与你在一起大吃麻辣香锅汗流夹背的时光，太迷恋你的熊抱，更舍不得你的体温。你瞬间地抽离仿佛像日吃把灿烂的阳光都吞没了。那俊俏的笑颜依然让人如此心醉，同时也让人心碎。睡在你的身边，却回不到相恋的那个夜晚。

从不介意你所谓的坏，但尊重你的决定，越尝试放手，心越痛，更痛的是连一个施舍的吻别也得不到。

看着你我的旧相片，不知你也会在想起我。不愿相信我们的缘份就那么短暂，依然期待你的爱。等一天你把任性都放下，转身回头时会发现我在默默地等着你再次的亲吻

情人节快乐/生日快乐

Shanghai - the pearl of modern China.

2016-01-13T03:00:00.001-08:00

Day 1.

Arrived at Shanghai Hong Qiao Airport, located at the west of the city. It's A humble airport with nothing much worth mentioning. Yea. Not until you reach the city. Upon reaching the city area, you will be greeted by many modern sky scrapers, and tiers of elevated highways. We travelled toward the east, passing through the Huang Pu district, crossing the famous Huang Pu river through the Yan'an road underground tunnel.

Checked in at Novotel at Pudong area. A relatively new developing estate. Well, the journey from the airport to the pudong area cost around rmb100, which I find its very affordable (including traffic jams). After purchasing a local SIM card for my gps navigation, I started to venture to the Shanghai Science Center (KeiGuan) and Century Park, then to the financial district of Shanghai, where the Shanghai Financial Towers is located. The subway is a great way to explore the city. Changing lines at the interchange is easy, direction markings are printed on the station floor for easy navigation ;) I went up to the top floor of shanghai financial tower to witness the night scene of Shanghai. Then we went to a Japanese Onsen style hot spring and spa, Ji Le Tang (Gokurakuyu) to end the first night

Shanghai Taxi

Taxi with touch screen panel for info and advertisement.

ShangHai Ke Ji Guan and Century Park

Panorama of Shanghai Science Centre (Shanghai Ke Ji Guan)

The Shanghai Science Centre

Another shot of the building

Relaxing at the park (Century Avenue - Shi Ji Da Tao) near the science centre

A Panorama shot of the lake of The Century Park

Pudong Financial District

Night Scene above the Financial Tower

The magnificent Shanghai Financial Tower

Another Night scene above the financial tower

Great night scene of Shanghai

The Three Famous Towers

http://www.gokurakuyu.cn/ - highly recommended

Food and fruits

Halal Dinner

Local grapes :)

Giant Persimmon and pomegranate

Day 2.

I had a great time at the spa and fully recharged for the day. I went to a local restaurant for my breakfast. Had a feast of shiao long bao and fish noodle. We had a quick visit to the local wet market before going back to the hotel to check out. Then we move to yu yuen - a relatively old area of Shanghai. After check into the Ibis (Yu Yuan) Hotel. we visited the Cheng Huang Miao (temple) and yu yuan (garden) - a back yard garden with many man make landscape. which is located minutes away from the hotel.

Next is the famous river bank of Shanghai - the bund. We ride to cruise ship which provide valuables info about the city development. Highly recommended. After that we moved to the shopping district of Shanghai - the Nanjing road, after a hearty dinner at nearby restaurant which serves local dishes. Ermm.... Shanghai dishes are mainly dark (of the sauce) and sweet (higher than average). The shopping area is huge!!! Each malls along the road are brightly lighted. Many international brands can be found here. Please prepare to shop till you drop :p

Allow me to remind you that the subway is closing by 10pm. So please check the time if u must take the subway at this hour.

Local Wet Market

A quick visit to the local wet market (at Pudong area)

Father and son

A local junction

Various local ingredients

Breakfast - Grilled Fish noodle (at Pudong area)

YuYuan and Cheng Huang Temple

YuYuan Old Street

Yu Yuan Cheng huang Miao (Cheng Huang Temple)

Cheng Huang Miao famous Siew Long Bao (dumplings) - waaaay OVER-RATED

Sorry to say this - Avoid at all cost! not worth the price and the long queue-ing time

Yu Yuan Garden

Stage performance will be conducted at selected timing.

The Bund and the river cruise

The Famous - The Bund

The Dinner- Shanghai Cruisine

Day 3

Woke up early in the morning and travelled west to a old village call Ju Jia Jiao. A Venice like setting with rows of old houses lined along the canal, and boats are used as the means of transportation. Of cos nowadays you got to pay for the rides. It is just a tourist attraction now. Houses are being converted into shops selling souvenirs and food. There are no more villagers living there anymore. After that we travelled back to the city and visited an area call Tian Zhi Fang - a place selling many souvenirs and eateries. Next is Xin Tian Ti. A please with nice western pub, bar and pricey restaurant. It was packed. There's no better way to end the night with a nice supper and a massage. I had two 'da za' crabs .

Ju Jia Jiao (Ju Jia Village)

The best restaurant in the entire trip - offering steamboat with fresh slice beef.

The BEST beef ball in the world - trust me!!

Tian Zhi Fang

Enjoying a cup of hot Pu-er tea along a long day of traveling

Xin Tian Ti - pubs and western cuisine

Road side Sea food stall

Da Za Xie (Hairy Crabs) - Sooooooooooo Yummmmmmmmy

20 yuan per crab - must try.

Advise from the local - DO NOT take hairy crab and persimmon on the same day. it's poisonous when eat together

Day 4.

Travelled to the city central. And had a run around the hotel area before ending my trip in Shanghai. Took an over night train to Beijing and continue my second part of the journey

Our train overnight train to Beijing

The cabin inside the train - its clean, hygienic, comfortable. China bravo on your railway system. Impressive!

Beijing part 2

So, this is the second time I came to this beautiful city. I really like the old oriental setting of the city. Nothing much have changed, even the traffic jam is still as massive if not worsen. Please see my first post on Beijing if you are interested, because I have visited most of the same places again.

Summary

Shanghai

Well..

First impression: why people keep spitting onto the floor?!!! Why? Many locals do that, be it young or old. Why so many phlegm to be expelled??? The situation in shanghai is worse than in Beijing.

Second impression: superb subway system, with seamless connecting routes from one station to another at the interchange.

Third impression : Cheap taxi ride. Even at night

Fourth: Shanghai Siao Long Bao is way overrated. Just stick to the Ding Tai Fong Restaurant unless your local host bring you to some where special.

Fifth : Hairy Crab really taste good... and cheap in shanghai.

Sixth : Please take note if you are visiting different cities in China throughout our trip. The local SIM card charges different rates from one city to another. Please check with the Telco counter carefully before buying one. (Mandarin is a must)

Seventh : Please allow minimum 3 hours for flight transit if you are not taking a direct flight. And equally important, check your transit terminal for your flight. My flight was :

Sg -- Beijing (terminal 3) -- Beijing (terminal 1) --- Shanghai. Do take note that you need to check out n recheck in again from 1 terminal to the other. Yes, u need to go through the passport check and the security check all over again.

Magnificent Xi an - City of 13 dynasties

2015-05-05T02:49:00.001-07:00

When i first started to plan for the trip, to be honest, i did not give much thought of the city except the terracotta armies Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum). To me, Xi’ an is all about the famous clay armies figures created centuries ago with the purpose to protect the mighty emperor Qin in his after life. Booked the ticket with Air Asia under the promotional package. As for the hotel, i have chosen the Grand Mercure of Xi’an, also under discounted rate. On top of that, i have also hired a local driver introduced by one of my friend.

Met the local driver upon my arrival whom is a nice and gentle guy :) despite our late night arrival (budget airline flight schedule really sucks ) He drove us to our hotel, which is strategically located at the very heart of the city, surrounded by government offices. Overall, i wanna give 10 of of 10 to the hotel for its superb hospitality, helpfulness and security.(I did not receive any marketing fee from them, it's just my sincere appreciation)

Grand Mercure Hotel Xi'an

Day 1.

As planned, after the splendid breakfast buffet at the hotel restaurant, we took a short walk nearby the hotel area. We walked through some of Xi an famous landmark - The Bell tower 西安钟楼 and then visited the Cheng Wang Miao (Temple) briefly before heading to the muslim street. Muslim street seems too quiet in the morning. However, we sat down at one of the food stall and tried the liang fen (cool noodle) and the famous Xi an dish - 羊肉泡馍 (lamb stew with pan baked bun - it's like Chinese version of hamburger- but it just tasted better). Delicious!

Xi'an City famous landmark - 西安钟楼 (Bell Tower)

Without much delay, we rushed to the Xi an Historical Musuem. A huge 2 storey building fully packed with collections of ancient Chinese artefacts from different dynasties. A must visit destination for your Xi an Trip. An eye opener destination showcasing the intelligence of our forefathers in many aspects - weaponry, luxury pottery, jewely, craftsmanship, etc.

Second destination of the day, The Giant Crane Tower - Da Yan Ta (大雁塔), a tower where all the buddhist scriptures were being stored after the famous Chinese monk Tang Xuan return from the far west of india.(he was being featured as the main character in the famous Chinese literature - journey to the west) It is amazing that the tower is still standing high and proud for all these centuries.

Next to the tower, there is a huge high tech water fountain show worth watching. it is huge, and I’m guessing it is about as big as 1.5 times of a football field, and the water can shoot up to 3 storey height. The show is being performed daily to public for free. A place of gathering for locals and definitely a nice place to visit for travelers. Don't forget to check out the street food selling by the side of the fountain.

Da Yan Ta (大雁塔)

The Water fountain at the background

Xi an Historical Museum

Many faces of the terracotta armies

Day 2

The day that i have been waiting for was finally here -Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum (兵马俑). We arrived early at the museum. It was already full of tourist. The museum is basically divided into 3 sections : 1. The 1st Excavation Site. 2. The second excavation site. and 3. Exhibition hall.

The first excavated site area is huge in terms of scale, there are easily thousands of individually unique clay armies being put on display. Lining up in a military marching formation, The Terracotta warriors are indeed symbolizes courage, fearless and royalty. The formation itself paints a scene of magnificent and grandness. Various ranks of soldiers and even battle horses can be found at the site. You will be amazed with all the details that have been added in creating these statues, from individual hair style to the lining of the shoe pad, and from color of the skin tone to the lines on the palm. The features and poses of each and every statue was vividly crafted. The locals say, you may find your past life here if you see a soldier resemble your appearance.

Please don't rush to buy the souvenirs from the tout/seller within the museum compound, because you might be getting one at much much lower price at the exit of the museum. (Note: The entrance and the exit are not the same area)

After a hearty lunch at the nearby restaurant, we took a quick tour to Hua Ching Chi (華清池). This spring bathing complex is famous as the supposed scene of Xuanzong's romance with his consort Yang Guifei.

The Statue of Emperor Qing at the entrance of the museum

The entrance to the First Site.

The first Excavation site

The Location where the first Statue was being found

Close up detail of a TerraCotta Statue

Statue of Yang Guifei (楊貴妃)

Day 3

First stop :

Fa Men Shi 法门寺-
the centuries old pagoda where the Sierra of Buddha was being kept. The sacred relic was believed to be burried underneath the tower together with 3 other replicas. Two of these were made of white jade. The third relic was from a famous monk. These three 'replica' are called "duplicate relics" (影骨). They were placed together with a "true relic" (灵骨) in order to protect the real one from theft. The true relic is yellow-colored, with bone-like secretory granules. It was a finger bone of the Sakyamuni Buddha according to the research. A great place showcasing how far the Chinese of olden days willing to go in order to protect the most important artefact of the Buddha.

Second stop:

Qian ling (乾陵)

the tomb of Emperor Gaozong and his empress Wuzetian, is located on the peak of Liangshan. We hired a commentator to narrate the tale of the place.

There are also 2 stone steles. The one located at the east, was originally erected blank following Empress Wuzetian's will which read, "my achievements or mistaking should be evaluated by the later generations, so left my stele blank". This blank tablet was 6.3 meters high, 2.1 meters wide and 1.5 meters thick. During the Song and Jin dynasties, however, quite a few travelers did inscribe it, changing the wordless stele into an inscribed one. In the west of the "blank" stele stands the Telling the Emperor's Deeds Stele, 6.3 meters high and 1.9 meters wide. The carvings on the stele give high honour of Emperor Gaozong for his military and administrative achievements.

The third day tour was indeed a fascinating one. The rich history of these places and the vivid commentary by the professional guide really deepened my impression about this city and the intellect of olden days people. I started to like this city!

Fa Men Shi 法门寺

Qian ling (乾陵)

The famous "Blank Stele"(無字碑)

Day 4

Hua Shan trip

Early morning,we took the express train to the base of Hua Shan, then we ride the Cable car to the peak of the mountain. The scenery was totally awesome! The gigantic size of Hua Shan literally keep reminding us how insignificant we are in term of size. (Warning :Tourist with weak heart, please take all necessary precaution)

The sun was strong and the safety features was absolute minimum. Dear visitor, please becareful and climb at your own risk.

Night fall and the the lights were starting to light up. The city became so much more colorful. It's was bustling with people and activities. The walk covered the famous chong Lou and gu Lou and the Muslim street. Muslim street transforms into a mega street food heaven in the night. Tried and bought many many of the snack, so little time, so much to eat...

Magnificent view from the cable car!!

Local plaything: the spinning Hou, u whip the Hou to keep it spinning.

The night of Xi an

The colourful Chong Lou

Day 5

As the last day of the trip, i have decided to pay the Xi an Expo site a visit. It took about 40mins of taxi ride from the city. Built in 2011, the site was constructed for Xi'an China International Horticultural Exposition 2011 ( 2011年中国西安世界园艺博览会). Well, 3 years after the event, the site seems deserted and abandoned. It has been converted into a huge park. Some of the beautiful buildings are still remain for visit. but overall the maintenance of the park are minimum, some features or facilities already started to deteriorate. Only a hand full of old folks were wandering around the park during my visit, other than that, the park is basically empty with a sense of eerie feeling.

The Food Section:
Hand Made noodle is the main diet of Xi an People. There are variety type of noodle. If compare to the type of noodle which being served in Malaysia or Singapore, Noodle make by Xi an people is so much more delicious. I am not joking, you really have to experience yourselves.

Liang Mian (Cold Noodle) from The Muslim Street

Delicious Local Dishes

羊肉泡馍

Varies Local merchants

Fresh local fruitssss - freshly picked fruit sold by local farmers - Heavenly

Famous Restaurant for 羊肉泡馍

Conclusion

As i have mentioned from the beginning, I thought there is nothing special about Xi an except the world famous mysterious Terracotta armies. But after the splendid 5 days trip, I began to see Xi an differently. Xi an is indeed a magnificent and yet a mysterious city to me, and it is indeed very charming to me. All the ancient structures have been well protected for all these years. Compared to Beijing the historical element here were much more older than what you can experience in Beijing. I started to gain interest in China's histories. There are still many historical place i have yet to cover. Perhaps i might be planning for another trip to Xi an again.

Taiwan - The Land of Beautiful People

2013-06-05T23:09:00.001-07:00

The best thing i wanted to highlight here is that Taiwanese are generally kindhearted, polite and so friendly that you can even simply approach a person on the street and start chatting. Trust me, I have tried that a few times ;) and had a pleasant conversation. Taiwan too is a developed country ,but Taiwanese don't seem to have the arrogant attitude or as materialistic as mega cities people

Fruits here are fresh and affordable. Peaches, plums, mangoes, grapes, Lai chi, guavas, cherries, apples, pineapples and many many more. It is a heaven of fresh fruits. Local food and snacks are tasty too with great packaging.

Infrastructure in general are better than the Singapore self claimed world class transportation. The bridges, the road system and the road condition, the bus service, the underground rail service as well as the fast train service are clean well managed, and most of all cheap and public oriented (unlike singapore's corporate and profit oriented)

Another highlight is the 'Villa 32' hot spring located at the xin bei thou (新北投) area. The super luxury hot spring spa is worth a try at a very affordable fee of tw$1700. (Please be assured that i was not given a single cent to advertise for the facilities) With free flow of Evian water, full range of Dermalogica products, super nice relax area, super clean hot spring facilities, and superb customer service. This indeed a world class spa

Finally to all Taiwanese who have shown your kindness to me, young or old, pretty or handsome, I would like to say 谢谢 to you all ;) you guys have made my Taiwan trip a memorable one ;) Taiwan is no doubt a beautiful country, but Taiwaneses are even more beautiful ;)

Tao Yuan International Airport

Handmade Sun Cake

Sample tasting time :)

Bing Lang Plantation

Sunflower Plantation

Pineapple Plantation

The sky bridge

Huan Ying :) (Welcome)

Great View from Ching Jing

The Ching Jing Farm - breathtaking views come with complimentary fresh air

Sun Moon Lake (南投)
As the name goes :- The east side of the lake resembles a sun while the west side resembles a moon. It is the largest body of water in Taiwan, and also the home of the Thao Tribe.

The Thao Tribe Gallery

The Thao Tribe Traditional Dance

The Hakka Musuem

Solar Powered Bus Station

Flower Plantation

Long Shan Temple

Fruits are cheap and fresh around long shan temple :)

The Sun Yet San Memorial Hall
Sun Yat-sen - one of the most recognizable founding fathers of the Republic of China. Majority of the exhibits displayed were revolutionary events of the national founding fathers at the end of the Qing Dynasty.

Taipei 101
Taipei 101 is among the top ten tallest buildings, and it offers 360 degree of breathtaking view of the energetic city. With tw$500, one can access the observation deck, the anti-earthquake damper chamber, as well as the sky roof. Or alternatively, one can choose to sit back, relax and enjoy a cup of freshly prepared coffee while mesmerizing the great view at the coffee bean cafe, reservation is required. The fireworks displays every New year eve celebration is spectacular.

The Anti-Earthquake Damper

Night View From Taipei 101

Palace Museum

is an art gallery and museum built around a permanent collection centered on ancient Chinese artifacts. The collections were divided in the 1940s as a result of the Chinese Civil War. The National Palace Museum in Taipei now boasts a truly international collection while housing one of the world's largest collections of artifacts from ancient China.(wiki) However, please dont compare this museum to the Forbidden City in Beijing, but try your very best to relate the items/collection with the Forbidden City where the collections are truefully belong.

The Famous Taipei Arena (小巨蛋)

Tam Sui - 渔人码头(Fisherman's Wharf)

Bus route is clearly displayed and being announced by bus driver

Shilin Night Market

Tian Hou Temple at Ximen

Food

Lu Rou Fan (滷肉飯) with 3 eggs salad

Mian Xian

Delicious Lai Chi and Grapes

Mr. Brown Cafe

Stir fried Pig Kidney -at Shilin Night Market

Bigtom ice cream and mango shake :)

Shan Xi Tang Beef Noodle

Lu Rou Fan (滷肉飯) with Lu Tan

Cold Noodle

Ma La Mian (Spicy noodle)

Mango Shave Ice in Dongmen

Pai Gu Mian (Noodle in Pork Rib soup)

Saio Long Pow and dumpling

Beijing - The City of Emperors

2013-06-02T19:45:00.003-07:00

Frankly speaking, before the trip, my impression to the city was rude people, dirty toilet, filthy street, and unhygienic eating place, tainted food and pick pockets. But the moment I arrived at the city, I knew I was wrongly informed about the the magnificent city. It is in fact one of the cleanest and well managed city that I have visited, even better than some of the European cities.

The city of Beijing is the capital of the People's Republic of China and The population as of 2012 was 20,693,000.[2] The metropolis, located in northern China, is governed as a direct-controlled municipality under the national government (wiki)

Departed from singapore Changi airport and after 6 and a half hours of flight journey, we arrived at terminal 3 of the Beijing international airport. Upon stepping into the terminal lobby, one will be amazed by its size and simple yet elegant architectural design. With very high and long span ceiling (in which you cannot see both ends), it makes Changi airport look like a dwarf.

I have tried some strange but surprisingly delicious local delights - the donkey meat sandwich(驴肉火烧)，the deep fried scorpion, the thin sliced cow stomach cooked in the spicy soup (爆肚 bao du). Other local food are fantastic as well such as the Peking duck, the dumplings and steam buns, noodles and many more.
Local fruits are tasty too ;) at this period of time, there are cherries, peaches, plum(yang mei), mangoes, and laichi. There are fresh and sweet.

Local people i met are kind and helpful too, try to ask for directions or help, I'm sure you will not be ignored. A simple xie xie thank you after that, and the local will sure reply 'mei shi-er' (you are welcome) with a smile ;)

In many occasion, they may seem to speak very loud and hard. This the way they used to, imagine living in a big city crowded with people, one really need to scream in order to be heard.

The greening effort of Beijing is worth mentioning. Singapore is well known for its greening effort where greeneries like big trees and plants are well trimmed in most part of the island. Beijing on the other hand, has done it even better and larger scale (due to its size is several times the size of Singapore). Willow trees are the main attraction here, when it dances elegantly when the summer breeze blows. On top of that, during the summer season, the colorful flowers bloom. Great effort also given to prevent the trees from dying in the extreme temperature during the winter time. Bravo beijing ;)

Fast Train to TianJing

The fast Train Station of Beijing

Inside the fast train cabin

Speed reaching 290km/h

The design of the fast train

The train and its captain

Tian jing - The complex that sell nothing but Ma Hua ( Fried Bun)

The statue of Chong Kuei - Lord of the Underworld

Beijing City - The Tian An Men Square

The Forbidden City 紫禁城 - the greatest palace.

For almost 500 years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government.
The name "紫禁城 (Zijin Cheng)" is a name with significance on many levels. Zi (Purple) refers to the Ziwei Star (North Star), and in traditional Chinese astrology was the heavenly abode of the Celestial Emperor. The surrounding celestial region, the Ziwei Enclosure (Chinese: 紫微垣; pinyin: Zǐwēiyuán), was the realm of the Celestial Emperor and his family. The Forbidden City, as the residence of the terrestrial emperor, was its earthly counterpart. Jin, or "Forbidden", referred to the fact that no one could enter or leave the palace without the emperor's permission. Cheng means a walled city.

The architectural and engineering aspect of this magnificent palace are a marvel even in today's term. The mega scale wood structures, signified the great power of the past emperors and his kingdom still standing proud without a single sign of fatigue. From the huge halls and the never ending red wall, we arrived at the king's chamber. What surprised me was the place is humbly small, i would say it is even smaller than our average home.

The King's chamber

The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall is another magnificent engineering wonder. Built on the top of the mountain chain, this barrier walls and watch tower served as the primary defend system of the ancient china, where wars were raged for conquering lands. I managed to climb the wall, it's not that hard, do more training prior to the visit and you will enjoy the climb even more. I do recommend jogging and squat as steps are uneven and high. Not to worry, Massage in Beijing is cheap, about Rmb 120 for 2 hours at palor/salon. So you can consider having one after the climb ;)

Olympic Park

Food

Prepring donkey meat sandwich (驴肉火烧)，

donkey meat sandwich (驴肉火烧)，

Deep Fried Scorpion

爆肚

bing tang hu lu 冰糖葫芦

Typical Beijing Breakfast

Tian Than

The Tea House

Beijing Zoo - Panda

The summer palace
Again this place has shown how brilliant our ancestors are. The mighty man made Kunming lake against the mountain created the perfect landscape where the cooling mist from the mountain and the refreshing breeze meet create a air-conditioned like environment perfect for summer getaway ;)

The Modern Beijing

Xi Dan area

The Place 世贸天阶 with a huge LCD screen that display vivid colors and animations.

给妈妈的信2012

2012-08-15T03:23:00.004-07:00

如出舞台剧, 悠悠歌声. 也许如烟火般灿烂,也许平平无奇，迷不倒世人... 却足以感动了台下的这名傻仔。你的不辞而别，尽管叫那舞台再耀眼也美中不足。曲终人散, 但对你那万千姿态却回味无穷，念念不忘。这傻仔，抱住这真挚的思念，独自淋着时代的风雨，烧完青春，还须要走几里路才到达梦想的家。
转眼间一年已过，分秒似箭，大家都过地很好，但怀念总是少不免的，当时的依依不舍也随着时间的流逝已变成了今日的一种习惯。疲劳的心还在跳，只是有不少辛酸想与你倾诉。没有你的家不知为何变的冷清了，变的陌生了。生活依旧，但那引以为傲的幸福感已不在了。

那刁蛮的孙女已蹦蹦跳跳地上学去了，有时还把妈妈和公公都气地半死。而那固执的细女也即将成家立室。在天之灵，你也该安心了吧。

Europe Trip 1 - The City Of Romance : Paris

2012-05-22T22:33:00.001-07:00

The City Of Romance - Paris

This is the first time I'm traveling to a European country. My Heart was beating fast. Yes I'm pretty damn excited. The fantasies as well as the amazing stories of the romantic city i picked up from movies and books kept playing in my head during my 13 hours long flight. I managed to get some sleep tough, while learning some handy French words. Upon arrival I purchased the Paris Visit 3 days unlimited pass for zone 1-3(cost about €20+) at The airport information counter.

I boarded the RER train with excitement and alighted at the st. Micheal station where The first building I saw when I come up from the Underground station was the magnificent Norte dame building. It was early in the morning when there are no tourist around. The soft morning sun shined gently behind the centuries old monument, hmmm...what a great sight. Thank you Paris for such a heartwarming greeting :).

Well, being in the foreign city of the first time i kind of lost my sense of direction. I turned my map sillily from clockwise to the counter clock wise, while trying my best to strain my eyes to look for the french streets name. I finally managed to locate my hotel - Hotel St. Jacques at Latin Quater, all thank to a nice Parisian guy who kindly enough to walk me to the hotel :) I quickly downloaded the city map on my iPhone using the hotel wifi. And then i'm all set to go while chewing some 'pates de fruits' ( jelly gummy candy but taste better). The Norte dame was just a 5 mins walk from my hotel, so I paid the building a visit after I grab my first French breakfast at the nearby Eric Kayser, a famous Paris bakery chain. I fell in love with their pastries almost immediately ;) it was awesome!

I would say The seine river cruise is a must for first timer to Paris as It provide a good and comprehensive introduction to the beautiful and yet historical city. Besides the century old buildings which stood harmonically along both sides of the river, one may see many Parisian chilling and relaxing by the riverbank too. Wave to them and they certainly waved back to you with a cheerful smile:)

Not familiar with the city's metro system, i decided to a long walk from the pier back to my hotel, while enjoying the cooling breeze and the amazing city landscape. Back to the hotel. I searched for iPhone apps for the metro system and I found 'Guide Paris'. A simple app that all you need to do is to select the departure and arrival station. ( you can refer to the tourist map for the nearest station name) it will tell you which station to alight or transit, which service line and direction to go. Easy but the down side is it does not provide the connection to the RER service line. The metro - fast rail service connecting the city like a spider web. While the RER - link between the city and the suburb like the airport and Disneyland.

Knowing to use the metro system give you great agility. However if possible try to walk on the street, as there are so much more to see. For the following days i started my day with a shot of espresso (about €1~€1.20) and a croissant. That's what the local do in the morning :)

You can't avoid visiting the museums and monuments in Paris, therefore it's better to purchase the 2 days unlimited museum pass and it will save you some euros. Please plan ahead since some museum is located far away from the town, such as the chateau de versailles.

the other interesting places i have visited included

1. The Centre Pompidou art gallery,

2. The galleries Lafayette shopping centre -
Aside luxury designers handbags, another thing worth looking for is the famous macaroons- Pierre Herme, once you've tried it, you will think twice before you buy another macaroons again somewhere else.

3. The Lourve -
The magnificent Louvre museum. It is the most fascinating place in Paris! The famous 'Mona Lisa' painting is there ;) but it was not the only reason you should go there, there are many more historical paintings, artifects and statues to be seen from ancient Egypt to the land of rising sun.

4. The Eiffel Tower & the Palais de Chaillot -
As suggested by a local, i arrived at the Palais, to witness the beauty of the Eiffel tower for far, and then slowly walk towards the tower for its more breathtaking close-up view. There are 2 way to get to the top of the tower, First take the lift but have to endure to kilometre long queue. Secondly take the staircase, which made up of about 650 steps. I have choosen the stairs up to the first and second deck because the shorter queue. The Eiffel tower was truly charming from bottom to top. It's masculine steel structure....while the architectural of the tower which consist a series of arch and curves have added some feminine touch to it. And when it is light up during the night, it become even more charming. it is indeed an amazing piece of artwork.

5. Arc de Triomphe

6. Sentier -
Its a street market which offer variety of local products, such as chocolates, bakeries, fruits, seafood, cheese, meat and so on so forth.

7. Le Marais area,

8. Latin quarter area - do try the famous ice cream in Paris - Maison Berthillon,

9. La defence - Paris business centre with modern architectual.

10. MontMartre - the location of the white domed Basilica of the Sacré Cœur

11.Musée du Cinéma - Cinematheque Française

12. Chateau De Versailles - Don't forget to buy a cup of hot chololate from the famous france restaurant - Angelina, as its signature Hot chocolate is the top of the world.

Tips:

1. Convenient stores like 7-11 are not as easily found as in Asian countries like Hong Kong and Singapore. Do stock up some fruits and drinking water from time to time.

2. The hotels are indeed expensive, but you don't always have to stay in the budget backpackers inn, special promotions are available during the low season or the beginning of the peak season. So do more research and it might save you some euros while enjoying a comfortable hotel room.

3. For budget travelers, a proper meal in Paris and London might cost you a fortune. But you don't have to worry too much, as you can alway buy the pre-cooked meal from the local supermarket shelf. Convenient tasty, cheap and you can bring it to everywhere you go.

If possible do make one or two trip to the restaurant for a good meal, after-all local cuisine is also part of the traveling experience. Many restaurants offer formulae - fixed price course dinner. Walk around or make a few more turns and I'm sure you can find one that suit your taste and wallet ;)

4. Attitude problem - I have heard many stories about unfriendliness of the local people. To be honest I did not Encounter one rude local during my visit be it at Paris, London and Milan. As i have mentioned, some local may even guide me to my destination, with a smile. Be humble and initiate with a friendly smile or a simple phase of local greeting. That's help alot.

The Centre Pompidou art gallery

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris

City Landmarks

The People

The Eiffel Tower

The Modern City of La Défense

The Greatest Museum - The Lourve

Chateau De Versailles

The Hall of Mirrors

The restoration works in progress.

Miscellaneous

Delicious Macaroons from Pierre Herme :)

Sunset at Paris :)

Flourist at Sentier

A Fruit stall at Sentier

Arc de Triomphe 1

Arc de Triomphe 2

Basilica of the Sacré Cœur

Europe Trip 2 - The Fashion Capital : Milan

2012-05-16T01:53:00.000-07:00

Easyjet did a pretty good job by providing cheap and smooth no frill traveling experience within the European countries. I arrived at the Milan Linate Airport, then boarded the shutter bus to my hotel located at the Centrale FS which about half an hour away. Along the way, I did not see any interesting building or houses, but only graffiti, and lots of them. There are everywhere, on the walls, gates, roller shutter, bridge girders, stations, trains and etc... I checked into the hotel and immediately grabbed my camera and dashed straight to the metro station. To my surprise, the station seems deserted! The underground link way was filled with unpleasant urine smell, leakage stains can be seen all over the walls and ceiling. There was NO one in the metro station, only a handful of Japanese tourists and three guards who were chatting by the ticketing machine. Luckily enough, one of them is kind enough to help me on the ticketing machine. Wow, the ticket cost only €1.50 for an unlimited 90 min journey. I finally reach the city centre and managed to cover the Duomo church, and the shopping district of San Babila. It is a fashion city indeed, many people here dressed up nicely and... Fashionably. I found myself somehow out of place here. I also cannot resist the temptation offered here, and finally gave in and spend a couple hundred euros for a few piece from the famous labels.

There are nothing much to see in Milan other than shopping centers, and the world famous wall painting of The Last Supper by Michelangelo at Church Santa Maria Delle Grazie. Please take note that one has to secure the tickets online months before the visit and unfortunately all tickets were sold out when I did my trip planning. However, you still can try your luck for the release of the cancellation ticket available at the ticket counter, starting early in the morning. I'm lucky enough to get one;) the painting is being kept in the air tight chamber that visitors are require to go through a series of automated air lock to finally see the masterpiece.

Don't forget to try the gelato from 'Chocolat' on your way back. It's the best and creamiest gelato I have ever had!

Church Santa Maria Delle Grazie 1

Church Santa Maria Delle Grazie 2

Church Santa Maria Delle Grazie 3

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II -1

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II -2

Duomo, Milan

Church Santa Maria Delle Grazie 3

The Milan Centrale FS Train Station

Visitors of Duomo

The Gate of Duomo 1

The Gate of Duomo 2

Europe Trip 3 - The Olympic city : London

2012-05-15T23:50:00.000-07:00

My first impression, the city is clean! No graffiti and no unpleasant smell in the tube station and lots of tourist perhaps it's the coming Easter holiday. From the Gatwick airport, I bought a day pass and boarded the fast train to East Croydon where the tourist information centre offered great help in providing many useful information and discount vouchers. Without wasting any time, I covered the Big Ben, the London eye, Oxford street (shopping district), on the first night. As for the second day, I went to the British museum in the morning after a hearty breakfast at the Sainbury departmental store where One can get food, fruits at a bargain. The weather was bad today as it started raining from the afternoon. After lunch ( a big portion of fish and chips, which cost about £8) I went for the river cruise along the london Thames river. The journey from the Westminster pier to The Greenwich took about 1 hour. The captain of the cruise ship took the initiative to provide commentary to the buildings and bridges along the ride and it was very informative. I took a short walk at the Greenwich town, a quiet town home to many old style English houses. From there I went to the London tower, which is a old castle. The final day I sort of had a express tour around the Westminster area, the Buckingham Palace, the St. James park and the Chinatown. After having visited Paris and Milan, London is obviously cleaner and well maintained. The Britain generally also seems more polite and helpful. All the best to you for London Olympic 2012.

The London Eye - The Mechanism

Victoria Train Station

A Giant Statue in the Victoria Station

The Beckingham Palace

St. James Park 1

St. James Park 2

The Guard

The Queen Statue

The M&M World

The M&M Factory :)

The Tower Bridge

The Tulips are blossoming

The Central of London

Enjoying ice-cream while enjoying the scenic view of London on the river cruise

The Big Ben

The Famous British Museum

The Glass Roof of The British Museum

The London Eye at Night

The Capsule

The Country Hall

The actor

Sun Set

The China Town

Europe Trip 4 - The Beauty of Male Anatomy

2012-05-15T23:05:00.000-07:00

Statues, sculptures and painting of perfectly toned male physique can be seen in many places in Paris, such as museums, parks, and palaces. The following statues were mostly on display at the Louvre.

给妈妈的信2011

2011-09-07T17:23:00.000-07:00

我发现原来哭是会变成种习惯的。最近我时常哭了。不知从何时开始，我变得脆弱了。要忍受一遍又一遍的坏消息，我深深了解到人不伤心是不会流泪的。
在大都会里，有许多地方都不能让你放怀大哭。我还是偷偷的哭泣了，在巴士上哭了，在咖啡厅里哭了，听着歌的时候哭了，在回家的路上哭了。在戏院里哭了。每到夜深人静的时候，每想到妈妈严重的病情，我的眼泪就忍不著流下来。希望妈妈的身体明天会更好。

她的健康一天一天的被摧毁，仿佛被死神在追赶。她依然勇敢地奋斗下去。看着她慢慢地瘦下去，我心好痛，我们的心都好痛。我不想让她看见我流泪，不想让她心痛。
我双手合十，为妈妈祈祷。试问又可以换取多少秒的心跳？
我不想她离去，我尽力了，累了，眼红了，泪干了，皱纹多了，我还能做些什么？

昌明的医学在她的身体留下了无数的伤势。片体鲮伤，全靠那五颜六色的止痛药来麻醉痛楚。迷迷糊糊也要强颜隐瞒腹部的剧痛。
我的心真的好痛，要是把所有的止痛药都吞进肚里，能止我心的痛吗？

妈妈对我很好，无微不止。其实个性比较内向的我，很多关于我的生活点滴，我都埋在心里，只把开心的，愉快的，快乐的事情向她报告，与她分享。其实我很清楚她不只是想听这些，她是希望知道我的所有开心与不开心的一切。

有如毒蛇狠狠地紧箍着她的灵魂，那残毒的癌症还是毫无人性地把她强走了，没时间报道她的养育之恩。若来世有缘，让她当我的宝宝吧，来让我花一生的时间去爱她，保护她，栽培她，就象今生她对我的爱一样。只是我要对她更好。。。

要求不多，也不算有什么伟大的成就。她的大半生就是为了着个家而牺牲。
如果家是个舞台，那她就是那风华绝代的天后。
如果家是个医院，那她就是那精通医药的名医。
如果家是个银行，那子女就是她的所有财库。

她的离去，仿似一切也不再珍贵，唯一值得安慰的是她不须要再痛了，不须被折磨了。但我再也吃不到她的拿手好菜，喝不到她泡的咖啡，也听不到她罗罗嗦嗦的问好和劝导。没有她在旁细心提点，我可以好好地生活下去吗？我会尽力而为，不让妈妈失望 :')

生无常
死别更无常
漫路长
痛非常
思念更漫长

I Love You, Mi

Cebu Island - A land of Corals and Mangoes

2011-08-26T03:17:00.000-07:00

I realized that when a person lived in a comfort zone for too long, he tend to lose the courage to explore, the ability to face uncertainties, or changes. There are lots of people on the street of Cebu, the way they dress are unlike us in kl or singapore. They wear simple t shirt and singlet, shorts and slippers. Street lighting are poor. The road has only single lane for each direction and it was dusty. Once inside the grand mall, There's a sense of happiness and relieved. Looking at the familiar brands, the bright lighting, and the air condition, for some reason I felt secured.

Security is tight around here, ready to open your bag for inspection when you arrive at the hotel or shopping malls.
I travelled to the coast of Mactan island. It is crowded, but not with shopping complexes but villages. I rode on the tricycles, a local primary form of transportation, it's unsightly, but efficient. The car next to me was so close, and sometimes, when a car tried to overtake us, the excitement is on par with the roller coastal ride. Good experience though :)

The local tourism is promoting the island as a paradise like vacation destination. Agreed, as the many resorts and hotels are built on white sand beaches, with crystal clear blue pacific ocean. But if you travelled down the street, you cant help to notice many poor, and homeless. There includes children as well.

Philippinos are well-known to their kindness and care, well in this materialized world everything has come with a price, no one are left out. Expect better services if you prepared to pay more.

I had a wonderful trip, especially at the dive centre, I signed up to a Korean run dive centre, language was a barrier as the dive instructor speaks mainly in Korean. However, I have meet some wonderful young Korean guys there.

It's a Christian country, as majority people here are roman catholic. My limited understanding of christian is that each Christian has to make donation or offering to the church each month. And most of the time, the money is being used to built a grander and more luxurious church, at least some of the church I'm KL and Singapore did that. Is there a way that this rich church channel some tiny bit of their 'reserve' to their fellow brothers and sisters here in Cebu? Not only to help them for a better life but also to feed them. I will not up load any street photo, it is up to you to visit the place to experience it. Cebu, I'll be definitely be back :) -Selamat (Thank You)

Building and Statue

A Chinese Temple

The Century Old Fort San Pedro

Statues at the Mactan Shrine

The Statue of the Native Philippino

The Cebu City Pier - Gateway to the Bohol Island

The Local People

BBQ Satey Seller - loved it.

Young and Happy

The Worlds Smallest Primate, Tarsier - Found only in Bohol island

Another close-up

The Country Side

In side the Baclayon Church. Love the lighting effect

Local Ladies by the Marigondon Jetty

The Sea Side

Children are playing in the water by the Marigondon jetty

Local Younglings

Walking Home After School

The Temple Roof

The mighty Loboc River

Father and Son

At the dive centre - Truly a Paradise

Villagers relaxing by the road side

And last but not least - Look At the Size of that juicy Mango!

'Namaste' - Little India

2011-03-10T02:44:00.000-08:00

March 4, Little India Singapore, a famuos indian ethnic place found in Singapore. My intention was to produce some black & white photos of the place. I went in the evening after office hour, and the place was very busy. The area/street is full of Tamil culcutural element, like temple, restaurants, stalls selling various decorations, sarees, jasmine garlands, greens, and many many more.

For your information the Singapore government has recently passed a new rules for Thaipusam (celebrate by Indian ethnic).Under the new rules, no singing or music is allowed in the procession. The 2011 guidelines states that “shouting and other forms of unruly behavior is prohibited; participants shall not paint their faces or bodies or wear any form of disguise”.

I have added the colour photos as well.

Colour Series

Many stalls are selling the colourful Jasmine garlands

colourful decorations

Dried Coconut

Black & White Series

fresh greens

The park and The community

The back alley, tidy and clean

Book/magazine stall by the road side

At the traffic light

At the traffic light 2

Where are we now ?

Tailor shop

the shopkeepers

mom in saree

Don't Think, Just Shoot - Lomography

2011-02-28T20:41:00.000-08:00

Recently, i downloaded an iphone app which captures lomography images.

Well, the' lomo' effect is quite impressive. Just aim, shoot and wait for the result. Simply based on 1 rule - 'don't think , just shoot' in which i kinda agree with it. Using the DSLR, quite often we (the beginners) are stressed out by all the setting and adjustment prior to a shoot and sometime times, the result is not encouraging. However, With the lomo camera, things are like go back to the very basic of photography,- to capture a memorable moment of life with an artistic touch. The unpredictable output of the software thats what amazes me. Let's take a look of the very 'artistic' feel it created.

my messy work station...

Evening peak hour in Singapore

Dessert

Darth Vader Piggybank

Starbucks coffee mug

Happy Chinese New Year!

Amberlyn

Can you see a dragon in the sky?

Dear All Readers = I love You !

Amazing Penang!

2011-02-15T04:09:00.000-08:00

During the last Chinese New Year, i was having a long break back in KL. It was great to spend some quality time with my family members and friends :)

On the 6th Jan, we decided to have a family trip and drove to Penang, a northern island of Malaysia.
Along the way, we stopped by at Kampar, for some delicious fish ball noodle. Kampar was a tin mining town in the old days. Unfortunately, many tin-mining companies were forced out of business during the economic recession in the 80's. On top of that, Since the completion of the PLUS highway, Kampar's status as a bustling town has declined rapidly. Food wise, it was famous for its hand made fish ball noodle, and baked chicken in bread. The the photos below have been re-touched to give the 'good old days' mood of the town.

We reached Penang after 5 hours of car ride. I love the island city very much. I like the food, the beach and the atmosphere, and many many more.....

Penang is indeed unique in many ways, first of all, is the food, if you wanna try the the following local food, in authentic, original version, you must try it in Penang, no where else offers the better taste, trust me.

1. Penang asam laksa (the best) - it is a sour and spicy fish-based soup noodle, top with thick prawn paste sauce. Speechless..........

2. Penang Rojak - It is basically a mix of various local fruit salad, like pineapple, cucumber, crackers, squid, raw mangoes.... dress in thick yummy prawn paste with finely chopped roasted peanuts.

3. Char kway teow - Stir-fired rice noodle (河粉) with black soya sauce, bean sprout, chinese sausages and prawns.

other great food are like Nasi Kandar (indian muslim mixed rice), Chee Cheong Fan with prawn paste, Orjian (fried oyster cake)......

Other than food, Penang is also famous for it sandy beaches - Batu Ferringhi, and Tanjung Bungah. If you have been to Phuket or Bali island, expect the same but cleaner, and most importantly less crowd and not over commercialized.

Oh, did i mentioned that i'm lucky enough to meet a gorgeous penang girl who show me around the island.

If you are planning to travel to south east asia with your hard earn money, Come to Penang and experience the great culture, the food, the atmosphre and the people. forget about Singapore, where basically offers the similar attractions but at least twice the price!,

The main street of Kampar in B&W

Old style Sundry Shop

Drying the chopsticks - Kampar street

Kampar street - Pre- war houses

Kampar Street

This lady is famous for her fish ball noodle

Penang flag on the right

display of lanterns

Kek Lok Si Guardian statue

Monks are busy writing good phases for the visitors

the magnificent Kuan Yin Staute

Close up on the Kuan Yin Statue

Great scenary surrounding the temple - good feng shui....

flower offerings

Wishing you all 'have a safe journey 'and 'happy forever'

A buddha statue in the temple

i pray that .......

Pineapple candles

The entrance of the temple

Food Time !! Remember this, you will not be disappointed.

Delicious Authentic Asam Laksa only in Penang - for your information, i had 2 bowl of this.....

Variety of local pickles - papaya, nutmegs, mangoes, onions , garlic......

Variety of local prawn paste, belacan (dry prawn paste), chili paste, Rojak sauce ....

Part of the beach activities - para gliding.....cool.

a small boat by the beach

Malaysia's national flower - Hibiscus

The garden of Park Royal Hotel - perfect place to get a golden tan.

Here comes the beautiful penang girl that i talked about.

pose1

pose2

pose3

pose4

Last but not least - my lovely little Amberlyn.

Good bye my Guardian angel.

2011-01-29T18:07:00.000-08:00

Hi dear readers, sorry for not updating the blog for quite a sometime. Allow me to share a sad story with you here today.

I've lost my loved one a couple of weeks ago. I'm still feeling sad and in fact, I'm weeping right now while completing this blog.

We have been spending our live together for more than 10 years now. And her death was so... sudden to me. I still remember the day when we met, she was so cute,so innocent and yet so adorable. We called her Yuki, but later i prefer to call her Yuk,adding some Asian touch to it's name. We had great times ever since, we were playing and having fun together. We walked at the park almost every evening. She was playful but obedient. Oh, did i mentioned that she liked to dress up too, especially in pink dresses, and she looked so cute in one.

Time passed and our bond grew closer.

Lately, because of work, I travel far away from home. But every time I reach home, she seems like always be there waiting patiently but silently for my return, waiting for me to give her nice pat , a nice stoke at the back, or a good rub on her belly. Waiting for me to bring her out, but only to follow me behind closely, exploring the world on her own. She was small in size but fierce and brave, and not afraid to stand up to guys several times bigger than her.

She hurt me once for I did something foolish. And the scar is still clearly visible on my left arm. Maybe the imprint will remind me of her for the rest of my life.

She was sick and I took her to the doctor but maybe it was too late. I'm angry with myself for not have noticed it earlier, I should have be more observant. And now I regret it, and I regret dearly for not taking her to the doctor sooner. I still remember her helpless expression when i carried her into the x-ray room. I went to the temple, pray to the Gods for her recovery,but I think they have decided to take her back. She was not eating after that and passed away 2 days later on 9th Jan 2011. I hold back my tears..... But when I'm alone in the middle of the night and when images of her cross my mind, it seems that my tears duct is beyond my control.

Not far from her home, we buried her together with her toys in her favorite pink dress.

Yuk rest in peace as you are always, always our guardian angel.

I wrote a short Cantonese poem for her,

生无常
死别更无常
漫路长
痛非常
思念更漫长
Life and death Is very unpredictable,
You have left us, we are in pain, and miss you very much.

花开不常
舞蝶依飞翔
情再断肠
不问天长
你我化蝶梦里飞翔
You are a flower that's no longer in blossom but dying. I'm like a butterfly that will keep on flying encircling around you hoping one day we'll meet again,
I'll call it forever as long as we have each other. Perhaps we will meet again passionately in the dreams

Life is fragile and unpredictable, express your love before it is too late.

ChengDu Part2 - Panda Frenzy

2010-11-22T20:36:00.000-08:00

i used the low saturation setting, but highlighted the colour of the stones

Panda in action

the red panda

eat, and eat and eat and eat....

九寨沟 (JiuZhaiGuo) where Painting comes to life. Part 3

2010-11-21T18:13:00.000-08:00

These pics was rescued from the software called 'Photomatix'. Great piece of photo editing software.

5 flower lake

5 flower lake from higher ground

Chang Hai

love the colour of the water. Trully amazing

九寨沟 (JiuZhaiGuo) where Painting comes to life. Part 2

2010-11-18T18:13:00.000-08:00

The elevation of the area is around 2000m above sea level, and it is famous for its mighty waterfalls, breath-taking snow covered mountains and beautiful lakes, especially its colourful, and yet crystal clear water.

it really makes you wonder that the earth was trully a beautiful planet......of course, before the rise of us-the human being. Thanks to 'Development'.

Go there and experience it for yourself....before the human race turns the 'heaven' to 'hell'.

Enough said, let me present you part 2 of the album.

Morning Glory

technology vs mother nature. the winner :- technology, always

Cotton

A local village

I've used the HDR toning to recover some of the under-exposed details

Five-Color Pond (五彩池, Wǔcǎi Chí) is one of the smallest but most spectacular bodies of water in Jiuzhaigou lakes. It has a richly colored underwater landscape with some of the brightest and clearest waters in the area.

soon-to-be-completed-hut with all natural materials

the town suffered greatly during the last earthquake.

a town not far from the airport

A local farm

Cultural show - with pretty ladies...

A scene from the air port's runway

ChengDu part 1 - Statues Frenzy

2010-11-17T19:06:00.000-08:00

lots of bicycles

Tofu making nanny

father and son

Candy making macho style

Du Jiang Yan

Tea time! the city is famous for her tea-houses

九寨沟 (JiuZhaiGuo) where Painting comes to life. Part 1

2010-11-17T18:07:00.000-08:00

九寨沟(JiuZhaiGuo), the valley of 9 villages is not just a ordinary nature reserve, it's like a canvas of colourful painting, painted and crafted by the gods, and fairies for the native mountain people (Tibetan). However since its was discovered back in 1972 (according to Wikipedia), it's now a fully developed tourist attraction (for sure its not a good thing to the environment).

The elevation of the area is around 2000m above sea level, and it is famous for its mighty waterfalls, breath-taking snow covered mountains and beautiful lakes, especially its colourful, and yet crystal clear water. Forget about Phuket, or Bali, or Redang, nothing come close, when you compare to the water of the 5 flower lake.

It is trully a remarkable place, and you really see and believe it, as no words can fully describe the beauty of it.

it really makes you wonder that the earth was trully a beautiful planet......of course, before the rise of us-the human being. Thanks to 'Development'.

A small piece of advice here for those who is planning to visit the place in near future:
Please be prepare yourself with high altitute sickness drugs. You may consult your doctor before the trip, or else you will be 'encouraged' by local guides to buy some over-priced chinese med that may somehow relieve the sickness.

We flew from ChengDu, and due to the bad weather during our departure, we have waited in the plane for about 4 hours, but it was worth all the troubles we encounter, just to get to see the most beautiful place on earth. According to the tour guide, the area is even more enchanting during the winter time.

Enough said, let the photos show you guys what i meant. I have tried my very best to bring back the 'Uhmp', the 'Excitement' of my feeling into my pics, hope you guys enjoy it.

A view from the JiuZhaiHuangLong Airport ; altitude : 3447.65M above sea level

a local hut

the tea making lady

A local village farm house

Entering winter season

A lonely women walking down the road

Nice traditional dress

The gate to heaven - The entrance of JiuZhaiGuo national park

local culture:- colourful flags

A local monk with a cup of warm tea

Nuorilang Falls (诺日朗瀑布, Nuòrìlǎng Pùbù), near the junction of the valleys, are 20 m high and 320 m wide. One of the symbols of Jiuzhaigou.

Mirror Lake (镜海, Jìng Hǎi) is another quiet lake casting beautiful reflections of the surroundings when the water is calm.

Mirror Lake

Five Flower Lake (五花海, Wǔhuā Hǎi) is a shallow multi-colored lake whose bottom is criss-crossed by ancient fallen tree trunks

Arrow Bamboo Lake (箭竹海), was a main feature site for the 2002 Chinese film Hero.

local religion statue

cool len flare

Long Lake (长海) is the highest, largest and deepest lake in Jiuzhaigou, measuring 7.5 km (5 mi) in length and up to 103 m in depth. It reportedly has no outgoing waterways,

A local boy, after the last earthquake, the village is still under major re-construction.

A local girl

Many faces of Amberlyn

2010-10-17T22:38:00.000-07:00

Just woke up look

Angry Look

Munching Biscuit

Naughty Look

SingaporeGP - Misc.

2010-10-04T08:08:00.000-07:00

These are images taken during the day, nothing special.

morning sun rise - taken from my room

another sunrise shot - like to effect of the rays.

Lighting posts - simple but served as the main element of the success of the night race

The high court

Mobile toilet.

Urinal - Like this new concept - i have tried it - and it's fun :)

SingaporeGP -Grand-father (Vintage) Cars Exhibition

2010-10-01T10:37:00.000-07:00

Beside the F1 cars and super cool concert, there was also the vintage cars show. Nothing much to mention. Hope you guys ejoy it. :)

SingaporeGP - Missy Elliott in Concert

2010-10-01T04:53:00.000-07:00

Go Missy, Go Missy, Go Missy Go........ Wow what a great show! i enjoyed it very much. (and did i mentioned that all her female dancers are super hot!). I'm not a big fan of her but i do enjoy 1 or 2 of her tunes. She did performed my favourite songs like 'Work It' and 'Ching a Ling', but she missed my other favourite 'We Run This". After the first practice session, i quickly locate the stage, and I arrived about 1 hour earlier before the show, hoping to get to the front few row, and i did it!! Yeah.... The crowd was wild and we screamed, danced, and shout and shake together, despite there was 2 unsatisfying moments due to power failure. (which quite a disappointment considering it was such a big international event)

The big screen by the side of the stage.

She was wearing addidas the entire show.

Missy with sexy dancers