tales from the mainland...

Well, this is not much of a tale but more of the high and low lights of the journey through the cities of China by Mr Kevin Chan, Mr Gerard Wong-Wong & yours truly, Ms Wu-Hoo*.

Hi-Lites (of which, there are many)

Beijing – where we did the touristy things

A couple of good Yanjing Beer at Hou Hai Lake District on our first evening
Hou Hai Lake district is becoming a more happening area in Beijing, especially in the evenings over the popular Sanlitun Entertainment Area, which we didn’t go. Hou Hai Lake district was good enough for us.

Being on top of the Great Wall
We went to Badaling, which was very touristy. There are other parts of the Great Wall which would be more interesting and perhaps not too crowded with tourists. Hence, the Great Wall will not be off my list yet.

Riding on rickshaw in and around Hutong
This was after a failed attempt to maneuver a tri-cycle between the three of us. We discovered many things along the way. It was interesting to see how people lived there. Also, our rickshaw rider was such a joker. He kept us well entertained with his wierd sense of humour.

Enjoying a good Acrobatic Show by Chinese Youth at the Theatre
We were definitely impressed by the performance. A group of young girls were able to flip metal bowls to each other while balancing themselves on their cycle while we failed to even balance a tri-cycle.

Walking around the Summer Palace
It is no Chateau de Versailles or Leeds Castle but it was nice nonetheless.

Having the best Peking Duck in town in Beijing
It was well worth the journey to the other part of the city (we were stuck in traffic for a bit) because we had a very good meal.

Being at Tiananmen Square at night
Had to be done. The atmosphere around the square was good. Plus, good photo opportunity.

Kevin & Ger flying a kite at Tiananmen Square
Re-living their childhood I suppose.

Hangzhou – where we did the recreational things

The West Lake
We rode on bicycles around the lake and made stops along the way for visit to a temple, climb up a pagoda and photo stops. Racing Kevin & John (Ger’s brother) was a lost cause since I never seem to be able to get ahead of them anyway. We had a boat ride in the evening and ending it with a delicious dinner & a good cold Siwo beer at this posh restaurant by the Lake

Nature trail at Bamboo garden
How often does a person like me get on these nature trails in Singapore anyway? Hence, it is a highlight for me.

Shanghai – where we did the cool things

The walk down the Bund & River Cruise on the Hangpu River
Failed to do these during my last two visits to Shanghai, so this had to be done. It was a nice way to enjoy the view of the city.

Enjoying the view of the Bund from Mark’s (Kevin’s friend) apartment
Fantastic view, good wine and great company. What more could you ask for?

Drinks at a bar called Face in the French Quarter
It felt like we were in a villa away from the city but this bar is situated in the middle of the city. Met some new people. Good atmosphere.

Yunnan Mian at Super Brand Mall
The noodles were delish. I am longing for it now. The side dishes that John & Feng Yi (John’s fiancée) ordered were excellent too!

Meals at Xintiandi (Kevin’s favourite spot in Shanghai)
Kevin and I went back there a couple of times after Mark brought us there for a Chinese dinner a couple of evenings before. We had fabulous dinner & cocktail (Shanghai Fling) at Luna on Saturday night and a very nice brunch at Kabb on Sunday afternoon.

Cocktails at Cloud 9 on the 87th floor of the Jin Mao Tower
We were there on our final evening in China. It was a good way to end the holiday – enjoying some nice cocktails and the view from up the clouds.

Lo-Lites (of which, there are few… thank god!)

Kevin’s luggage went missing in action. It showed up 3 days after he arrived in Beijing.

Yours truly fell sick on the night before going to the Great Wall. It was such a struggle to get through the day when you can’t consume anything but water because your body just refused to take anything else in.

The other low-light for yours truly would be forgetting to apply sun block and bring my hat on the last day in Shanghai. Now, I am burned!

Ger lose his wallet in Beijing – credit cards, bankcard and some cash were lost. It may have dropped in the taxi. He spent the evening and the following morning sorting out the cancellation and the getting some financial assistance.

Little things that mattered (to some of us)

Starbucks Coffee
Call us crazy but one needs a real good cup of coffee to start off the day.

Ice Cream at Haagen Daaz
Ok, I know that this is too much but we needed the sugar fix. The outlet is just there right in front of us. It is not like we went looking for it. I am in love with dulce de leche.

Having a good piece of steak
After a load of Chinese food all week, a good piece of steak is definitely in order.

In conclusion ladies and jellyspoons, as far as I am concerned, this has been a very good holiday. Already planning the next holiday now.

Photos from this holiday are being sorted out as we speak. Watch this space!

* - We adopted Chinese names for ourselves while in Hangzhou. Wong-wong is the chinese version of a dog barking i.e. woof-woof, if anyone was wondering.

high..

I am high on the happy side… despite being tired still, had a bad sun burn on my face and shoulders, my luggage went missing in action while in transit and having to go to work today after only landing in Singapore only the day before.

The last ten days has been the longest ten days but in a good way. I’ve spent ten days in the good company of Kevin and Ger in good ol’ China on a holiday. It started off with a stumble but there was no letup after that. Good times were had.

I’ve been to China before but only to Shanghai and it was for work. This time around, it was for a holiday. I left that country with a different impression – a good one. China has its setbacks but if you look beyond that, this country has much potential. There are still much to be developed but from what I’ve seen, they are getting there. Hong Kong! Singapore ! Watch out !!

There will be more details of the holiday in the next few days. I am trying to get back to the hang of things – that is the one thing I don’t like about holidays… the end of it. I used to get awfully depressed when returning from holidays but this holiday has ended with a high. So, I am happy despite it being a somewhat short holiday. I hope to maintain this feeling for a while.

let me entertain you...

Being the music junkie that I am, I cannot go about my day without music. Ok, so my taste my music may not be impeccable but who does? Taste in music is very subjective. What could be music to my ears may be noise to another. (This also applies to what you think is beautiful. I think Hugh Grant is gorgeous but other girls may beg to differ.)

The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is turn on the music. I listen to music while I am in the shower (off course, volume will have to be turned on real loud for me to hear anything behind the closed doors). I listen to music while I get dressed and put on my face. I listened to music while travelling on the bus, the train, the plane.

If there is no music, there is a void in my day. I don't seem to know how much time have passed without music - average song is about 4 mins each. If I have listened to 5 songs, I know that approximately 20 minutes have passed. Crazy, yes but it works for me.

However, during my travels, those times in my hotel room without music just drives me up the wall. Yes, I can listen using my earphones but I can't possibly be using the earphones with my iPod when I am in the shower. There has been occasion where I wanted to bring small speakers but apparently they are not small enough to fit in my damn luggage. So, yesterday, I invested a small fund in a small speaker.

Edifier MP220

Features:
Dual powered USB, AC/DC, all in one Portable Stereo System for amazing bass performance. (USB power cord Included)
3.5mm line input, connect to all types of Portable PC, MP3 Players, CD Players, PDA and etc
High performance neodynium micro driver
Worldwide 100-240V AC/DC power adaptor
Power output 2 X 3W RMS

Specifications:
Input Impendence: 15K Ohm
RMS 3Wx2 (THD=10%, fo=1KHz)

Slick!! It is so tiny (approx 19 cm x 6cm x 2cm & weighs approx. 550 grams) compared to the other speakers that I have purchased before. It may not have the ultimate sound you would love to have, with sub-woofers and what nots but you get by with what you have when you are away from home.

So now, those time spent in hotel room during my travels will no longer be quiet - there is my iPod with over 3000 songs and my Edifier speakers to keep me entertained. I just hope the power convertor works in the hotel room.

Oh, I think the ultimate would be an iPod video which will provide some visual entertainment where needed. That is currently in my new toys wish list... the never ending wish list.

everything changes...

Lately, I have been feeling rather nostalgic. Signs of aging, I suppose, where you can't help but think about what you have gone through... the people you meet, the places you went, the music you listened to. Which brings me to this. I was watching a documentary last night about a British pop group which hit the world (well almost) by storm in the 90's. And you have probably guessed it by looking at the album cover on this page... yes... Take That. Do any of you actually remember them???



It was not like I was such a big fan considering that I only discovered them after Robbie Williams left the group in 1995. I bought their greatest hits CD in 1997 and like their music so much that I bought the compilation of their videos. Off course, I was devastated when I left their CD in the player of Susan's car when visiting her in Holland a few months after I bought the CD. However, Sal was nice to actually gave me her copy (apparently, she didn't want to be known that she owned a Take That CD but the truth is out now... sorry missy). Okay, so having said all that, yes, I am quite a fan.

It was interesting to see where the members of Take That are now. They had a reunion but Robbie Williams was a no-show - apparently still sore after 10 years. You know, some people have difficulty letting go... I know this because I am one of those people. But I admire them to actually retreat from the pop world while they were still at the top. Not a lot of groups do that. Take Rollling Stones for example. For heaven's sake, they are a bunch of grandpas and they are still rocking away like they are a bunch of teenagers. Oh, grow up, please!!

So today, I have been listening to the tracks from Take That's greatest hits CD. Their music ain't that bad, if you prefer music with little or the absence of heavy guitar sounds stringing to your ears, like those from those American rock groups. Most of them puts you in a good mood.

The video which I owned on VHS has now gone mouldy (what with the humidity in this country) - I am considering buying their DVDs actually. So yes, I am a loser. I need to get a life.

Come on, come on, take that and party!!!