Photoblog #2 (pics taken in HK 22-23 May 2010)

Mmm...yummy, warm, eggy, custardy egg tarts in Hong Kong. Nice with a cuppa coffee or the local milk tea. And there's two types of crust - pastry (flaky) and biscuit base. BOTH are good, imho. And they only cost HKD 2 each (which is less than RM 1 each). Wish i had Tong Kee egg tarts for parallel taste comparison...hahaha.

















These are pictures taken at Sheung Wan, near Central (Chung Wan). Shun Tak Centre is the hydrofoil ferry port to Macau from Hong Kong (but i think it's not the only one...correct me if i'm wrong). Visitors there, say hi to Stanley Ho alright? :P



















These two pics are taken on the same point, one looking to the left, and the other to the right of Causeway Bay. The SOGO departmental store is HUGE, and will make a visit later today. Along with the Landmark in Central, and of course, Tsim Sha Chui. SHOPPING MECCA...i've come to do my pilgrimage. LOL.


Bamboo scaffolding. Still used in HK and also China, and honestly, walking under them gives me the creeps...never know when any one bamboo will give way and... OSHA will have a field day with safety and health regulations if they saw people working on these scaffoldings.





IKEA...for real. Hello, civillization :) Don't feel so backward now, do i? haha. Too bad it's just home furnishings and not the complete superstore.


People in the local park, practising Kung Fu, Tai Chi, etc. HEALTHY lifestyle.



And for the fashionistas, here's a look at the LV Boutique in The Landmark, Central, HK. And this isn't the flagship. I think i saw the flagship in TST and it's IMPRESSIVE. LV @ Starhill, eat your heart out.

Life in Shenzhen so far...photoblog #1

By now, i've finished 2 weeks in Bantian, Longgang (i kid you not about the spelling), Shenzhen. To briefly describe how Bantian is, imagine Cyberjaya, with the entire population speaking in Mandarin/PutongHua. It's equally as isolated and insular, with a rather good public transport system (thankfully). So, taking advantage of the benefit of a good public transport system, i was in Shenzhen last weekend and in Hong Kong this weekend. Both breaks did me much good (in terms of boosting my morale...haha).

In Shenzhen (SZ), thanks to my dear relative, i have been able to escape from the dreary OILY food they serve everyday. The 2 pics on the left side are of a white pepper chicken/pork soup that i had last weekend. It was spicy without overpowering my tastebuds and tongue. Of course, the extra induced perspiration combined with the hot and wet weather did make me feel hot under the collar ;) don't think we have something like it in Malaysia.























The 4 pics above shows other things in SZ i notice. Coconut water..missed it in KL before coming to SZ but had my fix in Luohu (border city between HK and SZ). Mangosteens (yes! grown in China, but don't know how it tastes like) are sold here too. BUT the thing that amazed me was the size of the onions...HUGE, in comparison to our normal 'bawang merah' in Malaysia. Wonder what miracle fertilizer was used to make them grow so big...but then again, being China, i think i rather not know...hahaha. And the melons too...maybe smaller than our melons back home but they're solid. And a cluster of them placed together brings to mind something a little more salacious, but let's not go there, shall we? ;)




















Also in SZ, there's chicken rice (ubiquitous food, true) and the usual roast duck, char siew and siew yoke on sale, near the hotel i stay in Bantian. There's a story behind it, but in short, yours truly nearly got ripped off by a cute girl who thinks i was BLIND and incapable of reading chinese characters. The picture of the chicken rice (packed) was my lunch and had some extra for that day, and it cost RMB15 (approx RM7.50). OMG! i could get chicken rice from my aunt for FOC, and it does taste better :) Guess when you have the craving, it just needs to be satisfied and taken care of :P

1st week in Shenzhen...

Let's see...what can i say about my first week? Besides the work and learning new stuff, i'm actually hating it. Seriously. FB, Blogger, Youtube and other social networking sites are BANNED. 'Nuff said.

Having a mentor to guide me thru my new job is good...until the language barrier pops up (and it happens frequently). And although you're not supposed to correct your mentor or anyone who's supposed to teach you something, i just can't help but to (automatically) correct his English. GAWD! the linguistic capability of locals here really leaves much to be desired. But on the bright side, there are HOWLERS that leave me absolutely speechless (because of extreme 'duh'ness and/or mistranslation). HAHAHA. Sometimes you just need to leave your station/cubicle in the office just to let it (laughter) RIP...and yes, i have been stared at for laughing at myself in the toilet, while washing my hands. HAHAHA.

Food here also is very different from KL/Malaysia standards, and although it's cheap, but i find myself missing my usual sandwiches/salads/sushi and STARBUCKS. Tell you what, the first sight of Starbucks in Shenzhen left me almost crying for joy. LOL. There is a God in this universe :)

One thing i disagree with is the concept of "Life = Work, Work = Life" that is practiced here by the locals (either young or old). But understanding the logic behind that concept is this - there are PLENTY of people waiting to take up the job that one local is in, so to support themselves and/or their family, they (the locals) are stuck with their jobs. But come on! There's more to life than just talking about work work work during office hours. Where's the human element? (by the way, all conversations in office take place in Mandarin, not my most proficient language).

As for the promised photo blog, due to the unexpected (honestly!) boo-boo on my part for assuming (shouldn't have done that) that FB and Blogger would be available in China; i'm currently FB/Blog/Youtube-less and life's an absolute bore! I'll go to HK to access all 3 sites so just be patient. I do have some pics waiting to be uploaded.

And since i'm using a relative's laptop to blog/FB/etc, i should be more time conscious to finish ASAP and will continue at a later date (next weekend definitely). Till then...

Be Good! :)

sorry for the interruption to scheduled broadcast...

hey there, i'm in the middle of preparing for a trip overseas (work related) and need to devote time to settle all last minute issues. once i'm settled again, this blog should be a photoblog of sorts. i am looking forward to this trip, and hope that you can share in my joy and happiness. wish me luck people! i will be back in couple of months time.

till the next update, jai jian...

The bane that is fast food...

Was coming out from gym earlier today, when i spotted this huge banner advertising the current McDonald's promotion - McValue Doubles. Essentially double the original burger but not double the meal price. All i could do was to shake my head and wonder how much more people will be tricked into buying this deal for the apparent savings (eat more for less).

The reason behind today's rant is actually the increasing rate of obesity among Malaysian people. Sedentary lifestyle, coupled with "attractive" dining offers is a lethal combination. Go on, take a look everywhere. Every 1 in 5 people i spot in shopping malls happen to have a noticeably large belly/tummy, male or female. And i'm not talking about pregnant women at all. It's just sad that people are not too health conscious anymore, and are gorging on all these "empty" calories. Biggest culprit : French Fries and any kind of cola/fizzy drinks. It's fine if you eat fast food once in a while to satisfy your craving, but every other day? Gawd...i shudder to think how much the liver and heart and body would need to work to detox and recover from the oily, msg-laden, junk food that was consumed.

Ever since last November after my op, i've been on the look out for my health, and am taking good care of it now. (After about 15-20 years of neglect?). And it is paying off...i'm sleeping better, my trousers measurement have officially dropped a size, my clothes fit better than before, i'm no longer breathless after a session at gym and/or dance class, and i get sick less often. Now the crucial part is the maintenance. Thank goodness i'm not into fast food anymore, am more picky with food, have a smaller appetite, and love salads again. (Try Marmalade in BV2, any Delicious, Alexis bistro/cafe and you'll get my drift). YUMS!

How i wish i can pass along the gospel of healthy eating, but that is subject to everyone's desire to take care of themself. There is a saying that goes, "You are what you eat/read/etc etc". And yes, i do believe that whatever you input into yourself, will cause an output to be generated. So, good input leads to good output. And i can influence my immediate family's dietary practises ;) which is a good thing...now, i just need to satisfy my craving for really good hokkien char/hokkien mee. With fried pork lard. Oh YUM! (then after that, need to work out for 3 days in a row to burn off that unnecessary food intake. LOL)

Ok, rant over, and we're back to normal scheduled programming...