Photoblog #3 - Hong Hu Gardens, Shenzhen

Went with colleagues (they like taking pictures, have DSLRs, etc etc) to a local park in SZ, and armed with my new Samsung (yes, Samsung...i don't believe i bought a Samsung, but for the price...can't find anything like it in Malaysia. Panasonic and Sony are far too expensive in China.) 12.4Mpix digicam...i went along. And saw water lotus...not exactly my favourite activity, but got to spend time getting to know my colleagues. And managed to get some pictures, poetic or not. I particularly like the shot of the pink lotus, standing tall in the water. Can even see the reflection/shadow of the flower on the water surface. And a pic of me is shown too (photo taken down because i'm photo-lergic. So sue me.heheh). The Samsung digicam has 2 LCD screens, one in front and the normal at the back. Helps with self-portraits, thats for sure.

More updates coming soon, since i'm able to blog from within the Great (Fire)Wall of China. Yay! :)

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

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...