I'm Back!

After more than a week away from Singapore, it's great to be back but I certainly didn't miss the food in Singapore. The meals I had in Shanghai and Korea were so good that I actually dreaded coming back to Singapore to think of what my next meal would be (probably Mixed Vegetable Rice again...)

But one thing that I missed about Singapore is the cleanliness and pollution-free atmosphere. (You should have seen Shanghai man...) Korea was not so bad...they were actually quite environmentally-friendly.

Now, on to my task of uploading photos.. I spent the whole afternoon yesterday editing the photos, all 641 of them (plus many others that I deleted..just imagine...) Pardon the writing cos I really dread the task of re-capping everything again, especially since I've already told my tale repeatedly to quite a number of people and it's tiring to write in flowery language so this is just for educational purposes...

Overall, the whole trip was quite rushed cos we had so many things to do in such a limited time. We rushed from hotel to hotel, took long bus rides, woke up super early every morning and ate and slept and walked and shopped and bought many things but after awhile, I got accustomed to the rush...

view outside my Shanghai hotel room

typical road of Shanghai

We travelled with my aunt's friend and her family, as well as my aunt's friend's sister's family so we formed the bulk of the tour (in fact, we were half the strength of the tour group!).

Shopping at Nanjing

Mini-feeders at Nanjing Road for the weary shopper

I saw Jackie Chan

After that was shopping at Chen Huang Miao which was more fruitful. Bought a nice purse there.
Chen Huang Miao seems to be another foodie paradise...saw snaking queues for Xiao Long Bao.

The scenery there was not bad too, only that there were so many people that it spoilt the picture.

Getting my brother into the picture is equivalent to asking a pig to sing man...(maybe even the latter would be easier to accomplish)

Dragon Beard Candy Stall

Street stalls near Chen Huang Miao

Outside the Song Qing Ling Memorial. No photos allowed inside as a form of respect.

After that was Xin Tian Di. Things were quite expensive, night was getting colder so all we did was shelter ourselves from the chilling wind in the shopping mall, nothing much done here. Buildings were quite nice though.

After dinner at a floating restaurant, we headed back to the hotel. My aunt managed to contact her Shanghainese cousin and his wife, who met up with us to have supper near the hotel. The dishes that he chose were super good that I think I over-ate. (Had mild indigestion the next morning!)

The Peking duck they ordered was really good...had not eaten it for 9 years since I went to Hong Kong...

Headed for Suzhou the next day. Tour guide told us that it was renowned for its beautiful women and language.Suzhou courtyard

Took a 3-minute boat ride to the tune of the local boatwoman's singing.Visited a silk factory after that where we bought many pillows. My aunt bought the whole set of bedsheet, bedcover and pillow. Many credit cards were swiped that day...heh heh...

Next, headed off to Tong Ren Tang, a supposedly established medical hall. Those aged 18 and above had a foot reflexology so my aunt, mum and I tried. We had to immerse our feet in 42 degrees Celsius medicated water and after that they would massage our feet. I was quite pai seh cos my masseuse was a young, suave 20 plus years old Chinese lad. My mum complained and said he did a better job than the female masseuse working on her.

We were supposed to have dinner there but my aunt's and mum's cousins invited us to join them for dinner so we got a lift from them to Hai Yang restaurant where they booked a whole function room just for the occasion.

We learnt how to eat hairy crab...super complicating but after awhile, we got the hang of it.

It's really much nicer to go sightseeing with the locals as they seem to bring you to more inaccessible places and you get to try nicer food. :D


Headed for Jeju Island the next day...

First meal in Korea left a good first impression of Korea

The highlight of the day was the ATV Ride and I can safely say that this was one of the best moments of the trip. We each had our own ATV to operate. It's like a mini 4-wheel drive with our own accelerator and stuff. We rode the terrain which had many uphill-downhill rugged courses. Fun to the max!

Visited a Folk Village after that. As it was getting darker (in winter, days are shorter than nights so by 5 plus, it was as dark as 8pm Singapore time), my lousy camera couldn't capture nice shots so these are the few nice ones.

We were supposed to see the tangerine plantation but then by the time we reached, they have already plucked everything so we had to make do with the circumstances.

Emo picture of bro with the tangerines

Scaled Seongsan Sunrise Peak, which was a dormant volcano according to Richard our tour guide. Really tiring to get up there but the journey down was worse. Almost had a nasty fall on the way down. Dinner after that was certainly welcoming. One thing I particularly liked about the trip was that they try to make each dining experience different. They really made a conscious effort to let us try a wide variety of Korean food and not have the same thing all the time.

After settling in to our hotel, we went to explore the underground mall (unique feature of Korea) near the hotel.

Next morning, the view during breakfast was really breathtaking. We could hear the crashing of the waves and the sound of the wind.

Just look at how strong the wind was at that time...

Went to the famous Yongduam Rock aka Dragon Head Rock. After a long period of weathering, the resultant rock is amazingly shaped such that it resembles a dragon head.

Entrance of Yongduam Rock

Next was the Mysterious Road. It's mysterious cos vehicles that travel up the mysterious slope would move on its own with the ignition off.

One hour flight to Daegu on Asiana Airlines. Lunch there was one of the best meals I had during the trip. We had to remove our shoes and sit on the floor (Japanese style).

After a short shopping stint at a street bazaar, we headed for Dongwasha Temple. Temperature was colder, the grounds were much quieter and the place was very tranquil.

The next event was really an eye-opener for me. We went to Spa Valley, which seemed to be one of the well-known places to head for to enjoy a warm soak especially during winter. The building comprises of 3 levels with the Sauna facility at the uppermost level followed by the swimming pool and Doctor Fish Spa on the ground floor. Unlike saunas in Singapore, the sauna there requires one to be completely clothed in their birthday suits so all of the people in my tour group did not go except my aunt and me (I went for the experience only, in case you were wondering cos I will NEVER do that in Singapore!) At first it was quite awkward and both of us covered our essentials with the miserable strip of towel (provided to wrap our hair) but when we entered the sauna, everyone was walking freely without feeling embarrassed so we were the weirdos actually. My aunt explained that this scenario is also quite common in Finland where they even go one step further: having family saunas where the whole family (males AND females) soak stark naked in the same place together (The sauna we went to was not as bad as both genders were separated). Felt a little giddy cos of the sudden change in temperature (when we soaked in extremely hot water before plunging ourselves in icy cold water). They even had an infrared tanning area which was quite cool.

Doctor Fish Spa was also a unique experience cos the feeling of having a hundred over fishes sucking the dead skin away from your feet was really ticklish and the overall image of a whole school of dull-looking fish attacking your feet together really isn't a pretty picture. Dinner after that was really welcoming, by then I was so hungry and exhausted.

Have you ever felt the satisfaction derived from making someone's day?

Hmm..to be more precise, surprising someone on their birthday?

Well, after painstakingly planning and coordinating with Sam and Olivia's mum (started planning during A levels), it was a success!! :D:D

Oh man! I really can't describe how I feel man...even Sam was grinning from ear to ear the whole time. And to think that we were worrying ourselves sick on the bus to her place!

Of course such immense satisfaction has to be backed by equally immense preparation: I spent a whole day preparing the macaroni bake cos I have not touched the recipe since Sec 2 when I did it for my Home Econs exam. It got better the second time when I did it yesterday, which was THE day.

The snowman cake was OK. Baked it at midnight after "Sweet November" service at HOF. Midnight baking reminds me of those secondary school days where the netballers would sleep over at my place and bake cookies and muffins throughout the night(Not kidding...we baked till 5 plus in the morning cos we had to do many batches for the camp the next day). Sam made mashed potato and Japanese Chicken.

Anyway, back to the topic, I really have to thank God that this was a success. People who know Olivia should be aware of how astute she is whenever anyone plans to surprise her during her birthday, even contacting her mum is a challenge by itself and the fact that we did it meant that half the battle was won...

Secondly, I'm quite glad that those who knew about the surprise had the wisdom to keep it to themselves ( sometimes it can really be a challenge ok!) :D

Before this picture became a reality, Sam and I were really a bundle of nerves, preparing the cake in Olivia's room while she was out "running an errand" for her mum. Our hands were literally shivering with anxiety and excitement. The 3 of us (including her mum) agreed that Olivia should be kept downstairs until we came down with the cake.

We rewarded ourselves by watching "Enchanted" (which was definitely nicer than "Beowulf") ...

Now that the stress is over, next on the agenda would be the Shanghai/Korea trip in exactly 12 hours' time (!!!) Feeling a lil' excited now that I'm done packing my stuff and all but then again, after hearing all the reports about professional pickpocketers and the syndicates from which they operate, I'm starting to feel as paranoid as my mum and aunt!


Nevertheless, it will certainly be another worthwhile experience...

...and while I prepare for the trip, the rest would be busying themselves over prom night[as proven by the late night msn conversations that are happening now as I post this]. Guys going for facials, manicures, being stuck in a dilemma about whether a blazer or a vest complements their dress shirt better, how to style their hair...heh heh...they know who I'm talking about...

Anyway, those whom I know going for Prom and reading this, have a great time and update me with pictures!

Yesterday...

FINALLAYE!!!

Met up with the cheapskaters (Joan! new word!) at Cui's place for swimming. Buona Vista really reminds one of Malaysia man, it was quite polluted!

Joan came halfway through...(yay!).Cui brought us to Holland Village to try some "novelty" ice-cream. As we hail from the East, we acted like tourists when we first saw Holland V.

Sze Yee's pose was intentional...

Trademark of Holland V

Sze Yee decided to pose (again!) as the "random gay and happy passerby" :

The ice cream is quite different from the norm cos you choose the toppings and flavours you want and what happens is that they mix and mash them all up together to become rojak ice cream but it was quite nice (It better be!)

Actually this concept's not new...such ice cream parlours are already found in Australia and America and according to Cui, the latter seems to have better quality ice cream.

I just had to post all the photos I took of the toppings 'cos I've never seen so much variety in my life...heh heh.. (sua ku la...)

When we were there, the place was quite empty so we could monkey around a bit....

ICE CREAM! We chose "Dark Chocolate" and "Ferrero" for flavours and added a "Granola" and a Brownie for the toppings. Can't wait to go back there again....

Rushed for g12 after that....'was glad Yireng liked her present [after the painstaking hours of walking around with Duc and Ai Ping to get it.]

Went to Bedok 85 to have dinner/supper where I finally got to try the famous Bak Chor Mee which is synonymous with the venue. Also had Satay, Otah and Fried Chicken Wings....(my plans for swimming and jogging will have to wait until mid-December...or maybe after Christmas..heh heh!)

Maib's still at church camp. Heard that she forgot to bring her sleeping bag....nevertheless, I'm sure she'll enjoy herself...

4 more days....

Oh man!

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! IT'S JUST OVER LIKE THAT!!! Hahahaha....A LEVELS ARE OVER! If I really have to worry over something, it would be the results but of course I'm gonna trust God to hope for the best,right? heh heh...


Anyway, some people are complaining that they have nothing to do for their post A level plans. (!!!) I've got soooo many things lined up that I don't know where to start! In fact, before the Lit Paper 4 Exam, I wrote down my "19 must-do activities" just so to get my mind away from it and focus on the paper..hahaha...

I can't wait for 3rd December!!!! [I can imagine Joan's face man!!! muahahahaha!]

Olivia's and Charlie Brown's birthday celebration was better than expected! Adilah, Mimi's sister, really made it better!

The Click Five- Jenny[Music Video]

A nice feel-good song for the almost-post-A levels period...

Lead singer's voice is so charming! [plus the fact that he's hot! heh heh!]

His legs are super skinny man!

Indian Thriller with English Lyrics!

Argh! I just had to post this after seeing it on Cui's blog (and going back many times to laugh over and over again...HAHAHA!!!)

Girly Mannn!

Ever played the game of Twister?


Yes, the one which exercises your flexibility. The ultimate game with the sole purpose of inducing torture through the contorting of hardened joints and heavy bones. Yet, ironically, the game provides comic relief (especially for the onlooker!)due to the fact of taking pleasure, albeit in a rather sadistic manner, in the self-inflicted tortures of the people on the colourful mat.


I have been greatly entertained, especially when the situation involves a motley bunch of big-sized baboons, fresh (or,should I say, stale and smelly)from school.


Imagine four heavy-set boys, clad in the pure white uniforms of their well-respected school, huddled in assorted stances on the Twister mat, shouting out colours and body parts as if their life depended on them. Moments of pain were evident in the trembling hands and prolonged groans that echoed the room.


The occasional guffaws of laughter came about when the suggestion of a hint of "otherwordly aroma" evoked by one of the Yoga masters were made known to the rest. (I leave it to you to imagine what wonderful scents and fragrances could have been emanating from the butts that were thrusted high into the heavens and with bodies that have not endured the suffering so commonly experienced on the running track.)


Tempted to see their sadistic play, I escaped from my studies and made my way downstairs to witness what the boys were up to. As described, they were creating their own imaginary world, bodies flayed across each other, forming arches with their thick torsos and establishing pillars with their clumsy feet.


The one that seemed to be relishing the moment would be The Dictator.He was The One who decides their destiny: whether to do a "Cirque du Soleil" or to be spared from such agonies (being in a relaxed position).


With his thrusty sidekick a.k.a. The Spinning Board, he issues a decree of which his subjects have to comply to (amidst disapproving grunts).


On my "coincidental" occasion of passing them, on the pretext of what seemed to be me refilling my water bottle, I happened to glance upon his countenance and was surprised that he acknowledged my presence (the others were too busy figuring out their next move).


The impression which I have been trying to create- that of the stern and aloof older sister of my brother- seemed to have gone down in shambles after trying in vain to control my laughter upon catching them red-handed in their childish play. (My brother smiled coyly back upon realising that I there).


Retreating back to my safe haven upstairs, I couldn't help but ponder over the nature of Man: how we have to face the inexorable task of creating different facades when placed in different circumstances.


When in the company of friends, my brother's cold and hard persona took on a lighter side, even to the extent in which he actually became amiable and approachable. In the presence of his friends, I took over my brother's position and became the "withdrawn, unfriendly sister."


What are we trying to prove by being so caught up in playing Twister to different people's feelings?


Night approaches. The incessant chattering and laughing died down as, one by one, the boys retired from their play and made their way home.


The brother that I knew has returned again.