This year , we spent about 8 days in Shanghai to celebrate our anniversary and Xmas. Out of these 8 days, 1 whole day is dedicated to Hangzhou West Lake and the last day is spent on our return trip, so we have about 6 relaxing days to move about in Shanghai itself. Porky pig has booked a very cosy 4 star hotel near Shanghai railway station, which offers buffet breakfast everyday. In Shanghai itself, we visited shopping districts such as Nanjing Road/Huai Hai Road/Henan Road/Yu Garden/Zheng Da Plaza ... , sight seeing spots : The Bund/Ming Zhu Tower/Tong Tai Antique market (where porky pig glued his eyes watching Shanghai old folks playing mahjong and i had to pull him away with his feet stuck onto the floor) ...... , and old building sites such as Duolun Road. We also tried Chinese tui-na and fire bottle treatment (i do not know what they call this treatment in English ).
Shanghai is quite a different place from the other parts of China. The Shanghainese ppl is probably the most materialistic and capitalist ppl in China. It is a very prosperous big city and full of commercial activities for everyone in a communist country, whether you are a shopper or a a banker. However, i would still rate HK as the best place to shop as it offers cheap and good product and really branded and well designed consumer goods. As it is winter time in Shanghai now, we couldn't get much of the stuffs we can use back here in Singapore for the both of us.
And surprisingly , contradictory to most China cities , Shanghai has very few big bookstores. I feel it is far behind Taipei in this respect, where you can find big bookstores easily. We managed however to spot a few rich Shanghai tai tais. One of them, whom we saw when we stopped for a glass of tea at a Huai Hai Road cafe, has a Poodle hair style and stares at ppl like a bull dog.
When it comes to food, i like Shanghai Gyoza/Fried dumpling, soy milk , and not forgetting "salty tou huay " with salted vege and dried prawns inside, something which I cannot find here in Singapore. We had a great buffet at Xi Duo Wu ( Japanese international buffet ) at Zheng Da Plaza and spotted a mistress fighting with her rich old man at the neighbouring table. Interesting experience. Other than that, we find Shanghai food is salty and oily as it is well known.
In Hangzhou, we visited places such as West Lake (Yang Bridge/Island in Westlake) and Lin Ying Temple. We had our kiss inside the bamboo forest on the Island in Westlake, which is a really beautiful place for a kiss. I recommend every couple to go there for a kiss. Lin Ying temple is really beyond my expectation. It is grand and beautiful and has a very merciful looking Buddha statue as high as 2 to 3 storeys sitting in the main hall. At the back of the hall is a carved wall about 3 storeys high and full of deities looking down on me, giving me a very 3 D feel, and a very huge Godness of Mercy at its center. When I heard the monk chanting rapidly , it has a very enigmatic feeling and i wish i can have them recorded, as it is not like the usual buddhist chanting that will make one fall asleep, but more like a Gregory chant group named Enigma. It is a good choice to visit Lin Ying temple if you are travelling to Hangzhou because it's still well kept and maintained despite being an ancient temple.
When i realised i was about to say good bye to Piggy again on the last day morning, i could not help but have tear drops falling down my cheeks. I will miss the time we spent in the hotel room watching tv with me twisting and turning his ears and nose, biting his arms, hugging him from his back like he is a bolster before sleep.
It is a good trip because i have a good companion for the trip. Overall , we have a relaxing memorable trip and it is a good closing ceremony for Year 2007.
Darby
2008年1月1日星期二
2007年12月30日星期日
Happy Anniversary My Loved One :-)
Darby and I watched "My Blueberry Nights", a new movie by his favourite director Wong Kar Wai when we were holidaying in Shanghai a few days ago. It's been a long time since we went to the cinema together and I was secretly glad I was able to persuade him to do so. There's something about being holed up in a cinema with a loved one, which I like. Maybe it's the physical closeness that this brings. Maybe it's the simple fact of just doing something together, however passive the activity may be. Or maybe, the truth is I just don't enjoy watching a movie alone anymore.
Couplehood, as I have come to realise, has its prons and cons. Love songs seem to speak out to me more strongly after I became attached. Happy love songs and sad love songs now stir my emotions the way only a good movie can do when I was unattached. When I miss darby and feel melancholic, I will turn on my pc and immerse myself in the numerous mp3s that I have saved in the folders. Soon enough, I will be fine and back to my cheerful self. When I hear a happy love song, I will be reminded of the moments (similar or otherwise) which we have shared in and outside Singapore.
The downside (if you consider it a negative) is that I wouldn't now make certain decisions without getting some feedback or help from darby. The reasons are varied. It could be that darby is the more informed among the two (such as when it comes to IT and gadget related matters). It could be that I felt it necessary to keep our relationship 'equal' and democratic. Whatever the reasons, I have found my discussions with darby to be a good form of interaction, and it has helped to improve my understanding of him.
4 years is not too long a period of time, for couples who are committed to each other. That said, it's still a little milestone for a "first timer" like me.
I want to tell my loved one it's a happy milestone that I have crossed, with my short legs astride. Happy and grateful, cos I know I am not crossing it alone, but hand in hand, heart to heart with him at the same time.
ILU and happy anniversary :-)
Mcdull
Couplehood, as I have come to realise, has its prons and cons. Love songs seem to speak out to me more strongly after I became attached. Happy love songs and sad love songs now stir my emotions the way only a good movie can do when I was unattached. When I miss darby and feel melancholic, I will turn on my pc and immerse myself in the numerous mp3s that I have saved in the folders. Soon enough, I will be fine and back to my cheerful self. When I hear a happy love song, I will be reminded of the moments (similar or otherwise) which we have shared in and outside Singapore.
The downside (if you consider it a negative) is that I wouldn't now make certain decisions without getting some feedback or help from darby. The reasons are varied. It could be that darby is the more informed among the two (such as when it comes to IT and gadget related matters). It could be that I felt it necessary to keep our relationship 'equal' and democratic. Whatever the reasons, I have found my discussions with darby to be a good form of interaction, and it has helped to improve my understanding of him.
4 years is not too long a period of time, for couples who are committed to each other. That said, it's still a little milestone for a "first timer" like me.
I want to tell my loved one it's a happy milestone that I have crossed, with my short legs astride. Happy and grateful, cos I know I am not crossing it alone, but hand in hand, heart to heart with him at the same time.
ILU and happy anniversary :-)
Mcdull
2007年12月9日星期日
Another new department again
After the transfer to a new department in Oct 07 , and tasked to support a new product group in department A , i am now being given the task of supporting another dept B (since 7 Dec last friday) . it is record breaking among exec level employees - that within 3 months i have worked in 3 different departments. I am quite uncomfortable with the posting to dept B as it is well known for its harsh working environment, which is notorious. Many managers / engineers from overseas have tried to work there and failed and resigned. I guess i have to plan for the worst, if it comes, and take it positively in the best way that i can.
From yesterday onwards, I began to use my glass tea pot (only costs me 4 SGD ) that i bought at Taipo market in Hongkong to make my Pu Er tea , which is well known for detoxifying and lowering blood pressure. I have taken much more meat here in China as the local ppl does not like to take vege, or they will cook it in a very salty/oily manner. These plus poor control on the food safety/pesticides, makes me wonder know how much toxic i have taken in. Yes , i have no confidence in China local products at all. Taking Chinese tea was my habit since young ( mum will also boil a big pot for us in the morning). That is why every time i have very low blood pressure whenever i go for medical check up. I have stopped taking Chinese tea and grew addicted to English tea and coffee after i began to work in Spore. Every morning i will make myself a glass of hot tea or coffee to go with sandwiches. And i am very much a coffee lover now, but i only take those grounded coffee powder in small sachets like Lipton tea bag. It tastes like Kopitiam coffee in Spore , and it reminds me of Spore / Msia.
The locals are not very crazy about coffee, let alone tea. So you cannot expect to find good coffee or tea shops here, and they like to use artificial flavorings/ coloring to make their tea or coffee especially in remote places like where i am living . The most i can do is bring back coffee powder/ tea bags from Hongkong , but i still like the taste of old Hainanese coffee made from powder best. The local breads taste horrible with oily smell that really put me off. I can only buy more imported biscuit from Hongkong such as McVites to go with coffee every morning.
So that's what I have for my breakfast in China, very pathetic.
Darby
From yesterday onwards, I began to use my glass tea pot (only costs me 4 SGD ) that i bought at Taipo market in Hongkong to make my Pu Er tea , which is well known for detoxifying and lowering blood pressure. I have taken much more meat here in China as the local ppl does not like to take vege, or they will cook it in a very salty/oily manner. These plus poor control on the food safety/pesticides, makes me wonder know how much toxic i have taken in. Yes , i have no confidence in China local products at all. Taking Chinese tea was my habit since young ( mum will also boil a big pot for us in the morning). That is why every time i have very low blood pressure whenever i go for medical check up. I have stopped taking Chinese tea and grew addicted to English tea and coffee after i began to work in Spore. Every morning i will make myself a glass of hot tea or coffee to go with sandwiches. And i am very much a coffee lover now, but i only take those grounded coffee powder in small sachets like Lipton tea bag. It tastes like Kopitiam coffee in Spore , and it reminds me of Spore / Msia.
The locals are not very crazy about coffee, let alone tea. So you cannot expect to find good coffee or tea shops here, and they like to use artificial flavorings/ coloring to make their tea or coffee especially in remote places like where i am living . The most i can do is bring back coffee powder/ tea bags from Hongkong , but i still like the taste of old Hainanese coffee made from powder best. The local breads taste horrible with oily smell that really put me off. I can only buy more imported biscuit from Hongkong such as McVites to go with coffee every morning.
So that's what I have for my breakfast in China, very pathetic.
Darby
Warning letter
I regret to inform Mr Porky Pig aka Mcdull that due to lack of monthly maintenance and contribution to this blog by you over last few months, you risk losing your membership rights to this very popular blog site (when the time you have spent on the mahjong table is sufficent for any writer to publish a book). Your membership to this blog will be cancelled in two months' time, if there is no response and sufficient blogs submitted by you within two months from the time this warning is issued. Upon failure to fulfill your abovementioned duty, you will be fined for the delayed blogs installment and breach of contract. The fine amount could go as high as one carat diamond ring for Darby.
Thank you.
Yours truly
Darby
9 Dec 2007
Thank you.
Yours truly
Darby
9 Dec 2007
2007年11月17日星期六
Light years
i transferred to a new department in Oct, and it is almost 2 months now. i like the jobscope pretty much, still doing the same stuff but in a different position as a consultant. i get to spend more time to research and learn things which i did not have time to learn in the past, i have time to analyse the data trend of the failure that the customers returned to us , i get to be involved in setting up the procedures for improvement. No longer in a fire fighting role. And i have shorter working hours, Great ! I began to blend into the team too, without much difficulties. Work is so far smooth sailing.
I counted that by 30 Dec 2007 , it would have been 4 years since i am with piggy, and for the past 1 year and 7 months we are living in different countries. we only get to meet each other whenever there is a holiday, thrice or more in a year usually, but there is no strange feeling every time we meet up. it is just that i have become more independant as i am used to loneliness without piggy, he spends every weekend at his fav casino. As time slowly goes by, we both handle the relationship carefully and wholeheartedly , the frequency is always maintained at the same hertz. The fortune teller said that for my horoscope, i need to travel more and be away from home in year 2008 to earn my living and i will have a harder time. i was thinking am i not far away enough from my hometown and lover? Should i work in north pole ? What a curse.
My HK housemate who has taken over my position in my ex department is bringing a bottle of red wine every week. we will both sit in front of the tv and take a sip of red wine every night as winter is approaching. Good life. Weather is nice this year, summer is not as hot , winter is not as cold, i guess it could be due to global warming.
Light years, is a term we used to describe time. It is strange that you get to find the person you like from this earth with its crazily huge population, and spend time with him/ her , hopefully till your or his/her last breath. Yoga teaches us that a slow and calm breath will give you longer life span, that is why tortoise has long life span. But how long is the life span of human beings in this universe when we used light years as a measurement unit ?? A very tiny fraction that could be neligible ?? i do not know . But i do know that every couple in love is lucky although they may have very little time to spend together in this universe.
Darby
I counted that by 30 Dec 2007 , it would have been 4 years since i am with piggy, and for the past 1 year and 7 months we are living in different countries. we only get to meet each other whenever there is a holiday, thrice or more in a year usually, but there is no strange feeling every time we meet up. it is just that i have become more independant as i am used to loneliness without piggy, he spends every weekend at his fav casino. As time slowly goes by, we both handle the relationship carefully and wholeheartedly , the frequency is always maintained at the same hertz. The fortune teller said that for my horoscope, i need to travel more and be away from home in year 2008 to earn my living and i will have a harder time. i was thinking am i not far away enough from my hometown and lover? Should i work in north pole ? What a curse.
My HK housemate who has taken over my position in my ex department is bringing a bottle of red wine every week. we will both sit in front of the tv and take a sip of red wine every night as winter is approaching. Good life. Weather is nice this year, summer is not as hot , winter is not as cold, i guess it could be due to global warming.
Light years, is a term we used to describe time. It is strange that you get to find the person you like from this earth with its crazily huge population, and spend time with him/ her , hopefully till your or his/her last breath. Yoga teaches us that a slow and calm breath will give you longer life span, that is why tortoise has long life span. But how long is the life span of human beings in this universe when we used light years as a measurement unit ?? A very tiny fraction that could be neligible ?? i do not know . But i do know that every couple in love is lucky although they may have very little time to spend together in this universe.
Darby
2007年11月9日星期五
shanghai ... we are coming
X mas is coming. Piggy and i am planning to go to Shanghai for our holidays. I have bought a book to guide us around the MRT routes, which is the favorite transport of mine. I have been reading about the good eating places/ shopping/sightseeing spots. Winter will be below 10 degree C. It will be a new experience to spend our xmas at the bund in cold weather. I want to spend our time there slow and relaxing. I hope the pig will not fall sick again like he did in korea / thailand / JB / kl / malaca / taipei /hongkong / vietnam/ bali / india / italy / london / singapore ......(Yes, he is that lousy).
It is late autumm now here and winter is around the corner. It's been cold every night even with the heater on and my sensitive skin is beginning to turn dry and itchy. I hope to have less scar this time although my eczema is killing me.
That s all for today.
darby
It is late autumm now here and winter is around the corner. It's been cold every night even with the heater on and my sensitive skin is beginning to turn dry and itchy. I hope to have less scar this time although my eczema is killing me.
That s all for today.
darby
2007年10月8日星期一
Lazy Piggy signing in again
It's been a long time since I last wrote. Work combined with pure laziness have resulted in this state of affairs. Many things have happened meanwhile, and it will take a few blogs for me to give an account of what darby and I have gone through together and separately the last few months.
Today's the 1st day darby is reporting to his new department. He's now in a consultant position in the same company which he had thought of leaving not too long ago. This being a new start for him, I wish him a charmed life henceforth in his new department. I can't be with him but have sent my fairy godmother there. May my fairy godmother keep a close watch over him.
Mcdull
Today's the 1st day darby is reporting to his new department. He's now in a consultant position in the same company which he had thought of leaving not too long ago. This being a new start for him, I wish him a charmed life henceforth in his new department. I can't be with him but have sent my fairy godmother there. May my fairy godmother keep a close watch over him.
Mcdull
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