The First of Many

Ugh.. *groan* is it 2009 already? Gosh... cannot believe i only went to sleep 5hours ago. No, i did not go out partying nor was there any alcohol involved. In fact, i spent the whole time slumped in front of the TV. :P

Sorry, Foodie Queen... i know you said you wanted to live vicariously through me... but all i did was have Ramlee burger, Cheezels, Chickadees & 3-in-1 Nescafe. :) Some celebration eh?

But i DID manage to see the fireworks going off at various hotspots from the balcony. Probably the first time i've managed to see it properly. Usually i'll either miss it coz i lost track of time or the view is blocked. So yeah.. last night was nice.. not Times Square splendour... but still nice. ;)

Anyway... before i forget the real reason for writing this... (i AM still in sleep-deprived stupor)... i just want to say, i hope this year brings better things for everyone. I know the world is in a mess right now.. but hey, we're still here... alive & well. So here's to the first of many greater blessings to come. ;)

Happy 2009!! *hugs*

Then there was you

It's officially the last day of the year. I remember starting the year full of uncertainties, wondering if i could be strong enough on my own... still reeling from the disappointments of the year before.

Looking back, i realized i was never alone. Throughout the year, i have been blessed with different ones being there for me. Some were there only for that moment and some... are crazy enough to still stick around and put up with my neuroses. ;P I'm thankful for encouraging words along the way and even more... the unspoken understanding & silent presence when i needed it the most.

Now, as i look to tomorrow, i know it would not be an easy road ahead but for certain, the journey will be better with friends by our side. So as we celebrate the coming new year, once again, i hope i have been that good a friend to you as you are to me. ;)

*hugs*

Snap, Crackle and Pop

For the longest time i've been telling myself that i needed a break.. a holiday. I came back from my trip, thinking that i would be refreshed... rejuvenated... raring to go. Instead, from the day i stepped back till now, things have not been going as well as it ought to. It is like a dark cloud that's hanging over us and we have no idea how to make it go away.

Suddenly, it's as if we're been snapped at over little little things. Granted that it's not the best of times for everyone, but whatever frustrations there might be, it seemed as though nothing we did was right. Things are not 'good enough'. The 'way things are being done' is inappropriate. The 'explanations' fall on deaf ears. It's disheartening to see different ones being brushed off even though i felt they had tried their best to please. Perhaps what i fear is that these tiny cracks in their psyche (daily) will one day break their spirit and motivation to try any more. :(

Mind you, i've not been 'spared' from these either. It is a bitter pill to swallow but having a few good friends around help soften the blows. The 'yumcha' and impromptu off-key singing session with M2 certainly lightened things up. (Gawd.. i better hide the video Ken took of us). I'm glad Tsing accompanied me to Csu's bro's wedding (yes.. it's that long-winded). And yeah, it would've been a little unnerving for me to be there on my own... not because i can't... but being 'emotionally drained', having a friend by your side makes a whole lot of difference. I'm still laughing over the way Tsing and KY sang-along to Wham's Wake Me Up Before You Go Go. Hahahaha.... Think there were a few more Top of the Pops songs the band sang, which also set off a few more rounds of laughter.

Oh... did i mention that the band members wore wings and they're called 'Chinese Angels'?? Hehehehee........

Capturing a thousand words... and a few more

I've tried to write a post about my trip to Shanghai a dozen times, yet i'm still stuck. What else can i say about it that i've not already told those who've asked me? It was my cousin's wedding/family holiday. We ate a LOT! The weather was foggy, hazy, rainy, gloomy, windy and finally... wonderful on the last day. :P The experience i had would be better told in person than on paper.... or in this case, online.

But, like all my other trips to various countries, there will always be 1 photo which captures the moment, stirs the emotion and creates the best memory (for me) of the place. This is my favourite shot, taken at the chrysanthemum field on the way to Zhejiang.
Now, before anyone says this is not 'chinese' enough (which i suspect some of you will), here's some, taken at WuZhen and West Lake, HangZhou.
And NO.... Shanghai is not all wooden houses & plantations. It's a very well developed and modern city. Just that i didn't get a chance to explore (or shop) much due to the rain. In fact, was very disappointed i didn't get to sit out at one of the cafes/bars in Xin Tian Di - reputed to be a very hip & happening place to hang out. So all i got was this pix ( and even so, while standing in the rain. Sigh!)
Right... i'm gonna stop here before i get emo for not being able to get better photos. If you think i've not said enough, well a picture paints a thousand words... and i have more than 1. ;P

A taste of Shanghai

My family often joked about how we live to eat more than we eat to live. Food has always been in abundance when it comes to dinners & get-togethers. But when we took a trip to Shanghai recently for my cousin's wedding, we were blown away by the number of dishes ordered by our hosts (the in-laws). At first we thought it was mere hospitality to us as guests, but later, we were told that this is the norm. *faints*

It would take too long a post to talk about ALL the food that we indulged in during our 1 week there. But to give you an idea, let me just show you what we had for our 1st dinner, which set the precedence for every day's lunch/dinner.
Be prepared to scroll down....

Roast pork slices

Cucumbers (sauce not shown)

Foie gras (goose liver)

Slightly salted fried fish

Preserved vege

Fruit salad

Another type of preserved vege (i think)

Sliced bitter gourd dipped in honey sauce (again, forgot to take pix of sauce)

Cold tofu in soy sauce

Prawns dipped in vinegar

Braised soya sauce pork & tofu

Steamed chicken with peanuts & bacon

Corn fried with salted egg yolk (am not a fan of corn but this was super yummy)

Braised pork belly slices with preserved vege & chinese cabbage

Lamb chops to die for ;D

Pig's stomach with bean sprouts (i think. Yeah, chinese eat the weirdest things)

Stewed chicken & pumpkin with rice cakes

Spicy steamed fish (don't be fooled by the colour. It was super spicy)

Fried glass noodles with seafood & caviar

Fried (unidentified) vege

Fried spinach with garlic

Radish soup

Baked hairy crab - highlight of the meal as the crabs are seasonal

Pan-fried dumplings with minced pork filling

Wine with every meal *hic*

Now if you've not collapsed from scrolling down, i have... from doing this post. *phew* Must've put on a few tons from my trip. So maybe if i can summon enough energy to move my lazy @$$, i'll do another post about the trip. Till then... *burp*