上海-黄山 20 - 27 Dec 07

I'm back in hot, humid, boring Singapore! :( Oh well, I've had some good times during the trip so there're pictures to share! There were more hiccups this time round compared to the 九寨沟 trip in June ... apparently there was some itinerary mix-up ... what we had been given when we booked the trip was not the one faxed over to the Chinese agency.

Also, the tour guide this time was not as conscientious ... she didn't even know what's supposed to be on the itinerary when we were in other cities! See, we stopped by 苏州 and 无锡 on the way and each had their own local guide. Apparently, one of the spots in 无锡 was missed and our miss tour guide didn't even know! Our group members made a lot of noise throughout the trip to gain back what we had been promised so in the end, it's not so bad ... we were compensated somehow ... for me, that's not too important as long as we all had fun.

As it was a small group of 14, we got to know each other pretty well, and hopefully we'll be in touch as friends so that's cool. Especially the 3 lovely Indonesian girls who remind me of what youth means ... haha ... speaking like an old woman :)

At Chenghuang Miao in Shanghai, where one can find the famous Nanxiang xiaolongbao ... we didn't though :(

It was 冬至 on 22 December so there's this giant bowl of 汤圆 at Chenghuang Miao.

Old Chinese architecture chracterises Chenghuang Miao.

People here air pork like they do laundry ...

Money offered in exchange for good luck at the 雷峰塔 (Leifeng Pagoda) in 杭州 (Hangzhou). 雷峰塔 is the pagoda that trapped a 1000-year-old snake spirit, Madam White Snake in the Legend of Madam White Snake. It is now in ruins after collapsing in 1924 because the people of Hangzhou stole bricks from the pagoda. Why steal bricks? Buddhist scriptures - 经 (pronounced as jing) - were kept inside the bricks. Because it sounds much like gold - 金 (pronounced as jin) - people stole the bricks hoping to find gold in them. Besides, people thought that since the pagoda could suppress a snake spirit, the bricks could at least fend off snakes which could destroy crops and silkworms which were pivotal to their livelihood.

The remains of the collapsed pagoda.

The West Lake (西湖)

Bells hanging from the roof of 雷峰塔

Gotta look dainty when surrounded by great natural beauty ... hehe ...

Posing in front of 雷峰塔.

It is said that 西湖 in the moonlight is more beautiful than when it is covered in snow, which is more beautiful than when it is shrouded in fog, which is more beautiful than when rain falls on its tranquil waters, which is more beautifiul than when its mirror surface glistens in bright sunlight. It was very misty the morning we took a boat ride on the West Lake.

This is the entrance to an old Chinese village in the province of 安徽 (Anhui) called 宏村 (Hong Cun)

Didn't realise until I looked back at my pictures - the 2 men look funny. Haha ...

The bridge where a scene from Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon was filmed.

Old style homeroom in the village, which is not in use anymore. How fitting of these 2 school teachers to be seated here.

A couple of villagers practising the art of Chinese calligraphy.

Cute little boy!

The hike up 黄山 (Huangshan) in light drizzle (or maybe it's just fog?)

The brownie and the toadstool. Haha ...

连心锁 (interlocking hearts) - couples who make it to the top of the mountain will intertwine two padlocks to seal their commitment to the relationship which will hopefully be as solid as the mountain they have just climbed.

The thick mist rendered our trip up 黄山 virtually worthless cuz we couldn't see anything! This must be the best shot I've got of what little of the mountain's famed beauty that peeked through the thick fog for a few sheer seconds ...

A stone craftsman at work.

At a bonsai garden which reminds me of the topiary in Edward Scissorhands.

Er ... that's no bodhi tree though ...

The eye of 黄山 (Huangshan)!

This ancient boulder brought from the bed of 太湖 (Tai Hu) resembles a dragon, my zodiac sign. Or it's all in the mind?

The shopping street in 苏州 (Suzhou).

That's the Suzhou Industrial Park behind us.

The bus and its brief moment of strike. Hehe ...

2 x Miss Malaysia.

Squaring off with e=mc2.

View from the outer Bund on a clear night.

View of the Oriental Pearl Tower on a foggy night, from the top of a boat cruising along 黄浦江 (Huangpu River).

The new friends we made on this trip!

Elvin in the Top 10!

Yeah! Elvin's one of the 红星大奖 2007 十大男艺人. I'm happy for him although I didn't contribute a cent to that V ... hehe. The short speech he gave touched me. Having just seen the preview of Kinship II yesterday, I must say he has a lot of work to do as an actor. The good thing is he knows it, and he's taking criticism in good stride, and he knows that there's light at the end of the tunnel (well, he said something about intense darkness before the first light of dawn). Gambatte Elvin!

Personally, I think he should look to Ivy Lee as a role model. Her acting was terrible when she first started but with many years of hard work, she's now a brilliant actress. She doesn't win this year but she is in the Top 10 Female Artistes list (hehe ... I'm mean, but it's heartening to see that only 3 of the 7 Princesses make it to the Top 10 - Rui En, Felicia and Jesseca - all of whom I like!). The Best Actress award went to Yvonne Lim. She truly deserves it because although I didn't follow the show, the few times I caught it, I watched in awe of Yvonne's performance. Coincidentally, that show - Metamorphosis - is drama of the year (I was rooting for Like Father, Like Daughter although The Peak was also one of the nominees).

Thought Fann's little onstage reunion with all her 'husbands' was comical. Very entertaining (and that Luo Zhixiang is freaking cute too la ... haha) But as usual, I'm quite turned off by Christopher Lee's act-cute-cool-whatever antics. Michelle Chia and Shaun Chen are a cute couple (too bad Shaun's not in the Top 10!), I'm really quite envious she's hooked up with the second best-looking guy in Singapore! You go, girl!

About the best-looking one, he turned up for the Kinship II promo yesterday in a yellow checked shirt, and his hair was back to black. Absolutely sexy, I like :) Sorry, the picture quality sucks cuz I went really late and was seated high up there near the door (Row N) :(

(L-R) : Brandon Wong, Elvin Ng, Chen Tianwen, San Yow (Wen Long), Alan Tern, Eelyn Kok, Carrie Yeo, Hong Huifang, Xiang Yun, 97.2 FM DJ.

爱: Shower me with your love!

Quotes of Today

Haruki Murakami (Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman - The Ice Man):
"I fell deeply in love with him, and he came to love me, the present me, apart from any past or future. And I came to love the Ice Man for who he is now, apart from any past or future."
huiz: I can relate to this quote because I believe love should come with no baggage.

Linkin Park (In Between):
"The only thing that's worse than one is none."
huiz: Having is better than not having right? Wrong. Really depends on what it is you have. Anyone disagrees?

Uncle Walt's Favourite Song

Disney's songs are always meaningful. This touches me.



Robert Sherman recalls:
"On Fridays, after work, [Walt Disney would] often invite us into his office and we'd talk about things that were going on at the Studio. After a while, he'd wander to the north window, look out into the distance and just say, 'Play it.' And Dick would wander over to the piano and play 'Feed the Birds' for him. One time just as Dick was almost finished, under his breath, I heard Walt say, 'Yep. That's what it's all about.'"

He also comments:
"Songs have been written about a myriad of subjects. Feed the Birds is the first song written about the merits of giving charity."

Merry Christmas everyone!

Support SPCA this Christmas!

Won! Invites to Kinship II Xmas Bash

Hehe ... got a pair of tix to this Saturday's event. Think they give it out to whoever sent that email. Well, anyway, I might go if I have nothing better to do. But probably have to arrive early to secure the most upfront seat to see Elvin better.

Hahaha ... we'll see. Not too crazy about Elvin already but it could be really fun. Dunno if got any door gifts with 手足 goodies ... Also, since it's a pair, anyone care to join me? :)

I miss winning. There was once upon a time, I kept winning movie tickets from MediaCorp and MTV including a U2 DVD courtesy of MTV which I treasure and the Triwizard Cup from that Mediacorp waltz competition in conjuction with the release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. But the one thing that I really wanna win from these media companies continues to elude me. Sigh ...

Well, that aside, good to be on a winning streak once more. It was the company's DnD last Friday and I walked away with a prize too ... not much, but it's half a iPod Touch. Hehe ... that's what I'll probably get if no one has any better use for the voucher!

Weekend's Over In A Blink

Sunday night. I've always hated it. All the way from as far back as I can remember, ever since I started schooling. I hate Sunday.

This weekend, like all others, is over in a blink. Saturday, I was out for most of the day. Caught the first show of The Golden Compass at GV VivoCity at 10.15 am. This must be the first time I've ever entered the cinema at such an early hour. Why? Cuz the day was really short yesterday cuz it's Pauline's birthday so we wanna celebrate it with her in the afternoon after Fauzie finished work.

After The Golden Compass, which by the way, is a fair movie - can watch (the animal daemons are especially cute!), we shopped for a bit while waiting for Fauzie. Boy, it's only the third time I was at VivoCity since it opened last year despite the fact that I live at the other end of the NEL line. We had lunch at Modesto's for at least 3 hours, gossiping and such, things that girls do when we have some time together. Pauline said a colleague asked what songs she listened to when she was in secondary school. Boy, did that bring us down memory lane!

After that, we left for City Hall. I was supposed to attend a show which was part of the Singapore Writer's Festival with a friend from SPH who had two free tickets. She decided not to go after a morning of cold sweat at the other shows that she went to which were super crowded. So Fauzie joined me instead for Façade: Something Lies Beyond The Scene.

Façade is quite an interesting programme. It's poetry recital with a twist, supposedly an inspiration of poet Edith Sitwell who thought why not set poetry to musical accompaniment to bring out the emotional value of the verses? Last night's recital was by Singapore poet Cyril Wong, to music conducted by Adrian Tan.

Yesterday too, I bumped into not one but two old friends. The first one was an old colleague, the other a cameraman I used to work closely with but haven't met in at least two years. It was awesome to see them both.

Today, Sunday. Woke up thinking it was only 9.30 am cuz that's what it said on my sister's clock. Apparently it's 1.5 hours slower and it's already 11 am when I woke up. I got a shock when my watch showed 12 noon after I took my time washing up, doing my laundry and cleaning the A380 model at the top of my cupboard.

Shoot, half a day gone just like that. I spent the other half inserting memories into my diary, bringing it up-to-date. All the time watching Perhaps, Love and re-watched My Life As McDull. Though watching with divided attention, many of the songs on Perhaps, Love struck a chord with me. Think it's a heart-wrenching love story ... will have to watch it again more seriously next time.

So that's it. My weekend. Over in a blink. Now watching MediaCorp's 25th Anniversary show. Reliving my childhood is one of the things I'm increasingly doing lately. Probably it's one of those things that one does as age catches up. Looking for something to cling on to the ever more elusive youth.

Before you go, meet my new friend, my virtual pet 小熊猫 雪 o(^_^)o Make him catch your mouse pointer with his gaze!

2017

I went to renew my PR re-entry permit today. It's for ten years, and will expire Dec 5, 2017.

2017 ... it seems like a number from a sci-fi flick, where the story unfolds in the distant future. Yet, it's a mere 10 years away.

Looking back to 10 years ago, where was I? Mugging for my International Finance paper in the midst of the Asian Financial Crisis. Worrying about my future, no doubt.

10 years on, today, where am I? I've done ok, I guess. Could've been better but I've had experiences that many people can only hear of. There have been highs and lows, heartbreak and laughter, success and failure. 所谓的人生喜怒哀乐，我算是尝过了。

2017, 10 years later, where would I be? They say the best things in life come to those who wait. I'll wait. There's so much waiting to do ...