happy thoughts

someone asked me:

why is everyone so happy?

i answered: why not? why suffer? life is too short to be suffering and wallowing in sadness.
agree?
have always been a happy person...but can be quite moody at times...generally happy lah.
always throwing caution to the wind and live for the day only. free spirit, happy-go-lucky.
people who live under undue stress are more likely to get cancer and depression.
oh, i am so cheerful and optimistic. cross the bridge when you come to it.
yippee-yayyay.
effects of durian? haha...i guess it is because i have something to look forward to.
happy thoughts...have some ready and use them when u need them.
this friday's night barbecue party is something to look forward to. the list has been made and there are already ticks here and there.
chicken: check
skewers and pit: check
hotdog: check
meatballs: check
chicken curry: check
fried meehoon: check
salad: check
agar-agar: check
still looking for fruits and the container to put drinks.
is it too much to ask the invitees to bring their own crockery?? hey, that is one way of reducing rubbish right? everyone gave me the 'huh' look when i mentioned it. there will be so much rubbish on that night ah!!! i know ppl will help me clean, but i am more concerned about the amount of rubbish we are generating only loh. suddenly i am so environmentally conscious.
thanks to those who voluntarily offered their help. i do need them. and thanks for those who wanted to pre-book me for my birthday. haha...yeah, i got an sms today asking if anyone had booked me already. you guys are so thoughtful and never fail every year. but this year, let us celebrate together in one place and one event. i cannot agree to go out with one group and reject others. so this year...satu kali sapu all.
hope it is going to be a great one. still keeping my fingers crossed...will not uncross the fingers till it is over ;P

the king is back

lo and behold!

this is what awaits me before i enter the door. the aromatic smell reaches my nose first and a broad grin forms on my face. hahaha...durian!!!

i have been complaining that it is only the beginning of the season and there are not that many fruits found on sale...wooo hoooo!!!!

so i guess for this weekend...the diet is as follow:

breakfast: coffee and bread

lunch: durian

tea: walls ice-cream

dinner: durian

supper: walls ice-cream

a dietician's nightmare for sure.

sunday..the cycle will repeat. will have to fill myself to the brim and fast for the week lah. and dun forget to run too....have to burn those calories.

oh...no pimples please.........

first pressie

countdown to my birthday ya :P

my first birthday present has arrived...brought back from germany, present from aunt. oh, i so lurve swarovski crystal pendants. this one, plus 2 others i have in my collection. a purple and a blue piece... in different shapes and sizes.

one year older soon but age is not a problem. in fact, have never felt any better than now. a friend has complimented i look nice in the new haircut and in recent photos ;P that raised some spirits and made the heart flutter.

this is perasan or what...

more food

my favourite cake found at starbucks coffee: ebony and ivory. rich and creamy and chocolaty. heavenly. had it years ago in the starbucks in times square. i dun think all starbucks have it. was able to satisfy this craving in genting highlands again at the starbucks outside first world hotel. my heart was leaping with joy when i saw it. drooling now...

gwen in kl

aaaahhhhhh....gwen stefani is coming to malaysia for concert on 21 august and i won't be around!!! just my luck!!! i will be in cambodia at that time!! gosh, this is one concert i would really like to go. i am sure it is going to be swell. waaa....no point crying. just console myself that i can save the rm300 and use it for shopping in cambodia. sob sob.

meal at the olive

at the lounge while they were setting the table.

the collection of wine available.

besides enjoying myself at the concerts, i also gave myself a treat at one of the restaurants in genting highlands. it is called the olive and it has won hospitality asia platinum award for restaurant of the year 06-07. you can say this is the first time i have experienced fine dining and paid almost rm100 for a meal. i went there for lunch with 2 other friends. took our sweet time there and the waitress also took their slow sweet time in serving us. cannot rush lah after all have paid to enjoy the ambience as well. luckily food was slow, it was quite filling after the appetiser and i had to keep some space for the much awaited dessert. the ingredients used were fresh and everyone had nothing but praises for the food. hmmmm....such satisfaction. still feel contented thinking about the meal.

my main course, crepe with seafood and baked mushroom dunno in whatever sauce. hahaha....friends had rib eye steak and risotto.

appetised: pizza brushetta, a friend had their lobster soup...waaa...that was really scrumptious. the smell was soooo appetising.

my dessert!! only i ordered dessert. read about this dish in newspaper review, so of course would not let it get away from mouth. hot chocolate cake with orange souffle and cherries aka chocolate lava cake. heavenly!!! still craving for it although i am down here and the restaurant is up there.

the melted hot chocolate sauce in the cake....slurp!!! melting now.

jason says...

jason says...
1- i am his best friend
2- he gets no 2 in his class this time
3- he will buy be a 'big' dinner the next time he comes to kl
4- he doesn't know who sammi cheng is (man or woman?? haha)

sammi singing other's song. managed to record without the knowledge of the guard. haha.

fans causing a ruckus outside the hotel.

hins cheung singing his own song. the guard stopped me. it is not allowed to do any audio or video recording wor.

mi and i

guards at the hotel preparing for the onslaught.
this one stationed in front of me!!! luckily he got distracted at the point when i wanted to give something to sammi, hahahaha...good timing. so i just ran up in front of the stage and tossed the doll to her lah. good catch!
fans in the arena of stars. full house.

with guest artiste, hins cheung. a nice chap! really nice! he signed and wrote messages to his fans when they passed him the stuff through his personal assistant at the hotel. he was found browsing in first world plaza, and a friend stopped him for a photo...he willingly obliged. his songs are not bad.
he is also mi's fan.
mi holding a doll ;)

this photo is taken from a hk newspaper: apple daily. there are news of the concerts in the main hk dailies too. just want to let you see all the die hard fans. hehe.

two days of exhilaration on the hill above the clouds (genting: yuin ting in chinese). hahaha

crazy...yeah, i am acting like one of those fanatics stalking my idol...no... correction, i dun have to act, i do it. ;P

i did not really stalk and barge at her like some unruly fans which caused a ruckus lah. i only waited at the hotel to see her walk out to her van and then see her come back only. very good one. who wants to make their idol scared and angry right? imagine you alone facing a bunch of fans you do not know, how will you feel? one stupid fan practically ran up to the van as soon as the door was opened, and then as quickly as she ran, that was how quick the security guards ran into her and shoved her aside too. ouch. then the next day, no more using the main entrance already...and everyone did not get to see her before and after the concert.

the concerts were great! went both nights and the fans were screaming their hearts out for her. i did not scream because i just dun have the voice for that. i guess some ppl are not made to scream. the guards on duty there were really anti-climax. she sang a lot of fast numbers this time around and you really have to get on your feet to enjoy yourself. but as soon as the fans stood up, the guards came to scold and push everyone to sit. anyway, sammi and her dancers signalled for everyone to stand up in one of the segments and that was the only time when the guards let us do as we wished. it was awesome.

and the hand-shaking session...well, failed the first night because she was surrounded by all those guards who were so afraid fans would pull her away. the second night, succeeded ;) just put my hand in and she squeezed it before letting it go slowly. din wave like those frantic ones. just stayed calm only. the guards again were out full force, but they were more afraid the barricade they had set would fall and all fans from the back would push the ones in front to fall. sigh...they should have prepared better and sturdier barricade. some fans were arguing with the guards and it was quite ugly. the guards also were quite rude and rough in handling the fans. one of the guards gave my friend a hard kick on the leg so that she would move back. but it was not her fault that she was pushed in front, it was those at the back that were pushing.

anyway, had 2 great nights at the concert. it was nice listening to all the songs live...some songs just sound so good live. well, dunno when she will come again. can't wait to get the dvd of her concert in hk which will be released soon.

my shoes and me

You will be wondering if I have a particular fetish for slippers when you see this. What is so significant about this pair of slippers?
Even the wallpaper of my laptop is a photo of my house slippers!
These slippers are my feet savers at home for your information. This particular pair is worn in bidor. Nice eh?
When do I start wearing house slippers and especially these with rubber soles?
It all started more than 2 years ago I guess when the x-ray film showed extra calcium lodged in the sole of my left foot. In medical term, it is called plantar faciitis or layman’s term: heel spur. Went for few months of physiotherapy at the district hospital, advised to stop all strenuous activities on the feet (no running) to rest the feet and change my shoes. Did physio help to dislodge the calcium? No…as soon as I start my jogging again, I can feel the throbbing pain on my sole because the spur is just trying to remind me of its existence.
So no more heels, but all heel-covering pumps and mostly flats now. The reason being? I have to put a piece of gel support for my heel in whatever I am shod in. at home, it is well-supported house slippers and no more running around in bare feet. Oh, how I miss the feeling of running bare footed…the sheer utter freedom of being close to the ground is no longer felt except occasionally when the feet are rested (not jogging for a few days and the feet are well-supported during the day), then only can I walk around a few hours without the gel support or in those strappy high heels. All heels are still in boxes…waiting for what? I dunno. For my heel to get better? Or just waiting to be thrown away. Might give them to my cousin lah if she wants as we have the same size.
It gets quite depressing writing about this but the spur has been with me for more than 2 years now that it has become a part of me. So the next time if you see a piece of gel support in my shoes, you know the reason and don’t have to give me that curious look. Deep down, there is still that vanity to be shod in high-jeweled-decorated heels. Well, one can always rest the feet for a few days and then suffer for that few hours and achieve that exhilaration of being able to strut your stuff. Hehe.

why does all work seem to be pilling up when you are at your busiest??
haven't been getting some sound dreamless sleep for a few nights already. could be because there are too many things to figure out and to carry out. the list is getting longer and there is more to be added.
colleague has been bugging about hotel booking for cambodia! for goodness sake, there is still 2 months before we fly!! and there are so many hotels available, like they are going to be full all of a sudden in august. august is not the peak season for cambodia, end of the year till february is. not that i dun want to book now, i am just so busy planning for the weekend.
yeah. i am really looking forward to the weekend...up there in genting highlands. been quite a while errr...can't even remember when was the last time i went.
will post the pictures yeah, after i get down. hope to have a memorable trip.
why am i going?
aiyoh...sammi cheng's concerts lah ;P

today in history + yesterday's

Today is the first day of the seventh year in this job. Wow, it has been this long.
Yesterday was the day I reported for duty in 2001. no wonder that date was like so familiar but I did not realize it until at night when my housemate reminded me the significance of the date.
6 full years is quite long isn’t it, to stick at a job.
I think I am doing not a bad job. Have realized the potentials that I have (crazy multi-tasking) but also the restrictions in the job. Well, you cannot have it all.
The colleagues are nice and the environment is not threatening at all. The boss is someone you like to hate, but luckily there are those assistants ‘managers’ whom you can get along well with and that make it up.
Then there are those holidays that people are envious of all the time. But hey, my salary is meagre compared to yours.
It is all in a day’s work. And I hope I can hold my head high while I am still at it and give the best service I can.
Happy anniversary and happy working!

holidays madness

just back from beijing.
now reading guide books on cambodia.
and i have invitation to go to jiujaigou in china in october?? madness?? where to get all the money??
NOOOOO!!!!
p/s: have one whole week off during hari raya. people raya, we also raya. sigh.

mamee or maggi? or cintan?

asam laksa instant noodles...yup that was what i was craving for last week. mom said, "so, go and buy lah."
and off i went to the nearby sundry shop...and i came back with mamee asam laksa ;(waaa......i was yearning for maggi's asam laksa, i could feel the taste of the sourish soup in my mouth already on the way to the shop and i had no choice but to choose mamee because they did not have maggi asam laksa!!!
i was very very disappointed. no asam taste in the soup at all and the noddles are not the same as maggi's. waaaaaa....
i still want my maggi asam laksa but someone has to finish the rest of the four packs of mamee at home first.

the case of jonathan strange

this book has been by my bedside for so long...months???

and i have only reached half of it...boy am i glad i am halfway through.

not that the story is not interesting, it is just so long!!! there are 1005 pages and i have reached 525. it makes me feel better. it is set in the 1800 about two magicians. the more i read about one of the magicians, the more resemblance i see between him and my boss. hahaha...this magician is not the good one ;) very kiasu and selfish in disseminating his knowledge to his apprentice but wants all the merit for the efforts done.

have started counting down because i want to start reading others books too. again, this book has been sought and might be turned into a movie soon...i guess if they can come up with a good enough script. how are they going to squeeze 1000 pages of plot into a 2-hour movie beats me.

well, at least when the movie is released, then i am ready for it.

go to www.jonathanstrange to know more. not promoting this book in anyway but only mere information for those interested to know more.

thunder...thunder...thundercats...hooooooooo

Logo taken from Wikipedia.

remember the cartoons you used to watch?? looks like ppl like to reminisce old times and now we have CGI featured film of thundercats soon. no date has been set for release yet but i can't wait. this year, the eagerly awaited transformer will crash into our big screens soon. hope it is good. seen the trailer and the robots are really awesome but kinda scary. i read somewhere that the tiny and friendly bumble-bee (yellow volkswagen) is not the same as in the cartoon. it won't be a VW on big screen. i kinda like bumble-bee but secretly wished to be optimus prime. don't we wish to be this or that character on screen when we were young?
as for thundercats, my siblings and i have our roles too. hahaha
as the big and bossy one...i assumed the role of lion-o.
then the next one will take cheetara and followed by panthro.
our brother? i dun think he was old enough to watch with us and understand at that time (how old we are now?? hehe).
i wonder if the kids today know what is thundercats. when the movie is released, i think the cinema will be filled with more adults than kids. i know i will be there to cheer for one of my cartoon heroes. HOOOOOO!!!!

tata for the week

ok... i am getting addicted to posting already. i know i will not be posting maybe for one whole week, so i have to add something before i go lah.

have to thank the sender of the notebook. in this notebook, is where i jot down all my expenses, and travel notes. you guys dun think i have such good memory, do you?

although initially when i got this book, i was wondering how long would it be before i utilise it. it had been staring at me for one whole year. so finally decided to make use of it lah. better use it than waste it. after all, paper is so precious nowadays with all the talk of recyling recently for the world environment day.

the book is really handy and small enuf to fit any bag.

thanks yl.

west 57th street

set foot in sg wang again after so many years. went there to have lunch with jet. decided to go to zang toi's cafe after long absence. i still remember going there with yunli and enjoying their chocolate banana cake. at that time, it was the best, better than secret recipe's.
so this time around, i wanted to savour the long lost taste again.
it took us many turns and alleys to reached that cafe. the information counter gave us the wrong information and guided us to the wrong floor! instead of the first floor, she told us it was on the second floor. and i couldn't remember the name of the cafe, all i could remember was zang toi. so no point looking on the directory.
it was situated outside a row of local designer boutiques as seen below. just small lots and very quiet. we were there for more than an hour and no one went in to even browse. it is quite a waste because their clothes are really nice. i think it is a case of bad location. they should be placed somewhere else where there are more affluent customers. maybe i was wrong. it might be lunch and ppl do not look for clothes at this time.

we ordered from the set menu...which came with a small minute piece of chocolate banana cake as dessert. i ordered pineapple fried rice. i guess the food was so-so only lah. overheard from the table next to ours 'too little pineapple'. i agree, there was no pineapple taste in the fried rice. and the cake. oh, how disappointed i was. it was totally different from the heavenly slices i had ages ago. it tasted more like brownie texture now instead of the soft spongy cake. now, i would rather go for secret recipe's. so much for my expectation. sorry to disagree with you friend.

few more words...

hehehe...this is definitely the highlight of my trip lah!!! i have never met such a cute and adorable guy on a trip. he is quite clever too. he could recount most of what the tour guide mentioned in detail. very observant of his surrounding when he could point out the places we went to when the bus passed by.
when will i see him again??

beijing...a historical heritage...i guess that is how i will sum it up. you go to these places which had been mentioned and filmed in history. but other than that, everything else is like any modern choked-up city. if i were to extend my stay, i would have most probably revisited tian an men square at night and went to wang fu jing street. maybe the locals might recommend more places to go but i couldn't think of any. everywhere you go, it would be people and cars! you can really choke. however, it is good to say that at least i have been there once.

chai zian beijing

the end of the trip...yawn! left the hotel at 5.30a.m. ah but the sky was already brightening. breakfast was packed sandwiches with hardboiled egg and a slice of ham plus a bottle of water. i returned it. i had my 3-in-1 coffee and some bread i bought yesterday. my roommate said she saw those packed breakfast the night before when she sent her sister off. but i saw the others eat theirs, no problem. the SIA flight we were booked on. 3-3-3 seats. i watched 2 movies on the way back. watched 'fu zi' (after this our exile) starring aaron kwok first. yucks!!! it was lousy. i could not comprehend how he could win the best actor award for this movie. he was supposed to be an uneducated malaysian but the way he spoke, it was all the courteous hk mannerism in his speech. totally crap, difficult for that role he was playing to sink in. regretted watching it, it was boring as well.
the next movie was better. it was korean; a new one: 200 pounds beauty. i think they are going to show it in the cinema this month. the box-office collection for this movie is better than my sassy girl. it is really funny and of course i enjoyed watching that. a family sitting next to my row was watching wild hogs. hahaha...of course their laughter rocked the whole section. without looking at their screen, i knew they were watching that movie already. if i had not watched it, i would have chosen that movie. those who have not watched, go and watch. you will enjoy it.
waiting area in the airport. still early morning lah so many ppl were seen snoozing away.

oh, this bag? i left for beijing with a black luggage bag rite? and now i came back with a red bigger one. hahah. even the snob in me could not resist getting a hand on this 'samsonite'. i bought it for RMB170 at one of the 'malls'. i do need a bigger bag, so this came at the right time. my housemate also bought one, hence the price. they started by offering RMB450. then we bargained lah. it is quite sturdy and the colour is striking. but it was dirty already ah when i collected it at klia. sob!

so that is all about it lah...my walk and climb in beijing, chengde and tianjin.

day 7: tian jin and beijing

started the day early again...but i have forgotten what time. we wanted to escape the city congestion. the breakfast at this new hotel was much better ah. there were all kinds of buns, proper butter with bread and better coffee. they even had fried egg! too bad this was the only morning we were to have our breakfast here!!
the trip to tian jin took us 2 hours. basically, the only things to see in tian jin are the cultural and food street. tianjin is famous for its seafood because of its location...but sadly, we did not have a lot of that. i asked my aunt, 'huh? what seafood?' when she told me that. i think i managed to swallow a piece of snail without me knowing it in lunch served there. that piece of 'meat' looked strange but i whack only lah...try new things konon. that night only i realised it was a piece of snail.

another arch or gate. this one is outside cultural stree.

cultural street, you can buy and sell antiques here...provided you know which is the real thing lah. ceramic is also popular here.

entrance to the food market.

jason!!! hahaha..okok...back to the food market. inside the food market. they sell all kinds of food; dried fruits, nuts, biscuits,etc. there is also a mcdonalds here. i bought a very nice pineapple ice-cream here. only RMB1.50. cheap cheap.

jason again!!! he just wanted to be in the photographs. his grin there made him look like hamburger face. haha...dun tell him that ah. before this, to get him to take a photo with me was so difficult ah. now, every photo i took, he also wanted to be in. this was where he pulled himself away from his parents and took my hand. he even pulled me away from my friends! oh, he is strong. maybe it was the last day we were going to spent together already. i am a magnet for children. have to tune the magnet a bit lah...see can attract older guys or not. hahah.

prwns and snails you see at the entrances of all eatiries here. i think i had one of those white snails you see here.

ok, on the way back to beijing, we were brought to the last 'rip' shop! aaah!! but this one was more welcomed than the others lah. here we were brought into a room and we got a free foot massage. they also massaged our shoulders and back. this was done by the academy students. the things they sell here: chinese medicine. they targetted those who came in family. again, i was not bothered and brush aside. what the heck, i just enjoyed the massage lah.

the room we were in.

soak your feet first before in some medicinal broth. it helps to clean the feet.

academy students doing the massage. mine came all the way from hubei to study.

some of the shirts you see in those 'malls'. a lot of polo ralph lauren ah. everyone can wear branded shirts in china!

the last dinner in beijing was mini hot-pot. everyone got a mini hot-pot for their own use. the soup was really bland. i added so much soya sauce. the specialty was mutton wor...so they said lah. but then it was quite tasteless one. however, the sesame sauce provided was good. they also gave chilli oil. i added all into the soup. they gave us chicken fillets, vegetables, meatballs (lousy), eggs and vermicelli. not nice one ah this meal. i only had a little of everything and then couldn't wait to leave the place! it was bloody hot!! no air-cond one ah!!! the restaurants in china really skimped on their electricity ah. one way it is good also lah, save the environment, but at the expense of our comfort loh. actually chinese are quite environmental conscious...ok...dun count the number of cars in the city (there are 3 millions now). you see no rubbish on the streets. rubbish bins are divided into recyclable and non-recyclable sections.

went back to the hotel at about 7+, before eight. another group did not come back with us. this was the shopping group. they still did not get enough of their shopping, so they stayed back at the mall. i went back because i had finished all my money!!! if you think i bought a lot there, think again. i only exchanged RM700 to china. and i used till the last yuan. din buy much thing which i can belanja ppl to eat. feel so bad now.

aunt linhui dropped by the hotel to have a short chat. she was in the area. she asked me if i wanted to go and buy stuff but i declined. i know she would pay for me ah since i have no more money, so we just stayed and chatted. then jason came to my room because he wanted to play with the games in my handphone. his dad dropped him. jason met aunt linhui. linhui said he was cute and adorable too. hehe. then it was packing. squished and pushed. slept at 10p.m.

morning call at 4.30a.m.!!

dance at mini potala tempe

deer feeding

day 6: cheng de

day 6 was still reserved for cheng de. half a day here, then after lunch, headed back to beijing again in that dreaded 4 hours journey. we started the day by visiting the imperial summer palace villa. this villa was where the emperor spent the hot summer. as chengde is surrounded by mountains, its temperature is 5 degrees lower than else where. it was really a cool day as well and i had to put on a light jacket. the villa was used during the filming of my fair princess (huan zhu ge ge). those who have watched the show, see if you can recognise any building or not...but then again, all building structures in ancient chinese palaces are quite the same.
2 of our tour group members did not join us this morning. her daughter vomitted and had diarrhoe in the middle of the night. she was too weak to even wake up in the morning. morning call was at 6.30a.m. so the mother and daughter together with the malaysian guide, went to an army hospital recommended by the local guide. there, they had to hide their malaysian identity and said that they came from guangzho instead. reason? they will charge you sky-high prices knowing you are foreigners. so the mother and daughter kept their mouth shut as they did not know chinese and let the guide did all the talking. in the end, they paid more than RM300 for the treatment which included various tests and drip. they bought insurance, so they would make the claim with the bills lah. phew!


watermill?
entrance of the imperial summer palace villa. we also took a group photo outside but i did not buy. one is enuf lah. want to rip me again ah? a video gal also followed us around in our visit of this villa and recorded all our moves here. unfortunately, no one bought the vcd from her. only some bought the group photo. they really know how to make money hor.


a bronze plague salvaged from fire. look at the intricate carvings.

villa courtyard.

photography is not allowed of this emperor's foyer. but again yours truly managed to escape. just stray away from the group, cover your camera with your big body, and press the button...no flash please.

mr kong, our one day guide in chengde. he was singing one of the local songs here.

everyone take your seat! i got a seat at the front of the boat. haha...clever me.

replica of the famous west lake in suzhou brought here by the emperor.
a view captured from the boat. someone said this boat ride was ridiculous. we just went from one end to the other, could have just walked! and for this, they charged us RMB20. i totally agreed. been on a longer ride on the actual westlake. i guess they just wanted to give the tourists the same experience.


the famous misty rain villa...ok...only for those who watched 'huan chu ge ge' (my fair princess).


another part of the summer villa is made to replicate the mongolian field. this is the entrance.



yurt...yes, these rounded tents are called yurts. here, they are hotel rooms. and nope, they are not made of skins, just some plastic covering the brick wall. one yurt, 2 single beds and a toilet. oh, they were cleaning one of the yurts, so i peeped in. curious as usual.

a buggy ride to get to the mongolian yurts. free? nothing is free in china lah...oh, except toilet use. we paid RMB20 again.

the 'wild' deer. but not so wild anymore, they are not scared of ppl. you can feed them if you want...as seen in the video above.

mini potala palace...the emperor did not want to go all the way to tibet to pray, so he created a similar one in chengde. how convenient


the gate of faith, job-promotion and health, from left to right, if you go under these archs, accordingly. well, you can only choose two, one on the way up, the other on the way down. i chose the second and third. let me pass my exam!!! hahaha!


view from the palace.
another entrance gate.

wall of the mini potala palace. see those windows, they are closed for two purposes. one is to block the noises from obstructing the disciples from praying and two is to avoid the lures of the outside world getting into the place.

steps leading to the palace. 52 steps in one flight. they are 2 flights. step on them with pure heart and you will be cleansed.



another view from the mini potala.


a local dance...tibetan i think.


the second arch once after you enter.

inside mini potala temple. we were given a flag each once we entered the temple. each colour signifies different things. i got a yellow one which signifies wealth. but the catch is, if you want your wishes fulfilled, you should raise the flag on the poles you see here. you just write your name and your wish on the flag, the raise it. but of course, you have to pay! the small flag is RMB10 and the bigger one is RMB30. since i dun believe in this things, i returned the flag. hehe, after all, the flag reached me half way already (in my grasp for a while), so maybe i will have just some wealth if not all. hehe.

back to beijing after lunch!! more caramel potato. reached beijing, they brought us to another of those malls where they sell a lot of imitation goods. shop again. and tonight, we get another hotel. a better one. the room was much bigger but i forgot to take photo ah! it had a sofa and a kitchenette. it was near a mall, this is a proper mall like our parkson. called new world mall if i remember correctly. i did not go out with my roommate and her sisters because 3 of them went to look for their youngest sister. i went out with jason and another family instead. prices of things here are slightly cheaper compared to malaysia's. one of the ladies said those airtight plastic containers of a reputable brand are cheap. i saw my nike backpack. it is sold for RM129 in malaysia. here they are selling for RMB268. so if you convert, the price is cheaper in china. but of course it is expensive for the ppl there.
had supper this night with jason's family. went to one of the beef noodles shop. this was where i saw jason's prowess at slurping noodles. hahaha. we had dough fritter (my favourite), 2 bowls of noodles, and dumplings. could not finish the fritter, so took them back for my roommate and her sisters. they loved them too. so next time if you go to beijing, must try their yau char kwei.