tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-358250772024-03-13T11:50:16.395+08:00escape 2yes, this is escapism in the new age. make a clean breast of whatever you want and let the water continue to flow under the bridge. a portal where the other hidden self can be released and explore as freely as it wants to.
SO PLEASE NO NAME CALLING HERE...I AM ANONYMOUS OR JUST KNOWN AS ESCAPE!!! repeat after me...THIS IS A SPACE TO ESCAPE FOR ESCAPE.escape2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15384980738116306786noreply@blogger.comBlogger1635125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35825077.post-92063090344356856782019-07-30T17:15:00.001+08:002019-07-30T17:15:59.766+08:00CYCLING ATOP XIAN CITY ANCIENT WALL 22.6.2019cycling on xian city wall was one of the best experiences in the city. where else in the world can one do this kind of activity? I was amazed at how wide it was on the wall and the exercise it provided.<br />
in the past, all sorts of activities took place on the wall and even horse carriages were brought up there.<br />
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dad was quite pissed when he was not allowed to ride as this activity is only allowed for those under the age of 60. for younger and older visitors, they can choose to pay to go on the buggy where a driver will drive them along the four sides of the whole stretch of the ancient wall. <br />
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my brother and I started our ride after 6pm and the weather was all cloudy and foggy. we did not cycle long and finished our ride after one hour. we only managed to do a quarter of the length of the entire stretch. I believe to cover the whole stretch from point to point should require around 2 hours depending on how fast one ride. we did not go for a long one because dad and aunt were waiting for us.<br />
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a not to be missed activity when one is in xian. highly recommended.<br />
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<br />escape2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15384980738116306786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35825077.post-36680955085499864072019-07-25T21:54:00.001+08:002019-07-25T21:54:34.046+08:00MUSLIM STREET, XIAN- WHERE ONE GOES FOR SNACKS OF ALL KINDSMuslim Street is a place not to be missed when one visits xian. always go with a big appetite because there are just so many kinds of local delicacies to relish in. I went twice when I was in the city, and at different times of the day. both the experiences were definitely interesting because you could see the different kinds of chaos at the different hours. but food was definitely aplenty no matter what time of the day you go. however, the crowd was definitely thinner during the day time. my first visit was at night during dinner time while the second time was in the morning at around 10.<br />
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this is the main entrance to the Muslim Street.<br />
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signs showing to the great mosque can be seen on the streets. there is one Main Street here and a few side streets. go explore all if you have time. but go in the day time if you want to avoid the crowd and see things more clearly in the light.<br />
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it was a wet night when I was there but you can see that the crowd did not care.<br />
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I don't really know all the names of the food that I saw when I was there, but the sight of them was enough to make everyone salivate.<br />
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if I am not wrong, this is yoghurt drink. mutton products are common. so if you love mutton or beef, you won't be disappointed.<br />
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this snack was quite plain in taste. it is sweetened by a coating of sugar.<br />
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grilled squid. yummy!!!<br />
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beef or mutton stuffed burger is very popular here. at this stall, I joined the long queue and waited for my turn. the way the worker's deft hands chop the meat, pour some gravy which the meat came from and stuff the meat into the bun are actually very fascinating.<br />
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oppps, I don't know where the photo of the bun has gone to. sorry. my verdict of the bun, well, the meat was a bit on the dry side and the bun....haiz....it was dry as well. I wish there was more gravy or sauce soaked by the meat because the bun felt a bit like eating cardboard. I wasn't keen to get a second one after that.<br />
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goat trotter.<br />
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the beef in this dish was the highlight to me. succulent and juicy to the last piece.<br />
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this is the famous bingo biang noodles. it's a kind of thick noodles with quite hard texture, hence its name. not my taste as I am not a noodle lover. only for those die hards who like to eat flour-made rubbery noodles.<br />
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dried persimmons. not that cheap.<br />
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huge dried dates are worth buying here.<br />
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ice-cream.<br />
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potato swirls.<br />
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dunno what kind of shrimp this is....but I really dunno how to enjoy this because it feels like I am eating more shells than flesh.<br />
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xiao long Bao... get the one stuffed with beef. definitely much better than the crab one.<br />
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a kind of glutinous rice snack coated with peanuts. the texture is like mochi.<br />
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we found some locally grown peaches at a side street green store. the owner said they were just plucked from the farm and were organic. it was big and crunchy and sweet although not really ripe.<br />
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another must try food here is the grilled skewered beef. I love the spicy version which is coated with chilli flakes. sorry no photo here, but you definitely won't miss this when you are there.<br />
writing this post makes me hungry all over again.escape2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15384980738116306786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35825077.post-1842704705378475182019-07-10T15:57:00.002+08:002019-07-10T15:57:44.455+08:00HUAQING POOL AND TERRACOTTA WARRIORS AND HORSES MUSEUM, XIAN. 21 JUNE 2019it was a wet day on the day we wanted to start our first day of exploration in xian. we chose to go to terracotta warriors and horses museum first because we wanted to avoid the weekend crowd on saturday and Sunday. our mode of transport to the museum was via the tourist bus which one can board next to the xian railway station.<br />
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this building here is xian railway station. continue walking towards the right and find bus no 306 or some other blue buses there. a long line was already forming when we reached there at around 9am. it was a cloudy day and not a patch of blue was seen in the sky.<br />
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this is bus no 306. just join the queue and you will be shown to the bus by the attendants there. it is only 7RMB to get to the museum and the bus is really frequent. as soon as one was full, the next one was ready to load its passengers. in the bus, the conductor would sell the tourist and info map of the area for those interested to buy. those blue buses that you can see in the photo are also heading towards the same direction. but most ppl seemed to be queuing for bus 306.<br />
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we boarded and were told to fasten the seatbelts. the route on this bus would take one to Huaqing Pool first and unload those who are interested to get off there before continuing to the terracotta museum. as it was still early, my group decided to make this detour and stop at Huaqing Pool. I think we paid 4RMB since our journey was shorter. it was about 40 minutes if my memory serves me right.<br />
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we got off at Huaqing Pool and dad queued up to buy admission tickets. I did not know much about this pool hence I started googling as soon as I was in the bus.<br />
the location of this pool is at the foot of mount Li. I did not get to see the peak of this mountain at all because it was shrouded in fog. I saw a cable car line going straight to the peak though but we chose not to take it and decided to explore the area on foot instead.<br />
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the story of Huaqing Pool is that it was a palace built by a tang emperor for his concubine and a place where one could soak in the water from the hot springs. there isn't any public pool there though but I saw a small area where one could soak their feet in the vicinity.<br />
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I think the standard admission fee for all 5Star attractions in china is 120RMB. that was what we paid for adults. however, if you are a senior of Chinese descent residing overseas, just show them your passport and you will still get a senior discount. just remember to tell them that you are 'hua qiao'. undergraduates also have their discounts provided that you show them your student card.<br />
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one of the main entrances to Huaqing Pool. see how wet it was and all the umbrellas were out.<br />
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Huaqing Pool is also famous for being a temporary residence for Chiang Kai shek, the leader of the Chinese nationalist party and the location of xian incident (kidnapping and shooting attempt of the leader).<br />
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bing Jian pavilion on mount li. behind the big rock was where Chiang Kai shek hid himself in the xian incident if my eavesdropping was good.<br />
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this was the crevice where one could get to behind the rock behind the pavilion.<br />
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a statue of the concubine, yang Gwei fei outside the hot spring pools area. there is no more water in the bath pools which are now housed in individual buildings (two of the buildings are behind the statue).<br />
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this is the most famous pool as this was where the concubine first caught the attention of the emperor when she got out from the pool. how alluring.<br />
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I have no idea what this building or lake is called. ;)<br />
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another statue and fountain outside Huaqing Pool admission area.<br />
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our trip to Huaqing Pool ended at around 1 in the afternoon. I won't really recommend this place for people who don't have the time to linger and walk aimlessly. I felt I was walking without an aim except only to find that infamous bathing pool. according to a taxi driver we spoke to, most locals don't bother stopping here. the taxi driver hadn't been there himself although he was from the area. so I guess that shows how 'popular' the place is. nope, it wasn't crowded at all when I was there. well, maybe because it was a wet day to be out for sight-seeing and the peak season hadn't begun yet.<br />
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we walked back to where we got off the bus, and boarded the same bus, 306 to go to terracotta museum. I think we paid 4RMB for this part of the journey and it was around 30 minutes this time around.<br />
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reached the terracotta warriors and horses museum. looked for the place to buy tickets. queued and bought and walked walked walked till we reached pit 1. the walk from the entrance to all the pits was not short. I think they have to make this walk long because that is their way to control the crowd during peak seasons.<br />
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there are 4 pits in the museum area, but only 3 are open to visitors. the forth one can only be seen via a glass cover on the ground.<br />
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the biggest pit and the one that will wow everyone will be this pit 1. it looks like an aeroplane hangar. it was packed like sardines but I could still squeeze my way to the front of the railing to get this photo. on the right of the photo is the side railing where you can see little humans by the side trying to get the best view of all these terracotta figures. it was really an impressive view. to see the work being put into making these figures was definitely another 'tick' in the bucket list.<br />
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the layers of crowd when I was there wasn't that thick. it was only about 2 to 3 layers and everyone had a chance to see what I saw here.<br />
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all these individual figures are put at the end of the hall in pit 1 and in pit 1 we could also see still the excavation and restoration process being done.<br />
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photos from pit 3. the crowd got thinner as you move from pit 1 to pit 3. so choose carefully how you want to go from pit to pit. but frankly, it doesn't matter which pit you go to. all the pits are just as interesting. this is really a place not to be missed when one is in xian.<br />
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our trip ended at around 4.30p.m. and we took the bus back to the city after that.escape2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15384980738116306786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35825077.post-74317263691316704662019-07-03T22:16:00.000+08:002019-07-03T22:16:16.535+08:00HUASHAN, XIAN, CHINA. 23 JUNE 2019Visited xian, china from 21-25 June, 2019 and this blog is about day 3 of my trip there. was expecting super hot and humid weather since it was supposed to be sweltering hot in xian in summer and the temperature can go up to 40C in the day time. but I guess we had the weather on our side during the whole trip. although it was raining on the first 2 days we were there, the rain was just light and did not cause us much trouble to move around albeit some wet shoes and socks. on day 3, when the rain cleared, our decision to go to mt Huashan was the right one. I had read about the famous plank wood walk on the edge of the rock mountain cliff before this, and I was keeping my fingers crossed that I would be able to get on the planks and do the walk. those who are keen to do this walk, must check the weather before going because this activity is highly dependant on the weather.<br />
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as our base was in the city centre in xian, we chose to take the bullet train there. another mode of transport is via bus but personally, it was not worth it because the bus trip will take you 2 hours. by bullet train, the journey is only about 40 mins from xian north railway station to Huashan north station. the fare is only around 55rmb compared to the bus which is about 35 rmb. you can get your ticket when you get to the railway station.<br />
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this is a photo of china's bullet train.<br />
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a look inside xian north railway station.<br />
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inside the bullet train. everyone is allocated a seat. this is a coach in 2nd class. it is comfortable enough for the short journey. 40 minutes passed very fast and soon we arrived at Huashan.<br />
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this is how Huashan north railway station look like. from here, we took a cab to the ticketing office to buy all the tickets one need to buy to get up to mt Huashan. the fare of the cab is 20rmb from the railway station. you still have to walk a bit to the ticketing office after the taxi drop off.<br />
tickets to buy are- entrance ticket, bus ticket, insurance (10rmb). visitors can only get up to mt Huashan using their bus. when buying the ticket, the ticketing assistant will ask if you are taking the hiking route or the cable car route. we chose to take the cable car route to the west peak. the cable car ride to the west peak is the longest. another cable car ride one can take to is to the north peak.<br />
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for those who want to take a more scenic route, the west peak cable car route is recommended. but be prepared to pay more too. some blogs recommend taking the cable car to the west peak, then walk to the north peak which will take you 2 hours of lots of steps and then take the cable car back to the base from the north peak. this is a cheaper way. I did not do this as I did not have the time to hike to the north peak after doing my plank wood walk.<br />
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the gate to the cable car station to the west peak....and already lots and lots of steps are greeting you. there is a coaster ride one can take (30rmb)to get to the cable car station. highly recommended for ppl who hate walking and can't take those endless flight of steps.<br />
buy your cable car ticket when you reach the station. you can only buy one way ticket. $$<br />
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the cable car ride took about 15 minutes to reach the west peak and it was a spectacular ride all the way to the top. the view was out of this world and it seemed to come out from Chinese brush paintings. one does wonder at the engineering feat taken to build this cable way and the calculation taken into consideration when building. the steepest cable car ride I have ever been on so far.<br />
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this is what one can expect from the cable car ride. you feel like you are floating above all these mountain peaks.<br />
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according to the audio system in the cable car, this is the first cable car ride that ends in a dug rock tunnel. that light there was the hole which we entered from.<br />
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I started from the cable car station and walked to the south peak, which is the highest among all. plank road is here too.<br />
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the picturesque west peak.<br />
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2154m, the highest point at the south peak.<br />
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a view from the south peak. you can really not get enough of it. although it was cloudy, I counted my blessings as it wasn't raining. the weather was really comfortable, not too hot (around 23C) for a good day at mt Huashan in summer. and the crowd too wasn't too thick as it was not the high season yet.<br />
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a bell at the other part of the south peak. took this photo while I was queueing for my plank walk.<br />
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a view of the north peak from the south peak.<br />
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if you zoom in, you will see the chess pavilion at the edge of the north peak. I am sure the view there is out of this world as well...but I am not too sure about the ease of the hike there though.<br />
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now to the famous plank walk. well, make sure you buy your ticket for the walk before you join the queue of people getting ready near the bell platform on the south peak. the fee is only 30rmb to go on the plank walk. only those aged below 50 are allowed and you have to sign a form and show your id.<br />
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the wait to start the adventure was the real torture. I waited for more than an hour before being allowed to go pass a short gate to form another line to get my harnesses and carabiners. some people in front of me had waited for almost 2 hours. they only allowed around 20 to 30 people in one trip and it was the same way to the plank walk and the same way back. hence, if the group in front of yours took a long time on the walk, you would be made to wait longer in the queue.<br />
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so after fastening all my safety equipment...they were quite solid...so there was really no fear of falling off the cliff. I wasn't feeling nervous at all although knowing that I would be standing at the edge of one of the most precipitous mountains in the world. some people who had just finished theirs exclaimed that they had soft knees.<br />
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so the picture above shows the clip on the metal line on our way to the plank walk. the metal line below is the one you will use on your way back. there is no more passing another slow person in front of you with this new clip system because you can't unclip it. just follow the order you are in now. some people had actually unclipped and jumped off the cliff before according to my taxi driver. why they wanted to climb all the way there making such a huge effort in the hike to get there, I would never know.<br />
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the steep metal stairs to get down to the planks.<br />
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finally....on the planks....people were taking photos non-stop. if you need their photographer to do so for you, for a fee you can. but most people had their own handphones and cameras, hence the 'unofficial' photographer was ignored. waiting for those people to finish taking their photo was quite tedious. the attendant there had to shout "one or two photos enough lo, the views are all the same!" haha.<br />
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the planks are quite wide and stable...so it was a safe walk. my newfound friend, from Melbourne who was behind me in the queue and I were very steady and said that there was nothing to fear about this walk. we just couldn't fathom how some people exaggerated about how thrilling this walk was. we were both definitely as calm as a millpond. the plank walkway was actually quite short. after about 15 metres, it was over and you had to wait for everyone to reach this 'waiting area' before you could turn back.<br />
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this is the end of the plank walk and where we waited for everyone to come before turning back.<br />
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I was more afraid of my handphone falling off the edge every time I took it out from my pocket.<br />
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if not for everyone taking their time taking tens of shots on the walk, the plank walk could actually be done in around 30. in the end, it took my group about 50 minutes to get back to where we returned all the safety equipment.</div>
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all in all, despite the almost non-existing fear factor, it was still a walk to remember. where else in the world can one walk on the plank at the edge of a cliff looking at such spectacular mountain peaks? it was definitely worth more than the 30rmb I paid.</div>
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I went back through the same way I came, to the west peak cable car station and ascended down the base. it was another expensive ride but that was the quickest way down. they really know how to cut your throat at all these tourist attractions in china. </div>
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back at the north Huashan railway station, I had the time of my ticket changed. don't worry if you have passed the time on your bullet train ticket, they allow one time free change free of charge. i bought the ticket to return to xian when I first arrived at Huashan and I really couldn't estimate the hours I would spend on the mountain. so I was relieved that I could still board the train without an extra charge. </div>
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I conquered the plank walk on mt Huashan!</div>
escape2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15384980738116306786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35825077.post-77993731292690257812019-06-09T19:47:00.002+08:002019-06-09T19:47:43.269+08:00EMINEM'S RAPTURE TOUR AT MCG, MELBOURNE24 February 2019, Melbourne cricket ground. the first time ever i attended a rapper's concert. but this ain't no ordinary rapper. this is EMINEM we are talking about and what a maestro he proved to be.<br />
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there were a few pre-shows before Eminem appeared at 8:45p.m. as scheduled. boy was he on time. I only entered slightly earlier at around 6 and sat through hilltop's set. it was my first time hearing them and they ain't bad.<br />
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the star of the night was definitely the REAL SLIM SHADY himself and boy could he rap. it was non stop for 1 hour and 45 minutes and some die-hard fans sitting behind me could rap to every song in the list. salute.<br />
the sound system wasn't bad too as I was sitting on the third tier of the stadium yet I could hear every single word clearly.<br />
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here are some videos I managed to record. my brother's record and to keep them short too so he could share them with his friends on WhatsApp. these are songs which I am more familiar with.<br />
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I can put another 'tick' in my bucket list.escape2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15384980738116306786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35825077.post-27639664431863515612019-06-08T16:07:00.000+08:002019-06-08T16:07:32.913+08:00BREAKFAST AT COCOBEI, DOCKLANDS, MELBOURNEthis is definitely a throwback post.
went to Melbourne end of February 2019 for Eminem rapture concert with my brother. what a concert it was...eminem could really rap and rapped non-stop he did for 1 hour and 45 minutes.<br />
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well as usual, when one is in Melbourne, you can't miss the interesting brekkie served in the numerous cafes you can find everywhere.<br />
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this time I landed at docklands. my memory of docklands is Costco...hehe... I just love shopping there.<br />
the cafe I visited there is called Cocobei. quite a new one in the area and I can see already quite popular with visitors around the area whether for dine-in or coffee takeaways.<br />
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the food presentation is not bad and the portion is good for the price one is paying. food quality wise- nothing to complain about. we ordered all the below to share.<br />
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can't recall the name of this dish from the picture here.</div>
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their big breakfast set.</div>
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for those who would love to have some seafood for breakfast.</div>
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pulled pork with egg Benedict if I recall correctly.</div>
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fried chicken 2 ways. can't remember what the ways are.</div>
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this is my artistic take from the bar watching the staff doing their work. it's therapeutic when watching other people work when you are on holiday. it reminded me that I was actually on holiday and I had all the time in the world to spend gazing and taking in everything around me without a care for others.</div>
escape2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15384980738116306786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35825077.post-74206008190365204242019-06-07T20:42:00.001+08:002019-06-07T20:42:05.423+08:00Revivalit's been almost four years since I have posted anything here and I thought I have forgotten the password to this blog.<br />
well, I know I have almost forgotten the name of this blog when I couldn't even find it (I forgot to put the '-' after 2). so it has really been that long.<br />
so what is making me write again?<br />
well, it is just me rambling actually. the new laptop keys are kind cool and the sound is kinda therapeutic. I also feel that I need to practise my English more as I feel that I am having problems recalling words I used to know how to use. so writing is the solution.<br />
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what has or has not changed in these four years?<br />
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<ul>
<li>still surviving in the not-so-new job....because the workload seems lighter with less things to focus on</li>
<li>new laptop....ahem....but still another MacBook Air 13"</li>
<li>slimmer and body looks fitter...</li>
<li>not buying or that crazy over branded bags. </li>
<li>still love travelling and actually travelling even more times a year now that I can apply leave whenever I want and the boss ain't not that cruel not to approve my leave</li>
<li>work wardrobe is getting bulkier though seems the body seems to be able to carry many looks</li>
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ok....enough of my narcissism. I will try to post some travel pictures in the next posts. but gosh....not so soon....when I find the time and when I can recall the details of the trip. </div>
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hello to revival of the blog!</div>
escape2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15384980738116306786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35825077.post-36394636240976032062015-07-18T21:23:00.002+08:002015-07-18T21:23:35.174+08:00lunch at nobu klit's been a while since i have blogged about food....err....correction....it's been ages since i have blogged about anything at all. blame facebook for that. all photos i want to share can be shared there.<br />
anyway, just to keep some of my brain cells still working, let me do this post.<br />
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it was the first day of raya and i had the time to go gallivanting in klcc for a day. klcc was bustling and filled with local and foreigners (particularly foreign workers). my purpose of going down was to get some shopping down and since my stomach had to be filled for lunch, i took the opportunity to book myself at nobu restaurant with a friend. the restaurant serves lunch from monday to friday starting at 12 to 2.<br />
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we reached the restaurant few minutes after 2 and were one of the first to arrive. well, i think it was a quiet day for them. they were only 6 tables occupied that afternoon when we were there. the restaurant was huge, occupying the whole floor and all gave you a great view of the kl city.<br />
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we were seated right by the window looking at these two towers. i could not ask for a better seat.<br />
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this is the bar area.<br />
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the setting on the table .....just for lunch- disposable chopsticks! urrgghh!!!! i can't accept that for a fine dining restaurant! can you?? it gives me an impression that they are not really taking themselves seriously for lunch. a friend who had been there for dinner said that they did not do that for dinner.<br />
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the service staff was really friendly and welcoming. so top marks for the service.<br />
as for the food.....here goes.<br />
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ordered spicy miso 'chips' which came with tuna and salmon. my friend said they weren't spicy at all but the miso flavour was strong and the pieces of fish were really good.<br />
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both of us ordered the lunch set which came with complimentary green tea. his was the sushi and sashimi set while mine was the crispy skin chicken set.<br />
both of us agreed that the salad dressing had too much pepper in it. we love the freshness of the pickled vegetables.<br />
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since the name of my set was crispy skin chicken, i expected the skin to crackle when i bit into it. unfortunately, it did not happen. it was just slightly crispy on certain pieces with more fat. the accompanying sauces were good though. we both loved the teppanyaki sauce. really went well with the chicken. the tempura broccoli was yummy but unfortunately my tempura prawn was overdone. <br />
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for dessert, we ordered harumaki- banana spring roll with dulce de leche, passion fruit sauce and goma icecream and suntory whisky cappucino; a concoction which was really divine with lots of different texture since it incorporated creme brulee, cocoa crumble, milk icecream and whisky foam on top. i can have a few cups of this.<br />
the banana spring roll came with a small piece of jackfruit but where is the dulce de leche? i did not taste any of it in the roll. the goma ice-cream was so smooth and creamy on the palate. i have never been a fan of sesame ice-cream, but i will make an exception for this one.<br />
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all in all, it wasn't a bad lunch. there were a few hits and misses here and there. i think their lunch has been a bit inconsistent. google reviews on tripadvisor and you will read a lot of bad ones on their lunch while people gush over their dinner there. they should take their lunch seriously and serve food that is up to par with the prices they are charging or to the name of its chain. and oh, a reminder to those who need to drink some sky juice on a hot day. a bottle of fiji water will set you back rm35. escape2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15384980738116306786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35825077.post-91530348223564816682015-02-20T23:15:00.001+08:002015-02-20T23:15:47.321+08:00dujiangyan (27/11/2014)it was early rise as usual after another night at another hotel. sounds tiring eh? well, we are used to it. this after all a china trip.<br />
after breakfast, we got into the bus and up we go....up a hill to a temple where we would make our way down to the river. <br />
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this is the breathtaking view of part of the dujiangyan irrigation system from the pagoda of the temple. i think it is where the river was divided into two and then four to diverge the flow of the water to control floods and enhance the irrigation of the plains.<br />
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and so we walked down the steps all the way down to the side of the river. ooohhhh my knees.<br />
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this is the temple near the bottom.<br />
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err....i think these are words of mao ze dong if my memory serves me right.<br />
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yup....more steps. see how everyone was moving sideway.<br />
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finally, the exit or the entrance, depending on where you come from.<br />
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we stepped through the wooden gate and a spectacular view greeted us- yellow leaves of ginkgo biloba trees lining the path. everyone was mesmerized by the view and had forgotten why we were down there in the first place (for the river). the cameras started snapping non-stop and everyone had to be gathered by the tour guide to move to the proper direction.<br />
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this bridge here was the proper direction.<br />
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so beautiful.<br />
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this part is like a dam gate i think.<br />
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this is another part of the irrigation system where the river had been divided into a smaller and narrower path.<br />
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after that brief lesson on some history of the irrigation system- oh it was built in 250B.C., it was time to another destination for lunch- huang long xi town...another ancient town. hmmh...i wonder if there is any town in china which is not ancient. lol.<br />
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sorry, no story to tell here. i did not really listen to the guide when she told us about the town. was just too tired.<br />
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but this shop here i know....it is one strand noodle shop.<br />
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see the cook on the right? he was releasing one long strand of noodle into the boiling pot. one long strand will fill one bowl of noodle later. i did not buy any to try. no appetite to eat and not really curious about its taste.<br />
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flower garland headpieces for sale anyone?? its very popular here and they were not really expensive.<br />
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ok the day had not ended....will continue in the next post.escape2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15384980738116306786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35825077.post-197019949841085672015-02-20T21:50:00.002+08:002015-02-20T21:50:39.460+08:00songpan - dujiangyan (26/11/2015)as unpredictable as the weather- it is one thing you cannot predict especially when travelling in winter.
and this was what happened on this day. i can't remember the place that we were supposed to go, but it was another mountain. there was sleet on the road and the attraction had been closed for all vehicles- meaning, there was no entry to the mountain at all. <br />
hence, we made a detour instead and decided to spend the night at dujiangyan- a city famous for its breakthrough irrigation system.<br />
but before reaching dujiangyan, we stopped for a breather at songpan. man, it was a super long journey from jiuzhaigou to dujiangyan. this day, it was solely dedicated to the journey on the road.<br />
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this is songpan.<br />
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i don't know whether the statues here of historical or fictional figures......just not interested and can't read chinese.<br />
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i was more interested in the few kids here frolicking with the trfic police on duty.<br />
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this is yak meat which is a popular delicacy in the area.<br />
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another statue in the town.<br />
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one last photo before i left songpan. isn't she adorable?<br />
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we reached dujiangyan city when it was dark. it was dinner with a little time to explore whatever shops which weren't closed yet.<br />
this is part of the irrigation system that runs through the city. <br />
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the main gate of the city.<br />
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that was all for this day. yawn!!escape2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15384980738116306786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35825077.post-77236952570183810272015-02-07T21:28:00.001+08:002015-02-07T21:28:38.867+08:00zang mi tibetan cultural show (25/11/2015)we had to pay extra to watch this show but it was not bad at all. it fact, it was very lively yet touching at times.
the dances centred around the journey of an old lady with her goat, making her lone journey to tibet for her pilgrimage. many of the performers were roped in from their villages and trained for the dances, thus giving them job opportunities. i think they had to perform twice every night as there were two performances every night. buses were leaving as ours was making its way to the parking lot in front of the performance hall.<br />
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can you see the white goat standing next to the 'old lady'? it was really really tame and obedient.<br />
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all the colours, the strong beat and the energy kept everyone awake although we were so so tired from the walk in the park. and the hall was quite chilly as well. i had to put on my gloves and hood during the entire performance to keep myself warm. brrrr.....<br />it was a relief to finally reach the warm comfort of the hotel room. zzzzzz......escape2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15384980738116306786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35825077.post-83881700332714416442015-02-07T21:13:00.001+08:002015-02-07T21:13:06.009+08:00jiuzhaigou (25/11/2015)day trip to jiuzhai valley... the entrance to the park was not that far from the hotel where we were staying. of course, we still had to take the bus down but it was just about 15 to 20 minutes ride from the hotel. from the parking lot, we walked to the entrance. the local guide went to get the tickets while everyone was busy looking for a toilet.<br />
gosh...the toilet was really really dirty here!!! for an AAAAA tourist destination, it was totally unacceptable. even the locals found it unacceptable. so you can imagine how bad it was lah. thank god someone had those medicated oil which was quite useful to mask the strong smell even if it made the nostrils hot for a while. reminder when going to china: bring a bottle of medicated oil, you won't regret it.<br />
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the crowd was pretty thin at this time of the year and it was really a relief. the queues were not long and there was no pushing into the park buses. one can also hire private cars to ferry the group but there was no need at this time of the year.<br />
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thank god for the wonderful weather on the day we went. it was cold at first but as we strolled from lake to lake, it started getting very hot. the sky was blue and the sun was out. what more could i ask for??<br />
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a local dance near the entrance.<br />
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our first stop.<br />
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i thought i had reached the alps upon seeing the view in front of me.<br />
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this was the crowd on the viewing platform. there was plenty of opportunities to take photos without strangers getting into the frame.<br />
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the environmentally-friendly buses used in the park.<br />
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second destination.<br />
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there were quite a lot of steps and since it had snowed the day before, one had to be very careful so as not to slip and fall. touch wood- well, there was a lot to touch as you can see. lol<br />
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i don't know how the name five-coloured pool come about....blue, turqoise, green, yellow and brown?<br />
well, you can't see the yellow here but at spots where the sun was shining on the water, there was actually yellow.<br />
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third stop.<br />
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it was a very brief stop here. i think this was the top most point because all buses made a u-turn here after dropping the passengers.<br />
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fourth stop- the panda lake.<br />
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such a calm calm day and i was already sweating profusely at this time.<br />
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fifth stop.<br />
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we stopped slightly longer here and enjoyed some time basking in the sun. love how they had laid the floor board without cutting down the trees. holes were cut on the board to allow the trees space to grow.<br />
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sixth stop by bus.....it was a long walk down to go to the waterfall from here, but no one was complaining as the view was simply magnificent.<br />
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we walked all the way down to this fall.<br />
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one of my favourite photos. love how the water just broke and flowed down on the raised roots of the trees.<br />
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tiger lake.<br />
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shuzheng waterfall.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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this is how this place got its name- the stone mill above.<br />
did not go inside to check the place out. i think it was used to sell souvenirs now if my memory served me right.<br />
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yup....that's the end of the journey at jiuzhai valley. we ended the trip at about 5p.m. i think. then it was to dinner and then cultural show.<br />
next post: shots from the cultural show.escape2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15384980738116306786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35825077.post-65852260760907565902014-12-28T21:21:00.001+08:002014-12-28T21:21:35.835+08:00queues...not worth doingi have done many queues in my life for things which some people deem silly or crazy. but isn't that the joy of life? to do silly and crazy things and especially when you are not doing it alone.<br />
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and recently i did two, both also in mid valley and both were for food. love good food but scared of putting on weight at the same time. haha...<br />
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the first one is for dim sum at tim ho wan. my friend and i queues for almost 1 hours since 10a.m. on a saturday morning and we ordered these 8 dishes for both of us. <br />
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errrr.....quite a lot right....<br />
the only thing worth mentioning in the collage above is the baked char siu pau. that is one of their 4 heavenly dishes in the menu.. i am not into the other 3 but i heard the steamed egg cake is not that good. their cheong fun is a bit too thick and i have eaten better ones.<br />
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click the photo above and you will see the enlarged one with al the prices on the menu. the food is on the slightly expensive side....but i dont think this is one place ppl will go everytime they want to have dim sum. it will definitely break the bank and there are not that many choices to choose from as well.<br />
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so is it worth the queue?? nope. try going after lunch hour, you won't even have to queue for 15 minutes if there are just 2 of you. those who come in two get seated faster compared to those who come in a bigger group. i will only go again the next time they open up their take-away counter and the only thing i will buy will be the baked char siu pau.<br />
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the second queue which i did is for magnum ice-cream at the newly opened magnum cafe.<br />
i queued for the seated area upstairs and it took us about half an hour. crazy huh? half an hour just for ice-cream!!!<br />
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and it's only for magnum....something which you can buy from the shop outside without any queue.<br />
well, not quite lah. ours came with some additions of pavlova, fruits and baked cookies.<br />
the four of us just managed to finish what we ordered and it was actually more than enough for our apetite. there was just too much of other stuff and not enough of ice-cream. <br />
the bill came up to more than rm60. again, another dent in the pocket. we concluded that it was not worth paying so much for what we ordered. the menu was still limited and a number of things were not available although shown on the menu.<br />
<br />so no more second time at magnum cafe for me thank you.<br />
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i wonder if the novelty will wear off once the new year begins and school holidays end. tim ho wan will be opening its second outlet in one utama and magnum already has its second outlet in puchong.<br />
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i will go back to my dim sum shops in ipoh and the magnum i can get at petron station in tm. escape2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15384980738116306786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35825077.post-78070253096856352412014-12-21T18:30:00.002+08:002014-12-21T18:30:22.162+08:00the road to jiuzhaigou (24/11/2014)day 2 in chengdu and we were already treated to a super long journey to jiuzhaigou valley.<br />
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after that visit to panda research centre, the journey started.<br />
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i would divide the journey into 2 parts. one on newly constructed highway, the second- on old way.<br />
there are two parts because the first part was destroyed in the wenchuan big earthquake in 2008. we could still see buried foothills where they believed cars were still buried under. the landscape was really barren and surrounded by mountains.<br />
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we stopped at this place for a toilet break because there was no rest area built. hence, the toilets we went to were residents' own toilets. water tap was running dry, so you can imagine the smell in the toilet. eewww.......thank god for minyak cap kapak (medicated oil).<br />
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a local town in the distance at the foot of the mountain. this part was not affected by the earthquake.<br />
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the bus was given a wash during our toilet break.<br />
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local stalls selling dried local nuts and fruits.<br />
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yaks for photo session. 10 yuan per person.<br />
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the river running parallel to the road we were on.<br />
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the barren hills behind some residents' houses.<br />
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halfway in our 7-hour journey, snow on mountain peaks was already visible. even the windows of our bus started fogging up due to the cold weather outside. brrr.......<br />
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we only reached our hotel- the intercontinental at 7 plus when it was already pitch black. thank god dinner was at the hotel and the buffet spread was good. it was a hearty dinner.<br />
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we were to stay here for 2 nights. yea! the room was large and warm.<br />
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this is the toilet.<br />
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the next day's journey started at about 8 plus....after another hearty breakfast at their dining hall. yum yum. energy needed for the walk, walk and walk admiring all the beautiful views there.<br />
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photos in the next post.escape2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15384980738116306786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35825077.post-87414473622675501602014-12-17T18:16:00.001+08:002014-12-17T18:16:33.277+08:0024/11- chengdu research base of panda breedingas usual in most of the china tours i have followed, whatever written on the itinerary given is not the actual schedule when you are there.<br />
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so the visit to the chengdu research base of panda breeding was supposed to be on the second last day in the printed paper. however, when we got there it was put on the second day just before we started our long and ardous journey to jiu zhai gou. <br />
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we reached the panda centre at about 830 when it was just opening. it was good as we avoided the crowd later. i think we were one of the first groups into the park. i like the archway at the entrance. it was really cute.<br />
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i did not know how much our guide paid for our tickets but these prices here were those at the counters.<br />
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we had to buy separate tickets for our buggy ride once inside the park. one can choose to walk or explore with the help of these enviromentally friendly vehicles.<br />
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i am not really sure how big the centre is because i dont think we really went round the whole park. i would have preferred that we visited the wolong panda reserve in wenchuan instead. i think it is much bigger and there are more things to learn and see there. <br />
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anyway, we got to see more pandas than if we have gone to the national zoo in kl. hehe. we did not get to see the baby pandas though.<br />
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these are the lesser known red pandas. i read on one board that they are of a different family than the giant panda. <br />
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beautiful bamboo grooves lined the road along the park. the colour of the bamboo in the photo appeared odd in the photo as flash was used. i think the above photo highlighted the bench more than the bamboos. oops.<br />
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the tour ended at about 10 plus after everyone had made a stop at the souvenir shop inside the centre.<br />
and the looong journey to jiuzhaigou began.escape2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15384980738116306786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35825077.post-65954927623877470242014-12-13T19:36:00.000+08:002014-12-13T19:36:06.877+08:00chengdu- jinli street (23/11)this blogger has been hibernating for a while that she thought she would have to put it to sleep come end of 2014.
luckily an eight-day trip to chengdu end of november managed to salvage the survival rate of the blog.<br />
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i joined a tour with some ex-colleagues and all 17 of us in the group knew each other, hence it was a very co-operative group with not much trouble.<br />
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the flight that we took was air asia......and it was about 4 hours from kl...so not a long flight at all. <br />
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in a wink, we were already in chengdu by 10a.m. and the weather was really mild.<br />
in fact, all the 8 days we were there, it hardly rained or snow up at the mountain. however, one destination was cancelled due to sleet on the road- huang long. it is really high above sea level, about 4000m and sleet made it dangerous to go up. i think the tourist destination was closed due to the weather. in the end, we went to du jiang instead.<br />
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we arrived at chengdu around one in the afternoon and the local guide was already waiting for us at the airport.<br />
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the first destination we were brought to was the ancient street of jin li. it was for us to walk around and to get some snacks as one of the streets here has many stalls which sell local snacks. true enough, there were many people queueing to buy their snacks. <br />
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an opera stage in the middle of a fork road.<br />
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the snack i ended up buying grilled squid and lamb covered with lots of chilli powder. it was yummy and mouth-watering.<br />
i wasn't interested in the other food that i saw. blame it on the lack of appetite and fear of stuffing myself with the wrong food on the first day.<br />
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a pond with a bridge.<br />
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lucky charms hung around a tree.<br />
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ginkgo trees were abundant everywhere and here in chengdu, we could still see autumn colours on the leaves. <br />
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cafes on another side street.<br />
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local delicacy which no one dared to try. guess what they are??<br />
rabbit heads yo. only 8 yuan for one. they are cooked in rich chilli oil, a famous way of cooking in china.<br />
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and this was my pathetic looking chicken rice meal onboard air asia flight. it was totally unappetising and i just finished the chicken pieces and had a few spoonfuls of rice. eeew......the food had never tasted so bad. even those who had nasi lemak complained.<br />
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well, glad i managed to finish my day one in chengdu post. as usual, lunch and dinner were all at restaurants and it was the standard 10-dish meal. burp! food included in our tour package was satisfying and there was no bad meal. the guide who followed us from malaysia even prepared ipoh white coffee and milo to us every morning. i would wait for his appearance every morning to get my coffee fix. not that i am addicted to coffee, but a warm cup of fragrant coffee to start the day was very much welcoming when one was away from home.escape2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15384980738116306786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35825077.post-53480924676408076692014-11-10T22:25:00.001+08:002014-11-10T22:25:05.127+08:00no queue. save moneyi am going to kl again tomorrow!! yeah!!! it is a weekday and i am going to kl for one night!!<br />
don't worry, i am not doing anything crazy....not queueing up for anything .......you know like the thing advertised in the advertisement below.<br />
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i am going for work.....well....mostly to sit there and facilitate when they need me. haha....call it a short break from the daily office routine. i hope i wont tire myself by going here and there after the official job is over. haha.....i do hate the cold air from the air-conditioner in hotel meeting rooms. and not forgetting the hotel room itself where i have to spend the night too. so i better make sure i get my sleep tonigh in case i don't get enough tomorrow.<br />
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oh back to the story of this advertisement. i think this is the first time i have seen h&m buying advertisement space in newspaper for their special collaboration collection. anyway, i am glad i did not go to queue. i read that some people started queueing on 4 november. crazy! the collection was only sold at 8am on 6 november. save money save money. it will be hard to get anything from the next collaboration already if some ppl are willing to queue one day and one night for the thing. sigh!<br />
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well i will just stick to uniqlo and their special collaborations from now on. there is no need to queue for that, the quality is good without a doubt, and one can buy online and get it delivered to the house. long live uniqlo!! and they have special discounts from time to time for online shopping as well. yippee!! and i have just made my first order on saturday night. lol. i only ordered 3 items for myself, whereas the rest of the 15 items in the shopping bag are for cousins, sister and friend. it is better to get a few ppl to shop together since free shipping comes only when you purchase rm150 and above.<br />
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another thing purchased online is my photobook. i think i have bought my voucher for almost a year from groupon and i finally get to use it when it is near its expiry date. phew! and just recently, i have bought another voucher for another photobook. i am preparing the photobook for my trip to chengdu and jiu zhai gou end of this month. there is no need to send photos to be printed now. everything will be printed in this photobook from now on. it is easier to keep as well and classy too. definitely worth doing....but just spare some time to compile and design your book.<br />
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oh, and i can start saving money on accessories nowadays too. i have started looking for some cool rainbow loom bracelet designs only and these two here are my favorite at the moment.<br />
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the ones above are quite easy to make and i can just combine with any colour i have.....they are thin and round and i can stack them up.<br />
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the one here is my favourite flat bracelet. i love the combination of colours here. but this is quite time consuming to make. anyway, it is personal satisfaction once the bracelet turns out fine.<br />
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well, time to say good night. i still haven't packed for tomorrow. ciao.escape2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15384980738116306786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35825077.post-80433397599125028262014-10-23T23:14:00.000+08:002014-10-23T23:14:09.180+08:00eat drink and be sick... ;(how i wish it is eat drink and be merry. but these few weeks.....the weather has been really gloomy with cloudy days followed by heavy rain and cold nights.<br />
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i have been feeling a bit under the weather both physically and emotionally as well i think.<br />
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physically, i think i am not doing enough exercise and i am losing whatever fitness i used to have. i do miss my jogging sessions!! and with year end looming around the corner, it is time for me to make the decision on the knee surgery. to do or not to do it..... most probably it is a do for this one.....there is the time management to handle now.....<br />
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and how much time will i have to stay away from the office if i go for the surgery. gosh.....pressure from work and also a kind of emptiness in this job are also not making the days easier to pass. there is the file to update for when the inspectorate comes for the audit....and what i have been doing all this while....errr......i am not really following the book but what the boss' says. but i can say it is what the boss tells me to do when i answer those auditors. as for the emptiness- it is the lack of warmth and sense of achievement. in the previous job, my days were usually filled with the kids' antics and we really had a jolly good time when we were together and i felt appreciated for every little thing i do. now, i feel that my presence in the life of the people i am supposed to help is more like a pain in the neck for them. that is how i think they view me. although i was praised by one of them when some big shots came, it is just one lucky streak i think. there are still a lot of unfinished loose ends everywhere.<br />
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it is almost the end of the year and everyone is looking forward to the long holidays. i have to start thinking about the plan for next year come next month!!! am i regretting the choice i made? oh gosh....it is too late for that isnt it? let me just wallow in my own regret for a while......and i will get up again soon.....the sooner the better.<br />
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can food heal the moodiness? i don't think so.....i should be all jolly and springy in my steps now if so because i went to eat some really nice food recently.<br />
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this red bean bag cafe in publika has been nominated one of the best cafes in kl for this year....and i think it should be in the list. i waited 30 minutes to get my seat on deepavali for lunch. service was fast though and food was good. as for the coffee, they are ok...but i have tried better ones in those cafes in taman tun. their supreme nachos was nothing to shout about- too little cheese. but the pancake was good. our bill came up to rm225 for the 5 of us. not cheap right.<br />
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tried another new place in ipoh too. stg tea house cafe. stg stands for sabah tea garden if i am not wrong. you expect fascinating drinks with such name but i was sort of disappointed with their drinks. it was quite plain and nothing to shout about....hence no photo of even a drink. but the food was really good. yummy.....soup, main, desserts. all got our thumbs up!! the ambience of the whole place was also good....what is not to like about the place? it is a colonial mansion beautifully decorated and surrounded by green lawn. <br />
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i will go broke soon if i keep on eating at these expensive places.<br />
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hence the need to have some super healthy blended fruit smoothie at home.<br />
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i like this combination of grapes, apples and pineapple. i thought the pineapple was going to be too strong for the tummy, but i was wrong. i had it in the morning after i woke up and it did nothing bad to the tummy. it was rich in fibre from the pineapple too. gosh, i better learn how to cut pineapple for when mom leaves for aussie next month. how do i get all those eyelets out of the pineapple? and will i have the time to go fruit shopping on saturday?? errr..........headache!!<br />
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the headache for the missing diamond ear-ring has been solved though. diamond is too expensive....so the cheaper way- silved. and i got this pair of wings from thomas sabo. now i can fly!! weeeeeeee!!!<br />
instead of paying more than rm1790.....i paid rm179 for my ear-rings now. see, a change in expenditure dy. ahem ahem.<br />
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and lastly, a change in phone case now. i accidentally dunked the phone head first into a bowl of hot korean beef doenjang jjigae soup yesterday during dinner. thank god the camera was not spoilt and after much of wiping using tissue paper and then using wet cotton to clean the phone case, i have decided to say goodbye to my studded leather covered casing. if you look carefully, the top left corner is also broken already and the leather is starting to peel off from the edges too. so from an edgy cool case, i have moved to a super cute case. gosh, what a difference. hahaha....<br />
have been having this spare case for quite a while. it is moschino all right but the price is less than what i paid for my pair of ear-rings ok. kids shouted in jubilance upon seeing the case. i just have to get used to its bigger size.<br />
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well, sayonara now. one more day at the office and it is the weekend. uwaaaa!!!! back to reality tomorrow. files!!!! escape2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15384980738116306786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35825077.post-68189678444186032902014-09-21T22:41:00.000+08:002014-09-21T22:41:19.050+08:00what a wonderful weekend- posh dinner, yummy breakfast, rubber charms!i seldom prepare for monday blues....but tonight, i simply have to because i just had too much fun over the weekend. i need another day of break....<br />
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first fun outing was to my good childhood friend's wedding reception at a converted warehouse. it was such a classy event with many beautiful ladies dressed to the ninth. i wasn't dressed to the ninth but i did make an effort to be presentable on that cold night in my long sleeved black and white shift dress, black heels and my classy fishtail side braids. all the other ladies had their hair done and i was the only one who had braid. was trying to hide my unruly curls actually. hahaha<br />
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it was raining when we arrived and we were actually late....but the event had not started yet. there was a free flow of alcoholic drinks and one could really get drunk easily. but everyone was in their best manners and i did not see anyone who lost control over the free drinks on offer.<br />
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how beautiful is it inside the warehouse? on normal days, it functions as a photo studio with a cafe at the side. but that night, it was transformed into a glitzy venue fit for a wedding.<br />
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dining was buffet style so one could have as much helping as one could take....i only had one. i was too full to even finish the one helping i took. but i tell you, the food was superb!!!!<br />
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one whole block of cheese melted on the spot served with potato, silver onion and the other, i dunno its name or it was too foreign for me to remember. i can't even remember the name of the cheese although it was on the card on the table. this is too posh for me!!! but i tell you, the cheese was to-die-for. i can just have the cheese on its own. my first time tasting silver onion too and it was really great!<br />
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this was what i got piled on my plate after one round at the buffet spread. i had some of everything. vege, roast lamb (the best!!!), roast beef, grilled chicken (good), baked salmon and chicken lasagne. sorry i wasted my food and left the pieces of cheese and two pieces of beef. i just couldn't take them anymore.<br />
after all, i still had to consider dessert...<br />
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this was the dessert corner but i only had a macaroon in the end and a shot of panna cotta. they were nothing to shout about. the wedding cake tasted better than these in the photo. the butter cake was good. the night ended before midnight.....but unfortunately for me, the night did not seem to end and only dragged on till the morning because i could hardly catch any wink. how could i fall asleep when there was someone else snoring in the same room? uwaaa!!! i just couldn't drift to slumberland. maybe i did managed some here and there....but i definitely wouldn't call them sleep.<br />
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and the morning started before 9a.m. as we had made plan to go for breakfast picnic at kiara park with two juniors of our friends. so off we went......<br />
luckily i did not look like a zombie....<br />
it was good to be outdoor and the weather was not too hot. perfect for a day out in the park.<br />
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but it was the second round of food that i enjoyed more. haha...coffee and waffle! i have never been a big fan of waffle, but frisky goat in taman tun converted me into one. i simply love their waffles!! i don't think i will order any other thing in this cafe. the coffee is good too but i won't say the same about the cakes. this is definitely a place i am going again when i am at the area....and they are open until 10p.m.!! their food menu is extensive too. yeah!!!!<br />
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with so much lack of sleep....it was a wonder that i still had the focus to complete and rainbow loom project for a friend.<br />
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guess which one? it was the trolley bag i completed on sunday afternoon after i got back from kl. it is 3d mind you and it was the first time i had to stitch two sides together to complete the thick bulk. really salute those creative people who come up with these ideas. i still have two more projects to complete for this friend but i am not complaining because i do enjoy making them and seeing the result at the end of all those loopings.<br />
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well, i better get my sleep now.....fingers crossed that i can get it. i haven't yawned once till now. sob sob! okok think positive! good night!!!escape2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15384980738116306786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35825077.post-923663056967685782014-09-15T20:47:00.001+08:002014-09-15T20:47:16.633+08:00my best friend's weddingit was a gala time when one of my best buddies got married yesterday to his princess. he, being such a fussy man has finally found his partner, and it was indeed a joyous celebration for all ex primary and secondary schoolmates to come out for the night.<br />
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although there were not many of us (about 18 including spouses if i am not wrong), we created the loudest noise and we even joined the two tables together so that we could have easier access to chat with each other. haha...it was the first time such thing had been done i think and the assistant manager came to check on us and showed her frowns clearly on her face but we reassured her it was all right. kekekeke.<br />
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food was good but i think it was secondary in the end. it was all friends getting together with uncontinuous flow of conversations and reminiscents that made the night a memorable one.<br />
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the night only ended at 1a.m. at the wine shop downstairs which also included a shot of tequila for everyone...paid by the groom from his ang pow money hahaha. it was my first time having tequila shot and i was horrible at it. haha...i couldn't finish that drink in a shot and i actually choked. had to add two more sips to finish that shot in the end.<br />
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bedtime only came after two and i was woken up at five plus by lightnings and thunders which triggered alarms to break the silence. oh gosh....<br />
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breakfast was at ten plus and it was quite a hearty one at artisan's roast in taman tun dr ismail. my first time there.<br />
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my first cup of cappuchino was not hot enough. the breakfast menu was a bit small and not that attractive. i hated the mashed egg on my kelly's special which was cold. i was expecting a hot breakfast mind you.<br />
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the second cup was so much better. i was glad they make strong coffee here.<br />
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and they also have good cheesecake....better than the tiramisu. this is a great place for coffee and cakes because they do have a wider array of cakes to choose from. will definitely go for the coffee and cake next time....but not breakfast.<br />
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i went and did some shopping in one utama and klcc in the afternoon and it was at klcc where i caught a bad cold. the weather was gloomy and wet and the airconditioner was cold. i was definitely fragile from the lack of sleep so i ended up sneezing in the last hour in the shopping mall.<br />
as i got home, the sneezing and running nose got worst and i blew till i almost tore the nose away. bad bad.<br />
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and the night also did not end early. blame it on this book.<br />
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i helped one of the kids get this book and i had the privilege of reading it first. so i started reading before bedtime and only forced myself to stop at 1am when i couldnt stay awake any longer.<br />
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so today, it was reading 2 copies of newspapers, finishing this novel and catching up with sleep in the afternoon.voila, the running nose has disappeared now. thank god!<br />
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i am going to watch dead poet's society now. been thinking about this movie since the demise of robin williams. ok that is all now. good night.<br />
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<br />escape2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15384980738116306786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35825077.post-12054675549794100642014-09-08T18:14:00.000+08:002014-09-08T18:14:28.127+08:00adventures in the jungle and bracelet makingfirst of all- HAPPY MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL!!!
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this is one of the best mooncakes around ...haha.....i love jelly!!! woo hoo!!! i haven't been eating much mooncake this year. i did not even eat any of the traditional ones...not even a bite. i had these two jelly mooncakes....and i also had snow skin- tiramisu truffle mooncake. both are given by kid and a parent. how nice right? it was my first time trying modern filling in mooncake and the tiramisu truffle that i got was a really nice one. it was not sweet at all and the chocolate and cheese blended well. yummy indeed.<br />
well, there will be no celebration for me....it will be a normal night. <br />
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last week had been an adventurous one. imagine going into the jungle twice!! two different jungles and i got to ride some smashing vehicles as well.<br />
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first one was this beast.....man, ain't it sexy!! it is a new land rover and i felt so safe in it. i even got a test of how hard the metal in the rover was when my head made a loud bang onto the metal. ouch!!! it was a really bumpy ride but the driver was skilful and the safety belt kept me in my seat fine, so i really enjoyed the ride.<br />
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passed by an area which had been cleared in the interior.<br />
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any idea what this plant is? it is paddy actually...the hill species. in malay, it is padi huma.<br />
you can see more of them in the photo above.<br />
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how can one go into the jungle and not cross a river??? there is no bridge for the jeep, hence it was right across the river we went.<br />
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and another river to pass....we actually crossed three rivers in this trip.<br />
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well, in the second trip, there was a change of vehicle. i was actually looking forward to another great ride in the land rover....but oh boy, it was a total nightmare this time.<br />
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i was in the mitsubishi on the right and the air-conditioner was not working and there weren't any safety belt for the passengers at the back. uwaa!!!! it was so so so stuffy.<br />
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imagine having to travel on dirt road for more about 2 hour in a jeep whose air-cond was not functioning. the dirt road on this photo is a smoother path, there were other bumpy and steep paths which i couldnt take using the phone because my body and hand would be shaking too much.<br />
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passed by an area being cleared for rubber plantation. this destination which we went to is actually very near pahang already. according to the aborigine kids, two hours of walk will bring them to pahang, somewhere around raub area. i guess i was quite near its border already. just two more hills to go to reach the neighbouring state.<br />
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this was the village.<br />
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and our final destination. boy, it was such a serene and calm place. definitely a paradise. even the temperature here was lower and when the wind blew, it was actually quite chilly. the coldest temperature recorded here was 11 degree Celcius at night. brrrrrr.......<br />
there are plans to spend a night here next year, well, that winter jacket is definitely coming with me.<br />
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and how lucky we were.....we got durians!!!! oh, this was oh so good. the musang king of the jungle. the others were too worried about their sugar level, hence i had the biggest share of the durian. haha...burp!!! many photos of me eating durian were taken too....i guess it was a proof to show that they did treat the guests well and my eating the durian with a big smile on the face is the proof to show their boss.<br />
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aaahh....and the river.....we did not have to go across this on the jeep because there is a bridge. we stopped by here on our way back and the drivers had their picnic here. we only wet our feet and enjoyed the beautiful nature in front of us. oh, the water was as cool as cucumber.<br />
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the bumpy ride helped loosen some tight knots on my back...haha....and it was indeed a welcome.<br />
i guess this is the last adventure for the year...and i look forward to these trips again next year.<br />
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on to another story.....the love for rainbow loom bracelet is still very much alive in me....i simply love making them!! i am so happy that i can find original bands supplier here in malaysia now. no to pirated bands...only the original ones for me due to their long lasting quality.<br />
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which is your favourite bracelet???<br />
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i have been getting a few requests to make bows too....aren't they cute???<br />
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and some requests to make new designs i have never tried before....oh boy....thank god i have patience to watch through the steps in the video.<br />
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well, i am keeping my fingers crossed for a good start to the week. it is going to be quite a busy one and then a wedding banquet of a close friend to look forward to. it will be gathering with old friends again to reminisce old time on saturday night when we get together. but before saturday comes, lets hope i have some time for a full body massage to loosen the knots in the neck.escape2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15384980738116306786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35825077.post-60062061162791263962014-08-31T22:03:00.001+08:002014-08-31T22:03:11.608+08:00freedom...on the 57th independencefreedom or independence seems to be the word of the day today.<br />
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well, it is not surprising really since it is the nation's 57th independence day....or shall i just say peninsular malaysia's independence.<br />
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what does freedom mean to you??<br />
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using the three pictures i have here, let me put it down in words. haha<br />
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freedom means to be able to enjoy the little pleasures in life and to me, shopping for a bargain is one of them. all work and no play makes jack a dull boy, so the saying goes.....and i have been working really hard these few weeks. i am really yearning for a whole body massage when time permits. the shoulders feel so stiff there are so many knots there which need some magic touches to untangle them.<br />
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the urge to go for a shopping spree is really there in the body, but the rational mind is telling me to halt this plan because deep down, i know i am going to regret it when i blow a few hundred bucks on one day of shopping. hence, online shopping came in and it was sort of a release, a liberation when i ordered the sweater in the screen capture above for rm85. only a woman knows the kind of joy that burst in the heart when that parcel arrives via express post. the fit is right too.....so this is one sweater which will be following me to china end of this year.<br />
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freedom also means being able to do things i love...one which is exercise. well, these shoes did not clock in any miles today unfortunately because of the unpredictable weather. they went to a restaurant instead to have dinner because of my rumbling stomach. i actually forgot that i did not eat much for lunch and only when the tummy rumbled, did i remember that i only had 2 glasses of blended pear and dragon fruit and a piece of potato fritter. i did not expect the smoothie to keep me full for that long. this is good. i should be able to incorporate smoothies in my diet in an attempt to eat healthier and to loose the bulge in the tummy area.<br />
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last but not least, freedom today means being able to see an ex-colleague of a different race to hand her this handmade rubber bracelet at her house. we were actually in the same secondary school, she was few years my junior, but we did not know each other then. we only met when she came to the same working place as i was after her graduation. freedom means we can strike up friendship with whoever we want and not be bound by a set of rules.<br />
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the colours on the bracelet represent the brilliant colours that fill our lives when there is freedom of expression, of love, of movement, .... the list is endless.<br />
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i do appreciate the freedom i have and i pray that it will be appreciated and enjoyed by the future generations.<br />
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happy 57th independent day. escape2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15384980738116306786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35825077.post-56251782226270205582014-08-17T22:44:00.001+08:002014-08-17T22:44:06.930+08:00a heady time with books and work.can't remember when was the last time i have blogged here..i think it has been weeks.<br />
well, blame it on the uninteresting life.......hmmmmm.....actually life was not as dull as expressed here.<br />
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work is getting busier since the major exams are around the corner now and there is the pressure for everyone to perform. so in order for them to perform, who is going to give the pressure? pressure comes from the boss, and we go to schools and show our faces and indirectly give pressure to the teachers. i had a few fruitful sessions as well where i managed to hold the marker pen and demonstrate in front of the kids and teachers how to do some activities. i felt on cloud nine when the teachers texted me their gratitude....those messages really made my day. it made me more confident in what i am doing. i am keeping my fingers crossed that results will improve....it will be nerve-wrecking when they are released.<br />
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and oh, i had been keeping myself busy reading these three books here:<br />
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finally eh? i wouldn't be reading them if not for a friend who gifted me the first one. those who have read would know how addictive it was and luckily, i managed to borrow the second and the third one in the trilogy from someone who is deemed too young to read them. haha....she bought them because they were bestsellers without realising the plot and content.<br />
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the content was not as bad as expected, in fact, i was actually visualising something 10 times worse than what was in the book. i guess my tolerance level is quite high. it must be the early exposure to mills and boons in secondary school and jackie collins also in secondary school. there was nothing much to shout about in the end i realised. it was fun when i was reading them and it was definitely a page-turner. but now that i have come to the end of the book, it is time to move on. i need some cleansing. haha.<br />
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actually i started and finished another book - the secret life of bees, while waiting for the second book to be delivered to me. it was a good distraction. the secret life of bees is definitely a much better book and i am going to recommend it to the girls.<br />
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and so the book i am moving to is this:<br />
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totally a different genre all together....i hope it is good. but at the back of the mind this week will be grey and anastasia still. you can't help visualising after reading all their trysts.<br />
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i am still feeling a bit under the weather....i have caught a cold even though i slept without using the fan for the past week due to the wet and cold weather. i even slept wearing my socks! my respiratory system is really sensitive. it started with very very parched throat, because of the weather and quite a lot of talking due to work, and this weekend, finally the sneezes and running nose came. the nose is dry now and the phlegm gone from the throat, but the throat is still dry. gosh, how am i going to keep my voice for this week when it is a crucial one? drink more water and get some lozenges from the pharmacy i guess. and oh, get a thicker blanket!! ish ish! <br />
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the motto here will be one i keep close to heart. i wish every teacher will remember this when they are teaching and not point their fingers at the kids all the time. i still have hope in this profession and i do want to keep my job. if only all teachers can embrace the quotation above. one can always hope.escape2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15384980738116306786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35825077.post-88857915047367972272014-07-20T11:14:00.000+08:002014-07-20T11:14:01.297+08:00a good week in julyit was another new adventure into the mountains this time in the name of duty. what an adventure it was and all thanks to the new opportunities offered by the job. i call it one of the perks. i would never be able to traverse such roads if not for the job.<br />
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the journey took us more than 90 minutes from the office to reach the destination which is in one of the mountains near cameron highlands.<br />
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the vehicle we were in was a ford ranger. the road leading up to the mountain was all paved with tar, so it was not a treacherous nor difficult one. however, there was a small stretch where it was quite steep and the road had holes which used to be covered in tar. other than that, it was a smooth journey except for the distance.<br />
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you can see the tar road from this picture.<br />
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however, as with any other journey into the mountains, there are unforeseen dangers and risks. we met one not long after turning off at the main road.<br />
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fallen trunks blocking the road. we had no chain-saw with us but luckily there was enough space for the vehicle to pass under and our journey continued. of course we all had to get down the truck and cleared the other smaller branches that were strewn on the road first. going on motorbikes would be easier and take a shorter time, but i don't think my motor skill is good enough for the journey. my heart will be palpitating the whole way wondering when i would make a blunder and lose control of my bike. don't even think of the 'accident' that might happen ok.<br />
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later on our way down, we noticed the obstructing trunk had been cleared and it was done by none other than the indigenous people who live in the area.<br />
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as it was the durian season, we also saw trucks and vans along the way collecting the fruits from the indigenous villages littered along the way. since all the villagers are accessible by car because of the good road condition, cars are a common sight parked in front of attap houses owned by some indigenous families.<br />
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this is a small dam we passed. one of the reasons why the road is well-paved is because of the dam. the dam is maintained by the electrical company and they do their servicing once in a while.<br />
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the river was quite shallow on the day we went as it is the dry season now. imagine those who are on their bikes going in daily in the rain and the risks they face from fallen branches and trunks and landslide. it ain't easy teaching in the mountains. salute to these warriors who can still do their jobs with dedications and no complaints.<br />
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this is the view i got from the top where the paved tar road almost ends. the mountains opposite did not look as majestic as taken from the low lands but you know you are so much higher as you only see a little of the summits. that meant where i was standing was almost the same height as the mountains opposite. according to those who have spent their nights here, the mountains opposite would be awashed in lights as that is where cameron highlands is.<br />
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i managed to go down to the stream nearby. the bamboo bridge here is obviously built by the locals.<br />
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tongkat ali anyone??<br />
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and here is another famous local herbal plant- misai kuching. the first time i have seen both.<br />
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the whole place was really serene and fresh and those who work here
could leave all their worries behind once they are on the mountains. all
debts are forgotten once here they say. hahaha. i can imagine myself
reading and reading and reading here. well, i managed to finish the
fault in our stars here. <br />
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it was quite humid on the day i was there and it got quite hot in the afternoon. there is no electricity supplied here if you are wondering. there is a generator to power the electrical appliances and it is powered by diesel. so they have to ferry diesel supply up the mountains every few weeks. the nights here can be quite cold depending on the season and it can go to as low as 16 degree celcius.<br />
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we left at 2 and reached the office at 3.30. the head was spinning by the time i got off the truck as this time, we did not make any stop at all except when we stopped to collect some petai from the locals. all of us got free petai to bring home. yeah!<br />
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it was really an adventure and i can't wait to go up again.<br />
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this here is my belated birthday dinner with two gals in healy mac's in ipoh. just us girls and beer and pork. </div>
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the drinks we ordered. it has been a while since i last drunk smirnoff ice. that magners apple cider is better than somersby's as it is less sweet.<br />
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the 1.3kg organic pork knuckle with apple sauce, cabbage and potatoes. yummy!!! i wish the skin could have been crispier. the meat was a bit dry too but all in all, it ain't that bad.<br />
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pepperoni pizza. it was just so-so. i don't think i would order another pizza if i ever go to this place again. i would grab their knuckle again and order spare ribs. the pizza could have been left a minute or two longer in the oven, then it would have been better.<br />
the total bill came up to almost rm200. what a birthday dinner eh.<br />
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and now to randomness. detox water that many have been posting on facebook. do i believe in its detox ability? nah. i doubt it but i still infused the water in lemon slices, cucumber slices and mint leaves because i like the freshness of the water. i don't take mint at all in my diet, so i guess this is another way of me ingesting some of the goodness of mint in the water? hahaha.<br />
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this here is a lucky draw present from a dinner attended last week. actually i got a small table fan but i decided to change it since i don't need a table fan. luckily an ex-colleague got this hair dryer and without much negotiation, the fan and hair dryer changed hands. the house needs a hair dryer. see, i am a practical person. there is no point keeping the more expensive table fan in the house for years and not get to use it.<br />
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well, tata now. it has been a wonderful july so far. hope it is going to be so till the end of the month.escape2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15384980738116306786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35825077.post-12804342822029268422014-07-12T19:22:00.002+08:002014-07-12T19:22:41.568+08:00it aint a bad birthdaybirthday has come and gone and as one gets older, birthday gets less exciting because it is the day to day work that consumes most of the day. right??<br />
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naa......birthdays are always special no matter how old you are. not because you are adding an extra candle on the cake but because you are showered with wishes from around the world from your friends and loved ones. and this year, i started saying my 'thank yous' on friday although my birthday was on monday. when one started posting birthday message on the wall in facebook, you are bound to see many others who follow as well, regardless whether they know it is your birthday or not.<br />
i have definitely lost count of the thank yous i had posted but i am not complaining.<br />
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the birthday cake theme for this year seems to be ice-cream cake. never had i eaten so much ice-cream for my birthday.<br />
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the above is the only non-ice-cream cake i had- marble cheese from secret recipe.<br />
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all the other three here- all ice-cream in different flavours.<br />
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ice-cream cake from baskin robbins! the first time i am eating their ice-cream cake. this was a very special one because the boy who bought this is actually studying in kl right now. i think he got his brother and mother to go all the way to the rest area in tapah highway to get this cake and then sent it to my house in the evening. how sweet eh.<br />
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this here is a 1kg chocolate ice-cream cake. this was a really filling meal because we shared this among the eight of us. burp!<br />
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and this here revealed my age to the whole world and it was in a flavour that i would not even buy for myself- corn. yeeeer!! i just don't really like this flavour but because it was bought specially for me, it would be rude not to eat at all. i had a small piece and i was thankful to the crushed peanuts at the side which made the consumption easier to bear.<br />
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as for gifts? it is not common to receive one nowadays so i was grateful that i still got two.<br />
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two cans of beer from someone who thought they would be perfect to cool down on a hot day. it is great to have beer stocked in the fridge.<br />
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this body shop kit is from ex-colleagues. we still make it a point to buy gift for each other. so this is one gift that will definitely come.<br />
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so turning old aint that bad again this year especially when the nephew was specially dressed in birthday gear to extend his greetings all the way from melbourne too.<br />
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there is still one dinner treat in ipoh come this tuesday. i am really looking forward to a meaty meal. <br />
but in the meantime, the keeping fit and losing weight part still remain top priority while having fun and filling the tummy with good food.escape2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15384980738116306786noreply@blogger.com0