IDAHO-Discrimination & Being Gay:)

I came across this documentary about growing up gay in modern Hong Kong by chance last night and watched it on Youtube...given what day it is today (IDAHO-google if you don't know what that means!!) I thought I'd share it...I couldn't believe this kind of bullying and discrimination was still so rife in modern-day Hong Kong! It's heartbreaking and at first I wasn't even really into the documentary but then they started talking about the boy called Issac and I was just SOOOO super heartbroken at his experiences:( I almost felt like tearing up at one point hearing his super sad story...

Another reason why I don't like Christianity and organised religion and their viewpoints on social issues such as abortion and homosexuality...Issac went to a Christian highschool in Hong Kong and was forced to quit in his final year in highschool due to the unaccepting attitudes of his classmates (not to mention their horrible bullying!) as well as his respected teacher and even the school social worker (my god, don't they have ethical standard requirements in HK to become a social worker?!) whom all told him he could change his sexuality....I'm glad he seems to be leading an open and happier life now:)

The documentary is unfortunately only in Cantonese with Chinese subtitles so please go ahead and have a look if  you understand Chinese..it really is very insightful and informative:)

Do be compassionate, accepting, and respectful to everyone, for everyone, regardless of race, gender, age, religious, social status, sexual identity, or sexual orientation, are all human beings with feelings, hurt, want, as well as hope, who deserve to be treated equally and with dignity and compassion.:)

2012-12-01 [Cable] 時事寬頻 - 我係同志 :
Part One: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vdus5fRhZp0&list=HL1368794422
Part Two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8I2dpVP4aO0

Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan Trip Home 2012-13:D

I haven't been blogging much recently as lack of motivation...will try to do more soon..a long postponed blog post first...I went back to Malaysia in Dec 2012 (last year) after 2.5 years away and met up with many highschool friends and relatives and was very very happy.:D It was nice to catchup with people and friends in general again, especially those I haven't seen in ages.:D

I also visited Taiwan after almost 4 years to see my grandpa and Taiwanese relatives from my Dad's side and it was really really good and great to catchup with people  after 4 years! I (re) visited many places in Taiwan again, doing a little round island tour again, being Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung this time. I also attended my cousin's main wedding in Kaohsiung (and the one in Taipei too!) which was quite an experience as I have never attended a Taiwanese wedding in my entire life, and on this  first occasion, I got a closeup of the 'real deal' with my own cousin getting married and I was given the opportunity to have a close-up look at the intricacies and customs of a Taiwanese wedding.

Taichung Again!: D ps: I finally got to visit and try out the delicious Taiwanese pastry and Ice-Cream Store 'Miyahara's' near Taichung Station-Sooo unique and worth it!!:D

They are quite traditional with us all having to get up really early in the morning (like 6am) to welcome the groom and his entourage to the house (pity them, it meant the groom's entourage had to get up even earlier to come to the bride's place!) and played some typical Chinese wedding games and rush the bride (my lovely cousin!) off to the groom's place as they had this 'lucky  timing' thing going on...

As the main wedding was situated in the south in Kaohsiung, I got to experience the typical 'Southern Style' Taiwanese wedding banquet with a makeshift stage and performers dressed scantily belting out local Taiwanese and Mandarin songs as one dish after another dish came out...it was surely an insightful experience and the Taipei lunch banquet was held in a special ceremony/weddings hall with modern style decorations,etc...was lovely!!

I took time out to visit Hong Kong again for New Year's Eve and got to see the fireworks (albeit very blocked!!) at East Tsim Tsa Tsui Area with the crowds...was an experience and had supper had Tsui Wah Chachaanteng on Hong Kond Island afterwards at like 1am or something...there was crowd control and it was quite an experience to witness and experience New Year Eve's in Hong Kong with all the masses and throngs of people in the MRT and on the streets of HK's Central and especially the crowd control which forced everyone to walk in long-winded routes around Central in Hong Kong, as I attempted to make my way back to the hotel passing Lan Kwai Fong with all the party-goers!:D

Central, near Lan Kwai Fong/NYE 2013.:D

I visited other places in Hong Kong this time which I had missed out on previous trips, such as Stanley Markets area, and Tai-O fishing village. I skipped the Lantau Big Buddha and other places which I had visited last time...overall, was a fantastic and memorable trip, not least cos I got to see my 'Hong Kong Aunt' whom I hadn't seen in over two decades I think (she is the only foreigner on my mum's family's side whom married my uncle, they divorced in the early 90s) and had a nice catchup lunch with her during her lunch break at the classy and nice Lounge restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel near the IFC in Hong Kong..it was certainly an exquisite and memorable meal to remember for years to come...:-D

Going back to Malaysia and Taiwan, I had a wonderful time pigging out and enjoying myself, spent Christmas at my aunt's potluck in Penang and had wonderful homemade 'Chai Buey; and 'Tempura Prawns'...yummy!! I got to meet my cousin-in-law for the first time as well there...was great!

Christmas Potluck in Penang 2012:D

 

'China House', one of several cool and hip places that have sprouted up in Penang since these past 2.5 years.:D

 

I managed to meet one of my uncles and his family after several years too, in Taipei, as they moved to Chile as diplomats several years ago and I never met them on my previous trip back to Taipei...and it was like time stood still, they hadn't changed much although their children are all grown up now!:D

I slept over at one of my Aunt's place for one night again this time, like all my previous trips (she's also my Taiwanese 'Godmother' besides being my blood aunt) and her husband took me around touring ala Taiwanese 'style' on his trusty Taiwanese motorbike, and we managed to take in the sights at several places, in a quick and effective manner..my greatest thanks to him..:)

Taipei-Aunt Precious's Place-Homecooked Macaroni with tons of cheese!!:D

 

Anyways, too many good food, places, and people to talk about in this very  concise blog post, but that sums up my vacay back home I guess after several years...already planning to go back again within 1 year, during end of this year's Christmas break actually...till my next blog post then:D

China Trip Autumn 2011 (Oct 22nd - Nov 13th 2011) Part V-Hong Kong in 24hrs

Hong Kong 11th-12th Nov 2011:

I arrived in Hong Kong via MRT metro and got off at Wanchai MRT stop and found my way to my hotel in Wanchai. I had to lug my luggage everywhere on the streets of Wanchai whilst attempting to find my hotel and it was pretty tiring given the heat (despite being mid-nov!) and crowds on the streets of Wanchai. I did cross some interesting things though such as a filipino sari-sari store and a group of students with their teacher on an outdoor study excursion in the markets. I checked in and rested for 1 hr or so before heading out and making the most of my 24 hr in Hong Kong.

I had Teochew/Chiuchow Fishball soup, Hong Kong style Milk Tea, visited and ate traditional chinese rice cakes at my favourite chinese rice cakes store in Hong Kong located in Sham Shui Po as well as toured the area and visited a Hong Kong wetmarket.

I took the MRT to Yuen Long and then the lightrail, both the first time for me i think. I toured Yuen Long downtown area and it was very lively and i ate at a Michelin star place called Hou Dou Dai shop, and had their Wonton noodle soup which was really only average i felt. Then i took a lightrail to Tin Shui Wai new town, which i had wanted to visit as it was famous for being a lower socioeconomic area with frequent cases of domestic abuse and social problems..it looked quite normal actually..i also went into a Hong Kong sports/running track for the first time, as i passed by one called the Tin Shui Wai Sports Ground whilst there.

I took the light rail and Metro back to Kowloon and visited the Mongkok area and then made my way to the Star Ferry terminal in TST and took the iconic ferry ride to Central (just for the experience once again and photo ops!) and then took a tram (again for the experience more than anything else even tho i have taken both during the last time in HK!) and went back to the hotel.

The next morning, i woke up early and checked out and then checked in at the downtown checkin station with my luggage. Then i took the metro as well as lightrail to the Pingshan Heritage Trail which is the only heritage trail in Hong Kong. It was a unique and different experience away from the usual shopping and city experience of Hong Kong.

I took the metro back to Central and toured the streets quickly before having a quick Wonton Noodle at the famous Mak Kei's on Wellington Street (just opposite another famous wonton shop called Tsim Chai Kei's). I took the famous Mid-Levels Travelator and then rushed to buy the well known  Joy-Hing roasted duck and chicken takeaway from Wanchai, gobbling it down at the MRT station and leaving the rest to what looked like a homeless man then took the airport express to the airport and taking my flight to Sydney enroute stopping over at Pudong International Airport, given it was on China Eastern Airline.

This thus finished my 3 weeks Cross China Trip 2011 and my blog post series on it, finally, after almost a year since i left! Hahaha..;)

China Trip Autumn 2011 (Oct 22nd - Nov 13th 2011) Part IV-Natural UNESCO Town and the Original Reform/Opening-Up City

Lijiang 9th-10th Nov 2011:

I arrived by plane from Chongqing to Lijiang, the UNESCO world heritage ancient ethnic minority town situated in the mountains of Yunnan province. I met my dad there and we spent 2 days together. It was a very touristy place and although the view of the Snow Jade Dragon Mountain was beautiful..overall the ancient town was very touristy and commercialised for my liking with nightclubs and bargirls pumping out loud music deep into the night serving alcohols and half-naked dancers inside the clubs as well as girls asking you to go into the clubs..there were alot of artistic shops and nice cosy looking cafes and restaurants too, but they tended to be further away from the central ancient town centre.

I visited another village in Lijiang which was less well known and liked it way better...some of the architecture there was reminiscient of some 1930s set movie..haha..

I ate with my dad some of the hotpot and bbq food there and it was nice...also got a chance to see the ancient town from atop a small hill area...overall, i personally wouldn't go back to Lijiang again as it was just too touristy for my liking..;)

Shenzhen 10th-11th Nov 2011:

I flew into Shenzhen from Lijiang, after a delay of the flight, and took the airport bus shuttle into the area where my hotel was located then took a taxi.

I had a good rest and think i was upgraded once again (throughout my China trip 2011, i was upgraded into a way better room on many occasions, for reasons i do not know, but i'm not complaining!!) and had one of the largest hotel room experiences of my life with the powder room being so large, and a nice bathroom with stand-alone bathtub, separate shower area, and even a separate toilet area with floor to ceiling windows out on the city views!!

The next morning i woke up later than expected and behind my schedule but hurriedly took a quick soak in the bathtub again with the city views outside and rushed out to Dongmen main pedestrian shopping street of Shenzhen. I took a quick tour and headed by metro MRT again to visit the Shenzhen Library/Concert Hall area. This area looked very new and clean. The Shenzhen Library was designed by a famous Japanese architect apparently and was one of the nicest and most modern public libraries i've been to. China is changing, and it was very impressive. There were many study areas and desks and even sections with South East Asian newspapers as well as overseas study abroad reference books!


I rushed back by MRT to the JW Marriot Shenzhen (where i was staying) and checked out and took a taxi to the Futian Port Immigration checkpoint, being the closest to my hotel, and crossed over to Hong Kong.

This officially ended my Cross-China Trip 2011.;) I felt surreal and nourished with the memories, experiences, as well as photos i got from this trip:-)

China Trip Autumn 2011 (Oct 22nd - Nov 13th 2011) Part III- Former Wartime+Ancient Capitals

Xian Nov 6th 2011:

I arrived in Xian on an early flight from Beijing, flying from the current capital of China, Beijing, to the ancient capital of China, Xian. When i arrived at the airport, i was already left with an indelible impression that the city's residents were overall quite wealthy as the first ad i saw at the airport was for Porsche. Indeed, the city is quite wealthy as i saw huge shops selling luxury watches along the main shopping fare and other luxury food places such as Haagen Daz Ice-cream parlours..which i ate in,hahaha;-)

I visited the Bell Tower of Xian (or was that the Clock Tower of Xian?!) and the view atop from the Tower was amazing, walked along the ancient city walls and also visited the Muslim Quarters of Xian, trying out the fantastic and cheap food there. However, commercialisation was to be seen everywhere, with the Muslim Quarter's shops selling very touristy and over marked prices. The food streets of the Quarters were great though!

I spent only a day in Xian and took the overnighter train to Chongqing (formerly known as Chungking) in the interiors of China. One little quirky, interesting, and at-the-time horrifying experience i had was that as i was abit late for the train and so had to hurry to find my carriage. As i had bought the overnight tickets very last minute (and even had the horrific experience in the morning thinking i had lost it meaning i would have to stay overnight in Xian and lose one day in Chongqing due to the delay which would be catastrophic given my very tight holiday schedule) and wasn't familiar that soft bed carriages could be added, my carriage was Jia-Yi Meaning the 'Plus One Carriage' and NOT the 'One Carriage', which was like the cheapest and most crowded carriage. I went onboard and knew something had to be wrong as there were no beds, only seats for the whole night and it was overcrowded with people standing along the aisles. I had boarded an overnighter during the Dongbei/Manchurian leg of my holiday and knew this couldn't be it but then briefly thought maybe the interior Chinese trains were much more backwards..i asked the conductor(whom thankfully was on the carriage!) and he said my carriage was right at the other end of the train! I hurriedly got off and ran with all my might to the other end and got on in time as the train was leaving! And thankfully, this was heaven, being the soft-sleeper trains with comfy beds!! But it was a forever memorable experience as i got to see what the 'hard seat' carriages are like in China's trains (which i would never have known had i not been mistaken!)

Chongqing Nov 7th-8th 2011:

I arrived in the North Chongqing Station, if i remember correctly, and took the MRT to the city centre. The MRT station line had just been opened recently i think and everything looked swanky new. In fact, the design and overall atmosphere of the MRT metro in Chongqing was probably one of the best i had in China and surpassing even Hong Kong's MRT metro i think!

I have always wanted to visit Chongqing, it having been the WW2 wartime capital city of China from 1938-1945. It is one of the 4 directly-controlled central govt municipalities and the only one in the interior away from the coast of China. It is highly modern and i loved the city. It was actually one of my favourite cities in China during this trip, together with Changchun, for their lovely and unique 'feel' and city atmosphere. The landscape here is mountainous with alot of slopes up and down the hills and the rivers criss crossing the city.

I visited the main commercial Jiefangbei shopping and eating district and tried out the lovely Sichuanese spicy noodles and other delicacies. It was both cheap and delicious!! I also visited the People's Great Hall in Chongqing with its unique Chinese architectural style having been built in a traditional manner in the 1950s as well as the Three Gorges Museum of Chongqing which had a dedicated whole section on Chongqing during WW2, which was pretty informative and very interesting for a history buff like me!:)

I also passed by many interesting things and experiences such as local parents waiting outside a primary school to pick their children up and also could sense Chongqing, like much of the rest of China, was booming, with the economy simply skyrocketing. The development and tall highrise buildings were everywhere and all the branded luxury shops could be found in Chongqing. There was also a newly opened luxury upscale mall which i visited in the Jiefangbei area when i was there. There were also luxury high-end bakery stores in Chongqing which i took photos of indicating the wealth that can be found in this interior city of China.

I also went to the suburbs of Chongqing by MRT metro as i wanted to see what the suburban areas, and not just the city centre, was like, and it was very modern-looking too. I also visited the Chongqing Zoo and got to see real life panda for the very first time of my life!! So exciting! Haha!! And it was a nice time visiting the zoo since i hadn't visited a zoo in over 15 years i think!..

I also went to Shibati, a pre-war district in the downtown area which is earmarked for demolition and it felt like i had wandered into a different era..it was like somewhere in the 1930s/40s..people eating just outside their homes on simple tables and stools, and i loved the stairs and slopes and geography of it all..indeed, this was one of the rare times when i saw an older poorer China on this trip as everywhere i went in China, from the north to south, east to west, development and wealth was pretty much everywhere on display.

I took a Yangze River tour on my last night in Chongqing and the nightlights were beautiful. They apparently want to compete with New York and Hong Kong for the night scenery and they've done well i must say! It was glittering everywhere. I bought heaps of delicious take-away food and drinks and went back to my spacious hotel room in central Chongqing and had a wonderful last Chinese supper in Chongqing whilst watching TV. (by the way, did i mention that my hotel room had a fantastic view of the Jiefangbei Monument and shopping area?!! Waking up at dawn, it was a surreal image of emptiness and tall buildings!)..

China Trip Autumn 2011 (Oct 22nd - Nov 13th 2011) Part II- Manchurian Dreams

Changchun Nov 2nd 2011:

I took an overnight train to Changchun (former WW2 capital of the Japanese-occupied wartime puppet regime of Manchukuo/Manchuria) from Beijing and this was my 1st time sitting on a Chinese overnight train. It was quite alright actually as for my entire overnight train journeys on my 3 week China trip, i always bought the soft-sleeper class tickets which meant only 4 people in one compartment and the conditions were much much much better (i can't emphasize this enough) than the hard-sleeper and even hard-seat compartments ( yes, they actually sell all-seat compartments for overnight trains meaning people just sit throughout the entire night and you can even see people standing in overcrowded train compartments on Chinese trains going overnight! In fact, on my Xian to Chongqing overnighter, i had mistakenly gone into the last carriage which was the worst and got the shock of my life, given that it was totally overcrowded with no sleeping space n i knew something MUST be wrong as i had bought the soft-sleeper ticket, which i only got very last min as it was sold out earlier on i think n i'd be stuck in Xian for the night but thankfully i got the ticket. Furthermore, i had already slept on a soft-sleeper class to Changchun and back before n knew what it shld be like altho i did momentarily doubt whether it was due to it being an inland train away from coastal China) .

Anyways, I have always wanted to go to the northeast of China/Manchuria, and have always had this image of 1930s/1940s China with the slow train chugging along the Manchurian wintery countryside with pine willow trees since young watching old Chinese movies, and Changchun fit that picture image perfectly. It was so nice and had a rustic feel to it, just like in the movies set in 1940s China. Of cos, development had caught up even here with brand names such as Hermes having a large store in central Changchun but places like Nanhu Park was absolutely one of the unexpected highlights of my entire China trip and simply an amazing experience and beautiful sight which will forever be etched into my memory. I also had my first proper Dongbei cuisine..of what else but good old dumplings in Changchun and they tasted lovely as i would have expected. There were also still some Japanese puppet government- era historical buildings surrounding the central public square in downtown Changchun which i visited, all of which have been reused for other purposes now such as as a university faculty building and a hospital which i even went in to visit! ha! visiting a hospital as a touristy site whilst on holiday!

I also had some Korean-Chinese food here which was abit different from usual Korean food as they have been modified to suit Chinese local tastes (Changchun is the current provincial capital of Jilin Province, one of the three provinces which make up northeast China, and Jilin province also has the bulk of the Korean ethnic minority group numbering almost 2 million, most traditionally based in Yanbian Korean autonomous prefecture which is located within Jilin province, hence explaining the numerous Korean food and Hangul writing found in the city)

I spent the night in Changchun and had dinner at Guilin Road district, a very popular funk downtown district as well as managed to sit on the only preserved 1940s tram line whilst in Changchun! Highly recommended city to visit, for its authentic 1940s charm and feel..

Harbin 3rd Nov 2011:

I sat the morning train to Harbin from Changchun which took around 2 hrs i think. Once i arrived, I basically went to visit the famous Zhongyang Dajie which is the preserved historical street and main shopping strip in Harbin. I also visited the Matyrs Monument, Anti-Flooding Monument, Harbin's shopping district and of cos the St Sophia Cathedral for an obligatory photo op.

I also visited Walmart in Harbin! Hahaha..had a good look at the products on offer...quite worth the money actually...Before i left that night on the overnighter train back to Beijing, I went to the bankside of the Songhua river, and dipped my fingers into the waters as well as took photos and had a walk along the Stalin park promenade overlooking Songhua River, which i have always known since young as the Songhua River is one of the main rivers of China.

Thus, I was very happy and fulfilled to be able to finally visit and experience former Manchuria/China's northeast, a place which has always captured my imagination since young!

China Trip Autumn 2011 (Oct 22nd - Nov 13th 2011) Part I- Enter the Big Cities

I went to China for a Across China trip from October 22nd to November 13th 2011 last year. It was my first time travelling for such a long extended time, covering China, from North to South, East to West, for 3 weeks. I went to Eastern China (Shanghai, Nanjing, Huangshan), Northern China (Beijing, Tianjin, Changchun, Harbin), Central China (Xian, Chongqing) and Southern China (Lijiang, Shenzhen). Some places i only stayed for 1/2 day trip due to restraints in time given that it was only 3 weeks but due to the amazing and rapid changes in China's transportation system, it was possible to visit such vastly distant places and criss-cross China in 3 weeks.

I'll start with describing each location in order of my travel itinerary:

Shanghai 22nd-26th Oct 2011:

I arrived in Shanghai first on China Eastern Airlines (which was the cheapest airline i could find, as usual, Chinese airlines are much cheaper and more affordable compared to other airlines). It was nice and comfortable, and much better than I had expected, after reading all the horror reviews online, since i had never sat on a Chinese airline before..much like sitting on an airplane in the 90s without TV screens on the back of seats but rather comfortable and food was alright too..people who cannot understand Chinese may find it abit daunting though as the flight attendant's English may not be the best..but overall very good value for the money..

I arrived in Shanghai at night and took the Maglev train wooshing me into Shanghai Pudong in just under 7mins from Pudong Int'l Airport. Transferred to an MRT train line and went into Shanghai CBD near the Bund. My hotel for the 1st night was The Astor, a heritage hotel near 'The Gardens Bridge' i think, another historical bridge which always shows up in old movies and footage of Shanghai. Checked in and put all my luggage and went out for dinner/supper on Nanjing East Road area...basically, i enjoyed Shanghai alot and it was 7 years plus since i last visited and it was very modern and fastpaced just as i remembered it to be, the metro lines have more than doubled since i last visited in late 2003/early 2004 and overall the city is very modern and reminded me of Taipei but a much more crowded, fastpaced, and modernised city...

Huangshan 25th- 26th Oct 2011:

I took the long-distance bus from Shanghai to Mount Huangshan which takes around 4-5 hrs on the modern expressway. Along the way we stopped for a toilet break and refueling and as i looked across the rest stop to another building which had traditional chinese architecture and the clean wide expressway with the cold breeze, it being late Autumn in China already, i couldn't help but feel amazed at the development and sense of modernity as this could be an expressway in Japan for all you knew, but it was China, in the early 2010s...anyways, arrived at Huangshan's Tangkou at the bottom of the famoust mountain, (China has many famous mountains such as Mount Ermei and Mount Lu but Huangshan is THE most famous and apparently most drawn Mountain in Chinese paintings through history) and took a cable car up the mountain. The cable car used European technology and i was very impressed given that it was VERY VERY high up and the view was superb. It was like Hong Kong's cable car in Lantau Island but way longer and steeper. I had booked a night up the mountain so that i could experience the sunrise atop Mount Huangshan given that if you live below the mountain, the cable cars don't start until later and you will miss the sunrise by the time you get up...but prices were very steep given it was up a mountain and all provisions had to be carried up manually such as food, clothing,furniture,etc. I was frankly quite impressed with the hotel i stayed in despite all the crappy reviews online, considering the fact it was so far high up there and everything including staff had to be brought from below the moutain...anyways set the alarm and woke up early with others to watch the sunrise and went down the hill via cable car..as i had been told that the next bus back to Shanghai was much later than i expected reaching Shanghai at night (when i had planned going to collect my tailored clothes and dinner with my friend) i risked it by taking a shared car (very common in China) and going thru narrow winding roads thru semi-countryside into the town (an experience!!) to catch another bus which departed earlier from the town and thank god there were still tickets which meant i could catch this earlier bus arriving in Shanghai much earlier in the afternoon as planned to go to the tailor,etc.
One tip about going up Mount Huangshan, apparently from my friend and pix i've seen online, there can be 1-2 hour long queues just to get into a cable car and the waiting area is long, but when i went, there was hardly any queue and i got into a cable car to go up the mountain within 15 mins, which means try to go late in the afternoon when the crowds have gone as most ppl don't live up the mountain and usually leave by late afternoon as the sky gets darker and the last cable car down is nearing..

Nanjing 27th- 28th Oct 2011:

Nanjing has always been a city that i wanted to visit, not least due to the history of the Rape of Nanking (Nanking Massacre by the Japanese Imperial Army during WW2) and also being the Republican era Capital of China before the current capital city of Beijing.

I had missed my earlier high speed rail ticket to Nanjing from Shanghai and couldn't take the next one as it was fully booked too and thus arrived alittle later than expected for my schedule. The high speed rail was my 1st time sitting a Chinese bullet train (i think!) and it was super fast criss-crossing across the Chinese landscape passing many cities which were very developed beyond my expectations, such as Wuxi, where i could see many skyscrapers. I had originally planned 2 full days in Nanjing which turned out to be only 1 1/2 days and so still managed to visit almost all the tourist spots but some only on the outside as they were closed once i got there, for example the Sun Yat Sen Maesoleum on Purple Mountain and the Zhonghua Gate.

Also visited of cos the Nanking Massacre Museum in the suburbs which was a really good museum showcasing the history and i particularly liked the small garden/park outside the main exhibition buildings which are surprisingly good spots for a picnic or chat with friends despite the solemn meaning behind this museum.

Loved Nanjing street snacks such as the duck blood soup noodles amongst others and visited Confucius Temple and the pedestrian shopping/restaurant area surrounding it. The night scenery was really quite amazing!!

Also visited Xinjiekou, Nanjing's premier shopping district, and some of the malls there were so classy:) Had shabu-shabu too..nice..Nanjing actually has a nice feel to it and also visited the former University of Nanking and Former Ginling Women's College, both refugee camps during the Rape of Nanking..i actually visited/came across 3 refugee camps during the Rape of Nanking whilst in Nanjing, but now you can't see much traces of that due to the time and refurbishment...

Nanjing in many ways reminds me of Taipei...well, one must not forget that the Republican government which governed from Nanjing later fled to and is now governing Taipei and Taiwan, thus the similarities may well be expected i suppose;-)

Beijing 29th Oct- 5th Nov 2011:

I flew to Beijing from Nanjing  and arrived early in the morning. Took the train into the city and checked into my hutong hotel. Got upgraded again and the room was nice and really comfortable and spacious despite having booked and payed for the cheapest room online...(this happened to me almost my entire trip in China, getting upgraded to much better rooms, and coincidentally also in Bangkok 1 month later as well where i was upgraded at both hotels) Went to Tiananmen Square, National Concert Hall, the Forbidden Palace (my first meal in Beijing was good old traditional Beijing Zhajiangmen inside the Forbidden Palace, and it was yummy surprisingly!!) ,Qianmen, on my first day...

I visited many places in Beijing as i had allocated the most days to it for my entire trip, but quite frankly, the whole city didn't give me such a good atmosphere, the pollution was quite horrendous actually and there was a concrete, semi-industrial feel to the city..i went to too many places to mention all, but a few places would be Peking University, Qinghua University campus, Wudaokou and having dinner at a second level hidden pub/dinner, viewing Maple leaves at Xiangshan and the street food there was great (took the Beijing bus there, quite a nice experience!), Summer Palace and sat on a boat there, Beijing financial street area, Xidan shopping area ( had Taiwanese meal for dinner there, so-so),Houhai Area ( had a high-end vegetarian lunch here), Drum Tower, Yonghegong Lamma Temple, Temple of Heaven (omg, the highlight here was actually the group of elderly and others outside in the parkland  exercising, singing, playing badminton, and even a fashion catwalk by a group of senior citizens which i happen to have a whole video of!!, hahaha..), 798 Art District ( bought a pair of cheap working shoes whilst transiting to get here!!), watched a performance at the National Performing Arts Centre 'Rhino in Love', and managed a trip to an authentic morning market called Rendeli/Sihuan Morning Market..the food there looked so good:)


Tianjin Oct 31st 2011:

I went to Tianjin via the highspeed rail from Beijing taking 30 mins only. I had arrived at Beijing South Station (i think!) abit late and was told i had missed the ticket sales for the time i wanted and had to take the next one..however, as the two ticket holders were allowed in around the same time, i just went into the earlier one just as it was about to pull out of the station and got into the closest compartment. I then preceded to find an empty spot and sat down hoping fervently at this late stage that no one would turn up and the train pulled off the station and i was relieved. I only realised i was in the 1st class compartment (the Beijing-Tianjin highspeed rail has a 1st class and normal class) when i had bought the normal class ticket. The 1st class compartment was really really nice and high-end in its atmosphere, the seats had press-buttons and functional buttons and the furnishing of the interior was top class. As the train whizzed through the countryside between Beijing and Tianjin, it simply felt as if i was somewhere in Europe with a Western guy very well dressed fidgeting with his computer. Anyways, after arriving in Tianjin, i got out of the station and wandered around, had a Chinese breakfast, walked through the historically protected buildings abundant in parts of Tianjin, as well as went to the commercial and shopping district for a quick tour for comparison with other Chinese cities. I also passed by and entered a Chinese wetmarket and took some photos ( i just love visiting wetmarkets in Asia!haha!) I also managed to squeeze in a trip taking the Binhai Express metro rail to the Binhai New Development Area but ended going 3/4 of the way and sitting right back to the Tianjin downtown area as i was going to miss my train back to Beijing if i went any further, cos it was quite far in reality as compared to the map...I then took the high speed rail back to Beijing in the afternoon, ending my 1/2 day trip to Tianjing, this time on the normal class compartment which was really normal...

Part Two coming up in a few days (or weeks???hahaha..)...keep posted!

Aamir Khan's Show of Conscience:)

Aamir Khan, whom i knew from the movie 'Earth' (which is a highly recommended film dealing with The Partition of India in 1947, which i saw on SBS channel back in my university days in Melbourne one evening almost 10 yrs back n how i first came to know about the horrible circumstances of the partition of India and Pakistan.) has a talk show called 'Satyamev Jayate' (which is apparently a national phrase of India meaning Truth/Justice will prevail. ) I watched the first two episodes on youtube with english subtitles and it was great, he deals with alot of taboo and sensitive topics happening in India such as female foetal genocide, sexual child abuse,etc.

With his fame and popularity, this show will surely greatly open up discussion and greater social awareness to talk about and deal with these issues in contemporary India.

  Please see episodes (with English subtitles) here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w66CQ7kfrDM&list=FL9OpZDcscYT68KNijstthaA&index=1&feature=plpp_video (this is the 2nd episode, the uploader 'StarWorldIndia' has all the episodes and uploads each new episode regularly). Hope you all watch it!!:)

March Madness...

I know its May already but a recap of March... I went to the Mardi Gras Parade 2012 and it was great as usual...altho raining heavily throughout and one point i was thinking what i was doing there with the downpour but enjoyed it overall and looking forward to next yr!!

Attended Picasso Exhibition with a friend at the Art Gallery of NSW and altho i didn't get it much (but then, i usually attend and love art exhibitions for the crowd, atmosphere, and the feeling of being 'trendy' and 'artsy' more than the admiration of the art itself..haha...apparently the Picasso exhibition attracted the biggest attendances for any exhibition ever held by the Art Gallery.

Went rowing a small boat at the Royal National Park at Audley for the 1st time in my life and loved it..coincidentally the photo of me relaxing on the boat attracted one of the most 'likes' in my facebook history from friends..hahaha...then had a bushwalk with the gang of friends through the Royal National Park next...

Went again to 'Miros', my fav Spanish Tapas place on Liverpool Street in the CBD..their chorizos in caramelised apple is highly recommended...also went to 'The Red Door' bar again with a friend after for desserts..another intimate hidden underground place suited for intimate cosy conversations with friends..really nice:)

Visited a couple of art galleries and explored the Potts Point/Kings Cross/darlinghurst area during Art Month Sydney and enjoyed re-exploring the Potts Point area..

Met up with a high school friend of mine from Melbourne (and currently residing in Munich with her partner) and took her out to Surry Hill's Monkey Magic for a nice catchup dinner..was fantastic catching up on our lives since 1 yr ago when i visited Melbourne and caught up with her and other Yr 12 friends of ours..i also discovered Sydney's best kept off the beaten track 'treasure' being this underground 'longest travellator in Australia' i swear! So cool..hidden and connecting an underground carpark to an exit coming out in the middle of a park...the travellator's walls are painted with imagery as well!!

I also got to meet with the founder of 'Pink Dot' Singapore and director Boo Jun Feng as well in Sydney (again! as i bumped into him and recognised him when i was in Singapore merely 3 months back and took a photo with him then! so happy!) and i took another photo with him..haha...

Anyways, i did much more stuff in March, not mentioning February when i was in a hummer limousine ride party for my friend's b'day and April when i went up to the the MCA Cafe at the rooftop of the new MCA wing for lunch and the spectacular views as well as toured the new MCA and also went for the 1st time to the Hunter Valley/Port Stephens(saw the dolphins up close!! omg! so unbelievable!)/ Central Coast with a couple of friends during the Easter Long Weekend.:) Oh well, can't update on everything happening in my life..too hectic and busy with happenings and social life i guess so that's my reason for the absences to my blog since this year!

Will try to blog more often though..