Monday 25 May 2009

The sweetest pear is from Dongguan

I must admit that I have been feeling a little down. Partly due to the super hectic travelling schedule the whole of last week; shuffling between airports, barely sleeping enough and having dinner till late each evening. Exhaustion has made me an easy target of loneliness... I so wanted to go home since last Friday. Thank goodness there is only 1 more day left to go.

I did not expect this but the sweetest thing on this trip happened here in Dongguan! I returned to my hotel room this evening (late as usual) and found a hand written note left behind by my housekeeper. It reads like this:

“您好!我为您更换了新鲜的水果,我们酒店的梨味道还不错,希望您能喜欢!”



Such a small gesture but means so much to me, just as I thought no one remembered to care for a lonely soul who is far away from home.

It's great to have a view of Tokyo Tower out of the hotel room window and have way too many toiletries and amentities to pamper myself with; but it is the little warm thought which does not come with a price tag that makes the experience an extraordinary one!

The sweetest pear is found in Dongguan.


Saturday 23 May 2009

Shanghai... not so Déjà vu

The SARS outbreak in 2003 must have left a deep scar with the Chinese. That explains some drastic measures they have taken so far against the AH1N1 influenza.

Upon arrival in Shanghai Pudong airport, we were not allowed to disembark right away. A group of quarantine officers came on board the aircraft and pointed a pistol-like gadget on our foreheads to meaure our body temperatures.


Seeing the officers in protective suit made me feel like a disease.

After a year, Shanghai seemed to have undergone many changes. It didn't feel the same like last time... at least I thought it became more congested and polluted.

In preparation for the Shanghai Expo 2010, the whole city is undergoing restoration and construction. My favourite segment of the walkway along Huang Pu River at The Bund is temporarily closed for some construction work. I am a little sad to see The Bund in such a sorry state and maybe it will never return to how I have always liked it.



But some things don't change, like the Glamour Bar. Still offers a spectacular view of Pudong!



Wednesday 20 May 2009

Tokyo Ablazed

You can be easily impressed by many things in Tokyo. Afterall, they have the newest of the new (technology) and the oldest of the old (people).

For me, however, it is the lights that left a great impression.

The first time I visited Tokyo, I was amazed how brightly the city "glowed" in the night. I could see Tokyo ablazed, long after my plane took off from Narita Airport. Few years later today, my feeling has not changed.

Walking along Ginza, it may be difficult to tell night from day. Spotlights shining on advertisment billboards, neon-light signages flickering to unsyncrhonised tempos, brightly lit window displays of branded boutiques, attracting the attention of the rich and poor alike. All so glamorous and surreal, like on a stage. Life is fundamentally delusive, or is it not?

Tuesday 19 May 2009

Travel miscellaneous - SG to Tokyo

Hmm... don't feel quite so perky this moment. It has been a long and exhausting day.

The flight to Tokyo was unpleasant. A toddler was crying and screaming 5 out of 7 hours of the flight time, while her dad remained indifferent and was reading his novel. I wonder if these parents are those who inspired the loansharks. Punish thy neighbours, the new approach.




Hey you there! Working or skiving? I've got you on camera.

This morning, an Indian lady asked me if the toilet paper was chargeable in the airport's restroom. Do we really have such a bad reputation? We may have been described as a "Fine City", and some will say we "Pay And Pay"... but charging for toilet paper? Don't be ridiculous! Looks like the Singapore OK campaign hasn't won enough recognition from the public.


At least I get a view of Tokyo Tower from the hotel room.

Sunday 17 May 2009

Singapore River KO HPJ

I've always loved the nightscape at Huang Pu Jiang. It is very beautiful. But the Singapore River view was a knock out tonight! Maybe it is just a matter of perspective or mood.





"Durian" season. So much controversies about this structure at the time it was being built. Today, the Esplanade Theatre is a unique and distinctive icon of Singapore.






The colour of the sky changes in minutes.


Not fireworks or laser show; just alternative photography.

Saturday 9 May 2009

Cowboy's holiday shots


Real or Fake?


We are brothers


Cowboy loves tennis (ball)


Toothy vs Toothless


Exhaustion


Mysterious

Friday 8 May 2009

Happy Birthday to Shoe

A simple, no-frill dinner to celebrate Shoe's birthday. The whole evening, we were amused by K's ability to manoeuver his transformers and the randomness at which he distinguished Aunty from Jiejie and Uncle from Gorgor.


Toothy grin from K in his self portrait.


Chocolate cake decorated with Transformer, accompanied by birthday song K sung in his little "Ah Pek" voice.

I think we did well. K wanted to take us home haha!


Cowboy sends his greetings too(via snail mail)!