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| Monday, 29-Dec-2008 19:30 |
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Mobile Silkroad Odessey : Lanzhou Blogging from onboard train
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Testing my first mobile blogging off the train as I am pretty bored. It is another tedious 12hrs train journey but thanks goodness most of it will be spent in my sleep.
I arrived at Lanzhou at wee morning and hop on to bus 6 to lanzhou only hostel. Damn i've a bad ankle sprain while entering e dark alley searching for the hostel entrance.It still sore badly as I am blogging now.
Lanzhou didn't impress me as much as Xian did. People here have the bad habit of spitting on the ground so much worse than Shanghai! PerhaPs I was in a hurry too as I was spending most of my time planning and executing my Dunhuang trip and finalising my Lhasa trip for 2nd Jan. Hopefully it will go smoothly as I need to get my travel permit settle by then.
In fact this trip to Lhasa was not as cheap as I thought it was. In Xian and Lanzhou there are hardly any organised Tibet trips and worse off,I hold on a foreign passport which requires an English local guide. Arghh that is really bad.
I've met very helpful staffs that had assisted me on the tour while I went on my wandering Silkroad journey.
I was nearly breathless when I board on ths train as the train was scheduled to leave 1755 and I reached just in time and board 1750! phew! I am going to tuck in early today and gotta worry abt tomorrow hotel and tour itinenary. Till then! 
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| Thursday, 20-Nov-2008 18:00 |
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Tribute to My Grandpa
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Nov-20th-2008 marks the 1st death anniversay of my respectful grandpa..
He would drop by the coffeeshop for his usual morning breakfast routine, with a simple bowl of minced-meat noodles & a not-so-hot coffee to go with.
He would drop by to my parent stalls and assist in the simplest chores he hope to contribute by making chilli side dishes and arranging chopsticks, even in his old age of over ninties. Everyday without fail, other than the latter days he was hospitalised..
And of the idle days he would recollect his life events with his grandchildren, of the World War 2 difficutlies he had went through while he was a kid escaping from China, all alone from his family to a faraway land in Nanyang.
He spent his days as young apprentice and slowly went on to become a streetside hawker wiping out plates of char-kway-teow. Abalones were cheap and aplenty that he dreads so much and pretty much preferred to give his Chinese new year plate-doses of abalones to his grandchildren every year without fail. Abalones became my one of my CNY favourite dishes, because i know, they are from my beloved grandpa share.
Of how he earned and scrimped cents for his monthly wage, and how he had eventually managed to earn a proper license from the government to has an official stall in Golden Shoe Complex. A proud owner was he, and finally owning a stall in Mosque Street, which he will quip on whenever I would find time to talk to him.
Alas, the stall was eventually gave up due to government efforts to refurbish the area. Majestic Theatre still stands grandly and directly a road besides, the Meizhenxiang main stall business continue unabattered, escaping the arms of redevelopment. Downtown Chinatown streets have remained an impactful memory in me, where i explored adventurously over the weekends during my toddler years while my grandpa and mum were at the stall busy working. The stall was also the very first place where i started working young as a young kid stall helper delivering pipping hot fishball noodles & fried kwayteows to walk-in diners. The place which served great remembrances to my grandpa too - Of his life and accomplishments which i never fail to revisit each year I'm back home.
How he and my late grandma have struggled to raise my aunties and my dad, the only eldest son. He will gleam with joy that he has a son, and above all, the eldest son. However each time the praiseful phrase wll land in a heavy melancholy tone. He will lament and speak with disdain how his hard-earned savings have been squandered by his unfilial hard-core gambler son. Of how years after years, the incessant pouring of their savings have failed to rescue and wakeup the wastrel senses. Not even his wife and kids. A leopard will never change its spot. How truthful can it be which stands in stark constrast when juxtapositioned with their parsimonious life. That even at his deathbed, my dad was unable to fork out his own savings to settle his last hospitalisation bills, and let alone of the funeral wake burden. And to my chagrin, that this son of his had to scorn loudly at the wake, of the nonchalant attitude over the funeral arrangements & the necessary formalities required.
For this is my very last respect I can give, for being the very eldest grandson of his.
For the forgiveness I need to seek for the years I have been busy engaging with studies and work, away from home and him.
I know what done cannot be commensurated with the love & concern he had shovered over my absence. Of the ominous omens he had sensed, that he had my name called before his deathbed. I am thankful that I managed to fly in and accompany him through his last days before he lost his common senses, and giving in to the death demon. That we managed to relieve him and grant his final wish to be back at the comfort of home, and away from the machines that are slowly torturing him. The very day he finally returned home, the very day he left us.
I will always remember my grandpa for the teachings and guidances he had imparted to me, He has been a great influence to who I am today.
I will treasure the memories he had left with me. Of how he will bring me to my family doctor when my dreadful asthma strikes, of the plain porridge and olive vegetables we always enjoyed together, of the luohan & crysanthesum he will enjoy buying & making cooled-bottles for us, of .....
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| Wednesday, 19-Nov-2008 16:00 |
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Tokyo D10 To the Airport & Back Shanghai
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Kind of panic when i was an hour off my supposed planned schedule to head airport.
I dragged by luggage back to the little street mazes before reaching Osaki station on the Yamonote line, and heads all the way out of Ueno Station to board the Skyliner.
Wishfully thinking that there was a 1540 train, I was struggling to meet in time to reach the station by then, only to be signalled by the station master that the next express train was 1600!
Dead, my flight back was 1805 and i need to check-in my luggage! The express train reached at 1700 Narita Airport Terminal 1, and i thought to myself I am going to miss the last checkin timing!
Well, thankfully the day eventually went well. The checks at the airport were very strict. Before boarding the plane, just another 20 mins before the flight is scheduled for departure, I was checked by the security.
My shoes were removed, inner soles checked! Every pockets in my backpack were emptied. Even my laptop went unescaped. I was told even to bootup my laptop. 
Kinda scary. My trip from Shanghai to Tokyo was met with equal security check too. I was quizzed alot of dumbfounded questions like 'How long am I staying, what i am doing there, for what reason, where i will be staying.....' Omg!
In sum, the overall trip has been a great holidaying trip, put aside my studies!
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| Wednesday, 19-Nov-2008 08:30 |
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Tokyo D10 Gotanda & Togoshi
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It was the first Western breakfast i have taken in my Tokyo trip at Jonathan Restaurant, which runs 24hr. This one is located right at Gotanda.
I am fascinated by Japan 2nd-hand market. Maybe that is a such a good idea to beat off piracy. Audios, DVDs, Books, Game sets. And to go with, there's 24hr rental services. I walked into the wrong shop while trying to buy an audio cd, only to discovered that it was a rental shop.
I made my last stroll from Gotanda back to Togoshi, together with all the last-min shoppings.
I'm gonna miss Togoshi Ginza street.
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| Tuesday, 18-Nov-2008 21:00 |
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Tokyo D09 Late Night Dessert & Supermart Shopping Spree
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We could not meet up with the rest of the fishing gang for my last dinner in Tokyo. Thus both of us have to end up finding a dinner place at Ometesando.
It turned out to be a great idea that I should continue my food shopping. Yuhan brought me to the nearest supermart which closes at 1am local time. And a late night supper dessert to go with just located above the supermart.
Yummy, the kway-teow-like dessert blends well with the sweet sauce. Till now, i still do not know what the dessert is called. One day i shall know..
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| Tuesday, 18-Nov-2008 14:00 |
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Tokyo D09 Harajuku & Ometosande
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| Tuesday, 18-Nov-2008 10:00 |
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Tokyo D09 Ebisu Tokyo Cosmpolitian Museum of Photography
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I was late for meetup despite the fact that it was just few stations away. That morning was very unfortunate for me, I was stuck with large notes, and had a hard time going round the metro to look for a convenience store to buy just a drink for me to topup my Suica card. Alas, I had a huge blunder too and alighted at Meguro Station. I sensed something was wrong after waiting for 5~10 mins as I was already late. Shit, then to my recall, I should have alighted at another stop at Ebisu!
What turn out to be a 5mins late was stretched to an half hour. Goodness.
I like Ebisu stop as it has an interesting tune playing in the background. And not to forget, it was linked with Y-ebisu Beer. Alas, there is a Yebisu museum which i missed!
There were quite a few themes that were running in symphony across various places.
Eternal of Lights, Ropponji - Twilight.. all these elicited to me that it must be a coordinated grand planning. No wonder Tokyo is call City of Lights. Ah..it does strike a chord now!
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| Monday, 17-Nov-2008 12:00 |
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| Saturday, 19-Apr-2008 14:17 |
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36 Stratagems
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Lately i've been reading on a book detailing 36 Stratagems. The book captivated me of how the stratagems are being classified and successful history cases when the stratagems first evolved.
All the 36 stratagems have its strengths & flaws. Knowing when to use it at the right time & place is crucial to how successful it can be deployed.
Coincidentally one of the midnites, i managed to catch a good replay of CCTV-10 documentary series on 36 Stratagems too! Wow, that 'live video' got me to visualise what i've been reading to date, and of course, leads me to start looking for BT seeds that chase each strategem episode.. 
To me, remembering all the 36 stratagems and of the order, is a challenge to my current flagging memory.  And i am putting that challenge to test 
Stratagem #01 - 瞒天过海 （crossing the sea under camouflage）
备周则意怠 常见则不疑
阴在阳之内 不在阳之对
太阳 太阴
Strategem #02 - 围魏救赵
共敌不如分敌
敌阳不如敌阴
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| Thursday, 10-Apr-2008 12:54 |
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TVB 最美丽的第七天
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Alright, as usual i am on my TVB craze. Just finished watching the drama, and afterthoughts- it's an interesting portray pursuit of two couples courtship , akin to the way the famous taiwanese cartoonist ji-mi style
It's a magical fantasy tale blended in normal daily life !
I like the ending lines -
上帝创造天地万物做了七天的时间
他将最美的事物都放在世人的面前
所以人生在世无论你经过什么
只要你懂得珍惜一切都可以是最美好的
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