Babe(s) in Jakarta

Greetings!!!


It's been some time since I post a "decent" entry on this blog. Anyway, hope you like my new self-portrait - taken outside my cousie's house in Jakarta. Ok... I know... I know... I'm such a cam-whore :p

Jakarta's more or less the same after 5 years. My trip there wasn't too affected by the flood but I've heard stories of distant relatives whose houses were plundered of all furniture and many things precious by the sweeps of waves. The tradition of 送旧迎新 couldn't have been more painfully embraced than this Chinese New Year...

I wonder how the locals survive. The average guy earns about S$200 per month and the cost of living isn't exactly low. One fish soup meal (1 bowl of soup + 1 bowl of rice) can cost $5 per person; a pair of shoes ala Charles & Keith standard costs an average of $35!





My uncle, aunty + cousies stay in the suburban Serpong/Tangerang area which is less affected by natural calamities. The sleepy town could bore me to tears if not for my cutie 表-niece, the occasional shopping at the uninteresting malls, the sub-standard food that's supposed to be great by the locals' definition and the old folks who have really aged over the last 5 years.

I ended up not buying anything much except for discounted pieces of sewn cloth to cover my twin peaks. With so much left-over rupiah, I ended up buying my Indo folks a meal at Coca and it costs me only $50 for 7 of us!


I'm this bored.


The houses at Alam Sutera, Serpong






Old babe + cutie babe 表-niece Ling: she's got really beautiful eyelashes and very pinchable cheeks just like a walking doll!


Cutie 表-niece with one of her many boyfriends Ben








Can't get enough of my cutie 表-niece! She's very sensitive to the camera and is ever-ready to pose. I so love kids :D

The locals of middle-class and above fuss damn a lot over their lil' ones. For those families who can afford, there'll be one baby-sitter (donning nurse uniform) to every kid. I hope my 表-niece grow up to be an independent, lovable gal, not bratty and pampered. She's very clever for her age with lotsa potential if groomed rightly.

And here's a photo of my closest uncle, aunty and their family. Ling is the result of my cousie Mega + her hubby's (on extreme left) union. I've a feeling my offsprings' gonna be good-lookers too, given my cutie pie looks. Besides, according to my hunch, my husband's gonna be cute too!!! :D



Another off-the-plane-window shot added to my collection:



Check out what lulls me to sleep every nite in Jakarta:

Never like this song as much as I like it recently.

Till the next trip.

I so love Taiwan :D

10 things I like about Taiwan:

1. The "cutified" Mandarin - it's hair-raising just hearing the gals speak!

2. The tall cute guys - I suspect the rice they eat is good for growth.

3. The freedom of speech - Taiwanese speak as they like, act as they wish, fight as they please.

4. The countless night markets - You sure won't be bored at nite.

5. Mayday - the country that gives us Mandopop and the unbeatable, rockifying 五月天.

6. The variety shows - Gogo Jacky Wu!

7. The "Big5" Chinese - traditional Chinese characters that would soon be unrecognisable by younger generations.

8. The friendly service - pseudo or not, I still like the warm greetings and ready smiles.

9. The Taiwanese snacks - good food is everywhere!

10. The winter that doesn't snow - walking in air-conditioned outdoor is such a breeze.

And here are some lovely shots I rediscovered from my albums:

In autumn, the leaves of the trees in Taroko Gorge were gone with the wind.


Dawn breaks at the horizon of Pacific Ocean in Hualien.


Jiufen has a way of greeting you with its old charm.


Signboards and neon lights shine bright in Taipei Ximending.


Rock with the crowd at outdoor gig.


Eat till you burst at steamboat buffet [吃到饱(爆)] of all sorts.

Shanghai-Jiangnan Imperial Gourmet 蜻蜓点水Tour: The greens, scenes and dreams

Cities / Towns / Villages Visited:
Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Wuzhen, Nanjing & Wuxi

Patience required if you wanna follow me through my adventure in China - 10 parts in all but easy-reading I promise.

1. Greens and Water, Legends and Myths
I had enough of gardens and parks over the few days in Suzhou and Hangzhou. And there’s a story behind every one of those gardens with lakes and hills. But they all look the same to me! Willows by the lake, tall lalangs amid the grass, pine trees with some acorns, colourful flowers dotting the landscape, bamboos shooting out of everywhere…They all look the same to me :
















Some have interesting stories and background though: This is Leifeng Ta (雷峰塔), where Nezha(讷吒) was trapped and at a certain bridge of this lake, Madam White Snake met Xu Xian.

















Lei Feng Ta at the famous Xi Hu in Suzhou

This is the tea plantation of Mei Jia Zhuang (梅家荘) in Suzhou – almost all folks who work at the plantation are Meis. This is also where TVB epic Cha Shi Gu Xiang Nong (茶是故乡浓) filmed 2/3 of the drama location shots.


Young Mr Mei (promising new generation boss) introduced us to their famous Longjing tea and tickled me with his cutie looks and lame jokes. Too bad I was too shy to take a photo of him, not to say with him.

Shanghai-Jiangnan Tour: Part 2

2. Aunties, Amahs and My Fave Aunty Ah Zhu
About 85% of my tour group mates are aunties and uncles, including my ma of cos! And 1 distinct pattern of the aunties – they carry brolly with them everywhere, rain or shine.



And me being the rare none-aunty in the group got concerned aunties asking me if I need a brolly. No Way unless it rains!!! Anyway, I'm very pleased with this bunch of amahs cos they all were very very surprised to learn that I'm turning 28 when they thought I was only 21 or 22. Heh!

And here's presenting you my favouritest aunty of the trip:


Quick snap while Aunty Ah Zhu's not looking

She talks non-stop, is kind at heart and very forward-thinking too. Very cheery woman considering she fought cancer just 2 - 3 years back. We took the same cab back one evening and she bombarded me with soooo much comments that I burst out laffing non-stop, in awe of her talkaholism. This pix's for her (she told me how she loves this display found at 万松书院 in Hangzhou:


Display at Wansong Shuyuan, where that kayu Liang Shanbo studied with Zhu Yingtai

Aunty Ah Zhu got us really worried once when we were in Shanghai's Tong Ren Tang (同仁堂, the famous Chinese medical hall that's really out to ketok money promote Chinese medicine). We were treated to a free foot massage at the hall. All of us ended our session within 1 hour but hers took exceptionally long. We waited 45 minutes for her in the coach and when she finally came up, everybody cheered. Her husband got an earful from her though. I attempt to do a transcript of what she complained to us -

Ah Zhu (in distinct Ipoh accent): 啊哟!真不容易才摆脱那个医生! 他们一直按摸我的脚,不肯放我走! 说我很多问题,需要买药进补. 我跟他们讲我没钱了,又没工作,没儿女养很残的,他们还是不放过我!这个死老的(refering to her hubby)又不合作,笨到要命, 我讲到这样辛苦说我没钱,他竟然插嘴说我们有新币!

She managed to get off only after buying S$50 worth of tonic. And she sent me rolling in laughter so pain that my tears flowed.

By the way, I can do a re-enactment, complete with the fantastic accent + expression of what she said upon request.

Shanghai-Jiangnan Tour: Part 3

3. Children of Our Times
The Chinese love taking their children out and treat them like prince and princess. (No) thanks to China's one-child policy, the Chinese parents need only to focus all their love on a single kid.


These 2 kids kept turning away when I wanted to snap them having fun with the bubbles.

Proud mummy lifted her baby's 肚兜to reveal her gender when she caught me clicking on the cam across the lake.


Dad and Mum paddles with their princess across the lake. These parents are so free - they don't have to work!

Lucky boys from Singapore's St Michael Primary having an Study Exchange Trip in Shanghai. By the way, their Chinese sux big time.

Shanghai Jiangnan Tour: Part 4

4. Venices in Asia
I haven't been to Venice so I don't know just how beautiful they are. Meanwhile, the water towns of Wuzhen and Suzhou prove mersmerizing enough for now:


Excuse me, please don't read Niaozhen.

Wuzhen used to house a population close to 10,000 people. Now it dwindles to only 600, mainly old folks who feel more at home washing clothes, bathing, peeing, shitting all in the river right behind their house.


Peek-a-boo inside one of the villagers' house.

My ma enjoying the breeze by the river.


In the past, most houses in Suzhou are built with the back door opening up to a river. Lesser land nowadays is making this less possible. One thing remains - the white / cream coloured walls with black roof. Somehow the government in Suzhou decided that houses look more appropriate this way. On the other hand, the houses here look boring with its cookie-cutter pattern especially when you view them from their front doors.


It was said that Emperor Qian Long once dined at this restaurant called Songhe Lou during one of his trips to Suzhou. The restaurant had run out of dishes when he arrived in the late evening. With some creativity, they presented him with rice crust dug from the chow-ta claypot stir-fried with leftover of prawns, meat and vegies. Qian Long liked the dish very much and asked for its name. Off the cuff, the innkeeper named it "tian xia di yi cai" (天下第一菜). Songhe Lou gained fame from then.

Shanghai-Jiangnan Tour: Part 5

5. Communism Rules
The legacy of Uncle Mao is evident all around the country. Exhortation slogans are splashed across big walls. The Chinese tong zhis (同志) are urged to work hard, innovate, practise road courtesy, aim for common good and many other reforms that could make them better people and a stronger nation.

Lao Mao says hi





Still, they speak loudly as though in brawls, are really pushy - and I mean this literally. Crowded or not, they just like to push. And god knows how many rude sales people I came across. I guess being the world's most populated nation puts everyone on tenterhooks to outshine in order to outlast. But one thing I really can't stand is the Shanghainese habit of honking whether or not the road is jammed, even on a road like this:



I think the sloppy gong-an (公安) should do something instead of standing around, imposing a pathetic fine of S$1.00 for drivers who beat the red light.

Shanghai-Jiangnan Tour: Part 6

6. Pride of a Nation
I'm sure you've heard about the Nanjing massacre. Pls google it if you haven't. For a city that has been through so much, the Nanjing-ers take a lot of pride in the difficulties they've managed to overcome.


The great Yangtze Bridge - built with bare hands, tears, sweat and blood. 35 people sacrificed their lives to dive in the fierce Yangtze River to measure its depth. China built this bridge when they underwent their most difficult times, refusing the aid of Russia which had better equipment and resources at that time. One Chinese engineer was even buried alive in cement when he accidentally fell into one of the columns and refused help so as not to slow down the building progress. The bridge took 10 years to complete. It allows road transportation on top with a railway on the lower deck.

Now, Nanjing is one of the most flourishing Chinese cities.





As consumerism mounts, the Chinese found themselves caught in the reality competitions fervour with Chaoji Nusheng 超级女声 being the most popular competition:




There are at least 4 Li Yuchun (last year's champ) lookalikes in the competition. And these judges' comments for all 4 are "you've got a unique personality, very special character". Unique my foot! How unique can u get when you look like the other 3? I'm quite impressed by the fanatical fans though. They even set fireworks ablaze in the studio! My gawd, I can't imagine some folks' hair getting burnt.

Other than their very own superstar, the Chinese also produce their own brands of cigarettes:

Guess which is the most popular brand?
Hint: the one with the orh bak kak animal lor

The economy miracle in the country extends beyond Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing. Even the city that is famous for its pork ribs is now attracting loads of FDIs.


Wuxi doesn't rank as my preferred city during this trip but it's quite happening here too. By the way, Wuxi's pork ribs is nothing compared to our Paigu Wang (排骨王) lor.

Stadiums are sprouting out everywhere as the world turns to Beijing for the 2008 Olympics.