macau

sep. 30



macau is a peninsula even smaller than hk.
by turbojet (a very fast ferry), it takes less than an hour to get there.
once ruled by the portuguese, it's become the asian las vegas in the past few years.


ruins of st. paul's (大三巴)

built in 1602 and once a college for western missionaries to learn chinese. the college was burnt down by a fire started in its kitchen in 1835, leaving it with only the front facade. the ruins of st. paul's is regarded as the symbol of macau now.


senado square (議事亭前地)

senado square was built in the heart of macau, and the "entrance point" to ruins of st. paul's. it used to be where portuguese officials held city meetings, etc.


a mix of chinese and portuguese culture

portuguese influenced street signs can be seen everywhere.


very old style snack store on the "souvenir street"

on the "souvenir street", you can find someone selling pork jerky, almond cookies, and portuguese egg tarts on every other store. they give out free samples all day long. no one leaves macau without getting these souvenirs.


popular restaurante fernando, serving portuguese cuisine

it's a rare scene to see the restaurant so empty. it was late and people had just left these few tables. one of the owners was really friendly and offered to take our picture at the entrance.
Restaurante Fernando - 9 Praia de Hac Sa, Coloane, Macau - (853) 882-264


these buns (豬仔包) are very simple and common, yet very famous in macau

my friend and i are "bread monsters" and we just couldn't get enough of this bun~


roasted suckling pig

grilled to perfection.


grilled baby squids

it was this squid dish that started our discussion of how well we know our squids vs. cuttlefish vs. octopus.


the venetian hotel and casino @macau

it felt weird to see the venetian here... and that 99.9% of those in the casino are asian.


it looks EXACTLY the same as the one in vegas

even the gondola rides on the canal and the gondoliers are the same. the only difference is the stores - mostly brands you'll see in hk/macau.

detour

sep. 19 to oct. 4



before coming home, i made a stop in hong kong.
hong kong has always been my comfort zone.
familiar places, familiar language, familiar people.

in hong kong, i did nothing but shop, eat, and hang out with my family and my very best friend.

i encountered Typhoon Hagupit, a strong no. 8 typhoon (i think no. 10 is the strongest).

i witnessed the fall of the financial market resulted by lehman brothers filing for chapter 11.

i saw how despicable those chinese milk manufacturers were when melamine was discovered in china-produced milk and many innocent kids were affected. i had to give up my favorite lipton milk tea mix because of them.

ironically, i also watched how china sent their astronauts to the moon successfully. only if the government would have invested the same amount of money and attention in controlling the quality of food products...

nonetheless, hong kong is still the same to me.

many cool places to see.


great food that never runs out.


and breathtaking views that are always available.



i am extremely grateful that my dear friend took me in and let me stayed with her without hesitation. i spent my lowest moments with her and we also had some crazy times doing things together.
thanks Y~

the pit

for most of us, we fall into a deep dark pit at least once in life...
i was in one and i'm just slowly climbing out of it.

you've probably wondered where i've been for the past couple of months.
i've caused some people to worry because of my disappearance.
that's because i've chosen to hide myself, until i'm ready to be my "old" self again.

now, i'm no longer in japan.
i've moved back home. to california.
sometimes life doesn't go in the direction that you want it to.
sometimes having a worst-case-scenario in mind still doesn't prepare you for the reality.

but life still goes on...
i've been trying to deal with life without that someone.
it's harder than i thought, but i'm taking one day at a time.

i'm glad that i always have some special friends and a dear family to go to. at anytime.

as one friend said, "it is okay to allow yourself to be in the pit..."
today, i'm taking this small step out of the pit by writing my blog again.
i want to let people know that i'll be fine.

i do appreciate you'll understand that perhaps sometimes, i'll have my moments and not respond to your emails or phone calls immediately.

i'll try my best.

fashion museum

i've just "conquered" my third museum in kobe - kobe fashion museum.

i first saw a video of the museum on a local tv channel. they were promoting the current special exhibition, named チャイナxチャイナxチャイナ ("china x china x china", which is an exhibit of china dresses, or 旗袍／長衫). some of the dresses remind me of what my grandmothers wore in the old days.

besides the special exhibition of china dresses, they also have the basic exhibition of fashion from the 18th century till the present. many of the 18th and 19th century antiques are replicated by fashion school students so that visitors can actually feel the fabric and needlework.

but very unfortunately, no cameras allowed in the museum... i can only share with you what i took outside and some images from the website.

doesn't it look like a ufo just landed?


musuem entrance


china x china x china exhibit highlights






Kobe Fashion Museum
〒658-0032
神戸市東灘区向洋町中2-9-1

guess this dish

hint 1:
i'm usually cut into thin slices.



hint 2:
the chef puts at least 3 coats over me before i take a "dip".



hint 3:
people drench this super dark sauce over me before they eat me.




hint 4:
traditionally, sesame are added to enhance the aroma of the sauces.




hint 5:
shredded cabbage is my best friend.





who am i?








answer:
tonkatsu!!!

random 'fuwa' clips

i'm sure you're familiar with these five beijing olympic mascots. beibei symbolizes a fish, jingjing a panda, huanhuan the olympic flame, yingying a tibetan antelope, and nini is the swallow. the five of them put together becomes bei jing huan ying ni - 北京歡迎你. they're pretty cute, don't you think? below are some random clips of them... (the last one is my favorite! hehe)



brief translation:
in order to express the playful qualities of the fuwa, students from the beijing sport university were chosen to put on the inflatable suits and show a few kung fu moves. the director of the mascots, however, told the students to remain a bit of the clumsiness in them.



performing at one of the basketball games



competitive fuwa on the tracks



my favorite - fuwa on revenge LOL