北京

Nanluoguxiang


文宇奶酪店
Telephone No: 64057621
Opening Hours: 12pm to till everything is sold out, which is usually within 2-4hours! Be an early Bird, in order to catch the 'worm'
Location: Enter the Gates Nanluoguxiang Hutong and walk straight for about 15mins. The shop is to the left of the main street.


Being a typical Singaporean, when I saw a queue outside the shop, I also stood in line and it was well worth the wait for the 双皮奶酪 with 红豆 on top. When my housemate flipped open Time Out 北京 only then did we find out that that is a famous shop (: The custard tasted light, milky and eggy, Lovely! Sadly now with the Milk Problem, I have to put this 'Indulgence' on hold!

北京

Wangfujing

Olympic Sculptures

Night Snack Street
Opening Hours: 4pm-9pm

Note : Do not buy the Candied Fruits from the first stall at the start of the street! Nearing to closing time, in order to get rid of their sugared fruits, the salesmen will squat on the styrofoam boards which they previously stuck the fruit sticks into! Totally Unhygenic!! (the men in the pic are the guilty culprits)
Pau with Straws
Thirsty! Anyone interested in Coloured Sugar Syrup?? Think Twice! Take a look at the cup filled with Blue Liquid and Bubbling "white foam". In order to attract passerbys to his stall, the stall owner threw in a couple of pieces of dry ice into the cup! I saw him selling a cup filled with liquid bubbling and erupting like a "mini volcano"! A Health Hazard! Incredibly Deadly!

Fear Factor!

I caught sight of a couple of billboards in a caffe along the sidewalk of WFJ. A collection of the various flags from around the world was printed on them. I was flabbergasted! Can anyone tell me which country that flag belongs to? Or is it just me who can't recognise the country of the flag?

北京

1) Within 8 days of my arrival, I broke my "I am going to be a vegetarian in china" rule and I broke my housemate's vegetarian rule too! I did it by dragging her into a Hong Kong cafe on Monday! she had wanton mee:P We went to a foodcourt last night but as there was no vegetarian food so she had no choice but to share a bowl of mushroom chicken noodles with me. I have been eating meat for four consecutive days in a row and I have hit my Meat Quota! I am sick of meat so I am off meat till the end of October!



2) The weather is a little cranky, it has taken a huge plunge! The temperature has dipped! I am wearing five layers and it is only late Sept!

北京

Just for phie, practise makes perfect! One day you will no longer be using pre-mix to bake a cake/cookies/brownie! You will be baking everything from scratch and who knows you might open a bakery in the future!

i miss everyone back home

北京

I need to SPICE up my Life.

Introduction to my life in BJ

1)Packed Buses


2)Pollution




3) Corridor leading to my house. The corridor freaked me out when I first arrived. I told my parents that it was the perfect place to shoot a horror movie! Everthing was Pitch Black as the solo light bulb on my floor's landing was not working. When we turned the corner, suddenly that light bulb came on (it has an auto sensor which will be switched on when movement is detected for only 30secs) The structure of the building is old and run down therefore the yellowish light gave the floor an eerie feel.

北京

I am no longer an unproductive member of society skiving at home but a student! I am currently enrolled in the Language Class in ×××. I am a Lone Ranger in the class as my classmates are all from Korea, Indonesia and Turkey! It is quite embarrasing having studied 中文 for 12 years however my standard is way below theirs! A couple of them even have the BJ Accent! I am hoping that at the end of the 15weeks programme I will have a slight accent! The only means of communication I have with my classmates is 汉语! One good thing about being in the class is that I am 'forced' to use my Mandarin. A drawback of being the ONLY Singaporean there is that I have only my shadow to keep me company during lunch breaks! The school is too tiny to have a SSA unlike Beida. The locals and foreigners are extremely cliquish among their own nationalities so it is extremely hard to weave my way into their tightly knitted circles.


One thing which I dislike about school is that smoking is allowed along the corridors during break. The students are Heavy Smokers! It is quite sickening because the Smoke will drift into the classrooms and will linger inside for a long time. It gives me a huge headache!


To my utter dismay I have a 5 days school week. I have 3 full days and 2 half days! My half day is equivalent to one lesson for 1h50mins! The Lessons are similar to our secondary school Chinese lessons. We have 课文听写, 作文, 听力 &口语, additional to that we have Business Chinese基本商业课 & 中国文化课! Gag me! I am interested in the last two modules, the remaining modules I find them a little too dry!




Standing in a Sardine Packed Bus ranks high on my least favourite list here! I hate being jabbed as they try to squeeze their bodies past you without a word of ‘请让开’ or ‘对不起’! There is something which I cannot comprehend logically. It is Mid-Day and the bus is stifling hot, yet majority of the beings in the bus refuses to open the window, even if the bus is filled with a sourish over choking smell of smelly sweaty bodies! They ‘enjoy’ sitting in a stuffy bus in the morning than let in the cool morning breeze! When my friend tried opening the window, the person sitting next to the window gave her a chilling dagger glare!


I anticipated cool weather when I packed my suitcase. I didn’t pack in any shorts. Upon arriving I realized that the cool weather will only set in a month later! I am suffering in my jeans during my afternoon sessions because the School is weird! Ever since they installed Aircon into all the classrooms, they disconnected the fans! They did a slipshot job, they cut the wiring of the fan but left the fan there! To save on their electricity bills, they do not switch on the Aircon even when the classroom feels like a greenhouse! I am melting in the classroom!

A thought crossed my mind. I wonder what are the China student's thoughts towards foreigners flooding their school?

I admit defeat – I am a Lousy Domestic Goddess! I have a high tendency to undercook my vegetables. I only know how to stir fry vegetables! It has only been a week and I am sick of my own Chinese cooking. I need to find new vegetarian recipes. I am trying to come out with more westernized dishes! Last week I ate Tuna Fish Pasta! I ‘forced’ my housemate to eat it! Once every month, she has agreed to eat fish with me! Can tomatoes are very expensive here, I resorted to making my own tomato base! This week I will be making tofu burger. Will update about its taste and load up pictures of it(:



Weekends are deeply treasured! My second weekend in BJ has ended and I have yet to discover the city! Will be spending Golden Week in BJ, hopefully I can do more sightseeing then!

北京

My room in Singapore is near to the Airport, therefore I tend to fall asleep to the sounds of planes flying in the distance .


My room in BJ overlooks a flyover with roads under. The symphony of honks and vehicles passing by puts me to sleep! The traffic is never ending even during the wee hours of the morning and my alarm clock is the rumbling of the vehicles!


Back to school - registion Tomorrow ! Dreads! That means I must be up at 5am, so I can prepare breakfast, bath and reach the bus stop at 6.30am! I used to complain about the time and distance I had to travel from home to clementi, but now it is even worst! To get to sch it will take a 1 1/2 hour bus ride - it is the easiest way. Due to the morning rush hour there will be no seats! This is incredibly devasting news for a train and seat lover.

北京

Greetings from the Middle Kingdom (: Landed safely in BJ! I flew Dragon Airlines and it was the first time I encountered a cabin crew asking for donations for a conservation project over the flight announcement system!





I would label the Middle Kingdom Experience as a Marriage Preparation Course! It is a challenge living with a housemate - especially when both of you have your own quirks and annoying habits! It is extremely trying when your housemate - is messy, forgetful, demanding, a complain queen and has a temper & character of a spoilt little girl! (that's me :P) Learning how to wash the clothes, planning what to cook and budgeting the finances is a huge headache! Hopefully I will develop some "wifey" qualities here.





The dishes here are extremely Salty, Oily and MSG loaded! I used to complain that sgp's hawker food was too salty & oily for my liking but now it is even worst here! I really miss my mum's cooking! If you can't recognise me when I am back, you know the reason!

To sum up my 24 Hours - I experienced a fight along the roadside, went to the wet market, my best buy of the day was 8 peaches for 11.40 yuen = slightly abt 10 cents for 1, ate MSG & Oil soaked meals that I have set my mind on cooking my own meals : gg to bring homecooked food for lunch everyday, rode on the transportation system and I am still not used to stuffy carriages with no aircon and poor ventilation. I ate a mooncake filled with lotus paste mixed with pork floss and I tried dishes which I have not tried before like vinaigrette chinese cabbage - the sauce had a saltish and sourish taste!

my dad says :

My life

is like a Black Board with a long list of To Dos but very few are erased off!

My Time

is like rubber: extremely elastic and very stretchable, Punctuality is a Mega Problem

Sadly it's true

Japan

Tokyo



Observatory of Tokyo Metropolitan Government Buildings
Address: 2-8-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku
Opening time: 9:30-22:00

My favourite cafe. Even though they seperated the non smoking sections from smoking sections. However the smoke drifts up to the 1F as the 2F is not enclosed. The irony is that hp usage & dogs are banned in the caffe, but shouldn't smoking be banned as smoking is more damaging to health?

food glorious food :) I miss japanese food, it beats eating chinese food!

The JR Trains in Tokyo city are uber cool. There is a computerised screen located in the carriage, which will inform commuters on the weather conditions in Japan, which lines are out of service and which door to enter and exit from.

I love this dessert & fruit shop located at the underground shopping centre beneath Tokyo Station

someone carried the matching bag to suit my brown pair of crocs:) narita express- double decker train to the airport!

My luggage has a 'blue blue' - sa told me the kiddos in her class call their blueblacks, blue blue!

Japan

Day 25-26 - Miyajima

We stayed in YAMAICHI BEKKAN and we totally regretted it!


I booked it because I thought that it will be a traditional ryokan but we were in for a mega disappointment!
The exterior of the building was extremely run down and the interior was even worst!


The only traditional aspect of it was the futon, the soba husk filled pillow and the lack of an elevator!
We had to carry our luggages up 3 flights of stairs! It had a western style bathroom!


Charges are calculated by pax -7500yen + 5% tax not including breakfast or dinner! We ended up paying around around $300 for a room, which could only fit 3 futons and had hardly any room left to open our luggage!

We took a ferry across from the mainland to Miyajima and many sailboats dotted the sea! If you are holding a JR Pass the ride on the ferry is free! The ferry timing is frequent and the ride takes around 15 mins! From the ferry you can catch sight of the Floating Tori Gate!




We went to the Handicraft Centre and we walked into a class of young aspiring bakers! They were learning how to make the traditional spongy cake! A majority of those sold in the shops had a maple leaf shape. I bought one which was filled with custard to try and I didn't really enjoy it! The cake was pretty dense and heavy and the filling was yucky!
Itsukushima Shrine


A big huge rice scoop on display. Becareful of deer poo poo! Do guard your belongings as the deers love to "steal" tourist's maps or anything they can get their mouths on! All thanks to ignorant tourist who keep feeding them all these junk! Roasted Oysters - totally not my cup of tea! Tried the green tea ice cream near the ferry terminal. The stall was on the mainland side. The name of the shop was Padre and Madre or something along those lines! The ice cream was just average, as the taste of the green tea was very weak, but I loved the mini waffle scoop which came with it.

We took the last gondola to the top of the mountain, though it was a little hazy but we managed to catch sight of a couple of islands in the distance.

I loved it when the tide retreated as it gave me the opportunity to be upclose and personal encounter with the massive tori gates. One of my favourite pastime whenever the tide retreats is to hunt for "Lalas" along the sea bed! This time was not exception and I realised I had not lost my skill! The mud will make the underside of my finger nails a little grubby however I do enjoy digging as it is therapeutical! It took me about 10 mins and I was the proud owner of a hand full of clams! Being a good citizen, I decided to return my findings back to their rightful owner!

my feet were sun kissed! Croc Tan - awful or nice?

Japan

Day 22-24 - Hiroshima



We stayed at the World Friendship Centre. Here is the link: http://wfchiroshima.net/

Do make advance reservations to avoid disappointment. The accomodation has only 4-5 rooms! We paid 3100 Yen/pax/night and we got a private room and breakfast! The breakfast table can take up to 6 guests, so it gave the guests at the centre a chance to interact with each other.


futons are very comfortable and they are much nicer to sleep on than my own bed!

When you stay at the WFC, the directors of the centre can schedule a personalised Peace Park Guide Tours and with advance notice can arrange for first hand accounts of Hibakusha.

Peace Park Tour + if you have the time do visit the A Bomb Museum

Would you pay $54.60 for a beach float? Those "clothes" on the hangers are not children's clothes, but hand towels! Lunch at Kenkichi - Italian Dining Kitchen.

violet purple sky (: The beauty of the setting sun.

Leading up to 6/8, many activties are held along the river, in memory of the fateful day the A Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. We managed to catch one and it was amazing! Many of us did not go through WW2 and we came from different countries. Yet as our hearts and voices united to sing Amazing Grace, I felt a strong sense of peace inside! Strangely I have not felt that peaceful for ages. The moonlight and spotlight casted an eerie glow on the Bomb dome! Dinner at a ramen restaurant recommended by WFC! - one thing good about WFC, is that the couple in-charge of the place compiled a list of good and reasonabley priced food around the hostel! All you have to do is choose the restaurant!

Japan

Day 21 - Nara

The highlight of the morning, I caught sight of a granny playing scissors, paper, stone with her grandson! Awwww so sweet!

Spotted this sign: Amusement - catch user emotion! ha ha It was the name of an Arcade.

Popped into a Lattice House in the Estate! The attraction is FOC! It reminded me of a peranakan house - as the house was narrow but deep!

UJI City

*TO COMPLETE YOUR JAPANESE EXPERIENCE. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU SIGN UP FOR A TEA FACTORY TOUR!

I signed us up for a green tea factory at Marukyu Koyamaen. If you are interested please go to the website to register : http://www.marukyu-koyamaen.co.jp/ The whole trip gave us a chance to encounter the warm hospitality of the Japanese and the tea plant was no exception! In fact the tour was superb and exceeded our expectations. A driver from the plant picked us up at Uji Station and drove us to the plant. When we reached the plant, the VP of the plant came out to receive us, despite his busy schedule. After showing us a video(in english) about the tea making processes, He brought us on a tour around the plant. This was to explain the processes seen in the video and to clarify our doubts!

A covering of straw is used to reduce the amount of incoming sunlight during the growth of the new shoots from a tea plant. The leaves are seperated from the vein, waste and excess straw. Granite stones are cut to exact precision are used to grind the leaves. During the process, light is prevented from entering the room as the grounded match hates light!

At the end of the tour we were treated to a bowl of Matcha (we were taught how to make it) and some sweets! Best of all the tour itself is free of charge, but if you are language bound like us, the plant can hire an interpreter for your group for 1000yen.

Japan

Day 17 - Kada


Took the private line from Wakayamashi Station to a Kada. The fare was slightly above 300yen! Kada is a coastal town, if you are interested in the Sun,Sand and the Sea, do alight two stops before Kada and you will have direct access to the Beach!





Interesing things I spotted in Kada - 1) an alchohol & battery vending machines! 2) self painted zebra crossing!





we visited Awasguma Jinja it is about 30 mins walk from Kada station to the shrine. Do ask the station master for a map or it will be quite difficult to locate the shrine. The shrine is a photographer's paradise as the ground is littered with a wide collection of ornaments, dolls, statues, masks, figurings.

we had enough cash to get me a car on the spot :P

Lunch inside wakashiyama shi station, one of the cheapest walls we found! Just for 300-440 yen, you can get a bowl of noodles and rice!

A Must Try is the vending machine at wakayama station. It was so cool! There is a wide selection of Hot or Cold drinks to choose from. We tried the ice coffee and the most interesting part was that after the choice was made, a video will be shown to show you how your coffee was done - from grounding the beans, to pouring the milk into the cup and topping it off with shaved ice! Then the machine's window will open and viola your drink is ready! The product - a decent tasting cup of coffee. The coffee was freshly brewed with bits of grounded beans at the bottom! It is unlike the vending machines back home which only gives us instant coffee!

From Wakayama Station we headed to Mt Imose which is an islet, featuring a tiered pagoda and a covered water viewing deck. The view overlooking the water is stunning when you climb to the top. It takes about 1/2 an hour to walk there.

Directions: Walk straight from the station to the main road. Turn left and you will walk pass a ski shop and furniture shops along the way. Walk down to the junction where you can see Mos Burger. Turn Right, cross the bridge and continue straight. You will walk pass a huge supermarket along the way and cross the second bridge. At the end of the road, turn left and hopefully you can spot the islet! *Btw stuff in the supermarket is much cheaper than Osaka and there is a Daiso there!

Day 18 - Himeiji Castle

A picture of a collection of crest symbols of the Lords who lived in the castle. Due to the lack of exercise, climbing to the top of the main building of the castle felt like a physical challenge! We visited the mannicured gardens adjacent to the castle and they were beautiful! I wished we went during Autumn or Spring as they will be even more gorgeous!

An Amusing Restroom Promotion sign! Please use them without hesitation! The heavy rainfall dotted the train's window with pokka dots as it waited in the station. The train ran at rapid speed and it dried the window almost immediately!

Day 19- Nagoya

a cute advertisement for a tanning studio in Nagoya!

[natural white -> flesh colour -> brown beauty -> black king ]

A value for money Tempura Set from this shop at the basement of Sakae Machi Building in Nagoya Central

Nagoya is a modern architecture and starbuck paradise! I spied with my little eye, an office worker taking a short siesta during his lunch break in a departmental store!

Day 20- Kobe

we arrived in Kobe way before 10 and we saw the habour awaking!

Kobe Beef at Kikusui recommended by a Local

from Sannomiya subway station walk to Kitanozaka Avenue. The shop is at King Stone Building, opposite the Benneton Store. Enter the Butcher Shop in the picture and head to the second floor.

I found one word to describe the whole experience OIISHI

I fabulous recommendation!

Next we went to Sumiyoshi Station

The area is famous for its Sake Breweries with at least 9 of them open to the public between 9am-4.30pm. Most of them are free and have a museum to showcase the brewing processes. We visited Kikumasaemune Breweries. There is a river running through the town and towards evening you can catch sight of children playing in the river and residents fishing.