Singapore - its all about the food.

I have officially eaten too much.  All our trips to gym and Bowen Rd runs and dragon boat practices became useless this past two days in Singapore - a place of 30C+ 'winter', spicy diverse foods and unreliable taxi services.

Once or twice a year I pay a visit to my Asia homeland - Singapore - to visit family, old colleagues from (yikes, 12 years ago!) and friends.  This time around, I was a tourist again, as Stephen's parents also joined us.  Besides Sentosa which is too artificial for me, it was an enjoyable time.  Most importantly the food is incredible.

We went to the new Marina Bay Sands Casino, a gigantic 3 tower complex with a curved ship on top as a rooftop. WOW.  Casino lame, need shoes not sandals (ahem, Stephen) and Macau/Vegas size puts it to shame.  But hotel is amazing and roof top -- WOW -- their pool is an infinity pool overlooking the city and brand new Lotus Shaped Museum.

Then we went to Sentosa island with its small beach, motorized surf waves and shallow beach near the cargo ships - yawn. The best part was the food republic choices at VIVO City mall!! YUMMY prawn mee.  Thereafter we headed to Chinatown, Clarke Quay and Central Market. It was ok and rained a bit.  After a 30 mins break at the hotel, we went to East Coast Seafood Centre.  Its changed so much since I was there 10 years ago (when only Jumbo Seafood was a standalone restaurant on the coast).  Meeting my family with whom I used to live, we enjoyed a chili crab FEAST at Long Island (opting for the saucy option with bread, over the Black Pepper Crab).  THE BEST CRAB I EVER ATE.  Then off to Bedok hawker area for sugar cane juice, iced milo and coffee.  Before Stephen & I met up with Andrea and Paul and their friends at Rabbit Hole in Dempsey Village.

And that was only Saturday!

On Sunday, we SKIPPED breakfast then headed to Grand Hyatt buffet with my Uncle Peter and Auntie Oi Lian.  All you can drink champagne brunch, crab, lobster, sushi, handmade noodles (you watch them roll it), PLUS the Straits Kitchen peranakan satay, butter chicken, beef rendang and na'an.... Holy Crap I was sooo full.  So we headed to Singapore Botanical Gardens' Orchid Garden walk thereafter.  By the evening when I flew back to HK, my stomach still hurt. 

https://picasaweb.google.com/irene.stephen.yang/SingaporeFeb2011#

On the negative side, Singapore's taxi system is horrible.  Firstly its impossible to find a taxi. Secondly there are surcharges all over the place; booking fee, 50% at night, 35% at peak hours, tolls, etc. Too many competing companies. Soooo different from Hong Kong.  Cars seem to make sense there, plus its really HOT to go between MTR stations depending where you need to go.  I also missed my two old friends in person , and didn't make it to my grandma's sisters for a visit this time.  Will have to come back semi-annually as usual...

All in all a great feasting weekend with family!!  As usual, too short. Off to Germany for a conference then Shanghai this week.

Miss you all!  Happy March, and don't forget to pay your RRSP's by today's deadline.

Guangzhou - best & classy dim sum, modern subway, colonial feel... but very much Mainland China

Finally- a new city.  We took a last minute train trip to Guangzhou a few hours away.  By far, its a bigger and more modern, lively metropolis compared to other Guangdong province cities (namely Zhuhai or Shenzhen).  The subway is impeccable and rapidly expanding. People dress better.  The restaurants look old China classic and some are actually clean! Possibly due to them hosting the Asian Games 2010 a few months ago.

But don't get me wrong, this is definitely still Mainland China.... I am starting to like more now.  That said, the train ride is really dirty.

There's a lot of history in Guangzhou area.  Apparently both the Communists (Mao) and the Nationalists (Sun Yat Sen) were based here. The colonial and chinese architecture is lovely, open parks, wide glitzy shopping areas, modern and historical food, etc.  There are 'copies' here and there of Hong Kong, including the waterfront laser show with music each evening.

https://picasaweb.google.com/irene.stephen.yang/Guangzhou#

Smoking in toilets ! Chinese Valentine's Day today

China is full of smokers.  You can smoke everywhere, from hotel lobbies to office buildings to... toilets (disgusting sight when bathroom doors left wide open...and men chit chatting beside urinals smoking).

Also China traders buy everything in Hong Kong - in bulk, for resale, in cash. From healthy baby milk powder (to avoid risky China products) to LV/Gucci real luxury purses to property. 

The food in Shenzhen has improved over the years I must say though.  Quality soups, decent (looking) sushi (i didn't try) and swankier / cleaner hotels than in the past.  Also I tried yinyang (coffee/tea mixed) - decent!

Back in HK ... Jackie recommended a mochi ball filled with mango which was decent! 

Today is the end of CNY and officially Chinese Valentine's Day!
See you all soon!

Sushi on Fire in Taipei is not spicy&hot

I'm really embarrassed.  I've visited Taipei Taiwan at least a few dozen times on business, and this was only my first weekend spent touring here.  Shame on me.  Stephen came mid week as his parents were also in Taipei.  A few 'tourist' observations:
1) Taipei is very very Japanese.  The streets are orderly, all the department stores are Japanese brands, there are tons of sushi joints and MRT subway queues exist.  Except for the Mandarin Chinese language we feel deja-vous from our Japan trip a month ago!  There is also a pedestrian area called Ximendeng, which looks like a mini version of Shibuya crossing in Tokyo...
2) Everything moves slower and closes earlier than Hong Kong. This is good (relaxing) and bad (slow food service).  The restaurants near Grand Hyatt closed by 9:30pm.  According to my friend Jackie people here eat at 6 or 7pm regularly!  Wow normal life.
3) Taiwanese meal food is nice, not too memorable (omelettes is one choice) BUT desserts are fabulous.  I had a tofu hua (do fu fa) in nice syrup with peanuts at Meet Fresh Taipei. The evening prior, Stephen and I had sticky rice in coconut... I like dessert more in Asia (i don't have a sweet tooth for cakes and pies back in North America!!)
4) Fusion food is not sushi.  We headed back to a A-Plus fusion sake bar given other restaurants closed early...and I seriously thought our "Sushi on Fire" salmon roll was spicy salmon.  BOY WERE WE WRONG.  They brought out the roll which looked AMAZING and mouth-watering, and then our waiter proceeded to TORCH our roll!  We were sooo shocked they killed our lovely sashimi on the spot. 
5) Night market street food looks great. Watch your stomach. We met up at Shilin the 2nd day and Stephen's parents came too. Busy.. and the clothes are far separated from the main food area.
6) Mitsui Sushi restaurants have many locations and continues to be really fresh and premium, but also, watch your stomach with the raw shrimps etc.
7) Beitou hot springs area is sadly not as amazing for your skin or senses as outdoor onsen hot springs in Hokkaido (I know, NOT fair).  We climbed around forever looking for I-Tsun (where Sun Yat Sen went) - not luck.  Found a roof top hot spring nearby Thermal Valley... so so.
8) MRT travel is really cheap and fairly extensive.  After a few days - I still haven't spent my ~$10 US
9) Banking system is really domestic; sort of like Canada.  Most of us haven't heard of the banks in Taiwan

Good bye, see you again soon Taiwan - probably in a month!  (This was a nice tourist trip but time for somewhere new next time)

New friends, Buddha trip... its not quite home yet

Hi everyone, its Sunday evening - week before Chinese New Year!  In Hong Kong, we have to work from Mon-Wed and only get Thurs-Sat off as holidays.  Its because HK also gets all those Western holidays.

This week was busy but I met a few new friends, so its nice to be social again.  Veronica just moved here in August, and she's expecting a baby in March!  What a coincidence that their condo is right next to my office tower, and their wedding anniversary is exact date and year of ours.  We enjoyed "so-so" food at Sala Thai at ICC.  Also this week I finally reconnected with Saima (whom I met 4 months ago with our husbands/friends) and Wing, a fellow McMaster alumni.  Then back to our roots - we joined a Dragon Boat practice for a team called Stormy's.  It was really far in Tai Tam (past Stanley) but a good time.  Man , I am sore!  Finally , after a terrible week of work meetings, Stephen and I joined Nancy for her birthday karaoke / band party in TST Kimberley Road area.  It was nice to catch up!

Yesterday I went with Stephen's parents to the Big Buddha (Ngong Ping 360 Gondola ride from Tung Chung station).  It was lovely weather and a nice climb. All these dozens of trips to Hong Kong, I never made it to the Buddha. Don't think I'd go back but it is still a lovely trip and view.  Thereafter we enjoyed the Asia food court options at the Tung Chung outlet mall, and bought a few clothes as well.  Long day with the family ... but fun and fulfilling...especially after our YUMMY mango and red bean dessert choices at Hui Lau Shan in Shun Tek Centre near home.

This week we may go to Macau and Zhuhai with Stephen's uncle who is visiting from Taipei.  I wish everyone a happy new year's in Canada and here.  Year of the Rabbit!

Back in HK at new office...its almost Chinese New Year

Hi All! its been 20 days since my last post. I am really behind... sorry for keeping you all waiting. I spent the past two weeks in Dallas and Toronto on business trip, while celebrating mom's birthday, Harry & Tanya (bro/sister-in-law)'s new condo and various other family things.  Also tried hard to sell our Infiniti G35X... argh. Its harder than I thought it would be. Additionally some AMD corporate news, team building with go-kart races/2010 wrap up.  And traveling to HKG with my parents in law. Finally back in HK.  I am tired.

Chinese New Year (year of Rabbit) is the biggest holiday in Asia.  There are decorations everywhere including at my own apartment building!

Our new AMD office is in ICC (International Commerce Centre) at Kowloon Station - apparently the tallest tower in Hong Kong now.  Anyway the building is nice but my office is really small! Anyway its a desk and a telephone.... and free Nespresso coffee!

Finally spending time with Stephen's mom's relatives in Hong Kong. Its too much food at once but nice to see new faces.  Happy early birthday to Nancy, and HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR! Next two weeks could be quiet, which is a welcome. We may go into Zhuhai for a few days.

More importantly it was -20C in Toronto, and its now +15C (both inside and outside, unfortunately).

~~~~
Here are some photos of my team's offsite in Toronto at GP Kartways.  I won the qualifier round but slammed into a wall in the Finals - and came in 5th :(

http://www.flickr.com/photos/58601413@N08/sets/72157625864846576

Here are some photos of our HK office annual dinner at Kowloon Shangri La Hotel in early January. I was asked to pick out the lucky draw winners including an ipad:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/58750794@N04/?saved=1

Here are some more family photos: Mom's birthday at our house.
http://picasaweb.google.com/irene.stephen.yang/TorontoFall2010FamilyFriends#5564112763647627922

Happy 2011 - bad cold; IKEA assemblers

I am officially sick.  I have a cold, cough and thankfully not a fever (yet). A bit of a rough start back at work and to 2011. In the meantime Hong Kong views out of bedroom window are keep me inspired, since I've rarely left the house this week!  Today I walked downstairs for famous egg tarts and a Pacific Coffee, just to get outside.

Separately, IKEA is perfect for hong kong. the flat boxes are easy to carry and assembly is a (mere) 10% additional fee.  They will come install our closet and dresser today.

On another note, the combined washer/dryer device is small and clogs easily.  With the instruction manual all in Chinese, the repairman and landlady had to fix it and order me an english brochure.

New Year's Resolutions?
- learn Mandarin
- go to gym more often
- network with new people including my co-workers

Heading to Dallas next week then Toronto again (for work)... after my company's annual dinner this Friday at Shangri La hotel.  I am tired thinking about flying again.

Happy birthday to my mom!

Construction barriers are 'cute' in Japan

Who said Construction Barriers can't be cute?! They don't need to be boring concrete designs.  See the Japanese designs found on the streets of Sapporo:

Other observations in Japan (with full photos attached):

Stephen loving Yobodashi Umeda electronics store in downtown Osaka... with 8 aisles of camera bags to choose from...and 7 other floors of stuff including toys for kids
Uniqlo is very empty in Osaka (maybe too many locations)
Tons of street performers
Great food in department store basements
Tons of gaming parlours for teens, kids and adults
Hello Kitty is the national hero
Penguins are really cute in person... Osaka Aquarium was fun but 4 levels of Pacific Ocean is a bit overkill

http://picasaweb.google.com/irene.stephen.yang/JapanHolidays2010#

We're off to historic Kyoto tomorrow then Tokyo!

Japan powder, onsens, crab and heated toilets

We are in New Chitose Airport in Sapporo (island of hokkaido, bei hoi do). Our snowboarding adventures were great! We first landed here on Xmas Eve, and instead of waiting for a shuttle bus, struggled with limited Japanese phrasebook to take JR train then walk a mile with our gear to first hotel. Next morning off by bus to Niseko!! The snow / powder is amazing... I highly recommend Green Leaf hotel which is slopeside in Niseko Village. There are 3 main ski areas: Annapuri, Niseko Village and grand hirafu. They are connected by "Niseko United" shuttle bus... Sounds kind of communist. Anyway we enjoyed the hills, an all u can eat crab/sushi buffet then Onsen hot spring. Literally unisex bathing is freezing cold weather in middle of snow covered forest, in rocks hot spring. I snuck a photo. Will post later! Also the hotels provide shisheido products-whoa! So nice! Grand hirafu had the best night skiing!


On day 2 we ate steak slopeside in Hirafu before heading back for a restful evening at te hotel. Day 3 we went to Rusutsu Resort; an entirely different mountain area to meet my friend tiff and her cousins from Taipei. The resort was like a mini Vegas, with carousel and amusement park... Fabulous views from the slopes and warmer weather!


We spent night of day 3 in Sapporo city, eating street food, watching musicians, businessmen going to karaoke bars and teenagers gaming out at Taito game stations dressing up for photobooths and video games... The ramen food stall was good too!


In our snowboarding adventures I rank:
1) Blackcomb - best long mountain runs, bowls and powder
2) Whistler
3) Snowbird (connected to Alta in Salt Lake city Utah)
4) Heavenly (south tahoe)
5) North star(north tahoe)
6) Grand hirafu Niseko (good powder)
7) Rusutsu (nice wide open views)


ok bye! Heading to Osaka now!

Holidays = leave work 4pm; 'unplugged' in China

Dec 22 is 'winter solstice'. Supposed to be the shortest day of the year! My workplace lets us leave the office by 4pm, and also this time on Xmas Eve.... ?!  And my relatives here had a dinner which sadly I could not attend. 

(Although last Saturday ... Stephen finally met my relatives for a home cooked meal.  He loved the food and ate a lot of fresh seafood and veggies.  Plus their cooking is awesome as well, but the trip a bit far)

I spent a day in Shenzhen China on business trip.  My blackberry didn't work well there! and my china mobile people sim card ran out of money (have to refill in HKG). So being unplugged for a day was TORTURE!!  The train ride is over an hour from Kowloon Tung to the border (there are two checkpoints), then a short walk across the bridge and taxi ride to my office in China.  Rightly or wrongly, I cannot sleep on such trips.  Maybe I fear getting robbed; not of money, but of my HKID or Passport!  As I need to go more often, I will slowly ease my fears of the Mainland... even I intentionally dress a bit too casual to avoid getting mugged in daylight (Shenzhen supposedly is not safe especially for women).  On the positive side, had very good meetings with my internal support team , then a few customer meetings - which were long overdue.  The thing about Shenzhen is that nobody is from Shenzhen; all are migrant workers to this thriving 'pearl river delta' region.

Off to Japan in 24 hours. Can't wait to snowboard! BUT will be unplugged again as I enter the CDMA world - argh.  (We finally unpacked some stuff in our new apartment, but haven't quite packed up our service apartment yet....returning on Dec 31 will be a disaster)

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO MY FAMILY & FRIENDS.  MISS YOU ALL!

Using "Initials" to identify colleagues; no built-in closets in most flats!

Across Asia,  colleagues to call one another by their initials (first letter of First name then first letter of Surname).  Maybe because anglicized Chinese names are difficult to pronounce?!  I thought it was strange at first - and frankly sometimes people have the same initials.... so information is crossed at times! For instance, my old boss in Singapore was "CY".  Similarly here at AMD, I should be known as "IH" or "IY" (However Irene is easier than most Chinese/English names to remember....or my colleagues know I chuckle at this, so they don't bother)  Just so you know, the parents in Asia don't actually name their children by two letters only! ha ha.

On another note, my short trip back to Toronto last week was very very cold yet fun.  Spent some quality family time, slept well, and got good work done at the office.  Upon landing back last Friday, immediately I went to meet Stephen for our FINAL househunting visits with the agents.

Upon our FOURTH visit back to the SAME unit in the past months, we finally settled on 34th floor Hollywood Terrace.  The landlady is from Fujian province but she's been in Hong Kong for 20 years. At least she can converse in Mandarin with Stephen too.  The building is literally next door to our current service apartment - we love the area - its equally convenient to SOHO/Escalators and MTR (Hong Kong/Central/Sheung Wan). The views are excellent from our unit despite the (aging) kitchen/bathroom.  The building is fairly well maintained; its only 11 years old.  We hear the complex was originally a shared venture between public government and private developers (for 'poor people') - but today, the units ain't cheap.

Now the real challenge is buying wardrobe/closets - these are often missing from unfurnished units.  IKEA was typically a zoo, and walking in the wrong direction at Wan Chai meant we missed the street of furniture shops!  All in all, we're pleased.  We get the keys on Wed Dec 22 and our sea shipment of furniture arrives tomorrow... we just need internet and a TV/sofa

Finally going to Japan this Friday.... can't wait to snowboard, then visit Osaka/Kyoto/Tokyo.  May crash with Matt in Tokyo, TBD... Sadly the snow is more abundant in North America and Europe than in Japan...!!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

+20C to -20C...and back...

Toronto if FREEZING COLD. With windchill its -20C.  I landed here on Monday night after leaving a lovely 20C day in Hong Kong.  Back here for some interviewing and team meetings, then on flight back to Asia on Thursday.  Short trip, but nice to catch up with family and friends. I'm staying at my parents home, and so far I can surprisingly sleep well.

Happy Wednesday!

All homes are "Mansions"

Caine Mansion, Le Caine Mansion, Caineway Mansion.  I noticed most older buildings anglicize their names by calling them "Mansions".  The irony? They are NOT mansions!

Anyway we are in the final home stretch of locking down a permanent home from Jan 2011 onwards.  Down to <4 units in midst of two parallel negotiations!

On another front, we had a busy weekend. First on Friday with Karaoke in TST for Simon's birthday; quite local crowd but a good time.  Then bright and early on Saturday...we trekked BACK to TST area to have lunch with my Uncle Chee from Singapore (working in Dongguan) and Aunt Doris (they are cousins).  Great food and lovely weather/views of harbour.  Drinking beer at noon after being hung over is never a good idea; ask Stephen. Then we went to "In-town" outlet mall near China Ferry Terminal to buy a few clothes; great deal on suits and tops. The back to Hong Kong side for another QUALITY , meticulous hair-cut!!  If you recall my earlier blog, YES there are diligent and thorough hair cutters in Hong Kong!  Booked a few hotels for our Japan snowboarding trip over Xmas... then I crashed on Saturday evening from exhaustion! 

Today is Sunday. Woke up early for more apartment hunting with the company's agent (he isn't great, actually). Then a long lunch with Stephen's Toronto friends Cynthia and Ian. She just returned from Nepal and India for Everest trek and Yoga teaching school. Then walked to mid-levels to debate our housing counter offers. Then a long happy hours drinks with a couple from Beijing/Xi'an China to practice our Mandarin. They are heading to US for MBA next year so want to practise their English!

Tired. Have to work a bit tonight, then pack for Toronto. I'll be in Toronto from Monday to Friday this week.  Wish us luck on our housing bids!!!

Happy Sunday!

Good Samaritans exist here: Lost iPhone found and delivered back!

To my shock, in this city of high-rollers, haggling and real&fake LV/Gucci bags and shopping centers galore.... there are "good samaritans" in Hong Kong.  What do I mean?  Yes there are good, honest people who are not out to cheat you for 10cents.

Here's my story.  I had drinks and dinner with colleagues and a customer in LFK/Lan Kwai Fong (bar/pub area).  It was only about 6-8pm or so.  When I left to go to the train to meet my colleagues who arrived at the W Hotel (Kowloon Station), I dropped my iPhone 3GS.  Upon arrival at Kowloon Station (other side of causeway!)... I panicked!  At first, my colleague told me to 'Give Up', its lost.  Then I picked up my blackberry to call my iphone.  To be delight, an older man picked up the phone, told me in Chinese that he was minutes away from selling my iPhone!  I begged him to wait for me, and he said, no worry, I will bring you your phone by MTR / subway... it's a bit of a trek so I was pleasantly surprised he actually showed up.  Offered him $200 Hong Kong dollars too, and he only took $20 (about $2.5 USD).

So the world is not terrible - even in China.  Well, Hong Kong isn't really the same as Mainland China... at least not yet!  I'll save that story for another day.

On other notes, we're off to Japan for snowboarding in late December / Xmas,  almost signing our 1 year lease (picking between two places), I'm heading to Toronto for 3 days, then maybe into China for a day or two before Japan.

Happy December 7th!

Assigned movie seating after a Macau trip

Seat I18 & I19.  These seats were printed onto our movie cinema tickets on top of I-Square.   And so we didn't have to rush. Assigned seating at theatres is simple - yet too smart for us North Americans to employ. No lining up well in advance to find a seat. Then taking turns to go out to restroom or to buy food. Or holding our seats by laying down our coats. Brilliant!  The Unstoppable Movie was not bad (And yes the train stops eventually :)) It was the IMAX theatre but Unstoppable was not an IMAX film.  Be warned. And... we know we're finally "living" here (not visiting) when there is time and intent to relax at a cinema.

Earlier this weekend, Stephen and I had a busy Friday heading to Billy & Ivy's wedding in Macau.  We missed the pool side ceremony at Four Seasons, but made it in time for a lovely and well-served banquet dinner.  10 courses.  The food was great, and there was plenty of time after to socialize, relax in their suite and also hit up the Hard Rock Casino.  Our strategy that night included surrendering on 16 in BlackJack while not hitting on ANY hand.  The dealer busted a lot. We won - without ever seeing an Ace or many face cards. Brilliant!  My friends played craps which confuses me... maybe next time!

Macau is a very different scene from Hong Kong. First of all, every sign in Portuguese - and the architecture is more pretty and European.  Too bad the food we selected was so-so near Senado Square. Secondly, there are hardly any taxis, so the lucky few taxi drivers 'round up' fees for tips....sigh.  we walked A LOT. Thankfully didn't have to walk from Taipa island to downtown Macau.  Thirdly, a lot more mainland tourists around which *may* (or may not) be related to the smoking allowed in hotel lobby areas.  It was a nice 1-1.5 hour journey away from Hong Kong, but we were SO thankful to be home on Saturday late afternoon.

Senado Square. Beautiful weather!

Ruins of St. Paul.  Lovely. But...it looks the same as two years ago

Happy newlyweds in their awesome suite

Sloan friends... overlooking Cotai Strip