Singapore UK Juliana/Teresa Channel 4's 121

Still Blogging Away: By Way of SG/IT/BJ and now HK

2011-03-25T04:16:00.005Z

Teresa and I have unfortunately been unable to keep up with the blog.. and it wasn't working well living in Beijing the last four years as all English blogging platforms are blocked in China. However, I've just recently relocated to Hong Kong with a cat in tow and have always been scrawling here and tumblring here.

More updates to come. Meantime, I am just obsessed with tea eggs, dimsum and eating my way around.

Gongxifacai 恭喜发财

2009-01-27T19:06:00.007Z

It's been ages since I've blogged. It's the second year I'm spending Chinese New Year away from home, but this year has been one of the best experiences of my life, with fireworks and firecrackers blowing up outside right outside my window. Coming from a country where fireworks is banned and only allowed on the National Day Parade, the first day of lunar new year was a real treat for me. I was asking the vendors how much of fireworks is sold a year, but they are unable to reveal figures. It's an estimated trillion RMB spent each year on fireworks alone. Every wealthy family buys at least 1000€ worth of fireworks to set them off over the 15 day period to chase away the bad spirits and ring in the new year.

This year, the year of the ox promises new things. Monday, the first day of the lunar new year also coincided with the birthday of 汨罗佛，the laughing buddha. That represents an auspicious start to the new year, although it remains to be seen with the trying times and unpredictable economy.

This year, my Chinese friends invited me to their place to make dumplings. Afterwhich we sat down to 4 hours of the mandatory New Year's eve variety show before watching the sky light up in possibly the world's largest and most uncoordinated fireworks display, right outside our window.

Chinese New Year in Beijing from Juliana Loh on Vimeo.

I'm making an effort to update more regularly on my life in Beijing, if you'd like, check my other blog.

Because singapore is so cool

2008-05-14T11:51:00.002+01:00

Of course, most have heard of our legendary founder, Lee Kuan Yew, who despite everything, built a progressive nation single-handedly.

I rather enjoyed reading this, cross posted from danwei.org, filed under the category of 'corruption'.

"And let's hope the Chinese government does not learn their sense of style from Singapore's elder statesman, who has this to say:

News gets out: “We are dull.”

Now, we are not dull, we are quite cool. We're going to have reverse bungee, all-night dining by the river and by the marina, two integrated resorts, Formula One. How do you explain that?"

ha. i found it really funny.

The world today

2008-05-14T11:46:00.001+01:00

I find no meaning in my job. I can't wait to leave it. I donated most of my money to the disasters. I wish i could do more to help. i wish i was a doctor. the only thing i can do is act as an interpreter, should medicin sans frontier and red cross foreign doctors needs translators, but i might end up being a hindrance on the spot, given that i'm not the calmest person.

Speaking to Yang yesterday made me want to cry. He lives 90km from the epi centre. As we speak the ground is trembling beneath him. at least 1000 aftershocks in a day. His neighbours were sleeping in cars outside, but he decides to sleep at home. He can't really tell me more, but he was stuck in the lift when it occurred. Thank god he and his family are alright.

There is positive news in the overall gloom. China's response to quake is unusually open and Aid has reached the people in need as of the latest news.

Last night i was at a sustainable development forum meeting like minded green folks. There is hear say that the forces of feng shui are at play and there is a lake in China that has marked the important events by drying up in 1949, 1976 (tang shan earthquakes taking the lives of over 200,000), 1989, and this year 2008. Monday was the 88th day before this year Summer Olympics set to open on August 8 2008, the dates chosen for it's auspicious numbers. I have the really interesting "earthquake omens" here and the lake that dried up. all 80 tons of the water...

I wish I could do much more and I am controlling my intense emotions from taking control of my life as these events are completely beyond my control. I should think about doing a nursing course, brush up on one of the south east asian language, maybe learn malay so i could be of some use in times of disaster in the region.

I'm sorry this entry is so low. Here is a nice animation to lift the spirits.

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

All about the weather

2008-05-12T03:36:00.002+01:00

We had a gorgeous saturday, it reminded me of spring in venezia and treviso. Plenty of sunshine (as opposed to smog and poor visibility), cool breeze and a lovely temperature of 20degrees celcius. Then yesterday it rained and today, it's been forecasted to rain. I personally like the rain since i grew up in the tropics.

I wonder if the silver nitrate induced downpours are any harm to our health in the long run? Who knows these things anyway. oh well, We'll all have to die some way or the other.

A shock to the not-so-sterile singaporean

2008-05-09T03:29:00.003+01:00

I'm definitely not a fair representation of the typical Singaporean as I've always been somewhat... different. And I take things far easier and less seriously. I complain like all singaporeans, but the difference is I take active steps to address the issues and I am all for change.

An icelandic musician friend who visited me likened my homeground to 'uptopia' in Huxley's Brave New World and she asked how could a creative person survive in an environment like that? Change is an impetus to create and the best creations tend to come from chaos. In a perfect capsule like the pore, there is no need for change, there is no need to create. In any case, creation is dictated by the government, which is an irony in itself because creativity cannot be forced or structured.

So here, apart from campaigns to matchmake graduate couples, now the younger generation has an appalling skewed perspective of relationships and love. They need to read more self help books instead of signing up for these courses.

Cross posted from my personal blog:

Lessons in seduction for Singaporeans

An 18-year-old mechanical engineering student, Isabel Seet, told the local Straits Times newspaper: "My teacher said if a guy looks into my eyes for more than five seconds, it could mean that he is attracted to me and I stand a chance.

i certainly hope she is not a fair representation of our population today.

Last week government minister Yu-Foo Yee Shoon warned young people not to put their career before establishing a family "because if you wait until then, sometimes it'll be a little too late".

well, with no career minded people, wouldn't the economy collapse?

I knew from a young age that I wouldn't want to live in the city (thanks to hollywood films, sweet valley high and great european literature), i started plotting how to get out since i was 8, to break free from the nation's blueprint the government had set aside for every citizen. The plan was that i was going to marry a foreigner and live in a foreign place and never have to be punished for being different and having a mind of my own.

it took me 25 years to get out, when i won a scholarship to italy. Lots of luck and maybe alot of hard work; i messed up my GCE A levels, otherwise grand plans to go to university in the UK would have gone through if i won a scholarship. I didn't. Later, I got rejected from various universities in France to do my masters. Then, one day someone told me about Fabrica - some creative haven. Surely, I wouldn't get in. I was quite used to reject letters by then. And then i did. The rest is history.

In 2010, maybe I'll be back in Europe, doing odd jobs, waiting in cocktail bars, reading, writing and going to cool exhibitions and enjoying Freedom, a word or concept for which most of my life held no meaning. But, people make choices, things can always change.

The Beijing Olympics

2008-05-09T03:20:00.005+01:00

The current events are inspiring different forms of representation, which has given a twist to design.

While the torch relay is being disrupted around the world, i have mixed feelings about it and am also confused because i don't have a fair representation of the issue at hand given the lack of access to information. My colleagues have vehemently defended the position of China and reiterates that tibet is china and that it will never change. As far as i understand the issue was never about independence, but rather autonomy.

Anyway, i felt that this article had something interesting to say... i remember in history classes, the 19th century opium war with the british and traces of history marred by western colonisation in China.

"The Chinese don't see the pro-Tibet protests as well intentioned criticism. They regard them as a hypocritical denigration of China by a Western culture with a history of colonialism, which condones armed intervention in places like Iraq or Chechnya and practises waterboarding in Guantanamo or Abu Ghraib, while preaching about human rights."

there is truth in this. All the hypocrisy. While i believe all the aggression has to be addressed, I also think that it's unfair to mix politics and sport. Athletes train for years for this event and it's unfair for them to wait another 4 years to compete as they suffer the backlash of political implications... well about the air quality, that is another matter altogether.

With all my chinese friends and colleagues having (love CHINA) on their msn and skype handles showing their patroitism, pledging their support for the olympics.

I too don't agree with boycotting the olympics, the implications will be far reaching in the long run and will not in any way resolve the pressing issues on hand.

A not-so chinese, Chinese

2008-05-09T02:50:00.002+01:00

Living in Beijing has helped me to confront my own roots, since I'm largely chinese with javanese blood and I look more South East Asian than the northerns. Some people mistake me for being an ethnic minority. Although I grew up with traditional values, I'm largely westernised by the literature and media i've been exposed to, given that I grew up in a developed country like singapore, without the harsh implications of a cultural revolution, communism and more.

I was reading about journalism in China the other day and really, this is where all the stories are since journalism is essentially about people. There is an old man that drives me to work daily and he was a tank driver in '89 (i hope this blog doesnt get deleted for this sensitive content).

So anyway.. this was a conversation that i had with a taxi driver..

[insert loads of chinese swear words like silly cunt etc etc] as he swerves round a cyclist that came out of nowhere.

Taxi driver: you silly cunt, im going to knock you down. (speeding up and swerving more)

me: woah! shifu! slow down! you’re going to kill that man!

Taxi driver: it’s ok, dont be afraid, i have run a man over before. i just went to jail for a few years, it’s no big deal. (well of course, in chinese it sounded alot more disturbing.) 没事，我以前开车撞死人，只是座了几年牢！

Me: ………………

Hello Beijing, good bye sterile pore. Being here for close to 9 months, i am becoming less porean by the day. I love it.

My chinese is getting so much better, i am even arguing with shop vendors like a true blue DLM. i just have to master riding a bicycle in this traffic. till then, i am one step short of being a veritable dalumei.

Notes from pollution capital

2008-05-09T02:42:00.003+01:00

Sorry it's been a while. I can't seem to log onto blogger at home even though the ban was suppose to have been lifted, but we never really know in China since things change overnight and contents have been banned and unbanned several times over. Well, at least we get wikkipedea.

The only way to access the world is via the work german server, so here I am. As I've lagged way behind in sharing information on my side of the world ever since moving to beijing 9 months ago, I'll cross post some entries from my own blog.

The weather is heating up and i'm beginning to feel the pollution, how will athletes survive the summer olympics? I will tell you when i find out.

So amongst the mighty architectural spaces shaking the notion of design and aesthetics, a new entertainment complex media space powered by solar energy look sreally amazing and I'm going to check it out this weekend.

The Xicui entertainment centre

Gong hei fat choy!

2008-02-11T13:47:00.001Z

I apologise for my long absence. Blogspot is banned in china, so is livejournal, multiply, wikkipedia and flickr. Apart from diverting through servers and waiting forever, it is virtually impossible to find an easy way around it. Well, maybe if internet speed was faster.

So, i moved to china almost 5 months ago, now im back in singapore on chinese new year holidays. Things are wonderful, im loading up on local oily treats, festive treats and hanging out with my family.

i was at the temple today as every year 4 zodiac animals offend the 'tai tsui' deity and prayers and offerings have to be made for a smooth(er) year ahead.

i'm flying back to pollution capital tomorrow; i love it in beijing, it's a crazy city and keeps me on my toes. everyday is a surprise and it's a nice place to be coming from sterile singapore. it's the real world personified. And the architecture in the city is unrivalled- contemporary and revolutionary. I am short of vocabulary to describe it, but reviews and articles on the structures are aplenty.

hope you're well T, warm wishes for the year of the rat. May you enjoy good health, good luck, happiness and prosperity this 2008!

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

2007-09-19T15:33:00.000+01:00

It's been a while since I last blogged...I am lazy I am. I have realised I only ever blog when I am bored at work. So in reality i should actually blog more....go figure.

I've been back from my travel since early July but still haven't managed to pay off my debts yet. I am still owing over 3 grand - how I am going to pay if off is beyond me?

Oz was fun although before I went, i was told it had not been raining for month, however as soon I stepped off the plane it never stopped raining...just my luck. My horrendous love affair with the weather stayed with me for the rest of the trip. Seriously it was either raining or freezing - i just couldn;t win. There is only one world to describe New Zealand "Picturesque". Beautiful country but boring. I could never live there well maybe when i reach 70+.

All in all the holiday was amazing but then as soon i landed at Heathrow i hit reality with a great big thump. No job no money and huge debt.

I am still temping and trying my hand at presenting however i need to whip my bottom in gear as I;ve not been as aggresive as I should be - again the laziness and complancency has kicked in. I think i need a miracle.

I have realised I have an attention spam of a 3 year old and need things to keep me interested - so what is out there for me?

Juliana i hope you enjoying Beijing...i love the place although i feel it has lost its authenicity. I want to head back for the Olympics next year however if i don't pay off my debt i won;t be going anywhere.

Good luck

I'm moving

2007-08-19T14:31:00.000+01:00

Well, I'm off to beijing to explore a new life and endless possibilities with a new job that found me. all random and sudden, but i love the spontaneity of getting on the closest convenient flight out to learn and experience new things and people.

A little bit of a 'back to roots' sort of thing and i realised quite recently that i didn't descend from the south of china like most migrants did. my roots are actually in the north, not far from Beijing as my surname 劳 identifies me. the northerners had apparently moved down south to escape the invasion of the manchus and nomadic tribes.

Lost of new discoveries to make and excellent new material for writing amongst other things.

so, i guess its hello olympic city and goodbye sim city.

ghostbusters!

2007-08-08T13:38:00.000+01:00

the other day i walked past this shop.... it was funny and frightening at the same time because i'm afraid of ghosts.

I grew up with pagan practices- my mother still believes there is life in any inanimate object. eg. a spirit could be hiding in a giant rock, a huge fish/octopus is actually the emperor fish of the ocean or octopus spirit in disguise. Any word of mocking the situation will be dissed and she would frighten us children that if we mocked the beliefs the ghosts would come haunt us.

she would shout in cantonese 'do not talk nonsense!'

also, there is trend in the region of south east asia, where foetus' souls are taken from their mother's womb before they are born and these little ghosts are believed to help steal food/money and find out information. Apparently, this is the reason for stillborns. I don't discount it, but I believe that not all stillborns had their souls stolen. I've heard many people keeping these 'little spirits' in indonesia, thailand and even singapore. Infact, a thai friend has a little spirit friend that she feeds snacks to every other day- she says it brings good luck for her business. i've also heard countless stories of singaporeans who keep them to help them predict numbers to win the lottery or other devious activities.

do you believe in ghosts? i do.

Global warming

2007-06-26T08:36:00.001+01:00

It's in the news all over, and particularly in SIngapore, every day i skim the papers and it's pages and pages of reports on the climate change. it's raging hot and humid and no one is spared the discomfort of sweating like a pig. Our air conditioned shopping malls and train stations aren't enough. And last night, there was torrential rain.

I was pretty disturbed by the article on the man in the UK with a foot trapped in the drain and drowned and reading more about the floods. Hasn't summer come round already on the other side of the world? Al gore is making his way around the world talking about environmentalism and recently made a stop in Milano to talk at the opening of Fabrica's Les yeux ouvert at the milano triennale, where my friends were fortunate enough to see him Live.

I'm going to visit the newater plant near my house and find out how the country recycles sewage water for consumption. All water from the tap is potable and i never think twice about drinking it straight from the tap, ocassionally i remember it's sewage water, treated via sophisticated processes of osmosis and of course all the chemicals and what not that goes into it.

Still, drinking poo water isn't a pleasant thought. I will go find out more and blog about it.

updates

2007-06-22T07:19:00.000+01:00

Sorry for the long absence! wow T looks like you're on an extensive holiday! I just got back from 6 days in bangkok visiting some thai friends. the political situation isn't half as bad as the media makes it out to be, but there is alot of reshuffling and anxiety in the city post- thaksin. some friends are supporters for the latter and we got some calls reguarding mobs storming the city, but most of it was largely a false alarm.

So, within the span of weeks, I've quit my job and am enjoying some time to do some writing I most enjoy and catching up with some sleep. Taking on some freelance assignments and deciding what to do with myself. An existential crisis at 26!

Otherwise, the weather is hot and humid in singapore as usual with nothing spectacular in the news apart from the current global warming debate and situation in thailand at the moment.

i'm finishing up some work for the droog competition on global warming. nothing else on this front.

Hope you're enjoying your time globe trotting!

xoxo

G'day mate

2007-05-06T11:15:00.000+01:00

Hiya...oops sorry not been blogging for ages

Currently, am in Oz travelling around. Been in Sydney for a week and another week in Tasmania. At present am in Melbourne for this week and then off to Perth and Ayers Rock followed by 7 weeks in NewZealand which is why i haven't and won't be blogging for a while.

I will be back on in July - in the meantime have fun with your travels and speak to you soon.

BTW its freezing here

txx

Indonesia

2007-04-10T15:54:00.000+01:00

How are you T? i hope you're well. been a while since i've heard from you? the weather is abit crazy at the moment, wavering between scorching heat of 36ºc to torrents of rain.

happy belated easter to you! i dont celebrate it as im buddhist but it's a public holiday on good friday for everyone. i took a long weekend including wed and thu and went to indonesia to do some trekking and to check out the ancient wonder of the world, Borobudur in indonesia.

I was going to attempt a trek on gunung merapi an active volcano but for safety reasons as it was spewing lava, smoke and debri, people were advised not to make the trek. the volcano is active all year round and tourists make trips out to see the lava flowing down the sides. would have been amazing if i had the opportunity to see that.

yogakarta is a paradoxical city. it's charming in its own gritty way, but slightly frightening with no tourists in sight, poor infraastructure and persistent locals forcing you to buy things. u are not left alone for one second and while you dine, the waiter sits at your table and watches you eat. it's all very bizarre and abit of a culture shock, but in exchange so much gorgeous nature untouched by man and undiscovered by many.

all in all, it was a great trip, and a humbling experience.

here's borobudur, the fabled ancient wonder

the scorching heat

2007-03-25T14:38:00.000+01:00

The monsoon season's passed and now we're baking in the scorching heat. I have a really bad sore throat and am fighting the urge to eat that bag of delicious cheesels in the frige. argh.

nothing exciting on the lion city front. I just realised I have turned 26 and I have never voteed in my entire life, the 2 chances were rendered void, because we have the system of 'walk overs' where the majority of votes in the neighbourhood overules the rest that hasn't voted. I wonder if I will get to vote next time, just for the sake of having the 'adult' responsibility. I'm apolitical so it's difficult for me to have an indepth perspective on this.

The stifling society of Singapore

2007-03-16T05:29:00.000Z

I was looking forward to the exhibition of Ghada Amer only to find out that the government is likely to ban this show. How do you live when you don't even have freedom of access to art, which indisputably is the freedom of expression?

And ask I type furtively on my keyboard, I am deliberating over every word because a wrong word could have me end up in jail for anti-government sentiments or the likes.

But as artists-in-residence at Singapore's leading print institute, Amer and Farkhondeh wonder whether their works -- juxtaposing oral sex and floral patterns, or a quote from the Koran framed by images of Wonder Woman -- will ever be seen here because of government restrictions.

Singapore bans pornography and has an ambivalent attitude to nudity. The government wants to encourage the arts so that Singapore can compete with cultural centers such as London and New York, but only last month stopped a commercial gallery from showing a painting of a female nude in a public space.

"When they invited me, they knew my work. In Egypt, they can't show it. I have no idea if it will be shown in Singapore," said Amer.

Within days of arriving in Singapore with her erotic images of women, she says she felt a frisson and wondered "do they want me to do something else?"

"All my work is about love, sexuality, the empowerment of women, it shows children with porn or erotic messages, because even when you are young, you are taught the same message, that one day the prince will come for you," said Amer.

"The power of woman, I am fascinated by this power. Is it power or not power, what are the limits?"

Excessive Nudity?

Singapore has spent handsomely on arts venues such as theatres, concert halls -- as well as the Singapore Tyler Print Institute where Amer and Farkhondeh are currently working.

But its art scene still veers toward the safe, rather than the controversial, and artists avoid subjects deemed sensitive in the city-state, including politics, religion, race and sex.

Unsurprisingly, there is little public debate on modern art.

The Ministry of Information and the Arts (MICA), which is responsible for encouraging Singapore's development as a "Renaissance City", sent a clear message that it was unacceptable to show a painting of a nude in a public space last month.

When MICA took over new offices a few years ago, it encouraged commercial galleries to open in the same building.

One gallery wanted to display a large painting of a female nude by Chinese artist Chen Xi in the atrium, but was told this was not allowed because children and young people might see it.

It has been truly difficult to come home after living in Italia where I experienced the real meaning of the word 'freedom' and enjoyed the freedom of access to all information, porn, left/right wing newspapers, controversial magazines. And of course chewing gum which is infamously banned in my country- for a litterfree society.

Bravo. Now, when can I start living instead of existing?

What are your views on freedom of access to information T? Since you work in the media too? Imagine shows you host being censored or banned altogether in a country. Would you be indignant to live in a litter-free, safe, 'utopia' society? Or would you rather wake up, smell the roses, and risk meeting the big bad wolf on the way?

I'd choose the latter anytime. Afterall, life is risky business.

The year of the pig

2007-03-05T15:08:00.000Z

Hope you had an eventful, rested holiday over the chinese new year. We jsut concluded our festivities with offerings to the Gods of heavens yesterday, the 15th day of the lunar new year, also the last day of the celebrations. no more lai see for me, i hardly get much anyway, it's more a 'yi si' (token) rather than monetary rewards like years ago when I was still a student. Either that, people just started pinching their money with the rising standards of living!

Not much on my end, my austrian friend came to stay for another week and left and our australian friend stopped over for a day from italy before heading back to adelaide. I am still working alot writing inumerable mobile phone brochures, guides and manuals for different markets, meaning india, australia and the rest of south east asia. So much so i can repeat phone specs ad verbatim when someone whips out their Sony Ericsson mobile. It's abit like that movie Rain man.

I am slightly frustrated because 15 hour work days writing manuals make me a very dull girl and I have little or no time or energy to work on my own little projects.

otherwise, my mother is praying that i will get a boyfriend before my shelf life as a woman expires and i will be the old maid in the story.

hope you're well. I've to get back to work so i can leave the office soon. it's 2340hours on a monday night, which wouldnt be bad should i be doing some mentally stimulating work. sigh

xoxo

Kung hey fat choy!!!

2007-02-27T13:52:00.000Z

May the year of the Golden Pig be prosperous for you and everyone!!!

Actually to be fair, my family have a very traditional chinese new year. We all get dressed up in our chinese outfits and the kids look so adorable. I have to say Chinese New year and christmas are two of my favourite events of the whole year.

We eat Nin Guo too (home made infact - my mum makes them every year) and we have dumplings (some of which contain coins) - so if you manage to select a dumpling with a coin, its means you are very lucky. We also have a family dinner on Chinese New Year's eve where the holiday sit down and eat together - where there is absolutely tonnes of food.

This is one time i love being single cos i get lucky money (lai see).

Chinese new year in China town is huge now and with over several tens of thousands of people turning up for the occasion. We tend to give it a miss as it gets way over crowded. We prefer to stay at home and spend it with family and friends.

So gonna take this opportunity to wish every one a great year of the Golden Pig - kung hey fat choy!!!!

Festive cheer

2007-02-18T13:18:00.000Z

The religious altar and the front of my house.
The living room
fruits!
delicious snacks! I am stuffing my face with pineapple tarts as I type
My new doraemon bedsheets!
This year was unusually quiet, mainly because of my father's reluctance to see many people. My brother is in the midst of finalising his divorce, which seems to still be viewed as taboo here. And I had broken up with my ex boyfriend of 5 years whom everyone adored. To save us the trouble of relatives digging at old wounds and the annual repetitive question of "oh how you've grown, how was your 'O' Levels?" , my brother and i escaped visiting at the relatives. In place, i was stuffing my face with delicious pineapple tarts and other chinese new year goodies, while reading a great book. A perfect way to relax and steal time away from 'the rituals'. I am however guilty that I'm evading my own traditional customs, unfortunately, my dad doesnt enjoy great ties with his relatives given that he was the son borne of my late grandfather's 'second wife'.

Anyhow, here are some pictures of the vibrant atmosphere in my house.

New year candies!

2007-02-12T02:56:00.000Z

Gummy sweets content:

Oh don't we just love capitalism and the commerce it brings with it. These kitsch little packaging contain colourful gummy candies. I love the sardin tin design and old school chinese font.

me and my soft spot for all things kitsch and fancy!

Spring cleaning and such

2007-02-11T06:51:00.000Z

Here are some Chinese new year cakes. also known as 'NIan gao'- cantonese 'nin gou'. Not sure if this is an accurate tale, but my mother says today is the 24th day of the lunar new year and the 'Gods' have all ascended to the heavens, all except for the Guan Yin deity. My grandmother used to say we have to make offerings of these cakes to the kitchen god as bribery. These sticky cakes are said to keep his mouth shut, so that he will not say bad things to the jade emperor on how we have behaved this entire year. Since the kitchen is a busy meeting point for everyone in the family, whether it's to share good news, gossip or complain, it was the kitchen god who was the guardian of the home in a way.

These cakes are delicious when cut up and dipped in flour batter mixed with some salt. Made from flour and melted brown sugar, they are put in banana leaves and solidified with a sweet banana leave flavour. Do you do the same in England, T? I love these cakes!

Pictures of the 年糕

And I'm not sure if you practise the same. My feng shui obsessed mother loves windmills. It brings good luck. Like that phrase 'winds of change'. It's about changing of fortune and good 'qi'. As they say 转云. This is the picture of my backyard.

And here the giant rooster carved of wood to ward of bad luck, bad spirits and ill will. I mentioned it in a previous post. this rooster weighs about 5kg, a much larger version of the golden one my mother made me take to work!

Finally, these pair of fish I bought for a steal. the fish alone is about 60cm. Are fish a popular symbol with your family too? From the auspicious chinese saying 年年有余 (nian nian you yu), meaning every year there is abundance and excess. Because of the phonetic sound of the last character, it goes with fish, so the fish became a symbol of good luck and prosperity over here in Singapore- at least that I'm sure of.

Do you also eat lots of prawns over reunion dinner on the eve of chinese new year? It's a must-have at our dinner table every year, because the phonetic sound of 'ha' 虾 in cantonese is like the 'ha ha' laughter sound （哈哈笑）. And it's about laughing all the way into the new year. Do you practice this too? I love these symbolic phonetic sounds.

So tell me more about how you celebrate. I'm really curious about the traditions of other migrant chinese, although both my parents were born and bred here. Hence i think the traditions have been diluted somewhat.

Have a good week ahead!

xoxo

BORED................

2007-02-07T16:16:00.000Z

Well my serious relationships have all been with Chinese guys - have dated a few Western guys too but they never work mainly due to the age difference. For some reason only younger men fancy me but then again i only fancy younger men. You start off having a great relationship and then suddenly they get cold feet. Relationships are hard work and sometimes i wonder whether they should be.

I do feel sorry for my current boyfriend tho as i know i am very hard work but i really am trying to make more of an effort with him. It tough putting up with me and he must have a high tolerance level tho saying that, he is just as hard work as me.

I know what u mean - i know a few girls who have white man syndrom. I never fancied a white guy til i hit 30 and then i thought what the heck. But none of the relationships with white guys have been successful and i feel they have what you call "yellow fever" they want the girls to be submissive and stuff and i think thats bull shit.

My current boyfriend is aussie chinese, born in hk and lived in Oz since he was 4. He can be really westernised yet very chinese at the same time. I guess we both the same in that sort of sense. I just hope it works out for the two of us...fingers crossed hey

To be honest, i can;t say i have ever fancied a German - they just don;t do it for - i guess its individual taste huh? I think Spanish guys have similar traits to chinese - they are very family orientated and i think thats very important.

The love of my life was from HK and we met and dated in HK yet it didn;t work out. I guess maybe i was too loud and bositerous for him and the poor sod couldn;t handle my temper in the end - i don;t blame him.

Anyway, good luck, you're way younger than me and its taken me 9 years to find a guy who i like enough to go our properly with again. Hopefully you will find your man a whole lot sooner.

Txx

Random things of note

2007-02-05T17:22:00.000Z

Here is hansi, my austrian friend who came to visit over the weekend on his big asia tour. I took him to the foot reflexologist in my neighbourhood and he thoroughly enjoyed the experience despite the pain.

And last week i ate some peanuts. I was suprised to find them striped! like tiger eggs- if such things existed

And here is my all time favourite snack- the currypuff. my mother actually makes delicious ones, but the last time i remembered her baking them was more than 10 years ago as it takes alot of hard work to make them. Stuff with currypaste, onions, potatoes and chicken, the curry puff is delicious and comes in different variations of filling and crusts. Most common ones are chicken or sardines. An authentic malay snack with chinese versions available all through the city in the ubiquitous 'old chang kee' outlets. (yes they even have a website!!)

Whirlwind weekend

2007-02-04T15:19:00.000Z

Nice to have you back T. i'm abit of a bloggermaniac since i am online all the time at work, surfing, reading, writing to distract away from routine.

My austrian friend, hansi came to visit over the weekend and it was awesome chatting, playing tarot cards and having lengthy discussions about nothing. it was nice playing tourist as well since i never have enough time to get out to explore my own city, and having a guest in town is the perfect reason to get to know the city better.

Wow, 'lai see' i think we have slightly different practices here, but i think alot of the customs have changed in its own subtle way to suit the society where the migrants decided to settle. And i think in many ways my mother probably changed some things to suit her own convenience that my grandmother or her mother would have done differently.

I am dreading the meet the relatives; and answer all the questions the 'sam gu lok por' (gossip queens) will be digging for.

i've only ever had 2 relationships in my life; the first was with a german for 5 years, and the second was a rather brief, intense and complicated one with a Spaniard who left my heart in pieces, i think we skipped the honeymoon period like you and fought alot mainly because i was due to return home to asia and he remained in europe. It continues to break again now and then,but it's better now as i'm practising the 'eliminiation is the solution' tactic that everyone recommends. As you can probably imagine I am not very experienced with boys and relationships, largely because i'm a 'i would like a husband' kind of girl.

I love european boys, continental ones in favour. I know! how shamelessly brazen to admit that. In Asia, maybe you're familiar with this phenomenon, alot of asian women are stigmatised when they're seen with white men, for they are almost instantaenously labelled 'gold diggers'. Of course, im nothing of that sort!! I just like men tall, big, fit and hairy - admittedly not traits you can find in many asians! Although my english colleague pointed out the other day that it is the language barrier am secretly in pursuit of which does make some sense. Communication is important and having to converse in a language other than your mother tongue makes it all the more mysterious. I love languages and all the hidden meanings and mysteries it brings with it.

Being part of the mtv generation, my standards of beauty have always been determined by the western pop culture. the movies we watch, the music we listen to. I remember for the longest time whilst growing up, I wanted a boyfriend like tom cruise (only much taller please!) in the movie Top gun. I'm not sure if i would ever date an Asian, but i think it's unlikely. My first boyfriend is half german/half singaporean and he was the best of both words, physically completely european and having lived all his life in the US/Germany before spending the last 7 years here, he understood both side of the spectrum. And my parents and relatives adored him. He got bonus points because he's a doctor ( you know how traditional parents are)

Pity it didnt work out for a few primary reasons and we were drifting apart in our life directions.

LOL my mother doesnt talk about my eggs running out! Maybe her grandparent clock is ticking. i wouldnt trust my mom's taste in men, she will find me a chinese man for sure! and i love geeks, what's wrong with them!! As they say, it's always the quiet ones, they're alot more fun and interesting!

I will get round to the horoscopes bit if you can wait, but i can tell you for sure that the pisces and scorpio get along because they're both water signs. I have been told many times that my perfect either half will be a water sign, that leaves a fellow pisces, a cancerian or scorpio.

Looks like our birthdays are around the same time! I will plunge into the 'late 20's' this march and I hope i can get my act together and start being more adult about work and life. And maybe start saving for a start. I spend all my money travelling, with the rationale that you live only once. And money can always be earned.

have a good week, im off to read and then sleep.

another long week....

xoxo

I'm back - have you missed me?

2007-02-02T14:01:00.000Z

Man how long did that take me to work out? why did they change the way this blog worked...see this is what i never understand why change a system when it was working just fine.

Wow you have posted loads of blogs since i was last on....

Let me see if i can remember what you wrote and reply accordingly...

Well even tho i was born in the UK, we are quite traditional...my family do all the chinese things like growing garlic in a bowl, wearing new red underwear, having a bath on Chinese New Year's eve, having a family dinner on Chinese new year eve, and then mum giving us a "lai see" before go to bed and we have to place it under the pillow to bring us luck. On New Years day we go round to relatives houses and food to wish them a happy new year and to get lai see. Tho at the age i am now , it can be quite embarassing as every year they ask me the same question "when you gonna find a boyfriend?" "when's its your turn to give Lai See?" year in year out - it never changes. Thank god i have two older sisters who aren't married either so i can always mention them if that happens.

Don;t worry i get the same from my Mum too. She used to moan about me being single, and that no one is gonna want me and my eggs are running out. Bet your mum doesn;t say that to you. I was single for 9 years, i have a boyfriend now but its so strange as she moans that i spend too much time with him but i only get to see him at weekends.

Its nice having a relationship but it can also be very hard work and sometimes i wonder whether it is meant to be.

Hey as your into chinese horoscopes and english ones why don;t u tell me whether we get on?

I am pisces, year of the rat and he is scorpio, year of the snake. Ok he is my toy boy....

And like they said you usually find someone when u are least looking for one.

If you mum moans more, tell her to find you one and no geeks...

Are you into Oriental guys or Western guys? All my serious boyfriends have been Chinese, (jees that makes me sound like i've had loads) i haven't. Since my last serious boyfriend, never in a million years did i think i would go out with another chinese and guess what my boyfriend is Chinese, but brought up in Oz. We argue so much, i thought people say at the start of the relationship there should be a honeymoon period, but somehow we have managed to skip that.
I hope this relationship works out but who knows.

I am again bored at work. I am sick of doing reception work, its such a no brainer. And also fed up of being poor but TV/Film is my passion and don;t want to do a mudane 9-5 job.

Txx

Comics

2007-02-01T06:04:00.000Z

I think pictures definitely make the blog a whole lot more exciting!

I have a friend, Andy Rementer, who does the most amazing comics, it's called Techno Tuesday

And here are my two personal favourites.

Feng shui?

2007-02-01T05:46:00.000Z

Hope you managed to sort out the password T, and I hope you're doing well since you last blogged. I'm born in the year of the Rooster and it's suppose to be a good year for me.

This morning my mother shoved a little rooster figurine into my bag before i left for work and i relented and took it anyway since it is insignificantly small.

Work has been the same, now how nice if i got paid overtime wages.

So returning to the golden rooster, which incidentally i am a 'gum gai' golden rooster as 1981 is the year of the metal element.

To prevent me from getting upset about office politicking, my mother says having a rooster in the office ensures a more peaceful work environment. My mother believes that i work 16 hour days becos i'm being bullied at work. While that is not entirely true given the nature of the work in my industry, I do get bullied at work since i'm not confrontational and all i really want to do is produce good work, go home, read my books and watch movies while everyone compares who has the latest marc jacobs accessory or prada bag.

Actually, at home, my mother has an 8kg rooster carved of wood. it looks wonderful but i still don't understand her use of it. I will post a picture of it when i get home.

hope to hear from you soon T!

ciao!

Drowries and such

2007-01-30T15:11:00.000Z

This morning at breakfast i was having a steaming bowl of congee with minced pork and century egg- my favourite. I can't believe they make people on fear factor eat century egg. But the history of this unique egg taste was that they use to preserve these in horse piss and leave it to ferment before eating it. Do you eat that T? I love 皮蛋, isn't it funny that the literal translation is 'skin egg'. wonder if human skin tastes like that.

A conversation with my mother went like this

Mom: When are you finding a boyfriend? You're not getting any younger...

Me: oh, when I have time and after my career gets going.

Mom: I wonder how much drowry you can fetch me?

Me: What?! I thought we did without drowries in this day and age for the chinese!

Mom: Oh, just wondering aloud. Must be worth more, cos you have a university degree, a great job and you speak many langauges. It's like how Kobe beef is sold much more than your average cow from malaysia.

Me: but i am not an animal on a farm waiting to be slaughtered and exported!

Mom: oh just an example lah.

(Me finishing up breakfast trying to maintain my cool.)

Me: well, i dont think u'll be fetching a drowry since you wont be matchmaking me to sell off.

i know she means well, but it's funny how her mind works.

this is what we call a generation leap, not a gap.

Welcoming the year of the pig

2007-01-25T16:21:00.000Z

Apart from 13 hour workdays, I spent the weekend working on my own projects doing things 'for fun' which my colleagues consider a waste of time. Saturday is one of my best friend's birthday. He's a fellow canadian writer and we met in the creative writing department at Fabrica and became best of friends almost immediately. Since he doesnt know of this blog- as yet, I can safely announce that im sewing a puppet caricature of him. i'm not halfway through and need to go to the art store to buy more felt colours over the weekend for some cool design for his 't-shirt'. i hope he'll like it.

Yesterday, i managed to slip into borders before closing hour and had a short browse through horoscope books (yes i am a sucker for horoscopes, tarot reading, palm reading and fortune telling). The year of the pig which we will welcome this Lunar new year- in 3 weeks, is said to bring me great developments in career (i really hope so) and apparently a love life as well. The latter I'm not bothered, but i really hope for an exciting year in terms of work, whether it's here or where i'm dreaming of heading at the moment.

This weekend, i worked on some new stories for my chinese idiom project. An italian publisher has expressed interest in an unfinished project i had proposed in italy, so it's been late nights of work after work as i churn out more writings for an american art director, alex purdy, who is illustrating for my stories.

My mother is going insane with Chinese new year round the corner, but i am mighty pleased as she bought me new 'Hello kitty' pjyamas that will only see light of day while I'm still single (how unattractive at 25!) and I've got new doraemon bed sheets in green! (my favourite colour) i will post a photo on the eve of the new year's to share my wonderful new stuff as it's forbidden to open them before the eve!

T: do your parents obsess about the new year's? My parents are very traditional and i still have to sleep with two oranges and one dollar coins wrapped in red paper at the head of my bed, wearing my new pjs and sleeping on my new bedsheets. we do that every year.

Now, at 25 without having teenage angst and visions of trying to be 'cool', i actually really like the explanations and stories behind everything. Like how every red packet from my parents will contain an extra 10 cent coin, in cantonese we say 'chut tao' or in mandarin :'chu tou', meaning to rise ahead, or literally to have your head out. Metaphorically meaning to get a headstart in everything we do- be it in our studies or career.

I tailored made some new clothes in vietnam while i was there last month; i know i will pay the price for my vanity by requesting an extra high collared qipao (traditional chinese dress) for the maggie cheungesque effect à la Wong ka wai's 'In the mood for love' when i have to wear that to go visiting for the entire day.

But well, i think vanity isn't a bad thing. it's an effective demonstration of self love and oh so many women suffer for it.

So much to do and so little time

2007-01-20T08:08:00.000Z

It's the weekend and I'm trying to work doubly hard on my own projects since I've been caught up in 14 hour work days and I get home too exhausted to think about doing anymore work.

There is the BBC short story competition and the commonwealth short story for 2007 and a video i would like to make. So many ideas filtering throughout the day and it just impossibly frustrating not to be able to execute them. For once, I had the luxury to sleep in till noon today, got up, read, and did some writing.

I'm nursing a nagging migrain that came about with the insane workload at work.

I've always loved my own space and doing everything alone, especially travelling; but these days, i have been hit by bouts of loneliness. Now, tell me, am i missing something?

I am exhausted and shall attempt to watch some dvds before bed now.

hope u're having a great weekend T!

xoxo

Dippy me..forgot my password

2007-01-15T16:09:00.000Z

Don't you hate it when u can never rememebr ur password to these things....

Juliana - i hope you are ok...you're right u hear about crime in the Uk and USA but Singapore - man you shocked me too... But think no one got hurt in the process and its all material stuff - that how we see it now in Europe.

I went to Milan with my boyfriend in Nov and he got his suitcase knicked off the bus right at the start of the holiday - so u can imagine what a dampener it put on out first trip together - no clothes, no camera and no underwear....not good.

I've had someone who attempted to mug me in London and i was screaming "help" and guess what no one ran to my rescue - there was a couple at the end of the road who just stood and watched. I managed to fend him off and when igot up and walked to the end of the road - the couple asked "are you ok?" I am like "no that bastard tried to mug me" and their reply was "o i thought u were having an argument or playfighting with your boyfriend!" i was like "well why would i scream Help then" and their response was "next time u scream FIRE" the bloody cheek of it. I can tell you i was scared shitless and it made me very cautious of travelling to town on my own.

I am at work - temping as a receptionist at the moment - man life sucks - i am not doing anything challenging - its killing my brain cells.

Take care,

Tx

Low crime doesn't mean no crime.

2007-01-15T15:10:00.000Z

This is what the slogan reads for a community ad against crime. Today was a dreadful day. My office got burglared over the weekend, the theives taking with them a loot of 3 brand new macbooks, a g5 monitor, thumbdrives with confidential files and our client's prototypes. it was a nightmare. I am still traumatised and in shock, things like this don't happen in Singapore. As my icelandic friend who visited last week commented "u know the book brave new world? your country is exactly like the utopia he described." And really, her description isn't so far off.

Judging from the way the police had handled the matter- very inexperiencedly of course. And my years of watching CSI told me they could do much better. However, such crimes are uncommon here in my country and I suppose the police don't know any better how to handle such situations.

I am currently reading some interesting books: 2 chinese contemporary fiction "A thousand years of good prayers by Li yi yun", " The picador book of contemporary chinese fiction" and "ugly" by constance briscoe. My bad habit of reading many books simultaneously and the inevitable moments of plot mix-ups. In a way, it makes it alot more exciting, but I am guilty of not giving the writers the respect they deserve.

All 3 are wonderful so far. And what's on the shelf for you so far, teresa?

Sorry this post is a little random. It's been raining all day the past week and today was a real trauma. I was upset when i had to deal with such siutations in italy, but somehow here in singapore, i never could imagine it happening.

well, once bitten twice shy. i wont take safety for granted in this country anymore.

Asia is the new goldmine

2007-01-09T08:09:00.000Z

Hello Teresa! Welcome. Hope u feel better. I am also nursing an 'upper respiratory tract infection' that i caught in vietnam, though i must say a trip to the vietnamese hospital was an eye opener (they were afraid i contracted birdflu) . I think going to prison or the hospital of any country is a bonus experience; that way you really see how the country functions, in times of dire need or some sort of organisation.

I have been to cambodia; I spent 6 weeks in the village working with the children in a village in phnom penh, teaching english through speech and drama when i quit my first job. That was an amazing experience and of course i made the mandatory visit to siem reap to see the fabled Angkor Wat.

In a way, im envious of your lifestyle, but it's lovely to have dreams and believe in them. Unfortunately, in practical materialistic Asia, you just get laughed at and discouraged. And i empathise, i live in candy cane nation where girls usually don't go beyond UK size 6. I am struggling with my weight issues having lived blissfully and carefreely in italy the last year enjoying the best cuisine.

LOL 'gawi mui'. My brother works in hongkong and loves it there. Infact he works alot less than he does in Singapore. I got used to being called a 'lao wai' (foreigner in mandarin) while i was in china working on an editorial project doing interviews and translations for colors magazine.

In many ways, i lust for the western models of democracy and liberation, yet at the same time, I'd retain all of my conservative asian values. I hope to begin my new life in china in a matter of time. Chinese contemporary art, for one, i find very inspiring, very conceptual, tongue in cheek and so so clever. Considering their cultural and historical baggage, they've really come a long way and i would love the opportunity to live and work there and be part of their 'progression'. As my italian friend commented 'asia is the new gold mine. everyone wants to go to asia these days.' i can't agree more with him.

In the meantime, I'll lie still and work a job I don't mind doing and continue with my own non commerical writing projects. My practical self tells me i have to work for money if i were to enjoy certain things in life.

Back to work, after skiving for un petit moment.

here's my 1st post again ....just in case u missed it

2007-01-08T13:23:00.000Z

Hey hey this is my 1st blog....
Merry christmas everyone...i can't believe i have actually agreed to writing a blog because i hate writing ...or rather i am rubbish at it. I've never been one to write a diary so this is completely new to me. First let me apologise for my poor English and grammar.

So how have u all spent ur Xmas? loads of turkey? Well mine was spent with my head over the toilet bowl...no I wasn't sick from alcohol but had a bout of food poisoning - at one point i thought my stomach was gonna pop out - not nice at all - but i can safely say i have fully recovered.

Let me tell you a bit about myself...i am a BBC no not the tv station but a British Born Chinese who lives in London. Spent 5 years of my life working in HK after graduating from Uni and all i can say is that i wish i came home early. Everyone is so materialistic out there. Did my head in. Currently i freelance in TV - trying to make it as a TV presenter or host (depending which country you're from) also work in TV production. Its a tough old world as you never know when you are in or out of a job. Get fed up of people asking me "when am i gonna get a proper job?" To tell you the truth - I've had tonnes of proper jobs and i get bored of them too easily. I can't think of anything worse then sitting behind a desk all day doing the same job over and over and over again...you get my point? Of course i would like a steady income but I guess you can't have eveything.

Christmas in the UK is pretty boring - nothing is open and tv is sh*t. Hopefully 2007 will be nice and bright and a whole lot better.

Wishing you all a fantastic 2007...may you all get everything you wish for.

Love Tx

Sun Neen Fai Lok!!!!

2007-01-08T13:12:00.000Z

Yo yo yo...

For some strange reason i can't read my 1st blog...am I a blog looney??? actually don't answer that question.

Well i have pretty much had 3 weeks off - not intentionally mind you but its the nature of being a freelance and trying to break into the media world. Its tough, so many people want to do it and so few jobs.

Juliana, you're right... i had the whole identity crisis thing going on when i worked in HK for 5 years...chinese poeple regarded me as a "gwai mui" and westerners saw me as a chinese girl...so i pretty much ended up with no friends ...cue the music. Ok i am exaggerating a bit ...but did feel slightly isolated. Sometimes I wished i wasn;t so stubborn and came home earlier but i wanted to prove a point. I chose to go to HK to work after Uni as i really wanted to become a HK actress...only to find that when i went there it was mega materialistic and unless you are a beauty pagent queen you're not gonna get anywhere...another thing is all the girls are tiny ...no t*ts or a*se and chinese poeple are not shy about telling you to your face that you are FAT...so damn rude.

I love travelling and have been to Vietnam. So many countries to see in the world and so little money. You're so lucky to have a good job. You see, i can;t do an office job and my only passion is TV/Film, but its so damn difficult. Everyone asks me why i still do it as i am forever poor. But i say i would rather be poor and content then rich and bored sh*tless.

I would recommend Cambodia for a holiday destination, its a beautiful country and i had a whale of a time.

Currently i am snuggled up in bed with a hot lemsip. I've managed to get a cold over the weekend. I blame my boyfriend for passing it on to me. But thank god i am a girl as if i was a bloke i am sure i will be whinging 50 times more then i am now.

Its cold here but overall its been a pretty mild winter.

Hope you're having a nice day back at work...dont work too hard.

Tx

Back to routine

2007-01-08T12:56:00.000Z

It's the second week at work and I'm just trying to get back into routine and the swing of things, more late nights and impossible deadlines. However, if I didn't have the job, I wouldn't have the finances to do any travelling- the thing I love doing most.

This year, I've decided to learn a new language, Spanish and learn to Salsa, which might be a mean feat as I have two left feet and absolutely no sense of coordination. Nonetheless, I'm up for new challenges.

I hope you're having a more exciting time in the UK Teresa as your job scope sounds alot more exciting than my churning out run of the mill ad campaigns and direct mailers.

Have a good week everyone!

The past few days have been scorching hot which is surprising for the monsoon season.

I'm here as well, finally.. kick starting 2007

2007-01-03T16:07:00.000Z

Apologies to the late start on blogging. I had been in Vietnam backpacking for the last 2 weeks, mainly because I really needed to detox from routine.

I spent christmas in a valley of Sapa, the north of vietnam, getting drunk on home made rice wine and learning how to count and sing Black Hmong (ethnic minority) songs from my guide. And a new year's eve was spent in Hanoi with a bunch of revellers from everywhere. We don't celebrate christmas at home and it's merely a commercial affair and another excuse to party, so I took off on the 20th december for some adventures in vietnam.

So, I'm a copywriter, born and bred in Singapore. I turn 26 in about 3months (yikes!). I majored in theatre and european literature, am proficient in french and speak italian badly. I just returned from a year stint in Italy at Fabrica, Benetton's Research and Communication centre. I was awarded a scholarship in the creative writing department where I was very fortunate to meet other young creatives from the world over and collaborate on all sorts of projects; stuffing my face with the most delicious italian cuisine, working it all off by biking through the countryside everyday.

New year resolutions? None. Though I am considering a move to shanghai. I feel in a strangely awkward position
given how China is growing, I speak mandarin as well as the dialect cantonese. I am a western educated individual brought up with pendantic values. Do you share the same displacement, teresa? I did a google on your name (oh the power of internet!) and found a bbc video clip of you hosting the programme. it's brilliant!

Happy new year to all!

Love from rainy monsoon singapore.

Welcome

2006-03-07T12:31:00.001Z

Welcome to the 121 blog website.