Friday, July 31, 2009
Hong Kong, China SAR, 23-26 Jul 2009: Food Chronicle
Eats, Shoots & Leaves
Was in HK for another whirlwind meeting. Checked in at the Sheraton, Tsim Sha Tsui. Went for midnight rice porridge meal near Woo Sung Road. Followed by cold red bean soup. Next day, had after-meeting dinner with friends at Sheraton's Celestial Court. Dinner set comprised Peking Duck, Sharks' Fin Soup, Stir-fried Prawns & Scallops, Steamed Grouper, Lobster Noodles, Braised Beancurd Skin & Bakchoi, Mango Dessert. Went to the Peak that night. Dessert supper at Sweet Dynasty. Lantau Island excursion on the third day. Visited Great Bronze Buddha and Po Lin Temple. Entrance fee HKD 23 included free vegetarian snack - incredible deal. Returned to HK Island, checked into midlevels hotel. Dinner at Tsui Wah Canteen, on famous food street, Wellington Road. Delicious Wonton Noodle Soup plus Crispy Fried Prawn Noodles. Herbal Turtle Jelly supper, at Wanchai. Last day, Yum Cha breakfast at Kin Heung Restaurant - feisty waiters scurriedly refilled mugs of bitter tea, while venerable aunties hawked dim sum in pushcarts. Before leaving HK, had Beef Ramen at HK airport. Great with smooth Bubble Milk Tea. |
Friday, October 03, 2008
Shanghai, China, 25-28 Sep 2008: Street Food
Cheap & Good
In Shanghai for a short trip. The street food is great, and prices are really kind to the wallet. My favourites are juicy Xiaolongbao and Shengjian - steamed and pan-fried versions of pork-filled dumplings. My best XLB experience was eating 32 of them at the Nanxiang Mantou shop in Yuyuan, Shanghai Old Town. There is invariably a long queue at the takeout counter of the famous shop. The counter cooks efficiently toss baskets of XLB into paper cardboard trays for the eagerly waiting and hungry customers. The queue moves relatively fast, but is interrupted by 10 to 15 minute spells of agonizing wait as fresh batches of XLB are steamed. Dining in the restaurant offers more variety, but at much higher prices. Wujiang Road, near Nanjing West Road, has a busy food street. Crowds form quickly at 2 popular stalls - Xibeilang Barbecue Shop and Xiao Yang Fried Dumplings. The barbecue meat is spicy and deliciously moist. Yang's Fried Dumplings, Shengjian, are said to be Shanghai's best. Prepared fresh, the hot juicy soup filling bursts out unexpectedly as you take the first bite. I squirted some on my shirt. However the taste more than compensates for the minor sartorial mishap. |
Friday, April 25, 2008
Berlin, Germany, 11-15 Oct 2006: Pergamon Museum
Processional Way & Ishtar Gate
  New Year Feast Day, 200 BC. Ancient Babylonians parade on the Processional Way towards the Ishtar Gate. Fortress walls surround the city, towering on the left and right: a sea of cobalt glazed tiles punctuated every few feet with menacing growling lions. Both were built during Nebuchadnezzar II's reign, c. 600 BC. In the 1930s, German archaeologists at Berlin's Pergamon Museum completed a reconstruction of these structures using tons of fragments excavated in Iraq. |
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Labels: antiquity, architecture, art, Berlin, Germany
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Chicago, USA, 28 Mar-2 Apr 2008: Art Institute
Pictures at an Exhibition
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 7-9 Mar 2008: Petronas Twin Towers
Dare To Dream
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| In KL over the weekend of the Malaysian General Elections on 8th March. It is an unusually quiet and tense Saturday night. The ruling party BN goes on to lose 5 states, their heaviest loss in nearly 4 decades. A resounding nay to racial politics. Oblivious to the burgeoning tumult, we dine at the kitschy Saloma Bistro, Jalan Ampang, near the Petronas Towers. Stolidly statuesque in the daytime, the twin towers - joined by a skybridge - acquire a steely opalescence when lit at night. Almost too beautiful. Gazing at the towers, time stands still. Notwithstanding their controversial birth, these grand dames have become transfigured as iconic symbols of the capital. Perennial beacons. Solemn witnesses to the winds of change sweeping the peninsula. |
Labels: architecture, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Monday, March 10, 2008
Beijing, China, 2 Mar 2008: The Great Wall DIY
To Badaling By Public Bus
I was determined to visit the Great Wall on this, my third business trip to Beijing. Discouraged by horror tales of tours with time-wasting (and expensive) shopping stops, Joey and I decided (or rather I decided and Joey, suffering an impending flu attack and bravely battling the cold weather, reluctantly followed) to take the public bus to Badaling. It is possible, and in fact rather easy, to do-it-yourself. Here's how: 1. Take the subway to the Line 2 stop, Jishuitan (2RMB). Get out via exit B. 2. Either walk about 10 minutes to Deshengmen (you should be able to see this large fortified ancient gate structure, much like the Qianmen, in the distance) or take a short 3-minute 10RMB taxi ride (inform the driver you are going to Badaling). Ignore the modern bus terminus building along the way. 3. Join the queue for the large green and white long-distance 919 public bus. Check with the driver or conductor that the bus goes to Badaling (if necessary, print out the Chinese script 八达岭). Some 919 buses go only to Yanqing - a town just short of Badaling (why the bus company does not use another number is unfathomable). To add to the confusion, there are other city 919 buses that do not go to Badaling - these start from the afore-mentioned bus terminus. Ignore these. 4. There are express and regular 919 buses to Badaling. The former does not stop along the way, takes less than an hour for the journey, and are all scheduled to depart Deshengmen station before 1130h. The latter takes about 1.5 hours, making several stops along the way, but runs throughout the day. The fare should cost 12RMB on either bus. 5. The buses may depart from the bus bay behind Deshengmen, or from one across the road. Go up the bus to ask the driver or conductor. Do not worry if you miss the bus. There should be 2 or 3 departures every hour. 6. DO NOT BELIEVE ANYONE who tells you there are no more buses to Badaling. They are private bus or taxi touts who want to part you with your RMB. These cheats quote exorbitant fares (e.g. 80 RMB return on a bus). Sometimes, instead of Badaling, you may be brought to Juyongguan, a small Disney castle-like section of the Great Wall between Yanqing and Badaling, without the grand sweeping vista of the latter). Worse, the driver may demand more fare midway through the journey. DO NOT BELIEVE the officials at the information counter also (I suspect they are in on the conspiracy with the touts). BELIEVE ONLY the bus driver and/or conductor on the bus. 7. Be prepared for very crowded buses. It should not be a problem getting seats from Deshengmen, but the bus will be VERY packed on the return trip (at least until Yanqing) as the bus will have picked up passengers from stops farther than Badaling. 8. The last bus leaves Badaling station for Beijing at 1730h. Allow 2 to 3 hours for the Great Wall, and try to avoid rushing for the last bus. (I left Deshengmen at 1300h and returned by 1900h.) Again, DO NOT BELIEVE ANYONE who tells you there are no more buses back. The entrance fee for the Badaling Great Wall is 40RMB. It takes 2 to 3 hours to scale and descend from Haohancheng, the peak of the North Wall (880m above sea level, the 8th of 12 tower stations along this stretch). The South Wall is shorter but steeper in parts, and therefore less popular. While the Badaling Great Wall has been extensively reconstructed (unlike the raw wilderness at sections of the Great Wall at Simatai and Mutianyu), the grand expanse of the wall snaking up and down the surrounding rolling hills is nevertheless breathtaking. The ascent (and descent) requires considerable stamina. If fitness is an issue or time is limited, consider taking the cable car ride (40RMB singe or 60RMB return, last ride at 1600h) to the peak at the 8th station of the North Wall. The cable car entrance is different from the Great Wall entrance (about 1000m apart) - just follow the signs. There are more subway lines being built. By the Summer Olympic Games 2008, there should be a subway stop at the Badaling Express Bus Station (as well as another stop at the Summer Palace). Hopefully, the journey to Badaling will be less traumatic - if only they can clamp down on the scams. |
Labels: antiquity, architecture, Beijing, China, nature, transport, trekking
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Beijing, China, 29 Feb-2 Mar 2008: 老百姓
Common Folk
Less than 6 months to the Summer Olympic Games, Beijing is a hive of construction activities. In the Forbidden Palace, scaffoldings clad the 3 Great Halls, and modern slate tiles replaces uneven stone slabs gouged out from the ancient hallowed squares. Large parts of the traditonal Dazhalan quarters near Qianmen and hutongs adjacent to Wangfujing Street have been systematically torn down, their detritus shielded by giant billboards promising urban revitalization of meretricious appeal. The hoi polloi, 老百姓 Lao Bai Xing, soldier on bravely, immutable in the sea of change swirling around them. Guards at the Forbidden Palace shout at tourists who linger too long on the bridges leading to the south entrance. Hungry customers jostle to buy their lunch orders of steamed buns Xiao Long Bao. Intrepid office workers brave the jungle of commuters on the subway and public buses. Brusque security guards patrol the busy warrens of shops selling luxury knockoffs in the Silk Street Bazaar. Life goes on. Amid the rush, there is time for reflection. Monks and nuns take in the sights at the Forbidden Palace, sharing in lunchtime victuals on the benches outside Qianqinggong, the Inner Palace. In Beihai Park, enthusiasts huddle together and sing heartily to violin accompaniment on a crisp late winter Friday afternoon. A solitary man carefully wields a large water brush over the pavement, his ephemeral writing drying up and disappearing with the angled rays of the setting sun. |
Labels: Beijing, China, garden, lake, palace, people
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Malaysia, Penang, 17-19 Nov 2007: Living With Thalassaemia
Drugs, Needles & Syringes
Thalassaemia is the commonest gene disorder in the world. In South-East Asia, about 1 in 20 persons carry the genes that can cause the disease. Thalassaemia major occurs when a child inherits affected genes from both parents, who may themselves be healthy carriers. A major thalassaemic suffers severe anaemia and requires  approximately monthly transfusions from infancy. While life-sustaining, cumulative blood transfusions over a prolonged period results in iron deposition in various organs in the body. The iron is toxic, and causes heart, liver and endocrine organ dysfunction. Indeed, heart failure from heart iron overload is the commonest cause of premature death in thalassaemia major.The body is evolutionarily programmed to conserve iron: except for menstrual blood loss, there exists no physiological process to rid the body of excess iron. With regular blood transfusions, many major thalassemics survive childhood only to die from the complications of organ iron overload in their teens and young adulthood. Since the mid 1970s, the iron chelator desferrioxamine has been used to remove excess body iron in thalassaemia major. The drug, which induces negative body iron balance only if given continually throughout life, has to be administered subcutaneously for 8 to 12 hours, at least 5 nights a week. Patients typically start desferrioxamine injections from childhood. Nowadays, there are 2 other iron chelating drugs: deferiprone and deferasirox, both oral drugs. Deferiprone appears to be very good at eluting iron from heart muscle, especially when used in combination with desferrioxamine. A few patients develop dangerously low levels of white blood cells with the drug, which limits its use. Deferasirox is a new oral chelating agent with similar efficacy to parenteral desferrioxamine. It is forbiddingly expensive, and out of the economic reach of most thalassaemia major patients. The Penang Thalassaemia Society is a NGO that is dedicated to promoting the cause of thalassaemia patients in North Malaysia. The committee members comprises patients, parents, medical personnel and other volunteers. Through private charity, it has achieved remarkable success in funding expensive patient treatment: Penang  thalassaemia patients have access to state-of-the-art medical care. Further, the Society organizes camps for patients and families to educate them about the disease and its treatment.I attended the 11th Penang Thalassaemia Camp on 17-18th Nov 2007, my second time in 2 years. The theme focused on compliance to iron chelation treatment. It was a humbling experience to watch the thalassaemia major patients perform their personal nightly ritual of desferrioxamine injection in a communal setting. For one child, it was the first time the parent learnt to prepare the desferrioxamine solution and inject the drug into the abdomen of the child. For another child, it was to be the first time she injected into herself. Alas, she could not do it at the last minute. Mummy did it for her that night, the nth thousandth time. There will always be tomorrow. |
Labels: friends, Malaysia, Penang, people
Sunday, November 11, 2007
London, United Kingdom, 16-20 Nov 2006: Bassae Frieze
Amazonomachy & Centauromachy
The Temple of Apollo Epikourios the Helper/Saviour) was built as a thanksgiving to Apollo for deliverance from a plague in c 430 BC. Ictinus, architect of the  Parthenon, probably worked on this temple before the Parthenon. Sited in the small state of Phigaleia (Arcadia, Peloponnese) in the remote Arcadian hills, at 3710ft on a narrow terrace of Mt Kotilion, and surrounded by ravines (bassai), its inaccessibility helped preserve much of the temple (lost until 1765 AD) from marauders.The temple is renowned for its single remarkable Corinthian column, the earliest known specimen in ancient Greece, as well as the Bassae Frieze. The Frieze, now in the British Museum in London, originally lined the inner walls of the temple, perched high on columns 7 metres above ground near to the ceiling. Despite the high relief, the sculptures could not have been well seen. When found, the 23 slabs of  marble were lying in confusion amid rubble. The actual sequence of the placement of the individual segments of the Frieze is uncertain.The Frieze depicts 2 battles: the Amazonomachy and the Centauromachy. The Amazons were a mighty race of valiant women warriors. They fought fearlessly against the Greeks (led by Herakles?). The Centaurs were invited guests of the Lapiths at a wedding feast. Feted by wine, their wild nature surfaced. After one Centaur attempted to ravage the bride, fighting broke out between the Centaurs and their Lapith hosts. The overarching theme in both sequences is the struggle between Civilization (the Greeks and the Lapiths) and barbarous Nature (the Amazons and Centaurs). |
Labels: antiquity, London, museum, sculpture, United Kingdom
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Berlin, Germany, 11-15 Oct 2006: Pergamon Altar
Gigantomachy & Telephos Frieze
Pergamonmuseum was built to house the amazing marbles excavated from the site of the Zeus Altar in present-day Bergama, Turkey. The Pergamon Altar consists of an enormous outer frieze and an inner smaller frieze that surrounds the altar proper. The outer frieze depicts the  Gigantomachy: the epic war between the Giants (many of whom have animal attributes) and the Gods on Mount Olympus. The inner frieze relates the story of Telephos, legendary founder of Pergamon, and son of demigod Herakles and Auge.Gigantomachy. At nearly 120m long, this huge frieze surrounds the four sides of the base of the altar. The East Frieze features the major Gods, culminating in the battles between lightning bolt-wielding Zeus and Porphyrion, and powerful Athena and Alkyoneous, leader of the Giants.  Alkyoneous is unceremoniously plucked from the grasp of his mother, Gaea, from whom the Giant draws strength and sustenance. The West Frieze opens up to a broad staircase that leads to the Altar.Telephos Frieze. The frieze is the earliest known extant specimen of narrative sculpture. King Aleus, fearing the prophecy that his future grandson shall overthrow him, commits his daughter Auge to virginal priestesshood. She attracts Herakles and bears him a son, Telephos. Her father casts her out to sea in a boat, and abandons her son to the elements. She is  rescued by King Teuthras in Mysia, while her son is discovered and protected by Herakles. Telephos grows up, finds his way to Mysia, where he distinguishes himself in battle and is rewarded by King Teuthras. He eventually succeeds the king. As ruler of Mysia, he fights against the Greeks, who are sailing to Troy to wrest Helen back from Paris. Inflicted with a non-healing wound by Achilles, he seeks help from the sibyl Clytemnestera. She advises him to kidnap her only son Orestes, in order to pressure Agamemnon, the boy's father, into persuading Achilles to heal his wound, thus fulfilling the prophecy, "He that wounded shall also heal." Achilles is however no Asklepios. Odysseus correctly guesses that it is Achilles' sword, not his person, that will do the healing. His wound cured, Telephos went on to guide the Greek contingent to Troy. |
 Gigantomachy:Alkyoneous-Athena-Gaea-Nike group, East Frieze |
Labels: antiquity, Berlin, Germany, history, museum, sculpture
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Berlin, Germany, 11-15 Oct 2006: Neighbourhoods & Buildings
Neoclassic East & Postmodern West
Berlin sprawls: a giant city of several distinct boroughs. Since the fall of the Wall, the city centre moved to the historic heart of the German capital, Mitte. Former decaying eastern  districts have received much-need rejuvenation. Hip Prenzlauer Berg has become a trendy residential area with eclectic restaurants and a lively bar scene.Unter den Linden, the main thoroughfare of former East Berlin, runs westward from Alexanderplatz (with Swedish-made Cold War icon, Fernsehturm or TV Tower) to Brandenburg Tor. Museumsinsel (Museum Island) is the crown jewel of this tree-lined avenue, containing within the compact Spree Island, the exuberantly baroque Berliner Dom (fronting the Lustgarten) and five world-class museums, including Altes Museum (which houses the Egyptian Museum) and the august Ziggurat-inspired Pergamon Museum. The famous quadriga-topped Brandenburg Tor on Pariserplatz marks the margin of the former Berlin Wall. During the Cold War, West Berlin underground trains run through heavily-guarded Geisterbahnhöfe,  ghost stations: passengers did not get off, or on. Französischer Dom and Deutscher Dom are found in nearby Gendarmenmarkt.The green expanse of Tiergarten stretches to the west of Brandenburg Tor. The Berlin Philharmonic and several museums (e.g. Gemäldegalerie) comprising the Kulturforum, are sited here. Imposing silhuoettes of modern edifices and skyscrapers at Potsdamer Platz create a stark juxtaposition to the adjacent horizontal spread of Mitte architecture. Sited in the former West Berlin, the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche (Emperor William Memorial Church) in Kurfürstendamm and Libeskind-designed Jewish Museum are poignant sobre reminders of the city's war past and the Jewish Holocaust. |
Labels: architecture, Berlin, Germany, museum
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Bali, Indonesia, 18-23 Apr 2007: Island Escape
South To North & Back Again
Had to give a lecture in Nusa Dua, a tourist development of 5-star hotels at the southern tip of Bali, about 20 minutes from Denpasar airport. Stayed at Nusa Dua Beach Hotel, which offered dual advantages of beautifully-decorated grounds and close proximity to the conference venue. Spent the first night finishing up the presentation. The talk went off reasonably well the next morning, no difficult questions (relief). Had dinner of traditional Balinese fare in Kuta. After that, it was to Hard Rock Cafe for drinks and then the Bounty disco. (Dinesh, Bali veteran, led the way.) Next afternoon, joined a tour to Pura Taman Ayun (a temple complex in Mengwi) and Tanah Lot. Memorable dinner in Tanah Lot, at a restaurant on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Indian Ocean. To Kuta again in the evening. Ubud beckoned. Checked out of hotel. Took a USD 30 1-hour plus cab ride there. Heavy rain in Ubud, cleared shortly after I arrived. Searched for losmen along Jalan Kajeng, where budget lodgings congregate. Found one with the help of driver, Rojas: USD 7 per night in a hut with fan and attached shower (no hot water) and toilet, including breakfast! Brief unpacking. Lunch of barbecued suckling pig in a roadside restaurant nearby. Rented a bicycle, and cycled around the town. Saw Ubud Market, the Art Zoo (on the road to Campuhan), Monkey Forest, etc. Hired a car and driver (USD 35) for the next day. First to Yeh Panas, a hot spring, along the way to Gunung Batukau. The latter is a sacred mountain whose domed top resembles an inverted coconut half from far. There were several worshippers performing cremation ceremony at Pura Luhur Batukau: it was a propitious day for cremation. After Gunung Batukau, it was a circuitous drive along small winding dirt roads to Jatiluwih. Had lunch at Cafe Jatiluwih, surrounded by incomparable views of rice terraces in subtly shifting shades of emerald. (The volcanic soil in Bali being so fertile, rice is harvested continually throughout the year.) After lunch, it was off to Pacung, then Bedugul. Bedugul is Muslim country in the north of predominantly Hindu Bali. Temperature dips a few degrees here. Serene Lake Bratan and Pura Ulun Danu Bratan offered a cool and refreshing respite. Before making way back south, stopped at Gitgit Multi-tier Waterfall. Swam. Stopped at Campuhan just before Ubud. Pura Gunung Lebah. Got back to Jalan Kajeng losmen around 5pm. Showered. Searched for restaurant. Got lucky: sublime dinner of nasi, fish pepes, Balinese salad and sauces (USD 3.50) at a restaurant along Monkey Forest Road. Back to the losmen, my last night in Bali. The owners were preparing offerings for the next morning. A reassuring permanence in a changing world. Gitgit Multi-tier Waterfall |
Labels: Bali, nature, waterfall
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These are the 30 countries that I have ever set foot on. Airport stopovers don't count!
