*dimsumdolly* - the different morsels of the life of a foodie

Flash Mob In Sydney

I was waiting to meet a friend for lunch in Martin Place, Sydney, when I walked into a flash mob at 12.40pm on Tuesday 24 June. Martin Place is part of the commercial district and it was so weird to see a group of people freezing in motion for five minutes. Anyway, it was quite amusing to me. It was like being caught in some twilight zone. Rather surreal.

Kiss & Ride

This sign post was outside Epping train station in Sydney. I found the term 'Kiss & Ride' very amusing and couldn't help but take a picture of it.

Geisha Sightings

My friends and I were lucky to spot four geishas when we went to Kiyomizudera in Kyoto. The poor geishas were waylaid by so many tourists as they were making their way up to the temple to pray. But they were really patient and accommodating, and obliged every person who wanted to pose for a photo with them. I think if they charged 100 yen for every posed photo, they could make a substantial amount just by doing that!

Go here to learn more about geishas.

Christkindlmarkt Snapshots

It's a bit late, but I thought I'd just put up some shots I took of the Christmas markets in Germany. As far as Christmas markets go, I don't think anyone does it better than the Germans.

The stalls sell lovely handcrafted Christmas ornaments and mingling with all the people out doing their Christmas shopping is quite a joy. Typical food being sold at the Christmas markets are caramalised nuts, Glühwein (hot spiced wine) in special Christmas cups which you can keep if you don't want to get back your deposit of 2.50 euros, crepes (sweet and savoury), sausages, Christmas cookies and chocolate-coated fruits like strawberries, bananas and grapes.

I went to the Christkindlmarkts in München (Munich), Nürnberg, Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Würzburg. The one in Nürnberg is biggest and most famous, but seriously after you see one, you see all.

Cookies galore

Handcrafted wooden toys

A stall selling Christmas ornaments

More Christmas decorations

Bratapfels (roasted apples)

One of many creperies

The crowds at the Christkindlmarkt at the Marienplatz, München.

New-born Lamb

On my first morning at the farm, I was pleasantly surprised to find a new-born when I went to the sheep pen. Usually lambs aren't born at the end of the year, but there's a horny male sheep (named 'Jackomino' aka Little Jack in English) which is sowing his wild oats whenever he gets the chance. The male and female sheep aren't separated, you see.

When I first got to the pen, I didn't actually spot the lamb. What I first saw was blood on the mother's legs and I was thinking, oh my god, what happened??? Then my eye glanced towards the right, and there I saw this baby lamb still wet from the amniotic fluid and I saw the placenta lying near to it. You can see it in the photo if you look closely enough (middle bottom).

A close-up of the new-born lamb still having its eye closed. It's so sweet, isn't it? This one has some spots on its body...just like its mum!

The mother nudges the lamb to get up. It was really very cold, and the lamb was lying so still for a long time that for a few moments I actually thought it was dead...frozen to death!

But thankfully, the lamb was a healthy one and its mother didn't reject it. Soon, it was up walking and suckling milk from its mother's udders.

More sheep tales to come.

Mountains Beyond

Beyond the farm are the lovely Italian Alps which serve as a lovely backdrop to the surroundings. It's usually foggy in that region and I was lucky to have been able to enjoy some sunny and clear days at the farm even though it was very cold!

Devil's Dyke

On Sunday, we decided to take it a little easier by going up to Devil’s Dyke for a picnic. This time it was just Olduvai and myself as Yukiko had a lunch appointment. So us two gourmets trotted off to the supermarket and got some food for our picnic.

Then we took Bus 77, an open top bus, to our destination! The open top buses are used only in summer and what a treat it was! I felt like I was going on a tour! I love feeling the wind in my face and the sun on my skin in such glorious weather!

For our picnic, we had a baguette, Stilton cheese, green grapes, roast chicken drumsticks, salad, two apples, and tuna pasta with butter beans (made by Olduvai). OK, we didn’t eat ALL of it – as much as we would have liked to, we couldn’t! And of course we didn’t dump the food – we had other uses for them, details of which will appear in the next post. Anyway, we also bought the Observer – the Sunday edition of the Guardian, a newspaper we both hold in high regard for its quality of writing – for our reading pleasure up on the Dyke.

The views we were accorded of the West Sussex countryside were gorgeous! Cows and sheep dotted the green open pastures that spread for miles below us. There were other holiday makers there as well to enjoy the fresh air and beautiful scenery. But there was enough space for everyone without it feeling too claustrophobic.

There were many people paragliding and Zorbing there as well. It was fun watching the paragliders take off and land. The one I photographed here was rather inexperienced, and once airborne, didn’t quite know how to catch the wind to stay high in the sky. He gradually went farther and farther down and ended up right smack in the middle of a farm down below. Poor guy. We wondered how he was going to make his way up again!

A herd of free-ranging black cows were grazing close by and two got up close and personal with some of the people. I had never come so close to cows before. But I didn’t really want to touch them as they were very dirty! Their faces were full of snot and there were so many flies buzzing around them! I’m not that into bovine creatures anyway, except when they're on the dinner table. Hee.

Anyway, a very lovely afternoon spent in quiet and soul-nourishing surroundings.

Beachy Head Coastal Walk

Got my fix of countryside and exercise! I hate not being to do much outdoor stuff in London. But thankfully last weekend I managed to get my fix at Beachy Head. Olduvai, her friend Yukiko and I did a long coastal walk from Beachy Head to South Downs. We walked for a good 12.8km along the towering chalk cliffs that hug the southeastern coast of the UK and were treated to fantastic views of the sea shimmering in the sunlight, undulating green fields, and open fields where cows and sheep grazed. LOVED IT.

Had a pub lunch before the long walk. The gigantic guiness, steak and mushroom pie was fantastic! I've been eating way too many pies in the UK for my own good. This pie was made with shortcrust pastry - that's the way I like my pies to be made!

Then one of the waitresses came round with a whole plethora of sauces and dips. I was very thrilled. Haha. I went for the mustard seeds, some mint sauce and some chutney. OK, doesn't really go but just felt like something sweet. I wished I could have tried a bit of everything though!

Beachy Head Lighthouse

Wind-swept flowers

Along the way at Birling Gap, I treated myself to ice cream. Heehee.

We started way beyond what you can see from this photo. We were dog tired at the end of the day, but what a fantastic day it was!

Finally we reach the South Downs where other walkers are heading to their cars and for us, the bus to take us back to Brighton.

Saw a green phone booth near the bus stop at South Downs. Was amused 'cos it's the only green one I've seen so far in the UK!

Greenwich Market Food Stalls

While at Greenwich on Saturday, I popped into Greenwich Market to have a look. The small market has stalls selling arts and craft, pottery, clothes, jewellery, bags, and other interesting knick-knacks. There is also a small food section where I'm always happen to stumble upon!

Bread from local bakeries

Caribbean cuisine

Homemade jams and vinegar

Brazilian desserts

Delicious cakes

Antipasti

Wild mushrooms

Portuguese delights

Winehouse Wannabe

Spotted this Amy Winehouse wannabe at Greenwich on Saturday complete with the beehive hair, cat's eye make-up and vintage wear. It was bizarre. Couldn't really take a better shop as she was literally just in front of me and I couldn't make it too obvious that I was photographing her!

The Brits have a really unhealthy and disturbing obsession with their celebs. Every day in the free tabloids, I'll be reading about Amy Winehouse, Pete Doherty (the loser that Kate Moss dated), Mischa Barton (so bland and boring), Sienna Miller (whose claim to fame is probably only by dating famous men - she looks so ordinary!), and Posh & Becks who are possibly the most annoying ones of all. Like can't Posh stop pouting for once?

And oh, there's also the never ending reality series Big Brother which is so dumb. It's the first time I've ever watched it, and one episode was more than enough for me. It's ridiculous and downright boring watching all these dumb contestants. One of them fashions herself after - of all the people in the world to choose from - Victoria Beckham aka Posh Spice. This contestant is the most earnest wannabe I've ever seen. So earnest that it comes across at pathetic with her attempts to emulate her idol in everything from her looks, hairstyle, clothes and accessories. Very disturbing.

But hey, it makes for interesting fodder and sights for the rest of us.

Moroccans

Three girls sitting in front of the entrance of a mosque in Tanger, Morocco. I like the expressions on their faces. There were many children running around in the narrow lanes of the old town called the Casbah. Most people living there were living in very poor conditions. The buildings were really old and not well maintained, but there was a lot of character in these old streets. Lots to explore...like a real labyrinth. You'll come across small bakeries, grocery stores, tailors, pottery shops, etc.

The poorer families still had to take water from a public tap! It's been so long since I travelled to a country which has people still doing this.

Morocco definitely deserves a whole trip in itself to explore the country. Just a day-trip to Tanger only scrapes the top of the iceberg.

I went on a day-tour which was filled with Americans. A few Americans is fine. But a busload full of them is too hard to take! But I wouldn't recommend doing it without a tour anyhow. Seriously, the Casbah is a labyrinth. There weren't any street signs at all. Without a local guide, you'll be sure to lose your way!

All-Day Breakfasts

You've gotta hand it to the Spanish – I just had to stifle a giggle when I saw the sign "Breakfast 9.30 – 20.00". By 20.00 I'm already ready for dinner! Although of course one of the hardest thing about holidaying in Spain is having to readjust my stomach clock. Dinner only starts at 9pm earliest! At 12mn there are still people queuing up to eat at the restaurants!

Colour Coordinated

I love it when people pay attention to detail when it comes to colour aesthetics. The people in this apartment building in Mijas are certainly very agreeable on colour scheme!

Flowers Galore!

I think London is prettiest at this time of the year...the parks' trees are lush with green foliage and the flowers are all showing themselves off in their full glory. It's absolutely gorgeous! Here are some pictures I took in Regent's Park two weeks ago.

Some of the roses had delightful names!

View from Surfers Paradise

My teammates and I stayed in a two-bedroom apartment at Surfers Paradise and we were treated to splendid views of the beach from our apartment. We were absolutely thrilled at the view upon entering the apartment! We couldn't ask for more!

We raced past this part of the Gold Coast at some point in the race.

Two other teammates and I woke up one morning at 5am to catch the sunrise. It was absolutely beautiful as the sun rose up from the horizon. Some surfers were already out at the beach catching the waves. There were also some joggers. I went for a jog later as well and ran for about 5km up and down the coast. It's really lovely jogging along the beach and hearing the waves lapping onto shore! Who needs an iPod with such lovely sounds???

The seagulls were also up early walking along the shore. Cute little footprints, heh?

My teammate took a silhouette of me as I stood there watching the sunrise in a pensive (and rather sleepy) mood.

Sakuras

It's spring time and the cherry blossoms are in bloom! No, I didn't go to Japan, unfortunately. This picture was taken about three weeks ago, when I was in Beijing for work. Strange that there were no pink cherry blossoms, only white ones. But there were pretty pink plum blossoms in the park too!

Anyway, dear readers, I'll be away for two weeks on a much-needed vacation. Off to China. Yes, OK, it's a little mad to go back to China again, as if I don't have enough of it at work. But it's a vacation and I'm going to different cities. Hopefully I'll also have some interesting food adventures! :)

Pictures from Penang

The race site

Dragonboats in action. The blue tent you see in the floating in the middle is the judges' stand at the finishing line. The three black boats right at the back are the race marshalls who also act as judges as the race is progressing. One thing they look out for is that the drummer of each boat is actively drumming the drum.

For some reason, the race officials insisted on this even though no one can hear the drumming sounds when the spectators are so far away! We rowers never take note of the drumming as well. When we row, it's like all noise is blocked out from our heads except for the voice of the coxswain and just concentrating on following the pace of the strokes of the front pair.

à la Faye Wong

See this?

Now see this!

Actually the blog entry title isn't very accurate. It was Faye Wong who copied that shy, doe-eyed expression from moi! I had perfected that look eons ago! But anyway, thanks to Felix for his help and very deft work with Photoshop, I, DSD, now have my own album cover! He even gave me purple highlights in my flinging hair! See, she even copied my hairstyle. Well, actually this is my second album cover. Remember my first? More accurately, this is my first Chinese album cover! haha! :p

Oh, I just love this!

Room With a View

The view from my hotel room at the HK Gold Coast Hotel. I stayed in Room 1012. Maybe I should go buy 4D for this Wed's draw!

At this very moment, I'm back to a room with NO view--am back in my basement office, in my cubicle and getting ready to start typing the day away what with emails, documents and all.

Another Angle

There's been a few comments about my dismal photography skills. Let me say a few words. Re white balance, frankly I know nuts about adjusting it. I put my Canon IXUS 400 to Auto White Balance so an idiot like me doesn't have to worry about such things.

If my pictures turn out yellowish, then it's because often I don't use a flash as I sometimes find it too obtrusive. The flash also tends to make the picture look rather stark. I prefer the warmer, yellow tones. That's just my preference but to others it's grating on the eye.

As for technicalities like aperture and stuff, I wouldn't claim to know much about it. I'm hopeless with all these. I'll read and then forget about it.

Anyway, Yu Zi commented that he would take the picture I took of my poodle from a different angle. Yu Zi, so you mean something like the one below? I took this shot at the same time I took the first pic.

From your description, it seems like you'd have taken a tighter shot than this, but if you did so, you wouldn't be able to see the person either. Personally, I like the angle in which I've taken the first photo because the curve of the armrest seems to be parallel to the curve of the dog's spine. The picture seems to be divided into thirds because of this. Granted though, the focus was wrong. I have problems with the auto focusing!

And how is that photo below "better" than my food photos?

Comments from others are welcomed too!

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

Pepe, my poodle, getting all comfy lying on my mum's tummy. For some bizarre reason, he got all clingy on Sunday. My mum and I were watching TV, and he comes along insisting on being placed on my mum's lap. When my mum got up from the sofa, he promptly trotted over to me and insisted on climbing onto my lap! Couldn't possibly reject him. He's a sweetie.

Picture Purr-fect

Managed to catch these two cats milling around the cat statues at the Fullerton Hotel end of Cavenagh Bridge. I thought it was quite nice to catch the real and fakes ones together at the same time. My friends and I were walking across Cavenagh Bridge to go to IndoChine for dinner.

My First Lobby

I went to my first lobby, and what's more, it was a gay & lesbian rights lobby! Lobbies are practically non-existent in Singapore, so when Monkey asked me if I would like to join him and his friends at Town Hall on Saturday for the lobby, I decided to tag along to have a look.

From what Monkey and his friends said, that probably wasn't the most inspiring or most boisterous of lobbies and the speakers didn't seemed fired up enough. They were lobbying against John Howard's amendment of the Marriage Act in Australia and how he's using the rights of gays & lesbians as his electoral agenda. Anyhow, that's about what I gathered from what I heard.

It would probably be a million years before the likes of such lobbies happens in Singapore. Any such attempt would probably result in the police coming after you!

After the lobby, I had yumcha with Monkey and two of his friends - His Majesty & The Metrosexual whom Monkey regularly mentions on his blog. They're such lovely people and I'm glad to have met them.

With that lobby and the meetings with Monkey's many friends, I think I'm now qualified to be inducted into the Fagnet Hall of Fame. I want a star on Oxford Street!

Snapshots of Singapore

This has to be the favourite fountain of kids in Singapore. It's the best playground for them at Bugis Junction. The kids take delight in the sprays of water, while the grown-ups look on enviously. I suspect that others, just like me, are living vicariously through the kids - wishing so much that we could turn back time and join in the fun!

A middle-aged Chinese couple were peddling their cute little dough figurines along Orchard Road. Very exquisite don't you think??

Room With A View

The view from my study at 6:30am. Love the pinkish tones.

Singapore Sights

Jewellery boxes being sold at Little India

Leis of flowers at Little India.

Lunch - this is for one person! All three of us had a set each and we were stuffed after that.

Old drink bottles which are not manufactured any more being sold at the Sungei Road flea market.

An old piggy bank. Thought it looked very retro and cute.

Some of the stuff being sold at a quaint little shop along Arab Street. The shop had lots of retro stuff. What a gem of a shop!

Some of the wicker products being sold at Arab Street

My Two Boys

I realised that I've never introduced two of my best friends at home. They're loyal, never argue with me, are always happy to see me and they're the only males who have the privilege of sleeping in the same room as me every night. ;p

Rex - an abandoned collie which my family adopted. My Dad found him wandering around our block. Rex came to us in September 1997. Shortly after my first dog Twiggy, a white poodle, left us after 14.5 years due to old age. It was as if Twiggy led Rex to us to help us ease the pain of losing her.

We bought Pepe (pronounced pare-pee) in May 1998 as we decided that having two dogs would be more fun. He was about 5 months old when this pic was taken. I was sitting on my bed fiddling with my camera when he stood on his hind legs and propped himself up on my bed. I couldn't help but take a shot of him.

Rex and Pepe at play

Pepe loves to crawl under tables and chairs. I guess it gives him a sense of security! Deciding that his little bottom looked cute sticking out of the table in the living room, I took a snapshot of it.

For awhile last year, he was not able to do this as he was injured. In May 2003, he suffered from what is known as Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD), a spinal injury which left him paralysed in his hind legs. It also caused him to lose urinal and bowel control, a condition which has persisted till today. Thankfully, through his own will to live and my parents' tender loving care, he has managed to walk again on all fours. However, he still has a visible limp in his hind legs and it's going to remain so for the rest of his life.

Pepe was sleeping under the dining table (note the legs of the dining chairs) and I wanted to photograph him sleeping. But he was awoken by the click of the camera shutter. Notice him giving me the look.

One of my favourite photos of Rex 'cos he looks like he's smiling for the camera!

Pepe loves to look out from the balcony. Perhaps like many of us, he also wishes to explore the world out there. He's one feisty dog - loves to chase cats, birds and isn't afraid of bigger dogs. In fact, he bullies Rex who's probably like 3 times his size!

Rex usually gives in to his nonsense but once in awhile Rex gets fed up and snaps back. And when Rex snaps back, it's nasty - it's as if he wants to maul Pepe to death. We literally have to yank Rex away from Pepe who's screaming for his life!

I love dogs and they've been so much a part of my life. I've had a dog since I was five and this is a cliché, but they're definitely one of Man's best friends!

Strings

For lack of anything to write, I've decided to put up one of my favourite photographs. I took this photo back in Dec 1998 and it holds a special place in my heart 'cos that was the first time I attempted using black & white film and it was also the first time I operated a fully manual camera. I developed this particular roll of film in the darkroom and printed the photos myself. It was good fun.

Developing and printing photos in the darkroom is an amazing experience. I feel like a scientist when developing my own prints. Measuring out the correct volume of chemicals and getting them to the correct temperature, making sure that the roll of film is left in the developer for the correct amount of time, and remembering to put the stopbath etcetc. But the best part is the moment when you see the image appearing miraculously on paper. Anyway, I haven't done that in a long while. Miss it.

The piano was a very lovely grand piano belonging to a good friend. Hmm....I miss tinkling on the ivories now.

Art Museum

Decided to go arty-farty with a trip to the Singapore Art Museum (SAM)yesterday. My good friend Desiree, was doing her rounds as a volunteer docent so I decided to go on her guided tour as I haven't stepped foot into the SAM for about a year. Oh, when I was buying my ticket to enter the museum, the lady was going to give me a child ticket - I thanked her for thinking that I could still pass off as someone who could still be qualified to buy a child ticket. Haha.

While there, I viewed artworks by Southeast Asian and local artists. There was also a special exhibit on Swedish-designed products like furniture (e.g. IKEA), lights, bags and other interesting lifestyle products that are extremely functional but also aesthetically pleasing. Very interesting products and designs....the Swedes are such geniuses!

After viewing the exhibits, we went to have a very leisurely lunch at Olio Dome cafe which is in the museum. I had a chicken & mushroom pie and then a yummy apple pie for dessert. I'm a sucker for pies, both savoury and sweet ones.

Anyway, here are a couple of pics I took at the art museum.

A black and white shot of the corridor to the left of the museum's entrance

A black and white shot of the corridor to the right of the museum's entrance

One of two courtyards within the museum which used to be the former premises of the boys' school St. Joseph Institution.

My chicken & mushroom pie

Nothing like hot apple pie accompanied by a scoop of old-fashioned vanilla ice-cream!

Biscuit

Meet Biscuit, the new addition to my uncle's family in Sydney! Oh, how I wish to be in Sydney now to play with this adorable golden retriever pup! They are so irresistable!!!

Chinese New Year in Chinatown

Chinese New Year decorations along Pagoda Street

One of many stalls selling Chinese New Year decorations

Pumpkins for good luck

Traditional Nian-Gao , a sweet steamed glutinous rice pudding. It symbolizes career, wealth and social position. (my mum bought one! It's tastes great when pan-fried.)

Just a few of the many boxes of new year cookies on sale. My favourite are the pineapple tarts. I practically stuff my face with them every year!

Chinese sausages (larp cheong as said in Cantonese) are usually wind dried pork or duck sausages. They are commonly served in rice dishes.

Pomelos and Gourds for sale. Pomelos symbolize abundance and prosperity while gourds are Chinese symbols of health and longevity.

Santa's Stuck

I'll be leaving for the airport in 1 hour's time so I thought I'd just put in one last entry before leaving Sydney. My three bags are packed to the brim!

Anyway, as a fitting tribute to all the fun and good times I've had in Sydney, here's a shot of one of the best and cheekiest Christmas decorations I've ever seen. This house is one of the houses I walk past every time I walked to and from Pymble station.

So goodbye to Sydney and all my friends here. I've had the most wonderful time of my life!

North Head

A snapshot of North Head, taken from South Head where I went to for a long afternoon's walk yesterday.

Blue

A shot of the Pacific Ocean which I took yesterday at a lookout point in Dee Why, a suburb in the north shore of Sydney.

Jacaranda in Bloom

Making use of my new digital camera to capture one of the many beautiful jacarandas in all their purple glory. This jacaranda tree happens to be next to the tennis courts at Robert Pymble park near where I live.

Poppies

It's a little overdue, but here's a glimpse of the lovely flowers seen at Floriade. I have several other photos of the many tulips, pansies, daffodils etc...but the poppies were my favourite.

Anyway, this is the first time I'm putting up pictures on my blog! Hope to do this more often.