'Tis the season to be merry

Yes, it's the festive season again. With Christmas and New Year around the corner, it's bargains galore everywhere. People are flocking to the shopping malls to enjoy the festive atmosphere and purchase gifts for family and friends. Restaurants and hotels are also offering Christmas and New Year menus featuring both traditional and modern dishes.



Children will discover a world of fantasy at the Mid Valley Megamall which features the Toyland theme.
Here I am in front of a newly renovated shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur which has a unique Xmas tree made up of CDs. Very innovative!
But what really makes this mall so popular is its latest tenant - Uni Qlo all the way from Japan.
Looks like any typical Uni Qlo shop in Japan - well stocked with the latest range of fashion clothes at prices which are certainly reasonable compared to the European brands. That's why the shop was jam packed on its opening week.

However I'm wondering why anyone will be interested to wear winter clothing in tropical Malaysia. Almost all the clothes sold are for cold weather. I can only guess many people are traveling further up north for their holidays.

Since everyone seems to be putting their Xmas wish-list on cyberspace, I'll include mine too. Any kind benefactors out there?
Christmas is a time of homecoming, of caring and sharing with family and loved ones. Have a blessed Christmas and a happy New Year!

Hello again Niigata!

It is late Autumn 2010. A year and a half has passed by so swiftly and here I am on a visit to Niigata again at the kind invitation of ACAP/EANET. I wonder if the city had changed.
I was rather emotional when I saw the familiar sights again. The rice crop had just been harvested - the rice used to make the famous Niigata sake. Old memories flooded back when I purchased warm green tea from the familiar brightly lit vending machine.

There had been several positive changes. I can now buy Shinkansen tickets from the Niigata University station without having to speak to the station master in my broken Japanese. Unfortunately I learnt that my friendly dentist at Sekiya had passed away. After many visits to his clinic for treatment, he had become a good friend. It's so sad.
The weather was cold and wet but I was determined to see momiji again at Yahiko. Indeed most of the glorious red leaves have fallen from the trees but there was still much beauty in the land before the first breath of winter.
Although I have visited Yahiko numerous times in the past and have taken many photographs, I found that each time there is something new to discover. Am also convinced my photography skills have improved...a little. I'm actually quite pleased with these pictures considering I'm using an old camera with limited features.




Since it was the last day of the chrysanthemum flower show, after offering my prayers at the shrine, I lingered on to admire the lovely blooms on display. I've never ceased to be fascinated by the variety of species and the skills of the growers to produce these near-perfect blooms.
This is a new species. In some ways, it reminded me of the hairdo of today's young males....carefully styled to look rather untidy.
I felt very privileged to be given a room on the 27th floor of Nikko Hotel facing the river. The view from the window is breathtaking at sunset and the river looked so serene.

One of the greatest pleasures from this trip is the opportunity to meet up with ex-colleagues from ACAP and the EANET Secretariat, and other friends from the member countries. It was also an honor to participate in the the 10th anniversary celebration of EANET.

All those that have contributed to the development of EANET were invited to this historic event. There were so many familiar faces, some of whom I knew even before EANET was formally established. Here, the past and current DDGs of ACAP are proudly posing for the camera.

And this is a group photo with the Japanese dancers in the background. Most of us were too busy talking and eating to fully appreciate the performance, unfortunately.

It was great to be able to meet up with old friends again and exchange news on our current activities. I will treasure the wonderful memories from this trip. Sayonara till we meet again!

Trying my luck fishing again

Went fishing at a kelong again with my brother, his 2 young sons and Lim and his wife earlier this week. We wanted to catch some large squid and fishes before the monsoon season starts. I had great expectations after having honed my skills from the previous expedition.

I brought along an impressive array of fishing tackle (so I thought) but sadly, compared with the professionals around, I was very poorly equipped. No wonder, after hours under the hot sun, I could only catch several small squids.

Lim was having a fun time using our small fishes as bait to catch garfish. Nobody wanted to take his garfish home to cook as the meat is rather tasteless and has an unappetizing greenish colour.
Someone catch a huge cuttlefish. It does not seem so big in this picture but it actually measured a whole 2 ft including its tentacles. It was quite spectacular sight as it was hauled up squirting water and ink.
Then the professionals began landing huge fishes from all sides of the kelong. Not having much luck myself, I raced around photographing their catches and trying to learn their techniques. It became increasingly obvious that I was using the wrong type of lures, lines and baits. Well, too late to change....but next time I'll come better prepared.

This young man caught a barracuda! It was immediately cleaned, salted and hung to dry.
Even my little nephew caught a decent sized fish using only a small jig. He was extremely proud that he landed it all by himself. I guess fishing needs a lot of skill and a little luck. In his case, we think he has the luck.

Macau: historical trading port of China

I've always been fascinated by Macau (known as Ou Mun) because of its rich history as a trading port of olden China. It also happens to be a place where you can gamble away your life savings, as tragically shown in many a Hong Kong movie. So when Air Asia offered cheap flights to Macau, I jumped at the opportunity.

Today Macau is a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, similar to Hong Kong. Among the early European colonizers, the Portuguese left the greatest influence on this city. Walking from the famous Senado Square towards Mt. Fortress, I could see many buildings having a characteristic architecture assimilating both Portuguese and Chinese culture.

St. Dominic's Church founded by Spanish Dominican priests. It is a beautiful example of baroque architecture and is still being used as a place of worship.
It was an extremely hot day but I did not want to miss out on visiting the Ruins of St. Paul's - a must for all tourists. What a pity that a fire destroyed most parts of this magnificent building.
Both the Church and Mount Fortress were constructed by Jesuits. It's a great place for a panoramic view of the whole of Macau. The Macau Museum nearby is well worth visiting as the exhibits were very well displayed.

The famous Red Market which sells fresh seafood, vegetables and meats. The fish are so fresh, some of them are still alive. Apparently most of the food comes from across the border. Outside are stalls selling a variety of fruits and cheap clothing.
The Lotus Monument, another popular destination for tourists. I was told that the lotus is the seat for the Goddess Kuan Yin.
A-Ma temple, the most famous temple in Macau which also gave the city its name. I was not very impressed as the place looked rather run down.

Undoubtedly, among the greatest attractions of Macau are its casinos. While the present ones in the city are continuously upgraded, many new ones are being built with the biggest ones located in the Taipa area. At night they come alive with lights and music. Since our hotel is in the city we spent many evenings admiring the beautiful interior of the hotels.
The Wynn is relatively new. It has a beautifully decorated lobby with shops exclusively for the super rich.

The exterior of the Grand Lisboa is so impressive! The whole structure glitters like gold under the evening sun and is visible even from a great distance.
There are very expensive exhibits inside....like this ivory piece. An exquisite work of art!
Who would buy this awesome gold piece except a very, very rich multi-millionaire?
We had to take the free buses to visit the casinos which are further away from the city center. However, it isn't a problem as the buses are very regular and available day and night. This one goes to the Venetian at the Cotai Strip.
It has the biggest casino hall that I've ever seen. And the decor is super impressive. Everything is in gold....the colour of wealth.

Since Zhuhai, China is nearby, we decided to take a one-day guided tour to see this city. One of the attractions is the house where Dr. Sun Yat Sen was born. Actually the house has been torn down but we're told that the site is just behind that wall.
He had a very poor childhood before he left for Hawaii to study medicine. Imagine, they even preserved his bathtub.
We visited this beautiful statue of a fisher lady standing over the sea. There is a legend attached to this statue that is related to several other statues found all over Zhuhai. Zhuhai is also a fantastic place for shopping... if you are good at bargaining.
To make the most of our holiday we decided to spend a day in Hong Kong. It was only an hour's ride away by turbo-jet from the Macau pier. We further took the ferry to the Kowloon area for lunch.
Discovered this very popular dim sum restaurant which was already very packed at 11am. Imagine if we had arrived at lunchtime! We had to share a table with 3 other groups of diners but that's common in Hong Kong.
I wanted to do some shopping in the Mongkok area but the place was just too crowded and noisy. This street is called Ladies Street.
Macau is a great place for food. We discovered a modest restaurant near the Red Market selling the best roast pork and chicken. It is served with a huge helping of steamed rice and complimentary chinese tea. Prices are reasonable too.
Can you imagine this crowd queuing just for durian ice cream? I did not realize that durian is so popular in Macau. They should come to Malaysia for real tasty durians.
This is the queue for the best pork chop bun in Macau. It is only open from 3pm to 5pm everyday and I was told sometimes the buns are sold out within an hour.
It's just a piece of pork in a bun, no dressing. I can't understand why it's so popular.
Macau is also famous for their almond cookies. This shop Koi Kee Bakery advertised that their products are the "No. 1 Selling Souvenier in Macau".
Macau airport...voted as the best upcoming airport. It is impressive and service is very efficient. If you wish for a cheap, comfortable and hassle-free holiday fly Air Asia. We also picked the hotel from their list of hotel offers as well as the airport transfers.