May weekend in Brussels

Every once in a while, my body slows down to remind me that I need to rest. Today is such a day when I woke up with a fever and headache, forcing me to cancel all my appointments and travel. But after a couple of hours' sleep, I find myself browsing through old travel photos and lo and behold...I'm on the road again (in my mind anyway).

In May 2007, I was working in the Hague for a couple of weeks when I decided to call up my friend, Martin Riemen, who lives in Belgium with his family. Martin & I were classmates from our MBA days at the University of Birmingham. One minute into the conversation, I received orders to get on a train to Brussels and they wouldn't take no for an answer!

And that's how I ended up in the capital of Belgium for the first time. As the seat of the European Union, Brussels is at the centre of all things European. The first thing that struck me were the signs - there's French and Dutch sitting side by side, because they're both the official languages of Belgium.

Armed with a guidebook, I made my way to the beautiful square known as La Grande Place / Grote Markt. Staring at the beautiful 400-year old tower and guild houses, there's such a pleasing aesthetic appeal, you know this is not Disneyland but the real thing. The square is surrounded by old shops selling everything from fine Belgian lace and chocolates to tacky fridge magnets. I enjoyed the scene from a little cafe, as I tucked into a wafel, the national dessert piled high with strawberries, cream and chocolate sauce....yum...

Aunty Jo-Jo visits the Mannekin Pis & rubs a statue to find "true love"

One just can't help but chuckle at the irreverent symbol of Brussels - the Mannekin Pis - a little bronze statue of a boy answering nature's call. There are many legends about its origin but my favourite is one that tells of a little boy who saved the city from being bombed by French troops, when he put out a lit fuse by pee-ing on the gunpowder! This little statue has hundreds of outfits presented by Belgians and visiting foreign dignitaries.

Aunty Jo Jo with the Riemen family: Martin, Claudia, Lisa, Jan and Sara

But as always, the best part of any trip is the people, especially those who welcome you into their homes. I was thrilled to stay with the Riemens and the kids were all over me like a new pet. Lisa, Jan and Sara had never met a real Chinese up close before, so I was a curiosity. They took turns to sit on my lap, danced and sang for me.

We spent a lovely evening with a barbecue, bottles of Belgian fruit beer and a trampoline. Martin & I laughed over old times, talked about our careers and future ambitions but most of all, we revelled in the cosy comfort of friendship. Needless to say, I have very fond memories of Belgium.

Just Jiaozi

It's been a long time since I've written about food and that's so wrong, so here goes...

I've completely fallen in love with a delicious northern Chinese dish called jiaozi or Chinese dumplings. It's a wonderful blend of ground meat and vegetables encased in a dough wrapper. It can be boiled, steamed or pan-fried and eaten with a vinegar-chilli oil sauce. This picture was taken at Baoyuan Dumpling Restaurant in Beijing. It had an unusual filling of meat, egg omelette & tomatoes...simply divine...yum!

Jiaozi is a staple food in the north, unlike in Southern China where rice is preferred. I must have some northern blood in my system because I have always preferred dumplings over rice. Even as a child, I would do anything to avoid having rice at meals. One enduring memory of childhood is my dad feeding me dinner with a spoon in one hand and a cane in the other!

Thankfully, those painful mealtime memories can be banished since I can now indulge in as many jiaozi as I want. Especially here in China, where it's cheap and plentiful. I always have a couple of packets stashed away in the freezer, and an ample supply of vinegar and chilli oil. Dinner anyone?

For an interesting article that explains how deeply jiaozi is identified with the Chinese psyche, follow this link

A true man?

He who does not reach the Great Wall is not a true man - goes a famous Chinese saying.

So I guess these pictures speak for themselves? Grin....

Peasant at the Palace

The Forbidden City has been home to the Chinese Emperor and his household for over five centuries, spanning the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. Coming from peasant stock in southern China, my Yeoh or Chong ancestors may never have had the opportunity to visit the Forbidden City in Beijing. So, it was pretty exciting to set foot into the imperial palaces last Saturday morning.



First impression - it's big, very big. Trudging from the Meridien Gate to the Outer Court to the Inner Court, I definitely got the idea that was intended by the master architects - the Emperor is No. 1 and the peasant bows and scrapes. But rather than stooping to the level of an insect, I actually felt happy and relieved. At least the peasants were free to roam the fields, villages and towns experiencing life rather than being locked up in a gilded cage.

And even as I admired the majestic structures, golden statues and imperial throne room of the Outer Court, it felt a bit hollow. It was only when we entered the eastern palaces, where the imperial household lived, that I actually felt engaged. It was much easier for me to identify with stories of Emperor Qian Long spending his retirement in the Palace of Tranquil Longevity than as an Emperor issuing royal edicts from the Hall of Supreme Harmony. I had a lot more fun roaming the back alleys and stumbling upon small palaces than actually walking the Imperial route. That's probably my peasant DNA kicking in :-)



I did learn a lot about Chinese history and am very grateful to my travel companion - Daisy Wu - for showing me round Gu Gong. And also to her best friend - Whitney Wang - for helping to organize the trip and planning my itinerary. You're both STARS!

Beijing beckons

From the new airport to the Bird's Nest Stadium to electric buses - Beijing is scrubbed up and ready to go!

Setting foot in the Northern Capital two weeks before the Olympic Games, I am impressed.

Beijing comes across as a modern, confident metropolis that's ready to take on the world. The new airport shines like a new coin, while environmentally-friendly buses proudly ply the streets. However, the piece de resistance is clearly the National Stadium in ZhongGuanCun, which is fondly known as the "Bird's Nest". It's an amazing-looking building up close and photos don't do it justice.

The Olympic buzz is clearly in the air and I couldn't help humming along to the tune of One World, One Dream

A Quiet Saturday

Every once in a while, I enjoy a quiet Saturday. No travel, no parties, no plans. Just a chance to rest the body, calm the mind and anchor the soul. Today was such a day.

It feels so good to wake up when you've finished sleeping, free from the dictates of the alarm clock. Today, I even stayed in bed to read Isabel Allende's "Daughter of Fortune". It was almost 11am before I got up to pop the laundry into washing machine.

At 12, I waltzed into Element Fresh, my favourite neighbourhood restaurant, for a leisurely lunch. A tall glass of fresh carrot & ginger juice and a classic cobb salad. Delicious. More Isabel Allende.

At half past one, I crossed the road and entered Tony & Guys, the neighbourhood hair salon. A relaxing hair wash and blow dry. Very nice.

Back to the apartment. Listen to my favourite music: Pachabel, Vivaldi, Beethoven, Bach...some Michael Buble and Eva Cassidy.

Blog a little.

Spend time with my Saviour.

A lovely day.

Pride and Joy

On my travels, I've always envied ancient sites that have been accorded World Heritage status. Apart from the prestige and glamour, these sites also have access to conservation funds and skills of foreign experts. Yesterday on 7th July 2008, two historic cities in my beloved Malaysia were jointly inscribed as cultural World Heritage sites: Malacca and Penang.

From the UNESCO World Heritage website...

Monday, July 7, 2008

The World Heritage Committee meeting in Quebec City has added eight new cultural sites to UNESCO’s World Heritage List on the morning of the 7 of July. With these inscriptions, Papua New Guinea and San Marino enter the World Heritage List for the first time.

The new sites inscribed are:

Melaka and George Town, historic cities of the Straits of Malacca (Malaysia) have developed over 500 years of trading and cultural exchanges between East and West in the Straits of Malacca. The influences of Asia and Europe have endowed the towns with a specific multicultural heritage that is both tangible and intangible. With its government buildings, churches, squares and fortifications, Melaka demonstrates the early stages of this history originating in the 15th-century Malay sultanate and the Portuguese and Dutch periods beginning in the early 16th century. Featuring residential and commercial buildings, George Town represents the British era from the end of the 18th century. The two towns constitute a unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia.

Shanghai Sizzler

It's my first weekend back in Shanghai and what a scorcher it's been...the temperature hit 38.8C yesterday! This sort of heat is beyond human endurance - this coming from someone who has lived in the tropics for most of her life.

Despite the heat, I couldn't wait to get together with the Brunch Bunch again - this time at Minnie's home in Puxi. She put on a fantastic barbecue spread for us, and was fearlessly slaving over the hot coals while most of her guests were holed up in air-conditioned comfort. Thanks Minnie - you're a star!

Ada, Minnie, Mimi, John, Martijn & Joanna at the Minnie's brunch

It was good to meet up with the regular crowd, and also make some new friends. There was John from Scotland, Martijn from Holland, Ada from Singapore, Nils from Germany via Luxemborg, Minnie & Yvonne from Hong Kong, Mimi & Cynthia from Taiwan and Bob from Qingdao. The cosmopolitan mix of this city continues to amaze me! We also had a pair of 14-month twins from Taiwan who are real darlings. They ate what was available and entertained themselves while the adults ate and chatted.

Our youngest guests (twins!) enjoyed the barbecue spread too...minus the champagne, of course

Our hostess prepared a fantastic spread of honey soy chicken wings, shrimp kebabs, beef steaks and ribs (which were better than Tony Roma's). There was also a vegetable risotto, green salad and fruit salad. Yummy...great work, Minnie! There was also plenty of champagne and wine to soothe our parched throats on a very, very hot summer afternoon. It's such a hard life *wink*

Martyn lighting the Turkish nargile and Aunty Jo-Jo caught having her first puff!

Apart from the food, the entertainment was also good fun. Once the twins had left to take their afternoon naps, the adult fun began! Minnie brought out a souvenir from her most recent vacation, a nargile, or Turkish water pipe. Flavoured tobacco is filtered through water and smoked from a hose. It was love at first puff! I loved the apple-flavour of the smoke, but it's quite addictive so I stopped after five puffs...or maybe it was six...or seven...but who's counting?