Zhongguo zaijian! (Goodbye China)

As I'm packing the last six months of my life into 2 large suitcases, I can't help thinking how quickly time flies. It seems like only yesterday when I arrived in Shanghai, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to take on world hunger...hmmm...

And as I sift through the vignettes of my life in China, there's no denying that I've learnt some valuable lessons:

• First and foremost, my command of Mandarin has improved (hip, hip hooray!) after 40 arduous hours of classroom time. This really means a lot because I've always had a mental block with the Chinese language. It's been a (secret) source of frustration not being able to understand or speak Mandarin. So while I'm not yet a classical scholar, I feel a lot more comfortable carrying out simple conversations in casual and business settings.

• Secondly, I've opened up and allowed myself to be amazed by 5000 years of Chinese history and culture. Having seen the Terracotta Warriors, Great Wall, Forbidden City, Grand Canal and gardens of Suzhou with my own eyes, I leave with a greater sense of understanding and respect for the achievements of my ancestors. And yes, I'll definitely think twice before glorifying the superiority of Western over Eastern civilisation again.

• Thirdly, I believe that China is starting to reclaim prominence on the world stage. We are on the brink of a new Chinese dynasty and only time will tell if its achievements will rival the golden years of the Han, Tang or Ming dynasties. And the rise of nationalism and pride of 1.3 billion Chinese citizens is something that we're all going to have to learn to contend with in the future.

Now, to answer the million-dollar question - Have I completely shed the "banana" image? (yellow on the outside, white on the inside)
Of course not! Joanna Yeoh will happily remain a colourful mosaic of East and West - striving to make the best of both worlds.

Feeling the LURVE

Given the intense focus I've given to my career, it's not surprising that I spend most of my days and nights on emails, meetings and conference calls - even on my birthday. But this year's birthday has been very special. I *really* felt the lurrvvee!

Thanks to Facebook, the greetings and virtual gifts started arriving long before the actual day. Today started with a lovely call from my parents in Penang and Julie in the US. And then my teams at work sprang a bigger surprise. The Singapore team sent me a delightful Powerpoint presentation. Thanks girls - you definitely don't need any more training - it's perfect! ;-D

As part of the wrap-up of my stint in China, I'd planned to visit my Suzhou team today for a final coaching session. I was so touched when they presented me with a lovely bouquet of pink roses and a fresh cream cake at dinner. When you spend as much time as I do at work, it means so much to have colleagues cross the work boundary into my personal domain with such sincere affection. THANK YOU so much!

Aunty Jo Jo with Emma, Huang Ying, Mandy, Vicky and Lu Min @ Li Gong Di

Beautiful rose bouquet and delicious fresh cream cake from the Suzhou team

Aunty Jo Jo attacking her birthday cake... and Lu Min following suit

Fitting end to a wild week

It's been a CRAZY week. There's been non-stop news of financial markets in turmoil, bank failures, billion dollar rescues, job losses, political upheavals in Malaysia and melamine-tainted Chinese milk in my fridge. By noon on Friday, I was ready for a BIG drink. And I got my wish.

Sid and John, whom I know through work, invited me out for a night on the town and I gladly accepted. I've heard so much about the great nightlife in Puxi but haven't experienced much of it due to extensive work travel and living in sanitary Pudong. I was ready to *PARTY*.

Aunty Jo-Jo and the boys ready for their dinner of roast duck and scorpions

We met at Quan Ju De restaurant on Huai Hai Lu, where we had fried scorpions for dinner. Yes, you read that right - scorpions - for dinner. The restaurant is actually more well-known for its Beijing kaoya (roast duck) but I thought the arachnoids looked more interesting. In its fried form, the scorpions were crunchy and tasty, a little like eating deep fried prawn shells. I had three pieces and am still sitting here, alive and kicking. Although I must admit my tongue feels a little numb :-)

Five large bottles of beer later, we were ready for more action and debated where to go next. Sid and John are big music fans, with a preference for techno, but this Aunty was in the mood for a more mellow setting, preferably with a margarita and a cigar. Being the gentlemen that they are, I got my wish...again.

At the Tara Bar with our drinks and cigars

We jumped into a taxi and headed for Fuxing Park in the heart of the French Concession. Sid knew of this great little lounge called Tara Bar which served absinthe, cigars and a very cute English bartender. Heh..heh...Aunty Jo-Jo could hardly believe her luck. Why hadn't she spent more time clubbing in Shanghai instead of working??

With a margarita in one hand, and a Romeo & Julieta no. 3 in the other, I was at peace with the world. Having banned talk about work, we had a wonderful time chatting about travel, music, dreams and ambitions (among other more PG-rated topics...hahaha) We even listened to some music that Sid had composed and produced - very impressive.

At 12:30 am, we left the bar and wandered around looking for another live music venue. But most of the places were jam-packed and playing Latin American music which didn't quite feel right, so we decided to call it a night and head home.

I want a big THANK YOU to Sid and John for their company. It was a thoroughly enjoyable and fitting end to a wild week.

P/S: And to those of you who are wondering if I've taken up smoking, not to worry. I only smoke cigars and my limit is 2 per year - usually reserved for big occasions and tough weeks.

Playing with your food

Yang Rou Pao Mo is a local Xian Muslim dish that's really FUN to eat because they encourage you to play with your food! Even my mother, the super-strict school teacher, was highly amused when we had it for lunch on our last day in Xian.

1) Assemble an empty bowl, a couple of mo (or unleavened wheat buns) and cloves of sweet pickled garlic.

2) Shred the mo into tiny pieces - the smaller the better. Believe me, it's not as easy as it looks because the buns are incredibly dense and compact. It took us almost 15 minutes to shred just one bun. Our wrists were sore from all the repetitive peeling action. Lisa, our native guide, was of course the quickest bun shredder!

3) Once you've got a bowl full of shredded bits, the waiter will label your bowl with a personal tag and your choice of soup: mutton or beef. I chose mutton, since that's the original version. I was also glad to see the personal tag as I didn't want to lose my bowl of shredded mo after all that hard work!

4) The tagged bowls are then taken away to the kitchen for further processing.

4) The waiter returned with my completed Yang Rou Pao Mo and here's what it looks like. Soup had been added and there were also bits of mutton, tang hoon (glass noodles), black fungus and spring onions. You're welcome to add other condiments such as chilli and sweet pickled garlic. I'm not a fan of garlic chunks in any form so I just added the chilli and tucked in.

Verdict?...errr...it's probably an acquired taste. The simple mutton soup was a little too overpowering and the soppy bits of wheat dough reminded me of the contents of an air-sickness bag. Still, it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and we'd definitely recommend it to anyone who finds themselves in Xian.

Bing Ma Yong

Walking into underground vault containing the Army of Terracotta Warriors (Bingmayong) was a dream come true - in more ways than one. Not only were the historical features better than the National Geographic channel, these men are perfect. Strong - Confident - Quiet. Pity they're all stone cold ;-)

The 2200-year old army stands guard over the ancient imperial tomb of Qin Shi Huang - the first Emperor who united China. While admired for his military conquests and brilliant public administration, his tyrannical behaviour and massive construction projects wreaked havoc on the Chinese populace. His tomb rests 1.5 km from the site of the terracotta warriors and is believed to contain treasures beyond belief.

The army was discovered in 1974 by a farmer who was digging a well. It turned out to be the largest archaeological find of the 20th century, with archaeologists working round the clock to restore the figures of soldiers, horses and other military installments. The farmer hasn't done to badly either. He sits daily at the circle theatre autographing copies of books that are sold for CNY170 each!

Pit 1 - 6000 terracotta figures of warriors and horses face east in a battle array

Currently, there are three pits open to the public with Pit 1 containing the most number of restored figures. Work is proceeding at a slow pace because the authorities are taking great pains to preserve the vivid colour of the sculptures - which disappear within hours of being unearthed. All the figures so far reveal unique facial features, without duplicates. The ranks of these warriors can be recognized by their headgear and battlegear:

• One hair knot - Common soldier
• Flat hat - Middle-ranking officer
• Double hair knot - General (there are only 7 in the entire collection)
• Kneeling with hands at the side - Archer
• Loose clothing with hands together - Charioteer

Xian by night

Xian is a city that has featured largely in my imagination for many years. It is cradle of Chinese civilisation, has served as capital to the great Qin, Han and Tang dynasties and was the eastern terminus for the caravans of the Silk Road. Romantic, exotic and colourful are words that immediately spring to my mind.

So when I finally arrived yesterday with my parents, I couldn't wait to explore the city. Thankfully, our hotel is just across the road from the heart of Xian so after settling dinner & bedtime for the folks, I hit the markets in the Muslim quarter.

What a glorious sight it was - there were trinkets and street food galore! Thanks to the Arabic influence from its Silk Road days, there are over 60,000 Muslims living in Xian and they provide a refreshing touch of colour and culture. It's so delightful to have "makciks in tudungs" (aunties in headscarves) offering their wares to you in Mandarin!

And the street food is simply superb. From shao ping (pancakes) to kebabs to rou jia mo (Chinese burgers), everything is just so flavourful, cheap and halal. While I usually steer clear of street food in China, all the food here is freshly prepared from vendors that have a supply of running water. Plus there was no way I can resist the mouth-watering aromas and sights in that night market. So far, so good.

Street vendors preparing their delicious pancakes and kebabs

And if food just isn't your main focus (why..oh why?), there are plenty of sights that light up Xian's night sky. Just look up and be greeted by the ancient beauties known as the Bell and Drum Towers. These are Ming Dynasty architecture erected in the 14th century to help Xian city dwellers mark time. The bells greet the morning, while the drums signal night time.

The Bell and Drum Tower - masterpieces from the Ming Dynasty

Would you pay $10 for a cricket?

From time immemorial, travellers have often labelled strange practices as "exotic" in order to sound more politically correct. Well, I'm going right for the jugular to declare that yesterday, I stumbled upon a market in Shanghai that is just plain *strange*

The Flower, Bird, Fish & Insect Market is located on Liuhekou Rd, just round the corner from the Dongtai Lu Antiques Market. The market has a pleasant facade of flower & plant shops in the front, but the real curiosities lie way in the back. Here you'll find row upon row of small clay jars containing live crickets! Crowds of people squat around these jars in animated conversation, while poking away at the insects with reed sticks. There are also huge rattan baskets filled with large bugs and other creepy crawlies.

My parents immediately understood what was going on and tried to explain that cricket competitions are a form of gambling. I suppose the gambling part makes sense since this is China after all, but I still don't understand why anyone would want to pay up to RMB100 for an insect. Do you?

Customers shopping for the best crickets at a market in Liuhekou Road

Evening along the Huangpu

I've finally made it to the home stretch of the China assignment...phew! And I'm so glad to be sharing it with my parents, who arrived in Shanghai yesterday. This evening, I introduced them to an authentic Shanghainese dinner at Din Tai Fung (a Taiwanese restaurant - why not?). We had xiao long bao (dumplings), Shanghai noodles & dumplings, zui ji (drunken chicken), fried rice and vegetables.

After the highly satisfactory meal, we decided to take a stroll along the Pudong side of the Huangpu River, and wait for the famous Bund to light up. This iconic skyline of Shanghai is a feast of historical architecture not to be missed - especially at night. What a spectacular sight!

Enjoying the beautiful night vistas of Shanghai with Mum & Dad

We settled along the embankment and spent an hour enjoying the colourful parade of boats and barges that paraded their way up and down the river. Some were river cruises ferrying passengers while others were simply barges mounted with giant LCD screens carrying advertisements. The free entertainment, cool breeze and thin crowds made for a delightful evening for the Yeoh family.

Floating parade of boats & barges along the Huangpu River

A pictorial representation of the buildings on the Bund - click to enlarge