visions of clarity...do as infinity

Thursday, September 11, 2008

A Walk Around...

Hello

Today the sun was shining brightly, the sky was blue blue blue, the weather was warm and the bees were buzzing! Naturally, everyone was out enjoying the warmth in the sun [20+ degrees! Perfect!] and I was in good mood because I only had one class today! ^_^v

With my camera conveniently located in my backpack, I started to take photos on my walk home from lunch... ;)

The flowers, too, are enjoying the sunshine..

The peaceful neighbourhood we reside in.^_^

The beginnings of what will be yummilicious APPLES!!! =D =D =D I cannot wait for apple season!! I WILL take full advantage of it and go apple-picking, apple-baking, apple-eating...

The uninspiring block of apartments we live in..

The messy living room!! =P Whaley lies serenely on the couch, waiting for it's next hug. ;)

I have more photos actually.. But seeing as this isn't my laptop and I can't really find an image editing software [I'm sure Vista has one, I'm just not a Vista user..], I'm only posting a few so as not to clog up my Picasa account.=P

Ahh. Finally photos of where I live in Ann Arbor that isn't East Quad! =P I miss East Quad though, it has a very nice homely feeling in there.=) Tomorrow, we're going back to see sensei and visit the new Intensive Japanese students!!! That should be exciting..

And on Saturday, it's Mid-Autumn Festival time!~ May the weather be as lovely as today's.=) It's still warm now at night [a toasty 18 degrees]!!! I am pleased.^_^

AND we had home-made cong you bing for dinner!!! Admittedly, since it was made by me [with supervision by the Master Chef], the standard wasn't QUITE the usual one but I thought it wasn't too bad..=P Now for improvement and learning how to make guo tie one day!!!

cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : Endless Story REIRA Starring Yuna Ito]
[mood : ^_^]
[food : CONG YOU BING!!!]

Labels: Ann Arbor, photo journey

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Hong Kong & Macau

Hello!

I'm back from Hong Kong and boy was it a great trip.=D =D =D Definitely not relaxing like the trip to Phuket last year but this was filled with shopping, sightseeing and lots and lots of food! =D =D =D Since there was so much to do, so much to see and so much to eat, I'll just post a few highlights here and there.^_^ They aren't totally representative honestly, and I'll blog in detail about the amazing food on spoonerisms*inc so look forward to that! ^_^

では、始めて!

The new Changi Terminal 3 from which we took off via Singapore Airlines.=D It's actually quite pretty but I feel like Terminal 2 and Terminal 1 are warmer in the sense that there are fewer empty spaces around.. O well. I'm sure T3 will fill up soon! =P

Our first meal in Hong Kong at 正斗!! =D

云吞面 in soup!! =D YUMMY. The noodles had the perfect chewy texture and the soup was great, especially when consumed with the yellow chives.=D =D =D The wantons were ok I guess but the noodles here were the main star!

虾饺 or the totally loved har gao.=D =D =D This was one of the most delicious versions I've eaten in a longgg time with the skin thin and chewy, the filling generous and flavorful and served steaming hot.

We ate much more of course.. But if I posted everything here, the blog would explode! =P Check out facebook for all the images or wait patiently [very patiently] for an entry on spoonerisms*inc.;)

For dessert though, we went to a branch of the famous Saikoong 满记甜品 at the IFC building [where a branch of 正斗 is also located] to savour their gorgeous desserts.=D =D =D I ate at the original shop in Saikoong many years ago and it was amazing.. Does the branch match up?

杏仁茶，核桃糊，芝麻糊 all lined up neatly! ^_^ [That's Almond "tea", Walnut cream and sesame cream for those who show X__X when Chinese words are involved.] The almond tea was mine and it was DELICIOUS!!! Piping hot and very very smooth, light and filled with the aroma of almonds, not too sweet and totally delicious.. It's no wonder I love this dessert so much.=D =D =D This has got to be one of the best versions I've ever tried! *floats away*

糖不甩! Reading it in Cantonese is totally cuter by the way. I don't know how to spell it though. Haha..=P Anyway, I really love this particular dessert, it's a glutinous rice ball coated in a thin syrup and then covered in a sprinkling of crushed peanuts, toasted sesame and dessicated coconut. Even though I usually despise dessicated coconut, it tasted great here.=D And the glutinous rice balls were nice and chewy but didn't stick, and had that "松" feeling. Yummy!

阑桂坊 or Lan Kwai Fong [the first chinese character is wrong I know.. I can't find the right one..X__X]! =D Apparently, it's Hong Kong's equivalent of Clarke Quay in Singapore, with lots of pubs and eateries that expatriates frequent.=) Despite having visited Hong Kong several times.. This is my first time there and apparently, it's quite a famous area.. Haha..

The very famous Fish Fried Rice that is also very very very good and totally deserving of some culinary award.=D This is at 太湖海鲜城 near the Causeway Bay area where we were staying.=D The fried rice is topped with this stir-fried fish thing and mixed before serving and is... delicious!!! So. Very. Good. *dies*

At 益顺牛奶公司 [err once again, I think the first word is wrong..], they have this absolutely delicious dessert called 双皮炖奶 or dun-nai or Steamed Milk Custard! [It's not technically a custard but I can't think of a better English equivalent.] It's an extremely interesting dessert if you ask me and comes with this... congealed layer on top. The texture itself is softer and smoother than the silky sweet soya beancurd [豆花], it's not too sweet and has none of the richness of fresh milk though it has the fragrance. Totally delicious!

On our second day, we took the ferry to Macau [澳门] that's just a quick one hour boat ride away! =) The sea was pretty rocky on the way there and it rained all day long, but I think even through the mist and pouring drops, I still managed to appreciate the quaintness of the tiny city.^_^

The ruins of St Paul's Cathedral on a rainy day is quite a sight to behold.=) All that remains is this wall of the front with lots of very significant carvings on it! If you want to know more about it, you really should go read up, it's quite interesting. Behind this wall lies the crypt that's been preserved with the remains of the founder of the academy that lies at the foot of the stairs leading to the cathedral as well as the remains of missionaries from Japan and Vietnam.

At the top of the fort next to the cathedral ruins, there's a museum on the history of Macau..=) We also spotted this lovely bud, readying itself to bloom.

Here is the Nezha temple along with the only remains of the original city wall of Macau built by the Portuguese.=) It was made of mud and seashells at that time in order to signify the boundaries of the Portuguese portion of the city.

And of course, a trip to Macau is not complete without trying their famous Macanese food! =D A lot of people mistake it for Portuguese food [just like I did at first..] but in actual fact, you can't find a lot of these Macanese dishes in Portugal! Haha.. They are a result of the fusion between Portuguese and Asian influences hence strangely named dishes like African Chicken or the Bacalau Codfish Cakes.

Absolutely delicious clams in a white wine and garlic sauce at one of the best Macanese restaurants in Macau called Restaurante Espaco Lisboa.=D Perfect with their freshly baked bread!!!

We ate so many delicious things but what I was really looking forward to was dessert! =D We were right next to Lord Stow's Bakery, famous for their Portuguese Egg Tarts. ;) YUMMY.

Mmm. Freshly baked egg tarts are the best! Light, custardy, not too sweet and with a flaky pastry to die for, egg tarts are the best!!! =D =D =D

After dropping my cousin off at the hotel she works in, we went on to see one of the remaining "villages" on Taipa island.=)

It's actually rather picturesque in the rain don't you think? =) On the right are the Portuguese-built homes that have been converted into museums and such and on the left is a gigantic lily pond!~

A beautifully preserved part of Macau indeed! However, that's probably not what most people who go to Macau want to see..

This! is what most people come for.. CASINOS!!! =D This is the gorgeously ornate interior of the largest casino in Asia, the Venetian. It's.. huge. Seriously huge. The gambling area alone stretches off into long corridors of machines, tables and goodness knows what else.. The shopping areas.. We walked around for quite a while and barely scratched the surface of what they have to offer along the recreated canals of Venice. My cousin told us that the Gucci store there is one of the biggest she has ever seen. Goodness me.

The extravagance that has gone into that place!! It makes me believe that if they had used the money for something else, they could vaccinate and feed all children in the African and Asian continents for 5 years... at least. X__X

But extravagance isn't limited to properties alone because that night, we went back to Hong Kong and met my uncle for dinner at the fabulous Hong Kong branch of L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon. xD

I had the most amazing brioche at their Tokyo branch so I just had to have it again at the Hong Kong branch.=D And surely, they did not disappoint me at all!! =D Modelling together with the brioche is their croissant which is to die for. Like. Totally. I thought the Hediard ones were good but this is like, even more perfect because they are so small and cute so they melted perfectly in your mouth!!! =D Haha.. And in the background, there's the extremely delicious AOC French butter that I slathered on extremely generously because it was so good.

We also had Jamon Iberico twice that day! Haha.. Another sure sign of an expanding waistline and extravagance.. At Espaco Lisboa, we had pata negra aged for 24 months and it was delicious. Then at L'Atelier, we had what is considered the finest grade: the jamón ibérico de bellota aged for 36 months. And that was.. amazing. *_*! Squee! Apparently, that extra year really makes a difference in flavour. And I am so sold on bellota ham right now.xD Too bad they can't bring it into Singapore due to some restrictions.. Fly to Hong Kong, Japan or Spain to have it! =D

This course wins top marks in the prettiest plating of all!!! =D =D =D Look at the care that went into the dish in the background!!! In the foreground is a slice of Japanese tomato topped with a tomato tapenade kind of thing with basil and olive oil which was really good. In the background is the star of the show: a tomato jelly with little mozzarella cheese dots topped with either tomato or parsley sauces. It was totally ingenious I tell you and everyone was absolutely fascinated with this dish. Hahaha. It tasted good too in case you were wondering. The little cheese dots went well with the jelly though it was a bit strange at first. Haha.

I also had extra helpings of Joel Robuchon's signature item: the mashed potatoes during the main course portion of the meal. =X Totally and utterly sinful but trust me.. You'll never get mashed potatoes like that anywhere else. It is simply, amazingly good. xD xD xD

Although we had another amazing dessert, I think this was simply exquisite in presentation and in taste and texture. It's white chocolate mousse layered with oranges, and grapefruit sorbet, served with delicious tuiles and little cubes of marvellous candied orange. The taste is.. Wow. xD Apparently, their dessert chef is from Japan! I am SO moving there to eat my way through all the desserts!!! *squee*

We were so stuffed after the meal, we had to walk part of the way back to the hotel.X__X

The next day, my mom and I did a little shopping before meeting my brother and dad for lunch at this amazing roast meat stall!!! xD

Located conveniently in Causeway Bay [and at other branches around Hong Kong I think] is 太兴烧味 which has delicious roast goose and soy sauce chicken along with those yummy things in the photo: Char siew and pork ribs!! SO GOOD!!!~~~ =D =D =D I was like, totally sneakily trying to steal all the best bits.=P

After shopping all day long, that night we headed for Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon for the Hotel Intercontinental. Nestled within, and with a fabulous view of Hong Kong's harbour is our destination for the evening: Nobu.

To save on cab fare, we took the MTR to Kowloon and even with trains coming every minute, the rush hour crowd is not to be laughed at.X__X Look at that! People seemed to accumulate with every train that arrived and every single train, despite arriving every minute, was full. Thankfully, they have a wonderfully efficient system and we arrived in Tsim Sha Tsui with enough time to take a stroll down the Avenue of the Stars before going for dinner.=D

When you stroll along the Avenue of the Stars in the evening, you'll be treated to an equally magnificent view of the skyscrapers in Hong Kong lighting up, and the hill in the background is the famed Victoria Peak. It's really quite beautiful and we were lucky the pollution and fog that plague the city didn't mar our view that evening!

At Nobu, we ordered omakase, a Japanese equivalent of the menu degustation except there's no menu to peruse and everything is left up to the chef. In omakase, the chef presents you with what he/she believes is the best that's up for offer that day, prepared in the most befitting way.

A starter: On the spoon is mackarel [I think] with a watermelon and tomato gazpacho that was actually pretty good. Behind is an amazing half-cooked botan-ebi [described as 牡丹虾 by the waitress] with ponzu that was totally and completely delicious. Finally, is a little Japanese cherry tomato that was... Good. So. Good. Like, I seriously can't stand the taste of raw tomatoes but this was so sweet and so delicious and... xD xD xD It reminded me of that extremely sweet cherry tomato I ate in Japan. SQUEE!

I think waxing lyrical about a cherry tomato might disturb some people. I deeply apologise.=X

We had several excellent courses but I shall skip right over to the dessert because I love dessert and I'm biased like that.=D Truthfully, I was a little disappointed when all I saw in this bento box was a chocolate fondant and a prettily formed scoop of matcha ice-cream. But then I decided to place my prejudices aside and swept down on the chocolate fondant. WOW. I was shocked!!! It was so light and fluffy and yet with a totally decadent center of molten chocolate batter. I've never had such a light chocolate fondant in my life.xD I was amazed at how delicious it was.=D Then I tried the matcha ice-cream. I'm not usually a fan of matcha ice cream because it's usually either too sweet or too milky or both. X__X Thankfully, this matcha ice cream was excellent. Light, not too sweet, not too milky and bursting with the fragrance of matcha. Mmm. Yummy.

The meal wasn't too heavy and we walked around Kowloon for a bit before going back.=)

The next morning was a beautiful one and we had this gorgeous view of Kowloon's harbour from the top of our hotel in it's French restaurant, Riva. =)

Later while walking around, we chanced upon one of the ex-governor's [or someone equally important, the details of which escape me] favourite egg tart shops called 泰昌饼家 in the Causeway Bay area.=D They were excellent, I daresay even better than the ones from Macau! Well, I guess they are kind of different. The Macau egg tarts had a puff pastry but these had a delicious crumbly shortcrust pastry that was slightly salty and contrasted amazingly with the smooth, light and absolutely delicious egg custard. *_*!

I think one of the ways to a person's heart would be through a thoroughly amazing egg tart.=) Another fabulous Chinese bakery invention! Haha..

That said, we had to leave Hong Kong and thus, took that drive down toward the airport, passing this bridge along the way [we were quite near Hong Kong Disneyland. Hahaha], admiring the sunny and clear blue skies.^_^

Hong Kong gave us a great send off with perfect weather. And with my bags full of new clothes [the summer sales are amazing!!!], lots of snacks and gifts for people [手信街 in Macau was named for a reason], as well as loads of skin products [Sasa is my best friend], I left Hong Kong with a happy stomach, a much bigger waistline and a once again assured mentality that I really really like Hong Kong.=)

cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : Beautiful World Utada Hikaru]
[mood : ^_^]
[food : Cantonese food!!! xD]

Jiamin: Now is time to DIET!!! Haha..

Labels: edibles, Hong Kong, photo journey

Monday, May 12, 2008

in spring you have flowers

Hello

Seeing as I have a huge backlog of photo posts, allow me to start sharing with you the joys of spring weather! [Of course, it's gloomy and rainy right now, but why think about that when you have sunny days to look forward to?]

A walk to the Diag while they were setting it up for graduation.=) So sunny! Look at everyone! They were in shorts!

And of course, I spotted this totally cute poster!!! ^_^

The sakura are in full bloom!!! ^_^ Okay, most of them are gone since, as you know, sakura have finite lives and remind us of the ephemeral qualities of life. I have more photos but those will be in later posts.^_^

Early spring brings beautiful flowers as well, as you can tell with this gorgeous blue pansy! [At least, I think it's a pansy.] They were planted all around the diag, blue and yellow to represent the school colours during the graduation ceremony.

Cool red flowers.. I have no idea what they are called but I've never seen them before! ^_^ They grow on trees and surround the diag.. and a lot of other places too.

Pretty blue flowers!!! ^_^ They grow in abundance and add this happy bright blue to fields of green grass.

Have you ever seen buds before? I certainly haven't.. Totally fascinating! And these buds have bloomed into the most GORGEOUS flowers ever.=D =D =D

Very interestingly shaped leaves! They look like venus fly trap leaves...

And these gorgeous white flowers are going to burst into bloom soon.^_^

I love spring! Besides the rain, there's absolutely amazing weather. It gets a little warm at times but overall, it's wonderful!!! ^_^ I don't really want to go back to summer...

We just returned from Holland, Michigan yesterday and sadly it rained. But! We did manage to see some beautiful sights on Saturday.=) Wee! And we went shopping since it was raining. HEHE. =D As I will be slowly uploading photos due to school commitments, I apologise for all the delays.

I hope everyone is enjoying this period of spring as much as I am!!! ^_^ Or even more, since I still have to deal with the horror that is school.-_-" But happiness is always around the corner in the form of cooking.=) I currently have ribs happily marinating in the refrigerator!!!

And I want to kill the stupid website that runs the SSA website because I can't post on the editor's blog! Hrmph.

cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : Akatsuki no Kuruma FictionJunction Yuuka]
[mood : tired]
[food : omu rice!]

YX: I am touched that you check so often.=D

Labels: Ann Arbor, photo journey, umich

Sunday, April 20, 2008

When You Know The Exams are Getting To You...

Hello

Here's a series that Guo Lu and I created to let you know when the exams are getting to you.

First you're faced with a table covered in books, notes, scribblings of frustration, and lecture slides that mean absolutely nothing:

Then as your sadness at life builds up as people are MOVING OUT OF THE DORM AROUND YOU, you start to do something about it!

The Stressed Orange Series

Xiaowei

Sze Yen

Guo Lu

The Imitation: Sze Yen

The Imitation: Guo Lu

The Imitation: Xiaowei

The Threes: The Row.

The Threes: 老天爷！为什么我们的命这么苦！

The Threes: Sze Yen

The Threes: Guo Lu Head On

The Threes: Guo Lu Profile

The Head Knock / 撞头

All photos taken with Sony Ericsson phones.

I cannot wait for tomorrow evening when all this will be DONE!!

Even the oranges are crying for us.(T_T)

cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : Dreams High and Mighty Color]
[mood : --"]
[food : Garlic Bread!]

YX: Durian sticky rice just replaces the mango with durian. Hahaha.=P It's yummy! One semester for us is about 4 months? And my spring break is LONG over! I went to NYC.=D =D =D I have a week's break between this semester [winter semester] and next half semester [spring semester].^_^"

Jiamin: Yup! Exciting right.. I want to read Murakami in Japanese but I can barely read manga so let's not even bring up novels..=P 22 degrees is EXTREMELY hot. You're grateful for the wind..X__x I don't want to think about Singapore's weather yet.^_^"

Labels: east quad, photo journey, thoughts, umich

Twittering~