Alone in Guangzhou

Just came back from my Guangzhou trip for business... I must say I missed Singapore... haha... feel so lucky to be a Singaporean... It's so pretty and orderly and although crowded too but at least in a neat and systematic manner... and most of all, it's so safe! I think everyone here takes safety for granted...

It's not my first time in Guangzhou... but it's my first time alone there... being alone, you are kind of more sensitive to all the sights and sounds there... It's dusty, messy and the people there are uncouth, spitting every other minute! Though I'm Chinese too, I looked totally alien to them and they could tell that I'm not local immediately... some were even amazed that I could understand and speak Chinese... haha... it was quite hilarious to see their reactions...

On my first day there, I got a scare when I was walking on the street towards the mall... this guy walked beside me and asked me where I was going! Feeling freaked out, I ran and sped towards the mall... but after thinking through, I thought maybe he may be a taxi driver trying to tout... haha... whatever... better to run first ya? Because of this incident, I didn't dare to venture out of the hotel unless totally necessary... I only went to the wholesale centre and for my 3 days there, I was stuck in the hotel all the time... heh... anyway, I think the malls are quite chaotic... wouldn't be fun to walk around...

Fortunately, I was only there for 3 days cause I was getting pretty sick of the Chinese food from the restaurant in the hotel... They had delicious dim sums and noodles... but I was starting to miss my wholemeal bread... lol... I actually walked for 30 minutes to get to a 7-Eleven in the hope of finding bread there... but to my disappointment, they only have sweet buns there! How can a 7-Eleven not sell proper loaves of bread!!! And I don't see any bakeries around at all... I guess China people don't eat bread... What happened to globalization??? The next time I go to Guangzhou, I better remember to bring my own bread there...

Ok, enough of grunts... some pics from the trip... Didn't take much cause the streets aren't exactly pretty... wahaha... The dim sum was spectacular... but too bad I could only order 1 type... quite funny actually... I bet the waitress there must find me a weirdo... like who goes to a chinese dim sum restaurant and order 1 kind of dim sum...

Day 1 Lunch: Prawn zhu cheong fun... it comes with vegetable... I like...

Day 2 Lunch: Mixed platter of har gows, mushroom dumplings and chives dumplings... Genius idea to have a combination platter for people who eats alone... only saw the combi menu on the 2nd day... ;p

Oh I had to take this scooter back to the hotel when I was leaving the wholesale centre cause it was so crowded there it's impossible to get a taxi... this auntie was quite nice and introduce some landmarks to me on the way... weather was not too cold too...

Home sweet home onboard SQ... something familiar in foreign land... very comforting...

In conclusion, this was really quite a fruitful trip... figured out quite alot of things on my own... I'm going to try another route next time though... via Hong Kong... would be so much more fun then!

My secret escapades...

Some years back, I was given the opportunity to travel because of work. In the name of doing research for business, I got to travel to Korea, Japan, Bangkok and China... It's also because of all these trips that I am introduced to the notion of travelling... trips to other countries followed... and I fell in love with it... Aiming to travel to somewhere new at least once or preferably twice a year...

Why do I like to travel? Hmm I can't pinpoint a single reason... I find it therapeutic... It's the "getting away" thrill that excites me... being far away from the real world... allowing me the excuse to dream... leaving all the troubles behind... sitting on the plane, you are kind of forced to not do anything but relax... In a foreign country, there's always something new to look at... something to marvel at... simply because things function differently... a refreshing learning experience every time... Besides being an eye-opener, I feel it gives you a brand new perspective as well... Not sure how that happens, it just does...

Do you look forward to travelling? I believe everyone does to a certain extent... and no one will mind more of it if time and budget allows... My point is I don't like it only as an afterthought, something you do only when you have the spare cash and free time... I like it to be part of my life... a motivation for me to work towards and make time for... and most importantly, a source of inspiration...

Yes, I'm feeling dreadful now... haven't been seeing the world as much as I like to... and the withdrawal symptoms are getting to me...With the year ending soon and no travel plans made scares me... Luckily, I can seek a little comfort in my business trips... I shall take on more buying roles and also try to influence my partner to start bringing in merchandise from other countries... perhaps somewhere non-Asian?

When do you call it quits?

I hate to say this... but I really think I have reached my limits....

I learnt it the hard way... There are some things that I can't handle... some people I will never understand... some actions I can never do...

I really tried my best...

What is your inspiration?

Today, I was reading magazines in my room when mum popped in... she started nagging at the huge stack of magazines on my table as usual... going on and on about how they are a waste of money... I tried to explain... No, they are not a waste of money... If you rely on them for the latest news on fashion, which is essentially my work... they are like textbooks to students... Yes I need to "study" them... no one would say textbooks are a waste of money ya?

Magazines and books... somehow... flipping through the images never fails to awe me... and in turn... they are behind all the ideas I have for the business...

I'm totally dependent on inspirations... Without them, I have no motivation to do anything...and so, I actively search for inspirations... they can come from anywhere, anything and anyone... I particularly like to be inspired by people... especially entrepreneurs... every one of them has something special in them... a special kind of quirk... a particular spark in their eyes... a passion for life... I love to listen to their stories... how they started out... how much they went through to get to where they are... but most of the times, people like to brush their efforts aside and label them as "lucky"... To me... this statement only reeks of sour grapes... Seriously, how can anyone think people get to where they are based on luck... then I would say... go ahead and try to get lucky then!

Sometimes, I wish everyone would be more open-minded... be awed, be amazed and be inspired by what people do... I think it could be a good thing... somehow, it becomes a powerful force... magical force...

Anyhow, I'm feeling rather uninspired now... I think I need to get out of home now... before I write more gibberish here... ;p

Undomestic

Today, I did laundry!!!

I had the morning off cause meeting was cancelled... Saw the huge mountain of clothes and decided to wash them... just mine though... haha... I didn't bother washing my dad's and bro's dirty clothes... hee... cause mine alone was alot especially when I just returned from Bangkok... I didn't want to be too ambitious... ;p

Hmm... it's not the first time but I'm definitely not on close terms with the washing machine... I separated the dark coloured clothes from the light ones and the heavy material versus the delicate material... thinking I have got everything covered... I threw on the cover and the machine started washing... It's only then I realized I didn't put in washing powder... haha... Ok I know I'm hopeless... So I started to look for washing powder... Found it but didn't know where mum kept the scoop... Anyway, I used a random plastic container and scoop some powder into the detergent tray... Erm honestly, I had no idea how much powder I'm supposed to put... doesn't really matter ya?

Approximately 30 minutes later, the machine beeped, and I went to open the cover excitedly... I got a shock! All the dark coloured clothes had lint all over them!!! Now I know why mum always turn the clothes inside-out when she washes them in the machine... Bleah... I need a lint remover!

After washing the clothes, I had some time left before work so I decided to mop the floor too... Went to get the mop, but I couldn't find the floor cleaner... haha... Found it somewhere finally... mopped the floor and realized... Hmm I really should have swept the floor first before mopping like what mum always does because the hair and specks on the floor makes mopping almost counter-productive...

Sigh... housework really not that fun... hmm... BF please take note ok.... haha...

My Mum is Missing-In-Action!

These few days... it's been rather weird at home cause mum went on a holiday to China with her friends... she will be gone for 8 loooong days... Argh... I miss her!!!

Things are so different at home without her... the house just feels so "empty" and household chores are piling up...hee... I know I should be doing them since I'm the only female being in the house now... but well well... we shall see how long we can endure the mess at home... ;p

Oh, and did I mention our dog is driving us crazy with his "cries" when he misses my mum at night... I think the sleepless nights are making things worse... bleah... I wish for saturday to come quicker...

Habits... is it an excuse?

Today, I was having lunch at my usual hang-out... having the same sandwich and the same drink, going through my work stuff while sitting at the same spot... I admit... I'm a creature of habit for certain routines... ;)

As I was having my lunch, 2 ladies came in and they sat down at the table beside mine... and they started updating each other about each other's life. Gathering bits and pieces here and there, I could guess that 1 of them is a newly-wed... She was complaining to her friend that she could never buy shower gel and shampoo from Marks&Spencer anymore because the containers are the non-pump kind... you have to twist back the caps everytime you use it... the friend was puzzled and asked her why and she explained it's because her husband can't twist back the caps... and everytime he's done with his shower... all the bottles of shower gel and shampoo and bottle caps will be strewn all over the shelf... she was saying in such an exasperating tone... it was pretty hilarious... and of course, it went on and on to other habits which her husband claimed it's genetics! Haha...

Hmm... I believed everyone has their own quirks here and there... afterall... habits are formed since years ago... I can see why certain habits are normal to some and abnormal to the others. Each and every one of us have different life experiences and of course, we form different habits along the way... Even family members who grew up with you your entire life may not be able to live with your habits... So I can see why this lady is making such a huge fuss about the shampoos and shower gel... I bet her husband wouldn't even think twice about his shower antics...

I guess it's a matter of compromising and getting used to each other's habits? You can't really demand an immediate change ya? Hmm... easier said than done... But of course... don't use it as an excuse to get away with things... that surely doesn't cut it... ;p