Friday, December 30, 2005

# Xmas Dinner!

This year we prepared our own traditional christmas dinner. Preparation took almost 3 hours. James is the main chef, well, he did, like, almost everything!



Starter:
  • Smoked Salmon & Cocktail Prawns


    Main Course:
  • Stuffed Turkey Joint
  • Sausage Rolls
  • Bacon Strips
  • Roast Potatoes + Parsnips
  • Brussel Sprouts
  • Carrots
  • Cherry Tomatoes

    (The Roast potatoes dish is the best! James certainly did a great job in using the goose fat.)


    Dessert:
  • Christmas Pudding
  • Meringue with whipped cream, raspberries and tinned mango in syrup

    (some of us decided to have some fun with the food & did a masterpiece)


    After dinner, we played Pictionary. As we were playing, I accidentally suggested that a penalty should be imposed on the loser.

    ME AND MY BIG MOUTH.

    Well, I lost and the bunch of crazy people decided to make me their Barbie doll. They took out all the make up kits, hair gel, etc etc and gave me a full make over. The original plan was to creat the hideous look that scares people away, but I think those guys found this girly game enjoyable that they decided to blend the look of Anita Mui+Shu Qi+Sammi Cheng+etc in one.

    Still, I turned out to be quite hideous.

    Worse still, there is a photographer constantly taking pictures of the process, the 'transformation' and the final look. Geez, I think modelling is just so NOT for me.

    Luckily, there is still, at least, one picture that turned out OK. Here it is.


    Merry Christmas folks!
  • Saturday, December 24, 2005

    # Lost my Wallet!

    Lost my wallet, just before christmas! Gosh, how troublesome it can be!

    Luckily, I just used up my cash inside the wallet for a gathering dinner, before we adjourned to Leicester Square, where I lost my wallet.

    It's just troublesome to lose my ATM card, student card, NUS card, ULU card, etc...

    Made a police report, and cancelled my bank card. Guessed what is left to do is to cancel n renew the rest of the cards...

    A good lesson for me to be more careful at crowded place.


    Police Report


    This is where I lost my wallet... at Leicester Square Fun Fair.


    At first we planned to have a go at the Merry-Go-Round. But due to majority vote, we decided to go for the Bumper Car Ride instead.


    This is another ride that we forgo because of the possible havoc it may do to our full stomach after a 15 pounds meal at Four Season.


    I took this picture because it somehow looks eerie with the bare tree branches, alongside with the cuddly soft toys at the fun fair. Reminds me of Chucky...

    And....

    Then I realized my wallet is GONE.



    Lesson of the day:
    "Beware of personal belongings in crowded area."
    - quoted from London Metropolitan Police.

    Thursday, December 22, 2005

    # Have a Hokkien Xmas!

    For my Hokkien friends...
    Merry Christmas!


    ADDITION:
    Our Christmas tree after some friends start putting the presents under the tree...
    This is from a kid's eyes view:

    Tuesday, December 20, 2005

    # Preparing for Christmas

    We are gearing up for christmas too, and since our flat does not fit a huge christmas tree (and we can't afford one too), we ended up bringing the cute one back from Sainsbury.


    As we congregated in my room to set up the tree, we realized this is in fact the first time we all decorated OUR OWN TREE! This is exciting!

    We each chose an angel, and named them ourselves. So there is "Belle", "Ariel", etc etc.. from characters of Disney.


    Then one of them decided to wrapped himself up with lights, hallucinating that he's the tree. (Somehow reminds me of a Paul Jennings' stories of the Toilet Paper Boy)


    Ta-daa! There it stands, next to our router, in a corner in our kitchen. Our baby christmas tree is ready for the celebration!

    # Christmas Carol

    Alongside with the vast varieties of window displays and street decor, I came along this beautiful window display along Picaddily Street, which tells of the famous novella written by Charles Dickens, "Christmas Carol".

    The story is a Victorian morality tale of an old and bitter miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, who undergoes a profound experience of redemption.


    Scrooge lives a lonely life, and cares only for acumulating money. He is selfish and rude to others.

    On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his deceased business partner, Jacob Marley.







    Marley, who in life was as miserly as Scrooge, is condemned to an eternity of carrying a heavy chain which he forged in life, and being unable to interfere for the good of mankind, which he would never have thought to do in life. Marley's visit is to give Scrooge a chance to avoid his fate.

    Scrooge is skeptical of what he has seen and heard, but during the course of the night, he is visited by spirits of "Christmas Past", "Christmas Present" and "Christmas Yet to Come". The ghosts show Scrooge scenes from his life (past, present and future) that open his eyes and make him realise that he desperately needs love and forgiveness from his fellow men.






    "Christmas Past"















    "Christmas Present"














    "Christmas Yet To Come"









    In the end, Scrooge changes his life and reverts to the generous, kind-hearted soul he was in his youth.





    "Christmas Carol" cries out Dickens' recurrent themes in his works - social injustice and poverty. It strongly opposes the beliefs of Victorian Malthusianism (the ideas of Thomas Malthus, which classified all misfortunes as personal failings rather than public problems), that charity encouraged idleness and that the poor should be left to die and "decrease the surplus population". Dickens used an alternative approach in opposing this individualistic beliefs; rather than lobbying for Parliamentary reform, he voiced his views via describing Scrooge moral rebirth in this story.

    This story has been integrated into the christmas tradition, and this shows our continuing beliefs that our change of heart can help solve social problems. Again, let us remind ourselves that, let change starts with ourselves, and we can change the world.

    (P/S: The window display left out the characters of Bob Cratchit, and the crippled boy Tiny Tim, which I feel are quite interesting elements in the story. Being crippled, Tiny Tim's figure effectively shouts out the need for charitable giving, social awareness for the less-abled people. Also, his patient nature which enables him to accept his sufferings and grateful for charity of the non-disabled strongly contrasted Scrooge individualistic and materialistic nature.

    His character helped add colours, contrasts and comparisons in the story. but the window display excludes his presence, perhaps due to lack of space for display, or to simplify the synopsis of the story. Or perhaps, instead of focusing on just Tim, the exclusion of his character in this window display plays out Scrooge's moral recovery to a more general context, instead of distinguishing clearly the line of disabled and non-disabled. Well, what do you think?)

    # Christmas Decor 2005

    Here it is! My annual Christmas Decor post is back! (Every year during christmas season, I will go around streets and places in London, to look at the various christmas decorations they put up, and savour the merry festive atmosphere.)

    Last year I have focused on the more prominent places such as Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, London Eye, etc.. "Christmas Decoration 2004"

    Since the decorations at the popular places are still the same (Trafalgar square still have the tallest xmas tree, covent garden still have the Santa Grotto), I will not put up the picture of these places again this year. Let's focus on the christmas decorations at a more local level.

    Let's start with the Oxford Street. As usual, the neon lights are put up, but this year we don't see the giant spotlights that shone up to the sky, as they did last year.

    I decided to put up this photo of a small shop near my place instead of the elaborate windoe display of bigger shops in main streets. It somehow seems more homely and warmer.




    Suddenly, I caught Santa in his bubbly bath!





    Even the butcher shop is into the festive mood.




    Then I decided to do some shopping at the local Christmas Market...





    ...and nearly lost control when I saw a whole lot of yummy biscuits, choclates, candies!!! My cravings!





    Pastries! Another of my fav.




    Ok, let's end with 2 beautiful christmas cakes displayed somewhere near Picaddily Circus.







    Another... Blueish one.







    (Full series)


    MERRY CHRISTMAS FOLKS!!!

    Monday, December 12, 2005

    # Carshalton the Medieval Town

    During our stay at David & Elizabeth place, Elizabeth took us for a walk to Carshalton, the medieval town nearby. We were lucky for such a sunny afternoon in London, especially after a few days of drizzle and mist. (Speaking of mist, I often wonder where has the famous smog in London gone? I have been here for 2 years, and yet have only seen 2 occasion of fog, not even smog, that covered London. Will the smog city show its true colour this year? I wonder...)

    Anyway, back to our stroll to Carshalton. We walked past a few small parks on our way there, and one is particularly interesting. There is a football-field-sized pit dug right in the middle of the park, and left abandoned for many years. According to Elizabeth, there was a wealthy man who once owned this piece of land, and decided to build himself a mansion. The pit was dug for the foundation of the mansion, but before he managed to complete his mansion, he went bankcrupt. His land was sold, well, so was this pit. There was a dog running playfully INSIDE this pit when we passed by, but it was too deep down and all I had was this digital-zoom-only w800i. *grumble grumble* ^_^


    The first sight that welcomed us at Carshalton was this canal that ran across the town. We were surprised to find seagulls in the canal, but Elizabeth explained that the place is quite near to the sea, so the seagulls love flocking to this place to have fun. Then she told us the stories about the White Cliffs of Dover which faces the French canal. It has been the main frontier of defence which has witnessed and survived many attacks and battles. When she spoke about 'seeing the white cliffs signifies home-coming for the warriors', there was this faraway look in her English eyes, and I somehow felt her burning patriotism deep in her heart.


    We took a stroll along the streets in Carshalton, and I noticed that there are quite a number of antique shops here. Elizabeth told us that some of their furniture actually come from these shops, and people love to shop in such antique shops. You never know what you would get! (Yes indeed, another friend actually picked up a 100-year-old china plate for merely 5 pounds!)
    One of the antique shops in Carshalton



    We walked along the canal, listening to the chirps of birds and quacks of ducks, the flapping sounds of wings, and the rustling sounds of leaves. After letting us savour the peaceful sight at the canal, Elizabeth led us to another corner of the town, and brought us to a large tree looming high before us. There was a plate on the ground that says, "This London plane tree as measured by the Forestry Commission in March 1964 is 123ft tall and has a girth of 20ft 11in at a height of 5ft above the ground level. It is the tallest London plane tree known in Britain, and is one of the very few trees of any kind to exceed both 120ft in height and 20ft in girth. The age of the tree is not known with accuracy, but is likely to exceed 200 years." We gaped at the tree which looked hauntingly old. Compared to us, it is old; but compared to the age of nature, this is nothing.


    Walking and talking with Elizabeth is never a bore. She always has a lot of stories to tell, and a wealth of knowledge to share. At her age, she's still so fit and active, and is always full of ideas. She loves young people, and we love listening to old people's stories - so this trip is enjoyable for all of us. :-)

    On our way back, we saw this squirrel camouflaged amidst the leaves, and Elizabeth started telling us about the red and grey squirrels, how the grey ones threatened the population of the red ones, and how the people tried to save the red ones. I haven't come across the red ones so far, and she said she herself has only managed to see some at the Lake District.

    Well, that's it for the sunny afternoon, and we headed back to her house. Lovely stroll, with lovely people. I will keep this in my memory box. Thanks Elizabeth!

    # Memories filled with love

    It was a fruitful trip to Wallington last weekend. Huifang and I paid a visit to David and Elizabeth in Wallington, and we had a good feel of English life here.

    Wallington is in Zone 5 of London, and it took 45 minutes of train journey from the Victoria station. When we arrived at the station, David was already waiting to pick us up. On our way to their home, I saw the christmas decoration on the street lights that resembled Lavender, and David told us that this area used to be planted full with lavender. Looking at the stretch of houses that we passed by, we were lost in our thoughts about the purple lavender and its beautiful fragance.

    Walking into their house brought a similar feeling of many other houses I have been inside in UK. We were then told that this is a common structure of 1930's post-war architecture for middle class houses - 2 rooms on ground floor, 3 rooms on the first floor, narrow staircase, a garage and a backyard. Such design is common throughout England, as the government standardized the housing structure for easier town planning. No wonder most of the houses we saw are so similar!

    Being in the house made me feel like an infant - everything in the house is so old! David and Elizabeth told us the stories of their furniture, inherited from different people, each having its own story. There was a three-legged tea table which has elephant head carvings on its legs, and a carving of an Indian god on the table top. There was a few other pieces of furniture like shelves and chairs that were inherited from Elizabeth's late aunt, each having an age more than 100 years!

    There is a fireplace in the living room, and I was intrigued by the two cute statues standing at each side of the fireplace. David excitedly told us about their origins - they got these two fellas (more than 100 years old, again!) quite some time ago, and never knew where to put them. They once displayed them above a shelves, but it didnt feel right. Only at one time when they watched a TV show, they discovered that these fellas are fireplace watches, and when they finally put them beside the fireplace, it seems perfectly right. They belong there.

    Beside the fireplace sat an old TV box, which contained an old fashioned TV. And in front of the TV there is a little brown bear, which according to Elizabeth, is from her late aunt. Her aunt loved this bear so much; during her aunt's last days, she keeped wanting to see 'Bear', so they put the bear by her hospital bed, and she would pat the bear lovingly everyday...

    The more we looked around the place, the more memories seemed to sprung alive.
    They were enthusiastic to share with us how they went through all sorts of challenges to get a house, and how they inherited the furniture, piece by piece, from different people, and build their home and memories piece by piece. From nothing, they now have a sweet house, packed with lots of furniture, lots of memories, and lots of love from family and friends.

    I realized that British people have quite a lot of meals in a day too. Not too long after we had our lunch, Elizabeth was preparing afternoon tea. I was still trying to digest my lunch! haha... While having the tea, Elizabeth showed us her collections of small ornaments, and we were pleasantly surprised to find many Chinese items such as the 文房四宝, some tiny woodern carvings of 18 Lohans (十八罗汉) and 8 Taoism Gods (八仙), and other beautifully carven ornaments. She also inherited a 'trick box' (in picture) from her mum. This trick box cannot be opened unless we trigger some secret latch inside. We spent a fun time trying to figure out the way!

    Just when we thought we have had enough food, it was time for a supper! But this time I welcomed the supper, because there's my favourite ribena (only this time it is served hot), and egg on toast! The picture below shows David, Huifang and Elizabeth during the supper. Daivd was in bow and shirt, as he would be singing in a church choir concert which we would go later.


    And then we were off for the choir concert! It was held in a local church, and there were 60 people in the choir singing 12 christmas carols, starting with "Once in Royal David's City" and ending with "Ring out wild bells". They sang "Away in the manger" in a different melody, and had a Japanese woman singing "Silent Night"in Japanese, and they certainly entertained the audience with the light-tuned "Past 3 o' clock". We enjoyed the performance, and we enjoyed more the atmosphere of christmas - the love, the friendship, the tradition!



    Christmas is in the air, my friends!

    Saturday, December 03, 2005

    # Video Mania

    This news was some time ago, I was so angry when I saw such practice still carried out in Malaysia.

    The recent release of the video of the mis-treatment of detainees in lockup by Malaysia police has really been a slap in the face to our country, in terms of human-rights issue, and the system of police force in Malaysia.

    The video showed a Chinese woman being forced to perform squats, naked, by a police officer. Another slap was felt when in the middle of video, we heard the distanct background prayers from the mosque.

    BBC report & video

    What made the public angry was the response by the police side. The deputy police chief stated, as if that is a matter of fact, that the practice is standard procedure, particularly as he suggested the real offender was the person who filmed the incident. The police insistence to find out the 'culprit' who filmed the video, showed the attitude to shift blame rather than to examine the dubious practices in their part, which violates the basic human rights.

    I am saddened by the attitude to shift blame and deny responsibilities. Such manouveour has been seen again and again in many fields in Malaysia, be it government sector, organization, companies, etc. Instead of taking the bull by its horn to solve problems, there is a culture of blaming others, or "wait-and-see" to let things 'cool' down. In many cases, an exposure of some scandalous common practice does not lead to further investigation to clean out all the culprits, but is resolved by categorizing them as individual cases. An example is bribery and cronysim, which is an issue that we MUST solve soon, because the longer we wait, the more cumulative the problem builds up, and when it DOES fall apart, everything will fall like dominoes.

    More saddening is that it has been commented that such abusive practice has been long existing in our society, and people commonly have the perception that this is actually a NORM or a common practice in the police lockup, and actually treat it as a fact to accept such grey area of the human rights in Malaysia. The "tidak apa" ("couldn't bother") attitude among Malaysians are disasterous. By choosing to shy away from the seemingly sensitive/ complicated social issues, we are shying away from our social responsibilities as citizens. When we escape from the problems that need to be tackled, we cannot escape them forever, for they will always fall back to our own children in next generation, in larger magnitude.

    Side note:
    Similar news in Marine UK.
    BBC

    Friday, December 02, 2005

    # Rhythm of life

    With the prolonged flu that ran in the house (well, everybody got it in turns), and amidst the occasional coughs and nose-blowing, I remembered an interesting hypothesis made by some scientist (I can't recall his name) about living in tune with the rhythm of nature.

    His hypothesis stated something like this: The reason that more and more sickness and diseases appear in this world is due to human not living in tune with the rhythm of nature, hence breaking the natural harmonic sequence of life, cycle of survival.

    _________________________________________________

    Past: We adapt to nature
    In the past, life is simple. Seasons come and seasons go. Life is adapted to how season changes. Human work when sun rises, rest when sun sets (well, this is conditioned on we are non-nocturnal animals, hehe). In longer terms, human sow seeds and harvest according to seasons, and rest during winter, where the force of nature is too strong to withstand. In human dietary, people eat the local food, according to what is available during certain seasons and periods. Activities in life are also done according to the suitability of seasons.

    Present: We make nature adapt to us
    With the advance of technologies, better economic transformation, better transport and communication, more integration of different nations hence better mobility, we expand beyong our small circle of 'local commnunity'. We become global. Human work all day long, all year long, with the comfort of air-conditioned work place, we can afford to work even in the worst condition of weather. Also, all year long, we can eat whatever food from whatever place in the globe, due to efficient transportation and international trade. We travel to many different places, any time, any where.

    _________________________________________________

    Though his hypothesis sounds very radical, and there is also a tinge of anti-globalisation feel in it, I found that, there is actually some plausible argument in it. True, with the growth of the human race, we are now exposed to a multitude of different cultures, lifestyle, and knowledge. We are becoming global. It is also true that we have, to some extent, neglected the needs to listen to the nature. We now live our life according to how we want it to be, and we don't really have to take too much consideration about following whatever rhythm of nature, because we are somehow "shielded" from it by our own various creations of technologies. We have let nature become irrelevant to us. Nature becomes something that we can set aside as some "issues", not as part of our life. Nature becomes something that we can find "substituttes" for it, should some resources run out, or some livings extinct.

    I am not blaming technologies, nor demanding people to revert to totally pre-historic life. I am just wondering, in this fast tempo of life that we are currently leading, do we have time to stop and listen to the rhythm of life? Do we still realize that we are still a part of nature? Are we still be able to survive by means of nature, if someday we have to dispose everything human-made in our 'society'?

    Suddenly, I found we are so far from the origin we come from. The same earth that nurtures us from the earlier worlds is still there. But human has changed. I somehow feel a sense of loss, of something within, is it the connection to the rhythm of life? Do you, feel in your heart, the rhythm of the nature?