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2007-12-c Snow in Beijing, Ski and Xmas
Posted on December 25th, 2007 by wooly.
Categories: Photos 2007.
Just the final days of 2007, and this year, snow came slightly earlier in early December. Also some Christmas pictures and a trip to an indoor ski dome.
2007-10-b Beijing Misc + Siew Foong BJ Duck
Posted on October 27th, 2007 by wooly.
Categories: Photos 2007.
My cousin made a stopover on their tour to Beijing for the upteenth time. They wanted some real Beijing Duck as the night before they didn’t have a satisfying experience with at the usual mass-produced-for-tour-group duck at the famouse Quan Ji De restaurant.
There were so many people that by the time the chef got to their table, the duck as already stone cold – and anyone knows that Beijing Duck must be eaten while hot and fresh off the oven. This contrasts with the Southern Cantonese version of the roast duck which is prefered to be eaten when cooled down a bit.
Both Beijing and Cantonese version of the ducks are prized for their skin, but more so for the Beijing version. The Beijing version has less flavour in the duck itself. A good Beijing duck should have its breast skin melt like butter in your mouth.
So I took them to a little different restaurant than the usual 5-star banquet hall setting. The place is called ‘Li Qun’, and it is infested with foreigners after a few travel channel shows featured them. Foreigners (read Caucassians) love this place because it is in a hutong and look and feel old time right down to the less-than-impressive toilet.
If you’re from Malaysia, then just think of the typical no-frills coffee shop of a small town, and you’ll get an idea.
Anyway, we ordered two ducks and it was indeed wortht the trip there. The duck itself felt a bit more humble than the usual ones from the big restaurant. It didn’t melt in my mouth because it was cut with the meat intact, but it most certainly wasn’t bad.
The bill was a tad expensive for such a surrounding restaurant. I guess it has levitated to an expat / tourist joint now. We had 2 ducks with 6 rather small Southern portioned and ordinary dishes with 2 beers for CNY500.
Would I recommend this place to you? The answer is ‘yes’. Heck there was even a picture of Mahathir’s son eating the non-Halal duck there!
Other stuff in this set includes some pictures from our old neighbours from downtown who made the trip up to our new place here in the surburbs. One of them had her baby almost the same time as our little one.
2007-09 Yvonne & Rascal at Summer Palace
Posted on October 19th, 2007 by wooly.
Categories: Photos 2007.
Me missus’ cousin, Yvonne came by for a visit. This time she didn’t bring along ‘aunties’ like the last time round. Instead she took the rascal out for a leisurely time at the Summer Palace here in Beijing. It just as well, because mummy has to take care of her little brother who just arrived.
2007-10-a Long Qing Gorge
Posted on October 1st, 2007 by wooly.
Categories: Photos 2007.
So finally we got a maid to take care of the little one and this has given us the opportunity to make daytrip excursions out again. It just so happens that an ex-colleague of mine also has just moved to Beijing. He’s a Malaysian but lived in Singapore.
Since this is the October National Day holidays, we figured we better go somewhere nearer as everywhere else would be absolutely crowded. So following the excellent local guidebook that we bought, we rented a 7-seater MPV (Buick) for a comfortable ride to the Beijing’s micro 3-Gorges – Long Qing Gorge.
As you will see from the pictures, it is actually a really worthwhile trip! I also confirm that the best times for taking excellent photographs is in the early morning. Look at the dramatic pictures of the gorge!
This is a really recommended excursion for Beijing residences. And it is free of foreign tourists since it is not featured in most guide books. The trip was a bit crowded of course, but being in the nice comfy luxury MPV really made us feel a bit more VIP-ish. Paid CNY1400 for that privilege, but seeing that we’ve got 3 small kids with us, it was really worth it.
However, I hope to be able to drive my own the next time as I will be getting a local driving license soon….
2007-09-a Tianjin Panshan
Posted on September 2nd, 2007 by wooly.
Categories: Photos 2007.
Over the weekend, I’ve had no idea where to go. So I met up with a fellow Malaysian and shutterbug friend who arranged for a trip Tianjin. After meeting him up, we decided instead to go elsewhere since they’ve a car. So we asked for suggestion from the driver (which is a regular for them) where to go.
He mumbled something that nobody knew about, but since we’re all clueless, we said yes, and this turned out to be quite a trip. The highlight of the trip was definitely the journey itself.
We passed through what looks like a quarry town that supplied the masonry materials for the construction of Beijing. Wow … talk about pollution. See for yourself … (just to add a bit of irony, I’m using a dreamy album for this one…)
We continued on until we went pass what looks like a nuclear power station, but I don’t think it is a nuke station since they cannot possibly situate a nuke station right in the middle of town! It’s probably a coal or oil station with what looks like the familiar nuke cooling towers. These will be the focal point for how horrid the pollution is, when we finally arrived at our destination called Pangshan.
I didn’t bring my GPS, so I can’t really pinpoint where the heck we went – just safe to say it is somewhere near Tianjin. But you can clearly see the polluted hell hole that we went through from this mountain view …
2007-09 Haoyang’s Fullmoon
Posted on September 1st, 2007 by wooly.
Categories: Photos 2007.
Yes, the little one is one month old today. The folks back home threw a small dinner party for close friends and relatives. I wasn’t at the party since I am in Beijing, but I am sure it must’ve been good – at least the big sis had a fun time from the looks of the pictures.
2007-08-y BJ Zhongsan Park n Tiananmen Sq
Posted on August 26th, 2007 by wooly.
Categories: Photos 2007.
Just bought my new DSLR … the Nikon D80 and paired with the 18 ~ 200mm VR lens. So went out with a fellow Malaysian friend to give it a field test! Check out the pictures here .
I almost got into trouble taking some pictures at Tiananmen Square. Once the PLA guard was not too happy at me pointing the camera at him in this picture:
… oh was he irked! Then there was some commotion later where one of the Tut-tut drivers was scolding the policeman. Yes, police do often get a good scolding from the locals! People here are generally not shy aboout picking a fight with the police!
I dunno what it was all about. But anyway, later on a policeman saw me with a nice big camera and obviously thought I was some reporter, and asked me not to take pictures. I said I didn’t, Actually I did – but not of the ruckus. Instead it was pictures of some beggar looking at the ruckus beyond.
Anyway, he though I was a local person and asked for my identity card. I said I am not local, and showed him my Malaysian identity card. Then he just gave me that look and let me go… I don’t know ig that was scary or just plain iritating. Anyway, it shows that the locals seem to have it worse than foreigners.
This time I’m trying out a different skin for the album. Let me know if you like this fancy skin any better than the older skin.
2007-08-b More baby pics
Posted on August 5th, 2007 by wooly.
Categories: Photos 2007.
Little Haoyang returned to the house. Here are more pictures… 
.. and some of his sis … 
2007-07-30 New Baby!
Posted on July 30th, 2007 by wooly.
Categories: Photos 2007.
Pictures of Haoyang’s first day in this world!
2007-07-b Suyin’s 3rd Birthday
Posted on July 20th, 2007 by wooly.
Categories: Photos 2007.
Yes, the Rascal turned 3. 
Since mummy is pregnant and due any time, we decided to do it easy and had the birthday party at McDonalds. It was an afternoon party with the kids. Ronald (McD) wasn’t there, but the strange purple monster was there … which scared most of the kids!
The bad thing was that the group photo was not taken right – I forgot to switch the camera to full auto mode for the other person to take! 
2007-07-c Rascal on tree + KL Zoo
Posted on July 7th, 2007 by wooly.
Categories: Photos 2007.
This collection starts with a series of photos of the Rascal climbing the mango tree, and doing some Bollywood poses!
OK, so after going to the Beijing Zoo last month, we decided to go to the KL Zoo too so that the Rascal can roam around a bit. As we all know, the KL Zoo is not the most impressive of zoos … or so we thought. The last any of us went to the KL Zoo was way back probably 20 years ago.
Things have changed for the better we were glad to note. Though the size of the zoo is much smaller than the one in Beijing, we think it made up a lot of it by being a visitor friendly and less of a cage park. The zoo is set in a luscious environment, and we glad that they’ve done away with those horrid cages that we saw in the zoos of old like the Beijing zoo.
Instead, like most modern zoos whereever possible, cages were replaced with either glass enclosures or low fences that were protected by a moat or electric fencing. There were some nice touches like intermediate air-cond huts for visitors to get temporary relief from the tropical heat.
2007-07-a Beijing Zoo & KL Misc
Posted on June 10th, 2007 by wooly.
Categories: Photos 2007.
Some photos from Beijing before the family left it. We took the Rascal to see the pandas at the Beijing Zoo.
Well we didn’t see much of them. It was a hot summer’s day and most of the pandas were nicely having their naps inside their enclosures.
I thought the most interesting thing was actually the hippo. It was HUGE! 
All in all, it was an interesting visit, and relatively cheap at CNY30/pax. Certainly it was not up to par with modern zoos. The animals were well fed, but their living conditions were just spartan cages. Heck – even Zoo Negara felt better planned!
Also included in these series were some photos I took on the first few days of being back in KL in Jul 2007.
2007-04-d Great Wall @ Simatai
Posted on April 22nd, 2007 by wooly.
Categories: Photos 2007.
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Everybody who visits Beijing must visit the Great Wall. Those who don’t visit the Great Wall are just wasting their time.
Contrary to popular belief among foreigners (and some locals), it is very easy to get to any of the 3 main Great Wall sections. There are buses that you can take there from the tourist bus terminal near Xuanwumen underground stop, which is exactly what we did.
The bus costs only CNY95 (compared to getting a taxi for CNY400 ~ 600), which includes the entrance ticket and return trip. The journey starts at 8 am and takes about 3 hours. They let you have 3.5 hours at the wall which is just sufficient, and will have you back in Beijing at about 7 pm. The bus is very comfortable.
As mentioned there are different sections of the Great Wall. The easiest to access, most fully restored and most crowded is Badaling – which if you have the time, we wouldn’t recommend. Thus for this trip, we took my mum-in-law to Simatai instead. It is unrestored and have the most spectacular sceneries.
Since the opening of the cable car though, Simatai seems to be getting crowded as well – but no where near Badaling yet – thankfully. One of the reasons could be that it is not for the old and those who can’t climb. It is steep and can be dangerous as the wall sides have crumbled already – so you must be very careful.
Anyway – have a look at the pictures. You can see it is well worth it.
2007-04-c Xian
Posted on April 22nd, 2007 by wooly.
Categories: Photos 2007.
Â
We took a train to Xian to see the Terracota warriors.Â
As usual, we took the overnight sleeper train there which saved us 2 nights of hotel stays. Most foreigners have reservations about taking the trains here, but we can attest it is one of the best and more value friendly things that you should use in China. You must of course take the ’soft-sleeper’ cars for better comfort. Trains usually depart at night and arrive early in the morning – saving you a night’s hotel stay.
Unlike Beijing which demolished the city walls to make way for the 2nd ring road, Xian retained its city walls. This made Xian a more interestin looking city than Beijing. However, there’s not much more that’s really unique about Xian, except of course for its star attraction – the Terracota warriors museum which lies about 20km from the city centre.
 We took a bus there for CNY7 per person from the train station. The bus can stop at 3 attractions: The hot spring, the tomb of the 1st emperor of China and the Terracota Warrior museum. We say – skip the tomb – it is a waste of time and money. Go straight for the museum.
The next day, we went to see the ‘Small Goose Pagoda’. 
It is much less crowded than the ‘Big Goose Pagoda’.
One good thing we noticed about Xianans is that they are friendly – a lot more friendly than Beijingers. On 3 occasions, strangers were willing to help and suggest where we should go and what to avoid. I guess it is because it is a smaller city. Cost wise, it is of course cheaper than Beijing by about 1/3.
Anyway – have a look at the pictures.
The latter night pictures with the lake 
are not in Xian, but at the Houhai Park in Beijing.
2007-04-a Sakura in Beijing!
Posted on April 8th, 2007 by wooly.
Categories: Photos 2007.
Mary’s mum is in town to spend some time with us. There’s a small section where there are pictures of he visiting the symbol of Beijing – Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Unfortunately there are no pictures of the Forbidden City as she didn’t want to take the camera into the palace.
A few days later, we went to one of those places that needed proper timing. In fac the timing needs to be so precise that there’s only 1 week in a year that the event happens – it was to witness the Cherry Blossoms in full bloom that marks the arrival of spring! The cherry blossoms trees (Ying hua 樱花) or better known as Sakura were gifts from Japan back in the 80’s when China and Japan resumed diplomatic relations. 2000 trees were given, and they’ve been planted in Yuyuantan Park near the Beijing Military Museum.
The only other place besides Tokyo where cherry blossoms can be seen in abundance in a park is in West Potomac Park, Washington DC, where Japan also gave 3000 trees (not sure when). Guess Japan gives away trees like China gives away pandas as diplomatic tokens. I just hope that those ultra nationalists won’t do something dumb like chopping off the trees in times of tension.
This is actually our 3rd visit there – last two was not timed correctly – only a few trees were in bloom.
What more is there to say – the scenery is spectacular, if a bit crowded. We went there just 30 mins after park opening time at 7 am, and it was already crowded – first with older folks out to do their morning exercises, then with the younger crowds as the day progressed to the afternoon. (Mom got in for free 
). The only way to apprecitate it is to be there to see it and since you’re not here in Beijing at the right time, then you can check them out at the album here!
For this photo series, I’ve decided to hedge my photo bets by taking exposure bracketed pictures of +/- 1 stop. Good thing I did, as some photos looked much better by being over-exposed by 1 stop, and then some by -1 stop. Anyway, enjoy … also check out the people running in front of the camera. If you’d rather download every photo in a .rar archive to be enjoyed later, you can do so by downloading the file here (32MB). To unrar – I’d recommend the excellent freeware 7-zip which does zip files too.
This site blocked from C-h.inA!!
Posted on March 5th, 2007 by wooly.
Categories: General.
The server on which this site sits on seems to be blocked from access in 
. Very very unimpressive of them and very very irritating. Full details here.
2007-02-a CNY Eve war zone
Posted on February 18th, 2007 by media.
Categories: Photos 2007.
Pictures of fireworks near our Beijing apartment. It was like a war zone for CNY here. It felt a lot more like CNY alright! Yeah, some of use still remember it was like that back in KL too before some nitwits kept blowing their fingers off that led to the fireworks ban in Malaysia.
How much of a war zone – compare the videos here and footage you see and hear on CNN and judge for yourself!
Boom! Boom!
2006-10 Trip to Qingdao
Posted on October 10th, 2006 by media.
Categories: Photos 2006.
Yes, this is the home of Tsingtao beer. Check out the photos here: http://www.woolymacha.com/album/2006/2006-10-l%20Qingdao/index.html
2006-08-a: Beijing Pinggu Peaches
Posted on August 10th, 2006 by wooly.
Categories: Photos 2006.
Peaches back in Malaysia are really expensive – and besides we only can the canned variety for most of the year. We used to think that peaches we American and came from California, but surprise surprise, like the Kiwi fruit (aka Chinese Gooseberry), peaches originated from China.
And one of the most famous areas for growing peaches is at Pinggu just about 1 ~ 2 hours bus ride away from Beijing city. We just couldn’t pass up this chance to do what most Beijing residents take for granted – plucking peaches! The drill is simple, you pluck and then you pay later by the kilos – when we were there, the price was CNY10 / kg. That’s MYR5 / kg of freshly plucked peach!
And no, this picture of the rascal is not a peach tree. 
. It is an apple tree which the farmers told us will be the peach replacement crop when late autumn comes.
2006-07: Taipei Various
Posted on July 15th, 2006 by wooly.
Categories: Photos 2006.
I was posted to Taipei for an assignment and brought the family along. We visited the usual tourist spots in and around Taipei.
Apartment: 
, with the rascal climbing all over me.
General Chiang Kai Shek memorial 
that for a long time has been the land mark of Taipei, which has now given way to the (currently) tallest building in the world – Taipei 101Â 
. OK, so we didn’t managed to take pictures of the tower outside, but the highlight to me was the ride up in the pressurised lift – took less than 40 seconds from ground to the heavens! Ironically, there calls from certain political quarters in Taiwan to relocate the CKS memorial to somewhere insignificant!
MemTest of a faulty memory that I bought : 
. I did managed to get it exchanged – twice! Only on the third time was the memory OK. FYI – it was a Corsair ValuRam .
Hot Springs in Beitou (not as nice as Wulai though – but the water here is really hot at 80° C: 
. Beitou is the nearest hot spring in the city, but there’s nothing natural there. It was mostly hotels that piped the hot water into their premises, and of course you’d have to pay for it.
Danshui / Yehliu with the strange rock formations: 
In the Giant Ferris Wheel of Taipei in Miramar Shopping Complex: 
. That’s Taipei’s equivalent of the London Eye. A few months after this, I got to know that there’s now an ‘Eye on Malaysia’ ferris wheel in KL too. I remember there was also a big ferris wheel in Yokohama when I visit there back in 1999. Wonder who copied who eh?
We also took the opportunity to visit the beach since Beijing was land locked. We visited Baishawan.
It was on the North Eastern side of Taiwan Island – the waters were not that clear and the waves were pretty big. One thing that was of note were the caution shown by the life guards – they basically wouldn’t let you swim beyond 15 metres from the shore! The most impressive thing was the very well kept open top public shower. I am really impressed by how civic the Taiwanese are!
We took an excursion up Yangmingshan forest reserve area. There was – check this out – a free hot spring there which Mary and Suyin went for a dip. Â 
I went in to try for a dip too but since the men’s side was just full of naked old geezers – I figured maybe I just take a nap instead, which is what I did . The best part was the cold dip in the waterfall after long hike 
… Ahh that was refreshing!
As I am sort of a beachy person, I still wanted to visit more beaches on one of the weekends, and we ended up in Fulung, which was a 1 ½ hour ride away from the city. 
We didn’t know it, but the day was really hot … and there was some big rock concert. So it was really crowded! 
Despite what you may read elsewhere in the review websites, I really liked Fulung. The waves were pretty calm and the water was quite clear. Great for letting little kids to play in. The beach too was a lot like Port Dickson – big and shallow with lots of fine sand – just like what a beach should be.
Check them out: