Lin Jun Jie.....

I just found this video on Lin Jun Jie....the impersonating part on Ah Do is damn funny.



...although I don't know when is this filmed.

To you 'whom' I most detest

House pest, I'm going to tell you.

First, I shall detest lipas. When I woke up this morning before breakfast, the appearance of a large cockroach on the wall really terrified me. I hated them since young, and safe to say they bring no benefit to us humankind besides pestering us around. That's why they are called PEST. Further, they are not attractive at all. The most feared type of cockroach is those which can fly! No matter how much aerosol i sprayed towards it, it won't die. Then when I looked at the aerosol can, it say only effective on mosquito and flies. Goodness. How am I going to keep on guard the whole day. Then i began to search online as to how I can get rid of this pest successfully. Search attempt futile as I began typing 'croachoches', ' crocoches', 'croacoch', all didn't seem right. I guess I had to bear with it for a while.

I remember in form 5 biology class where we had to do an experiment on cockroach to see how it breathes. Surely I wasn't the one to put the cockroach into the test tube(forgot who in my group did that) but the best part towards the end of the experiment where we did not need the cockroach anymore, we drowned it right inside the test tube itself. I mean who want to let it off on the school ground? Cruel as it sounds, it's hard to say i regret seeing such an act T_T (of torture).

Second, I shall detest cicak!

"Cicak
Cicak (wall lizards or gecko) are actually quite helpful creatures as they consume the mosquitoes that live in your home ... but some people don't like them scurrying about the walls and ceilings of their home."

I don't care whether they are helpful or not, but i really do not like the sight of them at all. All the cicak in my house is well fed with mosquitoes and ants and should i thank them? I doubt because they always playing around and i had to stomped my feet to tell them that they should go back hiding in their respective place. I can't imagine any crossing my feet or I accidentally step on them or any of them falling on my head when i open wall cabinets!

Pimples, the jewel on your face

The truth any pimple bearers will tell you, "I hate it when other pays too much attention on my zits(pimple)!", so by this, I hope it sends clear message out there to those who have nothing else better to do, STOP pointing at his/her red coloured jewels on the face if this will cause the victim much distress (especially to long time sufferers). I called it jewels because not everyone has it and for self-comforting. T_T

The greatest villain for this problem is blackheads! As innocent as it looks, it usually developed into major inflammatory and so on. Of course popping blackheads is the least desirable if we are not professional enough to do it and peel-off mask is the last thing a sensitive skin needs. I have tried once peel off mask, and the more i used it, the more spots i saw developing on my face! Although i like the satisfaction of cleanliness after using peel-offs but i had to stop.

Scrubbing too is the last thing on earth you want to do on a skin full of problem. Either that it will enlarge your pores or aggravate further the condition.

Even chosing a moisturiser is a headache. I was told by the beautician that acne-prone skin shall not use cream moisturisers, only use gel type. However, with air humidity in malaysia, it's not easy to survive using moisturisers as acne-prone skin are usually of combination to oily type. More oils, more blackheads, more pimples. I was told that a dry skin may also cause pimples!

Oil blotting paper. Thou shall not use too many a piece else your skin will produce oil uncertainly.

Makeups. Biggest headache. You have to choose the right foundation etc etc, go through proper cleansing steps and make sure not even a molecule of foundation is left stuck inside your pores.

I admit these jewels are not hard to get rid of. I found out that, by having a passion for a flawless skin is already the first big step of having one. You must enjoy imagining yourself having a porcelain, silky smooth skin, a princess who is the radiant of the King and Queen. Plus together with good combination of skin care products, you will certainly shine( hehe self-comforting again).

Found this from http://www.carefair.com/Skincare/Natural_Tips_for_Blackhead_Removal_1284.html

What is a Blackhead?
Blackheads can be a recurring nuisance that cause pimples and acne. They are caused when natural oil from the skin called sebum collects and hardens inside of the pores. The oil clogs the pore, and mixes with the toxins trying to escape from your skin. The toxins and the oil combined create glue inside of your pore. This glue is hiding underneath a black oxidized tip that is exposed and pops out just above the surface of the skin. This black tip is known as a blackhead. If you have oily or combination skin, there is a good chance you are going to battle with blackheads.

Natural Blackhead Solutions
There are many natural solutions to remove blackheads from your face. Focus these solutions in trouble areas and especially around the T-zone, known to be an area prone to blackheads.

Fenugreek
Natural beauty experts claim this is one of the most powerful anti-blackhead herbs. Make a paste out of water and fresh crushed fenugreek leaves. Apply this paste to your face for 10 – 15 minutes and rinse with warm water. Repeat every night before bed for a blackhead free face.

Honey
Warm some honey and place it on trouble areas for 10 – 15 minutes. Wash off. Honey is a well known and effective method of removing blackheads from the skin.

Baking Soda & Water
Combine 3 tablespoons of baking soda with 3 tablespoons of water. Rub this solution on your skin for a few minutes, and rinse with warm water for effective blackhead extraction.

Lemon Juice
Use lemon juice directly from the lemon on areas affected with blackheads two to three times a day. The juice will help tighten your pores and make the environment of the face less prone to blackheads. Limes will work just as well if no lemons are available.

Rose & Oatmeal Mask
This treatment is great to get rid of the blackheads you already have and prevent future break outs. Mix oatmeal powder with rose water to make a paste. Spread the paste on your face with fingertips and allow it to sit for 15 minutes before rinsing. Focus on the T-zone and other problems areas like the chin. Rinse this blackhead removing mask off with cold water. The cold water closes the newly cleaned pores, protecting against future blackheads.

Potatoes
Grated raw potatoes can be used to treat all kinds of skin problems including pimples, wrinkles, whiteheads and blackheads. Pack potatoes directly on problem areas to extract blackheads.

Radish Seeds
A paste made out of ground radish seeds and water applied to the face right on the site of a blackhead is an effective blemish remover. Leave the paste on for about 15 minutes before rinsing with warm water.

I think I would like tht potato one as last year when i continuously ate home made mash potatoes, my complexion begin to improve. Maybe this year I shall try to grate it on my face and thou shall see the results. I mean it has worked well for Christina Aguilera.

Upcoming Election

Yes, don't vote for me, I'm not goin to contest in anywhere..hahaha. All my friends who are eligible to be 1st time voter in this upcoming election, do register yourself with the SPR http://www.spr.gov.my/index/regelectors.htm and not waste your capability! And then after that, vote wisely ya.
Your country depends on you!

Beijing Day 6 - 20th June

Good Morning Chengde, we woke up exceptionally early that day, as told to avoid the hot sun during mid-noon which will spoil our mood for the sight-seeing. Chengde's hotel served better buffet breakfast than Chaoyang's one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chengde ---it's different from Chengdu.
Our first stop was Mountain Resort http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chengde_Mountain_Resort

I shall not elaborate long on the facts of the Resort as it's all in Wikipedia.

In the entrance

The emperor's study. The whole room is made of Nanmu, a sweet smelling and cooling wood. It also repels insects and that is why the room (building) still looks as great today. No termites.

The rock behind us is the staircase to the 1st floor of the building

"Hello, I'm a cute deer. Feed me with biscuits, and watermelon".

Doesn't this look something like Jiangnan?

Taking a mini cruise to further parts of 'Southern China'

Perfect

Mini Mongolia

Next, Putuo Zhongcheng Temple-the mini Potala

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putuo_Zongcheng_Temple

Look at the human carry chair behind me. We were told that opening fee or it were 20yuan. But as the steps goes higher, the carrer will demand for more so by the time you reach the top, the amount might get as high as 300yuan! So better get your 2 feet going and climb the stairs yourself unless you wan to enjoy the feel of being a king. I mean these carers aren't rich guys, if you're generous, feel free.

Here we are Tibet!

On the way back to Beijing

Lush green vege!

The journey back to Beijing was better than when going to Chengde although there were still frequent overtaking and honkings. Final night in Beijing, felt like time has certainly run a bit too fast.

Final tour to Chang An street, where all the posh shopping, offices and apartments are there.

This is the starting of the street...

Beijing Day 7 - 21st June

Woke up at 5.30 am! Today we were leaving for Kota Kinabalu. Bye Bye Beijing, though I donno when shall I visit you again. All the best in Olympic 2008!

Beijing Day 5 - 19th June

http://www.chinapage.com/friend/goh/beijing/underground/underground.html

http://www.china.org.cn/english/travel/125961.htm

Beijing Underground City..you can click the above sites for more information, meanwhile, I'll be only telling you a short version (because I can't understand Putonghua properly told by Xiao Li...hehehehe). Be prepared that the entrance to this underground city is not grand and welcoming at all. What I mean is, out of the normal vege selling and old village area, you would not suspect anything that is of national security information there. Which lies the hidden entrance to the underground city. This tunnel was built some 20 years ago, a brainchild of Mao Zedong (to protect the Chinese citizens)? This magnificent tunnel is even longer than the existing Great Wall of China, connecting Beijing with Shanghai and a lot more cities in China ( can you imagine walking to Shanghai??!!). Xiao Li joked that we becareful of walking back to Sabah.

We were brought in by an army clothing personnel. She was superb in guiding since the tunnel passage is not totally flat for walking (due to pipe leakage and uneven red carpets). I thought I would regret for wearing a new sandal instead of my sneakers but erm, luckily I still managed to weed through the tunnel.

1st, it's scary because anything might collapse any minute - it's underground anyway, there's no guarantee everything will be 100% safe despite being a tourist attraction

2nd, the temperature is as cold as the Ming Tombs. Reason: they stole the concept from the tombs

3rd, it's cool because even in hiding, you'll still be able to go out to cinema and watch some shows (there are route connecting to the cinema, hospital, govt offices etc etc).

4th, you really have to follow the army clothed personnel closely else you'll be lost!

5th, some routes are sealed. Then obviously the one that we visited is for tourist and curious people. After all, it's still of national security concern.

No pictures allowed, so if you wan to see how it looks like, you'll have to visit the site above. Otherwise, we were told that they'll be closing it for visiting next year. While that, there was a silk factory we visited underground.

Zhengyangmen

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qianmen

http://beijing.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

http://www.ebeijing.gov.cn/Recommendations/t675140.htm

Which tells you more about the gate, however inside it is nothing more than a tourist attraction building because non of the 'furnitures' looked like ancient. Of course there'll be a feng shui expert greeting you in the entrance explaining why the Forbidden City is built in such a way and why Emperors chose Beijing as the capital city. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Emperor_of_China

This relates how the Emperor kept his throne etc etc, relating to the Son of Heaven or something which concerns the dragon (once again, I only can listen vaguely to the Putonghua).

Besides that, there should be nothing interesting unless you would want to buy some fengshui ornaments such as pi-xiu but since I wore a cross pendant, it's understood that I should not be pressured to purchase any of those (unlike when you visit Jade, pearl, crystal and silk factory), phew~~~

To Chengde

Yes, finally going out from Beijing.....Chengde. I must tell you that the journey took at least 4 hours and it was turbullent. Not because of bad roads etc, but because our drive overtook too many times and i almost threw up. Plus when he overtook, the opposite land had cars (or lorries) coming! So, one of our group members consistently 'brake' on her seat. Others chose to nap so as not to scare themselves. As for me, I looked out on my window and snap some nice pictures of the farm houses. The villagers there really look 'kampungan' (but not our malaysian type-they have a certain feature which shows that they have been working hard their whole lives). Yes the car overtaking, it's scary because as China drives on their left, so we right hand drivers always thought that those cars are going to bang into each other soon. So when a lorry swerve too close, I would always prepare to shift.

In Malaysia when you honk the car in front (without good reasons), you risked being beaten up, enduring road bully or middle finger(without good reasons means mere impatience on the road) . But in Beijing, particularly our bus driver, I've lost count the number of times he had to honk the car, bicyle, lorry, buses and pedestrian in front and at the sides just because he thinks he need to drive fast. By the way, we called him 'Sifu' because however superb is ur dad, brother, uncle, cousin or friend's driving, you can never beat this sifu. He controlled the streering and gear like a daytona machine or PS2 and the windscreen to him is a tv screen.

some nice scenery on the way

On arrival to Chengde, after dinner we checked in to hotel and retire for the night. In Chengde, a different tourist guide would bring us (Chengde local).

Beijing Day 4 - 18th June

Today is the day we visited Tian Tan a.k.a. Temple of Heaven, where the Emperor worships. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_heaven. The weather just like few days ago, cool and breezy but misty. Xiao Li told us that it was not haze. Great, coz it doesn't smell like one too, but other people insisted that it was. Fine.

Normal attitude, if you're not interested in China history, don't waste your money in Beijing. At least this time, I had more time to look at the exhibitions especially the process of heaven worshipping. Haaha...it was a processful of wine pouring.

Tian Tan - Temple of Heaven (we are standing on where the Emperor only walkway. It's slightly higher than the sideways)

Admiring the roof art, preserved and renovated.

Wanna dance cha-cha? Outside Tian Tan, people of Beijing have dancing classes, taiji, Er Hu classes and many more folklore activities. It is as if Tian Tan area has become the public park. Retirees spent their time there.

Beijing Chaoyang district
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaoyang_District,_Beijing
http://bci.bjchy.gov.cn/

Our hotel is around this area, so I took some scenic pictures. Chaoyang is anything but new. During night time(outside hotel), people will come out to drink beer and have chinese 'satay' which serves pork and mutton. I didn't try hehehe....it's a good peaceful place la..

Beca?

Other Beijing scenery

Amidst urbanisation, we can still see these really old houses. Mind you, there are still people who lives there.

Even bicycles also have to wait for their turn in the traffic light. However, there are times when whose turn is it, it's a mess and yet no accident.

Buses run by electricity? With this, the traffic is even messier coz there are certain route for these buses.

Tianjin

Did not snap any photos in Tianjin as we were brought there for lunch only. Lunch was Muslim style steamboat with special delicacies like mutton (mountain goat) and Gou Bu Li pao. 1st time in my life that steamboat soup is just plain water and it's lighted by charcoal. If you're not someone who is adventurous to try something like this, then it's not for you. But other than that, it's nice, expecially the noodle. After lunch, we were brought back to Beijing and while on the way, we managed to visit an art gallery.

Yes, the art gallery. It's something which you'll never see in Malaysia. The art is made of needle work and I tell you, it's more beautiful than a picture! A tiger art looks sooooooo real as if it'll roar the next minute, every strand of it's beard can be seen clearly. Pictures of sceneries also looked like 3D. It's amazing!

Beijing Day 3 - 17th June

Adrenalin! It was the day which I finally see the Great Wall of China with my own eyes. All these while, I thought that it was some flat walkway nearing the Mongolia border. Indeed I was wrong. 1st, it consists of many tall flight of stairs (depends which you climbed), the one that i took was supposed to be the easiest among the 3 available and with the most tourist. the other 2 at the opposite of the road which I saw should be quite challenging as it was about 60-70degrees and least tourist. Of course we'll never be able to finish the whole wall in 1 day, as many of the parts are in ruins and it's long! What we had in Beijing have been maintained by the government as the tourist attraction spot. At least we get the feel of how previous soldiers walk (or maybe gallop on a horse) through the wall back to the Imperial palace. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_of_China). Whomever built this, must be saluted. Climbing the flight of stairs is already challenging let alone in carrying the bricks through the mountain! The area open for tourist is limited, therefore we were only allowed to climbed up to 3 stations and the wall is sealed.

Looking out through the window

Steep steps.....

Reached the final point

Ming Tombs

Afternoon we visited the Ming Tombs where 13 of the Ming Dynasty Emperors were buried there (plus their golds, money etc and wives). Not all tombs were open for visit as the entrance for each tomb hasn't being found, only the location was known. The last emperor for Ming Dynasty, Zhu Youjian's tomb entrance were revealed by a small quake some time ago. The tomb we visited were of Emperor Wanli where he was buried together with his 2 Empresses, a rare happening, as only Empress who died before the Emperor were allowed to be buried together. The tomb were at least 5 storeys below ground level. The walls were built with Jade and interestingly, the temperature is maintained at 15 degrees celcius (without aircond whatsoever). Even the throne are made of Jade.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming_Dynasty_Tombs

http://www.mingtombs.com.cn/

Deerhorn Cypress....nice tree

Jade throne

There were some relics on display, such as this golden thread gauze. It's real gold thread because of the shine it produce. There's one silk fabric which we saw, made of real red and black silk without any dye. The silk worms were nutured to produce the desired colour of silk! And until today, the fabric still look as great. So as this gold and red fabric.

Didn't managed to visit the Echo wall as it was under renovation.

Happy Father's Day! Our 2 tour guide and tour leader brought cake and wine for the group and the Dad's are wearing crowns...hehehehehe

Beijing Day 2 -16th June

Morning call at 6am! And guess what, sunrise was at 4.30am! Luckily we had the curtain pulled the night before or else I thought I was too late to wake up. Me and the tour leader, Queenie, stayed in the same room. We scheduled our time nicely to prepare for the breakfast at 7am.

Our first stop was Tiananmen Square (fact of place at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square) which can stood up to 1 million people! Was told by Xiao Li that one floor slab can accomodate 2 person. There are 4 surrounding places. I forgot which was which but I know the Monument to the People's Heroes, Zheng Yang Men and Tiananmen gate to the Forbidden City was there. I thought we could see Mao Zedong's body in the Mausoleum but it was close for renovation.

Tiananmen gate, entrance to the Forbidden City( notice Mao Zedong's potrait). Note: Opposite Tiananmen is Zhengyangmen a.k.a Qianmen (a building to obseve enemies)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbidden_City and http://www.dpm.org.cn/english/default.asp


It's a palace full of doors! I guess they have tried their best to preserve the original state of the Imperial palace.. look at the floor tiles..

When visiting the place, it's best to wear comfortable shoes and not some pair of high heels or sandals. I don't think i managed to visit many of the exhibitions due to the disinterest of other people in the tour group. Some walk as fast as they could hoping to end the Imperial palace trip, some thought all the buildings looked the same and therefore pointless to see so many, some looked for place to sit and rest. Short attention span i called it. I mean if you chose to come to Beijing, obviously these are the things you're supposed to explore, otherwise, go somewhere else! However, i managed to catch glimpses of the rooms in the imperial palace. Not to say that we're allowed to go in and really experience it, but we can peek through the glass windows (replacing the paper ones). Although it didn't look as grand as the movies have potrayed, but understandable, it would have looked impressive had it been maintained properly since the last Emperor of China. But it didn't, the Imperial palace aged through time, war and changes of weathers and efforts to preserve it are still ongoing. Too bad during my visit, the Hall of Supreme Harmony was under renovation.

However, Zhong He Dian was available for view.


one of the smaller throne for the Emperor for audience

Emperor's study and resting place at Yangxin Dian

forgot whose room, either the Emperor's or his princess's( note: I noticed that all beds are short an wonder how they sleep)

Roof art...do read wikipedia for more info as i forgot what Xiao Li had told us

Summer Palace

Age old tree, took hard efforts to preserve!

Longest corridor in the Summer palace-now filled with people resting. Notice the art on the ceiling, each block has different painted picture!

A beautiful view of the man made lake

Olympic 2008

It might not look familiar now...it's called the Birdnest..hahaha

Epilogue

After a whole day tour, we were brought to a "Tea House" and taught the art of tea drinking which includes how to sip your tea to give the maximum taste of the tea. If my memory doesn't fail me, we visited Wangfujing at night. As told, it was a local tourist area and food was at least expensive (hawker stalls where you stand to eat). The hawkers are at the side of Wangfujing. One stick of 'luk luk' cost at least about 5-15yuan. They served scorpion and starfish as well. And the whole street was filled with smelly tofu smell. There were Muslim's luk luk as well, which the owner look very Xinjiang.

As for the Wangfujing itself, didn't managed to venture far enough due to lack of time. But there was a posh shopping complex next to it. Baleno and IP Zone was having sales! Chinese shoppers are quite rude, they knocked into you and never say sorry.