Back from the land of kimchi

I’m actually not back yet, just blogging along the way. The wonders of an iPhone smartphone. Haha. Shall not elaborate too much but show you pictures of awesome food along the way.

Day 1: Breakfast and lunch were on the plane and along the way, so there wasn’t anything special. The meal on the plane was unique though. Bibimbap in the air is not something you experience everyday. The chilli paste came in a tube like toothpaste!

Dinner was sardines stew with potatoes and radish.

Snacks along the way! I don’t know what are all these called. But they are quite popular here. Tasted like Yong Tau Hu!

Day 2: Breakfast was at the hotel and there was nothing special. The usual intercontinental spread. I did like their porridge a lot though.

Lunch was black pig? Bulbolgi BBQ (I think there is a more proper name for that. With that we also had some seafood pancake. Mmmm.

Dinner was sashimi. Our tour guide says the seafood in Jeju is really fresh and I totally agree with her. There were really many different types, half of which I have no idea what they were other than the fact that they are fish. I also tried sea urchin sashimi for the first time. It is not nice or rather I don’t know how to appreciate it yet. I have to say I have found my limit for sashimi too. After a while I got a bit sick of eating raw fish. Haha.

We also stopped by a green tea shop along the way to dinner and we had some green tea ice cream and cake. Let’s just say I know someone that will totally fall in love with this place.

Day 3: Breakfast was at the same hotel. Had some noodles, salad and rice cake with beef soup.

Lunch was ginseng chicken! It was ok. I thought there would be more ginseng taste but I haven’t eaten any before so its hard to make a comparison.

Dinner was pork bulgolgi with squid. I got to say korean rice is really good. I can totally just eat this rice with some seaweed. Haha. I’m still not a fan of kimchi though. I don’t mind eating it but really like it either.

Snacks included crazy sweet strawberries from a farm along the way. Nom Nom Nom.

Not forgetting Melon ice cream that our tour guide treated us to.

Day 4: Breakfast was a intercontinental spread at the ski resort. We were all in ski gear and I didn’t have my phone with me so no pictures!

Lunch was hotpot. You can see lots of mushrooms and veggie around the thin glistening layers of pork. As usual there were a array of side dishes.

Dinner was seafood hotpot. Both my parents said that the seafood wasn’t fresh. They had traveller’s diarrhoea the next morning. Oh dear. Can’t put the blame on this dish as it didn’t fit the incubation period. Loperamide and metocloperamide to the rescue.

Snacks along the way included some cheese we made. It was different from the normal cheeses you find in the supermarket. The cheese wasn’t matured (since we just made it) so it tasted a bit like tofu. Haha. It looked nice with pieces of flower petals though.

Day 5: Didn’t take any pictures of breakfast cause my mum wasn’t feeling well. Today’s breakfast spread was the best among all days. Though I must say after a while it all gets a bit boring. Haha.

Lunch was at Lotte World. Once again no pictures. It does feel terrible when you have someone sick during vacation. We couldn’t check her in to the hotel and the sick bay only allowed her to rest there for an hour. (What logic is that?) Well, we still managed to get on a few thrilling rides. I must say I imagine Lotte World to be a lot bigger than this. There is a big mall downstairs which we did not manage to see cause there wasn’t enough time.

Dinner was BBQ pork! I thought it was quite nice but my sisters said that the meat wasn’t tender enough. Maybe I’m use to eating tough cuts of pork? Haha.

Day 6: Breakfast was at some random place that served Chinese food. Our guide figured that we might miss Chinese food after all these while and hence the breakfast place. It was terrible. I didn’t even eat much at all. Terrible food so no picture again. (They don’t deserved to be photographed) Mum was feeling better so everyone is relieved.

Lunch was pork hotpot. You can see a pattern happening here. Haha. All our meals consist of either pork or seafood and are either BBQ or hotpot. We figure that it is common in winter to have such foods just do that your meal doesn’t turn cold in 2 seconds. A warm tummy is a warm person. We also had Bibimbap in a stone bowl which was good.

Dinner was hotpot (again) with fried fish. Fish was quite nice. Hotpot was so-so. A really healthy meal if you asked me. I thought I would gain weight after this trip but seriously, I think I might have actually lost some. Haha.

Snacks included this pancake filled with corn custard. Mmmm.

Day 7: Breakfast was at another random place that served Chinese food. It wasn’t as bad as yesterday but not good either. Haha

Lunch was our last meal in Korea. So sad. Pork hotpot for one last time. Haha. My parents were really sick of eating hotpot at this point. 

Highlights of the trip:
I learnt that the Korean language is a relatively new language and that it was conceptualised by someone looking at the window sill. I’m still fascinated by the fact that a large proportion is being made to sound like Chinese or English. Like toilet is 화장실 and pronounced as hwa jang sil like the Chinese 化妆室. Hotel is 호텔 and pronounced exactly like the English.

I saw falling snow for the first time! Pardon me if I sound weird but it is something not everyone has experienced.

Watched “Jump”. It is a martial arts comedy performance. Thy actually came to singapore before and I wanted to catch it with my friend but somehow it didn’t happen. I really enjoyed it. Definitely something I can imagine myself watching again.

Drinking Banana milk! It is supposedly famous here because it is endorsed by some celebrity but it really tastes pretty good. I had this almost everyday.

Seeing a “small” celebrity. The only reason I knew he was a celebrity was because there were many girls screaming and cameramen were following them. He is the guy in the track suit of this video. Don’t think many people know him. By the way, IU is really pretty. (Singer of the song in this video)

Shopping! Who doesn’t like getting new stuff? Koreans have pretty good fashion sense. A lot of the stuff we saw looked really good. Got myself some pull overs (so I don’t have iron so much) and a long sleeve shirt. My sisters got crazy and bought lots of cosmetics. Like really a lot. 女人的钱真好赚！

Nasi Lemak in the East

This is another place that I must go every time I return to Singapore. Punggol Nasi Lemak! This place has won many awards and is frequently crowded. It opens till late in the night so it is pretty good for supper too.

Look at the wide array of side dishes! This was what I ordered.

Their chilli is really fragrant but not overly spicy which was just right for me.
A definitely must try!
Address: 238 Tanjong Katong Road, Singapore
Open from 5:30pm to 2:30am. Closed on Thursdays.

Differences between Singapore & Adelaide.

On a very long mrt ride to Buona Vista, so might as well do another post. I will do another post on the reflection of this year but that requires thinking and can’t really be done on the mrt. Haha.

Quirky differences between Singapore and Adelaide.

1. The signal for “Do not start to cross” is a flashing green man in Singapore compared to a flashing red man in Adelaide.

2. Buses here arrive almost every 2 minutes but in Adelaide, they come every 15 or even worse.

3. Internet quota is limited in Adelaide (although that is changing) while Internet speed is limited in Singapore.

4. People in Adelaide stay at home on Sundays but not in Singapore.

Ok. Can’t think of anymore and my long ride is coming to an end.

Till another long mrt ride. Haha.

Back in the land of awesome food & company

I guess the good thing about having an iPhone is that I can blog in the spot where ever I go which is what I am doing now! One of the places that I must visit when I return home is the hawker centre @ block 85. People in the east would immediately know what I am talking about but people in the west… Maybe not so. Haha.

This place has awesome food. Ba chow mee, orh lua, Hokkien mee, char kwee teow. You name it, they have it and people keep coming no matter what time it is. You can go at 3am and find yourself waiting for a table. People in the west (you know who you are) go try it out if you have the time! You will not regret it. Haha.

Address: 85 Fengshan Market and Food Centre
Singapore‎ 460085

Pumped up kicks

All the other kids with the pumped up kicks, you’d better run, better run, outrun my gun. All the other kids with the pumped up kicks, you’d better run, better run, faster than my bullet.

I really love Tyler Ward’s rendition of Pumped up Kicks. Haha. Though I have no idea what the song means. Ok. Maybe I don’t like the song as much now. If you are interested, go do a google search and you will find out why.

Haven’t blogged in a month! But then everyone has been really busy. I’m using my break time now to do a quick entry. I’m going home in exactly in 1 month! How exciting is that? I’m still thinking if I should change my flight back a earlier time since everyone is doing so. I’ll ask my parents.

This year has went passed so quickly! It feels like only yesterday that I was back for year 3 and now we are on the final stretch of our Pre-Clin years. I’m really excited for Year 4 though. It’s going to be an amazing experience. Lots of things to learn. Both personal and professional development wise.

I have succumb to peer pressure and got myself an Iphone4S. Haha. Though now that I have it, I’m actually not doing much with it. I guess it will be a more useful next year. SIRI is pretty fun to play with although I can’t think of anymore stupid questions to ask it. The downside is that it can’t provide directions in Australia so that is a pretty big let down. Otherwise, it’s good for multitasking and I can dictate messages if I want. (good for on the go) I’m still getting used to typing on a touch screen but overall, I’m pretty chuffed.

 

End of Rural Week

Just came back from a rural place near Port Augusta! Med school had organised us a week-long camping trip called rural week. The objective of it was to give us a better idea on how rural practice would be like. Many people have the concept of rural practice being very boring and that doctors have very little social life since they are so isolated from everyone else. I guess this trip was to show them how exciting it can be. For us international students, rural practice is a very foreign concept. Singapore is way to small to have rural places so I don’t really know how that can apply to us. I guess if we do choose to stay and practice in Australia, we can consider practising in a rural area?

Overall, I had lots of fun during the camp. I got to know a lot other med students that I wouldn’t have and a few others a lot better. Away from the stress of completing work in time, late nights and other commitments. Away from technology. Being able to admire the vast sea of stars in the middle of the night and waking up to the sunrise each morning is actually quite a good change from city life. The only minor problems I had were the incredibly cold nights which makes waking up a very laborious chore and the constant complains from people that don’t wish to be here. I can see the charm the place has but I probably won’t be attracted enough to go rural.

I think being in the Army has taught me one thing which is there are times when the situation is out of your control. So instead of the dreading it, why not try to look at it from another point of view. You have to go through it anyway, why not try to make the best of the situation?

Now, I’m back and down with a horrible sore throat, blocked nose and fever which sounds like vaguely like Strep throat. (Rheumatic fever alert!) I seem to have the propensity to fall sick during holiday periods. It seems like even my body wants me to take a break. Shall take the weekend to rest and recharge before starting again on Monday!

 

 

Conclusion of a social experiment

Yesterday was Mambo Jumbo night. The crowd wasn’t massive but I guess we had really good company. We kinda knew almost everyone there. (Benefits of being an IT manager) So overall, I had a really good night although my face didn’t say so according to someone else.

It all started with people interested in knowing how I would react when drunk. So I was offered a lot of drinks by a lot of people. Bad influence I would say. I guess I was interested in my own limit too. I would say that I was pretty high at one point. Definitely not drunk though. Although the definition of drunk really depends on each individual. I know I wasn’t drunk because I still remember what happened and I was sane enough to go to the front counter to ask them about ticket sale. I’m quite sure Jules had not idea that I was even high. That would my self-control at its max. Yay me.

I can safely say alcohol does make one much less inhibited. I felt a lot less self-conscious. Dancing without a care in the world and with people I would probably not dance with ever? (Ok. I’m not sure.) I smiled a lot more and said hi to a lot more people than I usually would. Haha. It was fun while it lasted which was around 2 hours before it wore off and I came back to Earth. According to Joseph I appeared grumpy though I think that is inaccurate because I was feeling quite happy and he was drunk or somewhere near drunk.

Would I do it again? Hmm. I’m don’t think so because I know alcohol is bad for health. Although with the right company, I might be tempted.

Damn. Lots of bad influences in Adelaide. I guess there are certain things that you should experience in life when you are young because after a certain age it just seems inappropriate.

Rants of The Week

Since I’m so distracted and not doing my work properly, I might as well blog. I have been bumming on the internet for the last few minutes/ hours. Can’t seem to concentrate maybe because the holidays are coming and I really need a break from all the intense studying. Formatted my Research proposal yesterday and it is amazing pretty now and by pretty I meant “formal-looking” not pretty as in pink flowers and stuff. (I don’t do pink flowers.)

Looking forward to the dinner later at Gaucho’s with fi, youxin and mable. As much as my wallet is going to suffer, I’m looking forward to the really awesome food.

Next week is going to be hell of a week with SA’s clubbing event, IFF and City-Bay (which I haven’t been training at all) with Rural week on Monday. Really exciting times.

Lunch Topic on Friday was “Which is better? Yakult or Vitagen?” Apparently a quick poll on facebook does reveal that more people prefer Yakult but then again the sample size is small thus leading to poor accuracy.  A quick search on the web (yes, I was that bored) does show that people generally like Yakult more because it has a richer taste. However, Vitagen is indeed healthier with less sugar and a tad more health benefit than Yakult. There you have it. Health vs Taste. (Not entirely true either. I prefer Vitagen because Yakult has a really sweet after-taste which I dislike a lot so technically, it is Taste vs Taste) Does not matter what you choose, just that if you prefer Yakult then I may decide to unfriend you, that’s all. Haha. Just kidding.

 

Long Overdue Post

Sorry, haven’t been blogging. I guess I have been busy / life has been mundane, so there hasn’t been much to write.

Went to watch Medrevue performance yesterday! I must say this year’s performance was a lot better than last year. If you don’t know what Medrevue is, it is a performance organised by a group of medical student for a charitable cause. I must say that there is a lot of talent in med school. Sadly, I don’t think I belong to that group. Haha. There is not much artistic sense in that nerdy brain of mine.

2 more weeks to Mambo Jumbo. I am actually quite eager to see how things will turn out. I hope it is for the best though.

I am suddenly lost as to what to say in this blog post. Oh. I sent an email to the President of Singapore, Dr. Tony Tan yesterday. I do hope he replies. Hahaha. That email was basically an congratulations on behalf of the Singaporeans in UofA. Why did we send it? It is because he was a graduate from here as well. This university has produced 2 presidents so far. How knows? On of my classmates might become the future president of Singapore.

Let’s see. What else? I strained my neck during badminton on Thursday . I had Burger Theory today (go visit Char’s blog) and  it’s 1am now, so I should go to bed.

Good night WORLD!

 

Curry on.

I need to get this off my chest while it is still there. Haha.

What is wrong with you Singaporeans!!!!!! There is so much anger among people nowadays and they seem unhappy all the time. I think as the society progress, people become more demanding. That’s actually not a bad thing because it bring progress. The bad thing is that when people lose sight what is reasonable. Don’t you think people are really self-centered these days? I’m no saint by all means but everyone keeps asking themselves what they can gain for themselves. I wonder if people actually think of what is good for the community instead? I shall stop with the accusation as I for one hate it when people comment on others something they are doing themselves. (which I may have kind of done. oops)

Continuing on a similar topic, I’m sure you have heard of the Curry incident recently. If you haven’t, go to http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=254441147918239 and read the info section. I was actually quite wary of clicking the attend button on this one. Most of the views on this issue were geared towards the fact that such an agreement shouldn’t have been made and the PRC family try and assimilable into the Singapore culture. I share similar sentiments but I actually think that wasn’t the main issue. I actually think most people are unhappy with the fact that they are a PRC family. I believe that if I replaced PRC with an European/any other nationality family, the response would have been abysmal. Stuff that this spreads like wildfire on the internet and like a wildfire, they is no control once it has spread. All it takes is for one person to write it out on a online forum lace it with some emotion and you get a recipe for raging internet sensation.

I believe that CMC’s decision isn’t the best and I guess you cannot control the smells/aromas emitting from your house but you DO have control over what is emitting that smell. Replace the word curry with durian. Durians are a big part of our culture too but that doesn’t give me the right to shove that durian in people’s faces.

From [Foreign family] point of view, if I have newly moved in and the smell from my neighbour is unbearable, I would probably try my best to tolerate it. If that can’t work, I would talk to my neighbour about it, find some solution. (If your neighbour is nice, he/she will compromise. Problem solved!) If that doesn’t work, I would move out but if I’m not well-off, that not feasible right? Tell me what would be your next step? Would it be what they have done too? So technically they didn’t do anything wrong. They weren’t suing them. They just wanted a solution. From the Indian family’s point of view, they would be thinking why should I compromise, it is part of my culture. This results in the 2 families at the mediation centre which resulted in a solution that wasn’t the best. I guess the key phrase I want to bring across is that assimilation takes time. Sure, the Indian family should cook less curry but the other party should also learn to be tolerant of that. Give-and-take. You gain some, you lose some. The solution proposed was Indian family lose, other party gain. Not the best situation I guess?

Well, I guess we sometimes do get good results out of these internet sensations. The fact that we are uniting as a country/online community to cook curry as a form of appreciation for diverse cultural aspects of various ethnic-minority groups and NOT as a form of protest bring warmth to my heart.

Enough said. It’s 1am and I need to read some MPPD.