An Espresso in Guangzhou

An Espresso in Guangzhou, originally uploaded by maotai.

am leaving tonight for singapore. this has been one of my longer trips. i can say a couple of things;

. business in china for me is really taking off

. hangzhou is beautiful

. good coffee can be had

what can i say, tired and happy ;-)

Xian "prata" in soup

Xian "prata" in soup, originally uploaded by maotai.

had this over the weekend in Beijing. walked into a hugely popular eatery. everyone was having the same thing and it seemed good. one was given a couple pieces of round flat bread that looked like prata only thicker and very very hard.

so one would have to tear these into tiny crumbs. when that you have bowl full of crumbs, mutton soup would be added.

must say in my most humble opinion that it was not really worth the effort. the soup was too salty and the mutton tasted rather strong. now, if the soup was to be replaced by soup kambing then it would be much better.

guess i must be missing singapore more than i care to admit :-)

Hangzhou - 西湖 & 西子

Hangzhou - 西湖 & 西子, originally uploaded by maotai.

it is the prettiest city in China.

Hangzhou - 西湖 & 西子

Hangzhou - 西湖 & 西子, originally uploaded by maotai.

it is the prettiest city in China.

Hangzhou - 西湖 & 西子

Hangzhou - 西湖 & 西子, originally uploaded by maotai.

it is the prettiest city in China.

3 weeks in China

3 weeks in China, originally uploaded by maotai.

off on my regular. will be a busy three weeks. shanghai, hangzhou, liuzhou, beijing, jinan and guangzhou.

Good Night.

may my love sleeps well tonight
dreams sweet of me her knight
the charging white horse neighs
carrying her through clouds nigh

You

people are many
i see only you
voices are loud
i hear only you
desires are strong
i want only you
passion is unwavering
i love only you

Where have I been?

been here, been there
been everywhere, been nowhere

Good Morning ...

Good Morning ..., originally uploaded by maotai.

i wake with a song in my heart

it is a joyous song

its beat is pure and simple

its melody is clear and uplifting

the song is you, my dearest love

good morning.

As we part

As we part, originally uploaded by maotai.

longing reflected from your eyes

stabs my heart with its steely blade

i fear to know the fullness of the pain

for as we part that it will surely be

Simple meal

Simple meal, originally uploaded by maotai.

simple meal for a simple man. hong wen mutton soup at beauty world plaza.

brings back memories of maotai and friends during pre-u days. when we would pontang the last session for the day and rush over to capitol cinema. there was a food alley there and the chinese mutton soup was divine.

most of you are too young and would have no idea that there was even a food alley there :)

so ask a respected elder like a parent or uncle or aunty. anyone who can help me track down that chinese mutton soup will get a bottle of maotai from uncle maotai. LOL

Nothing better to do

got to this from mandrake.



create your own visited country map

She said.

She said., originally uploaded by maotai.

what i want you cannot give me, she said

you cannot and will not offer it because that is the way you are

when we first met five years ago

i sense the danger to my being, the possible heartache, the pain

i know you are a well, your walls are smooth and your waters deep

for five years i enjoyed you on the few occasions

when you came into town, sipping wine and coffee

talking of our common interests, having great meals

i know you are a well, you are deep and your waters refreshing

i tasted waters from the well and it quenched my thirst

i think i did right for the five years, i went on with my life

i immersed myself in my work not thinking about the impossible

i found myself a boyfriend who looks like you

thinking that probable is better than the impossible

i think i did right for the five years

till four nights back

you called we met and i started thinking 'just once' 'only once'

as we walked your warmth overwhelmed me

as we sat across the table i wanted you

'just once' 'only once'

to have what i do not have cannot have will not have

'just once' 'only once'

i think i did right for the five years

then that was four nights back

i drank i drank deeply and sank into the well

you are a deep well your walls are smooth i find no escape

bring me to the top release me

i cannot do it alone i do not have the strength

i hate you

i did right for the five years

i love you

please release me

... and we cried, bound.

Today

Today, originally uploaded by maotai.

the day seems the same

the work, the people

and the games i play

but the familiar is different

for i look through your eyes

from my heart you reside

Remember

Remember, originally uploaded by maotai.

remember our kisses

remember our hugs

the tender moments

when our heartstrings tug

for we know when tomorrow comes

the mind returns and logic rules

then we die a little and rues that time is rude

Shanghai - Linda

Nokia(11).jpg, originally uploaded by maotai.

Linda, the boss of Real Shanghai Cafe. Maotai's hangout in Shanghai...

sgblogconspiracy - There Is NO Conspiracy

what with the rumors spreading in the singapore blogsphere that has even managed to reach maotai here in changzhou?

maotai does not believe that there is a conspiracy going on. after meeting the bloggers at the hideout last month, maotai has submitted a report detailing the personalities of those said bloggers. the truth is that there is not one conspiracy but SEVERAL conspiracies!!! maotai will reveal three of the cases he has uncovered;

Conspiracy 1: mr. miyagi is lim buey tor!
the mild mannered gentleman we know so well is the wild partying gentleman lim buey tor of whom we also know well. LBT's lifestyle; the partying, the drinking, the 5/10 games and the young women has certainly taken its toll. remember how tired looking mr. miyagi was? look at their blogs, completely different, the contrast is so wide that it could only has been deliberate! the blogsphere's very own clark kent/ superman.

Conspiracy 2: none of the bloggers look the way they actually do.
this has been aptly demonstrated by LMD whom we were misled to mean 'littlemissdrinkalot'. how wrong we were LMD is the Lethal Mistress (or master, no one of coz really knows) of Disguise. LMD has offerred her skills under the guise of nail shaping and painting. how deviously clever! one of her customers is FF, deliciously disguised as a shunu. if you are a regular visitor to FF's blog you would know that she is an axe wielding testicles crushing amazon equipped with hot irons and army boots,certainly not looking like the gal in a japanese chekopek's wet dream.

Conspiracy 3: the coming sgblogcon is a trap!
the authorities know that most of sg bloggers are actually aliens. yes, aliens. why do you think that even after years of mind numbing brainwashing singaporean style education, bloggers here are able to keep an independent mind. that is because we are not human. look at the real picture of LMD for proof. many bloggers are into deviant alternate lifestyle practises like spinning weird music, copiously downing macallan, using apple products, talking too much about sex, having too much sex, having no sex, tattooing, body piercing, bar top dancing and other deviant non singaporean mainstream social behaviour. and horror of horrors, they are not doing all these to be cool but really enjoying and blogging about it too!
with all the aliens in one place (NLB branch too!), the sgblogcon is the perfect opportunity for the gahmen's MIB (Mission to Influence Bloggers) to identify know us, to vivisect understand us and to control engage us better.

but maotai will be ready! he has his grouche marx disguise ready. he suggests that all bloggers to visit LMD's "nail spa" and get their custom made disguises for the event.

LOL
sgblogconspiracy

5/10 Showhand

how do u define a winner? the one who gets to drink or the one who does not get to drink?

To Beijing

the regular monthly for me. SQ812 1.20am takeoff which will get me to Beijing by 7am.