Slow Sorjourn in Beauty

The three musketeers - ali, jas & choops

I think I'm really an old soul at heart. While this is a little long in the making, here is my little trip to Taiwan in the earlier part of May. This was also the highlight of my trip - the six hour drive from Hualien to CingJing.

This time I went with two good friends - Jas and Choops and I also found two forumers on Trip Advisor to share the cab ride.

We departed Hualien early possibly about 8.30am and arrived at the beautiful marble-slate like Taroko Gorge.

I was spellbound. 

The grooves and lines on the rocks are made
by the river

Have you seen boulders of marble or straight mountain faces of marble? Have you stepped onto a narrow wooden-bridge to see the frothing river at the bottom? Have you seen swallows zipping overhead one moment and darting across at your side next?

River at the bottom of
my feet!!

Choops - anything for
a picture!

Beware of falling rocks!!
Goodbye Taroko!

The scenery changes as we moved further inland and up. Rolling greenery gave way to brownish almost stick-like vegetation. Alright, it was bushes. Just loads of bushes lining the side of the roads. There were gigantic Lalangs and supposedly, Sakura trees. These are quite different from the Japanese ones; flowers are smaller and the colour, a little less vibrant. However, I was told by the gregarious Mr Looi that the Sakura had blossomed and faded. If I were to go Taiwan earlier, I would be able to capture the beauty.

We kept stopping to take pictures and dallied at each stop. Mr Looi was patient and when we reached He Huan Shan, he became our cheerleader.

Our cab-mate Louis
making his way to the top

It was cold - like 4 degrees cold. Choops and Jas didn't want to go up but he urged them on. I cannot stress how important it is to be properly garbed for this journey. The rise in altitude and the lack of proper clothing will dampen your enjoyment of this journey!!

Choops, Maggie & Jas slowly going up

Choops and Jas did mange to go up, hurriedly took some pictures and scuttled down. I lingered a little, trying to take in the view as much as possible.

YAY! We made it!

We were at the apex of the mountain. There were clouds slowly rolling in. It made the backdrop of mountains appear ethereal. Occasionally, the sun's rays would break through and just bathe the fields below in spots of gold.

We reached CingJing, Mr Li's Starry Minsu at about six. Mr Li had his piping hot vege hotpot waiting for us. That was a great curtain drop to an invigorating drive through of Taroko Gorge.

Our fantastic guide - Mr Looi

A second home

My father enjoying the mountain air
at Fu Yam Minsu

It is just incredible that I've been to Taiwan three times within two years. My first trip was back in 2007 when I first brought my father there. Then, it was a very different Taiwan. My memory was a laid back, rustic country, where there history was far from exciting.

Little did I realise how wrong I was. Possibly stemming from my lack of preparation, and truly, having not discovered Trip Advisor I didn't know what to expect. My second trip happened because of my father's love for the place. He followed their talkshows and news with a religious fervor that was endearing at times.

How lucky I was to find Starry House at CingJing. The experience, a little colder than what I expected was easily replaced by the warmth of Mr Li and his wife. It helped that his furry canine companion was such a charmer, we had so much fun, I brought my friends again in mid 2010.

This recent December trip brought me into the forest greenery of Taoyuan, at Fu Yam Minsu . If you haven't been there, you must make this trip. The three hour drive is worth your time. And to really make it work for you, stay at least two nights. I didn't and I've regretted and really beaten myself over.

The first thing you notice when you stepped out of the car was the amazing crispness of the air. City dwellers like my teenage cousins will find it strange. Myself and my parents, it is the smell of the earth, of untarnished nature. We joked that we should pack the air in our extra plastic bags and bring home to Singapore for the occasional whiff.

We had one building to ourselves - there were nine of us. Each room had a different theme and were well equipped. A word of caution to those who fear the cold, there is no heater, so bring warm clothing if you visit during Winter. But once you get under the covers, you will find that some times, it can get really warm!

Scurried up a boulder to
take a picture of the creek 

What pleases me the most is the attentiveness of the owner, Mr Zhong. He takes the time to walk us through is property and plan our La La mountain tour itinerary. He showed us a river where some of his guests will attempt to fish for their meal. He also had access to a creek - beautiful boulders, sparkling water, and that therapeutic sounds of the rapids. Just be careful as you negotiate the rocks and boulders.

Meals, both dinner and breakfast were delightful. They were simple, home-cooked fares but done with such attentiveness and I'm thinking pride. It is a lot of food and for a great big eater like myself, I still had troubles putting it all in. My suggestion is to let Mr Zhong know ahead if you are a small eater. Boo to all those who have to throw food away.

Lesson Learnt

In my line of work, there is so much trust needed. Trust that we've got the right insight, trust that we know what we are doing, trust that we know the business and landscape, and trust in our cleverness.

It makes me feel like a surgeon sometimes. You say you've got a pain in your body and feel lousy. I ask for your symptoms, I ask how long you've been suffering, I ask what you've been doing differently, I ask your background. With these information, I make a
diagnosis and we trust I'm right.

Gosh!

Maybe my job is not so life changing or detrimental if we get it wrong. But, the stress behind that kind of trust and belief is humbling. I ask myself why would they listen to someone who is not even running their business?
Is the onus on us, on me to know?
Of course!
But there must be trust that we will do our due diligence.

As I embark on what I see as a turning phase of my work, I sometimes see the stark reality that, these advice, are only as good as the brightest in the team. And on top of it, the commitment that team has on that piece of work and how far they are willing to invest gee time in to do the work.
At the end of it, the person reviewing the idea also, hopefully, has half a brain.

What a convoluted relationship this is!

Splitting Hairs

I had to make the painful decision to sever my relationship with my current hair stylist. Don't get me wrong. He's a whiz with the scissors and has an excellent eye for styling. I love him to bits and have been going to him since four years ago!
He's really got things going for him. His uphill climb has also led to an alarming increase in price. He's very sweet, trying to give me discounts and such. But, alas, i decided to end it.
So began my hairsplitting, hair pulling ordeal of finding me that hair dresser whom I can let handle my tresses with no fear. I've had many a harrowing experience BJ (before J****)- like before Christ... Ha Ha.
But yea, I was worried.
I spoke to people. My friends, my colleagues, even my client. Yes. My orbit was informed and aware of my big decision. I even entered a self help site to see what strangers had to recommend. In fact, I chickened out on a referral on the day itself (I'm sorry S**)!
Did you know the considerations a person has to comb through before deciding?
Here's a checklist in case you need:
Brand - this is to narrow down the salons. Often, with the name, you can guess the service level and expertise of their pool of stylists
Designation - who do you want cutting down your tresses? The lead stylist? The Director? Of course you must also be aware of the corresponding increase in costs. Usually, the designation implies a level of skill of the stylist.
Experience - This is incredibly important! A haircut is only good if it accentuates and refines a person's features. And having years of experience behind a stylist also means he has possibly had to deal with many different face shapes and hair textures. Hopefully, this may increase the chances of a satisfied haircut.
Regulars - I also like to find out if the stylist has a following. Like J, some of my friends are still following him faithfully. I guess their paychecks have correspondingly increased while mine kind of plateaued. This means a satisfaction and possibly good customer service!
Well, I've also found nanyate's write up particularly interesting. Three key things stylists need to know. Makes perfect sense.

So where did you get your last haircut?

Ostentatious decor, so-so food, lousy service

It was a week of failed food adventure.

Taste Paradise
I'd talk about Taste Paradise first. Well, it was really anything but that. I mean, I think I had better tasting dim sum at much cheaper places with less fancy decor of course. I'd give them an A-plus for e big-ass paintings of the Chinese emperors. But I was not there for history lessons if you know what I mean.

I mark all dim sum with the basic siew mai. Don't get me wrong. It was a very respectable siew mai, but, at close to $5 for four pieces, I had expected something a bit more.

A good place with fantastic dim sum is, surprise, the Ritz at Kuala Lumpur. Aside from the delightful bursts of fish roe in your mouth, the Chinese mushroom slice gives the pork base a sweeter taste in the mouth. That should be the benchmark for good siew mai.

However, if you still insist on visiting Taste, then try the chicken feet. The marinate is done quite well. It was cooked just right and the skin did not just break apart when you eat.


TWG @ION
The second place that didn't quite make the mark was TWG. You'd think that with all the hype, the afternoon tea lifestyle would have been well crafted the moment you step in. Let's talk menu.

It lists the various teas, all one thousand of them. Ok, maybe mot so many. But you get the drift. It's a list. I'm not sure how many tea masters there are in Singapore that know what they Re drinking, but some description would be welcome and helpful.

The next best bet was the service staff.
But what a mistake!

She couldn't recommend tea to save her life! When I asked for something less funky, she offered English breakfast! I don't think I'd come to TWG for English Breakfast!

The desserts were also incredibly ordinary. Didn't understand the hype around the macaroons. I'd guess it is flavours available? I'd comment about the cheese cake since I eat that more often. There was hardly the taste of the cream cheese. Think the raspberry was too strong. The cake was rather dense and I thought the layers didn't come together quite so well.

The environment was A-plus though. The waitress would do well to be better versed with their tea selection so that she can better recommend their teas.

Hong Kong - The City that Never Sleeps

You can never tell that it's midnight!

I just came back from Hong Kong. What a bustling, energy laden place it is. I'm simply amazed by her people. If you want to talk cosmopolitan, then, this is it.

I used to think that nothing will beat Singapore in being a cosmopolitan country. But in Hong Kong, it's really a whole new level.

Have you been to Lan Kwai Fong? Have you gone to the Convention Centre in Wanchai? Seen a play at the arts academy? Or have you taken the ferry to Tsim Sha Tsui and hunkered down at one of their da pai dang (street side stalls) for dinner?

At ten at night, the city is still hustling. I was so drawn into their pace, by the time I get back to the hotel, it's close to midnight!
With my sore feet and a bruised wallet, I hopped into a nearby foot reflexology centre almost every night.

Now I know why everyone loves going to Hong Kong. Be it for shopping, sight-seeing or eating, there are bound to be things that will keep you occupied, entertained and enlightened!

This was SOOO good - pig's ears and liver noodles

The must-take tram ride up Victoria Peak

Through the looking glass! I'm actually in a see-through cable car to Lantau Island

My Epitaph would read...

I'm not sure actually.

Sitting in a conference today at Shangri La, I was once again shown the determination and grit of entrepreneurs, versus lesser beings like me.

He said after a moment's thoughts - I'd like my epitaph to read: He helped create the best in the industry. Founder and Manager.

It got me to think. What would mine read? I don't know. Do you?