How much for Christmas did 'my True Love' spend on me?

Now I caught your attention! ;P

This post has nothing to do with SP, but rather the PNC Christmas Index. hehehe. 

No, I didn't make it up. It really exists! Here you go:



The PNC Christmas Index tracks the index of the current costs of the gifrs given by the True Love to the singer of the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas".

For those who don't know the song well, the gifts are:

Twelve drummers drumming,
Eleven pipers piping,
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree!

According to the data, the cheapest gift is the 'two turtle doves'(USD$40), while the most expensive is the 'nine ladies dancing' (USD$4,759.19). 

The 2006 index is USD$18,920.59 and it is the most expensive year since the index started 22 years ago.

The “True Cost of Christmas”, which is the cumulative cost of all the gifts with the repetitions listed in the song, runs to USD$75122.03.

It is really an expensive Chrismas!

For more information:

http://www.pncchristmaspriceindex.com

Lots of catch-up to do!!

I should relly make an effort to write more blog entries!

I still haven't finished writing about the Japan trip. I haven't even mentioned my Paris trip and I am going to Colonge tomorrow

I need more time! :)

Valerie thinks so too! Poor thing, she hasn't seen daylight for weeks!

Anti-climb paint

When we first moved to London, we noticed signs which say 'Warning: Anti-climb paint'.



(Source: http://www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk/acb.jpg)

It sounds like a silly idea and I have certainly not seen them in Australia.

I did some research today and found that it is actually a non-drying oil based paint. In theory, this should make the surface very slippery and impossible to climb. It also marks people's clothes and skin should it come into contact with the paint.

However, the paint that we saw generally look dried. And I don't think it is going to stop anyone from using a rope to climb in.

Anyway, it seems sad that we have to come up with these kind of measure to stop people from entering a premise. *sigh*

Japan Trip, Oct 2006 - Kiyomizu temple (音羽山清水寺)

Back to the sight-seeing bits of our Japan trip.

The first sight that we visited in Kyoto is the Kiyomizu temple, or 'Otowasan Kiyomizu-dera' (音羽山清水寺).

Entrance to the temple.


SP and I


Cleaning my hands before entry.


Wishes of the faithful


The bell of the temple.

The most notable structure of the temple is the veranda, which is supported by hundreds of wooden pillars. It offers an impressive views of the city. Wasn't a bad way to start our day!


A photo of SP! The platform is in the background.


The platform is supported by these wooden pillars. All supported by joints. No nails involved!

Apparently, there is a say in Japanese: "to jump off the stage at Kiyomizu" (「清水の舞台から飛び降りる」), which refers to an Edo period 'belief' that if one were to survive free-jumping from the platform, one's wish would be granted. The platform is around 13 metres from the ground, and it would be difficult to jump off it without injuring oneself. According to Wiki, "234 jumps were recorded in Edo period and of those, 85.4 percent survived." The statistics is better than what I think.

The temple is also famous for its waterfall, called Otowa-no-taki (音羽の滝). The water is split into three channels, which fall into a pond. The water is believed to have 'therapeutic' properties. It is also believed that drinking the water from the three streams would confer health, longevity and success in studies.

I took my chance to try two of the streams, but I have no idea which is which. Haha.


First attempt!


Second attempt!

I saw some one filling their water bottles with the water. Perhaps they are doing a take-away?

The temple site also contains several little shrines, the most famous being the Jishu-jina (地主神社), which is dedicated to a god of love.


One of the shrines for love.

It was one of the busiest part of the temple! Vendors were selling lucky charms all over. It was very commercial.

Kyoto is the city of temples and shrines. But I will probably just write about this one. I think I am getting lazy.

Pietersen is OUT!

Fourth ball of the day and Pietersen is out! (Pietersen c Martyn b Lee 92)

The tail is opened up. Let's hope Gabba won't be bothered with rain today.

England 347/8

Jones' out. Giles' out.

Com'on. Finish them up! I wanna go to bed!

Australia 602/9d & 202/1d vs England 157 & 0/0 (0.0 ov)

England is about to play! I think this first Test is ours! :)

For those who don't know much about cricket, this seems to be a good link.

http://www.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ABOUT_CRICKET/EXPLANATION/CRICKET_EXPLAINED_AMERICAN.html

Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes is a large town around 75km (45 miles) north-west of London. It is roughly half way between London and Birmingham.

Due to its access to major highways, it is quite a popular spot for large corporations. Some of the big companies are: Daimler Chrysler, Royal Mail, Argos, Abbey, British Telecom, EDS and Tescos.

I went there for an engagement this week. The train ride takes about 45-50 mins and it is generally pleasant in the morning. The autumn leaves are really beautiful against a countryside backdrop.

Anyway, as I was passing by the train station today, I saw a very interesting town map.

Milton Keynes Central is a planned city. Its infrastructure was built with scalability in mind. First of all, most of the commercial and industrial district is built with a grid square system. Roundabouts junctions were built at almost all intersections since the roads were intended to carry large volumes of traffic.

Look at the roundabouts!

(Source: http://www.lastrefuge.co.uk/)

The major grid roads are separated by large grassed areas, which are essentially reserved land for future upgrade should the need to upgrade the single carriageway to dual carriageways arises.

(Source: http://www.lastrefuge.co.uk/)

Here is something from the Internet: "When the city was planned, the main roads, forming the sides of the grid squares were given numbers. There were horizontal roads going east-west and vertical ones going north-south. They were known as 'H' roads and "V" roads." (Source: http://www.mkweb.co.uk/urbanis/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=1816) The roads are in fact very square! Just like the roads in Beijing!

Further from the centre, the roads look more like coral reefs, or like the 'Palm' development in Dubai. I suppose this allows for more privacy for families.

Milton Keynes is also home to one of the largest entertainment and business complex in the UK. 'xscape' is a multi-purpose building with restaurants, shops (LOTS of them), bars, health centres, fitness clubs, 24 lane ten pin bowling alley, 16 screen cinema multiplex, rock climbing, airkix, ski slope, conference centre and exhibition centre. Too bad I didn't make it there this week! :(

For those interested, the map of Milton Keynes can be found here:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?oi=eu_map&q=Milton+Keynes&hl=en

It doesn't show the roundabouts very well, but it is nevertheless a good interactive map.

For more information:

MKWeb
http://www.mkweb.co.uk/home/

xscape
http://www.xscape.co.uk/snow/milton-keynes/

Manchester and my first taste of X'mas market

I was in Manchester yesterday.

I was pretty impressed when I found out that the city operates a free bus shuttle (called Metroshuttle) that operates in the city centre. It runs 3 circuits around the major landmark in the city (including the bus terminal, train stations and town hall). The bus runs rather frequently (Route 1 runs every 5 mins while Route 2 & 3 runs every 10 mins). It is really quite efficient.

A little background about the city: Manchester is the first industrialised city in the world. Manchester was involved in heavy industrial construction during WWII and as a result, it was heavily bombed. Nowadays, the city is not that industrialised or polluted. It is quite pleasant, actually. It also has a large Asian (oriental) community and its Chinatown is relatively big in comparison to London's.

My office is right by the town hall so I took an opportunity to visit the Christmas market at the Albert Square. The people from the office told me to specifically ‘search for Santa'. Well, you can't really miss the giant inflatable Santa on top of the town hall building. Nevertheless, I found that quite funny.

Added 29/11/2006: I was just  told that the Santa is made of bullet-proof material because someone tried to shot it down some time ago.


(Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/content/articles/2005/11/08/171105_festive_markets_event_feature.shtml)

The Christmas market is continental European-style so you can find German bratwurst, Glühwein (a spiced mulled wine), gebrannte Mandeln (roasted almonds), Lebkuchen (gingerbread) and also French and Dutch crêpes, cheeses and charcuterie. Of course, there are also Christmas trees and handcrafts. It is really quite ‘festive'.

I bought some spicy sausages, which always goes well with wine. I was kinda in a hurry to leave Manchester for London so I didn't hang around for as long as I want.

Anyway, SP and I are going to a few more Xmas markets in the coming month and I am really looking forward to it now! :)

Zafferano

I am having dinner at Zafferano tonight.

 
(Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4079041.stm)

Zafferano is the restaurant which bought the giant white Alba truffle for £28,000 in 2004. The chef subsequently left it in the fridge for too long and the truffle became inedible! What a waste!

I was never going to forgive them. But I will have to see tonight! :P

Dining at Zafferano

Zafferano has been forgiven. It's official.

Definitely worth a visit during the truffle season! They have a menu full of truffle dishes!

Bread. The bread are freshly cut at the table in the main hall.

Tuna Scallop Carpaccio. Nice and fresh.

Cured ham with marinated mushrooms. I love the ham. It was definitely freshly cut. Look at the moisture!

Venison with mushrooms in wine sauce. I only tried the mushrooms. Very tasty sauce!

Tagliatelle with white truffle... MUST TRY! very simple yet very satisfying!

Vanilla ice cream with 100 years old Balsamic vinegar and white truffle. The vinegar is sweet and has a very thick consistency. See end of article for more info on this old vinegar.

Here is my reaction to the dessert:

Posing for photos. 'Hurry up! The ice cream is melting!!'

The smell is divine!

I'm digging in!

It's really yummy. Do you want to try some?

No? Ok. I will have the rest!

Update 26/04/2007: I've just realised that Zafferano is a one-Michelin-starred restaurant!

For more information:

Zafferano
http://www.atozrestaurants.com/zafferano/

100 year old Balsamic Vinegar - $USD 500 per 100 ml, no wonder they only gave us 6 drops!!!!
http://www.farawayfoods.com/hundredyear.html and http://balsamic.com/pages/balsamic_article2.htm

Speaking of cheap accomodation...

Travelodge in UK is having a Chrismas sale. Room prices are £15 during the X'mas period!

Too bad we've already made all our bookings for our x'mas trip :(

For more information:

Travelodge
http://www.travelodge.co.uk

Japan Trip, Oct 2006 - A tiny room in Kyoto City (京都市)

We arrived in Kyoto (京都) without a room.

Kyoto is one of the more expensive cities in Japan so we were keen to find a budget room.

Luckily, we have a Lonely Planet guide handy. We quickly find a place near the station and rang up to book a room.

The guy on the other end of the phone speaks very good English, so we were impressed. However, the booking is only valid for 15 minutes and the place is 8 minutes from the stations.

We quickly dragged our lugguage across streets. At a tiny 'intersection', I stopped to look for directions. According to the map, the road to the hostel is just around, but all I can see is a tiny no-name lane that could only accomodate single-direction traffic. I went into the nearest shop and asked the old man (who didn't speak a word of English). Luckily, he recognised the street name and directed us back to the small lane.

We got there just in time and while we were registering, another person rang up and apparently, we took the last room! Lucky we rang up to reserve the room!



The rooms are located in the block right above the reception area. They look like little apartments from the outside. The room itself is tiny. There is a small bathroom and a kitchen sink in the room.

However, at ¥8,070 (£36, AUD$90, HKD$530, USD$69) per night, we can't complain. It was the cheapest accomodation we stayed at during our entire trip!

For more information:

Tour Club
http://www.kyotojp.com/

Remembrance Day - Poppy Day

 A few weeks ago, I noticed that people are beginning to wear a poppy on their collars. After a few days, I found out that these poppies are worn to remembed those that fell in wars. These artificial poppy are sold by the Royal British Legion, a charity dedicated to helping war veterans.

So, why the poppy? I never find out the reason until this year: Poppies grow naturally on disturbed soil. In World War One, the soil on the Western Front contains thousands of poppy seeds, which were all lying dormant. In normal circumstances, the poppy seeds would lay there for many more years. However, the battles (esp. the battles which the new chlorine gas were experimented by the Germans) being fought there churned up the soil so much that the poppies bloomed like never before.

I know that Australia have their Remembrance Day on the 11 Nov. It is the same date in UK. However, it is taken much more seriously in the UK. The British Legion is hoping to raise £26m of this from this year's Poppy Appeal, which is a great amount considering that the population of the country is only 60m. (These poppies are not sold at a fixed price. Instead, it is relied on donations.) I hope they will be able to reach their target.

Happy Birthday, my dear brother!

My lovely brother is celebrating his birthday today!

 I wish him a very happy birthday!

 and if you are reading this entry, don't forget to bring some sovenir for me from Spain!

Malmö (Sweden) Aug 2006

Just found some pictures of Malmo on my HDD. I think I was prepared to write something about the city at some point. hahaha

Town Hall of Malmo

The symbol of Malmo


A pub in Malmo. The walls looked like they were painted, but they were real bricks!

The windmill in Malmo

The Malmo Castle.

If you are interested to learn about Malmo, you can read more about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malm%C3%B6

Japan Trip, Oct 2006 - Okayama at night

(Due to 'complaints' about the food posts, I've decided to write random things about Okayama. Please excuse the randomness) 

We walked back to the hotel on our first night in Okayama City . Most shops were closed, so we were eagerly looking around for neon lights!

As we rushed past some tiny public lawn area (it probably won't qualify as a park in strict terms) to cross the road, the old men waiting at the light was giving us an unfriendly stare. Yes, we were guilty of jaywalking, but why the stare? Later, Ms YI explained to me that Okayama City citizens are mostly law-abiding, in contrast to the Osaka residence for example. I guess that explains it. (During my previous trips to Japan, I've always visited the larger cities.)

After short walk, we found lights and civilisation! It was a little tacky if you ask me. But nevermind, we have found the Joypolis! It is a Sega's entertainment centre chain and it is basically a centre full of video games, arcarde games and photo sticker machines. For those of you from Sydney, it is similar to Galaxy on George Street, only bigger and noisier. O, there are also some gambling machines and networked strategy game machines on one side of the second floor.

The centre is rather spacious and most of the customers are of high-school age.

I thought the photo sticker machine area was the most interesting as there were girls changing into rented costumes for photographs. We flicked through their catelog. There were kimino, Chinese dress, wedding dress and costume for French maids, high school uniform (why are these high school students renting high school uniform? don't ask me), nurse, the usual etc... The list is endless and that just proves that many Japanese do love their costumes.

Anyway, here are a couple of photos inside the centre:

The 'view' from second floor.


Someone is turning three!

Before we return to the hotel, we also made a visit to the local video shop. I think I might leave that blog post for SP :P

Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night

It is very noisy around London tonight (5th Nov). There are fireworks all around the place. It's the bonfire night!

What is it all about, you may ask? well, the firework is to mark the failure of Guy Fawkes' Gunpowder plot. You can read more about it here: http://www.bonefire.org/guy/gunpowder.php

Anyway, a long story short: In 1605, a group, led by a person called Guy Fawkers, has gathered barrels of gunpowder under the House of Lords in an attempt to blow up the House of Parliament and kill the king. Their plot failed and the conspirators were caught, tortured and executed. Subsequently, bonfires were set alight to celebrate the safety of the King and the tradition has continued until today, although for a completely different reason.

These days, the bonfire night is held around Britain on several nights around 5th Nov. Each council/regions tends to run their own version, so the theme would be somewhat different. However, since most of the bonfire night are planned by individual councils/suburbs, there are a number of firework display inside London. However, the scale of these firework display is relatively small.

SP and I are living alongside the river so we can see the fireworks in a few places. There are at least four  six nine seperate firework displays at this very moment. Rather noisy, if you ask me.

 

Japan Trip, Oct 2006 - Yukata

Yukata (浴衣) is a Japanese summer garmet. A tone-down version is frequently worn after bathing/shower at traditional Japanese inns. They are also generally available at Japanese hotels.

So, what is the proper way of wearing a yukata?

The left side of the garment is wrapperd over the right side, no matter whether you are a male or female. An obi (belt) is then used to keep the yukata in place.

Just a word of warning, wrapping the right side over the left side is only of the people who has passed away. Another one cultural point!

Before correction from Ms YI!


The correct way of wrapping the yukata!

 

Japan Trip, Oct 2006 - Udon

Udon (うどん/饂飩) is a type of thick wheat-based noodles and my western high-school friends also called them white worms!

Udon is most commonly served hot as noodle soup. The flavour of the soup and topping varies from region to region. But the udon are definitely much tastier and firmer than what you can get overseas. I believe most of the udon are still handmade. When we were in Okayama, we also saw a chef making his own udon!

The most common form of udon is served like this:



Ms YI recommended that I go to Nagoya (名古屋) to try their aka (red) miso dishes, so we made a stop at Nagoya and tried the miso nikomi udon (味噌煮込みうどん):

These udon are extra firm and tasty. The soup is full-flavoured and it generally contains chicken, a floating cracked raw egg stirred in, kamaboko, vegetables and fried tofu. The udon is of a special kind as it needs to be simmered in the soup for prolonged period to absorb to full flavour. It is one of the most salty dishes that we had. But also very yummy. I would strongly recommend that you give this dish a try next time you are in Nagoya.

Japan Trip, Oct 2006 - Okayama City (岡山市)

Okayama City is the capital city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chugoku region of Japan.

The city was founded in arond 1889, so it is not exactly old according to Japan's history.

The major tourist attraction in the city includes the Korakuen Garden (後楽園庭園)and the Okayama Castle (岡山城).

The Korakeun Garden is one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan. It was built by daimyo Ikeda and it dates back to around 1700.



The design of the garden is well-documented: there are many Edo period paintings and Ikeda family records on the garden. So the government of Okayama was able to restore the garden back to the original formation after WWII. The garden itself is pretty big.

Having walked from the hotel to the Okayama castle, we decided to skip it. I am sure it will be extrodinary beautiful during the cherry blossum period and the autumn period.

The Okayama castle is rather special because it is almost jet black. The castle was destroyed after WWII and rebuilt in 1960s so what we saw wasn't the original. We didn't enter it either because it was quite crowded (long weekend in Japan). In the slope immediately below the castle's main ground, the remaining foundation of the houses and shops were digged up for show. I find them very interesting before most of the houses/shops are really tiny. They must be for tiny people!

Other than that, Okayama City is also reasonably close to Shikoku (四国) island. On this island, you can supposedly find the best udon in Takamatsu (高松市). Accordingly to The Observer, 'Slurp udon noodles in Takamatsu' is one of the 50 things that every foodie should do. Ms YI also emphasised the udons a few times to me, so it must be pretty good. This is going on my to-do list!