Sep 2014. Shenyang When I first came to China in 2009, I lived the expatriate life in Shanghai, visiting restaurants catered for foreigners. When I joined BMW and moved to Shenyang in 2014, I lived like a local. That's when I saw daily life in China in a different light. There were many cold winter... Continue Reading →
Aug 2014. Benxi The maple trees showing off their golden colours during the autumn was a big attraction at the Guanmenshan mountains in Benzi. But I was too late as the autumn season was almost over. There are no yellow or red leaves in any of the trees. There was even a tree that was... Continue Reading →
Jul 2014. Shenyang Beautifully roasted sausages, chunks of charred chicken and crispy bread pieces on skewers. I didn't order my entire dinner in one go but in batches. Nobody eats cold barbecued food. So there was more to my dinner than this. If you noticed, they keep the plating process simple. They just slip on... Continue Reading →
Jul 2014. Shenyang The night market stalls ran for one-to-two kilometres and the barbecue stalls paralleled them for a good distance. Crowds were flowing from the night market into the barbecue area and vice versa. The two businesses fed off each other offering Shenyang locals a fun street shopping and dining experience. They set-up this... Continue Reading →
Jul 2014. Shenyang Shenyang was the capital of Qing dynasty China in the 17th century for a brief period of time. Today, it is a little known industrial city in China. Other than the fact that the BMW Group has based its production plants here, there's nothing special here. The weather is not exciting either.... Continue Reading →
Shenyang. Jul 2014 Singapore is near the equator. There are no four seasons. The temperature is 25-33°C (77-91°F) throughout the year. We wore T-shirts and shorts everyday. We ate the same vegetables and fruits the whole year. There are no special recipes or food for certain parts of the year. But after travelling to Germany... Continue Reading →
Shenyang. Mar 2014 It has been four months since I moved to Shenyang from Shanghai and I was still getting used to Shenyang's winter. One day, I woke up and was horrified to realise that I couldn't see anything outside my windows. I was living on the 16th floor and I couldn't see the nearby... Continue Reading →
One day, without any kind of a decent thinking, I went on a shopping spree to buy potted flowering plants. A mindless fit to bring instant colour to my front yard that day. The flowers were pretty and small and in indigo, yellow, pink and white and they did transform the garden instantly. But due... Continue Reading →
Shanghai. Feb 2013 I arrived in China in late 2009 with my family. Its been four years now. Our lives have changed so much. The way we live, eat and shop. Our school and work lives. Our minds and hearts opened to see and understand the Chinese way of doing things. I personally was learning... Continue Reading →
Shanghai. Nov 2012 Singapore does not have a seasonal climate and therefore the changing of the seasons after relocating to China was something new for me. In spring the leaves sprouted and the flowers blossomed. Summer offered long sunny days for the plants to grow. In autumn, the leaves turned turn gold and dropped off... Continue Reading →