Particularization

Lost in a fan

2009-01-15T19:32:00.001-08:00

Peekaboo .

2008-12-16T05:46:00.001-08:00

Tree

2008-11-03T08:05:00.001-08:00

Paulaner 0.5

2008-10-04T21:26:00.001-07:00

Gazebo

2008-09-15T06:46:00.001-07:00

Crabtree & Evelyn

2008-09-04T05:30:00.001-07:00

Hungry Ghost Festival

2008-08-30T00:15:00.001-07:00

Just another cloudy sunday

2008-08-12T06:56:00.001-07:00

Tea for a rainy day

2008-07-29T02:41:00.001-07:00

Wicked & Crooked

2008-07-22T07:40:00.001-07:00

Passing Tree

2008-07-14T01:59:00.001-07:00

Hanging Clouds

2008-07-12T06:31:00.001-07:00

Concentric Circles

2008-07-07T03:41:00.001-07:00

Painting at Quarubar

2008-06-08T11:36:00.001-07:00

Boat Quay from Six

2008-05-23T22:13:00.001-07:00

Secret Conversations

2008-05-22T01:34:00.001-07:00

Disappearing Traditions & Dying Streets of Chinatown

2008-05-03T11:12:00.001-07:00

Staring out & Looking in

2008-04-30T22:29:00.001-07:00

Soft Coral

2008-04-28T21:23:00.001-07:00

Singapore's First Pecha Kucha Night

2008-04-11T09:47:00.001-07:00

Starry Nite Seven

2008-04-06T09:30:00.001-07:00

Ice Cold Cup

2008-02-27T21:38:00.001-08:00

Fast Car

2008-02-26T00:00:00.001-08:00

ghosts

2008-02-19T22:41:00.001-08:00

Peekture .

2008-02-19T08:30:00.001-08:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

Ok . Old picture .
Just posting it for fun .

My laptop died along with my pictures .
I've yet to go shoot any new pictures yet .... shall do so soon :)

Blank Daze

2008-01-01T10:37:00.001-08:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

I was lying on my bed , starring at the ceiling and just wasting time away when i the light from the window was coming in and landing on my chair directly . Over exposed the entire picture . Took the shot and edited it to give it a more ghostly feel . Has an eighties sense to it too . hehe .. i dunno .. it's an interesting shot i guess

A Chocolate Christmas Tree

2007-12-27T10:40:00.001-08:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

I wonder how's everyone's christmas has been . Actually , i wonder who actually looks at my pictures . Leave a tag will ya .

Merry Christmas again :)

To everyone who reads this blog ..

2007-12-24T08:33:00.000-08:00

My Macarons

2007-12-17T11:32:00.001-08:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

Take that you evil macarons . Now i shall eat you up .

This is by far the most difficult thing i've made in the past couple of weeks.

Ratatouille

2007-12-12T05:32:00.001-08:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

That's my ratatouille alright . I hate how it's all smothered in tomato sauce , i need to reduce the amount of tomato sauce i put in and up the spice factor . Also , me thinks it's too wet . but it probably has to do with the tomato sauce , shall turn up the heat tmrw .

Chocolate Rainbow Cupcakes

2007-12-09T22:31:00.001-08:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

Found a bag of chocolate chips and rainbow sprinkles in the fridge . So .. yah .. viola .

Reindeer Cupcake

2007-12-08T22:48:00.001-08:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

Christmas is coming ! Christmas is coming ! .. haha

I made these reindeer cupcakes yesterday . The same usual cupcakes recipe and i made royal icing sugar to coat it so it looks like snow and stuck a cute little reindeer on top of it :) ..

So cute .

A Tarte Aux Citron from Chez Moi

2007-12-04T08:08:00.001-08:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

I made this .

For the full story , go over my other blog .

Thian Hock Keng Temple

2007-11-26T07:06:00.001-08:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

Welcome to Thian Hock Keng Temple . I was here during the term break and i'm only posting these now because i can't find anything to post . But these pictures i guess serve to remind us how Singapore can be nice too. I think .haha .

A Gong

2007-11-26T07:02:00.001-08:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

This is the huge drum hanging from the ceiling inside the temple. And huge i mean huge .

A Golden Nugget

2007-11-26T06:57:00.001-08:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

Random hanging golden nugget from inside the temple. A bit wrong for the season , seeing how it's christmas and all , but it's still pretty and i like it

Edge of insanity

2007-11-15T01:14:00.001-08:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

Also , you know you're going slightly nuts when you think the bar of soap sitting by the sink actually looks like a macaron . *refer to previous picture . xoxo

Macarons

2007-11-15T01:13:00.001-08:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

Everyone has been a macaron craze of late . i've decided that i shall take the month of december to attempt making macarons .

This set is from Laduree . Paris . Fabulous taste , but definitely not as divine as the ones from Pierre Herme .

Wild Mushroom Quiche

2007-11-11T07:54:00.001-08:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

Here to tempt random people with food again . Went to toast behind ngee ann city with yn ay last friday and i had a wild mushroom quiche. I'm usually not a big fan of quiche but it was just sitting here looking all delicious and i just had to buy it and indeed it was as yummy as it looks.

Musee Du Louvre

2007-11-08T02:28:00.001-08:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

I can't remember what is the name of this statue, but if you ask me to show it to you which portion of the Louvre it is located in , i can show you.

I still have my carte jeune from louvre . Free entry to the louvre for a year ya'll .

EDIT : The sculpture is by Canonva Antonio , titled Cupid & Psyche.

Dancey Lights

2007-11-04T21:23:00.001-08:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

Similar to the previous post . The same christmasy decorations thingy i saw at esplande . This was me just playing with my camera , shaking it all around while taking the picture . The colour version was kinda psychedelic , but this B&W version is slightly creepy .

Bits & Pieces

2007-11-03T10:17:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

These decorations reminds me that Christmas is coming . Spotted at the Esplanade Singapore, the visual arts exhibition is just so pretty in the night . Bits of glass & painted porcelain mixed .

I was trying to shoot the exhibit, when this guy came out of nowhere . I decided to capture the moment asap , and viola . Very pretty . i like

Midnight Pulse

2007-10-31T01:26:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

It was the social science halloween party last friday and it was a fun party with close friends and mad amounts of beer. Took this picture of this typical ikea tealight sitting on one of the tables . I guess it's not paritcularly creepy . haha .. but oh well .

Trevi Fountain

2007-10-28T06:08:00.001-07:00

This is what the Trevi Fountain in Rome usually looks like .. when i was there in April , the huge ass fountain installation was full of people snapping shots of it. However, it seems . Someone decided to do a bit of art , and decided to dye the entire fountain red.

Quite hilarious really . looks like a blood bath literally . The most funny thing is , is that they are not exactly reporting it as a case of vandalism , but a case of modern art . Someone called it "A resurrection of Andy Warhol, the act of highlighting an object of mass consumption." . Very, very brilliant . So ... what shall we do ? .. The merlion perhaps ? .. or the fountain of wealth . Which to me , could represent the merlion puking blood , signifying the war torn years singapore experiences . OR , the fountain of wealth , showing how we have put our blood & sweat into creating the amount of wealth in Singapore . Hahaha ..

Full story here .

Typewriters

2007-10-23T11:19:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

Typewriters .... haha .. when was the last time u've seen any of these around man . I've actually used a typewriter before .. haha .. so old school. Saw these at Books Actually , a bookshop along telok ayer which was a bitch to find . Well , don't throw ur typewriters away . u can display them at the musuem . or they make very nostalgic photos like this .

Orchids

2007-10-21T09:33:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

Nope , not in a park with the sun at the back . Took this shot in Oriental Hotel with a spotlight behind , or at least i think it's Oriental Hotel . Could be Pan-pacific . Could never figure them out . Anyway , i took them while i was waiting for my friends to be done with the toilet . There were just huge pots of orchids around the lobby . What a waste though . Having to throw them all away once they are totally dead . Sigh .

Pan Seared Fois Gras with Toast

2007-10-14T00:16:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

First dish out of the entire long list of food you'll be seeing . The culinary adventure at My Humble House @ Esplande .

Very very good . Fois Gras with a chinese twist . hehe .. I've never had fois gras even when i was in Paris but this more than makes up for it.

Rice With Chicken Shreds in Superior Consomme .

2007-10-14T00:14:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

This is porridge basically , but porridge fit for kings . The chicken stock was infused with a bit of squid , some rice wine and the salted vegetables . Very very nice . A bit over-powering for chinese food , but it was still very interesting flavour .

Crisp Friend Prawn in Lemon Citrus & Wasabi Mayo

2007-10-14T00:12:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

Very Very good . The wasabi wasn't over powering , only giving the light hint of spiciness to contrast very nicely with the lemon Citrus from the other prawn . Also , both of the prawns were very very fresh and the light batter which they were fried in gave it a very nice texture . Me Likey .

Assorted Seafood in Spinach Broth

2007-10-14T00:10:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

This may look absolutely unappetizing , but it turned out to very good . The green spinach taste was hardly present even though it's very green . The seafood in the broth was intense and every spoon was filled with the yummiest seafood one can imagine . Prawns , crab , scallops , squid .. very interesting combination .

Steamed Fillet of Silver Cod with Home Blend Tamarind

2007-10-14T00:08:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

This one was spicy but also sour . And since i like sour stuff . this was fabulous . I think this is my favourite out of the entire lot . The tamarind sauce was divine . The tiny cherry tomatoes & the lady fingers was a good complement to the tamarind sauce too , and the silver cod ? .. Silver cod is always good .

Wok Grilled Pork Rib in Orange Reduction

2007-10-14T00:05:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

Because of the reduction , the orange flavour was particularly strong , which made was could probably end up being a boring dish , strangely refreshing. Also , the pork rib was so tender it was just falling off the bone .

Jelly Desserts

2007-10-14T00:03:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

Well .. don't they just look yummy . More of the same set here . soft yet intense . OoO .

Strawberry Moon Cake & Nuts covered with Chocolate

2007-10-14T00:01:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

More desserts . The strawberry snowskin mooncake was just heavenly . The taste of strawberry was very present , which made a very nice constrast with the green tea lotus paste inside . Very fusion .

The chocolate nuts was yummy as usual .

Great end to a yummy meal .

Red Dot Museum

2007-10-09T00:35:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

So , we went to the red dot museum yesterday . This is actually in Singapore and the museum features product design winners awarded the red-dot prize or something like that . Very very cool things . In fact , rather alien like things as you'll see .. hehe ..

Information
5 bucks for entry
3 bucks for students
and i was lucky enough to be there in a group of 3 , so group price is 2 bucks . haha ..

Alien 1 - Glasses

2007-10-09T00:32:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

Nope , these are not alien experimental sacs , but glasses . Rows and rows of glass . I inverted the picture to make it look slight more avant garde because i'm crappily artistic like that . hahahahaha .

Alien 2

2007-10-09T00:31:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

Flower ? .. Nope , it's actually a lamp . Actually , this picture reminds me a ghost crab or one of those crab thingy that you usually see in underwater pictures . Only the centre 3 beams are bulbs , the rest are just mirror reflection. I poked my lens right into the lamp . People must have thought i was crazy . haha .

Alien 3 - Tap

2007-10-09T00:29:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

This was a tap one display at the museum . Very chic and simple design . i like . The top two controls the hot and cold water supply and the control behind , ... er .. i think manages the sink portion .

Cupcake

2007-09-30T08:23:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

Say hi to mr cupcake from paisley and cream cafe . located central mall at clarke quay . It kept me happy for about 3 minutes before it was prompted devoured . They are delicious . Comes in many flavours and this particular one is lemon . (ok i love lemons, when life give you lemons, you make citron tarts) They have chocolate , blueberry , mango , strawberries and cream and many more . Wayy better than the donut trend going on now i say .

Go visit them now @ Paisley & Cream Cafe

Singapore Art Museum

2007-09-30T02:19:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

You know the reflective thing that is suppose to be part of the new cirlce line station ? that's in front of the library . I suspect it only serves to make the Singapore Art Museum look a lot nicer at night .. and also to probably breed mosquitos .

Make your own Garlic Bread

2007-09-22T20:51:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

Delicious garlic bread are hard to come by . If they are delicious , more often then not , they are rather expensive . So , solution ? Make your own. They are amazingly simple to make . I made my own this morning :)

Ingredients
- Une Baguette
- Olive Oil
- Butter
- Chopped Garlic
- Your Basic Italian Herbs (Herb de Provence, Basil etc)
- Chili Flakes

Instructions
- Slice up your baguette
- Melt your butter and mix with your olive oil , garlic , herbs and chili flakes together
- Spread mixture over your baguette
- Pop it in the oven for about 15 mins at 150 degrees .
- Viola !

Enjoy your garlic bread . Eat it while it's hawt .

The Singapore National Museum

2007-09-19T00:49:00.001-07:00

So i had this idea to visit the Singapore National Museum , because there was this free exhibition . But in the end , we spent more time exploring the rest of the newly refurbished museum . I must say , the new museum is very pretty. Reminds me of the tate modern in London .

This is the wall enclosing the visitor centre . Very pretty lit walls and it was interacting nicely with the setting sun coming in from the glass doors .

This was one of the outdoor installations we saw . Swinging chandeliers . Rather hypnotic .

The new museum reminds me of the tate modern in london with the dark walls and glass panels . Apparently it's free after 5.30pm . If you haven't been to the museum , u should take a trip and check out the installations there . There were a lot of empty spaces , and what a waste of space . They ought to have more outdoor visual installations . Like the swinging chandeliers . We've got the space , now we need the art to be in it .

For more information --> http://www.nationalmuseum.sg/

A Visit to the Vat

2007-09-16T22:20:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

If i had to pick my a handful of my favourite pictures i've taken on my adventures during my exchange program . i'll definitely pick this picture. I love this picture for it's spontaneity and the outcome of it all . From the odd angle of the shot , this was a "sneak" shot , i had my camera behind my back and got the shot while the nuns walked by. I think it sums up the vatican rather nicely don't you think ?

No , we did not see the pope in his pope mobile, yes apparently , there is one , but the Vatican remains as one of the major must sees in Rome . You practically visit another country by just stepping into the grand square of the Vatican. It is a very photogenic place . With the random smattering of chairs prepared for their service on sunday . The horses at the end of the square and the Saint Peter's Basilica . All very pretty . We were lucky to avoid the queue , but be warned .

Pardon for being an pompous ass , but sometimes , i think i ought to sell my pictures and make some money out of it .

From Paris to Rome

2007-09-14T23:40:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

But nope , i don't want to go home . So when michelle visited me in April , we spent over a week traveling in Italy . So first stop . Rome .

Staying within walking distance of the Colloseum , it is a huge massive structure and u really do wonder how did people manage to build such things without construction cranes .

The place i stayed in Rome is probably home to the best bed i've ever slept in . It could be because of the horrid train ride there , but the bed was delicious . I have to say , don't bother getting the audio guide for the colloseum . it's kinda useless .

Also , the colloseum looks nicer on the outside than on the inside . But it's like the eiffel tower thing . Getting to the top of the tower is kinda disappointing . Similarly , inside the colloseum is all in ruins . But because you're there , u have to go in . Haha .

More about Rome soon .

After Exhibition

2007-09-06T20:41:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

The exhibition is over :)
I'm not entirely sure where the photos will travel to , but it ought to go up somewhere else in school . See how things go .

It was a fun day , sharing pictures and stories to the people who are interested in paris and after hours at timbre (sans EIC) was fun too .

Thanks to all those that took the time to come down :)

Up next for this blog : Italy Pictures
I didn't post any italy pictures simply because my laptop died when i was in Paris and i didn't manage to upload any . So .. next stop . Italy :)

I am an exhibitionist

2007-09-03T08:42:00.000-07:00

In case you're blind .

Singapore Management University
The Concourse
5th September 2007

La Petite Cuisine en Singapour

2007-09-02T11:15:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

I must say , it was tres interssante . La Petite Cuisine , which i believe translates to the small kitchen , is a little bistro that sells french food at serene centre along bukit timah. The place is so french , i can't help but chuckle at the french-ness of the entire place . I shall attempt to list all the french-esque experience in a short 1 hour dinner .

1) My request of a table for 4 was met with a shrug and animated pointing of full tables with a short curt "no"

2) I had to go to the counter to order to my food . I stood at the counter for at least 3 minutes before the staff decided that they were free enough to take my order

3) The chef, whom i can only assume was yelling out his instructions in a french-accented with an the level of rudeness only french people can pull off.

4) While i was ordering, the chef decided that he was too lazy to cook and told the staff , last order at 8. The shop is suppose to close at 9.30pm.

5) The waitress , threw our cutlery on the table while attempting to set it.

7) The look on the faces of the group that arrived at 8.15pm at the bistro, when told that the kitchen is closed, is just priceless.

It reminded me how far i've come along . No more over-stressed and being appalled by unnecessary crap of daily life. Everything is a lot more quiet . Everything can be solved with C'est la vie.

Runway Shows

2007-08-28T06:43:00.000-07:00

This hardly counts anything remotely related to Paris , but it being fashion related , it belongs here .

I was kinda bored in class and utterly sick of playing reversi and blog reading , i thought to myself , what kind of youtube videos i can watch without any music and it came to me . Runway shows. You just need to sit there and watch the clothes , though music will make the entire experience more cool , but u can do so without it .

So Bogetta , one of absolutely more wearable luxury brands out there , love the colour and the clothes. Enjoy .

2007-08-26T05:30:00.000-07:00

One of the benefits of having stayed in Paris for so long is that you can recognize certain landmarks in paris and spot places people are using for photoshoots . Such as above . Keira Knightly for Chanel i believe . This is at Palais Toyko & The Musee d'art moderne de la ville de Paris . One of my favourite museums in paris . The exhibits inside are so interestingly ridiculous. Also , it is the place that houses those blank canvas which random dots and weird video installations and huge matisse murals . Sigh .. paris paris . How i miss thee .

House of Plates

2007-08-18T03:03:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

I was looking through the pictures i've already uploaded in Flickr and i realised i have yet to post this particular picture . It was taken in the House of Plates of whatever it is called . It is a house that had broke pieces of plates and glass stuck into the cemented walls of the house. A kids art project turned psycho basically.

This picture has a story behind for a few reasons .

1) We weren't allowed to take pictures in this particular place
2) It took us forever to get to the place and we had to brave the rain and walk all over the place to find it
3) We almost walked past it
4) It was quite a waste of money
5) I peed in their garden

Canele : Taste Test

2007-08-12T01:39:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

First off , i don't really know what is canele in french and the only thing i can think of , is the actual bordeaux dessert called canele that resembles those jelly thingy you buy from the supermarket , so as to the origin of the name , i guess it shall remain a mystery . Hmm .. perhaps it was suppose to be cannelle , which is french for cinnamon ... Anyhow .

Canele, as i keep hearing positive things about the place (authentic french desserts , yummy etc) , i decided to go check it out together with my fellow food connonsieur (read : greedy pigs), vanessa to try their gateaux. We had 2 marcarons , one tarte citron , one berry pie thing ( can't remember what is called) and this featured cake , called the le royale. (note to self : in singapore , don't bother pronouncing your Rs with a rolling H sound the way the french do because nobody understands you, even if u are you in french pastry shop)

First off the Canele at paragon has a relatively tiny area or customers to sit down and the design of the place is nice and cosy . Perhaps a bit too cosy as i could hear the next table having an intense discussion about Lord Voldermort . (i kid you not) , but nontheless , it's a tastefully decorated venue . The cakes however were less than satisfactory .

The marcarons were a bit too dense for my liking . Underneath the crunchy flakey shell, the marcaron was slightly chewy which needless to say did not sit well with me. Good marcarons i suppose, should melt in your mouth without requiring you to actually chew it . I shall refrain from commenting on the filling because i had orange and coffee flavour , not my favourite flavours . Perhaps when i go back to try the framboise parfume , i shall make my decision .

The filling of the tarte citron was good . In fact , better than i expected , but it was not soft and light . it still packed a punch with a good balance of sour and sweet , but everything was marred by the meringue . I dunno what was wrong with the meringue , but the texture of the meringue was like chewing gum , thick , stretchy and with an overpowering taste of eggwhite . Very odd . Scrap off meringue before eating . That's my advice .

The berry tart was nice but as usual , in typical singaporean kiasu fashion , the crust was too thick and the filling too little .

Next comes the le royale . According to the nice cheerful staff , the le royale is one of the signature cakes at canele and it was definitely the best out of the lot . The multiple layers in the cake gives the palate an interesting sensory experience , until u reach the base layer of the cake , the actual cake portion of it . Tasted like really bad cake , the rough , dry cake one would find at the worse of breadshops in the neighbourhood. Try to ignore that layer and the cake is not that bad. I strongly recommend the chocolate tarte from the chocolate factory at Robertson quay instead.

Overall , considering the price of the desserts (an average of 6 bucks per cake) , i expected a lot more , especially after all the hype of the place. Nonetheless , it has been one of the closest substitute to the legendary desserts from Paris one can find in Singapore

Una Aeropuerto

2007-08-10T08:22:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

No doubt that Changi airport is one of the world's coolest airports with probably the widest range of facilities in the entire world, there is something about Changi airport that is not architecturally pleasing to the eye. Enter Barajas airport in Madrid . The bamboo ceiling and the sunny yellow beams fit nicely the the glass ceilings giving a rather resort , holiday kinda feel .

Also , any airport that has zara in their duty free wins my heart .

Modern Paris

2007-08-01T09:45:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

Not all of Paris is old . The around biliotheque francois mitterrand is nice and new and i kinda miss the area now because before i left , i've had weekly movie sessions there at the mk2 cinema and those cinemas were nice and comfy . Watching movies in paris can be quite an expensive affair but students get cheaper rates so that's a tiny woohoo . I love watching movies , especially in paris . People do clap (harrypotter) or boo (spiderman3) at the end of movies, especially on premiere nights and that rocks .. i love how people show their appreciation for the movie compared to singapore where people only know how to interrupt the movie with their handphone antics and keep awfully silent at intelligent jokes . This one movie per week habit is quite cool and i think i'll keep it up seeing how there's like 2 cineplexes near school . hehe .

Give us this day our daily bread

2007-07-30T10:48:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

I miss paris . As i struggled at the breadtalk today wondering what bread to pick while trying to suppress the craving of wanting to buy a croissant aux amandes , it dawned on me how deeply unattractive the bread at breadtalk were . It was tinged with a sickly yellow pale orange colour compared to the warm brown orange tones at the boulangeries in paris.

This picture however , is not a picture of the bread in paris , This is the bread "basket" at Olsen , a restaurant in Madrid . Having 3 delicious bagels served on a stick , as an entree .Interesting concept . Love it .

A Bullfight

2007-07-28T01:23:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

I managed to catch a bullfight when i was in Spain . It turned out to be quite an interesting experience . Upon arriving at the arena , you immediately get the zoo smell . Yep . animal poo smell . haha . You're then ushered to your seat and spendthrift me decided to get the seat right at the front row . yeah . bahh . but it wasn't all that expensive coz it was under the sun . The most expensive seat are the those at the shaded seats .

Anyway, the whole fanfare started with horses and the bullfighters coming out . Marching across the sand pit . The bull fight starts . In case you don't already know . They do kill the bull . A total of 3 bulls were killed that evening i was there . It was amazing that people would want to risk their lives and battle with the bull and i did see the bull manage the successfully attack on of the bullfighter but nobody was trampled upon and i suppose they would have on the necessary protection under their uniform . It does take a lot of skill to battle with the bull and the entire fight is not just handled by one person but several bullfighters , but there is only one star .

First , they confuse the bull and luring it with the signature red cape only to run behind wooden planks causing the bull to crash into the wooden wall . After sufficient confusion . Fighters that are mounted on the horses appear and with their long spears , stab the bull . Followed by more hooks inserted into the bull's spine to causing it bleed even more . The final act is performed by the champion as pictured above by plunging a sword into the head of the bull . It is a very very bloody affair .It is because of this entire cruelty to the bull that have caused many animal rights group to move to petition and attempt to stop this cruel spectator sport .

In fact prior to entering the arena , the animals rights were there . With their prepared posters and huge signs , handing out flyers to the people going for the bullfight . I did pick up one of the their flyers and well, they claim that they do weaken the bull significantly before letting them out to battle . They starve the bull to weaken the bull and the ultimate act of killing the bull is tantamount to murder .

originally uploaded by shangz.

But it is a case of culture or tourism ? First of all , as we all know bull fighting is part and parcel of spanish tradition but as years gone by , has it lost it's original meaning and continue to persist only as a form of tourist attraction . Another point to note , while it seems like we are spiltting hairs here , but i watched this particular bullfight in barcelona and not Madrid and Barcelona is technically not really Spanish. To the locals , they are Catalan and in Catalonia , bullfighting is not part of their tradition . In fact in 2004, they have tried to stop bullfighting but it was ruled against. The question is , given the cultural differences between the 2 cities , should bullfighting be stopped in Barcelona ?

You rock my world

2007-07-26T12:22:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

Pierre Herme . How i miss thee .

Yup . He is my french boyfriend . hahahaha .. He also makes the most fabulous desserts on earth . Oh . someone just send me a tarte aux citron . It's only like 4.80euros for a tarte and 21 euros a huge cake . sigh

Anyone knows where has good desserts in Singapore ?
Whoever mentions bakerzin gets a slap .

Foosball

2007-07-16T11:34:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

So when i was in Barcelona , i saw this really interesting foosball table . It is just majorly cool coz instead of the usual looking football players they have different types of characters like the nun . I think they also have like construction workers , GI Joes and what not . It is just beyond cool . Since we have started playing playing foosball in SMU i figured that i shall buy a foosball table in my house when i grow up , now , i know which exact foosball table to buy . hehe

Idol

2007-07-13T15:06:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

see , in paris , they name the roads after famous people and emile durkheim rocks my socks . seriously .

i mean , who the hell is hougang ?? i dont know him . or is it a her ?

Crime Scene at H&M

2007-07-09T14:15:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

Yep , this is probably the case of the missing sweater . A grey sweater was once spotted in H&M and now it is gone and i can't find it again. Bloody sales .

This is where a completely different kinda of fashion crimes are committed. The over-buying crime . And i should i know ; i am a bloody felon.

This is basically what H&M looks like during the sale period now . Hangers thrown everywhere , stacks of clothes left on the floor and trust me , if u rummage through the pile of clothes on the floor, u might even find something .

This is paris , where shopping becomes a competitve sport and this is the olympic participant speaking .

Charlie si siang ?

2007-07-09T07:05:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

I dont know any charlie , i only know wally

Paris : Dan le Nuit

2007-07-03T16:16:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

This should tell you that not every window you stare out of , u will see the eiffel tower . This was taken from Jenn place . A place where lots of drunk stories would slowly unfold , where yours truly spoke french non-stop for the entire night . Feed me alcohol and i will speak french to you . haha .

Paris at night is very different , it takes on an edgy quality , more dangerous . It is fierce and relentless with the cold wind in your face and under the blanket the stars , people have fun , do silly things and drink to their hearts content . This post saluts all the fun nights i have had wandering about the streets of paris at night .

Paris and Pictures

2007-07-01T15:34:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

Sometimes when i look at the pictures that i have taken over the past few months , i do really like some of the amazing pictures i have taken and i am pretty proud of myself for being to have all these pictures. Some people have told me that i take pretty pictures but professionally where do i stand and that is the question i always asked myself . How does one evaluate a picture properly ? Take this picture for example . Taken inside of the church at chartres and i love the haunting quality of the picture (been shooting in black and white lately) and i think it would be considered as a nice picture amongst te general public , if one were to crticise it , what would one say ?

Maybe i should be more confident of my work or maybe it is because i have been taking all these pictures with my digital camera and i kinda feel like a fraud compared to those SLR carrying people . Not to mention i know jack-shit about things like aperature and what have you. i just nice pictures and creating them and sharing them . Perhaps this is one of the motivations behind me pushing for a photo exhibition when i get back to school . One to share pictures and also i think it is a nice closure to the entire paris experience . i have listed down a few pictures i must capture for the exhibition and doing planning for the exhibition as been really an interesting creating process , presenting a set of work in a coherent manner and to attempt to replicate the parisian experience and balancing what is personal and what is suitable en masse .

I'll be back in about 3 weeks and i know it is going to just fly past like that and it feels so nostalgic and i just want to go out sit and stare and absord every single detail of the place . Even till now , i am finding new things to go and interesting places to visit . Sigh , i want to stay here and yet i know i have to leave . I think it is also why i've been listening to coldplay for the past couple of days surrounding myself in this cocoon of beautiful melancholy .

I dunno why i am speaking about goodbyes so soon but i think it would make the final goodbye easier to bear .

This is a starbucks

2007-07-01T07:33:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

I know . Hard to believe , but this has got to be the nicest starbucks i have ever seen . The starbucks in paris is just absolutely expensive but i've allowed myself to give in to the temptation of an ice grande vanilla latte and i have to say that it is really not all that fabulous anymore . i dunno if it is te way they make it here or if it is just that i've had way better coffee here in Europe but starbucks as of now , just kinda serves bland coffee . Give me vanilla syrup and i can make my own ice vanilla latte .

The Old City

2007-06-28T15:00:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

So one fine day , we decided to go to Chartres . Me , debra and zahabia took a train down to visit what is apparently one of the largest churches in Europe : As you can see , i wasn't really impressed by the church and i've decided to post this picture of the vintage car that was parked outside of the church . Pretty eh .

An Odd World

2007-06-22T11:40:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

Do you know that a pair of chopsticks in france is called a baguette as well ? .. well now you do . Strange but true . Ah well , right now i'm sitting at the internet cafe in Madrid and after conversing with the shopkeep in mandarin since it was open by a chinese family, they promptly directed me to use a computer terminal , completely in chinese . Great . sometimes i should just keep my mouth shit .

On the brighter side . i'm in Spain and will continue to be here till the 27 june . i have to admit that it is getting kinda boring . maybe it is the travelling alone because you don't really have anyone to talk to and it is all the more miserable when you walk into a restaurant and say "table for one" . Oh well , i've since learnt my lesson on london and brought a book with me so i won't look like that much of a loser. Also, i don't really know what to do with the time i have here . i could go to the musuem but paris has kazillion of musuems and i'm not a musuem person anyway and the bloody bull fight only happens on saturday . merde. i could go around hunting for good food but i dont have that much money . ah well . but i can say that this is the best time to be here . nooo . no special festivals where cows run amok . but it is the best time because . The shops are on sale ! .. woohoo !

i've also manage to start writing my experience over this past few months and starting to fill up that empty notebook . so that's cool . haha ..

Chamonix v2.0

2007-06-18T08:03:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

ok , so i"ve decided to go to Chamonix for the second time round and this i didnt miss the train or anything . so props to that . haha . In fact i had quite a nice time in Chamonix by myself enjoying the scenery and spending time by myself . Took the cable car up to 3800m to one the areas in the moutains and did some hiking . It wasnt as cold as i expected it to be and i could actually wear shorts and walk about in the snow . Weird but true . Excuse the crazy hair . The town of chamonix was very beautiful as it was in the valley and everywhere u see , u see mountains . Reminds me of my good ol days mountain trekking :)

Roland Garros

2007-06-16T12:45:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

I realised how for the pictures for the past couple of blog posts are oh so boring and uninspiring . Just pictures of me not smiling : Haha : Anyway , here is one shot which i've taken recently that i like quite a lot . Taken at the roland garros , the french open . It was a good day out and it didnt rain . I had front row seats and this picture was one of the huge umbrellas which the ball boys use to shade the tennis players during the intervals ; Nice eh ? I love the french open . It something about the clay i think . haha .

Diving Underneath the Eiffel Tower

2007-06-15T06:26:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

Okay people , here it is , after talking about it for so long , i finally found the time and the laptop to upload my pictures and blog them . Diving underneath the eiffel tower . it feels great to combine 2 of my loves in one . hahaha .. paris and diving . Rocks my socks . Oh , did i mention it was free ?

While i did not go diving in the river seine ( it is as dirty as the singapore river ) , it was just a scuba diving tryout for people who have never dived before in their entire lives and this was just a introductory session for them . Being the cuckoo that i was , i went for it "pretending" that i don't know how to dive , but of course , some things just can't be faked and i mean , i know how to wear a BCD and how to clear my mask and stuff and handle my buoyancy , so after a "test" dive to see if i was i comfortable ( haa ! ) , the instructor asked me , if i had dived before . Hahahaha .. yeah . so i confessed . There was nothing to see other than plastic toy turtles and laminated pictures of fish btw . Point is , i got to dive underneath the eiffel tower :)

After diving underneath the eiffel i got so exciting about it that i got my other friends to go diving the next day . It was a fun day out . Seeing the grin on everyone's face when they finally surfaced made me realise how much i miss diving. It provides a certain thrill that cannot be found elsewhere and it felt good to share the joy of diving with other people who are for once appreciative . ( setting up diving booth and convincing smu students to dive is just bleargh ) Everyone should totally take up diving . Being in the city of paris ( landlocked ! ) , just feels weird , no beach or anything and the nearest dive site is eons away . In singapore it is a lot easier with the islands of malaysia nearby and dive sites at our own backyard , it is surprising that people are so hesitant about the sport .

Can't wait to go back home and dive . Heck , i even miss tioman . OoO . Prata Bomb & Ramlee Burger . Okay , so prata bomb is not a fish . But divers would know what i mean :P

Amazing Race Pitstop @ Monaco

2007-06-14T14:53:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

So , after spending a day at Cannes , me and surekha decided to do the Amazing Race tour of Monaco . We rushed about the city and tried to take in as much as we could . Didnt see no casino or whatever it is that people in see in Monaco . What i can tell you is , we did see the Grand Prix take place in Monaco , now how many people can actually say that ? .. haaha .

It is a pretty place really , judging from what we saw and if singapore is going to model ourselves after monaco .We have a lot to do . First off , it is a beautiful place for a reason . The environment and the nice blue sea . So , maybe some care for the environment and oceans messages would be good .

More Glitz and Glamour from Cannes

2007-06-13T05:42:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

This is red carpet at the main theatre at the Cannes , where we camped out and attempted to stalk celebrities . Of course , we saw jackshit . and no , Jack Shit is not the newest A list celebrity .

Actually , i have a lot more photos to share , i just need to find someplace to upload them . I'm so out of touch with windows that i dont know how to upload my photos using a windows computer : bah .

been online much for the past couple of days since there is no one to talk in the house . Usually finding things to do in Paris is not very hard and it is true . It is leaving the house that is difficult . Haha

Jump for Joy and other things

2007-06-07T13:00:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

Here in Antibes , South of French doing the absolute SMU of jumping . One of the better jumping shots i've seen around i must say . Hehe .

You know how several blog posts ago i said that i should get down to writing in pen and paper . I have a notebook , i have a pen . Just that it's a complete blank . Where does one start writing about their entire exchange adventure . What is an appropriate beginning and what goes into an exchange adventure exactly ? . Also , i'm thinking of starting to write all the recipes of all the shit i've been making here in Paris . Seems handy to have a list of recipes when you go into the kitchen and you ponder about what to cook . Recently, i've been getting that a lot . I walk into the kitchen and start wondering what i should make for the day . Not to mention how i've been saying that i want to cook mussels and make vongole but i yet to do so since February . I'm such a horrid procrastinator .

On the brightside , i bought my concert tickets to watch norah jones . Love norah jones , can't believe some people have never heard of norah jones . Pfft . So that's happening in a month's time . I've lots of photos and been to a couple of nice places i should blog about just that i have yet to find someone to let me upload my pictures. Anyway , there's a scuba diving tryout thing at the foot of the effiel tower . I'm majorly majorly excited about it . I wonder if i can put in my log book "eiffel tower" .. ahaha .. oh wait. i don't have a log book . There are so many things i have to "make right" when i get back to singapore

Lately, i've also been in a reading frenzy of sorts . Just read and read and read . I think this is what happens when you don't have your laptop . Not that i mind it because i've been getting quite good books . Currently reading American Psycho . Rather brilliant i must say. Also it just reminds me how i usually don't have enough time to read when school term starts and all the books

oh . school . that dreaded thing .blah .

The Aftermath

2007-06-05T14:54:00.000-07:00

So much for being high and practising my fluent french last night . My french truly gets better when i'm high . People should feed me alcohol before i take my french exams .

Anything , like this morning, i was using Surekha's laptop in her room and right now i'm sitting in Wojtek's room using this laptop and i realise that there's this odd similarity between their rooms and my room at home . We all have a world map on the wall .

I don't know about you , but personally i like seeing the world map on my wall . It makes me wonder about the all the places i've been and the other places i have yet to go . So that's fun . Plus all the world maps that they usually sell are so colourful and pretty .

So anyway , i was staring at Wotjtek world map and my eyes automatically started searching for singapore . Haha .. i love how they don't even bother like drawing the shape of the country out and just represent us with a tiny little dot . Like as if the country is in a circular shape .

Anyway .. i'm coming back on the 20th July . It seems like a long time but in actual fact it's not that far . So i don't know what i've been whining about for the past couple of days . Maybe it's due to the fact that everyone is leaving . Pfft .

Equus

2007-06-05T03:13:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

Yep ... i've seen harry's peen .

Cannes or Cannes ?

2007-05-30T17:02:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

We went for the film fesitval at and the biggest celebrities we saw there are all in this picture .

So we saw jack shit . But it was still a fabulous day out . Getting the opportunity to dress up and go out and have fun . At the film festival no less . All dressed up in fabulous clothes of the lastest spring/summer colours and ready to have fun . Woohoo .. Major fun-ness .

Trivial Pursuit

2007-05-28T15:22:00.000-07:00

While i'm sitting around the common table in the living room and not actually studying for the gender studies test tommorrow , it's really funny how different people from various nationalities can actually sit down and play a game of trivial pursuit and have pretty much have an equally chance of getting the answers wrong . Sorry , i just suck at this whole general knowledge thing . Haha , i don't even know what the hell i'm blogging about . It's odd really . You know those odd morning after , after one entire night of decadence and drunkardness i might add, you get off your high and you spend the rest of the day in a daze . Unsure of what just went on the previous night . Like , did someone someone say this , or did i say that ? who did what and huh .. just basically , what the fuck happened . It's just so strange . I dunno .

Anyway , since i'm in my major state of denial , i tried to study but i ended up making cuisine . Not normal dinner mind you , cuisine . I bought baguette and coated it with a sugar and cinnamon mixture and put it the oven . Heavenly . Made prawns and made the most delicious sauce with butter , creme fresh , lemon , basil and green chilli and a dash of sugar . Stir-fried pasta with a wide variety of vegetables . Why the hell am i talking about my food . Blogging can be such a pointless activity sometimes . By actually typing out what inside your head , it makes it more obvious that you're a blinking idiot . Blazing like the sun in this case .

Hmm , what am i talking about . I have no idea . Just a blabbering fool .

Mont St Michel

2007-05-27T14:01:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

Went to Mont St Michel recently , it was nice and it reminded me of White Tower of Gondor . Grand and Majestic. There's an Abbey on the island and in the Abbey there's a nice garden ... nothing much . Just to share the picture . Had a nice night out last night . :D .. Paris does have a lot of offer , just that the tiny crappy things that get people down .. like the horrid horrid euros . On another note , going to check out longchamp tmrw . I've been trying to change my flight back home ... see how it goes .

Snail Mail & More

2007-05-25T10:16:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

There is never nice beautiful snails like this in Singapore . All we have are ugly brown snails . This was a really small snail which i spotted while walking around Pere Lachaise , one of the cemeteries here in Paris crawling around in the bushes . I think it's about the size of 50cent coin. So cute eh ? ..

Anyway , speaking about snail mail . Can you , yes you , whoever who is reading this and is from Singapore , email me your home address and you'll get a pretty postcard from Paris ! .. haha .

I have a love-hate relationship with this city and lately, it seems to be tipping towards hate . The tiniest things seem to irritate me and i dunno why . Nothing seems to be going right for me with every possible thing that can screw up will screw up . Sigh .. Ridiculous .

Been reading Anthony Bourdain's book Kitchen Confidential and i must say that it's quite enlightening . Life as a chef seems rather interesting . Maybe i should be a chef instead of mucking around endless in dreadful ol' school . pfft . I think i'll be happier frying char kuay teow or something .

I'm also craving to buy a Longchamp bag for myself. Been seeing people carry around the men's version . Looks simple and chic . Perhaps i shall .. it's not all that expensive anyway . I still have my eye on the christian dior homme bag . growl .

Have you seen the Eye ?

2007-05-21T16:24:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

The London Eye . So huge . Yah . Erm . Huge . I didn't go on it so .. i don't really have much to say about it just that it's ... huge . haha ..

Oh .. and btw . because i'm using jun's laptop , so these set of pictures that you're seeing are unedited . ( zq , fyi ) .. the sky is london when i was there was really this blue . hard to believe but true .

While i was a great chance to speak english everywhere i go again , the people in London are bloody rude . Not to mention , the entire city is SO crowded . Reminds me of Singapore . Just utterly dreadful .

But i had a great time there . and VANESSA ! , i ate at 15 ! .. Jamie Oliver's place . Heehee . :P

Wimbledon

2007-05-21T16:20:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

If you don't know what Wimbledon is , you should go shoot yourself . So i made a trip to wimbledon and the place is just wonderful . You could almost feel the energy of the place . Though the place was empty when i was there it was still so exciting to see the grass courts .

The wimbledon muesuem is a must see for all tennis fans . The 200 degree 8 minute video clip feature maria sharapova is just breathtaking and the amount of souvenirs are so pretty too .

Someone forgot to pick up their balls after a tennis match and viola ! , i got this pretty shot . Love it .

The Big Ben

2007-05-21T16:16:00.001-07:00

originally uploaded by shangz.

So as i travelled from one city to another city , both famous for their phallic symbols (effiel and the big ben) , it was fun ! ...

I managed to upload my photos onto Jun's laptop and on to flickr so .. yippee .. i have some pictures to share . I was really really fortunate to have very good weather during the time i was in London and the beautiful blue sky is testament to that . I love this shot of the big ben . So dramatic .

It was great fun exploring the city . Watched plays and musical . Equus and Avenue Q . Both very contemporary i must say . I didn't want to watch something ancient and boring like Les Mis or the Phantom . ( sorry yatz , but i got to see daniel radcliffe nekkid ) ... haha .. both were brilliant and funny . I love it .

Lots of walking to be done in London because the tube was SO expensive . But it was an enjoyable trip nonetheless .