Haven't been sleeping well these days due to very bad jet lag.... I hope this doesn't continue because I know my health will deteriorate if this goes on.. :(
Been thinking about Alfred and what an awesome and strong friend he was. I knew him through JS since he's JS' junior and part of a close clique of his. Though he's 1 year younger, I find that he's pretty matured and through the gatherings, we could find similar topics and managed to get along very well. It is just recent years that he contracted a serious condition and JS & I didn't even got to know until recently. Not wanting his friends to worry about his condition, he hid it well from us, and even till recently when he got treatment, he deliberately shunned away from his friends with good intentions. JS and I only got to know when he was in critical condition, and till then, he still didn't want his friends to see him in that state.
JS and I did ask ourselves - why didn't we realize that he wasn't attending gatherings, why didn't we visit him (and that we could have knew), but this is the thing- we were too busy catching up with our own lives that we could miss a friend or two. This guilt we carried along these few days has been unbearable and it upsets us whenever we think of him.
I have also been thinking about life and death, and perhaps I shouldn't stay too long in Dubai - I might not want to miss any good times/moments since life is so fragile. A good saying goes: 珍惜眼前人.
I'll only do a year in Dubai from now and see how this goes on.
I'll only do a year in Dubai from now and see how this goes on.
Anyway, I'm gonna continue with my Shanghai trip that I haven't had time to blog about. Beijing has kept me very well busy these days ;)
Popped by Shanghai Museum which is a walking distance frm 人民广场 station. Love the fact that Shanghai Metro connects to everywhere!
Free entry to all visitors.
Took pictures of some historical displays and statues that I really liked. This place is amazing!
I can't even believe that with so much work done to the museum, it charges nothing to visit :)
Each artwork has names and signs translated into English for tourists.
4 levels high, with 3-4 exhibition rooms, themed differently. They featured jade, chinese sculptures, paintings, writings, scriptures, coins, and so forth.
Leaflets explaining the history and culture behind each artwork are also in English - very tourist friendly :)
Halls are not only kept very clean, but it is also uses technology to save light. If the sensors do not manage to sense anyone in the vicinity, the lights were kept off, and only the art piece lits up if you are near it.
GOsh, this is really hard to explain but I guess you'll get the gist!
A pretty tea room for snacks!
More art pieces which I will not go on to write about. It's pictures heavy!
Ceramic Sculptures
Really pretty teacups used in ancient times.
Photographies are allowed most of the times, and if not, there will be guards telling you that it is not allowed, and signs outside the exhibition hall will say the same :)
My favorite has to be this bamboo painting which I also bought a magnetic bookmark for :)
Coin collection which I really liked!
Lastly, antique furniture and woodcraft displays;
The Taiwan Palace Museum has a good assortment of Jades, and they have a better collection than Shanghai Museum since most of the palace jades, especially the ones in Qing dynasty have been displayed in Taipei.
Explanatory videos with English subtitles on how jades were produced. Informatory!
My only souvenir from Shanghai - bookmarks!
Lastly, a cup of bubble tea before I go on to find my lunch on that day ;)
Went on to LuJiaZui stop for DinTaiFung for lunch, came across this underground shopping area - HK street.
Stopped by LuJiaZui not knowing that it's the financial hub in Shanghai.
All well indicated, no fear of losing your way :)
The Oriental Pearl Tower, which I took pictures of from the previous day's night scene at Nanjing East.
The joy of exploration is when you least expect what you'll find :)
It's a radio and TV tower in Shanghai, a landmark in the Bund area.
Honestly, I might go back to the Bund this time when I return to Shanghai again.
More pictures of the finance and trade area, which looks beautiful. It also has an IFC and mall there, just like in HK.
SuperBrand Mall is a large-scale mall that has Din Tai Fung! Oh man, Dubai should have DTF soon :(
Misses Shanghai XLBs!
2 pages of different XLBs- People living in Shanghai are in for a treat.
Goose liver and Black truffle - the premium xiaolongbaos.
With tea accompanied with dou miao vegetables and XLBs, my lunch was complete :)
Brought home my favorite flavors of snacks before I bid goodbye to Shanghai!
Going to Shanghai on a trip tonight again, and hopefully I'll be able to catch some circus performance there with my buddy! :) More pictures of Beijing when I return :)
