Tuesday, April 26, 2011

My favourite things of the week

I finally finished unpacking some of our books onto our new Sean Yoo book cases. Don't you just love them. We bought them from a furniture store on Anfu Lu called Casa Casa. They almost turn the books themselves into pieces of art. I haven't hung our Kozyndan art just yet and we still need to buy a comfy reading chair, but this is the start of our "reading nook". And I love my Have You Met Miss Jones bone china converse sneakers (thanks JJ!). 

And yes, more pics of the apartment soon. We're waiting on our new walnut dining table to arrive...


Now that the weather is getting warmer and warmer each day, there's nothing like a cheeky Hoegarden with a slice of lemon on a Sunday afternoon...



We also finally got around to watching Banksy's documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop.  It's an interesting commentary on the old chestnut "what is art?" and where do art and commerce meet. And you've gotta love the protagonist, Thiery Guetta, aka "Mr Brainwash".  Is he for real or an elaborate prank?

Loved the quote from Banksy: "it was at that point that I realized that maybe Thierry wasn't actually a filmmaker, and he was maybe just someone with mental problems who happened to have a camera."



We've also been enjoying watching the first season of HBO's drama Boardwalk Empire. I'm not sure if I'm loving it, but I'm warming up to it more and more with each episode.


Michael Pitt is the standout for me as Jimmy Darmody.


And I love seeing The Wire's Michael Kenneth Williams back on my screens. This time as Chalky White. But it really does make me miss Omar!


And finally, my beloved Queensland Reds pulled off a victory against the NSW Waratahs. As a fan, it was a pretty stressful match to watch, particularly all those scrums (and Ben Daley's broken nose!).  It's always a much anticipated clash and more often than not is an ugly game to watch.  But I enjoyed this one. Mainly because we won!! Although I was very sad to see Drew Mitchell get injured and get ruled out of action for the World Cup. He's one of my favourite players to watch, so it's a big blow for the Wallabies.


And talking of the Wallabies. Here's my favourite supporter in all his rugby gear. Go Oscar!


An afternoon with Jean-Georges

I surprised my husband with tickets to see a cooking demonstration on the weekend with acclaimed French chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, at his restaurant in Shanghai. He cooked a four-course lunch, talking us through each recipe. Appetites whetted, we then took our seats in the dining room to eat all the dishes.

Although it was not hands-on at all, the session was very informative. Jean-Georges was a charming host, very down to earth and personable. His recipes are relatively easy, but can involve a few processes and ingredients, but he did offer suggestions for alternative ingredients and ideas to modify his recipes to suit different tastes.

His dishes are French but with an Asian twist. I didn't get a photo of the first course, but it was a playful take on sushi - kingfish sashimi with chipotle mayonnaise on top of crispy sushi rice. I loved it.





My favourite was the main course of seared prawns, cucumber noodles with an avocado and chilli-garlic emulsion. Pretty much all my favourite ingredients.


The dessert was simply stunning to look at.  His take on a sunflower - but made from meringue, pastry cream and fresh passionfruit. It was almost too pretty to eat - and veeeeery sweet.



Sunday, April 24, 2011

I could listen to this song all day

Adele's voice is unbelievable. I loved her last album, but I love her latest, 21, even more. I can't stop playing it. The first track is my favourite.


And she can really sing live.  Ah, to have even a shred of her talent...


Edited to add: just watched this week's American Idol and my favourite, Haley Reinhart, chose to sing this in the latest show. How's that for timing. And her version is pretty damn great.

I'd love her to win as I think she's the most talented by far but I kinda hope she doesn't take the crown. She deserves a record deal that will let her make music like this and not the manufactured dross they usually lump the winners with.


Friday, April 22, 2011

Another day, another unattainable advertising image...

Today, Spanish fashion chain Mango have released their latest campaign featuring actress Scarlett Johansson.


Yes, she is beautiful and a total knockout, but is this really what she looks like?  Just last week she was photographed jogging in LA.


We all know there's an element of smoke and mirrors involved in the fashion world, but at what point do the actors themselves have to stop perpetuating this unrealistic image of perfection and stand up and say, 'Hey, that's not what I look like!"

Kate Winslet famously did this in 2003 when GQ doctored a picture so aggressively that she ended up with freaky looking limbs that couldn't possibly be hers. So she sued.

Cut to eight years later and I'm not so sure her standards are so high. Case in point: her recent UK Vogue appearance and her current Lancome campaign.



Once again, this is what she really looks like - up close and with no photoshopping. She looks like a 35-year-old mother of two who's dressed up and looking great on a night out.

Kate Winselt at a premiere in March 2011
And then there's Gwyneth "I work my ass off" Paltrow, who continues to astound me with her complete lack of self-awareness. (Her recent "Day in the Life" diary will leave you in stitches!) 

She claims to snack on coconut water and kale juice and work out for two hours a day six days a week to maintain her stick-thin body (which a UK dietician found to be incredibly harmful). But why was her face so puffy when she received her star on the Hollywood 'Walk of Fame'. Is that the result of coconut water or fillers?

I'm all for freedom to do whatever the hell you like to your body and am in awe of those who really do work hard to maintain a healthy mind and body. But the double standards really bother me. This kind of "perfection" is just a flat out lie. And it results in women doing this to themselves.

I just don't get this look

This was Sophie Monk yesterday at a media awards night. She's 31 years old.


I remember when she first found fame; it was on one of the first reality TV programmes, Popstars, the search for an all-female pop group. I can even recall her audition. She was so fresh-faced and naturally pretty. She also had a fun personality and some actual singing talent. But then came Hollywood. And lip injections and god knows what else. 

Sophie Monk (about 10 years ago)
Is this what what we're now classifying as "beauty"?

Courteney Cox is another one that bothers me. She always struck me as a pretty smart cookie. But in the past few years, it's like her face belongs in a wax museum. It's always the same taut expression.

 

Kylie Minogue and Nicole Kidman are the other main offenders. Attractive women who've gone overboard in chasing the fountain of youth. Who are they fooling?



And then there's the Real Housewives of Orange County -- the land of the whippet thin, duck-lipped, big-breasted, bleach-blond Barbie doll reality TV star. And if you think it's scary in a still photo, try watching them in action in high-definition*. Absolutely nothing moves.




* Don't go thinking I hate this show. It's utter trash but I absolutely love it!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

A weekend in Taipei


For some reason, whenever I travel I always try to draw parallels with my new surroundings and past travel spots. When I moved to Shanghai, I kept hearing myself say, 'oh it's like New York met Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong". But after my visit to Taipei, I'm a little stumped at how to describe it.

This place just feels completely different to anywhere I've been. There's a Chinese feel to the city but it doesn't have Singapore's slick commercial hum nor does it have mainland China's frenetic buzz. In parts, it feels like Kyoto or Bangkok but with American yellow cabs and cop cars. Overall, the vibe is very laidback and relaxed. My Singaporean friend TG described it to me as 'a Chinese Tokyo' and in parts, that description really fits.

On our first night, we happened upon an area in the eastern downtown part of the city behind Zhongxiao East Road. Full of little laneways and alleys, the area is not dissimilar in feeling to London's Soho or Tokyo's Harajuku precincts. Loads of trendy boutiques, bars, restaurants, tattoo parlours and a very cool hipster crowd. 





The flight into Taipei is a pretty great adventure in itself. The domestic airport is located in downtown Taipei and you literally swoop into the CBD. I was unprepared for the experience of flying so low into a city. It was the best view of the trip and within seconds I had a bird's eye view of the city which is surrounded in every direction by lush mountains. 

That said, we did make a pilgrimage the following day to Taipei 101, which used to be the tallest building in the world until Dubai started their one-upmanship. We made it 382 metres above sea level onto the 89th viewing deck (thankfully for this acrophobiac, the outside viewing platform is closed until July!!) Unfortunately it was a really hazy day so conditions weren't the best, but occasionally the clouds parted to reveal the city below.

Straight to the top please lift operator!
The view from the top of Taipei 101


And of course: the food. The centrepiece of all our holidays!

Friends had told me that I must not miss the interesting fusion food. I'm not sure if we quite got to try all the best things on offer as I'm no expert in Chinese food, but we did try.

First up, we visited Shin Yeh Table as I'd read a good review on a Taiwanese food writer's blog Hungry in Taipei. The restaurant itself was a little tricky to find and our waiter was so friendly and excited to serve us as it didn't appear to be a tourist hotspot. The pork buns with coriander and peanuts were my favourite.

Shin Yeh Table

And a trip to Taipei would not be complete without a visit to the original outpost of the much-loved Taiwanese-turned-global-sensation, Din Tai Fung for their delicious xiao long bao (soup-filled dumplings). And yes, they tasted better than in Singapore and Shanghai!
The crowds outside the original (and best!) Din Tai Fung
 Xiao long bao, sauteed spinach and Taiwanese beer. Delicious.
We also took a trip to the Shilin Night Markets - a must-do in all the guidebooks. It was mental! Located north of the river, it draws huge crowds (99.9% locals) every night. It was impossible to find a seat as we wandered up and down aisles of food stalls. Food was being cooked at an incredible pace and people were eating as if they were on speed. Unfortunately we couldn't find a seat anywhere so we didn't eat anything. Next time...

Some kind of oyster omelette at the Shilin Night Markets
Hard at work at the Shilin Night Markets
Potato spirals at the Shilin Night Markets
Candied strawberries at the Shilin Night Market
There wasn't a spare seat in the house at Shilin Night Markets
Gotta love this couple giving their poodle a seat!
We also ate at Shin Yeh, a pretty pricey Taiwanese "must-do restaurant" in Taipei 101 but weren't all that impressed with the food or the vibe. Yen, the top floor restaurant at the newly-opened W Hotel was really great (and the 10th floor Woo Bar), as was the nearby japanese/fusion restaurant Dozo Izakaya (which had my favourite new cocktail, an icy concoction of gin, fresh strawberries and freshly-squeezed lime juice).

Yen at the W Hotel

For a city of almost three million residents, Taipei is also surprisingly small and very easy to get around. Taxis are plentiful and traffic is not a problem. As a result, we managed to see a lot more than we'd anticipated in one day: the National Palace Museum (amazing), the Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei (not so amazing), Da An Park (beautiful), flower markets, Taipei 101 and the bright lights of Ximending (Taipei's version of Tokyo's Shibuya).

National Palace Museum - home to the world's biggest collection of Chinese artifacts
Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei
Da An Park
Jiangou flower market
Ximending on a Saturday night. Teenagers everywhere!
Zombie street performers in Ximending
A pretty impressive zombie street performer at Ximending

On Sunday, we ventured on the metro to an area called Danshui, a 40-minute ride at the end of the train line in the north-west of Taipei, near to the mouth of the river. It was the centre of shipping and commerce in the 19th century and is home to colonial houses, churches and a Spanish/Dutch fort.  I was expecting a laidback riverside/seaside vibe, but instead it was a pretty crazy place full of day-tripping Taipei-dwellers. But definitely worth visiting.

The pedestrian shopping street, Danshui Old Street, was packed with daytrippers
Everyone seemed to be eating this snack in Danshui
A bit too hazy for great views across the river to the tourist township of Bali

I really feel this trip only gave us a taste to all that this country has to offer. I'm excited to visit Taiwan again and venture further afield to discover the rest of this country's island charms - gorges, beaches, hot springs and mountain hikes. Oh my.