yes, im back from my cna trip in beijing and hk. if u had seen the news, u would have spotted me on tv. of course, i recorded the news segment. its true that one looks 10% fatter on screen. i look bloated, oh god! anyway, it was a darn great experience. i went to the great wall of china n marvelled at how those labourers ever built it. as i took each steep step, i could feel the pain n agony they went thru. each step was so steep that if a dwarf ever attempts to climb, it'll take him a day to climb one flight. it's amazing how i carried a heavy backpack containing 1st aid kit, water bottles n climbed in the 39 degrees heat! i was really happy to conquer two and a half towers. i managed to get a certificate with my name engraved on it to say that I had conquered part of it. i think i must have been about 1000m above sea level? it was a real test of stamina and determination esp for someone with a bad back like me. many younger ppl gave up before me so its true indeed when they say that it gets lonely at the top. now that i've gone to the 2nd wonder of the world within a year, i am so tempted to go to a 3rd one...

anyway, i went to the 13 tombs of the ming dynasty. we were told not to take pics as its sheer bad luck so i didnt. anyway, there wasnt much to see there except for the signboards filled with bad English sentences that set us laughing our heads off. the tomb was pretty cold but kinda depressing looking.

i went to the forbidden city which was behind the tiananmen sq. nothing much to see at forbidden city as you can only peer thru the windows or glimpse from afar, the rooms of the past kings and queens. some were pretty sparse, not much decor. the beds were so small that i wondered how the emperor and his empress can slp on one bed which seems terribly uncomfortable and hard! and the mirrors spooked me out for no reason. i admired the clocks they had, very intricately designed. the throne didnt look as majestic as i tot it would. As for tiananmen sq, well... its just a big square with mao's face on it. didnt get to walk around much over there coz it was drizzling so we ran for shelter. on that day, we walked so much that i had to do self foot reflex.

next was the summer palace which was the nicest. we went to one of the gates and from there, we got to sit on a boat which ferried us around the lake. we were wondering why the hell would an emperor and his mother need such a huge palace for their summer retreat? the place is so bloody huge that its impossible to cover it within a day. anyway, i donned a robe and wore the empress and concubine head dressing. my friend commented that i looked like those young, cheeky empress who's up to her mischievous tricks :)

we also had shopping and oh my, the stuff there are really cheap n pretty n sports wear's dirt cheap! for the rest of the trip, we gota chance to learn about news reporting so camie desouza taught us and gave us hands on sessions that were really fun. even the news activities in hk with roland lim were very enriching and challenging. im so glad i went for this trip as its so enjoyable though i suffered from nose bleeding everyday in china. cant wait for the 5 part series on our trip to be broadcasted on cna hehe :)

am enjoying my 1 day holiday now, waiting for him to cook me a sumptuous meal. seems like its curry with duno what. i feel so blissful coz he always plans our meals v carefully, cooks them and beautifies the presentation which amazes me, and he insists that i sit back and relax and wait for my food to be ready. and yes, he doesnt even want me to help him clean up after the cooking :) well, i'll surprise and reward him with a ben n jerrys icecream. yea... :)

cant wait for this thurs to come coz my frens n i will be heading for dinner at xi yan, the famous rest that serves up food to u at 7.30 sharp so if you miss the first course, too bad. wonder what's the menu gonna be like since we cant choose our menu... am now checking out the rest at greenwood ave for this fri's lunch with my colleagues. any recommendations besides shiro? :) this's gonna b a darn good wk for me yay...