Thoughts about Shanghai...

After living in Shanghai for almost 4 months now, I find Shanghai pretty fascinating.. There are things that fascinate me in a good way.. and there are some that I just find it shocking in a bad way. One thing that I learnt about China is, Never Underestimate The People Here. Even the late Osama bin Laden also said before (hubby told me about this), 'U can offend any countries in the world, but never offend China'. That shows how powerful China is. And Shanghai, although not the capital of China, is a very powerful and growing rapidly city. So here are my thoughts...

- The streets of Shanghai... are mainly filthy. There's human spits, dog/human pee, dog poo and rubbish on almost all the streets in Shanghai, especially housing areas. Sometimes I feel like wanna puke just walking on the streets. The horrible odour... The older generation are mainly the ones incharged of spitting on the streets. Its just their daily habit or perhaps their way of claiming territory.

- Online Shopping. My new 'best friend' is called Taobao.com. They have everything under the sky. Use your imagination, use your creativy. U can find the usual clothes/bags/shoes and also food stuff. From olive oil to fresh meat to imported goods to fresh cooked food, vacum packed. Oh, u can even get ADULT-Y stuff like blow up dolls, cos-play costumes etc! All in a relatively cheap price. They even have branded goods from LV bags to Cartier Watches to so called very good quality AA grade immitations. As I said, anything u want, just type and search! And Voila... it will arrive at your doorstep 1-5 days later.. Due to its competitive nature, many sellers will provide 7-days return policy/ free delivery/money back guarantee and other marketing strategies to attract new customers and to maintain current customers. I can say, its pretty safe.

- The loudness of the people. Maybe its because of their history backgroud or so. But most of the Chinese here speak REALLY LOUD. This is something I still find fascinating (or maybe more of shocking) and still not understand why on earth they have to scream and shout at each other when they can just talk. Most of the times, when i thought they are fighting, they are actually just friends talking about life. When they speak the Shanghai language, its even worse. Partly because I dont understand 99% of what they are saying, I always feel that they are picking a fight with each other.

- The food. Being a chinese, I love chinese food. But most of the local restaurants here, serve very very OILY food. I went and check in the supermarkets, the cooking oils are not that cheap. Still dont understand why everything has to be SO OILY. The Chinese here loves brinjals (eggplant), tomatoes and also potatoes. U can find it ANYWHERE! oh, u can also find unusual meat products in many restaurants here that U wont find it common in other countries like dog meat, rabbit meat and also turtle meat. Most of the restaurants here are not very clean either but its cheap. Not into Chinese food? U can find Western, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Indian, Japanese, Thai food around shopping districts which will cost u alot more than the local restaurants. As long its not China Chinese, it will be expensive.

- Traffic lights. The traffic lights here are mainly redundant.. nobody obeys the red or green light.. Motorist, drivers, walkers.. especially walkers.. After staying in Singapore (which police can saman u for disobeying the traffic law) for 2 years.. its really really hard to adjust. The drivers and motorist will HONK till the cow comes home, and the walkers will just walk as they please like they own the streeet.

- The price of the houses. Theres alot of apartments/condominiums/flats around Shanghai and the price is just ridiculous. A normal 3 room apartments at the city, can enable u to buy a double story house back in Malaysia. Shanghai is just over-crowded and properties are just high in demand. Our rental for 1-bedroom apartment a month is actually the amount we can pay every month as installments for a house in Malaysia. And of course, i really thing Shanghai-neses are pretty rich people.

- The weather. Maybe i'm not used to the 4 seasons yet. But the weather here is really unpredictable. It can be 35 degress celsius yesterday and 20 degrees today. I have to check the weather forecast everyday to ensure that i wear the right clothes. Kindda miss Malaysia's hot n sunny weather.

No where is perfect. Every country has its own advantages and disadvantages. China is a very powerful country in terms of the amount of land they have and also the amount of humans they have. If only Shanghai could be slightly cleaner... then i think, i can really enjoy this place. Day and night, when I walk outside, I have to look at the floor to ensure that I wont step on anything disgusting. Just hope I WONT step on fresh dog/cat/human (human least likely, but never say nevery) poo someday...

p/s: One more week to the place where I belong.... weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee............. wish i'm not travelling alone though...

POPCORN makes me happy!

Found this in a supermarket near my house.. Microwave popcorn.. Always see people popping corns with microwave in dramas, never really get to try it myself. Was very excited when i saw this.. They have loads of flavours, including the original butter flavour.. Got the chocolate flavour instead..

Its a very small packet...

Remove the inside packet from the packaging, and throw it into the microwave for 3 mins or less.. and then it expanded!

VOILA... popcorns at home!!!!! =D and its really tasty!

Hubby and I finished it in less than 20 mins...will get more to stock up at home!!!

p/s: Shanghai is fun.. as long u open your eyes to explore it and open your heart to accept it.. but, staying far away from your loved ones is not easy..Missed my grandma's birthday and though i know she wont be reading this... Happy Birthday Granny... sorry that i can't make it to your birthday again... =( the downside of living overseas....

Home cook dinner 05.06.2011

I'm gonna add a new label for my blog!! My cooking diary. Its meant to record down my cooking experience and see my progress as the time passes. I love cooking, but hates cleaning! Especially our new house here has a very small kitchen.. which kindda frustrates me sometimes. The landlord only provided on electronic stove for us and I always prefer to have at least 2 stoves. Cooking with electronic stove was (and still is) quite a challenge for me as I'm so used to fire stove. The feel is very different.

Anyway, i love pasta. I love to cook pasta and i love to eat pasta. Pasta is an easy dish to prepare and u can hardly go wrong. Unlike Chinese dishes that requires alot preparations and fast cooking..Pasta (in my opinion) is much simpler and faster.

Dish for the night: Pamela's Pretty Bow Pasta

I love Farfalle pasta.. they are so pretty and it kindda looks like butterflies..
After 10 mins..

farfalle pasta with pork meat pasta sauce + oregano leaves = Pamela's Pretty Bow Pasta..

I AM NOT A PREFESSIONAL CHEF.. so whatever that's written here is just my personal opinion and experience, and for personal improvement.. Thank you for reading! =) BON APPETITE!

p/s: Fried rice with fried honey chicken tonight.. (first attempt to fry chicken, nervous!) Hope it turns out well!

The Yet-again resurrection of PamPamSoo

It's been (another)awhile since i last updated my blog.. I've once again resurrected my blog and i'm determined to keep it alive! Since now i'm living in Shanghai with my hubby, and most of the people i care and love are back in Malaysia or NOT in Shanghai, this is a great way to communicate to all of u who actually bothers to read about my life.

Since August 2010 to now, June 2011, ALOT has happened in my life. I quit my flying career with SIA, moved back to Malaysia and started planning for my wedding which happened on 25th Dec 2010. Here are some of the pictures that i really love (u might see them in my fb, but i can't help to repost these pictures that meant so much to me), and thanks to Ck San Photography who really did a wonderful job following us the whole day and capturing these precious moments!

In the morning with my family, waiting for the groom aka my hubby to arrive..

My 'sisters' with me waiting for the 'brothers and groom' to arrive...
The moment that melts my heart...

A christmas wedding..

My 2 awesome good friends that helped me through thick and thin... thanks canna and ivy! i love u both!

Newly added member to the family...

The 'brothers' and 'sisters'.. love the reaction of my friend Carriene in the picture...

Us with my dad's side of family...

Us with my mum's side of family... Really appreciate everyone that came to bless us and excited for us..

One of my favourite pictures after we have finished the morning tea ceromony..

During the wedding ceromony.. went in my dad.. it was a torn feeling.. Happy that i'm getting married to the man i love, sad that daddy has to give me away...

Out with my hubby.. after Pastor pronounced us as Husband and wife!

Us with the bridal party.. the girls look amazing.. custom made the dresses and not expensive at all!

Us with my college mates that came from Pj and kl area.. (Dont say i never put your picture..)

Us with my ladies...The friendships that I cherished...

A big thank you to you guys! oh, the baby is my godson!

My lovely brides maid... *hugz*

Happy family!!!! my sisters looked stunning!

My new family... my in-laws.... =)

I never really like Va-va-voom gowns, but I love this one! partly because its purple... XP

There are so many more pictures that i can't stop looking at but unfortunately, unable to post all of them up because its quite a pain to post pictures on blogspot especially when u are in CHINA (china banned blogspot as well! so we have to use VPN to access)..
After the best day of my life (so far), I have to start preparing to move up to shanghai to join my husband. It was a bitter sweet time as I have to leave my comfort zone and the people i love for the man i love to disembark on a different kind of life! Shanghai wasn't the city that I ever thought of living, nor starting a newly-married life. But so far, i'm glad I came!

This picture was taken in my parents' house before I leave for Shanghai.. =(

My sisters and my ex-bridesmaid in the airport waiting to SHOO me away..

I cried for like half an hour after I say goodbye to everyone in the airport.. Thank god i wasn't alone and hubby was right beside me. The flight was very uncomfortable as the aircraft is really small and it was a full flight.. (we will not wanna take southern china airline again!)

Starting a new life on a foreign land was quite a challenge for both of us. We have to adjust to one another's different living habits and also the 4 seasons in Shanghai which we never had back in Malaysia/ Singapore. There were ups and downs but we managed to go through it hand-in-hand. Marriage wasn't as scarry as what some people had told me. Marriage is beautiful. Marriage is a life-long learning experience.

Hubby and I while walking on the streets of Shanghai during the after winter days.. Not so much of Spring yet... (i look CACAT in this picture!)

p/s: More entries to come, promise! XP

What I really think about shanghai

As reported in my fb/tweet/blog and word of mouth, my fiancee or affectionately known as my hubby has moved to Shanghai for almost 3 weeks now. I am still terrified by the fact that he's in Shanghai and I am moving UP there soon to join him. As most people understand, it is not good for newly married couples to be away from each other.. NOT GOOD!

Few days ago, I was blessed to be activated for a Shanghai flight (for work) as I miss him so much and I long to see how's his life there. I reached my hotel after midnight and was so thrilled to see him sitting at the lobby waiting for me.. Just knowing someone u love is waiting for you after work is like candy to a kid.. SWEET! We went to his apartment in the morning as he has too much to do for work and I have a big cargo bag to unpack to his apartment. XP

This was what I saw the first thing I step out of the taxi....

The apartment is a private area with guards and automated card-scan door.. Pretty ATAS (posh) compared to where I'm staying now in Singapore.. the rental here can cost u more than RMB20,000 a month (about RM 10,000) for a 3 rooms apartment.. And the apartment is not excitingly big at all.. Lets just say its cute and cozy! Of course, all these his company pay la.. we could never afford such high rentals.. We might stay in a wooden house with coconut tree leaves if we were to find our own place on our own expense.

I wasn't really thrilled with Shanghai as I had some bad experience with the busy streets, loud aunties, dirty-spitting-everywhere-uncles, crowded places and much much more when I used to fly there for work. Staying in Singapore for more than 2 years has accustomed me to a clean nice comfortable place and pretty robotic people who just go on with their lives everyday and do not scream and shout at people on the streets. Of course, there's no place like home-Malaysia. Malaysia is not exactly the best place to stay on earth, nor it has the best politic history, but I just love Malaysia for what it is! Especially my small little town- Klang, has the best food on earth! Like seriously ok!!! I've travelled around the world enough to say that confidently!

Back to the topic....

Went up to his apartment and greeted his housemates aka colleagues, he showed me his humble master-bedroom. It was much smaller than what I expected but it was cozy and fully furnished. The best part about the room is the breath-taking city view:
Hubby says the view is so much better at night, and it was true! Managed to peek on the night scene before I left to work back to Singapore!
There was a school sports event happening on that day and I can see so many events happening from the room itself. The students shouting 'Jia you! JIa you!' with so much enthusiasm can be heard from where I stood with the windows tightly shut! And I was very high above ground!
This was taken at the living hall... hubby's office is somewhere there... Try spotting it, and u'll get nothing! XP
The chinese (from china that works together with me) stewardess that saw my husband in the hotel lobby when we arrive last night says my hubby is handsome.. I'm proud but dam jealous! And it makes me worry more now...

We walked to his office under the super-can-melt-u hot sun which is less than 10 mins walk away from the apartment. The office is still under renovation and his boss has just bought so many furnitures from IKEA. Hubby has to go to the office and open the door to let the workers work on the furnitures..
The REAL Shanghai is not just about sky scrappers and beautiful scenery.. its about living and blending with the locals.. It was 10 in the morning and you can see the locals out and about doing their daily chores. The streets are not really clean and there are some parts where I want to puke just looking at it but i'm good...
Then we went to this tiny little shop which sells beef noodles that can only sit around 10 people at one time. This is one of his favourite shop so far as it is convenient, cheap, easy and 24 hours! Hubby ordered 2 beef noodles and frankly, I like it very much!
The beef is soft and the noodles (La-mien)are freshly made.. The soup is not too salty or too bland.. It was quite nice! The only down part is, the shop is not clean at all! But what do u expect from a small local shop right?
I was so hot that I must have a cold pepsi (no coke)to cool me down. If u know me well enough, u know that I dont take gas drinks often unless its necessary or unavoidable like when I order a meal in Mcdonald.. Pepsi and beef la-mien = AWESOMENESS for breakfast!
The things in the shop are very affordable.. 1 small bowl of beef la-mien will cost u RMB5 which is less than RM2.5 i think.. very cheap! Next time I wanna try their Egg fried rice with their beef soup... nyam!
This is a view of the apartment hubby is staying from the street that I will walk alot in the future.. Pretty magnificent..

Hubby felt bad to neglect me during the day (after breakfast) because he has too much work to do, he brought me to this nice japanese restaurant near his place..

They sell japanese style BBQ meat...very nice also! But not too nice for the pocket...
Mr Jeremy Ng very serious reading and studying the menu.. He doesn't really understand most of it coz its either in Japanese or Chinese...
The liquors and japanese wine selection.. too bad I can't indulge in any because I have to work later... But will definitely give it a try in the future if I have the chance! Lol!
I ordered Oolong tea and he ordered some Japanese Grapefruit drink with 3.5% of alcohol.. Its really refreshing and nice!
I was confused.. this looks very like KIMCHI (suppose to originate from Korea) and I thought this is a japanese restaurant? But the bean sprout and cucumber was really good!

the hungry Me!

the tired jeremy!

We were suppose to cook the meats by ourselves but in the end the waitress helped us.. Maybe we were too slow.. hahahaha.. but everything was really good and both of us were really bloated after the meal! They gave us a mint chewing gum after hubby settled the bill.. This will never happen in Singapore (coz chewing gum is illegal here)... hahahahaha
Before we say goodbye to each other.. Both has chewing gum inside our mouth!

To be frank, this one day trip in REAL Shanghai hasn't gave me the IT factor for me to fall in love with other than the fact that my hubby is there.. But so far so good.. Many people told me that Shanghai is really happening and I dont need to worry about not being able to get anything I want there.. I can custom make my clothes there with a very cheap price.. I can get a massage just below the apartment or for a spa! There's so many shopping complexes in Shanghai to keep me entertained and the locals are not as bad as what I used to encounter. I look forward for my next LONG trip there to really stay and live there.. Who would ever thought that PAMELA SOO will be migrating to Shanghai soon? hahahaha.. from malaysia to singapore and soon to shanghai.. only God knows where I'm heading next!

p/s: Since I will be quitting my job soon, heres a picture of me in the uniform.. Its really iconic ok! I will definitely miss flying and the places it can bring me to.. but i know I have a better future with someone I love in a foreign land..
Adios!