Lou Sang with colleague

CNY has passes but i m still in the mood!

Here's one "lou sang" dish that i had with my colleague the week before CNY...

As usual, we had our of typical well-wishing round while mixing the ingredients on this plate...

Wishing everyone prosper, good health and abundance wealth!



Chinese New Year 2013 - recap

Within a blink of an eye, CNY came and go...it passes so fast as if never happen.

in fact, I did not actually celebrate CNY...all i did was some shopping at the local marts...

and not even malls!

But i found something interesting and colorful such as as these:

 assorted nuts (above picture) and some candies (below picture)

 nicely packed goodies and candies displayed everywhere

 here are the cookies, ranging from pineapple tarts, to egg rolls to chocolate chips!

and....

and....

and....

not to be missed

CNY is not complete without

THIS

.

.

.

.

.

.

 yeapzzz...

it is PROSPERITY BURGER!

to kick in some spice!!!

 and perhaps if u dun prefer the McD...

a local 'burger' will do the trick! hahaha!

here's one sort of Chinese-version 'Sliced Dried Meat' bun

i remembered disliking this bun in my early childhood due to the hard and unchewable meat...but now i began to like it very much...btw, this isn't cheap nowadays. 

 

Last but not least, what is CNY if there isn't food and gifts exchange?

Someone gave us a big hamper with lotsa goodies....with my fav snacks all in!

woo-hoo!!!!

and on top of that...i gotta received red packets ($$$) too ;-)

It's time to leave

I was kinda in a whirlpool these days...sort of having something that spins my head over and over again...thinking about my long term goals and comfort zone. Not often I encounter such golden opportunity of pursuing a better career...more often i accept whatever job that is being offered. This time i'm being offered my dream job...a job that 'could' bring me far...but with some circumstances...

1. It isn't a high paying job...after deducting the expenses...it is almost the same of what i m getting now...could be less...unless i m able to sustain till the big bonus next year!

2. It's located further away from my residence...hence taking longer commute time. I hate wasting time in commuting!

3. The entire commuting effort sucks up my energy...most probably i would end up tired/unable to focus in the office...

 

The oni pro's of this job:

1. Better prospect, coz once i got the grasp of this experience i can hop anywhere i wish to!

2. Glamourous, nah kidding! Coz is a well-known investment bank.

3. More structured work policy. At least they have proper policy for work distribution, unlike the current place i'm working at, it is havoc, with people tend to push their responsibilities whenever they like.

4. Bigger bonus, but that is very subjective.

5. Lesser pressure compared to my current job (?) I dunno how much i can clarify this but someone who works there told me so...Yea, indeed my job now is getting crazier! Imagine 4 huge project being assigned to u (alone! coz there isn't anyone else in my team already) and deadline is jst 3 weeks away! Deadline is unnegotiable, btw! ridiculous! I dunno how long i can sustain this kinda challenging environment. I dun hav a life, everyone here in my company knows that :-(

 

Should i leave?

Around Thimphu

The weather was cold...between -7°C to 7°C in January...My fingers felt numb whenever i take off my hand glove. Unlike last year, it may not be as cold...but the locals have foresee that it may snow in a few days time...Indeed it snowed one week after i left Bhutan.

I might have missed the winter...But nevertheless, i like the weather and scenery in Thimphu...

It's less chaotic, due to the low population...You won't see traffic jam in the whole Thimphu...and to your surprise, they dun even have traffic lights! The (main) streets are being controlled by their traffic police.

 the clock tower,

during certain weekends, the clock tower square will become the "stage" for cultural performances

 Druk Hotel is jst located next to the Clock Tower

 a row of shops/offices right in front of the hotel/clock tower

 do you notice that there isn't mch cars on the street and parking lot?

i tink any local town here have more cars than in Thimphu...well, they live a simple life!

 i m still wondering how do ppl commute to work in the cold weather.

There isn't a rail service, and taxi is hardly seen...Only buses are noticeable.

 btw, the shops/offices all look the same...applying the so-called "Dzong" architecture?

 Here is  how the clock tower square looks like. It has terrace stairs for people to sit (for watching performances). On a normal day, it is quiet and serene, what more with a cold weather!

 here's another residential place...if you notice carefully, each of their buildings have either dragon, snake, tiger, or some sort of animals painted on some part of the wall..

Well, overall the density is low, the air is fresher over there, people are nicer, warmer and friendlier...It was like a small town where everyone seems to know each other (mayb not) but their people are humble and mixed around with each other, speaking the same lingo...

It's very unlike here, too havoc of immigrants on top of our multiracial community. People in my country just care for their own business. Somehow, you will feel like "home" if you stay in Bhutan for long...The only lacking is entertainment (well, if you are from the city, you might miss the shopping malls, nite life, cinemas)

coz over here in Thimphu, you hardly see one!

Come Fly with Me - Paro Airport, Bhutan

Paro airport has a single, 6,445 feet (1,964 m) asphalt runway.The Airport's facilities include: one passenger terminal with four check-in desks, one gate, one cargo terminal and two aircraft hangars. Such a small airport!
Druk Air is the national flag carrier airline of Bhutan and has its base at Paro Airport.

On my way back to BKK, i took a Business Class flight, hence entitled to enjoy the facilities in the VIP lounge.

Here's the VIP lounge. It has wifi, but doesn't seem to work! 

 the entire lounge is empty with only us!

 it has food/snacks served at one corner

 it was exactly the food u'll get in the flight

 the tuna pastry...some flight crew has taken a few pieces for their breakfast...hahaha!

 when it is time to board, we adjourned to the boarding lobby...but not without passing thru the custom check...

after the custom check...we were directed to this small waiting hall with a touch of Bhutanese interior...

U can see a list of the King's (previous & present) potraits hanging on the wall. The Bhutanese respected their King as much as they respected their God/Religion...

 The wall art and pillars painting

 Drawings of dragons...again, for "feng shui"?

 here's some souvenir u can find in the airport...these are local Bhutanse attire for men called "Gho"...each of this mini "Gho" priced at USD5 per piece...looks good!

 the ladies attire in pink "Toego" (jacket) and the inner layer is called "Kira" (a dress to the feet). Very colorful indeed!

 purses, with colorful fabric, around USD4-USD10

 just rite outside of the airport, our plane is waiting

 Here's one picture taken (illegally!) nearby the runway

 and the boarding gate (pic below). The local Bhutanese have features resemblance of Chinese (I found it hard to differentiate between Chinese and Bhutanese!)

 The airport is about 3-storey high...the exterior architecture similar to some Chinese temple (at least in my opinion)

 At one part of the airport...it is only one-storey...This airport could be one of the smallest "International" airport I have ever been.

Anyway, that doesn't matter coz it is well equiped and its lounge has a heater...yay!

 Though i m foreign to this land, but i feel like home...coz this place (i m not talking about the airport, k?) resembles some small town in M'sia...sort of localize environment and undiscovered. It is so peaceful and people are warm, nice, kind, humble...etc

Something which I could hardly find in any place.

Come Fly with Me - Gaya Airport, West Bengal, India

Was excited to hav reached India!

 the temperature on the ground was about 20 degree Celcius during the landing time...a big contrast from Bhutan's temperature...it's hotter but not as hot as in BKK or KL!

Approaching Gaya Airport from the landing runway

 Some preparation from the ground crew - the staircase and officers stood waiting

 Then, they came over with a big oil tank

 While some passengers disembark, i was busy observing the activities around the airport.

Here is one crew busy with his assigned task...

 Meanwhile an officer has been standing there to guard the luggage loading...he was sort of custom/immigration officer and his role is to guard the crew while they load down the luggage from the compartment. Sort of an easy job huh?

The crew has to be efficient in doing their job coz the plane has a fix timing to depart later on.

This guy furiously shouting to the other side to get the door opened!

 It's nice to see these people working on the ground...they are energetic, efficient and systematic!

Even the staircase has been ready before the next plane arrived!

 not just one stairs but two! haha!

On the ground, the pilot captain was busy chatting (mayb some serious talk?) with a local Indian guy...This fella is the DrukAir pilot who has been taking control of our flight. He's tall, dark and handsome! Oh....he speaks very good English and Bhutanese language too! I guess the air-hostess must have admired him as much as i do!

 after 30 minutes, they are still pumping the oil...seems like never-ending

 the curtain was left open..it overlooks the entire economy class seating area. Some crew was doing a spot check on each seating...jst in case someone left their belongings at their seat while they have disembark the plane.

 i stood from my place and looking at the pilot seats

 so, here comes the next plane from Myanmar...quite a lot of Myanmese going to India...and i noticed most of them are monks!

My flight experience for this time leds me to discover lots of airport ground activities and observed how these people works (and jived) systematically! Every crew here hav known what comes next and already plan ahead (yea, it is mandatory) coz there is a timing for each flight...and any delay will resulted in big loss to the flight company.

Come Fly with Me - Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok, Thailand

Suvarnabhumi Airport also known as (New) Bangkok International Airport, is one of two international airports serving Bangkok, Thailand. The other one is Don Mueang International Airport.

Suvarnabhumi was officially opened for limited domestic flight service on 15 September 2006, and opened for most domestic and all international commercial flights on 28 September 2006.

The airport is currently the main hub for Thai Airways International, Bangkok Airways and Orient Thai Airlines. It also serves as regional gateway and connecting point for various foreign carriers.

The airport is located in Racha Thewa in Bang Phli district, Samut Prakan Province, about 25 kilometres (16 mi) east of downtown Bangkok. The name Suvarnabhumi was chosen by King Bhumibol Adulyadej and refers to the golden kingdom hypothesised to have been located somewhere in Southeast Asia.

During my last trip, i transit at Suvarnabhumi before reaching KL. Here are some pictures that i took the moment before touching down the airport on my way back from Bhutan...

 Bangkok is a huge Metropolitan...the outskirt consists of very vast plantation land, and very integrated highways connecting the the city centre

 The below is a major highway connecting to city centre (i guess!)...it is a very long trunk highway

 we are getting nearer to the airport runway now

 in a few seconds we have touched down

 and our plane parked next to a local Thai plane

 That's for the outdoor view...

meanwhile, here's what you can see from the indoor boarding hall

 lotsa activities outside, transporting catered foods, luggage, passengers, etc...alot of movements around

 and way back into the airport...here is how the 4th floor (departure check-in) looks like. It has counters up till "W"

 after checking in (for my flight to KL)...and goin thru the custom, I adjourned to the duty-free shopping zone

 alot of international brands

it has many boarding gates, hence the shops spanned across the east and west wings...but mostly repeated shops

 due to some glitches, we are still unsure of our gates as it has yet to be announced, but not-to-worry, they have flight info boards all over the place

 I went to get myself some nice spot to work on my report (yea, i got an important report to send out!)...hence i adjourned to the boarding gate ahead from anyone else...jst to find a secluded area to get my task done!

It was still early from the boarding time...and it was less crowded @ the boarding gate...

Overall, this airport is superb...it may not supercede Dubai and Incheon Airport (in terms of architecture) but still looking sophisticated!