New things…
I finally found a yixing zisha teapot to my liking.
终于找到合意的紫砂壶。
This one will be used for oolong tea.
Speaking of tea, this Pek Sin Choon blend has the coolest name “chao ji xiang ji ji qi zhong”, loosely translated with Google’s help as “super-grade fragrant class”. Well, lost in translation.
超级香级级奇种。看到名字就想买来试试。新加坡老字号茶商的茶种。
A pair of cleverly-designed acacia wood salad tongs from Muji. It has a “spring”.
Also from Muji, a crumpled linen thing.
Grid paper, not stocked in London anymore.
Books relating to my interests: Taiwanese old collectibles, tea, Qing dynasty ceramics and Cantonese cooking.
Books for study: Dream of the Red Chamber. Some say it’s boring and not worth the effort; others say it ranks as No. 1 among the Four Great Classics. Apparently Mao Zedong was said to have asked party members not to discuss or criticise Dream of the Red Chamber unless one has read it at least five times.
红楼梦。我想可能会看到明年吧。
Panasonic steamer and pore cleanser for at home facials.
Calendar for next year.
Old things…
还有一些旧东西。
Birds.
Mail from the fifties and sixties.
Date stamp in Chinese.
They don’t make them like they used to.
A made-for-book-film or a film-made-into-book?
Maxwell House cup and saucer sets and Milkmaid Milk spoons.
I don’t know if these shops still exist but brown paper bags made like these are most definitely rare nowadays.
I wonder how Every body happy Soup tastes like.
Free things…
Andy saved me the trouble of stocking up on Chinese underwear t-shirts.
Ryota got us some glow-in-the-dark rabbits, a souvenir from Night Safari.
A free paper from Tiffany I kept because I like this image.
Replies
Marta: It does seem so but they are actually tastes of my childhood: foods that remind you of your mother, or grandmother.
wl: It’s a shame I write so little nowadays!
Isabela: So peanut butter is not commonly available in Brazil?
Klacken: It’s a condiment made from mainly dried shrimps and chilli. Perhaps like a Chinese version of Gentleman’s Relish… or tapenade… things like that.
Tricia: Do you think they’re wearable in Singapore’s weather? I didn’t bother bringing them although I received the shoes before the trip.
Carole: Integrity is certainly more “controllable” than happiness… but sometimes happiness is a change of perspective… or some might call it “deceiving yourselves”. I will have to seek out Basque sheep cheese (just finished my jar of dark cherry jam!).
Heavenly Housewife: Thank you, thank you.
Alison: We should exchange a little bit. To try!
deborah: I didn’t think about trying it with cheese. I must when I get back.
Clara: I am stretching it. I’ve been eating it with porridge, in soup, with noodles… and yes, now with bread.
Erica: I wish I can find homemade peanut candy nowadays. Apparently it’s quite a tedious process.
Ell: The teddy-shaped thing is Pooh! As for Christmas eve, I must be one of the worst person to ask as I’ve not been in London for many years during the holidays. I imagine a lot of places will be shut for Christmas until Boxing Day when the sales start. As for Christmas Eve dinners, if you want a traditional English thing, I guess you must book early. Otherwise Chinatown and the like should be open, if you are so inclined.
simon: I ran out of butter! I must have it again.
A note on: book, chinese, clothing, food, kitchenware, muji, old, panasonic lumix dmc-g1, shopping, singapore, travel
Those vintage old stuffs you’ve brought over from Singapore’s awesome! Where did you get them from? Your family collectibles? : )
Lovely treasures! :)
I understand, it’s less apparent with English but with Chinese it’s not too hard to realize that we can do better at selecting correct words than at writing them. I’m ashamed to admit that whenever I need to write something in Chinese, my cellphone certainly does come in more handy as a word reference dictionary than I would like it to be.
The teapot looks fantastic, I like !
I think it is since it rains almost every other week. I’d like a pair if I can decide on the colour. Yours look easy to match! :)
yikes! i saw you tweet your crazy schedule! cannot wait to hear why you are going to kansas city!
The teapot looks like a little acorn. Adorable. And that’s the most awesome-looking calendar I’ve seen in a long time!
Whaaaaaaat, a 2-digit postal code? The date stamp is love.
Ooh, I think peanut candy is still all over Shanghai, especially in old, state-run stores.
I have a clipping of that Tiffany ad, too! That Tiffany watch is so much like the famed Cartier Baignoire watch that it looks like a knockoff. Still beautiful!
I read Dream in English, which is a cop out (I couldn’t possibly attempt it in Chinese)… I thought the least interesting of the four Chinese classics is Outlaws of the Marsh (a k a Water Margin). I couldn’t even get all the characters straight!
Is the woman in the film-book kicking the man in the bum?! :D
i want the chinese date stamp, teacups, saucers and spoon and of coz the old paper bags! treasures!
lovely rumpled linen thing
Lovely!
I especially like the teapot and the 60s mail – you must have a huge, weight-defying suitcase… Bx
hey,, i got the same maxwell teacup and saucer. where did you get yours? i need one more set.
Wow… great things. I love the tea pot, the Maxwell House cup and saucer sets and Milkmaid Milk spoons, the paper bags… lovely!!
oh, i love everything. the book of cantonese recipes looks nice. and i think dream is worth it.
Hi Tommy, wow as I scroll through your pics, it reminds me of how intense my love for anything Chinese was when I was a student overseas. I guess it’s a paradox. The Chinese in SG seem to pursue anything European or westernised. It’s like an endless chase for something different from what they see everyday; at their disposal. But your cherishing of anything Chinese is actually very charming.
Perhaps it’s really what they say, you want what you can’t have. :P
I love Muji stuffs too. I go mad whenever I’m there….
Wah… where did you get all the antique stuff!?! I’d really like to get the old stamp as well. :)
ooh, chinese date stamp. i didn’t know swan brand tshirts still come in paper wrappings… or are these deadstock?
what great loot! and a tea pot with a beret – love :0)
Ooh, so nice, my favourites are the birds. And the facial thingy, I could use one of those myself, I’ll look out for it online.
If I ever start a restaurant there should definitely be ‘Every body happy soup’ on the menu. I figure it’ll probably be chicken, universal comfort food.
saw that you are on your crazy trip to america…crazy it might be but can’t wait to see your beautiful pic :)
i’ve been reading dream of the red chamber lately too…i like xue bao cai over lin dai yu by a mile!!
Where did you bought the teapot huh?