Let’s Visit Asia

Singaporean cuisine, being a fusion of Indian, Malay and Chinese cooking, is possibly the most diverse in flavors among Asian cuisines. If you’re in the island over the weekend, it’s the perfect time to sample local cuisine as the Singapore Food Festival comes to a close.

Here are the Top 10 Must-Try Dishes:
1. Chili Crab
2. Rojak
3. Hainanese Chicken Rice
4. Bak Kut Teh
5. Satay
6. Char Kway Teow
7. Fried Carrot Cake (no, there’s no carrots in there at all)
8. Fish Head Curry
9. Roti Prata
10. Laksa
For tourists, just present your passport to any of the Singapore Visitors’ Centres (located at the airport, Orchard Road, …read more

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A festival also held in Napa and Tuscany, this premier arts and lifestyle festival will also be held in Singapore for the second time.
From 17 – 26 October 2008, embark on an exciting journey to celebrate the Art of Living Well through over 90 premium lifestyle and arts events encompassing Music, Visual Arts, Literature, Film, Wine, Cuisine and Wellness. Join over 250 artists, musicians, chefs, writers and celebrities at various beautiful locations along the Singapore River and Marina Bay throughout the 10 days.
Check out the calendar of events and ticketing details from their official website. If you book until end …read more

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Some of the most beautiful women in the world are currently in Nha Trang, Knanh Hoa, Vietnam for the annual Miss Universe Pageant.

For those who aren’t on location to see the event live, catch it on Sunday, July 13, 9-11pm ET on NBC.
For those who are in the vicinity, lucky you! Beautiful women, beautiful beach resorts, beautiful dive sites. Enjoy!
Image: Screenshot from Miss Universe website

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When I wrote about China’s tightened visa procedures in light of the upcoming Olympics, I already said that they should watch out that it doesn’t backfire. Looks like my fears were not unfounded.
By now, Beijing hotels should already be fully booked in anticipation of the summer visitors. In reality, however, business is slow.
“We are not full at the moment, and we have rooms to fill,” said Anthony Ha, general manager of the newly opened Marriott Courtyard Beijing Northeast. “There’s not much time left, and we have a way to go.”
Ha declined to reveal the hotel’s occupancy rate. But he expressed …read more

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On August 31, 2008, join thousand others in 25 cities across the globe run at the Nike+ Human Race 10K. Every time your foot touches ground, it will be counted toward your choice of charity: the Lance Armstrong Foundation, the UN Refugee Agency or the WWF.

In Asia, the race will run in the following cities: Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, and Taipei.
Will you be running?

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Yes, even though the matches are shown at midnight to the wee hours of the morning here in our part of the world, the Euro 2008 fever is burning high too! According to David Farrelly of www.euro2008.UEFA.com, about 13% of their users come from Asia.
Considering that football (or soccer to some of you) is not a popular choice of sport among Asians, I find this fascination to the Euro 2008 quite intriguing. Until a cab driver enlightened me: it’s not so much as the sport itself (though you do find real fans here, too), but as this Carlsberg report says, …read more

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Those visiting Hong Kong this summer are up for a fun-filled and busy trip. The Hong Kong Tourism Board has put together a vibrant website showcasing the so-called Hong Kong’s Summer Temptations.
Go wild as malls and department stores all over town tempt you with special offers you can’t afford to miss. Enjoy cuisines from around the world at prices that fit every pocketbook. Use your Visa card and you could be big winner in the Visa ‘Million Dollar’ Lucky Draw! Play our Stamp Rally game and discover Hong Kong’s living culture.
On top of that, Hong Kong is hosting the Equestrian …read more

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Tomorrow is a public holiday here in Singapore: it’s Vesak Day, also informally referred to as “Buddha’s birthday,” but actually encompasses the birth, enlightenment Nirvana, and passing (Parinirvana) of Gautama Buddha. It is a public holiday not only here, but also in many Asian countries like Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, as well as Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
Being a Christian myself and having lived only in largely Christian nations before, I have to admit I am totally ignorant of what happens during Vesak Day. But here’s what I found on the web:
The day starts with chanting of …read more

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There are a number of promotional videos made for the Beijing Olympics. Here’s one of my favorites, featuring the song One World, One Dream:

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The Olympic torch has arrived in China and will do its three-month long relay across major cities in China. In Sanya, Hainan, Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan and other celebrities added glitz and glamour to the parade. It seems that despite its protest-ridden run in Europe due to the Tibet crisis, the parade has been well-received in China.
Before the crisis over Tibet and the bitterness over protests abroad, China’s 1.3 billion people seemed unusually united in joy at the idea of seeing the Olympics in Beijing. The shouting and cheering Sunday suggested that, for many people at least, that …read more

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