Tag: other

Epping Forest – The “Trip” Before Christmas

On By Bao Bao QiuIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Happy Birthday to my Blog!! How many years has it been now? 9 years? A lack of posts in the past couple of years, but let’s wait and see. Hoping to get back into the food scenes again

Lockdown 2.0 is over, and now were into Lockdown 3.0 – we’re currently 4 weeks into this lockdown, numbers are going down, but it’s not enough for the shops to be opened or for public services to fully open. Lockdown 2.0 and 3.0 was month apart… Doesn’t this show you and us, how rubbish our government is at the moment?

At the end of Lockdown 2.0, I thought it was ok to go out and exercise with Miss Money. I think it was time that I took another hiking trip – but on the outskirts of London (forgot to mention that I’m now learning Korean on the weekends, so my time is taken up by online classes and binge watching K-dramas, and doing my homework if I’m not doing anything else. Might as well start learning it now before it’s too late!). My manager started a walking club chat group last year and it looks like we’ve been given an optional 30 minutes of our working day to go out and do some walking. Heheheheh. As I’ve not been doing much walking each day, this trip made up for the time I’ve been working at home…

Miss Money and I decided to go up to the North of London and into Epping Forest on one Saturday when I was free from studying. I’m amazed with how this forest exists on the outskirts of London and surrounding traffic… Here’s a few pictures of our day…

I stopped taking pictures as soon as it was starting to get dark, it was actually getting scary, and I started getting wild thoughts of someone going to kill us and bury us in the forest. And then at one point when it became completely dark, it felt like I was going to be in the Blair Witch Project or something like that… Always start hiking when the sun rises and way before the sun sets…

33,000 steps later, muddy shoes, and almost frightened that we would never get out of Epping Forest after sundown, we went to My Old Place in Liverpool Street. I was craving for these foods – aubergine in brown sauce and sweet & sour pork. Northern Chinese food has hit a spot in my heart. ^_^ My legs were aching by then, couldn’t move anymore. Should have bought some painkillers with me!!

Now that was the end of 2020. Fingers crossed we can all go travelling again in 2021!! I need to go out and travel. I don’t even mind going out in the world and working in another country with my remote access!!

Hoping for more new posts. ^_^

23andMe & WeGene – I’m not 100% Chinese ~~~

On By Bao Bao QiuIn Uncategorized5 Comments
I failed my driving test today for the first time with 4 major faults. Ugh. I hate reverse parking!! And I hate driving, but… I rebooked my test. My nerves have gone, and so I think I best do it again in a few weeks time! 😓 I will do my best next time!

I have been wondering about my ancestry for a long time. Both my parents gave me a lack of information about my ancestors. They just basically didn’t know, apart from our current family and my grandparents. So what does one do when in doubt? Take a DNA test of course!

I was browsing through Amazon in December, and the 23andMe kits were on sale. Hoorah! Bought it, got it, spat in the tube and then sent it out.
My info was transmitted to the labs, and it’s taken almost 2 months for the results to get back to me. They had a high volume of participants (well obviously, since there was a sale).
So on Sunday 27th January 2019, I opened up my results… And… I’m not 100% Chinese. 😯 O. How can that be? Where that Taiwan part come from? Is that from my Hakka heritage? The Hakka people are really diverse.
My DNA shows I have some Vietnamese and Chinese Dai (Yunnan area in China, but more Vietnamese) in me, and I’m Broadly South East Asian. What does this mean?! I am so confused. One of my parents has Vietnamese in them. I’m sure it’s MummyGeek’s side because I know that DaddyChef’s side is Broadly Chinese from his Hakka heritage. 
I downloaded my raw data from 23andMe, and then created an account on WeGene. Uploaded my results. Within a few minutes, it shows that I’m more Chinese in some ways… But I also have small percentages of likely Indian and Korean in me. Woah. Shocker! Must be from DaddyGeek’s Hakka heritage, because I can’t explain it. But this might explain my obessession with curry and kimchi! (I actually wanted to have some Korean in me, hahahahah – I love K-Dramas and K-pop 😍). Kinh is from Northern Vietnam. And there’s “Others” – Huh?!

Anyway, whatever I am, I feel that I fit into the Chinese category – very broadly Chinese. Not sure of the accuracies and inaccuracies of this data. To me it just explains why I have more of a broad taste in foods. My tongue says it all.

Totally, totally unexpected results. I really thought I was 100% Chinese. I guess not. 😱😵

Websites: 
www.23andme.com
www.wegene.com/en/ – mainy for Chinese and Asian breakdown

Baby B Turns 3

On By Bao Bao QiuIn UncategorizedLeave a comment
Wooow! I can’t believe Baby B is now 3! She continues to walk, talk and grow. She’s now like a moody woman in a body of a three year old. 😂😂😂
Her cake-making uncle is amazing! This year he made this Paw Patrol car. Yep Baby B loves Paw Patrol (but I know that she loves Peppa Pig and lots of other things too).
So as a Baby and a Godmother day out, we went to London Zoo. On the way there she accidentally came out of the pram whilst I was taking her off the bus! I hadn’t strapped her in… I think I would be an awful parent if had a baby. So sorry Baby B!! I promise to get you a Kinder Egg for Christmas!!
Recently Baby B has been watching The Lion King episodes on TV, so she’s loving zoo animals at the moment…

She was afraid of the tigers… LOL! And she so wanted to see some baby lions but said the male lion was Sinbad. 😑

And she seems to like cars. (All she needs to learn is to share with other people!). I hope she learns how to drive when she’s 18, so that she can start driving her parents around… Fingers crossed.

After a couple of tantrums, a ride on the merry-go-round, popcorn and playing in the playground, plus going around the zoo many times, it was time to go home. It was very cold that day. Brrrrrrr.

Here’s hoping Baby B has a very, very long life… I hope there’ll be no more accidents when I look after her again. Hahahahaha!

😇

Kanaloa Bar with Mr Games and co.

On By Bao Bao QiuIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Before the Christmas ads, here’s some odd posts from the middle of the year. 

Mr Games turned 1 year older this year (as we all have – the majority!). He decided to have his party a the Kanaloa Bar with is all the way near Blackfriars Bridge… He made us walk there, and he lied and said it will only take us 20 minutes to walk! It was almost a 40 minute walk from Elephant and Castle… The person I felt sorry for was Mr Sensible who did the whole shabang and dressed up as a dragon or was it Barney? LOL!
Most dressed up, and some of us just had some video game t-shirts on (I thank Uniqlo this summer for adding a PAC-MAN t-shirt into their collections!)
You must bring some sort of ID before entering the club…
The bar is a Hawaiian theme place, and I think Mr Games had pre-ordered some of the food and drinks…

A very fruity and alcoholic punch…

I didn’t do much of the dancing. I’m a lazy geek. But the group had a lot of fun in their costumes!

Well I stayed till the end. I think it’s the end of the road with clubbing for me… I felt my age in that club!

Mr Games, please choose something modest next year!! 😅

Address: Hill House, Wine Office Court, 18 Shoe Lane, London EC4A 3BQ
Telephone: 020 7842 0620

Website: https://www.kanaloaclub.com/london-bar

RHS Chelsea Flower Show – May 26th 2018

On By Bao Bao QiuIn UncategorizedLeave a comment
Another Royal event?

Not that type of Royal event. This is a flower show, which I’ve always wanted to go to, but always forgot to book tickets in advance for… and they’re usually sold out quite quickly…
So last weekend I ended up in Chelsea, one thing I should have done was got there early as it seemed all the gardening enthusiasts were there on the last day of the event. It was quite fascinating to see a lot of the old and young generations seeking some gardening tips or new segments people wanted to do to their own gardens…
Anyway, here’s what I found interesting… Loads of pictures along the way…

The Pavilion was ultra busy, time to move out into the open!

I had my lunch break at this point… was so hungry…

Hmmm, did I enjoy the show? It was so-so. 
Would I go again? No… Too crowded, and I could hardly see the displays. 😦 
BUT! I do recommend for most people to go to the Hampton Court Flower Show, which I went to two years ago. There was a lot of space, and a lot of people could manouvre into different directions. Plus it was easier to see the displays. ALSO it’s half the price compared to the Chelsea Flower Show…

Cost of ticket: £65 (far too expensive!) … Hospital grounds are so expensive!
Website: https://www.rhs.org.uk/

***

After the show, I went pass Elephant and Castle, and came across the opening of this new park… There was a sign, which I didn’t picture to say this was an alternative to the Chelsea Flower Show, and it was free! 😁

Later that same night, it was the night of the thundery showers… Spectacular lightning scenes! Caught this picture using my phone via a slow motion video.

Magical Lanterns 2017 @ Chiswick House and Gardens

On By Bao Bao QiuIn UncategorizedLeave a comment
Oh, it’s that time of the year again when the lanterns come out to play! To end 2017 I went to see this with Miss Money.
Miss Money had some complimentary tickets given to her by her boss. It was a rather late Christmas present to her and her colleagues! 😕 Miss Money had no on to go with as it was also late to ask anyone… Although I’ve been before, thought I shouldn’t waste a ticket… 😆

I won’t write much in this post… the only part that was different was trying to get there via tube (which was annoying as we had to change on the Piccadily and take another train back). Then it was another 10 to 15 minute walk to the park. 

Here’s my complimentary ticket from Miss Money which I believe is now in the bin, heheheh.

It was a short walk compared to what I had remembered. It was very muddy in some parts and I think there were fewer lanterns… I think Miss Money won’t go again but she said it looks like I enjoyed it! 😅

The festival is now finished… Until next time!

Website: http://www.magicallantern.uk/london

Macbeth (Ninagwa Company) in Japanese @ The Barbican

On By Bao Bao QiuIn UncategorizedLeave a comment
Whilst I watching a drama (a Japanese one), this advert popped up about Macbeth in Japanese. Thought this might be exciting! I’ve seen the play in English and Cantonese, so why not see it in Japanese. 😅
I know the story inside and out now, I remember all the parts, but this time I felt at a loss… 
I’m becoming to understand basic Japanese. It’s improving for sure! But ancient Japanese dialogue is incomprehensible for me. 😐
Love the costumes, the set, and the three witches all played by men! 😆 Lady Macbeth had a lot of dialogue too which I forgot about… Anyway a good play, although the theatre was quite warm (and has a very confusing layout), which meant I felt a little sleepy trying to read the captions and watch the actors/actresses act, (someone did offer me a seat towards the centre in the upper circle but I declined)… Easy escape from where I was sitting!

One reason why I also wanted to go to the Barbican was to see one of Banksy’s latest piece in collaboration with Jean-Michel Basquiat who has some artwork displayed at the Barbican… There was one opposite this piece, but might take a pic of that another time… 😊 Need to find some time to go!

The New £10 Plastic Note

On By Bao Bao QiuIn UncategorizedLeave a comment
I’m encouraging myself to write more! Even if it’s meanlingless to the rest of the world…! 😅 (And Blogger has the Emoji icon… at last!).
So we’ve had the plastic £5 note, and now it’s the £10 note.

The main difference is obviously having Jane Austen at the back… It’s been the talk on the news a while back… There’s also another difference in comparison to the £5 note, there’s like for visible and feelable dots where the £10 sign is. Hmmm, wonder what that part is for.

My purse feels a lot more lighter with these plastic notes!

No exact date has been mentioned on when the old £10 note expires – likely March or April!

Baby B’s Pirate Ship Cake

On By Bao Bao QiuIn UncategorizedLeave a comment
Last month, it was Baby B’s 2nd birthday! Woohoo! She already can talk, walk and do many things independently without having to supervise too much. The only problem is the obsession of George from Peppa Pig and chocolate cakes, and sweets in general… She’s got Mr Picky’s obsession with sweets… Uh oh!
Not going to share too many pictures from her birthday party (we were fairly organised this year… going to have to be organised from summer time next year!!) but I must share the birthday cake made by her uncle (one of Mr Picky’s brothers, I shall call him Mr Cake – he’s really good at creating and designing them). Baby B loves him loads. I can’t beat their love! LOL. Very special bonding between them. ^_^

Mr Cake made this gigantic pirate ship cake… Every part, apart from George, the Lego and flag parts were all edible… I have no idea how he designed them. Ideas must flow in his head, like I do with my 3D Origami and other creative works. Heheheheh.

It was all amazing! Very tasty too… Not too sweet. And thankfully it was soft icing… Yummy! Chocolate cake! Many have said Mr Cake should go on that baking programme… Well that’s up to him I guess… 🙂

Here’s a covered up pic of Baby B… Getting cheeky now… She snuck her cousin’s dummy on. Tut tut.

And Miss Pinky with Baby B… She was stressed out the night before. For real. We were doing last minute preparations – still trying to catch up on my sleep!

So Happy Birthday Baby B (a few weeks ago)… Hoping for many more good times. I just hope her uncles don’t turn her into a mega tomboy with all the “gender neutral” toys. :p

British Museum – Hokusai: Beyond The Great Waves (and Walworth Festival)

On By Bao Bao QiuIn UncategorizedLeave a comment
Everything is Japanese themed for me this summer!
My Japanese teacher mentioned about this exhibition, Hokusai: Beyond The Great Waves, at the British Museum this summer just gone. So I booked a ticket in advance. When I looked at the bookings again, the tickets were all sold out fairly quickly!
The day I went was a wet day, and there was already a huge queue to enter the museum. I feared that I would miss my timing to go into the exhibition… But thankfully as I had a ticket, I was able to skip the massive queue.

As I was there about half-an-hour to 45 minutes early, I couldn’t go into the exhibition early, so I went around the museum…

A piece from Da Vinci… ^_^

Korean household…

Chinese pottery…

Well, it was time to enter, unfortunately there was a long queue just to read and go through Hokusai’s artworks! He did a lot in his lifetime!!! 

Since I couldn’t take any pictures, I decided to purchase the postcards, and give you a glimpse of the famouse artworks of Hokusai… the artist who drew and painted those famous waves! I never believed that the world of manga art existed for so many years either…

If you want to know about Hokusai’s life in 2 minutes (and if you understand Japanese), here’s a cartoon… Unfortunately there’s no subs. But it’s funny even if you don’t understand!

The exhibition has now finished… but look out for more Japanese exhibitions!

Address: Great Russell St, Bloomsbury, London WC1B 3DG

***

The Walworth Festival happened to be on the same day I went to the museum… I actually didn’t know this was happening… just stumbled upon it as I was heading to Argos! LOL!! ^_^

There were only a few stalls of interest, but apparently there were some dancing acts….