Bryan Wong

Since many of you have been asking me about upcoming tours that i will be doing, this june, i will be leading a tour to Okinawa by Airelated Travel

When i was filming {Destination Most Wanted} ,one of the featured isle is Taketomi    ..i remembered the beautiful sunset and the warmth of the people there.

This time round, we are going to experience the charm of Okinawa and how they got the title of {Longevity Island}..

frolicking in the waters and enjoying the beautiful coastline..

be a part of the ocean when we go onboard a submarine to cruise the ocean floor..

be a part of the forest when we walk on typical japanese stone paths and rest in a tree house

be a part of the shopoholics when we empty our wallets and come back with our triumphs to woo our friends!

me thinks me gonna have lots of fun this time round..again!

Come Join me if you can:)

Airelated Travel:65325686

Or visit this website for more info:

http://www.airelatedtravel.com.sg/website/OutPackage.asp?OutId=983

Once again i am about to take to the skies! This time , i am leading a tour with UOB travels to this 3 wonderful places! with a group size of nearly a hundred and to be in an environment that is less than 10 degrees, we are in for a freezing good time:) Will see if i could do a day by day update..Cheers for now..

Btw,i have finally started my own fan page in Facebook and it goes by the name of Bryan Wong 王禄江..remember, its the one with angmoh and chinese name:)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bryan-wong-wang-lu-jiang/370002612768

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Date 15th march Time :paris 2317 Singapore 0617

Finally got round to do my first update..Its been a wonderful trip by far..Visiting Paris once again brought back many fond memories..memories long forgotten.slowing coming back to life..bit by bit..

Upon arrival, we were whisked to the icon of Paris..the eiffel Tower ..

Years ago, when i first visited Paris, i admired the tower from a distance,marvelling at this structure, spellbounded by its history..this time , i got to ascend to the 2nd level..and the view from there was fantabulous!

you get a bird’s eye view of this romantic city..almost like a gigantic maze..

And how we not gasp at the sheer beauty of the Arch De triumph..

And all the historical buildings that made Paris…

Walking thru the halls of the Versailles Palace,completely in awe by its decadence..

and lusting after the lives of the royalty…

Indulging in some french cuisines..

and fall in love with eiffle when night falls..when she is dressed in her finest, shimmering..glowing..and steadfast..

And its getting late..morning call at six..i should go to sleep..

last night in Paris..

One more Parisian dream.

(interestingly, this trip to Paris, somehow found that the french are getting friendlier..and speaking english too..its a wonderful change:)

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Date:16 March Brussels:2245 Singapore 0546am

This morning we departed for Brussels.Before arriving there, we made a short stop in bruges, a UNESCO World Heritage site..its tranquility and grace took my breath away..

Some even called it the Venice of the west..

The gable styled buildings are right out of a fairy tale..

Chocolate shops lined the streets..and a quaint little one caught my eye..

the Notre Dame church houses this magnificent work of Michaelangelo..

The plaza of this Unesco site is flanked by Gothic buildings..

I don particularly like to drink..however, when you are in Belgium, you just simply have to try their beer and that i did! For once, i LOVED it!

For desert, i had the belgian waffle chantilly with real flavourful cream!!!

and the moules’ cooked in broth with Garlic is simply divine!

On the way to Brussels, we stopped to have a pic with the futuristic Atomium

Brussels welcomed us with her mascott, the famous statue of Manneken pis:)

and i am very much taken by the Grand Place, the most memorable landmark in Brussels..Surrounded by guildhalls, i found my favourite building in Europe, once the King’s house, now the Museum of Brussels

This work of wonder is done in the style of both Gothic and renaisance..its intricate carving and beautiful symetry left me in awe and very much in love with it:)

What a wonderful day it has been and i am truly happy..

Belgium is such a wonderful surprise and i so wished that i have had more time to explore this beautiful place..perhaps one day i shall return..just to fall in love all over again:)

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Saturday 21th March Amsterdam 0030hrs  Sin 0721am

And so the trip went on…the next day, after Brussels,we visited Ghent, which is Belgium’s second largest municipality by the number of inhabitants,which ranks it as the fourth most populous in Belgium.. and here, we took our One and Only Group picture:)

Much of the city’s medieval architecture remains intact and is rather well preserved and restored..

It’s centre is the largest car-free area in Belgium..

And….Hello Amsterdam!

And the windmills simply blown our minds!

We went to this Dutch village place where the iconic windmills were there to thrill us..besides that, we were treated to the making of the traditional Clog shoes as well as the cheese making of the Dutch Gouda and other dutch cheeses.. you could buy all these stuffs and true to the country, all of us went on Dutch:)

How could i miss out the tulips????Over at Keukenhof, the flowers awaited us..Due to the long winter, not all bulbs have blossomed but, there were enough for us to snap away..

More to come:) much more to be shared! the city centre is coming up next ..akan datang:)

Till the next update…..

bryan.amsterdam

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23rd March 2010 Country:Singapore Location: Room

I am home..Finally. Left amsterdam yesterday at 1800hrs  euro time, flew to Paris..took the 2330hrs flight back to singapore and all in all, after 17hrs i am all showered and now ready to do my final installment of this trip:)

And for the finale of this trip, i show u now, bits of amsterdam that i will always cherish:)

For those who loves flowers, the flower market at the heart of the central is not to be missed

A large variety of potted and fresh cuts could be found here ..the scent of flowers mingled with freshly baked breads filled the air..

There are lots of well preserved houses within the city..at every turn there is always a surprise installed for you..

One of the most unforgetable moments of this trip is when we visited the house of Anne Frank, where we get to see the actual area where her family hide themselves from the gestapos during the second world war.This happened in the year 1944,not so long ago..but so much has changed.

Behind this modern facade lies a true story..a story of a young girl who lost her life in world war two..where her diary lives on and tell us her story..for the brief moments she spent in this world..

while taking a cruise along the canal, one of my favourite act would be to check out the housesboats moored to the bank.They come in all forms..some are still a boat in structure while some are on cemented stilts.either way, they function just like the houses along the bank..

One of my greatest joy on this trip would be my visit to the two museums in Amsterdam…where i got to see the many magnificent works of Van Gogh and Rembrant‘s famous “Night watch”

Took this picture while the city was still sleeping..i woke up early and decided to brave the cold and go for a morning walk along the canal..The sun was just making ots appearance and i so loved the still reflection of the buildings in the canal…

In contrast, when the city awakes,the streets are bustling with ppl and traffic on the water equals that on land..

The trams, though ultra modern, goes really well with the old city though..ferrying people on fixed route and the sound it makes seems to gel pretty well with the scenery

Most of the time it rains in amsterdam..but on good days..it is simply divine:)

and i will always remember these…

And so it all ends here..

would like to thank all for coming along on this trip with me..either being there or just reading from here..had a wonderful time with all the fun loving friends on this trip and thank you all for being so wonderful and never a handfull!

Till we meet again…

Muack Muack

Hugz Hugz

Au Revoir!

Seems like quite a fair bit of you guys tuned in to that episode and seemed quite keen to try out that claypot thingy that i made

Due to all these requests that i have had, i shall now share the receipe with you…

The Delectable three treasure claypot

What you need:

A Claypot.(standard size)

Water toufu (水豆腐) about 4 will be fine:)

Five flower pork (五花肉)

Taupok

Salted fish (Preferably salted fish head..if not, just a slice of it and its got to be those that are slightly moist and pungent:)

Lemon grass about 5 stalks

old ginger..eh..about 5  slices..depends on how old u are:)

dried chilli..about 6 is good:)

garlic ..i love lots of it..like a handful..mince it.

pork lard..a handful

soya sauce.oyster sauce.pepper.sugar.dark soya sauce.sesame oil

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Preparation:

These are the things that u need to do before putting it all in the claypot to simmer.

1) You have to fry the salted fish till golden brown and slightly dry.set it aside.

2)fry the toufu till golden brown as well.take care not to break it:) and set it aside.

3)heat up the wok…Throw in a handful of pork lard and let it brown and the oil to ooze out.Fry the lemongrass and after ten strokes throw in the minced garlic….stir fry for about 10 strokes:) add about 3 spoons of oyster sauce..stir for 5 strokes..add in one table spoon of soya sauce..stir another 5 strokes…add in the five flower pork and stir fry for about 15 strokes:) add some sugar, pepper and sesame oil..carry on stroking another 10 times more..add in the dry chilli..stir for another 10 strokes…and off the gas and smile:)

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Let’s do it:)

And now u r ready to party!

Follow these steps and u might not go thaaaaaat wrong:)

1) Line the bottom of the claypot with the lemongrass that you have just cooked.This will prevent the main dish from scotching and burn..

2)Place the 4 fried water toufu in the middle of the claypot on top of the lemon grass.

3)tear of the salted fish that u have fried and place them evenly in the clapot.

4)scoop up the rest of the meat that you have done in preparation 3 and place them above the toufu

5)add about two cupfuls of stock (could be chicken stock) into the claypot

6) close the lid and let it simmer with a slow fire..

7) heat up wok,add oil and fry the old ginger..after about 10 strokes add in dark soya sauce..about 3 spoonfuls..and after stir frying for another 5 strokes add a wee bit of water and then, open the lid of the clapot and pour the whole stuff into the claypot..right on top of the meat. remember to close the lid of the claypot now!

after 15mins,Open the lid and add the taupok into the claypot..Dip a spoon into the boiling mixture and taste..add watever u need to boost the taste and then quickly close the lid!

To me, whenever i cook, alot of it is based on the feel of the moment..Don’t believe in the regulations of using how many teaspoons of this and that because, it all depends on the fire of the day and the different textures of the meat that y r using on the actual day of cooking..so, you will have to agar agar:)

When the delicious smell of the lemon grass and old ginger and salted fish fills the air, and the pork looks springy and succulent and the sauce looks nice and thick, your dish..my dear…is DONE:)

enjoy your attempt and let me know how it turns out:)

And Now The End Is Here!

After a grueling eleven weeks we are now into the last installment of Home Decor 4.

To wrap up this season, we were thrown the topic of Alternative lifestyle.

Not an easy topic though..because, anything goes…My interpretation of this topic would be a decor that is not mainstream and does not adhere to  conventional styling..It has to reflect the personal taste of the owner, their likes and their needs..and it should all gel together and becomes their home.

For this last epi, we were assigned this loving family where much love is found in their four room flat…the happy couple jusssst got married and we so hoped to give them a lovely wedding present::)

We spoke..listened…and understood that they wanted a brand new look to their place..liked black,white and grey..loved mosaics…loved their dog….loved minimalism..and so..we started our overhauling:)

Actually, i found their place to be quite retro inspired..

first and foremost, since the ceiling already has checks, we decided to amp it up and do a chessboard effect on the ceiling,which we felt was rather “alternative”..alot of work on this and kudos to my two fantabulous helper and the wonderful family…Next on the checklist, we decided to mosaic the shoe cabinet that u see on the right hand side of the above pic and transformed it into a one and only mosaic shoe cabinet u see below:)

Since they love their doggy sooo much, we decided to have its portrait to be done on the wall..not painted..but with mosaic!

I wanted an alternatively styled lamp to shine on them while they were eating..and so..we d.i.m this one of a kind cutlery chandelier:)

The transformation went on and on…..

Before                                                             After

Before                                                                      after

But victory was not ours…

Nevertheless, i felt truly privilleged to have worked with this family because, i am touched but the bond they had..the warmth of a complete family.

This has been the most challenging season ever..because for each and every episode, my team and i push ourselves to create something that is asthetically pleasing as well as challenging ourselves to d.i.m stuffs that we had never done before..and here’s a recap:)

So here’s to everyone who played a part in this season of HoMe DeCoR..

May All Be Well and May All

Live Happily Ever After….

This is the prelude to the end of this season 4 of home decor..and this episode, were tasked to present Shanghai Chic.

Koh and Ivy’s living room is really huge and frankly, six thousand ain’t exactly gonna fill up this living room.But fortunately, Just Anthony, the shop dealing with all the china furnitures ie really kind to us and i got to choose some wonderful wooden panellings to complete my design for Shanghai chic..

As the name suggests, chic=fashionable and thus, my approach is to give all the olden chinese furnitures a new lease of live and making it in white to make it appear current..which actually, in shanghai, you seee alot of this approach in terms of design:)

How did we transform it? i guess, this once, let the picture speak for itself:)

Before                                                         After

And on the 3rd day of the Lunar New Year, we were rewarded with a big fat ang paos:) 3 Yeses!

HUAT AH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

很快的，一年。。转眼间。。就过去了

再过一会儿， 新的一年。。就开始了

我祝愿大家在虎年 ： 事事顺新。。心想事成

与此同时， 也祝贺大家情人节 快了。。

Have a fantabulous Chinese Lunar New Year and a beautiful Valentines day

May all your dreams become reality and May love prevails…

Simply me

bryan