Did you all miss me? Haha!
Guess what? I broke my own promise of not accessing the Internet during my trip there. Could not resist it! Tekkaus, you were right. My fingers got really itchy after some time, and with the computer available in the hostels where I stayed, it's a matter of time before I succumbed to the temptation!
To be honest, I did not really have much time to go online there. My schedule was full with activities and during those times when I had the opportunity to go online, I was either too tired and preferred to rest or someone else was using the computer!
It was really fun reading all your comments on my previous two posts. Thanks so much for commenting, everyone! Due to time constraints, I did not reply to any of your comments. Well, it's a good move just in case I decided to bluff all of you that I kept my promise and did not go online. Haha! But as you can see now, I have decided to be honest about it, so do I deserve an applause? ; )
I even thought of writing a new post on my blog there but quickly discovered that it was simply impossible to do so. And you know why? I was not able to access my blog. Maybe China had banned Blogspot? Luckily, I could still access my Gmail though.
Anyway, after reading through and counting all the comments from my last two posts, I am now announcing the winners of my "Top 3 Commenters Contest".
Congratulations to Tekkaus for leaving the most comments! As the 1st prize winner, you will have the chance to be the first person to choose any one of the souvenirs I brought back from Guilin (see photos below)
2nd prize goes to Lina. Choose the souvenir you want after Tekkaus chose his.
3rd prize goes to Ladyviral. You may choose your souvenir after Lina chose hers.
By the way, Ladyviral, you are the only one who attempted to guess the number of teaspoons of sugar in the list of products. Where did you get the answers from? I based my answers on CAP (Consumers Associations of Penang) booklet. Although your answers did not exactly match with CAP's (will reveal the answers in future posts), I think you deserve a prize for your efforts! Will let you know what is your prize for this guessing contest later : )
Here are the souvenirs I bought in China.
#1
An art drawn by a real life artist from ancient Daxu town near Guilin.
#2
Another art piece from the same artist. You may want to have it framed. (Note: Both art pieces are about A4 size)
#3
I don't know know what to call this - a beautiful, small bag about 5" x 6.5" in size. I bought this from a lady selling these stuffs at Longji village in Longsheng County.
#4
This is an interesting souvenir that you can hang with the bell ringing when the wind blows. Not sure what the mandarin words say (I'm sure you already know my mandarin sucks!) but I think blogger Jam told me it means "happiness everyday". Want to be blessed with happiness every single day? Get this one! : )
#5
This is a beautiful cushion cover I bought from Longji village. Unfortunately, none of you could choose this as your prize, because my mom liked it so much she had already taken it! Sorry!! : )
#6
A necklace with a bird motif bought from Longji village.
#7
Or if you are more daring, (or devilish), you may want to choose this skull necklace!
#8
This beautifully woven bills/letter holder is about 7" wide and 29" long. With this hanging on the wall, you will never again misplace your important bills and letters!
#9
Do you play mahjong? You might want to consider this mini mahjong tiles. It comes in a box set about 7" x 4.5" in size with a dice and extra two tiles thrown in (see below)
This mahjong set was bought from a night market at a pedestrian street along Zhongshan Zhong Road.
#10
Tissue box cover with dark background and chinese designs.
The bottom part of the tissue box cover.
The tissue box cover also comes along with these two decorative objects.
#11
A small 8" x 4" bag with zipper.
#12
Another 8" x 4" zipper bag with a different design. Both bought from Longji village.
#13
Three "butterflies" souvenirs I bought by the busy road side in Guilin.
So Tekkaus, Lina and Ladyviral, take your time to choose your prize and let me know which one you chose by sending me an email with your address. Thank you!
Coming Up In My Next Post : My First Day In China
FIRST COMMENTER
Did you get me anything from China? ;)
haha they are so cute, hey do you know how to play maj jong? my mom loves to play it with hr friends
oh the fabrics looks good too
by the way, just informinng you again that you won the blog idol compertition
congrats!!
You are back? Welcome back, Foong!
And you won the Blog Idol competition? Congrats!
Those are really thoughtful gifts, Foong, and so lovely too.
Congrats to the winners!
Looking forward to your upcoming posts.
Can go and play mahjong with Foong during CNY! LOL
I win! I win! Hehehe
They are all nice souvenirs. SO, what did Tekkaus pick? :D
Welcome back Foong! Can't wait for your stories about your trip. :)
wow.. so nice.. must go there someday!!
Foong, the 3rd item is a sling bag. Enough rest? And resume usual blogging business already?
wow, did you go SHOPPING in Guilin instead of riding on that four-wheeled bicycle??
hey, i actually love that set of mahjong!! haha, comes in handy when you bring it to travel, it's really a good pass-time thing to do.. :p
and yes, i guess everything is blocked in china.. blogspot, facebook etc etc, very pathetic huh??
welcome back foongpc!
cant wait to read more bout your escapade in china :D
Welcome back Foong! We missed you a lot. Haha :D So did you had a great time. We waited....and waited...and waited...finally you are back. :D
Hahaha :D I knew you couldn't resist the lure of the keyboard whispering to you. Your fingers surely will feel gatal one. LOL :P
Huh? China banned Blogspot? For real? That's weird. Yeah! Thank goodness you can access your blogspot using Gmail right? :)
Wow you brought so many souvenirs from China? Didn't the custom blovk you or anything? My...your luggage must be damn heavy huh! With all those stuff in it. Hehe :D
Honestly Foong...I had a hard time choosing the souvenirs...but in the end I decided to choose NO.9# LOL :D Hahahaha I want o play mahjong.
"Pong"! :p
Last but not least...do you have H1N1 virus? have you checked? LOL :D Just kidding. Anyway you have a good rest ok. :)
hahaha... better ask foong to sanitize the prizes before sending them to us! :D
I am eyeing one of those pretty butterflies :P
mei teng, I'm afraid not! But since you're such a dedicated first commenter on my blog, OK, I will pass you one of those butterflies you were eyeing. Provided, of course Lina and Ladyviral had not chosen them! Which colour do you prefer? : )
bluedreamer27, I can't believe I won the Blog Idol! This is such fantastic news for me! Btw, I have placed the Blog Idol Trophy on my blog. Thanks so much for those who voted and thanks to you, bluedreamer for organizing this interesting competition and for the EC credits! : )
Oh, I am not good at mahjong. I'm still very new to it and so people who are well versed with the game will find it very impatient to play with me. Haha! You know how to play too? : )
happysurfer, yes I'm back! Thanks for welcoming me back : )
Also thanks regarding the Blog Idol competition - didn't expect to win it!
Glad you find the gifts thoughtful! My next post will be coming up soon : )
lina, you know how to play mahjong too? I'm not good at it - very slow at it and you might just scream at me! LOL!
Thanks for welcoming me back, Lina. Oh, btw, pls choose your prize and leave a comment here so that ladyviral will know which prizes are already taken.
Tekkaus has chosen the mahjong set which is an excellent choice btw. So what's yours? Remember to email me your address so I can send the prize to you : )
TH, yes make Guilin your next holiday trip! You will love the beautiful landscapes there! It's awesome : )
jam, oh, so it's called a sling bag? OK, thanks for informing! Actually, I can do with more rests! But yes, back to blogging business as usual. Can't resist it after not being able to blog for 10 days! Haha!
Oh, btw, thanks for your wonderful research done and fantastic itinerary for this China trip! You are the best tour guide really! Also thanks for helping out with all the conversations done in Mandarin! I don't know how to survive if left alone in China! LOL!
Mini mahjong.. mini mahjong!
SK, haha! Shopping I did! Riding on a four wheel bicycle? No! But did I cycle on a 2 wheel bicycle? I'll let you in on that in my future post! Haha!
Yes, the mahjong set is nice, isn't it? Too bad it's already taken up by the 1st prize winner of my contest!
Not everything is blocked in China. Did they ban Facebook too? Well, I hope Malaysia does not follow their style : )
annant, thanks! My next post on my China trip coming right up! : )
tekkaus, you really waited and waited? Well, looks like all
your waiting is worth it! Haha!
Anyway, thanks for welcoming me back! : )
Yeah, my fingers just got itchier and itchier! Haha! Not sure if China banned Blogspot, but I tried accessing a few blogs that are using Blogspot and could not access any of them!
The souvenirs were not really a lot lah. So did not add too much extra weight to my luggage. LOL!
The mini mahjong is a great choice, tekkaus! Will send it to you soon! You "pong" I "kong"! Haha!
No H1N1 virus but have SCTO virus. SCTO stands for Sad China Trip is Over! Haha!
lina, no need to sanitize cos by the time the prizes reach you, a week would have passed. Any virus on the prizes would not have survived : )
merryn, you are keen on the mini mahjong? Too bad lah, you are not the winner. First prize winner Tekkaus has chosen it as his prize! : )
hmmmm, now i regret not spamming you with comments! so foong don't go cheap with souvenirs! hehehhe
you have great souvenirs foong! I didn't bother joining coz you might not be pleased with the courier amount shipping here! =P just way too pricey =(
nice to have you back here =)
i love the paintings...is it ok if I copy one of those? I thought of painting one for our unit =) Or maybe I'll combine both paintings to make it different =)
Welcome back.
So many souvenirs... I guess you must be new to independent travel, and still haven't understand the principle of traveling light.
Yes, China bans Blogspot. You need to use proxy in order to access to this domain.
I'm torn between the art piece and the bags.... decisions decisions. :D
I think I'll go with the zipper bag #12.
I'll e-mail you my address later (or better still, come here at Gardens lah... got excuse to meet up!)
Green of course ;)
welcome back, and wow, you have lots of souvenirs, all wonderful!
oh what beautiful souvenirs and such an exciting trip for you! I am so glad you are back with such great memories!
Hi foong! Welcome home! What makes you think the souveniers doesn't sanitizing.. they do! and make sure you put yourself in there too! hahaha.
And wow, never expected Iw ould win =x.. thanks alot! ;)
And I wasn't even aiming for the prize for guessing the sugar content. I was curious myself! hahaha. I always have strong curiousity.. good for certain times, bad for most of the time :P
Oh so much souveniers you got! They are all beautiful... I would have a hard time picking even haha. What are the butterflies? Pins? Or hair accessory? Very nice...
Hi Foong, it's been awhile. I see u r holidaying a again! You are really quite a traveler are you!
I thought the Chinese paintings are rather cool, even tho I had never been a fan of chinese painting art.
ayie, you should have spammed me with comments and win some of the souvenirs!
Sure, you can copy those paintings if you want cos I don't hold the copyright to them. Hehe. Maybe combine them both so it's more interesting. You mean, you can draw that well? Wow! : )
khengsiong, I usually travel light, but not for this trip. Haha! Most of the time, I don't even need to check in luggage at the airport - such a hassle. I just carry hand luggage - see how light I travel! But this time, it's a 10 days trip, must check in!
Also need to take hand sanitizer which is not allowed in hand luggage, so have to check that in as well!
Why did China ban Blogspot? Looks like my blog can never have readers from China : (
No worries, Foong! I plan this Guilin trip for myself too!
lina, OK, zipper bag it is then. Good choice. I hope you'll like it. Sure, can meet up at The Gardens. No need to mail to you then : )
mei teng, noted. Your address still the same right? : )
betchai, thanks! Glad you think the souvenirs are wonderful. I like them too : )
heidi, thanks! I'm missing the trip already! : )
ladyviral, remember curiousity kills the cat! So don't get too curious! Haha! But in this case, it's a good thing. Will let you know what prize to give you later.
The butterflies are not pins, but you can tie them to something and use as accessories or decorative item. You want them? Pls email me your address. Thanks! : )
a common singaporean, hi! Yeah, been some time. Will visit your blog soon that is, if you had updated it! I don't think I travel that much, on average, only twice a year.
I like the Chinese paintings too : )
Yes, yes...thank u :)
Hahaha! Well, it says it kills the cat.. not the monkey :P. So I am save! haha!
Oh I think I know what it is :). Naw I have one but it was a hair accessory.. And I don't even use it @.@ it is keeping dust now! >.<
Will take my pick after lina and everything else, then mail you my adress.
Thank you so much! *dances around happily* I got a prize from foong, I got a prize from foong*
haha me too, i am not that good in mah jong hhehe and quite confuse with the characters
thanks for placing the badge foogpc
and in regards with your question about how many blog i have..
i got fifteen
if you step over my blog idol blog you will see all the icons that will direct you in my other blogs
thanks again for joining the idol
Wow your brought back so many souvenirs. Mahjong? wuah wuahh
Can't wait to read your first day in Guilin post.
Hey, welcome back! Wah, things must be cheap in China eh...
where is mine? :(
cant wait to see yr guilin post too!
Souvenir #6 can be purchased in Malacca ... I saw the exact one :p
Hey welcome back! Wow you bought so many souvenirs but I guess the best one would be the mini Mah jong set! Lol... more useful in times of economic slump.
Wow... really nice souvenirs you got... like those fabric souvenirs.
when to meet? Better before puasa, otherwise see you in October. I'll be gone for a long Raya holiday this year! :D
damn.
i missed the guessing game and also the top commenter award :(
i love the art pieces a lot.
it'd great to be part of my room after a lil renovation :(
guess it's not my luck this time.
maybe some other time.
welcome back buddy!
foong, i was advising the first price winner to choose that mini mahjong.. coz i dont play mahjong ler.. ethan does! hahahahha..
my PC died for two days while you were in China.. I was badly shaken when I cant go online too! :)
When can I choose mine? :)
merryn,
is that why you haven't posted much lately? you always have tons of posts whenever i check your blog =) so are you settled into buying that laptop already?
now i have to be ready for foong's long posts! i bet you had a picture frenzy there =P
been wanting to do some paintings. I have yet to gather materials coz i left my stuffs at home. prolly when mom sends them in here I can start painting and draw again =) not a pro foong, just a hobby
welcome back! the 2 necklaces look very neatly made. :D
Good morning and welcome back Foong!
i'm glad you had a blast and those are lovely souvenirs especially the paintings. i bought a series of paintings when i travelled to china too.
congrats to the winners and congrats to you on the Blog Idol award. so terrorlah you. :)
how come i didn't see much paintings on my trip? just bunch of merchandise =( and foods! =)
Foong welcome back!! Do I get to choose once everyone else has chosen the souvenirs??? :):)
wah...nice souvenirs....got mahjong tiles too...shud ask u to get one for me ler...kekeke
mei teng, no problem : )
ladyviral, you can take your pick now. Lina already chosen her prize : )
bluedreamer27, wow! 15 blogs! How in the world do you manage all of them? I can't even manage one!
che-cheh, my next post coming right up! : )
foong speaks her mind, yes, most of the things I bought are quite cheap after some bargaining : )
xin, haha! Next post coming out soon : )
TZ, really? Oh, well....!
eiling, thanks! Yes, I kinda like the mini mahjong set too! : )
lina, you are going Japan during the Raya holidays? OK, can meet up maybe next week for lunch? Will confirm again with you end of this week : )
faisal admar, yalah, you missed the opportunity! Next time then. Thanks for welcoming me back : )
merryn, Ethan plays mahjong? you must be kidding me! Haha!
Hope your computer is OK now? Get a new one lah : )
neo, when you treat me to a nice dinner ; )
ayie, I'll try and make my post short. Hehe. You must draw a Chinese style painting and show me! : )
levian, thanks! Yes, those necklaces are nice! : )
life ramblings, thanks! I had a great time in China and yes, those paintings are nice! I didn't expect to win Blog Idol, so it was really a big surprise to me. Haha! : )
ayie, you went Guilin before? I got those paintings not from Guilin, but from a town near Guilin.
iamthewitch, well, I'm afraid if I say yes, everyone will start to request for one souvenir from me! LOL!
vialentino, haha! Yeah, you should have asked. LOL!
not in guilin foong, somewhere nearer HK...shenzhen. From there we hopped to HK =)
ok, i will if i get the chance to do it =)
Oh lina has chosen.. haha sorry must of missed that.
I would love the zipper bag and since lina have chosen the #12, I will take my pick of #11. Would be nice to carry it around with :). I wanted to choose the Letter holder at first, then I remember I have one at home and it is chuck with alot of letters I don't clear! So I shall not have another to chuck it all about hahaha. Thanks again, foong!
Wow! Ayie paints chinese paintings? Wow I would love to see them! I am always fascinated by chinese paintings. I respect their hand of wonder!
You sure go for a lot of holidays don't you ... welcome back :D
wow lots of nice gifts and souvenirs from china! haha.. my mum went there before.. i never been there before.. haha.. =D
kenwooi.com
@ ladyviral
you seem to be more ecstatic than me with the painting =) i still don't know when i can start painting again...if my schedule permits =) my works are all back home. Don't worry you'll see it in time, a new blog probably =P
wahhh so many souvenirs!
Congrats to yr Top 3 Commenters! ;)
ayie, oh you went to Shenzhen. Oh! Hope you can have free time to draw and show us! : )
ladyviral, your prize is on the way! : )
nick phillips, thanks! I don't really go for a lot of holidays. So far Guilin only my second holiday this year! : )
kenwooi, oh your mom have been to Guilin before? Cool! You should go there too and experience the place : )
monica, yeah, I was too tempted not to shop! Haha! : )
Wahhhh! So many souvenirs! I don't get to have one. *sob sob*
Congrats to all the top commenters!
geez actually i really dont know how i handle my blogs...oh i know, i make schedules for each blogs so that i will be sure that all myy blogs were updated ^^
like yr taste in souvenirs. looking forward to read more on yr trip
I got my souvenier! Thanks alot, foongpc.
@ Ayie : Hahaha why would say so? I am really just amazed... I adore art because I can't draw as well as them and the fact that chinese artist always draw very nice scenery arts and that their art are mostly smooth flowing types. :P
eastcoastlife, maybe we can exchange souvenirs? You give me a souvenir from Singapore and I pass you one from Guilin. Haha!
bluedreamer27, wow! So organised! Make schedule for each blog - maybe I'll need to do that one day when I have several blogs! : )
bengbeng, thanks! More posts coming up : )
ladyviral, glad to know you received the souvenir safely : )
@ ladyviral,
hehehehe i just don't want you to expect a very very nice painting hihihi.. =P
Hi Foong! Welcome back from your trip to China! Those are really beautiful souvenirs you have chosen!
Anything for all your followers? (Lol!) Just kidding!
ayie, I can't wait for your painting! : )
tita beng, thanks! I would love to give my each of my followers a souvenir, but I'm afraid I don't have that many souvenirs to give away! ; )
hahah pls be patient foong...i'll try =) if not maybe other art crafts i made will do? hehe