New Lappie

Posted in Style and Fashion by Mitch

Today is an awesome day, thanks to hubby for making it so special. Why? Because I finally got my new lappie this afternoon as an early gift from him. Actually he had been planning it for a while because my laptop for 5 years now is inevitably showing signs of aging. From server hanging, graphics lagging, unexpected shutdowns, constant high CPU usage consumption up to the most horrific blue-screen boot-ups. Mind you built-in wifi is busted too, so sometimes its just frustrating to use. But I couldn’t blame her, if you got truck loads of applications installed who wouldn’t wear off right? And 5 years is pretty long enduring time of service, so I guess it is just fair to let her retire from a tedious job of constant processing.

a look at my old laptop, Acer TravelMate 3220 gifted by my dear father.

Anyway, took us less than an hour of stroll in Electronic City when we stopped and decided to settle with Toshiba. Hubby already did most of the research about laptops and he’s quite convinced Toshiba is a worth-it piece of technology. On the other hand, I was leaning more on adding another Apple gadget in my list, but hubby made a rational debate why it might be a bad idea especially if I plan to use the laptop for work/job purposes. Well, just thankful I married a techy guy. So on my next posts I’ll might go through more on the details and experiences on using it.

Toshiba Stall

hubby in his "pikturan mo ko look" with the RMB's in his hand. lols.

new laptop on configuration mode

freebies

24Jul2011

CWY Roasts The Entire Fish

Posted in Food and Dining, Restaurant Reviews by Mitch

Not quite certain if the title is the actual name of the restaurant (because it sounded so literal), but if it really was then they seriously know how to roast a fish right up to the bones. We got introduce with this humble restaurant by our dear Chinese friend Max out of asking if we have tried the famous “baked fish” in Dalian. Being the curious food adventurous couple we are, told him I think we have tried such dish once when hubby and I went to Beijing last April. But our friend anxiously convinced us that this dish is different and no one else can bake anything like it in Dalian, unless if I will visit Sichuan province to taste the original ones. Carried away by his strong words, we just said to him 2 words – surprise us!

Roasted Catfish

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10Jul2011

Snapshots: Glimpse of Downtown Life

Posted in Photography by Mitch

Youhao Guangchang

The day started dim, at half past 1o when we left for Sunday church visit we could see different levels of mist surround Dalian. Sun was just plainly absent as expected. Travel to downtown normally take almost one hour from our place whether you’d take a taxi or regular bus and like other cities, Dalian’s downtown has plenty of buildings sprouting at any sides, wider streets, shops and more good place to eat. But its the noise of cramped vehicles on the streets and hundreds of people everywhere busy walking / talking, makes you feel more and more you are in the center of a big city. Lucky for us, our flat is in a much quiet place.

underpass signage

greens and flowers along a busy walkway

But one thing nice though and this I noticed in most areas in Dalian that even in a busy area, they find ways to create beautiful green landscapes. Colorful bright flowers from purple, yellows, pink and whites are their favorite, what’s amazing too elderly looking people around 40′s are the ones planting it. Walkways are always clean in the morning and less people are jaywalking. Street signs are very tourist friendly having both English and Chinese characters present. I think I’m starting to love this place eternally.

bus and taxi stops

telephone booth

victory plaza reminds me of Greenhills, you can buy anything here.

most common stalls you'd see, seems wedding is a big thing not only in Dalian but across China

hubby wandering around, looking for place to eat

not sure what the name stands for, but we're both giggling the moment we noticed it

oriental styled stalls

shops everywhere

So what’s your downtown looked like?

Do you like living in a city?

3Jul2011

Snapshots: Big Day at Laohutan

Posted in Photography by Mitch

Coast of Laohutan

Exactly a week ago was hubby’s birthday and to celebrate the occasion we went to visit Laohutan area. The plan was to have a picnic and get lazy along the beach. But much to our surprise the beach is literally located inside the Ocean Park which you will need to pay another 190 RMB each. With all honesty the park really looked cool inside, so enticing because aside from the beach there are marine animals like polar bears, cute dolphins and sea lions as one of their attractions and a museum only for coral reefs. Mind you, there’s also a KFC food chain inside which is a bit surprising. But seriously entrance fee is way too expensive especially if you arrive late like 1PM and park will close around 6, so checking the park was not the best option.

hubby with the warship

Unwilling to pay, we instead did a 4hr walkathon along the area took some pictures and marvel at scenic beauty that the place has to offer. It kinda feels nice too when you try to blend-in with the crowd, even my looks and Mandarin is so not fitting I often get asked by any local couples to take a picture of them which I find very interesting. I might look chinese in their eyes? I doubt. Anyway, all photos are combination of camera phones which is actually quite useful and easy in cases that a trusted camera goes unavailable, my dlsr battery died only minutes of walking. Good thing our phones were one heck of a savior, miracle of technology!