Poached Prawns in Clear Stock

I had a hard time trying to come up with an English name for this dish with the correct interpretation, as from literal translation, it is Salted Water Prawns (盐水虾). This is one of the most common dishes you will find in any local restaurants in Shanghai, as well as in the surrounding Jiang Nan […]

Calendula Water Cream

I have combination skin, which is dry on the cheeks and oily on the T zone (forehead, nose, chin). In Summer, it gets greasy easily, and in Winter, it is often dry and sensitive under heating. Finding the right light-weight moisturizer has always been the mission in my skincare journey, as using rich moisturizers can […]

Crispy Chicken Karaage

As a cardiologist, my mom has always been extra conscious of what we eat at home, deep fried food was never on her menu. But on the opposite, my dad has his passion for all things fried, and would alway order his own KFC on the side. After 10 weeks of lockdown and cooking from […]

Shanghai: Normandie Apartment

Wu Kang Mansion, formerly known as the Normandie Apartment in Shanghai, was built in 1924 by the I.S.S (International Savings Society) for western employees living in the foreign concessions during colonial times. The 8-storey French Renaissance architecture was designed by the renowned Hungarian-Slovak architect László Hudec, who has also designed many other landmarks in Shanghai […]

Tidy For Not Having To Tidy

There’s a common misperception about tidying, that it is equivalent to cleaning, and that’s what scares most people away when they are told to “tidy up”, including me. The second misperception about “tidying”, or in a better word, “declutter”, is that we have to throw away the items we once brought in – the concept […]

Does Weight Matter

My mom built us a family habit over the years, to weigh ourselves everyday first thing in the morning. Despite it being the most accurate net weight can be tracked down after resting overnight, it is also less fluctuated by the amount of water and food we consume during the day. However, does weight really […]

Pho the Real Boss

Gave it a fun name, because this recipe actually came from my boss. Every time we are in LA for regular meetings or reporting, he would make Pho for us over one of the weekends. Pho is regarded as the national dish of Vietnam with many different recipes, yet if you don’t know, California has […]

Cicapair Derma Green Solution

Continued from last week’s multitasking skin care product review – introducing the second in line – my holy grail for the past year and half as a moisturiser, foundation, sunscreen, primer, concealer, and irritation treatment, all in one go. First discovered this recovery cream after my trip to Cambodia in 2018, my skin was inflammatory […]

Shanghainese Savory Turnip Pancakes

I’ve always preferred savory to sweet when it comes to snacks, and Fried Turnip Pie (油墩子) is a traditional street-food in Shanghai that reminds me of many childhood memories when I lived there. If you’ve been to Wu Kang Road in the Former French Concession (法租界), that’s where me and my friends used to hang […]

Barcelona: Casa Milà

Ending the last piece of Gaudi’s series with Casa Milà, also known as La Pedrera. It was not a love-at-first-sight, I felt a little suppressed standing in the middle of the dark courtyard on a cloudy Autumn day, with the tour guide explaining that this is Gaudi’s last and also the most iconic design of […]