⇒ Beijing Baby! [entries|friends|calendar] Melanie Navigate Recent Entries 4one1 Archive Friends Beijing Baby! ♥'s ballads, hip-hop, pretty boys, lead, anime/manga, slam dunk, naruto, full metal panic!, escaflowne, gravitation, yaoi, asami tohjoh, ayano yamane, porsche boxsters, ancient chinese history, ancient roman history, dinosaurs, french manicures, basketball, juicy couture, alex perry, dior, chanel couture shows, diane von furstenberg, elie saab, roberto cavalli dresses, versace, YSL rive gauche, vivienne westwood's orb & white balenciaga motorcycle bags. more? Links † Gravitation † SoundClick † DeviantArt † MySpace Decemeber Song: Goldigger (Kanye West) Book: Memoirs of a Geisha Anime/Manga: Deathnote Film: Harry Potter GoF Food: Rice Crackers Word: Mirabile dictu Layout Itachi Best viewed IE 1024x768 Press F11 for other browsers Beijing Baby! © Mel 2005. [ userinfo | livejournal userinfo ] [ calendar | livejournal calendar ]

Update [22 Feb 2007|12:53am] 22nd February 2007 Update Long Time No Blog. Note: I will no longer be updating my LJ about updates on my blog after this post^^

Update [30 Oct 2006|08:58pm] October 30th Update The 100th Post Profile - The 4one1

So long, farewell... [20 Jan 2006|12:49am] [ mood | nostalgic ] [ music | Sweetbox - More than Love ] Well guys, after 3 years and 16 days it's time to say goodbye. http://www.livejournal.com/users/lady_dilandau has officially closed... BUT not to worry, Beijing Baby! has moved on and relocated itself at: http://www.beibaby.blogspot.com So please visit me there! You can still add me as friends on my LJ as I come back once in awhile to read friends posts. So yeah, there we go... don't forget to bookmark my new blog^^ <3 you guys *muwah* 15 victims † Go ahead, piss me off

Stupid Post Xmas Sale!!! [13 Jan 2006|12:30pm] [ mood | busy ] [ music | Namie Amuro - Want me Want me ] I have promised myself after I come home from China, not to buy anymore unnecessary, but NOOOOOO the stupid post Christmas sales keep tempting me. Now I've just bought a new T-shirt, Skinny leg jeans, a dress (in which I'll probably never wear), a phone hangly dangly and other random stuff which I have to hide from my parent's or else they'll lecture me about how I'll have no more money in Japan. This calls on one of Oscar Wilde's famous quotes, "I can resist everything except temptation." Besides that, someone very very nice sent me these: It came with two tickets to Memoirs of a Geisha (which comes out in Aus in the 18th) and an anonymous note saying, "Watch the movie with me?". Of course I will! The roses are beautiful btw, loves it! Here's a stupid try hard cute looking photo I took especially for mystery rose person. Anyone else care to send me some? ^.~ 17 victims † Go ahead, piss me off

China Holiday 2005 [10 Jan 2006|04:09pm] [ mood | awake ] [ music | Will Pan - Bu De Bu Ai ] First thing I have to say is that everything in China was SO cheap. From food, to earrings to haircuts. Everything, once converted mentally to AUD is very very cheap. In the end my luggage was 15kgs over the weight limit coming back home to Sydney @.@ Jenni and I lived in such luxury we did not wash our own hair for a month, as we would just go downstairs to the hairdresser to get a blow dry every two days at $20RMB. On average we probably spent around $800RMB a day just splurging. International brands however, are still expensive, although a lot of the big fashion houses had a 30% off sale at the time we were there. Häagen-Dazs was also a highlight of my trip. Their icecreams are so delicious that we went about 3 times a week. However it was like $25RMB per scoop of icecream, expensive, but so worth it! (I don't understand why Sydney is the only large city which doesn't have it -_-;;) Häagen-Dazs Fondue... yum. Second of all, I usually travel to China once every year, however this was the first time I went with my friends. I guess having to live in hotels and survive in a foreign country on your own means was somewhat different to what I had previously experienced. Suddenly, this trip made me realise how huge the class demarcation is. I remember thinking, as Jo, Winnie, Fei, Jenni and I were having a $216RMB/person dinner in the revolving restaurant in Beijing International Hotel, that all the food we didn’t eat would just be thrown out, while there were beggers downstairs who would would never even see what a tarte auvergnate au fromage looks like, let a lone taste it (it acutally doesn't taste that nice, but the fruit tarts there were amazing). These mansions in Suzhou was only 800m away from this building. This waitress I spoke to at a Korean barbeque restaurant, (which I became a regular customer at, gotta love meat), was my age. She made $500RMB a month in that restaurant. After I heard that I felt a pang of guilt as I had just spent $6000RMB on a handbag (in which I had to fight over, more about that later) the previous day. There goes a year of her wage. However, when you walk into Beijing’s World Tower (Guo Mao), in which the LV shop is three levels or if you go into Beijing's $3000RMB/night Peninsula Palace (Wang Fu) Hotel you tend to forget about everything that goes around in "the real" world. I think these places have special powers to make you feel that way. Jenni and I sat down in the Peninsula Palace Hotel lobby (we were shopping there, could not afford to spend the night LoL) and was happy to pay $50/person (with 10% service fee -_-;;) for normal Jasmine tea because there was a quartet playing music for us and the ambience was beautiful. Although this was all fun and relaxing, I'm also glad I got to experience squashing against everyone in a busy market trying to haggle a $10RMB ring down to $8RMB XD. Winnie, me, Fei, Jo, Jenni and Jane, with Yan taking the photo in Summer Palace Beijing (Yiheyuan). ( Click here for an avalance of photos ) 36 victims † Go ahead, piss me off

I'm BACK!!! [06 Jan 2006|01:41am] [ mood | alright ] [ music | w-inds. - Ageha ] Happy New Year yadayadayada... What's more important is that 2006 should be a fresh new start. My New Year's resolution this year was to simply work hard studying Japanese as I start my exchange this March. I actually got back from Beijing on New Year's Eve in the morning. It was 35 degrees or something of the likes and I had no time to rest. I began to unpack some of my luggage because my mother was desperate to see the Swarovski necklace I bought her and the ten bags I bought for myself (in which I said I'll share... ha as if!) Then I began to decorate myself in a rush and would begin to sweat if my hair curler got within 1 metre radius of me... it was SO hot! Strange thing was I still had a cold from -5 degree Beijing and so everyone stared at me strangely as I sneezed and coughed my way through a boiling Sydney summer day. Yanny was nice enough to actually come over, wait for me to finish decorating and then drive me to where my other friends were going to meet me. We all ended up in Milson's Point (as we always do for NYE) to watch the Sydney Harbour Bridge go off. Er, fireworks... Me and my guy pals: Ryosuke, Cessi, Taka and Katsu. Do you like my new hair cut? Here we are in Bradfield Park, Milson's Point after watching the 9pm fireworks and playing drinking games while waiting for the midnight countdown and fireworks. New Year's Day... well New Year's Day I can tell you is hard to forget. It was the hottest day in 57 years at 45 degrees celsius (=113 degree fahrenheit). I don't think anyone went out. However the next day dropped 20 degrees or so with the highest being 24 degrees celsius (=75 degree fahrenheit). I swear the weather is so screwed up... Everything from The Day After Tomorrow is happening O_O Wow, I'm blogging about the weather. Ain't my life da bomb?! I was going to blog about China but there are just way to many pictures and so I'll probably split it up into different entries. All I can say is that I had a mad time! It was the first time going with all my friends, so I had lots of fun, even though I had to visit all the tourists attractions... again. At most we had 10 people eating Peking Duck for dinner then going clubbing in Mix, Beijing. More about that later. But right now, the most obvious poll of the day: What's your New Year's resolution? 19 victims † Go ahead, piss me off

Let's fly away... [28 Nov 2005|02:04am] [ mood | excited ] [ music | Ludacris - Move Bitch ] I guess I'm leaving around eleven hours from now, I can't wait! First stop is Suzhou to take in all the nature and romanticism of China. Suzhou has been called the Venice of Asia as there are so many rivers and lakes etcetc. Another interesting fact is in the CBD of Suzhou, buildings are not allowed to be over five storeys, and the high rises are only built out of the CBD. But the truth be told, I actually find Suzhou can be slightly boring, as the shops aren't that great. I've been there too many times to enjoy the nature aspect, but I hope the Winnie, Jane and Jenni like it. We'll be staying at my apartment there, which is perhaps one of the best about going to Suzhou. It means no checking in and out of hotels in the early morning hours (11am is early ok? -_-;;) and no tardy room service. Here's a photo of my luggage to keep you entertained before I talk about our next destination. I'm bringing a large suitcase, a small suitcase and a hand bag. The suitcases are pretty much empty (I'm packing EXTREMELY light), but I'm sure by the end of the trip, I'll have excess baggage for my flight >.<;; I didn't even bring a coat! Our second destination is... the Paris of Asia. The economical centre, (home of my good friend Winnie and other women who seek to marry aging billionaires with heart problems)... SHANGHAI XD Don't take me seriously, I'm just joking around, besides as Ken says, "Shanghai girls have nice asses!" I love Shanghai though, the shopping is TERRIFIC! You can find markets where things are very very cheap, a few streets away from the Louis Vuitton boutique. I love Plaza 66 and the two other major shopping centres next to it, they are just amazing to shop in and I'm getting giddy inside just thinking about it. Shanghai is also very beautiful (however in contrast to Suzhou's 小河流水) in the big city sense. Bright lights, big buildings and a budding night life. I've stayed in the Ritz-Carlton Portman in Puxi and Shangri-La in Pudong before and the rooms and service in both are very good. If you ever go to Shanghai they're the place to go (depending on which side of Shanghai you want to be). However, as we're going without parents this time, we're staying in a cheaper hotel closer to Winnie's home. Yay, another photo interlude. This time it's of my passport and tickets. SO EXCITED!!! Last but not least, we finish off our one month trip in the one and only Beijing. Yes, I shall take in all the traffic, the pollution, the crowd, the sights and the shops. I love Beijing so much. I guess in a way you always have a sort of an affectionate connection to the place you were born in. Although I left Beijing when I was three, I've visited it many times and it changes so much every time I go. There is always something new and in construction in Beijing. I think they want to go out with a bang in 2008. Beijing's shopping is no way second to Shanghai's. Shops are everywhere, but probably the main shopping districts are Xidan, Dongdan and Wangfujing, which are really close to my grandparents home (where I usually live going back to Beijing). The city of Beijing is made up of rings of roads which bascially circle the city. Tiananmen is at the very heart of Beijing and 2 Huan is the first ring around it. The next ring is 3 Huan, the next one is 4 Huan and so on. I think the city has expanded to about 7 Huan now. The famous road, Chang'an Jie (which is two minutes away from my home, where all the bright lights and happy people are) has so many lanes it can land an passenger aeroplane... seriously. I'll be having a white Christmas this year =D Right, last picture. This is a watch my dad bought for one of my uncles at Duty Free. I thought it looked really nice (but in actual fact, I like the red case more than the watch itself o.O). I was trying to persuade my dad to buy me the Dior Christal watch in the full sappire, but he wasn't convinced -_-;; Anyway I want to wish you you all an early Merry Christmas^^ I shall return on NYE to see the fireworks on the Harbour Bridge. 21 victims † Go ahead, piss me off

New Layout ⇒ Itachi [25 Nov 2005|10:12pm] [ mood | sleepy ] [ music | Missy Elliott feat. Eve - For My People ] I thought I'll put up my new layout before I left for China. Yes, I was being lazy with S2 before but then I realised it took just as much time filling out the colours, so I'm back to the confusing codes of S1. This layout is of the hothothot Itachi from Naruto ^.~ Stare and worship. Does anyone know the code for having a specific number of posts on the page? [Edit]: Only works properly for resoultion 1024x768+ IE. If you have 800x600 press F11 and it should work better^^ I got back home at 10:30am this morning from the St Pius after party and I really feel I need sleep now. I spent two hours on the phone with Jenni, our excitment of China exacerbating with each location we talked about visiting. I'm meeting up with Cindy tomorrow for some coffee and we'll probably just end up lazing around at my house for the rest of the day. Right, bed, yes. 17 victims † Go ahead, piss me off

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