Starguide: Turkey
Been back for a couple of days..Wanted very much to update but woe alas, immediately a day after i touched down, i have to move to my new abode and instead of unpacking simply one yellow luggage, i have to deal with like zillions of carton boxes..and of course difference in time helps not as i found myself staying up really late, like till four in the morning and waking up twelve in the afternoon.Somehow or rather, everything seemed topsy turvy and i guess all this travelling is really getting to me ..
Me : As i looked at my own reflection in the mirror, i seemed to have lost the sparkle in my eyes….
Inner voice: but of course the sparkle is gone la! especially when you are looking at yourself like three in the morning and then just seconds after you awoken from sleep..stu….pid!
Me : As i looked at my meals I hardly felt the urge to gobble it all up
Inner voice: but of course you have no appetite la, you have been eating at the weirdest hour ma!
Me : And as i now stare at my mac i could hardly carry on!
Inner voice: but of course la, you twit! you have have yet to even download the pictures that you have taken in Turkey and what materials do you have to sustain this somewhat” becoming to be lame”
and definitely” heading for the hills” post?
Me : And so i shall! But not until i have sorted out the eight cartons of boxes that seemed to be blocking my way to the loo, very difficult to make poo poo…
And so i think, between the sorting out of treasures and poo, i might just have a min to download the pics and then, perhaps i may, if i could, complete my update on Starguide: Turkey.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
So, the quest for Starguide: Turkey continues as i am now back from a day of filming at suntec and the date today is umm..well..21st of september time 22:46. My boxes are yet to be unpacked but, amazingly, i am now doenloading some of the more interesting pics that i have from this trip, not exactly comprehensive though, as the program has yet to be telecasted, probably mid october la..
On the 5th of sept,sin time:2100hrs, i found myself once again in terminal one .This time, however, is not just merely four of us(that’s how big our group is for the programme Destintion MOST wanted.Just me,the ep,soundman & cameraman.Full stop.No camera assistant, no make up artist, no chaperone blah blah blah..) its 129 tourists to be, comprising of folks from singapore, malaysia ,indonesia and even china! Though i was told beforehand that i am leading a rather substantial group, i was rather taken aback by the sheer size of ppl and luggages going on this trip..i was that close to either puke, or to black out and drop to the floor.Somehow or rather, i guess , in this tiny pea brain of mine i knew neither of the above options are ever opened to me and so, i put the shameless on screen me forward and welcomed the group with gusto!
I have got to make myself clear, not that in any way i am adversed to doing this trip..however, one has to comprehend and emphatise that for a great long part of this year, i am practically a loner, a hermit..and most of the time, in some foreign land, my only source of companion is just three other beings and most of the time, i hold conversations with a camera..It was high time that i have to make the switch..and i prayed long and hard that somehow miraculously after a twelve hour flight i might just be able to retrieve a fraction of my former ” wacky,crazy,titilating self…
Apparently, the old Bryan did come back for a brief stint of eleven days..I think he came aboard as we were flying over Iran or Iraq….
I shall not go into like a day to day kind of a thingy as that would mean loading lots of pics and writing lots of stuffs and frankly, i am just too plain old lazy for that.I am just gonna do pictorials and perhaps some little stories or thoughts that tags to the pic.
Now, that’s my size 45 feet against the manifique sunset over the agean sea!!!!!!! Me thought since my other attempts in including myself in the other pics are not so great and so i thought, i should be just so contented that a part of me is in the pic.Me thinks me should have been a foot model.i mean, its really well formed and huge and if i may say, the oldwives tale about the size of the foot equals the…hmm..Oh ya! just a fleeting thought, now, there’s this really funny,vivacious,loud(i mean, EXTREMELY LOUD) and lovely manager from Chan Brothers by the name of Reshel came along this trip and she is to take care of the film crew and link us with the local guides and blah blah blah and you can just die when you are in her company.Anyway, can anyone tell me, how do you pronounce this two words {Agean Sea} Do you say, A) Ah Jen See or B) Agency ?? we were collectively perplexed by this question as somehow or rather, these words came up rather differently from either of us….
So this is me doing a self portrait of my semi naked self out on the balcony.Just managed to get the major part of my face in and a partial shot of the scenery..can’t say that this is the best of both worlds but i think some members of the tour staying above moi did manage to get a couple of my semi naked self doing self pic.very embarassing but wat to do? wats done cannot be undone..should have just marched upstairs and delete their pics..however, did wonder how their shots of moi turned out..
Any idea what’s this? its COTTON!!!!! On our way to cotton castle( that’s not the actual name but i just literally have it translated from mandarin), we encountered fields after fields of cotton and close encounter with cotton revealed to me that they do not exists in stick form for cleaning ears and definitely not wooly wooly bite size for cleaning thy face! Rather pretty though..
That’s me enjoying life( that’s what my own personal quirky T shirt says),sometime around eight in the morning, at the cotton castle..Over here, you can soak your feet in puddles of water on a terrace like farming ground littered with numerous ponds of lukewarm mineral water and its supposed to be really good for your health if you do it like for months..
It is definitely not snow that you are seeing but mineral salts that paints the whole land in shades of white and colour hues of blue like the sky..
Some tourists,not from our group, came forth in bikinis as their intention was to immerse their whole entire being in the mineral water.One word of caution though..better to do it upstream then downstream..129 pairs of feet upstream means you have 129 pairs of feet cum other stuffs trodding all over thy voluptous bikini clad body.. not exactly the best way to spend thy holiday ya ?
That’s the film crew..recording bits and pieces that would translate into an half hour long programme that would allow you guys who are not there to share our joy and discoveries…
After doing my fair bit of filming and after tons of picture sessions, i got to finally immerse my size 45 feet into the lukewarm mineral water, enjoying the luxurious massage that only running water can do..i revelled in the tender swoosh that the water made as it gently lapped around my sensitive ankles and when i almost climaxed in furious unadulterated joy i foung myself looking to my left….Only to realise, that I, mighty me is…in fact…situated at where i would describe as…mid stream.perhaps , well, thirty odd happy looking faces were beaming at me, asking me if i enjoyed the water. i guess, well, playing footsie with thirty odd folks ain’t that bad ya? ( till two days later, i sort off imagined that my feet felt rather ..umm.. itchy..) EEEWWWWWWWWWWW!
always thought that only if i were to go to Salt Lake City in the US that i will then be able to stand on a vast sea of salt.Amazingly, there is a salt lake in turkey and its really salty..My shadow and I had a good old fun time with the noon sun and believe me, its a real experience to stand on sea of salt .…makes you feel like the dish ‘Oysters kirkpatrick/Mornay”!
One of the reasons that i do adore Turkey is that you could get to see a diversity of historical artifacts that are just mindblowing..Roman columns and buildings preserved in almost pristine conditions allows you insights to the ingeniouity the romans applies to their lives..the cultures…ooi ya..simply divine.
I remembered rather vividly that when i was young, i was very much into the mythological figures such as Zeus, Hercules that when i , or , as i walked amongst the ancient ruins that i felt i am living my dreams! When i was there, as i reached out my hands and touched the fallen columns, fingers tenderly tracing the outlines of the grains running along the marble, the limestones that i almost wept with joy for i am actually touching a piece of history!One could only imagine that once upon a time,a roman figure would have done exactly just that..i closed my eyes as my skin made contact with the cold stone, willing with all my heart that it might just reveal to me the stories that were never told…but a cold stone it was.for it revealed nothing to satisfy my thirst of knowledge.I know i should be ever so privilleged to be able to see and to touch history. and So i took pictures.Many pictures.Many, like, many many, i mean, lots, really like lots..yup..guess you got the picture..just this one, because i really have a lot you know,really… LOTS>
I love it when autumn comes along..i simply adore the contrast in colours and whether it turns red or brown it always goes well with the rich blue sky .I wonder if you share my sentiments too..Do you sometimes just like ignore the obvious stuffs around us?Do you revel in the beauty of Nature? Its…gosh..almost beyond words how something as insignificant like the brown wild grasses with some bits of green weeds and blue sky could be so surreal together…
perhaps you might know that turkey is part of the Silk Road and this huge stone mansion is actually one of the rest stops that merchants could stay for a night or more with their goods and camels as they travel through the silky route in search of wealth and new stuffs.Had the pleasure of exploring this historical building with this bunch of lovely folks from the REd flag group..the Hong qi’s.. I name this rest stop mansion “Dragon Gate’s INN” like those you see in those period chinese dramas because, it functions kust the same.Walking through this well preserved building waves of nostalgia hits you over and over again..Only if you were to appreciate the history behind every nook and cranny and if you ever do visit a sight like this, try touching it, rather than just taking pictures.Perhaps you could even bend down and grab a fistful of earth as i told this group to do, find a way to communicate with the past and revel in their existence.Only when you try to understand or at least know the historical facts of such places that you will be able to fully appreciate the long journey to see such sights. If not, it would only be a pile of rubbles or a dilipidated building to your naked eye…..
My favourite part of Turkey would have to be cappadoccia.. the undulating mountains, valleys..the plateaus, the rock formation, the work of years of wind, erosion,……created this magnificent work of art of mother nature…And this time, all its glory revealed to us from another perspective, as we soared into the skies. No more words from me. the pictures says it all….
I have now come to the end of my update and feeling rather pleased about it.
There are still many wonderful stories that i know of but not mine to tell.For it will forever live in the hearts of the 129 lovely folks who were there with me and our trip well documented in pictures that we had gladly snapped away.
To the many wonderful new folks that i had the pleasure of knowing and spending time with on this trip,
thank you for the memories…
on September 19th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
hey, welcome back! really haven’t seen and heard from u for a long while. we miss u!
good to hear from u!
guess the loads of travelling is taking it’s toll on u. the sparkle in your eyes will be back in no time after your recuperation in your new abode.
on September 19th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
Hi Bryan!
Finally, you are back!
Miss you so much..
Can you pls upload at least some of the pics?
I am really looking forward to see it..
Just do it whenever you are free,
or whenever you feel like doing it.. take your time..
will be waiting… haha..
Take Care !
on September 20th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
王禄江,我爱你!我真的很爱你!!!!!王禄江,我爱你!我真的很爱你!!!!!王禄江,我爱你!我真的很爱你!!!!!
on September 20th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
bryan u are finally back to update!
looking forward to your story in turkey… and of course your upcoming shows!
on September 20th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
很喜欢禄江说话时嘴形变化的样子 喜欢他浅浅的一笑 喜欢他意味深长的眼神 喜欢他眉宇间透出或开怀或忧伤
on September 20th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Welcome back Bryan! I’m looking forward to your new posts!! Your posts definitely interest me….and I can’t wait for the pics you took in Turkey!NEvermind settle down and unpacked all your boxes first !! I’ll wait!!
All the best!
on September 21st, 2008 at 9:52 am
Hello Bryan,
happy to know that you’re back.
Understandable . Take your time..no hurry.
Upload and update when you have available free time to do it. (Although I am also eager to know what you’ve experienced overseas. Haha.)
Take care!
on September 21st, 2008 at 8:32 pm
hi bryan!! can i know what is the camera u r using!! and how much??
on September 21st, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Hi Bryan! I was on the Turkey trip, thanks for being our tour guide and bringing so much fun and entertainment to us! Looking forward to the broadcast on TV. Do you know when it is btw
on September 22nd, 2008 at 11:04 pm
wow… so many pictures… so nice..
on September 23rd, 2008 at 2:13 pm
i like all ya tees. haha
anyway turkey seems really beautiful. esp the shot of you with the roman buildings as backdrop. absolutely stunning. (i meant the building… haha)
on September 23rd, 2008 at 9:45 pm
I Love You
on September 24th, 2008 at 10:57 am
Hi Bryan, I am from Malaysia. I am a big fan of you in Malaysia. However, I am even the great fan of your photos. May I know which camera are you using? I would want to get one for myself. I am super fond of photography. Please let me know! hehe! thanks!
on September 24th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
dear harvard,
i am using cannon G9.. lots of fun with it and good for travels..
on September 24th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
wow… that’s very beautiful photos you’ve got there…
I always enjoy the photos that accompanied your text in the blog…
on September 24th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
Hello bu lai en’
has been quite sometime since we last met…
Miss you so much…
Finally decided to drop by here, to see these wonderful pictures..
Hope you’ve been fine and looking forward to see ur new shows…
luv & god bless…
on September 26th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Your pictures are breath-taking, with clear blue skies etc, and the richness of the colours, and most importantly, it’s very clear. Wonder if you use a tripod for shots like that or solely with free hand? If it’s the latter, the photographer (shots of you alone in the picture) has a pair of real stable hands. =D
on September 27th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Hey Bryan,
We are glad that you are back again. You have captured some great pictures that gave my family a sense of being there with you. We too love to travel and would love to be in the air balloon when we visit there. We can see that you seem to blend in well and enjoyed yourself while you are there. It is always good to enjoy oneself to the fullest whatever you do since time waits for no man.
Are you back to host again? Or still having some other plans? We all love reading your blog as to be in touch with you. Love your creativity and miss your shows. Hope to be able to hear from you often as you have great stories to tell us.
Take care!
Edward Han
http://www.yain.com
on September 28th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
[...] Wong trip to Turkey Oh man! I love all his shots for this entry! Link to his blog, you won’t be disappointed with the photos [...]
on September 29th, 2008 at 1:59 am
The cotton plant looks like dragonfruit. *rofl* Looks yummy actually~~ Haha. \
You take beautiful pictures…. & I so want to be in the hot air balloon.. tho I’m afraid of heights. Lol~
on September 30th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
Ah Boy, what camera did your photographer/ you used to take those gorgeous pictures huh? very nice leh!
on October 1st, 2008 at 2:33 am
Hi,
Surely this had happen to others before. U actually appeared in my dream last night.
U n I feeling very happy together. Sorry if this makes you have raised goosebumps.
Hee Hee.
mmm just want to let you know only thats all. Gd night!
on October 1st, 2008 at 10:18 am
Hi! Have been to Turkey before and fell in love with the country. Love the culture and the people there. Thanks for sharing with us your photos. Bring back wonderful memories.
on October 3rd, 2008 at 5:28 pm
禄江GG，sherry来探望了！也许你都忘记我了吧~
试了好几个月，终于能进你的blog了。。555好感动啊！
禄江最帅了！！加油！！中国的fans会默默支持你，永远！
on October 3rd, 2008 at 11:25 pm
hi bryan, saw u at the wardrobe at MCS today.. u look like u are in the bai-jia-le-style haha
on October 4th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
hi bryan ! glad that you’re back
by the way , today 4th oct i saw you at Ang Mo Kio Hub fliming . with Jeff Wang . you walk past me too , hahas . but dont think you remember me .. wanted to ask for your permission to take a photo with me . but got no courage to ask you , hehe
but i’m so happy that i saw you there today !
jia you !! jia you !!
on October 5th, 2008 at 1:06 am
hi bryan,
just wanna say thanks for taking the pic with my parents at AMK Hub yesterday afternoon. you guys made their day!
on October 7th, 2008 at 6:30 am
Hi there Bryan, Merhaba!
My name is Dakota. I came across your blog via a friends…
I really love your entries, and this one particular about Turkey was interesting, my mother is Oriental-Turkish, so I’ve always had a natural interest in the place. – Obviously ha ha.
Great photos by the way!!!
I’d better go and link you, right now, on my blog.
Enjoy the get-back, put your feet up, read a magazine.
Especially after all of that adventure in Turkiyem!
Dakota~!
on October 7th, 2008 at 6:31 am
p.s Looking good with the sunglasses he he.
on October 11th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
hey bryan….
its been ages since i last visited ur blog….
wow traveller!!
Xp
btw i was js wondering….
bout de drama u acted in… honour & passion… de Allan David album really exist kah???
js wondering coz de songs played in de drama were damn nice!!! Xp
on October 12th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
hello
i think you’re a great photographer
and u have one great photographer too!
cheers to all ur great photos!
i always enjoy coming here to peep at good photos=)
on October 12th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Hey Bryan.
You Make Me Wanted To Go There Now..
I’m So Envy With You..
Jia You And Take Care.
on October 17th, 2008 at 11:47 am
hi Bryan, i think you look really amazing in the photos. Your style of fashion is really cool. Love the tops that you’re wearing.
Keep on keeping on!
Take care, am looking forward to your next post.
on October 19th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Turkey looks fun! Wish i was there!
on October 20th, 2008 at 12:29 am
I think many think that you got a very professional photographer and is good wo…
on October 21st, 2008 at 9:32 pm
禄江哥哥,请恕我才疏学浅….你能弄个中文博客吗????? ………
on October 21st, 2008 at 9:46 pm
不知道你能否看懂正文，我还是说下我的感受吧。认识你是看了仙剑。这个游戏是我小时候玩的第一个电脑游戏，作为一个仙剑迷，因为游戏在我心中是完美的，因此我对电视剧版本的仙剑完全没有抱任何希望，但是这部剧却让我记住了你的角色和你的名字！说实话那个书生我玩游戏的时候完全对他没有什么好感，也没怎么留意，那个角色给我的感觉就是有点磨磨唧唧的，没什么好印象。但是第一次看你演的刘晋元时，给我的第一感觉是：这个人演刘书生好像有点美化刘了……..后来再看，就越发喜欢你了！我好喜欢你演的傻傻的书生形象的人物！~哈哈可能和我对书生额有好感的缘故吧。我就因为你的刘晋元而看了仙剑那部电视剧，你和彩衣那段美好的故事让我感动的泪如雨下。本来在游戏中刘和彩衣的那段我就很感动，是个闪光点，我觉得那段故事可以但拿出来拍部电影。而经过你的演绎真的更加美丽了！我反复看了很多遍。
之后我又在聊斋中看见了你的身影，你又演了个傻傻的书生人物！哈哈，又对了我的胃口~ 电视剧里你的那个老婆我也蛮喜欢的，好像叫梅小惠吧？蛮可爱的。后来你的角色变坏了，我发现你演坏蛋也蛮像的！有点亦正亦邪的气质！我希望能看到更多你演的优秀电视剧，祝你快乐！
China·Jing
2008.10.21晚
on October 22nd, 2008 at 12:05 am
Turkey looks like a fabulous destination for my next trip. Excellent photos. Thanks for sharing!
on October 22nd, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Wow! I love the belly dance you did! Dare I say sexy even the lady wanted more than just a peck on 2 cheeks, mwahahaha. Very well taken pictures. I’m going to check out some of your blog posts too since it’s my first visit here.
Have a jolly good week doode!
chelley
on October 23rd, 2008 at 8:41 pm
hihi,
yesdy i chanced on yr prog wher u were lead’g a tour grp to turkey. i was very very excited bcoz i jus came back fr my holidy in turkey last wk, on 13/10/08.
i can really feel wat u hv described coz i hv experienced it myself too :p dur’g my trip, i don’t understand lotsa stuffs re turkey as my local turkey guide really s**ks wen explaining stuffs to us. bt aftr watch’g yr prog, i hv a betr u/stand’g of e place, e culture & e pple.
it’s really an amaz’g place & wen i look at those fotos i took, i can appreciate it more.
i hope u managed to get yr *****
on November 1st, 2008 at 10:50 am
what an amazing experience in a Turkey! I watched this episode last week. and sorry to say that’s the only time I watched coz life has been busy. you’re funny la, all the aunties like you so much. just like me. jus kidding. lol
on November 2nd, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Bryan, you know what? Your Turkey Star Tour episodes are so good. It really makes me wanna book a holiday to Turkey right away….
Turkey
on November 3rd, 2008 at 2:55 pm
haha..
i read the one semi-naked thingy..
funny u..!!!
haha..
every1 loves u bha.. so they take photo of u!!
hehe…
where got embarassing…
u r jst too perfect to ever1 bha..
haha ^0^
hope u rply my comment ya..
i`m waiting or it!!!!!
ALaNa ^.^
on November 3rd, 2008 at 3:01 pm
i`m waitin for* it
hehe..
not “or it”
sry!!!!
hehe..
type wrong dis..
^.^
on November 6th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Hi ‘Hainam Ah Kor’
Very good photography skills. I always enjoy reading yr blog.
Take care and God bless!
on November 7th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Ooo.. It’s been a long time since I last saw you on tv.. blog as well.. since my comp was down for more than a month or so..
Let’s just say that.. It’s great to have you back.. re-charged? not exactly sure but seems like you’re heading for something new.. new apartment.. new perspective of yourself.. new indulgence.. and hopefully, you have already got through the jet lag phase..
Me here, am facing a whole new phase of changes… new directions in life.. new choices to be made.. new job and colleagues which I will be facing.. Life is all about making choices and seeing them go the right way isn’t it?
Hopefully, we will make them right!
Welcome back~
Stephy
on November 8th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
hey bryan, hasn’t heard from you for a long time. Busy lately? +)
on November 12th, 2008 at 12:52 am
Dear Bryan! –,-
on November 16th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Reminds me of the time in Tasmania last year! Blink, blink (disgusted look on face). “他们说”你就快变空中飞人了！ “他们说” 你最近主持不错。“他们说”。。。“他们” 是谁？！！！Nevertheless, hope that you are doing well…
on November 18th, 2008 at 2:00 am
嗨，Bryan又是我~三只小猪的“大猪”
又到时间来和你聊天了~
看着，喜欢你的人都来为加油~
我真的为你感到开心~~
所以加油~ 我每晚都会来这里留言~
为你加油打气~
记得，好好照顾自己~
要按时吃饭哦？
祝你有个美好美梦！！晚安了!!
on November 19th, 2008 at 1:11 am
WOW! lovely photos! love them
on November 19th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
非常偶然，竟然能在聊斋中认出你来，很有搞笑天份阿，多来大陆拍戏吧，英文已经多年不用啦，读你的blog也很困难，哈，就不读了，看图片就够啦，注意身体……
on November 20th, 2008 at 3:12 am
嗨~~~你好吗？ 我们好久没有见了吧？我真的好想你~我最近都是忙着工作，都没有时间下去看你。。就算，我想下去，我也不知道能不能看得到你~所以，我有点难过！！没能看到你..之前我留过很多留言给你，可是都不知道为什么会不见了~因为想你，所以又来这里留言给你了~
好了，很晚了，晚安了！！祝你有个美好的美梦~ =）
on November 29th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Hey Bryan,
Nice to See you in screen again.
加油 吧 !!!
on April 2nd, 2010 at 10:25 am
This blog is great. How did you come up witht he idea? 7 7 5