Sunday, February 13, 2005

13 Feb 2005

Ah~~~eve of Valentine’s Day. And like most single women, wasn’t expecting much. It would be just another normal day tomorrow….. another day like everyday, no excitement, no surprises……sad………….. L
Spent most of my day at home watching TV. There’re heaps of mushy romance movies on TV. Enjoyed watching Moulin Rouge last night. I just loved how they put together those songs and dances, truly “spectacular, spectacular”! “Ghost”—starring Demi Moore would be on later tonight.
Was supposed to go out for dinner with my cousin last night, but he was busy so it was cancelled. He finally took me out for dinner tonight. We went to this restaurant called Mini Paris. Funny, it actually serves Vietnamese cuisine! The food is just superb!! Had this Curry Lamb Stew with Moan (it’s a type of vermicelli but the diameter is a little larger and the texture is a bit different, very nice!) . Tried some other small dishes too, can’t remember the name. But it’s really nice.
The air was cold that night, wind was blowing, temp. was around 15-18°C.Bought “Gai Dan Zai” from roadside hawkers on my way back home. It’s a bit like waffles, but it’s crispy and thinner. The roadside hawkers operate their stalls without a proper license, they only “come out” at night because it’s illegal and they’d be fined if caught. But the food is just delicious!! You have to be really lucky to find them ;)

Saturday, February 12, 2005

12 Feb 2005

Fourth day of Chinese New Year. Went to the Western Monastery to pay my respects to my grandpa. There were a lot of people there.
Ordered pizza from Pizza Hut. The menu was just really extraordinary! So many pizzas to choose from and one thing which makes it different from the Pizza Huts in Malaysia---Pork!
They serve pork in all fast food premises in Hong Kong. Yup, even in McDonalds. They have this pork fillet burger which is just heavenly :P

Friday, February 11, 2005

11 Feb 2005

Third day of Chinese New Year. Didn’t do much either. Most of the shops are closed so there’s no place to go either :( . Spent most of my day at home watching TV.

Thursday, February 10, 2005

10 Feb 2005

Second day of the Chinese New Year. Waited at home for visitors to come. It’s a tradition that the younger people visit the elder relatives as a sign of respect. Since I’m staying with my grandma, I can only stay at home since she’s supposed to wait for other people to come and visit her. Was kinda boring but at least I get to have lots of “Lai See”.

Wednesday, February 09, 2005

9 Feb 2005

First Day of New Year!!! Happy Chinese New Year!!! Thank you all for the sms!!
Chinese New Year is the first day of the first month of the Lunar calendar. The happiest thing about being unmarried is that you get “Lai See”----- Red envelopes with money in it from older, married people. And the difference of spending Chinese New Year in Hong Kong is that the “Lai See” money is doubled! Couples in Hong Kong give out 2 “Lai See”, 1 from the husband and 1 from the wife. Not like in Malaysia, where they only give one.
“Lai See” started out as a coin wrapped in a red coloured paper given to children as a blessing called “Ngat Sui Chin”. Then, later on, it developed into “Lei See” given out by employers to employees, the name “Lei See”, which signifies good business. Finally, it became “Lai See”, given out by married couples to bring luck. “Lai See” are only opened on the last day of Chinese New Year (the 15th day of the first month of the Lunar Calendar) .

Tuesday, February 08, 2005

8 Feb 2005

Today is Chinese New Year Eve. A very busy day for everyone. Tonight, we’ll be having a family reunion dinner. We’ll be having steamboat instead of a traditional Chinese style dinner. It’s actually more convenient, less preparation and cleaning up. It was really exciting, the whole apartment was crammed with people. Everyone's so happy!!

Monday, February 07, 2005

7 Feb 2005

Got up early this morning. Had breakfast at McDonalds. Had a $19.50 deluxe breakfast. Wasn’t very tasty, but didn’t know what else to eat either. Took the MTR to Causeway Bay. The ride took $11.80. Had to switch train to the island line (blue colour line, the Tsuen Wan line is red in colour) at Admiralty station, if you don’t know which train, just look for the sign to Chai Wan or just follow the crowd (be pushed along by the crowd to be exact). Took exit E and followed directions to Victoria Park. As Chinese New Year is just round the corner, there was a New Year Fair going on there. It’s the biggest New Year Fair on Hong Kong. There are other New Year Fairs going on around Hong Kong. Even in New Territories but at a smaller scale. The stalls have to be tendered in November. A stall selling food at a more strategic location would cost around $450,000! The New Year Fair starts about a week before Chinese New Year, the final day would be on Chinese New Year Eve, and it’s until midnight. The unsold goods are sold at a much lower price, so it usually attracts lots of people. The used the footbridge to get to Hong Kong Central Library. It’s a 11 storey building. Commenced building in 1996, the building was opened in 1999. Went to the 5th floor, the newspaper reading area, and guess what I found! The News Straits Times from Malaysia!!! Cool!! There are newspapers from all around the world, UK, Europe, US…… Went shopping after that. Went to Seibu, Sogo, Times Square and Lee Theatre. Had Korean fast food for lunch. $48 for a set lunch with a drink!! Actually, it’s considered reasonable in Hong Kong. The food wasn’t too bad, just a little oily. Had a very tiring day!!

Sunday, February 06, 2005

6 Feb 2005

Today is Sunday. And as usual, there are lots of people everywhere. Every wonder why? It’s just that the people here don’t like to be crammed up in their little apartments. They’re not claustrophobic. Just that the apartments are small as Hong Kong is actually quite small but has a huge population. Therefore the areas available to build residential areas are compromised. So most people would be out shopping and hanging around on parks. One thing I would like to mention is that the major parks are beautiful and most important of all—clean. Families would be out in the park with their dogs; old people would practice theirs Tai Chi in the morning. And like most people in Hong Kong, went shopping with my cousin around Tsuen Wan. We had lunch in Genki Sushi. YUM! Yup, the same Genki Sushi in Malaysia. It’s actually more expensive compared to Malaysia. Had takeout for dinner. Watched TV till late night. There are just too many TV programmes to choose from.

Saturday, February 05, 2005

5 Feb 2005

Perfect day to go out today. The sky was cloudy and temp. was around 18-20℃. Took bus no. 48X (KMB) to Shatin New Town Plaza, then took taxi to Che Kung Temple. The ride was about $20.00. An alternative would be taking the KCR East Rail ( there are 2 lines- East and West) to Tai Wai KCR station. Then just follow signs to the temple. Of course, this alternative would mean that you’ll have to WALK!!  Che Kung was a Sung dynasty general deified for his devotion to the people. So, in the temple, you’ll be able to see his statue which is gold in colour, and there are weapons around him, which I presume are his weapons. The temple is well know for the brass windmills in the courtyard, which you can turn to create good luck. You can even buy paper windmills from the temple which also has the same meaning. The turning of the windmills actually signifies a change of luck. After that, walked to the Tai Wai KCR station and took the train to Shatin Racecourse station. The train service is only available on Wednesdays and Saturdays ( when there are actually horse racing going on) from 11.45am onwards. The train heads toward Tai Po Market, which means it stops for only 4 stations. The frequency would be like 20 minutes for a train. Relatively there aren’t that much people going to the racecourse, but still it’s quite a lot, especially on Saturdays. I was considered lucky because I only waited for like around 8 minutes for the train. Admission to the Shatin Racecourse is $10. And again, Octopus cards are used! Can you believe it? Octopus cards are used everywhere!! There wasn’t much people when I got there. Had brunch at the food court. There’s something funny about the seating—there are no seats!! Everyone stands while eating. There are only tables, no chairs! Well, there are a few table which has, well, it’s not actually chairs, but a very narrow strip of support, and believe me, it’s not very comfortable. Rather stand than “sit”. The whole atmosphere in the racecourse was so exciting! Everyone was cheering. Even I was cheering. Tried my first luck on betting. Didn’t win any money . After a few races, decided to leave. It was getting kinda boring. It’s the same thing over and over again. First the horses and the riders are paraded at an area then, they get ready for the race, race starts, crowd cheers, press take photos……. This goes on again and again. Of course there’s the short hustle and bustle before the beginning of the race when everyone places their bets. Took the KCR East Rail to Mong Kong Staion. Asked for directions to the Mong Kok flower market. This is the centre for wholesale and retail floral business in Hong Kong. It’s actually a whole row of shops along Flower Market Road. As Chinese New Year is just round the corner, there was a lot of people there!! I was practically being pushed around. It was certainly a different kind of experience.

Friday, February 04, 2005

4 Feb 2005

Woke up at 11am this morning!! Watched 6 episodes of Sex And The City last night. I just couldn’t stop!! It’s getting warmer today. Temp. around 18-20℃. First time I saw the bright sunshine since the beginning of the week. Went to Western Monastery today. That’s where the ashes of my maternal grandfather is kept. It’s a very big and grand place. Almost as huge as the Poh Lin Monastery that I went to in Lantau Island. Took the Public Light bus with 16 seats to get there. Costs $3.60 for the ride. It’s those little green busses and there are no bells to press to get down the stop you intend to get off. You’ll have to shout at the driver when your stop is near to let him know he has to stop. If you don’t shout, he won’t be able to hear you! The light buses are much cheaper but the route is shorter and limited. It only goes to specific places. Will be going to Shatin tomorrow 

Thursday, February 03, 2005

3 Feb 2005

Went to the market with my grandma this morning. Bought a lot of stuff. Took the MTR to Sheung Wan after lunch. Took the Exit B, turned right and walked to Western Market, located on Des Voeux Road. The Western Market is an Edwardian-style building which was built in 1906. It was declared a historical monument in 1991. Now, it’s no longer a market but is a very tastefully decorated place with restaurants and shops selling arts and crafts, souvenirs and cloth. After that, hopped onto a tram to The Centre. The Central-Mid-Levels Escalator are just right round the corner. At 800 metres long, it’s the world’s longest covered escalator. The entire length takes around 20 minutes. Well, the fact is, the escalators only go in 1 direction, to go the other way you’ll have to take the stairs—walk!!  The escalators goes downhill from 6am to 10am(residents from Mid-Levels use it during their morning rush hour to get to work) , then uphill from 10.20am to midnight.  Passed by the Central Police Station while I was on the escalator. The grey building was built in 1864 and stands as testimony to Hong Kong’s colonial heritage. It has undergone numerous extensions and alteration over the years with the current edifice dating back to 1919. Went to IFC ( International Financial Centre) in Central. Did some shopping in IFC mall. Everywhere’s on sale but couldn’t get anything cause the S/S (Spring Summer) collection was not out yet. Well, only a bit, but wasn’t what I would buy  Anyway, it’s too pricey. Couldn’t afford anything from Lane Crawford!! Had Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey though.. YUM!! Eating ice-cream at 10℃ was a different kind of experience. If only I had someone to share it with ;) It’s been a long and tiring day. Want to watch my Sex and the City now. Bought the whole Season 6!

Wednesday, February 02, 2005

2 FEB 2005

It’s cold today. Temp. is around 11-13℃. Weather is cloudy. Went to Sha Tin today. Sha Tin belongs to New territory. Took bus no. 48X (KMB). Bus ride is $6.60, takes about 30minutes to get where I wanted to go. Got off at Sha Tin New Town Plaza. And again, it’s just another shopping centre. Snoopy’s World is located on Level 3. Admission is free. It’s a great place for kids. Well, honestly, it was quite dissapointing cos i thought it'd be something really grand. It did say that it's the largest OUTDOOR Snoopy theme park. The Sha Tin Central Library and Sha Tin Town Hall is just a short walk away from the New Town Plaza. The town hall provides a venue for art performances, e.g. orchestras, dramas…… Followed directions to Grand Central Plaza. Went to IKEA and bought 2 pair of curtains. They’re HEAVY!!!!! Had lunch in IKEA.  Actually just had a slice of cake  Went back to New Town Plaza after that. Did a bit of shopping. Felt kinda tired so went back around 3pm. HNV was on sale, bought a lot of VCDs. Especially those which couldn’t be found in Malaysia.  Plan to go to Central tomorrow.

Tuesday, February 01, 2005

1 FEB 2005

It’s cold today!! Temp. is between 10-13℃. Went to Lantau Island today. Took the bus to Tung Chung MTR Sation. Forgot the bus number. The ride takes about 40 minutes. The bus used the Tsing Ma bridge to Tung Chung. The bridge is an important landmark of Hong Kong. The total length of the bridge is 2.2km.After arriving at Tung Chung MTR station, took bus no. 23 from the adjacent bus terminus. The ride costs $16 for weekdays, $25 for weekends and public holidays. The ride takes about 1 hour. The final stop of the bus is Po Lin Monastery. From there, you’ll be able to see the Giant Buddha. The Giant Buddha is the world’s tallest, outdoor, seated, bronze Buddha statue sits on a lotus throne above a three-platform altar and weighs 202 tonnes. Admission fee is $60 which includes a vegetarian meal. And again the food is delicious. To reach the Giant Buddha, you’ll have to climb over 100 steps. There are a lot of nature trails, camping sites and barbeque sites around the island. After having lunch, took the bus no.2 to Mui Wo. The ride costs $16 on weekdays and $25 on weekends and public holidays. The ride takes about 1 hour. From Mui Wo, took the ferry from the pier to Central. The ride costs $10.50 and took about an hour to reach Central. It’s so cold today. Just feel like staying at home and curl up in bed!  Will be going to Shatin New Town Plaza. There’s Snoopy World there!!