Sweaty Sweaty Night.

I like to think I'm the inspiration behind Jaykay running to Suntec and back. This year, my own motto is 'Where these two legs will take me'. Had this thing about watching Yesman and making some resolutions. Not saying yes to anything and everything, but rather the photo-jogging thing is interesting.

Since Nick and Yang were gone, the boys popped over to mine for a few nights. I got back from work last shift to find people sprawled everywhere, computers everywhere, the house in a total mess. At this juncture, I'd also like to believe that it was my white shirt that contributed to Lincoln getting his part-time sales job, but my mind says his merit weighs far more. Asher and Jaykay are fantastic sleepers. Well, Jaykay more so because Asher snores. Also, he's sensitive. It was the same with Stephen and myself. Cleverly, I've left Jaykay alone in the room this year for better sleep, but sleep eludes those who spend time searching for it.

I close with the note that from Lor 32 Geylang to Kembangan MRT Station is a 19m 13s 21ms jog.

Josh

Day 6: the last day!

ahhh yes. the trip is coming to a close at long last.
got out at only 1.30pm today because of bidding. haha. oh well - somehow it seems we always have enough time to squeeze stuff in! we have lunch at another teahouse type:

(approved by HK tourism quality control. or something.)

(best pork liver i've had in a while!)

So anyways we headed to mongkok station to visit the goldfish market and the ladies' market (which is not all about the ladies). i was expecting a crowded alleyway type thing where you had to dodge bags of fishes and hoses everywhere, but it's actually just a street with lots of fish shops, aquariums etc. oh, and we had some makan!

(it looks like one BIG bubble wrap right? so tempted to poke...)

(smelly tofu! num num num)

(fried dumplings - more num num num)

Fun Fact #05 - people here eat and ciao, eat and ciao, so the turnover at food places is really fast. the owners can afford to keep the places small, and so every teahouse we've been to is really narrow. i shan't even talk about the toilets at the dumplings place. it can't be that i need to lose that much weight...

(space-saving device - the drawer under the table houses the cutlery. ingenious!)

We can't bring back any fish (guppies are really expensive anyway), so it was just a walk down before heading to ladies market! passed by another wet market...

(more beating hearts, half-cut jumping fish, and moving gills in dislocated heads. its like 'saw' for fish)

...before we reached ladies market. turns out there wasn't much, even for the ladies! its all old stuff. the only things that caught my eye were caps and ties (should've bought some - darnit). the parallel street sells sports goods - basically lots of shoes. pricing is about SG price, so didn't really bother. there was this converse shoe at a really good price and design, but no size... d'oh! actually it could've been a ladies shoe...

(human jam!)

(alternative to yun nam haircare)

(more human jam)

Fun Fact #06 - Dad normally isn't the fast food type, so guess my surprise when he suggested getting coffee at starbucks, and going to mac's to rest, all in one day! ok, so he didn't eat at macs, but... just goes to show, some good marketing done here!

we met mum later at jordan station to go temple street night market. which i learnt is either the heart of or near the red light district. again, really nothing much! almost got a hoodie, but the zipper didn't look very good so... ate reasonably good seafood near the market, in one of those open air zi char type shops. strange, my tolerance for oily food seems to have greatly decreased since this trip. porridge and noodles taking its toll?
we later walked to tsim tsa shui. supposed to go to the music store's flagship outlet, but we got sidelined by a few shops. funny, cause most of our shopping was at stores you could find in SG. ah well...

(into the night)

Back home tomorrow!

Day 5: stars and boulevards

woke up early and left late because of bidding. haha!

we went to Tsim Tsa Shui (Middle Road) first to visit some museums, by train and then by...
FERRY! its call the "star" ferry - the inverted commas are really there - i found that rather amusing:

(so, are you implying that its not a "star" ferry after all?)

(...and one by one they went up the ark...)

ah and on the way to the ferry we went the wrong direction and chanced upon this stall with lots of celebrity photos. turned out to be some weird shape waffle type, tasted not bad!

(my first HK street delicacy?)

went to museum of arts first - only had time for a calligraphy and an tribute to antonio mak exhibition though. intricate stuff man! we rushed through the other levels before heading to the nearest internet access point. which happened to be pacific coffee! found out only then that open bidding ends at 1pm the next day. oops.

(dad is serious about my bidding - lol)

had a little break in the cafe from the standing and walking, and then guess what? MORE WALKING! woot. along the avenue of stars - some extension along the waterfront with all the handprints of HK stars and a bruce lee statue. and of course, bruce lee souveneir shops selling - gasp - bruce lee memorabilia.

(proof that i have the correct physique to be a jackie chan, or an...)

(...andy lau!)

next was the space museum. haha. yeah. it was rather old and small, with requisite propaganda about chinese astronauts on the moon (ok, so the rest of the exhibits were objective, but i couldn't help but harp on this!).(what better activity to pass the day in front of the space museum than chess?)

more self reflection! i think art appeals to me on a different level now. i think i used to find science and history (dinosaurs!) museums more interesting, or at least i took to art superficially, but i think now i find deeper things hidden within. hmmm!

oh, and to all interested. wednesday is FREE museum day! we had initially intended to go more museums - but... haha!

back to the hotel to check on those bid points, bathe, and off to happy valley - for a different kind of bidding!

mum's friend invited us to watch horse racing. so we were at this bar-type restaurant, complete with track view, bidding areas, and race statistic screens! did i mention they have an ongoing buffet with changing menu (alas - no pictures)?

(bidding 1001)

(is it daytime?)

it's nearing the end of our trip - i guess trekking is out, and we won't have ventured far from our hotel... but at least i can safely say i've done a few things the average 21-year-old-singaporean HK tourist will not have! a canto wedding dinner and a horse race!

Day 4: i bought socks(till the memory card reader works, this will have to suffice)

Today we decided (ok, i did) to go Ocean Park. Ocean Park is a theme park based on 'entertainment, education and conservation'. quite lofty goals! but i guess we came at the wrong time? there was a lot of construction going on so i guess they're adding lots of new things - which is good, because honestly, it wasn't mighty impressive. at least, go before you visit the sydney theme park!
we basically sat and planned which shows to watch - there was an aerial acrobatics (so so only - not that it was easy for the performers!) and they're signature ocean theatre show. i think there was a boo boo though. and no killer whales!
there were some animal exhibits too. Visited china's panda gifts, jellyfish and the dolphins!



the rides were so so only. the best was probably the abyss and mine train. abyss is basically the drop, and it was tall! bigger than the genting one. mine train is not very scary or anything, but it gives a great view of the entire area because there's a roundabout and you get to see the whole bay area and the mountains! i also took the dragon, which is they're rollercoaster with two 360 turns - but i couldn't wear my specs so that dampened the experience. dad's not the ride type either, so i took 2 of the 3 rides alone :( i need contacts. or spectacle hooks. or lasik. or maybe i just need a miraculous healing? (fingers crossed!)

But its still not too bad lah - maybe i just needed friends to joke around with! oh and friends did i meet! i bumped into junxiang and other bizaders coming out of the ocean theatre, and i met mark from NS at the rollercoaster. like mark said, we hardly see each other in school already, what are the chances we'd meet in a certain theme park out of the country?

fun fact #04 i was queuing at mac's to buy a soft cone, and they have it such that there's a single queue that splits into 8 counters (why does this feel like management science). so i was at the start of the queue waiting for an empty counter, and this guy walks in front of me and simply queues at the next available. i let it go, and then these aunties go ahead of me as well. by this time i wisen up and walk behind one of the counters. thankfully the mac's staff saw me and got me ahead of the aunties. hurray for mac's! lol. no photos though.
is it rudeness, or:

'they're just different'
- kuya jacob

disclaimer: a little observation & thinking here - i used to think that HKers would be more rude than Singaporeans, but hey, i don't really see a lot different. either HKers have changed, or Singaporeans aren't that nice either... haha!

next was to admiralty station, where we walked to the convention centre's golden bauhsdfahusvia (can't remember how to spell) square. apparently another china-HK gift, according to dad. there was some people there with banners and propaganda-sounding acoustics coming from a mini-van, so i assumed it was some passive protest of sorts? didn't take a photo though (why?).
nice nightime views of kowloon, the mainland. darkness settles in around 6pm, so it wasn't that it was really late. it was a little foggy as well. or is it smoggy? so we walked down the waterfront and then it was back to the hotel for a well deserved rest. i haven't got to run yet the whole week, and i guess i won't really need to - haha!


ah yes, and in between, i did some actual shopping! stopped at a sports outlet, wanted to buy running shorts, but couldn't find a fitting one (is it easier to buy bigger shorts or to lose weight?). was seriously considering buying a nike free shoe (the brand, not the price), but then logic and practicality stopped me. so i bought SOCKS. but not just ANY socks! NIKE socks! nike BAMBOO socks! i really liked these but couldn't find anymore in SG, so i kinda bought a few pairs. haha! 2 caps at Zara and 2 CDs from this shop rounded up the count. i saw john butler's sunrise over sea, and i just bought without thinking lol. daap daap daaaa de da, deda dada, de daap daap da da da, de da deda...

oh, and we were finding a dinner place and walked into this street with loads of clubs with requisite neon lighting with signs such as "dancing girls" and names such as "no cover club". hmmmm... turned back to the shop we saw earlier lol.

(ooo... shiny)

disclaimer - most of my photos are on my camera whose SD card doesn't seem to want to be read on my laptop's inbuilt card reader. so in the meantime, the photos from my N78 will have to do!Day 3: of villages and tourism
Mum began work today, so by the time i woke up (at 10am muahahaha) she was gone :( So dad and i left at about 11plus to go to Stanley, which is this village place in the south, with an awesome sea and mountain view.
But before that! made a pit stop at Times Square to check out the music shop. Argh - electronic drumsets are at least 2 grand cheaper, but i asked, they don't ship overseas. might buy a DVD though. and cymbals? haha i wish. in the meantime dad was buying an octopus - not the slimy tentacled type, its HK's ez-link equivalent.

After that was a walk to the bus stop where we took bus 40 all the way to the village. A nice winding mountainous route, with sea view to boot!
It was a really nice place. Admittedly tourist-ified, but pretty nonetheless. The market is nice, has the feel of those small markets with all the alleys, but not with the prices... Almost bought a T-shirt, but... ANYWAY.
We had gelato! in "exotic" flavours nonetheless - lychee with ginger sorbet (refreshing! it tastes a lot better than it sounds) and sweet rice (frozen bubur hitam basically - i liked it)


funfact #03 7-eleven has Slurpee-ucino, and Hot Stuff, this mini counter where you can order maggi mee, dim sum and other instant delights. nothing like MSG to get you going in the afternoon.
dad bought coffee and was quite disgruntled at the quality and the fact that there was a delifrance down the road which probably serves better coffee, and even Mc Cafe. GASP - i know, dad saying there's something of value at Mc Donald's! Keep it up macs!
there's even a crocs store in the village! that tells you how touristy it is now. ahh.. and take a look at the prices of some of the expensive housing (when its up) (S$1 = about HK$5)

We got back and i wanted to go to another music store we saw on the way from the airport. turned out there wasn't much in the way of physical drum stuff, but oooo on the 2nd floor were all these BOOKS! might be back to buy one. or two. or more.
And yes en route to Tom Lee music (what a name), we passed this G2000 outlet. as in G2000 outlet - its this temporary factory outlet type store. and i bought my suit, finally! only to find out later in another G2000 store that there were cheaper suits (and i found out today that the ZARA cutting is a bit nicer), but oh well, i like the design, and its still on sale anyway (and ZARA was way more expensive anyway). don't you hate it when they say a certain price "and above" in small print?

Yeah i guess its funny because we haven't really gone to the alley market types. But i guess you kinda feel better about spending on holiday anyway.

Oh yeah, before that, we passed by the market again at night, and my is it OPEN! more vibrant than in the morning, and the fish are still jumping. a video not for the faint hearted (get it? hearted?)

(ah... fresh meat. and innards.)

(i see you!!!)

We had dinner at this sushi restaurant - there was no sets though. just sushi and some miscellaneous. and nothing beats the hokkaido stuff. more window shopping, and mum bought a cheap scarf at an alley. G2000 is everywhere i tell you.

(pretty spiffy huh? the colour changes!)

(post-shopping recharge. glutinuous rice balls in almond paste. what more could you ask for?)

(it's tough being a cabby man..)

lei hou mou?

Day 3 of Hong Kong stay, and I already feel like i'm in some mafia movie. All that's left is the drugs and being captured or something - haha!

So here we go, a brief overview...

Day 1 : touchdown
We landed at around 6pm (HK/Sin time). I almost bought a micro SD card was tempted to buy an mp3 player, but they didn't have the model i wanted and so i thought - nah. Sigh. no GST!
Finally watched Wall.E on the plane (and one episode of flight of the conchords) - it was, well, different. It wasn't bad, but somehow I didn't leave super excited. maybe because this time the subject matter and setting was a bit more serious than the usual pixar fare. Good stuff though, i'm still buying the DVD!
Landed, had some trouble drawing money, but all sorted out, took an expensive one hour cab from the airport to HK Island. it's funny, i would've totally missed the hotel cause it was kinda squeezed into the line of shops (admittedly, it's a more budget-ish hotel), but it's nice inside, really comfortable. and wired internet access, woot!
And thus me, mum and dad began our most important activity of the day - window shopping. We went to this place near times square, with all the mid-range shops - tried a few suits at G2000 and that sort. In the end, no size :( but i guess Singapore is cheaper anyhow. Hopefully I won't need one for school anytime soon!Dinner at the quaint little whatyoumacallit - i shalt christen it a teahouse. Porridge and noodles - num num num. then back to the room (with some pit stops at relevant shopping locales).
fun fact #01 - the hotel owes us a favour since apparently the last time round dad's room was broken into, while he was still inside. so they were extra nice to us - maybe we should ask for a free gym pass? to california fitness, no less. kinda adds the whole "dangerous" feel huh? although it is actually quite safe here.
Day 2 : the movie experience

woke up late :)

(do you feel like you're in a hong kong movie yet?)

after breakfast in the hotel we went to this mini wet market near the hotel. fresh fish, still jumping! tried an egg custard - mmhmm. then again, i don't really know what a bad one tastes like. mum decided on impulse that we should go to victoria peak, so we ended up on the tram (cool huh!) and then went up the peak. gosh, what a view!

(top of the world! well, almost)

the two ngois may be interested to know there was this EA shop that encompassed 2 half-floors. i didn't go inside, but there were all these game stations. mmmm.
ate fast at another quaint little teahouse. some cold cured meats with noodles - not too bad.
then we rushed back to the hotel to change and go for a... wedding! my mum's colleague's son's (and lots of apostrophes). we walked, overshot, and went into the ceremony late. the priest spoke in cantonese, i would have been a lot more amused if i was a bit less tired!

fun fact #02 - the son in question apparently surveyed 10 churches and picked the most beautiful. this one in particular, had a long stairway - i heard they use it for movies. truth or proud exaggeration - who knows?

(can you imagine the mafia boss standing somewhere there? there's two more flights below)

(the couple stood there for like an hour while relatives and friends swapped to take photos)

adjourned back to the hotel, had a power nap, then off to a spiffy dinner at the grand hyatt!
they pulled all the works man. live musicians everywhere, and you should see the chandelier! a violinist, cellist (i think), sax, piano. the sax guy played the wedding march (seriously!) and went ahead of the bride and groom.

ah, and for those who need their gambling fix:

(receptions everywhere would be so much more entertaining if they had mahjong like in HK)

Dinner was sedap, of course (alden and asher, feast your eyes on this half-eaten abalone).
I think it was 11 courses in total, and not cheap stuff either! at first was quite sian cause i couldn't speak cantonese, but it got a lot better through the night when i found the chap next to me could speak good ol' mandarin. so learn it boys, you never know!... of course, i got a nice "lecture" from him about how i should work hard, and how there are two lines of business you should never go into - drugs and gambling (amuse yourself by exchanging one word for a profession of choice). nice guy though. and he likes chicken! the food. just in case.
The only bad thing was that there was no yaaaaam sengggg. sigh. what i was looking forward to the whole night. it was funny though, the dad was super happy! and they gan bei very fast. HK style, as dad calls it. swift and decisive.

(this was seriously huge)

(can you see the piano and sax on the stage?)

Hotel. tried to upload but some problems with bluetooth. so slept late and did the uploading the next day. was listening to some sting - man... vinnie is a craziiie drummer.


Photos proudly brought to you by Nokia N78.

somemore miscellaneous photos, the HK equivalent of lucky plaza on sunday (Serious!):

(guess HKers and Singaporeans have more in common than i thought)

(YANG i totally cracked up when i saw your protest thing, what a coincidence!)
And of course, what day is complete without a mini-protest?

(was considering running after them for a clearer shot, but then again...)