one step at a time*

Goodbye 2011 & Hello to 2012!

2012-01-08T20:07:00.036+08:00

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year :P I miss real christmas trees and this one was a really cute and perfect size.

Dec 24, Christmas Eve dinner at J's parent's place. Very kind invitation with wholesome servings of Persian food. It was my dad's first time having it and he really enjoyed it as well. Topping the night off with a freshly baked saralee's apple pie with a dollop of fresh vanilla ice cream :D Thereafter unwrapping of gifts and movie time. Such a cosy evening..and don't think I'll post photos of me unwrapping the gifts cuz I look like a wet faucet. J's present was..too much and left me speechless. Thank you so much and have been using it every single day. =)

Dec 25, A very satisfying breakfast+hot chocolate on a Christmas Day @ Shek O.

Time to do the Peggy pose *stretch out your arms

If you look carefully you'll see some people taking wedding photos up on the rocks. *brr..

Such a perfect Sunday. Hope we can go discover more naturesque places around HK.

Brunch at Zuma on Boxing Day with SC friends :D Catching up with the good ol bunch, hearing happy stories from friends who just got engaged on the ski slopes of Japan and meeting significant others who've flown in for Christmas. Venue and food was quite nice although we sat outside. Thank goodness for heat lamps! Think I'll go back next time with my parents and go for the free flowing champagne! wee

Dec 31, NYE @ Grand Hyatt with the Lees ;)

Checking out the dessert section.

Thank you sooo much for the wonderful year and I cannot imagine anyone better to celebrate the end of 2011 with other than you. <3 From all the fun-filled travel experiences, sweet memories and sometimes frustrating scenarios that we're faced with..thanks for understanding this lil emo grouch and always making me feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

Jan 1, First day of 2012 @ Ocean Park. Feels like a forever since I've visited and there's so many new perks! However the downside of visiting on a public holiday is that there's too many visitors and chinese tourists. Nevertheless the front entrance has changed so much, it kinda looks like Disney Land (altho I still haven't been to the one in HK), artificial snow in lil spurts and a toned down Bellagio-looking fountain. They've sure invested a lot of money back into this park :)

They're such a colorful couple :)

There's even a rainforest themed section with creepy crawlers, the world's tiniest monkey and other rainforest dwelling species.

Look up and say no to shark fin soup or blue fin tuna!

@ the Aquarium. There's a restaurant inside right beside this huge tank promoting sustainable seafood options, might want to check it out next time.

Although we didn't get a chance to try out all the new rides, not to fear..we got the annual pass so we'll be back!! *yay hehe

I have a feeling 2012 isn't going to be easy on the work front given the whole economic situation in Europe. Sometimes I have an internal struggle with myself and this feeling has occurred numerous times but this year it's time for some action. It's not easy but will figure out a way to get rid of this negative energy surrounding me. A part of me is saying just be patient and the other side really wants to reach for that next step.. Never know until I try and in the meantime will work hard and come what may?

Whats for dinner dear?

2011-12-25T12:08:00.011+08:00

"Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all."
Harriet Van Horne

Christmas is the time for wonderful homey comfort food. And by saying that we signed up for a Christmas cooking class on Dec 20 @ City Super Harbour City. hehe It was quite fun and the food was of course wonderful! I was expecting more of an industrial kitchen but it was really nice, each person having a little work station.

I might be a bit biased but I think J is a pretty good cook. I like being his sous chef ;)

My neat work area before the cooking begins.

Look at my hunking piece of rib eye prior to cooking' and roastin' :D

Fresh rosemary, garlic, butter? and lots of sat & pepper. Chop them all together and then poke small holes around the sides of the steak and fill them up so it infuses into the meat to give it a great flavor. Thereafter, a light drizzle of olive oil and more salt on both sides of the meat. Heat up the pan until its ready to smoke and put the meat in. *chssshh Sear all sides for a few minutes and then pop them into the oven at 220degrees for 2-3 minutes for a nice medium rare. Originally the teacher was going to do the whole slab of beef without cutting them out into individual portions but some of the other people wanted a more hands on approach.

On to make my salmon & fig salad. :P I love decorating the layout of food so I wouldn't mind the job title of restaurant plater.

Last but not least skipping the whole cooking process, pumpkin soup with puff pastry - ta daa! Really chill evening and a fun experience as I haven't had a cooking class since SC home economics class. :)

Twelve days of Christmas

2011-12-18T11:19:00.031+08:00

Look carefully and you'll see such a magical display :)

A memorable Krug night to bring on the christmas festivities :)

Window display at PP. *gobble gobble.

Strolling to a nice sunset before our sunday movie..the grassy area at Cyperport is the new doggie paradise where pets alike come out and play.

A round orange sunset.

Day 1 of my christmas holiday!! Friday morning hike with Yves. Started from Parkview - Wong Nai Chung reservoir, through Violet Hill and up the killer 1000 step twin peak.

It was such beautiful weather to hike..definitely doesn't feel like December.

Oops haha After the 1000 steps up my legs must be been abit wobbly and fell whilst scrambling to get into the photo. :P

Take #2 :D

Look how far we've come!

Arrived at Stanley market.

Yayy lunch time. The Stanley plaza has changed so much, there's now chez patrick, classified, great open space for mcdonald customers.. Wouldn't mind coming here more often to grab a bite.

Walked to Pak Tai Temple which is right beside the main pier. Its'a nice lil park for the family/elderly to stroll around.

An early winter solstice dinner with grandma.

Waa..like a dream come true. Had to go over and check it out to see if its real.

Looks pretty real to me. All accomplished on the first day of my hols..not bad at all :)

Just spent like 2 hours cleaning my room and washing/folding all my clothes. From this clean up which is done um twice a year, I threw out 3 bags of unused stuff and 2 bags of unused clothes. My room is tidy once again and it feels sooo goood. :P

When can we go again?

2011-11-06T16:11:00.014+08:00

This is one long overdue post but better late than never. Had a lovely birthday this year by spending some quality time with my friends. I love celebrations but sometimes I don't like to make a huge deal out of it with me being in the centre of attention. Prefer to keep it simple and enjoyable :)

Catching up with the girls over dinner in TST (it's been so long!) talking about gnz's wedding plans in Dec 2012, movie and lunch at four seasons (dang even the bread basket is delish, you can just give me that with some lightly salted butter!), and last but not least with a change of plans,decided to indeed keep up with the Indian tradition by having a feast at Tandoor.

Some recent photos from the Central Rat race where Yves and I supported H and his bomb defusion leg of the race. hehe

Hi Mr. Rat or whatever your name is.

Cute girl supporting her dad. hehe Reminds me that I need to start training for Unicef and go running again *roar

So what exactly have I been up to lately? I've been taking wine classes every tuesday with my colleague in Sheung Wan whereby we taste 6 different types of wines per class. No, we don't get tipsy nor do we pour ourselves happy hour glasses but we just pour a little bit, describe the appearance, the smell and then taste it by swirling it around our mouth before spitting it out in our own little spitoon! haha It's been a really interesting class but I foresee some considerable studying in order to pass it. :P

Photo taken by my instructor after my very first dive. =)

So for my bday present, J gave me a PADI OW certification. Really excited but equally freaked out due to my fear of dark waters. Even though I can swim fairly well, I don't like not knowing what's underneath or touching something foreign aginst my skin. Luckily my fear is gone and now I know it's not that bad at all! (Might even be interested in trying out that night dive) Guess I've been watching too much discovery channel with those wreck dives and hearing stories about claustraphobic experiences but nah, not that bad for basic divers.. It's really exciting getting your gear on, making that first jump to cool off in your warm wet suit, descending along the rope and swimming alongside your buddy. I would strongly encourage people to give it a try because admittedly I was abit scared too and if I hadn't tried, I wouldn't have known that I could do it and love it.

After passing the e-learning sections, doing 3 confined water classes in the pool and completing 4 OW dives, I'm officially certified! Can't wait to plan a dive trip and see some beautiful corals and big fishes. Honestly quite addictive once you get the hang of it. I'm thinking of doing some advance courses with J but preferably not in HK because the water is still quite murky. One dayyy I'll go somewhere beautiful..can't wait! :P

Looking into the big picture

2011-10-08T18:59:00.000+08:00

That’s been one of my mantras — focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.

Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles.

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

RIP Steve Jobs, 1955-2011

Practise makes perfect ;-P

2011-09-26T22:40:00.003+08:00

As much as I love Apple, really don't get what the hype is all about and why people in hk love to queue up so much. Can you imagine what it would be like if Iphone 5 comes out? Photo taken around noon hour and heard it got pretty crowded in the afternoon.

Met up with Karen for lunch at IFC's Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin.

Open rice gives it more sad faces than happy but I thought the pork chop sandwich was pretty darn good especially with that suddle hint of mustard.

Reminded me of my alien cupcake painting. hehee

Coffee and vanilla gelato with chocolate chips & brownie all mashed up into a crispy waffle cup at Holly Brown. First time trying their desserts and it was really yum but not as good as the Coldstone that I remember.

Shopping in the side streets of Central as K had to buy a short qipao for class. Kinda want to invest in qipao cocktail dress from Shanghai Tang. *xiang yi xiang..

SO. Today I would like to share an amazing red velvet cake that we made last Saturday with J's mom. After all the hard work and 45 minutes of baking, it will turn into something I'd like to call the 'Metamorphisis Cake'. In for a little surprise? Then feel free to try this at home. haha Neways if you see this recipt floating around... I would strongly recommend that you avoid using it unless you want something that looks and tastes like a moist carrot cake. :-P So beware of this recipe from Food Network and can guarantee that 1 bottle of red food coloring is not enough. I think one reason why the center of our cake was so icky was because the recipe called for 3x 9" pans but we only used a casserole looking pan. Oh well, live and learn.

Red Velvet
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp coco
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups canola oil
1 tsp vinegar
1 (ounce) bottle of red food color
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk

Cream cheese frosting:
1/2 cup margarine
1 (8 ounce) pkg cream cheese
1 box confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Before entering the oven it was a beautiful shade of raspberry red.

Ta Da! Looks great and super excited to assemble the final masterpiece. Letting it cool while watching 007.

10 minutes later we carefully turned it out of the pan and *plop it goes.. the middle was still goooey and the cake texture was quite oily rather than light n' fluffy. All along the sides it was perfectly fine so a slight change of presentation method. Just a dollop of icing on top. I thought it tasted mamdes but the boys seemed to enjoy it. Oh btw did I mention that instead of one box of confectioner sugar (which we didn't have) we just used 3 small packages of splenda. hahaha Carrot-looking cake + cream cheese+ butter c'est bon! MMmm!! Oh well we definitely deserve a pat on the back for our A+ team effort. :-]

If you guys know any good red velvet recipes that actually uses the right amount of food coloring that makes it actually quite red, please be nice and share. hehe

La Belle Époque

2011-09-18T22:14:00.006+08:00

"Nostalgia is denial - denial of the painful present... the name for this denial is golden age thinking - the erroneous notion that a different time period is better than the one ones living in - its a flaw in the romantic imagination of those people who find it difficult to cope with the present."

Have to somewhat disagree on this quote. I do agree that people who are constantly living in the past are in a permanent state of denial but nostalgia can also be so beautiful. We have to preserve the past and treasure these memories that we've made for ourselves. It is unfortunate that through the passing of time, we tend to loose alot of our cultural heritage be it language, architecture or the simple ways of life. Hong Kong is constantly changing, always demolishing and rebuilding. Constant bombardment of speed and recreating something so fast that after 2 years you don't even remember what the previous space or building looked like. Since we can't stop this change, the only thing we can do to not loose our past completely is to remember and bring back this nostalgia. I wish our city did more to preserve the rich colonial history or created more green landscape that welcomes people to just get out and enjoy roaming the streets that they live in. Anyways I really enjoyed Midnight in Paris. Couldn't wait to buy a croissant and a bottle of wine after the movie ;) Had a nice chuckle at the actors who played Ernest Hemingway and Salvador Dali - Corey S. and Adrien B <3 Seriously I used to think Adrien Brody was alright but the more I see him in movies the more I love his acting! Didn't realize that the actress playing the museum guide is the current First Lady of France! She's beautiful..but I like Marion Cotillard more.

Our camera day last week. (with larger photos hehe) Checking out the LKK Lantern Wonderland during Mid-Autumn Festival. Great day and enjoying the slightly cooler weather already :)

We initially asked this guy to take a photo of us and it was an epic fail. He totally chopped off the background and we thought he would take better photos because he was using a pretty nice camera -_-" Oh well... In the end we just placed the camera on J's backpack and it turned out fine on the first take.

Btw this is so random but I LOVE Junior Masterchef Australia! It's the cutest and most positive tv show that I've seen in a long while. hehe no barking at the contestants like Hell's Kitchen. My fav is Siena who's only 9 but started cooking when she was 3. (wow!) I also thought Pierre was really cute and was quite blown away by his lamb wellington. hehe I even logged into his facebook page to check out his foodie pics. heheAlrighty have a good week! Ciao =)

Full Moon

2011-09-13T09:24:00.004+08:00

I can't believe it's been 10 years since 9/11 and the documentaries airing on tv are still so heartbreaking to watch. What were you doing on September 11 2001? I remember entering grade eleven, having a quick breakfast in our Burnaby townhouse when my dad called and then mom turned on the tv to watch the shocking news. Fast forward in time and halfway around the world, so much has changed and yet the reality remains...we never know what tomorrow might bring. Gotta stay positive, remember these life changing moments and not live your life with regrets.

Things have been pretty good for me and I've been really excited to start driving again in Hong Kong. Two weeks ago I drove (probably for the first time in ages) and I have to admit I was was slightly nervous and a little bit too close to the left hand side. Last night I drove from HK island to Kowloon to visit my grandma at the hospital and then back via the Central tunnel during busy hours. Had a really nice dinner and then dropped off my auntie at Mid-levels before driving home via Magazine Gap road. I felt alot more confident second time round and the turns around those narrow bends were much smoother. :) I think I need to freshen up my parking skills especially when the parking spaces in HK are sooo small but I'm definitely getting the feel of merging amongst those agressive taxi drivers and driving faster along those steep narrow roads. When I used to sit in the passenger seat I was scared of merging, afraid I'd get stuck somewhere because no one would let me into their lane but I think I'm improving and becoming less intimated. Yeeaa loving every moment of it and think J's enjoyment of driving also rubs off on me so I've been itching to get behind the wheel myself. It'd be nice to learn how to drive manual someday :P nehoo I'm going to go driving with dad now at 9:30am (we're such early birds!) and grabbing some breakfast along the way. haha Have a happy mid-autumn festival and going to enjoy this beautiful Tuesday weather. Ciao!

Clear Blue

2011-08-04T22:06:00.004+08:00

Shabu shabu at J's place :) I rarely go shopping at Japan Home but we managed to buy these super cute shot glasses for 10-25 dollars, extra plates and 2 electric stoves that looks and works really well. heh One side was for the veggie lovers and the other for 'all in'.

Bought our meats at City Super and tonnsss of my favorite mushrooms. I'm glad mushrooms are good for you because I think I eat too much of it sometimes. :P

Uno jenga + inception music in the background. heh

Just for fun :P The puma stripes fell off after going through the dishwasher. oops.

:)

Leaving a m a r k, literally ;)

2011-07-10T09:44:00.058+08:00

A few weekends back J & I had the luxury of going to Boracay for a few days and it was a really memorable trip in a way we didn't expect it. It wasn't all sunshine and beach weather and in the beginning we were worried that we might not even make it to our destination. :P The small plane from Manila to Caticlan seemed to have problems with the faulty oil pressure instrument and when they told us to return to the terminals after we boarded, they weren't confident in telling us if there was another flight or if we had to wait an extra day. Then factor in the typhoon weather which whizzed past the islands bringing buckets of rain & fierce winds..we thought we would be confined indoors the whole time. In the end we were really lucky to fill our time with some relaxing activities like shisha, massage, buggy riding and is definitely a good reminder that company is all that matters. =)

Yeah we were uneasy when we saw our transfer flight. Or at least I was..never been on such a small plane before. That's one of the pilot's arm and they give you bamboo fans in case you got hot before take off. :P

Our trusty ride..

Arrived *yay! After eating only a ham and egg bun in the morning, the first thing on my mind was fooood.

The food on the first night was pretty dang delicious perhaps because I was starving. Generally speaking Filipino dishes are quite simple and they're like the comfort food you get to eat at home. J says the stews are very similar to Persian stews so it's a cuisine that he can easily relate to as well.

I personally loved the beef adobo and would love to re-create that taste sometime in the near future since J bought a recipe book.

By the pool side.

Almost getting blown away..it felt like a T3 or T8 :P

Grilled chicken inasal with rice wrapped in banana leaf. No messing around just come hungry and leave patting your tummy. :)

Sugar overdose on the ride back. Love cornflakes or any type of crunchiness in my dessert.

hehee We ordered room service and shared a club sandwich with carrot sticks and a bottle of red that we bought at D-mall. As you can see we topped it off with some dun dun dun the Fringe :P

The next day we seized the opportunity to visit the tallest point in Boracay.

This lil attraction was soo ghetto with wild animals in cages and extremely dangerous looking zip lines. Despite that, the makeshift viewing area was quite impressive with a pretty nice 360 degree view of the island.

We had fun taking turns driving and drifting on the rocky roads hehe

Following our guide.

Visiting some other beaches around the island.

<3 hehe we really made use of our camera rod. No more couple shots with big faces.
Beer with ice? My first comment was eh..and then I realized how refreshing it tastes

Abit of mexican and filipino food for dinner.

The last day we saw mr. sunshine! We were both so happy that we skipped breakfast and went straight for the beach at 9:30am.

Lunch by the beach/pool side.

Outstretched toes meaning that they're happy =) Love travelling but gotta save up now. No more trips until the end of the year but it won't hurt to daydream abit and plan for other fun activities around town.

Beautiful memories

2011-06-19T22:26:00.003+08:00

Standing out from the rest.

Take it one step at a time and you'll get there.

Sometimes you just have to accept that you will lose some but you can also gain and win so much more.

Do you know what tomorrow bring?

A moment to sit and reflect. It's so true that you are what you eat.

Finding the beauty in imperfection.

Mm..hummus, thou art mine.

Round like my beacon of delight ;)

Haha I chose the silly photo. Happy Father's Day! :)

I love my new Canon SLR. <3 After loosing my precious camera at the airport last week I decided I will never travel without a good camera. Got the EOS 600D with 18-135mm IS lens. Yeah, everything I see and do will remain with me forever but somehow not having those photographs just ain't the same. Spent the whole Sunday afternoon meandering around snapping and deleting photos for the sake of practising all the various functions and techniques. Starting to get the hang of it..pretty easy to use and loving every moment of it!

I think I'm feeling...

2011-06-03T23:18:00.008+08:00

Yayyy the long weekend has arrived! Going to Macau tomorrow to sightsee, watch the house of dancing water with J's family and of course eat some yummy portugese food. Mm...haven't had a portugeese egg tart in forever! :D I'm also feeling pretty happy with myself this week, I was able to go running after work on Mon, Wed and Fri..and it feels great to work up a sweat again! Have been thinking of signing up to Fitness First or Pure so I can get some consistent work-outs. We'll see how that goes. Would be nice to exercise during lunch for 30-45 minutes, shower and then grab a sandwich on the way back. :P

I'm kinda looking forward to and also stressing about our upcoming Asia Training Seminar - 5 more days until Bintan and 7 more days until Singapore. Stressing because I feel like I'm the event coordinator liaising with the participants so if anything goes wrong, I feel like I'm held accountable? *eeks. Hope the event and general logistics goes well. Any must see's or hawker centers to visit in Singapore? Will aim to keep it really relaxing and walk around soaking up the sights and smells.

A photo recap from last 2 weeks. Tried Betty's Kitchen @ IFC with J's parents on his lil break-away celebration. :D The salad was so delicate and pretty! Almost didn't want to dig in.

Duck Confit. After watching Jamie Oliver cook it on TLC it kinda blew my mind as to how long the whole cooking process takes. First you got to rub and cover it in salt/herbs for over a day then the fat gets rendered and placed into an oven so the meat slowly cooks for a few hours. After removing it from the heat, the meat is stored and submerged in it's own fat! *Gurgle gurgle.. You can preserve it for a couple of months and then when you're ready to eat...grill it up until the skin turns crispy again. I'll let the french chef's cook this bc I don't think I have the patience to be Julia Child.

Chicken and braised ribs with sugar snaps.

Just chilling on a beautiful Saturday at AC. Didnt take any photos from Andrea's boat party but it was a pretty chill night and the pot luck was pretty yum. The malteeser mini cupcakes, gaucamole with black corn chips AND brie with mermaid bread was...amazzzing. And of course I'll never grow old of the hummus from Great. :]

Back to Back.

Walking along the Peak morning trail and do you see what I see? Find Waldo :)

Brunch with dad at Oolaa. Half of a brekky burrito & one egg. No need to say anymore..except that breakfast rules ;)

*yawwwns so tired..Time for bed n' good night. xxx

P

¿Que quieres comer?

2011-05-19T21:58:00.004+08:00

One good day has offset 2 difficult/bad ones. What a difference today made :]

Last Sunday we went to GREAT and bought some ingredients to make dinner bc cooking together is really quite fun. We were originally going to make mushroom risotto but decided that a plate full of rice and nothing much seemed a tad dull. In the end we went for Spanish and did a quick google of how to make paella!! (Doesn't that word itself sound sexy already?) hehe So now I'm going to take this opportunity to show y'all how to make some yummies in your tummies. :D

Our paella was definitely more veggie oriented rather than seafood. We also kind of cheated and bought this paella mix but next time we'll make it totally from scratch with some dry white wine and shellfish stalk. Our spin of the recipe is as follows:

300-400g of Risotto rice
2 king prawns
4 scallops
2 sweet onions
1 red pepper and 1 green pepper
25 g chorizo
Alternatives: smaller prawns, cod fish, mussels, squid rings
Olive oil, salt and pepper + all that jazz ;)

First put 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil onto your round flat pan. Brown your shrimp and once it's half cooked, remove it from the heat and cook half of your veggies.

Pour in your rice and then pour 4 cups of warm water into the pan. Stir it abit to make sure the rice is covered and turn it on medium heat and stop stirring. Our recipe advised us to turn it to high but we realized that the heat wasn't evenly spread out so the middle kinda burned.

Let it continue to simmer and after 15-20 minutes, place the rest of your vegetables and seafood on top so it doesn't get too soggy or over cooked. In the meantime feel free to play some spanish music in the background so you wish and dance around like buzz lightyear in shrek 3 ;)

Ta daaaa!! :D We were worried that the rice wasn't going to be cooked through especially since the center of the pan was abit burnt but..the sides tasted great. No worries for us because we wouldn't even be able to finish it all. (I think this whole pan would serve about 3-4 people??)

Looking not too bad don't you think? :)

Until next time,
Lil miss chef. xxx

My beacon of delight :')

2011-05-11T21:54:00.011+08:00

Last class and although we only had 2 hours I managed to finish everything! yay~

Look at all the cool stuff we made.

<3

Can't believe this time last year we went on our first official date by biking to the Tsinghua Park, then Japanese food in the local student joint and chilling out on the rooftop of Bridges cafe. How fast time flies and I still have to pinch myself sometimes :) Thank you for cheering me up on my emo days and stopping me from eating all the gummy bears in one going. haha Had fun playing house and sharing those lil cups of haagen daz whilst watching Fringe (which btw can get soo gory and suspenseful but I totally understand how it gets addictive heehee). It's these relaxing and genuine moments that I absolutely love but they also go by the fastest. I suffer from slight J withdrawals from time to time though I try not to show it. I'm already really lucky to be able to see and hang out with J so often each week. And with whatsap, I feel like we're just moments away. I don't know what it'd be like if I lived somewhere in NT..commute would be such a pain in the butt. hehe I know I'm rambling on my lil blog but I guess that'll happen when one is missing the ps-wiggle. :P

I feel like making tiramisu. Nicely portioned glasses of creamy and cool dessert sounds perfect on a hot summer's day. Will try and make that this weekend! xx

Look at what I made!

2011-04-17T10:04:00.014+08:00

We've recently started taking some leather making classes on the weekends at Fungus Workshop! Its pretty fun although my thumb is kinda hurting from stiching but the 4 of us clearly enjoy arts and crafts. hehe Once we learned these basics, I expect that not long after we get our own tools, that we'll start making our own designs and small leathered goods. K & J have already located some tools and bought a few DIY books. I think we might also be interested in ordering some leather craft tools online since J enjoys tinkering and collecting tools as well. :) Before class we've been going to La Marmite for brunch and it's a quiet place on staunton street with a nice clean white interior. The first time we went we had la boulangerie with croissant, pain au chocolat and pain aux raisins with butter, jam and honey. *oink

Although I enjoy desserts ALOT, I have to admit breakfast brings me an equal amount of joy. When you guys travel do you look forward to seeing what the hotel has for breakfast? I do :P How often do I get an excuse to have pancakes/waffles/continental breakfast on regular day? Which reminds me I haven't even been eating my favorite quaker oats cereal in a long while. Anyways, things have changed and I've made a pact with J whereby I won't have any sugary/junk food for a while. In order to stick to the plan this time I ordered the ranchero eggs with panchetta, grilled tomatoes, fries and a small side salad.

..while J ordered the royal benedict. Am interested in knowing how much butter is used to make that yummy hollandaise sauce.

After some foodies off we go to class. When we first sat down together, it felt like our wood work/DT class with Mr. Brendon all over again. I miss that guy, I wonder if he still teaches at SC?

Explaining the background info on leather.

We're like the naughty kids at the back of the class. heh
:D

Our tools, pretty cool huh?

Stitching..

J's final product was pretty awesome!!

Very happy with my little bao bao. I would love to make a bigger one and they remind of of the mulberry bags which I love :)

Dare to live

2011-04-03T11:33:00.008+08:00

Long time no write, it's been over a month since my last entry and alot has happened since then. There's been 2 major earthquakes in Asia, an equally devastating tsunami, a nuclear crisis, radiation concerns, risk from contaminated food and ongoing upheaval all combined into one. Within a matter of minutes, what may seem stable and fundamentally rooted can disappear right before your eyes. My heart goes out to all the people living in Japan or elsewhere in the world who have been affected by these kinds of natural tragedies. It's so surreal the way mother nature can bring us to our knees and shocking reminder of how fragile mankind is in comparison to the world. Pray for those who have lost loved ones, who still haven't found their family members or are just struggling to make sense of it all. I know this isn't the first time thousands of lives have been lost and it definitely won't be the last.. Could this really be the beginning of the end? I was really bummed out last night after talking and thinking about the possibility of 2012.. Theres still so many things that have yet to be done. =(

Hypothetically something truly crazy was to happen near the end of 2012 what things would you do differently? This life is yours to live and you, your heart is the greatest weapon. At first I was thinking that I would splurge on everything, eat whatever I want and buy whatever I might be holding back on but thinking twice I don't think it'll help at all. Yeah I might feel happier temporarily but isn't that too easy to accomplish? Just walk into a store and buy happiness? I'd rather go see the world, cities-towns-rural areas. I mean travelling isn't cheap but I really love 'experiencing' and trying new things. Seeing things that will take your breath away. (out pops a cheesey musical tune) hehe All I'll need is a simple place to stay, a comfortable pair of shoes for walking, warm clothing when it gets cold and a sturdy backpack to store all my necessities and would be nice of course if I could have a companion by my side to share these moments with. haha do I sound like i'm really going to take off soon? :P But man, if everyone quits their jobs can you imagine the chaos this world would become?

No joke but after I came back from my nice run today, the below song was blasting from my dad's stereo. Time to get back into my running grove and get a nice tan for summer. yay =)

Dare to live searching for the ones you love
(Perché, perché, perché, perché non vivi questa sera?)
Dare to live no one but we all
(Perché, perché, perché, perché non vivi ora?)
Dare to live until the very last
(Perché, perché, perché la vita non è vita)
Your life is all you have to give (Perché)
non l'hai vissuta
Vivere!

Dare to live until the very last
(Perché, perché, perché Ia vita non è vita)
Your life is all you have to give (Perché)
non l'hai vissuta mai

- Andrea Bocelli & Laura Pausini

A special french occasion

2011-02-20T10:55:00.022+08:00

My daily cup of coffee paired with the delish robuchon pastry specially brought by Janice as part of SAFE's farewell breakfast for Amaury. :)

Housewarming and farewell dinner at Helen's = food intoxication. hehe There were some real fancy and expensive stuff being served including lots of wine+cheese. I liked her open kitchen and the way she prepared all the food with absolute ease.. Not too much prep work so she was able to chat and enjoy the evening as much as we all did.

Dang this was so simple to make. Eggs, cream and a crack of salt, throw it into the oven for 15 minutes and it's done! Oh and yeah a healthy scoop of truffle per person. O_o

I'm somewhat opposed to ordering or eating foie gras in restaurants but it was in front of me and after trying it I have to admit I liked the way it melts in your mouth.

Saucisson & palette cleanser.

Lots and lots of hard & soft cheese to go with our bread. mmmMMm.. ;)

Tarte tatin with fresh whipped cream. Even though we all saw how much butter and sugar went into this dessert, it was perfectly devine. For such a rich and satisfying Tuesday gathering mixed with wine and champagne, you can imagine how hard it was waking up for work the next day. Nevertheless, good luck to Amaury & Tian in Tokyo! :)

The sweetest surprise

2011-02-14T23:17:00.016+08:00

Hehe, celebrated Valentines Day on Sunday with my booey J. The afternoon begun at around 3ish when we turned on our oven and burned it in for first time. Once the plastic smell was gone I started on my sugar cookies. As I was kneading away, Chef J was busy prepping away and washing his vegetables. :) Was tough not peaking at what he was doing with his mischievous grin. hehe After my cookies finished I decorated them with red icing and white heart sprinkles for the domokun teeth (he said that was pretty inventive since I had no white icing sugar) teehee.

Nehoo I stayed out of the kitchen even though I asked him if he needed any help. He said no worries, everything was under control. Felt bad though because he spent so much time in there. hehe And before I knew it ta da first up was the appetizers. This was probably my fav.. <3 I love mushrooms and this time they were capped with a generous portion of spinach & 3 cheeses, all baked to perfection! Not soggy and loved the flavor from the feta, cream cheese and sprinkle of parmesan. Mm..I've never had anything quite like this before in the restaurants. About 10 minutes later he kindly informed me to leave the dining premises and remain in the room. Off I go, wondering what he's up to and not long later I hear some clicking sounds and then... some John Legend tunes. yeyeeehhh~

'Lets go to the park...' Chef J peeks his head in with a smile and tells me everythings ready. Off I go with eyes covered annnd when I open them..whoaa there were red candles scattered and the table was all set up with foodies/drinks. Was totally speechless by how far J went to make this a romantic experience. Aww.. thank you :') Felt so warm and fuzzy inside.. & I still have a smile on my face thinking about how sweet the surprise was. So we take a seat and he opens the pot and out billows the steam from the chicken cacciatore. He said he wanted to bring home this dish which he would enjoy back when he was living in LA. It's a really nice comfort dish with chopped bell peppers (only one but it made the sauce so nice n' sweet) onions, mushrooms, tomatoes and oregano. With some fresh cracked peppers? Jeng! And matched with basmati crispy rice and a spray of 'I can't believe it's not butter' makes a harmonious match. hehe Normally I eat all my salads before the main but this time the salad would have to wait. tai ho mei ahhh. *pat pat tummy.

hehe After eating J opens my lil prez & card and we take pictures with the new polaroid camera. =) As we munch on his strawberries dipped in dark chocolate and watch Wall-E, I still can't believe how thoughful J was in taking the time to buy groceries, prep and cook everything. Too sweet and happy to feel that not only today but also any ordinary day as well. I feel very lucky to spend my first valentines with J through such an incredible dining experience *omnomnom the way to my heart is through my tummy. hehe Not only do I love a man who has great qualities but also one who can cook up a great meal. YOU HAVE OFFICIALLY WON ALL BROWNIES POINTS IN MY BOOK. haha <3

Thank you for the wonderful evening.

Btw when did this whole domokun theme come into play? OH when you drew it...not just our packing boxes. ;)

Home is where the heart is.

2011-02-01T21:15:00.005+08:00

My good friend who is living & working in Toronto recently shared with us a really good article that she wrote in the Star called 'Caught between two worlds.' I'll always be one of her biggest fans n' do check it out :) >> I enjoyed reading it because it brings a smile to my face and its easy for me to relate to. When you've got Chinese parents but moved a mumbo jumbo number of times, have alot of English speaking friends but still have a fairly Chinese background...who you are and where you belong sometimes becomes a blur. When I was young I've always considered myself as a Canadian but with age that distinction became less strong and that pause before the response always took a little longer. Which box should I tick: Chinese or Canadian? Can someone add a new box called Chindian? hehe

I think when it comes to movement and change there are two different types of people. Those who stay in a comfortable place for their entire life and develope strong sense of home (which is a great thing being able to see/know/keep in touch with your elementary school friends) and then there are others who were forced or by choice, to move around and become accustomed to throwing away useless things like me. :P But yeah I guess just by being in Hong Kong, I do 'feel' like a more enriched & worldly version of myself 3 years ago. I know I like to do alot of outdoor activities and my mom asks me how come I never did so much of it back in Vancouver when there were plenty of mountains and fresh air. It's weird. Maybe I've changed and I've molded myself to whatever this city has to offer. Because there is 'less' space, I want to make the best out of whatever is available. Kinda like 'you don't know what's good until it's gone' and I didn't appreciate the outdoors as much before..

Anyhoo tomorrow is Lunar New Year's eve and we get off earlier tomorrow *yay!! I know it's been a short work week but boy am I glad it's over. Little things have really gotten to me this week and I feel like a tangled ball of emotions. I know I shouldn't let unimportant things get to me because it's not worth my time but I just get too sensitive. Nehoo four days of family gatherings, food and j time. Can't wait.

新年快乐 and have a great year of the rabbit :)

"May your heart's desires come true"

Saturday afternoon rendezvous

2011-01-23T18:17:00.013+08:00

Even though it's quite chilly out, we've been getting some really nice weather lately. =) After a casual but delish lunch on Saturday, we walked around the soon-to-be-demolished hong kong police station, went for coffee, kept walking along to hollywood road: man mo temple, Sheung Wan-ish area, went to the park and walked along the Sun Yat Sen Historical trail. We discovered some nice hidden jewels like this old bookstore that sold rare hardcover books. I think the minimum starting price would start at ~hkd$15,000.(Lok Man Rare Books) lalala very chill day and a nice way to unwind on the weekends.

Time for photo hunt..spot the differences :)

Mm..my previously mentioned no-junk food plan totally FAILED. How can I be more disciplined? *ponders silently to myself

Hibernation mode

2011-01-09T19:14:00.003+08:00

Starting tomorrow I'm going to cut down on snacks and sugar.. PC motto: I will eat healthy and I will fight off ALL forms of junk food temptation. :P

Saw The Tourist today..it was slow and abit disappointing. I think I enjoyed checking out what Elise (Angelina Jolie) was wearing -jewellery wise than the whole story itself. lol Nevertheless, the one bit that did touch me was when she said she talked about her golden bracelet that her mother gave her. The charm bracelet which shows two heads facing in opposite directions. So I did a quick google and learned that it's called Janus, a roman god for doors, beginnings, end, time and is the modern remnant of the month January. I think it's pretty true what the movie said..that there are always two sides in human beings. There's the good the bad, the past the future, the dream the reality and the happy the sad. With two sides to the same coin the only way to appreciate a person wholly is to accept and love them completely.

Do you feel like everyday is like opening a brand new door whereby you don't know what to expect? Keeps you on your tippy toes because you never know what to expect. If you're not growing it's most likely that you're not even stagnant but actually deteoriating.

On your mark..get set..go!

2011-01-03T22:04:00.001+08:00

Had a lovely Christmas & New Year celebration and hope everyone around me did too =) I know alot of people aren't feeling well at the moment but I hope after some good rest and time for recovery, everyone will start feeling healthy once again.

So how was 2010 for you? Any breakthroughs, memorable experiences, setbacks or happy times? For me..2010 was undoubtedly amazing. Get over it Peggy but...I still can't! :P You know that feeling you get when life has become so very tranquil because you've made it that way. Perfectly content w/ everything and have settled for calmness. The way you expect no more but also no less for yourself. Then all of a sudden, whoaa a change of pace with this overwhelming flow of highs and happiness.. How does one handle that? Does everyone feel that way when they meet someone special in their life? I don't think I've ever been so gushy like this.. =P One year has gone by, can't believe how fast time flies.. Do you feel like eversince you graduated from high school, each year goes by faster and faster? I wish there were more hours in each day or perhaps I just needed less time to sleep. With at least 8 hours devoted to work each day, I feel like there's not enough time to do all the things that I want to do. We all talk about having quality personal time..that quiet afternoon where you do nothing but prop your legs up somewhere, or go for a massage, collect your thoughts, look back on the hectic week and just breathhh. A good level of self examination is good as indulgence and relaxation is not enough. That quest when you loose track of time whilst immersing yourself in a satisfying task. In the Elle opinion magazine today, it said something like 'repression is not the way to virtue. It is only through freely chosen discipline can life be enjoyed and still kept within the bounds of reason' - but concentration and endeavour are what really make us content, not endless opportunities for achieving nothing much. Tis true, maybe that's why studies have shown that despite material advantages and more leisure time, the last few decades have shown no corresponding rise in happiness in the developed world. Hard work and love is what makes most of us happy and even if we had more time you still need that special purpose to make things meaningful. Hmmm..very interesting and perhaps agreeable that the process/journey is sometimes just as fun as arriving to the destination. =)

With all the crazies that happened in 2010 I wonder what will come out of the new year? New start and new pages to be written. =)

Inexpressible words

2010-12-22T21:45:00.012+08:00

Just a few more days until Christmas and only one more day until mom & bro arrives!! Scanned a few pictures today and I really miss the times when we were all be together on the same continent. Those were the good ol days.. Seriously my bro looks so adorable and my parents look really young. hahaha =P

It's going to be such a memorable end to the year, I can't even start putting it together in words. If someone told me in 2009 that I would experience the things I did this past year, I would have scoffed in disbelief. Although there were some downs, some crazy experiences.. but the ups far outweighed the bad and I'm very fortunate to come out from these experiences knowing what really matters and to be reminded of how incredibly blessed I am. No journey is ever going to be smooth sailing..that I understand and will treasure all the memories bestowed upon me. With that said, shall keep it short and sweet: have a veryyy merry christmas & a great new year with your loved ones! =)

love,
P

Believe in yourself

2010-11-28T18:55:00.012+08:00

Celebrated Pinky's birthday on Saturdy by going Art jamming in central. We spent 2 hours there and I love it when my mind gets to wander off in a daydreaming world. Didn't know what to paint at first but decided to do a magical tree. (It was inspired by J's parents 30th anniversary dinner where they had this coral centre piece on every table. Extremely impressive decor design and also emotional gathering). Anyhoo after the creative fun we went to liberty exchange for some warm drinks, huge snack platter and cutting of the yummy passion fruit mousse cake made by karen, jamie & jan! :)

Time is currently 7:30pm. I feel like i've done so much/been to so many different places today and yet the night is still so young. Guess that's what happens when you wake up at 6am. Unicef, first time running 10km with J - and you thought you wouldn't be able to finish it. Have faith in yourself and give yourself a pat on the back.:D Have been kinda busy lately so it's been hard trying to fit in running after work. Although I may not have run as fast, we kept a steady pace and it surprisingly not as painful, torturous or long as I expected it to be. The route beside the Inspiration Lake @ Disneyland was my fav. Really want to come back and check that place out. It will be marked on my to-do list since I still haven't visited Micky & Minnie's home in HK. I've been thinking...would it be possible for me to do a 20km run?? Maybe for next year? I don't have to run the whole length but it would be a nice push myself a little harder. hehe I just have to be careful in maintaining my pace and heart rate. My heart rate goes ridiculously high its not even funny and for theis run my average was 184 but I guess as long as I don't go over 195 then that's ok. Feeling invincible *grins.

25 days until Christmas!!!

A fine October weekend

2010-11-03T22:42:00.030+08:00

I didn't dress up for halloween this year but we did go to Ocean park last Friday :P All the fast passes were sold out so we didn't really check out the haunted houses because they advised us that it would take up to 2 hours lining up. - no way! It was still nice going on the rides and spending time with boo & friends. Picture time!

Very happy to witness Cecillia & Andrew's special day :) I still remember our first day at work on Aug 13th 2007 and sitting there in the reception area wearing our overly formal suits. hehe Has it been that long already? Well I hope you two will continue to be that light for one another and grow/support each other in your journey together. Congratulations again and all the best!! :)

Afternoon tea break in between the ceremony & dinner.

All in all a very relaxing weekend. :)

Lovin' the weekend sunshine

2010-10-24T17:50:00.009+08:00

Typhoon Megi sure stirred up some trouble this week (at least for me at work) but luckily it did virtually nothing to spoil the weekend. In fact, it brought some awesome weather and Saturday was just perfect.

Our private resort in a far far away land (hehee). We've been meaning to go and use up his voucher for some time now and seriously we were both feeling a bit strained from work, so the couples pamper session couldn't have come at a more perfect moment. :) This place did NOT feel like we were in HK and we unanimously loved the environment. The weather was just perfect.. and can imagine how fun it might be going during the winter time. After the relaxing session we enjoyed some cold ice cream and sat on the pool chairs playing angry birds and watched the sun mellow out into the sky. haha I could have dozed off right then and there if I wanted to but that would also mean being alive by mosquitos. I really want to go somewhere relaxing in Dec-Jan..but mom is coming back during Christmas annd I don't have too many holidays so I really got to plan and use my annual leaves wisely. Thailand? Philippines? Day dreaming already.*big smiles

Beautiful weather this morning so I went out for a brisk walk around Ocean Park. Saw this along the way and thought it was such a weird place to chain a toddler's bike. heh Even before it's Sunday, I sometimes feel a little sad that the weekend is half over. Do you ever feel that way? I really wish our weekends could be longer. Or...Wouldn't it be cool if I only needed 4 hours of sleep rather than 8? hehe

Oo lala it's almost November. Where did Oct go??

Looking Back..

2010-10-09T13:27:00.007+08:00

...do you have anythings you would do differently?

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Had a pretty awesome twenty-fifth celebration this year. I am however sitting here and it's finally coming to me like WOW, I'm really not as young as I used to be. When did time suddenly pass so fast?! 5 more years and I'm 30? NO WAY... I can understand why some people suffer from this mid-life crisis. I think I would too. haha Nevertheless I truly don't think I could have asked for more right here right now. I feel so blessed and perfectly content with all that I have. If I feel unhappy or go through rough times in the future, I really must try and remember all the good times that I've had..this feeling of being the happiest girl alive. I kinda believe in karma, like you do something good and eventually somewhere, somehow, someone will appreciate and thank you for that good deed. It's always nice when a good outcome presents itself. Like all things I guess theres always a give and take, ask and then you'll receive, the good events comes about after the bads and we just need to find that perfect niche and balance in life.

Do you guys think about certain changes in your life? Especially those special moments that unfolded so simply, naturally and even unexpectedly? When I look back on these times, I usually can't believe it happened to me and whether there is something called 'destiny'. Nevertheless very little decision I made, has brought me to where I am now and it is good. :)

Chinese National day with my boo.

Biking in Tai Po & eating yummy/pretty cakes specially shipped in by Stan. Thank you guys for celebrating with me.

Eased my troubles thats what you do. And I hope I can always do the same for you.

Mid Autumn Festival

2010-10-09T11:15:00.010+08:00

Oops. I accidentally deleted my mid-autumn post. Don't remember what I wrote but pictures will do to replay the lantern playing and candle burning fun at Deep Water Bay. :)

The end is just the beginning

2010-09-08T19:26:00.012+08:00

The end...

Love it each time I finish a diary.. This one took less than a year to complete and now I have pages upon pages jam packed with memories. The good & the bad all serving as photographic memories if I look back on them.

..and the start:
Marking the start of our running season. *oops It was quite funny when we saw each other. haha It really must be quite embarassing if your clothes clash with someone (ie. dress or ball gown) Nehoo good thing it's with yves..go team waffles! Need to get some new t-shirts or aerobic tops :P Unfortunately the weather is still hovering around 28-30 degrees and therefore my head felt like exploding after 2 km... Not a good sign but luckily there's still 3 monthes to go before the Unicef run. *rawwr

Speaking of running and races, Kevjumba from Wong Fu Productions is going to be on the Amazing Race with his dad!!! I love that show..especially when there are Asian teams involved. If racing/running is like work and life.. then I should stop worrying about the actual 'race' and enjoy the process, training and journey that is experienced along the way.

hehe Abit random but reminds me of the hare and the tortoise story so..I thought I'd throw this picture in here. :P
p.s. I paddled my way all the way to the beach because my doctor told me not to swim at first. But everything is all good now, yay!!! =)

Good things comes to those who wait?

2010-08-30T10:40:00.004+08:00

I remember my ex-coworker translated Mak Ling Ling's 2010 horoscope to me and on the 'work' aspect, it said that I would experience unemployment this year. Not that I totally dependent on these predictions but it's still interesting to see how it's been quite accurate for me so far. (Wonder what it said about my health?) Anyways, can't help but feel slightly down sometimes... I can't quite put a finger on what I want for my career. Get an EAA license and go into real estate? Apply for Urban design/planning? Have a go at teaching because I enjoy working with young children and then get qualified in Education? So many possibilities all kind of floating around my head. I want to do all of these things but need a foot in the door to kick start 'something'. I don't know what that is and I don't even know if I'm even capable of these posts. So many unknowns. I ask myself and pray on it but I'm still lacking the insight, confidence and perspective as to what and where the answer might be. Maybe I do need a breakthrough in order to find out my ah-haa. :)

Mm..There is one place that I would loooove to work for and I had an interview with them in mid-late August. I'm still kicking myself for not being as relaxed/awesome as I could have been. :P I wish I had a second chance to really leave an impression but I guess in life, sometimes we're only given one opportunity to make a difference. Sigh, anyways I still haven't heard back from them so I sent the local director a polite email today asking to see if the position has been fulfilled. She said they're still in the process of interviewing candidates and that shortlisted candidates will notified accordingly by HR.. I guess there's still a glimmer of hope but the waiting part is never easy. Irregardless of her decision, I feel anxious for not knowing if its a yes or so long farewell.

I guess all I can do is continue doing what I've always been doing which is keep looking and job hunting. I'll just comfort myself by perhaps saying that when you ask/wish for the answer you receive is never 'yes' all the time. Sometimes it's 'Yes, but you have to wait', or 'Yes, but not what you expected', or 'No, because it's not good for you.' Of course the best answer is 'yes, and so much more.'

Chocolate dreams

2010-08-20T15:10:00.005+08:00

Three birthday cakes, two birthday celebrations, only once each year.

Last Saturday I got to explore Lamma Island briefly with Karen, Pinky and Jamie as it was K's day of relaxation/celebration. There's definitely a stronger hippie feel compared to other Lantau villages or outlying islands. It's pretty convenient to get to, a 30 minute ferry ride from Central gets you to Yung Shue Wan and from there we walked over to Hung Shing Yeh beach. Beach is alright, a few sun tanners and Chinese tourists as well -interesting mix of different ethnicities. The weather was gorgeous but sadly with regards to the scenery there were 3 chimney stacks in the near distance (hk electric?) which is quite unfortunate because apart from that, the area is really quaint and relaxing. Picture time:

Wine kept out in this heat? *ponders.. That homemade hazelnut & chocolate cake by jan was pretty amazing! Hope your bday was filled with your closest loved ones and all the best in the new year :)

On Sunday it was J's turning of quarter of a century old and we had a pleasant meal with his family on the south side. Even though he just got back in the evening, it was nice to spend the remainder of the day with him. =) HB from PB, health and happiness all the way! *big hugs
<3 <3 <3

Tomorrow is another day

2010-08-14T09:52:00.010+08:00

gr..ever disliked something with such passion that you wanted to explode like a ticking time bomb? All I can say is that I'm so relieved to be out of there. Yeah, one might think that it's this new generation of spoiled brats who can't handle hardship n' stuff but no, I feel like I've done enough retail/low paying labour in 3-4 years to know that this office job that paid extremely well was just NOT right for me (only after 4 days!). Good thing the contracts said that either parties could end the employment immediately because I would seriously pop a blood vessel if I had to stay there any longer. I was telling my parents about it and they were kind of surprised by a western company's controlling tactics and they just laughed when they saw me get so worked up about something that I hated. Not only was the work not right for me but there IS something fundamentally wrong with their operations as it doesn't take an idiot to understand why the previous girlsss did not last. I truly give props to anyone who can mentally endure that place for over a week because that place is a total 'dream and social life killer'. A disclaimer should be made in 12pt of the health/mental hazards that can come with crazy work environments. lol I could perhaps hack the long hours but long term wise, no proper lunch AND dinner breaks, well I don't want to put my health on the line again.. I used to be pretty neutral when people ask me the question on happiness vs. money but for this particular instance I know 100% that I pick happiness because I don't want to feel pressured just because they're paying me x amount. ugh.. makes me boil again but I won't rant anymore even though there's alot more to say... What a horrible experience but at the same time now I know... Can't possibly be happier to tick that one off my list.

Think happy thoughts. Think happy thoughts..

Art jamming in tst with boo and friends last week. It would've been cool if we coordinated our paintings so he was a cookie monster or something on the other canvas and be shooting back with chocolate chip BB-gun pellets. haha We only had 2 hours to paint but it was pretty fun. =)

Gorgeous Sunday sunset on the ferry back to Central.

I feel so vitamin D & J deprived this week. Getting too much indoor lighting and not enough quality time with human beings. One more day.

Finger's crossed

2010-08-05T18:26:00.037+08:00

Will let some photos describe what goes into my tummy and what goes on in my life during the month of July:

Watching the exciting Spain vs. Germany game at Stanley where I won my first bet with J. It makes everything that much more exciting when something is on the line. KEKEKE

Pretty self-explanatory.. =D Oi I was being reaaally nice already.

Mmm..smoked salmon eggs benedict shared with yves. The strawberry compote and yoghurt waffles were really tasty as well. =D

So pretty I almost don't want to eat. ALMOST hehe Love their scones with strawberry+rose jam and fresh clotted cream. Thanks to the Duchess of Bedford we can enjoy high tea whenever we please. *nibble om nomnomnom lol

An amazing iced chocolate drink at Vero with abit of crunch and snap!

A very sexay neon green lambo in Central.

I am an alien :P

Dinner and drinks at Tivo with old coworkers just like the good ol times

Yum cha on a beautiful day at iSquare. Got to meet my 4 month old niece for the very first time and see how much my 14 month nephew has grown. Both very cute with chubby "I wanna pinch them so badly but I also don't want to traumatize them" cheeks.

First time going to the beach this year to catch some rays at Shek O with siu pink & ling yee. Apparently my thighs look like weiners? -_- Accidentally fell asleep but no harm done *whew

Testing the fish-eye function on the iphone and catching up with kho at Brunch Club. This place gets so packed at lunch hour and then virtually empty after.

Eat Pray Love, the latest book that I'm reading. Yes yes and yes! ..please =)

What will tomorrow bring

2010-07-28T12:20:00.015+08:00

I've counted my calendar and it's been almost 58 days from the 'start date' and for the first time I truly feel like things are brightening up. *PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR* haha I mean each time I saw my doctor he would tell me that things are going well and really boost my morale but yesterday he looked at my wound and was really really happy with the speed in which the wound has healed. Since the last time he saw me he said it has healed up exponentially (almost half as big) and gave an estimation that in approx two weeks time, it should be fully recovered! whoaomgosh.. I wasn't expecting everything to be healed that fast so it kind of comes as a surprise when you learn that the end is in sight. yea, I think it's all the tlc that I've been receiving. hehee It feels like it's been so long since I've done anything strenuous so can't wait to be back outside doing something fun!

Mmm.. so I have been taking things pretty easy lately, reading, hanging/eating with friends, meeting the parents, watching movies like Salt & Inception over the weekend which was pretty amazing! Loved the movies..both were very entertaining. However at the same time it kind of bothers me because I feel like I don't deserve some of these things when I'm not working at the moment. Maybe I am being too hard to myself and but I think I'll only be able to fully enjoy socializing/shopping/eating once I have a stable job under my belt. I've started job searching and have an interview tomorrow with this group that I would love to be associated with. Might be tough work and measly pay but we'll see how it goes :P

Since things have settled down pretty good now except for some weekly check-ups.. here's some of my goals for the next month:
1. Find a job that pays decently and won't have to work till v. late.
2. Go running 3 times a week, average 5-10km per run.
3. Go hiking and biking on the weekends.
4. Try and cook more often.
5. Have quality hangouts with Jboy and girl friends :)

I'm pretty excited yet anxious for the month of August. Bu zhi dao wei shenme dan shi wo hui yong gan mian dui.

Round II

2010-07-13T18:25:00.007+08:00

This time everything went really smooth. Thank goodness for full body anesthesia, go to sleep..dream for awhile which I did but forgot about what and wake up laughing in disbelief! I remember feeling a little high when I woke up and asking the nurses if they did the operation yet before passing out again and waking up in my room. Perhaps mine was more on the weak side but I didn't feel groggy, cold or have poor appetite afterward. I know it's not fair to compare local vs. private hospitals but...I can't help it. Makes life so much easier when you don't have to bring your own metal containers when you want to eat, basic soap and tissue paper when you want to use the washroom, no biatchy nurses that stab you with IV drips every few hours and lastly no foul smell wherever you go. It's crazy how my accommodation ward in HK was the most basic and yet I already felt like a Queen, happily ordering away from the extensive menu and feeling like I was staying at a hotel. heehe I feel so stupid for putting myself through this crap but I guess I wasn't thinking straight with the pain and discomfort that I was experiencing and I really had no clue that the hospital conditions were going to be 'that' bad over in China. Sigh..never again.

Well, just want to give a big hug to my frds who were able to stop by, I really appreciate your company =) Fruits were yum and the lil gifts super helpful. And thank *YOU for stopping by everyday. Wasn't expecting you a few times so was very happy (as always) when you're around..because to me those are the most priceless moments.

Snapped some shots from my iphone. Yes..I've finally converted when I vowed that I'd never get one. teehee I've caved and am a follower of apple. Love it! :D

Happy Valley view from the 20/F.
PINK.
LOL

Time for pc to start the recovery process all over again. *Kazaaa

ET has returned home

2010-07-07T10:32:00.021+08:00

..but still feeling slightly alien around here. =P Even though I'm SO glad to be back, I'll really miss the simple ways of life in BJ like: riding our bikes out to wudaokou, grabbing the 731 bus to zhongguancun, wearing flip flops everywhere, grabbing milk tea boba from Happy Lemon, a slice of cake from Cafe Bros, hanging out at 10 years cafe & cramming for the next exam over a big basket of popcorn. Eating subway sandwiches when I was feeling sick, eating cheap dumplings & congee in the canteen, watching man versus food and movies on the laptop, student discounts at the cinema, the polite cleaning lady who comes by every other day, the dry weather and of course all the peanut butter + jelly days.

heh If I had to highlight certain things I'll definitely say it's been most memorable living on my own for the very first time. I'm pretty independent so apart from the homesickness during the first week, everything else was smooth sailing. This has been longest time I've ever been away from my family and I've grown closer to my mom for sure..just from her worrying how I'm doing and what I eat on a daily basis. lol Then there was traveling with some great friends. Going to Inner Mongolia has taught me the meaning of 'roughing it out' in extremely cold weather. =) I'd love to explore more places in China someday..places which are far away from civilization with amazing landscapes.

The first sun-rise I saw in the grasslands at around 6am.
The sun-rise on the 2nd day in the dessert.
:)

And then there's that trip to Zhangjiajie in Hunan province, the place that looks like the Avatar mountains but less touristy compared to Huangshan. Although it was a pretty long train ride down and the scenery looks really familiar by the 3rd day, it was still very breathtaking.

The blistering hot 186 step up to the Tai Shan XP

It's kind of sad to leave despite everything that's happened. Seasons pass, people come and go, things happen and the only thing you can do is treasure all good times & accept all the things that have happened, learn from past experiences and just start from here. My language partner taught me this proverb during our last meeting and I feel like its pretty applicable to me right now: [温故知新] a saying by Confucius and the rough translation of it would be 'Warm up the old in order to know the new.'

Aside from practicing Mandarin, which I'll need to resume and continue learning in HK, I guess I've gone in treating Beijing as my very long vacation. In the past 2.5 years that I've been working, I don't think I've taken any longer than 7 days off. Even though the past month has been pretty crazy emotional for me and the whole ordeal is still far from over (MRI and possibly surgery on Sat), I would hands down label this as the most memorable experience in my lifetime. You might go 'yeahh right' but I'm not kidding! Such a wide spectrum of ups and downs... I guess one can say that I've also caught a glimpse of the University life which I felt like I missed back in the day but looking back again have I really missed that much? Yes and no, I think. There might be things which we wish we can go back in time to change and other things that you are perfectly content with..which I am very much so at present. =)

It's time for me to say good-bye Beijing. No wait..see you later Beijing! hehe It'll sound incredibly cheesy but this is only the beginning, not the end.

Taking a trip down memory lane
Things have changed One thing remains
That they will always have each other
And even though those days have gone
They know here is where they belong
Theres some kinda magic in the air

Feel the warmth
That only summer breezes can bring
Sweet little notes of spring begin
Nothing to fear

Taking one step at a time
Walking hand in hand
1 2 3 4
Cheek to cheek
And they're learning how to do that dance
Let this love be forever more they say
I wish for this, to be true for you and me

Holding her close he leading the way
Out at the park enjoying the Day
And you can tell they'll be ok
Feel the warmth
That only summer breezes can bring
Sweet little notes of spring begin
Nothing to fear

Taking one step at a time
Walking hand in hand
1 2 3 4
Cheek to cheek
And they're learning How to do that dance
Let this love be forever more they say
I wish for this, to be true for you and me

You & Me - Olivia Ong

Everything's going to be fine

2010-06-12T12:03:00.000+08:00

Heyy! I'm so happy to be back and I hope I didn't freak you guys out with my last post. :) Wo mei shi la..well, the worst part is definitely over and I just need to report back to the doctor twice a week (which apparently isn't going to be fun), take antibiotics and various other pills on a daily basis. The doctor's haven't been able to explain how I got the infection which is kind of scary but I'll just have to do as they say and wait for the slow recovery. But if you guys know me well, I may have told you that since I was young, I haven't been able to swallow pills very well if at all. I used to grind them up in a tablespoon and mix it with water. Nowadays I bite them into quarters before trying to gulp it down in 2 or 3 attempts. I know..I'm a big adult who can't swallow tiny little pills. *chuckles I googled this the other day and I'm somewhat relieved to learn that there are other people out there like me. I know it's a mental thing, need to relax n'stuff but I'm getting there..I should practice with grapes of something. =T

So yeah, staying at the hospital was pretty rough just because of all the emotions I was feeling and the environment didn't do much to ease the anxiety. The operation room looked abit like a scene from a twisted horror movie but the nurses and doctor's were pretty nice to me and a few of them tried to sooth my nerves abit. Not that it's anything to be proud of but I do now have bragging rights to say that I've underwent my first health battle in Beijing of all places. Didn't shower during those few days so one can imagine how smelly I was getting on top of the summer heat because our rooms didn't have a/c's turned on. (The elderly lady beside me strictly refused so I couldn't be selfish and ignore her right?) Mm..totally appealing I know. =P Talking about appealing, the food wasn't too bad either probably because I wasn't expecting much. I mainly ate plain congee and even though it would've tasted alot better with a speck of salt, it's still hits the spot and will always be my comfort food when I'm ill. On the last day I had some noodles with tomato+eggs and I will ALWAYS remember how awesome it was... It could possibly be the best bowl of 6rmb noodles I have ever had in Beijing just because I was starving. =)

I've just been trying to rest up abit and yesterday I went out to Zhongguancun for a Subway sandwich & conveniently went to check out some sound systems and then went out to Rumi for my celebratory meal *mmm good persian food. Since we were at the Sanlitun Village area, got the chance to watch abit of the South Africa vs. Mexico FIFA match at Luga's. Yeah, me and my diet coke amidst the rowdy beer drinkers, I love the excitement and atmosphere here - it's so intense! Oh, my parents also sent me a goodies box full of love which I rec'd yesterday. From Vancouver to Hong Kong and then to Beijing all in like..2 days? hehe They got me 1kg worth of unsalted almonds, Kellogg's all bran bars (love!!), a big bag of Ocean Spray cranberries, Sunkist chewable vitamin c's and a box of instant Quaker oatmeal with maple & brown sugar (because my mom thinks I miss maple syrup haha). Yeah, I can picture people going "eww how can you be happy to receive that?!" and my reply would be yes, as per my personal request my mom got exactly what I needed. <3<3

Alrighty, time for domokun to fight on for the next few weeks..*roarr.. Take good cares. xxx - pc

我不是一个女强人

2010-06-04T10:11:00.006+08:00

I just want to say that I am so lucky to have such good friends by my side who have have accompanied me or given me moral support in the past 3 days. Anyways, I'm not really in the right frame of mind & mood to explain everything but I feel like I've been through an emotional roller coaster ride, traveling in and out of 4 different hospitals trying to seek medical assistance. I have to say that I am mentally exhausted. Physically I'm still like an duracell battery but to think that IF I was a 50-70 year old person living in China and I had to go through the same ordeal? No way... I would have passed out from the lengthy wait to see the 外科 consultation.

There are still a lot of things which frustrates me when I think about it but there's nothing that I can do now because I have already tried going to the so-called best hospital in Beijing and after their kind-but-obvious rejection due to their inadequate beds to patients ratio, I guess I'll have to take the advice and go back to the hospital that was already taking care of me. I guess it's not so easy to simply 'switch' hospitals. Anyways, it's been a rough few days but everything is going to be alright. I just need to focus on what to eat and do before & after my little surgery to make my healing time shorten and be as hassle-free as possible.

Friends, family or anyone traveling to Beijing. If you are ill or in pain, please for the sake of your overall comfort and general well-being don't just go to any hospital, I would seriously recommend you to go to Xiehe Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Wangfujing and enter from the Southern Gates because they cater more to the foreign patients. At least I can walk away from this and say that I have truly gotten a full Beijing experience. I can't wait to leave on Wed/Thurs get back to my dorm and just take a breath of relief. hehe I know this has nothing to do with the problem I have now but I'm seriously going to start treating my body like a temple. People who think I'm health conscious haven't seen nothing yet. No more spicy food, vendor snacks or anything that looks sketchy. (But sitting on the bed, watching tv and eating out from a tub of chocolate ice cream with a wooden baby spoon is fine hehe *wink). I used to think that I rarely get ill but now I truly know how weak & vulnerable my body is. Your health is so important, so don't take it for granted!! =(

如果我没有你们的话我就不会有那么多能力去斗争或者面对我的情况，谢谢。
Thank you Jason, Neil, Noel and Paul for your help. I am very grateful and I know that I'll need to walk away from this and learn to accept acts of kindness even when I feel like it's too much trouble. If I were in their shoes I would have done the same thing but I have always felt bad when I see people going out of their way to put me as their number one priority. There must be something wrong with me... but thank you for not listening or letting me go through this by myself. =')

你有什么愿望?

2010-05-10T22:17:00.003+08:00

Wish /wɪʃ/
–verb (used with object)
1.to want; desire; long for (usually fol. by an infinitive or a clause).
2.to desire (a person or thing) to be (as specified).
3.to entertain wishes, favorably or otherwise, for.
4.to bid, as in greeting or leave-taking
5.to request or charge

Apart from making wishes before blowing out birthday candles, I rarely make wishes or ask for anything that I really really want because I've always felt like it was personally wrong to want/demand something that was far-fetched. So while we were staying in the Inner Mongolia's, I woke up super early on the first morning to see the sunrise out on the grasslands and everyone except for One was too tired or cold to walk out into the dark. In order to catch a better view of the emerging sun I walked towards this gentle hill and on top there was this handmade yurt looking thing made out of hundreds of rocks... As J and I waited for the sun to come out, we learned that one can walk around it clockwise three times before making a wish. Off I went prancing around the rock structure.

...I honestly never would have thought that this wish would actually come true. =)

Oh so random..

2010-04-27T07:48:00.001+08:00

I want to crawl back into bed.. It's tuesday, it's early and I'm freezing.

Yay my first midterm yesterday went pretty well. It was kinda disappointing at first, not because I did really badly but because I felt like I kinda over-studied for it -_-" lol Initially I was like aww man, I could have spent those precious hours to check out the cherry blossoms rather than be cooped up studying. Then rethinking it over, the characters are sticking in my brain so its for my own benefit that I used this time to catch up. Next time I need to fu-xi on a weekly basis rather than freak out during the last 2-3 days trying to mass cram 200+ characters for one particular class. Lesson learned.

So last weeks relentless craving for crepes with dark chocolate has finally gone. To replace it I would really appreciate a soy milk latte from Starbucks and a toasted chocolate muffin or blueberry scone. mmm..I was going to say cinnamon buns but it would be impossible for me to get hold of one so will stick to something more attainable in China. Should I head over there this afternoon? The thought of it sounds oh sooooo tempting...

Countdown: 3 more days until Zhang Jia Jie. Looking forward to doing some hiking and is it stupid if I'm actually a lil excited for the train ride too? Never been on a long distance train before in China.. For the most part we'll be exposed for an extended period of time to smelly feet and garlic-y goodness. =P I learned the other day that at some restaurants, they serve raw garlic cloves as condiments for people to munch on. Golly, NO WONDER. hehe Anyhoo hope the trip is fun =)

brrr...im frozing

2010-04-14T13:15:00.015+08:00

..I miss building heaters that creates toasty warm rooms..the type that will dry your wet clothes in approximately 2 hrs.

This is actually kinda ridiculous. I don't understand why the gov't has the right to control all building heaters. Since April 1st we haven't had any heat in our rooms which would have been understandable if the temperature was ranging over 15 degrees but this morning it was 3 degrees. Do you know how hard that is for a 8am class? Sigh.. I seriously think the temperature inside my room is the same as outside, if not colder because I'm not facing the sun. I need to get out but I think I've got the sniffles/cold brewing so every lazy bone in my body is calling.. I really don't want to get sick. T___T

---

Do you base your expectations on the emotions you feel, the things you see/experience or just go with the flow and set low expectations?

'We're afraid to care too much for fear that the other person doesn't care at all.'
- E. Roosevelt.

Sweetness maximo

2010-04-09T00:23:00.000+08:00

Sent my parents a long email to update them on my brief trip this past weekend and I was sort of expecting my dad to say..great photos, glad you had fun on your trip but it's time to focus/buckle up and study ok? On the contrary he responded by saying..

"You should also make the benefit of studying in China, try to explore different provinces and experience their cultures as much as possible. You don't have to worry about the money. You have plenty of time to earn money and meanwhile, you are welcome to get help from me or Mom money wise. We will always fully support you."

This little paragraph might not signify much to other people but for me...I was so gan dong when I read it. I don't intend to use their money to travel or make my life more comfortable unless there was some really unfortunate circumstance but reading the last bit makes me love my parents so much more. We don't tend to be very expressive or even display affection with one another but from 4 simple sentences I feel so blessed that they've always been supportive of me. I was kinda worried because my purpose here is to study right..not necessarily to 'travel and sight-see'. Then I read a lil further in the email and I guess my parents have always encouraged me to do the things that they weren't able to when they were young.. so I'm pretty lucky. I used to think my parents were really really really strict. Maybe not so much now :)

On a side note, it got me thinking back to our conversation a few weeks back when Noel brought up the topic of the '5 love languages'. Words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service and physical touch. Is it possible to prefer giving and receiving different means of the above?? hmm... and which one is my primary love language.

Things we take for granted

2010-04-01T16:17:00.004+08:00

Number one on my list:

1. Hot water.

Stupid pipe leakage in Building 21. At first my school life kinda revolved around the specified hot water supply (3 periods throughout the day) but both yesterday, today annnd tomorrow, there's no hot water and in order to take a nice shower we have to go to Building 23. Even though it's a mere 5 minutes walk away, I don't like the thought of communal showers so I guess I'll just tough it up and give coldness a go. It's probably a good opportunity to treat this as my lil wilderness training for our 3 day camp-like QingMing excursion (if you'd like to call it that). hehe Yeah, it'll be an interesting short trip to the Inner Mongolia's with 12 other friends..I expect complaints. *chuckles.. Anyways despite the expected cold weather + fairly barren landscape, I'm sure it'll be a fun experience because of the people we go with. hehee I look forward to eating my kimchi fang bian mian, riding camels, parachuting if I have the guts to, sleeping in stinky yurts with 5 other stinky friends, using nasty bathrooms and checking out a 3 star hotel with 4 star views. =)

One ought to start low and work their way up in order to appreciate whatever they have at present. Next on my list: really want to visit Xi'an.

Alive & Well

2010-03-23T23:11:00.004+08:00

All settled in. yay

And officially sick of Chinese canteen food. Haven't had any for the past 4 days and don't plan on having any during this week either.

Sometimes I wonder if anyone reads my rambling blog entries and I'd be pretty happy knowing that some people do think of me and wonder around to read this. If this is you I just want to say ni hao. :) I'm currently doing well in Beijing. Can't believe that I've been living in the Tsinghua dorms for...almost 5 weeks now. In a nutshell I've grown accustomed to the way of life here and can confidently say that I can now cross major intersections without inducing sweaty palms or see death flash before my eyes, take the bus and/or subway to make my way around town and not rely so heavily on the cab rides, conveniently whip out a package of napkins when it comes down to using the squatting washrooms.. I guess during this short time span I've also learned that doing the laundry ain't so annoying after all and it's actually kind of fun. Seriously I look forward to it every week. Some people like to wash dishes but for me..cleaning my room and doing the laundry works well for me.

I've made a few new acquaintances n' friends and I'm really happy to be able to come across some really cool + nice people.. Some through classes, friends of friends, campus tours, purely out of curiosity like knocking on my dorm neighbor's door. (btw she's really awesome and it feels like it's all intentionally planned by the big guy up above to guide me towards where I ought to be. I was such a lost sheep in HK :P hehe) In terms of the party scene it's great fun dancing here..if only my fatchix were around we'd be soo rocking the dance floor but sadly there's not enough r&b or hip hop to share the joy. In addition I'm starting to feel my age around here. I mean it's great and even flattering that I can pass off as a 20-21 year old but reality is that I'm not. I don't think I'm condescending but I do chuckle at the things people do or say..maturity is not always a given around here but it does keep me very amused heh. Perhaps after a socializing-ish day time PC, I'm still a introvert at heart, loving my quiet time at night when I get a chance to unwind. Usually do all my homework after class and in the evening I just chat, revise or read abit. So yeah, been doing a number of extra-curricular activities like ATTEMPTING TO JOIN the choir & marathon club. hahaha o.m.g. We had to audition for the choir club and it felt like American Idol with 4 listeners and 1 person holding the video recorder. They each had this score card to rate us. Then for the marathon club (which I should have gotten the message from the name itself) was crazy intense too. Noel and I ran for approx 20 minutes in -2 degrees and the runners ran past us at least 4 times. We decided to give up hahah +___+ Yeah, I guess 'having fun' and 'University clubs' don't go hand in hand in PRC. We did get a chance to play some badminton today which was really fun. It feels nice for once not getting beaten by dad and also some tennis last week which I'm horrible at. I ought to take lessons or ask someone to teach me how to play because I must look like a fool. hehe Can't wait until the weather gets warmer to go hiking or something.

Anyways, starting tomorrow (March 24th) I'm going to start running again. Gotta train for the May 15th run at the Great Wall. I hope fellow hk running buddy can make it during that time for a visit!! :D Unfortunately my sports band doesn't seem to be working but it's ok, I will see to it that I stay disciplined. *RARRr Oh and there's some issues with uploading photos so I guess whoever is reading this will just have to bare with the dryness of my writing. Okie dokie take cares and hope everyone is doing great! xxxx

Love,
Peggy

2010-02-20T17:48:00.005+08:00

甜酸苦辣 we've gone through it all together.

Completely and utterly in lost for words to express how touched I am. I received a scrapbook full of photos taken over these past 2 years and seriously I wonder if anyone ever comes across a feeling such as this. My colleagues are sooooooo awesome and no matter what happens later on down the road, can you still please be my friend? I'm horrible at keeping in touch but I will try my best to email/write to you guys..

It makes me laugh and want to cry at the same time...sigh I feel so unworthy, deem gai you guys are so good to me? :( Thank you thank you thank you!!!

Thank you =*)

<--Scrap book pics

2010-02-17T23:07:00.015+08:00

Aren't these homemade cupcakes pretty?
After a night of rockband (beatles!), mos burger, whip ip movie, therapeutic baking time. *booyah! Once our babies cooled down, we spread the cream cheese icing and jeans did the honor of dotting the nipples and it looks pretty decent to me! hehe And darn do they make your heart sing like omgawd just like the stores if not better! Took a few of them home to share with dad and a few to share at work. =)

Few months back after my colleague knew that I would be leaving, she asked me what I wanted as my farewell gift or if I needed anything for my trip to Beijing. I thought about it for awhile and realized that ever since I moved back to HK, I have no dolls or cute things by the sides of my bed. With that said the inner kid-at-heart called for medium sized doll that I could bring on my trip and here is my new bearbear! Name has yet to be confirmed but its a girl and I'm glad she'll be around when I'm homesick missing my friends & family.. Xiexie Ling Yee.

And man..time goes by toooo fast. wth. Tomorrow is my last day..moved the dates because I absolutely need to buy and pack all my stuff or else I'll start freaking out. Need to buy warm hoodies and fleeces. Can't believe that after tomorrow no more BB, no more heels getting stuck on Central sidewalks, no more daily cup of coffee with a mix of chocolate, no more soho lunches, no more froyo at my disposal, no more emails, no more pinky and the brain, no more HH, no more PC. Feeling a mix of emotions.. Sometimes I have really bad memories when it comes to remembering minor things but in terms of people I meet or certain events in life, I can have a crazy photographic memory. I know I will miss y'all so much and hoping I'll cross your minds sometimes. Is it true that all we ever say is 'good-bye?' Sigh well more mushy-ness later, it's time for bed. Reminder to self: Must buy some warm PJ's from Marks n' Spencer. I'm still wearing shorts and sleeveless tops. Absolutely frickingfreezing.

Today was a fairytale - taylor swift.

2010-02-13T10:21:00.016+08:00

Although its fairly effortless in others eyes, I appreciated it.
Short but sweet.
And will leave it as that.

"There you have it, young love..promise, full of hope. Ignorant to reality." =P

Will that be me few years down the road?? hehe Movie was good although most parts were reaaally predictable. I would choose this over Love Actually but New York I love you is better in my books :P I want to watch Hot Summer Days as well! So..people have asked me what I'm doing on Feb 14th and luckily CNY has saved me from the sad reply of: "umm...no plans at all, just stay at home watching Bridget Jones diary?" lol I'm not as extreme as Jessica Biel in Valentine's Day (which btw i love her because she's so gorgeous and goofy :P) but I WILL cringe when people ask me what plans I have with my 'bf' - which obviously I don't have because I'll be spending the whole of Sunday/Monday immersed with family activities + home visiting.

Anyways on the eve of CNY, I'd like to wish everyone a xin nian kuai le and a fabulicious year of the tiger!! To my friends who are working or studying, dating or still looking, I hope your dreams & wishes are answered in that each new day serves as a reminder that life has so much to offer you. Set some goals, don't give up and have faith in following your heart and courage to trust your intuition. I know this isn't a big issue for us youngsters but I actually know a lot of frail people around me who fall ill at 'least' once every month so just like to wish you good health that money can't even buy. To those who have found their other half, I wish y'all with unconditional love that wears through the thick and the thin as well as the ability to make compromises.. To those who are single or have been hurt.. to not be scared of falling in love because you just gotta live and learn. Treasure what you have at present but most importantly I hope this year brings about happiness that permeates and makes you full to the boot. hehe :D

It's so surreal. 5 more days until the last day of work and 8 days until I'm flying out. O_o I appear calm and yea of course I'm excited but subconsciously I'm pretty anxious. I told a few peeps, I had 2 dreams last week.. one was about me ravaging through through my room desperately trying to pack my suitcase and then forgetting some other must-bring item, then the other dream was me running through the streets trying to reach the taxi stand so that I could go home and pick up my luggage but my plane was due to depart in under 1-2 hours! Running and running but still taking forever to reach the bottom of central. Omg bu hao. heheh wo hao jin jiang ah... Don't know what to expect really.

"Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it." - Elizabeth Gilbert

Once upon a time

2010-02-07T01:11:00.013+08:00

I've realized that I have a pet peeve at work and that's when people send out visually unappealing emails to me. When something has the potential to be 100% but I see it being done half-heartily I really want to tell them...can you fix that before you send it out?? They're old enough not to be told off about these things but seriously is it because they don't notice it or is it because they just don't really care? Eye sore for disorganization.XP

Just another Saturday.
A chill day with Karen and Pinky at Discovery Bay - their first time there? We had a late lunch at Zaks, hung out by the beach before heading back to causeway bay for arcade fun + yakitori dinner. Will always have fond memories of our shared times together. You guys are everything that I could ask for...and more. Like 2 big sisters always taking care of the youngest one. heh

Once upon a time...is so passe as everything I've known before about steady (faithful) relationships is now relative thing of the past. I want to believe that someone right is out there for me but I'm becoming increasingly skeptical as to whether I'll ever fall in love again.. My friends/colleagues might laugh and tell me that I'm a silly girl but really I'd rather be cynical than completely wrong. ='(

">
My tears well up when I watch this. Knowing how it feels like to complete and reach the finish line, can you imagine running for your country and have a hundred supporters cheering you on? <3 The singer is only 15..amazing.

Wow, time flies..Toronto girlfriend will be back next week!! I'm so happy..and sad at the same time because I'll have so little time to hang out with her. It's going to be such a busy week before I go that it's almost stressful. I'm looking forward to all the food, dancing and gatherings. This time I'll make sure my good-bye disclaimer is written in fine print that I might pull another 'peggy'. hehee :)

2015. See you there at you know where.

Slightly sunburnt : )

2010-02-01T21:38:00.022+08:00

Absolutely gorgeous HOT weather this past weekend..trying to enjoy the sunshine as much as I can and sat/sun was definitely one of them! I don't know what's gotten over me but I'm like so hardcore all of a sudden. Trying to jam pack my days with outdoor activities hehe :P On Saturday went biking in under 4 hours (plus lunch break) and Sunday was the much anticipated 'beat the banana run.' It was so much fun and the sun was pretty scorchy by 9am which luckily didn't affect us too much because our run was so brief.

Nehoo dad drove me to Central ferry at 7.45am because I kind of woke him up and and I was able to snap a few shots along the pier side. Pretty huh? I kinda tweaked the colors in the first picture, there's no way the sky looks like that in the morning. :P

So..I can proudly say that I beat the banana!!!!! No I did not run under 10 minutes but the guy ran much slower to let the normal runners catch up. Yves was ahead of me and I could see the Banana right in front of her and I kept laughing because the scene was just too funny. Right before reaching halfway I was able to run ahead of him and I turned back and gave him 2 thumbs up sign. :) I bet he was melting in that costume. hehe

After our quick run, we walked over to Elements to grab some food from 360 before taking the train to Tung Chung! And yeah, we spent most portions of our day wearing/carrying our frog balloons as ornaments. :) We saw some ppl with balloons twisted into the shape of a tiny monkey and it was really adorable so we asked these 2 volunteer to make the same for us. They were both holding on to a half finished green balloon and they paused awkwardly and asked us if we wanted frogs instead. LOL. Sure :P We named our balloons Herbert & Percy. Totally random names. heeh

When we arrived at Tung Chung we took the New Lantau buses to Tai O (no. 11 costing $19 dollars). Neither of us have ever been to Tai O before and we got off the bus after we passed Cheung Sha Beach and Shek Kip Reservoir. Kinda felt like Amazing Race without the team competition. How awesome would it be if we were on that show?! *Dreams.. heh So we began our hike at Lantau Trail Stage 5 and although we meant to do stage 6 as well, I guess we sorta went offtrack during the remaining 2.5 km - the signs weren't very clear. Didn't see that many hikers at all apart from some young adults in the beginning and 4 mountain bikers. They were really friendly and we sort of had a brief conversation with them and they commented on our bright yellow t-shirts, took pictures of us (one guy carried his bike over his shoulders to look like a macho man *chuckles ) and they also commented how it's hard to find 'beauties in the woods.' lol. Guess we should haven given him extra props for his confidence to openly compliment strangers. heh Overall the hike was very much like Dragon's back but there was just one section where we both instantly responded like this: 'O....M.....G...' *GASP, DESPAIR, DUBIOUS.. We were both expecting a really easy trail but when we saw this huge inclination, seriously I was quietly swearing to myself. This picture doesn't do it justice. +_+"

@ Tai O - the fishing village.
First things on our minds when we arrived was an unanimous desire to eat ice cream.=D After we found & finished our frozen popsicle whilst meandering through the streets, we stumbled upon this cozy lil cafe in one of the stilt houses. Had some mellow music playing in the background and the sunshine was able to peep nicely through. Perfect place to hang out.

Although it was an extremely tiring weekend and suffered from a slight heatstroke but twas the perfect way to end January. =)

If I was around in March, I would join this: http://www.orbis.org.hk/walkforsight/
If I feeling splurge-like I would buy a plane ticket and bring myself back to HK to do the SC 10km run on the 28th. Even if it means running alone and staying only for the weekend :P
If I really wanted to have a good time, I'd go to Thailand / Philippines and get a nice tan over CNY.

Countdown: 20 days.

My Saturday - 23 Jan 2010

2010-01-25T23:20:00.027+08:00

A slip would have resulted in a big fall and some ugly scrapes. Don't try this at home kids. XP heh The weather was crispy cold and had an extremely fun afternoon with Karen & Pinky. I will let the pictures do the talking..

Blowing bubbles! Haven't played this since the early 90's. Good old days.. Reminded me of the times when my parents would take me to the park and play, packing my lil red knapsack full of seaweed snacks. Brings a smile to my face =)

As we were leaving Tai Po Market, we stopped to buy some candies from this street vendor run by two elderly citizens. They were selling 'dong dong' candy (common in our parent's generations), red bean 'boot zai go'and I tried this crunchy coconut filling with a slightly savory wrapping. It was actually pretty good and its definitely one of those old school candy that will one day disappear from our tongue palettes.

As you can see, we jumped ALOT trying to capture a cool picture and I nearly had a near-death experience whereby it felt like I was about to jump/fall off a cliff. Nehoo we also tried that 'kick kick' purple feathery thing..whatever it's called hehe It's reaally fun but requires you to be super fast and nimble on your feet. Surprisingly 5 minutes can make you sweat at a faster rate than biking! Weird. Following TaiPo fun, went home to change and went out to Philia Lounge with friends. Good showing of people and I garner that the event was success? =) Will ask Yves&H to send me more photos later.. in the meantime, always WATCH your drink, spot any color differences and smell it before you drink. T__T Thanks..?? It's like stating the obvious but I'll take it as an important reminder. *chuckles

2010-01-20T23:15:00.005+08:00

On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning by Haruki Murakami

One beautiful April morning, on a narrow side street in Tokyo's fashionable Harujuku neighborhood, I walked past the 100% perfect girl.

Tell you the truth, she's not that good-looking. She doesn't stand out in any way. Her clothes are nothing special. The back of her hair is still bent out of shape from sleep. She isn't young, either - must be near thirty, not even close to a "girl," properly speaking. But still, I know from fifty yards away: She's the 100% perfect girl for me. The moment I see her, there's a rumbling in my chest, and my mouth is as dry as a desert.

Maybe you have your own particular favorite type of girl - one with slim ankles, say, or big eyes, or graceful fingers, or you're drawn for no good reason to girls who take their time with every meal. I have my own preferences, of course. Sometimes in a restaurant I'll catch myself staring at the girl at the next table to mine because I like the shape of her nose. But no one can insist that his 100% perfect girl correspond to some preconceived type. Much as I like noses, I can't recall the shape of hers - or even if she had one. All I can remember for sure is that she was no great beauty. It's weird.

"Yesterday on the street I passed the 100% girl," I tell someone.

"Yeah?" he says. "Good-looking?"

"Not really."

"Your favorite type, then?"

"I don't know. I can't seem to remember anything about her - the shape of her eyes or the size of her breasts."

"Strange."

"Yeah. Strange."

"So anyhow," he says, already bored, "what did you do? Talk to her? Follow her?"

"Nah. Just passed her on the street."

She's walking east to west, and I west to east. It's a really nice April morning. Wish I could talk to her. Half an hour would be plenty: just ask her about herself, tell her about myself, and - what I'd really like to do - explain to her the complexities of fate that have led to our passing each other on a side street in Harajuku on a beautiful April morning in 1981. This was something sure to be crammed full of warm secrets, like an antique clock build when peace filled the world. After talking, we'd have lunch somewhere, maybe see a Woody Allen movie, stop by a hotel bar for cocktails. With any kind of luck, we might end up in bed.

Potentiality knocks on the door of my heart. Now the distance between us has narrowed to fifteen yards. How can I approach her? What should I say?

"Good morning, miss. Do you think you could spare half an hour for a little conversation?"

Ridiculous. I'd sound like an insurance salesman.

"Pardon me, but would you happen to know if there is an all-night cleaners in the neighborhood?"

No, this is just as ridiculous. I'm not carrying any laundry, for one thing. Who's going to buy a line like that?

Maybe the simple truth would do. "Good morning. You are the 100% perfect girl for me."

No, she wouldn't believe it. Or even if she did, she might not want to talk to me. Sorry, she could say, I might be the 100% perfect girl for you, but you're not the 100% boy for me. It could happen. And if I found myself in that situation, I'd probably go to pieces. I'd never recover from the shock. I'm thirty-two, and that's what growing older is all about. We pass in front of a flower shop. A small, warm air mass touches my skin. The asphalt is damp, and I catch the scent of roses. I can't bring myself to speak to her. She wears a white sweater, and in her right hand she holds a crisp white envelope lacking only a stamp. So: She's written somebody a letter, maybe spent the whole night writing, to judge from the sleepy look in her eyes. The envelope could contain every secret she's ever had.

I take a few more strides and turn: She's lost in the crowd.

Now, of course, I know exactly what I should have said to her. It would have been a long speech, though, far too long for me to have delivered it properly. The ideas I come up with are never very practical.

Oh, well. It would have started "Once upon a time" and ended "A sad story, don't you think?"

Once upon a time, there lived a boy and a girl. The boy was eighteen and the girl sixteen. He was not unusually handsome, and she was not especially beautiful. They were just an ordinary lonely boy and an ordinary lonely girl, like all the others. But they believed with their whole hearts that somewhere in the world there lived the 100% perfect boy and the 100% perfect girl for them. Yes, they believed in a miracle. And that miracle actually happened. One day the two came upon each other on the corner of a street.

"This is amazing," he said. "I've been looking for you all my life. You may not believe this, but you're the 100% perfect girl for me."

"And you," she said to him, "are the 100% perfect boy for me, exactly as I'd pictured you in every detail. It's like a dream."

They sat on a park bench, held hands, and told each other their stories hour after hour. They were not lonely anymore. They had found and been found by their 100% perfect other. What a wonderful thing it is to find and be found by your 100% perfect other. It's a miracle, a cosmic miracle. As they sat and talked, however, a tiny, tiny sliver of doubt took root in their hearts: Was it really all right for one's dreams to come true so easily?

And so, when there came a momentary lull in their conversation, the boy said to the girl, "Let's test ourselves - just once. If we really are each other's 100% perfect lovers, then sometime, somewhere, we will meet again without fail. And when that happens, and we know that we are the 100% perfect ones, we'll marry then and there. What do you think?"

"Yes," she said, "that is exactly what we should do."

And so they parted, she to the east, and he to the west.

The test they had agreed upon, however, was utterly unnecessary. They should never have undertaken it, because they really and truly were each other's 100% perfect lovers, and it was a miracle that they had ever met. But it was impossible for them to know this, young as they were. The cold, indifferent waves of fate proceeded to toss them unmercifully.

One winter, both the boy and the girl came down with the season's terrible influenza, and after drifting for weeks between life and death they lost all memory of their earlier years. When they awoke, their heads were as empty as the young D. H. Lawrence's piggy bank. They were two bright, determined young people, however, and through their unremitting efforts they were able to acquire once again the knowledge and feeling that qualified them to return as full-fledged members of society. Heaven be praised, they became truly upstanding citizens who knew how to transfer from one subway line to another, who were fully capable of sending a special-delivery letter at the post office. Indeed, they even experienced love again, sometimes as much as 75% or even 85% love.

Time passed with shocking swiftness, and soon the boy was thirty-two, the girl thirty.

One beautiful April morning, in search of a cup of coffee to start the day, the boy was walking from west to east, while the girl, intending to send a special-delivery letter, was walking from east to west, but along the same narrow street in the Harajuku neighborhood of Tokyo. They passed each other in the very center of the street. The faintest gleam of their lost memories glimmered for the briefest moment in their hearts. Each felt a rumbling in their chest. And they knew:

She is the 100% perfect girl for me.

He is the 100% perfect boy for me.

But the glow of their memories was far too weak, and their thoughts no longer had the clarity of fouteen years earlier. Without a word, they passed each other, disappearing into the crowd. Forever.

A sad story, don't you think? Yes, that's it, that is what I should have said to her.

--------
Any must-read recommendations by Mr. Murakami? I get so immersed in his novels. :P

好拉，我要开次practise我的中文。我现在写的correct吗? 谢谢这个website as it's quite hassle-free for me to type in simplified chinese now. =) 作天我在中环下办的是喉，两个tourist问我这么去TST ferry. I came to stark realization that I could only express myself in very minimal mandarin +_+ and after a few seconds of frustration in which my tongue refused to cooperate with my brain, I decided not to TRY expressing myself verbally, and instead 我跟他们说 'uhh..我带你们走一走。。因为我也去那个防向' haha..那就as strangers we walked in silence for 五分钟. Wow..that took me a while to write out and congratulations, you've just wasted 1 minute of your time reading to my useless rambling. :P

Countdown: 三十二日

Weekend of hoodie & sweatpants

2010-01-10T20:04:00.024+08:00

I've noticed that most of my scenic photos taken around Hong Kong involves the color blue. It's one of my favorite colors and it's interesting how when read out loud one usually associates unhappiness but for me when I see the actual color I'm quite tranquil and relaxed. Mismatch of emotions huh?

Hen piao liang ah. This is the first time I would actually describe this route as being absolutely beautiful. Biking with Karen L., her cousin & friend. Can't wait to try the Ma On Shan route next time tho..I think I can ride the route with my eyes closed soon. Absolutely loving this weather and my skin is becoming like it's original state..clean & clear.=) Next time if you're in Tai Wai, you've got to try the tofu dessert by the train station, super smooth and soft like a baby's bottom!! haha Dinner served up by daniel wu (*wink) at iSquare and drinks & janga at lkf thereafter. Yes after biking for 5 hours, my friends still accept me for who i am and appear keen to have me in their midst despite my lack of hygiene / appropriate attire that the setting requires for. Sorry V, next time I'll be well rested and properly freshened up before going out of town with you. =P

Relaxing Sunday yum cha with relatives in TST followed by cakes, macaroons and coffee with auntie. So good good.

This week I had a dream about something that felt super real and then have that exact same thing actually happen but then doubt whether it actually took place because my memory had become so vague. When I was young I used to wonder what it would be like if you woke up and realized that for the past 10+ years everything that happened was just a dream.

Up in The Air. Is it just me or do most people feel quite heavy-hearted at the end? What if those '10 million frequent flyer miles' that you've so longingly worked your life towards doesn't feel like such a great accomplishment once it's actually yours. Like the protagonist, we know what we don't want...but we don't know what we actually want when it singles down to something specific. However, I think we all don't want to be a parenthesis of nothing.

2010-01-07T23:15:00.006+08:00

What? The 5th "Beat the Banana!" Charity Run
Who? World Cancer Research Fund
When? Sunday 31 January, 2010
Where? TST water promenade
[Link]

I think the highlight of my day was getting an email from yves regarding the above. Looks fun but I don't like how they described the 6km run for 'elite runners' because it totally differed me from joining. Nevertheless it's for a good cause and we've signed up for the 3km. Looks like a lot of kids participate in the fun run which is uber cute! :P This should be a nice jog and the best bit is that we get to chase after this man dressed in a banana! However, after reading the website it says that banana guy ran 3km last year in just under 10 minutes.. O___o" lol okayy that's one mad sprinter. I'll probably take me at least 20 minutes?? Anyways sounds like a good way to spend a Sunday morning :) Too early? Can't run? Have plans? Then make a donation and sponsor me..heh

2010. A new start

2010-01-02T13:38:00.005+08:00

Goodbye 2009 - many memories formed this past year.
Here's to the countdown.
Omgosh this was really funny..the boys tried minimum 10 takes to take a photo in mid air but they all failed. As they were huffing and puffing for the next jump, someone said "Now you know how p*rnstars feel." haha

If you were lucky for most parts of the day yest, I posted a youtube link of gaylord and the butler. To avoid any lawsuit or turn of the century battle of the sexes I have taken down the link. Now the video shall forever remain locked up for my personal viewing pleasures. =P

So there were are a lot of highs and lows this past year but if I had to summarize it in a short paragraph I'd say the following:

Always challenge and push yourself to do things you never thought would have been possible. You never know until you try. However when it comes to relationships, I've learned that some things can't be forced and some feelings just come naturally. On the boys end, let's just say since July I've managed to care too much about a particular person who definitely didn't feel the same way about me. You come to grips that this world really isn't such a marvelous place as you think it is. You finally learn that people lie for personal gains and who aren't as simple as they appear to be. Like what my mom used to always say, 'Wear eyes when you meet people' and when in doubt, always trust your heart. I like to have fun with my girls when I'm out but if it involves playing with people's feelings and hurting people you care about? Count me out of this twisted game. I might be naive but I'm not stupid. Yes, I'm more worthy than this. As for my dear friends..what would I do without my girls? I already have a long distance relationship with flow and I'm about to have some other ones as well. You girls are like the opi to my nails, the dance floor to my club, the marshmallow to my rice krispies, the tissue to my tears & the butter to my bread :)

Excited for the ny?

2009-12-27T15:09:00.003+08:00

What a rare but pretty sight on Christmas Day :) You could sort of say we had a 'white' Christmas and we watched it blow in until visibility was super low. I remember it being really exciting and mysterious when you had to drive through fog at night..in Vancouver that is. Not too often that we get to see fog in the lower elevations around here.

So what are your opinions on this: a turn on or turn off?
Me thinks this is a very cool blazer and we should ALL get one and wear it out. hahaa We were shopping for a Lady Gaga outfit the other day for yves costume party and whilst at zara, we spotted this black top with flat rectangular shoulder pads like no tomorrow. It was soooo ROFL HILARIOUS! We couldn't stop laughing *giggles.. I'm sure if you look through your mom's closet, there's gotta be quite a few suits with these humonngous shoulder pads.. hehe Well this modernized version (or reincarnation with a mix of spongebob + cereal box look) gives off a sleek, avant-garde vibe which I was seriously digging because it made me smile =P

So boxing day out was fun with the SC crew. Happy peggy with perfect levels of tipsy-ness and dancing. I think I was giving people the impression that I was drunk which I was not. Okay maybe a littoh bit. =P Can't help it, the boys keep on buying and distributing. Seriously I owe them like 10 shots or something.
At Sahara before clubbing.. When was the last time we had shisha? Can't remember..The place is same same and the owner Dodi is still overly welcoming with that slightly ham sup glint in his eye. *shudders

Anyhoo this is pretty random but saw it today & thought it was really sweet, almost teared up. Check out his Dec 24th blog.

2009-12-24T18:51:00.009+08:00

Merry Christmas! : )

"When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you

If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do

Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of
Their secret longing

Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true"

Just thought of this song today (from the Disney movie Pinocchio)..and thought it was kinda christmassy :P I'm really in the mood to stay indoors for christmas this year just because there's way too many people on the streets. In the meantime will hibernate by reading, stream some tv shows (perhaps watch how i met your mother) and rest up for boxing day. hehe Have a good one! xx

2009-12-22T22:25:00.006+08:00

Thanks guys for hearing me out. Last day will be Feb 20th 2009 and i'm feeling much better. Last week was..pure misery. Can't believe it's rolling in motion now. I love my 2 bosses so much because they're so supportive of me..but it's just really tough to take it in when it feels like you're ending a perfect relationship :(

Oh well, must cheer myself up. I know every girl has probably watched this a hundred times and all the guys are probably rolling their eyes over the unnecessary fuss but seriously...he is going to be one heartbreaker when he grows up. So cute. With a smile like that it must be hard being his parents.

So our second annual 'HoHoHo' Christmas Party was another success and absolutely de-lish! It's great to have experienced cooks like myron and jacky in the kitchen.. Carmen, yves and I primarily helped with the prep work, chopping away like diligent Santa helpers =) On the menus this year: twisted puff pastry with cheese, garlic bread, candied yams, mashed potatoes, garlic bread, carbonara pasta, turkey, 2 different types of sausages wrapped with bacon, scallops wrapped in bacon, shepard's pie, peanut butter fudge and chocolate cake. So much food, not enough elasticity in our jeans. Tis the seasons for X'mas muffin tops.
Yep, it took 5 ppl to ensure that our mashed potatoes were properly made with the perfectissimo ratio of lumps, seasoning and cream.
Watching jacky's choc cake being baked in the oven.
This bad boy took forever to cook. So while we waited, we maximized the oven space by cooking cheese sticks!
mmm....uber moist interior chocolate cake with the additions of chocolate chip and sour cream. We nibbled away on the crunchy exteriors. teehee
Scallops & bacon..one of my favs for the night.
Last year vs this year.
Merry Christmas guys :)
Thanks to yves's family for letting us make a mess of their kitchen once again. It would've been perrrfect if I had a glass of cold milk to go with my chocolate cake and if I didn't have to go to work the next day. I think if I had an oven at home, I would seriously bake to my heart's content and feed all my friends around me. I kinda miss the joy in cooking, too darn tired to shop for groceries or fuss about in the kitchen nowadays.

Okay must go run this week. Too many christmas meals+partying makes me feel like a Michelin woman.

2009-12-14T22:44:00.011+08:00

This past weekend I stayed at home (sat/sun literally STAYED AT HOME) and watched a whole load of chick flicks online. One of them included 'My Blueberry Nights' which made me uber hungry the entire way. Although the pace gets a tad slow in the middle, I still find a way to enjoy Wong Kar Wai's films..

Two quotes I particularly liked:

For the last few days I've been learning how to not trust people, I'm glad I failed. Sometimes we depend on other people's mirror to define us and tell us who we are. And with each reflection..it makes me like myself a little more.

Sometimes your rhythm's off, you read the person right but still do the wrong thing. Not because you don't trust them...but because you can't even trust yourself.

And the one that stands out the most:

Jeremy: If I threw these keys away then those doors would be closed forever and that shouldn't be up to me to decide, should it?
Elizabeth: I guess I'm just looking for a reason.
Jeremy: From my observations, sometimes it's better off not knowing, and other times there's no reason to be found.
Elizabeth: Everything has a reason.

Whilst on the topic of pies: blueberry pie, blackberry pie, pumpkin pie, apple pie, chocolate cream pie, banana cream pie, chocolate pecan pie, key lime pie..topped off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream please and thank you. I could use a classic american diner meal. Oh which reminds me on fri night I was standing outside prive and then right there in my face I see Simplicity Crepes+Wine. I knew it was on Wyndham street but didn't expect it to be bang on in the middle of lkf. lol It's not quite how I expected it to be but I didn't get a chance to try out their crepes so next time for sure! No lifelong supply of free crepes *darn*, but I do get cordially invited to meet their management team which is pretty neat. I have to admit that I've never um..received red carpet treatment like this before. teehee

***Updated*** I beg your pardon I get dining vouchers and a bottle of moet! OH yeah baby le champagne est mon favori.. Don't worry I like to share the joy ;)

2009-12-11T16:50:00.005+08:00

Ever feel like you're always living in a very comfortable and grounded life? And when you've been in this kind of safe environment for so long, you don't want to make a sudden movement in fear that the equilibrium that you've so carefully created will be ruined. I feel like I'm going to be making a big risk, letting go of all the things that I've grown accustomed to but at the same time I feel like a young bird peeking out of her cage, wanting to see and experience so much more that the world has to offer. :P

Time for some festive pictures & counting down until Christmas!

Work of art at Lane Crawford & reminds me of a coca-cola ad.

Walking around PP after lunch with Karen.

At exchange square. Don't remember why I was there..oh right picking up my passport.

Red does a mean mushroom and truffle oil pizza.

In kowloon side for hot pot.

Sift. Always room for dessert.

My fav hangout.

hehe baby red velvet cupcake!!*happy

ROFL

2009-12-07T22:50:00.008+08:00

"Everything is fine. We're not splitting up."

*Shakes head in dismay..He's let not only his family down but his fans around the world. =T Guess there's nothing else he can do but say that he'll continue striving to be a better person. If you were married..and you were in HER position (but your hubby wasn't Mr. Woods) would you be able to accept what happened if the opposite sex was truly sorry & regretted for the entire series of events? I know without a doubt I would not be able to accept it but...under various circumstances, it's really hard to make that decision and say bye when you've made the commitment to stay by his/her side forever. Dang..

I couldn't help copying this from an email that I received recently:

Tiger's new movie is out: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Hydrant.

Apparently the police asked Tiger's wife how many times she hit him. She said "I don't know exactly… but put me down for a 5."

Tiger Woods is so rich that he owns lots of expensive cars. Now he has a hole-in-one.

What's the difference between a car and a golf ball? Tiger can drive a ball 400 yards.

What were Tiger Woods and his wife doing out at 2.30 in the morning? They went clubbing. :P

Phil Mickelson contacted Tiger's wife to pick up some tips on how to beat Tiger!

What does Tiger Woods and a seal cub have in common? They both get clubbed by Norwegians.

Tiger Woods crashed into a fire hydrant and a tree. He couldn’t decide between an iron and a wood.

One month till 2010.

2009-12-01T22:12:00.019+08:00

H a p p y B i r t h d a y! When I'm hyper I like to sing 'Pinky and the Brain' song to her..amongst many other ones as well.

Had a fun day on Sat at Ocean Park. So incredibly warm that I had to pull out my shorts & flip flops again. Global warming..it's inevitable.. =( Went on the Abyss for the first time with feet and toes hanging out in mid-air, overlooking the southern side..super uber jeng!

The fishy-watery element:

A lil surprise for the bday girl :)

Can't get away without the panda element.

Had fun. I heart ocean park.

Running for the children

2009-11-29T13:13:00.016+08:00

Four months ago I made a goal to myself to start being healthier because we all know that doing sports makes you feel good n' happier right? I apparently blogged about this on July 1st and made a pact to myself to try run at least 5km without dying. And now..with a mix of Nike & Adidas branding motivation I have finished my first ever 10km race!! Without exceeding the maximum time frame as I originally thought I would take. hehe But you know what I thought was most amazing? The runners from HKBSA! Wow..v. impressive and they were running really fast too. Must say that the unicef race was super well organized and this year there were 8,500 participants (I forgot how much they raised). Jolly fun although I was a bundle of nerves beforehand and I didn't get a good night's sleep on saturday. I think this whole experience would be complete if I saw Mickey and Minnie cheering me on at the finish lines..where were they? :(

The special bus services departed from aberdeen at 5.45am. O__o Arrived at 6.15 and overheard one guy on the bus say 'whoa, in the dark it looks like a concentration camp.' True but NOT cool.

Finished the race! And me in my enormous medium t-shirt. HK girls are tiny so I thought it would be safe to go for this size. Oops.

Just a big hugs to my super supportive running buddy yves for believing in me! haha I sound lame but its so true. I wanted to stop so many times during the run but I told myself that all our hard work during practice would go to waste if I stopped so...I didn't! hehe I'm not a fast runner and it's hard to train up one's speed but I must say that my endurance has improved significantly over the past 2 months. YAY!! We did it! :D
The photographer did not catch anything remotely related to Disneyland in the background.. *chuckles Oh but do you see the ppl still running in the background? Some were from the 10km and some were from the half marathon. I don't think we did too badly right? Will wait for the official results and see.

'There is no finish line.' :D

6 more days left!

2009-11-22T21:12:00.013+08:00

Okay I'm getting nervous again...My dad helped pick up my runner's pack today because I was spent the early part of my day catching up on my much needed sleep after doing the 20km ORBIS-BUPA Moonwalker. Zzz

My 2nd time doing it and we took off from the Shatin Sports Ground at 11:15-ish and finished at 4:00AM in Tai Mei Tuk. *WootWoot. If everyone wasn't so tired it would've been nice to sit by the reservoir and watch the sun come up. I don't think I've had the opportunity to purposely sit there and do that before. A great walk and good sense of accomplishment because we kept overtaking ppl but we didn't see people overtake us. =) This year's route was sooo much easier because it was all flat and spacious. Last year it was such a pain trying to navigate around the hoards of people along the dangerously narrow sidewalks near Sai Kung. Although the scenery was abit boring, I did have alot of fun going with my two coworkers. Very thankful that they 'bei mean ngo' to show up because I was worried that they'd call me and say that they didn't want to go anymore (they told me that they considered it after dreading the walk the whole day :P ) Glad that they got to try this at least once in their lifetime and they were also pleasantly surprised to see such a rowdy pegs hum and cheer them on at 3am in the morning. The cheerleader persona inside of me ;) haha

Look at all the stuff that the volunteers passed out. Good times..Okay going to pass out like NOW.

I did it!! :D

2009-11-16T22:22:00.005+08:00

BOO YEAAAH!! Done in 66 minutes =D On a happiness rating I'm definitely rocking a 10 or 11 teehee. This is the first time I've ever done 10km without stopping! *high five. Although I'm not sure how accurate my sports band is, I could be doing under or over 10km but we followed the road marks and I'm certain the stopwatch isn't lying. I find that having fast paced songs really affect my mood. This particular song was like oh yeah makes me wanna dance and got me really pumped up! hahaha From now until my big day I can only fit in 3 more runs so I got to make each one count. YOSH..

What a great way to start my week. :)

2009-11-14T09:14:00.003+08:00

The other day I was talking to my close friend about what we want to do before we die. Here's what I have in mind and these are the places or things I want do do before I'm 27-28:
1. Visit Vientiane and Luang Prabang. Backpacking style!
2. Ride a motorcycle down Vietnam.
3. Go to India, take the train somewhere and eat curry everyday until I'm sick of it :P
4. Travel to Maldives & Bali - resort style!
5. Go bungee jumping or....sky dive?!? But that is only if someone will do it with me. =D Macau Sky Tower anyone?
6. Or maybe just to make things simpler, can someone just hook me up with Anthony Bourdain so that I can work for him? hehe

And speaking of traveling I'm going to 杭州 next Thursday! It's just a really short trip with my colleagues but I've heard that its a really pretty city and HZ's West Lake is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage sites. =) Another picturesque place I really want to visit in China is Guilin although my relatives told me it's really polluted and poorly preserved like all the commonly visited places in China.

"Be born in Suzhou, live in Hangzhou, eat in Guangzhou, die in Liuzhou." (生在苏州, 活在杭州, 吃在广州, 死在柳州)

http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5329/

2009-11-10T22:08:00.012+08:00

I don't feel like working when the weather outside is this gorgeous. Sigh I just want to be a beach bum and relax somewhere sipping lemonade.

It's almost mid november and I'm still wearing t-shirts and shorts out. Err??! Well I'm definitely not complaining because I'm loving every moment of it. It's been a busy past few days with my mom back and all the family gatherings involved. Went biking with her on Monday during my day off which was great because of the nice breeze & warm sunshine. Even though we only went from Tai Wai to the end of Tai Po industrial park and back, I think I already pushed her too far. +__+ She said she's never ridden this far before in her life - only up to the current Science Park by Chinese University? *oops my bad for making her go so far but she didn't complain so I thought she was fine. Her legs started getting super wobbly and she was having trouble walking afterwards. haha I love her..she's so hilarious & goofy. I still can't get round the fact that when I walk into my room my blanket and pj's are so nicely folded. =)

Past weekend in a blur:
C's admission at the High Court on Saturday morning. We got there at approx 9.30am and it was already sooo crowded but luckily she was no. 12 so people start retreating and we managed to get much closer near the end. Congratulations and I bet her momma is super proud. Although this is the first time for me, I expect to start seeing more n' more n' more friends in that tiny room soon! :) I look forward to it and hope I can see everyone on their special day.
Looking spiffy in our skirts and bowling shoes R's birthday bowl at E-max. Loved his mrs. field's chocolate chip cake and his new Beatles rockband game hehe I've never gone bowling before in HK and apparently this place is open 24/7? We had four private lanes reserved in which we then broke down into 2 teams for our lil friendly competition. We lost hands down and the above 5 team mates offered to do double the push ups for us 5 lazy girls. I had a reasonable excuse but xie xie nong :P

20 more days left!! Now that I've been jogging for a month now, I must say that I've been a good girl and still have been going at it maybe 3 times each week. Unfortunately whenever I jog by myself I can never seem to do lengthy runs :( Nevertheless some things that I've learned so far: 1) Peggy should NOT wear glasses whilst running bc it'll hurt like a biatch and also start sliding from the sweat 2) Peggy should always wear lip balm beforehand especially when its windy out 3) Peggy gets stitches quite easily so if she's hungry she must eat something really light, 4) Peggy runs much much better in the evenings rather than in the mornings, 5) Peggy should not wear white when it looks muggy with a chance of showers, 6) Peggy always experiences a mental shut down wall at around 3km so she must repeat in her brain 'pain is temporary, quitting is forever'!! *rarrr, okay now I'm super motivated for my next run.

My sleepy tuesday zzz

2009-11-03T23:40:00.014+08:00

So darn sleepy today at work. I blame it on the weather. Now that its cooled down considerably I finally didn't need to turn on my air cond so I left my windows open. Bad move because at 6.30am, I swear I heard a kid laughing and playing outside. It's like what on earth...??!! It sounds cute but not when you're trying to catch some much needed zzz.. uugh. I looked at my clock and thought to myself who in the right mind lets their kids play outside so darn early?! Couldn't keep my eyes open today. Perfect cure? Coffeee.. You know Christmas is just around the corner when Starbucks has their gingerbread or toffee nut latte promotions. Mm.. And no these aren't all mine. lol

Was feeling bored whilst waiting for the taxi en route to light drinks so I started playing with my camera. hehe I saw the yellow lights on the middle of the mountain and I just knew it had to be bowen road where I do my weekly runs. Like my drawings? hehe

2009-10-25T08:56:00.011+08:00

First time visiting Discovery Bay on the Lantau Island yesterday and went hiking from the starting point of Mui Wo. Think we went on the traditional route, not through the scrubs that this website mentions [here] Ended the easy hike in around 2 hours and checked out D Deck which is a nice dining area with outdoor patios catering to the expat community. Lots of children running around and there's a nice lil beach right beside it. I like it there and the place gives off a relaxing vibe like Sai Kung but an even safer and cohesive community. Plus it doesn't feel like you're in HK but it only takes 25 minutes to get back to Central! There's a pretty awesome ongoing promotion right now whereby if you spend $100 dollars at any one of their 15 designated restaurants you get a free ferry voucher back back to Central. Go check it out ;)

Candles on the beach. So pretty..

I am unwritten,
Can't read my mind
I'm undefined
I'm just beginning
The pen's in my hand
Ending unplanned

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten.

I've listened to this song on the radio about a hundred times in the past but this week when it came up on my iPod, I felt 'whoaa' this song is so speaking to me. Why?? For the most part I went running in the rain on monday evening and every few minutes I was wiping the rain from my eyes and face. The feeling was so...amazing and 'song' in canto. haha Felt completely bare and when one looks up, you can only see darkness and the illuminated rain droplets from the street lights. And secondly my manager last week left me a nice diary on my table and wrote on a post-it note saying: 'thank you peggy and go write all of your happy memories here'. That was really sweet of her. =) Since moving back I now have 3 completed diaries..

Currently listening to Donell Jones and I have so many cravings like bubble tea, mcdonalds (man I havent had a filet o fish in months!), yee sern ginger steam milk, hot chocolate/cupcakes! Must savor this long weekend and sucks that my dad always refuses to go cycling with me.. =( He says he has to save energy for his badminton games on Sunday evenings. Boooo.. if I lived in TaiMeiTuk I would go biking every weekend (by myself even) because its not as strenuous as running.

2009-10-11T20:15:00.002+08:00

What started off as a lazy Sunday afternoon..

Brunch @ Classified: $91
Bus & MTR: $12ish
Drink from 7-11: $7
Bike Rental: $50 - I loved my bike.
...Riding for a good few hours in the rain, getting SPF25 into my eyes (come on I thought it might get sunny when I was leaving the house at 8am!) &thus temporarily suffered from right eye blindness/burn, feeling the cool breeze whip up against you as your cycle onwards trying to finish the route and accumulate goosebumps while stupid bus drivers don't understand the concept 'let's be more eco-friendly by consuming less energy' but instead lets freeze up our passengers? ...Priceless.

If I start feeling ill tonight, I think I deserve it. XP

Btw, I love the soundtrack from the 500 Days of Summer. Although I felt kinda sad after the movie, listening to the songs again makes me chirpy like 'Sugar Town' & 'Here Comes your Man'. How cute.

2009-10-06T22:53:00.002+08:00

Boom boom pow! hehe Some traditions never go out of style like watching the National Day fireworks with Karen's family and eating Indian food on my bday. =) I remember doing the exact same thing last year and surely will be doing the same if I'm around next year. Thanks for all the thoughtful gifts and each has its own one of a kind reaction. I had a really good one and I wouldn't trade my awesome friends for the world. If you're mean to them I would be like Charlotte who thinks of ways to curse Mr. Big if she ever sees him again. hehehee

Only managed to capture ONE good photo, and it was the first photo taken that night.

<3
My most memorable cake to date HA BIRTH PE PPY DAY FOR THE GZ!! ROFL :D Thanks Yves for the two delicious cakes from 'Awfully Chocolate'. Every time I look at this picture I just want to crack up. ho ho mei ah!

Thanks for everything!! xxxxx And as usual Gnz is the CHEEKIEST OF THE BUNCH with the prezzie & for spiking my sangria. Mo is not fully to blame for my hangover..

Day off chilling with Karen, Yves and Char.

Finally captured a picture of this iphone madness. I'm always the outcast.

Merci infiniment d'être mes bons amis.

2009-10-03T12:00:00.002+08:00

First official documented jog ;)
3.08Km run in 17:58 at a pace of 5:49/Km

Woke up at 7am today because I couldn't really sleep. I guess I'm feeling a little giddy like a kid waiting to get up before Christmas. So kicked off the sheets and charged up my new spiffy sports band and went out for a quick jog at 9.30am =P I didn't stop this time except for one traffic light and went at a really steady pace focusing on relaxing my arms and breathing slowly. Hopefully in 2-3 weeks time I can do 5km without taking a break. I think I can do it. heehee

Goals:
Run by myself 2-3x per week
Run with Yves & H at Bowen Road once a week and TRY NOT to eat the dust like last time.

And thank you for the calls, texts and messages. Write more love later because I've got to leave the house now. Have a great day and even better weekend. The sun is out and I'm going out to enjoy it. <3

Always with love,
Pegz

2009-09-28T22:10:00.009+08:00

Man, I guess I won’t be doing any leg modeling anytime soon. *chuckles. Anyways nothing to be raving about but I have 8 & 12 mozzie bites on both legs from our hiking excursion yesterday.. Those hungry blood suckers ugh. On top of my slightly battered marks from cycling..I now look like a victim of domestic violence with a mild-medium occurrence of chicken pox. ( -_- )“

So hiking on the Lions Rock trail was really fun and definitely had a more adventurous-vibe than the previous 2 hikes that we did. Although I only got 3 hours of sleep the night before, practically ate 2 fruits and 1 bao because there was no food at home & didnt want to eat too much beforehand...I guess I'm lucky that I didn't start crashing until 8pm. lol We started the hike at Tai Wai at around 3.30 and reached Amah Rock, Lions Peak & then Beacon Hill. I think it took us approx 3 hours to finish with decent resting periods in between. Lion's rock peak was pretty steep so do be careful when coming back down bc my dad told me ppl have fallen off before. eeks! Nevertheless the 360 degrees views are amazing and worth the 500m hike up because you'll never get to see kowloon and new territories ever like this. I don’t think I mentioned this to my hiking buddies but throughout the way I did feel slightly queasy. Not sure if it was because of lack of sunlight, rock shadows or the ‘bok tou dong’ (hit-head-gang) stories but yeah.. just a word of advice not to start the hike in the late afternoon or else you'll have to walk down on this DARK 'no un-authorized access' route that ends up being by this correctional facility. haha
woohoo!
The lion's head.

Hmm what else has been going on..Oh yea so this past week I’ve started preparing for my run in late November. Yes, me…the person who gets picked 2nd to last in PE class has signed up for a 10 km run… I kid you not haha. I’ve bought my running shoes and 2 new t-shirts because I sweat bucket loads and only do the laundry once a week. On wed night I popped out of the house at 9.30pm after work and on sat morning I stepped out at 7.45am for my jog-walk. I’m very serious about this and have alot of motivation that hopefully wont fizzle. I’ve even considered getting that Nike sportsband to track my performance. =P I really want to finish the race but if I don’t finish it within 100 minutes and have to get picked up (shamefully!) by the bus, it’s still good to know that I’m running for the children.

Never been to HK’s Disneyland but looking forward to seeing Mickey & Minnie on nov 29! I think I'll deserve a damn big pat on the back if I can finish this race.. =)

Feeling lucky..like winning the #1 jackpot :)

2009-09-23T22:39:00.011+08:00

Okay basically last Friday I went for lunch at FINDS with my coworkers and while we were finishing up one of the waitresses started passing out some paper for us to fill out which we initially thought was a questionnaire. Then she explained that they would be opening a cafe soon and would like some creative assistance to name their new venture. Anyhoo I obviously wrote down my fav english word and submitted it back and then today I received an email going:

Hi, Peggy!

Congratulations!

We’ve chosen the name 'simpli-city' to be the name of our new outlet! As a reward for your creativity, you win a $1,000 dinner voucher from FINDS, as well as be the first to dine at our new place – on us! (Details to follow).

Please let me know whether you want me to post the dinner voucher to you (please send me your street address), or if you would rather come to FINDS to pick it up on your next visit.

Many thanks, and Kippis!

Best Regards,
James Gannaban
Marketing Manager

Pretty darn cooool huh? So in the future, if you see this joint or if ppl goes there to eat I can tell them that I came up with the nameee!!! teehee I just hope they don't close down after 6 months or have some licensing issues. =P

Savouring the sweet

2009-09-20T23:57:00.020+08:00

Reaction to this culinary ingredient is always a given.
Loved by all ages & all sizes.
Placing one's mind to its rightful place;
Somewhere between sensuality, nostalgia, emotion and sheer greed.

Chocomania @VERO, HK's not-so best kept secrect. Also means 'true' in Italian
1. The craving and long anticipated wait.
2. My awesome friend in the chocolate room.
3. Vero's signature dark chocolate cake.
4. Oozing before the slice/stab.
5. Xocolatl hot chocolate topped with a melting chocolate lid.
6. Warmed scone with blueberry compote & crème fraîche.
7. Tiny muffins: rosemary, dark 70%, caramel, banana & mint and blueberry.
8. A good meal following our desserts.

What does it take to produce a good photograph: a good camera, a knowledgeable eye or an artistic frame of mind? It's all relative. Everything's quantifiable in terms of individual perception. The world really is in the eye of the beholder :)

2009-09-19T10:23:00.014+08:00

Anyways, as I've mentioned on twitter to my 3 fellow followers haha I do agree with yves that lately I feel like I don't have enough time to hang out with people I want to hang out with. Ultimately and unfortunately, family sometimes comes last which is horrible I know. Can't really remember when was the last time I had a good sit down meal with just my dad on a weekday. Will make note to self to change that this week. On the other hand, I have been having some good times with my colleagues. With the amount of hours we spend together in the workplace, it would probably drive me insane if I didn't get along with them so that's why I'm so appreciative of the ppl I'm working with now and I love all the times we spend together both inside and outside of work. Gotta keep that positive balance! hehee
After work.. hung out @Azure for a light chill.

Followed by Hanaguchi for more food. We accidently ordered shochu thinking it was soju and omg pls never make the same mistake. The waitress was very kind tho and we did take her suggestions to try it: on the rocks, add warm water + plum, and this other pink fruity thing but in the end we didn't finish the whole bottle. I bet she was silently laughing at us like haa suckers!

* * *
Ah, so also this week a fellow Vancouver friend came back for a visit! Although we don't keep in touch much, we do always have good catch up sessions. Glad to have you back for such an extended period of time and will see to it that you appear on the first week of Oct ;) Had dinner @Aqua Roma for the first time - yes I am small town girl 'a dai herng lei'. I couldn't resist myself from getting the classic risotto with grilled porchini mushrooms and my cravings for the cheesy rich flavours has been duly satisfied. hehe The appy and dessert was good but I think my lychee martini afterwards was the highlight. Normally I prefer lemony drinks over sweet ones but the lychee was a good change. You never know what's good until you give it a try. Overall the food is abit overpriced but obviously with these fab views no one should complain. They were also celebrating their 9th anniversary with this neat 3 course offer at $488. Will definatley pick this place over Felix.

So..if you were given the opportunity to enjoy an inexpensive delicious, hearty, makes-your-heart-sing meal vs a more expensive one which you could've cooked up for a fraction of the price, but the place had a wonderful atmosphere with a fantastic view & decor... which would you prefer? Just curious. Obviously I like a place that has a happy medium: good vibe, service and food satisfaction. Occassionally (although I don't go enough) I do like trying new fine dining-places but generally it's the company that matters. You could be at a ritzy/cool place that makes your squirmy or want to flee and sometimes have the best meals at an outdoors dai pai dong place.

I'm sure there are tons of people who are able to look at this view everyday and don't feel any special emotions from it. Just an ordinary view...?

2009-09-13T22:14:00.015+08:00

Haven't had this many scrapes and bruises since...I was a 'tomboy' playing soccer in grade 4. Had a small biking accident today and I'm still a little shaken up with the images replaying in my mind. It was totally my fault (although it would've been nice if the girl asked me if I was ALRIGHT - did she? I was too busy staring at the blood) and I knew it was a bad move but I couldn't stop myself in time. Thankfully I'm totally fine but I do wish my mommy was around to fuss over me and help boil some eggs to alleviate the bruises from turning fugly. *chuckles. Anyways once again we went biking on an extremely muggy & humid day like last time. We went further and probably rode slower without the boys but definately took less water breaks. And as yves nicely put it, it felt like we were 'swimming through a very warm ocean'. I'll summarize the weekend with some pictures :D
Had my soy latte and mushroom +cheese pocket at the Starbucks on duddell street. I think I've found my new coffee joint in central because simply life gets too crowded with ppl who drink with their pinkies up and its hard to get&retain seats without feeling rushed. So a few people told me to try the cheese pockets at starbucks but I think I would prefer mccain's frozen pizza pockets which I used to microwave and then grill on the toasters mm...hehe These ones first of all lost brownie points due to it's pale appearance. But I was going alright don't judge a book by it's covers so I decided to give it a go. Ended up being disappointed: too much cheese and tasted kind of bland. Didn't tickle my fancy from the very first bite.
Pre Philia and post SOUL FOOD OF ASIA. ;) BerryGood on Graham Street. Awesome froyo with my fav oreo cookies and added matchi. Out of the 3 different places that I've been to, this would probably be the best one to bring your date to because of the intimacy and hot pink cushions. hehe I personally prefer the yoghurt at yomama but the decor is mamades especially the ikea coffee tables that's mis-matched with ordinary chairs. Not very comfy but perhaps good if you like staring down at girls chests..lol Plus yomama in wanchai is a fair walk from admiralty mtr (targeting lazy bums here) but will check out the one at ifc once it opens. I don't have anything against Yoghurtime in Soho but just not enough seating =T
HAHAHA We took this silly photo after church 2 weeks ago. I like it.. =)
Evil bike. I had a bad feeling about 'it' when the brakes weren't very sensitive but didn't turn back to exchange. Wrong move. I think the bikes in Shatin are better but this Tai Wai place is cheaper. Definately going for quality next time. *humph
@Tai Mei Tuk. You can rent these cute yellow boats, fish by the waters or bbq outdoors. We saw a few people bbq-ing but...isn't it too hot considering it's aready 30 degrees outside?
Nothing better than some siu mai and mister softie ice cream to cool down. I love playing with this function on my cameraaa..

2009-09-12T00:07:00.012+08:00

My lil treat. hehe

Two days ago I felt like buying myself a new 'silly melon' camera because my photos always look so yellow and blurred. Yesterday I decided to buy a canon and then today during my lunch break I walked by a camera store and fell in love. This evening I bought it, ain't I such a boy when it comes to shopping? haha Seriously I dont really fuss around researching brands or store deals because if you like it and falls within your budget why waste your time and energy? That's always been my shopping motto because I get really tired and slightly disgruntled when I only window shop and not acheive anything. Such a result oriented shopper but its not like an impulse buy because I tend to keep things for good periods of time.. yay.. love it because its so small and pretty looking.

@798 Unit & Co. Bistro Want to try out Small Medium Large next time! Looked like a really trendy and popular restaurant.

Changing lives one smile at a time

2009-09-09T23:27:00.022+08:00

Touched. =(

We had this small work collaboration thing with Operation Smile yesterday and it was my first time hearing about this medical missions group. Was reading up on the Board of Director bio's and it's pretty awesome learning about how these people devote their time or whatever it is that they can contribute to help these children and young adults be able to smile properly again. I want to volunteer but unfortunately I don't qualify under any of their medical specialities...but can definately donate. For more info check out their website.

Did you know?
"That in China, one out of approximately every 600 newborn babies suffers from cleftings. Often, these children have difficulty in eating, speaking, hearing or breathing properly. Scientists are still researching methods to prevent cleft lips and cleft palates, but little is known to date. According to a recent study, mothers who take multivitamins containing folic acid before conception and during the first two months of pregnancy may reduce their risk of giving birth to a baby with a cleft. Researchers have also found that maternal smoking increases the risk of clefts. Other studies suggest that high doses of vitamin A may play a role in some birth defects, including cleft lips and cleft palates; women should not take more than the U.S. Recommended Dietary Allowance of 5,000 international units of vitamin A. That its best for surgeons to repair the partition of the mouth and nose as early as possible, ideally between the ages of 12 and 18 months."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

So I'm currently kind of upset. You know how I admire guys who have guts to voice their views rather than having to watch a movie like 'He's not that into you' to fully understand why he might not be replying your email or not be in contact with you. Anyways having recently heard the would've and could'ves, I'm actually kind of hurt. Not so much about the missed opportunities persay because everyone's moved on..but to have not heard it earlier or right after the fact. To learn about it now is simply pointless and an easy way off on your conscience. Not sure why I'm still feeling this way but wish I was ignorant to this version of the story. Oh well I guess the bottem line is..being second best is better than having nothing at all.

Just interesting to note how someone for that lil period of time can make an impact on your life and create rippling effects. Encapsulating the technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory.. aka butterfly effect? =) I love these kinda stuff.

2009-09-06T22:23:00.025+08:00

Perfect Sunday.
It's a real pity that so many people from out of town don't realize how beautiful HK's backyard can actually be. Most people come to HK to visit their friends and family, do some shopping and mainly eat but what about the naturesque outdoor activities? There's so much you can do, and the view you get is not only inexpensive but also breathtaking! Where else can you take a brief 20 minute ride from the urban jungle to a vast abundance of green vegetation, waters and beautiful hiking trails? After experiencing what I truly experienced as a 'runner's high,' the moment I got home, I did some readings on the Maclehose Trails and realized that we did a good portion of stage 2. Instead of starting off at Long Ke, we took the taxi to Sai Wan Tin and walked from there to Pak Tam Chung. It says the trail should take around 5 hours to complete but it didn't feel that long and we spent a good portion playing in the waters as well. =)
Highland Reservoir with the turquoise blue waters. Since we started off at around noon hour, the sun was directly above and the earlier portions of the trail had NO tree coverings so the heat would've definately been a big turn off for girls who are afraid of *gasp... freckles! If you're worried about that factor, bring an umbrella, we saw plenty of girls and boys carrying them. hehe After what seemed like 30-45 min walk we quickly reached Sai Wan Beach but there were alot of boats & people there so we didn't waste much time dwelling in that area. Nevertheless the Sai Wan Village inhabitants seem to make a living out of selling boogie boards, serving up tofu dessert and cooking up some simple cafe-style meals. Definately the simple life.

Kept on walking (missed the rock pool.. next time?) and before you know it, you get a feeling that strippage & a cool dip in the waters are just moments away!

That's the Ham Tin Wan beach, pretty darn gorgeous from afar and in person! Definately pristine for HK standards & the white sands felt real fine between the toes and best of all, it wasn't packed with beach goers. Happy timesss = overly enthusiastic spf 4 sprayer... someone would NOT approve. =)

The remaining parts of the trail weren't too bad but I did have to 'hoof' (haha) my way up the 2nd mountain. But generally speaking, I didn't even get a chance to complain because before you know it, it's downhill again and there's alot more shades in this section which is a relief.

After checking out the Oxfam Trailwalker, the record team only took 11 hrs 52 min to complete the 10 different stages!! =O *Clearly impressed. Next time, I think we should strive for the 'Sharp Peak' which is apparently the highest hill in Eastern Sai Kung. My heart stopped beating for a moment when Yves pointed out that we were going up there after the swim. LOL Next time I'll be mentally prepared and fully nourished with energy ;)
Had such an awesome day and thanks soo much for taking me out you guys. =) The trail and beach did not disappoint and we ended the night with some good ol' pizza & big gooey chunks of potatoe skins. And last but not least, winding down in Durian district. hehe *om nom nom.. Wish I could do this every weekend and would definately like to try camping when it gets cooler cuz I've never been! :P

2009-09-03T22:13:00.016+08:00

I can't wait until this week is over...
It's not particularly stressful but I feel like I started the week on the wrong foot.
Tired of people pushing my buttons and always having to be the bigger person.
There's only so much I want to deal with.
Do you think I'm too polite/considerate sometimes? I know it's me & I can't change it.
I could really get away from emails, work, and PEOPLE even.
The thought of disappearing for a weekend sounds really attractive.
If only I could be a young chubby kid going to school and worrying about type of cereal to eat and what tv shows to watch in the afternoon... I know I have zero worries and have it easy but I just feel so annoyed. Sun ha jeh..moody girlo.
I could use a pamper session this weekend and looking forward to that hike on Sunday.

"I'm having a private party, Learning how to love me, Celebrating the woman I've become, yeah. Sometimes I'm alone but never lonely, That's what I've come to realize, I've learned to love the quiet moments, The Sunday mornings of life. Where I can reach deep down inside, Or out into the universe, I can laugh until I cry
Or I can cry away the hurt. I'm having a private party, Ain't nobody here but Me and my angels and my guitar singin'" - India Arie

No. 3 is my lucky charm

2009-08-29T21:22:00.021+08:00

I DID IT!!!

I finally know how to wakeboard muhahaa Thanks to bo jai for being the most patient instructor ever. I want to give him a big hug.. hehe T & I want to go wakeboarding again (I think she's still fuming after trying over 15-20 times) lol I don't want to imagine how painful her body is going to feel tomorrow. So basically I got up on my third attempt, stayed up for 9 photos and a 39 second video. Yes, as a newbie I think today has been a very memorable day =D=D I showed my dad the video and he thinks I look pretty awesome too. haha I know it's probably not a big deal to most people because 'everyone' knows how but for me...late bloomer ok? *chuckles yipee..

Tired but had an awesome day. Really big thank you to Karen and Flora for organizing the ho wan tune. :D Food was delish, boat was spacious (can accomodate up to 40 ppl, we had..15? wahaha) beach was nice, banana boat was hilarious. It's good not to sit at the end. One can suddenly disappear without even noticing :P Now its time for bed.. *SNORES...

2009-08-25T23:10:00.005+08:00

So.. I'm only teasing myself now because I think it's safe to say that I don't still look like below. But oh boy.. you have no idea how bad I felt at first. Well not as bad as that time when I went to some taiwanese place in richmond to cut my hair and I specifically said pls do a lil trim and no thin layers. The deaf dude went ahead and cut 5 inches off and made it super 'serk'. I nearly killed someone for not translating properly (he did..it was just the barber's happy scissors). I think everyone has experienced this before. Hair-cut going terribly WRONG. haha

Considering that this was a decent place, I didn't understand why my hair looked like coils?!! >> But luckily it's finnee *whew. crisis averted and holding back on the rotten tomatoes :P

Tigers love pepper...they hate cinnamon

2009-08-23T22:40:00.016+08:00

I want to test how long it takes for me to go from the 108 hollywood road to exch square at a walking vs. running pace. hahaa I think I could clock under 15 minutes in heels and maybe 10 minutes in flats :P Yves - u haven't seen me run before.. I could be an undiscovered bolt. =P

This past weekend, I have never laughed so hard over the timespan of 100 minutes.. My laugh-o-meter reached its critical level. *chuckles

Had the mediterranean quiche and latte at agnes b. la loggia cafe because simply life was packed. Nice snack and chat before foot massage. Dinner followed closely after at Press Room which I still *heart! okok I have to admit the service (not the waiter/waitress' attitude) but the food serving etiquette is somewhat lacking. They need to learn how to properly place food on the table and pour wine. However, regardless of that I still love love love this place to bits. The interior design is warm yet simple and I guess I have a thing for dark brown wood in contrast to white walls. It's also got an airy feeling because of the high ceilings and if you have brunch there, you'll get a totally different dining experience. I quite like the food as well. This time I had the asparagus with hot hollandaise sauce and the roasted salmon cooked to perfection at medium~ I've noticed that I tend to lean towards seafood rather than dark meat for dinner time. Nevertheless, the baby chicken looked and tasted good as was the poached sole bonne femme even though I don't think its enough for the big boys. Last time I had the smaller sized lobster risotto and yeah if I was famished, it wouldn't be enough even though it's quite rich and creamy. <3 This time for dessert we tried the made to order crêpe suzette with vanilla ice cream. Basically a french dessert with hot sauce comprised of carmelized sugar, butter, oranges and grand marnier - flambéed. How drool worthy does that sound? Looks unappealing but tastes wow pucker nom!! hehe Hot chocolate cake was nice too with it not being too sweet but the crepe was defin the underdog winner.

My gear. =D Hilarious thing is that when we got to the beach via chug boat, we were all excited, rolled up our t-shirt sleeves, saw the extremely packed beach but w/e it's sunny who cares that we can practically smell our neighbors feet but the moment we laid out our mats, the lifeguard says "ATTENTION ATTENTION EVERYONE, we may soon encounter winds and rain in the next little while, please tie your umbrellas tightly to prevent......blah blah" Mman. my brain was not registering what he said because it was just that unbelievable. I can get excited, jumpy and restless when it comes to tanning (haha really) so to be all hyped up along the way but to suddenlly hear AND have evidence of clouds rolling in is just not cool for pegmeister. Luckily we did get a peek-a-boo level of sunshine but obviously not to the intensity level one would have desired. However, I've realized and am v. proud to say that I'm an easy UV ray absorber. I think I tanned a notch. yay muahhahaa v~
Maybe I'm not thinking on the same wavelength but I don't really get why some ppl sit under their borrowed umbrellas and don't seem to budge from underneath it. What's the point of going to the beach then? Kindof a waste to me.. =( And was it me or did I see alot of people w/ tattoos at this beach? lol I don't mind tattoos at all but when their designs are kinda scary looking then yeah look quickly away! lil intimidating.
Side note to self..I really should finish reading these books before I keep on buying new ones. My bad.

Pure exhaustion from this weekend. Looking forward to the next already. heh.

2009-08-18T23:06:00.006+08:00

"I hate the way you talk to me, and the way your dimples look when you smile. I hate the wallet that you use and the clothes that you wear to work. I hate you so much it makes me sick; it even makes me rhyme. I hate it, I hate the way you're always right. I hate it when you lie. I hate it when you laugh, even worse when say something kind. I hate it when you're not around, and the fact that I can't get you out of my mind. But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you. Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all."

Taken & amended from 10 things I hate about you.

Getting a makeover this sat - a lil excited & nervous but it's time for a change. Getting bored with my hair. Nothing drastic but yeah definately different. Last week we had dinner @ North Point. The food wasn't as great as previous visits but the highlight was undoubtedly the crispy green nuggets of golden joy! Aka fruit king mr. durian wrapped in pastry sheets and deep fried so that its crunchy outside and still warm & slightly gooey inside. The owner Robby (?) is really something. Dyed mohawk hairstyle, sporting an apron + rubber booties, grooving to MJ and various other formerly 'cool' music. haha Its quite entertaining & definate good atmosphere tho!

Have been in a blah unhappy mood eversince Sunday for no reason. I could use a hug or stay huddled in bed with no desire to go outside. Must be PMS-emos.. ugh. I miss my f.y.j.

To do's for this week

2009-08-09T18:28:00.026+08:00

<3
Back & had such a great weekend. Relaxing, fun and tiring all mixed into one. Thanks for the good time mo and hope u had a good bday celebration. Suffering from a slight friends-withdrawal syndrome. It always happens sigh.. & makes monday that much harder to get into the grove.

Changing the topic to something happier, I want to check out the following places this week :)
1. awfullychocolate
There's two stores in HK and would love to visit the one on Caine Road. The inside décor looks clinically white like a minimalist’s dream and apparently they only offer whole cakes in 3 different flavours - whole chocolate, chocolate banana and chocolate rum+cherry (first thought was gross who would eat that and then come to think of it, maybe it wouldn't be too bad.) Unfortunately they don't sell by the slices but that's ok righ? There's always reason to buy a whole chocolate cake. =) They also serve 'hei' ice cream by the scoop. Donno about you but the chocolate looks pretty intense. It's opened by a Singaporean gal 9 years ago who 'resolved to put the cake back into the cake.' mm..I'm liking the sound of that already. They started off a cake shop selling only one cake - a simple dark chocolate cake between layers of dark chocolate fudge. Their philosophy is to offer real cake one could bite into, rich in taste yet moist and light. Not jut mouthfuls of mousse or cream. Not overly sweet but something you could eat and not feel disgusted with yourself right after. Focusing on simplicity, not complexity, and quality not variety...(from the website)

2. Starbucks + Bing Sutt Concept
This place looks pretty cool and I want to try their coffee flavoured bo lo bao. I haven't had those suckers in monthssss.. In collaboration with G.O.D., the design approach blends the eras from 1950s to 1970s together with the modern millennium which creates an interesting contrast. An American coffee chain pretending to be local. heh This just crossed my mind but imagine going there at night with creepy chinese music..*eeks.

3. And of course Tung Po Restaurant at North Point which we couldn't go to last Friday due to the inability to call through and book a large table. =T So many choices, so little time!

Anyhoo I had a good japanese lunch with dad today and eversince I went to Koi with J, I'm loving their salmon sashimi and grilled cod. Just give me those 2 orders and I'm good to go! Went for my cuppa joe and finally went to buy a new pair of goggles and jogging hipbag because I never know how to deal with my 'stuff.' Yar, if anyone feels like swimming or jogging *ahem more like walking in peggy's standards.. can u invite me too? hehee I'm going to check out the public pool by my place cuz today I think I ran for a total 5 minutes and walked the remaining 40..too darn hot and I personally feel disgusting having a thoroughly soaked back. My endurance for swimming seems 100x better than running. why is that? Next weekend, lets go to more dance class, beach and swim it up!

"Just stop and stare stare stare.."

2009-08-07T08:41:00.007+08:00

I pick up some sand
Watch it melt through my hands
Falling on my feet
Nearby ants on the ground
Building bridges and towns
So robust and neat
So hard to believe

Deep in my eyes
Theres so much to wonder

Even the sun, goes through trouble
Shining her light, fighting rubble
Looking for diamonds like the stars
Up so high and down so far

Nobody knows whats going on
So much around, yet so much is gone
Out with the old, in with the new
Just sit back and enjoy the view

A look at the time
You hear the bell chime
Take off your shoes
Fill up your space
And live with a grace
To find all things true
Beautiful and new

Dont close your eyes
Its splendor in disguise

Even the sun, goes through trouble
Shining her light, fighting rubble
Looking for diamonds like the stars
Up so high and down so far

Nobody knows whats going on
So much around, yet so much is gone
Out with the old, in with the new
Just sit back and enjoy the view
Just sit back and enjoy the view

By: David Choi. Whilst on the mtr yesterday I was doing the exact same thing as the above. Sitting back and gazing over at people (without trying to look stalkerish) and I made up things as to what was going on in their minds. Have been watching too much true blood haha

YESSS it's finally stopped raining after days of consecutive crap weather. To Goni..if you're going to hit us with an 8, come in the daytime you good-for-nothing tropical cyclone. Wind force completely wasted. =( Nehoo took half day off yesterday (for dance!) and full day today so that I can go to macau earlier. Watched 3D UP with Yves and I find the bit about Mr. & Mrs. Fredericksen soo uber sweet. There needs to be more animation depicting lives of the elderly. hehe However, just don't be as stupid as me by not wearing contacts because being a six eye ain't very cool. After the movie, we had 3 hours of dance class with Lil-Yin & Billy. Fun because we always get such a good kick out of it even though I suck and can't follow quickly enough. I'm the one with 2 right feet :P Billy who is the owner, IS actually quite intimidating because he teaches us the moves and then sets about walking around to watch us, holding the 2 remote controls in his hand which I find quite hilarious. We danced to Lovestoned and when I went home listening to it on youtube, I realized that the part we danced to doesn't start until 5 minutes into the song and our routine only lasts for 1 minute... or probably less. -__-

Anyhoo I hope it'll be a fun weekend, over 20 ppl all heading out and it'll be like one ginormous sleepover party at the venetian. Must make mental note to self to buy ear plugs. Light sleeper yo unless of course we stay out really late and come back too tired to care. Can't wait for lounging by the pool..

34.6 degrees

2009-08-02T22:47:00.009+08:00

Feeling good after a crazy sweat out session. ;) We went biking today from shatin to taipo industrial park and back to shatin, keeping a steady pace on the hottest day so far in 2009. Didn't realize that it reached 34.6 degrees but I guess the sun wasn't scorching and the whole trail was completely flat. That really helps :D I guess for someone who doesn't work out, I would like to give myself a pat on the back. hehe Next time lets try n' ride further to the reservoir. But now its time for bed YAWNZ.

2009-08-01T23:04:00.040+08:00

So starting this week I've decided to become a photo-bimbo. You know, one of those girls that conveniently whips out their camera at any chance they have and takes a billion photos? haha But don't worry, it's all for the love of food and people around me so it's not like all self-love photos of myself. On thursday after work we had some pretty amazing sushi in central. Had sake for the first time too (surprised?). The sashimi was *om nom nom nom nom...nom nom..

I think by now people who are close to me should know that I really like dessert. Well we had 3 boxes of Complete Deelite cupcakes delivered! Don't they just look so pretty and cute? I find that alot of people aren't too keen because they find the icing too sweet or whatever but just look at how adorbz they look. <3 When they arrived they were still pretty chilled but leave it out for a lil longer and then they were like melting in your mouth like brownies. If you crave for some serious chocolate fix or love denser substance then these cupcakes should suit your taste buds. If you want fluffy cakey texture then Cake-a-licious is still my fav. Thinking of going all sophisticated & classy with the packaging then Sift by Wanchai. Yes come to me if you have a dilemma on what kind of cupcake flavour you want to get your gf. I'd be happy to assist you in any way I can. After eating a mint chocolate one though, I felt really really sugar high. In a good way of course.

Sift
Cake-A-Licious
Complete Deelite

On friday evening 11 of us all hung out with V for one last time before she goes to pursue her archi dream! Altho we didn't end it with a big flare, it was still nice to have all u can eat, hang out, eat tsui wah and just chat about life. You go girl & make us proud! Us non-lawyers got to stick together. haha Whether you're coming back next summer or I'm going to N.A. for a visit, I hope you'll take good care of yourself. xx

On saturday, woke up (as always without fail) at a ridiculously early hour despite sleeping very late and watched 3 episodes of True Blood as per V's recommendation. It's pretty good and much better than the first 20 minutes i devoted myself in watching twilight. In the afternoon I went to my fav Simply Life for my coffee & salad before going on a date with J at Soho. hehe Was supposed to go kayaking with colleagues but unfortunately that got cancelled. Nevertheless, good food at Al Dente, shared a bottle of white (we started at 5, we could've gotten in rough shape if we kept the momentum going! haha) walked around, 'heah-ed' at ifc roof top and had a good catch up session. I know you girls mean well + want me to be happy and right now i am in a balanced state of mind. Love you all <3 Well still abit wishy washy about certain thigns but that'll be a breeze to get over with time. Feeling mushy and missing peeps. COTTON ON all the way - where else can you get HKD$30 sexy tops?? haha
One of my memoriable high school imageries: You being a cloud and drawing pictures like this on my folder. o'____'o *poke poke

2009-07-30T23:04:00.007+08:00

Zhang Lin. You are awesome! Such admiration towards Asian athletes who breakthrough stereotypically white-dominated sports. :D

China’s Zhang Lin won the men’s 800-meter freestyle world title in Rome today, demolishing Grant Hackett’s four-year-old world record with a time of 7:32.12." Zhang powered home ahead of Tunisia’s Olympic 1500-meter freestyle champion Oussama Mellouli, slicing 6.63 seconds off the previous world record set by Hackett in Montreal in 2005. “I’m more than five seconds quicker than Hackett’s record and I’m still surprised,” Zhang said. “I can’t believe it.” It was the 22-year-old’s first gold medal at the World Championships – and China’s first ever men’s swimming gold at a major international event.

Mmm..and that Park Taehwan.. he's only 17?!! One hella hot property with a $4.05 million contract with speedo.
Can't recall when was the last time I actually swam 'proper' laps. Dang..maybe back in Bonsor 3-4 years ago? I need to hang out at the pool more often ;)

A Fine Frenzy - my latest love.

2009-07-26T12:39:00.004+08:00

Got out my beach gear for the first time this year with the intention to go to repulse bay but..it looked kinda cloudy all of a sudden and not very worthwhile so we spent the remaining afternoon hanging on ifc rooftop eating and reading. Our quiet lil day on the "beach", followed by ice cream, korean food and dancing. Not too shabby at all~

Blue skies and puffy white clouds. Thanks for the gift f. miss you heaps & good luck with your new life come August.xx

Cuckoo living out of the nest

2009-07-21T21:59:00.013+08:00

Not sure if it's just me, but it seems like there's alot more 'been tai' crime cases in HK. Understandably everywhere you go there's crime and crooks like the serial prostitute serial killer who buries bodies on a pig farm or a headchopper on a greyhound but STILL, on a weekly basis you hear/read way more in HK. Wonder why...bigger population in a congested space creating stress and tension like a pressure cooker?

Also aside from english newspapers and a selective range of chinese ones, I find that HK reporters love to post really gory photos or way more than whats needed on their front pages. That's de-sensitization plainly said.

For example:
1. Man dismembers a young girl, flushes her body down a toilet and then dumps her head in the sea. 2. Helper arrested (AND WALKS FREE) for mixing her menstral blood in a pot of vegetables because she believed that it would 'improve their relationship and make her employer kinder to her.' No biggie, think we've had this before. A girl gets compensated (for a MEASLY) 200 dollars in return for carrying out a 'service' on a double decker bus. For what? Because she wanted to raise funds and buy a Gucci bag. errr 4. A Young boy chopped to death with a meat cleaver while playing on Shamshuipo streets with his father. 5. Family of four stabbed, body bounded by wires then thrown in to a trench and covered with concrete..etc etc just to name a few on the top of my head.O_o

In my whole life, I think I've encountered 2 very scary/unhappy incidents, both of which occurred in HK. One time was at the University kcrc station and a guy, gotta picture weird looking asian man brazenly chatting up a 14 yr old girl to date him after talking for 15 seconds. Maybe that explains why people in Japan keep to themselves on the train. The other time I was in my girls scouts uniform and while taking the shuttle bus home, a random guy started YELLING and freaking out at me cuz of some Christian phobia that he had? He was pointing fingers and making mean comments. I don't even remember what he said but I just remembered being very scared and embarassed at the same time. Had to hold my tears all the way home. boo haha So yea...I'm pretty hopeless in defending myself in both cases.

Hmm despite all that, I'm actually having a good week for no good reason. :]

to eat is to be merry

2009-07-18T19:28:00.014+08:00

What a smart way to be eaten.

Some really really random thoughts:
- Cloudy with a chance of Meat Balls the trailer look absolutely adorable :P
- Eversince I knew about This is why you're fat website, I can't help but check it out each week. Some do look really good when you're hungry and creativity is a given. However, when you imagine one person single handedly eating a big 2000 calorie dish, deary deary thinking of the poor persons artery clog up.
- Saw this the other day..Korean men and dessert. O__o" haha
- This years Ms. HK's don't look very attractive..
- Haven't watched tv in months it seems (for real) and this thurs when I turned on the tv (tvb jade) there was this firefighter show, and quite frankly after 15 minutes I turned it off. The script was bad, the facial expressions were unreal, overall v. horrified by the way they try to act bad and flirt with one another haha
- Molave might become typhoon 8 tonight. Why can't you come ONE day later?!
- It takes patience to watch HK movies. Watched abit of Isabella on youtube, the girl who gave birth to Mr. Richard Li's son (aka HK rich boy). I'm a patient person but when a girl is talking in a really high pitched, overly sweet voice, it shortens I'm sorry but I do think she can act here versus her role in the Mummy 3.
- Other than bombay dreams, jashan & tandoor are there any great indian places to eat in central? Just curious. We should eat nepal food next time!
- My tongue was swollen this whole week because of too much 'fire' or so my coworkers say. I started talking like a kid, or like Jamie Oliver if you no how he talks. Everyone told me to try turtle jelly so finally on after work on Fri I bought one and *TA DA~ miraculouslyy the next day it stopped hurting! WOW. I kid you not.

Slow down please?

2009-07-17T22:29:00.010+08:00

Dang.. it's the middle of July already. Why does it seem like this month is passing by so quickly? We were discussing this the other day but you know how sometimes a few minutes feels like an hour and you just can't stop counting down to how many more hours you still have till the end of the working day? Well, it' kind of sprung up on me that I haven't had that problem in a very very loong time. Ever since I changed departments, there is absolutely NO need to watch my clock. I think that's a good thing right, never being bored at work and always having things to keep myself busy with.

Neways Dad just came back from vancouver today after helping my mom move. He says I have 13 boxes of books stored in the den. omgawd. When will I ever have my own place to build a big shelf to store them. One dayy *shakes fist in the air*

Last weekend I was walking through HMV after my post thigh-trauma massage when I noticed that Rob Thomas has a new cd! hahah I can't believe that it's been over 9 years since I first bought MB20's album. I used to listen to his songs over and over again. Last beautiful girl, bent, unwell, if you're gone, etc. Think he became popular after singing in Santana's Smoooth right? Memories :)

So now what. What's my plan. I've gone full circle and it's already been 2 yrs. Since plan A ain't happening, I should really consider if this place is where I want to be forever or if it's worth considering being somewhere else. :P

"What, courage man! what though care killed a cat, thou hast mettle enough in thee to kill care."

Level one

2009-07-11T19:45:00.010+08:00

So, I finally went to dance class again with Yves at bcdc and after the jazz funk and hip hop class, I am soooo exhausted. Can't remember the choregraphy properly but it's still kinda fun. Especially in jazz funk today with the sexy strutting as if you're in some pageant.psh. I'm just watching some more online clips of the different instructors that I've had: suki (intenseee), fai jai, lil yin (cute!), popping lok, & janet and kin who we had today.

So glad that the weekend is finally here. Need my unwinding time. Would love to go to ocean park sometime before the admission fees go up. OR go the beach & get rid of those deathly pale legs of mine. Where did my cebu tan run off to? boo.

happy canada d'eh

2009-07-01T20:46:00.014+08:00

Did neone partake in any Canadian celebrations? hehe Some awesome girls currently residing in tdot sent a very cute clip showcasing their creative tunes :D

Anyone want to learn a new sport with me?? Kickboxing, dance, tennis, or just go jogging on the weekends? heh I'm joking about tennis bcoz I really suck but I think it's a good sport especially if you want a nice tan. :P I remember telling someone that before I die, I want to join a triathlon. My biggest weaknesss would definately be the running bit. Can't do long distance for the life of me. No joke. Guess that can be my goal for the remaining year, to be able to run for 5Km without dying -.- heh Anyhoo went to Elements today for sichuan food with my grandma & family before playing badminton in the evening. My mood feels much better, and will continue channeling my energy towards activities that makes me happier. Go endorphins!

luv,
pegs