Eve of 2009 New Year – Part 2

Ned’s Kelly Jazz Bar in TST and Countdown:

 

Some friends and I went to a Jazz bar tonight, it’s our first such visit and this bar is highly recommended.  It is a cozy bar, which serves food and drinks and by the time we arrived, was packed to the bream with strangers sharing tables.  The live band started playing at 10, with the owner as the lead singer and trombonist; they played a mixture of classic jazz and blues.  The set was filled with good music and lots of jokes and laughter. The funniest was when the owner played “Silent Night” using a small metal kettle, he’d bought from Sham Shui Po – original!  There’s no cover charge but of cause the price of drinks are higher; food is western – burgers, fish and chips, pies, even steak and reasonably-priced, less than HKD180 for main.  One thing that I noticed and which I’m very particular about is the ventilation… which was very good.  Although there were many smokers in the “cozy” room, but it passed my clothes test, my clothes didn’t pick up much smoke smell. 

 

We left at 1130 but I’m sure we’ll be back.  The place had a relaxing, casual atmosphere, quite like “Cheers” where everyone is a friend. 

 After leaving the bar, we walked or at least tried to walk to the TST pier to watch the fireworks from the IFC building.  There was a sea of people, the main roads had been closed and it seemed that everyone was out, it was one big street party… We couldn’t get very far and didn’t get to see the fireworks.  But we did join the crowd as we all counted down to 2009 and then we wished strangers a happy new year.  As soon as the countdown ended and people started to leave, the unsung heroes swooped in to clean-up all the confetti and junk food, with their brooms and pans. 

 

This being HK, the police were conspicuously around to maintain order and I felt safe walking back to my place.  A lot of people were still on the streets, drinking and making a lot of noise, while those restaurants that remained opened were filled with hungry revelers and had a roaring business. 

This ends my first experience of NY eve in HK.  It’s been unexpectedly fun and memorable and ranks highly among my past NY eve celebrations.  Here’s wishing that everything your heart desires will come true in the New Year.  Have a memorable, enjoyable, healthy and peaceful 2009. 

Eve of 2009 New Year – Part 1

 

 

 

HK Dog Rescue (“HKDR”):

 

You will see a lot of “Firsts” in my posts and here’s another… my first NY eve in HK.  I’m on leave and time is my own.  The day started early with me traveling to HKDR, to walk the dogs.  I haven’t been able to volunteer as often as I’d like to, so being able to commit to doing it on NY eve and NY day is a big thing for me.  Hey… at least, I’ll be spending time with my favorite animal and getting love from them.   It seems as-if, there are more dogs at the shelter, compared to 4 months ago.  I’d read an article in the newspapers, which said that the number of pet abandonment cases increased, when the financial crisis started, because of the cost involved in caring for these pets.  In fact, while I was walking one of the dogs, a local guy asked if it was alright for him to “leave” his dog at the front door…. I said NO and thank goodness for my limited Cantonese or I would have given him a lecture.

 

There were 2 objectives to me volunteering at the shelter, firstly due to my love for dogs and I missed Gizmo terribly and secondly, I thought this might be an avenue to socialize with other like-minded people.  Maybe it’s because I haven’t been there often and am not a familiar face but on the few times that I have been there, I’ve been told-off and bossed around and not by the dogs!  The over-sensitive side of me sulks and threatens not to return but the good-side always reminds me that I’m there firstly, for the animals.  And so far, the animals have not failed me.  Maybe some people will find it strange that I seek out love among animals, but this is as pure a love, as love can be.  The dogs don’t care about my financial and social standing; all they can sense is when someone strokes them with affection, talk to them in a reassuring and loving tone and just spend time with them.  That’s all that’s needed, so simple and yet, not easy to find among adults.  Some of the dogs there have been traumatized by past experiences of abandonment and “act” out, e.g. a pit-bull named Spike, bites his metal bowl and runs around his cage, banging the bowl against the gate or Howie, a cute, fat, seemingly harmless Schnauzer who bites volunteers and chase motorcycles and humans, while barking aimlessly.  They appear as-if they are aggressive and in control but really, they are frightened and want reassurance…. I can almost be a dog psychologist… almost.  These visits are therapeutic for me and help, remind me of what’s important. 

Spike is a gentle soul, despite looking aggressive. Just need lots of TLC

Howie’s bite isn’t as bad as his bark. He would make a very loving companion and I hope someone adopts him soon

Destination : Macau in a Day

We decided to visit Macau for the day on Boxing Day, thinking that it would be a working day, hence less crowd.  Wrong assumption…. of cause everyone would take the day off, to enjoy a 4-day break.   We arrived to the China Ferry Terminal in TST at the very early hour of 8am but earliest available ticket was 1030am.  Ferry ride is 1 hr + queuing 1 hr at immigration, we were in Macau at noon and left at 430pm.  Had a quick bite at a Chinese restaurant nearby, before walking to the tourist places.  We only spent time in the Macau Peninsula and left-out the islands.  All the tourist places are within a pleasant, walking distance.

Briefly, here’s our itinerary:

• Largo do Senado
• St Dominic’s Church
• Ruins of St Paul’s

Mum's behind as she is climbing up the stairs. Too many people, prevented me from taking a "clean" picture of the facade

• “Donated” money to Lisboa Casino
• Macau Fisherman’s Wharf

Entrance to the Fisherman's Wharf, which is sort of like a mini amusement park + shops + mini museum

Do, do, do:

1. Return Ferry Ticket – If you’re traveling from HK to Macau, there’s 2 ways to go, from Central or TST.  Regular ticket price is HKD145/way.  If you’re sure of your return time and date, buy your return ticket too.  We made the mistake of not buying our return ticket from TST and ended up buying a more expensive ticket from Macau.
2. Portuguese Egg Tarts – It’s a novelty to eat it here, although maybe it’ll be more authentic to eat it in Portugal (assuming they have it in Portugal).  We tried the tart sold at 2 shops and they taste similar to the one, sold at King’s Confectionary in Malaysia.  Only difference is it’s alot cheaper in Malaysia. 
3. Freshly baked Almond Biscuits – As we were walking towards the Ruins, there are lots of shops along the way, dishing out free samples of still-warm Almond Biscuits.  Mum says it’s very good; it must be because she ate at least 6 pieces.
4. Be prepared – an advice that I should have applied.  I didn’t do my usual research before arriving and left out some of the must-eat places/food, like Portuguese or Macanese.  Without the research, we didn’t have a planned itinerary and just played it by ear.
5. Free Transport to Town – from the Ferry Terminal.  All the major hotels offer free bus ride from the Ferry Terminal to their hotel.  So if you’re smart, you’ll pick the hotel nearest to where you want to go.   This is a one-way only free ride.  To enjoy the return ride, you need to show proof that you’ve either stayed/gambled/spent at the hotel.
6. Absorb their culture – Portuguese language is still actively used and most everything is mentioned in 3 languages – Chinese, English and Portuguese.  Cantonese is widely spoken here and you might be fooled into thinking that you never left HK.
7. Visitor Information – at the Macau Ferry Terminal.  Be sure to pick up the free map and any information you might need, before leaving the Terminal.
8. HKD is accepted in Macau – so don’t bother changing to Macau Pataca.  You’ll even get change in HKD. 

 No, no, no:

1. Motion Sickness – courtesy of the rocking, ferry ride.  Mum vomited to and from Macau… I threatened to vomit several times, myself.  Despite the ferry being full, it could not provide the stability against the raging sea.  If you have a problem with motion sickness, take medication and be prepared with vomit bags.
2. Long Queues – It seemed that most of our time was spent either queuing or waiting.  We had to queue to board the ferry and the queue started about 1 hour before departure!  Next we had to queue at the immigration gates, once at Macau-side and then back in HK-side.  The queues were incredibly long and filled with irritated (i.e. screaming) babies and people shouting for missing relatives/friends.  It was a symphony of noise.
3. Unfriendly, maybe mute Taxi Drivers – in Macau, that is.  We tried to strike a conversation with the taxi driver but either he was mute/didn’t understand Cantonese/was ignoring us, because he didn’t answer.  So much for promoting tourism.

I consider this trip a preview and would like to return for a longer, definitely more organized trip.

Photolog: Street Vendor in HK

1st Hike in HK

I went for my first hike in HK today.  Hiking in HK is very popular, as HK has many mountaineous regions and beaches.  A friend invited me to join his hiking group and today’s hike is considered easy.  We started off at Shek O, hiked over Dragon’s Back (the mountain) and ended up on the other side.   The hike was about 2.5 hours long with not too much difficulty, climbing up.  The view from the top of the mountain, of Big Wave Bay and Stanley Bay was wow. 

The weather was amazing, sun was shining and hardly any clouds and the temperature was very comfortable, despite it being Winter. Our hiking group was made up of 3 gwailo, a ABC family of 4 and 2 Malaysians. 

The hike ended at 330pm and we all had late lunch in Shek O Thai Restaurant.  It was a great day to be outdoors and I’m glad I took up this challenge.  I need to work on my stamina if I want to hike more or try harder trails. 

Note to self: Next time, bring the camera!

Childhood

I once met this Dutch guy who worked at a client’s office.  It’s not often that I get along with my clients on a social level, as they are mostly afraid of unintentionally, saying some incriminating whatever that I could use in my report.  But this guy was different and it was because he was not intimidated by what I did for a living.  He was the epitome of coolness, someone who seemed to take each day at a time and enjoying each day as it passed.  I found his character to be so refreshing and silently, I wished I could be as care-free as he seemed.  I had the chance to chat with him before I left the location and we exchanged thoughts on our childhood.  He shared that he had a wonderfully happy childhood.  His parents brought him up without any expectations except for him to be whatever he wanted, as long as it made him happy.  I found that to be so profound and wondered, is asian parenting that big of a difference from western parenting? 

I wish i had that kind of solid foundation, when i was growing up…to know that I could never disappoint my parents because they only wanted me to be happy. But sadly, that wasn’t always the case and maybe, just maybe because of the lack of this foundation, I am struggling with acceptance even at my old age, when really i should just be happy with me.  Hmm…sometimes, I dont even know what will make me happy, I’m wired to put other’s happiness before mine that I don’t give “it” much attention.

I hope when the time comes for me to be a parent, I will not go down the same road.  But really strive to break out of the norm and give my children the confidence that, they can never be less loved, in my eyes.

Musicals in London: HairSpray and Billy Elliot

During this trip to London, I was fortunate to be able to catch 2 highly-rated musicals – Hairspray and Billy Elliot. 

Hairspray:  I’ve seen the movie and loved it.  But the musical is amazing, imagine actors and actresses who are also singers and dancers, doing it live!  It was a visually stunning show, with bright lights and brilliant colours, visible eventhough I sat far above.  The music was just as I remembered it to be, except better because it was live.  It was a wonderful experience for the senses, which ended with rapturous applause from everyone.  If you like colours, dancing and singing, I highly recommend this.  One of my fave songs in the musical is ” Without Love”: 

Billy Elliot:  A friend told me that this was from a movie, but I hadn’t seen it and didn’t know what to expect.  Only that I’d received many comments that THIS is the musical to watch.  I managed to get last minute tickets at a steal – GBP22 for the upper floors, but considering that it was most often sold out.. this was a very good deal.  Its a story about a boy who is talented in dancing but faces resistance from his family.  It ends with his family supporting him on his dream.  It’s filled with emotions, sadness and humour but the one thing that I was greatly impressed with was the professional dancing.  Little children who must be about 6 or 7 yo, were tap-dancing with adults…. WOW! The star of the musical is a boy of about 12yo and not only did he act, but he also sang and danced like a pro.  Such talent…. WOW.  My only complaint was my poor understanding of their English accent, which made it difficult to understand what they were saying.  Here’s a YouTube treat”

Hairspray is a feel-good kind of musical, compared to Billy Elliot, which has its serious moments.  Depending on what you like, they both offer something different with the same wow experience.

Travelogue : Paris in a Day

I had the weekend off in London and decided to visit Paris for the day - Saturday.  I would spend 7 hours in this culturally-rich city, before returning back to London.  I will deviate from my standard travelogue format, just because!

The day started early, as I needed to catch the earlier Eurostar, leaving St Pancras International at 645am.  The return ticket cost GBP 59, which I thought was a steal, but you’ve to book weeks ahead to get that price.  Train ride was about 3hours and the seats are comfortable enough to sleep…. I slept most of the way. 

There’s a 1 hour time difference between London and Paris, with Paris being 1 hour ahead of London.  As it is winter now, Paris was as cold as in London but it was a beautiful day, with the sun shining brightly throughout most of the day.  I spent alot of time, looking at the sky, thanking GOD for the lovely weather.  You see, before the trip, I’d been reading the weather forecast for Paris and it was forecasted to rain.  It did rain, briefly but while I was underground… so that’s great!

To travel economically throughout Paris, I bought a 1-day card for unlimited travel on the Metro, which is their underground trains.   It cost only E5.80.  

The metro line and map can get confusing at times but you’ll figure it out, sooner or later.  I wished they would be more tourist-friendly and print the places of interest on the metro map, so that we’d know which station to get off at.  One annoying thing with the Metro was their “missing” stations… I tried to find 2 stations and went to the exact location in the map, but they were nowhere to be found.  This meant that I had to walk to the next station.  I spent quite alot of time walking, which was a pleasant experience as you get to take in all the smell (of freshly baked croissant or coffee…. yummy), sights (of fashionable french women) and sounds (of romantic french conversations).  Briefly, here’s my itinerary:

• Sainte Chapelle
• Notre Dame
• Lunch in a french cafe, eating freshly baked bread and drinking coffee
• Sacre Coeur
• Eiffel Towers – sorry the Tower is tilting.. it’s my angle
• Arc D Triomphe and Champs-Elysees

As I only had 7 hours to try to take in at least all the major spots, I didn’t have the luxury to queue up at any of these places.  So, I didn’t take the elevator up the Eiffel Tower or see the Mona Lisa at Musee De Louve, which was fine with me.  In any case, I saved quite alot of time and money by bypassing all these things.  Instead, I spent the time absorbing everything as it passed me, making memories of what is Paris.  I remembered thinking how cultured the French are, which is apparent from their architecture and their history.  I stared in awe at their buildings (I have a fondness for Churches), with its intricate domes and towers, sometimes coloured in gold. 

If fate allows, I hope to go back for another visit and maybe even visit Versailles, which is famed for more architectural greatness.

Photolog: London at Christmas

Some pictures I took of London at Christmas

 

Ice-skating rink in the Museum of Natural History

This is the intersection near Leicester Sq

 

Hyde Park at sunset

 

Selfridges & Co’s ad for Christmas.  This billboard was in the Underground station.

It could Snow in London

I’m currently in London and yesterday, someone said that it snowed in London a few weeks ago.  Not only was it abnormally early for winter but it hasn’t snowed in October, in London for 70 years!!

There’s possibility of snow, during the next couple of days and I’ll be happy as a Tweety Bird if that happens.  I’ve never touched snow, so if this happens it will be my first.

Update as at 13 Dec 08: During my 2 weeks in London, it didn’ t snow.  But it was terribly cold, often going past zero’C.  Even with several layers of clothes and socks, I could feel the cold in my bones.. it was as good as being naked.  I was walking through Hyde Park on a Sunday evening and saw a pile of snow in one part of the park.  It struck me as odd but didn’t stop some kids and their parents from stomping on this “pile”.  I couldn’t resist and stomped too.. this may be as close as I’ll ever get to snow.