HONG KONG-SHENZHEN-MACAU 2007

DAY 4

And YESSSS!!!!! Aft 3 days of frantic morning searching...finally found a decent yum cha place on this lovely breezy and cooling friday...juz right on the corner of Nathan Road a few streets away from our hotel and yet we could have missed it...how nice...finally satisfy my long-awaited...highly anticipated wish to yum cha at a decent yum cha place in HK...haha...me and mr Quek ordered the usual fare...hak gow...siew mai...cha siew rice...and fried wanton...yummmmmy!!!

inside the yum cha restaurant that we painstakingly took 3 days to find

an authentic dim sum fare

aft our dim sum feast...crossed over to HK island to meet clem again...at Hong Kong station where we would take a bus that would take us to Stanley market...all the way at the other end of the island...another tourist hotspot famous for its main flea market...alfresco restaurants...beachfront homes and of coz reputedly a favourite residential enclave for movie stars...who knows we might juz catch andy lau jogging...or stephen chow sunbathing...haha...

the bus journey took almost 45min before we finally arrived at stanley market...and guess wad my 1st purchase there turns out to be a bottle of face moisturizer at watsons...cannot help it face starting to peel with such dry wintry weather in HK...experience in US tells me i betta get some help before my skin starts to crack even further...heh...walked through the maze of shops and winding shop alleys...most of which was juz selling cheap t-shirts...belts...jeans...shoes and lotsa of souvenirs...nothing spectacular to be honest...mr quek ended up buying some artwork from one of the art galleries...wind around the main market for an hour or so...and admiring the beach and nice houses ard the area along the promenade...and slurping an icecream cone in this relaxed ambience can be quite a refreshing experience...haha...and guess wad we really bumped into a movie star!! heh...while walking towards Murray House and right smack walking in our direction was anita yuen!!! she was sporting a black tracksuit in the company of her domestic helper i guess walking at a rather fast pace past us...and i was like shouting out her name "YUAN YONG YI"!!! and she did'nt even bother to glance over...wah kaoz...quite da lo...at least say hi la...heh...but still muz say she still look gorgeous even without makeup and giving birth...a star will alwayz be a star...

somehow ventured into the maritime museum wif free admission...paced ard looking at the exhibits...aftall HK do boast some sort of maritime history and like s'pore was one of the major trading ports during the colonial times...aft our museum tour...settled for a seafood fried rice lunch at a nearby plaza before moving on to our next destination of the day - Repulse Bay...

beachfront homes dotting the coastline at stanley market

smiley faces at stanley market

today is going to be a relaxing day

with clem up on murray house

wrapping up our visit at Stanley Market

took the same bus in the direction back...and dropped at repulse bay which was 10min away...reputedly one of the most beautiful beaches in Hong Kong...and of coz the bukit timah area of HK...where the super rich and famous stay...perhaps even more glimpses of stars...haha...

yah muz agree that it's simply one of the most beautiful beach i have seen...and nice iconic residential buildings along this crescent shaped beach...the view is indeed admiring...the rollicking waves and sea has a somewhat therapeutic effect on one's mind and body...really imagine waking up to the sound of waves...strolling along the beach aft a hard day's work or juz simply relax admiring the stars with a glass of red wine at ur balcony with sea breeze brewing at ur face...whoooo...the land of the rich and famous...juz a glimpse and preview abt wad their lives is all about...the moment u step to this district u already know it's so diff frm the cramped kowloon where the not-so well to do reside...i simply lost count of the number of luxury cars and convertibles zooming on the gentle hill slopes...and the buildings are so asthetically pleasing and architecturally beautiful...without any doubt repulse bay is the orange county of HK...

arriving in style at Repulse Bay

really a dream to own a unit here man

an iconic building at repulse bay

it was oni mid aftnoon when we were done visiting repulse bay..so we decided to drop by clem's uncle place where he has been staying put over the past few days...took the minibus and changed to a public bus before we arrived at the place almost 45min later...this residential district with a total of 20 blocks of 40 storeys each...lying off on a mini penisula near Aberdeen (or Hong Kong Tsai) with its own heartland mall in the middle...juz like any self-sufficient town back home...a high middle income residential area boasting of paranomic sea views since it is juz directly off the coast...can see container ships zooming by and according to clem...the ship horns and waves are like so loud in the morning tt he alwayz got waken up...haha...but seriously who will mind living here with such a fantastic view to greet u...but apparently the units are not that big aftall...i mean HK's houses are notoriously small and i really got a first hand experience of it today...if the well-to-do are living in such small units...u can really imagine how "big" the average or low-income folks are living in...my goodness...but i will still trade off with such a fantastic seaview anytime...

stayed at clem's uncle place for a while b4 we paid his grandparents a short visit a few blocks away...apparently most of his relatives are all coming over this end-of-year frm canada for a reunion...totally understand why hongkies migrate in such large numbers in the 90s...who wud wan to cramp in dense filthy kowloon when u can hav a house with ur own garden and courtyard in vancouver...

took a cab down to a nearby gigantic mall known as cyberport near evening time...a flagship project by the HK government to create some sort of silicon valley to house IT companies and professionals thus the name cyber port...tot there wud be some retail outlets to shop but to our disappointment the whole place was like a ghost town with hardly a single soul on this friday evening...cant believe how all these shops could actually survive with hardly anyone...in the end decided to settle for a movie "I am Legend" by Will Smith...juz wanna relax aft a somwhat pumped up and overdrive 3 days...and watching a show was perhaps the best idea...talking abt the movie...really impressed by will smith's acting...this kind is really a star of his own...to portray all the emotional scenes with no one left in the city and still having tt resolve to save the city is really something...if it's me i wud hav juz killed myself la...but sadly the ending was quite a disappointment...too rush and slipshod in my opinion...but overall still worth watching...will smith rawks!

imagine opening ur windows and seeing this view everyday

mr quek looking bored...haha

me n clem at his uncle's place

watched "I am Legend" at cyberport...why the view so nice everywhere in HK one

entertaining ourselves in this ghost town...lol

aft the movie me and mr quek went back to kowloon while clem had to go for a family dinner...took a bus all the way back to mongkok...finally saw the lup cheong shop tt mum asked me to buy...visted the night market at temple street again...bought a few more solar key chains as souvenirs...and finally settled on a seafood dinner at one of the open air shops at the junction of temple street...wah the seafood is totally solid!! one of the best meals i hav eaten at HK so far apart frm our romantic candlelit Victoria peak dinner...haha...wah the mussels...crayfish...the steamed fish,...and the broccoli...wah piangz....my saliva dropping out as i typing this lah...haha...yah of coz speaking abt broccoli...mr quek gave me an unforgettable lesson all thanks to a piece of broccoli...a lesson i probably not forget for the rest of my life...this lesson on pride...and God's gifts...everyone has spiritual gifts and talents from God in him/her...we were created such a way that we will utilise these gifts and talents for the greater good and glory of His Kingdom...to be honest i hav never venture deep into this question until today aft this conversation with mr quek...i felt totally enlightened to be honest aft the seafood dinner and was left pondering for the rest of the night on the way back to the hotel...and i am fortunate enuff to hav mr quek ard to show me this way...most imptly...i will pray for wisdom from God to cultivate my gifts for the glory of His Kingdom...thks mr quek if u reading this!! and it all started with a broccoli...haha

a somewhat relaxing day as compared to the past few days...but nevertheless a day of true reflection of His grace and mercy...of His gifts bestowed on me...a day of enlightenment no doubt...and perhaps like wad mr quek say...i might juz look back to this seafood dinner at temple street as a turning point in my life...Praise the name of Jesus...Hallelujah!

HONG KONG-SHENZHEN-MACAU 2007


DAY 3

Set out to hunt for some authentic dim sum fare to kick start our day...but disappointingly the search came to no avail...it's really not as easy as expected to search for yum cha as i tot in HK...i tot they r like everywhere...muz be a false impression i got from those TVB dramas...in fact i did'nt even try dim sum the last time i came wif donnie...made things worse wif our limited canto...hard to ask for directions also...decided not to keep clem waiting...so juz settle our breakfast at one of the da pai dang again...but this time i'm determined to try dim sum b4 i leave HK...at least there r a few more days to satisfy my "hak gow" "siew mai" "cha siew bao" cravings...heh...

met clem near the Legislature building at Central again...fast becoming our regular meeting point...decided to explore the outlying islands today!! haha...i mean most pple come HK oni stay and gallivant ard kowloon and causeway bay for shopping n food...in fact HK has a decent collection of nature and grasslands that are often ignored in travel booklets...since this time rd we have so much time to occupy in HK...we decided it might be juz worth a day to simply relax admist the rollicking hills....breathe in a fresh bale of fresh untampered air away from the hustle and bustle of the city area...and juz frolicking and making merry fishing...hiking and cycling...and simply juz throw ourselves into wad HK nature has in store for us...that's it!! here we come Lantau Island!!! heard so much abt it...and finally time to visit the island that is perhaps deemed the rustic n undeveloped area of HK...ala ubin back home...

headed straight to the HK island ferry terminal catering to outlying islands...and soon we were onboard a fastcraft heading to Lantau...only abt 45min by ferry from HK Island...upon reaching Lantau we boarded a bus that would take us straight to one of the iconic landmarks of HK...Polin Monastery Temple which houses the world's largest outdoor bronze buddha...a temple which is favourite for locals and tourists alike...where photographs of the statue can be seen in almost every HK tourism promotion brochure...it was a pity we could not really make out the statue from where we stood...as the sun was beating down rather fiercely and the fog that had gathered somehow cast a dark shadow on the buddha's face...

On our way to Lantau Island!!

Onboad the ferry...all pumped up for a day of outdoor adventure

Landing in Lantau Island in 10,9,8,7....3,2,1....seconds

Let's toast to our safe arrival in Lantau!

mystical aura surrounding the world's largest outdoor bronze buddha

smiling gleefully in front of this landmark icon

yet another commemorative group shot to mark our visit

seemingly endless flight of steps to to attain enlightenment

aft wandering around the square for a little while taking pics as such...we went off in search of the essence of wisdom led by our most wise leader mr quek...haha...we decided to juz venture along the wisdom path and check out wad's all about...maybe one will juz somehow attain wisdom when trekking this wisdom trail...sadly nothing spectacular abt the concrete pavement...juz those similar trails u can find in marina bay park...juz that the weather is certainly more conducive den our tiny island back home to trek under the mid-day sun...one will hardly break a sweat as one indulges in the fresh air...the greenery...and the silence only broken by the ocassional chirping of birds and singing of crickets...very lovely for someone juz wanting to be left alone...all maybe juz a fed-up salaried employee to relieve some stress and breathe in this atmosphere of peace and calmness...aft all buddhism is a religion that focuses very much on self-mediation and self-enlightenment...

the end of the trek was marked by a simple pavillion and a few giant wooden pillars with carvings bearing the Heart's scripture that erect to almost 10m tall...we decided that the short trek was never sufficient to satisfy our inner craving for something more to really kickstart our adrenaline and get it pumping...haha...aft all almost something extraordinary happens when the three of us gets together (even appearing on national tv once...thks to mandai's white tigers)...hahaha...as such decided to move on and trek up to the mountain top juz to satisfy our egos and to burn off some fats and carbo accumulated from the past 2 days of feasting...heh...

wah piangz...almost regretting it 5 minutes into our trek up the mountain overlooking the monastery...the trek was like so damn steep and uneven...and one misstep u can really say ur last words...certainly not for the fainthearted...every step seems a torture the further we climbed up...and it certainly doesn't help with almost one month of physical inactivity preparing for my exams...heh...was panting like crazy and sweating all over even though the temperature was like a cool 15 degrees or so...the air seems to get thinner the higher we went...but all the physical discomfort was offset by the spectacular view that unfold as we climbed higher...and as the buddha seems smaller and smaller...we trek like almost half-an hour up slope before halting for a much needed break...lol..decided aft the break perhaps it was not that wise aft all to really venture up to the peak...with knees getting softer with every step we took...we still have to care abt going down the slope later...with safety and strictly safety (certainly not tt we r physicall not fit =p) in mind...decided to call off the adventure midway and start heading back down...hahaha...the downward trek need more concentration k...it's even harder to go down den climb up lah...thks in large part to such uneven and jagged rocky steps...heh...nevertheless feel totally shagged out aft the 1 1/2 hr adventure...at least we burn off some calories...heehee...maybe will try ascending to the top the nxt time we r more prepared...heh

at the start of the wisdom path

caution!! we r on high lands!!

wooden pillars bearing heart scripture carvings

at the start of a gruelling climb...testing our bravery, determination and fitness to the max

i'm going to knock off the bastard behind me!!!

the pillars look rather spectacular from here

gazing afar into words of wisdom

wah damn shag ah...holiday still make me sweat like siao

solid proof of how high we climbed

aft making an equally tedious descent down the steep mountain rocky slope...we rested for a while at the pavillion near the Heart scriptures to catch our breath...relax and to slowly warm down...totally unexpected and unplanned activity...haha tot was suppose to be relaxing day of suntanning...prawn fishing and boat rowing...ended up braving our lives up some mountain until almost peng shan in Lantau...lol...almost mid aftnoon when we finally made our way down...decided to juz take a minibus back to the nearest mtr station and get some food to eat...so headed back to the monastery and waited for the bus there...took us another hour of travelling before we finally arrived at this gigantic shopping mall call City Gate at Tung Chung...rather near the airport i suppose since the airport also located in Lantau...lotsa of factory outlets here in City Gate...espirit...nike...adidas...giordano...columbia...g2000...we hanged ard the mall for a while n did some shopping since we were there might as well yah...spotted and bought this nike sling bag for ying which cost like oni S$20 which will almost cost 50plus back home...searched ard n bought a pink cap for hong too...mr quek bought some stuff frm columbia also...aft some shopping therapy...decided to head off to our next activity of the day...Causeway Bay!!! haha...another of my fav spot in HK...of coz the chance to see lotsa babes prancing ard in winter wear is an added incentive too...hiak hiak...

finally reached causeway bay n the sky is already turning dark at 6...it seems the day is shorter in winter here in HK...their 6pm is like our 8pm back home...headed to eat some beef brisket noodles at this famous da pai dang n apparently one of clem's fav...aft dinner started to galivant ard the malls...Times Square...Lane Crawford...and of coz the famous 24hr forever busy Sogo Junction...if u tink the junction betwn bugis village and parco is crowded...this junction is 10x worse la...wah lau the crowd never seems to simmer down no matter which part of the day...HK is juz too damn packed n dense man...n this will be the perfect place to showcase it...

walked ard the outlying outlets...bought a shirt frm g2000 since i suppose it wud be cheaper here...n den we went off for some snake soup...yup u r hearing me...authentic snake soup courtesy of mr clem at this famous snake soup shop in causeway bay...wah really damn shiok esp in this wintry weather...wooohhh...feelin damn heated up aft juz a few mouths...mr quek said his qi rose up...haha...apparently some pple take alreadi will nose bleed...lol...but quike shiok...i like the strong taste...a bit like shark fins soup...and the snake taste like chicken slices...juz tt it's more tender...

wander from street to street ard causeway bay...n pass by some massage shops...promised the lads that it wud be mine turn to give a treat so we somehow wandered into this massage shop (clean n traditional one la of coz =p) aft seeing the billboard along the main street...wah piangz this is the first time in my life i ever went for full body massage siah...wad an experience really...quite painful when the auntie was pressing down the veins in my neck...i was almost abt to ask her to stop man...but the head massage was damn shiok la...wah now i understand why pple actually pay so much for massage...becoz it feels damn good siah aft it!! haha...dare not say the same for mr quek who apparently got some big macho wushu uncle...told us the uncle almost broke his body into a few pieces n detach his spine frm his body...n the 45min massage feels like 45 hours...hahaha...it's either the uncle too strong for him or that he really got more aches den me n clem...apparently we enjoyed much more den him...lol...but a really good experience...aft a hard day of climbing mountain in Lantau...and of coz aft a sem of hard work...massaging all the stresses n aches accumulated frm back breaking lab work n neck aching mugging sessions...phewww...confirm wanna go for one more massage b4 going home man!!

decided to call it a day aft the massage...another event packed day in HK...a physical one of coz...tired but no doubt yet another fruitful day of our ord trip...

HK's version of S.H.E...spotted in causeway bay

captures of the day!

HONG KONG-SHENZHEN-MACAU 2007

Day 2

Met Clem at ard 10am at Jordan MTR...and set out straight to hunt for some decent and authentic HK fare for breakfast...headed downtown and walked along the famous Nathan Road to the Tsim Sha Tsui area...the most upscale shopping district in the kowloon area...also an area where the rich-poor contrast of modern HK is best illuminated...shabby, rundown and ill-maintained buildings which at times seems as though it will collapse any moment lined along the back alleys leading to Nathan Road...whilst modern n trendy shopping malls dotted the famous main street...perhaps mr Quek is rite...there is absolutely no logic why a city touted as one of the international major financial center with a per capita higher than our little red dot is in such a poor state of maintaining their post-war buildings...our chinatown & little india is clearly better conserved in all aspects...maybe the hongkies r juz too practical bunch of pple...conserving their buildings wud means $$ and time spent...which wud in turn translates to revenue loss...and as long as their buildings still stand...why the heck wud they wanna do something abt it??

settled our breakfast at this ubiquitous foodcourt franchise known as "da jia le" at a mall close to the ferry pier...proceeded on to the Avenue of stars...HK's version of Hollywood Walk of fame...it seems exactly the same from the last time i visited 3 years back...not much new attractions in this touristy spot...xcept for a new statue of Bruce Lee...a lengendary chinese movie icon...walked and took some picts along the boulevard...admiring the victoria harbour with the well-known n paranomic HK city skyline (if oni it was not such a misty day) which certainly puts our very own shenton way into shade...i mean their city skyline is really an almost 3-D 360 degree view from the avenue of stars compared to our 1-D CBD...this is then call a city skyline la...haha

Took a shot outside the famous hotel icon on our way to Avenue of stars...

a must have "pic" whenever one visits HK...HK's famous cityscape

finally reunite wif Clem on the 2nd day

MPNC ORD Trip 2007

honouring HK movie's finest

i wan to thank my fans for all these years of support

Standing tall amongst the cacophony of stars

good old jackie

chao wei...hao jiu bu jian

"adaaaaaaaaaaaa........"

"hiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak"

"Leon...Leon...Leon...Leon...Leon......"

Aft done exploring ard Avenue of stars...the Clock Tower...turning circles ard HK space museum n cultural center...and enough of revering the historic Victoria Harbour and across it HK's Central district on this rather warm ...we decided it's time to head across the sea channel into HK Island in a relatively traditonal n no-fuss manner...by the famous Star Ferry from Central Pier to Central District across town...this mode of transport is relatively unused by hongkies nowadays...with tourists making the bulk of passengers onboard...it's rather cheap though compared to the MTR, cab, n public buses...n it's definitely a nice...relaxed n tranquil way of crossing over to HK Island if one is not rushing for time...

Spent the rest of the aftnoon exploring the Central District...aftall HK is one of the major financial center of the world...so it's certainly timely n worthwhile to pay a visit to all the major international banks n their headquarters while u r in HK...something i didn't made time for the last time i visited in 2004...explored the different buildings n hotels in the area during the peak lunch hour...stanchart...HSBC...Bank of China...Four Seasons Hotel...mandarin Hotel...IFC mall...cheung kong center (owned by the one and only ka-shing)...paid a visit to the famed HK Stock Exchange where they have this exhitbition hall for the public...where we also learn the fact that our dear n much tauted s'pore exchange is so much down the line (in fact oni one notch higher than shenzhen) in terms of market cap in the world...haiz...CMI...

Basically juz spent our entire aftnoon hopping frm one bank to another...one building to the next...to simply absorb in the essence and element of one of the world's major finanial machines buzzing in full throttle on this lazy winter aftnoon...breathing in the same $$ air where the richest bankers work...n of coz admiring some of the wonderfully sculpted skyscrappers of modern HK...

Mr Quek n Clem onboard star ferry heading towards Central (Zhong Huan)

wah piangz...how many times muz i tell them not to anyhow park my car?!!?!

traces of ka-shing everywhere in HK

Beijing Olympics fever gripping HK

Listening to the guide talking abt securities n derivatives at the Stock Xchange

Clem n me fooling ard in the exhibiton hall

Good day in the office "How many lots u wanna buy ah?"

me and Mr Quek at the viewing gallery

almost every stock was in red...bad day for the stock markets

the exhibits at the stock exchange

feeling very "Da Shi Dai"

the aftermath of the 1987 market collapse

"Ho seh!! Huat ah!!"

"eh.......why the screen never move one??"

Aft we were done exploring ard the exhibtion hall...we decided to move on to our nxt destination...not going to his place when one visits HK is like not going to eiffel tower when u r in paris...not going up empire state when u r in NYC...or not going to the Pyramids when u r in Egypt...this place i m talking abt is none other than HK's very own Victoria Peak...where the truly super rich and famous reside...it is said that real estate prices at the Peak are one of the highest in the whole world...not surprising given the spectacular views of central HK...the harbour...and the famous night skyline that gave rise to the name "The Pearl of the Orient"...Indeed...the night skyline and the view of HK from up the Peak truly rises up to her name...simply gorgeous...beyond words...and guess wad to top it all off...mr Quek generously decided to give us an early christmas dinner up the Peak!! hahaha...dining up the Peak is seriously one of the best fine dining experience i ever had...the food is simply fantastic...the grilled venison i ordered coupled with the mocktail "Oscar Star"...and overlooking our table is the beautiful and famed skyline of HK...the ambience...the lovely and wintry weather...wif my bunch of old army khakis (a bit brokeback though...haha)...lovely to sum it up all...it would certainly be hard for the rest of the trip to match up to the dinner at the Peak...fine dining experience at its very best...

aft a superb meal at cafe deco with such gorgeous night scenes...we were hungry for more...thus we ventured ard the Peak Tower and moved up to the viewing terrace to get better vantage points of the famed skyline...soaked in the atmosphere for a while b4 we decided to take the minibus back to Central...and made our way frm there back to Kowloon...had some dessert at this famous dessert franchise "Hui Lau Shan" near Langham Place in Mongkok where we visited the day b4...walked ard the shopping mall for another time b4 we decided to call it a day and went back to the hotel to rest...a tiring 2nd day on foot no doubt...but the dinner at the Peak certainly proved to be yet another highlight of the trip thus far...

On our way up the peak...with Central District behind me

me n Mr Quek at the Peak Tram Station...our generous host of our christmas dinner

the tram juz pulling in at the base station before we boarded

surrounded by bemused passengers on my way up the Peak

feeling damn beh song becoz the stupid tram door juz shut on my fingers *ouch*

Kelly welcoming me to the Peak

View of HK city from up the Peak...the sky abit foggy though

"it certainly feels good to be up here"

"the air is so much fresher up here too"

Commemorative Group shot at the Peak

HK at dusk

As the sun sets in HK...

At the restaurant juz b4 we order our meals

Sipping "Oscar Star" - the name of the mocktail i ordered b4 mine dinner arrives

"Yummmmmmy!!! Grilled venison with mashed potato & tomato salad"

make a wish...make a wish...

After such fine dining experience...what can be betta?? Thks mr quek for such a lavish x'mas dinner!!

Pearl of the Orient at her charming best

Totally enchanted by the bright city lights

Final shot of the day at the Peak Sky Terrace