the world right here.

noreply@blogger.com (29125) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 22:27:00 +0000

Just because you "fought hard for what you wanted" does not (a) automatically make what you now have desirable, (b) nor does it turn your story into an epic tale, (c) justify making it hard for others to get what they want and (d) necessarily mean you ought to "know" any better. Even as you might protest - "But I'm only doing my duty, do your part!" or "See what you've done! Examine the effects of your actions!" ... to the tune of the National Economy.

hurled into the world, man is set upon, and thus sets himself upon paths (of blessing and curse, victory and defeat) behind and beyond him, shaping his destiny and moving him forward. And between birth and death, Man is no more than his actions; as he prompts himself to do right and wrong things, he both prompts others and is prompted by others.

noreply@blogger.com (29125) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 17:56:00 +0000

Hello, i'm back. It is the year 2013, i'm much older now. Some days I walk around in a drugged-like machined state. The ache in my limbs tender from crawling around Macirtchie does nothing for the heart, it sits in raw pain, smug; serves you right I've nothing but contempt and fierce stares for the uncoordinated heap of bones, flesh and muscle.

Look at what you've done!

It's all these addictions i feel powerless to rid myself of. And all these addictions I fall back to when the world is old and weary. But i'm no longer a teenager trapped in a bedroom lonely and scared and I'm no longer the child who stood against the wall helpless, watching horror unfold.

What has come out of all this you say?

noreply@blogger.com (29125) — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 15:01:00 +0000

It's over. I've lost my faith in humanity and mankind. Evil, self-centered, judgmental, ego-obsessed creatures who prance around like they like know it all. I'm so ashamed to be part of this pack of flesh and bones; yet the human imagination revealed daily in what we call "creativity" reminds me everyday that there is hope down here, and perhaps up there too. One can never be sure, but it is in these 'leaps of faith' made on incomplete knowledge and without self-righteousness bounded by time ... towards what one wants to make of life that the human being continues on its way to becoming well, human. This is the way the human spirit transcends the facticity of life/death.

noreply@blogger.com (29125) — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 13:47:00 +0000

On Saturdays I take walks around Singapore with G and this usually makes my week. We walk where our conversation takes us and till our calfs ache and cry out for soda. Today the sun shone brightly in our faces, giving G a reddening tan in the wrong places. His students will surely laugh at him on Monday, I candidly informed him, forcefully handing over a blue canister of SP50+ biore sunblock. But the patriarchal old man would NOT put on his sun screen! Perhaps at the risk of incurring the wrath of some Feminist (hiak hiak!) I played the ideal good woman and squeezed a fat milky dollop onto his palm, administering instructions between giggles while he bowed awkwardly, dipping his pointy nose into the white puddle. With our delicate muslin veils, we walked hand in hand into the gleeful rays till the sun was no more.

noreply@blogger.com (29125) — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 16:51:00 +0000

When I first caught sight of the narrow fissures in the marbled flooring, I thought little of it. Daddy would fix it. He always knew how. He would get plaster from the cheapest DIY store, take down his heavy tool box from his study, wipe off the thick, gloomy layer of grime, retrieve his tools, and fix it. Daddy always said that homes needed looking after, small cracks grow into a big chasms, and people could fall into them if they were not careful. But Daddy couldn't fix this fissure, and it grew into big wide hole, like he said it would, and everyone just kept tumbling into it.

It's the June break now and everyone is off on their holiday, seeking a new adventure away from Singapore and their teacherly duties. Then they'll return home and post bright, sparkly pictures of splendid sunsets, and romantic walks along cold cobbled corridors on Facebook for their friends to gawk at and 'like'. People don't need breaks. "Break" is another word for "escape", sometimes "breaks" are happy "goals" to look forward to, a reassurance that the pain we willingly put ourselves through will bear fruit - to ride on cliches, and find out all along that, "as cliched as this sounds", there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

While people struggle to put food on the table, I struggle over existential, frivolous things like to what extent I owe my life to myself, and to what extent, I owe my life to others and my community. Take care of yourself and your community will prosper, being responsible for yourself is to be responsible for the Other, to be responsible to but not to be responsible for ... so say the theorists, and the philosophers. Religion adds an extra dimension to the conundrum, and an extra hour of insomnia.

But after years of battling with the paradoxes and ambiguities yet remaining faithful, I'm ready to give it up, at least part of it. When I was 17, I proclaimed that I believed only because I would very benefit from being a religious Catholic. What was there to loose? But what I had failed to see was that people wear seat belts because they are afraid. Between 17 and 26, I read a lot of books and listened to many holy people, sought for answers that holy people couldn't answer (to my surprise), and humbled myself in ways I never ever thought I could, thanking God (the voice in my head) for the "trials that have come my way", placing my trust in Christ alone.

But as the words in an old St Mary of the Angel's musical sings

"I have run the race without compromise, kept my focus on the prize, given all I have to give, and crossed the finish line. I've kept the faith despite the pain, sang his praise despite the chains. I glued to him like a branch clings to the vine. But is it finally Christ in me?"

Who knows?

feeling motivated!

noreply@blogger.com (29125) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:41:00 +0000

I'm back here!!

goodbye!

noreply@blogger.com (29125) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:06:00 +0000

here

I really couldn't think of any better title and this blog was getting too whiny. So I started yet another new one.

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (29125) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:53:00 +0000

I'm back! It has been a splendid year and I've loved every single bit of it mostly because traveling has been such a huge part of it along with it, eating and hence also gaining weight, lots of it! Though I'd also like to think that part of this weight-gain is attributed to the several newly developed muscles that have sprung up courtesy of all the walking and hiking that I've done!

A toast to all my wonderful travel buddies and new friends!

Unfortunately, the new calendar year is here. And that means work! The daily grind will begin again ... and for me that means the day after tomorrow.

Fortunately, I still have one day left, and that day will be spent watching Sherlock and tending to administrative matters that I've chucked to a corner since the start of my self-declared vacation in Oct 2011!

To 2012! :)

money+traveling+lame attempt at justifying my impulses

noreply@blogger.com (29125) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 18:41:00 +0000

Does it really take a lot of money to travel? Yes, and no. Here's yet another post where I try and convince people that I'm extremely blessed, but not at all rich. And that it is possible to travel a lot on a budget.

But firstly, why I'm able to do this. I've been extremely blessed: I do not have to provide for my family; I earn a decent middle-class income; I've no children to feed; no monthly installments to pay; and I have a job. So at this point in time, I'm still single and employed.

At the beginning of this year (2011), G and I signed an expensive paper that emptied a significant chunk of our bank accounts, we bought an apartment that would be ready in 2014, and I knew that that would be the end of my carefree existence. It is scary just thinking of the bills I would have to pay and the monthly installments I would have to make for the next thirty years! Public Housing is a diabolical mechanism guised as a socialist policy that ostensibly assures us that we would own "a piece of our country's wealth" while simultaneously forcing us into a 9am-5pm (and after) mould where we both have to work hard (and harder if we want to pay off our loans in less than thirty years and 'upgrade' to private housing), month in and month out and take measures to ensure that we are never laid off, and if we are, that we will still have money to pay off the monthly installment. In other words, we have to be perfect cogs in the wheel, now that we've 'democratically' bought (literally) into the system.

So I'm traveling as much as possible right now because this is what I've always enjoyed doing.

I try to spend as little as possible on each trip. How?

1. Cheap Plane Tickets - I scour the net for the cheapest plane tickets. My brother, Gabriel, can attest to the sheer number of nights and hours I spend trawling the internet for cheap air tickets. For instance, there was a return ticket to Oslo on Qatar for only 500SGD but with an extremely long layover. I'm used to spending long nights in airports, in fact, I like spending my nights in such transient spaces.

2. Couchsurfing - Why pay for accommodation? Why pay for guides? Couchsurfing provides both and it doesn't cost you a cent!

3. Hostels/Air BNB - I stay at very basic accommodations when I travel. What is a hostel but a room to return to? Besides, there are wonderful hostels throughout Europe especially, and the rates (especially off season) are mind-blowing!

4. Transport - this is by far the trickest as it can get very expensive. But as far as possible, I get from one place to the other by foot. I truly enjoy walking and I can walk from morning to evening without stopping, covering more than 20-30km in a day. My brothers may scoff and not believe me when I say this, but I relish the aches that appear in my calfs the day after.

5. Hitchhiking - I've never tried this. But my brother and his girlfriend have! It can be dangerous for a girl though, but if you are in groups and around Europe, it should be good!

6. Eating Cheap - though I love food, when I travel, I try to eat a variety of cheap food. Besides I absolutely adore canned sardines in olive oil and these are really cheap in Europe!

7. I don't travel to shop - shops bore me (do they not all sell the same thing anyway. what seems 'unique' and 'cute' is commercialization at its height) unless they give out free samples in edible forms. People I've travelled with can attest to the fact that the weight of my baggage is never much heavier when I return than when I leave.

By the end of Jan 2012, I think I would have spent close to $13000 on traveling since December 2010. While this might seem like a lot of money (and it is a lot of money), I would like to think that it is not so much considering that in this time I've slept in the sahara dessert under a moonlit sky (Morocco); seen the Northern Lights arching across the starry sky (Canada); trekked barefoot in mud for 4 hours, landing on my bum countless times (Vietnam); stuffed myself with more than 8 meals in 1 day (Hong Kong for 5 days); getting lost (I was alone and scared shitless) while hiking in one of the largest National Parks in the Laplands (Sweden); the numerous chance-meetings with strangers from all walks of life and the fantabulous conversations we shared (India). And then there is France, where I'll leaving for tomorrow and Hk/Macau/Shenzhen-trip that's coming up at the end of the month.

While I am certainly thankful for having had these opportunities, the sardonic side of me would just like to add that I know people who spend that very same amount, in a year, on pairs of ferragamo shoes, facial products, fine restaurants, branded labels, alcohol, gym memberships, expensive facial massage sessions, leather products and luxury holidays.

Just as a pretty pair of Ferragamos sends a deep thrill down its new owner's spine, a set of return air tickets makes me tingle with joy. Other well-intentioned folks like to ask me what I've learnt -- so, are Ferragamos, luxury vacations and fine restaurants an investment?

We all derive gratification from different experiences, let's leave each other's alone.

Moving (again)

noreply@blogger.com (29125) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 11:34:00 +0000

I will now be blogging all my travel-related posts at theotherborder.net. While I'll still be blogging non-travel related posts here (because this interface is so much more idiot-friendly), G and I have decided to combine our travel pictures and adventures into one blog!

Hello here some pretty pictures from Abisko National Park -- the very first National Park I've visited in my whole existence!

Old Delhi: Some Preliminary Photos

noreply@blogger.com (29125) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 15:28:00 +0000

Delhi is gorgeous, isn't She?

In the next 11 days...

noreply@blogger.com (29125) — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 15:21:00 +0000

It is just like me to think I can handle anything only to find myself fumbling half way through. Yes, I've bought into all that if I -believe -I -can -do -it -half -the -battle -is -won -motivational -crap.

I should begin on my next assignment right away because what I have left is exactly eleven days to do that and also to tie up the loose ends to the wonderful itinerary G put together (his first attempt) (so a round of applause please!), and book a reasonably priced accommodation for what has evolved into a family + G vacation.

Yikes! :O

While I love traveling/holidaying, it can be stressful sometimes.

I told myself I'd give me a lazy breather of about 15 more hours before I start the engine again!

Back from Rajasthan!

noreply@blogger.com (29125) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 14:33:00 +0000

Thar Dessert, Jaisalmer.

I will blog with more words and pictures soon! India is certainly Incredible and I can't wait to fly back. When I told my Indian friends (they hail from south india) how kind and funny I thought North Indians were, they responded with skepticism: that's because you are Singaporean and Chinese they all said.

They might have a point because we were treated like the most exotic creatures on earth. Parents dropped their barely crawling babies on our laps, young boys asked for "one photo, please", and school children in uniform huddled around us giggling and smiling shying.

We also managed to smuggle in a spot of shopping, and in my largest haul yet (I'm not in the habit of shopping when I travel), I snagged four pairs of colourful jutti shoes on impulse. My bad influence snagged three pairs for herself and we could not help but admire their colours when we were back in our little sanctuary.

Jutti Shoes, Rajasthan

Traveling makes me happy! :)

the daunting list of things to do in the next 24 hours

noreply@blogger.com (29125) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 10:12:00 +0000

Complete the final two outstanding assignments
And Submit them.
Run out to buy sashimi-fuel before the shop closes for the day for tonight's marathon
Charge all my batteries
Clear memory cards
Cut my nails
Drag my bag out from the storeroom (*cross fingers* hope it is still there!)
Run out to Watson to buy whatever toiletries I may need
Return all library books
Borrow library books
Locate Shoes (?)
Change money
Print and make copies of all important documents
send rescue teams to war-zone (i.e. my room)
Look for a few sets of cutlery
Tissues, napkins, towels, wet wipes -will I ever have enough?
take Malaria pills and remember to BRING them
check itinerary
Check-in

Doesn't sound like a lot, does it?

Okay I really should stop slacking around. I'll run out to get snacks and whatever I need at 8:30pm. But for now, I need to start at the top of the list!

I don't understand why I'm such a last minute person! argh!

Till then, Goodbye!

Waiting for treats like a puppy: please anyone?

noreply@blogger.com (29125) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 23:02:00 +0000

My almost three thousand dollar credit card bill this month was horrifying to say the least, especially so for someone who can hardly be considered to be drawing a pay cheque. This is a ginormous sum; unprecedented.

But then, in my defense, out of the ten charges on the list, only one item can truly be counted as a 'splurge' (no, i'm not in denial thank you very much) -- a 61.52SGD bill for dinner and desserts at Canele. And even that was justifiable simply because the I had not met the friend I had had dinner with in eons, and friends just need to meet, period. Plus, that friend still owes me 1/2 of the bill (yes, I'm blogging about it so I will not forget), so essentially, my bill is 31 dollars lower.

Of course the largest cut of the pie was the result of the newly acquired fastmo-gizmo (the macbook air), followed by payment for an exorbitantly priced stay in Lyon (again, necessity not need! REALLY!!!!!! - screams- try locating a reasonably priced hotel in Lyon during the lights festival - TRY!!!!- I challenge you!!).

As for the next biggest chunk, we have my family's current obsession with book depository to blame -- perfectly justified because each book gets read five times, and then sometimes it makes it way to close friends like G, so its potential mileage in itself justifies its purchase. I'm tempted to add an "amen" here but it sounds a little too blasphemous and uh, american.

The rest went to vaccines. -growl- sorry. I meant ------> -GROWL-

I will not emasculate my growl!

Other charges include a $40 charge at Popular for ink cartridge and white paper, a $11 charge at Mcdonalds (hey, people need to eat!), and $12 for Passion Card membership (completely worth it considering this offers me a complimentary five year upgrade to premium membership at the National library (which cost $18/year anyway), and $7 cathy movie tickets all week round including two small boxes of popcorn!) among many other perks)).

Now that I've justified last month's bill (please take note of just how absolutely sensible I've been. Note: Note the lack of fluff!) and immortalized it in this blog post, I'll bow out now, but before I do so completely, your donations and treats (esp from the wonderful likes of G and Audrey are more than welcome)). It's time to pay your friendship dues, people, uh ... I mean, Bffs!

But on a happy note, I now have 3000 more miles!

The Sahara Desert, Morocco

noreply@blogger.com (29125) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 04:36:00 +0000

sunset in the Sahara

climbing down the Erg Chebbi in Merzouga. It doesn't seem like it but it was very hard work!

When a city girl finds herself in the Sahara desert with her boyfriend you'd think they would be set for a romantic evening under the stars.

But it was hardly like that.

Firstly, it was a full moon night and the stars were neither twinkling nor shining brightly. The winds were howling, it was freezing and we were cold; a literal, physical cold, a far cry from the frigid, alienating urban sprawl. This one was much more unfamiliar because it bore into our bones and remained there no matter how many candles we lit as we huddled under thick woolen blankets.

Then there was a normadic kitty that kept darting in and out of our tent eventually settling at the foot of our mats. And you know how domestic animals terrify me. I had to try very hard to keep my cool.

We slept on the soft sand with our torchlight turned on, loosely bound and dangling from the ceiling of our tent until the silvers of sunlight trickled through its flimsy folds, waking us, mere mortals to the Sahara's stunning sunrise.

Kaya Toast and Soft-boiled Eggs.

noreply@blogger.com (29125) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 06:58:00 +0000

a typical breakfast set: kaya Toast, soft boiled eggs and milo

The breakfast set all Singaporeans love.

Udaipur here we come!

noreply@blogger.com (29125) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 06:54:00 +0000

credits: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nevilzaveri/315017941/

One of the very bad habits I've picked up from G is to spend countless hours browsing through photography sites such as flickr, except that I also like pinterest very much - so that's double the amount of time spent on picture-sites for me!

With our trip to India less than a month away, I flickr-ed for pictures of Udaipur, one of the places I'm very much looking forward to visiting. This is my favourite picture, the photographer tittled it daily routine and I suppose he was referring to the morning ritual of washing in the ghats of lake pichola.

My comrade has everything nailed from a list of accommodation to transportation and trips to the rural area with nazi-like precision and attitude. And for once, I'm relatively happy to be sitting back, slacking for now.

a randomly generated list of Top 11 places to visit!

noreply@blogger.com (29125) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 01:38:00 +0000

I like open spaces a lot. The further from the city, the more magnificent, it seems. Perhaps it is because God created nature, and men created cities out of nature. But then men (that God created) also made God's creations accessible to everyone. I've randomly selected 11 "open spaces" from my more recent Facebook albums that I've had fond memories of.

Lists like these always inspire me so perhaps they'll inspire someone else too! Happy traveling!

1. West Coast of South Island, New Zealand.

2. Abisko National Park in the Swedish Laplands

3. Nara Deer Park, Japan

4. view of Mont Fuji shot from a Cable Car, Hakone

5. at Fox Glacier, South Island New Zealand

6. Crown Range Road, New Zealand

7. Barrage Hassan Addakhi, Morocco

8. Willow Lake, Fort Mcmurray, Canada

9. Old town of Uppsala, Sweden

10. Cat Cat Village, Sapa, Vietnam

11. High Island Reservoir Geopark, Hong Kong

It's amazing just how beautiful our world is. Way to go, God! :)

And at my back I always hear, time's winged chariot hurrying near.

noreply@blogger.com (29125) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 20:20:00 +0000

I'm very displeased with myself. I wish I had more time to learn, to read, to pick up new ideas, to think of more fascinating connections. Why does everything have to come to an end so quickly, and why do I always find myself in a situation where I'm strapped for time and I have to hurry through everything. I'm a last minute slob. And certainly not a smart one!

But I'm very positive, and I repress all my negative experiences so much so that I never learn from them!

ARGH!

addictive books.

noreply@blogger.com (29125) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:29:00 +0000

My body clock is screwed up. And I'm blaming this on my latest addiction -- books. Not the scholarly type of course, -scoffs- but the kind children/young adolescences read.

Up to this point I've never really liked a particular series of books because it meant that there would always something more to expect, another part that I would have to read, something like keeping up with chinese drama serials on tv where watching the first episode is like entering into a contract to promise to complete the rest of the series. Furthermore, I grew up hating science fiction/fantasy. The exception seems to be the Harry Potter series. I've read every single novel, each in a single sitting, no matter how long it would take me, no matter how thick it grew, no matter how old I grew, I am a dedicated ~~reader~~ fan.

So when I was introduced to His Dark Materials, I was skeptical. But it turned out to be a freaking awesome book! Very dense, very tense, very addictive, I love it!

And then I was told to read Twilight. I was even more skeptical. But it turned out to be absolutely gripping! Yeah sure there were parts I wanted to roll my eyes, sometimes as often as the characters of Bella and Edward rolled theirs, but its themes aside, it was a page turner and highly addictive and attractive. I suppose like Edward's scent is to Bella? haha! I love it too!

Next, some people have suggested that I read the Susan Copper's The Dark is Rising series and Susan Collin's The Hunger Games series. I think I'm no longer such a skeptic so I'm looking forward to finding the time to read these new series.

But for now, let's just say I've got more than ten lengthy assignments to complete and uh, a dreaded pile of marking.

Book Depository: the cheapest way to buy books!

noreply@blogger.com (29125) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 05:49:00 +0000

Books are expensive in Singapore. Period. I use to get my books from Borders as they never failed to diligently dole out generous coupons. I would head to Kinokuniya to browse first, and if I found a title I liked very much, I would hop across the road (to Borders) coupon in hand. Another book store I particularly like is Vivo City's Page One. In terms of titles, not so diverse, but in terms of different editions and publications of popular titles, they have quite a variety!

Being the coward that I am, I've never really bought anything online. And being the lazy bum that I also am, I never really compared prices.

And then one fine day, when I had to purchase a large quantity of books and money became tighter, I decided to check out online bookstores.

I started with Singapore's very own.

(1) Open Trolley

Not bad as a concept. But the selection of books were rather small, stuff one could find at popular bookstore or at Harris. Furthermore, they were not significantly discounted. Their advantage though is that they are based in Singapore and the books would arrive in less than a week!

(2) Amazon

Amazon's prices are competitive. But they have a very complex table of shipping charges. And I dislike tables with multiple rows, and columns, and figures. I know they are suppose to make things a lot clearer, but somehow, I don't get it. Furthermore, it seemed that when I added the shipping charges to my cart, my final price had increased exponentially!

(3) Book Depository

My favourite! And it is easy to see why. Firstly, they have a wonderful interface -- simple, clean, and very easy to use. Key in the title you are looking for, and several variants of the book pop out, displaying the cheapest edition to the most expensive. Furthermore, they are priced significantly lower than walk-in bookstores in Singapore. And best of all, shipping is free to many parts of the world!

Crazy or what!

They have two websites though, a .com and a .uk. So far, I've found the .com to be marginally cheaper than the .uk. The not-so-good thing though is that the books take a rather long time to arrive. Orders take about 2 working days to be processed and then shipping (a deed undertaken by the notorious royal mail) takes about 7-10 working days, factor in weekends, and expect the books to arrive a month later!

My first order was for a whopping 13 books! They came in drips and draps, most of them individually packed in a thickly padded white envelope. They were in pristine condition and their edges were still nice and sharp. My last 4 books arrived in one thick perforated cardboard box. These books were however not in tip top condition, their edges were fraying very slightly but they still looked and felt new.

Because I was so in love with the service and discounts, I recommended it to G. And he in turned placed a 40USD order for three books -- the latest lonely planet guide to France and two photobooks.

40USD is a steal! A lonely planet guide to France costs approximately 40SGD here, what more his pricey photobooks!

Since I had so many packages arriving, my family got curious, and all of a sudden, they had book wish lists too! While my mother wanted a book on church flowers, my father had been intrigued by a comic series he had seen in Belgium. Church Flowers was retailing at 100SGD in Kinokuniya, but only 46USD on book depository. Similarly, a copy of Blake and Mortimer (in English) costs 19SGD here (and hardly possible to find anyway), but only approximately 7USD online. Of course I could not resist picking out a book and so I choose a hard cover book on greek mythology for children. I had seen it in Kinokuniya retailing for 60SGD but it was only going for 17USD.

What sealed the deal was that we could opt to pay in Euros. Very Swell, since the USD is appreciating against the Singapore dollar while the Euro looks like it'll be nose diving for awhile.

I love the wonderful vibes of a good bargain.

India: road trip! road trip! road trip!

noreply@blogger.com (29125) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 18:48:00 +0000

NLB kindly notified me that my Lonely Planet India book is due in three days. It has already been renewed once, so no way I was going to be able to get away scott free. I mean I have been reading and giving it some thought, but have not yet put together a concrete plan. So tonight, I finally loaded up on milo and biscuits, and sat down to think a little and finally, voila!

I'm not sure if the Ms. will be happy because I've made many changes to her first itinerary. This looks like it could potentially work, though it hinches on us getting a car and driver for a good price, if not it's back to the drawing board.

Eating Hong Kong: Lin Heung Restaurant

noreply@blogger.com (29125) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 07:25:00 +0000

The boy made a lot of noise. He said we must go to Hong Kong and Macau although we have been there, and even worse, I've been there twice! Then he cited examples of people who visit Hong Kong at least 5 times a year! I gave him a sour face. He knew he was losing the battle, so he consulted google maps and threw in Guangzhou and Shenzhen. But then I pointed out that I have also been to Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Then it was his turn to give me a sour face. I checked out the airfares to Taipei, almost got a heart-attack. Tapei so near to Hong Kong but a return flight cost more than $200/person more! Incredulous! So I relented but made the boy promise to book tickets, look for hotels, told him since he want, he must plan. But we all know who will ultimately be doing the planning right?

To his credit, he did plan la, he showed me three links, said he wants to go, all three links were to shops selling photo books! I think he knows I'll plan la, eventually, he'll just have to put up with me making a lot of noise, but I'll come up with a list of what's most important, food! And unlike photo books, he benefits from good food also what, right?

Anyway, here are pictures of the very last one and only dim sum meal I've ever had in Hong Kong. Mum, George and I woke up at 7am for this! It turned out to be terribly disappointing, so good la, now got another chance to try other famed Hong Kong Dim Sum restaurants.

very crowded!

one of my favourites! This was really good. The skin was not so thick, the ling yong was not too sweet. perfect!

this was the meat pau we had come down so early for! Apparently, they make only 180 a day - once gone, it's gone! So when the trolley auntie came with steaming baskets of da pau, we grabbed la. Turned out to be the biggest disappointment of the century, the skin was so so thick although it was soft and fluffy. But we don't like thick skins around here. It was very very meaty though with lots of flavour and juices.

this pork thing had a funny smell.

Although the food was not that great, Lin Heung is still one of the oldest traditional tea houses in Hong Kong. So I suppose, if you are in the vicinity, should pop by and try their dim sum la, if only for the experience! But definately not die die must try!

Lin Heung Tea House

160-164 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong; 852-2544-4556

adulthood.

noreply@blogger.com (29125) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 15:26:00 +0000

Some of us grow old and get married. Some of us grow old and remain single. Previously, we drank coke. Then we started to drink shots, and more shots and more cocktails. Some of us grew to prefer beers, others still preferred their cocktails. But we all liked wine, and as we grew, we drank more and more of it. There had always been something very calm and poised about wine. And everyone hoped that like wine, we would age slowly, gracefully and expensively.

Some of us became wives and husbands and later, mothers and fathers. While for others, their own parents grew a little desperate and naggy, and so they signed up for dating events, enrolled in dating sites. Before, when you were much younger, if you were Indian, you not only had to marry an Indian, you had to marry within your caste. If you were catholic, you could not marry any christian, you had to marry a christian-catholic. But now that youth is no longer a friend, "any suitable partner" would suffice. So sad, the perfect fairy tale relationship we had once envisaged over sleepovers giggling under the covers, full of conditions and rules, will-nots and wants ebbing away; our very own bottle of champagne-concoction carefully preserved for "adulthood", still unpopped, at the bottom of the sea in a shipwreck.