E V E R Y D A Y . B E A U T I F U L . P U R P O S E F U L
July 31, 2010 Leave a comment
(Photo Taken: Robin Close, Singapore – Photos shared by my Auntie Amy. Cousin Leon, it is probably safer to stay put & "dryer" in your Xiamen nest for the time being. Wonder if our Ministers’ landed properties flooded too? Good to have the "void deck" concept in all our HDB flats.)
July 25, 2010 3 Comments
Felicia was in shock and very surprised when she saw me holding a bouquet of white lilies at the door. You can almost see the "big question" mark on her face. I gave her the flowers and a hug. She was petrified and not sure what was going on. Haaa…I bet in her head, she was scanning millions of data for answers. Well, it is neither her birthday nor our wedding anniversary. It was just another "24th" day of the month.
Felicia and I began our fateful journey on 24th Nov 1993. In those days of puppy loves, we have absolutely no idea how long we are going to last. From the very beginning, we were counting and marking our togetherness by months. I have made a promise to myself that I will walk this journey with her as long as we can. On our 1st "Bobojojo" day, I made her a hand-drawn cartoon card. Since then, we have been wishing each other love on every 24th of the month. We were married on our 100th month in Singapore. That day was 24th March 2002.
For the next 99 months, we entered another new phase of our life. Life was very exciting and blissful. I am getting fatter and Felicia is getting prettier. In 2004, Elkan was born and he changed our lives drastically. Felicia and I were also separated for almost 1 year when I moved to work in Shanghai in 2006. By mid 2007, Elkan and her moved and joined me in China. Since then, we have been living abroad – moving from Shanghai to Hong Kong.
This May, I realised our 200th month will take place on 24th July 2010. Over the last 199 months, Felicia has been sending me sweet note (on every 24th day of the month). I want to give her a sweet surprise this time. Finding a right present for Felicia is extremely difficult. Over the years, I have given her the same old boring list of gifts – watches, bags and jewelry. I wanted to plan another "surprise holiday" for her but my workload is extremely heavy this period. Tracy suggested that I cook for her. Well, after my last kitchen disaster in Shanghai, I have told myself not to enter that place again.
Lately, I have seen Felicia playing on her iPhone. Every night, she spends hours surfing FACEBOOK or reading articles / recipes on that little small screen. I have decided to give her an iPAD. Problem is: It is not officially launched in Hong Kong. (The water goods cost 50% more!) Lady Luck was shining on me! Last Monday, Apple announced the launch date of iPAD in Hong Kong on 23rd July! By sheer luck, I managed to get 1 for her yesterday!
When Felicia finally read the message in the card and saw the gift, she smiled at me and whispered. "I was really surprised. I didn’t know you were counting…Dear…I don’t need such expensive gift. I prefer your cooking."
It was a sweet and lovely moment. And then, my expression changed and I gave her that prankster Joe-Look – "Okay… Now, where is my surprise present?" No present, she said and left. And then, Elkan pestered "Huh? You mean today is Mummy’s birthday? No? Then why she has an iPAD gift? What about me leh? Hmmp! Not fair!"
July 24, 2010 4 Comments
Apple has mastered and formulated the "divine" recipe to win the hearts and minds (and souls) of its consumers. It has been quite a while since we last saw a craze like this. Other than the senseless "Hello Kitty" MacDonald toys in the early 2000s, I cannot recall another electronic brand or product which had such an impact on the consumers. People around the world are just so crazy and mad about Apple products (iPhone, Mac Air).
Yesterday, Apple launched iPad in Hong Kong. The response were as crazy as the previous launches in Japan and the USA. Queues were started the night before and by morning, it was clear that the shops do not have enough stocks for everyone. Within the first hour, all iPads were sold out. The distribution strategy by Apple is so brilliant. Like drugs, the "out-of-stock" sign deepen the "desperation" of the shoppers. Empty-handed shoppers were eager to find out about the next re-stocking. Some even offered to buy "queue-space" in order to secure their own iPads.
Many in the queues were Chinese. Hong Kong is probably the cheapest place to buy Apple products. (There is no tax and GST here!) These "water-goods" buyers came in group to "secure the first units" for their mainland customers. It is a very lucrative business. There are a big demand in China for genuine Apple products. Smuggled goods in China cost 20-35% more than the official retail price.
We were very very lucky today. We were in the right place at the right time. This afternoon, we were heading to our favourite HMV Shop in Causeway Bay when we saw a small line of shoppers queuing outside the Apple Shop. We were informed that there will be a new supply of iPads! What a rare opportunity! We stood in the queue for less 15 minutes and we bought 4 iPads!
Unknown to Felicia – Since early May, I was planning to get her an iPad for our 200th Month Anniversary! After yesterday’s out-of-stock disappointment, I was going to get her another gift. So, you can imagine my joy today when I paid for these iPads! Cos’ today is our Anniversary! Just in time! There can never be another perfect timing!
July 24, 2010 Leave a comment
(Photo Taken: Outdoor Plastic Animal Sculptures, Causeway Bay. Sorry, I don’t buy the message. I just don’t see the connection of plastic bottles and these animals (Polar Bear / Elephant / Whale). You see, Bonaqua (a brand under Coca-Cola) is launching a new "twist-able" plastic bottle and claimed that the new design uses 30% less plastic. Consumers are able to twist and dispose the empty bottles – saving disposal space and providing more convenience for recyclers. Well, I think this outdoor awareness program back-fired and emphasis the harm of plastic materials in our environment. Less plastic doesn’t mean "more environmentally" friendly. One thing is for sure, these animals don’t need our rescue. It is "human" who needs the saving. Maybe Bonaqua should make a plastic "human sculpture" instead.)
July 24, 2010 Leave a comment
(Photo Taken: Western Market, Sheung Wan – What an unusual gathering in Hong Kong. It has been a long time since I met these lovely ladies from my Polytechnic days.)
July 24, 2010 Leave a comment
(Photo Taken: Hong Kong Island – After a gloomy Black Rain on Thursday, the sun + blue sky is finally out this weekend.)
July 18, 2010 1 Comment
When I watched the 1st Toy Story, I was only 20. That was 15 years ago, back in 1995. That sounded so long ago but in the world of 3D Animation, Buzz and Woody are evergreens and they stay young and vibrant. Today, I am enjoying this movie with my son who is 6 – who is like me –
enjoying the magic of Buzz and Woody. Unlike many Hollywood actors who aged over the years, my favourite characters at Pixar remain young and colourful.
Over the last 15 years, John Lasseter produced many remarkable 3D films. His stories are always refreshing, simple, meaningful and emotional. In 1999’s Toy Story 2, Jessie’s “When She Loved Me” scenes moved me to tears. Since then, Pixar out-rivaled Dreamworks with its original, compelling and heart-warming story telling. In Pixar’s last animation film “Up”, a touching reenactment of old man’s love story touched millions of hearts at the theaters. Not to mention other tear-jerking moments in “Ratatouille” and “Wall-E”.
Unknown to many, Toy Story 3 underwent a couple of rewrites. The earlier plot was completely different from what we saw today. It was about “the recalling of Buzz” and reunion of the old toys. Thanks to John’s involvement, he rewrote the plot, added lots of feelings and painted a wonderful last page for the trilogy.
Toy Story 3 was officially screened in Hong Kong on 15th July. Ticket sales were hot and I have to place booking 3 weeks ago. We were lucky to get tickets at the new iSquare 3D IMAX Theater.
Toy Story 3 exceeds all my expectation. It is so beautifully scripted! Superb sequel of the last chapter! Excellent 3D actions and well-paced! It is both hilarious and tear-jerking. The bond between Woody and Andy was so strong throughout the movie. They were both looking out for each other. The farewell scene between Andy, his mum and his toys was too emotional to watch. No word is needed to express the characters’ unconditioned love for each other. You can tell the sadness in their eyes. Woody’s selfless acts and sensibility moved me so much. When it was time for Andy to say goodbye to his childhood companions, I can’t helped myself but secretly wiped my tears beside my little boy. Surely, we all had such parting moments in our lives and these scenes triggered the old wounds in my heart. I left the cinema with a very heavy heart.
“So long partner!” – that was Woody’s last words to Andy. Gonna miss them so so much.
July 18, 2010 Leave a comment
(Photo Taken: "Cupcake Voyage Exhibition" at Harbor City, Kowloon – Look at all these yummy, edible and beautiful handmade cupcake! So irresistible! Wish I can just take one bite at these!)
July 17, 2010 1 Comment
(Video by Mr Brown: In less than 4 weeks, Singapore suffered another big flood this morning (stretching from Orchard to Katong). What’s going on back home? These flood reports are making us look really really bad. This shouldn’t happen again – especially at our prestigious Orchard Road. Some one should really check the drains. Meanwhile, check out some tips offered in this funny video clip.)
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