Time Lapse Hong Kong (HD – IOS App)

June 29, 2013 Leave a comment


Thanks to Wing (my creative colleague) who recommended me this fantastic free app – “Time Lapse”. This app is so idiot-proof and user-friendly that anyone is able to create their own HD time-lapse photography with ease (sunset, roving clouds, night traffic etc). Simply pick a good spot, leave the iPAD there for 50 minutes and let the program shoots and stitches the time-lapse video automatically. I am overly excited and satisfied with my first attempts. The IFC shot, overlooking Victoria Harbor is simply amazing! I never know how busy the channel is. Those boats looked like they were going to collide. Below is a very nice 198-day time-lapse video created by a Shanghai photographer Smaty. Enjoy.

Filed under Cool Stuffs, Life in Hong Kong

Photo Instag-Win at Sky100HK

June 25, 2013 2 Comments

Instagram is indeed very rewarding! I just won my first ever photo contest (took part during our last trip to Sky100HK – Read: https://wahbiang.com/2013/06/02/sky-high-reunion/) … Hahaha… Never expected to get a nice surprise this evening (certainly not in the midst of wee-hour OTs, deadline-panic and tons of unexpected crisis at work.). I was so busy that I missed out the earlier note sent by the organiser. The deadline to claim the prize was over. Thankfully, the lovely people at Sky100HK dropped me one final note this evening and I managed to login 5 hours before the deadline to redeem my prize! What a great energy booster! Feeling really sky-high!

Filed under Cool Stuffs, Life in Hong Kong

Back to Escape-Room II (密室逃脫遊戲 – Hong Kong)

June 24, 2013 Leave a comment

After our embarrassing lucky escape last Sunday, we teleported ourselves back to the mysterious old school this afternoon to solve the other puzzle rooms. This time, we brought Felicia (the one who started all these) and 6 new young hopeful Hong Kong detectives (Chowpo, Alan, Susanna, Ansel, Chris and Kelly) to help us solve the codes.

We were ambitious and decided to conquer 2 highly-challenging rooms. I thought more brains = bigger victory. I was wrong. We barely survived the first room (Art Room) and the entire team was hopelessly stranded in the second room (Science Laboratory). In the end, Ansel and daddy escaped the room in the most unconventional manner – 4-year-old Ansel called for a urgent natural break 10 seconds before the clock stopped.

Despite another fruitless week of margin wins and shameful defeats, we had lots of fun. It was a good first-experience for many of us. Felicia and I didn’t take part in the second room. We were watching the team on the CCTV outside the room. It was hilarious watching their behaviours and helplessness. Elkan and Ansel were the “alternative keys” to get the adults out of the rooms. For some strange reasons, Kelly looked like a haunted lady in the room. Eerie…

Thanks to the helpers at the mysterious school for explaining the codes to us. And thanks for allowing me to take so many nice pictures inside the school. For those who are interested to visit the “school”, here is the address: The Truth Gaming Room 1, 20/F, Win Century Centre, 2A Mong Kok Road. Call the helpers at +852 5597 8250 before you pop by. Just in case there is no one to help you to unlock the doors at ghostly hours.

Filed under Cool Stuffs, Life in Hong Kong

Guess who are our 151st HK Visitors!

June 20, 2013 Leave a comment

(Photo Taken: Meeting my 151st HK Visitors – Pearlyn and family at the Peak, Hong Kong – So happy to meet up with Pearlyn and family in Hong Kong. A perfect getaway from the deadly haze in Singapore!)

Filed under Life in Hong Kong

The Real-life Escape-Room Game (密室逃脫遊戲 – Hong Kong)

June 17, 2013 Leave a comment

Felicia dared recommended us to take part in this fairly new game concept – “Real-life Escape Room (密室逃脫遊戲)”. It is like playing a board-game except this time we are playing real-life in a locked room. This is an awesome experience for those who love to decode clues and solve puzzles. Of course, you be surprised to witness the best and worst sides of your friends / comrades in such pressurising scenario. This game-concept is gaining popularity in many Asian cities including Japan, China and even Singapore. According to Felicia, it has been around for almost a year.

For my birthday treat, Tracy brought us to an industrial complex in Mongkok where it hosts the “Real-life Escape Room Game”. We paid about HKD100/person to play the game. The objective is simple – find the clues and unlock the door to escape. Think “Prison Break” and play Sherlock Holmes for a moment to test your wit or stupidity.

The plot was creepy. We were “teleported” to a school compound where there were 4 different rooms – the classroom, the science room, the geography room and the art-room. We chose the “classroom” – a very dim and eerie looking classroom with old textbooks and furnitures. There, we were locked for 50 minutes to search for clues to unlock the door. It wasn’t easy at all. We have to be calm to observe and analyse the surroundings. There was no instruction or starting clue to lead us to solve the mystery. Like true detectives, we have to search for tools and clues to unlock the door. We soon found touch-lights and a couple of torn papers with strange scribblings. From there, one clue led to another. Out of desperation, we used wit and creative more than wisdom to solve the puzzle. Through sheer luck and some “muscles” , we managed to unlock the door 5 minutes before the time ran out.

Our results? We didn’t do very well. We were unable to detect some critical clues. Still, we managed to sniff out the logic and found other creative ways to locate the key. Despite our panic mode, it was a very enjoyable experience for all of us. The game and its settings (props, clues) were very well designed. It is pretty addictive and we have made plans to come back next Sunday to conquer the other 3 mysterious rooms. Check out the weblink: http://www.thetruth.com.hk/ and video below. Enjoy!


Filed under Cool Stuffs, Life in Hong Kong

Thanks For Your Presence!

June 17, 2013 1 Comment

The ladies in my family love giving me surprises. Being a prankster myself, I should have known and seen it coming. It is in our blood. The problem is their acts are getting so good that it is getting more and more difficult to detect anything amiss. I can’t blame them, me too – loves giving them surprises. Afterall, who doesn’t love a good surprise?

Last Tuesday, I received a mystery “call from a hotel booking agency”. It was a Hong Kong number. A lady who claimed she was calling from Beijing asked me to confirm my hotel booking for Shenzhen this weekend. For a couple of seconds, I was dumbstruck, confused and frightened. It wasn’t the fact that she knew my name or my weekend plan. She sounded like a crazy lunatic and I could not recognise her voice. I wondered who in Hong Kong would play such a sick joke on me. After a few terrifying minutes, the mystery lady finally disclosed her true identity. It was my sister, Jovel. She was here in Hong Kong with her hubby James, children Jovin & Jorance  and care-taker “Ice” (145th & 146th HK visitor). Best of all, my mum and Auntie Amy (the 2 infamous Rain-Makers who also brought rain and surprise to Cousin Leon in Xiamen a couple of days ago) were here too to surprise me! My wife knew about this beforehand and she kept it so well despite I told her my weekend birthday plans. Who says women can’t keep secrets?

Despite the long gloomy, rainy weekend, I had a very blessed and special birthday. Their presence brighten up my days with so much joys and warmth in Hong Kong. For a rare moment, my house was completely bombarded with flying rubber bullets and darts. It was amazing how the children and adults could co-existed in such a small tight space. That’s the feeling of home – noisy, messy and very heart-warming.

Big special thanks to Harshad, Tracy, Cousin Mike, Desmond, Scott, Chowpo & Ansel and Calvin from Shanghai (147th HK visitor) for your lovely great company on my special day. I am deeply grateful to Harshad, Tracy and Calvin who accompanied my family till the final second they left for Singapore. Tracy played Mongkok Tour Guide while Harshad played SuperNanny to Jorance! Special thanks to my dear wife of 13 years for making me another very “special birthday cake”! Your creativity never fails to surprise me year after year. I love it! And not forgetting my beloved Wahbiang Clan, cousins, clients, colleagues, ex-classmates and friends for your cheeky, naughty and heartfelt greetings on WeChat and Facebook. I am one year older, happier and richer with all your blessings, loves and hugs! Yes indeed, I am one lucky and blessed man! No gift is more valuable than your presence! Thank you very very much!

Filed under Family, Jo's Thoughts, Life in Hong Kong

The Iconic Minis, Legendary Giant Dreamers of the 60s

June 9, 2013 Leave a comment

The 1960s produced many legends. Mini icons that left giant legacies. This was the era of the birth of the Mini Cooper, the Mini Skirt, the new colour tube, the baby bloomers, the man who floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee, the Beatles who crossed Abbey Road, the Chinese farmer who grew new seeds of ideology and rallied the entire nation to march, a new King named Junior who had a dream and a spaceman’s small step that became the biggest leap for mankind.

This is what I love about the 60s – the era when the minis overcome big odds and achieved the impossible big dreams and ambitions. Their legacies, marvels and voices echo to this very day.

Singapore is one of these legendary minis of the 60s. Perhaps being small is one of the key success factors of Singapore. Psychologically, this disadvantage propelled our forefathers to pursue excellence. It made us more hungry, desperate to succeed, stronger sense of unity and more ambitious to prove ourselves that we can’t be easily taken. We were after all a small nation with big dreams.

This is exactly what we need today. No matter how small we are, we must be bold and daring to weave big impossible dreams. Dream like Martin Luther King, leap off like Neil Armstrong, punch like Muhammad Ali and brave tears like Lee Kuan Yew. It takes big passion and deep faith of these mini individuals to achieve big legacies of tomorrow. Let the spirits of the 60s live on today.

Filed under Jo's Thoughts

Sky High Reunion!

June 2, 2013 1 Comment

Our last separation was the shortest ever – merely 2 weeks apart. It is June vacation and my 2 darlings are back in Hong Kong yesterday afternoon! 30 days of good family-bonding and lots of noise/mess/disruptions/laughters/movies/video-games/hugging/wrestling/home-cooked food!

Right from the moment they dropped their luggages at my tiny apartment, I brought Felicia and Elkan to all their favourite places – Coco Curry at Causeway Bay, window-shopping at Winsor House, toy-hunting at Sham Shu Po, movie at Elements, duck-watching at Harbor City and dinner at Tsui Wah!

It was clear blue sunny sky today. The sun was baking hot. At 36°, it was too hot to go outdoor. Visibility was at its clearest today (and thanks to a timely suggestion by Chowpo), I brought them to ICC’s Sky100 (天際100) Hong Kong Observation Deck. Standing at 492 metres, the ICC (International Commercial Centre) is currently the world’s 4th tallest commercial building. The viewing deck is located on the 100th floor, 393 metres above sea level (and 2 storeys below Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong Hotel).

Since its opening 2 years ago on 17 April 2011, I have no intention to visit this viewing deck. I thought the “free view” at the Hong Kong Peak is much more appealing than this. I was proven wrong today. On a good clear day like today, ICC offers the best – unparalleled 360° city panoramic view of Hong Kong. Entrance fee is quite expensive at HKD168/adult and HKD118/child. We got 10% discount off using my HKID card and making payment through Union Pay card.

Was it worth it? Absolutely yes – provided you come on a clear sunny day and absence of hordes of obstructive tourists. We made a very impromptu visit this afternoon – I arrived at the wrong timing and without my professional lenses. I bet the best view would be at dusk when the sun set in purple-orangish hues and the Hong Kong skyline lit up with beautiful buildings’ lights. Nevertheless, it was a rewarding trip for us. The sun was extremely bright and the sky was superbly clear. A large group of tourists has just left and we had the whole place to ourselves. Hong Kong was stunningly beautiful today. Even the photos on the iPhone turned up picture-perfect. Above all else, I had the best sight-seeing experience at 100th storey high, in fully air-conditioned environment with my dearest loved ones by my side. What a great place to celebrate our June reunion! Enjoy the photos!

Filed under Family, Life in Hong Kong, Travel