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
April 1, 2012 2 Comments
(Photo Taken: 1st April 2012 Protest, Central – More than 5,000 people took part in today’s protest march against alleged meddling by Beijing in the recent leadership selection of Hong Kong’s next Chief Executive. This is the first major protest since Leung Chun-ying won the election last Sunday.)
March 18, 2012 1 Comment
My wife and boy were in town for a week. We didn’t go anywhere as I was down with sickness at home. Weather was haywire too. Last week, temperature dropped from 25 to 11 degrees. Most of the time, it was gloomy and wet. There were many places I planned to bring them (like watching the circus at Macau, theme-park at Shenzhen and a short weekend trip to Xiamen), guess we have to postpone these for the next trip. Being bored at home, our little monkey, Elkan was pestering us to bring him out. We went hiking at the Monkey Hill.
Elkan wasn’t happy when we told him we wanted to set him free at his new home. He didn’t really like the monkeys (well, I don’t think the monkeys like him too!) We took the forest trail. Crossing dams and streams, this was quite a pleasant hike. The forest floor was littered with red brown leaves and mini mushrooms… it felt like an enchanted forest. So cozy Autumn.
March 18, 2012 Leave a comment
Feb marked an unusual big void in my blog-world. For weeks, I was disconnected from my world, my family and friends. No mood for world affairs, movies, concerts, new gadgets and hiking. I have been away from my blog for almost a month. It is the longest absence ever. Life at work has been extremely hectic. I spent my precious wee hours and weekends at work, leaving me so little time to capture the few beautiful moments in my life. Guess this is going to be the norm for another 2-3 months ahead. (Don’t worry, mum, I am still eating and living well!)
Fortunately, my brothers and family were in town. They left some colours in my boring grey days. Over the last 4 weeks, I met Jimmy, Francis, Gareth, Meijie, Felicia and Elkan – separately at different timing. Work took a great deal of time and passion away from me. I hardly touch my Canon camera. I guess my brothers and family were a little disappointed that I gave their visits so little coverage.
The lousy “cold-wet-hot” weather in Hong Kong has been unkind to me too. I was down with a lousy flu/fever/cough/diarrhea combo for almost 10 days. Thankfully, Meijie, Felicia and Elkan were around to take care of me. I was quite dazed for most of the time during their stay. I realised my mood does make a difference in their lives. When I was down, everyone around me was so quiet and listless. The whole household became so “dim and grey”. Food was tasteless, good music became toneless and no activity can cheer us up. It was like going thru a lousy depression. Poor Meijie and Felicia, what a terrible period to visit me. (Surely, this is no mid-life crisis yet).
Finally, we managed to see some sunlight today. Weather is getting better. Just wish to fast-forward my days quickly so I can spend better times in May and June with my boy.
February 12, 2012 Leave a comment
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Felicia organized a lovely “Valentine Breakfast” activity for the family. Over Facetime, we spent an hour creating our own “Love Sandwiches”. We were comparing and sharing our “heart-shaped” breads and eggs online. It was really fun and a great way to bond with my boy. Kudos to my wife for the sweet and yummy session! Now, I know how to make heart-shaped hard-boiled egg. (Visit: http://www.kuchkhaashai.com/2011/02/how-to-make-heart-shaped-eggs.html)
February 6, 2012 Leave a comment
Thanks to Tracy’s brother, Edmund (my 135th Hong Kong Visitor – 134th went to Joanne’s cousin Sherane), he led us to an unique and interesting hiking site. Also locally known as the “Monkey Hill” (85% of the Hong Kong’s wild primates are residing here), the Kam Shan Country Park (金山郊野公園) is home to over 1,800 wild Macaques.
According to the Hong Kong Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, these Macques aren’t native. Their ancestors were released at the Kam Shan hill for an unusual reason. Back in the 1910s, the locals were worried about the poisonous Strychnos berries may contaminated the reservoir. They released the Macaques to eat up the poisonous Strychnos plants (Macaques are immune to these berries).
Indeed, Edmund wasn’t exaggerating when he said it was like a scene from the movie “Planet of the Apes”. The large turnout of the wild monkeys was quite intimidating. We could smell and hear them. Instead of hiding in the bushes or in the trees, the Macaques were out roaming in the open. The monkeys were all around us. Clearly, Tracy and I were out-numbered. They were on the road, in the trees and on both sides of the granite wall. It seemed like a very healthy colony as we saw many young baby Macaques. Most of them were gentle and undeterred by the hikers’ presence. The young monkeys were actively playing/swinging while the adults were grooming their partners tenderly. But do exercise caution when you are near to a baby Macaques – its mother may turn against you suddenly. (Tracy had one nasty attack when she came too close to a baby!) Also, it is never wise to bring food into this park (not even packet drink or snacks). When we were drinking our packet drinks, the Macaques recognized those were food and they stalked us aggressively. We had to thrash our drinks quickly to avoid any trouble.
It was a short 3.7km scenic hike (Click here to see our hike). Took us less than an hour to complete the walk. Pretty easy on the feet as there weren’t many steep slopes and steps. Just be mindful where you are stepping as there are lots of Macaques’ wastes on the road. And watch out for unkind visitors too. We saw a stupid family who encouraged their son to shoot the poor monkey.
January 16, 2012 1 Comment
This is Girls’ Generation’s debut concert in Hong Kong – it is powerful, sexy and explosive! 32 songs, 150 minutes. The 9-member K-pop group and their fans rocked the concert hall like no other Asian stars. Nothing comes close. Hate to say this – Not even Jay Chou or S.H.E. This is the power of 9.
Girls’ Generation charmed millions of fans worldwide. Today, they are South Korea’s most popular and important Ambassadors! It is amazing how a group of 9 Korean girls is able to woo the world. It doesn’t matter if their fans understand the lyrics of their songs. From young boys to mid-life crisis men (Ah Pek), Asians to Europeans, both males and females. They represent youth, peace, beauty and love. They are not divas or some pretentious “unapproachable” stars. It is the rawness in them that fans love them – they are your sweet “girls-next-door”. These lovely sirens charmed us with their mesmerizing winks, well-synchronized dance steps, seductive curvy moves (long legs and hairs) and very addictive “can’t-get-out-of-your-head” songs. Already, they are winning major music awards and breaking concert sales records everywhere. Their 12-Feb Bangkok concert tickets were snapped up within 20 minutes! (For the same class of seatings, their Hong Kong concert tickets cost 200% more than what I paid for Jacky Cheung and Jay Chou concert! Imagine the standing ticket cost about HKD1688/ticket and it was full house!)
The Hong Kong fans are superb! It was the fans who stole the show tonight! They memorized the Korean songs by heart! I have never seen fans that passionate and “well-coordinated”! (The fan club even posted up an online tutorial on Facebook to teach the fans what to do!) During the song “Complete”, thousands of the fans flashed their A4 home-printed banners “You + Me = Complete” at Girls’ Generation. It was a powerful movement, so dramatic and touching! (It moved Sunny to tears) And at the last line of the finale song “Fantastic” when Jessica sang “fly away”, the fans released thousands of pink balloons up in the air. It was so well-planned and synchronized! It was beautiful.
I hate to admit that I am one of the many “old boys” fans who fell in love with Girls’ Generation (aka SNSD – 소녀시대 / So Nyuh Si Dae / 少女时代). Seriously, their songs and dance are very addictive. (Trust me, these girls are more addictive and charming than Wonder Girls. If you don’t know them, go watch their “Genie” or “Taxi” MTVs online). Great songs + dances, great personalities and superb-talented individuals. It was confusing at the beginning to remember all their faces and names. But after watching their MTVs and variety-shows on YouTube, the power of 9 = full package of a perfect dreamgirl. The more you know them, the more you will like them. Mmmm…. makes me feel I should create my own girl-band. (It is not easy to manage a group of 9 girls. Utmost respect for their manager and record company!)
January 3, 2012 Leave a comment
(Picture Taken: Art Gallery, Central Hong Kong – An intriguing stainless wire art portrait, titled “Portrait of the Fourth Kind” by Park Seung Mo. It illustrates the complexity and mystery of a woman.)
January 2, 2012 Leave a comment
(Photos Taken: Left: Door Sign at Yabuli Ski Resort, China / Right: Entrance to Aviary, Hong Kong Park – Very confusing point of entry.)
January 2, 2012 Leave a comment
Thanks to Tracy, we got VIP tickets to the rooftop at Harbour City to watch this year’s New Year fireworks. I remembered we were stuck in a 4-hour jam last year in Taiwan’s New Year Countdown Party. I wasn’t keen to get myself stuck this year. Since most of us, including myself, has never been to any fireworks in Hong Kong (except the one in Disneyland), we decided to go for it. Thanks to the good crowd-control at Harbour City, there was no rowdy crowd, everything was in perfect order. The security personnel at Harbour City were very friendly and helpful. As we were in the VIP Area, I got a full view of Hong Kong’s crown jewel, the Victoria Harbour.
This is our first New Year countdown in Cantonese. Surprisingly, this is our first New Year countdown in Hong Kong! (We celebrated new year in Shanghai, Korea, Japan and Taiwan in the past years!) The fireworks weren’t as grand or spectacular as the one we saw in 2011 but it was good to be out here with my family and good friends. It reminded me how fast time flies.
2011 has been a really good year for my family and me. Despite our separation, we managed to spend superb quality time with one another at some of the most beautiful places outside Singapore and Hong Kong. My regular trips with Felicia and Elkan, my mum & Auntie Amy and my Dad – those were great bonding times with my loved ones. For Elkan, these moments were his “adventures” with his daddy, mummy and god-siblings (Baybay, Harshad, Lionnel and Kalinda!). From whale-watching at Gold Coast to kayaking at Bintan, these are some of the happiest moments we shared. Looking back at all the photos in my blog, it reminded me how blessed we are. I am so thankful for all these precious moments.
Cheers to another great year (and yes, this may not be the end of the world yet) and wishing all my loved ones and blog readers a very very Happy 2012!
January 2, 2012 Leave a comment
I have been receiving handmade gifts from Kalinda over the past 5 years. This is the first time she is here with me celebrating Christmas! We opened our Christmas gifts right after the New Year celebration! Enjoy the pixs!
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