Creative Door Tags

October 2, 2012 Leave a comment

Instead of the usual “Please Make Up Room” or “Do Not Disturb” signs, here are some really creative and uncanny hotel room door tags by Pullman Hotel, Shanghai.

Filed under Cool Stuffs, Travel

Weekend Escapade with Gareth (Pearl River Delta)

September 23, 2012 Leave a comment

Gareth will be surprised to see this blog and all these photos the minute he touches down Singapore. (Good heavens, he is still in the air and I have another 30 minutes to finish uploading this post!)

It was a sinfully long weekend for 2 of us! Sloth, greed, lust and gluttony! We managed to cover all 4 key Pearl River Delta sin-cities within 4 short days (starting with Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Macau and Zhuhai)! What do you expect from 2 most notorious pranksters? It was an awesome escapade of some really hot and heart-pounding actions! We had one of the best brothers’ moments in years!

First stop, we took a bus to Shenzhen for a nice clean spa treatment at our favourite joint “Gold Coast”. We had a sweating good time! Gareth indulged himself in some soothing hot-stones massage while I played table-tennis with a couple of young Chinese dolls. (It was Singapore versus China. Not bad for me, I managed to win a couple of matches for Singapore! Of course, some cried foul as I won over small petite girls.)

Next morning, we took a boat to Macau. This is Gareth’s first visit to Macau and Zhuhai. I promised to bring him to all the newest and biggest casinos. It is the best time to get my dear brother “high”! The devil inside me included another evil itinerary for my good old brother. Knowing Gareth has acute height-phobia, I tricked him to Sky-Walk at the Macau Tower. I wanted to drag him out on the ledge for that “priceless photo moment”! He was about to experience / overcome the fear of his lifetime!

Well, Gareth did completed the Sky-Walk. Shamefully, it didn’t go exactly the way I planned. Gareth walked inside while I took the ledge outside. He broke into cold sweat and he escaped a few minutes before the stunt! In the end, he forsaken me and I have to complete the sky-walk alone. Remarkably, he was able to overcome his fear and walked near to the glass panels to snap some good photos of me. For that, I forgave him.

We didn’t have much luck in Macau. Gareth has absolutely no “Beginner’s Luck”. We did a quickie on the betting tables. We lost everything in just 15 minutes. Thanks goodness, we limit ourselves to just HKD100. Next, most of the places we planned to go were either closed or fully-booked. We have no luck with the Ice World (the show was over) and House of Dancing Waters (tickets sold out). Even the pole-dancing strip bar was closed (before 11:30pm)! In the end, Gareth and I went to catch a very good movie “The Bullet Vanishes” at Galaxy Hotel. Just when we were to leave Galaxy Hotel to our next joint, we bumped into our Secondary School friend, Minjuan outside the toilet! Trust me, it was an amazing moment! And Minjuan’s first words to me were “Why are you still here in Macau? I thought you were here last week?” (mmm…she saw my facebook and blog posting, I guessed. Not sure if she was sent here by my wife to spy on us?)

Having no luck in Macau, we headed for Zhuhai the next morning. There, we found our little shopping paradise! We shopped the entire day. Gareth bargained hard and we managed to get a lot of IT accessories at very attractive prices. We also bought stuffs for our little boys back home ~see, we are such lovely dads. In the evening, we went cycling by the beach park and played an hour of table-tennis back in our hotel. What an unusual vacation itinerary for 2 obese men. Dinner was at a local Chinese restaurant where we had very authentic Singapore craypot Bak Kut Teh! We chilled out at Starbuck Cafe and spent the rest of the night at a local massage parlour.

It was a superb brotherly bonding time for 2 of us. Short, packed and rush but we had so much happy moments together. We chatted so much about our families, careers and the usual men’s stuffs. I am looking forward to our next brothers’ gathering. And next trip, we should get more brothers to join us! Thanks Gareth for the great company! Enjoy the photos and short video! (Haha..Just in time before Gareth touches down at Singapore! )

Filed under Life in Hong Kong, Travel, Wahbiang

Canon iSquare Showroom

September 16, 2012 Leave a comment

Opened in April 2012 – The Canon iSquare Showroom is impressive! I wondered what took me so long to discover this place. Thanks to a work errand, we came here yesterday to check out some Canon print accessories.

I love the design and concept of this space – it is iconic, contemporary, experiential and organic. Experiences sell products. There are different “try-on zones” for different product lines (EOS, Powershot, 1XUS, Pixma, EF Lens). I like the “paparazzi lens” zone. It makes absolutely sense for shoppers to try the lens outside the windows. The powerful lens allow me to zoom into buildings across the building. Gosh, I saw a store-man napping on a table. Poor neighbours, their privacy are constantly and unintentionally exposed under these “curious voyeurs”.

Canon can certainly do more to improve its offerings at the showroom. Canon can showcase more of its future tech / new releases so it demonstrate its leadership as the frontier of photographic / film / print technology. (My only disappointment is they do not have any Canon EOS M for me to try on.) This helps to differentiate Canon Showroom from the normal retail shops. There should be a bigger section on accessories. Canon should also consider having a classroom to offer free photography classes for new avid photographers. Lastly, I always think it is a bad idea to put the service center right beside the showroom – I just don’t think it is a right mix. If possible, put them on separate floors. Overall, it is still a great space for Canon fans to come and experience.

Filed under Cool Stuffs, Life in Hong Kong

The Line Between Good and Evil

September 16, 2012 Leave a comment

(Photo taken: Honghum Train Station Taxi Stand, Kowloon, Hong Kong – 2 Falun Gong banners hanging side by side communicating contradicting messaging. The line between good and evil is often so thin. Just like the same lines between love and hate, fame and shame, life and death, peace and war. Which side are you on? Perhaps the only line that is constantly widening today is the one dividing wealth and poverty. Below photo: Sleazy Porn Shop and religious Buddhist Shop at Tsim Sha Tsui)

Filed under Jo's Thoughts, Life in Hong Kong

Leehom Wang Music-Man II Concert 2012 (王力宏火力全开 – Hong Kong)

September 15, 2012 1 Comment

Asia’s most suave-looking, multi-instrumentalist, multi-music-styles Mandopop star, Wang Leehom (王力宏) is here in Hong Kong for his second Music-Man World Tour Concert 2012. Noted as one of 2012’s most impressive Mandopop performances by the Taiwanese media, Leehom charmed his fans with 2.5 solid hours of powerful dance hits, over 30 sentimental ballads, raps and impressive multi-instrumental performance. Hong Kong Coliseum is the birthplace of his first solo concert 10 years ago. Wang paid tribute to his loyal Hong Kong fans.

It isn’t the stage design or fancy attires that rocked tonight’s concert. In fact, I thought his entrance attire and style reminded me of Michael Jackson’s decorated army suit. So, don’t expect any fancy pyrotechnic displays or lazer-light shows. The only one thing which impressed me was the floating piano. Wow, that is totally unexpected and spectacular!

Throughout the night, Wong tried very hard to connect his songs with a mushy storyline about his messy tale of “love”. Some found it creative while I thought it was really cheesy. Who cares, his female fans were giggling and enjoying his every dedication of “fan-love”. I lost count on the number of “I Love You” he said on the stage tonight. With his suave, hot body and clean good-boy look, it is no surprise why his screaming fans are mainly females – both young and old ladies. He is really a natural charmer.

Really, Wang Leehom doesn’t need all these “cosmetic”, “special effects” or “cheesy scripts” to woo his fans. He is a multi-talented musician with a great, crystal clear, soulful voice. Tonight is’t his best “live” singing but every song of his stole our hearts. My favorite moment was the part when he performed a-cappella with his pre-recorded clones. Like Jacky Cheung or Jay Chou, Wang’s concert is a must go. 95% of his songs are timeless everlasting hits. Unlike other singers’ concerts when the audience drifted away in some unpopular hits, there is never a dull and unfamiliar moment at Wang’s Music-Man II Concert. (Enjoy the video highlight below!)

Filed under Life in Hong Kong, Music

Move it, Action! (Video Highlights from Macau)

September 12, 2012 Leave a comment


Thanks to Stephanie, she captured some of the best candid “Action” moments here! Enjoy the video!

Filed under Life in Hong Kong, Travel

笨猪跳!?? (Bungee Jump)

September 11, 2012 Leave a comment


(Photo Taken: Macau Tower, Macau – It is funny that the Chinese translation for Bungee Jump is “Stupid Pig Jump” 笨猪跳. Surely not the version we had back in Singapore. We call it “蹦极跳” But again, Macau is just famous for all the pork buns.)

Filed under Cool Stuffs, Travel

Action Heroes Conquer SinCity!

September 11, 2012 Leave a comment

Alright. Budget cut. No fancy overseas trip this year for our team building. We decided to plan our Team Building Day somewhere closer to home. We couldn’t think of another better destination. Certainly not Shenzhen or Lama Island. Macau seems to be the perfect choice. It is Asia’s most flamboyant SinCity and I am sure there is a place for Action Heroes like us.

At first, I was skeptical about this destination for team building. It was just a short 1 day + 2 nights trip, how is it possible to achieve any decent team bonding? Surely not card-counting over blackjack tables. Or pimping our younglings. Thanks to Chowpo, Mayee and Kelly, they made Macau as exciting and meaningful as our last team building trip! Thanks to the generosity of the team, Felicia and Elkan were able to join me in our team building trip.

First stop – Macau Tower. This is where notorious Edison Chen broke the world record attempting the world’s tallest bungee jump back in 2006. Nope, we were unable to attempt any record-breaking stunts (thanks to the budget cut, we can’t afford the HKD3,000/head jump). Instead, we suspended ourselves, like puppets out on the ledge 233m above ground. The only things which prevented us from doing our own free-fall were two 1cm-thick ropes. It was a walk of faith. We could trust no one but the ropes.

Elkan, being the youngest and smallest-sized in the group, was instructed by the guide to lead the SkyWalk. Having no concept of fear, he was like a hyperactive monkey out on a leash. He was screaming in ecstasy, jumping and running freely out on the ledge.

For the some of the other adults (I was forbidden to mention any names), fears and anxieties sipped in. High life at the top of the world wasn’t as glamorous and indulging as they expected. I was thankful for this experience. I witnessed the weaknesses, strengths, courages and transformations of my team. And how they overcame fear with courage and determination. It was this moment when all of us stood as equals, watched each other’s back and walked the talk together as one united team – under the rain on the pinnacle of Macau. Bravo!

After our successful (disruptive and noisy) stunt outside the tower, we went a storey down to the 60th floor to enjoy a sumptuous lunch at 360° CAFÉ – Macau’s highest revolving restaurant. It was certainly a much more relaxing and cozier way to enjoy Macau. I am sure David, Wing, Mayee, Clara and Stephanie fully agreed with me. Opps, I wasn’t allowed to mention any names.

Our next stop – Casino Wine and Gourmet on the 59th floor! We grouped ourselves into 3 teams. Each team was given a bag of chips. We were given 1 hour to win as much chips as possible. The team with the most chips win! There were 3 casino tables in the room. For each station, we were asked to taste different types of wine or cheese. Through tasting, we have to bet our chips on the right answer to win! It was certainly not an easy task for the Asians. (Harshad and  I cried “Kelong”!! This game is 100% setup for the Guai-Los to win!). My team decided to focus all our resources on one particular table which gave us the best winning chance. Our strategy paid off! The team of Hongkies, Singaporeans and Indians won the English-French team by a big margin of 9,000 dollars! Sweet!

Our last stop just before dinner, we “chilled out” (literally) at Asia’s largest Ice World at Venetian. Under -15 degrees Celsius, we braved through the 45-minute exhibit. It reminded me of the Harbin trip we had last Christmas except this time, I was in shorts and sandals. Even with the blue overcoat, it was freezing cold! For a minute, the team packed ourselves in a small igloo. It was so warm and cozy inside. The igloo actually worked!

Dinner was at a Brazilian restaurant, FogoSamba where it offered “eat-&-drink-all-you-can”. The “eat-all-you-can” offer didn’t really appeal to me. After 5 servings of roasted meats, I decided to call it a day. It was just too stuffy and oily for me. For once, I complained having too much meat and I went to get more vegetables to balance off the meaty meal.

It was a superb team-building day. Overpacked with activities but the programmes were all very very interesting, refreshing and meaningful. Felicia, Elkan and I took the 1030pm ferry back to Hong Kong right after dinner. Thanks David and the organising team for planning such a wonderful trip for the company and my family. I look forward for another great year. And next time, we shall conquer Mount Everest/cage diving/dance with the crocs and bet on the different Indian curries and durians. Just let Harshad and me do the planning.

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

Ball Time!

September 9, 2012 Leave a comment

(Photo Taken: Victoria Park, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong – Elkan dragged all of us out to the park for a mini football session. He outran all of us. I was panting and aching after 30 minutes of running.)


Filed under Family, Life in Hong Kong

Eat, Play, Love – with Felicia and Elkan

September 9, 2012 Leave a comment

10 good days. Sweet, yummy and delightful. Felicia and Elkan packed our small apartment (and my big tummy) with so much love and joy. It will take a couple of days to readjust back to my lazy monotonous expat life.

Felicia spent her first night in Hong Kong cleaning up my messy apartment (and granted me a “visa” to celebrate Harshad’s birthday across the border). When I came back the next morning, it was a completely different apartment – everything was so sparkling clean and tidy. My table was stacked with new copies of 8-days magazines and Singapore newspaper. She brought so many yummy ingredients from Singapore. Over the past 1 week, she cooked many of my favourite Singapore dishes – Black Carrot Cake, Ice Glass Jelly Drink, Almond Jelly, Hokkien Fried Noodles and Mee Rebus. One one hand, she was asking me to lose weight. On the other, she pampered me with all my favourite high-carbo food.

While Felicia was taking care of my tummy and heart, Elkan was terrorising my mind with his endless pranks. He was the complete opposite of his mum. I couldn’t keep up with him anymore. He tore the places apart with his loud noise and messiness. He was so into the recent pop songs – Gangnam Style, Last Friday Night, Part of Me, Price Tag, Whistle, Payphone). Poor boy, he is too tall and big to share bed with Felicia and me. He volunteered to sleep on the couch. The living room was littered with his toys. He “invaded” all my new gadgets (AR Drone, Jawbone Jambox, Sphero, Gopro) and “confiscated” a couple. He blasted our quiet mornings with his shower-time concerts and he “vandalised” the glass walls of the shower room with “invisible” soap-drawings (only visible under hot steam). He drew hearts and scribbled love notes on the walls – for us to discover. Creative, lovely and cheeky.

They joined our company’s team-building trip at Macau. Thanks to David’s generosity, he paid for all our accommodation and food at Macau Galaxy. Felicia and Elkan attempted the SkyWalk with the team. Elkan and Felicia were the first ones out on the ledge – 233m above ground. I was so proud that my boy didn’t chicken out. He was fearless (perhaps no concept of danger). While some of the older adults were struggling with the height, he was jumping and swinging freely on the ledge. We had a great time at Macau with my colleagues. Elkan made new friends (dumping his best buddy Harshad). And yes, he terrorised almost all the pretty girls and old men in the group.

On our last day at Macau Galaxy, Elkan asked for a dollar coin. He said he wanted to make a wish. To my surprise, he made a noble wish. Closing his eyes and praying sincerely, Elkan wished for “I wish for happiness everyday”.  A very wise, “sustainable” and priceless wish, I thought. I expected him to wish for an iphone or something short-term. His wish is certainly far better than a toy or a passing fad. I patted his head and gave him a big warm hug.

Our 10 good days are coming to an end. Felicia and Elkan are packing now. We are heading out for breakfast and leaving for the airport. In another 6 more weeks till we eat, play and love again.

Filed under Family, Life in Hong Kong, Travel

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