Happy 10th Anniversary (24th March 2002 – 24th March 2012)

March 24, 2012 3 Comments

Filed under Family, Jo's Thoughts

Back to Monkey Hill 2

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.

Filed under Family, Life in Hong Kong

Those Grey Days

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.

Filed under Jo's Thoughts, Life in Hong Kong

Love and Bread

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)

Filed under Family, Life in Hong Kong, Life in Singapore

Planet of the Monkeys

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.

Filed under Life in Hong Kong

Spring Cleaning – Treasures from the Past

January 29, 2012 Leave a comment

My last spring cleaning blog was written 6 years ago on 19 March 2006 (See 2006 Blog: Nostalgia). I love spring cleaning. It is like opening a time-capsule. There are so many things to rediscover – my life, my tokens and my past.

Since the day I left Singapore for Shanghai, we have vacated our apartment and moved our stuffs to my in-law’s place. My mother-in-law has been very kind to allow me to store 40 boxes of my belongings/junks in her living room. (Honestly, it was unsightly and Felicia did a great job to conceal the boxes.) Last week, I was back in Singapore to celebrate Chinese New Year with my family. Felicia and I decided to clear those boxes. It is time to unpack, thrash or sell those old junks. Well, I am accumulating another 40 boxes of stuffs from my stay in Shanghai and Hong Kong.

It is rather strange to do “spring-cleaning” on the 1st day of spring. And to most Chinese, it is inauspicious (a common taboo) to clean the house on the first day as it will drive the Fortune God away. Well, that was what I did this Chinese New Year – breaking the taboo. We spent the first 3 days of the Chinese New Year clearing out all the junks. My in-laws weren’t around and this was the only free time I have to spare. (We didn’t let her know till today.)

Instead of the planned 1-day cleanup, we took more than 3 days going through all those mementos. Those boxes were precious time capsules. They were priceless recollection of my most beautiful memories. Box after box, I “rediscovered” so many long-forgotten tokens of my life. My student works, my wedding photos, my toys and those old newspaper clippings.

Elkan was as excited as me. He was only 2 when we sealed the boxes back in 2006. He has never seen these things that his dad and mummy owned. Lucky for him, I was a avid toy collector. I have a big collection of his favourite Marvel (X-men, Spider-man) and Toy Story figurines. Those toys were at least 15-year old. Nope, there wasn’t any priceless heirlooms (gems and watches) for my boy. I passed him all my toys and a complete hard-cover 1995 edition of Tintin comics.

I found many hand-written letters and gifts which I have sent to Felicia during our courtship days (1992) and her university days (1997-1999) in Australia. Back then, there is no Facebook, FaceTime or even Whatsapp. I used to send her letters and my cartoons weekly. It took 1 week to reach her. It was slow but precious. Reading the letters and seeing those cartoon cards again made me realized how much our lives have changed over the years. My gosh, we have been couple for almost 20 years! Those were bitter-sweet memories.

While our loved ones were busily visiting friends and relatives during the first 3 days of Chinese New Year, three of us were at home revisiting our own pasts. It was an unique reunion and bonding time for 3 of us. Especially for Elkan. For the first time, he got to know so much more about his dad and mum (and the drawings his dad drew for his mum). In the end, there wasn’t much junks to throw. Just lots of stories and memories to share with my little boy.

Filed under Family, Jo's Thoughts, Life in Singapore

Welcome the Dragons (恐龙)!

January 29, 2012 Leave a comment

On the eve of the Chinese Dragon New Year, we went “dragon-watching” at the Singapore Science Center. With over 50 live-size animatronic exhibits, the “Dinosaurs Live Exhibition” is the largest robotic Dinosaurs show in the world.

Despite our jumping shots at the entrance, I rated this show 3.5-star. It wasn’t as “live” as what the poster promised. The only impressive part was the massive size of these prehistoric creatures. The 3,500 sqm jungle was small – we covered the entire show in less than 30 minutes. Within a glance, you can almost see 50% of the exhibition. It left us little to explore and discover. The canvas backdrops were badly installed and looked cheap and untidy. The dinosaurs weren’t as “animatic and lively” as I expected. Some movements were rather static and slow. The sound effects helped a lot to compensate the “cartoonish” expressions but the “rainbow lightings” were too overwhelming. Other than the typical information boards (and rubber stamps) that were placed beside the exhibits, there was little interactive engagement about these creatures. I was expecting more 3D and digital content – so the children can interact and navigate to know more about these magnificent prehistoric creatures.

To improve the show experience, Science Center should consider changing this to a guided tour. Amplifying the “adventure experience” with experienced guide leading the audience into the jungle with stories. The space should be darkened and be lighted up at every new visit. There should be more partitions (and vegetations, volcanoes etc) to isolate the exhibits so it allows more immersion and exploration within each space. Replace the wooden platform walkway with pebbles and dirt-roads. Remove the railing and let the vegetations/rocks be the natural barriers. The dinosaurs should be motion-activated and be more involved with its human visitors.

This shows size doesn’t matter when it comes to a good experience. Let’s hope the organizers can put in more thoughts and efforts to bring back the magic of a good show. Or at least, leave a lasting impression for the visitors.

Filed under Jo's Thoughts, Life in Singapore

Girls’ Generation SNSD Hong Kong Concert 2012 (Asia Tour 2 – 15th Jan 2012)

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!)

Filed under Life in Hong Kong, Music

Happy Bobo Day!

January 9, 2012 Leave a comment

Filed under Life in Singapore, Wahbiang

Elkan Rocks China (Updated)

January 7, 2012 1 Comment

Above: Elkan and Harshad rocked their way in China! Enjoy the video and their funny dance moves! Just uploaded the full clip of our China holidays (below). Some of the key moments: [1:28] Felicia was nervous on the chair-lift. [2:26] The 3 girls disrupted such a nice morning Great Walk walk. [5:50] Poor Harshad clearing snow for the group. [10:35] Poor Harshad again..hahaha.

Filed under Cool Stuffs, Family, Music, Travel

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