Buttered
Work has been fantabulous this week!!!!
A never before departure from work at 5pm!! *Shhh..*
Managed to hit the gym and got some workout done.
3 sets of cardio (row, glide and run), 3 sets of weight training (hamstring curls, quad press and free weights for arms) and 3 repetitions of crunches.
That should work away my lunch.
Company trip coming up at the end of the month. My Bridgestone Tyres should be non-existent when I put on a bathing suit.
Pictures from Butterfactory last weekend with the netball girls.
Stef, Chea, Me, Jo and Kat
Burnt Victims 
The only dude of the evening, Chea's stud, Loyld (top right in black). I'm posting the pictures despite me looking really silly. Heh. That's what too much sun (and perhaps alcohol) does to you.
Despite the strenuous games in the day, surprisingly we can still boogey the whole night.
Energizer Bunnies.
DEFENDING Champions!!
It was great teamwork and the rest was history.
Celebration party in the night with the teammates @ Butterfactory.
The reality is still settling in...but a harsher reality has already sunk into me.
I start work tomorrow.
Hong Kong Part II
Before I continue with the ramblings about my trip, lemme first send me wishes to two very important people in my life.
Happy Birthday Dearie and Mummy!! Their birthdays were respectively on the 7th and 4th of September.
I had dinner with Mummy, Brother bear, his gf and HamSam last weekend @ Mushroom Pot. My mum is a huge fan of those fungus.
And dinner on the actual day of HamSam's birthday @ Hog's Breath Cafe. Succulent steak....and they are very thoughtful to include the serving size of 200gm steak for ladies (like me!) in their menu option.
I have not got him a gift. Even my mum is nagging @ me to get him one. After 4 years, I just can't think of anything else to get HIM. If only I'm a guy....I would never run out of stuff to get my gf!
So back to the trip. As mentioned before, there's no better way to start the day in HK than with Tim Sum!
I refuse to take pictures in the morning. My sleepy eyes and horrible hair scares myself.
Shopping @ Causeway Bay. So many new shops have sprung up in the area since the last time I was there with the girls (when we are just about 16 or 18). Island Beverly is a place not to be missed.
Times Square. Lane Crawford and Sogo are still around.
More roasted delights. Looking back at these pictures of me gorging...I shudder. Pushes me to work out harder.
The day where we accomplished a lot.
Started off with leisure shopping @ the sprawling IFC complexes @ Central. Didn't get anything cos' it was mainly labels there. Kindda broke already then. Had to change more money, but it was purely for subsistence purposes.
A cuppa and 40 winks later (yes....i actually dozed off @ Starbucks!), we made an impromptu decision to head to Shen Zhen!
After making all the enquiries @ the train stations, we bought the train tickets and were Shen Zhen bound!
Suffice to say I didn't take any pictures @ SZ. I'm not gonna reveal the reason in this not very personal blog, ask me in person why that is so.
We met up with Jess & Alvin in the evening to go to Victoria Peak together.
We took the tram up. Exhilarating ride! The tram (which does not have any safety barriers along the "railway") was 45 degrees to the ground as it scaled the mountain to the peak!
View from the Top:
My trusty old Pentax still works wonders.
At the Victoria Peak place, there is also the Madamn Trussad wax museum. We didn't go for it...but lucky for baby, there was Bruce on display outside!
I have a picture of me frolicking with Bruce! Its probably still with Jess....
We went for a VERY SUMPTOUS dinner at this famous restaurant in HK @ LKF. So famous that I forgot the name!!
Everyone was dressed to the nines (gents in suits, ladies in cheongsam or dresses), except us...in our touristy get up!
No pictures because my camera batt went flat and Jess has yet to send me the pictures. But anyway, we had Roast Pigeon and Roast Goose (which they are famous for), and many others.... *burps*
The bill was obscene but we were satisfied!
I think it's the second last day. We went back to shop at places we didn't have the time or energy to finish previously.
My favourite dessert! Mango Sago Puree.
Dragon Fruit rose:
I miss the desserts in HK already!!!!
Last tourist spot we visited. The Star Ferry Pier.
I wonder if the statue doubles up as a lamp post in the night.
The postcard boy:
Below is the famous spot where many TVB drama serials have had their suicide scenes filmed. I was trying to get HamSam to pose by sitting at the edge of the steps and looking melancholic, but he chickened out!
Aqua Luna. One of the tourist sightseeing cum restaurant refurbished junkie docked by the pier.
Neat concept, but I will never be able to appreciate dining onboard a ship. It just screams NAUSEA!
Outside the architecturally intriguing HK Museum.
Yes...HamSam has been a very helpful darling throughout the shopping trips. I mean you gotta strike a deal with your man. For example, a pit stop (a.k.a dessert or snacks) every X m walked...or a foot rub at the end of the day.
But he's really sweet...cos he was the one who gave me back and foot rubs every day!
Its no joke man...my ankles hurt big time!
Down to the last day!
More mango-themed desserts. Mango Puree with Pomelo and Mango Pancake. YUMMY!!
Wife and Husband Biscuits. For the folks.
Some Barbies on display @ Langham. My favourite is the Burberry Barbie, although the Juicy Couture ones looks kindda funky in green and pink. But they all look scary isn't? I was never the barbie kindda girl when I was young.
My only memory was cutting off all the hair on my barbie in a fit of anger. The hair keeps getting tangled!!
A little quirky fact: There's this habit Hong Kong-ers have before they eat. They wash all their cutleries in the chinese tea given. Be it breakfast, lunch or dinner.
On the first day we arrived, baby was so parched from all the walking, so when we were offered the customary-legendary tea, he gulped it all down!
Then the stall owner started to give him weird stares. On closer observation of our neighbouring patrons, we realized that the tea was never meant to be drunk!
We picked up the custom fast (monkey see monkey do)...dipping all our cutlery in the tea before every meal!
I should try doing that the next time I dine @ Crystal Jade!
Homeward bound on the Airport Express.
Argghhh....he's watching cartoons (and ignoring me) again!!!!
DFS must-buys:
6 long days of endless shopping, eating and fun....
I'll sign off my HK travel entry with a picture of the skyline I took from the pier. Did it using the panaromic function in my cam. But the lighting is not very consistent in the frames...hence the dark shadows.
Its rather wide, so I'm letting it cut across the blog.
Anyone heading out there soon, please do ask me for travel tips and advice! I'll be more than happy to dispense!
Hong Kong Part I
The damage is severe.Feeding Grazing on grass to fill my stomach these days.
Here's a picture summary of my shopping and feasting frenzy in HK.
HK Bound. Inflight entertainment was in the form of OC and Desperate Housewives episodes from my ipod video.
We took the Airport Express (only 15mins!) as opposed to hailing a cab (45mins) to get to Kowloon. But the downside: the train ride costs us 90HKD (S$18) each! So expensive!! I mean ...a MRT train ride from Boon Lay to Changi Airport would only set us back a max of S$2 plus right?!!?
Onboard the Airport Express Train. I know...it looks exactly like the plane ride.
Did a bit of touristy stuff on the first day. Visited the Avenue of Stars. The Asian equivalent of Hollywood Walk of Fame (or so I think that is what it is called...)
His favourite kung fu idol, Bruce. The others were just insignificant stars being trampled upon by tourists.
Of course no day is complete without a spot of shopping in HK. So even on the first day, we shopped! And boy did I shopped....
Our expressions from the Coach splurge.
But all is forgotten when the food arrives!
Roast duck, Char siew, Wanton Noodles....What more can I ask for....(but I'm starting to regret now. More on that later.)
And the credit card bill has arrived in the mail. The Coach bag sitting innocently in the corner is starting to give me nightmares.
A common sight in HK.
Mahjong Parlours!
HamSam's hands were itching to wash some ivory tiles.
Shops start business pretty late in HK, because they close rather late. So there wasn't really a need to wake up at an unearthly hour to carpe diem.
The essential start to everyday:
Tim Sum!!
The inexhaustible varieties keeps us coming back for more every morning!
A typical street in Kowloon.
Check out the dirty grey buildings! Ewww...
It looks much more beautiful in the night with all the bright billboards. To me, they are just esthetically pleasing since I can't read most of the CHINESE signs. So, branding the logo helps alot.
It truly is a city that never sleeps. Even @ 1am...the "busyness" of the street is equivalent to that of Singapore @ 10pm.
The new Langham Place @ Mong Kok. It's a MEGAmall with 12 stories of shopping!
The much talked about Xpresscalator which spans across 4 stories. I could take a seat on the steps for a quick respite for my aching feet.
A break from all the local roasted delicacies.
We tried The Spaghetti Place. It's all over HK. But it failed to impress. The standard is probably the Pasta Mania equivalent in S'pore. No where near Garibaldi's pasta.
Seems like his first ride on the MTR.
That boyish grin....its hard to be angry with him.
Met up with Jess and Alvin, and together with Henry and wifey, we went to Lan Kwai Fong to experience the clubbing scene @ Hong Kong.
The Hei Hei and Ha Ha (weird names if you ask me...Zouk is so tres chic) club were closed for private functions! So we ended up at the neighbouring club, Sugar. It was R&B night....which is not my night. But the company was fun!
ALL girls in HK are skinny (definitely not a sweeping statement!). In a very sour puss fashion, that bodes well for me too....since at all the sales, there was always the unwanted large sizes for overweight girls like me. Hmmpphh!
There's much more to blog about and more pictures to post....but I'm dead tired. Long day today. Church --> Gym --> Mummy's bday dinner @ Mushroom Pot.
I'm on a DIET!!! I desperately need to lose all the roast duck/goose/pigeon/chicken, tim sum and desserts from the holiday! So I'm morphing into a gym rat for this period.
Look out for Hong Kong Part II!
Ping
jeremy
Claracadabra
