HK/Macao: Temples and Churches

Other than the casinos, Macao has also plenty of old churches and temples for the non-gambling tourists.. So on Sunday I went around Macao sight-seeing.. I took a cab from Loreen's house to A-Ma Temple, then from there I walked all the way.. The weather was freaking hot and by the end of the day, I was totally burnt..

Here are some of the photos that I have taken of temples and churches during my "walking" tour of Macao.. Many of these sites were designated as World Heritage Sites..


One can really get nice photos with the rustic buildings and streets of Macao.. I would recommend Macao to those photography enthusiasts.. They could take a leisure walk around the area and find photogenic corners to compose their shots..

Click here for more photos of rustic Macao..

The act of Giving..

There is no denying that the world would be a better place if everyone is more giving and charitable.. but being giving is less important than being thoughtful, in my opinion.. We may have lots of love/money/time/whatever to give and we want to give them, but we must ponder over the possibility of those gifts being an unwelcome intrusion or forced obligation onto the receiver..

There is a saying in Chinese, "己所不欲，勿施于人", which could be roughly translated to "Don't give to others what you yourself do not want".. Give what is needed or what is required, not what you want to get rid of.. Clear examples can be seen during those calls for donations whenever there is natural disasters in other parts of the world.. Those charitable organizations would often received donations (clothes and food items) that were more suited to be thrown away, then to be shipped as aids.. Another "bigger" example would be the ex-US President's "Gift of Democracy" to the people of Iraq by waging a war that no one (but his own kakis) supported..

It is understandable that everyone wants to be seen as being charitable or kind or just nice.. but often people lost sight of the true meaning of giving.. If our actions of giving cause inconvenience/unease/pain/anything negative to the receiver, is that act of giving still a good thing? If they do not want our "gifts", do we force them to take it, because we "think" they want/need it?? Who are we to do that??!?? Who are we to decide what they do or do not want/need??!? In my opinion, forcing people to accept "gifts" that you think he/she wants without finding out if he/she really wants it or not, is NOT a gesture of kindness.. Those "gifts" could be anything - money, advice, aid/help, love and affection, etc.. To me, regardless of the gifts, this is still an act of imposing our own will onto others..

So before you give, ask yourself this, "Why am I giving this gift? Is he/she going to be happy receiving it? Or I just want to be seen as a nice person?" Sometimes all it takes is to be in the other person's shoes and reflect..

He says He said..

Sometimes I really have no patience dealing with the Japanese.. nor dealing with people who claim to be representing them.. cos they just don't say what is REALLY in their mind.. one BIG reason I can't stand this subtlety of the Japanese.. and my decision of not working here..

He says that he said that we didn't talk to him.. Yet, he didn't mention a thing to us and I was told by him to NOT ask him too many questions.. He says that he said that we weren't very friendly to him.. Yet, he didn't react much to my greetings and stayed in his room most of the time..

Personally, I don't give a damn about what he said nor what he thinks.. Don't get me wrong, I am very grateful to have found such nice place to stay and to have such nice group of people living under the same roof.. But I didn't realize that "playing host" or "be nice" is part of my requirements.. And, please don't play the "assumption games" with me.. yes, I am THAT thick/dense... I would rather be told directly what is expected of me then to have to guess what the others really wanted.. Also, I don't like being forced into a "have to" position, I would much prefer a "want to" situation.. I don't mind making conversations, but I need to see reactions and enthusiasm.. I won't keep talking to someone who won't respond or react positively... I can generate negative vibes of my own, thank you!

Now, I can think of two ways to resolve this "issue".. either I continue my bo-chap-ness and do as I like, or try a bit harder to "engage" him in conversations.. Mmm.. maybe I shall combine both.. I shall try harder to "engage" him in conversations when I FEEL like talking.. :p :p :p

HK/Macao: The Venetian, Macao

Had to blog about my stay in The Venetian, Macao.. :p

Having never stayed in a 5-star hotel before, I didn't want to miss the chance to indulge.. ;) especially by paying just the staff price instead of the full published price of around MOP1,600 (around ¥19,500/SGD300/MYR710) a night!! Thanks Loreen!!

Took lots of photos and some videos of the room that I stayed in.. Enjoy! :)

A walk-through video.. :)

I loved the two Bs: the Bed and the Bathroom.. :) Just the bathroom is about the size of my room in Tokyo.. imagine that!!! :x :x :x Took lots of "interesting" photos in those two places, which I would not be sharing over here.. :p

短暂的一切

沒有什麼是永恆的，我如此認為。
任何事、物、情都有壽命有限期，無人可以掌控。
但我們可以決定這些事、物、情在自己心中的保存期限及新鮮度，以及調整現實和期待之間的差距。。

與其埋怨著無法長久，不如珍惜眼前所擁有。。
只要還有明天，任何可能性都依然存在著。。
就算是沒結果，還是會繼續著我的努力。。
絕不輕言放棄，也不會期望太多，但也不會就此絕望放棄。。
相信奇跡，但不奢望它會降臨在我身上。。

我們無法主控他人，但能夠調適自己來面對適應。。
換一個觀點一個看法，就會發現原來並不是那麼地糟糕絕望的。。
謀事在人，成事在天 - 老天雖主宰著成敗，但我還是會認真地不斷地努力。。

與其感嘆著這短暫的相處，不如銘記著這有緣的邂逅。。
所以我要感激那些促使我們相遇的貴人、感謝讓我們有那麼多相處時間的外在局勢，最重要的當然不會忘記感恩讓我能和你在茫茫人海中結識的老天爺。。

HK/Macao: Ocean Park

Okay, I had to say this.. One should not go Ocean Park alone.. there is nothing wrong if one goes alone, but the fun would be multiplied if one goes with friend(s) or family.. This said, I still think the HK$208 entrance fee that I paid to go ALONE was still well worth every cents of it.. :)

There is something for everyone.. animals from land (pandas), sky (exotic birds) and the sea (dolphins and marine fishes)... kiddy rides (carousel, Ferris wheel, etc), thrill rides (roller coasters, etc), animal shows, carnival games, etc..

The high point for me on this visit would have to be the dolphins... Together with tigers, eagles and unicorns, dolphins are my favorite.. I hang around the Dolphin University where the handlers feed and train the dolphins for more than 30 mins.. took photos and lots of videos.. here are some of them.. :)



One could really spend the whole day there.. I would have, but the day was very very very hot.. I just came from a place which was cool and dry to a place that was hot and humid.. my body was not adjusting well.. and the constant temperature change whenever I go into an air-conditioned exhibition/display hall and back out again into the sun was taking a toll.. My nose started to act up.. so I left the place before 5pm.. and had an early night.. as I would be going off to Macao the next day.. :)

More photos of Ocean Park here..

對的人

演唱：戴愛玲
词:姚谦 曲:Keith Stuart

你問在我心中是否還苦惱
那次受傷否決了愛的好
謝謝你的關照 我一切都好
一個人 不算困擾

愛 雖然很美妙 卻不能為了寂寞 又陷了泥沼

chorus:
愛要耐心等待 仔細尋找 感覺很重要
寧可空白了手 等候一次真心的擁抱
我相信在(這個)世界上 一定會遇到
對的人出現(在眼角)

那次流過的淚 讓我學習到
如何祝福 如何轉身不要
在眼淚體會到 與自己擁抱
愛不是一種需要 是一種對照

能願意為了一份愛 付出去多少
然后得到多少 並不計較
當我想清楚的時候 我就算已經准備好
放手去愛 海闊天高
喔... 耶...

============================================
我很想相信副歌所描繪的。。
那個對的人存在嗎？ 會出現嗎？ 已出現了嗎？ 還是已經擦身而過？

HK/Macao: Ngong Ping 360

Went to Lantau Island on my 2nd day in HK... to see the Giant Buddha Statue and savor the scenery during the 25-min cable-car ride..

Got off Tung Chung Station (东涌站) slightly after 9am only to find the cable car would only be in operation from 10am onwards.. Thus I took the 60-min bus ride up to the Giant Buddha (天壇大佛).. I would recommend taking both the bus ride and the cable-car ride for either way.. The bus ride provided a different view and scenery of Lantau Island.. I also visited the nearby Po Lin Monastery (寶蓮禪寺)...

Now, I think I shall let the photos that I have taken to speak for themselves..


The wind was fairly strong at the temple area.. and slowly tourists crowds started to form.. I left the area slightly after 12pm.. Very few were leaving the area, so I get to have a whole cable car to myself!! ;) With the strong wind, the cable car ride down was really exciting as the car was swaying (not so gently) with the wind!! :) :) :)

Here are some of the photos taken during my cable car ride..

After coming down from Lantau Island, I went shopping at the outlet center next to Tung Chung Station.. Bought some clothes (jeans, pants and t'shirts).. Had my lunch there too... I felt satisfied... :)

Then I went to Ladies Market (女人街) near Mongkok Station (旺角站). Walked around the stalls and shops.. As a very bad bargainer, I wouldn't have gone to the place had it not because of a request from my housemate to get her a pair of shoes... Most of the stalls sell stuff that I don't or won't use.. things like nice embroidery shoes/bags/accessories, non-genuine bags/watches/wallets/belts and many more.. but I can understand why my friends go "crazy" when they come here... ;)

More photos here..

HK/Macao: Hollywood Road

There was a movie in 2001 made by a famous HK independent director, Fruit Chan (陳果) named "香港有個荷裡活" (translated as "Hong Kong has a Hollywood").. It was an artistic movie about mundane lives of the poor people in HK, which not everyone can relate to.. yet, I remembered the movie because of its name..

Anyway, I was walking around the SoHo area.. it is full of restaurants and eateries, which I wasn't very interested in... So I decided to go to one of the famous temple in the area, Man Mu Temple (文武廟).


After the temple, my camera battery went dead.. :( I couldn't take any more photos of the shops along Antique Street nor the many interestingly-decorated restaurants along the way...

More photos here...

HK/Macao: Central Pier

After coming down from The Peak, I went walking around the Central District (中環) which is the equivalent of CBD (Central Business District) in Singapore.. and then I came to the piers..

It was a quiet Thursday afternoon.. Many old men were there fishing.. the sea breeze was nice.. the place was quiet.. and I love the sound the waves made when it hit against the side of the pier.. :)


Took the hour-long Star Ferry Harbour Tour (HK$75) from 1:20pm.. Got a good look of the Victoria Bay.. I would recommend this tour for those into photography as the scenery around the bay was very nice.. I would presume that it would be even nicer at night!!


Would have spend more time just idling around the piers.. listening to the waves.. it has such therapeutic effects on me.. yet I couldn't stay.. although this was a free and easy tour for me, I still need to see as many places in HK as possible.. but I would definitely come back to these piers again in my next trip.. :)

For more photos of Central Pier and Star Ferry Harbour Tour..

HK/Macao: The Peak

First stop for my first day in HK: The Peak (太平山顶)

Took the tram up (HK$48).. the gradient was pretty steep..

The weather was bright and sunny, but somehow there seemed to be a thin veil covering the view..

Went to Madame Tussauds (HK$150).. saw many famous stars.. some of them were very life-like, but a couple of them just looked weird.. Also, I was fairly surprised to find out that many of these stars or famous persons are pretty short in real life!! :p Another thing, this is a place where you need friend(s) to help you take photos while you poses with your favorite stars..

There is a haunted house within Madame Tussauds called Scream (活命狂奔).. Went in with a young couple from UK.. It was okay.. as I had kinda anticipated where the scare was going to come from, it was not very scary.. :p

Didn't really stay that long at the Peak.. there was a shopping complex next to the Peak Tower, but I wasn't interested in doing shopping.. so I left the place after having my lunch.. took the tram down before noon.. thus I spent less than 4 hours there..

For more photos of The Peak and Madame Tussauds..

HK/Macao: Quick Summary

Had always wanted to go HK and Macao when I first came to Japan.. and finally I did.. :)

Flight:
With the drop in fuel surcharges, the air tix to HK became cheaper.. actually, it would have been much cheaper if I were to fly from Singapore.. but well, no point grumbling over things that I have no control over.. So the air tickets from Narita, Tokyo to HK cost me ¥28,110, which is roughly SGD450/MYR1050..

Accommodation:
As I have friends in both HK and Macao, I stayed with them to save cost..since this was supposed to be a budget tour.. :) Mich was staying in Tsim Sha Tsui, the Orchard equivalent of Singapore.. so it was pretty convenient to travel around HK from her place.. She recently got the quietest and most adorable puppy, Sesame from US.. Sesame is sooooo cute.. :) In Macao, I stayed one night at the Venetian and another night with Loreen.. Loreen got me a room at the Venetian at staff price (MOP690 which is about ¥8500/SGD140/MYR320 a night), so it was well-worth the money.. :) Shall blog more about Sesame and also my stay at the Venetian later.. All in all, I had great fun catching up with both of them..

Food:
Frankly, I wasn't really excited about the food in HK or Macao, as compared to my trip to Taiwan.. Cos the food that is available in HK can be found in Malaysia and Singapore, with just variation in the taste.. Thus I didn't really go around food-hunting.. In fact, I ate food that I knew and liked while in Singapore, for example Burger King and BreadTalk.. I was more interested in buying food and spices back to Tokyo than to try out local delicacies.. of course, I did went for dim sum, ate roast pork rice, claypot rice and etc.. but nothing "WOW" about them.. I prefer food in Macao as it provided something different and not so common..

Traveling:
My housemate, Sarah, passed me her Octopus card to use in HK.. It was very convenient..much more so than the EzLink card in Singapore.. almost every shop accepts payment through the card.. saved me a lot of hassles from having to dig through the unfamiliar currencies denominations when making purchases.. Also, traveling in HK was relatively cheap as the public transportation system is good.. I can't say the same for Macao.. one needs to either take a taxi or walk.. which I did a lot of the later.. all in all, traveling in those two countries was so much cheaper compared to Japan..

Sight-seeing:
Many of the attractions in HK are not meant to be enjoyed alone.. Or to put it simply, it would be more fun going in couples or with a group of friends.. As for Macao, one need to visit those tourist attractions only once.. there is no re-visit values, in my opinion.. of course, Macao holds another type of attractions for a different group of tourists.. There are so many casinos, big and small, in Macao that gamblers would be spoiled for choices...

Shopping:
A non-shopaholic, I must confessed that I was overwhelmed with shopping choices in HK.. and in the end, I did go shopping.. :p Now I can understand why people would shop like crazy when they go HK.. All the international brand names are there, so are some of the local or regional brands.. There is bound to be something for everyone.. My credit card had a good "work-out" in HK... I am going to be soooo broke end of this month.. :(

My Perception:
The first impression I had of HK when I took the Airport Express to get to Kowloon Station was: "Just like Singapore!".. After spending a couple of days there, I can't help but still have the same feeling.. except in HK, they are more service-oriented with a wider choice of products.. the downside is that it is messier/dirtier and more free-for-all.. As for Macao, it is just a rustic gamblers' paradise.. other than the casinos, much of it is still stuck in a time-capsule of 1980s.. All these said, I won't mind working in Macao if the $$$ is VERY good or has good prospect.. As the internet connection in Macao is fast enough and the supermarkets there are pretty well-stocked, I have no complaints.. :p

I'm Back!!

Came back to Tokyo yesterday afternoon.. :)

It was a great trip.. And I am really glad that I went.. Even though I must confessed that my mind wasn't totally into the trip at the beginning, but after meeting Loreen in Macao, things became better.. :) This trip gave me the opportunity to look at things (that were bugging me) from a different perspective and take a more rational approach.. The distance and period of separation allowed me to see things more clearly.. Having friends who accept and not judge me made all these so much easier.. They reminded me to just be myself and not what others want/expected me to be... They were simply godsend! Thanks gals!!! :) :k

It was freaking hot in HK and Macao.. and I am tanned.. very.. :p Although I bought sun block on the 3rd day, I always forget to apply it.. I never once worry about getting tanned, but, for this trip, my concern was more of getting sick with all the "hysteria" over Influenza A.. Frankly I like being tanned, than being unhealthily pale.. and the fact is, I get tanned pretty fast and loses the tan equally fast too.. So I don't really care as much..

Drank lots of orange juice during the trip too.. almost everyday.. the $$$ spend on mineral water was also quite high.. but still it was all worth it.. at least I didn't get sick and kena quarantined when I came back to Tokyo.. :p

Even though I told people that I won't be doing much shopping while in HK, being one who don't like shopping, yet in the end, I still bought quite a lot of stuff... :p I just could not resist.. those familiar brands were beckoning me.. especially in those outlet shops... and so I bought pants, t-shirts, shirts, bag, perfume and sandals from Bossini, Giordano, Espirit, Nike and etc.. on top of that I purchased a huge bottle of oyster sauce, a bottle of Hoi Sin sauce (海鲜酱), a bottle of black bean paste (蒜蓉豆瓣酱), a packet of white fungus (白木耳 - for making dessert) and 1 can of Mei Chai Kou Rou (梅菜扣肉). Yes, I know.. It is weird/pathetic.. but hey, I can't get those things in Japan, or that they would have cost a bomb! Would have bought more, but was worried that my luggage would be too heavy.. :p

All in all, this was a great trip.. Two things stood out, chilling and hanging out with friends and the shopping... :p I realized that it is no fun going to HK or Macao alone.. you need friends around.. Unlike in Taipei.. Again, this might just be my own opinion...

Now I need to arrange and tag my photos, and then write about those 7 days.. Stay tuned!! :)

Korean song

Before my trip to HK, my housemate sent me a link to a very interesting video.. Featuring a Korean girls group called the Wonder Girls.. The song was "Nobody".. And boy, is it addictive.. even now, I couldn't quite get it out of my head... :p The YouTube video is here..

The lyrics has Korean in it.. but below is the English translated one.. Enjoy!! :)
============================================================

You know i still LOVE you baby,
And it will never change

I want nobody, nobody but you
I want nobody, nobody but you
I want no one else but you
Can't have anyone but you
I want nobody nobody nobody nobody

Why are you trying to push me away?
you know that I hate it,
you ignore what im saying
Why are you trying to send me to other?
You push me away like a little
each day why?

Saying that this is for my own good
Saying that you are just not worth it
Please, stop it right now coz'
you know me enough that i will come back to you no matter what!

I want nobody, nobody but you
I want nobody, nobody but you
I want no one else but you
Can't have anyone but you
I want nobody nobody nobody nobody

I want nobody, nobody but you
I want nobody, nobody but you
I want no one else but you
Can't have anyone but you
I want nobody nobody nobody nobody

All the pushing won't change my feelings
I am happy to have you,
more than willing to please you
i'm begging you please
don't walk away from me
Coz' i can't be happy away
from your side

Saying that this is for my own good
Saying that you are just not worth it
Please, stop it right now coz'
you know me enough that i will come back to you no matter what!

I want nobody, nobody but you
I want nobody, nobody but you
I want no one else but you
Can't have anyone but you
I want nobody nobody nobody nobody

I want nobody, nobody but you
I want nobody, nobody but you
I want no one else but you
Can't have anyone but you
I want nobody nobody nobody nobody

I don't want nobody, body
I don't want nobody, body
Life is unperfect without seeing you
I cannot have anyone but you... ahhh

I want nobody, nobody but you
I want nobody, nobody but you
I want no one else but you
Can't have anyone but you
I want nobody nobody nobody nobody

I want nobody, nobody but you
I want nobody, nobody but you
I want no one else but you
Can't have anyone but you
I want nobody nobody nobody nobody

Rap:
BacK to the days when we were
so young and wild and free
Everything we had back then
was like a dream
If only i could turn back time
Why do you keep on pushing me away?
why do you push me away?
I don't want nobody, nobody,
nobody. nobody but you

================================================

So? Watched the video? Kinda cheesy right? but you can't deny the fact that it is addictive.. :)

I want nobody, nobody but you!! ;)

Off to HK

When this article is posted, I would be in HK.. TO be more exact, I will be on flight No. NW007 (North West Airlines), somewhere in the airspace of HK waiting to land.. :)

Been wanting to visit HK and Macau since I came to Japan more than 2 years ago.. as I have 2 good friends working in both places.. Since I would be going back to work in a couple of months' time, I decided to just do it now.. as a student with no worries of time, I can do a free and easy tour on my own.. :)

Frankly, compared to my Taipei trip in March, I didn't really do much planning for this trip as the main objective here is more to visit and catch-up with old friends.. Of course I plan to visit all the usual touristy places and try some of the local delicacies.. but there is no fixed itinerary for me.. Will just go with the flow.. something I am not accustomed to, since I am a control freak.. but this time round, I have decided to just let go, not worry too much and see how things turn out.. :) Maybe this is a glimpse of a new "Zen" me.. :p

So I might not write till after May 19.. so don't miss me, okay.. :)

Lunch appointment

Every month, my landlord, Mr Watanabe, would treat us to a restaurant.. Yeah I know, I have a very nice landlord.. :)

This month we went to a Thai restaurant in Shin-Okubo (新大久保) recommended by my Thai course-mate, Maow.. There were 6 of us, including Mr. Watanabe.. He was so kind to invite two of our friends to join us, Amin and Maow..

There was no surprises as to who did the ordering.. :)

while Maow did the ordering, I was busy getting ideas from the menu for my cooking.. :p

Everyone got very excited, when the food started to arrive one by one.. with lots of "Ahh.." and "Oohh.." and not stop photo-taking.. Yes, we do miss GOOD food.. :p So here are the photos of the dishes we had..

To top it off, I shared a mango pudding with my housemate for dessert!! :) :) while the others had coconut ice-creams and rambutan.. :)

The bill came up to almost 2,000yen per person.. and Mr Watanabe was kind enough to pay for all of us.. Arigatoo!! Am really fortunate to have such a nice landlord.. :) :)