Underdressed?

I have not felt under dressed for a long time, perhaps because my current workplace no longer condoned Capri pants or flat open-toed slippers even on a Friday. Moreover, knowing that I would be meeting friends in the evening, I had even tried to be more colour coordinated to prevent myself being an embarrassment to my friends.

Usually, I would normally bypass all branded boutiques where the number of service crew far exceeded the number of patrons in the shop space. Having seen the latest Kate Spate bag which was a roomy camel colour leather hobo bag that my colleague was recently slinging over her shoulder, I was piqued by curiosity over the collection that Kate Spate had. Furthermore, it was having sale which meant that good quality bags could be obtained at a fraction of its original retail price.

I should have immediately turned on my back when I spotted the many elegant ladies in the shop trying on the bags. Most of them were immaculately dressed and made-up. Although I could not tell the price / brands of their attire and accessories, but the chic style only meant that the clothes were certainly more expensive than mine.

Suddenly, I felt dawdy standing side-by-side with these elegant ladies who had perfectly coiffed hair and neatly manicured nails. My dishevelled hair, my comfortable corduroy pants and ballet flats heightened my scruffiness alongside these ladies? Uh-oh, had I let myself slipped these days with the busy work schedule? I nearly wanted to rush out of the shop in shame. I stopped myself and decided to just finish touring the place and got out of the place as soon as possible. I should start ditching the older clothes no matter how comfortable they were.

Musketeers' Reunion

It has been ages since the Musketeers met. With Ah Peng's job changing and Ms Chan's wedding, all of us seemed busy with our commitments and a common time to meet seemed to elude us. Even this latest gathering nearly could not materialise with the last minute project that Ms Chan was handling.

For once, I was the earliest to turn up with my 515 pm knock-off time and my office being two MRT stations from our meeting place. For once, Ms Chan was the latest to turn up. We were nearly finished with our dinner by the time she turned up.

After quick catch-up over dinner, we decided to adjourn to Ochacha for a drink or dessert. After hearing so much about Ochacha, the musketeers of course had to experience with our own tastebuds the sensation surrounding the green tea cafe. We had the green tea cheese cake, green tea latte and green tea soybean. I never knew green tea could be so versatile and innovative in terms of its chemistry with other ingredients. Cheese cake, Latte and Soybean were conventionally more creamy and rich. The additional green tea seemed to lighten the rich flavours and reduced their filling-ness. The Green Tea cheese cake now ranked among the top 3 of my favourite cheesecake (together with the tofu cheesecake from Sun with Moon and raspberry cheesecake from Secret Recipe).

Oh, how I miss the easy banter that I can enjoy with the other Musketeers. The week-long stress seemed to ebb away with the humour of Ms Chan and the pensiveness of Ah Peng. How do you know you are in company of your good friends? It is when all of you just sit silently together drinking your beverages and there is no awkwardness and no necessity to fill the silence gaps. This is how it is with the musketeers. We no longer need to add fillers to dissipate the moments of unintended silence. We are also be truthful to one another even though some of the unsolicited comments can be rather unpleasant to the ears on first thoughts.

We should resume our once-a-month gathering.

Life Swap

Vicky was a successful British magazine editor who had the privilege of attending glitzy events and rubbing shoulders with celebrities. Despite her successful career, healthy social life and a strong family network from her brother's family, she was miserable as a single woman. She constantly felt that she was an outcast and a failure for not having a husband and kids in a suburban home.

On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, Amber had a successful husband, two beautiful kids, a designer wardrobe, an au pair and a beautiful mansion on the outskirt of Manhattan. Her days were spent organising a charity event and various organisation committees of the community. She played the role of a perfect Stepford wife. She had everything that Vicky desired. However, she was frustrated with constantly trying to keep up with the Joneses and with little time for herself and her family.

When Vicky decided to do a feature on a life swap with a 'desperate housewife', Amber was shortlisted to be the candidate with whom Vicky would swap with. Both girls travelled across the Atlantic to live the life of the other, including taking on the other person's job, friends and family for the next 4 weeks. After the novelty of the new life wore off, each of them started to feel exhausted leading the life of the other and they started to miss their life back home. Both Vicky and Amber also started to appreciate their own life and reflected on how they could better improve their life.

When they ended off the swap, Vicky realised that life would not become perfect simply with marriage and kids. Amber realised that although she felt tired taking care of her family, she would not again want to abandon them even for a second.

Such is life. Life Swap by Jane Green depicted the dilemma of two women with completely different lifestyles. We always envy another for the life she / he has. The single envys the married for their blissful life, complete with a caring husband and adorable children. The married envys the single for the freedom to go for shopping after work and the ability to sleep in on weekend mornings. None is a bed of roses. It is always a matter of priorities. No matter which side of the pasture you are on, the most important thing is to learn to appreciate what you have and make the most out of it.

Filtering and Editing Photos

Filtering and editing photos can consume a lot of time. Sorting the photos and editing them into collages took me about half a Sunday. Determining which photos to send for developing and which to use for a collage for more meaningful amalgamation is a long-drawn though process. The use of collage meant that I could combine various photos into one and just develop a single photo as some of these photos were closed-up shots of certain objects.

Searching an easy-to-use software for creating collages, sizing, rectifying the exposure of the collages meant many trials and errors. This was especially when I shunned any website that required registration or downloading of software. I have always prided myself for striving towards a hassle-free life.

Finally, I found this website that allowed the creation of collages without registration and downloading. It was easy to use for novices like me – simply idiot-proof. The website offered various collage forms for the user to choose. If you fancy a more complicated collage under the premium selection, registration would be required. If not, you could just upload your photos to be used to the collage and placed them in the right pockets of your selected collage pattern. The website is http://www.picnik.com/.

If you know of better photo editing website, please let me know so that I can create more interesting pictures.

Here are some of the collages created using my latest Hong Kong photos.

Lunch Box

I always romanticize the idea of bringing a lunch box to work – it is so Japanese. Moreover, after a while, it is easy to be sick of outside food. Bringing your own lunch means home-cooked food even during lunch, the thought of it will surely make my mouth water.

Finally, my wishes come true.

My mum heats and packs the leftover food from the dinner if the night before, so that I can bring to office. There is a mini thermal flash that helps keep the food warm. However, the food is only lukewarm by lunch. It is not very effective in retaining heat.

Nevertheless, the hone-cooked food and the novelty of eating it during lunch from a lunchbox have already warmed my heart. :-)

Hong Kong 2009 – A Cultural Experience

I felt I had a more in-depth understanding of the lifestyle and the people of Hong Kong from this second trip to Hong Kong.

The interaction with Hong Kong 2 years ago was more superficial. I took on a route of typical tourist going to Lantau Island and Disneyland. These in addition to a day gone from falling ill in the Hotel and a day spent in visiting Macau, the remaining time was spent catching up on shopping. Although shopping was more of a national hobby to Hong Kongers than Singaporeans, it was only one aspect of the Hong Kong life.

The last four-and-a-half days spent solely in Hong Kong provided the luxury of time for me to be more acquainted with one of the faster-paced cities in the world. In many aspects, Hong Kong shared a similar background to Singapore. Both were former British colonies and were influenced by the British in many aspects. Both prided themselves on their economic development, especially in being leading financial hubs in Asia. Both were also touted as shopping heavens by their tourism boards. Many tourists who had visited both cities gave their thumbs up for their variety of food and great shopping.

Yet, wondering off the beaten path and stepping into the places more mundane, a more quintessential aspect of Hong Kong revealed itself. Is there a quintessential Hong Kong? Being a former British colony and later a Special Administration Region of China, Hong Kong seemed to link to one of the oldest cultures one-way or another. The infusion of the two cultures meant that Hong Kong could benefit from learning from the best practices and evolved into its unique ethnic culture.

When I was shopping in the high-end shopping belts, I came face-to-face with the glamour and vibrancy of the city. The flagship store of Louis Vuitton with its crystalline façade, the H&M stores which are only available in Hong Kong and Shanghai in Asia and the display of antique cars in the New World Centre highlighted the success of the economy. When I lost myself in the bargains along Fa Yuen Street, I became acutely aware of real living in Hong Kong. The teenagers who were fashionably dressed needed not be decked in branded attire. Instead, the various little boutiques along Fa Yuen Street seemed to be a favourite haunt among them for scouting a signature piece amidst the rolls of cramped clothing.

When I was gazing at the high rise apartments along Repulse Bay or at Lantau Island, the flats reminded me of the HDB flats in Singapore, albeit smaller, taller and more condensed. When I was looking at the older units in Kowloon with the aircon units hanging precariously on the outside without any ledge or structure supporting the units, it was reminiscent of Hong Kong in the seventies. There was even a well-known movie known as “Seventy-Two Households” depicting the many households in an estate. A word of caution. Do be mindful and avoid areas where you see puddles of water on the floor as the puddles formed from the dripping of water from the aircon units on higher floors above you.

Just like many fast growing economies, the development of civic and social mindedness often lags behind. Although Hong Kong has intricately linked rapid transit system which is enhanced by its equally accessible buses and minibus, the infrastructure of each MTR station still is not fully catered for the handicapped and the elderly. Many exits from the stations are with stairways and not even escalators. The long flight of stairs at least 1 storey high will be a challenge to the physically-challenged community. The narrow space of each gantry at the MTR station means that there is no space for pushing a pram through. This probably explains the apparent lack of any strollers or prams on the roads.

Spotting an open wet market along Graham Street in the heart of the CBD appeared bizarre and rather out of place. This is more so when the market place is situated on a slope which certainly makes grocery shopping an ‘uphill’ task. Taking the century-old tram leisurely along the busiest roads in Hong Kong Island seemed to insulate you from the fast-paced economy where I become a mere observer of the hustle and bustle. However, it is this intertwining of the old and the modern in a rather seamless manner that is quintessentially Hong Kong. The ability to take stray from the fast-paced to the slower-paced provided an interlude if you wish to take a respite from the rat-race.

It is these little signs that provided a peek into the underlying real living in Hong Kong that revealed the charms of Hong Kong in full resplendence. Hong Kong was not just a clinical fast-paced financial hub of Asia. Hong Kong people were not just a fashionably conscious community who led the trends of Asia. If you have a chance to visit Hong Kong in future, take a break from the shopping and eating for a while. Devote a day to engage in the mundane activities and go to the mundane places to lead the life of a typical Hong Kongers, you will be surprised at what you can discover.

Hong Kong 2009 - Day 5 @ Langham Place

It was the last day of our short trip. We went back to Mongkok for some last minute shopping before we caught on our flight. We read in the tourist guide that Fa Yuen Street would open from 7am. When we reached, we were disappointed to see that only the wet market has opened. The stalls and shops selling clothes remained close.

We decided to head back to Langham place just for a look before we left. We were surprised to find H & M shop there as well. While waiting for it to open at 11 am, we decided to head to McDonald's to see what it had to offer on its breakfast menu. Unlike the McDonald's in Singapore, there was macaroni sold for breakfast. The coffee and set meals were also cheaper than Singapore. A big breakfast cost about SGD5 while in Singapore, it could easily be more than SGD6.

When H & M opened its doors at 11 am, we quickly rushed in to grab what we wanted within 45 minutes. It was certainly a fruitful trip.

Hong Kong 2009 – Day 4 @ Wong Tai Sin Temple

The Wong Tai Sin Temple was a very famous temple of Hong Kong. Many local and overseas devotees would certainly have to pay a visit to this famous temple to pray for happiness and health when in Hong Kong. There were many devotees even on early Sunday morning. Devotees could purchase incense from the many shops outside the temple before going into the temple. Due to the crowd, it would be best to watch out for incense as some devotees had not carefully hold the incense to prevent scotching others.

Hong Kong 2009 – Day 4 @ Yau Ma Tei

Yau Ma Tei was significantly more crowded than Jordan perhaps due to the Temple Street Market just 2 streets away from Nathan Road.

Food
We passed by a fruits store selling a type of plum that were foreign to my sister and I. My mum highly recommended the fruit to us as she had tried it when she was young. The appearance of the plum resembled a cross-breed of Lycee and rambutan. The whole plum could be sucked for its juice and flesh. Like all plums, the taste was more sour than sweet. The juice would also stain your teeth red.
One of the favourite desserts of Hong Kongers was the steamed milk. The steamed milk from Nee Soon Dairy which was a renowned shop for dairy desserts and beverage had one outlet along Nathan Road near Yau Ma Tei MTR station. For those of you who have a sweet tooth and soft spot for dairy products, this is a must try. It was almost like tau huay in Singapore but softer and creamier. Again, due to its reputation and popularity, it would charge a fee to seated customers who did not order anything.


Yum Cha
Yum Cha – an activity which the locals often indulged in during weekend which involved eating snacks, drinking Chinese tea and catching up with your family and friends. When in Rome, we must follow the Roman way of life. Hence, when we were in Hong Kong, what better way to have a taste of the Hong Kong lifestyle than to yum cha?

We went to the same restaurant which I had patronized two years ago with Ah Peng. The last time I was there, it was a weekday morning. This time round, we decided to go during a Sunday afternoon for afternoon tea as it was supposed to be cheaper than the morning tea.

I had never expected the crowd at the restaurant because the last time I was there, there were many empty tables around. This time round, I had to take a number and waited for at least 45 minutes before I was shown to a table.

The variety of dim sums was enough to fill an entire A4-sized paper. We were baffled by some of the names as they were not able to provide any clue what they were made of. Not desiring to try the common dim sums which we had in Singapore, we sought the waitress’ help to recommend the house special as well as the less common choices.

We had egg tarts, har kaos (prawn dumplings), green chilli with fish paste, fried spring rolls (wrapped with seafood and was given the name of “This was not a spring roll”), steamed pork ribs, sweet vinegar marinated pork’s leg and mixed vegetables wrapped with fried beancurd skin. The sweet vinegar marinated pork’s leg was a common dish for the ladies in confinement but relatively harder to find in Singapore. I personally liked the “this was not a spring roll” and the green chilli with fish paste.
“This is not a spring roll”

When we observed the many people around us, we noted that many big familie took their time to eat and order as they chatted or waited for more family members to join. We also saw many smaller families and even couples eating and reading newspapers. Mid-way through our eating, there were also mahjong tables being set up for patrons who completed their meals to play. We were simply too stunned for words to see such apparent and blatant gambling activities.


Temple Street
Temple Street market was well-known for its antiques, food and fortune-telling activities. It was very similar to Ladies Market along Tung Choi Street in terms of the ware sold. There were also many claypot rice stalls along Temple street who could even openly fight and tout customers – reminded me somewhat of Bugis seafood eateries. It was too aggressive for our liking. Despite wanting to try the famous Heng Kee Claypot rice, we left without eating. However, we discovered the less well-known pork bone porridge and push cart noodles stalls near the Heng Kee Claypot rice instead.

Hong Kong 2009 – Day 3 @ Causeway Bay

One of the landmarks of Causeway Bay was the high-end departmental store - Sogo. Despite the high prices, the place was packed on a Saturday afternoon. If you were more into cheaper shopping, you could drop by Jardine’s Crescent which was a street market surrounding the Jardine’s Crescent wet market. Perpendicular to Jardine’s Crescent, there were many shops selling mid-ranged fashion and beauty products, such as Sasa.

Jardine’s Crescent was shorter than Fa Yuen Street and less spacious. Just like other street markets, the items could not be tried on. Being not comfortable with bargaining and not trying on items, we ended up not buying anything.

Hong Kong 2009 - Day 3 @ Central

Central, together with Admiralty, was the central business district of Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange – The Exchange, could be found just beside the Central Pier where you would alight after taking the Star Ferry from Tsim Sha Tsui. In front of the Exchange Square, you could find yourself face-to-face with a bronze bull statue – the symbol of a bustling stock market.

There was a long sheltered connector from the Central Pier to the major offices in Central along the Connaught Road Central to the Mid-level escalator. Follow the trail to discover the charms from the interaction of the historic and modern right at the heart of Central.

Graham Street Market
Once we saw the Central Market along Jubilee Street, we knew we were on the right path to Graham Street. You may ask what was so special about Graham Street? Well, Graham Street housed one of the oldest wet markets in Hong Kong. It was open air and on a slope. Behind the stalls selling fresh produce – including seafood and vegetables, there were also many stores selling sauces and dried food.

The famous Kow Loon Sauce with its home-made soy sauce and other condiments for cooking could be found in the market. However, a bottle of the sauce was quite expensive probably since it was largely home-made.

My mum was very excited when she noted how fresh and cheap the seafood on sale was. We even bought a bunch of bananas as they were a fraction of the price of what we saw in the supermarket at Tsim Sha Tsui.

Mid-way through the market, we were already very exhausted from the climb as the gradient was steep. We could not help being grateful for the markets that we had in Singapore. We were puzzled by how the locals could manage this climb regularly especially if their hands were full with their purchases. We were already exhausted despite being empty handed.

A view of the market when I was standing on higher ground. The gradient was real. I had not deliberately held up the camera. It was simply taken at eye level.

Unfortunately, during our climb of the market, we met some local students who were making a documentary of the place. We overheard them saying that this market would be demolished soon. If you would be in Hong Kong soon, do pay a visit before it ceased.

Food
Mongkok was not the only place in Hong Kong where you could taste local delicacy or the traditional Hong Kong cafes. Central also congregated many nice food and Dai Pai Dong (hawker stalls). The Dai Pai Dongs could be found along streets perpendicular to Graham Street. The Dai Pai Dongs were literally just stalls with make-shift tables and chairs in the open just in front of the stalls. At least in Singapore, we had a roof over our heads in the hawker stalls. If you were looking for hawker centres, I had only found one along Fa Yuen Street, above the Fa Yuen Street Market in Mongkok.

One of the most well-known Hong Kong Café which started as a Dai Pai Dong was Lan Fong Yuen on Gage Street. However, the prosperous business had led to expansion to a shop behind the stall and another shop two shops down. The place was packed even on a Saturday morning. We had to squeeze and share a table with other patrons. With the good business, the stall was slightly unfriendly as the owner insisted that everyone who sat down had to order something. We were initially thinking of sharing only some snacks as we just had a heavy breakfast.


However, the food had certainly lived up to its reputation. The macaroni was very delicious. The toast was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The pork burger seemed tempting but we simply had no more space in our stomach to take in more food.


There were different sets offered before 11 am and after 11 am which sounded vaguely familiar to the menu of McDonald’s. Hence, you would not have a lack of choices even if you were here twice a day.

Travelling further up to Lyndhurst Terrace, we reached the famous Tat Cheong Confectionery which made the most famous egg tarts in Hong Kong. The egg filling was creamy and very rich in eggs, unlike some of the watered version you might have tasted elsewhere. The pastry was crispy and flaky. As we were simply too full, we only bought one to sample. Moreover, it was slightly pricier at HKD5 each.


Another local food in Hong Kong was its barbecued meat. We found a very oriental looking restaurant along Jubilee Street. We were to try everything, so we had one type of meat each which included the barbecued pork (char siew), fatty pork and goose. The char siew was available in both fatty or lean version. The servings could be large or regular where large version had more meat. Just as many rice dishes in Hong Kong, the rice was in very big serving. Barbecued goose tasted almost indistinguishable to grilled duck.

Central Mid-levels Escalator
The Central mid-levels escalator was the longest escalator taking us up mid-level of Victoria Peak. Taking the escalators allowed us a good view of the Central mid-level. It was one of the longest escalators. Before 10am each day, the escalator travelled downwards. From 10.20am, the escalator started travelling upwards.

Pottinger Street
Pottinger Street was a cobblestone street which was one of the featured trails reflecting the colonial history of Hong Kong. It also had many stalls selling knick-knacks.

Lam Kwai Fung
Lam Kwai Fung came alive only when night fell. The many pubs drew many local yuppies and expats here for a drink to wind-down after a hectic day. This place was a favourite hang-out for many celebrities.

Shopping
Shopping was more of a national hobby for Hong Kongers than Singaporeans. There was shopping everywhere. More often than not, both low to high end shopping could be found side-by-side.

A three-storey H & M store could be found along Queen’s Road Central. Similarly, other stores such as Espirit retail and G2000 could also be found here.

If you were more into branded stuff, there were several floors of Armani in one of the shopping malls near the Central MTR. Across the street, Louis Vuitton flagship store in Hong Kong could be found.

Tram
One could take tram along Des Voeux Road to Causeway Bay. The tram could take a longer trip than the MTR but it would also be cheaper as the fare was HKD2 per trip regardless of the length of the journey. At the same time, one could also enjoy the sights from Central, through Admiralty, Wan Chai to Causeway Bay.

To board the tram, you board from the end of the tram and would pay only at the end of the journey when you alighted at the front. The inside of the tram was narrow and could only allow one person to stand between two rows of seats. It was open-air with no airconditioned.

Hong Kong 2009 – Day 2 & 3 @ Tsim Sha Tsui

Tsim Sha Tsui was a popular shopping haven for tourists and locals alike. It congregated some of the most well-known shopping malls such as the mega Harbour City and the five-star hotels such as Sheraton and Peninsula Hotel. There was even a helicopter pad at the top of Peninsula Hotel for the landing of the rich and famous guests to the hotel.

Food
Many local eateries lined the two sides of Granville Circuit. How could we miss the one of the best known local delicacy – Wanton Noodles when we were in Hong Kong? We found a small eatery crowded with the local office crowd and shoppers noisily slurping down the bowls of soupy wanton noodles. The wanton noodle was priced about SGD4 but had 4 wantons the size of a fist each and had a generous serving of noodles. We felt very full after slurping down the entire bowl of wanton noodles. These noodles would certainly give our home-grown Crystal Jade a run for money if it decided to branch out to Singapore shores.

For those of you who have been to Hong Kong or Macau before, you would be fully aware of the nuance between the Hong Kong and Singapore versions. Even if you have not but have patronized Crystal Jade, you would already have had a taste of the Hong Kong type of wanton noodles. A typical serving of Hong Kong wanton noodles would consist of only the noodles and the wantons (dumplings). There was no char siew (barbecued pork). In addition, the dry version would be mixed in soy sauce gravy and not chilli.


The well-known dessert chain – Hui Lau San could also be found around the corner along Carnarvon Road. A trip to Hong Kong without sampling the famous mango dessert would be tantamount to a trip to Hokkaido without eating ice-cream. The mango puree with mango chunks, sago and dumplings was so rich with fresh mango flavor my entire palate was infiltrated mangoes and more mangoes. The papaya with white fungi was refreshing and less sweet than the mango. Ee were disappointed with the fried carrot cake. The kitchen took a long time to prepare and it was too oily and charred for my liking.

If you walked along Nathan Road, just after Miramar Shopping Centre, you would find a small snack stall selling egg waffles with a queue in front. The Lee Ken Egg Waffle was recommended to be the best representation of the egg waffles in Hong Kong. The aroma from the scotching hot waffles would certainly whet your appetite no matter how full you were.

Shopping
Bargain shopping could also be found along Granville Road. However, the target shoppers were mainly those below 25 as most of the items were trendier. Most of the tops could not be tried on and were usually of free size. However, many of them were at a price below SGD20. My mother got a simple short sleeved round neck black knitted top at SGD6.

The outlets of mid-ranged fashion chains such as Espirit, Bossini and Giodano could also be found along Peking Street.

For those who preferred more upper-end shopping, there were several mega malls found in Tsim Sha Tsui such as Harbour City, the New World Centre, Sogo, Parklane Shopping Mall and Miramar Shopping Centre. The boutiques of many local designers could be found in New World Centre. For those would wish to get some pastries, esp the signature Wife’s Biscuits for relatives, there was an outlet at the basement of Sogo. Hence, you would not need to travel all the way to Yuen Long to get them. I would personally recommend the walnut biscuit instead of the Wife’s Biscuit. Parklane Shopping Mall provided open air shopping where the shops lined straightly along Nathan Road. The Kowloon Park was conveniently located above and behind the Parklane Shopping Mall. Miramar Shopping Centre housed both Muji and Uniqlo. The Uniqlo in Miramar Shopping Centre was bigger and more spacious than the one in Hokkaido.


Avenue of Stars
The Avenue of Stars faced the Victoria Harbour at Hong Kong Island. Walking along Avenue of Stars allowed us to be acquainted with the palm prints of the well-known celebrities of Hong Kong. We were amazed at the smallness of the palms of Allan Tseng. My mum was delighted that her palms matched that of Lin Qing Xia.

There were also many bronze statues providing an introduction to film making along Avenue of Stars. One could even take the hot seat of the director to immerse in the responsibility, power and the magic of film making.

Of course, the laser show at 8 pm nightly should not be missed. The night skies of Hong Kong were instantly lighted when the facades of various landmarks were dressed in various light coatings. Laser beams emitted from the top of these buildings danced to the rhythm of the music played.


Some of the wealthy group of Hong Kong locals could be seen driving their yatch to the seas between Hong Kong Island and Tsim Sha Tsui to admire the laser display. However, the strong waves kept them bobbing quickly along the seas for about easily 50 metres during the 15 minute laser show. I wondered if the passengers would feel sea sick with the bobbing. Well, I certainly felt slightly giddy watching the boat bobbed.

If you would like to have a snack while you were admiring the brilliance of the laser, you would be lured by the barbecued squids in one of the pushcarts along the Avenue of Stars Walk. Clearly, great minds thought alike with the queue in front of the pushcart.

Personally, I felt the laser show was less interesting than the fireworks display 2 years ago when I visited Hong Kong.

Star Ferry Terminal

If you would like to travel to Wan Chai or Central from Kowloon, an alternative to taking the MTR would be the Star Ferry. Firstly, it was cheaper than the MTR (about HKD 2.50 per trip) and slightly faster (about 10 minutes). You could pay the fare with the ubiquitous Octopus card. During the journey, one could also feast our sights to the city landscape view of Hong Kong Island.


Clock Tower
The clock tower just beside the Star Ferry was a historical monument that has since become a popular place for newly wedded couples to take their wedding photos at.


Places of Religion
If you think that Singapore is the only country which is multiracial, then you clearly have missed out Hong Kong.

Along Nathan Road between Tsim Sha Tsui and Jordan MTR stations which were only 1 station apart, you could walk past a Mosque, a Church and a Temple. However, the only question that nagged at me was the lack of halal food that I managed to spot. McDonald’s was not halal certified in Hong Kong as it served a double-ham burger which was made up of pork patty.

Hong Kong 2009 – Day 2 @ Repulse Bay

Repulse Bay was one of the most famous beaches in Hong Kong island. The calm sea with a long stretch of white sand was a popular spot among the locals in summer for water sports and swimming. The nearby hills were the residences of the very rich and famous millionaires, including Jackie Chan and Macau Casino owner.


At one end of the beach is a temple for devotees to pray for peace and health. The view from the temple was also spectacular as it overlooked the sea and the outlying islands.


Walking along Repulse Bay was relaxing and refreshing with the cool breeze and the white sand.

Hong Kong 2009 - Day 2 @ Aberdeen Fishing Village

Aberdeen Fishing Village was touted to be the last urban fishing village. It was situated near the famous Jumbo Floating Restaurant – the restaurant where the Stephen Chow’s movie “The Culinary God” was filmed.

It was also near a yatch club where the old fishing boats lined side by side with the pristine white private yatches of the rich and famous. While the fishing boats were the home and the tool to livelihood of the villagers, the yatches were a luxury fun get-away for the city dwellers.


These fishing boats were often built with about 3 rooms on each boat – the biggest room would be for the son, the mid-sized room for the parents and the smallest room for the daughter. Many of these fishing families still held traditional mindset where the sons were favoured over the daughters. Some of their fishing equipment such as nets could be seen heaped on the deck for sunning. Many villagers could be seen selecting their catch and cleaning them. For the smaller fishes, the villagers would dry them in the sun and wind by lining them vertically on the deck.

Some of these villagers also had smaller sampans where they rowed out to catch the fish.

Such a contrasting side with the traditional fishing village in a modern city of high-rise apartments and luxury yatch club could be a disappearing sight as the Hong Kong government was already making plans to uproot these Aberdeen villagers and close off the fishing village. What a pity.

Hong Kong 2009 – Day 2 @ Victoria Peak

The view from Victoria Peak was well-known around the world. Standing at the peak, one could view the breathtaking city landscape of the Hong Kong island from Sheung Wan, Central, Admiralty, Causeway Bay to Wan Chai. On a clear day, we could also see the view across Victoria Harbour to Tsim Sha Tsui. Unfortunately, the polluted air of Hong Kong meant that a fog constantly veiled the upper skies and blurred the view.



You could also enjoy the view from Stubbs Road which was midway up Victoria Peak, there were pavilions shaped like mushroom for one to take a break. For those of you who were lovers of Hong Kong drama, you would find these ‘mushroom pavilions’ featured in many scenes of the Hong Kong drama.

Take a rest at these pavilions if you were tired from standing around.

Hong Kong 2009 – Day 1 @ Mongkok

By the time we checked into our hotel – Shamrock Hotel just above the Jordan MTR (the Hong Kong equivalence of MRT in Singapore) station, it was already late afternoon. It was the best time to hit the ‘headquarters’ of street markets of Hong Kong – Mongkok in Kowloon. Here, the many local youngsters and tourists thronged the 3 streets that lined side-by-side – Sai Yeung Choi Street, Tung Choi Street and Fa Yuen Street.

Street Sights
All 3 streets would be closed to vehicles when night fell. Hence, all visitors could leisurely moved across the streets to check out the stalls as well as the shops behind the stalls. The streets became more bustling with both hawkers, performing artistes as well as people later into the night. At 1opm on a Thursday night, many shops (such as Bossini, Cotton On) were still open for business. Many people could still be seen walking along the streets. On weekend nights, the crowd was at least 2 times more. The high activity level lured us back for 3 out of the 4 nights we were in Hong Kong.

(The bustling Sai Yeung Choi Street)

Local Snacks
There were also many small stalls selling a variety of snacks at each corner. These included the well-known smelly tofu where you could catch a sniff even a few stalls away. For someone who was unused to this local delicacy, the revoltingly nauseous smell could certainly put one off. If you were a lover of pork innards, such as the lungs and blood which were less commonly found in Singapore, you could try a bowl of the marinated pork innards. A bowl of soy sauce marinated pork innards resembled that of kway chap in Singapore, albeit minus the kway.

(Many such stalls selling fried seafood on sticks and smelly tofu)

If you were less adventurous like us, you could try the seemingly more normal fish balls (both curry and non-spicy), There were also a variety of seafood on sticks (like satay) which you could choose from. The squids were big and juicy.

(Fried squids, curry fishballs and normal fishballs)

Food
There were many restaurants, Hong Kong cafes (the famous chain – Café de Coral had many outlets along the few streets) and even the more traditional noodle and congee stalls. One could find the famous beef noodle stall – Lok Yuen along Fa Yuen Street.

As we ventured further along Fa Yuen Street, there were more surprises that awaited us. I always liked ‘Push-cart noodles’ in Singapore and wondered how the authentic Hong Kong version tasted like. I walked many streets looking for the traditional ‘Push-cart noodles’ but many had disappeared with the rapid urbanization of the city. I was ecstatic when I eventually found a coffee shop selling ‘push-cart’ noodles.

(The restaurant selling pushcart noodles at the junction of Fa Yuen Street)

Unlike the Singapore’s dry version, the Hong Kong version was soupy. There were a variety of ingredients which you could order into your bowl of noodles, somewhat like Yong Tau Hoo. These ingredients included vegetables, such as Chye Sim (or Cantonese’s Choi Sum) and kai lan, seafood balls (fish ball or Yu Dan, squid balls, octopus balls), pig’s blood, raddish, etc. We could also choose if we wanted ho fan, noodles or instant noodles as the staple. The serving was also big enough for 2 if you were not a big eater.

(Pushcart noodles with kway teow)

Soy Street, which intersected across the 3 streets, offered the local food in more traditional coffee shops. There were also a few pastry shops along the same street where many visitors and locals alike, stopped by to buy the piping hot pineapple buns and egg tarts. There was also a bread stall selling pineapple bun and custard coconut buns. We preferred the pineapple buns to the custard buns. The bread was soft with the sweet pineapple toppings at the top of the bun.

As we were not especially hungry, we walked the street a couple of times, looking at the food offered, compared the prices before we stepped into an ordinary looking congee shop – Nam Loon Congee Shop. It was a shop with an ordinary appearance but extraordinary food. A bowl of the frog leg’s congee cost less than SGD4 – half the price of that in Singapore. The sweet porridge with the abundant tasty frog legs was heavenly. We were joking that this porridge would stimulate the appetite of even an ill person. The chee cheong fun was also springy. It was more compact tube-like where one would not taste the different layers like Singapore version when one bit into it. It was a different taste but not inferior to Singapore’s version.

(Frog Leg's porridge with chee cheong fun)

Despite feeling full, we were still tempted by the wafting aroma of the freshly baked egg tarts across the street – Sakura Shima Bakery. The Japanese named shop offered local confectionery such as egg tarts and cakes. With the queue in front of the shop, it had to be a sign of popularity and quality. There were 2 versions to choose from – the one baked with traditional harder pastry or the one baked with the more flaky and crispy pastry which was similar to the Portuguese egg tart. Which one should we choose? Stop thinking. We decided to try one of each. Well, the egg filling was smooth and soft while the pastry was crispy even for the traditional version. They were so delicious that I craved for more. It was an extremely tough choice on which one was better. If you asked me for my personal preference, I would opt for the traditional one.

(Left is the traditional egg tart while the right is the egg tart with flaky pastry)

(The shop selling the egg tarts along Soy Street)

The well-known Herbal Jelly shop – Kwong Ho Tong could be found at one of the shops behind the stalls along Tung Choi Street (Ladies Market). The herbal jelly was more expensive than Singapore’s. Each bowl cost about SGD8. However, it was a slightly bigger size and contained a higher concentration of herbs (from the smell of herbs). The shop also offered other herbal teas. Feeling slightly heaty, I opted for the flu tea which was bitter but refreshing.

(Flu Tea (HKD 16) and Herbal Jelly (HKD 42))

Shopping
Shopping could be done along Sai Yeung Choi Street, Tung Choi Street and Fa Yuen Street.

Sai Yeung Choi Street was more spacious and contained many familiar Hong Kong brands, such as Giodano, Bossini, Apple and G2000. Many of these stores occupied many floors. The Bossini outlet could be found on the top floor of the Bossini store. The Espirit outlet could also be found at the basement of Hollywood Plaza along the same street. The famous Milan Station which sold second hand branded handbags from Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Coach at a discounted price had an outlet along Sai Yeung Choi Street as well.

Tung Choi Street was the famous Ladies Market. It was a street lined with many stalls selling fake goods (fake Coach, Longchamp, Le Sports Sac bags). It also offered many tourist items such as “I Love Hong Kong T-shirts”. My personal view was that Ladies Market was not an ideal place for shopping as it had become too commercialized and touristy with its reputation as one of the most well-known street markets of Hong Kong.

Fa Yuen Street could be broken into 2 sections. The first section was the ‘concentration camp’ of sports shoes. The second section which was further up across Argyle Street towards Prince Edward MTR was a street for cheap clothings. We had heard about this street which offered cheap clothing from colleagues and books but had failed to locate it as we kept walking only along the Mongkok area rather than ventured further. Too bad, we only found this street the night before we departed Hong Kong. It started raining soon after we reached and the stalls started packing away. Within half an hour, most of the stalls had closed. Sigh! We missed the bargains along this street.

(Bustling Fa Yuen Street)

Just a word of caution, the clothes here could not be tried on, so to make a purchase, you had to be quite certain of your own size.

For the youngsters who prefer the latest fashion which follow the latest trend in Taiwan and Japan, Mongkok Centre which was across Argyle Street would be a must-visit. However, the alleys here were narrower and the shop space was smaller. It was similar to Far East Plaza but smaller.

Mongkok epitomized the street culture of Hong Kong with its vibrancy, rowdiness, local delicacies and bargain shopping.