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.

Hong Kong 2009 - Prequel

It took us a while before we decided on Hong Kong for our long overdue family trip. We were constrained by time, money and weather.

We could only afford about 5 days’ break as it was tough for my sister to apply for leave from work.

Given our current family financial status as well as the bleak economic outlook, we could not afford lavish tours.

We also preferred travelling in cooler climate.

After considering many countries in South East Asia – from Thailand (too politically unstable), Southern Vietnam (too hot), Northern Vietnam (too expensive) to Korea (too expensive and had to take too many days’ of leave), we finally narrowed down to Hong Kong.

Moreover, my sister and I wanted to split the bill for my mum’s air ticket and accommodation and present this trip as a Mother’s Day cum birthday gift to my mother. Hence, my mother’s preference overruled. After fishing for her comments, Hong Kong emerged as a preferred choice.

The next steps were to decide on the dates and the package. Working around those days that either I had to be in office for reporting requirements or my sister had to be in town for wedding dinners, we hit upon mid May. As affordability was our primary concern, we trudged the entire Chinatown looking for the best value-for-money. With all booked, we had to start planning for the trip itinerary.

Unfortunately, the H1N1 Influenza outbreak hit the news with many casualties in Mexico and US three weeks before our departure date. Subsequently, more suspected and confirmed cases inundated the news daily. The WHO and HSA scaled up the alert level by two notches within a week. Suddenly, panic struck everyone as some countries contemplated barring travelers from certain regions and even closing their doors to outsiders completely.

In the following week, there was a confirmed case in Hong Kong. We continued to monitor the situation and were prepared to cancel or postpone our trip if the situation worsened. However, it seemed that H1N1 would never be eradicated completely. Moreover, we would have to pay penalty for any cancellation and postponing, so we decided to go ahead. We were all looking forward to this trip and the situation appeared to be in control when Singapore lowered the alert level just before our departure.

Phew, what an eventful month before our trip. Hong Kong, here we come.

Mother's Day Celebration

The second Sunday of May is Mother's Day - a day to celebrate the greatness of the woman who nursed and developed us. It is also a day for us, as children, to show our appreciation for the care and love that our mothers have showered us since we are born.

This year, our celebration included a new member - my sister's boyfriend. As my sister and her boyfriend had to leave for a celebration with her boyfriend's family from lunch onwards, we celebrated our Mother's Day during breakfast. When I asked around for good dim sum places, a few of my colleagues recommended East Ocean Teochew Restaurant at Shaw Plaza. Despite it being a teochew restaurant, I was greeted by a string of Cantonese when I called to make a reservation. Hmmm....

(The chefs were busy preparing some of the food in the open. If you were at a loss of what to have, you could also loiter around here and determine what the chefs had to offer before placing your orders.)

The restaurant was crowded with people despite it being a Sunday morning. There was no pushcarts to peddle the dim sums. Instead, the waitresses carried the plates of dim sums with trays and moved around shouting the names of the dim sums that they were carrying. Push carts were not used perhaps due to the constraints of the space. However, the tray of dim sums seemed heavy, so we also did not dare to stop all roving waitresses to see what they had to offer. We only stopped those who called out the names of the dim sums we wanted.

We had the egg tarts and the pineapple buns. The pineapple buns were warm and soft with the pineapple sweetness. The egg fillings in the egg tart was soft and creamy and encrusted in a crispy pastry. Simply heavenly. Our conclusion was that the egg tarts here were as good as Zhou's Kitchen which served the best egg tarts which we tasted so far.

The siew mais were a little crunchy with the use of the springy but succulent prawn with pork. It was delicately small and could be easily swallowed in one mouthful. The shark's fin dumplings wrapped in the crystal clear skin was juicy and rich. The few strands of shark's fin added some texture to the bites.

The carrot cake was slightly charred but not crispy enough. It was also slightly too oily for our liking. The century egg and lean meat porridge was sweet. The consistency of the porridge was just right with a good balance of stickiness and liquid. My family voted it the best porridge which we had, even better than Crystal Jade's Kitchen.

The steamed pork ribs were succulent without being too tough. The freshness of the meat could be tasted with each single bite.

My sister loved custard buns. She would ask for custard buns every time we went for dim sums. She was disappointed when she was informed that East Ocean did not offer custard bums. Instead, they offered a custard and egg yolk buns where preserved eggs' yolks were used. It was meant to be a signature dish.

The waitress had certainly made the best recommendation. The skin of the buns were soft and fluffy. The fillings oozed out when I bit into it. The fillings were brightly yellow and creamy. It was sweet from the custard with a tinge of saltiness from the preserved egg. The pounding of the preserved egg yolk and mixed with custard resulted in some sandiness in the fillings. This sandiness enhanced the texture of each bite. Ummm... we were craving for both. It was the best 'custard-like' buns which we ever had.

If you asked me to rate the dim sums here, I would rate it 4.5 spoons out of 5. The taste far outweighed Fortune Yum Char, Red Star, Zhou's Kitchen and Pine Court. However, it could be slightly pricier than most of the above restaurants. If you were looking for quality dim sums, East Ocean Teochew Restaurant would be where you should head towards.

Swimming with My Mum

My mum does not know how to swim. Not only does she not know how to swim, she also has a phobia of water. She dares not submerge her head under water. She fears the quietness in the water. Hence, persuading her to go for a swim is next to impossible.

Me: “It is hot now. Let’s go for a swim to cool down.”
My mum: “It is so hot that I will be burnt and develop pigmentation.”

Let’s try another tactic.
Me: “The sun has set, so no more sun to damage you skin.”
My mum: “Now it is very crowded. People will laugh at me when they see me in the pool hanging on to the side of the pool for my dear life.”

Failed again.
Me: “The sun has not risen up high enough, so the sun is not damaging. Now not a lot of people too so no one will laugh at you.”
My mum: “Grr, but it is so cold. I may catch a cold when I go.”

There are simply hundred and one reasons why she should not go for a swim. I never even know that there are so many things to be considered when deciding whether we should swim or not.

Finally, after much coercion, she relented. To ‘treat’ her fear of water entering into her ears, we have prepared swimming caps. To address her concern of a damaging sun, we opted to go in the late afternoon where it seems not to be crowded.

Her nervousness started the minute she hit the water. Her exclamations filled the pool.

“Oh gosh, the water is sweeping me away.”
“Oh, I cannot walk in the pool.” (She had to do that to reach the Jacuzzi section.)
“The water seemed to stop me from breathing.”
“Look, the people are laughing at me.”
“I don’t know why I fear water so much. I am so useless.”

Mum, you are not useless. Everyone has an Achilles’ heels. It just so happens that your Achilles’ heels lie in the water. I am proud of you that despite your fear, you are still willing to take steps to conquer it. Notwithstanding your insecurity the moment you hit water, you still put on a brave front and urge us to go swimming on our own. Of course, we have to watch over you even with your assurances.

Mum, Happy Mother’s Day.

Toilet Breakdown

This was simply not our week. The toilet had broken down on 2 consecutive days already. This was no laughing matter!

An average office worker spent at least 9 hours a day for 5 days a week in office. The office was tantamount to a second home. In fact, if you count the number of waking hours we spent in office relating to in our home, I was pretty sure that the time we spent in office far surpassed the time at home. Hence, it would not be difficult to imagine how a broken toilet could take its toll on the serendipity of our working lives.

On the first day, it was the toilet bowl in one of the cubicles that flooded. With the flood, the toilet became out of bounds to all female employees. We did contemplate using the male toilet since the number of females far outweighed the males in a typical finance department. Although the males were in the minority, we reckoned we should still treat them with due respect instead of tyrannically took over their toilets. What to do? We had to use the toilets on other floors. It was a temporary inconvenience that we could still tolerate.

After the repair, we thought peace would resume.

There were only 3 cubicles serving at least 60 females on the floor. I guessed the toilets were staging a protest of being overused for a while. The toilets became flooded again on the second day. This time round, it was the sink which flooded. Not only was the toilet wet, it also started to smell.

Again, we had to travel to other floors to use the toilets while the toilet on our floor was closed for repairs. Many had chosen to go to the toilets one floor down as the floor below was also part of Finance. It was deemed less intrusive and embarrassing to go to the toilets of Finance Department than to another Department. For some reason, I went to the one above our floor instead to avoid the crowd. What a lucky choice that was.

With everyone flocking to the toilets one floor down, the toilet at the lower floor suddenly had to serve twice the population. Moreover, the flooding sink was connected to the on below. Soon, the toilet at the lower floor started to show signs of breakdown too.

One colleague who went to the lower toilet commented that she saw water dripping down from th ceiling above the sink area. Another colleague who went down later added that she started to see brown liquid dripping down form the ceiling above the sinks. We were horrified! Could the dripping liquid contain faeces and thus the brown colour? Soon, the toilet below also had to be closed for repairs. Now, everyone had to venture to other places in search of toilets.

Fortunately, the repairs were completed the following day. I could not imagine another day of travelling to another floor just to use the toilets especially with our hectic schedule. Sigh!

New Favourite Ballet Flats

This is a new addition to my already 'bursting' collection of shoes. Hey, who can blame a girl for having more shoes or bags? Don't you know that the key is in 'accessorising'? We need a certain pair of shoes to bring out the 'essence' of an outfit. Coordinating our outfit is a show of respect to our companions and to the surroundings. After all, we do not want to be an ugly sight and damage the harmony of the surroundings.

This latest addition was a sales item. Although I believed in attempting to look chic, I never believed in spending a fortune in achieving the chic look. The simple ballet flat was donned with two bows - one at the front and the back. This instantly transformed the shoes from dull to interesting. The golden yellow was also attention-seeking which could accentuate a simple outfit. The inside was slightly cushioned and moulded the contours of my soles. Taking long walks in this pair of shoes could be a breeze.

Even my more fashionable colleague noticed and commended on this pair of shoes.

Dim Sum Buffet at Pine Court

Pine Court is a Chinese restaurant at Mandarin Hotel. One of my colleagues decided to give another colleague and me a treat for helping him out during the budget exercise. When we told him we ate everything, he chose a Chinese restaurant as he was not a taker of raw food.

Pine Court was on the 32nd storey of Meritus Mandarin Hotel at Orchard. During weekday lunch, it offered ala carte Dim Sum buffet. As we had not preference, we left the ordering of the best Dim Sums to the waitress. We had the very common siew mais, har gaos (prawn dumplings), fried carrot cakes, pumpkin dumplings, xiao long baos, and many more. The restaurant also served a good selection of desserts which included the Mango and Pomelo puree, yam paste with coconut milk and papaya and white fungus.

It was quite sinful to have so much dim sums for lunch. However, I only found the dim sums average and not fantastic. I wondered if it was because I had too much dim sums recently... ...

Blur Struck Back with a Vengence

Can you recall the last time I complain about my blurness? Probably not. In case you harbour any false hopes that I have finally ridded myself of this malady, you can bury this hope now.

Our office has installed the new electronic gantries for at least a year. These electronic gantries barred all visitors from entering the lift lobbies unless you held a staff pass. The gantries worked in a similar way to the MRT gantries. You could just tap your staff pass which was equipped with some smart electronic device at the top of the gate. The sliding doors would open to allow you access. Tapping of the staff pass would be required regardless of whether you were entering or getting out of the lift lobbies.

Since it was launched, I often heard my colleagues joking that they had become confused and had either tapped their staff passes when they were entering the train stations or tapped their Ezlink card when they were entering the office lift lobbies. Much as I shared their jokes, I was heaving a sigh of relief so far I had managed to distinguish both pretty well.

Well, one should never be complacent.

Before I knew it, I was tapping the office lobbies with my Ezlink card and wondering why the door refused to open. I nearly wanted to make a complaint as sometimes electronic devices could go abit haywired. Fortunately, I glanced down at the card again and realized that, horrors against all horrors, I had been tapping with my Ezlink card. No wonder, the doors remained tightly shut. I silently cursed myself for my blurness and hoped that the people around me had not noticed this blunder.

Was it paranoia or was it real that I thought I heard some sniggering? At that moment, I just wished the ground would open up and swallow me in.

Swimming for 3 Days

I have never been an athletic or sporty person. I am more of the nerd during school days. Needless to say exercise becomes a distant memory after I graduate when there are no more compulsory PE (Physical Education) lessons and no more NAFTA test (National Fitness Test). Exercise is an activity that I engage when I feel exceptionally guilty after bingeing.

As I grow older, I value exercise as a way to keep fit and to slow down aging. Moreover, exercise can keep the cellulites at bay even though I do not think I am successful in doing that. According to the experts, exercise will also bring about a whole load of other benefits, such as reducing the risks of diseases such as heart attack, osteoporosis, stroke, etc. Exercise is also found to reduce stress from the increasingly competitive work place. Hence, anyone who does not welcome exercise to his/her life is simply getting a bullet train ticket to ill health – both mentally and physically.

How did you spend your long weekend? Were you one of the few who had to beat the jams across the Causeway for your short vacation in our neighbouring country? Were you hitting the malls, especially the new one that housed the first Uniqlo in the eastern part of Singapore?

Well, I caught up with my exercise. In that past 3 days, I went swimming daily. It was the first time in my life that I exercised for more than one day consecutively. Given my lack of stamina, it was inevitable that by the second day, my body was already screaming with protests. It was more of a silent revolution. I swam less quickly and could feel breathlessness more easily. When I emerged from the pool, my legs seemed to be laden with weights. They were practically giving way.

Just as you expected, these exercise routine also helped relaxed me so that at the end of the holiday, I truly felt recharged and rested. In fact, I felt more rested than if I were to lay around in my house reading.

Koi Café in Toa Payoh

Ah Peng has sung praises of this bubble tea outlet since she tried it. How can I not try it when I am in Toa Payoh?

Being typical Singaporean, a queue in front of the ordering counter can only mean one thing. It is certainly an affirmation of the quality of the drinks. Singaporeans are well-known for their rather selective nature when it comes to food. How can we not be when we are exposed to cuisines all around the world?

As we were feeling terribly thirsty after dinner, I ordered the plum green tea which sounded exceptionally refreshing on a hot evening. If you thought I had just coolly stood in front of the queue and ordered, you could never be more wrong. I only ordered after a good 5 minutes studying the menu and the customization I could have. The teas came in the form of green, red and milk teas. It could be fruity or nutty. I could also choose the amount of sugar I would like to have. I was pretty sure this would be a great selling point to the more health conscious consumers. I could also decide if I wanted bubble or just tea.

After another 5 minutes wait for them to serve my tea, I wanted to quickly take a sip to see how it tasted. Hmmm… it was slightly sourly and refreshing. However, on the whole, it was just mediocre at best.

Was it due to a wrong order placed? Or my taste buds were simply too refined? Perhaps I had too high an expectation. Somehow, I had not been wowed by the drink. Moreover, at a price of at least $2 a small-sized cup, I would gladly opt for a fruit juice or McDonald’s Jasmine Green Tea.

Why is it so hard to find a decent bubble tea outlet these days?