Hong Kong Day 1 (28 Aug 2011)

Our flight got slightly delayed for take-off so we arrived at HK airport about almost an hour later than the scheduled time. Once we cleared the very very long custom queue, we bought an Octopus card (with Airport Express services) and was on our way to the hotel. 

 The Airport Express offers a very comfortable and convenient ride

When we reached Kowloon MTR station for the transfer to the shuttle bus, the bus was just about to leave. How lucky for us! Or else we would have to wait for another 12-15 minutes for the next shuttle bus.

During the drive to our hotel, we felt like we were on the F1 track, except that we were in a shuttle bus, and there were other vehicles around for the bus to weave in and out. 

Our hotel room

View from the hotel window

Late tea break @ 4 pm

Lok Yuen Beef Balls

After a walk around Yau Ma Tei area to help the husband's friend look for a shop, we made our way back to Temple Street near our hotel. After walking through half of the street, we decided we were hungry and stopped at a random wonton noodle stall for dinner.

 

Dinner @ 7 pm

Wonton noodles + iced milk tea

Auntie Tips (30)

Tip 1:
Remove coloured stains from white or silver surfaces by applying toothpaste, then rubbing with a wet cloth.

Tip 2:
To give hair a natural shine, use warm unsweetened tea as a final rinse after shampooing.

Tip 3:
Place a cup of warm milk in your shoe rack for an hour to get rid of musty odours.

Tip 4:
Use old toothbrushes to scrub bathroom corners or to remove stubborn dirt between tiles.

Tip 5:
To clean the inside of a water bottle, put two to three tablespoons of salt in it, add a little water and shake vigorously.

Tip 6:
To remove sticky remnants from your car windows, apply hot oil, leave it for a while, then clean with soap and water.

Tip 7:
To whiten yellowed clothes, soak overnight in 12 parts warm water and 1 part vinegar, and wash in the morning.

Tip 8:
If you have cheese bits stuck in the grater, clean it by grating a piece of bread.

From : Simply Her - Apr 2008

The meeting room

To the cinema : Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows (Part 2)

After almost a year's wait, the concluding episode was finally here. As I was quite curious about some issues after watching part 1, I ended up asking questions to my youngest sister who had already finished reading the book. So, as the movie went on, it was not really totally unexpected.

I thought the start to the middle part were good. It started off with action, and things moved fast and furious from then on. And as with the first part, the ending was a little flat. I actually expected more action in the final battle between Harry Potter and Voldemort. Or maybe this was the only way that wizards could fight, just by pointing their wands at each other and see whose "lightning" was more powerful. Therefore, there was something lacking in the "fight" scenes.

But all in all, was not such a bad end to everything. However, I thought that "19 years later" portion could be excluded... it was kind of weird, and my sister said it was also written in the book. She thought it was shown as a kind of "closure" for the whole saga.

And after watching all the Harry Potter episodes, my favourites are The Chamber of Secrets and The Goblet of Fire.

To the cinema : Transformers : Dark of the Moon

Ok, so I lied. I know I had said before I don't think I will be watching Transformers 3, if there was any. And I really regret I didn't keep my own promise. In the end, I subjected myself to 2.5 hours of complete boredom. 

Almost an hour, I think, was spent on story-telling, conspiracy theory of the real reason for the launch of Apollo 13 to the Moon, which I personally thought was a little too long. There were so many parts that could be cut away to reduce the "drag". 

I was so relieved when the actions started *finally*, and there was actually a little twist to the story in the middle. But then, once the fighting started, it didn't seemed like it would end. Metal clashing against metal, a super building that took forever to collapse, soldiers shouting endlessly at one another, then everything started all over again. 

The only thing that I thought was slightly positive from the movie was that Rosie Huntington-Whiteley was actually quite good at acting. Not bad for a Victoria angel. 

Sailing on the Royal Carribean

16th May 2011 was the day that was significant to both the husband and myself. It was the day the both of us went on our very first cruise trip. ;p

I couldn't remember when was the last time our whole family travelled together, much less with the extended family. Coz this time, my uncle and aunties went along, and all of us had a wonderful time together. It was really fun to travel with the family... doesn't matter if the trip is long or short. It was good enough that we all spent time together to mingle and bond.

The thing about going on a cruise is that we didn't have to worry about timings. There was no itinerary to follow, no need to rush anywhere, and the best thing was, to be able to sleep in for as long as you like. And there was no worry about the lack of food too. If you missed the time for one meal, there was another waiting for you at another place.

To the cinema : Kungfu Panda 2

So, without watching any movies for the past 6 months, we managed to catch 2 movies in a row for 2 Fridays.

I guess the main focus of this episode was Po's past, and the revelation that he was adopted (surprise!). Compared to the previous episode, this focused more on the importance of relationships - friendship and kinship. There were touching moments that reminded the audience the importance of family, and parents' love for their children. This episode showed the soft side of Tigress as well.

Other than those, Po was still as fat (if not fatter) as before, and cluelessly adorable.  Always a fun and entertaining movie for everyone. :)

To the cinema : Pirates of the Carribean - On Stranger Tides

Movie buffs would be horrified to know that this was our first movie in 2011. It's not like we don't like to go to the movies, I just feel that there isn't any need to go watch a movie because it's new, or just for the sake of meeting the target of going to the cinema once a week. And not to mention the high ticket price, since we can only make time mostly on Friday evenings. So we, or rather me, am quite selective about what movies to watch at the cinemas.

This was a completely new episode, new story line. No more Kiera Knightly or Orlando Bloom (insert sad face here). But there was still the quirky Jack Sparrow. However, I felt that even the captain couldn't create much excitement, except maybe for the part when I was anticipating for the mermaids' appearance. Couldn't help but felt that this episode wasn't as interesting and exciting as the previous ones with Davy Jones (Dead Man's Chest and At World's End) in them.

Auntie Tips (29)

Tip 1:
To tie a parcel securely, dip the string in hot water - the string will shrink and tighten when it dries.

Tip 2:
Recycle charcoal ashes from your barbecue by using them to scrub metal cooking pots - it removes charred stains and restores shine.

Tip 3:
To get electrical switch plates white and shiny again, wipe with a cotton pad and some nail polish remover.

Tip 4:
Remove ballpoint pen marks from clothing or handbags by rubbing with 70% isopropyl alcohol (found at pharmacies). Test on an inconspicuous area first.

Tip 5:
Separate drinking glasses that are stuck together by filling the inner one with cold water and dipping the outer one in hot water.

Tip 6:
To keep chillies from growing mouldy, pluck off the stems then wrap in newspaper and refrigerate.

Tip 7:
Clean patent leather with a slice of white bread. It wipes off smudge marks and brings back the shine.

Tip 8:
Remove rust from tools by rubbing with a paste of salt and lemon juice.

From : Simply Her - Mar 2008

And so there goes another year...

To me, old age is always 15 years older than I am.

- Bernard Baruch

It's almost impossible to try to "forget" your own birthday these days. With Facebook, all your friends will know it's your birthday, and though it's heart warming to receive the well wishes, they are also reminders that age is catching up. 

But so far, I'm still not dreading the arrival of my birthday, so I guess it isn't that bad yet. ;p