++:: LAMOHOLIC LIFE ::++

STARBUCKS BING SUTT

2009-07-05T23:32:00.001+08:00

What a gloomy rainy day!! Usually I don't like to go out during rainy days but I had such a mood to take photos. And also I had an afternoon tea appointment with K and Hei today so I had to go out.

Actually K told me that there was a nice 2nd hand bookstore in Central so we went there to take a look. I rarely buy 2nd hand books coz I always like owning new stuff but for saving money, 2nd hand stuff can be a good choice.

The bookstore is quite tiny and they mainly sell English books. It's not easy to find the books you want. They may not have stock or they may not put all the books on the shelf so you gotta see if you have luck to get what you want. I didn't have any target so I just checked out the books randomly.

I bought a book "May the Best Man Die"and I sold out my "P.S. I Love You" there coz this book isn't very interesting. I just bought one book only coz I know I may not have much time to read.

After that we went to Starbucks Bing Sutt to have afternoon tea. This Starbucks is 50s-70s nostalgic Hong Kong cafe crossover starbucks! The internior design is according to the old bing sutt! They also had Hong Kong style afternoon tea such as egg tarts and pineapple buns. I ordered sasuage roll coz I like it after my first taste in Scottland :P

Tho it was heavy rain outside, there were still a lot of people going there for taking photos. We didn't stay there long coz it was kinda crowded.

FRENCH CLASS L11 IS FINISHED

2009-06-25T00:00:00.001+08:00

French class Level 11 is finished!! I skipped a lot of lesson in this term becoz I went travelling before. Luckily Raphael is a very nice and friendly teacher!! Honestly I don't think I learned anything in this term coz I was too lazy to study. Especially when I went to France, I could ask people for the direction but I couldn't understand when they talked to me. It's very frustrating that my French still hasn't improved!!

After class, we had Vietnamese food in Jordan, it was so happy to have such gathering with the AF group. Kate wasn't in our class but she joined us as well. We talked about our trip and funny things to them. Raphael asked if I like France or UK more, I told him UK LOL well I do like France too :D

I'm not going to take the next level for coming term coz I know my French isn't at that level yet. I want to stop for few months to catch up my French until I'm really ready. I would miss my classmates but there is no meaning if I take the next level but don't understand what the teacher saying.

SISTERS' NITE OUT

2009-06-20T23:59:00.000+08:00

Mom and dad are travelling to Malaysia and Singapore for 5 days so me and K are home alone. It's the 2nd time that they go travelling without us. Mom always doesn't want to leave us alone and she doesn't like to travel with dad LOL We are not little girls and we can look after ourselves well. I'm happy to be home alone but it can me a nightmare for me. K is bad at doing housework and she is very messy. I have to clean up for her!! I do most of the housework!!

There is nothing much to do at home on Sat night so me and K went out for dinner. We went to La Villa at TST, K has been there once and she said the food was good. We had some salad and oysters and the oysters were pretty good. Then we went to Ned Kelly to have a drink and watch Jazz Live Band show. It has been a while that we haven't been here together. I missed those Jazz music!!

COCO AVANT CHANEL

2009-06-19T23:39:00.000+08:00

I want to watch more French movies and Kelly saw this movie in France and she told me that the french accent in this movie wasn't too difficult to understand so I watched with Kate and Preston tonight.

I'm not a big fan of French movie coz I always have an image that French movie is rather artistic and slow paced. This is typical French movie but it was boring. I quite like it. This movie focus more on Chanel's love life but I think it would be better to tell more about her career and the story of this brand.

As Kelly said, the french accent wasn't too hard but I could only some simple words only :P Kate and I liked this movie but Preston thought it was a bit boring. Maybe it's girl's movie :D

SOFIE & MAX'S BIG DAY!

2009-06-13T23:21:00.000+08:00

It's Sofie and Max's big day!! Congrats!! I'm so happy for them!! I didn't expect Sofie getting married so fast!! Not really fast tho, I remember she has been dating Max for around 2 years? But it's the best for her!! Max is living in Italy and she is living in Hong Kong, it's hard to be apart. Long distance relationship is not easy!! I'm glad that they can work it out!!

Max's family didn't come to Hong Kong. They watched the live video of the banquet and ceremony. Thanks for the technology!! We could see the live video of Max's family too!! I think it's very interesting. Sofie looked so beautiful today!! I like her wedding dress!! She looked like a princess!! :D She still can't speak Italian yet and it was funny when Max said something in Italian and the guests asked Sofie to translate. Sofie said, "Sorry! I don't understand!" LOL But I''m sure she can learn fast when she moves to Italy!! Remember to teach me one day!! I wanna learn Italian as well!! :D

DAY 14 HONG KONG

2009-06-04T23:35:00.004+08:00

I'm back to Hong Kong!! I don't really feel happy to be home coz tomorrow is a nightmare. I have to go back to work :( What a disaster!! Every time after vacation, I go back to work immediately coz I want to save my annual leave!! 12days in a year is not enough!! How come working in Hong Kong is so harsh?!!

I enjoyed this journey a lot!! It was an adventure for me!! Apart from London, all the cities that were new for me!! It's hard to choose my favourite cites in this trip. UK and France are so different!! Even in South of France, it's different with Paris too!! Every city is unique. I really would like to see more place in Europe. I know many people think I travel a lot and they say I'm rich and I travel to Europe every year. It's not I'm rich!! It's just I save money to do something I like! It's simple theory, my dream is to travel around the world so I just try hard to make my dream comes true!

DAY 13 LONDON / HONG KONG

2009-06-03T23:31:00.003+08:00

My Last day in London!! I was going to take the night flight back to Hong Kong so I still had half day to do a sight-seeing. I met a guy when I had breakfast in the hostel, I forgot where was he from, he came to London to look for a job and he got an interview today. Seems many people are going to London to look for their dreams and different lives.

I decided to visit Big Ben and London Eye again. It was a bit cloudy so I felt a bit cold. It's strange in Europe, when there is sun, you feel so warm but when it's cloudy, you feel cold.

After that I went to Harrods to do my last shopping. I bought a lot of souvenirs!! And then I had lunch in a local restaurant. I wanted to eat fish and chips!! I did try fish and chips once in Liverpool in a fast food shop but it didn't taste so good. So this time I found a better restaurant to have a try. It tasted really good!! The fish was crispy outside but soft and juicy inside! The portion was too big and I couldn't finish all!!

Then I went to the hostel to pack my stuff and headed to the airport. My Europe trip is at the end!! I do miss Hong Kong but I didn't want to go home yet!! I wish I could stay longer!! Hopefully I will visit Europe again soon!!

DAY 12 LONDON

2009-06-02T23:14:00.006+08:00

I like London very much. Tho I've visited London before, I think I wouldn't get bored if I go there again and again. I planned to have a city sight-seeing today. I wanted to watch an opera tonight so I went to PiccadillyCircus to buy ticket first. I did want to watch The Phantom of the Opera but I watched it in Hong Kong already so I chose "Les Misérables".

I strolled around on the street and I had no idea where to go yet. I walked to Trafalgar Square and just passed byNational Gallery. I didn't plan to visit there and I had no idea what was there inside but finally I just got in to have a look. Surpringly there were a lot of great collections inside. Many paintings are dated from the mid-13th century to 1900. It was so enjoyable to see those impressive paintings.

I was a bit hungry and I wanted to have a heavy lunch. I just picked a steak house and enjoyed my big lunch. I ordered a steak and red wine. I don't usually drink wine during day time but I'm on vacation!! So I just do whatever I want!! Honestly the steak wasn't very good, this lunch costed me nearly 30pounds!!

Then I shopped around in Oxford Circus, there were a lot of brands and shops!! I didn't buy many things, this time I controlled myself very well :D

The opera started from 7.30pm, I ate something at the coffee shop before it started. I was too full after eating a big lunch so I preferred to have something light for dinner.

I bought a discount ticket, the seat wasn't too bad. It was in the centre of last few rows. But I could still see the stage clearly. The stage effected was great and I liked the songs too.

DAY 11 CAMBRIDGE

2009-06-01T17:47:00.001+08:00

It was good to travel on my own coz I could just wake up whenever I want and go anywhere I like. Of coz it could be a bit lonely sometimes coz I didn't have friends to talk to and share with.

I planned to go to Cambridge today. I didn't rush myself, so I woke up at around 8.30am, had a breakfast and then took the bus to Victoria Couch Station. It needs around 2.5 hour to Cambridge bus. I missed a bus when I arrived couch station so I had to wait for an hour for catching up the next bus.

Cambridge is a famous university town and I always want to go there after reading Xu Zhimo's poem. This time I only stayed in London for few days so I could only choose to go to Cambridge or Oxford. Sorry Oxford, I would definately go to visit you next time LOL

I didn't have a street map so I found a way to the tourist information centre and then got a map. Cambridge isn't big so it wasn't difficult to get around.

I didn't really have a plan for what to see but for sure I need to go to see the Cambridge University!! The University of Cambridge has 31 colleges. I didn't go through all the colleges, I think I visited Trinity College and King's College (Can't hardly remember).

You have to pay for the entrance fee for getting in the college, I didn't get in, just took photos and sat outside only.

Surprisingly, I saw more Chinese students in Cambridge than seeing in London!! Are there really so many Chinese students studying in the University of Cambridge? I should have worked harder when I was small!! LOL

I walked along the River Cam, enjoyed the mild sunshine and breeze, it felt so good!! Punting seems fun but I wouldn't do that alone and it seems very tiring!!

What a relaxing day in Cambridge!! I went back to London at around 8pm, had a quick dinner and then went back to the hostel.

DAY 10 NICE / LONDON

2009-05-31T01:08:00.004+08:00

I'm going to London today!! Kelly sent me to the airport in the morning and then I have to go on the trip on my own. When I arrived London, it was around 11am.

I booked Palmers Lodge for 3 nights. This hostel locates in Swiss Cottage. I took train from Gatwick airport to Victoria Couch Station and then take the bus to Swiss Cottage. It was easy to find the hostel. The hostel was bigger than I expected and the room was tidy, secure and private. I highly recommend this hostel if anyone looks for a cheap accommodation in London.

When I checked into the hotel, it was nearly 3pm. I knew there were flea markets in the weekend so I took a bus to Camden Town.

Just like in Hong Kong, I like taking bus more than underground coz it is very convenient and there are seats. Also it is a pleasure to sit on the bus and look around the outside view. There were signs on the bus so I knew where I should get off.

The bus drivers were even more friendly than those in Hong Kong. They wore smiles and they were very helpful.

There were a lot of things to see in Camden Town. Many shops and street markets as well. They sold antiques, clothes, shoes, accessories, souvenirs... I bought some accessories for myself.

The Regent's Canal runs through the North of Camden Town. There is Canalboat trip for tourists.

I strolled around until evening and then went back to the hostel. I was pretty tired so I slept at around 11pm.

DAY 9 NICE / ANTIBES

2009-05-30T00:20:00.001+08:00

We woke up at around 8am, had breakfast and then we went to Kelly's new host family and dropped down her luggage first. Her host mom was an old friendly woman, she let me get into her flat as well and she tried to talk to me in French. Luckily I could cope it well :D

Then we went to the weekend market. They mainly sold flowers, fruits, antiques, ornaments and dinnerwares.

I didn't buy anything tho I really enjoyed walking around the weekend market. We don't have this kinda market in Hong Kong and even if we had, I wouldn't wake up in the early morning for strolling around there. I can wake up easily when I'm on vacation in other country coz I don't want to waste time on sleeping!! :D

We had a quick lunch coz we had to take the bus to Antibes. We found a shop where a lot of people queuing there and we guessed the food must be good. There was a Asian girl working in the shop and she could speak fluent French. She didn't look like being born in France, I guess she is a exchange student. I really hope one day I can study in France.

The food was a bit salty but overall it was good. I quite liked the sardine fishes. It wasn't like the Portuguese style but it tasted nice.

It took around 45mins from Nice to Antibes by bus and we took a nap on the bus. We got off the bus and walked to the seaside, a very impressive big blue sea was in our eyes!! It felt so relaxing and good to walk along the waterfront promenade.

Comparing with Cannes, Antibes is rather more like a small town and the beaches looked better. Most of the beach area in Cannes are reserved by the hotels so I barely saw the nice view from the beach.

We walked pass a church and they were holding a wedding ceremony. I couldn't see the bride but I saw the bridegroom. He was busy talking and taking photos with the guests. The guests dressed so elegant and it totally doesn't look similar to the Hong Kong style wedding.

I found my dream house in Antibes!! It faces to the Mediterranean Sea and it looks like a little villa. I don't need a big grand house!! All I want is a house next to the sea!!

We went back to Nice in the evening and then we had dinner in a Italian Restaurant. I guess French people usually have late dinner so the restaurant was still not full at 7pm.

In France, the wine was even cheaper than the water so I got used to drink wine during the meaks :D We ordered a Spaghetti with mussels and a pizza. The portion was very big and it was enough for both of us. The spaghetti was soooo delicious!!!

Since it is going to be summer, the sun sets late in Europe. I could still a bit sun at around 8 or 9pm.

We headed back to the hostel at around 9pm and then we met a Malaysia girl on the tram. She heard me and Kelly talking in Cantonese so she asked if we were from Hong Kong. She visited Nice on her own and we asked her to join us for drinks with some new friends at the chapel together.

We drank and talked until 1am, this hostel brought me a lot of good memories tho I have only stayed there for 3 days. It is my last day in France and tomorrow I'm heading to London.

You may not like Nice immediately when you first arrive there but the longer you stay, the more you find this is a very lovely city. I do like Nice a lot and for sure I will go back one day!!

DAY 8 NICE / CANNES

2009-05-29T18:07:00.001+08:00

Kate was going back to Strasbourg today so only me and Kelly continued our journey in South of France. We took the tram to downtown and then walked around this city.

It is not difficult to walk around Nice coz you are almost go everywhere by tram. I like to stroll around on the street and take photos. Everyone was so relaxed and walking in slow pace. It rarely happens in Hong Kong.

We visited Musee d'art Moderne and there were a lot of morden art works and paintings. Very interesting and impressive. We spent for nearly 2 hours inside.

Then we took a bus to Cannes, I always wonder how Cannes looks like coz it is well-known for the annual Cannes film festival and I imagined that it was a big city like Paris. But I was wrong!! It was a another nice vacation place with luxurious houses and mansions. Also there were a lot of nice boats too!!

It would be cool to have a boat trip but it still isn't summer yet, they didn't have boat services. They have boat service in summer for travelling around the the Côte d'Azur.

The oysters there were so cheap!! Only 12Euro for one dozen!! The shop assistant opened the osysters for us immediately and they tasted so fresh and delicious!! Incredible!!!

We took the last bus back to Nice and then went back to our hostel for dinner. We ordered some drinks and the chapel and we met many people there. It was a great fun to know some new friends and exchange ideas.

DAY 7 NICE

2009-05-28T16:07:00.001+08:00

Our plan has changed a bit so we had to move from Hostel Baccarat to Villa Saint Exupery in the morning. Villa Saint Exupery located on the hill and it was a wonderful villa. They had free shuttle bus services and the staffs were very friendly and nice. I liked the atmosphere there.

We had no idea where to go yet so after checking in, we asked the staffs to recommend us some nice beaches. Surprisingly the staffs could speak fluently English. Later on I found that most of them weren't French, they were from Canada and they worked there as a summer job. I met quite a lot of Canadian in Nice!

A staff recommended us to go to Villefranche Sur Mer, it was only 15-20mins by train so it wasn't far away. There were quite a lot of people on the beach and enjoying sunbath!! We didn't plan to go swimming so we just lied down and relaxed on the beach.

Honestly I didn't quite enjoy the sunbath. I like the beach, the sun and the blue sky but I didn't want to get tanned. It was so hot and I wish I could swim in the sea!!

We stayed in the beach for around an hour (that's really enough for sunbath only) and then headed back to downtown. I understand why Nice is a one of the most popular vacation destination in France coz you will really adore such mild weather and beautiful beaches when you are there.

We bought some take away pizza, snacks and champagne and then went back to our hostel. There was a nice chapel where we could enjoy our dinner and meet people there.

We met a Chinese guy who was studying in Italy and he came to Nice with his mom for vacation. hahaha Kate envied him very much :D

My roommates were from Canada, Australia and States. The one who was next to my bed was super cute!! :D I was pretty lucky LOL Kate and Kelly stayed up late to use laptops but I was so tired and I just slept right away.

DAY 6 MONACO / NICE

2009-05-27T02:04:00.003+08:00

Leaving Monaco in the early morning, we dragged our heavy luggages to the bus station. The bus station was pretty far away from Kelly's friend's home, we had to walk a long way. This crazy long stairs tired us out!!

Nice is not far away from Monaco, we only needed around one hour to Nice. What a nice sunny weather!! Nice is a small city and people there were nice!! When we were looking for the way to the hostel, a young lad just popped up and told us the direction. He thought we were from China but then we told him that we were from Hong Kong, he knew the different between Hong Kong and China :D yay!

Our hostel is in the city centre and it was quite convenient. We dropped off our luggages and went out for shopping. We bought some clothes and sandals!!

We then went back to the hostel to take a shower, dress up and went out for a bar to watch the European Champion League Final, Man United vs FC Barcelona. Kate is a big fans of Man Utd and she loves C.Ronaldo very much. I'm not so into Man Utd but I don't really like FC Barcelona so I chose to support an England team :D

We were a bit late so it was very full in the bar. We couldn't find a seat, we could only stand and watch the game. FC Barcelona won 2-0, I wasn't surprised tho LOL

There were a live band show after the game, we then got seats and enjoyed the live music. I think we were the only one who pay attention to their performance coz they sang in English and seems not many people were interested in their performance. We even took photos with the band! How nice they were!!

We were a bit hungry so we then had some dessert and wine in a nice restaurant. Both crème brûlée and tiramisu were good!!

We hardly recognised the road in the dark so we spent nearly an hour to walk back to our hostel :P It was pretty late when we were back!! Our roommates were sleeping already.

DAY 5 EDINBURGH / MONACO

2009-05-26T00:08:00.001+08:00

Goodbye Scotland!! We are going to South of France today!! This morning we took a flight from Edinburgh to Nice. It was only 2 hours more to Nice and we were so excited for going there!!

There were a group of French secondary school students in the same flight with us. We tried to talk with them in French and then we started to talk on the flight. They went to Scotland for school trip!! Wow!! How come I never had such school trip?? Those students were friendly, cute and curious. I guess they were surprised that we could speak a little bit French.

Nice Airport is pretty small. We bought bus tickets from Nice Airport to Monte Carlo. Thanks for Kelly!! I could buy a student ticket :D It costed EUR 12.50, pretty expensive tho.

The weather in Nice Monaco wasn't so good. It was a bit foggy and cloudy. I could see some sun but it wasn't what I expected. I thought I could see a beautiful blue sky.

We dropped off our luggages at Kelly's friend's home and then we went out and walked around. Monaco is the world smallest French speaking country. The Formula One was held just a week before we were there. We could still see the F1 tracks.

Kelly's friend finished work at around 4.30pm and then he drove us to a ancient village - Èze. This small medieval village is famous for its beauty and charm.

Since it was quite foggy when we were at the top of the hill, we had to wait for a while until the clouds and fog was blew away.

This village is really so beautiful and the old buildings impressed me a lot!! I felt like I was back into the middle age. What a lovely village!!

We were quite lucky that we could see the beautiful sunset and it was fantastic!! I love this little village!!

We went back to Monte Carlo in the evening and took a look on the famous casino. We didn't get in coz people dressed up beautiful there. Most of them were rich coz there were a lot of nice luxury cars such as Porsche, Ferrari...

We then had a nice dinner in a Italian restaurant. The food was delicious but it wasn't expensive. Eating dinner next to the Mediterranean Sea was so wonderful!!!

DAY 4 EDINBURGH/ LOCH NESS

2009-05-25T23:50:00.002+08:00

We joined the local tour to Loch Ness today coz it is pretty far away from Edinburgh (around 3-4 hours) and we couldn't drive. So local tour was the easiest way for us to go there.

The weather was bad today. It had been raining and cold. We didn't expect the weather would be like this. It seemed a very long way and when we arrived Loch Ness, it was afternoon already.

I think Loch Ness would be so beautiful if the weather was fine. What a shame!! I didn't take many photos becoz of the rain. And for the Loch Ness Monster, we couldn't see the real one but we all thought our driver was the monster!! He was so mean and he wasn't friendly!!

We didn't go for the river cruise so we had afternoon tea instead. I liked the sausage roll a lot!! Very delicious!!

We met a Spanish guy and a Scottish guy in the group and they were very friendly and interesting. We had no idea what their relationship was but we guessed they were gay couples LOL The Scottish guy was very cute and adorable and the Spanish guy was very funny and talkative. It was so enjoyable to talk with them.

When we were back to Edinburgh, that Scottish guy was so nice to recommend us a Scottish restaurant (Howie's) for dinner and he even took us there.

This restaurant was very nice!! The atmosphere was good and the food was excellent!! And it wasn't expensive at all!! I enjoyed the food a lot!! I can't remember what kinda Scottish dishes I had but all of them were so delicious!!

We wouldn't know where to eat if he didn't show us!! How lucky we were!!

DAY 3 EDINBURGH

2009-05-24T14:16:00.002+08:00

Woke up in the early and then we had to move to the hostel in Edinburgh. I hated to move around with my heavy luggage but I had no choice.

The backpacker hostel was kinda funky and colourful. The staff were so young and friendly. It seemed nice but the problem is there were only stairs!! No lift!! WTF!! Our luggage were very heavy and we had to spend time to drag them up to our room.

We then went out and walked around Edinburgh city. It was a nice sunny day!! I liked the weather a lot!! We enrolled 2 local tour, one was the night ghost tour and the other one was Loch Ness tour for tomorrow.

We visited the Edinburgh castle, it looked amazing!! And the street in Edinburgh looked so nice!! It was an old city with many historical and Victorian Style buildings. I like Edinburgh a lot!!

I wanted to do some shopping but I had to control myself and the weight of my luggage. It couldn't be heavier than 20kg coz I had to take the budget flight (Easyjet) to Nice. Easyjet is very strict to the weight of luggage.

I only bought 2 scarfs and it costed 20pounds each. Not too expensive and the quality is very good!!

We also visited St Giles' Cathedral and Scott Monument, it was quite easy to walk around Edinburgh coz it wasn't very big and the attractions were closed to each other.

And I think the world is really small!! I met Thomas Chu in the Edinburgh train station!! He was sitting on the bench with his friends!! How coincidence!! I've never thought I would meet any friends outside Hong Kong!!

Thomas and his friends just arrived Edinburgh today and then they are going to Switzerland few days later. It's good that they had car and they can drive by themselves.

We had dinner at the hostel and then we joined the night ghost tour at around 8pm. We all expected that it would be a very exciting and scary tour.

The sun wasn't fully set so the street wasn't so dark. There were a guy who looked mysterious and he was our guide. He just showed us around the High Street from point to point and then he talked about the history and the ghost stories. It wasn't scary at all and it was a bit boring. We kept yawning LOL

The guide took us to the basement cave, we thought someone would jump up to scare us but no!! Still stories!! Before ending the tour, we had a drink together and we asked the other people if they thought the tour was scary, a lady told us the story scared her LOL OMG?!! How come?? Maybe my English wasn't good enough to undertand the scary stories?

We felt a bit disappointed about this tour, we walked back to hostel at around 11pm and then slept coz tomorrow we had to wake up early and head to Loch Ness.

DAY 2 LONDON / EDINBURGH / STIRLING

2009-05-23T13:31:00.008+08:00

I took 8.50am flight to Edinburgh from London, and it was 10.10am when I arrived there. Kelly and Kate took 2pm flight from Paris to Edinburgh so I didn't wait them at the airport. I went to the hostel first and unloaded my heavy luggage.

We booked the hostel in Stirling on the first night coz we got no choice. It was so crazy that 23rd night, the hostels in Edinburgh were all full!! I had no idea but someone told me that there was Rugby Cup final so many people were going to watch the game in Edinburgh.

The only available hostel which is near by Edinburgh was in Stirling so we just stayed in Stirling for one night. I took the bus from Edinburgh airport to the train station and then took the train to Stirling. Stirling is around 50mins train from Edinburgh, it is a small town.

When I arrived the hostel, it was around 2pm. Kelly and Kate were just on the plane. So I went out and walked around. It felt good to be alone in the other country. Everything was new for me. I had no map and I just followed the road signs and walked.

I looked for the Stirling castle, then I saw a tourist information centre so I took a map and headed to the castle.

The weather was pretty cold in Stirling. It was cloudy and it rained a bit. The castle is on the top of the hill so I had to walk up. I was very tired after the long journey on the flight! I had an ice-cream and I was freezing!!

The buildings in Stirling looks nice. There are quite a lot of old buildings. I like them a lot. And when I strolled around and took a deep breath, it smelt so "UK" LOL It's hard to explain but the air smelt so familiar for me.

It didn't get into the castle coz I didn't have much time. I had to pick up Kate and Kelly at Stirling train station.

I was looking forward to see them again and it was good when I met them in the train station! Since it was late when they arrived Stirling, they didn't have much time to do the sightseeing. I took them back to the hostel and we went out to buy some food and wine in the supermarket.

We had a lot to talk!! They told me about their lives in Europe and their happiness and sadness. It was very interesting and funny!! They experienced a lot in these 3 months!! Tho we were so tired, we kept talking until midnight.

DAY 1 HONG KONG / LONDON

2009-05-22T13:34:00.003+08:00

I have been waiting for my vacation for a few months but when it is getting closer, I don't really feel ready for it. My original plan was to travel to UK alone but eventually I changed a bit. I'll still go to UK but France as well. A bit rush but it is worth to see more cities.

This time I'm going with Kelly and Kate. They have been studying in France for few months. When I told them about my plan of travelling to UK, they said they would like to join me as well. It would be cool and then we started to think why wouldn't we travel to South of France since we all are learning French? I love this idea and I always want to travel to South of France.

It is like usual, I took mid-night flight after work and flew to London first. Our first destination was Edinburgh!! Kelly and Kate took the flight from Paris to Edinburgh so we would meet there.

I was exhausted so I just slept on the flight. Time ran fast and 12 hours flight wasn't such long for me. When I arrived London, it was 6am.

BACK TO TAKADANOBABA

2009-05-18T01:11:00.002+08:00

Sophie is getting married next month so we had dinner gathering tonight and she gave us the wedding invitation card. I was quite surprised to know she is getting married soon coz I thought she would marry next year or later. I'm so happy for her and I can't wait to see her Italian fiance.

Sophie wants to stay in Italy but it is hard for her to get working visa so the fastest way is to get married!! I'm sure she has to learn Italian when she lives there!! That's cool!!

After dinner we all went back to our old Japanese school coz Jeff is moving this school to another place soon. We took few pics before it was moved. I hardly remember how long I studied there but it was a good memory. We had fun time in the class and we used to ask many questions and try to speak as much Japanese as we could. Old timessssss!! It was 10 years ago when I started to learn Japanese!!

FC'S BELATED B-DAY DINNER

2009-05-17T00:55:00.000+08:00

Celebrating FC's b-day at Festive China, it is a Chinese restaurant which serves Beijing Food. I was a bit surprised that FC chose this restaurant. I thought she would choose a French restaurant or Western style cuisine. We didn't care what to eat as long as she liked it.

PY stood us up again so only me, AC, Hang and FC at the dinner. I quite like Beijing food and we all were so crazy to order many food. Such as Peking Duck, Hot and Sour Soup, Soft fried fish, Dumplings, Pork, dessert... It was hard to believe that we could finish all!! :D Actually I woke up at around 3pm and I didn't have my lunch so the dinner was my 1st proper meal today!!

PARTY AT CHEZ NAB

2009-05-15T02:27:00.000+08:00

Nab invited us to have party at his home tonight. Yay!! French food night!! We had salad, cheese, ham, baguette and for sure apéro and red wine!!

I like this cheese a lot but I can't remember how it is called :P There are too many kind of cheese!! How can French people remember and recognise all?!

After meal we drank a very strong rum - 75.5%!! It was my first time to drink such strong rum!! When the rum ran through my throat, it felt like burning inside!! Nab and Chris said that it could help to digest tho...

Chris will travel to Asia for few months and I think the next time for me to see him is in Aug or Sep. Bon Voyage!!

SUSHI AGAIN!!

2009-05-14T02:19:00.000+08:00

Chris and Kayin are back from France after their one month vacation!! We had dinner at Senshuraku tonight again :D Why always there?? Coz Chris loves Japanese food!! I'm not sure if that restaurant is one of his favourite but I'm sure Japanese is his life LOL How come he has never been to Japan? He should have gone there!!

It was great to hear their life in France!! One month sounds long for me but Chris said it was short coz he had to visit his friends and family and he was busy everyday. Oh well what can I say? I've never had one month vacation!! He is going to travel again soon!! Gosh, rich guy!!

X-MEN ORIGIN: WOLVERINE

2009-05-01T01:42:00.000+08:00

Lunch with Kyoko, her parents and her other friends at a Dim Sum restaurant this noon. Kyoko's parents are coming to Hong Kong for vacation and they are very appreciated that we have been taking care of Kyoko in Hong Kong so they treated us a lunch. They were too kind but actually I think it's not a big deal to take care of a friend. It's my pleasure!!

After lunch, I went to CWB to meet PY and AC for movie. We watched "X-Men Origin: Wolverine" since we are X-Men Fans. It is the story that how and why Wolverine becomes Wolverine. The storyline was great and entertaining. And the effects were good too!! I quite like Wolverine after watching this movie (I like Cyclops for the previous X-men Series).

DAY 4 TOKYO

2009-04-27T01:58:00.000+08:00

We had to leave Tokyo in the afternoon so we still had some free time in the morning. So we went to Tsukiji fish market in the morning. There are 2 very famous sushi restaurants and it is worth to try!! We didn't have the map so we just asked the local people for the way. I was suddenly feeling so proud that I could speak Japanese :D

The sushi restaurants are quite small and there were many people waiting outside. We chose one and then we waited for nearly 45mins. I can say that the suishi was the best that I ever had!! I chose the "chef recommendation" menu and the chef made me sushi with the freshest fishes.

I had 10 more pieces sushi and all of them was very good!! I loved the sea urchin and salmon eggs sushi!! I didn't like the salmon eggs sushi in Hong Kong but surprisingly this one was so tasty!! Wowwww yummy!! It was a very great brunch for us!!

Then we bought some sea urchin in the fish market and some snacks and strawberries in the department store. Although we were full, we still wanted to eat some more things!! :D The strawberries were so sweet!! Very fresh and delicious!! :) Seems like this trip I only eat!!! :D

4 days is pretty short but it was good to get away! I went back to Hong Kong at around 11pm but unfortunately I have to work on the next day :(

DAY 3 TOKYO

2009-04-26T00:43:00.001+08:00

Finally it was a nice sunny day today!! But I planned to do some shopping but not sightseeing. We spent whole day in Shinjuku, walked and shopped around. Unfortunately Japan Yen is very strong now and I didn't buy many things. Just some clothes, camera accessory, snacks, scarf and cosmetic. I wanted to buy bags and shoes but I couldn't find something that I like.

We were quite tired for walking for whole day. We walked around camera shops / electronic goods shops in the morning, had lunch at a sushi restaurant and then shopped around at the department stores in the afternoon. I wish the Yen was cheaper!!

We had Kaiseki ryouri for dinner, I searched this restaurant from the internet and booked it in advance. The food was pretty good!! We had an independent room and a pretty Japanese lady served us and explained to me about the food. Very good service!!

But I think Shinjuku is more complicated than before coz I saw quite a lot of gangsters on the streets in Kabuki cyo. The shops in Japan close quiet early so we walked back to hotel after dinner.

DAY 2 KAWAGUCHIKO / HAKONE

2009-04-25T01:55:00.002+08:00

What a nasty weather!! I was so disappointed to wake up seeing the rain outside. It rained even heavier than yesterday!! Darn!! I don't want a rainy vacation!! After having Japanese style breakfast at the hotel, we took the couch to Hakone. It is supposed that we would go to Mt. Fuji but becoz of the rain, it was canceled.

On the way to Hakone, we saw a few Sakura trees! What a surprise!! The sakura should have withered and fallen at the end of April but it was still a bit cold in Hakone, luckily we could still see them!! It was my first time to see the Sakura!! Very beautiful!!

Then we went to Owakudani, it is a volcanic valley with active sulphur vents and hot springs. We walked up a bit to see the hot springs but I didn't really have good mood becoz of the weather.

There is a very famous food - Kuru-Tamago (Black egg) in Owakudani. The eggs are hard-boiled in the hot springs and they turn black and smell slightly sulphuric. It is a rumuored that eating the eggs would increase longevity and one egg adds 7 years in your life. I didn't eat any coz I don't want longer life LOL (Actually I don't like hard-boiled egg and I tasted it many years ago already).

After visint Owakudani, we went to Lake Ashi and had lake cruise. The sightseeing ship is modeled on medieval sailing vessel and the name of the ship is Victoria. It rained heavily and it was very foggy so I couldn't see Mt. Fuji from the ship. What a shame!!

We then have lunch in a local restaurant. It was a Japanese set lunch with rice and udon. The food was ok only. And after lunch we took the couch to Tokyo and it was quite a long journey. When we arrived Shinjuku, it was nearly 7pm. We checked in and rested a bit at the hotel, then went out to have dinner.

My friend recommended me to try this Japanese BBQ restaurant "Rokkasen" so I booked it in advance. It was a BBQ buffet and it costed Yen6,300 per person. They have many kind of food just like crabs, shrimp, scallop, fish, beef, chicken, pork, salad, vegetable... We ordered a lot of food and I loved the beef a lot!! So tasty!! And their service was good too!! We were sooooo full!! :D

DAY 1 HONG KONG / KAWAGUCHIKO

2009-04-24T01:48:00.001+08:00

Yay Here we go Tokyo!!! Many friends think that I often go to Japan or I'm an expert in Japanese culture of stuff but frankly the last time that I went to Japan was 7 years ago!! It has been a long time and it surprised me a bit too LOL Actually I like travelling to Japan and I want to travel there more but the reason that I didn't go much is going to Japan can be more expensive than going to Europe!! I think I will crazy for shopping around LOL

This time I got a very "special offer" to Tokyo for 4 days, tho it is short, I was still looking forward to it!! We took the morning flight to Tokyo, when we arrived Narita airport, it was nearly 2pm already. The weather in Tokyo wasn't fine, it rained a bit. We took the couch to Kawaguchiko directly coz we would stay a night there. It was a long journey to Kawaguchiko!! Nearly 4 hours by couch and when we arrived the hotel, it was nearly 7pm. Nothing much to do today actually...

We stayed in Kawaguchiko hotel which is a classic Japanese style hotel. I heard that the Japanese Emperors have stayed there before. This hotel is facing to Kawaguchiko and I'm sure the view would be very great if the weather was fine. My room had the lake view too!! What a shame that the weather was so gloomy!!

We had dinner at the hotel, they provided us set dinner with Shabu Shabu. The food was just ok, I had no expectation for the meal at the hotel LOL

After dinner, we wore the Yukata and then joined the party at the function room. I didn't really want to join the part coz I knew it wouldn't be interesting but I had no choice. They provided free Asahi beer and snacks so it wasn't too bad. But it was really boring and luckily the party didn't last too long.

I was too tired so I went back to the hotel room and watched TV for a while, then I slept right away. There is nothing around the hotel except the lake so it wasn't a good idea to go out at night since it was raining.

THE SHINJUKU ACCIDENT

2009-04-19T01:32:00.000+08:00

Watching Jackie Chan's new movie "The Shinjuku Incident" today. I thought it would be a typical "Jackie Chan's movie" with stunts but Jackie rather performed his "acting" than Kung Fu.

I'm a bit disappointed with Daniel Wu's role coz I perfer him acting a cool guy or something but he was such a coward in the movie. This movie was pretty violent and bloody and surprisingly it didn't have any comical humor or martial arts that we've been so used to seeing in the usual Jackie Chan movies.

The movie is so so, not too bad but if anyone expects to see any crazy stunts, I wouldn't recommend.

AC'S B-DAY

2009-04-18T01:06:00.001+08:00

It's AC's B-day and we had dinner at Tony Roma's. Me, FC and Hang came out earlier to buy presents for her. It wouldn't be hard for us to buy things for her coz what she cares most is her face LOL We bought a SK-II foundation and Lunasol Eyeshadow for her.

Haven't been to Tony Roma's for a while, the food was still good!! I love the salad!! Good recommendation by FC and Hang!! But comparing with Tony Roma's, I think I like Dan Ryan more!

I'm glad that AC liked the presents and she was happy!! :) After dinner Hang went back home and then we girls had girl's night out!! We went to bar for drinks and chatted together. Hang is more like an old man now!! How come he wanted to go home so early?! :D

HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU [BOOK]

2009-04-13T01:01:00.000+08:00

I think I'm really a fast reader!! I finished this book not more that one week tho this book isn't thick at all. I like to read the books after watching movies coz I can understand the stories better.

This book is totally not same as the movie! Or I should say the director just used some points or pharses to build up the movie. This book is just a love advice book which help women to find the guys who are really into them.

It's quite interesting to know but I don't think all his "theories" or advices are truth. Everyone are unique, right? We can't just use these theories to judge.

Here are the theories:
1) He's just that into you if HE'S NOT ASKING YOU OUT
2) He's just that into you if HE'S NOT CALLING YOU
3) He's just that into you if HE'S NOT DATING YOU
4) He's just that into you if HE'S NOT HAVING SEX WITH YOU
5) He's just that into you if HE'S HAVING SEX WITH SOMEONE ELSE
6) He's just that into you if HE ONLY WANTS TO SEE YOU WHEN HE'S DRUNK
7) He's just that into you if HE DOESN'T WANT TO MARRY YOU
8) He's just that into you if HE'S BREAKING UP WITH YOU
9) He's just that into you if HE'S DISAPPEARED ON YOU
10) He's just that into you if HE'S MARRIED
11) He's just that into you if HE'S A SELFISH JERK, A BULLY, OR A REALLY BIG FREAK

Very funny but it seems hard to find the right guy if girls believe all the above theories?

HIKING FROM TUNG CHUNG TO TAI O

2009-04-11T00:44:00.001+08:00

What a sunny day!! Went hiking from Tung Chung to Tai O with my cousins. Actually it wasn't really a hiking route, it was more like a jogging route coz it was easy!!

Normally you can just finish in 2-3 hours but my little niece also came with us so we took nearly a double of hour to finish!! We all didn't expect that!! Yan Yan felt tired in the very begining and she didn't want to walk. She needed her mom to carry her all the way...

When we arrived Tai O, it was nearly 5pm. There were a lot of people in Tai O! This little place was so crowded!! Hong Kong is really too small that we don't have many choices to hang out during weekend

We had a nice dinner in a small restaurant in Tai O, the food was good expecially the fish and the Toufu!! Nothing is better than having a nice meal after a long walk!! :D

OCEAN PARK

2009-04-05T00:28:00.002+08:00

Going to Ocean Park with my cousins today. I think it was 15 years more ago when we went to Ocean Park together!! Grandma was still alive and we were just little kids!!

I'm not so into rollar coaster now coz I'm too old to ride on such exciting stuffs. But I don't wanna be a loser so I still got on them and had "great fun".

We also watched the show in the Ocean Theatre, it was cool!! The dolphins are so cute and clever!! Really wish I could go down there to touch them!!

Actully I wanna see the pandas too but we had to rush and leave coz we gotta join the other family members for the barbecue in Sai Kung. So I have to wait to see the pandas next time...

I don't know why Big Bro suggested to barbecue in Sai Kung, it doesn't make sense to go from Ocean Park to there. So far away!! We all were extremely tired when we were at the barbecue place. But it was good to have family gathering like this and I enjoyed a lot!!

LUMIX FX580

2009-04-04T23:55:00.001+08:00

New Toy!!! I got a Panasonic Lumix FX580 digital camera! :) I have been thinking to buy a new DC coz my Canon is 2 years old and it sometimes doesn't work so well. Also my sis often takes my camera and doesn't return it back to me when I need it!! Good excuses, aren't they? :D

Since these years Canon put more resources on developing the DSLR than compact DC so this time I wanted to try other brand. I heard that Panasonic was quite good and they use Leica lens so suppose the photo quality should be good.

This is a touch-screen model and I'm so into touch-screen technology!! My mobile, iPod Touch and camera are all touch-screen!! It has quite a lot of features like 25mm ultra-wide-angle LEICA DC lens with a 5x optical zoom and I can control shutter speed and aperture manually. The Intelligent Scene Selection seems cool!! For sure I will bring it everyday everywhere!!

HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU [MOVIE]

2009-04-04T23:05:00.000+08:00

Recently I'm quite into chick flick, maybe becoz I'm kinda stressed at work and I just want to watch some funny and romantic comedies. No need to use my brain to figure out the plot :D

It was just an okay movie, not too bad but not so good. There were too many characters and some plots were kinda stupid. I don't think women are like that in actual life. There were a few funny lines tho.

WONDERFUL THURSDAY

2009-04-02T23:22:00.000+08:00

Wonderful Thursday!! Another unexpectation!! I'm too easy to be happy by little thing :D Anyway it feels good to have something to look foward to!! :) Just let it happen!! I can't wait for it!! :)

WTF FABIO CAPELLO!!

2009-03-31T23:33:00.002+08:00

I haven't been up to the football news for a long time coz I don't have time to watch the games and I don't have sport channels at home anymore. But sometimes I do still read the newspaper and keep myself updated.

Owen was snubbed by the England national team manger Fabio Capello and the newspaper writes things like "Owen's future looks bleak". As a fan of Owen, it is really upset to see this England hero being treated like this. He's never let England down. Never will!! This is a standard management technique - write off a player's chances if only to impose your authority on the team. Mclaren did it with Beckham too! Owen was and still is a fine player!! I think Capello is totally non sense!!

PARTY AT NABIL'S HOME

2009-03-27T23:54:00.000+08:00

Chris and Charly are going back to France on next Tue so we had party at Nabil's home tonight. They both showed us the photos of their trip in Asia and we had sushi and pizza and wine for dinner.

They took a lot of photos and they looked so enjoyable!! It's very good to travel for 3 more months!! I don't even have chance to visit the Asian countries that they have been to!! Cool Guys!!

MERINO

2009-03-27T23:39:00.000+08:00

Someone bought me a Merino after the adventure in NZ. It reminds me that I got a sheep cuddle toy from my aunt when I was around 8 or 9 years old. Once my mom washed it for me and sun dried it outside the balcony but it fell down to the ground accidentally (I was living in 13/F). Flying Sheep!! :D Of course finally my mom got it back for me and washed it again :D

I liked this sheep a lot but I can't remember how it was out of my life. Maybe it "flew away" again? LOL Anyway thanks and I like this Merino a lot!! I don't know where to put it tho LOL My bed is full of cuddle toys already!!

HAPPY & SURPRISING FRIDAY

2009-03-27T01:37:00.000+08:00

What a surprise!! It brightened my day!! Was it a dream? I still can't believe it!! That's why I like surprise coz you feel extra happy with what you have never expected!! :)

MERCI DIEU!!

2009-03-26T01:12:00.001+08:00

Merci Dieu!! I passed my test!!! How lucky I am!! :) I didn't expect it!! Thanks Raphael!! We whole class can promote to Level 11!! I hestitated to take Level 11 or not tho I've passed coz I wanted to stop one term and study by myself to catch up some basic stuff. But they all encourged me to take level 11 together!! Well I will reconsider it again!!

After class we had dinner together at Red Chimneys restaurant to celebrate! It was a very great night!! Raphael is a very good teacher and he may not be our teacher again for the next level :( But we took a lot of pics and we enjoyed the dinner a lot!! :)

CHRIS & CHARLY ARE BACK!!

2009-03-25T01:03:00.001+08:00

Chris and Charly are back!! After 3 more months adventure in Asia and finally they are back to Hong Kong!! We had dinner together with Kayin, Janet and Nabil. It was great to see them again!!

Chris wanted to eat Japanese food and I knew it!! I think he can't live without sushi!! :D They talked about their adventure and it sounded very interesting. They told me that they didn't need much money and I was surprised that they spent so few in a day!! It's relly that cheap in Asia??

I envy them so much and I wanna have my own adventure soon!! But not in Asia :D I prefer Europe more!! Gotta save more money!!

FRENCH TEST

2009-03-24T00:53:00.000+08:00

Got French test tonight but I didn't have time to study coz I have been very busy. We can't be promoted to next level if we are failed. I don't have any expection coz I know I can't pass!! I feel so frustrated after doing the test coz it was sooooo difficult!! I think I gotta retake Level 10 :( How to improve my French??

SEAFOOD PARTY

2009-03-22T01:55:00.000+08:00

Party at Milk's home!! Since Milk's hubby knows where to buy cheap and fresh seafood so we went to their home to have a seafood party!!

They prepared a lot of food like oysters, sashimi, sea urchin, shellfish, scallop, shrimp, salad... All the food was so fresh and delicious!! I liked the sea urchin and sahimi a lot!!

I first tired to mix Party Sangria and it was very easy to make and it tasted so good!! :) I loved it!!! We played playing cards, Wii and watching TV until 9pm and then went home! I was soooo full!!

WATCHMEN + MORIHACHI

2009-03-14T01:23:00.000+08:00

I'm into American Hero movies so I went to watch "Watchmen" today tho many of my friends are not keen on watching it. I thought it was something like X-Man or Spider man but I was so disappointed after watching this movie.

This movie was a bit confusing and the plot was disjointed. Neither Me nor PY had a clue on what was this movie about. It was too long and I kept wondering when it was going to end. It wasn't worth to watch on the cinema!!

After movie, we went to a Japanese BBQ Restaurant "Morihachi" for dinner. We ordered a lot of meat and seafood, the beef was very delicious!! It was very soft and I felt like they were melting in my mouth!! Yummy!!

We went for a drink at LKF after dinner and we had a nice casual talk together. It's very good to have gathering with good friends. I enjoyed this night a lot!! :)

HALF ITALIAN??

2009-03-13T00:22:00.000+08:00

Tomato is back from Italy and we came out to have dinner together with Suika and their colleagues. I haven't seen them both for a long time!! Time flies!! Tomato has been in Italy for 3 months already!! It sounds like she enjoyed her life in Italy very much!!

She still looked quite the same and she will stay in Hong Kong until summer and then she will go back to Italy again. She's like a half Italian now :D But she still can't speak Italian yet!! :D She is going to learn tho! For sure learning in Italy can be faster!!

We had dinner and drinks until midnight and then I met AC in CWB coz Big D is going back to Thailand next week and I was supposed to have dinner with them but I was having dinner with Tomato so I couldn't go. I didn't really want to go to CWB at 1am but they were waiting for me.

When I met them, I didn't see Big D, AC told me that he was too tired and he went home already. I thought I was going to farewell with him!! Darn! Then what was the point for me to go there?!! Finally Ar Ton took us to a Thai Bar, we expected that it would be an interesting place but it wasn't!! They played something like 60s' songs and there were many old thai women with young thai lads. I felt so bored and I kept yawning... Shit wasting my time... I swear I will never go there again!!

MY COLLEAGUE

2009-03-12T19:05:00.000+08:00

My colleague has asked me out for dinner many times but actually I'm not so keen on it coz I don't like to be so close with my colleagues. I think it's different between friends and workmates. I can have fun and laugh and do some silly things with my friends but I won't act like that when I'm at work. I'm not acting cool or something it's just I think it's better seperate work and private life.

I had dinner with her after work and she looked happy to have my company. I know she has been upset and stressed becoz of her manager and she wanted to quit the job. She needed someone to talk to and I understand her situation. But I can't do anything to help her.

It's easy to have conflicts at work and I don't think I can make a just decision if I'm too close with my colleagues. So I try to stay away with them and I don't want to mix my work life to my private life. I do have good friends that who were my colleagues but work is work, it's lucky if you can find real friends at work but it is not a necessary.

POSITIVE SUPPORT

2009-03-11T18:50:00.000+08:00

I've been so busy recently and finally I had time to have dinner with my old friend. I haven't seen her for few months, it was good to come out for dinner and update each other's recently lives.

She complained that her life was as routine and boring as usual coz she doesn't have much things to do after work excepting watching TV at home. But I complained that my life was a bit boring too. She was amazed that I felt boring coz in her eyes, my life is very busy and full of fun. It's hard to express how I feel bored, I feel like I miss something in my life and I just want to have a change or something. I keep myself busy coz I'm easy to feel bored if I don't have anything to do.

I told her that what I wanted to do and I'm glad that she had a positive mind. She supported me and it made me feel great. But the only thing that she didn't appreciate is that I'm still running away from the problem and not facing it. I know I shouldn't be like that but I really don't know what I can do. I just need some more time...

LA UMAI

2009-03-07T17:21:00.001+08:00

I heard that there is a new French Japanese fusion Restaurant in North Point so I wanna to have a try there. This restaurant is on the 25 floor of a commerical building and you can see a bit Victoria Sea view.

It was very dark inside the restaurant and I could barely read the menu. We ordered oysters first, they didn't have many choices, only Kumamoto and Fine de Clair. The oysters were ok, not as good as I expected. I guess maybe becoz it isn't the right season for eating oysters.

And then we had Canadian sea urchin, it was so fresh and delicious!! It was perfect match to eat with cucumbers!!

The sashimi salad was ok, the sauce was quite good but it didn't taste special and the portion was too small.

I like the baby Australian Wagyu, it was so tender and juicy!! I loved it!!

The beef spaghetti tasted quite good and we we so fully after eating few dishes. Overall their food was quite good but I don't think I will go there again coz I can have better dishes at other places with cheaper price.

FAREWELL TO KATE

2009-03-03T16:46:00.000+08:00

Kate is going to study in Paris soon so we had a farewell party with her. She is very excited about her trip to Paris and I'm so happy for her!! Kelly will go to Paris too at the end of March! Lucky Gals!! I wish I could study there too!!

We had drinks in Oktober Bar and we talked a lot of things about France, French, Travel... Recently I don't feel so enthusiastic on study and other things, I just feel like lacking of engry but after the party I feel much better. It always good to have friends around to laugh together!

"Foto by Diana with 35mm back"

DIANA 35MM BACK + FISHEYE

2009-03-02T16:21:00.002+08:00

Dinner with Gi today and she helped me to buy a Diana 35mm back and Fisheye lens! :D Yay new toy!! I'm so happy and I can't wait to try them!!

this 35mm back, I can use 35mm film and take pics with 4 different style. Panoramic with sprocket holes, Standard Panoramic, Standand Landscape and Square with sprocket holes. I gotta try more on my Diana F camera!! :)

BARTENDING

2009-02-28T15:43:00.002+08:00

Finished the bartender beginner course and I tried to shake some cocktails at home. It's a great fun to mix cocktails but I couldn't get the alcohol that I want. I need peach schnapps to make Sex on the beach and I couldn't find in any supermarket. Why is that? It's not so rare, is it?

I wanna learn some bartending flair tricks and wanna try it at home but my mom asked me to stop LOL She was worried that if I would break anything!! :D It's very hard to learn but it looks so cool!!

N.T. N.E. HIKING

2009-02-22T00:35:00.001+08:00

Went hiking at North East of New Territories today. It's good to breathe some fresh air and go for a hike but it was really hard for me to wake up in the early morning. We met at Tai Po KCR station at 9.15am!!! We all bet that Lim would be late or no show but surprisingly he was the 1st one to be there!!

Our route was from Bride's pool >> Wu Kau Tang >> Sam A Tsuen >> Lai Chi Wo >> Fan Shui Au >> Bride's pool. It wasn't a rough route but we hiked for nearly 7 hours!!

Last month there was a fire and all the trees were burnt. This area was bald and dark!!

The weather wasn't fine today. It was humid and cloudy so the pics look a bit gloomy. I hate this kinda weather!!

I was so tired and I felt like my legs weren't mine!! Next time we should arrange to hike on Sat!!

VICTORIA HARBOUR LIGHT SHOW

2009-02-20T00:15:00.000+08:00

Met Vic and Tim after work and then we watched the Victoria Harbour Light Show together. Vic was surprised that it was my first time to see :D Well I'm not tourist!! But I was surprised that Tim has seen 4 times already!! I guess he really likes the show :D

I always want to see the show and take some nice pics but the problem is I really don't like to carry the tripod. It's too heavy!! I didn't really concentrate on watching the show but mainly talk to Tim and Vic coz there were too many people and they blocked my sight.

After watching the show, we took the ferry to Central and then Vic took the airport express to the airport. He was going back to Paris. It was a short night but great!! Hopefully I can see them again soon in Paris!!

STANLEY + LKF

2009-02-18T22:39:00.003+08:00

Met Vic & Lau after work & we had a walk at victoria park. Then we went to Stanley coz they haven't been there yet. The shops in Stanley Market were closed but we could still have a look at Murray house. Vic asked me the history of Murray House, what a shame that I don't know it so well! I realise that I don't know Hong Kong wo well :P

It would be better to go to the Stanley during day time but it's still not too bad to walk along Stanley at night.

Then we took the bus to Central & met Peggy & Caroline at LKF. We had some food at Tsui Wah first and then we had a drink at Bulldog. We had nice conversations and we talked all kinda stuff together.

Thanks for Vic to teach me some French!! I should have talked to him more in French!! :D And he recommeded me some French music too!! Cool man!! It was a very great night and I enjoyed a lot!!

VALKYRIE

2009-02-15T22:21:00.000+08:00

I wanted to watch this movie since I watched the trailer, I had high expectation on it. I only know it was based a truth story about an operation of Valkyrie that somone was planning to assassinate Hitler.

I know the history and of course I know Hitler wasn't assassinated but the story was boring and unexciting. It's unbelivable that Tom Cruise acted as a German captain. It's not worth to watch it in the cinema!!

YES MAN

2009-02-14T22:12:00.001+08:00

Still so sick today and I have a bad cough. I wanted to sleep as much I as wanted but I had bartender class at 2pm so I had to wake up before noon. We learned Rum today and learned few cocktails which are mixed with rum. Oh I wanna try to mix the cocktails at home and I'm going to buy the cocktail shaker. But I have to wait until I have fully recovered :(

After class, we met in Causeway Bay and then shopped around and then had a early dinner at a Japanese Restaurant. Gosh, there were so many people on the street!! Crazy Valentine's Day!! Too commercial!

We watched "Yes Man" after dinner. This movie was very funny and Jim Carrey did a great job!! He was as entertaining as usual but he was less exaggerated in this movie which is good!! A funny sweet story which makes you laugh out loud and feel optimistic!!

We then had some dessert and drink at a bar, this bar was quite quiet and it was a good place to chat and relax.

BARTENDER

2009-02-07T01:09:00.001+08:00

I had my first lesson of bartender course today!! It was very fun!! I learned something about the bar utensils and Gin! The teacher taught us to mix Gimlet, White Lady and Singapore Sling and we had chance to taste it. I like the taste of Gin and I often mixed Gin & Tonic at home. Now I'm going to try more different kind of Gin Cocktail :) Yay!!

After class I shopped around, bought a pair of new shoes and then went to FC's home. We had hotpot dinner again!! But what a shame that I'm still sick and I lost the appetite. I didn't eat much. We played PS3 and watched TV until 2am and we left becoz I was too sick. I think I really need to rest more!!

SICK LEAVE

2009-02-06T01:22:00.000+08:00

I had bad cough that I felt like I was half dead. I don't know why it's getting worse since I've been on medication. I did nothing at home except sleeping and surfing internet. But it's good that I have a long weekend. A bit worried about my work but I should worry about my health more. It reminds me of what I was infected before! Never again please!! I wanna get well soon!!

KING'S LODGE

2009-02-03T00:54:00.000+08:00

Suppose we were going to FC's home on Sat but becoz I have been sick so the party is postponed to the coming Sat. I dunno what's wrong with me, I have rested at home for the whole weekend and now I got another sickness :( I caught a cold!! I have sore throat and cought so I went to see the doctor after work. The doctor said I got Upper Respiratory Infection. Hopefully I can get well soon coz I really don't like taking medicine :(

After seeing doctor, I rushed to AF to have lesson. I was so late!! Luckily I didn't miss something important. And then after lesson I had dinner with Preston, Kelly, Zoe and Kate at King's Lodge. It has been a while for us to gather for dinner!! We had a lot to talk and discuss and it's good that Kate and Kelly are going to France to study!! I wanna go too!!

SPRING DINNER BUT NOT FOR ME

2009-01-30T00:44:00.000+08:00

I was so sick last night, I got diarrhea and I didn't feel so well with my stomach. I took some pill in the morning and then went to work. But I vomitted after lunch and I couldn't bear the stomachache so I went to see the doctor at around 4pm. I really wanted to go back home to rest but tonight it was the Spring dinner of our company and everybody was going to attend so it wouldn't be a good idea to be absent.

I came back to office after seeing the doctor and then we had the dinner at Heichinrou. I couldn't eat at all so I just sat there at eat nothing :( I only had a little bit shark fin soup and fish...

We had lucky draw but me and our teammates got nothing!! How bad luck we were!!

ALL'S WELL END'S WELL 2009

2009-01-28T15:47:00.000+08:00

Haven't watched Hong Kong movie in the cinema for a long time coz I don't think it's worth to buy the ticket. I prefer to spend on watching Hollywood big movie more. But watching movie in the CNY is kinda like family activity so I was going to watch "All's well End's well 2009" with my family tonight.

I didn't have high expectation on it coz it can't be compared with the one in 1992 or 1997. It's not exactly the sequel but it remained some characters from the previous one. Overall this movie was quite entertaining. A typical local comedy and we blasted out laugh. It was funny but better to watch it on DVD!!

MARLEY & ME

2009-01-27T15:17:00.000+08:00

I was supposed to do kick boxing today but I was a bit sick so I rested at home for a while and joined AC and CT for movie at night. We were going to watch Marley and Me. I enjoyed the 2/3 movie coz it was quite funny and entertaining. The dog Marley was so cute!! But the rest of 1/3 was a bit boring and sad. A little disappointed with this movie and ending.

MONKEY IN OX YEAR [2]

2009-01-26T15:05:00.000+08:00

Seems like Monkey will have a good year in 2009!! I really hope that everything will go well for me especially career and money!! I have to fulfill my target in this year and it's very important for me!! I have confidence for my job performance but I think I need to be more concentrate on it. And I want to figure out something and solve the problem as soon as I can. Have a good start of year ox!!!! And I can predict that I will have a busy happy year ox!! :)

MONKEY IN OX YEAR [1]

2009-01-26T13:23:00.001+08:00

In the year of 2009, there are many Lucky Stars coming to Monkey people. So they have complete new luck and they can expect good news from career, money, reputation, love or happiness area. However, some tiny Unlucky Stars hiding beside the Lucky Stars in 2009. That means Monkey people shouldn't show too complacent and too conceited, because their enemies are still around. If Monkey people make any mistake, then they might lose their reputation, power or wealth.

Career: There are three major Lucky Career Stars appearing in 2009. Those signs indicate you will have an extraordinary and outstanding achievement in your job performance or business development. When you have better performance or hold a higher position, then many people become jealous to you. Someone might try to look for your shortcoming or mistake in order to impede your working progress and to damage your reputation. Fortunately, since your keen perception and quick response, you are able to a plan to protect yourself. Also, your supporters will help your to remove the hamper.

Money: There is a Lucky Money Star showing in this year. Since you have a good career luck, your salary fixed income will be satisfactory. If you work for someone, you might earn an extra bonus. However, the Money Star is not a Windfall Star. The money won't come from gambling, heritage, gift or lottery. It's required your hardworking and time to earn all your income. Another sign show that you have a chance to lose your personal property and no way to recover it. Or an unexpected accident causes your money loss. Therefore, it's safer that do show off your wealth in 2009.

Love: One very Auspicious Star and a Happy Star are gathering in love area. That is the sign of success, happiness, joyfulness, smooth or marriage. If you are single, then you have opportunity to find your dream companion and enjoy the happy love life. If you are already in love, the relationship with your lover will become much closer. If both of you are ready, then you can consider the marriage.

Health: Although you have many Lucky Stars coming in your astrological cycle. There also are some Unlucky Stars around you this year. This brings up the health issue. The career will make you busy in 2009. You will feel tired very often. If you have too much nightlife and too less exercise, then you will get sick easily. As long as understanding the health might become the problem, then you should limit unnecessary social life, keep healthy eating habit, maintain good sleeping quality and exercise routinely, then you will have a healthy life in the year of Cow.

Fortune: Monkey people have excellent career luck in 2009. They will work very skillfully and proficiently on their daily job. Their wealth will increase because of good job performance. However, there still is a potential unlucky event coming. Monkey people still need to pay attention on words and deeds. If you can spend more time in helping others, then you will win the good reputation, which could bring you more money in. The feeling of wealth, power, happiness and satisfaction will all come to you.

PAY RAISE & BONUS

2009-01-23T13:15:00.000+08:00

We have handed in our appraisal on Monday and also met the boss and manager already. Today boss was going to review our working performance for last year and also tell us about if we got bonus and pay raise.

I didn't expect much coz the staffs have grown double size of last year and we expanded our office and warehouse as well. So I thought our boss wouldn't be generous this year. When I entered the boss's room and my boss chuckled and talked to me.

"Now I'm going to announce your pay raise and bonus. I'm sure you will be the happiest person in this company."
" Really?" I asked doubtfully coz he sounded like he is going to raise me the most in this company.
"Of course! Becoz your managers appreciated your working performance and they gave you a very good evaluation."

Surprisingly he was more generous than I expected!! I have quite a lot pay raise and bonus!! I'm happy that my boss repays on my efforts and he is very appreciated with my working performance. Yay I deserve it!! :)

MADE UP MY MIND

2009-01-17T14:51:00.000+08:00

Life is full of decision making and I've been struggling on something that I want to do but I hesitate to do. Finally I made up my mind coz I don't want to be regret in the future. It's good to make a decision and set my target so I can try to work it out gradually. It will be a great challenge for me!! I still have time to prepare and I'm a little excited about it!!

So for this year I have a lot to fulfill!! I like my idea and my motto!! Don't think just do it!! (Tho I've been thinking for a long while :P) I'm going to bet everything on it!!

BEIJING CLUB

2009-01-16T14:25:00.000+08:00

Kinda moody recently... I know I shouldn't be affected by anything/anyone easily but I just can't help myself. I'm tired of waiting and guessing what will happen next. It's really frustrating when things aren't under my control. But I think I'm getting better on handling this kinda stuff and I know how to distract myself.

So we went to Beijing Club tonight coz we all just wanted to have some fun. I don't usually go clubbing on Fri coz I don't like to go after a long busy day work. But why should I withhold myself for having fun? I didn't care if it was Friday!!

We went there at around 1am and surprising there were quite a lot of people!! I didn't expect it would be so crowded on Fri!! We drank and danced until 4.30am and it was very fun!! I enjoyed the music and the atmosphere and I'm glad that I could forget everything and enjoyed myself at that moment!!

CHANGING CLASS

2009-01-15T14:24:00.000+08:00

I had my first lesson of French Grammar tonight. I don't know anyone in the class coz Kelly, Zoie. Schindler and Alexandra are not taking this workshop. It's ok to be alone but the class was a bit easy for me.

Our teacher said that she was going to review the grammar from Level 3 to Level 5 only. But I expected she would review something more. My french isn't good but I don't' think I have to learn such basic things in the class. I can do it by myself anyway. And our teacher suggested the high level students to change the class if they think it is too easy for them. She can't manage to review something that other students haven't learned it yet.

I talked to Preston and he persuaded me to join their level 10 class. I'm worried that I can't catch up in the lesson but he said it wasn't so difficult. So I decided to change the class and spend more time on studying French. I'm going to be serious this time!!

IN LOVE WITH MY IPOD TOUCH AGAIN

2009-01-14T02:20:00.000+08:00

My iPod Touch got Jailbroken to 2.2 finally!! I bought it a year ago but I only use it to listen music, write notes, watch video sometimes and access to internet. Obviously I didn't fully utilize its functions!!

I realised that it would be a waste to just listen music with it, finally I decided to jailbreak it. Thanks for my colleague's help, I can use a lot of functions now!! Such as reading e-books, text and PDF files. Also I downloaded many games and useful software. Now it's more like a PDA for me. Wonderful!! I've never been so in love with my iPod Touch like this moment!! :)

FRENCH ORAL CLASS

2009-01-13T00:00:00.000+08:00

This term I'm going to take French oral and grammar workshop instead of promoting to level 10 coz I really need to master my speaking and grammar first. It's hard to catch up in the class. Luckily Kelly, Bruce, Zoie, Schindler and Alexandra are taking the oral workshop with me so I'm not alone. But I will be alone in the grammar class!!

We are in the same floor with Level 10 class so we can still see our mates!! It was good to see them again and we talked loudly in the corridor! We have a pretty French lady teacher in this oral class!! Emily and Preston are in L10 class and they told us that they had a good looking and interesting male teacher!! I should have been promoted, shouldn't I? :D

I met Tania in AF too!! I didn't know she is working in AF now!! It has been a year after our last meet!! I was so surprised to see her!! Glad to know that she is fine!

MY SIXTH SENSE

2009-01-12T01:05:00.005+08:00

I don't really like to wait and being in a passive situation. I believe my sixth sense and it depresses me to think that something is going to happen again eventho I don't want to. Shouldn't I care of it?

Someone said that I was lack of confidence and since then I'm trying hard to be more confident in myself. It's not that I have a feeling of inferiority but I'm just not certain of my ability. Sometimes it's easy to think toward to bad way when things aren't going well with what I expected. I don't have confidence to remain unchanged or to change it. It is either you choose or you are being chose. Maybe I shouldn't take things so serious or maybe I should have a little faith on it?

TUNG LUNG ISLAND

2009-01-10T00:29:00.001+08:00

Today was the coldest day, only 10-12 degrees!! We went hiking to Tung Lung Island!! I bought a Gortex jacket yesterday for this hiking!! I woke up so early coz we had to take the ferry from Yau Tong at 10am.

When we arrived Tung Lung Island it was nearly 11am. We walked around and took some pics. Tung Lung Island is very small and they only have ferry to go during weekend and holiday. People usually go there for camping and rock climbing.

The landscape was very beautiful and impressive. We could see people climing rock! It looks interesting and I'd like to try!! But it looks scary from the top of the cliff!!

We took the 3.30pm ferry back to Yau Tong and then me and AC went to TST to watch movie. There weren't not many choices and we watched the Suspect X. It has drama as well but I have never watched it. AC said it was very interesting. Fukuyama Masaharu is the main actor and he still looks cool at his age. The movie was a bit slow and it was just okay. Maybe becoz I haven't watched the drama before.

After watching movie we had dinner at a Korean resturant. We needed to eat something hot and spicy to warm our bodies!! It was too cold!! The spicy hotpot was very delicious and we enjoyed the food a lot!!

ELÉNA'S FAREWELL PARTY

2009-01-06T19:14:00.000+08:00

Farewelled to Eléna at Makumba bar tonight coz she is going back to France on Tuesday. It's good to have known her and I hope I will see her again soon!!

Kayin is going to Laos to meet Christophe and Charly during Chinese New Year and she asked me if I was interested to go with her. Of course I'd like to join but I don't think I can get days off this month coz I have 3 colleagues who are on leave during CNY. Sigh... I wanna go travel!!

NOUVEL AN

2009-01-01T18:42:00.001+08:00

Celebrating the new year day with my French classmates. We went to watch a "IP MAN" at Whampoa UA cinema. This movie is about the life of the grandmaster of the Wing Chun. Ip Man was the master of Bruce Lee as well. I didn't know that :P This moive was very entertaining, Donnie Yen acted very well and his Kung Fu was very impressive. There were funny scene and touching scene. The movie was better that I expected! I liked it a lot!!

After watching movie, we went to cafe to have some coffee and on the way we saw the meteoric stone on the sky!! Actually it wasn't really meteoric stone but it just looked so. Alexandra explained that it was the reflection of the jet of plane. So scientific!! With more imagination, I believe it's a sign of good luck :D

Then we had dinner at Chung Hing Mansion. There were many nice Indian restaurant and we just chose one. The food was quite good but I haven't got much of an appetite coz I ate too much yesterday!! We went for a drink after dinner and we had some nice conversation!!

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS

2009-01-01T18:23:00.000+08:00

It's 2009 already!! So fast!! 2008 was quite a good year for me. I can't say many good things happened on me but at least nothing really bad.

Tho I have been so busy at work, I work so hard and I got some luck. My boss and manager trust me and appreciate my performance so I got in charge in many thngs and it's a challenge for me.

I have travelled 3 times last year which I didn't expect. It was so great and I enjoyed a lot. Hopefully this year I can travel more too. And I learned some new things and made new friends. It was a great fun to do and meet something new!!

My new year resolutions are quite the same with last year so this year I'm not going to make a long list. 3 is enough!!! I just want to stay healthy, work less and do whatever I want!!

YEAR END PARTY

2008-12-31T23:58:00.000+08:00

We were having year end party at FC's home. It's good to have a place to chill out. We had order the food in advance so after work I went to FC's home directly.

FC and PY were sick and they didn't go to work. I arrived Ma On Shan at around 7pm then Hang picked me up and we bought some snacks and drinks at the supermarket and also bought the takeaway at pizza and a Thai restaurant.

We had also ordered some sashimi for the party!! So yummy!!! FC's also cooked the steak for us but they were too raw. So Hang had to cook again and they tasted delicious.

We chitchatted, watched TV and then waited for the counting down for new year. The TV broadcasted the countdown of IFC building. There was firework as well. I didn't have much strong feeling for the new year may be becoz I wasn't counting down in the crowds like I used to be.

Then we exchanged Christmas presents (tho it was a bit late!!), watched TV and played PSP3 until 4.30am and then we went home. I was so tired but I enjoyed it a lot!! Goodbye 2008!!

IS THAT ALL MY FAULT?

2008-12-31T00:46:00.001+08:00

My manager admonished me 3 times today but she rarely acted like this. I think she must be stressed out recently. But I'm not happy what she said to me.

The 1st thing was that I let the other colleagues to take the free samples during office hour. I didn't let them to do this, I told them to take later but they were too excited and they didn't listen to me. So is that my fault for not being harsh to them?

The 2nd thing was that I talked too long private calls today. It wasn't too long!!! Hey today is new year eve!! Everyone is in holiday mood and what's the problem for just talking on few calls?? I didn't stop working!! She said that as a senior, I should be a good example to the others. I don't think I have ever set a bad example.

The 3rd thing really pissed me off. She admonished about my arrival time again!! I usually come to work 1-3 mins before 9am but she thinks I'm late and requested me to come to work at least 15mins before. WTF!! I'm not late at all!! What da heck is that I have be accused for being late?? I always work overtime (no paid!!) until 7 to 8pm, is that meaningless to the company? I was so angry and it upset me by being scolded at the end of the year. Darn company!!! Darn rules!!! I think they don't have anything to challange me on my working performance so they just did something nonsense to defeat me!!

BAD OMEN?!

2008-12-30T23:42:00.000+08:00

I'm not a superstitious person but what happened on me recently really frustrated me. My necklace was broken, my new cup was broken and my favourite mobile belt was broken too. What a bad omen :( What is it going to be next? Hey it's year end already!! I want something good for year 2009!!! Give me some luck please!!

DICK + BIG DEE + TON'S HOME

2008-12-30T11:43:00.000+08:00

Did kickboxing after work as usual but after boxing we went to ton's home for dinner. I've never been to their home & I was curious of how it was like but AC & CT warned me that it was a mess!! Men's home are supposed to be a mess, aren't they? LOL

They are living in the 5th floor and there is no lift in this building so we had to walk upstairs. Ton met us up on the ground floor, Dick and Big Dee went to supermarket to buy some food. Their flat wasn't so mess and it is big enough for them to live. There were not much furniture not even a table or a chair. We had to sit on the ground.

Big Dee cooked some food for us and he took something from the kitchen. I had no idea what they were. Fishes and soup LOL The fishes were quiet good. They put the plates on the floor and we ate with our hands. Kinda strange for me!! CT said Thai people were like that and it was normal!! It surprised me!!

They all said Big Dee could cook very well and I tasted the soup that he made, it was really quite good!! :) It was Tom Yam Kung soup but he didn't teach us how to make it!!

Dick and Big Dee taught us some Thai swearword and but they asked us not to say that coz it is rude :P Surprising Dick knows quite a lot Cantonese swearword!! It was a very funny night to learn Thai language in bad way!! :D

TWILIGHT

2008-12-29T00:01:00.001+08:00

After watching the movie of Twilight, it interested me to read the book coz the story in the movie was too simple and I heard that the novel was more interesting then the movie so I started to read the book. There are 5 books in total!!

Luckily I found the e-book from the internet but I can't stop reading!! It's very interesting and romantic!! I almost spend my whole afternoon reading but not working :p Well who cares?! We are all still in holiday mood!!

BOXING SHOPPING DAY!

2008-12-26T22:03:00.000+08:00

Went shopping with AC at CWB today, I wanted to buy some clothes but finally I bought 2 handbags. I think I've bought quite a lot unnecssary things recently. I don't know why, maybe becoz shopping makes me feel happy but on the other hand my credit card bills are getting more >_<

We had dinner at a Japanese restaurant and then we went to watch movie. I had no idea what was Twilight about before watching it, AC said it was very popular in States and the main actor was good looking so she wanted to watch it. I thought it was a violent or SF and I didn't expect it would be a romance!!

This movie is based on the popular young-adult series, the epic romance between a human and sexy vampire. It was a true romance and the dialogue was very romantic and touching. But the storyline was a bit simple and I was expecting some more action / fight scences :P I haven't read the original novels so I don't know how it follows exactly. But overall it was good and I like this movie! And I think I will get a book to read it!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

2008-12-25T11:41:00.000+08:00

This morning a thought flashed through my mind and I suddenly thought of something that happened last year before Christmas. It's not important anymore but I didn't realise it has been a year already!! Time flies!! I'm not ready for Chrismas yet seems it's coming too fast!!

Went out for shopping today coz I still haven't bought X'mas gifts (especially for myself) yet :P It was very crowded everywhere and I didn't have patience to wait and line up for getting in the shops or trying things on. I wanted to buy some T-shirts but finally I bought 2 jackets and a gift for my year end party.

Surprisingly it was kinda warm today and it feels not much like Christmas. Every year before Christmas I plan to travel to somewhere cold to have white Christmas but then finally I don't plan anything lol Oh well may be next year!! I want to have a real White Christmas!!

X'MAS EVE

2008-12-24T10:55:00.001+08:00

So darn busy at work !! But our team had to prepare the lunch x'mas party for the whole company. We had a lot of preparation before such as planning the rundown, thinking about the games & dercorations, asking suppliers to donate us gifts, ordering the food and buying gifts. It occupied me quite a lot of time!

This year we had 50 staffs to join!! Wow I didn't even notice our company is growing up so fast! I was being the MC but I didn't have micophone, it was hard to shout out loud in front of 50 people and take the control.

We had some food and then played some games such as Bingo. I know some of them weren't so participated but it's the party that we only join once a year! We also had lucky draw, our suppliers were very generous that offering us some cash and a LV wallet. We had other gifts such as ipod shuffle 2G, portable hard disc 160G, housewares stuff... I don't know if I was lucky or not coz I got the ipod shuffle 2G. I have a iPod classic and Touch already so the shuffle is totally usless for me. So I gave it to my other colleague.

After party, we had to clean up stuff and I still got a lot of work to do!! I worked until 7.30pm :( That's crazy!! Then I went out and met up Maggie and Jacky for dinner. Maggie came back from Holland again!! We haven't seen for a long time!! It's good to see her again!!

We had Japanese food for dinner and then we went to a cafe, relax, talk and had some coffee. Lucky her to have 3 weeks vacation in Hong Kong!! How can I get a job in Europe? :D

X'MAS SNAPSHOT

2008-12-23T15:35:00.000+08:00

Having hotpot dinner with old and current colleagues after work coz I like to have gathering on or before big festival. I haven't seen Gobby for a long time but she still looks quite the same. But it is bad to know that her company is going to close down and she has to look for another job. The financial tsunami really affects a lot of companies. Luckily my company is still working very well and our business is growing.

After dinner, me, Seki and Man were going to TST to take some X'mas pics. The rest of them didn't join us coz they were not so interested to be photo taken. And it was a bit late for them. It's fine! I still got my models :D

Kyoko was hanging around TST so she joined us for the photo shooting as well. Seki lent me his tripod coz mine is too heavy and I didn't like to carry it around. But his tripod isn't tall enough! So I didn't use it finally...

I was a bit disappointed coz the Christmas decorations and lights were not as beautiful as I expected. We only took few shots at Ocean Terminal and then walked along to New World Centre.

I wanted to go to Central and IFC but we didn't have time. What a shame!! Next year I have to be earlier!!

TO KNOW OR NOT TO KNOW?

2008-12-22T01:35:00.000+08:00

Sometimes its better not to know than getting to know something you don't want to know. It's complicated,huh? But you can't control when it comes to you. Life is like that and you still have to go on.

Anyway no matter how it is, it's not important anymore. You are only an outsider. Everyone is changing eventually, you may not realize on small things but you do realize someone you care about. Or you change youself for someone but you don't even know you have changed. So that's the interrelationship?

FEW DAYS BEFORE X'MAS

2008-12-21T01:07:00.000+08:00

I slept at 6am but I woke up at noon today coz I had to go out and do x'mas shopping. I don't like going out to shop around on Sunday especially before the big festival. I'm not ready for X'mas yet coz I feel like I still have a lot of work to do. But when I walked on the street, I could feel the x'mas atmosphere and people were so busy for shopping.

I didn't buy anything for myself but only buying something for my company for lucky draw use. I bought a nice speaker. Then I went to develop the pics and shopped around the computing centre. I wanna buy a internal hard drive coz mine doesn't work now but I think external would be easier for me. But finally didn't buy anything for myself coz it was too crowded!!

PRE-X'MAS DINNER

2008-12-20T00:45:00.000+08:00

X'mas is coming soon!! We were having pre-x'mas dinner at Dan Ryan's. What a shame that Jeff and Kyoko couldn't join us. Jeff's sister's husband is in the hospital so he had to look after the children and Kyoko had fever... Hope them they will all get well soon!!

I was a bit late becoz of the traffic jam... hehe I wasn't the latest one tho :D We haven't met for a long time!! It was good to gather together and talk about recently life! Then we ordered some food such as pasta, steak, salad, risotto... The food was great!

And we all brought a present (budget $10, it's crazy, huh?) and exchanged to each other. I got a lavender oil hand cream! I just wanted to buy handcream!! Great for me!!

Seki and Man couldn't join the dinner too coz they had to have dinner with family. They were joining us for drink in LKF. Satoko and Kelly were supposed to join us but Satoko had to meet her bf so finally only me, Seki and Man were going for drink.

We drank until 1.30am and then I joined another group of friends to go clubbing. It wasn't as crowded as I expected in the club and it wasn't that fun. I think coz I was too tired. We danced and drank until 5.30am and then we went home. Glad that I didn't get drunk at all LOL

LEVEL 9 FINISHED!

2008-12-18T00:28:00.002+08:00

Level 9 of French is finished!! Tho I missed some lessons in this term but I enjoyed the class!! It's very funny!! But I'm not going to promote to level 10 coz I can't catch up and I'm left behind the level. So the coming term I'm going to take the workshop and focus on speaking and grammar. It's great that Schindler, Kelly, Zoie and Bruce are not going to promote too!! We will take the workshop together :)

After class we went to Red Chimneys Restaurant to have later dinner buffet. The food was quite good and there were not many people becoz it was quite late! We took pics, video and had great fun in the restaurant!! Alexis was very funny and he kept making grimace to entertain us!! We all had great night!!

TANGO NIGHT

2008-12-08T00:16:00.000+08:00

Tango Night again!! It may be my last lesson coz Karolina is going back to Poland on Friday and I don't think I will learn Tango alone. It's fun tho!! Some of my friends are interested so maybe I will go again if I have company!!

We leaned some new steps but they are more like advanced level. I hardly caught the steps and I couldn't dance well LOL But a good partner is very important coz if someone can't lead well, you may get confused easily! The teacher was quite scary coz she expected the students could dance well and she was quite bossy!! It's ok to learn for fun but seriously I don't like to be taught by this teacher!

JEWELLERY DESIGN WORKSHOP

2008-12-07T01:07:00.000+08:00

Karolina is working a jewellery design workshop at C&G Department and I'm interested to know what she is doing so I joined her workshop today.

I had no idea how to make accessories but it was fun to have a try. Karolina taught us some basic skills and then we started to use the materials (semi precious stones, pearls, glass beads) to make our pieces. I first tried to make a earring (the blue one) and it was easier that I thought. The reason that I made one only coz I don't have piercing on my right ear so just try one.

Then I made a pair of red earrings and it seemed strange to make one only. Karolina said they looked good and she said it would be suitable to wear for the tango dance :D Well I'm not going to wear something that I make coz they are not good enough. It's just for fun only!!

And I made a pendant and necklace as well, it didn't spend me much time. 2 hours including learning and making my pieces!! :)

ME & HANG'S BELATED B-DAY CELEBRATION

2008-12-06T14:19:00.001+08:00

Me and Hang's b-day is close so we celebrated our birthday together tonight. Me, AC and PY went to MK to shop around and bought a A&F jacket for Hang. We bought some A&F clothes for ourself as well!!

Then we went to Central, met Hang and FC and then we took the taxi to the Peak. FC booked the Peak Lookout and we had dinner there. The enviroment and atmosphere there was good and they placed the dishes very fast!! We had oyster, chicken ceasar salad, steak, seafood risotto, Salmon penne rigate pasta, ribs, cripse apple tarte, chocolate souffle.

And I got a Diana F+ Chromiacs Limited Edition camera!! :) Thanks Buddies!! I like this camera very much!! And I have a new toy to play around!! Yay!!

After dinner, we walked around and took some night view pics from the Peak. The sky was clear and night view was impressive!!

Then we went to LKF to have a drink. FC suggested to go to Balalaika so we went there. It's Russian bar and restaurant so I drank Vodka :D There is a ice room and they provide furs for you to wear and getting in. It was so cold inside!! But it was fun!! :D

We drank until 2am and then we left. Then we met Ruck, Fanta, Dee Dee and Christine in another bar in LKF!! What a surprise!! Christine asked me and AC to drink together so we both stayed and FC, PY and Hang left first. It was very funny to see them dance. Me and AC couldn't stop laughing!! We drank until 3.30am and then we went home.

TANGO

2008-12-01T01:07:00.000+08:00

Karolina is interested in Tango and she wanted to find someone to go with her. So we both had our 1st Tango lesson tonight!! I had no idea what Tango is and I didn't know how to dance at all!! The Tango that we learned was Argentine Tango.

"Argentine Tango is danced in an embrace that can vary from very open, in which leader and follower connect at arms length, to very closed, in which the connection is chest-to-chest, or anywhere in between. Tango is essentially walking with a partner and the music."

It was quite hard in the begining coz I tried to focus on the steps and forgot about the eye contacts. And I often stepped on my partner's feet :P But it was very interesting and it was more fun than I expected!! I like the Tango music too!! I didn't dance much but it was still great to see how people dance!! Very enjoyable!! Would love to go there again!!

BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA

2008-11-30T00:50:00.000+08:00

Didn't get much sleep last night so I was a bit late to do kickboxing. Just wanna sweat and do some exercises but it tired me up coz I didn't have much energy.

After boxing, we went to Wanchai to have Thai food coz CT strongly recommended it. The food was cheap and quite good. DD and Christine also joined us for the dinner.

Then we went to watch a movie "Beverly Hills Chihuahua", AC has a Chihuahua and she suggested to watch this movie. I'm not a big fan of Chihuahua but it was interesting to watch it. The story was simple, predictable and funny. The dogs were cute too!! Quite entertaining!

AC and me sensed something and we discovered a secret tonight. We were a bit surprised but no need to be so serious, right? Just for fun!!

5A GATHERING AT FAT ANGELO

2008-11-29T16:41:00.000+08:00

5A Gathering again!! We planned to have BBQ gathering a month ago but finally we changed to dinner gathering coz most of the people are not so interested in BBQ. Why not? Autumn is good for BBQ!! I chose Fat Angelo coz it's a good place for gathering!!

I booked the table at 8.30pm and most of them arrived on time! Except someone!! We couldn't believe how she would be late for 1hour 45mins!! When she arrived we have almost finished all the dishes!! Incredible!!

But anyway it was fun to gather again and we had new member tho he wasn't in our class back to Form 5. After dinner we had a drink and until midnight. We are planning to go to Zanthia's home during CNY!! Zanthia better prepare for the Red Pocket money for us!! :D

MY KOREAN COLLEAGUES

2008-11-28T01:45:00.000+08:00

3 of my Korean colleagues are coming to Hong Kong for meetings. Actually I have no idea why they come here. It's not necessary to fly to Hong Kong for a day meeting. Kinda wasting of the flight tickets and time!! And the thing is why dragged me in? I hate the bullshit meetings!!

We dicussed something we had discussed on msn before and we still couldn't find a good way to solve the problems. It wasted my time!! I got a lot of things to do already!!

After work, me and the PM had to took these 3 Korean to have dinner. They insisted to have western cuisine. Darn!! It's like they are coming for travelling!! I wanted to book Outback Steak House but it was fully booked so I booked Dan Ryan instead.

They rushed us to finish the job before 6.15pm so they could have dinner at 7pm. I don't like to be rushed!! And I missed my kickboxing class becoz of them!!

We ordered salad, pasta, risotto, steak and dessert. I liked the risotto and pasta and they were very tasty. Luckily we didn't talk much about work and we just talked about family, hobbies and things about Korea and Hong Kong.

We finished the dinner at around 8.30pm and then I went to SwishClub to meet AC and CT. I've booked the body massage so I had to wait for them finishing the class. My back and my neck are stiff and stressed so I really need to be massaged. The Thai massagist was quite good but I had back pain after being massaged. I think becoz I'm too tired!!

MY BIRTHDAY DINNER AT CASA FINA

2008-11-22T00:51:00.001+08:00

Doing kickboxing in the afternoon and had foot reflexology afterward. I don't like to do boxing during weekends but since I've joined the unlimited plan, I have to do as much as I can!!

After foot reflexology, we went to shop around and then I bought some make up stuff. Actually I got a lot stuff at home already but still would like to buy and try new things!! That's girl!! :D

Dinner at Casa Fina, it is the another new restaurant of Casa group. I've tried Mi Casa, Su Casa and this time Casa Fina!! I like the food a lot and it is always enjoyable to have dinner there!! Casa Fina is a bit different with other Casa restaurants, it's rather high-class and they provide different dishes.

We ordered house white wine and oysters as starter, we had Irish Gigas, Scottish Rock and Fine de Special. French oyster is always my favourite!! Fine de Special tasted very good and fresh. The others were very good too!!

Then we had sea urchin cucumber and caviar salad, they were perfect match!! Very delicious!! The sea urchin was very sweet!!

I like the Prawn linguinie too!! The cream sauce tasted so good and you would definately want to finish it all!!

Final we tried the lamp chops, actually I don't really like eating lamb coz I think lamb chop has strong taste that I don't really like. But I heard that Casa Fina cooked lamb very well so I'd like to have a try. It tastes quiet good but I still prefer eating steak :P

I wanted to have a piece of cake but I was too full and I had to rush to meet other friend so I didn't eat any dessert. I don't really need a cake for birthday, I enjoyed this dinner a lot and that's enough!!

Then meeting Karolina at Central and we to went to Peel Fresco Music lounge to listen the live jazz music. But we were late and it was full so we went to LKF to have some drinks instead. I knew there would be a great Jazz band show but what a shame we missed it!!

MY BIRTHDAY

2008-11-21T01:03:00.000+08:00

Time flies! It's my birthday again!! I wasn't looking forward to my birthday at all. The more I've grown up, the more I prefer a quiet birthday. Just don't wanna remind myself how old I am. I wanna stay young!!

I've been thinking to buy something for myself but I haven't had time to shop around. And I don't really have any special birthday wishes. I have a lot of wishes normally :D Well just hope that I can do what I want and get I want to get. At least no need to worry about anything and no more hestitation!!

SASHIMI + HOTPOT + SHANGHAI CRAB + PY'S BELATED B-DAY PARTY

2008-11-15T00:16:00.001+08:00

Season for eating Shanghai Crab again!! I'd like to eat Shanghai Crab so I suggested to have party at FC's home. Since she is living alone now and we haven't been to her new flat yet so it would be great to have a fun party at her home. We have planned this for a long time and I have been looking forward to this day.

Thank you very much for FC!! She ordered the most expensive crabs and she billed her company!! :D We ordered some food in advance and the shop delivered to FC home's directly.

We ate the cold food first. The Hokkaido Scallops were very big and fresh!! I can't remember how many I ate!! And the salmon sashimi was delicous too!!

Then we ate the crabs!! FC is recovering from the surgery so she couldn't eat crab. What a shame!! It was very delicious!! We assumed each person eating 2 crabs but we ate one finally coz we were nearly half full after eating the sashimi and crabs.

The coming was hotpot. We had a lot of meat, dumpling and meat balls. Someone said she could eat 1lbs of beef by herself but of course finally she couldn't!! We left quite a lot of food!!

Finally we had dessert as well!! We bought a cake and a gift for PY! It was a surprised belated birthday party for her. She was a bit surprised!! It was crazy that we ate that much!! We ate from 7pm to 12am!! :P

PY got us some souvenirs from Okinawa. Bottles with sand and seashell. What make it special? Becoz the shape of the sand from Okinawa is star shape!! So amazing!!

HIGHSCHOOL MUSICAL 3: SENIOR YEAR

2008-11-09T00:58:00.001+08:00

After long day hiking yesterday, I feel like my legs are not mine today!! Serious muscles aching!! Ouch!! I knew that!! So I booked the foot reflexology already!! I didn't enough at all coz it was very painful when the massagist massaged my lower legs.

Then we watched High School Musical 3: Senior Year. I'm not high school girl anymore so I think it was a cute family movie. The musical and the plot were ok. This movie isn't too bad but not very good. Not as good as I expected but worth to watch on DVDs.

After movie we shopped around and I didn't expect to buy anything. But then I just saw a watch that I like and it was on sale!! I considered for a while and then I decided to buy it. Though I have few watches already, it is my birthday soon! It's not too bad to buy something for myself, right?

We then had dinner at The Mon. I have been thinking to try this restaurant but I didn't get chance. It is usually full. My Japanese colleague recommended it too so I guessed it wouldn't too bad.

We ordered some sushi, stone pot rice, skewers and cold noodles, they were so delicious!! No wonder why my Japanese colleague likes this restaurant. The food was really good!! We enjoyed a lot!! :)