Saturday, June 04, 2005 1:02 AM
Finally managed to put up the photos and yes im here with the details for all 5 days and some of the significant incidents!!! First of all we all stayed in a hostel for the 4 nights and it's called Dragon Hostel in Mong Kwok. Stanley, the person-in-charge for the hostel is superbly good manx!!! Very helpful and thanx to him, we managed to find the yummy wife cake and nice and cheap dim sum.
1st Day - 15th May 2005
In the wee morning of Sunday, we woke up v v early and set off to HK. We reached HK at about 1030 but only managed to leave the airport at around 11plus cuz we were buying the Octopus card which functions similarly to our local EZ Link card.. so the familiarity of usage is there but the language is a stressful thing. haha... they converse in cantanose and none of us can speak fluent cantonese, some couldn't even understand. I can only try my best. Then we headed on to our hostel. Oh we took the airport express that was connected to the main MTR lines in HK. So cool.. the airport express is very comfortable. There's even a tv screen showing some info about HK such as the latest blockbusters in HK, weather conditions and other useful info. Here's a pic showing the progress of the journey. Something that you don't see in Spore.. Hehe. We alighted at Tsing Yi which is the second stop.
A pic of the journey metre
Then the terrible thing of locating our hostel is one big problem manx!!! Buildings in HK don't usually have their names placed outside the building.. like in Spore u can easily see the word Wisma Atria outside the building. That's the reason why we had a hard time finding our dear Sincere House. Will has to run many streets asking people where is Sincere House but stranglely, the Hongkies dun quite know the area well huh... And the rest gotta carry our luggages around, crossed the streets which are packed with human traffic and it was a Sunday you see, the crowd is inevitable. Oh while asking for directions, some people were really nasty manx... either they ignored us or pretended to know the direction but ended up leading us to the wrong way. What's more comical was that we actually waited outside Sincere House while Will asked around for directions. If only they have clear signboards for the buildings...
Anyway.. after unpacking in the hostel then we headed to The Peak via the tram!!! Woo.. spectacular view while on tram. It was all the way up to the hill top and it was really steep!!! But the view was splendid manx!!! So many HK drama serials were filmed there and reminded us of some of the nice shows.. haha.. especially JY who is our drama serials database. We visited the Madam Tussaud wax museum which is located at the Peak. Most of the wax figures resembled the real ones.. not that i have seen them in person but ya.. when u walked near them u feel excited u see... haha.. and some i felt abit scared especially the late ones liek Anita Mui, Leslie Chueng... hehe.. im timid la
Can you see the tram is behind me??
Our 1st grp pic taken in HK while waiting for the tram
On the tram
Felt like i was hugging my mum.. haha.. cuz my mum looked like Theresa Teng when she was young.
Moi dearest Andy Lau.. 
Singapore's father.. MM Lee.. Felt like holding the hands of moi grandpa...haha
We have great photography skills manx.. Taken while in the lift.. One and only shot..
Taken at The Peak. Isn't the scenery spectacular???
After that it began to drizzle and so we made our way back to Mong Kwok and started abit of the shopping. Most of us were rather tired by night time and decided to rest early for the day. But the fun continued in the hostel room. Haha... Me, JY and Will wrecked havoc in the room la.. and all of us got so crazy esp JY who went so high that she can't sleep.
2nd Day - 16th May 2005
Think i missed my bed too much. Couldn't fall asleep. Merely closed my eyes to rest and only got into deep sleep for like 2 hours. It was torturous manx!!! Oh and the Linkin Park songs that were playing from Will's laptop played a part in waking me up in the middle of the night la.. haha... It lasted till the 4th night before i finally slept deeply and comfortably. Next time i will bring my beloved pillow and teddy bear along to save me on my sleep. Haha...
Breakfast in HK comes in sets. And it was like HKD16 for a set of main course, egg+ham and a tea. I oredered something called Gong Zai Mian, which i thought would be something never tried in Spore cuz it sounded quite unique. In actual fact, it was instand noodle!!! Looks can be deceiving you know!!! Haha...
After breakfast, we headed to Tai-O in Lantau Island, an outlying island in HK. Took a 50min ferry and an hour bus ride before we got to Tai-O. Wanted to find the Big Buddha but i guessed we lost our way and didn't find it eventually.
Me and Louise on the ferry
Ping, Me and Jiayi.. where's the flash???
Me and the two accompanying guys... Will acting cool.. Bleh... Borrowed the Crslsberg beer from a stranger to pose..
Group pic on the ferry
Tai-O is a very rural village, specializing in producing prawn paste. Life there resembles the kampong lifestyle we used to have in Spore. Memories of the kampong life were so vivid when I visited Tai-O. If only life could be as slow and less competitive as in Tai-O where people can take their time to do their work, watch tv at leisure yet with better furnished houses than those in Tai-O, it will definitely be a pleasure. Life in Singapore is getting too stressful and competitve already.
"Swimming" in their house.. Quite dilapidated ar.. now you get what i mean by having better furnished houses
Hair salon in Tai-O... It's the residents' house also... Don't think they do rebonding there la
Supposed to capture the little boy relieving himself at the beachside but it's too small in the pic le.. Dere right smack in the middle of the pic
Evening sea view in Tai-O 
Caught eating some v sticky biscuit. Ended up very messy.. haa
All looking in different directions.. I was standing on this wheelbarrow or something like that which was v unstable.. Luckily there's Jiayi to support me.
In a little hut, taken using my tiny little tripod haha
It's the old old kind of bottled Sprite that we were drinking. Bought a bottle of Coke back to keep.
Almost at the end of Tai-O island already. Scenery was good and air was fresh
So we were ready to leave Tai-O. And it was an episode of emotional roller coaster ride. While waiting for the ferry to leave the terminal, Will turned around and said that he couldn't find my camera!!! Gosh, my heart skipped a beat and so many things were running through my mind while everyone searched their bags to find chances of misplacing my camera in their bags. Travel insurance, all the beautiful pics taken on this second day and many others ran through my mind all in that instance. I tried to keep myself calm and decided to alight from the ferry to search Tai-O. It will a tough search cuz there's no idea where i could have misplaced it. Finally i managed to think through the possible places and my first instinct was the bus on our way down to the ferry terminal. I ran to the bus interchange and Will told me that he thought i was a 100m sprinter. Haha.. too anxious already la.. Was trying to converse with the person-in-charge at the bus terminal and thank goodness when he asked me if it was a black pouch, i was SO SO SO relieved!!!! I was shivering upon hearing that and nearly drove me to tears la.. but too many people were watching me already, don't dare to cry out loudly haha... All the emotions uproar within a span of only 15min is enough to give me the shock of the day. I was sorry for making the rest of my frenx so worried with me. They said my face was v v black before i retrieved my camera. I was really sorry for making them worried. Didnt blame anyone for the loss except for myself. It's not Will's fault for failing to take care of my camera. In the first place I should have taken good care of my personal belongings and not be so lazy to leave it with him (though he volunteered to carry la..hehe) But still I didn't blame him at all cuz I trusted him that's why i left my belongings with him. Since that incident, we made it a point to carry out checks each time we leave a place. Haha.. that's good practice. However, i really regretted not thanking the honest driver who returned my camera to the terminal personally.
1st pic taken after retrival
2nd pic after retrieval
The shock didn't end in Tai-O!!! Haha.. more to come!!! It just wasn't my day la...We had dinner at this jap restaurant. While settling the bill, something comical happened. I had taken a 100 dollar note out from my pcoket and put in on the table to settle my share of dinner. But Ping paid the bill first. I forgot that i had given the 100 dollar note to Ping!!! Just so coincidental that Wenwei took out a 100 dollar note too!!! He was holding in his hand and i thought he was holding on to the 100 dollar note that i had earlier put it on the table. So natural of me to snatch it from his hand and gave it to Ping as my payment. Wenwei was shocked at what i did and Will stared at me too! Haha... when WW said that the 100 dollar is his, i insisted that it's mine! haha.. what ajoke when he said 'ok lo.. it's yours'. He didn't even want to explain himself. Thanks to Willie's stare that prompted me something - i had folded my 100 dollar note into fours but WW's 100 dollar is rather straight. So that's the deciding factor!!! I checked with Ping if i have paid her. After searching her pile of notes, she found my note that was folded into fours in her hand!!! haha... i had actually paid her la but i forgot!!! see so blur of me.. most comical is WW la.. he accepted the fact and happily let me snatched his note. Since then, i am labelled as the money-snatching woman. haha... don't mind the title la.. added fun to the trip too.. lol.. guess i hadn't gotten over the shock of my temporary loss of camera.
Later at night, we went to TImes Square and bought alot of skincare products and perfumes from Sasa. Godness i happily spent more than HKD1500 in Sasa. But more than half are actually for my mum. Her perfume cost nearly S$100 already lo...
The 3rd day was tiring for me again cuz i didn't sleep well the nite before though i was super super tired k, especially after the shocks. Had dim sum breakfast at Dao Xiang located along Nathan Road, n the same building as California Fitness Gym, the landmark there.. haha.. Food was superbly good and cheap lo. But then think i haven't had enough sleep for the past two nights and felt nauseous and stomach discomfort. Ended up vomitting in toilet. Thanks to Will for making a trip back to hostel to take my jacket, without it i would have fallen ill from the coldness in the shopping malls already. Our next stop was Wang Da Xian, a pretty famous temple in HK.
Devotees making their offerrings. Very ingenious way of placing their joss sticks in fruits.
After that, we went round shopping in many malls and streets. We simply travelled along the MTR line and alighted at any station where we can see shopping malls and places to shop. Went to some malls but the things there are rather ex. Only Will bought his shirt and pants in G2000 and bought a top for Louise as an early birthday present for her since she requested.
And we managed to spot a 'star' in HK!! She acted in Zhen Qing as the Gao Xiao Zhang. We were choosing ties for WW and Will in Tsim Sha Tsui and spotted her in the same stall. She was very friendly and even asked our opinion for ties. She even agreed to take photo with us. Haha.. not a very bright star but at least a star...
The 5th gracious lady from the right is Gao Xiao Zhang.
We went to the Red Carpet near the harbour to take photos. But so sad.. night mode requires a lot of skills and many of our photos didn't turn out too well. But the beautiful scenery will forever stay in my heart. Then we continued our search for Esprit factory outlet which sells very very cheap Esprit and Red Earth products. Finally after quite some time of asking for directions, we started our shopping spree!!! Guess the most rewarding one is Louise ba.. I didn't really buy alot cuz alot of the clothes i fancied don't have my size and i already have many Red Earth products at home already so no point buying the same thing. Managed to buy a pair of formal pants, a top and a shirt for my cousin Jordan. Pity WW and Will la.. cuz they practically accompanied us to take care of our belongings and waited for us to finish our spree. Really appreciate their patience and kindness and helpfulness for waiting and helping us carry bags of clothes.. hee
It was a day in Ocean Park. Haha... a must-go in HK. A combi of Bird Park, Underwater World, Zoo and Theme Park.
On the bus to Ocean Park
Piggy Sand
In the Souvenir shop
Now you see how casual i was 
Do we look like cheerleaders??
Took many exciting rides which were progressive in terms of the level of courage one needs. Our last ride was the free fall!! Woo.. was not scary at all. Had a splendid view at the top and it felt like flying while descending. Don't think i will ever committ suicide by jumping down from building .. haha
At the Free Fall
Eeveryone splitted up shopping after Ocean Park. I spent the evening with Jiayi at Temple Street and Woman Street which is just opposite our hostel haha.. so lucky!!! And i bought the yummy wife cakes from Heng Xiang and it was really good.. not too sweet, just nice for my taste bud cuz i don't have a very sweet tooth!!! But in the end it started raining in the night and everyone of us gotta cut short our shopping trip and returned to hostel. Some minor misunderstandings but glad that all was all resolved.
Farewell Day - 19th May 2005
Well well.. all things must end. We have come to the end of the trip. My sandals broke in the morning and i had to settle with my Betty Boops flip flop slippers for the rest of the day.. so funny to wear that with jeans haha.. and my hand luggage handle broke while at the airport.. haha.. too many things were broken la..
Anyway..morning was spent in the dim sum restuarant we had onthe 3rd day. This time i can enjoy the food le without vomitting and discomfort.. haha.. though we missed the morning breakfast dim sum price, lunch was still as cheap which came up to be about S$10/pax and we paid about S$6/pax for breakfast on the 3rd day even though the prices for lunch dishes are almost twice as much as breakfast prices. Great thanx to Stanley for the good recommendation. He recommended the wife cakes also.. haha
At the dim sum restuarant.. everyone looked tired
Our brunch
Willie posing for the special set meal that we prepared for Stanley, as an appreciation to him for being a good host.
Then out of nowhere WW went to find his dream girl but to end up in disappointment cuz Joan was on leave. Haha... Joan was a shop attendant at this gift shop and we happened to meet her and Flora, another shop attendant on our 2nd night in Mong Kwok Shopping Centre. The shop sells very unique bookmarks and gift items made of wood and Flora is the only one who can do engraving and with her artistic way of drawing and fine wokrmanship all turned out to be very very beautiful. Bought alot of bookmarks and Trina's birthday present from the shop. In the end, Will, WW, Ping and me bought so many gifts there and Flora gave us discount. We sort of made frens with her. So next time when she or Joan visit Spore, we will play host and bring them around. WW managed to get hold of Flora's email so that he can contact Joan. Wondering if he had taken action... haha...
Lady beside me is Flora
After that i made some last minute shopping in Women Street but ended up lost inthere. I was alone in the street and all the stalls looked the same. Kinda scary to be lost in the crowd especially in a foreign land. Thank goodness I figured my way and checked my bearing with some friendly policemen along the way. And i managed to get back to hostel in time to set off for the airport.
One final photo at the hostel, with Stanley (next to Willie)
Then it's time to set off for the airport. Our flight was delayed for almost an hour and eventually reached Singapore at midnight.
Final group pic at the Hong Kong International Airport
Well well.. all ended safely and happily. There were happy and also some unhappy incidents but all were resolved in time. Felt sorry for some of the comments i made. Whether you guys get to see this anot, I insisted in giving my thank you speech... Thanks for all the support from Jiayi, Ping, Louise, Willie and Wen Wei when my camera was lost. Will, it's really not your fault k. On the contrary, i gotta thank you for being a responsible personal maid... oh no no.. attendant for my belongings, a porter for all of us and being so patient and bully-able all the time... Bleh.. Thanks for waking me up in the morning even though waking me up is the toughest job. Thanks for compiling the pictures every night. And I didnt mean to keep things from you, just that i needed time to construct my thoughts coherently. Know you will not take it to heart right.. hee..
Sorry to WW for snatching your $$$. It's a classic joke and i am not forgived. Haaa.. Have been a great porter for us too!!! Feel really bad about it but nevertheless still appreciate it. Thanks WenWei!
To Ping and Louise, really enjoyed the lame jokes you all provided and it's the companion that i really appreciated.
To Jiayi.. really enjoyed the heart-to-heart talk we had at night while Will was deep in his sleep and got woken up by us at 4am. Haa... Really appreciate the advice you gave me that night. They served as reminder to me for the trip you know. Things in the future may be different from what I told you that night but i assure you that I will give it some serious thoughts. In fact, we all get to know each other better after this trip. On the whole, it was still a very happy and fruitful graduation trip.
