Travel: Hong Kong

this post is very very long overdued. hongkong trip was like half a year ago.. i'm so sorry for the un-updated blog for so long. yes i've been lazy. and my co-owner has been unmotivated cos of me. so anyway my travel review for hongkong..

this is my 2nd time to hk but im still loving it so much! there's just so much to talk about hongkong i've no idea where to start. if i were to blog about everything i love about hongkong, the post will be never-ending. i'm sure there are many travel blogs and forums about hongkong online with the same praises for hongkong's shopping, food and the common attractions. shall talk about some of the highlights during my trip from the experience of a budget student traveller.

taking the afternoon 3.30pm budget flight, i arrive at 7pm in hongkong. headed to Ah Shan Hostel (Room 1406, Sincere Hse, 83 Argyle St Mong Kok, Kowloon Hong Kong) by the Airport Bus A21. had alittle difficulty trying to find the hostel. but we eventually arrive at the minimalistic hostel. albeit being squeesy, the hostel was fully equipped. in our puny room, there were 2 beds, a television, airconditioner, a little fridge, attached toilet. pretty comfortable =) quite a good deal for approx S$28 per night.

after dropping our stuff, we headed out to roam the night streets of Hong Kong. and of course, the first street food we had was the most awesome AH TU MIAN XIAN near our hostel. i declare it the best street food in Hong Kong! and yes, you probably guess it, we visited that shop every day. my daily bowl of mian xian =)

roamed the streets and the various night market. actually, the night market stalls eventually all look similar with many repeated stalls. of all the streets, i guess Fa Yuen street was one of the better ones. Fa Yuen street is also known as the sports street with many sports stalls as well as all kinds of sports footwear. the guys will love this street.

one thing i like most about hongkong is the night buzz. it's like at 12am in the night, the streets still seem to be buzzing with activities and there are many 24hrs eateries still open! indeed spoilt for choice to go for supper.

how can one go to hong kong without having the authentic dim sum! yes, had dim sum for breakfast the next day. the scene at the dim sum restaurant was rather similar to those we see on hongkong dramas. the crowd seems rather old though. we were probably the youngest customers around. perhaps cos it was a weekday morning and young adults have to work!

after a fulfilling breakfast, once again roam around hongkong. this time to explore the various malls. all the big popular brands can be found in hongkong; personally not a very brand conscious shopper so the shops didnt quite appeal to me. but i went crazy at H&M!! it's really the best shopping store in hong kong!! H&M rocks socks! the one at tsim sha tsui is new and the biggest in hongkong! go check it out yo! haha i came out of the store with a big hole burnt in the pocket =/

if you like people watching and being around good looking people, you definitely have to check out Lan Kwai Fong. i think all the best dressed in hongkong all flock to that place. it's like Singapore's clarke quay and dempsey combined but ten times better. it's where all the clubs and pubs are. i felt so self conscious and out of place in my adidas jacket, ugly denim jeans and sports shoes. so yup didn't try the clubs nor did i hang out very long there. but i'm definitely heading back there again the next time i go to hongkong!

For sightseeing places, besides the common attractions like The Peak (don't really advise you to go in april when i went. cos it was super misty up there. i couldnt see a thing :( ) and Repulse Bay, another place you can go would be seeing Hong Kong's longest bridge, Tsing Ma Bridge. personally, if you are not a big fan of large bodies of water or majestic bridges, then save your time and money, don't go there. there's nothing much there except a magnificient view of the bridge. it's pretty inaccessible though, waited pretty long to get a cab. oh a caution of advice: don't take the wrong MTR line! i took the airport express instead of the normal line and thus ended up paying HKD 30 for that trip =/ heart pain!

next, if you have an extra day, take a ferry and drop by Macau. Macau to hongkong is like Batam to singapore :) just a ferry ride across. but i'll leave Macau to another post =)

i guess that's about all my memory can do for hong kong now.. so after 4 days of the canto goodness, i took the 20hrs KTM train from Kowloon to Shanghai and that's altogether an experience worthy of another post =)

Happy Mother's Day!

Thinking of the old cliché "we always hurt the one we the love the most" truly believing that all is forgiven... Mom's tough she can handle it... Mom knows deep down that I really don't mean it... well, Mom's don't know that.


Mom's need to be exalted...not trodden upon. God loves us enough that we are personally given an earthly Guardian Angel. Think about this for a moment... allow the monumental impact of that statement to sink in and all that encompasses. The one person that will always love you no matter what. As we get older we don't think we need Mom quite as much as we did before and sometimes we think we don't need her input at all... What does she know? She's behind the times. If the truth be known and we really take the time to look at it... Mom still knows pretty much more than we do. She is the crone that has gone before us ... experienced pretty much what we are going through now ourselves. Maybe we feel times have changed and many Moms have not faced the extreme challenges that so many of the younger generation is facing now ... like drugs, the extreme peer pressure of joining a gang ...male or female, but all the same the challenges were pretty much the same when she was growing up only in another format ...drinking, smoking, sex, guarding your reputation and with a lot more condemnation than is going on in 2009. The point is Mom has lots of knowledge and lots experience for you to tap into and to honor.

Everyone has a mother, and our favorite pets and animals are no exception. One Mother's day story that is particularly meaningful takes place on a little farm on a faraway island. The farmer raised sheep, and every spring they gave birth to their little lambs. One special ewe was named Ma. Ma was an old ewe, and had been a favorite of the farmer for several years. On this particular year, Ma was likely to give birth to three or even four lambs, as was her custom. She wouldn't eat, and was nervously pawing the stable bedding, so the farmer know that the birth was eminent. He put her in a private small stall, made sure she was comfortable, and then went inside for his dinner. While he was away, Ma gave birth. There were complications, and by the time the farmer returned, two of the lambs were dead, but a third was on the way. Eventually, a final lamb was born. A tiny ram lamb, a wispy little thing. Too little to stay out in the cold, the farmer whisked him away to the warmest room of his home, where he put him in a box that was lined with the softest towel he owned.

The farmer checked on the little lamb throughout the night. By morning, the lamb was hungry and ready to return to Ma. But alas, during the course of the night the farmer's beloved Ma had died. The tiny lamb was now an orphan. Try as the farmer might, over the next few days he tried to get some of his other ewes who had recently given birth to adopt the little lamb, but to no avail. He would get butted away, and he was sad. So, the farmer named him Boubouki, which is Greek for "Rosebud," and gave him four bottles of milk everyday. He grew big and strong. At the start, he lived in the house, and in the evening the farmer would let him lay on his lap while he listened to the radio. Boubouki was fond of jazz, the farmer discovered. Eventually Boubouki became the ram for the herd. In this way Ma continued to live on, through her son. The farmer often thought of Ma when he looked at Boubouki, and he thanked her for giving him the best ram he ever had.

Remember ...

God loves us enough that we are personally given an earthly Guardian Angel...

One of God's greatest gifts to us.

Latest in town: Red Wine umbrella

Wondering what's this exactly?


It is not only a pretty bottle but a pretty umbrella when you open the top of the bottle and pull it out. It is also a kind of unique bottle you could not only put the umbrella inside, but also pull the rope out and hang it as a ornament if you so wish. The bottle is a watertight one. No leakage, even if you put the umbrella inside. It is a nice choice as well when you present this as a interesting gift, especially to your mums. I'm sure mummys would love this new creation. The unique designs are as below: (there could be more but these are the ones i see)

The above is the lover series

This apparently is one of a kind. one colour. My personal favourite.

O% series. They have it in white, black, green, blue. Pretty much the basic colours. Very chic. Apprently, this is their firest series. The first generation

Another one of a kind. Cute. They have other cartoon ones as well.

Anyone like oriental stuff. Well, this would suit you.
They also have it in the pirate series. They have it in light yellow, bright yellow. pale blue and green. This is their 4th series.

I actually saw tuch umbrella in a shorter version. Like a Sigg bottle, with the hook and all. But i personally feel that it is not as pretty as the wine bottle ones. And ladies, if you're worries abt the weight, don't be, it's not as heavy as it might look. I'm so tempted to collect the whole series!! And no, you don't have to order online or anything.. it's already in Singapore!

Fleakerofhope

Hi girls, i know this is a little late but there will be a flea marlet@ HomeClub on the 9th of May from 12 - 9pm! And Fleakerofhope flea is one of the stalls.

Item for sales will only be avail online after the flea, available at
http://ilovescarletroom.blogspot.com/

There will be alot of limited pieces sourced from overseas as well as Manufactured items.

And this is a preview of what's going to be there! =) Hopefully i catch some late sleepers around.

Recipe: Wild Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:

• 40g butter
• 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
• 250g fresh mushrooms (Portobello, white and brown button), sliced
• 600ml water
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 1 potato, medium size, peeled and diced
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1/4 cup white cooking wine
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Add the butter to a large pot and melt over medium heat
2. Add theonion and cook until soft
3. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes.
4. Add water, stock cube, potatoes and parsley.
5. Add white cooking wine.
   Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for about 15 minutes.
   Puree the mixture in a blender or food processor.
6. Leave about 200 ml of mixture un-pureed, so that can get to eat the mushroom chunks.
7. Return mixture to the pot. Season with salt and pepper, and stir.

If possible, toast bread and spread whatever you want on it. Like maybe garlic spread or something. It will taste nicer. I'm never a fan of very creamy soups. I prefer wild mushroom soup, especially those dark coloured ones. so imagine my delight when i found this recipe. No more campbelle mushroom soup!!

Recipe: Apple with Pork Ribs soup

Need I sae more about the ingredients? the name of the soup says it all. Seriously, soup making can be really easy and tasty and this one in particular, is very refreshing.

Ingredients:

1. 2-3 Red Apples
2. 1 onion, cut in chunks
3. Pork Ribs or shoulder meat
4. 6 red dates

Instructions:

1. Blanch the pork ribs, drain and run under cold water, to get rid of the fats
2. Cut the apples and the onions
3. Put everything into the pot to boil. Slow cooker even better because can boil until meat soft soft and all the flavour in. Yummy!

I love having fruits in soup. See how we mix them and what kind. This is sort of a cooling soup. Very suitable for the hot weather now and for people who are stressed in exams. LIKE ME. haha.. so sorry if this blog is lacking of posts. Try to get a few entries up here and there. dun give up on us yea! =)

Online Shopping: Vogue-armadio

Came across this website selling footwear. Ladies, do check it out if interested.

www.vogue-armadio.blogspot.com