back to reality :(

back to work this week and working a full 6-day week. not happy jan.. but such is life aint it? it's pass 1am and im still working (hard) in the office

therefore wont be posting till perhaps the weekend...

i cant believe my next flight out is next fri... damn quite soon gosh!

burger burger....

on the flight to hk this trip, i got kinda bored watching the blockbuster movies. i switched over to sum tv documentary introducing interesting food places in hk. the abv restuarant in causeway bay was featured. but the funny thing was, they did not mention the name of the restaurant nor its location. i had to google it and locate it on google map. wasnt hard tho...

so what's so special abt this place?

i ordered a softshell crab burger. yup u heard right. its the entire softshell crab in a burger!! and it tasted really good too. other stuff on the menu included conventional burgers like classic, bacon n cheese or cod fish and lobster burgers. price ranged btw 50-188 HKD (for the lobster burger).

after a chat with a friendly staff there (her name is Mina), we found out that they have been ard for approx 2 years. the restaurant is kinda small (seats abt 20) but bright and clean. beer is served onsite and they also have a frequent eater card. if your heart can take it, u'll get a free burger (up to 60 HKD) after u've consumed 10 in 3 mths! :D

u will need to know exactly where it is as it is not visible from the usual shopping areas. 7 carolinehill rd, causeway bay. http://www.burgeroom.com/

go look for it if ur ard the area and enjoy!

shen zhen

although ive been to hk quite a few times over the last few years, i have never ventured up north to shenzhen before...

after disucussing this long awaited trip with a few local friends, we were warned to be really really careful. basically 9 out of 10 pple gave negative reports. pick pockets, dirty streets, unruly locals..... ok, we get the idea, stay close tog at all times, look out for bandits and clutch at our belongings for dear life ALL the time.

after a day trip there, i can now say that either we were really lucky, or that it wasnt really that bad after all. maybe things have really improved or just the old saying, you can never be too careful...lol

the train trip was smooth, and as most visitors were either mainland or locals, there were hardly anyone at the alien queues. immigration customs were friendly and rather efficient once we figured out and completed all the necessary forms :D

shopping was not restricted to the large mall just abv the train station at lo wu (although u could still spend 1/2 the day there shopping n eating if u want), we did a short stroll to more shopping areas up north from the station and the local maps were easy to follow. the local MTR is rather convenient too as most of the larger malls are built ard these stations.

food is generally cheaper than in hk but getting good bargins will require great haggling skills. we briefly looked at a rather decent oakley backpack, not seriously buying one but just u know browsing. they offered us 480 RMB. we were hungry and went off looking for food.... the salesgirl shouted after us offering the same bag for 200 RMB and as we walked further away, 100 RMB! chris and i looked at each other in disbelief but somehow did not turn back....

as the local govt is quite strict with copy brands and pirated stuff, most are well hidden from the shoppers eyes. a small shop with just one or two bags n belts is just frontage for more `A goods`. friendly touts lined the narrow corridors of the malls and bring interested customers to special rooms for a `no obligation` viewing. no, we did not go :p

we saw the abv signage outside a roadside restaurant... we were den gently reminded that we were indeed in china. where they do eat (almost) everything and anything... animal lovers (fiona) will literally shut this shop down if she saw it.. lol

can u believe this is plane food?

its only when JAL joined OneWorld that i started flying with them (before i mostly flew with qantas, cathay pac, american airlines and sometimes SQ).

on a recent flight flying JAL back from tokyo to syd, i was presently surprised with the food they served on board. as usual, there were choices. this time i could choose between western or japanese. with the evidence abv, i reckon i'll never ever choose western....

seeing is believing; not only was the food exquisitely made and decorated, it tasted fantastic as well. u see the light brown rectangular wrap on the left of the chicken, that was how the steam rice was served... just amazing

best in the world!

what makes food around the world taste different? the air, water, pple making it? sometimes i wonder....

have u ever thought how can a big mac in NYC taste exactly the same as the one in HK for instance. apparently very strict rules on water temperature and imported ingredients etc? if anyone does know, pls kindly enlighten...

no matter where i go, i'll try to have some local asian noodles and they all taste different. although i must say that im not too picky with my food (just as long as it has not turned sour or passed its use by date), i still find the noodles in hk the best...

the noodles in the photo abv is on top of my must-eat list whenever i come to hk. its just a lil noodle shop right opp HMV in tst. go after 2pm for super specials. its 27 HKD for a 2 mixed meat noodle. plus 3 bucks for cold milk tea... yum... cheap and good!

ps. remember to ask for chilli oil and try not to drink the free tea provided.

east meets west

nowadays, anyone can be a professional photographer, i feel. armed with a digital SLR, its all now just about composition, lighting and subject matter isnt it?

armed with my D90 and looking through my newly acquired 60mm macro lens, it seems that this may be the best way to look at this east meets west, old meets new city from a different perspective..



i found this wet market after a short stroll from times sq at causeway bay. seeing these sights somehow reminded me of my childhood days visiting the wet markets back home with grandma.

maybe its winter the stench usually associated with wet markets somehow did not feature as strongly as i could remember.

zac efron

one of the perks of flying ard quite so much is that u could use the 1st lounge facilities even when flyin coach.....

i was only surprised he flew on his own with no bodyguards. to be honest and girls, no offense, he's really quite short and ordinary looking :p

qantas food

qantas has never been renowned for good food. in fact qantas has never been renowned for anything good :p (try to avoid all incoming flights from frankfurt at all costs)...

i was pleasantly surprised they served this onflight to hk... duck n noodles in broth. quite yummy..

happy new year :D

1st post of the new year. i guess this could also be my new years resolution..

hk has always been a mystical place for me. spending the 1st day of the decade here is indeed quite special. let me figure out this blog thingie and there'll be more posts i promise...