Hong Kong Trip Nov '09 (Macau)

Since we're not too interested to go shopping and we've covered most of the places I have planned, we decided to make a day trip to Macau on Day 3. We planned to go to Senado Square, Ruins of St Paul's (which is within walking distance) and visit their casino (only hubby of course, as I'll be taking care of the kids). So we thought we wouldn't have to spend the whole day there. We took our own sweet time having dim sum breakfast (eating dim sum is always time consuming).

We took the cab to Shun Tak Centre. By the time we bought the tickets at the TurboJET counter, it was almost 12:30 pm. It didn't cross our minds that the seats may be sold out. So many people going to Macau on a Monday afternoon? *scratch head* We got the 1:30 pm ferry. So we killed time at a coffee house. By the way, the ferry departs every 30 minutes although their website says every 15 minutes.

The journey takes 1 hour. I was warned by Olive that we may get seasickness but I didn't prepare any pills. Anyway, they do provide vomit bags. I got them ready in case the kids got nauseous. But they were okay coz they fell asleep soon after. The sea wasn't too choppy. It sometimes felt like you're going through thick clouds while flying in a plane. I didn't feel too good though. I suspect it was because I was hungry. :p

3 pm ~ From the ferry, we went straight to Senado Square by cab. The architecture in Macau is very different from Hong Kong. The place has a more cultural feel. After all, it's in UNESCO's World Heritage List. Ate at one of the restaurants there. We ordered wantan and fish ball noodles and tried the famous pork chop bun. Very tasty and yummy!

~ pork chop bun : comes with a big bone too ~

After our late lunch, we walked to Ruins of St Paul's where we took more pictures.

~ Ruins of St Paul's ~

Next stop, The Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel, a luxury hotel and casino resort in Macau owned by the Las Vegas Sands corporation. It houses the largest casino in the world. We found out there's a kids play zone so the kids can play while PaPa tried to get some "subsidy" for our trip. :D However he ended up making "donations". HAHAHA


It was so difficult to find the play zone. We kept asking for directions and I think we only found it half an hour later. Along the way at The Grand Canal Shoppes (mall with a Venetian theme), we did stop every now and then to take pictures.

Qube (similar to Kizsports) charges MOP90 per child for 2 hours. Each child can be accompanied by an adult. So for the 2 of them, it was almost RM80. It's money well spent coz the kids had a blasting time, I got to rest a bit (just have to follow them around) and PaPa got to explore the casino.

There are slides, climbing towers, computer games (free internet), pool tables, Wii games and a play area for smaller children (below 5). XY climbed high and low and tried all the slides. She was so daring she even tried the 90° slide (for a few times). Didi loved this particular big slide, that slides into a pool of balls. They went many many rounds of that, maybe 20 or more? I've lost count.

~ sliding down ~

~ into the pool of balls ~

~ covered in balls ~

~ climbing out ~

8+ pm ~ PaPa came to get us. After a drink at the food court, we went to the hotel concierge to buy the ferry tickets. The CotaiJet ticket counter is there. While lining up to buy the 10 pm ticket, didi declared that he wanted to do his "big business". So we had to take the 10:30 pm ferry. We took the free shuttle bus to the Taipa Ferry Terminal. The ferry ride is also an hour. By the time we reached Hong Kong (Shun Tak Centre), it was almost midnight already. And we've not even had dinner yet. :-| So we packed some nuggets and burgers from McDonald's and ate in the hotel room. What a loooong day!

Next up : Disneyland.

Annual Concert 2009

Let's take a break from the holiday posts. This is backdated as XY had her Annual Concert cum Graduation Night on 14 Nov 2009. My PILs were here to give support to their 2 grandchildren. This is the first time they attended the kids' concert.

As I've mentioned earlier, XY was the student emcee for the night. There was another emcee, a teacher. She gave the opening speech and took over whenever XY needed to be away -- to get ready to receive her graduation certificate and to change into her performance costume. Although she was reading from the paper, she didn't show any nervousness at all standing in front of such a big audience.

I know she can remember some parts of the speech by hard, especially the beginning where she introduced herself. I told her to say it without looking at the paper, to have eye contact with the audience but she totally forgot about it. Anyway, she did remember to look up once in awhile when she was reading from the paper. Overall, she did wonderfully and made us all so proud. As a token of appreciation, her principal gave her 2 story books on the last day of school (party day).

~ in her graduation robe ~

She was involved in two performances. She played the triangle in the percussion and her class dance was a kungfu dance.

~ in the changing room ~

~ walking out with the baskets at the beginning of the dance ~

~ kungfu dance ~

CH, my nephew who's in the Year 4 class, was selected to introduce his dance. He did a great job too. His speech was fluent and clear. And for the colouring contest held in school, he won the 2nd prize in his class.

~ CH giving the introduction to his dance ~

XY has really grown up. She'll be going to the BIG school next year. It'll be a new chapter for her (and us, the parents). Hopefully she'll adapt well to the new environment as she's been so pampered all these while. Have to start to hunt for school uniforms and bag soon. We've already bought the white shoes because she needed it for the concert. But will have to get another pair as spare. My little girl will be wearing the dark blue pinafore soon. How time flies! (Sorry, I just HAVE to say it. hahaha)

Hong Kong Trip Nov '09 (Attractions)

By the time we checked into the hotel room, it was already 3 pm. PaPa went out to buy some bread so we had a light tea-time in the room before going out to explore the city. It gets dark very early (6 pm) in Hong Kong. By 6:30 pm, it's total darkness.

Lan Kwai Fong (LKF)
We took the MTR to let the kids experience taking the train. From Causeway Bay station, we stopped at Central station and walked to LKF. On the way there, we saw a Crocs outlet. I knew the shoes are a little cheaper compared to our home country. For those above RM200, the price difference is bigger. Currently, they've having a promotion where you can be a member if you purchase above HKD800 and you're entitled to a 10% discount instantly (not for latest designs and cartoon designs though). We came out with 3 pairs. By the way, that's not the end of our Crocs purchase. hehehe

The place is not as happening as Bangsar. Not many people there although it was 6+ on a Saturday evening. Still too early?

~ a rather quiet Lan Kwai Fong ~

Repulse Bay
I checked the internet for some tour agency's itinerary. All of them included Repulse Bay as an attraction. So as tourists, we decided to go there as well. I know there's a temple (no joss sticks are allowed) with giant statues of Kuan Yin and other deities.

Surprisingly, the cab driver doesn't know about the temple and he dropped us off at The Repulse Bay, which "houses designer shops and award-winning restaurants and resembles the luxury hotel built in 1920 that originally occupied the site". We asked a guard and he didn't know either. We walked around that place as they were having a carnival. Then we spotted another guard. Luckily he was able to help us and directed us to the beach. The temple is just higher up along that beach. In my opinion, if you don't have time to waste, you can skip Repulse Bay. :D

~ the beach @ Repulse Bay ~

~ the temple @ Repulse Bay ~

The Peak
We took the Peak Tram. Bought tickets that included the Peak Tower Sky Terrace. It's the highest 360° viewing platform in Hong Kong. The view from the platform was magnificent. But very worried for the kids. The fencing is only about 4 feet high. Was holding tightly to didi and kept asking jie jie to stay next to me.

~ view from the Sky Terrace ~

~ sunset @ The Peak ~

~ the wok-like top : Peak Tower Sky Terrace ~

We didn't go into the wax museum (Madame Tussauds). Somehow we're not too interested to take pictures with "fake" famous people. hahaha Moreover, I'm sure the kids wouldn't appreciate it. Might as well save the money. :-) So we just took photos with Bruce Lee at the entrance.

Avenue of Stars & A Symphony of Lights
It was already dark when we reached Avenue of Stars. So we didn't see much of the handprints. The lighting show was quite interesting but spectacular? Not really. Maybe we didn't see it from the best angle. However the kids went "wah... wah...".

After that, we took the ferry back to Hong Kong island. We didn't explore much of Kowloon or the New Territories. That's the only time we stepped foot in Kowloon for the whole trip.

~ night view from Avenue of Stars ~

~ picture taken from the jetty ~

~ picture taken from the ferry ~

Big Buddha
After checking into Disneyland Hotel, our plan was to see the Big Buddha. It's on Lantau Island too. We took the MTR to Tung Chung (from Disneyland to Sunny Bay, then to Tung Chung). Must let the kids (us adults too) experience sitting in the train with Mickey ear windows. We didn't take the cable car (Ngong Ping 360) to the Ngong Ping Village (where the Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery is). Instead we took a cab. The road was hilly and winding.

~ Disneyland Resort line train ~

It was a mad rush coz we had late lunch in Tung Chung. And thanks to MY bad planning, we're running late. The Big Buddha closes at 6 pm and the last entry is 5:30 pm. The cab doesn't go all the way in to the gate. We had to walk in. Reached the entrance at about 5:40 and the guards were kind enough to let us in. So it was a quick climb up (268 steps!), took a few photos and we were shooed down shortly (already past their closing time). Didn't even get the chance to circle the platform. In less than 30 minutes, we're back on ground level again. Gosh, that was streneous!

~ steps leading up to Big Buddha ~

Po Lin Monastery also closes at 6 pm and the shops are closed too, it's like a dead place. As there's nothing else to do, we took a bus back to Tung Chung station. There are many factory outlets there so we walked around to kill time before dinner. Saw a Crocs outlet and went in to look see look see. They don't have many choices, mainly the old models. Some with limited sizes. But they're a very good bargain -- about half the price of what we're paying here. Moreover, I got an extra 5% discount as a member. So we left with another 3 pairs (1 for my nephew, WQ). Bought bigger sizes for the kids to keep but I made a mistake of getting a current size for didi. Sigh... his current one was just bought recently. All in all, we bought 6 pairs of Crocs, a crocs o-dial (for keeping handphone) and a packet of jibbitz for RM640. Quite good deal, no? :D

~ clockwise from top left : Baya Kids, Gabby Girls, Beach, crocs o-dial,
jibbitz, Dora Flowers Kids, Crocband and Santa Cruz Corduroy Men ~

~ United Colors of Benetton for jie jie ~

Also bought a long sleeve top and long pants for jie jie (about RM60). We went to a shopping paradise and came back with only Crocs and a pair of clothes. hahaha Seriously, it was no fun shopping with the kids. Can't look at things in peace. We didn't even go to any night markets. On the day we arrived, we went to check out Sogo, which was very near to Park Lane. They were having a Jumbo sale (that weekend was the last 2 days of sale). It was so crowded. We followed the crowd in, just walked one round and couldn't wait to get out. :p It's like things were free of charge!

Next up : Day trip in Macau.

Hong Kong Trip Nov '09 (Hotel & Food)

We were in Hong Kong from 21st to 27th November. Stayed 3 nights in Hong Kong island and 3 nights in Disneyland Hotel. We took the 9:15 am flight with MAS. Although the kids woke up at 6+, they didn't want to nap in the plane coz they were hooked on to the in-flight electronic games. Their batteries only ran out after breakfast and they napped for about an hour. The choice for breakfast was omelette with potato and sausage or nasi lemak. The food was quite yummy.

~ in-flight food ~

At Hong Kong airport, we bought four Octopus cards (for 2 adults and 2 children) as it can be used on MTRs and at selected merchants like 7-Eleven, Mannings (Guardian) and food outlets. We took a cab to our hotel, The Park Lane in Causeway Bay (HKD340). We travelled by cab most at the time as it's more convenient with young children. Although their MTR system is very efficient, the distance between the entrance/exit and the train itself can be quite far, especially for a 3 year-old. It's even worse when the little boy demanded to be carried. PaPa and I suffered backaches at the end of everyday (what a torture :p).

The hotel is strategically located, with shopping malls and food outlets nearby and the MTR station within 5-10 minutes walk. Our room overlooks the Victoria Park and has a partial sea view. It's quite spacious (by Hong Kong standard) -- big enough to fit a king-size bed, an extra single bed and a lazy chair.


Everywhere you look, there are high-rise buildings with large and small businesses such as a reseller hosting company. And they can be quite near to each other. Also there are many people on the street. It's usually very crowded, especially at intersections, where the pedestrians wait and cross the roads at the same time.

~ look at the amount of people on the street at 10+ at night ~

The weather was quite cold on the first few days. But it was very sunny when we were in Disneyland. I guess with the sudden change of temperature, lack of rest and insufficient water intake, it was hard not to fall sick. Luckily the kids only fell sick on day 5 and it was a mild case (didi had fever which went away after one dose of paracetamol). Thank you for all your well wishes. We are almost fully recovered already.

The air was also very dry. I washed didi's jeans and let it air-dry in the bathroom. It dried within a day. Our lips were dry and cracking. The skin too -- my hands are very rough now.

Hong Kong is a food haven but we didn't indulge much. Didn't particularly go in search for the famous and must-have food. We ate at odd hours most of the time -- late breakfast (after 10 am), late lunch (after 2 pm) and late dinner (after 9 pm). The servings are quite big so I usually order 2 portions to be shared among the kids and I. I really like their fish balls (nice and huge) and wantans (with big prawns). During the trip, we ate a lot of fish balls and wantan noodles coz these won't go wrong with the kids.

Here are some of the restaurants/shops we went to :

Tsui Wah ~ hor fun (flat rice noodles) soup with fish balls, fish cakes and wantans, hainanese chicken rice and pork chop udon soup. This restaurant is right opposite Yung Kee Restaurant, which is famous for roast goose. I read the reviews that it's overrated but their century eggs are really good. However, we don't fancy that so we went to Tsui Wah instead.

Café De Coral ~ fast food chain. Serves western and chinese food. It's like our Kim Gary or Wong Kok Char Chan Teng. Had American breakfast of toast, eggs and sausage, fried noodles, porridge and pau.

~ fried noodles in soy sauce : a bit dry ~

Hong Kong Day ~ stir-fried rice noodles with sliced beef (so-so only) and nissin noodle soup with ham and egg. This is one of the restaurants at The Peak Tower. We didn't go for those restaurants with a view. But I'm sure it'd be a memorable experience dining while overlooking the great view of Victoria Harbour.


Fung Shing Restaurant ~ dim sum. Their selection is quite different from what we have here. The bowl of porridge was really huge. And the glutinous rice is quite special, looked like a hamburger and it's fried. Don't like their fish balls though.


Jardine's Bazaar ~ this street has many local restaurants. Ate fish and pork porridge, sticky rice, pancake and fried rice.

Food Republic ~ food court in Tung Chung. We ordered fish ball hor fun, fried rice, braised pork (and braised what-nots) with rice.

Next up : Places we visited.

Dead Tired

Hello everybody! We're back from our 1-week holiday in Hong Kong. Apart from the fun and souvenir (very minimal) we brought back, we also came back with their virus. *sigh* Yup, all FOUR of us are sick -- with mild cough and/or runny nose. Didi had fever in Disneyland. Luckily it lasted only for one day. *phew* We all need lots of rest to recuperate.

So I'll still be MIA for awhile. Moreover, need some time to sort out the pics we took (almost 800 of them). I'll be visiting you soon (but at a slower pace yeah). Till then, you have a great weekend and Happy School Holidays!

Egg Lovers

The kids love eggs, especially jie jie. Every time we pass by Purple Cane (or any similar shops) in shopping malls, she'll ask us to buy the herbal eggs.

~ herbal eggs, 3 for RM2.50 ~

But they have different ways of eating. Jie jie will attack the egg yolk first as she loves the yolk. Even without soy sauce or gravy, the hard-boiled yolk is still very tasty to her. I don't usually finish the yolk because of cholesterol. So she always eyes on mine. :-) As for didi, he eats the egg white first. And leave the yolk for later. Well, at least he finishes up the whole egg.


I've made my own herbal eggs before, many many years ago. Just buy the ready-packed herbs. Will try that again when there are more people around to consume many eggs. At the meantime, buying from the shop is more convenient. *lazy bum talking* :-D

Final Progress Report In Kindy

I went to XY's kindy for Parent-Teacher's Day. Her teacher showed me her exam papers and discussed about her progress for the 2nd semester.
* She has no problems with her school work.
* She's very friendly and helpful.
* She likes to raise up questions in the class.

BUT...

* She's very slow in her work (writing and colouring). Her teacher raised her concern because when she enters Primary school, the teacher will write on the white/black board and if she copies too slowly, she may not know what she's required to do.
Note to self : Have to befriend her classmates' parents. So we can exchange information on homework, etc. :-)

* She's a bit confused in solving Mathematics problems -- additions and subtractions. Very careless sometimes.
Note to self : Have to practise more (but that can wait till next year lah :-D)

As for her exam, she got quite good results (as expected, since she got some help from her teachers) with 100% for English and the lowest, 89% for Science. Her teacher stressed that the exam is not really a measurement of anything. It just reflects how much they understand in class. I really like it that the kindy isn't too results-oriented.

She definitely deserves to be rewarded. Throughout her 3 years in kindy, she never gave us any problems. Time and again, she made us proud. We'll be going to Hong Kong Disneyland this school holiday. PaPa wanted to bring her there before she enters the "big" school next year. So that'll be considered her reward. hehehe She's very excited about the trip. Started to count the days already.