I really wonder how you feel on these nights so alone

“life will be better in spring”

Wednesday, January 28, 2009 || 9:48 PM

Today seems to be like a short day.

I woke up at 6.30am to prepare for relief teaching. thank god i managed to get a smart class today, otherwise i will be shouting like crazy. i counted the average number of times i raised my voice.

Guess how many times I shouted?

3?

4?

no, its 7.

thats why i tend to speak louder than usual some times. :p circumstances forced me so.

and after school, i headed straight home to SLEEP. it's very exhausted after teaching though it lasted only half a day. after my power nap, i went to BBDC for my usual driving lesson. when i got there, very few cars were in the circuit. obviously everyone were still in their CNY mood. and my bo liao instructor said that i was equally as bo liao as him to drive today. no more hangbaos to collect already ma. He taught me all my stage 3 practical and i'm actually done by an hour earlier. in the end, we proceeded to the road and just drove around.

recently it seems like time is running faster than me. Juggling between studies, relief teaching, tuition, driving and frisbee trainings really drain my stamina away. not only that, other obligations, and problems are taking my precious seconds away. definitely there are many others who may have more commitments than i do. really envious of those who are able to manage their time well.

i missed those times when i can have my own personal moments. i enjoy reading books in the wee hours, or sipping a cup of coffee in a cafe, reflecting my own thoughts, and penning them down.

time waits for no man.

how true is that.

Saturday, January 24, 2009 || 10:18 PM

Childhood memories:
my mum started digging things from the storeroom when she was clearing the unwanted stuffs from there. and i found my toys!

these are the toys that i usually play with when i was a kid:

these were known as playhouse in the past, which there will be some little characters for you to play with. from left is a house for polly pockets and the other 2 are houses for forever friends. i never like barbie dolls and dolls that can blink their movable eyeballs since young; i thought it was pretty eerie and disgusting. now those dolls just remind me of chunky.

let's look at the interior:

i like the former interior most. when i was a child, i would play with the little characters, bringing them to their living room, putting them to bed.

there's still a toilet in the playhouse, so cute right?

my mum is not going to throw these toys away; since she likes it so much too, she's going to put those toys in my living room, as a form of decoration. muahaha.

asking if i have wonderful childhood memories. i do have, and most of my memorable moments were created in school. thats why since young i love school(but now i dont), because there would be friends playing with me blind mice or crocodile game during recess.

As i get older, i totally agree with this sentence from superman "with greater power comes with greater responsibilities".

Wednesday, January 21, 2009 || 3:16 PM

Prawning session:

At Sin Ming Ave, near the golf course

for our dear birthday girl, Linnet :)

Preparing to slice the cake for everyone (such a pity i wasnt good at slicing cakes)

one more group picture with our dear photographer, desmond!

our 1st prawn! its a group effort by us

one of the brainy student amongst us, Joyce with her 1st prawn!

it's cheryl's turn too :), what's zhicao doing?!?!

such a pity we do not have any barbeque session photos cos that was one of our most exciting part of the event. nevertheless, it was really fun to prawn. really need to polish my prawning techniques, since i only caught 2 within 3 hours.

Teaching:

yesterday went for relief teaching for the 2nd time.

coincidentally, i get to relief classes that some of my tuition kids were in. seeing one of them got into the 3rd best class made me felt relieved, that i did help my kids to improve. but still, he is still as naughty as usual.

sadly, one of my student who is always getting top for his english language got into one of the bottom classes. i asked him for his grades but he hesitated a little. i instantly knew that he didnt score to my expectations; i felt somewhat upset.

another student, whom i have taught him last year for a few math lessons was in that weaker class too. seeing his current attitude breaks my heart. although he may be a disobedient boy, he would listen to me and was very enthusiastic, asking me how to solve math problems. but now, he behaves like one gangster, always quarrel with his classmates, and provokes some of them. if he couldnt control his temper, he would start using his fist.

i asked him what pissed him off(of course i dont use such coarse language to question him), he told me he cant wait to push them(his classmates) into coffins.

"you were not like that, i remembered"

" i am always like that"

"No, you're not"

"i am, or maybe they forced me to"

and smiled wryly.

i just kept looking at him helplessly, while he smiled to himself.

that class was really chaotic; i had no choice but to punish the whole class to stand.

what would you do if he is your student?

Monday, January 19, 2009 || 10:03 PM

Part 2:

(for u okay! dun say me buddy never do my recommendations!)

after our wanton mee, we went to the dessert shop next to the wanton mee shophouse. you see, we are just gluttons.

the lady who cooks the desserts was pretty friendly; she quickly took all the pails of dessert away from our table and set our chairs for us when she hasnt officially open her stall. Hongkong desserts are a must, otherwise dont tell others that you've been to hongkong. the almond paste is not too sweet, and tasted really good, especially when its cold.

Must try: Almond paste (cold), tang yuan
How to go: Jordan MTR, right next to the wanton mee shophouse(see previous post)

next up is Gui Ling Gao. Hongkongers believed that Gui Ling Gao is nutritious and its 'liang' in chinese. i didnt eat that; this bowl of Gui Ling Gao belongs to my friend. Please Please Please, DO NOT EAT GUI LING GAO! its an act of cruelty towards turtles!
but still, if you truly believe that Gui Ling Gao works wonders to your health, go and eat then. i am not going to tell you where this shophouse is, humph.

DIM SUM! Patricia initially didnt want to eat dim sum since we can eat it in Singapore. but hey, its different! we went to this restaurant that is located in a building next to our hotel. this restaurant doesnt specialised in dim sum; pat just accomodated me cos i really want to eat dim sum. if you go earlier than 10am, most of the customers there were elderly. really, youngsters dont wake up that early.

what dim sum to order?
1. Haa Gao (prawn dumpling)
2. Custard Bun (omg, the custard just flow out of the bun when you bite it!)
3. Beancurd skin with prawn
4. egg tart(shiok when its hot!)
5. XO carrot cake
6. Centrury egg porridge

wont ask you to eat there, but if you insist on the address,

how to go: Jordan MTR exit C, beside Shammrock Hotel, highest level
Must try: Custard bun

Pat and i got extremely tired after shopping around temple. and that time was around half past 12. we settled down at this dessert shop and their watermelon sago is really good. the coconut is so thick in flavour and mixes well with the sweetness of watermelon.

how to go: Temple street exit A, near place where eateries that sell live seafood

we ate at this posh restaurant in a building opposite Lingham Place. we were deciding between this restaurant and cafe de coral. and girls, just go to this restaurant cos the waiters there are so handsome :)

how to go: opposite Lingham place, Mongkok MTR

Soyabean milk:

You can practically see Vitasoy dominating every corner of Hongkong, as if Coca Cola dominating the entire USA. as an avid lover of soyamilk and vitasoy, i tried their hot original vitasoy. it really warms your stomach, especially if you are walking in such a cold weather. they've 3 flavours: Original, Malt and the last one i cant remember.

Must try: hot original vitasoy
how to go: purchase at any convenient outlets

i will upload photos about my prawning experience soon, after i've taken the resized photos from desmond :)

my current eye condition has improved tremendously, after the consultant has provided me with my 2nd eye drops. my left eye now will only blur at times. hope it will heal completely so that i can flick my frisbee.

feel very proud of myself today; managed to pass 3 lessons at 1 go in one driving lesson. i know i am not very steady with my driving compared to others; but this is my greatest step forward! learnt vertical parking, slope and E brake :)

Driving test date :23rd March 2009

Aim: pass at 1st attempt

Sunday, January 18, 2009 || 10:18 PM

i felt it was a pity not to display food photos that i've taken(because i took almost every photo of the food that i consumed). and i also believe people may be bored reading about my hongkong posts if i continue to talk day 3 onwards.

but isnt there's some chinese proverb that we should share our joy together (you fu tong xiang)?

so share my joy with me:)

Must-try-breakfast, look at the photos and you will know.

Apparently, this Australia Dairy Co. was filled with Hongkongers. and boy, these people really ate fast and ordering had to be fast too. everything there were fast, fast and fast. love their toast and macaroni! their toast was toasted very lightly, and goes very well with margarine. breakfast set was worth the price: 1 bowl of macaroni with ham, 1 set of toast and scrambled eggs, and milk tea.
Must try: Breakfast Set HKD24, and Fresh Milk HK15
How to go: Jordan MTR exit C , and walk about 5 mins

Cafe De Coral:

Cafe de Coral is everywhere in Hongkong, seriously a common household brand to them. the left picture was my friend's lunch. we were really hungry after shopping in Central. Pork Chop burger bun is toasted till it's so crispy when you bite it. tastes like baguette. Yum Yum!

Must try: Pork Chop Burger
How to go: its everywhere, so once you see the signboard, just go in.

Luxurious Dinner@ Bubba Gump

Willing to pay your dinner at a higher price for a exquisite place from Victoria Peak? Would like to have the best view to see the entire landscape of Hongkong?
Eat at this restaurant then, they sell mainly western food and serving is damn gigantic. and you may get to see some pretty babes too(that is why my guy friends went there twice)

Must try: anything that is related to prawns
how to go: Victoria Peak

Average meal @ Victoria Peak

for some who are less willing to splurge on food, you may go to this cafe on the 2nd floor(sorry i cant remember the name of the cafe) for your dinner. The serving is pretty large and it's enough to satisfy your stomach(but not enough for your tastebuds). the price there is like Swensens.

How to go:Victoria Peak, 2nd floor, outside Madamme Tussands Museum.

Messed up but QUALITY wanton mee:

Really glad that i stayed in Jordan area; there's simply too many good food to try. this wanton mee shophouse only opens after 12pm and before its opened, many customers were so ready to queue. i remembered that time we were unable to find this shophouse and we dont even know how to pronounce the shophouse's name. asking any passer-by around and they will guide you to this place.

I simply love the wanton; the prawn in the wanton in Singapore is so much smaller compared to Hongkong. i bet the prawns in our wantons were suffering from malnutrition. though they simply just chunk the noodles in the soup, and the noodles were too springy to our liking, the wanton and the soup are enough to bowl you over.

Must try: Wanton mee
How to go: Jordan MTR, near Australian Dairy Co. go only after 12pm

okay i have to stop here cos there's too much to go!

there's still part 2 :)

now you know why i keep complaining that i've gained weight?

Wednesday, January 14, 2009 || 10:40 PM

school's been busy these days. busy celebrating friends' birthday. :)

there's too many january babies seriously!

on the 11th was Zhi Cao's birthday. my projectmates and i decided to give him a surprise on the 10th, after our commercial law lecture. its was a pretty hasty decision; we only planned on friday itself and quickly got a chocolate cake for cao cao from bangawan solo. but i still prefer mango cake :p.

today is Linnet's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY LINNET!

the girls and i had some planning for her birthday a week ago. choosing present for her was difficult, cos we dont really know what she needs, except that her pencilbox is pretty old. thanks to joyce's observant trait, we managed to something useful for her, hopes she will use it with care.

coincidentally we had our prawning session at sim ming avenue. and this linnet ah, last minute told us that she was coming early. and i quickly had to think of plan B to prevent her from discovering our plot. i'm really glad that she likes the surprise we gave her.

Prawning requires lotsa patience; and seriously, i need to cultivate that, who ask i'm such a kan-chiong person. i only managed to catch 2 prawns at about 9plus, when our prawning session ended at 10pm. i dont what's wrong with me; it's just a prawn and i am screaming like mad, even though the prawn wasnt me who caught it. i was afraid of the prawn wriggling its legs(is it call legs anyway?) and it struggling frantically. rarrr, need to curb this phobia of mine. zhi cao, mj, desmond and edward who caught damn alot of prawns for us were the experienced catchers.

we managed to enjoy our bbq dinner at 10pm. we had many prawns to savour, but seriously, its still expensive if you were to calculate per prawn! but anyway, like desmond said, the experience is priceless :) and we all got home at about 12plus.

CNY is coming and as usual, its baking pineapple tarts time:

pineapple filling; i hate to roll it with my hands cos its damn sticky.

ready to be baked!

dont forget to brush the pastry with egg yoke

you need artistic skills to cut the tracing paper too ;)

Management accounting lecture and driving lesson tomorrow.

Thursday, January 08, 2009 || 10:13 PM

Thanks to everyone who is concerned about my left eye! I hope i will recover soon too :)

here's the update:

the lab results of my eye is out.

yesterday i went for my 2nd checkup and this time was a different specialist. i am currently in charged by him now.

he yesterday decided to take a sample from my eye. so how is he going to scrap it?

he dripped some antiseptic eye drops into my eye.

he took a needle and got himself ready to poke my pupil.

i was so damn frightened by the needle. i even repeated after him when he asked the nurse for the needle. i was so nervous. Dr Loh asked the nurse to push my head towards the eye equipment so that he can scrap my eye nicely.

he held onto my eyelid and was ready to use that awful needle to scrap my eye. at that moment my brain was screaming with fear. i know the antiseptic drop will numb my pupil but still, i couldnt help feeling scared. there's no one to accompany me or something. all along was only me who went to SGH. sometimes i was pretty envious of those kids having their parents with them.

he scrapped 4 parts of my eyeball; the top and bottom, left and right. i felt so relieved after the scrapping process was over.

as i got back home, my vision was terribly even more blurred and streams of tears were flowing out from my left eye. passer bys who stared at me thought i was crying. my eye felt as if many needles were piercing through it.

today right after lunch, i went back to see the lab results.

it is caused by a parasite known as Microsporidia that can be found in the soil.

"Microsporidia spread through spores, which can be ingested or inhaled or enter through the eye. They may spread from person to person or through contact with an animal. Inside the body, the spores pierce a cell and inject it with material that becomes spores. The cell eventually ruptures, releasing the spores. The spores then spread throughout the body, causing inflammation, or are excreted in the breath, stool, or urine."
-- http://www.merck.com

stupid spores. my eye is not a nest for you to breed okay. no wonder there are spots in my pupil.

today the girls and i had a theme to our 1st day of school: wearing either stockings or leggings to school. did anyone notices our similarity anyways? muahaha. we may have our next theme soon :)

Saturday, January 03, 2009 || 11:49 AM

i've just came back from National Eye Care Centre from SGH to check out my eye condition. it has been persistently red for a the past 5 days. my mother was more afraid than me. i was worried too since there's a red ring around my left pupil.

when its finally my turn (i came at 8am but i had to wait for 2hours), i was called into the room. this ophthalmologist in his early 30s looks pretty knowledgable, and very soft spoken. so soft spoken that i sometimes cant really hear him. he seems very gentle and well-mannered. and his name is SUNNY, same as my father. muahaha.

the associate consultant analysed and told me that its a bacterium from can be found from mud. and it is a 'special bacterium'. omg. scare me to death, special bacterium??

' ya, its only been found out recently that this bacterium causes harm to the eyes. especially affects NS boys who needs to be in mud for a long time.'

the only horrifying mud experience for me was when i was playing frisbee and i fell down in a pool of mud, and mud entered my mouth(see previous post). i was totally drenched in mud.

'we have to check out your condition and if it further deterioriates, we may need to scrap some coulture from your eye'

SCRAP?? how do you scrap my eyeball??

:(

'anyway, you may consider lasik since you're still young. maybe you can do it when you're 21.'

hmmm. i did consider lasik since my degree is pretty high and i think i look better without wearing spectacles. maybe i can ask my dad to sponsor my lasik surgery for my 21st birthday?

they took photos of my pupil and cornea and collected my antibiotic eye drop. looks like i couldnt wear contact lenses for the time being.

i have not made my new year resolutions yet, and hope i can follow them:

1. get HD for at least 2 subjects
2. spend less $$ and save more $$
3. spend more time with family
4. read newspapers everyday
5.learn how to use photoshop properly--who can teach me?
6. improve my digitial photography techniques
7. cultivate a healthier diet
8.(i know some of my friends may kill me) lose 2kg-- i just want to go back to my old weight!
9. try to be on time
10. improve my baking skills