Hong Kong New Year Eve??!! Not Really...

We were so so so tire from yesterday all day walking and late night travelling from Shen Zhen. So much so we eventually started our day late today to Hong Kong.

And dad was nagging nonstop about it, for a while at least. Scary!!

Further more as we were based in Zhu Hai, we had to take a 1 hour ferry over to Hong Kong and guess what? The ticket per person per one directional trip was RMB120!!! Ouch, that was such expensive.

As we arrived at around noon time. We hurriedly walk around Jordan street looking for dim sum. That itself took us a while... and we stumbled over this

Snake delight shop (go figure yourself... kih kih)

And this... (written beautiful girls at attractive price)

Ah... finally found ourselve this nice big restaurant serving dim sum (local actually refer as YumChar).

And we eat these...

And I must say, only Hong Kong people know their Cantonese food the best. Not even us in Malaysia can claim to make dim sum better that this.

I mean, Char Siew chee cheong fun that has the Char Siew that is still tasting freshly barbecued, egg tarts pastry that melts in the mouth before you know, porridge that is so flavourful. I don't think we can find such offering easily anywhere else (hmmm... perhaps Hong Kong migrant infested places like Melbourne and Vancouver???).

It is great to know that food actually cost less here these days. For such scumptious meal, we paid like HK$140 or so only (USD45), which is of similar standard to Malaysia, I think. Heh...

After eating, begins our loooong walking... and shopping as well.

My sister was like shopping at Esprit in Tong Choi (Nui Yan) Road like crazy.

We passed by one shop along the Jordan street that sell steam milk custard dessert 双皮奶 and steam egg custard 炖蛋.

Seemed very popular as everyone is sharing table. But the price, gosh, cut throat. See the menu here and you decide yourself!

The dessert is okay, kinda like what we've expected. We ordered two steam milk and two steam egg, with milk tea for everyone, that itself cost us HK$130!!++

One thing I notice, small places like Hong Kong (and Venice I once read), land is scares and there are very few places to sit. If you want to sit, most likely you will have to go to a eating place to order something and sit. Even that, you can sit for too long, as there are other customers would like to have a chance on them as well!

I was hoping for an exciting count down in Hong Kong to year 2007, but our last ferry back to Zhu Hai was like 9.30PM (WHAT?!). So, we only manage to snap some pre-celebration Hong Kong skyline before going home.

And the Hong Kong Peninsula Hotel look gorgeous as ever.

Everyone started walking on the street nearby, as it was closed for new year eve celebration!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

Shenzhen 1-day rush! Part 2: City Walk Walk

What a big a beautiful city Shenzhen has turned into!

That was what sprung into my mind when we drove slowing into the city struggling through the bad traffic jams on a holiday weekend.

Shenzhen look so different as compare to 10 years ago when I was first here. The whole city used to be so dusty, but now after their effort trying to built oasis up in over night, Shenzhen look so sophisticated in her own way.

Tall buildings are everywhere, shopping malls dotted the city streets. Wow...

Before we went to the Eastern Gate, we stopped by at the opposite road finding ourselves landed at a local market.

Dad was particularly interested at the food people eat here, and so we found him buying Cantonese style roast pork here. The roast pigeon seemed nice too but we didn't order it.

As usual, these chinamen always sell something illegal. Animal furs!!!

As we walk a bit nearer to the Eastern gate, we found this big time distribution market distributing terrible things!!!!

While awhile ago I claimed that all the sharkfins restaurant served these days must've been a clone one, at here, as you can see... millions and millions of sharkfin all dried up and well packed ready to be shipped out to prospective buyers, e.g. the restaurant in Malaysia, who knows!

The fins are everywhere!!!!! Oh dear!!!!!

Apart from sharkfins, the seacucumber, starfishes, and seahorses met their creator here as well!!! We were busy with a pics, so much so eventually the security guard warn us to stop. Guess they know this business is not right!!!

Perhaps it is no more Sharkfin soup for me from now on!!! RIP to these poor sharks!!!

We then came to the Eastern Gate shopping street. People literally just hang around here, eating at the road side, window shopping mostly.

We follow suit on how people spent time here, by eating at the roadside standing too!

Sour spicy noodle - Shiok!

Cold koay teow peanut sauce - Yeek! Weird taste and vegetarian!

Walk walk walk... found a lot of branded wanna be

what the?!

Then went to the RBT (short form for Real Brew Tea) which serve my favorite bubble tea.

Nearby RBT was this famous old shop (renovated though) that sells the Lou Porr Peng 老婆饼(wife biscuit) and good selection of crispy egg rolls 蛋卷 too.

Nearby the RBT place, there is this one isolated corner selling puppies. They seemed cute aren't they?

This pomeranian cost RMB1500 (can be bargained for a lot less it seems).

After the previous episode with the Sharkfin, I really feel the China people are terrible. Thus I tend to think that these dogs here were not treated properly as well. Most likely from an ill-managed dog kennel that deserved my boycott!!! Besides, I wouldn't trust them, when behind those alleys, they still eat dogs. Can never trust Chinamen!!!

Shenzhen 1-day rush! Part 1: Windows of The World

It was lucky that we actually managed to book this van to get us up to Shenzhen. Apparently it gets really busy during year end festive season like this, so much so most place despite we were willing to offer to pay more, there is just no available van for us to hire.

And so, very early we were on the road again. Drove like 2 hours, with only stop on the petrol station along a brand new spanking highway - Sino Petrol! God knows what Sino means, but it is everywhere.

Then we arrived there, finding out the entrance charges to Windows of The World was like RMB120!!! per person. To be qualified for senior citizen, apparently you've got to be age of 65 and above!!! I am guessing that the china population is fast ageing, so much so if they'd follow Malaysia way at age of 55, they'd loose $$ a long time ago!

And so, we paid through our nose for 5 person and got in.

Kih kih kih...

As you can see here, it is really quite beautiful and nicely landscaped. One moment we were in Japan, another moment I was stomping onto Angkor Wat like a giant. Hmmm... was is that story Gulliver and the small smurfs? Err... something like that.

There are some surprise too when come to the India part. We found this small little entrance.

That leads to a life size relic temple!!

There are people trying to take fantasy like wedding pictures around, which somewhat became my dream to get married here too (unless Mark has better idea, e.g. getting married at a small church at somewhere remote Europe, gosh EXOTIC!).

Ok ok... lets get back to here...

So, here are some of the pics around the Park.

Later on, we were thinking of visiting the China version one, with all the famous place in China, only to find that the entrance is RMB120 AGAIN!!! Different thing is that, this time, there is hardly anyone that wants to go in there.

Since we decide to making this a pass we ended up sitting around waiting for the van to come pick us up. While waiting, there is really no one at all that pay to go into this park at all. Shame on them for being a bad business person! The last time I was there (10 years ago) I sort of find nothing too special about this other park. Things get a little under managed too.

Rushing over to Zhu Hai from Macau

All rush and no play make Dana a grumpy girl.

3a.m.!!! What were you doing at that time when I was awaken to rush to the LCCT???

6.30am was our flight to Macau this morning.

Upon arrival, we rush ourselves to the Macau border with Zhu Hai. Dad has decided to stay in Zhu Hai instead the hotels rate there are more affordable. Besides, for the places we want to go the next few days, Zhu Hai seemed more centralised for us to travel around.

We had simple dim sum breakfast at our hotel (Greenery Hotel, standard suite RMB280/night) which was nothing to shout about then found ourselves all knockout for whole afternoon after that.

When we were awake, it was almost 6pm. So we went to eat again, but this time at a Northern Cuisine restaurant.

Eating strange stuffs like this, century egg ala spicy sour salad style. Kih kih kih!!!

And of course, my favorite cumin seed tasting stir fry spicy beef, something the local call "toothpick beef". It named that way because they pricked the beef with toothpick before stirr frying so at the end the beef doesn't clump together.

With some luck, we found a fairly decent tour office way behind the Gong Bei bus station (Jiu Zhou International Travel Office). We booked ourselves a trip to Shen Zhen for next day at a reasonably priced chartered Hyundai van.

Trip to Southern China - Zhu Hai, Macau, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guang Dong

Macau, Zhu Hai, Hong Kong, Shen Zhen, Guang Zhou - All in 5 days! How did we all survived this ultra rush trip??!! Check it out!!

• Rushing over to Zhu Hai from Macau
• Shenzhen 1-day rush! Part 1: Windows of The World
• Shenzhen 1-day rush! Part 2: City Walk Walk
• Treasure Garden - Pan Yu 番禺宝墨园
• The Chan Clan Museum 广州市陈氏书院
• Guang Zhou West Han Nanyue King Museum 广州西汉南越王博物馆
• Five Goat Statue + Dinner at Er Sha Dao 二沙岛
• Catching Flight at Macau - Rushing Again!!!

• Meanwhile, don't forget to checkout all the pics as well! All the pictures throughout the trip has been uploaded to Flickr! at HERE

Panasonic Lumix FZ7 Flight Test - Putrajaya

Decided to head over to Putrajaya to really practice with my camera after work today. Fortunately the weather was excellent despite slight drizzling earlier on around Serdang area.

My brother recently too just bought his Panasonic Lumix FZ50. We two really had great deal of time finding out what our cameras can offer.

The Putrajaya Mosque from various angle

Practicing with various modes (Potraits, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority... blah blah blah)

Here are some great shots from today outing. Enjoy!

My first panning shot, still need more practice!

It was Late Spring 2000 in Melbourne...

October it might be, but I was already celebrating arrival of Summer holiday in Melbourne.

Ahhh... was scanning all my pics, and came across the pics of my first Great Ocean Road trip. I still remember it was the first time we rented car to drive on our own, and feeling all trembling yet exciting. Furthermore, the whole distance of the trip was more than 700km!

Gerard, my then uni friend was great, he drove us the whole time to these beautiful sceneries!

Then there were PY, Chui Li and Mun Sum, we were so young (erm, not that we are old now). We really laugh and played a lot throughout the trip.

When we came back towards the city, the sky was drizzling a little but the sunset had made us two big rainbow paralleling with each other.

Geez... I miss Melbourne, and Uni days too...

Congrats to Viv and Hubby!

Finally, had some time to blog about my best friend wedding. Tee hee...

Some friends follow my car down to Malacca the night before. Thus must definately make trip to eat the satay celup near Jalan Tengkera, on route to Masjid Tanah. Apparently the satay celup shop is moving to somewhere nearer to the highway toll soon. Guess will have to call them out to find out about that.

Went over to Century Mahkota where the bride put up a night there. Ahhh... she will be married off from here the next morning. We got busy discussing what games to play on the groom and his friend for next day. Kakakaka...

Well, next morning quickly went over there again to get all prepared (before the groom arrival that is).

The girls got the games prop all prepared here

In case you were wondering, yes, it is pringles laid with wasabi.

Who would've forgotten the games we played!

Waxing strip for punishment!!! Kakakaka...

Then come the traditional stuffs loh... tea ceremony at the bride place, then follow by at the groom's place.

As usual too, good girl friends must view the bride's photo album and giggling looking. Hehe...

At night we had a grand dinner at Renaissance Malacca.

The bride was mostly spending time the whole day trying to make herself looking beautiful, while the groom mostly waiting waiting waiting. But she is the bride mah, of course must look beautiful.

The whole dinner thingy was great! Half way through the dinner, everyone, uncle auntie started dancing away. Apparently the bride's mother in-law is of nyonya heritage. They did that traditional dance, and the whole atmosphere was very celebrative.

(p/s: Not bad for my lumix FZ7... been performing very well, though still need some practice in the indoor scene.)

Archiving Life Digitally

Since Sunday, am doin this archiving thingy. Was archiving my friend viv's wedding by editing her pics, make it into a photo album using Pixart. Then tried to make her a nice avi movie with all the pictures I've took for her on her wedding last saturday.

So, today took out all my pics, even those from old old time, and trying to archive them digitally as well. Gonna edit these scanned pictures with Picasa after that. Then will upload them to Flickr. The original, me think, I will stored them up in a big vacuum bag so they will last forever (I hope).

Hmmm... how strange, but my life is digitized from now on...

Off to Malacca Again!

A very close friend since Uni days is getting married tomorrow. So we one gang here back from Monash time decided to go down Malacca where her wedding is held. Gonna take loads of pictures with my Lumix FZ7 this time. Hope fully can get some nice pictures and make into a nice album for her, using Pixelart. Do tune in!

I love Malacca Chicken Rice Ball!

Gosh, it certainly has been ages since I ate that! Miss that savory taste of the rice, topped with sour spicy ginger homemade chilli sauce!

And guess who's my partner this time?

Chui Li, my model of course! :Þ

Don't ask me where to eat that, coz I only remember it is on the main street of Melaka Raya (newer part of town), same row with the 7 eleven, past the reflexology center. Try your luck!

Then of course, down with the cold icy Chendol dessert on Jonker Street.

It was a very short trip, but we found ourself a nice bunk at this Kancil Guest House.

With clean room and beds...

and very nicely decorated too!

Our model will demonstrate to you how leisure like this place can be!

Actually the wooden platform was full of ant crawling all over my leg.

Alas, a hammock!

We paid like RM40 per night for the room. Do expect no hot shower, and bring your own toilet roll too. No tv as well... heh.... but you get to meet cute friendly foreigners around here!

We found ourselves a new friend, with this Mexican girl backpacking alone to this small town. We had fun hanging out together the night before at Jonker Street. Later on we dropped her off at the airport before going home.

Must do more of this definately, Chilli agree??

• Kancil Guest House - http://machinta.com.sg/kancil/entrance.html