Down Memory Lane

I dug into a box of my old stuff and found these sketches I did on the scenery I saw around Turkey more than 10 years ago. These were done either on the tour bus or in the hotel room. They really brought back a lot of memories to me: the people on the same tour, the places we have been to, the food we have tasted, etc. I can still remember the content of the conversation with May Ling and Wai Yee by the poolside of one of the hotels on one starry night.

Fellow Orion Tour group members of more than 10 years ago, if you happen to read this, please drop me a line so that we can keep in touch again, ok? All of your email address didn't work years back.

I did them on envelopes provided in the hotel room and also the envelope given by the tour operator, as I found them stiffer and easier to sketch on them on a rocking tour bus.

One Night in Kowloon

We went across the straits one night, thinking of paying the deposit for the hotel room that we have booked for our stay in Kowloon. However, we ended up not paying for the room, but we did something else.

It took us quite a distance of walk from the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre to the Central Pier to take the ferry across the straits. Along the way, we encountered some interesting night scene of Hong Kong.

This pedestrian bridge looks like a tunnel for time travel.

This pedestrian bridge is just a pedestrian bridge.

We have finally arrived at the Central Pier.

There were not many passengers on the ferry at this hour.

We were supposed to pay the deposit for the room that we have booked at Jiun Long Hotel that Terri had recommended highly. However, we found that we were going to be charged the rate of the super deluxe room that Terri was paying but we would get a standard room. To cut the long story short, we left the hotel reception without paying anything. However, we were keeping our fingers crossed as most of the hotels we tried were either fully booked or too heavy on our pockets.

At the junction of Jordon Street and Temple Street.

That incidence didn't stop our spirit for the usual thing: hunting for food! We were recommended by the internet cafe that we tried to book for our accommodation for the dessert at this place at the juncture of Temple Street.

The dessert specialist.

We never failed at ordering the good stuff!

The double-boiled papaya in white fungus and almond nuts.

The black sesame paste which was really smooth to the mouth and tongue. It would have been nick-named Michael Jackson in Malaysia.

The bean curd drink with a hard-boiled egg. It would have been nick-named Michael Jackson also in Malaysia.

After we've finished gobbling up the desserts, it was already quite late. We walked towards the MTR station to take a train ride back to the Hong Hong Island, whilst surveying the roadside looking for space to accommodate us in case of failing in securing a hotel room.

The night was still young, for some.

We were wondering whether we could sleep in the MTR station.

What Say You?

I came across this book when I was browsing through the 'New Arrival' section at Popular Bookstore this evening. What caught my eyes was one of the quotes shown at the back cover: "Only women who are not pretty should be employed by the State Government, as these women would not be able to get rich husbands who can support them financially." I grabbed one copy immediately and paid at a discounted member price and I couldn't wait to read into the pages.

I found a page in which the politician was insulting all Malaysian men. How can a personal experience be implied across the board?

For all the Malaysian women who are still laughing, you are at no mercy of another Malaysian politician. When did Confucius say this? He has probably read the pirated Confucius book with the title "Confusion" without even knowing it! It will be interesting to hear his other quotes from this book "Confusion" that is impossible to find in ordinary bookstore. The bookstore he went to was probably operated by the piracy syndicate with members roaming Petaling Street and whispering to passersby: "Got special version, want?"

The Malaysia General Election is just less than two weeks from now, and I found a page which I find it unbelievable! One of the ruling political parties was commented to be operating outside of the Malaysian laws! I thought this exists in gangsterism only, but apparently it is worse than I thought.

Wordless Wednesday – Sunset at the Kuching International Airport

Mango Feast

There is a chain of outlets in Hong Kong that sells desserts, in which the mango desserts are their specialties. There is no English name available on the signboard, but the pronunciation of the Chinese words in Cantonese is Heoi Lau Saan (许留山). There are many Heoi Lau Saan outlets in Hong Kong, but be aware that there imitation shops that look similar, but I don't know whether the quality of food is the same. I even spotted one that's called Heoi Lau Sin (许留仙)! Did you notice that the last Chinese character looks almost similar?

It is very the red!

This was what I ordered, the mango pudding in mango juice with extra mango cubes topped with mango gelato (芒果神冰). I like the way they named it in Chinese!

I was half way through digging into my mango feast.

This was what my travel partners ordered, the black rice congee in coconut milk with mango juice and mango cubes.

We didn't stop at just mango desserts! We had a plate of the Teochew-style turnip rolls (潮式萝卜卷).

Those were still not all! We had the sweet glutinous rice balls too (糖不甩).

Clearing My Thoughts

I was thinking of having a photography outing with my Jedis for the sunset at Santubong beach but non of them was free yesterday, so it turned out to be a lone photography outing for me. The weather was good for the whole day, but during the evening, the thick rain clouds started to move in, so I decided to go to a nearer spot for sunset shooting and ended up at the deserted wharf at Pending.

It was raining cats and dogs when I first arrived, so I went for a joyride around that area while waiting for the rain to stop. The rain finally stopped after about 10 minutes and I drove in to that deserted wharf. There were quite a number of people doing their game fishing there, including a group of Korean kids.

Of late, there were quite a lot of things in my mind that really bothered me. My mind was just like the sun being blocked by the rain clouds. I couldn't see clearly.

Perhaps I've left my imagination running wild. It has drifted too far out. Why should I be bothered by the things that were really out of reach?

As I waited for the sunset, the fishing boats started to return home with their harvest. I told myself that I need to pull back all the thoughts that run wild, although there's zero harvest.

Sitting beside the people with their fishing rods, I patiently waited for the sun to set whereas the others patiently waited for the fishes to bite on their baits. As I witnessed the change in colour, I realised that nothing is in my control except myself. Why should I be bothered for the changes in other people? What is more important is my self-control, and that is going to determine my destiny.

This lone photography outing gave me the time and space that I really needed to clear out my mind. Under the gentle breeze that caressed my body and soul, I could see clearly through my thoughts. It is a clear picture now.