Back from Vacation!

I think this is probably the longest vacation I've ever taken. 17 days including weekends!

I met up with Jeff in Langkawi, Malaysia, where we got to see a bat cave and some really weird fishes including the arch fish that hop really high up from the water to eat!

Fish has a Turtle-like shell

I knew bats were real, but for some reason, there was always a part of me that thought bats were fictional until we saw them in the bat cave. Probably because it's not something you see everyday.
We also took a tour on lake to see the eagle cove. We've never seen so many eagles at once before. Jeff has better pictures on his camera..but can you find them?

I see 7 in this photo!

Next stop was Siem Reap, Cambodia!
We actually had a lot more fun in Cambodia. We rode horses and toured many temples in Ankor Wat. Hotel staff and waitstaff much better than those in Malaysia. As a reminder for being in SouthEast Asia, Jeff caught one of these in our hotel room!

Shortly after our Cambodia trip, we flew to Taipei and had our very first natural hot spring experience at 烏來溫泉 eating the tastiest wild pig sausages 山豬香腸 and hot spring soaked eggs 溫泉蛋! Saw the 烏來瀑布 and just ate LOTS of FOOD!

Legal Permanent Resident of HK

I finally picked up an updated smart HKID card today which basically has a microchip on it. So I am now officially a permanent resident of HK carrying a valid HK ID card!!! woot woot!

On another note.....this week flew by as I've actually had to work till 830pm for two days already. NOW! I'm all about VACAY baby!!!

Finally visited Grandma's grave

I finally made it out to see Grandma at her grave site. Been wanting to go see her for quite some time now but didn't know how to find her. I waited till Uncle Ming was free and this weekend, we finally made it out. I took the MTR to 紅磡 (Hung Hom), switched over to the blue line to 粉嶺 (Fanling). We then hopped on bus 273 to it last stop and then took a taxi up to the cemetery at 和合石. Grandma's site is at #2354. Now I won't forget!!!

We brought with us some money and clothes to burn and give to grandpa and grandma on the way. I followed and gave respect the way I was told by Uncle Ming.

On the way back to my apartment, I finally felt relieved to have paid my respect. I realized that I've missed her tremendously! She passed away at a time when I was caught up with work and could not take days off. I hope I didn't disappoint her as I too regretted not having made enough of an effort to attend the ceremony of her passing and funeral.

I started thinking about some really great childhood memories. The way she always loved to play and sing with her Guquin (古琴), she always had our favorite yogurt drinks (益力多) stocked in the fridge whenever we visited, and talked on and on and on about everything and everything...Grandma, to me, was a very strong, independent, and loving woman. Her latter years were rough. I hope she's now in heaven, in great comfort, and in peace with grandpa. She will forever have a place in my heart.
婆婆、我永遠的愛你！

As of this past Friday, I've lost the duel :-[

Too much food...

I realize that I've only been posting mostly food pics so here a change! A picture of Hong Kong from the top of a bridge in Wan Chai

So this is how I know I'm not young anymore! I did some squats with weights on Tuesday when we were off for labor day and today, my thighs are still a tad sore! Wednesday morning, my quad were so tight that I was wobbly when walking downhill or down steps on the way to work! Feeling good though, I've been consistently working out 3 times a week. Going to make my 3rd workout of the week tomorrow morning :-)

Lucky Desserts

Durian desserts - the durian was fresh but I realized I DO NOT like durian at all!!!

Some sort of black sesame with fresh mango and cream. Not the most presentable of all but is THE BEST dessert!!! DELICIOUSNESS!!!

This is fresh Mango wrapped in a crepe that's deep fried with powdered sugar to garnish it off. This one is ok for me.

I have been wanting to say...

I find that people of the younger generation to not be humble enough. The bankers are way too snobby and superficial IMO. I guess I enjoy being around people that are more down to earth as I do like to think that I'm the same...Definitely not liking the culture! The job opportunity would REALLY have to be VERY enticing for me to ever consider relocating. The opportunity was brought up to me by my boss recently and at this point, seriously ZERO chance!

The best meal so far in Causway Bay 銅鑼灣

This is at a seafood restaurant called Yuet Wah Hui 越華會 Seafood Restaurant. We had Pee-ing prawns, their famous fried tofu 黃金炸豆腐, clams 豉椒炒蜆,  oyster casserole 薑蔥生蠔煲, as well as spare ribs 沙拉骨.

 Conclusion? There's plenty of good food and a variety of cuisines available in Hong Kong but sometimes you just have to have enough people to be able to eat like this and try these many dishes. Double thumbs up for this place!

Yung Kee Roast Goose 鏞記燒鵝

Had some Yung Kee Roast Goose with Chi and her friends who were stopping by on their way to Japan. The place is famous for their Roast Goose but I honestly thought it was O...K... pricey for HK. It was..like $300 HKD pp. Again, I feel like in HK..cost of food has no correlation to quality and taste of the food. Nonetheless, I could at least say I tried. :-]