Looking Back Looking Ahead

It was like not so long ago that the whole earth was awash in a frenzy panic attack over the year 2000. Now 10 years have passed and the Millennium bug is gone. The earth is still around. I am still around. But I don’t know for how much longer. The earth I mean and I guess me along with it. The crazy weather; the crazier people destroying it bit by bit and the even crazier people with their nuclear weapon who might just nuke the world on a stupid ego trip.  Will the next 10 years see the end of the world as we know it today?

Okay let’s not look so far. Just look forward to the new year 2011. But first a small reflection on the year just passed. And by golly, I managed not to break any resolution. How about it! But then hor, I didn’t make any in the first place. Ha ha lame right?

2010 started with a bang before it fizzled out. A commitment to move to a new place but which somehow only materialized 9 months later. Like having a baby! And then I abandon my glasses after close to 40 years of wearing. So these are 2 big and good decisions that were made during the year. But other than that, there wasn’t much excitement. Maybe 2011 will be more interesting.

Now what can I do to make 2011 more interesting? Maybe a new Mistress? 

Wishing all my friends, readers and fellow bloggers a Blessed Prosperous and Healthy 2011.

Pierre Herme Chocolate

I love chocolate but I also stingy old man. Only eat Kit Kat, M&M and Kinder Buenos. Once in a blue moon, maybe Royce or some nice one from Sins or one of those little outlets in the mall. Definitely no Godiva or anything fancy. And then somebody gave me this.

A whole box of Pierre Herme chocolate. Specially flown in from France. How does it taste? Like chocolate lah!

What it is

 Okay those who post on Facebook, majority got it right. But partially though. It is a bottle opener and more. Though I don't understand why there is a need for this type of bottle opener. What if the cap is a different size? Carry multiple pieces of this opener?

Then what about the other part of the gadget. Is it just a handle? Does it serve any purpose?

Can you believe? It is a drink can tab opener!

Now why does anybody need something like this? What happen to the good old fingers?

What is this?

Trust the Japs to come up with all sort of weird gadgets.

Guess what is this use for?

Is it a

a) Drawing aid
b) Bubble Blowing Wand
c) Condom Wearing Device
d) None of the above?

Hong Kong 2010

Hongkong, Hongkong. What a place. After 3 visits, the Mrs is still not sick of the place. This time round we stayed in Tsim Tsai Chui, a slightly more high class area and the agenda  was shop, shop and shop.

So first day, walked along Nathan Rd to MongKok where Kelly managed to get a pair of trail shoes and some other stuff which left her in bliss. Food was dessert, noodle and dessert again!

Mongkok

Dessert after desserts

  2^nd day was Citigate where we bought shirts and more shirts before we went to Times Square where we hit jackpot and ended up with shoes and more shoes. We also had a very sumptuous lunch and discovered that not only is our Ms Kelly a big eater of egg tart, she was also a big eater of Chee Cheong Fun and we had 4 different type of Cheong Fun in addition to the usual dim sum! And that of course was followed by more shopping in the evening where the ladies bought more clothes and more shoes!

Times Square

3^rd day was when we decided to do the politically correct thing and visit a local tourist attraction and so we  went to Ocean Park. Yes no Disneyland for us. The highlight was the Panda of course. And we also discovered that Ms Kelly is a daredevil as she went for all the rides while the 3 of us cowardly stayed far far away!

 And of course we got to get our fixed of Hong Kong food like smelly tofu, the popular siew mai and fish ball and fried chee cheong fun.

4^th and final day and before we left for home, we went searching for the Avenue of Stars and discovered it was actually just a 10 minutes walk from our hotel. And we get to walk through the rather high end Canton Rd before we dragged ourselves back to hotel and our flight back to SG but of course not before buying more stuff for the folks back home.

Macau

Off for a short holiday in the sin city of Asia – Macau – the most profitable gambling city in the world. But that does not concern us since we were there not to gamble but to run. Yes we were there to participate in the Macau Galaxy International Marathon.

St Paul Wall

After a night of sleep and brekkie, we walked to the Olympic Stadium which was like 5 minutes from our hotel to collect our race pack. We were actually on Taipa, which was like a rural part of Macau and there was fresh air, very few people and traffic. But of course, being Singaporean, we had to go where the people are and after the collection, we took a cab over to the main Macau island itself for food and shopping. And notwithstanding that we were going to do a race the next day, we walked and shopped from 11am till 9 pm!

Giordano - all of 3 storey high

Church Wedding

Macau island is actually not very big. The main area of activity seems to be the bustling Sedano Square where all the shops are and where all the historical sites seem to be a short walk away. We visited the die die must visit St Paul’s Church, or what’s left of it plus 2 other churches and in the process gate crashed a wedding! There aren’t that many shops just the same old names found in Singapore and Hongkong, places like Giordano, Bossini, Starbucks, McDonalds but the differences is that these outlets are huge affairs here.

Portuguese Egg Tarts

Egg flour pancake

There were plenty of street food and we found out our traveling mate, was a glutton when it comes to Portuguese egg tarts. She practically bought one from each outlet that sell them! Then there was this long queue for some sort of pancake which turns out to be simply flour and cake and was a big disappointment.

The day ended with a desperate search for Portuguese food but we failed in the end being too lazy to travel further and ended up at a miserable joint eating such rather nice rice set but at the same time enduring the smoke from the other diners inside the café. 

We then managed to walk to the Casinos area but actually we were looking for a cab to take us back and somehow ended in the casino district. But we only managed to see 2 hotels before a cab came along and end of sight seeing.

Next day, after the race, took the ferry to Hongkong and thus ended our trip to Sin City without us stepping foot into any casino. What a bummer!

Cats and Dogs

2 more pile of shit at exactly the same spot and on consecutive days. Now I understand why HDB ban cats.

Maybe I should complain to the HDB about the cats the floor below. But then do HDB take away the cats and cull them or just give the owner a warning? I certainly do not want to cause the death of the cats. And do I want to make an enemy of the folks downstair and get into all sort of problems with them thereafter?

[Sighed] If only Toby is a more ferocious dog. Then he can bark and chase away the cat. But the little coward only dare to bark at other animals on the telly. See a real animal and he goes and hide. [shake head].

Put up a trap for the cat and thereafter..... hmmmmmmmmmm