Heigh Ho

Ng Tung Chai Waterfalls. November 26, 2011. Hidden somewhere in the New Territories. We joined the HKBU Mountaineering Association because our friend Mikee Lee told us it would be a good idea to join them on their hikes. Glad we followed his advice since we got to see this waterfall with them. It was a pretty long hike (maybe not for pro hikers but for lampa me, it was long and high). We went to the different points of the waterfall (bottom fall, middle fall, high fall?) The place was good, the water was cool and the falls were making loud but peaceful noises. It was nice to just sit down on a nice looking rock and watch the water fall.

Lamma Island. October 9, 2011. Our first trip with the mountaineering association but we ended up with Dong and Bernie (our favorite Austrians). We ran into them in the beach and decided to tag along with them. We hiked into this “path”. It really wasn’t a path. I remember we stopped at this viewing pavilion, saw the beach and Bernie said “Okay, I think we can go down here.” And so we did, and really fought against vines and tall grasses. Again, panicky me thought we were lost and we wanted to go back but a few more steps (made possible with Bernie’s determination), we found this quite strip of beach with few people. Wisdom earned. Haha. I was not prepared to swim, and there was no shade in that peaceful strip and so I stayed under Dong’s umbrella. Of course.A few weeks later, we came back with Jihed, Melissa, Chloe and Pierre. This time prepared with our swimsuits but I decided not to swim because there was something strange in the water. So, instead, I bought this bubble thing and spread bubbles in that beach and we played Uno cards. Three days well spent! 

P.S. Kathleen and I never got this hiking gear right. First time we hiked, we had our shoulder bags. Second time we hiked, we borrowed a backpack but the place turned out to be a beach, not really something you’d want a backpack for. In fact, a girl from the mountaineering club came wearing a long sheer skirt. Turned out she was more prepared than us. Plus, I didn’t get to bring a swimsuit because didn’t think I could swim. Third time, prepared but decided not to swim. Fourth time (waterfalls), we thought shoulder bags would be fine again. We were wrong. We thought maybe we would need swimsuits this time. We were wrong. Again. The place was cold and nobody planned to bathe in the river. So yeah. I’m pretty sure there’s a lesson there somewhere but I haven’t gotten to figuring that out yet. Hoho.

It’s the climb.

Wine and Cheese

Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival. October 29, 2011. So this festival is this pretty huge fair or expo of different wine brands from different countries, also lots of cheese varieties (a looot), really cute bakeries and others (e.g. dumplings and lechon). A lot of the vendors were foreigners and the fair is  actually sort of divided according to country (if I remember correctly). There were also live performances in one part of the place and people everywhere had wine glasses and doing some serious wining and dining. You can buy wine tokens for HK$10 each which gets you one glass of wine of your choice (any type of wine in the fair). Some wines require you to give two wine tokens but since we were with our beautiful friend Melissa who charmed a lot of vendors, we got away with using just one for all our wine choices. Haha. I learned three things that night.

One. I know nothing about cheese. All I know are cheddar and mozzarella and maybe some other cheese in Yellow Cab‘s four cheese pizza but apparently there’s so much more to life than just those four cheeses! Haha. Melissa bought this meal with melted Raclette all over it (fifth picture). It was so good. I was so amused with the half of cheese being heated from below and this French chef scraping off the gooey Raclette of the cheese ball to the bread and cold cuts and everything else in that French meal. I bought another French meal, a smaller one with no Raclette. I don’t remember what cheese was included there but it was also very good. Glad I tried it!

I learned later on that Asians come from a lactose intolerant race. And maybe that’s why we’re not so big on cheese compared to Europeans. I later got to try cheese from Melissa’s hometown (I can’t remember what it’s called, I’ll ask later) and cheese from Holland! So many cheeses and in so many forms. Good to know, good to know.

Two. You can injure people with some French bread. I forgot what bread we took home for Jihed but I just remember it’s so hard. It’s really good but it’s hard. We took turns pinching off the bread when we got back to the dorms. I only ate a few pinches but I went to bed pretty full. No wonder most of them say that the ‘white bread’ (aka Tasty) is not real bread because it has “nothing” inside compared to their rock hard bread. They’re kidding of course but now I get why they can get through most of the day with just eating bread.

Three. I do not like real wine. They taste so bitter and pasty and strange. I mean I feel the authenticity of the wine (haha) but it was really strong. I think I have to attend some hardcore training or wine appreciation courses so I’d understand why these things are so expensive and well, how you can tell different brands/countries of origins apart. They all tasted the same to me. At the end of that night, I still preferred cheap ol’ Novelino to those wines.

Going to that festival was a great experience! Learned a lot, tasted a lot of new things and felt so cultured. Even though I didn’t like the wine, I loved the cheese and the different pastries! I would love to try more food expos/fairs here and around the world. Mercato or Binondo, anyone?

Rule # 32: Enjoy the little things.

Hong Kong Halloween

Who knew I would have my big Halloween dream in Hong Kong? Haha. I didn’t get to Trick-or-Treat. That ship has probably sailed for me 5 years ago anyway. At least, I got to dress up and scream and laugh and do these awesome things instead.

Ocean Park Halloween Bash. October 19, 2011. Early halloween spent in Ocean Park where they had many haunted houses with really scary characters walking around and scaring you like a pro. We also got to try out some rides inside the park which I could handle much more than the haunted houses. Haha.

Yang Hall Haunted House. October 24, 2011. My dorm hall (Yang) has this annual haunted houses set up in our residence halls. Their costumes and make up were pretty good. And, as I get scared very easily, I kept my head down while walking through the houses, just like what I did in Ocean Park.

Halloween at LKF. October 31, 2011. Now this was another experience altogether. From the MTR station, the place was already packed. There were so many people, the guards had to divert the people to another exit and the whole walk to Lan Kwai Fong took an hour long. (Note: It takes two minutes if the usual exit was open.) I felt like we were entering a concert that did not pre-sell tickets and everyone was hoping for a spot. It’s not as bad as it sounds, though, so many people had interesting costumes. Some went all out for this, like the first guy on the first picture. There were a lot of groups like this and they really were scaring people in the line. They were pretty good, even better than the Ocean Park people. When we finally got to the district itself, it was dancing and taking pictures with the most interesting costumes on the street. Awesome Halloween night.

Will you be Pocahontas or sexy Pocahontas?

Escapist

Another photo album post! I hope you don’t mind. 

They say the best things in life are free, right? Well these two pretty places were free and both were beautiful and definitely worth spending two Saturdays for. Both situated in busy districts but both successful in maintaining their serene atmosphere.

Nan Lian Garden, Diamond Hill. October 8, 2011. It’s a beautiful garden that follows Tang dynasty architecture (according to discoverhongkong.com) and it covers 3.5 hectares. Aside from rocks, lakes, small waterfalls, the place has small museums, galleries, restaurants and it also has this huge temple. We arrived at the temple after it closed but we still got to see the beautiful path and ponds leading up to it. There’s something wonderfully strange about the fact that behind the traditional Chinese buildings, gardens and lakes you see skyscrapers surrounding the tranquil place which, I think, makes it a lot more admirable.

Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery, Sha Tin. November 25, 2011. Another Saturday spent exploring the New Territories. As you may have guessed from the title and the pictures, the place has thousands of Buddha statues with different forms and actions. The place was pretty high and you had to climb up steps lined with these Buddhas which lead to more temples above. My favorite is the temple with the thousands of small Buddhas (third picture). They all have little lights which makes it seem like a thousand little golden candles flickering from outside the temple. The place had more statues that my pictures can show; the name of the place does not lie.

The more you immerse yourself in the beauty of the world, the more beautiful you become.

Boom Badoom Boom Bass

# 1 Seek out the beauty in everything and everyone! Time to think positive (again). I am now convinced that wherever you are, you will find something beautiful and worth sharing about – which I know applies to people as well. I need to make extra effort to see the good in everyone. Nothing is simply black or white and it’s all a matter of perspective.

# 2 Not care what people think or say about me. Exception if these people are friends or family who actually know me and care what happens to me. Cheesy sounding and super cliche but well I have to keep it in mind always. How many times have I been prevented from doing something because I might get stabbed (figuratively and literally hoho) when I did something which was perfectly harmless and only concerns myself? The goal is to lessen that. It could be the last year, you know (hopefully not), so why bother thinking about insignificant things? In the words of Joe in Princess Diaries, “Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.”. More importantly, in the words of Bon Jovi, “It’s my life. It’s now or never. I ain’t gonna live forever. I just wanna live while I’m alive. It’s my life. My heart is like an open highway. Like Frankie said, I did it my way. I just wanna live while I’m alive ’cause it’s my life.” Powerful words, right there.

# 3 Be less pusong bato. So a lot of people know/think I have a heart of a rock (but I cry in seconds). I don’t know why. There are certain things I hate being/appearing emotional about, especially stuff that don’t directly concern me. I could be very selfish when I think it’s reasonable. But then I realized the value of sympathizing more, mostly when I watched 100 Days to Heaven and saw how alike I am with the lead and sided with her often in her ‘misdeeds’ (funny but true), so yes, time to change. Just because something is correct objectively (or legally in the show’s case), doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do. I need to be more giving of myself, less materialistic and be a lot more sensitive. This is going to be a challenging year. Haha.

And of course, the mini-resolutions:

a) Drink more water. I’ve improved a lot in 2011 already, especially since it was one of my resolutions last year; but I need to be more consistent. I realized I drink a lot already when I’m at home but not when I’m in school. So, time to drink a lot of water all the time.

b) Maximize my planner. I always buy planners with many lines and many little boxes for Things-to-Do, etc. but I never really get to write much in them. This year I bought a simpler planner but I hope I still get to actually write the things before they happen.

c) Continue to blog. My goal this year (although the upcoming semester is known to be the hardest evaah) is to write one post a week, or at least one every two weeks. I’m really liking wordpress which  hopefully is enough incentive to continue blogging here.

d) Read the newspaper and world map. I’ve finally realized these two are obligatory.

2011 has been one of the best years ever. It was full of blessings, dreams coming true and moments of pure bliss. Let’s go 2012, I know it keeps getting better and better. (Already thinking positive and it’s not yet 2012, you go Timmy!)

Hong Kong National Day, Tsim Sha Tsui. October 1, 2011. Blindly following a huge crowd resembling a mass migration and climbing over metal barricades to get the perfect view while wearing skirt and wedges led me, Melissa and Kathleen to witness a breathtaking fireworks display: really big colorful circles radiating from dots in the night sky.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! MAY IT BE FILLED WITH LOVE AND PEACE! Carpe diem!

I’ve done it before, I can do it again.

East met East

Chinese Calligraphy Workshop (Global Cafe). October 4, 2011. The international office organizes “Global Cafe’s” every other week where we get to do some interesting things and get to meet interesting people. My favorite one is definitely this calligraphy workshop because I’ve always wanted to try it out. I originally had calligraphy as one of my subjects until I found out the Arts Campus was four train stations away and it was at 8:30 in the morning. But still, God is good, I at least got to try it out here. And well, I sucked. Honestly. Haha. Veronique (from Beijing) gave and wrote me a Chinese name, which I’m holding up with her above, which means love China. (True that.)

Chinese Dumpling Wrapping Competition. October 26, 2011. One of the activities during the International Festival was a dumpling making competition! We had a Global Cafe before that taught us how to make them (though I missed most of it and only caught up to the eating part). We made awesomely shaped dumplings, as you can see. And, we made choco-banana dumplings. Yes, you read that right. We had mashed bananas and nutella inside those dumplings. What is innovation? Hoho. We sold our dumplings to the judges as “East meets West”. We didn’t win because the other teams had fancy presentation skilzz and the meat probably tasted better, but still, we love each other! Points for teamwork!

I’ve got the moves like Jagger.

Make-Believe Reality

Hong Kong Disneyland, Sunny Bay. December 2, 2011. Spent Kathleen’s 19th Birthday in Hong Kong Disneyland. This is my first Disneyland experience ever and I know people criticize this particular park because it’s so small compared to others. But that day was awesome, and I’m posting this ahead of others I should share purely because I want to share the awesomeness. Haha. Well, basically we rode rides (funny sounding), watched shows and the parade, took tons of pictures, smiled and laughed a lot. The day was filled with rainbows and butterflies and magic. Seriously. So, I shall share my favorite parts which made me feel like I’m living a fairytale. (Corny, toink, pagbigyan.)

Orchestra at Main Street, USA. Just a few seconds after entering the park and reading the sign “Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy”, I hear orchestra music and they’re playing the Pirates of the Carribean theme song. The orchestra was from a high school in Singapore and I assume they were invited to play. It was pretty awesome and it gave me goosebumps. I’ve always liked intense classical music and that was pretty intense for me. I kept saying in my head (and at times out loud), “Something’s coming now!!! Some turn of events has happened and it’s just about to get exciting”. Haha, nerdy. Well, it definitely placed my expectations in the right place. That day was just about to get exciting and… magical.

Space Mountain, Tomorrowland. So, I have never been the bravest one in any group. Sad to say. ) I usually skipped out on Jungle  Log Jam and Space Shuttle in EK. And yes yes I know Space Mountain is still not a rollercoaster and is probably not scary for most people. But yes, I was pretty scared both times we rode it but the lights were awesome. What’s even more awesome is my sweet sweet Melissa suddenly had this monstrous voice (I call it her exorcist voice) because she was as terrified as me. At least, I’m proud to say my screams, though lasting throughout the whole ride, resembled my voice and did not turn into some scary-ass sound. Haha.

Flights of Fantasy Parade, Main Street, USA. I knew there were parades and mascots and everything in Disneyland but I would’ve never guessed I would be standing with one leg on a lamp post with the other leg kneeling on a trash can just to see the show. I’m not trying to be cheesy but Disneyland really does bring out the child in you. I was happy, more of, ecstatic when I saw the mascots and the other performers in costume with the Disney songs I’ve always loved. I guess you never really outgrow these things. Plus, the floats were really awesome with the trampolines and the waving princesses and everything.

Festival of the Lion King, Theater in the Wild. I honestly wasn’t that excited to see the show. I wanted to just try out all the rides instead of watching shows which I thought were for kids. I imagined magicians and hosts saying “Hey kids, meet Simba” stuff like that. When I heard the ever famous Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba, however, I knew I was wrong. The show was awesome, it gave me goosebumps, brought me to a higher high and even made me tear up when I saw this girl dancing on ropes and everything while Can You Feel the Love Tonight? played. These people seriously know how to amaze crowds. Awesome awesome show.

The Golden Mickeys, Storybook Theater. We almost did not make the last showing because we lined up for a picture with Woody and Jessie. But thank God, we made it. So, the show started out in Chinese with subtitles projected beside the stage. I thought it was going to be like that the whole show. Mascots plus a host plus video clips projected on the screen. Once more, I’ve underestimated the show because suddenly different production numbers featuring the less “trademark” Disney shows came out. I loved everything except Mulan. We were expecting a lot from it because we all love it and watched it in the dorms together but it was just okay. I loved the production of Little Mermaid, the jellyfish were awesome and of course Ariel floating in the stage was awesome. It really looked like the sea. The finale was of course the best. It was Beauty and the Beast and the stage was exactly as I remembered it in my huge storybook before. Plus, the ‘transformation’ of the beast was awesome. It was so cheesy; and so perfect.

Mad Hatter Tea Cups, Fantasyland. I’ve always wanted to try a teacup ride. I always see it in movies but in EK, there’s none and that’s the only amusement park I’ve been to. So, I was so excited to try this one and I wanted to spin really fast. And we did. And it was awesome. The whole view was just trippy. With the lights swirling like crazy, everything else was darkness and in front of me I see Jihed getting crazier and crazier as we spun the cup. Awesome moments.

Ice and Fire, Main Street, USA. And so, after the teacups we just went back to Main Street to look at some souvenirs and to grab some food. As we went out the bakery, white stuff started coming out of the roofs of the stores. I just stared and said, “Ooooooh is it snooo-oow?” and our friends who are so used to it were just laughing at us. And yes it was snow, artificially made yes, but still snow. Haha. Those minutes were really priceless. I was already in this super high high and then show literally starts coming down from everywhere. It was night and really cold with colored lights illuminating everything in a dreamlike fashion. It was one of those moments I just had to pause and take everything in, this was awesome, this has been awesome and I can always just go back to this night and I know I will remember how I felt. This is how you create moments, again, respect Disney, respect. After getting over the snow (well not really, just a little bit), I went inside to buy a shirt then came out for the fireworks display. Melissa and I were separated from the rest, so we came out to the fireworks display with I’ll Make a Man Out of You playing in the background. And just as I thought, the night couldn’t get any more surreal, it did. This song is one of our favorite songs (Melissa, Jihed, Kathleen and mine) and we have been singing it throughout the day as we desperately tried to look for Mulan-themed stuff. We sang it in English and they sang it in French while people stared at us. We’re cool that way. Haha. I was freezing already this time so I just watched the whole show while hugging Melissa. Cheesy moment again, but, I would have never imagined myself watching a fireworks display with Mulan playing in the background and with snow on my head while hugging a French girl who has been so much more of a friend than I hoped for.

And so, ladies and gentlemen, these have been the highlights of my Hong Kong Disneyland experience. I don’t care if the Disneyland in Paris and the ones in the US are so much bigger and are so much ‘more worth it’ as people said, because as I had learned that day, it’s not about the rides or the size of the park – it’s about the people you’re with and the experience you get to share with them. Okay, maybe it’s also a little bit about Disney’s impeccable showmanship (hoho), but still. It was the perfect day with the most wonderful people in a magical place. It did seem like fantasy at times, but at least I know, even when it’s time to say goodbye, these people have been a part of my life and I will forever be thankful for being with them and this, along with the countless other memories we created, I know I will remember forever.

Note: Sorry for the extra cheese (even my title is extra cheesy), we started saying goodbye this week and everything has been very cheesy and sentimental. I love these people but I will write about that another time. 

(Comme un homme.) You must be swift as the coursing river…

The Wolf Story

MacLehose Trail, Sai Wan. October 2, 2011. The day that was. Poser phrase because I don’t know how to talk about this day. I’ve told this story countless times in skype, in person and in my head. Yes, in my head. I was trying to review everything that happened. Haha. No way else to start than from the beginning: Jihed’s friends from France who are currently exchange students in the Philippines (in my university) came to visit Hong Kong and we came along with them to hike somewhere in the New Territories.

Murphy’s Law. I am in no way a hiker. I take the trike within school because I end up late when I don’t. I am not fit or athletic and I seriously believe I can get blown away by a mildly strong gust of wind. But of course, I would love to try it out especially since I’m here and apparently HK is largely a forest/nature place despite the fact that people know it just for its huge shopping malls (guilty). The place was beautiful and that’s coming from someone whose backyard is a watershed and whose country is packed with beaches.

I realized that I can tell you the gist of the story by enumerating the mistakes we made. Of course, I can only say that they were mistakes, in retrospect. Well, at least most of them. Some of them were not really mistakes, just unlucky things.

Mistake 1: We hiked on a day with Typhoon Signal 1. We were well aware of it but it was just drizzling outside. Mistake 2: We didn’t get to each lunch because we were already late. Mistake 3: I was wearing a canvas shoulder bag because I didn’t have any backpack. Mistake 4: We went to the place, not with a local, but with another exchange student who has been there – once. Mistake 5: The ‘cliff’ where you can cliff dive is not easily reachable, you had to conquer very steep rocks, not to mention slippery. Mistake 6: I was wearing my beaded no-lace Chucks. Mistake 7: We only knew one way back and that was by riding a ferry across the other side of the mountain. Apparently, there were no boats anymore when we got there. Mistake 8: The only people who could find a boat for us did not speak English. Mistake 9: We followed a ‘trail that was less traveled’ – not cemented, no lamp posts, muddy ground crawling with roots and random cows sitting along the trail. Mistake 10: Realizing too late that it was going to be dark in that trail, so went back all the way to the path that was ‘more traveled’. Mistake 11: There were barely lamp posts in the area. Mistake 12: There were no people in the area. Mistake 13: No one had a flashlight, thank God my phone had one. Mistake 14: The path was forever uphill. Seriously, I felt like crying because the path was so steep and it did not stop. Mistake 15: At one point in the darkness, a dog-looking animal passed us by. It was too dark to see but Julian told me, “Don’t worry I don’t think it’s a wolf. It’s a fox.” Mistake 16: There was no phone signal. Mistake 17: We finally found the boat that was going to fetch us, but had to take another way because after waving our arms like crazy and shouting at that tiny point of light from a distance, we realized we had to go the other side of the lake.

Looking back, I can’t even say that they were bad because these made the whole trip a lot more exciting and it really is something to share. Well I guess that’s really how nostalgia works. I don’t think I’ve ever climbed rocks like I did then, or went uphill for more than 2 hours, saw an animal that may or may not have been a wolf or a fox or a dog, or got lost in literally the middle of nowhere with no phone signal or people around. There was the excitement (and panic) while feeling like I was in a suspense/horror/animal-horror-whatever movie the entire time. Aside from making me realize I watch too much movies, these “unlucky” circumstances made the happy side – a lot happier.

The Silver Lining. Great hiker buddies; Titi (his nickname is seriously that), Rafael (who loves (to try) speaking in Filipino, Jiji (who is always awesome and actually jumped off the cliff), Achraf (who took our pictures and kept calm the whole way) and Kathleen (who will forever make me laugh because of the towel on her head in this picture. Naglaba ka sa batis teh?); Julian (who grabbed me when I was running/falling in the steep downhill); great great waterfalls, mountains and beach; great damp weather; and the bitter that made the sweet, sweeter.

Would I do this all over again? Yes                                …but maybe with a decent flashlight this time.

Masaya ka ba? Minsan. Hindi maganda yung lagi. Dapat minsan malungkot ka rin. Para mas magkaroon ng kahulugan yung minsan na masya ka. -Bata, Bata Paano ka Ginawa?

Of pancakes and others

 

Lutong Bahay. This is about all the food cooked and served by different exchange students here in our residence halls (so far). One of the things I love most about our dorm is that we have a common room in each floor where we have a kitchen which has everything except an oven. I have never cooked this much in my life but now that I’m doing it, it’s pretty cool. I never particularly liked cooking (or being in the kitchen in general) but I realized that it’s just really because I never really had much chance to try out kitchen things. So, since exchange sem is all about exploring and testing your limits, yes people – look at me, I’ve actually cooked (good) food! (Sorry for the different quality pictures. Pictures came from different people, no idea how to edit them.)

Chicken Adobo. September 28, 2011.  We had to cook Filipino food because I lost to a card game called Shit Happens. I really suck at these things. For the record, neither my roommate nor I knew how to cook anything. I can barely fry an egg. So we both asked our moms to teach us how to cook adobo (it’s like the most famous one and I think also one of the easiest to cook) and we looked for the ingredients here. But, we had to improvise because some of the ingredients like laurel leaves had to be taken out because we couldn’t find them, so, we resorted to youtube videos. I found a really good one and we just watched it step-by-step. Considering we did not know how to cut a whole chicken into smaller parts or how to know precisely when something is cooked, we did pretty well. Our friends say they liked it. It was a bit salty for some, but they say they still love it. Filipino food is awesome. This dinner was sort of like a milestone for me. Haha. It made me feel really good about myself. It’s not perfect, but hey, it’s something plus no one died. Next up is sinigang (I had just received the sinigang mix from Patti who came to visit HK), hooray!

Kaiserschmarrn. September 7, 2011. Our Chinese friend (who grew up in Austria) Dong invited us over for an afternoon snack. He said it was a German snack and I was pretty impressed he made it from scratch. Scratch meaning eggs and flour and stuff like that. I’m so used to those just-add water things I forgot that some people actually mix many ingredients. It was topped with confectioner’s sugar (my favorite) and we had to eat it with the pear and apple puree because apparently, that’s how they do it in Austria. It was different but not so different, filling and really good.

Pasta in Cream Sauce, Sayur Lodeh, Perkedel Kentang. September 27, 2011. We had a mini airport reunion one night. It was impromptu for us because we just found out we were cooking at the same day so we just sauteed vegetables. Our student ambassador (who picked us up from the airport) Clair [leftmost] cooked us pasta in Cream of Mushroom Sauce which was pretty good. But I have to say that my favorite was the Indonesian food cooked by our Indonesian friends Susan, Lani (not in picture) and Clarissa. Sayur Lodeh is a dish with vegetables in coconut milk. I missed coconut milk or gata so badly, I couldn’t stop eating their dish. They also cooked very good potato balls called Perkedel Kentang, couldn’t stop eating again. We were literally the people who finished off all the dishes. Thank you Indonesia! 

Pancakes and Snow Mooncakes. September 24, 2011. Another random cooking session. Eric cooked us pancakes for lunch. (I’m starting to realize Europeans really do love pancakes. They eat it for snacks and lunch. Haha) He cooked a lot – so that was awesome. We ate it with nutella and sugar. Then for dessert we had snowy mooncakes which were sooo good. Mooncakes are very big during mid-autumn festival. This type is the modern version. And you also prepare them yourselves (post to follow). Pancakes for lunch are really growing on me now. 

French Brunch. October 22, 2011. Another thing I love about our dorm is that on the top floor there is a roof deck with a small garden in it. People have barbecues and small parties there and the view is just incredible, seriously. So one Saturday morning, Jihed and Melissa invited us for a french brunch with pancakes, nutella, bananas, maple syrup, scrambled eggs, chips, tea and different flavored juices. The weather was perfect and the sun was really bright. It was a really happy Saturday. Our group picture here is one of my favorites so far. It’s such a happy picture and everytime I look at it, it takes me back to that perfect morning – full of sunshines and smiles. In case you don’t get it, we were trying to form a pyramid. Why? Just because. Haha. Oh and I tried to eat pringles with nutella. It wasn’t that bad. It just tasted like nutella with a crunch. This morning is one of my favorite mornings ever if not my most favorite one so far. The food was great, the place was inspiring, everyone was there – everything was just perfect.

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

 

 

All you need is love

Lantau Island. September 10, 2011. A day of cable cars (including riding a glass-bottom one for a 360-degree view of the island), walking through statues and temples and traditional Chinese looking buildings, climbing up many steps to see the Big Buddha (which is really big) and taking a bus then a boat to view the pink dolphins in a fishing village (awesome awesome pink dolphins, they were really pink).

This small island is pretty cool and worth touring for the day. It’s so simple finding your way around the place, you don’t need a tour and can just follow the recommended tour they distribute for free. As I mentioned from a previous post, I had such a great feeling this day while we were just walking around the little island. I felt like such a traveler. All I had are cash, camera, water bottle, a small map of the place and an awesome set of friends with me – and I knew these were more than enough to make a perfect day. I loved the feeling of just walking – just wandering around. I’ve rarely traveled “traveled” before, last time I went to Singapore I had a very strict schedule of tours and talks and was chaperoned 24/7. Here, we just walk around with zero pressure. Awesome awesome feeling. So, lesson learned: All you need for a perfect turista day are maps, bags and awesome friends – had no idea it would be true for all proceeding trips and hopefully for future trips as well.

Hakuna Matata ain’t no passing craze. It means no worries for the rest of your days.