Hellooooo?

Why did I have to sleep at 3am last night. WHY?

I got a phone interview this morning at 11am. Unfortunately I was still asleep when she called. So basically, the first impression I made was with my scary throaty voice, trying to clear my head. I guess she didn't notice since she plowed on right to the first question. What happened to the small talk?

I won't go into the gruesome details, but oh well, it was just a recruiter, not a school. And she seemed pretty upfront and honest. But I'm still on guard, too many rumours about recruiters floating around. Shortly after we said our goodbyes, she sent me an information form to fill out via email. So I take that as a good sign.

I really want a position in Seoul, but the recruiter was honest in saying they prefer Caucasians there (she wants me to take positions in surrounding towns). She went on to say how most foreigners found Seoul to be overcrowded, polluted, etc. I replied by saying I'm living in Hong Kong right now, and it doesn't bother me, in fact I enjoy living in a dirty and claustrophobic place. Well, not in those exact words.

New resolution, sleep earlier, wake up earlier, so next time I don't have to sound like I smoke 3 packs a day!

Thank You

I just celebrated my first ever Thanksgiving in Hong Kong. I’ve never actually thought much about Thanksgiving, even though it’s widely celebrated in Toronto amongst my relatives. As always, it’s just another excuse for a family gathering where we gorge on turkey, roasted veggies, and yummy desserts. We don’t actually “give thanks” for anything. But this Thanksgiving was very different but in a good way. First of all, it wasn’t the Canadian Thanksgiving (Oct. 9th), but American (Nov. 23rd). Feels a bit weird celebrating this close to Christmas. It was a close gathering amongst friends. The atmosphere was warm and intimate, and we really did share about what we’ve been thankful for this past year.

As I mulled over everything that’s been going on in the past year, I can honestly say that I’m most thankful for my family. I know, its so cliché! After being away from home for four years, it was hard to adjust back into “family life”. It’s been over a year now, and I love being at home, living with my parents. At first I thought it was a step backwards, moving back home. But I’ve realized that it’s actually a step forward into developing a new relationship with my family as an adult. When I left home, I was still a kid. But now I’m all grown up (believe it or not). It’s interesting interacting with them in this new way. Our relationship has begun to grow into a beautiful friendship. So yes, I give thanks for my parents. And for having the opportunity to spend this time with them, creating wonderful memories to last a lifetime.

Remembrance

Just got back from a trip to London and Paris with my Dad. It was great, we did all the touristy stuff (our first times in Europe!). For me, the highlight of the trip was not peering down from the great heights of the Eiffel Tower, nor was it seeing Les Miserables in London's West End, it was getting to see my FRIENDS. I haven't seen some of them in a long while, the longest one 3 years ago. I didn't know how much I missed them until I saw them again.

And although it was only a 10 day trip, I was surprised to find myself missing Hong Kong, missing my friends, missing church activities. It's made me realize how important the PEOPLE in my life are. Often times I take them for granted. I don't cherish them until its too late. Hong Kong is such a transient place. So many coming and going. It's great in a way, but also sad to be always saying goodbye to people I'd wish I'd gotten to know better. I still think back to the "good old days" of university life, friends that have supported me and impacted me in ways unfathomable.

I'm not good at keeping in touch with people who aren't physically close by. I'm not good with phone calls and emails. It's all good at the beginning, but it all fades in time. But, it just makes it so much greater when I see them years later, to see them growing and changing. And hopefully I myself in turn have grown and changed for the better as well.

Return of the Ruth

It's been a while since my last "real" post. I've decided I'm going to try my best to post at least ONCE a week. And quality posts, not like the youtube junk I've been posting recently.

My lack of posts has probably been due to my lack of "things" going on in my life at the moment. Right now I've been living on a steady diet of Korean dramas. I'm trying to wean myself off gradually.

After getting out of the vegetative stage of being a couch potato, I should really get myself into shape for the upcoming Moonwalkers. No, I won't be doing a creepy Michael Jackson imitation. It's actually a walkathon to raise money for Orbis. It's at night, so it'll be interesting to experience walking in darkness. Really, really need to get in shape. The route is from Wanchai to Repulse Bay.

Weirdness of the day. This guy kept calling me Eve instead of Ruth. Do I look an Eve??

I'm hungry now, so instead of getting munchies, I think I'll go to bed.

Dancing Comedian... FUNNY

Last one, I promise (for today).

korean madness

No doubt many of you have seen this already. But for those who haven't, enjoy!

Don't lie by Two Chinese Boys 后舍男孩

I'm still laughing;)

You have to love by Two Chinese Boys 后舍男孩 不得不爱

Hilarious. I bring you the "Back Dorm Boys".

Hayashi's Back

Last night, me and my mum went to a Taiko Drum concert. We were really excited. Unfortunately we didn't realize Eitetsu Hayashi was collaborating with the HK Philharmonic Orchestra. Not that the Orchestra's bad. Just that I'm not really into classical music. The promos for this have been pretty misleading. When you have a huge poster of Hayashi beating on a drum, you're not expecting the orchestra to play 3 REALLY long pieces before getting a glimpse of Hayashi!

After an hour (felt more like 3) of soothing classical music, zzzzzzzzzz. FINALLY it was Hayashi's turn. You could see everyone kind of sit up (wake up), and feel the energy in the hall. When his drumstick first connected with the drum, you could hear the vibrations bouncing off the walls because it was so quiet. The drumming represented the thunder, and the organ the wind. With a little bit of orchestra thrown in. AMAZING combination. Hayashi's just go this huge presence, which keeps you mesmerized, hypnotized to the rhythm of his drumming. So many different sounds were coming out of the drum too, awesome. Too bad it was his one and only piece.

We the audience madly clapped and cheered until he came back onstage for an encore. The encore was even better! Without the organ and orchestra. Just straight on Taiko drum. Which was later joined in by a younger dude in the back on another mini drum. Such an image, Hayashi in his traditional Japanese garb, with the younger guy dressed in a dark suit & tie, both beating in unison, demonstrating their physical capabilities, POWERFUL.

Stranded

Back in Sunday School

I must admit I had no idea what was in store as I signed up as a weekly volunteer for 9-10 yr. old's Sunday School. The first week was BRUTAL. The picture on the left depicts the total opposite of what was happening in our classroom. Pretty much total chaos. Even with 2 teachers and me the assistant. OK, specifically a few BOYS. No respect at all!

This second week was a bit better. Less paper airplanes, less boys crawling under the table, and less ripped up worksheets. I think we're improving!

Oftentimes during the chaos, I couldn't help myself from comparing them with the Mongol kiddies. They really wanted to learn and be loved. But not these kids at Sunday School, they were just wasting time and they seemed so spoiled to me. I felt really frustrated at first, but now I've realized that there is a lesson to be learned from this challenge. It's always easy to love the cute, well-behaved kids. But to truly LOVE, I need to learn to love the not so loveable ones. Hopefully I'll get to build up some meaningful relationships with those boys as we travel on this journey of learning together!

The Good Samaritan

I take back all the times I complained about HK people being uncaring and unhelpful towards strangers.

Today, while walking to the minibus station, digging for coins in my wallet, I dropped a wad of money on the ground without knowing. I was listening to my ipod, oblivious to the world around me. Suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turn around, and there's this slightly out-of-breath guy holding out a wad of money at me. Before I could take out my earphones and figure out what was going on, he had already ran to his bus and hopped on. It was 1/2 a second later that I realized that it was MY money that he had just handed me! I was so touched. One, this good samaritan was probably running after me, calling out to me (of which I was oblivious to). Two, he actually bothered to run after despite the risk of missing his bus. Three, he could have kept the money.

Actually this is the 2nd time someone has picked up my money and returned it. Two lessons learned. HK people are not so bad after all. And I need a better wallet.

Rain rain go away come again another day

Had another interview this week at the Canadian Workshop. It's an afterschool/tutoring centre. They apparently liked my "accent". I should've thrown in a couple more "eh's" for good measure. It was one of the most relaxed interviews I've ever been to. I can even say it was fun. The interviewer discovered that we had the same birthday. Random chatter like that. Hope I'll make get a call back for a second interview with the director.

In other news, it's been raining for a week straight. Flash floods commonly occur now in our little river down below. Makes crossing the bridge quite scary. I like rain, it's soothing and calming. But I do miss the sun. Weather's been really cool and lovely though. All this rainy weather is good training for adjusting to London weather.

Oh yea, I'm going to London & Paris in November!! With my daddy for 9 days:) So excited. Actually I'm more excited about seeing friends in London! I still can't believe I'm going to Europe.

Learn Something New Everyday

Aussies and Kiwis are quiet fascinating. Often I need them to translate what they've just said into REGULAR English.

Sometimes its just the accent that gets me, but I adore their accents.

Wicked, eh? Kiwis pronounce it as weeekideh.

The phrase 'fair dinkum' in itself just demands a huge question mark. I was momentarily shocked into silence. WHAT did you say? Actually my Aussie friend said fedinkum. Apparently he was trying to say 'are you for real?'.

There's loads more, like (Aussies) cozzies = swimsuit = togs (Kiwis), (Aussies) thongs = flip flops = jandals (Kiwis).

The ultimate question mark I had was when I heard the phrase 'bat in the cave'. I forget if its Aussie or Kiwi. Guessed yet? NO CHEATING, no googling.

Ready???


It means.............................booger in your nose. So next time you see your pal with a booger in his nose, you know what to do;)

Things I Have a Thing For

Fire - I have a thing for the flame. I love to burn candles, even when its 30 degrees in HK. I like burning stuff in general, wish we had a fireplace. I have acquired many matchbooks over the years. I prefer matches over lighters. BBQ pits in HK, when your chicken wing grease drips into the coal it gets really fiery! Campfires are the BEST, especially during chilly weather. Roasting marshmallows on an open fire! Nothing beats that. This (photo on left) by far is the biggest bonfire I've ever experienced, it was in Mongolia. We helped collect the firewood, and the camp kiddies helped build it up. They're real pros, look at that fire! I nearly scalded my face off trying to roast some marshmallows. But it was worth it, all for perfectly roasted marshmallows.

Sunrises/Sunsets - Not being able to see it much in HK makes it extra special when I actually do catch it. Being trapped on a really slow bus making stops every few minutes allowed me to catch a beautiful sunset from atop a double decker. When it comes to Mongolia, it's hard to beat their sunrises/sets. There's just nothing blocking your view. And the skies are so clear its like seeing it for the very first time. Anywhere, any rising or setting of the sun just mesmerizes me. There should be some kind of law allowing people to just stop what they're doing and just enjoy these two special times, dawn & dusk.

Sea Water - Although its salty, and not necessarily clean water, there's just something about being in the ocean. That's one of the reasons I love living in HK, being close to the sea. Tons of beaches to choose from, there are secluded, quiet beaches out there for all you skeptics! On a recent junk trip with some friends, we visited the "turtle beach" on Lamma Island. You can only reach it by boat, we were the ONLY ones there!! I have a thing for floating in the ocean too. It's easier to keep floating in the sea than in a pool of chlorine. When I was floating, ears submerged in water, looking up at the sky, I felt like I was the only one on Earth. And yes this photo is actually of a beach in HK;)

Random Thoughts

I've been watching way too many Korean movies. They're pretty much all the same. Love story with some sort of complication, half way through one of the leads gets some sort of fatal disease. Cheesy/depressing ending. But I can't seem to stop watching. Oh boy.

Shocking news from Ada's blog, STEVE IRWIN HAS DIED!!! Stung by a stingray. I still haven't totally absorbed it, at first I thought it was a joke. Steve Irwin always seemed invincible to me. Grabbing deadly snakes, poisonous spiders, wrestling crocodiles, and the list goes on. And yet in the end he was conquered by a stingray. Human life is so fragile. One moment you're here, the next you're gone.

I've kicked my lazy butt into action, albeit a slow one. I've started sending out my resumes FINALLY. And I've decided to apply for Masters for next year. I've also decided to stay in HK for school.

Once upon a time...

I love kiddies, being around them, playing with them, even just sitting with them. That’s mainly the thing that’s stuck with me the most from this recent trip to Mongolia. The landscape was breathtakingly beautiful. But above that were the people. The kiddies at camp, the teachers and translators we worked with, my 40 other teammates. This trip didn’t cause any radical transformation within me, but it was REAL and honest. I can’t really put it into words. It just felt natural. Being in Mongolia, going with the group of churchmates, interacting with the kiddies. Way too many things happened to share all of them with you.

I’ll share one specific story. From this camp, the kiddies taught me so much about myself and how to better love others. There was this one 18-year-old boy that I bonded especially well with. He actually reminded me a lot of my brother Enoch. He was in my “family” for the first week, so we got to hang out a lot. Up until then, we had a teasing/joking atmosphere going on. I guess he was more or less a clown and enjoyed making people laugh. One night during the second week, we the team, were treated to a “good-night song circle” where all 120 camp kids and us held hands in a huge circle and they sang for us several Mongolian songs. All us foreigners spread out and distributed ourselves around the circle. I inserted myself between two little boys and held their hands.

It was dark, so people were still settling into the circle. Then I saw a figure running towards me from across the circle. After some squinting, I realized it was my 18 yr old guy! He ran over and smoothly squished in beside me while we all made room for him. Throughout the singing, I tried hard to keep my tears from spilling over. I think he realized that I was close to crying so he gave my hand a reaffirming squeeze. I’m glad it was dark that night. Just the fact that he ran over to stand next to me showed how much love he was capable of. Someone whose parents left him at a shelter since he was a little boy. And I, someone with so much, have a hard time demonstrating my love to others. So from this boy, I've learned to take courage and to SHOW others my love for them. Put my words into actions. Because you never know, the smallest smile or touch could move and touch a person beyond any words you may say.

(Doesn't he look like my bro??)

Questions

Who am I? What do I want to do with my life? Those are some of the most dreaded questions I cringe at when I hear them. That’s why I never fill in the fields that say “description of me” in my profiles. I change my mind so often that I no longer have confidence and surety in my decisions anymore. Recently someone mentioned I was “easily impressed” and a “hippie”. Those were two different people by the way. And I guess I would have to agree with them. But the problem is I never saw myself as THAT until they mentioned it. It took some convincing on their part that I was an impressionable young hippie.

So how well do I actually know myself? At this moment, am I just reflecting what others think of me? Alright, I’ve concluded that I’m laid back, mellow, go with the flow sort of gal. I love to travel and see other people’s different cultures. I enjoy noticing the differences and similarities between my own culture and theirs. That’s why usually after almost every trip, I end up wanting to go back for more. Some places I even consider living longer term in. Nowadays I don’t even bother to articulate some of my wild dreams of living in faraway places. In case I change my mind two seconds later.

Why is it that when I have time, I don’t have the money to do all the things I’ve always wanted to do. And when I am making money, I don’t seem to have any time for the things I really want to do. Oh, the irony of it all.

"Kissed" by Fishies

Remember I mentioned being "kissed/eaten" by little fishies in a pool in Zhu Hai? Well this is what it looked like. Ok, so it seems a bit freaky looking at this picture, but it wasn't actually that bad. I was browsing BWG's site and I came across this photo:

My fingers are frozen over the keyboard as I struggle with all the thoughts swirling in my head. I'd love to share my experiences from the trip to Mongolia. My two weeks volunteering at a summer camp for street kids. But it's so hard to put it into words. So much happened. I think I'll sort out my jumbled thoughts in my journal first before I make a post.

All I can say right now is I would love to go back next year.

Meanwhile, here's the photos from the trip: http://public.fotki.com/bbubalz/mongolia_missions_trip/

Feel free to check out all the other albums too:)

Lost in Translation

I'M BACK. After being in Mongolia for the last 2 weeks, I suddenly find myself in culture shock to Hong Kong. Weird. People keep stepping on the back of my flip flops because I walk too slow.

There's loads to share, but it'll have to wait while my brain re-digests Hong Kong and its quirks.

Family Funtime

It's been 2 years since our last official family vacation. When I think back to when me and my bro were kiddies sharing the hotel bed, fighting over the blankets, I've seen how far we've progressed. Although we're now all grown up and have separate beds, we still fight over the TV remote. But it was great to just get away from HK as a family and share some down time together. We went to Zhu Hai, China, a resort area, for hot springs. Not much to do there, but sometimes its nice to do nothing. Chilling in the hotel, eat, hot spring, eat, massage, eat, eat, eat!!!

The most interesting bit was at the hot spring facility. They have over 60 different pools you can dip into. The wackiest of the bunch was the "fish tank". It's literally a big pool with fish in it. These fish are supposed to eat the dead skin off you. So of course we couldn't miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of being eaten alive by hundreds of fish! It was quite scary at first, being nipped at by the little buggers. There are some big ones that actually had me checking for blood after they give you a lovebite. Once you settle in and hold your feet still, about 10-20 fish will swarm and feed off your dead skin. Waste not, want not. I wish I had photos.

Sleep attack

Awwwwwwwww!

Disclaimer: I'm not a geek (despite the contents of this entry).

My FIRST time at the Hong Kong Book Fair! As I stepped into the hall and looked down at the map in my hands, I was overwhelmed. I was surrounded by books, books, and more books! What was even better was being surrounded by people who love books like myself. Fellow bookies. Although crowded (where isn't it crowded in HK?), I enjoyed the vibe of so many others with a common purpose, to find some good deals on good books. I soon realized I was totally unprepared. While others sped by in backpacks and suitcases, I had come empty handed. Well I was handed a cloth bag at the entrance. And most of the places only accepted cash. What?! No EPS? At least this prevented me from overspending:) I only bought one novel, 2 piano books, and 2 cds.

What next? Anime Convention?!;)

It's a small world after all...

Just for you Lok, mysterious guy in white,

10 Things I Loved about Bangkok

Back from the city of angels and the land of smiles. Didn't want to leave, here are some of the reasons why (in no particular order):

1. Cheap delicious spicy food. Tom Yum Gong, green curry, streetside noodle stalls, skewers, fresh fruit juice, shark fin soup, getting hungry just talking about it! Basically food anywhere is good. Even at the food courts.

2. Cheap everything. Pretty much everything is cheaper than Hong Kong.

3. Beautiful temples. The details in the handiwork is amazing.

4. Night markets. I'll take take Suan Lum over Fa Yuen St. anytime. Earrings for $2HK! Plus, bargaining's more fun in Bangkok, more smiles and jokes involved. Great place to sharpen up your thai too, 'lot noi dai mai' = 'can you make it cheaper?'. I have that phrase down pat.

5. Overall friendly and a "good mood" people. Enough said.

6. Awesome 3 star hotels. Ours had a kitchen and living room.

7. Thai massage. Must experience at least once! I slept soooo good that night. It's good for your health and improves blood circulation. If you ever get the chance, go to Pranali Spa at the new shopping centre Siam Paragon.

8. Movie release dates. This is purely a geek moment. Movies are released earlier in Bangkok than HK! Not fair. Pirates of the Caribbean's already out, was so tempted to go watch it. Have to wait till Aug. 3rd now.

9 & 10. Interesting cab drivers. 3 separate instances. #1) We thought we wer lost so we got into a cab and said Grand Palace, cabbie FIRST puts on the meter, then points ahead and says "Oh my god! Right there!" (he starts giggling as we cringe with embarrassment). #2) We tell cabbie we want to go to the night market. On the way, he keeps pointing out discos and asking if we want to go. We stood firm, NO DISCO, MARKET! He then proceeded to asking the age of my friend, guessing she was "one eight", she then retorts with "one six", which sends him into hysterics while we politely giggle back. #3) Cute uncle cabbie, didn't speak any English, so super nice tho, would point out places of interest. We were stuck in traffic, and a cop was handing out "Taxi Safety" booklets to all the cabs. Our cute uncle cabbie let out a little giggle and passed the book to us. That book is the FUNNIEST. Obviously I can't read Thai, but it had many photo illustrations of step by step instructions for how to defend yourself in dangerous situations. Lesson 1: If a thug in the back of your cab starts to beat the cabbie up, the cabbie should quickly snap down his seat to squish the thug and proceed to beat the crap out of him. End it off by breaking the thug's legs by slamming the car door. Each preceding lesson goes on to what you should do in the event of a psycho strangler/psycho with knife/psycho with gun. Wish I could've taken the book with me. But we decided to leave it for the sake of the sweet uncle.

Random Favourites

Biggest fish balls ever!

Flowers from Sanya

Intense game of Scrabble

3rd! Dragonboat Stanley

Super tight pants on a GUY

View from my room...sun's out!

Strike a pose

I'm loving his reaction (man in green)

Was that 4 or 5 marshmallows?

Can't think of a title...

2 Days until our school's graduation ceremony. Who knew kindergraduations were such a big deal here? My temper's been really stretched thin this week. I'm in charge of the English drama again, this time it's called the "Beautiful Nature". Much larger cast this time, 16 kiddies. So it's kind of driving me crazy. But only ONE more day to practice, then comes grad, then it'll be all over, and I can finally breathe again.

Tonight had dinner with my fellowship and had a 'what-a-small-world-moment'. Got to talking about how we're both from Toronto. He mentions he's from Thornhill, went to Thornlea. When I heard the words Thornhill & Thornlea, I immediately thought of Lok;) So I ask him, do you know a Lok? He says YES! Well he's "heard" of you Lok. Doesn't know you personally. Woweee Lok, you've got quite the reputation! Haha, his name is Casey by the way. He only knows that you went to Johnsview. Is that you? I figured not many people called Lok living in Thornhill. And that's my small-world-moment. I love it when I find out someone who knew someone I also know. That was confusing. I'll stop here, caffeine has worn off. My bed is calling out to me.

Next post: photos, I promise.

A blurb here, a blurb there

Went to a travel expo today at the Convention Centre. Made me have itchy feet again. So many unvisited destinations calling my name. Ruuuuuth, Ruuuuuuuth! Still thinking of where to go for the summer.

Also confirmed my ticket for the missions trip to Mongolia! Summer camp for street kids. I've already been assigned my activity station for "outdoor games" which will mainly consist of tag (monster & freeze). Can't wait to be running around with them.

My cousin will be in HK for a few days, so excited!! Ada's back also:) Yay!!

Had my first interview yesterday for a job as a "music educator". Teaching babies/kiddies music in a group setting. Went pretty well (i think). But will keep my eyes open for other jobs.

Must sleep now. ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Who Stole The Cookie From the Cookie Jar

I'm in love with "the dancer".

To list or not to list SEQUEL

Made my pros & cons list. I've come to a decision. Staying in HK for the summer. I've signed up for a missions trip to Mongolia (August). Lots to get done this summer, like finding a JOB. And take a trip with my mum:)

Happy Tuen Ng

The Countdown Begins

Yesterday was our last dragon boat practice session. Although it was only an hour long (and we had cancelled practice the week before), we did really well. We've really come together as a team. And I could feel all that training etched into my muscle memory. The paddling's become much smoother and synchronized. I got to practice drumming yesterday for the first and last time before race day sans drum. I improvised with an empty water bottle and the wooden seat in front of me. It wasn't as nervewracking as I thought it would be, being in the front, facing all my teammates. And keeping the beat's easy, I just have to drum to the beat of the 1st pair of paddlers. I'm all nervous and excited just thinking about Wednesday right now. Enough talk. Check out this video from last year's event here:

http://www.dragonboat.org.hk/en/home/homepage.html

We also had our team dinner last night. We were all in high spirits. Felt like we had already won;). Jen and Joe, who started up the team had set up a fun vote for titles like "the most fashionable paddler", "loudest paddler", "most elegant paddler", "funniest paddler", etc. And surprise, surprise, I got voted "most friendly paddler"! Never expected that, was hoping for the fashionable paddler award;). They even presented us with award certs, all laminated, so cute!

Had a hard time falling asleep last night, most likely due to overeating and all the excitement of the upcoming race. Hopefully tonight will be a better night for sleep.

To list or not to list

I'm tempted to make a pros and cons list. It'd be my first ever. Making a list sounds so cheesy in order to arrive at a decision. But as some of you know, I'm VERY indecisive. I even feel pressured having to order from an extensive menu! And if there was a label for people like me, it'd be "mind-changer". All this wrecks havoc on my multiple choice exams.

The dilemma is this: Choose between 3 options. 1. Going back to Toronto for the summer (I've found a "cheaper" ticket, although still expensive). 2. Go to Toronto via London stopover. 3. Stay in Hong Kong and look for a job. (Would most likely include going to Beijing/Shanghai)

I'm not going to bore you with all my wishy washy thoughts on those 3 choices. But I will make a post eventually when I come to my decision. For sure though, I've decided on staying put in Hong Kong/Asia for another year at least. Better get a move on and send out those resumes!

Crazy, Cutie, Happy, Sleepy

These are my kidkies. Enough said. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Falling II

For those who remember my "falling up" the escalator incident. Here's a sequel for you. Today I fell flat on my face on, you'll never guess, a FLAT FLOOR. It was near my workplace again. Surrounded by many people again. Was rushing to work again. But I think this incident has taken 1st place for most embarrassing moment. I blame the new flooring that was just installed recently. Super smooth floor tiles, newly waxed. And it was raining today. I think the caretaker had just mopped the floor too. I figured that when I saw the mop in her hand as she was asking me if I was alright. But I was already fleeing the scene by then. Looking back, I should've been more careful, knowing that I was wearing my slippery shoes. I felt myself slipping, losing balance, and the next thing I knew, I was down on the floor, splat. I once again had my hands full, juggling an umbrella and 2 bags. So I had nothing to break my fall with. Result: floor burn on my knee (was wearing a skirt). At least someone asked me if I was alright this time. Lastly, just for the record, I'm not that clutzy, I've never really fallen before in HK before these two highly embarrassing moments occurred. Weird.

Everybody I told my story to found it pretty amusing. So I hope my utterly embarrassing moment has cheered you up and put a smile on your face. It'll have made it all worth it.

Random bits and pieces

The book was way way better. The Code was a disappointment. Didn't live up to the trailer;p. Too long, too much talk, and the actors just didn't work for me. I just kept thinking of Tom Hanks in Castaway, Audrey Tatou in Amelie, Paul Bettany in Wimbledon, and Ian Mckellan in LOTR. Maybe they should've picked some not so well known actors. Ah well, it was a good try.

Looking forward to X-3 now.

Got to catch up with people I haven't seen in a long while. Carmen's back from Guelph (not your Carmen, Ada), Lisa was back from London, Kitty whose been in HK (just very busy), Ada whose in Australia (chatted online). It was nice to catch up with those girls. Ate so much and talked so much. My favourite pastime. And I discovered that I say the word 'like' a lot (thanks for pointing that out Car). So I'm trying to like cut back.

We sold cookies today for fundraising (dragon boat). And counting the money we raised from last week and everything people donated from church, we raised a grand total of $48 000! Amazing. I helped bake mocha banana chocolate chip muffins (long name, I know). Finally used the oven at home for the first time since moving in (9 months)! Really yummy. Half of the first batch got eaten by family and friends and ME. So I had to make a second batch. Stayed up till 2am making the second batch. Dozed on and off while waiting for the muffins to rise. So today, even downing 2 cups of coffee didn't help much. Fortunately, our practice session got cancelled due to heavy rains. Apparently there was one boat out in Stanley but it was half sinking due to the rain and choppy conditions. Glad for the opportunity to get some rest, went home and took a 2 hour nap. But nervous about one less practice. Next Sunday is our last session before the race! Can't wait:)

Everyday should be mother's day

I should change the title of my blog to 'diary of a dragonboater'. It seems to be the only thing I update on nowadays. To be honest, last week's practice was brutal. Felt like puking afterwards. But this week was great, we've come a long way as a team. And I felt good during and after practice.

Fundraising at church today for our team. We sold bouquets of flowers for Mother's day. It was awesome to see God's providing hand. We sold out after the 1st service, and raised $13 000 in profits. People were so generous and supportive of us. Only need to raise another $10 000! Cookies and bookmarks for sale next week;)

The Watoto Children's Choir from Uganda visited our church today. The kiddies have all been orphaned by AIDS. Despite that, they're so sweet and happy. I had the chance to chat with them a bit, and am totally taken by the 6 year old Derek that has the brightest smile I've ever seen. A few other boys taught me some words in Ugandan? Cute, cute, cute. They even got the whole congregation on their feet and dancing! If they can sing and dance and praise God, then so much more should I.

Tough Noodles

Another long weekend comes and goes. I've been spoilt lately. Off 3 days, work 3 days, off ANOTHER 3 days.

Yesterday:
Hiked up to Sunset Peak on Lantau Island, my first serious hike. 2 hours of rock stairs. Totally went beyond what I thought my own limits were. As most of you know, I'm not exactly what you'd call athletic. Well worth it though. We stayed in a cabin for the night. Had no idea there were cabins up there (well, ok, more like a hut, but cabin sounds nicer).

Today:
Hiked back down to civilization, much quicker, only 1 hour. Made it right on time to dragonboat practice at Stanley. And had one heck of an upper body workout. Our coach was really tough on us today. But I still love paddling! Although now I can barely type, and I still feel like I'm on the boat, swaying from side to side.

I'll post up the pics of the hike later, because I really really need to sleep. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ...

The Ark

Today was the 2nd practice for dragon boat. SO AWESOME! It's so different from what I had in mind. It's not at all about brute strength and having biceps the size of footballs. It's actually all about teamwork and staying in sync. It's incredible that we're all different shapes and sizes, with different histories of experience, yet can still come together united to form one mean rowing machine. Near the end of the practice session, we had a race back to shore against 6 other boats. As usual, I was just focussed on the person in front of me, trying to match his pace and not punch him in the back with my paddle. So I didn't really have a chance to check out how the competition were doing. By the time I finally lifted my head at the end of the race, we had come in FIRST!! I was so amazed, we were all so pumped up! But win or lose, doesn't matter, as long as we have fun as a team. Who knew getting sea water splashed in your face could be so fun?

Lovin' Lamma

Here are some photos from our daytrip to Lamma Island. I can't believe it was my FIRST time. It's gorgeous there. And the trail is pretty easy to walk. Beautiful beach, awesome seafood. What can beat that? Some highlights:






Lots of seaweed, edible? Hmm...














Quiet little beach, got to return when its warmer and go for a swim.












3 cool trees















The biggest fish balls I've ever had. Yummy too!

















Follow the greyish brick road...















After 3 hours of trekking, we deserve some good food:)












And even Elvis made an appearance;)








Getting to spend the day with my parents was a treat. Although I live at home now, we all work and don't get to spend alot of time together. So the Lamma trip was really awesome, with all 3 of us there. Hopefully soon, we'll get to do something together as a family of 4. My brother just got back yesterday:) Awesome to have the family all under the same roof again. Can't wait to have my OWN family one day! And its going to be a BIG one;) Start my own soccer team. Ok, maybe not a soccer team exactly...

Hai Tan = Beach

New layout. I liked Mike, but not so much the no comments. I couldn't figure out how to get the comments back in soooo, new layout it is.

So, a quick recap on the holidays. Went to Yalong Bay, Hainan with Coco (my traveling buddy;). Totally exceeded my expectations. We were staying at a 3 star hotel, and 3 stars in China doesn't mean much. Although the room was simple, it was CLEAN. Whew! And it had a great pool, the hugest one I've ever swam in. Although it was curiously shallow. It only came up to the top of my stomach. Maybe it was designed for short Asians exclusively. 10 minute walk to the beach. Beautiful, gorgeous, quiet beach. White sand and blue waters. And again, CLEAN.

I guess we were an odd couple, 2 girls traveling alone. They're mainly groups of people or couples. A van full of men tried to pick us up. Don't worry, I've heard enough horror stories to be smart enough to say thanks, but NO. Thankfully, they left us alone. Sometimes, I wish I was a guy so I wouldn't have to worry about this stuff. But being a girl also has its advantages. Bargaining with taxi drivers. Just smile a lot and keep saying, come on, cheaper! Usually does the trick. Actually, its quite fun, bantering back and forth. And I feel such a sense of accomplishment when we finally settle the price. And trust me, you gotta bargain for EVERYTHING.

But the best part of the trip was just getting to lying on the beach, falling asleep to the sound of waves crashing. Sounds cheesy, but it was awesome. The water was nice and cool, and I managed to swim all the way out to the edge of the shark net. Just floating and bobbing with the waves looking into the blue skies really made me realize how small I really am, just a speck of dust in the vast ocean. Yet I know God still SEES me. Looking down on me and hopefully smiling. His creations are truly breathtaking. There were too many pictures to upload them all. So here are a few for you to enjoy.

Like Mike?

Yay! New template. Just seeing Mike makes me laugh.

I'm officially starting my Easter break today!! The last day of work yesterday was fun, we had a trip with the kiddies and parents to a Sai Kung campsite. One of the activities we had for the kiddies was to catch bugs and examine them with a magnifying glass. Gloves were distributed and the kiddies wholeheartedly got on their way to become bug catchers. Fortunately, I didn't have to participate in catching bugs. Unfortunately I became one of the designated plastic container holders, where the kiddies would dump their prized bugs into.

I'm actually quite proud that I survived the whole ordeal, thinking back. Me and creepy crawlies just do NOT mix. I became quite adept at opening the lid, dumping the bug, and closing the lid at lightning speed. The kiddies mainly caught a lot of ants, some spiders, beetles, and caterpillars. Someone even caught a cockroach! You just knew the kiddies were getting pro when some of them started catching flies, then moved on to toads (they bagged quite a few). The most awesome/scary catch of the day was a huge salamander/lizard (one of the daddies caught it). Don't worry, we freed all the little critters in the end.

The campsite had tons of facilities from badminton to karaoke. I managed to squeeze in a few rounds of arrows in the archery range. No bullseye, but didn't spear anyone with an arrow either;). Wanted to rock climb, was all strapped in already, but after I let all the kiddies go first, by the time it was my turn, it was time to go. Boooooooo, haven't rock climbed since middle school. Oh well, another time.

Other news, my brother is coming back in just over a week's time!! That was quick, year two done already. Is it just me? Or is time going by faster and faster. The church I used to go to in Canada (I started going ever since it began) is celebrating its 10th anniversary! Was it really 10 years ago? Yes, time is flying by. This holiday will fly by as well. So I must start cleaning up the room for my brother's return. It's filled with junk right now. Hopefully I won't bump into any creepy crawlies. I've had enough to last me a long, long while.

Healthy Weekend

It's been a very healthy weekend. Jazz dance class started finally, woohoo! The teacher and most of the students are sooooo pro. I could barely keep up. Not exactly the most coordinated person. But it was fun and a good workout. To be honest, I've been skimping on the exercise lately. When I was training for the marathon, I ran regularly. But I've maybe ran only 3 or 4 times since. My exercise lately has mainly constisted of walking up and down the escalator and stairs during my commute to work and back home. The jazz teacher actually incorporated a lot of yoga-ish stretching into the lesson. Very relaxing and nice to feel the strains on my shrinking muscles. The dance moves are pretty complicated, lots of spinning and intricate hands and feet movement. I've already forgotten most of the moves by now. But still have 9 more classes to go, there's still hope!

Today was our first land-training session for dragonboating. It's with a bunch of church people. We've named ourselves "The Ark":) We were joking we should dress up as pairs of animals in the boat. We'd be the cutest team at the race! It was nice to have the opportunity to get to know more people from church. ECC is a pretty big church, so its nice to be able to get into smaller groups for activities like this. A bunch of us had lunch together before heading over to Happy Valley Sports Ground. I discovered one of the girls taught at my old highschool CAIS, just after I graduated from there, small world! Surprisingly my legs were still functioning after dance class from the night before. Worked up quite a sweat. Our coach led us through a bunch of drills like the frog jump, situps, pushups, etc. I'm quite eager to get to the sea-training part next next week. Can't wait!

And Easter holidays is comng up!! YAY! Only 2 more days of work! Will be going to Hainan Island with Coco:) Can't wait to be lying on that beach with a good read.

Feeling healthy, happy, and thankful.

Falling Up

Fell up the escalators today while I was rushing to work. Good thing I wasn't going down. It was a combination of little things that made me trip. Reading while walking, wearing sandals, other hand holding carton of milk, late for work, and general klutziness. I've trip over my own two feet on a perfectly flat surface. Unfortunately, being in HK, surrounded by HKers, nobody bothered to help me up when I plastered myself across several steps of the escalator. It was rush hour so you can imagine how many people were around to witness this oh-so-embarassing moment. Several people took a sharp intake of breath in surprise, while someone else said "waaaah!". Well there is an upside to this incident, I managed to prevent my face from contact with the spikey metal steps by breaking my fall with my arms (my hands were full at the moment, refusing to let go of the magazine and milk). My sandals didn't fall off, that would have been much more embarassing, having to go after my sandals. I escaped with only a few bruises and a scratch. No bleeding. And I made it to work on time!

Who can help the cat?

Produced and directed my first play ever. This play premiered last night to an audience of 200 parents;) Ok, ok, so it was more like a 5 minute skit. And the actors were my kiddies. But I still had a blast from writing the script to making the props to training my kiddies. They are so, so, so talented! The best part was when the "fireman" was rescuing the cat with the Mission Impossible theme music playing. He was so cute, bobbing his head in and out from behind the tree to the beat of the music. Until he accidently knocked the cat off the tree and a kid from the audience yelled "say jor la!" (it died!). Well at least the parents got a good laugh out of that one. It's such a rush too, even though I was backstage, it was all very exciting. Maybe I should swith to showbiz;)

To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born, And a timeto die;
A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted...
A time to weep, And a time to laugh...
A time to embrace, And a time to refrain form embracing...
A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;
A time to love, And a time to hate;
A time of war, And a time of peace.

~Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Fool to miss April Fool's

Fool..............such a funny word really. Just the way it's spelt and the way it sounds when you say it. Today's April 1st aka April Fool's, but I had no idea today was April 1st, so I missed it. Not that I had any amazing pranks planned, but it would've been nice if I could have said "happy april fool's day" to someone. Although I don't know if HK people what it is.

Flip flop weather has come upon us! YAY! I finally get to seriously break in my Myanmar leather flip flops. Sturdy, nonslip rubber sole. Leather inlay. Velvet straps. Although the leather and/or rubber makes it stink to high heaven. Nonetheless, simple yet beautiful (yes, I'm still talking about my flip flops).

FINALLY visited the Shenzhen orphanage today!!:) A group from my church who goes every Saturday. As we sat in our rented van in the traffic, I was nervous about meeting the kiddies. I've never been to an orphanage before and I wasn't sure what to expect. It was overwhelming at first when all the kiddies rush at you wanting you to touch and hold them. Just wish I had a few extra arms. The kiddies are sooooo adorable. We taught the older ones songs and drew pictures with them. Some of them are really smart. Fed and held the wee little babies. I was so happy to see the kiddies happy. But at the same time, my heart was breaking knowing that they had been abandoned by their parents. All the little things we take for granted, they cherished deeply. A simple hug, stickers, a few snacks, words of praise, a smile. Yet they are also blessed to be at the orphanage instead of on the streets. I hope I'll have the opportunity to go back again.

At Work

I'm almost done The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (book 2 of Hitchhiker's Guide)! And yes, I've been reduced to posting comments about my reading status. As you can tell, not much exciting is going on at the moment. I'm in a mode of waiting. Waiting for jazz class to begin, waiting for Da Vinci Code's release (whenever that may be in “3-months later” Hong Kong), waiting for my kiddies to wake up (at this moment in time), waiting for Easter Holidays, waiting for the visits to orphanages in Shenzen to begin, waiting for my cold to go away and never come back, waiting for the waiting to be over. Don't worry, I'm not depressed, just...waiting.

Loving this Monday

Today is Monday, NO WORK today. Feel strangely unsettled though. My internal clock is all out of whack. Feels like a Sunday today, but no church, since I had it yesterday. Confused yet? I am. Let me explain, take you back further. Had to work all day Saturday, hence have today off. I seem to be going backwards today.

Originally had plans to go see Pride and Prejudice with a friend. But that friend has turned out to be in desparate need of a root canal (ouch - both physically and financially). So my plans have changed to hibernating at home, being only 12 degrees outside, freezing compared to yesterday's 24 degrees. So far, I've been watching Spooks, a British TV spy show a la Alias and 24. However it's nowhere near as good as 24. Spooks is more a slowburner, where it only gets exciting near the last 15 minutes of the one hour episode. And it's definitely low budget. Only treated to explosions every few episodes, and their high tech gadgets, well lets just say its not much, other than bugs, bugs, bugs. I guess I've been spoiled by 24's cool Bond-type gadgets. So, why you ask, do I bother watching this show? Because I have the whole of season 1 and 2, and it would be a waste not to finish it. Halfway through 2, almost there! And I've always liked the idea of spys. It would be a neat job. Although I don't think I could stand the pressure.

So my other plans for the day is to curl up with my Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Trilogy of Four and a cup of hot something. 4 books in 1, what a deal. But it does present quite a problem lugging it around since its size is slightly thicker than that of the latest Harry Potter. I'm at book 2. Hooked. But not the page-turner type where you have to stay up all night to find out what happens next. I have a thing for series, whether movies or books. Just staring at my bookshelf right now, I can see Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Left Behind. It's the never-endingness of series that I like. Well, off I go to make that hot cup-of-something!

mmmovies

You know how when girls splurge, it's usually on a pair of shoes or clothes. But when I splurge, its usually on movies. I went nuts at the video store today. Bought 8 movies in one go (in no particular order):

1. Red Eye (I support Canadians! Not really, moreso for the cute boy.)
2. The Constant Gardener (I'm dying to find out what the coverup is about.)
3. Birth (I like Nicole Kidman.)
4. Broken Flowers (I like Bill Murray.)
5. The Jacket (Always wanted to see it at 3 stars/woodlawn.)
6. Wallace & Grommit (Loved the shorts.)
7. Strictly Ballroom (Loved all his other movies, Baz Luhrmann.)
8. Miss Congeniality 2 (Guilty pleasure, fan of the first one.)

My only excuse is they were all on sale.

Me, Mum, and Marathoners

Thought of the Moment

Put first things first and we get second things thrown in; put second
things first and we lose both first and second things.
C.S. LEWIS

Need to re-prioritize things in my life.

Short n' Sweet

-Survived the Standard Chartered marathon, actually only 10K, still a big deal for me though since I'm not the most athletic. Ran it with my mum:) Someone actually died running the full marathon (42K)! Yikes. Apparently he had asthma. So I'm really thankful me and my mum had no major problems. Just sore muscles the next day. The one thing that annoyed me were the MANY runners who would suddenly stop to whip out a camera and snap a shot. Many a times I almost knocked them over. It just goes to prove how obssessed people here are about taking pictures of EVERYTHING and ANYTHING.

-Been absorbed by Pride and Prejudice. Read the book and watched the movie at the same time. Sort of. Read most of it first, but watched the movie before I could finish the ending of the book. Both were incredible pieces of work. Of course the book had more detail. But the movie did a pretty good job putting it together for under 2 hrs. Mr. Dah-cy....swoon. Overall, a romantic yet witty story.

Welcome February

Happy Chinese New Year!! Celebrated in Guangzhou this year with Coco and her family. My first time there. It was fun, and better yet, I didn't get mugged (as many of my friends warned me of).

Highlights of the trip:

Paddleboating at night. Almost getting stuck in the too-small arch of a bridge. Eating loads of melon seeds. Enjoyed the night lights of the park.

Eating. This was a general highlight throughout the entire trip. Pretty much ate nonstop. Coco's mum is an awesome cook. And the streetfood is mouthwateringly delicious. Especially the lamb skewers.

Fireworks in Hua Du. Pretty decent display. Hanging with her cousins.

Foot/body massage. SO CHEAP. 40rmb for an hour. All you can eat too. Unlimited food available for order. Too bad I just had dinner beforehand. Interesting combination of getting your feet massaged while watching Harry Potter in mandarin and eating congee.

Baby Yan Yan. Adorable. Got quite an attitude. Coco's neice. Showed off some of her kungfu for us.

Transportation. Got to ride on a motorbike!! Me and Co managed to squeeze onto one bike plus the driver. Riding in her uncle's car was pretty scary. Drove onto oncoming traffic, backed up on a main road. But everyone's driving skills there are awesome. Crossing the road takes even more skill. Most of the time, I just attached myself to Co to guide me across. Better not to look.

And much more. I had an incredible time. Just hanging out with Coco. It was like the ultimate sleepover. 3 night sleepover. And now I'll leave you with one last photo, welcome year of the dog.