Had barely less than 2 hours of sleep before waking up and preparing to go to work. What made my fatigue worst was the fact that I am down with flu. The mucus kept coming out from my poor nose plus the frequent sneezing made me feel even more sick and tired. However, the last 16 hours that were spent with friends made all this all worthwhile.

Met up with some of the Dieppe gang people for a day trip to Sentosa. Though the outing did not turn out to be enjoyable as expected, we still enjoyed this rare gathering.

The Four of us ( left to right ) : TT, Vincent, Kelvin and myself

Erm...Erm...Ya...aren't they 'Kawaii' ???

Had a mini picnic at Siloso Beach as planned by TT. Everyone bought something from the supermarket at Vivo to be shared during the picnic cum catch up session. TT even brought a groundsheet....appreciate his efforts.

To beat the hot and humid weather, we had some ice cream at Ben & Jerry. I Heart Ben & Jerry.

We really walked around Sentosa aimlessly. Supposed to visit the attractions but due to some unforseen circumstances, we got to skip those and walked around not knowing what to do. Since going back to Vivo is a better idea, we bid Sentosa goodbye early.

Onboard the Beach Tram back to the Beach Station.

The 'V' sign

The 'Garang' guys.

Back at Vivo, we met up with Vincent Wong who had returned from Brisbane for a small catch up session at ToastBox. That guy still the same as usual...hahaha....except that his hair is now more funky...hahaha. Anyway, decided not to join the rest for movie at Vivo for I changed my mind to meet the 859 peeps for a dinner instead.

With the 859 peeps for Van's farwell dinner cum mini gathering at Clarke Quay.

It has been quite a while since we last had such a gathering due to everyone's different schedules and commitment. Really miss them. Hope we can have such gathering more often in 2008!

Fion's Christmas gifts to all of them except ME (Sob.Sob). A pair of mini bears for Van's farewell. Wish you all the best Van...will definitely miss u and hope we can meet up more often.

Hopped over to Lunar to chill out and for some liveband music. I quite like that place actually. The interior resemble much like Clinic and the liveband wasn't too bad. Maybe that's because I appreciate Chinese pop songs more than the English ones.

The 3 babes of the night. Getting prettier by the day...Ooooohooo...Drool!

Fion & me...Thanks for not giving me any Christmas gifts....Ok, I know it's my fault for not informing you that I am joining...hahaha. U promised to give me something special...I am still waiting...hahaha

To my cousin Caleb as well as the rest of my cousins :

Kor, I am so sorry that I did not go for your Church's concert & dinner. Really thank you for inviting me and reserving a seat for me. However, I did not realise that the event start at 6 pm and I only knock off from work around 4 plus 5. The journey back home was long and I knew I could not make it on time. Plus the fact that I only had less than 2 hours of sleep the night before, I knew I may not enjoy the concert so I decided to give it a miss. Let's hope we had another gathering soon eh...this time I plan to have a mini feast over at my house. Will inform everyone of the date soon and hope everyone can make it.

Had a very good sleep last night.... 16 hours of sleep.... something I consider a luxury.

Will be in Hong Kong for a Christmas countdown. Wonder if I should join the crowd for a countdown at the harbour or just stay in my room. Depends.

New year approaching soon and my wishlist for 2008 will soon be out...hahaha.

Wish everyone of you a Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year !!!

Just back from swimming with TT at Tampines Swimming Complex. Felt so shiok after swimming 32 laps. Quite an achievement I must say for each time we go swimming, we would normally swim less than that as most of the time were spent talking nonsense among ourselves. Thought that it would be very crowded today due to the public holiday but were shocked when we arrived at the pool...there were less than 10 people in the pool ! Shiokness ! Probably was the weather that keep the swimmers away.

Was back from Amsterdam yesterday morning. Third time there and I simply love the city. Would probably place Amsterdam my second favourite European city after London. Was freezing cold in Amsterdam....an average temperature of 1 degree celsius ! Walking on the streets or out in the open never felt so torturous before. The weather was killing us especially when the wind was blowing against us. Really salute Gabriel for cycling in the cold without any rest after we arrived in Amsterdam.

Had lunch at this Italian Restaurant with the rest on the first day.

Chicken Cacciatora recommended by Vincent....very delicious. A must to eat.

Nothing much to do after our lunch so Evon and I went wandering along the streets.

Evon & I at one of the many canals in Amsterdam.

A gigantic Christmas Tree.

It was only 4 pm and the sun was setting!!!

Make a guess what these are ? Onions ? Nope... Garlic ? Nope...Chestnuts ?! Nope...It's....It's.... the buds or seeds of Tulips!!!! They look very much like Onions...don't they? If I were to give these to my mum without telling her what these actually are, I guess I may be down with food poisoning....hahahaha.

Magic Mushroom...no the mushrooms here have no magic. Just that this is a store that sell drugs which is legalized in Holland...Cannabis, Maurijauna etc can be found here. The things they sell here are very interesting...an eye opener for me. Colourful sweets that look harmless actually contain cannabis. Small Mushrooms that look edible actually give u hallucination when eaten.

Went on a full day Grand Holland Deluxe Tour with Charlyn on our 2nd day.

1st stop of the tour :

Aalsmeer - The World's Famous Flower Auction

The many boxes/crates of flowers up for auction.

Auctioning in Progress.

In case you do not what's happening on the screen, here's an explantion of what the terms mean.

Next, we drove around Rotterdam before heading to Delft. Nothing much in Rotterdam, just a normal small town.

Went to the Royal Delft Blue Pottery factory.

The Entrance

One of the near complete pottery on display. Guess it's a vase. Nicely done.

Mini pottery vase...Guess how much this small vase cost ? If I am not mistaken, each cost about S$ 160 plus. Wow...so expensive.

One of the very famous Holland icon - The Dutch Girl kissing the Dutch Boy. This pottery cost about S$500 !

Were famished by the time we finished the pottery factory tour. Lunch was at this International Restaurant in Delft Square.

Ordered the Fried Cod fillet with fries....a big big disappointment. The fish doesn't taste like cod at all...dried and it taste really weird. Worst, it tasted a bit stale...seem to me that either the cod was a fake one or that the cod was not fresh. Really bad. Nevertheless, finished everything as I was too hungry. Charlyn ordered the chicken cutlet and we were shocked when the waitress served us. The chicken cutlet was black...yes really black! no joke. Being the guinea pig, I was 'invited' to have the 1st bite...Hard, dried and tasted burnt. One of the worst meals I have had.

Decided to take some photos in the Square after lunch before returning to our tour bus.

Another Big Christmas tree in Delft.

City of Romance & Love

After touring The Hague, we finally, yes finally, arrived at Madurodam - the highlight of the tour.

Hey...Who's that climbing up the rope ???

Who says the A380 is big...Look !!! I am much bigger than it...wahahah

Scale 1 : 25 in case you are wondering

Very good workmanship...It just look so real. I guess if I never tell u that this was taken in Madurodam, you might think that these are real...m I right ? Just admit it...

Actually this photo was taken illegally, just like the one I took with A380. Reason : I crossed the security rope when no one was watching just to take next to them.

Envy ? I found my little Beautiful Dutch girlfriend !!!

Everything was small in Madurodam but not these Clogs !!!!! Look at how huge they were. Oh no, I was caught stealing them !!!

If not for the freezing cold weather, I guess we would have enjoyed Madurodam better. It's just too cold for us to really appreciate the structures. We were practically hoping from one to another and missed quite a few so that we could seek shelter at the nearby souvenir shop as soon as possible. My hands were numb and rigid after 30 minutes out in the cold.

That's the end of our tour. Be honest, the whole tour was, well, boring. If not for Madurodam, I guess I have better stay in Amsterdam. Guess my next trip to Amsterdam, I shall go for the canal cruise :D

My S$20 dinner :

Indonesian Meal - Rice with some curry vegetables, taohu, french beans, beef and chicken.

Guess I have caught a cold now...having a running nose and my throat is feeling a bit dry and itchy.

Haiz... guess having plenty of rest and water is the best cure.

Somehow I don't know why but I miss my Hong Kong badly.

Seems like I will be busy till year end. So many things to settle yet so little time. I realise I have somehow 'lost' my friends...time to find them back. I just miss them.

RT is getting tougher with each session. Still, I love the feeling after the run. Refreshing and Energetic. However, I hate the journey back home. Not only I have to wait for the buses for a very long time, I have to squeeze myself in the bus as if I am the sardine in the can. Hope that all these will soon be over. *Cross my fingers*

Anyway, saw these adorable pair of ducklings in the bathroom of my hotel room in Shanghai.

'Bring me home' is what was written on the card attached to its neck. Too bad, I can't adopt them for I have too many pairs at home. Nice touch from the hotel for its guests to play with while soaking themselves in the oversized bathtub.

As promised earlier, here's a short entry of what we did during our 3 days stay in Hong Kong :

Accommodation @ Sheraton Hotel

The moment we opened the door to our room, Mum was 'wowed' by what she saw. The room was very comfortable and spacious (by Hong Kong standard)...just nice for the 3 of us.

Our first dinner at one of the popular Char Chang Ting @ TST

Five of us enjoying our very first dinner in Hong Kong

Pin Pan - A combination of roasted goose, barbequeue pork, roasted pork and chicken. This is what the char chang ting is popular for. Upon entering this little restaurant, you will not fail to see on the wall the numerous newspaper and magazine articles featuring its specialty. Our verdict : The meat is really delicious except that they are too big a chunk. You may feel sick of eating after chewing two or more pieces as not only they are quite oily, they are also abit salty. The guys enjoyed it but the ladies gave it a miss after a few bites. Hahaha... Besides the meat selection, we did order a few other dishes like the tofu and vegetables. Quite tasty.

What comes next after finishing the main course ? Of course, its none other than dessert !!! Brought them to this very famous dessert joint just a stone throw away from where we had our dinner...

The Sweet Dynasty - Ring a bell?

This is the highlight of the dessert - A bucket of Dou Hua (jelly beancurd)...It is soooo smooth that it melts in your mouth. And also it is something light that you don't feel you are full despite eating 4-5 bowls of it. Of course, we felt the pinch after a few bowls for we just had our very sumptous dinner and other desserts as well.

Other desserts :

Tang Yuan in ginger soup. The Tang Yuan are very nice with black sesame filling. Oiishiii...

Red Bean soup with Orange Peel. I felt that this red bean soup was bit too diluted and the taste of the orange peel was too strong. Not recommended.

Ordered some other snacks/food besides the desserts ...

Congee

Dough Fritters wrapped in rice roll...very nice & crispy.

Supposed to go to Ladies street after our desserts but everyone was too tired and full to carry on. So we went back to the hotel for a 'good' night rest. Actually, we did not sleep well on this night....probably due to our overstuffed stomach.

The next morning, all except myself went for their complimentary half day sightseeing tour. According to my mum, they went to the mid levels of Victoria Peak, Repulse Bay, Aberdeen and as usual, some jewellery and Chinese Herbs stores. They even get to see Jackie Chan's residence as well as some other popular celebrities' ones ( from far of course ) over at Hong Kong Island.

While they were enjoying their tour, I slept till around 11 am before embarking on my shopping spree. For me, Hong Kong is not only a food paradise but a shopping heaven. Somehow, there are just too many things in Hong Kong for me to buy...haha.

Met up with Vincent for lunch and he brought me to this very posh restaurant at One Peking which specialises in Japanese and Italian cuisine.

While waiting for Vincent at the Star Ferry Terminal, this cruise ship attracted me...Star Aquarius...I was onboard this ship about 13 years ago !!!!! That was my 1st and last time on a cruise.....I want go for a cruise soon....who wanna join me ?

Fine Dining @ Aqua with old pal Vincent...

Somehow the sun is very glaring

My Grilled Black Cod

To end on a sweet note - Our desserts..Strawberry sorbet and Green Tea ice-cream.

Went Shopping with Vincent at the newly opened Shopping Mall at Kowloon Station - Elements. One thing that amazed me is its toilets. Not that I am crazy about toilets but the ones here really impressed me. Before entering the toilets, there is a waiting lounge with sofas, magazines and sweets to keep one occupied while waiting for their love ones. Once inside, the toilets are very posh, new and sparkling clean. Seriously, you wouldn't mind spending more time doing your 'business' there. Do note that these are the public toilets in a Shopping Mall that I am referring to. Even some 5-stars hotels toilets can't beat this.

Instead of the usual pine tree with the usual bells n neon lights as Christmas Decor, the Christmass 'tree' is decorated with toys.

Dinner with Family @ Mu Dan Ting

Ordered Pin Pan again and this is really good cos the ladies enjoyed it too. And I get to eat my favourite Suckling Pig....:D

My Favourite dish - Fish with corn - very nice. I heart.

Next up is Mongkok where they did their mini shopping :

It's already so late yet the streets are so crowded. Shops are still brimming with people.

Time for dessert at one of the most popular dessert joint :

Xu Liu Shan !!!

Our Orders :

Mango Oni Oni

Mango Platter

Other delicious Mango based desserts.

Woke up pretty early the next morning and made our way to Chao Inn @ One Peking. This is one of the best dim sum joints I ever had. As we were there early, there aren't many people. Ordered a total of about 30 dishes ( Sorry, I lost count ) and omg, its simply heaven. Everyone was satisfied with their yum cha experience. The Best is, we paid only about S$70 for over 30 dishes! So affordable considering the location and how posh the restaurant is :D.

A very satisfied and happy us :

A sneak of some of the dishes we had :

Prawn Rice Roll - Damn Nice n Smooth....

Char Siu Su - Very fragrant & Nice.

Our Assortment of Dim Sum

Two Goldfish Mango Pudding.

That more or less sum up my Hong Kong holiday. As this is my don't know how many times in Hong Kong, I only care about my shopping and food. So no sightseeing pictures and only food and more food. So for those of you who have already started drooling, am truly sorry about that.

Spent more than S$1k on my shopping. Not sure what I bought, just a couple of shirts, jackets and pants plus my Onitsuka Tiger sneakers......

I Heart them.

Enough of my entry....feeling tired already.

Managed to get a day off today due to some last minute changes :D

Shanghai again tomorrow before my long awaited Amsterdam this weekend. :D:D:D

Till then, ciao