Final day, HKG Trip

The final day of our trip to Hong Kong started well, everyone managing to be up and about by the meeting time set for check-out. Check-out was smooth, and they had space to store our luggage this time around. They used a VIP room for the purpose, but at least we didn’t need to lug our luggage around.

We took the MTR to Tsim Sha Tsui, and went to look for lunch, which wasn’t that hard to do, although the plan to eat dim sum again fell through. We went to some random food shop, ate random Chinese food, and proceeded back to the hotel to collect our luggage and leave for the final time. One last trip to the Yau Ma Tei MTR station later, we were off to Tsing Yi to take the Airport Expess. It was past 1500h by the time we got to the Airport Express, which was a really large train with 2 rows of 2 aircraft style seats with much more leg-room than economy class, and a really wide walkway. There was also a luggage hold near the door, which made it quite convenient, especially with the lack of a crowd to fight for space. From here on, it would be quite a whirlwind for most of us.

We quickly made for the luggage store at the airport, and had our large number of luggage placed in a store room behind their usual lockers. This storage method had the added benefit of being cheaper than the lockers themselves. From here, we headed for Lantau Island and Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car station. It was now 1600h, but most of us still decided to head to the Giant Buddha. The 3 who did not join us were D (been many times), B (also been before) and Slim.

With not much else to do on the Cable Car ride, the rest of us decided to wave to every passing Cable Car and see how many waved back. The count got to at least 12 cars, mostly containing westerners, who tended to be more responsive when they dominated the car. Upon reaching, we started walking at a swift speed towards the Buddha. Along the way, Van and the little boys each bought cotton candy, only to find that each one would be the size of a baby. Boss chipped in to help eat it up. There was also a stray dog on the path that Hen little boy took a picture with.

It didn’t take us long to find ourselves at the foot of the 200+ steps that would lead us to the Buddha itself. We decided that there was time, and so ran up the steps to reach the top. It would be 1700h by the time we reached the peak. Our success in reaching the top didn’t seem like it was meant for religious purposes, unlike some other visitors. Rather, it meant that we would have a good view of the area in addition to the close-up of the Buddha. We spent some time taking pictures and then decided it was time to head back down. The journey down was relatively less speedy, for safety reasons and also to take pictures.

Along the way back, the little boys purchased pinwheels, for the fun of it (Hen little boy’s continues to survive as a decoration in his room). We also took pictures with statues of some of the 12 generals supposed to represent the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac. More fleet-footedness later, we were in the queue for the Cable Car back to the base station.

The ride back included some attempts to take a photo with the sunset, which caused a minor scare when the car tilted quite severely with the weight of everyone located in one corner. It was also quite different going through cable towers and downwards when some of us were on the floor. The “categories” game was played as well, including stuff like Pen brands, Airlines, and unsuccessfully, blogshops. The price of a loss was a funny picture with the pinwheel.

D joined in playing with the pinwheel when we met up and before we headed back to the airport. The bus ride back was much more violent than the one to the base station, for some reason or another. We only boarded the bus at 1810h, which was when our check-in would open in the airport. Upon alighting from the bus, some guys ran to the luggage store to retrieve our luggage in as speedy a manner as possible. From there we quickly headed for our departure check-in. We wouldn’t be late, but we still needed to have dinner, which would take a while. There was more pinwheel entertainment while we were checking-in, courtesy of the little boys, of course.

The original idea was to eat at Crystal Jade, but we were not near it and decided to eat at a food court instead. It was 1853h by the time we sat down to start eating. Some had Japanese food while others had Chinese food. Once they were done, Boss and K took the unwanted Octopus Cards to be refunded. Although there was a HK$7 handling fee, we probably still managed to save more time and money with the card than without it. Our next stop was a Wing Wah outlet and the shops near it, where many people bought wife cake to bring back to Singapore, among other things. It wasn’t early, and we were certainly running late.

We cleared customs at the time that we were supposed to have been at the gate (1940h). While rushing to the gate, Boss still managed to find time to buy alcoholic beverages. Some were a bit on the panicky side, but E seemed quite calm and certain the plane wouldn’t leave without us. We eventually made it to the gate as probably the last passengers, with an announcement that the gate would close completely in just 5 minutes. The bus to the plane was very empty as a result. While standing outside the plane waiting to get in, we managed to wave to the pilots and have them wave back. We also noticed the pilots’ door open when we entered the plane, which is hardly a common sight. There were some ideas about how to use the pinwheel to distract the other passengers from the fact that we were about the last people on-board, but we didn’t actually execute them. It wasn’t long after we settled in that we were set for take-off and the flight home.

Touchdown did come as scheduled at 2355h, meaning we were back in Singapore. The normal arrival stuff happened when we got back, and duty-free purchases were to be made after customs were cleared, although we did walk into a DFS before we did that. After baggage collection and before we walked into the arrival hall where our family members were waiting, E contended that like in Hong Kong, the guys once again left the girls behind going through customs, while Slim could be heard saying that she didn’t want to go out. Either way we exited, and would have dispersed quite quickly considering the time, if not for a few more group photos, and a reminder from E about payment.

0033h on 15^th of January thus marked the end of our Hong Kong Trip.
Thank you for travelling with 7N. We hope all who went had a safe trip, are in good health, and hope to see all of you again soon.

Hong Kong Trip, Day 4

The fourth day in Hong Kong would begin at a yet later time in the morning. So late in fact, that Hen little boy was up and playing cards with K for sometime before meeting time. We set out for brunch in Tsim Sha Tsui, ordering breakfast style food at almost noon. Food consumed included fried dough fritters, porridge, chang fen, and Hen little boy’s daily cup of milk (apparently the cup on day 2 was the best).

While we were there, E found that she was missing something, possibly her handphone. As such, D&E left quickly after finishing their meal to return to the hotel to search. The rest took a while longer to eat, and then used the underground network yet again to get to Harbour City-Ocean Centre. It was a large mall, but did not seem particularly inviting initially as the first floor was filled with outlets of some considerably high-end brands, such as Versace.

The outdoor viewing areas were also not of much note, as they faced the water and little else. If it was of any help, there was a Superstar boat in the docks. There was a shop that would be of some significance to the guys, and that was City Super, probably a Japanese supermarket. The building itself could be said to be a little confusing, especially as it turned out to be 3 malls linked to each other rather than a single development.

It took a while for D&E to rejoin us, with E’s handphone eventually located under her bed. D&E met us at our first meeting time, which was also quite a coincidence. While waiting, Zhe little boy first expressed interest in buying earphones, which caused Hen little boy to also raise his interest, and then Slim and possibly even Jc. This resulted in them going back up to a tech shop, while B (stayed for the free Wifi), Van and K waited at the meeting place. Eventually though, none of them bought earphones from the shop in question.

We proceeded to set the next meeting time for dinner, so that we could split up and shop wherever we liked in Tsim Sha Tsui as much as possible. D immediately decided to head to City Super, taking the rest of the guys with him. Boss got the direction wrong though, but it brought the guys to a part of the mall most of them had not yet been to. While D was looking for what he wanted from City Super, Boss and Zhe little boy were looking for alcoholic drinks and related mixers. They eventually bought a bottle of Martini and a Malibu for the alcohol.

During the free time, some ate at ToastBox while others ate at the food court below that. Some of us also met each other outside some random shop in some random mall which I obviously fail to remember the name of. Fast forward to meeting time and we had much less trouble finding each other at the station due to the much better structure. We proceeded to Jordan and headed for Temple Street Night Market. There, the genders split for their meals, the girls attempted street food while the guys, led by D, headed for Yoshinoya. On the way to Yoshinoya, the guys nearly stopped at a random food shop. The food didn’t look bad, but a coin toss was used to decide between the two, and Yoshinoya won out.

Shopping was again on our own, and some even headed for Mong Kok from there. We ultimately met back at the hotel, with even the lane adjacent to our hotel containing night market shops. There were yet more people eating claypot rice on that lane, at another shop.

Room 203 hosted the group, primarily a drinking game conducted by Boss. By the end there was full attendance, and among the drinkers it was likely that none were drunk. The drinkers were Boss, the little boys, and Van. The room did get quite warm, with everyone stuffed into it. Jc took quite a while to join us, around 3 hours, maybe 1 hour for the bath, and something in between that and combing hair. She ended the night as the only one who had had their bath. She was also among the last to leave, along with Miss Awesome and Hen little boy after a few additional games of Monopoly Deal.

During the drinking game, all the “Toilet cards” were held by girls, although none of them used it (no one else needed the washroom anyway). Slim used a rule card to dictate that anyone who used “uh” would have to drink. Van used a rule card to dictate that B would have to drink twice whenever anyone else had to drink. This had a disastrous consequence especially when all had to drink. There were 2 more rule cards, but my memory fails again. During the “categories” games, Hen little boy ended up drinking most often. During “7-up” Slim lost most often. During “Who, what, huh”, and “I went to a supermarket”, a small range of people lost. In the latter game, there were many strange items bought, including (some variation of) a unicorn, strawberries with insects on top and one 200ml 300g bottle of cream which caused the game to end after just 1 person survived. B was also the unfortunate collector of the 4^th King, which meant that she would consume the contents of cup which contained whatever the recipients of the other 3 Kings had placed inside. In this case, it was a vitamin C tablet (foaming due to the limited water inside), some potato chips, water (Boss) and something else. B finished the cup off without appearing too troubled.

It was quite late by the time we were done, along with the additive effect of sleeping late and the emerging lack of interest in yet more shopping, the meeting time for the next day was basically set for check-out, also the latest meeting time for the whole trip.

Third Day of the Hong Kong Trip

A second cold morning in Hong Kong began, in a slightly less than favourable condition, with the news that E was unwell and would not join us for breakfast. It would be a missed opportunity of sorts, as this would be our only real dim sum breakfast.

It took the occupants of room 204 until the meeting time to wake up, indicating their physical condition as well. Again, it wouldn’t be hard to believe Hen little boy was first up. This morning we would set out with much more concrete plans, having taken clearer direction from Van’s sister to find a dim sum restaurant the night before. Another short MTR ride later, we arrived in Jordan. We took the exit to Shamrock Hotel, and upon reaching street level, spotted what looked like what we were looking for, just opposite the road. We passed a BreadTalk shop on the way to the pedestrian crossing, and it wasn’t long before we got into the restaurant and settled down for breakfast at a single table.

The service wasn’t too good, but that would most likely be because of some language barrier and our difficulty in fully comprehending the menu. We placed about 3 rounds of orders, with stuff like peanut pancake, fried dough fritters in chang fen, char siew buns, siew mai, ha gao, etc. the bill came to almost HK$300, which was actually pretty good since it worked out to be about the same as eating at any other random food shop. It was about 1100h when we finished our meal and left the restaurant.

We proceeded to meet E at the MTR station, and continued our journey to Causeway Bay. This would be our next shopping destination. We split up and covered malls such as Causeway Bay Plaza 1, Sino Plaza, SOGO, and also Times Square. Sino Plaza saw some guys playing on escalators to kill time while waiting for another. Times Square was large, evidenced by the presence of 2 Starbucks outlets in the mall, both of which were patronised by us. This was also where the little boys took a nap at the foot of an escalator after watching a part of “How to Train Your Dragon” a good number of times. Both of them did buy something from the Starbucks located on the lower floor, but whether it was intended to keep them awake is clearly questionable. Hen little boy’s hunt for Eragon in the Page One bookstore was unsuccessful.

There was some trouble in meeting back, as this was the first station that we encountered where it was impossible to go from one entrance to the next without going through the fare gates. This meant that setting the control station as the meeting point wasn’t ideal. Either way, we found each other quite quickly, and proceeded to Central. From there, we took a rather uneven walk to Tai Chung Bakery, famous for their Egg Tarts. Here, we got to buy and eat what should be the best Egg Tarts around, and some other bakery products. The guys purchased 1 box each, except for K who had 2. The ladies shared a significantly smaller number amongst themselves.

On the walk back, we found that we had skipped the Central-Mid-Levels Escalator by accident. We were fortunate to have not attempted to take it downwards, because it would have involved taking a flight of stairs to discover it only went up, with widely spaced steps for the way down. We later stopped at another H&M outlet where some went in to shop. The guys took this opportunity to take the Escalator upwards, and walked back down. As it turned out, the return trip on the Escalator took longer than the ladies required in H&M.

Our journey on foot continued for some time, taking us to the Peak Tram Lower Terminus. With the hilly landscape and the number of people with some form of leg trouble, it might have seemed longer than it was. It was evening by now, and starting to get dark and cool. We purchased tickets just for the ride, and got in the queue for the Tram. It came quite soon after, and we started the journey up. As was promised in the description for the ride, we got pulled up the hillside at quite a steep angle, possibly 37 degrees or so. Those seated on the right side of the Tram got a better view, as that was the side facing the Hong Kong Skyline. We again talked of the possibility of placing a roller-coaster on this hillside, most likely because of the experiences the previous day.

Up on the Peak, we took a group photo with the wax figure of Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, since it was free. We did not visit the Madame Tussauds museum as it did not draw many positive reviews or popular interest amongst ourselves. We also attempted to enter a restaurant on the highest publicly open floor, but decided against it when we were told we would not get the seats that we wanted as they were reserved. It would otherwise have been a great way to get a good view. Since this route was not available to us, we somehow found an exit that led onto a balcony. From there, we enjoyed the view, and also constant wind accompanied by lower temperatures than we had so far enjoyed. There was some shelter available in the form of the top of a stairwell. After taking a number of open-air shots of the city, we re-entered the building through Burger King. As you can expect, Hen little boy was the most well protected from the cold.

After descending a flight of stairs just outside Burger King, we arrived at a different part of the building, which was a good thing. We took some time to examine an orange juicer and two displays of pasta which had forks that looked as if they floated in the air. There was yet another exit nearby, but this one was considered the ground floor, meaning that it took us to a much larger open space albeit without a view of the city. We hung around outside for a while, before proceeding back into the building. Another interesting gadget was a remote controlled car that operated on the wall, literally being driven up the wall. We thought of dinner, but the food options were limited and did not seem appealing. As such, we decided to finally try the claypot rice just beside our hotel. We had observed long queues at the shop for two nights now, and figured that it must be good. This meant that we had to take quite a wait since we were nowhere near the hotel, but we were able to survive with the late meals during the rest of the day.

Before we got there, we had to queue in the cold weather for the tram down. The queue was outdoors probably to accommodate the large number of people. It took us a while, but we eventually got to the more indoor part. Even being on the inner queue wasn’t of much help. The humans in the next row were somewhat insufficient as wind shields. While in the queue, we were treated to singing by D & Boss, although it was sporadic due to the way they seemed to decide what to sing. Either way, it was quite different from their constant use of sign language the previous day, where they were so engrossed in their signed conversation on the bus from Ocean Park to Admiralty.

The ride down was about identical to the ride up, except for the fact that we were going downwards and backwards. We also passed by a tram on its way up during the journey, which we did not notice when we were going up. We exited the tram station at a leisurely pace, and found that the bus stand just outside was useful to us. The bus would take us to the Star Ferry Piers, which we wanted to go to, to experience a ferry ride across the water and back to Kowloon. The signboard said that an open-top bus would come every half-hour, and we must have had some luck to get an open-top bus. Not that we sat top-deck though, for the weather wasn’t particularly comfortable for us to do so.

There was some more singing on the bus, credits to the ladies this time. Apparently, Miss Awesome was well, awesome. The ferry we wanted was not difficult to find, and we took the entrance to the lower deck. The fee for the ferry was cheaper than if we took the MTR one stop, and it was an easy tap-in for all of us, with the Octopus Card. The boat ride itself was fairly comfortable, with no one getting sea-sick. When we reached Kowloon, we were treated to a laser-light show from the Hong Kong Skyline while Van and Zhe little boy visited the restroom. We also saw a lady selling an interesting laser pen putting out disco light-like effects. It was a short walk to the underground network again, with a sign near the entrance warning about the possibility of flooding. It could be assumed then that the MTR system must be vulnerable to large amounts of water for some reason or another.

Arriving back near our hotel, K & Zhe little boy queued while the rest went up to the rooms. The ladies were subsequently the first to emerge from the hotel, but the queuing still wasn’t finished, so they went to buy curry fish balls and other food from nearby, and kindly donated the 2 in the queue one each. By this time the guys had arrived as well, and we were nearing the front of the queue. The first few calls for people however, were for small numbers, which meant that not the whole group could get in. When we found that we might be constantly overlooked if that was the case, we decided to send people in when the next call would come. D & Boss were the first to get in, but not long after, the remaining 9 were granted seats together as a group larger than ours had just left. D & Boss successfully joined our table, and our orders were placed. They included oyster pancake, and the many different ingredients that could be had in the claypot rice.

The oyster pancake was excellent, even if you didn’t eat the oysters. The salted fish was quite a surprise, turning up in large pieces with bones and all. Fortunately it wasn’t hard to de-bone, but it was very different to what we see in Singapore. We also got to pour the black sauce on our own, and depending on experience, some got a lot of their rice stuck to the pot. Overall, it seemed like a good experience, if not for the genuine taste then for the satisfaction of appetite. Before the meal there were intentions to do take-away for in-room consumption, but eventually no one did that. We returned to our hotel and once again wound down for the night. The first night had seen the guys play cards in 203, if only for a while. The second saw a good number in the little boys room for the same purpose, and being past-midnight, was partially regulated by Boss for noise.

This night, most of us gathered in B’s room to play cards. The main players were Hen little boy, K, B, Miss Awesome, Slim and Jc. Boss had died in his room, Zhe little boy came over later looking half-dead and Van came over quite early but swiftly died in a corner with his blue shark. He was largely impervious to any noise made, so we also discussed the many scenarios we could try to incept into his dreams, or guess his dreams. These included the Titanic scene, hot Japanese girls, fire, flood and so on. We were actually unsuccessful, and Henry’s instantly created fire alarm also did not work (he apparently did not unleash his human alarm completely to save our eardrums). Having been out, D&E arrived a short while before B decided we should leave her room, to let her have 12-14 hours of sleep (which she never got during the trip anyway). An even later wake-up timing was set for the next day, to conclude the night.

ORSUM Hong Kong Trip, Day 2

As a result of having no change in time zone, there was little adjustment our body clocks would require. Maybe the low temperature would mean we slept for longer, with the second day significantly cooler than the first (2^nd warmest day there), as predicted.

The programme for the day was simple, heading over to Ocean Park to play the day away, and sightseeing at the Avenue of Stars at night. Hen little boy, being the excited person that he is, was likely first to awake. We went out in search of porridge, on a recommendation by Van’s aunt. The search did not turn up the result we wanted, but we ate at some breakfast place anyway. Most ended up eating 泡饭. We got the programme under-way, heading for the MTR and taking it to Admiralty, on Hong Kong Island. We were about 10 minutes behind schedule, not that it really mattered anyway.

We were in luck with the transport system, and quickly spotted CityBus 629 which would take us to Ocean Park. We almost made a run for it, but it was not going to move any-time too soon anyway. There was sufficient time for us to buy our tickets to the park from a booth at the bus stand. Upon boarding, we occupied the back of the bus. The ride was smooth and we arrived at our destination in good time. A short walk from terminus to entrance later, Ocean Park was in view.

It didn’t take us long to go over to the other half of the park by cable car, since we knew the rides were there. The cable cars were small looking, but could fit 6 people in one. We were seated very close to the centre, but causing the car to shake was not a difficult task. During the journey, the guys discussed the mechanism of the cable car movement, and also how they went through each cable tower. They also contemplated the possibility of putting a roller-coaster on the hillsides that we passed by. A few conclusions were arrived at, such as:
1. Do not discuss the possibility of cable snapping if riding with Mel. Otherwise, the likely response would be: “I don’t think we are going to craAAAAAAAAA”.
2. Taking a roller-coaster down the side of the mountain will cause this result during the drop: “AAAAAAAAAAAAAh! *catch breath* AAAAAAAAAAAAAA”.

The view from the cable car station wasn’t too bad, but the rides were not really visible from where we were. So we proceeded with some pace, past an unfinished roller coaster, and ended up playing with boats. Van and someone played, with Van much more successful and also looking much more delighted. We soon got a view of most of the rides as we continued our journey towards them. There were also seals to look at along the way, and Slim was particularly fascinated by Coca cola bottles made to move up and down. In addition, she also took great interest in the Chinese Sturgeon (Aquarium), which we did not visit.

We played some stall games, such as shooting Nerf guns, which Van seemed most proficient at. Our first ride, apparently a warm-up, was the Flying swing. As it was still relatively empty, we spaced ourselves out quite widely. The result of the ride was a number of dizzy people. Nonetheless, we proceeded to The Dragon, a roller-coaster. It contained 2 loops and a corkscrew, but all except K took the ride, twice in fact. We managed to move on, but didn’t go far, having to take a break at some benches just outside the Crazy Galleon (boat that swings back and forth). The ride itself wasn’t open, apparently any movement we saw before that was purely for testing.

So after slacking around for a while, D decided to head over to The Abyss (drop ride) taking Hen little boy and Boss with him. The rest proceeded to a nearby area to rest. There was little movement again when they came off the ride, save for questions on the ride and the look of exhaustion on Boss’ face. As such, D decided to take the Eagle, a move which everyone except B & E followed. Slim took a nap while in the air, and it was a relaxing ride for most. When that was done, we hung around for a while longer, until Van decided to give The Abyss a shot, along with Slim, Miss Awesome, and the little boys. On the ride, the most significant noise appeared to have been a woman crying. After the ride, Van concluded that it was really very scary, although it was basically the ride up and the first drop that had the strongest effect. As you might have noticed, Hen little boy took the ride twice. There is a reason some are called to be commandos. (By the way, HK was only interested if anyone vomited, which we are fortunate enough to be able to say no one did)

We headed for the Mine Train (roller-coaster), which had no loops or corkscrews, but 2 drops. It also seemed like a longer ride than The Dragon. For the first ride, everyone except K took it. Van found the ride particularly funny because he sat next to Boss, who was spewing mutated vulgarities, such as “Cheese Buns” throughout the ride. Zhe little boy also mentioned that sitting behind Boss produced similar results, on The Dragon. The reason for the mutation is apparently because “he’s not supposed to swear” according to Flo. During the walk and actually for much of the day, you would find some guys stuffing their arms up or down Hen little boy’s jacket. Hen little boy had the thickest jacket, a boiler suit appropriate for up to -15 degrees Celsius, as such, anyone looking for warmth could try to get under his feathers. Not only did it keep him warm, it made rubber band shots completely useless (experimented upon by Boss), and if used to cover his ears, it would be almost sound-proof.

The Crazy Galleon (which Flo informs me is money in Hogwarts) was next on the agenda, as it was now open. K, Van, Miss Awesome, Jc, D&E and the little boys took this ride. The first 6 took it twice, although the operator forced everyone to get off and queue up again when there was no queue at all. Apparently, the ride was dizziness inducing. Van also found joy in laughing at other people who were screaming their heads off. A quick break later, we headed for a pizza stall, but after seeing the price concluded that McDonald’s was more worth it. Thus, we had our first (and probably only) taste of Hong Kong McDonald’s. It was a bit of a drawn out process, with many going for more than a single round of food.

We paid the Sea Jelly Spectacular (Jellyfish aquarium) a visit, and were rewarded with a good look at many different kinds of Jellyfish, as well as some visual effects caused by UV lighting. These effects included a very nice highlight of words on Boss’ jacket, B’s fingernails becoming fluorescent highlighter pink, K’s sunglasses tips glowing orange, Miss Awesome’s laces proving how white and clean they were, and something really cool happened to Jc’s clothing. For some strange reason, many of the walls in the building were covered in mirrors, and with the low amounts of light available, that meant many people walking into walls, such as Miss Awesome. As the park was now more crowded, we also experienced the Percs effect. This meant that walling became standard in any queue.

We went to the Ocean park tower, where we observed Percs trying to bribe the operator. While in the queue, D & Boss made a sick joke about the dressing of some other tourists. Anyway, we took in the view from the top, with Hen little boy commenting that had the Abyss been built where the Tower was, it might be much more impactful. We also sighted a ride called The Flash while we were up there. Hen little boy was unafraid of even that ride, going with his “got buy insurance scared what” philosophy. Eventually, D did not decide to go for that ride, which means none of us experienced this new addition to the park.

The Tower ride was followed by a quick trip to the Ocean Theatre and a show featuring dolphins and seals. Most of us had to sit separately, since the theatre was nearly full by the time we got there. After all, the show was starting. The show itself was entertaining but Hen little boy reported that the person next to him completely ignored the show, choosing instead to read.

We did go for another ride on the Mine Train, but slightly less people took it. Again, the queue was long. We also discovered Slim’s concerns regarding long escalators in the process of getting there. The guys sat on the escalator, and later saw a sign advising against doing so.  After the ride, the guys bought fried fresh squid, which was quickly consumed. We found probably the only water-based ride closed, unfortunately. The sky was beginning to darken and the weather was getting cooler. We took the escalator upwards, and were walking towards the cable car station when a passing Chinese yo-yo performer asked in Cantonese the following question: “Are you guys cold?” to which Van and Zhe little boy collectively replied in Cantonese: “Cold, cold!”. That drew the response: “I’m very cold too.” It was amusing because of the collective reply, and the antics of the performer, skipping around in his attempt to keep warm.

The cable car ride back was to see Hen little boy’s jacket getting extensive use by those who felt cold. D had his hands on Hen little boy’s jeans for pretty much the whole ride, which passed without too much incident. Back at the lower half, we took the children’s merry-go-round, even though there was an adult size carousel. It was quite a random choice, started by a random proposal but not-so-random acceptance, but it was fun nonetheless. We probably made the operator’s day when we hit the children’s Ferris wheel, going by his constantly smiling gaze from the moment we entered.

If not for size and weight restrictions, we might have entered the Bouncy Castle or took the Frog Hopper (children’s version of The Abyss). Ocean Park seemed much less crowded at this time, possibly because people were starting to leave. We continued on our way, stopping to play a stall game involving the tossing of soft toys into revolving baskets. Slim demonstrated her inept abilities at this game. This was quickly followed up by a sure-win game, whereby we shot a constant stream of water at a target. Initially, Boss’ water gun couldn’t work, causing a replay. During the reply, Boss was again unfortunate with the gun, and D’s score counter did not rise correctly. This meant a shoot-off between Boss, D and Van, which Van won. His gun did seem to have significant advantage, most probably in terms of water pressure. For his efforts, he picked up a blue shark. We also played another round with the Nerf guns, but did not collect a major prize. The free gift for picking up the tab for 3 games was a 4-leaf clover soft toy which went to E.

It was about time to leave the park, and on our way out we caught the last part of some acrobatic performance, along with some stilt-walkers. We watched till the show was over, and then it was back to the bus stand and off to Admiralty for us. We were unsuccessful in getting a proper recommendation for good food from the bus driver, and so proceeded to a nearby mall. Combined with the wind, the mercury seemed to have dropped significantly. We were about to go for Genki Sushi after the malls gave little positive result, but stopped instead at a quick service shop. It promised meals within 5 minutes. True enough, some of us got our food almost immediately after placing the order. At least 1 item went off the menu while we were queuing. The beef apparently tasted good, and after some figuring, Van and Boss decided that their chicken didn’t come from the same chicken, although they placed almost consecutive orders of the same dish.

After dinner, it was a quick walk back to the MTR station, from which we proceeded to Tsim Sha Tsui. Utilising their underground network of walkways, we made our way to the Avenue of Stars. Not so much for the Avenue actually, but for the great view that it provided of the Hong Kong Skyline. We saw Intercontinental Hotel along the way, and also spotted $hangri-la, places some wished we could have stayed at.

We spent some time walking the Avenue, and left when it became evident that there was no café or shop we could stop and take in the scenery at. On a rather long staircase down to street level, the little boys decided to play scissors, paper, stone to decide who got to take a step downwards. Hen little boy seemed like the winner, going by the advantage he chalked up. We then decided not to enter the nearest MTR entrance, walking the streets instead to see the place better. We stopped at a medicine shop, where E successfully purchased some Vitamin C and possibly other medicine. She wasn’t too well at all.

A short walk and MTR ride later, we were back at our hotel. It was sufficiently late, and time to wind down and go to bed. We set the wake-up time for the next day to be later, seeing no real need to wake up early.

中華人民共和國香港特別行政區：行程说明，第一天

It was the morning of the 10th of January, 2011…

Let us first introduce the 11 main characters, in alphabetical order of reference.
1. B
2. Boss
3. D
4. E
5. Hen little boy
6. Jc
7. K
8. Miss Awesome
9. Slim
10. Van
11. Zhe little boy
(Yes, I’m too lazy to come up with better names)

The 11 of us woke early, very early indeed, to get to the airport by 0450h. The plotters had set the time so everyone got there by 0500h, and the result was better than expected. Last to arrive was the Van, at 0500h. For that, it was determined that he should treat us to breakfast (which he didn’t).

We proceeded swiftly to the check-in counters, with D&E leading the way. Check-in went smoothly, and if you really want to know, K’s bag was probably the lightest at 7.3kg. D probably had the most cash to start the trip, going by this quote (or similar): “my dad give me then my mum give me then my aunt also give me,…”, in response to a question posed by Boss.

We entered the departure hall after saying our goodbyes to our parents, if they were around. With about an hour to spend, we headed for breakfast. Most ate at Killiney Kopitiam, with kaya toast, kaya butter toast, butter toast, soft-boiled eggs and so on, on the menu. Here, it was found that D’s confidence in cracking his own eggs was lacking, despite positive demonstrations by Boss. Ultimately, his second egg was opened by K. Zhe little boy probably spent more time at the free internet kiosk than at the table. E ate a sub, apparently.

Having satisfied our stomachs or otherwise, we decided to head for the gate. Upon reaching the floor where the gate was located, we realised we were not in good time at all. Most ran at least part of the way towards the gate, but thankfully it was not at the furthest ends of the Terminal, as D had first feared. We eventually got there as final call passengers and before boarding started, which meant that we could take photos, our first group photo.

The flight was uneventful, most falling asleep. Hen little boy and K probably got the least sleep, with K probably visiting the latrine more times than any other passenger. Miss Awesome and Jc played a few games of Monopoly Deal, utilising the extra space they had with the empty seat. The plane was an Airbus A320, standard for budget short-haul flights. Other seating arrangements were B, E, Slim; Hen little boy, D, Boss; K, Van Zhe little boy.

Upon our arrival in Hong Kong, we were treated to our first blasts of cool air when we walked off the plane and on to the runway to wait for a bus to the terminal. There was no aerobridge, typical of budget flights. The bus was interesting, with large doors on all 4 sides. On our way to the terminal, some remarked at the difference in size between our plane and the others, like Boeing 747s. There was also interest in the different airlines, with Saudi Air catching most attention with the words “God Bless You” on the airplane.

Entering the terminal was decent enough, though it smelled like cheap cigarettes. We headed to customs, and were lucky when they opened up more queue lines when we reached. This meant slightly faster clearance. The next stop was the baggage collection, where our luggage arrived safely. A quick visit to the wash-rooms later, we decided that lunch should be next on our agenda. By proposal of D, we did not head to Ngong Ping 360 as planned. Instead, we took 3 cabs and headed for the hotel. By some random assortment, the 3 poorest guys, Hen little boy, Boss and K ended up in 1 cab. They were thus the only ones to have paid more for the cab ride than if they took Airport express. Upon arrival at the hotel, K found his luggage handle had broken completely. Jc too seemed to have suffered some damage to her luggage. Later in the day, Slim would find her luggage’s zipper damaged.

We could not check-in at the hotel as we were about 2 hours early. We wanted to leave our luggage at the hotel, but even that was not possible as the luggage store was full. This meant that we would bring our luggage with us for lunch. D brought us to the main street, where we would not find food nearby. As such, we stopped at a book-store, while Slim, Hen little boy, Van and K went to look for eateries. We eventually found them much closer to our hotel and randomly sat down at one with space. It seemed that only Zhe little boy had spent much time in the bookstore.

For our first meal, Hen little boy stuck to fried chicken cutlet rice, with Boss or Zhe little boy eating curry, Slim taking beef brisket, and K experiencing crunchy beef balls, hard to the extent the teeth could hurt when biting. The drinks list was also varied, with a number consuming coffee mixed with tea. Those sitting with their backs to the street experienced something different. There was water dripping from somewhere, initially believe to be from the air-conditioning units of the building. When Boss looked up however, he discovered the water to be originating from the laundry of people living in the block. That led to a comment that “at least the water is clean”. Either way, the dripping primarily irritated the Longchamp bag carrying duo, B & E.

When lunch was done, it was time for check-in. We were given 6 rooms on the same floor, all in the same wing of the hotel. Due to the small size of the hotel, this meant that we had almost half the wing occupied by our group. Rooming was decided by D, as follows: 203 – K, Van; 204 – D, Boss; 206 – E, Slim; 207 – Jc, Miss Awesome; 210 – B; 211 – The little boys. B had volunteered to take a room alone. D & Boss ended with the largest room, featuring a 1m * 1m study space, along with a well-sized toilet and the standard bed space. E & Slim were a little unfortunate, their room being much more cramped, and being able to open either the bathroom door or the main door at any one time. Despite offers from B to switch rooms, they stuck with their place. With a settling-in time of about 20 minutes, E notably decided to unpack most of her stuff, before we next met in the corridor. The lift couldn’t fit everyone anyway.

It was a short walk to the MTR station (Hong Kong’s MRT), and we then proceeded to purchase our Octopus Cards (Hong Kong’s ez-link). The ride was also short, only 1 stop to Mong Kok from Yau Ma Tei. With our Octopus cards, we saved ~HK$0.30 for such a short ride. Our first shopping experience was thus at Langham Place, a 12 storey shopping mall. Having set our meeting place as Armani Exchange (A|X), we split up and went shopping. Interesting features of the mall included a very long escalator, and the sculpture of the man holding the brush, which you will find we managed to convince Hen little boy to mimic.

We covered both the inside of the mall and some shops outside, including a H&M store where Van came close to buying shoes, but it was not to be. D & Boss both purchased bubble tea which they did not finish and passed to the other 4 guys at a chance meeting. The bubble tea apparently tasted great, and the ladies too had their fill. Having reached A|X with about 15 minutes to spare, D decided to bring the guys, in particular K, to see sunglasses. D had his eye on Ray-Ban aviators, while K was more interested in Oakley jawbones. As such, the guys ended up being at A|X later than the ladies. The ladies also had a better haul, averaging 1 bag of stuff from either H&M or Cotton On each.

From there, we headed to dinner, which was also at some random place. With our numbers, we couldn’t occupy a single table, so the split was such that the little boys, Boss and K were at one, while the rest were at the other. The lady serving us was extremely friendly with Boss especially, later asking him to recommend the plate of fried beef kway teow he shared with K to the others. She also asked questions with regards to our age, our relationship with each other (classmates), our education status, and rolled down Boss’ sleeves, saying it was cold. Zhe little boy ordered his drink at random and ended up with hot Ribena, a drink that attracted the interest of E. As Hen little boy received his macaroni (which he also didn’t know he ordered) before the other table even placed their orders, he decided to eat it piece by piece. He ultimately finished his meal before the other table anyway.

We had another group photo outside this eating place, and then headed for Ladies Market. This street market was rather large, spanning 3 streets. It would prove to be the cheaper of the two street markets we patronised. The little boys took the longest shopping here, and we were unsuccessful in our pursuit of Hui Kin’s t-shirts at the lowest possible price. The t-shirts were later procured on another day of the trip. Boss and Van were also unsuccessful in looking for a wallet and shoes respectively.

It was getting late, so we headed back to the hotel for our rest. Night time details vary from day to day, but there is little to be had from day 1 night that wouldn’t be covered on another night.

Project Work

We are pleased to announce that 09S7N has achieved commendable results in Project Work, with

Alcoholism in Youths,

E Files,

Game Over,

The Duplicated Document Disaster, and

Wimpy Wallets

all obtaining 100% ‘A’s.

–

We would like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude to Mr E. Lim, without whom this success would not have been made possible.

We would also like to thank our P, Mario, DPs McHin,  McHan, for their unwavering support towards 09S7N, and anyone who has contributed in one way or another in our quest for glory in Project Work.

We will continue to work smart to bring back more good results for _ _ _ in the coming year.

Thank you.

–

–

–

Congratulations to Mr E. Lim,

the best Project Work tutor in the teaching system,

and whom has been promoted to DP for this round of successes,

along with a pay rise of ~23.4%,

on tutoring 4 classes

to achieve 100% ‘A’s

for Project Work.

–

Flag and Skit (10S6H)

Congratulations

to our junior class

for emulating us

by winning

1st Runner up

in both the

Athenian Flag

and Athenian Skit

competitions

10S6H

This is the first post dedicated to our juniors.

While they do not share the same name or combination as us, they are Athenian!

Today, we welcomed them during Senior-Meet-Junior.

.

Introductions were naturally the first  in order.

So we played a few games after that, but time was short, and it ended quickly, maybe all-too-soon in fact.

.

Angel and Mortal allocations were also drawn up.
We hope you’re happy with your pick 🙂

.

Let’s hope for all the best!

The iPad

In a certain recent tutorial, the new Apple product (iVan is old), was briefly discussed.

Apart from the expression of what seemed to be disappointment by our tutor and relative interest by some students (the rich ones, especially), a joke developed.

It seemed that everyone in class, except a certain Hen (please don’t feel insulted), got the joke.

It became even more obvious with the revelation of the colour white, and also the colour red.

It has been some time, but let us now enlighten (and therby remove the innocence of) the Hen.

For the rest of us, please be understanding and refrain from laughing.

————————————————-

Dear Hen,

Please read Saturday’s (30 Jan 2010) The Straits Times, page A20.

Specifically, read the 4th last paragraph.

If after you read that paragraph, you still do not get the joke (or disgust), please ask Bronte’s second published novel, who despite being 1 year older than you, is in the same level of education as you, but would most certainly understand the reference.

While reading the article (Looks and feels like an iPad but…) do not be confused by other references, like the one in the 7th last paragraph.

Thank you.

————————————————-

On another note, Miss Awesome seems to be arranging an event which has potential.
Do cooperate and reply, so that it may be Awesome.

Bye bye Farmely Man

I’m not sure any of us are actually excited anymore about going to school once again, but at least we have a slack day today. (Okay you muggers, maybe you actually miss school for all the wrong reasons)

Today is not only the first day of school, it is also Mr Farmely’s farewell ceremony.

The Farmely Man is officially leaving.

Not that we don’t already know, so in other words we are quite prepared for it.

It also means that Super Mario is coming to lead us. Some of you will enjoy his term in the last year, and some of you not so much. But whatever the case, we will have a smooth transition.

Indeed Mr Farmely’s send off wasn’t too glamorous, going by the standards of the other events in our school. No extensive media coverage, thought at least he had a drive-by send off (in a topless peugeot). We didn’t get to shake his hand, we didn’t get into a picture with him, we didn’t chase his car, but we all know we were there, and we all know we know him. Sometimes, it really isn’t what you do, but what you know, and what everyone else knows you know.

We will miss him.

.
.
.

To Mr Farmely, we wish you a Happy Retirement, and thanks for the years of contribution.

.

.

.