Heya!

Im really glad today's a public holiday in HK cause im really sick of work man... And it has been a good month since i've had a good sleep without having to worry about waking up the next morning and dressing up for work...

For those who are working already... kudos to all of you.

Anyway, I proudly got up at 30 mins before noon... and my roommate wanted to "venture into the unknown".., so within the next hour.. we packed our bags and made our way down to the ferry terminal and took the next ferry down to Lamma Island...

Lamma Island's really dirty and its just a village by itself... its just very green. Its just known for the hiking trail which spread across several mountains and the trail itself is a 2 hour hike through the greens and beaches and begins from one seaport extending to another.

Today was one indicator that i have seriously loss whatever stamina i have built up prior to Hong Kong... Just climbing up the mountain after half an hour and my body was already panting... But then again, it was a loong climb and i was carrying a heavy bag... and i was laughing very hard while walking...

Ok a collage on the "treacherous and perilous" trail and our tried faces after an exhausting climb...

But what greeted us at the end-pier was that beautiful sight of many seafood restaurants and their owners just rushing to welcome us with their crabs, lobsters, scallops, shrimps and prawns... But we finally settled on one which promised us free drinks and a set dinner of crabs, praws, squid and fried rice at a very affordable price... And their service was great, kept clearing pur plates and towels and more importantly serving us the much-longed-for red cut chilli in soya sauce... WOW

But we're completely exhausted and we're so glad to be finally back home.. still... today's been eventful and fun and we got to see more of Hong Kong...

Yea!!!

My sis is coming over to visit me!

She's coming with her bf on the 7th June!!!

I dont know which would be shocking...
1. OMG she's coming so soon!
2. OMG she's coming again in July!
3. OMG she has a bf!

Heh heh... Sorry Jie, couldnt resist poking fun of you again... but u know i mean well...

Yes... she's arriving on the 7th to the 10th. And she's staying at the hotel concourse, the hotel's just 5 mins from my place! I've already drawn up an "imaginary" schedule for her. Ok, not very imaginary... since its in excel format...

7th June wed: go shopping at mongkok. Maybe eat dinner at some nice restaurant thats near our place...
8th June thurs: go shopping at ladies market. If she wants, she can go dinner with her bf by herself or ask him to treat me to INTERNATIONAL BUFFET. muaha.
9th June fri: she can go ocean park with her bf and i'll meet her after work to "exercise" and then eat at some unknown restaurant we'll find along the way back... can we have steamboat pleasseeee
10th June sat: meet her to yum cha first? then she flies off...

Wheee... feel so much better....

Hello everyone...

Sorry i havent been updating this as often as i would like to... I think if you havent heard much from this blog... its pretty safe to assume that nothing has happened so far... and things are pretty much the same as it has always been for the past weeks.

Well... Im working now on a sat morning and i didnt go to work yesterday. I have gastric problems and i've already went to see a doc (bloody 200 HKD) and i have an MC too. Hopefully, it'll get accepted as sick leave and not as a full day leave. Cause i intend to save all my full-day leave for someone who's coming on the 23rd June... =)

Now that im on my own, i do admit that i do some pretty ridiculous things and dumb things and ultra blur things. But i guess these are just whats going to make me learn right? How else would i know that its actually cheaper to eat during tea time unless i have skipped so many meals or have eaten so irregularly to chance upon tea time specials.

How else would i realise that when i need to call in sick i need to phone the office first and a message to my immediate supervisor and an email would not suffice. Im sorry... but i think these protocols should be told at the start of work and not learnt during... man, talk about on-the-job-training... Im not coming up with excuses, i do admit i should know these things but a fair portion should be told from the start right? Like.. the only "induction" i got was where's the toilet, the pantry and where's the desk. ok start filing.

Things i had to figure out by myself was how to apply for leave, where to get the keys for supplies, figuring out the bloody photcopying machine and of course, how to skype without being too obvious...

But i really need to get used to working life, especially the hierarchical thing. For example, the overall head of the company was telling me (yet again) that i should call the office and who's letting such a small issue take precedence over the larger overall problem that was happening... and she was telling me the office number is... blah blah blah... and i know i know, one shouldn't argue with the boss, and when the situation was so tensed, its best to bow down the head and nod and agree...but i just couldnt resist looking at her in the eye and say, "im sorry i think it is yada yada yada instead".

Silence then... "well good that u know the number. Next time remember to call."

How trivial right... Yes... i hate authority, i cant stand being lorded at, i can be damn rebellious and yes i am damn KL.

Went Ocean park today with Shu fen, Qianyu and some of her friends, Jianxiong and Nellie. Didnt really include their pics here but i've uploaded them onto the photo gallery... so if you're bored, you can check it out.

It was fun! the rides, the walking around, the shows and the scenery. But it kinda make me wish i had someone with me...

OK some explanations on photos... first 4 are just random shots of me and the girls... these are of course the nice shots... which is why its on the blog on the first place. the ugly ones are deleted or just stored safely in one of my hidden files in my comp.

As for the middle pic... a joke to someone special... im sure you all know who... hee hee. sorry! couldnt help it!

Bottom left, sitting in the glass cable car which was really relaxing... the view was gorgeous and the breee... awesome.

And the last 2 bottom pics were just images i took of the 20-storey free fall drop ride i took!Shiok. 

I've just heard...

I'm really upset for him...somone whom i've come to truly like...

nothing can make me feel this away and detached from home than such news...and the fact that i cannot be there for my friends.

Please take care and know that i am over here praying for you.

Im sick. Flu, cough, sorethroat and to top it off, a fever.

I have also just survived the first typhoon here. All right, so im exaggerating a little... They typhoon went up to signal 3 which meant some people in HK need not work. Unfortunately, i dont fall into that category of lucky people and still had to force myself up this morning to get down to my office. The thing i dont like about typhoon in HK is that the streets gets even more dirtier than it already is. There's more litter and coupled with the rain, its dirty and muddy litter. Now i finally understand why most HK girls wear pants and not skirts, dark colored clothings and not white and covered and not open-toe shoes.

Another thing i dont like about this season is that its extremely wet and that means for someone who does not own a washing machine, much less a dryer... clothes dont dry as fast as they used to. Correction: since i've just checked my laundry... clothes dont dry AT ALL.

But.... that being said, its windy and i like the slight drizzle that greets me when im walking back to the apartment. Although it does get unbearably cold at night and even though the strong winds somehow brings dust to the apartment despite us closing the windows... it is an experience. Just tonight, when i was walking home... the wind was so strong, several guys who were wearing caps all had their caps blown away... having an umbrella is no use too... it'll just get whisked away by the wind too. Haha, it was fun. Leaning on the wind...

Some updates... Last week, i went for a networking session specially for Singaporeans. And i got to meet many businessmen working in HK but who were originally "made-in-singapore". Boy.... you should here some of their comments on Singapore, very explicit and very "cut-throat" and yet very true. You cant help but sense that this is the consensus of every working man who goes abroad. Anyway, we have been keeping in touch and one of them is bringing us interns to eat chilli crab this Saturday... so i'm both excited and wary at the same time.

I also went for a pop concert this monday. I cant understand anything but to me... i think the cantonese language is like a constant song and to hear it being sung... was even more befitting of the image i have of it. The tunes were nice and though i cant understand the words, the beauty of rhyming just makes it universal. Well, besides, i did enjoy the lighting hee hee... below are the pics i took. There were apparently some famous people singing according to my "pro-canto-singers" friend... but i really cant remember their names...

Oh yes... Some people have been asking about where i stay and what kind of aparment i stay in... once again. It is an ultra small apartment, im sharing with another girl. We can only accomodate one more person, anything more and its just... cramped. And let me give you a headsup, im not living in some "up-district" haha... i know i make it sound very nice "interior decorated,cosy"and all but its not all rosy haha. This is a pic on the actual road my building is on... the one with the "singer" at the bottom. Haha it actually looks better than it originally is. haha. But i do like it...

The only thing i have to deal with now... is that when i inhale deeply.... i can smell dirt and dust all around. You know? when you walk into a construction site in Singapore andte dirt just goes in? Yup... im living in that kind of condition all day, all night. Oh sigh...

I havent heard from my mum or my uncle and aunty all week. Wonder whats up with them?

Ho ho ho... typhoon's coming....

Ho ho ho... i have no idea what to do....

But some of you might know that i love walking in the rain? heh...

Went to church today, but this time, its one at kowloon island and not at the usual one at hongkong island. Its the YMCA evangelica community church.

If there's one thing that can lure me into making a church my homechurch in Hong Kong, its the worship. I miss good ol' prayer and praise worship sessions i usually have back home. I decided that this would be the church i'll attend when i saw the drums, the worship songs and the stage. Almost exact replica of Wesly hall.

That was just something that struck me i suppose. How wonderful and awesome it was that so many people from different walks of life and nationality have one common and unified voice under Him. Songs we sing are similar, the way we sing it is similar and we all sing for one common purpose only. It was amazing and touching...

Here's part of the song i heard in church today. Heard it before in Wesley too, if any of you can find the song for me or have it, please send it to me...

"From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation revealing Your majesty
from the colour of fall to the fragrance of spring.
Every creature unique in the songs that it sings
All exclaiming

Indescribable, uncontainable
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name
You are amazing God
All powerful. untamable
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God

Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go
Or seen Heavenly storehouses laden with snow
Who imagined the Sun and gives source to its light
Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
None can fathom."

Another thing... in church, the kids were celebrating Mothers' Day and they were just passing gifts to mothers. I dont know why but i just started tearing... sigh, guess im really a mummy's girl by heart. I miss my mom... haha, its Sunday... i would be having lunch with her if i was back home. But she's enjoying herself on her cruise so... im happy for that too. And im sure she misses me as well. =P

Nonetheless... i have more than one "mum", There's the ultimate mum (which is mine) and there are all those who "mother" me... Thanks to these "mums" for calling me last night to tell me to buy the herbs to cure my flu... Thanks to these "mums" for their unwavering support and encouragement. And the reassurance that i can count on them should i need anything over here.
Thanks Mummy (Ah buuu), Thanks Aunty Connie, Thanks Aunty Janice, Thanks Aunty Valerie, Thanks Aunty Sharon Thanks Aunty Lillian and Thank you Aunty Jennifer...

From the bottom of my heart... Happy Mother's Day

eh hem...

This is proof and evidence that Edwin Yang Yingrong has PROMISED Stacey Huang Rimin (yours truly) that he will pick me up from the airport on the 15th August 2006.

He has also PROMISED me that he will greet me with a bowl of salmon sashimi! hee hee....

By promise, we mean unbreakable word, die die must do...

My flight arrives in Singapore at 11.45p.m... i think he has school the next day... haha i wonder how he's going to make it down? Dont care... he PROMISED.... =)

Here's a picture of him and me! My cousin is so sweet yar? He even said in order for him to treat me to sashimi... he's going to start saving now... haha.. awww....

Week 3 of Hong Kong looks mighty fine to me. Skies are nice and clear and the streets are just bustling with activity. So... whats up with me?

Gee, is that what this post is about? Me and HK? oh well... everything's the same as what i have mentioned in previous posts... nothing's changed. im still learning, still adapting, still waiting for people to pop by HK to visit me! =)

I feel like a radio station... sia la. broadcasting big things that are going on in my life now... and everyone who tunes in... are those who care and just checking to see that im fine... and to those who have called/msn/skype me... thanks alot... it means so much to know that you're reading and still have an interest in my boring life =P

Haha... so nothing big or major going on. I went to experience the nightlife of HK last night and it is really fun. Will tell those who are more interested in more private conversations... But the minute stuff thats going on? Well... i want to do a cheap facial at mongkok, i want to go for pedicure, medicure... im going to straighten my hair this sat. There's happy hour tonight for singaporeans (some networking thing) and i need to collect my laundry on the way back.

Yup... nothing much see... pretty mundane things i worry about even back home. Can's believe its only been 3 weeks though... feels like a long time more before i can fly back. I think i miss home so much i had an urge to just take the next plane back and stay in singapore for 4 days before flying back... while it is possible... it is also INSANE. not to mention entirely contradictive to my mum's sense of logic and propriety. haha.

all right... i've gotta get back to nothing... take care...

Its still the beginning... there's a looong way more to go. 14 more weeks to be exact.

My routine in Hong Kong is just basically lounging around at my place, going online and chatting on skype or just reading on my bed. My roommate has the same lazy and relaxed lifestyle as me... I suppose this is accentuated by the fact that our house is conveniently located. It is surrounded by cheap eateries and a singapore restaurant is just opposite our house (though they do not serve ANY thing that remotely resembles singapore food) and we have a macs and a mini-mart opposite too. Everything's just a short walk away so there's really not much hassle for us girls... When we want to wash our clothes, we turn left. when we want to eat, we go straight. when we want to cut our hair, we turn right.

Im waiting for the first month to be over. because that would signal a stable routine. Now, things are still new, there are many things im still unsure of (which way to turn when im in a crowded junction, or where are the good places to go and eat or what are the safest things you can order that wont go wrong in Hong Kong). I suppose in the midst of all these changes (i.e. moving in, adapting to a new environment) it'll be a great relief to establish some sort of order, some sort of stability.

To answer some of the same questions i've been getting about...
- work
Work's fine. everything is the same day in and day out. Hopefully i would have finished my pile of documentation by tomorrow and i would be given something more challenging, new and fun to do.

-weather
The weather's cooling. It sometimes doesnt feel like summer here and the nights do get quite breezy and cold.

-food
Its the same everywhere, noodles or fried rice. No... contrary to what people think, it not dim sum everyday for me. In fact, i havent gone for a proper yum cha yet. Truth is, the food here is terribly pricey. Everything is at least 6 HKD. And for someone whose means revolve arolund a paltry sum of *** dollars, i have to watch my daily expenses on food.

-entertaintment
Not much here. not much at all. i just watched MI3 and it cost me 13 bucks! Going to the theatres is considered a treat for me but i've got to admit.. the seats are way cool and damn comfortable. Nightlife is stagnant around my area and we would have to cross over to the hong kong island to club. Weds and thurs are ladies nights but lets face the awful truth... there's no way i can get up for work the next day and weekend rates are relatively more than Singapore's.

-Exercise
Non-existent. Compared to some people i know back home who are just whacking the gym everyday to impress some girl...heh heh... im not doing any sports here because going to the gym is expensive and far. But i am thinking of taking up a sport or something... maybe mirror what my bf is doing in Singapore and take up rock climbing too?

-communication
i talk to my sis over msn almost everyday. she keeps me informed about whats going on at home...(nothing much considering my mum is away too) sometimes, i get calls from my aunts to ask how am i.. which is cool... i talk to my friends on msn every night too and i skype with Jiang almost every night as well... but... i don think thats what communication means here... Ok... my canto is improving slightly. i can make out a few words here and there and maybe speak a broken sentence thats barely comprehendable but thats about it. On the other hand... my gesturing and pointing skills have improved tremendously though...

Yup.. i think those are the more frequent questions... well dont hesistate to ask me more since... i am quite bored and free at the office... in fact, im typing this on my office desk... hee.

Its been a pretty lazy week so far... nothing much to do, just more... buying essentials for the house...

Monday and friday were public holidays so i only had to work for three weeks. yeah. I've only been going out to shop, eat dinner and oh yea.. club.

Im having fun... outside of work, i am having fun. I like finding out new places to eat, or there is a certain "adventure" in ordering something you're not too sure of and waiting to see if its nice. As for work, im hoping that on Monday, when my boss returns, i would have more stuff to do. more interesting and more challenging stuff...

My friends and i would be coming up with places to go visit over the weekends when we aren't working... perhaps guangzhou and shenzhen... and we've decided to be more "experience-seeking" and not just holed up at home the entire time. (can't help it right... i love my home so much... and the wireless)

Food's a'right once you know what to order, still a bit lost in terms of directions around but i'll get there... expenses, im on a tight budget but a comfortable one nonetheless.

Emotions... its been a wreck... especailly being away from home, being away from everything familiar. i miss lots of stuff... tomyam, non-jaywalkable pedestrain crossings, safe traffic, clean air, gyms, family meetings, friends, boyfriend, sushi.. oh geesh... sushi...

Ah well... i've uploaded some pics so msn me if you want the links to my pics...

Stace in Hong Kong

I think that there's lots of things im doing right, or that i really like when im here by myself. Seems like i am capable of taking care of myself should the need calls for it...

1. Im drinking water more than usual (from my one glass day to at least a litre a day... no easy feat for miss-i-hate-water)
2. I manage to eat rice everyday
3. im making new friends in hong kong
4. Im starting to know good places to eat
5. Im getting used to work and staying by myself
6. I can find my way to the MTR
7. Im very thrifty when im here

Haha yup... i think there's lots more other minute stuff but these are the major ones that my family is concerned about and which i dont usually do when im back at home... So... you guys at home dont really need to worry that much for me... haha

The apartment is coming along just fine… It looks a little messy though because its such a small space for two people, it will undoubtedly appear cluttered. Qianyu and I are trying to tidy it up as much as possible by buying boxes for storage space, getting baskets for our toiletries… but in a way, the messiness just sorta personifies me I suppose.

Haha… there are little this and that about this studio im living in. I wont go as far as to say these are faults but I do see how people (like my aunts and sis) can get irritated at them… luckily for me, im not one of them and neither is my roommate. The shelves you see on the walls are actually slanted cause the fixtures on the wall are not properly places and we cant fix them cause the walls are not thick enough to implant more fixtures… so what we have are slanting shelves that cannot withstand much weight.. but no matter I can put my earrings, hand phone, glasses and letters still… =) Oh yes and the nice paintings too…

After bathing in the shower, you need to drain the shower head by tilting it to one side… haha… it looks quite funny though… we don’t have a dustbin in our room but we do have loads of plastic bags! (we’re girls and we do lots of shopping…) we don’t have detergent yet but we are going to buy it soon. We have wine in the fridge and juice every morning. We don’t open the windows because the room will get dirty. Now and then we take out the vacuum and do a little cleaning here and there… and we wait for the maid to come on the 15th and 30th… And our most precious possession in our room is the little black box we so affectionately call… the router…

All right, a little bit more about Qianyu and I as roommates… two people cannot get more similar I tell you. We have the same lazy lifestyle, the same energy level, the same sianness we feel in the morning, the same bochupness for food, the same music preferences and last but not least, the same blurness…

The first day on our own (Monday) we went to the grocery mart just opposite our building… we were carrying so much stuff that we decided to jaywalk back home (our house is next to a busy junction)… so we ran to the middle of the road and then we both gasped cause we just saw a policeman opposite the road we were going to cross… we just laughed and ran back to take the proper pedestrian crossings... haha…

And then on that very night itself, we decided to eat cup noodles for dinner so we happily yakked and boiled water and opened the packets and fill the cups… and then another gasp… we forgot chopsticks… so we had to laughingly run all the way back down to the grocery store (yes jaywalking this time) and then faster run back cause we don’t want the noodles to soak up all the water… haha…

But the most absolutely memorable event was last night where we came home early and both of us excitedly on our laptops to chat online… Gasp Gasp Gasp… there was no internet connection available! We remembered it was because our landlady had changed the password so we searched everywhere for the piece of paper she wrote it down on… but due to my blurness, I had the landlady write it on a scrap paper and due to Qianyu’s, she threw what she thought was a scrap paper away! You should hear both of us on the phone yesterday… groaning and whining about our lost internet connection…. Haha luckily we managed to contact the landlady (who was in australia on holiday) and saved ourselves from a probable 3 weeks of being incommunicado with the rest of the world…

I like the fact that we can laugh it away most of the time… haha two easy going people…

Its moving-in time today. Woke up to head down to church and i think i'll continue going there cause the people there seemed friendly and it was really... a community that didnt mind welcoming new members =)

Then went back to pack and had another sumptious Home cooked food! Wow... miss that so much. Anyway, took a bus to Lai Chi Kok and there was a protest on the street! this is the first time i've seen such a mass demonstration on a political affair... it really struck a chord in my cause of such powerful displays of emotions... They were protesting against the chinese government because of what happened in Tian men... To evoke feelings of injustice, many women dressed in mourning garb and walked around with portraits of the deceased...

For a moment there, you felt like you wanted to protest too...

But oh well, more pressing matters at hand haha like moving to the apartment. We had to unpack and settle down and this... is our finish product...

OK some explanations...

Top left: Qianyu and i so happy and relived that we finally got the keys and the apartment when we went in...

Top right: What the room looks like from our bed... its the toilet and just the stepping in area from the door.

Bottom left: My side of the room where i put my earrings and stuff. The picture was drawn my the landlady and it really matches the apartment.

Bottom right: our furnished apartment! Complete with soft orange glowy lights. =) Its really cosy...

But i never knew how tiring it was just to move in to an apartment, so im going to sleep now... its been a long day no doubt. But we did manage to catch some amazing seafood place to eat opposite our apartment and.. AND.... We bought a router for wireless! woo hoo! ok im quite exhausted... night everyone!