Friday, April 2, 2010

Weekend

This weekend is Ching Ming Festival also known as Ancestors Day. The name denotes a time for people to tend to the graves of departed ones and enjoy the greenery of springtime outside. This tradition dates back 2,500 years throughout Asia. It is during this weekend that you pay your respects and honor those family members that are no longer with you.

Spend time with your loved ones.
Remember your loved ones where ever they may be.
Swimming and aeroplanes...

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I therefore intend to enjoy the springtime and greenery in the following ways:

Netball
Swimming
Hiking

All under the sunshine

There is no excuse. They are all on my doorstep now!

I have not been part of a netball team since I was 16 years old. Tomorrow I shall be returning to the court, almost 10 years later...I feel as though I am coming out of retirement!

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Summer Time Season

1st April in Hong Kong.

The official summer season has begun. Outdoor swimming pools are now open! Yah! There are so many of them scattered around HK, particularly in the New Territories area, where the air is that little bit fresher and you're surrounded by mountains. The water is pretty cool to begin with, but once you've swam a length or two you're soon nice and warm. I would definitely recommend a visit to one, so nice swimming under the sun. It's also peaceful if you go during the day in the week when all the kids are in school.

Just when I was trying out bikes for size, a collision happened right before my eyes... An elderly lady on her bike didn't stop for the green light, colliding with a Mercedes car coming round a bend. It was awful. Luckily the cyclist lady wasn't too badly hurt, thrown off her bike though and shook up. One second sooner and the consequences would have been so much worse...You have to be so careful.

I am now in two minds whether to purchase bicycles for the two of us out here. With overcrowding, people rushing and no one seems to have any spacial awareness..The cycle paths are great, but the roads are frightening!

I did however love love my little bike in the UK, maybe I should sleep on it...



Carrot Cake Cook Off

Mmmm... my sweet friend and super cake cook Ana-H baked this delicious carrot cake. How amazing does it look?! It reminded me of England soooo much that I wanted to put it on here. The English carrot cake is much tastier, creamier and lovelier than the Chinese one. Just look at the two:



Do not be lulled into thinking you'll be receiving a fluffy, creamy, sweet sensation when you order the Chinese one. This is also called "Lor Bak Gou". The crust is crispy and the inside of it is soft, smooth and yummy. Not quite the same though...

Ana wins hands down...




xx

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Chop Suey



A little exert taken from the musical film "Flower Drum Song " 1961. I love it!
The musical was influenced by the Chinese themed nightclub Forbidden City in San Francisco, which was in business from the late 30s to 50s. I would have loved to have gone there.
Here are some of the super ladies getting ready back stage...



Monday, March 29, 2010

Waking up with ailments

Why is it when you're in a foreign country it's quite normal to wake in the morning to be greeted with some strange affliction? Since being here I have suffered somewhat; swollen tongue (different parts swollen, usually one side one day, another side the next day), wrist and hand swollen and very itchy and very hot (but no bite mark, nothing), inside of nose really painful, tummy stabbing pains and this morning severe pain on the inside of my right foot (a red mark which won't let me put pressure on it).

What is happening during the night that is causing these unwanted occurrences?

Strange...

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Soho Saturday

Where's your Soho...

London had the first in the 17th Century
New York's Manhattan followed
Hong Kong has Soho and Noho (clever thinking)
Stockholm has Sofo
and now Moscow has the latest on Savvinskaya Embankment

I've been Soho'd three times...

So here is my first little take on the far Eastern Soho


Jump off the Central-mid-level escalators and you're in the heart of Soho, where the food is good and the drinks are flowing! Deciding where to eat can be a challenge as you have almost everything on offer; Japanese, Thai, Greek, Indian, Vietnamese, Mexican, Spanish, British, Chinese, Italian... So if you're unsure as to what you fancy for dinner, I recommend a trip to Soho where you can take a quick trip around the globe!











Warm, welcoming surroundings, freshly made tantalizing food cooked before your eyes, sangria, tequila...

PERFECT

Caramba SoHo
26-30 Elgin Street
Hong Kong

Monday's 2-4-1 on food!

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Time to walk off that food...

Hop back onto the escalators and they'll take you up, up, up and away, away from the crowds and to a peaceful spot on top of a hill. The mid-level-escalators cover 800m in distance and are even featured in the Guinness World Records as the longest outdoor covered escalator system! When traveling on them, the higher you get, the quieter and emptier the flowing steps become. As we get to the top, we're the only ones left. We jump off at Conduit Road and gradually make our way back down the winding path, back to a Saturday evening in HK Soho.