Ocean Park, The Peak and Madame Tussards

ENJOY!~ ;)

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Morning breakfast - speecy spicy noodles

On the bus to Ocean Park le ^_^

going up and up!

inside Ocean Tower

we had a 'great' time on The Dragon roller coaster... haha!

The Dolphin Show

next stop, Atoll Reef

inside cable car

inside the cab! on our way to The Peak

tickets!

boarding the Tram

inside the Tram

we headed to the wax museum 1st

\!!!

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my kurosan proved me proud *snort*

after an hour plus of cam whoring,
we headed to Bubba Gump to relax and enjoy the scenery before heading back to hotel

heh. very cute waiter calling signs.
when you flip and show the red 'stop' sign, it means you are calling for table service and any waiter who sees will come over. once they noted your orders / needs, they will flip to the blue 'run' sign.

yay! happy Ms. J

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and i shall end this entry with some random photos (:

Turf Club

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stay tuned for more episodes ;)

Seingatku, ini kali ke-tiga aku ke tempat ini untuk mengantar anak dan ponakan berenang. Aku memang tidak masuk kedalam dan memilih menunggu sambil duduk-duduk cafetaria di depan pintu masuk. Biasanya sambil baca buku dan ngemil.

Seperti biasa, waktu berjalan dan melewati waktu shalat. Kali ini melewati waktu shalat Asr dengan yakin aku beranjak menuju ke pintu keluar dimana biasanya ada jalan pintas ke mushala. Berniat permisi kepada dua satpam penjaga pintu keluar, jawabannya ternyata diluar tidak sesuai dengan yang aku harapkan. "Ma'af pak, mushala ada di luar di lokasi parkir", jawab salah seorang satpam dengan cukup sopan. "Oh..., terima kasih", jawabku singkat. Kemana mushala yang ada di dalam arena Ocean Park yang luas itu, pikirku.

Aku berjalan menuju tempat parkir yang sangat luas, sambil terus berzikir karena yakin makin banyak langkah menuju tempat shalat, makin banyak pahala yang akan aku dapat. Ternyata mushala itu terletak jauh di pinggir area tempat parkir, mungkin 500 meter dari pintu masuk Ocean Park. Area parkir terbuka dan cukup panas sore itu cukup mengikis keikhlasan langkah kaki. Ditengah perjalanan aku bertemu petugas kebersihan dan kembali aku bertanya untuk menegaskan, "mas, mushala dimana ya?". Sambil menunjukkan bangunan di pinggir area parkir yang jauh itu dia menjawab, "disana pak". Kurang puas dengan jawabannya, aku sambung lagi "yang di dalam, di bawah sana tidak ada?". Dia menjawab mantap, "tidak pak, ada disana", sambil kembali menunjuk tempat itu.

Aku berjalan menuju tempat itu walau tetap berzikir dan berharap balasan dari ALLAH, otak ini segera bertanya dan menebak. Benar saja, sampai di tempat itu, terlihat tempat wudhu yang kurang terawat. Ruang mushala yang kosong kelompong, karpet hijau yang cukup berpasir dengan dua sajadah lusuh (kumal) dan dua orang satpam yang sedang sholat di dalamnya. Aku langsung saja ikut jama'ah.

Jika dibandingkan dengan arena bermain (hiburan), cafetaria dan deretan rumah makan yang terletak di depan Ocean Park itu, mushala yang disediakan oleh pengelola sangatlah kurang memadai. Di area parkir yang panas dengan lokasi yang tidak terawat seperti itu, rasanya pengelola memberikan penghargaan yang kurang pantas. Selain tidak terjangkau oleh petugas kebersihan, rasanya pengawas kebersihan pun jarang sampai ke tempat itu. Masih lebih baik waktu-waktu yang lalu, dimana mushala ada di dalam arena bermain, di pojok kanan bawah pintu keluar arena. Lumayan bersih karena (terpaksa) dirawat oleh petugas kebersihan arena yang sama dengan petugas kebersihan arena bermain (kolam renang) dan tempatnya tidak jauh untuk dijangkau dengan berjalan kaki.

Semoga pengelola Ocean Park - Bumi Serpong Damai mengembalikan (mengaktifkan kembali) mushala yang terletak didalam arena bermain (kolam renang), karena lebih pantas dibandingkan dengan mushala di area parkir yang panas itu.

Waktu aku meng-copy tulisan ini ke wordpress (jam 17:15 sore), masih di cafetaria, penuh sesak dengan orang yang selesai berenang dan menanti hujan deras (dan angin keras) yang mengguyur BSD. Aku jadi kepikiran, gimana kalo orang mau sholat saat hujan lebat seperti ini. Bisa basah kuyup menyeberangi area parkir yang luas itu...he...he...he.......

- kiefe was very happy having mommy & daddy around all the time

- selama liburan, kiefe ga puasa koq :D , gue targetin dan batesin makannya 4 sdm aja, jd walopun tetep harus pake berjuang tapi ga pake emosiong berat, kiefenya jg walopun ogah2an tapi ga sampe frustasi dipaksa mangap mulu.

- kiefe jadi agak milkaholic, 1/2 jam abis makan bisa tau2 minta susu, dan jadi wateraholic juga. Gua kasih minum air putihnya pake dot sih dan sepertinya anak itu seneng banget nge-dot makanya jd banyak minum air putihnya, sekali minum bisa 150-200an ml, which is good, soalnya gua pikir2 mgkn kiefe gampang sakit jg gara2 kurang minum. Eh tapi anehnya sejak si BS balik koq milkaholicnya ilang ya? atau itu perasaan gua aja ya? :P

- ngebut nonton grey's anatomy 4 season, skrg nyampe di season 3B disc 2. Nontonnya niat banget nih sampe jd suka bergadang, baru tidur jam 2 atau jam 3an :D

- bermalas2an di rumah saja, nge-mall cuma kalo lagi mo cari makan aja

- kerjaan2 rumah lbh banyak dikerjain hubby :D , yup yup, selaen rajin ke pasar traditional tiap minggu, si hubby jg rajin banget cuci baju, cuci piring, dll, rajin banget kannn? :D
gua sih cuma nyapu + ngepel aja, cuci piring jg kadang2.

alasan diplomatisnya sih krn kiefe itu attached banget sama gua, jd gua ngilang bentar aja diteriak2in mulu, tapi emang pd dasarnya si hubby yg lebih rajin (dan sayang istri banget gitu loh :D ), soalnya sbnrnya pas kiefe bangun sih emang gua harus nemenin kiefe maen, tapi pas kiefe nap kan gua ga harus ikutan nap sebetulnya toh, hihih... (tapi hubby nyucinya ga pas gua dan kiefe nap koq, ga sesadis itu guaaaa, hubby ikutan nap juga koq, dia cuci2nya kalo gua lagi nemenin kiefe maen -- pdhal nemeninnya sambil nonton dvd :P )

- emak dan engkongnya kiefe sempet dateng bbrp hari dan kiefe nempel banget sama engkongnya, which is another good thing, gue jadi punya more free time buat nonton dvd, wakakak..

- di hari terakhir liburan tiba2 amandel gue bengkak dan sampe bikin kuping sakit jg, nyebelin. hari minggu pagi ke dokter tapi dokter THT ga ada so ke internis deh, dikasih obat2an seharga 900rban, super nyebelin.

- jadi juga kumpul2 sama ibu2 dan toddler2 di hari minggu siang walopun dengan kondisi kuping yg ga nyaman

so overall the holiday was fun (but never enough, though).
kiefe was being such a nice boy at most of the time, tetep bikin cape + menguras emosi jg kadang2 pastinya, tapi it's fun and never boring to spend 24hours with that little boy.

In der spröden aber autenthischen Hafenstadt sollen also bald "Karneval wie in Venedig, Filmkunst wie in Cannes und, und, und..." für zusätzliche Abwechslung, steigende Besucherzahlen - und hoffentlich mehr Arbeitsplätze - sorgen, Touristen und Einheimische zukünftig mit la dolce Vita, Gondolieri, Espresso und Prosecco in flüchtige Urlaubstimmung gebracht und natürlich zum Geldausgeben animiert werden. Für die Befriedigung des Kaufrauschs werden nicht weniger als 40 Geschäfte zur Verfügung stehen.

Meine Erwartungen sind zwiespältig, "glänzte" doch das Land Bremen in der Vergangenheit nur allzu oft durch staatliche Misswirtschaft und Fehlinvestitionen à la Ocean-Park, Space-Park und Musical-Theater. Während staatliche Bildungseinrichtungen; Schulen und Hochschulen finanziell wie personell ausbluten, werden Steuergelder in elitäre, private Prestigeobjekte wie beispielsweise die Jacobs Universität (ehemals IUB) gepumpt.

Die strahlenden Havenwelten zeigen allerdings nur die eine Seite der Medaille und stehen derzeit noch für "außen hui und innen pfui". Denn Bremerhaven wurde sicher nicht zu unrecht von Arte in einem Filmbeitrag als sozialer Brennpunkt gewürdigt. Vom Neuen Hafen ist es nur ein kurzer Fußweg bis in die Gegend um die Hafenstraße. Der Zustand der Infrastruktur und der Häuser ist erbärmlich und lässt das Ausmaß der Armut der dort lebenden Menschen lediglich erahnen - vom Stadtteil Grünhöfe ganz zu schweigen. Oberste Priorität muss also die Schaffung adäquater und langfristiger Arbeitsplätze haben. Bleibt zu hoffen, dass das Mediterraneo die Arbeitsplätze betreffend für Bremerhaven nicht zum Nullsummenspiel wird, indem diese lediglich von der Bürger an den Deich verlagert werden:

[...] "Die geplanten 13.000m² Fläche in dem so genannten Mediterraneo werden eine schwache Bürgermeister-Smidt-Straße eingedenk der geringen Flächennachfrage weiter schwächen." beurteilt Rudloff die aktuelle Neuentwicklung in der Bremerhavener Innenstadt Dies gelte insbesondere, weil der Standort nicht direkt an die Innenstadt angeschlossen sei. Noch, so Rudloff abschließend, hätten sich die Bemühungen um den Standort Bremerhaven also nicht auf den Einzelhandelsstandort niedergeschlagen. Die weitere Entwicklung bliebe spannend. [...] Quelle: Comfort-Gruppe (pdf)

Nur in Fischtown liegen Dubai und Venedig also zukünftig lediglich einen Katzensprung auseinander direkt hinterm Deich:

 
Dazu passt:

Bremerhavener Havenwelten schaffen Arbeitsplätze - aber was für welche?
 

Besides the thousands and thousands of marine animals inside the Hong Kong Ocean Park, tenths of Rides and the 15 minutes long over the mountain cable car ride, one of the most interesting thing in Ocean Park has got to be visiting the 4 pandas!

Earlier in the year, we went to the Hong Kong Ocean Park and had a really fun day out there!
It was Pauline's 2nd visit since her first visit HK, and during that time, she was sick
and the park didn't really gave a good impression on her!
10 years later.... a revisit with her favorite one! Erm...me :P

Since you can easlier spent a day at the park, it is advisable to arrive the park before lunch!
Reasonable priced food with lots of choice and location to choose from,
Food inside the Park is never a problem! During That day, Pauline and I had lunch inside the Jelly fish aquarium

Well...not much to talk about the Ocean Park....Just like going to any other theme park out there....
Go was around like a hamster and play or look whatever you like!

Just to make sure that you didnt miss the Dolphin Show! The seats filled REALLY fast and I would suggest to arrive 15-20 mins earlier!  Since there is food stall around the area, you may enjoy your lunch/snacks while waiting for the show! Great tips, isnt it :P

Oh My yummy corn dog and the cable car ride before we leave!

More Pictures of the Day!

After breakfast, we then went to take MTR to Admiralty MTR Station for our next destination ----> Ocean Park. Upon reaching Admiralty, we then followed the signages to help us locate where to buy the admission tickets as well as where to take the Citybus no. 629 to the Ocean Park. As soon as we got the tickets, we boarded the bus. Within 15 mins, we reached the Ocean Park main entrance. Soon, we went into the park and took the cable car to ascend to the upper peak of the park. On top, we played some rides e.g their roller coaster, spinning chair etc. Personally, I feel that all the rides are not fun. Some of the rides made me want to vomit too e.g the spinning chair and the eagle. Both these rides, keep on turning round & round and spinning here & there which made my head giddy! Also, that giddiness in my head made me feel unwell the whole day @ the Ocean Park! Kaoz....Besides playing with the rides, we also visited their underwater marine world and watched their dolphins and sea lions show. The show was the only thing which I feel good about and worth a see. For lunch, we had Mcdonald @ the Ocean Park. During the time in the Ocean Park, we also managed to take some photo with 2 of their Mascots namely the turtle and the shark. Both of them are so cute and comical. @ 4.30pm, we left the Ocean Park.

At around 6.45pm, we reached our next destination--Tsim Sha Tsui area. We went to the Habour City Shopping Mall awhile just to kill time so as to wait for the "Symphony of Lights" show @ 8pm. I also managed to buy some cheap & trendy tees @ Bossini store along the way too. Again, we went to Mcdonald to grab some bites. @ 7.50pm, we then proceed on to watch the "Symphony of Lights" show. WOW...FANTASTIC! The Skyliners & Skyscrapers of Hong Kong were so beautiful....those neon lights were so WOW.....I am AMAZED! Haha....After the show, we then proceed to the Avenue of Stars. Over there, I tried to find Sammi Cheng's hand prints but don't have le or maybe I have missed it...sad....Anyway, after the Avenue of Stars, we then went to take MTR back to Jordan MTR Station where I need to go Temple Street to buy a belt. Haha....@ the same time, we also refunded our Octopus card for cash.

At 9.30pm, we reached the Temple Street. We then went to have our dinner @ a noodle 茶餐厅 where it sell damn NICE, CHEAP & BIG 云吞 noodles and meatballs noodles. YUMMY! Soon after our dinner, I quickly go buy my belt. After an hr of shopping along the Temple Street, we then went to a 茶餐厅 located just outside the Temple Street Market to have our supper. @ there, we ordered Anchor beers, Fried Oyster Omelette, Dried Fried Hor Fun, BBQ Squab and Claypot rice.

@ 12.30am, we then returned back to our hotel to pack our luggages ('cos we are returning back S'pore tml).

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P/S: This blog entry was 1st published on 12 May 2007 @ 11:34 PM. Reposted on 25 August 2008.

Last week, my friend and i went to this ocean park in Manila, just behind Quirino granstand. Well it's not as spectacular as the one in Subic or those other oceanarium you might have visited , maybe not yet. But you'll see these mantra rays, sharks, variety of starfishes, 'pinoy' fishes (usually seen on our dishes) , 'butete' (box fish), nemo and company, sea horses, variety of eels, spider crabs, stone fishes (disguised as rocks :-) ) . And yeah, they also have a "touch pool" where visitors can actually touch the fishes in it ( sharks not included of course).

fishes and friends ....

http://www.filipinasoul.com/photos-of-manila-ocean-park/

http://lisvn.wordpress.com/2008/08/04/manila-ocean-park/

But what i like about journeying through the oceanarium is this :

For a price of P120.00 ( P100 for the spa and P20 for the towel to dry your feet), you'll get a chance to soak your tired feet in this Fish doctors from Turkey. Don't be surprised when you first soak your feet, almost all fishes run to your feet... that's because you have the most 'kalyo' (so far) from among those feet already soaked there.

It's amazing God decided to create such fishes to serve such purpose ( special huh?). Really feels good after. Parang pumuti ulit yung mga logs mo :-)

HOTEL ACCOMODATION
We took the A21 bus on our way to the hotel at YMCA International House in Yau Ma Tei. We were charged 33HKD each in our Octopus Card. For the hotel, we paid 1,485HKD for a 3N4D stay. If I were to rate the hotel, I'd give it a 4/5. It's location is perfect! 2 min walk to the nearest MTR subway station (Yau Ma Tei). There's a 7/11 near the back entrance, a spa/massage, money changer, chinese resto, bakery and a sari-sari store. Yes! There's a sari-sari store. It's also mear Yoshinoya, Mcdo and KFC. Kung medjo praning ka at gusto mo un may malapit na hospital, it's just a 10 minute walk away! They clean the room everyday, change the towels, fill-in the coffee and tea trays, and new sets of toiletries. Their staff can understand and speak English fairly well, except the accent!

1st Day
A. The Peak
Price: (I'll post the rate later... I forgot na eh. I have to look for the receipt)
Directions: MTR- From Central Station, go to J2 exit. Turn right through Chater Garden, cross Queen's Rd, make your way up to Garden Rd. You will pass by Bank of China, Citibank Plaza and St. John Cathedral.
Tip: Don't buy souveniers @ The Peak. A bit expensive compared to those sold in Mongkok and TST.

B. Avenue Of Stars- You can watch the Symphony of Lights from there. There's a big Starbucks in front of the Vicoria Harbor that has a very nice view of the bay.
Price: Free. Walang Bayad dito.
Directions: MTR- Go to TST (Tsim Sha Tsui) I forgot which exit to take. Just follow the signs

2nd Day
A. DISNEYLAND- Opens @ 10AM
Price: Adult 295HKD (Regular Day); 350HKD (Peak Day); 350HKD (Special Day)
Child 210HKD (Regular Day); 250HKD (Peak Day); 250HKD (Special Day)
Senior 170HKD (Regular Day); 200HKD (Peak Day); 200HKD (Special Day)

Direction: MTR- Get off Lai King, inter change station going to Sunny Bay
Tip: Kumaen na kayo before you go there. Most Restos opens at 11:30AM.

B. City Walk in Mongkok and Yau Ma Tei
Tip: Don't expect too much in Mongkok. Mas gusto ko pa mag shopping sa Divisoria, mas madame magagandang items, mura pa. My favorite shop lang dun is Sasa... ang sarap magmamili ng perfume and make-up, all original!

3rd Day
MACAU- But because of the typhoon which is signal # 8, all trips going to Macau via Turbojet and Cotai jet were canceled! Kaloka!!!! Ang aga namen gumising for this... canceled pla!!! SUSME!
Usual question: Do you need a VISA going to Macau from HK? Answer: No need. Just bring your passport.

Directions: MTR- Sheung Wan station, Shuntak Center 3rd floor for the Turbojet. For Cotai jet naman, go to TST Exit A1.

Umuwe na lng kame. At dahil walang bukas na shops, nag grocery na lng kame sa Wellcome! We spent the entire day sa loob lng ng hotel. We went out around 6PM to grab sometjing to eat...at paglabas namen... Surprise! Ang dame ng bukas na shops!!!! Kahit umuulan...deadma! Explore the city ang drama!

4th Day
OCEAN PARK- Opens @ 10AM
Price: Adult 208HKD; Child 103HKD;

Directions: MTR- Go to Admiratly station (I forgot which exit) Then, take Bus # 629. Admission tickets are also available at the Citybus Route 629 Terminal. Pag exit mo ng Admiralty Station going to Ocean Park, may ticketing booth dun agad.

Tip: You can buy discounted Disney and OP ticket at Traveleasy LTD shop: 316, 3/f Worldwide Plaza 19 Des, Wovex Rd Central. For Pear\k Days: OP- 170HKD, DISNEY- 320KHD

GETTING AROUND HONGKONG
Tip: You may opt NOT take a cab, because they charge like they'll eat your entire shoping budget. I'm exaggerating, okay. HK has the most easiest and one of the most convinient transpo system in the world. Ask anyone who's been in HK, they'll say that even a 7 year-old won't get lost. For as long as you can read, you're safe.

MTR- They don't have cashiers/counters that sells train tickets, but they do have a Customer service booth. Each station is equipped with a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) ticketing machine.
BUS- You can use your Octopus Card. Just swipe it. Or you also can pay in cash. Just make sure you have the exact amount though as they don't give change.
TAXI/CAB- We didn't take a cab. So I don't have any tips to share.

OTHERS
- When buying for bottled water, get Bonaqua in 7/11 stores sold for 4HKD, 12HKD and 16HKD depending on the size. Other brands are quite expensive for a bottled water.
- If you're used to eat in an authentic chinese restos, then you wouldn't mind eating elasewhere as there are a lot of big and small chinese restos in every corner. Mura ang tinda nila. But if you're not used to it, because you find the smell (I can't describe it), there are Mcdonalds and KFC almost everywhere, oh and Yoshinoya too, where you can get a rice bowl for as low as 16-17 HKD with drinks.
- To get good exchange rate, go to Wing Hoi Money Changer in TST. Address: Ground flr, Mirador Mansion Nathan Rd. TST Kowloon.

District Breakdown (Courtesy of pinoyexchange HK forum)

Tsim Sha Tsui
Avenue of Stars
Harbour City Shopping Complex (with Toys 'R Us)
Park Lane Shoppers' Boulevard
Canton Road / Nathan Road / Granville Area
Knutsford Terraces
The Peninsula

Mongkok
Langham Place (Mall)
Ladies Market
Sai Yeung Choi Street
Temple Street Night Market

Central
The Peak
Mid-Level Escalators
Maxim's Palace City Hall Dimsum Restaurant
IFC Shopping Mall / Pacific Place Shopping Mall
Lan Kwai Fong (Bars and nightlife)
City Hall

Causeway Bay
Times Square Mall
Sogo
and a whole lot more of shopping and things to see

Lantau Island
Disneyland
Ngong Pin Village
Citygate Outlets

Where to Buy Digital Cameras

1. Kam Fai Electronics, Mody Road (Nathan Side), Tsim Sha Tsui
2. Suntek Electronics, Haiphong Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
3. Wing Shing or Man Shing in Mongkok

Where to Buy Computer Related Electronics

1. Golden Computer Arcade, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon
2. Wan Chai Computer Center, Wanchai, HK Island
3. Mongkok Computer Center

Budget: 3N/4D
Airfare- Cebupac zerofare RT- P5,+++
YMCA 3 star Hotel- P8,+++
Transpo (Octopus Card)- P1,+++
Food- P2,+++
Disney-P2+++
Ocean Park- P2+++
Shopping- P5,+++
Incidentals- P3,+++
NOTE: 20K per person okay na. May shopping na na kasama yan.

One of the recent attractions of the year 2008 is the opening of the Manila Ocean Park. It opened I think last February or early March of 2008. It is said to become one of the most advanced ocean parks in Asia. The oceanarium is part of a bigger complex which includes a mall and restaurants among others upon completion. This is located behind Quirino Grandstand in Manila.

Basically the oceanarium promises a deep sea experience to its visitors. What would it be to feel you "belong" among the various creatures of the sea as you walk along the pathway in the oceanarium. Kids would surely love to see stingrays and exotic sea animals in the flesh, almost having to feel and touch them in their large aquarium.

I have not been able to visit the place yet but based on word of mouth, some suggest that i wait for the whole complex to be completed before i visit since the oceanarium alone would not be worth it, unless you easily get awed with such an experience being with the creatures in the oceanarium.

This brings into mind, its predecessor in terms of having famed sea animals, the Ocean Adventure theme park in Subic. This theme park boasts of its well trained dolphins and false killer whales which perform various stunts to the awe of the spectators. To have that feeling of close encounter with the creatures, the park also offers whale encounter and trainor for a day programs. The park also has a sea lion marine patrol. These slimy but pretty smart sea lions also perform various tricks including a famed dance with their trainors.

Aside from these performing creatures, the park also has an aquarium where various kinds of fish are displayed. These aquariums are located in a dark, cool room where visitors can pose and take those snap shots.

In the course of time, the park also had a beach resort and a hotel complex to complement the theme park. This is the Camayan Beach Resort Hotel which currently has 2 hotel buildings to accommodate guests wishing to stay longer and enjoy the place. Other activities like kayak and diving are also available.

Right now, we can say that Ocean Adventure still has the edge in the sea animal entertainment industry. While the Ocean Park is still somewhat a work in progress, it may soon be better and worth the visit for sea-creature loving persons. But one also has to consider the location. Ocean adventure is in Subic which would normally take about around two hours travel from Manila (thanks to the new SCTex), while the Ocean park is just around the corner.

Whatever the choice maybe, it is always a thrill to watch these friendly sea creatures strut their stuff.

As for me ... it's a wait and see for the completion of the Manila Ocean Park.

I have just returned from my two week visit to Hong Kong and Macau and needless to say, I am quite unhappy. It was fantastic! Coming back to the miserable UK weather, the negative news of more numerous stabbings and the ever irritating Chavs, I am already planning my third visit to Hong Kong next year. But enough of that for now. Here is my highlights and guide (ish) to an amazing city...

There is a spot high up overlooking the whole of Hong Kong that not many know about. The view is unrivaled and although on a cloudy day photo opportunit

ies may not be the best, the chance to witness the sheer scale of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon with its thousands of high rises is just amazing. This photo does not do it justice (as most pics of views don't) but it gives you an idea...

There are a number of markets around Hong Kong which offer various things such as clothes, antiques, general tat etc but on this visit I took the MTR (Mass Transit Railway, a bit like the tube) and got off at Mongkok over on Kowloon. Here you can find the Goldfish, Bird and Flo

wer markets. Although labelled as markets, they do not really resemble markets as such. For example the Goldfish market is a load of aquarium shops lining Tung Choi Street displaying various fish, tiny hermit crabs and even terrapins in tanks and plastic bags for sale. It reminded me more of fairground prizes as I then went on to question the ethics of keeping the animals like this, but I wont go into that.

The Flower market on the other hand was a lot more pleasing. The smell of Lilly and beautiful colours of Orchids was a pretty sight. Although the Flower market caters more for wholesale, you can buy ready made bouquets and plants easily and at a good price. The owners are friendly but do ask if you want to take photographs of the flowers first.

Shopping!

The shopping in Hong Kong is brilliant with something to suit all budgets. The IFC Mall has many shops from Zara and French Connection to the top designer brands like Dior and Valentino. Other well known stores

can be found on Queens Road including Marks and Spencer and H&M, ususally selling at cheaper prices. Check out the link below for a huge list of shops you can visit in IFC.

http://www.ifc.com.hk/english/directory.aspx

Another great place to go shopping crazy is Causeway Bay. Here you have the Japanese department store giant SOGO, as well as many other smaller malls holding tiny boutiquey shops. My favourite was La Foret which has numerous tiny shoe, bag and clothes shops catering for all tastes. Be warned however that the "Oh, I dont need anything" attitude will be lost almost completely when visiting HK where it is simply replaced with "gimme! gimme!".

Eating out (and in)

Got a rumble in your stomach? Never fear for in Hong Kong food is never far away! Finding a good restaurant in Hong Kong is easily done, it just takes practice. Luckily, I am here to show you so here are my 4 favourite places to eat in Hong Kong in no order:

1. Japspas, Staunton Street Mid levels, Central: Australian inspired cuisine with a wide choice of dishes from steak, pizza, ribs, chicken, salads.... I would recommend the salt and pepper calamari and definetely the malteaser cheesecake if you have room! Portions are big and insanely good value!
2. American Peking, Wan Chai: If you are looking for a good Chinese meal then look no further than American Peking. It is a safe option if you arent too sure whether the menu is going to be all chicken feet and offal...My favourite dishes are the broccoli in garlic, sizzling prawns, sweet crispy beef and the chicken and sweetcorn soup. It is a popular restaurant with the locals a nd with the ex-pats so why not give it a try?
3. Aqua, One Peking Road, Kowloon: If you want a fabulous view of the light show which takes place every night at 8pm, Aqua is a great place to watch whilst enjoying a meal. There are two menus, one is Japanese cuisine, the other Italian. I tend to stick to the pizzas as they are light and thus I have lots of room for their dessert platter...molten chocolate puddings...mmmm. The restaurant itself has stunning interior and you feel like a celebrity when coming through the automatic doors from the lobby. Booking is advisable if you want to catch the light show and if you are running late, I would advise you phone them as they will only hold your table for an extra 15 minutes if they are busy. http://www.aqua.com.hk/
4. Cafe Siam, Lyndhurst Terrace, Mid Levels, Central: Thai restaurant with absolutely divine food! We got this as a takeaway instead of sitting in but the food was still restaurant standard. My favourite dishes included thai crab cakes, chicken satay skewers, red thai curry and morn ing glory (dont be dirty! its green beans in a garlic sauce..tsk.. It is great food for sharing.

There are millions of cafes and bars which are always good to try along with your Starbucks, obviously, and some great smoothie cafes (try Mix). I would stay away from street stalls selling food as you run your risk of getting your lovely holiday friend, food poisoning. I would recommend fresh lime sodas when eating out as they are really refreshing. If they taste too tart, ask for some sugar syrup and they will happily give it too you. Garlic broccoli is a must-its just so delicious!

General sight seeing and things to do

One thing I did do on more than one occasion was to go to the Peak. You can either takethe tram or walk up. If you do decide to brave it and walk, take lots of mosquito repellent, wear a good pair of shoes and have a big  bottle of water on hand. There are two routes and one is much harder than the other as I begrudgingly found out...it is a nice walk however and takes you out away from the huslte and bustle of Central. Look how  green it is! The view at the top is worth it however and there are plenty of shops and restaurants along with Madame Tussauds!

For the big kid in you, take a trip to Ocean Park, a cross between Sea World and a regular theme park. There are a number of rides from rollercoasters to a gentle observatory tower for your nan and not to mention the load of sea creatures you can see there. My favourite thing was the Giant Panda Habitat home to Le Le, Ying Ying, An An and Jia Jia, giant cuddly and extremely lazy pandas. One tip however is not to visit Ocean Park during July and August-it is far too hot to be waiting around in queques, especially as there isn't much shade. Save enough time to get the cable car back without the entire park joining you...

Thinking Hong Kong is just a spectacular concrete jungle? Incorrect. Hong Kong has a number of beaches that you can escape to, just not on the weekends when you will feel more like a tinned sardine than a beach bum. Some of the best beaches are South Bay beach, and Shek O beach but there are plenty more for you to visit. These are renowned for their clean sand, quiet location and beautiful scenery. More popular beaches include Repulse Bay and Deep Water Bay beaches but these are not as rustic and unknown as the others mentioned above.

So what are you waiting for?

Well? Get going! I can guarantee it will quickly become one of your favourite destinations and uncomparable to anywhere else on earth. Heck, I got excited even by the brief scenes of Hong Kong in The Dark Knight! Now I keep wishing to be back...

So we went to the new Manila Ocean Park the other day. It was a lot of fun seeing giant fish, some even bigger than my little sister. I really like going to aquariums, there’s a sense of calm there with fish just floating around and everything just seems tranquil.

At the end of our tour, we went upstairs to check out the Fish Spa. Basically, you dip your feet into a small pool of water, and these little tiny fish come over and nibble on your skin.

No, it doesn’t hurt at all; in fact, it actually just tickles, A LOT.

They’re called Doctor Fish, and they actually help you take care of your skin. See, they eat away all the dead skin as well as any other impurities you may have on the surface. On the other hand, they don’t touch any of your healthy skin.

It took a while for me to get my whole foot into the spa coz it just ticked too much. But it was actually really nice and relaxing after I got used to it. You should’ve seen the fish, they were all over my feet! They were having a damn banquet and it seemed like my feet had the best steaks and lobsters in town! I wonder if I should be proud of that or if that actually means my feet are nasty….

Anyway, what was actually really funny was that the Fish Spa was right next to the Shark tank. With my genius IQ, I might have dipped my feet into the shark tank…. but I guess they do work faster and more efficiently in that tank… ten seconds and all the dirt on your feet will be gone! Well, including your feet that is…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_fish

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Well, I am surprised myself for being able to go Hong Kong this year which is not in my planning. Actually this trip is kind of expensive, I mean the ticket alone already costs me RM820/round trip. But accommodation will be FREE!!!!!

Hahahaha... well, my sister is going there for some training stuffs for 4 days but I was hoping that we only will be back on 9th August. At least can extend one more night there...

the girls, happily playing while waiting for the food

here we go..

noa, lei and myself

nang-nang meg with the kids

lei, noa and ate mahrick

the starfish incident

(we weren't supposed to take the starfish out of the water but of course, noa just had to see what would happen if she lifts one..)

the corals were simply gorgeous


and the fish, too, of course

noa was delighted with these garden eels

but what she loved most of all were the sting rays, the same goes for me.
we loved their sweet little 'faces'. =)

we stayed the longest on the tunnel admiring the rays, greeting them whenever they pass directly over our heads...

love this look of pure awe on noa's face whenever a stingray goes by..

absolute wonder.

needless to say, we enjoyed ocean park immensely.

have a nice week! =)

Nitong nakaraang Linggo, natuloy rin ang matagal na naming balak na pagpunta sa Ocean Park. Hindi naman kagandahan kaya namahalan ako pagkaraan sa tiket na Php400 at 350 sa bata (na lagpas na sa 2 feet ang taas). Pero nag-enjoy rin naman kami. Nanlalaki ang mga mata ni Ril sa makukulay at malalaking isda.  Nakita namin si Nemo at ang mga pinsan niya. Nakita rin namin yung malaking “tongtongtong” (alimango) na hindi na gumagalaw. Ang haba ng sipit. Naalala ko yung higanteng alimango sa Gumagapang na Sindak ni Carlo J. Caparas sa Aliwan Komiks (laki ako sa komiks sa probinsiya ng Quezon kung saan nagba-bungee jump yung buntis na ex-gf sa isang kanta ng Eheads).  Nakita rin namin yung malalaking pagi. Ang ganda, ang haba ng buntot (ngayon parang ayaw ko nang kumain ng kinunot na pagi [na itinitinda rito sa kainan sa opisina] kahit na malinamnam ito). Sabi ng nanay ko, sabi raw ng mamay (lolo) niya, pag pinutol yung buntot ng pagi at pinakawalan yung pagi, hahaba rin yung putol na buntot (kahit hiwalay sa katawan) sa sandaling tubuan muli ng bagong buntot yung pagi. Itong “buháy” na buntot daw ng pagi ang mabisang panlaban sa mga aswang at iba pang maligno. Dumidikit daw kasi ito sa katawan ng aswang o maligno kapag ihinaplit dito (hindi ko alam kung anong mangyayari sa aswang o maligno sa oras na dumikit yung buntot ng pagi sa kanilang katawan).  Akala ko dati, basta buntot lang ng pagi, okey nang panlaban sa aswang, hindi pala—kailangan buháy. Kaya mahirap din palang kumuha ng buntot-pagi (sabagay, dapat mahirap nga, kasi natatanging sandata ito e, parang espada ng Panday na likha rin ni Carlo C.), lalo na ngayong ipinagbabawal na ang paghuli rito dahil malapit nang maubos ang kanilang lahi.

Bukod pa sa pagi, nakita rin naming yung maliliit na pating. Hindi naman nakakatakot. Mas natakot pa si Ril sa lapulapung halos kasinlaki niya. Siguro kung uulamin namin yung lapulapu, malilimutan namin ang lasa ng karneng baboy at baka sa loob ng ilang buwan. May mga isda ring mukhang alien. Basta mukhang alien. Kakaiba rin yung mga garden eel. Sabi sa Wiki, sobrang takot daw sila sa tao. Pero siguro sanay na sa tao itong mga garden eel na nasa akwaryum, kumbaga e, trabaho lang. May binanggit yung Caretaker namin ni Ril tungkol sa The Little Mermaid na may kinalaman dito sa mga tinamaan ng igat na ito, may binigkas (inawit) pa siyang ilang linya mula rito. Hindi ko na maalala. Anyways, wala pa yatang isang oras ang paglilibot namin. Kaya parang lugi. Parang lang naman (“the bastard, he’s plugging,” sabi ng karakter ni Clive Owen sa Closer hehe).       

(Updated 30.7.2008!) Die zwölfjährige Guo Guo aus Wolong brachte heute in der Bi Feng Xia Panda Base Zwillinge auf die Welt. Es ist die erste Panda-Geburt seit dem Erdbeben und auch weltweit die erste Geburt von Pandas im Jahr 2008.

Das Pandaweibchen Guo Guo wurde 1996 in Wolong geboren. Ihr Vater ist Xin Xing. Sie ist somit eine Halbschwester väterlicherseits von Long Hui und die Tante vom Wiener Panda-Baby Fu Long. Ihre Mutter ist Jia Jia, die zur Zeit im Ocean Park in Hong Kong lebt (-> Panda Camera 3: Jia Jia).

Beim Erdbeben wurde ihr Gehege total zerstört, sie konnte glücklicherweise unverletzt entkommen. Total verstört und verschreckt wurde sie nach einigen Stunden von Pflegern gefunden. Selbst nach einigen Tagen konnte man sie kaum beruhigen, sie hatte u. a. keinen Appetit.

Da Guo Guo Mitte Juni Anzeichen von Trächtigkeit zeigte und dies auch bei einer Ultraschalluntersuchung bestätigt wurde, beschloß man, sie am 24. Juni mit 5 anderen Pandas aus Wolong nach Bi Feng Xia bei Ya'an zu evakuieren. Nach der strapaziösen 100km Reise über den Bala Berg und den Jiajian Berg von über 4.500m Seehöhe wurde sie rund um die Uhr betreut. Durch die aufopfernde Pflege mit viel Zuwendung und vielen Streicheleinheiten erholte sie sich rasch in der sicheren Umgebung.

Am 6. Juli 1008 gebar Guo Guo, eine erfahrene Pandamama, Zwillinge; das erste Baby um 7:52, das zweite Baby um 8:36 Uhr (Ortszeit). Das ältere Baby wiegt 170 Gramm. Es wird derzeit in einem der beiden Inkubatoren versorgt, die durch Spenden an Pandas International angekauft werden konnten und der Bi Feng Xia Panda Base zur Verfügung gestellt wurden.

Das zweite Panda Baby konnte noch nicht gewogen werden, weil Guo Guo das zweite Zwergerl bisher nicht hergeben wollte. Auch zum Geschlecht der Zwillinge gibt es noch keine Infos. Update: das ältere Pandababy ist ein Bub, das jüngere Geschwisterchen ein gesundes Pandamädchen. In der Zwischenzeit sind die Zwillinge schon drei einhalb Wochen alt, die dunkle Zeichnung ist gut erkennbar. Der Pandabub ist etwas schwerer und kräftiger als sein Schwesterchen und wiegt bereits 739 Gramm.

(Quelle: Wolong Panda Club; Photo: Xinhua News Agency)

I decided to take the boy to Ocean Park today. We've had some pretty crappy weather recently -- rain, typhoons and the like -- but today was bright and sunny. Plus next week Noah starts going to school five days a week (preschool on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and soccer classes Tuesday and Thursday) so today was essentially his last day off for the rest of the summer (for anyone out there reading his school schedule and freaking out thinking, "Oh that poor boy! He's only two! Give it a rest!!!" come September he goes back to a leisurely 3 day school week, so relax). It was really a spur of the moment thing. Noah had been going on all morning about going to the aquarium and see the fish so after lunch we headed out to the park.

As soon as we got past the entrance, I knew that I had made a big mistake. It was HOT! I had already broken into a crazy sweat during the very short walk from the taxi to the ticket line. And of course my mistake was compounded by the fact that I just blown slightly more than double the price of an adult admission ticket by opting to buy the yearlong pass instead. Yippee. I need to make at least one more visit to Ocean Park to get my money's worth on the pass but knowing that the summer hadn't even reached its peak miserableness yet was enough to make me start whimpering at the thought of that second trip. Luckily for me, Noah's Ocean Park sightseeing agenda fell pretty much along the same lines as my get-out-of-the-sun-quick agenda.

We took the ridiculously scary mile-long cable car ride over the mountain and along the coastline to the other side of the park where the aquariums were. While I'm a big chicken when it comes to dangling from a tiny cage suspended hundreds of feet in the air from a cable, Noah is more brave about these things. At one point on the way back, all of the cars stopped moving so we were stuck mid-air between two mountain tops. Noah spent the time chatting up some old Chinese ladies trapped in the adjacent car to us. The conversation went something like, "Hi! Where you going? I said, Where you going?! I go to the aquarium and see the fish. And the shark eat me and oh no! No more Noah!" Here is what that ride looks like. And believe me, it's much scarier in real life:

Once on the other side, we immediately hit the Atoll Reef Aquarium -- or what I now like to call, Three Stories of Air-Conditioning:

Followed by the (also air-conditioned) Shark Aquarium and the Sea Jelly Exhibit:

And finally a quick snack of chicken nuggets and french fries at the Bayview Restaurant:

For some reason they had mirrors on the ceiling which kept Noah thoroughly entertained for the duration of the meal:

With all of the air-conditioned options interesting exhibits exhausted, we made our way back to the front of the park to Kid's World, an outdoor playground especially for smaller kids. We rode the miniature train, Ferris Wheel, jumped around in the bounce house and played in the playground. Noah loves merry-go-rounds so we hit that as well. It was funny watching Noah in line for the merry-go-round cheering the horses on as they went round and around just like he was at the racetrack ("Go horsey! You can do it! Go! Go! Go! Go!).

Our last stop of the day was the Frog Hopper ride. The point of the ride is to bring seven seated people straight up in the air and then quickly drop them a few feet at a time. We saw the ride from the Ferris Wheel and Noah was apparently lured by the sound of screaming children. He bravely went on by himself while I stayed on the ground taking pictures.

Here he is, newly strapped in and excited:

Curious as the ride makes its way up:

At the top:

And then the falling begins:

He had such a death-grip on the shirt of the boy next to him. The poor boy was trying to peel Noah off of him in between drops. Afterwards though, Noah insisted he enjoyed it and ran back into line. I went with him the next couple of times though so he could grip the sweaty shirt of someone he actually knew.

Beach communities of Venice and Ocean Park area of Santa Monica were affordable and most of my friends worked when needed but were at the beach daily.  We let the 9-5ers and tourists enjoy the weekends but we had the beach to ourselves during the week and what a joy--no crowds and the ocean was our playground.  LSD, magic mushrooms, mescaline, you name it and we had it...Smiles and the mind and body were free to feel with no restrictions.  The ocean with the rhythmic waves, the sun glistening, you can't buy that feeling...

One has to remember there was heroin, cocaine (basing of cocaine was not introduced yet) and methamphetamine but the joy was the psychedelics and the attitudes were different.  The greed factor was not prevalent, we were beach freaks and the joy was the water and the heat from the sand that ran through our bodies. 

May God strike me down if I am not telling the truth--I had ELA gang members come over and want to trade heroin for LSD and other psychedelics...Did not want anything to do with the heroin so they found a way to get the happy high not the nod and wake up to nod again feeling.  I am telling you, it was a joyous feeling so see the cholos and cholas actually smiling and letting the egos slip away.   We actually had a community of life not death.  Affordable if not free--one did not have to steal, whore or be deceitful to get high, seems like life at its best.

Enough, if egos get in the way of joy--one is going to crash.  Have a great day, I know I will.

I, together with Gale and Ejay, went to Manila Ocean Park this morning - after Gale's Physics exam. We have planned this outing since the second week of summer classes and I'm glad that we have gone to this trip.

10:30 am was the time set to meet at McDo- Quezon ave. We arrived at the park at lunch time.

The place is huge but still under construction. We had a little trouble finding the entrance so the taxi driver made some inquiries from (?) the security guards in the place. Then, there we were.

The 2-hour Ocean Park experience started at a forest-themed setting. There were several aquariums of all sizes with different variety of fishes and underwater animals. It was like a garden full of orchids; it even has a "water fall" in one side. Then, enter the museum-themed room full of aquariums. It was awesome. Yes, awesome is the word.

It was all eye candy. As one visitor put it, "Sulit ang 400." Most of what were there were new to me. Books were insufficient and, most of the time, cannot let one really experience things.

It was all tangible.

 ********************

Aaaand, this was the shot of the day....

...

...

As you can see... another first this summer: I had my hair cut.:)

My reasons for not returning are numerous.  It was time for me to leave I was getting angry with the locals, if one more person pushed or shoved me in the street or stood in front of me as I waiting for a traffic light to change I think I was going to yell.  My tolerance level had reached boiling point.  It was either me or them that had to go and i guess it was me!  Sad but true.  I had been warned before by other expats that they had got to this same breaking point.  I wonder if this is a naturally point at which expats come to when living in a country they are not toally accepted or welcome in.

There have been times I've considered returning for a visit because my children want to go back and see places they remember.  They want to visit their old pre-school, Ocean Park and markets that hold memories for them.  I can handle that I feel but go back and do the expat thing not quite belong to the community? I don't think so.

《2008年4月24日刊於蘋果日報》