09.13.10
Day 188: Do I Look Weird?
Theme: Weird.They say toys are for kids. And I beg to disagree. Coz at my age, I still enjoy buying toys. Action figures in particular. Not to be played with but to be displayed in a shelf and looked at.
I love my Pinky Street collection. I have my Super Mario Brothers, my Simpsons family, and of course Mickey Mouse and his Disney friends. I also have action figures that aren't famous characters, which I buy either because they look really cute or really weird. Like these two weird-looking kids. Good thing I dunno anyone who look like them. Hmm... On second thought, I think I do. Nyaha.
09.14.10
Day 189: A Good Kill
I kill mosquitoes using an electric racket. I especially love the little sparks and the loud cracking noise they make before they explode and turn to dust.
While trying to get some sleep, I saw this mosquito flying low across my monitor. It is one of those striped mosquitoes believed to be Dengue carriers. The racket wasn't within reach so I relied on my Jedi-like reflexes for the kill. Pak! Now i'm gonna get my racket, pick this tiny little devil and drop it to its electrifying death. Burn, you @#$%&*!
Derick, this kill is for you! Hehe. ;)
09.15.10
Day 190: Weird Taste
Theme: Weird.When I posted what I had for breakfast a couple of weeks ago, many commented on how weird it was, or I was for that matter.
I bet you've tried dipping your fries in vanilla sundae and drowning your pizza with ranch dressing. That's kinda weird but it tastes good, right? Try butter and sugar sandwich, cheese and sugar sandwich, peanut butter and butter sandwich, and peanut butter and banana sandwich. How about mixing Coke with Sprite and Royal with Sprite? I've yet to try Rootbeer with Sprite but I think it will go well together too. I eat corned beef, tocino, longganisa, chicken and ginisang ampalaya with mayo. But I don't like to spread mayo on bread.
Who you calling weird?!
09.16.10
Day 191: All Packed Up
After having second thoughts about pushing through with this trip because of the hostage crisis that left eight Hong Kong nationals dead... All my bags are packed and I'm ready to go! ^_^
09.17.10
Day 192: Hong Kong Misadventure
Wasn't able to get some decent sleep. Stocked up on the ZZZs while on the road, while waiting at the airport and on the plane.
We landed at around 6:30pm, ten minutes earlier than the ETA. To get to our hotel, the instruction was to ride an A21 bus coz it'll stop right in front of Burlington. Pretty simple. When a bus stopped in front of the A21 signboard, we immediately grabbed our bags and hopped on. It was too late when we realized that it was an A22 bus. Toink.
Told the person sitting right next to us that we got on the wrong bus and that we're headed to Tsim Sha Tsui. Asked where we could get off but she wasn't able to give us a clear answer. She told our problem to her family and began discussing it among themselves. It seemed like we're getting farther and farther away from our destination. Lagot na.
When the bus stopped at Park Island, all four of them were talking really loud. Panic mode kung panic mode. We later realized that they were talking to us. Haha. Apparently, they saw a line of taxis and were instructing us to ride one. We've no plans of burning cash for a cab but we got off anyway.
Asked a guard for directions and he told us that we could ride a bus to Kwai Fong and from there we could take the MTR to Tsim Sha Tsui. Whew, sana pala nag-MTR na lang kami from the airport. Nyaha.
09.18.10
Day 193: Explore Hong Kong
Our first stop was the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery - a Buddhist temple located in Sha Tin. To reach the temple, we had to climb 431 steep steps lined with a variety of golden statues. Was kinda creeped out with the thought of them coming to life at night. Hehe. But I kinda enjoyed spotting some statues with funny looking faces and weird poses. One looked like
Pipoy, one was
a little conservative and one was
openly gay. Hehe. When we reached the temple, it was worth all the effort. Everything was designed with such intricate details. The walls inside the temple were covered with around
12,000+ little golden buddhas from floor to ceiling. And it is interesting to note that no two Buddhas are the same. On our way down, there was a couple of Buddhist monks standing by the foot of the stairs. Hmm, so they could come to life even when the sun is still up. Hehe.
Next stop was the Avenue of Stars at Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade. It is an attraction similar to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Except for
Bruce Lee,
Jackie Chan and
Jet Li, all the other names were unknown to me. :/
We then looked for the Clock Tower, one of the famous landmarks in Hong Kong. First noticed the colorful lanterns displayed on a pool of water. Later realized that we were already at the clock tower. Sayang, could've taken a better shot of the tower with its reflection on the reflecting pool. Ala Taj Mahal. But the lanterns were pretty cute and photogenic too so who's complaining? Hehe.
Jumped on a ferry going to Central to start our quest for Noah's Ark. Aside from the giant replica of the ark, there's also a museum and a park inside. Watched a short film about the Great Flood as recorded in the Bible. How God punished the people for worshiping worldly gods and how He saved those who believed in Him through Noah. Another film was about climate change and the possibility of another Great Flood in our time.
The ark was really an impressive sight. But I was more amused with the collection of various ark figurines displayed in one of the exhibit halls. Taking photos was prohibited but when I saw this Precious Moments themed figurine, I just had to take its picture!
See how cute it is?
Last stop: The Peak. There was a long queue when we arrived at The Peak Tram. Good thing it was fast moving. They say it is a scenic ride but we sat on the wrong side of the tram. All I saw were walls, walls and more walls. Hehe. Went straight to Madame Tussauds, which houses wax statues of famous personalities. The wax figures looked unbelievably real. I may not see Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp in person, but their wax counterparts were good enough for me.
We then climbed the Sky Terrace, which is the highest viewing platform in Hong Kong. The wind was blowing hard that it seemed like my eyeballs were getting blown away too. I swear, I was always looking straight at the camera but whenever I preview the picture, my eyes are always kinda looking somewhere else. Haha.
More pictures here.09.19.10
Day 194: Explore Hong Kong II
Went to Ngong Ping, which is located in Lantau Island. To reach the island, we rode a cable car from Tung Chung station. I first wanted to get the crystal cabin that's equipped with a glass bottom to experience the ride with a bird's eye-view. But because of the price difference, we later decided against it. Got the standard cabin instead, which was actually a good choice since most of what we saw were just mountain tops.
Ngong Ping village is a cultural themed village. The structures, the activities, everything boasts of the area's rich culture. I love the architectural design of the temple. Even the roof and the columns were teeming with details.
First entered the Monkey's Tale Theater. It was a funny film about greed, gluttony and friendship. Good thing the characters didn't have any dialogues and their actions were enough to tell the story.
We then followed Buddha's path to enlightenment in Walking with Buddha where we followed the life of Siddhartha Gautama. The interior of the place was very nice. Too bad cameras weren't allowed. :(
Walked at the Piazza, which is some sort of a link to all the tourist attractions in Ngong Ping. The Giant Buddha is situated atop Ngong Ping plateau. Braved the 268 steps to reach the platform where the Buddha is seated. When we reached the top, there were
six devas surrounding the Buddha. Here's a
7th deva offering a mango passion fruit juice. Hehe. From the top we saw the Po Lin Monastery, which was our next destination.
Just like the 10,000 Buddhas monastery, it also has a colorful exterior and interior. If only I could capture every detail on my lens. Hehe.
According to Franz's officemate, we could find Jollibee at Central. It is where we went for our late-lunch-slash-early-dinner. Hehe. Felt like I was back in Manila. I could hear a lot of Tagalog. No need to struggle when placing my order in the counter. Hehe. I was craving for Chicken Joy and Jollibee spaghetti. The chicken tastes the same. But the spaghetti was a bit bland. It didn't taste like Jollibee's spaghetti. It just tasted like our neighbor's birthday spaghetti. Hehe.
We then met up with my parents at Sham Shui Po. There weren't much to buy there and they were already closing their stalls so we decided to go to Mong Kok instead where we walked and shopped to our hearts content till our feet hurt.
More pictures here.
