.korean.dramas.(.part.1.).

Posted on April 12, 2014 by ving

I like to watch dramas, especially those with interesting story concepts, or merely for any particular celebrity whom I adore starring in it.
I used to be hooked on Japanese dramas ‘cos they’re usually around 10 episodes only and with good storylines (short and sweet), plus there’re many Japanese actors/actresses whom I really fancy.
Our local channels love to show Japanese dramas, variety shows, and movies as well so they’re easily available.
Then, I’d more free time to watch TV too so I’d make sure I didn’t miss any episode.
“Galileo“. “Long Vacation“. “Beach Boys“. “Great Teacher Onizuka (GTO)“. “Forbidden Love“. “Beautiful Life“. “Hero“. “Crying Out Love, In The Centre Of The World“.
Just to name a few that I loved a lot.

Couple of years back, Korean wave hit us.
Initially I only caught very few Korean dramas, which can be counted with just one hand, ‘cos I’m very much still into my Japanese dramas which are less melodramatic and more chop-chop than Korean’s ‘chong-hei’ (Cantonese for ‘long-winded’) ones.
However subsequently, it seemed like only few didn’t succumb to K-wave.
I admit. I’m into it now too.

Let me share with you the 3 recent Korean dramas which I’d watched and left a deep impression on.

1. My Love From Another Star (来自星星的你), 2013-2014
Of ‘cos of ‘cos.
Who doesn’t know of this drama???
It had taken the world by storm, with Kim Soo-Hyun rising to be the new heartthrob, sweeping many females (and maybe some males too) off their feet, including fellow celebrities!
Also, the sales for fried chicken + beer combi probably went up by many many folds thanks to this drama.
There were even reports of some Chinese hardcore female fans who broke up with their boyfriends or threatened to commit suicide, ‘cos they feel that their guys aren’t as intellectual nor romantic as compared to Professor Do (what the hell)!
If you’d not known of this drama for whatever reasons, here’s a brief intro of it.

Main Characters…
Jun Ji-Hyun: as Cheon Song-Yi, a top Hallyu star who is very blunt and believes she is every man’s type, until she meet her stoic neighbour, Do Min-Joon, whom she eventually fell for.
Kim Soo-Hyun: as Do Min-Joon, an alien who landed on Earth 400 years ago in the Joseon Dynasty and possesses supernatural powers like the ability to stop time and teleport, plus able to see things before they happen and hear things that are miles away and move with great speed. He doesn’t age too, hence had to change identity every 10 years. He ended up falling for Cheon Song-Yi though he tried not to, who looks exactly like the girl whom he fell for 400 years ago and whom died while saving him.
Park Hae-Jin: as Lee Hwi-Kyung, Cheon Song-Yi’s childhood friend who has an unrequited love for her and holds onto the belief that one day she will love him back. He supports her through hick and thin as a true friend too.
Yoo In-Na: as Yoo Se-Mi, whom Cheon Song-Yi sees as a good friend since childhood. Underneath her sweet smile, she is actually very envious of Song-Yi and has a crush on Hwi-Kyung for a long time. A celebrity herself, she later became famous after Song-Yi’s downfall in the entertainment industry.
Shin Sung-Rok: as Lee Jae-Kyung, Hwi-Kyung older brother and the heir of S&C Group. The main antagonist in the drama.
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Love_from_the_Star)

Total no. of episodes: 21

I really like this drama ‘cos it’s so funny and sad at the same time!
Funny ‘cos of Cheon Song-Yi’s attention-grabbing actions and Do Min-Joon’s interactions with her.
Sad ‘cos the last few episodes made me cry SO MUCH I always ended up getting puffy eyes.
The actors/actresses were all cast well and really blend into their respective roles.
I didn’t get enough of it! Can’t wait for the movie version to be out (if it’s really true to be happening).
Also, the clothes featured in the drama are all very fashionable, especially Jun Ji-Hyun’s!
Plus if all aliens are like Do Min-Joon, I WOULD OPEN MY ARMS WIDE AND INVITE THEM TO INVADE EARTH ANYTIME.

Go watch it if you haven’t!!!

p.s.: This drama has some nice songs. Here’s the OST list if you are interested.
I personally love Nos. 1, 2, 6, & 7.
1. “My Destiny” by LYn (Korean & English)
2. “Like A Star (별처럼)” by K.Will (Korean)
3. “You Who Came From the Stars (별에서 온 그대)” by Younha (Korean & English)
4. “Goodbye (안녕)” by Hyo Rin (Korean & English)
5. “I Love You” by JUST (Korean & English)
6. “Tears Like Today (오늘 같은 눈물이)” by Huh Gak (Korean)
7. “Every Moment of Yours (너의 모든 순간)” by Sung Si-Kyung (Korean)
8. “In Front of Your House (너의 집 앞)” by Kim Soo-Hyun (Korean)
(Source: http://wiki.d-addicts.com/You_Who_Came_From_the_Stars_OST)

p.p.s.: I recently saw that Kim Soo-hyun be holding a fan-meet in Singapore soooon!!!
Though high chance I won’t be going, just to share with you some details of it and how you can win tickets to the event (which I presume his hardcore fans already knew long ago of this haha).

2014 Kim Soo-hyun Asia Tour 1st Memories in Singapore
Date: 27th April 2014 (Sunday)
Time: 730pm
Venue: Singapore Expo Hall 1
Ticket Pricing: $238*, $188*, $138* (*excludes $3 booking fee)
Ticketing Hotline: 6348 5555 / www.sistic.com.sg

Contests to win tickets to his fan-meet.
Starhub: http://www.starhub.com/personal/promotions/contests/1016.html
Watsons Members:
Go take part now to stand a chance in winning the tickets!!!
Best of luck!!!

p.p.p.s.: There are very cute and funny Cheon Song-Yi stickers available for download in Line app.
Go download them now!! ^_^ *throws stickers*

.recycling.for.2013.

Posted on March 15, 2014 by ving

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP3kNylF9so

If you haven’t already known, Cycliclapse has been diligently collecting stuff and sending them for recycling on every alternate Sundays, in order to reduce our carbon footprint as well.

We first got to know about this collection drive called “Cash For Trash” only in late September 2013, which is held on every Sunday at Jurong West Street 51 (currently still ongoing), and has been going for it ever since early October.
Basically, you’ll be paid by per kg for the items you sent in for recycling.
The rates for each category of items can be seen below.
Here’s to tabulate a total of how much we’d recycled so far, and also to motivate everyone to do so too! ^_^

Week 1:
Papers — 7kg
Old Clothes — 13kg
Money ‘earned’ — S$3.30
Week 2:
Papers — 6kg
Plastics — 3kg
Money ‘earned’ — S$0.75Week 3:
Papers — 7kg
Money ‘earned’ — S$0.70Week 4:
Papers — 20kg
Plastics — 1kg
Aluminium — 4kg
Money ‘earned’ — S$4.50Week 5:
Papers — 14kg
Plastics — 2kg
Money ‘earned’ — S$1.50Week 6:
Papers — 10kg
Plastics — 0.5kg
Aluminium — 1kg
Money ‘earned’ — S$1.50Week 7:
Plastics — 1kg
Money ‘earned’ — S$0.05Week 8:
Papers — 1kg
Plastics — 1kg
Aluminium — 0.3kg
Money ‘earned’ — S$0.30Week 12:
Papers — 23kg
Plastics — 2kg
Aluminium — 1kg
Old Clothes — 5kg
Money ‘earned’ — S$3.90*GRAND TOTAL*

Papers: 88kg
We saved 1.5 trees, 616 gallons of water, 33.44 gallons of oil, 0.29 cubic yards of landfill space, and 352 kWh of electrical energy.
(Source: http://environment.about.com/od/recycling/a/The-Benefits-Of-Paper-Recycling-Why-Recycle-Paper.htm)

Plastics: 10.5kg
We saved 7.19 gallons of oil, 21kg of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, 0.08 cubic yards of landfill space, and 60.63 kWh of electrical energy.
(Sources: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/benefits-savings-recycling-plastic-79284.html / http://environment.about.com/od/recycling/a/benefits-of-plastics-recycling.htm)

Aluminium: 6.3kg (about 378 cans)
We saved 50.4kg of bauxite, 25.2kg of chemical products, 0.03 cubic metres of landfill space (when cans are crushed), and 92.22 kWh of electrical energy.
(Sources: http://environment.about.com/od/recycling/a/The-Benefits-Of-Aluminum-Recycling-Why-Recycle-Aluminum.htm / http://www.sustainableworld.org.uk/recyc_al.htm)

Old Clothes: 18kg
We reduced 64.8kg of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, 108,000 litres of water consumption, 5.4kg of the use of fertilisers, and 3.6kg of the use of pesticides.
(Source: http://www.onkaparingacity.com/onka/living_here/waste_recycling/recycling_revolution/dont_waste_your_clothes_give_them_a_second_life.jsp)

Money ‘earned’: S$16.50

Everybody!! Let’s all start doing our part today!!! *juggles bottles and cans*

.Chingay.2014.

Posted on February 11, 2014 by ving

Warning: Beware of upcoming flood of images!

Went for the recent Chingay Parade last Friday, courtesy of my dad for the free tickets! My 1st time watching it live! Just nice we were able to film it too!

Man, were the performers awesome!

On the way to the audience seats.

Waiting for the show to start!

Opening act!

Arrival of PM Lee and Mrs Lee!

Super long banner!!

Lotsa white horses…..

…… paved way for the big guy! Trojan much??? *kidding*

Pegasus came too!

Then we had a float with some of Singapore’s iconic spots! Merlion / Gardens By The Bay / Marina Bay Sands / Esplanade / Sentosa / Changi Airport

With a bunch of Gods of Wealth following behind!

Performers on stilts!

Lion dance troupes!

Huge banners which even the performers had difficulty keeping them up.

Confucius came too!

Dragons and fire crackers!

More Gods of Wealth!

Me like Black Horse.

Malays’ float.

Indians’…

Ballerinas!

There were many…

Many…

MANY of them!

Cha cha!

PAYM’s float! Broadway style!

NUS’s float!

Japanese’s float!

Performers from Indonesia!

Love their costumes!!!

Koreans in traditional outfits.

Cute! Circus style!

The dragon playground!

Getai’s float!

Sea of gold performers with the getai float.

CDCs’ float!

Finally! The one which my dad participated in!

Nearing the end!

Waiting for the moment……

Revealing the end products!

Hand-knitted by 12,000 people!

SPECTACULAR! ! ! ! !

Till next year! ! ! *throws confetti*

.days.of.ving’s.life.:.hongkong.final.episode.

Posted on February 6, 2014 by ving

Last day in Hong Kong!!! *wipes tears*

McCafe breakfast to start the day!! And I have to say, the service at the outlet opposite our hotel SUX BIG TIME. I swear I almost pull that bitch by the ponytail out of the counter in which she’s behind. No matter how busy you are, you have to maintain your professionalism and not fucking show attitude to your customers. Also, please brush up your fucked up English 1st before you rebuke me. I asked for what sandwich options you have. You refuted by replying, “NO SANDWICHES. ONLY HAVE CIABATTA.” Then brushed me aside to your colleague, and proceeded to bitch about me with your colleague IN FRONT OF ME.

Please do everyone else a favour by jumping off the building.

Right. Back to my breakfast!! At least it’s delicious enough to appease my anger a ‘lil. *tsk*

Went to check out this awesome concept cafe after breakfast! Had time to do so only on the last day before leaving Hong Kong!

Finding out the way to walk (in style) using Google Maps!

BING SUTT — THE STARBUCKS x G.O.D. CONCEPT STORE

On the way over……

Address: 13 Duddell Street, Baskerville House, Mezzanine Floor, Shop M2, Central

Station: Central (Exit D1/G)

Contact: (852) 2523-5685

Nice decor!!

Walking around Central!

I had to eat this food item before leaving Hong Kong!!!!! Favorite egg tart of all time…………..

TAI CHEONG BAKERY!!!!!!

Address: 35 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central

Station: Central (Exit D2)

Hours: Daily 730am – 9pm

Contact: (852) 2544-3475

FAVORITE TRADITIONAL EGG TART!!!!!!!

While on the way to explore this street which I like alot!!

GOUGH STREET was where I wanted to go!

Interesting shops along the way!

Yays! Reached GOUGH STREET!

Many niche shops along this street!

1st stop: WOAW Store (Lifestyle concept store stocking exclusive merchandise and a diverse product range for men, women and children.)

Address: No. 11 Gough Street, Central

Station: Sheung Wan (Exit A2)

Hours: Mon-Sat 1130am – 930pm / Sun 12pm – 7pm

Contact: (852) 2253-1313

2nd stop: HOMELESS (Lifestyle concept store selling niche homeware products as well as providing lotsa gift ideas.)

Address: 28-29 Gough Street, Central

Station: Sheung Wan (Exit A2)

Hours: Mon-Sat 1130am – 930pm / Sun 12pm – 6pm

Contact: (852) 2581-1880

Absorbing in more of this land before leaving on a jet plane. Gonna miss this place even though I’d been here couple of times!

Hello, cutie!!

And it’s time to go to the airport!!

Guess what? My luggage was overweight by 8.5kg………………. And I had to pay HKD1500 for it. Well, guess United Air’s rate was considered fairly cheap as compared to other airlines’ (judging by per kg). Bought too much stuff!!

Oh wells, still needed to eat dinner. My ultimate comfort food to the rescue! TSUI WAH!!!!!!!

Had some time to kill before boarding!

Yes. I mean, NOOOOO………… Can’t I stay longer???

Ok. Some food to distract myself.

Shall end this finale with shots of a cutie whom I saw on the MTR in Hong Kong!! (Disclaimer: shots taken by my friend, not me coz I didn’t have the guts to do it hahaha…….)

Till next time!!!!! CHEERS!!!!!! *juggles luggages*

.days.of.ving’s.life.:.hongkong.episode.7.

Posted on February 3, 2014 by ving

DAY 7 ! ! !
2nd last day of the trip!!! Too fast!!! >.<

Started the day with a comforting and heartwarming breakfast to get our gears going!!!
Porridge / Chee Cheong Fun / Red+Green Bean Soup / Soya Bean Milk
N I C E E E . . . . . . . *burp*
After which, it’s a long day in walking around (aka shopping)!
Needed to help couple of friends check out some stuff which they were interested in getting.
1st stop: SILVERCORD at Tsim Sha Tsui!

I like this mall! It has many shops/brands which I fancy, all in one mall.
Another / Double-Park / 5cm / Izzue / Fred Perry / Mercibeaucoup (to name a few!)
Happened to pass by this cool shop which this awesome paragraph on its window.
Love it.
In case you weren’t able to read the whole passage, here’s it!
“There is darkness inside all of us, though mine is more dangerous than most. Still, we all have it, that part of our soul that is irreparably damaged by the very trials and tribulations of life. We are what we are because of it, or perhaps in spite of it, some use it as a shield to hide behind, others as an excuse to do unconscionable things. But truly, the darkness is simply a piece of the whole, neither good nor evil unless you make it so. It took a witch, a war, and a voodoo queen to teach me that.”

Love it. Really.

After we were done with shopping at Silvercord, it was still raining.
Hence, we decided to grab a drink and some light bites at SWEET DYNASTY near Silvercord!!

Address: 28 Hankow Road, Hong Kong Pacific Centre, B/F, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Station: Tsim Sha Tsui (Exit L5)
Hours: Daily 12pm – 230pm; 630pm – 1130pm
Contact: (852) 2377-9877
Walnut Paste / Soya Beancurd with Red Bean Paste
One word.
Disappointing.
Walnut Paste was watery without much walnut taste.
Red Bean Paste was watery too that’s not sweet.
Soya Beancurd was so-so.
Totally different from the 1st time when I tried it. -_-

咸煎角! This is not bad, but Tim Ho Wan has even better ones.
流沙包!!! This one nice!
They ran out of the ones with pandan skin.
*waiting*
*nom nom noms*
After chilling for some time at Sweet Dynasty, the rain finally stopped!!!
Time to move on to the next destination.
THE PENINSULA Hotel.

Gotta say.
I really like the decor of the hotel.
And its h~i~g~h~ ceilings…….
Right. Why am I at such an atas place???
Two words.
CHROME. HEARTS.

Address: Salisbury Road, The Peninsula, Mezzanine Floor, Shops M11, ME11-13, Kowloon
Station: Tsim Sha Tsui (Exit F) / East Tsim Sha Tsui (Exit L3)
Contact: (852) 2739-6113

Love their accessories….!!!
Just one thing.
I don’t understand why staff working in such shops need to be SO snobbish.
Same goes for some other branded boutiques too.
Please smile and be professional.
You don’t have to look at your customers from head to toe before you decide how you are gonna serve them.

Since it’s the last night in Hong Kong, we decided to go back to Bon Bon Cafe for dinner!
Sooo gonna miss their food…….
In fact, I’m missing it now as I’m typing this post!!! *droolsss*
The dumplings (bottom right) are sooo yumsss…….
They are filled with braised meat instead of the usual minced meat.
I’m not exactly a meat-lover, but this is so good I can finish the whole bowl by myself!!
Not forgetting the addictive pickles which I mentioned before in my 1st post for this trip!!!
After filling our tummies, another (also the last) round at our favorite 7-11!!!
Not forgetting, need change all the stickers which we received from 7-11 to change for Sanrio figurines!!
Such cute stickers!!
We got the Monkey (I forgot its name) and Minna No Tabo!!
Didn’t manage to get my Kuromi! 🙁
Packing time!
Had a hard time trying to stuff everything into my luggages!!!
Heavyyy……
Reluctantly went to sleep after packing since it’s the last night afterall!! >.<

Final episode for this trip will be out soon!!
Do stay tuned!! ^_^

.days.of.ving’s.life.:.hongkong.episode.6.

Posted on February 1, 2014 by ving

Early rise and shine for Day 6!!!
Coz today we planned to go Macau!!!

First thing first, getting ferry tickets from Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal!
My first time going to Macau!!
There was still some time left before boarding the ferry, hence grabbed a bite first at Lan Fong Yuen!!
I didn’t know they opened an outlet here.
Was elated to find out about that as I like the food there!
Here are the details for its original outlet if any of you are interested!

Address: 2 Gage Street, G/F, Central
Station: Sheung Wan (Exit E2) / Central (Exit D2)
Hours: Mon-Sat 8am – 8pm / Closed on Sundays
Contact: (852) 2544-3895 / 2854-0731
I didn’t know what I was doing.
Maybe bit excited over the food.
Boarding time!
Throngs of people waiting to board…
Ok noted!!
I’ve motion sickness, hence didn’t take any pictures when on board the ferry and simply slept throughout to prevent myself from feeling too giddy.
An hour passed, and we reached Macau!
On a free shuttle bus, en route to a nice boutique hotel which we gonna do some filming at.
“Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow………”
So we did some filming at 5FOOTWAY.INN’s PROJECT PONTE 16!!!!
We were honoured and excited to have the opportunity to feature this lovely boutique hotel in our travelogue!!!
It is set to become Macau’s favorite boutique hotel with its modern design, cleanliness, friendly staff as well as strategic location.
Do consider staying here when you visit Macau!!!
I’m sure you will like it as much as I did!!!
Thanks much to Manager Han Jae-hoon for showing us around, plus patiently feeding us with details about the place!!!
Kamsahamnida!!! ^_^

Website: http://www.5footwayinn.com/links/project-ponte-16.html

After we were done with filming, time to explore Macau!!!
Just around the corner from 5FOOTWAY.INN……..
LEE KUM KEE !!!
Tower of sauces!!!
*walking walk walk*
Kinda looks like Hong Kong actually…
Senado Square!
Managed to find the famous Pork Chop Bun and Portuguese Egg Tart!!!
Really yumsssss!!!!!!
*nom nom nom*
Hardworking Santa Durian!
Ended up at Lisboa to catch shuttle bus back to the ferry terminal!
The weather in Macau wasn’t exactly good when we were there, and getting around was bit tedious having to carry all our barang barang.
Kinda dampened my mood.
Plus I kena a long cut by the brolly when opening/closing it. -_____-”
Need. A. Good. Dinner. To. Make. Myself. Feel. Better.
Hence, back to one of my favorite Hong Kong cafes for comfort food.
Ittadakimasu !!!
Happily tucking into my dinner…..
So much better after putting them all into my tummy.
Strolling time!
Loveee the Christmas decor at Langham Place at Central!!
Sooo prettyyy…….
Must. Watch. Cantonese. Movie. When. In. Hong. Kong.
Heehee so we ended up at IFC for a late night movie!!
Movie of choice?

WHITE. STORM. (扫。毒。)
刘青云。张家辉。古天乐。
Enough. Said.
So.
So.
Good.
Was so thrilled I managed to catch this awesome show in its original language.
Beats voice-over anytime.

Love the popcorn box too in my favorite color!!
Though the popcorn itself wasn’t exactly fantastic. (I prefer Cathay’s.)
And I dropped my Bathing Ape Pocket Square in the theatre, which I only noticed after reaching back at the hotel. -_____-”
Tiring but fulfilling day!!
Plus a bonus that we still managed to catch train back to our hotel area after the movie!!
Thumbs uppp for that!!!

Episode 7 will be out real soon!! Do stay tuned and support us!!! *throws popcorn*

.days.of.ving’s.life.:.hongkong.episode.5.

Posted on January 29, 2014 by ving

DAY 5 ! ! !
Goodyyy Rainyyy Morninggg !!!!!

Today on our itinerary, we went to familiar grounds!
Changing trains at Central station in order to get there.
Yes.
Just had to do the tourist-sy thingy of taking pictures of the station.
And of coz posing with it. *hashtag ootd wiwt central hk*
While waiting for our friend to reach, couldn’t resist shopping at Sogo supermart at Causeway Bay!
Colorsss…….
Another round of stuff for friends and family back home.
Too cute!
Finally lunch time!!! *wide grinz*
Itacho Sushi at Causeway Bay…
There were more sushi and other dishes which we ordered but ate too fast so only managed to capture these…
Prices were around the same as compared to Singapore’s.
Of coz as usual in order to burn off calories after a hearty meal…
SHOPPING TIME!!!!!!!

Hong Kong is such a sinful place when it comes to eating and shopping my gosh…….
So many nice stuff which caught my eyes and tempted me to get them……. >.<”
Spent the whole afternoon in just Causeway Bay alone.
Chocoolate / I.T / i.t / some pop-up shop that sells really cool stuff but I forgot the name / a mall that resembles our Far East Plaza / etc etc
Too busy shopping so didn’t take pictures along the way.
Will show some of my purchases towards the end of this post!!

Before we realised, evening crept in and it’s dinner time!!!!!
Decided to revisit Mido Cafe after so long.
I remembered I really like the 60s feel of this Hong Kong cafe when I first tried it couple of years back.
Plus the food was very affordable and came in big portions.

Address: 63 Temple Street, Kowloon
Station: Yau Ma Tei (Exit C)
Hours: Daily 830am – 10pm
Contact: (852) 2384-6402
Truth be told, I was a ‘lil disappointed this time round.
Their prices increased, yet food standard dropped.
Previously I really enjoyed just a simple Egg & Luncheon Meat Fried Rice coz they cooked it well.
This time though, it was just so-so.

Hence, this.
Actually, just an excuse to let me play with my food.

No meal’s completed without desserts!!
So even though it’s been raining the whole day, we simply had to comb Temple Street for some Chinese desserts.
And found this small dessert shop with I didn’t register its name.
Hot desserts on a cooling night are ever-so welcoming.
It kind of made up for the slight disappointment I’d with Mido Cafe.
Pardon me looking as if I was being forced to smile.
Blame it on the wet weather…….
(It’s ok if you are indoors. Not ok when you are outside carrying lotsa barang-barang and still need to hold a brolly.
Ok enough of whinning.)
Finally back to the hotel!!!
Photo flood of what I bought!!! (Immediately brightened up my mood.)

Closer look of the lovely snacks from Sogo supermart!
At the same time chomping on my Nameko snack!
Each box came with a temporary tattoo thingy!
Too cute………….
Love.
Love.
Love.
Love all my purchases!!! *juggles snacks*

Episode 6 will be out real soon!! Do stay tuned!! ^_^

.days.of.ving’s.life.:.hongkong.episode.4.

Posted on January 27, 2014 by ving

HELLO HELLO!!! *waves madly*

Here are the previous episodes:
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3

4th day of my Hong Kong trip!!!
Rise and shine!!!
Dropped by a friend’s house first before going for lunch together.
Love the door knob!
There happened to be an outlet of Tim Ho Wan near his house, so there we shall go for lunch.
Finally I’d the chance to try it out and see what all the hype is haha…

Address: 2-8 Wharf Road, Seaview Building, G/F, Shop B, C & D, North Point
Station: Fortress Hill (Exit A)
Hours: Daily 10am – 930pm
Contact: (852) 2979-5608
While waiting for our table….
Was kinda crowded on that day!!!
Yays we got our table after a short wait!!
Hungryyy……….
Verdict:
The Char Siew bun is really yumsss!! (That coming from me who’s not a fan of meat haha..)
I really like the Glutinous Rice in Lotus Leaf, as well as the Carrot Cake.
Other than these, the rest were normal nothing exceptionally mind-blowing.

After filling our tummies, we needed to shed off some calories.
So……
SHOPPING TIME!!!

Saw this at the side of the road while walking to the MTR station. *shudders*
At this multi-label shop called ‘another’ at Tsim Sha Tsui.
Who doesn’t love sales???
More shopping!!
Time passes so fast when you are having fun.
Before we know it, it’s time for dinner!!!
We decided on this Italian restaurant called Lupa.

Address: 31 Queen’s Road Central, LHT Tower, 3/F, Central
Station: Central (Exit )
Hours: Mon-Sat 12pm – 3pm; 6pm – 11pm / Sun 12pm – 11pm
Contact: (852) 2796-6500
Food was rather good coupled with organic white wine.
I really like the ambience of the restaurant too!
So much so that I think we stayed for almost 3 hours there!
And a meal’s not complete without any desserts!!
Finger-licking good……….
Tired from all the walking throughout the whole day, hence the day ended without any routine trip to 7-11…
Love all the stuff I bought during the day!

Episode 5 will be out soon, so do stay tuned for it!!! ^_^

.days.of.ving’s.life.:.hongkong.episode.3.

Posted on January 25, 2014 by ving

欢迎回来！！！

Day 3 of my Hong Kong trip!
(Here are Day 1’s and Day 2’s…)

After catching a horror flick on one of our hotel’s TV channels while preparing (yes they showed it during morning), we proceeded in making our way to a famous tourist spot.
Changing trains at one of the MTR stations… Reached the station! Surroundings of the tourist spot… I’m sure by now you would have already known what place this is.
Yes yes…
Introducing……. WONG TAI SIN TEMPLE ! ! !

Address: 2 Chuk Yuen Village, Wong Tai Sin, Kowloon
Station: Wong Tai Sin (Exit B2)
Hours: Daily 7am – 530pm
Contact: (852) 2327-8141

I want the black/bronze dragon as my pet! Statues of the 12 Chinese Zodiacs! Took lotsa pictures of the temple…
Pretty infrastructure with all the intricate details! And I went for fortune-telling!!!
There were like hundreds of them operating there, so I simply chose based on my feel.
Initially I chose this very old and pleasant-looking grandma, but sadly she only helps to decipher those Chinese Fortune Sticks (解签) and doesn’t do fortune-telling.
I like that she’s honest about it.
In the end I decided on this elderly grandpa called Uncle Chan (陈叔).
I was glad I went with my instincts and chose him.
It wasn’t crowded at all that day but he had another customer when I reached so I had to wait quite awhile for my turn.
I don’t exactly like those who’ll wave/signal you to go over to their stalls, so usually I won’t consist them. Conclusion from the fortune-telling:
Overall not bad!!
I hope the new year comes soon. Last year hadn’t been rather good, which Uncle Chan also mentioned, and he told me that this year will be very good.
We shall see!!
Meantime on my own part, trying to hypnotise myself in staying optimistic!

So famished after the temple visit.
Lunch please………..
Mix Grill / Abalone Fried Rice
So hungry I don’t remember what was the Hong Kong cafe’s name.
Anyways the food was mediocre so don’t bother. To adhere to the “Tourist-sy” theme for the day, we visited yet another famous tourist spot!
En route to the place….
About a 10-minute walk from Central station.
Nice little small church spotted along the way. Tadah!!!
A place which I’m sure many many of you had already been to before.
This’ my 1st time there!! The interiors while waiting for the Peak Tram.
I swear I almost murdered a bunch of very rowdy and loud tourists.
Let’s not name which country they were from. Victoria Peak!!!
We bought the package that came with a round-trip peak tram ticket, as well as an admission ticket to the Sky Tower.
Felt like on top of the world!
*takes in the scenery and screams to myself* “YOU CAN HANDLE ANY SHIT!!!”
Rather foggy that day…. Climb at your own risk…
Didn’t get to take any night shots from the top.
Had ice-cream in this cold weather though!!
After a couple of hours there, time to leave!
Hello Mr. Operator!
Back to the McDonald’s near our hotel for dinner!
They got rice and wrap dishes here!!
And pork chop and mushroom corn soup haha!
It actually tasted not bad!
Plus they happened to be having the Monopoly game thingy!
I only won a small fries I think. *chuckles*
Night trip to the supermart…..
Snacks for friends and family back home.
They filled up my whole cabin bag!
Episode 4 will be out real soon! Stay tuned!!! *juggles snacks*

.days.of.ving’s.life.:.hongkong.episode.2.

Posted on January 22, 2014 by ving

WELCOME BACK ! ! !

In this post, I’ll share with you guys what I did / where I went on the 2nd day of my Hong Kong trip!!!
(In case you missed out Day 1’s, here’s it!!!)

After a good night’s rest, we begin the day with a hearty meal at this Golden Sand Restaurant (or rather, a Hong Kong cafe) that’s just across from our hotel!
Glimpse of my jacket for the day that comes with a big hoodie!!! Love it!!!
Address: 85-87 Ivy Street, Tai Kok Tsui, Hong Kong
Station: Olympic (Exit B1/C1)
Hours: Daily 630am – 12am
Contact: (852) 2392-4919

Big portions of food!!
Black Pepper Chicken Chop on Hotplate / Seafood Baked Rice
Happy with my food choice!!!
Also, bonus point for this restaurant was that it came with 2 cute chefs!
The kitchen was kinda open concept so I fed my eyes very well too! *chuckles*
After filling our tummies, time to explore some parts of Hong Kong!
1st stop: Sham Shui Po area.
This area came into the headlines last year end ‘cos some scenes for a Hollywood mega blockbuster were being filmed there.
Can you guess which movie is it??? *drumroll*

TRANSFORMERS 4 ! ! ! ! !

Check out these links if you are interested to know more about the filming!
English: http://as.reddit.com/r/Moviesinthemaking/comments/1oy6a1/transformers_4_being_filmed_in_sham_shui_po_hong/
Mandarin: http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/entertainment/art/20131021/18472226

Apliu Street in Sham Shui Po is more commonly known as 鴨寮街, a street consisting of a large flea market selling ALL sorts of electronic/electrical components and related products.
I bought 2 casings for my Note 3 from here!
Another known street in Sham Shui Po is Yu Chau Street, 汝州街.
Most people who are the crafty type will, in one way or another, know or have heard of this street.
It is literally a treasure heaven for them (me included!), with shops and shops selling beads, ribbons, buttons, fabrics, and lotsa party items!
The huge selection range for any single item is AMAZING…..
I totally resisted myself from buying ALL the colors/styles back.
Do check out the area if you are in Hong Kong and looking for materials for your handicrafts!
Next up on our list was a place which I’d been super looking forward to go even before the trip.
It is often in the Top 3 places to go to if you are looking for those collectors items.
Come to think of it, I’d been to Hong Kong couple of times but this was the 1st time I got to visit this place.
If you guys have followed my stuff, you’ll know I absolutely LOVE toy figurines and have a small collection of them.
So……. No prizes for guessing correctly the place which I’m referring to! *drumroll*

CTMA CENTRE ! ! ! ! !

Address: 1N Sai Yeung Choi Street South, Mongkok
Station: Yau Ma Tei (Exit A2) / Mongkok (Exit E2)
A heaven for figurine collectors…….!
I WANNA CREATE A SPACE IN MY HOME FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS. . .
*building-castles-in-the-sky-in-progress*
Do. Not. Disturb.
There’s an area for some women’s wear too!
When I finally managed to tear myself away from CTMA Centre, I realised my tummy’s orchestra was happily churning out lovely music.
Time for dinner!
Walking along the happening street towards dinner place (which was just a short walk over from CTMA Centre)…
Almost missed this huge ass signboard of our chosen buffet dinner venue.
I’d heard good reviews on Little Sheep Mongolian Hotpot, so here I was!

Address: 16, 16A & 16B Argyle Street, Mongkok Commercial Centre, G/F to 4/F, Shop E, Mongkok
Station: Mongkok (Exit C4)
Hours: Mon-Fri 11am – 12am / Sat-Sun 10am – 12am
Contact: (852) 2396-8816
I don’t usually eat mutton ‘cos there’s always this smell in the meat (I wasn’t exactly a meat lover to begin with).
B U T
I actually wiped out countless thinly-sliced mutton pieces from this hotpot place.
Combined with the soup bases, S O G O O D . . .
I can feel the warmth of the sun that appeared behind me after consuming this delish dish.
(Or maybe it’s the warmth from the Ma La soup base in my tummy.)
After staying for almost 3 hours at Little Sheep, I went back to the hotel with a tummy that grew twice the size.
Couldn’t resist a round at 7-11 before bed-time.
LOOK WHAT I FOUND!!!
Tidbits with my current obsession!!!
N A M E K O . . .
(Recently a friend discovered a shop at Dhoby Ghaut Xchange selling these snacks too!)
Favorite Dreyer’s in a cone!!!
Y SINGAPORE NO HAVE? ? ?
Loot of the day!!! *throws confetti*
Got a whole box with 8 different designs! Couldn’t resist!
Episode 3 of this trip will be out real soon! Stay tuned!!!