October 30, 2009
Double Deer Stream Trek
I went stream trekking along Double Deer Stream in Sai Kung last Sunday. It was an awesome hike and I've concluded that Sai Kung is one of the most beautiful areas in Hong Kong. Here are some snapshots.
Campers at the beach where we started our hike
The first rock pool we came across along our trek
Two of the guys scaling the second rock pool along our way
If you look carefully you can see me making my way across the rocks in my red bikini towards the jumping spot
I can never back away from such challenges. So I stepped off the cliff that was about 10 metres in height without spending too much time up there thinking about it. The more you stand up there to ponder, the worse it becomes. So off I went and screamed my way down. But man, those few seconds were liberating!!!
Scaling up the rock wall. There's me in the black top carrying the orange backpack.
The easy part of the trek
Our lunch spot. Most of us couldn't resist taking a dip in the pool. I swam under the waterfall too and had a bit of a natural jacuzzi!
Scaling another rock wall with the stream to the right
And we are rewarded with a view after reaching the top
Making our way across a tricky part
This jump - only about 1.5 metre - was a piece of cake compared to the one I had done earlier!
Enjoying a bit of a massage by the cascading water
Ah, how nice...our very own private pool! We were sharing it with some fish as well!
The rolling green hills of Sai Kung and the sea beyond. Breathtaking.
October 29, 2009
If Only It Were That Easy
Image source: www.flickr.com/photos/moreinterpretations/
Yes yes, I'm still very much single and searching for Mr Right. The search now extends to Hong Kong. Haha. But to be honest, I haven't been very earnest in my search for Mr Right. Actually, I haven't been searching. Period. So I must admit that I don't exactly try hard enough. WHERE and HOW do you meet people without having to go to bars and clubs????
I suppose for the rest of us who aren't so lucky to have Mr/Miss Right fall from the sky through some serendipitous encounter, or have friends who hook you up with people, meeting people really does require some work. It's like looking for the perfect job, dammit.
I had been chatting online to several single friends on different occasions and was saying to them that it's lonely being in HK. But really, I feel this loneliness even in Singapore, it's just that the feeling's more acute in HK because I know fewer people here.
I've been single for far too long. While I do sometimes appreciate the ease in which I can make decisions about what I want to do without having to take into consideration someone else, I actually really want to be able to share my life with a special someone.
Monoceros and I sometimes wonder if we're in love with the idea of being in love. Perhaps. But hey, I think there's no shame in saying that we want to be with someone. I think it's taken me a while to come to terms with that admission. In the not too distant past, I'd have seen that as a sign of weakness. However, I think differently now and see it as simply human nature.
So to those of us still searching for love, may the message in the picture above come true for us!
October 24, 2009
Teresa Festival
I'm thankful that the area where I work, Quarry Bay (鰂魚涌), has many eating places to cater to many palates and budgets. Even 7-Eleven sells hot food like rice boxes and noodles. If I were to write a single entry on all the different places I usually or can go to for lunch, it'd take up probably close to 100 entries (maybe more)!
Anyhow, this short entry is about the delicious cookies by Teresa Festival.
I paid HKD65 for this packet of butter cookies which I wolfed down in two days. Yes, I'm a cookie monster. The cookies are of the crunchy sort and it came in an assortment. Some were plain, some had almond bits, others had swirls of chocolate dough, a morsel of jam, and one was topped with poppy seeds. The cookies are also sold in a big glass jar - these make really good gifts!
To celebrate one of my colleagues' birthday recently, he requested an American cheesecake. Cheesecake lovers will like this dense cheesecake. They do cheesecakes in several other flavours too. I also tried their chestnut mousse cake (below). I wasn't wow-ed by this cake, possibly because I didn't think there was enough chestnut puree.
My favourite is still the cookies and when I want a good cookie fix - I make sure I only eat good ones so that I don't waste my precious calories - this is where I'm going to get it.
Teresa Festival
Shop 5B G/F, 7-9 Hoi Kwong Street
Quarry Bay, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2565 1368
October 22, 2009
Sha Tin 18
A few weeks ago, thanks to my friend Felix, I got to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon and evening in Hyatt Regency Sha Tin. Felix was staying there for a short while, and told me to go over to make use of the pool and to chill out in the hotel that's located in a scenic part of the New Territories. The hotel is a three-minute walk from the train station 'University' (大学).
The view from the club lounge on the 25th floor. I had a very leisurely swim in the pool, soaked in the jacuzzi for half an hour and made use of the sauna. Boy was it relaxing.
We had lunch at the Chinese restaurant in the hotel called Sha Tin 18. The restaurant has an open kitchen concept and serves Cantonese and Northern Chinese cuisine.
We had some scallop dumplings （带子饺） which were small and really mediocre in taste.
The skin of the braised chicken feet (凤爪） was still rather chewy and hard which, according to Felix the gourmet, means it wasn't deep-fried long enough. The sauce, however, was very tasty and flavourful.
We also ordered some dumplings which I liked. The skin had the nice springy texture to it. I only wished there was more meat stuffed into it!
Steamed beef balls is an item I like to order. This one was alright but it didn't stand out.
We also had the pork and century egg congee which I thought was good. It was smooth and tasty, and I liked that it came with the peanuts, spring onions and preserved radish on the side.
What I enjoyed most in Sha Tin were two of their homemade ice creams. They were two flavours I had never tried before - Chinese wine chocolate (五粮液朱古力) and papaya snow fungus （木瓜雪耳）.
The papaya snow fungus ice cream was very light in flavour with traces of papaya. The bits of snow fungus embedded in the ice cream added an interesting texture to this rather guilt-free dessert. The crispy and wafe-thin sesame wafer was also delicious to munch on.
Now this I have to say is one of the best chocolate ice creams I've ever had. I love chocolate and I take every opportunity to eat chocolate ice cream. This one was silky smooth and the Chinese wine (五粮液) being mixed with the dark chocolate is such a brilliant idea. The bitterness of the Chinese wine really enhances the flavour of the chocolate and my god, the wine hits you the moment that ice cream touches your palate. I swear I could get drunk on this Chinese wine chocolate ice cream. LOVE it.
So my conclusion is that the main food items in Sha Tin 18 are pretty mediocre. The star items are these two homemade ice creams. A definite must-try!
October 21, 2009
I'm Still Alive!
OK, just to prove I'm still alive, kicking and eating in Hong Kong, here's a picture of me about to tuck into some steamed egg custard - one of my favourite desserts - taken last Saturday. I've been lazy with my blog and I know I need to start writing again. I know by now I don't have many readers left (not that I had many to begin with) with the long hiatus so I'm not too concerned about putting my photo up. Haha.
More soon, I promise!