My Holiday Plans

eat.shop.learn.explore Hong Kong Day01: Fly Me To Wonderland

Woohooâ€¦Â Hong Kong & Macau, Iâ€™m back together with my great cousin.
*blink blink*Â 6 yearsâ€¦ yes, itâ€™s been a while.

Always love to travel with my cousin, cause we always have this mutual understanding
Yes,Â Nicole â€œsmartâ€ TanÂ will do all the planning and booking. Me? Unfortunately, Iâ€™m tasked at being theÂ translator.

I was seriously excitedâ€¦ so serious that I was sneezing the whole night.
And? Hmmm.. I basically sleep my whole journey to Hong Kong, except waking up for my Nasi Lemak breakfast and taking a random skyview photo which Iâ€™m quite proud of!

The in-flight experience this time was really different from all those in the past. It was ok, but not to my liking cause I still like to see the pretty air hostess in uniform and not jeansÂ
Iâ€™m sorry, but yesâ€¦ I am shallow. I somewhat feel they are much friendlier too in uniforms.
Not to mention, they do not carry cup noodles! How can? At this kinda era, how can still provide this kinda service!

But what disappoint me was theirÂ Nasi LemakÂ standards. They serve me warm Nasi Lemak, but with soggy anchovies and peanuts. What happend to the seperately packed anchovies and peanuts to ensure they are still crispy. Sigh!

Iâ€™m seriously dead tired and just wanted to sleepâ€¦
And to my surprise, from aÂ blue blue skyâ€¦ I find myself waking up to aÂ foggy grey sky.
Ahâ€¦ itâ€™s always great to wake up toÂ â€œWelcome to Hong Kongâ€Â tune.
Yeay.. Iâ€™m finally atÂ Hong Kong International Airport (é¦™æ¸¯åœ‹éš›æ©Ÿå ´).

Explore the beautiful airport, visitÂ HKIA Official Website:Â http://www.hongkongairport.com/

Ah.. so excited! But the wait for the luggage is totally killing me.
Â My luggage came out almost the last oneâ€¦ and itâ€™s the only thing between me and my first HK meal.
Come on.. come on.. come on!

And off we go, taking theÂ Airport Express Link (æ©Ÿå ´å¿«ç¶«).
This would link us from The Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) to the Central District.
Yup, I need to reach and feel Hong Kong in the fastest possible way! And short waiting timeÂ

Aha.. *nod nod* the interval times are less than 15 mins.. and the best part..
Itâ€™s fast.. reaching Central in less than half an hour. The best!!
Check out the Airport Express train schedules here

Itâ€™s been a while.. since 2007, and it felt like nothing has changed.
The ever busy station.. the crowd.. the fast life.

The only difference, would surely be my travel partnersÂ
Thank god we arrive not during the peak hours.. else for sure we will be like sardines.
Hehe.. go go go..Â Causeway Bay (éŠ…é‘¼ç£).. here we come!

And the most memorable memories about taking MRTs in HK?
The amount of exits. I know right.. I still can never adapt to it.
I agreeâ€¦ itâ€™s really for the convenience. But for someone like me who have directional and decision making problemsâ€¦
This just manage to add another layer of complexity.
Now.. to the leftâ€¦ or to the right?
*hemâ€¦ think mandyâ€¦ think!*

July 6, 2013 0 comment

Hong Kong Macau My Holiday Plans

Easter Holiday at Hong Kong & Macau

written by velverse

Ah… I’m finally back from my first and probably the last hoiday for the year.
I know… sad rite? But well, I’m too broke to plan for another trip.
Which leads to me agreeing to a point, Hong Kong is a shopping heaven!

Ok.. ok… eating too. Everyone I know say I gained weight and have a rounder face. Ooo.. yes, I still crave for the Macau egg tarts!
And that’s only one week. Can’t imagine a longer duration holiday.

Mmm.. but weirdly, I still wish I had more time to explore more food. ah… *day dreaming*

April 8, 2013 0 comment

Australia Cuz power!!Eat With Me My Holiday Plans Restaurant Hopping

“Fly Me To Aussie” Day01: Let’s me tell you some Shanghai Stories 1938

written by velverse

Phew.. finally lunch after the hectic “bridesmaid chore”.. yes, choosing flowers for the bouquet.
It is not as easy as thought, cause the names of flower just doesn’t stop at just rose, lily or so.
And the different types and species with their scientific names doesn’t help!

Now… yes, I need food.. loads of it after killing so many brain cells.
And I was brought to this awesome looking place, Shanghai Stories 1938.
The moment I reach the front door and saw the “yum cha” word, I’m already loving it!

Now the best part of the day started the moment the food arrive one by one on the table.
I always thought I’ve tried most of the variety of dim sum… until today. Yes, when they landed two dishes which I’ve never tried before, the pan fried pork bun with sesame and sticky rice siu mai with pork and mushroom.

Woo la la… the pan fried pork bun is a pan friend version of the xiao long bao. I’m totally falling in love with this.
Who would have thought the pan fried version is so much more yummy and juicy. *yum yum*.. 1 is definately not enough!

The sticky rice siu mai, comes as a surprise to me as well. Yes, I’ve never tried anything like this before. A dish that basically combines the chinese sticky rice dish wrapped with siu mai skin. The fragrant of the sticky rice with pork and mushroom is just amazing.

Oh yeah, not forgetting the baked bbq pork bun pastry as well. *slurp slurp* ooo… the pastry is simply too flaky.
I simply adore this to the max! Ah… how how how?? I should diet to fit in my bridesmaid dress! But ah… who cares, food is too yummy to resist.
And I don’t think I need to go on and on to tell you how well every other thing tasted all just so yummy.

See.. now my cousin also enjoys the food to the max. Super yummy teatime.
Thanks cuzzie.. what’s next? I wonder 😀

Address:
Shanghai Stories 1938
Shop 4 & 6 The Concourse,
409 Victoria Ave Chatswood,
New South Wales, 2068, Australia
Telephone: 02 9412 3880
Business Hours: 11:00am – 4:00pm and 5:30 – 10:00pm daily
Telephone: http://www.shanghaistories1938.com.au/

December 8, 2012 2 comments

Australia Cuz power!!My Holiday Plans

“Fly Me To Aussie” Day01: Morning coffee at Danks Street Depot

written by velverse

Wooohoo… I’ve finally arrived!
Now, the funny thoughts are back… and I always have this feeling the imigration will not let me go easily.
Right, I think too much.. but can’t help it right. See too much HK drama, where they normally suspect single travellers *LOL*

Weirdly, I manage gracefully passby and even get to proceed though the express lane. *muahaha… evil laugh* yes, I am a lucky and smart traveller 😀

Now yes, where is my sweet cousin and her fiance?? *aha* There they are! I spot them the instant I took the corner.
And since, my cousin needs to pick up another friend which is scheduled to arrive 30mins later… we go pick up free coffee!

YUP!! Free Coffee!! Apparently there’s a “Two coffee, a duty free voucher and newspaper” promotion when you park at Sydney Airport.
Now yes, a good cup of coffee from Danks Street Depot to start my day! *yummy yummy*

I know it’s my lucky day, when we even stumble upon this photobooth in the airport.. which shouts out “FREE photo”.
Yes… FREE! And we love everything free!! Now yes, my first photo in the Australia.
And to my surprise… there’s actually video, which we all didn’t know until we check out the website. Curious??
LOL… ok, I’m kind enough to share the fun here. Click here to view.

November 16, 2012 0 comment

Australia Eat With Me Me and my "ME-time"My Holiday Plans

“Fly Me To Aussie” Day01: Fly me to Australia

written by velverse

Ta da… this is my first time flying off alone. Yup, to Sydney it is 😀
It was quite a fun and exciting experience, keep checking if I am at the right gate, board the right plane, wondering who’ll be that stranger sitting next to me and etc.
But well, those funny thoughts didn’t really last that long… as I doze off to sleep probably 10mins after boarding the plane.
*giggles* Can’t help it if I haven’t slept well for the past weeks.

It’s been a while, since I woke up to something beautiful… something I would look forward to.
Now beat that, waking up to an infinite soft and fluffy clouds view. *love love love*
And to top that, warm nasi lemak for breakfast… in the air. *evil laugh*
Waking up in the early morning has never been so fun!

Now, happy moments do pass by real quickly.. and I’ve finally landed in the land down under.
Breathing the fresh cool air… and starts to wonder…

Oh where… oh where is my hiao cousin?
Has she arrived? What is the agenda of the day?
Where will this tour guide of mine bring me?
What to eat? What to see? Where to go?

Hemm… now, why does landing always takes so long. Geez!

November 15, 2012 0 comment

Australia Cuz power!!Family Ever After My Holiday Plans

Spring Holiday at Sydney

written by velverse

Wee… from Beijing to Sydney.
Yes I know, I think I have fully utilized my quota of holidays for 2012 in October.

From Autumn in Beijing to Spring in Sydney… it’s simply stunning and awesome.
What made the holiday sweeter, was my best-est cousin got married.
And I’m the cute bridesmaid *giggles*

Pictres?? Awesome shots, beautiful scenic views.
Sharing?? Definately… right after I finish posting my Beijing posts!

October 13, 2012 0 comment

China Look who's talkin!My Holiday Plans

Originally, Beijing

written by velverse

My very first trip to Beijing, China… and I’m simply amazed.
I love the beauty of it’s old and new architecture.
I adore the culture and wonder how the impossible is made.

But nothing beats the irony, of this song was being played at a shop when I was there.
How appropriate isn’t it? *classic*

DAY02: Sulfur spring is in the air~

written by velverse

After the awesome breakfast, we started our tour to the Datun Nature Park. The Datun Nature Park is located between Mount Datun and Mount Tsaikungkang. This area contains a big marshy Datun Pond and the view from this area is simply breathtaking. And what makes this place more beautiful is when the various type of rhododendron and azaleas are blooming spectacularly especially during spring. Yeay… aren’t I lucky to be here during spring.

We then travel up to Mount Chihsing (Seven Star Mountain) is the highest peak of the Datun Volcano Group and is located in the center of the Yangmingshan National Park. The Chihsing Park is located at the south of Mount Chihsing eastern summit. There are four different sizes of pavilions and are a popular rest stop area for visitors who climb Mount Chihsing. Visitor can take the walking trails that leads from Chihsing Park to Menghuan Lake, Lengshuikeng and the eastern and main summits of Mount Chihsing. Isn’t the view from here beautiful? *love* 🙂

We continue to explore the Mount Chihsing and before we see it, we can practically smell Hsiaoyoukeng (also known as Xiaoyoukeng). That’s right, Hsiaoyoukeng is the most famous recreation area in the Yangmingshan National Park as it offers one of the most breathtaking scenery. This place is located above the Tatung Bridge along the Yangminshan-Chinshan highway.

Hsiaoyoukeng is located approximately 800 meters above sea level and is a post volcanic area located at the northwestern food of Mount Chihsing. This place is really famous for the fumaroles, sulfur crystals, hot springs and “landslide terrain” formed by the post-volcanic activities. The bright yellow sulfur crystals view and the sulfurous gases rising from Hsiaoyoukeng’s fumaroles make this a unique experience and site, especially so close to Taipei.

Now trust me… this is definately a bug and snake free zone 🙂

I would also recommend visitors who is interested to know and take in sights of the aarow bamboo to spend a few minutes to take a pleasant walk on the Arrow Bamboo Trail.

*phew* now that is a lot of walking… and climbing for the morning. I need to recharge! I need food!!

March 13, 2010 0 comment

Art of Creativity Get Inspired!My Holiday Plans Singapore Things I wish for...

Elephant Parade

written by velverse

I saw some pretty and nicely done up elephants during my few rounds of trip to Singapore.
Yeay! I’m glad I did manage to join in the Elephant Parade.

I wish someday I can create one pretty elephant like what the rest of the artist.

All this elephants are located all around Singapore.
It’s really a great fun hunting for them. *happily jumping*

Now… how many elephants have I missed out? *wonder*

Official Website: http://elephantparade.com

May 9, 2012 0 comment

Look who's talkin!My Holiday Plans

Mirror of Heaven

written by velverse

Mmm… I was watching this movie just only and it really makes me wanna visit this place so badly. To begin with, the name given to it is so pretty, “Mirror of Heaven” and some even call it “Heaven on Earth”.

Wow.. wow.. wow, the place is actually Salar de Uyuni at Bolivia. And I never really know Bolivia got such a beautiful place. This really will be in my list of country I wanna visit aside Prague.

I got this from The Daily Mail, and it really looks stunning! OMG… I wanna go there! Really… this is what I call infinate view!

Wooo… look at the large mirror like view during the wet season, and it makes it like we are standing on an infinite glass! The thin layer of water on top of the salt flatbed, makes everything so magical!

During the dry season, when the water is dried up.. the hexagonal shapes of the slat flat left its mark and is simply stunning as well. Ah… I really do fall in love with this place! Somebody save me! Think this will be a place I wanna visit by 2013!

Pictures above are taken from and more pictures at The Daily Mail.

January 16, 2012 0 comment

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