We got a new heater!!!!

After being nagged (continuously) by my loving mom and dad and also seriously (negatively) "affected" by the extreme cold weather these few days, Mike and I finally got out of our lazy and money-saving habit and got ourselves a new heater!!

The Smooth Purchase Process...
This morning we literally just walked for 3 minutes to the nearby Fortress (a big electrical appliance chain in HK) at Times Square and started shopping =) The shop assistant was really nice and helpful in giving us info on the different kinds of heater. We made our purchase, and then Mike just carried the heater (in its cute little box) walking back home. The whole process took less than 20 mintues!!! No driving, no delivery needed!! So speedy and handy!

You got to love the convenience of Hong Kong!!!!

When we entered the apartment building, our friendly apartment security guard (Mr. Chan) saw us carrying the new heater. Mike said to him (in Cantonese) "Now no more cold" (well... with a tiny grammar mistake, but definitely understandable). I then added how last night I was so cold that I couldn't sleep for two hours.
Mr. Chan laughed very hard.... (He's a riot!!~) ^o^

Let me introduce to you - Our new baby Robot !!!


We chose a radiating heater, because it's more energy-efficient. It radiates heat after it heats up the contained oil inside. The burning point of the oil can range from 150 to 200 degree Celsius. So it can take up to 20 minutes to boil the oil. But once the oil is heat up, it can retain the heat for a very long time and warm up the whole room. Another advantage is that this kind can keep the air more moist than say the electric (fan) heater.


Somebody can't wait to warm his hands with the new heater!!! ;)


See, now we have two cute little robots at home!!! (The one on the left is a dehumidifier that we got last Summer to combat the Hong Kong summer humidity.)
They look so cute together!!! wakakaka~!! ^_^


Welcome to our "warm" family!!~ \(^o^)/

To my silly lovely mom and dad...

I didn't expect my previous entry would embark such parental attention from you guys - I thought it was so cute and sweet that both of you guys called me individually to urge me to buy a heater to keep warm! ^_^ hehe...

I felt like being a 10 year-old little spoiled brat all over again ;) Thanks!! I know I know, my usual "spoiled brat"-self might have sounded like annoyed on the phone, but deep down in my heart, I am very very thankful and moved!!!

I MISS YOU GUYS SO MUCH!!!!


Thank you for always loving me and supporting me unconditionally!!
Love you, mom & dad!!!


p.s. Though there is one IMPORTANT point I have to make -
I think my "money-saving" personality might have left too much of an impression on you guys since I moved abroad - I have to stress again - I did NOT "abuse" Mike and not let him buy coats or heater to keep warm!! (Where did you guys get that idea from???)

And I can't believe you guys will favor a "foreigner" over your own daughter!!!! (yes, pun intended!!)

LOL.... (^_~)v

This is sooooo COOOOOLDDDDDD~

Just to show you how cold it has been in Hong Kong these few weeks, Mike took the trouble to "document" how I was reluctant to get out of bed this morning, NOT because I was sleepy (well... sometimes that too) but mostly because it was TOO frecking COLD!!!!


Apparently - according to this - this is how I sleep when I am freezing~ (Thanks Mike, geez!!)

The interesting thing is that temperature-wise, Hong Kong is not really that cold (not comparing that to SF now); however, unlike in the States most of Hong Kong houses do not have heater or central-AC installed. And the merciless, icy concrete walls actually trap the "chill" and make the interior A LOT colder than outside on the street!!
>.< ARrrrrrrr.........

My Pink Lady (I meant, My Pink Gentleman!)

I am soooo behind in uploading pictures and blogging about what has happened since x'mas 2007. (And it's late-Jan of 2008 already now....)


First: Some Brief Recap...

Let see what has happened thus far: visited family and friends in US during x'mas and new year, ate so much yummy food, came back to HK and adjusted back to normal work routine; went on an extraordinary hike at Dragon Back (took some amazing pictures!!), and also visited the infamous horse racing arena at Happy Valley for the very first time in my life...etc. I promise I'll upload pictures for all of the above-mentioned events soon.... (no promise on what "soon" means though... hahaha...)

Work has been really crazy since we got back from the US. We have switched our out-of-whack schedule (11am - 4am) to somewhat more normal schedule now (9am - 2am). Yea, though I still have stayed up till 3am sometimes.... (I know I know... dad and mom, don't lecture me, again.... I said only "sometimes"!!!)


Now Some Quick Silly Fun:
My Pink Gentleman!!

Weather has turned pretty cold in Hong Kong. The government has put up "cold weather" warning almost every day now. To me, it was not too bad, after the "training" in St Louis and San Francisco a few weeks ago. It was at least 10-15 degree Celius colder there. Though Mike seems to possess some colder-than-normal appendages - his hands and feet are always freezingly cold!!! Andrei suggested that he should protect his neck better to trap the warmth for the whole body.

"Not a bad idea" I thought, so.....


Haha... I quickly dug out my lady-pink scarf and put it on him... (more like "forced" it on him... He hates pink normally)


See, not too bad, right?


Hmm.... I have an idea!!!


"What are you thinking with your little evil mind, huh, Miss Evil?!"


Well... Seeing how cute he was with the pink little scarf, of course I won't miss the opportunity to "record the moment"!!


Let's do a close up with the pink scarf AND your crazy hair too!! =)


"See... the pink really did bring out the "gentleman" side of you, hahhaha...."
I told Mike. (And he ignored me...)


Just like how my "big 4 eyes frog glasses" can bring out the geeky, silly side of me, hohoho!! ;)


Okay, enough "pink" fun for today, need to go back to work now.....

Taipei Trip Day 4 - End of a spectacular journey

Time flies by the fastest when one is happy, which is exactly how I'd describe our Taipei trip. Today was already the last day of our trip. We were taking the flight at 4pm back to Hong Kong. That means we pretty much had only half a day before we had to head to the airport (which took a bit over an hour bus ride to get to). We treasured our remaining limited time to -- EAT !!! =)


More Yummy Yummy Food

One of my favorite Taiwanese food was this pepper pork buns.


There was always a long line (sometimes more than one) at this apparently very famous corner shop, which specializes in making them, across from our hotel.


They made every single one of their pepper buns in front of their customers. Everything was meticulously clean, from the ingredients like the meat, the green onion, the dough, down to the tools like the counter-top, the chopsticks and even people's hands.


They sprinkled white sesame on top of the buns before they were put in the oven. Watching them make the buns is like an art. They were incredibly skillful and efficient.


This is the special oven used to bake the yummy pepper pork buns. The buns were stuck on the side of this deep, cylindrical oven. The shape and the way to arrange the buns supposedly give the buns optimal heat, so the buns will be crispy in the outside and the meat inside fully cooked with all the juice preserved. I've never seen an over like this before, so it's really eye-opening for me.


After about 15 minutes, the buns were done and ready to be sold. Everyone swallowed much saliva into his throat when the oven cover was opened, because it smelled SOOOOO GOOD !!!!!


Yay!! Happy gal got two fresh, juicy pepper pork buns!!


Crispy outside, juicy inside!! Right amount of pork and green onion, well flavored with pepper! Isn't it beautiful??!?! (It made me want to cry - such perfect food, such perfect art!!)


I can't wait anymore!!!! Itatakimasu!! (Let's eat in Japanese)


It's not until we inhaled the buns that we realized we needed something to drink, haha... Now you know how yummy and tempting the buns really were~ While queuing up for our drinks, our minds were already on what's next to eat!!


While searching for the next target for our hungry stomachs, we ran into this gigantic queue... What were they queuing for...???? Whatever it was, it must be GOOOOOOOD!!!


Answer was - Japanese Curry!!!


Though Mike and I could make pretty good Japanese curry at home, we trusted the locals. Judging from its popular demand, it must taste REALLY GOOD! So we became part of the gigantic queue without any hesitation.


And ooooohhhhooooo, it WAS indeed delicious!!! Almost comparable to our favorite Japanese curry shop in Tokyo, Little Spoon!! (We missed that restaurant a ton!!)


Mitsukoshi Food Mall

We somehow wandered into the basement food mall in the Mitsukoshi shopping center. Like its counterpart in Japan, they had tons of yummy-looking food there.


Fried rice that looked as good as its taste (or even better?)


Colorful Japanese rice-cake dessert.


Gigantic turnip cake?


And the popular Yakitori and Okunomiyaki - Japanese BBQ and pancake.


Numerous small food stalls selling different types of snacks in the food mall.


As expected, the sitting area was so crowded with people, with all kinds of yummy-looking, interesting food.


Last glimpse of the city

Finishing our long, enjoyable food round, it's time for us to get ready and say goodbye to this wonderful city! Taking my last chance to appreciate the city view....


The surroundings around Taipei Main MRT station. Heavy human and car traffic most of the time.


We passed by this small cafe and saw a guy working on his hardware class project through the cafe glass window. Interesting...


Sad moments at the Airport


We were sad that we were leaving...


I'll really miss this wonderful few days and Taipei!! Hopefully we'll come here again soon!!


Fun moments at the Airport


Mike had this huge, really heavy backpack containing all our clothes and laptop gears. I asked to swap with him to lessen his burden. He laughed.... (Help.... my shoulder!!!)


Why do Taiwanese people need a Hello Kitty Land in their airport??!?! Scratching my head....


Funny robot and goofy girl~


On the Plane

We saw this really pretty sea of colorful clouds. I couldn't help but keep snapping pictures. Somehow I was able to captured the beauty through the no-so-clean plane window though! =)



With that spectacular skyline view, our wonderful Taipei journey came to an end!!

We love Taipei!!! ^_________^