High Tea at Park Lane

My first High Tea experience in Hong Kong - not that great. Not bad, but not fantastic either. This is the first time i've been to High Tea in Hong Kong. I think my expectations were too high. I actually thought it was going to be desserts, desserts and more desserts. In fact, at Cafe One, it was more sushi, sashimi, hot foods, cold meats, dim sims and a very small table of desserts. But at 3.30pm - 5.30pm, how much can you eat? For people that like savoury, i'm sure you'd enjoy this buffet alot more than me. For $160 honkie per person, I think it can be a dinner!!! They had salmon, salads, fish & chips (which I hadn't had for a very long time, and I do miss..)tandoori chicken, dumplings, spring rolls, BBQ pork buns, steamed yumcha dumplings. One thing that was really nice was their chickpea salad. It was sooo good! mmmhhh ... =P

The desserts they had: Sago, blueberry and mango puddings, soft serve ice cream, immediately made waffles - which tasted like flour, apple crumble, two different cheesecakes, a chocolate cheesecake (this scored "+") hehe =)
They also had a fruit and marshmellow fondeau, which was ok, nothing special.
Another "++" for the pineapple pieces was MEGA fresh and very sweet, very yummy. But thats because they are in season now in Hong Kong! I've bought that type of quality pineapple from City Super for $18 honkie for 6 slices!!!

Rating: 50% - average
Would I go again? No
Would I recommend or take friends there? No

It's been 3 months!!!

Here's my latest update:

1. I've fallen in love... with my new discovery of a cheap & good massage place in Wan Chai, only $70hkd for 45 mins! How great is that !!!
2. Still trying to get used to the crowd and the many many people of HK.
3. Preparing myself for my first HK hot hot summer.
4. Met some new friends & have caught up with old friends.
5. Bought a new handheld steam iron - it's really really good!!!
6. Still haven't turned on the stove to cook anything at home yet. Bought some eggs to boil but it's still sitting in the fridge!
7. Work is good BUT very busy!
8. Looking forward to seeing my two fantastic girlfriends in June - and my mum in July!!
9. Indoor rock climbing on a weekly basis - hope i can keep it up!
10. Considering doing a sailing course - "thought" is still in progress! hehee =)
11. Will be doing my first SFC exam end of June... I have started reading - but reading only. Need to start memorising soon because it's all mc!!
12. Thanks to R, my 2 little pink IKEA stools are now fixed (finally after 3 months) and no longer fall when I move it. Apparently it needed to be hammered in, and I obviously wasn't strong enough. hehee =)
13. Will be going to my first Tea Buffet in HK this weekend. I wonder if the desserts will be as yummy as ones in Sydney, because so far, I haven't had any desserts I find yummier than Sydney - besides a place in Causeway Bay that makes really really nice and smooth "serng pei lai".

The Sydney Harbour Bridge

I climbed this bridge in 2005, given to me as my birthday present. We climbed the sunset session. I had never had such a beautiful view of the city, water, the Opera House and the sunset. It was a fantastic experience. It was so much fun, lots of happy memories, and one of the best experiences I would never forget. Here in Hong Kong, i'm facing a hurdle. It reminds me of the Syndey Harbour Bridge. But this time, instead of stopping halfway, descending back inside the western arch. I need to start from one side to get to the other side. I hope I can get to the other side with the same happiness and same experience that I have previously experienced =)
I miss Sydney soooo much !!!!

My Wish

Back into climbing!

I'm finally back into my climbing routine!! I went to do an introductory course yesterday at YMCA in TST. It was a 3 hour course with 6 people. It was alot of fun and very interesting. I learnt how to tie rope knots into my harness. I learnt how to clip the Grigri - a metal tool for belaying where you need to attach it onto the rope and connect it with a carabiner onto my harness when belaying.

Rock climbing in HK is very different to climbing at St Leonards. As you can see, the ropes just hang from the top. Theres nothing on the ground to attach to the harness. So, if you are belaying someone alot heavier than you - the chances are you will lift from the ground when you are the belayer - which is what happened to me! I learnt the technique to balance and to keep my feet on the floor an lean against the wall for support. After 2 hours of tying knots and practicing the attach the Grigri on the ropes, climbing and belaying, we had to do an assessment. This assessment consisted of making sure that you knew how to tie the ropes correctly, double check your partners carabiner to make sure it's locked and connected properly, how to control the Grigri to ensure your partner is let down smoothly, belaying and last of all - which is the scariest - learn how to fall.

Learning how to fall part of the assessment was when I had climbed up right to the top, the belayer lets go of 2 meters of rope. To a count of 4, I must let go, push both feet away from the rocks, have my arms out straight and let myself fall 2 meters down. It's scary when you know you need to fall. My heart was pounding very very quickly when I was counting to fall. It's hard to let go when I know i'm going to fall. I had to yell "fall" before I let go as well. The first attempt after I counted to 4, I couldn't let go. The second attempt, I didn't use my feet to push the rocks, so my shoes skidding along the rocks. If in a real life situation, you don't push yourself away from the rocks, you will scratch your face and body during a fall. Then the assessor very nicely gave me a third attempt. Thank goodness I manged to push myself out with my feet and let myself fall. A very scary but a great learning experience.

Then I had to swap. I had to belay a girl who was to fall. By her falling, I had to get my my feet ready so when she fell, I would push myself away from the rocks while still holding to the rope, I wouldn't hit towards the rocks.

It was alot of fun and we're going to make this our weekly activity!

Through a phone call

When I see an "unknown" word on my phone when my phone rings, I get somewhat happy. A huge smile comes across on my face wondering who this person may be even though I already know the general routine of who calls at what time.

It's a amazing that when you know a person really well, you can tell whether the person is happy or sad through their first "hello", without even them saying another word - through a phone call.
I got a phone call today from an "unknown" caller. After the first "hello", I heard silence. A long pause of silence. Then sniffles. Huffing and puffing and more sniffles. It hurts me to hear someone who is most important to me in my life, who means the world to me, who I treasure and love the most cry to me on the phone. It doesn't happen often, so when it does, I know it MUST be something serious. My heart ached. And there was nothing I could do besides hold the phone and make sure it was known that I was listening and I was there. I tried to be reassuring, as reassuring as I can be. I know what is needed. A great big hug! A great big kiss!

How I wish I can be back to give you just that.

A non realistic WISH...

Can I please please please have June, September and January deleted from the calendar ? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ?? Pretty PLEASE? Perhaps just for this year ?

Landmark Forum

"The Landmark method is more like coaching than teaching, more like conversation than lecture. While conventional education methods focus on content (adding facts, rules, or skills to our knowledge), the Landmark method deals with context - the framework(s) in which content can exist.

Whenever we're limited in life, there is something - a context or framework - that we are blind to and that is holding that limitation in place. Landmark's technology allows you to create breakthroughs in a two-step process in which you:

• Uncover and examine the blind spots or context holding you back in your life.
• Find out where your current context originated and address it for what it really is.

Having completed these two steps, a new realm of possibility is available to you. The constraints from the past disappear. Your view of life, your thoughts, your feelings, and your actions, change - and the change is immediate, dramatic, and without effort. It is a breakthrough."

For more info,visit Landmark @ http://www.landmarkeducation.com/

Since starting my job here in HK, I've been approached by a collegue to join Landmark Forum. For those who don't know what it is; it's a 4 day intense 9am - 10pm course. It cost about $5000 hkd for the 4 days. The way I was first approached, I thought this Landmark Forum wasn't too bad. It's not my type of thing, but I listened and agreed to go on a free information seminar - IF only I wasn't going to be "forced" to take the course.

This collegue and I got to be pretty close friends. We share our day to day things very openly. Our views on our jobs, our relationships and life in general. She is one person who i've learnt to trust and open up to in HK. She has made me feel very welcome in HK and have invited me out to keep me company. Every time we chatted, the topic of Landmark will come up and she would tell me how it's helped her with her life - and of course how it can help me with my life. How it helped her get over her mothers suicide when she was really young. How she coped with her divorce. How it's helped her and her fiance now and how it's helped her in relationships and communicating people. It's brang back memories of how my Christian friends express their thoughts of their religions and how they have been helped. I don't question one's belief, especially since they are my friends so I don't question hers. I only comment on those who express very strongly on their religious beliefs but do opposite. I accept their beliefs. But last night, while chatting with my collegue, I shared with her something thats happened in my life about 4 years ago. It really shattered and hurt me when she told me that Landmark can help me put down and forget the past. She asked me how I was coping and I said "fine" but there are still things I can't put down. She told me about how a guy's wife died and after he went to the Landmark, he was able to put her down and be really happy - straight away. She told me he didn't need "time to heal". It was a breakthrough. Hearing this made me feel so empty - like the people that go to these Forums don't have any feelings and emotions. How can someone just be really happy and let go the fact that he has lost his wife in just 4 days. What about all those memories? She then compared his healing with mine. I really felt hurt and offended. I don't know why. I couldn't express to her how I felt in hearing that. The only thing I could say was "I think my situation is different." I didn't even bother to explain myself to her. I just left it at that.

I know that it's taken me a while to be where I am in my recovery, I know I have my family and my wonderful friends to support me. I know there are certain barriers I cannot cross yet. I know that there are certain things that I cannot put down. I don't doubt that people have had been healed and really good experiences through Landmark. But I don't want to. It's not my type of thing. I know one day I will be able to overcome my barriers. I know I can, when I really really want to.

From Miss A.Chan

Thank you so much Miss Alice Lai for this beautiful wallpaper ~ so pretty ar! ~