Why is it.....

...so hard to just be happy?

And on the rare occasions that we are, why is it even harder to STAY happy?

Ampan Boy!

Don't they look alike?? :)

Reminded Again....

....why I do not like Hong Kong.

At the end of Jan, Ron and I took a short trip to Macau. Just the two of us. It was a good break after Kieran's birth. The time alone was great. The destination however, left much to be desired.

We stationed ourselves at Macau and took day trips to Zhuhai and Hong Kong. I've never been a fan of Hong Kong. Each time I go, I come back telling myself I won't go again anytime soon. Shopping is pricey. Maybe cos I compare it to shopping in Bangkok. Food isn't that great. Perhaps we didn't know where to go. But then, I have friends telling me they eat at any random stall and it's great! Funny. And needless to say, the place was sardine-packed with China, which was quite a big piss-factor. Ironically though, we enjoyed ourselves most in Zhuhai, China China.

Macau was slightly better than Hong Kong, but quite a bore if you're not a gambler. Of course we visited the famous ruins of St Paul's at Senado Square.

Full of loud-talking, shoving people. And I think because the Lunar New Year is nearing, St Paul's got a bit of cheena touch to it. There was a little prayer room (there's a proper name for it but I can't remember it) at the top of St Paul's.

Gives you quite a peaceful and serene feeling, no? Managed to get a shot without loud-talking, shoving people in there. I think it's cos majority of loud-talking, shoving people do not follow the Christian faith. Oh, and there were some remains (bones) in this room. So again, I think loud-talking, shoving people are very supertitious and "pantang", so they "siam" this room. :)

"When you go to Macau, you MUST stay at the Venetian Macau. Or at least visit it." people say. So the husband and I paid it a visit on our last day. Boy, were we glad we didn't get conned by all those promotions online to stay there.

Looks so very pretty right? Honestly, save the money and hop over to Genting. Same atmosphere. Sardine packed with people.

The sky ceiling bit? Pay a little more and visit Venus Fort in Tokyo. Same setting with a better experience.

What's a visit to Macau without gambling right? Being non-gamblers and knowing that casinos are a likely-lose-money place, we reserved our gambling to the last 10 minutes prior to checking out of out hotel on the slot machines. The minimum stake on the machine we chose was HK$0.10 (S$0.02). In that 10 minutes, we made HK$50 (S$10). Not too bad right, for such small stakes. And unlike gamblers who get hooked and play on, we took the money and left. Left HAPPILY for the airport. HAPPY to be heading home. :)

Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word

Sometimes, "sorry" really isn't all that difficult to say. Especially when it becomes habitual in an effort to appease. And then it become as habitual as saying "Hi, How have you been?" to someone you bump into. This person could just be an acquaintance, and you actually have no wish to know what he/she has been up to. But it just seems like the right thing to say.

Sad, isn't it?

Happy New Year!

From the 2 boys in our very-girl-dominant clan.

This picture was taken on new year's eve - 31 Dec 2009. It's too cute not to post. :)

These 2 cousins were born a month and a half apart. People say babies (and mummies) start the hair loss process in the third month after birth.

How come Marcus still has a whole head of hair???

Baby's First Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone!

The plan for gift exchange this year was that the adults draw lots and see which kid they picked to buy a gift for. There are 11 kiddo recipients of gift this year. So by right, there should only be 9 presents under the tree. But look at the tree!

Kieran was supposed to only get one gift. But look at his loot!

Thanks everyone for the lovely presents!

Burgers with Char Siew Pow

No, not a fusion meal of east and west.

Char Siew Pow and I met up for hamburgers over lunch at Raffles City. It's a pretty new place. At least, I think it's at least 4 months new since it's been about 4 months that I haven't been there.

We had some pretty good food....

Beer battered dory fish burger for me

Char Siew Pow's original beef patty burger

Coleslaw-stuffed tomato. Pretty yummy.

We also had a pretty interesting conversation. So interesting that despite her telling me to take a pic of the platter with the restaurant name visible, I still do not know what the place is called. Can you figure it out? It looks like "The Had Burger" to me.