The LambCutlet Disorganisation

16th of February — Felt like I hardly slept during the night, since as soon as I fell asleep, that damn alarm was already bleeping it’s heart out…

• More or less as soon as I woke up and still rubbing my eyes, I got call from uncle at slap bang on 07:00 HKT checking if I still wanted to scatter flowers for mother, as father requested prior me leaving for my three week trip
• Got myself ready double-quick and met uncle at 07:45 HKT in the hotel lobby, then headed to the flower markets in Mong Kok, just a few minutes walk away
• Arriving at the mass of flower stalls, was a little bmused as to why most seemto be closed, unsure if we’d come too early or too late. Howver, after going along a few more streets, found a whole road’s worth of open stalls and after a bit of deliberation picked a modest bunch of flowers
• With flowers purchased, uncle and I headed to 尖沙嘴 (Tsim Sha Tsui) via bus, arriving at the public pier pretty much spot on 09:00 HKT. Seemed we got their at a good time as it was still very quiet since it was post rush hour though more importantly, pre rush of tourists!
• Having got the plastic and paper wrapping removed from the flowers (to try and avoid potentially getting cuffed for littering), I scattered them into the harbour from the same spot where uncle had scattered her ashes on my father and I’s behalf just a little over a year and a half ago. Whilst standing a looking across the harbour reflecting over the time passed, I managed to snap a shot of the flowers in the sea…
• As uncle still had some time to spare before having to head off to work, we went for 飲茶 (Yum Cha) at the same restaurant as the day before in the nearby Ocean Terminal & Habour City. We needed some breakfast and there’s nothing wrong with a bit of tasty 點心 (Dim Sum) to fill one’s stomach!
• I asked uncle if they had any 粽子 (Rice Dumplings) since there are something I’m very fond of and the last time I would have had any was probably a decade ago. Turned out the restaurant didn’t have them specifically, though had mini versions which turned out to be a good thing since these dumplings are extremely filling… a full sized one (about the size of a grapefruit) for brunch would keep you hunger free till well past dinner time!
• In amongst the chit chat, uncle asked if I planned to visit Macau whilst I’m here, which I did so he kindly offered to meet up with me again tomorrow and go there for a day. Time was now getting on and uncle needing to make his way to work, he asked for the bill so that it could be settled and once that was done, we headed our ways. I decided to have a little wonder through Ocean Centre & Harbour City briefly popping back to hotel to sort a few things before heading out again to meet Mr. Eric Ho at the Police Officer’s Club as arranged the day previous
• Taking the leisurely route of the Nos. 7 bus to 尖沙嘴 (Tsim Sha Tsui) and Star Ferry to Wan Chai, then going the remaining distance by foot, I arrived at the Police Officer’s Club at the time I should have, 13:00 HKT. Mr. Ho was already there waiting in the lobby and reintroduced me to the three of the remaining Police Officer’s Club “old timers” with Catherine remembering me very well! Mr. Ho asked us if we could go ahead up to the Chinese restaurant and get a table and some food for lunch whilst he tied up a few loose ends in the office
• 飲茶 (Yum Cha) twice in one day may seem a little extragavant, though to be honest if you’re eating out in 香港 (Hong Kong) and have good company, one could quite easily manage four in a day! There’s such choice of food that you’d be happy be it breakfast, lunch, dinner of midnight snack! ;)
• Mr. Ho did join us not too long after we got the table and having the first dishes arriving. It was certainly most interesting catching up on what everyone has been doing. Catherine herself was most surprised in actually speaking to me as she recalled me keeping her company at the club’s reception on days I came down to see father, not to mention how long ago it was as in that time, she hadn’t even been pregnant though is now a mother of a teenage boy!
• Though it had been a very long time since I last ate in the club’s restaurant not to mention the fact it had again changed caters, the food was quite fantastic. Two things that I’ve not had in eons were the 红豆沙湯圓 (Sweet Red Azuki Bean soup with Tong Yuen) which is a traditional thing to have during new year and the 福建炒飯 (Fukien Fried-Rice), a dish from my maternal home 福建 (Fujian) consisting of vegetables, chicken and lots of seafood such as prawns & shark’s fin all coated with a yummy rich sauce
• Having been treated to lunch by Mr. Ho, I had just enough time to grab a group photo before saying my goodbyes to everyone and then going over to Causeway Bay to get the MTR to Central and see if a visit to The Peak was possible today. Alas by that time of the afternoon, the higher altitudes were completely blanketted in fog once again. Perhaps yet another day! :D
• With time on hand, I took the gentle tram ride back to Causeway Bay for a little wonder and managed to catch one of those rare moments in which all hell breaks loose! The uncommon sight (well, without a Signal 8 typhoon warning anyway) of some trusty bamboo scaffolding which had gone rather pear-shaped and needing the road to be closed off!
• As all this scaffolding fixing commotion was going on, I decided to get on the tram again though this time to Happy Valley and have a wonder around there. This was where I used to live for some 8 years of my life after all and wanted to see how much that had changed. Was pleased to see the block of flats I lived at were still there, not to mention the Girl’s Catholic School which was across the road. In fact, it was probably the first time in the last 10 days of this trip where some place I remember had changed very little. Sure there were the odd didn’t exist before, very tall and slender residential flats… that was the case when I lived in Happy Valley as a child, so “same old, same old!”
• Luck would have it that I caught Happy Valley on horse racing night, meaning it gets very crowded and roads get closed off, so it was back to Causeway Bay to figure out something for dinner since it was now evening
• Couldn’t resist that Shanghinese restaurant for some more of their devine noodles and dumplings so off I went to find the place again and on sitting down at the table and struggling with the menu to see what else I could have, added some stir fried Shanghinese White New Year Cake with vegetables and pork to round off my evening meal
• Returned back to hotel at 21:00 HKT or there abouts and just wanted to have an early night so as to be ready for a possible trip to Macau tomorrow!

So alarm all set for getting my good self out of bed for 08:30 HKT, or so he says! ;)

… or perhaps I meant freedom?! :D

Anyway, I’ve had my last day of work at RS Components and now have regular weekend sandwiched between two slices of freshly baked Easter Bank Holiday neatly rounded off with a cheeky little glass of three days holiday! The final end of contract shall be the 31st of March, though that’s just semantic twiddle-twaddle… I’m a free man! ;)

Admittedly I’m now firmly in terra incognita since though my plans are to move to 香港 (Hong Kong), the only viable ways for me to earn a living is self-employement, be it as a teacher for conversational English (post attainment of a CELTA) or expanding on the paid work I do time to time on Internet based projects. More than likely, it’ll be both.

Would also be keen to see if my help is of any use to the lovely ladies at Marie Curie Cancer Care, where I had previously done a bit of voluntary work, just a bit over a year ago now… though I will be busy making this “slight” change in my life in heading East, I’d still want to spare some of my time to charitable work. :)

Before all that though, time for some well deserved rest!

It’s been just over a week of practically no Internet connectivity yet somehow they, British Telecom insist the line which my ADSL is on tested just fine a good number of times. Nothing to while away the time whilst I’ve been off work with some evil virus which more or less put me on my back for more or less the same time period.

After one and a half engineer visits, things seem to be fairly stable over the last 24 hours so perhaps this issue is now finally resolved, though as ever with all things when dealing with British Telecom, I’m none the wiser what they’ve actually discovered, fiddled with or fixed. Bleh.

Oh and props to the Eclipse Internet helpdesk guy in being able to tolerate the 30 to 40 minute hold time for him to contact British Telecom’s ADSL reseller helpdesk thingy in getting the first engineer out! His plan on going to make a coffee whilst he waited was very wise indeed! ;)

Normal blogging service by yours truly will resume now… yes, just then! :D

15th of February — Less sightseeing for today though just as packed in terms of little surpises!

• Had set the alarm to wake me for 08:00 HKT though the evil “Snooze” function meant I didn’t really get my backside out of bed till closer 09:00 HKT though did manage to get myself ready and out of the hotel in a little over 30 minutes, which is very quick for me when still half asleep! ;)
• Off to Causeway Bay to get some brunch, though went a slightly different route today opting for the Nos. 7 down to the Star Ferry but then catching the ferry to Wan Chai as opposed to Central, allowing me to have a little wonder by foot
• Found a nice Shanghinese noodle shop which had a vast array of dishes. Settled for a bowl of Shanghi water dumplings, pan-fried with soup & pulled noodles… it wasn’t long till a huge bowl of noodles in soup with said Shanghi water dumpling on top arrived and in just a few mouthfuls had come to the conclusion it was absolutely delicious!
• Whilst I was eating, I happened to glance at the shop’s kitchen only to find that the pulled noodles were actually made fresh on site! Certainly explained why the noodles were extra tasty and was quite a joy to watch the chef transform a mass of dough the size of a large pillow into thousands of strands of pulled noodles in a few deft stretches, folds and twists!
• With belly sated and bill paid, I headed back out into the busy streets outside to wonder around on foot some more keeping in mind I was to meet Mr. Eric Ho at the Police Officer’s Club come 14:30 HKT. Spent quite a lot of time inside the hugh Time’s Square complex as this place was all new to me and noted that outside in the public sqaure, complete with hugh video display on the wall, there some bits of kit which gave themselves away as props for traditional Chinese dragon and lion dancers… the people were nowhere to be seen though. :(
• Arrived at the Police Officer’s Club at 14:30 HKT sharp, though Mr. Ho himself was held up in a meeting and so I waited in the lobby for about 30 minutes till he emerged from his office. He was kind enough to show me around in terms of what had changed around the club and what hadn’t when my father was still working there as the club’s Assistant Manager. I often came down during weekends to make use of the facilities such as the swings and the, rare even nowadays due to cost, ozone (as opposed to chlorine) treated swimming pool
• Also reminded myself to ask Mr. Ho for a certain Mr. Sandy MacAlister’s contact number, whom worked as the club’s General Manager… turns out he is still in Hong Kong working at the extremely exclusive Hong Kong Country Club and not gone off to Gibraltar (his wife is Gibraltarian). Mr. Ho phoned him up for me and asking if he’s free in the near future as there was someone he mind be surprised to hear from in his office that very moment. He was indeed most surprised to hear from me and almost straight off asked how myself, mum and dad were, obviously being quite shocked to her that mum had passed away nearly 2 years ago but otherwise myself and dad are doing well, all things considered
• There were actually a number of staff whom still works within the police force from when I was a wee lad, though all were away on holiday or at other sites, so arranged for 飲茶 (Yum Cha) at 13:00 HKT the very next day within the club at the on-site Chinese restaurant though minus Mr. MacAlister as he wouldn’t be able to get away from work. He did however invite me to give him a call so as to see him at the Hong Kong Country Club before he does finally jet off from 香港 (Hong Kong) with his family some 10 years later than my father or myself thought. However the destination for this re-patriation was to be to New Zealand, his home country
• So with Mr. Ho needing to have other things to attend to, I headed back into Causeway Bay. As I walked to through the World Trade Centre next to the Excelsior Hotel, I heard the sound of a very distinctive noise which I haven’t heard since my arrival back in 香港 (Hong Kong)…
• Quickening my steps towards the source of the noise, I was most pleased to have caught a dragon and lion dance at it’s prelude, the eye dotting ceremony with a huge crowd of people watching the performance. It was at this time I wish I had a digital camcorder with me, though I didn’t, so had to make do with taking lots and lots of photographs instead! ;) I was starting to get a bit worried that after so many days during Chinese New Year why I hadn’t seen such performances and it was good to have the fears quashed after being treated to quite a wonderful show of nimbleness, strength and dexterity
• Carried on with my wondering after the show slowly making my way back to the hotel on Kowloon side. Been quite a busy day already and just needed to catch my breath before going out to hunt for some dinner! Whilst updating the old website looking through the mass of photos taken so far already, I got a call from uncle to check with me the time I wish to scatter some flowers for mother. Due to the possibility for getting told off that one is “littering”, we agreed that it should be as early as possible, so up at 07:00 HKT tomorrow it shall be… Eeek! :D
• Time flies when you’re having fun or some such, only to realise it was now 20:00 HKT and I hadn’t had dinner yet, which explains why my poor stomach was a rumbling! Fancying some seafood and knowing that there were at least 6 large restaurants on 窩打老道 (Waterloo Road) within 10 minutes walk from where I was in the hotel, popped out for a little walk about.
• Since I fancied some seafood, since anything vaguely edible was seriously lacking in old Blighty, one of the restaurants which specialised in seafood seemed like a no-brainer! The waitress at the door was extremely helpful and treated me more like a son whom had just come home after many years abroad asking me what food I’d like and get the kitchen to literally cook something up!
• My heart (or perhaps that should be stomach?) was set on some stir-fried scallops but Sod’s Law dictated they didn’t have any left that night so par-boiled fresh water scrimps on one plate, and stir-fried greens and sliced beef on the other it was. Not to forget a good helping of plain rice! There was certainly enough food to feed 3 or 4 people and did surprise at least a couple of the staff as I had no problem putting the food away… can’t waste such nice, fresh and tasty food! ;)
• Too stuffed to finish all the food, not to mention it’s rude as far as Chinese table etiquette is concerned, I asked to settle the billed which very reasonably priced considering the amount of food that was served. Considering I needed to be up very early the next morning and current time just gone 22:00 HKT I walked the short distance back to the hotel to get a nice hot bath and some much needed kip

Tomorrow marks the 10th day meaning I’ll be half way through my trip in 香港 (Hong Kong)… are seeds of doubt in returning to Blighty setting in already?

14th of February — Did I ever mention I really hate Valentine’s Day?

• Got myself out of bed sometime mid-morning and it dawned on me that I had already spent 1 week in 香港 (Hong Kong)! As both 卓欣 (Cheuk Yan) and 卓兒 (Cheuk Yi) were back to work now with the public holidays over, I’d having to be doing a lot more fending for myself and keeping myself amused. So much to do, yet so little time to do it in!
• Morning tasks were doing a number of errands outstanding, first was to collect the washed and ironed clothes from the laundry, which was literally just across the road from the hotel. Have to say they did a really great job too, so much so I had great reservations in messing up the clothes they had immaculately pressed for me!
• Next was a quick phone call to see if I could get hold of Mr. Eric Ho, the current manager of the Police Officer’s Club whom had advised my father, himself the assistant manager back in the 1980’s there, to give him a call once I was in the territory. Eventually did get hold of Mr. Ho himself and arranged to meet him at the Police Officer’s Club tomorrow at 14:30 HKT
• Time was now somewhere approaching noon and got a call from uncle that I hadn’t forgotten about the fact we’d arranged for a 飲茶 (Yum Cha) with himself, his wife and my maternal aunt at 14:00 HKT. So the now familar bus ride on the Nos. 7 to 尖沙嘴 (Tsim Sha Tsui) was in order and waited dutifully as instructed at the flag poles between the Star Ferry Pier and the Ocean Terminal & Harbour City complex
• On meeting uncle, it turned out his wife was ahead at the Chinese restaurant with ticket waiting for a table for the 4 of us and he was just waiting for my maternal aunt to arrive on her bus. The chosen place for our 飲茶 (Yum Cha) was at the opposite end of Ocean Terminal & Harbour City which on walking through wasn’t all that different to what I remember as a child, just different shops and more buildings had been connected up to make a huge shopping complex!
• When we arrived, uncle’s wife was still waiting as today was a pretty busy day for the restaurant. So much so that smallish groups of people would share the tables for normally a single group of a dozen people. With that, it wasn’t such a long wait till we got our table, shared with three other groups
• A bewildering arrange of dumplings, steamed buns, other dim-sum, congee and so forth were ordered. All a very good thing since I was by this time I was rather hungry having not managed to get breakfast, let alone lunch! As we ate, uncle invited me over for dinner, telling me that it’d save the hassle in having to hunt for food myself in the confusing streets of 香港 (Hong Kong) and considering (apparently!) how skinny I am already, loosing more weight by not having a proper meal wasn’t something the family was going to accept at all…
• Feeling I gobbled enough food for 3 people by the time we finished, I was let loose to wonder around 尖沙嘴 (Tsim Sha Tsui) for a bit before travelling back up to 樂富 (Lok Fu) to uncle’s for dinner sometime around 19:00 HKT or there abouts. Whilst out and about, manage to check out the outside of the Hong Kong Art Museum whom were running an Impressionism exhibition though once glace at the queue of 500 strong people, I gave it a pass and left it for another day. Still managed to take a number of photographs as I walked along the Avenue of Stars though!
• 19:00 HKT was looming so this time it was on to the MTR and get myself from 尖沙嘴 (Tsim Sha Tsui) to 樂富 (Lok Fu) for some dinner at uncle’s. Maternal grandmother was pleased to see me as ever and food was already left for me, since the others (uncle, aunt, uncle’s wife and uncle’s wife’s younger brother) were quite involved with their 麻雀 (Mah Jong) plus all three daughter’s were absent. I knew the youngest, 卓琪 (Cheuk Kai) is hardly ever in the house and the eldest, 卓欣 (Cheuk Yan) was to be doing whatever married couples do on Valentine’s Day. 卓兒 (Cheuk Yi) on the other hand did mention the night before she was to be taking me somewhere though too had mysteriously disappeared and not answering her phone!
• Being a little bit stuck for what to do and time now 21:00 HKT, I thanked my family for dinner and came up with the bright idea whilst walking to the MTR station that I would pop over to island side to Causeway Bay for a night time wonder. Had yet to venture there during the evening since I’ve come back plus I really needed to get my route figured out if I was to meet Mr. Eric Ho on time tomorrow at the Police Offficer’s Club
• The MTR ride was efficiently uneventful and once in the thick of it amongst the crowds in Causeway Bay with late night shoppers. Inbetween the occasional familiar landmarks, I have to honestly say I did managed to get myself rather lost! I did eventually manage to locate the underground walkway, the only way to cross Gloucester Road and passed the Noon Day Gun as I headed by the Police Officer’s Club
• Was reassuring to see that the club, plus it’s neighbour the Royal Hong Kong Yatch Club, were more or less the same after one and a bit decades. The smelly waters of the typhoon shelter still lingered in the area though just like 15 years ago, so despite all other places I had come across so far being much much cleaner they had been in the past, there’s always one exception to the rule! ;)
• Confident of where I needed to be and how I was to get to the Police Officer’s Club the next day, I just had to take a few more night shots of Causeway Bay and carried on by foot to Wan Chi. From there, I took the scenic route back to the hotel consisting of a tram to Central, the Star Ferry across the harbour and finally the ever present Nos. 7 bus back to 窩打老道 (Waterloo Road)

Shower, bed, sleep… have to fend for myself now remember? :P

It’s come to pass that my current employer has come to the descision that it won’t be extending my contract beyond the current termination date of the 31st of March, 2005. So in exactly 4 weeks time, I will be out of work once again though it’s never a bad thing, just a blessing indisguise!

I’ve for a while now pondered over the fact of gaining a TEFL and then go back over to 香港 (Hong Kong) and teach conversational English, which on discussion with my relatives whilst out over there, the current rates of pay are very favourable plus side benefits such as housing and so forth.

University College Northampton does said course and I’m just waiting on their new prospectus for this coming term, hoping to start the one month course more or less straight after my contract is up. So it may well be as soon as May ‘05 where I’ll say farewell to Blighty for the last time and make my old home, 香港 (Hong Kong), my new home.

Although 香港 (Hong Kong) isn’t how it used to be as when I was a child. For example the huge number of mainland Chinese in the area, how the economy isn’t doing “that great” having been given a good kicking by the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997 and the brain drain which occured due to colony’s handover from the British back to the Chinese that same year, plus the more recent SARS outbreak in 2003… the place is, as my father puts it “alive”… a character which I cannot honestly attribute to United Kingdom.

I’ve no idea how things will pan out from now, though whatever the outcome, I’m sure it’ll be interesting! ;)

13th of February — Finally managed to get up early ish…

• Actually managed to get out of bed and ready for 10:00 HKT though the first thing I needed to get done was the laundry which has been piling up over the last 7 days since the landry I had in mind across the road was only open for the first time today and even then it was just morning only. So with a bag stuffed full of grubby clothes, I headed across the road and sort it arranged for the clothes to be cleaned and some ironed ready for tomorrow to collect
• After getting some brunch at one of the many restaurants on Waterloo Road, I headed by bus at 12:00 HKT to go across Kowloon to the Kowloon Walled City Park, which used to the infamous Kowloon Walled City which was technically never handed to the British in either treaty and thusly was an exclave of Chinese soverign soil right in the middle of a British colony!
• Kowloon Walled City’s history also includes the fact it’s legal status meant it was a heaven for squatters and people indulging in illegal activites. Indeed, it was such a problem that the then Royal Hong Kong Police pretty much accepted it as a no-go area till more or less early 1990’s when the whole place was cleared for dereliction in 1993. The old city walls itself had long gone during WWII when the Japanese occupiers used the stone to enlarge the now ex-Kai Tak Airport. In more modern times, passengers on planes to Hong Kong would literally skim just a couple dozen of meters from the tops of the buildings which made up Kowloon Walled City. The City in it’s “hay day” also saw the highest population density in the World at something near 2.0 million people per square kilometer!
• After getting my bus routes a little confused, I managed to get to the park via foot from Lok Fu, getting to the gates of the park at 13:00 HKT. The Kowloon Walled City Park itself is obviously now literally something completely different and quite a nice little retreat to see some water and greenery , spending just a little over an hour and a half walking about and taking photos. Also sneeked a shot of a pretty girly whom was obviously out for a photoshoot for magazines or the old telly
• With the time nearing 14:00 HKT, I headed back up to Lok Fu for the Nos. 7 bus so that I could meet my cousins for an afternoon Karaoke session with relatives. Whilst walking through Moorse Park, a place where when I visited my cousins, we’d more often than not go out and play on the slides and see-saws; I couldn’t resist taking a photograph of the extremely distinctive & famous “Lion Rock”
• With a short visit back to the hotel to dump off a few things and gather new supplies, I headed to Mong Kok to meet up with 卓欣 (Cheuk Yan) & 卓兒 (Cheuk Yi) for 16:00 HKT, in turn meeting up with my aunt and her daughters and grandchildren. However, as the Chinese road & place names just left me scratching my head, 卓兒 (Cheuk Yi) came to look for me at Mong Kok MTR station where we both then rejoined with 卓欣 (Cheuk Yan) plus her son at the Karaoke place. Aunt with her three daughters and three grandchildren soon arrived and it wasn’t long till everyone were in full swing of the Karaoke thing!
• Our slot in the room was till 20:00 HKT and we certainly made full use of our 4 hour quota and by the time it ended all eleven of us headed to a nearby amusement arcade, for what I couldn’t fathom till 卓欣 (Cheuk Yan) and 卓兒 (Cheuk Yi) beelined for a larger photo-sticker booth then proceeded to try and herd everyone into a machine which was obviously designed for no more than three people at a time! A couple of booths later and many takes, I believe there were some half decent photo-stickers as the end result!
• Time was now 21:00 HKT; give or take a bit, so aunt’s side of the family decided to make their respective ways home and with me being rather hungry now, 卓欣 (Cheuk Yan) and 卓兒 (Cheuk Yi) decided to be a bit naughty and take me for some dinner at a Korean restaurant and have hotpot and grill. It was originally planned that we were to go out tomorrow evening for a hotpot with my uncle’s side of the family… so my mouth was zipped as to what we got up to this evening!
• Once seated, I kept my nephew amused whilst his mummy and aunty disappeared to hunt for some food so that we could start cooking and fill our ravished bellies! ;) I’d have to say this way of eating out is what I find most enjoyable as it’s communal and fun not to mention getting to eat more of things I haven’t seen in a long time such as freshwater prawns, squid, sharkfin soup and more common though just as tasty chicken wings, pork fillets, meat balls of beef, pork, fish and squid, octopus plus the usual greens. The occasional plate of coconut and sago tarts as a mid-meal dessert were rather lovely too!
• The clock was drawing close to 23:00 HKT so with us not being able to eat much more food and a rather sleepy nephew, we paided the bill which amounted to something like HK$300 which is not bad going considered it fed 4 (well, 3 and a half) people for dinner!

The ever present red taxis were our ride home dropping me off first, then my two cousins and nephew. Tomorrow was apparently to be some day called “Valentine’s Day” though what fun and games will that day bring? Who knows, though you’ll soon find out!