It's Not A Matter Of If, It's When...

Drats... I always, always tell myself, "This will be THE phone, I will not change it for at least 2 years!" But something else comes along, with its MTV-styled ads and huge showy billboards that constantly remind me that nothing lasts, things changes, technology improves. Especially in HK, the latest style and fad enter the market very quickly and everywhere I turn, I am hit right in the face by them. Argh, it's an evil place to be in. I have to constantly remind myself not to be suck into this neverending, sometimes sneaky whirlpool. If I am not careful, I will be suck right into this abyss of consumerism. Focus, focus... I suppose I am a real sucker for technology and gadgets, especially phones. And this ONE has caught my eye this year with every neurons in my brain telling me, "It's time for a change; the photos and video functions are much better and clearer than your 7610; good for your blog; it's the ONE... at least for one year!" So which is this amazing thing that has caught my eye now?

The Nokia N80

(see Cnet Asia Review ) I reckon I will get it next month, after paying off my bills first. Just spent abt HK$6k on my PADI DiveMaster course, books and all. Yeah, the yuppie lifestyle, it's quite good... but need to remind myself that I have to focus on the long term, making sure there is enuf cash to sustain a relatively simple lifestyle when I stop working and when kids come along the way. So since I can afford it now, I should just reward myself once in a while for the hard work that I have put in so far.

X-Men The Last Stand

We decided to catch X-Men: The Last Stand before it closes in HK. It was kinda last minute decision last night and the online booking system took a while to process my reservations.

Movies here in HK are generally more expensive than back hm in S'pore, which also depends on the timings and the venues. Basically the ticket prices aren't standardise throughout, and you can get HK$25 tics even on a Sunday if you are willing to watch the movie around 10am at some far flung theatre.

D & I usually go to the theatre near our apt, in this mall called APM, which is considerably new since it only opened in the 2nd half of the year.

For shopping-crazy HK, it is just another huge mall with the usual stores, numerous eateries, a swanky movie theatre called Palace APM (comfy leather seats, good sound system, tasteful decor... very nice, better than most theatres in S'pore) and the occasional crazy indoor sub-artic temperatures. It is usually packed with shoppers and it becomes worse when some star or singer (eg Jay Chou, F4 etc) comes by for a roadshow, 'cos their fans will be screaming their heads off, and it's not just young girls... there are young blokes, mums and grannies too.

Anyway, we had caught the earlier X-Men and we reckon we might as well complete the series. The movie was generally ok, I thought this one had a more political and ethical slant than the earlier two. It is tough to give sufficient screentime to characterise each mutant, and some of the lesser ones end up more as cameos. Nonetheless, I quite like the movie, not to the extent that I will watch it again, but I would give it 3 out of 5 popcorns.

I was just disappointed that some of the main mutants had to die... so sad, and especially when Logan/Wolverine had to put aside his personal wants for the general good.

D somewhat stressed me out a little while we were waiting for the credits to end. I had told him that there would be a surprise at the end of the credits, something that I remembered reading somewhere. The thing about D is he can somewhat influence me, and make me doubt myself. The rest of the moviegoers started to walk out of the theatre, which obviously made me think that maybe I had misread or mistaken it for another movie.

Anyway, the credits finally ended, and well, I was correct. There is a surprise at the end, about 10 secs or so of it, but I dunno if that means there will be a X-Men 4.

My Class, 5C, The Surprise

Yesterday morning, a couple of girls from my class came and asked me if it was ok for them to take some time during my math lesson to give me a surprise. For one, it isn't much of a surprise since I had been informed; nonetheless, I told them to go ahead as long as it didn't take too long 'cos there was the Cube-n-ometry activity to do. Still, I wondered what in the world was my class up to and I felt kinda warm and fuzzy inside, especially since they had been respectful and polite by asking permission to do something. I suppose it was better for them to prepare me right in the beginning, otherwise I would have shed a tear or two. One of my pupils walked to the front and read an approximately 10-second speech thanking me for teaching them on behalf of the entire class. Following that, I was presented a handmade book containing pages after pages of gratitude that each pupil in my class had written. It also contained drawings of me climbing Everest... that's really cute. As I flipped through the pages, read each word to myself and thanked everyone, I felt that familiar heaviness in my heart and realised, for once this year, I didn't have the right words to say to them. Drats, I hate to be all sentimental and sappy about such things.

I asked them whose idea was it, but no one said anything. It was a collaborated effort, someone or a group of people had taken up the task and got everyone involved. I have been thinking more and more about my teaching career, wondering if there may be other things for me to do instead of teaching. It is times like these when it's good to be reminded that maybe, just maybe, I have done something worthwhile with my life.

Btw, CML, if you are reading this, the class doesn't want you to know that they did this for me... :)

A Brangelina Video

Some people have too much time, but wah, the amount of effort that went into this little video.

There is a bit of paparazzi and curiosity in me, and I do hope that their relationship will last. They sure look good together and may I add that Angelina Jolie is the kinda woman that beats all stereotypes and so much of a paradox.

And Brad, I have liked him since "Legends Of The Falls"... *swoon*

My Ipod Mini Has Been Resurrected

Remember my Ipod Mini had crashed some weeks back, and the silly visit to the service centre wasn't any help except a pathetic suggestion to purchase a new Ipod instead of repairing it. D did some research and found a way to change the original 6Gb Hard Disk on my dead Ipod Mini while he was in NYC. All I need to do was to pay for the replacement battery and a new hard disk, so that D could do the repair on his own. I had a choice between 4Gb or 8Gb hard disk, but decided to buy the 4Gb one. Reasons being: I will not really utilise so much memory space just for mp3; and most importantly, if the repair isn't successful, I will not feel the monetary pain. Anyway, the new batt and the 4Gb hard disk cost HK$250 and HK$730 respectively, which came up to a grand total of HK$980. Under HK$1k? Definitely better than the extravagant suggestion at the service centre. Last night, D spent some time to figure out what he needed to do while following the instructions given in the CD which came with the replacement batt. I went into his den a couple of times but didn't dwell too long 'cos D doesn't like to be disturbed when he is doing something. I saw his deep concentration, and later saw his broad grin as he gave me my Ipod Mini. It is working perfectly well today. I am so glad he had taken the time and effort to do this, especially since last night was my b'day. Fixing my Ipod is one present that really makes my day. I feel kinda bad that I didn't trust his skills enough to have chosen the 8Gb hard disk for him to fix onto my Ipod Mini. But then again, 4Gb is enough really.

Climbing DVDs - "A Day In The Life of 5 Women Who Climb" & "Inertia 1 & 2"

I bought 2 climbing DVDs last night and watched "A Day In The Life". It is about 5 accomplished female climbers, their thoughts on climbing and life in general, and the obvious climbing/bouldering sequences. I think D may find there is too much talking in this dvd, but I find their views on life in general when applied to climbing and vice versa make lots of sense to me. This dvd was made in 2001 and it also include interviews done in 2005 on how life has changed for them since the dvd was made. I especially like what Tiffany Levin Campbell said, "Always flow before you force." She trained really hard to get to where she is in the climbing fraternity (imagine doing pull-ups on small footholds... thatz crazy) and she realised later that it is not just about strength and forcing each holds when climbing. I realise that is what I have been doing at times during my climbs, and also in my life. Do I always need grab the horns and tire myself out before I even start? Should I be so bothered about how my life will end up, whether in S'pore or HK, whether I am a mother or a wife, whether I am employed or further my studies, whether I should change my career or do something else?

I haven't watched Inertia yet, but it is more a guy's kinda dvd... lots of power, grunts and amazing climbing & bouldering scenes (according to the salesperson at the shop).

See >http://www.integrity7.com/ for more info on the dvds

Thank You Teachers Dinner (TYTD) "Hats Off..."

Two nights ago, we had our annual staff dinner (organised by a core group of parents) at the usual venue, Aberdeen Marina. As part of this year's theme, all of us have to put on some kind of headgear. Well, I have my Ozzie hat that I bought last year at the Blue Mountains, so it was put into some use for such an occasion.

I dunno about the rest of my colleagues, but having to attend a dinner (a compulsory event since it has been put across to us that the dinner is in our honour) after a day's work does take some effort, especially since I am tired and that there are other things I could do on a Friday night. Anyway, it's a duty we have to fulfil, and I suppose I could find some fun out of this... besides there is the lucky draw which I never do win anything but I am happy that my colleague, who sat at our table, won the 1st prize (a Sony Ericsson PDA phone).

Just like any other staff dinners I have attended all these years, it seems to me that it is usually the parents who perhaps use these events to find reasons to buy new outfits, put on the latest styles and shiny bling blings, engage in small talk or widen their network.

The food was ok, it's a buffet but the long queues did put me off. The live band was alright, but the sound sux big time mainly 'cos we were seated at an awkward angle out of the speakers' range. The company was great at my table, and the entertainment, especially the "Super Supremes" was a blast.

After the dinner, we had about 6 to 8 songs for a "Lansing" (dancing) session, which kind of make the night more enjoyable. We must be really desperate to dance 'cos the band wasn't exactly very good, but we cheered, clapped and danced nonetheless.

Sad iPod icon with exclamation point

This sad icon has appeared on my iPod Mini since Monday afternoon and it is a horrible sign. Having checked the Apple support info, and failing to reset my iPod, my worst fear have come true. The darn thing has died, kaput, finito...

I was hoping that it can still be saved when I went to the service centre in Causeway Bay the next day. However the news weren't good, in fact, this said icon indicates that the hard disk has crashed and if I wanted to get it service, the charges would be: HK$280 for the technician to open the set and another HK$2000 to get a new replacement 'cos it can't be serviced. The lady suggested that I buy a new one instead 'cos the iPod Nano 4Gb costs only HK$1900.

Obviously I am not going to buy a new one, just yet anyway. Afterall this darn set is barely a year old (bought it on the 7th April 2005, so the warranty is over), and it's just so crappy to be without music when I am out. I need to block out all those incessant noises that are ever present in HK, and the ridiculous loud conversations H0ngkongers engage in with one another or over the mobile phones.

Besides, things always seem to break down when D is out of the country...

So now, I have been playing Virtua Tennis on the PSP, but it is just not the same.

Bus Uncle

This 6-minute clip (taken by a fellow passenger using his/her mobile phone) is currently one of the most-viewed, most talked about thing in HK and in a way described the kinda pressure cooker society that Hongkongers are in. Basically the young chap in the clip had asked the grumpy middle-age man to lower down his voice as the latter was talking too loudly on his phone. And that bascially triggered a whole lot of reaction from the old bloke. It's interesting to see how the young man kept his cool in the midst of all that craziness. (Warning: Vulgarities ahead) D mentioned that if it was him, he would have punched the old man. I told him that would make you to be on the same low level as the old man, it would be pointless to engage in any physical contact with the crazy old guy. I suppose I am not surprised to know of such things in HK, in fact, I had seen how quick guys here (young or really old) get into fist fights over small issues. Like the time when we were waiting for the train after the visit to Lowu, Shenzhen, and this old guy started screaming at another younger chap for jumping his queue. But the latter wasn't, still he reacted and punched the old man. When we finally got on the train, the police was there but the old guy was still going on and on.

It seems scary, especially since I come from the generally disciplined and law-abiding S'pore. Maybe it's the culture here, money-driven, me-myself-and-I society... more so in S'pore. The people here in HK are generally more vocal than back home, and would really make their voices heard, whether through demonstrations on the streets or on a smaller scale like the Bus Uncle.

I am not much for direct confrontations, so I reckon even if someone speaks so loudly on the bus, I would just choose to ignore it, comment to D how some people aren't civic-minded at all, turn up my IPOD and get off the bus at my destination. That guy has the right to speak on the phone, but I also have the right not to listen to your discussion, if only people are more conscious of others and not just think about themselves and their conveniences. Basic courtesy and respect not something people take very seriously anymore. And I am afraid that S'pore may turn out to be like that.

Discovery Bay Dragon Boat Race 31 May 2006

Even though the weather was crappy unlike last year, rain kept falling and the sky was grey and overcast, Team Rainbow Warriors shone and performed loads better than last year.

As usual, our team has only about 7 men whilst the rest are girls. Nonetheless, we not just better our timings this year (compare 2min 40-something sec in 2005 and an average of 2 min 25 sec this year) over a distance of 430m, but most importantly, we actually qualified for the Finals.

D was one of the 2 leaders in the mixed team, and he had tried to squirm his way out of this 'cos it is very tough to be right in front and setting the pace for the rest of the team during the race. Just like D, I was doing the same thing for the ladies' team. It was a back-breaking effort, everyone's arms were used to the limit but we had a blast. The team spirit was present on that day and it was just a great and meaningful way to spend the public holiday actually.

Three major highlights for that day are:

1. Our best effort: 2nd Mixed Race Heats

In fact, we started off remarkably fast and was second for the first 300m, but couldn't keep up ('cos other teams were made up of mainly men and the minimum no. of girls, which is 7, while ours was the opposite) and had to settle for 3rd. In fact, we tied for 3rd place with a Disney team, and had a nail-biting time waiting for the results.

2. The start of the Ladies Race followed immediately after our Mixed Team Finals.

When I say "immediately", it basically means that once we got off our boat, the marshall hustled us back to another boat to start the Ladies Race. On hindsight, we could have protested, that it wasn't fair; we would be at a major disadvantage having just completed one race, giving our maximum effort for the earlier race, and seconds later had to prepare our minds and bodies for another. But we didn't do it, afterall it was for fun that we joined this. D, who was our little drummer boy for the Ladies Team, said that we had nothing more to give. I reckon we could have done much better, in terms of timings, if we had a short break before the race.

3. TVB Actors

A few of us spotted 3 TVB actors (I recognised all of them, but only know one of them by his name, Galen Lo) seated somewhere near the toilets/changing rooms. Dunno why they were seated at such a "strategic position", but anyway, we took some photos with them. Thanks to one of my colleagues and fellow Rainbow Warrior, who took the initiative to ask them 'cos some of us were too shy ;p Celebratory Toasts - D & I were asked by our team Captain to do the honours, but I had trouble with the cork. Our Team Captain, Ms Rainbow Warrior, Twiggy Chan After she was dunked by D and some other guys. Chilling out on the beach after the 1st race, still fresh... Me and my co-leader Ah Ying (Ladies Team)

I am Home Alone Again

D is currently somewhere over the Atlantic, flying towards NYC with a short stopover at Narita Airport, Tokyo. He is there for work and I so wish that I am travelling with him. But duty calls, work beckons, pupils' exams and loads of practice paper to mark. Drats...

The paradox is if I am able to fly with him, it means that I am not working, therefore my time is very flexible; however it will mean that I don't have a regular income to enjoy the occasional splurge and become financially dependent on D, who may not really let me enjoy my breakfast at Tiffany's or the stroll down 5th Ave.

D sure has fewer things to pack for a week-long trip in NYC, a few boxers here, some shirts there and only 1 pair of jeans. Argh, I had to bug him to bring another pair of pants, which he did in the last minute, a Columbia hiking pants.

D didn't want to sleep last night, partly 'cos he has to take the cab at 6.30am to the airport and also 'cos he wanted to be on NYC time to reduce jetlag. I tried to stay up as long as possible, but had to hit the sack around 3am. Kinda tired out after the climbing I did earlier in the evening, and the late-night lurve-thingy we did. :)

I hate to be away from D, even if it is for a few days. I hope it's not a case of being clingy, but it is not exactly very fun when I am home alone.

Funny how it sometimes irks me to see D just slobbing away on his Moby Dick (the beanbag) and channel-surfing. How it pisses me off when he doesn't clear his stuff rightaway. Or when he hogs the PSP and play Virtua Tennis and only passes it to me when he loses, which by the way, isn't very frequent. (For the record, D has generously left the PSP at home, and has prepared a few DVDs for me to watch during this week.)

And now, I realise I do miss him lots... and he will not be back till late on the night of 12th June. Still, while I am home alone, it doesn't hurt to meet up with friends and have some drinks later tonight.