Hong Kong Trip June'11 - Eating!

The Wonderful Mr. Wanton!

I look forward to a good bowl of wanton noodles whenever we are in Hong Kong. It is hard to go wrong with this ubiquitous dish, which to me is the quintessential HK dish. Here the Wantons play the central role, proudly floating plump and languid in a wonderful bowl of broth and noodles. This is quite unlike the Singapore version where they're relegated to the sideline, floating limply in what is often overly salty soup.

Our Wanton Shop...
There is a little shop Marie and I found near Times Square the last time we were in HK (just round the corner from the Espirit shop). It's literally a hole in the wall where you squeeze into these tight little cubicles to eat. Perhaps because Marie and I chanced upon it ourselves rather than it being recommended to us, this little eating place is special to us. I think their wanton noodles are better than most that I've eaten, if not the best in HK.

We returned to the shop this time after two years, noticed some touch-ups to it's deco but otherwise it remained exactly the same. The food was just as good.




Yin Yang - a wonderful time for two
The other eating place that made an impression on this trip was a place called Yin Yang, recommended by a friend. This special little resteraunt is known for its suckling pig. We were forewarned that they will only accept you with a reservation and we were most pleased that we got a lunch reservation.

Literally sitting by the street but you wouldn't even know it.

It's  located in one of the side streets in Wan Chai. The entrance was so nondescript that we almost missed it. Marie and I had been walking most of the morning on a rather sunny and hot day so it was nice to get into the cool, quiet interior. When we entered, we were the only ones there. At first I thought we were early as the waiter told us that lunch would start later because a traffic jam had caused the ingredients to arrive late.


As it turned out, we were, in fact, the only ones in the resteraunt  (2 tourist like ladies popped in midway through our lunch and true to their word, the waiter turned them away). So Marie and I had a nice, quiet, slow lunch with the whole place to ourselves.

A curious red beetroot soup that was delicious. The colour was beautiful.

The food was great! The suckling pig lived up to its reputation and the meal ended with an ice cream that we thought at first was green banana from what the waiter said in cantonese but it turned out to be green capsicum ice cream.

However, the best thing I enjoyed about the lunch was the chance Marie and I had to have an uninterrupted stretch to talk. In a house with 3 boys, this is a  rare and precious commodity. I can't remember what we talked about but the time we had together I will remember for a long time.

The star of the show - suckling pig!

Green Capsicum ice cream - interesting end to the meal.

Happy, contented customer

Shared Experience
There is much to be said about these shared experience between husband and wife. In the early years of our marriage, Marie and I struggled with this feeling that we seem to live parallel lives. We couldn't understand each other's experience and perspectives - hers at home and mine in the work place. It often led to tension and arguments. We wanted so much for two to become one but couldn't seem to get there.

Special time for two in Yin Yang

Now 13 years down the road of marriage it strikes me that the one thing we had to do (and how would we have known this at that time?) was just to stick to it. The one ingredient we needed to stick us together was time - and this was one thing we could not create with mere effort alone but with much patience instead. The more time we spent together, the more experience we would share and the more our lives would intertwine.

What a good argument for another trip to HK without the kids :)

Hong Kong Trip June '11 - Shopping!

Shopping is 

Great Fun 

in Hong Kong!

Happy Shoppers!

The reason shopping is fun in Hong Kong is that you'll never know what you'll find or see as you walk through the main roads and side streets. Ben and Jerry's next to an old style Hong Kong Dessert shop, Starbucks next to 'Tea Cafe' (Char Chan Ting) selling egg tarts, Watson's at the bottom of run down flats, high fashion shops next to open air night markets. Somehow they all seem to co-exist naturally - it's what I call "Ordered Chaos". 

All this makes for very good shopping for Singaporeans; and Singaporeans do like shopping -

Evidence No. 1

My wife, Marie, has her name on VIP accounts of several shops in HK - one of them a hat shop even (I find this a most interesting and intriguing nugget of information about her - how does she achieve this seeing that we neither stay in HK nor are likely to visit HK more than once a year. How many hats do you have to buy to get onto the VIP datatbase?)

Marie's hat shop

Evidence No. 2
My best friend Chee Meng's wife and daughter were in HK while we were there. Our trips overlapped by one day and we were wondering if we would bump into each other even though we had not formally arranged anything. On that day, Marie and I stepped out of the HK MTR (our MRT equivalent) to find a gigantic H&M shop (this is a cheap, trendy clothing shop for the uninitiated). We thought we weren't doing too badly for time so how could we resist going in? And once we got in there, who did we see but Chee Meng's better half and daughter. Lesson being? If you want to meet Singaporeans, go to shopping centres.

Shopping is not a guy's thing
Before I go on any further and mislead my readers into thinking that I am saying that shopping is for the ladies only, I must confess that I do shop and enjoy it too. I know, Singaporean guys are not supposed to say that like shopping. They are supposed to say they hate shopping and love football.

Now this is the part I don't understand. Football stars like David Beckham,  Ronaldo and Hidetoshi Nakata  who are revered by their legion of football fans in Singapore are fashion trend setters. Beckham was looking mighty dapper recently at Prince William's wedding; and these days scores of all types of athletes fight to be on the covers of GQ magazine.

http://davidbeckham.fans-online.com

The reality, my fellow Singaporean bros. is that these millionaires probably have professional shoppers choosing their spiffy outfits for them. That is why they're never seen in shopping centres - not that they don't shop.

Guess who introduced me to MUJI?

MUJI (http://www.muji.com/message/) is a Japanese lifestyle store and I love it because they are able to make all the things we use everyday look 'stylo' through clean, simple designs. Everytime I go to HK, I try to visit the MUJI store because it's much bigger than the one in Singapore.

The one who introduced me to MUJI is my best friend Chee Meng. (Yes, you Chee Meng - the one whom I know has been sniggering and rolling your eyes from the time I started writing this piece on shopping; the one who does not shop).

MUJI Nailcutter - mine

Chee Meng introduced me to the MUJI nail cutter. Not only does this nail cutter look chic, it works great and it lasts forever. How can anyone ever make the common nail cutter look great? Can you see why I'm hooked onto MUJI stuff?

So really to cut a long story short, I guess the REAL reason why I'm writing this piece is to justify why I ended up shopping and buying more than I should in HK. No way is Marie going to let me get away by not showing everyone what I bought. So here are the two most expensive items I bought and be kind :) 

Epilogue: The kids got to enjoy our shopping too. Egg Tarts from Honolulu Cafe that we brought home - not to be missed!. They even made a  Jackie Cheung movie at the Cafe (Crossing the Henessey).

Hong Kong Trip June '11 - some thoughts

A lovely cafe in Hong Kong Island - quiet chats with no boys. 

"A Pit Stop – a short, quick recharge. "

A week after our return, I realised that was the best description of the Hong Kong trip that Marie and I took. We’d been working hard in the past six months at home, at work and at church and were exhausted. We slept, ate and shopped – it was great! Best of all, it was just the two of us :)

For those of you who have not 3 boys, the significance of being able to have a holiday without them may be lost on you. It is not easy to find people willing to take 3 active boys at a go. Happily, the boys and my parents have developed mutually enriching routines when they visit. So they were happy to take them for a few days but of course, this was also the reason that we could not have a longer trip – Marie and I are careful not to wear out our welcome.

Hong Kong Desserts - just for two of us to enjoy!

Marie also found a swim camp for two of the boys during that time, to take them off my parents’ hands somewhat as well. Marie is really good at this. When we were first married, Marie’s friend asked her why is it that she did all the organising of our holiday trips and I did nothing (Just to let you know friend – you’re not helping ...). Well the reason is because she is way better at it than me. Left to me, all our trips would be beach holidays – give me a nice beach, a good book, a cup of cappuccino, long hours for naps; and I’m good. Every day at work I make so many decisions, I want not to make any decisions planning holidays or during holidays. That is also why I avoid driving holidays if I can – driving is making decisions.

Marie is very good at organising trips. She says she is not because she thinks she needs to anticipate every possible turn of event. That is where over the years, we have learnt to be a good team. I have learnt that while I do not actively organise the trips, it helps to be interested and to give useful suggestions. When unanticipated events occur, I should not ask why but should swing into action. Once at Heathrow Airport when our luggage was unequally loaded, I swung into action, threw open the luggage right there and then and re-packed. After we had successfully checked in I was feeling rather pleased with myself that I reaslied Marie was still feeling emotional about the situation. It certainly would not have helped to question her about the packing.

What the two of us ate (OK, so they're all food photos - so?)

The mistakes and lessons we have learnt about going on trips is in a small way a mirror of the greater learning of our marriage and making it work. The bonus of learning our lessons well (listen to this kids) is that after 13 years of marriage we still find a thrill in going on trips together.

Oh by the way –  it’s not quite true that we were on this trip alone. There was someone else with us. That enigma will soon be revealed, together with the eating and shopping in Hong Kong...

The Captain's Son

There was a shocker on tonight's episode of American Idol - one of the hot favourites to win the singing competition ended up at the bottom of the pile. According to the rules, he was supposed to pack his back and go home. But surprise, surprise - the judges used their one and only chance in the whole competition to save him so that he could sing again in the following week. It was classic TV drama - the stunned look on his face. His mouth opened but no words came out; and when he could finally say something, he said to the judges 'I will make you proud, I promise you'. 


This reminded me of this story that I told in the sermon I preached in church this month (March) ... The story asks the question - what would you say if you met your Saviour?

The Captain's Son

Imagine that you are shipwrecked on a desert island. You have absolutely no way of getting off the island. Slowly but surely, you are dying of hunger and thirst. Just as you are about to give-up, you see a beautiful ship on the horizon.



The Captain of the ship is rich and powerful. He sails the seven seas with His son on a quest. His son is a handsome, well mannered and well dressed man. As the ship passes by, the Captain announces  "The radar has picked up signals of a person marooned on the desert island over there."

There is absolutely no need for the son to do what he does next. On hearing his father, he immediately pulls off his fine clothes and without hesitation, he leaps into the sea. He braves gigantic waves and shark infested waters; and swims to bring you cool, refreshing water - water that will quench your thirst and save your life.


When he finally gets to land, the son says "Here, I bring you living water - will you accept it?". 


You eye the bottle of ice cold water. Small droplets are condensing on its surface like chains of pearls. You cannot take your eyes off it and you start drooling for that first taste. "Yes!" you say, "Yes! Of course!" as you grab the proffered bottle and swallow every single drop of the precious liquid. 


Finally, finally, you are refreshed and alive once more - your eyes focus on the figure before you - your saviour. What will you say to him?


Will you say "Who are you? Why? Why did you do this for me? Why did you brave the shark infested waters, the gruelling swim to bring this water to me? Yes, yes, of course, I will go with you - let me do you proud!"

Or would you say "You know, water is fine for a while but what I really crave for is a nice cool can of coke. Would you mind swimming back to your ship to get me a can? And by the way, since you're going back to the ship, do you mind asking your Father, whom I know is rich and powerful, to come and build me a nice hotel here on the island so that I can live here in comfort?"


What would you say if you believed that Jesus really died for your sins on the cross and gave you a new life to live? Would you live to do Him proud? Or would you live to please yourself? 


How will you live? How will you live?

The End

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ...¹⁵ But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; ¹⁶ for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:3, 15-16

(Images from Microsoft Office and  Bible Passage from BibleGateway.com)

Interesting Blogs

I realised it's going to take me a while to fill this blog with stories. It's taking time just to finish another one. In the interim, I thought it might be interesting to share some other interesting blogs related to story telling.

I've added a section with links to blogs I find interesting. The first one - Storied Theology is based on a similar concept as mine - that the Gospel is fundamentally a series of stories that speak to our lives - what we see, feel and experience.

I believe the Gospel is able to explain everything in our lives - and ultimately that the meaning of life is found in what Christ has done for us - He showed his love for us by dying for our sins on the cross.

My next story is going to be a science fiction - hope it can be completed in the next 1 - 2 weeks. Look out for it!

The King's Soap

I wrote this first story sometime in 2007 when I was asked to tell a story for Easter at a Church Sunday School I was teaching in at that time...

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there was a King who had to leave on a long journey. He loved the subjects of his Kingdom very much and was concerned that they would not be ready for him when he returned. So he reminded them many times before he left “It is my soap that will wash you clean. Remember that”.

And so the King began his journey and the kingdom waited for His return. While they waited, some people said the King had not really gone away. If you believed in your heart and listened very carefully, you will still hear the King speaking to you. Those who did not believe called this ‘Rubbish!’ and said that the King had left because He did not love them anymore. They said that the King would never return.

The days became weeks, and the weeks months. So the years went by and people went on with their daily lives - going to school, working, going out, staying in – all the same things that you and I would do.

And then one day – there was a stunning announcement. “The King is coming! The King is coming! Get yourselves ready to meet the king!” The Kingdom was stunned at the news at first but it quickly turned to joy and excitement. People busied themselves cleaning their houses and their shops. Soon beautiful and colourful decorations were put up. Banners were hung that declared “Welcome to the King of kings”

It was during this time of busyness that an old man appeared in the middle of the town. Some said that he looked very much like the King himself but many were too busy to bother. The old man had with him a big pile of bright red soap. To those who would stop and listen he said, “Soap! Soap! Soap to make you clean for the King.”, and for many days He stood there shouting these words as the people hurried by.

He offered the soap to a woman dressed in the most beautiful clothes and jewelry. She turned her nose up at it immediately. “Me? Do I look like I am dirty? Do I need your ugly soap? Look at my beautiful clothes and jewelry. The King is sure to want to meet me the minute He sees me in these.” And she rushed off to buy another beautiful dress – just in case.

Next the old man offered the soap to a man who thought he did everything right. The man asked “What is this?” .“This” said the old man, “is soap made from the very blood of my own son. Only this will make you clean for the King.” .The man replied “What? Soap from blood? Soap & blood will not make you clean. Bathing in milk everyday is what makes you clean. To be really clean, in fact, you need to bathe in chocolate milk. That is what I do everyday. When the King returns, I am sure he will want to see me because I have done what is right.” And he rushed off to buy another bottle of chocolate milk just in case.

The third person who passed the old man was a rich man who had worked hard all his life. He asked the old man “How much does this soap cost?” “The soap is free!” the old man said. “Free!? Free!!?? Free things are not good,” the rich man said,” I have worked hard all my life to earn lots of money. The King will want to see me once he sees the expensive gifts that I have bought for him.” And he rushed off to buy another expensive present just in case.

Finally, there appeared before the old man a boy and a girl. “Sir,” they said, “we are poor and have nothing to offer; and we are dirty. We will not be fit to meet the King unless we wash ourselves. We beg you for a small bit of your soap.” And the old man looked upon them and loved them dearly. He said “My dear children, the soap is free – as you have asked, take it and use it and you will be ready for the King.” With great joy the children received their gifts and washed themselves clean; and not only the two children but all others who saw that they had nothing to offer the King, received the soap with gladness and washed themselves clean.

 Amidst the flurry of activities, the old man suddenly shouted loudly “Stop! It is finished! I have returned!” Before the eyes of all the people he disappeared and before them stood the King. At once, every one bowed down on their knees and worshipped the King.

And the King asked “Who is fit to come live with me in the castle?”

The woman, the “right” man and the rich man all shouted “Me! Me! I am the one who is fit – I have the beautiful clothes, I have done the right things, I have the money and the expensive gifts.”

And the King said “Fools! These will not make you fit for me. Have I not said before I left? It is only soap that will make you clean. It is those who have washed with soap that are fit to come with me.”

He looked kindly upon those who had used the soap and He opened his arms to them “These are the ones who are fit.”. With great joy, they went with Him and lived with Him in His Castle happily ever after.

 The End

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16