Put Your Hands Up!

I'm not going to write anything sentimental this time around. Just put your hands up and usher in the Year of the Dragon in style! We all know that it is going to be a real awesome year. Why ? Because it's the Year of the Dragon. It's OUR YEAR! Period!

Be happy and all the best! Happy New Year everyone  ^^   Put your hands up... put your hands up!

Drive

Not seeking for more time. Time isn't the answer. Drive is. Drive, have not had one in yonks. Such a stranger it is has become!

Transitions

Transitions in life are usually marked by major events, birthdays, graduations, weddings;

But the greater transition often come out of smaller moments, when we stop and look at who we are, because each time we see how far we have come, we also see how far we still have to go.

In order to fully transform, we might need to free overselves of everything we've been holding on to, to send us on our new path, the right one.

But if at the end, you find the person you have become is not the person you want to be. You can always turn around and try again. And may be next time you'll get it right. May be you'll finally find yourself.

Bonne chance!

About to Strangle the Taxi Driver

I really did take this picture myself. It was taken somewhere in Pratunam, near Big C/ISETAN Bangkok.

It was 34°C in Bangkok and i was running late on schedule. The original plan was to check-out at 1pm. However, it was already 1.05pm by the time i finished taking my shower. Very typical of me. Yeah, i know lol

Anyway, no worries. There was still plenty of time. My flight won't depart until 5.05pm (GMT +7) and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport can be reached by the Airport Express Train in just 15 minutes. Check-out at Pullman Bangkok King Power Hotel was quick and the porter already got me a taxi by the time i settled my hotel bill.

The nightmare all began with this taxi driver in his late 30s, whom did not speak much English and kept on babbling in Thai. I told him to send me to Makkasan Airport Link Station. He kept asking me why i do not want to take the taxi directly to the airport but i told him i was in a rush and the Airport Express Train is more convenient for me, which i doubt he understands anything i was telling him. Anyway, he looked friendly just like most Thais.

The taxi meter in Bangkok starts at 35Baht, which is around RM3.55. By the time he reached Makkasan Station which he claimed to be the Makkasan Airport Link Station, the meter was only 47Baht, much to my surprise. Makkasan Airport Link Station is near to my hotel but not this near. Instead of Makkasan Airport Link Station, he sent me to a BTS Skytrain station somewhere in Makkasan area and this BTS Skytrain station's name is not even Makkasan. So, i told him again that i wanted to go to Makkasan Airport Link Station in a super nice tone but he insisted that this is it. I asked him where is the big building for town check-in then ? He paused for a second and suddenly decided to make a left-turn. Good. I seriously thought he knew where exactly to go at the time then. But God, was i wrong. He still didn't know the exact location of the station and kept circling around Makkasan area. Finally, he decided to stop near Ramada D'ma Hotel, a hotel i've stayed before during my last two trips to Bangkok (1998 & 2002) and ask a van driver for direction.

So, guess what ? He made a U-turn and drove back to the station which he claimed to be Makkasan Airport Link station earlier. I swear to God that i was going to strangle him already ! I told him again that this is not Makkasan Airport Link station. So, he opened up his car window and asked a tuk-tuk driver for direction. I couldn't understand what they were talking about but i think the tuk-tuk driver pointed him to the right direction. And again, he drove back to area which we made a brief stop just a few minutes ago and finally, we saw the big building and i told him, this is the one.

The nightmare did not stop here. The traffic on the main road is very bad and this taxi driver drove in the wrong direction and was trying to drive into a one-way lane. As soon as he realized his mistake, he just stopped his car there and told me to walk into the station because this is a one-way lane and his car cannot go in. Oh my effing God !!! Seriously dude, it was 34°C out there and i had three luggage with me. The Airport Express station is located on the 3rd floor and there is no lift service. Besides, it's still quite a distance to the station building. I wasn't smiling or talking nicely anymore at this time. Then, a hawker approached our taxi and told him this lane is for cars coming out from the station and he needs to drive a bit further up.

By the time i got into the station, it was already 1.55pm. I was running, hoping i'd get into the 2pm train and yes. I did and i was about to do a moonwalk dance then lol. A one-way ticket from Makkasan Airport Link Station to Suvarnabhumi Airport on the Airport Express Train only cost 150Baht (RM15.22). One can choose to take either the non-stop Airport Express train from Makkasan to Suvarnabhumi or the City Link train which makes multiple stops along the way and cost considerably less.

Anyway, Bangkok was so much fun. This was my sixth time in Thailand, third time in Bangkok. The hotel in Bangkok is so freaking cheap. The hotel i stayed in, which is Pullman Bangkok King Power is operated by the French hotel chain, Accor Group and the room is big and posh. I'm looking forward to coming back here again soon, like real soon.

I've posted more pictures from my Bangkok trip in my facebook. So do check it out.

Sang Kancil Dan Si Dugong

Ladies and gentlemen, please remain seated with your seatbelt fastened until the plane has come to a complete stop at the gate. NOW WE ALL KNOW WHY !!!

Sang Kancil just landed and was on its way to its designated gate with around 66 people onboard whilst Si Dugong was taxiing to the runway. It was going to fly back to Paris. There were more than 500 people on Si Dugong.

A Surprise Face-to-face Encounter with Taylor Swift (Part IV)

Langham Place (朗豪坊) in Mongkok (旺角). This picture is mainly to show you just how long the escalators are. Can't quite feel it ? See it again (below).

This picture was taken on the Fourth Floor and these escalators connect directly to the Ninth Floor

This picture was taken from the Ninth Floor. These escalators are definitely not for the acrophobics.

Starbucks on the Fourth Floor inside Langham Place. Though not much with a view due to all the tall buildings surrounding Langham Place, i do like the glass panel design and all. A good place for old friends to catch-up.

Causebay Bay in the morning. Also the first day i actually saw some sunlight since arriving here 3 days ago. All these pictures were taken outside of Times Square Shopping Centre. Did you notice anything familiar in the second picture ? It's Bee Cheng Hiang (美珍香).

Black pepper chicken rice set for just HKD49 (RM19.30) at Hong Kong Dai Pai Dong restaurant (香港大牌檔) consisted of a black pepper chicken rice set of course, a MSG free soup of the day, iced milk tea and a dessert. The black pepper chicken tasted very good.

This restaurant is located at the back of an alley, thus making it difficult for some to find it. Anyway, it is located in Jaffe Road in Causeway Bay.

Some kind of Japanese seafood soup noodles with milk. I paid HKD80 (RM31.44) for this in a food court at Festival Walk (又一城).

The best Seafood Cheese Baked Rice ever ! It is kind of expensive though. I paid HKD83 (RM32.62) for this and a glass of iced lemon tea at Tsui Wah Restaurant. Like most restaurants or cha4 chaan1 teng1 in Hong Kong, it is absolute jam-packed during lunch/dinner time. They have many outlets in Hong Kong. I think i've seen at least 8 different Tsui Wah outlets in Central/Causeway Bay/Kowloon/Tsim Sha Tsui alone.

To be continued ...

A Surprise Face-to-face Encounter with Taylor Swift (Part III)

The International Finance Centre (branded as 2 IFC) in Central

Taken somewhere in Central near 2 IFC. A big DBS Bank (Development Bank of Singapore) billboard there.

A Neoclassical building with HKSAR and PRC flags. It used to be the old Supreme Court of Hong Kong. Behind it is the headquarters of HSBC (Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited), the de facto bank of HKSAR.

This is the main entrance of HSBC HQ located in 1 Queen's Road, Central. The main banking hall is located on the third floor which is accessible by the escalators. I was here to activate my ATM card. What ATM card ? Well, it's my HKD ATM card. I opened this account through HSBC Malaysia before coming to Hong Kong and i received my HSBC Hong Kong welcome pack along with its ATM card via DHL Express just a week before my actual trip to Hong Kong. And why do i need a HKD account ? Well, you need a local currency card to really feel like you're living here right ? I mean you can exploit the ATM as much as you like. Get HKD cash out from the machine anytime you like. Man ... i do fell like a Hongkonger. lol

See the bronze lion on the left ? There are two of them. One on the left and another one on the right. These two bronze lions are not just some statues, mind you. They are deemed as good feng-shui by this gigantic British Bank and they even have a name, Stephen and Stitt respectively.

Both of the lions were made back in 1935 and had traveled as far as Osaka during World War 2. They were shipped to Japan to be melted down but before this could happen, the World War 2 came to an abrupt end and both Stephen and Stitt survived. Both of them were found in a dockyard in Osaka by an American Sailor. Stephen has shrapnel scars in its left hindquarters resulted from the battle of Hong Kong (when Japanese came).

A DBS Bank branch in Jordan

A Citibank branch in Mongkok. Opposite it is the HSBC building (not in the picture). And Hang Seng Bank (belongs to HSBC - not in the picture either) building is located to the left of HSBC building. Why am i telling you this ? Well, it's to give you a sense that just how close all these big banks are located together. The banking industry in Hong Kong is so competitive that all the banks are literary handing out as much as HKD1,800 (RM707.40) of free cash to you just to open a bank account with them. Man ... only if banks in Malaysia are as generous ...

Hainanese Chicken Rice. It's the combo deal which i paid just HKD63 (RM24.80) inclusive of a plate of vegetables, soup of the day, an extra big bowl of rice, a plate of extra large chicken and a glass of iced milk tea. Don't let the photo to fool you. The portions were so big that i ate only half of these.

This restaurant is located somewhere in Tsim Sha Tsui. I do not remember its name. Actually, i was on my way to Harbour City but then, i was lost. I walked so far that i reached another MTR Station. I was hungry and tired and this restaurant looked good as it was absolutely jammed-packed. Well, when you're in a foreign country and know nothing about the city, it is safe to bet that a restaurant with many people must be serving good foods.

Causeway Bay (銅鑼灣) at night

Inside a very small Shanghainese restaurant located somewhere in Causeway Bay. That's a Shanghainese noodle soup and Shanghai Xiao Long Bao (上海小籠包). Can't remember how much i paid for these. Those foods in the top left are not mine. I was sharing the table with a couple.

The century old tram. Can you see the advertisement on it ? It's a Public Bank advertisement for Public Bank (Hong Kong).

More food pictures to be posted in the next update. Stay tuned !

To be continued ...