Day 1 - Malaysia to Macau (27th March 2010)

27Mar10 Saturday

Got up early to meet up with my 2 pals, Henry and L at KL Sentral at around 10am. I ordered a nice Sub of the Day sandwich to be eaten for lunch at LCCT airport.

From KL sentral we took a bus to LCCT airport. We performed a web check-in on the day before so we simply had to check in our luggage at the express counter. Since we got there an hour+ early, we just loitered around the airport's boarding gate area.

Finally boarded the AK54 Airasia plane to Macau. The journey took 4 hours which was the longest time I've ever spent in an airplane :)

After we landed on Macau and got past the immigration check point, the first thing I wanted to do was to get small change for the big Hong Kong notes that i had. And so I asked the airport security guards for help and they pointed us to a convenience store and a money changer. But none of them allowed us to change to small notes. So we decided to just take a free shuttle bus instead. By then i was already pissed off at the security guards for wasting our time.

Our hostel is located near to Lisboa Hotel so we wanted to take a free shuttle bus to Lisboa. It turned out that the only available free shuttle bus was to Venetian (according to the locals there) so we decided to board the bus to Venetian. The journey took about 5-10 minutes. Upon reaching Venetian Hotel, we asked the a female staff on how to take the bus to Macau Ferry. We followed her direction but it led us to the the casino area itself and so we thought she might meant the opposite direction. And so we back-tracked, got out of the hotel, walked across the road, but couldn't find any free shuttle...all the while carrying our heavy luggage bag. We knew we were lost so we went back into Venetian and asked another staff for the proper direction. It turned out we had to walk through that casino area we saw earlier! Cant believe we wasted like 20 minutes because of this.

Took the free shuttle from Venetian to Macau Ferry Terminal (15 minutes). Got off and went inside the terminal to buy ferry tickets in advance (7.30am Sunday ticket) . We then took the free shuttle to Lisboa which took about 5 minutes and then walked 5-10 minutes to reach Auguster's Lodge. There's no lift/elevator to hostel which was on the 3rd floor. So we climbed the stairs all the way up with our luggage. We were terribly exhausted when we finally checked into our room.

We chose to stay at Auguster's Lodge a few months earlier because it was the cheapest option available for it's strategic location (hotels usually charge double or triple on weekend stay). We booked a room (with 2 double decker beds) which cost HKD 1,011.51 (USD 131.79) for 2 nights. There were a few things we didnt like about the place. The aircon in our room was making noise so we ended up turning off the aircon and opened the window when we wanted to sleep at night. although we paid extra for a private room, we still had to share the bathroom with the other room occupants.

After we checked-in our bags, we immediately left the hostel and headed to the alley of Patio do

Cotovelo (德 隆 新 街), just after Senado Square to have our first taste of Macau food at Chu Kei Noodle House.

From Senado Square walk north along along Avenida de Almeida Robeiro (亞美打利庇盧大馬路). You will see this Y-shaped road junction on your left. Turn in here and you will see the Chu Kei noodle restaurant (left road/alley).

If you see on the far right of the photo above, there's an old man with his right arm raised. He's the owner of the famous Sing Kei Congee. His shop just behind him. Too bad didnt have the time to try his congee. Next time :D

After taking dinner at Chu Kei, we walked towards Grand Lisboa, Wynn and MGM Casinos at 8pm. At night, Macau turned alive with bright lights everywhere in the city.

We ended up walking past Lisboa, Wynn & MGM to reach the edge of the peninsula, with a nice view of the Macau bridge at night. The Kuan Yin status wasnt that far away but we were quite tired and decided to head straight to Wynn instead to watch the Tree of Properity show.

The tree of prosperity show is one of the main attractions at Wynn. It's basically a spectacular 7 minutes long show with music, video and light.

The show begins when the music starts playing. Soon the wide ceiling iris above representing the signs of the Zodiac with the Chinese horoscope sculpted on it, opens to reveal an LED display of abstract video. Then the LED ceiling itself parts and a beautiful chandelier, lit by thousands of LEDs, descends. Now the action shifts to the ground floor where a copper dome, with the Western horoscope sculpted on it, opens and the 20-meter tall golden tree of prosperity rises. The magical tree rotates to the music until the show ends and all the mechanical elements return to their home positions. Besdies the tree of properity, there's also a similar light show at the same place instead of a tree, a dragon rises from the copper dome. I missed that show since i only found out about it after i got back home. I'll make sure i wont miss it the next time I visit Macau :)

After the golden tree show, we walked around and stumbled upon a shop selling Ferrari merchadises. Just like another shops in Wynn, the prices were exorbitantly high so we just took pictures of the Ferrari car on display.

Later we discovered that there's a fountain show just right outside Wynn and so we waited until around 9.30pm to watch it.

After Wynn, we walked all the way back to Senado Square. Upon reaching the place, we decided to grab a late supper and went to Yee Shun Dairy Company. I took a warm double-layer steamed milk pudding.

After supper, we took some pictures of Senado Square's main area before heading back to our hostel. I was already worried about my itinerary since we only spent half a day in Macau and were already dead tired. Somemore it was just Day 1 and we still had to journey to Hong Kong and Shenzhen with our packed itinerary!

Next: Day 2 - Macau (Senado Square, Ruins of St Paul,A-Ma Temple, Maritime Museum, Tai Lei Loi Kei Pork Chop Bun, Venetian Casino)

My Macau-Hong Kong-Shenzhen 9D8N in 2010 trip

I've decided to write a blog about my recent 9D8N trip to Macau, Hong Kong and Shenzhen while the memory is still fresh in my mind. It took me around 10 months of planning as i wanted to cover these places as much as humanly possible during this trip.

Day 1 - Malaysia to Macau (Wynn's Tree Of Properity)
Day 2 - Macau (Senado Square, Ruins of St Paul,A-Ma Temple, Maritime Museum, Tai Lei Loi Kei Pork Chop Bun, Venetian Casino)
Day 3 - Macau To Hong Kong (Mongkok, Tim Ho Wan Dim Sum,Avenue of Stars,Symphony of Lights, Temple Street Night Market)
Day 4 - Hong Kong (Big Buddha, Po Lim Monastery, Disneyland, Yue Kee Roasted Goose)
Day 5 - Hong Kong (Ocean Park)
Day 6 - Hong Kong (Golden Bauhinia Square, Man-Mo Temple, Ladder Street,Times Square,Happy Valley Racecourse,Hoi Kee Roastie Specialist,Victory Peak,Madame Tussauds wax museum,Lan Kwai Fong)
Day 7 - Hong Kong to Shenzhen (Dong Men Pedestrian Street)
Day 8 - Shenzhen (Windows Of the World)
Day 9 - Shenzhen to Malaysia (Shuttle Bus to Shenzhen Airport)

How to Fold Shirts & Pants : Rolling Shirts

Here's a video on how to roll shirts & pants for packing & travel purpose.

Flat Feet Treatment = Walk Barefoot

This is an interesting article on flat feet treatment. Seems like the author does not recommend arch support footwear as it will weaken the muscles of the feet. Best to walk barefoot it seems.

"The first, perhaps most important step is to stay away from orthotics and shoes with “plenty of arch support.” Rather than help you solve your problem, shoes with arch supports prop you up and lead to weak, atrophied foot musculature. Your feet aren’t grasping, pulling, pushing, and flexing inside a pair of athletic trainers; they’re growing soft and growing weak. Fixing, or at least mitigating, your flat feet is going to require some serious foot strength.

Next, spend as much time as humanly possible with your bare feet. If you’re at home, remove your shoes as soon as you enter. If you’re heading out to take the dog on a walk, try circling the block in your bare feet. Mail’s come? Shoeless. Early morning paper? Barefoot. Living room workout? Do it without shoes on. You’ve got to learn to use your feet again, and the best way to do so is to simply live, eat, breath, and sleep barefoot."


A Few Simple Exercises to Strengthen Your Feet

Do toe spreads. Sit, stand, or lie down and fan your toes out as widely as possible. Create space between each toe. Hold this position for ten seconds, and repeat the exercise ten times daily per foot.

Point at things with your toes. Pick something, anything, in the room and point your toes at it. Now flex your foot. Hold it for five seconds, then release. Again, do this ten times per foot each day. For extra work, try tracing the alphabet with your feet in midair each day.

Get on your toes. Stand on your tippy-toes and just walk around for five minutes each day. Never let your heels touch the ground for the duration. Barefoot toe treadmill work is a worthy alternative.

Try side walking. Stand up (barefoot, of course) and get in a shoulder wide stance. Bend your knees slightly and roll onto the outer edges of your feet. Keep the weight on your outer feet and slowly raise up on your toes. You should feel your longitudinal arch stretching; once you do, hold that position for five seconds. Repeat five times each day.

Walk in sand. Sand is never the same. If you kick off your shoes and hit the grains (yeah, I just coined that phrase: “hit the grains”), you will be catapulting your virgin bare feet into a chaotic, ever-changing environment that will force them to adapt. Hyperbole aside, walking barefoot in the sand is a highly effective way to strengthen your feet.

source : http://www.marksdailyapple.com/flat-feet-treatment/

Plantar Fasciitis

I got this ankle/heel injury for a few months. Although it was getting better, it seems to have gotten worse after i started to perform intense cardio again.

I found out it's actually called Plantar Fasciitis. I checked with a GP doctor and he told me it's due to my flat feet (over-pronation). Plan to get a Birkenstock sandals @ Lot10 with arch support so that it will not worsen my injury.

Anyway, here's more info on Plantar Fasciitis which explains what it is, the symptoms, the cause and treatment.




Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar Fasciitis/Heel Pain




These two terms are closely related. Plantar Fasciitis is an inflammation caused by excessive stretching of the plantar fascia (tissue that extends the entire length of the bottom of the foot). Heel Pain is a common condition in which weight bearing on the heel causes extreme discomfort.

Symptoms

With Plantar Fasciitis, the bottom of your foot usually hurts near the inside of the foot where the heel and inside arch meet. The pain is often acute (“hot poker” sensation) either first thing in the morning or after a long rest, because while you are resting, the plantar fascia contracts back to its original shape. As the day progresses and the plantar fascia is adequately stretched, the pain often subsides.

Causes/Risk Factors

Plantar Fasciitis often leads to heel pain, heel spurs, and/or arch pain. The excessive stretching of the plantar fascia that leads to inflammation and discomfort can be caused by the following:

• Additional or excessive weight on the foot, usually attributed to weight gain or pregnancy
• Wearing shoes without any arch support or proper arch support
• Over-pronation (flat feet) which results in the arch collapsing when bearing weight
• A foot with an unusually high arch
• Tight calf muscles
• Ageing
• Exercise error of “too much, too soon, too fast”

Prevention & Treatment

The key for the proper treatment of plantar fasciitis and heel pain is determining what is causing the excessive strain and stretching of the plantar fascia, or heel discomfort. Ask your health care professional to help you find the best solution for your condition. Often, they suggest changing your footwear or wearing an arch support as a first step toward recovery.

You can reduce the strain and stress on the plantar fascia by following these simple instructions:

• Don't go barefoot – not even in the shower
• Try stretching exercises in bed before you get up, focusing on your Achilles tendon, calf, and toes. Lay on your back with legs outstretched. Move your toes toward your head and hold for 30 seconds. Relax feet. Repeat 4-5 times.
• Ice your heels (or the painful area) to reduce inflammation. Freeze a 12-16 oz plastic water bottle. Place the bottle on the floor and gently roll your foot over bottle between heel and toe for 5 minutes 3 times per day.
• Wear shoes or orthotics (arch supports) that support your arch and heel and have proper shock absorption in the heel
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Avoid running on hard or uneven ground

Plantar Fasciitis is one of the most diagnosed foot ailments. Please ask your health care professional how Birkenstock footwear or arch supports may be part of your foot pain solution. Also, feel free to contact your local Birkenstock retailer about their healthy footwear recommendations. Birkenstock has many products that can help with Plantar Fasciitis and Heel Pain.


source:http://www.originalcomfortsandals.com/FootHealth.html

I've been feeling stressful lately and came across this article. I saw this article long time ago (courtesy of Kent) and even printed it out. As i was cleaning my room, i came across the print out again (looks old and has turned yellowish).

Anyway here are the 10 Ways to Relax



10 Ways to Relax
Life is getting you down?
It needn’t, says Anne Witham—not if you follow her 10 practical steps to a mentally healthier lifestyle!

Ready for some peace and quiet? Want to bring some solitude to your hectic day? If so, then read on for 10 simple things you can do to bring silence and relaxation into your busy life.

1. Remember the door to your room can close.

Advise loved ones that you will be a much happier person if you occasionally take time to be alone. Do what’s needed to let go of stress and recover balance. This may mean stretching out on the bed, sitting on a meditation pillow, listening to music, or doing some gentle exercise. You may also like to sing, make art, or play an instrument.


2. Turn off the phone.

This may seem like a no-brainer, but it really works. A telephone can be a tyrant. Let your answering device take messages, and turn off the ringer.


3. Shut off your computer.

Like the ringing phone, a humming computer begs for attention. Power down. Your email and unfinished work will still be there when you’re ready to return.


4. Let the television set know who’s the boss.

You may find that an hour without it leaves you more refreshed and relaxed than if you let a program, the news or a movie suck you in.
5. No news is good news.

Many of us feel the day hasn’t really started until we’ve read the paper or checked the headline stories on television or radio.
But only in recent times have we come to expect to know everything about world events as soon as they occur. And it’s almost always bad news, which is depressing. So give yourself a break by forgoing the news media for a full day.


6. Walk in the park.

There’s a park or public open space within easy reach of where most people live. The difference in noise level compared to the surrounding streets can be astonishing—and calming.


7. Drive in a quiet car.

Driving is stressful enough. Lower the tension by turning off the radio, tape/CD player and mobile phone.
Roll up windows to shut out road noise. You can even remain quiet with passengers, provided you agree to the silence.


8. Commune with your food.

Most of us don’t pay much attention to the food we eat. We’re too busy talking, reading, watching TV or working. Cut distractions and let yourself taste, smell and savour your food. Enjoying a meal can instantly comfort and relax you.


9. Reserve the bath or shower.

Make an announcement, “I am disappearing into the bathroom for half an hour. Please do not disturb me!” Warm water becomes an instant retreat.


10. Get up early.

The world at dawn is special—often the day’s most tranquil hour.



With just a bit of relaxation built into your day, you can come back to the world a happier, healthier person, ready to take on any new challenges that come your way.


source: http://www.signsofthetimes.com.au/archives/2004/june/0604article8.shtm

Changing Tyres

Here's a nice article on changing car tyre :) Special thanks to my good buddy Clarence for sharing!

*************


Changing tyres - A damsel in distress speaks out.
07-Nov-2007 | Text and photos by Gen Lim | Category: Car Maintenance Advice
URL:http://www.sgcarmart.com/news/writeup.php?AID=76

When a friend approached me to write this article, I fearlessly accepted without hesitation. The challenge was simple, attempt to change one of his car tyres and live to tell the tale. The only problem? I have never changed a tyre in my entire life! Besides having to deal with the urban legend that women are bad drivers, now I was faced with the task of proving that a woman (me) is capable of skillfully maneuvering a car as well as fixing it up when the tyre goes flat.

My next reaction was one that belonged in the bimbotic realm, I shrieked, “My manicure!” Yes, the typical damsel in distress route. “I just got my nails done and I do not want to ruin them, neither do I want to get down and dirty to change a car tyre!” However, I had already accepted the challenge and I was determined to get through with it with as little complaints as possible. I am going to prove that I am tough as nails (pardon the pun), manicure or not!



To my surprise, changing a car tyre was not half as difficult as I expected it to be. First of all, one would not have to worry about not having the right tools because every car is equipped with the necessary a set of tools. You can find the tools comfortably nesting in the boot of your car along with your spare tyre. After going through the steps with aforementioned friend, I realized that changing a car tyre is really as simple as ABC. If you are a big fan of DIY furniture from Ikea, it is basically the same logic, just follow instructions.

However, if you are the kind of girl who will sooner hike up her skirt to get some male assistance when your vehicle malfunctions, here is my step-up-step guide on how to change your own car tyres. Trust me; it will come in very useful the day you are stranded on the highway. Also, you will be earning brownie points on behalf of women drivers everywhere!

#1 DO NOT PANIC
You are cruising down the highway, singing along to the music in the radio and suddenly you realize something’s not right with the car. It feels imbalanced; it feels like it is breaking down, you thought you heard a loud splutter. Is it the engine? No, your tyre just went flat. What do you do? Simple. DO NOT PANIC. And move on to step #2.





#2 GET YOUR TOOLS & SPARE TYRE OUT
Upon realizing you have a flat, simply dig deep into your boot for that spare tyre nesting there along with the tools that is going to make the whole process simpler. Kicking and cursing at the flat tyre is not going to work. Trust me. Be sure that among the tools you have gathered you have the a) Car Jack b) Cross Wrench and c) Turning Tool. Now this is when the action begins.






#3 START UN-SCREWING
Whip out the cross-wrench and start unscrewing the four bolts that are holding the flat tyre in place. This is the part where it may prove to be a little challenging. The bolts on the tyre are usually screwed on really tight and sheer strength would probably be able to help you out here. If you can’t count on your own strength, this is how you do it. Attach the cross-wrench to a bolt and make sure that it fits snugly, proceed to step on the cross wrench and use your entire body weight to loosen the attached bolt. You are probably required to do this at the initial part of unscrewing the bolt. Once you feel the bolt loosen, you can step off the cross-wrench. Repeat for the remaining 3 bolts.



#4 JACK THE CAR UP
Take a moment to breathe and look at the big picture, the four wheels are firmly on the ground bearing the weight of the car and there is no way you are going to be able to lift the car based on your own strength. Position the jack under a flat beam near the flat tyre. Attach the turning tool to the jack and start turning, the arm movement required to get the jack going closely resembles that when you are pedaling a bicycle. Stop once you have managed to get the entire flat tyre off the ground. Now proceed to remove the loosened bolts.




#5 REPLACE THE FLAT
Once all bolts have been removed, you can carefully remove the tyre from the axel and reattach the spare tyre in its place. Simply screw on the 4 bolts and you have successfully changed your own flat tyre! Now before you hop back into the car and be on your way, remember to lower the jack of the car till the newly replaced wheel is back on the ground, tighten the bolts with the cross wrench using your bodyweight and you are good to go! But remember, the spare tyre is only good to get you to the nearest tyre shop. You must get your flat tyre repaired or replaced soonest possible!

So there you have it, 5 simple steps on how to change your tyre. You would probably be left sweating buckets and having to deal with dirt on your hands and legs, but nothing beats having the opportunity to be able to brag about it to your peers. Besides, which guy does not like a girl who is able to get down and dirty when the opportunity calls for it? So girls, master these 5 steps and show the