Zurich pictures are up

Have uploaded the pictures from my Zurich in March - follow this link, also on the left handside of this page - links to photos.

A Student's Prayer

For those facing exams shortly, here's a prayer to hopefully help you calm your nerves. I found it whilst tidying up my books. I'm not sure who penned it, however the handwriting on the page looks very similar to Joanna's!

Lord, grant to me a quiet heart
Before my examinations start;
Teach me to use my leisure hours
To reinvigorate my powers;
My mind from day dreams liberate,
Give me the will to concentrate.

From all distractions set me free
That in my studies, I may be
A student with this whole intent;
To make my work a sacrement.

From faint in heart, in love expel
All failure fears that therein dwell
And from my pillow drive away
All dark foreboding of that day;
Help me in faith to rest so deep
That I may have untroubled sleep.

While note and lessons I prepare
May I not lose my zest for prayer;
And may I not forget to look
For daily guidance in Thy Book.

In quietness, confidence and peace
May I have swift and sure release
From needless fears and apprehension,
From outward strain and inward tension.

And may I ever grateful be
To all who offer prayers for me
While for myself I intercede
For other students too I plead.

So may examinations find
Each boy (and each girl too) alert in heart and mind
Thus inward joy and peace possessing,
Exams will prove a source of blessing.

Amen.

Junk

From a ride on the 'modern' boat earlier in the week to a ride on the old sailing junk

Macau

A 'Disneyland' mix of cities - Continental Europe and Las Vegas wannabe.

Roman ruins in the East?

Great egg tarts!

Chi pa pao - as it says on the label (pork chop bun). Non pretentious, simple yet tasty!>

Ruins of St Paul's

Can you see me waving?>

Walking up to the fort the painful way - on stones (well, free reflexology!)

Grimacing through the pain>

At the Fort

B quality sniffing the almond cookies

The casinos - new vs old
I found the casinos very depressing places. I haven't figured out whether people show their true selves in there or whether their personas came from an 'obnoxious-card-throwing' mask they don when they enter the casino, or the air conditioning unit in there makes people more arrogant and have the 'better-than-thou' attitude. Most people playing at the tables appear to think they should put on a show, hence the added dramatics of flipping cards back at the dealers or turning over a card in slow motion - in the slowest manner possible! Or perhaps there was a camera crew in there filming the background scene for the next Ocean's Eleven? Or talent scouts looking for the next 'God of Gambler'? Hmmm.....

A day on the boat and at the races

We were going to have an uneventful day just chilling out. Until one of B's professors invited us to his boat to take advantage of the gorgeous weather.

Taking the wheel of the boat







Enjoying the sun on the deck of the boat (and making my sunburnt shoulders from BBQ on Monday worse too)



Can you see our shadows?




Night at the Happy Valley racecourse....

Winning horse from Race 3 Watch the horses run!

At the entrance of the racecourse






Tucking into some nosh

Waiting for the races to start

< style="text-align: right;">The winning horse - Wisdom Express!>

Terraces

Daytime BBQ

First time I had BBQ that started at 11am! Also the first time I've been to a beach in HK!!! Lots of fun with Jean and her friends at Stanley Beach, Hong Kong.

From shabu shabu to Szechuan hot pot and dim sum

Clockwise from top left - B with a selection of dim sum, the dim sum trolleys (I miss those in UK!) and dessert (mango pudding and sago)

Szechuan hot pot! (Note the amount of chilli removed from the hotpot beforehand on the right of the photo - and it was still super super hot!)

Tokyo

A fantastic city!!!! We were spellbound by the bright neon lights and shops, mesmerised by the tranquility of the gardens and gaped at the hustle and bustle yet orderly fashion of everyday life. It is absolutely amazing how one can walk along the busy roads surrounded by branded shops and skyscrapers, then as you turn into a sidestreet, encounter little lanes of small shops or traditional eateries, or even stumble into a huge park which seems so far away from the traffic and hectic schedules just a street away. The food? Absolutely yummy and healthy at the same time (yes, can you believe it?). We tried shabu shabu (including all-you-can-eat for 2 hours!), sushi, sashimi and yakitori.

Even after just two hours in Tokyo, we promised that we would return. Four days went by quickly... We visited the shrines at Meiji-jingu and Senso-ji, enjoyed cherry blossoms at Shinjuku-gyoen, visited Imperial Palace East Garden and Roppongi, checked out the shops at Shinjuku, Harajuku, Omote-Sando, Ginza and Shibuya, and took an early stroll at Tsukiji fish market (also enjoying the freshest sashimi - first time I've had a sashimi breakfast!).

We still have a list of things we would like to see/experience - kabuki, Noh drama (though perhaps I'll save that for Kyoto), Akihabara.... However, after four days and complaints from our feet, we needed to recuperate from all that walking! We will be back though!!!!

I will upload all the photos and captions in the next week or so together with more details on the visit, but here are some for now...

Enjoying a walk at Shinjuku-gyoen...
Cherry blossoms at Shinjuku-gyoen

An early morning stroll to the Tsukiji fish market - the tunas were about my size!!!Hachiko the faithful Akita



















Bright lights at Shimbuya

Food poisoning

A minor bout of food poisoning signals that I have definitely arrived in HK! :) Just kidding - B didn't suffer the same although he pointed out that his stomach is probably immune to it by now.

After trying to sleep off the feeling of throwing up previous day's food, I managed to get relief only after the non-medical method of sticking a finger down my throat. Mind - I really did try not to do it but nothing else helped. Instant relief. Yummy food does come at a price. Has it put me off scoffing my face? I was careful to eat light today but I'm sure I'll revert to my holiday 'diet' soon!

Anyways, we're packing for Tokyo - we're off tomorrow for a four day break!!!! Yay!!!! Going from one densely-populated-people-sardine-sandwich-with-skyscrapers-and-neon-lights-city to another rather similar city (from what I've read). Sharpening my elbows even more to get me through the city!

Arrived in Hong Kong

Shanghai-nese food for lunch... Yummy siu long pao!








Katsu don for dinner










Starry starry Easter lights at World Trade Centre...

Belgo Centraal

Catching up with colleagues from Australia, Malaysia, Spain and Netherlands...

Spring Ball 2006

View of the dancefloor

James, Sarah and Mollie

Wrong camera setting.... Blurriness isn't alcohol-induced - honest!