Blog around the world

Before eating dinner with my friends, I first went back to the Lego exhibit to take some more pictures. I’m really impressed by the effort put into building these works of art. Then I went with my friends to Fesitval Walk, where I got a Korean dish.

Afterwards, we went to Lam Shan Estate to get some ice cream and then headed out for fellowship.

After fellowship, we went back to Lam Shan Estate, this time to eat some common street snacks in HK, including squid, 雞蛋仔, and 燒賣 (siu mai).

November 27

That day was a relaxing day for the most part since there were no classes. Later in the day, I went to Sha Tin (沙田) to discuss with some friends about a group project and ate out at IKEA. The food there was decently pricy but it tasted quite satisfying. Right before leaving, we got hot dogs, which I found ironic since New York has so many hot dogs.

November 28

I ate out with my friend for lunch and then had my second part of my Chinese exam (speaking portion). Afterwards, I attended my final lecture for the semester which was a review session for two hours.

In other news, the temperatures have dropped quite significantly…

Another long day today… morning was as usual the food chem tutorial and lecture, and afterwards was a break in which I spent time studying for Chinese. Then was my Chinese exam, which was difficult (to me) to the point that I’m really grateful that GPA does not get affected so long as I pass the course.

With the exam off my shoulder, I could unwind for a bit, and I was able to in the volunteer place. It was also the final week for volunteering, and to commemorate this, there was a small party as well as a mini awards ceremony to award the students who were willing to learn a lot and put in a lot of effort into the material. I thought it was a fun experience.

Finally, after volunteering, I had my final environment class, which wrapped things up for the class and also discussed what will be on the final quiz.

Afterwards, I celebrated a friend’s birthday and checked out the Lego display. The structures built were really amazing; I’ve never seen anything quite like them before. More pictures to come later, since the display is on until Thursday, and when I went, it was about to close for the day.

Yesterday I took an exam for social science research methods & statistics and then had a quick lunch before attending my final tutorial class for my environment course. Yep, this week is the final official week of classes. My, time has flown by quickly. Anyway, the tutorial was interesting since it was a debate and instead of me talking (as usual, since my English control(?) is better), I was the referee to determine the scoring of the tennis match-style debate. That is, one group “serves” an argument, and the other group has to “pass” the argument back by refuting it and then adding another point and so on until one group drops is unable to respond within 20 seconds of silence. I thought it was interesting to say the least. Afterwards, I headed home to eat dinner and then study for Chinese.

Weather was unusually warm, especially considering the relatively cool temperatures lately.

Sorry about the late posts. These couple of days have been a bit loaded with studying.

November 23

In the morning, I had 飲茶 (yumcha) with my relatives, including my paternal grandfather’s brother and his wife. It was certainly nice seeing the couple. No pictures though… next time!

After yumcha, I traveled to CityU finish up an assignment and submitted it. Afterwards, I went to Tsim Tsa Tsui to have fellowship. After sticking around for a bit to take some pics and fool around a bit on the piano, I headed back home to get some studying done.

November 24

I went to church in the morning and then somewhat got involved in helping in the production of a performance that will be done early December. Upon getting home, it started to rain, which was a surprise since rain is more prevalent in the summer. In any case, I was a bit soaked even though I was only exposed to the rain for a bit. It was a good thing that it only rained for a short time though, haha.

November 21

Nothing in particular; I had class and then went to my aunt’s workplace to tutor my cousin in chemistry. After tutoring, we went to eat at a Japanese restaurant at Hung Hom (紅磡). It was the same place as the Japanese restaurant I went to the first time I got here.

November 22

After my afternoon class, I wound up studying for a bit and traveled with my friend to the Lam Shan Estate (藍山邨), the place close to the university. We got ice cream there at a really cheap price (2 for $10, add $1 if a special flavor). Afterwards, we walked to my friend’s dorm to relax for a bit before going our separate ways, with me heading off to the school’s fellowship.

Since I had a day off, I spent part of the day catching up with some friends and the rest of the day studying. With the semester quickly ending, there is a lot of material to handle, such as exams and assignments.

On a side note, it’s quite amusing how I’m really cold at this season when it’s a lot colder in the States (compare 22°C here to 3°C in New York). I’ve adapted to the warm temperatures in the summer in Hong Kong, haha.

November 17

I went to church in the morning and then later went back home. Nothing too specific, just studied for my food chem quiz.

November 18

I attended class as per usual and then spent some time studying and working on an assignment while waiting to help my friend with a class project related to making a film.

November 19

Today was the food chem quiz so I didn’t have to wake up as early (usually, I would have to wake up early enough to attend my tutorial for food chem at 9 am). Nothing too significant overall, but due dates of assignments and exams are quickly approaching. The climate’s getting chilly now…

I went with my friend and her family to Prince Edward (太子) to meet up for a tour around a few parts of Hong Kong. There was a tour guide and bus: the experience was really amazing!

The first stop was a farm; we had a choice in making either bread, soy milk, or pizza. My friend and I chose to make pizza. It was surprisingly not that difficult and tasted pretty good (though I’m sure if I wanted some really good pizza it’d take quite a while). Sadly, all we had a chance to do was play with the dough and add a few toppings and ketchup. Still, it was definitely a good experience.

Afterwards we went to a buffet at the Hong Kong Science Museum (香港科學館). We were rushed for time (we only had about half an hour to eat), but we were also allowed to walk around and see the various things there, including some really nice views. It was actually quite funny; the place we went to wound up being so close to where I live – I didn’t have to travel so far to Prince Edward! It was ok though because then we’d miss out on making food.

Our next stop was in Yuen Long (元朗) to (somewhat) witness how people made the infamous Wife Cake (老婆餅) at the Hong Kong Hang Heung (香港恆香). We even had a complimentary one! Considering I’ve been in Hong Kong for over two months now, it’s been a bit of a surprise that I didn’t eat one yet. If you come to Hong Kong, this is one thing I would recommend!

After Yuen Long, we headed out to Sau To (壽桃牌), also in Yuen Long, to see someone advertise a lot of noodles for a really low price; some of these noodles could not be found anywhere else! I was really amazed at how fast the woman spoke and how she memorized all the prices. Back in the bus, the tour guide passed out complimentary noodle packs.

Our final stop was in Tuen Mun (屯門) to see its park (屯門公園). The main purpose was to observe the reptiles, namely the huge tortoises there. There were some other interesting reptiles, including a long-necked turtle and some huge snakes. Afterwards, we had some time to walk around. Apparently this area is well-known for its elderly people holding music and dancing performances, such to the point it would annoy other residents.

After such a long day, we headed back home, but not before first stopping at a restaurant to have quite a bit of food. I don’t think I’ve had that much food in a while!

All in all, today was definitely a long and fun-filled day.

Yesterday I attended class and then waited around for fellowship to start. Afterwards, we celebrated our friend’s birthday and then went to a food place nearby to eat and celebrate.