The day before my 24th Birthday was spent in Macau

My 24th birthday came and went, and it was exactly the way I wanted it: simple. On Friday, we took a day’s leave to venture into the land of vices: Macau. Here’s a sum of my thoughts of the land where you have an Asian who’s an “gondola-boat guy, singing Italian songs”.

The pretty parts are prettier than I thought. Cue in old colonial buildings (though mightily commercialised with McDonald’s and Starbucks fronting it).

The hotels are more in-your-face than I thought. I visited The Venetian and Grand Lisboa. The Venetian is ultra ultra big, and you get a sense that you are trapped in this timeless, perfect Twilight Zone, where nobody sleeps, and the sky is always blue and cloudy.

Grand Lisboa, on the other hand, is in-your-face with its golden grandeur. As if a HK$69.1 million bronze horse (as in THE bronze horse from the 12 Zodiac Animals from the Summer Palace saga) isn’t enough to front the hotel lobby, you have a bronze figure of the Mr Stanley Ho, plus not one, but two gigantic gems (a diamond and an emerald), actually, make them the most gigantic gems in the world. Yup, throw in a couple of  mammoth tusk sculptures, a boat complete with tiny carved out figures plated in gold and many many hanging crystals, and you get the feeling that you should be shouting “HUAT AH” the moment you get in.

The food is saltier than I thought. I had Fernando’s, and along the way, tried some bak gua. I have never tried Portuguese-influenced food, but I get a sense that the food is quite saltier. Kudos to the freshness of the clams and salad (surprisingly yummy tomatoes). A lovely end to our lovely day was the egg tart from Margaret’s Cage e Nata (flaky crust with sweet egg custard).

Gambling is  not as fun as I thought. Maybe it’s the fact that I went on a weekday. Most of the people who were at the casino seemed to be hard-core, long-time gamblers. Both of us, on the other hand, giggled as we placed our bets, and laughed our losses off (well, at the beginning at least). I never understood the attraction of spending so much time on something you have so little control of, and hopefully never will.

So what do I have learnt out of 24 years of life? Well, I think it’s really to try and be a bit wiser, a bit kinder, a bit happier, a bit more respectful every single day.

I hate the fact that I am able to quote from a animated cartoon, and am always touched to tears during the scene where he becomes one with the universe and disappears along with the peach tree leaves.

But I’m still going to do it.

As Master Oo-gway from Kungfu Panda said,

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.”

Diana does Tokyo (Day 2 and 3)

Day 2: Cafe in Daikanyama

Cheesecake

Chestnut cream tart (I love this)

Berry cake

Very pretty coffee cup

Day 3: Tsukiji Market

Don’t ask me why, but I always thought that the Tsukiji Fish Market would be kind of like a Disneyland-type of tourist attraction. In my mind, I thought that there would be a main entrance where you would be guided towards the different areas where there would be on-going auctions, people explaining the market’s history and operations etc.

It was only when I arrived at the market that I realised, oh, this is ACTUALLY a real market. It looked like one, it smelled like one, and more importantly, it felt like one. The workers were rushing from one location to another, on their mini fish truck vehicle, and more often than not, eager to get awe-struck visitors like us out of their way. We had arrived at around seven am, and had missed the auctions, but there was still much to see as we strolled ducked and sped along the stalls.

TUNA, I like.

Many many varieties of seafood

Of course, my much-awaited part of the excursion was the eating. We had decided on a small and crowded (but not as crowded as the one next door) eatery located about two streets away from the market grounds.

We were packed in like sardines, and like most customers, we went for the set-o, which went for 3500 Yen (about S$60). It consisted of seven pieces of nigiri, six rolled-up sushi slices, and a miso soup made with fresh mini clams.

The o-toro (fatty tuna) nigiri was one of the best I had ever tasted in my life. I savoured the sweetness from the marbled fat as it slowly melted into my mouth. It was truly truly truly scrumptious. After that, I knew I could never eat in some of the sushi restaurants in Singapore without comparing its heavenly taste again. NEVER.

Day 3: Ramen in Shibuya

One of the must-dos for a tourist – ordering from the ramen machine

The soup was miso-based, and again, it was delicious. I like that in Japan, you can land up in a nondescript shop and still be assured of good quality food.

Day 31: Egg tart, pizza and my HK purchases

I always go for a shopping trip after my job interviews. It helps me to take my mind off what I should (or should not) have done. Yesterday, the wind was so bone-chilling that I was literally running into the Tai Koo Shing Shopping Mall.

The Tai Koo Shing Shopping Mall seems like any normal mall, but it has something that makes it pretty special – Uniqlo. It is a mass-brand Muji-like store from Japan that sells simple, clean-cut clothes for men, women and children, which is what I like about it.

I bought this sweater (on sale!). I like the colour (which isn’t clear in the photo, but it’s purple).

Other things I bought:

I thought this would be the most adorable present for my niece. As shown in the photograph, you can learn to “ice” a”cake”! Of course, the “cake” is a piggy bank, and the “icing” is actually coloured clay. On second thoughts, I think I will probably be there to oversee my niece while she is playing with this.

The above two purchases follows my intention to dress more like Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Also, it was on sale.

My fashion bible from now on:

Oh how she glows.

The food:

Tai Cheong egg tarts are famous in Hong Kong, so it’s good that it’s 2 minutes away from my house. The crust is more of a sweet shortcrust pastry, and less of a flaky layered crust like that of Portuguese relative in Macau. The custard is wobbly when warm, which is evidence that it has been baked just to the right consistency. In short, it’s yummy.

Pizza Express is also two minutes away from my house, so every time I walk past the restaurant, I have an urge to eat there. Finally, I checked out the website and ordered a Sicilian (anchovies, olives, ham, artichokes and mozzarella) . While I thoroughly enjoyed it (the whole ring in fact), I always feel a pinch when I’m paying for something I know I can perfectly make from scratch at home (in Singapore) for a fraction of the price.

Next up, sights around Hong Kong (and of course, more food!).