visit of the superVIPs

After the relaxing week of sickness (as mentioned in the last post), I got down to work on making some visitors to our company as luxurious as possible down to the last detail (that is a huge story on its own, including fulfilling shopping lists and elaborate VIP rooms in which apparently I went overbudget on), but really I don't want to delve into that hugely stressful affair.

Fortunately, Chinese New Year is just around the corner, which will elevate everyone's moods and the number in my bank account. I'm feeling particularly broke at the moment, having splurged on a kindle for my fiance, and on a bag (oh wait, he paid for the bag), a new ipad cover (the ipad itself I got from my company through my boss as a christmas present--he was in a super generous mood at the time), wedding photos (to be done in march 2012), and on a few family-friend dinners that I was obligated to pay for.

I made a few resolutions:

1. take the CRE (a government-standardized chinese examination) in June of this year.

- I'm going to study during every lunch period in the library.

2. be more humble - not a very popular concept, but I realize that the greatest people in the world who commend respect are those who are humble, willing to learn and become wise. It's also easier to accept instruction, advice and even rebuke if you have a humble attitude.

³³ 敬 畏 耶 和 華 是 智 慧 的 訓 誨 ； 尊 榮 以 前 ， 必 有 謙 卑 。 - 箴 言 15:33

3. be more kind - this goes with number 2. if you are humble, you are more willing to serve other people, and you will do beyond what you normally would do for someone.

4. take my work seriously and do everything to my best of ability, and be less half-assed.

- if I'm going to be working for the rest of my life, I might as well do it well, and do it with joy. And my action plan is to...intake more coffee. (haha kidding) I'm going to pray for the above and post relevant Bible proverbs around the house.

5. Make more plush

6. Become more flexible - joined a pilates class

7. Arrange some music - make piano arrangements for songs from Exaltios

New cute plushy (the sheep, which plays a lullaby when wound up)

shot from HK history museum...a crane badge signifying civil official of the 1st rank, obtained through taking imperial examinations
another shot from museum... hand written exam paper... so incredibly mind-boggling neat
ocean park trip from this month.
panda sticks face in a water canister.

A trip to Lantau Island with a super nice professor from harvard (where the airport and HK disneyland is, which is bigger but nowhere closely as populated as Hong Kong Island):

incense


old houses on stilts in Tai O, Lantau Island


the making of preserved salted egg yolks for putting in mooncakes and stuff...

Gundam expo:

Cute printed tissue and tissue box
random but pretty carousel
Bad english...

Wedding Planning. Commences!

If wedding planning interests you even in the slightest, I think I'm going to post regular updates about it here. Maybe my experience will prove useful one day to you : )

I have gone to one bridal expo so far, as recommended by everyone, and was undulated with pamphlets and pushy salespeople asking us when the date is. I said "we don't have one... but it's going to be in 2013" to which they say, "it's never too early to take your wedding photos!! why don't you register with us right now?" I am also onto my fourth wedding magazine (in chinese, hoho!) and still don't have the faintest clue as to how all this wedding thing works.

"What kind of style of dress are you looking for?" They all actually look pretty similar... so I told my mom that I wanted a victorian style one, all lacey and conservative. She disagreed, saying it'll probably look bad on me. My mom complained about her friends complaining about the lack of shark fin soup in our menu. Being environmentally friendly doesn't mean taking the convenient way out. Too bad for her friends.

Communication about which banquet hall so far has been something like this: my mom's opinion -> me -> Kelvin -> Kelvin's parents who disagree -> Kelvin -> me -> my mom who disagrees with Kelvin's parents and proposes another option -> me -> etc. until we gave up and told them that we will be the ones making the decision and we welcome their input.

The thing I learned so far is that you cannot please everyone. Not everyone agrees with the time we've picked to get married (some says that we are too young) for example. It is important to consider everyone's opinions, especially your parents (ie marriage is actually a bonding of not two people, but two families), but ultimately it is my own wedding.

The thing I am ABSOLUTELY certain of at this point in time is I am DEFINITELY not walking down the aisle with swelling violins playing canon in D. I will be walking in to X JAPAN's Forever Love and I will walk in along with my husband to Rufus' Welcoming Ceremony.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T60JphIj5ck&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijOL2dQBAew

Life:

Yesterday, I was very lucky. I got the last seat on the bus, taking me to chinese class (I have passed primary 3 and am now in P4). From my vantage point (the back of the bus), I noticed heads drooping and rising back up from the back of the seat, occasionally hitting the window and sliding down a bit, as sleepy people passed out on their way home.

Macdonalds is now serving their shake shake fries again. You basically get a packet of MSG and a bag for you to shake your fries in. Now in seaweed flavour:

Grab yourself a SlowBar for those slow moving days... or when you want to slow yourself down. Yeah actually I've never tried one but I'm tempted just to see what they're like. It'll probably taste like a chocolate wafter biscuit.

Soymilk based soup. This tasted like nothing, but this is when you know it's healthy.

This on the other hand is not so healthy. Egg with hollandaise sauce on waffle.

Dogs in a baby car.

Mid autumn festival was characterized by glowing lanterns and extremely fattening moon cakes that everyone was passing around (a quarter of a moon cake = one bowl of rice in caloric value).

Glowing kid

Ocean Park pics: that is a blurry image of a pufferfish which I saw blow up (next pic down, facing us)

I'm engaged!

After high school, I've never envisioned my own engagement, not even after my bf leaked the fact that he was getting me a ring a month ago. However, envisioning probably could not have prepared me for it. Not only was it in my own house (how many engagements happen in your own house???), there were loads of people too (complete with cameramen; my dad was hanging around the house somewhere too). My bf was also wearing a suit (I don't know what he would be wearing but definitely not a suit). The ring sparkled under an LED light (the box had a fancy light). I will upload pictures later, possibly when I start a wedding blog/site.

It all felt like a dream, especially on the Monday morning after the weekend, that for some reason, felt awful.

Step 1. Get in the elevator

Step 2. Get on the first shuttle bus and fall asleep

Step 3. Get on the second bus and fall asleep

Step 4. Walk up the stairs, eyes half open
Step 5. Walk blearily down the quiet hallway to work, caffeine of some sort in hand.

Step 6. Begin daydreaming/working at desk until 5:30.

Bad translation. I don't think they know that 'enzyme' isn't very delicious sounding.

Fishy biscuits!!!! They were in a different packaging than what I was used to. Curious, I investigated and eventually realized that this one came from Morinaga, a Japanese company whereas the one I eat regularly come from Korea. Parrots outside their cage. Wonder why they don't just fly away.
Piranhas
Ocean park's new attraction.
Fishy biscuits from Japan come in more shapes than Korepab (the fishy biscuits from Korea) but doesn't taste as good.
Ugly spider. I hate spiders. I think I'd jump five feet into the air if I saw this thing outside its cage.
Diving show off from a super high platform. It was somewhat scary.
Crocheted plane

I finished the stamp card, but the day I went to claim my free drink, the original shop had already been taken over by another bubble tea shop.