Our last Beer Bay before the holidays

Cheers!

À peine débarqués de l'avion: shopping and eating...

Mes parents et mon frère sont arrivés! (ENFIN!) 

Après un bon dim sum, direction Mong Kok. En 2 heures, mon frère, le grand dépensier, avait déjà amassé deux paires de souliers, un suit, une chemise et un noeud papillon. 

Ma mère aime beaucoup trop son fils. 

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Mark Twain

Voici des personnes qui figuraient sur CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute.

Ces gens sont incroyables et m'inspirent pour la nouvelle année. 

Aki Ra

Anuradha Koirala

Harmon Parker

J'aime bien surfer sur divers travel blogs et sites de voyage.

28 thing I wish I'd known before I started travelling 

26. Be prepared to represent your country, whether you care about politics or not. For better or worse, many people will expect you to know a lot about politics in your home country and how governmental decisions in one country affect the lives of people thousands of miles away. Don’t say you’re from Canada unless you really are.

Praise the Lord, I'm Canadian! I won't have to lie...

28. No matter whom you are talking to, never say anything negative about the government of the country you are in. Many rogue states, from Zimbabwe to Iran to North Korea, employ English-speaking spies who will deliberately try to incite foreign visitors into saying something incriminating. (I’m not making this up. In Guinea I was followed by the Secret Service everywhere I went. A friend of mine went to North Korea and found an extensive tape recording system in his hotel room.)

Comme dans les films d'action américains...

This morning, my family missed the flight from Montreal to HK 

Seems I'll only get to see them on the 28th
2 days before the wedding
ZOMG

While I'm starting to forget even the mere concept of shovelling, 

I get a pinch of disappointment when I try to explain winter to my kids.

Snowman? Santa Claus? Snow? Igloo? Snowball? 

They just don't understand why there are 4 seasons : It feels like it's summer all year long!

Maybe because there's no snow (18°C)

or because it's the first Christmas I'm not spending at home with mom, dad, bro, 

Maxou, Cristina and co... 

           

But it doesn't feel like Christmas at all.  

Guangzhou

Math and Simon took the train to Guangzhou around noon while I had to wait around supper time because of 2 tutorials. After a ferry ride + a taxi ride + a train ride + a subway ride and a short walk (good thing I only had my purse, passport and Anna Gavalda book), I finally arrived at the hostel late in the evening.

And this is way too sad but I have no pictures of the AWESOME street food we had that night. Oysters, a whole fish, corn, chicken and lamb skewers, roasted eggplants, fresh coconut juice (just like in Brazil) and fresh sugarcane juice. 

so cheap...

We basically ordered from a street vendor, took a seat while they were cooking, ate, paid and moved on to the next stall.

The next morning on the ferry

The ferry was so cheap we didn't understand at first. We were like: "What? 50 cents yuan? Is that like 7 Canadian cents?" Good thing I kept some spare change from our last trip to China.

This lady was adorable. She had the sweetest smile and sold steamed corns for 2 yuans. That's like  -euuuh-  30 cents. I felt so cold, I wanted to buy her whole stock.

At famous Pan Xi Restaurant (since 1947)

Rabbit-shaped shrimp dumplings, rabbit-shaped dessert (not sure what was in it), piggy or ram-shaped taro dessert ?!?

I think it looked better than it tasted.

Otherwise, we also went to eat wild dog meat stew which was good.

For supper, we went for shark fin soup (probably fake), sea cucumber entrée, steamed turtle, eggplant casserole, sweet and sour pork and double-layer milk pudding. 

sea cucumber :)

I didn't really like turtle. It was sticky and skinny.

We also went shopping + visiting the Chen Clan Academy and Five Rams Statue in between meals. (Fun but the food is much more interesting.)

Overall, Guangzhou was über nice! Except the fact that it was freaking cold and raining all day, I could have spent more time eating and shopping :)

During my French lesson with Serena and Yvonne...

P: Okay, so here it says..."Si j'ai de l'argent, j'achète..."

S: Cartier!

P: Wowww, perfect pronunciation Serena!

S: See? This is proof I was listening during all these hours. 

Y: Yeah, I think it would be more effective if we learn brand names... 

So now I'm starting a list: 

L'Oréal 

Christian Dior 

L'Occitane 

Chanel

Toblerone

Lanvin

Yves Saint-Laurent

Jean-Paul Gautier

Christian Lacroix

Étienne's girlfriend is in town so we decided to go eat. (Any reason is good actually.)

Poor girl, she lost her luggage with Air Canada and expects to get it back at some point in time.

However, after Natalia's experience with the same airline when we went to Brazil, I wouldn't have much hope... 

Let's pray she didn't bring her all-time favorites in that suitcase.

As usual, I was too busy eating so I forgot to take pictures of our wonderful meal. It was hotpot for 7, with side dishes of spicy frog legs and spicy chicken-running-on-the-floor?!?, and a few bottles of Harbin beer.

At some very popular dessert place Cedric brought us to:

5 yummy Chinese desserts

It's funny because we always get this kind of dessert after a meal in Chinatown. But I never enjoyed them because they rarely taste really good. Hence, I've always associated Chinese desserts with cheapness. Now, I know better.

This guy in the bus was sound asleep and blocking the whole alley with his big head which was at a 

90° angle from his body. He sure is flexible! 

Absolutely needed to share this moment with you. Especially when a 4-year-old girl (at this age, they start to develop attitude as I have experienced lately...) woke him by yelling: Hey mister, I need to get off NOW! 

h.i.l.a.r.i.o.u.s

I know it's -10 and snowing in Montreal while in Hong Kong, it's merely 11 °C with no chance of building a snowman whatsoever. But I can't shake off the feeling that it's winter since I'm literally freezing my ass off here.

Math and I went with Simon to Guangzhou (just 2 hours of train up north) for 2 nights and darn it, I caught a bad cold and was feverish (I dreamt of Hell's Kitchen, no kidding).

Back home, my auntie gave us an extra plush blanket which is quite heavy and warm (I like the feeling of being crushed under a blanket). Plus, a small heater. But the wind is still coming through the 2 air con and the bathroom fan.

Just to think I was still wearing a t-shirt last week drives me crazy...

PS. (While I was sick and stayed in for a day in Guangzhou, the hostel was playing the whole first season of Prison Break. It may be old news for you, but it's certainly fresh news to me: Micheal is SOOOOO cute/The show is worth watching. MUST MUST MUST watch it after I'm done with Amazing Race 17.)

Things here are often cheaply made or hastily sewed. Good thing I brought some needles, threads, scissors and extra buttons.

Miam miam! Hailey and Tova's parents gave me a box of yummy cookies as a Christmas gift. It took a lot of restraint to not polish them off in a day. They sure treat their tutors well here :)

2nd episode: Venus strikes again


V: Pat, are you rich? 
P: No, why? Do I look rich? 
V: Yes, you are fat. Fat people have many many money.


She's 4 years old and about to get spanked. 

This morning with my little Venus... 


V: Pat, you are very naughty!
P: Why? 
V: Because you eat candy but you are fat. 


O_o


Wow, good thing I'm not toooooo self-conscious. Otherwise, I would have broke down and cry. 


La vérité sort de la bouche des enfants. 

It was my cousin Carmen and her boyfriend Ivan's marriage registration day. Although the ceremony was supposed to include a small number of people, 30+ guests attended the event. 

Chinese people taking pictures of the couple while they said their vows and sign official papers. 

At some point during the ceremony, I was laughing so bad with my auntie (she REALLY reminds of my mom. Like duhhh, she's my mom's younger sister) that I had tears rolling down my cheeks. Another auntie thought I was being emotional about the whole marriage/wedding thing.

Taking pictures outside the government office

Carmen's wedding gown consisted of layers of lace topped with a fur since it's December, hence "winter". She had white flowers in her hair and a long veil which went all the way down to the floor. 

Carmen absolutely adores her bouquet and refused to throw it. Sorry unmarried ladies! No one will get to be the next bride... Not that my dear cousin cares :) 

The moment we got off the boat from Hong Kong to Macau, we thought it was summer all over again. Darn it, how can a place not even an hour away can be so much hotter? Definitely regretted not wearing a nice dress or some shorts. 

Ruins of St Paul's 

The Venetian

There wasn't much to do except walking around and spotting some tourist attractions. Casinos were pretty much the same after we have visited a few. And since the one we have in Montreal is already a nice one, I wasn't much impressed and got bored quickly. However, we did abuse of the free drinks they offer hehehe... même si ma tante a peté ma bulle par la suite en m'informant qu'ils offraient aussi des snacks si on avait gardé l'oeil ouvert...

autre facette de Macau

Taipa village

our crew

roasted chestnuts

The greatest disappointment was Macau's famous eggtarts. I thought it would taste like Portuguese eggtarts (since Macau used to be a Portuguese colony) but it was more like the regular-oh-so-boring Chinese eggtarts but with a burnt look.

Pastéis de nata

On the other hand, I enjoyed very much several local dishes including pato de cabidela (un ragoût au sang de poulet et herbes), caldo verde (soupe aux patates, chou et saucisses) et Galinha à africana (poulet dans une sauce épicée). 

pato de cabidela

caldo verde

Galinha à africana

Oh noes, was that considered another post related to food again???

"Ah, je pensais que les masques lavaient la face en décollant les saletés."

I'm too old for this. I'm maybe only 22 years old but I need 9 hours of sleep per night. And if I'm not home by midnight, I turn into a pumpkin. 


Therefore, no surprises. We came back around 4h30am on Saturday night and even though I slept to 2pm AND took a 4 hours nap in the late afternoon, I felt like crap. Let's not mention other mornings when I needed to cancel my tutorials because of headaches.


Seriously Nis, you'll have to teach me how to become a true warrior.

I just beat my previous record of the longest shopping session on Fa Yuen Street (plus Argyle Center) which was 4 hours. I officially topped 6 hours...

"Writing patterns, or the socially accepted ways of writing, will differ significantly between cultures. 

In English and Northern European languages, there is an emphasis on organization and concision.  Here, a point is made by building up to it through background.  An introduction will often foreshadow what is to be said. In Romance languages such as Spanish, French, and Portuguese, this style is often considered “boring” and “inelegant.” Detours are expected and are considered a sign of class, not of poor organization. In Asian languages, there is often a great deal of circularity. Because of concerns about potential loss of face, opinions may not be expressed directly. Instead, speakers may hint at ideas or indicate what others have said, waiting for feedback from the other speaker before committing to a point of view."

http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/international_marketing.html

Steven's coming to HK in late December. Who's next? C'mon guys, you're doing good! More ticket booking!


P.S (Why are my 30 cents a pair of thin socks - to wear with high heels - make holes after I wear them 5 times... Ahhhh whatever, still cheap! I'll remember to buy 20 pairs next time I go shopping)

It all started with Math who REALLY wanted to hike in the New Territories. So he selected a section on the Wilson Trail and off we went.  

The section started in a village and with 3 big dogs barking at us because we were stepping on their territory. My instinct was to turn around and run as fast as I could. But Math caught my hand and told me to NEVER turn my back to dogs. We slowly backed off (I was sure one of the dogs would jump right to my face and bite it off) and decided to hike another section of the trail.

To Math's joy, we saw monkeys (his favorite). A LOT OF THEM. They were mostly close to wastebins searching for food. We even saw FAMILIES with mama, papa and baby :)

And this, you'll never believe it. We crossed the path of WILD cows. (Now you know I'm a city girl.) We saw them walking one after the another. After a couple, I'm like "Math, where's the owner? There's no one following them". To that, he responded "He/She must be slowly walking behind."

We then met some older hikers and I asked them if the cows belonged to them. They said "You're not from Hong Kong eh? They are like monkeys, wild. No one owns them" I was so amazed I kep asking questions such as "Where do they sleep? What do they eat?" Anyhow, while I was amazed by the wild cows, they were amazed by how small knowledge I have.

Moreover, Math and I finally understood where do the big poops (and I mean gigantic) along the road come from. 

even a calf!!! omg, so cute :)

It was our longest hike so far: 4 hours, 10 km and a lot of fun!

J'ai vu beaucoup de photos de mariées ces derniers temps à cause de ma cousine et de ses amies qui sont toutes prises dans la folie du *Merde, je viens de passer le cap de mes 30 ans et je dois me trouver un mari ASAP*. 

Mon père me disait tout le temps qu'une belle femme peut être belle avec ou sans maquillage, mais qu'une femme laide sera toujours laide. (Thus, no need to wear makeup since you can't do anything about it) Et bien, j'ai maintenant la preuve que c'est faux! Les laides peuvent être secourues non par un prince charmant mais avec l'aide des magiciennes/maquilleuses hong kongaises qui peuvent transformer un crapaud pustuleux en princesse adorable pour son jour de mariage. 

Now, I believe in miracles.

While I was looking at the library for French material, Math randomly picked a book from a shelf in the cooking section, his favourite. He doesn't like reading at all but was totally engrossed by this book which explains different techniques and theories about meat and the art of grilling...

I was thinking about dragging him out of the library when I reminded him that he can actually rent the damn thing. He then explained to me with great glee why the chicken has 2 kinds of meat while the duck has only one and the difference between a grill and a BBQ.

Julie will be in Hong Kong on the 26th of January 2011. Annis, how about you eh?

As I surf on the net for my tutorial classes, I realize how Internet is great for education. I wish I had interactive games to play with and these stackful of printables to work on when I was younger. Ahhh unfortunately, I only had a computer when I was in 5th grade and the web wasn't as developed as it is now.

Preparing for my first French lesson :)

This time, I've got 2 students about my age whom are leaving for France in January for their studies. Can't wait!

I thought I lost my wallet all over again and that Matt and Natt products were cursed. I really REALLY didn't want to go through the same hassle as in Belgium. But silly me, I just forgot it at home :)

Love hiking. We decided to explore a trail Math picked out from a book called The Serious Hiker's Guide to Hong Kong by Pete Spurrier. Turned out it wasn't as nice as we thought it would be because it was around a reservoir. Still, we saw a lot of stuff including a worm rolling on itself, a bunch of butterflies, small woodpeckers, spiders swimming and plenty of flowers. Yay for hiking!