July 15th, July 16th, July 17th

Today was nice.
:)
I got up at about 10:45 (seriously, I don't know why my mom's been so lenient with oversleeping this summer) and spent the morning and early afternoon at home.

At 2, my mom, brother, and I went back to the bone-setter's in Wan Chai. There, I played with the two cats: the dark one is 巧克力 ("chocolate"), and the white one is 牛奶仔 ("milky" or "milk-child"). They were very shy last time, but I managed to tempt them with toys until it got to the point where they were comfortable with LilBro and me (we could even hold them).
But that's not why I was there. I had gone there in order to learn some back stretches/exercises that will help me. So he taught me two things, which he told me to do each morning (6 sets of 20 reps. Of each exercise, that is) and night (3 sets of each). He said that it'll take about four days until I really feel any difference, but he also stated that I shouldn't slack of anyways.
After that, I waited for my dad to finish with his therapeutic massage -- y'know, the whole idea of family spirit and sticking together.

Anyways, it was 3:45 when we finally left. Dad went back to work, so Mom, LilBro, and I went to have some afternoon tea (because I was so hungry -- I hadn't eaten much for breakfast and lunch). I ordered an egg-salad-with-kiwi sandwich. It was an odd experience, but it was quite enjoyable. The only complaint I have is that they buttered the bread on the outside so it was salty in addition to being egg-salad-y and sweet-yet-tart.
After this short break, the three of us went looking for apartment-ware. We went to look at tiles, cabinets, sinks, etc. It was fun because it reminded me of Home Depot magazines, which I love to read; they always offer great tips on homecare and show really snazzy designs and appliances. It's amazing...

But enough of that. It was 5 by the time we finished with the tile shop (we have many more through which we must peruse, but they'll be saved for later), so we went to meet Aunt K, Fong, and Hei Hei at the Wan Chai station. Lo and behold, I saw them and also saw Denise -- I guess she overheard these plans when Aunt K was at Sara's today and wanted to come.

----- Tired at 1:59 AM on July 16th (technically) -----

Wed. July 15th
@ Afternoon tea
@ Dad came
@ The Peak -- really pretty
@@ Playground
@@ Pcitures!!!

Thurs. July 16th
@ Woke
@ Hang out at home
@ Planned to do some major blogging, email-ing, and college-ing. And maybe some Facebook-ing, time permitting.
@ Aunt K called --> Yau Ma Tei
@@ Cancelled plans
@ Mom to massage, LilBro with me
@ Met Aunt K, Fong, Hei Hei
@ Walked
@ Bought stinky tofu x2 --> okay; flavorful
@ War game stuff (and Gundams!)
@ Herbal drink
@ Plaza for games
@@ Broke glass
@ Aunt K, Fong, LilBro ate --> Hei Hei and I walked
@ Open-air street market
@@ "Mango Yoghurt"
@ Return, still eating
@ Plaza
@ Found Korean fashion but Aunt K called
@ MTR station, smuggled desserts
@ Home at 10:20

-----Tired once again at 1:10 AM -----

Okay -- so Wednesday! I met Aunt K, Fong, Hei Hei, and Denise at the Wan Chai station. And we ate some afternoon tea (at the same place where Mom, LilBro, and I had eaten just a two hours before. I wasn't particularly hungry, so I split with Mom. And all was good. Halfway through the meal, my dad also came and ate a bit. Then we all left and took a tram to Central, where we took another tram -- this one to the Peak!!!
It was really nice, although it goes at a steep incline for about half of the ride there. I was practically squeezing Denise's stomach because I didn't want her to fall. (She was standing on the bench seat to see out the window.) We got to the top and made a stop at the playground to humor Denise and then did lots of picture-taking when we got outside to the open area. Looking out and down really frightened me (I despise heights), Still, it was fun even though my legs felt like jelly the whole time. Afterwards, I took Denise to see the mini Disney castle downstairs and took pictures for her. And then we had some Haagen-Dazs ice cream (er... actually, only LilBro, Fong, and Denise had ice cream). It was a good time!
I remember the first time I went to the Peak; it was July 13th (my birthday) in 2002. Everyone had gathered together for my birthday (by everyone, I mean: Sara, Big Aunt, Big Uncle (B.Aunt's husband), Garfield (B.Aunt's oldest son), Ada, Vivian, Aunt K, Uncle Kau, Joey, Uncle 4, Yanny (Uncle 4's oldest daughter), Kitty (Uncle 4's other daughter), Mom, Cec, LilBro, and moi). We had some Japanese food for dinner and then went up the tram. I remember going up and thinking that it was an amusement park ride because the tram had been going at a reasonably quick speed before suddenly stopping; I thought that it was then going to let us free-fall down. To my surprise, it wasn't so. Anyways, I spent the night looking out at Hong Kong with my family. It was a really nice experience. And then, Uncle 4 surprised us by buying a big thing (a whole carton) of coffe Haagen-Dazs ice cream. Everyone was really digging in, though, so I decided to let them eat it. And so I didn't have any of my birthday ice cream, which is kinda funny... But yeah. That was pretty much it -- it may not sound like a lot, but it's massive fun. It's SO pretty...

---

And then THURSDAY, July 16th!

I was planning to take a break at home because I'd been going out so much. I felt that my blog, email account, college account, and Facebook account (if I had time to deal with the last one) were feeling a bit neglected, so I wanted to do some major work on them.
But then Aunt K called and was like, "Oh, hey. Fong's leaving on Sunday. So I'm taking him to Yau Ma Tei (油麻地; "oil numb (but this doesn't make sense!!!) ground"), and you and Hei Hei are coming with us."
So I was like, "Oh." (Consent?)

And so I was reay to go when my mom was like, "I have a therapeutic massage, so you're going to have to take your brother.", to which I also responded, "Oh." (Does this really qualify as consent?)
And so I took LilBro with me, and we all met up at Yau Ma Tei (Hei Hei came a bit after us, and we waited for Aunt K and Fong at the station).

When we were all assembled, we left and looked for the place that is reputed for selling war game items -- paintball guns, "armor" (vests, masks, goggles, etc.), ammo, etc. Don't ask me why I was there -- Fong was the one who wanted to check it out. (Not that I objected or anything. I just thought the whole thing was a bit odd -- did he intend to buy one and have airport security see a paintball gun in his suitcase?)
But there were also some Gundam and "hobby" shops that sold stuff like Gundam models(!!!), car models, helicopter models, and anything-you-can-think-of models. Pretty nifty. Along the way, there was a place selling video games. I went in, looking for a replacement for Sara's DS cover (since LilBro broke hers). And in the process, I accidentally broke a glass shelf (which could have been prevented if she had invested in a less shoddy stand. Seriously, it was hanging on two metal hooks (but not curved hooks -- it was more of a 90-degree angle), each a centimeter in length. But I digress). And I felt bad, so I paid her back. (I was really embarrassed.)
And so we walked for a long time and eventually ended up in Mong Kok (旺角; "overflowing (busy?) corner"). There was lots of walking involved, and Aunt K wanted to eat at a sit-down place. So we found a Korean BBQ buffet, and Aunt K, Fong, and LilBro went inside to eat. Hei Hei and I weren't hungry (we had decided to buy some candy earlier and had been eating that through the night), so we went and walked down some open-air markets. I bought some more souveniers/gifts for friends and was happy, even though it started to get rainy --> drizzle, rain, pour, rain, pour, rain, drizzle, end.
Anyways, we finished and then walked back to the restaurant. But the three weren't done (well, Aunt K was, but the other two weren't), so Hei Hei used the bathroom before the two of us left again. And this time we went to a shopping plaza. And I went into a men's Korean fashion store. And wanted to buy everything (well, nearly everything) because I love Korean and Japanese fashion (when talking about men's Asian fasion). But I'm poor 24/7. And then Aunt K called to tell us that she was going to the Mong Kok MTR station and would meet us there, so I left. During the time when I was on the phone with Aunt K, Hei Hei and the woman in the shop were discussing me because she was like, "You're from America, aren't you? Your accent totally gives it away, and your tones aren't completely on-target." Geez, way to be subtle. (Can't you soften the blow? I know I've got an extreme accent.)

Anyways, Hei Hei and I met Aunt K in the station , and Aunt K proceeded to give me some of the desserts she smuggled from the Korean buffet. (WTG, Aunt K!?! You're not supposed to do that!) Anywyas, we went our separate ways and called it a night.

During the night, I ate some cool stuff:
@ Stunky tofu. Stinky tofu is tofu that has been left in brine comprising fermented milk, vegetables, and meat. It may smell a bit icky, but it's actually not bad at all. In fact, I would say that there's almost nothing that's special about its taste, but that's not entirely true; if it's stinky enough, it'll taste better (and leave an aftertaste). Anyways, I had it twice during the night -- the first one was okay. But the second (we bought it from a Shanghainese foodstall which boasted the stinkiest tofu nearby) was definitely flavorful enough.
@ Herbal jelly. I can't remember the name, but it's an herbal jelly which is supposed to be good for you. It was rather bland with a hint of sweetness (like, just a hint. It was barely there).
@ An herbal drink. Can't remember the name either, but it was very nice. It felt very cooling (apparently, it's a "cooling item" which helps to get rid of the excess inner heat of the body) and tasted bery strongly of... a grassy herb. I liked it.
@ "Mango yoghurt" (芒果多多). It is (basically) mango puree with Yakult, which is a drink infused with good bacteria. I love mangoes, and I love Yakult... Ego, I was very pleased with this drink.
@ Ice cream: ube, green tea, tofu. Delicious -- must I say more?

---

FRIDAY, July 17th

Last night (Thursday), the plan had been to eat at our place (Aunt K, Fong, Hei Hei, and my family). But our walking had left us unable to go, so we decided to just walk for the whole night, which left my mom and dad to eat together. But she had prepared papaya soup and lotus root for dinner (two things that I love), so I had asked her to save some for today. So for breakfast, I had some papaya soup and freshly-cooked lotus root (my mom had left some aside and fridged it instead).

And then for lunch, my mom, brother, and I went (via tram) to meet Fong and Hei Hei at the Wan Chai station. And we had dim sum at a nearby place. The food was okay, I guess. It wasn't really flavoful and delectable -- just passable. But the shrimp dumplings were a bit neat, in all honesty. Usually, they're just shrimp (maybe with bamboo shoot and or some small vegetables) wrapped in a wrapper. But these ones were called 鳳眼包 ("fong ahn bao"; "Phoenix eye bread/filled-bread) or 鳳眼餃 ("fong ahn gao"; "Phoenix eye dumpling") -- I can't remember (包 and 餃 sound so alike that I can't remember what they called it). It was just like a normal shrimp dumpling, but the wrapper wasn't completely closed -- it was instead shapped like eyelids that were on both sides of a piece of shrimp. In the end, it looked slightly like an eyeball (the shrimp was the iris).

Anyways, we went to Tai Yuen Street (the toy market) because Fong hadn't been there before. It was a fun time. Ater this, we all went to check out the library in Causeway Bay because Fong and Hei Hei (I think she hasn't, at least) haven't been there before. They were like, "Yep... This is one massive library.", which is true because it's the size of a running track with eleven (maybe more) floors. But Mom had some stuff to do, so she and LilBro headed back home and left Fong, Hei Hei, and me to chill for an hour in there. I read some stuff on sociology after being unable to find any Locke or Rousseau to read (for some reason, I really wanted to read their stuff today -- more so than usual, that is).

After an hour, the three of us headed to my place, where we chilled for a bit. And then we went to eat thick toast at the Happy Valley place (the auntie there is so nice. I really like her because she's friendly and makes an effort to talk to you) and ended up also going to the apartment in which we had thought of residing before buying the Siu Fai Terrace one. And so Mom got the mail while Fong and Hei Hei were looking around. I checked the mail and found some mail for me and saw some pretty exciting (x1) and irritating (x2) stuff. So the ratio was 1:2 with irritation winning. Poopface. Oh well.

After doing that, we went to Dad's office to chill before going to dinner. I was Dad's co-workers, Raymond (who offered us candy) and Esme, which was nice. They're really friendly, so I like them. (Basically, I like nice people.)
Sadly, Hei Hei had to leave our group to go attend a family reunion of her own, which left Fong, Dad, Mom, LilBro, and me to eat. We went to a place that was pretty close -- it was a restaurant that specialized in Chiu Chow (also known as Teochew/Chauzhou/Chaushan/Swatow) food. (It apparently originates from the Guangdong region, which is in the southern parts of China. Interestingly, the use of shark fin and bird's nest comes from Guangdong cuisine, so I have much thanks to give these people!)
The special items were:
@ Lo Siu goose and cuttlefish. "Lo Siu" describes a sauce that is used to marinate food.
@ Vegetable rice. It's basically fried rice with veggies. Only. It was good although the excessive oil kinda turned me off.
@ Plain Chiu Chow congee. Unlike the congee with which I am familiar, Chiu Chow congee contains a lot of water. However, the rice is not as mushy as the rice in the congee I know, so it was kind of like eating overcooked rice in rice water. It was rather odd.

And then the five of us came back here. And my mom had made mango pudding, so I ate half a bowl (one of the giant dessert bowls, that is) of it. I felt fat afterwards (especially because I had just finished an excessively oily dinner) but decided not to dwell on it too much.
Anyways, Fong and LilBro left afterwards to sleep at Aunt K's. LilBro went with Fong because I had wanted to go to see the Big Buddha (天壇大佛, "Tiin Tahn Dai Fut"; "heaven big Buddha") on Lantau Island. I had seen it four years earlier, but hadn't walked up the steps to see the Buddha statue up close. So I planned to meet Aunt K early in the morning to go with her (as well as Fong and LilBro) to Lantau Island. But there are forecasts of heavy rain, and we'd be taking either a cable car (which would suspend us on a rope high above water level) or a bus (which would go on a twenty- to thirty-minute ride on a very twisty mountainside with nothing but metal bumper-things to keep a bus from sliding off of the slick roads into a very rocky oblivion). So we cancelled the plans. And apparently, I'm not going to be saying my greetings to Buddha this summer because my mom was like, "You've already seen the statue anyways. But last time, you didn't want to go up the steps and see it up close. So you know what? Deal with it -- you aren't going."
Whatevs, Mom. That was four years ago. Sorry that I wasn't interested at the time. (Sheesh.)
So now I'm thinking that I might go to Aunt K's tomorrow before heading to see Vivian play hocky. But we'll see, I guess. :)

Okay. Ciao. I've got to go now. (And sorry for the late post!!!)

RANDOM THINGS:
@ I noticed this two weeks ago -- my left arm is longer than my right one, but they look to be the same lengeth because my right shoulder is lower than my left one. (My left upper arm is longer than my right one, which accounts for this abnormality.)
@ I noticed this two weeks ago as well: my dyed hair became gray/white. See, the sun here is really bright, so I think that it bleached away the dye. Also, the shampoo and conditioner here isn't the protect-your-hair-dye kind, so that also didn't help. All in all, it's a bit eh... But I'll bye some dye when I get to the States and re-dye the white parts. :) I'm thinking... red? Pink? Green? (Something bright.)
@ Lately, I've been hearing lots of Lady Gaga here. It's so exciting. Like, many clothing stores and hair salons love her. Ahhh... so exciting!

OH! And I forgot to mention that Samule's birthday is July 9. And July 15 is Aubs' birthday.
Happy birthday, besties.

July 17
11:36 PM