In and Out

Another month has passed since my last post, where have the days gone? Our first round of visitors for the year ended last month so we've started adjusting to life as a family of four. Ryan continues to attend kinder five days a week from 9am to 12noon. Mia has settled into a daily routine very similar to that of her Kor-Kor's at the same age. Her first feed of the day is usually around 7.30am after which she immediately goes back down for her morning nap waking up three and a half to four hours later for her next feed. This is about the only "quiet time" I have to myself each day. Once Ryan walks through the door, it's full steam ahead until Shad comes home from work. On Mondays we have swimming, Wednesdays the occasional playdate, Thursdays Science Club at school and Fridays taekwondo. Then there are also the other times when we try to meet up with our Belcher's group of little friends. However, since we had Mia, our outdoor playtimes are now a little more restricted so we've been spending more time at home exploring our creative side.

Ryan loves to read and now he has a captive audience, one who lies very still and listens (for the moment anyway). BTW, when I say he reads, I mean he memorises the words when we read to him and what he can't remember, he just makes up!

Potato stamping. I never would have thought that 30 years later I would be the one cutting out the shapes on the potatoes for my child just like Dad did for us.

Picasso at work! One long strip of paper, 1 paint brush, 1 bowl of paint, 2 hours of quiet time, priceless! :)

Noodle making factory!

We had a quiet birthday celebration this year. Steamboat dinner at home with my parents, aunt and uncle who were visiting from Melbourne (Thank you Aunty Kwistine for the lovely cake!).

As soon as the weekend comes around, all three of us (plus the little munchkin) eagerly head outdoors to enjoy the beautiful Spring weather. A few weekends ago we went on our first hike (to be honest, more like an easy walk) here in HK. Hard to believe but HK is not just the concrete jungle that most of us think it to be. It has some amazing beaches, and beautiful countryside. For a change, instead of stopping at a beach, we went to Mo Tat Wan on Lamma Island on our friend's boat for a simple but delicious seafood lunch before going for a short hike.

Would you have pictured this when you think of Hong Kong?

Approaching Mo Tat Wan. That little hut with the florescent yellow roof serves some of the freshest and tastiest seafood.

Special of the day - Fresh sweet dumpling 

Steamed prawns, fish and tofu soup to start with... deep fried squid, steamed fish, lobster in garlic butter still to come... 

Mia snug asleep against Daddy's chest. This was the little munchie's first time in the baby pouch. It must have been very comfortable because she slept through the entire walk. (This island is known for their dried seaweed - see the ones hung up to dry)

Racing up to the top of the hill

Monkeying around

I tired...

Down and out. Ryan was so tired that he just stopped suddenly, lay down on the ground and refused to move.

Nature call???

Hike leader Ryan showing us the way back to the boat

We joined Shad's colleagues for a barbeque one Sunday. HK style barbeque = hundreds of people under a huge tent huddled around tiny charcoal burners cooking all kinds of fishballs, meatballs, chicken wings, beef steaks, sausages, pregnant fish, squid etc. And they still managed to squeeze in plenty of mahjong tables in there too! It was a fun day out. We met Shad's workmates, Ryan got to "cook" on an open stove and while Mia didn't get to eat anything, she came home smelling of charcoal and grilled meats!

Somehow food just tastes better cooked on an open fire

On any sunny day, even during Winter, we rarely miss a chance to go down to the beach even if it's just for a quick play in the sand. Ryan loves doing this. This time Ryan's school buddy Samuel and his family joined us for brunch at the cafe at Big Wave Bay. The boys had a great time running around on the beach while the Daddies got a tan standing nearby chatting away (they were supposed to be looking after the kids!). But I think Tiziana and I had the best deal - sitting at the cafe enjoying endless cups of hot chocolate and a steady flow of snacks interruptedly only by the occassional cries for food from our two baby girls! 

Run like the wind...

Australia vs Italy

Testing out their mud slide

Time to cool down

While their brothers created havoc on the beach, the girls slept the beautiful afternoon away...

Outings

Our weekends have been packed full of activities over the last few weeks. We've been trying to make the most of the great weather that we've been having, sunshine and cool air. Mia's been a very cooperative baby when it comes to outings. She's up for a feed, plays for a little while then sleeps for two to three hours before she's up again for her next feed. She's such a darling, full of smiles for us and is so very cuddly :). Ryan loves being outdoors too. Our little boy is growing up very quickly, much too fast for us really. He's extremely articulate, keeps us in stiches with some of the things that he comes up with. He loves his new role as "Kor-Kor" and has been a great little assistant when it comes to helping out with Mia.  

Sunday Lunch...

A relaxing Sunday lunch at Top Deck Restaurant. Where is it you ask? At the top deck of the famous Jumbo Floating Restaurant of course!

Taking in the sights and the cool breeze with Kong-Kong (reason for Mia's mismatched look is that the socks were the smallest ones Mama could find at the last minute because our little girl's feet are so tiny they don't fit into any of the ones that matched her outfit) 

Boating... 

We spent another beautiful day out at sea with Ava, Jean-Noel and the boys. Even though it was a sunny day, it was still too cold to get into the water so we headed out to Mo Tat Wan on Lamma Island for lunch. The three boys had a great time playing pirates as we sailed out into the open waters and loved digging in the sand while the adults enjoyed a leisurely lunch. It was definitely a wonderful way to spend Valentine's Day, although it wasn't what you would call a romantic date what with the kids running all around :).                                                         

             

"Hand over your jewels, aarrrr...."

"This boat driving business is easy. Watch, I can do this with just one hand!" - Captain Ryan taking Uncle J-N on a speed boat ride

Just the perfect set up - the adults can enjoy their meal peacefully while the kids play safely on the beach. Can you spot Mum, Ava and myself sitting up at the left corner on the deck having a lovely slow lunch?  

Belated Chinese New Year Picnic...

We had a post-CNY celebration with our Belcher's friends at Inspiration Lake. This was truly a Malaysian/Singaporean style picnic. Around 20 of us rolled up to the park carrying our pots of chicken curry, fried bee hoon, fried rice, chicken stew, fried fishballs and of course a must for CNY, Mum's "yee sang". Ah, now this is what I call a real picnic!

Chopsticks ready...Aunty Pam's mouth ready (for the required good luck sayings)... ok here we go... loh hei everyone...

While we adults devoured the delicious spread, the boys had a little picnic of their own. 

Another Day at the Beach...

We've been waiting eagerly for the weather to start warming up so that we can resume our favourite summer time activity - lazing around on the beach. So last Sunday we got together with four other families and headed out to Shek O beach. Although the water was still too cold for swimming, all of us had a great time sitting around on the sand, chatting, eating and watching the kids run around on the sand. And mmm...mmm...mmm... I got to eat my yummy soup noodles with roast duck and big intestines, yummy!

Airborne!

The Dragon and his Hunter...

Ryan watched a documentary on dragons recently at my cousin's house and since then he's been fascinated with these mythological animals, even inventing a new game, "Dragon and Hunter". In this, Ryan is always the dragon and my mum the hunter. The dragon runs around chasing the hunter, breathing fire at him or in this case her. Finally he catches the hunter and devours his victim. Both of them had lots of fun playing this game and now that Mum's gone back home, I have become the replacement hunter!

Siblings

We'd been wanting to take some photos of Ryan and Mia together for some time now. So while both kids were in a good mood one Sunday, we set up a make shift studio at home and Shad whipped out his camera gear and started snapping away. However, good moods only last as long as our tummies are full and we are not sleepy which for Mia is not long at all. As for a three and a half year old, the attention span is even shorter, and after one too many instructions of "sit still Ryan, don't move, smile at the camera", one happy child very quickly turned into a grumpy one! 

Outtakes!!! Shad must have taken over 200 shots, but barely a handful passed the photographer's quality check. Even the ones that I thought were great didn't meet his approval! One thing's for sure, it's hard work being the photographer's assistant. Both Mum and I were drenched in sweat after 10 minutes of constantly shifting the kids around and making all sorts of funny faces to get them to smile! 

Here's an amateur shot taken at home. Ryan and Mia were sharing a playful moment together. 

Old Hong Kong

I guess the title of this post is self explanatory. Over the last few weeks we "went back in time" so to speak, and looked at Hong Kong's historical past through exhibits at the Hong Kong Museum of History, Hong Kong Heritage Museum and the Kowloon Walled City Park. Much to our surprise, Ryan also really enjoyed the museums "looking at Hong Kong when it was old", as he calls it.

Here's a little background on the Kowloon Walled City (description "borrowed" from Wikipedia)... The history of the Walled City (known as Kowloon then) can be traced back to the Song Dynasty (960–1279), where it served as a watchpost defending the area against pirates and managing the production of salt. It was rebuilt as a fort in the mid-1800s on the same site on the Kowloon Peninsula of Hong Kong. After the ceding of Hong Komg Island to Britain in 1842 in accordance to the Treaty of Nanjing, the Qing (Chinese) authorities felt it necessary for them to establish a military/administrative post to rule the area and to check further British influence in the area.

Kowloon Walled City, 1915

The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory of 1898 which handed additional parts of Hong Kong (the New Territoriess) to Britain for 99 years excluded the Walled City, with a population of roughly 700, and stated that China could continue to keep troops there, so long as they did not interfere with Britain's temporary rule. Britain quickly went back on this unofficial part of the agreement, attacking Kowloon Walled City in 1899, only to find it deserted. They did nothing with it nor to the outpost, and thus sent the question of Kowloon Walled City's ownership squarely into the air. The outpost consisted of a yamen, as well as other buildings (which eventually grew into a low-lying, densely packed neighborhood within the walls), in the era between the 1890s and the 1940s. The enclave remained part of Chinese territory despite the turbulent events of the early 20th century that saw the fall of the Qing government, establishment of a Republic of China in 1911 and later, the People's Republic of China in 1949.

After Japan's surrender, squatters (whether former residents or - more likely - newcomers) began to occupy the Walled City, resisting several attempts by Britain in 1948 to drive them out. With no wall to protect it initially, the Walled City became a haven for crooks and drug addicts, as the Hong Kong Police had no right to enter the City. Mainland China - whether warlord, Communist or Kuomintang - refused to take care of it. The foundation of the People's Republic of China in 1949 added thousands of refugees, many from Guangdong, to the population.

By this time, Britain had had enough, and simply adopted a 'hands-off' policy. When a murder occurred in the Walled City in 1959, it set off a small diplomatic crisis as the two nations each tried to get the other to accept responsibility for this tract of land now virtually ruled by anti-Manchurian Triads (a Hong Kong organized crime syndicate).

The Triads' rule lasted until 1973–1974, when a series of over 3,000 police raids targeted them in their Kowloon Walled City stronghold. Although the walled city was described as a hotbed of criminal activities, the daily lives of its dwellers were largely organized by the residents themselves, rather than by the Triad. Most residents were not involved in any crime and lived peacefully within its walls. Many charities and religious groups helped to improve the lives of residents. Schools and other welfare were being introduced to the district. Numerous small factories and businesses thrived inside the Walled City. The Government of Hong Kong also provided some services such as water and mail delivery in the city.

With the Triads weakened, the Walled City began to grow. Square buildings folded up into one another as thousands of modifications were made, virtually none by architects or engineers, until the entire City became monolithic. Labyrinthine corridors ran through the City, some former streets (at the ground level, and often clogged up with refuse), and some running through upper floors, through and between buildings. The streets were illuminated by fluorescent lights, as sunlight rarely reached the lower levels. There were only two rules for construction: electricity had to be provided to avoid fire, and the buildings could be no more than fourteen stories high, because of the nearby airport. Eight municipal pipes provided water to the entire structure (although more could have come from wells).

By the early 1980s, Kowloon Walled City had an estimated population of 35,000. The City was notorious for its excess of brothels, casionos, opium dens, cocaine parlours, food courts serving dog meat, and secret factories. The Kowloon Walled City was also infamous for its high number of unsanitary dentist clinics, since unlicensed dentists could operate there without prosecution.

Over time, both the British and the Chinese governments found the massive, anarchic city to be increasingly intolerable - despite the low reported crime rate. The quality of life in the city, sanitary conditions in particular, was far behind the rest of Hong Kong.

After the Joint Declaration in 1984, the PRC agreed with British authorities to demolish the City and resettle its inhabitants. The mutual decision to tear down the walled city was made in 1987.At that time, it had 50,000 inhabitants on 0.026 km², and therefore a very high population density of 1,923,077/km², making it one of the most densely populated urban areas on Earth.

 

The buildings here were built so closely together that people could hardly see sunlight from the alleyways (picture from Wikipedia)

During the demolition of the city, two carved granite plaques were discovered from the original South Gate which had been the main entrance. One bears the characters for South Gate and the other Kowloon Walled City.

Part of the remaining foundation of the South Gate

A miniature construction of the Walled City 

Kong-Kong and Ryan infront of one of the many gates

Copying Daddy using his make believe "hand" camera

Taking a rest infront of the cascading waterfall

I really like this pic :) Don't have too many of just me and Mum.

Reminds me of Singapore long ago. Karen and I always thought it was so funny to see other people's underwear flying above our heads!

Hong Kong Museum of History...this is a fantastic museum. Walking through it really gives you an idea of how much Hong Kong has changed through the years. I would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Hong Kong.

A mini reconstruction of a "yok choy pou" (chinese medical shop). My great grandfather used to own one in Seremban which looked very much like this.

A "chap foh team" (provisional shop)

Doesn't this look so real?

Banking in the olden days

This could very well be one of the classrooms in Convent Primary School Seremban

Homg Kong Museum of Heritage... didn't take many photos here because they had a "no photos" policy in most parts of the museum. They did have a pretty good kids section where Ryan had fun running around in.