Day 59 : Sydney to Hong Kong

Wake up at 6:20am, I already packed most of the stuffs last night, so there is really not much to pack. Just make sure I haven't left anything behind, that's all. As usual, have some coffee and toast, take a shower before we leave the house at 8am. Take the ferry to Circular Quay where I will transfer to a train to the airport. Say goodbye to Robbie, thank him for welcoming me to his place. I am looking forward to seeing him again either in HK, Sydney or Canada if he is going to have a wedding there someday. I quite like Sydney, so I am sure I'll be back someday anyway.

I am taking a Qantas flight at noon today, there is a long line for international flights, but the line goes quicker at least. Have my bag checked, pass the customs, then I find myself a cafe to have a coffee and write my blog until boarding. The crying kids at the gate particularly annoy me, they are two brothers, one is hitting the others and telling him he is an idiot. That kids cannot be older than 3 years. The father is ordering the elder brother to stand by the wall, but he just cries his lungs out, and so does his younger brother who has just squeezed some water onto his brother's shirt before they start to fight. Both deserves some good handy spanky, in my opinion.

The flight is quite full, the attendant for my aisle is particularly absent-minded. She has forgot drinks, collecting trays for a few rows. She might as well forget where she is and start sleeping on the floor. Apart from her, the flight is smooth and the food is good. I watch a movie called Mao's Last Dancer, which Robbie just recommended me about a few days ago. It is indeed quite good, and it makes my eyes wet. It actually occurs in a moment kind of embarrassing: I am just so touched by the scene when the main character rejoin with his parents in the states, the tears are flooding in my eyes, while my kind neighbor happens to ask me if I want a piece of chocolate from her box at that time. I am like hold it, grab a piece of chocolate, say thanks, not dare to look at her. She is the friendly mom type. Another movie I watch is called The State Of Play, starring by Russell Crowe and Ben Afflick, about a political scandal, good acting but poor choice for a flight movie. After another 6 TV programs: four 30 Rock and two The Simpsons later, I literally have enough of TV and have to turn it off. Luckily, we are also arriving soon. I look out of the window, and see some green barren islands sticking out from the surface of the sea, like they have just dropped out from the sky. I can just recognize them right away, almost like the signature of Hong Kong really.

Land at Hong Kong Int'l Airport at 5:45pm, the sky is already getting dark. Just a week or two ago, it was 10C here, and now it's back to 25C, I feel kind of warm really because I carry two heavy backpacks on my back and on my front. The custom has not given me much troubles, just curious why I don't have my HK ID with me. Oh well, I just say I left it at home even though I really have no idea where it went. Walking out the airport, quite frankly, I have mixed feelings, this time is so much different than the past few times I came back from the US. I guess because this time is for permanent. I am happy to see my family and friends and feel excited about a lot of things I am going to see and do, but I know very well that starting anew is not gonna be easy, finding a job, sleeping in my old room which has long become a storage room, I need to get some new furnitures for my room like a bookshelf, a desk and perhaps a bed, also need to get a cell phone, set up internet, a bank account...etc. It will take a while, it will take a while, I keep myself. Just take one step at a time.

After all, I am home, taken a long way but here I am, back for good.

Photos here: Day 59

Day 58 : Sydney Day 4 - Manly Beach

Quite a fabulous day actually. Get up around 6 or 7am, but fall back asleep and get up again around 9:40am. Not sure if I still have jet lag or not, I do get awaken fairly early, but usually I manage to sleep an hour or two more after laying in bed for awhile. And in the daytime, I don't feel tired at all. Anyway, the weather is absolutely fab today, blue sky, not too hot, around 25-26C, with some breezes, and certainly not cold at all. I can finally go sunbathing at the beach.

I have the leftover curry chicken with rice from a few nights ago for lunch, after that, I head down to the bus stop and hop on the Bus#143 which takes me to the Manly Beach. Maybe 1:30pm, I am looking for some tanning oil in some pharmacies in Manly. I have a No.30 for my face in my bag actually, but my body below the head is all white except the arms, I want to get a No.4 or even No.2 to get some tan on my body, or someone would say I have worn an invisible vest! I have looked in two pharmacies, there are lots of 30+ tanning oil, but not many low number ones. Robbie told me once that because some many people are getting skin cancer from the sun these days, the government starts to tell people not to sunbath too much. Perhaps it's really the case. Anyway, I find a No.6 tanning oil, when I pay, the cashier gives me a warning saying that oil has very low protection and I should consider getting a higher number. Very nice of her. But I pull up the sleeve of my shirt and tell her that I need some colors on some parts of my body.

As a weekday, I am surprised to find so many people at the beach, don't people need to work here in Australia? Last Saturday, we were at the beach next to the wharf. This time, I walk to the other side of the peninsula, where the real Manly Beach is. Over at that side, the water is very wavy, many people are surfing. The beach itself is beautiful, the sand is very fine, the water is clean and in light green. I walk past the field where the kids are playing volleyball, find a place with less crowds, I lay down my Woodstock Music Festival beach towel, show off my not so sexyback, and apply the tanning oil on my body. Not exactly sure how long I do my front, about 7-8 songs, I guess, I am listening the latest album of a band called The Gossip. And then I do my back for another 7-8 songs. Front again. When I finally decide to go into the water, I have already listened to 3 albums. Enough tanning for a day. The water is very cold, but with the sun, it is ok. Only wet for a few minutes, I go back up, sit for a little bit while taking some pictures of the surfers and the cuties. Then, I pack up and leaves. It is already 5pm, I need to get home before Robbie, or he will be stuck outside of the house.

We pick up some pizza for dinner, and I watch the movie Angels and Demons on the movie channel while we are eating it. Honestly, I find the movie though entertaining but not enough wow factors, the plot and how the director handles the film is very similar to the De Vinci's Code. I mean, yeah, I am slightly surprised by the ending, but it hasn't wowed me. What really "wow" me or more like "scare" me tonight is that I cannot locate my Hong Kong identity card while I am heading home in less than 24 hours. Now I think of it, I can't recall when I saw it last either. Before I left the US, I made a copy of all my identification and I certainly didn't have it then. Hopefully, I kept it at my mom's, otherwise, I will have it replaced when I get back to Hong Kong.

Photos here: Day 58

Day 57 : Sydney Day 4 - Crow's Nest

This is an even more relaxing day, I have not actually gotten out of bed until 10am. My eyes are jammed by whatever you called it, I personally call it eyeshit. The sky is gloomy, the blinds are down, it is a perfect condition for extended bedtime. I could have slept some more if I want to, but I just take a peek at the watch, it's already 10am, so I am like: alright, alright, I'd get up. After some toasts and coffee, I take a shower. Soon, it's way past noon already, I reheat the pasta and play the Torch Song Trilogy DVD on TV while I am eating, kind of lost track how many times I have seen that movie, but probably many.

It sprinkles a little outside, I plan on staying in most of the times, but I need to go down to the supermarket to get chicken. I'd be cooking again tonight, plan to make the other dish I can do - marinated chicken with rice. Get to the supermarket, I notice there are two type of chicken thighs: cutlet and fillet, not exactly sure what the differences are, so I get them both, 2 each, not missing out anything. Turn out one with bone, one without. Oh... It's what it is, good, learn something new everyday. The pumpkin soup with ginger looks pretty good as well, so I get some of those as well. Come back, marinate the chicken, then I head out again. Robbie tells me about this arty book/CD/DVD shop in a neighborhood called Crow's Nest, there they have a lot of foreign movies, so I want to go there and take a look.

Take a bus, about 5 mins, I arrive at Crow's Nest. All the neighborhoods I have visited in Sydney so far are all quite eclectic, sidewalk cafes and little shops are everywhere. I walk down Willoughby Road twice and cannot find the shop. Almost give up and about to go back home, but I decide to give it one more try, I walk down the road once again but on the other side of the street. This time, I finally see it, the shop is called Title, with a tiny little storefront and in very simplistic style. I would not have spot it from the other side of the street, because it is completely hidden behind the sidewalk cafe. They have a really good collection of the arty and foreign movies, a lot of world music CDs, and those huge art books. Many items in the shop are very tempting, but they are quite expensive, so I haven't bought anything, which is good actually.

Come back the house around 4:30pm, listening to music for a while. Then, I have pretty much done nothing until 7:30pm, when I begin to cook. Watching The Nightmare Before Christmas while we have dinner. Tomorrow, the weather.com predicts for "AM Cloud PM Sun", hopefully I'll be able to go to the beach and get some tan on my body.

No photos today.

Day 56 : Sydney Day 3 - CD Shopping

Despite the fact I slept quite late last night, I have woken up rather early this morning. Robbie head out to work around 8am, I guess, I am not exactly sure actually. But after he leaves the house, I just take it easy, have some toasts and coffee for breakfast. Watch some TV, use the internet, take a shower, before I know it, it's like almost noon. So, I fix myself the leftover pasta with chorizo in melted cheese again. Well, I have enough for at least 2 days' lunches. It's good, save me money. In fact, the US dollar is so weak now, I am not sure if I should be spending much here. It is like 1 to 0.9 something from AUD to USD. The prices I have seen in shops here seems fairly high to me, like a sandwiches with chips and drink I had yesterday cost like AUD 15, a regular CD price is like AUD 22 (that's a lot for Christ's sake). Although in the states, apart from the listed price, you need to pay the tax on top of it, here in Australia, the listed price has already included the tax, so the number you see on the sticker is what you pay. I like that, nothing jumps out at you at checkout. For restaurants too, no tipping is expected. THAT is so much better.

Plan of the day is to go downtown on my own, check out some CD shops. I doesn't have to buy stuffs, just want to check things out. One or two cheap DVDs might satisfy my shopping desire, we'll see, right? So, after lunch, make sure I have the door locked and carry the "key" with me, which is the only copy, such a big responsibility, I am not sure if Robbie has put it on the right hand. Anyway, successfully get to downtown, go back to the Virgin Record Megastore, find nothing. Walk to the Oxford Street, hoping to find Central Station, which is a dance record shop that I visited 9 years ago and bought a lot of CDs as I still remember. But I walk up and down the Oxford Street and cannot find it, even though the website says it is still there. Don't know, maybe I just miss it completely?? It starts to rain when I am walking on the Oxford Street, all the clubs and bars are closed. There are some alternative clothing shops, adult shops kind of stuffs opened, but the street is rather quite in the afternoon. I walk back toward the Hyde Park, take a picture of the noisy bird on the tree. Then I go to another CD/DVD shop in World Square Shopping Center where I buy 2 DVDs. Oh well...I walk in that shop for almost 2 hours, I feel almost like a duty that I need to buy something. :P

Meet Robbie at QVB (Queen Victoria Building) around 5:30pm, we are going to have a drink with Trevor, a colleague of Robbie, who I actually met many years ago in Sydney and in Hong Kong when he came over to visit with his ex-wife and son. We go to a place called the Small Bar, quite cozy actually. I am introduced to try lemon lime and bitters, a non-alcoholic drink, I like it. Quite refreshing. It is good to meet up with Trevor again, I like him, he is a funny English guy who has lived in Australia for 27 years. We have 2 rounds of drink, while Robbie and I have an extra round before Trevor arrives. 3 rounds of drink is guarantee way for peeing all night.

I don't know, maybe it 8:30pm or so, we head the home way, pick up some Thai takeaway and eat at home while I watch a movie called The Boat That Rocked on the movie channel. The basil chicken here is very different than the one I had in the states. Honestly, I prefer the one I had in the states. Will have to try to find one similar to that in Hong Kong. Tonight, I feel very exhausted for some reasons, go to bed around 11:30pm.

Photos here: Day 56

Day 55 : Sydney Day 2 - The heat wave

Woke up 3 times to use the bathroom last night, guess I drank too much tea before going to sleep. Anyway, I get up at 9am this morning, the almost 11 hours of sleep has recharged me to my fullest energy. I don't feel tired from the jet lag anymore. However, according to the weather report, today is gonna be one of the hottest November days in Sydney in record, high at 41C. Remind you Sydney is supposed to be still in spring time. Just as a friend told me a few days ago, Hong Kong had a 10C, which I thought it was pretty unusual to get that cold in November in Hong Kong. Again, these just prove the weather pattern is so messed up by the global warming. Who knows, someday, the summer and winter in South and North Hemispheres might completely switch. We would be lucky if it is only that simple.

To start off the day, for breakfast, we eat some extra grainy toasts, coffee and I have an extra apple. Shower and get ready to go out. Our plan of the day is to go downtown, Robbie needs to show me a few things: very importantly, where the record shops are, apparently, HMV has closed their businesses in Australia, which although I am not surprised, it is still quite shocking to hear that I cannot go there anymore. BTW, is HMV in Hong Kong still operating? I hope. Luckily, there is still a Virgin Record Megastore here in Sydney, so I gotta go there. He also needs to show me where the bus station is for buses going home, and probably a place we might meet up during the weekdays after his work. Since it is so hot today, I suggest perhaps we should stay indoor and maybe go to see a movie in a theatre after downtown, or if watch a DVD at home. I would really like to see Where The Wild Things Are, but it is not released in Australia until early December. Find that Departures, the Japanese movie which won the Oscar's Best Foreign Movie last year, is still showing here. Even though I had seen it twice already, Robbie has never seen it, so I thought maybe we can go to see it. That's the original plan.

When we head to the ferry pier, we can already feel the stuffy air today, the heat is like trapped in between the heaven and the hell. But it is still bearable at the moment. Get to downtown, walk around, find the Virgin, she is so freaking expensive from the first glance, a regular CD is like AUD 22 dollars, I mean geez louise. But you never know, with me and the CD shops, I might end up finding some cheap to buy. That's a task for tomorrow. Have lunch at the basement of a mall, at a food hall, haven't been to those for ages. Gosh, I like to eat almost everything, I am not good choosing, are you kidding me? But at least I know what I am ordering. After I make my final verdict, I give my stomach a supremo chicken wrap, fries and green tea. The extra Nando's Peri-Peri hot sauce is needed to give it some kicks. Good wrap. After that, we walk by a few more CD shops. Robbie, you are such a friend! I am so tempted to buy a lot of DVDs, but I hold back. I'll do it when nobody's watching tomorrow. Hehe... since we are already past the movie schedule, I suggest that I would buy a DVD and we can watch it at home. In fact, I notice Pan's Labyrinth is quite reasonable priced for a 2DVD, I liked that movie and Robbie hasn't seen it. OK. Let's do it. We originally are walking toward the Oxford Street where the shiny happy people are. But with that heat, Robbie asks me if I still really want to go, I haven't needed to think about it, I already say, not really.

So, we hop on a bus and head home. Tonight's chef is moi. I make a super unhealthy pasta with chorizo in melted cheesesssss...of course, that is pretty much the only thing I can make that is edible. It is actually perfect, I get tons of leftover for lunches the next two days, so I can save some money and use it on CD shopping. After the movie, I am writing my blog, while Robbie is chatting with his other half online. I also jump in and say a Hello for a sec. I agreed to be the best man for their wedding, so I am really looking forward to that. I have stayed up quite late tonight, like 1:30am, guess I am slowly getting back to my old Hong Kong habit.

Photos here: Day 55

Day 54 : Sydney Day 1 - 8km with the lizards

Arrive at Auckland at 4:30am local time, after an hour stopover in New Zealand, we continue our way to Sydney, Australia. With adjusting the time difference, we are landed at Sydney International Airport just a few minutes before 7am. The last time I came to Sydney was in 2000. Now, I come here again after almost a decade, just wondering what have changed over the 9 years. The staffs at the custom are as friendly, although they are quite strict about the stuffs you are bringing in the country now. One has to declare almost everything, including any any wooden articles. I have a small wooden refrigerator moai magnet from Easter Island, I need to declare that or I may be penalized for 60,000 Australian dollars.

I am the first few that comes out of the flight, my backpack also come out fast which is quite unusual. But anyway, I am glad that the whole custom process goes by smoothly. When I get through the arrival gate, I spot Robbie from a distance right away. We hug. No time no see my friend, ba..ba..ba.. We are on our way back to town, first train, then ferry. I try to pay attention to the surroundings, for the most part, Sydney is just as what I can remember. The ferry passes by the Harbour Bridge, and the Opera House which is still captivating whenever you lay your eyes on it. Robbie has moved to this new apartment in Neutral Bay just two months ago, so I have no memory of this place or its neighborhood. I recognize the books on the shelves, some of the CD and DVDs though. Usually, those are the things I notice first whenever I go to someone's house anyway. I desperately need to brush my teeth and take a shower after over 24 hours without doing so. Otherwise, the neighbors would call the police complaining about the fault smelling coming out from Robbie's apartment. It's not that bad really, but I really need a shower.

After I clean myself and sit down finally, I start to feel sleepy. Oh boy, I can definitely feel the jet lag, even though it's not too bad. But it is only 9:30am. I know I must stay awake at least until after dinner, or the jet lag will really hit me hard the next few days. I tell Robbie I need to keep doing things today, just tell me to clean the kitchen, or I would feel asleep. Kindly, my host has not asked me to clean anything other than myself. Instead, we go out to have an early brunch at a restaurant called Chaos. What a name! The egg benedict is rather outstanding actually. After that and after we come back to put my laundry to the dryer, we go out to the beach side for a walk. Because I hope to get some sun tan during my time in Sydney. It's a good chance for Robbie to show me how to get to the beach. So I can go back there myself next week when he will be at work.

Although I know we are going to do a bit of walking, I do not expect it is a 8km hike on a scenic trail. I am actually not complaining at all, the Manly Scenic Walkway is really beautiful, and the more I walk, the more I am distracted from the jet lag. That's the goal. Since we really take the time, and stop here and there to sit, and/or allow me to take pictures, we probably spend 3-4 hours just walking. There are tons of lizards on the path, oh god, please help me get through this. Every single time I see one, I got surprised by it. There are a couple times I am so surprised that literally I immediately step back a few feet. Their sudden move is what freak me out. I start to make a lot of noise with my flip flop when I walk, so my little lizard friends can be aware that I am coming and start creeping away. Please... :P Apart from the lizards, I am totally devoted my attentions to the colorful stones, the green and clear sea water, the plants and other "bigger" animals like birds, and of course, the men and women on the beaches, both the cute and the ugly. Obviously, I have things to say about either of them inside when they are passing my eye sights. Oh... hello there... or ah, honey, you better put some clothes on.

Take a ferry back to downtown, then change a bus back to the Neutral Bay. I have the second shower of the day, then Robbie prepares the dinner for tonight: some salad and chicken in coconut curry with rice, which tastes pretty good actually. Although I really want to write my blog, I am really feeling the exhaustion after the long flight and the hike today. Just watch some VH1, have a cup of tea, then Robbie set up the sofa bed for me, I am asleep by 10:30pm or so.

Photos here: Day 54