Ladies Market, Mongkok
Friday, July 03, 2009
The streets of Hong Kong are happening by night. Mongkok is the chill out spot after work till midnight. Malls there close by 8:30 PM which is pretty insane for a big city :/ Malaysian time is parallel to Hong Kong's.

We're still roaming the streets. Make up brand stores such as Laneige and Levis Jeans are open till late. Yet to reach the Ladies Market...

Wanko Colour Mix. Wank? Ooo *lol*

The billboards demonstrate just how alive the streets are :)

Second hand designer bag store Milan Station is filled with Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada..." -name it.

A fancy ice-cream van! Can't fail to recognize it at first glance ;) I experienced culture shock hearing 3 kids speaking Cantonese at once. One was most likely a local Chinese, the other was Indian and the last one a Caucasian.

Wow-wee! I totally didn't expect to find a mini cinema. This street row can be said as rather complete a hangout place.

Want food? It'll be right in front of you when hunger works up an appetite.

Finger foods, the usual convenient option for moving about.

Radish, pork and pig organs soaked in herbal soup.

Sausages, smelly tofu and yong tofu. The lady running the stall wasn't keen for having her picture taken *grin*

Deep fried calamari.

The smell of food sold on the street are often covered by smells of different things all together.

Could it be the stench of smelly tofu? Rubbish bins and drains were great distances away. I kid you not that it reeks of drainage area. Possibly clogged too :s

Competitive pricing, deep fried calamari at a different stall.

Ladies market here we come!!!

My... my what do we have here?

The Hongkees maintained a conservative lifestyle through out the years and even on this present day. However, there are exceptions be it romantic or kinky a preference.

Sexy is underestimation. Try erotic. It depends on which piece startles you *lol*

Costumes likely bought from markets and sold for rip-off pricing else where.

Bits and pieces salvaged from Snow White's outfit :p

A bear's head, poodle, bus or car for a bag?

Everything Hello Kitty .

Imitation Juicy Couture products. Stall owners may get fierce if you specifically look and touch their items for sale and not buy it in the end.

A souvenir T-shirt galore.

A-Z wigs and hair extensions. The range of colors are like whoa...

Bling dresses suitable for an outstanding performance. The market itself may be dodgy but if items such as these are stunning. Provided it's worn for concerts or special occasions of course ;) I think of... Beyonce.

It rained while we paced further down to see more findings. Ended up leaving Mongkok minutes to 1 AM *sigh*

(Photos taken are what I found unusual and interesting. The photo do not cover the entire place).

Samantha at 6:00 AM | 7 comments
Chinese Fine Dining
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Mouth watering fresh seafood at Eastern Gate Restaurant, City Gate.

The first thing I saw when entering :)

Live crustaceans of all sizes sitting patiently all day long reflecting when was the last time they saw their old mates. And what could have possibly happened to them :s

Fresh water and sea water fishes in the tank. It's horrible thinking as if they're living chocolate from an display of assorted chocolate in a box.

Abalone and extra large bamboo shells! The small ones found in Sarawak are nick named "monkey's penis" *lol*

Pretty crystal lighting *heart*

Our dining table ;) facing the view of sky scrapers, even 50 over story high condominium buildings! This is Hong Kong by the way. Lots more to talk about actually. Dozens of photos I am yet to upload. I reckon a hiatus from DisneyLand entries could be refreshing.

Jaw dropping prices mentioned in the steamboat set menu... Still bizarre after doing a exchange rate conversion hehe.

Hongkees are willing to spend on expensive steamboat. Like seriously!

The are allocated for steamboat is on the first floor. A simple table preparation.

Theresa and our friend Ken trying to make up their minds flipping through the menu.

Francis & I *mwuah*

Ahh... eyes on the golden spoon.

1, 2, 3 *snap* The food arrives~ I have Chinese tea poured into my wine glass. Hmm.

The original Beijing duck. We couldn't afford to miss out on it!

Sweet boiled prawns straight from the aquarium *sigh* The prawns tasted really good :p

Steamed Garoupa fish with soy sauce and garnishing. These three dishes made up a dinner set as found in Eastern Gate's recommedable selections :)

Here are examples of food prices there. Yes including our featured Beijing styled duck.

I must say, that the quality is up to gourmet standard. Avoid eating sharks fin's soup or shark fin itself. Fishermen actually catch sharks and de-fin them before throwing them back to the sea. Without fins the sharks drown and bleed to death :/ Unlike being eaten up completely.


Samantha at 5:40 AM | 7 comments
Part III: Fantasy Land
Monday, June 29, 2009
Did you know the title of DisneyLand's trademark fairy tale castle is named after the Sleeping Beauty? Why it's the Sleeping Beauty's Castle at the height of 23 meters tall. Its architecture is based on the French Neuschwanstein Castle. The wonders of the structure are adaptations of Notre Dame de Paris and Hospices De Beaune. Located at the center of Hong Kong Disneyland Park opened since 12th September 2005, marks the entrance of Fantasy Land.

I can imagine Peter Pan quoting this ;) Speaking of which, I am reminded Peter Pan's biggest fan the late Michael Jackson who sang Childhood. His very touching lyrics "... Have you seen my Childhood? I'm searching for that wonder in my youth. Like pirates in adventurous dreams, of conquest and kings on the throne. Before you judge me, try hard to love me. Look within your heart then ask, Have you seen my Childhood?" implied as if a plea for forgiveness, for things he might have done and an undesirable result of his childhood.

Fairy tales = Storybooks


Was there a clock tower in Beauty & The Beast? Relate a Disney character + books and Belle comes to mind :)

Winnie the Pooh has his corner.

And even a Adventure tent! The tent was closed then :/

Snow White and Cinderella were off binging on apples, choking on its seeds, anything but turning up for Sam, Francis and Theresa, making an appointment, with Jimmy Choo... somewhere @#$%! *sigh* So Mickey's gang entertained us. Does he fly AirAsia?

Minnie & Sammy *giggle*

Donald & Daisy were probably on a quest searching for the Peiking species in Beijing. Not on someone's dining table I hope. Pluto is cool :)

Theresa goofing around *lol* Hey Goofy!

Eeyore made a special appearance~

Mulan's horse. The same one that covers for her each time she finishes her bath *lol* A member of the censorship department hehe! He sure has a staring habit.

Shrubs and bushes shaped like Pegasus, garden art.

An old school choo choo train passing by caught my attention.

Ahh~ every girl's dream ride... the carousel. The Cinderella Carousel!

I once saw a camera commercial on TV using the backdrop of the carousel. A tedious task it is to snap a clear shot. Francis had the experience of being his school's photographer once upon a time. Guess that bonus makes handling cameras hassle free.

Theresa at 1 out of thousands of her happiest moments.

A ride on Dumbo the Flying Elephant.

Ready or not here comes the lavish banquet!

This is the most beautiful food court I have ever seen.

Sculpture of Prince Phillip & Princess Aurora.

Beauty and The Beast, Belle & Prince Adam.

Prince Charming & Cinderella. If Charming were to have a less flamboyant name it'd be Francis. Cinderella dealt with cinders no more in the end. Hilary Duff's in movie Cinderella Story was main cast by the name of Samantha. Which explains my e-mail aye? And my hamsters..." *yada yada* A slightly different twist compared to the modern day reality version *lol*

Off to the next best things besides happily ever after *grin*

Totally mad... Spinning Teacups!

Which is your cup of tea? Among us 3 I got to choose hehe.

Round round baby round round *chuckle*

Ahah! My cup of tea with lovely pink heart shapes on it ;)

The cup gave me a headache. Headed to Clopin's Festival of Foods for a drink.

Missed out on The Golden Mickeys Storybook Theater at 6:30 PM nearby It's A Small World. The Golden Mickeys StoryBook Theater featured characters from Mulan, Pocahontas, Alladin, Toy Story and more!

The building is filled with decorations of singing and dancing mini robotic child dolls of every country. Honestly it felt spooky in there. Thoughts of chucky popped up. We travelled around inside a boat. Unfortunately no photo taking was allowed there.

Large enough to fit in bits and pieces of the whole in miniature.

Merlin's Treasure souvenir store.

PhilharMagic is a 3D sensation theater hosted byMickey & Donald. Lots of orchestra music involved. Special features were enhanced by 3D eye wear with effects of wind blowing on your face. And water sprinkling out of nowhere on your skin! You see it, you feel it ;)

A classic painting on the wall.

Waiting for the doors to open.

The grand stage.

To our right, beside the stage.

Us wearing plastic sunnies?? *lol*

Hong Kong DisneyLand's Railroad Train for a brief preview of the entire DisneyLand Park.


I discovered a photo website of Hong Kong DisneyLand Park photos showing Adventure Land and Fantaasy Land. Here's the link for you guys to view the places inside the Park that I didn't visit. Give it 2 days time for a complete tour. Part IV coming up :)

Samantha at 7:00 AM | 10 comments
Part II: Adventure Land
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Welcome to Hong Kong Disneyland's Adventure Land! Also famed as the largest Adventure Land compared to Disneyland Parks around the world. Francis, Theresa and I were greeted by Chip & Dale! Francis was the man behind the camera ;)

The truck broke down! Stuck in the middle of the jungle. Some lousy damsel in distress picture *lol* A treasured candid oi...

A 30 minute indoor performance The Festival Of The Lion King is quite the hit with even the adults. Let the legend of simba the Lion King be told~

Talented singers from Africa sang on the spot lending their voices to characters from the story. Dramatic and heartfelt are words to describe communicated emotion by each staged persona.

Breath taking acrobatic gymnastics, element of Circa De Soleil was blended part of the act.

Astounding fiery effects sure to dilate pupils of audiences present. The acrobatic gymnast rose from beneath center stage. The stage itself has a function of spinning in circles besides starting a fire *chuckle* Its floor surface remained unburnt.

Take a raft on to the other side where Tarzan's Treehouse is!

The Raft and the Jungle River Cruise are both different rides. As you can see, the cruise uses a boat. And the raft seems like an old fashioned ferry sort.

Seconds to spare ;) Managed to have a photo taken before reaching Tarzan's Island.

How our raft looks like...

At Tarzan's front yard. Great. A waterfall!!!


The bottom of these waterfall lead to hidden caves~

Yup I think we got the address right.

From the number of wooden planks we saw at a glance (OMG not today *sweat drop*)... The Jungle River Cruise suddenly felt like the place we had to be at.

Ahh~ tranquil waters so peaceful. That has got ... Elephants. C'mon :) Let's go!

Can you read the sentence 'This attraction may be frightening for children'? I didn't believe it at first.

The cruise awaits us to a path to the unknown. Like really. What could be so... frightening?

The cruise boats are named after rivers. Remember your geography?

Ancient ruins of a forbidden Polynesian city unfold.

South East Asian influence ;)

More elephants *grin*

An altar of the Hindu elephant-deity known as Ganesha, the God of Success.

Watch out for sunbathing gators! One, unphotographed was lurking under tree roots emerging from the waters.

Reaching headhunters territory. You'd be hearing noises coming from every direction providing illusion of arrows shooting your way!

I see a smiling skull...eeek.

During daylight you get a slight chilly impression. By night ideas of the Blairwitch Project come to mind yea?

Caught offguard a hippo gasping for air spraying water on us all! Spraying is underestimation. It's splash. Yea, that's it alright *lol*

Zebras, a giraffe and another... elephant.

Close up of giraffe number 2.

5 men stuck on this tree for 3 years *LOL* attacked by robo hyenas and rhinos. Why do they still have their fezzes attached?!

While the headhunters lessen unwanted visitors the gorillas utilize handy freebies ;) ;)

Guess they didn't figure out the purpose of TNT hehehe *giggle*

Out of the blue spewed forth a sky high geyser *collapses* Yes. In front of the cruise boat. The tour guide informed us last minute.

Hmm this smoke hole supposedly has to do with also an ancient deity. It resembles a fish mouth shaped cave. Could it be the home of a dragon?

Water boiling from deep down under...

Fire appearing between cave rocks.

Water and fire. Nothing much. Wait till you see what's next.

Fire on water ... *speechless*

So the highlight of the many elephants are its colors grey or brown, the difference of adult and baby elephants :)

Time spent on the Jungle River Cruise was roughly a 15-20 minute sight seeing adventure. Fantastic doesn't justify its studio movie setting greatness and unpredictable thrills. On our way out to the left was is The River View Cafe.

The continuation of River View Cafe. It stretches far, similar to the structure of a longhouse without stilts.

Fantasy Land next...


Samantha at 4:43 AM | 6 comments
Part I: Main Street USA
Saturday, June 27, 2009
The photo tour of Hong Kong DisneyLand Park begins...


The tour is divided into 4 parts! 1) Main Street USA 2) Adventure Land 3) Fantasy Land 4) Tomorrow Land. Part 2, 3 and 4 will be accompanied by captions and extra information unseen in photos. Mwuah~

Samantha at 6:04 AM | 3 comments
Breakfast @ The Westin
Friday, June 26, 2009
Francis suggested breakfast on Thursday at The Westin hotel. Bacon, minute steak and dim sum was our favorite breakfast food among the buffet varieties ;) Drank lots of milk and tea. We decided to wake early and do something random in the midst of KL. Brought 2 new books out of the apartment with us. He plans to take me to Australia for his birthday celebration in August. Meanwhile in between given time there will be plenty meaningful things to do.

Sarah Yong! Thank you for the support, your comprehensive entry based on personal views regarding my relationship, on your blog and mine. Especially... in the cbox here *hugs*

As quoted by Paulo Coelho in his newest international bestseller The Winner Stands Alone "... Like all women who feel themselves to be queen of the world, she never looked at anyone else. Such women are there in order to shine and always avoid looking at what other people are wearing because, even if their own clothes and accessories have cost them a fortune, the number of diamonds or a particular exclusive outfit worn by someone else might make them feel depressed or bad tempered or inferior."

- This is so true which is the cause among jealous women. But if jealous women envy in a positive light they can endure looking at wonderful things others own. Maybe learn something. Then again women want the best for themselves. Queen of the world~

And his questions and perception on fashion from the said book. "Fashion is merely a way of saying: 'I belong to your world. I'm wearing the same uniform as your army, so don't shoot.' Ever since groups of men and women first started living together in caves, fashion has been the only language everyone can understand, even complete strangers. 'We dress in the same way. I belong to your tribe. Let's gang up on the weaklings as a way of surviving'."

- Wow these words fit the precise definition of avoiding fashion police and the result of a faux pas. Paolo has clearly studied the aspects of mankind's deep thought *lol* Can't help myself from agreeing with him. At chapter 3 :) So far so good!


Under book The Winner Stands Alone is Map of The Invisible World.

Samantha at 6:34 AM | 6 comments
Shopping With The Family
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
To readers who feel that my shopping's extreme, wait till you see items bought by Francis himself and his sister, Theresa. If you hate it this entry's for you. Thank me later~ And friends who mean well no hard feelings.

The family loves Puma! Francis's pick.

A coat from Esprit. He wore it to The Loft last week. See in entry Friday High.

A zip-up jacket by EDC, Esprit.

Comfort and great cutting underneath ;)

Items bought by Francis for me... A kinetic watch from Hong Kong Disneyland for my sister Ashley.

Autographed Mickey Mouse souvenir t-shirt for mom :)

My souvenir necklace ;) ;)

Denim skirts from Roxy and Rock & Republic!

My bikini from Calvin Klein underwear. The shape is similar to Theresa's choice of bikini. Scroll further down to see it *grin*

A winter jacket to keep warm for more traveling in future.

Next, Theresa's shopped items! Her CK bikini *drool*

Her own souvenir from Disneyland, a bracelet.

Her zip-up Puma jacket. She looks like a racing driver in it *lol*

A Active Speaker System to blast her iPod Touch loud...

Handy gadget aye?

She got herself a winter jacket too! That makes us both having white winter jackets from EDC, Esprit.

P/s:Didn't think it was necessary to post up everything bought in Hong Kong. Not until now. There's always more y'know *chuckles*

Samantha at 4:06 PM | 47 comments
Quickie
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Here's a split second quickie update!!!

Almost bought the cap version :)

My shirt from FCUK - no fcukin' worries *lol*

Francis needed another size for this shirt he wanted. So the sales guy asked me "So you want f*ck on the beach?" OMG it's 'the fcuk on the beach' not f*ck on the beach shirt.

Zara has awesome male clothing at store now. Francis chose 5 tops from one shop. Great news that means ;)

One of the polo t shirts...

He told me how much he wanted me to have the Coach bag I mentioned on the blog.

And it's officially mine! RM 25 shy to RM 2000 wow~

A Maddison line Op Art Coach bag. Item number 884830764109 *jumps around*

Coach's Poppy line will be available in stores come Friday. I'm glad to be a owner of a Coach bag *grin*


Samantha at 11:59 PM | 43 comments
Motorbike Kitty
Monday, June 22, 2009
The latest picture of me beside my sister Ashley. Do we look a like? She reads the Tsubasa Chronicles and Cherry Juice Manga. The comic book title Cherry Juice cracks me up...*lol* Ashley found passion in wanting to speak Japanese and draw during her leisurely hours. Under the influence of anime now and then she refers to a Japanese dictionary and phrase book ;)

A dessert drink Francis's mom made yesterday. Coconut, yam and sago tong sui. No coconut milk added for health purposes. Less fattening that is. It is best served warm. Sounds like an island treat yum~

The coffee shop a.k.a 'restaurant' in Gombak I frequently visit! They have satay, dim sum, barbecued seafood, porridge, duck/chicken rice, pan mee, a variety of noodles including wantan mee, Chee Cheong Fan and lastly what I go there for- numero uno Yong Tau Foo . My mom, sister and relatives live in Gombak which explains why I'd go that far. And from there coincidentally discovered Restaurant Ganda Dua.

The man who operates the Yong Tau Foo stall is from Ipoh and probably is around his early 60's. I was there half a year ago. 3 days back he asked me if I am that same customer who came in January. His brilliant skill and memory of remembering faces lead to us chit chatting. He remembers Francis and I :)

The secret of the Yong Tau Foo goodness is in the sauce. Hope you like brinjal and fried beancurd skin! There are non deep fried ones too *grin* Just that I like mine deep fried then boiled.

Francis ordered a Chee Cheong Fan from the same stall. These rolls of uncut rice noodles chopped into thick chunks with sesame seeds sprinkled on it. The sauce for it is a lighter version used for the Yong Tau Foo.

Look out for this road sign if you're on a journey to search for Sam's recommended Yong Tau Foo! ;) ;) *Hint* Opposite the road is Hospital Danau Kota.

*Drum roll* My new Gucci bag! :p

The new Gucci bag belongs to Theresa. I'd be on top of the world to own a Coach bag :) One day *sparkly eyes* ... hmm. Could have taken a photo without flash!

How cute is this? *lol* Got back in time to catch a cat on a motorbike. Funny stuff!!!

I videoed Theresa persuading her dog to piss on layers of news paper she put on the balcony. Spied on her from a window in the room next to it :p :p :p Her dog Caramel and her was blocked by plants so the video shows mainly, the apartment view. More of an audio clip thingy. Enjoy this one *chuckle* Starting my DisneyLand photo tour soon, xoxoxox~




Samantha at 5:31 PM | 7 comments
Friday High
Sunday, June 21, 2009
In a club you can be anybody you want to be. The dance floor is a portal to a empowering dimension. It unleashes your alter ego ;) Vibration beneath your feet signals the body to move and flow with the beat. I'm proud to say that, that night? My friends and I got the dance floor started!!!

Interiors of Upstairs @ the Asian Heritage Row. The first floor leads to another room called Cynna Bar where the Chinese themed decor and red walls are. Upstairs and Cynna Bar make up different parts of The Loft. Something I learned while being here.

We played dress up as moguls :) Who in particular? Don't know actually *lol* but it felt pretty good! I'd think the hairband could be featured perhaps in a series like Gossip Girl. I'm a sucker for hot dudes wrapped in sleek coats :p Reason behind is that my perception of men has to be somewhat muscular and charming. In other words 'macho macho man' *points at Clive Owen*

Notice Yan's tanned skin? It's a Japanese trend in Asia to tan. My appearance isn't near exotic though I have tried. I attended National Service in year 2004. Marched under the sun on the average of 6 hours a day for the 2 months spent on the obstacle course. Francis did the same last year. Yan's been the closest blogger friend to me since the day we met.

What's your poison? Yes you *grin* Cos mine's the Graveyard. If your alcohol tolerance or resistance is high that realistically cannot be enough for you. No doubt it's a superb drink to begin the night with. Yan ordered a Long Island Tea.

From left: Sebastian, Yan, yours truly and Francis *heart*

Cynna Bar here we come...

Taking a pause for a picture. Our strappy heels survived 4 hours of vigorous rockin' the night away~

Theresa popped by after work to meet us. Her energy level makes her almost a living battery! As usual she's amazing.

My Saturday was reserved for family. I did Manga book shopping for my sister Ashley. Can't wait to show you our facial resemblences hehe. Francis chose to give my relatives Godiva's chocolate. Must love ribbons :)


Dear voters and readers thank you for voting me on the MTVAsia blogger contest. I made a typo on my own name. So my user name is SamanthePoh instead of SamanthaPoh. Love you guys :D :D :D

Happy Father's Day to Dads everywhere!

Samantha at 2:39 AM | 8 comments