This year's Chinese Valentine's extra special. It's a leap year in the Lunar Calendar and it will occur twice!

For some couples, it's very special time to get married as well. Although I noted alot of number 7s appearing there. I thought 7 is a bad? Well, for me, I am glad I will be married in Jan 07, still auspicious but without all the Chinese madness that comes along with it.

Weddings that are Picture Perfect is an article that shows how different the Chinese take their wedding pictures to the west. Whereas normally the photographer will follow the bride and groom the whole day and take pictures, Chinese weddings do not have church/blessings followed by a reception. They have the main reception after the groom manages to get the bride out her house from all her "jee mui" or sisters (like our bridesmaids). I think I rather have photographer take pictures (reportage style) of our wedding next year. But posing for portraits is not really my cup of tea. But it's the only way Chinese in China, HK can taste what it's like to wear a western style dress. The bride and groom take their wedding portraits before they are even married, so much for the bad luck if the groom sees the bride in her dress. That's how different it is over there. Well, for me, I am not letting Mick see me in my dress till the day of the blessing. But I will be wearing a Chinese wedding dress ("siu foon seen") for my civil ceromony, and greeting the guests before the blessing in the hotel. East meets West style is what I am aiming for.

I cannot believe it, they will be demolishing the Star Ferry terminal in HK. It's a shame. It's part of HK (obviously), but not long enough to be a listed property. But that's the way HK is, commericalise everything but building more plazas. I am glad that I brought my little brother Warren on the Star Ferry this year. I don't think we will be able to get the ferry from this terminal the next time we are going to HK. Really sad news.

My host (Dreamhost) had some outages, which of course took down my IBC sites and forum.

Just to let you all know. :)

More info : http://www.dreamhoststatus.com/category/system-outages/

No matter how segregated Chinese are amongst themselves, when you hear some "like ya" pair of women sitting at the top of the bus saying "...Chinese guy on the phone going meuh meuh meuh...". Ok, fair enough, I was thinking silently that the Mainland Chinese guy should shutup, as he was talking on his phone for 20 minutes outloud. But something those women said kinda pushed my buttons. So I half turned, and looked at them to see what they looked like. And they made a snide comment about me, thinking I did not understand them. I had my right mind to take pics of them, and place them on this site to shame them. I just rang up my fiancé and spoke in English of course. That shut the spiteful so and so's up. Goodness, I was just minding my own business trying to stay awake, getting to work on the bus. This crap keeps happening. And these women were not even scumbags. Argh, snobs.

Comments welcome in IBC forum.

HK can be strange. When it comes to beauty... stranger. I saw this in the local Jusco store, wait for it, a horse saddle and I think you sit on it, it moves. Um, I saw the ad on tv as well in HK. It's all girls wearing cowboy hates riding these things! It's not joke. It's just wierd! It just looks too dodgy for my liking.

It's sunny outside (I know that I should be having my lunch, basking in the nice sun, a rarity in its own... but I had enough of that in HK). But it will remain like this for the next few days ... 30 degress celcius! Wow! And in the mean time, HK is lashing with amber → black warnings on Sunday and there is no let up on rain over their. But we are on par with being 29 degrees here and over there. I like it better over here, at least it is not humid! But if you were curious on real-time weather in HK at this moment, the government weather page can show just that.

Ireland the same temperature as Hong Kong. OMG, is all I am thinking right now.

Hey everyone! Someone needs some information off IBCs for their dissertation.

Hi Everyone.
I’m doing a project looking at identity among Second Generation Chinese in Ireland. I chose this topic because my Dad is from Hong Kong and identity has been very important for me and I’m wondering what it means for other IBCs. By Second Generation Chinese I mean if you were born in or immigrated to Ireland when you were younger and either one or both of your parents are Chinese. I’d really like to chat about what being IBC means to you and if you weren’t born in Ireland how you see yourself.
Please share your thoughts with me.

Leave your comments at IBC Forum → General Chat → Exploring your identity.

It's a good topic as well. Thanks all!

Public loos in HK are dreadful, well, less so now I suppose. I would avoid going to public toliets as much as I can. I know, I know, it's bad to hold it in, but being a girl going to a public loo and squatting (it's a hole in the floor loo. Ok, a loo in the floor, it's porcelin, and you can flush it... But it's not your usual toilet bowl!). I hated it. It was disgusting. Guys, you never knew how lucky you all are.

Well, while I was in HK, there was a poll taken on public loos (even Big White Guy mentioned it), and top 3 were given gold, silver and bronze ratings. I read it in the South China Morning Post. Strange, but at least it highlights the crappy public loos HK has. Yes, please improve them. But, lo and behold, I recognised the bronze winner, it was the public loos at the Wishing Tree in Lam Tsuen. I thought that was cool. They do have swish loos, automatic taps, loo flush, everything all spick and span.

But on my recent trip to HK, I do notice the public loos in plazas are really well kept. Now I don't fear as much now going into public loos in HK.

There you go, loos in HK.

Saw The Standard's article on Language help for foreigners. It's sponsored by the National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language. Very interesting if I can get it running in Camino (and Firefox). Anyone check this out in IE (sigh). Let me know what you think.

You can discuss more are the IBC forum.

Hmm, maybe I should have posted that I was going away for 2 weeks to HK before I left! Anyhoo, I am back now.

Tons of wedding-related shopping done. Golden Plaza near Prince Edward is a 4-floor building packed with wedding stuff for all types of weddings, Eastern and Western styles.

Anyhoo, just spent a wodge of time cleaning up the fake users on the IBC board... I hate them so much, spammers should all have horrible done to them! It's ruining everything for everyone.