Walkabout near the Waterfront

Roy had another Sunday off! We decided to make our way to Bookachino, Macau's first English bookshop, on Macau island. It is a really nice place because it is laidback and cosy. Nice plush lounge chairs, high ceilings, airy interiors. The book collection isn't amazing, but enough to keep me entertained for several other visits. We had a drink while we browsed through some of the books and magazines.

We went over to Macau Cultural Centre as it was 'Free Entry Sunday'. There, we got to marvel at the Greek sculptures from the Louvre.

Here are some pictures from our walking tour:

At the park near the Guan Imm statue. A sign greets you at the entrance telling you all about the things you cannot do at this park...





























See what I can hold in the palm of my hands. (cheesy pose courtesy of Art Director Roy)
Look what a Big Mama can do!

Ashamed...

“Risk your life and get more than you ever dreamed of….”
Jesus as phrased in Luke 19:26 (The Message/MSG)

This is my second trip back to Macau. And I am ashamed to say that I have developed a deeper dislike of this place, a greater mistrust of the people here. I've been bratty. I've been sulky. I've been whiny.

Today, I decided to start the day with some godly focus - I was thinking more of helping baby develop a greater sense of the spiritual than I was for myself. But as always, don't we know that before we can help others, it is us ourselves who need the helping.

As Chris Tomlin's song, Great is Our God, played, I started to tear. How have I forgotten the magnitude of God's power, the extent of His presence, the limitless supply of love and grace. How have I forgotten my place in this universe - called to be an agent of hope, not to be a catalyst of dissent. But oh! How have I forgotten and fallen.

To think that I have been worrying and fretting about things like how we can manage to find better accommodation in Macau and how to make our dollar stretch better by renting our house back in Singapore. The song reminded me that these things may seem overwhelming for me, but it is nothing impossible for our awesome God to handle. Why did I think that I had to bear this burden upon my own shoulders? Is the Cross of Jesus not the exchange point where my griefs, my fears are taken away and replaced with the gift of joy and hope? A hope that is not mere wishful thinking but a certain radiant hope sealed with an unbreakable guarantee of fulfillment.

What does that mean in practical human deeds?

• That I can take the risk to accept this place, her people and her culture as it is.
• That I can take the risk to go against the flow - a smile at my neighbour, saying 'Excuse me' and 'Thank you', not jostling past others to get ahead.
• That I can take the risk to stop bothering about the social stereotypes and biases and just take the risk.

It is hard for me to say it with conviction right now, but I know it is the right thing to do to give this place a chance so that I can see the beauty there is here in this place and her people. Just as surely, God made Singapore and me, He has made this country and her people. John 3:16 tells me that He sees something beautiful in the people here and I have to learn too to love them as they are.

Soul Refreshment

Today was my first time at a Ladies' Bible Study group. With thanks to Kim, who happens to be all the way in the US, I found a local international church that run various activities during the week.

I was really glad to have made my way to the gathering. The group is made up of mostly of expatriate women. Most of whom found themselves in Macau because of their husbands' work here.

It has been a long time since I've been in such a multi-cultural environment. Though the group is mainly Caucasian, they come from different backgrounds and nations. This diversity did not strike me until a lady, Beverly, remarked that there were so many accents in the group and that it was 'beautiful'.

'Beautiful accents'. I never thought of describing the different ways people speak a language as 'beautiful accents'. Most times, being the horrible Singaporean, I pick up on how certain nationalities pronounce words that sound strange to my years and then amuse myself to no end trying to mimic them e.g. the Hong Kong or 'Hongkie' English accent. (By the way, I've irritated Roy with my HK English so much that he has already issued me stern warnings NOT to try it again.) But now, I feel challenged to re-examine my perspectives and to paradigm-shift. Can I , and will I , ever too learn to feel that different accents and tongues are a beautiful sound too? I wonder how long more it will take for me to be able to say sincerely that I like Macau and her people.

Being at the group also made me think of what heaven might be like. Like the diverse group of women today, heaven will probably be filled and coloured with the presence of different people groups. The only common denominators that bind would be that God is our Father and that we love Him. Every tribe and tongue gathered together in jubilation before our Creator Dad.

I suspect there will probably be more heterogeneity than homogenity up in heaven. I cannot imagine the kind of creative energy that will be bursting and radiating from every one up in Paradise. It will be so exciting. This diverse creative energy will be something quite different from what I feel we can experience now in our churches because sometimes, in church, we push for more conformity than accept and celebrate God-given diversity.

And you know, I am glad that because of Jesus, heaven can be also found on earth. Heaven is not just for when we die but for us to enjoy even as we live today. People with genuine and generous hearts share a piece of paradise with us. And I am glad that I have met some today who probably will make my heart smile and grow less homesick.

Shooting the Sunday Breeze

Roy had the entire weekend off and we had a great two days together.

We went to the Red Market yesterday and did our marketing. There is now no more space in my fridge for any more food. It was really fun doing grocery shopping there because of the great variety. And for the first time, I really had to flex my domestic skill in trying to plan for the upcoming week's meal menus.

On Sunday, we meant to go to church but we overslept and we didn't make it. We stayed up till late watching 'Dexter'. After doing some housework, we took the bus and headed out to the remaining island in Macau that we hadn't been to - Coloane. Coloane strikes me as a cross between Changi Village and Old Katong.

Using a walking route I found on the internet, we found some pretty amazing sights. We were first greeted by Cupid at the village centre where Lord Stow's bakery was nearby. Lord Stow's bakery is said to be the bakery to have invented the famous Portugese egg tart. The sign outside the bakery said that it was established in 1989. So does that mean that this Portugese egg tart has only been around for 17 years?




Roy insisted that we buy a box of 6. Each cost 6 MOP or SG1.20. We sat by the beach and gobbled them up at one go. Here I am with a half-eaten 'dan tat'. Check out the 'kelongs' in the background.

(Oh! My camera decided to work today so you will get some pictures!)

After our breakfast of egg tarts ( at 1pm), we explored the village for a while. We found some quaint spots. Nothing mindblowing but still pretty nonetheless. ( Ah yes! You can see the wrinkles I have grown after 2 weeks here!)



This yellow building is the facade of a Catholic church near the village square. We didn't get a great shot but this building is really a cheerful sight with its sunny yellow walls.









We hopped onto bus 25 from the village down to Hac Sa Beach, Black Sand Beach. They say that the sand on this beach is naturally black but Roy and I aren't so sure that pollution had nothing to do with it. For me, I just find it puzzling that there is yellow sand as well and the black sand just didn't look as black as I thought black sand would look. Though it was a rather grey and hazy day, there were still many tourists going down to the beach. There were even two guys windsurfing. Brrr! Don't know how they can stand the cold.



Though I really wanted to try Portugese food at a famous and popular restaurant nearby, I was cheesed off by the rude waitress. Another poor experience with bad service at a Portugese restaurant. Sigh! I don't know when I would ever be able to taste Portugese cuisine at this rate.

Anyhow, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise as we opted to sit at make-shift tables by the beachfront to have barbecued seasfood.We had a great spot where we could enjoy the view of the entire Hac Sa stretch while we devoured the tasty local barbecque. The tentacles were really chunky! Check out the photo of Roy holding them up and you can see that some of them are even thicker than Roy's fingers! The fish was really fresh and none of the icky-fishy taste. It was grilled to perfection and the flesh was still really juicy. I really liked the chicken wings. I can't quite figure out the marinade except that there must be some honey and some herbs.

We only spent 68MOP for our spread that included a big bottle of Tsing Tao (only 10MOP/SG 2), a fish, two chicken wings, two sticks of octopus tentacles and a grilled cuttlefish. The grilled cuttlefish was crispy and not too salty. However, it proved itself deserving of its nickname 'Chinese Chewing Gum'. It took me some effort to check it enough before I could swallow it.

After the meal, we were rather sleepy and we headed home.
I put my culinary skill to practice again. For the first time in my life, I cooked watercress with pork rib soup as well as stir fried brinjal with sambal belachan. I put in almost half a bottle of sambal belachan as the paste in the pan looked so dry. What a mistake! I set my tongue and tummy on fire last night! Even Roy who takes more chilli than I do said that it was a little too spicy. Oh well! After two tummyaches in the middle of the night, I think I know better now.

A shot of civilisation

"Civilisation!" I cried as I stepped ashore onto Hong Kong off the Turbo Jet from Macau.

"I can finally breathe!" I exulted as I basked in the warmth of the Hong Kong weather.

I was certainly glad to be back in warmer weather.

Perhaps the more benign HK weather was a mere coincidence and bears no marked difference from Macau's, but I was perhaps secrety glad to see more densely-packed buildings and sardine-packed crowds. Both of which I associated with life and bustling activity.

Sunday

With no itinerary, we waited for my great gal pal, Jen, and her boyfriend, Derek, to finish their church service at Krispy Kreme. Roy had never had these amazing dough disks drenched in sugar-coated goodness. Navigating the Causeway Bay MTR like a pro, I led him to a strategically located outlet where he promptly ordered not one but two of those delectable treats. I highly recommended the original glazed but he opted for the more unconventional of donuts i.e. the cheesecake and milk tea. He paid no heed to my warnings that they are filling and he shouldn't chow so many of them down just before lunch. He added a medium cup of latte to his order. Oh of course, I the wife was right about those donuts spoiling his lunch.

Derek took us to a cosy Cantonese home-style restaurant for lunch because he said that the two of us needed some good Cantonese food for our coughs. They served really tasty soups and gave you free top-ups! Yummy!

After eating, we were taken and left at Ikea to shop for whatever we couldn't not find in Macau. I know, sounds really pathetic that we had each spent S$60 to go over to Hk to do that. I still feel a little bad that Roy spent that money and didn't do much except do lunch and dinner in HK. I think I made it up by spending 3 nights there.

Living it Up

Jen and Derek have a lovely airy apartment right smack in Central. Understated but definitely looking like it has leapt out from the pages of Ikea. Their apartment has so many windows that let in the light and fresh air. No buildings built close by to interfere from illumination and ventilation - I was so blissfully happy. Yes, Derek, your new place is a SUPER-upgrade from your previous place. :-D. I just wanted to say it again to make your day because Jen said you were very pleased I said it the first night I visited.

Oh! And they had cable! Ah! How I've missed cable. Jen, just came back from Canada, also had this stash of latest bimbo magazines like Glamour, O and Vogue. I devoured them within the night, savouring every bit of the glossy pages of pretty clothes modeled by their picture-perfect mannequin horses.

More to Gossip and Entertainment News that Meets the Eye

I got up early and plonked myself down on the sofa to watch more hearty gossip fare on E! channel. In case you were wondering why I chose to while my time away like this, let me assure you that the Type-A learning-obsessive-compulsive in me made sure I took away valuable lessons from engaging in frivolous reading and viewing. For one, I was inspired by an interview with Denzel Washington. This big Hollywood star has such humility and a wholesome approach to life. He just wants to make the best use of his time on earth to touch others. Makes me ask myself how I am making the best use of my own time on earth and what I am using my time for.

Watching E!, I learnt that even Hollywood glamour queens weren't always glamourous. Yes! I know! You must be thinking right now that no one, especially not me - a teacher, needs to be watching tv to learn this. But certainly, it is a timely reminder that there is still yet HOPE for me to transform from a dowdy duck to a swan!

Rest of My Time in HK

I spent the other days with Karen, a friend from Singapore. Her apartment was also another treat that almost tempts me to think that city living isn't all that scary. It was my first time dwelling on the 46th floor of any apartment. At the Manhattan Heights in Kennedy Town, a doorman opened the door for me everytime I walked in and out of the building. A free shuttle service for residents runs from the apartment to Central. Full bay windows again ensured that I had plenty of light and scenery to fill my soul for the rest of my stay in HK.

The weather continued to behave itself and I didn't have to chatter every time I showered. I even kicked off the blanket on some nights!

I went down to the Wanchai Computer Centre in hope of purchasing an ipod playdock. But I've learnt that a technobimbo like me should not ever venture into such unfamiliar territory again without either securing the escort of a technowhiz or doing better research first.

Trip Into Shenzhen

Karen also managed to convince me to give Shenzhen a chance. I've heard horror stories about the Oliver Twist sort of thievery that abounds on its streets that I've never had any desire to visit the place. I mean, why do I leave Singapore and come all this way to visit another JB. Nonetheless, Karen managed to convince me that there wasn't much to do in HK and that it was worth going to Shenzhen. So onto the train and off to Shenzhen we went.

I enjoyed the large green spaces on the train ride. Getting into and around Shenzhen was not as painful as I had imagined. In fact, I was impressed that the Shenzhen Metro was sparkling clean! A wonderful welcome to Shenzhen. It is not as dirty as I imagined. Of course first impressions are always meant to be challenged and changed. So when we stepped into the public toilet all that memory of the sparkling clean metro were soon replaced with stink.

In Search of Pretty Nails
We wanted to try out the infamously cheap nail deals but had no idea where they were located. So we approached one of those girls who were standing around holding nail and beauty charts and trying to convince passer-bys to visit their shops. We were personally escorted to the shop and upon arrival, we were guarded zealously by her colleague who was obviously the sales-vulture. We saw other shops that looked much cleaner and more professional than the one we were led too. Obviously, we should have known that we couldn't explore doing our nails at another shop now. We did try getting out of this ,however, by saying that we needed the toilet. The sales-vulture, who happened to have jet-black long hair and be dressed in all black, waited for us outside the toilet to escort us back to the shop.

Walking back to the shop, we saw another shop that advertised manicures at a cheaper rate. We paused and pointed. The sales-vulture began to vehemently deny that she had said RMB20 and that she offered the same - RMB10 with free flowers drawn on all ten nails. It is amazing the extent they would slash their prices.

To imagine what our nail place was like, imagine the neighbourhood kampong barber shop. Mistmatched chairs with skins peeling. Newspapers pasted over air-con vents. Hygiene freaks or those prone to nail infections should probably steer clear of such places. Before you accuse me of being an over-sanitised hygiene freak, listen to this. Your nails, dry skin and cuticles are trimmed with equipment that sit in plastic boxes filled with skin scrapings left behind by previous customers. Disinfectant? What's that? Soap doesn't even exist in the toilets so don't think about disinfectant for your nail clippers.

While an ideal manicure and pedicure session that includes spa treatments may not be easily found here, getting your nails painted and drawn on for RMB10 is quite worthwhile. Though, for this price you only get flowers drawn in white paint.

Another Tai-Tai Treatment
For another RMB10, we washed our hair. It is really value for money when you have long tresses like Karen. Just remember that you may have to endure endless sales pitches at how much you need an additional service or product. Karen got an endless earful of how dry her hair was and how she should do a treatment. When she did not bend over, the attention was turned to me. "Your friends wants to do it but only if you do it. So why don't you do it too? You know, you have to look after your hair if you want to keep it long too you know, " the salesgirl twittered on endlessly. When we both declined politely, she turned sulky. Poor Karen had more comments about how dry her hair was that the hairstylist couldn't even comb her hair to blow it dry.

Eat, Drink and Be Merry
I drank so much coconut juice in Shenzhen. Botak coconuts for RMB6. Just wished they gave up a plastic spoon. It was so sad to see so much juicy flesh hanging onto the walls inside those husks and we had no way to get to them.

Perhaps we didn't walk into the right area where street food stalls shouted for your stomach to fit their foods in so we didn't see much interesting food. The culinary highlight for me on this trip was probably Japanese food. Karen took me to a Japanese restaurant near her home and I loved it so much that I had it for dinner on two consecutive nights!

Nothing of the quality and at that price would ever be found in Macau and Singapore. So i fed myself a big bowl of clams boiled in sake and slabs of sashimi. They sold salmon sashimi in the pound - 16 slabs at only HK78. I resisted this and voted for an assorted sashimi platter for HK58. This platter consisted of salmon, amaebi, tako, ika and snapper (I think). The set meals were a steal that started from HK35 to 45. I had a grilled mackeral with rice, soup and salad for HK42. The soft shell crab handrolls at this place were also amazing! Soft shell crabs with flesh are used and topped generously with roe.

Breakfast Time
I need to get myself breakfast now. My stomach is growling from either hunger or indigestion. I can't figure out what is wrong but my tummy hasn't felt the same since Monday.

I shall also be venturing into the wet market today to try buying fresh meat to cook dinner for Roy tonight. Wish me the very best of courage! For all you know, I might turn vegetarian after seeing live chicken being slaughtered and fish gasping for their last breaths.

Waiting for Gas Delivery is like Waiting for Godot

That is unless you speak Cantonese.

Unbelievable how long I waited in vain for a tank of gas.

I spent the entire afternoon waiting for the gas tank that never arrived! Due to a miscommunication, I had missed the gas delivery guy when I popped out to get lunch. Despite checking with the service operator before I went out if they would give me a call before delivery and being told they would, I was still obviously the one in the wrong when she called me to scold me for not being at home.

When I apologised and asked if she might have the guy re-deliver, she let off a string of Cantonese that pretty much sounded like another mini lecture at me before saying that she wasn't sure if the guy would re-deliver. Then, she told me to go home and wait immediately. And silly me, I dropped the half of the dumpling I was biting into and told the waitress at the restaurant to 'tah pow' it for me. I practically ran all the way home only to be found waiting for the rest of the sunny afternoon in my cold home.

I highly suspect that it was my pathetic Putonghua and my inability to speak Cantonese that got me into such a scrape, again.

How else do you explain how gas got delivered within 15 minutes of my Cantonese-speaking husband calling the woman and asking for it?

This does it. I am so going to master the language so that I will never again be subject to such abuse.

Another new mental note: Speak English. If they cannot comprehend it, roll eyeballs and shrug before speaking Cantonese. Even it is incomprehensible. The effort might help me earn some brownie points with the locals. Leave Putonghua as the last language option. I think Putonghua conjures a negative reaction whenever I speak it. I secretly wonder if it is due to an unspoken prejudice against anyone from 'mainland' China.

Weather the Weather

Whether the weather be good
Whether the weather be cold
I'll weather the weather
Whatever the weather
Whether the weather be cold
Or whether the weather be cold!

In The Cold

My fingers are freezing in the Macao winter. I wonder why my body does not seem to remember how to respond to the cold anymore, considering the fact that it has survived the mercurial Melburnian weather for a year before. Looking into the mirror, I feel like my skin has actually pickled and aged several years over these past 6 days. It seems like no matter how much I am slathering on my moisturiser, the climate like a thirsty dessicant sucks it all up in a matter of minutes. I've gone past trying to conceal my eye-bags because my concealer seems to expose fine lines more than help hide flaws.

The Ritual of Routine

I spend almost an hour every morning getting myself ready before I can get out of my Macanese igloo. Before you think that the cold here has transformed me from the slacker dresser I was in Singapore into a vainpot, let me clarify. I spend a large bulk of the time preparing warm water to wash my face. We only have a gas heater that needs time to warm up. I've got to collect the hot water from the hot water tap in a basin and manually mix it with cold water to get warm water. For some reason that I have not figured out yet, the owners did not install a mixing tap at the wash basin. The hot and cold water taps are two separate taps.I'm serious - Two separate taps! Sigh.

Then, after preparing my warm water, I have to move that basin to another stable surface, which in my tiny apartment means the top of the WC, so that i can use a scoop to use the water to rinse off the soap without contaminating the rest of the supply. I repeat this same process for washing my hair because I have to use cool water to wash my hair to protect my scalp. And the ancient tap system here means that the shower heard spits out scalding hot water interspersed with skin-biting cold fluid. Turning the taps to get water flowing is also another learning journey. Remember those plastic roundish taps from the 70s? Those are what I have. The edges of the taps aren't exactly smooth but have these indentations that are to give you grip to make turning them easier. I have had to learn how to use my numb fingers to rotate them without cutting my fingers.

Giving Thanks

I have never appreciated the mixer taps that you can flick on and off as much as I have now. The good thing about these taps I have here is that they are helping me work my neglected finger muscles...so wait to be amazed with how easily my fingers will be able to pop open the stubborn jar caps!

Truly, the cold and apartment fittings here are teaching me to better appreciate the many simple things that I have taken for granted like hopping into a warm shower, brushing my teeth, washing my hands. Here, the performance of these simple routines have become like tests of my will and physical tenacity to me.

Becoming Cultured in the Cantonese Way of Life

The challenges of physical acclimitisation aside, cultural adjustments abound. Being a non-Cantonese speaker though I am Chinese attracts a certain, undesired prejudice. Most seem to understand Putonghua, Mandarin. But my standard of Mandarin is also rather appalling so that means that I often begin speaking in Mandarin alright but I end up with many 'Huhs?' because I cannot comprehend their responses comprised of vocabulary that is much more compex than mine.

This morning, I had the unpleasant experience of having two shop assistants express their exasperation with my lack of comprehension of what they were trying to say. Mental notes to self: Learn Cantonese. Be more patient with students learning English in the future - learning a language is NEVER easy and scolding doesn't help one learn it faster. One regret: Why didn't I study Chinese harder?

Beware Pinkerton!

Apparently, being Caucasian still draws certain privileges in this former colony as well. Roy and I experienced our first case of racism at a popular Portugese restaurant. We had visited it in the hopes of sampling authentic Portugese cuisine only to be told that they did not have tables for us. However, we found out from our Australian friends later that they had managed to get in without reservation on the same day half an hour later. We made a reservation for the next day and when we turned up 5 minutes early, the front door was locked and it was only when a portly Chinese businessman and his other business counterparts started to knock on the door that the Caucasian owner finally opened the door. Apparently, the businessman was a regular. He and his waitresses had ignored the other Chinese businessmen as well as us earlier when we knocked on the glass door.

When we enquired about our reservation, he unapologetically told us that he did not have any available tables but he promised that he would get it to us within 10 minutes. We then had to wait out in the cold. 10 minutes ticked by and no sign of our table. So we decided to head off for local fare instead.

Mana Macanese Macan Paradise?
Eating is another avenue to encounter culture. The popular and commonplace cha-chan-tengs here are the local versions of Singapore's kopitiams. But eating at cha-chan-tengs is an affair that parallels food courts on the cost scale though the environment is not as pristine. Cigarette smoke intertwines with wafts of boiling soup stock and food frying in fat. School students lunch at cha-chan-tengs where menu prices average S$7 - a price I find steep even as a working adult. Makes me wonder how the locals manage their finances given that the cost of living here is rather high. Even eating at the more dodgy of cha-chan-tengs can set one back by S$3 for a bowl of noodles with minimal ingredients. A more substantial meal of rice with a simple dish of luncheon meat stir-fried with egg costs S$4. Food court prices at kopitiam settings.

It is also strange to me that you have to pay a premium amount if you request for instant noodles in place of the chewy noodles that we so delight in in HK restaurants back in Singapore. With all the praises for fresh and cheap veggies I've heard, the locals seem to have very little greens in their fare. Greens are available for an additional cost but they seem to be limited to the light greens like cabbage. It is a wonder how all the local women have such flawless skin and lithe figures with the kind of oily, salty food here.

Treating Logorrhoea
Oh wow! I've just taken a record 4 hours to complete this blog. Looks like the cold has not just managed to numb and slow my physiological faculties but my neurological capacities as well. This gives me another thought - The cold sure has stopped me from being a rattling chatterbox!

I am going to sign off now and attempt to un-popsicle myself off the floor. Meanwhile, here is a gentle reminder to enjoy ALL the creature comforts of your home!