I started a short course in public speaking tonight. Not the best time to be starting a short course, much less in public speaking - seeing that I'm still dealing with the three-hour time difference between Malaysia/Hong Kong and Melbourne*, and it was my first day back at work.
Lazy little me had every intention of skipping class tonight, in favour of a good lie-down on the couch. Then I got a call from the course instructor. Boo. To his credit though, I was very impressed that he took the time to follow up with me after I had informed him that I would be skipping his first class due to my well-timed holiday. He rang me to then to reassure me that I could still catch up even after missing the first class, and today he rang to bring me up to speed with what happened last week and what we were expected to do in class tonight.
Maybe he had past experience with lazy people like me, 'cuz that was the motivator for me to stay back after work despite being incredibly dazed and sleepy, and front up to class at 6.30pm.
Tonight we were required to talk for 60-90 seconds about something that we were passionate about. Brad had suggested that I speak about why I wasn't in class last week, and link in to my passion for travel. Which was a good idea, 'cuz I sure as heck wasn't prepared. Visual aids, you say? Google Images here I come.
Thank goodness he left me for lucky last. I think that being in a daze turns one's brains to sponge, because I managed to soak up an amazing amount of helpful hints and tips on how to improve my presentation and its delivery. I started writing down witty asides (oh la-di-da), and using the breathing techniques to calm my nerves. That's the thing that gets to me with public speaking - it's not that I can't ad-lib and improvise on my notes, it's the nerves that get me. This course, for me, is going to be very much about overcoming that fear of speaking to a group of strangers.
And, glad to say, I did pretty well :D I started off with a line about how my parents tell me to save and invest my money, but I choose to squander my savings on two of my passions - food and travel. I put up a pic of HK that I found on Wikipedia (thank you, creative commons licensing!) and even slipped in a joke about doing my bit for the HK economy, using KRudd's money.
But what really hit me (despite my lack of sleep) is that how much being in a learning environment had energised and inspired me. After the class, my brain was going at a million miles per hour, it was as if the cogs had started turning again after being dormant for so long. I started getting ideas for next week's presentation, and about the various topics I could speak about. I started realising how much I missed learning, and how fun it was.
Learning expands one's horizons; it keeps your brain from becoming stagnant, and your mind open to new ways of thinking. It revitalises your brain cells, and fuels ideas. And, as I realised tonight, when you learn something new, you invariably learn something new about yourself.
I'm so pumped for next week. I have two classes - Copywriting in Action on Tuesday, and Public Speaking on Wednesday. Thank you, Professional Development funds from work!
And I thought tonight was gonna be a drag.
*Hey, three hours might not sound like much, but it's still quite a bit to deal with! Going to bed at 1am Malaysian time means that I am staring at the ceiling until 4am in Melbourne. Getting up at 7am in Melbourne is like forcing yourself to be awake at 4am in Malaysia.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
A spa to write home about - Chuan Spa, Langham Place Hotel, Hong Kong
Hong Kong can sometimes leave you feeling all hot and frazzled, and in need of some respite from all the chaos, wonderful as all the chaos might be. Thus I'm glad that I incorporated some spa activity (or inactivity) into our trip - it's what you need in order to feel human again!
I picked Chuan Spa at the Langham Place Hotel in Mong Kok - thought I'd splash out a bit. I was worried that it wouldn't be nice despite it being a bit expensive, but those concerns were soon to be eliminated, together with any stress and tension gathered over the past month or so.
Firstly, the spa was on the 41st floor of the hotel. Upon check-in I am led to the Contemplation Room, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. The view was magnificent. A hot towel and tea awaited while I filled out the check-in questionnaire. The point of the questionnaire, other than to get your details, is to determine your state of being for today, which would help your spa therapist to tailor your treatment accordingly. This concept is based on the five Chinese elements of earth, wind, water, fire and (I think) metal. Mine was very clearly earth - looks like I needed some grounding elements to calm my frazzled (and overheated) holiday nerves.
The Contemplation Room:
I was then led to the change rooms and shown the showers, steam room, sauna and Oriental hot tub. Damn I forgot my bathers. And this place didn't condone nude bathing :( My slight disappointment at forgetting my bathers, however, was short-lived as I slipped into a fluffy bathrobe and slippers and made my way downstairs to the treatment room.
I had signed up for the 2.5-hour Chuan Escape treatment, and was greeted my therapist, Yee, before being led around the zen water garden to the 'Water' room. Opulently decorated, with dim lighting and soft colours, it made one feel calmer already just by being in there.
The treatment started off with a refreshing body scrub containing hints of peppermint. It felt tingly and cool against my skin. Yee's hands worked magic even with something as simple as a scrub application, and I begin to drift away...
Now the beauty of Chuan Spa is in the details. After applying the scrub, I could hear the sound of the shower being turned on. Yee washes my feet, dries them with a hot towel, then slips the spa slippers on before gently helping me up (me being all warm and fuzzy in the head) to the shower. This is what makes a spa treatment so special - when you feel like you're really being pampered and treated like royalty.
After showering, I am led to this cocoon-like machine that is kinda like a tanning bed, only it does good things to your skin (think it's a vichy shower?). A warming mud mask is applied all over my body, the top lid of the bed is shut down over me (only my body from the shoulders down was cocooned) and the steam turned on for half-an-hour or thereabouts.
I fell asleep. I even caught myself snoring a few times.
After the steam treatment, the vichy showers were turned on inside the cocoon. Invigorating jets of water in various rhythmic massage modes washed the mud away, while the bed - as I discovered with mild surprise - doubled as a vibrating massage table.
Another shower later and I was led to the 'Heaven' room for my aromatherapy massage. Yee used a mix of techniques to melt away the tension. She also massaged my tummy - I think this was because I had listed indigestion as one of the discomforts I had experienced in the last week or so, no doubt due to my excessive eating in KL!
The hour was over too soon, and I soon found myself being led to the Relaxation Room, which contained a row of plush day beds overlooking the city. By then night had already fallen and the view was breath-taking. I reclined on the big, fluffy pillows and savoured the view over some hot tea and fresh fruit, soaking it all in. This was really the perfect ending to an already exceptional spa experience.
Here is the view from the 41st floor by night:
I wish I could do this every month. There is a Chuan Spa at the Melbourne Langham on Southbank, but it is slightly more expensive than the HK one, and I don't know if it's held to the same high standards. Will have to give that one a go.
Chuan Spa HK is definitely at the top of my list now - sorry, Aurora Spa Retreat!
I picked Chuan Spa at the Langham Place Hotel in Mong Kok - thought I'd splash out a bit. I was worried that it wouldn't be nice despite it being a bit expensive, but those concerns were soon to be eliminated, together with any stress and tension gathered over the past month or so.
Firstly, the spa was on the 41st floor of the hotel. Upon check-in I am led to the Contemplation Room, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. The view was magnificent. A hot towel and tea awaited while I filled out the check-in questionnaire. The point of the questionnaire, other than to get your details, is to determine your state of being for today, which would help your spa therapist to tailor your treatment accordingly. This concept is based on the five Chinese elements of earth, wind, water, fire and (I think) metal. Mine was very clearly earth - looks like I needed some grounding elements to calm my frazzled (and overheated) holiday nerves.
The Contemplation Room:
I was then led to the change rooms and shown the showers, steam room, sauna and Oriental hot tub. Damn I forgot my bathers. And this place didn't condone nude bathing :( My slight disappointment at forgetting my bathers, however, was short-lived as I slipped into a fluffy bathrobe and slippers and made my way downstairs to the treatment room.
I had signed up for the 2.5-hour Chuan Escape treatment, and was greeted my therapist, Yee, before being led around the zen water garden to the 'Water' room. Opulently decorated, with dim lighting and soft colours, it made one feel calmer already just by being in there.
The treatment started off with a refreshing body scrub containing hints of peppermint. It felt tingly and cool against my skin. Yee's hands worked magic even with something as simple as a scrub application, and I begin to drift away...
Now the beauty of Chuan Spa is in the details. After applying the scrub, I could hear the sound of the shower being turned on. Yee washes my feet, dries them with a hot towel, then slips the spa slippers on before gently helping me up (me being all warm and fuzzy in the head) to the shower. This is what makes a spa treatment so special - when you feel like you're really being pampered and treated like royalty.
After showering, I am led to this cocoon-like machine that is kinda like a tanning bed, only it does good things to your skin (think it's a vichy shower?). A warming mud mask is applied all over my body, the top lid of the bed is shut down over me (only my body from the shoulders down was cocooned) and the steam turned on for half-an-hour or thereabouts.
I fell asleep. I even caught myself snoring a few times.
After the steam treatment, the vichy showers were turned on inside the cocoon. Invigorating jets of water in various rhythmic massage modes washed the mud away, while the bed - as I discovered with mild surprise - doubled as a vibrating massage table.
Another shower later and I was led to the 'Heaven' room for my aromatherapy massage. Yee used a mix of techniques to melt away the tension. She also massaged my tummy - I think this was because I had listed indigestion as one of the discomforts I had experienced in the last week or so, no doubt due to my excessive eating in KL!
The hour was over too soon, and I soon found myself being led to the Relaxation Room, which contained a row of plush day beds overlooking the city. By then night had already fallen and the view was breath-taking. I reclined on the big, fluffy pillows and savoured the view over some hot tea and fresh fruit, soaking it all in. This was really the perfect ending to an already exceptional spa experience.
Here is the view from the 41st floor by night:
I wish I could do this every month. There is a Chuan Spa at the Melbourne Langham on Southbank, but it is slightly more expensive than the HK one, and I don't know if it's held to the same high standards. Will have to give that one a go.
Chuan Spa HK is definitely at the top of my list now - sorry, Aurora Spa Retreat!
Monday, October 05, 2009
Hong Kong - Day 2
Day 2 in HK, and I've probably worn down the soles of my sandals from all that walking around. Although the heat was more bearable than it would've been in summer, the humidity was still pretty high.
We spent the day walking around Hong Kong park, a welcome spot of green in the concrete jungle of Central. Jam made me hike up a million and one steps in the searing afternoon heat to this walk-through aviary...only there were hardly any birds there :P Well, to be fair I was probably expecting a bit too much as I had been to the biodome in Montreal and the aquarium in Osaka, which also had a pretty good biodome.
Admiralty station is the one nearest to the park, I think:
A waterfall in the middle of the city...ahhh.
Anyway, after a massive trek across the park and the rest of Central in an attempt to return to Admiralty station, we stopped for lunch at reputedly one of the best restaurants in HK for wonton (prawn dumpling) noodles. We thought that reputation was well-deserved. The wontons were as big as your spoon, and even though you only got three wontons per bowl, they were substantial enough that you didn't feel cheated.
The place was packed out, but turnover was pretty quick - they don't waste time here in HK!
We then wandered around Graham St Market. Nice to know that there was a wet market right in the middle of the CBD. One thing's for sure, the locals like their seafood F.R.E.S.H. None of this frozen crap. The fish we saw were either swimming in tanks, or so fresh out of the water they were still flapping and jumping around. Some were so freshly cut up that their gills were still a-goin' and their hearts were still a-pumpin'. Definitely not for the squeamish.
We then went to Mongkok for a spot of shopping and to meet my appointment with Chuan Spa at the Langham Place Hotel. Read about my spa 'experience' here.
Jam went exploring while I was at the spa and found Mos Burger! Needless to say that's what we had for dinner. It's not as good as the Japan one, but it was still pretty tasty.
Walked around Mong Kok after that. The Ladies Market at Tung Choi Street has become such a rip-off these days, it's almost not worth the effort. The traders know that you're going to haggle with them anyway, so they start off with an astronomical price. I bought two souvenir fridge magnets there, and the opening bid was HK$60, which I haggled down to HK$20 each if I bought two. A couple of days later, when we were at Sham Shui Po, I found the exact same magnets in the market there - and the opening bid was HK$20. Go figure.
What's the best thing since sliced bread? Steamed milk pudding, that's what! I've been told that it's made of milk and egg white, but whatever it is, it sure is yummy! Yee Shun Milk Co. is a chain that is famous for its steamed milk pudding. They also do an egg one, which is yellow (I assume they throw the yolk in). I couldn't seem to find the one that my grandfather went to for many many years - it is/was called Hong Ming Dairy. They did the best steamed milk pudding. What I loved best about Hong Ming is that the waiters looked like they've grown old with the cafe, some of them were only slightly younger than grand-dad! I could never quite remember exactly where it was, so I don't even know if it's still there :(
We spent the day walking around Hong Kong park, a welcome spot of green in the concrete jungle of Central. Jam made me hike up a million and one steps in the searing afternoon heat to this walk-through aviary...only there were hardly any birds there :P Well, to be fair I was probably expecting a bit too much as I had been to the biodome in Montreal and the aquarium in Osaka, which also had a pretty good biodome.
Admiralty station is the one nearest to the park, I think:
A waterfall in the middle of the city...ahhh.
Anyway, after a massive trek across the park and the rest of Central in an attempt to return to Admiralty station, we stopped for lunch at reputedly one of the best restaurants in HK for wonton (prawn dumpling) noodles. We thought that reputation was well-deserved. The wontons were as big as your spoon, and even though you only got three wontons per bowl, they were substantial enough that you didn't feel cheated.
Massive wontons at Tsim Tsai Kee
The place was packed out, but turnover was pretty quick - they don't waste time here in HK!
We then wandered around Graham St Market. Nice to know that there was a wet market right in the middle of the CBD. One thing's for sure, the locals like their seafood F.R.E.S.H. None of this frozen crap. The fish we saw were either swimming in tanks, or so fresh out of the water they were still flapping and jumping around. Some were so freshly cut up that their gills were still a-goin' and their hearts were still a-pumpin'. Definitely not for the squeamish.
We then went to Mongkok for a spot of shopping and to meet my appointment with Chuan Spa at the Langham Place Hotel. Read about my spa 'experience' here.
Jam went exploring while I was at the spa and found Mos Burger! Needless to say that's what we had for dinner. It's not as good as the Japan one, but it was still pretty tasty.
Walked around Mong Kok after that. The Ladies Market at Tung Choi Street has become such a rip-off these days, it's almost not worth the effort. The traders know that you're going to haggle with them anyway, so they start off with an astronomical price. I bought two souvenir fridge magnets there, and the opening bid was HK$60, which I haggled down to HK$20 each if I bought two. A couple of days later, when we were at Sham Shui Po, I found the exact same magnets in the market there - and the opening bid was HK$20. Go figure.
What's the best thing since sliced bread? Steamed milk pudding, that's what! I've been told that it's made of milk and egg white, but whatever it is, it sure is yummy! Yee Shun Milk Co. is a chain that is famous for its steamed milk pudding. They also do an egg one, which is yellow (I assume they throw the yolk in). I couldn't seem to find the one that my grandfather went to for many many years - it is/was called Hong Ming Dairy. They did the best steamed milk pudding. What I loved best about Hong Ming is that the waiters looked like they've grown old with the cafe, some of them were only slightly younger than grand-dad! I could never quite remember exactly where it was, so I don't even know if it's still there :(
Thursday, October 01, 2009
We are in Malaysia!
Yayy! Have started my long-awaited holiday trip to Malaysia and Hong Kong. Arrived in Malaysia last night, got off the plane and went straight for supper. In Malaysia, the first thing you do when you land is to eat.
Went to this outdoor eating place in Puchong, with tables spread out all around and even into the parking spaces across the street. Don't think this is actually legal, but hey if no one's looking...
Had two types of noodles - the dark, saucy Hokkien style and the lighter, egg chiffon Cantonese style. And three types of satays (meat skewers cooked over a charcoal bbq) - chicken, beef and goat. Loved the goat satay - the flavour of the goat went really well with the spicy peanut sauce and 'ketupat' (glutinous rice cakes).
Back to the parents' place...and there were durians waiting! YUM. I LOVE DURIANS. Mum said that we were lucky as the season has just started. Yummy yummy yummy. It's an acquired taste (and smell!), even for those who have grown up with the fruit. Well, I guess not like every Aussie loves Vegemite either.
Today we went to 1 Utama, a shopping centre near my folks' place. Had lunch at a cafe called Little Cravings, and ordered a nasi lemak and nasi kunyit with chicken curry. Nasi lemak is a classic Malaysian dish traditionally eaten for breakfast. You can have the 'fancy' version, with meat - usually chicken or beef curry - or just the basic version, which usually comes with sambal (chilli shrimp paste), crunchy fried anchovies, roasted peanuts and a boiled egg. Sometimes it also comes with pickled veggies, called achar. Ours came with a dry chicken curry, which was pretty good. It had the right amount of spiciness and wasn't too dry.
The main ingredients in nasi kunyit is turmeric, coconut milk and pandan leaves (thank you, interwebs!). The turmeric gives the rice its lovely yellow colour, while the coconut milk and pandan leaves lend the dish a rich, yummy fragrance. Glutinous rice is used, which adds to the 'richness' i.e. you can't eat too much or else you'll start feeling a little ill. It came with a gorgeous looking yellow chicken curry, with lots of sauce to drizzle over the rice. I liked the dish well enough, my only complaints were that there wasn't too much meat on the chicken and the dish overall wasn't hot enough (in temperature, not spiciness).
We spent much of the day walking around the shopping mall, which has become quite massive over the years, like Chadstone. The exchange rate is pretty good at the moment - one Australian dollar buys about RM2.90. Food here is really cheap, so it goes a long way. For example, our lunch for three cost about RM32, which is like about 11 bucks!
Went to Topshop, but couldn't really find anything I liked. Jam bought jeans for A$45, and a pair of red Adidas runners for like A$90. I got a book from MPH - Magyk, the first in the Septimus Heap series - for A$7! Bargain. I've been getting into young adult sci-fi/fantasy these days, there are a some brilliant ones around. Although I still haven't jumped onto the Twilight bandwagon...not quite sure if I'll do that. Yet. I'm kinda still skeptical about all the (over)hype. I've got my eye on another series, The Lightning Thief series by Rick Riordan, so would probably check that out first. Have a feeling that I'll be carting a box of books back to Melbourne!
Got my skincare fix at Shu Uemura - bought the cleansing oil and Nobara foundation for RM400/A$137, which entitled me to a seven-piece gift set plus free mini-facial. Yayy - loot AND face pampering :)
Started feeling peckish and stopped by this place called I Love Yoo!
I am serious.
The cafe has a pretty small menu, centred around congee and its accompaniments - usually deep fried chinese doughnuts and other assorted fried cake-y things - as well as soybean milk and tofu desserts, and coffee.
We got some congee with chinese donut and a tofu dessert:
Yum. And only RM15/A$5.10 !
I'll put another post up about dinner. Needless to say we ate too much.
Went to this outdoor eating place in Puchong, with tables spread out all around and even into the parking spaces across the street. Don't think this is actually legal, but hey if no one's looking...
Had two types of noodles - the dark, saucy Hokkien style and the lighter, egg chiffon Cantonese style. And three types of satays (meat skewers cooked over a charcoal bbq) - chicken, beef and goat. Loved the goat satay - the flavour of the goat went really well with the spicy peanut sauce and 'ketupat' (glutinous rice cakes).
Back to the parents' place...and there were durians waiting! YUM. I LOVE DURIANS. Mum said that we were lucky as the season has just started. Yummy yummy yummy. It's an acquired taste (and smell!), even for those who have grown up with the fruit. Well, I guess not like every Aussie loves Vegemite either.
Today we went to 1 Utama, a shopping centre near my folks' place. Had lunch at a cafe called Little Cravings, and ordered a nasi lemak and nasi kunyit with chicken curry. Nasi lemak is a classic Malaysian dish traditionally eaten for breakfast. You can have the 'fancy' version, with meat - usually chicken or beef curry - or just the basic version, which usually comes with sambal (chilli shrimp paste), crunchy fried anchovies, roasted peanuts and a boiled egg. Sometimes it also comes with pickled veggies, called achar. Ours came with a dry chicken curry, which was pretty good. It had the right amount of spiciness and wasn't too dry.
The main ingredients in nasi kunyit is turmeric, coconut milk and pandan leaves (thank you, interwebs!). The turmeric gives the rice its lovely yellow colour, while the coconut milk and pandan leaves lend the dish a rich, yummy fragrance. Glutinous rice is used, which adds to the 'richness' i.e. you can't eat too much or else you'll start feeling a little ill. It came with a gorgeous looking yellow chicken curry, with lots of sauce to drizzle over the rice. I liked the dish well enough, my only complaints were that there wasn't too much meat on the chicken and the dish overall wasn't hot enough (in temperature, not spiciness).
We spent much of the day walking around the shopping mall, which has become quite massive over the years, like Chadstone. The exchange rate is pretty good at the moment - one Australian dollar buys about RM2.90. Food here is really cheap, so it goes a long way. For example, our lunch for three cost about RM32, which is like about 11 bucks!
Went to Topshop, but couldn't really find anything I liked. Jam bought jeans for A$45, and a pair of red Adidas runners for like A$90. I got a book from MPH - Magyk, the first in the Septimus Heap series - for A$7! Bargain. I've been getting into young adult sci-fi/fantasy these days, there are a some brilliant ones around. Although I still haven't jumped onto the Twilight bandwagon...not quite sure if I'll do that. Yet. I'm kinda still skeptical about all the (over)hype. I've got my eye on another series, The Lightning Thief series by Rick Riordan, so would probably check that out first. Have a feeling that I'll be carting a box of books back to Melbourne!
Got my skincare fix at Shu Uemura - bought the cleansing oil and Nobara foundation for RM400/A$137, which entitled me to a seven-piece gift set plus free mini-facial. Yayy - loot AND face pampering :)
Started feeling peckish and stopped by this place called I Love Yoo!
I am serious.
The cafe has a pretty small menu, centred around congee and its accompaniments - usually deep fried chinese doughnuts and other assorted fried cake-y things - as well as soybean milk and tofu desserts, and coffee.
We got some congee with chinese donut and a tofu dessert:
I'll put another post up about dinner. Needless to say we ate too much.
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