Back to Merry

A small step in clearing back logs... start with something festive

Mine was one of the biggest! yeah!!!


Set the table before the big feast


Leading roles of the feast - Roast ham and turkey (not in scale...)

Like this very much, showed before. Assembled real stuff.

From the other angles


Leading role for count-down

Self-made cake by Edmond. SUPER SUPER SUPER delicious and satisfying with the simplest and purest - sponge cake, fresh banana, fresh cream, almond flakes and chocolate!!! aaarrrrrrhhhhhhhh
Look at the lovely Mr Clock, telling us time flies... especially good ones...

Belated Merry

Yet to have the courage to tidy up the pictures in the States.
So, to mildly self-entertain...

This is a real stuff @ Fashion Island.
REAL stuff. Well, REAL but assembled.
150ft tall and forgot how many tonnes.
More to come... hopefully.

Back lah!!

Mom and bean landed safely 1ish on Monday morning.
Have received numerous messages and calls from you buddies - big thank you to all of you, for the care, suggestions, and news.
No worries. THANK YOU!

ps. to be continued with the stories...

Bang

Mom and bean still in Bangkok.
Made many many phone calls and sent many many emails (to bean's BB).
So far ok.
Wish they'll be back very soon.

馬虎 Rewind 之三

20080813 - 20080819 東京之旅
臨時臨急, 反而成功用 mileage 換到機票. 買的話要5,000大洋了.
好 hea 的心情, 基本上是一個沒有拍照, 沒有 itinerary 的旅程.

住在這裡, 非常不賴 - Oakwood Apartments, Roppongi
玄關 (L) 廚房 (R)

大床. 半價雞毛手袋 (豆的. 香港買)

Living room, kitchen (partial), den (partial)

外景. 有東京塔 (L) LamB & Dragon (R)


漬魚餐 @ Suzunami, Tokyo Midtown. 最有趣的要算是上方黃澄澄的那個凍湯狀物體, 十分鮮味, 質地卻是糊糊的, 像毛茄裡面的東西. 因為言語不通, 始終搞不清是什麼, 只知道是用來伴飯吃的.


Roppongi Hills basement 的迴轉壽司. 高質素, 價錢合理. 雖說是迴轉, 但基本上 in motion 的食物很少, 我們的壽司差不多都是 order 的, 由這位師傅主理. (我相信他們利用 RFID 技術, 一掃結賬, 並控制食物"飄泊"的時限.)
(http://www.roppongihills.com/jp/shops_restaurants/details/restaurant.php?id=201220002)


Gold Stone 炒雪糕, 意料之中的不外如是, 只因要個地方抖抖.


後知後覺發現新大陸驚為天"仁"之開心果. 太愛吃了. 媽和我帶回來兩大包還不夠喉, 吩咐豆再後加碼三大包. 後來發現... 香港有售, 而且更便宜... (咁, 師傅都話覺得日本帶回來的比較新鮮可口 ga...)


整整一星期最最最最最滿意的咖啡, 就在臨離開前的午餐, 點了 Latte. 推介.
French Kitchen, Grand Hyatt, Roppongi


另外還去了至愛的今半 (http://www.imahan.com/), 可惜沒有吃天一 (http://www.tenichi.co.jp/) 的天婦羅, 反而試了另一家所謂有名的 新宿つな八, 比天一要差幾幾幾幾皮, 實在是一分錢一分貨. 一蘭的拉麵也不錯, 招待的方式也有趣, 閒名不如見面. 還有美登利的抵食壽司套餐 (http://homepage2.nifty.com/sushi_no_midori/), 但是它長龍的程度開始使人卻步, 我想我還是不介意多付一點到 Roppongi Hills 的那家迴轉吧.

還有 Tokyo Midtown (http://www.tokyo-midtown.com/en/) 每天必到, 主要因為就近 apartment, 加上其中24小時營業的靚靚decent 的 Precce premium food market, 買水果早餐飲品小食等等, 十分方便稱心.

又, 差點遺漏了這個"正嘢" - 坂角總本鋪好好好蝦味蝦片. (http://www.bankaku.co.jp/)
有天閒逛時跟媽無意中發現了, 推介! 各大百貨公司 fancy 食品部有售.

馬虎 Rewind 之始

有好一陣子沒有"用力"寫 blog. (真真要"用力"的, 尤其打中文字... it's killing me!)

原因不外乎是懶, 好懶, 同好鬼懶.

okok, 還有, 冇記性.

有時候看到聽到想到感到一些(以為)值得留個紀錄, 又或公諸同好的事物, 也只是"一念之間", 轉個頭就忘了, 更枉論晚上回家後再"反芻"過來. 畢竟自己不是好反省的人, 忘了就好, hohoho...

太久遠的固然不消提, 近幾個月來也不是沒有大事, 隨便數數就有次按風暴, 北京奧運, 立會選舉, 梁展文新世界大龍鳳, 政治助理鬧劇, 周融wear爛面, Hilary Clinton 落馬, Sarah Palin 上馬, 打風到9號, 嘉禾大火, 美國人老闆其實骨子裡大陸化到不行的 "supposed to is supposed to la"歪理, 未入"豪門"已見識的政治小風波, short-notice日本之旅, 契女小一開學, 友儕間的 changes or intentions to changes... 等等不能盡錄.

剛剛清理一下電話內的照片, 一些細碎的片段又回來了.

決定"由淺入深"回一下帶... 就由今朝開始 rewind 吧. 大事是記不下了, 當作是一個小小的個人瑣事 stock take 吧. 究竟之前有沒有提過寫過, 也不去考究了.

今早精神不錯, 開車送了媽去玩後, 突然非常有 mood 去嘆早餐. 把車泊回家, 徒步走下坡到火炭去.

也不是甚麼大茶飯, KFC吧了. 至愛芝士雞扒包走醬.

第一次吃, 應該是當年做某大銀行項目的時候... 差不多有5個年頭吧?

對上一次, 其實是在不久前的星期六, 因為要(俾人)洗車, 就在附近的KFC邊吃邊等, 之後還要趕出去打波, 所以點了可樂送包貪飲得快 (L), 跟今朝有心"嘆" 飲奶茶 (R) 的心情大不同 (雖然飲奶茶應該去茶餐廳...)

不過, 滿以為自己很 hea 很嘆的時候, 心神原來還是有一點彷彿.

喝咖啡我是不加糖的, 但喝奶茶要加少量.

可是我卻把糖加了在水裡.

講完.

Lost in Translation

Bean is going on a business trip to Tokyo starting tomorrow. Probably for a month, if not more, and probably no fly-backs.
Time to plan a weekend there, while free accomodation is still available at the prestigious Roppongi. Too bad it's already August... not a good (cheap?) shopping season
From the second the trip was proposed, Mom has been busy at advising and instructing the packing, needs and wants, dos and don't, to-bes and not-to-bes, money exchanges...
Even at this hour, while the main character is busy at (and probably only interested in) personalizing her blackberry and I'm done with the mission of arranging taxi pick-up, mom is organizing Bean's purse...
Like many others, we are a family that is so used to travels, in particular business ones. Except, of course, mom. She's the commandor, headquartered at home.
So, parents and kids...

ps. pardon my ignorance, I finally got to know a company (besides Sony I suppose) that buys Sony Vaio notebook... I know, they look cool.
ps2. actually mom made a guess of Mac...

This isn't exactly the party I'd planned

Hillary Clinton Ends Bid & Endorses Obama
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/07/us/politics/07text-clinton.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Thank you very, very much. Well, this isn't exactly the party I'd planned, but I sure like the company.
And I want to start today by saying how grateful I am to all of you, to everyone who poured your hearts and your hopes into this campaign, who drove for miles and lined the streets waving homemade signs, who scrimped and saved to raise money, who knocked on doors and made calls, who talked, sometimes argued with your friends and neighbors, who e-mailed and contributed online, who invested so much in our common enterprise, to the moms and dads who came to our events, who lifted their little girls and little boys on their shoulders and whispered in their ears, "See, you can be anything you want to be."
To the young people, like 13-year-old Anne Riddell from Mayfield, Ohio, who had been saving for two years to go to Disney World and decided to use her savings instead to travel to Pennsylvania with her mom and volunteer there, as well.
To the veterans, to the childhood friends, to New Yorkers and Arkansans who traveled across the country, telling anyone who would listen why you supported me.
And to all of those women in their 80s and their 90s born before women could vote, who cast their votes for our campaign. I've told you before about Florence Stein of South Dakota who was 88 years old and insisted that her daughter bring an absentee ballot to her hospice bedside. Her daughter and a friend put an American flag behind her bed and helped her fill out the ballot.
She passed away soon after and, under state law, her ballot didn't count, but her daughter later told a reporter, "My dad's an ornery, old cowboy, and he didn't like it when he heard Mom's vote wouldn't be counted. I don't think he had voted in 20 years, but he voted in place of my mom."
So to all those who voted for me and to whom I pledged my utmost, my commitment to you and to the progress we seek is unyielding. You have inspired and touched me with the stories of the joys and sorrows that make up the fabric of our lives. And you have humbled me with your commitment to our country. Eighteen million of you, from all walks of life... women and men, young and old, Latino and Asian, African- American and Caucasian... rich, poor, and middle-class, gay and straight, you have stood with me.
And I will continue to stand strong with you every time, every place, in every way that I can. The dreams we share are worth fighting for.
Remember, we fought for the single mom with the young daughter, juggling work and school, who told me, "I'm doing it all to better myself for her."
We fought for the woman who grabbed my hand and asked me, "What are you going to do to make sure I have health care?" and began to cry, because even though she works three jobs, she can't afford insurance.
We fought for the young man in the Marine Corps t-shirt who waited months for medical care and said, "Take care of my buddies over there, and then will you please take care of me?"
We fought for all those who've lost jobs and health care, who can't afford gas or groceries or college, who have felt invisible to their president these last seven years.
I entered this race because I have an old-fashioned conviction that public service is about helping people solve their problems and live their dreams. I've had every opportunity and blessing in my own life, and I want the same for all Americans.
And until that day comes, you'll always find me on the front lines of democracy, fighting for the future.
The way to continue our fight now, to accomplish the goals for which we stand is to take our energy, our passion, our strength, and do all we can to help elect Barack Obama, the next president of the United States.
Today, as I suspend my campaign, I congratulate him on the victory he has won and the extraordinary race he has run. I endorse him and throw my full support behind him.
And I ask all of you to join me in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me. I have served in the Senate with him for four years. I have been in this campaign with him for 16 months. I have stood on the stage and gone toe-to-toe with him in 22 debates. I've had a front-row seat to his candidacy, and I have seen his strength and determination, his grace and his grit.
In his own life, Barack Obama has lived the American dream, as a community organizer, in the State Senate, as a United States senator. He has dedicated himself to ensuring the dream is realized. And in this campaign, he has inspired so many to become involved in the democratic process and invested in our common future.
Now, when I started this race, I intended to win back the White House and make sure we have a president who puts our country back on the path to peace, prosperity and progress. And that's exactly what we're going to do, by ensuring that Barack Obama walks through the doors of the Oval Office on January 20, 2009.
Now, I understand. I understand that we all know this has been a tough fight, but the Democratic Party is a family. And now it's time to restore the ties that bind us together and to come together around the ideals we share, the values we cherish, and the country we love.
We may have started on separate journeys, but today our paths have merged. And we're all heading toward the same destination, united and more ready than ever to win in November and to turn our country around, because so much is at stake.
We all want an economy that sustains the American dream, the opportunity to work hard and have that work rewarded, to save for college, a home and retirement, to afford that gas and those groceries, and still have a little left over at the end of the month, an economy that lifts all of our people and ensures that our prosperity is broadly distributed and shared.
We all want a health care system that is universal, high-quality and affordable so that parents don't have to choose between care for themselves or their children or be stuck in dead-end jobs simply to keep their insurance.
This isn't just an issue for me. It is a passion and a cause, and it is a fight I will continue until every single American is insured, no exceptions and no excuses.
We all want an America defined by deep and meaningful equality, from civil rights to labor rights, from women's rights to gay rights from ending discrimination to promoting unionization, to providing help for the most important job there is: caring for our families.
And we all want to restore America's standing in the world, to end the war in Iraq, and once again lead by the power of our values and to join with our allies to confront our shared challenges, from poverty and genocide to terrorism and global warming.
You know, I've been involved in politics and public life in one way or another for four decades. And during those 40 years, our country has voted 10 times for president. Democrats won only three of those times, and the man who won two of those elections is with us today.
We made tremendous progress during the '90s under a Democratic president, with a flourishing economy and our leadership for peace and security respected around the world.
Just think how much more progress we could have made over the past 40 years if we'd had a Democratic president. Think about the lost opportunities of these past seven years on the environment and the economy, on health care and civil rights, on education, foreign policy and the Supreme Court.
Imagine how far we could have come, how much we could have achieved if we had just had a Democrat in the White House.
We cannot let this moment slip away. We have come too far and accomplished too much.
Now, the journey ahead will not be easy. Some will say we can't do it, that it's too hard, we're just not up to the task. But for as long as America has existed, it has been the American way to reject can't-do claims and to choose instead to stretch the boundaries of the possible through hard work, determination, and a pioneering spirit.
It is this belief, this optimism that Senator Obama and I share and that has inspired so many millions of our supporters to make their voices heard. So today I am standing with Senator Obama to say: Yes, we can!
And that together we will work -- we'll have to work hard to achieve universal health care. But on the day we live in an America where no child, no man, and no woman is without health insurance, we will live in a stronger America. That's why we need to help elect Barack Obama our president.
We'll have to work hard to get back to fiscal responsibility and a strong middle class. But on the day we live in an America whose middle class is thriving and growing again, where all Americans, no matter where they live or where their ancestors came from, can earn a decent living, we will live in a stronger America. And that is why we must help elect Barack Obama our president.
We'll have to work hard to foster the innovation that will make us energy independent and lift the threat of global warming from our children's future. But on the day we live in an America fueled by renewable energy, we will live in a stronger America. And that is why we have to help elect Barack Obama our president.
We'll have to work hard to bring our troops home from Iraq and get them the support they've earned by their service. But on the day we live in an America that's as loyal to our troops as they have been to us, we will live in a stronger America. And that is why we must help elect Barack Obama our president.
This election is a turning-point election. And it is critical that we all understand what our choice really is. Will we go forward together, or will we stall and slip backwards?
Now, think how much progress we've already made.
When we first started, people everywhere asked the same questions. Could a woman really serve as commander-in-chief? Well, I think we answered that one.
Could an African-American really be our president? And Senator Obama has answered that one.
Together, Senator Obama and I achieved milestones essential to our progress as a nation, part of our perpetual duty to form a more perfect union.
Now, on a personal note, when I was asked what it means to be a woman running for president, I always gave the same answer, that I was proud to be running as a woman, but I was running because I thought I'd be the best president. But I am a woman and, like millions of women, I know there are still barriers and biases out there, often unconscious, and I want to build an America that respects and embraces the potential of every last one of us.
I ran as a daughter who benefited from opportunities my mother never dreamed of. I ran as a mother who worries about my daughter's future and a mother who wants to leave all children brighter tomorrows.
To build that future I see, we must make sure that women and men alike understand the struggles of their grandmothers and their mothers, and that women enjoy equal opportunities, equal pay, and equal respect.
Let us resolve and work toward achieving very simple propositions: There are no acceptable limits, and there are no acceptable prejudices in the 21st century in our country.
You can be so proud that, from now on, it will be unremarkable for a woman to win primary state victories unremarkable to have a woman in a close race to be our nominee, unremarkable to think that a woman can be the president of the United States. And that is truly remarkable, my friends.
To those who are disappointed that we couldn't go all of the way, especially the young people who put so much into this campaign, it would break my heart if, in falling short of my goal, I in any way discouraged any of you from pursuing yours.
Always aim high, work hard, and care deeply about what you believe in. And, when you stumble, keep faith. And, when you're knocked down, get right back up and never listen to anyone who says you can't or shouldn't go on. To those who are disappointed that we couldn't go all of the way, especially the young people who put so much into this campaign, it would break my heart if, in falling short of my goal, I in any way discouraged any of you from pursuing yours.
Always aim high, work hard, and care deeply about what you believe in. And, when you stumble, keep faith. And, when you're knocked down, get right back up and never listen to anyone who says you can't or shouldn't go on.
Although we weren't able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it's got about 18 million cracks in it and the light is shining through like never before, filling us all with the hope and the sure knowledge that the path will be a little easier next time.
That has always been the history of progress in America. Think of the suffragists who gathered at Seneca Falls in 1848 and those who kept fighting until women could cast their votes.
Think of the abolitionists who struggled and died to see the end of slavery. Think of the civil rights heroes and foot soldiers who marched, protested, and risked their lives to bring about the end of segregation and Jim Crow.Because of them, I grew up taking for granted that women could vote and, because of them, my daughter grew up taking for granted that children of all colors could go to school together.
Because of them, Barack Obama and I could wage a hard-fought campaign for the Democratic nomination. Because of them and because of you, children today will grow up taking for granted that an African-American or a woman can, yes, become the president of the United States. And so when that day arrives, and a woman takes the oath of office as our president, we will all stand taller, proud of the values of our nation, proud that every little girl can dream big and that her dreams can come true in America.
And all of you will know that, because of your passion and hard work, you helped pave the way for that day. So I want to say to my supporters: When you hear people saying or think to yourself, "If only, or, "What if," I say, please, don't go there. Every moment wasted looking back keeps us from moving forward.
Life is too short, time is too precious, and the stakes are too high to dwell on what might have been. We have to work together for what still can be. And that is why I will work my heart out to make sure that Senator Obama is our next president. And I hope and pray that all of you will join me in that effort.
To my supporters and colleagues in Congress, to the governors and mayors, elected officials who stood with me in good times and bad, thank you for your strength and leadership.
To my friends in our labor unions who stood strong every step of the way, I thank you and pledge my support to you.
To my friends from every stage of my life, your love and ongoing commitment sustained me every single day.
To my family, especially Bill and Chelsea and my mother, you mean the world to me, and I thank you for all you have done.
And to my extraordinary staff, volunteers and supporters, thank you for working those long, hard hours. Thank you for dropping everything, leaving work or school, traveling to places that you've never been, sometimes for months on end. And thanks to your families, as well, because your sacrifice was theirs, too. All of you were there for me every step of the way.
Now, being human, we are imperfect. That's why we need each other, to catch each other when we falter, to encourage each other when we lose heart. Some may lead, some may follow, but none of us can go it alone.
The changes we're working for are changes that we can only accomplish together. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are rights that belong to us as individuals. But our lives, our freedom, our happiness are best enjoyed, best protected, and best advanced when we do work together.
That is what we will do now, as we join forces with Senator Obama and his campaign. We will make history together, as we write the next chapter in America's story. We will stand united for the values we hold dear, for the vision of progress we share, and for the country we love.
There is nothing more American than that.
And looking out at you today, I have never felt so blessed. The challenges that I have faced in this campaign are nothing compared to those that millions of Americans face every day in their own lives.
So today I'm going to count my blessings and keep on going. I'm going to keep doing what I was doing long before the cameras ever showed up and what I'll be doing long after they're gone: working to give every American the same opportunities I had and working to ensure that every child has the chance to grow up and achieve his or her God- given potential.
I will do it with a heart filled with gratitude, with a deep and abiding love for our country, and with nothing but optimism and confidence for the days ahead.
This is now our time to do all that we can to make sure that, in this election, we add another Democratic president to that very small list of the last 40 years and that we take back our country and once again move with progress and commitment to the future.
Thank you all. And God bless you, and God bless America.

選情

查實, 你關心希拉莉奧巴馬, 還是馬英九謝長廷多一點?

微服出巡

Tams Family @ Hong Kong Disneyland, 20080227
經過1年有多的醞釀, 終於成行. 雖然在醞釀期內, 除了媽咪外, 我已 full-fare 去過1次, 豆免費去過2次, 爸出錢出力與客戶去過唔sure幾多次...
爸早早已 online 買了票, 原來的期限是去年9月或之前(半年期), 但一家四口有事的有事忙, 無事的也有無事的忙, 終於過了期才發現. 打電話去查詢, 廸廸尼固然不能讓我們失望吧, 把有效期延至今年3月頭. 於是, 一家四口很方便地繼續有事的有事忙, 無事的無事的忙... 上星期媽突然重新發現這'舊大陸', 急忙召集, schedule 左夾右夾之下, 終於成事.

早陣子天氣陰陰濕濕, 實在有點擔心. 幸而那天天氣真的很好, god's blessing.
原本爸大大聲話要0900出門口食早餐, 點知... 他自己 jet-lag 中, 終於1200才出門到飯堂飲茶再出發.

米奇(與)老死 - 泊車咭


重大採購 - 巴斯光年爆爆爆谷! 由爸負責全程全天候全面保護. (查實人影都唔多隻...)

Autopia (with Honda) - 全家玩了兩轉. 走第2轉時, 我們要求開排在最前的4輛車(同1跑道同1轉可有6架), 費事俾前面啲慢吞吞人阻住晒. 當然根據這個"唔想俾人阻住"的邏輯, 4個車手依次必須是: 爸, 我, 豆, 媽... hohohooo.

煙花後散場 (睇怕已經係全世界都喺晒度...)

Before & After - 入場前及離場時的停車場. 我們大約1400入場, 理論上是停車場繁忙時段, 可是現場停車只有40多. 晚上離開時就更冷清. 不期然又想起我們 (被volunteered) 是大股東的一份子, 個心赤一赤.

US ChopSuey I

回來2個多星期, 終於開始抄少少相... 去住少少片先.

蘋果. 樹.

蘋果. 樹. Who.

btw, 上面嗰隻. 第一代. iPod Classic.

咁 decent 係咩嚟?

係牛扒. 食唔晒打包. [http://www.mastrossteakhouse.com/]

都係附近行行企企.

大魚大肉中的簡單美味至愛 - Seattle's Best Cherry & Chocolate Scone, with Americano.

Cherry 酸到不能, 並唔係乳豬閃燈眼可比擬, 正!

那天太"滋悠", 來不及吃Taiko, 反去了半畝園. 價錢基本上跟BJ的差不多, "只是"美仔(加稅)跟人仔之差(!).