Hedgehog adventures

Man Wah Cafe and Bakery

2011-04-23T04:17:00.000-07:00

I guess this must be our last stop of our old-fashioned cafe tour...Man Wah Cafe and Bakery.
Again, I like the decor, and the sign 'No Spitting' ^0^
Oh, the best thing is that you can order a cup of Bovril Tea! Now, that's the sign of an old-fashioned cafe!
The food is average though (I guess that's the reason for finishing the tour!)

Diamond Cafe

2011-04-10T14:52:00.000-07:00

We ventured into Choi Hung to visit Diamond Cafe 鑽石冰室, one of the oldest cafes in Hong Kong. The decor of the place has changed for the last 40 years. The food is average, but then we didn't come for the food. The surprise was the raw egg in hot water...haven't seen this drink in ages!

Hong Kong style western restaurant

2011-04-10T06:17:00.000-07:00

Mei Yi Lim Restaurant 美而廉餐廳 is a funny old place in Mongkok. The food is really old-fashioned western restaurant, Hong Kong-style. We ordered the sizzling steaks...well, it certainly is sizzling, but we were not quite certain about the meat! But the decor and ambience is perfect!

China Cafe

2011-03-20T00:32:00.000-07:00

After a long and uncomfortable winter, Vasco is out for his adventure again! This year Alice is organizing an 'ice-cafe' (冰室) tour. Ice-cafe is a Hong Kong style diner. We decided on ice-cafe to try different old-fashioned Hong Kong 'fastfood'. Many ice cafes are 40+ years old!

First stop: China Cafe in Mongkok. It is tucked away in the middle of the Mongkok wet market. The food is great, Alice had a snow veggie/meat fried noodle (very yummy), PB had French toast, BBQ pork/egg sandwich, and 'Phoenix Egg Custard', KB had fried rice. Alice had to say that the yingyang was not that great.

But the 'Phoenix Egg Custard' was really fun. You take a steaming hot bowl of Bird's Custard, throw in a raw egg, and you have a great bowl of 'Phoenix Egg Custard'! Vasco loves the whole place with the colorful wall tiles! And he could pretend that he was in Johnnie To's PTU.

Sandwich

2010-12-10T21:02:00.001-08:00

Vasco found something quite strange today: look at the photo. Three buildings: one Taoist temple, one love hotel, and one Korean Christian church.
This must be the strangest building sandwich!

Vasco and the Giant Scarab

2010-07-09T23:33:00.000-07:00

Vasco made a bold move to sit in front of the Giant Scarab in the British Museum. It was a very brief visit of just walking around the ground floor. Alice was carrying a very heavy backpack, so she didn't want to walk at all.

Vasco found some peas

2010-07-09T23:19:00.000-07:00

Vasco found some peas on his way to S-Bahn! 2 weeks ago the stripe of side-walk was covered with beautiful white flower. Then Alice discovered some suspicious looking plants, which looked like they were peas. They went out again yesterday morning to prove that those were really peas! A whole block of peas! Those peas are 毛豆 in Shanghainese.

Skateboarding horse

2010-06-26T07:33:00.001-07:00

After the car accident, Vasco attempted to tame a horse. He put the horse on a skateboard...result? Vasco and the horse went happily around the block!

Vasco's new car

2010-06-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

Vasco went out with Alice in search for doors. But Vasco had other thing on his mind! He just found a new red race car outside a toy shop! Unfortunately, Vasco is not very good at driving, he looks like he is heading towards a free fall!!!!!

Strawberry, taste of the summer

2010-06-22T10:56:00.000-07:00

Vasco really loves this big box of strawberries. They are not as big as the ones you can get from Hong Kong, but they sure taste like real strawberries! Alice bought pudding to go with the sweet and fragrant strawberries. A really yummy dinner!

Birthday treat...for myself

2010-06-19T08:03:00.001-07:00

It started with a caramel macchiato from Starbucks...the first cup in Berlin...then,

I went to the little red cafe that Fiona and Alice loved for a mushroom omelette...
For dinner...a Mexican treat...

Jose Saramago

2010-06-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

Read in the newspaper that Jose Saramago passed away yesterday. He is one of my favorite writers. I read Blindness first, then many of his other works. Now, I am just sad. RIP.

Berlin Indian

2010-06-05T08:41:00.001-07:00

Alice loves Indian food...but this one is not really that great...

Eating out with Alice

2010-06-05T08:31:00.000-07:00

Alice is alone at the moment, so Vasco accompanies her everywhere. This was the first pizza they shared in Berlin.

Vasco's wacky new friend

2010-06-05T08:17:00.000-07:00

Vasco went with Alice to the flea market today on a really hot and sunny day :) ...And Alice brought home a wacky friend!!!!!

Curry tour 3 - International Curry House

2010-02-06T22:08:00.000-08:00

When we left for our curry tour, it was only drizzling lightly. The International Curry House was the choice for this week. The place was easy enough to be found, just right across the Southorn Playground in Wanchai. Alice thought the bad luck started right at the moment she stepped into the restaurant.

Our party arrived right before the lunch hour rush. There were only two tables, a young family and another quiet family. The quiet family was great, enjoying their lunch in quiet chatter and munching. The young family was a nightmare from Super Nanny, before the makeover. Then another family came with a woman talking loudly and repeatedly on her Maxim turnip cake. To make things worse, Vasco was being called a rat!

We ordered beef samosa, egg curry, mutton biryani and chicken vindaloo. The beef samosa came with a dish of mysterious green vinegar and something...samosa greasy. The egg curry is served with hard-boiled eggs. Alice gave it an ok, she preferred fried eggs. The mutton in the biryani was tender, and acceptable. But biryani was not quite right, not enough raisin, not the right kind of rice, no cashew nut and not enough spice. The generic curry sauce was topped with fried garlic slices and chewy pineapple. The chicken in the vindaloo was tender but without the taste of curry.

When we left the restaurant, the downpour was so heavy that it was a complete disaster. We were wet to the bone. Alice bumped her head so badly on the taxi door that she was crying. Now there is a big lump of pain on her head.

International Curry House

Food: 7/10...mostly from the two guys

Luck elements: 0/10

Final verdict: 0/10...it's important to have luck after eating at a restaurant!

Curry tour 2 - Ah Lung Pakistan Halal Food

2010-01-30T23:21:00.000-08:00

Second trip took us to Ah Lung Pakistan Halal Food in Jordan. This was a choice suggested by a friend, and it's a great choice! We ordered chicken, beef tenderloin and veggie curry. PB was very happy that there was a vegetarian option on the menu (which was missing from Curry a la King). The curry base was spicy and tasty. Beef tenderloin: the meat a bit bland but it's soft and jelly-like (Vasco); chicken: great (KB, he doesn't have much of an opinion); veggie (PB, happy with a selection of local Chinese veggie, he only complained that there was no potato). The sweet roti was a strange surprise: sugary sweet roti with curry! Actually it's not a bad combination. The restaurant is pretty small, but the seating is comfortable and the waitress was really nice.

Ah Lung Pakistan Halal Food: Food, good; service, friendly and helpful; deco, homey diner type.
Final verdict...9/10 (minus 1 for the absence of potato in curry)

Curry tour 1 - Curry a la King

2010-01-24T04:05:00.000-08:00

Vasco, Alice, PB and KB decided that the next month is going to be our curry tour month. We are going to at least one curry place every week in search of the best curry. Last week we went to Woodland for vegetarian Indian food. It was fantastic!

Today we went to Curry a la King. They do have a good range of curry choices from Malaysian to Indian. We ordered samosa (thumb's up), the chicken curry (KB said great), mutton curry (Alice's not so thrilled) and mutton biryani (PB not so thrilled, though he did like the rice). The food is not bad, it's actually half way decent (except that the meat was a bit chewy). But Alice and Vasco were not happy with the presentations. The dishes looked worse than they tasted. Another thing that Alice did not like was that there was only one waiter serving the whole restaurant, so the poor guy was practically a character from Diner Dash...just watching him running around like a headless chicken was stressful enough for Alice. The deco was really old, particularly the tables and chairs, they are really not comfortable. The last thing: Vasco had absolutely no idea about the bill, just handwritten papers...

Curry a la King: food, OK; service, stressful; deco, yucky.
Final verdict...6/10, it's not worth a second visit.

Adventure in Auckland

2009-12-12T19:48:00.000-08:00

Vasco hasn't been out for a while. Recently he went with toutou to Auckland for a short adventure. On the trip he met a really cute puppy. This little puppy is training to be a guide dog!!!! So he goes every where with the trainer and he is super cool!

Cosplay in Bangkok

2009-09-01T07:11:00.001-07:00

PICT0108, originally uploaded by toutousmile08.

Vasco went to Bangkok for the weekend and he saw another cosplay convention! Under the bright sun and it was about 40 degree, these teenagers were having so much fun! Vasco loves this particular dress up.

Hedgehog fun!

2009-08-28T06:55:00.000-07:00

Hardiharhar!!!!

Porky's Sandwich Bar

2009-08-01T19:58:00.000-07:00

Vasco visited Porky's Sandwich Bar in Stockport, UK. Stockport is a small town near Manchester...thinking about it, Manchester is also quite small...at least that was what Vasco thought.

Anyway, back to Porky's...very yummy sandwiches...he had susage and egg, and bacon and egg...one thing to mention...British bacons appear to be different from American bacons...the British ones are bigger, meatier but not crispy...Vasco can't quite decide which one he likes better.

First meal in Lisbon...

2009-08-01T02:00:00.001-07:00

Vasco went to Lisbon for his summer holiday. On the first night there, he was rather dizzy and tired and stumbled upon a 'nice' al fresco restaurant near the big red building in the Alfama area. He ordered grilled sardine and cuttlefish...soup and fruit salad...the food was pretty good and Vasco was hungry...and ended up with a more than 70 Euro bill!

At first he just thought that eating out is expensive in Lisbon...but as the adventure unfolded...he learned that he was pretty much scammed...more to follow...

One and Other

2009-07-07T22:51:00.001-07:00

Digital Harinezumi 3

2009-07-06T03:46:00.001-07:00

Finally!!!!!! Alice got this little digital camera! Now, she is waiting for the sun to come out again tomorrow! It works better in the sun!

Vasco wants to be the first to be photographed!

Regal Princess Ermintrude

2009-06-20T06:01:00.000-07:00

Need we say more?

Cafe and Hollywood Road

2009-06-20T06:00:00.001-07:00

Toutou went photo-taking this morning with Fiona...it was tooooooooo hot...and Vasco needed a rest as well...

Egg pancake

2009-06-14T05:36:00.000-07:00

雞蛋仔!!!!! Vasco loves the Hong Kong edition of pancake!

Vasco wants to take this home, but no one was selling it...look at the size of it!

Overpriced...

2009-06-14T05:28:00.001-07:00

Vasco went to our favorite cart noodle place. OK, the fried noodle and fried rice dishes were really good. But the tofu and pork dish was seriously over-priced! $138 for tofu and pork?

Ermintrude the reader

2009-06-14T05:25:00.000-07:00

Ermintrude is a great reader...this is the proof!

Ermintrude's prison break...

2009-05-28T00:02:00.000-07:00

Ermintrude has learned to climb out of her cage (Spiderman's style), and this was what happened last night.

Alice went out for dinner and when she came back, she found Ermintrude missing. At first, everyone followed the poop poop trail, and traced her to the study, the book shelves, the piano and the living room. But there was no sign of the little sneaky fellow. Then Phil discovered that the perfume bottle under the bed was overturned, so we took out all the suitcases and stuffs under the bed. No sign of her either. We looked high and low and found nothing. Everyone was exhausted, freak boy was really worried.

Dishes of food and water were placed in the living room in the hope that the hungry little fellow would come out. At 2 am, nothing happened. Not a sound. Alice was really worried and slept on the sofa, just in case she heard the little one scratching.

In the morning, freak boy and Alice went to the supermarket and got a torch, and they searched the whole premise again. Nothing. Under exhaustion, Alice went to sleep and was woken up by a thumping sound. The usual noise that Ermintrude made when she's scratching her itches. Phil turned over the bed and nothing. We found those useless vacuum storage bags (with some shirts in them), still nothing. In the end, we were going to give up and resolved to waiting, and Alice was already crying. Phil looked through the old shirts, and then, 'There is a hedgehog here'.

Phil saved the day...Ermintrude was a bit shaken, and looked dehydrated. Now she is sleeping happily on Alice's lap, after a big meal of pancake. Alice is happy.

Cupcakes...

2009-05-17T06:20:00.000-07:00

Vasco went to Horizon Plaza today to search for a small piece of furniture for Alice. Unfortunately, it was not a lucky day for furniture hunting. Vasco found 2 cupcake bakeries though.

Vasco chose Babycakes, and bought 4 colorful cupcakes home. Vasco loves the cupcakes, he is very disturbed by the amount of packaging...for 4 cupcakes, 1 paper box, a plastic tray, a plastic individual package for the 4th cupcake. What's wrong with that shop? The bakery sells the idea that their cupcakes are good for kids, but it certainly is not good for the environment!

Vasco doesn't think he will be going back to Babycakes.

Vasco went chiu chow again...

2009-05-16T05:12:00.001-07:00

Vasco went for Chiu Chow food again last night...

here's the food review:

oyster pancake...ok...
squid n celery in xo sauce...amazing!
spinach w salty eggs n thousand year egg...great!

Ermintrude in May

2009-05-03T04:29:00.001-07:00

Ermintrude the Hedgepig has grown quite a lot in the last couple months...she is now a little monster!

Vasco touring Mongkok

2009-05-03T04:07:00.001-07:00

Vasco went to Mongkok today to 'sweep the street'. First stop...Chinese style burger! Then Ireland's Potato french fries with wasabi mayo and cheese and then at the freak boy's request...we queued up for the Taiwanese milk tea...next to the stinky tofu stall!

All in all, it was a good and yummy trip.

Twitter...

2009-04-17T03:01:00.000-07:00

Phil just gave up...

Ermintrude little slideshow

2009-04-14T07:02:00.000-07:00

It's here!!!!!!

2009-04-13T08:09:00.000-07:00

Finally, the Digital Harinezumi is on sale! Check this out from SuperHeadz. For an English explanation, check it out from Four Corners Dark!

Alice really wants one!

Vasco making noodles...

2009-04-13T04:59:00.001-07:00

Alice took Vasco to learn to make noodles at the most revered noodle place in Taipei - Du Xiao Yue (度小月). The noodle is amazing! A little bit of minced pork, a little bit of the soup, really chewy noodle and the little shrimp on top. The smell is just heavenly. It was the best bowl of noodle Alice has ever had. Alice now prays that Vasco has learned the secret recipe from this 114-year old shop!

Vasco going for Shanghainese again...

2009-03-28T20:42:00.000-07:00

Vasco loves Shanghainese food, if he can choose only one kind of cuisine to eat for the rest of his life, he will definitely choose Shanghainese. He went to Xiao Nan Kuo in Central a couple nights ago and had yummy duck, veggie rolls, tofu with preserved eggs, tofu sheet rolls, really really yummy hairy crab with rice cake.

Vasco went home with a happy tummy!

Ermintrude close up...

2009-03-28T20:32:00.000-07:00

Sometime Ermintrude looks like she is staring at you...

Poor little gecko

2009-03-23T03:14:00.000-07:00

Poor little gecko...this is what Alice found in her office when she took out a folder...may he rest in peace.

It is a bit of a mystery because Alice just put that folder on the shelf last Tuesday...

Vasco took Ermintrude to park...

2009-03-22T05:08:00.000-07:00

Vasco took Ermintrude to the park this afternoon...this is the first time Ermintrude stepped on grass. She didn't seem very surprised...is it her hedgehog instinct? But very clearly she was not particularly thrilled with grasses either...her instinct was going back on the concrete block! Ermintrude is a funny little hedeghog. She ran quite quickly to Alice's shoes...the park is a bit too big for Ermintrude. Vasco was just happy to see her running around a bit...

New Ermintrude videos

2009-03-22T03:04:00.000-07:00

Ermintrude the meditating hedgehog...

Ermintrude eating canned cat food...

Ermintrude exercising her motor legs...

Jon and Kate plus 8...lies

2009-03-21T00:03:00.001-07:00

Vasco was a Jon and Kate Plus 8 fan for almost over a year now...he can recite the names of all 8 kids...Mady, Kara, Alexis (Vasco's favorite), Hannah (Vasco's least favorite), Aaden, Leah, Collin (Vasco's favorite) and Joel. Vasco watched, with Alice, almost every episode and loves all other secondary characters as well...like Aunt Jodi and Granny Jenny.

Vasco just read up on the series and all the other dirt about Jon and Kate...sigh...now he is totally off the show! Apparently Aunt Jodi got kicked out because she is too 'nice' on the show. The parents also quit their jobs and just live on the kids. Jon and Kate are sitting so far apart from each other on the interview sofa that they may as well be in two different rooms! There is also rumor that Jon and Kate are splitting up. Sigh...who's going to take care of the 8 kids?

It all started out as a fun program to watch, because the kids are really cute and Vasco sympathized with both Jon and Kate. But now Vasco learned that Kate actually has a personal chef, a driver, a gardener, a helper and a personal assistant (Alice did wonder about Kate's Starbucks coffee in every episode, how did she get it when she claimed to be so tied down by the kids?), this program seems too exploitative...Vasco felt a bit guilty that he (and Alice) joined the exploitation of the 8 kids.

What kind of world do we live in? Vasco now switches to River Cottage and enjoy the country air.

Digital Harinezumi 2

2009-03-20T19:25:00.001-07:00

OK, this is a bad scan. It's an ad from Wired April issue. The fun part is looking for the hedgehoge (harinezumi).

In the first place, does digitalharinezumi dream?

This is an ad to promote the new digitalharinezumi camera. But when is it coming out?

It's mine!

2009-03-14T18:20:00.001-07:00

After peeing on the jacket, Ermintrude happily hid in the fleece pocket. 'It's mine! I can smell myself here.' Vasco has to wash the jacket after Ermintrude got tired of sleeping in the pocket.

Ermintrude's belly...

2009-03-14T18:06:00.000-07:00

Ermintrude can be a real fuzz ball sometime. Here she is, exposing her belly, asking Am I Cute?

Vasco playing hide and seek

2009-02-23T16:47:00.001-08:00

Vasco loves playing hide and seek with Ermintrude! Sometimes she puts up her little snout and sometimes she hides it. Where are you?

Vasco encountered a concept...

2009-02-22T04:34:00.001-08:00

Vasco went to an old cha chaan teng, Mido, today. This is a nice place to visit. The building is old and located next to a temple. The upstair part is really airy with big window. With a curvy corner of the building, one table is really funny and got curvy seats as well. The decor stays in its 50s and 60s style. It is fun to visit. As long as you are not really going for the food.

After tasting the pork chop rice, deep fried wantons in sweet and sour sauce and curry squid rice, Vasco categorized this place as a concept. It is fun to see so many people came to the restaurant for a photo shooting opportunity! Some were armed with professional lens!

Indian again!

2009-02-15T00:24:00.000-08:00

The weather has been a bit wet, so Vasco went for his second Indian meal in a week. This time though, he was good and went to Woodlands Indian vegetarian restaurant. This is a legendary place, because everyone has told us that it is a must-visit restaurant, but everyone said the last time they visited was probably 10 years ago! Still, everyone voted this as the best vegetarian Indian restaurant in town.

We ordered the North and South India sets, Kashimiri biryani, and of course, Gulab Jamun. Vasco does like the place a lot, but he still stands by his favorite as Khana Khazana in Wanchai!

Ermintrude running on the wheel

2009-02-15T00:09:00.000-08:00

Alice bought Ermintrude a running wheel a week ago, but has never seen Ermintrude running yet. Yesterday, this secret exercising was caught on tape!

Ermintrude first bath...

2009-02-14T18:22:00.000-08:00

Ermintrude had her first bath this morning! Alice put a small drop of rabbit shampoo in the warm water. This was Ermintrude first bath so she was a bit confused. She walked around, the water only came up to her belly, and elevated herself higher! Ermintrude was probably a bit startled...she pooed...so after a minute, Alice took her out and dried her in a bit towel. The final step of her beauty treatment was a blow dry! Ermintrude likes the hair drier!

Vasco loves Indian cuisine....

2009-02-10T18:01:00.001-08:00

Vasco loves Indian food!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was Phil's birthday yesterday and he took Alice and Vasco to Gaylord India Restaurant. There was live music and a glass window to see the naan chefs at work! Vasco loves the place! Alice loves the paisley pattern on all the serving dishes...

Then he had the most succulent Chicken Tikka, honey-flavored Kasmiri naan, to-die-for Lamb Pasanda and dinty Bindhi Masala! He finished with Gulab Jamun and Kulfi as desserts! Vasco's tummy was so happy that it was singing Indian songs all night long!

Ermintrude goes vinyl hunting...

2009-02-10T17:49:00.000-08:00

After a week in the house, Ermintrude found her favorite spot...the vinyl records corner. When she gets out of her cage, this is always the first place she wants to go to.

She sniffs and puffs when she tries to decide which record she likes. Ermintrude is very serious about choosing her music. She puts her head into it!

Finally, Ermintrude has chosen her record for the night...

Ermintrude grew bigger...

2009-02-05T16:46:00.001-08:00

Ermintrude has grown a lot bigger in the last couple days! Now she has a little tummy! Vasco wonders whether she is going to be as big as him one day soon! It's time to get her a running wheel.

Vasco walking with a gnome...

2009-02-03T18:01:00.000-08:00

Vasco made another friend at granny's house the other day, a gnome with a lamp. He is a jolly good fellow and lights up your path in the wilderness!

Now, Vasco can go on an adventure at night!

Introducing Ermintrude the Hedgepig...

2009-01-31T18:47:00.001-08:00

This is Ermintrude the Hedgepig...the name Ermintrude came from a 60s French children's TV program, The Magic Roundabout. Hedgepig is another name for hedgehog.

When we turned on the heater this morning, Ermintrude was happily exploring the whole living room, including Kaz's smelly feet.

Ermintrude eats ferret's food and drinks clean water. Other than that, we have no plan to feed her live worm yet...but a small piece of apple is under consideration.

Vasco has a new friend!

2009-01-30T04:38:00.000-08:00

Vasco has a new girlfriend tonight! Alice brought home a live hedgehog! She hasn't got a name yet because the family hasn't quite made up their minds yet. Alice and Kaz went to Mongkok and met a new friend who sells exotic pets. In that little upstairs shop, there were lots of lizards and other exotic creatures. But the two only had eyes for hedgehogs...out of the six, Kaz picked this one because it was the smallest. Alice thought he made an excellent choice, she like the dark spikes. Now, we need to pick a name for her!

A new princess hedgehog in the house!

Vasco battled the beast...

2009-01-27T01:57:00.001-08:00

Just before the Chinese New Year, Vasco battled the beast...he found out that there was $66.6 left on Alice's Octopus Card after a trip to Tsim Sha Tsui!

Vasco valiantly fought the beast by using the Octopus Card...now the beast is no more!

Vasco's favorite photo

2009-01-26T18:38:00.001-08:00

This is officially Vasco's favorite picture. This was taken on a beach in Stanley on a cold and windy morning. He loves the sharp contrast between the orange plastic fence and the gray sky and sea.

Kung Hei Fat Choy

2009-01-25T00:50:00.000-08:00

Vasco loves posters of Chinese deities. This one is one of Fortune Gods.

Vasco wishes everyone good fortune, great health and happiness in the Year of the Ox.

Chinese New Year's Eve Dinner...yummy

2009-01-25T00:26:00.000-08:00

Vasco went to granny's house for Chinese New Year's Eve Dinner last night. Technically it was one day before the eve, but every fungshui master recommended yesterday as a more auspicious day! Vasco stuffed his little belly with these wonderful dishes, and more...lettuce with abalone and mushroom, chicken soup with shark fin and crab meat (please don't ask mention the political correctness, Vasco can not argue with granny on this...) and eight treasure sticky rice with homemade red bean paste for dessert! Granny has just perfected the technique to smoke the flounder in her own kitchen...the fish was rich with flavors but the meat was still very tender! It was one of those 'taste buds explosion' dishes!

Vasco loves Shanghainese food!

50s rattan chair

2009-01-23T18:41:00.001-08:00

Vasco went to a retro furniture shop, and he loves this rattan chair. The colors reminded him of those old chairs Alice saw in photos. Hmm...this one looks a bit too big for Vasco though...

Vasco swallowed by artwork...

2009-01-22T02:13:00.000-08:00

Vasco went to an art exhibition today at the Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre in Shek Kip Mei. It is quite a cool place. The building itself, cira 1950s, was originally a building for small factories, but was converted into a community for art studios and galleries in 2008. The exhibition Vasco went to was 're:animating'. It was part of the City Fringe Festival 2009.

Vasco likes this particular exhibit, Resurrection Potion, a lot because the artist, Tang Ying Mui, used the twisters from trash bags to create something quite interesting (and dangerous). Vasco almost got sucked into the tube! In a way, Vasco doesn't quite understand contemporary arts because he doesn't understand how this could actually be related to modern day consumer identity or social awareness. He just thinks this piece is beautiful: a complex structure created from simple tool.

Japanese and durian...

2009-01-18T00:23:00.000-08:00

Vasco went out for a nice Japanese lunch with granny today. He ate everything so quickly that he forgot to take some photos! But the food was really nice, Vasco had: roast beef, tempura shrimps, miso soup, rice cake pizza (!), fish cake, chicken, pumpkin salad (tasted like ice-cream, really yummy) and sweet potato chips.

At the restaurant, the TV was showing a marathorn held somewhere in Japan. It was really strange, watching those people running for more than an hour...Vasco wondered why the program was shown. It was totally pointless...

Then the surprise came: Vasco was taken to a Chinese dessert shop where granny had her favorite durian puff cake. Phil had his durian pancake.

There are two types of people on this planet: those who love durian and those who hate it. There is no in-between. Vasco is in the latter category. The stink of durian knocked poor Vasco over. He totally fainted! Vasco can not understand why durian is called 'King of Fruit'! It smells worse than the stinky cheese man!

Vasco wants his own camera!!!

2009-01-17T17:35:00.000-08:00

Vasco read this ad from The Wire (Jan 09) last night and he was totally thrilled! The Digital Harinezumi is exactly what he wants! Kaz said 'harinezumi' means 'needle mouse' in Japanese, and it's the Japanese word for hedgehog. You have to take a look at the product from Superheadz! It is supposed to be a 'low-end' digital camera, Vasco thinks it probably means not very fancy functions...but if it is possible to reproduce similar effect as the 110 Superheadz camera, that will be great!

Vasco has a 110 Superheadz camera, but he has not developed the films he took yet...and he is not particularly confident of his pictures. It is not very convenient to have to go get the film developed.

It is a work of beauty. There is even a little hedgehog on the camera! Digital Harinezumi will be available on Valentine's Day, 2009. It will make a perfect present!

Hibernating...

2009-01-15T03:29:00.000-08:00

Vasco has been hibernating because it is so cold in Hong Kong! When Vasco thinks it's cold, he is complaining that the temperature has dropped below 15 degree Celsius...this is very cold by a little city hedgehog's standard. Alice's friend, Stephan, just emailed her some photos from Berlin...covered in snow! Fortunately, Stephan is also complaining about the cold weather (and the cold and flu that is around)! It seems that everyone is suffering! Vasco hopes that his students will get well really soon!

Well, Vasco decided that he is going to stay really close to his heater...but he is real careful that he doesn't burn his little toes...

Street Corners...

2009-01-10T23:37:00.001-08:00

More FishEye2 photos, the theme is street corners.

choo choo train...

2009-01-10T23:21:00.000-08:00

The little hedgehogs took a train ride today. Vasco is on leave and is seeking new adventure.

This model is a Lego Creator series 4837. Phil made the little engine, but it is possible to make 2 other models. The problem is getting two more little boxes.

Then the little hedgehogs can go on a great train ride.

Chungking Mansions and curry...

2009-01-09T17:36:00.000-08:00

OK, it's a cliche, but Vasco went to Chungking Mansions for curry last night. It was quite fun. First, the building was under renovation, so there was no way of finding the right block. Then there were probably 100 people waiting for the lift, and only 6-7 people could actually get into the lift in any one go.

When Vasco got to the restaurant, there were another 100 customers waiting already! So Alice must have made the right choice at the New Delhi Club! They had masala okras, sag paneer, mutton in some sort of sauce, cheese naan and mint paratha. And King Fisher of course! The vegetable dishes were great, the naan and paratha great but the mutton was a bit strange...The place was really crowded, and the waiters were very friendly and calm facing a mob of hungry customers! As in all crowded restuarant, there is always one middle age man trying to control the traffic and allocate table (to his advantage). He was looking over everyone's shoulder and giving his evil eyes. Men like him should not attempt a popular restuarant, but should just stay home and enjoy his wife's cooking.

It was quite a fun night out, but the place is less exotic than Vasco expected. He thought he would be going into a Chungking Jungle! But he learned something from Phil: half the mobile phones sold in Africa passed through Chungking Mansions!

Boxes in a shop...

2009-01-09T17:32:00.000-08:00

Vasco loves exploring different parts of town. One place he gets headache though is one of those consignment shops, Hong Kong style. In recent years, there are a lot of shops with nothing but cubicles in them, you can rent your own little cubicle and sell whatever you want to sell. It practically means there can be 50 little 'shops' in one shop!

This drives Vasco a bit mad! He is a greedy little fellow, so he just wants to look at everything! He even pretends to be living in a consignment box.

Fisheye

2009-01-07T02:04:00.000-08:00

Vasco and Alice have been experimenting with their new FishEye2...and here are some great photos!

Vasco had a bath...

2009-01-06T02:47:00.000-08:00

Against his will, Vasco was forced to have a bath today. Granny has been complaining that he is a bit too scruffy! Alice gave him a good rub and he is now as good as new! The only problem is getting dry...Vasco becomes a bat, hanging upside down!

Scotch egg, Thai style...and a molar spat out...

2009-01-04T04:18:00.001-08:00

Vasco discovered an interesting dish today: Scotch Egg, Thai Style!

Regular Scotch Egg = hard boiled egg wrapped in sausage, coated in bread crumb and then deep fried. A yummy snack!

Scotch Egg, Thai Style = hundred / thousand Year (your pick) preserved egg wrapped in Thai fish paste and then deep fried. Served with spicy minced pork and deep fried basil leaves.

Surprisingly, the Thai-style Scotch Egg is quite delicious! It certainly is interesting! A strange combination that Vasco never thought about. The place, Mini Bangkok in Kowloon City, is also new to Vasco. Vasco didn't like the papaya salad that much because it was too spicy, but Phil loves it. Phad Thai was average. Thai chicken wings were a bit oily and a bit bland.

Vasco may go back, but the possibility is not very high.

And Kaz spat out his molar during the meal...it was one of those strange moments in Vasco's life.

Custard bun...

2009-01-03T01:23:00.000-08:00

It is Vasco's lucky day today! Alice bought him a hot, freshly baked Custard Bun 西式流沙包 from Maria's Bakery. It has been featured in different magazines and is one of the most sort after items for tea time!

It's soft and hot. Vasco was so careful because the custard filling was so hot. It was sweet and the custard (a mixture of custard and salty egg yolk?) simply melt in his mouth. He thought he was in heaven!

Vasco loves custard buns!

Chestnuts...

2009-01-03T01:16:00.000-08:00

Vasco loves hot chestnuts in the winter! This stall right around the street corner to the Flower Market is absolutely amazing. Vasco can get chestnuts, quill eggs, ginkgo nuts, walnuts, sweet potatos and peanuts. What more can you ask for?

Vasco's favorite Vietnamese place...

2009-01-03T00:59:00.000-08:00

Vasco had a late lunch at his favorite Vietnamese restaurant, Pho Saigon. He ordered pho and Phil had a really spicy rice noodle combo. Vasco got the wrong spring rolls, but he doesn't mind. Of course, he has to have his favorite salty lemon with Sprite drink!

Cat's eyes

2009-01-02T18:28:00.001-08:00

Vasco was sitting in for the cat's eyes on the road. Rumors have it that these cat's eyes were constantly stolen (don't understand why), so the government has stopped putting new ones in on certain country roads.

So here is Vasco doing his civic duty: heggie eyes!

Beware of the dog...

2009-01-02T18:23:00.001-08:00

Vasco loves this photo. It was at the end of the walk, and Vasco met a dog. He gracefully strolled to the sign, sat down and posed!

For the wider world, the sign has 'Danger (Power Line)' written on it. Vasco thinks the dog knows exactly what was written on the sign!

A sad little monkey...

2009-01-02T18:19:00.000-08:00

Vasco met a very sad little monkey this morning. He is a little baby, but he has those big sad eyes staring at Vasco. This little fellow is sad maybe because he was excluded from the family spa session.

Choices at cha chaan teng

2009-01-01T03:21:00.000-08:00

Vasco loves Hong Kong style small diners, cha chaan teng, because he can choose from an unbelievably comprehensive menu. It is possible to have your steak and also a congee, at the same time! of course, one has to get used to the local Hong Kong flavors. Vasco loves this particular one, Extremely Good Cart Noodle, as Vasco is always dazzled by the choices right at the entrance! These are all the dishes you can choose from and put into your noodle! The vendors used to sell these dishes in a small cart, and people just ate standing on the street! That was why this particular type of make-your-own-noodle is called Cart Noodle!

Today, Vasco chose something else: spicy fried tofu, stir fried noodle, congee with liver (Phil's choice, -_-') and fried bread stick in rice noodle roll (yummy!). Phil also ordered a strange drink: iced coffee with lemon! It is definitely an acquired taste. Alice went for the more conservative yin yeung (coffee with milk tea).

New pals

2009-01-01T03:17:00.000-08:00

Vasco loves this photo of his two new pals! On the left is a mechanical wind-up little fellow from Japan (present from Kitty), and he carries a nice calendar on his back! He loves going round in circle.

The blue wacky hopping fellow comes from Vasco's day out to Mongkok today. He hops around like a chirpy bird!

Vasco used the funny bug eye lens because that's what he sees when these two get into action!

Vasco got an Oscar!

2008-12-31T19:08:00.000-08:00

Alice went out partying last night and she brought home an Oscar! So this morning Vasco had a lot of fun playing with her bling bling and meeting that golden fellow. She also won a prize to wine and dine in a Race Box at either Shati n or Happy Valley Racecourse!

Vasco has never been to the racecourse, and now he is looking forward to that trip!

Happy New Year everyone!

A day out in a mall...

2008-12-27T18:55:00.001-08:00

Vasco went to the cinema with granny and the gang to see The Tale of Despereaux. Alice loves the book and she was a bit worried that the animation was not going to be good. It was a great animation and Vasco totally enjoyed it. Of course, it helped that he was given pop corns before the show!

After the movie, Vasco strolled around the mall to see the decoration and he had a lot of fun! Taking picture in front of the Ferris Wheel, riding a deer and getting on a carousel!

Her Royal Highness...

2008-12-25T05:01:00.000-08:00

Alice received an amazing Bramble Hedgehog, from Royal Crown Derby, for Christmas! She is so elegant and beautiful. Vasco immediately fell in love with Her Royal Highness, particularly when she fluttered her eyelashes! Now Vasco follows her everywhere she goes!

Her Royal Highness told Vasco that Royal Crown Derby has been manufacturing porcelain since 1750. She is in the paper weight bloodline, which was introduced in 1981. Queen Victoria gave the company the permission to use 'Royal' in their company in 1890 as a seal of approval.

Now, Vasco has a friend with royal family background! As a little American hedgehog, Vasco is very impressed.

Art Exhibition

2008-12-25T04:58:00.001-08:00

Today Vasco went to an artwork exhibition because his love, Queenie, has four drawings on show! Vasco loves her works and has a lot of admiration for her talent! It is not an easy task to bring those toys to life!

Vasco wants a sitting as well...but then, that means he has to sit still, and Vasco can't sit still!

Vasco got the boot!

2008-12-25T04:52:00.000-08:00

Vasco loves taking picture next to strange sign. This one was found on a train platform at Kowloon Tong station. It looked like Vasco just being kicked!

start from zero...

2008-12-23T22:02:00.000-08:00

Vasco blogged earlier about the sticker arts he saw in Macao...actually it all came from one artist, Dom at Start From Zero. Alice also remembered seeing some of his work at The Panic.

the monkeys...

2008-12-23T21:27:00.000-08:00

These were taken when Vasco went out for a walk a couple weeks ago.

Pinhole camera disaster...again...

2008-12-23T21:21:00.000-08:00

Alice has been experimenting with her pinhole camera...it was a total disaster. Vasco would like to put it more nicely, she still has to learn to hold the camera and not shake her hands...Phil kept saying she should carry a tripod with her.

This is the only nice picture from 3 rolls of films.

What did you do for 2 hours?

2008-12-23T06:14:00.000-08:00

This was the question Kaz asked when Alice disappeared into V Spa for two hours...

Vasco noticed that Alice came back to the room a much more relaxed person, and smelt so nicely with that lavender scent...

Alice just sighed...90 minutes of indulgence...Vasco wants one as well!!!!

stickers or graffiti art?

2008-12-23T05:13:00.000-08:00

Vasco saw some interesting graffiti arts in the side streets of Macao. Kaz insisted that these are only stickers. Vasco just thought they looked great on the wall...particularly the ways that some got painted over as well...now the 'sticker' got a new layer of meaning!

Something more spiritual...

2008-12-23T05:10:00.000-08:00

Vasco also visited a small temple today. He was fascinated by the incense towers. He really hopes the prayers will come true for these faithfuls.

The second meal...

2008-12-23T05:01:00.000-08:00

Dad, you know there are two TVs in our room?

No, I don't know that.

Yes, the first TV is in the first cabinet. The second TV is in the second cabinet.

That was the conversation Vasco heard after Kaz had half a glass of (very weak) Sangria! Of course, no trip to Macau is complete without some sardine!

Ah...the Venetian...

2008-12-23T04:28:00.000-08:00

Vasco went with style and stayed at the Venetian, it was an exercise of pure excessiveness. Vasco was totally amazed by the perpetual blue sky and daylight in the great shopping mall. The miles and miles of long corridors. The fake Italian ceiling. The gold. The Venetian canals. The gondola. The bridges.
It was certainly an experience...but Vasco doesn't think he really wants to stay there again.

From a fish bowl to the light

2008-12-23T04:04:00.000-08:00

Vasco went to Macau for two days...the trip to Macau was quite horrible. There were probably two thousands people waiting at the ticketing office and then another two thousands at the pier. Vasco was forced to pay for the Superclass tickets...but he still had to shout and fight for his seat at the pier against two thousand voices! In the end, the porter gave up and arranged a fish bowl VIP room for Vasco! It was heavenly, because Vasco could enjoy his trip in complete silence.

The first meal was Portugese at Comida Portuguesa O Santos, and Vasco went into the backroom. It was a perfect little room, with the sunlight coming in, it was so nice and quiet! The food was great, Vasco had squid salad, clams, Portugese susage and codfish balls.

Dinner...at Shanghai Garden

2008-12-21T06:34:00.000-08:00

It's Winter Solstice on Chinese calendar tonight, so Vasco followed Alice, Phil and Kaz to Granny's place for a big dinner. Chinese do take this day very seriously. Everyone spends time with their family to enjoy a meal together. These were the dishes:

Deep fried garoupa in sweet and sour sauce, Shanghainese-style;
Tiger prawns in coconut sauce;
Tea smoked chicken;
Tofu and vegetable in preserved bean sauce (南乳);
Chinese vegetable with assorted mushrooms;
Bean shoots with abalone;
Beef tenderloin;
Pork in special sweet sauce;
Chicken soup with shark bone, ham and fish maw;
Crunchy twist in sesame and coconut sugar.

Vasco started off with a glass of Sparkling Shiraz and ended up with champagne and chocolate...now, Vasco went to bed with a full and happy tummy. Shanghai Garden is the best restaurant on earth.

Vasco the Gentleman...

2008-12-21T06:25:00.000-08:00

Today it's really a piggy day...Vasco started out with a chocolate cake lunch, then he went with Alice to Cafe Causette at the Mandarin Oriental in Central. Vasco felt like a gentleman, sipping his tea and enjoying his cucumber sandwich. He was having so much fun...he loves this picture because he could see Alice, Connie Mama and Shelia from the silver pot. Then he was awed by the three-tiered high tea set! Vasco was totally ready to dig in!!!!!

Vasco also got a very merry Christmas present...that lovely folder! Everyone has a very lovely $12 present...and it is a challenge...what can you actually get for HKD12 (about USD1.5)? Alice was told off by Shelia for buying a small box of chocolate.

Happy birthday, June! Vasco wants to see your new pottery piece!

Awfully Chocolate...take 2

2008-12-20T18:58:00.000-08:00

Kaz's review: really really sweet...tastes a bit like coffee...with some kind of fruit...

Phil's review: light as a feather...(he is in the middle of Monster Hunter)...

Alice's review: the rum taste is good...love the cherry...the cake is moist...yummy...

Phil's review take 2: light as a feather...awfully chocolaty...(he is still in the middle of attacking a Congalala...)

Vasco: Kaz is so greedy!!!!! He wants the whole cake to himself, but he doesn't quite know what he is eating, 'whatever'...where is my slice?