My lil boy and girl

When I was growing up, it seemed like a natural thing that I will get married and have my first child by 30 and watch my life evolve into marital bliss…

Now at this present time, I find myself having different expectations and ideas that would have been strongly rebuked by my younger self. I am thinking of having my own child with the aid of a sperm donor. It won’t happen anytime soon but this idea no longer holds the same amount of repulsion as before. It seems feasible. What do you all think?

I know this is so personal and it may not necessary define and conclude me. But I guess as young adults, we will benefit from the exchange of views and considerations.

I have even given thought about my children’s names.
Boy: Gabriel so that he will grow up to be gentlemanly, refined and take care of the women in his life well (like his mum, aka me).

Girl: Alexis so that she will grow up strong and be successful in life, especially amongst the guys (you can tell I am a feminist).

Haha, suddenly I thought of something. If I do not know of the qualities of the donor, isn’t the birth of my child like opening a kinder surprise egg? Hahahhaa… madness.

End of (my) Exams!!!

At the sound of someone's wristwatch beeping, I ended the last of my 3 papers this morning 11am. It has been quite a rollercoaster ride cos my papers were on Sat and the following Mon and Tues. The last 2 papers were separated by only 18hrs and i finished my revision through sheer grit, and lack of sleep.

So here i am, running on adrenaline (still not sleepy) and wondering what's up now that i don't have to study nor go for lecture. I'm not one to look back and wonder where i went wrong, which answers i got right. Coupled with the fact that i don't have friends in class. hmm, i guess i will never learn from my mistakes nor learn the truth bout stupid ligands complexing with bloody transition metal complexes whose freaking stability can be approximated by the mundane counting of the kanasai electrons.

So, is end of exams overhyped? am i supposed to go berserk and down litres of alcohol? mabbe i should stay up all night playing facebook games just to prove i have the luxury now.

gosh, the only thing i had planned for is to colour and highlight my hair tonight. it was the only confirmed celebratory treat i had in store. it was also what kept me going through the long nights. "ohm, i am going to get new colour for my hair. ohm, i am going to have chio hair. ohm...." how inspiring.

anyway, if you see my new hair and don't like it, please refrain from commenting. haha.

Day 14/15: Macau Sightseeing, Home

Our second day in Macau. As all obedient tourists do, we follow the recommended course to see the best of Macau in a day. Here we go...

Delicious meatball congee for breakfast

The stall is sandwiched between 2 buildings and it took us quite a while to locate it (even when we had the guidebook) cos we were expecting a PROPER stall with signboard and not THIS!! All in all, it's pretty interesting as we got to experience how the locals have their breakfast. The narrow alley where tables/chairs are arranged for diners to consume food is pretty clean.

Cultural Club, housed in a century old Tak Seng On Pawnshop (award-winning tall fortress-style building) is a throwback to the days when possessions and not cash was king.

Interior of the place and where items can be bought

The second floor accommodates the world’s first Jin Yong Library where you can find the original manuscripts, paintings, etc.

Model of Tak Seng On Pawnshop

The third floor serves as a tea house where we got to enjoy different types of tea. Nice.

Leal Senado Building is regarded as the most outstanding example of Portuguese architecture in the territory. A public library is located on the first floor and its two inner chambers contain magnificent examples of the institution at Coimbra, in Portugal.

Central Post Office where the clock tower has a carillon that plays different melodies at certain hours

Largo do Senado (main square) with its Portuguese pavement of wave-patterned stones and globular fountain. This is the starting point for our sightseeing!

Santa Casa da Misericórdia (Holy House of Mercy) was established in 1568 and is the oldest European charity on China. Since its earliest days, it has devoted its work to the local community, providing charitable assistance in the spirit of Christian fraternity.

MacDonald! Cute facade

Handmade crispy waffle chips from roadside stall, yummy

Time for tea break at Yee Shun Milk Company

Sam Kai Vui Kun Temple - The temple was originally a guild house of the Sam Kai (Three Streets) Association, covering Rua dos Mercadores, Rua dos Ervanários and Rua das Estalagens. Established between 1723 and 1795, it is the earliest local guild in Macau.

St. Dominic's Church - an imposing façade of cream-coloured stone with white stucco mouldings and green-shuttered windows. Inside, white pillars support a flat ceiling and apron balconies hug the walls.

The bell tower, at the back of the building, has been converted into a small museum housing a “Treasure of Sacred Art” exhibiting a collection of some 300 artifacts.

Only a magnificent stone facade and grand staircase remain of the iconic Church of St. Paul's. Over here, we signed up for a free tour where the guide described the facade to us in details...

The surviving facade rises in 4 colonnaded tiers, and is covered with carvings and statues which eloquently illustrate the early days of the Church in Asia. There are statues of the Virgin and saints, symbols of the Garden of Eden and the Crucifixion, angels and the devil, a Chinese dragon and a Japanese chrysanthemum, a Portuguese sailing ship and pious warnings inscribed in Chinese.

Mount Fortress was once a principal military facility and was one of the city’s strongest defence points. The top platform of Mount Fortress has a landscaped garden offering a commanding view of the cityscape

Lou Kau Mansion - The grey two-storey brick house is one of the very few xinguan-style mansions still standing and a prime example of the mixed Chinese and Western architectural styles unique to Macau. The oyster shell windows, hanging scrolls, plaster molding and brick carvings are commonly found in the central Guangdong Province, while false ceilings, stained glass Manzhou windows and cast iron railings are Western characteristics.

The Cathedral. With its simple architecture like a basilica plan with no columns in the middle, it is very well lit by several clerestory windows and bright skylights on the side altars or chapels.

The main altar and the stain glass windows

The altar of the Blessed Sacrament located on the right of the main altar.

Candlelights

Tucked away in one of Macau’s lively pedestrian back alleys, Café e Nata is closest to Hotel Sintra and serves some of Macau’s most delicious baked goods. Its Portuguese egg tarts are reason enough to visit Macau! Yummy.

A visit to Macau would not be complete without a visit to Macau casinos. We made our way back to our hotel to rest and change our clothes to a more appropriate wear, and proceeded to catch the free shuttle bus to The Venetian.

Venetian Macao Resort Hotel is a renaissance Venice-themed property featuring stunning replicas of Venice landmarks such as St. Mark's Square, the Doge's Palace, Campanile Tower, and three indoor canals with gondolas and singing gondoliers.

Our dinner at the food court - economic chinese meal set which tastes average

AH and her 2 HKD100 token where she played the game - Casino war and doubled her tokens (eventually and after spending hours observing other players and testing out her strategy)

Game play: One card is dealt to a dealer and to a player. If the player's card is higher, he wins the amount equal to his bet; if the dealer's card is higher, the player loses his bet.

Tie: A tie occurs when the dealer and the player each have cards of the same rank. In a tie situation, the player has two options: 1) The player can surrender, in which case the player loses half the bet. 2) The player can go to war, in which case the player must place an additional wager the same size as the first wager.

Going to war: If the player goes to war, the dealer burns (discards) three cards before dealing each of them an additional card. If the player's card is ranked higher than or the same as the dealer's, then the player wins an amount equal to the size of the original bet only. If the dealer's card is ranked higher than the player's, the player loses both the original bet and the "going to war" bet.

On the other side, Emi was happily playing slot machine. Insert money, press the "Play" button and the action begins.

We returned back to our hotel in the wee morning hours, slept for a few hours and had to wake up early-ish in order to pack our luggage!

Emi and her shoppings....

... all nicely packed up and ready for check-in at Macau Ferry terminal.

This service is really cool as you do your flight check-in at the port, your check-in baggage is directly transferred to your designated flight, you board the TurboJET vessel to Hong Kong and transfer to a bus ride directly to Passenger Terminal Building of HK International Airport. Such a breeze!

Our Turbojet

After a 4-hours flight, we are back in Singapore. Home sweet home! The trip has been really fun!! =)