2012 ~ 2013

Time is ticking. It is 2013 already.

I just realized I have not updated the blog for a few months. Clearly, I have been busy... Well there are few items to summarize for the end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013. The major changes would be obtaining a new position in a new company and trip to Europe. 

2012 is not really a quite year for me. A few major changes and decisions were made. Thankfully, correct decisions were made and I am pretty satisfy with my life now. I realize sometimes you just have to make your move and do what you truly believe. Maybe people do not understand or do not support at the time, but you should pursue what you truely want. 

Life goes on, time doesn't wait for you. We just have to make some brave move. It is better to make a mistake than regret not doing it after.

With regards to my Europe trip, it was great. It is a family trip with family reunion as well. I am glad to take this opportunity since this may not happen again in my life time. I really appreciate the time that we can spend together.

There is a lot to see and experience in Europe. Two weeks is a very short period of time. UK and France are definitely worthwhile to revisit. Actually there is a lot of comment on the trip, I should update it later on.

PS. Happy New Year! Wish everyone all the best for 2013 and the snake year!  

Hawaii Trip I

This Victoria Day long weekend, we went to Hawaii for vacation. It is a very popular destination for vacation, especially for winter time. I think it is a place that is worthwhile to go at least once in your life time.

Hawaii has many islands, this time, we only went to the main island Oahu. This is a vacation, I want to be more relaxing and enjoyable. Of course, there is so much to see in Hawaii. I rather enjoy the sunshine and beach more.

The weather is always nice there. There is sunshine everyday. It is humid but not as sticky as HK. Maybe it is because of the nice weather, people are very friendly there as well. Although many visitors during the year, the local environment is still well protected. The ocean is still clear blue and green.

The itinerary will be updated in next blog.

Asia Trip III - Hong Kong

HongKong is the last stop of my Asia Trip.

有五年没有回香港了。刚下機時真的有種回家的感覚，回到了中國人自己的地方。但是這趟“回家”却有很多的不适應。香港變了，差點都不認得了。

還记得，那時的香港，天是蓝的，维港景色很美。那是小時候的事了。在香港一個星期，天都是灰蒙蒙的。我還转門去了维港一趟找童年。童年是找不到了，混浊的空气和大陆游客倒是一大堆。其實我對大陆人並没有甚麽不好的觀點，也知道大陆的强人很多。但是我也親身見识了那一部分素质有待提高的同胞。说到底，就是太自私了。如果稍微爲其他人想一想，有些事就不會做了。

不否認，靠着大陆，香港的经济才能持续增長。没有他们的消费，香港的旅游業又如何蓬勃。有得必有失，人不可能只得到好的那一面。

站在维港吹了好一阵的海風，不知我還能否在这里立足。

Asia Trip II - 雲南

我從没到過雲南，难得此次到中國有機會。雖说去的不是甚麽大理，丽江等旅游热點，但也算是看到了中國的另外一面。

近来的中國發展迅速但贫富差别很大。别说其它地方了，光廣州就是。有很多新建，華麗的建筑，但在旧城区為那幾块钱挣扎生活的人還有很多。有人吃幾十块钱一碟的點心，也有人連五块钱的饭盒都嫌贵。


我們去的地方很近边境，很靠近缅甸。那里的雲南真的很穷。雖然有旅游業的帮助，但當地人的生活水平和环境還是很差。坦白说，在雲南的那幾天，真的十分不习惯。恰恰是因為他們還没發展，环境也没有被污染。在大陆和香港的两個星期，只有在雲南的那幾天看到了蓝天白雲。

那里的天很蓝，没有甚麽雲，所以紫外线很强，那里的人都晒的很黑。當地的温差很大，晚上是冬天，中午是夏天。但總的来说是舒服的，没有中國南方潮湿。在當地照了很多照片，真的很中國。那種中國特有的乡村風光，看似艰苦，但很独特。雖说他們的生活质环境没有我們好，但他們也有自己楽趣吧。

Asia Trip - Tokyo

Hope everyone is doing well in 2012. I started my 2012 with a trip to Asia. Like my friends said, I deserve a vacation.

My first stop is Tokyo and I spent a week there.The time we spent there is amazing. We really enjoyed Tokyo.

There are a couple things I like about Tokyo.

• Streets in Tokyo are very nice and clean. Although there are not many garbage bins around, Japanese still maintain clean streets.
• Japanese are very polite. We got nice service from airport, train station, hotels and stores. 
• Japanese really care about their appearance, they are well dressed up at all times. ( compare to Canada, we wear sweats out. >3<)
• Japanese food is cheap and tasty. 
• Tokyo is more entertaining than Toronto and more spacious than HongKong. 

Of course, Japan has its downsides. I can tell that they are really suffering from the recession. While Japanese are so polite, it also implicates the fact that they retain a lot of stress inside. This would result problems in the community and culture.

Two things I was surprised.

1.  Japanese's English is not as bad as I expected.
2. Japanese guys are not as short as people said.

Overall Tokyo is a good place to travel to. However, if you want to live & work there, think twice for people like us.

Thanksgiving trip photo sharing

那是真正的风和日矖，蓝天白雲。能在這样的天空下生活，是一種幸福。

有時候，你也试试停下来，抬頭看一下那美美的天空。


Please refer to the following link.

https://picasaweb.google.com/michelle.z.x/2011ThanksgivingTripToMuskoka?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCOmi0qeH8K_a7wE&feat=directlink

Orlando Disney Trip II – Walt Disney World

I feel like I should spend some blogging on Orlando/Disney city planning and their hotels.

I booked the Disney Port Orleans – Riverside Hotel inside the Disney area. This is because I do not want to spend time and worry about the transportation between hotels, parks and airport. The hotel is pretty old, yet their maintenance is pretty well done. Everything looks simple but long lasting, it is very U.S style. They have large investment contributed for future revenue generation. Unlike the Chinese, they reconstructing instead of maintaining.

The impression of Orlando and Disney World to me is CLEAN. The park, street, hotel. bus…everywhere in the area is very clean. I barely see garbage on the floor. All the trees, lakes, rivers, grass are green and shiny. I understand it is partially because of the weather, Orlando rains a few hours every day. However, I think I could give the credit to management and employees. I see the caretaker holding the sweeper everywhere. On the last day, I see the management people walking around the park with garbage back and the garbage pickup tool. They actually put in the effort to maintain the area.

Orlando Disney Trip I – First Day

I usually do not type in Word first before posting on blog. This is the first time, hopefully, there will be less typo.

This is a four days trip to Orlando Disney. Due to the time constraint, we only went to Walt Disney World in Orlando and outlet shopping. There are other attractions I wanted to go; I guess I would have to wait until my next visit to Orlando.

First day

I choose to fly from Buffalo because the flight ticket is so much cheaper. The flight is around 7am, so I did not sleep at all the night before. I literally left my house at 2am and drove to Buffalo airport. One thing I like about US domestic flights, they are pretty on time. They departed on time; travelled within the schedule time limited and arrived on time. Comparing to my flight to Las Vegas during Christmas time, the security is less intense.

We arrived around 10.30am to Orlando airport. The heat just blew to us right away. I felt the same when I arrived in HK airport. Orlando is summer all year long. I saw those tropical plants all around the place. The airport is pretty nice and organized. All signs are pretty clear, it did not take me long to find the Disney Magical Express (a free transportation that take us to Walt Disney Resorts).

In the afternoon, we went to the Premium Outlet mall in Orlando. Surprisingly, I did not do crazy shopping there. I guess I know there is limited space in my luggage. =P There are more brand name stores in this outlet mall compared to the others ones I went to such as Vegas, Cleveland, Chicago…etc. I saw Swarovski, Burberry, Seiko there.

Cleveland Trip II

I have been busy since I came back from Cleveland. It is a study break now. =P

The second day in Cleveland is pretty relaxing. (no, I didn't get to see LB James.) But I got to see the stadium he played in. HaHa.

We start our tour pretty early in the morning. Not as early as the tour company, but I am used to wake up early now. In the morning, when no one is around, we took a walk at the lake-shore of Lake Erie. It is not a question that the lake is so much more bigger than Lake Ontario. It even feels like bigger than the ocean sometimes. The view is pretty empty and wide, and the wind is very comfortable. Compare to HK, it is a lot more peaceful and relaxing.

Cleveland is a quite city. We didn't see any busy people or anything going on in the city. We went to the Town city center almost 12pm, and the stores are not really open yet. I guess US people are lazy at times.

Then we went to the National park close to Cleveland, Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The park doesn't seem big to me. We drive it around in 30min. There are a few small falls there, they are in the forest. It is pretty impress to see those neat falls around by trees. I am a stress out city person. Walking and breathing in trees is always relaxing.

Our last designation is outlet mall, of course.
Canadian currency is still pretty high up, it is still worthy for us to shop in US.
(I don't think I should comment on my shopping experience. haha)

Cleveland Trip I

This is pretty much a last minute decision trip. We debate quite a bit before we actually decide to book a hotel and go to a trip. Again, it is Victoria Day long weekend, we usually go for a short road trip to take a break.

Day One

We didn't leave until the afternoon on Saturday. Going on a road trip need some preparation, maps, hotel booking and so on. However, I actually like to do such stuff, I like to feeling of adventuring. Going to Cleveland from Toronto takes about 5.5 hours. It took longer than it should be for us. First of all, there was a traffic in the way to the board, then there was a very long line up to board. It took us 8 hours to get to the hotel.

It is not the first time we realized it. The road transportation in US is pretty mature. Compare to Canada, the road in US is so much smoother and cleaner, especially when you compare to hwy 401. hwy 401 is seriously lack of maintenance. Sometime I think privatization of these roads is a good thing to try in Canada. At least it motivates the company to maintain the roads.

Las Vegas trip IV

Day 4

It was a pretty relaxing day.
We enjoyed the swimming in the morning, had a good brunch then head out to the strip.
It is worth to mention the Chinese restaurant in five star hotel. It is more expensive, as expected. However, the food is also so much better. Even compare to the Chinese food in Toronto, it tasted so much better.

The Las Vegas Blvd. is not short. It took us almost the whole day to walk through it.
We went to Luxor, which build like a Pyramid; NewYork NewYork, which has a smaller version of all the NYC significance; Paris, I actually went up to the Eiffel tower there, it is half size of the real one. You would be able to almost the entire Las Vegas on top of the tower. All the lighting is amazing.

Of course, we also went to Bellagio and Venetian. I really like the Italian style of Venetian. 

At night, we went to watch two shows. One is musical, one is strip shows. The musical is pretty funny. It lets me realize how many talented people are out there. They may not look beautiful, however they are all skilled actresses. They performance were sophisticated and appealing. For the strip show, it is named Fantasy. I personally like it better, hahaha. It is top less dance by those girls. Of course, I have to admit they are all amazing dancers. I would never be able to dance like that in those high heels.

That was a Christmas Eve...

Las Vegas trip III

Day 3

I booked the bus tour to Grand Canyon.
The bus tour took 12 hours in total. The ride was not as bad as I thought. Maybe I just fell asleep.

First we visited Hoover Dam. It was just a photo stop. Maybe I am not the type of people interested in such construction. I didn't feel much except for it is just big. Yet, I am sure whoever build this in the 1930s had a very hard time there.

Then we drove to Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon was not something as I expected. It is basically all rocks. On the way, we saw some plant named Joshua Tree. It is a pretty cool plant grow in dessert. You would only find in Grand Canyon area.

We have been to a couple villages there. No water, people have to buy water and put them in tanks. Very very small and simple. Heh, I couldn't live there myself. It is a REAL village.

We went to sky walk. Only 128max people can be on that glass deck at a time. We spent quite a bit of time to line up there. When I look down the canyon from the glass. Surprisingly, it was not as bad as the time when I was in sears tower. Maybe because it was all rocks, nothing is moving down there.

It doesn't really matter if I like it there. It is a nature, a pretty big thing made by nature. It is worthwhile to go and take a look.

Las Vegas trip II

Day 2

Mandalay Bay has a very nice pool set. It was cold, but they still kept one of them open.
We went to swim and the massage pool in the morning. It is actually very relaxing and comfortable to swim in the morning and fresh you up. I guess I understand why those rich people in the huge house do so now. 

After that we went to walk around the hotel and the strip for a bit. Then we started to go to Las Vegas premium outlet mall. There are too many brand names there. I can't really count, it was such an amazing place to do Christmas and other shopping.Well, we didn't end up have the opportunity to walk through all the stores.

I didn't buy much, hard to believe eh? I kept myself under control this time. =p

At night, we went to Bellagio to have a dinner Buffet. According to a Chinese newpaper in Toronto, it was one of the best ones in Vegas. We lined up for a good 90min (maybe more than that). The dinner is ok, good variety. If I have rate it, I rate 7/10.

Las Vegas trip I

For this Christmas holiday, we decided to go to Las Vegas.
Las Vegas, a well known city for extreme entertainment. Games, gambling, shows, shopping, bars, drinks... you name it.
Despite the fact that it is very dry in Vegas, everything is pretty nice and entertainment. The weather is good, 8-10 degrees in day time, 0-2 degrees in night time. Only 4.3inches rain every year.

Day 1

I decided to take the flight in Buffalo because it would be cheaper that way, including all the parking and gas expenses.

We left in the morning, drove to the Buffalo airport. It didn't take us that long. However, I realize that GPS is something that not worthwhile to spend money on. We got on, and it ends up I figure out the way by myself.
Everything is pretty convenient. Self check in, fast and easy, didn't need to wait too long. 
The flight we took is Northwest, it was before the bomb incident. The security is still pretty tight. No difference from a few years ago. No liquid allowed, not even water allowed. Checked all the bags, took off shoes...etc. Yet after this bomb thing, I believe the security is even tighter.

The flight was very long. We needed to switch flight in Detroit and took a stop in Indiana. If it is possible, I would not suggest to take this kind of flight again. $50 more is worthwhile than wasting time on the plane.

We arrived Las Vegas at 9pm local time.
Cabbing to hotel only took 10min, I booked Mandalay Bay, one of the five stars. It is located on the edge of Las Vegas Blvd., still on strip.
The lobby is nice and big. In order to go to restaurant, theater and other stuff, you need to pass the casino. The building is 34 floors, we lived on the 31st, really nice view. We were able to see the airport clearly. 

Chicago

Chicago...the thanksgiving weekend trip

This is the first time I go to Chicago.
It is a very short trip, but overall it was good.
Because we drove there, the road condition was not great the first day.
Fortunately, the town did not disappoint me.

The city planning was good. The buildings are not as crowded as NYC or HK. It was very enjoyable to walk in downtwon Chicago. We drove around the city, the spaces, malls, architectures are amazing. However, the traffic planning is not that pleasant. All taxis drive aggresively. The lanes are not clear, which confuses drivers a lot. Other than that, I really like Chicago.

Compare to New York, I like Chicago better.
I beleive Chicago is famous for tis architects too. Willis Tower (a.k.a Sears Tower) is the tallest building in the world, including the forecast pole. There is a clear box on the 103rd floor extend out and I actually dare to stand out there. It is always say than do it. I didn't think I am scared of height. Yet, it did take some effort to stand out there at that specific moment. It took us quite a while to line up get up there, but I guess it is worth it. Compare to the Rockefeller Center in NYC, viewing the city from Willis Tower, Chicago has more spacing and buildings are not as huge.
Mentioning the style of buildings. I realize that the buildings in Chicago pays more attention to details. I see more embossment as decorations in walls. I didn't realize how fine art is apart of thie Chicago culture until I was actually in the City. Even the restaurants, walls are all decorated with portaits and still live drawings. I really like the artistic atmosphere there.

I am looking forward to visit the town again.

Detroit

it is civil holiday long weekend.

the highlight of this trip would be the Henry Ford Museum.
the museum is not huge as i thought, but large enough for us to spend a couple hours there.
there are a lot to see in the museum.
the 100 years of auto life is one of my favor parts. i am not a tech person, however, seeing the development of automobile is educational.
human's innovation is amazing.

visiting the city of detroit...
i was quite sure detroit had its good time.
seeing the city now is such a disappointment. not mentioning how quite the town is, everything is lack of maintenance there.
no one is walking on the street, limited cars are driving on the street. stores are mostly closed. most constructions are paused.
described by another person.... "it looks like a death town right after war."
the effect is obvious in this town with the economic depression and the downturn of auto industry in US.

Victoria Day long weekend trip III

Day 3 (New York City --> Philadelphia --> Washington D.C--> Balimore)

Philadelphia is meaningful in the history of the Unite States. That was where they started independence. I saw lots of kids go to the independence center for education, which help them to knowledge about the national history and pride. The liberty bell doesn't seem special, but it is a symbol.

The U.S is strong for a good reason. The Americans are actually pretty smart, ever since more than 100 years ago. I don't mean that Chinese are not, but they didn't manage to maintain the good stuff well. The cities are clean and well organized. Washington D.C's city planning is great. The placement of the white house and Thomas Jefferson's Monument is pretty cool. They formed a line, meaning that Jefferson is watching current President.

There is one great thing in Washington I like the best. All the museums are FREE!!! That is amazing. The government is so generous. I wish I can spend a couple months there and just check out all the museums in every detail.

Balimore is a small town near Washington. Even 8pm in downtown, you can barely see people walking. It used to be a town with high criminal rates and bad reputation. However, after re-planning, this town became neat and peaceful. Once again, it is proved that Americans are good at that.

Day 4 (Balimore --> Penn Cave --> Toronto)

Penn Cave is just a regular cave that can be easily found in China. It becomes special in North America because you see must of those here. Compare to China, North America can barely see all those mountains. I have been to Guiling, Penn Cave is nothing compare to that.

*yes.. i end this roughly, because i really need to finish my work now.

Victoria Day long weekend trip II

Day 2 (Boston --> New York City)

Boston is very close to New York City. We only spend about 3 hours on the bus. I have been thinking to work in NYC for a while. After walking down the wall street, seem like my goal is more firmed. To be honest, even though I am a Chinese I should be more fit into the HK culture. Nevertheless, I would rather stay in NYC more than HK. Maybe because I like the diversity better there.

Hah, I don't think I could even been the girls in gossip girl, because I am not fortunate to born that way. Living on the 5th ave. accross central park seems like a dream too. If I do live in NY one day, I won't let myself live in Brooklyn. I would rather live in New Jersey. Maybe I am aiming too high. Yet, I have been taught that... aim higher, so even you didn't reach your goal, it won't be too bad.

One dissappointment.. I didn't get to shop in Time Square longer due to the time concern. The shopping style is mostly very similar across North America. (not sure about Mexico though, never been there) I used to like to HK / China style better. Not that I don't like it now, but I see the good side of the N.A style now. They have a better city planning after all.


>>
After a couple days out of internet, feels like away from the world. The swine flu news are still everywhere. I don't think people take that serious anymore. People all freak out in the very beginning because the prior SARS experience. Actually most of the people live normally, both in the states and Canada. The death rate is low, so there isn't that much to worry about.
>>
There is many tasks to catch up after missing a day of work. Surprisingly, I finish them early. Hopefully the quality is good. Maybe the new crystal would help. =P (it is all psychology.) Good, lakers is leading. =D

*(just because i lable journal, i feel like type some updates.)

Victoria Day long weekend trip

Victoria day is a Canadian holiday, which celebrating Queen victoria's holiday. It is an informal mark of summer coming. For all these years in Toronto, I always do something for fun... BBQ with friends during high school, family trip for recent years. We use to play fireworks, and I realize that the Canadian fireworks can never compare to HK ones, so we decide to skip that. Last year, I went to Mont Tremblant. This year we went further to the states.

Four days trip to the states is very tight, but then I saw a lot. It is tiring, but it is worth it. 本想用中文寫的，但那至少要一個小時。明天還要上班，還是不要浪費時間了。這次的行程已經夠累的了。

Day 1 (Toronto -> Boston)
That was a long ride. Ten hours on the bus is not very fun. However, the ten hours became worth it once it got to Harvard University. The town Cambridge is small but very neat. Maybe partially because it is spring time, everything seems refresh. The streets are very tiny, just as HK and NY. Yet, they are all well organized. The Harvard campus is not huge. Compare to Western, it could be even smaller. I actually like the architecture of Western better. Nevertheless, if I could, I still hope I study in Harvard instead. =P Undergrad is too late now, therefore MBA is the next goal. (how come that sounds like an unrealistic dream? ><)
Quincy Market in Boston is pretty nice. I don't think it is that special to me because I am from Asia. North America does not get much of that kinds of market. Clothing there doesn't need to pay sales taxes, which is very rare and beneficial to us. There is a street of food, very diverse. Heh, that is the U.S culture, diversity. to be continued.... (yes, many pictures are taken. but they are still sitting in my camera.)