Cooking

Well I downloaded some files off the camera, and figured I should throw a few here.

So first up, I made fried rice and prawns in butter a month or so back. The fried rice shown here is what I was attempting to make at D&S's, but it worked better here than there...


And the prawns, before:

and after:

And finally, on the weekend I made cheesecakes - six little cheesecakes in the same size things I made the cupcakes in. Yummmy - this was the recipe from Use Real Butter, which works well.

Location, location, location

In response to Sharon's question, here is the map:


View Larger Map

We are at number 36.


Oops - for some reason Google maps is showing a completely different location from the one I selected to paste here. Not sure what is going on. Rest assured we do not live at the place shown above.

Map of Hong Kong

An amusing map of Hong Kong - done with computer graphics. This link will show you where we live (for now, at least).

Tokyo revisited

Well this entry comes to you from my favourite Starbucks in Tokyo. It is in Roppongi Hills, a reasonably upmarket area. It has been raining or drizzling most of the day, which is a bit miserable. At least here you can sit quietly with coffee, out of the rain. I am on the way to book my bus for tomorrow, back to the airport.

The rain/mist was a bit of a pain, as we were thinking we would head out in the morning for a quick ride. Quick, because the guy I am staying with left at 1230 to catch a flight home to the US.

Must say, I think I had forgotten how good a place Tokyo is. Very clean, everyone polite, and easy to get around. Not without it's quirks, many of which I have commented on in the past. Dress sense being one of the most prominent. I have been reminded of this by the lady who just walked past in fluorescent pink gumboots and long shorts. Sharon would be most impressed - gumboots on a "townie".

The ride

Well we got a bit sidetracked.  After deciding to detour to visit the Ducati shop that David bought his bike from, we set off down the expressway from home.  I immediately had a small problem with the ETC card, which you need to present to a human being at the toll booths.  I thought it was being read automatically by the system (duh).

We got to the Ducati dealership, and David ended up agreeing to trade in his current bike for a much better one - a white 848.  Plus a reasonable amount of cash... They are pretty good there, and allowed David to take one of the 848s for the day (test ride).  We eventually got underway again, and headed down to the coast, in the direction of Odawara.  And promptly spent the next hour or two in stop and start traffic.  It turns out that the road I had picked goes straight through the various cities, with traffic lights all the way.  Not a good thing, especially when it was a hot day.

We made it to the beach at Odawara in the end, which turned out to be very stoney.  More of a coast than a beach.  Now, back home and looking at the map, it would have been much better to take the expressway almost all of the way, then drop down to the windy roads for some fun... Next time.

Japan and bikes

Well, off to Japan again on Thursday. I am meeting up with a friend and spending the weekend on motorbikes. This time it's going to be a YZF-R6, a 600cc bike with street-bike styling. It's a brand new 2009 model (in blue for those who care). You can see the pictures here.

At this stage we are planning on a full-day Saturday, heading south from Tokyo to the Izu peninsula. I've set up a Google Map with the route.

View Larger Map

As you will see from the directions on the map (click through to the full-page view) the ride looks like it will take around 6.5 hours. We may change it a bit and spend more time at the beach to break up the trip. A lot will depend on the temperatures and weather on the day. At this time of year the forecasts are for around 25 degrees during the day. The current forecast is showing about 20% chance of rain on Saturday. Here's hoping they are incorrect.

Lightning and Chinese Food

"Lightning", because I am in the midst of a thunder and lightning storm. All of a sudden, with no rain and no warning, it has started flashing and crashing (see the rhymes?). I have been watching Star Trek DS9, so it's interesting to see flashes on the screen and hear the thunder from outside the window.

Chinese Food, because last night we took Uncle Lloyd and Auntie Gwen to a chinese restaurant here in HK. They have stopped over on their way to Israel and Turkey. In actual fact, at the minute that I write this they should be on board their flight (it departs at 11:15pm). We were served 1000-year eggs as an appetiser. Uncle Lloyd and I ate them (he ate two), and wouldn't you know it, they taste like chicken (doesn't everything?). I mean, they tasted like eggs. However, they do not look anything like a normal hard-boiled egg. So kudos on trying this - to the MEN at the table, at least. If you are wondering what they look like, check out the entry on Wikipedia. The picture on the right is exactly what we were served, along with a bit of pickled ginger. The rest of the meal was reasonably tame: half a roast goose, sliced beef with ginger, shredded (more like chopped finely) pork with chilli, sweetcorn soup, and vegetables with mushrooms. And as usual, lashings (!) of Jasmine tea...

Back in HK

Well I have recovered from the trip back to HK. In actual fact it was much easier than the flight to NZ. I think that the 10 hour trip down, leaving at 6pm as it does, is harder because you get on board not feeling in the slightest like sleeping. They serve you dinner, then you are supposed to try and sleep in their uncomfortable seats. But by that stage you are probably four hours into the flight anyway. And then breakfast comes along a couple of hours before you land. So there is not much sleep going on there...

On the way back up, you take off at 11:15 at night. In my case, we were delayed by around 30 minutes due to an electronics problem, and then they needed to check why 7 out of 10 toilets were not working. The technicians apparently assured the captain that they would work once we got to cruising altitude, and he bravely decided to take off. I say "Bravely" because have you thought what an 11 hour flight would be like for a couple of hundred people trying to use 3 loos? Not pretty!

Anyway, HK is hot and sticky. 30 degrees in the apartment at 9am this morning. It has been raining fairly heavily on and off through the afternoon. But better than freezing my toes off in Waimauku... I cannot believe how cold it was - we hit a really cold spot, with temperatures below freezing overnight on 3 or 4 nights running. Heavy frosts and standing water had a covering of ice. Some of the days were very clear and blue, which is a nice change from HK's smoggy pollution.

Aunty/Uncle are visiting from Nelson on the weekend - arriving Friday morning (same flight as I did), and leaving for Europe on Sunday night. It will be good to see them. I cannot remember when we were last in the same place. Certainly a long time ago.

One last thing - Jordan's blog link is updated.