Wednesday, November 26, 2008

赤壁:決戰天下 預告片



好期待喔~~~虽然预告片没有想像中的震撼,不过既然敢搬演经典巨作,而上一集也算不俗,我铁定会观看《决战天下》.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Superstar Virgo Cruise 4D3N Penang-Phuket-Singapore Trip (16 Nov 2008 to 19 Nov 2008)

I went on the above-mentioned cruise trip with my two parents because they have been wanting to go on a cruise for a few years but I just could not find a suitable time and trip for them until now. There weren't as many photos as I would like because I had to take care of the two of them for the entire trip but I tried to sneak in as many as I could while on the move, in between breaks.

This is taken just after I cleared the immigrations at HarbourFront Cruise Centre. It's the long bridge to the Superstar Virgo ship and there were actually mascots later on entertaining the embarking passengers further down the bridge.
This is the room in which I would be spending my time resting onboard the ship. The beds were comfy enough and the room was actually spacious for three with a decent bathroom and toilet. The only complaint I had about the room was that the blankets weren't warm enough and I had to use the greenish bed covers as a blanket because I was sleeping atop (see the folded bed at the left hand side against the wall).
The central reception area decoration piece - The Three Bronze Horses. They remind me of the four Bronze Horses in Venice. Majestic, aren't they? The piano in front was meant for entertaining the guests at the reception but I supposed he wasn't on duty yet. Hahaha.
Superstar Virgo finally left the cruise centre and I took this whilst the ship was leaving. It's the kind of view that people won't get unless they are departing Singapore by sea.
I will miss Singapore for its comfort and security for the next four days so adios! I am away on adventure in Penang and Phuket!
Ah...the sea breeze blowing in my face. The ship was heading out to the Straits of Malacca and you can see the tankers parking neatly in the Singapore waters. Can't do the Titanic foredeck thingy because the place was out of bounds - maybe the Captain was worried someone might fall overboard?
Ocean waters everywhere. You can see the island lands of Sumatra in the foggy distance but my stomach is already grumbling - I wonder what's the food onboard like?
This is breakfast on Day Two before we embark on the shores of Penang. Ain't too bad - buns and butter, wafers, sausages, scrambled eggs for a breakfast buffet, washed down by orange juice and a plate of salad. Got to get ready for the shore excursion later, right?
Whilst eating, I looked out of the windows and captured the first sunrise of Penang onboard. It's going to be a good day ashore.
The sea mist makes Penang rather sleepy but in the distance, as the ship approaches, the excitement builds, so does the challenge, because my parents could not really walk well on their feet due to their ancient age.
I finally managed to get all three of us safely onboard the jetty and a lot of people were busy snapping away with whatever recording gadgets they had on their hands - I just took one because everyone seemed rather tense on the ferry - I wonder why...
Penang's cruise centre under construction. Notice the iconic Muslim dome atop of the tower? I hope it will be ready when I step foot on Penang the next time round.
As the ferry closes in even further, another shot taken of a beautiful colonial-styled clock tower.
The jetty taken from onboard the shore excursion bus. There were a number of drivers trying persuade the shore excursion groups (numbering some 1,000 people) to take their vehicles for transport instead but true to the Singapore safe spirit, almost everyone chosed the excursion buses instead, leaving disappointed locals behind.
Penang is still quite behind development in certain parts of the ferry area - this motorcycle rental shop reminds me of those on Pulau Ubin island in Singapore. Corrulgated iron sheets coarsely constructed into small huts to shelter those really old types of motorcycles.
Our very first family meal at Penang Queensbay Mall Level 1 - it was some chicken rice themed restaurant and it costs RM40 with three plates of different flavoured chicken, jelly soup, drinks, bean sprouts and some delicious pastries as desserts.
The Queensbay Mall in Penang - their Christmas decorations were already up and running and I thought it was thoughtfully designed but most of the shops sold more or less the same things as Singapore so there wasn't much to shop around for even though the mall was superbly maintained with one distinguishable difference - the security guards there carried large automatic weapons and combat shotguns behind their backs. Scary...
This was taken onboard the shore excursion bus on our way back - the shop houses reminded me of those in Chinatown and Serangoon areas in Singapore. Pretty much the same since most of the people in Penang are Chinese Malaysians.
The building opposite Pranglin Mall of Penang, which was really chaotic because there were so many shops randomly located and the escalators were a killer - located on the far side of each level so my poor parents had to struggle between the levels. Pranglin Mall was the worser mall even though the items were cheaper than Queensway Mall. I did not bothered taking shots inside so I took this shot instead, where I was intrigued by the louvered designs of the windows. I hope Phuket has better things to see.
The sunrise at Phuket island was mesmerizing. The sun looked incredibly big there but the rays were gentle and soothing.
The aft deck of Superstar Virgo before I disembark for the shore excursion at Phuket. I rarely go to the aft deck because it was full of screaming children playing with those water theme rides and structures there. I need my peace and quiet for this trip without children thundering around.
This was taken whilst on the move along the long jetty walk to Phuket's Patong Beach. It was a difficult shot because I risked falling off the floating jetty planks but I thought it was worth the while - sleepy Patong Beach at 0730hours local time. The longtailed boats were still moored at the beach, making the whole beach seemed idyllic.
On the hillsides of Patong Beach are all the resort houses - I heard from the tour guide, Mr. Gobi, that Patong Beach lost nearly 300 souls during the Indian Ocean Tsunami so I could still see some resort houses under reconstruction. The tsunami wave was 6 metres high then.
The Pornthip Sea Store was one of the excursion stops and it sells a lot of sea products which many grabbed - my parents bought a number of food items from this shop and I got myself some gifts for my VIP friends.
The Sri Burapa Cashew Nut Factory sells a lot of cashew nut related products as well as other items found in the earlier store as well but the crowd was densely packed and I noticed sparrows were resting at those ceiling lights since it was an open air building. My father was busy tasting all the food products samples whilst I was just admiring the view and drinking some cashew nut drink. Haha.
Thainam restaurant was where the shore excursion trip lunch would be prepared. The entrance was really grand without marble pillars and flooring and exquisitely decorated railings. The beef and chicken was really nice but I was not impressed with how they prepared their desserts and rice. Still, it was an enjoyable break from the excursion.
The Central Festival Mall in Phuket was big and beautiful with a number of interesting shops, especially the booth stalls selling trinklets. My parents bought another batch of items there whilst I got myself a nice shirt inside for 600 baht and some presents for my students at 500 baht.
Already back onboard Superstar Virgo but the ship had not left the harbour yet so I went onto the deck and took some scenic pictures of Patong Beach.
Some of the beachs were isolated and I thought it must have been nice to visit those beaches (accessible only by swimming or by boat or by snorkelling there). However, the shore excursion lasted only from 9am till 4am so there wasn't enough time.
The glittering sea illuminated by the sunset at Phuket Island. Time to look for my next meal onboard.
This is taken inside my favourite restaurant onboard - Bella Vista, a classy western styled restaurant where they served what I considered the best food onboard. The dress code was strict but it seemed most of the passengers could not cared about it. I still wore my best shirt and pants there every time though.
Oops, missed the Central Festival Mall shot. Here it is.
Another shot of Patong Beach, fully awoke. See the sail boats and the umbrellas opening up in the distance? Time for the beach tourists!
Breakfast at Bella Vista on the last day consisted of buffet breakfast and I ordered their special of the day - pancakes. They looked really hard but tasted soft and creamy inside with raisins though. Hahaha. I love pancakes for breakfast and tea.
Lunch at the Mediterranean Buffet was alway filling. Cabbages, stewed lamb, fried fish fillet, salad, cakes and pudding. Yummy...
It's been days onboard without computer or newspapers access. Internet access onboard costs $13.80/hour and there was only Bangkok Post newspapers onboard so I had to make do with what I could. I chose a nice spot inside the library onboard and read through the entire newspapers.
The dinner at Bella Vista before we disembark back to Singapore. I had skewered beef while my parents had some pork chops and cabbage wraps. I will miss the sheer variety of food onboard though. Hahaha...munch munch munch.
Back at HarbourFront Cruise Centre where we had to wait 90 minutes at the taxi queue because most of the taxis were "on call". It was really tiring lugging everything and waiting but at least I brought my parents back safely with a camera load of pictures and a mind load of beautiful memories and experiences. Time to crash back to bed when I reach home. Zzzzz....