Vacation's over and so it's back to real-life. All good things must come to an end, I guess.

We arrived in Macau last Tuesday and it was so cold. I did check the weather on the internet before hand and it stated 6-16 degrees Celcius and I thought since we were arriving about 10 in the morning that it would be on the high end of the scale. But I was wrong. I think it was about 8 degrees when we arrived? Luckily, I packed along some winter coats for us, just to be safe. Weather can be unpredictable.

We stayed at The Venetian, which was such a beautiful and grand hotel. My kids did not want to leave for Hong Kong after two nights in Macau because they loved the hotel so much. We got a suite and there were two TVs in the room, so Brandon was on Cartoon Network while Lorraine was on Discovery Channel. They were no fights and Terence and I could hit the casino at night after a long day out with the kids. We were in the casino till 3am for two nights (we lost both nights but my husband said it was ok, treat it as entertainement fees).

We left Macau for Hong Kong three days later by ferry. There was some drama while we made our way from the HK Ferry Terminal to our hotel in Mongkok. We arrived in HK almost 1 pm so we were a little hungry and decided to grab some lunch before heading to the hotel. While at the restaurant, the owner came to chat with us, knowing we were tourists as we had our luggages with us. He advised us that we should take the MTR (the metro) instead of the cab to our hotel as the stattion was just below the restaurant and our hotel was also above a station. He said it would not only be cheaper but we could also avoid the traffic. We took his advice. We had two big luggages. Terence was handling one while I handled the other one and the two kids carried a small hand luggage each.  We had to switch trains/lines three times to get to our destination. On our last switch, the train that we were getting on was already at the station when we arrived, so Terence was telling us to hurry. Lorraine jumped onto the train first and I was behind her and the men were behind me. As there was a gap between the train and the platform, I could not just drag the luggage in. I had to lift it up. While I was doing that, the doorbell rang and the doors began to shut and I was still on the platform. I saw Lorraine inside the train and I panicked. I think my maternal instinct or reflex was very sharp and I threw myself onto train. The doors sandwiched me and hit me on my legs. Fortunately a kind passenger came to my aid and tried to force open he doors. The sensors must have worked and to my huge relief the doors opened. Everything after that was a blur. I don't know how I got into the train or how my husband and son got in. I was so relieved that my daughter was still with me. My legs just turned into jelly and I fell on the floor. I just could not imagine the nightmare if the train had left with her and we got stranded on the platform. To lose a child in a foreign land...I shudder to even think of the consequences. Just at that moment, I did not think of my own safety. I just wanted to save my daughter. My kids learnt a lesson that day, that accidents do happen and they listen to me now when I tell them about contingency plans. Before they always think it would not happen and they do not pay attention when I give out instructions.

I have lots of photos. They will be up shortly.

I seem to be doing a disappearing act from the blogosphere again. I just had no inspiration to post anything. It just felt like I had nothing important to say. I am going through this phase in life where I feel a little lost, a little directionless, somewhat bored. I feel like I have reached some kind pf plateau and I am not doing anything new or exciting or am I learning anything. Life just kind of goes by.

We are going on a short vacation to Macau and Hong Kong next week. Hopefully I will feel recharged after the trip. Sometimes all we need is to just get away from the monotony of everyday life.

When I get back, I plan to embark on some new hobbies. I intend to resume piano lessons. About five years ago, I pursued my childhood dream of learning to play the piano. I stopped about two years ago because of lack of time, what with juggling work and kids. I felt a little overwhelmed because I had to spend so much time practising. Hence I decided to take a break but right now I feel ready to go back. I am also thinking of picking up some dance lessons. I was a ballroom dancer way back in my early twenties. I loved ballroom and latin dances like the tango, cha-cha and rhumba. My husband is not keen on dancing however. When we first got married, I made him go dancing with me but his lack of interest killed whatever enthusiasm that I had . And I eventually gave up dancing because I did not have a partner. I am thinking I should do something that does not need a partner like hip-hop? But, I don't know I still love ballroom and latin.

Someone suggested that I take up scrapbooking. Maybe. My husband wants me and the kids to play golf. He thinks it is something we could do as a family. It is not a bad idea but it's just that I am so afraid of the sun and the skin pigmentation it could cause me. I can foresee ll my investment in my face cream to whiten my blemishes going down the drain.

I watched a documentary on the Discovery Channel a couple of days ago. It was about three friends who climbed Mt McKinley and encountered a blizzard. They got lost and injured. The documentary showed how they suffered and how they were eventually rescued. Two of the men lost their fingers and toes due to frost bites. The third guy had one of his legs amputated and needed reconstruction of his nose.

I am not an adventurous person and I do not understand why people choose to risk life and limbs to take part in such treacherous activities? Is it worth it? I think definitely not. This is the reason I do not contiribute to any expedition. I remember a few years ago when Singapore wanted to send a team to scale Mt Everest and people were asked to "donate" to the cause. Sorry, I have better ways to spend my money. I do not believe in this kind of glory.

Just yesterday, there was news of young eye surgeon who died in a diving accident.  On Saturday, he was diving near a shipwreck in the South China Sea. He was honing his skills in preparation for a diving expedition to Antarctica in 2010. He  leaves behind a three—year old son, and his pregnant wife. Their baby boy is due to be born next month. I can't help but wonder why he continues to take part in dangerous activities when he has a responsibilty to take care of his young family.  I know it is silly of me to think this way because if one believes in destiny, then he would have died in some other ways if not in this accident. His time is up so he gotta go? And of course, so many more people died in road accidents than diving accidents.

Anyway, I am just rambling here. To each his own, I guess. Some people just choose to live more dangerously than others.