过了期的 Updates

Marpig just loves throwing in a pun or two in her bloggie entries. Perhaps to make a .

Anyw, need to REALLY catchup; Cant believe Marpigz trips home are "quicker" than she can blog!! Unbelievable!! B4 finishing her entries on the trip back home in Nov 2011, herez another short rojak entry

Marpig had just went under the oral surgeonz hammer and chisel to get rid of her bottom right wisdom tooth which were giving her a really bad time and infection back during the Easter period. It was an impacted tooth, hence, one cant just get rid of it at the dentist but in the hosp by an oral surgeon. Wanted to do it in Singapore but didnt have the time and apparently, itz gonna be as xpensive as having a gold tooth

Since Marpig has pte insurance in the UK, she had it arranged for the tooth to be xtracted here. She would have to be put under general anaesthetic, where the oral surgeon would then cut abit of the gum ttz partially covering the impacted tooth, break the tooth in two, wrench and pull 1 half out, then the other and stitch it up. She would also need have soft food and be off work for a week, due to the pain and swelling + the fear tt it wil get infected, so said the suave oral surgeon :P

Knowing tt she wil not be having much solid food, Marpig went for a gd dinner on the dae b4 the operation with fren :D__

 Nth much for 2 person, just 芥兰, 麻婆豆腐 and 三烧!! *yummy!!*

The next dae, Marpig admitted quite early, at 7am. 10 hrs prior to tt, she was not allowed to have any food or (too much) liquid, to prevent her from being sick after waking up from the GA

After changing, putting on the socks for Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and measuring the weight, blood pressure, etc, the anaesthetist (a no-nonsense lady, majiam like a discipline mistress) came in to confirm if Marpig was fit and ready for the administration of anaesthetic. Marpig was also given a steroid and penicillin just b4 she was to be pushed in for the GA at 8am, to kick start the process of infection prevention

Being nervous bout needles and not lest GA(!!) Marpig calmed herself by watching tee bee and guessed wat, vintage show!!

Batman and Robin!! Wow, ttz like 80s or 90s?!

Then there was Shaun the Sheep and the 搞怪 piggies!!

Not long after, the theatre porters came to "collect" Marpig and in a few mins, Marpig found herself in the anaesthetic room with the no-nonsense anaesthetist and her assistance. Putting on the heart rate monitor sensor on her middle finger, the machinez rapid beeping sound heralded Marpigz fear of the tube ttz going to be inserted in her vein. The assistant was tapping on Marpigz shoulder to calm her. At the same time, the anaethetist was wiping Marpigz left hand with alcohol and tapping Marpigz vein!! Wah, pain!! Then, she 不说二话 and wala!! The plastic tube (itz not a needle, worse. OMG, dont think!!) was in Marpigz vein, thank u very much

A few mins later, she injected smth into Marpigz vein via the tube and wow, Marpig felt a bit flushed, eyes kept blinking, trying to keep awake. She can no longer speak and hearing was abit muffled. The harder she tried to stay awake, the harder it became. Then, the left arm was numb and Marpig was totally blanked out

For tt period when Marpigz was under the GA, she had no recollection wat were done to her.Pretty much like being knocked off from being totally drunk. Perhaps the oral surgeon accidently cut more gums than he should, mayb he was having a leg on the operating table, trying his best to wrench tt crooked, stubborn and partially buried wisdom out like in the tee bee. Actually, quite tt feeling of being blanked out totally. Wonder if death is like tt... no pain, no recollection, no feeling, just... gone

Anyw, the next th Marpig recalled was tt she woke up wearily with a drip and the 1st th she saw was the wall-hung clock, indicating the whole process took an hr and 1/4

Recovering from the GA, Marpig was wheeled back to her room to wait for discharge. On and off, Marpig went back to sleep. When she was a bit sober, she just lie on the bed, watching the Olympics while waiting for the drip to be emptied :P

 TTz the plastic tube with a small valve in the vein for any intravenous thingies. Ya noe, so tt doctors wont have to open up the vein again... eeeeeee!! *汗* See tt red bit? Yeah, itz blood... ooooooo!! *weak knees*

Aftermath - Marpig was literally on drugs whole week; penicillin and painkillers. Felt groggy al the time and spent most hrs sleeping after having porridge. And so ends Marpigz update on wisdom tooth xtraction, so next time if itz YOUR turn, YOU know wat to xpect!!

Next is a highly commendable th which Beenie had done!! :D

*jump and hugz, jump and hugz* (cos Marpigz not as tall as Beenie!!) BTW, pay no attention to the totally random and arbitrary placed cost of the stamp!!

And FINALLY!! This is the A4 paper which Marpig had been working towards over the past 5 yrs!!

Home 2011: Cepat No. 2 1st Time in Macau!!

Continuing from Cepat No. 1, Marpig finally get to visit Macau for the 1st time after visiting HK so many times. The visit was a daez affair and think Marpig wont mind going again (for the food, walks and nice historic streets and traditions). Ya noe, Marpig just lurves al ths oldish :D However, most of Macau is really bout casinoes and at 1st, Marpig was only 60% keen. But she soon changed her mind!! Read on to discover wat Macau has to offer on top of baccarat!!

The xcursion to Macau started in the morning and 6 adults took the high-speed TurboJet ferry to Macau. It was bout an hrz ride, with departures every 15 mins (24hrs/dae) and costs HKD 291 to and fro (dont rem they do return tickets and Macau-HK leg is slightly cheaper... wonder why :P) Above is the ferry terminal at Macau with the seemingly endless Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge aka "The Old Bridge" in the the backgrd

Again, as the long-winded Marpig unwinds, abit bout Macau (majiam like history!!)

Macau is the 1st and last European colony in China, being loaned to the Portuguese in the 16th century and returned on 20th Dec 1999 (FYI, HK was returned on 1st July 1997. Similarly with HK and under the 一国两制 policy, she is 1 of Chinaz 特别行政区 (HK is the other), meaning China is responsible for her defense and foreign affairs while she is responsible for her own legal and monetary systems, police force and custom and immigration policies. Her emblem is of a lotus flower while tt of HK is of an orchid (species: Bauhinia blakeana) Macauz economy depends heavily on (wat else) gambling and tourism, and a leetle bit from manufacturing

The th which caused Marpig to change her perception of Macau and immediately fell in love with the place are the historic and traditional buildings and trades (even if itz for tourism!!)

The shop houses by the roads which resembled so much of the gd o' Chinatown at home in the 80s!!

This is even better!! The structure and colour!! Almost like a page out of Marpigz memory lane. Ah~~, reminded her of the time when she was so young and the old 50s/60s shop houses in Chinatown werent demolished. Stil rem one of the stalls sold homemade soups with the vendor shouting the name of her soups to catch the 街坊z attention. And Marpigz fav soup is 西洋菜生鱼汤!! :D__

One of the old traditional streets in Macau in the morning b4 the hordes of tourists arrive...

Wah...文化遗产保留得很好!! For those pple who isnt a "牛车水人家", Chinatown in the 80s really looked like tt, amidst the adjacent HDBs. Gosh, wonder where al the neighbourly feel went now...

Quite like the type of security for the old hses, wooden horizontal "grilles" and the "door lock". Should add a gong smwhere (in place of a modern security alarm) tt would be triggered by intruders trying to force the lock/door open. TT wil give them a gd, deafening shock!!

Aww!! Cute and responsible doggie!! Think itz a Labrador pup or Corgi. Either, itz cute!!!!!!!

Traditional 中药铺 with the endless cabinets of 药材. Stil rem Marpig used to 陪 her mom and godmother to the 中药铺 to buy medicine, pills and sweets!! :D

Therez also a tailor making clothes and 旗袍!!

And hey!! The 风水神相, 张伯 is OUT for the mo!!

Marpigz fav 路边摊!! Love those in Penang too!! Yes, it can be unhygienic but in todaez world, dont think they wil be very dirty!!

And apparently, HK and Macau are crazy over 肉干 and many stalls in Macau sells different types of 肉干, even has 星加坡肉干!! Just tt Marpig didnt capture it on the pic above

After a quick morning stroll, BILz dad brought us to a highly recommended plc for al ths porridge

Umk, the way they do the fresh meat can be a bit off-putting but itz 102% fresh and used immediately, hence, itz ok!!

The famous and best selling porridge is~~ "著名猪肉圆粥"!! 1st on the list!! (From the right)

And ttz wat Marpig had!!

Gosh, looked and tasted just like the one Marpig had when she was young!! And the pork was lean and fresh!! You can actually taste the freshness of the pork!! Really, this trip was such a down-the-memory-lane xcursion!! *感动*

After the 2nd bf (they had bf in HK b4 they took the ferry), itz time to do wat tourists do!! Souveniors and makan spree!! The above is THE place to 扫 Macau 土产!! And the portuguese tarts!! Yummy!! :D__

The other food which Marpig has always wanted to eat is~~ 猪扒包!! And the cafe above does it, 即叫即 fry!! Fresh bun, fresh pork cutlet (normally with a bit of bone left) BTW, there was a HUGE 包 out on display, minus the 猪扒!!:P

And ttz the delicious 猪扒包 with butter!! Scrumptious!! Must must must try!! Heavenly!!

While trying to walk off the porridge and 猪扒包, Marpigz sisz tempted her to a cuppa yam bubble tea!! OMG!! *Slurped*

Makan aside, itz sightseeing!! They went to many places in Macau but stil didnt manage to cover everyth in a single dae (of cos!!) The main sights they visited tt dae included the town hall, St. Augustine's Square and St. Dominic's Church below:

Built in 1587, it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site in Macau. The church has a nice chinese name, 玫瑰堂!!

Interior of the church. Hmm... very European style, since itz under built by the Spanish Dominican priests

艺术照!!

Next, they also visited the ever famous landmark of Macau, the Ruins of St. Paul's aka 大三巴牌坊!!

Classic picture of the most famous landmark of Macau!! It was built in the 17th century by the Jesuits and is also part of the UNESCO World Heritage site in Macau. It used to be a college and cathedral. The building was destroyed, xcept the southern facade (wat u see) by a fire. The facade has many carvings in stone and were carved by Japanese Xtains in xile and local craftsmen

The back of the facade. It is said tt for good luck, one should throw coins into the top window from the stairs but nay, Marpig didn noe this myth until now when shez blogging!! Then again, even if she had known, she wil not do it!!

Marpigz idea of harmony and tolerance... hmmm... a chinese temple just bside the ruins

Another 艺术照!! This is the upwrd sloping stone steps up the Fortaleza do Monte (Portuguese) aka Fortress of Our Lady aka 大炮台. It is also part of the World Heritage site in Macau. The fort was built btw 1616 and 1626 to protect the properties of the Jesuits but was later used to defend Macau with lotsa cannons up in the fort. Housed up in the fort are also the Macau Museum and the Met department. Itz also a great place to see the whole Macau!!

Along the hike up the fort, there was a statue of a Jesuit, Father Matteo Ricci. Yeah, itz an ang moh in ancient Mandarin robes. He spoke Chinese too and also won the support of the Ming Emperor then (万历) to build the 1st catholic church in China

The following pics are just Marpigz usual observations of funny ths and nature!!

WC for doggies... quote from a book which JM is reading, "Mind Your Petz Business"!! :P (JM, wat does tt book talk about?!)

Sparrow along the lily leaves!! *chirpy chirp*

Close-up of a purple lily with a small bee inside (xplode the pic to see more clearly!!)

Reaching the top of the fort, Marpig found a gd spot ttz 诗情画意 to rest; under an old tree with stone table and seats. Great place to have 功夫茶 and 下象棋!! :D Ah, there was a time in sec sch when Marpig would meet up with pri sch frens and JM to read comics, play bbal, drink bubble tea and 下象棋!! JM, did we ever play 象棋 tog b4?

After they 下山, itz time for dim sum lunch at a 酒家!! :D__

They ordered a total of 9 dishes which includes 薑汁鸡包仔, 蜜汁叉烧包, 上汤浸鲜竹卷, 西杏炸鲜奶, 生煎鲮鱼饼, 鲜虾腐皮卷 and~~

川菜排骨陈村粉!! The 粉 is thin and melts in the mouth, abit like 猪肠粉 but not "floury" and more crystal clear!! There is also Marpigz dadz fav 北菇滑鸡饭!!

And lastly, Marpigz fav (which arent Marpigz fav?! hahahaha)

鰽鱼肉饼饭!!

After lunch (and b4 dinner!!), itz visit to the ubiquitous casinos in Macau and which one other than the famous Venetian Macau?

The Venetian Macau is the sister of the Venetian Las Vegas. It is 40 storey tall and apparently, is the worldz largest casino (o_o)

According to Wiki, the the casino cum hotel boasts 3000 suites (levels 7 - 38), 110,000m2 of convention area, 150,000m2 of retail and 550,000m2 of casino space!! Within tt casino space, therez 3400 老虎机 and 800 gambling tables. 真的是不怕没得赌, 只把你没钱!!

As the name suggests, the casino is modelled after Venice!! And blimey, it IS really 99.9999999% identical!!

Front of the casino from the main road. Note the The Basilica Campanile (Bell Tower) on the left and the Doge's Palace on the right

A close up of the Doge's Palace... woah... really so alike!! Refer to the real tower and palace at San Marco in Venice here!!

OMG!! Even the carving of Adam and Eve at the same corner of the Doge's Palace (Marpig wrote bout it, see the given link above!!) looks almost the same!!

The Bridge of Sighs. Despite not as real as the real th, it does retain the feel!! GOSH!! *very impressed*

Above is an almost perfect replica of the Rialto Bridge in Venice!!

The interior was absolutely grandeur. 简直是金碧辉煌!!

Therez even a river system and gondolas for tourists who would like to xperience the lomantic ride in "Venice"!! Notice also the Scala Contarini del Bovolo (spiral stairs resembling snail) which Marpig also mentioned in her Venice bloggie entry!!

Photo taking can be sensitive inside... One is not allowed to take pic of the gambling areas. Hence, Marpig stole a shot from the escalator...

and another of the risk-takers and hundreds of 老虎机!!

B4 leaving for the finale of the xcursion (Macanese/Portuguese dinner), 1 last 艺术照 outside the toilets!! :P

Dinner was bout finding a decent rest to savour local makan and BILz dad brought them to A Lorcha. "Lorcha" is actually a type of hybrid sailing vessel developed in Macau. It is a Chinese junk rig with an European hull. It is faster and can carry more goods than normal Chinese junk rig. Hence, notice tt the logo of the rest is the Lorcha. Therez actually another gd rest, Litoral, ttz a few steps bside A Lorcha, which Marpig wil try the next time!! :D__

Therez simply too many fd tt Marpg would love to try on the menu, however, as they had been eating the whole dae then, they werent really famished. Hence, they only tried:

橄欖油香蒜炒蜆 (Not bad!! But meatz too teeny weeny and a tat too salty) and 葡式燴海鮮飯 (fluffy and tasty, itz not soggy even though it might look like it is!!)

紅豆焗猪手 (sauce is rich and is actually a very gd stew, although therez not much meat on the trotters and the trotters should be cooked longer so tt they wil melt in the mouth, which they dont and too chewy)

炒杂菜 (tasted like great home-cooked vege stir-fry!! Plus, definitely need sm greens to go with al the rich fd!!)

炭燒鸡扒配薯条 (Very wel done BBQ chicken, just like Nandos...)

白汁焗馬价休 (itz actually baked potatoes and fish with cheese/cream. Fattening of cos but very nice!! Just tt Marpig am scared of the out-of-the-blue fish bone!!)

Marpig found a teeny weeny crabby inside the already-very-small 蜆. Kawaii~~!! :D

Anyway, overal, the fd is OK, service is OK. Perhaps a few more visits to try other ths on the menu as wel as the other rest, Litoral, next time in Macau!!