Message: My Christmas Holidays 2012

My days have never been busier! Even my beloved English Playground has almost become stagnant. In the past Christmases, I could still find time to post an entry or two, this year's is almost impossible. Updating the title logo was the best I could do, and it wasn't one of my best design, by the way.

Clearing and cleaning have been my top priority, and when one does dig up the hidden, one rediscovers his past and his lost memories.

Take for example, Gameboy and Game Gear, two of the most popular game consoles in the 80s, were placed not so deep inside the covered shelf next to my bed, but it was only recently that I realised that there were AA batteries inside the Gameboy and immediately I knew, the Gameboy, once belonged to my deceased little brother's, should be a goner. The screen turned yellow partially and blue crystals formed at the tips of the batteries. My bet is that the acid leaked out and damaged the screen. 

The Game Gears (I have two), one was dead almost after a year but I kept it. The second one no longer works with the adaptor, it might still work with 6 AA batteries, or at least I am hoping that it might.

I miss those times with my little brother.

Gameboy and Game Gear
Image from Locky's English Playground

I have never done much Christmas shopping, same for this year, but Christmas window-shopping I did a lot and I happened to find a really cool underground street at the Mira, Tsim Sha Tsui, where the flagship Collect Point is.

Red Bricks with pattern
Image from Locky's English Playground

The design of the shops is pretty amazing, using red bricks to create that raw look and feel. Notice the pattern of the bricks on the floor, it's not just boring rectangles.

Tired shoppers
Image from Locky's English Playground

Shoppers instantly took a liking to the seats. I myself liked the view more.

Lamp post, signs or flags?
Image from Locky's English Playground

Tired and hungry shoppers can find a restaurant offering a range of western food and wine if they want to stay indoor for a quick bite before they dash off to their clothes hunt once again.

Different musicians performing every day
Image from Locky's English Playground

Happened to walked pass Jordan and discovered a pretty long human queue not waiting for iPhone 6 but Hong Kong-style all-day breakfast at the Australia Dairy Company. 

Long queue waiting for seats @ Australia Dairy Company
Image from Locky's English Playground

I have more than thrice remembered that I have never EVER tried a dust of breadcrumb from this place having worked so closed to this shop for more than 2 years in Jordan, and I never knew where this eatery is until then. How's that even possible?

Still, I did not go in to try. The end of the queue was just too far from my sight and my reach. Guess I will have to leave it to my fate to decide when is the best time.

Magic Show @ Cityplaza
Image from Locky's English Playground

The ever-so-popular Cityplaza in Tai Koo never lacks free shows for shoppers to watch. Performance wise, pretty good, but what always impresses me is the top-notch quality of the stages built.

A performer taking photos with shoppers
Image from Locky's English Playground

As for performers, they are always shoppers' "hottest" target for a photo or two, literally.

Bacon in burger @ SimplyLife
Image from Locky's English Playground

My Christmas dinner was too shabby to even be mentioned, so my Boxing Day dinner had to be a handsome compensation to my stomach. A nice American burger meal from Simplylife did me good, despite the lack of football trainings recently.


Vocabulary:
stagnant -- (adj) not growing or developing
deceased -- (adj) formal dead
goner -- (n)[C usually singular] informal a person or thing that has no chance of continuing to live
eatery -- (n)[C] informal a restaurant
top-notch -- (adj) informal excellent
literally -- (adv) having the real or original meaning of a word or phrase
too shabby -- (slang) from not so / not too shabby -- looking old and in bad condition because of being used for a long time or not being cared for


Resources:
Australia Dairy Company @ Openrice
http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=90

Simplylife @ Openrice
http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=19155&tc=bc

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/stagnant_2
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/deceased_1?q=deceased+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/goner?q=goner
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/eatery?q=eatery+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/top-notch?q=top+notch
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/literally?q=literally
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/not-so-shabby-not-too-shabby#not-so-shabby-not-too-shabby__1