Sweets and summaries

I made today my late day for the week and started the morning by getting rid of the red plums I got on markdown in Hong Kong....there was a reason they were marked down. The healthy result--red plum breakfast bake. Here is a piece of it with yogurt and raisins added for a garnish:

 The highlights of the work day were meeting with the Regional English Language Officer and getting to share some suggestions about next year's ETAs. Hopefully we did some good for them. She was nice enough to bring us some fun size American candy--score on the Snickers.

Today was apparently a good day for free sweet treats because at Bible Study tonight, Chris brought chocolate toffee and brownies--boy, were they moist and good!

Now, back to HK update (Sunday):
We started out the morning with an English breakfast (yum). It was simple--eggs and an English muffin with coffee, but when you don't have the simple, the simple gets luxurious and exciting! We then hiked Lamma Island (a part we had not yet seen). It was GORGEOUS weather. The sky was blue, it must have been 75 degrees. Ahhhh. We walked past a squatter village. Here are what these makeshift homes look like:

Next, we took a ferry to Aberdeen. It's an old fishing village which is now very developed with lots of boats, of course. We walked around the area without seeing too much exciting. We stopped in a simple cafe for lunch. You can kinda compare this to the Steak and Shake level of Chinese food restaurants. My meal was red tea, white rice, baked beans (from the British influence?), and those wedges are fish...of some kind. I called them the bologna of fish because it was just the meh parts all squished together and fried. Yay for healthy! It cost me 40HKD--that's pretty cheap for Hong Kong, so I'll take my fish bologna and run with it.

We also checked out a temple right around the corner from the restaurant. While Lindsey, Molly, and Lauren burned some incense, I stepped outside only to notice the contrast among the bright blue sky. Notice the church behind the temple? That cross isn't connected. Thus, the balance of Hong Kong and Macau.

 After I parted ways with the girls before heading back to Macau for the evening, I walked around Central and did some exploring. I came across some art galleries and lots of British pubs. It was quite a beautiful area. I stumbled upon a couple taking their wedding pictures as well. Believe it or not, this is extremely normal to see in Macau and Hong Kong, especially around the Ruins of St. Paul. Unlike western culture saying that it's bad luck to see the bride in her dress before the wedding, these couples are all about it. These pictures can be taken the day of the wedding or quite a bit before as I understand it. I like the contrast of the old and the new, the British and the Chinese influence in this picture...and you can see how hilly HK is.

Last, I was craving pizza and was on vacation (I seem to live on vacation don't I?), so I spent more money on a pizza than I probably ever will or have in my life. It was rewarding though. Seen here--the BBQ Chicken masterpiece at a restaurant I stumbled upon that is still feeding me....so that's 5 meals I've gotten out of it...it seems a lot more affordable that way :)

(Maybe this one looks more appetizing than my cheap lunch??)

Onward--enjoy your Tuesday...seriously.