Final Fantasy VII

Final Fantasy VII (Source: www.play-mag.co.uk)

During April 2012, I realised that the original Final Fantasy VII game, originally released on the Sony PlayStation in 1997, is available for download on the PlayStation Network via the PlayStation 3. (Okay, I was quite slow. It was already for sale since 2009.) And in the spur of the moment, I purchased the download for around S$20. 

Gamers should be familiar with Final Fantasy VII. It was a huge success when it was released, and has sold millions of copies worldwid. It was the first Final Fantasy game to feature 3D graphics, and was a huge jump from Final Fantasy VI, which was still on the Super Nintendo console. Filled with many CG cut-scenes which were unbelievably stunning (at that time), I was totally sucked in  by the graphics, gameplot, characters, and the plot.

Today, I finally completed it. It took me 21 months. Sure enough, there were many weekends when I totally didn't touch my PS3 at all, and yes, I leveled all my characters until they were all level 99 with two master summoning material, three master command material and three master magic material, but still.... taking almost two years to complete a game is really quite ridiculous.

What's next? God of War? (I have part one to part three, all untouched) Or Ni No Kuni? Or should I go the retro path again and download something like... Xeongears? Hmm...

Hong Kong (Jan 2014)

Another trip to Hong Kong again, this time with my cousins. I brought them to basically the same places I had been to in my previous trips, plus a few more new places.

Australian Dairy Company

Of course, a trip to Hong Kong necessitates a visit to the Australian Dairy Company. Not just one; we actually came here three times in five days.

Tai Hing roast goose

Brought them to the Tai Hing outlet near our hotel. Their roast goose is as good as ever.

I suppose 强记小厨 deserves a special mention. The four of us finished all eight dishes above (okay, minus one pork rib)! It actually started off with just six dishes, which was already quite a bit for four pax. I asked the waiter if that was enough, and he recommended one more dish, which I (foolishly) accepted. Following that, they gave one more dish on the house, so it was basically a food orgy. But the food was really good here. Out of all eight dishes, the vegetables (娃娃菜) was surprisingly the one that exceeded our expectations the most - the vegetable itself was already very sweet and fresh, and when topped with the crispy garlic - fantastic!

A new place this trip was Yat Lok Roast Goose (一乐烧鹅), which was recommended by a Hong Kong colleague.

Half a roast goose

For this meal, the four of us were so hungry that everyone agreed to order one roast goose to share, without any hesitation. We thought Tai Hing was already good, but this was even better - I heard that it had one Michelin star before too. Their roast goose was so juicy and delicious, and at least the fat could be removed quite easily. (Tai Hing's fat seemed to be almost semi-liquid, so when you try and scrape it off it comes off in bits and pieces instead of one chunk.) It costs HKD430 (S$70.38) for one whole goose and is a must-try!

The shop entrance

And my cousin found the place below for one of our brunches. The place was just like our own hawker centres, and she read that the porridge sold at one of the stalls - Mui Kee - was really good.

Mui Kee Porridge

Chee cheong fun

Their chee cheong fun wasn't special at all, actually...

Century egg porridge

.... but this was definitely special! The porridge was the type I liked - thick and rich, and we savoured every mouthful. Located at Fa Yuen Street Market, third floor.

And finally, what is a trip to Hong Kong without the toy shopping? I lugged back some Figma and Revoltech figurines again.

The toy hoard from this trip