26/05/2012

What a day - surprising, interesting, beautiful.

8am on train to Guangzhou, China.  There was SUNSHINE!

What's this all about... TWO wine fairs... 

I need to calm down and chill out - after a  LONGGGGGG  & InterestinGGGGGGGG day!!!  [Read on..]

Foreword: I'm going to write this in English - so I can share with my business partner (and friend/ travelmate) who shared the super interesting day with me.  :)

What a day!?

Story began... 2-hour sleep last night, then I was there at Hunghom Station by 6.48am.  Got my Starbucks (there is only Starbucks where I could get the coffee... ) Caramel Macchiato + Cheese Croissant, I was ready to board the Kowloon-Guangzhou Through Train!

7.03am - I met my travelmate at tne gate of the train.  "I'm jealous!" She saw my Starbucks carrybag.  SORRY that I assumed she would have had breakfast with family in the early morning at home - so I didn't call her up and asked if she would like something from Starbucks.

7.05am - WE were at Starbucks.  "Hey - I got a RAT at home this morning!  Hahaha... " (I was like @_@")  
"RAT!!!!!!???????"

7.06am - "Yeah - a rat!  We live in rural area!  I was freaked out - I'm a city girl!" (I was like -_-")

7.25am - We were on the train... Chat chat chat chat...

9.35am @Guangzhou East Station.  "We are getting off," I said.  "Oh - we are HERE!?"

10.12am - we were at our 'destination', the fairground.  

bla bla bla... bla bla bla... bleh bleh bleh... ehhh... ehhhhh....

3.15pm - "We have time before the train at 16.56, let's go shopping!"  I said.

3.32pm - We were at a 'plaza'.  There was JUSCO supermarket, H&M, and Pacific Coffee.

3.40pm @Jusco supermarket.  "Hey - this is the GALLO olive oil from Portugal!"  I said.

3.42pm - We were in front of the WINE & SPIRITS section.  "Hey - look at that!  You can do instalment payment for the cognac, the Hennessy.. and all these!"

3.46pm - "Oh... Can I... go there..." - "I didn't have time to buy the special shampoo for my new hair style [my red juicy tomato]... let me get that here!" - so I bought my shampoo!

4pm - We ended up, "Let's go Pacific Coffee."

4.15pm - Oups.. I found a little creature FLOATING ON TOP OF MY CARAMEL LATTE!!  "@_@"

4.20pm - I got my NEW cup of caramel latte.  "Let's go!  It's time."  I said.

4.23pm @Metro station (3 stops away from Guangzhou East station).  "We have to walk a little bit faster..., " I said.

4.46pm @Entrance to the customs, then the train flatform.  It was CLOSED!!  "Turn over the ticket, it says you have to be here 10 minutes before!!.. bla bla bla bla bla...."

4.56pm @Ticket office, with four others who missed the train too.

4.56pm @Ticket office.  "Shall we take the train to Shenzhen, then back to Hong Kong?"  I asked.  "Let's go!"

5pm @(another) Ticket office.  "Earliest, 1-class, departs at 5.50pm," the ticket officer said.
"OK...," I said and paid.

Tickets then were in my hand - 17.40 departs, written there.  "Wasn't that the officer said departure at 5.50!?" - I thought.

5.07pm @Entrance to the train flatform.  "Hi, you are here too!" - my friend said to a lady we met at the 'first' ticket office, who missed the train.

"Yes, here I am too!"  the lady said.  "Oh hey... " - she saw the other two people who (kind of) missed the train right in front of her.  They are first-time visitor to Hong Kong/ China from Australia!

Here, four of us were there again, waiting for another train, but only to Shenzhen.

5.15pm @Waiting area.  My travelmate + myself + Ms. lady were sitting together and started chatting.... bla bla bla bla bla.. hahahahaha... 

"Oh, so you two are selling WINES!"
"Oh, so you are an architect from Hong Kong!"

"Oh, your last name as LUKE, but the Chinese is same as me!"  I told the lady - Ms. LUKE the Architect.

5.38pm - Travelmate + myself + Ms. Luke the Architect + the Australian couple @train to Shenzhen.

6.59pm - Train arrived at Shenzhen.

7.xxpm - "Where are the two Australian tourists?  Hope they didn't get lose." - Ms. Luke the Architect got off the train with my travelmate and myself.  We walked and chatted on the way.

7.xxpm - "Oh, here you are again," Ms. Luke the Architect spoke to the Australian tourists.  

7.xxpm - We walked altogether to the customs.  Then due to different identity documents each of us held, we went through separate counters.  Then we were finally at the ticket office at HONG KONG SIDE!!

I went to washroom.

I came back, "Where are the Architect and the couple?"

"I don't know - I thought they are here at the ticket kiosk..."

"Let's see on the order side at the counter.  Perhaps they don't have the currency!?"

So we went to the other side, we found the couple and the lady!  The couple didn't have enough change, so they had to go to the counter and get the ticket!

7.45pm - we were all on the train at HONG KONG side, sat down and ready to go back to the city!  

"We are back to the civilized," the lady said.

7.50pm - I was on a phone call, "Sorry, I missed the train, and I don't think I can make it to arrive there at 8.30.  Please don't wait, and kindly pass my message to...."

I missed the event, which i thought was important, and I really wanted to go.  I was supposed to be there to meet someone who just retired and is going back to his home.  I wanted to try best to make it, because either I meet him this eve, or we never know if we will ever meet.  And, I want to send my warm THANK-YOU to him, for his support during his time here.

He will leave Hong Kong next Monday.  But, I missed it to meet him before he leaves.

8.03pm - my travelmate got off, as she lives closer to the New Territories.

8.30pm - Ms. Architect and myself were on the taxi, going to Lan Kwai Fong.

"Bye there, we'll meet again."


8.42pm - I was walking along Wyndham Street.  Party animals around.  I felt like going somewhere for food & wine.  I was starving and tired.

8.48pm - Well... no... nothing interesting.  Let me go back home, cook and get my FULL bottle of Blanquette de Limoux by myself!

9.15pm @Supermarket nearby home.  I picked one thing I wanna get for my 'dinner'.... then I thought.. ok... save time - let me do all my shopping for the weekend/ next week.

9.22pm - [Whatsapp] "I couldn't find the booth number for these two exhibitors...."

9.24pm - I 'parked' my shopping cart aside.  With my new 'smartphone' - I was working there... finding the 'answers'... DONE!

9.35pm @HOME sweet home.  "Oh - my lotus flowers... what's happened?  Seems you are all so tired... like dying... oh no, please!"  

10.01pm - Salad + Spaghetti w/ Carbonara sauce + Blanquette de Limoux in glass @dining table!!!!  

10.38pm - FINALLY.  I'm back here, home.  Interesting day!

I missed the chance to meet someone I might never meet again in life.  

I met someone new friend, same last name (in Chinese character) as me, shared the similar experience - got stopped at the gate while the train was there at the flatform underground... then we met again at the station... all the way back to Central, Hong Kong.

It's the TGIF (Thanks God It is Friday).

I wanted to do something I wanted - not as I wanted at the end; I was not expecting something I probably would not want - but all a sudden, it happened.  

Never mind - life is full of surprises.  Nothing good or bad, nothing true or false, nothing matters as the end of the day (or life).

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