Leap Day/Hump Day

Happy leap day everyone, especially to everyone who was born on February 29!

"Thirty days hath September,

April, June and November;

All the rest have thirty-one 

Save February, she alone 

Hath eight days and a score 

Til leap year gives her one day more. "

Leap day TingTinging fun facts

Without a leap day every four years, our timing with the Earth's rotation around the sun would be an additional six hours off-schedule every year.

A person born on leap day may be called a "leapling" or a "leaper".  Superman's birthday is February 29th.

A law by Queen of Margaret of Scotland, required that fines be levied if a marriage proposal was refused by the man on leap year (although virtually no laws of Margaret's survived).

To celebrate "One More Disney Day", Disneyland in California and Magic Kingdom in Florida will be open for 24 hours from February 29 at 6AM until 6AM on March 1.

Splurge

Last year I purchased a DSLR with my income tax refund money.  It took a long time for me to finally decide to buy an expensive camera, but I think it was money well spent.  My Canon T3i traveled with me to Taiwan and Hong Kong this past year.  I had such a blast taking photos with this camera and captured many fond memories.

I think it is only appropriate to buy a new lens with this year's refund and to put aside the rest to fund my next trip to KOREA!

Lent

Ash Wednesday indicates the beginning of LENT.  Per Wikipedia, many commit to fasting or giving up certain types of luxury as a form of penitence.

To support my colleagues, I am joining them in giving up some bad habits...

This year, I am giving up oh-so-refreshing soda!

Please share what you are giving up for lent by commenting below!

Three Days

Hello my fellow taxpayers.  Your 2011 income tax returns are due in exactly two months, April 17, 2012.

This might be great news for some of you! 

Since April 15th (the usual deadline for income taxes) falls on a Sunday AND thanks to the observance of Emancipation Day on April 16th, we all get TWO extra days to get our acts together to file our taxes.

Don't forget that 2012 is also a leap year!

That's THREE extra days to file a timely income tax return. :)

All information provided here are intended as a convenient source of tax information. This information is general in nature, is not complete, and may not apply to your specific situation. You should consult your own tax advisor regarding your tax needs.

Wedding

Happy Valentines Day!  

I attended a wedding back in January, but saved these photos for today.  I want to take this opportunity to congratulate my newly wedded cousin and his wife.  The wedding was beautiful!


The venue was gorgeous. I loved the design of the entrance, especially the door handle details and the metallic tiles.

The stage was decorated with a pink, white, and silver theme.  It was a sweet and cheery backdrop for wedding photos with family and friends.

I think my cousin must of borrowed some courage from the alcohol to serenade this wife and to pull off what I thought was the highlight of the night. 

Wishing all you newly weds out there a long and happy life together.

50k

How is everyone's new year resolutions coming along?  If filing your income tax returns on time is on your list, I have some information that could help some of you!

If your total gross income is less than $50,000 in the year 2011 and you live in the Bay Area, you may be eligible for free help in preparing your tax returns.  Please check out Tax-Aid's website for more information: http://www.tax-aid.org/

Cashier

Cat manning the cash register at a restaurant in Macau.

Thank you. Have a nice day! Meow.

Time Lapse

As I am concluding my Hong Kong segment of this blog, 

I want to share this pretty neat time lapse video recorded during my tour at Sky100.

My video cam-cording skills aren't great,

 but please bare with me here as I present my first video on the blog:

Thank you for visiting!

MTR

Mass transit in Hong Kong is really convenient and clean.  

Each MTR station has network maps posted that are easy to read and in both English and Chinese.  Much like the clipper card used in the Bay Area, Hong Kong launched the "Octopus card" back in 1997.  These value rechargeable cards are used not only just to pay fares, but can be used for payment at parking meters, convenience stores, supermarkets, vending machines and fast food chains.  

Although the mass transit railway gets really crowded at times, it appears that most people respect the public property, so the trains/subway are really well kept.  They even have TVs to entertain passengers!

Good to know: The MTR has a line that would take you all the way to Disneyland!

Thanks for dropping by!

Rain

The object in the photo above is actually an umbrella.  I bought it during my Hong Kong trip at the New Years fair.

Ever since my rainy trip to Japan, it has become a tradition for me to buy unique umbrellas from every place I visit.  If you stick with me, you would not have to worry about getting wet from the rain!  I have got quite a collection of umbrellas now!