Something out of the ordinary

Langham Place Mong Kok Hong Kong

Doesn't it intrigue you when you see everyday ordinary objects where they are not supposed to be?

That was the feeling I got when I saw these Hong Kong Bus Stop schedule posts inside Langham Place! I found it quite amusing seeing them

So you might be wondering, what are they doing there? it seems that everything happens for a reason in Hong Kong... people here never "waste" time or space... These bus stop posts were put there to promote a bus model store beside this walkway.

April 30, 2015

Hong Kong... a place of memories

Victoria Harbour night view

Hong Kong will always be my favourite city in the world. It was the place where I went on my first date and the place where my grandparents lived. It was the place where I found comfort in when I was given a lot of burdens. It was the place I felt accepted when I encountered a lot of racism in Toronto. 

taken from my Instagram

It was a city I learned that it was ok to be creative and a place where everyone had a voice. It's a city I am most proud of... it is one of my homes.

Hong Kong <3

I continue to hope that Hong Kong will continue to thrive despite all the difficulties it is going through. I hope it will not fall into the trap of being a city only known for having brands... but a city with substance... +oil!

Our family's very own 青花瓷

my family's 青花瓷 

I discovered this jewel today... Well... More accurately speaking... I didn't "discover" it, (since it has been with me since I was a toddler). This vase is my grandmother's, it was given to her by a famous monk from a temple in China. This vase is more than 500 years old. It is called 青花瓷... It was given to the temple as a gift by the Ming Dynasty emperor during the Ming Dynasty and later because our family had connections to that temple (my family has a lot of history and connections with Buddhist monks), it was given to my grandmother. It was given as a very honorary gift. 

It is such an honour to see it in real life... Who knows what stories lie within it and what this vase has seen and gone through... What's more important is that it is priceless. I am blessed to see this in real life, how did it survive the cultural revolution and such?

Bunny cars!

Hong Kong Kowloon Shangri La Hotel Apr. 2015

Sorry for the lateness... (in this case, it was 2 years ago...writer's block can be quite long) 

These electric cars were decorated with bunny ears to celebrate Easter!

Aren't they cute? I also love the eyelashes!! They really made the car look "bunny" enough.

I never would have thought Shangri-La to do something like this... But cool! :D

p.s. I miss Hong Kong :(

Peninsula Hotel

Kowloon Peninsula Hotel and bus

(I actually wrote this back in 2015... and found it sitting at the bottom of my drafts, not sure why it never got published... thought I would reminisce on HK and show you this...)

what a strange sight at the Peninsula Hotel lately... why is there a bus "stuck" on their roof?

I looked everywhere, it didn't seem that they were doing any promotions yet it didn't look like the bus was accidentally stuck there...

weird sightings are always exciting... 

Fishball Revolution

photo source: abcnews.go.com

明明新年因該很快樂了。但是今天看到香港 非常的心痛.

photo source: abcnews.go.com

I am not choosing sides, as I do not feel that both are right. But seeing what has happened in Hong Kong makes me so sad. After the Umbrella revolution, I was absolutely sure that Hong Kongers are very civilized. We would "fight" a good fight, a fight that is righteous and just... but seeing what the riots have done in this Fishball revolution makes me feel that Hong Kongers are changing.

Photo source: cityam.com

A police firing 2 shots into the air and then pointing his gun at civilians, rioters burning trash cans and throwing glass bottles... and intentionally harming police and other civilians....

We are no longer the same.

... I am not proud... 心痛香港這—面

Ferry ride from Kowloon to Hong Kong

Central Pier

I was on the Ferry! One of the most touristy and relaxing things to do in Hong Kong is to ride the ferry.

It is extremely cheap and doesn't take a lot of time. I would say the ride took less than 10 mins!

I enjoyed riding the ferry so much... I loved the feeling of the breeze when it hits my face and I love the smell of the ocean. Speaking of the Harbour, I was extremely impressed by how clean it has gotten over the years! Hong Kong has definitely gone a long way to keeping its water cleaner!

I am always fascinated by how a ship works and every time I ride the ferry, I get to see how the crew operates the ferry.

I would suggest that you opt for lower deck so you can be closer to the water and feel the breeze and you can also stick your head outside... Upper deck is indoor and I find the seats to be too luxurious for riding a ferry. 

Fascinating Lights @ Element

lights... what is art and display?

Today, I spent the day at Element Mall. I know that it is filled with luxury brands but I am intrigued by their window displays... There are quite a number of stores there that are not so "luxurious" too.

While I was looking for a place to grab some lunch, I found a cafe/sandwich bar... It was a weird place because the whole "store" only had one table for everyone to sit in. (There were 2 booths but let's just talk about the main sitting area). I found that quite interesting... It felt like a cafeteria to me... Minus the bad bland food :P. This wasn't what caught my attention though... 

What caught my attention was their lighting display. It was a simple design yet it created an intriguing effect. All the lights seemed to be hanging to different levels and all were of different sizes and shape. Without this lighting the store would be no different from the others but because of this artifact, it has given the store an arty feel making the store stand out among the others!

I'm glad I bumped into this display today :)

SOGO 30th anniversary

SOGO's 30th Anniversary Mascot

SOGO has always been my go to department store every time I return to HK. I love what they sell and their prices are usually quite reasonable.

It literally survived all the economic disasters and competition.

It is currently one of the last remaining Japanese department stores* in Hong Kong. There are 2 stores: 1 in Causeway Bay and 1 in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Sogo from a far

I had the opportunity to go to both stores this time. I was glad the Causeway Bay store was able to remain "a department store" but am sadden by the fact that the Tsim Sha Tsui store has given in and became a tourist store (more specifically, main land China tourist). 

They have moved to a more convenient location and has a very nice looking interior (because it is new), unfortunately, as nice as it looks, it looks nothing like a department store. They have revamped the mall (which used to be in it's current location) and changed it into a store where all you can buy are cosmetics, skin care products, designer purses and some jewelry... When I asked the concierge where the clothing, grocery and lifestyle sections were, the staff told me that there weren't any... I immediately had a look of disappointment on my face so they told me that there "might" be a possibility that these sections/departments will soon be added to the store later. (I sure hope so... I miss their clothing and grocery sections :( )

It's so sad to see one of these older stores change to become something else. It had gone from being a nice traditional department store to a "I want to make lots of money off of Chinese Tourist" store. It hurts to see that more and more Hong Kong stores are taking this approach.

*There is also YUTA, Uny and Apita remaining.

K11 mini Concert

Podium at K11

There was a mini concert/music show at K11 today! I was super excited. I love how K11 gives an open space for performers (especially musicians) so they can go crazy... 

Today was a nice day... I got to feel the Ocean breeze and enjoy lovely music.

One of my favourite things about HK is being able to feel the Ocean Breeze <3

Standard Charter weird looking building

Standard Charter's "new building"

After lunch, I decided to take a small walk around Central. It was such a nice day... To my Canadian senses, it felt like summer... Though I think most did not agree (as they were wearing down jackets)

I have been hearing about Standard Charter's new building for quite a while now and today I finally got the chance to see it! (and no, my camera wasn't lopsided... the building is really slanted like that!) 

It is indeed a weird looking building... My cousin told me that before the building was built, it used to be a podium where people can eat lunch and just hang around during lunch and breaks. It seems quite unfortunate they have turned this place into another building :S.

other buildings nearby

Back to the building... I find that the architecture is good... but it doesn't really fit the landscape... or surroundings. Buildings in Central are usually more traditional looking... so it really does stand out... I hate that the height... I hate how it isn't proportioned with the other buildings and the colours do not complement the other buildings...

what are your thoughts?

K-11 Piano Display

K11 is one of my favourite malls in Hong Kong... (Not for shopping though)... For those who do not know, K11 is an art mall... The story behind is to combine art with shopping. What else is better than to be able to enjoy art while you are shopping?

every time I return to Hong Kong I try to spend some time at their patio and enjoy and immerse myself back into my artistic roots.

To my luck, one of their themes is pianos... more specifically "Music Everywhere – Piano Performance" although I might be missing out on their event on Sunday where they invite local pianists to come play music... I am glad I did get to see these pianos :)

website: http://hk.k11.com/en/Home.aspx

CNY @ Element

So... I have finally taken initiative and made my first visit to Element today!

I was quite surprised they still have their CNY displays up considering how CNY was more than a month ago!

In a way I am glad... I loved their 桃花 and 羊 display! I especially love the creativity and thought they had put into the sheep and clouds... This picture might not be able to show the details clearly, so I should definitely explain.

1. The rainbow above the sheep is actually made by the sheep... 

2. The sheep knits from a ball of yarn (the yarn is it's body)

3. Although there really isn't a mouth, I find that the sheep is smiling

I'm so glad I got to caught a final glimpse of this sheep... And may all the best things happen this year!! <3