Waking up with ailments

Why is it when you're in a foreign country it's quite normal to wake in the morning to be greeted with some strange affliction? Since being here I have suffered somewhat; swollen tongue (different parts swollen, usually one side one day, another side the next day), wrist and hand swollen and very itchy and very hot (but no bite mark, nothing), inside of nose really painful, tummy stabbing pains and this morning severe pain on the inside of my right foot (a red mark which won't let me put pressure on it).

What is happening during the night that is causing these unwanted occurrences?

Strange...

Soho Saturday

Where's your Soho...

London had the first in the 17th Century

New York's Manhattan followed

Hong Kong has Soho and Noho (clever thinking)

Stockholm has Sofo

and now Moscow has the latest on Savvinskaya Embankment

I've been Soho'd three times...

So here is my first little take on the far Eastern Soho

Jump off the Central-mid-level escalators and you're in the heart of Soho, where the food is good and the drinks are flowing! Deciding where to eat can be a challenge as you have almost everything on offer; Japanese, Thai, Greek, Indian, Vietnamese, Mexican, Spanish, British, Chinese, Italian... So if you're unsure as to what you fancy for dinner, I recommend a trip to Soho where you can take a quick trip around the globe!

icaramba

Warm, welcoming surroundings, freshly made tantalizing food cooked before your eyes, sangria, tequila...

PERFECT

Caramba SoHo

26-30 Elgin Street

Hong Kong

Monday's 2-4-1 on food!

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Time to walk off that food...

Hop back onto the escalators and they'll take you up, up, up and away, away from the crowds and to a peaceful spot on top of a hill. The mid-level-escalators cover 800m in distance and are even featured in the Guinness World Records as the longest outdoor covered escalator system! When traveling on them, the higher you get, the quieter and emptier the flowing steps become. As we get to the top, we're the only ones left. We jump off at Conduit Road and gradually make our way back down the winding path, back to a Saturday evening in HK Soho.

My homegirls

As time ticks on and the weeks go by, I have begun to count down the days until I am back with my friends and family in the UK. In exactly four weeks and one days time, I shall be in the middle of a wedding weekend, partying with friends and celebrating lots of love. I miss you my homegirls, where ever you are. Scattered around Europe... Please know that I think of you all often and cannot wait to share some fun and frolics with you soon.

Loves CC

x

Silvery Voice

Miss Yao Lee

Take me back to 1940s Hong Kong...

Pancake Colours

To find a cool place to eat, you often have to look UP in Hong Kong. As most things are hidden away and out of eye level. After some evening wandering and late night shopping (one Club Monaco coat for me), we were handed a leaflet for a place called "Pancake Colours". Sometimes it's nice when the decision is made for you, so we went with it! Crammed into yet another little lift, 4th floor please. Hello Pancake Colours... greeted by a mass selection of board games, colourful lighting, fancy seating and pretty decadent surroundings, it was a cool mix of pieces. "Would you like the party chair" of course I would! My seat moved, swizzled, bounced and had balloons stuck to the top of it. Perfect. Pancake Colours has a variety of food on offer, we went with lots of little dishes to share and a nice lemon soda to wash it all down, which was super nice! Good value, good service and interesting cool surroundings.

Pancake Colours

1 Great George Street

4/F, Island Beverley

Causeway Bay

Hong Kong

A date in Hong Kong

Nightfall

Peaceful

Calm

Twinkly

Picturesque

Serene

A nice place to be.

Fills my heart.

x

If you go down to the woods today

There are lots of trails to follow around Hong Kong. Walks that take you right up high in the hills and mountains, where the air is clean and there are no crowds to be seen, just green! Waking up yesterday, with the sun shining high, I jumped up and set off on the Lead Mine Pass Trail...

I was having a nice relaxing rest, until Aliens landed...

So I scrambled and made for safe land,

Down the rocky path, back to a hamlet of Hong Kong.

Jasmine tea

I was never really one for a cup of tea in England, however in Hong Kong, I have grown so fond of jasmine tea. This refreshing beverage is almost instantly provided as you are seated in any restaurant; big, small, cheap or expensive. I think I will miss this when I eventually return to the UK. I've recently noted the longer I stay in Hong Kong, the more my pallet learns to appreciate the different tastes on offer and I start to feel qualified to critique the food put in front of me.

My current read:

Jasmine Tea (Love in a Fallen City)

Eileen Chang

Photo: Courtesy Chen Mi Ji Cultural
Production Co. Ltd

Sweet Jane

Today we discovered a nice little place to take a rest; a high-up hideaway that lifts you out of the crowds in Causeway Bay, provides excellent peach tea and delicious ice mocha. Accidentally spotted from ground level, Sweet Jane is slightly hidden away which makes it even more appealing. When we enter we have the place to ourselves, and during our 90 minute hideout only one other table joined. Sweet Jane has a slight European feel to it, food on offer is pretty mixed although not everything on the menu is available. Surprisingly Corn Beef Hash is on there, which of course we ordered to see how it faired up against our own British comfort dish. However, after 10 minutes of ordering we were informed that the Corn Beef Hash was 'sold out'... hmmm, or did the preparation just go wrong! Anyway, sitting above the crowds, sipping our drinks in calm surroundings, sharing our Swimming Centre chips, we had an unflustered dining experience, something of a rarity in Hong Kong.

Sweet Jane

Flat 2J

Poo Foo Building

1 Foo Ming Street

Causeway Bay

Hong Kong

New favorite band

I haven't loved a song this much in a long long long time...

Yeasayer

You can follow their blog here

Hear them sing a song here

See you on the dance floor soon my Manchester friends.

My bus journey

Bus journeys in Hong Kong can be amusing. I would say that 85% of people on them fall fast to sleep. I have seen individuals drop their heads onto peoples laps, rest their heads on strangers shoulders and awake in shock to be snuggled up close to a new sleeping partner... Today however, hooray! I finally finished my Chanel book during my bus journey. This was given to me as a leaving gift from my friend Sarah and has taken me four months to read (the first few chapters are pretty hard going but once into it, I loved it). Such a thoughtful friend, she sent me the film for Christmas and I have managed to stop myself from watching this before completing my read. Tonight I shall watch the film and see how well Audrey portrays the inimitable Coco...

My bus journey was venturing back from my afternoon in central Hong Kong where I went to a little shop called Vintage HK. This spot has a selection of old and new things, bits and bats from Asia and Europe and a few items of old designer pieces too, which I love. It took me while to get around everything as it's pretty crammed in but I left having spent $40 and a smile on my face!

Tuesday's are definitely my favorite day.

Hong Kong's hot egg custards...

WE LOVE THEM and so does HONG KONG!

Bakeries are filled with their sweet tastiness.

Definite recommendation.

Get them while their hot.

Temperature's soar

Hong Kong is humid today, the sun is shining (27') and the humidity is high (82'). Picking items up in your flat you notice a kind of dampness to them. It's not so nice but then it could be worse. I am happy the sun has returned.

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In other news, I had my first encounter with HK scallies the other day... A scuffle in a plaza was taking place, I decided to intervene as it was happening in my walking path. One poor geeky boy was surrounded by a load of boys. I shouted, they ran. I was shaking a little bit afterwards. So Hong Kong youths are not all as innocent as I initially thought. I doubt they would enjoy making puppets.

Indoor garden

In England Sunday afternoon's could be spent 'pottering around in the garden'... This is our indoor garden. I have grown fond of our little friends, I know when they are thirsty and when they want some sunshine on their faces. I love to see them guzzle up all the water right before my eyes!

Crafty business

My craft box!

Here's one I made earlier... I said it, I said those famous Blue Peter words! I even had a silent giggle to myself as I placed the puppets down in front of my eager pupils today. Who would have thought that working on the letter P could be so much fun! I loved our crafty lesson, the children's faces as I produced all the stickers, whiskers, glue and felt, preparation was definitely key for a smooth outcome!

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After teaching we wandered around our neighborhood and then a little further-a-field. Wow, Hong Kong loves shopping. I know I've probably mentioned this before, but it is CRAZY! There are soooooooooo many shops. So many plazas. So many people looking in these tiny little shops. The shops are full of stuff too, rammed in with people, accessories, handbags, clothes, computer parts & games, trinkets, jewellery, home ware, beauty bits, sports stuff... the list is endless. If you need something, Hong Kong will have it.

Walked-stopped-looked-walked-looked-stopped...

Finished the day with a delicious Octopus ball, mmmm.

Interesting choice of words

During my little wander today I came across these T-Shirts for sale..

Incase you can't quite make it out...

"Play the music and fuck my brain off"

Hong Kong treasures now on sale

Here is the link to my Ebay listings....

take a look at some of the lovely little pieces I've picked up.

For those of you who know me, my style has always been influenced by grandmas!

I have such a love for mine.

I am now taking on board the oriental grandma style too.

Enjoy

x

Window spotting

There was shouting on the square today, one middle aged lady frantically calling out. Many people take a sit down rest in that square, will sit there all... day..... long. Funny looks casted over, children whisked away. The yells sounded even more frenzied in Chinese. Now the birds have also started squawking, not to be outdone. I think the birds actually chirp nosier over here!

People of Hong Kong love to have something to look at...someone shouting in the street, a foreigner passing them by, Michael Jackson DVD being played to the public from one of the DVD shops.

I have to say I am gradually getting used to the high level of noise that takes place outside our little home. This morning when I first took a look out of my window, it was funny to see the locals staring at the lady shouting aloud in the square.... a look of puzzlement was on their faces, probably similar to my facial expression as I wander around getting caught up in the extraordinary loud conversations taking place in the street.

Mid-week

The mid-week is mine. I can spend my time doing my own things, going where I want to go, doing exactly what I want to do. Today I am going on the hunt for some of Hong Kong's hidden gems. Patrolling around the different parts of town, scouring the markets and tiny shops in search of treasures. Not everyone can make it to Hong Kong, so my intentions are to pass on these little riches, send them with love and let everyone have a piece of Hong Kong belonging to them.

A link to my goods shall be posted soon...

xx

I am back from my day of wandering having had one of the nicest days in Hong Kong...ever. I am so lucky, I have the best husband. My time spent with him never fails to make me smile. Thank you thank you my Great Strong x

Home-Tutoring

In Hong Kong it amazes me just how young the children are to start receiving home-tutoring. Education with the means to succeed over here is so evident, especially in comparison with the UK. At first this home-tutoring extra curriculum somewhat shocked me, and although I am still amazed each time I hear of it, I am actually starting to understand this cultural difference too. There are quite a lot of people in Hong Kong (7,026,400), which provides a high competitive aspect to the lifestyle. Individuals over here are more competitive, ambitious and determined, downsides to this however include; pushy, aggressive, fierce (at times) and unhelpful characteristics.

I am currently tutoring a two year old Chinese girl. Encouraging the use of the English language with the correct English pronunciation, building her confidence and establishing better concentration are the areas we work on together. At the age of two she is already on form to being fluent in Cantonese and English by the time she reaches her third birthday.

Since my move here I have witnessed first hand from the local children, a politeness towards their teachers, an admiration for elder children and a respect and support for the elderly. During my mum's visit to Hong Kong, she noticed how well behaved the children seemed to be, no swearing being shouted (although she wouldn't have been able to understand this), school uniforms worn in the correct way and children being children. This makes me think that maybe home-tutoring from a young age is not necessarily a bad thing. I know that my young student is so much more calmer, attentive and willing to take part now than she was originally. I walk through her door to be greeted with a huge smile and eagerness to learn... I can't help but compare this with children in the UK at the moment.