As usual, 'twas a company trip with lots of dad's business associates. What made this trip notable, however, was:
The shopping.
Granted it isn't exactly cheap there, but there Are LOTS of great designs out there waiting to be bought!! And they have two of the most reputably comfortable shoe brands over there; Aerosoles and Espranza. I always do research before splurging on investment buys :X
AND, and:
They also sell EOS in Sasa over there!! SG$6 for one over there while they rip us off for SG$15 a pop here; how to resist? Many reviews claim this leaves lips hydrated and all that jazz, and it really works, i must say!! Just the second day after using this, my lips were already plump and dewy. Sorry if this reads like a 'commercial' but such good buys need to be recommended man!EOS is better than Apivita(another organic, paraben-free)'s lipbalm, in my humble opinion.
So anyway, i got a little carried away as usual and got 6.
2 mint(one which i gave to K.K after telling her she Had to try it!), 1 strawberry, honeydew and honeymelon-i like this the best! It smells so sweet :)-, raspberry sorbet and vanilla(limited ed). I really only splurged on the set of three for vanilla, actually. Hoping they'll be stocking up on Blueberry and Tangerine when my mum and i return for a more intense shopping trip this year! :DDAnd seriously i love Hongkong's Sasa!! Cosmetics are relatively mad cheap there and it's just really a girl's paradise man.
I snagged these on the third day of shopping...
...at only SG$20+. Back here in SG, you would only be able to get what, only that Kate eyeliner(SG$17 in John Little) and those masks but that's about it! There's also another box of masks, but it was my mum's so i replaced it in her room before taking this pic. If this isn't 'worth it', idk what is! Haha ^_^All the cosmetics from HK:
All in all, these cosmetics, shoes and books were the highlight of this trip for me, honestly. Oh, and this was the only country where i've scored so many buys on my shopping list so far!!
1) Denim jacket [X]
2) Flattering maxi dress [X]
3) Beige bag [X]
4) Lightweight bag [X]
5) Black, edgy clutch [X]
6) Liptint, eyeliner and red lipstick [X]
7) Comfortable shoes [X]
8) Dr Sleep novel [X]
Man i love hk.
The Longchamp bag was a bit of debate for me; i originally wanted to try out Le Sportsac, as my previous employer told me that the latter was easier to wash and carry than the leathered former, but i doubted if i would put it's considerable size to use once i bought it(it's a large tote). Thus my decision. First ever affordable branded bag-a practical decision if you ask me. ^^ Lightweight and sensibly-sized!
Also, the food.
Meals in ubiquitous restaurants were..forgettable, literally. All i can remember is a brief blur; a smorgasbord of random Chinese food. According to the tour guide, a free and easy tour would be so much better because not only would we have more time to shop, we would also be free to gorge ourselves silly in local coffee eateries and that's where all the GOOD food is at.
Looking back at these photos, i gotta agree..
Mango sago for my mum(which she didn't eat..) and coconut pudding for me! First ever supper in HK. Dad went out with his buddies and bought this back for us :)Ooh, and this:
Braised chicken wings. Damn savoury and tender, i tell you. The sauce would have made plain rice a treat, no exaggeration! I can almost taste the delicious now my gosh; it's a wonder there're so many skinny people in HK! If i lived there i could become their first ever sumo wrestler or smth. The foooooooood.Not particularly yummy or anything, but here's a shot of the (mostly bland and unpalatable) hotel breakfast:
Salad was basically the only appealing thing to me in that buffet spread. Even the bacon was mediocre! Would it have hurt the chefs to slap on a little butter, salt and pepper?All things said, i should actually make this my everyday breakfast, really. And lunch. And dinner.
New Year resolutions are tough to keep ):
Haha!
This yummy edible was the only interesting thing in the restaurants, unfortunately. A young girl in our group was vegetarian, so they prepared a separate course for her and they gave her excess portions, so she shared it with us! ^^Honeymelon custard coated with fried, crisp batter would be my guess. Sweet, but not overpoweringly so, the subtlety was offset by the crunchy, slightly salty husk.
A really delicious nom. :D
Mum and i decided we were too tired to join the group on the...third day(?), for dinner-we had been distracted by shopping per se-, so the kind tour guide recommended we try out King's Lodge; this really famous restaurant right next to our hotel!
Even the appetizers were tasty! Looking at this now, i regret not having ordered more peking duck. We had it once, but...what's the point of not feasting as much as possible on the country's delights when you're there, right? The really sumptuous XLBs made up for it though, i guess.
That crab roe xlb was the best i've ever had! :) Will definitely be returning to this restaurant on my next trip! I need to try their jajangmyun and have their XLB, appetizers, ginseng oolong tea and peking duck again man. :D'
Then, This:
The absolute best char siew rice i've ever had, right from this unassuming coffee shop smack next to our hotel (Park Hotel, btw, they're just surrounded by happening spots i tell you!).Seriously i cannot believe that one of the best dishes i've tasted originate from this humble-looking coffee shop! Unfortunately i didn't take a photo of the front, but here's one of the interior(if it helps..)
Lol. The caffeine in their tea was strong too! 
I find myself longing for that dish at least twice ever since my return. Especially now upon seeing these pics man! Some way or another, i gotta have this at my wedding or pre-nuptials man!! I want all my guests to have this unforgettable dish; heck if it sounds like a really far-flung dream. And of course lah, i want to eat it too myself, to heck with the wedding gown. >DAnd finally, ice cream from this shop in HK's airport.
The mint-iest i've had so far!! Doesn't taste like toothpaste in the slightest bit either. Cold Stone and Marble Slab can't compare and neither can Ben and Jerry's; their confections are just too sweet to be minty enough. I should just move to HK alr, LOL.Other highlights of this trip were the scenery, lots of cute Rilakuma merchandise and a trip to Sea World!
Upon our touchdown, we drove to the capital for a tour upon an open-air bus.
To digress...i really love seeing broad expenses of mountains in the distance with mist atop them. It just makes you feel so strongly that somehow, you're receding into reclusion where you can just shut yourself off from civilization and just enjoy nature and being with yourself and your own thoughts. Connecting with others on a daily basis is all very well, but one needs time to themself to gather their own thoughts and re-connect with their own being. It makes one more sure of themself and their footing; their place in this tumultuous world, somehow.Anyhow, musings aside, pics!
The infamous, uh...'clear skies and pristine waters' of Hk. Haha!We walked along this 'Star Boardwalk' thing to get to the location where the tourguide told us to meet at, for the open-bus-tour.
Bruce Lee! :)
Foggy or not, you can't deny it's beauty. The crisp, cold air with the sound and sight of gently lapping blue waves...
This bus ride was a bit...tense, due to earlier happenings, i must say.
Call me biased, perhaps, but is it really justifiable to demand the tour guide send you home immediately(right after you got here, mind) just because of a miscommunication breakdown?
This woman(a 'lady' has manners, class and upbringing.....)-one of the biz partner's wives; a PRC-started haranguing the tour guide on his 'unprecise, unclear' directions as to where to meet for the bus ride, etc. Idk the whole story but...was there really a need to kick up such a huge fuss? Granted she does seem to have a point-why stay for a trip headed by a seemingly 'unclear' tour guide, but man, talk about a bad start to the trip.
And a bad case of complaints amongst her and the aunties of that group. Seriously though, such people just annoying; if you're so intent on ruining the experience for yourself, at least don't pull down the general mood in the group! It's bad to be selfish, but to be inconsiderate in the bargain?
Just plain nasty. Sit your ass at home and complain to your friends/tv/potted plants instead and do us a favour, why don't you.
It got to the point that my dad and his buddies started making a joke out of it: 'eh, too much good food to eat, they're making us fat. Complain!'; 'too cold and never give us free sweaters. Complain!', etc etc, to general laughter in the group. xD
Unpleasant incidences aside, shopping in Ladies Night Market proved fruitful.
Aformentioned clutch and this really comfy hoody! I look forward to wearing it on cold days ^^ More shopping needs to be done here man!And when i say HK has Everything Rilakuma, i do mean everything...
Something a cheeky lad might wear for his rilakuma-loving wife or lover no? :D LOL!Day 2/3: We went up a scenic mountain. And went to Sea World, i think!
Cold, brisk and fresh mountain air!! Need i say more?? :D
As happy as i can get on beautiful mountains and fresh crisp air :)))
Same smile, don't care ^____^Mdm Tussauds!
Creepy. But i like (creepiness). >)
I think this wax replica is Mdm Tussauds. This petite figure was a bit too disquieting though, and unsettling. She looks and feels like someone who could star in a horror movie >_<
<- Cute nail polishes!! 
The engrish is killing me
Sorry but...the water show was lame. >< They ran a 20 minute segment advertising this handphone game thingy and showing us how to play it and the show consisted of two seals and three dolphins 'helping' a 'stranded sailor'. They mostly just did 4 leaps and swam around.
I much preferred the aquarium.
Reef sharks! Didn't see any Great Whites tho ): Those sharks have always been one of my favourite animals; they're just so sleek, lethal and incredibly agile and quick...
<- Massive garoupas!!And then we headed for a fresh seafood dinner at night.
To digress-yet again-, i don't know why tour guides like to first show you a living, breathing and very much alive specimen of the dead, sliced and chopped-up meal you would be having next(surprise!)...
They did it once when they brought us to Sydney; they brought us to a kangaroo farm where we got to interact with the cute fuzzies themselves, and i even got to cuddle an infant kangaroo! The look on my face must have been quite sappy at that time because i recall the zoo ranger just staring at me with this sort of...bemused expression on his face, LOL.
Then ta-dah, guess what we were served at dinner at this restaurant a few miles down the ranch.
My parents said it tasted nice; like chicken.
But oh man, you just don't let us play and cuddle with our dinner..that's just screwed up, sick in it's way. Or maybe that's how our Aussie counterparts see us; they could have generalized us all as 'mainland Chinese' who all ate what we commonly see as household pets and thought we all didn't give a shit.
Maybe my mind is running wild again, actually. But it does seem logical and plausible.
Ruminations aside, back to hk! We rode a yacht to this island reputed for it's very fresh seafood(even the king of Thailand brought his mother to enjoy the delicacies, apparently); the upper berth was so cold but so invigorating!
Just realized my dad looks a bit cock-eyed in this photo, hmm..
Man if only if they had octopus... :D'
<- Yum! 
Day 3: Outlet malls, where i got my shoes! <3
<- A little part of shoe heaven!! I saw this pair of mad puffy, furry boots i really liked but they didn't have my size. :(Last pics before we left hongkong:
Hotel! We managed to get an upgrade to a suite, so this was considerably bigger than the standard rooms.
Here, you queue to enter branded shops. Mum was dead set on getting her bag so i got my Croc boots in the meantime. Crocs doesn't just make clogs; they make heels, flats and other Seriously comfy footwear too. I just wish they had more prettier heels available in SG(and also, a valid excuse/reason to get them! Haha xD)!
Mad cute stuff everywhere. Girls paradise! Once again, taken at Sasa
<- At Guardians in the airport. EOS, open a store in sgggggg~~~Anddd that was that! Great shopping(!!), awesome food and beautiful scenery. I marvel at how the girls in Taiwan deftly apply their makeup tho-doesn't the dusty, arid wind sting their eyes? There were some incidents with outrightly rude Taiwanese girls who thought we were mainland chinese(you know how bad their relations are with each other) and unethical sales people, but overall...twas a great trip! I loved it. :))
Now i'm gonna plop myself on my bed and resume watching Pewdiepie's vids now(as always). Guess that new year's post can wait another day! Haha.
Ta. :))
