April Love 2013

One early morning, I spotted these oat cookies with honey nut and bought them to add to my snack drawer at work, along with my other Fauchon goodies and a sakura green tea sachet from Japan. Received a beautiful Tiffany & Co. jewelry bowl from a dear old friend, who i’ve not seen for over a year. She missed out on my 30th last year due to her hectic family business, and i was beyond touched when i found out she had this gift for me all this time. My Tiffany necklace and bracelet are already nicely placed in the bowl, just where they belong. Beauty products on my work desk for those emergency dates/night outs where in need to freshen up instantly, such as spraying on Jo Malone’s Nectarine Blossom & Honey cologne.  And hand cream and anti-bacterial hand gel are always a must for hygiene purposes.

Savoring my strawberry/blueberry yogurt dessert from Simply Life whilst catching up with a friend and reminiscing our fun times as flat mates back in London during our uni days. Upon leaving a shopping mall at 11pm, I couldn’t help but snap a pic of these beautiful flowers on display at the Agnès b. Fleuriste shop. Discovering art out of nowhere such as this heart made out of paper by Yulia Brodskaya, are one of those things that make life that much more interesting and beautiful.

Adding some lovely smelling “Bath & Body Works” shower gel to my bathroom, that another BFF from New York got me. Excited to try the sun-ripened raspberry scent already. Audrey Hepburn fever in full swing after watching her movie, Sabrina, and spontaneously decided to hunt down books about her. “How to be lovely” is an easy read and great way to look into the life of Audrey Hepburn, highly recommended for those that are fond of her. Enjoyed a Friday night in, skimming through the Cosmopolitan May issue while indulging over Bailey’s truffle chocolate bar, and watching Gossip Girl for the very first time. Yes, i’m a bit late on this American series but as the saying goes, always better later than never, right?

I am blessed for each and every day that was filled with love, fun, laughters, and sharing special moments with people I love and care for. You are my April Love 2013.

March Love 2013

Attending my fave J-pop, Namie Amuro’s 20th Anniversary Asia Tour, her first concert ever in Hong Kong. The night was filled with dancing, jumping, along with singing and screaming to her old 90′s classic songs such as “Can you celebrate?”, “Respect the power of love”, “Say the word”, and many more. Celebrating a dear friend’s birthday on a relaxing weekend over Italian food, and surprised her with a birthday dessert platter. Friday night drinks with friends in town from Canada, accidentally discovered this stylish and chic bar, Lily & Bloom, that serves exotic and extraordinary cocktails!

Getting my hearty and healthy breakie back on track at work, with raspberry yogurt mixed with blueberries, strawberries, and pumpkin flax granola. Trying out my new cosmetics, the Jill Stuart custard lip pot (#C4, chocolat custard) to welcome spring time! Gently I blend this in with a clear gloss to give that extra shine. Doing a bit of good deed and contributed to World Vision for charity.

Spotted this cute floral summer dress and knitted cardigan, and got it in a heart beat for my friend’s recent new born baby girl. Started picking up on reading again. My current read is “the kite runner” and the occasional “fifty shades of grey” for my lazy read days. Spring shopping in H&M and got myself this sleeveless burgundy top with gorgeous lace detailing on it.

I am blessed for each and every day that was filled with love, fun, laughters, and sharing special moments with people I love and care for. You are my March Love 2013.

Christmas and road trip in Vancouver

While i know we are fast approaching the end of March and spring is just around the corner, i suddenly remembered that i haven’t finished uploading the photos of my Christmas in Vancouver. So why this post is terribly delayed, i thought it would be nice to show you all how my first every Christmas in Vancouver went.

Christmas 2012 in Vancouver was filled with house parties with friends and families, where eating and drinking was non stop. While this is not as common in Hong Kong, due to the limited living space in most households, I was beyond thrilled to enjoy such a joyous holiday with so much love, joy, and laughter. The greatest thing was also getting to meet a lot of new people via BFF’s friends and families.

We went to BFF’s brother’s new flat for an early Christmas dinner and a giant Christmas tree covered in all silver decor was standing beautifully in the living room, and i could not take my eyes off it. Another detailing i really liked was this giant mirror with this white frame that was laying against the wall next to the Christmas tree. I’ve always dreamed of having a mirror like this in my future home.

Over the weekend before Christmas, we decided to go on a road trip to the states for some shopping at the premium outlet.  BFF’s parents came along where her dad volunteered to drive us there. He warned us that it was a grueling 3 hours drive in the snowy weather, and with BFF’s rusty driving skills due to not driving for almost 4 years in Canada, we accepted his kind offer.

As we drove on the high way, i noticed the spectacular view of these mountains that were covered in snow and an endless row of trees that stacked beautifully together. It was an absolutely breath taking view.

I have heard about Tim Horton’s cafe for the longest time and i have been meaning to try their coffee and pastries on this trip of mine. So when we dropped by a Tim Horton’s cafe for breakfast prior to our road trip, i quickly decided to get a hot latte and my fave cinnamon bun, which I must say, was a good kick start for the day.

Upon arriving to the premium outlet, my eyes could not stop looking from left to right and back to forth. All the well known designer brands such as Coach, Michael Kors, Burberry, Ralph Laure, Juicy Couture, Kate Spade, and etc were confined together within the premium outlet, where they were stacked to each other from shop to shop. It was quite overwhelming as we only had around 3 hours to shop but we managed to stick to our schedule, and drove into the night as we headed back to Vancouver. One of my favorite purchase was my Kate spade iphone case and Michael Kors rose gold watch.

After spending so much time with friends and families, my 2 BFFs and i decided we needed a girls night out with nobody but us three only.  We went to the Cactus Club cafe, which is situated in the English Bay. It has a nice wooden design both from the outside and the inside. I really like the earthy tones and contemporary style of the interior decor along with the dim lights. It’s a great place to chill with friends or with your other half.

Now don’t even get me started on the cocktails.  Their cocktails tasted really fresh and BFF explained that it’s due to more access to fresh resources in Canada. Whereas in Hong Kong, i noticed that most of the cocktails  i tried are normally sweet. I started with a Flirtini, where it’s name was derived from the American series, Sex and the City. My second cocktail was the Cohiba, which was just as nice, and it had a really nice flavor of mixed berries to it, very refreshing. For main course, i ordered their creole steak and prawn in cajun spices, which was served with mashed potato and veggies. I wasn’t too impressed with the steak as it was more on the dry side.   

Ms. C and I were also introduced to try Japa Dog, which is a Japanese style hot dog. I though that this was a pretty interesting concept and so we off we went to to find our Japa dogs. We ordered two flavors to share, the Kurobuta Terimayo and Oroshi. I absolutely loved the Kurobuta Terimayo with the teritaki sauce, it was delish! The Japanese staffs were also super friendly and helped us to take a photo with their Japa dog food stand.

We also managed go out on Christmas Eve for some lovely Japanese dinner, where we took it nice and easy. The sashimi served was really fresh and the sake was totally divine!

Towards the end of trip, we did some of the things that we hadn’t managed to do, such as exploring around BFF’s neighborhood in Coquitlam, as we seemed to never wake up in time during day time to see the area, thanks to the late chit chats til 5am! There was one night where a friend drove us around Coquitlam to track down Christmas lights and decorations on people’s houses because i’ve never seen this in my entire life, apart from the time when i saw it from the movie “Home Alone”. We did our last minute shopping in Robson Street and wandered around down town like a proper tourist, and kept looking at street names and maps for directions.

As i had to catch an 11:30am flight to fly back to Hong Kong, my last day in Vancouver was not for long. BFF and Ms. C had already taken off to Toronto the day before to spend New Years Eve there, and so BFF’s dad had offered to give me a lift to the airport. It was a bittersweet good bye as i was not ready to leave Vancouver just yet. But i know that i will be back some day, hopefully in the  summer time.

Have you ever spent Christmas in another country and what were your most memorable moments there?

February Love 2013

Chinese New Year celebration was in full swing with colorful flowers and kum quat trees being decorated around the house. Lovely afternoon chill time with friends over cake and tea at the cosy “Zelo” located in Pacific Place Shopping mall, which has a really modern and stylish design to its interior.  Painted my nails in green with some glitter to add some fun as we entered the year of the snake!

Ms. C was in town visiting and had arranged a lovely evening for Ms. S’s birthday and also for my belated 30th, at the Domani Ristorante. She had some contacts and managed to get us a lovely table with the view of Hong Kong island, where drinks were prepared in advance. Drinking the night away with champagne, red wine, and dessert wine, while catching up like old times, was definitely a  great way to spend a joint birthday together. Valentines Day came before i knew it, and being still single, i was really touched when i went to Pret A Manger for my morning coffee and salmon/cucumber bun, and  found a small heart shaped short bread placed inside the paper bag along with my breakie. It is these small gestures that really gets to my heart at times.  Quiet stroll along the Victoria Harbour after a filling meal to burn off some excess calories, whilst taking in the beautiful night view of Hong Kong, never fails to impress me.

Spent a relaxing Sunday evening over a friend’s house party where the fabulous host had prepared delicious food and desserts. A pot of hot lychee and rose tea was served into these lovely looking Wedgwood tea cups, which complemented well with the home made chocolate cake, to neutralize the overall sweetness. Regular visits to the Vibe bar at the Mira hotel as of lately, has proved to be an enjoyable experience where my friends and I sit and talk for hours over wine and cocktails. The circular chandelier at its lobby entrance manages to fascinate me every time i go there and i think i’ve fallen in love with it. Lovely daffodils were welcomed into the house to welcome the Chinese new year and to hope for a fresh and better start.

I am blessed for each and every day that was filled with love, fun, laughters, and sharing special moments with people i love and care for. You are my February Love 2013.

Day trip to Granville Island

As those that follow my blog will know, i went to Vancouver for my very first time in December, where i spent my Christmas there along with my two BFFs. I was beyond excited to celebrate such a festive holiday at my BFF’s home town, in a new surrounding and along with new experiences to remember by.

One of the must see places if you ever visit Vancouver is Granville Island. It’s a shopping district located in the False Greek and is one of the major tourist attractions. It’s also interesting to know that this much relaxed area was once an industrial and manufacturing area, and i always like to visit places that has a bit of history to it.

So it was much to my delight when i found out that BFF had arranged for a chilled lunch for us and some of her friends at “the sand bar”, a restaurant that serves fresh and delicious seafood in Granville Island. Ms. C and i were just as delighted knowing we would get to eat delicious food as we were in meeting some new faces, and quickly dragged out lazy butts out of bed.

Upon arriving to the sand bar, we were greeted by a lovely view of Granville Island, and there was even a bit of sunshine to welcome us. The sand bar is a lovely restaurant with wooden interiors and tall windows that allows a great view while you eat away in great company. There were 2 floors and we decided to sit on the lower floor where we quickly ordered our meal. I slowly and surely savored my black cod served with rice and veggies, where the black cod was  sweet, juicy, and smooth in its texture. It was definitely one of the best meals i had throughout my entire trip.

A walk in the Granville Island market was up next in our agenda as everyone were craving for a coffee fix. As this market was indoors, it was also the perfect way to stay out of the cold as the sun started setting in. Like a proper tourist, Ms. C and I wandered around the market where we found ourselves swarmed by endless stalls with people selling their local produces and goodies. The varieties of souvenirs to take home was endless, ranging from fresh fruits, chocolates, candies, pastries, maple syrup and maple syrup tea, to even rainbow colored lollipops with a quirky name like “suckers”. I have to confess, not the best of names for lollipops but it definitely caught my attention.

The non food zone within the market did not fail to ignite my curiosity or admiration either. A quick browse through the flower stands where i stood and admired the gorgeous colors was all it took to make me smile from within. It’s these small things in life where we really need to hold onto that very moment and live it . The were also plenty of DIY stalls for those that are more into the arty stuff.  I could not stop but stand in amazement when i passed by this stall where this lady was selling and making these really cute hand made Christmas decorations.

As the end of the day drew closer, we finished up getting our souvenirs, mostly food, and sat outside the benches to enjoy the view before biding farewell to Granville Island.

Have you ever been to Granville Island? And what great adventures did you have there?

Looking back at 2012…

As we enter the second week of 2013, I cannot help but think how fast the time is moving. It feels like only yesterday that I was still in beautiful Vancouver having a lovely Christmas holiday with friends.

If I had to sum up 2012, I would say I had a pretty fruitful year where I accomplished a few new years resolution that I had set out earlier in the year. One of my biggest accomplishments was joining Toastmasters, where I conquered my fear of public speaking. This opened doors for me to other public speaking opportunities, such as being the MC for my company’s annual dinner at the Four Seasons hotel. I also made 2012 my traveling year where I traveled to Beijing, Europe, and Canada. It was the best thing that i could had ever had done, with special and memorable moments that will always stay with me. Of course, there are also the smaller things but that means just as much to me, which I enjoyed throughout the year. Such moments that I truly appreciated were the quality times spent with friends and families, high tea’ing over hours of rambling with girlfriends, a trip to Paul Lafayet for my macaron fix, pampering myself with a new manicure or just simply buying myself a small gift to brighten my day.

Here is a sneak peak into my 2012, and i know 2013 will be just as good, or even better.

Beautiful flowers, kuamquat (tangerine) trees, and delicious Chinese treats were everywhere during Chinese New Year, where families gathered together to watch fireworks, as a way to welcome the year ahead. I had the opportunity to be the MC for my company’s annual dinner at the Four Seasons hotel,which was an unforgettable experience. Got spontaneous one day and decided to try a new Israeli nail polish brand, Laka. The numerous choices of colors lured me to their mini express manicure shop, where I purchased 3 lovely colors in green, pink, and lavender. Took BFF to the luxury Armani Aqua restaurant to celebrate her big 30, where it served a mixed fusion of Japanese and Italian food. It was a lovely and chilled night where we laughed non stop about anything. Finally went to a live jazz performance to see the talented English jazz singer, Clare Teal, who sang with such passion and lit up the entire room. I got to speak to her in person while she signed her latest album “Hey Ho” for me, and she is such a down to earth person.

Easter came before i knew it, and a short trip to Beijing with my BFF was arranged so we could visit our dearest Ms. C in Beijing to keep her company. We did all the things a tourist could do – ate their local Peking duck at the infamous “DaDong”, boat pedalling in the Summer Palace where we saw the sun set, and of course, went to the Forbidden City to admire their historical Chinese architecture. It was my first ever gift giveaway to celebrate my blog’s 3 years anniversary finally , where i presented a lovely Parisian themed calender, lip gloss and nail polish set. Reading mode was back on track and i bought 3 books to help kill time for those long train rides going home. Took mom and dad out for high tea at “The Parlor” on Mothers day for an relaxing afternoon and got her a lovely bouquet of red roses. My fave Japanese pop singer, Namie Amuro, had released a new album called Uncontrolled, and i bought it the minute i found it. The song “Love Story” is super good.

Light shopping spree for no particular reason, got some colorful flats and the SATC movie version DVDs. I practically lived on the SATC series during my studies in London and how i miss those days. Beautiful fireworks were up in the air at Victoria Harbour to celebrate the 1st of July, to commemorate the hand over date of Hong Kong from the UK to the Peoples Republic of China in 1997. My dearest BFF, Ms. C, came to Hong Kong where we all celebrated her birthday at a Japanese restaurant and enjoyed some delicious plume wine. A new scent, Hermès Jardin Sur le Toit was introduced into my new perfume collection, which added a nice and refreshing touch for the summer days.

Traveling mode made it a memorable summer, where i celebrated my big 30th birthday with my families back home in Copenhagen. I felt so blessed that the people i care and love for, were there with me on my special day. They prepared the traditional Danish birthday cake along with the Danish flags decorated on it, where it was enough to serve 25 people!!! Family trip to Europe included our home town, along with London and Paris, which proved to be the best family trip ever. Enjoyed a lot of Parisian macarons and pastries, gazed upon the “La Tour Eiffel” in admiration, revisited old places during my studies in London, such as China Town, London Eye, the shopping zone “oxford circus” and especially Primark, and feeling like a kid all over again in the M&M shop at Leicester Square. Caught up with friends after Euro trip and got treated to some lovely belated birthday drinks in Lan Kwai Fong, talking the night away and with a lot of will power to not get drunk, lol. My first every macaron making class was arranged by my BFF as part of my birthday present, where i failed terribly. But they still tasted good!

October and November were busy months with families visiting. Took my brother and his family to go on the Ngong Ping 360 crystal cable car to go see the infamous Tian Tan Buddha, located at Lantau island in Hong Kong. The crystal cable car had a glass bottom floor, which allowed us to see everything below our feet as we crossed mountains and land. My younger cousin was in town for her 26th birthday, where we celebrated in style with Thai food and wine. Trips to Lan Kwai Fong with my cousin for our cocktail fixes was like a revisit back to the good old times when i used to be a regular there. A visit to Paul Lafeyet for my macaron craving after a bad day at work made everything all better, at least for that brief moment as i slowly savored an Earl Grey flavored macaron. Finally opened the new Gucci perfume i got as a birthday gift from my family and was filled with excitement as i always do when putting on a new scent. I had the honor of being the mc for my toastmasters club’s 3rd year anniversary dinner and was presented with the Brand Building Award, for my contribution to the club as a Vice President of PR.

Busily setting up the Christmas tree and gazing at beautiful Christmas ornaments as the count down for Christmas began. Christmas shopping spree was in full gear, where i bought gifts for families and friends. Laduree finally arrived to Hong Kong on Dec 1st, 2012, and the que was pure madness! I been told that people had to wait for 2 hours and i have yet to try their macarons, and that shall happen after the frenzy dies down.

My last minute trip to Vancouver to spend a hopefully white Christmas with my two BFFs. It was an unforgettable Christmas where i met such great people and enjoyed a lot of delicious food at Christmas house parties, did a road trip to the states for some outlet shopping, experienced my first ever Tim Horton’s latte, visited the Granville market which was filled with fresh produces, their local maple syrup, and beautiful Christmas decorations, and spent quality times with my BFFs where we would talk til 4 or 5 in the morning almost every night! The trip ended with a sad good bye but a bottle of ice wine and ice wine chocolate truffles that i purchased at the airport, was a sweet reminder for me to take home.

The Christmas month also had some good news that came along with it, one of my good old friend from high school was getting married to the love of her life, at the Repulse Bay resort. It was such a lovely and sweet night where i witnessed true love between 2 people, where i was overwhelmed by all the emotions that filled the room that night. Cute “Maison du chocolat” dark chocolates were gifted for guests to take home and mini sweet bites were presented after dinner and dessert. It was definitely a sweet and memorable way to say good bye to 2012!!!

“Christmas in Vancouver, Canada – Dec 2012″

Looking back into 2012, i am truly blessed and will always cherish each and every moment that had moved my heart. It is sometimes the smaller things in life that we take for granted, which turns out to be the more important things. I hope that we will all remember to stop for a moment in our daily busy lives and remind yourself what is most important to you. With that said, I really look forward to a great 2013 and i’m sure it will be a great year and if not, i shall make sure of that. I want to say a big thank you to all of you bloggers for supporting my blog throughout all these years and it really means the world to me.

Wishing you all a happy and fabulous new year in 2013!!!!

Marc Jacobs afternoon tea at Mo Bar

Mo Bar at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong  is renowned for their afternoon teas in collaboration with well known designer brands around the world. So you can imagine my excitement when my dear friend and i had arranged to go try out their September month limited edtion Marc Jacobs afternoon tea, as part of my belated birthday celebration. 

The inspiration behind this comes from the fashion brand’s The Lindy, which is the Large single from his Autumn 2012 collection. All the textures, colors, and visual elements were all inspired from the handbag and i have to say, i was pleasantly pleased with the afteroon tea set. For tea, i ordered my usual fave Earl Grey and it was unlimited refill, which is ideal for those that can sit for hours chatting away,  and yes, that would be me.

The lemon and raspberry macaron was just right in taste between the sourness and sweetness, and the texture was not too hard or too soft so it was just perfect. My fave was the ribbon lookalike cake and it tasted like some berry mousse cake where it was not too mushy, which is good as i don’t like desserts that are overly mushy.  

The chocolate cake was pretty basic like any chocolate cake but it was very rich and sweet. I forgot what the blue drink was but it tasted like guava, which was a good way to compromise with my taste buds with the other overly sweet dishes. I especially liked how it had these small bits of transparent fruit pieces in the drink, giving a more exotic edge to it. The panna cotta layered cream jar was relatively okay  but nothing too spectacular, just the usual panna cotta berry flavor. Lastly on the scones, i did not like how they tried to play a modern twist to it in terms of it’s look, and it was quite dry.

As for the savory dishes, i really enjoyed the ham mousse round buns, it had a funny appearance yet very apetitizing. The ham mousse was not too salty and it was exquisitely delicious when combined with the outer bread bun eaten together. The mini sized beetroot flavored ravioli was suprisingly also very refreshing in taste and the slight sourness of it was very interesting, considering i’m not a big fan of beetroot. The round mashed salmon bread and cucumber with cream cheese bread was also fairly ordinary but still very yummy.  

The ambiance of Mo Bar is quite casual yet stylish  and it’s definitely a place i will go again with my friends. My friend and i got seated at the bar area but i personally didn’t mind it as i got to see what was happening behind the scene at the bar so that added a bit more fun to the whole experience.

The bar area was very stylish in its look and there was this massive fridge in the center for all the beverages with a mirror in the ceiling, which i thought was amazing how they used a fridge as a design center point.

 Before we left, we were lucky enough to get 2 gift coupons where we got a Marc Jacobs necklace with a heart shaped pedant and you can even open the heart.  It was definitely a perfect way to end a perfect afternoon!!!

Have you ever been to any designer branded afternoon tea before and if so, how was it? I would love to hear about it all.

Photos accredited to me

My sweet 30th!!!

It has been a while since i last blogged but i just thought i would drop by and let you all know that i’m back from Europe and that i had a lovely trip, where i got to celebrate my big 30th birthday with all my families back home in Denmark!!!

It was truly a memorable and joyous day filled with laughter, joy, delicious food, which included our must have traditional Danish birthday cake that was decorated with tons of Danish flags, and most importantly, all my lovely families that were there to spend this special day with me. I’m already missing everyone so dearly, especially my 3 little cutie pies, my nephew and nieces!!!

Anyhow, just a quick update but i will be back very soon to update you all on my lovely adventures!!! Take care for now and have a happy mid autumn festival for those that celebrate this festive Asian celebration:)

Photo accredited to me

Traveller’s Guide to Beijing – Summer Palace and dining the Qing Dynasty style!

My short 5 days stay in Beijing was clearly not enough but despite it all, my friends and i had to squeeze the infamous Summer Palace and the Great Wall of China into our hectic schedule. There is a lot of history and great scenic views to enjoy in both these locations so a visit is a must!

We woke up early in the morning to get ready for our exciting excursion to the Summer Palace, which is known for its impressive Chinese landscapes and beautiful gardens. As i walked along numerous paths in the Summer Palace, i was constantly bombarded by beautiful and vibrant colored architectural Chinese buildings. The colors literally took my breath away and i could not believe how well the maintenance have been kept.

The Summer Palace is surrounded by the Hill of Longevity and Kunming Lake, and you even rent a boat and pedal along the lake. As the weather was nice and sunny, we decided to do just that, only thing is i hardly had to pedal because my 2 BFF did the dirty work, hehe. It was such a relaxing time just sitting in the boat and enjoying the scenic view of the lake and palaces that we were surrounded by. As we sat and enjoyed the view, i decided to put on some music with my iphone and that’s when Madonna’s “Like a virgin” started playing. It was such a fun twist to the circumstance with the whole being in China and listening to Madonna, that we all just started cracking up. It was a classic and unforgettable moment!

After our pedaling and hours of walking, the day was coming to an end and we were greeted by this amazing sun set. It just was a perfect way to end our trip in the Summer Palace.

After a long and relaxing day, we headed back into the city and was excitedly anticipating for our dinner that night. We had booked at table at t baijiadayuan (白家大院 in Chinese) which is a famous Chinese restaurant in Beijing famous for it’s Qing Dynasty themed decor and ambiance. As we arrived to baijiadayuan, i was totally taken away by the Qing dynasty servants that greeted us at the entrance, where they guided us through an enormous garden that was filled with Chinese red lanterns everywhere. It was literally like what i’ve seen in those traditional Chinese films.

The interior of the restaurant was very grand with a heavy dosage of the colors red and gold and mind you, Chinese people are really fond of the colors gold and red. For those that are not aware, in Chinese tradition, gold symbolizes richness and red symbolizes happiness and luck.

The food was delicious too, and very delicate looking compared to the normal local Chinese food you would have in smaller restaurants or street markets.

I loved the dessert dish where it had a mixture of this peanut centered glutinous cake, some Chinese style mochi and etc. It was quite funny how they served the dessert with a fork and not chopsticks! I also very much enjoyed the vibrant looking salad we had for appetizers but my all time fave was the sweet and sour fried shrimps!!! I could not stop eating those shrimps!!!!

One of the highlights about eating at baijiadayuan is that they have Chinese traditional dance shows throughout the night. It is highly suggested to eat in the open area of this restaurant and not the VIP rooms if you want to watch this lovely dance show. There were also other shows such as performers singing the traditional Chinese Opera and playing with their traditional musical instruments. It was quite an experience to witness  so much China-ness over the course of one meal. But it was definitely unforgettable and memorable. If you want more details about the restaurant baijiadayuan, please click here.

So will you be visiting the Summer Palace or eating at baijiadayuan on your next visit to Beijing?

Snapshots in a week…

I love it when i do spring cleaning and come across all sorts of gems that i have almost completely forgotten about. As i came to my senses and out of my laziness, i managed to do some spring cleaning this week with not too much of a success but i always say, every small effort counts!

To start off with, i was going through my make up kit and discovered that i had more than two lip balms and lip glosses and seriously, i keep telling myself i only have one mouth! I’m not sure what it but every time i buy a lip balm or lip gloss, i just seem to naturally take my money out without much hesitation and buy it. I suppose it’s one of those easy and affordable impulsive buys.  In fact, i only just bought a lip gloss last week!

Another thing that i buy on impulse is those glossy fashion magazines that just screams “buy me, buy me!!!” It was quite surprising when i found out that some magazines dated back to 2010. Honestly, how did 2 years go by already?!?!?

The thing is i always buy magazines and read bits and pieces thinking i’ll go back to it later. Of course, that mostly never happens. I think i may need to cool it down with the magazines but i do have a back up plan. I started buying the Cosmopolitan UK magazine online earlier in the year, which works out a lot cheaper as it’s in US dollars, hehe. I’ve only bought 3 issues so far and i think that is pretty good as we’re already entering the month of June. Self control is all i can say!

Lately i also believe that i have taken up on another obsessive  impulse buys on scarves. I never really bought scarves in the past as i always used my pink Burberry cashmere scarf and another cheap leopard print scarf that is totally worn out now.  However, I recently started to notice how easy it is to accessory an outfit with a scarf and so my shopping spree kicked in. I won’t say it’s too bad as i’ve only bought 4 scarves in the past 2 months and they are cheap as well. The most expensive scarf that i got was from H&M (the one to the far left) at HK$79.90. Not bad eh? I guess i’m a bargain hunter at heart and try to shop wisely.

Today was mothers day and to me, this is a special day where i show all my love and appreciation for my mom.  As i mentioned in my previous post, she is my best friend and she has always been there for me for good times or bad times and vice versa.

To celebrate such a special occasion, i decided to take her and dad to high tea at “the parlour”. My dad has actually never been to high tea in his life so he was really excited about it! Lets just say my dad normally hangs in his local town and eats his local Chinese food all the time. He actually likes western food a lot so i was looking forward to bring him along in case he felt left out, lol.

The weather was on our side and it did not rain, nor was it too hot or humid so it was perfect! As we arrived to “the parlour”, we were asked if we wanted to be seated inside or outside. Knowing my mom very well, i knew she would say outside and so we did. We ordered one high tea set and we especially ordered the Hullet House smoked salmon club sandwich with fries for my dad as he likes his “man food”. My dad ordered a cup of cappuccino along with his man food and he said it was alright.

It was a real relaxing day and it was just nice to be out with my parents and experience with them something that is very normal in my life style. We sat there for almost 2 hours where we were just talking and eating away, and there were many times that i noticed my dad was really enjoying his food! It just bought a smile to my face.

I suggested my dad to try the coffee as i know how much he likes his coffee and he ordered a cappuccino.  As soon as the cappuccino arrived, he just seemed really happy and he told me he felt like it was the good old days when he worked in Denmark and had his morning coffees.  Yes, that is how easy it is to please my dad, hehe.

After our much satisfied meal, we walked for a bit before we decided to call it a day and went home. Once we go home, i told her that i had to go down to buy something. Little did she know that i was actually going to the local flower shop to collect a bouquet of red roses that i had ordered the day before. My mom liked the surprise but being the typical mom that she is, she was saying that i wasted money, which is fine because i could tell she was happy and that’s what counts. There’s also a delicious mixed fruit cake waiting in our fridge right now but i’ve decided to save that for tomorrow because i am just too stuffed now.