Chinese New Year 2014

Every time during the early months of the year, i always look forward to the festive Chinese New Year, where celebrations are in full swing. Chinese decorations and colorful flowers are seen everywhere, from the streets, shopping malls, offices, and homes. Red represents good luck and gold represents good wealth so these two colors will always be strongly visible during this time of the year.

It’s been a tradition since I was in high school, where my family and i will go back to our village in Shenzhen, China to spend 2 or 3 days there, just visiting relatives and experience the festive Chinese New Year spirits. There are firecrackers heard in the day time and night time in our village to celebrate the new year, and kids are running around everywhere as schools are closed during Chinese New Year. Plenty of luxurious food such as Chinese style roasted pork, chicken, seafood including shrimps, oysters, scallops, and fish, are served to the family to represent wealth and a prosperous year ahead. My favorite is always the candy box where you serve this box to families and friends whenever they come over to visit, and you welcome them with Chinese candies or other snacks such as pistachios, nuts, and etc.

There’s also a dragon dance in our village during the early morning on the first day of the Chinese New Year, and i woke up just in time to witness it this time. The dragon is actually supported by people who are holding it from underneath in order maneuver the dragon, and i’ve been told that it’s quite a tough job. The dragon also has to do one entire lap around the entire village, which takes around 45 mins to 1 hour.

My mom like every year, will always decorate our home with colorful flowers to welcome the new year and i never get tired of taking photos of these gorgeous flowers. This year was no exception, and here are some photos that i took over the Chinese New Year.

This year my family and i decided to be experimental so we took the Shenzhen Metro and headed to our destination, the Houhai station. It took around 45 mins to get there from where we live and i thought that was pretty far but it fun to explore something new. We took the escalators up from the Shenzhen metro and upon arriving to the surface, i felt the warm sun beaming on my face, and the sky was light blue with some fluffy clouds floating around. It was the perfect weather to be out and as we were about to walk through this white tunnel passage way, that had Chinese lanterns hanging from it, i couldn’t help but notice how lovely the skies looked against the white tunnel passage way. As we walked through the tunnel, there was this big spacious area that was filled with cafes, bars, and some benches for public usage. I instantly felt like i was in Europe and they even had Costa cafe, one of the cafes that i would frequent when i lived in London!

I was quite taken by surprise to see how westernized this area looked and shortly after, i quickly followed my parents as we went inside a shopping mall to try this lunch buffet that my mom had tried before. As expected, the food wasn’t that good and i didn’t even bother taking photos of the food. However, the restaurant itself was beautifully decorated with Chinese lanterns and flowers, and it had such a festive vibe to it.

The day ended with some window shopping and then we had to return to the village as other relatives were on their way to wish us a happy Chinese New Year. And not long after that, i took the train back home by myself to Hong Kong, which i had dearly missed…

Photo credits: all photos by me

A look back into 2013…

Time awaits for nobody and with that, 2 months passed by me in the blink of an eye since my last blog post. As we enter the second month of 2014, i thought it was about time to get back into blogging before my laziness got the best of me.

Looking back, 2013 was indeed a great year, filled with both good and bad times, a balance much needed in order to appreciate even the simplest of things in life. Great adventures took place such as discovering new eateries in the city, spending quality time with loved ones over family gatherings, catching up with friends over coffee by day, and cocktail by night, and spending some alone time by myself to do things i enjoy. Celebrations were in full swing with Chinese New Year, Mid Autumn festival, birthdays, and friends from across the globe coming to visit. Of course, a trip back home to Denmark to see my friends and family over Christmas and New Year, was the best and perfect way to end the year.

I am grateful for every moment shared with my nearest and dearest, as well as every single new friend i befriended, and new experiences that i encountered over the year. Here’s a quick glimpse into my 2013.

My first experience of indulging in a box of macarons from Laduree in Hong Kong, as my BFF knew my love for these gems and gave them to me as a surprise. Trying on my new American Apparel nail polishes and kicking the new year in style with some glitter. As every year, there were gorgeous flower decorated at home to welcome the Chinese New Year. It was also another year of festive Chinese decorations and flowers seen everywhere in the city, and firecrackers could be heard from a distant in our village back in Shenzhen, China. A free heart shaped cookie gifted to me from a staff at Pret A Manger, upon my routine morning coffee run there, really touched my heart and it’s such small gestures that really gets to me. The perks of living in a small city like Hong Kong, are discovering new bars, such as the recent Lily & Bloom, in Lan Kwai Fong, which serves absolutely divine cocktails. The bartender was ever as friendly and surprised me with a cocktail that wasn’t on the menu, when i asked for what cocktails to recommend. My all time fave Japanese Pop singer, Namie Amuro, who i have adored since high school, was finally coming to Hong Kong for her ever first concert, for her 20th anniversary Asia Tour 2013. I was standing and dancing, and singing all the night long to her good old 90s songs, such as Body Feels Exit, Can you celebrate, Dont wanna cry, and many more.

Audrey Hepburn fever in full swing after watching her movie, Sabrina, and spontaneously bought her book “How to be lovely”. The book  is an easy read and great way to look into the life of this stunning and iconic lady during her time. Furniture and home decor shopping is one of my fave past times and i was beyond excited when i spotted these wooden alphabets in the home section of Cotton On. I am still deciding what alphabet to get and in what color. One of my good old friend from Canada was in town, which offered the perfect opportunity to take her around the city, which we both grew up in. A visit to the Man Mo temple seemed like the ideal thing to do after brunch’ing in the area. It was truly fun to rediscover Hong Kong and explore around like a proper tourist. Mothers day was celebrated over steak for dinner and some lovely flowers to surprise her. Topshop had finally come to Hong Kong, where i received their goodie bag with a lipgloss, leaflet, and a magazine. Getting all dressed up in my LBD (little black dress) with cute ruffles and a red clutch, to meet some friends to try out this new Italian restaurant on a Saturday night.

Getting into healthy mode and enjoying my morning hikes again, where my surroundings consist of  lovely flowers and a beautiful scenic view of Hong Kong. That very moment of reaching the top, and breathing in all the fresh air and having the sun beam on my face is priceless. One random trip to Starbucks for my cold lemonade and i met a complete stranger, whom i disguise as Mr. A here, happened to be from my home town, Denmark, and the rest was history. I arranged for a trip up to the peak with Mr. A, upon his request,  and it was an experience that was absolutely unforgettable and worthwhile. We had some delicious steak over red wine, where the night ended with this breath taking night view of Hong Kong, with all the sky scrapers lit up in unison from afar. Celebration for my birthday with close friends over a nice meal and great company, and a surprise of two mini birthday cakes, which just completed this special day of mine. One of my good friend from high school, being as thoughtful as she always is, got me a Tiffany jewelry bowl for my belated birthday. It’s a perfect storage space for my precious Tiffany necklace and bracelet. During the mid September month, along with the moon being fully rounded in shape, it was blatant that Mid Autumn festival was upon us. With my sister and her boyfriend in town, we decided to visit the local Mid Autumn Festival market in Causeway Bay. A market packed with people taking photos everywhere, we patiently savored the moment and enjoyed the sight  of beautiful lanterns designed in all sorts of form, such as dim sum, lotus flowers, Chinese goddesses, and etc. A weekend getaway from the busy city to Lamma island. The peaceful and scenic view of this island, which is only an hour away by boat, never fails to refresh my mind and soul.

Stashing up on my fashion magazines to stay updated on the current fashion trends. Enjoying a quiet weekend on my own over brunch at this new restaurant i discovered, with my fave eggs benedicts and a cup of cappuccino.  I always think that “me time” are very vital and precious, and it’s a good time to reflect on myself. Lying in on a lazy weekend and catching up on my fave old American series, Sex and the City, is the best way to combat the cold winter season. Doing research at home for my up coming Europe trip with a friend, to London and my home town, Copenhagen. Started my health morning breakie at work again, where i have oatmeal topped with a lot of fruits and sunflower seeds. At the Christmas market in Tivoli in Copenhagen, where i was in awe by the sight of this tree filled with hearts and this Christmas tree behind it.

May this year bring everyone even more happy memories and fulfilling experiences to live by. Happy New Year and welcome to 2014!!!

Photo credits: all photos by me

Change…

We go through changes constantly throughout our lives, at an never ending cycle. Change can be ones worse enemy as we are more at ease with what we are familiar with. Or it can be the best thing to happen to you. It is through change and challenges, that an individual grows as a person and overcomes their fear.

Today could just be the day where I experienced the biggest change in my entire life, in terms of my career. Words cannot even describe how I feel. My manager had resigned, with this Friday being her last day. I got promoted this morning, and not only am I responsible for my department, but I have to manage and train a new staff that we hired a month ago! This new staff will be needing my guidance and she will report to me directly. I am filled with mixed emotions right now – feeling excited, scared, nervous, and doubting myself, all at the same time. The departure of my manager was immensely felt today in the office, as we went through our 3.5 hours of hand over talk and the pressure was surely on, with the given information overload. Yet, a recent friend of mine, reminded me of something very important in life and he told me ” just don’t forget that everything is difficult in the beginning”. I hold these words very close to my heart and mind during this desperate time in need. It will be a big change and challenge ahead but I know it is for the better. This is a great opportunity of a life time and I shall embrace it:)

I have not much else to say and just really wanted to share some inspirational photos with you all. I guess this is the perfect moment to express the saying that “photos speak a thousand words”.

Photo source: weheartit

May Love 2013

Walked by a local flower shop and stood for minutes in admiration of these beautiful and colorful flowers, and made my way home with a smile. Enjoyed a lovely weekend with an old middle school friend who was in town from Canada, where delish brunch with my fave roasted potatoes and scrambled eggs with peppers were gobbled down, and served with a latte. Definitely a good way to freshen up after a late night out partying. Discovered some funky wall art exhibiting Hong Kong with images of endless rows of tall buildings, a distinctive trait of this compact city.

Old fashion magazines discovered during room cleaning, and made into good use, as a temporary stand for my random nick nacks. The infamous giant 16.5 meter rubber duck , an inflatable art piece by Dutch artist, Florentijin Hofman finally arrived to Hong Kong, and will be floating around Victoria Harbour for a month. Apparently this rubber duck has visited different waters across the world, including Osaka, Sydney, Sao Paolo, Amsterdam, and many more. The purpose for this rubber duck is to spread the joy around the world and put smiles on people’s faces, and has been doing so since 2007. Being a tourist for a day in my own city and rediscovered some old temples, such as the infamous Man Mo Temple, located in Central.

BFF and i tried a new brunch place, Cafe inside, around her neighborhood in Sai Ying Pun. The art decor, stylish furnishes, friendly service definitely won us over. Oh and their blueberry toast was simply orgasmically divine! A walk around Gold Coast to enjoy the nature side of Hong Kong, followed by seafood dinner in celebration for my uncle’s birthday with the family. Mothers day spent on a calm Sunday evening over steak, papaya chicken salad, and hot lemon tea at Dan Ryans, and a yummy raspberry soft cheese cake i got from Agnes b. The sweetness and softness of the cake was just perfect.

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 May Love 2013.

Flowers are a girl’s best friend…

Lately i feel like i’ve been living my life in a flash, it’s like i don’t even know where the time went, yet i do. Gone are the late nights with my BFF looking for our familiar bistros to cure our hunger nearly every Friday night and those countless 2-3am mid night cab rides going back home alone. Gone are the days of meeting up with friends from out of town partying it up and eating 24/7. Yup, that pretty much sums up how my May went by. I guess i am at a point in my life where i feel quite confused about myself and trying to figure out some things. But no worries, i know things will be okay. As long as i have the hope and will for every next step in my life, then each day is already a blessing. I guess i’ve always been a fighter in that sense. Now the question is, what’s up next????

With that said, there is one form of beauty that never fails to put a smile on my face and it does not cost a fortune either. Yes, as my blog title suggests, that would be my admiration for flowers. It’s one of those simplest things in life but can do such wonders to lift your mood up. It’s absolutely amazing at how flowers can transform a home to add warmth and style to it or become a fashion accessory, such as a flower hair band. If i could, i would like to think that flowers are a girl’s best friend. Don’t you think so?

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.

“Happy Chinese New Year”

It was Chinese New Year last week and like every year, my parents and i went back to Shenzhen, China, to spend some quality time with our families. I always love the time spent with families over delicious and traditional Chinese food, and catching up with loved ones. This a very festive time of the year in Shenzhen where the city is bombarded with lovely flowers and Chinese fireworks being set off from a distant.

One of the things i like most about Chinese New Year are the beautiful flowers that my mom and dad hand picks from the flower market. The flower market is always busy during this time of the year, both during day time and night time. It was my third time going to the Shenzhen flower market with my parents, and i was basically squashed like a pancake. We managed to buy a pot of beautiful Daffodils and left the place within 20 minutes.  My mom also loves buying lilies, orchids, and other flowers, and decorates them around the house, as a way to welcome the new year.

My parents had some super cute red pockets (lai see) this year, where there are two designs, a cute Chinese boy and Chinese girl dressed in traditional Chinese clothes. It’s a tradition for married couples to put money into these red pockets and give them out to kids and families, or friends, that are not married, as a blessing to them.

Another thing that i enjoy very much about the Chinese New Year is helping my mom to fill up the candy box. It’s a tradition to have a traditional Chinese style box that is filled with yummy candies, different kinds of nuts, and all sorts of goodies, that are passed out to families or friends when they come over to visit. My mom always gets the most delicious goodies s or anything that is new or looks interesting. This year we also included the Cranberry flavored nougats that i got on my trip to Vancouver and people loved it! My other favorites were the Macadamia filled crunchy nut bar and the Lindt Landor milk chocolate truffle.

We finished off our Chinese New Year in Shenzhen with a trip down to Dongmen, which is an shopping area, where you can find cheap goods, such as gadgets, clothes, fake designer bags and shoes, kitchenware, local food stands, and the list goes on. We had dim sum for lunch in the area and then took a walk before we called it a day.

The pink in you!

As a little girl at a very young age, i remember i always loved to dress up girlie where i would be in floral and ruffle dresses along with lace or bow shoes but most of all, i loved pink! This love interest grew even stronger after i met Barbie!

Well, time has gone a long way since then but my love for pink still remains and i’m glad to say, in a much more stylish sense compared to my early childhood years. Phewww…what a relief, i bet ya all thinking!!! lol

I know pink (especially hot pink) can seem like a very daunting and scary color to try out as it screams “look at me! look at me!”. But i really think it is down to how you dress the pink in you! The key is always to find a balance with colors and don’t go over board by dressing pink from head to toe. A big no no unless you are Lady Gaga!!! You can either pick one piece of clothing or accessory (be it bag, shoes, bangle, shades, etc) that is pink. The ways to play around with it is endless!

Here are some inspiring pink photos that caught my attention and i’ve decided to share them with you. Hopefully these lovely images will spark up some inspirations for you ladies.

And if you carefully look around you, i’m sure you will find your own pink inspiration in no time!

Photo source: we heart it

Welcoming the Chinese New Year

Yes, i’m finally back home and back to my blogging again!!! I gotta say, it’s good to be back to a more civilized world, lol.  To be honest, i’ve missed my blogging and fellow bloggers too!!! These past 3 days have been a well spent Chinese new year with my families where i was surrounded by Chinese fireworks 24/7 and it would scare the crap outta me. There was constantly this sudden loud bang that erupted in the village with no warning, and they lasted for a good old minute or so. But it was a great joy to see everyone with  high spirits and selling food/fruits in the village with such happiness.

The after math of the Chinese fireworks

The fruit markets in the village

The family visitations, family dinners, delish traditional Chinese food, fire works, festive flowers, and just all the prep work leading up to the big Chinese Lunar New Year’s Day, is truly a fascinating moment. It’s a lot of work but definitely worth all the effort. Trust me, there’s like a gazillion things to do! This year i took part in cleaning the house, changing  bed sheets, helping my mom put money in the red pockets/envelops (aka lai sees) for good luck to people, arranging the lovely flowers, and piling up on the nuts and sweet treats for visitors when they come over to send their new year greetings.

It’s also a custom to buy these mini posters look alike with Chinese blessing words on it, and hang them in your house throughout the year. Normally i never have to take care of this but i found these really super cute Forever Friends Chinese blessing words the other week, and bought them righ away, as shown below.  I think they are just soooo adorable and brings that bit of a modern feel to our tradition,hehe. 

This is only the beginning of how many red pockets i’ve received, hehe

Sweet treats and savory nuts for visitors

Festive flowers for Chinese New Year

Lovely pink flowers

Daffodils symbolizing rebirth or new beginnings

Kumquats (tangerines) tree symbolizing prosperity

Blessing words that are put up at home throughout the year

I hope all these photos of how i spent my Chinese New Year will enable you to get a better feeling of how it really is!!! Once again, Happy Chinese New Year and  may this year be a great one for you all!!!

All photos accredited to me

Life is a cup of joy:)

I was reading this month’s UK Glamour magazine when i came across an article that caught my attention, it was about 35 steps to happiness. Interestingly, it states  that happiness has to be sought and created by yourself, and i quote “You have to choose to be happy, to lift your mood and look for the positive” (page 110 if you still have the UK Glamour issue). I know its abit of a “duh” fact but hey, we need that reminder every now and then right?:)  So would you consider yourself being happy and content in life right now? I asked myself that very question and i was in doubt at first, but only for a split second.

Of course, i take great pleasure and joy in getting my nose into the fashion glitz and all, but i realised there’s a  more personal aspect to my life that’s become my happiness booster!  I’ve got great families and friends who love me, and they give me such joy and happiness in life. I love you all to death!!! I sure have my share of fun filled memories that i keep to my heart and it always puts a smile on my face:) So what better thing to do then share such precious moments with my fellow bloggers right?????;)  So here is a peek into my life, ready or not!

Froyo time at Yomama!

Sunset in London

In love with Paris

Coffee break

Brooklyn Bridge in black and white

Flower Festival in Canberra

Relaxed dinner with a lovely night view

Japanese food!

Colorful Macarons at the bakery

7am hike in Hong Kong @___@

Cova Blueberry Cheesecake for my bday:)

Shoeaholic!!!!

Chanel store in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Tiffany & Co X'mas tree in Taipei, Taiwan

Enjoying a glass of chilled Jap plum wine, ah....

Laser Beam show at the Victoria Harbour in HK (8pm every night)

Monty - the cuttest cat on earth!!!

Jelly Fish at Ocean Park, HK

Ispahan (Strawberry Macaron) at Sift

Jap Saki

On the Ngong Ping 360 Crystal Cable Car with transparent floor, HK

A walk in City Hall Park, NYC

P.S. I just realised there’s alot of food photos, i hope i don’t make your tummy grumble, lol