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

My birthday celebration

Birthdays are always one of my favorite celebrations in the year, both for loved ones and myself. It’s a time where friends and families are gathered together over delicious food, drinks, and a lot of laughters. It is also special moments like these that reminds us of how grateful we are for what we have.

This year i have been very blessed to have yet another lovely birthday celebration with my dear friends and families, where the celebration took place over the entire month with great food, company, and a lot of great memories. There was a mix cuisine of American, Italian, Japanese, British, Spanish, and some lovely birthday surprises in between. I’m sooooo thankful for everyone that is in my life right here right now, and i’m truly touched by my dear friends who know me so well, and purposely prepared the surprises with birthday cakesand gifts. I know it sounds cheesy with the birthday surprises and all but i just can’t help it, lol.

It was a chilled Friday night on September 6, just a day before my special day, where a sleep over at BFF’s place was organized so we could kick start my birthday in style the next day. As BFF took an early morning hike up to the peak, i lied in bed until the warm sun from the window beamed in and touched my face. It was a beautiful day and i couldn’t have asked for anything else better that morning. BFF and i both quickly got dressed and went downstairs and hopped into the closes cab within our sight. I asked “where are we going?” and she replied with a smiling face “it’s a surprise”, and i couldn’t help but feeling all giddy inside. As we approached Admiralty and drove up to the JW Marriott Hotel, i had a good feeling we were headed to Cafe Gray Deluxe Hong Kong, and i was right. We were greeted by a smiling receptionist who got our names down and ushered us to a table in the middle of the restaurant.

Cafe Gray had a cosy ambiance with wooden decor against the lovely dangling chandeliers high above us, and the magnificent window view of the Kowloon area and ocean from a distant. I ordered one of my fave dishes, the Cafe Gray Black Angus burger in caramelized onions, gruyere cheese, tomato confit and some batter diped fries, and BFF had her fave eggs benedicts. It was a really relaxing afternoon where there was not a care in the world or a rush to go anywhere. We finished the meal by having a cuppa cappuccino where complimentary chocolates were given as well, much to my surprise. We slowly gobbled down the chocolates and without any warning, a waiter appeared from behind me holding a plate with a dessert on it that had “happy birthday skat” written in chocolate sauce. I was beyond speechless and the only visible sign I had was this big happy smile and touched look on my face. It was a delicious banoffee cake with rum raisin ice cream and it was orgasmic, to say the least, lol. My BFF has always been there for me and she’s just the sweetest and most understanding friend one can ask for. She’s been there for my good times and bad times and vice versa of course, and it’s truly a blessing to have her there celebrating my special day with me.

The rest of the afternoon was spent over some retail therapy where I went to Calvin Klein for some long due new lingeries, and a quick stop over to Zara and H&M for some light shopping spree. Following that night, dinner was arranged at this steak house called “Steik World Meats” in Tsim Sha Tsui, where BFF had invited Ben to come along. Ben was such a sweet heart and got me a box of my fave Laduree macarons and i just couldn’t wait to get my hands on those delicious and beautiful looking sweet treats. We spent the entire night just slowing savoring our food and sipping on red wine, where the night gradually ended at Vibes over more wine and some birthday shots.

As we entered the door to BFF’s flat, i quickly kicked off my 4 inch heels and jumped onto her bed and was falling asleep. Little did i know, another surprise was coming my way. BFF told me to come to the living room and there she stood with her slightly tipsy face, and was holding these two mini but oh so cute birthday cakes, a tiramisu and mango/strawberry flavored one. With the appetite of a horse at such late hours, most likely due to the slight over drinking, we finished the cakes rather quickly. To end the night, i finally got to open my present and it was this lovely Marc by Marc Jacobs scarf with leopard print that my two BFFs had gotten me. I would say it was the perfect ending to the night for my birthday.

Surprises were definitely up in the air for my birthday this year. Mr. A just happened to be in town on the week of my birthday and offered to take me to the peak. His big and friendly smile was just the same as i last remembered, and it was really nice to see him again.

It was a sunny weekend where the day started with some delicious Japanese ramen and gyoza (pan fried dumplings) before we started our journey to the peak. After a much fulfilled lunch, we slowly paced ourselves to the Tsim Sha Tsui star ferry where we would take the ferry to cross over to HK island. Upon arrival, we caught the bus 15C that did not have a roof, which made it a fun and touristy ride for me, as i looked high above the sky scrapers and scenic view of Hong Kong. A walk around the peak whilst enjoying the greenery and sipping on coffee over chit chats at the local cafe, while overseeing the view of Hong Kong, made me remember what it was like to enjoy the moment.

We decided to have dinner at Pearl on the Peak, especially as i’ve heard quite good reviews of this restaurant. As we arrived to the front door, we were quickly escorted by a friendly staff who seated us to a table that was facing the entire view of Hong Kong. We both ordered the wagyu steak as we are such steak lovers, along with two glasses of red wine. The red wine was completely divine and complimented just right with the juicy steak. I ordered the organy flavored crepe with orange ice cream for dessert, where the chef made it live, right in front of my very own eyes. It was an interesting and different experience to see how my dessert came into fruition, where flames came into vision after the cognac was gently poured over the orange, and slowly simmered on the pan.

The night ended with a quiet stroll around the peak where we embraced all that the nature had to offer. There was also this cute giant heart stand where lovers would write messages on this heart paper provided for free, and they would eternalize their love by hanging the message on the heart. One could say it’s a cheesy doing but i kinda think it’s a sweet gesture if you’ve found the one.

As the time ticked away and it got closer to closing time, we took the next peak tram and headed back down, where we took one more glance of the beautiful Hong Kong night view. It was a very cosy, or as the Danes say it, “hyggeligt” night, and a nice way to end my birthday at the peak.

All photos accredited to me

January Love 2013

Finally managed to get a taste of my very first box of macarons from Laduree in Hong Kong, thanks to my dearest BFF who surprised me with them one night. You should had heard my “omg” shriek, hehe. Catching up with a good friend over red velvet cupcake and a mocha at Brick Lane after a very filling Shanghainese dinner. Adding some nail fun with my new American Apparel nail polishes to kick off those cold winter days. Love the golden “Meteor Shower” glitter nail polish!

Walked passed Harvey Nichols whilst taking a walk during lunch hours, and was in love with this gorgeous giant Miss Dior perfume shown on their window display. Stocked up on some crafty decorative tapes to add onto my stationary collection. Finally got my lovely and fave Chloe eau de parfum back in my perfume collection and oh my, how i have missed you sooo dearly. You will always be my fave.

Last min shopping spree and got this golden snake necklace and leopard peplum top for my company annual safari themed dinner party, where i was MC’ing away in Ms. Leopard style. Received these ever as cute flower balloons from a colleague who was leaving our company, such a sweet gesture. Celebrated a good old friend’s belated 30th birthday and enjoyed a “Fallen Angel Chocolate Bath” dessert, which was a chocolate cake with whipped cream and a shot of espresso to pour over it, super delish!

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 January Love 2013.

Happy Friday peeps!

So it’s finally Friday and I’ve come down with a damn nasty sore throat!!! So much for “Thank god it’s Friday” eh? I actually took a day off work  todayand i guess i had some much needed sleep. Looks like i will be staying in and resting a lot over the weekend. Boooooooooo!!! Yes, sounds like a bummer weekend already.

Here are some inspiring and happy photos that i wanted to share with you all and i guess a reminder to myself to always be happy no matter what!!!:D There’s just so much going on in this busy world that we live in that we tend to forget the smallest things that matter so much more. Sometimes all we need to do is just slow down and appreciate a bit more on what this beautiful world has to offer in it’s simplest form. That’s where true happiness can be found, when you least expect it.

Anyhow, hope you guys have a happy Friday and awesome weekend ahead!!!!

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