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

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.

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!!!!

Two Thousand Thirteen

As I bid my farewell to 2012, I want to wish you all a happy new year and welcome 2013 with open arms!!!

I’m not sure what awaits ahead of me this year but I will try my best and make sure that no matter what happens, good or bad, I will make the most of it. 2013 will be a memorable and worthwhile year:)

I will keep this short and sweet, and share this friendly reminder with you all.

Happy 2013 peeps!!!

New Year “Words” 2012

I’ve never really been much of a New Year’s resolution type of person and while i do occasionally think about it, nothing ever gets written down on paper nor do actions get executed.

My new moleskin agenda for 2012

But much to my surprise, this all changed when i stumbled upon the blog camilliestyles, which  truly inspired me. From this blog, i discovered a brilliant and different way to create a New Year’s resolution. There is an element of creativity involved, where you choose your own words and photos to create your New Year’s resolutions, which is a fun enough approach to get me excitingly dancing on my tippy toes!!!

As this is my first proper written down New Year’s resolution on this blog (and my life), i have thought deeply and clearly about what i hope to achieve this year and hopefully, many years down the line. May this be a constant reminder for myself to keep focus and have a balance in life.

To keep it short and sweet, and to the point, i’ve come up with 3 words. And while i know we have entered February and i’m a tad bit behind in doing this, i always think  “better later than never”.

So ready or not, here are my New Year words!!!

• Learn to love myself before loving others
• Cherish loved ones – families, friends, and anybody that has made a difference in my life
• Live life to the fullest with no regret
• Smile and stay positive and if i fall off track, always pick myself up and keep going
• Eat healthy and wisely but treat myself to the occasional treats (aka junk food!)
• Create a better filing system in my room to avoid clutter and distress
• Save more money for unforeseeable future plans
• Treat myself to more facials and other pampering treatments (have t0 finish my facial package before it expires in March!!!)
• More gym sessions and out door sports activities such as hiking, biking, tennis, bowling, etc

• Patience is a virtue – never forget that
• Listen more and speak less
• Seek to understand then to be understood
• Keep a calm mind and don’t get agitated easily (both in work or personal life related issues)
• Don’t rush through life- take notice of the smaller things because they are usually the bigger things in life

• Be open to new opportunities and take chances in life
• Participate in more social events and meet new people, such as art gallery exhibitions, charities, reunion dinners, etc
• Enlarge my network of people for my new PR role at the Toastmasters club and master the skill of public speaking
• Keep blogging and be open to new ideas by other bloggers in the blogosphere world
• Take a class or learn a new hobby (look into Photoshop, make up, or art related short courses)
• Try out recipes that i’ve collected in the past from magazines or bloggers, to improve my cooking skills

Photo source: We heart it

Oh what a year it was, 2011…

2011 was definitely a memorable year for me in many ways, both good and bad. As always, i was busily consumed with numerous adventures and all sorts of celebrations with close friends and families, such as birthdays, holidays, friends visiting me, and of course, many events of delicious high tea’ing, dining, and dessert’ing.

Now while i do look forward to a fabulous 2012, i thought it would be good to start the year by reflecting back on what 2011 has given me, and what i have learned from all my experiences over the year. So here goes a quick recap of my 2011!!!

The year kicked off with a festive Chinese New year spending it with families in China. The celebrations in China are always over the top with the lovely flower decorations and fireworks that was heard from a distant in my parent’s village. We had the luxury of celebrating our company annual dinner at the sophisticated 1930’s Shanghai inspired, China Club, which is for members only. There was delicious and traditional Chinese food served, whilst people anxiously waited to see who would win the best 1930’s Shanghai costume of the night. Art jamming was in session to show some creativity with painting for BFF’s birthday! High tea’ing at the Four Seasons to start the year with my 3 lovely BFF,  fresh warm scones and Earl Grey tea kept me sane for those excruciating cold winter days. Got big fat bonus at work and had a big blow out at the YSL make up counter. Merci YSL, i love you!

I was going through a rough time with my relationship in the early months of 2011 and i was so grateful that i had my 2 BFF’s continuous support and for being there for me. Their countless times of happy hours and coffee breaks with me was definitely a mood booster, i love my girls!!! My brother and his entire family including my cute nephew and 2 nieces came to Hong Kong for a visit. It was a fun day at the amusement park, Ocean Park, packed with walking, witnessing sea animal in the under world, and trying rides with the kids. Discovering the new froyo shop Smiles, for froyo lovers like myself, definitely put a big smile on my face! They even have these cute pretzel sticks that’s covered in different flavors.  Finally bought the Elle Singapore issue as i was trying to be fashionably spontaneous one day, and i never looked back!

A series of celebration followed on with  Mother’s Day, my BFF in Canada came for a visit and we spoke like we never left each other while sipping over Cosmos, and i finally managed to watch the Kylie Minogue Aphrodite live concert!!!

May also marked the month where my relationship reached a turning point and went for the worst, i was no longer with the BF. Though the following months were and still is painful,  i have learned that  through lost and vulnerable moments, we discover who we are and what we want, and everything in life seems to have a whole new meaning to it. I see life and the small details that’s made up of it, very differently as opposed to 7 months ago, and i do believe that this is a valuable lesson gained. In a way, i am thankful for each and every experience that i have been through, no matter how hard it was, because it has made me the person that i am today.

But i learned to enjoy life again, in ways that i haven’t done in a while, i went biking with friends and just catching up for lost times, and everyone was very supportive and stood by me.  I don’t know what i would had done without them. Finally got around in picking the perfect photo for my lovely zebra print mirror photo frame. Yes, it’s Audrey Hepburn, she is absolutely stunning and her beauty takes my breath away!

Summer came before i knew it, and hiking trips with friends were scheduled. Lovely breath taking view at the peak and rewarded ourselves with dim sum for lunch. Shopping splurge was on full gear, bought summery floral dresses, vibrant colored make up, and the biggest gift of all, my iphone 4! As the saying goes, we lose some, we win some. Through my rough times during the break up, i had gotten to know one of my casual friend better and we are so much closer now. High tea’ing was in session at the Marco Polo Hotel on a lazy Saturday afternoon, sipping on English tea whilst laughing the afternoon away.

Healthy bike rides underneath the beaming sun and indulging myself with macarons from Paul Lafayet.  Organized one of my good old friend’s 30th big birthday bash at our friend’s recently opened Pizzeria. My birthday celebration over karaoke with close friends, singing the night away. My sweet sister all the way in London, got me a special gift, a Jo Malone perfume! I attended church for the first time and befriended a London bloke,  who is the wackiest person i’ve met. Cheap good local food, long night strolls and talks are mostly expected after our church meetings, and chatted the night away one time until sun rise. Simply most beautiful sight i’ve seen.

Traveling mode made it a memorable November, with a family weekend trip to Singapore and a one day trip to Macau with a friend.  Happy hours at The Peninsula Hotel inside the chic 1930’s Shanghai inspired “Salon de Ning” bar or as they call it “”Paris of the East”, listening to good old 80’s and 90’s music with delish and quite pricey cocktails. More dosage of high tea at “The Parlour” was much needed after a long day of shopping, and the mini green pistachio sponge cake was utterly divine.  Paid my respects to our ancestors at their graves, which was an emotional moment. Its been 2 years since my grandma passed away and i still miss her dearly. She is the funniest grandma you can ask for, she is just so cute in the smallest way, like how we used to arm wrestle for fun or i would comb her hair to beautify her, lol. But i know she is in a better place now.

Happy news was up in the air to end 2011 beautifully, my high school friend was getting wedded at the Sheraton Hotel.  The entire banquet was lovely done up with all these different tones of beautiful purple flowers. Absolutely a magical and unforgettable night! Prior to the wedding day, a crazy hens night took place  at the posh Armani Aqua with non stop alcohol and food!!! More delicious food with fairytale Christmas decorations displayed at the Aberdeen Marina Club made it an excellent company lunch party. Pre Christmas dinner with my BFF was fun times, admiring the view of Hong Kong at its finest moment. Super  excited upon receiving my very first Christmas card of the year from London, my heart just melted at the sight of the red glitter of the iconic London bus and post box.

Christmas times jam packed  with setting up my Christmas tree, gift shopping, and lots of eating.  I received a cute Prada teddy bear key chain for Christmas! More post – Christmas dinner with delicious Korean BBQ and Korean Hite beer while catching up with New York friends. Christmas Eve and Christmas day in Macau with a friend to watch the much anticipated  water show, “The House of Dancing Water”. The dance and acrobatic moves were impressive with beautiful costumes, and the stage setting really did wonders where it creates a water and non water based floor within minutes! Quick dinner at the Venetian food court followed by a night of chit chats in our hotel room, while nibbling on Belgian truffles and sipping on Portuguese Rose Wine, Mateus, into the morning hours. Juicy Beef burger and red wine at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel was the way we rolled to enjoy our lovely dinner on Christmas Day. Just got super lucky and witnessed a lovely musical water show outside the Wynn casino, a perfect ending to our Macau trip!

Christmas in Macau 2011

2011 was definitely a life learning and life changing year for me. I have learned a lot through my good times and bad times, and i feel like i have re-known myself in another light. I am so blessed to have such great friends and families that care for me, and showed their support when needed. I am more opened to opportunities now and try to seize every moment, where i take each day as it comes because we never know what tomorrow will bring.

And last but not least, i want to give a big shout out to all my wonderful bloggers out there, wherever you are, for following me over the past year. Your sweet comments, touching emails, and all of your support means a lot to me! It just puts a smile on my face when i see how this blog has blossomed, filled with lovely memories from you all. A big thank you to each and everyone of you! Here i am wishing you all a happy new year,  all the best to 2012!!!!

Photo Sunday – let’s have a fab 2012!

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