hk3

hey sis!

gosh, we've been idle!  i'm guessing you've been quite busy with your super cool new venture pedala.

as for moi, my internet's been totally impossible.  blame it on mercury???  finally, this morning, someone came to the rescue!

so right now, i'm 1 week delayed with my kwents.

starting with last week, on our last day in hk...

again, a few random photos...

kodakan with twinpophub while waiting for the stores to open...

another source of pride for us -- bea valdes' bags highlighted (as always) in harvey nics.  

these ones i particularly love!  devil in the details!

the bathroom in harvey nichols -- love the gold tiles and the mirrored sinks (the photo doesn't do justice!)

this is a new store on the ground floor of our hotel (parklane) called 'initial'.  local designers, and super cool store.  chuvaness actually featured this na -- hihihi.

twinpophub, paul and i wearing our "katas" shoes on our last night out.

met up with dutch fren  and asian tour pro golfer guido van der valk -- who just placed 5th in the indian open.

he recently decided to call manila home.  he's in love with manila!  just like our other euro friends!  they love our weather, and the friendly peeps too.

 

on our way home, there was this uber funky, uber expensive store that was still open.  we went in and here are a couple of things i saw (while paul was busy shopping!)...

super oddity pants that are outrageously expensive!

this one's even MORE pricy.  it's a cardigan that's on a persian carpet.  what da!?!?!

home at last...  paul disembarking...

this always makes me laugh... and cry...

yun lang :)

hang kang

hey sis!  dazzo cool.  didn't lolo siso use to do the same (except he would paint)?  i think i have his 'mexico' painting...

anyway, here are more random sights here... just photos, not sketches ;)

love these retro windows on this building outside our hotel...

brunch in highly recommended yummy (and arte) zuma...

love the glass raindrop divider...

brunch consisted of bottomless champagne and sake, appetizer buffet + some treats brought to your table + a main course...

plus a mega dessert platter!...

love zuma's sinks...

a dali sculpture visiting the landmark...

kabayans relaxing on a sunday...

paul fitting another funky shoe...

always loved armani fiori's modern (and clever) floral arrangements...

a dramatic staircase in a store...

one of my fave stores, franc franc...

a treasure trove of japanese (or japanese-picked) kuchi-kuchis!

yun lang :)

travel sketching

hey sis, so while you are travelling, i took a travel sketching workshop this weekend at trinoma :) robert alejandro, who just launched a book of sketches from his backpacking trip around southeast asia and china, gave the workshop.

here are some of his sketches that i really liked :)







i quite liked the whole concept of travel sketching, which for me is really about....

1. taking it slow. not rushing through your travels.
2. being in the "now", in the moment. taking time to absorb all the sites, sounds, details, emotions, the people and culture in every place you visit.
3. remembering. there seems to be more memories encapsuled in a sketch, than in a simple photo. maybe because you've paid attention to every detail, and will remember even that exact moment you were sketching.

i think i'll try to do that on my next trip :)

here's my sketch from the workshop...


wo-evah!

honkitonk d' coolest!

oh my.... well speaking of junk (sorta), i'm here in the city of consumerism to the max.  just sharing some of the sights...

one of our first stops is my super fave new home store of lane crawford -- filled with really mouthwateringly beautiful and outrageously expensive home stuff.

of course, taking photos in the store isn't allowed... so i just stole some shots.

love this couch...

(my dream platner table and chairs!)

paul fitting japanese-y sneaks beside an oddity chair in now-hip store joyce...

the new restroom of pacific place -- the coolest cubicles EVER!!!

great merchandising in a botelya store...

cool diesel alternative advertisement crates on the sidewalk...

we capped the night in a walking street lined-with-restos -- a quiet spot in uber busy causeway bay...

junk+food

craved for a caramel sundae last night.....


and look what i saw outside.... all that trash from just one branch of mcdonald's?!?!


i'm kinda bothered.

book club!

one of the things i REALLY look forward to is my book club meetings.  (had one today).

i was lucky enough to be invited to this super book club of (around 9) diverse, smart, insightful, evolved individuals.

we meet once a month on the second floor of a different bookstore in serendra. 

instead of everybody reading just one book (it's tough to please everyone), we all simply read our own choices and share what we've read.

this time, i shared about one of my latest fave books, three cups of tea, which i spoke about in this post.

books shared are as diverse as the members:

from current events 

to historical

to spiritual 

to heavy-prose fiction 

to trivial

...but i think what makes the club so fascinating are the discussions that happen throughout each meeting.

a typical discussion would involve current events, american politics (anti-republican! haha!), religion (a li'l bit anti-religion! haha!), science, and anything else under the sun...

i'm the youngest in the group (at 31), and the oldest is 84!

here's a photo i stole of half of our group earlier today :)

(i was too hiya to take a real photo of everyone)... 

yun lang :)