To Mirth or not to Mirth?

Thanks to Sassy Hong Kong, I am now introduced to the world of high fashion! I am by no means a trendy guy all, but one of its recent posts featured a Man Skirt (or Mirth as they like to call it) from H&M Spring 2010 Collection for Men which captured my attention. I am really not sure if this is a the perfect gift for man who has everything, or if the market (or most guys) are ready for this, but it is certainly interesting to see H&M offering such fashion, perhaps it is the next big thing? Am I brave enough to try it? I don't think I am ready for it or am I? Afterall, the Scottish kilts has been around for a while right? And profile designer like Marc Jacob has been sending them down the runway since Summer 2009! Seriously, I am not a fashion guru and I THINK I am not ready for idea of man skirt or Mirth yet; but being the curious person that I am, I went to H&M to check out the real thing!

Where is the Mirth (aka Man Skirt)?? I cannot find it? I just want to take a look and leave, to satisfy my curiosity!!! All I can see were On Sales items flying all over the places with crowds lining up in front of the cashiers with truck load of clothes. O wait, the Spring 2010 Collection is yet arrive right? They are still off loading the inventories from Winter 2009 right? Ooops, I guess the man skirt and I are not meant to be.

Pic of Mirth from: http://hypebeast.com/2009/11/hm-2010-spring-collection/

Time for some music & XMAS music of course!

It is almost time for XMAS and I did some XMAS shopping today: CDs shopping to be exact! I came across Andrea Bocelli's latest album My Christmas and I grabbed it without much thinking in preparation for the upcoming festive season!

(Pic from: http://www.sugarmusic.com/)

I got more than just a Christmas CD of course, I got something ... interesting and unique!! I was attracted by both the unfamiliar face on this album and the title of it which reads:《介乎法國與旺角的詩意》 "poetics – something between montparnasse and mongkok." This CD is a local production by a local band named My Little Airport which formed back in 2004. Their latest release is their 4th album already. I was both surprised and humored by the song lyrics which combine social and political satire of the Hong Kong society. Well done! My Little Airport has my full support!

Pic from: http://www.mylittleairport.com/index.htm
Facebook Fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/mylittleairport
Check out the songs lyrics here: http://www.mylittleairport.com/lyrics_04.htm

Ho Ho Ho ... Here comes Plastic Santa Claus!

While shopping around for Christmas gifts (mainly for myself ... lol) after watching A Christmas Carol (3D version) this afternoon, I passed by this amazing picture of Santa Claus inside Lane Crawford IFC. From afar it seems like a normal painting, but when you look more closely ....



Yes, the painting was made out of plastic forks, spoons, knifes, trays and everything plastic! Isn't that a nice way to recycle things!? Amazing piece of work!!!!! Santa is going GREEN too, woohoo!!



Almost forgot to mention, this year's Christmas decoration at the IFC consisted of a flying blimp with Santa riding it in. It was not as grand as previous years but honestly, Christmas is about hope and love, not about sky-high Christmas tree with crystals ornaments.

The perfect Christmas tree? All Christmas trees are perfect! ~ Charles N. Barnard, American author, travel writer

My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that? ~ Bob Hope, American film actor and comedian

Allergy Attack!!!

I have been sneezing and "crying" all day long from my allergy attack!! I don't know how many times I sneezed today because I lost count around noon when it passed 50! My eyes are having tears and I have eyes that look like a new born baby, small and tiny! I have tried all kinds of medication and alternative medicines known to man kind. For example:

• Chinese Acupuncture - poked! - have been poked by more needles than you can imagined! ... all over the body that is ...
  
• Allergies Pills - swallowed! - I lost count in terms of how many off the shelf brands I have tried, I might be immune to all of them and
• Steroid-ized nasal sprays - sprayed! - I had more than enough dosage to be disqualified for any kind of sporting events for the upcoming few years ...
  

There seem to be an increasing number of people in Hong Kong having various kinds of allergies and if your allergies involves sneezing and tears, it is more or less similar to mine and I have the few suggestions based on personal experiences not on how to cure it but to lessen the PAIN (those who have serious allergies, I am sure you know what I mean by the PAIN)

1. Wear a mask to minimize the exchange of temperature-varied air. The constant exchange of air would trigger sneezing, so protect your nose at all cause
   
2. Do not look directly into any bright light. Wear sunglasses if you can because the sun light + bright lights trigger tears.
   
3. Stick two rolled up tissues up your nose / nasals, same effect as the mask!(maybe it is better to do this at home ... LOL)
   
4. Wash your nasal passages with sea-salt spray which can be found in your nearest pharmacy
5. No cold drinks or any alcoholic beverages! + No spicy food
6. No coffee (or TRY to minimize the number of cups per day, it is the caffeine that would make you sneeze more, perhaps decaf would do the trick but then what is the point to have a coffee without the caffeine?)
7. Do not use CHEAP tissue or Kleenex to wipe your nose or to sneeze, it will hurt your nose after 20 - 30 sneezes!
   
8. Do not use CHEAP and single-layer tissue because they are CHEAP and not strong enough for your sneezes!!
   

That is all for now, time for me to get some rest! I feel stronger now because every time I sneeze, the sneezing movement pull my abdominal muscles (abs) as if I am doing the Captain's Chair or Bicycle Crunch exercises; very soon I will have awesome abs! Why paid for gym (or exercise for that matter) when I can get great abs this way!?

I am falling in love ...

Yes, I am falling in love ... I am falling in love with COMO SHAMBHALA products! I was introduced to COMO SHAMBHALA's products last year during my trip to Bangkok (BKK) and during my latest revisit to BKK this past weekend, I can't help myself but to stock up on COMO SHAMBHALA's bodycare products! Among the various blends, my favorite has to be the INVIGORATE signature blend, with eucalyptus, geranium, lavender and peppermint! I have stocked a few months worth of supplies mainly the shower gel and body lotion. Of course you can find it in Hong Kong as well but DOUBLE the price!



Not only is the scent of the gel and lotion very refreshing, it truly invigorates me! I even enjoy smelling it right out of the bottle! They also offer the soap bar but I found it rather ... humm ... it makes your skin rather dry right after that hand cream or lotion is required immediately! If you are stopping by BKK anytime soon, do make an effort to buy a few blends to try!

(P.S. - the Metropolitan Bangkok provides COMO Shambhala bathroom amenities!)

COMO SHAMBHALA
Website: http://www.comoshambhala.como.bz/products/bodycare

General Studies (通識教學) ... yet another failed attempt!

After reading the features from CUP Magazine November 2009 Issue 94, I have the following the add to the discussion. I am in agreement with Mr. Chip Tao regarding the failed attempt in driving the Hong Kong's education system in including teaching subject of Liberal Studies or the so-called General Studies (通識教學)

I think placing a label or having a category of its own is already an incorrect approach to the concept of Liberty Studies / General Studies. It is a life long learning process or "life experiences" for a lack of a better word. It is an attitudes towards learning, there are no specific subject areas to teach; the quest to learn has to be self-motivated, knowledge-driven and self-experienced. I know it is lame to say it but it is not about what you have learned, it is about how you are to process / apply what you have learned. General studies to me is "living" or perhaps "the desire to live your life to the fullest."

One of the main sources of knowledge is from the news / newspapers; however many students and youngsters in Hong Kong could not care less about current affairs. Go grab one of Hong Kong's Chinese-based newspapers and there is a high chance you may find the Entertainment related sections to be the thickest and that they are the only sections many youngsters care to read. Again, it is the attitude towards knowledge that has to be changed, forcing the subject of General Studies as part of the school curriculum would change nothing!

How did we come to this? In my opinion, there are many factors in my opinion, the Chinese culture developed over the past few centuries is one major factor and the relatively short-sightedness of the Hong Kong's society (due to its unique history) can be another. I am not going to go into details of the reasons behind it because I am not an expert in social sciences or cultural studies; but what I do know is that we should act fast before our next generation starts to have difficulties in developing logical & independent thinking or even worst, no interest in learning!

Cover Page from CUP Magazine

The Real Milkshake ! (or MILK-shake)

This is what I call the real MILK-SHAKE ! LOL ...



Picture from:
http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/mcdonalds_the_real_milkshake

So you think you have everything? ... think again!

My friend forwarded me a chain email with the following items which I found to be quite interesting, creative, unique and ingenious! I actually want to get some of the items just because they are cool! I have no idea if these products are for real or where the email originated from, but they are worth sharing for sure! Why can't people think of these products earlier ?! (Captioned text are directly copied form the chain email and I like to give credit to whoever originated the email and respective owners of the pictures. )

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BANANA GUARD (specially for Banana!!!) - Protect Your Banana!
Are you fed up with bringing bananas to work or school only to find them bruised and squashed? Banana Guard allows you to safely transport and store individual bananas letting you enjoy perfect bananas any time, anywhere.



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LOCK-CUP
Lock Cup - Anti-Theft Coffee Cup. Are you tired of others stealing your coffee cup? Well now there's a solution. The Lock - Cup has a hole which prevents most people from using it. Only the owner of the cup can use his/hers shaped key to close the hole.




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TRANSPARENT TOASTER
You love toast, but you always burn it? Than, this invention is for you This transparent toaster allows you to see the bread while it is toasting so you just have to take it out when the color is right. This idea is based on a transparent heating glass technology.



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BUTTER CUTTER
One Click Butter Cutter controls your portion as an important part of staying healthy. This ingenious butter cutter delivers one standard pat with each click of the handle.



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DAY CLOCK (This is actually good for the retired persons)
What day is today? You don't know? Then you need a Day Clock. It's uniquely designed to keep track of weekly events like your golf day, card night, movie night, and so much more. It's ideal for vacations and cruises when it's easy to lose track of the day.




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LASER SCISSORS
Laser Scissors Cutting a straight line has never been easier. Just aim the pin-point laser and follow the line. The scissor blades are stainless steel and cut very clean with a micro edge.



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TOILET SEAT LIFTER
'Who left the Toilet Seat up?' The Peace Maker will end the battle of the toilet seat. Merely step on the pedal to activate the lifting mechanism. When finished, remove your foot from the pedal and the seat gently comes to a rest where it started.



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'THE THING' - INFANT PILLOW
The Zany is an ergonomic infant pillow designed by a mum to mimic the size, weight, touch, and feel of her hand and forearm to help her baby with comfort, support, protection, and development. . The Zaky can help calm your baby and help your baby sleep better through the night.



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TRAVELER'S PHRASE BOOK T-SHIRT
If you are traveling a lot and don't always know the language of the country you are visiting, then this T-shirt is for you. It has a phrase book printed on it so just point a finger at the pictogram you need and then point it twice at the question mark, which means, 'Where is it?' and in no time you have found what you were looking for... Or not. (Another possibility for the foreign language impaired



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WHEEL-MOVING BENCH
Whether you want to sit on the sun or in the shade, near the river or under the tree... Now you have your movable bench, to sit wherever you like.

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Note:
After several attempts, I found the following sites with reference to the above items and descriptions, maybe one of them is the originator?

• http://telling-secrets.blogspot.com/2008/12/for-person-who-has-everything.html
• http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977527350
• http://pictures.streakr.com/gifts.htm
• http://www.jtirregulars.com/2009/09/for-person-who-has-everything.html

Breakfast at ...

I don't mind getting up early very morning, it is what I am getting up for that truly bothers me. What is your motivation in getting up every morning? If it is for a nice relaxing breakfast then I am all up for it! To quote form Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, "food, to me, has always been an adventure." What can be better than to start your day off with an adventure in Gastronomy every morning!

Somehow it reminded me of the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's! I don't why but it was a great movie indeed! I am thinking about breakfast already ... perhaps Almond Croissant and a cup of coffee at LE SALON DE THÉ de Joël Robuchon?

Space Resort by 2012?

How much would you pay to stay in space for 3 nights including weeks of pre-training? Apparently there are people willing to pay about EUR 3 million for 3 nights at the The Galactic Suite Space Resort scheduled to be opened by 2012 according to news sources. I am not that interested at this moment not only because of the cost but I am more interested when they can generate gravitational force on those space hotel. Literally running in space would be much more fun!!! Then again, let's wait and see if this project will actually survive by 2012.

A Billboard for Halloween ?!?!?!

I took the following three pictures recently at the Discovery Bay (on Halloween actually). If I am correct, It is a billboard commissioned by the Islands District Council in celebration of the 60th birthday of the PRC. I took these pictures of the billboard at a different time of the day: (1) under the sun, (2) evening & (3) night. Take a look before I tell you what I think about it ... it is not going to be pretty I tell ya !

(1) Under the Sun


(2) Evening


(3) Night

The bill board is just PLAIN UGLY !!! Its presence near the pier and bus station destroys the whole peaceful and relaxing atmosphere of Discovery Bay. This is LIGHT POLLUTION! If you tell me the 4 figures standing left and right of the billboard are for Halloween purposes, I might just believe you! Please remove it ASAP !! If a visitor like me is complaining about it, I am sure local residences would start to protest or write a petition for its removal soon right!?????