Beertopia! Hong Kong - 28 April 2012 [Event]

Attention Beer Lovers! A new beer fest Beertopia! is coming to town, this time with over 90 craft beers from around the world including Hong Kong's microbrewery, Typhoon Brewery. The festival will take place at the historical Western Market in Sheung Wan on the April 28, 2012. Tickets are limited and range from HKD250-300. Not a big fan of beer, no worries, attend and learn about them and enjoy the live music, beer lectures as well as play games such as beer pong and flip cup. Oh beer pong! I am definitely going to be there to try out some craft beers and support my friend who dedicated his time to organize this event because of his love for beer! Cheers to all! Stay tuned stay informed on Beertopia! Facebook Page! Almost forgot, check out the beer list <here>.

Travel - Seoul, Korea (Jan 2012)

I just realized that I did not really blog about my short trip to Seoul back in Jan 2012. Two reasons, one being I was there for a mere 24 hours so didn't many opportunities to explore around and the other reason being I didn't bring my DSLR with me on this trip. However, like I said at the Smartphone Photography talk during the Social Media Week Hong Kong 2012, the best camera is the one that is with you and in my case iPhone is more than qualified to be the best camera at that moment. Smartphone Photography is getting very popular and an increasing number of aspiring photographers (as well as professional photographers) are getting more involved with smartphone photography for its mobility as well as a treating it as a separate category on its own. No matter how one defines smartphone photography, to me it is a a form of photography and it is evolving as we speak.

Greyhound Cafe @ Harbour City 海港城 (Hong Kong)

There was such a hype when Thailand's Greyhound Cafe opened its first overseas outlet a few months ago at the IFC Mall, Hong Kong. Bookings were required a few days in advance for lunch and dinner. I have been there twice and both during off-peak hours because I have heard mixed reviews on its service during other times. My experiences at the IFC Mall outlet was not quite memorable on the service as well as food. Of course given the fact that both my visits were during the first few months of opening, things may have improved by now. I guess a revisit is required? Oh wait, this post is not about the IFC outlet but the recently opened Harbour City branch across the Victoria Harbour. Since this visit was an invitation by Harbour City, it would be quite difficult to accurately judge its service (which was great of course) or even perhaps the food. What I can say and do want to share is that my experience at this outlet was more enjoyable for various reasons. One being the wider selection of items only available at this outlet and the another being how I can actually have a complete conversation with my friends without yelling at the top of my lungs!

Preloved Fashion Pop-up Sale! Get Ready! (21 April 2012)

What!? You forgot that I mentioned about my new venture into fashion? No worries, I am more than happy to remind everyone here. :) ... Shameless promotion? Sure! My Fashion Birdcage is one of my new ventures and it is a recently launched London and Hong Kong based online fashion business. We are committed to provide every new or up-and-coming designer around the world a platform to showcase their work to the world of buyers looking for products that are a bit different. To satisfy our fashion-conscious customers, we are always on the lookout for new interesting items to sell. We also stock a mix of brand new and pre-loved authentic fashion items by well established designers such as Prada, Bottega Veneta, Fendi, Gucci, Lanvin, Salvatore Ferragamo, Louis Vuitton and a lot more. This guarantees certain web traffic to our website which is extremely beneficial for up-and-coming designers. Living in London? in Hong Kong? Wonderful! Visit us at www.myfashionbirdcage.com and stayed informed by LIKE us facebook.com/myfashionbirdcage for updates or follow us on Twitter @myfashbirdcage !

Oh what else? Something exciting is coming up! We are going to be participating in the upcoming Preloved Fashion Hong Kong event on the 21 April 2012 (Saturday). As the name suggests, it is a pop-up fashion sale event featuring brand new, barely worn, and vintage clothing, shoes, and accessories. Check out the Facebook Page for a preview of the items to be on sale and mark your calendar & get ready for some shopping! Oh Hong Kong Fashion Geek will be there as well! 

Ask the Foodie - South China Morning Post

Just in case you missed it, I was being interviewed by SCMP a few weeks ago for their weekly section titled Ask the Foodie. I was being asked questions regarding my background and how I started blogging a few years ago then gradually moving into lifestyle writing and photography as well. It was indeed quite a journey and definitely no regrets. I am still enjoying the journey! The interview ended with a photo-shoot session in the middle of Pedder Street x Queen's Road Central. Quite an interesting experience, I may try to take some photographs like that later, anyone want to volunteer? Oh and how do I look? What do you think of my double chin? Don't you know that double chin is the new trend!? Oh one more thing, if you are into fashions, check out my new venture My Fashion Birdcage, a new London-based fashion destination for up-and-coming designers items and of course pre-loved fashion accessories!

Lufthansa LSG Sky Chef - Culinary Excellence in the Air: Behind the Scenes

Many of us had our fair share of rants on plane food, no matter what class you are travelling in. Common complaints are often related to the lack of flavours, the level of moisture of your rice or perhaps how tough your beef is. True that in some cases, the quality of the food varies a lot depending on the airlines and their respective catering services, however, I often feel that many passengers forget the fact that they are having their meals at 35,000 feet, inside a pressurized environment with humidity close to 10% or even lower. To prepare food at this high altitude is no easy task and more challenging than many would expect. I always know how the boiling point would reduce to around 80C at that altitude which affects the temperature of the food being consumed after the reheating process. However, my recent visits to one of the world's largest airline catering service providers Lufthansa's LSG Sky Chef facilities in Hong Kong turned out to be quite fruitful in learning more on the limitations as well as regulations of how food must be prepared for safe consumption at 35,000 feet.

Pulled "Meat" Burger @ Mandarin Oriental (Hong Kong)

When it comes to technicality, pulled burgers are often referred as pulled-pork burgers commonly found in the Midwest of the States. As the name suggests, pork is often the main ingredient. However, with a touch of creativity, fundamental concepts can be modified into new creation. We often describe culinary as an adventure and it is, chef continuously think of new approaches to improve or create interesting dishes based on familiar items. Chef at Cafe Causette at the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong is preparing to offer a few of his versions of the familiar pulled "meat" burgers. No just pork anymore! As part the early bird tasting offer, between the 12 - 25 March 2012, you can try out the 5 mini Pulled "Meat" Burgers for a mere HKD88!! Cast your vote for your favourite flavor and the winning two (2) will be placed on the menu starting in April 2012!!! (don't worry, the final version will be full sized, not mini burgers!) ... Tried it already? Now cast your vote here > http://on.fb.me/zc0V2G 

Online Restaurant Booking? Hong Kong is NOT Ready yet!

Have you tried to book a table online? Yes I have and as a matter of fact I loved the idea so much a few years back that I wanted to bring this idea / concept to Hong Kong. After a 24 hours cooling period, I returned to reality, commercial reality that is, and gave up on the idea. Over the past 6 months, I noticed an increasing number of online booking websites being launched with massive advertising all over the web and social media channels. However, my take on online restaurant reservation remains the same as a few years ago, Hong Kong is not ready for it YET for many reasons, below are 3 major ones in my opinion.

Smartphone Photography and be Creative!

As mentioned in my previous post, I had the honour to speak at one of the Social Media Week Hong Kong event titled Getting Social with Smartphone Photography. I want to write a post here to talk about some of the points I mentioned, not so much on the tips because similar to taste, when it comes to photography, what really matters is what the photographer thinks in my opinion (unless of course you are doing it for commercial purposes or have clients requirements to meet). There are of course many guidelines on composition of an image such as the rule of the thirds or golden ratios but again these are established guidelines which will help you understand what makes an image standout in some or many cases. Some are proven some are not, do not be bothered by them since they are guidelines for your reference, the key is to go out, be bold, be adventurous and take more photographs without carrying the buden of any rules! In my opinion, as long as the images you capture reflect your vision or what you wanted to express, they are good photographs.

Social Media Week Hong Kong 2012

Time for shameless promotion! For all social media enthusiasts out there I am sure you are aware of the Social Media Week happening around the world during Feb 13-17, 2012. Hong Kong is hosting a series of talks and events throughout the week and Hong Kong is the only city in the Greater China Area having the luxury of hosting. One of the events is Getting Social with Smartphone Photography of which a panel of smartphone photographers will be sharing some of their works and how they share (or over share in come cases) their images online using various social media applications. What so special about the event? Well, I am one of the panels and will be sharing my experiences on stage. Wish me luck!!

Travel - Amsterdam (Jan 2012)

If you are travelling to Amsterdam for the forst time and you doing so by yourself without joining any tours, no worries, the city is very tourist friendly. As soon as you step out of the departure gate of the Schiphol International Airport, there are many transportation options for you to get into the city, "domestic" trains being one of the cheapest and quickest option in my opinion. Why did I put a "quote" around the word "domestic?" Stay tuned and I will tell you why "international" trains / routes via NS Hispeed is a shocking story worth reading!

Flight Experience from Red Packet

When I was young, I thought about becoming a pilot, a commercial pilot to be exact. Yes, Maverick from Top Gun did contribute somewhat to my desire in becoming one but it was the love of flying that really interested me in wishing to become one. Obviously that dream was not realized, the closest I get to be a pilot was in front of a computer monitor playing Flight Simulator series of games. Finally after all these years, thanks to Red Packet Adrenaline experience package, I got the chance to try out an an actual size flight simulator at the Flight Experience located at MegaBox. There are many other options with the package but flight simulator topped my list because it is not an everyday activity one would attend.