#003 - let the books flow

I love reading and I love buying books. But what you gonna do with the books that you won't read anymore? Also as many Hong Kong people do not live in big flats, we don't always have enough space to keep all of them.

I have started an initiative this year - "let the books flow", meaning that rather than simply throwing them into paper recycling bin or the waste bin, you can give them to someone else:

1. I post photos of books that I want to give away in facebook and see if any of my friends is interested in them. Set a deadline for response.

2. If no one shows his/her hand after the deadline, start considering an organisation which may want to take them.

3. Many youth centres have their own libraries so that's an option.

4. Another option would be university libraries. Email them and confirm whether they want the books. They don't usually take books that they already have, but there are many exceptions so please do ask. Below is the list of some of the libraries.

HKU: hkuacq@hku.hk
CUHK: libgift@lib.cuhk.edu.hk
CityU: lbacq@cityu.edu.hk
PolyU: ser.lib@polyu.edu.hk

5. Unfortunately public libraries is NOT an option. They said they only take books which are rare or written by donars themselves. Weird but that's that case.

Any other homes for books? Feel free to share!

Bottega Veneta

I was so worried 24 hours ago - for some stupid reasons, my newly bought Bottega Veneta purse was stained with ink of ink jet printer. I dared not to clean it myself.

I couldn't wait and go all the way to the shop in Tsim Sha Tsui yesterday afternoon to seek help. A saleslady called Cherry was so patient in helping me remove the stain with specialised leather cleaner. She not only removed the stain but also cleaned the WHOLE wallet!

I am deeply impressed by the service - I was not there to make a purchase and Cherry was very helpful! Who said luxury shops in TST only take good care of the shoppers from mainland China?

The Lady Godiva Legend

Many of us know about the chocolate brand Godiva, but how many of you know about who Godiva is? Do you know why the logo of Godiva is a woman riding a horse?

I learnt about the story when I was studying in University of Warwick which is situated in Coventry, a city where the legend originated.

Excerpt from the website of Godiva on the legend,

The Lady Godiva Legend

Many hundreds of years ago, a woman of great generosity and beauty left an indelible impression upon the people she reigned over in Coventry. Known for her lustrous hair and bountiful nature, she dedicated her life to the impoverished and stricken.

Her husband, Lord Leofric, was a powerful ruler, unsympathetic to the citizens of his kingdom. When he imposed a heavy burden of taxation upon his subjects, Lady Godiva protested. Lord Leofric boomed forth a challenge: If Lady Godiva rode naked through the streets, and if the people of the city remained inside, the taxation would be lifted.

Lady Godiva agreed to this bargain. Although she was demure in spirit, she was always most generous in action. Then finally, it was the morning of the event. Dawn rose, and the clock struck seven, ringing through the cobbled streets. The people closed their shutters, as promised. Lady Godiva's velvet gown dropped to the ground, her luminous skin shimmering.

The ride began.

Throughout the streets echoed the foreign sound of hooves galloping, yet not a single glance flew her way.

Upon her finish, the thunderous cheers were heard throughout the town. Lady Godiva had braved modesty and convention to win the hearts of all who knew her. As promised, Leofric eased his taxation of the poor, and her place in history was immortalized.

The legend of Lady Godiva has not diminished, but instead has grown and deepened. Centuries later, Joseph Draps, a renowned Belgian chocolatier, created a line of chocolates with extraordinary richness and design, a collection of passion and purity. He sought a name that embodied the timeless qualities of passion, style, sensuality and modern boldness. His choice?

Godiva.

It's a touching story, wasn't it? Bear in mind that women at that time didn't have high social status and they were supposed to stay home, raise kids and keep quiet. It was a brave and unusual move for Lady Godiva to protest against her husband for the benefits of the others.

2012年的暑假

孩子們，今天就是新學年的開課日。暑假本來是讓老師和同學們休息和輕鬆一下的，但是今個暑假來得有點特別，不是嗎？您們錯過了多少奧運比賽節目？有碰過遊戲機嗎？這個暑假，您們把自己的娛樂放在一旁，不為自己，而是為了香港的未來。

路，不易走，但我們會一起走到終點。

今天三時，政府總部再見。

延伸閱讀：
譚蕙芸專訪馬詩慧：烈女媽媽 從天橋走入人間
9.1不是反國民教育的結束，而是另一場曠日持久抗戰的開始
學民的思潮
德育組合 

Godiva Icecream Parlor Truffles

巧克力是我的comfort food，每逢趕功課或者考試期間就「緊有古古力在手袋」，另外我在辦公室亦長備godiva chocolate pearls。今次陪我的是icecream parlor truffles冰淇淋味松露巧克力。

我買的是四件裝的gift box，由綠色那顆開始，順時針方向的分別是Pistachio Truffle、Neapolitan Truffle、Lemon Sorbet和Pecan Caramel。Pecan Caramel那顆送了給同學，味道如何就不知道了。另外三顆之中，我最喜歡的是Lemon Sorbet，味道清新，十分適合在夏天食用。

Cut-out cops

When I watched the TV news last night and saw this, I LAUGHED!

Source: NOW.com

Here's the lively report from RTHK:

Cut-out cops to combat speeding

The police are not often in the business of fooling people. But this time they will be doing just that - by placing two life-sized cut-out police officers on major highways in a bid to persuade motorists to lower their speed. The force are hoping that the new approach can reduce the number of traffic accidents.

You know what, each of this costs a few thousand hongkies and the Police Force will review this new approach in a few months time.

I was wondering if we will have cut-out teachers in classrooms soon so students would be more well-behaved? Well I do doubt if this is going to work at all.

Patisserie, Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Shatin

source: hotel website

I visited Patisserie of Hyatt Regency and it was quite good!

 

It's located at the lobby level of the hotel and there are only a few seats, a few inside and a few outside the patisserie. Not recommeneded for visit with more than two people.

 

 

I am not a big fan of apple pie but how I can not try this signature Shatin Apple Pie? It's claimed to be made of natural honey from a local apiary. I quite like it but as I said, I am not a big fan of it thus I can't make fair comment of this. I like it that the apple pieces were not too sour or too sweet.  

 

It was a nice afternoon with apple pie, hot lemon tea and some drizzles. Life is beautiful. :)

You can enjoy a slice of cake/apple pie of your choice and coffee/tea at HK$68 in the afternoon. The hotel is right next to the University Station so if you happen to be in Shatin and do not want to be in a crowded cafe, do consider visiting this patisserie. Enjoy!

----------
Patisserie
Lobby, Hyatt Regency Hong Kong Shatin
18 Chak Cheung Street, Shatin

Cosmopolitan及Elle九月號

香港的雜誌近年跟隨日本的做法，經常會隨書附送小禮物給讀者，不過質素參差，而今個月的Cosmopolitan及Elle給我小小的驚喜。

 

首先，Cosmopolitan隨書附送的是Kate Spade的Pouch Set，一紅一黑，一大一小：小的可以在使用小手袋的時候用，用來放八達通、信用咭及身份證等等；大的可以當作化妝袋、Clutch或者筆袋。這個是2012年雜誌送的禮物中最實用最漂亮的一款。今期的封面是徐子淇，styling及photography都美，BUY！

順帶一提，今季Kate Spade的手袋和衣服都令人引項以待，其中之一就是下面的Carissa dress。

Elle送的是agnes b的膠文件夾一套四個。每年我會視乎封面人物而買幾次Elle，但始終不太喜歡這本雜誌。

遍地白花和紫花。這個是我的首選。

Dermes

話寫話寫，等了又等還是未寫，今晚一定要寫完先訓！(好啦，我為左達到目的，連書面語都唔寫啦！)

話說我幾個月前開始喺dermes 做激光脫毛，去dermes嘅原因係朋友仔都係幫襯dermes，所以對dermes比較有信心。到而家已經去左三次 (每六星期一次)，我遇到嘅最大問題唔係做療程期間嘅小小痛，而係我對腳嘅皮膚實在太敏感，加上天氣熱，所以做完treatment之後一至兩個星期都起紅點，而且係非常痕，要不斷搽藥膏同用冰袋敷，先舒服返啲。

(source: http://fashion.com.hk/content.asp?id=1119)


不過，我都係會堅持落去，亦recommend 大家去做，因為真係方便好多，朝早出門口之前唔使花時間去處理嘅毛毛，想幾時著無袖衫同短裙都得。唔好話underarm，就算成手都係毛毛都有礙觀瞻啦。

最後係廣告時間，我嘅therapist送左張voucher俾我，可以俾一位朋友同時試做upper lip同underarm一次，而平日網上登記嘅試做只可以二選一。張voucher係八月三十一日到期，有興趣就留言俾我啦。

好野，可以去訓啦！

期限

早幾天完成了另一次的護膚品及化妝品點算及清理行動。

很多人都不知道這些產品都是有期限的，而我們要留意的日子有兩個：一個是產品的到期日，另一個是產品開封後可以使用的期限。有些產品，特別是化妝品沒有標明後者，Bobbi
Brown在《Makeup Manual》中提供了以下指引：

粉底液、遮瑕膏、乾粉、胭脂、潤膚露、面霜：兩年
唇膏、眼綫筆：一年至一年半
睫毛液：六個月

Confession時間：以上是我上一次行動所丟棄的化妝品，而我明白了我購買的速度遠比使用的速度高，特別是眼影，所以我已大大減少購物！如果產品生產商可以產品的分量減少，那麼我們可以把產品用完再買，那就好了！

Chanel Fleur De Lotus Collection

It's Chanel again! My favourite makeup brand at this moment is definitely Chanel!

I received this EDM recently - it's a new limited Fleur de Lotus. Among all these items, my pick is the Aqualumiere Gloss 81 Roselin.  Look at this pink colour!

I haven't been to the shop recently so I don't know if they are available in Hong Kong. Argh...that's very tempting...

原稿紙

人在放假的時候，古怪的主意特別多。今次我想到用原稿紙寫博文。

原因有幾個︰首先，我的腦袋通常比我的手快，我經常遇到「忘了剛才要寫甚麼」的情況，而用紙筆就可以免卻這個問題；第二、電腦打字或多或少令我逐漸忘記一些字的寫法，執筆忘字的情況很常見，都是倉頡又或者速成輸入法的副產品；最後，是因為我的中文字寫得愈來愈難看，都是疏於練習之故，而原稿紙上的小格子可以幫助我把字寫得工整一點。

Blog Mission for August 2012

Summer holiday has started that I'd have a bit more time for some decent writing. A couple of topics that I need to write - Fours Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, Beijing trip 2012, my Ted Baker handbag, my recent wine class with BBR, Kate Spade Summer 2012 etc. All these will fill my August.

Looking forward to these.

The Little Black Jacket Chanel's Classic Revisited

Chanel正在上環舉行一個名為「The Little Black Jacket Chanel's Classic Revisited」的攝影展覽，展出超過100張由 Chanel 藝術總監 Karl Lagerfeld 拍攝、由不同的人穿著Chanel Little Black Jacket 的照片。展覽目的是展示這經典的 Little Black Jacket 是適合不同年齡、性別及性格，及在不同場合穿著的。

在眾多照片中，我最喜歡的是蒼井優及湯唯的照片。

訪客可以在參觀完畢之後帶走三張海報作為紀念品，包括湯唯、Cecile Cassel 及 Elisa Sednaoui。

展覽由即日至七月十六日假香港上環 The Space（地址：荷李活道210號）舉行，開放時間為上午十一時至晚上七時，免費入場。展覽的網址為 http://thelittleblackjacket.chanel.com ，網站內有開幕派對的花絮影片。

註：為甚麼在香港的展覽不准訪客拍照？台北 （http://midollisslin.pixnet.net/blog/post/30024585-chanel%E7%B6%93%E5%85%B8%E6%B0%B8%E5%AD%98%7Cthe-little-black-jacket） 的好像可以啊！

evie makeup remover and gentle cleansing form

我想近日最紅的護膚品牌，是evie 莫屬。evie 並非大品牌，沒有鋪天蓋地的廣告宣傳，今天的成績都是靠口碑！

evie make up remover (HK$320, 180ml) 比另一S品牌的卸妝油好多了，用後皮膚不會繃緊，可以用於普通的眼妝 (就是眼影加液狀眼線都可以)。老生常談，卸妝油並非潔面產品，卸妝之後一定要潔面！

品牌旗下有兩款潔面產品，我選了gentle cleansing foam (HK$320, 180ml) 是因為售貨員的介紹，但我已經忘了原因！雖然產品叫做cleansing foam，但因為沒有加入起泡劑，所以是不會起泡的，也就不會令皮膚繃緊。美中不足的是那個瓶口的設計不太理想，造成浪費。

品牌產品現在在mimingmart生活百貨及harvey nichols有售，價錢應該是一樣，但是在mimingmart生活百貨購買可以儲積分，harvey nichols就甚麼優惠都沒有了。

下次再談其他我使用過的evie 產品。

my first myluxbox

the power of public relations - i read an article in iMoney which tempted me to give it a try!

definitely good news for the ladies - now we do not have to make purchases without trying a product (i am not talking about TESTING the product at the counter). you can opt for paying a small sum of money to get 4-6 samples of cosmetics and skincare products which are picked by the vendor. the size of the samples is good enough for you to use for a few times.

it's not something brand new and apart from myluxbox, where i got my "first box", there are some other vendors offering similar experience to customers and one of them is glamabox, which is founded by Lisa S. both vendors charge HK$108 per box, with some discounts if you commit for a few months or more.

the workflow is pretty straight forward - you first have to register at the website, fill in personal particulars and also skincare profile, pay for paypal, then the box will be sent to your address.

the first box that i had was for May which has 6 products in total, you can find the details here.

the box also comes with a card with details of the products in the box, and also the prices of the "real" products.

i am getting another box from myluxbox for June, and i am considering to get one from glamabox for july, so i can make comparison.

one point to note is that myluxbox has extended the offerings to men and mum & baby.

Pedicure - Nail Nail

Pedicure這回事，我一向是光顧酒店的spa的，但由於時間配合不了，上星期便去了又一城PS Group旗下的Nail Nail。
服務方面真的普普通通，修甲師粗魯之餘又把工具隨處放，本來拍了照的，但是之後電話壞了，修理之後如果相片還在，再和大家分享。而且一班修甲師聚在一起便懶理客人的存在，說是說非，當日她們談的就是某某要墮胎。

ok當然一分錢一分貨，miss p妳不是認為妳付一個較低的價錢但可以有酒店水準的服務嗎？當然不是！Nail Nail 基本修甲的價錢是$360，但加上小腿磨沙的$240，總數就是$600。我平常光顧The Mira是$440，The Bliss是$595+10%，而且兩家都有小腿按摩，加上之前可以使用spa的設施例如sauna等等，Nail Nail是沒有的。你說Nail Nail是不是貴得不合理？

不想去酒店？中環的Iyara的收費是$350，Indulgence是$420，選擇多的是，何必去Nail Nail？

Murad

當我前天在Joyce Beauty看不見Murad的蹤跡，我真的叫了一句：「大鑊。」

在好一段日子以前已經寫過Murad的產品，有好些產品我現在還有用，不過究竟是哪一種產品會令我覺得「大鑊」呢？

就是Acne Body Wash。

在夏天來臨之際，才買不到這個沒有代替品的產品，除了「大鑊」之外，我想不到可以形容我感受的詞語。

我急不及待地在網上找到代理的電話，才知道Murad在 iSquare 和新蒲崗的 Mikiki 開了店，店的名字是Acca Kappa / H & Beauty。

我昨天就去了買東西了，令我喜出望外的是價錢比2008年的時候還要低，那時的售價是$395，現在是$350。但是我不得不贊成 Joyce Beauty 讓香港人認識及信任這個品牌，所以mark up都挺合理的。

Arts Faculty, The University of Hong Kong

I believe many Arts alumni of the University of Hong Kong would share my feeling - the Main Building is the best home for the Faculty.

I'm glad that I am one of the lucky ones who had the opportunity of having classes in this heritage building.

I'm blessed.

an unusual wrong purchase with moleskine

I have been a happy customer with Moleskine for a year or so now - I am using a number of their notebooks, diary and also pens. However I am pretty disappointed with the most recent purchase.

I was going to have a trip for the Easter break and I fancied getting my first proper luggage tag. I rushed to get this pink one from Dymocks the bookstore the night before the trip . It cost HK$118.

However after a trip with only two flights that my luggage was on someone else's hands, the tag is now like this. It's simply wrong to use the same materials of notebook cover for luggage tag.

lesson learnt: dont get a moleskine or get one with deep colour.

this is all my fault!

i have no clue why i didnt receive any notification on incoming comments - i just found that i had 27 comments awaiting approval! my apology to all those who were so kind and respond to my posts.

next step - check setting to ensure that i know there's comment coming in!

Leslie Cheung

i don't need a reminder for this, i always remember - today's your ninth death anniversary.

we miss you.

玻璃之情

追

今生今世

左右手

至少還有你

One Day.

Today's a difficult one - I felt very unwell with sore throat and headache this morning but I must go to work. Lucky enough, I managed to leave office early and consulted my doctor (and the waiting time was exceptionally short) - he said it's pharyngitis, which happens on me once or twice every year. Ok nothing surprising.

Afterwards, I dragged myself to class because it was a not-to-be-missed - a professor from Cambridge is visiting and how I miss British accent (and the British sense of humours).


On my way home, a friend called and I did an hour of counselling about her challenges at work. The problem is not a new one and I trust the only way out for her is to quit this job. Period. Though I felt painful talking with my sore throat, I'm glad that she finds me a trustworthy person to speak too. All the best to her.

And you know what, I feel blessed that I have nice colleagues. After all these years I have realised that we cannot take it for granted - I should be grateful for the fact that I am working with a great team. With respect, with faith.

102 - part II

I saw some old photos a couple of days ago, which were taken in my "102 era".

At a low ebb, I was terribly thin at that time. I didn't have good appetite and spend all the time on work and study. It didn't take long to lose some weight.

I am still living with a shadow over head, but I believe things will get better.

梁靜茹 - 給未來的自己

#002 - tell him/her how you feel...

Tell the one whom you like/love how you feel, before it is too late.

Isabella Ear Piercing Service

幾個月前，穿了廿年而一直相安無事（除了間中發炎）的耳孔突然在一次發炎後「埋了口」， 怎樣都不能將耳環帶上，如何是好？

想了一陣子，我決定再穿耳。雖然我不是經常戴耳環，但「不可以」和「不經常」戴耳環是兩碼子的事，我要有選擇權！

好，那麼去哪兒穿耳呢？現在的我已經接受不了去那些小商場的小店去做這事了，畢竟衛生是十分重要的！好友介紹我去Isabella，我就去了！

我去的是銅鑼灣Fashion Walk 的分店，招呼我的店員很細心詢問我「戴耳環」的「歷史」，便建議我嘗試先讓她替我戴上耳環，如果不成功，才替我再穿耳。

而店員竟然很輕易替我戴上左邊的耳環，右邊的就有點麻煩，弄了好一些時間，還換了一個人，但畢竟不用「捱」一「槍」，也就ok啦！

開始的時候，店員都有向我介紹他們的護理服務，本來我不打算參加的，但是由於服務真的不錯，而且有一支護理液（即類似消毒藥水的東西），加上一張買耳環的八折券，也不賴了。

服務包括共六次護理，就是檢查穿耳的位置有沒有發炎及清潔的情況，也會進行一次清潔。

我選了最貴一款耳環，所以收費也是最貴的，共$690，收費由二百多起。

P.S. 我去之前我打電話向紅十字會查詢穿耳後是否一段時間內不可以捐血，原來是不是的！我這種普通穿耳是沒有問題的，但是那些臍環等等就不一樣啦！

An Enchanted Evening with Kit Chan & Chiu Tsang Hei featuring the HK CITYPOPS

Among female singers in the city, who sang better than Kit Chan? Joey Yung? Kay Tse? Oh you kiddi' me!

The very first time that I listened to Kit in a live concert was Hei's concert last year - it was incredible! So I got ticket for this one once they started selling. It's amazing - even though there were not many guest singers and no stunning stage design.

P.S. Kit's costumes were not ok, especially the one in red. Better go for another designer next time.

成長

儘管時間會奪去女人的青春，時間也是女人最強的武器。因為時間流逝，女人才會成長，變得更加成熟，更有智慧。拿得起也放得低，這樣的女人才有能力為自己爭取幸福。時間讓人把事情看得更清，把愛情看得更透，終於明白「塞翁失馬焉知非福」的道理，感謝他當日一腳踢開你！

～《王迪詩看世界》

#001 - red packets

envelopes without pre-coated glue

We all LOVE red packets but what can you do with all these envelopes after getting the money out from them?

I remember in the old days, all the envelopes were pre-coated with glue, so one can easily seal the envelopes. So after the Chinese new year, for those non-glossy envelopes, I would tear off the part with glue and recycle them.

It would take some time to get it done, but it is ok - remember how short the lives of these envelopes, and how little effort you have to spare so as to save some space in our landfills. The good news is that, when I did the same task this year, I found that I spent even less time on it because more envelopes are without glue now, so I can recycle them right away.

Next year, please do consider having red envelopes without glue.

P.S. This year is the first year for me giving out red packets to my junior colleagues, and I do love the design of  the (pink) red envelopes.

100 little things to make this world a better place

Inspired by Alice, my flatmate when I was in graduate school, I've decided to share with my readers little things that we can easily do (but don't usually do) to make this world a better place.

I am targeting to list 100 little things in 2012 - in different categories. You may know all these little things but somehow we forget or we are not motivated to carry them out. I hope you'd join me to take the first step and be persistent, and when we look back at the end of 2012, we'd agree that we've done some good deeds for this world.

club monaco

這條club monaco半截裙是2012年一月購買的唯一非必需品(也是奢侈品)。想了整整一個月，到了final sale 都不減價，所以就買了。

幸虧，club monaco 的衣服一向耐穿，幾件幾年前買的expensive items 現在還在穿。

順帶一提，之前參加過club monaco在新世界中心分店的marketing event，是我去過最好玩的event之一。讚！

P.S.昨天在club monaco 試了一條demim褲及hand embroidered 背心，至今還在想著。。。

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neutrogena deep clean eye & lip make-up remover

This is the third one that I have - does it tell you something about how good it is? 

I used to use the one from Shiseido The Skincare but believe it or not, this one from Neutrogena is as good as the Shiseido one, if not better! And also, it's way cheaper than the Shiseido one, which is around HK$80 only.

Also, this one that I am having has a major improvement in product design that I won't pour out too much at one time. Hurray!

Available in Watson's and many other pharmacies.

味吉拉麵店

那厚切豚肉實在讚！

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棱角

「人，要有棱角，不能圓滑至連自然都認不出自己的地步，我不想自己變成那種人。就算這樣的個性令我在路途上遭遇更多跌跌碰碰，也總勝過失去自己。」 -- 王迪詩  《我就是主角》

這是在書中，最觸動我心的一句。

我想我的棱角已經被適度地磨滑了許多，已經夠了。

奇幻聖誕夜

未試過在一個如此無知的情況下去看一個表演。話說朋友問起有沒有興趣看這齣香港話劇團的音樂劇，我就隨意說好，未有了解這是一個怎樣的音樂劇，直到開場前才知道這是Charles Dickens的A Christmas Carol。喂，但為何不叫A Christmas Carol而是叫Scrooge (主人翁的姓氏)？叫A Christmas Carol就清楚多了。

演員在演戲方面的表現理想，但歌唱部份，尤其是合唱的時候，有些「你有你唱，我有我唱」情況，扣了一些分數。不過，都是值回票價的，如果今年聖誕重演的話，我會推薦大家去看的。