DRAGON BOAT RACE 2012

This past weekend we went on a junk to see the dragon boat race at Stanley Beach. Our friend was participating in the race and we were there to cheer her on!

Everything about the day could not have been more perfect. It was spent hanging out with new friends, eating, drinking, cheering on the racers, karaoke-ing, banana boating, wake boarding and swimming. Not to mention the weather was gorgeous!

Here are some pictures of our day at sea.

MOM'S VISIT TO HK: DAY 1

Have I mentioned how excited I am to have my mom in town? Unfortunately, during her first full day in the city, I had to work. So, M acted as her tour guide.

After watching the Heat win the MBA finals in the morning, my mom and M met me at my office for lunch. We ate at a local Japanese restaurant in Quarry Bay. The restaurant was one of M's grandfather's favorite places to eat when he was in the area, so we were excited to take my mom.

My mom's visit to my office

After lunch, M took my mom to visit his family's fish stall, something he is VERY proud of. The fish stall, located at a wet market in Chai Wan, has been in the family for years. It is his hope that one day he will own and operate the fish stall. I mean, how many people can say they own a fish stall?!

The fish stall

While they were in the area, they visited M's grandfather's old apartment, where he and M's grandmother raised 9 children. He lived in the same apartment until last year, which was located on the 6th floor of a 6th floor walk-up. Talk about a lot of exercise each day!

On the way home, M and my mom took the Mid-Levels escalator back up to our apartment.

After a busy day of sightseeing, the jet lag was starting to get to my mom. We stayed in and I cooked Secret Ingredient steaks. Mom was in bed by 8:30pm. We were happy she was in bed early, as we had a big weekend planned. More on that tomorrow...

LIFE LATELY

orange chocolate truffle dessert at a new tapas restaurant on peel street

hk frappuccino

shark fins for sale:(

the escalator after hours

my idea of a perfect sunday afternoon.. live music and thai iced tea

after days of cloudy skies and rain, a rainbow appears

heavy cargo

not many things excite him more than fried chicken

she's here!

watching lebron and the heat win

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

MY MOM'S HERE!

My mom has arrived in Hong Kong and I couldn't be more thrilled to have her here! We have a lot planned over the next week and a half including visits to the local museums, a junk boat ride to celebrate the Dragon Boat festival, a trip to Taipei and some baking to celebrate the 4th of July (flag cakes are our new annual tradition)! I will keep you posted on all of our fun activities.

Our flag cakes from last summer!

THE BUND PROMENADE SHANGHAI

One of my favorite things to do when I am in Shanghai is to take a walk along the Bund Promenade where I can really soak in the views of the city.

On the west side of the river, you admire the colonial architecture of the past.

And on the east side of the river, you're in awe of the modern architecture of the future.

If you're planning a trip to Shanghai, check out one of the rooftop bars or restaurants along the Huangpu River to get great views of the Bund and Pudong. I recommend drinks at the Roosevelt Rooftop Lounge or dining at the M On The Bund restaurant as pictured below.

VCA TIMELESS BEAUTY

Brand exhibitions are popping up all over Shanghai. Back in March, I visited the Bvlgari exhibition.  And when I was in Shanghai earlier this month, I went to the Van Cleef & Arpels "Timeless Beauty" exhibition, VCA's largest brand exhibition in China.

The retrospective features around 370 pieces of jewelry, watches and accessories created over the past 100 years. It's located at Shanghai's Museum of Contemporary Art in People's Park, which is worth a visit too.

MoCA Shanghai

People's Park

When I walked into the exhibit, I was immediately drawn to the whimsical displays.

 
While the environment certainly was impressive, the jewelry was the main attraction and collection certainly did not disappoint. The room was filled with so many impressive pieces.

A tribute to Elizabeth Taylor

Showing off the VCA "mystery setting"

The famous ballerinas

A beautiful monogrammed seed pearl purse

And, last but not least, the exhibit ended with a royal tiara

In addition to the jewelry, there were interactive videos featuring virtual tours of Van Cleef's jewelry workshop in Paris.

The exhibit will be in Shanghai until July 7th. From there, it will travel to Paris. For more information, check out this link.

Van Cleef & Arpels Timeless Beauty Exhibit
May 20, 2012 - July 7, 2012
MoCA Shanghai
People's Park, 231 Nanjing West Road
+86 21 63279900