Deepwater Bay Beach Day

The lovely Miss Sophia (Australian exchange student from Sydney) organised a beach day at Deepwater Bay last Sunday.

And of course, like all things related to exchange and Hong Kong, it was AMAZING!! I had so much fun!

Sunday is also the day where all the Filipino maids/help get off work so the beach was full of them. It was so festive as well. We had a BBQ at the beach that lasted all night. It was just such a nice chilled-out day- a great break from the crazy pace we have been going at in Hong Kong. The city literally never sleeps.

I go to bed at like 4am nearly every morning. (Who would have thought it?). Maybe because its uber easy to go out every night and no one has to worry about meeting up or transport we just do it at every opportunity.

Anyways, highlights of the beach day:
- Swimming to the buoys which you could stand on and then dive off (it was quite a hard swim for someone who hasn't properly swam in awhile!)
- trying to catch the fish in the bay
- listening to this Fillipino guy play his guitar and sing the songs we all know- i.e. Angel- Robbie Williams <3
- seeing the Fillipino maids all gather and laugh and play games
- diving off the buoy: watching Katy (Mexican exchange student) teach all the guys how to do backflips into the water. Watching them bellyflop.
-talking and laughing around the BBQs
- using my NEW digital camera
- swimming from 2pm-7pm (watching the sun set on the horizon as we swam)
- looking at the expensive yachts passing us by
- squealing in pleasure at the incredibly high-powered public showers at the end of the day after swimming in the dirty water. It felt so good! It was just one of those simple amusements that you have. (And it was so fun running around and using people's leftover shampoo- again- it was the simple pleasures)
-roasting marshmallows over the fire. Yum!
- and my PERSONAL FAVOURITE: making the lifeguards take me on their funny little paddle boats to shore because I was to lazy to swim back ^^. It was so fun. I really didnt think he would do it- but he let me and the lifeguards on the shore all helped me. I wish I had a photo :(

Here are some photos (some of the nicer ones are stolen from other people haha)

It was an overcast day. The beaches have nothing on Australia- but still- can't complain :)

Most of the group that managed to make it (despite hang overs from the previous night)

How pretty! This is a photo of what the life-guard sits on (he paddles it- so not great for emergency situations lol). And I got to ride on it! =D =D

The beach at night- imagine swimming with this all around you. Because that is what we did :)

The beach as the sun was going down. 

 

Eating the marshmallows 

Anyways i really need to run I need to get ready because in 30 minutes we are all heading to Victoria park to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival!

I even have my own lantern.

So excited

中秋节快乐 （Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!)

x Jane

Shopping in Mongkok

I officially dub Hong Kong the shopping Mecca. 

Last Saturday Kessie (Canadian Exchange student from UBC - but of Chinese descent) came with me to Mongkok on the Kowloon Island-side of Hong Kong. (For those of you who aren't familiar with Hong Kong- even though Kowloon is another island that forms part of Hong Kong it is literally only about 20 mins away from me by bus or bus+MTR (subway)). 

After a few weeks of not really shopping (due to the fact that we had to settle in and any shopping I did was only subsidiary to my main task that day) I have to honestly say I went nuts! The malls there are much more like China/Tokyo youth malls i.e. massive buildings with many floors and each floor with about like 50 tiny tiny shops. Of course, you get to haggle. (My island, Hong Kong island seems to be a lot more luxurious so Kowloon seems so much more affordable for me! Albeit quality is not that great!)

So anyways my intention was to go there and get a new digital camera- of course I ended up blowing my money WAY before that. (The camera was in fact the LAST thing i purchased before turning home.)

And with Australia's exchange rating all of a sudden soaring to $1AUD to every $7HKD you can imagine how excited I was shopping.

(SOME) of my purchases.

$80HKD (yeah so like $11AUD)- for these amazing wedges. So in right now! I love how they rip off all the latest styles in magazines/catwalk.

I regret this buy- it was my first bargain and I wasn't up to my normal standards. I paid $170HKD for these 2 pairs of flats. So like $30AUD for two pairs (although really it's not that bad either)

Smells like balenciaga ;). It's a mini mini clutch/coin purse but it comes with a long over the shoulder strap.

$80HKD - LOVE!

$80 HKD- jealous yet?

This is the smaller version of the Balenciaga I already purchased in Shanghai- $120HKD. Less than $20AUD

Fake Miu Miu Satchel- $120HKD.

On top of that I bought all sorts of dresses, tops, make-up etc. 

I ended up spending $4000HKD that day. (Gosh, it's easy to forget the value of money in places like that). I barely conquered one floor- so I'll have to go back. But my next shopping trip will focus on accessories!

The $4000HKD was inclusive of the camera I got. It's an Olympus M-5010. So good. HD video recording capability, super macro, beauty mode, 14 mega-pixels and a shittonne of features I dont understand. But apparently it's like the girlier version of the new Canon S95.  I paid $1840HKD for it. So not bad at all.

I can't wait to purchase my DSLR.

HK is my No 1 Love.

xox

J

Oh and just a photo Kessie took of me because I was literally going nuts with the shopping and she wanted to document it :)

High Table Dinner

I feel that I really should post about the High Table Dinner I did a few weeks ago (before uni classes actually started.) [This is for you Joy!]


So CEDARS (The Centre of Development and Resources for Students) hosts a free Dialogue Session with Alumni and Teachers and then a High-Table Dinner as an induction for all Freshman and International students.  So being the excited eager beavers that us girls all were, we decided to sign up.


The Dialogue Session was really great actually- I was in a group with an Alumni who worked for Google and also the Head of  the Arts Faculty. I cant remember the Head of the Arts Faculty name but she was very inspiring and fun. She told us about all the NGOs she had started, the research she had done and she was also fluent in English, French, Japanese, Mandarin and Cantonese. Right now she is working closely with the Hong Kong film industry. Furthermore, in her youth she was (well she still is!) an activist. When the Tiananmen Massacre happened she filtered news into China with numerous other Hong Kong University students hidden in Porn Tapes. She did this so people in China would actually know what was happening, as the Chinese Government tried to hide it from their own people.




The highlight however, really was the High Table. It was sooooooooo amazing. High Table is a tradition from the United Kingdom. You do it to " to promote intellectual exchange among the participants. Through attending the dinner, students learn to handle themselves in a formal dinner and develop a sense of pride and identity with the University. For many students, it is the first formal dinner they have ever attended." It was like we were in Hogwarts. We all got the green robes to wear, sat in big long tables and the teachers table was above us. The food also was really, really good (especially since it was free). I had Russian Soup as an entree, Chicken with mixed mushroom sauce and vegetables for the main and a decadent Chocolate Brownie with mixed fruit for dessert (so decadent that i didn't even finish it!)


Then we had an amazing guest speaker who did a talk about Globalisation etc. 


Being at the High Table dinner made me really realise what a great institution HKU is- far far far better than anything in Australia. There is a reason why its ranked in the Top 20 in the world!




Anyways some photos:

Waiting for the Teachers+Distinguished Guests to Arrive

Some of the Girls from Patrick Manson

This was taken by a professional photographer and on the HKU website. Haha- im famous!

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The Original PM Girls- Left to Right: Yoyo (Nigerian but from the UK), Andrea (German/Indonesian but from the UK, ME Chinese but from Australia, Tea from Norway, Antea from Italy)

Me at the East Entrance of Hong Kong University

The Menu

Macau

I am writing this blog even though I am currently bed-ridden and in so much pain.

That being said, however, IT WAS TOTALLY TOTALLY WORTH IT!

We went to Macau this weekend even though it was pouring down rain and thunderstorms were predicted for the whole weekend.

So we left Patrick Manson at the dismal time of 7.30AM on Saturday morning to catch the 9am ferry because that was the only time we could get ferry tickets. (The rest of the people were able to buy tickets for the 11am ferry before it all sold out.)  By the way, the ferry tickets are so cheap: $146HKD for a Premium Economy seat and the ferry seats are so nice and spacious! I'd love to see what first-class is like.

Upon arrival at Taipa (an island in Macau) we were lucky enough to find the free shuttle bus to the Venetian (the most amazing 5-star hotel I've ever been in). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Venetian_Macao . Because we had to wait for a few hours before check-in and for the rest of the party to arrive we decided to head down to Taipa Old Village (a whole street full old buildings+ food streets).

Unfortunately for me however, I managed to break my camera within the first hour of being at Macau so had to rely on my iphone + other people's camera for photos.

After exploring Taipa Village it was time for us to head back to The Venetian (it seriously looks so amazing as its meant to look like we've stepped into Venice) and check into the hotel.

After spending an hour or so exploring the shops in the Venetian + trying to locate the others since apparently none of our mobiles had service (Note to future travelers- your hong kong sim card will most likely not work in Macau if it isn't on roaming) we finally we able to get into our suite.

The rest of the trip consisted of the usual
- drinking copious amounts of extremely cheap duty free alcohol. I think it was something ridiculous like $150HKD for $1.5L bottle of Smirnoff Vodka. (that's like $20AUD for 1.5L!!) crazy!
- having a messy + loose pre-party in our amazing suite
- hitting up the casino (we were one big bunch of loud, silly exchange students)
- losing $600HKD in roulette
- going to D3 (an amazing club in the main casino strip of Macau- near MGM Grand etc) and dancing all night
- having like 3 hours sleep as a bunch of 20 boisterously drunk students tried to fit into a suite (4-5 girls per bed and the floor was just covered with passed-out guys- I wish I had a proper photo of the true outrageousness of our sleep!)

Due to the bad weather we were not able to do as much as we planned on doing (I was lucky as I was part of the early-arrivals to Macau so I at least got to explore some of it while the others on the later ferry didnt get to do any due to the shit weather+hang-over the next day).

So now that we have had our "party weekend" we plan on going again for a "cultural weekend"

Things to do on our cultural weekend
- explore the Ruins of St Paul
- do the highest bungee jump in the world
- watch the Cirque de Soleil


Anyways here are a few of the photos I managed to get- I'll have to wait to get the rest of everyone else's cameras.

us the morning after- no sleep, hung-over but still AWESOME.

Just one of the many walkways in the beautiful Venetian Hotel/Casino

Again in the Venetian- the shopping area!

You can go for a Gondola ride if you are sick of shopping/gambling!

 

AJ with the cutest Hello Kitty Phone 

I bought one of the famous Portuguese Egg Tarts- sooo yummy!

At D3

Tea and Tomi

Inebriated at D3

we are the sad losers of money :(

How some of the guys slept- Ian is under the table! hahaha

How some of the girls who got beds slept- you can see me on the bed on the right-hand-side (on the far right)

I really, really wish I could go into much more detail and spend more time blogging but I really can't afford to waste time in a city that never sleeps! So see my facebook for the rest of the photos.

xoxo

Jane

Back to Black

After getting my hair dyed this awful orange colour I went back to the hairdresser (on Pokfulam Road- around the Hollywood Road/Soho/Mid-level area in Hong Kong) and demanded it to be fixed. Instead of the chocolate brown I wanted in the first place I now have black hair! But to be honest I don't really mind. I quite like it. Besides I feel that after a few washes it will end up being dark brown anyways =).

Tea (my Norwegian Barbie) + I before hitting LKF last night.

Me and Tea with Asian Elvis- we found him walking around the streets of LKF

Last night was really good! We had pre-drinks at Patrick Manson with everyone and then headed out to LKF to bar hop. (P.S. Oysters @ LKF has $35HKD Long Island Ice teas!). But the best place would definitely have to be PI. That club was amazing! It's on the 28th floor on the corner of Wyndham Street! But be warned because they do have dress codes- they even rejected WESTERNERS who were in thongs/flipflops. (In case you don't know Westerners are pretty much allowed free reign in Asia). Oh and outside PI on my way home while I was sitting on a chair some Cantonese guy asked me how much it would take for me to kiss him. HAHA. Then he tried all his cheesy lines on me. I swear its a common occurence for guys in HK to think they can buy girls? All my girlfriends get prepositioned when we are going out (and I swear we are not dressed like hookers!) 

Also, the prostitution seems rampant in Hong Kong. I was on the elevator at HKU to go to the Law faculty with this White male and his tacky, female escort. They clearly had been making out in the elevator beforehand as they looked all shifty and jumped apart when i got in. Anyways the scenario went down like this (I overheard their convo in the elevator because they didnt try to hide it from me)

Asian Prostitute: *giggling and grinding up against the White man* "Do you think anybody saw us?"

White man: "I think they have cameras but it doesn't matter"

Asian Prostitute: "ooooooh you are sooo naughty" *giggle* *giggle* *grind*

So needless to say I got off on the very next floor. I wonder which faculty this guy is from and what he teaches. I also saw him again at LKF last night with ANOTHER prostitute.

*shudders*

Anyways, it's rainy today so I didnt go to the Beach Party @ Lantau.

It's been good to just have a relaxed day where I'm not doing anything

Backtrack

Now that I am in HONG KONG (loving it!) and finally have my Macbook Pro fixed I feel that I should just inundate you all with another dose of touristy narcissism on my last few weeks in China (shanghai) so I don't forget.



SHANGHAI:

A picture taken during the "light show tunnel ride" that Calista and I took from PuXi to Pudong. It is as tacky as all the reviews say it is- but it's still a must do- especially if you could get a carriage all to yourself so you can snigger together. (We took the metro on the way back but).

 Me + Expo.

At the observation desk of the Middle Bauble of the Oriental Pearl Tower. I always laugh at this photo. It actually was really scary to walk on the glass- my knees were shaky the whole time!

A self-love photo I took with my AWESOME lollipop while I waited for Calista to get ready one night in Shanghai.

Calista and I after a few too many drinks in front of Barbarossa. This place is seriously so beautiful! It's a Moroccan themed bar with Shisha pipes etc and divans for you to lounge on in all your glamour. It is  located on a beautiful lake in the middle of People's Park. I really wish there were places like this in Australia. And most importantly, Wednesday night is Ladies night so you get free drinks all night on the rooftop level if you are of the female variety.  Very popular with trendy locals and westerners.

Calista and I decided it'd be a great idea to Karaoke-it-up after we got nice and sloshed from Ladies Night at Barbarossa. It was really cheap + fun.



- The Insect and Bird Market, Shanghai (Sophia made me go! Just the name made my skin crawl)

There were sooo many different types of turtles. I had no idea there was more than one type of turtle. Oh the ignorance!

I was shuddering the whole time that I walked past this. They are like some sort of worm/centipede...not sure I didnt want to get too close in case it overturned onto me.

I still don't know why people would want to keep crickets, grasshoppers or locusts as pets. But apparently they do. You can get these disgustting critters in a variety of sizes. (P.S. they ARE alive)

The Bund + The Huangpu River Tour

Backdrop: Pudong

Backdrop: Puxi- The Bund. I love love love the old colonial buildings- especially at night.

The view from our side (PuXi- The Bund)

Us on our river cruise.



That's all I really have time for now. Need to walk down Hollywood Road+ Soho Road with Beth and try and find a place to cut my hair.
(EDIT: really sad about my hair. It turned out way too light- I need to make another trip back to get it the right colour >.<).

Lan Kwai Fong last night was incredibly fun too (and it wasnt even Ladies night). I will update with those stories later.

xo

Jane