happy birthday my champ

so behind on blogging….

just a quickie to spread the word that my beautiful little kou-chan turned 1 less than a week ago.
he's now got 8 teeth and walking (albeit a bit wobbly on his feet).
man, he's been experiencing so many milestones this past month, will get to these on a later post.

so now that he’s walking we purchased his first pair of shoes; some asics; not cheap considering he will apparently have grown out of them in about 3 months, but these are designed especially for toddlers who are learning to walk. pretty important time in ones life if you ask me.




guess who turned up for kou-chan’s 1st birthday?
chi-chi and pop (the grandparents) all the way from new zealand!
talk about the power of the first grandchild!

anyway, more on that later.

wong chi kei & fungus workshop

my cold had just about cleared up now but i'm left with one of those yucky tickly coughs. you know those ones which make you cough at all the wrong times; like during an important meeting at work, or when inside a full yet super quiet elevator, or the worst situation is when riding the mtr (subway) to and from work. if looks could kill i would so be dead by now with all the how dare you cough near me!! looks i've been getting during the past few days. even wearing one of those horrible stuffy masks it seems that hong kong-ese are a bit paranoid when it comes to a cough. can't blame them though as many have experienced the horrors from the sars outbreak.

anyway i took friday off work and braved the heat and humidity, and along with my tickly throat ventured out to do a few errands here and there. k-chan tagged along too as exercise = a smooth delivery.

drenched in sweat we found solace in the air conditioned interior of wong chi kei for a bowl of sui gao mein: 水餃麺 (shrimp dumplings with egg noodles); a hong kong favorite.



to put my cough at ease i ordered another local favorite; hot ribena with lemon. i remember having ribena when i was a kid, but until coming to hong kong i thought ribena had faded out of production. obviously not as this blackcurrant drink is sold all over hong kong; iced or hot.




feeling very satisfied we ventured back into the heat to check out a newly opened leather/workshop-shop located up in soho.
k-chan seriously couldn't have gone there in her current state if it wasn't for the central-mid-levels escalator; the world's longest outdoor covered escalator which carries hot and bothered people from central up into soho and beyond.



found fungus workshop (not so keen on that name...), cute little set-up they have going on though. definitely need more of this here in hong kong!
from my photos it looks like they have a lot on offer but in actual fact they didn't have too many items for sale, but i guess that will come as time goes by.








restaurant info:
wong chi kei : 黃枝記粥麵
GF, 15B wellington street
central
中環蘭桂坊威靈頓街15號B地下


shop info:
fungus workshop
GF, 17 wa in fong east
central
中環華賢坊東17號地下

fuel espresso

last weekend the smog disappeared and the sun finally came out.
mmm, summer.

k-chan and i considered popping down to one of our favorite beaches for the day, but in the end gave it a miss. it could so be a nightmare trying to catch a cab from an isolated beach if (a big IF) k-chan decided to go into labour.
so instead we opted to go shopping (that's what you do in hong kong if you have nothing better to do...)
not a good idea as i always end up spending money that i hadn't planned to spend.
so yeah, after a few purchases (t-shirts, shirt, underwear, sandals...) we plonked our tired feet down in our new favorite cafe; fuel espresso.
now this is what i call a nice cafe (although it's in a shopping mall again...).
prices are a tad steep, but they really know how to pour a good coffee. and what do ya know, this cafe is all the way from good old new zealand! (wellington to be exact)
they even roast their coffee beans in new zealand too!
my flat white was perfect, just like i would get back in new zealand. now i only hope other cafe owners in hong kong will up the ante a bit.






i was buzzing with caffeine and had the sudden urge to sit out in the sun and sip some vino.
poor old k-chan (no, she's not old) was hanging out for a vino too but had to sip on a juice instead.
at least we got some late afternoon rays at red and did plenty of people watching too.





woke up on sunday to a pounding headache and an extremely sore throat...
great, summer arrives and i get a cold.
k-chan said it's my fault as i don't have enough tairyoku (stamina). she won't accept my excuse reasoning that someone obviously gave me the cold germs while i was enjoying my vino!.
at least i'm not a baka (idiot). there is a saying in japan that idiots don't catch colds!　（バカは風邪をひかない）



so yeah, on a sunny sunday i was miserable on the couch sipping back hot lemon honey and ginger tea.
and a yummy serving of baumkuchen!



cafe info:
fuel espresso
shop 3023
IFC mall
1 harbour view street
central
中環港景街1號國際金融中心3023號舖

family heirlooms, new knits & a zarape

while in thailand my mum presented k-chan and i with some family heirlooms; which i didn't even know existed, along with some other new goodies for our little baby.

i'm not into dresses but it seems i once wore one.
not quite sure what these are called, maybe ceremonial dresses?
but back in the day new born babies wore delicate white dresses (maybe they are called gowns?) to celebrate their birth.

my mum gave us this gown which apparently i wore when i was born.
it was handmade complete with smocking by my nana.
the tiny bonnet was the same bonnet which my dad wore when he was a baby! now hows that for special!
for a 61-year old bonnet it's in great condition don't you think?



i still can't believe that in a few weeks time i'm going to be dressing my own baby in these treasured heirlooms.

my nana who is now in her 80s knitted us some cute sweaters.
even though she says her eyes aren't like they used to be, judging from the quality of these sweaters there is nothing wrong with her eyesight!
gotta love those nana-colors too.



god, my photoshop cutting is shocking...

my mum even pulled out the knitting needles and knitted her first ever sweater in a soft brown merino wool with natural wooden buttons.
looks like mum's first grandchild is going to be a spoilt warm one!



and my sister spotted these cute hand-crafted leather sandals while on holiday in mexico along with this huge colorful zarape rug.
auntie A has officially scored brownie points with her big brother.



i think we have just about bought everything we will need for "the big day" and those first few weeks.
i'm feeling less anxious now about becoming a dad and more excited as the days tick by.

over the counter by ARTS&SCIENCE

when i'm in tokyo i often find myself popping into an ARTS&SCIENCE lifestyle store for a bit of a browse.

i only just found out that in november of last year the stylist sonya park had opened a new concept store for ARTS&SCIENCE called over the counter.

the over the counter concept is just that, shopping over-the-counter.
the store has been designed in such a way that customers are catered to on a personal level, no doubt with the amazing only-in-japan japanese service, with a staff member introducing the products in detail and at a leasurly pace.
the products selected for ARTS&SCIENCE are top notch, coming from all over japan and the world, with most products having been hand crafted with passion.
the selection is amazing too, from clothing to cutlery, accessories and gourmet food items... the works.
a line up like this can make for a difficult decision making call when shopping (unless your credit card is doing the decision making for you...)

i think a unique concept store like this will work wonders in a city like tokyo.
can't wait to check out this new store!










over the counter by ARTS&SCIENCE　shop info:
101 palace miyuki
5-3-8 minami aoyama
minato-ku
107-0062 tokyo


ARTS&SCIENCE stores can be found in daikanyama (代官山) and marunouchi (丸の内).
their shoes and things store and men's shop is located in aoyama (青山).
check out their website for more info.

FOGBAR : シュッとして、クシュっとする

four japanese guys in swanky british clean-cut suits with a beatles inspired look.

mmm.

the recent hype (well in japan anyway) is all about shiseido's latest edition to their uno men's hair product range; the FOG BAR.

after spotting the colorful yet uniquely simple product design in magazines, then hearing some pretty good feedback from friends in japan, and finally seeing the same four models actors on the cover of the long-running men's non-no magazine i had to get my hands on a FOG BAR.

since it's not yet released here in hong kong i sent my order away to k-chan's friend who will be coming over from japan tonight. fingers crossed she didn't forget my little order...

now that the pre-autumn winds are whipping up some power, it's perfect timing to try out a new hair product that will hopefully keep my locks in place without looking like a ken-doll.





check out the quirky tv commercials for this product here on youtube if you dare.
be warned, the tune is catchy.

My Cape Cod

aw god... i think my current read (confessions of a shopaholic) is doing some damage.

not only have i been spending my hard earned cash willy-nilly on frivolous things during the past few days, i'm now contemplating if i should splash out and buy a new watch strap.

"a watch strap" you ask?

surely buying a watch strap isn't really considered splashing out!
well it is when you are in my shoes! (nice leather ones by the way!)

you see, around three years ago i made my first luxury watch purchase.
no i didn't... i lie.
k-chan bought me this watch. my first purchase came two years later.

anyway, i've been telling the time with this elegant hermes cape cod watch.



i feel in love with this as soon as i saw it.
but thanks to hong kong's lovely humid climate wear & tear, my poor hermes watch strap has taken a bit of a beating and it may just be about time for a replacement.

that is until i went into the hermes store, which is conveniently located in the same building as my office to "check out the prices".
the very stylish shop assistant calmly handed me a simple strap saying that i might be interested in this alligator strap for my cod.
oh lovely, and how much would that set me back?
that would be HK$4400 (US$570)

gulp!
oookkkkk, i'll just put that one back on the little tray...
hope my fingers were clean!
definitely a good time to promote "save the alligators"!

i think he saw the bead of sweat appear on my forehead because he then showed me the cheaper, standard leather straps which hover around the HK$1300 mark.

i don't batter an eyelid at forking out this amount for shoes, or bags, or anything larger than a "strap".
i know good things come in small packages and all that, but really, who does their pricing? after all it's only a blimmin watch strap.

so do you think i should wait until the end of summer when the leather-killing humidity dies down or just splash out now and get it over and done with?


please do not suggest that i buy any old strap...
imagine what that little mr hermes could do to me with those wings of his...

Red

one of my many monthly treats for working ever-so-hard is stocking up on my favorite magazines.
nothing beats sitting down with a good magazine, some relaxing music and a cup of coffee (or a glass of wine depending on the time of day)

fashion wise i love reading japanese magazines.
being of a "slim" build i find it so hard to get pants that fit. shirts are a nightmare with sleeves too long and dropping shoulder seams. you'd think that living in hong kong i'd be right in my element... unfortunately not. for men there are basically two markets, the made in china; wear-me, wash-me, throw-me kinda clothes or the lets make an appointment with the financial planner before going shopping kinda clothes...
the so called "middle" market is just non-existent!
so for me japan is a shopping paradise.
i can get clothes which fit and although it does involve stretching the finances a little, it's still do-able.

so after flicking through the pages of one of my favorite japanese fashion magazines i decided i needed a few extra additions to my summer wardrobe.
i gave my wallet a good thrashing and bough a cool panama hat, some super sexy nautical inspired leather sandals followed by a spur of the moment belt purchase.
(i have a belt fetish... more on that another day...)

feeling on a roll, i dragged k-chan up to bar red at the base of hong kong's tallest building (where batman recently jumped from) to sit outside in the fading afternoon sun and have a few glasses of wine with me.





don't you hate when your on your 5th glass of wine and realise you would of been so much better off buying the bottle! oh well....
nice a nice way to end the day listening to the dj do his stuff with the sun in our eyes and a sea breeze in our hair.
oooh yes, and a bag full of goodies!





red bar + restaurant info:
shop 3082, 4012-18
4f, two ifc, 8 finance street
central
tel: 8129-8882

Business Card Case Hunt

i've been looking for a business card case for the past few months as the one i'm using now has been well and truly loved and has started to look a bit too worn...

i think a business card case says a lot about a person and i always check out my clients' card cases when we meet.
for me there is nothing worst than meeting a client who produces their business card straight from their pocket, all warm and bent.
nor do i like those clients who take pride in their appearance only to be using a faux luxury brand card case. it's just wrong.

lucky for some, here in hong kong luxury brand-lovers can find any luxury brand name shop there is.
as i'm not a full-on luxury brand lover, i was on the hunt for a card case that didn't fall into this category but was still made with high craftsmanship. i wanted a card case which was unique; an original.
not an easy task finding one here in brand-heaven hong kong...

a few weeks ago i gave up on the "unique" concept and checked out stores such as prada, d&g, tods, dior homme, mulberry... the list goes on.
although i found some pretty nice card cases, i knew it wasn't what i really wanted.

so i checked out my favorite leather store; lianca, where i have been a loyal customer for the past six or so years. this is where i bought my current well-loved case and where i finally bought my new one.

i think i'm in the mood to meet some new clients now.













lianca
basement, no.27 staunton street
central

Lanvin Bashing

today i'm wearing clothes very similar to this guy.
he's a korean model by the way.



anyway, recently i bought some snazzy lanvin shoes that go great with rolled-up jeans.
i just went to the pantry to make a cup of pu-erh tea (which i love!) and one of the ladies in my office came up to me and said:

lady: oh... shoes without socks today?

wos: um, yeah.

lady: sandals and no sock ok lar~, but shoes!

wos: ... (i wanted to say "what the heck does a lady with no fashion sense what-so-ever know about today's fashion", but as i'm blood-type A, i like to keep the peace)

lady: you should wear shoes with socks lar~, this look... ummm... i don't like wor~


at this stage i was stunned.
i don't care if you like my look or not.
unfortunately this happens to be on a nearly daily basis...
i work with a bunch of so called "designers" who do a good job designing but have no idea when it comes to being tactful. let alone fashionable.
i'm not trying to say i know what i'm doing when it comes to fashion, but this is just the style i like.



about 5 minutes ago one of our customers send an email to that lady and signed it off at the end with "ciao~". (italian for goodbye or hello, just in case you didn't know)
that lady then replied to the customer as:

"Dear Mr. Ciao"

it must be her day to pi** people off!
she's doing a good job of it!