Archive for January, 2012

Hong Kong's Central district at night from the night before

While I was preparing to wade through the rest of my photos and adventures in Hong Kong, I actually left to head to Salvador, Brazil for my travel colloquium with Steinhardt. Since the Courtyard Marriott was full for the evening, I had to switch on over to the Renaissance Hong Kong Harbour View Hotel, located in the Wan Chai district.

The new location was rather convenient since I had to drop off my papers for “verification of eligibility for permanent ID card (VEPIC)” at the immigration tower, which was located in the next building over, accessible by the foot path. From what I’ve read online, I thought that I would be waiting in line for my papers to be reviewed and collected; turns out, that it isn’t quite the case. One can have their papers reviewed at the inquiry desk, but after, they’re dropped off in an envelope.

So, what about the requirement that you must be physically present in Hong Kong when you submit your forms? The immigration department only needs a photocopy of the entry stamp that was inked into your passport upon arrival to Hong Kong. A little anti-climatic for an immigration process, no? I suppose that it helps to speed up the process of file collection.

After slipping my envelope in the collection box, I had to decide what to do with most of the afternoon gone. Since I was nearby the ferry, I figured that I would spent the late afternoon and evening in the much talked about Tsim Sha Tsui district. The ferry ride is like any other, nothing remarkable.

With tourist map in hand, I had no particular expectations of what I would see or run into. The first stop, due to proximity, was Heritage 1881, the former headquarters of the Hong Kong Marine Police now turned shopping center. Not attracted to the shopping, there wasn’t much to do after taking a short stroll – apart from the free wifi. Since I hadn’t eaten yet, I was looking for a light snack, and quickly hopped onto Foursquare to see what people were talking about. Of the restaurants and cafés listed in the nearby area, only one actually sounded appetizing and wasn’t too far a walk.

Unbeknownst to me, Din Tai Fung was where I was headed. Actually, let me correct myself – I knew I wanted to go to Din Tai Fung on account of what was said on FourSquare, but I had no idea that it was a decently famous chain until I looked it up on Google later on that evening. The xiao long bao (小籠包), for which they’re incredibly well known, were certainly delicious; I went for the pork and crab roe fillings. To make the meal complete, I ordered the cold jelly fish appetizer and a bowl of beef noodle soup. It was most certainly a treat for myself, and I left a little more stuffed than I had originally planned.

Din Tai Fung
Shop 130 & Restaurant C. 3rd Floor Silvercord
30 Canton Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon, Hong Kong
http://www.dintaifung.com.hk/

Since there was still sun out, it seemed like a great idea to explore the rest of Canton Road, which for the most part was comprised of high-end boutiques and a ferry leading back to mainland China. Amidst some of the stores was a not-so-crowded pathway that led to a remarkable view of the sunset and Hong Kong Island. Down below, was the famed Harbour City – the largest shopping mall in Hong Kong. And one of the observations that struck me was the fact that Hong Kong is much like Toronto in the sense that mall integration into the downtown core is an “all right” thing to do; whereas in some of the US cities that I’ve been to, no such thing exists, or perhaps only one. Blitzing through the many shoppers, I hopped into the first boutique that I saw that looked like they sold jeans, reason being that walking in a pair where the holes are growing larger with every step is rather uncomfortable. Lucky for me that the first pair I picked out fit like a glove and was on sale – good riddance to constant chafing.

I also encountered city’super – a supermarket that sells everything in one go, including kitchen supplies, actual food, liquor, and more – and found myself wandering and shopping for a good half hour. No worries, though, I only came out with a bottle of Hou Hou Shu sparkling sake (I never knew such things were made) and a Groundhog.

Given that I had no dinner plans, I decided that I would check off a couple more things to see in the Tsim Sha Tsui area, which for the most part included Temple Market, Jade Market, Kowloon Park, and Salisbury Road. Needless to say, that tourist maps always hype up things to be more than they actually are. Kowloon Park wasn’t closed when I finally got there, but it was most certainly dark outside, and after all that walking, I wasn’t too inclined to explore greenery without sunlight to better appreciate it. Salisbury Road was a glowing flurry of Christmas lights, overpriced stores, and hustling people. And while the allure of Temple Market echoes in countless guides, it is like any flea market, selling things that you would never use. That said, some of the “charm” of the market, you could say, is the outdoor dining, where you sit on stools and eat a quick meal and enjoy a beer, or two. The food is nothing remarkable, but the atmosphere is certainly what most people come and sit down for. Despite the fact that I was still full from my late lunch, that didn’t quite deter me from ordering a dinner (this might explain my slight weight gain over the holidays) – fried crab and congee. Cracking the crab legs was quite a workout, as the Southern French family commented during our impromptu meeting.

Though Jade Market was closed when I went in search of it, the barred gates revealed nothing warranting a second trip. What I did manage to find in the area (near Yau Ma Tei station, exit C), though, was a much needed foot massage for only 88 HKD – that and the other ladies shared an evening snack of tangerines with me.

Taking the ferry from Wan Chai to Kowloon side

Sight from the ferry, en route to Kowloon side

1881 Heritage

Near Canton Rd on Kowloon side

Looking back at Hong Kong Island

Temple Market

January 24, 2012

Ogilvy, you asked. So I answered.

Ogilvy’s Associates program asks its applicants in a creative exercise to answer the simple, yet open-ended, question “what makes you creative?” Here’s my answer:

What makes me creative?

View more presentations from Barbara Leung

I opted for the PowerPoint instead of all the other mediums based on the fact that I am applying to a job, and not a contest. Presentations are pretty standard in corporate culture (and often boring); I wanted to showcase that I am capable of pulling off a PPT that people are willing to sit (or in this case click) through, while conveying my answer in clear and concise bits.

The colour scheme follows the This is Ogilvy webpage with some variation on the red and use of gray. I matched the red on my computer with RGB sliders, but it seems on SlideShare that it has been made to be a bit brighter. I swapped out the consistent use of gray with the pale and bright yellows with sparse use of the light gray. The choice to have similarity in colour palettes was a way of complementing the call (Ogilvy) and response (me) action that was solicited.

Think I deserve an interview? Then share my answer!

January 8, 2012

Hong Kong: Big Buddha

Riding the Ngong Ping 360 cable car

Since realizing that the Peak and the Big Buddha were on separate islands, it would only be appropriate if I also devoted some time to Lantau island and seek out the Big Buddha. Opting for the quicker route, I took the MTR from Hong Kong station to Tung Chung station, as opposed to taking the ferry over to the island. Upon arrival, the line for the cable car becomes rather apparent with wait times of approximately 1.5 hours. The line seemed to move rather quickly for the first half hour, but quickly slowed thereafter, thus rendering the wait time to be closer to two hours.

The ride in the cable car was a delight; traveling 5.4km overhead the island delivers quite an amazing view. Down below, one can see that there is indeed a walking path for the committed (it seem as though once you start walking, you’ll have to finish it since there didn’t seem to be any access to the main roads). Compared to other tram and cable car rides, this was most certainly worth the money (both for view and distance covered), what with it being ~$10 USD for a single trip.

Walking through Ngong Ping village isn’t anything remarkable; it has the air of one of the theme park “villages.” Albeit, the most fun was the snow machine that was spewing man-made snowflakes at passersby. On a limited time frame – I had to get back to Hong Kong island for dinner within the next two hours – I went straight to the Big Buddha. Prior to my visit, I was expecting the larger and fatter Buddha (Budai), but instead was greeted by the Gautama Buddha. In any case, the size of the Buddha is insurmountable, and it really becomes evident after hurrying up the steps.

After spending quite some time marveling at the Buddha, I was ready to head down until I noticed the pathway leading to the Po Lin Monastery. The monastery only reveals one hall open to the public, which already showcases the splendid decor and statues. Many that visit the area recommend having a bite at the vegetarian restaurant next door, but when I arrived at the monastery, kitchen was already closed. Needing a break from all the walking and exploring, I sat down and treated myself to a bowl of to fu fa from the deli café next door.

Not wanting to wait in line for the cable car again, I walked over to the bus terminal for a ride back to the MTR station. The bus driver, who evidently seemed to know the route inside out, barreled his way through the hills and curves with ease, almost as though he was playing his own mental version of Mario Kart time trial edition. The speedy ride dropped me off at the station and off I went to enjoy an evening of hot pot at a local restaurant in Central.