A Showcase of British Classic Cars

Apart from the bride and groom at the royal wedding (plus a few hideous head gears), I had my eyes on quite a fleet of classic British cars which picked up various people at the event. 

There were of course, not a Mercedes, BMW or Audi to be seen.   The oldest ride went to Prince Charles and wife Camilla where the pair of them rode to Westminster Abbey in the Queen's Rolls-Royce Phantom IV built in 1950.  This crown jewel, the oldest in the fleet of State cars, was built for then-Princess Elizabeth.  Rolls reportedly built only 18 in all.

 The bride and her father rode in the 1977 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI and we were told earlier that was given to the Queen by the British auto industry on her Silver (25th) Jubilee.

 The most unique rides were the pair of custom Bentleys that transported the Queen and Prince Philip and Princes William and Harry.  The first was presented to the Queen in 2002 on her Golden (50th) Jubilee and there are no others like these two. They were the Royals' first Bentleys.

 It's a comedown after these classics, but the rest of the couple's families had to make do with a Jaguar XJL (the bride's mom and brother).  Following them was what we have to presume were the security detail in their Range Rovers.

Wrapping up the day, Prince William borrowed his father's car to take his bride for a ride: The rare 1969 Aston Martin DB6 Volante MKII that the Queen gave Prince Charles on his 21st birthday. The Seychelles blue roadster is one of the rare 38 that were built with the high-performance 4.0-litre, 325 hp. straight six.

A sheer joy to sit and watch this fabulously gorgeous showcase of a few British's classics - which I think contributed to putting the "Great" in Great Britain.

The Royal Wedding Frenzy

The talk-of-town for the week to come no doubt will be Prince William's wedding, the exceptionally fabulous gown of Kate's and inevitably - the Prince's growing bald spot.   

How I wish people would leave the Prince's baldness the heck alone!  Sure, he's losing his hair awfully early, but it's not like he needed it and it's not like he's growing a third ear (or his dad's ears) or something really scary.

As I glued myself to the TV and sat poised to watch the guests arrive for the wedding, two things flashed my mind.  1. How a life of a pauper commoner got transformed into a fairy tale with a lovingly ending marrying the King-to-be.   2.  Prince William always reminded me of the Late Princess Diana and I can't help but feel how perfect it would be if she was still around to witness this royal event of the century.  

I tell you what else could be destined to be in the spotlight in days to come - the one hat worn by Princess Beatrice.   

This Is When A Diamond Status Comes Handy

To cut my unfortunate airport story short, I was being accidentally kicked out from a confirmed seat when I changed my booking 6 hours prior to my departure and at the end, I got put on 3 standby lists from Beijing to Hong Kong - in vain. 

This was when I knew I haven't flown often enough and when a Diamond Card comes handy!

The common wisdom is that the airline standby list is prioritised by status, fare class, and then time added to the standby list, in that order. That list is constantly re-prioritised as more people book, and that order holds true hours before departure, when departure management control kicks in.

All stranded passengers in standby tonight were being reaffirmed by ground staff that they will do their best to get us on to the next flight.  An hour passed, we waited for another. 630pm came and then 730pm flight came and gone and finally at 2030 hour, we were being told the last flight has been cancelled. 

First person to call:  My boss.


Told him all about the technical issues they had with the flights, numerous delays accumulated during the day and my flight was cancelled and I could only get on the first flight out the following day etc etc...hence the need to be excused for work. 

What I didn't tell him was the fact that I was put in a really pleasantly new hotel close to the airport, and got upgraded on my flight back!


I had no status on standby, but then who am I to complain when I could have breakfast like a king?

Lyrics Shape The Generation

When you are presented with a wealth of choice in music channels on your flight journey, what genre would you go for most likely?

Easy listening country folks? Best hits from 60s-70s? Grooves in the 80s-90s or the latest pop? 

I tried to tune in a variety throughout the flight, but the most sticky ones would always be the 80s for me.  I belong to that era and naturally, I thought that's why I was able to find resonance in music from that era.  I then read something interesting which told me me scientifically, there could be an explanation to my preference too. 

When after a computer analysis of three decades of hit songs, some psychologists report findings that the words “I” and “me” appear more frequently in pop songs these days while there’s been a corresponding decline in “we” and “us” and the expression of positive emotions compared to those produced decades ago.

The researchers find that hit songs in the 80s were more likely to emphasise happy togetherness, like the racial harmony sought by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder in “Ebony and Ivory” and the group exuberance promoted by Kool & the Gang: “Let’s all celebrate and have a good time.” Diana Ross and Lionel Richie sang of “two hearts that beat as one,” and John Lennon’s “(Just Like) Starting Over” emphasised the preciousness of “our life together.” 

Today’s songs, according to the researchers’ linguistic analysis, are more likely be about one very special person: the singer.   “I’m bringing sexy back,” Justin Timberlake. The year before, Beyonce exulted in how hot she looked while dancing — “It’s blazin’, you watch me in amazement.” And Fergie, who boasted about her “humps” while singing with the Black Eyed Peas, subsequently released a solo album in which she told her lover that she needed quality time alone: “It’s personal, myself and I.”

Amazing findings which holds true in associating happiness and joy to the music of my choice.  

We are already in a world full of narcissism and hostility.  As much as possible, would song writers out there consider taking out their ego and try instilling a little bit more love and generosity into the lyrics?  Do not underestimate the power of your words, your effort can very much help shape the next generation.  

Thanks For A Nice Gift

I think the joy that we derived from giving or receiving a gift is the most important aspect of the purchase, for it helps that person feel wanted, loved, and respected. In a sense, it gives people a feeling that they belong to something bigger than themselves and in turn lifts their spirits and fosters love.

I received this gift from my dear sister - the funkiest possible Chinon Harinezumi 2 that I absolutely adore!  

The thing is, it wasn't my birthday or anywhere near Christmas.  It's just a really nice thought by my sis and who says gifting requires an excuse anyway? 

It’s important to remember that it isn’t the size, shape or amount of money you spend on a gift, but the meaning that gift holds for that person giving it.

The Generation-Old Queen's Cafe

Sis and I were so glad we stumbled upon a trip down memory lane tonight - where we accidentally found a restaurant in Beijing that our family frequently visited during our childhood days in Hong Kong. 

It is our beloved Queen's Cafe - a veteran of Russian cuisine catered to the bourgeoisie of the 1980s.  

The very first Queen’s was opened in 1952 by a man who had apprenticed under White Russian chefs in Shanghai, which explained the existence of Ovaltine and Horlicks in the drinks menu alongside Russian coffee.

We knew their food menu inside out and there could only be two items that we must order: Russian cold cuts platter with potato salad and stuffed crab shells.


The salad tasted exactly the same as we had it 20 years ago and the latter was tender, juicy and cooked to perfection just like we imagined it to be.  

If it wasn't a late dinner, I would have gone for their Borsch Soup too.  Their recipe is one of the best - both flavourful and thickly filled with plenty of cabbage, celery, onion, carrot and herbs.   Now that we know where that restaurant is, there will bound to be a next visit fairly soon for a few other of their hearty dishes plus their cakes from Queen’s Konditorei which are absolutely divine.   

If you also want to savour the elegance of authentic Russian cuisine, you will have to make your way to Beijing because the one in here scores higher than the one in Hong Kong or Shanghai in all aspects.  I just can't wait to go back.  

You Find Noise Or Let Noise Find You?

We often make a very personal decision on how to find, filter and understand information in order to help us live our lives in this complex world.
 
And we do so very subconsciously in the way we sift through the content and context created by the maze of interactions around us.

 
Here's a question to think about:

1. Do you tune into one single frequency and manually switch-on the others when you need to, or 
2. Are you more likely to have several frequencies switched on concurrently and then filter as and when you received them?

Three of us were debating over dinner how much noise is “too much” for one to withstand and how our abilities differ when trying to distill different frequencies around us.  
 
Two out of three are happy to dig through a fair amount of noise to find great signals and one of us is more inclined to stay focus.

Goals, interests and personal styles obviously are shaping the same difference.  Personally, I like to keep things simple.  I do not feel the need to read everything that pops through my filters.  If it’s important enough, it will find me again eventually.  Agree?

 

Are You Smarter Than Your iPhone?

As you continue swiping and tapping your way through life with your iPhone, you sincerely believe you know it all.  But do you really?

How often do you access iPhone's "Voice Control" function?  


Right, I am not talking about the command "Call...Joe Blogg, Mobile".  Old hat.  You probably knew that one.  


How about asking your iPhone "What time is it?" and let it read you the current time aloud?  Cool huh?

Voice Control knows the music in your library too. You can ask your iPhone to play a specific album, artist, or playlist.  If you just say “Play more songs like this,” it will activate the Genius feature. If you’re not sure what’s playing, just ask “What’s playing?”

Are you letting your iPhone outsmart you?

Trigger Of A Scent

I wrote a piece a while ago about scents being one of the very evoking memory triggers for me and how I could easily relate a particular smell to a particular person.

I rubbed on some Dermalogica's Hydrating Body Lotion from a sample packet on a flight journey last night and all I could say is - I fell in love with the note immediately.  

 

It has a really fresh and pleasant floral and herbal scent combined, very unique.  Though I haven't used that product before, I am quite certain this scent is no stranger to me, quite unmistakable.  

The thing I want to say is, the inability to recall where, when and who is really bugging me right now.  

I am normally quite sharp and I pride myself in that end.  Aging!  It has gotta be. 

Let me go buy this, splash some on and see if it can give me some snippet of clues to my puzzle of where I came across this very special note - one which is itching me and making me very curious.    

 

Beijing Traffic Is Terrific

Stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic like this, is such a natural scene in the city of Beijing, as if I have to feel terrific about the time wasted in the daily gridlocks.  And trust me I do not. 

The government can't seem to figure it out too despite policies to alleviate traffic congestion.   I confirm its difficulty to implement after I did a little survey with my dear colleagues in Beijing and found out nearly each and one of them owns at least 1 to 2 cars in their household!  

At one point, the government really wish to boost their own GDP by encouraging domestic consumption and we have over 1,000 new cars join the road in Beijing everyday.  It seems like a lot of people are saying “Yes, traffic sucks, I wish the government did something about it.   But then, I need to drive to work every day, so screw everyone else.”

One thing I don't seem to have to do here is scream ”Hey, this is a pavement you %$&" and I do not see crazy taxi drivers zooming in and out of lanes, like those in Shanghai - who know best how to knock down a few bowling pins!

To generalise, a word for Beijing's traffic - terrific - is probably right.

 

Got Any Fair Trade Coffee?

While coffee drinking is becoming popular and with the price per cup steadily going up, you would be surprised to hear many coffee farmers are actually becoming more impoverished, running into debt and are at the verge of losing their land due to extremely low world coffee prices. 

That is mainly because coffee giants alike have not lowered consumer prices but are pocketing the difference, even taking into account the quality premiums in the specialty industry.

I got reminded by a friend about supporting Fair Trade Coffee.  I mean, within the context of making a daily purchase, I don't feel an internal resistance when paying a little extra to support a cause I agree with.  As opposed to the frame of mind I have when I am asked to make a charitable donation to a national or local non-profit.

Food for thought when you are enjoying your next brew.  How about looking at the option for a pot of fair trade coffee? 

20/20 Vision Restored Without Surgery??

I got short-sightedness and started looking like a geek wearing a pair of specs since the age of 12.  Then contact lens came into my life and since then, became my true saviour.  Until one day, my optician told me I ran out of tears, so I am back with my specs looking like a geek again. 

Call me a wimp but when dozens of my friends around me are so convinced with their laser surgery, I can't bear the idea of having my eyes zapped by a ray gun.  So till this day, I am still alternating with daily contact lenses and specs and thereby accepted the fact that this will remain my best myopic solution.

I heard something revolutionary today and I wondered if it is too good to be true.

It is a treatment promising the restoration of 20/20 vision without glasses or surgery!


It's called Ortho-K, or Orthokeratology, and it involves wearing special contact lenses while we sleep to correct the curvature of the eye and after a while, we would gain perfect vision again.

Aren't we told we are not to wear contacts when we go to sleep?  Hard to comprehend this but a friend's friend has testified, a 6-month of treatment, requiring contact lenses be worn every night, has reduced her myopia from 6.0 to 1.0!

I am intrigued.

Anyone else tried it and care to share his/her experience?

Sequence Of A Meal

Wherever we go, this is pretty much the flow we get in western cuisines: cold starter, hot starter, fish, meat, cheese, dessert.

Have you ever wondered why isn’t the dessert the first course in a meal with the soup as the one wrapping up at the end?  Why isn’t the fish after the dessert or maybe the fish first, then soup followed by meat?

The other day sitting in front of my computer not knowing what to write, I was pondering this very sequence and decided to search for old menus to see how courses were served in the old days.

I found a seventeen-course French classic menu, dated a century ago which looks like this:

1. Hors-d'oeuvre
2. Potages (Soups)
3. Oeufs (Eggs)
4. Farineux (Pasta & Rice dishes)
5. Poisson (Fish)
6. Entree
7. Sorbet
8. Releve
9. Roti (Roast)
10. Legumes (Vegetables)
11. Salade (Salad)
12. Buffet froid (Cold Buffet)
13. Entremets (Sweets)
14. Fromage (Cheese)
15. Savoureux (Savouries)
16. Dessert (Fruits)
17. Beverages

A bit of further reading reveals that the French did not earn the recognition of its exceptional culinary art overnight.

Food historians credit the ancient Romans for initially bringing French cooking to the level of an art form during Renaissance.  Then in the modern times, American Julia Child is distinguished not only as a chef and cookbook author, but also for her passion and respect for French cuisine.  She hosted a TV cooking show "The French Chef" in the 1960s and it was her, that marketed the skills and glamour of the classic French cuisine to the mass public worldwide.


As I always say, nice meal and a good wine, definition of a good time.  

My way to enjoy French cuisine is to eat with all senses opened and indulge in totality.  I should probably leave the pondering work to the good old food historians for now.

How Much Should We Read Into Personality Tests?

A friend just did a personality test at work and shared the set of questions with a few of us and we decided to have a crack at it together and compare results afterward since it didn't look that lengthy.

It was the Meyers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality test that I am sure many of you have heard or even completed one at a certain point in life.  Turned out the test was quite spot on in a few areas but failed miserably in some, for all of us.

I mean the traits that this test identify are so broad and ill-defined that it would be hard to guess how they would affect performance in most jobs.  Knowing myself is an “ENTJ” type, as measured by the Meyers Briggs, doesn’t really provide any clues with regard to whether I will be a good CEO or a top sales person. 

Nonetheless, I am told ENTJ's have been described as the leader of leaders. Not just managers and supervisors, but the big boss, the Chief and there tends to be more CEOs with ENTJ than any other type.  And if you happen to be a female ENTJ like me, you constitute about 2% of the world's total population! 

Right, so I have just discovered I am indeed a rare species, sitting in the same category along with Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Richard M. Nixon, Al Gore and Margaret Thatcher.  

That's a nice little useful fact to know, but what should I do now that I have this little known fact?  Should I be finding such a job to fit myself or try to fit myself into those jobs? 

I am used to people calling me CEO from time to time anyway - Chief Entertainment Officer, that is!  Most of the time, I really am just a CSO - Chief Sort-It-All-Out. 

Macau's Most Expensive Show of Watery Stunts

I wrote a piece about my anticipation of The House of Dancing Water last September when it joined the fray with others in Macau and I finally took my parents to see the long-awaited show.  I have to say I wasn’t hugely wowed like the critics have been saying.

Needless to say, of course it involves a love story with a handsome hero, a beautiful captured princess plus a whole enormous troop of evil baddies.  Somehow, a random Chinese hero whom they seem to have brought in just for the sake of it was all over the place, but there was definitely not enough story to hold my interest.  Not particularly helpful when the tall guy who sat right in front of me started fidgeting after half an hour.  

Thankfully, the show seemed to have been designed for people just like me, as any time I was at the slightest danger of getting bored, there came an amazing diving stunt or a crazy acrobatic performance.

If you are heading there soon, please be warned the story isn’t really the point of the show.  You will just have to sit back and let the whole thing wash over you.  And I really mean it if you are going to be sitting in the first two rows of the theatre.  Be prepared to come out soaking wet.  

Have You Been A Scale Addict?

Overall, I can't say I am a big fan of scales.  They certainly have a place in the world of health and fitness and for that, I went and bought a body-fat scale a year ago. 

Looking back, I started off a little crazy and I weighed myself 2 times a day - morning and night and that was when I discovered there could be a difference of 2kg within the span of a day, after I have eaten a cow in dinner!

I have also tried stepping on and off like 3 times within 10 seconds in the hope that a lower figure might magically appear between my feet. Then I would do it again 30 seconds later, only this time, stepping lightly onto the scale, wishfully thinking the figure might be lower.

Good grief.  


If the above sounds familiar to you, you are not alone.  Yes.  I have been there done that and I am telling you, it ain't working.  

Surely your weight can be a useful piece of data but far too often they can also become a source of anxiety and frustration.   Please remember, weight isn't everything.  Body composition is much more important than body weight.

If you are looking good, feeling good and are in good health in general, please forget about seeking a little stupid number and let whatever that is scare you no more.  

Pursue Your Passion

Do something you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life. So goes the old saying.

Anyone who has ever started a business based on their passion knows that, just because you are passionate, it doesn’t mean you won’t be working your rear end off.    The idea is, if you are doing something you love, the effort you put in comes just a little more naturally and those long hours are just a little more enjoyable.  Success will be all the sweeter.


I am very proud of a friend of mine, who is a full-time mother of two little ones, just decided to take on a challenge in realising her dream.  Stressful as it may sound, but she is already deriving lots of joy in such an exciting engagement.  


"I can feel butterflies in my tummy" she says. 


I congratulated her in finding that overwhelming sense of self.  Not everyone can.  


Making her passion a success isn’t easy of course, but it isn’t impossible with the help of the internet and the social media these days.  Depending on the nature of her business, “success” can mean either commercial success, or a financially sound charitable course.  The fact that she's willing to take on the challenge, to me, is already a huge success on its own.    


I would like to take this opportunity to wish the owner of Valerie Bloom all the best in pursuing her own passion!
 

I Can Turn My Blog Into A Book?!

Can I really?  
Just when I was suffering hugely with a writer's block and currently in deficit of topics to blog about, my readers are supplying me with tonnes of brilliant ideas.  I can't be more appreciative for that. 

Out of all, I came across Blog2Print.  

They are basically saying any blogger like me can pick a cover, add an optional dedication, give it a little preview and have a book published - just like that.  


alampy's space can be turned instantly into a professionally made soft cover or a hard cover book with a few clicks.  That sounds exciting to me definitely.

What's more, I can also use the Blog2Print widget to enable sales of my blog as a book, sold directly from my website.  

Is that all it takes?  Write, post, and earn money!  A bit hard to comprehend but it surely is a way to convey us that the possibilities out there are simply - endless.  

Knit While Walking?

Dazzled to see a woman walking on the street knitting with a baby strapped to her back today!

Knitting while walking - I guess it is the same sort of skills required, as in when my mom knits while watching television or knits in the dark even.

I definitely can't tell because there's no way I am going to be able to go out and walk half a mile on flat road while coming up with a heel of a sock.
No.  Not in a million years.

I can only hope that woman's life isn't THAT busy that she needs to knit and walk at the same time! 

Candle-lit Vanilla

I am new to the world of candles and so when the sales told me vanilla reigns supreme as the best selling candle fragrance, I went for it even though I am not much of a Vanilla fan.

Been lighting this for a few nights and with its intense vanilla aroma and a subtle touch of cream, it is like a new discovery to my entire olfactory system.  

I wondered what on earth took me so long to find this brand new sense of belonging for my body and soul.  Highly recommended if you are looking to sweetly anesthetise your nerves after a hectic day.  Makes a good alternative to, I suppose - indulging in some vanilla ice-cream scooping act.   

 

A Letter to Steve Job from A Lefty

Hi Steve,

I understand you have already stated millions of times that we lefties just have to live with the inherited bottom-left corner antenna reception problem on our iPhone 4. 

That's probably the worst possible speech you gave but we can just about live with that.

May I make a little suggestion here for you to make us a little less miserable?  Or I suppose, a gesture to make it up to us in a sense?  

How about someone in your design team try modifying the “Slide to Unlock” so it can go the opposite direction?

It is the norm for us lefties to hold the iPhone with our right hand and if your team of engineers can investigate an easier slide motion to unlock, it would be real exhilarating. 

Apparently, if you don't know, lefties by and large, currently constitutes about 20% of your customer base (excluding the ambidextrous of course).  Would be grateful if you can look into incorporating this in the next OS upgrade. 

Thanks a bunch.

Yours sincerely,

Alampy 

Is Annual Physical Examination Really Necessary?

I have been procrastinating to complete a long overdue task - an annual health checkup.  An all-so-seemingly benign visit to the medical centre in which, we all know it's designed only to detect the beginnings of disease before anything gets really out of hand.

Anyway, I finally did it - well done, and just received my report as well, well done some more. 

That was when I realised doctors have been taught to seek, find and treat illnesses, they are not - there to help us maintain good health.  Allow me to explain.

Consequently, when we visit our doctor for a routine physical checkup (like what I did), it doesn't make much difference how healthy I was or how good I felt.  My naked and defenseless presence in his examining room is an open invitation to the doctor to declare I am sick. 





By the time I have been psychologically traumatised by his questions, poking, prodding, and been revealed with some scare-mongering readings from my blood tests, I may very well experience so many side effects that - I am now REALLY sick. 

Anyone can learn to take their own blood pressure and know how to weigh themselves. I'd say avoid the yearly checkups.   If it's for cancer screening purposes (since we are so deadly afraid of the disease), there are reasons to believe we should be more afraid of its treatments, for they are often more deadly than the disease itself.  

And from my recent learning, I found out with all these tests that they perform, exist a high false positive rate with all those readings. 

So remind me please, what's the point of annual health checkup again?

The World's Dumbest Phone

Tired of your super hi-tech, the full of bells and whistles phone that you've been carrying around?

John's Phone might be your key to returning to the bare basics.  

No frills – no more features such as camera, text messaging, endless ringtones or Wi-Fi.  Only large buttons, a concealed paper address book and a pen.  What you get in return is an energy efficient phone that can last for 3 weeks on stand-by.

John’s Phone requires no explanation - couldn't be simpler - dumbest you can lay your hands on!

I am Missing Fresh Sashimi

Not until the recent tsunami and nuclear disaster hit Japan, did I realised how often I chose Japanese food over other cuisines when I dine out.

I was browsing online to see where to bring a friend of mine for her birthday treat and that was when I discovered one of the highly sought-after Japanese sushi restaurants in town has closed down one of their two floors.  

You can't help but presumptuously assume there is a direct link between the two events and there is no denying that we are all very wary of Japanese produce at the moment.  

Nonetheless I was all going for teppanyaki last week and only to find the restaurant has been real quick in reassuring their customers, stating on the front page of their menu that they have stopped importing from Japan altogether.

Off-putting as it may seems, but when you are being bombarded daily by the local scare-mongering media, there's a reason to play safe.  

I only know that I am craving sashimi like never before and if my friends don't mind, I would like to pick a Japanese restaurant to savour some delicious sashimi before I forget how decadent that experience can be.

The People of Formosa

When the Portuguese explorers first discovered Taiwan some 500 years ago, they decided to call it "Formosa" which means "Beautiful Island".
In my recent trip to the southern part of the Formosa, even though I was only able to see a fraction of it, I can tell their people are just as beautiful in nature.

My sister and I were particularly impressed when we had to stop the locals for directions.  The people we met were exceptionally pleasant and friendly each and every time.  They might not have the answer for us but as if it was in their nature to go out of their way to help us foreigners. 

In one occasion, we must have been looking a bit lost wedging our way through a map.  A bright and sunny face appeared out of nowhere, waving a stack of pamphlets.  And what did that occur to us?  No doubt he must be after something.  No he wasn't.  Absolutely not. He stopped right there, just trying to offer help even we didn't ask for any. 

If that helpful, sunny little boy knew what went through our minds then, he must be broken-hearted and what would that make us - two killers with no mercy wouldn't it? 

The fact that the place was ruled by the Japanese for half a century might have distilled some of the Japanese style of hospitality in them.  But the Taiwanese was able to do an inch better by augmenting that extra bit of sincerity in whatever they do. 


I am not in anyway saying the Japanese aren't sincere, they truly are, but their courtesy somehow appears like an unvarying habitual procedure to me, if you know what I mean.  



 

You Just Have to Love Hong Kong

I am living in a city of enormous energy and activity - Hong Kong - my home town - or otherwise better known as "Shoppers' Paradise" or "Heaven for Foodies".

The claim to be Foodies' Heaven is debatable as you can easily relate that to Paris, Tokyo when they share a higher concentration of Michelin starred restaurants.  Fair enough argument but I always think there's more to Michellin star ratings when it comes to food. 

With that, I so have to give credit to this little city of Hong Kong, simply for its alarming array of food items - ranging from the stubbornly traditional to the most bizarre fusion.  It is possible to find food from almost every corner of the world, in any form factor on a wide spectrum of price range, each more drool-worthy than the next.

The same applies to the shopping.  Shopping from glitzy vibrant malls to bustling street markets in Hong Kong is an absolute delightful thing to do.  It can be exhausting but nowhere else in the world can cater to every whim and fancy for the minds of the most ardent shopaholics.

I hesitate to call Hong Kong a cultural melting-pot, but I will grant that it is the one place I need never be far from fabulous food nor shopping.  I kid you not, I realised I have been fed exceedingly well that my palate has been so spoiled, it almost kills the joy of travelling abroad! 

Photos Just Don't Do Justice

I realised how much I have gotten accustomed to seeing the world around me via the viewfinder of my camera.  Have you ever taken like a hundred photos of the same beach, bridge, or brick even?  I have.

I've always believed a picture is worth a thousand words but I gained a differing perspective in a recent trip.

I discovered if only I had pried my face away from the viewfinder and used all my senses to reflect on the beauty around me, I can actually remember better the sounds, smells and mood of the setting.

Nothing terribly new, but this is what technology can do to you sometimes and I am telling myself next time I have the urge to start snapping away, I should be reminded to take a minute to focus on the captivating subject matter instead.  


Not to denounce my interest in photography but I think it would be really nice to pause and transcend the desire to capture life in a frame once in a while, don't you think?

They Told Me To...Walk This Way

I seriously have this idea that dogs these days, think they are no different from human beings.

• They start going to school to learn manners at young age.  
• They sit side by side with you in dining tables.
• They get a change of clothing each day (with matching shoes).   
• They join gym class regularly to keep fit and
• They enjoy manicures and pedicures faithfully like paying pilgrimage!

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore dogs and cats but I trust it won't be long till it becomes a crime if we are seen walking our dogs naked or if we allow their hair to grow long covering their eyes!

A User-Friendly Fire Extinguisher At Long Last

Have you ever used a fire extinguisher before?  It is one of those things that you will only encounter in emergencies and touch wood, I haven't had the chance to operate one. 

Not sure about you, but it forever feels like it weighs tonnes to me!  I contemplated in getting one at home but I can't help but wonder how wieldy it can be in any panicking situation so eventaully I dropped the idea.



Here comes a saviour from the very innovative Japanese that might change my mind - introducing a throw-able fire extinguisher.  No longer in its alarmingly red colour, it's in blue.  What's more, you can operate it single-handedly!

You have just gotta see it in action in the video below and I bet you would want to get one right now!  

Tried Chrome Yet?

Google has just announced five new and exciting ways to view my blog content in Blogger, which takes advantage of the latest web technologies such as AJAX in providing my readers with a richer experience. 

All you need to do is install Chrome browser if you haven't already, then install this Chrome extension and it will add an orange Blogger icon in your address bar when you are visiting a Blogger blog such as alampy's space. 

If you click on the orange icon, you'll get a list of five dynamic views to choose from.  Try picking one of those and it will totally render the layout of my blog, giving you a fresh new perspective.  

It’s THAT simple and it's darn exhilarating.  


Please try and tell me what you think of it.