This is the view of the Jungfrau, reputedly the highest point in Europe. My camera doesn’t do the view justice, but it’s the white mountain in the distant between the two green ones.

Paris so far has been fun. I must say, it is actually a lot more fun coming as a tourist vs a student. I love a good hotel breakfast. Lafayette is a tourist zoo, I much prefer Le Bon Marche. It is also a good idea to get in through the SIDE entrance at the Louvre when the line to the main entrance is a mile long. Oh and the Lido show was a bit disappointing. Do NOT go for the full meal, because the food sucks. The show itself was a bit like Cirque de Soleil, except with more scimpily clad performers. There was water, ice skating, a real horse, juggling and lots of synchronized dancing. Ironically though this is the FOURTH time in my life there and I’m only in my early twenties.

Going to visit the temple of Balenciaga tomorrow. Can’t wait!

We were just sitting at the bar, enjoying ourselves and chatting with Andrea and Amanda (the lovely hostess and chef of the establishment) when he and his friends walked in. Andrea greeted them and called him Jason. They started talking, and my friend M suddenly whispered to me that he kind of looks like the Jason from Jason Bonvivant, the famous Hong Kong food blog that we both love to stalk. Since I never studied the tiny picture he has on the corner of his blog, I scoffed at the idea and reasoned that it couldn’t be. What are the chances?

But then Andrea started telling us that Jason knows all about food and that he even has a blog. . . and we couldn’t help but ask, “Wait, are you THE Jason from the Jason Bonvivant blog???” When he confirmed, we were all starstruck and started crowding around him and bombarding him with questions. Luckily, he was super cool about it and didn’t seem to mind even after we kept him from his raspberry sorbet for well over 15 minutes. We didn’t even realize how embarrassing we were being until we excitedly recalled this experience to our friend and she observed that we sounded like a gaggle of crazy teenage fans. Whoops

He mentioned this really awesome sounding low profile Italian restaurant in some basement in TST, that I’m real excited to try. But sadly I didn’t catch the name. Anyone got an idea?

Though it is definitely an indulgence at $325!

Image Source: Kate Spade

But when you’re lounging on the deck, staring up at the clear blue sky and drifting in and out of a nap, it makes it all worth it. There is just something so soothing about the open space of nature, especially when you’ve been cooped up in the city for the last many months. Just remember to slather on loads of sunscreen and reapply frequently.

Have a good weekend everyone!

“If  3 or more friends book together you can indulge in the the Elemis Dream Journey massage and facial plus a one way transfer to the spa with a car picking you up in Central!  The Girls Day Out Package is available for $930 each Sunday to Thursday and $980 if booked for a Friday or Saturday.” (original text from SassyHongKong)

We were immediately swept away with an efficiently arranged car pick up at Pacific Place 1. The car ride  there was so smooth and comfortable that it barely felt like it took 20 minutes. When we arrived at the Disneyland Hotel, the driveway was immaculately lined with palm trees and the sky was blue. We felt like we were on a vacation and we didn’t even have to go through customs!

We were warmly welcomed at the reception and given a tour of the facilities. The staff was very friendly and even offered to share their mosquito repellent with me when we decided to take lunch outside at the poolside bar. After a simple lunch, we grabbed our drinks and enjoyed ourselves on the lounge chairs by the poolside.  Oh how I miss staring into the empty blue sky without trying to peak behind skyscrapers. It’s a good thing we went on a weekday, because the pool was relatively empty save a few children, so it was nice and peaceful (or as peaceful as a Disney themed pool can be). We even took a dip in the pool and tried out the water slide. The water slide was surprisingly long. This is my first time back in the water since the fitness swim test I had freshman year, so it’s a good thing that the pool was relatively shallow. I accidentally tripped over myself twice attempting to swim with my head above water and effectively defeated the purpose of it when I went “overboard.” Sorry I forgot to take pictures of the pool side. I was too busy just being in the moment of it.

Then we changed into our robes (they were rather thin and not as plush and princessy as I’d hoped) and headed off for our treatments. I love how the luxuriously decorated waiting room has girly refreshments, like lemon honey ginger water, and the Disney channel on. The treatment was heavenly. I felt so refreshed afterwards! I especially loved the  cooling gel she put on my shoulder to “de-stress” towards the end. It felt so tingly! The only problem I had was that I had difficulty breathing through my nose when I was facing down, even though there was already a hole in the chair. I guess it is not their fault though. It happened to me before at my last massage too. It’s as if the position blocks off my airway. Does anyone else have this problem??

After our treatment, we tried out the steam room (to open our pores and better absorb the oil), sauna and the jacuzzi. It was fun to have it all to ourselves. The changing room itself was really well equipped, though the bath products felt a bit watered down. Once we were all showered and dressed, we took a leisurely walk into the hotel’s hedge maze. Since reading a book in high school that featured a hedge maze, my friend and I have been oddly enamored of them. This maze is  actually quite sophisticated and you can indeed take a wrong turn. It’s a good thing that we were tall enough to see over the hedge! But alas, we did not find a prince at the end of the maze. The picture posted of it is kind of small, but can you see the Mickey head in it?

We were sad to leave and kicked ourselves for not making arrangements to spend the night. Though I’m already making plans in my head to visit again soon. I can really get used to this on a more regular basis………….

I frantically called myself some more hoping someone would pick up while I kicked myself for leaving it on silent. When no one picked up, I sent myself a text offering a reward for bringing my cell back and posted a call on the Road Co-op Lost & Found 24 Hours Free Hotline for Lost Property on Taxis (it is 1872920 if anyone else needs it) offering a reward as well. I even struck up a conversation with another cab driver, who said that yes he does listen to that hotline, but that it really isn’t about the reward but whether the cab driver actually picked it up. In 80% of the cases, the next passenger usually picks it up and then it’ll probably end up in the black markets. Knowing Hong Kong, I knew it was true and that my chances of getting it back is slim. That’s probably what happened to left-on-a-cab cell phone #3. It is a mercenary world after all- Hong Kong being more so than most.

Images of my parents telling  me how clumsy I am again and never letting me live it down for the rest of my life started to reel in my head.  Just when I was about to admit defeat, and getting ready to cut off my SIM card in case the person who picked my phone up decided to make some obscene international calls and rack up my data plan, we received a call from the cab driver. He has it and he’s willing to drive it back to us if we’d cover the fare. I was more than happy to do so. And half a hour later, I had my phone back! He joked that he was giving me the phone back because Brazil lost to Netherlands in the world cup tonight and he made money from it. But it made me feel  all warm and fuzzy inside anyway, to know that even in a mercenary city like Hong Kong, there’s still some good in the world. At least I think he was joking, if not, than thank god that Brazil lost!

I debated between the aqua and the cornflower blue, but in the end I decided on aqua simply because it was the first to catch my eye. It is a lovely color isn’t it?

As a result, I’ve been experimenting with these brown Zara shorts I got last summer, and they’re fitting in really well with city life. I especially love pairing it with my long black boyfriend blazer (something like the above except in black). There’s just something so put together but effortlessly chic about the look. My shorts also look great paired with my new over sized white t shirt. I reckon it’s the contrast between the short and the long. It’s almost as if I’ve found a new summer staple that has all the versatility of my skinny jeans and all the breezy benefits of a miniskirt without having to worry about flashing everyone if I take a step too far!

So I figured that it is time I invested in more shorts. I came across these from See by Chloe when I was browsing through the Saks sale section. They look boxy and comfortable. The color is flexible. The  pleats, cuffs and button details gives it a sophisticated edge. They’re on sale. And I’m loving it! I’m getting ready to place my order……..

Image Source: Saks and Shopbop

Naturally, I went shopping in Tokyo.

On my last visit, my friend took me to Shibuya 109. For a teenager, that was 7 floors of heaven and I spent almost a whole day there. If you look up once you get out of the Shibuya JR station, you’ll see it. This time, I took my cousin K there and she was in heaven. She adores the cutesy Japanese fashion there. Floral prints, light denim, big bows, polka dots, lace, frills, long dresses and more floral prints. It’s not usually my style, but even I was tempted to get a super cutesy Japanese floral dress for Halloween. In the end, I gave in and got an adorable straw boat hat with a blue/white striped ribbon. I figured there was a bit of Chanel in it.

After seeing all the beautiful clothes Sea of Shoes got at Laforet on her trip to Tokyo, I simply HAD to stop by. While I found that Furfur and Hotel 55 was a little beyond my budget, I did find some lovely stuff there that was more to my style than Shibuya. It is a bit more sophisticated, with cute flowy cream and lacy dresses and shirts. At first I was doubtful whether I’d wear this style in Hong Kong, because they are a slightly bohemian, and bohemian is so last decade. But in the end, I couldn’t resist the many super kawaii Japanese girls around me anymore, and bought the whole outfit at EarthMusic&Ecology and immediately changed into it. I felt super feminine and cute- almost like a local!

Ironically, even though my hotel was right in Shinjuku, I didn’t really get a chance to check out all the fashion in the department stores. The last time I was here, the fashion wasn’t my age. But now I get the impression that I should’ve spent more time here. Instead we spent a lot of time getting lost in the subway trying to find our way out. We later figured out that we should make sure we get out the correct exit off the train- the south gate.

I did get a chance to check out the food halls though in our search for souvenirs. We stocked up on Yoku Moku cookies, but later regretted it when we found them cheaper at the airport. We should’ve waited! But they do taste really rich and buttery and make wonderful presents.

Now to some of my goodies. The top left is the outfit I got at Laforet, complete with the straw hat I got at Shibuya 109. I rationed that this would make a nice breezy outfit for a summer trip! On the right, is a sailor blazer I got at Shibuya 109. Don’t you love the navy blue trimmings? I was waiting for my cousin to try on a dress when I spotted a girl walking pass in this jacket. When K commented that she saw it in a store we’d just been to, I knew I had to have it. The cutting is not that great, but it’s fun and it’s on sale. What’s not to love? At the bottom, is an over sized white t shirt with silver stitching that I spotted at EarthMusic&Ecology. It’s a bit more edgy than the rest of the store, but it was very me. It is currently my favourite item in my wardrobe. It looks super cool paired with shorts or skinny jeans! I also got a lacey breezy cream top from EarthMusic&Ecology (Yes, I did a lot of damage at EarthMusic&Ecology) and a plain white shiny tee shirt from Yecca Vecca. I figured they’d be excellent tops to mix and match with.

Next time I really need to spend more time at Shinjuku and the Omotesando, make my way to Ginza to check out the delicious patisserie places and book to see the Ghibli Museum. Maybe the Tsukiji market. I really need a few more days in Tokyo!

Thanks to Girl on the Ave for sharing her special places with me

]]> http://teawithbg.com/2010/06/21/tokyo-the-shopping/feed/ 2 Barneys Girl Tokyo Shibuya Tokyo Harajuku Tokyo Shinjuku Tokyo Goodies