High High Tea

High tea…

Ah, what a regal affair this British afternoonly (it is a word because I say so) ritual implies.

Sipping on some caffeinated concoctions…

While munching on some sweet and savories…

All the while admiring THIS view 100+ floors above ground.

High tea indeed!

Jlo and I high-tea-ed at Tsim Sha Tsui’s famously towering Ritz-Carlton Hotel where we giggled like giddy schoolgirls while dainty tai-tai’s and powerful execs surrounded us.

JLo also snapped plenty of pictures with her pro camera. I snapped pictures of her with my iPhone like I was a crazy fan.

Oh yea, I also made this semi-shaky video documenting our afternoon at the Ritz.

Pardon the giggling, when you’re with one of your best girlfriends, you can’t help but to laugh a lot.

posted by Janice | Comments: 2 | Food, Friendlies, Travel

To The Members of The Mosquitoes Society…

To the Members of the Mosquitoes Society,

{ image from here }

First off, I just wanted to start by thank you for your fondness for my blood. I’m so glad that you find it to be pleasing to your taste and that you are attracted to the fluid. It’s very flattering, really.

I must say however, that your recent increase in attention has really started to perturb me. There I am, just walking around the neighborhood for a nice walk or sitting outdoors at a cafe having a friendly chat, and you find me a convenient place to get your drink on. It’s really not so polite. Have you ever heard of personal space?

I am a person with a slight lack of willpower and when you suck my blood, it really doesn’t take much for me to start scratching away. I wish I could stop  but it JUST. FEELS. SO. GOOOOOOOOOOD. I’ve tried all sorts of methods: sleeping with gloves on, spritzing myself with the beautiful scent of mosquito repellent, scratching other surface areas, pouring near-scalding hot water over my wounds but they have had slightly less than perfect results. I find myself taking the gloves off before sunrise, staying farther away from people lest they think I stink, turning the other surface areas red and irritated, and taking too long in the shower (which then makes it very uncomfortable for my roommate Sis). I’ve tried drowning myself with lemon tea and gnawing away on garlic chunks but yet you still persist, leaving me one hickey mark after another, each one more swollen, more scarlet than the next.

I write this letter even though you probably can’t read it. I write this letter because my left arm feels like it’s about to fall apart and I don’t know if I will ever be able to type again and I can’t do that without making my feelings known.

Mosquitoes, you suck.

I will now go sit on my left arm because the lack of blood circulation is the only way I can feel no discomfort because I actually can’t feel anything at all.

NOT Fondly,

The Media Maid

posted by Janice | Comments: 8 | Travel

Motivational Monday | A Ship in the Harbor is Safe…

…but that’s not why ships are built.

 { Framed portrait from Emily‘s home, pic snapped by Sam }

I love this quote.

I love everything it’s saying about everything and everyone everywhere in life.

I’ve always had somewhat of this feeling that in life, when it comes to true freedom and happiness, it’s when you are fulfilling and doing what you were designed or made to do.

Though I never knew how to phrase it so eloquently, it came through in the way I lived my life.

For instance, I always hate not using up everything to its fullest potential. Every single last drop of toothpaste must be squeezed out of the tube before getting tossed. I will wear my jeans until they rip at the butt seams — even if that rip takes place in the middle of a hip hop dance class (true story). I used to practice my handwriting with both hands because I felt bad that my left hand wasn’t getting any action.

I feel this way about people as well. Too many settle for what’s right in front of them, preferring the safety of boundaries and known means. You can do that but you will never feel the full adrenaline rush of pushing yourself to the limit and seeing what the sky can drop on your lap when you are open to receiving it.

Just try to sail a little. See how you like it.

posted by Janice | Comments: 1 | Inspirations

Dance Your Weekend Away

I had a super fun weekend this weekend. But this post will be about last weekend because I was a lazy bum and didn’t post until now.

Last weekend was fun too.

One where I didn’t need to go to the gym afterwards for days.

It all started on a cool Thursday night where my cousins and I jumped and grooved to Lady Gaga live in concert.

The concert was amazebaaaaaalls. Lady Gaga is pretty weird sometimes but one thing’s for sure — she is a talented and hardworking artist who genuinely seems to love her fans.

The best part of the concert would have to be cousin (and sister) time because that’s just priceless. I’ve missed watching my talented cousins dance! (Sorry the photo doesn’t show us dancing)

Then on Saturday, I attended one_eighty, which is my church’s youth ministry and danced again! For the glory of God. We danced with our fellow African refugees and I had the most amazing time seeing everyone’s joy in performing for the Lord.

On Saturday, I did this thing called clubbing (“po” in Cantonese) and I danced again! Except this time it was at Play, this super crowded popular club in Hong Kong and… I actually didn’t get to dance much at all. Ah well…I think the other two days made up for it.

Did you get to let loose and jive over the weekend?

posted by Janice | Comments: 2 | Friendlies

Funniest Advice My Mom Gave Me

I contributed to Audrey Magazine‘s compilation of “Funny Advice from Moms” in anticipation for Mother’s Day. Hear my tale below (and check out the rest here!)

Throughout the years, I’ve amassed quite a collection of wisdoms from my mother. I would share them all with you here, but a big piece of advice from my mom is:

“Don’t share with the Internet advice that I tell you.”

Like many Asian mothers, she wants to give the illusion that I just spontaneously, randomly, magically became the charming, alluring, poised, well-behaved, well-kempt, and witty lady that I am today with no help whatsoever.

Hate to break it to you – but I did get a lot of helpful advice from my mother.

Helpful advice that I sometimes didn’t want and didn’t always appreciate. Helpful advice that I sometimes laughed at. Helpful advice that I sometimes took for granted. But helpful advice that I now notice nearly always rings true. Whether it’s packing a light scarf in my purse whenever I go out, taking my Vitamin C’s, being careful about who I choose to give my heart to, or standing with a straight posture — my mom’s advice makes sense.

The most outlandish advice my mom often dishes out is this upheld belief she has that anything can happen in this world. No seriously. “Anything can happen in this world, Janice” my mother would say, “you never know.”

She truly believes that a young ingénue could walk down the street and get discovered by a hot-shot director who will propel her to stardom. She believes that a big ladies’ man could take one look at the bookish girl-next-door, fall in love, and change his wild ways forever. She believes that the lottery could be won. She believes that papaya can make boobs bigger. She believes.

I used to laugh at all of this. “Really, ma?” I’d ask. “Do you live in your own world? Have you ever faced reality? Have you calculated the odds?”

But the older I got, the more I came to realize that what she was saying was right. After all, reality is partially based on your perception of the world. And if you’re endlessly optimistic like my mother, who’s to say that anything can’t happen? As the years pass, I’ve encountered more and more crazy situations and surpassed countless expectations and odds that have led me to relate more to my mother’s wise words.

My mother’s belief that anything can happen in this world is true. I would just add, “if you believe” to the end of that phrase. After all, she did turn me, a girl who used to scoff at her advice, into a believer.

So seriously, anything can happen. (If you just believe.) Hey, who knows? Maybe you’ll even think of this entry as inspiring instead of cheesy? After all, anything can ha…you get the point.

Happy Mother’s Day, mom! I love love love you.

posted by Janice | Comments: 1 | Personal

3 Idiots | Some Thoughts

Just watched the Indian blockbuster 3 Idiots this afternoon. What a great movie! I laughed, I cried, and then I cried some more. And then I cried some more. I’m crying even now as I’m thinking about the crying.

{ Photo from here }

For those of you who haven’t heard of this Bollywood hit, it’s a whopping 170-minutes long tale about 2 friends’ search for their free-spirited, non-conformist lost buddy, Rancho (Aamir Khan). Through the course of the movie, we find out — through flashbacks– how Rancho changed each of the characters’ lives and taught them about facing educational and parental pressures, thinking outside the box, and chasing after their own dreams.

Between the tears, tears, and more tears, some thoughts:

*Slow start.
*Kind of cool that the cast speaks in English, Hindi, and Urdu. I only needed to read the subtitles half the time.
*Main character Rancho (Aamir Khan) is quite the looker in that dorky, goofy way. Pretty eyes.
*I dig how the movie tackles the controversial and complex relationships kids have with the expectations their parents want for them. To chase their own dreams and follow what others have laid on the ground for you?
*The whole thinking outside of the box theme also never ceases to get old.
*Omgosh, I did not know this was a Bollywood film! They sing and dance!
*Luckily, I am a musical aficionado who tends to break out in song and dance in real life so seeing this all of a sudden in a movie does not scare me.
*They really do cram an entire life cycle into these three hours. We’ve got funerals, weddings, births, graduations…
*”All is Well” >> Repeat that. Magic happens.
*I am such a sap. Cue sappy music, main characters crying and hugging each other, a life-changing incident, and I am in tears.
*Some pretty great quotes to live life by:

“Pursue excellence, and success will follow, pants down.”

“Today my respect for that idiot shot up. Most of us went to college just for a degree. No degree meant no plum job, no pretty wife, no credit card, no social status. But none of this mattered to him, he was in college for the joy of learning, he never cared if he was first or last.”

“Don’t die before the actual death.”

“Life is a gift to humankind to live.”

Despite it revolving around 3 idiots, this movie is pretty smart. I heard they’re planning both a Western and Chinese remake of the film (the latter with Stephen Chow attached). I feel like the Chinese remake has potential but not so sure about the Western one because there are so many themes that run through the film which resonates deeply with Asian-ish families. Themes of honor, duty, filiel piety, heavy emphasis on education not to learn but to pass tests. I do feel like an Asian American remake of the film would be awesome to watch. What say you?

posted by Janice | Comments: 1 | Films, Inspirations

Motivational Monday | Cool Words Other People Said

{ Words from other people, photo by me }

posted by Janice | Comments: 3 | Inspirations

Breaking Bread

I’m changing the name of these food picture posts now because a) I just think I’m SOOO clever putting a pun on the television show, Breaking Bad (hehe, I make myself giggle just thinking about my own cleverness) and b) I have not been able to post these on Fridays so the name “Foodography Friday” doesn’t really make sense. and c) 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.

Let’s continue, shall we?
I love love love tea and the abundance of this found in Hong Kong makes me very very happy.

I also love love love tofu fa. The way this one was presented was very cool. Though the top-seller at this restaurant was pigeons, my dining companion and I were so eager to devour the birds that we forgot to take pictures beforehand. Oops.

Why do waffles taste so good? Seriously, pair it with anything and it is still delicious. The quality family bonding time this dessert was shared over made it all the more tasty.

Sis and I had a date night (we do that) and the waiter was so cute, he brought this dessert out for me as a surprise. With such hospitality, how can I not like this city?

We had dim sum at Man Wah, this fabulous Michelin-starred place. (I only snapped artsy shots but check Sis’ blog for more!)

I’m so amazed that people use Doritos-flavored chips to substitute for their nachos.

Chicken wings. Can’t go wrong with that. (Accompanied by some very loud KTV-singing)

Eat well!

posted by Janice | Comments: 0 | Food

Rant | You Are Perfect

Just a quick rant here.

This slogan pissed me off. (And by pissed off I mean I gave a high-pitched huff followed with a, “ridiculouuuus.”)

I know this is hard to hear in a world that values people to constantly strive for something more, something greater.

I know it can come off as preachy, as cheesy, as naive, as overly optimistic, as unbelievable, as pageant-y.

I know that no beauty industry is going to die out because of my one little blog post, no army will start a revolution.

But I got to say it.

You are perfect.

Yep. You over there with the gap teeth, the hairy arms, the duck butt, the big feet, the squinty eyes, or whatever else features society has generally considered “unattractive.” You are perfect just the way you are (a la Bruno Mars, although I have to add “at this moment” because you might change over time and that is just fine as well).

Society is always going to want us to fit a certain mold, want us to keep certain industries in business by convincing us that only a certain way is the “good” way, the “perfect” way.

Please.

Now, I’m no hippie liberal vegan revolutionary. I listen to pop music (Carley Rae Jepson, anyone?) I curl my eyelashes. I call people “pretty” and “not pretty” much of the times.

But I do believe in the beauty of imperfection. I believe in the little flaws and quirks that makes us wholly human. I truly truly believe perfection is something none of us can ever achieve here on earth so just give it up and love yourself for who you are! *Cue noble music

Stop being so hard on yourself on the outside and concentrate on how you are on the inside. Work on your character, your values, your beliefs. Remember that no one is perfect. No one expects you to be.

Aaaand end rant. Good night/morning (depending on where you are in the world.)

posted by Janice | Comments: 3 | Inspirations, Look, Personal

The Coffee Shop Conundrum

When Sis and I moved into our new abode, we were without internet for three weeks. THREE WEEKS! That’s an eternity in bloggerville!

It wasn’t so bad though because we made it an adventure to go hunting for cool coffee shops to set up our blogging offices.

We got lucky finding Cafe O on our first try and the two of us fell in love with  the place. The Cafe O near our neighborhood served a grand variety of fresh, healthy foods and had this spacious second floor that was part dorm lounge-part cafeteria. It’s always full of pretty people having quiet chit-chats together or writing into notebooks or streaming TV shows on their laptops.

But alas, the heart is a fickle thing. You never know how good of a thing you have. I loved Cafe O but still wanted to find other cool places so I set out by myself one afternoon (Sis has this thing called– oh yeah– work.)

The first place I went into solely because it was so pretty to look at on the outside. It had a very modern feel and sat at the side of a street across from a park and reminded me of those cool french cafes in Paris. I sat down and ordered a milk tea that cost $45 HKD. That’s roughly $5 USD for tea with milk added into it.

{ You are more expensive than most of my lunches here }

Though the restaurant said they had free wi-fi, my laptop just would not cooperate and I was stuck finishing my milk tea while working on some things off-line. It was fine but I could have just done that at home.

I didn’t post a picture of the cafe because I still want to go back there for a meal and I don’t want to completely count them off as an establishment. They just weren’t my cup of tea (har har, get it?) in terms of blog office candidates but they may still have potential in other departments.

Sis later got off work and joined me to the next blog office candidate, Pacific Coffee Shop. You may have heard of this place, ubiquitous around these parts of Hong Kong. But surprisingly, PCC (as the cool kids call it) only allows around 20 minutes of free wi-fi unless you have a PCCW account. So we just sipped on some green tea and bummed internet off the cafe across the street. Sweet but shaky deal since the connection wasn’t always the best.

{ Still a sweet deal since I got to hang with Sis }

Finally, Sis and I went back to Cafe O for the rest of the evening because it was just the best for us. I learned a few things from my blog office-hunting afternoon.

THE MEDIA MAID’S TIPS FOR BLOG OFFICE-HUNTING

1) Always ask first whether the place has free wi-fi and for how long.
2) Then find out whether they have plugs for you to charge your electronic devices in.
3) Scan their menu prices.
4) Gage how good their food/drinks are.
5) Test how cold the place is (if you’re going to be working for hours, you do NOT want to catch a cold from the establishment’s freezing AC).
6) Observe how fast their turnover rate is. You wouldn’t want to be at a place itching to rush you out the door.

And sometimes, when you already have a good thing, don’t let it go.

posted by Janice | Comments: 6 | Food, Job, Writing