Shopping in Sheung Wan

Sheung Wan has become of my favourite places to hang out on the weekend because of the many cafes serving all-day breakfast and the artisan, one-of-a kind shops. It's usually around 2 or 3pm by the time we make it out to "brunch" so these all day breakfast menus are awesome. This weekend's trip to the Cupping Room didn't disappoint. Even something as simple as their house blend ice coffee was fantastic. I'm no coffee expert, but I enjoyed this aromatic blend, even though it was a little more sour than I'd prefer.

Throughout the year, there many opportunity to attend free art exhibitions and events in HK. There seems to be more free artsy things to do in HK than compared to Toronto. I went to the Global Artisan Pop-up Bazaar at "The Space" on Hollywood Road in Sheung Wan. Recently I've starting becoming interested in handmade jewelry and local designers. Although I believe this event had designers from around the world showing off their goods. I was really impressed by the delicate details in this gold plated brass leaf ring.

Something pretty to wear (Photo: CathC)

HK's current rainy season is very unpredictable. The entire afternoon was sunny and hot  while I was shopping in Sheung Wan. But there was a sudden downpour and thunderstorm later in the evening. Just my luck I didn't bring an umbrella out, so to avoid being drenched, I ended up buying an umbrella from Logon. Luckily, there was an umbrella designed for covering two people that was on sale for 20% off. That was a pretty good find, as CharK and I usually get our sides wet from the water dripping off our current compact umbrella. So for the next month I guess I'll remember to take an umbrella with me no matter what!

Burgers, Bling, and Boats

I made my out to ibakery at Tamar Park yesterday since I was craving a burger. Just my luck it was pouring right as I got to Admiralty Station. I figured my umbrella was enough for the short walk over but I was wrong! The umbrella didn't do much to keep my dry from the rain being blown in from the sides. But the homemade beef burger and view of the harbor was worth the trip. Fortunately, this is still a fairly quiet spot along the harbourfront.

Welcome to HK's rainy season (Photo: CharK)

Not sure what kind of construction is going on in Victoria Habour, but the work seems to have expanded and become more permanent since I was here last August.

Construction in Victoria Harbour? (Photo: CharK)

After lunch I came across a jewelry and crafts market at the Star Ferry docks. Lots of local HK designers had booths selling, silver rings, accessories, and other leather goods. I was really loved the silver rings and gemstone rings made by Deborah Tsui and Ester Yip, respectively. Deborah Tsui's beautiful silver rings are fashioned to look just like beautiful flower petals. I think she really managed to capture the delicate beauty of the petals. Ester works with a variety of gemstones and I thought her rings have a very modern and unique look to them.

During the past couple of years I've noticed a growing trend of local art fairs, at shopping malls and outdoor venues like the pier. Both of these designers told me they have online stores rather than a brick-and-mortar store so I image these opportunities to show their pieces to the public would be a big help for their businesses.

Another one of my favourite activities at the harbourfront is taking the Star Ferry. Even though it's a short ride that's less than 10 minutes, there's something about a ferry that makes it a fun form of transportation. And for 3.4 HKD (2.5HKD on weekedays), the ferry ride is a pretty economical sightseeing activity. You can get nice of HK's skyline while sailing across Victoria Harbour from  Central to the Tsim Sha Tsui Pier.

Getting cultured at PMQ

Le French GourMay 2015 Festival drew big crowds to PMQ (元創方) this weekend. It was a festival organized by The Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau and Business France that celebrated French foods, music, and even pixel art. I enjoyed the band that was playing in the PMQ courtyard. They played a interesting version of Speak Softly, Love (The Godfather theme song) with brass instruments like the trumpet and tuba.

The festival in the PMQ courtyard, complete with food/drink tents and live band (Photo: CharK)

Photo: CharK

Unfortunately, I thought the heat and humidity mixed with the food and alcohol made the courtyard smell kind of unpleasant, almost fishy like. But the rest of the art exhibits and shops were well ventilated and cool. I thought the Wipe Out pixel art exhibit was kinda cool and quirky. It featured French artist Invader's work. In addition to pixel art creations of iconic characters like Bruce Lee, there was a photo display showing where random pixel cartoons and characters were "graffitied" across Hong Kong, on overpasses and various buildings. According to PMQ's website, his artwork was removed from the walls of the city within a few weeks by local cleaning crews

The famous Bruce Lee pixel art (Photo: CharK)

Fruit anyone? (Photo: CharK)

Aside from the Wipe Out exhibition, pieces from the Muji Award International Design competition were also on display. Most of these designs were practical and aimed at making our lives more convenient. Some of the pieces that I thought were most interesting were the every day items like the umbrella that can lean at 45 degrees against a wall and the fold your own shoe.

I like coming to PMQ on the weekends. Even though I was just here a couple of months ago for Valentine's Day, it seems that the exhibits change and designers bring out new pieces quite frequently. So there's always something new to see.