Hey everyone!
I wanted to write a quick post to let my subscribers or anyone else who stumbles upon this wordpress.com site, that I’ve just moved my blog over to a self-hosted wordpress.org site!!
You can check out my “new” blog at http://thisgirlabroad.com/ for my upcoming posts!
Thanks :)
I was asked by a representative of OOsupplies to complete a review on three different flavours of Quest Bars.
As an expat in Hong Kong, it can be difficult to make a nutritious lunch for work (who actually has that kind of time on their hands?!), let alone make healthy choices in general. Protein bars offer an additional boost to your daily nutrition intake and are a good choice if you’re looking for a quick healthy snack to get you through the rest of your work day, a long hike, or pre/post workout.
Hong Kong has one of the best and most widely spread happy hours I’ve seen in any large city. Most happy hours run from 4 – 7 pm and usually consist of a buy-one get-one free or 50% off standard drinks, house wines, and beer. No complaints if you’re looking for somewhere to unwind after a long day of work (unless of course you work past 7 pm, in which case you’re much more limited in bar choice and should maybe, probably, definitely consider switching careers).
Continue reading Morton’s Steak House: Happy Hour In Hong Kong
If you’re not quite up to speed on Hong Kong’s history, Kowloon Walled City was an extremely densely populated section of Kowloon that housed an interesting mix of residents. Prostitution, gambling, and drug use were very common in this area. The Walled City was predominately ungoverned by HK, instead it was controlled by the Triads for the last few decades before the HK government decided to begin evicting all residents in order to demolish the city.
As summer is upon us in Hong Kong (as I’m sure we can all painfully feel the second we step outside and into a brick wall of humidity), the majority of my coworkers are heading back to Canada, where the weather will be much more forgiving and enjoyable. In lieu of this, we decided to enjoy a nice Sunday afternoon tea at the W Hotel.
Continue reading WOOBAR Tea-se Me Afternoon Tea Buffet @ W Hotel, Hong Kong
The last award I received was for drama and dance during my grade 8 graduation. Needless to say, I was a bit taken aback when Kan from Kan Walk Will Travel ever so kindly nominated my blog for the Liebster Award, stating,
“Wine by the plastic glass anyone? This Girl’s keen observations and sense of humor add a delightful twist to the average day in Hong Kong.”
I started this blog a little over two years ago, but only began blogging on a more consistent and semi-serious basis within the last five months, so it’s nice to see that fellow bloggers appreciate my ramblings and humour-filled sarcasm.
Continue reading Liebster Award; Please Queue For Autographs
You’ve been living and working in Hong Kong for well over a year now and are starting to notice some changes (or you are completely oblivious to them and your friends are not-so-kindly pointing them out to you): either a magician has waved his magical wand and miraculously made this crazy city irritate you less, or -let’s face the truth here- you’re becoming more like a local.
Continue reading Top 13 Mostly True Signs You’ve Become A Local Hong Konger
I have been wanting to see the Flag Raising Ceremony at The Golden Bauhinia Square for quite some time, but with an early 7:45 am start, I found it difficult to crawl out of bed and head over to Wan Chai. However, everything seemed to align this past Sunday morning as I had an early night on Saturday and vowed to haul myself out of bed (which is becoming increasingly difficult to do with this cold weather) to watch the “enhanced” ceremony.
To give a bit of a history lesson before I continue, The Golden Bauhinia Square memorializes the handover of Hong Kong from the British to China and the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on July 1, 1997. In celebration, the Chinese government sent a statue of a gilded Bauhinia flower, also known as the Hong Kong Orchid Tree. Though the sculpture may not be the most attractive thing to look at on the harbor front, it does hold significance. The statue was created with 206 overlapping stone tablets, wherein each tablet symbolizes one year from 1842 to 2047 (when HK will no longer be considered a “Special Administrative Region”). I won’t go into too much boring detail, so if you’re aching for more information on the symbolism behind the golden statue, click here.
Continue reading Hong Kong Flag Raising At The Golden Bauhinia Square
For those who aren’t familiar with Times Square in Causeway Bay, there have massive themed displays that are put on every few months that can be quite impressive. This area becomes a hub for locals and tourists alike to gather around and take photographs of themselves with every single thing on display.
As I was walking around Causeway Bay today, I couldn’t help but be drawn to the larger-than-life Christmas decorations scattered about. Upon closer inspection, I found myself a bit confused at some of them (what appears to be a child’s head in a turkey and a bizarre pig-type lumberjack with a branch as one of his hands). But, then again, it’s Hong Kong – most things here make me scratch my head and do a double-take.
What expat doesn’t like going out with their coworkers for a delicious cold beverage after a long day of work? Add in some horses, beer drinking contests, and gambling, and you’ve got yourself a great evening at the races for Oktoberfest.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club (Happy Valley Racecourse) is a cesspool for expats on any given Wednesday night, however, during Oktoberfest the racecourse was completely packed to the brim with people. To get from the entrance to midway into the racecourse was maze-like, with a whole lot of “excuse me’s”, some elbows in the air, and a few not-so-subtlety mumbled curse words scattered about.
I live in a more local area on the island, so I am always slightly taken aback when I go out to more expat-populated areas and see how many “Western folk” there actually are in Hong Kong. I often enjoy being in an area with a decent crowd; it usually makes for a more lively, interesting night. However, the surplus attendance this night was borderline overwhelming.
thisgirlabroad 