I have always enjoyed crowd-watching in Hong Kong. When it’s spring or summer, you would see vibrant colors in their wardrobe from shoes to bags and accessories. Come winter time, you get to see the locals strut the city streets with hip boots and cover-ups! With this, I didn’t let the chance to cover Hong Kong Fashion Week just pass by.

I receive invites to different countries to cover some events. Malaysia, US, Singapore, HK and in some random way, Myanmar. These invites don’t come with plane tickets though (most of the time), meaning I have to take care of my own flights from the Philippines to the destination. Maybe they think I’m a local? This happens a lot when Malaysia companies invite me.

For Hong Kong fashion week, I splurged on the tickets and booked accommodations with a budget of P10,000. With my super powers in budgeting, I was able to fill everything in.

I was in Hong Kong for 2 full days only. That means, accommodations I booked were only overnight, but I was still able to go full day at the Hong Kong Ocean Park, walk around the parks of Tin Shui Wai, RnR time at my hotel’s spa and of course Hong Kong Fashion Week by the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center.

I have a gift in maximizing my resources. *Wink* *wink*

Themes of different designs were not just a mixture different colors, but of patters and textures as well.

Since autumn and winter clothes mean layers and layers of fabric, it’s a perfect opportunity to match the mismatch.  Yes, I saw a lot of stripes over polka dots and plaids over crazy prints!

Hong Kong Fashion Week

In Asia, Hong Kong is a thriving hub for design and branded labels. The Hong Kong Fashion Week and the HKTDC World Boutique is a remarkable evidence of such importance of the Fashion industry in Hong Kong.

But all this, is more than fashion itself. HK Fashion Week focuses more in the business side of fashion.

Mind I tell you, there were about 1,600 exhibitors that participated in this year’s HKTDC Hong Kong Fashion Week for Fall/Winter.

Everything was pretty much highly automated and their systems ran efficiently

Registration is actually free.  You can register at HKTDC’s official website.

Details about the Hong Kong Fashion Week can be found here.

Register for HK Fashion Week Spring / Summer 2013 here.

Yes. It was a BIG event! LITERALLY! I think I walked more than a kilometer inside the “realms” of HK Fashion Week today! I was going back and forth the different halls at different floors of the Exhibition Center! It was like it could never end!

One floor was quite huge enough for me, then I realized that the fair grounds cover 3 floors!

HK Fashion Week happens twice a year. The. Autumn / Fall event happens on January and the Spring / Summer edition happens in July. If you want to catch the Hong Kong Fashion Week for Spring / Summer, you might want to plot these dates in your calendar: July 8-11, 2013 and register here.

This is actually is the 44th edition of HK Fashion Week. This is my first time attending the event but I can say that it is just as vibrant as I expected it to be! Even if there’s a stereotype to Winter or Fall Fashion as dull and gray, that is not the case here in Hong Kong. It was a brilliant kaleidoscope of styles, colours, fabrics!

This was an open display and one of the sections to the many features of this year’s HK Fashion Week for Fall and Winter.

To respect the designers, photography of their designs is discouraged.  If ever I took some photos inside, it was just to see the entire venue, the crowd or just a wide view of the different items you can see inside.

I was walking around hoping to chance upon Filipino designers, but I failed to find any. I tried to cover every corner, every function of the event, but it was impossible to do so in 1 day and my time was sparse!

A total of about 1,600 exhibitors participated in Hong Kong Fashion Week for Fall/Winter

There was a diversified representation of different fashion tastes from different boutiques. Notable spots come from the exclusive designs of labels such as IKA BUTONI, Eutropic, Groupe Pronuptia and 3M to trendy value-for-money fashion from MUSE, Focus, Sub Zero, Gulliver and Orient.

Camouflaged

There were also different sections that cover niched intrests like avante garde shoes and Lady Gaga-like shades! For the more highlighted sections: Denim Arcade, Handbags, Men in Style and Salon of Scarves and Shawls.

Of course, you get to see the more popular features like Intimate and Swim Wear, Bridal, Evening Wear, Accessories, Fabrics and Yarn, Sewing Supplies and many more.

They also had the Small Order Zone for groups of suppliers who can handle small volume orders. Like I said, it is more of the business side!

HK Fashion Week usually offers seminars for free on a first-come-first-serve basis.  Some are for invitation only

Same is true with the Fashion Show.  You can view almost any show you want but you need special invitation in some shows.

A day isn’t enough.  Next time, I’d spend at least 2 days.  The fair usually happens in 4 days.

And next time, I don’t want to miss the seminars and the fashion shows!

World Boutique

Specially featured for participants all over the globe, World Boutique showed high style of garments and accessories. Highlight of brands encompassing Che Che New York, MARCCAIN, Pashma, Adlib, Sumy Kujon, IKA BUTONI and Walter Ma.

Over 460 brands participated this year and there were over 15 runway shows this year.

They’re definitely good in mixing creatives and business!

This year, I did not only see a graceful crash of patterns and colors, I also saw the clash of different textures and materials. A plethora of mix and match of different elements. Who would have thought crazy ideas like this would stand out?

By this time, I was already very tired and must have walked at least 2 kilometers inside the convention.

‘Til the next Hong Kong fashion week then,

FlairCandy <3

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I think the best way to explore the city is to befriend a local 😛

You have virtualtourist.com, travelocity and many other sites that will let you know where to go so in case you don’t know anyone, just do your research online.

But, lucky for us… our know some HK residents and finally!!! I got to go out at night to see what’s happenin’ in Hong Kong.

Fatt’s Place is located at 2 Hart avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui.  It’s in between Nathan road and Chatham road. They said that this place has the greatest selection of beer both local and imported.  You can munch on chicken wings, steaks and spare ribs here.  They also give free peanuts which I adore because they tasted so good!

This is everyone.  A mix of locals, residents and tourists 🙂 I really had fun thanks to these guys!

In Hong Kong, if there’s more than two of you commuting, it’s efficient to take a cab coz you can share the fare (that rhymes!) with your friends.  There’s 4 of us in this cab which is also the max number they can accommodate.  Look at my ugly face, I’m already half-buzzed at this time.

Our cab was headed to the night life of Hong Kong – Lan Kwai Fong!

I thought we were ust meeting Vince’s friends and possibly have dinner or drinks somewhere.  I didn’t know we were going clubbing but I was wearing these.  @_@ I’d still choose to be comfortable though, walking around Hong Kong is very enjoyable, but it could be painful too.

A couple of days after, an online friend from Hong Kong buzzed me up on Facebook chat saying he thought he saw me at Lang Kwai Fong… He should’ve said hi!  I do appreciate if you guys approach me and say hi 🙂 I won’t bite *rawr* <– I’m kidding

err.. nuff said.

ahh… the busy street of Lan Kwai Fong.

We headed up to one of the clubs on top of the building.  So we headed up the hill.  I forgot the name of the place @_@ but it was SOOOO packed!

Anyway, when in Hong Kong… go to Lan Kwai Fong if you want to experience the night life.

Up next, I’m digging for our night out experience in Singapore… I just need to look for those photos somewhere… Gaaah I hate it when I loose evidence of my memories…

Laterzzz!

xoxo,

FlairCandy

We get a good laugh and then I’d say “I’m kidding, seriously… I’m a licensed CPA” – and they still laugh thinking I’m still joking >.<  Do I really look like a dumb bimbo that no one believes I’m a CPA?

For starters, here’s me in my Oathtaking Ceremony that happened sometime in 2007

Is it an abandoned profession?  I don’t know, who knows… but for now I’m resting my left brain and I’ve been utilizing my right brain with blogging and many other things!  But for now, I’m just your average Certified party animal 😀

My blog has been flooded with party pictures.  It’s just in my system.  I love music, dancing, meeting new people and having a good time with friends.  It’s always fun celebrating

Party Acts of Randomness

#1 I take crappy photos when I’m tipsy.

and it usually happens when I’m taking photos with celebrities like Derek Ramsay and one of the guys of Philippine All Stars @_@

these pictures were taken at one of the awesome parties I’ve ever attended in Boracay.

#2 I party with celebrities (ehemz ehemz) Perks of blogging and getting invited to special events! 😛

apart from the celebrities I mentioned above,

Partying with Karylle, Yasi Pressman, DJ Tracey of Mellow 94.7

#3 Random after-party Roadtrips

When I’m done partying in the club and I’m still full of energy, I’d kidnap my friends and go on a random roadtrip (usually just up to Tagaytay)

*note don’t drink and drive – have a designated driver <3 and that would be me for our team 😛

catching the sunrise in Tagaytay

and eating bulalo for breakfast… hmmm… they serve Bulalo as early as 6am 🙂

#4 You will NEVER see me frown when I’m partying!

#5 Partying in Boracay, in different countries

You gotta party when you travel and it’s gotta be a part of your itinerary!  Partying in Hong Kong, Singapore and anywhere else… my ultimate party destination that I want to go to is  – Amsterdam! I’ve heard crazy stuff and I don’t want to miss out on the fun.. For now, let’s save some moolah on my Travel Fund!

#6 House Party in my Hometown – the city of smiles Bacolod!

In my hometown – Bacolod, we love to party by ourselves at our own homes.  I just happened to go home after 3 years!  My bff Andrea came home from New York and I know I have to see my girls again!  I arrived on a Tuesday night and people sleep there early! SWEAR like 9pm, the city is already so quiet!  But, that was the only night that we all can go so we still decided to go out that night!

We hanged out in Bob’s Cafe til midnight, which is the time they close.  After that, we couldn’t find anywhere else to hang out and here goes my random party act #8…

#7 Chillin’ at our local City Hall!

so, we couldn’t find anywhere else to hang out… and some of our guy high school friends invited us to hang out with them!  When they told me they were drinking outside the City Hall I was like – ARE YOU SERIOUS!?!

Apparently, it is one of the safest places to hang out because it is like a public park too and there are guards patrolling the area.  I was like *phew*

It’s rockin’ because our new City Hall was something that they built when I’m already living here in Manila.  When my plane flew above it and took a peak to see the terrain below, I saw this lovely building – beautiful when you look above it because they have a gnarly fountain with well-maintained landscaping.

#8 Best Parties in Boracay

With this I give you the best place to party! You’ve gotta love Boracay parties – hands down… Celebrities get friendlier, everyone is friendly and everyone is just having fun!  Party in the morning and night!

Parties in Boracay starts early and as you can see, me, Jane, Saab and he rest of our friends were sipping some margarita after lunch!

And look!  I am wearing a bikini while eating lunch at Epic!  It is SOOOO HOT in Manila that I want to walk around just wearing a bikini – because it is just so SIZZLING hot!  We all know I can’t do that though, I might go to jail or something.

*swoon* Mark Nelson actually on his way getting some drinks and me getting some booze after he taught me how to Cliff dive <3  Well, –ish … he was giving general tips to everyone who’s cliff diving for the first time.

#8 Drinking the JUDAS!

Judas is not a person, it’s a cocktail drink :P  This is the cocktail mix that one of our friends “accidentally” created.  I am not sure what kind of drink they were trying to mix originally, but they happened to make this awesome cocktail that tastes just so *tropically* good!  Honestly the best mix I have ever tasted in my life!

And so I asked them what they call the drink – and they call it “the JUDAS”

Why?  As we know, in the bible, Judas is a traitor… That’s what they call the drink too coz no matter how much rum they put, you can’t taste it much.  But of course, you’d get that hint of alcohol.  It was lots of fun catching up to what my high school friends have been up to and reminiscing high school memories!

#10 Concocting my very own “Tropical Judas”

It is actually derived from my friend’s own mix, but I gave it my own tropical flavor!  See the best parties for me happen in Boracay and at home just chillin’  With this in mind, I bring you – the Tropical JUDAS!

Tropical Judas Recipe

Water

Orange juice powder

Mango juice powder

– mix the orange juice and the mango juice powders with water to make a juice

– add coke to spice the spirits of your “Judas”

– and of course, instead of just using your ordinary Rum, use white rum – Boracay Rum in Coconut flavor!  The coconut completes our tropical concoction to life!

*I used the powder with Pulp, but if you can use ordinary juice powders or even real fruit juices if you what – whatever tickles your pickle!

Like I said, the pulp makes it look messy but it’s up to you – just as long as you get that kick of Orange and Mango.  Put more mango if you can.

and there you go – Tropical JUDAS in d’ houz! Giving you a sip of Boracay at home <3

And oh, you can actually get a chance to win a trip to Boracay and capture the whole island experience!  Just check out more detailed info on Nuffnang’s official website:

http://www.nuffnang.com.ph/blog/2011/04/14/experience-boracay-rum-with-boracay-rum-contest/

Do you have some random party stories and facts for yourself too?  Or, do you have your own favorite home-made cocktail mix?

Share! Share! Share!

*This post is sponsored by Boracay Rum 🙂

Before I start the post, here’s a flower to all of my readers 🙂

Flowers are everywhere and I can’t help but take snapshots of it!

Before anything else, I just want to say that writing this blog post is such a torture.  It kept on getting me hungry just by viewing these photos again.

When Vince and I traveled to Hong Kong again, we decided to focus our stay on Disneyland for 3 days, stay in Disneyland Hotel and enjoy, relax and be kids again.  Well, we are kids at heart anyway 🙂

We left Manila at around 9am and arrived in Hong Kong at 11am.  We flew via Cebu Pacific and slept throughout the trip.  I remembered both of us did not get any much sleep at all, thus we were so excited for our vacation!  Since Disneyland Hotel is very near the airport, we decided to just cab it.  It cost us around HKD 120.  At the airport, take the Red colored cab.

You can go around the Disneyland compounds via Bus.  This will take you to Disneyland Hotel, Hollywood Hotel and the Disneyland Train Station where the park also is.

There’s free Wifi in the lobby!  Although sometimes it can reach the room.  But if you ask for net connection in the room, you need to pay.

Lunch at Crystal Lotus

I had the most memorable lunch in my life!  We had lunch at Crystal Lotus.  It can be found on the Ground floor of Disneyland Hotel.  I very much enjoyed lunch here.  It is known for its creative dimsum recipes.  I have never experienced anything like this!  I was so happy that I almost forgot that I’m a blogger and I almost ate my food without taking photos!

Crystal Lotus is an award-winning restaurant that offers outstanding cuisine from four major culinary regions of China: Sichuan, Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong.  What we had for lunch is a specially created Disney Dim Sum!  So, if ever you’re around, you can ask for Disney Dim Sum set.  They are only open on Weekends and Special Holidays though so make some inquiries before you book for lunch or dinner.

From here, I will walk you through the things we ate 😛

Steamed Piggy Masked Buns

this is best eaten with…

Roasted Suckling Pig

I ordered Milk Tea.  Milk Teas in Hong Kong are the best!

Mickey-shaped carrot with Justin Bieber hair 😛

I’m about to kiss an alien 😛

Seriously, it is a Little Green Man Pork and Vegetable Bun.

The famous Mickey’s Seafood Glutinous Pancake.

It tasted like radish cake. It’s best when dipped in that hot chili dip!

Double-boiled Chicken and Canopy Soup in Petite Coconut!

This was our favorite soup ever!  The sweet soup had the natural flavors of coconut.

Look! Mickey’s hands!

Wok-Fried Shrimps and Disney Root Vegetables

Red-braised Pork Loin stuffed in Whole Chinese Pair.

The pork skin was still crispy!

and this was my favorite dish! A GOLDEN CRAB!

hehe just kidding 😛

Open it up and here goes…

my favorite Fried Rice with Tasmanian Crab Meat stuffed in golden crab shell!

I’m Asian and I heart rice for life!

Chicken Little Steamed Lotus Seed Paste Bun.

Poor Chicken Little bun, I’m about to eat it!

but before that, picture time with Chicken Little 😛

Chicken Little was accompanied by these monkeys! so cute!

To end the spectacular meal, they served Chilled Mickey’s Red Bean Honey Pudding (on the left)

and also Chilled Mickey’s Green Tea Jelly (on the right)

Zoom in and whoah! are those flowers? <3

Exclusively for their 5th year anniversary, you can also get this cheesecake with Nemo!

ahh… very satisfied customer – tummy filled Flair Candy 🙂

We definitely enjoyed our meal and we are ready to roam around Hong Kong Disneyland Resort!

Check out my previous posts to see how it went <3

Now, it’s time for me to grab some lunch 🙂

Check out my other posts:

Flaircandy Visits the Magical World of Hong Kong Disneyland

My Favorite Hong Kong Disneyland Attractions

Flights of Fantasy Parade at Hong Kong Disneyland

Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel Enchanted Garden and Disney Characters

Most Memorable Dim Sum Lunch at Crystal Lotus Hong Kong Disneyland

Disney in the Stars Fireworks and How to Capture It

Related Links

-        PARK

-        Hotel

-        Disneyland Hotel

-        Disney’s Hollywood Hotel

-        Ticket and reservations

-        5th Anniversary

-        Star Guest

Happy 5th anniversary Hong Kong Disneyland!

5 years ago, Disneyland officially opened in Hong Kong!  This meant a lot to us Filipinos because we don’t have to go all the way to the US to experience the magical world of Disneyland.  Hong Kong is just 2 hours away from the Philippines and this meant, more happy trips to kids and… well, adult kid like me 😛  It’s more affordable to for us of course and we don’t need to apply for VISA in Hong Kong (unless you stay for more than 30 days).   Almost everyone can go: kids, adults, family, couples and even persons with disabilities!  Hong Kong itself is a pretty friendly place for PWD, moreso Disneyland and its different attractions.  You will clearly see in the map that they took every consideration to also have PWD enjoy touring around Disney and experiencing its different attractions.

Flights of Fantasy Parade

For their 5th year, they included more special productions.  Check out their parade every 3:30 pm.  Parade time may change though so please check the timetable when you’re there. This parade is a new production and they call it “Flights of Fantasy Parade” which happens exclusively in Hong Kong Disneyland.  This means that you can see it only in Hong Kong and not anywhere.  This production will only be played on this year.

You don’t have to be a kid to enjoy the parade.  It was an awesome production and you shouldn’t miss this because you will get to see different Disney characters.

Are you into photography like me?  If you are, Disneyland is the perfect place for you to practice your landscape and portrait skills.  The sun shines bright and you can practice tinkering on your manual settings.  At night, there are fireworks so you would also get to practice your fireworks photography and low light snap shots because even at night Disneyland is very colorful.

I enjoyed taking photos on the Flights of Fantasy Parade more than anything else because it was so colorful and I practiced my portrait photography too with different characters.  I didn’t need a studio and a model to practice my portrait photography, here in Disneyland I already have models and efficient source of natural light 🙂

So, here we go… sharing the photos I enjoyed taking during the Flights of Fantasy Parade in Hong Kong Disneyland!

Before the parade, I took photos of myself first before I get overwhelmed taking photos of different characters.

Time check it’s 4:02 but the parade started at 3:30 The characters move around the streets of the Disneyland Resort.  Where we are is the last stop of the characters and check out the crowd – all excited to see the characters!

Also, check out the uniform of the Disneyland staff – they’re so cute and they are all in costumes too!

Here you go, the Flights of Fantasy parade celebrating the 5th year of Hong Kong Disneyland.

Good ol’ Disney characters Chip and Dale, Donald Duck and Goofy!

Bees flying around in front of me!  I want to try jumping around this thing.  What they’re doing looks so much fun!

Wee!  I love the composition of this photo.  It’s so colorful!  Disneyland is very photogenic indeed!

She’s so cute, she posed for me!  I want to go inside the pot because my nickname is also “Honey” or “Hunny”

The parade won’t be complete without the Disney Princesses: Snow White, Cinderella, Belle and Aurora.

They get into character all the time and really act like princesses – the way they smile, they move and they speak 🙂

Princess Aurora a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty

This is the lovely and cute Tinker Bell

Go a nice portrait of one of the flower characters 🙂

Fairies! They looked so cute riding a bike 🙂

Toy Story soldiers!  They are life sized though and they are not statues – they are real people in costume and they move! but they move like a toy which is so amazing!  That soldier just waved at me!  I must commend the costume and the makeup – good job!

Now I want to cosplay Buzz Lightyear!  These are really cute costumes and I want to make one for me to use 🙂

See Buzz LIghtyear, Ham and the Aliens!

and guess what, by 2012 – Hong Kong Disneyland is going to have a new attraction!

Toy Story Land!!!

My favorite Disney character – Stitch!

Aloha Hawaiian girls!

That’s about it for now.  It was really a great production and congratulations Disney for preparing this magical production for everyone!

Happy 5th Anniversary and more magical years to come!

Check out my other posts:

Flaircandy Visits the Magical World of Hong Kong Disneyland

My Favorite Hong Kong Disneyland Attractions

Flights of Fantasy Parade at Hong Kong Disneyland

Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel Enchanted Garden and Disney Characters

Most Memorable Dim Sum Lunch at Crystal Lotus Hong Kong Disneyland

Disney in the Stars Fireworks and How to Capture It

Related Links

-        PARK

-        Hotel

-        Disneyland Hotel

-        Disney’s Hollywood Hotel

-        Ticket and reservations

-        5th Anniversary

-        Star Guest

Vince and I love going to Hong Kong and we came back last February 25, 2011 to explore the magical world of Disneyland. We had a splendid vacation last November spending 5 days and 4 nights on the island we love. We brought work with us so pretty much we spent most of our time working and did not have enough time to roam around the city! I scheduled our trip on a very busy month, my bad. But, it’s one of the advantages of being a full-time blogger, a social media manager and a digital entrepreneur. Pretty much, Vince and I can bring our work anywhere!

Check out my previous posts about our November trip to Hong Kong here.

On our recent vacation to Hong Kong, we only stayed for 3 days and so we decided to spend most of our time on the happiest place on Earth – Disneyland! We stayed at Hong Kong Disneyland hotel too and boy-oh-boy, I tell you we had a splendid time! It was a relaxing and fun vacation where we didn’t rush through our itinerary. We even had time to swim, go to the spa and just totally bum out.

Anyway, check out this cool video I made featuring my favorite Hong Kong Disneyland attractions!

Tomorrowland

Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters

Help Buzz Lightyear save the universe from evil Emperor Zurg on this interactive adventure by shooting any Zs you see! You will be scored in this game and you will find out what level you are. Vince and I went to this attraction and played the game for 5 or 6 times 😛 Vince got Level 5 and I got only ’til Level 4 🙁

Space Mountain

Take a thrilling high-speed journey to the far reaches of the universe an

d back on this interstellar roller coaster. Minimum height for this adventure is 102cm. They just stated minimum height, but what about maximum height? We had a friend who’s 6’7″ and he was worried he might bump something during the ride. This is something you shouldn’t miss as you go around, up and down in total darkness and some shining *stars* wee! And don’t forget to smile because they take a photo of you XD.

Stitch Encounter

I didn’t expect this attraction to be fun! I was lining up to check it out but I had no clue what it is about. Another attraction you shouldn’t miss because this amazed me. You get to interact with a 2D character Stitch on screen and it still amazes me how they do this.

Autopia

This is fun for kids who want to try to drive around without fear of getting into an accident or getting a driving license. Adults can help them step on the accelerator and the kids will enjoy maneuvering the car 🙂

Fantasyland

Mickey’s Philharmagic

It’s not 2D, it’s not 3D, it’s 4D!!! It’s fun watching this all the time. check out the Guide Map brochure of Disneyland that you can get from the information center or City Hall to check out schedule for this.

It’s a Small World

Take a journey on “the happiest cruise that ever sailed” as children of the world sing and dance to the song “It’s a small world.” It’s a pleasant boat ride around different places on earth and even in space and fantasy land! Kids would absolutely love the colors and all the toys and dolls around. For adults, it’s nice to take a ride on this relaxing boat ride. Check it out and look for the Philippines!

spotted, Jack Prinya (a celebrity in Thailand! woot!) with one of his triplets 🙂

The Golden Mickeys

It’s a magical celebration of Disney’s films, and characters. This happens in Disney’s Storybook Theater. I want to perform as one of the characters in this theater musical 😛

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Technically it’s for kids… but I am a big kid at heart I highly enjoyed the ride joining Pooh and friends for a storybook journey through the Hundred Acre Wood.

Fantasy Gardens

Meet and take photos with Mickey Mouse, and your favorite Disney Friends! Lines can go long at times so it’s advice you guys to do this early in the morning 😛

Just right outside the gates of Fantasy Garden, A man wearing colorful clothes was doing cool tricks that amazed the crowd!

Snow White Grotto

I made a wish on the well that I can’t share 🙂 You can also take a nice angle of the Disney Castle from this area 🙂

Adventureland

Jungle River Cruise

Journey with your intrepid skipper along the mysterious Rivers of Adventure. You’d also get to see a nice view of Tarzan’s Treehouse.

Tarzan’s Treehouse

Climb to high adventure in the treetop home of Tarzan. Conduct experiments and play musical instruments in an interactive playhouse at the base of the tree. It’s nice to take photos here too! 🙂

Festival of the Lion King

They say you shouldn’t miss this show and I agree! It’s an amazing production and you have to watch this! You can witness a colorful pageant of music and dance inspired by celebrating Disney’s animated classic “The Lion King”. You can watch this in Theater in the Wild.  I took a few photos only because it is best to just sit down and enjoy the show 🙂

Main Street, U.S.A.

Main street is usually where the shops are and that’s what people think this side of Disney has to offer. But let me tell you, two of my top favorite attractions are here! Did you know that you can learn how to draw Disney Characters here?

Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad

But first, take the Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad. This will take you around the entirety of Hong Kong Disneyland. It’s a relaxing ride and you will get to pin-point areas you want to go to. We noticed some areas under construction! Soon they will have Toy Story land and two other attractions!

If you get a bit tired of walking around, ride the chu-chu train and relax!

I really like my Minnie Mouse cap 🙂

Animation Academy

This is where I learned how to draw Daisy! I think they feature different characters from time to time. The class is in Mandarin though, but don’t worry, just watch the screen and follow what the lao shi (teacher) does.

Art of Animation

Man, I just saw the most amazing thing in animation here. Drop by and check out how they explain animation and how simple and basic the concept is, but with this they created tons of great animated movies! This building is a celebration of Disney and Disney-Pixar animation featuring the spinning Toy Story Zeotrope.

That’s it 🙂

These are my favorite Hong Kong Disneyland attractions!  Have you been to Hong Kong Disneyland yet?

If so, what are your own favorite attractions?

Up next is my post about the Flight of Fantasy Parade and how to capture fireworks in Hong Kong Disneyland!

Check out my other posts:

Flaircandy Visits the Magical World of Hong Kong Disneyland

My Favorite Hong Kong Disneyland Attractions

Flights of Fantasy Parade at Hong Kong Disneyland

Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel Enchanted Garden and Disney Characters

Most Memorable Dim Sum Lunch at Crystal Lotus Hong Kong Disneyland

Disney in the Stars Fireworks and How to Capture It

Related Links

-        PARK

-        Hotel

-        Disneyland Hotel

-        Disney’s Hollywood Hotel

-        Ticket and reservations

-        5th Anniversary

-        Star Guest

Who would’ve thought I’d meet my favorite Disney characters in person!  I am such a Disney child.  I grew up watching almost all Disney movies and even as I grow up, I still watch Disney with my little sister and little brother.  My favorite shows were Lizzy Mcguire, Phil of the Future, Adventures of Zach and Cody, Lilo and Stich the series (watched every episode), Kim Possible (watched all episodes too!), Totally Spies and Martin Mystery.  Of course I love the movies of Disney too.

My mom bought me an Alice in Wonderland Betamax tape when I was 4 years old and I swear, I watched this film a thousand times along with Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast!  I was so happy that I finally would go to another vacation – a very happy and magical one!

Flaircandy invades Disneyland!

The main reason why we went back to Hong Kong is to experience the magic of Disney!  Ever since I heard about the new Disneyland in Hong Kong 5 years ago, I was very eager to go since I haven’t been to any Disneyland before and Hong Kong is only 2 hours away from the Philippines!

Can you believe it? It has been 5 years!  This year, Hong Kong Disneyland is celebrating their 5^th year anniversary and our timing was just perfect because they made everything more special.

I’m such a big kid that I lined up with the rest of the kids to have our pictures taken with the Disney Princesses 😛  I have so much to share with you guys including some helpful tips in maximizing your Hong Kong Disneyland vacation.  I will be telling you soon about my favorite attractions in Hong Kong Disneyland and share new things about Hong Kong Disneyland.  This time in Hong Kong, we were booked in Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel and it’s worth all the bucks that you pay to have a wonderful magical stay in the land of Disney and I will tell you soon why.

Hong Kong is just two hours flight away from the Philippines and I’m sure a lot of you folks will be heading off to Hong Kong Disneyland by summertime.  School is out and everyone’s is heading off to a lovely vacation.  If Hong Kong Disneyland is your choice, then it’s perfect timing especially if you go this year because they are celebrating their 5th year anniversary!

Anyway, here are a few snippets of our Hong Kong Disneyland trip.  This is just a teaser of more to come! Boy, oh boy… I have so much to share 🙂

The princesses Cinderella and Aurora were really sweet and they act in character all the time from their movements, to the way they look, their gestures and the way they say things.

Here’s a Flair tip for you guys:

This is one advantage of staying at Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, characters come from time to time and not a lot of people know about this!  They usually come at around 10-11am in the lobby.  Do check the hotel information for their schedule.

“My goodness that’s a very big bow, it’s bigger than mine!  You should show it to Minnie” – Alice said to me when I approached her for a photo op 🙂

We had breakfast at the Enchanted Garden (to tell you more about this soon).  And Mickey Mouse was there!

He saw my big bow and kissed my hand before this picture was taken <3 <3 <3

Enchanted Garden is actually a restaurant located at Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel and they serve buffets.  Disney friends visit during breakfast or dinnertime and they will go to every table so that you can have photo ops!

I drew Daisy!  Now, this is something not a lot of people know they can do in Disneyland and I will share more details about how to draw Disney Characters soon!

For now, know that you can go to the Animation Academy along Mainstreet, U.S.A. in Hong Kong Disneyland to learn how to draw Disney characters!

This was a cool attraction in Tomorrowland -the interactive Stitch encounter.  While lining up, I made goofy faces imitating different kinds of Alien Monsters!

Notice something different on the castle? It’s glittering with gold isn’t it?

For this season, the Castle was decorated with Tinkerbell’s pixie dust!  They put this special decoration here to celebrate the 5^th Anniversary of Hong Kong Disneyland.

At 8pm, they usually light the castle and the sky with Fireworks that dance with the music.  The pixie dust adds more to the glitter and glamour!

And thanks to my uggs, walking around Disneyland was not so painful at all.  Reminding everyone to wear comfortable clothing and footwork if you want to fully enjoy Hong Kong Disneyland!

Aww… I feel pretty holding tinkerbell’s wand and wearing her garland.

There are shops everywhere and you can actually wear this around Hong Kong Disneyland while you’re touring around and take lots of photos!  These things would look cute on camera!

Don’t forget to say DISNEY!!!

It’s Tinkerbell!   Sadly, we weren’t able to take photos with her because the line was so long 😛

Tinkerbell is one of my favorite Disney characters because she reminds me so much of myself.  The only difference is I love pink and she loves green 😛  This Pixie Hollow photo booth with Tinkerbell is only available in the 5^th Anniversary Celebration of Hong Kong Disneyland.

Munching on my favorite snack – Caramel Popcorn!

If you get hungry, munch on something.  They sell ice creams, waffles and popcorn everywhere!

Don’t forget to take lots of photos!

Oh, buy souvenirs too! Like I bought this hat for HKD100 I’m not sure about the exact amount but wear something cute like this throughout your Disneyland experience!  It will look good on your photos!

Pictures are not complete without a jump shot!  Although, I blocked the sign that says “Welcome to Hong Kong Disneyland Resort” PHAIL

Walking on the hallways of Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel.  I admire the whole building!  Every detail, every corner and every little design has been well thought of.  I am sure to book here again if i go back!

I brought a tripod with me the whole day because I know it will be worth carrying when I want to take photos of the fireworks at night 🙂  I love capturing fireworks and catching them with the castle was a bit hard.. but patience is a virtue and I am very happy with my shots!

I cried while I was taking this photo… They start out with the song “Tale as old as time… (ten ne ne ne nen), true as it can be…”

and the fireworks and the harmonious Disney songs on the background gave me goosebumps and made me cry.  I was overwhelmed with joy that I exploded with both tears and laughter.

I maximized the trip and roamed around Hong Kong Disneyland resort for 2 days.  I tried every attraction there was, even the ones meant for kids.  I thought I would be bored and stuff, but hey – I was simply amazed.  Every ride brought out the child in me 🙂

Since Disney is turning 5€¦

Happy 5^th Birthday Hong Kong Disneyland!!!

They made their parade more special and they call it “Flights of Fantasy“

You shouldn’t miss this parade because this is your chance to see different Disney characters and this parade is exclusive only in Hong Kong Disneyland and you can’t see this in other Disneyland resorts.  This will be only available this year for their 5^th year anniversary.

Congratulations Hong Kong Disneyland!  It was indeed a great production!

I think that’s it for now. 🙂  Follow me on my other posts, yah?  ^_^

By the way, I was very happy to meet Qiuting (known as Bongqiuqiu in the blogosphere).  She is one of the top bloggers in Singapore and was happy to meet her there! She’s so tall and pretty and very nice in person.  She gave me shopping tips and where to go in Hong Kong.

Find out more about her at BongQiuQiu.blogspot.com

Check out my other posts:

Flaircandy Visits the Magical World of Hong Kong Disneyland

My Favorite Hong Kong Disneyland Attractions

Flights of Fantasy Parade at Hong Kong Disneyland

Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel Enchanted Garden and Disney Characters

Most Memorable Dim Sum Lunch at Crystal Lotus Hong Kong Disneyland

Disney in the Stars Fireworks and How to Capture It

Related Links

–        PARK

–        Hotel

–        Disneyland Hotel

–        Disney’s Hollywood Hotel

–        Ticket and reservations

–        5th Anniversary

–        Star Guest

Hong Kong Wetlands – A Place for Photographers and Nature Lovers

We went here last November and indeed it is a place for photographers to practice their wild-life photography.  If you want to work for National Geographic or Discovery channel, this is the best place for you to practice 🙂

Unfortunately, I didn’t bring my 70-300mm zoom lens, so I wasn’t able to take photos of unique birds all around.

The Hong Kong Wetlands is a world-class ecotourism facility and home to a stunning array of wildlife including birds, dragonflies, amphibians, mammals, reptiles, butterflies and fish.

How to get to Hong Kong Wetlands

It took us about 30 – 45 minutes to arrive to the Wetlands from our hotel, Island Pacific.

HK Wetland Park is situated Northeast of Tin Shui Wai, New Territories, Hong Kong. It has an exhibition hall of 10,000 square meters (107,642 sq ft) and the wetland reserve area comprises 60 hectares (148 acres).

Take the MRT and make your way to Tin Shui Wai MTR Rail station. Get on any MTR Light Rail (705 or 706) and then get off at Wetland Park Station. The Park is right ahead (only a 5 minute walk).

Hong Kong Wetlands entrance fee, opening and closing hours

Open hours are between 10 am – 5pm

Closed on Tuesdays (except for Public Holidays).

It is also closed for the first and 2nd day of the Chinese New Year.

Tickets: Adults (HK$30), Child (3 to below 18) / Students / Senior (HK$15) and Free entry for children below three.

This area is already near mainland China.

These are our tickets for the light rail.  Technically, it’s honesty policy.  They didn’t seem to collect or check our tickets.  But, I believed that some officers randomly check tickets.  Or something like that.

On our way home to our hotel from the Hong Kong Wetlands, we ran out of change.  We asked for 20 bucks to be changed from an old woman who was also waiting for the train.  She was just kind enough to donate HKD 4 to us for our fare 😛

School girl in the suburb.  They have cute uniforms 🙂 Of course, at that time, it was super cold so they need sweaters, long socks and stuff. 🙂

They have bike lanes which I want the Philippines to adapt with.  This encourages a greener future for everyone.  It’s just nice 🙂

This is inside the Hong Kong Wetland park.  You should wear long sleeve clothes and pants or leggings.  You should be fully covered because there are lots of mosquitos here.  You can also buy a mosquito patch that you stick to your clothes.  If you zoom in on me, you will see tiny colorful squares.  Those are mosquito repellants 😛

I believe it’s autumn when we went here last time.

Don’t be fooled.  This Wetland Park is stretched around and you will walk around A LOT!  There are many observation decks where you can rest and take photos of birds in the swamp or even sketch and paint.  I saw one artist painting the swamp life 🙂 It was nice.  I wanted to take a photo of him, but he seemed so into his work that I felt it would be rude to interrupt.

Like I said, it’s a long walk…

You need to wear comfy shoes.  The sign says “Mind Deep Water” … but it looks like it’s low tide or something?  The water doesn’t seem too deep.

Crabs were everywhere in the swamp… they live under the roots of the mangroves 🙂

I feel so smart now 😛

I can’t imagine how it would be if you go here on summer.  It would be humid and hot, yet you need to protect yourself from mosquito and other insects.  You would be walking a lot under the sun and it would make you feel sticky.  So, I suggest you walk around the swamp during winter / autumn time.

If you happen to pass by here on summer, they have an enclosed / air-conditioned building that serves both as museum and a science discovery center.

You will still get to see more live and well reptiles and amphibians with their huge aquariums and stuff

I love the green grass, the blue sky and my top contrasting the background 😛

My feet got tired leh… but, I got reprimanded because you can’t put your feet up @_@… if you need to, do it when no one is watching 😛

and oh, wear either thick stockings or leggings coz if you only wear thin stockings, the mosquitos still bite grr

yaye! I PASSED!

Inside their discovery center is a very educational and interactive game 😛

If only we had the time to really go through it all. but, I was just amazed 🙂

Oh yeah, this is how the light rail train’s rail looks like.  It doesn’t look like Hong Kong anymore and it looks more of China suburbs

]]> https://flaircandy.com/hong-kong-wetlands/feed/ 9 https://flaircandy.com/flaircandy-is-going-to-hong-kong-disneyland/ https://flaircandy.com/flaircandy-is-going-to-hong-kong-disneyland/#comments Thu, 24 Feb 2011 11:50:16 +0000 http://www.flaircandy.com/?p=7172 I’m still a child at heart (and at height) and I’m so excited to go to Disneyland Hong Kong!  This time, I will be spending more time in Disney and actually booked in their Hollywood hotel.  I really need this break!  I want to be a princess even for just 3 days, to enjoy, have fun and just relax around the park 🙂

I

I was very very excited that I made this flair Mickey Mouse logo on my iPad.  doodle doodle… 🙂

oh, and wheninmanila.com’s logo has also transformed 😛

I’m so excited!

I heard there are new activities in the park.  Last time I went here was in the summer of 2009 and it was hot!  I’m so excited to go here on a cool time ^_^ and finally, I can still wear my boots with-a-fuuuurrr.

I am leaving tomorrow morning and will update you soonest, for now, time to pack my bags 🙂

Even if I don’t understand the Japanese or Chinese text on the magazine, I still enjoy the hip fashion all through out the pages.  And of course, I got a little bit disoriented reading the magazine from right to left @_@

These are just a few of the many pages of fashion and Japanese love.  It is autumn there now so you’ll see lots of fur, socks and boots.

Hair tutorials

and makeup tutorials

I know I will be bored at Hong Kong International Airport while waiting for boarding so I bought other magazines too!

Vivi Magazine HKD $30

Absolutely love this fashion magazine!  You don’t need to understand Japanese much.  Well, I hope they have one in English

—

Marie Claire HKD $35

The main magazine was thich and it had another magazine with it that focused on Gift Ideas.  Mostly luxury gift ideas like jewelry, perfumes and watches @_@  They were all in chinese too @_@ so I just looked at the product shots.  The magazine came with a FREE purse!  It looks simple and nice – something that I can definitely use.

—

Cosmopolitan HKD $40

The Cosmo magazine included 3 magazines inside @_@ The main mag was super thick and they included Crab Tree products (hand lotion)  I love crab tree stuff and was happy to have a freebie lol.  Cosmo focused this time on Beauty Awards where they listed and ranked top and best make-up / beauty products out in the market I think our local issue has this too so be sure to check it out

I couldn’t appreciate the articles though because the test was all in Chinese.

TOTAL HKD $ 105 (charged my Credit card at Php 620.87)

So cheap for all these! with tons of freebies!!!

Anyway, it’s just nice to look at other country’s local magazines.  ‘Till the next travel ^_^