Cause Way Bay

Yesterday Lynne, Karen and I went to Clear Water Bay and went to the SOGO mall; very high class! When things are so expensive and classy, makes me want to go to Mong Kok for some cheap things… I can’t afford Burberry, LV… so why look? I guess we were just seeing new things and experiencing the culture itself. A lot of people were at SOGO and the endless crowds were agitating me… Lynne said she could even see it in my face… I wanted to push someone over. I think that was my first glimpse of intense culture shock. It made me wanna scream. After walking around SOGO we spent a good 30 minutes in HMV. Karen and Lynne went crazy over all the asian pop because it’s so cheap compared to Canada. The whole time they were contemplating on which cd to buy. I thought it was pretty cheap… a Jay Chow CD / DVD for about $15. I want to get that for my cousin who’s into this whole Asian pop music. Hahaha I had a strong influence on his preference for Jay Chow. Anyways after we went to eat at a restaurant called the Odeon Taiwanese Restaurant It was probably the most expensive meal I’ve had seen being here in HK. I only spent about $40 HK = $6 Canadian and I got a sesame bubble tea too! Let’s just say that Bubble Republic is 10X better and I really miss their black milk tea. Afterwards we went to Victoria Park to see the Flower Market and this was a great experience. There are tons and tons of vendors selling the most useless things… of course there are tons of beautiful flowers (I took a ton of pictures for my dad to see) and there is so much to eat. We carefully watched our belongings because the place was packed and us girls stayed close together. There is sooo much to see and buy. I wanted a souvenir of my HK Chinese New Year experience so I bought a cheap stuffed animal of a dog in a Chinese outfit haha… it was only $18HK. The price read $23 on the sign and I asked her if I could have it cheaper and she quoted $20, and I quickly said what about $18 and effortlessly the lady said yes! That was the easiest bargain ever. I can’t believe I was bargaining for 30 cents Canadian… wow I’m a cheapo! Anyways bargaining even for cents gives me this sense of satisfaction that I achieved something important haha! We also shared a spicy squid dish and after we were so full. We agreed that next time we won’t eat lunch and just eat all the little snacks. I want to try the deep fried ice cream balls… haha that sounds funny. I also bought flowers for my aunt Rebecca… a small bouquet for $30. I swear walking away from the vendors is the best bargaining tactic ever. There is so much competition with the flower sellers and if they don’t make money then they sell everything for ½ price on the last night. Karen was listening and found out that these old ladies got a bouquet for $28 so I tired too but she wouldn’t (I’m not skilled like the locals or the seniors yet) and so I said BYE BYE… and she offered $30 and I accepted. Another satisfying moment! After we walked Karen back to the MTR station and Lynne and I walked around the city stunned at all the people once again and at all the places to shop. We met up with my aunt at the Manulife building and she took us to eat deep fried tofu, mushrooms wrapped with beef strips, sweet and sour spareribs and some shanghai vegetable rice and some wonton. I wasn’t even hungry when we eat but I had to stuff myself… it’s rude if I leave all that food… I’m so happy Lynne was there to help eat too! After we had black sesame paste… really good dessert. My aunt left with her friend and Lynne and I went to Time Square to shop more. The nightlife in HK is utterly crazy!! The malls are crazy busy because during Chinese New Year all stores have sales. It’s similar to our Boxing Day in Canada, except their boxing day hype lasts for about a week. I bought a pair of Jordans for Gable… (I’m sure he’s happy now) and Lynne bought a pair of Nikes… by the time we got home our feet were killing!! Soon we’ll be out again and shopping at Mong Kok. I’m meeting Gable’s aunt today and I hope I make a good impression on her today… aaahhh a little nerve wrecking!