My Boyfriend is a Make Up Artist!

Let me interrupt my series of Hong Kong posts for a photography/beauty entry. Now, my boyfriend isn't a  macho, manly kind of guy, but he isn't exactly the type you'll see in el cheapo salons styling hair and putting on horrendous make up either. What he is, however, is a photography junkie, who finds joy in snapping random photos of my face and tinkering with Adobe Photoshop to remedy my far from perfect features. Look at how he applied make up on my otherwise pale face with a bit of Photoshop magic:

Before: He didn't edit anything except for the logo.

After: with digital make up on!

My pupils are the color of Edward Cullen's when he is well-fed. Not that I like the Twilight series, but let us save that for some other post. If I may say so,  he also applied purple eyeshadow and brown eyeliner on my lids quite well for a guy, no?  The coral lip color is such a nice touch up too. What I am super amazed about, however, is the blush. I would love to get my hands on that shade (if I could find a non-digital one), as it suits my skin tone quite awesomely. He also knew where to put the blush, imagine that! I did wonder if he could put non-digital make up on me too, but that might be too gay. I wouldn't want him to go in that direction. LOL.

So what do you think? We welcome constructive criticisms. :)

Hong Kong Series: The Million Dollar Question!

For travelers staying in Hong Kong on a limited budget and time period, the million dollar question is whether to go to Ocean Park or Disneyland. I did not want to trouble myself with choosing between these two themed attractions, so I intentionally made sure that we had sufficient time in Hong Kong to see both. I am too lazy to write a long post on this, as I would like to get on  with recounting our trip and showing you some pretty pictures, so here are my two cents in bullets:

• If you have kids with you, Disneyland is definitely the better option. It has well produced shows and non-extreme rides that kids will like. If you are going as an all adult group however, Ocean Park might be more suited to your interests, unless of course, you are a kid at heart still caught up in childhood fantasies of becoming a princess or a cheesy drama queen who still believes in happy endings and magic.
• Some parents argue that Ocean Park is more educational, but then again, are you in Hong Kong for a vacation or for education? Give them kiddos a break! I first experienced the magic that is Disneyland when I was 7 or 8 and I tell you, I felt like the luckiest kid in the world! My cousin, who was in her early adult years at that time, had tears in her eyes when we watched the Fantasmic show in Disnelyand, California.
• Disneyland is definitely more expensive, no question about the price tag. Tickets cost 350 HKD each, while Ocean Park's are just about 250 HKD. You can get the tickets at a cheaper price though, if you know where to look! See where we bought our discounted tickets in my previous entry.
• Food and souvenirs are miles better (but more expensive of course!) at Disneyland, but you are not there for the food, are you? Besides, souvenirs from theme parks are overrated.
• If you have been to Disneyland elsewhere, you might get a tad disappointed. Disneyland Hong Kong is smaller and it has fewer attractions than its Western (probably even, Eastern - ever been to Japan?) counterparts.
• If you have ocean/marine parks in your home country and have never stepped foot on any Disneyland, go to Disneyland! Ocean park has a lot of adult rides, but they are not unique in any way. If you are residing in the Philippines for instance, you can get the same thrill riding Enchanted Kingdom's Space Shuttle and you can learn all the marine life lessons you want in the ocean parks of Manila and Subic.

I personally enjoyed Disneyland more than I enjoyed Ocean Park, but I may be biased, because I went to the former on my birthday and the boyfriend made me feel like a princess that day.  It was also Philippine-summer-hot-and-humid the day we went to Ocean Park, so we spent quite some time bitching about the heat and called it a day even when the afternoon was still so young. So yeah, I blame my not enjoying Ocean Park so much on the weather!

What about you? Ever been to Disneyland and Ocean Park in Hong Kong? Which would you recommend?

Hong Kong Series: Ngong Ping Cable Car, Citygate Outlets and Ladies' Market in Mong Kok

Our third day in Hong Kong was supposed to be our do-nothing-specific-and-bum-around day, but what the hell? It's not everyday that we get to be in Hong Kong. Why waste a beautiful day bumming around when we can do that any time we want in the Philippines?

Making the most out of Hong Kong's Summer Spectacular!

I wanted to go someplace where I need not walk long distances because my feet were still sore from all the walking that I had to do in Macau. The Ngong Ping Cable Car ride seemed like the perfect idea, as I can sit suspended in air while I see Lantau Island, bird's eyeview style for under a hundred HKD. It was also an absolutely divine way to help the boyfriend conquer his fear of heights. We just chose the regular cabin though, as the crystal cabin's glass bottom might be too scary for him.

No crystal cabin for him!

The weather was absolutely perfect that day, with just the right amount of clouds and sunshine for a relaxing cable car trip. We rode the MTR to Tung Chung, as the cable car terminal was readily accessible from the last station of the Tung Chung Line.

Vending machine for earphones and Ipod accessories.
Whatever happened to good old sodas and candy bars?

Riding the MTR was absolutely a breeze. I wish our transportation
 system in the Philippines is as efficient!

Welcome to the Ngong Ping Cable Car Terminal!

Hong Kong Series: Side Trip to Macau

If you would be staying in Hong Kong for quite some time, a side trip to Macau must definitely be a part of your itinerary. From Hong Kong, you can reach Macau via ferry for a fraction of the cost of getting there by air. 

There are two terminals for ferries bound for Macau in Hong Kong. Since we were coming from Mong Kok, we opted to take the ferry at Tsim Tsa Tsui. The ferry terminal was quite a long walk from the MTR station, but we got there in time for the 10:30 AM voyage. Yes, let's pretend we rode a cruise ship instead of an el cheapo ferry that got the boyfriend seasick and nauseous.  Hehe.

570 HKD for two round trip tickets, if I remember correctly.

Since Macau is another SAR like Hong Kong, you have to line up at the immigration once you get to Macau. Do not forget to get free maps from the Tourist Information Center at the Macau Ferry Terminal.

Tip: On a backpacking trip with very limited budget? You can get around Macau without spending a penny on transportation. All you have to do is google for the nearest hotel to your place of interest as most hotels provide free shuttles from the ferry terminal.

Whoever said that there is nothing free in this world must be lying.

We took the free shuttle to Casino Lisboa first as it was the nearest to Senado Square and The Ruins of St. Paul. The walk was quite long and the weather was dreadfully hot and humid, but I was too excited to care. I love traveling for three reasons: culture, history and cuisine! So bring it on, baby!

Macau was once a bustling Portugese colony.