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24 Hours in...Manila
Feature / Features
Written by : Lila Jose-Baquet
Nov 6, 2008
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24 Hours in...Manila
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7 AM
Let's start from the very beginning...at
Kilometer Zero. The big flagpole here, in
front of national hero Jose Rizal's monument,
is the starting point for measuring
distances to various points in the
Philippines. The park features attractions
such as Chinese and Japanese Gardens,
Orchidarium and Butterfly Pavilion, and
the Manila Planetarium, among others.
8 AM
Buzz into Jollibee for breakfast. Dubbed
the Philippines' number one fast food
chain (claim to fame: sweet spaghetti and
cheeseburger with pineapple), this restaurant
has a branch right in Rizal Park so you
can feed your hungry self right after walking
around the park. Vegetarians, head to
Pancake House - they have all kinds of pancakes
(of course), waffles, salad and pasta.
9 AM
The famous "Walled City" of Intramuros,
will give you a glimpse of Spanish colonial
times in Manila. Tour on your own or
book a walking tour with popular guide
David Celdran. ... ... |
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Feminism Embraces the Tiara
Feature / Features
Written by : Christine Laskowski
Nov 1, 2008
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Feminism Embraces the Tiara
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At Grappa's Cellar, in front of a crowd consisting mainly tanned, blonde Hong
Kong moms and their young daughters, Meg Cabot struts in wearing a rhinestone
tiara. This is appropriate, as her coterie is also dressed from head to toe in pink
ensembles – wigs, feather boas and tiaras included. All sixty or so of them, seated in a
semi-circle of chairs around a central platform with their pens and books, eagerly await
the professor's arrival.
Yes, I'd stumbled into princess school.
Had I not interviewed her first, I'd have probably thought she was either a ditz or a charlatan
and put her right back into the Caboodle makeup case of "chick lit" writers where she
belonged. But the thing with Meg Cabot is, she knows how to play the part, and in doing
so, gets young girls raising their hands and asking questions, cultivates in them an interest
in reading and writing, as well as the relentless pursuit of what they love to do and
who they are. For Meg ... ... |
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Bowling'em over
Feature / Features
Written by : Ranajit Dam and Lena Gidwani
Oct 29, 2008
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| On a sleepy Saturday afternoon,
in sleepy Tongle
Village in Shenzhen, a most
curious scene unfolds. In the
center of the field belonging to Tongle
School, a short Chinese teenager, clad
in red and with head encased in an oversized
helmet, guards three wooden sticks
with a bat. He is surrounded by eleven
foreigners of varying shapes, sizes and
fitness levels, one of whom charges in,
red leather ball in hand, and hurls it in
the direction of the boy. Almost reflexively,
the teen aims a full-blooded swipe
but connects with thin air, as the ball
thuds into outsized gloves of the burly
Canadian behind him. Sparse applause
and appreciative murmurs emanate
from the ring of foreigners, and someone
shouts in a distinct South African accent:
"Well bowled!"
This scene has been witnessed on
many a Saturday afternoon in Tongle,
a dusty corner of Nanshan District, for
a year or so since Chinese national
age-group cricket
teams began play ... ... |
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Getting married? Say cheese!
Feature / Features
Written by : Lena Gidwani
Sep 1, 2008
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Love may not cost a thing, but a wedding sure does. Just
ask one of the many couples here in China who have recently
tied the knot. After lifetimes of scrimping and saving,
they've decided that the joy of making money lies
in well, spending it. There doesn't seem to be a lack of companies
offering wedding services either. With everyone craving a piece
of the highly profitable wedding cake, shops are offering everything
from flowers and tiered cakes, to catering and honeymoon
travel. But above all, flashy photographs remain the mainstay of
the business and a must for the marriage-minded of China's nouveau
generation. The logic of course, is that while the wedding
only lasts a day, the pictures last a lifetime. And like countless
other couples in China, they aren't content to merely capture the
magic moments of matrimony spontaneously on film; they plan to
choreograph each and every one. In fact, most studios can accommodate
just ab ... ... |
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Bad Language
Feature / Features
Written by : Zoe Pan
Sep 1, 2008
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Iam a stupid, lazy foreigner. If I'm not, then I certainly feel
like one on a fairly regular basis. After five years in China,
my Mandarin still merits nothing more than the faintest of
faint praise: it's not bad. Maybe I'm doing OK considering
I've only ever had a handful of proper lessons, but after half a
decade here, I feel I should be nattering away with ease. Instead,
my vocabulary contains more holes than Beijing's artfully-perforated
Birds' Nest, I respond to questions so slowly that I may as
well be listening via satellite link-up from a different continent,
and the only time I really feel on top of a conversation is when
I'm talking to someone who is a third of my height and still has
their butt cheeks poking out the back of their romper suit.
But at least I'm not alone. A survey published by the
Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences last month revealed
that while Guangdong's capital is now home to expats from 153
different counties, m ... ... |
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Ladies who Lunch
Feature / Features
Written by : Kristina Pérez
Jul 13, 2008
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Ladies who Lunch
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| Shiro – L/1, Pacific Place , Admiralty (2155 8066)
Sushi lovers have died and gone to heaven. Leave it to the fashionable Lane Crawford to unfurl a stylish sushi bar right next to the shoe section – as if Louboutins weren't mouthwatering enough. In addition to traditional table seating there are two kaiten-sushi belts and a bar area that seats up to 25 diners in this sleekly designed restaurant by David Yeo of the Aqua group. The fish is flown in daily from the famed Tsukiji market in Tokyo and for the carnivores there is also aged Wagyu beef on the menu, would you expect anything less? There is a good selection of house wines and cocktails such as sake spritzers and the shiro lychee mojito – a perfect mid-day pick-me-up. Split the set menu for two (HK$688) with your faithful shopping companion.
Harvey Nichols Fourth Floor Restaurant and Bar – 15 Queen's Road, Central (3695 3389)
For those of you who are f ... ... |
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Intelligent Design
Feature / Features
Written by : Kristina Pérez
Jul 13, 2008
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Intelligent Design
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Delay No Mall - 68 Yee Wo Street , Causeway Bay (Causeway Bay MTR) delaynomall.com
The Delay No Mall, a boutique design gallery cum exhibition space, is one of the hottest developments in Hong Kong in recent years. G.O.D. is behind the project. In other words, the hip lifestyle consortium Goods of Desire who already have several home design shops around the city. Delay No Mall sits on the site of the famous 1950s Hoover cinema with the old-fashioned marquee displaying the brands on sale inside, many of which are new to Hong Kong , including Kapok, Tagger, L.A.M.B. and Harajuku Lovers by Gwen Stefani, Rock Candy.
G.O.D. co-founder Douglas Young has also created the Delay No Mall with the aim of making it a focal point for Hong Kong 's creative community because he feels that local artists and designers have suffered from a lack of support and a place to display their works. It was recently announced that MOCAChina, Hong ... ... |
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After Dark
Feature / Features
Written by : Kristina Pérez
Jul 13, 2008
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After Dark
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| The Pawn – 62 Johnston Road , Wanchai (2866 3444)
Designed by Hong Kong film director Stanley Wong, The Pawn inhabits its namesake Woo Cheong Pawn Shop building and its adjacent tenement houses. These iconic structures have been conserved and converted into a bar, restaurant and roof garden spanning three floors. For a late-night drink checkout the mixologists at The Living Room who can also offer you a menu of fine cigars.
dragon-i – 60 Wyndham Street , Central (3110 1222)
Much hyped, some might say over-hyped, dragon-i is the place to come for touring international DJs and model ogling. Having said that, the design is modishly seductive with glowing red lanterns bathing the luminescent interiors and the over-sized bird cages swinging on the outdoor patio are either a clever social critique or a terrible waste of space. The dancing really gets going around 11:30pm but happy hour from 6-9pm provides good ... ... |
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The rise of hip hop in Shenzhen
Feature / Features
Written by : Text and photos by Jesse Warren
Jul 13, 2008
Tags :
hip hop;rise of hip hop
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"There was nothing, absolutely nothing," recounts Jesse Muoio, referring to Shenzhen's hip hop scene when he first arrived in 1994. Better known as DJ TKO, Muoio has watched hip hop blossom in the past 14 years following his lead. From break dancing to djing, graffiti and rapping, the city now has it all.
Spotting an ad in the newspaper for a three-month hip hop tour of China, the 19 year old American auditioned and made the cut. Recalling the music in the clubs upon arriving, "there was nothing but crazy loud banging ridiculous techno," says Muoio. Those early years were marked by a cautious, gradual introduction of hip hop into house music sets. The crowd wasn't ready yet.
Only in 2000 did things start to change. With the help of his DJ partner Eric Tech and his dancers from Hong Kong, Muoio held the city's first big hip hop party – and packed the house. Riding on the heels of this success, he landed a residency at True Colors spinning hip hop ev ... ... |
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Who's up for some wet and wild?
Feature / Features
Written by : Lena Gidwani
Jul 13, 2008
Tags :
wild
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While most people don't associate water sports with Guangdong, there are a surprising number of places up north that provide decent aquatic thrills and chills.
A mere 90-minute drive north of Guangzhou (about 70kms) will bring you to the scenic town of Qingyuan, strategically positioned on the Beijiang River at the North tip of the PRD. A very popular tourist area (and commonly referred to as the "green backyard" of the province), Qingyuan boasts a breathtaking combination of mountains and water, reminiscent of the scenery in Guilin. Trek further north towards the clear rivers nestled among the lush peaks and you'll find an action-packed whitewater rafting escapade. Coool.
Ok, so The Colorado River it ain't, and the true adventurer at heart might be a tad disappointed at the 'trickling' speed of the rapids, but it's certainly an activity to get your hear-rate pumping. Expect never-ending torrents of swirling downstream eddies towards ... ... |
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