OMFG -- A Spore Food Experience

It's been a month already that I've been in the beautiful city of Singapore and I've fallen in love. Totally and helplessly head over heels, butterflies in my stomach, deeply breathy sighs and all that other good stuff that only happens during the first heavenly months. Nope, I'm not talking about some charming expat, but with all the amazingly beautiful FOOD. I'm not surprised, I've always loved Asian food (and Italian, and Japanese, and French...it's a wonder I'm still beanpole-esque) -- but my gastronomic experience here has really been something else. (If any of my bookers are reading this let me add that I've also been hitting the gym everyday and everything has been in moderation!)

Toronto definitely has an amazing food scene as well, and has cemented itself as a main food hub in Canada with exquisite specialty eateries such as the Hoof Cafe (meats and organs put into every dish) and high-end established experiences like Canoe. However, quite simply speaking, Toronto's opening of a highly buzzed-about restaurant every couple months just cannot compare to the on-going food experience that exists continually across the ocean. Singapore does not just have specialty restaurants; it has world-class hotels hosting a menagerie of drool-worthy and exquisitely decorated restaurants, it has chain fast-food places like those in America only spic and span and impossibly efficient, there are street delights made accessible via franchises that sell "sanitized" versions of local food and then there are the local food stands themselves, which are, in my opinion, the best and dirtiest food in the city.

Hakka food, as it's called, is local delights prepared by Singaporeans and sold in stands and mini-food courts the city over. These bustling markets host goodies such as the famed chicken rice (rice cooked in chicken-infused oil then served with the chicken itself, marinated cucumbers, broth and an assortment of sauces), salted pork with preserved mustard greens over rice, bean curd with fish paste and chillies, tropical fruit drinks such as iced lychee water with the actual fruits as well, papaya tapioca drinks and the desserts....ohhhh the desserts! The hakka desserts are simply to die for when it comes to a sweet-toothed person like myself. These treats are in the style of traditional Chinese desserts (think sweet pastes and glutinous consistencies as opposed to puffy pastries and fluffy cakes) and include tropical fruits which make for dessert heaven. Fresh mangoes over shaved ice with sweet jellies, sweetened peanut paste inside rice dough with shredded coconut sprinkled on top, and lotus seed paste inside rich flaky dough are a few of the popular choices at hakka stands. The desserts here are unique confections and as much as I search for suffice counterparts in Toronto, I just can't seem to find them. (Markham is the closest there is and come on -- it's going to take more than desserts for me to haul my bum to Markham.)

Singapore also boasts a detailed infrastructure that allows for it to host a bevy of beautiful dining places. The smartly architecturally-planned city has more pristine mega-malls than all of Canada combined it seems, the wide streets are lined with hotel after hotel and interesting facade after interesting facade. I had drinks the other night in a bar over water surrounded by sculptures and no one, except for me seemed to be stunned by my surroundings! In a sense, that's where Toronto has Singapore beat; in exclusivity. There are just so many decor-savvy and impeccable-serviced choices here that Singaporeans and expats alike barely blink an eye when they enter, say the exquisite lobby of the historical Fullerton hotel where I recently had a mouthwatering sushi lunch. Torontonians in the know, on the other hand, flock to whatever new hotspot with a pseudo-celebrity mogul name attached that opens. Oh, that's hardly a jab at my lovely hometown -- you pretentious darlings know exactly what I'm talking about, there's nothing like the glitz and glam of a properly marketed event. That's where our dear city wins. I was having a lychee martini one night on the 55th floor of an immaculate hotel bar when a bunch of messy rascals ran by me and just like some one had cut the music, the mood was gone. Nothing like kids to take the sparkle out of all things glittery. Don't get me wrong, children are adorable -- just not when I have a martini in hand.

Buffet dinner at the Mandarin Hotel! 

All in all, it's a good thing I have an amazing metabolism because the cuisine here is exotic, exquisite and just to die for. Between the local hakka food, ritzy five-star dinners and my limited-time access to chains they have here that we don't in Canada (um, get in my belly Carl's Jr. thick burger and fries!) it's been a journey and a half for me in getting to know the city through its food. I was having dinner with my dear friend Jeff Rustia the other night -- the famed black-pepper crab -- as the waiter brought over deep fried bread to soak up the delectable sauce. I'll pass on to you, bloggees, the same advice I said to Jeff as he tried to turn down the deep-fried goodness that awaited us: Shut up and enjoy it. Where ever you are lovelies, bon apetite!
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OMFG - Modelizers galore..

After being here just over two weeks I've encountered many new species: the incredibly large and scary flying bugs that whiz in and out of my apartment via the open balcony, the screeching tropical bird which wakes me up every morning that, although I know it's probably rare and endangered, I just want to shoot, and then there's the most fascinating species of all -- modelizers. Oh, sure, we have our share of mild modelizers in Toronto -- men that enjoy the company of leggy waifs hanging around King West and pursue them here and there and whatnot but over here, at least from what I've seen, it's not just for sport -- it's a downright profession.

With so many girls here who are depending on modeling to give them a better life, I guess it's no surprise that it's like shooting fish in a barrel for men who have oodles of money (or enough to pretend they have oodles) to come in and sweep them off their feet with dinners, trips, purses and hey -- maybe even a little affection. I've had dinner with more than my share of modelizers and to hear them talk about us models like pieces of meat really ("Oh, this agency gets all the good blondes. She had good legs, bad teeth though. Unfortunate." That's so not what's unfortunate about that sentence, buddy.) is something I choose to view as entertaining. Yes, they're condescending and arrogant but likely sad little men as well so I make the best of such situations and humor this amusing breed of (not-so) gentlemen. (I also end up befriending modelizers because it's apparent one drink into dinner that they're not getting in my pants.) Men that want to be surrounded by beautiful women always isn't surprising really, I mean sex makes the world go round and round after all (sorry love and money) -- what's surprising to me is how willing all these girls are to latch onto some dude they barely know. Coming from a fairly well-off family in Canada I guess I can't really relate to not having a backup plan in life but to see fourteen year olds throw themselves at men old enough to be my dad -- well it's just kind of gross. Okay sure, maybe I'm being unsympathetic; what if they came from a hard life and have parents who are ill and blah blah blah but honestly if you're some chick who wants to whore themselves out via their looks to get the good life, well don't expect much sympathy from anyone! Like jeez, go to school or something! Brains. They're in our heads for a reason.

Snideness aside, the situation is what it is and oh goodness, it's just downright hilarious sometimes. While enjoying tapas and martinis the other night, one modelizer friend of mine expressed his disdain for a girl who outright asked for a designer bag during lunch with him. "I mean, can you believe that?!" he had exclaimed. That's the fine line of modelizing; even though the girls are acutely aware of their status as status symbols, it's in bad taste to actually acknowledge it...subtleties also make the world go round if you ask me. It's a whole industry where decisions are made on nuances so why should the sex associated with it be any different? These girls are girlfriends to the men they're with, and are expected to act appropriately. Sometimes it's like watching a father with his daughter who just was taught how to act like a lady post-Cotillion or something....i.e.hilarious. 


I'm sure some of these pairings turn into lasting unions, and good for the ones that do, but for the rest of the girls out there who are looking to latch their legs onto something better than what they came from; it's a mess waiting to happen. Even the savviest of femme fatales are bound to feel used (and really, how much of a femme fatale can one be as a teenager?) or worse. A modelizer's motto likely something along the lines of "why fuck the girl in the skirt when you can fuck the girl modeling the skirt?" -- well ladies, or more like girls, why fuck the man with the money when you fuck some one who actually likes you for you? Exactly.
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OMFG - so far in Singapore

A little while ago I showed up bleary-eyed and horribly disoriented to what appeared to be a building for Church housing in the middle of Singapore. After more than twenty hours in the air and three layovers (One which included having ten minutes to run from one side of Dulles in Washington to the other in order to catch my next flight. Might I add that this run included four moving walkways, about six escalators and a shuttle. Really guys? Really?) and a couple pills which helped make the journey bearable, I was skeptical that this building was where I was going to call home for the next couple months. Ten days later and I'm sitting here on the couch of my surprisingly spacious model apartment feeling very much at home; something I rarely find I feel when I travel. (It turns out the bottom floor of the building is indeed for Church housing but the top floors are just apartments. "Sexy as hell models pouring out of a Church building! It's bloody brilliant!" is how my charmingly dazed British landlord described the situation to me.)

Singapore has welcomed me with open arms and I couldn't think of a better city for me to visit alone for the first time. I've been lucky enough to of traveled quite a lot so far in my life: pretty extensively with my family while growing up, a couple trips here and there with friends and a fair bit of traveling with significant others who are no longer significant, but I've never actually traveled alone somewhere totally foreign to live. I'm someone who believes in destiny; that everything happens for a reason and that this opportunity came to me in a my life at this exact time has proved to be perfect timing. Toronto was driving me insane to put it lightly; it's a city I'll always love but I just felt like after my break-up, it was time to break-up with Toronto for a little bit as well. Everything was reminding me of something or the other and I felt like I just needed to fuck off and be anonymous for a couple months. Fortunately modeling gave me the chance to fly half way across the world on some one else's dime and I couldn't be happier.

Obvious superficial details aside (being that Singapore is spotlessly clean, beautifully designed, easy to navigate and endlessly entertaining...oh and they have Topshop here! I may or may not have squealed and done a little dance in the mall when I spotted the store sign glowing from afar...) this trip has meaning to me in that I feel its purpose is bigger than just simply to be in a couple magazines or runway shows. What that purpose is, I won't know until the trip is over and some time has passed but so far it seems that being independent; in a physical and emotional sense is something I had never really learned to do in its entirety before. I cherish my friendships and family more than anything, but to be all the way here without any crutches to lean on and not be mopey about it has been refreshingly liberating. I don't know that if I had taken this trip any earlier whether I would be as happy as I am here now. Actually, I can guarantee that I would be missing some one, or everyone really. Big changes in our personal lives, as perpetually hard as they feel while going through them, only usher in new phases that we needed to go through to become stronger. I look over the last couple months of my life and everything that's happened to me, both good and bad, have led to this trip happening and for that, I'm thankful. I realize it now and can let go of some of the negative feelings I had held on to for far too long because what triggered them happened for a reason; for personal progress.

Being 23 and modeling in another city is entirely a different experience than if I was still in my teens. It's an interesting scene here with many young girls coming from nothing in Eastern Europe or Brazil and to see how they cling onto modelizing men is amusing to say the least. I don't feel like I have to accomplish much here other than learning to be happy with myself being alone. Making decent money from jobs will be great, and I'm not worried about that because I'm pretty confident I'll work well here, but as far as making the rounds in the model social scene - -I'm just not feeling the urge to at all. I love to party but after a couple nights out talking in baby English to stick figures who barely can put together sentences and men who call me "baby" after meeting me for five minutes; well honestly I just rather be doing anything else. Besides, with Singapore's insanely strict laws against anything that makes parties where you don't know too many people fun, I think I'll save my partying for a side trip to Thailand or Hong Kong! This is my Eat/Pray/Love trip thus far and I'm loving the calmness and detox aspect of it so far. With the exception of ciggies, I've barely had so much as a glass of wine here and it feels lovely.

I'm only ten days into my three month long journey and I'm sure the unexpected will occur as it inevitably does...in the mean time however I'm finding that my week and a bit of a low-key existence in the sun has done what a summer in Toronto couldn't. The large black Samsonite I flew with is all the baggage I intend to carry back with me at the end of this trip...and I can feel the load lightening already.

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Pick-up Lines 101 -- OMFG

If I could give advice to all the men out there it would be a simple as these four words: don't be a douche. Just don't. I know it's tempting, there are so many scenarios out there that just beg for utter douchiness, but you don't want to be that guy! You know, the one giving the hand guns out to all the sexy ladies in the club while winking and shaking his ass non-rhythmically to Usher while hovering around his lady-less both. Yeah, that guy. So, to help you all avoid being that guy, I'm going to share with you some pick-up lines one should never use on a lady with any self respect and which have all sadly been used at one time or another on yours truly. (Girls who have more then half of their boobs out, fake tans, more than one cut-out in their dresses, are wearing pink platform heels and/or are generally giving it all away in any other respect need not apply -- they're fair game men! Oops, and by "fair", I mean "easy".) Gentlemen -- let's begin!

1. "Hey baby -- I think I know you! Didn't we sleep together before?"
Oh goodness. I don't even know where to start on this one. First of all, implying to a girl that she's slept with some one and doesn't remember is probably the worst thing you can do. Maybe repeating "must not make girl feel like slut!" as a general rule of thumb would be a good idea, boys! Also implying that you have been with so many girls you can't remember if maybe, possibly, you've slept with her doesn't exactly paint the prettiest picture. No, it doesn't make you seem like a debonair stud who goes around bedding women with Clooney-like dapperness; it makes you look like a creep who goes around banging women with STD-like grossness. Another point to note: pairing this line with your hand on her ass guarantees a drink in the face. And then the glass thrown at you as well. (In my defense, I didn't throw the glass at his face..but only because being intoxicated skews my aim. Ha.)

2. "Hi gorgeous. Are you a model? Because I sure am."
This zinger starts of flattering enough, I mean who are we kidding, all girls want to hear they look like a model, i.e. better than all the other girls at the club but then the ending -- oh that ending! I actually laughed out loud when some guy pulled this on me. Let's be clear here: posing for a photographer friend's expensive new camera, having the picture desaturated and then stamped with a little logo in the corner and posting said picture as your Facebook profile pic does not, I repeat not make you a model. Neither does having "catwalk" pictures of you from a couple club shows because you know the promoters of the club and hit the gym extra hard that week. These revelations are especially embarrassing when the girl you're hitting on is a model and knows the difference between a comp card and that Zoolander-like photo of you you're showing her on your iPhone. Actually, come to think of it, any girl, model or not, would know the difference! Unless you're with an agency, and a narcissistic asshole who preys on girls with low self-esteem, this line probably isn't going to work.

College Humor says it best: the Anatomy of a Douche.

3. "How heavy is a polar bear? Let's just say heavy enough to break the ice."
I want to preface this one by saying that I've heard this line not one, not two, but on three separate occasions! The first time I was mildly amused, the second I thought I heard wrong and the by the third time I think I snapped "Nope, not heavy enough!" and walked away. That's why preconceived lines like this one are such a huge fail; we girls know you've put all this thought into it and that comes off as desperate and -- well just kind of sad! Also, the line is so generic it implies you're just trying it on every girl and seeing who reacts to it. Not exactly the greatest when girls want to feel one of a kind. Other lines in the lame cheeseball category include "So, they rearranged the alphabet and put U and I together!", "Did it hurt? When you fell from heaven?", "Are you tired? Because you've been running around in my head all day!" Here's a simple way to put it: Pre-planned cheesy line + wink  + any shiny item of clothing = attraction levels similar to Walowitz from the Big Bang Theory! Google image "Walowitz" boys, and you'll never use such a line again.

4. "That dress is really beautiful! And it goes really well with your shoes. You have great taste!"
Don't get me wrong men, flattery will get you everywhere; make it sincere flattery and you're pretty much golden! But compliments on what we're wearing...well it's puts you into that "is he or isn't he into women?"  zone. This grey area is right next to Friendship-ville which is one stop away from Never-gonna-get-any-land. Yes, we may have our arms around you, will dance and grind with you, and are sharing stories with you about that-jerk-that-did-that-thing-to-us-but-why-won't-he-text-omg!, but if you look closely we're also doing that with all our other girlfriends at the club. In other words, if you haven't expressed that you're into us and not just our clothes, we probably think you're gay! Compliment the girl, not the clothes boys, and we won't confuse you with the plethora of amazing gay friends we already have to tell us our dresses are fierce.

5. "Wow, you're really pretty! Almost as pretty as your friend over there!"
The back-handed compliment was a good method like five years ago, but now this counter-method of knocking the prettiest girl down only because it makes you stand out from the rest of the men slobbering over her has become so common that it's lame. The girls you're going to reel in with snide remarks like this either have serious daddy-issues or....nope just serious daddy issues! And if she doesn't, she's just going to think you're an ass, which is generally how I feel when I get one of these backhanders laid on me. Playing this little game is amusing enough I guess, but it you're a real gentleman or, you know, a decent human being, you'll find a way to create the chase without having to insult a gorgeous girl that you're actually into. Also, dishing it out means you better be prepared to take it, so unless you want to hear about how your hair has too much gel, or just because the Jersey Shore is in doesn't mean that Ed Hardy shirt is, and oh, is that some make-up we spot covering the bags underneath your eyes?, it's best to just steer clear of backhanded compliments! (Side note: I've said it before and I'll say it again: don't wear Ed Hardy to a club. Or any other place. Or in life. Ever. Just don't. Perhaps on Halloween with a big dose of humor and irony but that's the only exception people!)

Those are five of the worst pick-up lines out there...but that's just the tip of the iceberg. A good friend of mine got "Are you from Tennessee? Because you're the only ten I see!" in all seriousness the other night and honestly, the fact that she didn't burst out laughing at the poor guy should get her a medal in grace. I can't speak for all the other ladies out there but I'm usually interested when a guy is sincere. Oh, and when all else fails, just remember those ever-important words: Don't be a douche.
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It Gets Better.

Maybe it's the over-representation of gay acceptance shown in television and movies by liberal Hollywood that makes us feel like equal rights are finally starting to be the norm, but it's time to face the fact that not all of America, and Canada for that matter, is as accepting. The recent reporting of not one, not two, but four (last I heard) gay youths taking their own lives makes one things clear: this is not okay.
 The fact that teens, as young as 13, are choosing not to live because of senseless and ignorant bullying is something we need to, and more importantly can change. Four lives is horrific enough, and to think that there are many more unreported cases and an even higher number of teens going through such torment is beyond unacceptable.
There are messages everywhere that still validate homophobic behavior, and it is within the power of our generation to stop these messages and create a new voice of equal rights for everyone, no matter who you choose to love. If you, or anyone you know, is going through a hard time with being a gay individual, let it known that things will get better and suicide is not, and never, the answer.
As some one who has many gay friends I adore, it pains me to think that any of them could of gone through what these four teens experienced. Embracing who we are is hard enough during out teenage years; bullying can make it insufferable. Let's allow all youth out there to become the best people they can be instead of cutting bright lives short, and spread that message that there is hope and it will get better.
For more information check out the many "It Gets Better" videos celebrities have been making in support of gay or questioning teens everywhere, and post and re-post these videos where ever you can.
Change is within our reach, and equal rights for all should be a given, not a struggle.

Ellen DeGeneres' message:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B-hVWQnjjM

Anne Hathaway's message:
http://perezhilton.com/2010-10-05-anne_hathaway_makes_video_for_gay_youth

The Trevor Project:
http://www.thetrevorproject.org/
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OMFG Fall Fashion!

Every year the amazingness that is New York Fashion Week gets overshadowed in my dear city by the Toronto International Film Festival. It's not that I find movies more interesting than fashion (not by a long shot...give me rolls of fabric over rolls of film any day) but when the liquor board extends the city's license until 4a.m. at all hotspots and thus parties go on until the wee hours of the morning -- well it makes it rather hard to be awake during daylight hours. (I'm only just now coming out of my nocturnal schedule, but just barely. Dinner at midnight anyone?) And so, after a good ten days of rising midday, shining til the morning, and managing to eat and sleep some time in between, I'm only just catching up on all the beautiful collections that made their debut across the border. 

There's a ridiculous amount of coverage available for fashion adorers who can't actually be front-row of all the shows; from live streaming of the collections [check out all the shows here: http://www.mbfashionweek.com/], backstage pics, live feeds, fashion bloggers galore [The Sartorialist never goes out of style: http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/] and of course the constant Facebook status updates from my friends lucky enough to be there! 

My favorite show was Burberry Prorsum's Spring 2011 collections. Body-con yet feminine dresses. Tailored studded leather. Their classic trench made slick and modern with metal adornments and colored belts. It was effortless cool at its best. The line's past few collections have been consistently beautiful in my books because of their wild child meets feminine and tailored outfits. The Burberry Prorsum girl is confident and cool without compromising on her sex appeal -- and it was definitely love at first sight. 

Burberry Prorsum Sping 2011

The Burberry show hit all the right trends we're seeing in multiple collections this year, including utilitarian touches, soft animal prints and a luxurious nude palette (although in Burberry's case, with punches of electric color). Usually reserved for those who can afford to shell out two grande on a jacket, or at least have daddies who can, Fashion Week's top trends have made their way to the mainstream at a pace never seen before. Almost exact replicas or at least spot-on trends from the runways have descended into stores like Forever 21  in sync with their debuts. Fashionistas everywhere can rejoice at wearing trends while they're still trendy -- not three seasons later! What exactly has caused this mass infatuation with designer goods to be at the forefront of pop culture -- or at least every girls' closet? The desire to replicate the runways has never been in in question, however much of its elitist facade has been stripped away due to the new generation of self-promoting, highly participant fashion savvy moguls. Everyone with an intense interest in style can put their thoughts for everyone to see and read via blogs (much like myself), social networking and so on. Lookbook sites have made mini-celebrities out of edgily stylish individuals and blogs can propel even the tiniest of bloggers into fame (literally as with the case of 13 year old Tavi Gevinson at www.thestylerookie.com who became a regular fixture backstage at NYFW through the sheer uniqueness of her blog and sense of style). 


The overwhelming knowledge of trends and obvious demand for them being broadcast over the web, magazines and overall in our overly-communicative society (seriously...I have friends who post when they're taking a shower via Ubertwitter!) has led to fall trends in all their gorgeousness making their way into stores and onto our lovely selves. The ubiquitous camel coat, luxe jewel tone cardigans, intricately printed maxis and structured dark totes can all be found in surprisingly similar form from Holt Renfrew to H&M. It's less about price and more about style nowadays which has refreshing allowed us to mix and match; a $300 L.A.M.B knit can look just as put together -- and probably a helluva lot less pretentious -- paired with wide-legged H&M trousers and Jeffrey Campbell booties than with other flashy designer pieces. It's the era of attitude in being that's all one needs, along with a sharp sense of themselves, to pull of whatever look from whichever store they so desire. Take it from Olivia Palermo, socialite of The City fame whom, while perhaps the most annoyingly polite character on reality television, has undeniable effortless style. Her "Today I'm Wearing..." outfit calendar at the Vogue website [http://www.vogue.co.uk/photo-blogs/olivia-palermo/100406-olivia-palermo-day-5.aspx] showcased her mixing the likes of Topshop and Ann Taylor with Prabal Gurung and Hermes -- instant modern chic. Palermo prominently wears Zara, which is my personal favorite for picking up luxe pieces which are trendy but not too much so at amazing price points. 


When it comes down to it fashionistas, style is style and stands alone from any obstacle. If you're a chic person, no matter what dough you're rolling in, it'll come through in your outfits. I make decisions based simply on what I like -- if I like it, I'll buy it. It's not the best mentality to have (my poor Visa took a beating this fall..) but having the trends present at such an accessible level has definitely made it a tantalizing season to shop! So go nuts bloggees and keep your eyes open; those studded leather jackets I saw strutting down the Burberry runway days ago will likely be hanging at Urban Outfitters faster than you can say "Need. Want. Have." 
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OMFG -- Take Me Away!

I've got Asia on the brain. There's a potential trip for me in the very near future and after almost two years since I was in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Malaysia last, it's consuming my thoughts. The culture, the food, the partying -- oh my! I'm hoping this trip gets finalized soon because I am thisclose squealing obnoxiously with excitement whenever anything to do with Asia comes up. (Are those rice crackers you're eating?!! EEEEEeeeeeeaaahhh!!!!)

A born and raised Toronto girl, Asia's always been a place I heard my family talk about all the time but somewhere I never had a tangible feel on. I had been once when little, but have no recollection of (well not no recollection but very little; mostly of Hello Kitty. I was two, go figure.) and then several times in recent years only to discover that the cities of Asia are even better in person than I had imagined all these years. They are spec-fucking-tacular, to put it mildly. The first time the plane I was on descended onto Hong Kong in the evening, I remember being absolutely entranced by the gazillion lights of a spectrum of colors that covered the incredible skyline of the city, all the while being in juxtaposition against majestic rolling mountains. A feeling of excitement crept up my insides; there was a whole new city -- no, a whole new side of the world -- I hadn't experienced yet and the feeling of the (awesome!) unknown and how you're going to conquer it is probably one of the best in the world -- right up there with the "Damn, I just sealed that business deal!" feeling and the "Damn, I look like a million bucks in my new dress and heels and just saw my ex-boyfriend wince in the corner!" feeling. 

The unknown is always exciting but there was something even better about walking around Hong Kong for me than that: it was like seeing everything I had heard about as a child come to life; a fairy tale come true. All the exotic tales of my childhood were suddenly living and breathing and it was beyond fantastic. As some one who adores cities, Asia is like the mecca of all mega-cities. The sheer amount of infrastructure and the pace at which it multiplies is a marvel in itself. It's progress at it's quickest speed and just to look around in the city can inspire one into pro-activity. It's state-of -the-art mind-boggling architecture next to old-world slummy apartments. It's slick, sterile, brand new malls surrounding shantytown-like markets. It's the newest Lamborghini speeding through the streets while rickshaws pace themselves along pedestrians. Old and new mesh seamlessly in Asia and especially in Hong Kong. I had the biggest urge to just reach out and touch everything when there for the first time as an adult, to take it all in and assure myself that yes, this endearingly noisy and perpetually crowded land was in fact real. 

A quick hint for all of you non-Asians or Canadian-born Asians who plan on traveling to the East: if you're not going to try new things, don't bother. I'm mainly speaking of food here because the food is...orgasmic. I haven't been back since becoming meatless and I can imagine it to be somewhat of a form of torture to be there and not be able to indulge in all the delicacies that waft from every corner. Everything that sounds weird or disgusting is usually the tastiest, and if you let your preconceived notions of what usually makes for good food stand in the way -- well you're missing out. Get rid of the overly-sterilized, overly-packaged Western notion of pizza and burgers food and dive right into preserved sausages, congee (rice soup) with duck egg and fish, beautifully fluffy egg tarts, hot-pot style meals, and a array of animal innards that, no matter how lovingly I describe, will just sound unappealing. To experience Hong Kong is to take it all in, visually and through its vast edibility. To get past the initial gross factor is to understand why the Chinese eat like this; they lust after certain textures and flavors now matter where from. Something I dearly miss in Toronto are Chinese desserts. Sure we have the little pastries that dole out sweet buns and whatnot, but in Hong Kong there are entire restaurants devoted to mango tapioca puddings, sweet lotus seed pastes and tofu done so delicately sweet you hardly know it's tofu. 

Foodie ogling is a great part of the city -- almost as good as the night life. New York may be the city that never sleeps, but I've walked around Hong Kong at 4 in the morning only to just realize it's the middle of the night because everything is still lit up and paved over. Unlike here in Toronto, you can go to the same club night after night and it's an entirely new crowd. Not just new, but vastly international. It's models in town for a couple months from America, business men from Europe, expats from the world over and locals. It's beyond refreshing to be meeting people who have incredibly different lives that the one you've lived and an easy way to meet them is out and about in the nightlife scene. The internationality of it all also attracts top-billing when it comes to club entertainment (no, not that kind!) with top DJ's like Guetta and Aoki ensuring the city stays in a perma-stage of dance fever. For those who worship house music like I do, it's a definite pro since the last time I tried to catch Guetta in Toronto, I was packed more tightly into ex-club Circa's "VIP" area than fat sardines in a too-small tin. If there's no room to dance, what's the point? ...Exactly. Hong Kong's nightlife is legendary in its variety but not cohesive enough in image to have generated a lifestyle, like for example Nikki Beach in St. Tropez. It's variety I'm on the hunt for right now -- or you know, a chance to see Guetta where I don't get hit in the face with badly done bleached extensions every time I want to bust a move!
Hong Kong is just one of the many cities I've been to in Asia and there are a countless number more I have yet to visit. Experiencing the new is essential to..well everything! If you don't know everything that's out there, how are you supposed to make decisions about what you want? Oh, it's like Biggie rapped ever-so-wisely all those years ago: and if you don't know, now you know! I'm sure he wasn't referring to my escapades around the world, but his words have meaning when it comes to experiences of anything you haven't before.

The Hong Kong skyline...just beautiful!

I can hardly wait to hop on a plane again and arrive in a world I know nothing about but want to dive into. Until then, I'll have to settle for being excited by the sight of rice crackers (chopsticks, Pocky sticks, Sailor Moon, you name it, it's all doing the trick right now!) and know that soon enough, I'll be blogging from across the world.
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