Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Monday, March 28, 2011

Branding

I'm often amused when I see items for sale here in Hong Kong with very familiar logos,  fonts, and colour schemes that stop just short of breaching copyrights on registered company trademarks by simply changing a few letters here or there. Here are some examples:












Saturday, March 26, 2011

Rugby Sevens 2011


This week a work colleague gave Craig a free ticket for yesterday's opening matches for the Rugby Sevens.  I tried the argument, "But you went last year!" For some reason unbeknownst to me Craig wanted to go again.


Over 120,000 spectators are expected across the three-day tournament. Craig sat in the western stand with Gavin Brown and his wife Judith. The Browns were unfortunately cheering for the wrong team, but as they are our friends from Bible study we can forgive them their poor judgement.


Remember that it is an abbreviated game of rugby that follows the same rules except a Sevens team consists of only seven players, and each half is seven minutes long. Among the many games that Craig watched yesterday afternoon, he saw Australia beat Zimbabwe 42-0 in the opening match before South Africa defeated Spain 33-5.


Look at how close Craig was to the New Zealand players!
 


As part of the lead-up to the Rugby Sevens, Cathay Pacific commissioned an enormous rugby ball, which earned a Guinness World Record. It measures 2.9 meters high and 4.4 meters long. About 3,300 standard rugby balls could fit inside this one super-sized ball. It's heavy but technically playable (for giants!). The ball will be auctioned online with proceeds going to earthquake victims in Japan, Yunnan and Christchurch via the Red Cross.


This is not our photo but you can get a better idea of the size of the ball with 24 team captains posing in front of it.



Keegan absolutely adores Cathay Pacific's latest commercial for the Rugby Sevens. I'm not sure if it's on Australian TV as well, so here it is for your enjoyment.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Six more second-hand shops

This week's holiday from school gave me the opportunity and time to visit a few more thrift stores in Hong Kong. Here are the addresses to add to my other posts here and here for any other local opshopaholics:

1. Ngau Tau Kok
Take Exit B3 at the MTR station. Walk left along Ngau Tau Kok Road past the school and park until you reach numbers 233 and 237. They are actually two separate stores.


2. Kennedy Town
12 Smithfield Road (between Belcher's Street and Rock Hill Road)


3. Aberdeen
Tung Sing Road, near the bus terminal and Aberdeen Main Road


4. Oxfam Store (lots of English books!)
LG8 Jardine House
1 Connaught Place, Central



5. Castaways at St John's Cathedral
Take Exit K at Central Station, which leads you to the bank building. Cross the HSBC building through the open ground floor to Queens Road Central. Cross Queens Road Central at the traffic lights to the Cheung Kong Centre. Go up the escalator, then take the stairs to the Cathedral.  Note that the opening hours are as follows: Wednesday to Friday 12:00 noon – 2:30pm, Saturday and Sunday 10:30am – 12:30pm.


6. Kowloon
This Salvation Army store is not near any MTR stations, so be prepared for a taxi ride or long walk. It is at the corner of Tam Kung Road and Ma Tau Kok Road.


*Edited to add that my best bargain from the above op shops was this pink scooter for Tirzah, just $5.50 AUD. It has flashing lights in the wheels, and they still work!
 

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Spring Break is the perfect time to...

Have a picnic lunch in a tent in the playroom


Invite a friend from school to play board games


Have pancakes for breakfast


Play dress-ups and Lego with a friend from school all morning


Go out to a restaurant for tea


Paint your toenails



Make cupcakes

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

You know you've been in Hong Kong for a while when...

...you're not surprised to find no fourth floor at shopping centres.

(because it is considered an unlucky number)


Monday, March 21, 2011

Lego Heaven

Our friends have been raving about this Lego shop in Kennedy Town, so today I took advantage of my Spring Break week to travel there and check it out. AA Place Lego Shop was a bit hard to find in Nan Hai Shopping Arcade, but its content certainly lived up to my expectations...wall-to-wall Lego!






I love the unusual Lego kitchen items, clocks, clothing, and books for sale here.


I was pleasantly surprised when the owners smilingly agreed to my request to take photos. They were helpful and very knowledgeable about their stock.


There is a room out the back where children can pay $20 HK (about $2.50 AUD) an hour to play with the shop Lego.


Individual minifigs for sale


More minifigs
  

And more!


These plastic cases hold tiny pieces like hats, weapons, etc. you can buy individually to replace lost pieces.


View from outside the shop


I may have been tempted to buy a Lego Belville set if the shop had stocked a wider range. Instead, I emerged relatively unscathed. I chose just a few tiny treasures for the kids, totalling $4.00 AUD.



I recommend AA Place to anyone searching for that elusive Star Wars minifig or new stock not available in regular stores. Carla or Narelle, let me know if the boys are hunting for anything and I can post it to you.