Hello Jesso

Introducing the 'HELLO JESSO' shop

2017-05-09T01:39:00.000+08:00

I want to share with you the fashion and beauty things I like, but I'm very awkward in front of the camera, so I thought I would spare me the embarrassment and you the cringe by sharing my fashion, beauty and sometimes random favourites via the NEW HELLO JESSO SHOP!

I'll regularly update this with beauty things that I have tried, tested and loved or fashion things that are currently on my wardrobe wishlist. Each item will link* to the relevant retailer website and I'll try and pick retailers that ship internationally so that no matter where you are you can hopefully get your hands on it.

If you want to see more of the things I like - not necessarily fashion and beauty related stuff - feel free to check out my Pinterest - Hello Jesso - too.

Let me know if you like this or if you have any other suggestions on how to share my favourites with you.

* Affiliate links are used in the Hello Jesso shop. This means if you purchase an item via the Hello Jesso shop, I earn a small percentage of that sale. This does not affect my opinions about the items featured. Thanks for your support!

WHAT TO SEE: 24 HOURS IN OSAKA

2017-04-16T11:20:00.000+08:00

After our quick trip to Kyoto, we hopped on a train and journeyed to our next destination - Osaka!

If you want some ideas on what to see if you only have 24 hours in Osaka, then keep on reading.

If Kyoto showed me a more traditional side of Japan, Osaka definitely gave me bustling city vibes full of people and lights. Most of the sights we saw were outdoors, but one that we saw that provided shelter from the rain was...

Umeda Sky Building

You can't really miss the Umeda Sky Building, it's two towers are connected by a 'floating garden' in the middle. When you look up at the building from street level, it has a huge hole in the centre! Make your way up to the 39th floor and look out across the city. If you're not afraid of heights, go up to the open air deck and walk around for a full 360-degree view. We admired the views from both the inside and out on the deck, before being defeated by the rain and running back inside. For extra photo points, the escalators to and from the observation deck are pretty photogenic - if you're into symmetry and stuff.

Osaka Castle

Osaka castle stands tall behind high walls and wide moats in beautiful gardens lined with cherry trees. However, we were too early for cherry blossoms which I'm kind of sad about as I can only imagine how pretty this whole scene would be framed by soft pink blossoms.

We didn't go into the actual castle and instead just walked around the gardens taking in the impressive views of the castle. For any history buffs out there who want to learn more about Osaka castle, there is a museum inside.

Dōtonbori

I think I first saw a picture of Dōtonbori in 2007 after Edward visited Osaka. I always remember the picture of the canal flanked on both sides by neon lights. 10 years later, it was cool to be able to see it with my own eyes.

Dōtonbori is busy! Streams of people flowing through the streets. The famous Shinsaibashi-suji shopping street is nearby (also known as Ebisubashi-suji) drawing in shoppers. While those looking for food are spoilt for choice. Navigating the small alleyways in the area, you'll find so many restaurants, izakayas, and bars. The Hozenji Yokocho alley (near the Glico man sign) is a contrast to the bright lights of the area. All of a sudden this street feels more traditional and atmospheric thanks to the low light of lanterns. The Hozenji Temple can also be found on this street.

Other sights of the area include the Glico Man sign (get a shot from Ebisu bridge) and the giant moving crab sign above Kani Doraku restaurant.

As always, whenever I visit Japan, I always wish I had more time. We went to all of these places in one day. Of course, I want to go back to try more food and see more sights.

If you have more time to spend in Osaka, here is a list of some other places to visit.

Other things to do in Osaka:
Instant Ramen Museum
Hire a bike and cycle around / go on a bike tour
Universal Studios
Shitennoji Temple
Sumiyoshi Taisha
Day trip to Nara

TIPS & INFO:

How we got there: Train from Kyoto to Osaka Station. You can get a Shinkansen which takes around 15 minutes.

We took the JR Kyoto line which cost approx 550 Yen each and took around 28 minutes travel time.

Where we stayed: We opted for an Airbnb. It was actually our first time using Airbnb and it was great! This is the actual place we stayed at in Osaka: Airbnb room. I would definitely recommend it! The host was super friendly and helpful. The room itself was cosy, comfortable and clean, and it was conveniently located close to Dōtonbori, Shinsaibashi, and Namba areas - less than 10 minutes walk.

Misc: I don't normally write about food on this blog, mainly because I'm too greedy to wait around and take pictures first; I just want to eat the food. On this short trip to Osaka we wanted to have some wagyu. We did some searching and Matsusakagyu Yakiniku M came out as the top the place to go. However, we didn't get to eat there as they were so busy. You had to have a reservation. Cry emoji.

After gearing ourselves up for the taste of delicious barbecue, we did a quick google search and headed off to Osaka's Little Korea in Tsuruhashi. The moment we stepped out of the station, the air was filled with the smell of meat cooking. Drool. Sorry vegetarians. There were so many bbq joints that it was hard to choose. We went for one called Yoshida and it totally hit the spot and curbed our bbq craving.

Hope this helps with planning your own trip to Osaka!

If you're going to Kyoto: you can read the blog here or watch the video here.

What I used to take pictures and shoot video:

Sony RX100 M3 / DJI Osmo Mobile with my iPhone 6

SHOP MY OSAKA TRAVEL ESSENTIALS

MUST SEE SIGHTS IN KYOTO

2017-04-10T01:00:00.000+08:00

A couple of weeks ago I got to visit two new places in Japan (one of my favourite countries) - Kyoto and Osaka.
We weren't in either city for very long, but I tried to see as much as I could in the time that I had, so let me tell you about the places I saw in Kyoto...

Actually, how about I show you. It will literally take a minute.

Kyoto is beautiful. Busy, but beautiful. I understand why so many tourists flock to the city. The main thing I loved was the pattern and colour. Kyoto itself is not overly colourful, but the array of kimono's worn by visiting tourists as they explored Kyoto gave it a sense of vibrancy.

People walking around in kimonos and the beautifully preserved temples made me feel two things:

1) Like I was on a film set and 2) Like I had stepped back in time.

We only had a couple of days in Kyoto and we had an idea of the places we wanted to see and we managed to see them all!

First up...

Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

We wanted to go and see Arashiyama before the crowds arrived. This meant waking up at 5:30am after only 3 hours sleep. It was worth it. As it was a race against the crowds, we decided to take a taxi. This also meant we could sneak in some more sleep. When we arrived at Arashiyama, there were already a few people there. The forest was quiet and the morning sun was starting to break through the tall bamboo. The forest has a quiet calm to it and I'm glad we got to see and experience it. We had been told by a few friends that if you want to beat the crowds and get a chance of getting a photo with nobody in it, we had to get there early. I'm so happy we took their advice.

There's a lot more to do and see around Arashiyama but we were on a tight schedule. After walking around for a bit and taking some pictures, we headed for our next destination.

Fushimi Inari

This was one place I REALLY wanted to see. After seeing it for the first time in Memoirs of a Geisha, it's striking image has stayed with me.

Fushimi Inari is another place that is heaving with tourists, so you can try and go super early in the morning or later on in the evening if you want to go when there are less people. We got there at around 9am and it was already crowded.

If I'm honest, walking through the torii gates is kind of stressful and hard to enjoy when you're in a crowd, but the higher up you walk towards the top of Mt. Inari, the less crowded it becomes.

Kinkakuji

Gold! Kinkakuji is a Zen Buddhist Temple that's been around for thousands of years. Considering its age - it looks pretty impressive. Obviously, it's had some work done but it's still a sight to behold. Again, Kinkakuji is a popular spot and has queues of people lining up to take pictures. We didn't explore around Kinkakuji, so I can't say if there was anything else to see around it.

There are lots of temples and shrines to see in Kyoto, but after seeing @_Tuck4's photographs on Instagram, Kinkakuji was definitely a must-see. (You should check out Tuck's photos in general as all of them are amazing and will make you want to go to where he has photographed ASAP!)

Yasaka Shrine / Yasaka Pagoda

Yep, you guessed it. Yasaka shrine was also full of tourists. But to be fair all these sights are beautiful, so it's no wonder people want to go and see them - and that includes me. Yasaka Shrine is probably the place that I saw the most people dressed in kimonos and the place where I felt most like I had stepped back in time. From the main gate all the way through the narrow lanes that lead to Yasaka Pagoda, there are women and men in traditional costume.

Yasaka shrine is at the end of Shijo-Dori the main shopping street in Kyoto so it is pretty easy to find.

Other things to do in Kyoto:

Walk around Gion - famous Geisha district
Nishiki Market for snacks and eats
Rent a kimono

Kiyomizu-dera - historic temple with beautiful views

Ginkaku-ji - Zen temple with tranquil gardens

Philosophers Path - picturesque walk lined with cherry blossom in spring and autumn colours in autumn - obviously.
Visit an Onsen / hot spring

TIPS & INFO:

How we got there: Shinkansen from Tokyo (I was very excited to ride this train!)

We opted for the Nizomi - the fastest Shinkansen, but there are cheaper Shinkansen and train options that will take an hour or so longer to reach Kyoto. The best part of the journey (apart from going super fast) is buying one of the little bento boxes and eating it on the train. My personal fave - the katsu sando.

Where we stayed: Hotel Grand Bach booked via Booking.com
The hotel was right on the main shopping street of Shijo-dori, so very near everything!
However, once inside the hotel it was very calm and quiet. We only slept there for one night (3 hours to be precise due to having to get up early to go to Arashiyama). Like a lot of Japanese hotels, the rooms were compact but very clean with nice amenities. We didn't get to try any of the food or the other hotel facilities since we were out most of the time. Our room was on the 10th floor and had a great view straight down Shijo-dori.
Misc: If you want to see these places empty, then I would suggest going to bed early. If you like your sleep and don't want to do that, then I suggest having a little patience. I found at Fushimi Inari, there would be waves of people but then a small break where you can take a picture. You may have to wait a while, but an opening does happen. I don't know if that works at all the places, but you can try :)

Have fun if you go to Kyoto! Let me know your favourite places in Kyoto so I can add them to the list for the next time.

--
What I used to take pictures and shoot video:
Sony RX100 M3 / DJI Osmo Mobile with my iPhone6

SHOP MY KYOTO TRAVEL ESSENTIALS

What's On My Face: Skincare I Am Currently Loving!

2017-02-08T16:48:00.000+08:00

I'm facing the fact and accepting that I am no longer in the 'spring chicken' category of life and am making my way towards the 'turkey neck' phase, so skincare is important to me.

My mum always drilled into me the importance of looking after my skin, as such I have been cleansing and moisturising since I was 8 years old and eventually added toner to the mix when I was around 19.

Over the years there have been ups and downs, outbreaks and dry patches, but my love of good skincare has remained. From affordable lotions to designer potions, I've tried a lot of stuff.

The biggest concern I've had with my skin is oiliness. I'm talking full face oil slick. Those oil blotting sheets don't stand a chance against my face. As the years have gone by my t-zone still gets shiny, but now I have a new skin foe - dry patches!

Since moving to Hong Kong, my skin has been spoilt by the abundance of moisture in the air; enjoying the humidity while the rest of my body is screaming for aircon. However, as soon as HK winter rolls around and humidity levels drop, parts of my face literally start to flake off from dryness. Gross, right?

My skin felt like how the shrunken head guy in Beetlejuice looked.

I tried multiple oils and lotions to try and keep the dry patches at bay; even guzzling litres of water couldn't keep my skin hydrated enough.

... and then I had a breakthrough! I found some products that played nicely with my skin, and these are my current favourites:

Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel - A nice gel-like cleanser that I use for my morning cleanse and leaves my face feeling super smooth. I feel like it really gets rid of any dead skin cells that may have accumulated on my face overnight.

Kypris Antioxidant Dew - I L-O-V-E this lightweight oil free serum. It is like a drink for my skin. Sealing in hydration, plumping and brightening my dull winter complexion. I also love that it's packed full of natural ingredients as I find natural based beauty products tend to get on better with my skin.

Kypris Beauty Elixr 1: 1000 Roses - Made from 1000 organic Bulgarian roses (that's a lot of roses!), this oil is a luxurious treat. If you are not a fan of rose or its scent, then this might be one to skip. This oil is not very purse friendly, but it is very friendly to my skin. I use this at night instead of a moisturiser and let it sink into my skin to work its magic while I sleep. You only need 2-3 drops for your whole face, so a bottle of this will last a while, but be warned it is pricey. My wallet is still in shock.

MV Organics Rose Soothing & Protective Moisturiser - Have I mentioned I like rose-based skincare? I use this MV Organics moisturiser as my daytime moisturiser. A little goes a long way and one pump (maybe a pump and a half) is enough to cover my face and neck. Rich and creamy in texture it glides on smoothly and has a matte finish.

All of the above products have a lot of natural ingredients which I really like, but the best thing is that they work for my skin and keep the dry patches at bay without encouraging more oil production on my t-zone.

Side note: I purchased all of the above products from Cult Beauty because:
1) I couldn't find any stockists in Hong Kong, and
2) they offered free worldwide shipping - hurrah!

Update: Since I placed my order their free shipping policy has changed and they no longer offer free shipping to Hong Kong (boo!). I would normally be super upset about something like this, but I'm actually just grateful they even ship here otherwise I don't know where I would get my hands (and face) on some of these brands. I have also added other retailers below that also stock these products.

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Thank you 2016!

2017-01-18T03:33:00.000+08:00

...and just like that 2016 was over.

Ok, so it wasn't just like that. It was over in 12 months. The usual amount of time in a year.
From a personal point of view, 2016 was not too shabby. I was lucky enough to travel to a few places, as well as sneak in a few extra trips to the Philippines to visit family.

I would say I clocked up more air miles this year than any other year of my adult life.

To make sure I remember how lucky I am to have the opportunity to travel, I made a little video of my travel memories in 2016.

If you want more details about each trip/place, then keep reading...

The year began with a trip in February to a freezing New York. Growing up in the UK, I thought I was familiar with the cold, but the cold I felt in NYC was something I had never experienced before. The wind felt like repeated slaps to the face and the sub-zero temps threatened to kill off my fingers and toes one by one.
Who I flew with: Cathay Pacific
Where I stayed: Ace Hotel

March was a busy month. First, we went to Melbourne and Sydney. Our first time in Australia! We were heading to Sydney for a wedding, but then followed everyone's advice of also visiting Melbourne since "it's so close". My fave memory from this trip was ALL OF THE FOOD! I did not know Australia's food game was so strong. Seriously, some of the tastiest food I ate in 2016.
Who I flew with: Qantas
Where I stayed: Various. We moved around a lot. Stayed in a few hotels and Roomaramas.

Next up in March was a long weekend in Tokyo. We (the Husband and I) had timed our trip to coincide with beautiful cherry blossom season. However, due to unexpected cold weather and rain, we did not see any. It was too cold for the sakura to blossom, and those that did were washed away when in rained.
If you plan to ever go and see the cherry blossom, try and book waaaaay in advance as flights and hotels around this time are crazy expensive - and full! We ended up staying in an APA hotel - mainly because it was one of the few that had availability for our dates and didn't cost a billion yen. APA (Always Pleasant Amenities) is a budget hotel chain. Very small but clean rooms and the location of our one was great.
Who I flew with: Cathay Pacific (this may be one of the most expensive flights I have ever booked!)
Where I stayed: APA Hotel Shintomicho-Ekimae

APRIL saw us make our annual trip home to London. It's always nice to go home.
I took the plunge and used a lot of the airmiles we had racked up to fly Business. What a treat! That flat bed makes all the difference.
Who I flew with: British Airways
Where I stayed: Home

In JUNE a group of us ventured to the other-worldly mountains of Zhangjiajie in China. You may not recognise the place name, but you may have seen these mountains in the movie Avatar. The first place we stayed at in Zhangjiajie town was lovely (I've linked it below). We only stayed there one night before moving to a second hotel in the national park and up in the mountains. Be warned, accommodation on the mountain is BASIC. No frills. It was even too hardcore for our group and we only stayed there one night before finding another hotel back in town for our final night. Overall, the sights are great and if you can deal with basic lodgings and lots and lots of domestic tourists. It's worth going.
Who I flew with: Cathay Dragon and China Eastern
Where I stayed: Zhangjiajie Maosao Inn

AUGUST was a quick trip home to the Philippines. I mainly went to have a short reunion with some cousins I had not seen in years.
Who I flew with: Cebu Pacific

Dubai was our next destination in OCTOBER. The last time we were in Dubai was 7 years ago! So much had changed. We did the usual touristy things like going to the malls and heading to the top of the Burj Khalifah, but one thing that we did splash out on was a hot air balloon ride at sunrise - highly recommend. I thought I would be 'poop my pants' levels of scared, but it was actually really calm and not scary at all. We also took a day trip to Abu Dhabi since it took just under two hours to drive there to visit my cousin and the breathtakingly beautiful Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
Who I flew with: Emirates
Where I stayed: The Rove Downtown. I would give this place two giant thumbs up!

NOVEMBER took me back to the Philippines to visit my parents.

Who I flew with: Cathay Dragon. (Less stressful than Cebu Pacific)

We rounded out the year with two trips in DECEMBER. First was a trip to Abu Dhabi.
Based on a photograph Edward took on our day trip back in October, the tourism board got in touch and invited him back to explore more of Abu Dhabi. I got to go as his plus one. Bonus. We visited Ferrari World and rode around in a Ferrari at top speed, fed giraffes at Al Ain Safari, and experienced the Arabian Nights village. We saw and did so much in just 3 days!
Who I flew with: Etihad - Kindly flown in Business class.
Where I stayed: Hyatt Capital Gate - Claim to fame = more lean-y than the Leaning tower of Pisa.

Lastly, we ended our travel for the year on the clear-water white-sand paradise of Coron, Palawan in the Philippines. This is where we spent Christmas. Island hopping tours and snorkeling aplenty, this was a lovely place to wind down for the year.

Who I flew with: Cebu Pacific - Be prepared for delays.
Where I stayed: Sophia's Garden Resort. Loved it here! Truly relaxing.

That's it. That was my travel in 2016.

I can't wait for 2017. A whole new year to explore new places or revisit favourites.

Where do you want to go in 2017?

Hello... Annie Leibovitz!

2016-05-31T16:30:00.000+08:00

Today was no ordinary day. Today, I stood in a room full of beautiful portraits of remarkable women, taken by an inspiring woman - Annie Leibovitz.

I can barely believe that I was in a room listening to Annie Leibovitz speak. With a photographic career that spans decades and a body of work that includes some of the most iconic portraits of A-listers for some of the world's most renowned publications - she's basically a living legend!

Shunning a more conventional centrally located gallery space for an industrial building in Kennedy Town; Hong Kong marks the fifth stop on the WOMEN: New Portraits 10 city tour.
I received an invite from UBS to come along to the press preview and of course, I said heck yes!

The exhibition started by entering a 'reading room' where some of Leibovitz's favourite books were laid out for people to browse and get a feel for the kinds of things that inspired her. Afterwards, Leibovitz gave a short introductory speech about WOMEN: New Portraits and explained how it was a continuation of her 1999 photo series - Women - which she produced in collaboration with writer, Susan Sontag. The new portraits were taken to capture the change in women's roles today.

After the brief introduction we moved over to the wall where striking images of women were displayed. Some women I recognised - Sheryl Sandberg, Shonda Rhimes, Jane Goodall, Caitlyn Jenner, Misty Copeland, Adele, Amy Schumer, Malala Yousafzai - and others I didn't, but that didn't matter as their portraits told their story.

As Leibovitz talked, her words and voice were often tinged with emotion as she spoke about Susan Sontag and how Sontag had told her "that she was good, but she could do better". It was clear to see the love she felt for Sontag and the impact Sontag had on her life and work. It's amazing to think that someone as notable as Annie Leibovitz, still thinks there is always room to improve and grow.

Needless to say I left this exhibition feeling incredibly inspired, with a feeling of wanting to do something, make something, leave a mark on this world. I don't know what or how yet, but the feeling of possibility is enough right now.

I will most definitely be back to view the exhibition again while it is in town, and would recommend it to anyone in Hong Kong right now or any of the remaining cities on the tour.

Annie Leibovitz's talent is (as the kids are saying) - Goals!

Exhibition Information:
WOMEN: New Portraits by Annie Leibovitz
3/F Cheung Hing Industrial Building
12P Smithfield
Kennedy Town
Hong Kong

Dates: June 3 - June 26
Entry fee: FREE
More details

Laundry Day in Macau

2016-05-27T18:21:00.000+08:00

A couple of Sundays ago, a group of friends and I hopped on a ferry and made our way to Macau for a little day trip, hoping to take some photos and see if we could find anything interesting.

Being a Sunday, Macau was heaving with tourists. Different languages clashed together in the air, providing loud background noise to our wanderings. We avoided the tourist spots and made our way through to quieter streets and soon noticed that Sunday seemed to be laundry day.

Multi-coloured pieces of clothing and bedsheets were draped across makeshift washing lines and railings, adding a softness to the surroundings but also a sense of life. I don't know why, but I really like clothes blowing in the wind. I find it oddly mesmerising.

Everywhere we went, we saw laundry hanging.
We even found washing hanging on a clothes rail in an abandoned factory. Who do they belong to and why would they hang their clothes there?!

Anyway, for the trip to Macau I decided to make a video of the day, so here is our laundry day in Macau. Be warned, there are a lot of laundry shots.

--
P.S If you get hungry on your travels, I really enjoyed our lunch at Boa Mesa Portuguese restaurant. My fish pie was delicious - large chunks of cod in a creamy sauce topped with buttery mash potato. *Drool*

Travel info:
How to get there: Turbojet from Shun Tak ferry terminal in Sheung Wan
Journey time: 1 hr

If you're feeling fancy, you can get a helicopter from Hong Kong to Macau and the journey will only take you 15 minutes. Ticket price = approx $4800.

SO FAR IN 2016

2016-05-21T01:34:00.000+08:00

Well, that 6 months since my last post just flew by.
There I was thinking about writing a post about my goals for 2016, a recap of 2015, and some other things... and BAM! It's May.
Anyway, I'll try and catch you up on some stuff that's happened in the last 6 months.

The highlights of my year so far has been all the travel I've been lucky enough to do. In the last 6 months, I've been to: Chengdu, New York, Melbourne, Sydney, Tokyo and London. If you didn't see any of my photos on Instagram of these places or my stories on Snapchat, I've got some catch up blogs planned for some of these trips. It was nice to go back to some of my favourite places, and of course nothing beats going home, but it was also exciting to tick new places on the planet off my 'to visit' list.

Amongst all of the travel, there was the usual work and life happenings, but one other exciting thing that happened was that I gave the blog a brand new look. Well, I didn't do it per se. I actually purchased one of the the talented Kotryna Bass pre-made templates. It was a really simple process and Kotryna was super helpful with any questions that I had. It took me a while to decide on a template, but I finally made a decision and I really like the way Hello Jesso looks now. I like it so much it's really motivating me to want to create new content. If anyone is looking to give their own blog a refresh, I would definitely recommend checking out Kotryna's site.

Hope you like the new look!

I suppose that's all for now in terms of updates and it will be back to our regularly scheduled program.

HELLO KARA!

2015-11-18T08:00:00.000+08:00

Meet my new best friend... the KARA backpack!

I've always loved a backpack. Even when they were the key marker of a nerd. Even when wearing the straps on both shoulders was uncool. Even then, I still loved them.

I've been on the look out for a grown up backpack-slash-rucksack for a while now. I've lusted over the Whistles Verity backpack, this burgundy beauty that is Proenza Schouler Courier backpack, Alexander Wang's Prisma Skeletal backpack, and most recently this Elizabeth and James Cynnie which is both a bucket bag and a backpack!

Anyway, on my daily drool over things on Net-A-Porter, this backpack popped up in the search results by a brand called KARA. It was understated, no overt branding, not too big but not too small - it was ticking all the right boxes. YASSS! I was clearly in a decisive mood and decided to make it mine. Done.

Turns out, Kara is a New York-based brand by Hong Kong designer, Sarah Law. Maybe through the computer screen I could feel the invisible Hong Kong connection and that's why I was drawn to it...?

Fast forward two days and the pretty black box arrived ...

The box contained my new bag and an Hourglass Ambient Lightening Edit Palette that I also purchased. I promptly took out the bag stuffing, cut off the tags and put the backpack on my back. It's been out every day with me since. I'm kinda wanting the grey version now too. Ooops. Yep, I'm one of those people, if I like something I want it in multiple colours.

I mean look at it, look how pretty! Anyway, I'll leave you with this picture. My bag and I are going wandering.

My bag being a great model, Ha!

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Indonesia Adventures: Do Good. Feel Good.

2015-11-08T12:33:00.000+08:00

Time for the latest installment of my 'Indonesia Adventures'. Are you sitting comfortably? Ok, let's begin...

On this trip to Indonesia, I have experienced and seen lots of things that I'll remember forever. However, one of the memories I will treasure the most is volunteering at Taman Bacaan Pelangi (Rainbow Reading Gardens).

Taman Bacaan Pelangi is a non-profit organisation - founded by the inspiring Nila Tanzil - that establishes children's libraries and strives to improve literacy in remote under developed parts of eastern Indonesia. By improving literacy and encouraging a love of reading, Taman Bacaan Pelangi wants kids to dream BIG. Through books, they hope to broaden the kids horizons and inspire. The nerdy book-loving child that I was could totally get on board with this concept.

The Experience:
The library we were going to volunteer at was in Melo, a village located in the East Nusa Tengarra region of Indonesia.We were only going to be there for a few hours, but whilst we were there we would be interacting with the kids - listening to them read, talking, playing, and distributing books.

When we arrived, we were split up into groups and headed off with our group of kids.
First we had to stand up in front of the class and introduce ourselves and tell them a bit about where we were from. I told them that even though I was Filipino, people in Indonesia thought I was also Indonesian. The kids agreed that I did look Indonesian.

After that, the fun began with singing, laughter, and game playing. Our group of kids had a serious set of lungs on them. I'm sure the whole village, if not the whole region could hear them! Then we distributed books and sat down to read with them. The smiles and excitement that the books brought to their faces was heartwarming. Genuinely eager to discover what stories and knowledge lay in these new pages.

In fact, here's a picture of me distributing some books.

A photo posted by Taman Bacaan Pelangi (@pelangibook) on Oct 12, 2015 at 6:44pm PDT

We were meant to inspire the children with tales of travel, but the reality of it is that their smiles, their enthusiasm, and their spirit have inspired me more.

This was my first taste of volunteering while travelling, and even though it was only a bite-sized chunk, it felt good to do good.

If you would like to find out more about Taman Bacaan Pelangi - what they do, their mission, and how you can get involved, you can here.

FYI...
Melo is about 17km from Labuan Bajo, the jumping off point in Flores to explore the Komodo Islands. If you'd like WIN A FREE TRIP to the KOMODO ISLANDS - you can enter this competition. Competition closes: 26th November.

Want to read more about my Indonesia trip?
- Arts & Crafts in Yogyakarta

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Legal disclaimer: This trip to Indonesia was sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia as part of the #WonderfulIndonesia campaign. All views and opinions are my own and based on my personal experience.

Indonesia Adventures: Arts & Crafts in Yogyakarta

2015-11-02T08:00:00.000+08:00

Skills on display at Ansor's Silver

On this trip to Indonesia, I was prepared to see amazing sights and eat delicious food, but to also have some arts & crafts thrown in - well, that was an unexpected surprise!

I like making things. There is always a sense of satisfaction when you see the end product knowing you made it with our own two hands, so I was excited to give silver filigree and batik making a try in Yogyakarta - the centre of Javanese arts.

How did it go?

SILVER JEWELLERY MAKING

The professionals made it look so easy

In a word... FAIL! My chunky fingers failed me and this tricky skill is best left to the professionals. First, we watched the skilled craftsmen at work as they created intricate jewellery and trinkets. They made it look so easy.

Tools of the trade

Next, we were ushered into our workspace where we would be having a go at creating our own silver masterpieces. Everyone diligently got on with the task and it was probably about two minutes before expletives were unleashed and the frustration set in. It was good to know I was not the only one struggling.

The very kind and skilled craftsmen came around again to see how we were getting on and gave us another demo on how to create and place the intricate loops that would make up the filigree design. This extra demo didn't help me at all. I was still terrible. The end result...

On the left - what I was aiming for. On the right - my reality.

Despite my clear lack of natural talent in the silver department, it was still a lot of fun to try. I wish I could have kept my botched attempt.

BATIK MAKING

Ready. Steady. Batik!

Out of the two activities, learning to batik was the one I was most excited about. I've always loved batik - the patterns, the colours, everything!

When we arrived at the Museum Batik, everything was already set up. I felt like a kid back at school, sitting on the low chairs. First we had to draw over the design in wax. The bits that were covered in wax would be sealed and protected when the fabric was dye. When the dying process was complete and the wax removed, they would remain white.

It was a bit fiddly trying to get the wax to come out of the 'pen' smoothly without leaving splotches of wax on the fabric. Some people embraced the splotches and incorporated them into their batik design. I embraced the flaws.

Once you were done tracing over your design in wax, you had to choose a colour to dye the fabric. I went for yellow.

I wish we could have stayed to see the whole process, but we were on a schedule so had to leave them at the museum. We were presented with the finished product at our leaving dinner. I really like mine. It's not the neatest or nicest batik I've ever seen, but I made it. It's a great souvenir to be able to have from this trip.

My finished batik

The museum also had a shop selling clothes made from batik fabric, a variety of fabric, and all the supplies needed to create your own batik. I was going to buy a starter kit but talked myself out of it. Silly sensible brain. Wish I had bought a kit.

I really enjoyed the whole experience of actually 'doing' rather than just seeing or being told how things were done. It made me feel more like I was connecting with the culture, rather than just observing it. There are lots of things to see in Indonesia, but if you're ever in Yogyakarta and are looking for alternative activities then I would definitely give these a try.

DON'T FORGET...
You can still WIN an all expenses paid trip to the KOMODO ISLANDS!

Want to read more about my Indonesia trip?
- Do good. Feel good. Volunteering at Taman Bacaan Pelangi

--
Legal disclaimer: This trip to Indonesia was sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia as part of the #WonderfulIndonesia campaign. All views and opinions are my own and based on my personal experience.

Wonderful Indonesia + WIN A TRIP TO KOMODO ISLAND!

2015-10-23T15:06:00.000+08:00

Sunset at Labuan Bajo

When an email arrives from the Ministry of Tourism of Indonesia inviting you to come and explore the beauty of their country,
the answer is pretty simple - yes, please!

After 14 days, 8 hotels, countless flights, coaches and boats, I am back home with a camera and heart full of memories.

The last two weeks have been pretty spectacular getting to experience the sights of this sprawling archipelago and getting a darned good geography lesson about Indonesia.

I literally do not know where and how to start telling you about everything. Everything we saw, everything we did, and everywhere we went is not going to fit in one post. If I tried to do that, you would be reading for hours and your hand would get cramp from scrolling. So in order to avoid that, I'm going to divide up the trip into bite-sized chunks that will cover:

A general overview of the trip: Who I flew with, where I stayed, our route etc.
Things to do: Arts & Crafts in Yogyakarta
Places to go: My favourite places and sights of the trip
Volunteering at Taman Bacaan Pelangi

BUT FIRST... a competition and the chance to WIN A TRIP TO KOMODO ISLAND!

Komodo Islands is up there as one of my favourite parts of the trip - if not THE favourite part of my trip. Although I was a teeny bit scared about being eaten by a dragon, I would not swap the experience for the world.

Beware of the dragon

Although the dragons on Rinca and Komodo Island make up a big part of the attraction to this UNESCO world heritage site, there are lots of other things to see and do in this part of Indonesia - trekking, diving, snorkeling, visit Pink Beach (where the sand is pink!) and trips to visit the villages of Liang Ndara.

Caci Dance

Anyway, I could go on and on about Komodo Islands but I'll save that for another time. For now, I want to tell you how YOU can win a trip to Komodo Islands.

HOW TO ENTER:

Create a 30 - 60 second video introducing yourself and why you should win a trip to Indonesia
Upload to YouTube and share on your social media platforms using the hashtags #INAtopbucketlistcontest and #wonderfulindonesia
Finally, head to the Wonderful Indonesia website (http://indonesia.travel/inatopbucketlist/) and submit the YouTube link for your video.

PRIZE:

10 winners will be chosen and each winner will receive: 1 x return ticket to Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, 3 days/2 nights hotel accommodation, and RP 5 million pocket money.

T&Cs:

Contestants must be 18 years old as of 16th October 2015.
Contest is open internationally
Closing date for entry: 23:59 (EDT) ~~16th November 2015.~~ *UPDATE* Competition extended until 26th November!

For more information, including full prize details and terms and conditions, visit Indonesia Travel website.

Get creative and good luck!

#FuturePerspectives

2015-10-21T07:00:00.000+08:00

Taken from: 165.lanecrawford.com

There's been a lot of talk on the internet of late about how October 21st, 2015 is the date that Doc and Marty went Back to the Future. I wonder what they would think of actual 2015?

Anyway, the reason I'm talking about the future is Lane Crawford. As part of their 165th anniversary celebrations, Lane Crawford are looking to the future. What will the next 165 years be like? They don't have the answers, but they have put together a list of creatives and brands that they think are changing the perspective of the future and they've featured us - the InstameetHK team!

You can read what they wrote about Instameet HK here, as well as see a whole heap of inspiring creative talent here at #futureperspectives.

I am super honoured to have been included in this even if my picture does make me look like I'm about to eat the photographer. Don't worry, no photographers were eaten or harmed during this photoshoot.

Weekend Wanderings: Mong Kok

2015-08-31T00:30:00.000+08:00

The lights of Mong Kok. (Photo by me)

What did you do this weekend?

This weekend some friends and I took our cameras over to Mong Kok and walked around this vibrant area taking in the sights, sounds, and (sometimes the stinky tofu) smell.

We went to see if we could capture a little bit of this energy in our photos.
You can view my attempts at night time street photography over on my Hello Jesso - Tumblr.

Located in Kowloon, Mong Kok has been described as one of the most densely populated areas in the world, and when you're there, you can definitely feel it. It is the epitome of hustle and bustle. The streets are teeming with locals, tourists, workers, shoppers - basically everybody seems to be in Mong Kok.

In a previous post I mentioned that other than my iPhone 6, the other camera I use to take photos is my Sony RX100 M3. This is the camera I brought with me to Mong Kok.

I never usually take photos at night because:
1) the iPhone in low light is not great.
2) I've never fully understood what settings to use on a camera.

There's not much I can do about reason number 1, but I can definitely fix reason number 2.

A lot of the pictures I took on this night time walk were either too bright, too blurry, or too grainy, but it was fun trying it out. Learn by doing, right?

For more pictures from our weekend wander, check out on tumblr: @edwardkb and @vdubl.

--

About Mong Kok:
If you're visiting Hong Kong, Mong Kok is definitely worth a visit.
Here you'll find the ever popular tourist spots: Ladies Market (Tung Choi Street), Temple Street Night Market, and for all you sneaker heads - Fa Yuen Street or 'Sneaker street'.

Mong Kok is a mix of malls with big brands and small traditional shops and markets. This gives the area its own distinct personality. There are lots of streets to explore where you can marvel at the cluster of shop signs that vie for attention hanging above your head. Finally, keep an eye out for the classic neon lights which are unfortunately becoming a rare sight in Hong Kong.

Anniversary Adventures

2015-08-12T20:00:00.000+08:00

Seven years ago at the Haymarket Hotel

This past weekend was my seven year wedding anniversary. I can't believe how fast time has flown on this incredible journey.

I wanted to share with you what we did to celebrate - don't worry it's nothing soppy and there's no PDA - so without further ado, here are my four-anniversary essentials...

ONE - The husband.
This is pretty self-explanatory.

TWO - Room with a view.
In the words of Tom Haverford and Donna Meagle from Parks and Recreation "treat yo self". Sometimes we treat ourselves to a trip away, but this year we had a little staycation at The Upper House.

THREE - Adventure
Go somewhere you've never been. Do something you want to do. Make a brand new memory.
We ventured out to the end of the West Rail line into the New Territories to Tin Shui Wai. We didn't know what was there, but we figured as we had never been why not go and find out.

FOUR - Sunset
Once we got to Tin Shui Wai, we got in a distinct green New Territories taxi and headed to Lau Fau Shan - a small fishing village. On the other side of the water was China. You could see Shenzhen from where we were standing! The beach was covered in what looked like oyster shells and that's where we watched sunset. Sunset and oysters, that's romantic, right?

It was a lovely way to spend our anniversary and I can't think of a better place to have stayed than The Upper House.

The room was breathtaking, as were the views. The bathroom was the stuff dreams are made of (complete with my fave REN products). The first thing I did was have a bath because full-size bathtubs are a rare species here in Hong Kong. The service we received during our dinner at Cafe Grey was impeccable, and the food divine.

Seriously, I want to live here.

Looking forward to what this year has to bring and what we'll do to celebrate next year!

* All photos of The Upper House featured on this blog have been taken by me.

What camera do you use?

2015-08-10T09:00:00.000+08:00

A photo of my Sony camera taken with my iPhone

Let me preface this post by saying - this is not sponsored.

The title of this post is something I have been asked in the comments of my Instagram, and for the most part, my answer is - iPhone. The vast majority of my photos on Instagram have been taken by some iteration of iPhone, currently an iPhone 6.

However, lately the odd camera shot has been making more of an appearance on my feed. I know some people think this is taboo and Instagram should just be pics taken with the camera on your phone, but I wanted to share what I've been using, so:

If I'm not taking photos with iPhone 6, I use a Sony RX100 M3. That's it, just those two. Question answered.

In case you are interested in a rundown of my history with cameras, keep reading...

ANALOGUE

First camera I ever used: Canon AE-1
It was my dad's camera and sometimes he let me press the shutter button.

First ever camera I bought: Konica Revio Z-3 APS
Before buying this, I used to borrow my mum's 35mm point and shoot. I never knew how to change the film and when the drop and load of APS came about, it was like my camera prayers had been answered. It took me a while to save up and buy this camera. I still have it but I had to stop using it as the only way to get the film in and out of the camera was with a knife.

I loved this camera so much that I bought a Konica Revio CL - APS from eBay and had it shipped from Japan. It had a plastic body unlike the previous metal bodied Konica I had owned. It was a nice and affordable film point and shoot. I was very angry when someone stole it [insert very angry emoji face here].

Other film cameras:
My foray into film was basically via anything in the Lomography shop.
I've owned a Holga (I never got to grips with changing medium format film), Diana Mini 35mm, fisheye, Lomokino, Lomo Smena 8, and of course, a Fuji Instax and Polaroid One600.

DIGITAL

First digital camera I owned: Kodak
I don't remember the exact make and model. It was a gift from my cousin. The camera was grey, huge, about 2.2 megapixels and 8MB. I remember thinking it was amazing!

First digital camera I bought: Canon Powershot A70
I loved this camera. Compared to my first digital camera, this one seemed so much smaller and so much more advanced. It had a whopping 3.2 megapixels and 16MB compact flash card.

Digital cameras that followed:
Sony DSC-T11 - This camera came all the way from Hong Kong. It was slim, white, large display, and the most advanced thing I had ever seen at the time.

Canon Powershot G7 - I had started my digital journey with a measley 2.2 megapixels and this camera had 10! My mind was blown. In fact, I wrote a blog post about it.

Which leads me to where I am now, back on Team Sony.
So that's it. All the cameras I have used at some point in time.

Even though I've been playing with cameras for a long time, my actual technical knowledge is limited. This is why I keep taking photos to try and get better. I'm figuring it out as I go along, as well as receiving some very helpful pointers from my talented friends.

What do you use to shoot now or what were some of the cameras that you've used in the past that you love? Let me know in the comments below!

A weekend in Bali

2015-08-05T09:00:00.000+08:00

Nusa Dua

Bali has long been on my list of places 'to go'. A far-flung paradise I'd heard so much about and seen so many beautiful pictures of. Well, I finally got to go for the weekend as some friends of ours had picked Bali as their wedding destination.

To make a long story short, we did very little on this weekend away. About 0% of our time was spent exploring and 95% of our time was spent relaxing. The other 5% was wedding stuff. Sometimes you need holidays like this. Time to switch off and just enjoy the moments. Also, I figured that the lack of exploring this time round means there is a definite reason to go back.

Anyway, I took very few photos but here are some to give you an idea of what we did and what we saw.

THE AREA

Our home for the weekend

We stayed in an area called Nusa Dua. It mainly consisted of luxury resorts and hotels. There was nothing else around which meant no quick trips to the supermarket for snacks or jaunts to local restaurants.

We picked our accommodation based on the bride and groom's suggestion and it seemed to be the hotel where people attending the wedding were staying. We turned out to be wrong on that point as a lot of families and groups ended up renting villas in other parts of Bali.

Our resort had its own private beach (see picture above) where we spent most of our time lazing around and enjoying the cooling breeze.

The room was comfortable and the bed HUGE! I could even lie width ways across it with room to spare. There was even an impressive bathtub in the bathroom that I didn't get a chance to use and pretend that I was Madison from Splash.

All in all, it was a great place to stay.

THE WEDDING

The wedding and reception were held at a cliff top villa in Uluwatu. It was a stunning location. The sky even put on a little show at sunset. Oh, and there were fire dancers!

THE SUNRISE // SUNSET

A sliver of sun at Nusa Dua

This was sunrise. I only managed to wake up for sunrise on our last day in Bali. This is what we saw. It was slightly underwhelming with just a sliver of red unable to burn through the thick layer of dramatic cloud.

Sunset at Nusa Dua

This was the first Balinese sunset we experienced. It was, ok. We were on the wrong side of the island to experience its full technicolour glory, but somewhere someone was getting a great show.

THE FOOD
I took no food pics on this trip. Our meals were mainly eaten at the resort, the wedding, one dinner in Seminyak at MAMA san Bali, and at the opposite end of the scale we had one local meal at Warung Babi Guling Sari Dewi.

All the food we had was tasty. The wedding food was yum and the red velvet cake was a dream. We have a MAMA san in Hong Kong, so going to MAMA san in Bali didn't feel any different - the food was equally delicious. The resort food was not mind blowing, just ok in my opinion. However, we did only eat at one of the three restaurants at the resort. This was mainly for breakfast which was served buffet style. It's probably not fair of me to judge all their food offerings based on their breakfast buffet.

As for the only local meal we had at the warung babi guling, that was delicious. Simple yet full of flavour (and spice). The restaurant basically served different cuts of roasted pork with rice and a bowl of soup. I'm glad we got to have at least one authentic meal in Bali before we left.

Oh, the last place we went to for food was Secret Cafe. It's a quiet and cute cafe with a surfer/beach theme. We stopped here for some coffee - I opted for watermelon juice - and some homemade cake.

THE SUMMARY
It was a great weekend spent laughing with friends in a beautiful location. What more could I possibly ask for?

I will most definitely be back at some point to explore more areas and eat more food!

TIPS & INFO
Who we flew with: Hong Kong Airlines
Where we stayed: Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua Beach Resort
Tip: Use Uber to get around. Cheaper than Bali's blue Taksi and much cheaper than transport organised by the hotels. If you plan to do lots of exploring or travelling around, consider hiring a private car and driver.

FRIENDSTAGRAM: Meet My Friends

2015-07-27T01:40:00.002+08:00

Last year I wrote a post about my family on Instagram. Well, here's a post about my friends that I met via Instagram.

People always told me to be wary of meeting people on the internet, but I have met some of the nicest people on Instagram.

When I lived in London there is no way you would catch me meeting anybody from the internet. I mean, they could be all kinds of crazy! Plus, I already had my nearest and dearest friends that I had known for years and years. Why would I need new friends?

However, moving to a new country meant I had to be more open to new ways of meeting people. I met a few people through an expat forum, but the majority of my friends have come from Instagram.

I started using Instagram more when I moved to Hong Kong with the intention of documenting my time here and as a way of showing friends and family back home what I was seeing. I never thought for a moment I would meet so many awesome people who would make me laugh and inspire me.

Not only has Instagram given me the opportunity to make friends in my new city, I've also made new friends in my home city and lots of other places around the world.

Here's a short video to introduce you to some of the people I have been lucky enough to meet.
When you're done watching the video - you should definitely check them out on Instagram.

If you're moving somewhere new, remember to be open to opportunities to meet people. You never know who you might meet.

Of course, you should still be smart when meeting anyone from the internet. Be safe. Let people know who you're meeting, where you're going, and make sure it's a public place.

Weekend Wanderings: Sunrise to Sunset

2015-07-15T08:29:00.000+08:00

Before sunrise

Welcome to another installment of Weekend Wanderings.

The last weekend wander was spent trying to hide from the heat of the sun in caves of Cape D'Aguilar. This weekend wander was purposefully spent chasing the sun.

The weekend started with a 2:50am(!!) showing of Jurassic World in 4D (not a bad way to kick off the weekend) and since the movie would end around 5am, we thought 'let's just stay up for sunrise'. It seemed like the logical thing to do.

This crazy Saturday start time meant that the rest of the day was a write-off and everyone spent the rest of the day at home.

Sunday was a nice leisurely day that started at a normal time. We had family brunch, a walk around the neighbourhood, and then met a friend to go and catch sunset somewhere.

Our Plan A for sunset didn't work, so we made an impromptu Plan B and jumped in a taxi to Stonecutters bridge... and that, in a nutshell, was our weekend.

Here's a short video about it...

I want to make more little videos, so if you want to see them - subscribe on YouTube. Thanks!

Prove it.

2015-07-11T09:30:00.000+08:00

In April this year, I decided to dye my hair. Mistake. The colour wasn't right and clashed with my skin tone. It basically made me look like I was permanently wearing the wrong shade of foundation.
I could have left it and waited for it to grow out but I was too impatient, so on my trip home to London I decided to see if it could be fixed.

The day I landed, after dropping off my luggage and saying hi to my parents, my next stop was Daniel Galvin in Marylebone and thanks to Amy - all was fixed - by that I mean, colour corrected.

Anyway, because by this point I had spent more money on my hair than I had anticipated, I decided I wanted to protect the colour, something that I've always been a bit lax on when I've previously coloured my hair.

If I'm being totally honest, I'm very lazy with my hair. I like haircuts that can take care of themselves, shampoos and conditioners that don't take an hour to rinse out (I'm a fan of the 2-in-1 combo that hairdressers frown upon), and preferably just one miracle hair product that smoothes, shines, styles, and holds. Not too much to ask, right?

I thought I'd give Living Proof a try. I'd heard good things from the internet and Jennifer Aniston is their ambassador. She always has good hair. I was sucked in.

I've been using it since April (I bought the No Frizz minis from Marks & Spencer and the Perfect Hair Day Shampoo and Conditioner from Beauty Bay) and I think I've used it for long enough now to give it a review, so here goes...

PROS
- Smells nice and fresh
- Leaves my hair feeling soft and shiny
- Colour still good. Not brassy.

CONS
- It has given me a serious case of flakey scalp (sorry, if that's TMI)

I'm still using it now and am about half-way through the Perfect Hair Day bottles. I've not used the mini No Frizz since I went to Barcelona.

Basically, I am torn in how I feel for them. I like how they make my hair feel soft and shiny and takes care of my hair colour, but of course, hate the itchy scalp. It's not a constant flakey scalp, it comes and goes but I wish it would just go for good and leave me with just the pros of this product.

I don't think it will give everyone a flakey scalp, I think this is just my scalp's reaction to it.

So that's my experience with Living Proof. I'm not 100% convinced, maybe about 80%.

If you try it, let me know in the comments what you thought about it and if it too has given you flakey scalp.

Shop the post:

Weekend Wanderings: Cape D'Aguilar

2015-07-01T09:30:00.000+08:00

Summer has arrived in Hong Kong. The days of 90+ percent humidity and 'very hot weather warnings' are back. This means it's time to hibernate in air conditioned comfort and only go out when absolutely necessary.

However, last weekend I braved the sun, the humidity, and the non-stop sweating and ventured out to Cape D'Aguilar - I even made a video about it!

Cape D'Aguilar is located on the southeastern tip of Hong Kong Island. Most people think that Hong Kong is just a dense city of high-rise buildings... and it is, but it also has this whole other side to it where nature lives.

This was my second time to Cape D'Aguilar and it couldn't have been more different to my previous visit. I first went at the beginning of the year when the temperatures were cooler, the skies were greyer, and the sea was rougher which made for some atmospheric photos. This time round was blue skies, calm waters, and relentless sun which also made for some atmospheric photos of a different kind.

Despite the heat, Cape D'Aguilar was beautiful as always. Whenever, I am there I don't feel like I am in Hong Kong. I feel like I have been transported to some far off land, or even another planet thanks to the rocky terrain. I'm sure I'll go back again for a wander, but when it is cooler. Just remembering the walk back from the cape to the bus stop in the sun is enough to make me want to cry.

How to get there:
- MTR to Shau Kei Wan
- Bus no. 9 or taxi to Cape D'Aguilar road
- Walk

Anyway... here is my first ever YouTube video! Enjoy the sights of Cape D'Aguilar. (Watch it in HD)

The plan is to make occasional videos documenting where I wandered at the weekends. What do you think, good idea or nah?
P.S I wasn't alone on my adventure to the cape. I was with this lovely bunch of people: @edwardkb, @keso_k, @tonyttan, @NK7, @cheukyh, and @5.12. To see more photos from Cape D'Aguilar, check out their Instagram accounts.

It's been a while...

2015-05-19T09:30:00.000+08:00

Shanghai - Photo of me by - the husband @edwardkb

After posting my blogging plans for 2015, life put a bump in the road that meant having to take a detour from the plan.

I won't go into too much detail, but basically my brother and his girlfriend moved to Hong Kong - HOORAY! But then she fell very ill - BOO! Her getting better was our main focus, and in the last few months has made a "remarkable recovery" - a quote from her actual doctor - and life is getting back to normal. The support of family, friends, and even strangers during this time has been overwhelming and truly appreciated.

Anyway, I'm going to try and get back on track and fill you in on some of the things that have happened recently. Cue a recap post... ready?

MARCH - Shanghai

I went to Shanghai for a long weekend for two reasons: 1) To visit my cousin and 2) Edward, my cousin, and some other Instagram friends had their photos on show as part of an exhibition for Nike. We were only there for a few days but managed to cram in a lot! I left with a full camera roll and lots of lovely memories and will most definitely be back.

For photos from our trip, check out the hashtag #Shanghaieveryone

A photo posted by Jessamine B (@jesso) on Mar 15, 2015 at 4:17am PDT

APRIL - London / Paris / Barcelona

It has been 16 months since I last went home to London, so a trip home was long overdue. I took advantage of being in London by taking a couple of short trips with a day trip to Paris and a few days in Barcelona with my mum. It was 16 days of fun with family and friends. I could go on and on about it here, but I want to keep this post short(ish). Instead, I'm going to do separate posts about these trips so I can tell you more and also show you more photos.

A photo posted by Jessamine B (@jesso) on Apr 23, 2015 at 8:51am PDT

So there, you have it. You are now up-to-date on the big things that have happened over the last few months.

Oh, look. It's 2015!

2015-01-14T09:30:00.000+08:00

In case you didn't know, 2015 has arrived, and with that comes new plans, goals, and all of that other jazz.

I did have big plans to write a New Year post with my goals for 2015, a review of 2014, but last years end of year blog lull follwed me through into the beginning of this year. However, 14 days into the new year and I'm going to break the lull. So in case you are interested here are some of the things I want to do in 2015...

There's the usual:
- Exercise more
- Make healthier choices
- Be more creative
- Travel more
- Make more effort to stay in touch with people

But this year there are some extra ones:
- Read at least one book a month
- Learn how to use a camera
- Learn Cantonese (after two years living in Hong Kong, I should give it a go).

As for goals for this blog, I want to:
- Get more organised, so that I can...
- Post more regularly (without it being a chore or resorting to posting just for the sake of posting)
- Make sure it stays fun for me to do and for you to read - that is if anyone out there is actually reading it.

However, my main aim for this blog is to make it a reflection of me. I started this blog in my 20s when I thought I wanted to work in fashion journalism, so I tried to make that the focus. However, as the years have past and my interests have changed, I kind of lost my way with it. I wasn't sure what to write about, or what this blog was even about anymore.

Last year, I narrowed down the things I wanted to write about, to: Beauty stuff, not because I want to be a beauty blogger but because I genuinely am a beauty/skincare junkie and want to share the products I like. Travel, as I like to travel and stay in nice hotels. Arts & crafts, as I try and fulfil my annual resolution to be more creative, and Photography - not because I'm an expert (because I'm not), but because I enjoy taking pictures. These are my interests now that I'm in my *ahem* 30s, and who know's, they may change. If they do, I'm sure it will make an appearance on this blog.

If you have any ideas or suggestions for things you would like me to write about, leave me a comment.

Anyway, I hope 2015 is off to a great start for you all. Enjoy the adventures this year will bring!

Let Me Spell It Out...

2014-11-29T11:50:00.001+08:00

Sometimes you buy something and the moment you leave the store you're hit with that horrible feeling of buyers remorse. I can safely say that when I bought this Lightbox from Typo, I did not experience that at all.

In fact, the words above accurately describe how I feel about my new light box.

So far it has come in super handy as a blog/photo prop, fun personalised welcome sign for when people have come to stay with us, and just general display of silly words and messages.

An A3 sized version recently appeared on the Typo website, and although I am tempted, I am strongly resisting the urge. Seriously, I would have nowhere to put it.

Let me know what would you use the lightbox for?

It's Business Time!

2014-11-07T16:45:00.000+08:00

Guess what arrived in the post today?... My business cards from Moo.com!

It turns out, you kind of need business cards here in Hong Kong, because:
1) You never know who you're going to meet
2) Everyone else seems to have them.
There's been a few awkward moments when someone has extended a business card to me and I haven't had one to give back. Those moments will now be a thing of the past.

I had been meaning to order these for a while now, and when a free shipping code landed in my inbox, I thought - BINGO!

I opted for one of the existing Moo designs as the last time I ordered stickers from Moo using my own design, I got the sizing all wrong and they came out a little fuzzy. Oops. So I thought it would be best to play it safe this time round and figured the 'Hello' theme tied in with my Hello Jesso blog.

Anyway, that's all I wanted to share. It's always nice when you get something fun in the mail.

Let me know if you have any great networking tips in the comments below.

This is not a sponsored post.