Friday 20 January 2012

Practically twins!



Princess PTT and I had a twin moment this afternoon in our boots!

Yours,

Pseudo Tai Tai xxx

Chinese New Year Celebrations 2012

We will be away for most of the Chinese New Year Celebrations but Prince and Princess PTT had their school celebration today.

Here's a visual of their silky magnificence:


I was quite proud of my achievement in wrestling Princess PTT's curls into a demure bun:


Daddy even walked to Princess PTT to school...


Its Nanny PTTs birthday today - happy birthday Nanny PTT! We'll see you in Bali!

If I'm a little quiet until the 29th it's because we are off to Bangkok...

I'm sure I'll have a lot to report on our return...

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

Yours,

Pseudo Tai Tai xx

Thursday 19 January 2012

IFC's Chinese New Year 2012 Offering

I took myself on a little trip to Central today and treated myself to a Joel Robuchon baguette for lunch...


In case you were wondering it was chicken, avocado, tomato, heart of palm and Béarnaise sauce.

The weather is particularly breathtaking at the moment...


Must get up to the top of ye old ICC to have a drink at the Ritz Carlton as the view would be fantastic....

Anyway... I digress... IFC's Chinese New Year 2012 display was up and running...


What's not to like about a light up waterfall?


I love this subtle way of saying 'Please don't step on the flowers'...



As per usual the whole display was flanked by people posing with their ubiquitous 'V' signs or positioning their other halves in 'romantic' poses and taking soft focus photos on their iPhones.

Yours,

Pseudo Tai Tai xx

Wednesday 18 January 2012

Princess PTT's first up-style and Hong Kong just keeps getting bigger...

Princess PTT is very excited as her hair is now long enough to braid. She's been embracing the braid with gusto ever since...





Meanwhile, there's no slowing Hong Kong's building works. Here's a look at the great big pile of mess they've created in front of IFC...



In other news, just look at the sky today...


If you squint hard enough you could almost believe you were in a tropical paradise... maybe that's a stretch too far but a sky this blue around these parts is a rarity!


Yours,

Pseudo Tai Tai xx

Tuesday 17 January 2012

Casa HK frocks up for Chinese New Year

Casa HK's foyer is starting to get decked out in its Chinese New Year finery:





You can thank my little friends at The New York Times for the following primer of plants you will see around the traps over the Hong Kong Chinese New Year: 
  • Mandarin Oranges: Large oranges with leaves attached are traditional house gifts for wishing good luck. A shrub of small oranges are believed to enhance goodwill, and in particular “fruitful” marriages.
  • Kumquats: These fruits are particularly popular as “kum” is Cantonese for gold.
  • Peonies: Their big, beautiful blossoms are believed to bring prosperity.
  • Peach Blossoms: For singles, this flower is believed to enhance romantic fortunes. Their fruit is also revered as a symbol of longevity.
  • Pussy Willow: Their multiple fluffy blossoms are believed to bring bountiful fortune.


  • Kung Hei Fat Choi! (may prosperity be with you!)

    Yours,

    Pseudo Tai Tai xx

    Sunday 15 January 2012

    A Bevy of Princesses...

    Princess PTT rocked it at a princess party on Sunday. Here she is channelling her inner Snow White:



    Here's the rest of the Princesses...



    There were frills, hoops and tiaras as far as the eye could see. I could hardly squish Princess PTT into a taxi for all the poofiness around her. As you can see, Princess PTT dusted off her silver stilettos for the occasion...

    Don't you just love 4 year old little girls?

    Yours,

    Pseudo Tai Tai xx

    Saturday 14 January 2012

    Din Tai Fung

    When I'm in Hong Kong I crave Australian steak on the BBQ, BBQed sausages, lamb cutlets you don't have to take a second mortgage out to buy, chicken twisties, western chinese food ?!? (nothing beats a Ben's chicken and cashew nuts in my book!), Queensland prawns, crab caught from the bay in front of my Parent's beach house, Ice Break, Cheesemite scrolls from Bakers Delight, plain white bakery bread spread with butter and Vegemite, banana smoothies from James Street market, proper old fashioned burgers complete with beetroot and pineapple, bircher muesli, huge mangoes, lychees, ripe stone fruit, and finally that breakfast Creek ambrosia mix of eye fillet, mushroom sauce, coleslaw, baked potato topped with bacon, dusty flour top bread roll spread with butter, and beef steak tomato slice.

    When I'm in Australia I crave the strawberry and the peanut butter and chocolate chip cupcakes from Sift bakery, the way any Hong Kong cake shop from the Mandarin Oriental down to Starbucks make a mean baked blueberry cheesecake, decent unpasterised cheese from around the world, the way verve cliquot is our free flow, Crystal Jade noodle soups, and Din Tai Fung dumplings.

    Speaking of Din Tai Fung... we got our fix on the weekend...

    Jasmine tea is allegedly useful is breaking down all the fat you are eating!!!


    Xiaolongbao or Shanghaiese Soup Dumplings: 


    Prince PTT tackles his favourite food in the world - a pork bun:


    Yours,

    Pseudo Tai Tai xx

    Thursday 12 January 2012

    Princess PTT on the loose in Central

    Princess PTT and I swung down to ye old Central town after school today to do a few chores. Princess PTT was quite taken with Louis Vuitton's latest window offering - a gigantic sparkling vanilla cupcake topped with cherry stilettos. I then took it upon myself to expand her french education by giving her a Joel Robuchon croissant for lunch. You can't ever accuse me of not taking an idea and running with it.



    Yours,

    Pseudo Tai Tai xx

    Wednesday 11 January 2012

    The best of Brisbane during the technology freeze

    I'm sure a few of you are wondering what was happening at PTT's Brisbane Headquarters during my unexpected Australian technology freeze.

    Here's a summary...

    Princess and Princess PTT were introduced to the concept of grass without a guard standing beside it to stop interested parties (God forbid!) walking on it...


    We gorged ourselves silly at that fabulous Brisbane institution The Breakfast Creek Hotel...





    Prince PTT took it upon himself to gorge himself on a Mango a day...


    We played tourists and went on The Wheel of Brisbane...



    We dined out al fresco whenever we could...


    Princess PTT turned 4...




    I'm sure Prince and Princess PTT heard Santa up the chimney on Christmas Eve...



    Christmas Day was fabulous...




    I introduced PTT to the joys of ironing (not!)...


    I snuck in a sneaky Yatala pie on our trip back from the Gold Coast...


    You'd have to agree, we had a fabulous time!

    Yours,

    Pseudo Tai Tai xx

    Did you miss me?

    After two weeks of living without Internet, I am finally back in Hong Kong with a lap top in front of me and an iPhone 4S in my hand. Have you missed me?

    Last night, C, M, N and I had a well earned catch up...


    P looked nice and brown as she had a little pre-tan action to prepare for her Phuket villa escape. She's off today to lie around some super villa - jealous!

    C is about to go to Hua Hin. None of the rest of us have been so she'll have lots to report in a few weeks time. 

    N has just got back from Townsville. They don't frock up there as much as here so her resort mules didn't get as much of a workout as she'd hoped.

    We went to Lotus, a Thai restaurant near the escalator. As per usual, the food was amazing but the service was questionable. Why anyone would decide to re-stock their bar when they had 40+ people waiting to be served is beyond me. If it wasn't for their fabulous people watching location we wouldn't go back. 






    I had to take mainly action shots of the food disapearing from the plates as by the time we were served we were famished.


    I think that's why we drank three bottles of wine on a Tuesday night. All that waiting was thirsty work...

    Yours, 

    Pseudo Tai Tai xxx