bosphorus, where east first met west

after spending two intense days with my new italian family - inside the swissotel with an invitingly glorious view of the bosphorus, I finally got a take in a breath or two of Turkish air on Saturday afternoon, wandering around the old part of town, into the famous blue mosque that looks so much like something out of a fairy tale, where I half expected to see Rapunzal let her hair down..

one grand bazzaar and a shisha later, I was beginning to forget that I came to Istanbul for business - it helped that my peers were real people who like me, have a crazy appetite for life! Downtown in Taxim by the Mahmara, the traffic was buzzing with life at 3pm or 3am, where the snow doesn't dampen the spirits. And one brief hour in the Museum of Archeology takes you back into time, even before the Otterman, Constantinople and Alexander the Great, when the land was known as the Byzantine Empire.

one night in dubai, one week ago

from the arabian gulf, into the dubai creek where trade began ~ now the old town of a new city. One hour drive south, along the coast, past prime private real estates, you will see Burj-Al Arab: epitome of modern-day dubai architecture, ultra sleek glass & steel, with its distinct coastal-ethnic style. Venture on to one of the palm-shaped man-made islands, and you witness the magic of money. Alas, one hour east, you will see what it was like just 30 years ago - endless miles of desert.. an amazing city, built by men with vision and imagination; which will undoubtedly will go down in history, as the metropolis representing the Golden Age of the UAE civilization.
driving into the sunset towards the Jumeirah beach, we found the Souk Madinat quite by accident - which is best described as the Xintiandi of Dubai (souk means market). I finally bought myself a dishdasha ("it's for men!" I heard the alarmed sales girl whisper) - a romantic white robe traditionally worn by the Arabic men. And driving back north along the coast, we had the good fortune to be cruising at snail's pace, alongside jubilant locals who were out in the streets, waving their national flags, hanging out from their cars and doing the victory dance - all these from winning the Gulf Cup. A first it seems; and a priviledge to be a part of.

sunday brunch in hong kong

If i hadn't had so many good experiences with the customer service people in the past, I would most certainly have made a scene 2 thursdays ago at hsbc. Fortunately Jason & Kitagawa kept their cool & a sense of humour until we made it to the still-smoking-permitted Armani Bar (which Simone promised to take us in Milan but hadn't... humphh!). Then as usual, our eyes were bigger than our stomaches at Lei Yue Mun - I think lobster sashima came out of my ears afterwards. And as promised, 2gg's apartment has a view of the open sea - but lo & behold, those posh apartments at Cyberport have talking elevators which trapped Meng & myself in twilight zone, conversing with a digital recording of a women's spooky voice LET ME OUTA HERE!! NOW!!! (pleeeeaase 2gg, move back to the comforting mid-levels where we can walk up to the peak or down to lankwaifung)