Friends In Hong Kong

A holiday is made extra meaningful when opportunities to meet up with friends whom we haven't seen in a while arise. I had made plans to see Felix, Elsie, Anna and Arjuna prior to my trip to Hong Kong, but catching up with Phoebe was a pleasant surprise. Felix, friends since my working stint in Leysin; Elsie, friends from the time we were at Flinders; Anna, my business partner at That Special Occasion and her hubby Arjuna; Phoebe, friends from hotel school at Le Bouveret.

I'd have to thank Facebook for facilitating the catching up. Just a couple of messages and I had set up a dinner with Felix, supper with Elsie, lunch with Anna and Arjuna. And when I arrived in Hong Kong and posted that I was enjoying the cold weather, Phoebe's other half and my good friend Danny who is based in Dalian, quickly commented that she was back in Hong Kong and that I should call. As luck would have it, we managed to meet the day before she flew back to Dalian.

Good friends are few and far between and I always cherish the catch up sessions, no matter how much trouble we have to go through to meet, no matter how much advance notice we need to give one another, no matter how fleeting or lengthy the meeting. More so when we live so far apart. We've shared many wonderful memories during our time as students, matured together as we entered adulthood, have been part of milestones in each other's lives. Such bonds that have been nurtured over the years enable us to be lifelong friends, and seeing each other whilst on holiday is always an added bonus.

Here I am with Phoebe. I met up with her the couple hours I had between my cousin's wedding ceremony and banquet.

New Discoveries And New Ideas

I am one who is always on the lookout for new discoveries and new ideas. Be it on my travels or just around town, I keep an eye out for interesting stores, appealing restaurants and cafes ... you get my drift. The photo on the left is of one such discovery in Phnom Penh - D's Books. I think that the quote says it all really when it comes to travel.

Anyways, I was at Kota Damansara today for meetings, The Strand at Kota Damansara to be precise. I was punctual - I am always on time, but some of the others were running late, thus I had some time to kill. A rather attractive store signage and window display across from where I was parked caught my eye and piqued my interest. So, into kookoobee I walked. Purveyors of 'Home, Fashion, Lifestyle', the merchandise on display were quirky yet chic, some with relatively affordable price tags. For a recently opened establishment, I thought it a pretty good place for those artistically-inclined. They apparently also offer other creative services, so it will be interesting to see how it evolves when all their products and services are rolled out. I shall request permission for a photo the next time I visit and will report on their development in a future post.

Well, I must have been inspired by the find as both my meetings went well thereafter. The 2nd one in particular, which was with Patrick and Elyse, both uni-mates of mine at Flinders, the former also part of the weddingsmalaysia team. A business idea that I had proposed to them some months back has been gestating all this while but I came away from the meeting with a glimmer of hope that it may actually take flight, on a small scale for a start. Am keeping my fingers crossed! If all goes well, I hope to welcome Elyse into the weddingsmalaysia family soon. There is only so much I can do and an extra pair of hands can do wonders I believe.

Photo of D's Books in Phnom Penh.