Calling all shopaholics who want to go for a weekend getaway to Hong Kong and can't afford a hotel on Hong Kong Island! I'm leasing out my cozy flat in Causeway Bay. That's right, shopping district CWB. If you're just here to shop then staying at my place is the best option. Considering the location, it's a real good deal. I live right behind SOGO, 5 mins away from Laforet, 8 mins away from Times Square and a stone's throw away from World Trade Center and The Excelsior. Best of all it's located on Jaffe Road beside a Wellcome, a 7-11 and a string of the wonderful, dining amenities not to mention the oh-so-secret fake escalator mall and Red Mall which specializes in Korean/Japanese kitschy stuff.

If you've been to HK before, you know that space is a luxury in this hectic little city so as expected, you won't be getting a suite.

Best I can offer you is a cute pad with a comfy bed, cable, wifi and a clean bathroom that's NOT Chinese-style (meaning you don't shower right on top of the toilet and that can be really disgusting--I'd rather have a tiny apartment then a huge one with an ugly banyo and disgusting wet floor).

My place is very clean and it is regularly cleaned by my helper. And, not to worry, I've moved from my first apartment so I now have a lift. There are 2 guards on rotation and the place is completely safe and centrally-located to everything.

If you want to stay in Kowloon, well, that's just really sad. Unless it's the W.

Here are the deets:

A bright, cozy bedroom with a double bed (48” x 72”), wardrobe, draws, full length mirror, aircon, private bathroom & broadband internet access.















From here you can walk around and enjoy HK. Maybe even randomly bump into people shooting for Discovery's Glutton for Punishment. This dude may look like he loves his job on TV but seriously, i saw him sweating and hating it. But hey, just another regular thing on cwb-- bumping into everyone





Rates: HK$350/night: HK$2450/week: HK$9000/month:
Rates include an octopus card for use while in HK, a cantonese phrase book, free use of my stuff (but don't steal or break anything--remember God is watching! props to those who can figure out where this line comes from).

And in case you want to know why I'm doing this, I'll be going to China for a month and Singapore for a couple of months for work and I hate to give up my place because of its location. It's a gem.

I seriously need to take cooking lessons. or take the cookbook seriously. to date, my interpretation of cooking is nuking together some sort of edible substance so I don't need to step out of my apartment (i should post photos of my experiments but i don't want other people to lose their appetite). i am horribly addicted to the grocery but I never know what to buy when I'm there.

i'm planning to change all that.

starting tomorrow, i will make proper meal plans for myself. i will also start a routine which includes keeping up with my jogging and the packing and the writing. and i will do my best to maintain this so-called "routine". waiting in between projects should be taken as me time used to improve oneself. not time for me to let myself go and bum.

the bumming's over. promise. just as soon as i finish this last Korean drama which pretty much has me holed up.

I can understand why some people think Filipinos are overly sensitive and insecure about their place in this world. I myself have told some friends off a couple months back when they wanted to march in protest over Chip Tsao and that satirical piece about Filipino helpers. I was actually on Mr. Tsao's side. He was not, in my opinion, being racist. In my understanding, he was actually writing in defense of the maltreated help.

I know a blatant case of racism when I see one. The incident at Cotton On with Daphne. Now that was blatant. Say what you want but I grew up knowing it is never right to shout expletives attacking one's race. In full view of the public, no less. Even in private, I believe this cannot be forgiven. I was prepared for everything when I decided to open my locked journal and post what happened but it still perplexes me to read such confused comments as the one below:

gundamxp wrote:
Jul. 5th, 2009 05:50 pm (UTC) Racism?

the Indian lady was angry because she thought that you cut in the queue.
The Malay girl was angry because your friend was unruly by tossing the underwear on display along the way.

Filipinos are always Continue to be discriminated at some part of the world because they don't know how to return love for hatred. ---??????????

There are many cases of racism toward filipinos- Hong Konger journalist Chip Tsao.....the DEsperate Housewives.... the Harry and Paul... this website (http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Filipino)...and many more

If filipinos arent racist towards other races, people will respect and love you... but nowadays its rare for me to notice any humble filipinos.... In youtube, i always found filipinos bragging about themselves... People hate that....

Honestly, i was a victim of racism by my ex-filipinos collegues before. They spread rumours, telling racist jokes about me behind my back and lied to me when i was actually trying to help them most of the time.
When i found out (my other collegues told me), i lost control of myself and embarassed those filipinas infront of the other collegues.
But my remarks towards them weren't racist at all. Just rude.

And i never wish to post such stories in the net telling about how racist filipinos are...

pls remove this... dont make people hate filipinos even more...

This is not some personal vendetta, GundamXP. It's not some story I made up to create trouble for Cotton On. I have met with the manager personally and he himself asked me to write that statement. I am reporting the incident as it happened. This is not a case of hatred nor a shallow jab at embarrassing one's person on my part. To date, I have not said anything about the Indian woman and the Malay cashier that is not true. If the Indian lady thought i cut the line she could have easily told me and I would have reminded her calmly that I was, in fact, in front of her. There was no need to say: FILIPINOS, NO WONDER THEY'RE JUST MAIDS. This phrase is very indicative of the type of person that she is and yet we did not retaliate by talking down to her. Even now I am relaying an incident exactly as it played out so that other people can make their own judgments, be aware and hopefully, think twice before letting their anger and prejudice get the best of them. The Malay manager who threw us out could have easily just said, "Get out!". I may have even just considered this as extreme rudeness. Unpleasant but forgivable. Unfortunately, this was not the case. BLOODY STUPID FILIPINOS. Those were her exact words. She yelled it loud enough for everyone to hear in Wisma Atria. I don't know where you're from but I'm sorry that you have to resort to embarrassing those Filipinos who allegedly spread those racist jokes about you and that, in your exact words, showering them with love in return for hatred was not enough. I also find it pitiful that you have to watch Filipinos bragging about themselves on Youtube. I, for one, see no problem in being proud of who you are. Whether you're Filipino, Indian, Chinese or Malay. I have never confused nationalism for arrogance. Neither have I ever looked down on a person because of his or her race. This incident really happened. I wish it didn't but it did. I also wish it did not turn out the way it did. That's why I'm writing about it. Lest we all forget that we all deserve respect regardless of where we come from, how we look and what position we hold in life. I surely hope that there are more people who are less confused over my intentions. The last thing I want is to spread hatred. I'm merely standing up for what I believe in.

First of July and I'm too lazy to do anything. I don't want to start my errands but I know I have to eventually. It's just a matter of getting up and stepping out of my apartment. Watched Transformers 2 yesterday with Terence and Simon, ended up talking to Terence up to 4am about HK, SG and my decision to move on. I may have convinced the guy never to come home to HK after finishing up Uni in the UK. Oops. My bad. But seriously, what is it about this place that's got me so tired all of a sudden? I've not even stepped out and already I'm trying to catch my breath.

edit: okay, so today's a public holiday. i didn't even know it. causeway bay is unbearably packed and people are protesting all across Hennessy Road. over what, i have no clue. government probably, isn't that what people take to the streets for anyway?

oh and yeah, the Transformers sequel sucked ass. i want 2 and a half hours of my life back.

Hi Daniel,

Thank you very much for meeting with us last Wednesday. As per our conversation, please find below my email regarding the incident last Saturday. I hope to hear from you soon.

This is to call attention to an unfortunate incident that occurred in your store last Saturday, 6 June 2009, at which I was an unwitting victim of harassment. Please note:

1. I have been based in Hong Kong for a while doing TV production work and am currently in Singapore working on a project. While on a window-shopping date with my friend, Daphne, a banker holding a respectable position at Standard Chartered bank, we entered COTTON ON which was having an underwear sale. I was already queuing to pay when another item caught my eye, so I asked Daphne to hold my place while I checked it out. Behind me, an Indian lady, who seemed to be upper-class (and cranky) let out a sigh of impatience as I left the line to look at the piece.

2. I returned to my place at the line in front of the Indian customer while Daphne stayed on the line with me, which in good faith, I had not considered to be a problem.

3. Things remained normal, though, and when we finally reached the counter after about 5 minutes, the Malay girl behind the cashier nicely reminded me that Sale items could not be refunded. There were actually no reactions until a new counter opened up and Daphne was invited to pay for her purchases there. This must have really upset the Indian customer because this provoked her to prod the Malay girl with a long tirade obviously directed at my friend in strong words saying: "ASK THAT GIRL TO HURRY UP! FIRST SHE DOESN'T LINE UP AND JUST SQUEEZES IN WITH HER FRIEND. NOW SHE'S TAKING FOREVER TO MAKE A SIMPLE PURCHASE! SHE SHOULD HAVE CHECKED THE STUFF BEFORE PAYING!"

4. This has me in complete shock. Daphne asked me in Tagalog what the Indian girl said and when I told her, my friend proceeds to defend herself. What really upset and agitated me was when the Indian customer blurted out a painful remark that is derogatory to Filipino maids in particular and to Filipino women in general, to wit: "FILIPINOS! NO WONDER THEY'RE JUST MAIDS!"

5. While my friend is a banker she could not of course let this insult on Filipino maids pass. As a matter of principle -- whatever one's position in life -- this woman had no right to talk down on people. A heated exchange naturally ensued.

6. Things took an ugly turn, however, when the Malay girl at the counter, prompted by the Indian customer, snapped and told my friend to take it outside. My friend, who was by then fully worked up, proceeded to leave but angrily started tossing the underwear on display along the way.

7. Even as I stared dumbfounded, thinking that it could not get any worse, the Malay girl at the counter chased after my friend and screamed at us: "BLOODY STUPID FILIPINOS! GET OUT!

In all the time I have spent working abroad, I have never experienced this. Despite the urge to answer back I knew better. Even in my angry state I could not get myself to say anything bad to your counter person. I guess I had no taste for matching the girl's ignorance with equally angry, foul words. I could only shut up and leave.

The incident, however, has continued to bother me to this day and is disturbing not only my concentration but also my sleep. The wound has been inflicted and the pain may not go away unless some rectification is achieved, hopefully at your end so that it will not be necessary to pursue other venues.

Please let me know if any action is forthcoming. Thank you for your attention.

Dear Daniel,

Thank you for your reply and your effort to look into the issue.

However, I think you failed to realize the gravity of the issue. I don’t know if it’s just your choice of words, or if it is your fundamental understanding of the situation that is flawed.

What we told you is not feedback. It was a very strong and indignant complaint on a very unacceptable encounter we had with your staff. It is not about making a future experience better. This is not a normal customer dissatisfaction situation. I was not just ignored when I asked for my size. I was yelled at with very derogatory remarks in the busy alley of Wisma Atria.

This has nothing to do with training. The issue is not just that the staff failed to handle the situation in a better way. If it were just a handling issue, our complaint would have been in the likes of “she didn’t take control of the issue well and allowed the issue to worsen”, for example. If she just didn’t say anything while the heated argument went on I wouldn’t go through this. The issue is deep in her core - she is a person who discriminates and is shamelessly and blatantly doing so. From the start she sided with the Indian girl. The bloody, stupid Filipino comment just sealed the deal. No one in his or her sanity would utter those very hurtful, uneducated, and insulting words if there was no inherent discrimination even before the incident happened. All of us are intelligent beings capable of discernment of the causes and effects of events that happen to us, and someone in your seniority should know better.

As I told you before, I have lived and worked in over 5 countries and have seen the good and bad of building my career and exploring the world as an Asian woman. However, nothing compares to the humiliation and insult I have experienced with your staff. As Jiki mentioned, until this day we still feel the remnants of the shame.

The problem with the situation for you and your staff is the Filipinos she yelled at are not Filipino maids who sadly are used to being maltreated, disparaged, and discriminated. She yelled at two accomplished women who are at the top of their game, who speak their mind, are feisty, and will fight for what they believe in. What I am doing here is not only my right, but the fulfillment of my obligation to Filipinos here and in all parts of the world. It’s an obligation to fight for what we deserve.

You are a Country Manager and have the huge responsibility of handling several countries and perhaps hundreds of staff. You of all people should have understood what the root of the issue is. And as I mentioned, how you deal with this issue will reflect on Cotton On Asia’s culture and you as a Manager.

I understand that your view may be different from ours and I won’t force you to do something you do not comprehend or agree with. Therefore, I would like to ask for the contact details of your line manager in Austrialia and hopefully he/she can recognize the seriousness of the whole situation.

Best regards,
Daphne

Hi Daphne and Jiki



Thank you for taking the time out of your day to communicate your experience at our Cotton On Body Wisma store on Saturday 6th June 2009.



We appreciate any type of feedback as it can help us make future experiences more satisfactory for each and everyone of our customers.



We have passed this information onto our Human Resources department and will take further action with the team member involved.



The team member has offered a formal apology in person for the comments she made and she was told how humiliated that the both of you felt by the incident. The team member is quite upset by the whole situation and understands that her comments were inappropriate. We have organised further training and education for her, so she is aware of how she should approach a situation such as this in the future.



We hope to see you shopping in our stores again. I am happy to offer a voucher the next time you come into our Novena store.



Please ask for Michelle Ellul when you come in to Novena and call her for an appointment for pick-up on PH: 8366 6191.



Thank you





Daniel Accaputo

After agonizing about where to go for Holiday, I've taken the road I did not expect to travel--I'm going SNOWBOARDING in KOREA with James, Bushy, Harold (the other token straight) and Huy. Awesome!!! I can't wait. I just have to apply visa. I have my documents ready so hopefully this will be an easy process. We're spending 2 days in Seoul and 3 days in the snow. I'm so so so excited. Oh and the visa is free :)


Singapore was short and sweet. I went nuts shopping. aiya. i really should learn my lesson. The economy is so bad. But on the same note, I want to go back to Singapore for ZOUKOUT the weekend before my birthday hehehe. Or sneak in a sidetrip to Shanghai to visit Mattie or Beijing to visit Anne.

Next year, first on my list is Pia :) I will not to save up all I can for this major trip.

Typhoon 8 AGAIN today. pretty uneventful i thought because i woke up at 6am this morning to no rain. Assumed it'd be raining heavily already because the rumors of black rain started yesterday afternoon. Went back to sleep thinking, 'i better make use of my extra 2 hours 'cause there's probably work today'. Woke up again around 745am, went straight to the HK observatory site and as soon as i had logged on, the typhoon 3 warning switched to typhoon 8. No work after all. Found the typhoon to be quiet and relaxing. Causeway bay is so eerie right now you can hear a pin drop. if you've ever been to CWB, you'll know this is frightening because it's never quiet here and it's never empty. The only thing that surrounds me right now is wreckage from a quiet storm. i didn't even hear the winds or see the raindrops. nothing but nothingness. surreal. so this is how it feels to be in a post-apocalyptic setting. it's like i slept through a war and woke up to an empty city (the streets are dirty, neon sign, plywood and bamboo pieces everywhere) except, i was awake the whole time.







went downstairs in search of food. there's a 7-11 below my building that never closes. you might think this is common for 7-11s. not really. not in HK. i can name a couple convenience stores, 7-11s at that, which close at midnight. but not my 7-11, kahit may t10 pa. bought the usual typhoon staples: junk food and cup noodles.. decided to check if starbucks was open. lucky for me, it was. found honey cake, yumm and got chai latte to go. because i was probably the first human contact they've had in hours the baristas gave me a typhoon day upgrade and free spinach tart. walked back to my apartment staring at hollow blocks and cement pieces scattered all over the roads.










from across mcdonalds, a camera man was filming the wreckage dressed in a plastic raincoat. kids and their parents, probably restless from staying inside their tiny HK flats for too long were outside too just staring at the wreck along lockhart road.




it's very unusual to be in an empty causeway bay and half of me thinks all its residents are a bit anxious over the silence. i know my colleague and neighbor Mel probably appreciates this but to me, it's weird. it's creepy.








i tried to stay out a bit longer but the wind was strong and i started to get drenched... plus the chai latte was getting cold. headed back to my tiny flat and here i am now trying to get used to the quiet. it's nice, it's peaceful but it's also driving me crazy. i can't wait for night time and the typhoon parties. i've outgrown parties but seriously, i will take any form of human contact at this point.

edit: added some photos, more on FB. it's t9 now. wonder if the parties will go on tonight. this is my 4th typhoon in 1 year and 11 months in HK. 3 Typhoon 8s and the first Typhoon 9.

i skipped hot hour today. whoopie. and i pigged out. aiya, when will i ever take this seriously? tomorrow, i will push myself to go i swear. that aside, i had a pretty good weekend. i'm too lazy to lj-cut so sorry for those who have to bear my photos. i like storing them here and re-reading my entries when i'm bored at work.

This is how we did Saturday, March 1 (incidentally also my brother's bday)

1. Phonograph on TST, a good mix of Freda's old friends and new ones



ze evil twin



ben trying to look like a dork and more than just succeeded.


2. Luke posing at Volume needs to be rotated. sorry. oops




3. Mcdonald's at 4am




4. The Pink Lady in Mcdonald's was fierce, again sorry oops.




5. I don't know what we did to make the Chinese boy mad.





This is how we do Sundays.

1. Brunch at Cafe Eos lots of hiding the taba with a pillow.





Happy even when i look like crap.. oh and that's not coffee ha, i miss coffee sooo


2. The Delay No Mall AKA My new favorite place on the island.

i was supposed to buy those shoes but they ran out of the ladies version and the smallest ones for guys were too big for me so bushy stole them. grrrr


i bought one of those neon undies hehehe



3. Finding a funky new wallet to match my current favorite bag. This wallet's creator and i have something in common: we're both impoverished. or to choose a more secret-friendly word, on a tight budget. The design's by Kate Bingaman she's been drawing all her purchases and credit card statements and will keep doing so until they are paid off. im too lazy to draw so il just photograph mine.




4. Random shots with a paper-mache that looks like our friend Eureka





5. Cupcake and Pizza for Movie Night






Veggie one for me!



Not as good as the Serendra ones but it'll do



disturbing john waters film



And now i have to go back to work. sigh.

so this is my new home.