Vacation hang over

Hong Kong -- where everybody seems to come straight out of a fashion magazine.

Just got back from a five-day vacation last night. I really enjoyed this visit because of all the shopping I was able to do. Roaming around the bustling streets of Causeway Bay, you can't help but be inspired to add pizzaz to your style because everyone's just fashionable. It's a sin to look drab, especially when there's a mall or a boutique every other block, and models in billboards tell you what you must have now greet you in every turn.

The last time I was here, I was crazy about the cars. I was content to stand on the sidewalk and watch luxury cars speed by like a giant showroom. Amazing how interests evolve with time.

In Hong Kong, no matter how much you upped the ante of dressing up, you blend in the crowd. Here, as soon as I got off the plane, people were looking at me strangely. I realized that Hong Kong is a great place to be a woman. They all look powerful, confident and with a sense of purpose. I can pull off that look four days a week here (five if I dressed up nicely on casual Friday). I wonder, though, if it's really how they feel inside. Something tells me despite all the branded posessions and blingy gadgets, 70% go home to small, crowded apartments in getto neighborhoods.

I hate and at the same time love the consumerist culture in Hong Kong. I love how you're not allowed to be stupid, or else how will you pull your own weight? I love and hate how the shops don't open until 1pm even though their signs say "Business starts at 10:00AM" and close at 12 midnight. I love the proactive sales assistants in botiques and how they mistake me for a local. I love the expensive soy milk (HK$ 8 for a glass!), love and hate the tasty, greasy food. I love love the congee with twisted doughnut.

My trip there this year worked to my advantage. I have my own hard-earned money to burn, I was old enough to roam on my own, and EVERYTHING WAS ON SALE. If you can, go to Hong Kong NOW. End of season sale + Christmas sale + recession + I.T revolution Shopping Anniversary (the theme of Hong Kong now) = great, great bargains, the best of which are from Japanese brands. Forget about museums, sight-seeing and Disneyland. Shop!