Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Hongkong - The City of My Dream (Part 4)

Have you fall in love with Hongkong by now? If not, let's visit the Theme Parks...You must visit Ocean Park and Hongkong Disneyland, each will need one whole day, so make sure to plan your trip right. After that, we will visit the Giant Buddha.

Ocean Park

The park opens everyday from 10am - 6 pm, just took MTR to Admiralty station exit B then follow the direction to bus station out side, took city bus no 629. There's a ticket booth near it that sells Ocean Park tick
et, you could also buy the ticket on Ocean Park but if you want to anticipate the long que line, then you better buy the ticket first before hop on the bus (it's the same price). Funny thing is, I bought mine in Admiralty MTR station, there's a store/office inside Admiralty station that sells this ticket cheaper than the usual price (don't know why), this store/office is also an official seller of Ocean Park tickets but I don't remember this store/office location specifically, so you just have to keep your eyes wide open and search it yourself. The ticket is worth HK$ 250/person (adult) and HK$ 125 (children 3-11).

City bus 629 will take you to Ocean Park directly, i think it's dedicated only for Ocean Park's visitors, you will arrive exactly in front of it. Ocean Park is divided into 2 location, Headland and Lowland. If you're using the city bus 629, then you will arrive at Headland. I suggest you to start from Headland because most people start from Lowland first then they took the cable car to Headland, therefore the cable car's que line to Headland is very very very very long, you could even que for hours. While the cable car's que line to Lowland is very...well...there isn't any que...hehehe.

Maybe most of you will find that Ocean Park is more fun than Hongkong Disneyland, in a way, I thought so too. They offer exciting things for adults and children, so everyone will feel satisfied by the end of the day. As I mentioned before, Ocean Park is divided into Headland and Lowland. Headland is where all the thrill rides located, it's more intended for adults. They have 2 categories in Headland, thrill rides and animal kingdom. These are the thrill rides that you could enjoy:
  1. Raging River (like Niagara-gara in Dufan)
  2. Space Wheel
  3. Mine Train (medium-sized roller coaster on the edge of a cliff), you will feel like falling to the ocean below.
  4. The Abyss ( greatest ride in Ocean Park), you'd be pull +/- 100m from the ground and then it drops you suddenly.
  5. Eagle (like Rajawali Condor in Dufan)
  6. Crazy Galleon (like Kora-kora in Dufan, only bigger and better)
  7. The Dragon (huge roller coaster)
  8. Flying Swing (like Ontang-anting in Dufan)
  9. Farris Wheel (huge one)

They also have variety of animal show or inhabitants, like:
  1. Flamingo pond
  2. Bird's Aviary
  3. Pacific Pier (seagull)
  4. Shark Aquarium
  5. Attol Reef
  6. Sea Jelly Spectacular (house of jelly fish, very cool place, never knew that there's so many types of Jelly fish before)
My personal favorites are mine train, the abyss, and sea jelly spectacular (simply awesome). Afterward, ride the cable car to Lowland and you'll enjoy great view Hongkong from above. It's between scary and astonishment cause it's down the hill and waaaaayyyy above the ground. Lowland is focusing on children, but we could still enjoy a thing or two here. They have:
  1. Dolphin University
  2. Frog Hopper (mini abyss)
  3. Kids' World Playground
  4. Balloon up-up-and away
  5. Clown-a-around
  6. Merry-go-round
  7. Amazing Bird Theater (I saw a pretty cool show of those amazing birds)
  8. Farm Yard Fun
  9. Ocean Park Grand Prix (go cart racing), you have to pay HK$ 40/person to play
  10. Sky Fair (Hot Air Balloon)
  11. Giant Panda Habitat
  12. And many other
Am I right? So many fun stuffs to do right? I'm sure you will completely satisfied by the end of the day. If I may suggest you, come to Jumbo Floating Restaurant afterward cause it's really near by Ocean Park, just take a taxi for only HK$ 20 fare and then have a superb meal.

Jumbo Kingdom Floating Restaurant
It's a very famous restaurant since I wasn't even born and it's known for its delicious meal, unique and artistic restaurant design, and the fact that it floats. They have few small ferry to take you to the restaurant and it's free of charge. There's also a mini ph
oto studio in the lobby where you could take photos wearing a traditional Chinese costume, but I didn't have much time back then so I didn't take any photo and I'm very sorry for not be able to tell you the price for it.

Since I'm a fanatic for Chinese cuisine, my taste buds keep improving itself to determine a quality of this particular cuisine, so I have pretty high standard for it. But this restaurant pass my test with flying colors.

This place could also be your photographs destination, very beautiful at night. But it's a bit tricky to continue your journey from Jumbo Kingdom. It's very difficult to find
a taxi and taxi will cost you quite a lot. So, may I suggest you to take bus instead? Like I've said, it's a bit tricky. Well, let me flash back a bit to the first bus ride from Admiralty MTR station to Ocean Park, you will need to pay attention to the road and you will notice a bus terminal near the area. Please memorize the bus terminal location, this will be useful for you when you want to continue your journey from Jumbo Kingdom. So, I walked from Jumbo Kingdom to bus terminal then I look for bus number (on the information board) which route pass Causeway Bay and I waited. After few days in Hongkong, I already familiar with the streets, so I easily find my way back to my apartment. Like I've said, it took guts to travel alone, but if I could do it, then I'm sure that all of you could do it too.

Hongkong Disneyland
It's located quite far from central Hongkong, it's in Lantau Island, so the best w
ay to get there is by using MTR. Just took MTR to Sunny Bay MTR station where you change train to Disneyland Resort Line which will take you to Disneyland Resort station and you will ride on a specially designed Disney train, riding on it already an entertainment for me cause the train is so cute with Disney characters accessorizing the train's interior.

Even though the size of Disneyland is smaller to Ocean park, the rides is less exciting than Ocean Park, the view is less spectacular from Ocean Park, the price ticket is more expensive than Ocean Park, but I guarantee you that you're gonna have a MAGICAL day in
Disneyland, like its tag line said. The price ticket is worth HK$ 295/person on regular day and HK$ 350/person on peak day, you have to check Disneyland Hongkong's website to know the schedule for peak or regular day.

Disneyland is divided into 4 sections of theme attractions; Main Street, USA. Adventureland, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland. These are the attractions for each section:

Main Street, USA:
  1. Hongkong Disneyland Railroad, a tour around Disneyland using an excursion-style train.
  2. Main Street Vehicles, cruising up and down main street in a motorized vehicles.
  3. The Disneyland Story, original artwork, rare film footage, and artifacts from the creation of Mickey Mouse to the creation of Hongkong Disneyland.
  4. City Hall, information center and where you could rent a stroller or wheelchair.
Adventureland:
  1. Festival of the Lion King*, it's a pageant of music and dance about The Lion King.
  2. Rafts to Tarzan's Treehouse, crossing the rivers of Adventure with a raft.
  3. Tarzan's Treehouse, where you could explore the treehouse in search of adventure.
  4. Jungle River Cruise, boat ride journey along the mysterious rivers of Adventure (very cool)
  5. Liki Tikis, where you could enjoy the beat of jungle rhythms.
Fantasyland:
  1. Sleeping Beauty Castle, the icon of Hongkong Disneyland.
  2. Mickey's PhilarMagic**, a 3-D theater starring Mickey the Maestro and Donald the con-duck-tor.
  3. Dumbo the Flying Elephant, a joy ride.
  4. Cinderella Carousel, a joy ride.
  5. Fantasy Garden, Where you could take photos with Disney Characters.
  6. Mad Hatters Tea Cups, a joy ride.
  7. The Golden Mickey*, a 25 minutes of musical show (spectacular show indeed)
  8. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, a whimsical storybook journey through the Hundred Acre Wood.
  9. Snow White Grotto, a wishing well.
Tomorrowland: (by far the most awesome section)
  1. Space Mountain**, an indoor roller coaster ride (in the dark), very thrilling cause you won't know what will happen next.
  2. Orbitron, a joy ride.
  3. Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, a joy ride.
  4. Autopia, a mini car race.
Note:
* This attraction only available based on the show's schedule.
** This attraction is the most favorite in Disneyland, therefore it's more likely to have a long que line. Disneyland provide a Fastpass for these attractions.
Make sure that you gather all the flyers in the main entrance, this way you would know schedule for each show and learn more about Fastpass (and how does it work).

A side from the above attractions, they also have Disne
y on Parade which usually scheduled twice a day and Fireworks shows everyday on closing time (regular day on 7 pm, peak day on 9 pm). You really have to stay until closing time and see the fireworks, make sure that you find a good sitting spot right in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle so you could enjoy the magical experience in a proper way. It was the most amazing fireworks show that I've ever seen. I went home feeling Magical indeed.

For you shoppers, don't worry cause they have souvenir shops every where and they sell the merchandise according to the section's theme. And you better prepare a lot of money when going to Disneyland cause you will want to buy everything in the souvenir shops (trust me). Owww....how much I love Disneyland!

The Giant Buddha

It's also located in Lantau Island and it's even farther than Disneyland. Took the MTR and stop at the last station, Tung Chung Station, it took me 45 minutes ride from Causeway Bay (Hongkong Island) to Tung Chung Station and afterward we still have to continue our journey to the top of mountain where Giant Buddha is located by using bus, it's an
other 45 minutes ride, or you could ride a cable car Ngong Ping 360 and enjoy the mountain view of Hongkong, its length is 5.7km and it's about 25 minutes ride. The bus fare from Tung Chung Station to Giant Buddha is HK$ 30/person, while standard cabin of Ngong Ping 360 will cost you HK$ 169/person (adult) and HK$ 86/person (children 3-11).

The Giant Buddha is located exactly on the top of the mountain. Since I went to Hongkong in winter time, it's freezing for me the whole time I'm at the Giant Buddha. You will have to pay for another HK$ 23 to climb the 268 steps of stairs. Can you imagine? 268 steps of stairs and I have to pay for it? I think I'll pass...So, I didn't climb to see the Giant Buddha up close and personal, I already satisfied seeing it from afar. But my husband did climb those stairs and he glad that he did, cause it's just magnificent, all those statues, those view, and obviously the Giant Buddha itself. So, it's totally worth it, every single one of those 268 steps just pays off. By the way, the ticket is also included for a snack and one cup of hot tea in Po Lin Monastery. So, you could relax your feet a bit before continuing the journey.

Well, I think that's pretty much everything I know about Hongkong. Can you understand now why I love Hongkong so much? I, the perfectionist, visiting a very organized city with clean air and surroundings, it's just like finding my soulmate.

Few tips from me, I think that you better come to Hongkong in early November because the weather is just perfect, it's the beginning of winter so it wouldn't be too cold and most importantly, it's not peak season, therefore you could save a lot in price tickets and hotels. You also have to gather all the information that you can get from the internet, it will help a lot (trust me). It took guts to travel alone, going to places that you know none about, but if I could do it then all of you could too. Until our next trip my fellow traveler.

Maybe these websites could help you:
www.oceanpark.com.hk
www.jumbo.com.hk
www.park.hongkongdisneyland.com
www.np360.com.hk


Happy adventure traveller...

Cheers,
MissCandyBar
=)


Monday, March 29, 2010

Hongkong - The City of My Dream (Part 3)

So, what do you think about Hongkong so far? Pretty cool place isn't it? Well, let us continue our journey in The City of My Dream.

In this blog entry, I will tell you the places within the same area and maybe you could visit all the places within the same day. Today we will visit Kowloon.

Hongkong Space Museum

It's very easy to find, just took a MTR to Tsim Sha Tsui station exit E, then walk towards Salisbury Road, turn right to take a pedestrian tunnel next to YMCA and voila...you'll found Hongkong Space Museum. The building is an egg-shape dome and it has a great view at night with all the lights. You could sit on the park outside the museum and enjoy the view. I went here to watch a Sky Show movie in the Stanley Ho Space Theater. It's kinda like a planetarium in TIM - Jakarta, I really miss catching a show in Jakarta's planetarium (last time I went to the planetarium was ages ago) and I just wonder. So, I bought the ticket for HK$ 32/person and watch the show on 5 pm. There are 2 halls inside the museum which show facts and information about space; Hall of Space Science and the Hall of Astronomy. They also have a gift shop if you want to buy some souvenirs for people back home. One more thing, if you visit this museum, try to come in the evening so you could see the spectacular view of Peninsula Hotel right in front of the museum. It's just magnificent.

Avenue of Stars and Symphony of Lights
Do you know the Walk of Fame in Hollywood? Well, the avenue of stars it's like that but it's located in a harbor where you could enjoy the view of Hongkong Island and its sky scrape buildings. If you co
uld, try to come before 8 pm and find a good spot to sit because in exactly 8 pm every night the Symphony of Lights begins. There are about 20 - 30 buildings in Hongkong Island and Kowloon participate in it, so it's about combining classical music and lights show. I can't even found a proper way to describe it. It's simply amazing. You could also come here during the day, they have plenty of street artists who could draw pictures of you and photographers to take your photos then print it on a plate and many other things to do.

Clock Tower

Nothing really special about it actually (at least for me), it just happen that it's located near the avenue of stars and on the way to Hard Rock Cafe Kowloon. So, I stop by for few
minutes after my short trip to Hard Rock Cafe Kowloon. They say that people likes to do Tai Chi on almost every morning, if you like to see real Tai Chi "action".

After visiting these places, you may wonder and already want to do some shopping in Hongkong. Well, my shopping experience in Hongkong is rather limited (like I mentioned in previous blog, I came to Hongkong not to shop but to explore). But I do know 2 great places where you could shop ladies...

Ladies Market
Took a MTR to Mong Kok station then took exit E2. Once you hit the streets, you'll soon discover those streets which offer endless rows of things to buy. You will find cloths, bags, shoes also cheap electronics and cheap sneakers. It's a hustle to shop here, you will need to bargain with sellers who speaks very limited English and you will end up using a calculator to mention the bargained price. One time, a seller even throws me a calculator cause what I asked for is too cheap, Hahaha...then I ran away without saying anything else. You don't have to worry cause other shops also sell similar things, this way you will be able to find the cheapest store. I love the hustle, I love being thrown at, I love the shopper crowds, I love finding strange things. The experience was priceless.

Causeway Bay
I stayed in Causeway Bay area in Hongkong Island, it's like the Harajuku of Hongkong. I love seeing the youngster here, everyone is so stylish and Hip with the latest fashion trend. There are expensive and not so expensive boutiques, malls and choices of restaurants. Just took a MTR to Causeway Bay station, then explore...every road, every corner and every building offers great, unique and one-of-a-kind thing. I made a right choice to stay in Causeway Bay, this way I could have the chance to explore every night before going back to my apartment.

Writing this blog makes me miss Hongkong so much...I hope to visit again...soon! I still have few places to share, so let's continue it in part 4.

See this site if you need information;
www.avenueofstars.com.hk

Happy Sightseeing Travelers...


Cheers,
MissCandyBar
=)





Sunday, March 28, 2010

Hongkong - The City of My Dream (Part 2)

Here we are in Hongkong, the map in our hands is our only friend. I usually set my itinerary before I went on the trip. So basically, I need to know each place location and mark it on my map. After gathering all the information on each place, I could determine which places are within the same district or near by to other place that I wanted to visit. This way, I could visit few places in one day.

Hongkong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC)
Let's we start day 1, Have you ever seen a Mandarin movie that shows a turtle-shape building? Well, that's the HKCEC. I always wanted to see the building up close cause I lik
e its shape, so I decided to put HKCEC in my itinerary. I took a MTR from Causeway Bay (where I stayed in Hongkong) to Wan Chai MTR Station (it's one station away) then took Exit A5, from which I walked to HKCEC, it's not actually a walking distance (it's actually quite far) but I didn't know which bus to take so I walked anyway. As it turns out, it's fun walking in Hongkong. You will rarely walk in an actual pedestrian sidewalks, cause Hongkong designs its city to accommodate its citizen. Everyone walks from one point to another or they took MTR, so you'll be walking through malls, office buildings, even hotels. If you're walking outside of a building then you'll be walking in a pedestrian walks above the street. You'll see lots of interesting things and you'll feel how exciting their way of life really is, cause everyone seems in a fast-forward mode, they all walk and move fast. There's no event in HKCEC on the day I visited, it doesn't really matter cause I only want to see it anyway. Since it's located in a pier, you could enjoy Kowloon's view from it and I end up having plenty of amazing pictures from the place, completely worth the long walk. You could also see a flag-raising ceremony in the Golden Bauhinia Square, it's exactly in front of HKCEC and held every morning on 7.50 am. Since I'm not a morning person, I scratch the ceremony from my itinerary.

Hongkong Park and The Peak
From HKCEC, I plan to go to The Peak (also known as Victoria Peak). Again, I walked to Wan Chai station, then I took a MTR to Admiralty station (it's only one station away from
Wan Chai). I continue the journey by foot (again. Basically, you will do lots of walking here in Hongkong) to Peak Tram Station from which I'd took a tram up hill. On the way, I stopped by at Hongkong Park, I saw and took pictures of the famous Bank of China Building from the park, I saw a couple having a Pre-Wedding photo session, I fed the birds and the ducks, I sat under huge trees and relaxed. An experience that I could never get in my home town.

The que line for Peak Tram is very long and it's even getting longer by the hour cause lots of people wanted to go up hill and saw the Hongkong view at night. A little tip from me, If you also want to go to Madame Tussauds Museum of Wax, then I suggest that you buy a combo ticket of The Peak Tram and Madame Tussauds. The price is the same but they have a special line and it's rather short que line. The ticket for the tram is HK$ 33 for round trip and H
K$ 22 for single trip, the ticket for Madame Tussauds is HK$ 130/person. Going on the tram it self already exciting because the hill is very steep and we could enjoy Hongkong view from it.

The Peak has lots of cozy and cool restaurants where you could enjoy lunch or dinner, they have a game station (powered by EA Games), they have souvenir shops, they also have other stores, there's a Hard Rock Cafe Merchandise shop if you're a collector, and plenty others. But you have to go to the Sky Terrace to enjoy the view from the top and you have to pay HK$ 20 to enter Sky Terrace but you're welcome to stay as long as you want where you could take pictures or use binocular (you have to pay HK$ 5 for 3 minutes of usage).

Madame Tussauds Museum of Wax
You may already familiar with this museum, it consists of wax figurines. They made the figurines of famous people from all over the world. They have The Beatles, Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson, Andi Lau, even Albert Einstein and Barack Obama. They recentl
y added a new feature to the museum, it kinda like a scary walk where you would walk in a dark alley and be scared with wax figurines and even real people. You will not go home empty handed cause it would seems that you've took pictures with lots of celebrities.

St. John's Cathedral

I made a promise that I would visit the Cathedral in every country that I visited. So, I especially search for one in Hongkong, turns out it's just a block away from the Peak Tram station. It's a beautiful building, inside and out, but IMHO, I still love Jakarta's Cathedral better.

I still want to share few other places, but please let me continue this in part 3.

If you need more information from the above places, try visit:
www.hkcec.com
www.thepeak.com.hk
www.madame-tussauds.com.hk
www.stjohnscathedral.org.hk


Happy walking travelers...

Cheers,
MissCandyBar
=)

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Hongkong - The City of My Dream (Part 1)

What is the first thing that comes in your mind when you heard of Hongkong? Most women would think, a place to shop with endless choices. Most men would think, no choice but to finance his woman's shopping spree (hehe). But to me, Hongkong is love at first sight.

Try to spend a week in Hongkong in its truest way without shopping (well okay, maybe a little bit of shopping won't hurt). Then you'll discover so much more and by the end of the week, you'll realize that a week is never enough.

First thing that you have to do is find the most compatible traveling companion. Second, having the guts to explore a foreign country by yourself (you will never understand the true meaning of traveling if you're using a tour guide or have your itinerary set by the travel agent). Third, do lots of researches about the places that you want to visit (google become your best friend at this point), then you're good to go. These rules applie
d for all your traveling plans.

Hongkong is probably the easiest city to explore by yourself. You can get all the information that you need from the internet. You can get the complete map of Hong
kong in the airport (for free and lots of travel brochures). You can go anywhere by using its public transportation. You can never be lost in Hongkong cause all the signs and information are in English and available everywhere.

Based on my research from the internet, I know that I have to buy an octopus card as soon as I arrived in Hongkong and lucky for us, traveler, they have a booth in the airp
ort (right after you exit the baggage claim area) that sell this card. What can this card do? Well, it can do pretty much everything. You could pay the MTR fares, pay bus fares, pay for your meals in McDonalds, pay for your purchase in most convenience stores such as Seven Eleven, even pay for a vending machine. The starter pack of this card is worth HK$ 100 with deposit of HK$ 50 and credit of HK$ 50 to be used, then you could add more credit in any MTR station, just look for the machine and follow the instruction. If you return the card to the Customer Service counter, then you will have your HK$ 50 deposit back.

There are 3 options of transportation in-and-out of the airport:
  1. Taxi : Easiest means of transportation of course but it's definitely the most expensive one. You'll have to pay for about HK$ 150 - 200 to take you to your destination. Cause the airport is located in the Lantau Island, while most hotels are located in Hongkong Island or Kowloon, the distance aren't friendly.
  2. MTR : It's also an easy way as long as you know which is your MTR station destination. Then you have to continue by foot or bus (if the distance from the station to your hotel is quite far). You have to pay around HK$ 100 for MTR.
  3. Bus : This is the cheapest one (of course) it would only cost you for about HK$ 3 - 10 (depends on your destination). I choose this one cause I already know my destination. I just need to find the bus terminal out side of the airport, look at the information board to know which bus to take, then stand in line for the bus ques.
It only took me less than a day in Hongkong to get familiarized with the city and by the end of Day 1, I already feel like a local and easily find my way around the city cause everything is just so organized.

Like I've mentioned before, there are a lot that you can do and places to visit in Hongkong. These are some of the places that I visited (maybe it could be your consideration the next time you visit Hongkong):
  1. Hongkong Convension and Exhibition Centre
  2. The Peak (Victoria Peak)
  3. Madame Tussauds Museum of Wax
  4. St. John's Cathedral
  5. Hongkong Space Museum
  6. Avenue of Star
  7. Symphony of Light
  8. Ocean Park
  9. Jumbo Kingdom, the floating restaurant
  10. Disneyland (obviously)
  11. Giant Budha
  12. The Clock Tower
  13. Ladies Market
  14. Hongkong Park
I've visited quite a lot of places, right? And I did it in 5 days cause I have to spend sometime with my relatives who's living in Hongkong. I want to share more about the places that I visited but it seems that this blog entry already too long. So, let's continue this in part 2.

Check these websites if you need information on Hongkong:
www.hongkongairport.com
www.discoverhongkong.com
www.mtr.com.hk


Happy planning travelers...

Cheers,
MissCandyBar
=)






Friday, March 26, 2010

Zouk Singapore - Club Review


I'm always curious about Zouk Club in Singapore, not the Zouk Out rave party which always been held every end of year in Sentosa Island but the actual club. It should be a great place for clubbing since it's on number 13 of the Top 100 clubs in the world (based on DJMags).

This club was in my to-do-list for a while but something always comes up every time I'm in Singapore and it got postponed again and again. So, each time the curiosity grew bigger. Then I finally decided that it's time, no matter what happen.

One day, out of impulse, I plan a trip to Singapore and set a date on my planner for it (after checking Zouk calender event of course).

I gathered bits of information from the internet. I searched for their location, marked it on my map. I checked few forums for other fellow clubbers insights. I looked for their admission fee. I still planned for every detail even though it was an impulsive trip. (Well that's what I do, get things organized). Within 2 days, I'm all set and ready to hit the dance floor.

What's unique about this club is Zouk actually divided into 4 segmented rooms inside, based on type of music that they play. Each room has their own signature theme, noticed this from their interior and atmosphere inside.

First one is Zouk (of course), they play world's freshest dance music, from house to garage, from techno to progressive. The club interior is nothing like I've ever seen before, simply jaws dropper right from the entrance area, the walls inside Zouk have an icy-like of an Eskimo Igloo, they have laser lights all over the place, they have fog machines, they have podiums where you could dance on and they have the best crowds compare to other rooms. But IMHO, the dance floor space is rather small for a club with such a reputation but the laser and fog machine boost up the points for me (since I'm a laser freak). I just love dancing front and center with laser lights hit my eyes, bring the whole dance to another level of a state of mind.

Second is Phuture, they play breakbeat music like RnB and HipHop. This was the fullest, hippiest, and most energetic rooms in Zouk on the night I visited. The crowds was insane, they dance and they sing, they jump and they scream, crazy crazy people. (I love this room the most).

Third is The Velvet Underground, this rooms actually has its own entrance, a thick velvet walls and lounge-like interior. They play a jazzy, Brazilian, Afro-Funk kinda music, not exactly my kinda music. I didn't stay long here at Velvet, just didn't feel the club's excitement.

Last is Wine Bar, this is the only room that doesn't have an admission fee (I get on the admission fee later on). They play more down beat music, set indoor and outdoor. People usually hang out here before they hit the other rooms.

Okay, let's talk money. Each room has its own admission fee (except for Wine Bar), fee is also different for Men and Ladies, fee is included 2 regular drinks e.g vodka tonic, tequila, wine, etc. Here's the list of fee:
  • Zouk : S$ 18 until 10pm, then after 10pm Men S$ 30, Ladies S$ 25
  • Phuture : Men S$ 33, Ladies S$ 25 (incl. entry to Zouk)
  • Velvet Underground : Men S$ 35 , Ladies S$ 25 (incl. entry to Zouk and Phuture, subject to capasity)
A little tip from me, enter Zouk from Velvet Underground cause its admission fee is valid as all rooms pass, this way you will only pay for about $25-35 to enjoy all rooms. Please note that the above admission fees are subject to change at anytime, look for these info on their website.

For you drinkers, the liqueur price per glass is quite cheap compare to drinks in Jakarta, it's only S$ 11-13/glass for regular drinks like tequila, vodka orange, cosmopolitan, margarita, etc.

For you smokers, like most clubs abroad, Zouk doesn't allow their guests to smoke inside the club, they provide a smoking area outside.

Well, bottom line, I loooovveee this Club! Not only that I danced and had fun but I also met a lot of interesting people from all over the world (Austria, New York - US, Shanghai, etc). Like Zouk motto : One world, One music, One tribe, One dance. Greatest clubbing experience ever!

I really wish you have as much fun as I did. Try to check their calender event before you decided to go, check the guest DJ, check the admission fee too, just visit:
www.zoukclub.com


Happy dancing Clubbers....

Cheers,
MissCandyBar
=)






Thursday, March 25, 2010

The Secret of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel - Book Review


Most of you must be familiar with Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling. Do you remember the character of Nicholas Flamel in HP Book 1 The Sorcerer's Stone? Well, this series by Michael Scott is the story of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel.

Thou this book was only fictional but it was based on a real character of Nicholas Flamel. You could google it if you like and you will find lots of interesting facts and theories about the guy. This was the first thing that got me hook with the book.

Michael Scott writes the series on the following sequence:
  • The Alchemyst, released in 2007
  • The Magician, released in 2008
  • The Sorceress, released in 2009
  • The Necromancer, to be released in May 2010
  • The Warlock, to be released in 2011
  • The Enchantress, to be released in 2012
You will find a lot of Historical and Mythical figures in the series. You're not only gonna find Sphinx or Hekate the Crow Goddess, but also William Shakespeare and Billy "the Kid" the cowboy.

I really love how he combines those historical and mythical figures whose only exist in the past (or maybe not even exist at all), how he makes us believe that those creature could be with us in this present day, how he plays with the readers emotion, how he creates the conflict and it builds up to the end of each book, how he resolves the conflicts with ways that are beyond my imagination. So talented.

If you're interested in having the greatest adventure of your life, then find this series in the imported bookstore near you (The english version is much better than the Indonesian version, cause the translations aren't so good). Or you could check this site to know more about Michael Scott or other review:
www.dillonscott.com

Happy adventure readers...

Cheers,
MissCandyBar
=)



Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Rakuzen Japanese Restaurant


I'm not actually a Japanese food fanatic but I'm open for new option. So I decided to try this Japanese Restaurant as per my friend suggestion.

People who have tried Rakuzen, all suggest me to try the sushi cause the taste is completely new to our tongue. Okay, noted.

I order what I love most from sushi which is Grilled
Salmon Roll and they were right...The taste just blows my mind. It has this unique flavor from the combination of Grilled Salmon (with thick salmon meat), seaweed, rice, and shitaki mushroom as their very own signature. The last ingredient which makes it different from other salmon roll. Simply delicious (I'm actually drooling when writing this).

I also order Yakiniku Don and Salmon Don, all have passed my expectation. The taste was exquisite, the portion was just right. Very yummy meal...It's just too bad that I could not order any desert as my first intention. I'm full and could not eat anything else.

Aside from their outstanding meals, I would give 9 out of 10 points for their services. The waiters were always near you to fulfill your every needs and they all do it with sincere smile. Also love the restaurant atmosphere, Japanese's touch everywhere yet cozy.

Interested in giving this restaurant a try? Come and dine at:
Pacific Place 5th Floor
Sudirman Central Business District (SCBD)
Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 52-53
T : +6221 5140 0499
Business hour : Mon - Sun 10 am - 10 pm

Happy eating...

Cheers,
MissCandyBar
=)

Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella - Book Review


This book is an inspiration for me, not as an inspiration to become a shopaholic but it meant so much more for me.

I learned a lot from this fictional book, how to value your life and all the people in it, how to value your parents (no matter how weird or annoying they can be sometime), and most importantly how to value your money and the things you buy.

One thing that stuck in my mind every time I want to make a purchase, I always consider between the cost and worth of the product. For example, If I want to buy a killer dress which I know that everyone will admire and I would feel extra confident and extra sexy in them, thou the dress would cost me a lot. But I could wear this in bunch of different occasions and I know this dress would last a lifetime with me. Then my friend, it's completely worth the cost.

Other example, let say that you found a beautiful shoes with 9cm heels and you fall in love with it and you just have to have it no matter how much it cost you. But turns out, this shoes are killing your feet every time you wear them. In the end, no matter how beautiful and expensive they are, you just give up wearing them. Well my friend, I'm sorry to say but this is just an example of cost and not at all worth.

At first, I thought that this character of Rebecca Bloomwood is so shallow and kinda stupid. But after reading the whole series, Sophie Kinsella keep proofing to her reader, how smart and wonderful Rebecca Bloomwood really is. And after finishing the series, I've kept missing Rebecca in my life. Such a inspirational woman.

If you love to shop and you love to read especially romantic comedy story, then I'm sure that you're gonna love this book.

It's available on the following sequence:
  1. Confession of a shopaholic (first publish in 2000)
  2. Shopaholic Takes Manhattan, also known as Shopaholic Aboard (first publish in 2001)
  3. Shopaholic Ties the Knot (first publish in 2002)
  4. Shopaholic and Sister (first publish in 2004)
  5. Shopaholic and Baby (first publish in 2007)
Since I only read novels in English, so I bought these books in Aksara Bookstore (cause it's cheaper in Aksara rather than other import bookstore). The price per book is between IDR 88k - 110k (depends on which store you buy them from).

Hopefully, these books could be more than just a book for you.

You could check this site to know more about Sophie Kinsella's books
www.sophiekinsella.co.uk


Happy reading shopaholics...

Cheers,
MissCandyBar
=)




Thomas Sabo - The Charm Club


Ever since I was little (well not so little maybe), I always wanted a charm bracelet. I would select each charm carefully, each will represent who I am, What I like, or maybe a piece of memory from moments in my life.

In early 2009, I finally get my chance to have My Very Own Charm Bracelet. Thanks to Thomas Sabo Charm Club for making it happen.

Thomas Sabo sell the bracelet and charm separately which all made from Sterling Silver. The bracelet is available in 3 sizes (S, M, L) and they have plenty of choices for the charms.

The Bracelet cost from IDR 454k - around IDR 1mio (depends on the size).
The Charm cost from IDR 298k - around IDR 3mio (depends on the model).

I've been collecting the charm since early 2009 and would stop buying these if I feel that I had enough charms hanging around. Hehehe...

All of their Sales person in the store was very helpful, friendly and very patience in handling each customer needs (I'm a fussy customer, I want perfection in every thing I buy).

But not only that, they also have a top-notch after sell service. We could clean our bracelet or charm anytime we want to, just drop by the store and ask one of the sales person to help you. Each charm and bracelet has a warranty, they could have it repaired for certain damage with no extra cost. However, they will send our charm bracelet to Germany for the reparation process or they would replace your charm with the new one (same model of course) if they have it on stock (this happen to me one time). I have repaired mine twice and have it replaced once. All came back to me perfectly.

You could find Thomas Sabo in:
Plaza Indonesia Ground Floor
or visit www.thomassabo.com

Happy Charming girls...

Cheers,
MissCandyBar
=)




Tuesday, March 23, 2010

What to Expect the Toddler Year - Book Review



My other interest is to read but I only read fictional novels (with very limited genre) and books about baby or kids.

I bought this book when my kid was entering a toddler year. As a first-timer mommy, I need all the help that I could get and I like getting it from books. I started reading other than fictional novels since I was expecting my first-born baby. I never want to believe what people told me while I was pregnant and I only want to know things that has been scientifically proven and where could you find it better than books.

This book has 26 chapters which divided in 4 parts. You will find lots of information about your toddler which will be explained in details month-per-month as your toddler grows. Each chapter contains:
  • What your toddler may be doing now
  • What you may concerned about
  • What it's important to know
  • What it's important for your toddler to know
But not only those, you could also find:
  • From Skin care to dressing tips
  • The best-odds toddler diets
  • First aids on toddler
  • Some chronic health problem
  • Lots of other information
This book is a great friend for you mommies. I hope this book could help you as much as it helped me.

Find it in the bookstore near you:
"What to Expect the Toddler Year"
written by Heidi Murkoff, Arlene Eisenberg and Sandee Hathaway, B.S.N

Happy reading mommies...

Cheers,
MissCandyBar
=)


Mama Bebe Shop Online Store

I know this online store from a friend of mine. It's a good thing that she recommended me this store cause I received nothing but satisfaction of online shop experience. This store will give you full service, lots of choices for baby's and even mommy's stuffs.

This store always has prompt response, helpful assistance, updates you on your shopping status and even discount (sometimes without even needed to ask). What more do you need? Right?

I've learned from experience that online shopping need to be based on trust. Believe me when saying this cause I've learned mine from an expensive one. Well, we have to be smart when we want to shop, if I may quote from Rebecca Bloomwood in the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella, "Think of it as an investment". So, no matter what you buy and when you buy it, "Think of it as an investment".

I extremely recommend this online store as one of your option when shopping ladies, cause not only that you found things you love but also trust and even friendship on the side. A lovely shopping experience, right?

You could find it on:
www.mamabebeshop.multiply.com
Or contact mynameis.meryl@gmail.com

Happy shopping my fellow shoppers!

Cheers,
MissCandyBar
=)

Skelly Shop

March 23, 2010

I found this new rising brand at The Brightspot Market on their March event. And I fall in love immediately.

I love their brit-pop concept on their lines.
I love their design on the Tees
I love the fabrics
I love the people in Skelly shop which are very helpful and soooo friendly.
I even got a great deal with my purchase.

As I mentioned before, they have a brit-pop concept and basically British style overall, hence the Tee lines with British Fictional Character, such as Robin Hood, Frankenstein, Grenadier Guard a.k.a Queen's Guard, and even other British stuff like the famous Red Telephone Kiosk.

They sold the Tees @ IDR 150k with good cotton fabrics and brit-pop cutting. IMHO, It's quite worth the price.

A little birdie told me that they will make a patent for the Skelly brand in UK and they will launch their clothing lines in Metro Dept. Store pretty soon.

I'm so proud of Skelly Shop's achievement, Long Live Skelly Shop !!!

Cheers,
MissCandyBar
=)

Warung Kuning Warung Bebek

March 22, 2010

Found this cozy little restaurant by accident actually, located in Southern Jakarta.

This place has an outdoor concept and surrounded with large trees, making it more cozy and breezy. A nice place to hangout with friends in the nights. It's just too bad that the place only open until 10 pm.

Like the name of the restaurant, it offers variety of fried ducks menu. They offer standard choices like:
  • Bebek Kremes
  • Bebek Cabe Hijau
  • Bebek Bakar
  • Bebek Saos Mangga
  • Bebek Rica-Rica
All at the price of IDR 18k per portion (not incl rice)

The taste is quite recommended, thou they do not bring any exquisite taste to the table. The portion is rather small but the "sambal" is quite spicy.

Interested to try this new place in town?
Try finding it on Jl. Iskandarsyah II No. 19.
And proof it for yourself.

Cheers,
MissCandyBar
=)