What is HK's New "Normal"?

How much longer will social distancing continue in Hong Kong?

Hong Kong reported a third consecutive day of no new coronavirus cases, its total number continues to be 1,037. The government is looking at the majority of civil servants coming back to work next week, while libraries and museums will reopen, along with outdoor venues like sports grounds.

While restaurant and shop owners must be breathing a sigh of relief in the hopes that business will return back to "normal", will Hongkongers really go out in droves to shop and dine out?

Will diners expect distances to be kept in restaurants?

Some say they are itching to go out, while others couldn't care less, partly because of their own perilous financial situation, or have been so spooked by the pandemic that they have lost all interest in stepping out.

It will be interesting to see how Hongkongers react next week, particularly after May 7, when government restrictions on social distancing measures are supposedly lifted. But will restaurant patrons prefer to have tables maintain their 1.5 metres apart to give them more confidence? That could impact restaurateurs' bottom line, but this practice might have to continue to have customers return.

Or perhaps diners would rather continue to eat at home, but order more takeout from their favourite restaurants, or meal kits to assemble themselves, or cook from scratch as it's more healthier. It will be interesting to see which of these options will become more popular with time.

After May 7, will people return to shopping malls to shop?

One thing's for sure -- people are still willing to queue for something they really want. A gourmet cookie enterprise called Cookie Dpt has done very savvy marketing. It doesn't have a physical store, but a kiosk on the third floor of the Landmark shopping mall in Central.

If you follow them on Instagram, they release certain flavours on certain days. Of course the pictures of gooey cookies makes everyone's mouth water.

I was in Central today for a work assignment and in the late afternoon I headed over there to see if I could get my hands on today's special flavours -- Nutella hazelnut chocolate chip, and salted caramel.

But at 4.50pm everything was sold out. "Wait! We have more cookies coming at 5pm!" said a guy manning the booth.

I came back five minutes later to see a group of women hovering around the kiosk. I told them the guy would be back and he was, though he said it would be another 15 minutes, and could we stand in a line?

A selection of Cookie Dpt's cookies that are indulgent treats

It was only later did I find out both of those special flavours would not be in this new shipment coming from their kitchen in Wong Chuk Hang, but since I was third in line, I didn't want to give up my spot. Every few minutes I would look behind me and see more people joining the queue. Quite impressive.

Finally at around 5.30pm he got the call to come down and pick up the cookies. Ten minutes later he came back with three big boxes, but as one person collecting cash and filling orders, he asked everyone to be patient and no one heckled him.

I've tried the cookies before, and they are calorific, but delicious. They are a bit expensive at HK$40 a cookie, but it's a sinful treat you can't find anywhere else. It's like the "lipstick effect" -- even in an economic downturn, people are looking for a relatively cheap indulgence. 

While I only bought three cookies, if each person buys a box of six, it's possible they ran out quite quickly and there were over a dozen people behind me in line...

Hong Kong's Remembrance of November 11

A Remembrance Day ceremony was held at the Cenotaph in Central

Today is Remembrance Day, when we are supposed to pause and remember the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the greater good.

But in Hong Kong today will also be remembered as a day of sheer horror.

The moment before the protester was shot with a live round

Before I even left my home to go to work, a police officer had already shot a 21-year-old protester surnamed Chow at point blank range in Sai Wan Ho at around 8am this morning.

What was also horrific was seeing how the police handled Chow's body as he lay unconscious on the road. Is there no protocol in dealing with what is essentially a crime scene?

The police force later claimed a protester was trying to reach for the gun and so the officer didn't have time to shoot a warning shot. However others dispute this because the protester was completely unarmed.

Then there was a policeman, now identified as a traffic cop, who drove his motorcycle into a group of protesters, weaving in between them like a drunk driver. It was revealed later in the afternoon that that traffic cop had been suspended immediately. Probably with pay.

After lunch was the horrific news that a man had been set on fire in Ma On Shan. A shocking clip shows a man arguing with protesters and one of them throws colourless liquid on him and someone lights a lighter and the man is immediately engulfed in flames.

People running for cover after tear gas shot at The Landmark

The victim, 57-year-old Leung Chi-cheung is fighting for his life in hospital after suffering severe burns on 30 percent of his body. He was already suffering from head injuries from an earlier altercation with protesters.

How did Hong Kong descend to this?

At 6pm Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor held a press conference and again labelled the protesters as "rioters" and "mobs".

"[I] will send a clear message that there is no question that escalating violence can get what the rioters want -- not from the government, not from society at large," she says, wearing a giant scarf around her neck. "Violence will only lead to more violence."

She adds she is sure there will be more violence if the government satisfies all five demands.

But she should remember that if she had never proposed the extradition bill in the first place we would not be in this tragic mess we are in now.

Carrie Lam bundled up in 25-degree weather today

The MTR was one of the main targets of protesters today. This morning I took the Island line going from Kennedy Town to Causeway Bay. I usually sit in the last carriage because it's closest to the MTR exit I need to go to. When the train stopped at Sai Ying Pun, a young man wearing a baseball cap and no mask, carrying a backpack, burst out of the driver's cabin and fled the scene.

A woman sitting next to me nervously looked in the direction of the cabin wondering what would happen. Minutes later MTR staff arrived and checked it out. On their walkie talkies they reported they couldn't find any serious damage and the train eventually continued on, with a young skinny man in MTR uniform standing in front of the cabin to prevent more sabotage. I made it to work in one piece.

Meanwhile, Central was a complete war zone this at lunchtime, some protesters in their suits, carried umbrellas to shield themselves from teargas that was shot on Pedder Street, right in front of the luxury shopping mall The Landmark.

People in office wear trying to avoid being pepper sprayed

But towards the end of the day, there was a video circulating on Twitter of office workers in Central, picking up railings and bricks off the road so that vehicles could go through.

The Hang Seng Index plunged 724 points, down 2.62 percent. It's the worst tumble in three months thanks to all the dramatic incidents today. What will happen tomorrow? We are still trying to process what occurred today...

Kaws' Hong Kong Holiday

A new guy is in town and he's floating in Victoria Harbour now

We have a new visitor in town. He's a giant 37-metre long inflatable sculpture called Kaws that's literally floating in Victoria Harbour from now until March 31.

Kaws is the nom de plume for artist Brian Donnelly, a New York-based artist and designer who started off doing graffiti in Jersey City, New Jersey. He has admitted in interviews that Kaws doesn't have a particular meaning.

This piece, called Kaws:Holiday, is sponsored by the Hong Kong Tourism Board and Asia Miles. It is reminiscent of the bright yellow rubber duck by Florentijn Hofman back in 2013, but will this grey-coloured character called Companion upstage the cute duck?

It's strange that Kaws was chosen to do this art installation, when just a few weeks earlier a giant floral statue of Companion was erected in The Landmark's atrium as part of a collaboration with artistic director Kim Jones on French fashion label Dior's summer 2019 collection.

The inflated sculpture is 37 metres long

Kaws seems too commercialized now in terms of artistic merit. Last summer the artist collaborated with Uniqlo for the Kaws x Sesame Street collection, and he has also put his design on reimagined Jordan 4s and Yeezys footwear collection.

But hey does it matter? Our taxpayer dollars are being used to pay in part for Kaws to bring this giant thing over and cheer us up.

He also has an exhibition at PMQ until April 14. It's a Kaws invasion of Hong Kong!

Yoga in the Pool

Some participants doing the full cobra pose here in an outdoor pool setting

I take yoga classes regularly from my colleague, who is a certified instructor now -- we were his guinea pigs a few years ago when he needed to practice teaching, and I have continued since then.

The classes aren't too difficult and you only do what you what your body can withstand. But my favourite part is the benefits afterwards; I feel relaxed and less stressed after stretching different muscles I didn't know I had.

It takes getting used to keeping your balance and doing poses

This evening I went another level up to try pool yoga. Again we were guinea pigs for a new class that's being held at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental, where thick, inflated floating mats are tethered together by bungee cords and at either end of the 18-metre swimming pool.

The best way to be prepared for the class is to wear a swimsuit because you don't know if you're going fall in or not! Our instructor also encouraged us to get into the water as well... but I didn't bring my swimsuit and instead shorts and a T-shirt and tried my best not to fall in (I didn't).

Nevertheless, doing yoga poses floating in the water is an entirely new challenge, using your muscles more. On land the poses aren't difficult, but here the placement of the hands and feet have to be wider than usual to be able to keep your balance and do the poses.

Core muscles are used more in pool yoga

You use your core muscles more and I could feel the muscles in my back legs burning (in a good way), but overall the class didn't seem too difficult, except for having to be constantly aware of keeping my balance.

Afterwards I could feel the muscles in my legs were a bit sore because you don't usually use them in this way. The instructor said we may feel sore in the morning, but I don't mind! It was a very interesting experience and afterwards I felt very relaxed having stretched out my stresses away.

I also felt very hungry afterwards...

Why Knock a Good Thing?

The General Post Office in Central is slated for demolition

The Hong Kong government doesn't think the city has enough office towers and malls so it is planning to demolish the General Post Office in Central. The post office and its contents would be moved to a new building in Kowloon Bay that cost taxpayers HK$1.6 billion (US$204 million).

Why do we need to move the General Post Office when we need one in the central business district? The post office has been an essential service not only Monday to Friday but even on Sundays for domestic helpers who are only free that day to mail packages back home.

This was the original General Post Office

And also why do we need another shopping mall? We already have IFC and Landmark in Central, and Pacific Place nearby. Surely those malls don't want competition either.

Environmentalists are using the argument that if you must move the post office, fine, but leave the building there. Roy Tam Hoi-pong of the activist group Green Sense says knocking down the building would create a lot of construction waste which would clog up landfills.

Green Sense has estimated it would produce more than 12,000 cubic metres of waste, the equivalent of five standard-sized swimming pools.

The five-storey Central Post Office was erected in 1976 to replace Hongkong Post's previous Edwardian-era headquarters at the corner of Des Voeux Road Central and Pedder Street.

The site on which the post office is located is known as Site 3, and it is part of a HK$12 billion plan for eight key sites on the Central harbourfront. There are plans for upmarket (ie expensive) office space, a large pedestrian deck and a mix of hotels and shops. Town planners had approved this for the site in September 2016.

Keeping the post office would be of cultural value to the city

Kitty Law Ngar-ning, co-convenor of the Central and Western Concern Group believes the building should be saved for its heritage value.

"The General Post Office has served Hongkongers for more than 40 years and... its symbolism is embodied by all the commerce, trade, cultural and societal exchanges that took place there," she said. "It is an important piece of architecture in our collective memory."

She suggested it be used as an exhibition space or a postal-themed museum. But it could have other uses as well. Why can't part of it remain a post office and the other parts some office space? Looking at how the Murray Building was recently refurbished into a hotel is interesting and useful. Does the government really have no creative ideas?

The government's Commerce and Economic Development Bureau claimed there wasn't enough grade A office space in the area. If that's so why are companies moving their offices away from the central business district? They can't afford the rents anymore!

The impending plan makes no sense, and hopefully lawmakers will question it. If not, we'll be left with another gaping hole in the Central harbourfront area and wondering why Hong Kong doesn't preserve its history and culture...

Another Side of Audrey Hepburn

Beautiful pale blue dress Audrey Hepburn wore

Auction house Christie's is going to sell some of Hollywood actress Audrey Hepburn's personal items in an upcoming sale on September 27 in London.

Tailoring details in this coat dress

To drum up interest in Hong Kong, some of the pieces, from clothing to jewellery to miscellaneous items are being shown at the Landmark Atrium -- otherwise known as the Landmark fountain -- from now until September 8.

Yesterday we saw the items on show and were in awe of Hepburn's petite size, though she was quite tall too.

There was a black cocktail dress by Givenchy Couture she wore as Regina "Reggie" Lampert in the 1963 movie Charade, or how about the gorgeous pale blue satin cocktail gown she wore to promote Two For the Road.

She also had Burberry trench coat way before it was trendy years ago, and a few pairs of ballet flats (used) should you want to own them.

We loved the detail of the ivory wool coat dress with the detail of the outer stitching, the mother of pearl buttons, and knit sleeves. What a cool combination created by Valentino.

Also for sale is a tiara and the annotated script from Breakfast at Tiffany's that will probably generate a lot of interest.

Did you know Hepburn could paint? Now you do!

What I liked the most was her oil painting called My garden flowers painted in 1969. The flowers are so colourful and vibrant, with texture too from the brushstrokes to try to make it less two-dimensional.

I didn't know she was a painter, like Katherine Hepburn too!

Fashion Gripes of the Day

Please cut those white threads off the back of your coat!

Most Hong Kong people like to pride themselves on being fashionable.

But sometimes they are just slightly off the mark.

These days I see a lot of young people wearing coats and don't realize they need to cut off the "x" seam at the back to allow the vent to open.

Yesterday I walked behind this young man for about 15 minutes in Fotan in the New Territories and wanted to tap him on the shoulder and say, "You need to cut off that white thread at the back of your coat!"

I've seen young women wearing coats and not cutting off the "x" threads either. The sales people should really let them know they should cut it off when they get home. It's a sign that the coat is new, but if you keep wearing it like that, then it just shows your ignorance unfortunately!

Furry mules... are they really necessary?

Another fashion faux pas are fashion slaves. They will buy the latest "it" pieces without thinking about practicality or if the item suits them.

Take these latest Gucci mules called Princetown leather slippers. They are designer street dusters because the fur is touching the ground and how practical is it wearing these shoes? How can you even walk in them?

I spotted this woman wearing them in Kennedy Town -- not exactly The Landmark.

Apparently these shoes cost US$995 but they have this air of aristocracy that seems so out of place in 2017. Hardly seems practical or necessary...

Pictures of the Day: Monkeying Around

A monkey having fun swinging a handbag

People who decorate malls for Chinese New Year must have the hardest time coming up with interesting displays around a different animal.

Luckily this year is a bit fun with the monkey, and I love this window display from Tod's with monkeys carrying handbags and having mischievous expressions.

Monkeys playing among the flowers at Landmark Atrium

The Landmark has a beautiful floral display with over 2,088 flowers and over 50 golden simians. They look a bit lifelike, each with a different look, but it's their "fur" that makes them not so cuddly-looking...