Pictures of the Day: Christmas in Hong Kong

Toy Story aliens greet shoppers at Harbour City

Shopping malls around town are fully decorated with various themes, some executed brilliantly, others need a rethink, or they are cutting back budget-wise.

Last year Hong Kong Land which owns The Landmark had a fantastical display with a giant Santa and Mrs Claus decorated in a red suit of bonbons with skates on top of the fountain. Presents were suspended from balloons floating above shoppers.

However this year it created an intricate mountainous landscape and an electric train running through it. Hardly picture material unless you're a train fanatic.

Elements at Kowloon Station has a massive presentation and one wonders if the designer got the proportions all wrong because it seems like it barely fits in the space, taking up the entire floor to ceiling. In the middle hanging above is a giant chandelier and then below are several thrones... why so many? Or are they they four thrones for the children in Narnia? Actually there are more than four large chairs that no one can sit on because it's roped off. And then outside the column area is a tiny Christmas tree and then a gigantic box holding two silver rings. Is this a hint for men to propose to their significant others with Cartier just a few steps away?

Incomprehensible theme at Elements mall

And why are the reindeer upside down...

Anyway Harbour City is recycling the Toy Story theme used at its sister property Times Square when Toy Story 3 came out. So while it's a theme that's been done before, we particularly like the aliens with their Santa hats. Kids love Toy Story and so do the parents. However, some of my friends noticed while Woody was there, Buzz Lightyear was missing...

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

In the last few weeks we have had a glimpse into the lives of the super rich in Hong Kong thanks to an ex-wife demanding more money to keep her lifestyle after her divorce in 2008.

There were riveting tales of how Florence Tsang Chiu-wing needed money to buy property in Hong Kong and London, cars in Hong Kong and London, have enough to join clubs in both places and raise a three-year-old daughter.

Her ex-husband Samathur Li Kin-kan and his father Samuel Tak Lee opposed the claim, saying her demands were outrageous. They also alleged Tsang tricked Li into having a baby as he refused to have children, but then the marriage further soured when he was later discovered having an affair.

Since Tsang, 38, had the daughter, Li has only seen the girl twice and does not want to be involved in her life.

It seemed like a tit-for-tat case until it was revealed the father and son had conspired to move virtually all of the latter's assets into the former's domain so that the ex-wife could not get her hands on his assets.

"My father is the only one looking after me," Li said in court. "If I pick a fight with him, I would... be on the street. I have no other choice, so to speak."

According to Justice John Saunders, their forged loan agreement may be considered criminal conduct and has now referred the case to the Director of Public Prosecutions for a criminal investigation.

The court heard how Li spent more than HK$100 million on himself a year. At one point he owned a Boeing business jet, two yachts, 28 cars and millions of dollars worth of wine, among other things, while Lee is the head of Prudential Enterprise, which has real estate around the world and owns the Prudential Hotel in Jordan.

One can see the spurned woman trying to clean out her ex-husband, but at the same time the father and son trying to outwit her by transferring the assets.

In weighing judgment, Judge Saunders ruled in favour of Tsang and gave her more than double the amount she estimated she would need to fund the lifestyle she had while she was married.

So instead of the HK$524 million she asked for, she was awarded HK$1.2 billion ($157 million). The breakdown is HK$250 million for property in Hong Kong, HK$30 million for a London property, HK$2.5 million for two cars in Hong Kong and another HK$1 million for a vehicle in London, HK$5 million for a yacht and HK$4.6 million to join clubs in both Hong Kong and England.

The numbers are completely mind-boggling for most of us, but for the rich, these are just their daily expenses.

As for Tsang, a solicitor, she flashed a billion-dollar smile outside the court. "I'm delighted that the proceeding has now concluded."

It's a major windfall the rest of us can only dream of.

World Class Cuisine

Yesterday the long-awaited Michelin Hong Kong & Macau 2012 guide came out as expected with a few surprises and disappointments.

It has been around in Hong Kong and Macau for the last few years; after being away from Hong Kong for many years, I flipped through last year's guide and was surprised by how some restaurants were lavishly praised with three stars, and others stingily given one star.

I soon found out that none of the reviewers were Chinese and so they probably did not understand the nuances in the various cuisines in China from the ingredients to the skill involved in cooking.

Nevertheless, as one hotel public relations person told me, "It's a GM [general manager's] dream, a PR's nightmare", as the former was anxious to boast about their restaurants while the latter has to issue press releases heralding or defending their stars.

But back to this year's list... and I can only mention those restaurants I have eaten at.

For three stars, Caprice at the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong deservedly retains its status, while it's wonderful to see 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo move up to three stars. Chef Umberto Bombana has had many achievements this year including the Miele Guide's Chef of Chefs award last month and now this praise. He will be opening another restaurant in Shanghai at the end of this year.

Meanwhile Amber at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental is excellent, slightly inconsistent but perhaps Chef Richard Ekkebus is now more focused on what he wants to do with the menu.

Shang Palace at the Kowloon Shangri-La gained a star and should do so, as their relatively new chef is doing some innovative Cantonese dishes there, substituting ingredients or creating variations of classics.

Another praiseworthy restaurant is Spoon by Alain Ducasse at the InterContinental Hong Kong. It's becoming more consistent and presents traditional but lighter dishes that better suit Asian palates and climate.

Finally Ah Yat Harbour View has one Michelin star, and I wonder if it was the stilted atmosphere that may have led to the lone star rating as it's a technically excellent restaurant with a fantastic view of Victoria Harbour, but when I went there were only three tables occupied and so it was very quiet...

Another place with an uncomfortable atmosphere is Cepage as it's dead quiet in the small space. As a friend said, it's not a place a man can bring his mistress. The food is beautifully presented and tastes divine, but speaking beyond a whisper is considered too loud.

Also pleased to see Cuisine Cuisine at IFC on the one-star list and it has the potential to grow by leaps and bounds with its innovative presentation, while stalwart Fook Lam Moon retains its one-star status.

Meanwhile one of my favourite restaurants Tim's Kitchen lost one star from two, and from my recent dining experience I can see why, as not all the dishes are consistent.

However it's curious to see Yue at City Garden Hotel get a star as I thought the chef made an admirable effort to be creative, but the execution fell through. It's a good standard Cantonese restaurant, but the new dishes needed tweaking.

This year it seems the Michelin guide is getting more in line with what most locals would consider an excellent restaurant. While the producers of the guide want to create more conversation around food, it's really a marketing ploy for restaurants to boast about their stars and in some cases charge higher prices.

Nevertheless we're proud to have Michelin-starred restaurants in our city, proving what we knew already -- Hong Kong is a city of amazing restaurants, many of them world class.

Risky Business

Today is the 23rd annual World AIDS Day and condom maker Durex has released its latest findings in the 2011 Durex Sexual Wellbeing global survey.

And it seems globally people are taking more chances when it comes to not protecting themselves when having promiscuous sex.

In Hong Kong, almost 30 percent of Hong Kong men admitted to being unfaithful to their wives or partners, as opposed to 16 percent of Hong Kong women. The percentages are higher than those in Taiwan and the mainland. This is highly possible as there are many Hong Kong men who are either based in China or cross the border regularly.

The survey also found Hong Kong men have had at most 16 sex partners on average, while Hong Kong women had four. Perhaps the men included prostitutes as well...

Meanwhile in the United States, 60 percent of American men and women didn't use any form of protection against HIV/AIDS or sexually transmitted infections when they lost their virginity. The number is considered shockingly high when compared to lower rates in other countries such as Mexico (49 percent) and Columbia (47 percent).

About 24 percent of American women who risked not practicing safer sex said it was a mistake they regretted.

US men claim to have had an average of 20 different sexual partners in total, fewer than Canadian men (27) or Australia (24), but more than in France (19), the UK (17) and Mexico (15).

However, American women have had 10 partners on average, the same number as those in Britain and France, but more than in Canada (9) and Italy (8).

HIV/AIDS has been around for over 30 years and after all the AIDS education we've had, people are still taking risks with their lives when it comes to sex.

And probably Durex is even more disappointed that people aren't using its condoms either...