After 2 months of being away from Hong Kong, I noticed last week that there had been a considerable drop in the number of shoppers during the supposedly peak hour of 8pm on a weekday. According to Marketwatch.com, HK's economy shrank 7.8% during the first quarter of 2009 (http://www.marketwatch.com/m/story/3df40f40-8e42-4057-a64a-4c831fa9dc1c/0). I thought the financial tsunami, together with the current H1N1 (swine flu) scare, is finally keeping HK-ers indoors.
(Speaking of the swine flu, I think Mom and I were the only ones wearing masks on our flight to HK. We even debated about whether or not to take off our masks to eat dinner. In the end, we just ate as fast as we could. A few days later, Dad flew over by himself and didn't wear his mask because no one else was wearing one! Are Mom and I the only ones who are scared?)
But of course, when a department store is on sale, no flu virus can keep a true HK-er from going out, including yours truly.
On Monday, Mom and I were having second thoughts about getting a Berndes wok that cost HKD 1,288 even after discounts. Luckily, we were tipped off by a Wing On department store salesperson about a four-day sale this weekend, so I got the wok at HKD 498. Woot! I guess when the discounts go up to 60% or more, everyone wants to have a look at what's on sale. So despite the current flu virus scare I squeezed my way through crowded Wing On to get my wok and a kettle too.
22 to 31 May is Thankful Week in Sogo Department Store, and yesterday's trip to Wing On didn't prepare me for what I experienced in Sogo. The grocery in the basement where everything is 10% off was so crowded that it was literally person-to-cart-to-person. It was simply impossible to move at a pace faster than baby steps.
The trip was well worth it, though, because the elusive UCC coffee creamer which was out of stock in Apita, Sogo and Citysuper last week was finally available. I was so happy to see that it was discounted to HKD 29.90 (from 32.90) and with an additional 10% discount too that I got 5 packs. (I'm planning to give 2 to Pa anyway because this creamer is just the best but is totally overpriced in Manila.)
During this period of economic uncertainty, I try not to be tempted to get Starbucks. After all, the coffee I make is already very good, or so everyone in my family says (and I get to keep on repeating this in my blog, tee-hee). So the HKD 35 I saved on the drinks I didn't get, I used to buy magazines instead.
Earlier in HMV, I picked up the 25 May issue of In Touch which features Hollywood celebrity bikini bodies. Really, who doesn't want to see Hollywood stars in their bikinis? I also picked up Teen Vogue June/July 2009 with Selena Gomez on the cover.
At this point, I should probably be reading Vogue and not Teen Vogue. But apart from the articles, which are mostly written for teenage girls, I love the magazine for its youthful and fresh fashion spreads and makeup features.
Actually, I think the reason I haven't outgrown my love affair with Teen Vogue is mostly due to habit and tradition. When I was still in uni and I would come to visit Sis here during Christmas and/or summer break, there will be a stack of new issues of Teen Vogue waiting for me to be read from cover to cover. Until now, I haven't thrown a single issue of the magazine away, some of which I actually wrapped in plastic cover. (Yes, I'm geeky that way.)
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