H O N G  K O N G - T H E  P E AK

I will be doing a whole series on HK as there are so many great things to see and visit whilst out there. To kick it off: The Peak.

PHOTO CREDIT: Victoria Peak website.

The Peak (aka, Victoria Peak) is a mountain on the South of the island, that offers views over Central, Lamma Island and Victoria Harbour. You can get to the The Peak Tower by tram (which costs HK$ 40 for a return ticket, or you can get a ticket for the tower, which is HK$ 40 and a return ticket for HK$ 75 which will save you HK$ 5) that brings passengers up from the St. John's Cathedral in Hong Kong's Central district, whilst the Peak Galleria incorporates the bus station used by the Hong Kong public buses and green minibuses on the Peak (which costs HK$ 4.20, and they are very frequent, coming every fifteen minutes or so). The Peak is also accessible by taxi (which costs about HK$ 80) and private car via the circuitous Peak Road, or by walking up the steep Old Peak Road from near the Zoological Botanical Gardens.

Victoria Peak Garden is located on the site of Mountain Lodge, the Governor's old summer residence, and is the closest publicly accessible point to the summit. It can be reached from Victoria Gap by walking up Mount Austin Road, a climb of about 150 m. Another popular walk is the level loop along Lugard Road, giving good views of Hong Kong's Central district and Kowloon, and then returning via Harlech Road, encircling the summit at the level of the Peak Tower. There are several restaurants on Victoria Peak, most of which are located in the two shopping centres. However, the Peak Lookout Restaurant, is housed in an older and more traditional building which was originally a spacious house for engineers working on the Peak Tramway. It was rebuilt in 1901 as a stop area for sedan chairs, but was re-opened as a restaurant in 1947.

Inside The Peak Tower, there is a dazzling array of restaurants, shops and entertainment venues (Madame Tussauds HK). Moreover, The Peak Tower boasts the highest 360° viewing platform - The Sky Terrace 428, which stands at 428 m above sea level. Another thing you can do once you have reached the platform is leave a message on heart shaped cards. We wrote love messages to one and other, expressing our wishes for the future and and hung them up. There are thousands of message written and tied up in the cabinet on a daily basis.

Once arrived at the top of the peak, there are the most incredible views over Central. Even though during the day the weather wasn't that great, the clouds eventually cleared and settled, creating the most incredible skyline for pictures.

Visited : June 2013

2 0 1 5 .

2015 is already upon us. I can't believe how fast 2014 went, it seems like only yesterday that I was making my new resolutions ( that I obviously broke within the month ) and was planning for the new year ahead. However as we enter 2015, I feel like I should, again, make new resolutions that I for once intend to keep.

• Stop Smoking. It will be five years in May that I started what is the most stupid thing that I have done by far. I have managed to stop a few times in the past but last no more than 3 months. So this WILL BE the year I finally kick the habit.
• Lose Weight. I know that everyone always says that they intend on losing weight but this year will be the year that I get back to my ideal weight. Having lost 10kgs in the last 8 months I seem to be on track.
• Travel. I have had the amazing opportunity to discover South-East Asia over the last two summers and I now plan on discovering more a little closer to home. Such as Norway, Sweden and Russia, to name a few.
• Project 52. I intended to do this last year but I could never bring myself to take my camera with me everywhere. It's like project365, however this one only involves me taking pictures once a week.
• Read More. I was never a huge book fan growing up. However over the last two years I have started reading more and more, and by next year I want to have read half of the BBC's "The Big Read".
• Be Less Stressed. I tend to stress about everything, whether it be university, work, life, food, you name it I probably stress over it at least once a day, I want to be able to go to sleep at night at not wake to a list of things I have to do the next day.
• Be More Selfish. I always, to a fault, put others before myself. I also tend to forgive people rather to easily, even if they don't deserve forgiving. So from now on, I shall try and put myself first and if it means losing a few "friends" then so be it.
• Be Happy. I need to stop worrying about every little thing; What job will I do after I graduate? Do I do a master's? Where shall I live? What if I don't earn enough? and learn to appreciate what I do have, my health, my family and love.
• Multilingual. I am already fluent in French and English and would love to master a third language in 2015. I have started learning the basics of Mandarin with the help of my lovely boyfriend who is from Hong Kong.
• God. Over the last year I have strengthened my relationship with God and realized that though I am only a drop in the ocean on this earth, He has my back and will never abandon me. "For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future".  - Jeremiah 29:11

These ten resolutions should get me back on track to becoming the best version of myself that I could possibly be. I hope that by the end of 2015 I will be writing an article about how I miraculously managed to stick to all ten of them. However, this may sound defeatist, but if I manage to stick to five of these I shall be a very happy bunny indeed! What are your new years resolutions? 

Happy New Year !

O C T O B E R  1 1  T H  2 0 1 2

.Love Makes You Beautiful ♪

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast,
it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does
not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects,
always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres..

Corinthians 13:4-8

 When we honestly ask ourselves which persons in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares. 

- Henri Nouwen