Our Finest Stories of the Year
It's been a big year. Olympics. Syria. More Euro gloom. The Death of Kim Jong-Il. Turmoil in Egypt. You get the picture. And we haven't even got to the Mayan Apocalypse. This could be our last ever email newsletter if the fates are right (South American time) so we're going to take the opportunity to share our best stories of 2012. The aliens might find this in our faint digital footprint in millennia to come.
Map Your Ancestry & Find Health Time Bombs
Co-founded by Anne Wojcicki, wife of Google founder Sergey Brin, 23andMe is a self-DNA test which outlines your ancestry and highlights the diseases you’re most susceptible to. It’s not for everyone. Some people don’t want to know if they’re more at risk of bowel cancer, while others point to the incomplete picture the test provides. It’s thought, for instance, that genes only dictate 20-30% of the outcome of your health, with lifestyle and environmental factors determining the rest. Still it might help you to cut out the deep fried camembert.
Smartphone Gaming Controller from HK
You don’t find too many Kickstarter projects emanating from Hong Kong but we’ve found one that truly merits our support. The PhoneJoy Play is a compact, extendable gaming controller developed in HK which attaches to all Smartphones running iOS or Android. Instead of messing around with clumsy touch screen controls - and only being able to see half the screen because of your sausage fingers - you simply snap on the PhoneJoy Play and game away. The MTR crowds will be in awe.
Our Favourite Bar in Hong Kong
You might have walked past it without even noticing it's there, such is the unassuming charm of Nirvana, our favourite bar in Hong Kong. Located right outside the MTR station in Sheung Wan, it's distinguished by the fact that it's just a bar. That's right, just a bar. None of this molecular cocktail, black marble counter top rubbish. It's a normal bar, and in Hong Kong, where every new venture strives to be different, that's a serious USP.
Asian Crowdfunding Platform like Kickstarter
Kickstarter, the crowdfunding platform behind all manner of creative projects, has been a runaway success and now it's Asia's turn. In fact, ToGather.Asia is based on very similar principles as its American counterpart. Budding entrepreneurs upload their pitch, and you, the public, get to pledge your hard earned sheckles to turn it into a reality. In exchange, you'll receive whatever the project owners deem a fair trade for your dollar: a mug, a t-shirt, an album - although sadly not a big slice of equity in the 'new Facebook'.
HK's Largest Craft Beer Supplier
The Bottle Shop has arrived in HK, a craft beer retailer with over 200 labels in its catalogue. By their reckoning that makes them the biggest supplier in Hong Kong, a city which has been pushing hard for a craft beer renaissance in recent few years. As the owners point out, for less than a coffee you can be sipping on a quality brewski delivered to your door. Although it's a dangerous road if you start replacing one with the other.
Complete Xmas Wine Packages in HK
Laithwaites Wine is offering a couple of heavily discounted wine packages for Christmas with top French reds and two bottles of Italian bubbly thrown in for free. The cases include the likes of a soft Bordeaux from a 'First Growth' winemaker and a rare Gold-medal Saint-Emilion so you'll be pleased with your purchase. After all, if you don't finish the holiday season with blackened teeth and charred looking gums you're not doing it properly.
Genuinely Stylish Men’s Brand Launches in HK
You see a lot of brands recycle the same styles in Hong Kong but talk them up as something "fresh, original, avant-garde etc." If you've ever had the misfortune of reading a press release here you'll know what we mean so thank god for Iter Hominis. They blend Italian tailoring with Japanese fabrics and the results are epic. Check out the main guy in the photo. If he wasn't in a fashion shoot you'd think he was one of the original Boers marching across the Transvaal. It's a strong look.
See India by Helicopter & Private Jet
Some trips are so cool that even if you can't afford them you want to hear more about them, a 'look but no touch policy' which could describe Remote Lands' tours of India by helicopter and private jet. Talk about living the dream. If you've ever tried crossing a road in a busy Indian city you'll know it's a travel-sized version of Russian roulette. But with Remote Lands you can bypass the danger, the dirt and the jams with your own personal air force.
Value for Money Wines for Christmas
Christmas is a boozy time of year but you don’t want to get a bout of acid by drinking the bad stuff either. The trick is getting all the vino sorted beforehand because if you’re having a raucous time with your family (or drinking because you’re with your family) you just want to be able to kick back and consume at your leisure. That’s really what Christmas is about - heavy, sinful consumption.
Christmas Lingerie Party for Men
Sheer, the lingerie specialist on Wyndham Street, is hosting a ‘What Women Want’ Xmas Party on Thursday, December 13 with models, catwalk and beer. Come to think of it, what more could a man want? The Sheer models back in your flat perhaps but your lady might not agree, and that’s where the party comes in. You can pick up some festive specials for her and the bedroom - best enjoyed before your holiday weight takes its toll and hampers your moves.
New Restaurant by Madam Sixty Ate Owners
Woolly Pig Concepts, the guys behind Madam Sixty Ate, have launched a new restaurant in Central called Sal Curioso. It's more casual than its Wan Chai counterpart. The food, for instance, is designed for sharing but is still refined, and its location means you don't have to 'choose' to go there - you can just drop in. It's basically a place to go with your mates for a decent meal rather than with your bird to talk about moving in together.
Zoey Jones is the new resident vocalist at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Champagne Bar. A quality performer who's shared the stage with the likes of Elton John, Muse and Omar - Zoey will be singing jazz and other classics. If you fancy a serenade to go with your bubbly and your date - it's just the ticket. After all, quality live music in this city is about as common an accurate forecast from the Hong Kong observatory.
USB Audio Jack Radically Improves Computer Sound
The DragonFly is a USB stick that boosts the sound coming out of your computer to an unparalleled degree. Imagine - you're watching that scene from Apocalypse Now and instead of hearing "DAN, DAN, DAN, DA", you hear "tin, tin, tin, ti." That's not just weaker volume we're poorly trying to express but inferior sound. If you're watching a flick you want to hear the juicy bits. Imagine Jenna Haze without a decent treble range? It's unthinkable - and we haven't even got to listening to music yet...
HK's First Tiki Bar Opens
Honi Honi has opened on Wellington Street, Hong Kong's first tiki bar. The lounge is inspired by Polynesian culture and the original Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar which opened in 1945 in The Fairmont San Francisco. It's all about beaches, wood, fruit and cocktails - a trend apparently born when soldiers returned to America with a taste for the local culture after fighting WWII in Pacific. It kind of makes sense but we've seen the HBO mini-series. American soldiers did no-like The Pacific.
Surfer Originals Back with a Bang
M.Nii pioneered genuine, wave-worthy boardshorts in the 1950s and the brand has now made a comeback. The original trunks were the work of Minoru and Florence Nii, two Hawaiian-Japanese tailors who loved to surf. Thanks to their durability and bespoke styling, M.Nii's shorts quickly developed a reputation as essential surf wear. They used to cost US$6. That barely buys you a Big Mac today.
Reasonable Steak Vendor Enters HK Market
Good Chow has arrived in Hong Kong, a new steak specialist selling top quality meat for relatively un-HK prices. We’ve tried a selection and even managed to cook it properly. There are few things worse than an over-done cow. The basic idea behind Good Chow is to provide a range of steaks for affordable rates and deliver them frozen to your door. Methane or no methane, this is what cattle were made for.
Ride wtih Co-Star of Long Way Down
You can tour the Australian outback on a motorcycle with Charley Boorman, all round adventurer and co-star of Ewan McGregor in a Long Way Down. The 10-day trip starts in Sydney and winds up in Melbourne via the wilderness of New South Wales. If you want to trade up your office lifestyle and mornings spent dreaming of that naughty Sub of the Day, this voyage is just the ticket. So long as you know your way around a bike. Don't want to get there and look like a plonker in front of Sir Charles.
Jason Atherton Opens Modern Tapas Restaurant
Jason Atherton, the Michelin-starred British chef who trained at El Bulli, has opened a Hong Kong restaurant with 208 founder Yenn Wong. Located in Wan Chai, 22 Ships serves modern tapas that's refined, light and difficult to find elsewhere in Hong Kong. It's the type of place you'd take your mother-in-law - it's inventive but not so wacky she'd question whether you're party of the new liberal conspiracy.
HK Financial Advice Specialist
If you want to retire with a Ferrari in the garage and enough cash to withstand a Pyongyang led nuclear winter, International Financial Services is the place for you. They provide bespoke financial advice for expats in Asia, helping them to get the most out of their wallets. So, whether you want to safeguard your children's education or make sure the tax man doesn't run off with your retirement fund, they'll provide truly independent financial advice.
Ricky Hatton Hosting HK’s Biggest Ever Bout
Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton, one of the most lethal boxers of his generation, is the promoter behind 'The Road to Glory' - the most significant fight to ever take place in Hong Kong. Scheduled for Tuesday, December 11, the main event pairs together two of the scariest blokes you've ever seen in what is also the biggest bout in Asia since Tyson fought in Tokyo in 1990. The Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre is accustomed to slightly more sedate proceedings.
A woman caught on camera driving on a pavement to avoid a Cleveland school bus unloading children will have to stand at a crossroads wearing a sign describing herself as an idiot. Watch the video here.
A Cleveland municipal court judge on Monday ordered 32-year-old Shena Hardin to stand at the crossroads on two days next week. She will have to wear a sign that reads: "Only an idiot drives on the sidewalk to avoid a school bus."
The judge ordered her to wear the sign from 7.45am to 8.45am on both days. Hardin's licence was suspended for 30 days and she was ordered to pay $250 (£156) in court costs.
The driver of the school bus, Uriah Herron, filmed Hardin driving on the pavement, a detour she is thought to have made every day. His manager, Eric Taylor, said: "We had a very conscientious driver for 30 years. He really cares about his children and he took the extra step [to ensure] that this doesn't happen again."
Win a HK$4,000 Bottle of Glenlivet
Movember is back and the gala party is going to be bigger than ever before. Taking place at Bisous, the soiree will be packed with treats, not least The NecesCity Man of Movember Prize with Glenlivet which is a HK$4,000 bottle of scotch. That's right - HK$4,000 - or about HK$100 per sip. The big night is scheduled for November 30 (conveniently the end of the month falls on a Friday) so get ready for an apocalash fully endorsed by the Hong Kong Cancer Fund.
Never Seen Before Picasso Show
Collins & Kent International (CKI) is hosting a VIP Picasso exhibition of rare 'Works on Paper' featuring several pieces never exhibited before. The show includes a gallery tour with CKI's Art Director for Asia Pacific, Michael Donnan, who'll explain how you can put together a valuable art collection for less than HK$300,000. If you don't think your lady will accept another set of car keys for your next birthday, surely she can't veto a Picasso?
They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder but for one man from northern China, this was not the case. Earlier this year, Jian Feng, divorced and sued his wife for being ugly.
He won his case and was awarded a little under £75,000 by the judge, Fox 31 reported. Mr Feng said he took issue with his wife’s looks only after the couple’s daughter was born.
He was shocked by the child’s appearance, calling her ‘incredibly ugly’ and saying she looked like neither one of her parents. Mr Feng was so outraged that he initially accused his wife of cheating.
Faced with the accusation, his wife admitted to spending around £62,000 on plastic surgery which had altered her appearance drastically.
She had the work done before she met her husband and never told him about it after they met. Mr Feng filed for divorce saying his wife had deceived him and convinced him to marry her under false pretenses.
The judge agreed with him and awarded him the damages.
Bag a Trip for Two to Bangkok
The travel gurus at Flight Centre are offering a free holiday for two to Bangkok. To enter the competition you simply need to submit a classic travel photo of the Thai capital - the more colourful the better. We know what you're thinking - nobody wants to see what you shot in Bangkok. You and the boys made a pact about it, but the core judging criterion is "overall uniqueness" so those photos deserve another outing. We can't wait for the results.
London Hotspot Comes to Town
Boujis is a bit of a thing on the London party scene. A thing if you're either Prince Harry (or want to meet Prince Harry), like wearing red trousers, enjoy expensive drinks or crave small spaces. The club opens in Hong Kong on Friday, October 19 in the former location of Madam Butterfly on Pottinger St. - which used to be one of our house favourites. As far as we were concerned exotic dancing in Central was luxury defined, but Boujis is taking an altogether different approach. Red trousers optional. Nay, unadvisable.
HK Joins Official Movember Network
Movember returns in... November, with Hong Kong included for the first time in the official charitable movement. Previously, the central Movember body didn't recognise our fair city as a member of their global strategy but not any more. There's a proper site, hk.movember.com, so there's no excuses for wimping out - even if you grow a moustache like a toddler. Plus, it's the one month of the year you can grow a mousto and not look like a geography teacher.
Learn from the Eagle Hunting Master
Oh how we yearn for adventure. The adrenaline of flying over a splurting volcano in a Soviet-era single prop aircraft, taking a blind dip in Pattong, or eating fermented Yak’s milk in Kyrgyzstan. The latter – now very much a possibility. Organised by Wild Frontiers, the ‘Kyrgyzstan: Celestial Mountain Action Adventure’ is a 16-day journey to tell the grandkids about. If the world still exists by then.
Win Picasso Etchings & Buy Affordable Masters
Collins & Kent International, the fine art investment specialist, has arrived in HK and they're offering one in five NecesCity readers a Picasso etching. With CKI in town you can start collecting works by the Spanish maestro and other Masters for the most competitive prices in the world today. Take Picasso's "Apples, glass and knife" for instance. One of a series of 50, the signed, original lithograph can be yours for just HK$40,000 - significantly better value than the ubiquitous photos of old Hong Kong that decorate homes throughout the city.
