Monday 16 December 2013

Festive Decorations

street view
      Feeling panicky because there is approximately 9 days til Christmas (yay!) but you haven't bought your tinsel or baubles yet? No fear, because Sham Shui Po stocks about everything you will need (you know me, that's where I go). I went there with grannie last week and bought Christmas lights at a bargain: they were electric blue and we bought 600 bulbs worth for around 300 HKD. We also got a cute Christmas wreath with bows and holly for 85HKD.
      The street is Fuk Wing Street. I recommend visiting on weekdays because at the weekend it's packed full of people! Go in the afternoon, most shops open at 11am, so why not enjoy lunch in one of the ground-floor street tearooms before shopping to your heart's content? Only one thing: Beware the pickpockets!

plenty of shops with large variety
     And... of course afterwards we went to the bakery to buy pastries and grannie got me a cinnamon chocolate-sprinkle bread roll. Yum!

breadtalk @ Jordan



Yours truly,

Saturday 7 December 2013

Christmas Present Ideas

      Christmas is round the corner, so why not take the opportunity of exam-stress-free weekends to get your friends and family a present? Here are some ideas on what I'd buy/make. ;) happy hunting!

Girls



matching beanies 
gloves
shower sets
perfume
book(s)
patterned scarves

phone case
Guys

funy hats

knitted scarf

striped socks

book(s)

notebook(s)

phone case
chocolate eclairs

Family members

pretty mugs

cute tape holder
CD(s)


coffee

home-baked short-bread cookies
home-made gingerbread house
(All pictures from Google, no copyright infringement intended.)

      Of course, nothing beats a big hug or kiss on the cheek! Your friends and family will definitely appreciate you making an effort to spend more time with them, than a big box that cost millions of dollars.
     Aggie's Shopping Tips:
  1. Look in different shops to compare prices.
  2. Plan your shopping route so you go through the mall ONCE. Longer trips means more temptation ;)
  3. Check the item to see it isn't broken/ hasn't expired/ colour hasn't faded/ isn't unthreading etc
  4. Ask yourself if the recipient would like what you're buying for him/her.

Yours truly,

Sunday 1 December 2013

7 Habits

Who am I?
I am your constant companion. I am your greatest helper or heaviest burden. I will push you onward or drag you down to failure. I am completely at your command. Half the things you do you might just as well turn over to me and I will be able to do them quickly and correctly.
I am easily managed-- you must merely be firm with me. Show me exactly how you want something done and after a few lessons I will do it automatically. I am the servant of all great individuals and, alas, of all failures, as well. Those who are great, I have made great. Those who are failures, I have made failures.
I am not a machine, though I work with all the precision of a machine plus the intelligence of a human. You may run me for a profit or run me for ruin-- it makes no difference to me.
Take me, train me, be firm with me, and I will place the world at your feet. Be easy with me and I will destroy you.

      A book that begins with this riddle is bound to attract anyone, of any age. My dad gave me this to read and I thought it would be another one of those pretend-to-understand-you ones which actually tell you how to act and what kind of person to be. That wasn't what I was looking for, but after opening the first page I was hooked and finished the thing in a month. WARNING: READERS ARE PRONE TO PARADIGM SHIFTS.

      The seven habits are:
1. Be Proactive
2. Begin With the End in Mind
3. Put First Things First
4. Think Win-win
5. Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood
6. Synergize
7. Sharpen the saw

      Here's the movie book review.


Yours truly,

Saturday 30 November 2013

Shepherd's Shame

The wolf with his evil trickery,
And his bloody bitter history,
With sheep cannot be trusted.
For he had an abyssal hatred,
A feeling deep as the ocean,
Of the sheepdog and his devotion.

Wolf comes stealthily in the morning,
Sheepdog barks a loud forewarning.
Shepherd screams a terrible “Shush!”
And imprisons the sheepdog with a push.
Then the shepherd goes to sleep,
Abandoning all the innocent sheep.

The wolf runs out from the dark wood,
And gobbles sheep like no one ever could.
The sheepdog imprisoned in his cage,
Watched on helplessly at the carnage.
The shepherd dozing through the wolf’s deceit,
Allowing the angelic sheep’s defeat.

Then suddenly the shepherd awakes,
And roars like a million earthquakes.
“Why ever did you not protect my flock?”
The sheepdog answers, “How about the lock
You chained me with so willingly?”
Shepherd glares at him chillingly.

Leaders around the globe today,
With fame and wealth are led astray.
Practicable advice they heed not,
Revealing to enemies their weak spot.
Tragedy knocks at the citizens’ door,
Then leaders are silent no more.

Instead they furiously blame
Activists for their own shame.


Autumn Days

       Now that assessments (erm exams) are over, it's time to get into the holiday mood! Thanksgiving turkey and festive decorations; getting creative is a great way to relieve stress and just feel happier in general.
       Weekly summary as follows (as usual my week begins with Sunday because it's the day I go back to school):
Reservoir whose name I forgot.
This place is actually in HK. Unbelievable, huh?
Sunday: Went on a sponsored walk near a reservoir; very nice scenery. Walked 22km up and down the steep hills of Hong Kong, took great pictures. The weather forecast had said a storm would be coming at around 4:00, and sure enough once the walk had finished and the after-lunch entertainment had packed up, the rain began to pelt. So as I sat indoors, a sudden idea came to me: Why don't I paint pinecones? Yee-haa! Whoopsie, Eureka! So together with my friend Alex we painted them. Yup. Here they are. Ready?

Monday: Not yet. They haven't dried yet. Tiring day, went to the good ol' swimming pool at 6am to stretch out my tiredy legs; wasn't bad. Ate raisin cereal and yoghurt for breakfast.

Tuesday: Busy.

Wednesday: Busier.

Thursday: Literature Live! A fun night of English times Drama; our English set performed a ghost story called Darkwood Hall and I played the ghost mom who got killed by her husband who is now married again and is going to kill the new mom. Crazy, huh? The best thing is I got to play the recorder version of Symphony No. 8! Yay! Halfway through a performance though, the IT people somehow blew the speakers and we had no backing track at all for the last item, which was alas! a song. I managed to cook up some acapella chords and saved the day. Juyust kidding tee hee; it was pretty fun though.

Pinecones are cute.
Friday: Wheehee! The pinecones have dried and they look fantastic! It's a great way to decorate your room without spending too much effort. Friday means I get to go home (and have piano lesson from 8pm to 10pm, but that's alright) It's been a great week, looking forward to posting again!












Yours truly,

Sunday 10 November 2013

Assessment Week

CURRENTLY IN EXAM MODE.
Assessments? You must be kidding. 

Talk later,

Saturday 26 October 2013

Concentrate In Class

      A classmate of mine demanded yesterday, "How do you manage to concentrate in class all the time and remember everything?" I've been asked this question more than there are pens in my pencil case, so
I decided to film my third video today, after a nice brunch with my best friend from my old school. I wish I had amazing drawing skills like hers *droop*. Anyway...
      Concentrating in class. A majority of students groan when they hear the phrase. I have a classmate who says, "It's okay if I don't concentrate, I'll just go over the stuff afterwards on my own." Actually, if you concentrate in class, using sustained attention, your working memory inputs data and you won't have to do any revision at all!
      My video mentions four tips:
1. SLEEP
2. FOOD
3. Object-based attention
4. Get rid of distractions
      Simple and self-explanatory, really. One point I would like to make is that no-one, I repeat, no-one, not even Einstein himself could focus for a whole hour's lesson. The trick is to use sustained attention instead of focused attention; the difference is the latter is a short burst, only for a very brief period of time and it tires you out. Kinda like sprinting versus long-distance.
      Good luck in exam week, everybody! <-- that means start revising NOW ;)

Thursday 17 October 2013

Cloth Hunting

Rolls upon rolls of fabric had me drooling!
Literally.
      A stroll to one of Kowloon's busiest districts on a warm autumn afternoon might not be your idea of a day's outing, but my rapidly-diminishing DIY project ideas had me going for a cloth-hunting round. Everyone knows Jordan and it's streets lined with vibrant rolls of fabric, but a look at the price tag could get an enthusiast (like me) going "hm..."
      The solution? Sham Shui Po.
      One of the oldest districts in Hong Kong, it stocks everything from computer gadgets to shoe-laces to washing detergent. That is, if you know where to look. Lending a hand from my grandmother, we went to Ki Lung Street to buy cloth.
Ki Lung Street
      The stores won't be your best bet for cheap stock; it's the un-airconditioned, swaying-in-the-wind metal huts outside. On roads that are seldom used, tourists and locals alike rummage amongst the piles of cloth available. The patterns are quite nice too. My grandma commented that the quality is even better than that you get in Shenzhen, mainland China. As in most cases, old people are right. So I bought these:
[left to right] $15, $30, $40, $20, $30
      A great bargain! The two on the sides I'm going to make circle skirts, the flowery one a bag, the rock-music detail is for my sister's locker deco, and the plaid is undetermined. Any suggestions?
streets of Sham Shui Po
      Anyway, it was nice walking around Sham Shui Po. Don't you just love the weather when it's breezy and cool but the sun still shines? ;)
Below is a list of popular shopping places in SSP (alphabetical order):
Ap Liu Street --> electrical appliances, electronics, second-hand gadgets
Cheung Sha Wan Road --> fashion wholesale
Fuk Wah Street --> cheap clothes, magazines, SHOELACES <3
Ki Lung Street --> cloth, leather, lace 
Nam Cheong Street --> leather, buttons, cloth wholesale
Yen Chow Street --> Golden Arcade (computer parts & accessories); Dragon Centre (girly accessories & sticker photos, FOOD)


And of course afterwards we went for a big dose of McDonalds McFlurry... 

Yours truly,

Autumn Picnic

Hi everyone (yes it's me again)
That's me on the left. Nah, that's my best friend Luna ;)
      I went on a day trip today thanks to my friends :D My legs are exhausted from all that walking. So the day began with me waking up at 11:00am, eating a bowl of cereal and milk, then taking a shower and brushing my teeth. Then was the laborious task of preparing food: threading sausages and pineapple chunks onto the tiniest sliver of a tooth-pick. After an extra coat of Max Factor Wild Mega Volume, I was ready to go! Walked ten minutes down the hill to Tai Hang Tung Recreation Ground, tramped around the grass and voila! Found me chummies and we had a nice time eating and playing. Forgot to bring a picnic mat though. *Whoopsie* We had a nice time running under the sprinklers and hiding shoes...

Poor parrots.
     Then in a desperate *ahem* educational attempt to broaden their horizons and show them the real side of Hong Kong, we decided to go to bird street! Walked around admiring their beautiful feathers (the birds', not my friends') of tropical blues and yellows. Felt a bit sorry for the parrots with chains around their twig-thin feet. Around us were old chaps with cages covered in white muslin, boasting to their comrades over cups of tea gone cold; we decided to exit delicately and fly over to Goldfish Street (yes, I know, technically that's not its name but whatever). Passed the Mong Kok Flower Market on the way, with me chittering about species of plants and their use in the eco-system and me chummies rolling their eyes at the roses; Luna bought asparagus seeds and promised that I'd get the first bite when they pop out of the ground.
      Reached Fish Street, showed them the fish and turtles and hamsters; also the stationery shop and art supply store. Pretty tiring day, but eventful and maybe even intriguing?
      Just thought I'd let you know.
"Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life." ~Mark Twain

Yours,

Wednesday 16 October 2013

Book Review: 100 Essential Things

      Hi everyone! Each month I'll be reviewing a book on my YouTube channel, and this time it's the incredible 100 Essential Things You Didn't Know You Didn't Know  by John D. Barrow.
      It's a math book.
      Please don't freak out.

ISBN 978-0-393-33867-6
      The first thing you see on the interesting graphic-filled cover is a humongous 100 made of different objects: coins, a bear, a tennis ball, playing cards and a diamond. What do they have in common? The next thing that catches your eye is the phrase "MATH EXPLAINS YOUR WORLD". Intimidating, eh?
      I know, I know, don't judge a book by its cover. However for visual people like me, and obviously my mom, who picked this up from the bookstore, book covers play an important role in attracting readers. Which in my case, I think was very worthwhile!

      The back-of-the-book-thingamajig (which I have found out is actually called the synopsis, commonly called the blurb, from my wonderful first subscriber Lauren) reads: "Have you ever wondered why you always seem to get stuck in the longest line? Why two's company but three's a crowd? Or why there are six degrees of separation instead of seven? ..." My attention captured, I read on in rapture as Barrow explained different aspects of life with a small problem, often not more than two pages each, accompanied by simple ink, hand-drawn diagrams.

      If you don't have time, do what I'm doing: Read a problem a day and you'll be finished in 100 days!

Here's the video:
Yours truly,

Sunday 13 October 2013

Welcome

      Haha I have no idea whatsoever what to write for my first post! Well here's a little profile about me: I'm Aggie and I live in Hong Kong. My YouTube channel aims to just illustrate the life of a teenage student and help anybody out there who needs it! I find there are a lot of YouTube channels for fashion, make-up, song covers; and although these very talented people do give us a lot of entertainment, some of us are struggling to keep up at school so I hope my channel just gives you a view of my life!
      This blog is the written version of my YouTube channel SilverStudies42. I'll be posting whenever I'm free.