Creative Mastermind!

Happy New Year everyoooooooonnnneee!!!

It’s been too long since my last post, life just got in the way towards the last few months of 2011, but I am ready to kickstart 2012 with a bang!  Feeling refreshed, rested, and filled with gratitude to the amazing things I have experienced in 2011! Here are some reflections to share with you all =)

Fond memories of 2011

- Grew more familiar with Cape Town, after moving to this amazing city in Oct 2010.  Am in looooove with the city and its people, and incredibly grateful to have the opportunity of living in this city, right here, right NOW!

- Explored the Eastern Cape, travelling up the Garden Route using buses (Translux, SA RoadLinks, Intercape) from Cape Town -> Grahamstown! 

- Challenged myself and completed 2 “big” cycle trips: cycling from PE to Addo Elephant Park through Motherwell (approx. 60km), and cycling from Cape Town to Darling for Rocking the Daisies festival (approx. 93km)!  

- Saw the most beautiful spring blossoms (gouwsblomme) of Namakwaland with my dear friends, explored Ceres and Wupperthal, a beautiful mission station village!

- Celebrated my birthday with some of the incredible friends I have made in Cape Town - they are the ones that have made me truly feel like HOME!

- Weekly lunches with Abu, an ex-District 6 resident who volunteers at the District 6 Museum.  Hearing the stories from his friends & himself, and finally organized a trip to visit the community in Athlone, Mitchell’s Plain!

- Joined Ernst & Young Toastmasters, meeting another great group of aspiring people who continue to help me grow & develop as a young professional!  Found my two mentors Bill Russell & Rehana Rutti, who are incredible!

- Planned our family vacation, where my entire family visited from 2 continents (USA & China) for 14days over Xmas & New Year!!  Grateful to have the opportunity to bring them to South Africa, and share this incredible city with my family!

There are so many more incredible moments, but these are definitely some of the key highlights! As Abu often says, “We have to know where we are from, before we can find the path to the future”.   On this new year day, it’s important to take some time for myself, simmer, and reflect on all that has happened in the past year, 5years, 10years, your life even!

Taking a page from the late George Carlin: “We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years to life not life to years. We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbour,”  human connections and a continuous aspiration to learn from those around us should be the most treasured of all!

CPT Love,

Lisa Huang

Check out my Travel Blog here, and follow my adventures on Twitter! (@bestCapeTownSA)

Aaaaah!

The COLDPLAY concert was well, simply EPIC! 

Starting off with the FAN WALK towards the Stadium, the street was buzzing and Keenwa’s balcony filled with people! We were walking with the masses - 60,000+ attendees to be exact! Th MyCiti buses were flowing and everyone got to the stadium without causing any traffic accidents!

Highlights from the concert - apologies for the bad quality shots!!

Had an incredible night with Jon Jon & Patrick!! Thanks for making the COLDPLAY concert extra special tonight!

HUGE SHOUT OUT to Matthew Davidson & the team over at The Rooftop Studio, THANK YOU SO MUCH for the concert tickets!!  Hope you guys rocked out at the concert and don’t suffer from a HANGOVER tomorrow!!! 

Peace out!

CPT Love,
Lisa Huang

Check out my Travel Blog here, and follow my adventures on Twitter! (@bestCapeTownSA)

Thanks to the lovely Natasha Clark, I got the invite to the Kodak Blogger Meet-Up in Cape Town tomorrow evening! Promised to be an incredible events with some of Cape Town’s top blogger, even We Love Pictures are setting up a PHOTO BOOTH!

Now we all know how much I love Photobooths….  especially after the notorious Balkanology parties!!!

Welcome drinks, bottles of wine and some really yummy tapas  from our lovely hosts at  French Toast Wine & Tapas Bar!!  Need I say more?

And of course, the bloggers shall unite to unlock Foursquare SWAM BADGE for >50ppl checking in at the same time…. !!

Can’t wait to meet the bloggers I’ve been following (practically stalking) in cyberspace!

CPT Love,
Lisa Huang

Check out my Travel Blog here, and follow my adventures on Twitter! (@bestCapeTownSA)

As the summer approaches, do you find yourself wanting a lighter, fresher dinner option?   Made to order, seasonal ingredients that doesn’t break the bank?

Tonight was one of those nights!

Having stayed in the office waaaaay later than expected, I left hungry & wanting something refreshing but still filling - perhaps a salad? Or Chinese fried rice?

Having my mind set on the Pork Fried Rice special by Jewel Tavern on St George’s Mall & Church Street - I walked quickly & determined.  Only to find out that my favourite Chinese restaurant (with amaaaazing lunch specials!) had MOVED!!!!! aaaaaagggh!! Bye Bye Jewel Tavern, guess I have to find you on Kloof St in the future!

Plan B:  Doppio Zero right across the road!

Doppio had the amazing Gypsy Kings album on! Score!  On closer look at the menu, the cheapest salad was R50++…. hrrm, after all the fresh produce I bought at the Earth Fair Market this afternoon, I was left with R50 in my pocket…

Plan C: Kauai? Crave?

Both were closed and it was only 7:30pm!  Ugh! The Italian restaurant across from Purple Turtle was opened though…. again, cheapest salad = R50+… this is really not my day >.<

I was meeting a friend at OnBroadway tonight, to see the STHE AND THE UNTOUCHABLES!  Perhaps that Turkish hole-in-the-wall booth right next to OnBroadway?

BINGO!! Baris Bufe - Doner Kebab!

I could not believe my eyes! Kebab in pita with chips, salad for R35? Lamb kebab for R45? Turkish Lahmacun with salad for R15?!!?!?!  I was sold!

This is my Turkish Lahmacun - a Turkish pizza with very thin, flat base! Topped with delicious spread of mince, chopped onion, tomato, fresh parsley & green pepper! 

The Lahmacun dough was freshly rolled, baked, and was literally ready within 8minutes.  Toasty & warm, I gobbled up my treat and sat content with a wide GRIN on my face!

Dinner & Grapetiser = R27.  Now that is a HARD DEAL to beat! 

Shhhhh….. but I think I’ve discovered Cape Town’s Hidden Gem!  Find Baris Bufe - Doner Kebab at 44 Long St!!

CPT Love,
Lisa Huang

Check out my Travel Blog here, and follow my adventures on Twitter! (@bestCapeTownSA)

I now understand why Business Trips are so taxing & tiring…

2 weeks, new office, more than 20 teams needed for meetings! That translates to living, breathing work 24/7, and it is virtually impossible to switch off.

Wanted to share this [China Edition] even though my blog is typically centered around Cape Town! Having lived & worked in China, with the family living in Shanghai since 2004, the Shenzhen experience was nothing like I imagined….!

Shenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China’s Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China’s first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones (SEZs).  In May 1980, Shenzhen was formally nominated as a “special economic zone”, the first one of its kind in China. It was given the right of provincial-level economic administration in November 1988.  ^{- sourced Wikipedia}

Walking around the city, it’s hard to imagine that merely 30years ago, this was a small village with farmlands as far as the eye can see! The government was able to start from scratch - designing the new city’s roads, infrastructure development, public transportation and more.  This was different from my experience in Shanghai, where it is an rarity to see blue skies as Shanghai is normally covered in a thick, grey smog…  Shenzhen was surprisingly GREEN - trees lining the streets, well maintained highways and underground subway system.  For a moment, I actually felt as if I was back in Singapore!

Typical street view of Shenzhen, home to the world’s 14th highest building (not picured)

It is actually surprisingly rare to find a “local” in Shenzhen - someone who is born & raised in the city.  With SZ’s close proximity to HK (connected by 6 land custom points), many businesses chose to open up shop in SZ for its convenience and lower cost.  During my 2 weeks spent in our office, I must have met over 100 colleagues, none of whom are from Shenzhen!

Not surprisingly, with the city’s boom and migration of people from other cities seeking jobs, price level raised sharply! To buy an apartment in the city, each sqm = RMB 20,000 - 40,000! In fact, the city is getting so expensive that some people actually choose to buy apartments on the HK side (across the border) and commute to work instead!

View of Shenzhen city from the top of LianHua Mountain - the strange building in the center is a government office!

Besides a great designed city, and first hand experience of rising price level (Food & beverage costs are on-par with Cape Town, rent is lower depending on how far out you live), I got to check out the night life near CoCo Park - a vibrant shopping area popular among locals & expatriates.  Surprisingly, I met 3 South Africans on my first night out!

South Africans in Shenzhen

Us: 1 American, 1 Thai, 1 Taiwanese
Them: 1 Irish, 1 British, 1 American, 3 South Africans

We met at an Irish pub in CoCo Park. On average, these “locals” have been living in Shenzhen for 5 years…. with the longest tenure = 8 years! Almost everyone spoke fluent Chinese, and the 3 South Africans were extremely confused when I greeted them with “Hoe gaan dit?” Patrick works on films production & deal in diamonds, while William/ Niel teach English to locals. They were from Jozi, Bloemfontein, and Cape Town - and only met each other in Shenzhen, China!

Learning about their experience living in China gave me a completely different perspective: having grown up in Asia, I no longer find China to be an “exciting” place to live in.  While I was mesmerized by the beauty and laidbackness of Cape Town, my new South African friends were thriving in the fast paced, constantly evolving Shenzhen. Despite missing braais & biltong, they’ve all been living in China for over 4 years now and still going strong!

When asked what they love most about Shenzhen, Patrick answered:  “Because China is where it is happening, right NOW. Especially Shenzhen - the city is expanding and growing so quickly, the exciting buzz is definitely addicting!”

Something to ponder.  Will post more soon!

CPT Love,
Lisa Huang

Check out my Travel Blog here, and follow my adventures on Twitter! (@bestCapeTownSA)

Cow. Slob. Pig.  How many insults can you hear before you have to stand up and defend the woman you love?  Tom faces just that question when he falls for Helen, a bright, funny, sexy young woman who happens to be plus-sized - and then some. 

And that sets the stage for the sparkling new show On Broadway in Cape Town, FAT PIG! Winner of the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Play in 2005 penned by American playwrite Neil LaBute, the play explores issues that we can easily identify with in our own lives: Self image, friendship, and love!   No spoilers but this is not your typical girl-meets-boy story: what happens when you fall in love with someone who is far from your “ideal”?

Attending a play on it’s preview night is always a gamble. Will the actors’ nerves will set off the show in a disasterous direction? Are the audience going to respond with the right energy?  Will the set fall apart….!?  There are so many factors that could go WRONG!  However, FAT PIG’s premier night truly wowed me! Colin Moss, Chanelle De Jager, Clayton Boyd, Lee-Anne Summers engaged the audience with incredible energy from the get-go: the first scene when Tom & Helen met, Carter’s larger than life narcissistic comments, Jeannie’s confrontation, I was living the lives of all 4 characters as the play unfolded in front of my eyes!  LaBute’s rhythmic and colloquial writing draws the audience in, and memories of the Carter, Jeannie, Tom & Helen in my life came naturally to me. 

After the show, we were treated to a Q&A session with the actors. It was incredible to hear their reactions to their first audience of the season: unexpected laughters, tears, anger and frustration at different stages… With a group of ACT Cape Town students present, the audience threw out technical questions such as

“How do you laugh so naturally, even after hearing the jokes a thousand times during rehersal?”

“Are lines re-interpretated constantly? Or do you stick to the script every night?”

Colin, Chanelle, Clayton & Lee-Anne answered each of the questions with light humour, giving acting tips to the students while conveying how their unique roles evolved over the past few months!  The one thing that truly stuck with me was Clayton’s comment:
“There is no such thing as a one-man monologue: it is simply a conversation where one gives and one takes.” 

Whether it be with a friend, a lover, or with your family, relationships can only formed when someone is willing to give!

Buy your tickets to the FAT PIG through OnBroadway’s website, call them at 021 424 1194, or grab the GrouponDeal today for discounted tickets at R59/person here! http://www.groupon.co.za/deals/cape-town/pay-r59-for-a-ticket-to-see-the-play-fat-pig-at-on-broadway-theatre-valued-at-r125—save-53-/803471/.OJbHET

Enjoy the show!

CPT Love,
Lisa Huang

Check out my Travel Blog here, and follow my adventures on Twitter! (@bestCapeTownSA)