Or this post could alternatively be titled, "How I came about my 8k pesos ballet shoes".
I should have known the taxi was a sign. I had mistakenly flagged down a Mercedes limo for a taxi to the airport. That's what you get for trying to hail a cab bleary-eyed at 4 am. I, of course paid more than the usual which I didn't know then would set the tone for the day.
I made it with more than enough time for check-in and boarding. By sunrise, I was up in the air on my way to Hong Kong. Now I've been transiting through the Hong Kong airport many times already. But this will be the first time I will actually enter the city. I've never had any important reason to go to Hong Kong before and it was never in my list of must-visit destinations. But I was in Hong Kong now for a very special reason.
I wish I could say that that I made my way out of the airport without mishap. But it seemed to be the day for me to channel Calamity Jane. I noticed something wrong with my left shoe even before I got to immigration. I took a sneak peek down and was horrified to see the sole of my left tiger-print ballet flat hanging by the barest of glue. The sole of my shoe was coming off right in the middle of Hong Kong airport with nary a shoe store in sight.
It didn't help that they made us line up at another immigration counter way over at the far side of the hall. I walked half dragging my left foot because God forbid that I leave my sole in the middle of Hong Kong airport.
I went to the bathroom and tried to find a remedy for my fashion disaster. I thought I was being a girl scout by bringing band-aids in case I get blisters from the ballet flats I was wearing. I didn't think to pack spare footwear since I wasn't even going to be a full day in the city.
The band aids proved to be useful in any case. I used them to tape my sole to the top of my shoe. I prayed very hard that it would hold as I tried to find my way out of the airport and into the city. Hong Kong is pretty easy to navigate and I was in Central in about half an hour. The next ordeal was to find the bridal shop all the while hoping that my shoe hold on to dear life for just a few hours more.
It took me quite a while to get my bearings and find the shop. I still had a few minutes to spare and my shoe looked like it was ready to say goodbye to the world so I went about shuffling around the mall looking for cheap footwear. It dawned on me that the mall I was in was of the posh variety. Their carrier store was Harvey Nichols for heaven's sake.
Uh-oh, said my wallet. Oh no, echoed my credit cards. After passing on Marc Jacobs, Sonia Rykiel and Tods, I came upon this little corner shop that had the prettiest ballet flats on display. I chose a grape colored suede pair to replace my dear departed tiger print ones. I got a shock when I saw the price. I quickly converted to SG dollars, got an even bigger shock and not content with that, I converted it to pesos also. I had in my hands 8k pesos shoes. They were very pretty 8k shoes but still 8k. To buy or not to buy? Actually the question was more like to buy or go barefoot. I took out my Mastercard and resigned myself to another priceless moment.
Thankfully, the rest of the trip went better. I had the best time trying on different wedding gowns in the shop. You know in the movies, where the bride-to-be stands on a pedestal admiring herself and her gown on a wall of mirrors? Well, I was living that movie moment in real life. It was so much fun!
The first gown I tried on was a Vera Wang and I didn't want to take it off. It was so beautifully poufy. Just right for a princess. I was no princess but I could pretend I was. :D Too bad, I couldn't afford the royalty-like price. They gave me several gowns to try on but I was in love by the time I tried on the third gown. This was IT. This was THE DRESS. I looked at the other gowns still hanging for me to try and I tried them all just for the fun of it. :D But I went back to the third dress and yup, it was still it. It was THE DRESS.
I have a gown to wear na! Whew, that takes a load off my mind. After paying the downpayment and ironing out the details, I went out the shop wanting to hop and skip in happiness. :D
It was still several hours before my flight and by that time my stomach was grumbling in protest. I spied this little salad bar and ordered detoxification salad and mango smoothie and read Eat, Pray, Love while eating.
I walked around the mall some more and had my fill of all the interesting things on display. The fashionable people (HK residents are so lucky to get cold weather), the totally delightful and drool worthy deli. Foie gras, prosciutto, jamon serrano, jamon iberico, beluga caviar. The to-die-for fall fashion in the shops. The Halloween displays. It was a feast for the senses.
I got back to SG at around 12:30 midnight. That made it almost 24 hours that I was awake. I was supposed to go work on Sunday but I really couldn't make it. Both the flesh and spirit were very unwilling. I just spent the day resting and planning my next Hong Kong trip.
Macau anyone?
No comments:
Post a Comment