Arriving at the ‘Create & Inspire’ event at Lane Crawford earlier this month, I felt like I had just stepped into a Jean-Philippe Delhomme painting.

Walking inside I was surrounded by a smartly dressed assortment of fashion insiders, movie stars, artists, celebrities, scenesters, creatives, posers and even a few suits.

My initial reaction – where am I? (more…)

Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (單身男女,) a Mandarin language film starring Daniel Wu, Louis Koo, and Gao Yuanyuan, is an inventive romantic comedy set in the offices of Hong Kong’s Central district.

While the film is solid and enjoyable (see the review below,) the big story here is the fact that it’s in Mandarin, starring Hong Kong stars, in a Hong Kong setting, by a Hong Kong director (Johnnie To.) After over 25 years of Cantonese-language dominance, is Hong Kong cinema about to return to its Mandarin-language past? (more…)

Papabubble, the artisan candy shop first founded in Barcelona in 2004, now has a branch in Hong Kong. The franchise, which specializes in hand-made and custom candy creations, has several stores around the world, including Tokyo, Taipei, and Seoul.

A quick peek inside Papabubble reveals an assortment of brightly-colored candies and fun, whimsical designs. (more…)

On Thursday, March 10th, the pool hall Racks is adding an additional game – darts! Already famous for hosting rowdy beer-pong competitions, the billiards bar was recently the site of a Puma Social event celebrating ‘after-hours athletes’. (more…)

Catch creative heavy-weights as the noted Semi-Permanent conference kicks off in Hong Kong for the first time on March 11th and 12th.

Big name designers Stefan Sagmeister and Danny Yount; photographer Kayt Jones, director Nabil Elderkin, as well as agencies Troika, Industrial Light & Magic, 180, Dainippon Type Organization, and Anomaly, will be giving talks and exhibiting work. Local favorite Simon Birch will also be involved. (more…)

Half-Baked is an ambitious concert featuring bands from Phnom Penh, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, performing up on The Peak! Let’s see, live music, plus new bands, plus a new venue? This looks great!

What kind of music is it? I’d go just for the headliner alone! According to the promoter, The Cambodian Space Project are influenced by “Cambodia’s pre-war psychedelic garage scene of the late sixties and early seventies.” (more…)

Actress Maggie Q. was once a familiar face around Hong Kong as one of the city’s top models. After dipping her toe in the film biz in Hong Kong, she left us for Hollywood to join the cast of several high-profile films such as the Mission Impossible, Die Hard, and Rush Hour franchises.

Her latest project is the starring role in the American prime-time TV series titled Nikita, where she plays a rogue assassin. (more…)