My 5 Favourite Disney Films + Fall DisneyBound Ideas!

Autumn has finally arrived! We may not see leaves of red and gold in Hong Kong, but folks here won’t pass up the chance to put their best foot forward when it comes to fall fashion!

In anticipation of sweater weather, I thought I might share a few DisneyBound ideas for the season, this time inspired by my five all-time favourite Disney animated films!

(By the way, the films are not in order of preference, because I don’t have just one favourite film. I can’t choose, so don’t ask me to!)

Belle from “Beauty and the Beast”

Belle is one of my favourite Disney princesses, and it’s not hard to see why. She loves to read and knows not to judge a book by its cover.

Jasmine from “Aladdin”

The soundtrack from “Aladdin” has got to be one of the best. It’ll be a long, long time before I get “Arabian Nights” out of my head.

Lilo from “Lilo and Stitch”

“Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.” Enough said.

Tiana from “The Princess and the Frog”

I’ve said it before, but Tiana really is underrated as a Disney princess and role model. She has two jobs and a dream of owning a restaurant, and to be honest, is much easier to relate to than a certain someone who only wanted to go to the ball.

Eve from “Wall-E”

Pixar just can’t stop making good films, and I’m not complaining. If two robots could fall in love, there’s hope for the rest of us.

Going to enjoy autumn while it lasts! Next thing you know, I’ll be complaining about the winter chill!

Disney Inspired Outfits: Dapper Day Ideas

In the past year, several vintage-inspired dresses have caught my eye. I don’t own any vintage clothing, but I’ve always loved the look of a fitted waist and a flared skirt. It’s romantic, feminine, and oh-so-timeless. Classic never goes out of style!

One of these days, I will make it to Disneyland on Dapper Day. It must be great fun to stroll around Disney with everyone is dressed to the nines! If only there’s Dapper Day in Hong Kong Disneyland… well, it might just happen if I wish hard enough!

Until then, I’ve got to be content with creating virtual outfits on Polyvore…

Minnie Mouse

She’s the best dressed mouse, after all.

Belle (Beauty and the Beast)

Be the Belle of the ball/park, complete with a book clutch!

Pocahontas

An adventure is just around the river bend.

Peggy Carter/Agent Carter

One of my favourite fictional characters EVER. She’s strong, stylish, and all-round amazing. Besides, Disney now owns Marvel, so I guess that sort of makes her a Disney character now?

This last one is simply vintage-inspired and not tied to any particular character. Although if you squint a little, it could pass for Minnie Mouse, or maybe Queen of Hearts? In any case, I would definitely love to go all out with a fascinator and lace gloves!

What do you think? Who’s your favourite character to Disneybound as?

Disney Inspired Outfit: Alice in Wonderland

“Sometimes I have believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” – Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll.

Some stories inspire like no other. This story in particular encourages you to go a little (or very) crazy, and I like to apply that to dressing up as well. I recently finished “Once Upon a Time in Wonderland”, and I just started on the book. Can you believe it took me this long to get my hands on the classic? Well, I’ve got a lot of catching up to do!

Thanks to a man named Walt, Alice and co. are now bona fide Disney characters, which means – DisneyBound!

Alice

“I knew who I was this morning, but I’ve changed a few times since then.” – Alice

The White Rabbit

“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.” – The White Rabbit

Check out the bunny ears on the sneakers!

Tweedledum and Tweedledee

Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Loving the bright primary colours!

Cheshire Cat

“I’m not crazy. My reality is just different from yours.” – Cheshire Cat

Caterpillar

“Who are you?” – Caterpillar

I’m a girl who’s madly in love with this look, down to the mini hookah necklace.

Mad Hatter

Speaking of mad, it doesn’t get crazier than this, for me anyway. Some people would consider this quite tame. If you look closely, you’ll see that the top features a teapot print. Insanely adorable!

The Flamingo

Apparently there is no shortage of flamingo-themed clothing and accessories in the fashion world. These were so cute, I had to create a second look.

Believe it or not, I don’t actually have much pink in my wardrobe. I think I just found a way to sneak this colour in!

Finally, Her Royal Majesty…

The Queen of Hearts

“Off with her head!” – Queen of Hearts

Then where would my earrings go?

The Queen deserves an outfit change too, bien sûr. This is my absolute favourite. That top is calling out to me (as do all striped Breton tops).

C’est tout! I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I had fun creating it. And now, the most inspirational quote:

I’ll drink (tea) to that. And have a macaron or twelve.

Disney Inspired Outfit: Cinderella

“You shall go to the ball.”

And with those six little words, Cinderella’s life would never be the same again.

Updated for a new generation, the live-action remakes are coming into a league of their own. While they won’t ever replace the classic Disney animated films, these movies breathe new life into the fairy tales we know and love with stunning imagery. And gorgeous costumes.

That’s a lot of swish.

As usual, I had a little fun on Polyvore and came up with a couple of outfits inspired by (what else?) the new Cinderella film. (Yay I’m actually keeping up with the times!)

I’m sure I’ve got an invitation to the royal ball lying around somewhere.

Here’s a more versatile version that can worn to work, on a date, and even to Disneyland.

What I love about a simple pale blue dress is that it also works for an Alice in Wonderland disneybound look. Well, maybe next time. I’ve got till midnight before my ride turns back into pumpkin!

Kinsale Kennedy Town

As of yesterday, I have been working at my current company for exactly two years. Two years, can you believe it? It’s been an incredible journey, one worth celebrating, and so we (my boss, my colleague, and I) headed to Kinsale last night for an anniversary dinner!

Kinsale is located at the edge of Kennedy Town, near Fish & Chick. Its proximity to the harbour means it’s almost always windy, and last night we worked up quite an appetite walking in the cold! Luckily, it was all warm and cozy once we went inside.

The complimentary bread was served warm, which was a massive bonus. The crust was perfectly… crusty? Anyway, the bread was pretty good, or maybe I was just too hungry!

I discovered arancini (stuffed rice balls) for the first time at Portobello, Downtown Disney, years ago, and they were amazing. Here at Kinsale, the sundried tomato and taleggio cheese arancini was also incredibly tasty. The little balls of wonder were served with beetroot relish, roasted garlic aioli, and a rocket and parmesan salad. There’s just something about food that’s crispy and cheesy, isn’t there?

For our main course, we shared a whole slow cooked, roasted rock hen, with honey roasted baby carrots, new potatoes with paprika and rosemary salt, bread sauce, and red wine jus. More sauce or jus would have been better, as the chicken was on the dry side. The rest of the dish was lovely, especially the potatoes. We loved how they were thinly sliced and beautifully presented.

It’s no secret that I love savoury cheesy food, and this mac and cheese was a solid side dish! The flavours were well-balanced and the cheesiness wasn’t overpowering. The bacon added a glorious smokiness. If I were feeling less hungry (“if” being the operative word), this could stand alone as a main, maybe topped with some greens.

The spiced peach and pineapple crumble with vanilla bean ice-cream was a delightful tropical alternative to the usual apple crumble. Great for two (or more) to share!

The “black forest” consisted of white and dark chocolate mousse, brownie bites, marinated cherries, and torched marshmallows. Aside from the white chocolate mousse which was too sweet, I loved everything about the dish. The dark chocolate mousse was perfectly bittersweet and the crumble on the side provided textural contrast. And the torched marshmallows? Magic in a mouthful. It’s inspiring me to get a bag of marshmallows and a blowtorch.

Both desserts were HUGE and as delicious as they were, we struggled to finish them. If it’s just two of you on a date, one dessert would be aplenty. (You could always get a second dessert in a to-go bag to enjoy back home. :p)

My biggest complaint about the place would be that it’s not well-lit at all. It may make for a romantic ambience, but it was a little difficult to read the menu. I had to use flash for all the photos, otherwise you’ll be reading comments accompanied by images of indistinguishable dark lumps. On the bright side (see what I did there?), Kinsale offers brunch on weekends, and it’ll be an incentive to wake up early on a Sunday.

Alright, eggs benedict, here I come!

Kinsale
Shop 2, New Fortune House, Kennedy Town, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2796 6004
http://www.kinsale.com.hk/

Disney Inspired Outfit: Winnie the Pooh

In the week leading up to our Disneyland day trip, I knew I wanted to put together an outfit inspired by a Disney character, but I had no idea what would work. There were so many things to take into consideration! The outfit had to be:

– comfortable
– flattering
– weather-appropriate
– bright in colour
– inspired by a character I really like
– obvious without looking like a costume

It wasn’t easy, but finally an ensemble ticked all the boxes, and then it was a mad rush to get to the park before the crowds hit. (No such luck – we’re in Hong Kong after all!)

Sweater and tulle skirt from Forever 21, leggings from Uniqlo, boots from Rockport.

Magical moment of the day: when Winnie the Pooh got really excited!

Never mind that DisneyBound is probably unheard of in Hong Kong and possibly the rest of Asia, excluding Japan where they take dressing up to a whole new stratosphere. This Disney geek is going all out to have fun!

Anyway, I was playing around on Polyvore, and did a little virtual disneybounding again…

Similar to what I wore, but everything looks nicer on an inspiration board.

A more casual outfit, also suitable for going to a Disney park!

Not a Disney inspired outfit, but Valentine’s Day is coming up and style-wise, it’s a great time for all things fun, flirty, and romantic. And as far as Disney goes, I might do a Mickey and Minnie inspired Valentine’s Day look, so stay tuned!

Shopping at Hong Kong Disneyland

Who’s ready for some Tsum Tsum madness? Tsum Tsum, which translates to “stack stack”, is a plush toy that’s the latest craze in Japan, and it’s taken the world by storm! These little babies are cuter than cute, and impossible to resist! The rides weren’t a priority while we were at Disneyland last week (and the crazy long queues didn’t help either), so we spent a lot of time in the various gift shops instead, and started a little Tsum Tsum family of our own. I have a feeling that it’s only going to grow…

Aren’t they just adorable? Hong Kong Disneyland also has other characters available, such as Duffy and Shellie May, along with Woody, Buzz and the Toy Story gang. I decided to go with the more “central” characters. It took a lot for me not to buy them all! There were also some characters I was looking out for, but as of now they’re not yet available in Hong Kong.

Big Hero 6! Aaaahhhh Baymax is impossibly cute!!! But alas, this collection is only available in Japan.

Chip and Dale Tsum Tsum… pillows? These are for our bed, and they’re so huggable!

The chipmunks and their babies. The mini ones are perfect for a small child’s grasp, and kids all over the park were holding one in each hand. The large ones are probably more popular with big kids like myself. :p

A mini Tsum Tsum costs HKD58 (~S$10), while a large Tsum Tsum costs HKD168 (~S$30). In a way, the latter is more value for money, but cuteness does not adhere to logic.

You sense a theme going on here, don’t you? On a side note, we’re going to need a larger refrigerator to accommodate all the magnets purchased during our travels.

Yep, even the cookie tin (containing chocolate chip cookies) isn’t spared. But it stops here!

Before the Tsum Tsum invasion, Disney pins were all the rage, and they still hold their own, especially with the sweetest designs like this one. Another collection in the making, perhaps?

The Pooh ears, which complete my Winnie the Pooh #disneybound look.

A bag that perfectly unites of two things I simply adore: Disney and nautical fashion. Now I can easily inject a little Disney into every day! This tote is poised to be my summer companion, although I won’t be able to wait that long!

Half bangle, half charm bracelet, 100% desirable. I don’t usually get bracelets as many are too large/long/chunky for my small wrist, but this one fits like a dream. And the tiny Mickey-shaped key is too precious.

Even the shopping bag is so pretty! I can’t bring myself to throw it out even though there’s a tear in it! Does anyone have any ideas on how it can be repurposed?

Here’s the entire gang! In case you were wondering, we had a coupon for 30% off everything we bought that day, so the total came up to a little over HKD1200 (~S$200). I’m in love with every single item, so it’s definitely worth it!

Also, we had three chances to participate in a lucky draw, which resulted in the three giant paper clips on the top right corner. I’d have loved to win a stay at the Disneyland Hotel, and who wouldn’t? Hmm… speaking of that, maybe I’ll start planning my next Disney trip. Christmas, perhaps? 😉

 

P.S. Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, Part Two is now available here!

Magic Never Ends: Hong Kong Disneyland 2015

I’d like to start by saying how incredibly blessed I am to have a partner who loves me and is willing to be part of my Disney adventure. With the exception of my very first Disneyland trip at age 11, he’s been on this journey with me all this while, sorting out the logistics, reading the maps, and putting up with my fangirl craziness. So thank you, Edwin, for everything, and I look forward to more Disney madness with you in the future!

Okay, enough gushing. Picture time!

Took the Disney-themed MTR (Hong Kong’s metro/subway), and got into the mood early with leopard-print Mickey ears from Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom. Why buy something if you’re only going to wear it once?

Also, can you guess which character inspired my outfit?

Ta-daa! Disneybounding isn’t as easy as it looks! I had to put together something that not only suited a particular colour palette, but was also comfortable, weather-appropriate, and flattering. The colour of my tulle skirt is a little muted, but it’s the closest I’ve got, and I’m quite happy with the outfit!

Toy Story Land, unique to Hong Kong Disneyland! Unfortunately, it was crazy crowded that day, and we barely took any rides!

Mystic Point is a new area, also unique to Hong Kong Disneyland. It is home to Mystic Manor, its main attraction. True to Disney, there’s a cute little story behind it. It was our first time in this section of the park, so we had to explore!

The Mystic Manor ride is fairly different from other Disney rides, and I’d describe it as a cross between Haunted Mansion and Night at the Museum, if anyone were to make a ride inspired by the film. Definitely entertaining! There’s also a “car” for wheelchair users, which is good to know!

The Explorer’s Club Restaurant in Mystic Point serves dishes inspired by “travels to exotic lands”.

Thanks, but I’ll pass. I didn’t come all the way to Disneyland to have Hainanese chicken rice.

At Grizzly Gulch, with my favourite chipmunks in the world. Dale kissed me again! (The first time was way back in 2010.) He must really like me.

Grr… I’m hungry! Where’s my lunch?

Given the insane crowds, we decided to take it easy and have a leisurely lunch at Main Street Corner Cafe, which offered a special Coca-Cola set menu. The starter was a slab of smoked salmon with papaya and avocado salad on sour cream dill sauce and molecular Coca-Cola. The little caviar bubbles of coke were interesting!

From the a la carte menu, the cream of wild mushroom latte with truffle oil-flavoured milk foam was a bit of a gamble, but it paid off. The latte (or soup, really) was unbelievably tasty, and the paper-thin mushroom slices were a perfect topping. Turned out to be the highlight of the meal!

Also from the a la carte menu, the Cobb salad featured lobster, pastrami, chicken, smoked salmon, quail egg, and avocado, making this was one filling and luxurious salad!

However, the slow-roasted pork belly with vegetable barley risotto and Coca-Cola balsamic gravy was a disappointment. The pork belly was tender but the skin lacked crunch, and the balsamic gravy was overpowering. The vegetables were undercooked and the risotto was bland. What a departure from our previous dining experience at the Corner Cafe!

Luckily, the meal ended on a fairly sweet note, with a Coca-Cola chocolate mousse cake and Coca-Cola granita. I would have preferred it to be more chocolate-y though. The granita was good, but there just wasn’t enough of it!

In case you didn’t already know, Coca-Cola has had a long partnership with Disney, hence you’ll only see Coca-Cola products being sold in Disney parks. At the entrance, a family was stopped and told to dispose of their unopened Pepsi can. The mother refused to let it go to waste, so there was a long debate and I didn’t stick around to find out the ending.

Scoured the park to find Pooh ears, finally found a pair in one of the souvenir carts in a lonely corner! And it was the last pair too! Ah, ’twas meant to be!

“Frozen” music boxes. Guess what song they play?

If imitation is the best form of flattery, then there was a very happy bear in the park that day. He was dancing and doing lots of fun poses with me!

Muahahaha too bad for the kids waiting in line, I’m savouring my magical Disney moment!

When we left, Pooh kissed my hands! Sweeter than hunny, that one. Okay that settles it, I’m going to #disneybound every time we go to a Disney park!

I love the spontaneity of this shot! Goofy, all decked out for Chinese New Year, was the wackiest, tickling us and messing up our hair.

As I mentioned, we didn’t go on many rides. We watched “Festival of The Lion King”, which was good, as always. The rest of the time was spent in the souvenir shop on Main Street, before heading out to watch the new nighttime parade “Disney Paint the Night”, which was all bright lights and club music, but more wholesome and Disney-fied. We then squeezed in one more ride on Space Mountain and had a quick dinner before catching the fireworks display.

And that’s it! Who knows when the next Disney adventure will be? Until then, I’ve got some great memories (and souvenirs) to tide me through. I’ll be doing up a post about our Disney shopping, so stay tuned for that!

Disney Inspired Outfit: Tiana

Who loves Disney and fashion? I know I do. When these two collide, it’s known as “disneybounding“, and I hope it’s a trend that’s here to stay. Check out the DisneyBound tumblr – it’s amazing!

In between sorting the latest Disney photos (post coming up next!), I was playing around on Polyvore and decided to do a little virtual disneybounding myself. Tiana is one of my favourite Disney characters, and in my opinion, one of the most underrated. She’s smart, ambitious, and hardworking, which makes for a good role model for young children.

With a little creativity, you could inject a little Disney into your regular outfits, and even put together a special occasion look inspired by Disney characters. What I really love is an outfit that can be worn to a Disney park. Where better to show your love for Disney than the Happiest Place on Earth, surrounded by other fans?

This dress is not only green, but has details that resemble a water-lily. How cool is that? These yellow flats complement the dress beautifully, and comfort is a must, what with all that walking! Cute accessories complete the look (I added some lily inspired pink to keep it from being overly “green”), and a small sling bag is great for holding the essentials. Just no croc skin – Louis would be horrified!

We’re almost there, folks. Stay tuned to read about our latest Disney adventure, coming up next!

An American Mouse in Paris

My love for Disney is no secret. Our Disneymoon (way back in 2012) is still the best trip we’ve ever had. I loved every moment spent in Disney World, and I have to go back someday, maybe with the little ones in tow! And in case you’re interested, here’s the six-part series:

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six

When we planned our Europe trip last September, there was no way I was going to miss Disneyland Paris. So with a little fairy dust (and mostly lots of clickety-click), we found ourselves in a Disney park once more!

I’ve also decided that I want to go to Disneyland Paris again (more on that later), and stay at the gorgeous Disneyland Hotel next time.

Token #selfie onboard the Autopia.

I saw Wall-E and Eve from afar and ran towards them like a madwoman even though they’re not going anywhere. I couldn’t help my excitement. “Wall-E” was the very first movie that Edwin and I watched together, and so it holds a special place in my heart.

Now and always.

Waiting in line at “Star Tours”, which turned out to be incredibly boring. The one in Disney World was much, much better. (I might be doing lots of comparisons, please bear with me!)

“Space Mountain: Mission 2”, on the other hand, had some scary space madness going on.

Edwin and I were screaming our faces off, but the dudes behind us seemed pretty chill.

We had lunch at Cafe Hyperion, and you can see that I was thrilled with having a Magnum Mini for dessert.

The dining area also had this auditorium-like space and there were screenings of Disney-Pixar short films, some I knew and some new to me. My favourite is “Day & Night”.

“Le Pays des Contes de Fées” (The Land of Fairy Tales), a voyage through beautifully detailed miniature storybook lands.

The cottage of the seven dwarves, and Rapunzel’s tower in the background.

Belle’s village, from “Beauty and the Beast”. Simply stunning.

“We’re off to see the wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz!”

Looking more like a happy jail-bird than the Queen of Hearts, but oh well. By the way, “Alice’s Curious Labyrinth” is not just for kids! Several adults, including ourselves, got lost within the maze too!

“Peter Pan’s Flight” was one of my favourite rides in Magic Kingdom, so I had high hopes for this one. But alas, it was another disappointment. The poor lighting, awkward arrangement of the set, and less-than-smooth ride made for one very confusing experience. 😦

Somewhere in every Disney park, it’s Christmas all year round.

Do you want to buy a snowman?

So… Anna and Elsa have been relegated to being store displays. #letitgo

“Beautiful” is an understatement.

Can’t go home without a Disney castle #selfie!

With my prince. 🙂

“Phantom Manor”, which is the Parisian equivalent of “Haunted Mansion”. It’s just as spooky, made all the more chilling by the Cast Members who were really into it. I’m quite the chicken when it comes to such rides, and one of the Cast Members made me almost scream out loud.

As dusk fell upon us, we gathered in front of the castle in anticipation of the fireworks show. So far, I was having mixed feelings about Disneyland Paris. About a third of the attractions were closed for refurbishment, and half the dining spots were closed too. In some areas of the park, it was as though we had walked into a ghost town.

On the bright side, with so few guests in the park, there were hardly any queues. The longest we waited in line was maybe ten minutes, and there was absolutely no need for FASTPASS.

Anyway, I was beginning to feel like Disneyland Paris was a bit of a disappointment, and maybe not worth a second visit. Then the fireworks show commenced.

And it was PERFECT.

Some of the songs were in French, and others were in English. It didn’t matter. These beloved Disney songs were woven together into a medley that told a story of its own, interspersed with the most breathtaking effects. The arrangement was flawless and surpassed even Magic Kingdom, which I didn’t think was possible.

Needless to say, pictures don’t do it justice. But you have to at least see a little of what I’m raving about.

Ah… It was beautiful, touching and magical, and now I just want to go there again. Brilliant.

And guess what? I am! Well, not to Paris, but Hong Kong Disneyland is certainly good enough. We’ll be going next week, and I can’t wait! Can’t even begin to describe how awesome it is to live in a city that’s home to a Disney park.

Hopefully, I’ll be able to blog again soon. Until then, have faith, trust, and a good dose of pixie dust!