SO MUCH TO UPDATE!

Ahhh! My mom was here with me for the past week so we were out and about and I had no time to blog here! But I have soooo many things to add: we went to Ocean Park amusement park, Thanksgiving, some ridiculous castings and I MOVED into a different model's apartment and have an amazing new roomie, Erika!

I have tons of pictures too, but somewhere during the move my camera card reader got lost in the shuffle, so I need to go buy another one today before I can upload pics!

Expect a ton of freaking updates soon! :)

xoxoxxxxo

Mom and I <3

Yay for pictures:

The other day we both got foot massages! SO NICE! A 50 minute foot massage was less than $15 a person. Back massages will be soon.... :)


Last night we took the Tram up to The Peak, which is the very top of Hong Kong with an AMAZING view of the city.
An illustration of the view from th tram. It's beautiful.


Anndddd, the Christmas decorations are starting here. So far the ones I've seen have been totally cheesy, though. Sweet Christmas? They didn't get the memo it's MERRY Christmas.


Mom at dinner at the Peak


The view from the peak unfortunately didn't come out :(
but Mom did :)


bahah we gave ourselves facials with these mudmasks we bought from SaSa, which is like their version of Sephora. They are all over the city.


She looks breathtaking, no?

Toothpaste Casting Experience

So it's not uncommon to be asked to do crazy things on castings. I had a casting for a toothpaste commercial the other day that was completely ridiculous.

I assumed that I would probably just have to smile cheesily into the camera, pretend to brush my teeth...whatever, nothing too complicated. I was WRONG WRONG WRONG.

So I get there, and they hand me a leotard and tights to put on. Oh no. So they call me in and ask me if I know how to dance ballet. Sure I can, I lie. (That's casting rule number 1: Always say you can, even if you can't. If you say you can't then there's not even a CHANCE you'll get the job).

They turn on the camera and tell me to go ahead, and of course to smile while dancing because this is for a toothpaste commercial after all. So I proceed to leap and twirl and spin, and try to look as graceful as possible while trying to keep a smile on my face...this was NOT easy. Everyone who knows me knows that I am NOT graceful; in fact, I'm pretty clumsy most of the time (hello, I walked head first into a pole in Boston that one weekend, right girls ;) haha). I looked like an absolute mess; I'm a model, not a ballerina! So when I finished, the lady taking the video looked a bit on the stunned side, thanked me, and I left.

I am obviously not holding my breath for this job, and I am still a bit troubled that there is a video of this whole disaster caught on film for eternity. I'm sure whoever is doing the casting will get a good laugh after my tape.

Mom's in town!

Woo! My mom flew into HK yesterday, and will be here with me for a whole 9 days..so exciting! I worked out a deal with the agency and she is living with me in my apartment for the equivalent of $18 US dollars a night. SO CHEAP.

We went out and played in Lan Kwai Fong last night, the area with tons of bars and clubs. We might have had a bit too much fun ;). I had such good pictures to post, but I'm an idiot and forgot to put the memory card in my camera. Ugh. Sooo I'll have to wait to see if I can get those up, but they might be best unseen haha.

Today we went to Mon Kok, which is a HUGE outdoor street market selling all cheap stuff made in China of course. It's like China Town in NYC on steroids, except everything is even LESS expensive. You can buy anything from counterfeit bags and watches, jewelry, scarves, trinkets, clothing, shoes and a whole bunch of other junk that you probably don't need. Bargaining with the vendors is half the fun; they can be so aggressive!

We wandered and found a couple of cool hole in the wall places to eat; we're eating like the locals. Rachel you would starve over here! But anyone who is adventurous with food and likes Chinese would absolutely love it.

I'll get some pictures of us floating around the city up here soon!!

November 19th

So today was pretty fun; I only had one casting this morning, so after that I mostly wandered around the city going in and out of shops, and I got my nails done. So I have some thoughts and pictures to share!

(Click the pics to make them bigger)

The City

My Manicure:

I went to the agency today and asked Naomi, one of the girls who works there where I could go to get a quick and inexpensive manicure; she sends me to "Suki Nail". I walk in and there are 8 manicurists standing around, and no other customers in there; good sign to start...

So after fighting it out (not) Kary becomes my "nail beautician" as her name tag says. I am surprised that Kary can even button her jeans let alone give manicures, since her own nails are more like talons, and are covered in glitter, jewels, and flowers. They look a bit like this, no joke, but they may have been longer (and with more sparkles if possible) :


I have noticed a trend over here with this type of "nail art". Tons of girls have them. If we are being honest, I think they are completely hideous let alone functional, but no one seems to care. I prefer an understated pale pink manicure thanks, but whatever floats their boats is cool.

This may have been one of the worst manicures I've ever had, for various reasons. Half way through (like they do in the states in some cheap places) Kary asked me if I wanted my eyebrows waxed; needless to say I respectfully declined, lest I end up looking permanently surprised like she did. Not 5 minutes after I left I noticed I had smudged a finger. Boo.

Anyways, I won't be returning to "Suki Nail". Moving on...

Shopping:

Okay, I have something else to bitch about: "No Fitting". SO MANY little shops have signs all over their clothing store stating that you are not allowed to try the clothes on before you make your purchase. You wouldn't believe how common this is, and the people seem to be okay with it. "No Fitting" would be fine, provided you were allowed to return or exchange them if they did not fit...but you CAN'T! Does anyone else think this is ridiculous??? I should buy a pair of jeans without trying them on, that I'm not even allowed to return if they don't fit? Ummmm....no.


I saw these necklaces in a shop and thought they were hilarious. Would people actually wear a huge clunky Santa necklace like this? Sadly, I know the answer to this question, and it is yes they will...
Some tragic mannequins outside a cheap clothing shop. Unfortunately, these are a good indication of the current Hong Kong street fashions...

A cheap bootleg DVD store I found on some random alley! I bought 3 DVD's for $19 HK each, which equals $2.50 USD! yay!


Cheap shoe store = HOPELESS.


"Rock the Playboy If You Don't Swing Don't Ring". What? Does this mean anything to anyone?



Today I discovered "Export Fashion shops". Translation= "we stole these clothes right from the factories in China and are selling them to you at what they are really worth", which is next to nothing. These shops are FILLED with name brand clothing, stuff like Abercrombie, American Eagle, Ann Taylor Loft, Juicy Couture, Calvin Klein, Polo, etc. Most of the clothes have the original brand name tags on them.

Remember how you spent $80 US dollars on that pair of Abercrombie jeans? Well they are selling those same jeans here for $80 HK dollars, or $10 USD. Ouch, I know.

Peek-churrs!

Some random pics that I wanted to get up. I didn't have tons of time to snap around the city today but more fun shots tomorrow!



Bright eyed, bushy tailed, and ready for castings!



That's the front and back of my comp card over here.







How amazing is the metro? New Yorkers be jealous.

Mikimoto Jewlery Editorial

So my job today was for Mikimoto, which is REALLLYYY expensive, REALLYY beautiful Jewelry. And when I say expensive, I mean it- one of the necklaces I wore today was $150,000 HK dollars; So divide that by 8, and that's about $18,750 USD.

We shot it in the actual jewelry store which originally I thought was weird, but now I can't say I blame them. I wouldn't want around $100,000 worth of diamonds and pearls carelessly floating around in some photography studio.

So anyways, it was alright..nothing too exciting. The clothing was by Celine and was also beautiful. I only have a couple pictures that I asked the make-up artist to snipe for me:


Don't ask me what kind of fur that is...I have no clue but it was soft.


Remember how I dedicated a whole post to specifically bitch about my shoe troubles? Well, not only would these have been ridiculously uncomfortable if they WERE my size, they were a size 38, and I could BARELY cram my feet in to them and could only waddle. So that was fun.


Showing off some jewels.

That is all :)

My Apartment

Camera came in the mail today, woo! So I can finally start documenting this trip properly. I keep seeing interesting things I want to photograph, so now I can and will add them here.

In the mean time, here are a few shots of my apartment. It's nothing special, but it works.




I told you it was tiny! Plus a little bathroom/shower and that is all.

Anyways, I have an editorial job tomorrow, so I'll get to take my camera with me yay :) Hopefully it will be worth documenting and I'll post some pics tomorrow.

xx sam

Asian Pop Music

So I get 9 channels on TV in my apartment, and none of them are in English. Great. So recently I've been getting a kick out of watching Asian pop music videos; I have no idea what they are actually saying, but they are certainly entertaining. I just finished watching this one called "Kiss Me Kiss Me" by Lee Hyun Ji.



She basically sings in "Changlish", or a mixture of Chinese and English which I think is weird. Here is the link for anyone who wants a good laugh...I found one with English subtitles!:

"Kiss Me Kiss Me"

I also saw this one which was pretty quality, called "U-Go-Girl" by Lee Hyori. Almost as entertaining as the other one:

"U-Go-Girl"

After watching a few videos like this Britney and others are starting to look talented...

Shoes in Asia

I'd like to take this opportunity to bitch...about shoes. Are you coming to Asia? Do you have big feet? (And by "big" I mean size 9 and above, so not really that big). If yes, then you better make sure you pack a great variety to last your whole trip because GOOD freaking LUCK finding your size here.

There are tons of random shoe stands lining the streets all over the place, and they never have large sizes because the people here have such tiny feet! The largest size they usually have is a 39, which is NOT as large as a European 39. So I take a size 40, meaning here I need a 41. Forget about it; they laugh when I ask them if by some miracle they happen to have my size. This drives me absolutely crazy. That is all.

/rant.

Traveling and Relationships

I wouldn't recommend mixing the two. This is a lose lose situation- damned if you do and damned if you don't. No matter what, somebody ends up unhappy. If you decide to go, then whoever you leave behind is inevitably miserable. If you decide to pass on the opportunity, then you may regret it forever, and will likely have to live with what-if's.

It sucks.

Hi

So this is weird. I never thought I would be the type to make a "blog". Reason 1 because I never thought I would have enough cool things to say, and reason 2 because it still seems a bit narcissistic to me, assuming that there will be people who would actually care enough about my life to want to read about it. But as I'm sitting here in Hong Kong alone in my apartment, it seemed sort of like the thing to do...to document this "adventure" as my mom likes to call it. I think STARTING the blog is the hardest part; then when you get it going you just add little things as they happen. But I've already been here a whole WEEK, so I have a bit of catching up to do.

I'm currently living alone....annnndddd it sucks. I keep bitching about this to my friends, family, and other models as I meet them because I really do wish I had roommates, but no one understands! Everyone I talk to keeps telling me how lucky I am: roommates can suck, no privacy, etc etc. But okay, I'm lonely! Imagine going to a place on the other side of the world completely ALONE, and then not even having roommates to go out with, play with, show you the best places to eat and shop...it's sort of rough. But okay, to be fair I did have 1 roommate, Leanne, who was here when I first arrived. But she left after only a couple of days to go home, so I didn't want to get too attached. She introduced me to one good local friend she'd made who is currently the ONLY person I've hung out with since. Sad I know...I'm feeling a bit on the pathetic side right now haha. Alone and friendless. Ugh.

I am living in the apartment the agency has designated for "Americans and Canadians", so obviously there aren't any others here really. I am wishing for a roommate soon! The apartment is pretty small; there is a tiny little kitchen, bathroom, "living room" with a very small TV, and two bedrooms. Each bedroom has a bunk-bed, so presumably the agency is going to try to shove 3 more girls in here. That will be super tight. One more girl, maybe two would be perfect if they are both living in the other bedroom. Haha I'm ridiculous- I'm unhappy living alone, and I'm complaining how tight it will be living in here with 4 girls. Apparently I am impossible and cannot be pleased.

I wish I had my CAMERA! I cannot even believe I forgot to pack it. I mean, isn't that the one thing that most normal people double check for? I came prepared with all the necessary plugs, cords, batteries and then forgot to pack the freaking camera...I would. Mom has shipped it to me so I'll hopefully get it soon. Then ASAP I'll add pictures of everything and anything. Until then this is going to be a pretty boring blog. I mean no one likes to read, only look at pictures, right? I know I'm like that most of the time ahah.

So here are some random things I've seen/done/noticed since I've been here worth sharing:

The Agency
My agency over here is Elite. Check out their cheese-ball website HERE.

It is ridiculous to me how different the style of pictures they like over here is from NYC. In New York it's okay to look tough, or weird, or different or whatever. Here they want everyone to look like a sweet, innocent, 15 year old...which I do not...or maybe I do, I just don't think I do..look very sweet that is. They are supposedly a really good one over here though. Their office is nice, about a 5 min walk from my apartment. Honestly though, I don't think they are very friendly. I'm thinking it might be a cultural difference. Like, I walk in and am ignored. Ookkayyyy, you guys can at least say "HI", I mean you flew me over here to work, right, so don't you care that I'm here? Mmm, guess not.

My first day there they take my measurements and tell me I am so tall. I am 5'10", ie, average height for a model in the states. I think I just seem so tall to them because they are all so short. And walking down the street here I feel very tall, especially when standing in a crowded elevator with all Asians. This always cracks me up.

The MTR
The metro system here, or MTR, is completely amazing. Everything is ridiculously clean, and the trains look like something out of the Jetsons. I am serious. PICTURES will come as soon as my camera comes. The MTR puts the NYC subway to shame. I realize though that obviously their subway system is so new and the one in NYC is old, but I feel like even if NYC's subway WAS new that Americans just don't have the same respect and pride to keep it clean and not throw their garbage on the ground. Eating or drinking is not allowed in the metro, and people follow the rules. Everyone follows the rules with everything. Imagine that. That would never happen back home. All of the stations too are so well marked from the outside, and I appreciate it SO much. NYC can really take a lesson here...I can't tell you the countless times I've wandered around in a 5 block radius for 20 minutes back home just trying to find the freaking subway entrance.

Fur Charity Fashion Show
So yesterday I did my first job. I didn't even really get the satisfaction of BOOKING this job, though, because I basically took my old roommates spot who couldn't do the show because she was leaving. So I got it. It was for Frede Derick (whoever that is), and ahahah it was interesting.

The day was SO LONG. I got there at 10 am and got home at 11:30 pm. I am REALLY disappointed I didn't have my camera to document this because it was certainly note worthy. The hair was HUGE: they gave us big pouffy (and stiff from hair spray) 60's bouffants. Make-up was dark red lips and smoky eyes. All together it looked a bit streetwalker-ish I thought. I met a bunch of the other girls that are with Elite which was nice (yay potential friends!), but either A. they are leaving to go home in a week, or B. They don't speak English very well. Language barriers are tough. It sucks. I get very excited to meet girls from America...much easier to relate.

I tried to find pictures of the show online, but google comes up in Chinese...big help. Oh well. CAMERA PLEASE GET HERE!

Other Random things:

***Yay! There is a McDonalds across the street from my apartment. Mmm

***I am officially obsessed with Sudoku (thanks Rach and Mike!). I can't stop playing it.

***There is a maid that comes to clean the apartment 2x/week. This would be great if the bitch didn't steal my favorite Lion King towel!

***Almost every day I pass by an outdoor store thing that sells birds-all kinds. Parakeets, tropical ones, LOUD ones, parrots. I stop by every day and say hi to the parrots for like 10 minutes. (Rebby you would HATE it..because there are random ones just flying around. And it is so loud in there they don't stop chirping and squaking.

Okay. I am going to end this post. WOW it is long. Plus I just am so disappointed I can't add pictures yet. Boo. The pictures will make a big difference I think..will make the blog much more interesting. I hope :(

Love and miss everyone at home,
xoxo
Sam