PERSONAL | hypebeast hq

So here's some snapshots I took of Hypebeast HQ. I've been waiting to share these photos since July but had to wait for their publication on Spottly's new blog first. Before moving to Hong Kong I had no idea what Hypebeast was. It wasn't until I checked their facebook page did I realise what a huge international following they had - even some of my friends from Irvine were following them. And what was more surprising was finding out they were based in Hong Kong, of all cities!

I had a blast doing some behind-the-scenes shooting that day. It's such a treat to be able to visit people's creative spaces. Actually, one of my favourite daily reads is an online interview magazine that portrays people of diverse creative and cultural backgrounds in their homes and within their daily working environments. They've been one of my biggest inspirations this past year, so getting the opportunity to do something similar was just a great experience.

HONG KONG | cliff jumping

I'm really a city girl through and through. Therefore, when summer hits you'll probably find me at some coffee shop rather than tanning at the beach. It's actually a known fact that I despise the beach - my hair doesn't agree with the salty air, sand gets everywhere, and it's friggin' sunny out! But I dunno, maybe it's because I know summer's coming to an end so I thought that I should have one beach day while it's still warm out.

One of my friends and I have been talking about going cliff jumping in Sai Kung since June, but since she went off to study abroad in Berlin before we settled on a date we put the excursion on the back burner until she got back from her travels. I was actually pretty reserved about going at first because 1) I'm terrible at outdoor activities (it's a 30-40 min hike to Sai Wan) and 2) I know there's a 26 foot cliff waiting for me at the end of the hike.

But in the end this trip was one of the most rewarding experiences ever. I have to be honest and say I almost couldn't bring myself to jump off the cliff the first time when I finally made it to the top - got a bad case of jelly legs. I definitely underestimated the height but I had no choice but to jump because my friend had already gone before me, and to make matters worse there was an audience chanting "Jump! Jump! Jump!". So at that point I really couldn't climb down and still have my dignity intact (haha). So I did, and it was so fun, so scary, and so painful. Note: pinch nose before leaping. Here's a little { video }

PERSONAL | confession time

I sorta hate having my photo taken. While some people are born for the camera, I on the other hand was not - hence my preference to be behind it for most gatherings/events. However I always fear the day will come when I'm old and grey (or maybe just in my 50s or something haha) and discover I have no photos of myself from my 20s. When I was a kid one of my favourite pastimes was to flip through albums of photographs from my childhood. Looking back on these past few years, I realise how little I appear in my own albums. It really sucks that the only person I'm comfortable with to take photos of me is my sister - and vice versa for her I think. But given the fact that she's several thousand miles away at the moment I'm guessing a photo shoot's not happening anytime soon!

But on a slightly different tangent I'm also looking to practice my portrait photography. So if anyone's up for a (double) shooting session some time please let me know! :)

PERSONAL | currently working on...

One of the things I enjoy the most about my job is the opportunities to discover new spaces in my own city. Even if it just means taking a left turn instead of a right at the mall I pass through almost every week. In this case, I'm talking about IFC and it's amazing rooftop that nobody seems to take any notice of. However, the lack of rooftop activity is probably due to the fact that it was a blazing 35+ degrees outside that afternoon. I for one am ready for summer to be over so I can revert back to my vampiric ways. No more sun, please & thank you!

And since we're in the final stages of production I guess there's no reason for me to keep it quiet anymore: Spottly's starting a travel guide magazine and I'm going to be one of the contributing photographers in this project! Thats right - I'm going into print! I'm marking this as the first step towards my dream of working in editorial one day (whether it be through photography or graphic design) and I couldn't be more excited for the final product. So far 'Spottly Insiders' is going to be separated into two categories: print and digital. Both will feature interviews from hand-chosen influencers and their recommendations of their top favourite places to eat, shop, stay, and play in the current issue's featured city, which, in our case is Hong Kong (duh!). 

PERSONAL | familiar faces

A lot has happened over the past few weeks. My sister flew into Hong Kong for the summer and a few close friends also stopped by for a quick visit. Their timing couldn't have been better as I've been feeling a bit lost and confused as of late. I cannot begin to express how thankful I am to have friends and a sister who are willing to take the time to give me some sound, honest advice - especially during moments where my thoughts aren't exactly coherent and everything's just coming out like word vomit - thanks for being patient with me you guys. :)

Pictured: Kelly, Kat, and I took a small day trip to Stanley Market last Tuesday. This past week has been unbearably hot so we decided to wait until late afternoon to head out to the peninsula, which worked out beautifully as we arrived at the beach just as it hit golden hour (resulting in these gorgeously lit photos). But as tourist attraction goes, Stanley turned out to be painfully dull so we spent the rest of afternoon aimlessly strolling around, swapping stories, and eating gelato. One of our more laid back days this week.