Big Smog

Royal Caribbean's cruise liner: The Mariner of the Seas

We head on board the Mariner of the Seas to check out Kai Tak's maiden berthing. On Wednesday 12th June, amidst much fanfare, Royal Caribbean's cruise liner Mariner of the Seas became the first vessel to dock at the new $8.2 billion Kai Tak cruise terminal. It heralds a new era in cruising for Hong Kong (yeah not that kind of cruising), with the largest ships in the world now able to dock in the harbour – something that was never possible at the smaller Ocean Terminal dock in TST.

The arrivals hall looking shiny and new

The new terminal is set to transform Kowloon, boasting an immigration hall that can clear 3,000 passengers within an hour, one of the largest landscaped gardens in Hong Kong, (23,000 sq. metres) as well as a gigantic car park and transport terminus. It is capable of berthing the largest cruise ships in the world, which weigh in at well over 200,000 tonnes.

The vessel which docked in Hong Kong for two nights this week, Mariner of the Seas, is 310 metres long, holds over 3,000 passengers and is 15 stories high – yet is not even close to the size of the largest ships, which accommodate closer to 6,000 guests plus 3,000 staff. Wowzer.

Time Out went on board the Mariner this Thursday, to have a sneak peek around the new arrivals hall and the vessel itself, before its departure later that day. We grabbed a few photos for you to check out as well...

The swimming pool on the cruise liner Mariner of the Seas

Many of the airport-style scanning machines in the new departures hall were still encased in their bubble wrap, indicating just how new this building is. We also proceeded to nosy around the ship itself - it's often commented that there's nothing you can't do on a cruise ship and Royal Caribbean seem to be taking that mantra very seriously, with activities ranging from ice skating to bumper cars, via theatre productions and hairdressing. Perhaps the only thing you can't do on a cruise ship is get married. Oh, wait – you can.

Passenger gangway at Kai Tak Cruise Terminal

Whilst environmental issues concerning the pollution of Victoria Harbour abound, cruise operators are well aware of the concerns and seem to be at least trying to reduce the impact they'll have on the harbour, using marine gas with a low sulphur content whilst in port. The future of our city as a tourism hub to rival Singapore and Shanghai is important and, despite a couple of teething troubles so far, this terminal really is set to rival the best. Anna Cummins

Living on the doorstep of the world’s second largest consumer of fossil fuels, and being extremely energy-hungry ourselves, there’s no surprise Time Out Hong Kong’s dedicated section for news and social issues is called Big Smog.

The search for answers to the global energy crisis, and the pollution it generates, remains an uphill battle where ‘breakthroughs’ often create more problems than they remedy, such as the detrimental effect on world hunger posed by first generation biofuel crops such as corn.

Fill My Tank, a new eco-travel show, hosted and produced by Hong Kong environmentalist Sean Lee-Davies, explores a potential solution for the smog that threatens to envelop us all. The experiment in question? Turning used cooking oil, which would otherwise be thrown away, from hazardous waste into biodiesel that produces 60 percent less emissions than regular diesel. Airing every Friday until March 15, the show will follow Lee-Davies as he drives over 2,500km from Singapore to Cambodia using the recycled fuel, with other sustainable energy pit stops on the way.

Tonight's episode has him beginning his road trip, stopping first in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; with next week's episode revealing a slightly dirtier option for renewable energy, namely pig manure…

Fill My Tank airs every Friday at 8.30pm on Cable Channel 76, and Channel News Asia.

With towering skyscrapers in the background, Rory McIlroy teed off on Tuesday from the Peak as he inched one shot closer to this week’s UBS Hong Kong Open. The world number one golfer sent his ball soaring through the air with an effortless swing – though it didn’t quite reach Victoria Harbour. Not that he was aiming for it anyway – the water hazard would have earned him a one-stroke penalty. No, McIlroy was aiming for something else: to defend his UBS Hong Kong Open title.

The long-awaited golf tournament is set to be a cracker this weekend. And Time Out Hong Kong was there at the launch to take in the tension. It’s 23-year-old McIlroy’s sixth visit to Hong Kong Golf Club. “Hong Kong has always been a place that I really enjoy coming to,” he said at the Peak. “Hong Kong is just a great city. It’s always got a great buzz, a great atmosphere and there’s something about Fanling and the Hong Kong Golf Club I really enjoy.”

It’s been a fantastic year for the Northern Irishman. He finished top of the list in both Europe and the United States this season, and was just named the PGA of America’s Player of the Year. What he wants to do most, though, is to polish his skills and play even better next year, he says. “I just want to keep improving and keep trying to become a better golfer.”

Also playing at the championship in Fanling is 19-year-old Steven Lam. The local teenage golf star will be caddied by Tiffany Chan, 19 – another standout Hong Kong golfer. Being such young players in a star-studded field of elite golfers is, of course, nerve-wracking – but the pair say they are more than ready for the challenge. “If I’m lucky and make the cut, I’ll be happy," says Lam. “But if not, I won’t be upset.”

Chan has caddied for Lam many times and hopes to use what knowledge she has to help. “I’m another person who can help with the on-course decision making,” she says. “I hope he can enjoy the game and if he plays well, he’ll make the cut.”

The UBS Hong Kong Open tees off on Thursday November 15 at the Hong Kong Golf Club and takes place over the weekend. See ubshongkongopen.com for details. Mary Hui

Who doesn't like to carry a camera around Hong Kong and take a shot of anything from the city at night to that hotpot you enjoyed with friends last week? We all love to think we're world-class photographers here but, let's face it, not all photos are worthy of a place on your wall. Sometimes it's best to leave it to the pros. Step forward Michael Yamashita, who has produced a series of gems in his new book Shangri-La: Along the Tea Road to Lhasa. A famed National Geographic photographer for years, Yamashita brought a taste and some tales of Tibet to share with a packed house of Hongkongers on October 2 at the Kelly and Walsh store located in Pacific Place. For more on the event, see kellyandwalsh.com.

Does social media matter these days? You’re damn right it does! It’s been a veritable revolution online over the past few years – and those who went along to Hong Kong’s Four Seasons Hotel on Friday last week were testament to its power.

More than 500 people attended the Social Media Matters conference organised by Ogilvy & Mather and Branded. The firms brought together industry leaders and provided the lowdown on using social media as a business tool. Doesn’t sound too sexy? Think again – from Facebook, Twitter and Weibo to just about every major social media outlet was included in the lively discussion and there was plenty of food for thought.

Social media experts were flown in and took the stage, including Douban founder Yang Bo, Google big-shot marketer Gopi Kallayil and Twitter market development vice president James Kondo, just to name a few. CEO of WPP Group Sir Martin Sorrell also participated in the day’s festivities and spoke to the audience from an off-sight location via video chat Google+ Hangouts. Hong Kong singer-songwriter G.E.M. performed and spoke at the event, crediting her popularity to the use of social media. And we’d credit much of our online popularity to social media too. Amen.

As Hysan Mall officially opens today, Causeway Bay is guaranteed a massive crowd throughout this weekend. But if you'd like to stay away from the frenzy but don't want to miss your weekend mall wander, why not consider Taikoo Shing instead? 

For three weekends, from August 9 to 26, Cityplaza's Atrium turns into a live stage showcasing 36 jaw-dropping performances. Japan's World Yo-yo Champion, Hiroyuki Suzuki, performs his Guinness World Record of 'most eli hops in 30 seconds' and other amazing take-home yo-yo tricks. The Acrobatic Breakdance Trio, comprised of b-boys Benedikt Mordstein from Germany, Saretzki Mike from Austria and Kirsch Vitali from Ukraine, also show you how to do the 'baby freeze' and undress while performing a headspin.

Suzuki shows you how to knock off a coin from a guy's ear with his yo-yo.

The bboys demonstrate how to worm over a jump rope and undress while doing a headspin. 

If you can't make it this weekend, next week Sweden's Peter Rosendahl demonstrates his Guinness World Record talents for 'riding the world's smallest unicycle' and 'most skipping rope jumps on a unicycle in one minute'. And don't miss our local magic master Avon Lee's attempt to break a new record for the 'most costume change illusions in one minute' at 1.30 pm on August 23. More details below:

Period：          August 9 – 26, 2012 (Thursdays to Sundays)

Location：      Cityplaza 2/F Atrium (MTR exit E1)

Organiser：    Cityplaza

Admission：    FREE!

Inquiry：         (852) 2568 8665 or www.cityplaza.com

Text and video by Joyce Choi

The long-anticipated Hysan Mall is opening tomorrow – finally. The iconic landmark is expected to draw 100,000 tourists, shoppers and diners every day. This afternoon, Time Out took a quick walk in the 17-storey shopping mall to see how it’s going to handle such a large crowd.

Among all the features the Mall promises, we raised our eyebrows at the centralised booking system. The system allows visitors to continue shopping while they wait for a table. At the second-floor concierge (served by three staff), visitors can request queue tickets for a maximum of three of the 11 restaurants located on the top floors. Instead of waiting outside restaurants doing nothing, shoppers can carry on their retail therapy and keep track of their queue numbers at the display panel available on each floor.

If you prefer a quickie meal, the 11^th floor food court offers 11 dining options. Unlike most underground food courts, Hysan’s food court is rather spacious and equipped with plentiful cozy sofas, as well as the typical long benches. Pick a seat by the window and enjoy a rare mid-Causeway Bay panorama of the Hong Kong Stadium.   

Those who are mall-savvy will love the express escalators that sprawl across floors. The escalators take you on a visual journey that lifts you up from the busy Sogo horde, and if you have time to go far enough, it rewards you with an unblocked view of the Victoria Harbour. Although the escalators are indeed in express velocity, they are so narrow you can’t really walk up and down without squeezing past someone. The skinny express escalators, Time Out thinks, may not be the most suitable facility catered for impatient shoppers and tourists who walk in packs. Same for the beautifully-decorated double-deck elevators, their capacities so low they could well be the smallest mall elevators in the area.

To continue our theme of narrowness, we were surprised to see the narrow hallways on some of the floors. Well, it somehow calls to mind the fun time shopping at some of the really cramped shopping malls in Causeway Bay, such as The Point (at Sugar Street). Not quite exactly what we expected from the grand and gigantic appearance of the Hysan Mall.

The sky garden on the fourth floor is another highlight, supposedly offering a rare moment of open air in the over-crowded shopping mecca. To our disappointment, the sky garden resembles nothing like a garden with minimal greeneries and rather limited seating area. (Yay, we can sit on the ground!) We’re not sure how much "fresh air” you’ll get here, and it’s more likely it’ll turn into a smoking hub instead.

Don’t get us wrong, shops are actually big and spacious and we, too, cannot wait until they all open later this month. Just be prepared to bat through the crowds – as you do in Causeway Bay. John Yip

Stay tuned for our next Causeway Bay issue!

Top photo by Calvin Sit, others by John Yip

Colgate smiles, baby-smooth pecs, swoon-making abs… Abercrombie is in town! For their opening next week, the frat-tastic brand have flown in their juiciest specimens from around the world. And after dodging the screaming, estrogen-fuelled teens and office women at the photo op, we get hot and bothered at an exclusive interview with Frank, 20, from California and Henry, 22, from London.

Do you ever get cold being half-naked like that all day?
F: Ooh, that's a good question! We usually do push-ups, pull-ups to stay warm. It's actually kind of funny. We'll take rotations, some of us will go inside. We'll do, like, bear-crawls on the ground just to warm up, just do stupid little funny things, play little games like touch football.
H: Normally we get so excited and there's so much energy that it doesn't become an issue!

Is it hard being so ridiculously toned and attractive?
H: [Sighs] Naaah. Well - we have to work for it, but it's fine.
F: We definitely have to work out every day, but we’re also blessed that our parents gave us these great looks!

Do you have a Zoolander face?
F: Oh yeah! [Does it]
H:  We work on it together, actually.

How did you get scouted?
F: I was actually on a trip to California, and I just walked into The Grove [a shopping centre in LA], was walking in there and Michelle, one of the workers there actually recruited me, wrote down my details. I moved out there two months later, and boom-ba-da-bing! A year later, here I am!
H:  I was at university. My first year at university, I'd just moved to a new city in Newcastle, and, uh, a store was opening there and they were looking out for people. So I was just picked up then!

Which body part are you most proud of and why?
F: Ooh! My 'V'. I think it's more genetics than anything, I just kinda got lucky. I like it, I like it.
H:  My bum. My bum's the best bit.

Do you ever need to use chat-up lines, or do you just take your shirt off?
F: I don't take my shirt off in front of people a lot, actually. I'm more laid-back, I dont wanna be that guy. I'm not the whole Jersery Shore kinda guy. I'm more genuine - I'm from a small town in Kansas, so I actually prefer the chatting part.
H:  I find the chatting part is easier, but being bad at chatting makes it... I can't chat a girl up, I've never known how to chat a girl up! But I find if you're honest, and you say that, then you often get to know the person anyway.

Who would you say you relate to more - Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Bond or Hercules and why?
F: Ooh - that's a good one... I would say James Bond, just because he's kind of, like, sly, kind of cool, kind of laid-back, mysterious...
H: I'd say James Bond as well. I always look at myself in the mirror and think, yeah, I could pull off the tuxedo.

[Laughs] Well, maybe after Daniel Craig, you could be next in line... So what's the best thing about being a hunk?
F: Best thing about it... The things I can do for other people, just putting a smile on my face helps someone out - pretty easily.
H: Yeah, and also if you look at the excitement that we just created by the sixty of us being out the front there, was one of the most crazy and fun things I've ever seen in my life. And everyone was smiling, it wasn't just us. So that's gotta be one of the best things.

What's the most interesting thing that's happened to you while on the job?
H: Personally, I wouldn't say there's one thing that's been the most interesting, but I've got to travel to American, which I'd never been to before, I've got to come to Hong Kong, I've never been here before, I got to go to Germany, I'd never been there before, all within two years, and all thanks to the company. So that in itself has got to be one of the best things that's happened.
F: As for me, I mean I was in Kansas a year ago, just a small-town boy. Been working for the company nine months now, I've gone to seven different places: Singapore, Beijing, Shenzen, Hong Kong, Germany, London, New York. It's been probably the best thing that's happened to me. If it wasn't for the company, I'd be going to community college in Kansas, so I'm very blessed.

Do Abercrombie models ever get competitive about who's the most good-looking?
F: Ooh! Definitely! And it's more in the gym. Like, if go to the gym, we will be getting crazy in there. Like, you've never seen a bunch of animals like Abercrombie models in the gym.
H: We're try-hard. We've gotta stay how we look, otherwise – that's it!
F: It's cool too, because everybody has, like, their own little workout secrets and stuff. But when you come out here like this, everybody shares them. We don't hide any secrets, we tell everybody, and every ends up getting in better shape throughout the trip, so it's really cool.

This is for all our readers out there... what could someone do to make themselves more attractive to you?
F: Hmmm... Be themselves, don't lie. Lying is the worst quality anyone can have.
H:  Could not agree more.
F: Lying is the worst thing. Don't try and impress anybody, just be you!

Who would be your celebrity dream date, and why?
F: Carrie Underwood, Carrie Underwood! Why? Dude, if she would sing to me... Oh my God! Singing me to sleep - that would be the most amazing thing. Country girl, blonde hair, blue eyes - love it, I love it.
H: I wouldn't pick a celebrity, I don't think. I wouldn't be able to cope with it. I wouldn't be able to keep up. I'd have to stick with just staying at home, being comfortable, being happy and knowing that when I go out in town, I wouldn't have to always be in the media spotlight.
 

Video of the madness below!

Ami Jones and Gloria Cheung

Strange enormous beasts roam a fantastic land. Everything is alien, but also oddly familiar. The monsters resemble earth animals, but with intricate tattoos. The landscape is fiercely disorientating, but with familiar cultural landmarks. What wondrous alternate universe is this?
Elements mall has teamed up with home décor store Papinee to create the Animalia summer campaign. The promotion seeks to recreate the quirky animals and world of Papinee writ large. It took six months of painstakingly delicate labour to finish the display, which will run until September 2nd.

The exhibition is gorgeous. Deep within Elements are two miniature oases that look like snippets of an extraterrestrial planet. The animal statues are up to four metres tall, beautifully decorated and tailored to a specific culture. The environment takes its influence from six different countries, blending all the world’s most famous tourist attractions.

Papinee has also created a mall-wide adventure for children. Shoppers can collect a Papinee passport, which brings them on a mall-wide scavenger hunt to collect stamps and stickers. Prizes include various Papinee merchandise while Elements is also offering a dance and musical workshop.

Time Out spoke with Dev Suj, chief visionary officer of Papinee, about Animalia.

What’s the purpose of the Animalia exhibition?
We’re new to Asia but we’re rapidly expanding. This is one of the projects in that journey. We’re trying to spread awareness of the brand and our message. It’s more than just animals for people to enjoy; it’s for them to understand the creativity and inspiration. The passports also contain a very important element of the brand, which is education. We try to educate the children.

You can also buy all the products in much smaller sizes. We have toys for children, as well as collectible set. Our products range anywhere from about US$12 to US$25,000. We give eight percent of proceeds to EDFA, a fund that’s about educating children. We’re very socially responsible.

How did you design the animals?
We tried to capture the culture and famous landmarks of the countries in the animals. When we were looking at a country like New York, which is so filled with pop art and graffiti, we worked with New York designers. New York is fuelled by design. We chose the deer for New York because there are huge populations of deer. We felt it had to be infused with New York street culture, which is graffiti. You can see the Chrysler building, you can see the Statue of Liberty, you’ve got the architecture.

England is the owl. It’s inspired by regal patterns and tapestries. It’s all about texture and embroidery, about the history of England. There’s also the locations: Big Ben, the London Bridge, the Tower of London.

Tell us more about the passport campaign.
We wanted to provide the visitors the opportunity to interact with the mall. We have this passport campaign, which is about travelling around the world and getting stamps on your passport. We have these amazing gifts for the best decorated passports. We created the passport with the idea that while they’re having fun, they’re also learning about the countries. Papinee endeavours to create magic.

What’s going to happen to the huge statues when the exhibition is over?
I don’t know, but I want to keep them. [laughs] I want to keep it because it’s so beautiful, and well-done and animated.
Christopher Wang

Thanks to Emirates, we’ve been running a competition to give away a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Ten lucky Arsenal fans will get premium tickets to see Arsenal play Kitchee in Hong Kong on July 29 at Hong Kong Stadium as well as meet some of the Gunner’s superstars.

We asked Arsenal fans to send in a photo of themselves dressed up in Emirates x Arsenal gear and received an overwhelming number of entries. And now, we’re announcing the winners.

So, if you see your photo here… guess what? You’ve won! We’ll send you an email soon with a few more details!

Congrats to all the winners – and thanks to everyone who entered.