Sharrie (Sharrie)'s Reviews

The Violin, The Soul

Violin, when it’s played by the pro, is the medium to one’s soul. Through its strings, the musician imbues her/his expertise and interpretation to another’s consciousness. I thought about how beautifully the violin sounds when played by Fionnuala Sherry (Secret Garden). At times it touches our heart with a sadness which is difficult … more

What an idiot!!!

Aug. 23, 2010  Around 10 am, a bus load of 25 people (22 foreigners from Hong Kong on their last day of a 4-day tour) was hijacked by a former policeman who demanded to have his job back (he was accused of extortion last year). The gunman has since been killed after the 11-hour hold out at around 8.30 pm (HK time).  3 kids and 2 elder with … more

To live, watch it!

It took me 3 seatings to finish this movie. And, it's not because it's boring. It's because I was neither ready nor had time to see it. In short, it spanned almost 2+ years before I was truly able to appreciate this movie in its entity. I had heard about it from a colleague way back when I was still in the office working in Singapore. … more

Value for money at the Elements! Have a superb lunch at Nahm!

It was my 2nd visit to the Elements in Kowloon and my 1st lunch visit. I walked around trying to find a noodle house since I was alone and wasn't really that hungry to have a full meal. I do love noodle in Hong Kong. I didn't find one on my first visit here at the Elements. I did find a Shanghainese restaurant serving Ramen type of noodles … more

From Wall Street to Main Street

This is a book which I thought warrants a second reading. It is however,  a book which may only pave the way for a new way of thinking rather than a new way of life. Having said that, everything starts with a single thought and I'm inspired that someone does something with that thought and provide readers with a framework for what's to … more

Nature's Orchestra

Commonly known as Northern Lights, it's one of the natural wonders of the world. For some lucky few, especially those who are currently residing in Scandinavia, Canada and Northern U.S.A., Aug. 4, 2010 was the day where the recent solar tsunami sparked incredible auroras across the skyline of the northern hemisphere.  I first experienced … more

Gute? Not really...

This is a case of where looks can be deceiving… it’s one of the best looking bakery I’ve spotted in Hong Kong, yet despite its looks, it doesn’t live up to expectation!   Housed in the exclusive Elements Mall in Tsim Sha Tsui, a high end mall in Hong Kong, it is indeed in the right spot. The shop looks spotless with friendly … more

A little girl & A teddy bear

It is interesting how themes in a movie are used repeatedly. It is however astonishing to find two similar themes appearing one after another, within the span of a few hours, in two very different kinds of movies I picked. One is in a Chinese real event story while another in an animated American make-belief movie. How is that for one in a million … more

I want my toys, NOW!!!

Toy Story 3 came alive for me, in more ways than one. It is in ways like many animated movies, it takes human’s characters, personalities, fears and hopes, packaged them into a life-like situation, portrayed it in live on the screens and takes the viewers beyond what is real and surreal. Whether the stars are real or not, as in human beings … more

In Spirit We Soar

There are times in life when one is presented a most universal opportunity to make an impact on history. Those times don't come often & at times economically impossible. Strangely enough, unless you grasp it, it passes you by without much of a fanfare. And yet, if you take action, it might not have made a dent in your life! That's Murphy's … more

My first flight

The first delivery of the A380 was in October 2007, to Singapore Airlines. For the past few years, Singapore Airlines (SIA or SQ) has been the airline to take the lead in securing the 1st order of new Airbus or Boeing planes. It certainly takes pride in being the first to do things and also the most profitable airlines in the world. Despite the fact … more

In memory of a friend

My friend Ivan Jimenez will be extremely happy about this World Cup. Afterall, Spain is in the final! My last and also first World Cup attendance was in Germany, ie. The 2006 World Cup. I didn’t really visit Germany for the World Cup, I was hardly a fan. I just happened to be there. I was in Berlin, Hamburg and Luebeck during my summer vacation. … more

The Voice

Be it accident or be it the critical mass consciousness, I came across this video yesterday. It is said to be officially released tomorrow but it is now distributed through Youtube in English, Farsi and Arabic so as to avoid censorship by the Iranian government. The true story of Neda, a young Iranian woman shot about a year ago during a protest on … more

Is it the beginning of an end?!

What is turning out to be a commercial venture becomes a potential catastrophe if not the beginning of an end for the world at large! I'm no petroleum engineer nor am I into anything technical at all. But what I'm gathering from the news and also from citizen journalism out there, well, get ready for the earth to shake!!! And not just in the … more

Where are the leaders?! Golfing & Yaching?!!!

Stopping the world in its tracks: 1.3 million gallon a day!   The world is so into capitalism these days that even in the midst of a major catastrophe, all reporters could focus on is the loss of revenue and whether BP will be able to meet its obligations and stay solvent! What in effect is the world coming to? It makes me wonder if we are … more

The Perfect camera for FIFA World Cup! Compact & yet powerful!

I'm a fan of Sony products but not so much Canon's. It's been more than a decade since my last Canon SLR camera. Well, I basically stopped having a hand in SLRs since cameras went digital. Partly because of my concern with weight and also my enthusiasm for photography. Regardless, I took lots of photos with my digital cameras. I simply … more

So, there he goes again...

Enchanting and capturing his audiences with the latest gadget, the iPhone 4!  Even before its announcement, there was a big 'controversy' about what it's design going to be like. As usual, Steve Jobs does best what he does best! Being the spokesperson for the latest gadget of the year, if I may say so, he certainly knows how to make … more

The Robot Violinist

Japan Pavilion is my most favorite pavilion. Before I arrived at the Expo, this is one pavilion I must see, regardless of the time I’ve to queue for it. I Love Japan! And having been to the country more than 2 dozen times, I know even before I visit the Expo that the Japanese pavilion would be one of the most innovative, creative and best designed … more

Just another suicide? It's not just Foxconn's problem!

We all know Apple produces innovative products like iPod, iPhone & now iPad. But do you know the story behind the scenes? As recently as just a month ago, we had an employee at Apple losing the prototype of the latest iPhone. Read my review on it if it interests you. Just this week, in Hong Kong's neighboring Chinese city, Shenzhen, where … more

Crazy Expo!

While the rest of the world is sleeping, the World Expo in Shanghai has been going on full throttle. It officially opened its door on the 3-day long weekend Chinese public holiday, beginning on Labor Day itself. Since then, Expo had seen the number of visitors climbing with a record of 300,000+ last Saturday. It averages about ¼ million visitors … more

All hell has broken loose!

It wasn't too long ago that Thailand has been an Asian paradise. People was friendly and despite having its fair share of problems, it's a tourist destination for many. In fact, @jrjohnson had requested a list of this destination because an associate of his intended to celebrate and spend his 10th anniversary in this country. Now, that I believe is … more

Free Weekends up for grab!

SPG (Starwood Preferred Guest) as the name implies, is Starwood hotels’ loyalty program. The stable of hotels encompasses of (in terms of exclusivity; in descending order) are: Luxury Collection, St. Regis  (Grand Deluxe) W Hotels, Westin  (Deluxe) Sheraton, Le Meridien  (Luxurious) Four Points, Aloft, Element  (Hip)   … more

What's my fortune? or rather, where lies my fortune?

Fengshui, imho, is at best an art. For believers, it's a science. Although who truly knows what it is? Fact is people believe it and in Hong Kong, enough to pay large sums of money for a good consultation with its practitioners! No matter how high unemployment is, Fengshui master earns top dollar in this former British colony. Mind you, if HSBC & … more

Shop til you drop!

When it comes to shopping, no one does it better than the Chinese, Japanese and well, basically, Asians! When it comes to geomancy or Feng Shui, no one believes it more than the Chinese, especially Hongkongers & Taiwanese. When you combine the two, you've got the best of both worlds! That is, at the Elements （圆方）! Elements is almost brand new, … more

We have an arrest!

There's one kind of person who'd be on the lookout for big events like this one; a bomb, a disaster, an earthquake, a catastrophe, an accident, a crash... & then there is another kind who goes on life as if nothing had happened; detached and somewhat aloof. I'm the former and my friend @LordKent is the latter. When I was texting him early … more

A tribute to Nikki Bradshaw Carpenter

I won't be spending time with my mom on Mother's Day, be it watching a movie or having a dinner. Instead, I'll be spending time with my "god daughter's" mom. She is my cousin from Toronto and she is in town for the next few weeks. We plan on going to the World Expo on Mother's Day. My mom is probably going to be home in another country, unless … more

The secret to a healthier home!

Other than Cif which I highly recommend (check my review for details), Dettol has to be another brand which I must have in the house when it comes to cleaning & spring cleaning. I've used this product since I was a teenager and have also tried different brands, but none other seems to stick (despite them being cheaper). Instead, I find … more

Bringing the world to you at the push of a button

The last 3 days I’ve spent my time watching BBC’s Around The World in 80 Treasures with Dan Cruickshank. It’s not hard to imagine why I’d be so taken in with such documentaries. Traveling around the world had been my last unofficial occupation for the past decade. I had been called a travel addict and all, by family and colleagues … more

It's lunch time!

I recently had an Indian national wrote me online asking if it’s possible to bring rice cooker for her trip to Hong Kong for use in the hotel. Although I see no reason why not, it makes me wonder why they’d want to do so. A rice cooker is such a bulky item to be packed into one’s luggage, isn’t it? Well, as it happens, this … more

This is Apple's Next iPhone by Gizmodo

So, the iPhone 4G leak saga is raging full speed now. Gizmodo.com has its fair share of publicity much to the chagrin of Steve Jobs. Life is full of ups and downs, isn’t it? If you haven’t heard the “news”, it’s been all over Silicon Valley for the past 48 hours or so. Blogger (cum Gizmodo Editor) Jason Chen’s … more

Crazy about shoes

When it comes to shoes, every woman has at least 10 pairs at any point in time, I reckon. Well, at least, any "vain" woman ;-)  (If you think I'm vain when it comes to cosmetics, wait till you hear about my shoes stories...) It's easy to try on a pair of shoes, or several for that matter, and then to take them all home at one go, especially … more

A new look & a new life?!

Money matters seem to be the call of the day this week. First, it was Goldman Sachs in trouble, then an article (Don’t Cry for Wall Street) by Paul Krugman calling for downsizing of the Finance sector (read my review on Wall Street) and now, the new US$100 bill. The latest case seems to be more realistic than the others and one that hopefully … more

Original Sin

This review was inspired by Paul Krugman’s article on NY Times titled: “Don’t Cry for Wall Street”.   As the Nobel prize winner economist Paul Krugman said it well: “More than that, reform actually should hurt the bankers. A growing body of analysis suggests that an oversized financial industry is hurting … more

In Goldman Sachs We Trust???

Symphony of my mind

Iceland has certainly been on the headlines in recent 1 1/2 years more than it had been in the last 2 decades! Under normal circumstance, most of the world will not even give a thought to this island north of UK. Most have not heard of it even! Iceland is fascinating for me. Since my visit to the country almost a decade ago, I've a lot more distinctive … more

An old friend

I first heard Alejandro Fernandez possibly more than a decade ago. He was one of those guys (CDs) I picked up on one of my regular visit to the record shop. Along with Enrique Iglesias. He sticks longer than Enrique though. For some reason, his songs touched a cord in me.  May be it's his romantic voice (if indeed there is such a thing), oh yes, … more

My affair with perfume!

I still clearly remember the first time I came across perfume. No, not my mom's (she didn't like perfume) nor my aunt's. It was at a night market where perfume was a novelty back then. I was about 10 years old. It was a late discovery for me. I discovered wedged shoes even earlier! Nonetheless, with these 2 discoveries, it was my intro to womanhood! … more

Making sense of our world

What I truly like about setting up communities is the ability to be an Editor in Chief. I can pick and choose what interest me to begin with and also to categorize the wide array of topics we've built up on Lunch into some meaningful form.  When I first joined the site, I wrote a review on Lunch.com about the need to categorize and make easy … more