Hip hot HK
Who's calling?
There are a lot of retro mobile phone accessories out there. Most just give the impression that you are talking on a dial phone, but the Camino Retro Handset with Voice Changer adds another element - the ability to change your voice. With the press of a button on the side of the handset, you can choose to sound like a male or female. You will have plenty of fun tricking friends and family into thinking they have dialled the wrong number. It can be used on most mobile phones and tablets including the iPhone and iPad and is available at City'super and Log-On for HK$299.
Dress for the dragon
A Lunar New Year requires you to buy new clothes to look fashionable. Good thing American clothing chain Forever 21 finally opened its first store in Hong Kong, bringing its stylish and affordable items to Causeway Bay. Right now, only three of the six floors of the 35,000 sq foot store are open but there are still plenty of things to browse through if you happen to be a girl or a child. Fashionable males will have to wait a little while longer to make their purchases as the other three levels are scheduled to open in April.
Red goes green
One of the perks of the Lunar New Year is receiving red envelopes. If you're lucky enough to have loads of relatives, you'll have plenty of empty envelopes on your hands after the money is spent. Now you can recycle them. Local environmental organisation Greeners Action organises an annual red envelope collection, and in the past two years, it has collected 270,000 envelopes from malls and housing estates. Take a look at Greeners Action's Facebook page to find out where and when this year's collection will take place.
Parade - take two
This year the annual Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Night Parade was held on a brisk evening, so no one would have blamed you if you stayed in and watched it in the comfort of your own warm home. But if you want a close-up view of the amazing floats from the parade, you can visit the Lam Tsuen Wishing Square in Tai Po where they will be displayed until February 6 as part of the Well-wishing Festival. While there, you can also make a wish for the new year at the famous Wishing Tree and enjoy the festivities. Admission is free.
