Fun Arts & Craft classes to take in Hong Kong- #1) Leather Class (Purses, Bags, Wallets, etc)

As 2011 has come to an end and it is a new beginning of 2012, one of my new years resolution is to learn more things. I wanted to share what classes I have taken so that I hope other people out there that have a similar new years resolution will find this useful and fun to read.

My first project was to take a Leather class. The workshop is taken at a charming hip place called Butcher Lab in Kwun Tong. I had found this place via Groupon, where they are doing a special promotion and I had looked up their facebook page and really liked their simple, rustic purse designs. The trial class is 350HKD for 3hours where we had a choice of making a leather coin case, luggage tag, business card holder and Iphone case. There are a variety of leather colors (tan, light & dark brown, black, etc) you can chose from. My gf chose a light brown color for her business card holder while I chose to make a luggage tag in dark brown color. Butcher lab offers a variety of leather classes, from making a coin case to purses to briefcases. Prices of the classes varies depending on the product you are making.

Butcher Lab has a cute cozy setup which can fit about 6 people in one class. I hardly ever go to Kwun Tong as it is mostly large commercial buildings, I heard there are a lot of cool fun Arts & Craft classes are now taught at this area as the rent is relatively lower than other places in Kowloon. Our teacher Momo Ngan is a young trendy guy with a background experience of making and designing bags for years who decided to focus on teaching.


The steps were as follows:
We first had to cut out our pattern of our product, mine is the luggage tag. Momo then helps us cut up the leather into pieces.

We then worked on the finishing of the leather by smearing a small dose of CNC, which is clear gluey liquid onto the leather and rubbing it with a wooden tool. With a wooden tool, we rubbed the CNC back and forth against the leather until it is smooth and shiny. We also use sand paper to make the edges have a smooth finishing.

Once that is completed, we worked on using a fork like tool and a hammer to puncture holes into the leather around the edges for the purpose of sewing the leather together. As there are two pieces of leather, one for the front and back, we needed to make sure that the holes on both pieces of leather are consistent.

The front and back piece of leather are then sewed together...

And Voila! A beautiful luggage tag is completed!

I highly recommend this class as it was a lot of fun and I am hoping to take another class to make an Iphone case or a clutch next time. This is a great activity to do with your friends and a perfect place to make a special handmade leather piece for yourself or as a present for friends and family.

Details:

Address: 香港九龍觀塘偉業街140號依時工業大廈3樓

3/F, Easy Package Industrial Building, 140 Wai Yip Street, Kwun Tong

 

Ngau Tau Kok MTR station

For more information, contact:
momongan.bl@gmail.com
Tel: 5482 5955

http://www.facebook.com/butcherlab?sk=info

After 1month of shop opening - Ways to increase traffic on Etsy?

I have set up my online shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/Yoju) for over a month and a half now, and I am still receiving very low volume  in sales the month of June so far. As per my last posting, I've made a 13 sales on my first month of opening my shop in May. The sales came from friends or friends of friends which knew about my shop from me advertising on my FB page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ssin-Designs-by-Yoju/187436394640137?ref=ts).  

After reading all the suggestions on how to increase traffic (hence gain sales) from different forums/discussion boards, this is what I have done for the past month:

• Signed up for Google's analytics page which helps you track your stats ie. Number of page visits, average time on the site etc.  The instructions were very straightforward and this is a very good way of tracking your shop traffic. http://www.google.com/analytics/
• Participated in BNRs - BNR stands for buy and replace. There are teams that specifically run BNRs almost everyday.
• Created one Treasury - people at Etsy loves this and I would need to make more of these treasuries.
• Emailed 5 shops in Vancouver to see if there are any interests in displaying my jewelry in their shops- received no response from them, figured the best plan to actually go to these shops when i get to Vancouver to see if there are any sales potential
• Bought 4 showcases on Etsy which costs 7USD per showing per day- don't think it helped much as the number of views on my page hasn't increased by too much
• Created a page on Facebook
• Joined teams on Etsy and participated in Forums, asked team members for critiques about my shop and get suggestions on how to advertise my shop. I think this is a big help to learn on how to improve your shop and also a good way to increase your shop exposure.
• Participated in three Giveaway contests from bloggers who volunteers to host giveaways on their blog - I think this did increase my shop traffic but didn't help on sales
• Updated this Blog
• Renew items everyday as they would show up in the main page when items are renewed(costs 0.2USD per renewal but I read its more effective than buying a showcase ad on Etsy) 
• Signed up for Heartsy
• Signed up for Google Adword- wanted to test this app out, I found that this app freezes a lot and its rather expensive. I've set up my advertising for a week with max click per page per day as 7USD. This actually doesn't make up too many views given that some websites they charge 1USD per click.

I really really hope that I would get more sales in July, I really don't know what else I can do at the moment but just be patient and persistent.

Starting a New Online Jewelry Shop on Etsy

I've started making Jewelry just over two months ago. I've quit my job last Sept, and for 6 months I had been traveling all over - San Fran, Singapore, NY, Phuket, Bali, Bhutan, Bangkok, Hainan Island and many times back to Tokyo to visit my bf and friends.

In March, I've decided to start to take a break from all the traveling and wanted to settle a bit in HK. I heard there were many cute, fun beads shops in Sham Shui Po so I've decided to take a look one afternoon. I was really mesmerized by all the different types of beads, chains, ropes and various fabrics available on just one street! I was hooked!!! My gf also took me to the big Jewelry Fair that takes place every quarter in HK and I bought a bunch of sterling silver jewelry parts there.  At first, I was making  Jewelry for fun and very soon afterwards I decided that I could potentially make this into a business as I've been having a blast making my jewelry. Ever since I was in high school, I've always wanted to have my own business, but could never really think of something very specific I would love to do. The good thing about having an online jewelry shop is its flexibility in terms of working hours, and location. This job can be done anywhere around the world, and the fixed cost is low as jewelry making can be done at home.

I've had an Ebay account from years ago but never really used it much. I've decided to do a test and posted a pair of sterling silver earrings I made on Ebay to see if I would get any traffic and sales.  Unfortunately that was a pure fail as I did not do any research on how to promote my items. 

My gf Cheryl suggested I use Etsy instead to build my online shop and I can understand why. Etsy feels emotionally more welcoming to users. You also feel that Etsy is for artists and creative individuals who wants to present their artwork/gift to others. Etsy just looks esthetically more pleasing and classier.

Starting an online shop on Etsy is surprisingly quick and easy. I started posting my jewelry online exactly 14days ago. My initial mission is to figure out how to create lots of traffic. Having people visit your page is the KEY, the more people that add your store or items to their favorites will bring sales.

So far, I have 13 sales. These sales were thanks to postings on my FB page to promote my new shop, and it was really my gf who posted my link on her page first and also posting my page on her blog. Therefore, all these sales were from my friends or friend's friends. Word of mouth is very important, and getting friends to promote this on your behalf is crucial. I was told by my friends that they've showed my online shop to colleagues, bosses, and friends and people seem to have a positive feedback and some are even interested in buying from my shop (fingers crossed!).

I think right now my goal needs to be getting sales that are not coming from friends or family. 

I've joined teams and commented on forums to increase my exposure and also learn from other successful Etsy sellers. I've also bought advertisements to showcase my jewelry. Another thing I did today was browse around different people's pages on Etsy and add their items to my favorites when I liked their products.  The forums mentioned that building Treasuries would also boost traffic and visibility so that would be the next task I will execute this week.

Please come check out my shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Yoju

Bali Restaurants - places worth going to - Western food

GROCER & GRIND

Address: Jl. Kayu Jati 3x Petitenget Beach Denpasar Bali

Tel:  +62 361 730481, 737321 or Call Marie +62 81 735 4106

http://www.grocerandgrind.com/

This cute bistro we went to for lunch as we both were craving for some paninis or sandwiches.
The place has a very laid back decor and it is surrounded by foreigners. There were tons of visitors like us, and also expats with their Macbooks sipping on coffee. Although I like the relaxed and stylish interior, I thought the service was just mediocre. There were tons of people working behind the counter but they needed more attentive waiters to get our order and our check. I would like to come back one day though to try their other dishes.


Roasted chicken, camembert, mango chutney & mixed lettuce -
My bf ordered this and it was a very tasty sandwich, I wished I ordered this instead of my BLT.

Italian blt – bacon, avocado, tomato, camembert & cos lettuce w/ mayonnaise - Thought the BLT portions were a bit too big for me, I really got tired of the huge slaps of bacon after eating half of my sandwich. I liked the cheese a lot though. Chicken , jalapeno, lime coriander quesidella w/ sour cream- Best out of the three dishes!  I really enjoyed the perfect caramelized onions that are smacked between the juicy chicken and citrusy lime. My bf and i liked this dish so much that he replicated this when he went back to Tokyo.

My ratings:
Food 3.5
Service 3
Value 3.5
Atmosphere 3.5

THE JUNCTION
Address: corner of Oberoi Jl. Kayu Aya Oberoi, Seminyak
Tel: +62 361 735 610
Opening hours from 11.00 till midnight everyday..


http://www.the-junction-bali.com/

My bf and I had passed by this cool contemporary restaurant every time we left our hotel and was attracted to their white washed, funky and modern exterior. I love white buildings and decors, and we just had to check out this place for lunch after looking at their menu online. There is big open spaces when you enter, and I kind of feel like I was in a library where shelves are full of books on the side, but instead here at this restaurant they are full of jars that contained all sorts of spices and ingredients. They have an extensive variety of international foods to choose from - sandwiches, pasta, smoothies, crepes, and wraps... and of course their wide selection of Asian stables (Nasi Goreng etc). I wanted to try everythingggg!

Overall, I enjoyed the food and would like to come back to try their other dishes on another sunday afternoon the next time I go back to Bali for a visit!

Chicken shrimp coriander and carrot wrapped in rice paper roll:
When we ordered this dish,we didn't expect it to be a warm dish. From reading the name on the menu, I don`t know why it reminded of spring rolls! We also thought the dipping sauce would be on the side instead of being on the plate. This dish is a vietnamese style spring rolls with a twist. Thought it was rather clever of them to do that, it was actually quite tasty! I slightly feel that transformation made this dish to a more an entree instead of an appetizer.

Ham & Cheese Crepe:

Vietnamese style sandwich:

My ratings:

Food 4

Service 4

Value 4.5

Atmosphere 4

Restaurants I love in Tokyo

YAKINIKU (Grilled Beef):

JUMBO

Address: Dai-Ichi Azabu Bldg.|3-1-1 Shirokane Minato-ku - Tokyo, Japan 108-0072

Tel: (81-3) 3446-8156

http://yakiniku-jambo.com/

RAMEN (Noodles):
IPPUDO ー風堂

Address: Hiroo 1-3-13.  Shibuya-ku(Ebisu) Tel: 5420-2225 
Direction: on Meiji-dori near Hiroo


Or/
Address: roppongi 4-9-11
港区六本木4-9-11　第2小田切ビル1F District: Minato-ku(Roppongi) Phone: 03-5775-7561 
Note: 11:00〜4:00AM Friday 11:00〜5:00AM (Sun Holiday)11:00〜1:00AM 


http://www.ippudo.com/index.html


UDON (cold/hot noodles):
TSURUTONTAN
Address: 東京都港区六本木3-14-12 (next to Donki - big superstore. If you are taking the cab, just tell them to drop you off at Roppongi Donki)
Phone: 03-5786-2626
Opening hours: 11am to 8 am 
http://www.tsurutontan.co.jp/

ROBATAYAKI (Grilled Seafood):

INAKAYA - This is my fav place to bring my visitors when I used to live in Tokyo, the seafood is fresh and displayed right in front of you while you point and choose anything from seafood such as fish, crabs, shrimps, clams to various veggies and steak. They also serve sashimi and good selection of sake which they pour into a wooden square cup. Another great reason to come here is its Japanese atmosphere - you are seated in a U shaped big counter where the chefs kneel (yes, they are kneeling like the whole time but rotates people!!) while grilling your food in front of you, and they hand you your dishes via a huge long wooden paddle. Also, everytime you order, the waiters would loudly yell out your order to the chef in Japanese which my visitors would find it amusing. Given the fresh high quality seafood, be prepared to pay 10,000 - 15,000JPY per person for the meal.

Address: 5-3-4 Roppongi Minato-ku,Tokyo.

Tel: 03-3408-5040
http://www.roppongiinakaya.jp/en/index.html TEPPANYAKI: RESTAURANT OMAE XEX Address: 東京都港区六本木7-21-19 Phone: 03-3479-0065 http://www.ystable.co.jp/restaurant/omaexex/ SUSHI: Matsukan すし屋のまつ勘  Address: 3-4-12 Azabu Juban 麻布十番３丁目４－１２ Tel: ０３−３４５５−４９２３ Direction: Small street near Exit 4 Azabu Juban Station   JAMAICAN: Aalawi Jamaican Jerk Chicken & Pork Address: 1-26-13 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku (Nearest station: Ebisu (JR and Hibiya lines) Tel: (03) 5793-5027 Open:  11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. (Sunday & holidays 11 a.m.-9 p.m.) MEDITERRANEAN: CICADA Address: 5-2-40 Azabu Minato-Ku  Tel:0354475522 http://www.tyharborbrewing.co.jp/restaurants/cicada_e.html   SINGAPOREAN/ HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE Hainan Jeefan Shokudo Address: 6-11-16 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tel: +81 3-5474-3200

http://www.route9g.com/?lang=en

CHINESE (DIM SUM)
Le Parc
Address: Ebisu-Nishi 1-19-6. 
Tel: 3780-5050
Opening Hours :11:30am-2:30, 5:20-10pm (LO)
http://www.vaou.com/viewRestaurant.do?objectId=285

Ryutenmon Chinese Restaurant

Address:  1-4-1 Mita, Tokyo, Tokyo,Japan 153-8580 

Tel: +81 3 5423 7000 

www.westin-tokyo.co.jp

MOLECULAR GASTRONOMY

Tapas Molecular Bar

Address:
38/F, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 2-1-1 Nihonbashi Muromachi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Tel: +81 3 3270 8188

Opening hours: Open daily, 6–10:45 p.m.

Price: JPY14,000 (+10% service charge)

www.mandarinoriental.com

 

Best new hotel in Bali? W RETREAT & SPA BALI - SEMINYAK

W RETREAT & SPA BALI - SEMINYAK

• Jl. Petitenget
• Seminyak,
• Bali
• 80361

Phone: (62)(361) 738 106

When my bf and I found out Bali is opening a new W Hotel in March, we really wanted to go after looking at all the pictures online. We've stayed at a number of W Hotels worldwide but we both thought that the Bali one is the best out of their line so far.  The hotel has a perfect location in Seminyak, which is on the main island surrounded by cool hip restaurants and bars.  There are 237 suites and large number of pool villas. There are soooo much space at this hotel and a perfect getaway with your other half to relax and indulge in delicious food.

 We were really surprised that the hotel was very empty, but it is probably because the hotel just opened a month or two ago. Like other W hotels there is always a DJ pumping loud music at the hotel bar, but this bar is dead at night. It was unfortunate to see as I would think the chicness of this trendy hotel could be the next Kudeta in Bali where young couples and families would come for dinner and drinks. 

We would like to a full advantage of the facilities in our hotel so we went to check out the spa and asked the hotel staff to give us a full tour. The spa salon was humongous ! It is about 1500 meter square with 7 spa treatment rooms, 1 Beauty room, and a hair salon + mani/pedi room. Both the gym and spa salon are opened 24/7. My bf ended up getting a haircut which was better than expected, and I tried the Zen Balancing massage. This massage was quite interesting as it is a martial arts inspired treatment where bamboo is used. The bamboo is warmed and rolled on my back with soft strokes by the therapist. The therapist also utilizes the bamboo to provide stretches to my body. I guess I prefer the traditional massages as the bamboo was a bit uncomfortable on my shoulders but I did enjoy the experience and it actually made me more energized afterwards.

We also tried the hotel's fantastic asian fusion restaurant Starfish Bloo (please read my other blog about this restaurant), and definitely enjoyed the fresh ingredients and delicious food we had the opportunity to taste. Overall, I really loved this hotel.

Room interior:

Amenities:

Pros:

• Bliss amenities
• Large clean & beautiful contemporary suites with balcony overlooking the pool and beach
• 24 hour spa and gym available
• Large open spaces, with a nice pool facing the beach hotel 
• USB port connected to the TV so you can just download movies on your computer, copy it to a memory stick and watch it from the TV
• Excellent asian fusion restaurant - Starfish Bloo (pls read my blog about this restaurant)
• Perfect location- close to urban clothing/jewelry stores and restaurants/bars
• Free Wi-Fi with good connection

Cons:

• We were feeling the vibrations in our room from the bar`smusic next door at night
• Incomplete Booklet - we were trying to look through the Room Service Menu but discovered that the English version is missing so we had to asked the hotel staff to give us a new one
• Mosquitos in our room - Our room had a balcony and we think that maybe every time the hotel staffs clean our room, they will open the balcony door which will give mosquitos an opportunity to relax in our room. We've got numerous bites at night while we were sleeping.
• Waiting for taxis - normally have to wait for 5 to 10 mins
• Hard rock paths from lobby to main street

My ratings:

Cleaniness 5

Room 5

Location 5

Service 4

Value 4

Quality Sleep 4.5

Best new restaurant in Bali - Starfish Bloo at W Hotel

STARFISH BLOO (Asian Fusion)
Address: W Retreat  & Spa Bali - Seminyak
JL. Petitenget, Seminyak. Kerobokan, Denpasar
http://www.whotels.com/baliseminyak

My bf and I stayed at the W Hotel in Bali for 4 nights. Given that we wanted to make full use of all the outstanding facilities at this brand new gorgeous hotel that just opened beg of March 2011, my bf suggested we try the fushion restaurant at the Starflish Bloo. We were both very impressed by the wonderful culinary experience this restaurant has given us from start to finish. I enjoyed the concept of the restaurant, where the counter is surrounded by a tank with small beautiful fishes swimming as the waiters stand behind the counter slicing sashimi. This restaurant had a modern contemporary feel to it, and we were seated in a birds nest looking booth facing the W hotel pool and beach. There are huge open spaces at the restaurant and surprisingly most of the tables are empty.

Appetizers: 
Lightly Cured Kingfish Belly Sashimi (compressed watermelon, white balsamic shoyu, pickled shallots, black sesame)  - Having lived in Tokyo for 4 and a half years, I did not expect to find japanese inspired dishes to be this good in Bali! I was impressed by this dish - the fresh sashimi eaten with the sweet fresh crunch of the watermelon and hint of sesame to round up all the taste together in your mouth. Everything just works.

Kumamoto Oyster on half shelf (Yuzu ponzu sauce, salmon cavier, seaweed, purple basil flowers) - I love my oysters small, and Kumamotos are my favorite oysters.  This is a great appetizer, where Yuzu gives the oyster a citrusy bright taste combined with the flavorful ponzu sauce. I loved the Yuzu Ponzu sauce so much that when my bf and I went back to Tokyo after the trip, we actually went to buy this sauce.

Crab & Corn Soup -  The soup was light and creamy, it reminded me of the corn soup we drink in Japan that is sold at the vending machines but this one is million times better.  

Mains:
White Miso glazed Cod with Frois Gras- the main course was definitely the highlight of the evening! Cod and Frois Gras are one of my most fav food in the world, and it was my first time having both on one plate together. The white miso cod was well seasoned and cooked - soft with a lot of texture. The frois gras was seared perfectly -having a light crust on the outside and soft and creamy inside. It is eaten with small cubed pears and a vinaigrette on the side.

Soy-Mirin braised pork belly with lobster black truffles congee - the soy mirin chunk of pork belly is tender and its fat goes really well with the lobster truffles with rice. They called it a congee on the menu but I felt it being more like a risotto. If you love truffles, this is the dish for you - chunks of truffles are swimming in the pool of tasty risotto.

While we were indulging happily into our delicious main course, the executive chef and manager of the restaurant Jack Yoss actually came out to greet our table to see what we thought of our meal. We thought that was a nice gesture and surprising as we rarely see that happen nowadays unless you are some famous movie star or something. If you love Asian Fusion food and wants a unique culinary experience in Bali, this is a place not to be missed. One thing to remember though - wear mosquito repellent if you are wearing shorts/skirts because we got bitten quite a bit during dinner.


My ratings for this restaurant:
Food: 4.5
Service: 4
Value: 4.5
Atmosphere: 4