Mother’s Day Ad For Sing Yin At W Hotel in Kowloon

So I got called to do a Mother’s Day ad for Sing Yin Cantonese Dining at W Hotel in Kowloon (one of the things I signed up sometime back but rarely get to show up for around hanging with Rockstar thinking it’ll help me get to know more of Hong Kong than the inside of a dealing room… but don’t know if I’ll actually find the chinese publication it appears in…)

We only recently discovered there was a W in Hong Kong, when Ming and Hui Wen flew up for the SPCA Bloggers Against Animal Cruelty Event. I’ve been dying to go back and check out the W Hotel Store except I never had any reason to travel to that part of Kowloon before.

Kings and I had a thing for W Hotels, ever since we randomly stayed at the W in New York when, upon arriving at the original place we’d booked, we discovered it so run down I worried about flea bites. W was the “cheapest” alternative last minute accommodation.

That 4 days or so, we proceeded to feel far trendier than we could really afford to be, passing the super chic lobby with the super chic people, to the smallest, cheapest room in the place (we didn’t feel our honeymoon budget back then could accommodate the slight increase in price for a room that was well, not the absolute cheapest and tiniest). Even as we had elevator conversations with other hotel guests about their USD 400 Frederic Fekkai haircuts. I was so taken I thought even the elevator music was “super chic”, and I later bought the CDs to play as background music during our small Singapore wedding dinner at Flutes at Fort Canning.

So here’s my chance. The hotel restaurant would like to take pictures of me, enjoying Mother’s Day Dim Sum and stuff. I must be freaking fabulous.

(Talent agency on and off asks if Rockstar wants to do ads. He said “No, because it takes too long.” His conclusion after watching a documentary about the making of the Wheels On The Bus video. He thought the kids had to wait around too much between takes. So Rockstar no interest, not doing. I will thoroughly enjoy this luxury in case someday we have this conversation about Homework.)

Anyway. I am introduced to my 2 “children”. They’re in their late teens. I must not be so freaking fabulous.

Lady In Charge frowns and says I’m too young. I’m wearing timeless studs (couldn’t these giant fake pearls I wanted at the last minute), a prim Anteprima cardigan from work days when I wanted to look older/ get taken more seriously, and carrying a Prada “doctor’s bag” which I thought could look more “auntie” with the prim sweater but thank you.

(Anyway this wasn’t my original gig, I was supposed to do a tv commercial for some government thing but it was Rockstar’s Pyjama Day at school. Now I realize they must’ve switched mums. I usually provide grovelling apologies because a lot of the time I can’t make these little assignments and no one’s told me off)

“How old’s your son?”
“3…” <Lady In Charge frowns> “I should’ve worn pearls?”
“Y-eah, why didn’t you?” She hands me a pair of big, white plastic Dame Edna-esque glasses with little gemstones that she bought in Mong Kok. I proceed to theatrically ham it up. My teenaged daughter is mildly disapproving I think because there are a lot “not pretty” shots. But I have to pass for her mum right.. So I don’t expect to be easily recognizable (or very attractive haha)

As we leave, my “daughter” is curious and asks about my previous job, and the Rockstar (including whether he’s “mixed” when she sees a pic haha)… Then… I mention this because it struck me as unusual: “But you are happy in your marriage, right?”

Erm yeah? We were talking about work and Rockstar and Kings preferring I stay home with our child for awhile. Where did that come from?

As I search my memory of our conversation, I recall her mentioning she’s from Tin Shui Wai. I know only two things about the city – it’s where HK Wetlands Park that we love to visit is, and, more recently I then learned, Tin Shui Wai is nicknamed City of Sadness. Apparently for high rate of unemployment, suicides, and spousal and child abuse. We only found out after recommending it (because of the park nearby) to a friend looking to stay for just a few months who likes parks, when he checked it out further <sheepish>.

So this is how I put 2 and 2 together and got a hundred and eleven, and a blog post.