Rockstar does ICC - This is sooooo gorgeous with the sunlight. I wish I worked here.
At least until summer is totally over, and then I'd quit.
<cough>
The Rockstar and I’ve been recce-ing ICC on and off for weeks leading up to when Kings starts his new job here, but obviously I couldn’t mention it cos then there are gonna be at least a couple eagle-eyed readers who start guessing which bank he’s at (based on which banks have offices here – and if you think I’m talking crazy then fyi I got messages from other bankers asking me where the Kings would be going, after I mentioned he’s on gardening. General kaypoh-ness I suppose…)
Seriously though, a lot of friends in banking bemoaned having to cross the tunnel to Kowloon where this place is, rather than say, commuting to Central Hong Kong every day. We were no different – until we realized that with the tunnel, it’s maybe 12 minutes from where we live, just like Central is – except Central has a helluva jam. Ok, maybe because of tunnel toll too…
Rockstar does BALS Tokyo. Sort Of. Actually he just ran maniacally in circles round and round outside and staged a protest when I actually wanted to enter the store to browse their cool housewares. (Hence I've been here with other mummies sans rockstars after parking em in school - one of my girlfriends used to live in one of the apartment developments that are linked to this mall)
Since even when Kings is not required by uh, an employment contract to physically be in an office a certain number of hours, he is often “mentally” at work, I figured to get used to being nearby enough to swing “quality Rockstar time” here and there when he’s on a break – ie coffee break or the time he takes to grab something to eat before spending the rest of his lunch hour back at work.
Then above the ice skating rink and cafe, Metro Books!
We pass an Asian family in the sizeable kiddie section of the bookstore, and hearing a thick American accent, I turn to notice a dad in serious investment banker “uniform” (who must also be sneaking down for ‘quality time’) shopping for books with his Rockstar-sized daughter.
Remember this? Yeah one of the first times we crossed over... When they were having the pop art exhibition....
And the family washing machine shots
(We don’t really do phone calls during the day, even with Rockstar – I mean we do try, but it’s not that easy because Kings is a big Bloomberg Chat/ Blackberry Messenger person rather than over-the-phone talker so until Rockstar learns to type…..)
This time we're back it's a Gucci Cruise exhibition (seriously - how do mummies of small children pull off pristine white leather bags? It would be pristine for like, 5 minutes when you're buying it in the store before picking your child up after school)
And there, with the stark white-ness of the Gucci display, a thoughtful:
“Mum. I had a dream last night. A bug was chasing me. It was all white. Even the eyes were white. So I got into a red race car and drove away. It started chasing my car but another race car squished it.”
“Oh was it upset?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
“Didn’t you ask?”
“I was busy driving away from it.”
N-ot sure that was what the Gucci marketing people had in mind.
Wah, only about 4 years old and he’s already dreaming of driving a red race car. For sure, he WILL drive a red race car when he grows up. 🙂
He’ll drive anything, really… The other day he wanted to drive the floor polisher a cleaner was using to buff the floor in a mall 😛 Wonder why this time it was a red race care though… His bed is a red race car to be sure, but it’s been that way for couple years and he didn’t say anything before…
If you’re going to spend some time in Elements, always bring a jumper or something warm as some restaurants are arctic! Also, a few of the restos in Elements don’t take reservations so it’s first come first serve (with huge lines even before “peak dining times”) if you’re ever there for meals. And a few restos there are horrendous (i.e. tiny sardine-like seating, very noisy or just plain average food (and I’m not particularly fussy) at Soho prices).
There’s also a tiny “food court” area consisting of 4 outlets where you can get gelato, burgers and hotdogs, Japanese-esque (hot) meal sets and a La Rose Noire (LRN) counter where you can get sandwiches, paninis, quiches and salads. The burgers are cooked while you wait but sadly if you’re sitting there waiting, it also includes you leaving with a new scent: eau de Korean BBQ due to them having very poor extractor fans. I’ve also been very disappointed by the food at LRN & the “Japanese” counters but during peak times, they’re always busy and people are getting a lot of takeaways but is this down to good food or simply due to them offering somewhere quick and not too expensive (especially compared to many of the restaurants there) and a general lack of good alternatives in the area? Also at these counters there are no bag hooks or shelving so you have to hold your bag(s) while you try and eat. Ages ago, I had spoken to one boss of the counters about them needing bag hooks so people didn’t need to hog an extra seat for their bags but despite the guy smiling and nodding his head whilst saying it was a good idea and something he would think about, his body language said otherwise and months (perhaps a year?) on, nothing’s happened.
There is also a Fairwood (extremely packed during peak times as I think this is the cheapest place to get a meal) and a Triple O’s near the ice rink side of Elements.
Sure with the weather finally cooling down, you could always get your food to go and find a spot in their public space but it’s the lack of good choices, (especially if you’re on a bit of a budget – and during these times, who isn’t?) that makes it more difficult.
Thank you soooo much for posting it here! (CA emailed, and I asked for permission to put it up, but she has kindly done it for me!) And there you have it, ladies and gents – from the Elements expert herself!
Oh, I’m not an expert in the least, just someone who’s had quite some time to see the lay of the land of Elements because I have had to.