(Additional reporting by DimSumAndThenSome)

If, like me you’re a moerse Apple-fan, you will be over the moon to hear that it’s only seven slapies till we get our own fully-fledged Apple Store here in Hongkers!

No, in case you were wondering, not one of the many Apple Resellers dotting the SAR landscape… a REAL Apple Store like this one in Beijing:

Next Saturday, September 24th will mark the highly anticipated opening of the Apple Store in ifc Mall.

The 20,000 square foot, 2-story space will be the 1st official Apple store in Hong Kong, and the 5th in China, with stores in Beijing and Shanghai already wowing the mainland with their i-popping design and technical delights.

The ifc Apple Store will give tried-and-true Mac lovers and up and coming Apple aficionados alike the chance to take advantage of Apple’s stellar retail services.

Apple Store Hong Kong

ifc Mall

Central, Hong Kong

http://store.apple.com/hk

Here at Howzit-HongKong.com, we’ve been moerse (very) impressed at the effort put in by the South African Consulate in Hong Kong in promoting our country’s honour of hosting the world for the FIFA Football World Cup in June 2010. 

Local Hong Kong businesses have joined the party and added their own events to the groundswell in anticipation of the world’s biggest sports event back home.

It is more than clear that world-wide, South Africa, and in a wider scale… Africa, is currently the flavour of the month.

I regularly visit the new K11 Mall near my apartment and have been impressed at the levels the promotions department of Hong Kong (and the world’s) only Art Mall have gone to in promoting Africa and South Africa.  In late March, K11 hosted a South African dance troupe to kick-off their Africa focus.  All over the Mall, exhibits and fotographs featuring Africa can be seen while their frontline promotions staff are all kitted out in African-print uniforms. 

Last week, I popped in to the Jason’s Grocery Store at K11 for my weekly provisions and took the following pictures:

The K11 frontline staff are dressed in African-style uniforms:

Well done K11 Mall!  You are playing your part in focussing local attention on South Africa in 2010!

This kind off African/South African-promotional initiative is but one of the un-recorded spin-offs of the FIFA 2010 World Cup that often go un-noticed.  Howzit-HongKong.com can only hope that local events like this will in the future help to welcome more Hong Kongers, Mainland Chinese and other Asians to South Africa.

That, for us, will be the REAL benefit and legacy of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Ke Nako. It’s our time.

Mike Jansen

K11 is a high-rise building located in Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon developed by New World Developments.  Underground it can be accessed via the pedestrian walkway from the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR towards Tsim Sha Tsui East MTR.  The building features a 340 000 square-foot, 6-storey shopping centre beneath the Hyatt Regency Hong Kong.

As I am typing this, I am also watching the Stormers vs. Crusaders Super 14 rugby game at 2:45 on Saturday morning.  I don’t know if I’m more excited tellling you about what I found today, or at the fact that the Stormers are currently beating the New Zealanders at Newlands in Cape Town.  Let’s just say I’m doubly excited!

Earlier today, I visited the South African Festival hosted by the Olympian City Mall and the South African Consulate in West-Kowloon. (More about all the activities later.)  There I found a stall hosted by my old Saffa friend Leonora Sullivan who is the MD of Sheffied Limited, a locally-based company that imports SA goodies to Hong Kong.

Fresh off the plane

Imagine my excitement upon seeing this:

I support any brand that supports South African sport!  Hello and welcome back to HK, Castle Lager…

Every South African’s favourite Antie… Mrs Ball’s Chutney (Pic: Mike Jansen)

Leonora told me that these two brands are literally fresh off the plane and that Sheffied has some more surprises up their sleeves for the local Saffa expats (and locals of course).

To get your hands on this limited stock (for now) of Castle Lager & Mrs Ball’s Chutney, make your way out to the Olympian City Mall where you can buy them at the Sheffied Stand.

To get to Olympian City Mall, take the Tung Chung MTR line, get off at Olympic City MTR and exit at Exit D  

At 3:10am on Saturday morning, I’m the happiest South African in Hong Kong: I have a case of Castle Lagers, 3 bottles of Mrs Balls Chutney AND my team the Stormers just comprehensively beat the Crusaders 42-14.

What more does a man want this time of the morning?!

Mmmmm…

Nury Vittachi is a columnist for Hong Kong’s free English daily The Standard.  He wrote this delightful piece about the universal nature of latter-day Christmas:

I hate people who corrupt Christmas, my favorite holiday.

And I am NOT showing religious bias here. My father was a Muslim and my mother a Buddhist, but when it came to December, we all became fervent Christians, even our imam. You may say this shows a lack of respect to the beliefs of our forebears, to which I would reply: get real.

You give folk a choice between going to work as normal, or staying home and wallowing in an orgy of affection, food and gifts under a tree, and suddenly we are all into tolerance and understanding, even atheists.

But before fundamentalists from any faith burn down my house, let me make it clear that I believe all major codes of belief deserve respect, INCLUDING the silly ones.

I have been fortunate enough to have travelled extensively and, in my honest opinion, nobody but NOBODY does (commercial) Christmas better than Hong Kong!  The mega-corporates who own the mega-malls that dot the Hong Kong landscape leave no stone un-turned, no speck of dust around spotless mall-floors and no cent in their huge Christmas-promotion budget unspent come mid-November.  That is when the competition starts.  Malls in Hong Kong  do battle in an unofficial “Best Christmas Display of the Year,” vying for the hard-earned (sometimes the not-so-hard-earned) dollars of locals, Mainland Chinese and other visitors.

This is what I’m talking about:

(Visit this page regularly, I will update the pics throughout this Christmas-week)

So most of the schools in Hong Kong are finally closed for an early summer break.  Some kids have already been at home for more than a week and they are already uttering those 3 dreaded words: “Mom/Dad… I’m bored!”

“Take them off to Pacific Place,” I say.  “That way they can have the run of a huge mall and learn something more about South African culture through local eyes.” 

South African Tourism is putting on an exhibition of great photographs from 10 top Chinese professional photographers titled “South Africa through the Chinese lens.”  If, like me, you’re on your way home to escape the Asia heat, what a way to ease yourself back into home.

The five day exhibition, the largest of its type to be held locally, aims to give visitors and appreciation of the attractive destinations, diverse people and culture of South Africa as seen through the eyes of 10 top Chinese professional photographers. 

The event was officially launched by Ms Tembi Tambo, The Consul-General of South African Consulate in Hong Kong; Ms Tracy Qi, Acting Country Manager, Tourism Section, South African Embassy Beijing; and celebrity Mr Wong Chi Chung and his family. The exhibition will be on show from 24-28 June 2009 in the main Park Court of the mall.

Welcome to South Africa! Ms Tracy Qi, Acting Country Manager, Tourism Section, South African Embassy Beijing (right), Mr Wong Chi Chung and family

Photos will be grouped into five themes – Lifestyle & Urban Life, Culture & Wildlife, Luxury Travel, Heritage & National Parks and Adventure & Scenic Beauty.

Ms Tembi Tambo, The Consul-General of South African Consulate in Hong Kong said, “It’s my pleasure to be here today. The photo gallery today is an excellent platform to showcase South Africa’s natural scenery, culture and urban life for different perspectives. I hope you will enjoy the beautiful photos and come to join us in South Africa in the near future.”

Tracy Qi, Acting Country Manager, Tourism Section, South African Embassy Beijing said, “We hope the photo gallery showcases South Africa as an attractive destination. Visitors to the country are frequently impressed by its scenic beauty, sense of adventure and breathtaking wildlife. In the lead up to the World Cup 2010, South Africa Tourism hopes this exhibition will showcase an accessible, friendly, and welcoming destination.” 

Details are as follows:

 Date: 24 – 28 June 2009 (Wednesday to Sunday)

Time: Daily from 10am to 9pm

Venue: Pacific Place – Park Court (88 Queensway, Admiralty)