I just got back from Hongkong.
When I was a child, I saw Hongkong as one big playground and amusement park. My family went to Ocean Park countless times. I spent hours in toy stores, with a large pushcart ... and I saw my Dad as someone better than Santa Claus, because he didn't wait until December to gift me with dream toys. I recall walking in very crowded, busy streets ... afraid of losing my parents. I got into equestrian sports, and ordered my horse saddle, riding boots, riding crop, cravat, and other accessories from a specialist in Hongkong ... whose atelier seemed like a mere hole-in-the-wall.
Then for almost two decades ... I discovered fashion and went wild in Joyce, Lane Crawford and Harvey Nichols. I was giddy each day, with the high one gets from the hunt and acquisition of goods. I experienced Hongkong as a party venue ... where I attended fashion shows, visited new bars and restaurants, went on press junkets and product launches. My 30th birthday party was in the newly-opened Amber. I discovered the Spa at the Four Seasons and alternated massages with shopping trips at IFC Mall. I grabbed a Luxe Hongkong Guide and went to every venue recommended.
Now that I'm a new mother ... this recent Hongkong trip was like time travel. I was a child once again ... going to Hongkong Disneyland instead of Pacific Place; experiencing cutural venues and events instead of sleeping in a spa.

The façade of It's A Small World in Hongkong Disneyland.

Large figurines in the History of Hongkong Museum.

A dragon dance for the Chinese New Year festival.
Giuliano is only six-months-old, so he won't remember any of this. But during the first year of a child's life, 70% of his brain is developed. Each time he sees a new object, smells a new fragrance, tastes a new flavor, hears a new sound and touches a new texture ... a part of his brain is mapped out. So instead of shopping away to my heart's content as I used to, I spent my time showing him anything and everything we don't have in my hometown ... even if it was a simple stroll through the Great Food Hall of Seibu.
So although I did not panic buy whatever was left of Alexander Mc Queen's final collection ... something I would have done in my 20's ... I returned from this trip feeling just as satisfied.