Stanley Stories 2: Shopping with a star!

Most tourists go to Stanley because of the very famous Stanley Market. It's pretty much like Mong Kok, only less crowded, and some of the prices are quite higher. Here, you'll find a selection of outlet shops, stalls selling curios from all over Asia, (I swore it was a hand-carved Kalabaw and seashell covered Manok that I saw back there...), and interesting jewelry made of jade and silver.

Stanley is also THE place to go to if you want to buy artwork. For some strange reason, a lot of the good art stores selling paintings both original and copied, can be found in Stanley. Some are rip offs from Van Gogh and Haring, while some are traditional chinese paintings done in a modern way. In this store where I'm sitting, the guy had this series of Eskimo kids which I really, really liked. I didn't buy it, though, since it doesn't really fit in my flat here, nor our house in Manila.



They also have a lot of cashmere and pashminas in Stanley. One can easily be drawn to the colors and textures of these scarves, and I couldn't help but snap a shot of this candy colored selection. It's good that the owner of this shop isn't as strict and finicky as the others. I think i'll make a wallpaper out of this photo.



But if there's one thing I always buy at Stanley each time I visit, it's the Chinese engraved seal. This is the requisite and favorite pasalubong item because it's both useful and very local.



What you do is choose a chop design from the myriad of colors and shapes being offered. If you're into Chinese Horoscopes, you can select one from the 12 animals available. Then there are the buddhas, the double happiness symbols, the feng shui marks, and so on and so forth.



The next step is to have the name carved or engraved on the chop. There are two ways to do it. The faster and cheaper way is to have it carved. The result is a red chop with a white inscription of the name and character, or as we call in in advertising parlance, you get a "reverse" chop.



The other way is to have it engraved. That means the whole block will be carved out, and only your name and the chinese characters will be left on the marble stone. Thus, when you use it, you'll have a red imprint on the paper you use. This looks neater and nicer, although it costs twice as much, and takes 3 days to make. So if you're in a hurry, the carved option would be the best way to go.



Incidentally, there's a funny story behind my current purchase of a Chinese chop. The lady who's taking my order turned out to be Filipina. She took our orders, suggested designs and even sketched the characters for us. While all these things were happening, I couldn't help but notice her looking at me in a very peculiar way. It was part "Hmmm... don't I know you from somewhere" and part "You must be new around these parts." After Melvin and I paid for our purchases and were walking out the door, she stopped me and asked:

"Excuse me. Artista ka, diba?"



I just replied with a smile.