Parading Your Best Easter Bonnet in New York

The Easter Bunny and a fancy dress made of balloons

New York City celebrates Easter in a DIY way. Every Easter Sunday residents show off their creative chapeaus. It starts from 10am to 4pm, and there isn't a particular place where it starts, but apparently St. Patrick's Cathedral is where you have to be to catch the action.

Two women channelling Audrey Hepburn

Many wear hats covered in flowers, bunny rabbits, Easter eggs and complete the look with matching outfits, like colourful suits, dresses, or this year in balloons.

One brought his ragdoll cats and he himself wore a cat mask, one woman had a black hat that had a brim that revolved with yellow taxis on it, two women inspired by Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady with over-the-top floral bonnets, a woman with a red and white mushroom on her head, and her small dog had one too.

What I love about these bonnets and outfits is how fantastic they are, bold with colour and fantastical in how they turned out! These New Yorkers really go all out, and are willing to step out and show off their artistic side.

A ragdoll man feeding his ragdoll cat

I saw a picture of a woman with a giant blue emerald with a diamond-crusted bird on top -- of course! It's the Jean Schlumberger brooch called Bird on a Rock. He was a famous jewellery designer who worked with Tiffany & Co. A variation of the brooch was recently worn by Heated Rivalry actor Connor Storrie at the Golden Globes.

She is Emily Hupp, a jewellery box historian who explained that Schlumberger made the brooch for socialite Bunny Mellon, which is why she had a small bunny pin on her dress; she wore a yellow rose dress because Mellon was a gardener. So what better way to pay tribute to New York than with this bejewelled creation on her head?

Hupp and her Bird on a Rock hat

I love Schlumberger's glittering pieces, and appreciate Hupp's homage to the designer! 

Some day I hope to make it to the Big Apple's Easter bonnet parade with a fun creation of my own. If anything just to take part and enjoy sharing the fun with others.

An Alternative to Fernando's in Macau

Roasted suckling pig was very tender with salad and fries

It turns out not just Hong Kong was quiet for the Easter long weekend, but Macau too. Granted the 10.30am ferry I took this morning was pretty much full, once the vessel arrived an hour later the immigration lines were short.

Hearty octopus salad with onions and coriander

My relatives have lived in Macau for almost five years and used to go to Fernando's to eat, but post-Covid they have found the quality has dropped. So instead of eating at this Hac Sa institution, we went to another place a short distance away called Miramar that serves Portuguese food.

It's located in a somewhat secluded area near the Grand Coloane hotel that used to be the Westin Macau. What's good about Miramar is that there is not only outdoor seating, but indoor as well, and today being muggy and humid it was nice to have some air conditioning while we ate.

The menu is filled with pictures, and we chose a few dishes to try.

The octopus salad features tender slices of octopus, combined with oil and vinegar, onions, lettuce, and coriander. This salad had a greater ratio of octopus than vegetables, which was hearty yet refreshing.

Bacalhau had more potato than cod fish in them

Roast suckling pig is a nice portion for three to share. It comes chopped into pieces with a side of salad and fries. The pork is moist, and practically falls off the bone, the skin is relatively crispy, with a thin layer of fat underneath.

At this point we waited for our last two dishes to arrive, and we were surprised considering the restaurant was not full, but we were told there was only one chef! 

We finally got the order of bacalhau, or codfish cakes. My relatives told me these were slightly bigger than before, but when we tried them we were disappointed, as there was more potato than codfish in it. One of them was also very salty.

Our waiter also told us our grilled sardines would come out soon, but we waited and waited... until we had to chase the waiter again.

Long awaited grilled sardines arrived warm

Finally it arrived, four fish with boiled potatoes and carrots, but was warm and lost its appetising taste. Seafood needs to be served fresh from the kitchen, but this one seemed to have been sitting too long. 

To make up for the long delay in our order, the manager gave us not one, or two desserts, but three to try.

There was a slice of serradura cake, lots of cream with "sawdust" of crumbled biscuit on top; a cup of dark chocolate pudding that tasted decadent, and pineapple upside down cake served warm. All the desserts weren't cloyingly sweet at all, and it was nice to try all three, though we were already so full we couldn't finish them.

It also meant that despite walking along Hac Sa Beach, we didn't have enough room to eat egg tarts from Lord Stow's bakery. Nevertheless I bought half a dozen to take back to Hong Kong!

Serradura cream cake wasn't too sweet

Miramar 

Zona Nordesta da Praia Hac-Sa, Coloane, Macau

(853) 2888 2601

(853) 2888 2623

The Rabbits of Jericho Beach

One of hundreds of cute rabbits at Jericho Beach

A friend took me to Jericho Beach this evening to not only catch the sunset but also show me the feral rabbits that live there.

For over 15 years, people who are tired of their pet rabbits (usually after Easter), set them free at Jericho Beach and the cute furry population has exponentially increased.

They are out in the open, unafraid of humans

Every year around Easter the City of Vancouver warns residents to think carefully if they purchase a rabbit for the spring holiday and to not get rid of the pet by releasing at the beach, but instead giving it to animal welfare groups to ensure better care.

"The rabbits are not wild -- these are all European rabbits that are bred as pets. They come in a variety of colours including black, white, grey and brown, and many are spotted or have a variety of markings," explained Nick Page, a biologist with the Vancouver Park Board.

"As such, all of these animals were once pets. People have simply been leaving them here, and they have continued to do so for at least 15 years."

He estimates there could be some 250 rabbits roaming around the area.

This evening we saw dozens of rabbits, both adults and bunnies hopping around and eating the parched grass. They did not care for people to touch them and hopped away if they attempted to.

Be sure not to feed or touch the rabbits!

Years ago my friend said the rabbits would hide in brambles in a grassy area near the tennis courts, but this time we took a look and those have been removed, making these animals more vulnerable to predators, including coyotes.

The rabbits didn't seem to show any fear of predators and were out in the open munching away on the super dry grass.

However do not feed them -- anyone caught feeding wildlife could be fined up to C$500. It is unhealthy for the feral rabbits, but also them gathering makes them more vulnerable to predators and could spread disease. Food left for them could also lead to mice and rats getting at the food, that could also lead to other diseases spreading.

So while the rabbits are super cute, don't touch and don't feed!

Religious March Under Police Watch

Church goers hold palm branches in Wan Chai

Yesterday was Palm Sunday, marking the start of Holy Week which will culminate in Easter celebrations this coming weekend.

At Our Lady of Carmel Church in Hong Kong's Wan Chai district yesterday, attendees each received a palm branch and paraded around with it. The palm branches represent the palm branches the crowd scattered before Jesus Christ as he rode triumphantly into Jerusalem.

The participants typically parade around with the palm branch for several metres, but the Hong Kong Police wouldn't allow them to just practice their religious beliefs.

Depiction of Jesus entering Jerusalem

Instead every participant had to have a palm branch in their hands, not wear a mask, and don a red ribbon around their arm.

One of the marchers said they didn't have to wear ribbons before.

"It's a religious event, I think it doesn't need to be so complicated," the woman said. "We're just marching a one-minute route."

She added those who are used to wearing masks may feel uncomfortable about the no-mask rule, even though police said the rule was in place to ensure participants did not use facial coverings to avoid being identified.

Nevertheless, some marchers did wear a mask anyway, but there were no reports on if the police gave them trouble.

The church had to apply to the police for permission to have the march, and when it was approved, the police told organisers that participants were required to comply with Hong Kong laws, including the national security legislation.

This is a religious march... they are not protesting anything. Can they not practice their religious beliefs freely?

Nine other public events scheduled yesterday also had to comply to the same rules, including an Easter parade organised by the Harbourfront Commission.

Some people just want to celebrate Easter... how bureaucratic does it have to be?