The Cute, Sexy, Free Minded RaneeC

Hey all, it's story time!

So remember that panda I posted a picture of earlier this week? Well here's a more recent picture:

       Now, I'm going to start with the back story. A few years back my dear friend, Ranee, went to Ocean Park and declared that she was going to have a summer internship there to observe the pandas and throw them a birthday party. She didn't submit an application, wait for approval, or interview with the park. She simply decided she wanted to do it, and then did it. (http://www2.oceanpark.com.hk/opahk/eng/animal_of_the_month_YingYing.asp).

       Since then, Ocean Park has continued to host birthday parties for the pandas in August. The past few years it has been sponsored by Haagen Daz.

Pretty cool, huh?

       Well, that kind of initiative is just what Ranee is all about, and that is why she founded RaneeC (http://www.raneec.com/), a small company that sells tights. I walked into her room at Babson one day and found her with tights all around. She declared to me that she was starting her own company and selling the tights. At the time there were just a few patterns to choose from and she had one of our other friends model for pictures to use on the website.

       But more than selling tights, RaneeC is about the woman in the tights. The mission at the company is to get women to (and I quote from the website here) "be cute, sexy and free minded, as we think all women ought to be, inside and out. Dress to express, not to impress." The pictures we have show off just that: women expressing their own self. Whenever we talk about the company her main focus is on how to make the company align more with the mission. From the beginning she has made a point of developing a relationship with every single one of the costumers.

(check out http://www.raneec.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/RaneeCFanPage to see the pictures).

       I stepped in to help her about a yearlater, and we then worked on making it the vision Ranee had in mind. I don't know many people who have the drive and initiative to throw birthday parties for pandas, start their own companies, all before the age of 20. But that's just the type of person Ranee is.                                (Note: pictured are two of my closest friends. Ranee on the left and Parvati on the right)

So that is the story of the wonderful RaneeC (my friend and the company).

(If you want to know more leave me a message below or send RaneeC a message on Facebook. You can also follow us on twitter @Ranee_C)

 

Hong Kong: Ocean Park part II - a visual exploration

My day at Ocean Park was a little bit gray but still plenty warm. Like I mentioned in my previous post on the subject, the park has a bit of everything (aquarium, zoo, roller coasters). So here is how the day progressed:

My first view of Ocean Park. You can't see it that well in the picture,
but the light green circle on the side of the mountain is a seahorse.

The fountain in front of the entrance

Just some otters, chilling, casual.

Now this is what Yeosu could have used! An interactive exhibit. The touch
screens that followed showed the different native aqueous life from around
the world, and how endangered some of them are.

Octopus cards can be used for everything (really, everything)
Including: riding public transportation, buying food at the
market, and making donations to save the pandas.

First thing we did was stop by the aquarium (it is Ocean Park,
after all).

I really like the bright blue fish!

Seeing double? Nope. just the reflection in the water.

360 degree Aquarium...we passed under that tank.

See?  Really feels like walking through the ocean.

1 fish, 2 fish, red fish, spiky fish.

You can't tell from the pictures, but the fish and stingrays in here were GIANT!
Like 5 feet long, 100 pounds, more or less.

Schools of fish!

I do like my sharks! There were quite a few hammerheads.
Keep going and you'll get to see video!

A stingray AND a hammerhead...I told you they were big!

For your patience so far I'm rewarding you with a video! Stingrays, hammerheads, fish. I for one think it's cool anyways. Hang in there and I'll give you more videos of some Chinese classics!

Ugly fish.

A restaurant overlooking the aquarium. Best view in the complex!

This is how thick the aquarium glass is...

68 centimeters. I don't think the water is going to come crashing through any
time soon. 

Now we're through the aquarium and onto the zoo!

First off: giant fake pandas!

But isn't he just SO cute!

Not to worry, though. I saw some real pandas, too ^.^

An An the giant panda!

And to reward you, another video! Isn't he just adorable?

Entrance to the underground train station...I come back to here later.

Seahorses everywhere!

Cool crocodile dude just chilling. Straight up.

Saphia & the croc

Coz red pandas are cool too!

And coz he is so cool:

But let's be real, what we really want is to see the giant pandas.

Oh, you know, just hanging with Saphia and a panda,
just another normal day in my life.

Giant eyed giant goldfish lanterns.

Blub blub, It's a large bellied gold fish

and a giant eyed gold fish

And some giant headed goldfish...they really don't like to just be normal.
It's okay dudes; normalcy is overrated anyways.

Carp

and a giant lantern!

an old public transport bus

So much going on in this picture. A British telephone booth,
bamboo architecture, a rickshaw. Just So much culture!

Do you think if you all get in and close the door it takes
you to a magical place? If it doesn't it should.

Clissic. Coca-Cola

Lolz. Queuing. Love how British it is!

Lanterns everywhere!

Bird cages

Going up in the ski lift!

Such an amazing view!

Of course the first thing we come across is the McDonald's. It really is everywhere.

In case you don't know how to drink it, here are the
instructions. But actually, it's frozen so you might want
to follow them.

We went on a few rides, and then to a dolphin show!

Oh look at teh little birdie!

Look, another reward!

Bonus: It's a double feature! Part 2 we've switched animals though.

Pretty cool, dudes. Pretty cool.

But now back to the dolphins.

Synchronized swimming. These guys could compete in the Olympics!

After the dolphin show we went to another section of aquarium. This here is
a water fountain inside of it. A really cool water fountain.

Now entering the train station

Hammerhead shark

Raccoon

And so concludes our stay at Ocean Park!