Saturday, May 29, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
This past week
Oh wow, so I'm lame and havn't been typing much. Goodness, I can't even remember what I've been doing!
Ok, Friday/Saturday was Macau.
Sunday - Slept in. Ran some errands with Paul in Wan Chai and then went to go see Robin Hood. I don't know why everyone was bashing on it! I loved it! Like really really really enjoyed it. I loved that it was a different take than the typical steals from the rich gives to the poor. The movie started with Robin's life before all of that and how he progressed to become that person. Really enjoyed it, even with Chinese subtitles :)
Monday - Work work work! Guess what? I went to work! and then afterward, had margaritas. Monday is Margarita Monday at Coyote's in Wan Chai. Not actually, the girls I go with just named it that. To have a frozen margarita is kind of a novelty here...as if there is any other way to have a margarita?! So a few margaritas and a delicious quesadilla later I cabbed it home. Watched a little bit of glee (rented from the Country Club) and then went to bed. Lame I know!
Tuesday - I'm so lame. Coffee in the morning, work, coconut tart or noodles for lunch, bus home, dinner, and then true blood. I have read all of the books and now started watching the HBO Series. so addicted. wow.
Wednesday - Pretty much the same as Tuesday. OH! haha something crazy did happen! So normally I drive in with my Uncle in the morning, but he wasn't feeling well (he's been sick for ages) so he told me he was going to stay at home. So I was running late and missed the bus I need to get into central on time. So I was 15 mins late (not a huge deal) but I was walking quickly, trying to make it to work kind of on time and as I was walking (not looking at my feet like I normally do, as crazy as it sounds, you kind of have to here, because the storm drains (not like US storm drains) have these little metal holes that eat your heels, so I have to watch out for those, and then when they are working on the sidewalks which is often, they put these huge cover things over the sidewalk, which I hate walking on because I'm scared I will be that person that will walk on one and it will give way to this bottomless pit. ) so anyways, I wasn't looking at my feet and my heel became subject to one of these ridiculous metal storm drain holes!
So I saved myself from tripping and continued on, duly noting that my heel was not feeling right. Made it to work and inspected my shoe... My right heel had no bottom, and you could see the nail or whatever on the bottom, which was why I was walking funny.
Got off of work early because there wasn't too too much for me to do, so I walked into Central, through the alleys of vendors and shops, (got your pink jacket mom!) and went to H & M on the quest for shoes. Now I'm not trying to go all girly on you all, but I was just not having a good day, I was grumpy that my shoe had broken and mad that there were about a million people in H&M, so I stormed out and went to CottonOn (Aussie store) and my new favorite! I was successful in there, purchasing a pair of sandals, ok 2 pairs, it was a deal, $149 for two. So that's like $18 US. and then I got a pair of shorts for $25. which is like $3 US. Bargain!
So once I had new shoes to wear, I took my damaged heels to Pedder Street, well the alley off of Pedder Street and dropped my shoes off with a man who promised them to me in 20 mins for $30 (less than US $4)
20 minutes later I had beautiful new heels on my, well heels.
Thursday - Work, drove in with Paul. Get to work, read my email and realize it's Paul's birthday and HE DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING. I completely forgot, shame on me! So I angrily text him and email him explaining this and ask what he wants to do. We decide to go for dinner at the Verandah in Repulse Bay. But backing up... Had a lunch meeting with my boss for next week. It was really great, he's a PR guy, so I'm going to be doing some interesting work I hope. It's a small company, but it's going to be good, I can feel it. Went to their office (once I found it, struggle bus...) and then we went for Japanese. I had sushi, of course, it was delicious. Lots of wasabi. Also had green tea ice cream for the first time. I wish they sold it in the states! Do they?? Because it is AMAZING! I could eat it everyday I'm pretty sure.
Left work early, came home to shower and change before dinner. Had an absolutely lovely dinner at this restaurant that used to be part of a hotel. It is now just the restaurant, they pulled the old hotel down. (Apparently you've been there, Mom)
Had a lovely salad they tossed and made in front of you, it was their "famous" caesar, with warmed (but still raw) salmon on top. yummy!
Had lobster linguine for my main course, Paul had a rack of lamb. We were quite stuffed, but thoroughly enjoyed the dinner.
Went home, was supposed to have a skype date with Shannon, but passed out on the couch. Sorry, Shannon!
Friday - The weekend (almost)! My last day at my current internship. It was good, really chill day there. I wrote a really great story about Tsavorite among other things. Good stuff. Got cakes for the office about 3pm as is customary here. On your last day it's like what you do. Coconut tarts and egg tarts for everyone! They're so so cheap it's insane! 24 cakes cost me $84, so $10.25. Cheap.
Finished everything up, gave in my name badge and left. Did a bit of shopping along the way. There is this little store that sell different things everyday. I kid you not, everyday it's somehing different. I got a hair thing for Lydia, and then a few bowls and a plate for Mom. I just couldn't resist!
So now I am home. Just had a steak that was mouth-watering. Listening to music and just relaxing. It is Paul's last night here. He leaves early morning and then I'm on my own! Eek! But it will be ok, I have just 12 days left until I come home. My how time has flown!
Peace and Love, friends. I will speak to you soon. Email or comment, it's always lovely to hear from you!
xoxox
Macau Madness!!!
I made it home from macau! Yeah, it was crazy. The event was complete crap because the charity aspect was added last minute to the CAGE FIGHT, which was the main event. So there were 10 different rounds of different guys fighting, oh my gosh, blood! And lots of macho guys, and then lots of mainland chinese. 900 people in attendance... ha it was crazy. we got our picture with one of the boxer guys after on the red carpet area.
so the event wasnt good, but we went out after. oh let me back up
met at the office to get all the stuff to sell and then went to ferry
FINALLY got on ferry, after lugging ridiculous amounts of frames and suitcases and getting through immigration with it all ha. 1st class seats on ferry, which looks like the inside of an airplane, but better seats!
Got to macau, walked a million miles to the arrival hall, went through immigration pretty quickly, everything is in porteugeuse on the signs, but thankfully my spanish (for the 1st time ever) is becoming handy.
So we get 3 taxis again for all of our stuff. there were 6 of us. so 3-2-1, I don't know why.
But my taxi driver,I was in with 2 other girls, does not know where the Grand Hyatt is, seriously?? ha so we finally got him following the other taxis. and then we wanted a receipt (write-off) and the guy was like what, so I was like, oh crap what is the word for paper in spanish? So i remembered it is papel, so i asked him "Papel?" and he goes si si!
So we get out stuff moved into this HUGE Grand Hyatt, it's only 8 months old.
My boss got a room for all of our stuff wehre we could get ready and she and her sister were going to stay the night there.
So that was fab, the room was way cool. modern though, you wouldn't like it mom.
The shower/bath were in this glass room, (which you could cover so you couldnt see it from bed. but it had this huge tub freestanding and then 2 showers separate of it. like a shower room. rain shower (like from above, absolutely fabulous) and then it had the plain old regular shower. Boring!
So after the event we went to Lion bar, which EVERYONE was raving about. The 40+ yr old men hitting on us should have been the tipoff... It was in the casino at MGM, but it was just a sad, sorry excuse for a club. We literally walked in and walked out, it was that terrible, way too many 50 yr old men with little asian girls. Ew.
Then we went to these 2 other clubs, the 1st was terrible but we didn't care, so we paid our cover which included 2 drinks each and drank them down and moved onto the other club. the cover was $250 for that one, but we were like, um do you seriously not want to let 5 girls in?? So we got in for free to a club we later found out is known for its "exclusivity." Pshh.
So we danced and hung out there for a bit, this club was actually normal and fun
and then we went to McDonalds, and then we went back to where one of the girls was staying. Her boss has a place in macau, a penthouse, so we slept there instead of filling up the awesome (but too small for 7 of us) hotel room
so I had my own room and bed which was awesome, and then this morning we got up, looking way busted, in the same clothes and went back to the grand hyatt and figured everything out with our boss for getting everything back, DHL SAVES LIVES.
Then we went in quest of breakfast, and I ate a crappy cheese croissant, but whatever. Walked around the casinos and hotels a bit, Grand Hyatt is attached to a bunch of casinos that attach to The Hard Rock Hotel and then to Crown Towers etc etc.
so the event wasnt good, but we went out after. oh let me back up
met at the office to get all the stuff to sell and then went to ferry
FINALLY got on ferry, after lugging ridiculous amounts of frames and suitcases and getting through immigration with it all ha. 1st class seats on ferry, which looks like the inside of an airplane, but better seats!
Got to macau, walked a million miles to the arrival hall, went through immigration pretty quickly, everything is in porteugeuse on the signs, but thankfully my spanish (for the 1st time ever) is becoming handy.
So we get 3 taxis again for all of our stuff. there were 6 of us. so 3-2-1, I don't know why.
But my taxi driver,I was in with 2 other girls, does not know where the Grand Hyatt is, seriously?? ha so we finally got him following the other taxis. and then we wanted a receipt (write-off) and the guy was like what, so I was like, oh crap what is the word for paper in spanish? So i remembered it is papel, so i asked him "Papel?" and he goes si si!
So we get out stuff moved into this HUGE Grand Hyatt, it's only 8 months old.
My boss got a room for all of our stuff wehre we could get ready and she and her sister were going to stay the night there.
So that was fab, the room was way cool. modern though, you wouldn't like it mom.
The shower/bath were in this glass room, (which you could cover so you couldnt see it from bed. but it had this huge tub freestanding and then 2 showers separate of it. like a shower room. rain shower (like from above, absolutely fabulous) and then it had the plain old regular shower. Boring!
So after the event we went to Lion bar, which EVERYONE was raving about. The 40+ yr old men hitting on us should have been the tipoff... It was in the casino at MGM, but it was just a sad, sorry excuse for a club. We literally walked in and walked out, it was that terrible, way too many 50 yr old men with little asian girls. Ew.
Then we went to these 2 other clubs, the 1st was terrible but we didn't care, so we paid our cover which included 2 drinks each and drank them down and moved onto the other club. the cover was $250 for that one, but we were like, um do you seriously not want to let 5 girls in?? So we got in for free to a club we later found out is known for its "exclusivity." Pshh.
So we danced and hung out there for a bit, this club was actually normal and fun
and then we went to McDonalds, and then we went back to where one of the girls was staying. Her boss has a place in macau, a penthouse, so we slept there instead of filling up the awesome (but too small for 7 of us) hotel room
so I had my own room and bed which was awesome, and then this morning we got up, looking way busted, in the same clothes and went back to the grand hyatt and figured everything out with our boss for getting everything back, DHL SAVES LIVES.
Then we went in quest of breakfast, and I ate a crappy cheese croissant, but whatever. Walked around the casinos and hotels a bit, Grand Hyatt is attached to a bunch of casinos that attach to The Hard Rock Hotel and then to Crown Towers etc etc.
Got the ferry back to Hong Kong, made it through Immigration and jumped in a taxi to the bus station once the other girls were all situated to go back to the office,
Got home, took a much needed shower and then took 1.5 hr nap,woke up and ate dinner, spaghetti and meatballs (yumm)
and now typing to you.
going to go watch some dexter and eat ice cream i think
and then i think we might go out tonight, to appreciate the significantly better night life of hong kong.
Got home, took a much needed shower and then took 1.5 hr nap,woke up and ate dinner, spaghetti and meatballs (yumm)
and now typing to you.
going to go watch some dexter and eat ice cream i think
and then i think we might go out tonight, to appreciate the significantly better night life of hong kong.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
It's becoming routine
I'm getting into the routine here. I drive into town with Paul in the morning. Arrive about 8.30. Say au revoir to my uncle and then walk to Starbucks. I walk along the footbridges as far as I can go because they avoid traffic so successfully. I grab The Standard, the Hong Kong free newspaper here. I arrive at Starbucks and quickly order my doppio over ice before the line starts piling up. The Starbucks here are fabulous, and they offer a variety of breakfast items which is great, even doughnuts! (they’re not half bad)
I sweeten my doppio over ice with “syrup” which is simple syrup, not maple! Then I sit, preferably in the window, and read my paper, people watching sporadically. It was quite rainy this morning, so the people watching became even more interesting as there was a barrage of umbrella holding figures all hurrying through the blustery streets. There was a man wearing a trash bag and shower cap as he pushed a card with trash cans and women hold the umbrella so close to their heads I’m sure it is ripping their hair out.
I had an apple pie for lunch. Probably not the healthiest thing ever, but it was delicious, and nothing like American apple pie. It was like a personal apple pie size. No saucy apples, just cut up apple and raisins and seasoning, and it was delicious. It cost me HK$6, less than US$1. Yum.
I am quite determined to go to the book store today. It’s supposed to be a rainy weekend and I would love to have some good books. I’m running low! The new Charlaine Harris novel is out, I would be floored and so flipping excited if I could get it while I’m here! We shall see… I will keep you updated.
Hmm, since I wrote on Monday… Havn’t done too too much. Foot was still hurting on Tuesday but was better. Worked, aka was on facebook because there was nothing for me to edit. It’s been a chill week. Just going to Starbucks and work. I’m pretty sure the girls working there recognize me now, as do some of the other Starbucks regulars. I’ve been watching more Dexter, hanging out with my uncle. Phoebe bought ice cream, so now I have Ben &Jerry’s! (in Hong Kong!!!!) haha. Last night I was putting a new bandage on my injured foot and touched the wound and like jumped. I was mad, because my thought was that it shouldn’t be this sharp of a pain if there is nothing in there. So I started examining it more closely and found that a piece of glass was trying to force its way out of my skin. My tweezerman’s came in handy and my foot is now glass-free. It instantly felt 10000% better, for which I am truly grateful. Tomorrow I’m going to Macau, which should be fun, I’m definitely excited.
Thats all.
I sweeten my doppio over ice with “syrup” which is simple syrup, not maple! Then I sit, preferably in the window, and read my paper, people watching sporadically. It was quite rainy this morning, so the people watching became even more interesting as there was a barrage of umbrella holding figures all hurrying through the blustery streets. There was a man wearing a trash bag and shower cap as he pushed a card with trash cans and women hold the umbrella so close to their heads I’m sure it is ripping their hair out.
I had an apple pie for lunch. Probably not the healthiest thing ever, but it was delicious, and nothing like American apple pie. It was like a personal apple pie size. No saucy apples, just cut up apple and raisins and seasoning, and it was delicious. It cost me HK$6, less than US$1. Yum.
I am quite determined to go to the book store today. It’s supposed to be a rainy weekend and I would love to have some good books. I’m running low! The new Charlaine Harris novel is out, I would be floored and so flipping excited if I could get it while I’m here! We shall see… I will keep you updated.
Hmm, since I wrote on Monday… Havn’t done too too much. Foot was still hurting on Tuesday but was better. Worked, aka was on facebook because there was nothing for me to edit. It’s been a chill week. Just going to Starbucks and work. I’m pretty sure the girls working there recognize me now, as do some of the other Starbucks regulars. I’ve been watching more Dexter, hanging out with my uncle. Phoebe bought ice cream, so now I have Ben &Jerry’s! (in Hong Kong!!!!) haha. Last night I was putting a new bandage on my injured foot and touched the wound and like jumped. I was mad, because my thought was that it shouldn’t be this sharp of a pain if there is nothing in there. So I started examining it more closely and found that a piece of glass was trying to force its way out of my skin. My tweezerman’s came in handy and my foot is now glass-free. It instantly felt 10000% better, for which I am truly grateful. Tomorrow I’m going to Macau, which should be fun, I’m definitely excited.
Thats all.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Little Observations and the past week (this is a long one, get ready!)
Hello friends
Wow it has been so long since I have blogged and I apologise! ok firstly here are a few things I wrote a couple days ago. Just little observations and experiences I've had. I havn't edited any of this, so my apologies for typo's and misunderstandings.
As I was walking to work I had to stop to go moved around a man who was unloading a pig, a cooked and hanging one, from a truck. He then proceeded to lug this huge pig, just a bit smaller than him into a nearby restaurant and hung it on a hook just next to the counter.
I rode the tram today. Trams in Hong Kong are great because they are cheap and efficient, though they are a bit slow. It only costs HK$2 to ride the tram, so that’s about 50 cents for the Yanks reading this.
I got a taxi into Lan Kwai Fong last night. As we were driving along the road that I go along every day I realized how I look at Hong Kong now has evolved and developed very quickly from my first looks at Hong Kong when I first arrived. My first drive on these roads was at night time, just after 1am, and there were still people out, barbecueing near the beach, all the buildings still lit up, while the roads remained dark. Now that I travel these roads multiple times a day, I see so much more. The armors walking their family’s dogs in the morning, old men swimming in the harbors every morning, Police setting up roadblocks and shining torches in your face (that was a bit scary). All sorts of things, I’m really becoming accustomed to life here. Public transit is the best and cheapest way to go, especially because Hong Kong never stops. If you let it, you will be going and going 24 hours a day. Life here is work hard, play hard, which is a great concept, but sometimes you need a bit of a rest.
I went out Wed night to Lan Kwai Fong but didn’t stay out late because I had an 8am breakfast to attend. The breakfast was at the Hong Kong Club (fancy, really fancy) for the British Chamber of Commerce with a market research speaker who talked about the growing market in China. I was the “media” person, and recorded the speaker and subsequent questions. I was quite official. I had to eat in the proper British way with my fork turned over, and very very good table manners (thanks, Mom!)
So it was really interesting, and I got many people’s name cards. Name cards, I don’t know if I mentioned this already, are a huge thing here. When you meet someone, you give them a namecard with two hands. I now have my own, so I can properly exchange name cards with people. It’s a lovely thing I think. It’s an easy way to properly get everyone’s information. For me, it meant I could design a cool and interesting name card, and also keep up with Hong Kong!
Now I am at work, writing and transcribing away!
Ok, now Im just going to give a quick run through of the past week…
Ok, hmmmm. Wow, can’t remember..
Friday – Kerry’s birthday, went out for dinner that night. Kerry got foodpoisoned we think, and she was really ill. So it wasn’t a good night.
Saturday – Through a friend of a friend I got hooked up help out at this designer sale. She is a cashmere designer, Maddy Thompson, so I helped out at her sale for a few hours which was great. Afterward I wandered around Central and then went home.
Sunday – Went to the country club for the day. Laid by the pool, read a whole book, got a tan. I had a quesadilla for lunch, which was very different than what you get in the states, but good nonetheless. Continued to lay out at the pool, sipping fresh squeezed apple juice (yummy), ha it’s like I’m a little kid. Had dinner and a mojhito at the CC by the water. It was a beautiful night and the sky was gorgeous!
Monday – My first day of work! Went in early with Paul and met a lotttttt of people in his office. My boss came over to pick me up and take me to my office. (which is where I am typing from right now haha) They got me to work straight away writing articles and such for various publications. Left with Paul that night since Kerry was leaving on Wed and I wanted to see her as much as possible. So I walked back to Paul’s office (20 mins walk) and we drove back home. Had a lovely dinner and then just hung out and watched Grand Designs (mom, if you havn’t seen it, you should, you would love it!)
Tuesday- Same kind of deal, went to work in the morning, took the bus though, because my boss said I don’t have to be at work until 9.30, not 8 or 8.30 like Paul likes to do. Yippee! Misjudged a bit on how long it would take via bus, (50 mins, in case you were curious) and then a 20 min walk, so it’s just over an hour commute. At lunch, I had a meeting over in Wan Chai (connected via a friend of a friend again) to work for this events company that does silent auctions for charity functions. So went over to Wan Chai for that and then back to work afterward.
Wednesday – Work again! Pretty chill day, left quite early so as to see Kerry off to London. She was madly packing when we arrived home. We ate dinner and she continued to pack. I got ready to go out to Lan Kwai Fong. It was my friend Victoria’s Leaving Party, as she was leaving Friday to go back to the UK. So went to Le Jardin for that, had so much fun and met loads of people. Called it an early night though, as I had to attend an 8am breakfast at the Hong Kong Club for the British Chamber of Commerce and didn’t want to be too too exhausted.
Thursday – the never ending day.
Arrived at the Hong Kong Club in Central at 7.45am. Dressed quite nicely I might add! I’m loving being able to dress up and wear heels, its so much fun! So went to this fancy schmancy English Breakfast. I was the “media” there. So I sat near the front with my voice recorder, ate my breakfast in the proper English style (harder than it looks) and met many many people. Received and gave many name cards which is great for networking purposes. After the breakfast, which finished about 9.15 I caught a tram west to the building I work in. Trams are great because they only cost HK$2 and you can go for as far as you like, and it saves me walking all of that way!! Went to work, and then had to leave early so as to get to this event on time. The event was at the Hong Kong Football Club, (quite niceeee). The event was for the Soccer Sevens, which is kind of a big deal. There were about 700 people there, all of whom we girls (in fabulous pink dresses I might add) greeted and explained that we were holding a silent auction tonight. It was so much fun, ha lots of young British guys who were mesmerized by the girls in pink. Finished up about 11.45 and then went home to sleep, because I was exhausted!
Friday- Still exhausted.
Went to work in the morning. Met Paul and coworkers for dim sum in the western market for lunch. Absolutely delicious. Dim sum is when they just bring loads and loads of food to your table and you put some onto your plate. There is a huge variety of things in these little bamboo boxes. I was so full. Yum. Afterward, it was back to work unfortunately lol. Ran over to Wan Chai to get ready for event I was working Saturday and then back to central. An American guy who works for Paul had asked me out for drinks, so we ended up going to this event in the Landmark. Nice nice mall. The event was huge, you were given this special bracelet you had to scan to enter the stores, and they gave you tickets to possibly win giftcards and such. First we had a drink in the Armani Bar and then began the walking tour. There was free champagne or some kind of drink in each store, and many of them had favors to give as well. We walked around loads of stores including Valentino, Gucci, Jimmy Choo, Tod’s, Marc Jacobs, Dolce & Gabbana etc. A lot ok??
Afterward we headed toward Lan Kwai Fong and ate dinner, a late dinner at The Frying Pan. Which is a local 24-hour place that serves delicious breakfast. Had a yummy veggie omlette, toast, fruit and OJ for about HK$64 (US$8) Good deal I think! Full of food and exhausted, we decided to call it a night.
Jumped in a taxi and went home to bed!
Saturday- I gloriously got to sleep in! The drilling did wake me up for a bit, but I quickly fell asleep again. Slept till about noon and then watched Dexter and ate some delicious banana bread Phoebe had just made. It has chocolate chips in it!!
Had to arrive at 4pm for this event, so got up and at ‘em and went there. Stopped in IFC mall and grabbed a sandwich from Pret. Pret a Manger I don’t remember. But it’s all freshly made and delicious food and brownies as well. Ha, I’m definitely in a chocolate mood right now. Event went well, still for the Soccer Sevens, but a corporate event, but still a lot of quite young guys lol so it was fun and entertaining. After we took everything back to the office, we went to Lan Kwai Fong for celebratory drinks at Solas. Love that place, so cool and fun. My friend Rachel, who was actually my boss that night was giving me a ride home, and we stopped for pizza on the way home at Cul-de-sac in Wan Chai. It has absolutely delicious pizza, even at 3am. Stood on the street like locals and ate our Bizarro’s style pizza. Folded in half, with the paper plate wrapped around it because it was so hot! 3:30am – SLEEP!
Sunday – wow, almost caught up!
Met Paul at the Country Club at noonish. Laid by the pool for absolute ages. Read another book. Had a pita stuffed with coronation chicken for lunch (yummy, you Yanks would love it, trust me!)
Was walking around a bit and then went swimming and realized I had stepped on something and cut my foot. But didn’t think much of it. Took a shower at the CC and then headed over to the yacht club because Paul had a squash game. I sat and read, and then got ready for the Chinese wedding we were attending that evening. We headed over to the wedding in Kowloon via star ferry which was really fun and a new experience for me. Lots of walking today! Walked around Kowloon a bit and went to this place that used to be the Police Mariner’s building but has now been converted into a hotel, 5 restaurants/bars and many upper end shops. We had a drink in the Mariner’s Rest, which has historic photos all about and prison cells intact. We then walked to the Sheraton Hotel which was the site of the wedding. Chinese weddings are so interesting, but very long. We only went to the reception/dinner because the actual wedding started at like 3. We arrived at 7:15 and dinner was served at 9. It is a marathon. You arrive and take pictures with the bride and groom. She was already on her third dress of the evening. You have one white, traditional dress and then many other colored dresses. Carmen had a gorgeous purple gown, coral/pink gown, yellow gown, and 2 different white ones I think. She was always changing, it’s so fun!
So then the meal is served. There is a huge lazy susan in the middle which olds enough plates (12) and has room in the middle for the dish. The waiter then distributes food onto each place and then you each take one and eat it. Once you’re done, they take that plate away and put new ones on the lazy susan and the process continues on. I think we did 13 different dish/courses. It was pretty intense, and I had a variety of items, from goose feet, shark’s fin, suckling pig (glowing fake red eyes were attached to his head!) fried prawn, garoupa, and even something as tame as chicken!
Exhausting but night. However, as we were walking back, my foot really did start to hurt again. After we got home, I realized it had been bleeding a bit :/. Paul took a look at it, but couldn’t see any glass stuck in it which was good.
Monday – This morning! So my foot was really hurting and Paul thought I should go see the doctor. So I went in with him this morning and he dropped me off at the doctor. There was a starbucks on the first floor so I waited there until my 9am appt and drank a chai. Side note – I think I’m going to get a Hong Kong Starbucks coffee mug or thermos because they are so fun and different! Ha.
So I went and saw the doctor, he took a look at it and told me he doesn’t think anything is in there, it’s just so painful because it’s on the ball of my foot, so all of my weight goes on it you know? So hopefully tomorrow it will be feeling a lot better which would be awesome! So I paid my doctor bill and went to work. Took the tram, since I was so far away from my office and I kind of hobble funnily when trying to walk since my foot is all bandaged up.
Ok, that is all for now, I’m going to get back to work. Love you all. Please comment/email and keep me updated on life! Miss you and love you! xoxox
Wow it has been so long since I have blogged and I apologise! ok firstly here are a few things I wrote a couple days ago. Just little observations and experiences I've had. I havn't edited any of this, so my apologies for typo's and misunderstandings.
As I was walking to work I had to stop to go moved around a man who was unloading a pig, a cooked and hanging one, from a truck. He then proceeded to lug this huge pig, just a bit smaller than him into a nearby restaurant and hung it on a hook just next to the counter.
I rode the tram today. Trams in Hong Kong are great because they are cheap and efficient, though they are a bit slow. It only costs HK$2 to ride the tram, so that’s about 50 cents for the Yanks reading this.
I got a taxi into Lan Kwai Fong last night. As we were driving along the road that I go along every day I realized how I look at Hong Kong now has evolved and developed very quickly from my first looks at Hong Kong when I first arrived. My first drive on these roads was at night time, just after 1am, and there were still people out, barbecueing near the beach, all the buildings still lit up, while the roads remained dark. Now that I travel these roads multiple times a day, I see so much more. The armors walking their family’s dogs in the morning, old men swimming in the harbors every morning, Police setting up roadblocks and shining torches in your face (that was a bit scary). All sorts of things, I’m really becoming accustomed to life here. Public transit is the best and cheapest way to go, especially because Hong Kong never stops. If you let it, you will be going and going 24 hours a day. Life here is work hard, play hard, which is a great concept, but sometimes you need a bit of a rest.
I went out Wed night to Lan Kwai Fong but didn’t stay out late because I had an 8am breakfast to attend. The breakfast was at the Hong Kong Club (fancy, really fancy) for the British Chamber of Commerce with a market research speaker who talked about the growing market in China. I was the “media” person, and recorded the speaker and subsequent questions. I was quite official. I had to eat in the proper British way with my fork turned over, and very very good table manners (thanks, Mom!)
So it was really interesting, and I got many people’s name cards. Name cards, I don’t know if I mentioned this already, are a huge thing here. When you meet someone, you give them a namecard with two hands. I now have my own, so I can properly exchange name cards with people. It’s a lovely thing I think. It’s an easy way to properly get everyone’s information. For me, it meant I could design a cool and interesting name card, and also keep up with Hong Kong!
Now I am at work, writing and transcribing away!
Ok, now Im just going to give a quick run through of the past week…
Ok, hmmmm. Wow, can’t remember..
Friday – Kerry’s birthday, went out for dinner that night. Kerry got foodpoisoned we think, and she was really ill. So it wasn’t a good night.
Saturday – Through a friend of a friend I got hooked up help out at this designer sale. She is a cashmere designer, Maddy Thompson, so I helped out at her sale for a few hours which was great. Afterward I wandered around Central and then went home.
Sunday – Went to the country club for the day. Laid by the pool, read a whole book, got a tan. I had a quesadilla for lunch, which was very different than what you get in the states, but good nonetheless. Continued to lay out at the pool, sipping fresh squeezed apple juice (yummy), ha it’s like I’m a little kid. Had dinner and a mojhito at the CC by the water. It was a beautiful night and the sky was gorgeous!
Monday – My first day of work! Went in early with Paul and met a lotttttt of people in his office. My boss came over to pick me up and take me to my office. (which is where I am typing from right now haha) They got me to work straight away writing articles and such for various publications. Left with Paul that night since Kerry was leaving on Wed and I wanted to see her as much as possible. So I walked back to Paul’s office (20 mins walk) and we drove back home. Had a lovely dinner and then just hung out and watched Grand Designs (mom, if you havn’t seen it, you should, you would love it!)
Tuesday- Same kind of deal, went to work in the morning, took the bus though, because my boss said I don’t have to be at work until 9.30, not 8 or 8.30 like Paul likes to do. Yippee! Misjudged a bit on how long it would take via bus, (50 mins, in case you were curious) and then a 20 min walk, so it’s just over an hour commute. At lunch, I had a meeting over in Wan Chai (connected via a friend of a friend again) to work for this events company that does silent auctions for charity functions. So went over to Wan Chai for that and then back to work afterward.
Wednesday – Work again! Pretty chill day, left quite early so as to see Kerry off to London. She was madly packing when we arrived home. We ate dinner and she continued to pack. I got ready to go out to Lan Kwai Fong. It was my friend Victoria’s Leaving Party, as she was leaving Friday to go back to the UK. So went to Le Jardin for that, had so much fun and met loads of people. Called it an early night though, as I had to attend an 8am breakfast at the Hong Kong Club for the British Chamber of Commerce and didn’t want to be too too exhausted.
Thursday – the never ending day.
Arrived at the Hong Kong Club in Central at 7.45am. Dressed quite nicely I might add! I’m loving being able to dress up and wear heels, its so much fun! So went to this fancy schmancy English Breakfast. I was the “media” there. So I sat near the front with my voice recorder, ate my breakfast in the proper English style (harder than it looks) and met many many people. Received and gave many name cards which is great for networking purposes. After the breakfast, which finished about 9.15 I caught a tram west to the building I work in. Trams are great because they only cost HK$2 and you can go for as far as you like, and it saves me walking all of that way!! Went to work, and then had to leave early so as to get to this event on time. The event was at the Hong Kong Football Club, (quite niceeee). The event was for the Soccer Sevens, which is kind of a big deal. There were about 700 people there, all of whom we girls (in fabulous pink dresses I might add) greeted and explained that we were holding a silent auction tonight. It was so much fun, ha lots of young British guys who were mesmerized by the girls in pink. Finished up about 11.45 and then went home to sleep, because I was exhausted!
Friday- Still exhausted.
Went to work in the morning. Met Paul and coworkers for dim sum in the western market for lunch. Absolutely delicious. Dim sum is when they just bring loads and loads of food to your table and you put some onto your plate. There is a huge variety of things in these little bamboo boxes. I was so full. Yum. Afterward, it was back to work unfortunately lol. Ran over to Wan Chai to get ready for event I was working Saturday and then back to central. An American guy who works for Paul had asked me out for drinks, so we ended up going to this event in the Landmark. Nice nice mall. The event was huge, you were given this special bracelet you had to scan to enter the stores, and they gave you tickets to possibly win giftcards and such. First we had a drink in the Armani Bar and then began the walking tour. There was free champagne or some kind of drink in each store, and many of them had favors to give as well. We walked around loads of stores including Valentino, Gucci, Jimmy Choo, Tod’s, Marc Jacobs, Dolce & Gabbana etc. A lot ok??
Afterward we headed toward Lan Kwai Fong and ate dinner, a late dinner at The Frying Pan. Which is a local 24-hour place that serves delicious breakfast. Had a yummy veggie omlette, toast, fruit and OJ for about HK$64 (US$8) Good deal I think! Full of food and exhausted, we decided to call it a night.
Jumped in a taxi and went home to bed!
Saturday- I gloriously got to sleep in! The drilling did wake me up for a bit, but I quickly fell asleep again. Slept till about noon and then watched Dexter and ate some delicious banana bread Phoebe had just made. It has chocolate chips in it!!
Had to arrive at 4pm for this event, so got up and at ‘em and went there. Stopped in IFC mall and grabbed a sandwich from Pret. Pret a Manger I don’t remember. But it’s all freshly made and delicious food and brownies as well. Ha, I’m definitely in a chocolate mood right now. Event went well, still for the Soccer Sevens, but a corporate event, but still a lot of quite young guys lol so it was fun and entertaining. After we took everything back to the office, we went to Lan Kwai Fong for celebratory drinks at Solas. Love that place, so cool and fun. My friend Rachel, who was actually my boss that night was giving me a ride home, and we stopped for pizza on the way home at Cul-de-sac in Wan Chai. It has absolutely delicious pizza, even at 3am. Stood on the street like locals and ate our Bizarro’s style pizza. Folded in half, with the paper plate wrapped around it because it was so hot! 3:30am – SLEEP!
Sunday – wow, almost caught up!
Met Paul at the Country Club at noonish. Laid by the pool for absolute ages. Read another book. Had a pita stuffed with coronation chicken for lunch (yummy, you Yanks would love it, trust me!)
Was walking around a bit and then went swimming and realized I had stepped on something and cut my foot. But didn’t think much of it. Took a shower at the CC and then headed over to the yacht club because Paul had a squash game. I sat and read, and then got ready for the Chinese wedding we were attending that evening. We headed over to the wedding in Kowloon via star ferry which was really fun and a new experience for me. Lots of walking today! Walked around Kowloon a bit and went to this place that used to be the Police Mariner’s building but has now been converted into a hotel, 5 restaurants/bars and many upper end shops. We had a drink in the Mariner’s Rest, which has historic photos all about and prison cells intact. We then walked to the Sheraton Hotel which was the site of the wedding. Chinese weddings are so interesting, but very long. We only went to the reception/dinner because the actual wedding started at like 3. We arrived at 7:15 and dinner was served at 9. It is a marathon. You arrive and take pictures with the bride and groom. She was already on her third dress of the evening. You have one white, traditional dress and then many other colored dresses. Carmen had a gorgeous purple gown, coral/pink gown, yellow gown, and 2 different white ones I think. She was always changing, it’s so fun!
So then the meal is served. There is a huge lazy susan in the middle which olds enough plates (12) and has room in the middle for the dish. The waiter then distributes food onto each place and then you each take one and eat it. Once you’re done, they take that plate away and put new ones on the lazy susan and the process continues on. I think we did 13 different dish/courses. It was pretty intense, and I had a variety of items, from goose feet, shark’s fin, suckling pig (glowing fake red eyes were attached to his head!) fried prawn, garoupa, and even something as tame as chicken!
Exhausting but night. However, as we were walking back, my foot really did start to hurt again. After we got home, I realized it had been bleeding a bit :/. Paul took a look at it, but couldn’t see any glass stuck in it which was good.
Monday – This morning! So my foot was really hurting and Paul thought I should go see the doctor. So I went in with him this morning and he dropped me off at the doctor. There was a starbucks on the first floor so I waited there until my 9am appt and drank a chai. Side note – I think I’m going to get a Hong Kong Starbucks coffee mug or thermos because they are so fun and different! Ha.
So I went and saw the doctor, he took a look at it and told me he doesn’t think anything is in there, it’s just so painful because it’s on the ball of my foot, so all of my weight goes on it you know? So hopefully tomorrow it will be feeling a lot better which would be awesome! So I paid my doctor bill and went to work. Took the tram, since I was so far away from my office and I kind of hobble funnily when trying to walk since my foot is all bandaged up.
Ok, that is all for now, I’m going to get back to work. Love you all. Please comment/email and keep me updated on life! Miss you and love you! xoxox
Friday, May 7, 2010
May 6 (Thursday), May 7 (Friday)
May 3-5 are in the post before this by the way! Don't forget about them :)
Thursday - May 6
Well, I only got a few hours of sleep, as nights in Wan Chai often become mornings in Wan Chai. But I was awoken by jack hammering at 9am so I begrudgingly got in the shower, downed some coffee so graciously made for me by Phoebe and got the bus to the Country Club. Kerry had tennis in the morning so I met her at 11am for coffee/brunch after her tennis match. I met a lot of her friends which was lovely and we ended up eating lunch there as well. We were both quite tired after that so we went back home so I could take a nap and drink a Pocari (like gatorade) before our night began. We had been asked on a boat trip to Po Toi. Po Tois is this island SE of HK island. So we left from the HK Yacht Club and arrived in about 45 mins of travel around various islands in S HK. Po Toi is very very local. The electricity runs on generators. It was during the Tin Hau Festival, so there was this huge opera theater (made of bamboo) on the edge of the island. The Tin Hau Festival honors the goddess of the sea, and since it's a fishing village, it's kind of a big deal. It cost the village HK$700,000 to build it. It is only up for one week and then they tear it down again. We arrived in Po Toi and anchored. Then this tiny little water taxi somas to get you. "Three person only!" the man cries. So of course my lot puts four people in at one time. They almost tipped, so I was glad I wasn't in that group! I went second and Kerry and I crouched and squatted so we wouldn't get soaking wet. But after about two minutes of suspenseful squatting, we made it! We had a meal at this very local restaurant. We were the only Ex-Pats there. Ex-Pat - living in a country you are not originally from. You sit on little plastic stools around large round tables covered in plastic. The town elder (we think) came up to our group and offered one of the men with our group some brandy from this HUGE bottle he was carrying around. like a 3 foot tall bottle people! It was ridiculous! So that was kind of a welcome. The restaurant was family owned and two twin women who look super young but are in their 30's serve you. The restaurant permits you to BYOB or BYOW and my group was ridiculously well prepared. They bring the food to you on big plates and then you all grab your own food from that plate with your chopsticks. I had pigeon, huge prawns, ginger rice, whole chickens, squid and much more that I can't remember at present. It is polite to make a mess at the table, that means you're enjoying your meal. And trust me, using chopsticks the whole time, I definitely made a mess. Especially because I was stopping after every dish to take pictures of the next one! So you all better appreciate my pictures! I had to stop eating to take them lol. While we ate, there was an auction of different gaudy things to raise money for the festival and to alleviate the costs of building the opera theater. The bidding was intense, and one man in our group paid HK$4000 for a jade buddha (pronounced BUH-DUH not BOO-DUH) necklace. It was hilarious and then the locals all want to have a drink with you and they all cheered once someone in our group had won the bid. After the amount of money our table spent, the twin servers agreed that next time a corner table would be secured. They are the rulers of the tables and for them to give you a corner table is a big deal, we were one away from the corner tables last night. Next time! After the auction, they were giving away some of the smaller little things. I was given this brightly colored two sided rooster that hangs on your door, don't worry, I'm bringing it back to America. It is just so amazingly fabulous and gaudy it will hang on my door forever. (Sorry Tori and Chels!) After dinner we walked to the opera, which was on the edge of the island. The opera was a fabulous experience. I have absolutely no idea what they were saying, but it was so so much fun. It is very loud, there is a live orchestra, "orchestra." When they speak or sing, it sounds like cats. I kid you not. I will upload some video so you can hear it for yourself! But the costumes and makeup were extraordinary and it was such an honor to see this part of HK. It was so local and so interesting to see how they live on this tiny little island. Very different from the city.
After the opera we went back to the boat, which our host had mercifully moved to the ferry slip so we could hop aboard from the dock. It was really fun going back to HK Island because you could see all of the fishing boats out for the night. Some of them are lit up and shine bright lights into the water to attract the squid and you can actually see (when close enough) the fish swimming toward the light! We arrived home safely and saw Paul, since he had arrived back from business while we were on the boat. Sleep!
Friday , May 7 - TODAY!
So I woke at 9am and was in shock because there was no drilling or jack hammering outside my window! So I went to sleep again (duh!) until 11am when Kerry woke me up. It's her birthday today, so some of her friends had arranged to go out to lunch with her (and me tagging along.) Paul had left for the office, so Kerry and I got ready. I watched the news, the British election is coming to a close, while I sucked down some coffee and pineapple and strawberry yogurt. I swear, American yogurt is not the same as the stuff I have here or even the yogurt I have in England. I hate American strawberry yogurt, but here, and UK, it is just delicious, I could eat it all day! What the heck! Sorry, I'm a nerd.
Ok, so we got ready and went into Central. We parked at the Country Club and got a taxi into Central because traffic and parking are crazy in the city. We went to this lovely restaurant, which I can't remember the name of on Hollywood Road. We had buffet lunch again, which is quite popular here. It was lovely and I was quite full! Kerry had a tiramasu for her birthday dessert which we all stole a bite of. Kerry has just found out that Leo (my other cousin) is not doing well and is still ill, so he has been taken to the school hospital. Kerry might leave for Scotland/London early depending on how he is doing. We walked around Hollywood Road a bit and Kerry showed me where I will be working tomorrow (will explain in a minute!!) and around Lan Kwai, the nicer bar area of town. Ok, so Victoria, one of the lovely girls I met on Wednesday asked me if I would like to work for a fashion designer friend of hers on Saturday (tomorrow.) Victoria doesn't have time to do it, as she is leaving for the UK quite soon. So I accepted, and it was absolutely perfect because it was about 2 blocks from where we had lunch, so Kerry showed me the exact place I have to be in the morning. Maddy Thompson is a cashmere designer, and she sounds absolutely lovely, so I am very excited. So tonight we are going to dinner for Kerry's birthday. Lucy's in Stanley I think. So it should be a lovely night, I'm sure we will have a great time. So that is all for now! Sorry its taken me ages to write! Ha, my accent is getting so confused, I've been pushed and pulled by so many different accents here, its hilarious. Get ready!
Love you all!
Thursday - May 6
Well, I only got a few hours of sleep, as nights in Wan Chai often become mornings in Wan Chai. But I was awoken by jack hammering at 9am so I begrudgingly got in the shower, downed some coffee so graciously made for me by Phoebe and got the bus to the Country Club. Kerry had tennis in the morning so I met her at 11am for coffee/brunch after her tennis match. I met a lot of her friends which was lovely and we ended up eating lunch there as well. We were both quite tired after that so we went back home so I could take a nap and drink a Pocari (like gatorade) before our night began. We had been asked on a boat trip to Po Toi. Po Tois is this island SE of HK island. So we left from the HK Yacht Club and arrived in about 45 mins of travel around various islands in S HK. Po Toi is very very local. The electricity runs on generators. It was during the Tin Hau Festival, so there was this huge opera theater (made of bamboo) on the edge of the island. The Tin Hau Festival honors the goddess of the sea, and since it's a fishing village, it's kind of a big deal. It cost the village HK$700,000 to build it. It is only up for one week and then they tear it down again. We arrived in Po Toi and anchored. Then this tiny little water taxi somas to get you. "Three person only!" the man cries. So of course my lot puts four people in at one time. They almost tipped, so I was glad I wasn't in that group! I went second and Kerry and I crouched and squatted so we wouldn't get soaking wet. But after about two minutes of suspenseful squatting, we made it! We had a meal at this very local restaurant. We were the only Ex-Pats there. Ex-Pat - living in a country you are not originally from. You sit on little plastic stools around large round tables covered in plastic. The town elder (we think) came up to our group and offered one of the men with our group some brandy from this HUGE bottle he was carrying around. like a 3 foot tall bottle people! It was ridiculous! So that was kind of a welcome. The restaurant was family owned and two twin women who look super young but are in their 30's serve you. The restaurant permits you to BYOB or BYOW and my group was ridiculously well prepared. They bring the food to you on big plates and then you all grab your own food from that plate with your chopsticks. I had pigeon, huge prawns, ginger rice, whole chickens, squid and much more that I can't remember at present. It is polite to make a mess at the table, that means you're enjoying your meal. And trust me, using chopsticks the whole time, I definitely made a mess. Especially because I was stopping after every dish to take pictures of the next one! So you all better appreciate my pictures! I had to stop eating to take them lol. While we ate, there was an auction of different gaudy things to raise money for the festival and to alleviate the costs of building the opera theater. The bidding was intense, and one man in our group paid HK$4000 for a jade buddha (pronounced BUH-DUH not BOO-DUH) necklace. It was hilarious and then the locals all want to have a drink with you and they all cheered once someone in our group had won the bid. After the amount of money our table spent, the twin servers agreed that next time a corner table would be secured. They are the rulers of the tables and for them to give you a corner table is a big deal, we were one away from the corner tables last night. Next time! After the auction, they were giving away some of the smaller little things. I was given this brightly colored two sided rooster that hangs on your door, don't worry, I'm bringing it back to America. It is just so amazingly fabulous and gaudy it will hang on my door forever. (Sorry Tori and Chels!) After dinner we walked to the opera, which was on the edge of the island. The opera was a fabulous experience. I have absolutely no idea what they were saying, but it was so so much fun. It is very loud, there is a live orchestra, "orchestra." When they speak or sing, it sounds like cats. I kid you not. I will upload some video so you can hear it for yourself! But the costumes and makeup were extraordinary and it was such an honor to see this part of HK. It was so local and so interesting to see how they live on this tiny little island. Very different from the city.
After the opera we went back to the boat, which our host had mercifully moved to the ferry slip so we could hop aboard from the dock. It was really fun going back to HK Island because you could see all of the fishing boats out for the night. Some of them are lit up and shine bright lights into the water to attract the squid and you can actually see (when close enough) the fish swimming toward the light! We arrived home safely and saw Paul, since he had arrived back from business while we were on the boat. Sleep!
Friday , May 7 - TODAY!
So I woke at 9am and was in shock because there was no drilling or jack hammering outside my window! So I went to sleep again (duh!) until 11am when Kerry woke me up. It's her birthday today, so some of her friends had arranged to go out to lunch with her (and me tagging along.) Paul had left for the office, so Kerry and I got ready. I watched the news, the British election is coming to a close, while I sucked down some coffee and pineapple and strawberry yogurt. I swear, American yogurt is not the same as the stuff I have here or even the yogurt I have in England. I hate American strawberry yogurt, but here, and UK, it is just delicious, I could eat it all day! What the heck! Sorry, I'm a nerd.
Ok, so we got ready and went into Central. We parked at the Country Club and got a taxi into Central because traffic and parking are crazy in the city. We went to this lovely restaurant, which I can't remember the name of on Hollywood Road. We had buffet lunch again, which is quite popular here. It was lovely and I was quite full! Kerry had a tiramasu for her birthday dessert which we all stole a bite of. Kerry has just found out that Leo (my other cousin) is not doing well and is still ill, so he has been taken to the school hospital. Kerry might leave for Scotland/London early depending on how he is doing. We walked around Hollywood Road a bit and Kerry showed me where I will be working tomorrow (will explain in a minute!!) and around Lan Kwai, the nicer bar area of town. Ok, so Victoria, one of the lovely girls I met on Wednesday asked me if I would like to work for a fashion designer friend of hers on Saturday (tomorrow.) Victoria doesn't have time to do it, as she is leaving for the UK quite soon. So I accepted, and it was absolutely perfect because it was about 2 blocks from where we had lunch, so Kerry showed me the exact place I have to be in the morning. Maddy Thompson is a cashmere designer, and she sounds absolutely lovely, so I am very excited. So tonight we are going to dinner for Kerry's birthday. Lucy's in Stanley I think. So it should be a lovely night, I'm sure we will have a great time. So that is all for now! Sorry its taken me ages to write! Ha, my accent is getting so confused, I've been pushed and pulled by so many different accents here, its hilarious. Get ready!
Love you all!
May 3 (Monday), May 4 (Tuesday), May 5 (Wednesday)
Wow friends! It has been ages since I have written anything. Ok, so I must catch you all up on the madness…
Hmm, ok so Monday May 3-
Monday morning I slept in a bit and then went down to Stanley Market with Kerry. Did a lot of browsing to see what I liked and wanted in the future. So much fun, you can walk down there in about 10 minutes. Walk DOWN. But then you have to walk back up, a bit steep. My legs are going to look fabulous by the end of this trip! So along the road to Stanley market I took lots of pictures, which I will upload as well! Some of the steps down to where the ocean is are so so so steep it's just insane. I can't believe it! So anyways, the market was way way fun, its madness and so overwhelming at times but it's a really nice market. Not too full and most people speak some English. Wow, i'm getting overwhelmed at the amount of things I have to write about still, there is oh so much!
Anyways, so Kerry had to leave about 4pm from Stanley to go into Central. So I stayed at Stanley Market and met up with Luke and Sammy. It was their last day in HK and they had a flight at 9pm to Australia. So I showed them around the market (I'm an old pro now!) and then we went to the waterfront (which is absolutely gorgeous, pictures!) and then went to a bar. It was just like a british pub. So we sat and had a beer and caught up a bit more. I hadn't seen Luke in ages, so it was really fun to catch up. I think the last time I saw him in the UK was 2 years ago perhaps? So when they got back on the bus to Central and then to Kowloon to the airport, I walked back to my house. (It's my home for the next month, so it's going to be called my house.) I ended up staying in for the rest of the night, I was really tired and quite jetlagged still. I sat in the study and started watching Dexter. Dexter is this Showtime show that is oh so addicting! (mom you won't like it) It's about this guy who works for the Police in Miami as a blood analyst but in his spare time at night he kills bad people who slip through the system or cheat the system. So good, Kerry has Seasons 1 & 2 so I am set!
Kerry and I had dinner that night alone because Paul (my uncle) was away on business. I am loving all this different foods here! Phoebe cooked us sea bass, which was absolutely lovely, and i've been drinking some lovely wines.
Kerry and I have been watching Season 3 of Gossip Girl some nights. She is quite addicted and I am holding her in suspense since I have seen most of the episodes she has. She bought them in Bali, but she's missing the most recent ones since they have only recently aired in the US.
Tuesday - May 4
Woke up to ridiculous drilling and jack hammering outside my window. Seriously?!
They are redoing the outside of the building, like the WHOLE outside. So the whole building's outside and the lobby are like a building site and it's all scaffolded with white netting and bamboo. The workers walk on the bamboo (quite high up) without any protective harness or anything, I wouldn't dare do it! So the jack hammer is pretty loud. I met one of Kerry's friends who is a realtor who came to look at their apartment. Then I decided I would go down to Stanley Market to escape all the noise and madness. Wendy, this computer specialist was there to transfer Paul's desktop to a Mac! (Ha!, converts!) So it was just quite busy in the house. So I walked down to the market and had a great time. I browsed around all the little shops and stores. Had so so much fun just looking around and seeing all the different things you can get, even many American things, like YooHoo and Doritos. Hm, so I got a few things, an I <3>
Kerry and I had dinner at home again, and had some delicious salmon and Phoebe's glorious salsa with avocado in it! Finished Ep. 16 of Gossip Girl. That's all Kerry has, she is desperate for the last episodes!!
Wednesday -May 5
haha the start to my endless and crazy 48 hours.
Ok, so Wednesday morning Kerry and I drove to the Jade Market. OMG, so much fun. There are pictures showing the endlessness of jade here. It was a fabulous time and you can haggle down the prices. So it was lovely to have Kerry with me because she knew some of the sellers there and got me local prices! We were a bit dressed up Wednesday because after the Jade Market we went to lunch in Central at IFC (the financial and main part of town) We went to this italian place called Isola. We had a lovely view into the harbor. We met up with one of Kerry's friends Caroline and her daughter Victoria and her friend Katie. They are my age, so it was lovely to meet them and make some friends while I am here. We had a lovely buffet lunch. The buffets here are absolutely nothing like they are in America. The typical buffet lunch here is some kind of cous cous/ chick pea with vegetable, some lettuce or greenery, cooked vegetables, sliced cold meets, shrimp or tuna in salad or rice, fruit, and various toppings like olives, balsamic vinegar, oil, sun dried tomatoes and much more. It was very delicious, and I was very full afterward!
After lunch and a lovely time with everyone Kerry and I started the shopping! We went to H&M, which is even cheaper here than it is in the states! I got a fabulous sweater dress for HK$50 which is like US$6. We also went to this shop called CottonOn which is an Australian shop. It's fabulous. I was like a kid in a candy store, and will definitely be revisiting there to purchase this great pair of blue lace up heels! They sound crazy but they are really really nice and very classy. Don't' judge before you've seen them!
Kerry was on a quest for a "lunch dress" so we also ended up in Esprit and M&S. Yes mom, they have M&S in HK! But it's much more expensive. Oh sorry, that's Marks & Spencer for you Yanks who haven't experienced M&S, it's this huge huge department store, but a lot nicer than any in the states. Anyways, after that we went into the IFC mall and went to ZARA, which is a lovely store as well. So I had a great time really just looking around at everything and taking it all in. My feet were starting to smart a bit, since I had been in heels since lunch, I left my gladiator sandals in the car! After our shopping extravaganza we stopped at the Country Club for a bite to eat. I had Tikka Masala, and it was a delicious Indian! Quite spicy though for a Tikka!
After dinner we headed home so I could take a quick shower and change. One of Kerry's friends son's had agreed to take me out on the town since I don't know many people here. Jamie (my cousin) wanted to fly back from the UK for a week so he could take me out but Kerry said no, lol. So anyways, I changed and then we went over to James' home (just down the road) and I met their family and we sat down and had a glass of wine. After a bit, James and I left and got the bus into Wan Chai. There are two areas of town where you go out in HK. Wan Chai and Lan Kwai Fong. Wan Chai is usually where the 18-20/21 yr olds go because it's cheaper. Lan Kwai Fong or Lan Kwai is a bit of a nicer, but more expensive area. So anyways…we got the bus to Wan Chai. Oh, so on the bus, to pay, you can use an Octopus card. They're fabulous. You load them with however much money you want, and then you just scan it and it automatically takes it off your Octopus card. It will scan while still in your wallet/purse, so you never have to get it out. It's nice too bc you can use it at a lot of smaller cafe type places and for parking or the bus. Sorry, that's a bit of a side note. Ok, so we arrived in Wan Chai and walked through the sketchier part (ie prostitutes and clubs I will not be attending) Don't worry, mom! Wednesday night is LADIES NIGHT! So I had quite a cheap night haha. Wan Chai is just a bunch of bars so you go from bar to bar and drink whatever is free there. James (my tour guide for the night lol) introduced me to lots of people and I even met a few boys who are very good friends with my cousin, Jamie. They were in shock that I was his cousin and that Jamie wasn't here! So all in all, it was a good night and the boys and I had a lot of fun!
Sunday, May 2, 2010
I made it to Hong Kong!
Hi friends! Sorry its taken me awhile to post, but I had to make it into the country! Ok, so let me back up...
Friday morning I left Melbourne airport, made it to ATL with no problems. Literally almost walked onto my next plane, perfect timing! However, we proceeded to sit on the plane for 3.5 hrs without moving. Since the flight wasn't full, there was a problem with balancing the fuel versus the passengers inside. So that made this huge 747-400 late to its arrival in Tokyo. The flight ended up being 12 hours, and our pilot made up alot of the time in the air, thankfully! I slept most of the way, waking up at intervals to see The Blind Side, New Moon and 17 Again on the big screens. Hit the ground running, because Delta had held our Tokyo flight to Hong Kong since it was the last one of the night. (love Tokyo-Narita airport btw) So so organized! Anyways, so I made it to Hong Kong, read my guide about Hong Kong on the way there. Went through customs in HK without a hitch, grabbed my bags and was on my way! My aunt and uncle met me at the airport and then we drove to their home.
Once we got home, of course I was wide awake. It was 1am HK time, so it was 1pm US time. I ended up taking a shower, unpacking and then taking a sleeping pill and was off to bed. I ended up sleeping from 2am-1pm because Kerry woke me up!
We went into Central after I had brunch and espresso, and I got a sim card so I can use a phone while I'm here which is great! Went to Mix for lunch. Kind of like Tropical Smoothie but better. Had a delicious smoothie and wrap! Kerry and I went shopping for awhile, which is always fun! We had decided at 6 we would meet Luke and Sammy for dinner. Luke is a friend of mine from England that I literally have grown up knowing. So it was crazy when I found out he would be in HK the same time as me! We met for dinner at the Yacht Club and had a lovely buffet of sushi, salad, hot dishes and kids chocolate ice cream! Afterward, we watched the light show from the balcony, which was absolutely gorgeous! Now I am home again, all moved into Jamie's room (Thanks, Jamie!)
I am excited and hopeful for what this trip will bring, its been so much fun so far! Enjoy the pictures, definitely many more to come. This is probably not as detailed as I had planned to be, but it will have to do :)
Peace and Love friends!
Ok, new plan, here's the link to the album!
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