vroom vroom

We've been having lots of fun on our new toy! Here's a shot of me practicing how to ride without stalling on a narrow road by the water. It may look like i'm going quite fast but do not be deceived, i've barely just got my feet off the ground.

ongoings

Today i officially started work as an Educational Assistant with the Learning Support Centre at Bradbury School, an international school on The Peak on HK Island. It's one of 19 schools scattered across HK, both secondary and primary, all using the British curriculum. Bradbury is one of the main primary schools of ESF (English School Foundation), the largest international educational body in Asia. Most of the teachers are from overseas, mainly UK, Canada and Australia, and the student body is a pot pourri of local and foreign students, all of them button-nose cute!

To get to work, I have to take a ferry and then a bus, so basically this translates to about 90 minutes of commute time each way door to door, which then means rising at 6am, something that i'll have to discipline myself for. Still, i prefer to live in 'remote' DB than on claustraphobic HK Island; it's just nice to be able to walk out and not have to immediately weave your way around hoards of people, cars, buses, etc. Not to mention the choking fumes.

On Saturday i went to substitute teach at Blink Think, the other part time job I've taken up. My first class was a girl of one and a half years old, no joke. Her nanny sat beside her the whole time. It took a few minutes for her to warm to me but by the end of the 90 minute session, i was truly impresed with her knowledge of the ABC's and 123's, not to mention her ability to focus and sit still for such a long time!

The rest of the day i had a range of 3-6 year olds, all keen and eager, with even keener and more eager parents. Instead of jumping straight into the lesson and for them to get used to a new face, i spent the first few minutes just talking and asking them general questions, like what they had for breakfast and what they have done/will do the rest of the day. Every child, i kid you not, replied by saying that they were on their way or had just come back from, piano/phonics/drawing/karate/swimming/mandarin/math lessons. Only one girl said she might go to her friend's house to play. This type of lifestyle for a 3 year old is normal here in HK. And yet, with a schedule that is nothing short of extraordinary, these kids have boundless energy. I almost forgot how exhausting they can be, running and screaming for hours on end. There has got to be a way to harvest all that energy, i swear it could run a small village.

One of the things that are on most expats' list of things to do when they live in HK is to row in a dragon boat. I've always loved watching the races either on TV or in Toronto during the summer. And chance has come my way, I've signed up on the mixed beginners dragon boat racing team here in Discovery Bay. On May 31st, DB will host its own dragon boat race, all in the name of community spirit and fun, with contests for best costume, best cheer and a big party at the end of the day. Our team had our second practice yesterday morning down near the Marina Clubhouse and it was exhilerating and terribly exhausting at the same time. Now, i rowed competitively in highschool for 2 years but i don't remember ever getting so worn out after just a couple minutes of hard rowing (a dragon boat race usually averages two and a half minutes). It's a completely different technique and today my back and shoulders are just killing me. I'm just hoping it'll get easier with time. I've also got to remember to wear my bathing suit as you tend to get absolutely drenched in the boat - go figure.

After a good practice of ultimate frisbee last Thursday in the rain (not as bad as you think, it actually keeps you cool), i met up with a friend and some of her colleagues in this cute little cafe in the Soho district called Joyce Is Not Here Cafe. It was jam night and anybody can just go and fool around on the keyboard and/or guitars. It felt more like someone's living room than an actual bar, and the fact that some French guys played my favourite Ben Harper song made my foolish incident of leaving my cell phone in a taxi 2 hours earlier a lot less painful. Yes, I've done it again. Gone are all my pics stored on the phone and all my contact numbers, arg. So i have now progressed to my 4th phone in this past year, not to mention ever in my life. So here i am, proud owner of a cheap, no-nonsense Motorola.

Last piece of news to report is that we've bought ourselves a motorbike! Yes folks, we are no longer bound to the schedules and crowdedness of HK public transportation. After seeing the Yamaha Dragstar bike last night, which was in great condition and with only a little over 6000 km on it (over a span of 9 years!) we have purchased this little jewel in order to expand our horizons by being able to venture out whenever we want into the remote hills and beaches of HK. The only little issue is that we have to park it outside of DB because nobody here is allowed to drive their own vehicles. So it's locked outside the DB tunnel and everytime we want to use it we'll have to take a 3 minute bus ride to actually reach it. Little sacrifice for many days of exploration and adventure ahead!

"a place where need and resource intersect"

It's true. Hong Kong people have way too much money on their hands than they know what to do with it. Old money, new money, it doesn't matter; a majority of them have the disposable income to spend it on whatever their hearts desire. And spend it they do. On penthouse apartments, antique furtniture, overseas holidays, the latest electronics gizmos, designer clothing, grade-a jewellry, cosmetic surgery, and the list continues. And so what happens to the stuff when a company decides to relocate half a block down the street and decides it's too much hassle/time/money to move everything over, a 400-bedroom hotel goes through a major makeover, a school who ordered playground equipment from the UK and realized that it won't fit in their tiny field, a business person who is moving to another flat across town and couldn't be bothered to pack a single item and would much rather buy everything brand new again? All that precious stuff goes to the dump. Well, it used to.

Enter Crossroads International, a locally-run charity started by HK-based Canadian couple, Malcolm and Sally Begbie, who were asked in 1995 by friends in the north of China to send over sweaters for the victims of the massive flooding. They asked around HK not really knowing what to expect but pretty soon came the influx of donations. Not only were sweaters given by the boxfull, but food, blankets and school supplies were also provided. And the generosity hasn't stopped since. There are stories of people driving up to the remote Crossroads site, dumping all of their stuff onto the side and pulling away again never to be seen. Today, hospital equipment, eyeglasses, top of the line computers, flat-screen tv's and unused i-pods are not uncommon donations!

I came across this NGO on the internet and i've been out to help out about 4 times so far. Each time i meet interesting people, many who live on-site and are given free accommodation and food for their work, and each time i learn a new skill and share my own knowledge. It isn't just a crossroads for physical objects but one of the human spirit, and it is truly inspiring. I sound like some cheesy promo ad, but in bustling money-oriented HK, it is extremely gratifying to rub shoulders with people who are committed to improving the lifestyle of the greater global community.

The picture posted in this entry is an activity which i helped out with a couple of times. Dubbed Slum Survivor, this situational game takes highschool students and breaks them into groups of 'families', whereby they are given separate family profiles, but they are pretty much identical in the fact that they are all struggling to survive in the slums of India. The goal for this activity is to make enough money to send their daughter to school. Each family has the task of making paper bags from newspaper and homemade glue, where they then have to go to the local 'shop' and sell them for money. This scenario is taken from actual situations and although the students don't actually go through the despair, hunger and utter poverty that face these people, there is a sense of empathy that is created. While the game is going on, each family has to ensure that food is bought, rent is paid and that at least one member o fthe household attends workshops given by the local community worker. When he/she doesn't, a family member falls ill and must pay for medicine and hospital care.

It's interesting to see the different groups interact and lead (re: democracy, communism, full-on dictatorship), and strategize (lie, beg, steal). At the end of it all, we sit down, debrief the activity and give out current facts and statistics about the world's underdeveloped nations and what the rest of the world is (not) doing about it. We end it by simply stating that by having these youth come out and volunteer with Crossroads, a little bit of hope is being restored to those less fortunate.

I can still remember my World Issues class quite clearly in highschool. It was during that class that my eyes opened to a whole other world, one that seemed exotic, exciting, mysterious, and also one that was a much harsher reality of what i was living then. Today, it is thrilling to see the naked realization in these students' eyes, reminding me how naive and innocent i once was.

la vie est belle en France

With the bags packed, all the oysters consumed and some delectable Jersey fudge bought, Sue, Guy and I left Jersey on April 6th by boat, destination: Le Chalet at the foothills of the Pyrenees. The ferry crossing was perfect; the sea was 'slight' and it felt like we were gliding on ice while we ate our sandwiches and crisps (chips).

Disembarking at St. Malo on the northwest coast of France, we zoomed off and covered about 500 km before stopping just outside Bordeaux where we overnighted. Continuing south early the next morning, we didn't stop until just outside Mirepoix where a bunch of student protesters were holding up traffic at the town's roundabout. They were protesting the new employment law that they claim gives them less job security and rights in the workforce. We were tired from driving all morning and just wanted to get to the supermarket to do our shopping. So we signed the petition and were eventually let through. At the store, we saw a few dozen students stocking up on the essential goods required for any mass protest: bags of crisps and crates of beer. Some customers were obviously angry by the holdup and had absolutely no sympathy for the students, throwing looks of disgust at them. Some were quite supportive and showed their enthusiasm by honking and hollering along. For me, it was strange to see about half a dozen police officers in their sunnies, hands on their hips, just watching the whole show and not doing a thing about it. I guess their only concern was that nothing too disruptive was happening. The French way perhaps but probably also the wisest.

Nestled just a few steps away from the quaint village of Courtauly, Le Chalet is surrounded by a picturesque scenery of forest, hills, mountains, all enveloped in tranquility and peace (pic 1). After nine months of non-use, Le Chalet was in remarkable condition and all we had to do was sweep out the flies, turn the water and gas on, unwrap the dishes, cut up a few slices of bread and cheese, uncork the wine bottles and in no time, we were dining on the porch in the glorious spring sunshine (pic 2). What's more, we were treated to a rare sighting of two deer and a fox, all within a couple of hours of arriving!

The next few days were spent exploring the area by car and foot. We hiked through La gorge de la Frau, up to Mont Segur Castle and through the narrow streets of Mirepoix market. We also visited the old Thornington camping spot when Matt was a boy and saw the towns of Toulouse, Carcasonne and Limoux. When not walking off our calories, we were consuming them by the bucketful. It really doesn't get much better than cheese, wine and bread. Delicieux!

Thrilled to be able to brush up on my French, I also got a chance to reconnect with my Canadian lumberjack roots which I thoroughly enjoyed (pic 3). What a rush to hit something so hard it breaks with a deafening snap, mind you it took several swings for me to chop my first log.

For our last supper, we went to Carcasonne and dined at a great restaurant in the castle city. We all had the traditional 'must-have' meal of the region: cassoulet (pic 4). Comprised of beans, sausages of Toulouse, a piece of duck confit cooked in its fat, pork, pork rinds, and duck or goose fat, everything is thrown together and then baked in a casserole to a glazed perfection. It's every bit as delicious as it looks and the only requirement is to a) be absolutely famished beforehand and b) ensure that after the hearty meal, you will be either riding alone or with others who love you unconditionally. Or just do what we did: make sure everyone eats the cassoulet so that no one person can get blamed for that umm.. strange smell.

Back home in HK again and already missing that fresh mountain air. We came back to discover mould growing all over my handmade leather shoes from Ghana and several of Matt's leather belts. The leak from the roof is still rotting away at the wall and Management has yet to come and fix it. People keep saying the Hong Kong summer is just around the corner. But two days ago I was wearing a woolen scarf to go out! And yesterday I was sweating in my t-shirt and shorts! So now it's back into our weekly routine of Ultimate Frisbee playing and nightly reality TV watching. Right now we're into The Amazing Race series. It fulfills the armchair traveller's itch for adrenalin and adventure, not that we've been lacking that lately. Already starting to plan for the next trip: first the World Cup in July and then hopefully a visit back to Canada in the fall, with a scattering of friends/relatives coming to visit us in between!

in transit

I'm sitting in the Cathay Pacific Executive Lounge at Heathrow Airport waiting to board our long-haul flight back to Hong Kong. Within arms reach is a wide array of fresh food and chilled beverages, showers, newspapers and magazines, tv, high-speed internet and it's all for free. What's more is the peace and quiet that one would not normally get in a busy international airport. So it goes without saying, accompanying Matt on his business trips is fantabulous. His ticket is for business class but each time he foregoes the pampering and luxurious food to downgrade and sit with me and the other 'regulars' in economy class. Very sweet.

So we just spent a lovely few days in France at Sue and Guy's chalet. It was extremely beautiful, tranquil and just a perfect getaway. So much has happened in the past few days so i'll leave it till next time. My tummy is rumbling, so s'cuse me while i go get a little something to nibble on.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO GUY AND BONNIE!

It's been a really nice birthday here in Jersey. Complete sunshine, some frisbee tossing, a nice stroll, a gorgeous lunch at the Watersplash beachside cafe, dinner at a superb pub/restaurant called The Black Dog, lots of tea and coffee and biscuits in between - all of this wrapped in a warmth of family love.

Thank you all for making it such a special and memorable day, here, there and everywhere. And what a treat to help father-in-law Guy celebrate his 60th on the same day too! Saying that, i've got a ways to go in order to earn my "Proud at 60" badge but what better role model than someone born on the same day.

Surprise! .... again?

Surprise surprise! As the old saying goes, everything always works out perfectly, Matt and I managed to scoot back to Jersey for (father-in-law) Guy’s 60th birthday party. Matt had a company seminar he had to attend in Hamburg in early April and we thought what a perfect excuse to go a bit early and celebrate Guy’s birthday in Jersey. And although the party wasn’t a surprise, our arrival was, thanks to the organization and careful orchestration by (mother-in-law) Sue and her secret email account – many thanks!

Aunt Caroline and Uncle Roger also came down from Liverpool as a surprise but unfortunately plans got a bit mixed up and although it was organized so that Guy would accidentally “bump” into R&C at the local grocery store, things got a bit muddled and the whole thing ended up being exposed in the parking lot. Oh well, it was a memorable moment nonetheless.

Matt’s sister, Claire, and her boyfriend, Anthony, are also here, having just moved back for a few months to work and housesit and look after the much-loved family cat, Beavis. So it was a full house indeed, so full that the septic tank couldn’t handle the overtime and some emergency measures had to be taken immediately.

Like my last visit, I’ve had the most wonderful time, taking long walks down in the valley and along cliff paths; dining on fresh veggies from the garden, locally caught oysters (Roger’s obsession for the weekend!) and delicious South African sausages cooked on the BBQ (Roger’s second obsession of the trip); meeting family and family-friends again and being immersed in what is truly a unique feel of island paradise this side of the hemisphere.

Unlike my last visit, things are a lot more relaxed: there are no worries about losing wedding rings, fixing hair appointments the day of the wedding, wondering if the sun will shine or if we’ll get rained in during the reception, setting up the marquee and ensuring all was in place, food, drinks, decoration, and guests included…. And as fun and exciting our Jersey July wedding was, it’s nice to be back and be familiar with it all, introductions out of the way with.The plan is to spend a few days in Jersey, see Matt off at the airport on the 4th of April where he'll fly to Hamburg for work, I'll join Sue and Guy on the ferry crossing to France on the 6th where we'll then drive down to the family chalet and enjoy the peace and quiet there, Matt will fly down on the morning of the 8th, we'll all chill out for a few days and listen to the owls at night, then on April11th we'll make the long yet familiar trek back to HK.

I’m quite getting used to this London-Hong Kong route on Cathay Pacific and I think we’ve seen most of the shows and movies offered on the personal tv sets for passengers. They change the shows every month so I’m quite looking forward to April’s “long-haul flight to HK” listing. I’ve seen the same episode of America’s Next Top Model several times already and it’s more than I can take. But that's later. Right now my only concern is to enjoy NOW.

Pic 1: Guy's reaction when he saw us at the door
Pic 2: Enjoying delicious fresh-caught oysters in sunlit kitchen. L-R: Matt, Me, Claire, Anthony, Roger
Pic 3: Having a cuppa on top of hill at St. Ouen's beach. L-R: Matt, Sue, Guy, Caroline, Roger (note red Kazakh hat along with red shoes)

tribute to family

I had quite a productive day, running some errands in the morning, supervising the crew who came to fix all five air- conditionners in the flat in the afternoon (they leak water after 8 months of non-use and needed a thorough cleaning) and chatted it up with our cheery landlord who came specifically to check out the AC's and the leaky wall that has started to peel from the heavy rain these past few days. I ended up feeding him homemade spaghetti and leftover birthday cake and we made pleasant conversation about family, his and mine. A father of two, he's also got a brother in Edmonton who's been there for the past 7 or 8 years. When he remarked that i was "quite young looking" I told him, without hesitating, my age (although i said the age that i'll be turning in 8 days, small detail). But i don't think i should take his comments too carefully; he pointed to the picture of my paternal grandmother and said: "Oh, and this must be your mother!"

I decided to visit Eepo in Tuen Mun again since it had been a while. Matt and i went on Chinese New Year in January and i had a stack of photos from that day i wanted to give to her. I tried a different route and was glad to find it took significantly less time, only 75 minutes, than the way before which was about two hours. I had the HK atlas with me, but still had to ask around for the best possible bus to take. The man who was operating minibus #140M was super helpful and gave me the correct and most efficient directions. On my way back home, he was still on his run and recognized me right away. I sat up front and we chatted about HK and how i ended up here. His cell phone rang and he proceeded to answer it with one hand on the wheel. I opened up my book to read but I couldn't help overhearing what he was saying though as every word was yelled and punctuated with this long drawl that only Cantonese people seem capable of doing. I thought it was a rather rude way for someone to speak on the phone and figured he hadn't really been taught phone etiquette and so i focused my attention back to my book, wishing he would turn down the volume a few decibels for the sake of his passengers. When he hung up, he turned to me and explained what it was all about. Apparently some guy left his cell phone on the minibus and he was calling his own phone to see if it was picked up by somebody. So the driver was yelling at the guy because there was a bad connection, told him to wait for him at the main station and that he'd recognize him because on the wallpaper of the phone was a picture of this guy and his new bride.

After just being put off by his lack of manners, I was pleasantly taken aback by the driver's honesty and his sense of civic duty to return the phone to its owner. The fact is, i find the majority of Hong Kong people to be like this: helpful and kind, when the chance comes to do so. Mind you, there are the stereotypical pushy ones that will walk right into you without an apology, push their way onto the subway before others have gotten off it, treat you with an air of absolute indifference as a customer, and so on. But the more time i spend living and discovering HK, the more i come across this kindness in one form or another. And i like it, not for what the person does for me/others, but for the fact that good manners and a sense of doing good actually exists amongst the hustle and bustle of this money-oriented city, a reputation that seems to permeate worldwide.

Dinner was simple, tasty and comfortable with Eepo (2nd grandma literally). Having been widowed exactly 7 years on Saturday, she spends most of the days on her own except when she goes to her exercise groups and dance classes. So i let her do most of the talking, although i'm pretty sure i wouldn't have gotten much in edgewise as she was just recounting story after story between mouthfuls of rice. But i don't mind at all. I love hearing tales about my dad and his siblings and imagining in my mind how they were as kids. My favourite story that she always recounts everytime i see her, is when she and her sister (my grandma) went to pick up my dad at the local nursery. Amongst a throng of children just let out of the gates, my dad stood at the top of the stairs, scanned the sea of beaming parents and once he spotted his mom and aunt, smiled a kind of half-smile and started to go down the stairs, one careful step at a time, never breaking eye contact with them. My grandma, without letting sight of her boy, said to her sister: "Just look, all those children there and the most beautiful one of all, my son."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATT!

Since it was windy and rainy out all day, we decided to spend a nice relaxing day at home, eating birthday crepes with real maple syrup for breakfast and looking at old photo albums in bed. After sneaking in an afternoon siesta, we headed down to Soho to meet friends YK and Tomoe for a delicious Nepalese dinner. After polishing off a yak cheese salad, fish and chicken curry, okra stew, safron rice and the blueberry coffee cake that i proudly made yesterday and decorated today, we headed over to YK/Tomoe's flat for a drink. For a present, they had given Matt a replica of the Beijing Jeep that we had in Urumqi and even printed out each and every sticker to put on the model car - license plate, rally stickers, Ferrari sticker, it's really incredible! It's been a lovely day and just to be able to spend it together in the comfort of our own home and in the company of friends, is a present in itself.

Just my luck!

I've just found out that a press release was issued in late Feb.2006 declaring that dependents who are in HK now have the right to work without obtaining special permission from the Immigration Department, hooray!

It states: "From July, 2003, dependants of persons admitted into Hong Kong for professional employment or as capital investment entrants are not allowed to work (due to the high unemployment rate) unless they have the permission from the Director of Immigration. With the improving economic conditions and employment situation, it has been decided to remove this restriction to enhance Hong Kong's edge in attracting professionals. In other words, dependants of persons admitted for professional employment or as capital investment entrants will not be required to obtain prior permission from the Director of Immigration for taking up employment, just as the situation was before July, 2003."

Although this won't affect me since i've just spent the last 4 months trying to get myself 'special permission' to work, i'm really happy for the other Dependents. I may go on about this issue, but it really is cause for celebration and now, hopefully, others who are (or will be) in my shoes won't have to go through the hassle and frustration of finding employment in HK. Yippee!

Just came back from a delicious dinner down in Lan Kwai Fong, the party district in HK. Our Kiwi friend, Jonno, is visiting for a couple of days before he heads back up to Urumqi where he and a Japanese guy and an Irishman own the Fubar, the first foreign-owned bar in town. Tonight we feasted on Thai green curry and chicken, red curry and pork, fried rice in a pineapple, naan bread, sauteed veggies and a leopard garoupa with Nashi pear - by far the tastiest dish! (Matt's biting into the fish head in the picture). We eventually dragged ourselves onto the ferry, first stopping for sorbets for the boys (there was no way i could eat another bite) and made it back home. Tomorrow is Matt's birthday and we're going out to celebrate with YK and Tomoe at a Nepalese restaurant. But before i can think about more food, i need to sleep first. Goodnight.

Singapore long weekend

Just came back from a few days down in sweaty humid Singapore, my first time in the country. Matt has managed to reap up enough air miles since starting work in November to get a return ticket for me. Singapore was what i pretty much expected: clean, orderly, filled with an incredible variety of shopping malls (including Asia's biggest bookstore) and restaurants galore! Shopping and eating have got to be the top two national pasttimes of Singaporeans, and they are extremely good at them.

I did a whole variety of things in 4 days: sipping thick mango lassis in Little India, biking the length of East Coast Beach (see pic), dining on tasty meen goreng and other local Peranakan dishes, walking around Clarke Quay's bustling harbourfront, cycling Singapore's last rural island Pulau Ubin and while searching for the German Girl Shrine being turned back by suspicious-looking policemen, meeting Matt's friend and his friendly wife for tasty otak otak, visiting the Asian Civilization Museum and taking literally 5 minutes (feels much longer when you have to pee) to go down three floors on the hydraulic elevator, watching the England-Ireland rugby match at an Irish pub in the wee hours of the morning, and finally, sampling the local delicacy DURIAN and although the smell is somewhat tolerable, the taste can be described like "an old dog burping in your face." Nuff said.

The hotel we stayed at, the SHA Villa, was a beautiful white colonial mansion, run by the Singapore Hotel Association tourism training college, where the staff are all keen hospitality students waiting on every guests' needs. I suppose it wasn't so long ago that i too was a hormonal student with excess energy all day everyday, where responsibilities didn't go much further than attending the minimal amount of classes per week possible and trying not to forget calling home at least once a week, so long as the budget allowed. So it was rather cute seeing these spotty students dressed in their pressed suits and vests serving you coffee with shaky hands and a flair of uncertainty. They are doing a superb job though.

The pace of life is definitely more to my liking than it is in Hong Kong. People seemed a lot more relaxed, casually strolling down the streets instead of the relentless power walking competitions you witness in Wanchai or Central. Even the kids there appear happy and to be enjoying life, a stark difference to the students of HK who are like walking zombies carting around huge heavy backpacks to and from school. I attribute the difference to the climate. While Singapore may be hot and humid all year round, the air is cleaner and at least you can see the sun shining against a clear blue sky on most days. You'd be lucky to see the sun in Hong Kong the pollution is so bad. Still, a few days was enough for me and i was glad to board that plane again.

A dreary Monday

Today the weather dropped to 11 frigid degrees. It also has been raining on and off, providing absolutely no incentive to step outside. Mind you, the temperature in the flat is the same as it is outdoors as there is no indoor heating here, so being in or out doesn't matter I suppose.

Featured in today's entry is Matt, seated at his home office. My desk is just behind his and although we were both sharing the one big desk in the beginning, having our own proper space has been a wise move, if not a little cramped. For some reason, we picked the smallest room in the house (if you don’t count the closet-size maid’s room) to spend 75% of our day when not sleeping. Go figure.

The opera Don Giovanni last night at the Hong Kong Cultural Arts Centre was fantastic. Performed by the Semper Opera Dresden, which is hailed as one of the world's leading opera houses, the performance included great singing by an international cast accompanied beautifully by the HK orchestra. It was much more engaging since i had just returned from visiting Mozart's birthplace, Salzburg, in addition to visiting the city he spent a large part of his life, Vienna. Now I'm no opera-fanatic, but this one is more or less able to please the masses, seeing as the subject revolves around some of life's most talked-about issues: love and death. The protagonist, Don Giovanni, is portrayed as a scheming and manipulative man, schmoozing his way to bed with a number of women, usually too naive and innocent to notice until too late. Throw in a murder in the beginning, a humorous and complacent servant to provide comic relief, jealous husbands/fiances, and a ghost come back from the dead, you've got yourself a story so successful it's lasted over 200 years! It sure beats the Sound of Music (for now), which btw, is still going strong at 41 years.

Overall, I was impressed and satisfied. We even received a free glass of champagne from the arts centre post-show! I’m happy that Matt enjoyed himself too. He even confessed afterwards that he didn’t think about the Six Nations Rugby match once! But I did catch myself wondering what the score was at intermission, ha. We made it home in time to catch the last 30 minutes of the game, where France disgraced England big time, but no matter. Apparently they have one last chance next weekend.

Oh and lest i forget to mention, even after a humiliating loss by his beloved homeland, my hubby still had the zest and energy to sing sweet words to me while getting ready for bed a la opera style! Yes, sing! And loudly!!! Where was a videocamera when i needed one?

Who's to say?

Hong Kong is an interesting metropolis in the fact that it plays host to a wealth of top-leading industries, particularly in the banking, finance and marketing department. However, there are pockets of Hong Kong that seem to have 'missed the boat' of Mass Development and so appears poor, dirty and backwards.

Back at it in good ol' DB

It didn't take long to get back into the swing of things. Everything is familiar. Only the air outside is getting stickier and you can really tell how HK summer are real scorchers.

Am enjoying listening to music again, playing guitar and attempting a new Ben Harper song, even plucking away at the fiddle!

Picked up my dependent visa, and although it technically does not allow me to work, i've arranged it with my employer so that they'll write a letter to Immigration to explain my case and get consent for me to start asap. Whoopee! Now i have to leave HK and reenter on that visa. Macau run is in order, most likely on Monday. I was there once, and they have the best egg tarts!

Getting back into shape again, or trying to at least. Frisbee on Wednesday, yoga today, and frisbee tomorrow (at a beach!) and the next day. All is well and dandy and possibly the worst news to report right now is that we've finished all our LOST episodes of season 2. We're anxiously awaiting for the next one to come out on i-tunes so we can buy it.

Saw Brokeback Mountain last night. I have to say the hype and hoopla surrounding the film is well deserved.

Bought tickets for Mozart's epic Don Giovanni opera for Sunday night. Should be wonderful and i'm excited about taking Matt to his first ever opera show... an evening of highly emotional singing, elaborate costumes and set, all compressed in 3+ hours.

Ooh, and it looks like a long weekend in Singapore is on the agenda for next weekend! Yay sun and surf! I have never flown so much in such a short time. Will have to remember to keep the chewing gum at home this time.

Home sweet home

After a weekend in Vienna with Rena where we visited the grand Imperial Palace and the famous gothic St. Stephen's Cathedral, saw the European premiere of "Doubt" that won the Tony Award in 2005, ate some delicious meals (Japanese sushi and terriyaki, Mexican and Ethiopian hot pots) that weren't exactly Austrian cuisine perse but well worth the money and waistline in my humble opinion, i flew out to Heathrow on a beautiful snowy morning to meet Matt. Together we caught our 12-hour flight to Hong Kong and here we are again, back home and feeling great. Am I getting old or what, cuz as much as i love travelling and seeing the world I realize that nothing beats putting around our home in my elf slippers and having unlimited coffee at my disposal.

*Picture of DB at night taken on our rooftop balcony, courtesy of 2nd cousin Stephen -thanks!

In a winter fairyland

Back in Prague again after a most wonderful week in Austria where Matt and I drove to Schladming (about 2 hours south east of Salzburg) and I tried snowboarding for the first time ever!

It is a sensational feeling to be gliding down the mountain on a board, kind of like floating on clouds but the most i managed was probably a full minute of actually staying vertical. It has been a long while since i've been so sore and bruised from self-inflicted wounds - wait, have i ever? - albeit non intentional.

Next time i promised myself I will pad my body like a pro footballer first. It was great nonetheless and we stayed at a cute little B&B, an old farmhouse that has antique furniture made in the 17th and 18th century. The view was spectacular and the service was sincere and friendly.

While my body was given time to heal and do nothing but sit and lie down, Matt drove us in our rented Skoda to Salzburg. This is truly a beautiful part of the world, especially in winter with the snow covered alpine trees and winding roads. All the little cafes and restaurants are decked out with gorgeous antiques, ornate rugs, paintings framed in elaborate gold and the odd stuffed squirrel and huge antlers of animals which hung on the walls. We were both feeling under the weather, coughing and sneezing mainly, so we took it easy, gorging on oranges, cough lozenges and thirst-quenching Schladminger beer. Yum.

We did the Sound of Music Tour in Salzburg, guided by an upbeat Londoner who's been living there for 9+ years. She took us to all the famous spots where the film was made, explaining the true story of the Von Trapp family and some interesting facts about the movie itself. We even got to listen to the entire soundtrack of the film while in the bus, it has been a while for me. I'm excited about going home to rewatch the movie again and to introduce Matt to it for the first time. He thought he had seen the film a long time ago, but actually got it confused with the other Julie Andrews movie, Mary Poppins! Oooops. Well, I told him it'll all make sense when we see the film later. I bet he can't wait!

One of the best stops we made was when we got to see the pavillion where Liesl and messenger Ralph sang their famous "16 going 17" song, where they leap up on the benches and dance with each other, declaring their love and sharing their first kiss - remember? Anyways, although you can't go in and recreate the dance and song, you can stand outside it and take a picture. Apparently a few years ago an 82 year old woman went in and tried to leap from bench to bench in the pavillion while singing and broke a bone (leg or ankle i think). Since then, they've kept the doors locked.

For our last night in Salzburg, we went to a dinner-concert show in the Old Town where musicians and opera singers dress in old period costumes and entertain us with Mozart's famous works, mainly from his operas: The Magic Flute, Don Giovanni and the Marriage of Figaro.

We drove back to Prague yesterday along the German-Czech border - an enchanting ride through the rural areas where we saw lots of solar panels on roofs of houses and barns, and we even spotted a wind turbine - returned the car and parted ways once again where Matt caught a flight back to Hamburg and I went to see my friend, Rena, and her boyfriend, Brian. They met while doing their TESL certificate on a bus tour last year which took them on a dizzying whirlwind tour of Europe (you can imagine the stories and gossip that got generated). It's been great to catch up with Rena, an old childhood friend from Cornwall, and to just hang out again. It feels very natural even though we haven't seen each other for years, a sign of a solid friendship.

Last night we went to a Balkan restaurant and I met some of their friends who are also here teaching English. Today has been really relaxed and we're planning on cooking some curry and couscous to go along with a movie. Perfect plan, and i miss cooking too believe it or not. Tomorrow, Brian, Rena and I will choo-choo our way down to Vienna and hopefully catch a concert or two there before i fly out to London on Sunday to reunite with Matt for our long flight back home to Hong Kong. It will be oh so nice to sleep in our own bed again.

I just found out today that my visa in Hong Kong has been approved by the Immigration Department - cue shrieks of joy and jubilation! This gives me the green light to start work. Fantastic.

Weekend in Hamburg - Now in Berlin

I arrived this morning in Berlin. So far I've just checked into my hostel, got used to the metro system here (very extensive!), walked around the Postdamer Platz centre, had the ice cream at the famous Italian gelato store, and bought a ticket for the Berlin Philharmonic concert tonight at 8pm.

After a fantastic time with Meng in Oxford where we spent the last evening listening to a girl's choir from Acadia in Nova Scotia (Ali, i clapped extra loud for you!) in a gorgeous chapel at Exeter college, and where, as a side note, Matt's Grandfather attended University years ago, I flew out to Hamburg to spend the weekend with Matthew.

It was a blur of meeting people, walking around, seeing the sights and of course trying out all the German cuisine, which included a large assortment of cheeses, breads, currywursts, and all that other delicious and heavy German food.

I'm not one to get a sore stomach after eating spices or greasy food, but ever since I've been consuming an extraordinary amount of heavy starches, butter and fat, my stomach is pleading with me to go easy on it.

On Saturday night, I met several of Matt's colleagues from work. A really nice bunch of people, we dined at a very typical North German restaurant by the river. Famous for their fish and green cabbage, we gorged in amounts i never thought humanlypossible.

Yesterday we spent five hours walking non stop from our hotel to the Rathaus (government building) along the river to a big city park and back down again where we eventually ended up at an outdoor skating rink.

It's been a couple years since I've laced up and I've almost forgotten how much i enjoy it. The absolute best was the blaring techno and German pop music that deafens everyone within a 3 km radius.

Getting around the city is very easy and relatively cheap. The metro system in Germany is based on an honour basis, where there are no ticket booths or officers, just automatic machines to buy a ticket (single journey, day pass, greater city area, etc.) So to regulate travellers, there are plain clothed officers that come around and check your ticket.

If you're lucky, you won't meet one, especially if you chanced it and didn't buy a ticket to begin with, but while on my way to the hostel from the train station I got stopped. I had a ticket but the officer thought it was from a different day because i hadn't put it through a machine that punches a hole it. I didn't know i had to do it so after a lot of not understanding each other in German/English, he let me go. Phew. The fine is 40 Euros, which i didn't have in my wallet anyways.

I'm nursing a sore throat right now and although it was almost a given that I'd get one having come to a colder climate, i just don't like how my energy is drained so quickly. There will be no testing out the infamous Berlin nightlife for me, that's for sure. I only hope to stay awake during the concert tonight. Conducted by Philippe Jordan with Nikolaj Znaider as solo violinist, tonight's repertoire includes Debussy, Szymanowski and Tschaikovsky. And all for a mere 10 Euros!! What a great incentive to encourage more people to attend such concerts, I don't understand why it's not as common in Canada.

Reunion in Oxford

Here i am in one of Britain's most visited cities: Oxford. It's as beautiful in real life as it is in the films. Everywhere you turn, you are faced with a 16/17/18th century building, and every last detail of these monstrous masterpieces has been an obvious labour of love for the architect, builder, sculptor, etc. Besides being awed by the urban landscape, it seems that i've landed myself into an intense city where the majority of its population are students, all bright, keen, eager and itching to learn and swallow as much as possible in the world of academia.

I'm only here for several days but the people i've met in this short time all come from faraway places and have fascinating stories and diverse backgrounds. Most are extremely opinionated and relish the opportunity to engage in a debate of any sort, or as they call it, "an exchange of ideas." It puts me back into my uni days where we would stay up discussing, challenging and expressing our opinions, but here I get the sense that what you have to say is worth just as much as another's, or at least the respect of listening is given to every speaker. Afterall, active listening is an integral part of learning.

Let me back up. The flight from HK to London was extremely enjoyable and smooth. There were only about 40 people onboard and so we could lounge out and switch seats to our hearts content. Matt had a business class ticket but so lovingly gave it up to sit with me and the other commoners ;) It worked out well though because he was still given business class food, which i of course helped myself to!

We feasted on duck, shrimp, dim sum, cheeses, etc. We even got our own bottle of champagne - a delightful thirst quencher to pass the time at 9 in the morning.

We parted ways at Heathrow where he had to catch a connecting flight to Hamburg while i hopped on the bus to Oxford. It was only to be a few days but parting is never easy.

Meng met me at the bus stop and it was super to see her again, we did a little dance on the sidewalk when we saw each other. She took me to her flat at her college, Lincoln College, and then had to rush to her German class. Her flatmate, Katrin, from Berlin, took me to Hall where we met some other friends for dinner. I was not prepared for this dining experience at all. We had to leave our coats at the door and don a black cloak before entering the room. Inside, it was all dark wooden panels with a high arched ceiling. We sat on wide wooden benches by the enormous fireplace. I couldn't stop looking around and admiring the huge portraits of past deans and fellows of Lincoln. At 7pm sharp, the bells rung and in walks the present dean and his buddies, cloak and all. Before being allowed to sit down again, someone read a prayer in Latin. That done, dinner was served. And what a dinner! First it was bread, pate and crackers, then seafood lasagna with spinach and potatoes, and finally desert was a scrumptious apple crumble with cream. The whole meal was very filling and very rich and very delicious and totally English. Needless to say i slept like a baby that night.

Yesterday I visited Meng's lab at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology and she took me around the building and introduced me to her lab colleagues. Apparently 70% of the world's penicillin was invented in that building alone! We took lunch at the dining hall and i met some of her Chinese friends. They were very nice and were doing interesting work but, of course, the major complaint was the food here. Ah, it seems no matter where the Chinese go, nothing can ever compare to a steaming bowl of jiaozi.

In the afternoon, Meng took me around the whole of Oxford, visiting the many colleges such as Christ Church (saw the dining hall where Harry Potter was filmed!), Merton, St. John's, Oriel, Exeter, and others i can't recall the names to. She also took me to the boat houses where a team of rowers were practicing on the river. Each college has their own team and apparently during the summer the place is packed with students cheering their college on as they sit atop their boat house in the outdoor pub drinking sangria.

Later that evening, we went to her college common room for a cheese fondue party. Two Swiss guys had just returned from home bearing 3 kilos of cheese each. I couldn't believe it when i saw these guys chowing down a loaf of bread each, dipping each piece into the smouldering bubbly cheese in front of them. I could barely manage three pieces myself it was so filling. Still, it was delicious, especially with the white wine to wash it down. Afterwards we moved the party to their college pub and after some more intense "exchange of ideas", it was 11 o'clock and closing time.

I have to say it's been very amazing to see the transformation in Meng from when i first met her 9 years ago as an exchange student. A 15 year old naive Chinese girl from Beijing, pretty outgoing (for Chinese standards that is) and totally friendly and curious about everything in the outside world to a mature and sophisticated young lady on scholarship at a world-class school and still just as friendly and curious about people and places. It's one of those rare and precious relationships where circumstances and fate brought us together, but where constant communication and friendship has sustained it for years.

Today we took a walk and visited the Ashmolean Museum where one of their special exhibits is entitled "Pilgrimage, the Sacred Journey", a story of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hindiusm, Sikhism and Jainism, and how their followers have managed to preserve a religion in the face of history and time. It was pouring out when we left the museum and so we quickly made our way to a beautiful church-turned- restaurant for lunch. We sat right at the end with a good view of the ceiling and stained glass windows. Without needing to strain your imagination, one could envision how it must have looked a few hundred years ago when it was first built, magnificent and intimidating, and still in present day, it commands a sort of respect from visitors when they pass through the wide wooden doors and look up.

Well, must be off now. Going to check out Blackwell's (bookstore) for some road maps of Austria and Czech and then meet Meng for cream tea and biscuits. mmmmm...

1 year later!

It's our one year engagement anniversary. YAY!!!! We played some ultimate frisbee this afternoon and then afterwards, we went up to the Peak Lookout Restaurant for a gorgeous meal, took the tram back down, ferried home, made some chai and watched another one of our beloved LOST episodes. Amazing to think back to all that has happened in these past 365 days... like we tell ourselves, there are so many anniversaries to remember in just a single year, but we think the key is to make each one special for their own reasons and to remember fondly how it was when it happened. It's been just another perfect day.

CNY

So it was a good Chinese New Year. Witnessed my first ever road rage here in DB. A man was standing, arms flailing in the air and shouting je ne sais quoi, in front of a packed bus to protest the lack of frequent service there was on that particular day, probably the busiest of the year. From what i could see, it was all Chinese people who were lined up in long queues at the bus stops waiting to go to HK island, Kowloon, NT, or wherever to meet family for New Year's. There was a bus leaving every 15 minutes from the plaza but because we're at the end of the bus line, they were already always full and so never stopped for us. I overheard some people complaining that they had been waiting for over an hour and a half and still couldn't get on! I only felt bad for the bus drivers themselves who had to work on a day that is usually solely reserved for family and friends.

Visiting EE-po in Tuen Mun was fun. We took her out for lunch but unfortunately none of the restaurants were opened so we ended up going to a fast-food Japanese joint. She ordered a mushroon congee meal, but realized that japanese congee (rice dumped in hot water) was much much different than the chinese type (more porridge-like). She took Matt and I up to her flat on the 6th floor. Her frail little body made it up all those stairs without pause while we were huffing and puffing at floor three. We took pictures and a short movie with our camera which i've sent to my Grandma back in Toronto, had some treats to nibble on, saw some of her old photographs, and admired the 'view' from her rooftop. She's been living there for 30+ years and has seen a lot of development in the neighbourhood. It was disturbing to see the garbage strewn all over the streets and rooftops of other buildings, there seems to be a sort of unanimous ambivalence to waste disposal here also as there is in Urumqi and much of China for that matter.

That evening we met Max and Stephen, 2nd cousins of mine, for delicious Thai food. We then saw the CNY parade, sqaushed into other parade-watchers like sardines behind the street barriers. I was not so impressed truthfully, some of the floats were ok, but overall, many of the groups were just walking and waving with a big grin on their face.

This past Thursday, I supply-taught for Blink Think, the English language centre that i'll be working for. It was DAY 2 of a three day Chinese New Year class. My 5 students were all four years old and so adorable! I've never taught a class so young. We sat on these teeny stools, i read to them, taught them some songs, did some worksheets together, played some games, made a doggie hand-puppet, sang more songs, and then it was over - an exhausting 90 minutes. My voice was dry from singing and yelling, my legs were sore from being crunched up on such a small seat, my butt hurt from only having one cheek on the chair, my legs hurt from running around with them, and my mouth hurt from smiling too much - the munchkins are so darn cute! I betcha working with such young children for 90 minutes straight is a better cardio workout than running a half marathon. I treated myself to a brownie afterwards, just to restore the calories i lost, of course.

We attended a CNY party at one of Matt's work contacts here in Hong Kong. This woman is your typical Cantonese woman: loud, stubborn, money-oriented, a go-getter. She's done well for herself and lives in a beautiful flat with a gorgeous patio. We ate a very non-traditional Chinese meal of baguettes and a whole variety of barbq'd meat. I have to admit i was surprised there was no white rice to be seen, but hey no complaints there. Met some very interesting people (investment banker, pilot, writer, antique dealer, body artist) and all in all, had a good evening.

Our friend, Dave, is back again (for a week this time) and it's great to hang out and enjoy HK together. We all went to the pickup frisbee game on Sunday followed by a tasty Canto meal of steamed fish, gai-lan veggies, an assortment of meat and hot soup. Yesterday we went on a hike from DB to Mui Wo, the little fishing village in the next bay. It's a windy steep path that takes you past the golf course and the trappist monastery (all i know is that monks there take a vow of silence and produce milk for HK). We took the ferry back to DB and finished off with a yummy lunch at one of the only opened restaurants at the plaza. The entire place is undergoing renovations so a lot of businesses have been affected.

Dave's from Seattle, and so yesterday morning we got up to watch the Superbowl. We picked up lots of Chinese pastries the night before to binge on as our Superbowl munchies, my favourite being 'dan tat' (egg tarts). We managed to see the game on a Japanese network and Dave had set up a Skype connection with his family back home so he could talk to them as everyone watched the game together. It was funny though, our broadcast was a good 5 seconds ahead of the American broadcast, and so we could see each play and touchdown 5 seconds before his family could. After we would cheer at a certain play, we could hear his realtives cheering 5 seconds later. Apparently the reason for the delay in the US network is after that shocking halftime show by Janet Jackson in year ?, where she revealed her breast (you remember that incident, it was they only thing they talked about in the news the next day), they have had to delay the broadcast in case anything needed to be censored out.

Today i'll be glued in front of my computer, organizing my Dependent Visa forms which will finally be sent out soon, doing the readings for class on Thursday, filling out my application form for the program i want to enroll in this coming fall at HK University, and planning my next travel destination: Central Europe! Yup, from Feb.14-March 6, Matt and I will be gone again, this time for work and pleasure. Well, solely pleasure for me. He's got a few meetings spread out and while he's in Hamburg discussing strategy, I'll be going up to Oxford to visit Xu Meng, my exchange partner from Beijing way back in highschool. We've kept in touch all these years and our parents are quite good friends, having visited each other in Canada/China. She came to our little party in London in July but i can't wait to see her place and meet her friends. Matt will have a week off in between meetings and we'll go to Prague to visit my old childhood friend, Rena, who's living and teaching there. We'll head down to Salzburg for a Mozart concert (the city's putting on a huge year-long celebration to commemorate Mozart's 250th birthday) and some snowboarding, something i've never attempted but am told is extremely fun. I'm also in the middle of trying to convince my darling hubby that we should go on the "Sound of Music" tour. I didn't know they filmed it in Salzburg but what luck - who knows when we'll be back huh? Apparently they play the soundtrack and clips of the movie during the whole tour, they even make a disclaimer on the website that this kind of tour attracts a 'strange mix' of tourists... that's enough incentive to make me go on it!

So, off again for a bit, excited to say the least. New countries to explore and old friends to visit.