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.

HAPPY DOG YEAR!

A bit of a drizzly weekend but hey, it's holiday time!

Went out to eat delicious Sichuan food with old friends of ours from Cornwall (Canada, that is), Andy and David. They saw me grow up, i was their witness at their wedding at age 10, i remember tobogganing down the big hill behind their flat onto the frozen St. Lawrence River...

They haven't changed much although i apparently have lost my "Bonnie baby fat", thank God.

Played some intense beach Ultimate Frisbee yesterday here at DB. Only a few showed up due to the weather but it was great nonetheless.

It's the year of the dog and apparently a lot of people are going out to buy themselves a cute little puppy, only to be left on the street a few months down the road when their owners realize that the cute button-nose dog they thought was adorable 6 months ago has grown too big for the confines of a small HK apartment.

Upon being abandoned on the street, if, after a short unforgiving 48 hours, the owner hasn't claimed the dog back, it is put down by the pound. Can't wait to see what happens when the year of the pig rolls around, or snake for that matter.

Going to meet with my Grandma's sister in Tuen Mun for lunch. It'll be great to see her, have been meaning to visit ever since i got here. She lives alone in her flat on the 6th floor with no elevators, she claims this keeps her fit and young.

Tonight we will be meeting with 2nd cousins of mine, Max and Stephen, for dinner and then going to see the New Year's Parade downtown. Hoping the rain will hold up for that.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR TO ALL! bow-wow

Chinese New Year buzz

I don't know when this winter thing is supposed to be over in Hong Kong, but it is freezing in the house.

Dave Wong, our Chinese-American friend whom we met in Urumqi came to stay for a night while passing thru on his way to Manila for a family reunion. It was the first time a guest had stayed over night in our home!

It was great to see him, talking nonstop and catching up basically over the past few months. We went out for scrumptious yum-cha yesterday and although i was never one for the loud clanky restaurants with loads of loud and obnoxious people, it was really fun. He'll be back in a few days before heading up to Urumqi.

Funny, he's made Urumqi, probably one of the most awkward cities to get to, his 'base' but it seems to work for him. Oh, and i'm proud to say i got him hooked on the LOST series. He's probably finished several episodes by now as i type.

I'm going to meet a friend of my sister's, Andrea, for lunch later today, and then visit the Art Gallery; she came over on an internship with The Standard, another English newspaper here.

So the plan is to pick her brain on what she thinks of this field in HK, etc etc. I start class tomorrow at HK Uni, very excited! Although i won't get credit for it (too late on the application this year), i'm happy to be back in the academic environment and revitalize my relatively mush-like brain.

The course i'm taking is called Literary Journalism, I have my readings for the lecture and yesterday I bought a book that is recommended for the class.

Life is good, have been running and keeping fit with frisbee and yoga and generally just feeling much more healthy. Chinese New Year buzz is in the air and everything is suddenly covered in bright red banners and lanterns, people are off on holiday, special foods can be found in stores made particularly for this festive time (loh-bak-gou, a sort of chewy taro cake with dried shrimp - delicious!) and it seems that the agreed mood of the people on the street is H-A-P-P-Y. Hey, i'm cool with that.

Matt returns from Shanghai tonight after a couple days there. Yay! I don't like when he's away. Hate it. But i know it's for the best for us in the future and for the other doors that will open because of it.

I can't stand it anymore, i'm off to find a VERY warm and EXTREMELY cozy coffee shop to do my readings.

my week

Interesting week full of ups and downs. Had a great interview with Outward Bound and am attending the extended interview selection weekend this Sat/Sun.

Long story short, it's an organizaton both Matt and I want to get involved in and so after a lot of deliberation and discussion, we decided it was only something we would want to do together. Most likely not this year, but perhaps in a year or two.

The time commitment is enormous and most staff members are expected to live onsite, which puts a strain on one's social life and relationships for obvious reasons. Anyways, more to come on that after the weekend.

We'll be going out into the 'wilderness' and assessed on group work, leadership skills, and just basically how comfortable we are in that kind of environment. Hoping for sunshine and warm winds, but it looks like it'll be cold and drizzly. Ah well.

Ultimate frisbee is something we've taken up also with a group of very friendly and sociable expats. We meet every Sunday and Wednesday, all different levels and all are there to mainly have fun and get some exercise. I've finally learned the proper way of throwing a disc and the rules of the sport.

Finally, after having played impromptu Ultimate in Urumqi on concrete grounds with metal spikes poking out, the game has suddenly become more interesting and enjoyable, especially now that I'm playing on proper grass fields.

Bought my first pair of soccer shoes too the other day so at least i can look the part and feel professional.

Life continues to putter along in DB, however i have to say living here does do some weird things to you, and according to a few well-informed women who are pretty much lifers here in HK, DB apparently has a higher than normal rate of pregnancy (don't ask me what a normal rate would be) and from the looks of it, every women is either pregnant or holding a baby.

Pros and cons with living here, but it is definitely more difficult to meet people to socialize with since a lot of their day is programmed around their kids, fair enough. A lot of couples who haven't plunged into the baby scene yet have resorted to the puppy avenue.

Not us, don't think we could handle it truthfully. Plants are plenty enough.

feeling much better now, thankfully

Today was such a contrast to yesterday. I had been feeling blah to my stomach for a while and then yesterday my muscles started to ache all over as immense waves of tiredness washed over me.

I think it may have been due to a reaction of the flu vaccine i received on Tuesday. I don't ever recall getting a flu vaccine before but this year we thought it was a good idea (even though i know it doesn't prevent bird flu like a lot of people think, it does prevent you from getting other flus and running your system down - except for the reaction itself).

So yesterday, after a (knock on wood) successful interview with the Hans Anderson Club, which btw was conducted all in Cantonese!!, i felt so sick i just went home and slept all afternoon.

I woke up today in a much sunnier state and the day unfolded to be exactly what i needed to recharge myself. I was able to wake up to my own internal clock for a change, putter around a bit, spend hours pouring over university courses and applications, send off a resume for a job i saw listed in the SCMP (South China Morning Post, HK's leading English paper) as an Instructor Trainee for Outward Bound, an "experiential learning-by-participating" organization that focuses on leadership, teamwork and motivational courses by offering mainly outdoor adventure activities .. and then an hour later get called for the interview for Tuesday - yay!

I cooked myself a late 5pm lunch, read some, cleaned the whole house while humming The Sound of Music sountrack, then took a leisurely walk down to the plaza to return a DVD at the video shop (the 2nd late return of the week, gotta stop that) and then attended an extremely re-energizing yoga class.

Now i'm stuffed from my congee/egg/tomato dinner and a ton of cookies 'n cream ice-cream. Whoa, it just suddenly occured to me i am definitely what i eat: my Chinese upbringing with hot fresh food did not in the least deter me from my North-American binge on sweet cold goodness!

About to crash here, goodnight all.

Breaktime's over!

Sorry to those who check this journal regularly, i haven't written lately.

Many excuses, but the primary one being i just haven't had access to a computer for the past week because Matt and I have been in Taiwan camping and hiking and exploring the island's many twisty and turny roads.

One of the beauties of living in HK is the accessibility of other nearby countries, cheap(er) flights and all within a few hours' journey (to Taiwan it is just an hour and a half!)

We decided that after a month-long moving-in process, not just buying everything from a bed frame to a rice cooker, but also (for Matt) starting a new job with no real parameters and (for me) looking for employment and researching school courses, that we 'deserved' a break.

Timing couldn't have been better as I would not have to start work/school until late Jan .. more to come later.

To back up, we entered 2006 with a beach and bonfire fiesta on Lantau Island with our friends YK and Tomoe. We chilled champagne in the stream beside our campsite, roasted delicious sausage-kebabs on our open fire, had miso soup, pasta salad, hummus, and a special 2006 cake.

We set up our tents right on the beach but not until a few hours later did we realize that the tide was actually RISING.

Visions of a wet miserable night came into mind so, hailing from an island where hi/lo tides are published in the daily paper, Matt volunteered to dig a trench around the fire so if, and when, the water came up it would hopefully not engulf the fire.

Lucky for us, the tide came about 3 feet from the flames. We left for Taiwan on Jan.2nd, eager to use all the new camping gear we had just purchased the previous day.

Armed with our Lonely Planet guidebook, several maps and a rental car (a Toyota Vios... no Beijing jeep was available unfortunately), we headed out to explore and discover the island's fascinating culture and people.

What an interesting place it is - land of scooters, a bit of the China'isms exist but with a lot more of the temples and historic relics still intact. The scenery is stunning; you can be thousands of meters above sea level in the thick fog of the mountains and then an hour later be down in the deep valley where roadside shantytowns are scattered in what seems to be no particular order.

Dogs were a familiar sighting, but don't be fooled, these aren't like the domestic animals we're used to. To sum up their character, they are pathetically lazy. An example: while driving down a really narrow street, i turned the corner and gasped in horror as i saw a dog sprawled out in the open road. I would have bet anyone he was a classic textbook case of a hit-and-run.

I slamed on the brakes and as I veered left to go around it, it slowly lifts his head to see what in the world was bothering its sleep. Greatly relieved, we just laughted and zoomed off, but this is just one of the many examples of how dogs are in Taiwan. They own the streets and YOU had better watch out.

First we headed down the exhilerating Suao-Hualien highway on the east coast, where LP states it's "a white-knuckle ride with stunning views" and as beautiful as the fine-sand beaches and deep-cut gorges that blended into rice paddies were for me, the only "white-knuckle" shots of adrenalin came from the idiots that were sharing the road with us, or rather, make that the idiots who considered the road to be all to themselves and therefore gave no heed to other vehicles behind, in front, or beside them.

In any case, we made our way to Tarako National Park, a wild and pristine area of Taiwan that all tourists should really make the effort in visiting. A multitude of mountain tunnels and passes, deep gorges, twisting ravines, lucious waterfalls - it was like driving through a forest wonderland where i half expected little elves to jump out from behind the trees.

We decided we wanted to hike around and camp for the night and so we stopped at the visitor's centre to get some more info. It took a while but after talking to a few people whose best advice was either to camp in the parking lot or to stay in the youth hostels, we managed to speak to a staff member who had impeccable English and most importantly, understood our definition of 'camping'.

This man was so accommodating that he even gave us two gas canisters for free when we asked where we could buy them (can't bring them on the plane). This was obviously against Park policy and he made a motion with his finger to his lips to the other staffers so that this would be kept off the record. What a pleasant surprise of random kindness.

Besides visiting a weird unnatural sight of a fire-water cave and Moon World where the mountains are barren, bleak and dry (a little bit of Xinjiang in the heart of Taiwan, who would've thought?), we had a good variety of Taiwanese food too: freshly grown veggies, lots of different tofus, ginseng soup, and they seem to be very fond of putting little dried fish into most of their dishes which actually makes it quite tasty.

Taiwanese beer is delicious and even their 'baijiu' (Chinese liquor) is drinkable, no kidding. One of the best meals we had was when we were staying at one of the hot spring resorts in Chienshih after a night of camping in wet, foggy Dongyanshan Forest Recreation Area.

We ventured out to get supper at the outdoor bar/restaurant but forgot, yet again, that most places stop serving food around 7pm, especially in the rural areas where the day is dictated more by the sun.

We asked the lady at the counter about something on the menu but she just said she couldn't understand us, and then proceeded to continue with her apparently tedious task of washing the dishes.

We tried to ask her a few more questions regarding food for supper, but was met with even more glares and an obvious dislike for foreigners who tried to speak her language. I refused to eat there at that point even if meant resorting to eating our energy bars that we had brought from HK by the boxfull.

This rude lady was the exact opposite of what customer service should be and the thought "Oh God, it's like being back in China!" crossed my mind. Little did we know, when we went up to the front desk and told them of the bad-tempered lady at the bar, they kind of laughed and brushed it off by saying she was from the Mainland, as if it were the most natural reason.

If anything can be deduced and explained in one exasperated remark, that was it. They then helped us draw a map of where we could go into town and find some food stalls that were probably still open this late at night, although it was only about 8pm.

So off we went in search for food, and about 10 minutes later, we saw a little roadside restaurant made of bamboo walls with a bright neon side lit outside: Mama's Restaurant. The food was delicious (rice noodle soup, home-grown veggies, rice with a special meat-based sauce and tofu, and then later complimentary goose neck) but the hospitality was something else!

Run by a local family, the place had just opened this past week and they were just the most charming people we had come across. Stuffed from food and drink, our spirits were restored and we were grateful for not having let that sour lady at the resort ruin our evening.

It was a good road trip altogether, covering a lot of ground, a variety of scenery and a big range in terms of weather and altitude, oh and customer service! I learned a lot by just seeing Taiwan through the car window, a unique place that is building-up quickly in the city with some rural villages still scrambling to develop and keep up.

Usually in China I am asked/assumed I am Chinese from China. In Taiwan, everyone asked/assumed I was Taiwanese from Taiwan. Although when i did explain to them that i was a Chinese-born Canadian, most people understood that concept whereas in China, I was either met with blank stares or disputed with stubborn remarks that no matter what, because i looked Chinese and have 100% Chinese blood in me, it was obvious i was Chinese.

I also learned about checking things twice in hotel rooms before leaving. I had hung up my brand new red waterproof jacket in the hotel closet and forgot about it the next morning, when in Taipei already just about to drop off the rental car, i freak out and realize the jacket was still back at the hotel.

Matt scolded me for being so scatter-brained and i definitely vow to work on the philosophy that "an item is only lost when you put it somewhere where you'll forget about it later, not when the moment you begin searching for it."

The trip also allowed me to read some, write a bit and just collect my thoughts of the past few months and the busy ones to come. I realize more and more that as much as i enjoy socializing, meeting people and seeing new places, i do require personal time to 'recharge my batteries', a sort of private time where i can be as inward-focused as i want to be.

It's strange how we all deal with this in different ways, i guess i'm just allowing myself to grow and be selfish in this matter, knowing that in order to be of full use to others, i must first take care of myself.

o yesterday morning we flew back to HK, our first time to come back together to what we now proudly call 'our home', and that is such a glorious feeling. Everything that surrounds me here has been placed, organized and i'll admit, randomly thrown, into what has become HOME SWEET HOME.

I can actually claim that i now own my own couch, my own dining room set, even my own toothbrush holder! Bizzare, but it's that transition from being a temporary resident in a school dorm, in a rented apartment with roomates, or chez Ma and Pa's where food is cooked for you, laundry is free and access to vehicle is the norm, to a so-called grown up adult life where a blocked toilet can't just sit there forever and where the unwashed dishes at night are still there in the morning.

But at least when i throw things around and don't tidy up after myself, it's only one person who can bark at me now, and usually he'll do the same anyways ;)

Well, now on the job front it seems that i've got a few options to work with which is always a plus. Basically i'm now trying to arrange schedules, work visas (what a red-tape nuissance!!!!!!!!!!) so that everything and everybody is happy and that i'm left with enough time to still have a proper weekend and some down time.

One of them is with a local English Centre on HK Island where i'll be starting a new reading program with the wee ones, mainly doing interactive reading a couple times a week. The plan is to have it as a drop in session where anybody who is interested in the Centre can attend and see what it means to be engaged in an interactive reading class. I have images of me talking in strange voices with hand puppets, wearing wizard costumes and big clown shoes - but of course i'm loving it.

The other one is with an ESF (English School Foundation) school in Kowloon where i'll be working with special needs children in a regular classroom, helping them with the lessons while ensuring a safe and healthy classroom environment with the other students.

Both jobs are with two sets of students that i've never worked with before: really young kids (youngest being 2) and special needs children. I'm excited, anxious and eager.

My main hurdle is HK immigration where obtaining a work visa is a bureaucratic nightmare but i've just gotta breathe and be patient. Because a lot of things are kind of up in the air in HK during the weeks leading up to Chinese New Year (Jan.29), things are moving even more slowly.

I'll be the first to admit I am not for patience when i know there is a need for me to do something and all that is stopping me is a few signatures.

I have another interview tomorrow with a social/community group, Hans Anderson, on Lamma Island to work as a full-time social worker helping to integrate migrant families and their children into the community. It sounds like an interesting position but i'm thinking i'll prob stick with the other two.

Although, my dad always told me to "never burn my bridges" so i'll go to the interview and see what happens.... Phew, i've written enough today. Time to practice some Ben Harper on the guitar, and get some supper going.

* Here are some pics of the Taiwan trip.

Quiet, lazy holi-days

Went hiking on one of the Lantau trail sections yesterday. Saw only a group of teenage students going camping for 4 days down at the beach, and get this: they were literally carrying several dozen large boxes of supplies, food, tents, sleeping bags, water, firewood, and who knows what else.

They were still trying to make their way down these steep steps, working on the chain-system format where one would carry a box three steps, put it down and then pick up the next one. Not the most efficient way to do it.

Incredible, i wonder if they made it to the campsite before dark.

Anyways, the hike we did was relatively flat, perfect hiking weather too. We passed several big cows who are apaprently so used to hikers they don't budge even if you walk two feet away from them.

We're thinking of going camping there on New Year's Eve with YK and Tomoe (who's never slept in a tent before) and making a huge bonfire - should be great fun!

It's nice to know that we can get up in the morning, decide to go hiking on the spot and get to the beginning of the trail within the hour. All without much advance planning!

On boxing day, my grandfather and Auntie Jennifer and cousin David came over for a buffet lunch at the clubhouse. At first we were going to have a BBQ at our place but then we thought perhaps grandpa would want some Chinese dishes, so we opted for the buffet.

Good thing, my grandfather ate at least twice the amount Matt did, and that's saying a LOT! He may be old but he's still got his youthful appetite!

During the afternoon, we met one of the families on our floor.

We had dropped off Xmas cards at each door inviting people for a housewarming-holiday gathering party. Since only 3 out of 4 of the flats are occupied and one of the families was away for holiday it left only one family besides us: Laura and Marcos and their two adorable children, Anita (3 and a half) and Thomas (16 months). They are from Italy but have been in DB for the past 3 years.

It was nice to meet our neighbours finally, and on a side note, we can ask them to water our plants when we're away and just keep an eye out on our place.

That evening, my Uncle Shak Hai and Auntie Teresa and cousin Stephen visited us for a BBQ-turkey dinner. Despite Stephen locking himself outside on the rooftop patio and then me accidentally knocking my wine glass onto his lap, it was a fun night.

Today was the first day where it drizzle-rained here in Hong Kong since we arrived! What a nice refreshing change. I walked to the plaza to get some groceries and it felt and smelled like springtime in Canada.

So these few days have been busy entertaining guests but also quite relaxed with lots of time for reading, cooking, watching movies, going on walks. Who could ask for more?

Here are some pictures of us since arriving in Hong Kong (moving in, friend's dinners, Xmas, Boxing Day). More to come!

Memories of Toronto Banquet, Jersey Ceremony and Xinjiang Wedding!

Matt's Dad's Retirement Party!

It's July 16th, I'm meeting my father-in-law for the first time, and i'm dressed as a PLA officer with braided pigtails and all.

The theme was 60's night and it was Matt's Dad's surprise retirement party with the entire school staff, friends and family members (old, new, and yet-to-be).

Matt and I were the 'big surprise' and surprise it was! However, i knew from the moment we were welcomed at the airport by Matt's aunts and mum and then how happy his dad was to meet me, this family was the kind I've always dreamed of joining.

The rest of the weekend, we went sailing twice, had a gorgeous bbq outside, went cycling around the island, swam in the sea, and just basically enjoyed each other's company.

Ottawa Party
Then we flew to Ottawa for a few days where we had an intimate gathering at Mom and Dad's place on July 20th with many of my old friends from Ottawa and Cornwall.

Thanks for all who came out - it was lovely to see you again!

Toronto Chinese Banquet
A quickee stop in Toronto where we tried to see as many friends and relatives as we could.

July 23rd was a busy day for us; we started off by performing the traditional Tea Pouring Ceremony for my grandparents. But since they don't drink tea, it ended up being a Hot Water Pouring Ceremony!

After an afternoon social of mah-jong, the evening banquet included lots of good traditional Chinese food (minus the shark's fin soup!), silly games which involved flour, raw eggs, and chicken's feet, entertainment from various sorts (including Dad with his infamous "My Way" rendition), and of course, sappy sentimental speeches.

An unforgettable day with 120 of our closest family and friends from across Canada.

Some more photos from Uncle Shak Hai, sister Anice, friend Michael Russell and cousin Fiona Wu.

Jersey Ceremony

Back to Jersey again! Swarmed with family and friends and chauffered in the decorated Moggy by Claire, we officially got married on sunny July 29th at the beautiful Jersey registrar's office.

Followed by a gorgeous champagne and strawberries gathering at a local hotel, we continued the festivities later that evening at l'Etable where we had decorated the house and marquee with Xinjiang cloth earlier.

Delicious food, a beautifully home-made wedding cake decorated with a marsipan camel and yurt!, more toasts and speeches, the evening wasn't complete until Dad sung "My Way"... or at least what he could remember of it!

Here are some more photos from Mom and Dad Wong and Mum and Dad Thornington.

London Party
On our last night of our whirlwind tour, July 30th, we had a lovely dinner aboard a lightship restaurant in London, meeting old friends of Matt's and my host sister when i was in Beijing for the first time, Xumeng, who is currently studying at Oxford now.

Fast forward to September...

Alas, the wedding we had been planning for months in Xinjiang!

With 31 overseas gusts and about a 100 local friends, we had the most amazing week playing an assortment of roles: tour guide, chauffeur, host, translator, laundromat service, internet cafe, and finally... bride and groom!

Here are some pictures from Anice and Andy Alexander starting from the wedding day following their Silk Road travels to Xi'an by plane, train and automobile.

Anice also took some black and white pictures of the day trip to Tuyugou in Turpan. Thanks lil' sis, you've done a great job capturing the daily life and local people through your lens.

As for Andy-Pandy, an old highschool friend, put his Master's project on hold to visit us. He really got into the sights and 'weirdness' of China, playing bumper cars at Hong Shan Park, wearing this ridiculous cowboy hat at Tian Chi, dressing up as a cute Uyghur lad...

Samantha's Pictures of Xinjiang Wedding

Sam is Anice's friend from Uni who is currently living and teaching in Japan. She came out to join in the entourage of our overseas guests - it was great to have her here and to have finally met!

Jenny Ma's Pictures of Xinjiang Wedding
Jenny, my cousin, made the trip from Toronto to Xinjiang with her cousin Peony (from HK) to attend our wedding. If the number of pictures she took say anything about her week here, it looks like she had a marvellous time!

Allison Grimsey's Pictures of Xinjiang Wedding
Allison, one of my best and oldest friends, from Cornwall/Ottawa sacrificed time away from her Master's program to be my bridesmaid. I can't begin to say how happy i was to have her here and to know she enjoyed herself immensely.

Basia and Thomas' Pictures of Xinjiang Wedding
Joining us from Beijing, these are the pictures Basia and Thomas took on our special day.

Aunt Judy's Pictures of Xinjiang Wedding
My dear Aunt Judy, despite getting gravely ill on the wedding day, was determined to come along to the campsite, even if it meant lying down the whole time in the yurt and listening to all the dancing and music going on outside.

What a trooper, and i'm totally grateful for her coming all the way out here!

Uncle Hong's Pictures of Wedding and his Xinjiang off-roading adventures.

My Uncle Hong had planned for months before coming to Xinjiang, his first time in China and what an eye-opening experience it was for him! Equipped with the latest cameras, a stomach of steel, and an adventurous mind, he writes:

"Good Bye Xinjiang and Hello Canada! After a 6600 km journey of Silk Road in southern Xinjiang, for a duration of almost four weeks, I have returned HOME - in one piece.

Now that I have fully recovered and caught up with my work, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Bonnie and Matt for their hospitality in Xinjiang. On behalf of Ivy and Calvin, we are wishing this couple love, luck and happiness to last them today ....... tomorrow and ever after!!!

Xinjiang is a beautiful place and has given me an unforgettable memory, including the good, the bad and the ugly. However, to sum it up, there is nothing better in this world than returning HOME, standing by the sides of Ivy and Calvin, and shooting breeze with relatives and friends, again, here in Canada.

Our Land Cruiser has done it all in - cruising on highways, bumping along on rocky sideways, treading water of streams and rivers, zig-zagging up and down snowy roads in mountains, dune-buggying in deserts, negotiating with cliff-hangers”, cutting through the meshland, getting stuck in the mud ....... a flat tire ........ and slipping off a little bridge into the stream.

While the Land Cruiser has done it all, I have got totally “done in”. You name it, anti-biotic, ant-diarrhea medication, Advil, Contact-C, Neo-citron, Polysporin, Hung-King-Tien, After-Bite, Visine, bandages for cuts and bruises ........ twisted glasses......., and I have tasted them all in this trip, with the exception of Reactine and Gravol. Lucky me, I have lost only six pounds.

Just like everybody else, I have taken some pictures here and there. Looking at photographs alone is inadequate, and more than often, photos give you a false sense in terms of understanding the reality.

Having said that, I do have some photographs arranged in the album format below for you, to commemorate with if you have been there, and to fantasize in if you have not (and you can view them in full screen on your monitor if you wish).

If you are serious in getting to know about Xinjiang (or any other places for that matter), you have to be there yourself in order to “experience” it. Wishing you all the best."

those long-awaited and probably long-forgotten pictures

Here are a few links to photos that are now, finally, ready to be shared with y'all. I'm afraid you'll have to log into the Kodak Gallery Photos in order to see them, but hey it's free.

Surprise visit to Canada
For 17 days i went back as a surprise, mainly to attend my Grandma's 80th birthday, to visit friends and family, and to attend my cousin's wedding in Toronto. It was, as i expected, wonderful to see everyone, to experience typical Canadian November weather: heavy rain, sleet and snow, and to catch the tail end of the fall colours. Although it was wonderful to be around familiar surroundings and familiar faces, there was only one person missing the entire time...

Vanuatu Honeymoon
A hidden tropical paradise in the South Pacific where the waters are warm and welcoming, the people friendly as can be, the food always fresh and tasty, and the kava always strong! Without a doubt, one of the best holidays ever, and not just because it was our honeymoon!

We went trekking up the wrong side of an active volcano, bathed in a natural hot spring, dived one of the most famous shipwrecks in the world (and i got my open-water PADI certificate!!), sailed on a tall-ship for ten days as a crew member, climbing the mast, hoisting the sails, flaking the anchor chain.. and on the several islands we stopped at, we played a game of soccer with a local village, attended many village parties with cumtom dancing and string band music, and even met villagers who still practice cannibalism!

The pictures will say more than words ever can... take a seat, there are a lot to see.

Bayanbulik Roadtrip
Just before the wedding, we decided to take our last road trip with the beloved jeep. Bayanbulik, the beautiful grasslands of Xinjiang, was a place that neither of us had been to, but because of its mystery and difficult-to-access areas, we thought we should check it out.

Deciding to forego any permit, we lucked out and only managed to get stopped once by some local village police who didn't question us at all and wished us well on the rest of our journey.

Bleak, barren but in a naturally stunning kind of way, we camped on hard ground with the howling wind outside the first night. The next day we drove 18 hours straight, stopping only to buy lunch and to refuel, we passed the No.1 Glacier around 2am on roads where luck played as much as a part as driving skill; the steep drop into the canyon was unbelievable and the sheets of ice on the mountain sides were truly incredible. A definite must-see in Xinjiang!

Urumqi Friends and Colleagues
These are just some of the many great memories i had over the year in Urumqi with friends and colleagues, locals and foreigners. Lots of fun, laughter friendship and memories. Thank you all.

Matt's Mum and Dad's Visit!
Sandwiched between their visit to Beijing/Xian and Kashgar, Matt's folks came to visit us for a few fabulous days where we went camping in the mountains and shopping in Er Da Qiao. They loved every moment of it, even despite having hummus leak over all our camping food and crashing into the side of a huge truck on a narrow dirt road. Many great stories and laughs were shared, a perfect prelude to our wedding to come.

and a merry christmas to you!

Another lovely day has gone by, but this one was extra special.

Full of presents, tender turkey, scrumptious stuffing, juicy gravy and cranberry sauce, a nice hike up the mountain for a sunset view of the bay, a quick and chilly dip in the sea, some warm apple crumble and ice cream to go along with a movie, calls to family back home, and now, a warm and cozy bed to share with the best present of all!

Here's wishing you and your loved ones a merry and joyous holiday season!

exploring

Woke up with a massively sore throat, but have put it at ease with some chloroseptic spray and a couple of cold pills.

The sluggish race continues as i spend hours and hours browsing online for work, courses, volunteer options, etc. in Hong Kong.

There are an amazingly high number of english schools and english centres focused on the 'alternative teaching method' using 'fun, creative and hands-on' approaches. Sometimes i feel that i have a lot of these bases covered in terms of experience and sometimes i feel like a small fish in the ever-expanding sea.

As for courses, looking at several options (mainly education and journalism/media), and i get constantly excited when i read the course descriptions. Think i will apply to several and then make the decision if and when i get accepted.

I'm also amazed at the amount of social and youth services in HK, LOCAL ones, that is. I've only just skimmed the surface of researching these organizations but they all have good intentions for serving the community in a non-profit capacity. Very uplifting.

Went to see the British theatre piece "The Argument" at the HK Cultural Arts Centre last night. The show has already toured the UK, the US and Mexico and yesterday was its second showing in HK.

Witty and humorous, with excellent performances by the 4 actors, it's about a dysfunctional family that learns to never speak their true minds in front of each other after the death of the mother, propelling themselves into this false world where they are merely tied by obligation and guilt.

Matt is in Singapore for a few days and so i went alone, which made me see again how appreciating the arts is fun and rewarding whenever and wherever, but perhaps more engaging when you are with a close other. Not only in the sense that it's pleasurable to attend such cultural events with someone, but also in the fact that you both share and experience the same event and can learn and grow from it together.

Going home by ferry last night, the area of Wan Chai was completely blocked off due to the escalating riots of the WTO protestors. Several cars, buses, taxis and pedestrians were trapped and couldn't get out and some poor bystanders got swept up in the fights and were injured themselves.

The whole of HK was swarming with police in their riot gear and while crossing the harbour on the Star Ferry, I could see a few dozen police boats on standby, lights flashing.

Going out now to attend a presentation given by the Epoch Times on "The Future of China". With panelists from various parliaments and organizations, topics to be explored include: communism in China in the past and China's future in the world.

Very much enjoying the amount of these public discussions that are held here, be it social, political or educational issues. It's a great way to meet people and network.. and, fingers crossed, weasel my way into a job! Ah, and it keeps me learning.

After the presentation, i'm meeting up with an old family friend from Cornwall for dinner. Her and her husband moved back to HK ages ago and I haven't seen her in probably ten years, so it'll be nice to catch up and fill each other in, just updating her on my past year will take several hours! :)

Eek, i'm late. Off i go.

sniffle sniffle

Feeling stuffy these past two days, it's an annual thing to get a cold in winter, so why should this be any different??

Because 'winter' in Hong Kong doesn't mean -40 degree weather with 5 feet of snow and ice. There are palm trees outside and not even a drop of rain in over a month!

Still, my body knows it's wintertime no matter where i am geographically, so bring on the tissues!

a great today

Whoever said everything happens for a reason was spot on.

After a successful morning of sending parcels at the post office (what a queue, xmas rush indeed!) and paying some overdue bills at the bank, i went to buy some second-hand indoor plants, carted them home by a taxi-van which you can call up at anytime for a ride in DB, and then headed downtown on the ferry.

It's always a nice ride, 25 minutes in total, enough to read the paper, stare out into the sea without getting bored or antsy or to scarf down a meal on the go.

I headed straight to the HK Youth Group centre in Wan Chai. I walked into the building and posted on the wall was a notice of a panel discussion being held right at that precise time on the 1st floor, anyone welcome.

The discussion was "Civil Society Dialogue Project Hong Kong Seminar" and so i went out of curiosity. There were 4 panelists who were representing their proper organization from South Africa, HK, the EU and Lithuania. They came as delgates to the WTO ministerial conference and it was very interesting to hear their views and opinions on what was actually happening in the seminar rooms behind closed doors these past two days.

Head of the Global Network, in Hong Kong, Elizabeth Tang spoke passionately about her commitment to a freer and more just society for HK through the channels of education, empowerment and engagement.

One guy, the General Secretary for Solidar, a European network based in Brussels whose goal is to bring about positive change in alliance with trade unions, labour movement organizations and civil society, put being a delegate and advisor at the WTO conference in an interesting light: "It's like riding a tiger all week. You don't get to stop when you're tired, you only stop when the tiger is exhausted."

Many of the panelists expressed concern that these ministerial conferences were nothing but inefficient and extremely costly. They said that it wouldn't be surprising if something drastic in terms of scaling down such conferences were to happen in the near future in order to have everyone heard and to simply get things done.

With one of the main questions being "Does civil society dialogue actually influence the trade agenda?", our group was met with a resounding YES! when during the seminar, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson called the European Comission Representative of DG Trade, who was one of the panelists, to ask and confirm a meeting for tomorrow to meet with civil society groups and organizations and discuss certain issues.

efore, just a few years ago, politicians would cringe at the mere thought of having to have an open forum or dialogue with civil society groups. Now, as evidenced today, they are taking the initiative to ask for meetings to be held themselves! In any case, how refreshing it was to hear from the mouths of the people who are actually attending the meetings.

So many protesters demonstrate, and all for different reasons, but unfortunately the media sensationalizes and homogenizes them so as to make them seem that they are fighting for similar, if not the same, cause. And as we are all linked into this civil society movement whether we like it or know it at all, our inactions speak just as loudly as our actions.

It was humbling and reassuring to have sat amongst these people, to actually see them several inches away. What many people forget and probably don't even stop to think about, is that these so called hot shots who are making waves on the civil society frontlines with other countries' ministers and international organizations, are just as human as you and i.

It's no big revelation but it's extremely humbling to know that whatever hat we wear on the workfront, on our lifestyle choices and in the way we conduct ourselves with other people, we all have similar needs and wants as humans. It brings me back to what a dear friend and (at the time) my team leader, Jon, said to me about living and working overseas with people of different backgrounds: "You are just like the brother across the pond."

Shops were closed after the panel discussion ended, and so the shopping i was intending on doing had to wait for another day. No big loss, i wandered around the neon-lit streets a bit and decided to finally do what i've been meaning to do for a while, and that is to rid my hair of the roots growing back in and to dye the whole head to its natural colour.

It's at that really awkward and ugly stage, and since it doesn't give such a good impression at interviews, i thought i might as well do it seeing as i've got two more on Friday back to back.

Being in HK for about 3 weeks now, i notice my level of Cantonese rapidly improving, both in speaking and listening. All those years of what i thought were wasted Saturdays at Chinese School is paying off big time now, my parents will be happy to hear me say! There is something really satisfying in using a skill that i've been taught since childbirth where i can see the benefits and progress in my day to day activities. If only i could read and write though.... well, I've got Matt to translate! :)

Sigh, back home now and a bit tipsy having just downed some really delicious girly wine. Was getting into the usual rut of being new to an area and needing and having to start over again and wanting to meet interesting people but desperately impatient in the meantime.

Today was just what i needed to stimulate my intellectual side and pamper myself a tad. That said, going to cook some dinner and watch a film i think.

Whoa!! Matt just walked through the door! He was away in Beijing for two days on business and was supposed to come back tomorrow afternoon, but decided to catch the evening flight tonight instead after changed plans!!! Ahh, yay!! Soo happy! Enough here for now.

Another side of Hong Kong

Discovery Bay is like a little resort haven, with tennis courts, indoor/outdoor swimming pools, an esthetically-pleasing man-made pond surrounded by palm trees and wide pathways for young families and elderly couples to stroll around (i'm looking at it outside the window right now as i type), a relatively beautiful beach that is more or less always unoccupied, and so on.

There are even aerobic, pilates, yoga, and kickboxing classes. I went to a 'stretch and tone' class yesterday morning and today my body is punishing me for not being more proactive in taking care of myself.

There are some places where i had no idea i even had muscles there. However, having said that, biking around DB is a great way to build up leg muscle. There are these ever so slight inclines and hills around the community. You just don't know it until about 15 minutes after of really rigorous biking, you wonder when the top of the hill is finally going to appear.

Coasting down these hills is great fun, and might i tentatively say well worth the climb up.

Went to Mui Wo, another town on Lantau Island, by ferry yesterday for a quick cycle ride. I fell in love with that place, very authentic and slow-pace of life, every little lane you bike down and turn the corner to, there are more lanes to choose from, it's a little like a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure-Bike-Ride.

There is a beautiful open beach, lots of local vendors, markets and a nice pub/bar right by the harbour. And everyone is so unbelieably FRIENDLY!

Going to head into town today to check out some youth oganizations, buy some running shoes i've been meaning to buy for almost a year now, see what all the ruckus is about at the WTO conference and to come home unscathed and fully intact - apparently there were some violent clashes with the Korean farmers and the police force yesterday which left some severely injured. I'll leave my views for another entry.

overlooking the bay at sunset

Just returned from a lovely impromptu date at one of HK's tasty organic food restaurants called "Life Cafe".

Just a ferry ride away, there is this great neighbourhood called Soho where there are a multitude of eateries and pubs and bars, where the streets are quite steep and some still cobblestoned, where fresh fruit, veggie and fish markets are everywhere.

Today's gorgeous weather provided the ideal temperature for strolling around these streets.

This morning we played a game of doubles tennis with a couple who also lives in DB. An absolutely stunning morning, sun shining with a slight wind. It was fun all-around, plus i only hit the ball over the fence three times, a definite improvement!

On Tuesday, Dec. 6th, Matt and I celebrated our one year anniversary of meeting! I cannot express how unreal the whole year has been, full of discovery and love. I'm excited to see what will happen in the coming year.

To mark the occasion, we went to see Cirque du Soleil at the Cyberport, the Canadian-based group with an international cast who's claim to fame is to provide pure entertainment under a real circus chapiteau.

Though different from your traditional circus, each show has a theme and story where various acts of acrobatics, breath-taking stunts and silly improv skits with chosen audience members, are put on to a live accompanying band. Truly sensational.

Before the show, we went to eat at a Xinjiang restaurant. A self-proclaimed "Xinjiang FUSION dining experience" we had naan bread, banmian and zuofan, staple dishes in Uyghur cuisine, with of course all the mutton we could get. I realize one should never expect to have a replica of authentic dishes of the area, or you will be sorely disappointed.

All the waiters were Canto-Chinese although they insisted the cook was from Xinjiang. I think the thing with eating a hot steaming bowl of banmian wih sumptuous sauce and freshly-killed mutton seasoned with Xinjiang spices in Urumqi is not just the act of eating the dish, but of doing so amongst a throng of other men and women who are sitting at slightly filthy tables elbow to elbow, feet resting upon a layer of dirty napkins and disposable chopsticks, with sounds of Uyghur men shouting out at passerbys to come and buy their meat and of people wiping their snot with the rough toilet paper roll.

All in all, it made me feel nostalgic for Xinjiang. Especially the mountains!

On the job hunting front, i've put out at least a dozen applications, have done several interviews already and a few more lined up this coming week. I'm giving myself till the end of Dec to fully commit to something in hopes that THE perfect contract will come through, with a good loation, salary, benefits, colleagues, the works.

Tomorrow i another interview at 10:30. Since i'm going into town, i'm also going to try and find a shop where they can repair my erhu (the Chinese traditional 2-stringed instrument). During the move from Urumqi, the two strings unravelled and i'm not confident in how to string it back properly.

Hopefully it will be relatively hassle-free and i won't walk out of the repair shop with something totally unrecognizable, like what happened to my poor violin.

Christmas is coming up but it hardly feels like it. We've bought a few decorations in hopes of making our place a bit more festive.

Our hole in the ceiling was finally fixed yesterday, we've got our Uyghur mats and pillows set up in our living area, we've hung some pictures and paintings on the walls (getting more framed right now, mainly wedding gifts), i've already baked some banana bread and made some hummus - this definitely feels a lot more like home :)