More Funny T-Shirts

Editor's Notes in parenthesis.

1. Middle Aged Chinese man: "Alcatraz psych ward patient"

2. "London is the Great Britain" (What does that even mean?)

3. On an old, frail woman, in large neon letters: "Freak"

4. On a 20-something year old girl: "Ho?" (I don't know, are you?)

5. On a middle-aged man, walking through the mall with a woman that looks like his mother or at least is old enough to be his mother: "I scored last night"

(I'm not sure which is more disturbing, 1) that he is middle aged, lives with his mother and scored last night, 2) that his wife/mistress/girlfriend is old enough to be his mother, or 3) that he scored with his mother.)

6. "NC State Girls Rock" on . . . oh wait, that was me! (GO PACK!)

7. "Just Another Sexy Short Guy" on Marc ;-)

Adventure Quotient: High

Marc's favorite saying as of late is "Hong Kong is a high density adventure city. There is more adventures per square foot than anywhere else in the world." I think he may be on to something. Not only is HK an international finance center, fashion capital and architectural marvel, it is also home to gorgeous beaches and mountains. In fact, less than 25% of the land in Hong Kong is developed, while the rest is country parks with some great hiking and biking trails.

Aside from Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, where most of the natives reside, the New Territories encompass the rest of the SAR. The New Territories include rural mainland to the north of Kowloon, as well as the outlying islands other than Hong Kong Island. The 3 main outlying islands are Lantau, Cheung Chau and Lamma, each with its own personality.

We woke up last Saturday morning not knowing what we were going to do that day, until after breakfast Marc said, "Hey, why don't we go see the Big Buddha on Lantau?"

Lantau Island is home to the new Hong Kong International Airport, although to say that it is on the island is stretching the truth a bit as the land on which the airport sits is actually reclaimed land from the South China Sea. It's actually one of history's most insane construction projects. For more, read this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_International_Airport

About 84,000 people live on Lantau where you can get more space to live for your money but have to take a ferry, cab or metro to get to HK island. Lantau is, in a sense, a suburb of Hong Kong. The rest of the island is very mountainous and green, with great trails to go exploring.

To get to Lantau, you can take the metro or ferry and once on the island, you can pick your mode of transportation: cab, bus or the NGong Ping 360 (a recently built cable car that takes you up a mountain in 17 minutes instead of the 50 minute bus ride). We were very excited to do the metro/Ngong Ping combination until we got there and the Ngong Ping wasn't operating. Onward we went anyway.

At the top of one particular mountain lies Po Lin Monastery. Po Lin means peaceful lotus and once you enter the monastery, you can see why. On the grounds, you can see monks walking with their hands clasped and the Locals praying and lighting incense sticks. The ambiance is quiet and calming. Even a stray dog lazily stretches beneath a tree.

The bus ride up there, however, not so peaceful. Let me type you an excerpt from the guidebook: "The bus hurtles around hair-raising curves and up and down through lush countryside-not for the faint of heart." Luckily, I hadn't had lunch, so no dumpling tossing for me although if you go, I suggest my patented fasting technique should you need to take the bus up to the monastery.

Meat and alcohol are strictly prohibited on the monastery grounds, and the most famous place to eat on the island is the vegetarian canteen at the monastery. After reading about it no less than 3 times in my guidebook, I decided we needed to try this. Thankfully I had read about the process or else we might have starved. See, there are 2 tickets, the "basic" meal ticket and the "VIP" meal ticket. If you go VIP, you are served on china and, presumably get better service. However, we wanted to eat with the Locals, so we went "basic." According to Frommers, "the ordinary meal is served in an unadorned dining hall and the procedure is rather unceremonious, with huge dishes of vegetables, rice, and soup brought to communal tables. Grab a plastic bowl and chopsticks and help yourself. Packed with Chinese families, the dining hall here is certainly colorful." What they failed to mention is that #1 - you only get tea, no water or soda and #2 - the bowls you see on the table are all you get. So, when I asked for water, they brought me hot water for the tea.... mmm, not exactly what I meant. And when we were done with our soup, well we had to use the same bowls for the rice and veggies, so we just dumped the rest of the soup we didn't eat into our communal soup bowl. Not the most classy thing I've ever done, but thankfully we weren't escorted out of the dining hall.

We walked through the grounds of the monastery where we saw beautiful lanterns, irises, paintings of dragons and deities, and strange statues:

After we wandered around the monastery, it was time to tackle the Big Buddha. Literally, this is the largest outdoor seated bronze Buddha in the world (I'd hate to see the bigger one that is doing the moonwalk in Mongolia), and there are 260 steps leading up to it. Must do some stretching:

Ha ha, ok, so it wasn't that bad, all that walking around has made my legs pretty strong. What was painful was stopping every 5 steps so that Marc could take a picture of his new-found favorite tree (some Chinese tree he'd never seen before) and Lantau Peak in the clouds. Thankfully the new memory chip on my camera can hold over 500 pictures and I can delete most of the pictures he took. Here is a great one that I didn't erase:

Once we got to the top, we found more than just the Big Buddha, there was also something called a "white relic" which has something to do with when Buddha left the earth passing into nirvana (yea, we didn't get it either but I'm sure we are going into the equivalent of Buddha hell). Even better were these lady statues making offerings to the Buddha:

Although it didn't rain on us, it was a pretty cloudy day and being so high, we were literally in the clouds. I guess they don't call it the monastery in the clouds for nothing. All in all, it was a great day and just another adventure in paradise.

Here's a quick video for your viewing enjoyment:

Festival of the Hungry Ghosts

For the past few weeks, I saw a sign in the lobby of our apartment that says something to the effect of "In anticipation of the upcoming Yue Lan Festival, Management respectfully requests that residents not burn incense or papers in the building." Note to self, pyromaniacs not allowed in the building, good to know.

Marc gets 2 days off from work at the end of September, so I figured it had something to do with those holidays. Except upon further research, I found out he gets off September 26 for the Day after the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival and October 1 for National Day. None of those were Yue Lan Festival.... hmmm...

Then, on 2 different occasions in the past week, I saw a Local burning something in a large tin can out on the sidewalk. Seeing little incense shrines on the sidewalk next to the front door of a store or temple is not a big deal, but burning something in a can? I could see flames!

So, yesterday, using my extraordinary powers of research, I opened up my Frommers guidebook to Festivals. It says:

"August - Yue Lan Festival (Festival of the Hungry Ghosts). [Editor's Note: EUREKA!] Released from the underworld, ghosts are believed to roam the earth for 1 lunar month each year. Religious ceremonies, street performances, and offerings of food and paper replicas of life's necessities are burned to appease the spirits of discontented ghosts (those who were murdered, died without proper funeral rites, or are without descendants to care for them), in an attempt to prevent the unhappy souls from seeking vengeance on humans."

Then, I looked up when the Yue Lan Festival is supposed to occur in 2007 and HOLY BATMAN, it says August 26! This was too coincidental. Understanding now *why* the Locals were burning stuff in the tin cans but not necessarily *why* they would feel the need, I was on a mission yesterday to find this ritual taking place.

At about 9:30 pm last night, on the way to IKEA, SUCCESS!

Yes ladies and gentleman, that is a Local burning paper in a tin can on the sidewalk, in the middle of Causeway Bay. The lady in black with her back turned to us was helping him by feeding more paper, presumably "replicas of necessities," into the can. The round orange things just below the curb are oranges with incense sticks sticking out of them.

For the record, we just witnessed this ritual, Marc and I did not burn anything and no animals were hurt during the ritual. However, I'm now convinced that we will be haunted by discontented ghosts and couldn't sleep last night because I thought I kept hearing someone rummaging through the pantry.

Confirmation

I said "m goi" to the bakery lady and she said "m sai" which means "you're welcome." I might just get the hang of this Chinese thing yet! :)

Lovely

In my attempt to befriend the Locals and since you should always learn how to say "Thank You" in the language of the country you are visiting/living in, I have been thanking countless people in Cantonese since I got here. They kind of nod and say "Bye Bye" which isn't exactly "You're Welcome" but I just figured they were just humoring me.

I know enough about Cantonese to know that even the slightest inflection in a syllable can create an entirely different meaning. For example, the word "fan" (depending on how you say it, called a tone), means: 1) to divide, 2) flour, 3) to teach, 4) fragrant, 5) a grave, 6) energetic; and 7) a share.

Today, the cab driver corrected me. Instead of "M Gai" which is what I've been saying, the word(s) for thank you is "M Goi." Great, I've probably been telling dozens of Locals to go screw a chicken. Lovely.

Hong Kong - One Month Later

This whole moving to a new country/part of the world is turning out to be quite the adventure, as you can tell. While some things are the same as in the U.S., many more things are *way* different and it can take some time to get accustomed to these new things. And, as with all new things, some things are easier to get used to, and I can say with some certainty that there are others I will never get used to. So, as of today, one month and two days since we first moved, here is my list of things I have and haven't gotten used to.

Things I Have Gotten Used To:

1 - Walking everywhere. If I was a New Yorker, this wouldn't have been such a big deal, but coming from Atlanta, I gave up a very comfortable and spacious 4Runner. Even though it means more trips to the store, I like getting out of my apartment, taking the escalator and just walking to a new part of town I haven't yet seen. I thought I would take the super-cheap taxis to get to places but it seems that, with traffic, I can usually walk faster than it would take to ride in a cab and the muscles in my thighs (last seen circa 1992) thank me for it.

2 - Driving on the "right" side of the road takes on a new meaning. HK was owned by the British for 100 years, so some customs die hard. On the rare occasion I do take a cab, I am riding on the left side of the road in a car where the driver's side is on the right side of the car. At first, it was weird to see the British cabs with the steering wheel on the wrong side and crossing the street took longer since I didn't know from which direction the cars were coming (look right, then left, then right again, just to be sure). But a few weeks ago, I was watching an American movie and the sight of a car driving on the right side of the road freaked me out a little bit. I'm already dreading driving in the US when I go back for visits, maybe I'll get Marc to drive and warn the DOT before we arrive.

3 - Our cozy apartment. Coming from a nice size house in the US and cramming all of our "stuff" into an apartment the size of most people's 2-car garage scared me into packing light for our move. Oddly enough, our apartment now has too much empty storage space, although I'm sure with just a few more trips under our belt, we will have plenty of trinkets to fill up the empty shelves. One good/not so good thing about the small living space is that I know where Marc is and what he is doing at all times. Like I said, that has its positives and negatives but overall it's nice and I'm sure we will grow closer just as soon as Marc stops trying to teach himself how to yodel.

4 - Paying with a credit card. One difference about buying things here is how you pay. If you are to pay with a credit card, you have to hold the credit card face up using both hands with your thumbs on the top of the card, like you are presenting the card to the cashier. The cashier then takes the card from you with both hands and returns it to you in the same manner. This small sign of respect is reserved not just for paying with a credit card, but also for giving your business card to someone and receiving their business card. At first, I would forget but I've had to purchase so many things that now it has become second nature.

[Editor's note: Apparently this is not just an HK thing, my godmother said the same custom holds true for Thailand and Malaysia where she lived for 11 years. You can hand your card with both hands or sometimes just your right hand but never your left. "Why?" I moronically asked her. "Because they believe you use your left hand to wipe your butt," was her matter-of-fact response. Nice, note to self.]

5 - How Nice Everyone Is. This was an unexpected bonus. Everyone is *very* helpful and we always get the best service. Whether we are in a store and a store clerk is going out of their way to check the stock on an item in another store (without grumbling) or the customer service line for the cable company (who called Marc a "genius" and not in a sarcastic way), everyone we meet is very attentive and does everything they can to help us out.

In addition, there are so many ex-pats like us that they befriend us quickly and give us useful tips like where to get Western food, how to take the bus to get to a certain beach, or the best place to find the good quality counterfeit Pradas (not that we would *ever* buy anything counterfeit). I guess they remember what it was like when they just stepped off the boat and are truly friendly and helpful.

6 - Seeing tourists. It is sorely obvious who the tourists in this town are. You can see them from kilometers away, sweating profusely, wearing the wrong attire for the extreme humidity and carrying at least one camera around their neck or perhaps in a fanny pack. Usually, they are congregating around the escalator, trying to decipher a map and how to get on the confounded contraption. I know it because I was one too. Now, I just point out which way they need to go depending on what time of day it is and what direction the escalator happens to be traveling.

7 - Sundays. Everyone in HK, from executives to secretaries, has a maid. They can afford it because the maids are usually illegal Philipinas trying to make a living. I'm not saying this to be racist, there are literally tens of thousands of illegal Philipinas who move to HK to work as maids or nannies and earn a mere pittance. They work hard Mondays through Saturdays and only get Sundays off. And Sundays are Philipinas-Take-Over-The-City-Day, seriously. Along all the covered walkways, these women lay down cardboard and sit down in clusters all day long, chatting, eating, doing each other's hair and nails, playing cards and selling trinkets. Tens of thousands of Philipinas sitting on the ground outside, ALL DAY LONG. It's weird, not going to lie, but I've gotten used to it.

8 - Turning on the Water Heater before Taking a Shower. Self-explanatory and it just plain makes sense, no use in wasting gas to heat up an entire tank of water when you are sleeping.

9 - All the Different Restaurants. I love to cook but I also love to eat out. Marc and I live about a 5 minute walk from a street that is so ethnically diverse (cuisine-wise), the choices are mind-boggling. So far, we've eaten at Cuban, Italian, Chinese (duh), Lebanese, Mexican and French restaurants. We tried a Greek/Middle Eastern place once but they had a 15-20 minute wait and we were starving, so we just walked across the street into an Italian restaurant instead. We plan to eat our way down the entire street and the next one over but it might take us a few months.

10 - Haggling. I'm a pro, see the post on Shenzhen.

11 - Travelling to Strange and Exotic Places in Under Two Hours. This is just cool. Take a train, bus, metro, ferry, junk boat or plane and you can be in any of a few dozen cool and exotic places in under 2 hours. Even a 20 minute $1.50 bus ride takes you to the other side of the island where there are beautiful beaches on the South China Sea just on the other side of the mountain.

The picture above is Shek O Beach on the southeastern side of Hong Kong Island (been there), just 30 minutes from the concrete jungle. The outlying mountainous islands seen in the distance are the New Territories of Hong Kong (haven't been there yet), easy to get to via cheap (about $2-3) ferry.

We are currently planning on next trip to Thailand at the end of September, so stay tuned.

Things I Haven't Gotten Used To:

1 - Fish heads.

2 - Chicken toes.

3 - Not being able to find certain things that are easily available in the US. I think I've scared a lot of people out of coming to visit by posting so many weird market pictures, but honestly, I can usually find just about anything I need except the random odd item now and again. For example, I brought Mentadent toothpaste refills for Marc because I didn't want him to die of the dreaded Chinese Toothpaste Disease of 2007, but I forgot to bring the Mentadent pump and they don't sell Mentadent here, anywhere. I know this because I have stopped into every Watsons, Mannings, Wellcome, and various other pharmacies and supermarkets even Western supermarkets and can't find it.

We've decided that whoever is brave enough to come visit us first must bring the following as "payment" for staying with us: a) a Mentadent toothpaste pump; b) Oil of Olay Daily Facials Cleansing Cloths; c) a box of Mister Clean Magic Erasers; and d) an over-the-door shoe organizer. No need to bring us an apartment-warming gift, the gift of Western toiletries is all we need.

4 - The Lack of Target. If I had a million dollars, I'd open up a Super Target store in Hong Kong. Seriously, why do you need to go to the market for groceries, the bakery for bread, the Japan Store for tupperware, the "hardware" store (I use that term loosely, think small Mom and Pop Nail Shack not Home Depot) for duct tape, and the bookstore for the latest Nicholas Sparks tear-jerker? Plus, not to mention I'd already have the aforementioned Mentadent, facial cleanser, magic eraser and shoe organizer. Americans may be lazy, but they are smart and lazy. Where else can you buy lettuce AND jeans at the same time?

5 - Feng Shui. This weekend we went to Repulse Bay beach in front of a condo building with a huge hole cut into the middle of the facade. Why you ask? So the dragon that lives in the mountain can get to the sea. Ah, of course, we can't forget about the dragon.

6 - Currency. The Hong Kong dollar is fixed to the U.S. dollar, so luckily there isn't much fluctuation in the currency exchange. One U.S. Dollar is the equivalent of $7.78 Hong Kong Dollars, or Honkys, as we like to call them (as in Honky Tonk Badonkadonk). Not exactly an easy calculation to do on the fly. So, in addition to my trusty pocket calculator, I have a little cheat sheet with round number conversions: $10 Honky = $1.28, $50 Honky = $6.40, $100 Honky = $12.82, etc. I may look like a tourist with that thing but at least I can haggle like a pro and I no longer crap my pants when I get the restaurant bill like I used to. ("$122 for LUNCH!!!?!??? Oh wait... sorry...")

7 - The Milk. Don't ask, just trust me.

8 - Cooking with a Calculator. Until the rest of the world decides to convert to the US system of measuring things, I'm doomed to cook with a calculator. What's 500 grams in pounds? I dunno. How many cups in a liter? I dunno. How many degrees is 350 degrees Fahrenheit in Celsius? I dunno. What's 15 minutes? Oh wait...

So all in all, the good things outweigh the bad things and we're still having a great time. But don't worry Moms, we miss everyone like crazy and we're definitely coming back! :)

Ultimatum

We went to see The Bourne Ultimatum this past weekend. It. Rocked. Go. See. It.

This was also the first time we've seen a movie in Hong Kong. I had heard that Hollywood movies come out on the same date here as they do in the US and The Bourne Ultimatum was no exception. The language, thankfully, was English but with Chinese sub-titles which didn't detract from the movie experience for me. If I had to read in Chinese in order to understand what was going on, perhaps it would suck a little bit.

I don't know if there just isn't much entertainment to be had here in HK or if there are not enough theaters for the number of people on the island but we actually tried to see this movie twice before we wised up and bought tickets online ahead of time. Best thing we ever did. Not only do you already have your tickets waiting for you at the theater but you get assigned seats, so you don't have to get there super early and spread your stuff over several chairs furtively trying to avoid eye contact with each couple looking for a seat every time they pass your row. The seats were leather and really cushiony, almost like a Lazyboy, and the theater was clean with nice floors that don't stick to your shoes. The sound system, as you can imagine based on their technologically advanced electronics, was awesome. Each gunshot almost sent me into cardiac arrest, just the way I like it. And the little soda at the beginning of the movie that tells you to be quiet during the movie and turn off your cell phone actually worked because I didn't hear a peep from the audience during the whole time. There was one difference from the US in the preview commercials though, they actually had a warning about not illegally videotaping the movie, although I don't think the Shenzhen hawkers read that one.

And last but not least, the best part about watching movies in HK: there aren't any tall people to sit in front of you and ruin your view of the delectable Matt Damon.

My Drag Queen Name is Ella Montgomery

Two blog posts in one day? However did you get so lucky?

Well, folks, I'll tell you. It's raining in Hong Kong. Monsoon season has finally descended upon us and the city is continually enveloped in a thick layer of fog, mist and/or rain. Humidity is now 100%. I read somewhere that it rains 5 times as much in Hong Kong than it does in Seattle but only during the rainy season, and I'm starting to believe it. So, yours truly is holed up in our apartment, contemplating the meaning of life, or more accurately the Hong Kong way of life.

I was told by a very good source that Local women get to choose their "Western" name when they are in high school. See, when Asians are borne, they are given an Asian name that we Westerners cannot pronounce lest we sound like we are trying to cough up a loogie. So, in order to make our lives easier, natch, they get to choose a much easier to pronounce name during adolescence. Usually, it is whatever names are popular during that era. In fact, sometimes you can tell the age of a woman by her choice of name even before you meet her. Women who were adolescents during the 80's for example have names like Jennifer, Tiffany or Michelle.

My manicurist today was probably in school in the 60's, but I didn't have to look farther than her nametag to figure that out: Gogo.

Some women try to pick a name based on the literal translation of her Chinese name like Rain or a name that sounds most like her Chinese name. And then some women just go nuts and pick what they think is a pretty name, like Cinderella or Candy. Not joking. Mind you, this name is not legally recorded anywhere but it follows them for The Rest Of Their Lives.

I'm not sure what the procedure is for men but, for the most part, they all have normal sounding names like Michael or John, although we have run into 2 different guys named Dragon. Sometimes they are given Western names at birth. In any case, I get the sense it's not such a big deal for them as it is for the women.

So, I thought to myself, what name would I have picked if I were to pick a new name for myself in High School. Back then, I used to like Breanna which I'm not so sure I would like now. I think if it were up to me now, I would go for something stately and Spanish like Isabella or Esmeralda.

Now it's your turn, audience, what name would you pick for yourself if you had been given the choice?

Musings of a Puerto-Rican in Hong Kong

I've been thinking lately (uh-oh, watch out): I see people shopping here *all the time.* Seriously, the stores are open until 10 or 10:30 pm every night, including Sundays. Go into any mall, even the really really really fancy malls where every store is some Italian name: Salvatore Ferragamo, Dolce and Gabbana, Emporio Armani, Versace, La Perla, Gucci and Prada, and there are gobs and gobs of people at all hours of the day. Even Tuesdays at 2 in the afternoon, do they even work? And people are buying everything in sight. It's like Crabtree Mall or Dadeland Mall or Lennox or whatever local mall is in your city 2 days before Christmas.

Yet, most apartments don't have closets! Where do they put all their schlock? Are there hidden closets and compartments in this apartment that I don't know about? I'm going to start knocking on walls to see if a secret door opens up. Perhaps everyone has hundreds of those space saver vacuum bags they sell on TV for the low-low price of $29.99 plus shipping and handling, BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE! They'll even throw in a lint brush for acting in the next 3 milliseconds!

And where do they get all this money for the real Ferragamos? I can understand the crazed lunatics (ahem, Marc) buying everything in sight at Lo Wu, I mean, who can resist yet another pair of Oakley sunglasses when they are only $4? But shelling out $3,000 for a real Fendi? On a median household income of $2,000/month and rent being what it is? It just doesn't add up, literally.

And how do taxi cab drivers make any money? First, the initial investment in the car is expensive, then the fuel is exorbitant (about $5-6/gallon) but yet the average taxi cab ride, say 15 minutes, is somewhere in the neighborhood of $2-$2.50. And they still have to pay the company they work for and Uncle Hong (I guess that is the equivalent of Uncle Sam).

I just don't get it.

And one more thing. Feng Shui? What's all that about? No, I don't think that putting rocks on the northwest corner of my apartment is going to improve the "flow." If anything, I think it is a tripping hazard. I love facing the water because it is a beautiful view and it soothes me, but do I really think that it will bring me money? Not likely unless Marc is secretly a billionaire. Honey, is there something you want to tell me?

There are more little quirks about this whole Feng Shui business and they take it way seriously here but I just can't get into it. Who knows, maybe if I don't get a job in a few months I'll go ahead and buy a water buffalo for the house and make him sleep in the south-south-east quandrant of the dining room, it can't hurt.

Super Dad?

Marc has a t-shirt that he bought at a market in Hong Kong with a bunch of Chinese writing on it. He has no idea what it says or even if he is offending anyone. However, he has the sense to wear it in only the US where the likelihood of running into someone who can read Chinese is pretty remote.

My sister-in-law asked me the other day about how Hong Kong natives dress. Since they shop so much, one would think it would be a top-fashion city. Sadly, this is not the case. I'm sure there are some people who wear some great clothes, but for the most part, it seems the Locals just put on whatever is clean and practical for the day ahead. I can't speak for the work environment yet, but what I see while about the town makes me feel like Naomi Campbell walking amongst the commoners and Lord knows I'm not very fashion-forward.

The funniest thing about the clothes that Locals wear are the t-shirts. Like Marc's t-shirt, it is obvious they have no idea what their t-shirts say and just ignorantly put a clean one on in the morning. As I see more examples, I'll try to keep a list so I can make it a reoccurring blog topic. Thus far, I have seen the following:

1 - On a very crusty old man: "I'm Just A Love Machine"
2 - On a flat chested woman: "Wet T-Shirt Contest Winner"
3 - On a middle-aged, otherwise prim and proper gentleman: "Hot Dog" with a cartoon of a huge hot dog.
4 - On a young girl: "Super Dad"

Typhoon Crisis Averted

For all of you waiting with bated breath to hear whether our apartment windows were blown out and we were sucked out into Typhoon Pabuk, you will be sorely disappointed. All is well here in Hong Kong, seems Pabuk is a bad shot and went just north of us again. It has been very rainy/windy here and Marc and I are victims of cabin fever, but we have survived our first typhoon.

Also, I have slightly amended the post about skinny Locals to include a part about clothes, so check it out below.

Waiting for Typhoon Pabuk

Typhoon Pabuk, which passed just to the north of Hong Kong earlier this week, has decided to turn back and take a better aim. We are currently under Typhoon Warning Level 8 and everyone was sent home from work and school at about 2:30 pm. Not to worry though, we are thoroughly prepared with flashlights, candles, water, canned food and an endless supply of childish humor to keep us amused.

Why Chinese People are so Skinny

Place: Hong Kong SAR

Language: Cantonese (Chinese)

Hello: Néhìh (knee high)

Thank you: M gōìh (mm goy)

I've been pondering this question lately. Like French women who don't get fat, the Chinese have managed to find a way to stay perpetually skinny. The only exception, of course, is sumo wrestlers, but they get paid to consume vast quantities of food to sustain their 5,000 calorie/day diet.

Therefore, I have made it my mission to get to the bottom of this. Perhaps Jenny Craig should hire me to help with their weight loss programs.

1 - Chinese television sucks. Seriously, the programming on the Chinese channels are either animation (think Pokemon), very bad Chinese soap operas or fashion runway shows. Now, it may actually get better if I could understand what they are saying, but nonetheless, it is clear that there is no such thing as couch potatoes here.

2 - Everything is small, like:

a) Apartments. Marc and I live in an 800 square foot apartment, and comparing it to the other places we saw, this is one of the bigger floor plans. Many extended families cram 7-8 relatives in an apartment smaller than ours. If they all weighed 140 kilograms, trust me, they wouldn't fit.

b) Furniture. In order to fit in the small apartments, you need small furniture. The only dining room table that would fit in our eating area is 33 inches across. Try fitting everyone's plate and all the fixin's for a Southern meal on that bad boy. I've tried, it doesn't work.

c) Beds. This is a separate category from furniture. Most people here have either a single bed or a double bed. There are very little queen size beds, and even fewer apartments that can accommodate a queen size bed. And don't even get me started on King and California King size beds. Good luck trying to find one or getting sheets for it. (I guess you could have them custom tailored.)

When we were apartment shopping, we liked this apartment, but the second bedroom had a wardrobe that took up an entire wall. We had to have the landlord remove the wardrobe in order to fit a futon that folds out into a double bed. Now that we moved in, the futon fits snugly into the corner.

Folded out into a bed, it takes up the whole room. We asked ourselves whether the futon was designed to fit a standard room this size or whether the room was built to fit a standard double bed with no wiggle room. We decided to focus on the chicken and egg problem instead.

3 - Transportation. Most of the time, my transportation is my two gams. The proximity of shopping, restaurants, market, pharmacy and the super-important Japan Store (think Chinese Big Lots) makes getting to where you need to be easy, as long as you don't mind walking. Like New York, this town is meant to be traversed by foot, hence the escalator.

And in the middle of the summer, when it is 95 degrees with humidity at 80%, you get a cardiovascular workout every time you leave your apartment. I think they may be onto something....

4 - Clothes. You can always get your clothes custom made, like Marc has (see previous post). However, if you go into any clothing store here, like H&M or Zara, be prepared to #1 not understand the sizes (I think they use some sort of modified European sizing chart), and #2 even if you are able to decipher the sizing code, the sizes here don't go any higher than say a women's petite size 4 that has been shrunk in the dryer. Asian clothes are not made for Puerto Ricans with hips, that's all I have to say.

Each Hong Kong apartment comes with a combination washer/dryer that holds approximately 2 1/2 pairs of socks and an undershirt per load. And no one uses it. Instead, everyone goes to any of a dozen laundromats located within a 2 minute walk from their apartment where a Local's grandma does your laundy. Somehow, the concept of some stranger folding your skivvies doesn't faze anyone here. For what they charge, I've come to terms with it too. The prices are based on the total weight of laundry. A typical load of laundy here at our household weighs about 7 pounds and costs about $2. It's a good thing we are small people because bigger clothes would weigh more and quite possibly cost a whopping $5/load.

5 - Meal portions. If you ever saw that movie Super Size Me, you know that the U.S. is the only country with Super Size Value Meals and Biggie Slurpees. When I go grocery shopping, the biggest package of ground beef is about 1/2 pound (200 grams). Drinks like milk, juice and soda, come in small containers, usually 1 liter (which is 1/3 of a gallon). There is no such thing as Costco or Sam's Club either, so you can't just stock up. Not that there is space in your kitchen or fridge to stock up anyway.

Which brings me to another related point, you have to get out of your apartment, walk to the market and buy groceries more often (see #3). I go about every few days.

6 - Market Shopping. The disparity in the prices of things never ceases to astound me. Rent, cars and fuel can be prohibitively expensive, while knock-off goods and custom-made items are very reasonably priced if not downright cheap. Similarly, restaurants are a dime a dozen here. We live close to SoHo (south of Hollywood Road) which is known for its trendy shops, restaurants and bars. On one street, there are restaurants with just about any cuisine you can imagine: Italian, Chinese, Ethiopian, Lebanese, Western, Argentinian, Mexican, Indian, you name it. Most of these restaurants offer prix fixe meals with 3 courses for about $12 (US). It's incredible how diverse the cuisine is and just how inexpensive it is to eat out. (This doesn't really support my theory about slim Locals, but bear with me. On second thought, perhaps MSG is a secret fat-burning molecule, must explore further.)

However, grocery shopping is different story. I haven't yet ventured to the wet markets which are farmer's markets with vegetables, meats, fish, spices, etc. because I need a translator but I hear they are pretty cheap. The Wellcome supermarket and Maxim bakery which are conveniently located downstairs from the apartment are where I go to stock up on food. Now, I fully concede that I do not buy many Chinese foods and instead end up buying things with labels I recognize: Jiffy peanut butter, Tropicana orange juice, Kraft mayonnaise, which cost more because they are imported. So, in addition to having smaller portions, the food also tends to be more expensive that in the U.S. (about 50% more expensive on average). If I were to make something more complicated than just simple chicken and rice or pasta, it would just be cheaper to eat out! Crazy logic, I know!

And you also have to get your grocery purchases home, without a car. So you are limited to what you can carry home. Compounding this dilemma is Tuesdays. See, I learned the hard way that Tuesdays is "No Plastic Bag, Thank You Day" at Wellcome. In an effort to be environmentally friendly, on Tuesdays, Wellcome doesn't give out plastic bags to carry your groceries home, so you have to bring your own shopping bag or pay a small amount for each plastic bag. Judging from the Locals' shopping carts, they don't buy much food and come prepared with their own shopping bags. Less food = less they have to carry home. Smart.

Finally, the selection of food in the grocery store is enough to make me give up eating all together.

Fish:

No, your eyes are not deceiving you, those are fish heads, complete with scallions and peppers to make your very own fish head soup.

Chicken:

Or rather, chicken toes. Mmmm, mmm, good!

And the popular local delicacy:

Black skin duck, complete with head and beak (see bottom of carton).

Now, if you'll excuse me now, I'm going to go toss my dumplings.

Shenzhen, A Shopping Mecca (Part 2)

One of the best things about living in Asia (or Europe for that matter), is the train system. Thousands of high speed trains transport people between provinces in China and beyond every day. China is the fourth largest country in terms of land mass behind Russia, Canada and the US (thank you Wiki) but you don't realize it until you check the train schedule and see it takes 27 hours to get to Beijing from Hong Kong!

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions (SAR) in China (the other is Macau, or what will become the Las Vegas of the East - I'll write about it when we go there, soon, I promise). It was previously owned by the British for 100 years but was turned back over to China in 1997. The two "countries" operate under the policy of "one country, two systems," meaning the People's Republic of China governs foreign affairs and defense, while Hong Kong manages it own legal system, police force, monetary system and customs/immigration. Therefore, if you want to go to China from Hong Kong, you need a visa (see my last post). And, since it was owned by the Brits for so long, English is one of the two official languages of Hong Kong. We like to think of HK as "Asia Lite," you get a taste of Asia, but with the comforts of signs in English and familiar foods and products.

China, on the other hand, is not so much "Lite" (again, see previous post) unless you go to a major city like Beijing (site of the 2008 Olympics which we plan on seeing) or Shanghai. However, just across the border from Hong Kong is a big industrial city named Shenzhen (pop. 8 million). The city itself is not known for much except for what many consider to be the Shopping Mecca of the World, Lo Wu Commercial Center. Don't let the innocuous name deceive you, it is heaven on earth, if you manage to get past the the death-grips of hustlers frantically trying to sell you pirated DVD's and give you massages. It caters both to Chinese and Hong Kong natives, but thrives off foreigners who don't know any better. Everyone in Lo Wu speaks the international language of money and even some English. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

From where I left off previously, we took a train from Guanghzou to Shenzhen. The 2-hour ride from HK to Guangzhou had cost a whopping $25 (US)/each IN FIRST CLASS! From Guangzhou to Shenzhen, trip time = 1 hour, the first class ticket was $10 (US)/each. And if you wanted to ride with the goats and chickens, the ticket to Shenzhen would have been $4.60 (US). The trains were very clean and a model of efficiency, just like in Europe. You just can't beat it!

We pulled into Shenzhen around 7pm and walked out of the station. Just a few hundred yards to the right, Lo Wu rose out of the ground like a phoenix rising out of the ashes. My trusty shopping guide was right on point, it said, "As you come out of the Chinese Customs building, you'll see a glassed-in five-story building. There's only one." And EVERYONE was gravitating towards it. I could feel it sucking me towards it, but Marc quickly grabbed my arm and pulled me to our hotel. Since we had each shed 5 kilograms in sweat, a shower was higher on his list of priorities.

Fine. So we checked in and I grumpily took a shower. We also made dinner reservations for later that night and somehow, I convinced Marc to go to Lo Wu, just to check it out ;-) I told him that I had read in my guide that you could get an hour-long body massage (without a happy ending) for $6 (US) and that's all it took.

Our hotel was conveniently located within a 2 minute walk to Lo Wu (read: totally researched and planned by me). The minute we hit the sidewalk adjacent to Mecca, they hit us like a ton of bricks: "Missy, missy, manicure? Pedicure?" "Mister, DVD, new release?" "Missy, massage, facial?" A firm "no" wouldn't deter them. "No DVD? How about Louis, Prada, Chanel? What you looking for? I help you find!" They followed us up the escalator! It was insane! I, having been thoroughly prepped by my guide, kept walking at a brisk pace and avoided eye contact. Marc was a little nicer, "No, thank you, we are just going inside to look around, no shopping today." Judging by their perseverance, they didn't understand a word of all that.

When we made it inside, I think the skies parted and the sun shone down through the glass ceiling indicating We. Had. Made. It.

Shops as far as the eye could see. Wall to wall counterfeit goods, just waiting to be haggled about. You know all those little stickers you pull off products that say "Made in China," well, this is where they are made for about 1/100 of the price you purchase them for in the U.S.

But we were on a mission. Find the recommended Jian Fu Mei Massage Parlour. On the fourth floor, after being hounded by no less than 32 goods peddlers, we found it. We signed up for a dual massage (clothes on, please and thank you) and were quickly ushered in lest some other enterprising masseuse manage to lure us away. On the short walk to the massage room, we were offered the following additional services: manicure, pedicure, facial, foot massage, ear candling (what?), reflexology, acupuncture, hot stone massage, Vichy shower and sea weed wrap (like sushi?). But once we laid down and the 2 masseuses (masseusi?) started pounding our muscles into submission, we decided it was worth it. And my book didn't let me down, 2 massages = $12 (US). The masseuses tried to hustle us for a 100% tip, but I had read that $1.25 (US) was sufficient, so total, our relaxation hour cost a whopping $15 (US). Try to find that in the States.

After we were sufficiently jellified, we went back to the hotel for dinner. At the top of the Shangri-La Hotel (not kidding), there is a 360 degree view restaurant called, appropriately enough, 360. We feasted on fine French wine, Asian fusion dishes and a to-die-for chocolate melting cake with pistachio ice cream while enjoying the lovely city views from the 32nd floor and salsa music (huh?). It was a birthday dinner to remember.

The next day, we woke up early to beat the crowds at Lo Wu. First, we had Dim Sum for brunch:

Unlike in the United States, traditional Chinese Dim Sum is served in the morning and as early lunch, never dinner. When in Rome, er, Shenzhen... so, we feasted on shrimp and pork dumplings, spring rolls, sticky rice dumplings, jasmine tea and Chinese Coca-Cola. In the words of Rachel Ray, "Yum-o!"

After brunch, it was on to the tailors. When Marc came to Hong Kong on business in December, he had a custom-tailored suit and dress shirt made for less than $200. Each piece has become a favorite in his wardrobe, and I must admit, he looks very GQ when he wears his suit. In Shenzhen, you can find the same quality tailors and fabrics but at even cheaper prices. This I had to see. We entered the fabric market and there were thousands of bolts of fabric from exotic Chinese silks, to bed sheet and curtain fabrics, to suit jacket/trouser wools, to lace and ribbons and just about any pattern you could think of. I even know a woman who came here to get her wedding dress made!The seamstresses/tailors sat on the the stools in the aisles, waiting patiently for your business unlike the peddlers outside the market. We ordered custom-tailored bed sheets, pillow cases and a duvet cover in a high thread count fabric and expect to receive those via delivery in a few days.

Then, Marc went to a highly recommended tailor (read: more expensive) and ordered 3 pairs of work slacks for $30/each! We went back later for his fitting and they already had one pair ready:

Ha ha, just kidding, that was just the mock up so the tailor could get accurate measurements before he cut the real fabric. This is one of the finished products:

As some of you already know, Marc is not exactly what one would call a tall person. So, finding pants for him is virtually impossible, especially in the U.S., Land of the Big and Tall. Having the luxury of custom-tailored clothes for him is really great and you really can't beat the price! The pants you see above are made from a very fine quality light-weight European wool, lined and the hem falls just right on his shoes. He got this pair, a slightly darker khaki pair and a grey pair and is very satisfied with each one. He's been wearing them to work all week.

[Note: If you would like to have clothes custom tailored when you come visit, we can take you to Kowloon, just on the other side of the harbor in HK and have the tailor that made Marc's suit take your measurements. He can make a suit in a few days and will deliver it before you leave to go back home. Or for the more adventurous, we'll take you to Lo Wu.]

Next, came the handbag shopping. My mother, whom I love dearly, tasked me to find the latest Fendi bag. Impossible you say? Ha, I laugh at impossible tasks. I stepped into a purse shop and said "Fendi" to the shopkeeper who sent a young Chinese boy to run fetch "the books." When he returned, he had a suitcase full of name brand handbag catalogs (all my boys: Louis, Prada, Channel, Gucci, D&G, etc.), including the 2007 Fendi catalog. I flipped through it and immediately found the bag. I pointed to it and she sent the Local to retrieve it from the "secret warehouse so the police don't find them." I have no idea where this warehouse is, but about 15 minutes later, he returned, panting and sweating, with the coveted bag. Then came my moment of glory. I asked her how much. And she replied 800 Hong Kong Dollars (about $100 (US)). This is where the price of my shopping guide paid itself over. See, Ms. McNally said that shopkeepers will quote you a price and you *have to* bargain with them or else you are paying too much. She highly encourages negotiating a price 70% LESS THAN what the shopkeeper tells you and to stick to your guns. So, I did. It went something like this:

Me: Expressing outrage "that is too expensive."

Her: "Missy, you tell me how you pay." (gives me calculator)

Me: I punch 200 Hong Kong Dollars into the calculator.

Her: Expresses outrage, "Oh no, that is too little. Give me best price."

Me: "That is my best price."

Her: "I cannot do it. Here, I give you very good deal." Punches 790 on the calculator.

Me: "That is still too expensive." Silence.

Her: "Wait wait wait, I give you best price." Punches 700 on the calculator.

Me: "That is still too expensive." I punch in 200 again.

Her: "Oh no, I lose money!" 680.

Me: "You can do better than that."

Her: "OK, ok, look, I give you better price because you buy DVD." 650.

Me: "That is still too much."

Her: "You give me best price, please, I come down too much."

Me: "OK, 210, that is my final price."

Her: "Oh no...."

etc. etc. etc. ad infinitum

At $400, I turn to walk out and she runs after me to give me a "final price." Eventually, we settle on $230 HK (about $30 (US)).

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you shop in Shenzhen.

I stress here that everything we bought that day seems to be good quality. I suspect that these products are good quality fakes maybe even made at the brand name factory on the next assembly line over or real brand name items with some type of irregularity that is invisible to the naked eye and was rejected at the factory. The one exception is the $1 (US) DVDs of which we bought 5 and only 2 work. What can you expect from something that costs $1?

Here is the low-down on the deals we got, all prices in US Dollars:

• Anya Hindamarch "This is Not a Plastic Bag" which is sold out in the US: $4
• Prada leather handbag: $15
• Mont Blanc Pen: $5
• Samsonite large rolling suitcase: $25
• North Face backpack: $10
• Custom made high thread count fitted/flat sheets, 4 pillowcases, duvet cover: $60
• Chanel and Prada sunglasses: $7/each
• Oakley sunglasses: $4
• Diesel Jeans for Marc: $12 including hemming
• Prada leather wallet for Marc: $5
• Tiffany's "Elsa Peretti-inspired" teardrop sterling silver ring: $4
• Manicure/Pedicure for me: $6 total
• 1 hour foot massage for Marc: $4

After a full day of shopping and haggling, we took the train home and quickly called my mother to show off the goods and torture her. ;-)

Not Too Many People Can Say They Went to China for Their (First) 29th Birthday! (Part 1)

Place: Shenzhen, China

Language: Mandarin Chinese

Hello: Nĭ hău (knee how)
Thank you: Xièxie (shie shie)

We just moved to Hong Kong and don't know many people yet. In addition, our apartment is only 800 square feet and Marc and I are sharing a small wardrobe for all of our clothes. In fact, when I was packing to move, I only brought about half of my clothes and about one-fourth of my shoes and handbags. Ladies, you know what a sacrifice it is to be without all your shoes and handbags. So, when Marc asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I couldn't say the normal things like going out to dinner with friends or a new outfit I've been lusting after for months. Instead, I said "Let's go to China!" Being the adventurous spirit I've grown to know and love, he readily agreed and started the process for getting our visas.

[Note: U.S. citizens do not need a visa to travel to Hong Kong and can stay for 90 days, but to travel to China, you must get a visa. The normal process takes about 5 days but can be expedited to 24 hours for an additional fee. If you come visit HK and want to go to China, which I highly recommend, either stay for 4-5 days until the visa is processed (expect to pay about $75-100 for a single entry) or do the expedited process (not sure how much, but it could be up to double the price of the visa).]

We prepared for the weekender for about 3 days by doing the following:
1 - Buying the Lonely Planet guidebook for China and reading select parts,
2 - Buying the Shopping Guide for Shenzhen (http://www.amazon.com/Shop-Shenzhen-Insiders-Ellen-McNally/dp/9628683934/ref=sr_1_10/102-4471363-6384922?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186549058&sr=8-10) and reading it cover to cover . . . twice, and
3 - Asking someone at Marc's work about where to go. We were advised not to go to Guangzhou because there isn't anything to do and not to wear any jewelry in Shenzhen.

Throwing caution to the wind, we decide to go to Guangzhou on Saturday, then take the train to Shenzhen that night so that we could spend the night in Shenzhen and wake up early to go shopping on Sunday.

Guangzhou is a huge city in China, about 2 hours outside of Hong Kong by train, yea we hadn't heard about it either. Ask anyone what the population is and you will get answers from 2 million to 20 million. I'm going to go with 7 million based on my quick Internet search. It is an industrial city, lots of manufacturing plants and office buildings and a whole lot of Chinese people. Make no bones about it, this is China. The signs are in Chinese, the people speak in Chinese and the maps are in Chinese. This place is not exactly on the list of 1,000 places to see before you die (http://www.amazon.com/000-Places-See-Before-You/dp/0761104844/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-4471363-6384922?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186549423&sr=8-1), but Marc and I had never been to China and we wanted to see what it was like, how people live and what they do. We analogize it to someone who has never been to the US, but decides to go to Minneapolis on their first visit to the States.

First stop on the tour, Temple of the Six Banyan Trees. We step off the train and get on the metro without any problems. When we emerge from the underground station, we hit a wall of reality and an outside temperature that rivals being 12 inches from the sun. We are on 藍色街道 Street, which from my map looks just like 紅色街道 Street and 紫色街道 Street. Thankfully, we have a compass/thermometer gadget. We head north from the metro station and note it is 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.77 degrees Celsius).

Along the way, we pass some cute streets and shops:

Then, with the aid of 6 homeless Chinese men, we stumble onto the box office window for ticket sales to the Temple, it is the size of a mail slot. We pay our 15 Chinese Yuan ($1.87 (US)) each and head into the courtyard where we find a 9-story pagoda:

Holy cow, I was not expecting this! Then, we notice that there are several Chinese people lighting incense sticks and waving them in front of the Buddha shrines. Then, they start kneeling and praying, standing up, then kneeling and praying, over and over. We quietly made our way through the courtyard, noticing the bonsai trees and monks until we got to a building in the back from which we heard chanting. When we peeked in the doorway, we saw a monk playing a gourd and chanting while 2 Chinese women were doing the kneeling, praying, standing thing in front of 3 enormous golden Buddha statues.

We were not in Kansas anymore. It was, by far, the most exotic thing I've ever seen in my life. We spent another few hours at the temple, visiting all the buildings and going up to the top of the pagoda. We learned nothing because, as I said before, all the signs were in Chinese but we enjoyed our visit and took lots of pictures. Hopefully that wasn't sacrilegious or anything, I figured someone would come running at us, pointing at the camera saying "no, no!" if it was, so I think we're good.

Next, I wanted to go to a memorial, so we got our trusty compass back out and made our way to a park. Along the way, we stopped at a farmer's market where Marc bought a pear-apple (a hybrid fruit between a pear and an apple, it's good, you should try it). Fearing Japanese Encephalitis and all permutations of Hepatitis, I opted to starve until we could find a McDonald's. Marc, on the other hand, wanted to look around the outdoor market. It smelled awful, like dead fish rotting in 100 degree weather. You know why? Because further into the market were tanks of live fish. But not just fish, oh no, there were also shrimp, crab, squid, frogs, turtles, scorpions and those reptiles with no legs I'm deathly afraid of. So, I high-tailed it out of there before I could see any other animals not suitable for human consumption in most countries.

[Note: In the Lonely Planet guidebook, it talks about a market similar to the one I just described. This is the exact description from the book: "Just north of Shamian Island, what is bizarrely translated as Peaceful Market (Qingping Market) has vast displays of medicinal herbs, dried mushrooms and other plants, live birds, and tubs of squirming turtles, fish and frogs. Much harder to stomach, though, are its cages of live animals, including kittens and puppies, and more exotic creatures such as bats, owls and monkeys - all put out for human consumption, and some in the most pitiful distress. It is one of the most notorious markets in China, and though it has cleaned up is act in the past several years it remains a disturbing place and is not recommended." Thank you Marc, for bringing me to the second most disturbing market in China.]

Along the way, we realized that while we were the tourists learning about a different culture, it seemed that we were the ones on display. All day long, Chinese people were staring at us, and not in the "hey baby" kind of way but in the "wow, there are two of those mythical round-eyes we keep hearing about." Entire families with children would stare at us as they walked past and even turned around to keep staring. We just smiled and waved in acknowledgment. I'm sure we made for interesting dinner conversation that night.

When the outer layer of our epidermis finished melting, I decided to skip the Dr. Sun Yatsen Memorial and Orchid Garden and head to the train station. The closest one was described in Lonely Planet as chaotic and seething mass of humanity and they under-estimated in their description. There were THOUSANDS of people outside waiting for trains, women on loudspeakers shouting in Chinese, signs in Chinese changing every few seconds. It was PANDEMONIUM. The sea of people parted just long enough for me to see a Kentucky Fried Chicken and we decided to grab lunch. If there is such a thing as fire code maximum capacities, this place exceeded it 10 times over. Ordering was a little difficult, Chinese again but luckily there were pictures:

We used hand signals and the universally understood phrase "Pepsi" to get lunch. After that, we headed to the train station with some English signs and made it to Shenzhen by dinner-time.

Stayed tuned for Part 2 of the story: Shenzhen, or Heaven on Earth.

Rules of Marc and Brina's Blog

Welcome to our blog! Most of you are our friends and family to whom we have given this blog site in the hopes that you will share in our adventures. Some of you will come across this blog by accident and we welcome you as well.

As a bit of an introduction, Marc and I (Sabrina) are both attorneys who lived in Atlanta, Georgia. We met through mutual friends and, as you can read below, have fallen in love and recently become engaged. Marc works as in-house counsel for a multi-national corporation. Several months ago, Marc was asked if he would like to transfer to Hong Kong for about 1-2 years and work as the Asia-Pacific attorney for the company. When Marc asked me about it, I readily agreed (perhaps much to his surprise). After several long conversations about logistics (both professional and personal) and, of course, parental communications, we decided to go for it.

We moved on July 19, 2007 and hit the ground running. As promised, this blog will narrate our new way of life and our adventures as we try to navigate around the city and our travels throughout Asia. When possible, I will post pictures on the blog, but there will be many more on my snapfish account, so be sure to check out those pictures as well.

Being an attorney, I'll post a few rules about this blog lest someone get offended and start writing me hate e-mails.

1 - If I write something, it is not meant in *any way shape or form* to be derogatory or insulting to any one person or race of people. For example, if I say "there are a ton of Asians in Hong Kong," I really mean there are 7 million people of Asian descent. This is not a bad thing or a good thing, merely an observation.

2 - I do not exaggerate. Seriously, 7 million people on an island the size of Manhattan.

3 - I use sarcasm, a lot. Some people think I am pretty witty but my humor can take some getting used to. Read on and you will see.

4 - I have only lived in Miami, Raleigh, Chapel Hill and Atlanta. While I consider myself to be an adventurous person and have travelled throughout the US and Europe, I have never been to Asia. So, most of what I am bound to encounter will be foreign to me. If I write about it, it is because I find it fascinating and want to share. I will try to find out as much about whatever I'm writing but I may not know everything. That being said, if I am wrong about something, I'm sorry. I do not mean to disrespect anyone or anyone's culture (see #1 above). We moved to Hong Kong to experience another culture and see how people on this side of the world live. If you know that I have interpreted something incorrectly or should have acted in another manner, please feel free to let me know in the comments.

5 - Other than Marc's work colleagues, we don't know anyone here. So, if you are a friend or family member that is reading this and are intrigued, we highly encourage you to visit us! We have a guest bedroom, so the place to stay will be free and I'll even cook for you (although there are some great restaurants here too). Writing a few paragraphs a day and posting some pictures doesn't do this place justice. You have to come see it for yourself to fully appreciate the sights, sounds, food, people, culture, etc. We really feel blessed that we have this opportunity to live here, even if it is for a short period of time, and we would love to share it with you personally.

Much Love,
Sabrina