i am in love. and it is true love - the kind that lasts forever. i have to admit that the old adage of "absence makes the heart grow fonder" is completely true. i love manhattan. after being away for two months, i drove in from newark airport (after a 16 hour flight, a middle seat and a 60 dollar cab ride) and it truly hit home. i am in love with manhattan. despite the fact that i am having a blast in hong kong - i will come back - true lovers shouldnt be kept away for too long.
this week of rest and relaxation is what i need. i am always on the go and i very much so want to sit and watch tv (which i dont have in hong kong), get a facial and shop (which i havent done much of either since i was saving for my flat).
so people - give me a ring - my mobile is still active!
xo,
e
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Time for a Break
what a weekend...just in time for a break back to the states. i think i clearly need it as things are quickly spiraling out of control. the weekend began early and ended with a bang!
sadly, the most productive thing i did was go to ikea...but what a mess ikea is, i swear. whoever thought a massive building packed with cheap furniture from sweeden would be a good idea should be seriously questioned. places like that make me itch..literally. i wanted to go a bit early to avoid the crowd but i dont think there is such a thing as "avoiding the crowd" in hong kong and to boot, hongkies move at a ridiculously slow pace. so, i ended up buying 3 pieces in the course of 2 hours mostly due to queuing and trying to make sure i got the right question across in as much 2 syllable english as possible. anyway, the boy came with me and thank god he did otherwise i would probably still be there crying and sucking my thumb hiding away on one of their display beds.
however, the rest of the weekend was very non-productive with lots of drinking. beginning on thursday with a "free vodka" event (or what i prefer to call "bad news") to sunday's junk with some serious lesbian action - i'd say it was another interesting one.
for serious people, i need a break...
sadly, the most productive thing i did was go to ikea...but what a mess ikea is, i swear. whoever thought a massive building packed with cheap furniture from sweeden would be a good idea should be seriously questioned. places like that make me itch..literally. i wanted to go a bit early to avoid the crowd but i dont think there is such a thing as "avoiding the crowd" in hong kong and to boot, hongkies move at a ridiculously slow pace. so, i ended up buying 3 pieces in the course of 2 hours mostly due to queuing and trying to make sure i got the right question across in as much 2 syllable english as possible. anyway, the boy came with me and thank god he did otherwise i would probably still be there crying and sucking my thumb hiding away on one of their display beds.
however, the rest of the weekend was very non-productive with lots of drinking. beginning on thursday with a "free vodka" event (or what i prefer to call "bad news") to sunday's junk with some serious lesbian action - i'd say it was another interesting one.
for serious people, i need a break...
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
New Flat!
i found myself a nice flat on hollywood road in sheung wan near all the antique shops and the man mo temple! it is a studio and even though i wanted a 1-bedroom, it is so very cute and has its own PRIVATE roof! that was really the clincher for me. it is larger than my one in manhattan and is the top floor of a 5 floor walk up...buns of steel, my friends.
so here are some pictures and COME SEE ME SOON!
xo,
e
so here are some pictures and COME SEE ME SOON!
xo,
e
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Mum Update
she is having some issues with recovery but the cancer is stage 1 and has not spread so that is good news.
thank you to all who thought/prayed for her.
much love,
e
thank you to all who thought/prayed for her.
much love,
e
Lessons Learned from Traveling to KL
you would think i would have this all figured out by now. but apparently i do not. so here are all the lessons i have learned from this trip:
1. do not wear an itsy-tiny-weeny-black polka dot bikini in a muslim country. i was in the the jacuzzi all by my lonesome and enjoying myself quite nicely while staying at the mandarin. then, my relaxation after a very long day was disrupted by a young lad about the age of 14 who came and joined me. he plopped himself down exactly right across from me and just stared. and on top of it, this jacuzzi was a bit odd as it was a large square and very deep but the seats were at an awkward level. so i tried to get comfortable any which way i could. i would go to the corner, the boy copied me. i would float sideways, the boy copied me. i would go down to my chin, the boy copied me...ok, you get the picture. finally, after a game of copy-cat, to my relief, he started to climb out but to my complete shock, he was rockin' a woody. down boy...
2. do ask as many people as possible where you are going. much like hong kong, kl has named its buildings. locals know these buildings and that is good enough for them. but for poor directionally illiterate saps like me - it is next to impossible in finding these buildings and NO google maps does not work.
3. bring something to cover your nose. as i sit here now i am overwhelmed by the smell of B.O. i was on the monorail on the way to another train to the airport and yet another train (apparently they are all owned and operated by different companies and they will not work together - kind of like arguing siblings - from the same family but nobody will play nice together.) anyway, throughout the entire journey, i realized that nobody wears deodorant. cheers for a sensitive nose.
4. always ask for an earlier flight. i was in the loo and i heard "cathay pacific flight to hong kong now ready to board at gate c29" so i jogged down to the gate to see if i could hop on an earlier flight but i discovered you have to yet again go through another security check so that doesn't much work...boooo.
5. do not buy stamps from a machine in a "developing nation". i bought a postcard for my friends back in the new york office and thought "wouldn't it be cool if i could send it from kl instead of hong kong?" so i scoured the airport and found one lone machine that dispenses stamps. i had no clue what i was buying but i picked the most expensive one figuring it was "international". i put my ringgit in and viola...nothing. like a fool, i rang the number on the top of the machine that said to call with any enquiries and found a barely comprehensive man telling me to go to the info desk and ask for my 4 ringgit back. 4 ringgit is like a buck so i decided to let it go...
so anyway, i am back and completely knackered. looking forward to a nice supper and quite night. the weekend is already shaping up to be a bit nuts so i think i will need to preserve myself a bit.
1. do not wear an itsy-tiny-weeny-black polka dot bikini in a muslim country. i was in the the jacuzzi all by my lonesome and enjoying myself quite nicely while staying at the mandarin. then, my relaxation after a very long day was disrupted by a young lad about the age of 14 who came and joined me. he plopped himself down exactly right across from me and just stared. and on top of it, this jacuzzi was a bit odd as it was a large square and very deep but the seats were at an awkward level. so i tried to get comfortable any which way i could. i would go to the corner, the boy copied me. i would float sideways, the boy copied me. i would go down to my chin, the boy copied me...ok, you get the picture. finally, after a game of copy-cat, to my relief, he started to climb out but to my complete shock, he was rockin' a woody. down boy...
2. do ask as many people as possible where you are going. much like hong kong, kl has named its buildings. locals know these buildings and that is good enough for them. but for poor directionally illiterate saps like me - it is next to impossible in finding these buildings and NO google maps does not work.
3. bring something to cover your nose. as i sit here now i am overwhelmed by the smell of B.O. i was on the monorail on the way to another train to the airport and yet another train (apparently they are all owned and operated by different companies and they will not work together - kind of like arguing siblings - from the same family but nobody will play nice together.) anyway, throughout the entire journey, i realized that nobody wears deodorant. cheers for a sensitive nose.
4. always ask for an earlier flight. i was in the loo and i heard "cathay pacific flight to hong kong now ready to board at gate c29" so i jogged down to the gate to see if i could hop on an earlier flight but i discovered you have to yet again go through another security check so that doesn't much work...boooo.
5. do not buy stamps from a machine in a "developing nation". i bought a postcard for my friends back in the new york office and thought "wouldn't it be cool if i could send it from kl instead of hong kong?" so i scoured the airport and found one lone machine that dispenses stamps. i had no clue what i was buying but i picked the most expensive one figuring it was "international". i put my ringgit in and viola...nothing. like a fool, i rang the number on the top of the machine that said to call with any enquiries and found a barely comprehensive man telling me to go to the info desk and ask for my 4 ringgit back. 4 ringgit is like a buck so i decided to let it go...
so anyway, i am back and completely knackered. looking forward to a nice supper and quite night. the weekend is already shaping up to be a bit nuts so i think i will need to preserve myself a bit.
Monday, August 11, 2008
My First SEA Business Trip
here i am, folks, in kuala lumpur. i just arrived in kl and have settled into the mandarin oriental, ordered sushi, am drinking an asahi and watching the us women's basketball and mtv (which i haven't seen in ages). yeah, i could get used to this...anyway, i have a packed day tomorrow and won't have much time to take in the city but i do have a nice view of the petronas twin towers. so it is not too bad - life could definitely be worse.
above is a picture from the junk and below are some shots of the lovely toilet in the kl airport (i am just wondering what that hose is for...), and my view of the klcc from my room in the mandarin.
enjoy, kids and all those in new york, i hope to see you all when i am back end of the month!
xo,
e
anyway, another goo
d weekend. i watched the olympics opening on friday with my beau and went out on a junk saturday. saturday night was spent in with a mate who is having girl troubles and i was happy for it as drinking in the sun just kills me...sunday i had a brunch date, did some flat searching (and think i found something) and went for supper and drinks with some girlfriends. it was nothing exciting but it was nice weather and good times spent with great people.
d weekend. i watched the olympics opening on friday with my beau and went out on a junk saturday. saturday night was spent in with a mate who is having girl troubles and i was happy for it as drinking in the sun just kills me...sunday i had a brunch date, did some flat searching (and think i found something) and went for supper and drinks with some girlfriends. it was nothing exciting but it was nice weather and good times spent with great people.above is a picture from the junk and below are some shots of the lovely toilet in the kl airport (i am just wondering what that hose is for...), and my view of the klcc from my room in the mandarin.
enjoy, kids and all those in new york, i hope to see you all when i am back end of the month!
xo,
e
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Asian Mullets
sometimes there are days where i feel like i am in a bad chinese film where the girls hold up their hands over their mouths, look up over the tip of their fingers, look down again and giggle at a high pitched dog calling type way. i have been here now for about six weeks. i have discovered that asian culture (at least that of which i have encountered) is fairly conservative. take for example the way people dress and act socially. there seems to be an emphasis on acting and looking young. in regards to dress, women in their 40s tend to wear little girl dresses with lots of frills, lace and bright shiny shoes with kitten heels. i will try to get some pictures but it is almost the more hello kitten-ish their dress is, the better. and this morning, i was in the elevator with two other women on different floors. both of them had this sick sort of mullet going on and one even had a rockin' perm.
and that is just the outside. dating-wise, people here are BIG fans of group dates or setting people up. but no, they don't just let them go out on their own - heck no! a huge group goes out and everyone sort of whispers about what is going on with the set-up behind held up hands with lots of giggles. the whole situation is quite ridiculous. i was privy to a couple such dates and have to say i was beyond amused. at one group date i had the privilege of getting to sit next to the "couple". one was a local and the other a dude from the states. the local chick would ask amusing questions like, "do you like kittens" and "what is your favorite color" but there was a moment when she took it up a notch and asked, "so how long did you live there" to which the guy responded, "six months" (is six months living or is that just an extended business trip...discuss...). it seemed more like an interview than a date but who am i to judge...just call me judge rowley (which is my new nickname here).
and that is just the outside. dating-wise, people here are BIG fans of group dates or setting people up. but no, they don't just let them go out on their own - heck no! a huge group goes out and everyone sort of whispers about what is going on with the set-up behind held up hands with lots of giggles. the whole situation is quite ridiculous. i was privy to a couple such dates and have to say i was beyond amused. at one group date i had the privilege of getting to sit next to the "couple". one was a local and the other a dude from the states. the local chick would ask amusing questions like, "do you like kittens" and "what is your favorite color" but there was a moment when she took it up a notch and asked, "so how long did you live there" to which the guy responded, "six months" (is six months living or is that just an extended business trip...discuss...). it seemed more like an interview than a date but who am i to judge...just call me judge rowley (which is my new nickname here).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)