I Heart NY

back in new york and LOVING it. i was productive today and renewed my drivers license, went to duane reade (the worlds best store) and treated myself to a dean & deluca tea and bagel all while people watching out their window onto prince and bradway.

i have been so happy back here, i do NOT want to leave. my awesome newly engaged friends have graciously opened there awesome home to me on sullivan street in soho. it is a nice place in a great location. and I get to hang with their cute pup while they are away.

time spent with friends and family has been so nice. please don't make me leave!!!

THE City

cannot wait to come back to the city.  i fly the 24th and will be in new york on the 28th!!!  sample sales, here i come - good friends, here i come - good food, here i come!!!!!!  ive been gearing up by watching old episodes of "sex and the city".  as much as i love it, it makes me sad as well - homesick.

anyway, back to BAU, this weekend was busy and i am STILL tired.   a friend had a christmas party (for which i made 7 layer dip) and then a leaving do at zuma for a champagne brunch.  all day drinking...i am exhausted.  but here is a picture from saturday night:

but it is almost time to pack - hows the weather, friends?

ahhhhhh, CANNOT WAIT!!!!!!!
xxo

BKK and Shangers

the trip to bkk was nice - the weather was beautiful and it was an all around good time!  i defo want to go back and take in more of the spa'ing since all i got was a foot massage and a sunburn...we went out to some nice dinners and had some drinks in sleazy bars - how very bangkok.  we stayed at the hilton which was nice because i liked the pool the most.  there was a private side area with bamboo tree lined jacuzzis looking out over the river - it was awesome.

and i just came back from shanghai which i went to for work.  it was a whirlwind tour of drinking and conferencing but a total blast.  unfortunately, now i am paying for it.  i didnt do much last night as i was so tired and i woke at 10 (which is a super lie in for me).

this weekend is full of leaving doos as i have a friend returning to sydney and one leaving for new york. i am so very sad as they are cool girls and its tough to find cool chicks here :(  but i wish them luck and happiness.

anyway, enough of that as its cold here and i need to go back to snuggle in bed.  but first, here are some pictures from bangkok and shanghai.

Bangkok, Here I Come!

this coming weekend, i am off to bangkok.  i need a break.  i know, i know - WHO goes to bangkok for a break but i mean a break from hong kong.  november and december have always been tough.  its the home stretch, i am tired and need to get back to the states for a bit.  so this year, i have decided i will come back in july as well.

hope to have some good pictures for you all (all 2 of you who still read this) soon!

xxo

Yes, I am Alive

busy busy.  work has been busy, life has been busy but i am happy...and my fat is here to prove it.  too much drinking has ended up adding additional pounds i would like to shed.

and i am SO happy to be coming back to the states.  cant to see family and friends.  keep up the good work ;)

but since it has been a while, here are some pics.  one is from a roof party and the others are from the lane crawford (think saks) 160th anniversary party.

So Many Reasons to Celebrate

wow - the mcrib is BACK.  i could consider eating meat again for this guy.  i read for the first time in 16 years, all mcdonalds locations will serve the mcrib simultaneously.  i mean, if mcdonalds can coordinate that, why cant the us government figure their $hit out?  if all mcdonalds franchises can sell the mcrib for a unanimous $1.99 then why cant the us and china decide what to do with their currency pegging?  i think we should remove all world leaders and replace them with mcdonalds franchise owners.  there we go - problems solved!

ok, other than my excitement over the mcrib, i dont have loads of new news.  work is still great - my client is doing well and i am doing well internally and externally with the role.

ummmm, i am off to taipei next weekend as well which should be fun.  i just need to get out of hong kong, to be honest.

and i have to admit, i am severely homesick.  12 months is just too long.  i am going to come back spring/early summer next year as i cannot make it 12 whole freaking months in freaking asia where people push all the time and spit in the lifts while farting and picking their ears with really abnormally long pinkie nails.

ok, back to work.  please people, send me some homeland lovin'.

xo

Am Back - Back in Black

after a LONG hiatus, i am back.  i was so incredibly swamped at work - i even spent my birthday working my butt off (ahem...for all of you who forgot). but i ran a successful event, everyone was happy and therefore, so am i!!!

in order for the return to be triumphant, i have this for you all:
Would you like a wife with that? McDonald's offers weddings
http://www.cnngo.com/hong-kong/life/mcdonalds-hong-kong-offers-weddings-494226

seriously, people love mcdonalds here and it is the second cheapest in the world (after beijing).  it seems to me that this is the us' strategy for defeating the chinese - make them fat, give them heart problems - still word's number one super power - take that!

please let me know what you are all up to - i feel removed and sad :(

and i will be in the city for new year's eve if anyone is around!
xxxo

Mint Gum and Ginger Beer

do not mix.

what a self-destructive weekend...feeling totally miserable on this fine monday.  why did i do it?  why not?

What's in a Name?

off to tokyo in two weeks time!!!  i am severely claustrophobic right now in hong kong and it is time to get out as it is now pushing on 5 weeks without reprive.  i booked my flight using american airline miles on cathay (which is awesome because i have about 130k on aa, they are so hard to use on aa but a breeze on cathay) but just talking to an american was SOOOOOOOO nice.  i did not have to spell my name.  nor did i have to say, "no, my name is not ezmerelda."  the other day, we did some delivery and the girl asked for my name.  i just said, "no, its just too long - i dont want to give it."  and she just went, "ok."  haha.

here i come, toe-key-yo!!!!!!!!!

Vent

i am sorry but chinese people irritate me sometimes.  as someone much more tolerable than me said, "they just dont have a western sense of politeness."  um, ok, i would hope treating fellow humans with general courtesy would be a global theme but i guess not.

i did my own little experiment the other day.  after having lunch with a friend and hearing her complaints, i dropped her off at her building and walked the 5 (if that) minutes to mine.  i thought, "i will walk and not move my path and just see."  i got nailed in the shoulder and thigh 5 times.  and i do not mean lightly grazed, i mean smacked.  if i had a cup of coffee in my hand it would have been empty after the 3rd hit.  and the best bit is nobody says sorry, nobody looks back.  thank you, thank you very much.

western or eastern, i dont care, its not cool.  and i need a break from asia for a bit.

and i found some other people addressing this topic on yahoo answers and even on a chinese website about culture shock...
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080525133126AALVBKy
and
http://www.chinese-culture.net/html/china_culture_shock.html
and here is the former president - although it would be better if he were shoving someone or spastically pressing the "door close" button in the lift...

"Oh, Baby do You Know What That's Worth? Oh, Heaven is a Place on Earth"

samui...wow, its like heaven on earth.  four seasons...huge room...great food...oh baby.  take a look at pictures as words just wont do.

a few below and all here:  http://picasaweb.google.com/erowlinson/TripToSamuiWithSandra?authkey=Gv1sRgCKLH9OGr6ZGMQw&feat=directlink

Happy Healthy and Well

all is lovely in hong kong.  the one hard part, being far away from family and friends.  however, i have built myself a pretty good life here.  the move went well, i LOVE my new place.  i have a proper second bedroom so please come visit, my job is fantastic and friends are great.  i could not ask for much more.

it is hotter than hades but that is summer in hong kong...

i am in need for a bit of a holiday.  i used to travel for work once every six weeks and now it is zilch.  so i am off to koh samui in a couple weekends to visit my mate who moved there with the four seasons.  on saturday, he has to work and suggested i hang out at the hotel...TOUGH JOB but someone has to do it.  here is a picture of his place:

yes, i plan to be in that poolside bungalow all day.  D - CANNOT WAIT to see you and chill somewhere BEAUTIFUL :)

and sometime in august, off to singapore which not nearly as exciting but it is a break...

hope everyones' summers are going well.  happy healthy and well - miss & love you all!

Quitter

i stopped dragon boating.  as much as i liked being fit, it just wasnt worth it with this particular team.  i got one of the group emails saying something redonkulous about how we should be putting dragon boat BEFORE work.  um, ok...whatever.

sppeaking of, i LOVE my job and could not be happier there.  the partners i work with are supportive and more importantly, just let me get on with it (unlike my last place where they tried to keep you under their thumb).  it feels like the job i was always meant to have.

and i am moving.  yippie.  i found a new, bigger place with a pool!!!!!!!  VISITORS WELCOME.

are people world cup MAD there?  they are here...230 england v. usa...am an old lady and i passed on that one ;)

please let me know what you all are doing :)
xxo

and here is a quick pic from an event:

Holy Grossness, Batman

what is that phrase...a picture is worth a thousand...calories?

Most Exhausted Girl in the World

work work and dragon boat practices, work work and ballet, work work and going out, work work and dragon boat races...i have not had a break in ages.  tonight i am on a self-imposed grounding.  i am so tired i have nothing to say so check out some pictures:

A New Leaf

i do not know if you know this about me or not but when i do things, i like to do them full on.  so a new job, perhaps a new flat (my owners are selling and i may have to move out), a new exercise regime, and perhaps a new man!

the job is good.  i could not be happier especially since i was so miserable with my previous company.  it is like a proper company and i love it!!  this is where i belong.  i have heard it is not all roses - change is slow and difficult ("its like moving an elephant," everyone says) but there are no perfect jobs, companies, cities, people...just have to find one that fits you right.  i have been put on a very high profile client and i am so very excited for that as well as it will give me great exposure to important partners in the firm!

the flat may have to change soon as well and with summer coming, i will be moving into a building with a pool...YIPPIE!

i joined a dragon boat team.  it is UBER intense and competitive.  unbeknownst to me, it is one of the best teams in hong kong...go figure.  my second practice i had a pickled frenchwoman behind me shouting commands for the full 2 hour session.  MERDE, i say!  but it is fun and i want to get fit ;)  dragon boating is a sure fire way to do that!!

and i met a really great guy.  have not talked to the old one in over a week (sad, but a big accomplishment for me) and this new one seems pretty fab.  we get on like a house on fire and i am optimistic it could be good.  he is english but has been in hong kong for 14 years!?!?  taking things slow and acting like adults - it is a NEW leaf, my dears, and i am loving every minute of it!!!! 

what do you say in ny?  youre always looking for a job, a flat or a man...

xo

Employee Number 14554

finally, the new chapter in my life begins - i am employee number 14554!  the first day was, what i am guessing for a big firm, typical.  i went in at 830 after six months of not getting out of bed before 9 and had orientation at my new place of employment.  i got my laptop, about 800 usernames and passwords, we watched a video and i went up to my work station.

zzzzzzzzzzzzz, but ok, here are some other first day observations:

• the requirement to dress...properly:  not only do i have to put on clothes, they have to be proper clothes (something more than a bra and warm-ups) which is a bit of a bummer.
• everything is hierarchical:  depending on your level, your desk, bathroom and healthcare scheme all become progressively better.  for example, it is coming to the end of the busy season so all the associates are in the office.  they sit in a long row without any partitions and share phones as they dont have their own.  others are given a better work stations from a sectioned off desk, a sectioned off desk around the circumference, to proper office.  even the toilets!  some are marked "executive toilet" - which i have been advised to use anyway to the healthcare which allows managers and above to a full health review (and i am absolutely planning to take advantage of that) at the cost of the firm.
• you cannot pass gas in tight quarters:  after working alone in my own flat, i have been able to do as i please.  if i was hungry, i ate.  i was tired, i napped.  i had gas, i farted.  now, i have people all around me.  ALL around me.  no more farting as i please and napping when tired.  and my downloaded shows and movies?  of course not!  sheesh.
• tight security:   the computers have to be put away and locked up every night and during the day, they are chained to our desks.  the security video we watched during orientation made me so freaking paranoid and to boot, i was told that the IT department will sometimes take your laptop if you leave it unlocked in order to teach you a lesson.  and since i am new and my secretary was out, i did not have a desk lock.  that being said, i did not want to even pee since i had to put my laptop away in a locked desk every time.

so now it is ten past nine and it is time for me to go to bed because i am knackered!!

xo

Trip to Hanoi

it was certainly nice to get out of hong kong for a bit.  although the weather in hanoi wasnt the best, it is just a quick 1 and 1/2 hour flight so why not?  the first night was spent in hanoi and the next two in halong bay and then back to hanoi!

the boat in halong bay was fun but i was seafood'ed out (a total of 7 meals of fish, shrimp, rice, rice and rice...).  i never thought i could get to my limit but i will be happy if i dont see a prawn for a while.  other highlights included kayaking, a "magnificent cave" (as the tour guide kept calling it) and a fabulous meal at the green tangerine back in hanoi for the last night.

hanoi was not my favorite but it was relaxing - exactly what i need before the new J.O.B. starts and i am not able to leave the office before 8 let alone take a holiday.

here are some pics:

PICTURES!!!!!

Rugby Sevens 2010

another year, another rugby sevens.  i cannot believe i am about to celebrate my second anniversary here in hong kong (june) as it is cliche but "time has flown".  i feel like just yesterday, i landed and went into work in the middle of a typhoon.  yet at the same time, it feels like that was also decades ago.  how does that work?  if you know, please fill me in ;)

so my mate came in from london for the sevens and it was so good to see him.  the last time i saw his lovely mug was probably december 2008 and it is always a joy.  when i first met him back in the city in the summer of 2005, i thought he was a bit odd.  however, as time has gone on, i have grown to know him and love him for exactly those "odd" reasons and many other top quality reasons i have learned about since.  but i digress...after arriving early, we hit up some food and drinks - nothing major.  thursday, the next day, was spent doing errands and going around hong kong.  and we geared up with a viewing of "invictus" to get us in the mood for rugby.  friday through sunday was full of rugby and drinking and drinking and drinking.  saturday is always the heaviest.  the high moments included us in fancy dress in the suites drinking wine out of plastic cups and insulting the people who invited us (really him...i was the picture of propriety all day) and my good old buddy on the ground in his tiger cozzie on the sidewalk in the ever classy wanchi (yes, i took him to the girlie bars - they are a must!).  needless to say, sunday was a bit painful but at least the matches were good.  england v. samoa was really good and the final of new zealand v. samoa was great as well.

all in all, another top weekend with another top visitor!  pictures to be uploaded soon.  next stop - hanoi for easter!!!

and you, me dears?  please let me know what you have been up to!
xxo

Phnom Penh, I LOVE YOU!!!

wow, had a BLAST in phnom penh.  i think it is completely livable (although i wasnt there during the rainy season) and one of the nicest cities i have been to in south east asia.

i arrived in the morning and cabbed it to the raffles hotel.  the raffles is unique and historic as it was a regular stopping point for jackie o and was the last bastion of safety for foreign journalists during khmer rouge.  it didnt hurt that the hotel is completely gorgeous as well...

it is always so great, when you arrive at a nice hotel in asia, you are typically greeted with a tasty juice or cocktail and a cold towel!

the pool that i read, napped and ate by...

i spent the first day by the pool and then ventured out on foot a bit later.  i wasnt really bothered other than by the tuk-tuk drivers and the motorcyclists all looking for business.  however, i did not once feel unsafe or assaulted in any way (versus places like jakarta or manila where you feel uneasy the entire time day or night...).  after a short walk, i came to wat phnom which is the tallest religious structure in phnom penh.  

i enjoyed going up the hill and enjoying the view until i came to this:

i think me snapping pics gave me away :(

the next day, i got up early-ish and went for an uplifting day of sight seeing.  i paid leap, my friendly tuk-tuk driver USD30 for the whole day!  we started out by going to s-21.  s-21 was completely depressing, sad, mortifying and tragic.  s-21 was a school but then turned into a torture center during pol pot's rule.  you were allowed to take pictures but i didnt, couldnt, except for this one:

i took this one and only shot at s-21 because the tree was so beautiful.  it goes to show that nature will pull through, things will re-grow and bloom again despite what happened in the past.

so after going through the establishment that "processed" (yes, that is the word they use) about 200,000 people where only 7 survived, i hit up the killing fields.

this is the entrance to the killing fields.  the pagoda in the background houses skulls, various bones and clothes found when the mass graves were dug up.

again, photos were allowed at the killing fields but i just couldnt.  why would i want to take a picture of that?  its just too much.  the graves were dug up because cambodians are a combination of hindu and buddhist.  buddhists believe that the spirit continues on and it is just the end of the time in that particular body.  therefore, in order to move on properly, the body must be laid to rest...not in a mass grave.  there are many unearthed graves left and the cambodian government has begun to make efforts to dig them up.

this was a worker taking a nap inside the killing fields - i thought he looked like a big corn or empanada!

after leaving the killing fields, leap and i ventured off to the royal palace where the king still occasionally resides.  after seeing royal palaces in beijing, seoul, paris and london, i have to say that this one was the best.  certainly not the biggest but by far the most artistic and beautiful, in my opinion.  here are some pictures and you can see for yourself:

the leaf is on the way up to a pagoda and people write their dreams & wishes...beautiful writing.  and i am obsessed with monks...

so believe it or not, that was the short version of my trip but there is always room for monkeys!!!!