Christmas Thoughts

tis the season!  hong kong has all of its tacky christmas decorations up and my little city has started to empty out of people.  i like it when cities free themselves of their inhabitants.  i used to love it when manhattan emptied out.  however, here in hong kong, much like the tourists from the midwest, it doesnt stop the mainlanders from coming in, shouting loudly, pushing, shoving and hawking on the groud.  lovely.  merry freaking christmas to you, too.

the good news is that i havent been too crazy this year on the drinking front so much so, i almost feel like an adult...but not TOO much like an adult, so dont you worry your pretty little head.  i have, however, replaced it with copious amounts of food and i feel my little belly growing at a steady pace.  hopefully she won't be here for too long.

of the highlights of this holiday season has been seeing the main partner i work with sing and play the...wait for it...waaaaiiit...the keyboard in his band.  it was fun, actually.  and he was good, actually.  i envision the rest of his bandmates are all successful businessmen as well, like, the head of risk at some bank and the founder of a private equity firm, or something of that ilk.  there is a picture of the band below.

other than that, the boys mum arrived on friday night from london and weve been entertaining since.  she is quite funny and its been nice to have her here.  this weekend we went to stanley market where the weather was so fine i wore a tank top!  ive lined up high tea for the two of us, a show in macau for all four of us (including little bro) and of course, christmas dinners and new years eve.  now all i need is my little brother to pop along!

happy christmas loves!

Countdown to EXCITEMENT!

have been back for a week now and i am basically over my jet lag.  however, ive been hit with a hong kong flu.  a combination of travel and the cold that has hit honkers, i am a sniffly mess.  this morning was particularly cold at 17 degrees (approximately 63 degrees fahrenheit) due to a monsoon that has brought the cold air in from the mainland so i am sitting here drinking my lemsip.

so i have two exciting countdowns.  one for my brother coming out to hong kong for christmas (t-23 days) and another for skiing in niseko over chinese new year (t-48 days).  we are staying here and it looks very japanese-y:  http://nisekomanagement.com/propertydetails.sugarpot.php.  i am so looking forward to a long day skiing and then hitting the onsen.  which will look like this:

PICTURES!!!

is it possible to be in love with multiple parties?  for me, yes, it is possible.  back in hong kong with mixed emotions as part of me desperately wants to be in ny while the other bit has grown to really like hk and the life i have here.  it has been a slow cooker, admittedly, but i am attached to this funny little town.

enough about me - the wedding in bvi was really beautiful and stiff competition.  however, the nicest thing about both weddings was that both couples were exceedingly happy.  so, no more waxing, here are pictures as promised - there are many more but these are the tops:

the caves

doesnt begin to capture how beautiful it was in bvi

everyone in the caves the day after the wedding

only photo of me with my mouth closed...

the HANDSOME groom and...

the GORGEOUS bride!!!

to make a VERY happy couple :)

Hong Kong - New York - BVI - New York - Cleveland - New York - Hong Kong

the tour has begun! already ticked BVI off the list and wow, was it spectacular! now i am in ny and loving it. it is a wee bit cold for me but a beautifully sunny crisp autumn day.

i am chilling in my friends flat and will head into the office later for meetings.

promise pics will be updated soon but I forgot an adapter so cannot use my computer til i get that sorted...

if youre in ny, gimme a shout!

xxo

Private Kitchens

one of the best things about hong kong would be the private kitchens.  you go up a dingy looking building to a little home cooking oasis.  this past weekend, we went to see a sweet catalan man and his darling chinese wife.  despite the fact that he is the spaniard, he still had her do all the cooking!they assured us that a tradition is to drink from what looks like a decanter with two spouts.  one is larger where you put the wine and the other is quite slim where the wine comes out...onto your chin.  you delicately hold your hand up palm down to catch the drops and proceed to pour red wine down your throat.  attractive.  however, i must admit, the continental europeans (all of italian/french descent - shocker) were much better at it than the rest of us.  the last three or four bottles of red, we drank like this and stating the obvious, i ended up a bit wankered which did not lend well to watching (and by "watching" i mean drinking) the rugby world cup the next day.and oh yeah, the food was pretty good, too ;)here are some pictures from the glorious night.

Another Year Older and Another Year at the Same Level of Intelligence

another birthday came and went.  and the same as last year - i worked.  we have this big workshop and it always seems to fall on my birthday so i get to "celebrate" with colleagues and clients.  oh the joy.  after months of preparation for 80 some odd guests with the two weeks leading into it absolute killer, i havent done much else other than gain weight.  oh wait, ive been watching the rugby world cup which is super fab for the waistline as well...so here are some pictures from my birthday...er, work event below.

it was held at the beautiful and historic hullett house in tst and other images are of the crazy people i work with or some of the clients:

Autumn in Hong Kong Update

so this is a bit of a miscellaneous update as it has been a while since i wrote anything.

i am very much looking forward to being back in new york in november but hong kong has finally cooled a bit and it is nice - warm and sunny.  the funniest thing about shopping here is that they stock from the west (us and europe) and therefore the styles are all very hot.  i went into a store the other day and they had wool trousers.  i thought how that could be a messy situation here as it never really gets that cold.

so anyway, this past weekend i was on a junk and this loud mouthed english girl was going on and on about how she was to spend 3 months in new york.  she said she was looking forward to it other than the americans and their ridiculous "black people names like sheniqua - i just dont get that!"  after i spoke a bit more with her, she realised i am american and said she thought i was vietnamese...um...ok.  after telling her i was american but korean descent, "take off your sunnies" she demanded.  i did and she said, "oh, youre very beautiful."  nice save...kinda...not really.

and we had a work event to kick of the race season in hong kong.  i put down 80hkd on two horses and won 340hkd.  not too shabby of a return.  here are some pictures from that (somewhat boring) work event:

Life Goes On...Oh Blah Di, Oh Blah Da!

back to BAU.  talks with the ny firm are very slow and just "friendlies".  am so unsure of how long this will take but am thinking a few months, at least.  so, i am just living life and ticking happily along until i know more.

this weekend was good - chilled.  some dinner on friday with a friend just back from a nice long hols; paddling was cancelled due to rain on saturday so taking advantage of that, much needed laundry and cleaning was successfully taken care of and then out for petanque and a new resto on saturday evening.  the resto is called doppio zero and is a former batali chef so of course it was "foodie" with bone marrow on the menu.  i had some nice gnocci and dry chianti.  sunday was lazy and topped off with seeing "horrible bosses".

on a couple of not so positive notes, i dont know what is up with the partner i work for.  i think hes hit menopause.  its like the more senior people become, the more ridiculously childish they think they can act.  and i just found out that my quality hong kong health insurance doesnt cover eye specialists.  ARE YOU KIDDING?  so i have paid over hkd17k and still have more visits to come.  i mean, that is more than my rent!?!?  i do have to say, IF you have insurance in the us it is damn good not like this pathetic british import here.

anyway, the next thing i can look forward to is a bank holiday junk and a friend in town both occurring next week.

until then - stay strong and keep your $hit tight.
xxo

Perfect Storm

sitting at the doctors yet again...i come here every other freaking day and for perhaps the 20th time i do NOT speak chinese so please don't keep trying to give it a go. and could you please not chomp on your mcdonalds in my ear and then loudly burp? oh and by the way NONE of you seem to have or even understand volume control as you all yak so loudly that i can hear you all the way down the hall.

so I fear that this morning might be the start of what could be a perfect storm. the typhoon is coming through calling for heavy rain and thunderstorms. since i am supposed to watch the footie this weekend this is gravely worrisome especially since i am so looking forward to it.

fingers crossed it takes a turn for the philippines.

You Know What THEY Say????

you know, THEM, the all knowing committee of people out there that determine how the world should work?  ohhh, right, them ;)

anyway, when i first moved to hong kong i was told a few things:

• "i'm MBA" - married but available (editor's note:  charming)
• "hong kong will get under your skin...you will never leave" (editor's note:  scary - sounds more like a threat/disease)
• "you know who your real friends are when you cannot drink and/or you need something"  (editor's note:  could not be MORE true so i have come to find)

i have to say, being mostly home-bound has made me think a LOT.  if i were in new york, would more friends care that i am stuck at home with little quality human contact?  would they be more supportive?  is there a vast difference between the friends you make in hong kong versus new york?  does the notion that ny is more of an "adult" city hold up so the relationships are deeper versus hk where they generally are based on partying, money and what you can do for me?  but do i really even have friends?  now i dont want to insult anyone but this last question is valid.  people who i thought - no, i KNEW - would step up in hong kong, have not.  have i been disappointed?  of course.  hurt even.  but this is life - to be lived, learned and remembered all while moving forward.

so in my time alone, you may wonder if i am sad.  i am not.  i am good, great at times, company even for myself.  ive been discovering all sorts of cool things about hong kong (i found a new second hand store which is great since hk is even more vain, label loving and wasteful than ny).  ive also taken to cooking healthy meals and doing lots of pilates (im determined that my a$$ will never sag).  i also have decided to embrace my new forced glasses wearing status as a fashion choice and i bought two slick pairs today.  one is very cool red titanium frame from japan and another sporty blue pair.  i should get them tomorrow and will put pics up as they are just that rad.  now dont get me wrong, i still work.  i go into the office and do important/client meetings but mostly work from home in my dark flat.  all i have to say is "amen that bars are dark" but i havent been drinking too much as i want to get healthy and most importantly i want my eye to heal.  i guess drinking doesnt really affect my eye unless i get blinding (insert laughter) drunk but it does lower my immune system and that is just something i want to risk.

on the flip side, this weekend should be fairly massive.  the premier league is in hong kong and im going to the boxes to watch the footie.  hip hip hooray!

much love and positive vibes!

xxo

13 Days and Counting...

and my eye is still like this - i can't see, still can't really open it but the swelling is down and it is way less red so that is good news!

to be honest, i am tired.  i barely sleep, barely leave my flat - all i do is my eye drops and sleep these 13 freaking days.  so to that, if you have any movie or television suggestions, please send 'em my way!

and finally heres a pic - you cant really see the extent of the damage but its all i got without sending myself into an epileptic seizure due to the light...

Today's Challenge...

so todays challenge is for me to stay awake. I have been so jet lagged and doing my drops that I am yet to be on a regular sleep schedule. normally I fall asleep around now until two-ish but i am going to do my damnedest to stay awake.

the eye continues to mend and I cannot see out of it still but it's clearing up...slowly.

Mobile Update

here I am back in another hospital waiting room. this time am in HK. the flight was fine considering that I slept the entire time minus the times up to do drops...which would be every freaking half hour. admittedly, I did sleep through a few as I was completely knackered.

so the eye is a bit better. I still cannot see out of it but some of the goo is gone, which is a relief. however, after four nights of doing drops and therefore having intermittent sleep, I kind of feel like I am hanging on by a thread.

hopefully I will be called soon-as I've developed a strong Garcia effect aversion to the smell of healthcare facilities...

ROUND TWO
the Chinese have a great way of making you feel terrible. "WOW, so very bad!" I was greated by the nurse. and then the doctor had more good news for me telling me I could lose vision in my left eye but "not to worry as you have two eyes so it's ok."

sitting back in another hospital crying alone forces me to ask what I've done to deserve this? I mean, sure I am far from perfect, but really am I THAT bad??? guess so...

Trip Home - Priceless

r/t flight to new York....hkd1300
tickets to a broadway show...usd150
a visit to a private doctor...usd250
two visits to beth Israel eye and ear...priceless

what the fok-what a crazy trip. so saturday night my eye infection kicked in and ruined my entire trip back to new York. I missed my boat party for the fourth, I didn't do any shopping but I did get to know a few nice doctors.

the silver lining? played the injured card and got upgraded to business. so here I am in the lounge after two and a half days of eye pain...which I still have but will be far more comfortable in the full sleeper bed than in cattle.

to those of you i missed seeing in NY, I am so sorry, but an extra special thanks to CB who helped me more than was called for-way above & beyond to which I say thank from the depths.

hope to see you all soon on this side of the pond or the other!

Stanley

tomorrow is the big race - dragon boat festival in honkers.  wish me luck :)  been thinking about starting out rigger after the db season...what do you all think?

other than that - had another big event this past week at work.  went well - had some recognition, was all good!

hopefully some pictures to come.

xxo

Dragon Boat Racing - We WON!!!!!!

here are some pics and a vid.  we won the plate final - a good day!!

U.S.A.

glad to see the us is not being soft.  living over here i always like to read press about how we wont be bullied around.  the latest article in the ft (sub needed) entitled "Chinese elite faces curbs on US visas" states at the end, "We cannot move forward if, when differences emerge, only one of us is fully committed and fully engaged,” he said."  i could not agree more.  over the past 3 years ive seen some of the most outrageous behaviour where compromise is not really an option.  many people think it is the 'one child' rule which has created an entire country full of petulant brats who cannot share their toys.  from where i sit, i think that is very true.  it is frightening as well to think there is this gigantic country full of people who cannot get along, who wont negotiate if things dont go 100% their way, who will do god-only-knows-what when they throw their proverbial toys out of the pram.

stand strong us - despite what people say (and they say a lot), i am still proud and will be coming back to you soon...that is unless i am dragged away for this post...seriously, i shouldnt even joke...

and on a lighter, non-political note, it was a great 4 day weekend here with another 3-day'er coming up again this weekend so pictures soon :)

Thanks!

a quick thank you to the anonymous comment-er.  glad you like the posts and youre not just taking the piss...because that would make me sad.

anyway, it was rainy here in honkers on sunday which gave me a perfect excuse to not come into the office and just lounge around in my birthday suit all day long instead.  unfortunately that means i have a lot to do today but it was a great day and worth it!

now i am back at work but it is a short week with friday and monday as bank holidays.  i am, unfortunately, not going anywhere but that is ok - will chill out :) and go to dragon boat practice.

see you soon, party people!
xxo

A Photo Update

hen doo tonight...like the bride a lot but not the idea of a large group of girls out on the town...just not my cup of tea..

anyway, since it has been a while, here is a photo update:

Such a Long Time

so long since my last post. sadly there isn't much to report but it has been a tough couple of months. so i am pretty much over hong kong and think have the issue is that ive never mentally or emotionally left new york. so as I try to make my way back to where i belong, i struggle to survive in hong kong. i find my life lonely and heart empty just to trying to get through it all.

ok, enough whinge for now...tomorrow is a bank holiday and i'm going to hike.

other than that, the mist exciting news i have is that i am working with a new partner who I believe doesnt think much of me...which always is fun...

will post some new pictures soon to at least show my two readers i am still alive :-/

Back to Samui

not yet a month back in honkers and its time for me to go...again.  in desperate need of sun, i am taking a last minute trip to samui.  flying out this thursday and back sunday, i hope to massage and beach and massage some more.

yep, thats all i got today...be well.
xo

Was it a Dream?

back in hong kong, it feels like a dream...or perhaps it is my jet lag.  either way, i feel like i am floating outside my body looking down back on a life that is is no longer mine and looking up on one that doesnt feel quite right either.  after this trip, i realise i do not have a life in manhattan anymore.  my life is in hong kong.  i do not belong here and i do not belong there.

i love love love new york and that was reinforced the minute i got into the glorious city.  but it hit home that when i come back, i will have to start all over again.  my job that i love is here (fingers crossed for an easy transfer).  my friends that know what is going on in my daily life are here.  my flat is here with all my lovely shoes in it.

however, i fear if i do not leave soon (12-18 months) then i never will.  life is decidedly easier and cheaper here other than the finding-a-decent-man thing...here i bump into boys with complexes and baggage so large and unattended to it would put closed heathrow to shame.  and those kinda boys with their tattered baggage just doesnt jive with me and my matching tumi set.  and as much as i long to be back in new york, leaving scares my knickers right off.  i like my life here.  i love the travel.  i am addicted to the cheap cabs.  but i miss the ballet - attending more than one class a week as well as seeing good ballet performed.  i miss museums and galleries and indie rock bands.  i miss the diversity of people - the way they look and think.  but at the same time, i forgot how self-absorbed new york'ers can be...not that people in hong kong are not, but new york'ers have it worked out to an art form.

so much of me has changed and i am unsure as to where i fit.

despite all this, ive decided to just work hard, save money and have fun while the rest of my time ticks down here.  tick...tock...tick...

on a lighter note - how are your resolutions going?  mine are set up to be (hopefully) attainable:

• to take at least a day off from drinking a week
• and therefore hopefully lose some weight
• 5 to 10 pounds is my KPI
• save money
• KPI:  to hit the USD six figure mark (i am unsure i will reach this one...)
• stop cursing so much 
• and for a KPI on this one, it is to drop the "f" word which basically cuts my speaking time in half

we will see!!!!!!!

here are some pictures to really lighten the mood.  some from nye and others from one of the many work christmas parties where i received two awards ;)

ta ta for now!
xxo