Cleaners - Bane of My Existence

so the cleaners in the office are so terrible.  the woman who cleans our desks uses this dirty old sponge that smells of wet mold.  it makes me sick and every time she pops round i have to shoo her away.  and the vacuum lady is great, too.  she comes by very early (not like in the states when it tends to be when most people have gone home) and she bangs about.  she will whack right into my cube wall without a care in the world and then gets mad like its my fault.

and dont even get me started on the filipino helpers.  you may as well take your money and burn it.  i think theyve all been trained at We Wipe Around Things University.  its truly a gift.  i am not sure what the point is as i'd rather do it properly myself.  people always say, "well its just so cheap" and i think so isnt mcdonalds but it doesnt mean its doing you any good.

In Between Travel

back from taipei.  taipei is always fun.  we left to escape the madness that is the hong kong rugby 7s and i am so glad we did.  gone are the days of drinking for 3 consecutive days for me, at least.  so we landed in the evening and went out to my favourite shabu shabu place and back to the hotel like the old farts we are.  saturday was rainy but perfect weather for the national palace museum so we went to check out all the stolen (ahem) goods and for some dim sum.  we later met up with a ny friend of mine who is studying mandarin for some night market action and of course, more food!  so 10 pounds heavier, i am back in hong kong.

ive got to get through this week and then off to nepal!!!!  the itinerary has been left up to the hagis as it was part of my christmas gift so i am very much so looking forward to it.

so in order to get out of here, weve been running around trying to source wonderful things like water purifying tablets, luggage locks and what not.  so that being said, i took a lock i could not remember the code to and asked the kind folks in the store to reset it.  they tell me they cant reset it but they will try all 999 combinations and call me if i leave my name and number.  only in china, friends, only in china.  but whats more scary is they called me in a flash having figured it out.

will be back with some pictures - until then, be well, me dears.

Gone Native

all of the girls around here barely eat and buy these "slimming" treatments.  so after a winter of doing very little other than couch surfing, i decided to give it a go.  clearly desperate here...

so i bought a twangoo (like groupon, etc.) for a cheap deal to a spa for these treatments.  they are 1/2 hour each of a machine called m6 slimming machine.  after a quick search, ive noticed this machine seems to clearly be an asian thing.  oh well, thank goodness it was cheap.  here is an explanation:

M6 is a short form for the patented hi-tech trimming technology Cellu M6 produced by French LPG. As the only cellulite-reducing instrument approved by the U.S. FDA, Cellu M6 turns fat into fatty acid to accelerate blood circulation and improve lymphatic drainage, consuming more accumulated fat to achieve body slimming effect.

Massage turns fibroblast cells in skin to different directions, the tension promotes skin metabolism, thus increasing the skin to produce more collagen and elastic fiber cells, 130% more than usual, making the skin glow.

The M6 rolling treatment gives out negative pressure suction, for just 35 minutes, it effectively reduces cellulite and improves lymphatic system, tightens loose skin and increases skin elasticity. Generally it takes 3 – 4 sessions to see effect, depending on the individual.

i went for my first treatment today.  you take off all your clothes, put on disposable panties and then this white body stocking.  its really charming and i am wondering where i can buy one for personal use...(barf)...and you lie down like any regular massage.  the machines feel like a massaging vacuum.  they recommend i follow up with consecutive session so i am back the end of this week.  i will update you on progress!

on a side note, somebody please stop me if i start bleaching my skin (which ive promised myself i will never do).

A Ticking Time Bomb

before launching into  a diatribe about the political-social-environmental catastrophe that is china, heres a quick hk update.  it is humid - so wet and oppressive.  my knees are buckling under the pain due to this humidity.  but yet, it is not truly hot yet.  my friends, this time of year is when mold creeps into your flat and the locals tend to smell a bit like wet dog.  yes, i said it but there really just isnt another way to describe it because that is precisely the smell.

anyway, so i was in early today and having a read on my own interests versus those that are purely financial and namely insurance based (zzzzzzzzzzzz) and i logged into one of my faves, the ft.  there is an article found here:   

http://blogs.ft.com/the-a-list/2012/03/05/china-must-rethink-its-economic-model-to-calm-growing-social-unrest/#axzz1oIKeR0UE

about the social unrest in china.  excerpts from the article include:

• Far more worrisome for the political elite is the question of how to deal with rising social unrest.
• For all of China’s economic successes – which lifted some 600m out of poverty – income disparities nevertheless have ratcheted up with the gini coefficient now at 0.47 compared with around 0.25 in the mid-1980s.
• A key weakness of the process of economic liberalisation is its failure to provide the fiscal means for the authorities to limit inequalities that came with rapid growth. 
• Rather than strengthening its fiscal system, Beijing relies on its banks to fund much of the growing demand for infrastructure.

i dont know about you but as long as ive live here, people have discussed how the mainland is going to implode someday.  wondering when, not if, that day will come...