生日快乐

otherwise known as 'happy birthday'.  another year older and potentially wiser.  i am definitely another year older as my clothes are a bit more snug and no matter what i do, it seems pointless as my metabolism has just slowed way down.  i am definitely another year older as people, at work and in general, expect me to behave like an adult.  and on a related note, i am definitely another year older as hangovers dont go away so easy anymore.

but am i any wiser?  i like to think so.  ive finally realised i will not go where i want in my career without a bit of assistance and planning so last year i hired an external career coach.  ive stopped dating jerks and found myself a really great, loving boyfriend.  and weve even moved in together and are trying to save money.

"old" age inst so bad, is it?  have to say, i hope this will be a good year!

however, i am still "young" enough to celebrate.  on friday, the actual day, i had a dinner at a semi-private kitchen.  the food was french and did the job well of lining our stomachs for the copious amounts of alcohol we consumed and the long night we had.  it was great - spent with a handful of friends from odd pockets in my life in hong kong.

saturday was pathetically spent hungover though so...enter "old" age.

sunday, the haggis and i went to the four seasons for a couples spa treatment.  it started with our own very large private room with a big jacuzzi bubble bath and a glass of champagne.  then we had scrubs and massages.  we looked out over the hong kong harbour and really had a great time.

he gave me a tooth brush (sonicare for my obsession with dental hygiene), a book and printed & framed photos from our trip to the states.  but that evening we went to sushi sase for my "real" gift and it was one of the best meals ive had in hong kong.  the haggis and i enjoyed ourselves with the chef's tasting menu.  all the fish comes direct from tokyo and i was wonderful.

yep - liking "old" age for sure!

not me but you need to see...and this is JUST the jacuzzi tub!

General Ramblings

the weekend was as always, good but short.

las week during the start of the haggis' gardening leave, he painted the sitting room ceiling and walls which has freshened things up.

saturday night we went out with a friend and sunday afternoon was spent at a typically hong kong champagne brunch.  we went to one of the hotels in tst and it was an oyster fest.  the oysters were good and fresh so would definitely go back with selections from the us and australia.  my friend who organised it cannot come to my birthday dinner so she surprised me with a little birthday treat.  very sweet.






















sadly, both the haggis and i have been hit with a bit of a cold.  the haggis worse than me, i think.  he was all sweaty and stuffy yesterday but he was so funny - funnier than usual.  i think the fever made him a little wonky and he was just cracking me up.  i felt bad laughing as he was so sick but we could have discovered the secret to true comedy - a fever!

so this week will culminate with my birthday dinner on friday and a spa visit for both of us to the four seasons - cannot wait!!!  and then off to borneo for the bank holiday.

speaking of travel, we have two really long breaks for chinese new year and easter.  we're looking into skiing in korea nd then a bit of travel around the country for chinese new year and india for easter.  does anyone have any good suggestions on what else to do and see in both korea and india?

Money Obsessed Asia

there has been small town news (in print and word of mouth) lately about high paid people losing their jobs that has got me thinking*.  so, some banker-wanker lost his job at japanese bank.  his wife uses a self-promoting blog to try to convince herself shes happy and fabulous and more recently was interviewed by a small singaporean newspaper in a section called "money and me".  in both mediums she talks all about money money cars money more material goods money and how much money they have but she doesnt want to talk about money because it is tacky.  after all that, i have to wonder when she will post about how her husband lost his job and what cuts they plan to make.  like, "redundancies are difficult as we had to sell two of our 7 mercedes and i no longer have a fleet of people to raise my own children.  life is just SO hard!"  in all honesty, their lives are probably unfazed and just fine in comparison but it seems for some, its never enough.
*yes, i do occasionally think but like to keep it to a minimum.
 
then there is another exec around town who agreed to a very long gardening leave should they go to a competitor.  but first, while running out of the last employer's office, it has been said the message was basically, 'smell ya later, losers - i am off for more money money money'.  the short-sightedness of this has repercussions as 1) you dont burn bridges and 2) there are certain people in hk business circles you do not mess with.  since, ive heard conflicting stories about the status of current employment and the latest rumour is the former employer is now being sued.  unsure if there is any viable case but at the end of the day, NOBODY wants to hire someone who has sued a former employer...i think i see a departure from hk as the best option but sadly, there are not many options left.  i hear brazil is beautiful and the market needs talents like that...um....not - regardless, bon voyage!

next, meet closeted guy marrying rich chinese girl.  i just met the latest guy to snag a chinese girl from a wealthy family where the guy seems pretty camp.  there seems to be a small niche group of western men who settle down with these girls yet they seem gay.  theres nothing wrong with being gay - anyone who knows me knows i love gay men - but marrying a chick for money when youre so clearly closeted seems a bit off to me.  call me traditional but i think if youre straight you go for someone of the opposite sex and if youre gay, you go for someone of the same gender  kids these days...

what is is about money that makes us do such things?  do we need MORE?  i realise that money is important and admittedly, i like nice things (mainly shoes and handbags) but there is a limit, no?  living in hong kong, it is a complete money bubble.  we think this is normal life.  it is not.  we live such a privileged life of travel, easy living, buying most things we want, not need, but want, eating out all the time.  after a long weekend of catching up with friends and spending time with my haggis, i feel fortunate to have what i have and blessed to have the people i have in my life.  isnt that what life is about?  well, its what mine is about.