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!