Thoughts of the Day

Joined a gym for the week. Gyms here are awesome. Very high tech, have wonderful locker rooms. The gym to which I have a free week-long pass even has a DVD library so that you can watch any hit TV show of the past 10 years or watch a movie while you run (if you're feeling REALLY ambitious). There is also a machine which is usually found at hospitals. If you stand on it and hold a few sensors for two minutes, it will tell you everything you ever wanted to know (and didn't want to know) about your physical fitness and composition--even how proportional your physique is. Trainers can analyze it and suggest which exercises would benefit you most.

Second thought of the day: there is a typhoon approaching. Still far off shore (250 km). Apparently they are a common occurrence.

Speaking of gyms and typhoons, my third and final thought is that I am using the metric system a lot here. In fact, I am using math a lot in day to day actions, which is a good thing after my summer break. Dividing Hong Kong Dollars by 7.7 (to convert currency) all the time and calculating km/hr at the gym will hopefully help get me ready for work....smirk.

Good Morning

Good Morning,

I added 25 new photos to the bunch this morning, and they're posted at the left. The photos are from yesterday when Rob and I went over to Kowloon (across Victoria Harbour from HK Island) to have some suits custom made for Rob. (Gotta look sharp for interviews!) While over there, we scoped out some of the cool hotels and museums. My grandmother and Uncle highly recommended going to the Intercontinental Hotel's restaurant and seeing the views of the Harbour and Hong Kong Island. So, Mimi and Uncle Henry, the photo in front of the Intercontinental is for you. Definitely glad I ventured in. You can see the views in the photos...my favorite photo is from the back window of the hotel, where the glass panes divide and highlight the junk boats in the Harbour.

As far as Hong Kong tailors go, Rob got an unbelievable deal. If you need any custom made suits at an insanely good price, this guy travels to the US 6-8 times a year. His main stops are DC and Charlotte. We can give you more details if you're interested.

Last night I went out to dinner with my landlady and landlord (how Feudal does that sound?), and we had a great time dining on soft shell crab. Afterwards, boyfriend and I went to trendy club Dragon-i. I felt like a 21 year old New York intern again. We left soon after arriving. Thank goodness. I can still hear/feel Dragon-i pulsing through my brain. If you come visit me, I'm definitely taking you there, though.

Have a great weekend. XO

Update

Hi friends and fam,

Thanks for all of the e-mails. I've loved hearing from you and miss you tons. Can't believe I've been in China for a week! All settled in and will probably hit the ground running with the job search next week. While there won't be a real post today, I'm working on a post that I'll publish in the next day or two...so stay tuned. Check in. As they say in America, ttyl.

Lizard

Wednesday: independence and good fortune

This morning I went out into the town by myself for the first time. I rode the metro 3 stops east to the Causeway Bay area of Hong Kong, where I met a new friend at Ikea. Like I, she is an expat. She attended nursing school at UVA and has lived in Hong Kong as an American Expat for 3 years, ever since her husband was transfered here. She is wonderful and asked if I would go shopping with her today. We explored Causeway Bay, which is a cool area because it was once a popular neighborhood for Japanese who came to live in Hong Kong. Among the Ikea, hotels and bric-a-brac, a cache of Japanese shops still exists there. Andi showed me where to purchase various necessary items like hairdryers, samples of any cosmetic brand you could imagine, and affordable zen-like items for the home. She agrees with me that "minimalist chic" is a good way to make the most of small apartments here. Japanese stores in Causeway Bay do this well. She was a great shopping partner.

Later in the afternoon Rob and I had lunch at an authentic Chinese restaurant. I liked it because it was more palatable to my western tastebuds than some of the other culinary venues we have selected. Dumpling Yuan is a place I will remember not only for the food's simple excellence but also for it's name. The term "Dumpling" combined with "Yuan" caught our attention as we dined on the boiled and fried fare. For the Chinese, dumplings are symbols of wealth and fortune, and both are very important in Chinese culture. In a country whose history has battled severe poverty and a taking away of wealth, fortune is now valued highly. This value is displayed many places in Hong Kong, including dumpling shops. The dumpling as a symbol is similar to bread being a symbol for money in the West. An example being the term "bread-winner." The second word in Dumpling Yuan's name is an obvious reference to money, as the yuan is the Chinese currency. Rob and I sat at Dumpling Yuan thinking about the significance of this restaurant's name and how it showed a lot about the culture in which we are living.

As we left the restaurant I thought that perhaps I should start rating restaurants here on a dumpling scale, as one Commerce School student once did. For instance, a 10 star dumpling restaurant is top dog. I give Dumpling Yuan 10 dumplings.

Have a great Wednesday.

Liz

PS--Please check out new pictures posted at the left. Also, please leave comments and send e-mails/suggestions/dumplings. I'd love to hear from you.

Now that a few days have passed

I feel like I have a much better hold on the city now than when I first arrived. Rob and I have done so much in the past few days that I not only have more to say, but I also feel more connected with Hong Kong. I am better acclimated to the time change. The cold I was fighting has been fought. As such, we've been diving into all things touristy. It's like the Griswolds have arrived.

Over the past few days, the two of us rode the historic tram to Victoria Peak. We hiked miles upon miles through couture malls--it is UNbelievable how many countless Armani/Dior/Whatever stores can remain in business here within a 2-mile radius. I have visited the Hong Kong Convention Center's Technology Expo (how do you say in Chinese: "that was packed with more Asians than I have ever seen in my life?"). We visited a Hong Kong tailor, hiked the city in the rain, took the subway to Kowloon, visited a flower market, a beautiful bird market, and a goldfish market, and I tipped my teacup to old world Colonialism by having high tea at the Peninsula Hotel. But that's a preview. I'll tell you more about this and will add pictures of it tomorrow. Until then, jóutáu (goodnight).

Saturday

Not much to report except that jet lag symptoms are improving and Rob and I went on a great hike up to The Peak this morning. We stumbled upon the Hong Kong Zoo on our walk. It was incredible. All of the cages are large and outdoors. The zoo rests inside the land that I believe is designated as the botanical garden, so it is all very lush and pretty. AND I have never seen so many monkeys/baboons/orangutans/lemurs in my life. They were adorable. We observed 2 baby monkeys play and swing together from wall to various wall of their enormous cage. I kept wishing they would swing on the monkey bars that hang in the cages. Anyway, the monkeys are housed in cages according to family. The monkeys actually determine the housing arrangements on their own, as they naturally form families. It was really cute and quite remarkable to watch each family of monkeys interact. One mother monkey had a newborn baby which she held on her belly as she moved through the cage. The baby was tiny and kind of resembled a kangaroo. Words can't describe how cute and remarkable it all was, especially since we just stumbled upon the zoo.

For Dad: One exhibit at the zoo was of North American Squirrels and Raccoons--rare creatures in this part of the world! These petite creatures were quite fascinating and beautiful to the Chinese onlookers. If only they knew...

After we finished exploring The Peak, we ventured down into the Chinese markets, which are down the hill/mountain and closer to Central. Not surprisingly, the prices for produce and goods at these markets are MUCH cheaper than anywhere else I have seen. I can't wait to plan a meal and go shopping in the market for all of these things. It will take some planning, as all of the signs on prices for produce are written in Cantonese. I'll probably need to Google and attempt to write down the characters for the items I need before heading to the market. Maybe I'll make Pad Thai, dumplings or just rice...it may be overwhelming if I attempt fish head soup...indeed, they do sell enormous fish heads in the street.

Quick Contact Info Update

....Fresh off the plane...24 hours after leaving Richmond...

Just wanted to type a quick update. I have a new Hong Kong cell phone number: +852 9771 2429. If you'd like to call Rob, his Hong Kong phone number is +852 9771 1278.

Also, FYI, I made a mistake in a previous email. I said that if you "follow" this blog then you will automatically receive e-mail updates when I publish blog posts--that is wrong. Sorry. In order to receive e-mail updates when I publish blog posts, you need to scroll to the bottom of this blog and in the center of the screen click "subscribe to: post (atom)."

Ok. that's it. Rob and I are off to dinner on Lan Kwai Fong. Apparently it's "Friday Fever!" WOOP

Taxis whirling down the street in Central on Friday night


Rob, enjoying his tasty pad thai at Bon Appetit Thai Restaurant just off of Lan Kwai Fong (and right behind the flat). It was Rob's favorite restaurant in Hong Kong when he studied here last summer. I must say--my green curry was the best I have EVER had.

Greetings from Hong Kong!

Good morning, friends and family!

It is 7:50 a.m. here in Hong Kong, and I have just awoken from a great night's sleep in the chic little flat I will live in for my first month here. Rob and I survived the 16 hour flight from JFK, which was not bad AT ALL, and we landed here last night at 7 p.m.

I was shocked at how quickly the flight went by. About 30 minutes before the plane landed, the Cathay Pacific flight attendants started playing calm Chinese music and offering the last round of hot Chinese tea. I indulged. The tea combined with the music really got me excited about the arrival. As we descended into Hong Kong, I looked out the window to notice that the terrain here was truly nothing like I have ever seen. The mountains rise out of the water in the most unique way--they are sharp but also graceful. It really was beautiful. I'll show you in pictures later.

Anyway, we landed, flew through customs and took a cab to the flat. In Hong Kong they drive on the left side of the road. The flat is located in Central, just near Lan Kwai Fong. I was very excited and probably was smiling the whole way into the city. The bridges that took us from the new territories to Hong Kong Island were beautiful--lots of lights, which highlighted their nimble design. Apparently the bridges can sustain winds of up to 350 miles per hour. Ultimately, the city by night is unlike anything I have ever seen. Some say it is like an Asian New York, but I wont simplify it like that yet. I will deconstruct the landscape near my apartment, though. The terrain reminds me of the windy old roads in central Mexico, sort of like in San Miguel. Up and down, round and round, cobble stone streets. The trendy bars and restaurants that line these streets remind me of some small English village or of the waterfront in Savannah or New Orleans--they are filled with pubs and people bursting out of them. I cannot wait to peruse the city tonight with Rob and see what it's like on foot as opposed to peering out of a taxi.

I am anxious to get out and explore the city today. Hopefully after today I will have a new Hong Kong cell phone number and a few groceries in my fridge. I'll sign out until then, but please drop me a line if you feel so inclined! I appreciate all of the words of welcome I received from many of you in the past few days!

XOX,

Lizard

Fresh on the ground in Hong Kong! First picture--view of the Cathay Pacific 777 that brought us safely to Hong Kong

Here I am (glasses and all) on the way into town! I really needed those glasses after 24 hours of traveling!

View of one of the bridges on the way into Hong Kong proper.


Kitchen/library area of my flat, which I adore!


Living Room


My Street--Wo On Lane

Goodbye America

So, I'm lying on my bed in Kilmarnock, staring at two, stuffed 50-pound duffel bags. I leave tomorrow morning at 10:15. I'm flying up to New York, where I catch my flight to Hong Kong. It is direct and is 16 hours long. I'm curious what a 16 hour flight feels like. I'll know at 7 p.m. on Thursday. Will report back soon. Signing off for now. More later from Hong Kong, China.

Much Love,

Farewells Begin

Had my family going away dinner with Dad, Jane and Grandmimi last night. Much to everyone's delight, Beau "houdini" Pratt made a surprise appearance when he drove in from Raleigh at the last minute and stole the show. So glad I got to see him before I leave. I will miss you so much! I will miss everyone so much. But...sappy is not what this blog is supposed to be about. Anywho, we had a scrumptious meal at Water Grill in Richmond. If you live in Richmond and haven't been, it rocks. I think it is my favorite place to have dinner in Richmond (other than CCV). We drank dirty martinis (my favorite!), ate mussels and blue point oysters (even though it's not an "r" month), as well as lobster, scallops and shrimp. Quite the feast it was. Rob, Beau and I went out for a bit after dinner.

Anyway, my farewell to my brother deserves a post. I will miss you SO SO SO much.
As for everyone else I am saying goodbye to, yes, I'm getting sad about saying goodbye to you, too, but we have time until that day comes--PHEW!

xox and much love.

Lizard

PS--I HOPE MORE OF YOU WILL SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG so that it will be easier for us to stay in touch while I'm away!

Back from Beautiful Cat Cay!

Hello! I'm fresh of the plane from Cat Cay, Bahamas, where I spent 8 days with Rob and the Stephens family at their home there. I feel happy and rested after a wonderful vacation with great people. While I am reluctant to be diving back into to the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong preparations, I'm glad to be productive again. I've missed writing to you all and am happy to have an internet connection once again as I sit overlooking brown water in Kilmarnock, VA.

In the past 2 weeks or so, I've met with several contacts who have business connections to Hong Kong. Housing arrangements and possible job opportunities have begun to materialize in cyber space, which eases my (and my parents') consciences. I cross my fingers that the internet developments will continue to materialize on the ground in HK. All that is left to do before I go is settle health care and banking, both of which have been a bit difficult to sort so far. I trust that all will work out, assuming I stay healthy and dedicated to untangling the red tape. Packing is the least of my worries at this point, and it feels like it will be the dessert to all the planning and preparation Rob and I have been doing these past few months.

Since returning from Cat Cay I have come across two articles about Westerners casting their employment nets toward the East. One article is from the New York Times and the other is from the Wall Street Journal. Not surprisingly, both have been of particular interest to me.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/business/global/28jobs.html?_r=2&ref=asia

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703545604575407764037805500.html

Now that you're probably heard enough, I'll end with a few snaps:

One of the most unique sunsets I have ever seen

Our awesome serving staff at Bu's Bar, where we would drink and overlook the boats at the yacht club. Thanks Ivan!

Harry, Elizabeth, Rob and I on our way out to dinner

The delicious spiney lobster tail Rob hunted and prepared for us

Surprise invite to "Gatsby's" house

Sunset Patio

More will be on Facebook later :).

Signing off,

Lizard