The end of the week is at hand! Sonia and I are making our separate ways back to HK tonight, I from Tokyo, and Sonia from Bangkok.
Suit fitting tomorrow, plus catching up with a colleague who we first worked with in the UK, and who moved back to NZ. He is up in Hong Kong at the moment, so it will be a good chance to say hello after a few years.
Had intended to play squash over the weekend, but I found out that the guy I usually play with is planning to spend the weekend in Macau. Oh well.
Just another weekend at home, I guess. While M&D are off squandering the inheritance traipsing around Alaska, Canada, and north-western US.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Japan
Well I (Andrew) am back up in Tokyo again, and have just realised that it's two weeks since I updated the blog. I'm going to be more heavily involved in the work here over the next few months, which will be nice. Japan is a great country, and Tokyo can be a very fun place to work.
Right now it's the height of summer, and temperatures are very high. When I flew in, the sign at the airport said 36.2 degrees. That was at about 3pm. If found out in the paper the following day that some of the cities had posted 40.9 degrees.
Japan is very energy-conscious, and the air-conditioning is not used as liberally as HK. As a result it is very warm even at work - desk fans keep the air moving, but you need strong deodorant. Does not turn into a problem at the office, but by the end of the day it's a relief to walk back and have a shower.
I've just got back from the gym, where I sat on the bike and watched a traffic jam form as a result of a minor nose-to-tail accident on the motorway. The jam was still growing an hour later, and the cars had not been moved. Looking down from level 22 of the building, it did not look bad (the accident, that is), so it's a bit of a puzzle why they did not get on and clear it up. The view from the gym is pretty good and I could see the traffic banked up for kilometers into the distance.
More later.
Right now it's the height of summer, and temperatures are very high. When I flew in, the sign at the airport said 36.2 degrees. That was at about 3pm. If found out in the paper the following day that some of the cities had posted 40.9 degrees.
Japan is very energy-conscious, and the air-conditioning is not used as liberally as HK. As a result it is very warm even at work - desk fans keep the air moving, but you need strong deodorant. Does not turn into a problem at the office, but by the end of the day it's a relief to walk back and have a shower.
I've just got back from the gym, where I sat on the bike and watched a traffic jam form as a result of a minor nose-to-tail accident on the motorway. The jam was still growing an hour later, and the cars had not been moved. Looking down from level 22 of the building, it did not look bad (the accident, that is), so it's a bit of a puzzle why they did not get on and clear it up. The view from the gym is pretty good and I could see the traffic banked up for kilometers into the distance.
More later.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Our first Typhoon
Well we can now say that we have survived our first typhoon. Not difficult when you realise in retrospect that the rain was heavier during storms in KL. Yesterday afternoon we all came back from lunch and found the office buzzing. It came out that the HK Observatory had raised the warning level to T3, and advised that they were expecting to raise to T8 around 3:30. That meant that HR is expected to send an email telling everyone to go home (they close the office). By about 2:30, we were still waiting. Then all of a sudden the email was sent.
The taxi ride home was fairly uneventful, although the roads were already a bit messy around the south side - leaves, small branches, etc. The weather closed as the rest of the afternoon wore on, but by 6 or 7pm, it looked like it was just a bit windy.
Sonia was flying back in from Bangkok last night, and arrived safely at 10:30. Then I eventually get a call from her saying that she'd been waiting in line for a taxi at the HK station, but there were none coming. Turns out most of the taxis take the opportunity to go home. By about 12:30am, she was still no further ahead, having tried waiting for a bus as well (they had suspended the route we use). I went downstairs and was able to get a taxi straight away, so I came into town, opened the door so Sonia could get in, and back home we went.
All a bit of a palaver - the weather really wasn't that bad. Still, if we could have a few more during work hours, there will not be too many complaints.
The taxi ride home was fairly uneventful, although the roads were already a bit messy around the south side - leaves, small branches, etc. The weather closed as the rest of the afternoon wore on, but by 6 or 7pm, it looked like it was just a bit windy.
Sonia was flying back in from Bangkok last night, and arrived safely at 10:30. Then I eventually get a call from her saying that she'd been waiting in line for a taxi at the HK station, but there were none coming. Turns out most of the taxis take the opportunity to go home. By about 12:30am, she was still no further ahead, having tried waiting for a bus as well (they had suspended the route we use). I went downstairs and was able to get a taxi straight away, so I came into town, opened the door so Sonia could get in, and back home we went.
All a bit of a palaver - the weather really wasn't that bad. Still, if we could have a few more during work hours, there will not be too many complaints.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Summer in HK
A quick note about the weather.
As we came out of the apartment this morning, it was raining. This is pretty unusual at the moment - the weather has been fine and clear for maybe six weeks in a row. A huge change from the early days when we arrived. At that point the smog was so bad you couldn't see the Kowloon side, or out to Disneyland at Lantau Island. The only way we knew where Disneyland was was because the fireworks cut through the smog each night!
Now, it's clear and sunny every day. We get a great view across to the islands, and from the office I can see right through to the hills behind Kowlooon.
However it does get hot. Hotter in fact than KL, which was consistently 32 degrees. Now, we are facing year-high temperatures each week. Last weekend they reported we hit 35.5 degrees. Yesterday seemed pretty hot, but I doubt we got that high. Will see what the paper has to say.
Summer runs through until early September (I am informed) so I guess we'll be seeing more of this.
As we came out of the apartment this morning, it was raining. This is pretty unusual at the moment - the weather has been fine and clear for maybe six weeks in a row. A huge change from the early days when we arrived. At that point the smog was so bad you couldn't see the Kowloon side, or out to Disneyland at Lantau Island. The only way we knew where Disneyland was was because the fireworks cut through the smog each night!
Now, it's clear and sunny every day. We get a great view across to the islands, and from the office I can see right through to the hills behind Kowlooon.
However it does get hot. Hotter in fact than KL, which was consistently 32 degrees. Now, we are facing year-high temperatures each week. Last weekend they reported we hit 35.5 degrees. Yesterday seemed pretty hot, but I doubt we got that high. Will see what the paper has to say.
Summer runs through until early September (I am informed) so I guess we'll be seeing more of this.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Wagyu
A quick note on a new Eggs Benedict place that we've just tried. Probably the best we've had in Hong Kong to date.
Wagyu is (as the name suggests) of Australian extraction. The Coolangatta Gold breakfast had been had previously, and was excellent.
Today Wendy is here, so we took her there for breakfast, trusting that the Eggs Benedict would be good. It was - the eggs were done properly, there was enough sauce (extra sauce in a little container if you want it), there was sufficient smoked salmon, and the bread (turkish) was toasted just right.
The ambience was a little off today, as the air-con was not working. They had fans going, so it wasn't bad, but not quite as good as usual.
Wagyu is (as the name suggests) of Australian extraction. The Coolangatta Gold breakfast had been had previously, and was excellent.
Today Wendy is here, so we took her there for breakfast, trusting that the Eggs Benedict would be good. It was - the eggs were done properly, there was enough sauce (extra sauce in a little container if you want it), there was sufficient smoked salmon, and the bread (turkish) was toasted just right.
The ambience was a little off today, as the air-con was not working. They had fans going, so it wasn't bad, but not quite as good as usual.
So, the scores:
- Eggs - 9/10
- Bread - 8/10
- Hollandaise - 9/10 - was great
- Coffee - 8/10
- Ambience - 8/10 - nicely grown up (and Wendy says the company was great)
- Total - 42/50
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Pictures
Here's a view of the sunset from our balcony. It can be pretty amazing... (click on the picture to get the full view in glorious "technicolour")
Dragon Boats from a few weeks back.
Everyone paddling hard as we start the final race. In the background you can see the spectator boats lined up. Some of them started getting into position on the Sunday before the race (which was on Tuesday). That's how busy the place gets. The boats form a "U" shape around the race course.
A closer view of the mad paddling that's required. We were not as good paddlers as this crew was!
Our final race - if you squint hard, you can probably see me (Andrew) last on the right-hand side of the boat.
Dragon Boats from a few weeks back.
Everyone paddling hard as we start the final race. In the background you can see the spectator boats lined up. Some of them started getting into position on the Sunday before the race (which was on Tuesday). That's how busy the place gets. The boats form a "U" shape around the race course.
A closer view of the mad paddling that's required. We were not as good paddlers as this crew was!
Our final race - if you squint hard, you can probably see me (Andrew) last on the right-hand side of the boat.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Another Week Passes
Sonia here this time - figure it is about time I take my turn.
We realised in the taxi this afternoon that this time last year we were about to pack our house in Malaysia. It is hard to believe it it is almost a year since we left KL. It was not until the beginning of October that we actually made it to Hong Kong, but even that means we have now been here over 9 months. We are still really enjoying Hong Kong as a place to live, although neither of us will be sorry to see the heat of summer start to dissipate. Should be cooler again by the end of August, and we cannot wait. The heat is quite different than KL. We thought KL was humid but it was truly nothing compared to here. Just a couple of minutes outside at the moment has you feeling decidedly drippy, and any more than a 10 minute walk is pretty much unbearable. We are taxi'ing more and walking less as a result.
I have just finished my third week back working with Bravura, and I think it is going to work out ok - a bit of a relief really. The company has changed a little from the Tacit days in the way it thinks and operates, but the actual software product is still very familiar, and there are only so many variations on types of insurance products companies can offer so I am not too far behind the game. It is looking like I will be spending most of my time in Hong Kong with some travel to Bangkok and possibly China over time. I am pretty much ok with whatever happens - both of these are pretty ok places to travel to.
We are looking forward to Wendy coming for a quick visit later this week, and hoping to rent a car and do our first bit of real exploring outside of the city this next weekend. Hope Wendy is up for the experience of being Andrew's first passenger in Hong Kong! We are trying to decide just what to do about buying a car. If Andrew was really settled in his job I think we would go ahead and buy, but until he sorts out just what he is doing with the crazy new boss I think we might just rent on the weekends and continue to make do with taxis during the week. Even though it feels expensive it probably still works out cheaper than running a car of our own.
Wold love to have exciting news to post but there truly is nothing out of the ordinary going on here - who knows, maybe next week!!
Bye...
We realised in the taxi this afternoon that this time last year we were about to pack our house in Malaysia. It is hard to believe it it is almost a year since we left KL. It was not until the beginning of October that we actually made it to Hong Kong, but even that means we have now been here over 9 months. We are still really enjoying Hong Kong as a place to live, although neither of us will be sorry to see the heat of summer start to dissipate. Should be cooler again by the end of August, and we cannot wait. The heat is quite different than KL. We thought KL was humid but it was truly nothing compared to here. Just a couple of minutes outside at the moment has you feeling decidedly drippy, and any more than a 10 minute walk is pretty much unbearable. We are taxi'ing more and walking less as a result.
I have just finished my third week back working with Bravura, and I think it is going to work out ok - a bit of a relief really. The company has changed a little from the Tacit days in the way it thinks and operates, but the actual software product is still very familiar, and there are only so many variations on types of insurance products companies can offer so I am not too far behind the game. It is looking like I will be spending most of my time in Hong Kong with some travel to Bangkok and possibly China over time. I am pretty much ok with whatever happens - both of these are pretty ok places to travel to.
We are looking forward to Wendy coming for a quick visit later this week, and hoping to rent a car and do our first bit of real exploring outside of the city this next weekend. Hope Wendy is up for the experience of being Andrew's first passenger in Hong Kong! We are trying to decide just what to do about buying a car. If Andrew was really settled in his job I think we would go ahead and buy, but until he sorts out just what he is doing with the crazy new boss I think we might just rent on the weekends and continue to make do with taxis during the week. Even though it feels expensive it probably still works out cheaper than running a car of our own.
Wold love to have exciting news to post but there truly is nothing out of the ordinary going on here - who knows, maybe next week!!
Bye...
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Where to start
Well, I see that it's been a few weeks since my last confession (I mean "post").
Sonia has gone to India, then Auckland, and is now into her second week on the job in KL. It's been interesting how much she remembers - much more than she thought (which is good)! There are a couple of her workmates here in HK - one visiting, one living here - so it's not a big team. The challenge for her is going to be bringing her experience to bear - what needs to be differently to the last project.
I had a quiet birthday, with Sonia flying back in and arriving in the country about 9pm. By the time she got to town where I met her, she was white and not feeling well. Turns out she'd drunk lots of water and not eaten anything all day. According to CSI that means her Calcium levels were way too low (I think).
Anyway, what else has happened? I got my driver's license yesterday morning, so all of the taxi drivers had better watch out. Another menace on the road (I had to say that before Dad does).
I'm off to KL for a couple of days, getting back to HK on Friday night. Then planning to go to Japan next Monday afternoon for the remainder of the week. Not sure if that means I get to see Wendy (who is visiting us on the way to the US) or not...
Time to board. Bye
Sonia has gone to India, then Auckland, and is now into her second week on the job in KL. It's been interesting how much she remembers - much more than she thought (which is good)! There are a couple of her workmates here in HK - one visiting, one living here - so it's not a big team. The challenge for her is going to be bringing her experience to bear - what needs to be differently to the last project.
I had a quiet birthday, with Sonia flying back in and arriving in the country about 9pm. By the time she got to town where I met her, she was white and not feeling well. Turns out she'd drunk lots of water and not eaten anything all day. According to CSI that means her Calcium levels were way too low (I think).
Anyway, what else has happened? I got my driver's license yesterday morning, so all of the taxi drivers had better watch out. Another menace on the road (I had to say that before Dad does).
I'm off to KL for a couple of days, getting back to HK on Friday night. Then planning to go to Japan next Monday afternoon for the remainder of the week. Not sure if that means I get to see Wendy (who is visiting us on the way to the US) or not...
Time to board. Bye
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Airports
An update (after some prompting, I admit). Sitting in the Tokyo airport after a week working in Japan. It's been good being back here after an abscence of a few weeks. Tokyo is very hot...
Meeting Sonia this afternoon back in HK. She is flying in from India about the same time I land. Then it's back to the house to repack her suitcase ready for her flight to Auckland at 9pm (today). I suspect it will be a busy afternoon.
Oops - the flight has just been called so I guess I have to go.
Meeting Sonia this afternoon back in HK. She is flying in from India about the same time I land. Then it's back to the house to repack her suitcase ready for her flight to Auckland at 9pm (today). I suspect it will be a busy afternoon.
Oops - the flight has just been called so I guess I have to go.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Alternative investments
Have just started an experiment with alternative investments. In this case, of the liquid variety. Or more specifically, two cases of French wine.
First case: Chateau Lynch-Bages.
Second case: Chateau Pontet-Canet.
If everything goes according to plan, these two cases of wine will sit safely in the warehouse in the UK for a minimum of 5 years, at which point they can be sold for "ginormous" profits. Both cases of wine are 2006, which has just been released ("en primeur"). They are cheap because no-one is really sure how well they will age. Except of course if you speak to the brokers who are selling the wine, in which case they will all be excellent value. Funny that.
One of the two cases did rise relatively quickly over the past week as the release sold out. We bought our case for GBP 399. The current price is GBP 420, so I guess that means we could claim a profit of 5% in a week? At this rate we'll be able to retire shortly!
We will see what happens.
First case: Chateau Lynch-Bages.
Second case: Chateau Pontet-Canet.
If everything goes according to plan, these two cases of wine will sit safely in the warehouse in the UK for a minimum of 5 years, at which point they can be sold for "ginormous" profits. Both cases of wine are 2006, which has just been released ("en primeur"). They are cheap because no-one is really sure how well they will age. Except of course if you speak to the brokers who are selling the wine, in which case they will all be excellent value. Funny that.
One of the two cases did rise relatively quickly over the past week as the release sold out. We bought our case for GBP 399. The current price is GBP 420, so I guess that means we could claim a profit of 5% in a week? At this rate we'll be able to retire shortly!
We will see what happens.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Sunday night is here again...
We are getting slack and not updating the blog so often... suspect it is because there really is not a lot going on :-)
It has been a really long week for some reason. Andrew was off in Japan from Wednesday through to Saturday morning. He managed to catch up with a friend (and ex boss!) from England while he was there - I think he enjoyed being able to talk about England and catching up on what the people we worked with there are up to. I spent a rather boring week at home, but never fear, my days of hanging around HK are over for a couple of weeks at least. This week sees me heading off to Malaysia for a couple of days - should have a chance to find time to search out some mamee noodles for the nephews and nieces and have a mocha or two at Coffee Bean! Definitely looking forward to being back 'home' for a few days.
The end of the next week sees me not working anymore (yeah!!) and heading off to India to visit with Wendy and Karyn. Should be fun. We are having a couple of days in Bangalore first, and then heading back up to Ooty to catch up with the kids as well as Ian and Chris. I am looking forward to the visit with much anticipation! Then I will be starting the new job back with Bravura, and they are kindly flying me to NZ for my first week of work. It will be good to catch up with everybody again.
That is about all I am up to. Andrew is feeling increasingly frustrated at work. His new boss is a total pillock (Andrew's word not mine!), and seems to think that his primary purpose for being put on this earth is to run around after her. All is not boding well for a long and fruitful relationship!! We shall see....
That is about if from us this week, except to say that last nights thunder and ligthning was the moat amazing we have ever seen in Asia - truly majestic. Even managed to blow the cover right off the barbeque...
Till next time - be good :-)
Sonia
It has been a really long week for some reason. Andrew was off in Japan from Wednesday through to Saturday morning. He managed to catch up with a friend (and ex boss!) from England while he was there - I think he enjoyed being able to talk about England and catching up on what the people we worked with there are up to. I spent a rather boring week at home, but never fear, my days of hanging around HK are over for a couple of weeks at least. This week sees me heading off to Malaysia for a couple of days - should have a chance to find time to search out some mamee noodles for the nephews and nieces and have a mocha or two at Coffee Bean! Definitely looking forward to being back 'home' for a few days.
The end of the next week sees me not working anymore (yeah!!) and heading off to India to visit with Wendy and Karyn. Should be fun. We are having a couple of days in Bangalore first, and then heading back up to Ooty to catch up with the kids as well as Ian and Chris. I am looking forward to the visit with much anticipation! Then I will be starting the new job back with Bravura, and they are kindly flying me to NZ for my first week of work. It will be good to catch up with everybody again.
That is about all I am up to. Andrew is feeling increasingly frustrated at work. His new boss is a total pillock (Andrew's word not mine!), and seems to think that his primary purpose for being put on this earth is to run around after her. All is not boding well for a long and fruitful relationship!! We shall see....
That is about if from us this week, except to say that last nights thunder and ligthning was the moat amazing we have ever seen in Asia - truly majestic. Even managed to blow the cover right off the barbeque...
Till next time - be good :-)
Sonia
Monday, May 28, 2007
Langkawi
On the weekend we made it back to Langkawi to check that the beach was still ok without us :-)
Thursday was a holiday in HK so we headed off on airpoints flights to KL. A quick whip through immigration and straight onto the connection through to Langkawi, arriving just in time to get to the beach for a couple of hours before the sun went down.
Friday, sitting around on the beach and doing nothing, finishing one book and starting the next. Then Saturday the same again! Sunday we woke up, had breakfast, then caught a taxi out to the airport. The trip home was rudely interrupted by a four-hour wait in KL between when we arrived and the flight left!
Anyway, some decent photos of sunsets at the beach - will post them later on.
Thursday was a holiday in HK so we headed off on airpoints flights to KL. A quick whip through immigration and straight onto the connection through to Langkawi, arriving just in time to get to the beach for a couple of hours before the sun went down.
Friday, sitting around on the beach and doing nothing, finishing one book and starting the next. Then Saturday the same again! Sunday we woke up, had breakfast, then caught a taxi out to the airport. The trip home was rudely interrupted by a four-hour wait in KL between when we arrived and the flight left!
Anyway, some decent photos of sunsets at the beach - will post them later on.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
A New Job
Today shall go down in history as the day I signed a contract to return to my Talisman life and begin work with Bravura - the company that bought out Tacit. It is two years (almost to the day) since Tacit was bought out, I was made redundant and we lost a heap of money we had invested in the company. So why go back you may wonder? I am wondering to0, but basically it seems like the right thing to do and they have been very persistent in chasing me :-)
My contract with Pru ends in June, and I start working for Bravura on the 2nd July - I think they forgot that was a public holiday in Hong Kong when they wrote the contract, so my first day I will be paid for doing nothing - perfect :-).
Bravura has a very small office here in Hong Kong - actually in the same building as Pru, so I should still get to see a bit of my dearly beloved. I am off course going to be located on a higher floor than he is, but that is only fitting don't you think... They also have one major client based out of Hong Kong that I will spend a lot of my time working with. It will be interesting to see how another insurance company does things after being entrenched in Pru for so long.
Other than that life is really just toddling along. Really looking forward to getting to the beach in Malaysia this weekend - 4 days of sun and surf- perfect (the sun in Hong Kong is usually hidden behind a thick layer of smog, although just lately it has been real thick cloud and torrential rain that has been the problem). Jonathon has suggested some quick getaways in the Philippines as well, so that might have to be the next bit of planning I do. I am still trying to convince Andrew to commit to a week or two back in NZ (via Australia) in late September - we shall see.
We have been going to a different church for the last few weeks (after happy clappy waving to Jesus got just too much for me). Andrew is disappointed in the music, but overall we think it is going to be 'home' here in Hong Kong. The church is big - several hundred people, and meets in various different rooms at the convention centre each week - basically which ever room has not been booked by a higher paying client I suspect. We really like the signs on the 'reserved for parents' seats that have a really cute baby and the words "If your baby becomes unsettled, please step out to the foyer (and don't forget to take the baby!)" Something tells me that is the American pastors sense of humour rather than the locals, but it kept us amused.
Thats about it - will take some photos in Langkawi and post them next week.
My contract with Pru ends in June, and I start working for Bravura on the 2nd July - I think they forgot that was a public holiday in Hong Kong when they wrote the contract, so my first day I will be paid for doing nothing - perfect :-).
Bravura has a very small office here in Hong Kong - actually in the same building as Pru, so I should still get to see a bit of my dearly beloved. I am off course going to be located on a higher floor than he is, but that is only fitting don't you think... They also have one major client based out of Hong Kong that I will spend a lot of my time working with. It will be interesting to see how another insurance company does things after being entrenched in Pru for so long.
Other than that life is really just toddling along. Really looking forward to getting to the beach in Malaysia this weekend - 4 days of sun and surf- perfect (the sun in Hong Kong is usually hidden behind a thick layer of smog, although just lately it has been real thick cloud and torrential rain that has been the problem). Jonathon has suggested some quick getaways in the Philippines as well, so that might have to be the next bit of planning I do. I am still trying to convince Andrew to commit to a week or two back in NZ (via Australia) in late September - we shall see.
We have been going to a different church for the last few weeks (after happy clappy waving to Jesus got just too much for me). Andrew is disappointed in the music, but overall we think it is going to be 'home' here in Hong Kong. The church is big - several hundred people, and meets in various different rooms at the convention centre each week - basically which ever room has not been booked by a higher paying client I suspect. We really like the signs on the 'reserved for parents' seats that have a really cute baby and the words "If your baby becomes unsettled, please step out to the foyer (and don't forget to take the baby!)" Something tells me that is the American pastors sense of humour rather than the locals, but it kept us amused.
Thats about it - will take some photos in Langkawi and post them next week.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Brunch
Today is Saturday again - this morning we managed to struggle out of bed before midday. This was an achievement for me, although Sonia was awake (too awake) at some unearthly hour - probably around 8.
We went out to have brunch and decided to try a place we'd seen on the street and in writeups - called Wagyu. An Australian bistro/cafe type of place. Very nice Eggs Benedict, with lots of sauce. The coffee wasn't bad, although not up to the standard of Zambra in Causeway Bay. The menu for dinner was very impressive, so I guess they will see us again sometime soon.
New boss on Friday. Well Thursday really, but I was in KL. It will be interesting - the rumours around HK are that she is not the easiest person to work with or for. Friday appeared to bear this out somewhat. We will see what happens. Worst comes to worst there is heaps happening in the financial services industry.
Both Sonia and I went to KL on Wednesday for a meeting with the local team. I stayed on for Thursday to meet with a few other people, while Sonia fly up to Bangkok. I managed to get home by about 10:30 on Thursday night, and Sonia walked in the door at 9:30 last night.
This coming week has Thursday as a public holiday (I think it's Buddha's birthday?), so we are off to Langkawi for a long weekend. It will be nice to lie in the sun and relax, instead of peering through the humid smog of HK to see if the sun is actually above the horizon.
We went out to have brunch and decided to try a place we'd seen on the street and in writeups - called Wagyu. An Australian bistro/cafe type of place. Very nice Eggs Benedict, with lots of sauce. The coffee wasn't bad, although not up to the standard of Zambra in Causeway Bay. The menu for dinner was very impressive, so I guess they will see us again sometime soon.
New boss on Friday. Well Thursday really, but I was in KL. It will be interesting - the rumours around HK are that she is not the easiest person to work with or for. Friday appeared to bear this out somewhat. We will see what happens. Worst comes to worst there is heaps happening in the financial services industry.
Both Sonia and I went to KL on Wednesday for a meeting with the local team. I stayed on for Thursday to meet with a few other people, while Sonia fly up to Bangkok. I managed to get home by about 10:30 on Thursday night, and Sonia walked in the door at 9:30 last night.
This coming week has Thursday as a public holiday (I think it's Buddha's birthday?), so we are off to Langkawi for a long weekend. It will be nice to lie in the sun and relax, instead of peering through the humid smog of HK to see if the sun is actually above the horizon.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Another week
Just realised that another week has gone by without updates to the blog. So here goes...
Last week was a slow return to the travel bug. Both Sonia and I attended a meeting in Bangkok on Wednesday afternoon (to get agreement to close down a project). Then I took off to Taipei (first trip in a few years) while Sonia stayed in Bangkok to spend time with her favorite Finance team...
Taipei was interesting, seeing Taipei 101 from a small distance. The work was interesting, and hopefully will result in opportunities for further visits.
Saturday night we went to the movies and watched Spiderman 3. A little long at 140 minutes, but it was ok. Just in case you've not seen it yet, he saves the day - sort of. I think I'm probably more looking forward to Ocean's 13, which comes out later this month.
Wednesday morning it's off to KL for a short visit. I'll return to HK on Thursday night, while Sonia goes to Bangkok on Thursday morning, getting in HK on Friday.
Oh, and I went dragon-boating again on Sunday afternoon. Still a little sore, although that may have been a result of the squash games on Saturday morning!
Last week was a slow return to the travel bug. Both Sonia and I attended a meeting in Bangkok on Wednesday afternoon (to get agreement to close down a project). Then I took off to Taipei (first trip in a few years) while Sonia stayed in Bangkok to spend time with her favorite Finance team...
Taipei was interesting, seeing Taipei 101 from a small distance. The work was interesting, and hopefully will result in opportunities for further visits.
Saturday night we went to the movies and watched Spiderman 3. A little long at 140 minutes, but it was ok. Just in case you've not seen it yet, he saves the day - sort of. I think I'm probably more looking forward to Ocean's 13, which comes out later this month.
Wednesday morning it's off to KL for a short visit. I'll return to HK on Thursday night, while Sonia goes to Bangkok on Thursday morning, getting in HK on Friday.
Oh, and I went dragon-boating again on Sunday afternoon. Still a little sore, although that may have been a result of the squash games on Saturday morning!
Monday, May 07, 2007
Dragon-boating is fun
Except that I've ended up a little sore. Surprisingly not just my shoulders, but also my behind! The seats are basically planks of wood running across the boat. Sitting on planks of wood for an hour and a half is not the most comfortable experience, and it is only made worse by the need to rock backwards and forwards as you paddle.
We started practicing strokes so that the leaders could work out how good we are. Then we progressed to a sequence of 10-long-slow-strokes, 20-fast-strokes, then 30-moderate-strokes. This is apparently a lead-in so that we get the hang of things. We were informed by Lisa-the-drummer that we need to end up working even faster than the 20-fast-strokes part. And we are guaranteed at least two races on the day (one towards the final, then one more towards the "consolation plate"). Great!
We started practicing strokes so that the leaders could work out how good we are. Then we progressed to a sequence of 10-long-slow-strokes, 20-fast-strokes, then 30-moderate-strokes. This is apparently a lead-in so that we get the hang of things. We were informed by Lisa-the-drummer that we need to end up working even faster than the 20-fast-strokes part. And we are guaranteed at least two races on the day (one towards the final, then one more towards the "consolation plate"). Great!
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Justice is served
Paris Hilton jailed for 45 days. I particularly like the comment she's reported to have made that she would pay complete attention to everything from now on. I guess we all suspected that her focus on reality was a little tenuous?
Swimming in Saudi Arabia
A great article on BBC News about the first woman to swim in Saudi Arabia. Well worth a read through.
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Brownies
Forgot to update on the progress of Sonia's Kitchen Aid. We've used it - twice!
The first time was to make some brownies. Water, oil, two eggs, and a packet mix. Add chopped marshmallows, chocolate chips, and cherries. Mix it up (takes about 30 seconds), then throw it in the oven. Stop to lick the beater - OH NO - it tastes of peanuts. Check the box - no mention of peanuts. Think. Check the oil - "nut oil" - must be the problem. Check the brownie when it comes out, then throw it into the rubbish bin.
Walk down to the supermarket, purchase another packet, plus a bottle of vegetable oil. Try again. Works perfectly!
Total mixing time - about 1 minute. Maybe 2 if you stretch it.
The first time was to make some brownies. Water, oil, two eggs, and a packet mix. Add chopped marshmallows, chocolate chips, and cherries. Mix it up (takes about 30 seconds), then throw it in the oven. Stop to lick the beater - OH NO - it tastes of peanuts. Check the box - no mention of peanuts. Think. Check the oil - "nut oil" - must be the problem. Check the brownie when it comes out, then throw it into the rubbish bin.
Walk down to the supermarket, purchase another packet, plus a bottle of vegetable oil. Try again. Works perfectly!
Total mixing time - about 1 minute. Maybe 2 if you stretch it.
The Election and Dragonboats
In France, that is.
Is anybody interested? It would seem that this is an event of vital importance, based on the coverage around Asia. The papers and the news seem to be full of it. It's hard to figure out why - inward-looking politicians manouvering their way through a sales process, trying to please everyone while at the same time differentiating themselves from the competition. I guess at least it will all be over within the next couple of days.
Meanwhile in the real world, the first practice for the company's dragonboat tournament entry will be held at 4pm on Stanley beach this Sunday afternoon. Between now and June, we practice every Sunday. Then in June we will pit our immense collection of skill and experience against a motley collection of other teams formed from around Hong Kong. It seems a foregone conclusion that we won't win, but it should be a great laugh.
Having seen dragonboats on TV previously, it looks like we're going to get very wet (not by capsizing, although that's not out of the question). This was confirmed by Linna (the organiser), who warned us to bring a spare change of clothes to each practice.
Stay tuned - we will let you know how things go!
Is anybody interested? It would seem that this is an event of vital importance, based on the coverage around Asia. The papers and the news seem to be full of it. It's hard to figure out why - inward-looking politicians manouvering their way through a sales process, trying to please everyone while at the same time differentiating themselves from the competition. I guess at least it will all be over within the next couple of days.
Meanwhile in the real world, the first practice for the company's dragonboat tournament entry will be held at 4pm on Stanley beach this Sunday afternoon. Between now and June, we practice every Sunday. Then in June we will pit our immense collection of skill and experience against a motley collection of other teams formed from around Hong Kong. It seems a foregone conclusion that we won't win, but it should be a great laugh.
Having seen dragonboats on TV previously, it looks like we're going to get very wet (not by capsizing, although that's not out of the question). This was confirmed by Linna (the organiser), who warned us to bring a spare change of clothes to each practice.
Stay tuned - we will let you know how things go!
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