..to arrive home yesterday and find that every tree in the apartment complex (and there are a lot of them!) has been adorned with a swinging or climbing santa claus! To say that Hong Kongers get into Christmas decorating would be an understatement - to say that it is mostly tacky would also be understating the situation. The apartment block now has red baubles on every railing in the outside common areas, christmas trees in every lobby, red tassles and green baubles on every indoor common area railing, a gingerbread house and reindeer at the entrance to the carpark and green and white fairy lights all through the gardens. There is also a large train with carriages of painted toys sitting in the middle of the grass.... Each day something new appears - who knows what it might look like by Christmas!
The city is also being overrun by Christmas lights - I think it really does give Oxford and Bond streets in London a run for their money. Depending on how flash the shopping centre is, the decorations can be very elaborate of very cheap and nasty. IFC where Andrew works (on those rare days when he actually decides to stay in HK!) has been overtaken by person sized Tin Soldiers along with all the trimmings. Pacific Place has gone vintage with mannequins dressed in 18th Century splendour. And then there is Santa Town in statue square... then name says it all.
Will have to get the camera organised and prepare you a 'Hong Kong does Christmas' montage. Maybe tomorrow... waiting for the TV to be delivered today, and then the lounge furniture is coming in on Saturday. Will be good to have the place looking like home. Still have to sort the rugs and curtains - suggestions anyone?
Take Care, Sonia
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Bandwagons Indeed
Click here for a link to Paul's blog if you have not already experienced this literary masterpiece.
And that was the news today...
Oops - today is Thursday. Only one more day until the weekend!
And that was the news today...
Oops - today is Thursday. Only one more day until the weekend!
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
It's sooo cold!
It's cold in Tokyo, and I imagine it will get colder before it warms up again. When I arrived at the airport the temperature gauge was indicating 15 degrees. Hong Kong is not that cold yet.
Went for a walk to find dinner last night, thinking I'd try noodles and/or sushi. But with menus only in Japanese, it became more of a challenge than expected. In the end I chickened out and went for something more recognisable. On the way home I therefore walked past a place that had a menu outside with some English on it! If only I'd noticed that place earlier. Maybe I'll try it tonight after the gym.
Anyway, just arrived at work with my Venti Latte, so I should get on with it.
Went for a walk to find dinner last night, thinking I'd try noodles and/or sushi. But with menus only in Japanese, it became more of a challenge than expected. In the end I chickened out and went for something more recognisable. On the way home I therefore walked past a place that had a menu outside with some English on it! If only I'd noticed that place earlier. Maybe I'll try it tonight after the gym.
Anyway, just arrived at work with my Venti Latte, so I should get on with it.
Friday, November 24, 2006
What's new?
Well, the news comes to you today from Bangkok airport. We may have been here before?
Wednesday was Guangzhou on my newly issued multiple-entry China visa. Guangzhou is a pretty easy day-trip from HK. 8:30 train from the Kowloon side arriving in Guangzhou at 10:00am. Back again on the 6:30 train at night. Then Thursday morning to Bangkok on a flight that was supposed to leave at 9:00am and ended up leaving at 10:30. This was after we "stole" a replacement plane from a group of people who were going to Bali. They were unlucky enough to be delayed from 10:00am to 1:00pm. I did manage to get upgraded to first class, however on a 2 hour flight this is not a big deal. Anyway, we arrived in Bangkok safely. Stayed at the Conrad (nicer than the Banyan Tree for anyone who keeps track). Now after a day of meetings and a very pleasant working lunch with a colleague, I sit patiently awaiting a 7:00pm flight back to HK. When it arrives (about 10:45), I'm supposed to race into town and try to catch up with my team and previous boss for coffee (they are meeting for dinner). Then home. Another busy week.
Monday sees another flight to Japan, where I expect to spend the week. At this point I still cannot say anything more than "Moshi moshi" (a casual form of "hello) and "Arrigato" ("thankyou"). I have learnt along the way that you should not say "sayonara" for "goodbye" as it actually means "I will not see you again".
More tidying of the apartment is planned for the weekend, not sure what else. That's really all I can think of for now.
Wednesday was Guangzhou on my newly issued multiple-entry China visa. Guangzhou is a pretty easy day-trip from HK. 8:30 train from the Kowloon side arriving in Guangzhou at 10:00am. Back again on the 6:30 train at night. Then Thursday morning to Bangkok on a flight that was supposed to leave at 9:00am and ended up leaving at 10:30. This was after we "stole" a replacement plane from a group of people who were going to Bali. They were unlucky enough to be delayed from 10:00am to 1:00pm. I did manage to get upgraded to first class, however on a 2 hour flight this is not a big deal. Anyway, we arrived in Bangkok safely. Stayed at the Conrad (nicer than the Banyan Tree for anyone who keeps track). Now after a day of meetings and a very pleasant working lunch with a colleague, I sit patiently awaiting a 7:00pm flight back to HK. When it arrives (about 10:45), I'm supposed to race into town and try to catch up with my team and previous boss for coffee (they are meeting for dinner). Then home. Another busy week.
Monday sees another flight to Japan, where I expect to spend the week. At this point I still cannot say anything more than "Moshi moshi" (a casual form of "hello) and "Arrigato" ("thankyou"). I have learnt along the way that you should not say "sayonara" for "goodbye" as it actually means "I will not see you again".
More tidying of the apartment is planned for the weekend, not sure what else. That's really all I can think of for now.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Time for a quick note
It's Monday morning again. Things are starting to become familiar around Hong Kong now. We got in a taxi last night and the driver didn't seem to know exactly where to go, but we managed. The streets started to look like we should recognise them, so I guess we mostly knew where we were.
After saying that the phone is organised, we found out on Friday that it's going to take around 10 days for them to install. Turns out that PCCW (the largest supplier) does not have lines into the building. As I understand it, the building developers agreed a contract with another (smaller) supplier, so PCCW now need to apply to that company to have a line allocated to them. Oh well, we don't need to watch TV that much anyway.
The flight back from Tokyo on Friday night ended up getting in on Saturday morning. It was delayed by about two hours, and I eventually arrived home about 2am. Not a great start to the weekend.
Saturday was spent mostly waiting. Waiting for the groceries to be delivered (order online). Waiting for Ikea to show up and install the wardrobes. At least both of those things happened. We now have wardrobes in the bedroom and wardrobes in the office. I'll have to post a picture because the space left in the office is only just big enough for a desk. If you sit at the desk, your back will be touching the wardrobes! Still, now we have some storage space, some more of the boxes can be unpacked. Clean clothes that are different to what we wore yesterday!
Yesterday afternoon we went across to Horizon Plaza in Ap Lei Chau, which is a separate island to HK but considered part of HK overall. It's a furniture "mall", although the word does not really apply. It's really a building with lifts. There is no sense to the layout, so while you can pick up a directory (list of names and floors), it's then really pot-luck. We did find (in no particular order) a chocolate shop that does good coffee, a wine shop that stocks a decent range of NZ wines, and an Italian grocery store. And quite a few furniture shops of varying quality.
Time to get off to work now. Bye.
After saying that the phone is organised, we found out on Friday that it's going to take around 10 days for them to install. Turns out that PCCW (the largest supplier) does not have lines into the building. As I understand it, the building developers agreed a contract with another (smaller) supplier, so PCCW now need to apply to that company to have a line allocated to them. Oh well, we don't need to watch TV that much anyway.
The flight back from Tokyo on Friday night ended up getting in on Saturday morning. It was delayed by about two hours, and I eventually arrived home about 2am. Not a great start to the weekend.
Saturday was spent mostly waiting. Waiting for the groceries to be delivered (order online). Waiting for Ikea to show up and install the wardrobes. At least both of those things happened. We now have wardrobes in the bedroom and wardrobes in the office. I'll have to post a picture because the space left in the office is only just big enough for a desk. If you sit at the desk, your back will be touching the wardrobes! Still, now we have some storage space, some more of the boxes can be unpacked. Clean clothes that are different to what we wore yesterday!
Yesterday afternoon we went across to Horizon Plaza in Ap Lei Chau, which is a separate island to HK but considered part of HK overall. It's a furniture "mall", although the word does not really apply. It's really a building with lifts. There is no sense to the layout, so while you can pick up a directory (list of names and floors), it's then really pot-luck. We did find (in no particular order) a chocolate shop that does good coffee, a wine shop that stocks a decent range of NZ wines, and an Italian grocery store. And quite a few furniture shops of varying quality.
Time to get off to work now. Bye.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
My Turn...
Well he has gone and left me home alone for the rest of the week - how inconsiderate when I had just made it back from NZ to play the part of dutiful wife...
I have however achieved todays goals.
1. Everything that needs to fit in the kitchen is now in the kitchen, and even put away in cupboards. Yeah for Ikea's stacking and storing options... they almost know me in Ikea now :-)
2. We have broadband internet and cable TV sorted. A package deal costing about 50NZD per month gives us all the channels we could possibly want plus the fastest broadband we have ever had - nice to find something that is cheaper here!
3. We have a phone sorted. Will be installed on Friday, so I will get the phone number then and text it out far and wide. (20NZD per month - not too bad either)
4. I now have a Hong Kong handphone number rather than Andrew's old Malaysia one... please stop texting me on the old number...
5. I am registered as a Hong Kong Resident and have a temporary ID card. My thumb prints have been stored and I am officially nothing more than a number with thumbs - yeah. At forty minnutes start to finish to get my card finished, HK must have the most efficient immigration service in Asia - I was envisaging an all day exercise a-la Malaysia.
6. And most importantly, I have new leggings to wear to the gym... no excuse now for not getting rid of those holiday kilos!!
Good Night,
Sonia
I have however achieved todays goals.
1. Everything that needs to fit in the kitchen is now in the kitchen, and even put away in cupboards. Yeah for Ikea's stacking and storing options... they almost know me in Ikea now :-)
2. We have broadband internet and cable TV sorted. A package deal costing about 50NZD per month gives us all the channels we could possibly want plus the fastest broadband we have ever had - nice to find something that is cheaper here!
3. We have a phone sorted. Will be installed on Friday, so I will get the phone number then and text it out far and wide. (20NZD per month - not too bad either)
4. I now have a Hong Kong handphone number rather than Andrew's old Malaysia one... please stop texting me on the old number...
5. I am registered as a Hong Kong Resident and have a temporary ID card. My thumb prints have been stored and I am officially nothing more than a number with thumbs - yeah. At forty minnutes start to finish to get my card finished, HK must have the most efficient immigration service in Asia - I was envisaging an all day exercise a-la Malaysia.
6. And most importantly, I have new leggings to wear to the gym... no excuse now for not getting rid of those holiday kilos!!
Good Night,
Sonia
A quick note
The news. Well.....
Yesterday my boss resigned to move to AIG in Hong Kong, so today I'm "bossless". Not the end of the world, although a little unsettling. His boss is/was the CEO, so for now we (team of four) "report" to the CEO.
I'm off to Tokyo again this afternoon, returning on Friday night. Sonia was off at Ikea yesterday arranging wardrobe cupboards for the bedroom and study. We are lining one wall of the study with wardrobes in order to give ourselves storage space - somewhere to hide the vacuum cleaner and other bits and pieces. These will be delivered on Saturday (and installed), so we should be able to make some progress tidying up a little.
Sonia has the job of measuring the walls and calculating the "real" size of the apartment. Just so we know...
Anyway, on the transport side. I took the public bus yesterday (remember $5?) which drops me off right outside the office building. It takes a while though, and the seats are fairly small - made for Asian frames, not mine! Today I took the shuttle bus again, after Sonia worked out a way to walk from the place the bus stops through to the office. It's about 5 minutes on a covered walkway up above the streets. Ok at this time of year when it's cooler, but I imagine it will be a killer in summer. Isn't it amazing to be talking about seasons, after 3 years in Malaysia's 32 degrees (Centigrade).
Anyway, time for work now.
Yesterday my boss resigned to move to AIG in Hong Kong, so today I'm "bossless". Not the end of the world, although a little unsettling. His boss is/was the CEO, so for now we (team of four) "report" to the CEO.
I'm off to Tokyo again this afternoon, returning on Friday night. Sonia was off at Ikea yesterday arranging wardrobe cupboards for the bedroom and study. We are lining one wall of the study with wardrobes in order to give ourselves storage space - somewhere to hide the vacuum cleaner and other bits and pieces. These will be delivered on Saturday (and installed), so we should be able to make some progress tidying up a little.
Sonia has the job of measuring the walls and calculating the "real" size of the apartment. Just so we know...
Anyway, on the transport side. I took the public bus yesterday (remember $5?) which drops me off right outside the office building. It takes a while though, and the seats are fairly small - made for Asian frames, not mine! Today I took the shuttle bus again, after Sonia worked out a way to walk from the place the bus stops through to the office. It's about 5 minutes on a covered walkway up above the streets. Ok at this time of year when it's cooler, but I imagine it will be a killer in summer. Isn't it amazing to be talking about seasons, after 3 years in Malaysia's 32 degrees (Centigrade).
Anyway, time for work now.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
An interesting week
It was an interesting week this week, crossing Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Manila.
The week started with a flight to Tokyo where I spent two days working with the Japan team. My first time in Japan, and I had not realised how far out the airport is from the city - about 1.5 hours when not at rush hour. There is a very efficient bus service from the airport, although being Japan there is a great awareness of environmental concerns. This extended to the bus, which did not have any air-conditioning. The hotel followed the same approach, with signs up everywhere saying that air-conditioning is switched off in Spring and Autumn. Maybe if China had the same level of awareness, the smog problems in Hong Kong would be significantly smaller! It was great to look up at the brilliant blue sky.
It also the first time conducting a meeting through an interpreter. Having to work through the interpreter puts quite a different spin on a meeting. You have so much more time to think, although I spent most of it thinking about how to phrase my questions carefully in order to maximise the time.
Then on to Manila, which was quite a change from the modern metropolis of Tokyo. Everyone talks about the traffic problems, but until I saw it I did not understand how big the city is and how much traffic there is. The twenty-minute drive from the airport to the hotel took close to 1.5 hours when departing at 5pm on Friday night. Only a day in Manila, working through the tropical heat and humidity. Still, it was great and hopefully there will be reasons to return.
Today, the washing machine and air-conditioning are being fixed. Oh, and the doorbell, which turned out to require new batteries. The washing machine is now working through the first load of clothes, and the contractor is here working on the air-conditioning. It turns out the problem with the washing machine was simply that the drain pipe was clogged with construction dust and dirt.
Sonia arrives tonight, so she'll have the uneviable task of getting phone, TV, internet installed. This type of thing does turn out to be much simpler in HK than Malaysia.
The week started with a flight to Tokyo where I spent two days working with the Japan team. My first time in Japan, and I had not realised how far out the airport is from the city - about 1.5 hours when not at rush hour. There is a very efficient bus service from the airport, although being Japan there is a great awareness of environmental concerns. This extended to the bus, which did not have any air-conditioning. The hotel followed the same approach, with signs up everywhere saying that air-conditioning is switched off in Spring and Autumn. Maybe if China had the same level of awareness, the smog problems in Hong Kong would be significantly smaller! It was great to look up at the brilliant blue sky.
It also the first time conducting a meeting through an interpreter. Having to work through the interpreter puts quite a different spin on a meeting. You have so much more time to think, although I spent most of it thinking about how to phrase my questions carefully in order to maximise the time.
Then on to Manila, which was quite a change from the modern metropolis of Tokyo. Everyone talks about the traffic problems, but until I saw it I did not understand how big the city is and how much traffic there is. The twenty-minute drive from the airport to the hotel took close to 1.5 hours when departing at 5pm on Friday night. Only a day in Manila, working through the tropical heat and humidity. Still, it was great and hopefully there will be reasons to return.
Today, the washing machine and air-conditioning are being fixed. Oh, and the doorbell, which turned out to require new batteries. The washing machine is now working through the first load of clothes, and the contractor is here working on the air-conditioning. It turns out the problem with the washing machine was simply that the drain pipe was clogged with construction dust and dirt.
Sonia arrives tonight, so she'll have the uneviable task of getting phone, TV, internet installed. This type of thing does turn out to be much simpler in HK than Malaysia.
Monday, November 06, 2006
First commute
Today was the first day travelling from the new apartment to the office. Having caught the shuttle bus a couple of times on the weekend and having a reasonable trip, I thought today I'd try that route. I left the apartment at 6:59 according to the clock. The bus arrived within 5 minutes of me getting to the waiting area. There were a few others there as well - mostly suits on the way to the office. The bus actually takes a while to get to the station in town. Then to the MTR, arriving at Central, and the 5-10 minute walk to IFC. All in all not a big deal, although it did take a while. I walked into Pacific Coffee at 7:45. I guess you can probably clock it at 45 minutes door-to-door?
Next time I'll try catching the public bus, which in theory takes 40 minutes but has the advantage of finishing up right outside the office.
I spotted one guy from the shuttle bus jumping into a taxi as soon as he got off the bus. Maybe that's a good idea for keeping the temperature down? The MTR can be pretty warm at times.
Anyway, that was the trip to work. Rivetting, huh?
I discovered on the weekend two of the drawbacks of moving into a completely new apartment. The airconditioner in the living area leaks onto the floor. I can put up with that - the temperature is fine if you keep the doors open to let the breeze in. The bigger issue is the drainpipe into which the washing machine empties waste water, doesn't. Drain, that is. Being new, the apartment and everything in it is still under warranty, however I'm not at home all of this week, so it's going to be difficult to get it fixed. Meanwhile I'm running out of clean underwear!
Next time I'll try catching the public bus, which in theory takes 40 minutes but has the advantage of finishing up right outside the office.
I spotted one guy from the shuttle bus jumping into a taxi as soon as he got off the bus. Maybe that's a good idea for keeping the temperature down? The MTR can be pretty warm at times.
Anyway, that was the trip to work. Rivetting, huh?
I discovered on the weekend two of the drawbacks of moving into a completely new apartment. The airconditioner in the living area leaks onto the floor. I can put up with that - the temperature is fine if you keep the doors open to let the breeze in. The bigger issue is the drainpipe into which the washing machine empties waste water, doesn't. Drain, that is. Being new, the apartment and everything in it is still under warranty, however I'm not at home all of this week, so it's going to be difficult to get it fixed. Meanwhile I'm running out of clean underwear!
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Bacar
A new place today for the ongoing Eggs Benedict trials. A cafe called Bacar just off the Midlevels Escalator. It looked very inviting from the escalator, with a chalkboard menu outside advertising (amongst other things) Eggs Benedict. Very laid back, with a few people sitting relaxing with coffee and the paper. The cafe is long and narrow (as are most of the places around here), with couch-style seats along one side.
The Eggs Benedict turned out to be two poached eggs with bacon and spinach, on two good-sized pieces of rye bread. Not quite Eggs Benedict. However, it was good. The bread was toasted nicely, the eggs were done properly (still runny inside) and the sauce was good. I'm not keen on spinach, but this time it seemed to work ok. Coffee was ok, although the Latte I ordered after the eggs was good.
In terms of scores?
The Eggs Benedict turned out to be two poached eggs with bacon and spinach, on two good-sized pieces of rye bread. Not quite Eggs Benedict. However, it was good. The bread was toasted nicely, the eggs were done properly (still runny inside) and the sauce was good. I'm not keen on spinach, but this time it seemed to work ok. Coffee was ok, although the Latte I ordered after the eggs was good.
In terms of scores?
- Eggs - 10/10 - cooked just right.
- Bread - 8/10 - rye bread instead of a muffin, but toasted right.
- Hollandaise - 8/10 - could have used a little more, but it tasted good and wasn't too thin.
- Coffee - 5/10 - "could try harder".
- Ambience - 9/10 - this could become a regular place to chill on the weekend.
- Total - 40/50.
Not quite Eggs Benedict
It's Saturday night in Hong Kong. I got back from KL this afternoon and got some more stuff done around the apartment. At 4pm I decided it was probably time to head out and get the pillows and iron. Doing this at 4pm on a Saturday is not a great move - this is when HK is out on the town. Still.
Then cleaning up the apartment - a bit like cleaning the cat's ears on a Saturday night? Went for a swim and sampled the facilities - sauna, steam room, etc. Not bad, although the decor is very pretentious.
Got back and realised there is a small puddle on the floor of the kitchen. The air conditioner in the living area is not working. Well it does work, but after 15 minutes or so it decides that it's "full" and needs to relieve the pressure by dripping onto the floor. Checked out the contact details for the management office (being brand new the apartment is still under warranty), but they closed at 6pm until they reopen on Monday. Oh well, not the end of the world. Temperatures in HK are nice - highs of 26 at the moment - so open the doors and enjoy the fresh air.
Good night.
Ooops - forgot about the eggs benedict comment. Breakfast at the Shangri-La in KL - not really Eggs Benedict, but scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and hollandaise sauce. Yum.
Then cleaning up the apartment - a bit like cleaning the cat's ears on a Saturday night? Went for a swim and sampled the facilities - sauna, steam room, etc. Not bad, although the decor is very pretentious.
Got back and realised there is a small puddle on the floor of the kitchen. The air conditioner in the living area is not working. Well it does work, but after 15 minutes or so it decides that it's "full" and needs to relieve the pressure by dripping onto the floor. Checked out the contact details for the management office (being brand new the apartment is still under warranty), but they closed at 6pm until they reopen on Monday. Oh well, not the end of the world. Temperatures in HK are nice - highs of 26 at the moment - so open the doors and enjoy the fresh air.
Good night.
Ooops - forgot about the eggs benedict comment. Breakfast at the Shangri-La in KL - not really Eggs Benedict, but scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and hollandaise sauce. Yum.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
New apartment
Today was the big day. "Moving Day".
This morning I met the real estate agent and the landlord at the apartment for the handover. The agent went round the rooms checking and photographing everything while Edmund (the landlord) and I stood and chatted. Once she'd finished we both signed the forms without really reading them (hope they're correct), and that was that!
About half-way through the transfer, Crown started to deliver the boxes. The rooms started looking smaller and smaller as more and more boxes appeared in the room. And the boxes continued to multiply!
An interesting facet of life in Hong Kong was bought home to me tonight as I used the bathroom in the gym. Everything is automatic here. You don't need to flush the toilet because it's one step ahead of you (well almost) - all you need to do is stand up or step back, and the toilet thinks "that's my queue". Then to wash your hands, just hold them under the tap, and the tap thinks "now it's my turn". If you want soap (and you should always use soap), hold your hands under the dispenser and it turns on! Even the door to the changing rooms is automatic - even though it's a normal door with a handle! I am quickly coming to the conclusion that "time saving" is a national preoccupation. I'm a little worried that when we are back in NZ, UK (etc.), we'll be standing there wondering why the toilet is not flushing (broken?) and why you have to turn the tap yourself? And what's with the bars of soap?
The bed is assembled and made, minus pillows because we don't have them. The clothes are still in their boxes (no wardrobes or drawers) and the kitchen looks like a bomb-site. At least the BBQ fits on the balcony with a bit of room to look past at the boats as they go by! Once I get a minute on the weekend I will take and post some photos of the view. That is, of course, as long as the Typhoon warning signal does not escalate at the wrong time. Today the T1 signals appeared in offices and foyers of shopping malls and hotels. T1 means "stand by". If it escalates too much, we're supposed to retreat to our homes and shut the windows and doors.
Tomorrow morning brings a plane to KL, back on Saturday morning. Next week is looking like a tough one, starting on Sunday night with a flight to Jakarta, then Monday night to Tokyo. Depending on how the Monday meetings go, I'll either race back to Manila on Thursday for Friday meetings, or return on HK on Friday night.
As I write this, Cocktail is on - Tom Cruise looks so young! Still, it came out in 1988, so I guess he's now 18 years older.
This morning I met the real estate agent and the landlord at the apartment for the handover. The agent went round the rooms checking and photographing everything while Edmund (the landlord) and I stood and chatted. Once she'd finished we both signed the forms without really reading them (hope they're correct), and that was that!
About half-way through the transfer, Crown started to deliver the boxes. The rooms started looking smaller and smaller as more and more boxes appeared in the room. And the boxes continued to multiply!
An interesting facet of life in Hong Kong was bought home to me tonight as I used the bathroom in the gym. Everything is automatic here. You don't need to flush the toilet because it's one step ahead of you (well almost) - all you need to do is stand up or step back, and the toilet thinks "that's my queue". Then to wash your hands, just hold them under the tap, and the tap thinks "now it's my turn". If you want soap (and you should always use soap), hold your hands under the dispenser and it turns on! Even the door to the changing rooms is automatic - even though it's a normal door with a handle! I am quickly coming to the conclusion that "time saving" is a national preoccupation. I'm a little worried that when we are back in NZ, UK (etc.), we'll be standing there wondering why the toilet is not flushing (broken?) and why you have to turn the tap yourself? And what's with the bars of soap?
The bed is assembled and made, minus pillows because we don't have them. The clothes are still in their boxes (no wardrobes or drawers) and the kitchen looks like a bomb-site. At least the BBQ fits on the balcony with a bit of room to look past at the boats as they go by! Once I get a minute on the weekend I will take and post some photos of the view. That is, of course, as long as the Typhoon warning signal does not escalate at the wrong time. Today the T1 signals appeared in offices and foyers of shopping malls and hotels. T1 means "stand by". If it escalates too much, we're supposed to retreat to our homes and shut the windows and doors.
Tomorrow morning brings a plane to KL, back on Saturday morning. Next week is looking like a tough one, starting on Sunday night with a flight to Jakarta, then Monday night to Tokyo. Depending on how the Monday meetings go, I'll either race back to Manila on Thursday for Friday meetings, or return on HK on Friday night.
As I write this, Cocktail is on - Tom Cruise looks so young! Still, it came out in 1988, so I guess he's now 18 years older.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)