Happy Birthday, Buddha!!

Today is Buddha's birthday. It is also a public holiday here (yea!).

We decided to join in the first day of celebration for Buddha's B-day by attending the Bun Festival. I have some pictures and a better description that I will update very soon.

For now, I am extremely sunburned despite all attempts to keep sunblock on. I used to be so tan back in the day, but now that I have been anti-tanning for nearly a decade I am officially very white. Unless I spend the better part of a day in the sun and sweating off all sunblock. Then I am red. I do have an interesting pattern between my shoulders, it looks just like Mexico. Kinda weird, but true. It is uncanny!

Anyway, after I sleep for a bit, I will continue to update this post on Buddha's Big Birthday Bash...


I'm baaa-aack!

This is the harbor at Cheung Chau where the first day of celebration for Buddha's B-day begins.This is the main street facing the harbor, near the ferry pier and also a major parade route where the bun climbers run through to climb the tower of buns. It is the Parade of Bun Festival, after all! We missed the actual climb, but that was okay...it was so hot!
This after alighting from the ferry, there is crowd control for all the gazillion people trying to see the parade of buns...it was absolutely crazy.
This is one of many dragon dancers in the parade. There was a marching band, banners, dragons, kids all painted up in tradition make-up and wardrobe and balancing on these three prong platforms.
These are the buns that are on the tower, they are filled with something unidentifiable and you can purchase them. We weren't certain at first if they were edible or not and even if they were if it would be offensive to actually eat it!
In addition to the parade, there were a lot of ambulances going through due the intense heat. Apparently, people were passing out left and right, which it was definitely hot enough for that. Notice how small the ambulance is, people are as tall as it is and it isn't that long either. I doubt Cybr would fit in it lengthwise.
Ahhh, the perfect ending to a miserably hot day.

Insight gained from living abroad...

No matter what race, religion, language barriers or other differences, ALL children really do laugh, cry, and play exactly the same. In a manner consistent with being children that transcends all those things that separate them by their unique characteristics, they are all learning, laughing, loving, hurting, crying and ultimately experiencing the same things. Even if they express these things verbally in many different languages, which happens frequently here in Discovery Bay, it is very easy to understand.

I find great comfort in this.

I have thought this was true all my life, that people are all the same inside, and now I find that my experience here has given me the gift of seeing it first hand. We may all look different, speak different, act different, believe different...but ultimately our humanness binds us as one.

Maybe to some this all sounds stupid or naive, but it makes me smile every time I find myself in a position to be seeing it first hand and on such a grand scale of diversity.

Introducing Lantau Island's Most Popular Feral Cats...

Pictures of our view...

Mae has requested pictures of our view and I have had numerous reasons for delaying this, as I have previously explained. I thought this would be a good time to post the pics I have, in hopes of lifting Mae's spirits.

So, here goes...these are not really good pictures, but it tends to be very hazy so this is the best I can do...

Even Francois enjoys the view...Ahhh, it is a cat's life.

This storm cam through this week and brought a "Black Rain Warning" with it, but it didn't last very long. This pic overlooks the Kowloon peninsula in the distance.

This pic shows the Disney Castle across the harbor from our flat.(bottom left)

Disney fireworks as seen on Sunday, 29 April 2007.

Same as above. Notice the little blue Mickey heads on the building? They are difficult to distinguish in my photo...so sorry.

I hope that this satisfies the request. If I actually do get any really good pictures on a clear day, then I will post them, too.

Sorry it took me so long!

Tryin' to get my groove on.

I am not yet in my groove.

It took me a very long time to create a comfortable groove once we moved to Hong Kong. Now that I have been away for three weeks, not only is my groove service interrupted but I had WAY too much time to think and now I am having a career crisis and baby crisis on top of that.

I had been a designer for almost eight years when we packed up and moved to HK. I have looked into doing that sort of thing over here and it really has no appeal. It is different. I am not interested. I would definitely consider going back to that once we are back in the States, but not here. It isn't worth explaining. I am just not interested.

What in the hell is a girl to do? Should I go back to school? Maybe. Should I self-learn something new? Maybe. The question is 'what?!?'. I have no idea. I am in a rut. Any suggestions are welcome. I am open to considering anything within reason and anything else would simply be entertaining...

As far as babies, we want some. The big question is when. And the more complicated questions are where, how, etc...
My brain is on baby overload. I think we should just get drunk and see how it plays out. Hehe.

I have been very preoccupied with thinking of these things and thinking them to death, which is just my way. All the while, I am trying to re-adjust to walking the dogs, shopping for groceries daily, laundry and lots of it, trying to find a home for all the crap laying around our flat from unpacking and hoping my legs don't take as long to adjust to walking so much.

I will get there and when I do then I will get back into my blogging groove, too.

Home is where my fuzzy kids are...

I am back in Hong Kong.

I made it. I survived the worst flight ever. No air blowing in the whole plane and the entire intercom system shorted out and chirped, crackled and other annoying noises very loudly for more than 11 hours. It was great. Not even ear plugs could drown out the noise. Add to that sweating so bad my underpants were soaked and flying doesn't get much better!

Anyway, I have been unpacking and doing laundry non stop since my return. And it isn't done yet!

I have loved on all my babies and they are so happy to have their mom home.

So is Cybr. He now has clean spoons.

Dinner and a show.

I just returned from dinner on the waterfront at i'Caramba, our only Mexican restaurant in Discovery Bay. There are others in HK, just not here where we live.

Anyway, I just enjoyed a strawberry margarita and chicken tacos with rice and black beans. Mmmmm, that was so good. I loaded it down with Jalapeno Tabasco sauce which is my new favorite condiment.

While I dined waterfront, I was able to sit back and enjoy the cool breeze coming off the harbor and watch the Disney fireworks light up the night sky.

The only thing that could have made it more enjoyable is if my hubby were there with me, but he is in Singapore working his butt off...

The price of dinner is a rip off, but damn it is good. And it will feed me lunch tomorrow, too, so that evens out the price.

Ahhh, it doesn't get much better than that...

Questions and Answers

You ask 'em, I'll answer 'em...

Does anyone have any questions about Hong Kong or about living in Hong Kong? Anything remotely related? Curious about anything? Just have to know something?

If you do, please post it in the comments and I will respond A.S.A.P.

I already have one good one I am working on. Feel free to ask away...

EDIT:
You all asked some really good questions! There are quite a few and I will answer them all as quickly as I can. Thanks!

Out cruisin' in our Benz

Cybr and I went with a group of friends to Tai Mei Tuk and rented bicycles. In the rain, although that part wasn't planned.

There were seven of us total and four of us rented Benz's. That is what they are called, I swear! And I am seriously referring to the funny red two seat-er bicycle with an extra passenger seat in the front.

We rode along a dam that separates Tolo Harbor from a reservoir. That is what you see in the picture above, the dam we rode along. There were speed bumps along the way and we would pedal as fast as we could, hit the speed bumps and bounce hard, then skid sideways to a stop. We almost tipped once. It was a great time.

Everyone else rode safely and thought we were absolutely insane.

We had a delicious lunch and learned that Beef Stroganoff is just not the same over here. I thought it was good, but it had A LOT of veggies in it. I had a local dessert that sounds gross, but tastes sooooo good. It is steamed soy milk curd. Sounds icky, huh? Well, it looks it too. Mmmmm...I wish I had some right now. It is called Tofu Fa and I am certain that is not how to properly spell that, but that is the best I could do.

Midwest girl gets acquinted with Typhoon Warning Signals

Typhoon.

Just the word gives me a sense of uneasiness.

Having lived in the Midwestern U.S. my entire life, I have seen some serious storm damage. I have been witness to three floods; two of which I was old enough to prepare sandbags for, one of which destroyed my Aunt and Uncle's home, one passed us by with minimal water damage and one left our home in ruins. I have seen the aftermath up close and personal after a tornado left my Aunt and Uncle's home flattened and nearly killed both my uncle and my cousin. I have seen some nasty storms and what Mother Nature is capable of, yet I still love to stand outside and watch a storm go through.

Even still, the word typhoon scares the hell out of me. I suppose that is because in the Midwest there is clearly no ocean or extremely large body of water to fuel a storm and I have only ever seen tropical storms via television.

So, here is how it works...

Hong Kong has the following system of Typhoon Warning Signals:

Level 1 = Standby, there is a storm within 800 km(498 miles). More of a "watch" signal

Level 3 = Strong Winds 41-62 km/h(25-40 mph) and gusts exceeding 110 km/h(68 mph). It may or may not rain at this point, but most Kindergartens close for safety. I guess five-year-olds blow away easily in strong winds...

Level 8 = Seriously, if you skip all the numbers between 3 and 8, then we must be totally screwed at this level. This level is gale force winds, whatever the hell that means. It does mean that travel by ferry will cease and most businesses will close, preferably not in that order.

Level 9 = The gale force winds are increasing. Oh, crap!

Level 10 = Hurricane. Yikes! I hope this NEVER happens while we are here. Yes, I said yikes.

I never really gave a lot of thought to tropical storms before moving here, there wasn't really a lot of need. But, now I know. I just really hope not to know...

A cup of joe with a lady I don't know (poetry, isn't it?)

I just spent entirely too much time sitting in a coffee shop talking to two complete strangers. I had a mental list of things I planned to do today and very little will get done now, not that it's a bad thing.

I ordered a cup of coffee and planned on playing with my new toy (DS Lite) and unwinding a bit after my violin lesson and before doing everything else. While I waited for my coffee, I made some idle chit chat with an older lady who was also waiting on coffee. This turned into a three hour chat and uproarious laughter with this 60 year-old Brit and her 60(ish) year-old Australian partner. We covered every subject including history and politics. They were cracking me up.

It is not uncommon for me to strike up conversation with strangers, but rarely does it continue for three hours. They are very nice people and batshit crazy, but in a good way.

I have been invited to shop with them next week at a market they know of here that is difficult to find. They have been coming here on holiday for fifteen years and now come to visit her son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren.

They are a riot, my cheeks actually hurt.

There is a possibility that this is the same crazy, old British lady that I spoke with while wading in the ocean during our visit last May. The same crazy, old lady that asked me how I was enjoying my holiday and then informed me that she "had sex with a China man once, but that was a long time ago". It may be her. Or not.

Either way, I had a great afternoon.

Separated by a dildo...or ribbed for her pleasure, whichever title you prefer.

Clearly I should disclose that this post may not be appropriate for children under 15. Maybe not appropriate for anyone. I don't know.

I want to note an interesting difference between Hong Kong and the U.S.

You can purchase birth control pills over the counter at any local drug store or dispensary. Seriously, they are on the shelf right next to the condoms. Not behind the pharmacy counter, right on the open shelf. No prescription note needed, no need to ask for assistance.

The U.S. is way behind the times on this issue. Birth control and disease control are openly advertised and discussed here. Don't think that it is because HK is more risque than the U.S., for instance the UK shows more nudity and sex on television than we do. Believe me, there is a lot of conservative thinking here regarding nudity and/or sex, but probably no more or less than in the U.S., or at least it would seem so. However, there is not the religion and/or politics factor to interfere with keeping people safe. Not to say they don't have religion or politics, just that they very clearly do not create the same sense of moral dilemma here as they do in the U.S.

People stand on sidewalks and hand out free condoms and at some retail stores you get a free condom with your purchase.

The attitude is very honest regarding sex and safety. Knowledge and availability of protection are the only things that keep people safe. That attitude is acknowledged here.

Oh, and you can buy a dildo at the same time you buy birth control or condoms at the drug store. They are right on the shelf. Right there. No curtains or blacked out windows. Hehe, I said dildo.

So, on a seemingly normal trip to the local drug store, this could be your list if you were in HK:

• Chocolate bar. Check.
• Tampons. Check.
• Lip balm. Check.
• Greeting card. Check.
• Birth control pills, no script needed. Check.
• Dildo. Check, check.

I don't know, maybe people in Hong Kong just have a lot of sex with things that require batteries (not that there's anything wrong with that!).

In that great street carnival...

We went to the AIA World Carnival last Wednesday evening.

This is my observation.

In my experience, carnival rides from Europe are WAY better than any carnival rides in the US. There were three rides that were an absolute rush. Two of which had me screaming like a little girl. One of them, or maybe a combination of all three, made me want to puke.

Now that is what I call a good time.

The haunted house sucked equally as bad as any carnival haunted house back home.

The games were cool, some the same as what we have seen before and some were different. They had games of chance, for instance a number game where you spend five tokens and you receive a bag with five numbers in it and odd numbers win a toy. And they were BIG stuffed animals of all varieties.

Oh, the best part is that it only costs the equivalent to $15 USD to get in and that includes ALL RIDES AND 25 GAME TOKENS.

That is a much better deal that in the States, the last time we went to a carnival you had to buy tickets to ride the rides and one ride could cost like 10 tickets. And that didn't include games. It was a total rip off. Plus the rides sucked, too.

I have no point. Just sharing.

We are SO going back before the end of March when it closes.

Kung Hei Fat Choi...

which loosely translates to "Congratulations and be prosperous"...it is what is said here to acknowledge the Chinese (or Lunar) New Year and 2007 is the year of the Pig.

We are going to go to a wet/dry market specifically set up for the new year that is in Victoria Park. You can buy flowers, new panties, and all other new year traditions. We will be cautious to avoid any taboo signs of bad luck, like speaking of the dead, buying new shoes or pants, buying books, getting a haircut, and sweeping the floor.

It is good luck to wear new clothes and have fresh flowers/plants in your home. I am sure there is MUCH more, but that is all I can think of right now.

I will post pictures and an update as the four day (in HK) holiday progresses over the weekend...

UPDATE:

We went to Victoria Park to the market, which was really more like a fair. There were balloons and stuffed animals and cotton candy. It was SO crowded that all I could see was heads on all sides of me and balloons in the air (it sucks being short sometimes). I had to ask Cybr to tell me if he saw anything worth taking a closer look at.

I did get shoved around a lot. The whole crowd seemed to move as one in many areas and people completely ignored the "One Way" signs for crowd control.

At one point, the crowd seemed to disperse some and I saw some interesting merchandise to look at. There is probably three feet of open space around me, yet one crazy woman is still shoving me from behind. Seriously, I am NOT moving. GO AROUND!!! I was beginning to get a little wild-eyed when I turned around and told her "I am NOT moving." She got it.

I did buy some beautiful orange flowers that B Doo has been terrorizing since they first came through the door. Clearly, I chose the wrong flower to be in our home. I need one that is cat proof...like a plastic flower might survive!

Considering how insanely crowded the market was, we opted not to go to the parade. We really wanted to see the dragon and all the other cool stuff they do but after seeing the market and heeding the advise of Cybr's co-worker's...yeah, we wouldn't have seen a damn thing. So, we chilled out on Sunday and watched Fantastic Four. Not very festive, but we had fun anyway.

We tried to catch the local Discovery Bay festivities on Monday, but we were too late for that. So, we watched Robots and went out for dinner. Good thing for us they are featuring good movies on cable TV this month!

All in all, it was a pretty uneventful holiday for us. Although, we both had stomach issues that were unspeakable at different times over the holiday...staying home is recommended here in case of toilet emergencies, as finding a toilet can be very difficult out in public here.

Oh, by the way, for anyone who may have read Cybr's blog entry regarding this holiday (see his link below)...He says "Gung Hei Fat Choi" on his post and mine says "Kung Hei Fat Choi". These are both correct. His is in Cantonese and mine is in Mandarin.

Okay...here are some of the things I saw at the market. Keep in mind that I couldn't see much!

In order from top left to bottom right...entrance to fair, flower market area, funny year of the pig display, crazy piggie, "uh...what the hell does this mean?!?" sign, yin-yang piggie balloons, caged zebra balloon, free range giraffe balloon, and the always cool SUPER MUSHROOM!!

Trailblazing and gasping for air...

above: the paved trail crossing over a stream that becomes a small waterfall further down the trail.

We took a hike about a month ago that I have been wanting to share pictures of. It is the same trail that the "Doggie Day Trip" post covers, only the full scale version of it. The "Doggie" trip was just the first half hour of the full journey, whereas we had previously hiked the entire trail.

Anyway, we heard about this trail from a neighbor (our dogs play together sometimes). He said it was a great hike and it takes about an hour and a half. Of course, he and his family are physically fit.

That being said, it took Cybr and I about three hours. It goes over mountains, is paved with sidewalks or stairs the WHOLE way, is very steep and seemingly about 2/3 of the trail is UPhill. In our defense, we did stop to take pictures frequently throughout the journey so we aren't THAT out of shape. Okay, we are. But who is keeping track? It's not like we had mountains to climb back home in order to prepare ourselves.

I digress (very frequently, hehe).

Our neighbor told us where the trail entrance is and we were a little surprised at the location. We knew where it was, but we thought it lead to housing and had no idea it was a trail. He also gave us some much needed advice, saying that when we first begin on this trail it will seem as though we are walking through peoples houses. He says it IS the trail, so just keep going. Yeah, uh, it doesn't seem like you are walking through peoples houses...you ARE walking through peoples houses. If he hadn't advised us on this particular subject, we would have turned back. It seemed intrusive and kinda rude to us, but we plodded on per his advice. And it was good advice. The housing isn't exactly housing like we are familiar with either, it is squatters that live in very primitive homes with very primitive accommodations and many of them are of Philippine descent. Everyone we passed was kind and friendly and my perception was that this was not a bad way to live compared to how they lived before coming to Hong Kong.

Anyway, when I say that it is paved the WHOLE way with either sidewalks or stairs, it is really difficult for me to explain the scope of what that actually covers. I have not the words to describe it and pictures cannot do it justice. It is immense. It is grandiose. It is like nothing I have ever seen before, nor did I realize it was even possible. We would stop and just admire this paved trail that crosses miles of mountain terrain and say to each other "There is no chance of ever explaining this to anyone and have them actually visualize what we are seeing".

And the views from up top were beautiful, although it was a little hazy that day so my pictures don't do it justice.

Once we reached the downhill stretch it was all steep, narrow stairs going straight down. This was my favorite part, but I would guess it was a bit difficult for Cybr to maneuver since my feet didn't fit on the steps. Each step requires your attention or you plummet to certain death. It was cool!

The end of this trail brings you to a village called Mui Wo, also called Silvermine Bay. Cybr and I absolutely LOVE this village. It is so quaint and comfortable and the housing is so much cheaper. This would have been the ideal place for us to live over here with our dogs, had we known then what we know now. It has much more of a "local flavour" than Discovery Bay, where we currently reside. Too bad for us, we are locked into a lease.

Stuff that I think about...

This is one of my favorite pics of my sweetie...he appears to be in deep thought (or preparing to pee in the ocean). Either way, I love this one.

This is one of the beautifully landscaped walkways that we pass through on a daily basis. Most everything here is landscaped meticulously.

These are some of the most recent additions to my weird sock collection. I like weird socks and I don't feel the need to explain myself...much. I DO wear them and I like having quirky socks on for some odd reason, and I have had this weird sock thing since junior high school. One of the perks to living in HK is that weird socks are in abundance here and are very cheap, too. YAY! More funny socks for me!!!

This is the building next to ours...Ours looks just like it, but is covered in green mesh so that people don't get hit in the head with construction materials. So, you really can't see it well. Anyway, all of the buildings here are undergoing routine maintenance construction and are scaffolded in ALL BAMBOO. It is kinda cool to watch them construct the scaffolding and it is AMAZING how fast it can be assembled and how high they can go with it. We are in a low rise apartment building, but they do this to the ginormous buildings too. Along with the admiration for how efficient this bamboo scaffolding is, it also brings to mind that it isn't a wonder that Panda's are running low on food.

Mmmmm....REALLY fresh seafood. It is still alive. They "hog-tie" all the crabs so they can't fight or escape.
This is the view looking down from our balcony. I love the sound of waves crashing into the shore, but sometimes it really makes me have to pee.
All of the eggs we see here are all brown eggs, this proves that eggs really do come from a chicken's butt! Actually, it does come as a shock to some people to see eggs that aren't white, but I can say for certain that they come in a variety of colors...brown being the most common. I grew up on a farm and collected eggs straight from the chickens and washed the poo off of them ('cause chickens are gross and poo on everything, thus the joke that they come from a chickens butt...I really do know better.).

I hope this gives everyone something to think about! Or, uh, not...

New Addition

Cybr and I went to the Goldfish Market in Mong Kok and we bought a hamster...strange, but true.

I would like to introduce everyone to our newest addition to our fuzzy family, Pixel.

He is a Chinese Hamster and he is so tiny and cute. He is very gentle, sweet, and completely fearless of the cat and dogs.

Initially, Chini would have liked to have had him for a snack until we convinced her he was just a baby puppy. Now she thinks it is HER baby and she watches him constantly and whines if she cannot see him. She is very protective when we have him out. When we put him in his ball on the floor, she follows and watches him.

Francois ignored him at first, we even put Pixel on Frankies back and Frankie didn't even notice...very entertaining for us. Then, he decided that maybe he should at least make like a cat for a moment and get the mouse but all that entailed (hehe, tail) was him pressing his (clawless) paw onto Pixel. That was it. He was done. Although, he does enjoy watching him in his cage, most especially when he runs in the ball. They touch noses periodically, too.

Guinness doesn't mind him one bit. He thinks it is a baby, too, what with all the hoopla required to convince Chini. Sometimes he resents the baby, because HE is THE baby, as far as he is concerned.

He is so tiny and cute that I could just squish him...but I wouldn't!

Doggie Day Trip

above: Chini going crazy in the sand
above: Chini cleaning her nose...mmm, yummy sand
above: Guinness being stern. Why? We may never know.
above: Guinness catching a breeze

above: view I captured during our hike

above: a boat adrift at sea

Chicken prints (aka Chini prints, we call her Chicken sometimes)

We decided to take the fuzzy kids on a hike on Saturday. They need the exercise and so do we, quite honestly. We have taken this hike before and taken the complete hike, but decided the first time out that the full journey was too long and steep for the kids. So, we opted for the shortened version.

The full hike is a two or three hour hike and goes from Discovery Bay to Mui Wo and we hiked it a few weeks ago. It goes over mountains across to the other side of Lantau Island and is very cool. I will try to get some other pics together from the full hike, but for today I will focus on the doggie day trip.

It is only about 30-45 minutes of a hike to a beach that is near the Trappist Monastery. We were practically dragged there by our dogs since they were all excited about going "bye-bye" and were very much overly stimulated within 15 minutes of the journey. Once we finally got to the beach, Chini and Guinness got to see the ocean for the first time ever. Chini is our water dog, but even she was a little apprehensive due to the ebb and flow so I had to wade in with her. The water is VERY FREAKIN' cold right now, just so you know. I rolled up my jeans and took off my shoes, unleashed the kids and in we went. Chini seemed to like it, despite the apprehension, and Guinness would not go too close to it but we expected as much from him since he hates water.

Both of them enjoyed the sand. Chini likes to roll in it and make puppy angels and dig her nose into it. She does the same thing with snow. It seems to make her crazy. Guinness just liked the way it feels to run in it and kick it up.

We were totally alone on the beach. Just me, the hubby (Cybr, for future reference) and the fuzzy kids...until a little old lady came up behind me and scared me half to death. She came out of no where without a sound. It was at that moment that I thought "Perhaps I should go get my shoes, because it would be a crappy hike back barefoot.". Not that I expected anyone would steal them, but just to be safe. I get to my shoes (they are still there, yea!!) and as I am putting them on I realize that Chini's leash is gone. I had set it right by my shoes. It is gone. I think, "Cybr probably picked it up". I go around the big rocks to find him and he says he doesn't have it. We searched our backpack, no leash. Great. Two dogs, one leash. This is not good.

To make a long story longer, Cybr saw where the little old lady went so I went to ask her about the leash. It is just principle that I cannot just let it go. I walk up to her house and she is outside in her yard with her dog and I ask in Cantonese "Hai bin dou" which means "where?" and I hold up the leash...she ignores me for like five minutes while I am talking to her and then finally looks at me and shakes her head "no".

Okay, clearly she is lying. She was the only other person on the whole beach. Seriously, I would rather give her the money for her to buy a leash than to have her steal mine. It annoys me. Oh, well, what more can I do? Beat up an old lady over a leash? Seems reasonable to me, but I think Cybr might have objected. Hehe.

So, we made it back home with a homemade leash made of plastic strips that we found tied to something on the closest pier. Guinness was completely indignant about his homemade leash, he was so embarrassed. Poor kid.

By the way, the Cantonese phrase is courtesy of Cybr. He just picks this stuff up at work. He is a fart smeller...er, a smart fellow. Something like that.