Jetlagged in Toronto, with tons of Family & Friends to see

I've been in Toronto for about 48 hours and attended a wedding, seen dozens of friends, attended grandma's birthday and caught up with Stephen's family also.  Whirlwind. Its 4am and I am officially jetlagged. Crap I have to go to work tomorrow and for the next few weeks!


Some photos for your enjoyment!

Female golf caddies but frustrating Taipei!

Beautiful golf courses around Bali around (approx 30 courses, some with sea view), and Hakka local food around there. All the caddies are female and they are typically 40+ years old, with a life long knowledge of the greens.  Very unique compared to our pot-smoking single handicap caddy in Jamaica ha ha...

BUT.... Taipei frustrates me!  its the little things that frustrate me this week....for instance:

Firstly, the airport is an hour from town.  Secondly, NEVER go to In House lounge near Mitshukushi Department Store near Taipei 101/Warner Village Cinema.  Their service is slow and rude.... plus I got serious mosquito bites all over my lower legs! I went the the SAME street area at least 5x in the past 4 days...busy yet too developed and 'retail-like' for me. 

Thirdly there is no internet in my hotel or while traveling around town, not even roaming data!  Only on DAY 3 did I get my internet fixed on my laptop in my (supposedly) good hotel.  Kill me already.  Plus taxis take forever!!  Maybe I'm tired. and just complaining.

Another plus: Uniqlo is huge here! They opened a new brand and the queue in Taipei store was around the block.  Did you know the Uniqlo clothing chain owner is the richest man in Japan??  Great cotton quality and materials!  But no time to shop here.

Here's a team dinner photo from yakitori japanese BBQ. I showed up two hours late...thankfully I wasn't the last arrival!!

Have a good day everyone.  See you in Toronto this weekend.

Dodgeball is big here

I searched via several friends to join a sports league, ideally volleyball or soccer (ideally ladies). No luck. Via two sources I heard about dodgeball. So I gave it a try. Wow they take it seriously here! Team uniforms with names and numbers! Two referees! Photographers! Anyway, I have never seen a real dodgeball until yesterday. They are smaller than the utility balls we used in grade 6 (last time I've played ha ha).  As expected, I was 'ball boy' for a few rounds, then when I did play, I made rookie mistakes.  For instance, the opponent threw the ball and it bounced on the ground then hit me. So I walked off the court.  Really, I wasn't out!  Other times were silly mistakes.  Our team lost but it was nice to meet other people from Toronto too.  Maybe I'll try again in a few weeks when back from Taiwan and Toronto...

Earlier today I had a conference call at 4am, then crazy morning of calls then naps.. then headed to Kowloon Bay to see a customer (they are near 'Mega Box' complex). I noticed taxi drivers only like to take you if they know the way! Low effort on their behalf despite the handsome $150 HK fee I was paying, geez.  Had dinner tonight with Carin at Pacific Place then back home to clean and pack.

Tomorrow I'm off to Taipei then Toronto for a few weeks... good bye Hong Kong!  I'll miss your freezing cold MTR trains, incredible eats and inconsistent pedestrians!

Photos!!

Visitors! Naps! Hiking! Rude people :(

Hong Kong people are fairly rude - but I don't think they mean to be.  The bartender at Tonic was rude. They brought the bill 10x faster than our drinks came (ask Carin).  And I bought a band-aid for my toe at a street vendor whom I bargained for 2 band-aids, he took my money then wouldn't give me my 2nd one! WTF! The street light changed and I was already 20 mins late for dinner. I'm such a wimp.

The weather is awesome, comfortable and pleasant. A little rain but 25-30 C these days.

My own system is utterly messed.  Sleeping at 3am every night is bad. Napping is disastrous. But it was fun hanging out with Carin and others this weekend. Also going to the Golf simulator (yikes, two rounds next weekend in Taipei with customers), random DSLR shots in my neighbourhood, and my grand aunt's 90th birthday banquet!

Sloanies 2008 were getting together tonight, and Sloanies '07 are having dim sum tomorrow. Then I'll go for a hike in New Territories... with my awesome new camera.  I know how to use WB White Balance now (thx to my 2nd cousin tonight... he is pretty quiet... until you talk to him about cameras, awesome!).

http://picasaweb.google.com/irene.stephen.yang/5thGrandAuntie90thBirthdayDinnerHoFamily#
http://picasaweb.google.com/irene.stephen.yang/HongKongRandomPhotosFall2010#

Time zones messed up...but not jetlag

I am really tired today. Work has so hectic all week but (surprisingly), its still professionally fulfilling.  Had pho and milk tea last night, then conference calls until 4am, then couldn't sleep so read my ipad book called The Girl Who Played with Fire (sequel to The Girl With a Dragon Tattoo, NY Times best seller).  I liked the first book better because there are too many characters in the sequel and I am getting them all mixed up. Not to mention all the names are in Swedish!  Slept around 6am, had an 8-9am conference call, fell back asleep... and woke at noon!  Then another few calls from home, got into office for a 4pm meeting.  My colleagues better not think I'm a slacker.  What a messy day.

Its only Thursday! :(

1-month in HK...avoid packaged sauces!

I've been here for 1 month. Time flies.  Have I really settled in?

YES 
- My apartment is getting messy. I sometimes sleep in then rush to work - without coffee. So I am back to my normal self !
- I speak more in Cantonese and less in English
- Have my annual health exam this Friday
- I'm not bothered by lack of personal space, poor air, crappy medical/dental plan
- Eating at home is a pain more than a pleasure
- Got paid in HK dollars
- Coffee shop and concierge people recognize me
 - Happily carry Octopus cash card for everything

NO
- Husband not here. Still feel like a business trip with suitcases.  Off to Taiwan and Toronto for 3 weeks soon
- Home and car in Toronto still not packed/shipped and sold, argh!!
- Have yet to meet many new friends and social networks
- Have yet to improve my Mandarin. Need to go to China soon. Damn visa letter - hurry up!
- Still two months away from Hong Kong Credit Card qualification
- I have not dyed my hair or bought white-rimmed glasses yet
- Sad to miss Canadian Thanksgiving Turkey next week.  I'm definitely not going to try... no Oven!
- Sad to see people needing to be lifted up MTR stairs due to lack of elevators/escalators at many stations

Side notes:
I did observe what appears to be a significantly high % of polio cases.  Not sure if its 'polio' per se or its side effects, but significant limping is much much more common in HKG.. wonder why. I see at least 1 person at each MTR station have this issue. Wikipedia is not that informative. Any idea or comments people?!  Supposed to be Polio-Free since 2000. Sad to see the struggles these folks have walking up the MTR stairs. 

After too many dinner nights last few weeks, I'm cooked three times this week... More pain than pleasure.  My rice or pasta carb portion are home-cooked and nice ... BUT all meat or sauces which come pre-marinated are TOO SALTY! In Cantonese, we say this causes "yeet hay" (hot air).  Hence I have to make home made marinades, which takes more time, more little ingredients (I don't have either).  So I am re-thinking to be a 'cook at home' type....

I had a very important meeting which started at 12:30am last night.  Kill me already!  My colleagues consistently set up meetings at odd hours. At least finally my Outlook and SAP status is updated with my Hong Kong info.

I'll be attending the 90th birthday dinner of my grand-aunt this Saturday, and meeting up with Carin Chan my friend who's in town for a month.  And hopefully see a few other friends also. Woo hoo!  Work sucks this week!

Some DSLR photos....

DSLR, HK natural beauty and more great food

Hong Kong actually has wonderful natural beauty.  In the past week, Stephen and I managed to run 4-5km on Bowen Road (from west mid levels to Happy Valley), and also take a relatively costly taxi ride to Stanley Market pier area.  My friend Nancy and Simon were taking semi-pro photographs with their DSLR cameras at Stanley.  After National Day fireworks that evening, Stephen and I picked up a Canon DSLR of our own!  Its so fun to try out a higher end camera... now if only I knew how to work all the features.... 

We continue to enjoy great food .... maybe too much food (Moroccan tonight with other friends in Soho at Sahara, Cantonese at Cuisine Cuisine The Mira Hotel yesterday)

Sadly Stephen has to head back to Toronto on Sunday afternoon.  I'll see him in three weeks time.
http://picasaweb.google.com/irene.stephen.yang/DSLRTrialPhotos