Mail courier hk to Toronto 2 days (past customs)...

But from one end of Toronto to mid way.at my grandma's.... 4 days and counting

Geez!! What the hell! Why so slow!?

And this is a speed post courier package.

Gonna lose it if Canada Post doesn't find the right truck route this time!

End of blog today

typhoon swimming in Taipei and nice wedding in Tuscany

A whirlwind few weeks in Germany (for work) then two days in nearby Tuscany for a wedding, then Taipei for another wedding!  Really disappointed we missed the 3rd family wedding in Sept (one month after returning):

EUROPEAN OBSERVATIONS
a. The tuscany view from piazza michelangelo was just as I remembered it.  Incredible, scenic. great food.  The hosts also had a welcome dinner at a winery in Chianti.  I did some minimal wandering around the city and my requisite grocery store run, then came wedding lunch and dinner.  Short but lovely getaway.  far better than Germany food as well!

b. Europeans live well.  Too well.  Their (lack of) service mentality clearly exhibits why their economy is suffering and may continue to lag behind.

Case example 1.  Florence, Italy airport.  There were three disorganized, criss-crossing queues to buy drinks/snacks/water.  If that airport was remotely interested in sales or profits, they could handily make 3-4x food sales.  (80% of fellow passengers had to board flights without time to wait for their bottles of water or food).  Reminds me of Greece, where the ferry tells you to avoid boarding -- if you have a flight that same DAY!  (in other words, we will be on schedule +/- 4-6 hours - don't rush us)

Case example 2.  Germany - supposedly the most efficient.  Yes the trains are on time.  But people certainly don't help, hence you should budget minimum 4 hours for layover.  Almost as bad as Heathrow in London.  I quote from Lufthansa's check-in counter, "I only follow rules", and "you should go to that queue" (2-3x).  You should get the customs stamp there, and then come here to submit the form, and then there the other tax-free company stand is over there.  45 mins in wrong queue.  "Your 2nd luggage came out with another flight on that other conveyor belt, so its not lost, even though you waited over an hour twenty feet away" . WTF.  Brilliant high quality customer service. 

Makes one appreciate Hong Kong airport and Cathay Pacific (and even Air Canada) sooo much more!  On the way back my luggage was waiting for me by the time I got through immigration.

Asia is not all bells and whistles - Malaysia buses have been known to be up to 12 hours late or to set fire

BACK TO TAIPEI... THIS TIME DURING TYPHOON USAGI -- FOR FUN ! 
Stephen and I took the mid-autumn festival long weekend to attend his team member's wedding in Taipei.  Definitely not our first trip there, but it felt more relaxing since I was finally there for leisure and not business.  We exercised, swam 3x in the rainy, typhoon but nice rooftop pools and caught up with stephen's uncle.

The wedding was lovely and food was nice and plentiful.  Even got props having joined the Hong Kong visitor table.  First night was spent in Da'an area at Shangri-La, very nice, apparently lots of diplomats stay there.  Post wedding, we went to Regent Taipei near Zhongshan (main station area) in the west of the city.  After minors hiccups honoring my company rate, we relaxed in their rooftop pool, gym and ate some shitty, local beef noodle soup (ASIAN HOTELS REALLY SHOULD TRAIN THEIR CONCIERGES BETTER).

Next day the food was LOVELY, we went to the Taipei fish market for very fresh sashimi and crab!!! Yum Yum!!  Despite the torrential typhoon rains, we managed to walk around Xinyi area (not much good shopping) then later headed to Linkou to stay with Stephen's uncle.

Survived and made it back to Hong Kong 4 hours before the airport shut down for the typhoon!!! This typhoon was heading from Taiwan to Hong Kong, so I guess we just beat it!

Our 5th wedding anniversary is this week.  It won't be as adventurous as climbing Kota Kinabalu last year but I'm sure we'll have a good time in HK.

Photos: UNESCO World Heritage Site in Speyer, Germany

 Photo:  Four Seasons Firenze Italy

 Photo:  Four Seasons Firenze Italy

Photo:  Winery in Chianti, Tuscany, Italy; view of Florence from Piazza Michelangelo

 

 Photo:  Shangri-La Far Eastern, Taipei; Dozo Da'an

Photo:  Four Seasons Firenze

Addiction Aquatic Development, Taipei Fish Market

Summer 2013: nearly 3 years in Asia... getting a bit too long-term!?

Well... its been WAY too long since I've blogged. Let's see. Its been 6 months+ since I joined a new company called BASF and escaped the dearth of China mainland business trips!  Tokyo and Bangkok and Singapore are way more modern, clean and better food so I am blessed with the ability to go there for work occasionally.

Stephen and I just returned from two weeks in Toronto.  Each of us had a first cousin getting married.  As usual the driving around town really wore us down. But the early morning jetlag-induced running helped!  Weather overall was glorious.  We should really visit more in Summer and less in Winter!

I cannot believe its been 3 years next month since I moved to Hong Kong! Both of us are on our 2nd jobs and I'm starting to feel more like a visitor to Canada rather than resident (officially this works as well with tax authorities).  Unfortunately only spent 3 hours of two weeks seeing my Toronto friends; rest of time was purely family and Stephen's friends.  I guess social networks have moved on without me.

At the same time, its nice to have a small yet good set of friends here in Hong Kong.  We can call each other last minute for some great Sai Kung seafood (two weeks ago), the occasional drink/brunch/dinner or even run errands together and share domestic help!

Don't know where this 'Asia Living' journey is heading.  We're seriously appreciating the clean air, lower cost of living and laid back lifestyle of North America.  Maybe its time... to wrap up this blog?! :)

Bangkok city view...flat but nice

HK as "transient city" (unlike T.O.)... and progress how Chinese deal with animal viruses

Right now its 8pm and I am at work.  Its only Wednesday and so far this week, I have clocked in 40 hours (and counting). Painful!

Most expats like us come to/through HK for a few years.  (Mostly) British and some other foreigners - although fewer these days compared with Singapore -- may settle down and raise families (FILTH, failed in London, try Hong Kong).

Since arriving here in late 2010, several of my business school and other friends have moved away, back to US/Canada, off to cleaner & more English friendly Singapore, etc.

This "transient city" idea is VERY different from my experience in Toronto.  A lot of smaller-town Canadians study and then settle in Toronto (including my own hubby!).  But if that occurs, in my observation, they rarely leave.

What is the impact of this?
- traveling a lot more for weddings and special occasions
- having close friends in many other cities is the norm
- being open to making new friends all the time - even if you're 'middle -aged' (for sure the people here in HK are more open to new friends than my experience in Toronto even with "friends of friends"!)
- seeking for stability where possible, e.g. expanding network to include local family and colleagues, living more like a local (less in expat areas), etc.
- yourself being ready to move on short notice - usually for work (as this often is the cause of folks coming through and leaving HK)

On another scary note, there is a mysterious bird flu in Eastern China that has so far claimed the lives of 9 people.  They shut down many live chicken trading markets and as a result, I went "vegetarian" while in Shanghai earlier this week. Scary stuff. I don't think they really know what's going on, whether human to human spreading occurs...as this strain was only before seen in pigeons.....

Funny but scary (related) feedback from my Shanghai colleagues. He said it was "progress" that Chinese pig farmers disposed of the hundreds of thousands of pig carcasses floating in the Huangpu (Yellow River) through Shanghai!  At least they recognized a problem and didn't use the pigs for food supply!!!! GEEZ... I guess this is all about progression from an Emerging Market to a Mature Market?!

Papa John's pizza was the ONLY good thing about Hangzhou!

This past Easter weekend, Stephen and I made a last-minute get-away to Shanghai (been there before a few times) and this time, we took the high speed rail to Hangzhou (capital of Zhejiang province, supposedly really pretty West Lake etc).

It was quite a disorganized trip as we didn't pre-book our rail tickets so had to queue for an hour+ at Hongqiao station in Shanghai (the whole train ride should only be an hour!).  Dial back an hour, we almost went to the wrong train station!  Then another hour long taxi queue upon arrival in Hangzhou (train station is pretty disgusting)... followed by a massive traffic-jam ride to West Lake. Argh!

We finally rented our bicycles and the route around the lake was SO JAMMED with people and bikes, we could barely move.  Worst still, the pollution from the countless buses and cars was making it difficult to breathe!  What a zoo (and it's not even a China holiday weekend!). Then we returned our bikes late to the wrong location and they didn't give us our deposit back. Argh!!

Anyway, we made it to Papa John's and it was honestly the BEST PIZZA I've eaten in Asia so far :)

And back to Shanghai for much needed alcohol to cleanse our sore throats and wallow in our sorrow. ha ha.  The rest of the long weekend was enjoyable in Shanghai... including local Shanghai lunch with my old colleague and meandering about the artsy area, having coffee and wandering the Bund without pouring rain. Good dinners and lounges as well at Lynn and Constellation respectively.

I thought ok...we'repretty much DONE with China travel and chaos and pollution after Hangzhou!  But returning again to Shanghai next week (this time for work, ugh).

Came back to enjoy Morihachi Yakiniku grilled Japanese meat with Carin & David (visiting from SF Bay Area) and Li :)  Lots of Sloanies in town these days!

All in all, having a four day weekend with a short getaway was good... just don't bother with Hangzhou.

Traveling korea is tough with English only... chinese helps

We spent chinese new year in Gangwon Province for snowboarding. A 3 hour bus ride from Seoul's mainIncheon airport (missed bus by 5 mins due to slow 'special baggage)... followed by taxi and High1 hotel check in....  unlike most people from hk.... we did this on own own rather than by tour group. The hotel was decent with a gondola directly to the top of the mountain. Snow was icey  and hills were honestly fairly tame. I must say however that Korean skiing is very posh. The lunch time meals were hotel, tons of appetizers and real food choices (no grub like burgers or fries to be found).

Long story short? Korea skiing is in infancy (fancy florescent ski wear abound, most people are pretty beginner level)... By the time they host the 2018 Olympics, it should be more well developed I think! Also at least at High1 resort... way more boarders than skiiers-which is cool.

Beyond that trip I started a new job at a chemical company doing strategy and consulting. The work is interesting and its a close walk from home. We'll see where this takes me!?

Happy easter! We are off to Shanghai and Hangzhou to see old friends and the beautiful West Lake. Can't wait to ride their maglev again!

Sichuan peppers, pandas, pedestrian walks, pollution and people's park

Normally I'd be happy to update my blog about our weekend in Chengdu, Sichuan province China - but this is my 3rd try - thanks to crappy Android's cut-and-paste basic problems, and China's Great Firewall of an Internet :(

Chengdu is the 5th or so largest city in China with 14 million under administration or supposedly 10 million in the urban area?!  Still Tier 2 city!  Its the largest city in China's sprawling south west region which borders Tibet and Vietnam (I think).

I summarize Chengdu into 5 P's:

Pandas

Pollution

Pedestrian Walking Areas

People's Park

Peppers (Chili peppered hotPot or Ma Po Tofu originated here)

The most interesting part of our trip was a lunch we had a famous local eatery with a random old couple (he from chengdu; she from fujian then nanjing then chengdu... now the city's biggest fan!).  They spoke proudly of their daughter who is an engineer in San Fran Bay Area and how their visit to the USA was 'too quiet', not enough people, drivers are too careful, chinese food in US was 'too sweet' and how groceries and clothes are SO affordable!  She raved about Chengdu's quality of living, affordable housing, great food, decent weather and seemed overall pro-China (worrisome?! there could be another Billion people like her!).  It was entertaining and informative and worth the getting lost 3x to find this bustling cafeteria like Sichuan canteen.

Of course people come to Chengdu to see the Panda Research Base. Pandas are lazy after they feed in the early mornings, and slothy and fat!  But so cute. I'm NOT a fan of the scary Red Pandas who look almost like raccoons, and chase past my feet (thankfully not stopping)! At least we could breathe a bit of air at the panda site which is outside Chengdu city.

The Pollution in China is SO bad these days we couldn't even tell if the sun had risen yet (you can't see the sky; Beijing metrics were off the map with record pollution and governments finally admitting an issue).

Great Pedestrian areas included Jilin (touristy) market and Chunxi shopping area.  Jilin was a smaller version of Lijiang Yunnan province's Old Town, a traditional rebuilt set of hutongs (chinese homes) with souvenir wares and snack stalls.  At least there was a heated Starbucks  as the temperatures were 5-10C (we're wimpy now!).  Chunxi had very wide promenades that went on for blocks and blocks... mixture of Chinese local stores (361, Yuishun, Lining), Asian brands (Isetan, Giordano, Watsons) and Global shops (Nike, Adidas, Uniqlo, Zara)... reminded me of Guangzhou's Beijing Lu shopping area or Beijing's Wangfujin... although seemingly MUCH larger and less busy!  Again Heat Tech clothes from Uniqlo saved the day as it got frigidly colder through the day.

The People's Park (renmin gongyuan) is a lively centre of musical groups, tea drinking, swan lake viewing and dance lessons in Chengdu local life.  Dance lessons and groups from chinese hip hop to tibetan traditional dance to ballroom to cha cha to laptop karaoke stands... very LOUD yet interesting vibe.  A good exposure to the people of Chengdu... very different from the manicured lawns of Shanghai gardens, and the tai chi / hacky sack /kite flyers of Beijing parks. A bit like Central Park or Golden Gate park with its tea garden and swan lake too!

PEPPERS.  Sichuan is famous for their chili peppers.  Chinese from around China rave about the food here. To be honest its flavorful but TOO spicy for my tastes (I prefer curries over chilis).  Anyway we had a great lunch of chili soup dumplings and chili peppered rice custard and dan dan noodles.  Then yinyang hot/clear hotpot with 4 dozen sticks of meats and veggies. Needless to say, most of the sticks ended up in the clear soup once we were done!

I liked Chengdu, a lively large city with a good mix of people, food and things to see.  Too bad time didn't permit for us to continue onto Tibet (lots of people use Chengdu as a base before heading into the Himalayas to Llasa)...!

Check out some photos!

https://picasaweb.google.com/118026906425264328225/ChengduSichuanJan2013

2013: Les Mis rocks, new job, new year!

Got to hand it to Wolverine (Hugh Jackman).  He played Jean Valjean the main character sooo amazingly in Les Miserables - the musical movie.  I loved this movie - much more so than the musical I saw 15-20 years ago? It moved me to tears.

Our holiday trip to Toronto for two weeks was as usual, a bit chilly but a very good time. We spent quality time with friends and family - didn't feel "too" rushed like usual. Spent a lot of time in car (inevitable) and way too much time eating (I walk more in one morning in HK than in 3 weeks in US and Canada - no joke).  At times I get nostalgic about life in Toronto (not nearly as much as hubby though :) ).  As expected the kiddies grew much bigger, more talkative and sadly, some were in and out of clinics all holidays.  Wish them fast recovery.

I also quit my job the week before Xmas while with my bosses in the U.S. It was liberating. 4.5 years and two countries later, the 'two year itch' is definitely kicking in now!  Anyway, I'm going to take a Asia Pacific strategy role in HK; starting in late January.  Not that excited to be honest.  I was way more excited to quit than to ramp up steep learning curve in a new job.  So...I have at least another week off.  Haven't had time off in .... YEARS (last time I switched jobs, i only took the weekend off!)

Need to find more errands or hobbies; reading? running! buying work clothes? cleaning?  Will take a short weekend trip to China... but to be honest... i'm kind of tired as I had not been home for 3+ weeks.

All the best to my friends and family in 2013.  Its the Year of the Snake!

Failed househunting again... reflecting on 2012 in HK

Hi again in December 2012.

My previous blogs were a few photos and a chronological recollection of the time past.  However as I reflect on 2012, we are so grateful for several good things this past year.  As always, 2013 we hope will bring new changes and challenges.

Good things include:
- great old and new friends for social, sports and food around Hong Kong
- reconnecting with family around Hong Kong, our parents' cousins; joining family events and meals while immersing more in local culture
- good health and fortune - having the opportunity to see new cities in our spare time
- staying atop of family although remotely. Through video chat, email, phone and the occasional visit, we try to stay in touch with family, grandparents and young nieces/nephews who are growing up too fast
- stable jobs; although work life can always improve, we are grateful for employment in these difficult economic times.  I am grateful that my coworkers and I get along quite well
- tons of visitors in and around HK makes it nice
- meeting a lot of other new people and a ton of self-learning through my involvement in The Women's Foundation Hong Kong
- still so happy living in our current neighbourhood and apartment; responsive landlady; we can't find another area or flat that compares right now


Let's hope 2013 brings some changes such as:

- health recovery and comfort of some relatives here in HK

- improved air quality.  The poor air quality in HK (and Beijing) is driving people away from these booming cities.  For Beijing, foreign companies even pay "hardship" fees to get expats to stay. If we stay outside for a few hours in HK, my throat really starts to hurt - even when the sky is clear!  I think roadside pollution is becoming intolerable and making HK less attractive than other cities. HK government should spend its surplus resources on fighting pollution or limited emissions from cars.

- lowered cost of living.  The housing prices for purchase and for rent in HK are ASTRONOMICAL.  Especially coming from a (relatively) low cost metropolis like Toronto (its easily 2-3x), Hong Kong is sooo expensive  (I hear its even higher than London, NY or Tokyo per sq ft).  This has grave consequences not just on foreigners like us, but on local young people, whose salaries make it prohibitive to move out and start independent lives from parents.  As a result, I think the maturity of some of these local 20-somethings is far behind even Mainland China and certainly North American or European peers.  Any gain on income tax savings is immediately wiped out by rent/mortgage and high food prices (at least in Central)

- better food taste and service in Central area.  I am starting to hate the food choices in SOHO/Central. First of all, the prices are so high yet the service is horrendous.  Waiters do not look you in the eye (even 4 or 5 star places), always forget your order, cannot recommend food/drink/wine to try, and basically do not give a shit!  That said, to be fair, the food is overall quite mediocre in Central, rents are astronomical so overpriced alcohol is expected (despite zero alcohol tax)

- better and enforced living conditions and human rights of domestic helpers here in HK and around the world

- Can they flatten some of the stairs and hills in mid-levels?!  Its prohibitive for us to move to better air/higher ground b/c we hate stairs and the escalator

- Can they reduce the number of time zones between Eastern time and HK/Taipei/beijing time, or the travel distance? Then we could speak more often with family.

We look forward to reconnecting with family and friends in Toronto over the holidays!  See you all soon!

Holiday Dec; another half finished; baby showers

Its been a busy and fun few months ... pretty holiday decorations around town, friends and visitors around, completed our 2nd half marathon and hosted a few baby showers.

I can't believe 2012 is almost done!!! As always hoping for a better next year but thankful for all we have.

Saigon tunnels et al

we enjoyed a long weekend getaway to Ho Chi Minh city formerly known as Saigon. The pho and banh mi sandwiches were really good but the tourist restaurants incl those recommended by Anthony bourdain were over rated! similar to Hanoi there were a kazillion motor bikes but definitely more urbanized even than China. WiFi everywhere too!

highly recommend Pho Le where the locals eat.
forgot that the best thing to do is cu chi tunnels. a lot of controversial history and guns to try...

Happy birthday Stephen!

Young at heart still!











but old enough for casino...to pray for winnings to the (very unlucky) God of luck







Candy buffet at happy hour


















Fun with friends















Nice sleep away from home






















Happy birthday young man!














Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Protests against Chinese 'national' education and prepare for KK mountain hike

I'm definitely now very aware and interested of local Asian news, politics and context - especially when talking with my hong kong colleagues. This week there will be tons of protests and possible hunger strikes ongoing with students in hong kong -- who are smart and aware enough to realize that Beijing-based "China" education is pretty damn close to brainwashing. The beginning of the end of free thought and free speech here in HK if this bill goes ahead at LegCo soon... fingers crossed that Hong Kong families will emerge victorious. I also hear that university students (while not affected by the upcoming national education) are protesting and not attending classes this Tuesday... in solidarity with parents and primary/secondary students. They will also offer to baby-sit students in the event of teacher / school strikes.... I had long chats with my local colleagues to more deeply understand the whole situation.  In truth I am really glad that Hong Kong people who enjoy a relatively developed society...  are not just worried about near-term money and do act upon values beyond material things (my earlier views were narrow)!

 As an analogy, its no surprise that my mainland friends 'hate' the Japanese more than other nations under Japanese occupation in WWII and thereafter, and that my generation of mainland friends/colleagues seem to revere the Communist party while many also refuse to give up their Chinese passports.  I hope I am wrong, but brainwashing and persistent and broad-based national 'education' does work from a government perspective!!! yikes!  

I've been traveling a bit less often now for work... which is a welcome change... and we've been eating out quite often due to visitors in town, etc.  We're planning a vacation to Kota Kinabalu soon for a hike up SE Asia's highest peak. In addition to our multiple runs per week training for our end Nov half-marathon... we now have to climb stairs!!  Tiring....

And for the record, Walter White from Breaking Bad is so very evil.  At least I know better what money laundering is.  Its literally a way to clean your money.  Happens all the time here in China - trust me!

And finally. please say an extra prayer for my relatives here in Hong Kong and Singapore who are suffering from major health issues.

Two Years in Hong Kong!

Two years in Hong Kong has flown by.... its hard to believe but its been quite a ride... up and downs... and around the region:

- hiking and outdoor activities such as trails, beach and boating are still awesome
- people still walk slow and randomly. probably because most people carry iphone 4's.  Even my carrier relegates my blackberry to a 'business service only'
- air pollution is pretty bad, especially worse with latest series of this summer's typhoons. Its scary when Hong Kong air rivals Beijing for world's worst
- the seafood and pork far better than the chicken or beef.
- China economy has slowed down and food and infrastructure safety standards questionable
- Hong Kong MTR subway travel world-class (excluding Tung Chung line)
- HK Airport is still my second home sadly; lots of work travel
- we can't find a more convenient location to live in Hong Kong besides Sheung Wan :). 5-10 mins walk to the bars, lounges and escalator... I initially landed here at a service apartment, we later moved next door and haven't relocated since (we've looked but nothing 'stuck')
- Food in Kowloon side still tastes better than on Hong Kong Island
- a handful of tycoons still rule Hong Kong. There are no Costco or non-local big box retailers here, and rental prices are out of hand per sq foot (purchase prices are even crazier)
- Hong Kong has become LESS democratic recently with the 'election' of CY Leung
- electronics and brand name household and clothing prices are easily 2-3x North America
- great friends and family make up for the tough urban living standards here
- training for our 2nd half marathon already. We still love Bowen Road
- most shopping areas like Causeway Bay and TST are dominated by mainland Chinese tourgroups
- despite the very low 15% income tax rate... the overall cost of living here excluding transit is VERY VERY high compared with Toronto (groceries, RENT/REAL ESTATE, restaurant tier, clothing, bedding, appliances etc).  I find that friends from London or New York are less shocked by the cost difference than we are

Like I said, it's been a ride these past years.  Who knows how long we'll stay in Hong Kong but its all just part of our adventure!