8 Months in Hong Kong

As you may already know, Beth is in the states right now on a little vacation. I wasn't able to go with her, because I recently started a new job and can't take vacation right now (more on the job in a later post). We wanted Beth to take with her a DVD of some of the footage we've shot in Hong Kong and our other trips in Southesat Asia these past 8 months. So, I scrambled to put one together. The work on it went up to the last minute, whereby I discovered that whenever I tried to burn the DVD, my computer shut down...so, no DVD to bring :( So, I did the next best thing and hosted the video on youtube. I had to break it into 5 parts and reduce the quality in order to upload it, but hopefully it is still enjoyable. Also, my apologies for not having titles or captions that explain where certain scenes were taken. We originally were planning on having Beth narrate the film. So, unless you have the pleasure of her lovely company while viewing these clips, you may be a little lost....sorry!

Part 1 of 5


Part 2 of 5


Part 3 of 5


Part 4 of 5


Part 5 of 5

Do you remember how I always said...

I wanted my one beer keg that could fit in my fridge? Well...I got that too:

Signs of Life

I haven't blogged in a while. There just hasn't been all that much new or different going on to report on. And I'm not like my uber-talented wife, Beth, who can take even the most mundane details of the day and turn them into a blog post that's both funny and insightful. That's probably why she has a career that involves writing and I have a career that involves...oh wait, I don't have a career. So, anyways...things are good. And here's more proof that the Nordbergs are settling into life in their new home:

You've Got Radio - Can you believe it's been 8 months since I've listened to the radio? Technically I get to hear the radio in the taxis, but I don't really count that since I don't get to choose the station and most often I can't understand what's being said. We had shipped over from the states our surround sound/dvd/radio system. Unfortunately it was a 120 volt unit and Hong Kong supplies 220 volt electricity. This system requires 280 watts of electricity, which meant that we'd need more than the typical travel convertor. On Monday, I finally bucked up and paid the HK$330 required to buy a 300 watt transformer. So, I hooked up the system and surfed the Hong Kong radio waves! Of course, I was only able to find one station in English! At least now, though, we'll be able to watch movies without having to listen to the audio through the puny speakers in our projector!

She's a City Dog - Zoe's adapting quite well to city life. She now understands how elevators work. While waiting for the elevator, she hears the beep indicating that the elevator has arrived on our floor and before she sees the doors open, she lurches toward the door waiting for it to open. This proves she's learned what that beep means! Same thing when in the elevator she sits patiently while it descends until the doors open on the ground floor. Also, while on walks she has learned to adapt to her city environment. Those of you with dogs know that they prefer grass to, uhh...do their "business." Unfortunately there's not a lot of grass to be found here. She doesn't mind doing #2 on the sidewalk, but I've noticed that she doesn't like to do #1 on the sidewalk...perhaps she's embarassed by the attention in draws to her (she's very aware of other people). So, she found a good solution, allow me to explain ... Our favorite place to walk her is down by the ferry terminals at Victoria Harbour. Along the walkway is a long sewer grate. When we walk there, she deliberately walks along the sewer grate and we've discovered one reason why is that she likes to stop on it and do her "business" (both #1 and #2) as she has figured out that the "droppings" will then dissapear into the sewer grate, nice and descrete-like. How she figured this out, I don't know. But, I'm greateful that it's one less turd I have to poop and scoop!

Hail Thy Cab - We've gotten quite good at hailing cabs. And no, this doesn't involve sticking your fingeres in your mouth and whistling very loudly...I can't even do that. But, it does involve strategic thinking. The key is to go upstream to where the taxis are coming from and not just wait for one to come by where you are at. Plus, you also need to think about where you are trying to get to and which streets head in that direction (most streets here are one-way). The slightest difference in where the taxi picks you up can double the time (and possibly cost) it takes to get you there.

You Can't Just Give it Away

From this point forward, I will no longer be posting my pictures on this blog. If you want to see my pictures, you'll have to purchase them from istockphoto.com

istockphoto is a website that sells stock photographs to companies needing images for the websites, brochures, etc... I'm kidding, of course, about no longer posting my pictures here. In reality, a lot of the pictures I'd post on my blog wouldn't really be stock-appropriate pictures. They are pretty strict in terms of what the accept, both in terms of the 'stock worthiness' of a picture and the technical quality of the image. It took me a while to be accepted and I've had quite a few images rejected already, but have built up a portfolio of 5 images at this point. The image below was initially rejected for having at least 5 different branded logos showing. I was successful at removing them via photoshop, so they accepted it.

You can view my portfolio here.

Man...I sure do know my wife

As you have no doubt read in Beths blog, she recently had a question she wrote published in a local Hong Kong magazine. What you don't know is how this was discovered:

I was reading this particular magazine and this guy's column, "Mr. Know it All". I read the question from "Clare" and automatically knew that she had written it, even though she never told me that she sent in a question to this guy. How did I know that she had written this?:

• Beth is clearly working on a fiction novel, which isn't her preferred method of writing, but she has gotten positive feedback on it from those around her (including myself)
  
• The story is about 25 pages currently.
• Her little humours quip: "the overwhelming pressure (I mean joy from their continual positive feedback) keeps me...."
• "Clare" Daines is one of Beth's favourite actresses, at least until she acted in this movie.

So, I ask her "did you submit a question to Mr. KIA? "yes...." she says. "Well, I think they published it!" See, I told you I knew my wife!

While Mr. KIA, must think that I am one of her "indulgent friends with nary a hint of literary appreciation abilities", I can safely say that I am married to a future bestselling author and her book will do quite well, thank you very much! And yes, I do have more than a "hint of literary appreciation abilities" I am quite well-read, FYI.

But, I do have to admit to pressuring her to finish writing this book...and why? Cuz, I want to know how it ends! It's a page-turner..can't put it down!

Letter from Birmingham Jail

One of the readings assigned to us in my philosophy course, many years ago, was "Letter from Birmingham Jail" my Martin Luther King Jr. It is a fantastic read, not only relevant to the civil rights issues he was fighting in his day, but also to people everywhere: the oppressed, the opressor, those fighting oppression and those just standing by.

The letter was written to 8 clergymen from Alabama who had criticized King for coming to Alabama to peacefully protest the social injustices occuring there. They called his actions "unwise and untimely." You can read the full text of the letter here.

Here are just a few of the quotes that stood out to me:

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. "

"We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed."

"We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people."

"So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an archdefender of the status quo. Par from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church's silent and often even vocal sanction of things as they are.
But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it vi lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust."

I'm sure may who have read this letter, like me, have looked with disgust upon the clergymen who wrote the letter of disaproval to King. Who are these men, whom history has surely forgot? I did some research and wasn't able to find information about very many of them, save one: Joseph Aloysius Durick. At the time of the letter to King he was a catholic bishop in Birmingham. What happened to Mr. Durick after he got the response from Dr. King?...He changed Joseph Durick became an outspoken advocate for civil rights in the South. How did his congregation thank him? By branding him as a communist and a heretic.

Warning...actual opinion ahead!:

I'm sure most of you Americans got the luxury of watching the Emmys on Sunday. I have, as of yet, not been able to *ahem* acquire said episode. I did acquire the first 15 minutes of the show, which I will watch tonight. From what I read, Conan did a great job and was his usual hillarious self. I was surprised to read this article on MSNBC. Apparently, the opening skit had spoofs from several television shows this season, one of which showed Conan in a plane crash on a desert island...a spoof on Lost. Now, a bunch of people are offended because this aired on the same day as a plane crashed in Kentucky, killing 50 people. This is crazy! How can people be so easily offended? The skit was filmed well in advance of that crash! It was a spoof on Lost for crying out loud!

Now, bear in mind, I am not one of those people who is constantly complaining about America being "too politically correct" I fashion myself to be a pretty sensitive person, what others my term as "politically correct" But, this is just ridiculus. And I'm even skeptical that those who complained were even really offended, so much as just looking for something to complain about. What's worse, the media is referring to this as the "Conan skit"...basically defaming Conan for participating in such an offensive and insesitive act! Hello...it was taped in advance, he had no idea a plane was going to crash! And even if you think it shouldn't have been aired, it's not like Conan would have much control over that...he's just the host! Poor Conan...I guess that's the price you pay for having a sense of humor.

I said 'hey'

As is often a case when there is a major news event the public is obsessed with, all other events get pushed out of the way. One can remember how the death of Mother Teresa was quickly eclipsed by the death of Princess Diana. Or how, when the Rwandan Genocide (which went on to kill a million people in 100 days) broke out, it wasn't was newsworthy as the suicide of Kurt Cobain. News, unfortunately, is the result of what sells easily to the public.

As we all know, the John Michael Karr is the media's latest obsession...this morning Beth and I got to see the very newsorthy coverage of a live video feed of the plane carrying Karr from LA to Colorado...I was on pins and needles...a great use of the media's time...not...

As I checked the news on MSNBC this morning, I did notice a headline, buried down in the front page and replaced the next hour: "Trumpeter Maynard Ferguson, dead at 78" I'm sure most don't recognize that name. He never achived the popular following of say Miles Davis or Dizzy Gillespie, and was mostly dismissed by jazz purists, but among his fans (primarily other trumpet players, I'm sure) he was magical.

What made him so good? He could play very high notes. Well, it's more than that...but it is what he's most known for. For those who haven't played the trumpet or other brass instruments, this is probably hard to appreciate. Playing exceptionally high notes, especially in a controlled manner is quite difficult to do. I still remember listening to him with my fellow trumpet players in high school. We'd pass the tape player back and forth on the bus on our way to different schools to play in the pep band. We were awestruck. Trumpet players, especially, are a cocky bunch, always trying to one-up one another by playing higher notes...but, there is no competing with Maynard...listening to him knocks the wind out of you. I was fortunate enough to see Maynard in concert a few years ago and was again awestruck at his talent.

I've long since given up playing the trumpet...I sold my crappy, old student model for $100 to someone just picking up the instrument. I don't even listen to Maynard that often, I really couldn't say that he's among my favorite musicians. When his songs come up on my iPod, I usually skip past them, on to the rock/pop choices that dominate my playlists...I'm a lyrics guy, what can I say? And honestly, a lot of his songs are fairly cheesy, musically speaking. A lot of them are jazzed up versions of 70's disco music. He is well known for his rendition of the Rocky theme song "Gonna Fly Now" He has also played the theme to the original Star Trek and the theme song to the movie "Shaft" Like I said...cheesy. But, the way he plays those trumpet solos still get me excited.

Like I said, I got the privilige of seeing Maynard perform a couple of years ago. Beth and I went to see him at Jazz Alley in Seattle. We weren't able to get great seats up front, so we sat towards the back, near the bar. While waiting for the show to begin, watching some no name group on stage, I'm sure, I notice a door to the side of the club open and an older, portly man enter and walk towards the back. I realized that this is Maynard himself, from the few pictures I have seen. He passes right by where we are sitting. Casually I say "hey"...he said "hey" back. The performance was great, of course, an answer to a childhood dream tucked away but not forgotten.

I remember talking to my former boss upon learning that he used to play the trumpet in college. I asked him if he had heard of Maynard Ferguson so I could share my story of seeing him in concert. He said that he and his friends liked to listen to him and were amazed at his talent. As I listened to Maynard on my iPod, the first time in a while, I realized that he may never be very well known, there will always be young trumpet players listening, floored my this man's "chops" I know that for a couple of band-geeks in the mid-90's, he was a magician.

Sweet & Sour Chicken Recipe

If you've read either Beth or I's blog or talked to us about things we miss from back home, you no doubt know that we have been unable to find good Chinese food here in Hong Kong. So...we have taken upon ourselves to recreate those longed-for dishes in our own, tiney kitchen.

Our first dish to tackle was Sweet & Sour Chicken. We scoured the internet for a sauce recipe that looked good. The recipe below is a modification to what we found. We reduced the vinegar, reduced the cornstarch and increased the water. Enjoy!:

1/8 cup white vinegar
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 1/2 tbl. cornstarch
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup pineapple juice
3/8 cup water

combine and boil. simmer gently for 5 minutes.

what's that? you need a recipe for the chicken? Oh, come on...it's chicken, you can figure it out!

Next dish to tackle? General Tsao's Chicken...mmm!

It's easy breezy...stream of consciousness style

The weather seems to be improving, slightly. The temperature is the same, but there is a slight breeze in the air lately, which helps considerably. Beth recently bought me new headphones for my iPod. I had lost my original earbuds in the move and the only other headphones I had were the big, chunky, over the ear ones...which, I love, but aren't really best for taking to the gym or walking around the street in, unless you want to be stared at a lot, and i have... So, the new headpones are the kind that you stick into your ear canal like an earplug, I was hesitant about trying these because I thought they would be uncomfortable...but, they're not, they're great! And they do a great job cancelling the external noise, you can have the volume much lower than normal and still hear the music great! So...i'm now taking my iPod to the gym in the morning, which is great, because they have a pretty bad music selection. Some of it isn't so bad, typical American pop music. There are a couple of pretty lame choices, though. One is this song that includes the line "You're Easy Breezy and I'm Japaneesy" you can read the rest of the lyrics here, if you're intrigued. There's another one that's bizzare. It's techo and features a voice that I think is supposed to sound like George W. Bush, Beth disagrees. Anyways, all the voice says is "Destroy..." and then the names of all these musicians...like "Destroy: Madonna, Destroy: Prince, Destroy Houie Louis" very bizzare indeed! And then there's this Eminem song they play...now, I admit, I do enjoy an Eminem song from time to time...this is coming from a guy with a very eclectic musical taste. My iPod contains: U2, Miles Davis, Nirvana, Green Day, Eminem, Gustav Holst (orchestral music), & Celine Dion (only 1 song!)...I really don't think many of those musicians would appreciate being in each other's company! so, anyways, even though I can appreciate Eminem..this song is so vulgar it's not even funny! However, every time it's played, someone stops the song midway through...I guess either someone complained or some staff person with enough English skills to pick out the vulgarities Marshall Mathers is laying out while he's bustin' his rhymes. Oh, and whoever is in control of the music often will skip past songs for no reason! They treat it like it's their own personal iPod that we all get to listen to!

that is all...and yes, I did start writing this before Beth posted on a similar topic...little blog stealer!

I usually don't do this...

but...these were too funny not to shrare:

Very funny Star Wars video...thanks, Cam!:

Funny t.v. pilot created by Ben Stiller...thanks, Dan!:

Engagement Anniversary

Some may find it odd, but Beth and I like to still celebrate our engagement anniversary and our dating anniversary. Our engagement anniversary was this Friday (yesterday). Here is Beth, holding the boquet that I had delivered to her office. I'm told there was much oohing and ahhing...that's right, I'm the man...Beth, who always has a way with words, wrote me this wonderful letter. She said I could share it with you:

Dear Nick,

Please let me begin this note by first apologizing for the fact that the contents of the last card I gave you was drafted ‘last minute’; in fact so ‘last minute’ that allegedly you observed me drafting my sentiments. I’ve often been advised ‘the fresher the better’, but I’ve learned this pertains more to Japanese seafood than greeting cards. In this case fresh (inked) simply meant unprepared-ness and perhaps perceived insincerity.

While I did not intend to communicate lackadaisical-ness; I do admit I was at fault and deserved to be scolded (as you tactfully did). However, all that said, I would like to point out how much more difficult it is to obtain a proper card in Hong Kong than in say, Washington state where stores actually sell the things people want.

You may wonder why it is this time you’re receiving a typed note. You may judge me, or this note, as being less personal because it is typed rather than hand-scripted. But let me explain. I’ve chosen to draft my thoughts now via Word a good 60* hours before our anniversary dinner because I’ve not yet landed what I think is a great card. In fact, in light of the last shopping trip where I purchased a card for you, I don’t expect to land a ‘great’ card at all, but rather an acceptable one. Please, upon receipt of the mediocre card I will soon acquire, do not assess our relationship or my thoughts on our relationship based upon the text, appearance or otherwise of the said card.

Please note that I’ve yet to see greeting cards sold elsewhere than in a 3rd level store in the IFC mall (which I want to point out is VERY inconvenient) and furthermore, the selection in said store is limited to about 20 choices. Personally I’d rather make my own card than give you one that goes on to explain how I wish you all the best ‘the year of the dog’ has to offer; but I do know machine-folded pieces of very thick paper for which you paid $4US dollars have their place in the world of romance.

And so, I will continue my search for a card. And my search may take me right up and until Friday when before our dinner (conveniently scheduled at the IFC) I may ask to be excused for a minute in order to obtain a very thick piece of paper which I could not procure anywhere near my office during my work-week lunch breaks. And then, you may observe me returning with a bag and observe me pull out a card and you’ll initially judge me, thinking ‘How could she be so unprepared, AGAIN?!’

But, I will then pull out this note, my pre-typed thoughts and beg you to accept it as proof that I did indeed think of you and our engagement anniversary prior to 15 minutes before our celebratory dinner. Yes, truthfully I’ve thought about you all week. Wishing we could wisk ourselves away for a quick weekend in WA state, eat at a favorite place, walk around the pier in Seattle, drive up north to Canada and eat at the restaurant where you first proposed, all of that.

We know that is all not easily done, and so we’re celebrating in Hong Kong for the first time and that is OK with me. In some ways I’d argue HK is more like Canada than WA, so perhaps we’re more on the mark in terms of recreating the atmosphere present when you asked me to marry you.

I remember the first time we’d gone to that restaurant. It was a month or two after we’d started dating. I remember after we’d finished eating, while walking to the car you’d asked me what to do when you feel like sharing something with someone though your not sure how they’ll respond. After asking a few qualifier questions which you couldn’t answer easily I replied with “well, you might as well say it--get it out.”

And so then and there you told me you loved me. Looking back I’m curious on what exactly illuminated those feelings for you that night. Was it seeing me rapidly consume a massive plate of pasta? I don’t think so.

I remember feeling a bit afraid when you first began the conversation. I guess I had a lil’ ego cuz I thought you were heading toward asking THE question. I felt the train that was our relationship moving very fast from the time we met and was nervous it’d keep speeding along. But alas your words were a simple, but important, ‘I Love You’ which I accepted without much fear.

Back to the marriage proposal. And so, based on the Canadian “I love you incident” you drove me back to share a much bigger declaration of love.

And here we are six years later still chugging along. As our wedding invitation said, “Love is a choice and a commitment” one which has been tested a time or two in our six years. But we’re still having fun despite the challenges. I love the fact that most often when vacationing we’re asked whether we’re honeymooning. How neat it is that though we are most definitely not newlyweds we appear to others as very much ‘into” each other.

You and I have had the luxury, especially in the past few months, of spending many nights and weekends together, just the two of us, casually cuddling while watching movies, hanging out, or whatever else we please, when we please. Those are my favorite times. You know from referencing the manual on maintaining me (J/k, bet you wish you had one) that I need my alone time here and there. But when I am not needing alone time there is no single individual I’d want to be with more. I love hangin’ out with you; we are very compatible when in that mode.

This year especially it’s astounded me how much alike our thoughts are. Many times we’ll be watching a movie, reading an article, choosing a restaurant, etc. and one of us will make a comment and the other says; “That’s JUST what I was thinking--exactly!

Well Nicke, thanks for another year of loving me. Thanks for all the times you’ve rubbed my back or washed my feet or given me what I wanted perhaps without anything in return. Thanks for truly liking me and wanting to be around me. Thanks for the spontaneous excitement you show over us and our relationship from time to time. Your comments to me do not go unnoticed and are always appreciated. Thanks for enjoying making me happy and all that you do to do so.

I enjoy you as well and as far as any other sentiments I feel toward you, well if you need this card and it’s contents to know what I think and feel then I haven’t done my job. I’ll quiz you over dinner on the top 10 things I like about you just to make sure you’re getting enough positive feedback from me!


With Love,




Beth Nordberg
Wife of Nicholas Nordberg
Former Fiancé of Nicholas Nordberg
Former Girlfriend of Nicholas Nordberg
Daytime Proposal Writer
Chief Cuddler, Nights and Weekends


*Approximate estimate, give or take a few dozen hours; just kidding. But seriously estimate is not guaranteed.

 

Krispy Kreme is here!...almost

Krispy Kreme opens tomorrow! For a fun and inspirational video click here

Thank goodness the donuts look 'normal' I was afraid they were going to confuse the donuts with those Chinese buns used in dim sum and stuff them with pork or something worse. And it doesn't look like there are any 'Bird's Nest surprise' donuts or glazed sharks fin donuts.

oh boy, now i'm never going to lose weight....good thing it's in causeway bay and somewhat out of the way!

Singapore Sling, Anyone?

On Tuesday Beth left for Singapore for a business trip. This is me seeing her off at the Airport Express station. It's a pretty cool concept. They have a station in the middle of downtown Hong Kong where you can check in to your airlines, get your boarding pass, check you bags, and then take an express train to the airport on Lamma Island.

That means I've had the past few days to myself. It was, in a word: boring...very boring. I know what you're thinking: you don't work anyways, so haven't you already figured out ways to keep occupied? Yeah, but it's a lot more boring knowing that at the end of the day I won't get to be with Beth. So, my days consisted pretty much of eating pizza and playing Super Mario Kart...I'm getting quite good, btw...I unlocked 2 more secret cars! I did, however, drag my butt to the gym every day, and the kitchen is now clean...so, I was somewhat productive.

Tomorrow (Friday) I leave in the morning for Singapore to join Beth for about 5 days while we explore Singapore and perhaps some of Malaysia and/or Indonesia, which are close by. We'll be sure to report back as soon as we return! 

Protests

One thing that is interesting about living Hong Kong is that it is both the major (actually only) city and the center of government for the entire country. It's like living in a combination of New York and Washington D.C. That means that if I'm in Central, near the government offices there are very often small protests occuring. Small as in 10-20 people. What has been frustrating is that the signs and protest chants are all in Chinese. Now, I'm not about to insist that they protest in English just for my benefit, but it would at least be nice to have the signs be bilingual so I can have an idea about what they are protesting. I like to be informed...maybe I'll joing them in their fight..but, first I have to know what the issue is.

However, just the other day, I can across the protestors above who where mostly African and protesting in English. They were protesting the fact that Hong Kong does not have an asylum policy. A little research into this showed that there are currently 1500 asylum seekers in Hong Kong, most of them from Africa or South Asia. More than 150 of them are being detained (i.e. in prison) or have to report weekly to the police.

So, thanks to protests in English, I'm now better informed!

Things that peeve me off: #4812

Online shopping:

Due to the inability to find certain things in Hong Kong and the high prices of that we can find...I've tried to turn to online shopping to get those hard to find items...mostly eBay and Amazon.com. The problem with Amazon is the only items they will ship overseas are books, cd's and dvd's...and those, of course, come with higher shipping costs because the goods are coming from the states. Oh...but, amazon.com is a smart, international company, you say...and yes, indeed they have several different regional sites, including China....well, guess what happens when you go to their China sites....it's only in Chinese! Doesn't really help me! Same thing with eBay's Hong Kong site. Now, I'm not trying to be insensitive and demand that everyone speak English for my benefit...I just think that amazon and eBay must not have fully thought out their internationalization plans here. These are American based companies...they could have easily created English translated pages for their regional sites. Heck, every web page I've been to for Hong Kong based companies have a little link for the English translated pages!

That's all...I'm done ranting now.

Where's the Salmon?

I so need to win this contest. First prize is some sort of camera phone and second prize is a year's worth of free pizza. However, they said that it's valued at HK$888...there's no way that's a years worth of pizza, that's like barely 8 pizzas!

New camera...yea!!

This is a picture of my new Canon digital Rebel XT SLR camera...this picture was taken with said camera...how'd I do that? Any guesses?? Thanks go out to my mom and Susie for their help with the procurement and expedited shipping of my new toy. I'll be able to take it on our trip to Singapore next week!!

BTW, I added more photos to Photobucket and added the links to the right of this page. Pictures From Around Hong Kong and Pictures of Hong Kong Island were both taken with the new camera, whereas most of the photos in Nick's 'Artistic' pictures and Pictures of our Zoe! were taken with our older camera.

Have fun!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Thanks to all who sent me birthday greetings! I did, indeed, have a happy birthday. My lovely wife, Beth, did a great job spoiling me over the past couple of days. Pictured above is the delicious ice cream cake she got from Haagen-Daazs for me! It was good, and we do have leftovers should you be in the neighborhood.

I've now got 2 years left on the countdown until I turn 30...yikes!

F.A.Q.

In an effort to avoid answering the same mundane questions, I've compiled a list of frequently asked questions regarding our experiences in Hong Kong. Please consult this list prior to conversation with me. If you violate this rule and ask a question contained within the FAQ list, there will be trouble. Actually, I'll most likely just sigh, roll my eyes and answer the question anyways. Now, to the list:

So, how's the weather?:

It sucks. It's raining now...5 minutes ago, it looked great. That's how it is here, you never know when torrential rain will break out. Unless, I actually consulted the weather forcasts, that is. The weather was actually rather decent when we first arrived, but quickly turned bad, then worse. And it's supposed to get even worse this month and in August. September and onward, however, are supposed to be quite nice, cooler temperatures, lower humidity and no rain. And let's not even talk about the horrendous thunder and lightening we are often treated to...conveniently in the middle of the night when trying to sleep.

Isn't it terrible living in Communist China? Aren't people there restricted to one child? Won't you be jailed if people know you're a Christian? Uggh, I'm so worried about you!

Chill out. Yes, Hong Kong is now a part of China, but it is governed far differently. Prior to the handover in 1997, China and the UK signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration which basically states that "In accordance with the "One Country, Two Systems" Principle agreed between the UK and the PRC, the socialism system of PRC shall not be practised in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and Hong Kong's previous capitalist system and its way of life shall remain unchanged for a period of 50 years. The Joint Declaration provides that these basic policies shall be stipulated in the Hong Kong Basic Law."

So, there you have it, this is very different from China. There is definate religious freedom. Beth and I attend Evangelical Community Church here. It is very much like churches we have attended in the US, except for the fact that they have no permanent building and meet in a different location each week. Despite the fact that Christianity is definately the minority religion here, I have seen no evidence that there is any less religous freedom here than there is in the US.

Same thing goes for interet censorship. You've probably heard about how Google is agreeing to censor certain topics for Chinese internet users, such as Tianeman square, Taiwanese independence, etc.... That doesn't apply here, we can search for those topics.

Are you working?

No.

That's all you have to say?

Ok, I'll say more. Yes, it has been 4 months since we've arrived and no, I haven't found a job yet. Yes, I've applied for many jobs. In fact, on my favorite job board, jobsdb.com, I've applied for about 400 jobs. I've been on 4 interviews, one of them went very well, and yet I never heard from them again, despite emailing them to see where they were at in the process. 2 of the 4 were last week and they went ok, so we'll see if i hear from them this week.

It seems at least half of the jobs out there require Cantonese language skills, many also requiring Mandarin. I do not possess either. It takes quite a while to become fluent in Cantonese.

Are you okay with not working? How are you feeling about it?

I would definately like to be working. I've spent the last 10 years of my life as a working professional for the same company, not working is new for me. I like knowing I'm accomplishing something useful for a company and bringing in money at the same time. Honestly, sometimes it's very difficult knowing I'm not working and not being successful finding a job, sometimes I'm okay with it. Some days I wake up thinking "I gave up a good job, a house with a yard, a decent sized kitchen with an oven, an oven! a game room with a pool table, a projector with a 72 in screen, just for this!" And then I think "Oh wait, I didn't give up the projector, I brought it with me...I think I'll go play Spiderman 2 on the Game Cube"

It is convenient for me to be at home during the day, I am able to get things done that would either have to be done by Beth or I in the evening or eat up our weekends if both of us were working. I'm able to keep the apartment relatively clean, spend time with the dog, make sure we have food to eat, etc... We're still able to make ends meet on Beth's salary, so the need isn't urgent, but, yes, I would like a job. Bottom line, I don't regret making the decision to move here, even though it has meant be being out of work for a while. I was fully aware that it would be difficult for me to get a job here, it's all part of the risk I was willing to take.

So, wait a second, here....you expect us to feel sorry for you because you don't have to work, aren't financially hurting, get to explore a foreign culture, have an apartment with a great view, can take naps in the middle of the day, can pretty much do whatever you want during the day, as long as you keep the apartment relatively clean and the fridge stocked with food? You pathetic, ungrateful twit!! I'd love to trade places with you!!

Well, when you put it like that, it doesn't sound so bad. I know what your saying, I should be grateful...it's hard to explain. This is stressing me out, I'm going to go eat some oreos and take my 10:30am nap now.

How's Zoe?

She's good! She's her same, hyper-energetic self! Before shipping her over, we heard some horror stories about pets being psychologically traumatized by long flights in a pet carrier stuck in the baggage compartment. Not, our Zoe, though! While I'm sure it wasn't fun for her, she didn't seem to notice once she arrived. Of course, there was that little incident with her alleric reaction to the rabies vaccine they gave her upon arrival, but that cleared up quickly.

Yes, you may have heard us say that Hong Kong isn't very pet friendly and most of the city parks don't allow dogs. It works out alright, though. There is plenty of sidewalks to walk her on, until her or us gets tired. There aren't very many places where we can have her unleashed, but honestly, we rarely let her off the leash back home, either. She isn't exactly trustworthy when it comes to being unleashed in public. She thinks it's a game to run off and not let us catch her.

You live on the 40th floor, right? So, isn't it hugely inconvenient to take her outside to do her business?

They're called puppy pee pads and they work great...usually....if you can get her to, uh, aim properly. And you need to make sure to clean the poo off on a regular basis.

Aren't you worried that the elevator door will open, but no elevator will be there, and you'll step into it and fall to your death? I'm worried about that!!

No, I'm not worried about that. For one, I'm not usually in the habit of closing my eyes and entering an elevator. Call me crazy, but that's just me. Secondly, our elevator, like many has a mirrored backing, to which I have grown accustomed. If the elevator doors opened and I did not see my reflection, I would immediately know something is amiss, and most likely not step into an empty eleavator shaft.

So, quit your worrying, mother.

I bet your eating Chinese food all the time, huh?

You're kidding me, right? What you call Chinese food is so radically different from "real" Chinese food, it's not even funny. It's probably the most successful joke Chinese immigrants to the US ever played on their new country: "Hey, when they ask us to make food from our home country, let's not make the real stuff, let's instead cook for them fried meats, without the skin, and bones and baste it in sweet sauces, they'll hate it! Hahahahahahahaha!!" Well, it turns out we love the stuff and it is not to be found in Hong Kong, with the exception of some mediocre attempts.

Authentic Chinese food is more like: chicken feet, fatty meat with skin and bones still attached, cooked in strange sauces, soups made with stuff you'd see on Fear Factor, shark fin's soup, bird's nest soup (yes, this means actual bird's nest)...no sweet and sour or General Tso's chicken, I bet there wasn't even such a person as General Tso.

However, if we do want to experience good, authentic, Asian meals, we do have the option of Thai food. Thai food here is quite good and is very close to Thai food in Thailand, which we have had.

How are you able to manage without knowing Chinese??

The official languages of Hong Kong are Cantonese and English. So, pretty much all signs, menus, etc. are written in both Chinese and English. Plus, knowing english is necessary for most jobs, so most people we come into contact know, at least some, english. Granted, sometimes theire level of english skills is very low, but we usually manage to figure things out.

The limited english skills sometimes results in some interesting and humorous situations. It's common to see people on the streets with shirts on that have english writing on them. Sometimes the shirts say some rather provocative and inappropriate things. You might be thinking "well maybe they just have different standards there" well, that may be it, but often just from looking at the person, you get the feeling that they just have no idea what their shirt says. Take the grandmother wearing the shirt with the Playboy bunny character on it...I really don't think she knows what that represents, she probably just thinks it's a cute bunny. Or the old man wearing a shirt that says "Stupid" I'm thinking that was an accident.

Does Beth like her job? Doesn't she hate the long hours? How does she communicate with her co-workers?

Hmm...why don't I let Beth answer that:

"I do enjoy my job. Yes, we took a leap moving to Hong Kong for me to begin working for an entirely new employer with a new group of people I'd never met before. But despite all the risks my intution turned out to be accurate and the role I have at Citigroup is very, very similar to the role I had at Russell which made it quite easy to settle into.

Additional to that, you'd be surprised how diverse the office is. I will admit that I myself pictured an office where the majority of the staff we're middle age local folks who were more accustomed to conversing in Cantonese than English. This is not the reality of the office environment. Soon after moving to Hong Kong I quickly realized there is a dramatic difference between those in the business world and those who well, have lower paying jobs. Here at work, EVERYONE speaks English. Not to mention I work with an Australian, a New Zealander, an American, and a Canadian.

A few are a bit rusty with English and have heavy accents and writing English is a challenge for many. But the majority of my co-workers were educated in the US, Canada, London, Australia, etc.. You'll find most in the business world have spent 5-10 years living abroad and this makes them very different from what we Hong Konger's call the "local locals."

Many people here do work horrible hours. Horrendous hours. I have several co-workers who are known to not leave the office until 10pm 3 or 4 days out of the week. The general rule here is: "If it's Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday and you're awake--you should be at work." However, the locals (meaning those who've lived in HK more than a year) do not see this scenario as being a slave to the employer as folks would in the US. The ultra dedicated people I work with stay late because they want to (not just because it's the cultural norm)... These are people who forgo vacation time because working gives them satisfaction more so than other liesurely activities. (seriously, I have 2 co-workers that gave up vacay time last year) and I can only chalk that up to cultural upbringing and influence.

I however, do as all ex-pats do here. I've managed to forge a different routine for myself and I tend to leave around 6:30. Yes, this is late in comparison to my early departure days at Russell where no one batted an eye if you wanted to leave between 4 and 4:30 and putting in OT was working til 6. However, keep in mind that in the US I called my boss with a head's up if I couldn't make it in by 8:15, where as here I can show up between 9 and 9:15 and still get in before my co-workers (though I often keep to my old habits and show up in the 8 o'clock hour.

Additionally, one hour lunches are not had here. If I wanna shop or have a glass or two of wine over lunch, I can. Ninety minute, even two-hour lunches are very common here. On average I work about 45 hours a week, maybe every other week I work 50. Saturday's are not work days. Yes, some companies do count Saturday morning as part of the work week, but my employer is not one of them. So, yea, the hours are a bit long and I do suffer from time to time when I wanna leave the office and it's 6:45 and everyone else is typing away. They notice, but I leave anyway and this seems to be the routine of every expat I know...

I think Nick has covered everything else so I will leave it at that."

So, to sum it up here: the weather sucks, you don't have a job, your dog poops in your apartment, the food sucks, the locals unknowingly wear obscene t-shirts...you basically hate it right?! Ha ha! That'll teach you to take risks and leave America!! Score 1, for the good ol' USA!! Don't come back, commie!

Well, that was a little melodramatic. No, we don't hate it here, not at all. Like a lot of things in life, it has it's up and downs. But, we definately don't regret our decision to move here. We are getting exactly what we were looking for: something new
==================================================================

So, there you have it. If you have any questions not contained in this list, feel free to ask away. But, if it is asked more than once, it will need to be added to the list!