So apparently I'm terrible at keeping my promises... or at least at keeping the 'I'll update my blog asap' promise... I do have a bit of an excuse (or two...) - when I came home from HK I caught a cold from my nephew and/or niece which evolved into a nasty sinus infection, which I am just now finally getting over.... that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!!
Ok, so a brief summary of the last half of my HK trip... went to the Red Bull Flutag - that event where people build 'flying machines' and run them off a ramp and the person who goes the farthest wins.. you will have seen it on TV/ online - it is rather hilarious. Another day we rode transit out to a village on the other side of the main city. The village was called Stanley, and it has a pretty cool market which got some of my money - I bought 3 lithograph art pieces which were framed in the shop while I waited, as well as some more traditional 'Lauren' type souvies - a silk table runner, some pillow cases etc. Also another night we went up to the Peak - the top of Hong Kong and got some great views of the city by night - lovely! Otherwise there was lots of 'ex-pat' living, enjoying the heat (the sun finally came out for my final two days), getting chilled coffee type drinks, enjoying the Marina etc etc. Overall I classify the visit as a success!
Otherwise/ In other news, well, I've been sick, so sitting on my duff watching TV and trying to get better. The bright side has been that I got the cold from the babies, and therefore was not on quarantine from seeing them - so I've been doing that ever few days - they are such a joy!
What's next for me? Well I have a LOT of stuff on my to-do list here at home - basically everything I've put off for the past 3 - 4 years has come up to be done NOW. I'm also still waiting on hearing from the Law Society about my UK LLB - I need their judgment before I can work in any legal capacity in Canada. I am looking for some kind of part time work, but am rather specific in what I am looking for - something which will help my career/resume/be interesting etc etc etc. But I will also admit, it is nice to actually have some time right now where I don't feel guilty staying up late or what not - it's the first time in 4 years I've been able to properly slow down, reassess and do a few reality checks. All is well!
ok, back to whatever I was doing before I remembered this blog!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Saturday, October 09, 2010
HK so far...
So I'm half way through my time in Hong Kong and figured I'd do an update...
This city is crazy. It's like New York on steroids - everything is increased here from buildings to numbers of people to smells to land mass... in some ways it is a very attractive place, but when you take a closer look it is really rather dirty and scattered. the rich place where the ex-pat's live are like any resort around the world - really fancy, well made, expensive looking... but if you peal away a layer, it is similar to mexico in it's poor regions. huge disparity between rich and poor here.
I've been doing a mix of touristing and hanging with the locals, so to speak... Adam has a rather large circle of friends who we have been social with, which has been nice as I've been seeing what the local 'ex-pat' population does when they live here. But Adam has been taking me around the sites as well, so I'm feeling pretty good about the trip!
Seen:
Big Buddha, Po Lin Monestary, Ning Pong village, So Kwan Wat village and Reservoir, and sites of Hong Kong city itself: Govenors House, Hollywood Road, Man Mo Temple, South Lancar Street, IFC Center, Star Ferry, Peinsula Hotel, Nathan Road and loads of views of the various areas of the city... HUGE place!!
Still lots more to come, so will update again later... photos are up on Flickr...
This city is crazy. It's like New York on steroids - everything is increased here from buildings to numbers of people to smells to land mass... in some ways it is a very attractive place, but when you take a closer look it is really rather dirty and scattered. the rich place where the ex-pat's live are like any resort around the world - really fancy, well made, expensive looking... but if you peal away a layer, it is similar to mexico in it's poor regions. huge disparity between rich and poor here.
I've been doing a mix of touristing and hanging with the locals, so to speak... Adam has a rather large circle of friends who we have been social with, which has been nice as I've been seeing what the local 'ex-pat' population does when they live here. But Adam has been taking me around the sites as well, so I'm feeling pretty good about the trip!
Seen:
Big Buddha, Po Lin Monestary, Ning Pong village, So Kwan Wat village and Reservoir, and sites of Hong Kong city itself: Govenors House, Hollywood Road, Man Mo Temple, South Lancar Street, IFC Center, Star Ferry, Peinsula Hotel, Nathan Road and loads of views of the various areas of the city... HUGE place!!
Still lots more to come, so will update again later... photos are up on Flickr...
Monday, October 04, 2010
Next Adventure - the East!!
My current joke: I'm headed so far west, I'll be in the east... ha ha!
So if you recall, a few months/posts back, I had dinner with my half-brother Adam, whilst in London. During that vino-entrenched visit, there was talk of a visit to Hong Kong, where Adam lives.
Much to my happiness, this has actually come to fruition. A couple weeks ago Adam contacted me about potential dates for a visit, and I send along my availability. A short while later, I recieved an email from Cathay Pacific - a ticket had been booked for me! OH WOW!!!!
So I leave tonight, or rather, extremely early tomorrow morning. My flight leaves at 02:45 and goes direct to Hong Kong...the flight is 13.5 hours, but with the 16 hour time change, I end up landing in Hong Kong at 7am on Wednesday!
Not sure exactly what I'll be doing for the week I'm visiting, but I've bought a guide book and have quite a few ideas. If I have time and internet access I'll update as I go, but otherwise will post an epic entry upon my return!
Horrah! I get to add a new country to my list! WOOP WOOP!
Hope everyone is well, wherever you are!
L
So if you recall, a few months/posts back, I had dinner with my half-brother Adam, whilst in London. During that vino-entrenched visit, there was talk of a visit to Hong Kong, where Adam lives.
Much to my happiness, this has actually come to fruition. A couple weeks ago Adam contacted me about potential dates for a visit, and I send along my availability. A short while later, I recieved an email from Cathay Pacific - a ticket had been booked for me! OH WOW!!!!
So I leave tonight, or rather, extremely early tomorrow morning. My flight leaves at 02:45 and goes direct to Hong Kong...the flight is 13.5 hours, but with the 16 hour time change, I end up landing in Hong Kong at 7am on Wednesday!
Not sure exactly what I'll be doing for the week I'm visiting, but I've bought a guide book and have quite a few ideas. If I have time and internet access I'll update as I go, but otherwise will post an epic entry upon my return!
Horrah! I get to add a new country to my list! WOOP WOOP!
Hope everyone is well, wherever you are!
L
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