Sunday was a quieter day, as we found ourselves needing a day to relax
and spend it with the kids. We played and played with Sebastian,
changed many many diapers and fed many bottles. In the late afternoon,
Angela Pasceri (a friend of the family’s) came over with her little girl and
the older kids played together and the adults sat back and enjoyed the
sun, and visiting.
We retired early tonight.
Sunday, 7 November 2004
Saturday, 6 November 2004
A Dolphin Slimed Me
After getting our photos back, we asked Seb if he wanted to see the
dolphin show, he was excited about that. After getting great seats the
show started a few minutes after. The announcer came out on stage and
asked if she could have a volunteer to help with the dolphins, you had
to not be afraid of getting wet. I thought why not and my hand shot up
before I had a chance to re-think my decision. The announcer picked a
lady not too far from us; my hand went back down, until I saw him looking
again. Next thing I know, I am headed down to the stage area. She
asked both of us volunteers what our names were and where we were from.
I have full blown laryngitis and as my voice cracked while trying to
say my name, it came out sounding like, "amela from anada" ( Pamela
from Canada). The crowd loved it and clapped for us both.
Lunch at McDonald's, rides on the ferris wheel, went to the shark tank and it was wild! Seb went on a few kids rides before he had reached his limit. We then came home, all tuckered out, but thrilled. Ocean Park was a blast. We spent a quiet night at home and relaxed.
Friday, 5 November 2004
Seb's Audio exam
It’s funny how you can work somewhere all your life and never really understand what it is that certain people do in a neighbouring department. Yesterday I got a crash course in what goes on in the Audiology Department; there is one right beside my office at the hospital I work at. I of course knew if was for testing one’s hearing and assessing the level of assistance one would need if necessary. I accompanied Tess and Seb up to the appointment; the first fun part is the waiting. Thankfully there were other children in the waiting area also and so Seb had others to run around with.
The first part of the appointment was sitting with the Dr. for maybe 2 minutes; he looked in Seb’s ears and said, ok, you need the following tests done. So down the hallway we went and once again waited until the “testing” area was free. Once inside I felt strangely as if I was on Star Trek. The assistant explained that Seb would have to sit still for approx 20-30minutes to complete the test. (How many 2/3 year olds can sit still for 10 minutes?). She then explained how the test worked and how when she pit the earphones on him, he was to listen for a sound and then drop a block into a bucket to signify he had heard the sound. So on went the earphones and the first 3 blocks were dropped without a problem. A co-worked of hers barged in twice to the sound proof testing area without any prior warning and interrupted the exam. Then Seb got bored and wanted to play with all of the knobs and instruments that were conveniently within his reach. He basically was being a typical kid. The assistant was saying he was being bad, I reassured he was being good and that this was too complicated for someone his age.
She then informed us that the next test to do would not be ready for a few hours, as it required specialized equipment to do so and it was in use. When Tess then told her that we did not have the time for this and that she would not be able to wait, she went off to check on the equipment and it suddenly was available. This test consisted of sticking a small sponge probe in his ear, drape the cording around his neck and then get him to sit still for 15 minutes on Tess’ lap. He made it approx 5 minutes before the probe would fall out, etc. I asked her if it would possible be easier to put a small piece of tape over the cord as it would stop it from falling out of his ear. This did help, but not for too long. She said she got an “ok” reading and we were to go and wait again in the waiting area (which was now packed).
So we waited, and waited, Seb was starting to power down by this point and he was hungry. Tess and Seb went off the ward for one small moment and sure enough they called his name. Make a long story short, they wouldn’t wait for the 2 minutes needed, and instead made them wait (Tess and Seb) even more. Finally she went in and spoke to the Dr. This whole process took in total close to 2 hours.
After this, Dad and I went downtown, we walked there which takes about an hour, we picked up the 5 rolls of developed film I had dropped off 2 days prior, and picked up some groceries. We got home, checked out the pics and then got ready to go out for dinner with Tess and Charles’s good friend(s) Richard and Natt. I have spoken of Richard before in the last year’s letters. He is a Canadian who has lived here for years and owns many restaurants in the Hong Kong area. He is an avid dog lover, and a good friend to this family. He has met our entire family as everyone who visits here meets and loves Richard. We met at Tony Roma’s after walking approx 20 blocks in high-heeled boots. I am speaking on my own behalf here. I felt like the Jolly Green Giant.
We met at Tony Roma’s (it was nearly impossible to get a reservation), and it was packed. We got a great table, overlooking the harbour, and the 6 of us sat there for 4 hours, chatting, having a good dinner, discussing everything from unions, to government, to taxes, to Canada, etc, etc. It was a great evening. I think Richard, Natt, and Sandi have all now met every member of our family. We piled into Charles’s car and drove home with full intentions of watching a movie, but we all ended up heading straight to bed. It had been a wonderful evening
The first part of the appointment was sitting with the Dr. for maybe 2 minutes; he looked in Seb’s ears and said, ok, you need the following tests done. So down the hallway we went and once again waited until the “testing” area was free. Once inside I felt strangely as if I was on Star Trek. The assistant explained that Seb would have to sit still for approx 20-30minutes to complete the test. (How many 2/3 year olds can sit still for 10 minutes?). She then explained how the test worked and how when she pit the earphones on him, he was to listen for a sound and then drop a block into a bucket to signify he had heard the sound. So on went the earphones and the first 3 blocks were dropped without a problem. A co-worked of hers barged in twice to the sound proof testing area without any prior warning and interrupted the exam. Then Seb got bored and wanted to play with all of the knobs and instruments that were conveniently within his reach. He basically was being a typical kid. The assistant was saying he was being bad, I reassured he was being good and that this was too complicated for someone his age.
She then informed us that the next test to do would not be ready for a few hours, as it required specialized equipment to do so and it was in use. When Tess then told her that we did not have the time for this and that she would not be able to wait, she went off to check on the equipment and it suddenly was available. This test consisted of sticking a small sponge probe in his ear, drape the cording around his neck and then get him to sit still for 15 minutes on Tess’ lap. He made it approx 5 minutes before the probe would fall out, etc. I asked her if it would possible be easier to put a small piece of tape over the cord as it would stop it from falling out of his ear. This did help, but not for too long. She said she got an “ok” reading and we were to go and wait again in the waiting area (which was now packed).
So we waited, and waited, Seb was starting to power down by this point and he was hungry. Tess and Seb went off the ward for one small moment and sure enough they called his name. Make a long story short, they wouldn’t wait for the 2 minutes needed, and instead made them wait (Tess and Seb) even more. Finally she went in and spoke to the Dr. This whole process took in total close to 2 hours.
After this, Dad and I went downtown, we walked there which takes about an hour, we picked up the 5 rolls of developed film I had dropped off 2 days prior, and picked up some groceries. We got home, checked out the pics and then got ready to go out for dinner with Tess and Charles’s good friend(s) Richard and Natt. I have spoken of Richard before in the last year’s letters. He is a Canadian who has lived here for years and owns many restaurants in the Hong Kong area. He is an avid dog lover, and a good friend to this family. He has met our entire family as everyone who visits here meets and loves Richard. We met at Tony Roma’s after walking approx 20 blocks in high-heeled boots. I am speaking on my own behalf here. I felt like the Jolly Green Giant.
We met at Tony Roma’s (it was nearly impossible to get a reservation), and it was packed. We got a great table, overlooking the harbour, and the 6 of us sat there for 4 hours, chatting, having a good dinner, discussing everything from unions, to government, to taxes, to Canada, etc, etc. It was a great evening. I think Richard, Natt, and Sandi have all now met every member of our family. We piled into Charles’s car and drove home with full intentions of watching a movie, but we all ended up heading straight to bed. It had been a wonderful evening
Thursday, 4 November 2004
Shenzhen Bound!! Be still my beating heart
Up with the babies (at the crack of dawn) kisses to Sebastian as he leaves for school, drive downtown with Charles as he went off to work, and then we began our journey to the border of China. I call it my own personal wall of China, as I know that being that wall is Gods Country (shopping heaven).
It takes a total of 3 separate trains / subways to reach Shenzhen. Then you have to clear HK customs, pay for Shenzhen visa ($150HKD approx $25-30 CDN) for Canadians we pay a small fee vs. US citizens who pay 400HKD per person, the Brits pay more. Then you clear China Customs and then go through security before walking over the bridge that links the two countries together. Last time I had walked the bridge it was open to see outside as you crossed over. It is now covered, perhaps so that you don’t notice the barbed wire fences, the guard towers and the knowing fact that the police on the China side of the border not only have a few more German Sheppards around for security, but that the gun power they supply has gone from handguns to machine guns. Always such a comforting thought.
I am worried as we cross into customs as they have nurses with thermometers checking peoples temps, I had night sweats the whole night prior and am feeling about as dreadful as one can feel (but I had told Tess, even if I slip into a coma, I am going to Shenzhen), I feel quite liberated as I slip past their highly trained medical experts and cross over into Shoppers Mecca.
Dad quickly found himself being “attacked” by throngs of people offering him watches, dvds, massages, pedicures, manicures, etc etc. We 3 decided to split up and go our separate ways after we dropped off some material at a seamstress, so that Tess could get her whole couch/loveseat re-upholstered for a killer deal! Tess and I then power shopped until lunch at which time we re-aligned ourselves with Dad and headed to the Golden Elephant for some lunch.
I was not able to get my turnip pastry (the ones I had been secretly fantasizing about for the last 2 years), but we got some fried turnip, many shrimp rolls, dumplings, bok choy, rice and dejarling tea. We ordered so much food that we were forced to bring the leftovers home with us. More shopping followed lunch, purses, shoes, babies clothes and clothes for the big kids.
By the time we cleared customs and Immigration on the China side, we were then ready to clear it on the Hong Kong side, I was once again able to avoid the dreaded temperature check. We took the subway/tram home and then were able to spend the late afternoon and evening with the babies and of course Seb.
It takes a total of 3 separate trains / subways to reach Shenzhen. Then you have to clear HK customs, pay for Shenzhen visa ($150HKD approx $25-30 CDN) for Canadians we pay a small fee vs. US citizens who pay 400HKD per person, the Brits pay more. Then you clear China Customs and then go through security before walking over the bridge that links the two countries together. Last time I had walked the bridge it was open to see outside as you crossed over. It is now covered, perhaps so that you don’t notice the barbed wire fences, the guard towers and the knowing fact that the police on the China side of the border not only have a few more German Sheppards around for security, but that the gun power they supply has gone from handguns to machine guns. Always such a comforting thought.
I am worried as we cross into customs as they have nurses with thermometers checking peoples temps, I had night sweats the whole night prior and am feeling about as dreadful as one can feel (but I had told Tess, even if I slip into a coma, I am going to Shenzhen), I feel quite liberated as I slip past their highly trained medical experts and cross over into Shoppers Mecca.
Dad quickly found himself being “attacked” by throngs of people offering him watches, dvds, massages, pedicures, manicures, etc etc. We 3 decided to split up and go our separate ways after we dropped off some material at a seamstress, so that Tess could get her whole couch/loveseat re-upholstered for a killer deal! Tess and I then power shopped until lunch at which time we re-aligned ourselves with Dad and headed to the Golden Elephant for some lunch.
I was not able to get my turnip pastry (the ones I had been secretly fantasizing about for the last 2 years), but we got some fried turnip, many shrimp rolls, dumplings, bok choy, rice and dejarling tea. We ordered so much food that we were forced to bring the leftovers home with us. More shopping followed lunch, purses, shoes, babies clothes and clothes for the big kids.
By the time we cleared customs and Immigration on the China side, we were then ready to clear it on the Hong Kong side, I was once again able to avoid the dreaded temperature check. We took the subway/tram home and then were able to spend the late afternoon and evening with the babies and of course Seb.
Wednesday, 3 November 2004
Dad's Excellent Adventure
Ok, so yesterday I wake up and feel as if I had been partying for a week straight.
Everything is aching. Then the cough comes back, a slight fever, and a
really sore throat. To make the matter worse, I am now loosing my voice
(something I am famous for having happen every fall/spring). I don’t
want people to know how cruddy I feel, because there is so much more to
see and do before we leave next week.
Jasper has an eye exam this morning. I accompanied Tess over to the Queen Mary Hospital to give her some support during this rotten test. Jasper is not thrilled by it, but is a good little trooper and gets through it. He hates having his pupils dilated and then his eyes forced open. Not that a lot of people enjoy that. This was a test to see how his ROP was doing (if it was advancing or not). The good news is that he does not have to go back again for another 6 months. Secondly they said it has not worsened, and thirdly, they feel that there has been some improvement! Yeah! Poor J looked like he had been raving at Woodstock all night long and had pupils the size of quarters for the remainder of the day.
Tess thinks that some shopping intervention therapy might help us to feel more welcomed back to HK, so off the 3 of us go. Dad’s full intentions are to go to the War Museum (actually it is the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence it is free admission on Wednesday). It is the day of the American Election and a dear friend of Tess’s (an American) is at the Ritz Carlton watching the results as they come in. Tess mentions this to Dad who is following the results the best he can as the day went by. Sandi mentions to him that if he has any trouble getting in, to drop her name. We gals go in our direction, and Dad to his.
Tess and I found some killer deals and then decided to go for lunch. We found a great little fish and chips place, which was very tasty. The restaurant we went to was the size of my bedroom closet, but somehow seated 5 tables. You got to know the people at the next table quite well by end of meal. The food was fantastic. I had poached sole, and Tess had beer battered fish and chips. We enjoyed the food and listened as the results were being announced on the radio. We figured that the results would wait, and we continued on with our day of shopping and dropping off film, getting a few groceries etc.
Spent a quiet afternoon at home wondering how Dad was doing with his adventures, i.e. museum visit. Around suppertime both Tess and I figured that Dad had found Sandi (the dear friend), and that somehow they/he had not made it to the museum. She and I decided to start making bets as to what time he would call, if he would call, if he was out with Sandi, if he had been abducted etc. We had more variations and odds than any bookies I had ever known.
Around 7pm, the phone rang, it was Dad (I won the phone call time), he and Sandi were now heading out on a private “junk” to go on a wine testing tour. He couldn’t remember his bank pin # and he was hoping Tess had it. (We know nothing). Around 10:30 that night Dad came home quite proud of himself and was going on and on about how he had been interviewed by 2 Chinese newspapers re: the American election**. Imagine the irony in that, a Canadian, being interviewed about an American election while in Hong Kong. The rest of the evening was uneventful. I know that Tess and Dad were impressed that I had no voice left, and I think they secretly enjoyed the fact that I couldn’t talk.
Blake never made it to the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence. Maybe another day.
** Blake reports: Just to set the record straight I asked not to be interviewed but it seems the political mandarins in the crowd recognized the (ahem) famous Blake Lyons and the rest is history. Modesty prevents me from saying more. **
Jasper has an eye exam this morning. I accompanied Tess over to the Queen Mary Hospital to give her some support during this rotten test. Jasper is not thrilled by it, but is a good little trooper and gets through it. He hates having his pupils dilated and then his eyes forced open. Not that a lot of people enjoy that. This was a test to see how his ROP was doing (if it was advancing or not). The good news is that he does not have to go back again for another 6 months. Secondly they said it has not worsened, and thirdly, they feel that there has been some improvement! Yeah! Poor J looked like he had been raving at Woodstock all night long and had pupils the size of quarters for the remainder of the day.
Tess thinks that some shopping intervention therapy might help us to feel more welcomed back to HK, so off the 3 of us go. Dad’s full intentions are to go to the War Museum (actually it is the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence it is free admission on Wednesday). It is the day of the American Election and a dear friend of Tess’s (an American) is at the Ritz Carlton watching the results as they come in. Tess mentions this to Dad who is following the results the best he can as the day went by. Sandi mentions to him that if he has any trouble getting in, to drop her name. We gals go in our direction, and Dad to his.
Tess and I found some killer deals and then decided to go for lunch. We found a great little fish and chips place, which was very tasty. The restaurant we went to was the size of my bedroom closet, but somehow seated 5 tables. You got to know the people at the next table quite well by end of meal. The food was fantastic. I had poached sole, and Tess had beer battered fish and chips. We enjoyed the food and listened as the results were being announced on the radio. We figured that the results would wait, and we continued on with our day of shopping and dropping off film, getting a few groceries etc.
Spent a quiet afternoon at home wondering how Dad was doing with his adventures, i.e. museum visit. Around suppertime both Tess and I figured that Dad had found Sandi (the dear friend), and that somehow they/he had not made it to the museum. She and I decided to start making bets as to what time he would call, if he would call, if he was out with Sandi, if he had been abducted etc. We had more variations and odds than any bookies I had ever known.
Around 7pm, the phone rang, it was Dad (I won the phone call time), he and Sandi were now heading out on a private “junk” to go on a wine testing tour. He couldn’t remember his bank pin # and he was hoping Tess had it. (We know nothing). Around 10:30 that night Dad came home quite proud of himself and was going on and on about how he had been interviewed by 2 Chinese newspapers re: the American election**. Imagine the irony in that, a Canadian, being interviewed about an American election while in Hong Kong. The rest of the evening was uneventful. I know that Tess and Dad were impressed that I had no voice left, and I think they secretly enjoyed the fact that I couldn’t talk.
Blake never made it to the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence. Maybe another day.
** Blake reports: Just to set the record straight I asked not to be interviewed but it seems the political mandarins in the crowd recognized the (ahem) famous Blake Lyons and the rest is history. Modesty prevents me from saying more. **
Sunday, 30 April 2000
Vietnam: letting go of the past
The 25th anniversary of the United States’ withdrawal from The Vietnam War is upon us. Judging by the media coverage this commemoration has received, the Vietnam War is not forgotten. By coincidence Tess and I found ourselves in Vietnam leading up to this occasion. Two years ago Tess participated in a press trip that included a short stay at a gorgeous resort on a beach in Danang, Vietnam. This beach is commonly referred to as China Beach, located on the Gulf of Tonkin. During the Vietnam War, China Beach was almost the nucleus of US military activities. Today it is a long stretch of sandy white beach, with one five star resort: the Furama Resort, Danang. At the north end of the beach rise several jungle-shrouded mountains. It was from these mountains that the Vietcong watched every move of the US military. You can see a picture of the Furama Resort on the front cover of this week’s People Magazine.Tess and I discussed the war several times during our five-day stay. We agreed that the nation dragging around the past of the Vietnam War is the United States, not Vietnam. For most of her life, Vietnam has been at war. This is a people who have grown accustomed to war being a regular and accepted part of life. The end of the Vietnam War marked the beginning of twenty-five years of conflict free life. Quite possibly, the longest period of peace that Vietnam has experienced for some time. And since then, the Vietnamese government has slowly begun to open up the economy. It has a way to go, but many who visit Vietnam frequently or even live there, say that the pace of change in Vietnam operates at Internet speed without the Internet. After continuing to read about The Vietnam War, and living in Hong Kong for four years, I have had the chance to ask many Asians (including Vietnamese) about The Vietnam War. (The Vietnamese call it The American War.) The response always contains the following theme: “You have to let go of the past and move on…”
The Vietnamese are extremely friendly, with an intense desire to better themselves and help others. Vietnam boasts one of the highest literacy rates in Asia, if not the highest. Even the number one motivator for mothers giving their children up for adoption is not to find a better life for the child, but a better education, if you can imagine that.
The Vietnam War has fascinated me for years and years. I have read easily more than a hundred books ranging from historical to personal accounts. Two nights before we left for our Easter weekend in Danang I sat up for three hours reading through a fascinating web site dedicated to the Vietnam War. Naturally I followed several links soon finding myself reading the nauseating detail of United States government interviews from the search for MIA (Missing In Action.) Therefore, Tess and I were quite amazed to experience what we saw last week while transiting through the Hanoi International Airport en route to Hong Kong.
On several occasions while dealing with the insanity of Hanoi’s airport, we glanced outside to see a massive United States Air Force transport plane (C-140) sitting on the tarmac. There were no 747’s at the airport that we could see, but had there been, I am sure they would have been dwarfed by this huge, gray, obese machine.
The rear ramp of the machine sat extended onto the tarmac like the lazy tongue of a dragon, panting in the hot sun. Nothing seemed to be happening, except there were numerous civilians and military personnel running around. Each time I looked at the beast, I half expected a fully restored ceremonial Jeep to ride out of the dragon’s gaping mouth. As our transit bus drove us to our Cathay Pacific plane, the beast’s neighbour, we noticed six sets of trestles set-up behind the military plane. We boarded our Cathay flight and waited to depart.
Roughly ten minutes before we left, I glanced out our window to find the scene behind the beast transformed into a military ceremony. Sitting on each set of trestles was a silver coffin. Four of them were already draped in fresh, new American flags. The other two were being draped as we watched. Four soldiers, each wearing a different style uniform that looked as though it represented one arm of the United States military, cared for the coffins. Several more senior looking military personnel looked on, saluting the coffins as they were draped. With the last two coffins completed, the four soldiers than proceeded to effortlessly carry the decorated coffins into the belly of the plane one at a time.
On the far side of this occasion stood a small crowd of onlookers, some military, but mostly civilians with a lot of cameras. What was more interesting, though, was the crowd watching the proceedings from our side. There were eight lines of roughly six people in each line. Two of the lines clearly consisted of military personnel in full military dress. Their movements were consistent with the salutes of the senior personnel saluting fallen comrades. To the left were six more perfectly formed lines of civilians.
What we were watching was six fallen soldiers on their way home. Their departures were perhaps 25, 30 or maybe even 40 years late. Certainly, their status during those long years was MIA, and now on the anniversary of The Vietnam War, these MIAs were no longer MIA. They were going home. Standing there, in the blistering heat, were a handful of friends and family representing each one of these soldiers. One line of family and friends for each soldier. We learned after the fact that Senator John McCain was one of the people dressed in civvies. In the last week the media has carried numerous pictures of this event. If you look closely, in some of the pics one will see a picture of a Cathay Pacific plane in the background… Tess and I were on that plane.
I sat on CX 743 and watched in awe. After so many years of personal fascination and curiosity towards The Vietnam War, it was an extraordinary privilege to share this moment that provoked all types of introspective thoughts. Suddenly our plane nudged forward. We pulled away and headed home as the last coffin disappeared into the dragon’s mouth, and six American soldiers headed home themselves.
Friday, 8 January 1999
Hong Kong Mini Bus
Today was a gorgeous day in Hong Kong. There is a Web Cam mounted on the side of my office building, about 15 floors below me that captures the view.
After work today I had to go to a specialty store to buy some groceries. The place is about a fifteen minute walk across a park from where I work. The district is called Causeway Bay, and is notorious for having maniacal crowds. I thought today, being a working day, would be different. Normally it is busiest on weekends. Well, I was wrong. It was PACKED, and impossible to walk along the streets quickly because the sidewalks were busting at the seems with people. I get very impatient in situations like that. Many pictures of "masses of people" crossing streets are taken at a certain HUGE crosswalk in Causeway Bay. Now I am used to it (albeit a bit anxious at times) but often wonder what it would be like for someone to come over from Canada to witness the crowds. Even on a less busy day David Brightling marveled at the mobs of people.
Anyway, I picked up the groceries, slipped into a bookstore to buy two el' cheapo books for myself and a People magazine for Tess. The shopping mall I was in is also a ritzy office tower complex housing mega-companies' Asia Pacific headquarters. Companies like Coke and Hewlett Packard can be found here. On the side of one of the towers is a gargantuan state of the art TV screen, that takes up 2 - 3 floors, with laser/halogen light bulbs. It projects an extremely clear picture. This complex is called Times Square and also houses a high-end store called Lane Crawford (read big Holt Renfrew). They often blast sophisticated Nat King Cole, or Frank Sinatra music, into the street. They have one song, "O the Good Life" which you may know that I like a lot. Again, the sound is incredibly clear and fills the surrounding streets.
To get home I hopped on a 16 seater minibus. To give you an idea, many expats in my office have never been on one of these minibuses. They are very local (the minibuses - not the expats!) The drivers rarely speak English, and you need to know a few words of Cantonese to get around. Typically the drivers are crazy, too. They will pick-up passengers wherever they can legally stop (and elsewhere, too) and drive very quickly. Once in February two of them collided, with me sitting right where the collision took place. The broken glass from the rear view mirror showered all over me through the open window. (Now I always close the windows.) The driver didn't care. The two drivers exchanged words and were on their way again.
So tonight I got on this one bus, which started speeding its way through HK. Soon he took a turn up towards Mid Levels and I thought, "O no... WHERE is this guy going now?" I recalled I forgot to check the sign on the front of the bus, too!! Eventually he turned back onto the normal route. (That is the other thing about the minibuses - they will go off the beaten track to drop people off. Sometimes you never know where you are going to go!!)
As I approached our street I said, "Soy GUY, m-goy!" This means "Water Street, Please." Several of the other passengers looked at me curiously (my tone tonight was poor -- or maybe it was good and they could not believe a gweilo could speak like that!) as the driver stopped to let me out. I gave him a $10 HKD coin and he gave me $4 change. So less than a buck CDN to get home from Times Square. A taxi would have been about $45 HKD ($9 CDN).
The walk from the designated stopping point (as designated as they get on minibuses) to Fung Shing Building is about five minutes. As I walked along I encountered an older Chinese man walking his two dogs. One was a German Shepherd, the other mixed Labrador. Amazingly, the German Shepherd had the lab's leash in his mouth, leading the three of them. The Chinese man walked about a meter. The lab stopped every few meters for guidance from the owner to make sure the German Shepherd was going in the right direction. It was one of those situations where one knew the two dogs were very well trained. They looked healthy, too.
Now I am home typing this e-mail, and I think it is time to study statistics!
By the way, never doubt we don't have intelligent cats -- during the course of writing this e-mail, Cee Cee, playing with a bright pink ping pong ball given to her and Olivia at Christmas, played fetch. NO KIDDING... I threw the ball, and she returned it, about six times. Here is the amazing part.... she regularly does the same thing with items she is able to put in her mouth. A ping pong ball, on the other hand, she has to paw handle back to me.
After work today I had to go to a specialty store to buy some groceries. The place is about a fifteen minute walk across a park from where I work. The district is called Causeway Bay, and is notorious for having maniacal crowds. I thought today, being a working day, would be different. Normally it is busiest on weekends. Well, I was wrong. It was PACKED, and impossible to walk along the streets quickly because the sidewalks were busting at the seems with people. I get very impatient in situations like that. Many pictures of "masses of people" crossing streets are taken at a certain HUGE crosswalk in Causeway Bay. Now I am used to it (albeit a bit anxious at times) but often wonder what it would be like for someone to come over from Canada to witness the crowds. Even on a less busy day David Brightling marveled at the mobs of people.
Anyway, I picked up the groceries, slipped into a bookstore to buy two el' cheapo books for myself and a People magazine for Tess. The shopping mall I was in is also a ritzy office tower complex housing mega-companies' Asia Pacific headquarters. Companies like Coke and Hewlett Packard can be found here. On the side of one of the towers is a gargantuan state of the art TV screen, that takes up 2 - 3 floors, with laser/halogen light bulbs. It projects an extremely clear picture. This complex is called Times Square and also houses a high-end store called Lane Crawford (read big Holt Renfrew). They often blast sophisticated Nat King Cole, or Frank Sinatra music, into the street. They have one song, "O the Good Life" which you may know that I like a lot. Again, the sound is incredibly clear and fills the surrounding streets.
To get home I hopped on a 16 seater minibus. To give you an idea, many expats in my office have never been on one of these minibuses. They are very local (the minibuses - not the expats!) The drivers rarely speak English, and you need to know a few words of Cantonese to get around. Typically the drivers are crazy, too. They will pick-up passengers wherever they can legally stop (and elsewhere, too) and drive very quickly. Once in February two of them collided, with me sitting right where the collision took place. The broken glass from the rear view mirror showered all over me through the open window. (Now I always close the windows.) The driver didn't care. The two drivers exchanged words and were on their way again.
So tonight I got on this one bus, which started speeding its way through HK. Soon he took a turn up towards Mid Levels and I thought, "O no... WHERE is this guy going now?" I recalled I forgot to check the sign on the front of the bus, too!! Eventually he turned back onto the normal route. (That is the other thing about the minibuses - they will go off the beaten track to drop people off. Sometimes you never know where you are going to go!!)
As I approached our street I said, "Soy GUY, m-goy!" This means "Water Street, Please." Several of the other passengers looked at me curiously (my tone tonight was poor -- or maybe it was good and they could not believe a gweilo could speak like that!) as the driver stopped to let me out. I gave him a $10 HKD coin and he gave me $4 change. So less than a buck CDN to get home from Times Square. A taxi would have been about $45 HKD ($9 CDN).
The walk from the designated stopping point (as designated as they get on minibuses) to Fung Shing Building is about five minutes. As I walked along I encountered an older Chinese man walking his two dogs. One was a German Shepherd, the other mixed Labrador. Amazingly, the German Shepherd had the lab's leash in his mouth, leading the three of them. The Chinese man walked about a meter. The lab stopped every few meters for guidance from the owner to make sure the German Shepherd was going in the right direction. It was one of those situations where one knew the two dogs were very well trained. They looked healthy, too.
Now I am home typing this e-mail, and I think it is time to study statistics!
By the way, never doubt we don't have intelligent cats -- during the course of writing this e-mail, Cee Cee, playing with a bright pink ping pong ball given to her and Olivia at Christmas, played fetch. NO KIDDING... I threw the ball, and she returned it, about six times. Here is the amazing part.... she regularly does the same thing with items she is able to put in her mouth. A ping pong ball, on the other hand, she has to paw handle back to me.
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