Done. Period.

I just finished both of my Humanities finals today, thank you very much. When I turned in my first exam, Professor Wang just said, "Thank you." When I handed in my second exam, Professor Chung said, "Have a nice trip home." I just responded, "Oh, I will!" Hopefully it didn't come off the wrong way, but it's all I could say.

Done. So done.

Brand Management grades came out today. Check! Time to celebrate a wonderful semester!

Vih-DAY-ohs!

In Tokyo, we stumbled upon this "little" cultural parade. Make sure to take note of how differently the men and women perform the same movements.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO07DPxFVkE

The next morning we woke up at 6am to make it to the famous Tokyo fish market.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yttUzvzKotU

The library is overrated

It's hard to study knowing that I'll be sleeping in a REAL bed on Saturday night. The library was crowded even when I got there at 10am. I guess that's to be expected. I can't imagine what the libary will be like when they expand UST, under new Hong Kong legislation, to a 4-year university. More students = less study space. Yikes!

Most of the exchange students are very ready to be done with exams and go home. A few will be traveling into June (some even through July), but those lucky few are either done with their undergraduate careers or not employed at home.

It's Monday, so Kristin is off to Paris! She said her mom was more nervous than she. Knowing Kristin, I'm sure she's going to love her six weeks abroad. It's probably a period that short enough to feel like a long vacation. Four months is another story.

Tonight I think I'll be cooking gyoza and broccoli (if Park'N'Shop isn't OUT of it again). Afterwards I'll try to post pictures and videos from our trip. I'll do anything to stay out of the library.

Hired!

The title says it all. I just accepted an intern position with The Container Store's buying/merchandising department. That means I'll be in Dallas (staying with Brenda and Eileen) for 10 weeks from June 9 to August 15. Hallelujah! I'll have an income again!

It'll be wonderful to be around family that I don't get to see as often-- including Matt, Nichole, Torie and Reid-- but I'll be away from Steven and my friends and roommates that I've been looking forward to seeing since I left in January. I guess 2008 will be the year of Austin-deprivation, but I think this internship is going to be SO worth it.

Japan... A Near Perfect Ending

You would love Japan.

The other day I looked at Jen and said, "Can you believe we started in the Philippines and ended in Japan? Good choice on our part!" Each trip was a little better than the previous one, but that's an understatement when talking about Japan.

We adjusted our travel schedule by cutting out two side-trips to Hakone (outside Tokyo) and Nara (outside Kyoto). Both would have been good trips, but we simply didn't feel like we had seen everything we wanted to see in the big cities. This was probably because we had the absolute best timing! We didn't get there in time to see the cherry blossoms in April, but we caught just about everything else.

In Tokyo, it was sumo season! There are only three big tournaments per year and we got to see one of them. It was also the weekend of the Sanja Matsuri festival in Asakusa, a once-a-year event always held on the third weekend in May. On top of that, we happened to stumble upon a giant parade/gathering/dance party in the streets of Shibuya... and I don't imagine that happens every weekend.

In Kyoto, most of the geisha performances are in April. However, we discovered there was one final series of performances that ran May 1-24. If you look at the calendar, you'll notice that we left Japan on the 23rd. Yeah, I know... lucky.

Between Daniel, Jen and myself, we took about 1,000 pictures. I'll have to find the best ones and post them on this blog. I also think I figured out how to post my albums from Facebook (which you can access even if you're not a member).

A few highlights
TOKYO
1. Arriving in the middle of Shibuya crossing, the biggest and busiest pedestrian intersection in the world. I was so overwhelmed exiting the subway that I just pressed myself against the wall and started laughing.
2. English. Trying to find restaurants with Ego (English) menus. How ironic is it that ego is the Japanese translation for English? Jen was attached to the phrase book, so she was a big help. Oh! And one night we went to a dungeon-themed restaurant complete with hand cuffs, cells and scary dungeon entertainers. They didn't have an English menu, but they had pictures. So we ordered their specialty cocktails (without knowing what was in them) and a small dinner. Daniel ordered what he thought was lasagna. Turns out it was a plate of potatoes... the size of a creme brulee ramekin. Sad, but very very funny.
3. The 6 am fish market. I have a video; it was insane. Tuna fish the size of my old Barbie car and some of the hardest/fastest working fishmongers I've ever seen. I think we nearly died 10 times in pedestrian-cart collisions.
4. The sumo tournament. The men were large and the fans were loyal. The most loyal ones have "ringside" seats and often get crushed when the losing player gets pushed off the mat. No thank you.
5. Shopping. Tokyo is silly and the fashions are exaggerated. Harijuku was great for people-watching, and the department store, Tokyo Hands, was the best for souvenir shopping and photo ops.

KYOTO
1. Our "hostels." We stayed in some of the most unique places all over the city. In Tokyo we spent three nights in bunk-bed style cubby holes with curtains. In Kyoto we upgraded to huge Japanese style ryokans and 200-year-old temples. They're best described in pictures, so I'll be sure to post some.
2. Geishas. We spotted them in Ponto-cho and Gion and did our best to take discreet pictures (sometimes). Geisha paparazzi was the theme for Kyoto. And of course, I mentioned the geisha dances earlier. Daniel was lucky enough to snap some pictures without being caught by the watchful ushers.
3. Temples and shrines. We saw too many to remember. Thankfully we have pictures to remind ourselves how beautiful these places were. Aunt Brenda, you would have loved the gardens and trees.
4. The weather. It sounds cheesy, but we had the absolute best weather all week long. It was mid- to upper-70s during the day and cool at night. Kyoto would be a terrible city to tour in the rain because everything worth doing is outside.
5. First public bath. Since we didn't have time to experience a real onsen (or Japanese hot springs bath), we decided to try out a public bath near our hotel. When I say public bath, you probably envision zen-like spas with mood lighting and herbal aromas. Not here. This was the Japanese version of the brightly lit health club locker room (mirrors included). Needless to say, Jen and I stripped down to nothing with a bunch of locals-- quite a bonding experience. We pretended to know what to do, but the locals picked up on our lack of bath skills and helped along the way. I can't even begin to describe what it felt like to sit nakedly among Japanese women scrubbing their bodies into a lather sitting on plastic stools made for 4-year-olds with brightly colored rinse buckets. It's important to note that you have to be completely clean before getting into a public bath. Hence, all the suds and washing. Better yet, Jen and I walked back to our hostel with our hair in towels and our PJs on.

I can't believe I only have a week left... but then again I can. I've had the opportunity to see so many amazing things and meet some really great people along the way. I think the best part is the near-fearlessness that comes with being able to travel in places I never expected to see. Of course, there are always slip-ups and challenges (walking the wrong direction, catching the wrong train, wanting to throw your guidebook in a puddle, etc), but I've learned not to fight it. Jen taught me the importance of embracing the phrase book (always good to know: Hello/Good Morning. Thank you. Where's the bathroom? Beer, please. May I have the check?).

Looking back, the Japanese people as a whole were incredibly happy and helpful, which made our experience that much more enjoyable. Now it's time to enjoy the last seven days!

I come to Hong Kong to watch American Idol?

Yes, it's true. I've probably watched more American Idol episodes online than I ever would have watched from my house in Austin. But that's yet another side effect of wanting "a piece of home."

I probably wouldn't be watching so much American Idol if I had more school work to do. First, you should understand that it's common at UST to either 1) not have a textbook or 2) pay you friends for a photocopied version of the pages you're supposed to read. This is because textbooks in Hong Kong are "too expensive." They obviously haven't been to the f-ing Co-Op on Guadalupe. In one way, I commend the students here for cheating the system and doing what's collectively more cost efficient. However, professors in turn often don't use textbooks or assign very little reading. The hours I spent at home going through chapter after chapter, I spend here watching online television. PS: I'm a fan of Syesha.

Having fewer daily assignments is much healthier because it means more exercise and more social time. Despite the fact that we didn't have our girls dinner on Tuesday, I'm sure we'll make up for it on Thursday and Friday nights before our departure for Japan-- WHICH we started planning today!

Want to hear a funny story? I had a Brand Management exam today despite the fact that I didn't need to take it. Thanks to the best two-of-three exam policy in that class, I could fail this exam without it hurting my grade. Well, I decided to take a nap before the 6:00 start time. (If your name is Kristin or Steven, you know how this story ends.) Of course, I woke up at 5:45 and yelled, "Shit!" I grabbed my bag and ran out the door. When I got to the academic building I realized I didn't even know what room to go to. Oops. When I finally sat down in my seat and opened the exam booklet, I realized I needed my calculator. Too bad I didn't think to bring one. Oops, again. So I filled in all the multiple choice questions and essays that didn't require calculations. Lucky for the local students, I think I really helped the curve. I just kept laughing and finished the exam 30 minutes early. Dinner was calling!

It's official. That was a TOTAL Steven move. I'm not sure it will happen again.

Speaking of "the boy," Dad if you're reading this email, me back. You better be free for lunch that Tuesday!

Dos mas dias

No one speaks Spanish here, but you probably do! I have an exam tomorrow and no major projects/committments/exams on Thursday. I guess I could have titled this email "Uno Mas Dia" but that would just be rubbing it into the faces of those who have a real hell-week.

Earlier today I "studied" for my Brand Management exam on the balcony overlooking the bay. It was maybe 70 degrees in the shade and the sky was clear. There was just enough breeze to keep me awake and holding onto my papers. Then I had dinner with a few of my favorite people-- Lisa, Frances and Kristin. Did I mention that Kristin ran a half-marathon on the Great Wall a few weeks ago. Yeah, pretty amazing.

Now, it's 11:30pm and Jen is still out doing who-knows-what. She probably just migrated from the library to the computer barn. Meanwhile, I'm in the room watching old episodes of The Office on surfthechannel.com. Stressful, I know. At least I'm learning about business.

I feel like the only way this day could have been better is if I could have finished it in a big bubble bath. Mmm... bubble bath. So civilized.

China in the News

This past semester has been a learning experience in more ways than one. Once again, today proved that lots has happened in Hong Kong and China these first four months.

• Edison Chan sex scandal made huge news in Hong Kong in January.
• Brief flu outbreak in Hong Kong before spring break brought back fears that are still very much alive here-- thanks to the avian flu and SARS.
• Protests in Tibet caused a media frenzy and worry among officials in Beijing.
• The Olympic Torch Relay faced protests in numerous cities, including San Francisco.
• Mr Ma, opposition party candidate (and Harvard grad), won the presidential elections in Taiwan. News was popular here because Mr Ma was also born in Hong Kong.
• Train collision in Southeast China killed 70 people in April-- "one of the deadliest" according to media reports.
• And most recently, a huge earthquake near Chengdu in Sichuan province killed thousands yesterday.

I'm not sure if any of those news stories are uplifting, but then again, I'm not sure if any media reports about China are uplifting. It's hard even in Hong Kong to get a realistic picture of China-- economically, politically, socially, environmentally, etc. The easiest way to learn about China is from the students at UST from the Mainland. Most of their stories are about school, family, friends and culture. If someone asked me to tell them about the US, I likely would talk about the same things.

So I've come to understand China as a place, like the US, that has definite room for improvement. By no means should you "hate China" though.

I'm going to assume that if you think Asians (as a stereotypical whole) are smart and hardworking, then you might wonder why their country is in the state it's in. But then again, if you consider that their government is just as concerned with power and money as ours is, it may not seem like such a contradiction. Take environmental issues for example. The US is just now beginning to take small steps toward environmental protection and sustainability despite the fact that we could have been doing this years ago. And now people get upset with the Chinese for not taking the same measures even though the incentives toward change are not the same.

Look at Wal-Mart. They've recently changed their slogan from "Always Low Prices" to "Save Money. Live Better." to align with their sustainability campaign. Great for Wal-Mart (trust me, I'm happy about this!) but Wal-Mart wouldn't be taking these steps if it wasn't saving them money by cutting costs or making them more money by changing consumer perceptions. It's all about incentives.

As it is set up right now, I think there are certain people in China that are making a small fortune as the system stands today. With environmentalism as an example, until someone or something challenges that power, what's the incentive to change?

So as onlookers is it our job to protest, bad-mouth and boycott? Maybe. But even better, it should be our job to understand the underlying causes for these problems. The only bad thing is that money and power are just the beginning.

China's history should prove that international pressures, when not aligned with internal forces, do little to stimulate healthy change. International pressures just make China mad and more likely to turn inward. Well, at least that's what I learned in class. I'm still trying to get first-hand opinions, but the Mainlanders would rather talk to me about fun stuff... and the Democratic primary.

(Go Barack.)

Pics from the Madre

My mom sent me these pictures from their Mother's Day lunch at Pappadeaux's and their return home. These pictures are proof that some things don't change. Mother's Day is almost always at Pappadeaux's and Snowy always wants to be brushed outside. Anyway, I fell in love with the pictures-- especially the one of Snowy with her camera-ready attitude. Haha!! What is she doing in that last picture??!

Happy Mother's Day!

OK, we'll just say that I have the best women in my life. I know everyone would want to disagree and say their moms/aunts/grandmothers are "better", but we're not going to argue about it. Being on this side of the world makes it a little difficult to give these women a worthwhile 'thank you.' But that's where technology comes in! Jen and I recorded a little something for our moms and put it on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DyKucDgluU

I love you! Thanks for helping me get through one of the biggest adventures in my life! Your phone calls, emails, travel advice and words of encouragement have been spectacular and much needed. I hope the video makes you smile. I've gotten to smile LOTS because of you.

Happy Mothers Day from Hong Kong (and a few of our local friends).

The Need to Write

Today was just one of those days where nothing went exactly according to plan, yet I'm somehow feeling great-- about life in general.

Last night Jen and I went to a karaoke bar with Phil, Matt, Kaz (aka the USC boys) and a bunch of others. This was my second karaoke experience in Hong Kong, but this time was much more pleasant. First, it was just like any other karaoke bar you could imagine, except full of Asians. Or maybe that's what you imagined. Most karaoke venues in Hong Kong are just clusters of small, private rooms where you can sing your heart out without embarrassing yourself in front of 75 strangers. But this one was made for embarrassment. Second, because of this fact I got to watch locals perform. Oh. My. God. So perfect.

Anyway, we had a good time and came home at at decent hour.

The bad part was that I woke up after having the most bizarre dreams (not the most restful sleep) and with the worst headache. It must have been a combination of dehydration and alcohol because I only had three drinks over a few hours at karaoe. Whatever it was... sucked. On top of that, Jen and I had to go into town to pick up our airline tickets in Causeway Bay (and I had to pick up my newly altered pants) and our train passes for Japan. Well, I was supposed to get my train pass but I didn't have enough cash. So that will fall onto next week's to-do list. No big.

And today was HOT. The kind of hot that isn't unbearable, but worthy of a good sweat. The kind of hot that reminds me just how miserable I would be doing construction or something of the sort.

Other small things started to put me in a bad mood, but my mood never completely soured.

On my way home I went to Taste and picked up some goods to make a salad for dinner. Jen ordered a cheese pizza (from Pizza Hut of all places) and we got to sit outside and have dinner.

After dinner I came back to the room, started laundry and watched "PS I Love You." Ok, can we just get one thing out of the way. What is the deal with Hilary Swank movies making me cry like a baby?! "Boys Don't Cry." Check. "Million Dollar Baby." Check, check. And now this one! I guess what made me cry the hardest was the simple fact that I'm not separated from a boyfriend/husband in death like Swank's character, but I am in distance. Toward the end of the movie Kathy Bates says,

"I bet you've had a hard time walking into a room full of people on your own. Right? I know what it is to feel like you're not in the room until he looks at you or touches your hand or even makes a joke at your expense."

I miss that feeling-- just getting to look at Steven and have him look back at me. I miss good hugs, too. Being here doesn't make me want to go home simply for the little pleasures that I miss. Missing those pleasures is making this experience even better in a strange way. Missing the things and people I love is lonely somedays, but most days I'm just reminded of what makes me truly happy and healthy.

Haha... so now I'm going to bed with a "Booze Cruise" to look forward to tomorrow. Going from meaningful to just plain fun and trivial. We're going sailing in the harbor with the motto, "Let's get drunk before final exams." Great idea.

And for your viewing pleasure...

The last two weeks of school... I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I have just a handful of lectures left and my projects are slowly ending. My Brand Management prof today announced that this was her final semester teaching this course as next year, her last at UST, she'll work solely with MBA marketing students. How lucky was I? She was fantastic and I learned more than I could have imagined. She gave us going away presents today in the form of a blown-up group photo we took at the beginning of the semester. I'm so in love with it! My group members, Gavin, Cindy and David, were wonderful to work with. We got off topic SO MANY TIMES just talking... or being 'hei' (lazy) as they would say.

To wish everyone luck on their projects and exams, the Hall III society, Glacier, put together a Roasted Pig Celebration. I wasn't planning on going, but I couldn't resist after I heard all the chanting and music from my room. By the time I got down there the first performance had already started. I posted the video below...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwzB2jECarM

It's about 5 minutes long and you'll likely want to mute it after the first 45 seconds. It's amazing that I get to watch stuff like this by just stepping outside my dorm. It's also amazing that YouTube lets me share it with you.

What's the date?

I knew something was wrong by the time I got to my first class at 10am and thought, "What's today?" As soon as I opened my August-to-August calendar, I realized that it is Cinco de Mayo. Not a single Asian wished me a Happy Cinco de Mayo. Was I expecting too much? On top of that, none of the other exchange students brought up the date either. When it was St. Patrick's Day, that's all I heard from the other foreigners-- how they wished they could see the river died green, have a beer with breakfast or just get drunk with their friends at home. So where's the love for a holiday that has very little to do with Mexican independence? Sidenote: I can thank George for that tidbit and other random facts about the Battle of Puebla. Anyway. maybe I was the only one who wanted to be with friends and family eating breakfast tacos and drinking margaritas/Sol/Modelo/whatever on a Monday.

I bet I missed some kind of parade at home too. But parades are boring when you're 5'4" and like avoiding traffic jams-- keeping in mind those two things are unrelated, but equally critical. So if you're at home, I hope you skipped the parade and found a reason to celebrate Cinco de Mayo... even if it did fall on a Monday. Viva Mexico!

Thanks to Google, I also found this when I searched images related to Cinco de Mayo. And it had cats.

People from Home

I was looking through pictures on my computer and found a few I love.

Steven and I playing in Zilker Park. Don't worry... I didn't get body-slammed.
Our amazing going-away party at Katie and Maggie's that ended up costing entirely too much money, but was worth every penny.
Me and Maggie at The Melting Pot for Spirits' GC Exec dinner.
Kristin and Travis dancing the night away at our Christmas party.
And of course, the current Facebook pic... at Lynn's 60th birthday bash.

There are so many more people I miss from Austin. Justin and his hilarious tributes to Eminem, Kat and her wonderfully nurturing spirit, my grandparents with their great accents and travel stories, Uncle Craig's FOX News obsession (love you, still), Juanita's meowing and homelessness, Norma Skinner, Pip (the most adorable dog I haven't met), Gerrie and Alyssa's and their constant laughter... I know I'm forgetting things.

The forgetfulness won't last long because I'll be home at the end of the month. Who could ever have imagined that this semester could have gone by so fast. At times it seemed slow, but I'm comfortable here now. I understand this city and how things work. I travel around town effortlessly as if I never had doubts or communication issues.

Jen says it's easy to blog about the funny things. I've done a lot of that. But know through all the jokes, I learned something-- either about myself, my friends, my patience, my willingness to just keep going, or my new town. Over the past three months, Hong Kong has somehow become my town. I live here? Oh yeah. And it's not the worst place to live.

Durian is Disgusting

Today was study-day. After thoroughly enjoying the first two days of our holiday weekend, I decided it was probably time to get work done-- especially since I have two marketing simulation projects coming to a close next week.

Jen's friend Max got in town on Wednesday night. He previously went to American University in DC (where bumper stickers say "Taxation without Representation") and decided to take a semester off to save money for 4 months of travel. He started his travels on April 2 in Tokyo and plans to finish by August in India. Nuts! Anyway, on Thursday night we met him in East Tsim Sha Tsui for "Crazy Hour" at Sticky Fingers. It's not a gay bar like George originally thought when he was in HK, but just a place to get "crazy" cheap drinks for $19HK ($2.43US) between 6-8pm. After we wandered through TST, we decided to take him to Good Luck Thai in LKF for good food and people-watching. From there we had mojitos (my second favorite mixed drink behind margaritas!) at La Bodega-- a bar that advertised "Mojito Night" without having any kind of special for mojitos. I was confused.


On Friday Jen and I went to Wan Chai to catch the end of the Olympic Torch Relay. Prior to arriving in Hong Kong, the torch was in Ho Chi Minh City, and its arrival marked the start of the relay through China. Well, we goofed. Somehow we thought the closing ceremony would be open to the public at the conclusion of the race... and it wasn't. So we went all that way, through thousands of people to just see... well, Chinese people wearing red. I'll have to steal some pictures from friends who actually saw the torch go by.

Bummed, Jen and I went to Soho (our favorite spot in Central) to shop on Hollywood Road. On the way, we walked through an alley market-- a great reminder that we ARE in Asia.




Can we just take a moment to notice how BUFF the butcher is? Oh yeah... and there's a bucket of skin under the table. But most of the time, Hong Kong looks like New York or some other magnificently western city. Most of the time.

Max joined us for dinner in Soho and we finished the night at Makumba, the African bar I went to earlier in the semester.

Max had better pictures on his camera, but this'll give you a taste of their moves that night. Oh, and to Jen's right, you can see the flirty couple that we loved to watch. The guy had some serious good slow dance moves, but as soon as the tempo picked up, he returned to his more nerdy state of uncoordination. But man! When the music was slow, Jen and I kept looking at each other saying, "Where are the Steve(n)'s?!"

Oh, so back to the reason I wrote this post. Max came to campus today to do laundry, tour and have dinner at Uni-Bar. If you visited me in Hong Kong, I would have taken you to Uni-Bar too. Especially since we figured out that we can sit at the back table and keep refilling our wine glasses with our under-the-table bottle from Park 'N' Shop. Sweet!

After Uni-Bar we took Max to Honeymoon Dessert... mostly so we could finally try durian, a popular Asian fruit. Durian (see picture below) is quite distinct both in look and smell. Quoting Wikipedia, "... its odor is best described as pig-shit, turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock. It can be smelled from yards away. Despite its great local popularity, the raw fruit is forbidden from some establishments such as hotels, subways and airports, including public transportation in Southeast Asia." Ok, well maybe it's SUPPOSED to be banned, but we've definitely smelled it all around town.

Ok, by that description, you shouldn't be surprised that the taste was quite disgusting. I think my favorite quote of the night came from Jen after dinner. She said, "I just burped durian! F* durian!" I couldn't stop laughing because as soon as Jen started burping, we followed... which made it even funnier.

So needless to say I think my day started as well as it ended. Studying = terrible. Durian = terrible. Nonetheless, good company made for a good night.

Golden Arches

If you're tired of hearing me talk about internship stuff, I apologize. Strangely, even living in Hong Kong provides fewer challenges than the actual process of trying to secure an internship from 8,000 miles away. Anyway, I have a phone interview at 11:30pm tonight. Right now, I'm doing my best to stay excited, awake and entertained. Blogging is entertaining enough. And now for YOUR entertainment...

McDonald's in Hong Kong.

I'm not sure I need to say more. But for those of you who can't imagine the hilarious menu differences, let me explain. There are no fast food outlets on campus, except McDonald's. It's located conveniently between the Park N' Shop grocery store and the school store that sells everything from pencils to hand sanitizer and sick-masks. All of your college needs! They work so hard at the school store that they take off nearly 2 hours for lunch everyday. But not McDonald's. They stay open until 10pm ready to serve your fatty favorites! My favorite McDonald's employee, Yin, works all the time. She must have gotten stuck with one of those 12-hour day shifts. Despite that unfortunate fact, she's always smiling.

And McDonald's makes me smile right back, except usually its because of their ridiculously unfamiliar menu. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this, but they offer corn as a side dish and red bean pies for dessert. Earlier this semester they had a promotion for crayfish bisque. Their latest promotion is a new take on Shake 'n' Bake. If you buy a 9-pack of nuggets, you get your choice of a spice and dipping sauce. Alongside your box o' nuggets and fries, you get an empty sack-- we'll call it your french fry shake sack. No need to go to Jack in the Box. You can now get seasoned fries at McDonald's with this new promotion!

Sounds tempting, yes? If you think so, your spice/sauce options are:
1. Japanese curry + Singapore honey mustard
2. Seaweed + Wasabi-flavored mud
3. Kimchi + Pineapple sesame goo

I admit they're not mud and goo, but close. The worst part about this promotion is that wherever you go on campus, all you hear is SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE... [rip!] as everyone opens the french fry shake sack. It's like a toddler keeps following me around with a rattle. And it's a messy toddler that (when not sitting at the table) keeps putting sticks and bugs in its mouth. Stop that already!

I just finished spellchecking this post, and "McDonald's" was in my spellcheck. Don't forget the apostrophe.

PS: Jenny and John, if your baby puts sticks and bugs in his/her mouth, I'll still love him/her. Also, let us know the sex ASAP, so I can stop writing him/her.

Wonderful Weekend

Weekend Recap

Thursday = Afternoon shopping in Causeway Bay (I actually found clothes that fit!), went out to LKF after dinner
Friday = Had dim sum with Lisa and Jen at lunch, studied in the library in the afternoon, watched a movie before bed
Saturday = Lounged in the morning, went shopping with Jen at Admiralty in the afternoon, met Jen's parents after dinner (her mom surprised her by arriving in Hong Kong unannounced)!
Sunday = Spent the day with Jen and her parents: Enjoyed high tea at the Peninsula in the afternoon, went to the Peak, and had a fabulous Japanese dinner. Jen and I finished the evening with drinks in LKF (yes, on a Sunday).

It was wonderful! Three full weeks of school and two vacations left. It's going by too fast.

Looking ahead

Things to look forward to:

• Jennifer will soon be finished with her insurance exam for her summer internship!
• Kristin's 21st birthday is next Tuesday!
• My last case in marketing is due tomorrow!
• Jen's dad is coming to Hong Kong from California on Saturday for business!
• We're looking to have a girls afternoon at the Peninsula for High Tea... sometime soon.
• Next week we have a four-day weekend. Can anyone say, "Vacay!?"

Girls Night

I'm in love with Tuesday nights simply because every Tuesday at 7:30pm "the girls" usually end up at Uni-Bar enjoying the last thirty minutes of happy hour with dinner. This week it was me, Jen, Jen Lien and Kristen (or Kristen-Florida, you might say). We had a wonderful conversation about everything and nothing at the same time. It was a conversation that can best be described as 'balanced.' The kind that occurs effortlessly-- with meaningful, hilarious input from all around the table. In other words, no one had to carry the conversation or perform a solo act for the others.

AND our favorite waiter, William, got my order right... to the T! Every Tuesday I say, "May I have the chicken pesto pita with just chicken breast... no skin?... and extra pesto, please." William may be our favorite, but he doesn't know it yet. He's catching on, though. We call him by name (even though he doesn't answer most of the time as it's not his real name, but his Western one) and try to chat with him as much as possible. Usually he's too busy or awkward to socialize. Oh well.

He's one of the many reasons Tuesday nights are so wonderful (and/or hilarious).

Oh, and I found out Kristen-Florida will be in Houston this summer with another exchange student, Alex. Alex will be at UT in the fall for his masters in engineering. How great is that?! Now if I can just convince Jen Fo that Austin rivals Boston for the best school spirit... Nah. I'll just have to visit Boston instead!

Guangzhou and Great Signs

On Friday night, after a wonderfully unproductive day, Jen, Lisa and I went to see a modern dance performance called "Seasonal Syndromes." Fancy, shmancy (well, maybe a little). Like the title suggests, the first act was full of performances that were meant to recreate the moods associated with each season. The costumes and colors changed, as did the feel of the music, tempo, movements, etc. Some were really creative and others just made my mind wander... too much thinking, "Now what season is this? I think they're trying to say... I don't get it." In other words, they didn't always capture my attention. Nonetheless, it was wonderful. Jen, the obvious dance enthusiast, just wanted to dance through the streets of Central. I think she was put off by the 30 mph gusts of wind that night (remember that typhoon thing?). Despite the weather, we walked to LKF and had an equally satisfying dinner at Good Luck Thai.

That night we solidified plans to take a quick trip to Guangzhou leaving the next morning and returning Sunday evening. Guangzhou, a city of about 3.5 million, is about 3 hours northwest of Hong Kong. Just for reference, it's pronounced gwahng'JOE. Or something like that. Luckily it's pretty easy to get there-- catch the metro out of Hong Kong into Shenzhen and a 1-hour train from there to Guangzhou.

Thanks to Lonely Planet, we decided we'd spend our first day and only night on Shamian Island, a former British and French concession and the only legal foreign trading area in China in the late 19th century. Don't start imagining some local paradise or commuter hot spot like Galveston Island. It's litterally a runway-strip of land separated from the city by a narrow waterway. Despite its size, it had a lot of old buildings, parks, statues, gardens and international history-- which I seem to be quite fond of these days. Because it was a foreign area for so long, it still looks and feels nothing like China.

An oooollllld building in need of repair. I made them pose in between the rotting support columns.

Unforuntately, it poured on us the first day. We wandered from building to building in an attempt to stay dry. We stopped in an art gallery, sat at a Starbucks and ended the day getting foot massages in a Chinese medicine shop. We had dinner at a "Western" restaurant called Lucy's that served everything from hamburgers to bolognese to chicken curry. George, you would have loved it-- they still served pull-top cans. Outside, they had more statues. We of course had to pose. Notice Jen practicing her squatter-toilet skills over the tiny dog.



After it finally stopped raining, we wandered around the island and found a park sponsored by the "China Sports Lottery" that was full of colorful adult "workout" equipment that looked more like a Discovery Zone playground than a 24-Hour Fitness. The pictures below are a) us trying to figure out how to use the things and b) the locals using them the next morning.

Frances on the "Pseudo Stairmaster" and Kristin on the "Half Spinny Ab Machine"

Look! It's a Chinese "Health Rider."

I couldn't figure this one out, so I just assumed it had to be for local DJs working on their record-spinning skills. At least I thought it was funny...

Look at her go! Riding her way to health!

Hahahahaha! Look at that form. And those socks!

So after our day in the rain and evening in the park, we went back to our hotel. The next morning we overslept with just minutes to spare before they closed the free breakfast buffet. You should have seen how fast we were up and out the door. Before going back to Hong Kong we wandered around Guangzhou, but spent most of our time in an orchid garden and looking for good dim sum.

There were more stories from Sunday, but we laughed the most thanks to a few random and poorly translated signs. These were the kind you read and hear about at home. They were everywhere, and we loved them! Below are my top 5 favorites-- ending with the best one!

NUMBER FIVE: ... Please keep the danger away.

NUMBER FOUR: Nice Tourist Signs

NUMBER THREE: Kristin, spitting everywhere... No littering up.

NUMBER TWO (on the Guangzhou metro): No hullabaloo or scratchitti.

NUMBER ONE! (of course, involving toilets)

1. Be particular about social moralities and pay attention to public health.

2. No ruining every kind of facilities in the toilet.

3. No relieving nature everywhere and placing toilet paper in the garbage.

4. No spitting nature everywhere and leaving cigarette butts, fruit peel, slices of paper and other garbage everywhere.

5. Please do not make the wall dirty.

6. Please save water and fasten the faucets after washing your hands.

And you thought Europe was interesting!!

Typhoon season?

When I woke up this morning and walked to the bathroom, I noticed the water in the bay was really rough. The weather early in the day was nothing unusual-- cloudy, but warm. But then... the wind picked up. Major wind. Don't-wear-a-skirt-today kind of wind. It wasn't until tonight when Jen and I left the dorm that we noticed we were under a level 1 typhoon warning. By the time we got home it had been upgraded to level 3.

I couldn't figure out if I should be alarmed. What does "level 3" even mean? How many levels are there? Is this like "code orange" at the airport? Does anyone pay attention to this stuff? Wait, TYPHOON SEASON is starting... this early?

So I went online and discovered that indeed Typhoon Neoguri was about to make landfall in Hainan, not too far from the coast of Vietnam. Whew! Doesn't look like it's coming close to Hong Kong, but the weather here should be pretty dismal the next few days.

Jen, "What is a typhoon?"
Me, "Just another name for a hurricane, I think."
Jen, "So what does that mean? Just rain?"
Me, "It's a hurricane, so yes."
Jen, "What?! So I have to wear shoes that can get wet tomorrow? That ruins my whole outfit!"

Quoting the author

"I keep remembering one of my Guru’s teachings about happiness. She says that people universally tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will maybe descend upon you like fine weather if you’re fortunate enough. But that’s not how happiness works. Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it, you must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it."

Elizabeth Gilbert
Eat, Pray, Love

Saigon, Saigon.

Let the Vietnam adventures begin! Oh, FYI: Ho Chi Minh City and Saigon are the same place. Ignore if I bounce between the two.

Warning. This is a long post without many pictures. Read with patience and a sense of humor.

Day 1: Thursday, April 10

The infamous UST cab driver, Dennis, picked us up Thursday at 6 pm after our horribly uninteresting Women's Movement exam.

Sidenote: It was one of those tests you spend hours studying for only to realize that the professor spent a total of 10 minutes typing up 6 questions on the most horribly formatted Word document you've ever seen. If you're a visual person like me, just seeing this kind of one-sheet exam makes you cringe. There were 5 true/false questions and one vague open-ended essay (which could also be written in bullet-point form). The worst part is that for every question you get wrong, she deducts one point. In other words, if you miss one true/false question (answering four correctly), you get 3 points (+4 - 1 = 3). Stupid.

Needless to say, after the exam we were ready to leave the country. We made it to the airport in exactly 45 minutes (near record time). There was no line at the United Airlines counter and security was virtually empty. I think it was our lucky day. When we boarded the plane, we noticed that it was conveniently empty. Jen and I, therefore, got to sit window/aisle with an empty seat in between. Score! Shortly after we sat down, a middle-aged male flight attendant began talking to us. I'm sure I unconsciously made a face realizing that I was indeed on a US carrier who employs men as flight attendants. In Asia, you better be young, strikingly beautiful and have a vagina to qualify for this job. Of course, he pulled the "Are you sisters?" line. My instinctive response was, "Umm, no. She's half Chinese. I'm definitely not." We awkwardly joked back and forth. Jen offered him some almonds-- like trying to feed a hungry beggar on the street in the hopes he'll leave you alone. When he asked if we needed anything else, we said we wanted cocktails. Unfortunately, we didn't specify what kind of cocktails, because he proudly returned with his creative apple juice/ginger ale/amaretto/cognac concoction. He claimed the amaretto was inspired by Jen's almond offering. I drank it (feeling obligated), but tried not to breathe for fear of actually tasting it. Sick.

Our dinner meal was a choice of lasagna or chicken with rice. We chose lasagna because it wasn't chicken with rice. Thankfully with dinner we had two glasses of wine (in mini bottle form)-- a vast improvement over the earlier mixed drink.

After landing we got our bags and headed to the taxi line. But before that, we went through passport control and once again, I held up the line because apparently I look nothing like my passport photo. This was at least the third time I got the double-take in Asia. In an attempt to verify that it was indeed my passport, the man asked me my name. You'd think he'd ask something a little more difficult, but no. Just my name. After a minute or two and furious typing on his computer, he let me go. Oh! And when I boarded the plane in Hong Kong, the man at the gate examined my passport one final time. He hesitated-- trying to verify that the strange 16-year-old in the passport was indeed my former self. He tried to joke by saying, "Oh, very beautiful picture." I replied, "Ha! You're a good liar." In not knowing how to reply, he said, "Thank you!!" We erupted in laughter walking down the jetway.

After our search for an ATM, we waited for a cab. In Saigon we were told to only hire cabs with the phone numbers ending in 27.27.27 or 26.26.26. Even then, they tried to scam us saying it would be cheaper to travel with the meter off. Mr. Cab Driver, this isn't our first Asian rodeo.

About 90,000 Vietnam dong later, we arrived at our hotel-- which turned out to be lovely. Pleasant service, eight-story building, air conditioning, cable television and... a glassed in shower! Posh! Anyway, we slept heavily the first night but woke up the next day ready to tour.

Footnote: The current exchange rate is 16,000 Vietnam dong to 1 USD. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, dong.

Day 2: Friday, April 11

So our goal was to meet up with 7 other UST guys-- one of whom speaks Vietnamese. Score! Unfortunately our pattern of traveling with knowledgeable guides, ended in Vietnam because Kevin got tied up with job interviews over the weekend. When we called the other 6 guys, we discovered that their previous night of escapades would require more sleep to recover. Jen and I walked down the street, found a travel agency and booked two tours-- a city tour that afternoon and a Mekong River Delta tour the next day.

Before the tour we had a wonderful lunch at a place called Bunta and had our first taste of bun, or Vietnamese noodles. The city tour in itself was mediocre. Our guide was a southern Vietnam vet and very nice. He and our driver took us around to a pagoda, temple in Chinatown (which we didn't really need to see), the Reunification Palace (which was closed) and the War Remnants Museum (some of which was unnecessarily graphic). After the tour we took a nap and ended the evening at an overpriced French restaurant. Overpriced in the sense that we paid more than $10 per person.

The most important learning experience from day one was how to cross the street without getting hit by the hundreds of motorbikes. If you don't believe in a god before this experience, you do afterwards. Look below. Do you see a "good time to cross?"


Day 3: Saturday, April 12

I forgot to mention that on Friday morning, we found a great breakfast place three blocks from our hotel. Every morning we both had the American Breakfast-- two scrambled eggs with bacon, fruit, baguettes and a latte. Independent, local coffee shops are big in Saigon. Not once did we see a Starbucks, but on nearly every corner was a cafe-- many of which also offered free Wi-Fi. Starbucks, you hear that?! Anyway, all of the waiters there were young, friendly and very smiley-- to everyone, not just us. The best part was that they couldn't say 'scrambled.' It came out more like chrambo-eggs. By the third day they started saying, "Oh! We saw you yesterday! Hello!" Loved it.

So after breakfast at 7am, we left for our Mekong Delta tour at 8:00. We paid the group rate, but luckily our group was only four people-- the two of us and a mother/daughter duo from Malaysia (pronounced Malaya in Asia). The tour actually started outside Saigon in a town along the river called My Tho. The Mekong Delta was fairly interesting. We got on a boat and island hopped. The islands are named after the four important "animals" in Vietnam-- the phoenix, turtle, dragon and unicorn. Yes, unicorn. I don't know why.

Our guide insisted on trying to weird us out with local foods. I got to try honey straight from a beehive. The bees looked like they had all been sedated because none of them flew around and few were concerned that people were all up in their business. The guide took my index finger and stuck it right through the honeycomb (sorry bees) and it was delicious. Not thick and syrupy, but light and sweet. After ooohing-and-ahhhing and taking pictures with a "pet" snake, we sat down to try local dried fruits (ginger, coconut, etc). They somehow convinced Jen to try the banana wine. I don't know how they make it, but Jen's face seemed to indicate that it tasted like a mixture of dirt, garbage disposal debris and bitterly strong alcohol. Indeed, our guide said it was nearly 40% alcohol by volume. He explained that it was a popular alternative to Viagra. Sure. He went on to ask if we had eaten dog, cat ("little tigers"), snake or rat. No. No. No... and no. "All very good," he said. Interestingly, he mentioned that after the SARS outbreak, rat became increasingly popular because it was considered to be quite safe.

Just like little ducklings we followed him through a shaded village into another outdoor "cafe" to try fruit and listen to local singers. From there it was on to a coconut candy-making village, a short trip on a horse-drawn buggy and lunch at a seafood place. The Malaysian pair ordered the fried elephant ear fish served with rice paper and basil, and Jen and I ordered calamari. Sounds classy, but it wasn't. The tour advertised that lunch wasn't included, so we brought sandwiches. Oops. Instead of feeling proud that we had thought ahead, we felt like picky American eaters.

We eventually went back to the shore (from the "animal islands") and drove back to Saigon. Somehow we had enough stamina to keep going despite the fact that it was so hot. From our hotel we walked to the antique market and stopped for quick bowl of pho at Pho 2000-- where President Clinton ate during his first trip to Ho Chi Minh City. Anyway, the pho was amazing! It's just Vietnamese noodle soup with your choice of meat served with bean sprouts, basil, and onions. The restaurant was filled with huge pictures of the president eating and smiling. After all these years it's still their claim to fame.

It may not have been in the proper order, but after our snack, we got massages. Jen got a full body massage and I got an hour-long foot massage for $7.50. Enough said.

We ate a local Vietnamese restaurant published in Lonely Planet that was also amazing. Thankfully we made a reservation because it was packed. We ate... too much and attempted to walk it off on our way back to the hotel. That didn't really pan out because we stopped at a beautifully lit outdoor restaurant called the "Barbecue Garden." Silly name, but nice atmosphere. Well, it was nice atmosphere at first... until Jen saw a massive rat scamper toward our table. Keep in mind, I like most animals. I'm no Jennifer Johnson, but I do OK. But. I. Shrieked! Thankfully doing so scared the armadillo-sized rodent away, but he wasn't gone for long. We quickly paid for our glasses of wine and left, but not before the rat returned and scared another table. I think he was just playing a little game. A really gross little game.

Day 4: Sunday, April 13

Our last day and last tour (thank God) was spent at the Cu Chi tunnels. Somehow Jen and I picked the worst possible day to go on this tour. It was hotter than any previous day and we arrived alongside at least 15 other tour groups of all ages and sizes. Sizes referring to the number of people-- not actual weight, as most were Western and therefore large. Before you see the tunnels, they put you in an oven (aka room without circulation) to watch a video about the "Anti-American War" and heroic Vietcong fighters (referred to as "Honored American Killers"). Not that I'm not saying that we didn't kill the Cu Chi people, but they weren't the most friendly fighters either.

The tunnels were quite impressive. The Cu Chi people creatively conceiled entrances, created false tunnels to trick Americans and diverted smoke (from their underground kitchens) to keep their tunnel system hidden. Keep in mind these tunnels stretched 250 kilometers, or about 155 miles from Cambodia to the Saigon River. Really amazing. Our time there would have been significantly better if there hadn't had been so many freakin' people. By the time we got to go down into the tunnels (an area widened for tourists), we were both pretty excited.


At the entrance, you walk down a steep set of dirt steps to a smaller landing. From there, it's a few more steps before the tunnel actually begins. At the beginning the tunnel is big enough to walk in a semi-bent-over position. But then it gets interesting. You go from bent over to crouching to squatting to your knees through a dirt tunnel that's only lit every 15 feet or so. Keep in mind I'm only 5'4" and I felt huge down there. The unfortunate part is that since there were so many people it was difficult to keep a steady moving pace. Add that to the fact that the man behind me (at least 6'1") was beginning to panic. He couldn't move forward or backward and neither could I. I went from being calm and patient to worried and claustrophobic in about 3 minutes. Needless to say, I took the first exit despite the fact that the tunnels continued. It was a crazy experience, but definitely made me feel like I had accomplished something on the tour.

The last leg of the tunnel tour (or maybe it was before that) was a gun range. You could pay about $1.25 per bullet to shoot anything from an M-16 to an AK47. Maybe if I hadn't have been so irritated, I would have shot one. The worst part was that right next to the gun range was the rest stop/cafe. In attempting to enjoy my thirst-quenching bottled water, my eyes blinked everytime a shot was fired. The only ear protection was walking away from the cafe. Not the most relaxing atmosphere and officially the WORST location for any rest stop.

Sadly we had to get back on the hot, uncomfortable bus for about 2 hours back into the city. We needed a break from tours and crowds, so we decided to head to the Caravelle Hotel pool (as recommended by Lonely Planet). We paid the expensive $23 entry fee, but found out that the rate also paid for access to the spa facilities. Mmmm.

Oh! I found a picture of the pool online! Too bad ours didn't come with the man in the Speedo.

After lounging for a few hours (pretending to blend in with the other high-class people), we went to the spa to make use of every amenity possible-- the jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, showers, shower products, hairdryer, bath robes, endless towels, etc. We got cleaned up and went to dinner in the backpackers area (back to our side of town) at an Italian restaurant. It was the perfect way to end the weekend. Very civilized.

Day 5: Monday, April 14

On Monday Jen and I woke up at 3:45 to be downstairs by 4:15. We met the guys and caught a taxi to the airport in plenty of time for our 7:00 flight.

Overall we had a good time. It was the first time Jen and I were in total control of our vacation-- no guys, no native-speaker, just us... and we did well. I'm not sure Vietnam could ever top Thailand or China as a tourist destination. Maybe someday.

Appendectomy adventures

I stumbled upon this article today that made me think about my emergency appendectomy last summer. Since my appendix actually ruptured, I'm not sure doctors could have taken this no-incision approach. But then again, maybe I wouldn't have wanted them to...

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1727656,00.html

Has anyone heard of this before? Doctors appear to be confused as to why this "transvaginal" or "natural-orifice" surgery hasn't caught on. Umm, I think the problem is not with the technique, but the name of the procedure. It would be like calling open heart surgery a "sternum-splitting surprise." Who in the hell would want that?! Time to call in the marketing and advertising execs; doctors need a new name.

Wishy-washy and JOY

Ok, so after my last dramatic post I got an email from TCS. Turns out, they may consider me for a merchandising/buying internship since they don't have anything open in marketing. Hmmm... I emailed them back and said I would, of course, want to be considered (without trying to sound desperate). Once again, "we'll see." Meanwhile, in Vietnam I got an email from Hertz requesting an interview. Ha!

Reasons to be joyful today
1. Vietnam was great. When it wasn't great, we laughed. More details to come.
2. We didn't miss our 7am flight back from Vietnam. I consider it an accomplishment to even HEAR an alarm at 3:45am.
3. I'm back in Hong Kong where I feel quite at-home.
4. I finished "Eat, Pray, Love" and loved it.
5. I got an email from Megan Murphy and... SHE'S ENGAGED! Her boyfriend, Alex, proposed in Orlando a few days ago. She'll be the first of my camp friends to get married (Jan. '09 she said), and I couldn't be more excited! I haven't met Alex, but Dara has, and she says he's lovely.

Three proposals in four months. 2008 has been busy.

TCS, I'm bummed.

So my summer internship at The Container Store's corporate office is a no-go. I got the official word from Karyn, the recruiting director, today via email. I emailed her last week to see if there was an update, but unfortunately it wasn't the update I was hoping for. Trying to be positive... I'll might get to stay in Austin this summer instead of working in a city where I have no friends/boyfriend. I pray that my work in Austin won't be retail. If it is, I might be bitter.

F. I'm bitter now! If someone from TCS reads this, I don't care. Marketing departments haven't quite figured out that marketing majors work their ass off (for next to nothing$) just like the accounting and finance kids. No difference between us and them-- we just have more artistic flair!

And now I'm in the middle of studying for my last midterm. Our presentation and skit in Women's Movement went well today. Yes, we did a skit. We had signs, props, and a narrator and it was great. All five minutes of it. The locals laughed at the funny parts which is always a good sign. The Q&A at the end was a little awkward, but we didn't have to pull teeth to get answers. Oh, and Helen (the TA) and I are so close. Almost BFF. Well, maybe she would disagree. We're at least on a first-name basis and we say hello when we see each other on campus. Anyway, with Helen on our side, I'm sure we got a decent grade.

Oh, and today during lunch I picked up a small Hong Kong magazine to go alongside my turkey sandwich and banana. Inside was a 4-page spread on hairdressers in Hong Kong. I was THIS close to scheduling a haircut. I might hold out until I come home, but don't be surprised if I give in for the sake of feeling fresh 'n' summer-y.

Speaking of summer-- it was SO warm today! It's just around the corner!

Ta ta ta-day!

Whew! I survived both of my midterms today, but my right hand is barely hanging on. Too much furious writing on those tiny one-arm auditorium desks. Oh, and just my luck... the girl behind me during my marketing exam smacked her gum for the entire two hours. In an auditorium with a seating capacity around 250, I had to sit near her?!! I never said anything, but I'd continually turn around and give her one of "those" looks.

I'm working on my patience.

Before my first class this morning, I got to talk to Cindy and my dad-- which is always lovely. Dad makes jokes about China and I laugh. I think he still wonders why I'm over here. Nonetheless it was good to hear his voice.

From Kristin's last message it sounds like Kat brought home her new dog named Pip. Kat if you're reading this... Jesus! Email me sometime. For all I know you could have fallen into a well and everyone's telling lies that you're still alive. But I wouldn't exactly know because I haven't talked to you since JANUARY. Plus, I want to see pictures of this new man I'll be living with.

The only other moderately exciting news today was that Jen applied for our Vietnam visas today while I was running around being examined. Except when she got downtown, the man said they wouldn't be ready to pick up until Thursday-- the day we leave. She looked at him and said, "What?! No. Sir, just one day earlier, please!" He laughed. "Only if you pay $500HK to have it expedited will it be ready before Thursday." Jen, "But I don't have $500HK." He laughed again. Now she's pissed. She pulls out her credit card, but he just stands there and says, "We don't take credit cards." Shit.

Jen's working on patience too.

No big deal. I'll get them Thursday morning before class and we'll be good to go for our flight Thursday night. I think when I get to Vietnam, I'll feel more connected to Forrest Gump. Jen can be Lieutenant Dan.

Forrest: "They're sendin' me to Vietnam... it's a whole 'nother country."

Reading again

Since I have enormous amounts of free time (compared to life in Austin), I've gotten the chance to read more. You know, like the kind of books that should be read simply because you WANT to read them?! I finished Middlesex, most of Freakonomics (a few years late) and now I've started the wonderful Eat, Pray, Love. Last night I finished the first third on Italy. Maggie, I thought of you the whole time! Well, maybe not the whole time. In Italy she had to deal with depression, loneliness, and the official end of a relationship. But the rest sounded completely delightful! Now onward to two places I likely won't get to visit during my time here-- India and Indonesia. Who knows?! Still one more trip to go after Vietnam!

If I could figure out how to connect to people like Elizabeth Gillbert does in Eat, Pray, Love, I could make a lot of money. Even better than that, I would never be alone.

Oh yeah...

... I finally booked my flight home from Hong Kong to Houston. I land in Humble at 7:20pm on Saturday, May 31. That means I should be in Austin soon after that. It's not exactly Paris, but I'll be just as happy (if not more) to be in Texas.

In need of repair

I need a pedicure. I use the word 'need' to suggest that that my health, rather than my happiness, is dependant upon me getting a pedicure. As far as polish goes, both of my big toes have a jagged splash of color that begins 1/4" from the cuticle. Oh, and the other eight toes? They've decided to go au naturale. Or maybe I should say they've shed their coats in favor of air and sunshine; they're happier, but I'm not. I just have ugly-looking toes.

And the general condition of my feet is a cross between a hobbit (minus the hair) and a reptile (minus the green color). My decision to only wear tennis shoes in the gym is evident in the subtle, painless blisters and discolored markings along the sides of my feet. The most remarkable lines across the top of my feet tuck neatly between my first and second toes, as if to highlight my nail polish neglect. I can thank my Rainbow-brand flip flops for those lines. The other markings stay well hidden when my shoes are on. My shoes are good at keeping secrets.

The closest thing I've come to foot therapy in Hong Kong was a foot massage in Thailand. Even then, the young Thai woman looked frightened when I took off my shoes. It was like the time I ate mysterious crab dip in high school and broke out in thousands of hives-- to the point that I almost had hives on hives. I went to the family clinic near my house and as soon as I removed the beautiful green paper gown I was afraid the doctor would leave a human-shaped cutout as he escaped through the door. Luckily, there was no door for the Thai masseuse to run though. She calmly got up, got a warm bucket of soapy water and tried to wash off my flip flop lines. Much to her astonishment, they didn't come off. I half-smiled and shrugged my shoulders. For the next 30 minutes we both tried to ignore the condition my feet were in.

The only thing between me and happy/healthy feet are three midterms and a trip to Vietnam. I might even add a few tan lines to my feet in Ho Chi Minh City. Then the polish will look really good and divert attention away from those blisters. After that I might even consider reflexology. And I can rest assure the reflexologist won't run.

Sevens Mania!

Before I write anything else about my spring break in China, I have to tell you about last weekend in Hong Kong. Luckily, Mom and George got a small taste of the Rugby Sevens when we had dinner the last night in Central. Ok, so Rugby Sevens (aka Hong Kong Sevens) is an annual tournament that brings huge numbers of fans to Hong Kong. Instead of a 15-a-side game with 40 minute halves, this tournament is only 7-a-side (on the same sized pitch) with only 7 minutes in each half. Don't worry they get a 1-minute halftime to rest. The drastic change in speed supposedly makes for really exciting games. I didn't get to see any actual games, but the after parties were enough to give you a feel for the tournament. Not to mention, I don't know much about rugby, so the 7 minute halves might have seemed like the normal 40.

In Hong Kong, the tournament turns into a big costume party. Jen and I went to Wan Chai on Saturday night, had dinner at Outback (Steven would have been a better waiter than the one we had) and enjoyed some of the best foreign people-watching of the semester. We walked up and down the street only stopping to get a cheap beer at the 7-11. Please keep in mind we don't know any of these people; they were just entertained by other people wanting their picture.






We finally ended up at a Mexican bar called Coyote because they had live music and it wasn't unbearably crowded. We managed to find two seats (so lucky!), but before we even got our drinks we were "attacked" by an 60-something retired jockey about 4'9" tall. Ok, maybe he hit 5-feet on a good day. Saturday night was not his good day. See for yourself.

He introduced himself by asking Jen if she would be his girlfriend. Then he turned to his left and did the same to me. Of course we couldn't stop laughing! After looking around, we finally got the attention of some guys who had been "hanging out" with Ross before we got there (and that's when we found out his name and his Australian jockey background). Apparently he hadn't had a drink in a few hours, but that didn't matter. He just wanted to hug everyone, dance, talk (right in your face), etc. We even got special invitations to meet him the next morning to go gamble in Macau. Jen's invite was illegibly written on the back of a coaster. It somehow wasn't annoying because he was the best entertainment we had had all evening.

What was also nice was that we got to talk to people from the states-- one of whom was from Kansas which made for good March Madness trash talking. The free drinks he provided weren't bad either! They were giving away cowboy hats, so Jen and I felt the need to have two each. Somehow we only made it home with one a piece. ???

Ross, it'll be a while before I forget you. Meanwhile, you've probably forgotten everything... or never remembered it the next morning.

The night was simply TO GOOD (minus the fact that Jen felt terrible the next day). After Mom and George left that morning, I was feeling really homesick. Our night in Wan Chai, thanks to Rugby Sevens, was just what I needed to remind me how great Hong Kong can be.

Interesting Tidbits

Random things I heard/learned/experienced today...

• I downloaded a podcast for a pilates workout from PilatesOnFifth.com. I tried a new plank move this morning and about busted my face on my dorm room floor. Too bad everyone missed it. I ended the workout 4 minutes short because of my lack of balance.
• In Austin: I found out that my roommate Kat might be getting a little dog named Pip. Good news/bad news? Not sure yet.
• Also in Austin: Jenn got an internship, but didn't tell me! Now I'm shouting from the rooftops-- or at least this page. Congrats!
• I just got an email that said the library will be closed for the Ching Ming Festival on Friday. It's a holiday to honor your ancestors and sweep their graves (among other things). I guess I'll have to make my way to a cemetery since I "can't" study.
• Printed in the China Daily: After reading the newspaper this afternoon I found out that the penalty for stealing over 100,000 yuan ($14,200) in China from a financial institution is life in prison or death. There was a story printed about a man who stole 175,000 yuan from an ATM who had his sentenced reduced on the grounds that the machine was faulty. Conveniently printed right below that story was another about two former bank employees just executed in Hubei for their heist. Don't worry-- I'm not robbing anyone soon. Just thought it was interesting.
• Also interesting: In Hong Kong there are laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender. There are no laws that mention age discrimination.
• In discussing divorce in Women's Movement, the class audibly gasped when I said the divorce rate in the US was hovering around 50%. Our professor couldn't give an estimation on rates in China or HK. Maybe it's lower because of all the affection and canoodling (right, Mom).
• I'm tired of wearing my hair in a ponytail because of the rain and humidity.
• I temporarily lost my wallet in the dining hall. It was returned promptly to the Security Center. When I went into the office, I saw two men staring at the 20+ monitors on the left wall. I then realized that they pretty frequently (if not constantly) monitor the elevator cameras. I immediately started laughing. The very nice English-speaking guard quickly asked, "Why are you laughing?" I said, "Ha! Well, let's just say you've probably enjoyed watching me dance in the elevators a time or two." Dear iPod, thanks for the embarrassment.