short sleeve

And suddenly there was sun and short sleeve weather!!
Aahh. :)

alice in wonder(snowy)land

Instead of falling down a hole I came flying through the air.
And I didn't arrive in a strange place, instead arriving and being in Sweden feels very very normal.
But when you live in HK and have not been in very cold weather for years it really did feel like a bit of a fairytale when the captain announced that we were arriving to a city covered in snow and too a temperature of -17.
My first thought was - Holy Mother of God!

In 3 days time I have experienced proper Swedish winter.
It has been cold, it has been snowing, the sun has been shining and I have gotten a proper Swedish cold. So on Saturday I sat in my parents sofa feeling a bit sorry for myself whilst looking out on the blue sky, the sun and the glistering snow.

But I have met up with friends anyway and I just got back from a short but very efficient shopping spree, so I'm feeling very content and happy - even though I have this stupid cold.

The joy of the fresh air and being home is priceless - I do miss this place and all my beautiful friends and my family lots and lots. (And right now I am wondering (quietly) when this foreign babe will become a not so foreign at all babe in Sthlm... Not yet is the answer to that, but some day, some day...)

yesterday

My story of yesterday:

Got stuck in the thumb print machine yesterday morning as I was leaving HK.
The man that let me out told me my visa had run out.
I said what – no no it runs out on April 1.
He said, nope it ran out on Jan 4.
1.4 or 4.1, same same but different…
Me = an illegal immigrant in HK!!
Had to go through a quick immigration procedure right then and there, pay some money and off I ran to the plane.
(Need to sort out visa sap when I get back!!!)

Was asked as I was buying water to have on the plane where I was going and managed to say New Zealand! Too early in the morning for me that is for sure… Ok was flying Air NZ – but was going to London...

Anyway, got on the plane and flight was ok, watched 4 movies.

Got to the hotel and my colleague Ruzina arrived at the same time.
Thought I’d check in quickly.

NOPE.

Madam, your credit card is not working – have you got another one?
No.
Then you need to go and get some cash.
Ok, keep smiling, although you def don’t want to – go get money…
Cash machine will not let you get all that money you need out.
Need to go to bank – which is not close by.
Get a cab to bank, ask cab to wait will be quick.
Bank lady tells me I need to talk to their customer service before she can help me – gives me a phone.
Get to talk to phone center in India.
I explain what is going on – lady on phone tells me she needs my credit card number – I give it to her – she tells me it has no info connected to it. Could she have my account number – she gets it.
But tells me that is not the kind of number she wants it should be 14 digits long and mine is only 10. I say that is all I have.
We repeat this conversation about 5 times, before she gets a supervisor involved.
I tell him what is gong on.
He tells me he my credit card number – I give it to him – he tells me it has no info connected to it. Could he have my account number – he gets it.
But tells me that is not the kind of number he wants it should be 14 digits long and mine is only 10. I say that is all I have.
He asks to speak to one of the staff in the bank – I get one.
They talk and then realize that since I’m from HK they can’t help me.
I am asked to try their cash machine. It works! I have enough money to be able to check in.

Taxi driver very annoyed when I get back because it took such a long item.
Anyway in the end I have to pay him 36 pounds, so he should just be happy. Bloody rip off.

I get to the hotel. They ask for my credit card. I tell them – but I just went to get cash because you said it didn’t work.
They say, oh but you have a Chinese Credit card, it usually doesn’t work in this machine, but in this – do you want us to try?

I say – yes please try,
IT BLOODY WELL WORKS!!!

But I still have this bunch of cash so even if it works I pay them with the cash and also ask them to deduct the 36 pounds that I had to pay the taxi to go and get cash, which in the end seems to have been a total waste of both time and money.
They agree. (yay!)

I get to check in.
Ruzina and I finally get to sit down and have our meeting (she came with me though to the bank so at least we were efficient)
We have some dinner.
She leaves and I fall asleep in the bath tub.

possession street

I learnt something the other day.
The street where I work and also used to live is quite special in HK.

On 20 January 1841, Charles Elliot of Britain and Qishan of the Qing Dynasty agreed to the Convention of Chuenpee. A navy official Edward Belcher led a fleet to land in Hong Kong. The surveyors of fleet found an elevated plain near the shore suitable for camping in the west side of the island. A road was built from the shore to the camp.

6 days later, in 26 January 1841, the commander of Far East Fleet James John Gordon Bremer came to Hong Kong by HMS Calliope. A flag rise and gun ceremony marked the official possession of Hong Kong. The landing venue was renamed as Possession Point, and the road from the shore to the camp became Possession Street later.

The street was to start off with full of brothels but those, I'm sure eventful premises of pleasure, are long gone and have been replaced with housing and offices.

So this is where I spend most of my days - on a little piece of land that used to be quite special. Who would have known...

my neighbourhood

I love the neighbourhood I live in now (ok I have lived in this area most of the time that I've lived in HK to be fair - but even so the streets that surround me now are by far the best location so far). What is known as Tai Ping Shan (the area lying roughly between Aberdeen Street and Possession Street, and Hollywood Road and Caine Road) was carved out after the great plague epidemic of the 1890s that killed 20000 people. In an attempt to control the outbreak, the British government burned 384 tenements in a teeming district built expressly for the colony's Chinese population.
However, there are still some remains of the old Tai Ping Shan: both the Museum of Medical Sciences and the Chinese YMCA are housed in lovely old Edwardian buildings. What makes the area special and nice too is that the entire area, still only on the cusp of gentrification, is remarkably low rise relative to the rest of the city.
Interestingly, the coffin makers that became a result from the plague remain. And the Pak Shing Temple, where the first victims of the disease dragged themselves to die, remains too - though it is so engulfed by high rises now that it is easy to overlook, but I pass it everyday walking to work.
Today, this neighbourhood of ladder streets, terraces (of which I live on one) and alleyways is pleasantly international. Large Chinese families (like our neighbours that we wave to through the window each day) increasingly share their walk-ups with gweilos like me and Ant.
The neighbourhood feels something like Montmarte with its crumbling stone walls, potted plants and funny mix of printing press shops, temples, dai pai dongs (a type of open-air food stall very popular in HK) art galleries and boutiques.

Alarmingly, there does appear to be a movement afloat to raze and replace the old stone stairs that form the skeleton of this neighbourhood with escalators which I believe will destroy the charm of this area. For the time being though, it is pretty much perfect here.

The photos of my hood are from my walk yesterday morning - enjoy. :)

the year of the rabbit

Kung Hei Fat Choi - It is Chinese New Year again!
We leave the Year of the Tiger behind and enter the Year of the Rabbit.

According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of 2011 is the Year of the Golden Rabbit, which begins on February 3, 2011 and ends on January 22, 2012. The Rabbit is a lucky sign. Rabbits are private individuals and a bit introverted. People born in the Year of the Rabbit are reasonably friendly individuals who enjoy the company of a group of good friends. (Sofia, Teresa, Malin and Pia - you are rabbits and good good friends :))

According to Chinese tradition, the Rabbit brings a year in which you can catch your breath and calm your nerves. It is a time for negotiation. But don't try to force issues, because if you do you will ultimately fail. To gain the greatest benefits from this rabbit year, focus on home, family, security, diplomacy, and your relationships with women and children. Make it a goal to create a safe, peaceful lifestyle, so you will be able to calmly deal with any problem that may arise.

Not many people know that the Rabbit is the symbol of the Moon. It is said that anyone making supplications for wishes to be fulfilled are certain to get what they want... and in the Year of the Rabbit, the wish-granting aspect of the Sun and the Moon combined is multiplied. Thus on each of the Full Moon nights of this year, go out into your garden to gaze into the Full Moon and visualize plenty of Moon dust and Moon glow flowing into you, filling your whole body with bright white light and granting you fearlessness, love and courage. This will not only strengthen your inner "Chi" energy, it will also bring wisdom into your life.

Happy New Year guys.

a day on lamma

The weekend that just past was pretty relaxing. Ant, Teddy and me made sure we spent some quality time together, since Ant didn't have any rugby.
We took the ferry out to Lamma island which is the third largest island in HK. Lamma is peaceful and tranquil, with relatively natural scenery. Buildings higher than three storeys are prohibited and there are no automobiles. So it is a perfect place to take your little "concrete" baby dog to experience some greenery and sand.

We started off by having a quiet organic lunch there and then walked through a few little villages, along side of a nice beach and over a little hill. At the end of the day we had "fresh" air in our lungs and a Teddy bear that was both happy and very tired.
On the ferry out to Lamma.
On the beach
During the walk
On the ferry back to HK island.