maid in hk

Sundays are special days in HK. A lot of people work 6 days a week here, Sunday being their only day off, so therefore Sundays are special and also regarded as the family day – because that’s the only day you have with the family.

A lot of people also have maids here in HK. And they also work 6 days a week. And after a week on their feet looking after family they work for, I’m sure the Sunday is a very welcome break. Most maids around here come from the Philippines and support their families back home with the money they make here and can usually only afford a trip home once every or every second year... (It is estimated that around 170 000 Philipino-maids work in HK). They are usually live-in maids as well, meaning that they don’t have a home of their own, but are granted a small room in the house they work in.

“So far so good”, but here comes the twist…
Sundays are family day remember, meaning Sundays are only for family, and if you’re a maid you’re not family…, so of course you’re not welcome in the house where you live – you’re home in HK… And neither are your fellow maid friends where they live… So if you still want to relax and meet up with your friends on your only day off, the only place you can go are the streets of HK…

Many streets, bridges and parks in the centre of HK are absolutely full with girls that have nowhere else to go on Sundays. They spend their whole day there, sitting on the card board boxes and blankets they bring with them, playing cards, talking, laughing, sleeping and eating. And when the sun has set and the day has gone, they are allowed to return to the house they live in. Only to dream and look forward to their next Sunday off (hopefully it doesn’t rain then…) and to when they have saved up so much money that they actually can afford to go home to visit their real home…

made in china

Yep we have all seen those 3 words, on the sewn in labels in our clothes, on the stickers on the things we buy, and as text on the hang tags etc. Lots and lots of things are made in China. And today I've been exposed to some of all of those things, as I visited the biggest fair in China. (An enormous complex filled with people from all over the world, trying to source and make good deals for their stores).

I've looked at Easter eggs, cute teddy bears, pretty photo frames, inflatable toys (for kids and grown ups... :)), jewellery boxes, Christmas lighting - well you name it, I've seen it... And we may have found some good things that you just might be able to find in a toy store near you pretty soon...

And for the first time in what seems like ages I was "checked out", on several occasions! Am so unused to appreciative looks nowadays that the looks I got today almost made me feel embarrassed... But also most obvious glad, cause other wise I wouldn't be writing about it here now would I... (thought I lost it, so it feels kind of good to know that I still got it...)

So to sum up the day, it has been a good but also tiring... And right now I will not waste an other second before I jump into bed.
Night night.

family celebrations

A delicious chocolate fudge cake coated in pure white chocolate and dazzling stars....

And today my cake goes to my dearest friend Sofia, Happy Birthday darling!
And on Sunday I'm wishing the little cutypie Maya (Sofias baby girl) a Happy Birthday too, can't believe it's been a year already since you first came into this world...

Hope you make the most of your family celebrations on your mini-vacation trip to Germany!
Have a great time.
Biggest of hugs and kisses to you both.

ginger, lemon and honey

I'm sick. Again... The usual - fever and a sore throat... It started Friday and since then I have spent most of my time lying down in my sofa, reading books, watching movies, and giving my self health boosts consisting of juices (normal juices, healing juices and reanimating juices....) and green tea with ginger, lemon and honey. All to make a speedy recovery.

However, in spite of all my good efforts, four days later I'm still sitting here in my sofa, and still have a temperature (+38). So I've just been to the doctor. And in front of me now, together with my mug of ginger, lemon and honey tea, I also have a bag of pills. Hopefully those white little things will do the trick that my health boosts haven't been able to do...

And I've been thinking...
Could I be trying too hard? Living a healthy life I mean... (Cause I think I do live pretty healthy... I walk to and from work, I go to the gym, I make sure I eat vegetables and fruit and all those things you are supposed to do...).

So I'm thinking maybe I should start living my life differently. Maybe I should take up smoking, start eating unhealthy, stop exercising, increase my alcohol intake dramatically (shouldn't be too hard... :)) and maybe even start doing drugs (not too much of course, even an unhealthy life can be lived in moderation..., but a gram of coke for Friday and Saturday and some weed on Sunday just to chill out - that's pretty normal, loads of people do that every weekend...) Maybe that's the remedy...

But no, I like my healthy life, so don't worry, I won't. But one thing is clear and that is that I think it's sooo incredible boring to be sick, I think it's unfair that I do get sick so "often" and I really do wonder what I should do not to catch all these germs that I most obviously am catching...

OK, time for another sip of that healthy remedy of mine.
Ciao.

high heels

And for being a city full of girls wearing high heels, they walk remarkably badly in them...

First of all - I don't get why? When you come from a country where you seem to be more or less born into them, you should be able to handle them one might think.... But no..., the feet go inwards, the shoes get dragged along, the feet and ankles wiggle down the street, the shoes do not seem to be comfortable at all and feet are put down on the ground in a very funny way, some just wear way too high heels and stagger along and far too many of these very nice high heels are walked in with bent knees ...

Second of all - it's not that hard....

Anyway, my point is -if you can't walk in them - don't wear them! It's just so damn ugly....
And a shame I think, because when high heels are worn on the right person in the right way - it's damn sexy...

But I walk on by.... (In sneakers, flip flops and sometimes even high heels...)

people

For being a city full of people in a hurry, the Chinese can walk remarkable slowly at times. It drives me insane, at times I just want to scream…

Ah well, I guess I should just walk and push, and as I’m both tall and big around here I should be able to make my way.

An other thing, bumping into each other or stepping on someone else, does not in any way require an “excuse me” or “oh I’m sorry”, it is instead totally ignored.

So we walk on by…

birthdays

Hurray!
A birthday cake with candles for you to blow I hereby present to you Pernilla (birthday today) (why don't you have 2 pieces... you've got a lot to celebrate!! :) ) and to you Dwight (birthday on Saturday).

Hope you both get to have fantastic birthdays!

Enjoy the cake!

Birthday hugs from me....