Four strong winds...

Okay, perhaps only one strong wind, but it was really strong (maybe still is, haven't been back outside since this morning) - haven't seen whitecaps like that for a while...

Anyway, back home (and back at work). The 'No Jet Lag' pills seem to have worked http://www.nojetlag.com/jetlag3.html . I managed to stay awake all day yesterday (arrived at 0930 and kept busy until going to bed around 2300) - pretty good after virtually no sleep in the preceding 14+ hours on and off airplanes. Only woke up once around 0530 today, and then got up at my usual time - 0815. However, I've been at the office since 0900 and it is now almost 2000 - so, may get slammed by the jet lag tomorrow. Fingers are crossed!

Anyway, bit of a shock to the system to go from +26(or more) to +8... Since I noticed yesterday that I was chilly for much of the day, today I wore my (newly lined) winter coat that I normally only wear when it dips below +1 (or a tiny bit higher if what I have underneath is negligible - ie: strapless gowns). Today was wool pants (newly altered), wool sweater (new), and wool socks (and in boots), and wool coat! ba-aa-aa...

Pictures of everything to follow... (will insert as they are done!).

Leavin' on a jet plane...

Currently sitting in terminal 2 at Narita looking out the window at the grey day and staring at terminal 1... Note to self, even though there might be no further passport control on connecting flights, there IS another security check. So, should have stuck with my first plan - to sit and read and drink my water before going through security!

Oh well, found the free "Yahoo Cafe" with the odd to use multi-lingual keyboard (have to essentially type with a couple fingers to avoid changing languages - cause, every time I do that, I have to start all over again!). Something I just hit copied most of the prior sentence (very strange!).

Anyway, have about an hour and a half to kill before my next 10 hours on a plane (yippee!). At least managed to get a bulkhead seat to here and have an exit row on the next leg. Oh, yeah, and not flying with any broken bones!

Hong Kong this time was pretty laid back - friends are now a 45min- 1hr commute from town (vs. the prior 8-15min). So, only one late night (the getting home at 4am thing was brutal! - too old for this!). Packed to the gills with new clothes - it is all so cheap to get made (which appeals to my control freak tendencies - the getting them made part, pick the colour, pick the fabric, pick the linings, pick the trim...).

I should be well clothed for the next couple YEARS!

Hurts so good...

Today was very low key... Might have something to do with the fact that Christie & I got home from Lan Kwai Fong after 4am (after waiting 45 minutes for the ferry - argh!). Anyway, we visited most of the usual haunts, chatted away merrily, danced our feet off - have a picture of Christie on stage with the band! And I think, perhaps, a few strangers have pictures of their friends dancing with me... We were part of the entertainment! Not sure what it is about bunny ears and LKF, but, at one point I had someone's flashing bunny ears on.

Oh, and the new thing I learned is that I apparently made a bit of an impression on my last visit to LKF (when we were talking to Warren at the Keg, it came out - oh, so YOU'RE the one...). Well, 32 weeks later - and left LKF in one piece this time... Picture above is the aftermath of the last time I was here...

The earlier part of the day was spent with a visit to the TCM in Tsing Yi (for acupuncture), then went for lunch, off for a hair wash, then to the foot massage & regular massage place. Lots of poking and prodding and squishing! This would be the good hurt part...

Not much else to report at this juncture...

Ce-le-brate good times...

Oh so happy with the US election results... I had few hopes that there would be success! I think the world just became a potentially better place - it is certainly much more hopeful from where I am sitting. I think we are now on the right track to turn the world economy around. Won't be instantaneous, but certainly better than my prior concern that the looming recession would become a full blown economic depression.

Anyway, off to celebrate with my hosts...

Money, money, money...

Yup, can burn through it here at an amazing rate... But really, when you take the exchange rate into consideration...

Anyway, yesterday was the requisite trek to Shenzhen. The visa office at the border just recently re-opened post-Olympics. It had been closed just a couple weeks after my spring visit. So, hi-ho, hi-ho to the tailors we go (well, I was on my own to start). After a brief(ish) and unplanned sojourn to Tsuen Wan (got on the wrong bus at Tsing Yi - note to self: verify bus numbers with Chrisite when running strictly from memory!), managed to (eventually, and with some help from the local bus administrators) get on the correct bus to get the KCR station at Sheung Shui and was pretty much smooth sailing from there. Thankfully, Christie had armed me with RMB (yuan), so I was easily able to pay for my visa. Sadly, the same could not be said for her (until November 1, 2008, you could pay for your visa in HKD!). So, for me, after a relatively short line-up (about 30 minute wait in total), got my visa, and was good to go. Found the tailors with little hassle (had my headphones turned up loud enough to ignore the other hawkers - no, I don't need 'copy purse', or 'DVD'), and reached my destination with no aimless wandering about.

And, boy, were they happy to see me! So, off to the tailor stand, park the suitcases, drink some water (thanks!), and start figuring out how much fabric required for each item. Notes in hand, head off with Jo-Jo (she's helping me today), and go in search of fabric. This makes life oh so much easier - she negotiates (their comment later to Christie was that they think I don't know how to haggle - Christie's retort, she can, but we know you do a good job for us and get us a good price, so easier not to), and we go to the places where they know the stall owners. The more you buy, the lower the price. I think I was below 11 yuan per metre on most of the knits (that's under Cdn$2). Now, to put that in perspective, without the '10m skirt' and matching top sets (4 of them), I was at, I think, 97m... Let's just say, I have clothes for the next 5-10 years (unless I spill things on them - as I am wont to do!). My fingers are crossed that the skirt/jacket/pant suits will turn out well - up side (for me) of not much business at this juncture, I have very personalised service - they insisted on taking proper measurements rather than simply copying pieces the suits were to be based upon.

We've got dresses, and pants, and casual skirts, and dress shirts, and suits, and tops, and... Oh yeah, and some lovely silk dresses that should turn out properly this time - Jo-Jo's comments on at least one of the silks - 'well, you'll be easy to see!'. I figure this nicely balances out the normal penchant for black. Oh, and winter coats, and repaired linings (they're gonna be bright, those linings - I like 'em loud and unique) and more trench coats. All of this completely appeals to my control freak tendencies! Get to pick the styles, the fabrics, the linings, the buttons (on the ones I really cared about - otherwise, they have always done a great job of selecting on my behalf), the lace trim on things which require it...

Christie arrived just before 2pm. Susan brought her by the stall we were shopping at (the one of the 97m+), and then we headed for lunch around 3ish. After lunch, start organizing the order (it will be delivered on Monday at the latest - since I fly on Wednesday morning, and must get it in the mail - can actually do this myself this time!), trying on items, tweaking the fit, making notes, doing some alterations. Then, abandon having a couple things made, but head off to get the last of the fabric, and the various trims. We had been prepared to stay overnight - this seemed likely to be a two day job. But, by 8pm, we are pretty much done and the bill is paid. Head over for dinner at the pub in the Shangri-la Hotel, then toward the border around 10pm. Quick trip through the border, but being out in Discovery Bay, it is just after midnight when we walk (exhausted) through the door.

Bed!

It's raining again...

Or, at least it was as I was trying to leave town yesterday/the day before, whenever the hell it was... This date line thing gets me all discombobulated! Anyway, arrived last night (local time) and seem to have transitioned pretty well to local time - so, won't spend too much energy worrying about what day it is in Vancouver (guess if I really want to know, can just check Alli's blog - What Day Is It Anyway...).

As usual, something has to go slightly awry when I am trying to leave town... So, went to the bank, got some cash, came home, called a taxi at 12:11pm for a 15:05pm flight - after sitting on hold for about 15 minutes, they advise that a taxi may take another 40 minutes to arrive, and perhaps I would be best to just go out and flag one down?! We need more taxis in town! Really, this isn't much of an option for me to exercise - I have 3 suitcases. Luckily, Sue called and came to my rescue - she picked up a cab at The Sutton Place and brought it to me. Turns out, news from our cab driver, part of the problem was 5000 people who had come into town to see Madonna were now trying to leave town to go home. G-R-E-A-T!

Anyway, made it to the airport, didn't beep going through security (woo hoo!), had lots of time to get to my flight. Think there might have been some incident they weren't really talking about - first time I went past the departure lounge you could go in, second time, not so much (and there were 5-7 cops milling about). Anyway, flight in ?the bubble" went well - peaceful up there - although, still can't sleep on planes, and the guy in front of me was impinging on my space (c'est la vie). Had plenty of time in Tokyo to get to my connecting flight (10 hrs to Tokyo, another 4hrs to Hong Kong). Actually, I can sleep on planes if there is turbulence - the problem would appear to be NOT ENOUGH MOTION. Was quite asleep when we landed in HK (almost to the point of obstructing the departure of my seat mates!). Go figure! Arrived in HK at just after 10pm. Christie met me at the airport, and home we came. New place. Unpacked, especially all my odd cargo: Shreddies, Brown Sugar Frosted Mini Wheats, popping corn, President's Choice Decadent Chocolate Chip Cookies. Bit of a visit, then bed! Slept mostly through the night...

Up around 7am local time. Coffee, nibbles, bath... Christie, Noah, and I had brunch with Tony (who procured my wheelchair on the last visit here). Ian was away in Thailand at a hockey tournament. After, we went down by the beach, and pottered about in the plaza. This new locale - Discovery Bay - is very much an ex-pat haven. Gwai Lo's, kids, and dogs abound. No private vehicles (including taxi) permitted through the tunnel (bus service, however, is good). After, we caught the bus to Sunny Bay, then the MTR to Tsing Yi (where they used to live - last seen, by me, as an invalid - much nicer to be walking!). We were dropping Noah off to play with a friend, then heading to the Prince Edward Street Market. Acquired: hair clips (nice & sparkly!), brush (forgot mine at home), cat toys, sweaters (Cdn$4 each!), t-shirts, and a black evening dress with beading ($45 - needs alterations, but off to China in a few days, so can get it done there!).

Anyway, stay tuned, will post photos (but not until back home!).