Wednesday, March 19, 2014

New Year, New Home part 3

We looked at an apartment in a famous building. Famous in Hong Kong, at least. I was surprised that it was not more expensive since Chinese people prefer status symbols.

It was a nice apartment and had a lot of similar amenities as the Yau Ma Tei apartment. The kitchen was better in that one, but the gym was better in this one. There was no big balcony, but it had huge windows with different views of the harbour. You have to pay extra for parking in this one, but that does not matter to us since none of us has a car.

The main benefit as far as I'm concerned is that this one is more convenient as far as the MTR. The other one takes an extra train to get to work. This one would get me to work and the airport a lot easier.

We have only been looking for three months, so we will keep looking around, but I think either of these would be a nice place to live.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Paperback Writer

Dear Sir or Madame,

Will you read my book? It took me months to write. Will you take a look?

Now I will have that bass line stuck in my head all day. That's not such a bad thing.

My second book, Nudist Cruise, is now available in paperback. The paperback version is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and probably somewhere else. It is a little on the expensive side, but at 300 pages, there is no way they are going to sell it for just a few dollars. Everyone needs to make a profit.

If you buy the paperback, you can get the e-book for free. I don't know why anyone would want both, but that is a promotional thing that Amazon does. Who am I to argue with Amazon marketing techniques? I'm pretty sure that deal is not available at Barnes & Noble.

We had to change the cover for the paperback. Apparently, a naked butt is ok for e-books, but is not going to fly in print. Physical bookstore want to look presentable. Even though anything goes with their online stores.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

New Year, New Home part 2

We looked at a very nice apartment near Yau Ma Tei, close enough to walk to the MTR, but far enough from Nathan Road. It is a little pricey, but with three people paying rent, it is affordable.

This is one of those modern buildings with 24 hour security, swimming pool, gym and parking, none of which are at all standard in Hong Kong. We don't need parking, but a swimming pool would be nice and I would go to the gym all the time.

What caught my attention right away were the kitchen and balconies. Kitchens in Hong Kong are mostly a sink against a wall with a stove and maybe a few inches of counter space. This apartment had a real kitchen. It was small by American standards, but huge by Hong Kong standards. It was an actual room with actual counter space. I would spend a lot of time in that room.

Balconies are never the most important thing in the world, and most Hong Kong apartments have a tiny laundry balcony, but this one had the tiny laundry balcony and a real balcony outside the living room. You can actually spend time on this balcony, and the view is not too shabby, either. There is a nice view of the harbour. Not one of the famous views, but I would be happy just seeing water and sky outside my window. Right now, we can see the building next door from our laundry balcony.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Three Auditions part 5

I just did a callback for the TV series that I auditioned for in November. They are really taking their time on this one.

It was more like a job interview than an audition. I did not read any lines or do a scene. We just talked about life in Hong Kong. I almost got the impression they were looking for ideas for the show. I still don't know what the show is about, but if they use anything I said and don't give me the part, I think I deserve some kind of consulting credit. Unless the show bombs.

I really don't know what to make of this audition since it was not really an audition. Were we just talking because they are not interested? If so, why waste everyone's time like that? Is this how they audition everybody? I have no idea. It seems kind of strange to me.