Lily and I are back in Hong Kong. We left Tokyo Friday night, landed in Hong Kong very late Friday night and got home after midnight. We both had to work on Saturday, but I was lucky enough to work Saturday night. So I got to sleep a little. Lily had to wake up Saturday morning, so she only got to take a little nap.
Neither of us like going to work right after we come back from another country. I like to have a full day off between the airport and work. But sometimes you want to stretch out your vacation as much as possible. We could have come home earlier, but that would have meant leaving Tokyo earlier. As it is, we were only there for 7 1/2 days. That's not nearly enough time for a city like Tokyo.
The weather was pretty nice while we were there. The last time we went to Tokyo was in August, so it was hot and humid, just like Hong Kong. This time, we got a little rain and much cooler temperatures. It was never cold, but it was cloudy enough most of the time. Anything not oppressively humid is good.
Monday, November 30, 2015
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Thanksgiving in Tokyo
Lily and I are going to Tokyo tomorrow. We went back and forth about which neighborhood to stay in, but eventually decided on Shibuya. We stayed there last time, so we talked about going somewhere else, but we want this to be an easy trip. In any other neighborhood, we would have to look at hotels. In a city like Tokyo, that can take a while. The only hotels we know in Shinjuku are ridiculously expensive. For Shibuya, we already had a hotel in mind. They had rooms available, so we took it.
Had we planned this trip ahead of time, we probably would have picked a different neighborhood. Tokyo is the kind of city where it is best to stay in one area and then see another part of the city another time. You are never going to get to know it all in one trip. Since we stayed in Shibuya last time, it would make sense to stay in Minato or Chiyoda this time. But we did everything at the last minute, so Shibuya is easier. We can still spend as much time as we want somewhere else since our hotel is right next to the JR station, but I would bet that we will mostly be in Shibuya. I would rather walk around the neighborhood than spend all day on a subway train.
The original plan was to go for a long weekend. Since my birthday is on Sunday, we were always going to be there for my birthday. Then we shuffled some of our days off, got a few extra and decided to go a little later and stay a little longer. Now, we will be there for my birthday and Thanksgiving. Japan might not be the ideal Thanksgiving location, but neither is China. Eating a Japanese Thanksgiving dinner will be a nice change of pace from our usual Chinese Thanksgiving dinner.
Had we planned this trip ahead of time, we probably would have picked a different neighborhood. Tokyo is the kind of city where it is best to stay in one area and then see another part of the city another time. You are never going to get to know it all in one trip. Since we stayed in Shibuya last time, it would make sense to stay in Minato or Chiyoda this time. But we did everything at the last minute, so Shibuya is easier. We can still spend as much time as we want somewhere else since our hotel is right next to the JR station, but I would bet that we will mostly be in Shibuya. I would rather walk around the neighborhood than spend all day on a subway train.
The original plan was to go for a long weekend. Since my birthday is on Sunday, we were always going to be there for my birthday. Then we shuffled some of our days off, got a few extra and decided to go a little later and stay a little longer. Now, we will be there for my birthday and Thanksgiving. Japan might not be the ideal Thanksgiving location, but neither is China. Eating a Japanese Thanksgiving dinner will be a nice change of pace from our usual Chinese Thanksgiving dinner.
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Tokyo Birthday
Lily and I are going to take a little trip to Tokyo. We have not taken a vacation together since we went to Tokyo last year. Our last big trip was Paris, but that was not entirely a vacation. We just went to Taipei last month, but that was a weekend in a city an hour away.
We both managed to get a few days off at the same time and wanted to go somewhere close, but definitely outside of China. Tokyo is an inexpensive and easy trip, and Japan is not at all Chinese. It might seem strange to call Tokyo inexpensive since it is such an expensive city, but flights from Hong Kong are cheap and only take about four hours. We thought about Thailand and Korea, which are also pretty close, but went with Tokyo for a variety of reasons.
Neither of us has been to Korea. We would both like to go some day, but since we have never been there, we would have to look up too much information for a quick and easy trip. We know what we need to do for Tokyo, and already looked into a few different neighborhoods before we went the last time.
Thailand is pretty easy and cheaper than Tokyo, but we like the weather in Tokyo better. Thailand is always hot and humid. The only change of seasons are from wet to dry. The wet season just ended, so we would not have to worry about too much rain, but we both like actual seasons. If we want hot and humid, we can stay in Hong Kong. It will not snow in Tokyo while we are there, but at least it will be noticeably cooler. We will probably be in Hong Kong all winter, so this might be our only chance to go somewhere that gets cold.
This trip is not actually for my birthday. That part is only a coincidence. We will both be working a lot more during Christmas/New Year, so now is the time to go somewhere. After the New Year, which I think is in February next year, we will have more time to take a bigger trip.
We both managed to get a few days off at the same time and wanted to go somewhere close, but definitely outside of China. Tokyo is an inexpensive and easy trip, and Japan is not at all Chinese. It might seem strange to call Tokyo inexpensive since it is such an expensive city, but flights from Hong Kong are cheap and only take about four hours. We thought about Thailand and Korea, which are also pretty close, but went with Tokyo for a variety of reasons.
Neither of us has been to Korea. We would both like to go some day, but since we have never been there, we would have to look up too much information for a quick and easy trip. We know what we need to do for Tokyo, and already looked into a few different neighborhoods before we went the last time.
Thailand is pretty easy and cheaper than Tokyo, but we like the weather in Tokyo better. Thailand is always hot and humid. The only change of seasons are from wet to dry. The wet season just ended, so we would not have to worry about too much rain, but we both like actual seasons. If we want hot and humid, we can stay in Hong Kong. It will not snow in Tokyo while we are there, but at least it will be noticeably cooler. We will probably be in Hong Kong all winter, so this might be our only chance to go somewhere that gets cold.
This trip is not actually for my birthday. That part is only a coincidence. We will both be working a lot more during Christmas/New Year, so now is the time to go somewhere. After the New Year, which I think is in February next year, we will have more time to take a bigger trip.
Sunday, November 15, 2015
#J’en ai ma claque
Everyone stands with Paris. That's great, but maybe it is time to do something about the murderers who stand against us all. Lowering flags, lighting buildings, Twitter octothorpes and blog posts are all fine and dandy, but they do nothing to stop any of the terrorists who have declared war on humanity.
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Dating in Hong Kong 4
Something I'm learning about the wide world of expat relationships is that there are entire books full of rules. You are supposed to do this, you are not allowed to do that. He should wait this amount of time to call, she should wait that amount of time to answer. Now there are even rules about Facebook and Twitter. The good news is that I don't do Facebook and I have not logged into my Twitter account in at least a year. I never liked Facebook and I never understood Twitter. Search it all you want. There is nothing embarrassing there. Mostly because there is nothing there.
In addition to not knowing the dating rules or, more accurately, not wanting to know the rules, I also don't seem to know anything about modern communication systems. My phone was made in 2009. That was not technically a long time ago, but in the world of cell phones, that was an eternity. My phone is not smart. It is not especially stupid. It can squeak by, but there is no way it's getting into a decent college.
I realize that I often sound older than I am. But that is only true online. In the real world, most people look at me and think I am younger. In the world of dating, those perceptions are both good and bad. Online, no one my age is interested. Since they think I'm older, they assume all of my interests will revolve around 401k accounts and the best places to nap. This never bothers me because men my age online only seem to talk about video games and the latest comic book movie. Offline, I attract surfer dudes and horny old goats, neither of which interest me.
Most people already know the rules, but everything is new to me. Back in high school, we did not play so many games. That seems backward, but I'm convinced it is true. Everything seemed more genuine then. Now, everyone is trying to play some game or another. I don't like games, unless there is a board and dice involved. People always ask what women want. Here's my answer: honesty. Honesty is the single most important quality as far as I'm concerned. A sense of humor is important, but that has to be one of the most subjective qualities. Everyone has a sense of humor. We all simply find different things funny. Looks are also subjective, and less important the older I get. I doubt I will be dating some guy I find physically repulsive, but they do not all need to look like Pierce Brosnan. Honesty is objective. Who you are and what you say is either honest or not. There is no matter of opinion.
Pretending to be someone else, even just a little, is always a bad idea. Sooner or later, whoever you are lying to is going to find out. It might not be the end of the world, but I bet it will be worse than if you were simply yourself the entire time. Be yourself, no matter what they say.
If your main goal in life is to have sex, there are a million ways to do that without being a liar. If you are lying to get some then you obviously don't care who you are doing, as long as you are doing it. There is no genuine need to lie if that is the case. Someone somewhere will want to have sex with the real you. If you have to lie to get laid, that only says horrible things about who you are. If sex is just a conquest to you, you are doing it wrong. And I bet that is the reason you feel so empty.
Maybe there are more rules than I thought.
In addition to not knowing the dating rules or, more accurately, not wanting to know the rules, I also don't seem to know anything about modern communication systems. My phone was made in 2009. That was not technically a long time ago, but in the world of cell phones, that was an eternity. My phone is not smart. It is not especially stupid. It can squeak by, but there is no way it's getting into a decent college.
I realize that I often sound older than I am. But that is only true online. In the real world, most people look at me and think I am younger. In the world of dating, those perceptions are both good and bad. Online, no one my age is interested. Since they think I'm older, they assume all of my interests will revolve around 401k accounts and the best places to nap. This never bothers me because men my age online only seem to talk about video games and the latest comic book movie. Offline, I attract surfer dudes and horny old goats, neither of which interest me.
Most people already know the rules, but everything is new to me. Back in high school, we did not play so many games. That seems backward, but I'm convinced it is true. Everything seemed more genuine then. Now, everyone is trying to play some game or another. I don't like games, unless there is a board and dice involved. People always ask what women want. Here's my answer: honesty. Honesty is the single most important quality as far as I'm concerned. A sense of humor is important, but that has to be one of the most subjective qualities. Everyone has a sense of humor. We all simply find different things funny. Looks are also subjective, and less important the older I get. I doubt I will be dating some guy I find physically repulsive, but they do not all need to look like Pierce Brosnan. Honesty is objective. Who you are and what you say is either honest or not. There is no matter of opinion.
Pretending to be someone else, even just a little, is always a bad idea. Sooner or later, whoever you are lying to is going to find out. It might not be the end of the world, but I bet it will be worse than if you were simply yourself the entire time. Be yourself, no matter what they say.
If your main goal in life is to have sex, there are a million ways to do that without being a liar. If you are lying to get some then you obviously don't care who you are doing, as long as you are doing it. There is no genuine need to lie if that is the case. Someone somewhere will want to have sex with the real you. If you have to lie to get laid, that only says horrible things about who you are. If sex is just a conquest to you, you are doing it wrong. And I bet that is the reason you feel so empty.
Maybe there are more rules than I thought.
Monday, November 9, 2015
Rainy Days and Birthdays Always Get Me Down
Not really, but that was the first title that popped into my head. I actually like the rain, and I'm not old enough to fear getting older. Yet.
Last month was Ryan's birthday. I know I'm not supposed to talk about him. Everyone I know has told me not to talk about him. And it's not like I mention him every day. In fact, I rarely mention him at all anymore. But this was the first birthday since high school that we did not at least talk to each other. It was not always possible to spend any time together on our birthdays, but if nothing else, at least we talked on the phone. This year, nothing.
This month is my birthday. I need to find something to do to keep my mind off it. I'm not always a big celebrator on my birthday. Sometimes I will go out to dinner. We had a surprise party last year, but I knew about it. Sometimes my birthday is on Thanksgiving, but not this year. I think that might be a few years away.
Last month was Ryan's birthday. I know I'm not supposed to talk about him. Everyone I know has told me not to talk about him. And it's not like I mention him every day. In fact, I rarely mention him at all anymore. But this was the first birthday since high school that we did not at least talk to each other. It was not always possible to spend any time together on our birthdays, but if nothing else, at least we talked on the phone. This year, nothing.
This month is my birthday. I need to find something to do to keep my mind off it. I'm not always a big celebrator on my birthday. Sometimes I will go out to dinner. We had a surprise party last year, but I knew about it. Sometimes my birthday is on Thanksgiving, but not this year. I think that might be a few years away.
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Dating in Hong Kong 3
The reason I started talking about dating in the first place is because I have decided that it might be time to start thinking about considering whether or not I want to entertain the idea of maybe contemplating the suggestion that I go out on an actual date.
Finding people outside of high school might be harder than in it, but it turns out it is actually pretty easy when you are newly single in a city of 3 million men. Even when you eliminate coworkers, married men, men who are too young or too old and creepy dudes online, there are a lot of men out there. Thinking back, I have been getting offers the entire time I have been in Hong Kong. I simply forgot about them because I had a boyfriend.
A friend of mine is currently trying to set me up with a friend of hers. I have never met this man, but my friend swears we would be perfect together. That is a huge red flag to me. Very few people have the same definition of perfection. It is also a horribly bad idea to go on a blind date with such unrealistic expectations. I would rather hear, “You might work out. Who knows.”
Finding people outside of high school might be harder than in it, but it turns out it is actually pretty easy when you are newly single in a city of 3 million men. Even when you eliminate coworkers, married men, men who are too young or too old and creepy dudes online, there are a lot of men out there. Thinking back, I have been getting offers the entire time I have been in Hong Kong. I simply forgot about them because I had a boyfriend.
A friend of mine is currently trying to set me up with a friend of hers. I have never met this man, but my friend swears we would be perfect together. That is a huge red flag to me. Very few people have the same definition of perfection. It is also a horribly bad idea to go on a blind date with such unrealistic expectations. I would rather hear, “You might work out. Who knows.”
Monday, November 2, 2015
Halloween 2015
We had our big Halloween party on Sunday instead of Saturday because too many people had to work Saturday. Saturday night might be a better time for a Halloween party, especially since most people don't go to work on Sunday morning and Halloween was actually on Saturday, but it was because most people did not work on Sunday that we did it on Sunday.
We had a lot of people in costume this year. Sometimes as many as half the people show up in their regular clothes. Dressing up for Halloween is not exactly a Chinese tradition. Most of our guests did not grow up with it the way we did. But you can always count on the foreigners to go nuts.
You can also tell which movies are popular by what people wear for Halloween. When all those Pirates of the Caribbean and Harry Potter movies came out, most of the costumes were pirates and wizards. This year, it was all comic book superheroes and Star Wars. The latest Star Wars movie has not come out yet, but all the nerds are a flutter. There were also a few zombies. There are always zombies.
Lily, Kevin and I were Colonel Sanders, Ronald McDonald and Wendy. Everyone got Kevin's Ronald costume right away. Put on a yellow and red jumpsuit and most people automatically think of that clown.
Lily's Colonel confused a few people, even though KFC is the single most popular fast food chain in China. Someone thought she was 1970s Steve Martin with a beard. I thought that was funny. A few people pointed out that she did not have a red apron, since that is their new logo. When I think of Colonel Sanders, a red apron never even crosses my mind.
Almost no one got my Wendy. Everyone thought I was Dorothy Gale. They do pretty much look the same. But if I'm standing next to Colonel Sanders and Ronald McDonald, instead of the Scarecrow and Tin Man, it should be obvious. Everyone at the party was old enough to remember when Wendy's was still in Hong Kong.
Maybe next year I should wear the same thing and Lily & Kevin can get a couple of Oz costumes.
Something I miss from real Halloween is all the children knocking on your door begging for candy. No one does that here. We had plenty of candy, but no children at this party. That's probably for the best since one Canadian dressed as Jared Fogle.
We had a lot of people in costume this year. Sometimes as many as half the people show up in their regular clothes. Dressing up for Halloween is not exactly a Chinese tradition. Most of our guests did not grow up with it the way we did. But you can always count on the foreigners to go nuts.
You can also tell which movies are popular by what people wear for Halloween. When all those Pirates of the Caribbean and Harry Potter movies came out, most of the costumes were pirates and wizards. This year, it was all comic book superheroes and Star Wars. The latest Star Wars movie has not come out yet, but all the nerds are a flutter. There were also a few zombies. There are always zombies.
Lily, Kevin and I were Colonel Sanders, Ronald McDonald and Wendy. Everyone got Kevin's Ronald costume right away. Put on a yellow and red jumpsuit and most people automatically think of that clown.
Lily's Colonel confused a few people, even though KFC is the single most popular fast food chain in China. Someone thought she was 1970s Steve Martin with a beard. I thought that was funny. A few people pointed out that she did not have a red apron, since that is their new logo. When I think of Colonel Sanders, a red apron never even crosses my mind.
Almost no one got my Wendy. Everyone thought I was Dorothy Gale. They do pretty much look the same. But if I'm standing next to Colonel Sanders and Ronald McDonald, instead of the Scarecrow and Tin Man, it should be obvious. Everyone at the party was old enough to remember when Wendy's was still in Hong Kong.
Maybe next year I should wear the same thing and Lily & Kevin can get a couple of Oz costumes.
Something I miss from real Halloween is all the children knocking on your door begging for candy. No one does that here. We had plenty of candy, but no children at this party. That's probably for the best since one Canadian dressed as Jared Fogle.
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