Cambodia IV: Lok Lak, Sony Ericssons and Fried Cockroaches

In observance of the new world order and that Cambodia (particularly Siem Reap) is stepping into the 21st Century, here is quick introduction of Khmer terminology to whet your appetite for this really curious language.

PREFACE: As is appropriate, this is typed on a super duper whizzy Pentium M PC (manufactured by a local "reproducer" for sure) complete with 56X CD/DVD burner, gajillion USB ports for digital CF cards and a kickass sound system. In an air-conditioned internet cafe, charging US$1 per hour of computer use and US$2.50 per CD to burn your pictures if you run out of memory on CF cards. Not to mention the connections are WIRED i.e. ethernet lines, rather than the some shaky broadband system. This is more advanced than parts of Europe, man.

Tuk Tuk - similar to the little jipneys all over South East Asia, these carry anywhere from 2 to 6 passengers, really a hooded wagon towed by a scooter. Some have comfortable seats, others are a little shaky... but all accompanied with a smart-mouth driver who would love to drive you to the nearest mass-market restaurant that serves supposed traditional Khmer food. They're fun to bargain with - distance has nothing to do with price, and any protest about prices are bound to be accompanied with a huge grin and an incredulous "Ah.. Dteh, dteh (no, no)" as if the price would not feed his family of starving children.

Then again, it may not. Hmm.

Lo-uhng Tuk Tuk - Tuk Tuk Driver. After reluctantly agreeing on a price, they set off at a slow chug-u-lug pace to where you want to go. One lo-uhng who drives a particularly shaky tuk-tuk whips out with one hand a FLASHY hi-style gleaming color screen blinking polytonal ring-tone Sony Ericsson mobile, and talks away while manouvering the scooter with the other. We barely felt a bump, such was his skill, even with one hand driving. Other tuk-tuks were kind enough to provide a wire hanger twisted around the wagon hood, wrapped with soft styrofoam as a safety handlebar. We even saw one lo-uhng with a helmet - which was rare around Siem Reap.

Lok-Lak: A fried egg, served on top of Chah Setko (See "Char" and "Setko" separately), sometimes with chips. Very satisfying breakfast, especially with some local sweet chili sauce.

Kdaam-Tuk: An incredible wicked looking cricket type insect, normally found in paddy fields, these suckers are at least 2 - 3 inches long, and 1-inch wide. They are stir-fried in soya sauce, and are normally sold 3 for the bargain price of US$1. To eat them, you have to peel back the shells, pull off the little creepy legs, and suck out the insides. They sort of taste like a gamy soft-shell crab heavily laced with soy sauce, actually not as bad as I thought. Which I suppose is why it's called Kdaam Tuk - Kdaam means "crab"in Khmai (see Khmai).

Teh-long : Similar to Kdaam Tuk, except the bugs are black critters the size of cockroaches. These taste like dried shrimp - or "heh-bi", as the Singaporeans know them. Best served when the consumer's eyes are closed, with shells already peeled, two fingers pinching the last feeler of the bug that serves as a good handhold to pick out the insides with a toothpick (cos us foreigners don't have the skill to suck out the good stuff like the locals do). Recommend removing all the wings cleanly before consuming, and to eat with your eyes closed.

Ch-ngain - Tasty. which Teh-long and Kdaam-Tuk were not, really.

Chah - Fried, or stir-fried.

Set-ko - Beef. As in: Chah Set-ko Mee - Fried Beef noodles. Remember it, it will keep you nourished for less than US$1 on a daily basis. Very important survival phrase.

Khmai - the local pronunciation of their own language. Not KH-MEH-ER like the Americans like to say.

Pahn - bread. A take of the French pronunciation of "pain". Best purchased off the baskets in the street market, its oven-baked warmth kept inside by the sun's warmth beating down on its outside. Crusty on the outside, warm and fluffy on the inside. It was indulgence munching on mini baguettes as we walked around the street market and around the town.

Continuing our culinary adventure later on tonight :)

Cambodia Dispatch III: Phalli's Day From Hell

My name is Phalli, I am one of the many registered tour guides in Siem Reap. Today I went to Monoreach Hotel on Airport Route 6 to pick up 2 visitors from Singapore, both on my package roster.

The day started oddly... they went out to find the driver when I was waiting for them in the lobby. When I caught up with them, one wanted to smoke a cigarette before getting in, while the other is still munching on breakfast toast slathered with something that looked radioactive red. Strange girls, these.

Little did I know what I was in for.

Although we set off with the prerequisite small talk in the car, when we got to the South Gate of Angkor Wat I realized we had past the first picture point... and we walked backwards to it. The thin one in the tank top was interesting to talk to, she was quite cute I thought. The other with the glasses and the bandanna was all over the place - snapping the oddest things like an Apsara Authority security guard having a smoke, original carvings instead of ruins, sometimes almost sprawling on the dirt to get a shot of the right light on the moat. Puh-leese, I see hundreds of these a month, if not more. Everyday I say the same damn thing to the same goggle-eyed tourists about the same archeological wonder, no need to get all excited showing me the oh-so-wonderful shot you took on your oh-so-advanced digital camera.

We stopped at Phineakas - where the top of the pagoda provided a good view of the surroundings, if these foreigners can stand the heat. The skinny one wanted to go up the safe way... with handrails and so on. The stocky one went up the steep way - climbing with hands and feet and went up like a monkey, cheered on by fat German tourists who were seated on plastic chairs, admiring the view. Why she chose the difficult route I don't know. I have a feeling that stocky one is trouble already... she has a tendency to wander off and take pictures while I'm reciting my archeological fact speech. Maybe she has a Lonely Planet and read it already.

As expected, the stocky one caused trouble instead. At the Royal Baths, I was talking to the skinny one (maybe I'll get a shot at something in Singapore) when Stocky wandered off to other side of the Female Bath and said she'll meet me somewhere. I said to meet at the South Gate.. Skinny and I continued to chat, and then she disappeared! We peered hard at the water... I hope Stocky knows how to swim, there are water snakes and leeches in that water. Oh god I can't deal with it if people were to find out I lost one of the two tourists I was guiding... that's a 50% loss rate, destroys my reputation for sure. Did she drown? We showed pics taken of her to local kids - have you seen this gal. Skinny was just laughing... does she know my career is at stake?! She said Stocky can swim well, but who knows what those leeches could have done to her foreign blood and anyway, if she gets wet from the Bath and complains to the agency... oh god better find her quick.

We went to the South Gate, and waited and waited. I started to panic - called the home office for Hong Kong country code so I could try her mobile. Then Skinny gets an SMS, says she's at the Elephant Terrace. We walk to the top - and no sign of her. Skinny calls her... and we hear Stocky's voice floating up from the dry grass... oh for god's sake, these tourists. Someone better tie a leash to the Stocky one.

The rest of the day was more of the same. I said to them meet me at the bottom of Angkor Wat at 4.30 pm, they show up at 5 pm. All flushed and thrilled and adrenalin-driven because Stocky talked Skinny into clambering down the steep steps without the benefit of a handrail... apparently a first for Skinny.

Then after Phnom Bakheng's sunset shots, which as expected they were also 30 minutes late in coming back, those two decided to buy souvenirs from street kids. No matter that these kids were talking to them at Angkor and gave each of them a bracelet and made paper cranes and paper boats and chatted for 2 hours, it's late, I'm fedup with these 2 and my dinner is waiting at home.

Then the Skinny one crosses the road, I yelled "One Second!!" as there was oncoming traffic from the other direction, but she still didn't listen - WOOSH and a van swipes by her leaving barely 2 inches to spare between skin and metal. Stocky was standing by the road in shock, her mouthful of bottled green tea unswallowed for fear of choking. Skinny was all jumpy from her recent brush with death, the guys that were waiting for tuk-tuk passengers all started calling out "How lucky she is!!" She should head to a monk tomorrow to get herself blessed - at a close brush like that, Good Luck is coming (cos it was a CLOSE BRUSH as opposed to TRAGIC TOURIST ACCIDENT) and Bad Luck must be chased away. Stocky said it had to be done or no way was she getting on a plane with her.

I can't take it. These two could bloody well end my career. As we sit in rush hour traffic in Siem Reap, leading from Angkore Wat, I couldn't wait to drop them off. Even if Skinny is cute and Stocky has a weird sense of humor and clambers up pagodas like the best of them, NEVER again. I'd rather host a group of Americans.

Cambodia Dispatch II: Trokalok

After a surprisingly efficient hour at the internet cafe, we went for dinner at one of the street side food stalls. Amazing how quickly they run up when they spot a foreigner, waving English menus that describe in too simplified ways their local street food. We settled down in a spot where locals seem to be arriving at with their scooters, buying food to go - albeit at a price that was probably half what we were paying.

Interesting note: The same person must have printed the menus for all the stalls. They all had the same foods, and the same typographical error... "DRINGING" instead of "DRINKING".

A combination of sign language and broken English brought Coral and me a lovely and simple bowl of Mee-lion-sup-beep (yellow noodles in clear broth and beef slices, garnished with pieces of fried garlic) and fried yellow noodles in a sauce that tasted like a mix of ketchup and soysauce. Plus an Angkor beer, which was a very very very light lager. Plus a super super drink called TROKALOK - which is in essence fresh fruits blended with ice and condensed milk into a shake. So refreshing, rich but not too heavy, sweet but just cut by a bit of sour. It was a little plastic mug of heaven.

I exchanged cigarettes with the cook, and had a chat about what trokalok is all about. The language barrier exists for the sole reason for me to learn how to point and express myself with my hands and face, because my English was apparently not getting through. An enjoyable evening though.

On the way back, Coral was twisting around her seat on the tuk-tuk. She says she was looking to see how the seat cover was stitched to the seat frame... yeah right. I think she was trying to find a seat belt.

Tomorrow... Angkor Wat.

Cambodia Dispatch I: Chong Kneas

It's dry season in Cambodia, the waters of Tonle Sap have receded and left behind its bouquet that makes your nose twitch and wonder who's drying fish around here. We were sitting in a tuk tuk, bumping and thumping our way over a dried riverbed that is overrun with air-conditioned buses and dusty pickup trucks. Doesn't take much to guess which carries the tourists, which carries the locals.

It was an hour's ride on the tuk tuk to get out to the waters, so we could check out the floating village of Chong Kneas (pronounced "Chong kh-nee-uhs"). When the lake waters are at their height during the rainy season, the villagers move upwards closer to the hill of Phnom Kron. There is a temple on top of the hill, so when the rains come and floods threaten everyday lives, people seek refuge in the embrace of this hill. In the dry season, however, the earth is naked, cracked, and all its insides seem to be turned on its outside. The thatch huts where people live in display their stilted undersides. The debris and rubbish that used to calmly sit underwater are now bared in the sun. Dogs and cats and chickens run wild, pecking and tearing at any possible food in sight, while kids run naked, covered in dirt and dust, waving a finger in the air at anyone carrying a camera, for the vain hope of a U.S. greenback. Their little legs pump hard and they scurry after the tour buses, squeaky noises screaming "hello hello" and when told "Dteh" ("No", in Khmer), they scream something else that sounds less polite, then smiles nicely and waves that finger again and say "hello".

Bey was our tuk tuk driver. He was paid US$10 to spend 3 hours with us, one to drive us out, one to wait for us, and one to drive us back. He was a gracious driver - stopped when we asked him to, so we could hop out and take pictures of things he must find so mundane... paddy fields, Phnom Kron hill, sleeping old man in a hammock under a thatch roof. Superb skill with the tuk tuk because neither one of us tumbled out of it, and invaluable when we needed a translator.

Bey tells us that the road out to Chong Kneas boats is long, because the dry season means we have much more ground to cover before we reach water. But reach water we did. The villagers of Chong Kneas make their lives temporarily on dry land at this time of the year, piles of dead fishes are placed on canvas sheets, to be sold together with the flies on top of them. The poverty is sobering - little shacks that are no bigger than an office cube house an entire family, all crouched around a little butane flame, some helping the others pick off lice in the hair. There are few lights - the ones that do have them are the center of activities. Any electrical power around here seems to be directed to the odd black and white TV, which flickers with local programs, its disembodied light adding a gleam to the black black eyes of the local kids.

Ironic as it seems, there were two snooker tables under a thatch roof in the middle of the dried riverbed, while stray dogs run around and nip at the ankles of little kids, still waving a finger and yelling "hello, hello".

The floating village itself, on the water, was charming... in many ways very similar to other floating villages I have seen. Our timing was good though - in time for sunset, the golden hour, where even the poorest and most destitute little shack looked charming under the amber sun. We had a fun time taking pictures of 3 kids in the middle of a tub war -- each was sitting in a tub, floating around the river,
splashing enough water into the othér's tub so it will sink. Defense weapon is a cut up liter container that used to hold soft drinks... a prime tool for bailing water out of one's own tub. The loser has to pull his tub out from under him, turn it upside down to empty it and then with admirable agility, scramble back in, and round 2 begins. It was a three-way war... which ended when one of them was called back to carry a huge python so Korean tourists could take pictures.

As dusk settled, the boat took us back to the sandy temporary village. As the smell of Tonle Sap drying in the heat wafted up to our nostrils, we turn our heads instinctively towards the water as if it could be avoided. And saw the most beautiful full moon coming up over the horizon as the sun was setting on the other side. There were several kids on the grassy banks of the lake playing a makeshift game of soccer, the moon glowing in its intensity like a god-like presence while they scream and kick away. The moon's pure brilliance and sheerness was a jarring contrast - a cold impartial and emotionless observer while such poverty and destitution barely manages to eke along, scrabbling for any chance to hold on to a dollar. I found its presence a mocking one - such beauty overlooking such sadness. Then the darkness settled in, the fireflies came out, and shadows covered the nakedness of the people's hard lives.

Tour buses with headlights on snake their way along the bumpy riverbed back towards Siem Reap, past more delapidated shacks that are invisible to tourists in the dark. A cortege of commercialism that is glad to have finished this day because a hot bath is waiting, to be followed by a dance show with a traditional Khmer style dinner. The children of Chong Kneas are still yelling "hello, hello", waving their fingers at the air-conditioned coaches whose wheels spray a cloud of fine dust from the riverbed, its mocking presence still hanging in the air long after the tourists have gone.

Help the new minority!

Finally! Someone on OUR side.

Eyelids Drooping

I was up late last night... doing nothing really, chatting online, organizing pictures, browsing the news, generally doing anything but productive work. My brain shut down around 9 pm and wasn't even turned on when I woke up this morning, swearing a blue streak because I slept with my finger on the snooze button on my PDA-doubling-as-alarm-clock.

So now, at the napping hour of 4 pm, I'm having trouble staying awake. After getting a triple-shot-tall-skim-latte from the Starbucks corporate monster, am browsing the news again. Not many of the crew that reads my blog subscribes to the Asian Wall Street Journal, and frankly most of the time it's full of hooey anyway. But two things pop out in today's (March 22, 2005) paper:

1. With U.S. Election Over, President Bush's Message Takes On a New Accent. - John D. McKinnon

This is a short article about the change in Dubya's speech mannerisms, which apparently has refined and improved compared to his cowboy bush-ism days post-nine-eleven.

"... Last month, addessing European leaders in Brussels, Mr. Bush spoke precisely, with only traces of his twang. He paid homage to the continent's political legacy, such as the Magna Carta, and flawlessly pronounced the name of Albert Camus. ... He is enunciating more clearly and dotting his remarks with more literary references. Gone is much of the verbal swagger, which produced such memorable first-term phrases as "bring 'em on" (said of Iraqi insurgents) and "dead or alive" (said of catching Osama bin Laden). Some linguists even say they detect a dialing-down version of Mr. Bush's Texas accent, at least in his formal speeches."

Does a refinement of speech also reflect a refinement of thought process? Or is this another case of sing sweetly to your victims while you crush them with all the subtlety of a demolition stone. In a way I find President's Bush's supposed sophistic-izing a little unsettling - instead of a bumbling Texan playing cowboys-and-indians with U.S. military as his props, now he sounds like a refined statesman playing cowboys-and-indians with U.S. military as his props. Surely the latter is a more malevolent scenario?

2. OpEd: And Now Kyrgyzstan - Editors

How many people know where Kyrgyzstan is? And how many of us have been following the pro-democracy protests that have been occuring there recently. I sheepishly hang my head and admit to not following the news on
this. But an old friend and her husband are there (last I heard, doing missionary work) and when I read this OpEd column, I got worried.

"The democratic ideal, once unleashed, appears to know no bounds. ... Pro-democracy demonstrations are now rocking Kyrgyzstan, a crucial juncture where the Russian sphere of influence abuts China and Afghanistan's neighbors. ... The difference with Kyrgyzstan, and one not to be overlooked, is that while the massive protests in Georgeia and Ukraine were peaceful, the central Asian republic is hanging on a knife's edge."

Here is an updated article from BBC.

I hope she's okay. Going to start the grapevine to find out what's going on with her these days.

Okay enough of a diversion. Back to the salt mines....

Still Got My Sea Legs

I spent today on a boat. [PICTURES HERE]

Hong Kong's corporate junket normally includes some kind of a company yacht, or in this case, a "Chinese junk". Before you conjure up images of majestic sails fanning out and the theme from Tai Pan playing in the background, these days a "junk" really means a retrofitted trawler with some kind of "Chinese" wood (I think teak? not sure).

So a friend was able to get his paws on one of these tubs, boat is named "Basic Law" (haha - friend is a lawyer). After a round of frantic emailing, a group of 14 trooped onto the junk this morning, with the intention of setting out to Cheung Sha beach, southwest coast of Lantau Island.

Snacks galore - home-made dip, veggies, cheese, crackers, chocolates, cookies, grapes, lots and lots of chips. U2 Greatest Hits 1980s-90s blasting away. Lying in the sun. Gossiping and chatting. Snoozing with one ear open to catch the lastest gossip floating by. Sun rays tempered by the slightly cool air. Trying to not roll from side to side as the boat rocks with yet another wake. It was beautiful - even when the waters got remarkably choppy and some people were starting to regret the momentary forgetful lapse that made them leave their dramamine at home.

But when we got to Lantau, it was too choppy for the boat to dock at Cheung Sha beach. So we made a slight u-turn to Cheung Chau instead, where we were still keen on a seafood lunch, a walk around the place, and hunt for a bakery that was supposed to sell some of the best custard tarts in town.

Cheung Chau is one of the most populated outlying islands in Hong Kong waters. There are loads of bicycles carrying locals and tourists alike, struggling to make way through the narrow lanes. The fisherfolk are well and alive here, some living on boats, others might as well be. What's left of the day's catch that is not sold is now drying in the sun, haphazardly placed anywhere, on the sidewalk, on a stool by a tree. Impromptu barbeques pop up sporadically - a family brings out a steel barrel, lights up a few pieces of coal, sits themselves down on several foldable stools, fish-cakes and chicken wings on wooden skewers, and there starts a round of "keng gai" (chatting).

There is a lot here that is reminiscent of life in simpler, older Hong Kong. Houses, shops, people, all seem to be living in a village 20 years behind. THe only jarring effect was the Park&Shops (Hong Kong's largest supermarket chain), Watsons, 7-11s and (god forbid) a McDonald's. The administration is expanding the current ferry terminal where Central boats would stop - so there's a lot of construction going on, an ominous forewarning that there'll soon be more commerce here than life.

Missed photo opportunies (sniff. Sometimes I just want to rub salt on my wounds.)
- A stray mongrel with a mouth restraint trotting after Ophelia's gently bred city-dog Pico. [Oh the horror!] Reason for MPO: Camera stuck in bag, wasn't quick enough.
- 6-7 middle aged men lunching at a table, all on their feet, avidly staring at the big screen TV in the restaurant broadcasting a tense moment in the horse races. Hands raised, all of them with a finger pointing at the TV, cigarettes hanging from their lips. Reason for MPO: Batteries died. Forgot to charge them before I left the house.
- Old grannies gathered around in tables of 4, playing a local version of cards which were red and blue, smaller than your average players. Intense look of concentration over the coins they have on the table, pot of hot water on a little stove on the floor, ready to make more tea. Reason for MPO: Old ladies immediately protested by covering their faces with their hands when they saw me with my camera.

We got lost several times, hunting for the perfect egg tart. We didn't realize the first bakery we stopped into was not it - but we were so excited to see freshly baked tarts we didn't care - and gleefully munched into them. The amount of street snacks we consumed - the boat must have sunk a little lower when we got back on later that afternoon. We DID find the correct egg-tart place, and with a little arm-twisting, made room for some more. After all, desserts go into a separate stomach.

The boat had some challenge docking when picking us up. Since we didn't have a first mate, Kintun and Brandon were called upon to perform some acrobatic feats... not with rope, but with some desperate yells of "catch! catch!" and a grappling pole. To those who haven't seen landlubbers in their late twenties-early thirties precariously balancing on the edge of the boat while trying to not let the grappling pole drop a second time, with the rest of us laughing hysterically rather than concerned for their safety, check out THIS PICTURE.

Set off home slowly, with the sun behind us, the rocky coast of Hong Kong's green islands backlit with a rich orange hue, a slight chill in the wind.

Another satisfied day of the Good Hong Kong Life. :)

Memorable quotes:

"Wait, I haven't had that much wine - why is everything moving?" "Cos you're on a BOAT."

"Are we there yet?" "See boat here. See land there. See water in between. NO."

"Doesn't mushroom stock taste like beef stock?" "I think you need to get a different brand of mushroom stock."

"Can Pico eat [fill in the blank]?" (repeated MANY times that day)

"Can Pico swim?" "All dogs can. Here, let me prove it right now."

"Lai Niu Har translates into 'Pee-in-the-pants Prawn'." (Only people that speak Cantonese will get this.)

"The captain must be laughing at us." (when we got excited over the boat riding some large swells and it felt like we were on a roller coaster)

"Wow, he can really parallel park!" (one of our party who shall remain nameless, when the Captain was trying to dock the boat)

Thanks to: Kintun for organizing the boat, everyone else for bringing food and wine, Kitty and Brandon for communicating with the captain, Cindy for the egg tart place, Ophelia for bringing Pico and letting us make fun of you being a vegetarian - we love you anyway :), Eric and Tseyi for ordering lunch, Kelvin for letting us crash and watch DVDs at your place after on your big projector screen (even if it was some dumb horror movie and we all got freaked out at every little sound from your rear speaker), and Jin Ne, Susie, Gerald, Kelry, and Coral for making the day fun.

31 years and I've Learned Nothing

You were born an original. Don't die a copy. --John Mason

Someone once said “A year older, a year wiser.” Well, I don’t know about the wiser part, but my 31st birthday was celebrated the way I wanted it done – health and friendship, life and love.

The best thing was it wasn’t just one day – oh no, my birthday needs to be bigger event than 24 hours. After all, my mother was in labor with me for longer than that. So it was really more like a birthweek. Which means I get to celebrate and do fun stuff during the days before, and after, my birthday... as long as I can say it’s within one week of March 5th.

After the angst-ridden months leading up to my 30th birthday, and subsequently having a fantastic year, I made a secret (well, not anymore) resolution to myself – all my birthdays from then on were going to be a celebration of me, my friends, my home, my family, my body, my soul, my LIFE. That day is the one day that is truly mine. That one moment I came into this world is special because there is only one of me, the moment is unique, I am unique.

There is no more life-affirming, self-defining moment, than that of one’s birth.

Then again, it’s all another reason to party down so maybe I’m ascribing deep reasons to a shallow event. But heck who cares, I had a lovely time and I’m looking forward to the next one already.

Here’s what happened during my 31st birthweek:

1. After driving me mad by not telling me when he was going to be in Hong Kong, Johann showed up on – surpise! – Wednesday. Final giveaway clue: background noise on his mobile phone, sounds like Cheng Muht Kao Gan Cheh Moon which means Please Stand Clear of the Train Doors in Cantonese. He stayed a fantabulous 8 days, yay!

2. My dad sent me a text message, which he does every year, with a pearl of wisdom. This year’s: "Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have."

3. Office gals Gloria and Elise brought me out to lunch, Xiao Nan Guo Shanghainese restaurant in Central (Man Yee Building). Awesome greenhouse theme, delicious food, lots of leftovers which very conveniently fed my houseguests. :)

4. Made a new friend, Cindy, from Singapore. She is an attorney on secondment in Hong Kong, making the best out of a luxury corporate service apartment and the oh-so-confusing array of shops in Hong Kong. Yes, I’m being sarcastic.

5. Dinner with my new Hong Kong friends in Greenlands Indian Restaurant, Lan Kwai Fong. The food was delicious but it was nothing compared to the 3rd degree I got from Ophelia (yes, Ophie, I am naming names) and the ruckus over a pair of kissing-cows-mobile-phone-ornaments. They have been immortalized in my birthday pictures – note the little white bits in my hand.

6. Had my first mahjong lesson. This is a confounding but curiously addictive game that challenges the mind and speed of hand-eye coordination. A mix of gin rummy and poker, with a score-keeping system that requires quantum mathematics, and the Chinese penchant for all things colorful and whimsical, mahjong is a true Hong Kong pastime. It also gives you a lot of chances to say "Puhng!" in all the dramatic styles you wish to experiment in. I lost HK$86 to Sensei Kintun that night, consider it a tuition fee, and don’t expect it to ever happen again! Hmph. (Of course these are famous last words since I’m a complete loser and Kintun plays with “flair”)

7. Mom and sister called to tell me they got me a handbag, a set of earrings, a pendant with my name on it, and delicious cookies from Malacca. Yay, one stop shop!

8. Dinner with my Uncle Charlie, Aunt Janet, cousin Yippy, Aunt Esther, her husband (who doesn’t have an English name), Johann, Penny and Mark in a rather exclusive Suzhou/Zhejiang Resident’s Club Restaurant. Is it any surprise the food was delicious as well. And I got my birthday cake!

9. A couple of days later, we went climbing up Lion Rock. The level of difficulty was harder than we expected, and the dizzying heights! Oh dear I had not felt vertigo like that in a LONG time. It took me longer than expected to get up the first pitch, after scratching my arms to shreds and almost peeing my pants with fear when I fell and swung on a rope to crash into a tree, all of Kowloon and Hong Kong in a dizzying whirl in front of me while I try to reach and hold on to something, anything.

I suppose it’s a true test of how much wiser I am when, after Johann offered to lower me, that I stubbornly insisted that I could climb this. And I did get up, scared as hell and refused to open my eyes for the first ten minutes. But when I did, it was the most amazing sight that greeted me. Hong Kong in all its glory – it was most worth the pain and the fear.

Never mind that I looked like Wolverine just went mad giving me a bear hug, that this was my first rappel, that we were at a height that was equal to the top of the International Finance Center (100 stories? 120 stories?), that if someone had a hand cramp I may have died. The view, especially the one at night, was so fantastic I was just happy to be there.

So as I said in the beginning, 31 years and I’ve still learned NOTHING. Happy birthday to me. PICTURES HERE.

Go Green!!!

I just realized today is St Patrick's Day.

A holy-day that became a drinking day, I used to have visions of green everywhere I walked around New York on March 17. Even if there is actually nothing green, my eyes just glazed over with this emerald glow, I could have sworn someone raised the gamma on everything on Paddy's Day.

Irish or not, this day in New York is a good one to cut loose and celebrate the ability to wear green, get drunk, and sing drinking songs out-of-tune while keeping time by banging your beer mug on the counter.

In my life today, however, you'd only see the occasional paper shamrock hanging from the top of a doorway to a pub in Lan Kwai Fong, I was curious about that - such low-key decoration for a nation-rousing world-wide head-spinning hangover-inducing special day?

If I was the pubowner, I'd realize this weekend (March 17-21)is one of bartending's biggest cash-runs of the year ..
- The St Patrick's-Night-Party-Hearty crowd;
- Followed by the pre-Rugby-Sevens-Prepare-and-Cheer-On-Your-Nation crowd;
- Followed by the Rugby-Sevens-Support-Your-Nation-Go-[Fill in country name] crowd;
- Followed by the Rugby-Sevens-Watch-The-Other-Team-Win-Sore-Loser crowd;
- Followed by Thank-God-Rugby-Sevens-Is-Over-Let-Me-Drink-In-Peace crowd.

This easily takes the average barkeep all the way to Monday, who if he/she was smart, would be wearing good shoes with absorbent socks, popping uppers so they can serve sloshy drinks for 4 days straight, and go home with a FAT gratuities pocket.

Now.. do I dare open that pub door under the solitary little paper shamrock and walk in? The door is vibrating to the bass beat of something that sounds suspiciously like stomping feet and banging beer mugs..

Happy St Patrick's Day, all! Go green!!

DON'T OPEN THIS AT WORK OR IN FRONT OF YOUR KIDS - Link Contains Adult Content

TODAY MEN GET THEIRS BACK.

Well never let it be said that men are subtle. Happy S&BJ Day, boys!

P.S. Shouldn't someone start marketing this to Hallmark...

Shots of my life in Hong Kong (I)

Enough questions from people already, about how I like my life in Hong Kong. I like it VERY VERY MUCH. It could, on occasion, feel very much like New York. It can have overtones of the Mediterranean, especially around the nature parks, beaches, outer islands and mountains.

It also has its own flavor that cannot be found anywhere else. Food, people, buildings, the unique mix of East and West, and the fantastic vantage points at various spots in Hong Kong that give you the best view of what this place is all about.

It's hard to describe it in words, because Hong Kong has to be felt. People whom I've discussed about Hong Kong, when they come in person, always agree words don't do it justice. You may love it, or hate it, but you'll certainly never forget it.

I like taking pictures of Hong Kong. Too many of them, actually, to be posted properly here without resulting in an irate email from the masters of Blogger's space... so I'll have to rely on the oh-so-useful invention: the HYPERLINK.

Just to share a little of what I see with the rest of you. This type of post will be updated over time... refreshed with new albums. You'll see earlier albums of touristy shots, exploration time, learning the most obvious aspects of Hong Kong. You'll see later pictures of people, life, streets, when I start to become more and more a part of this cityscape.

Hong Kong Aug-Sep 2004
Hong Kong: Hiking Dragonback Also see this old post.
Hong Kong: Causeway Bay and Victoria Park
Hong Kong: Kowloon Park
Hong Kong: Deng Xiao Ping Centurion Exhibition (Wanchai Convention Center)

The ultimate goal of all this, of course, is to get peope to COME VISIT ME. C'mon, no more excuses. Ticket prices are at an all time low, tons of discount airlines fly here. Even the premier airlines have that polar-ice-cap-route thing where you can spend 18 hours in a tin can without touching ground in between. I even have a spare room, and I promise to clean out the junk I've piled on top of the spare bed so that you can curl up and sleep on it.

So what are you waiting for??