Tea Time!

Saturday afternoon we had tea. Since the British ruled Hong Kong until 1997, they left their mark, and tea time stayed, albeit it's now a merger of the two cultures.

Order here

I got the assorted BBQ meats with rice and an iced milk tea

Riding the MTR

Saturday afternoon on the train

I'm explaining the meaning of the word codependent to Matilda. She asked if it had a positive or negative connotation. I said it depended on the context. What do you think?

What Does a Domestic Worker Sound Like?

In my desperate search for an apartment, I called up a guy who rents out small studio apartments. The guy asked me a few questions, like if I was Asian or European. I told him I was American but of Filipino descent. He then proceeded to ask me, "Are you a domestic worker?" I wanted to answer, "Do I sound like a domestic worker?" Instead I told him I was interning at TIME Asia for three months. His tone of voice changed immediately. Did he ask me that just because I said I was Filipino?

UPDATE: This guy said he moonlighted as a rental agent and that he is a police man! I was warned by somebody who used to work in Hong Kong as a correspondent for The Washington Post that Hong Kong Chinese are racist towards Filipinos because they do all the low class work, and that they often get stopped on the street by the police and asked for their IDs. I wonder if this guy stops Filipinos on the street!

I <3 My New Phone!

Okay, yes I know I'm a nerd, but I'm so in love with my new phone. It's a bright pink LG KG800 and it although it wasn't the cheapest, it was definitely on the cheap side compared to the other phones you can get here. I even pimped it up with Marimekko wallpaper! For your viewing pleasure:

Closed

Open

Against the wood floor

Open against the floor

Saturday Morning Dim Sum

This morning we woke up and decided to go to the grocery store to pick up some items to make breakfast, but on our way there, Matilda decided that it was such a nice day that we should go to dim sum instead. I apologize for the photos, as I forgot my camera, so I had to take them with my camera phone!

The view from our table

Another shot of the view from our table

The spread

Congee

Sui mei

Steamed cake

Steamed pork bun

And for dessert, flower pudding! It was very light and refreshing!

Meet Matilda

Before I went to Hong Kong I messaged a bunch of people on couchsurfing.com about possibly crashing on their couch for a few days. Matilda, a native of Hong Kong, responded, and she has been great! She met me for lunch my first day, where I also met her boyfriend Chris, then she helped me lug my heavy suitcase all the way to their apartment in New Territories, then she helped me search for an apartment over the Internet. She gave me all kinds of advice—whether the area was good for me, if the ad sounded fishy, if the apartment looked decent. Then, we went swimming and she even taught me how to tread water! I swear, I'm going to finally learn how to tread water before I leave Asia!!! I'm so thankful I met her. I would be so lost without her!

Friday Lunch

I had lunch with my CouchSurfing friend Matilda and her friend David. We went to this Japanese place that was really yummy.

Salmon

My super sweet apple lychee concoction

The whole spread, including my favorite, the soft shell crab!

Chirashi

Salmon, mango and cucumber roll

Dragon Roll