Maze Madness

I'm not usually directionally challenged, and if I have problems, I always ask around for directions, but these last few days in Hong Kong have been nuts. I work in Quarry Bay, in a building called Oxford House, which is a part of a complex of buildings called Taikoo Place, which includes several office buildings, restaurants, and a HUGE mall called City Plaza. The entire massive thing is called Swire Island East. All the office buildings and the mall are interconnected by foot bridges. These last few days have been tough; it's easy to get confused and not be able to find your way back because you don't know which escalator to get on, or which exit you should take, what level to get on, or which bridge to cross to get to the right prace. Yesterday, I spent a whole twenty minutes trying to get back to my office after running errands and eating lunch at the mall because I couldn't figure out how to get back. In the evening, Don and I got lost trying to find the food court in the mall because we couldn't figure out the signs. Today, we couldn't figure out to get back to the office from City Plaza. I hope it will eventually become easier as I gain my bearings.

Fresh Like a Box of Krispy Kremes

Look what I found walking through Soho, aka Expat Central

This is Where the Domestic Workers Hang Out

I got lost and missed my stop and stepped out at Exchange Square, and I saw the strangest sight. The foot paths and foot bridges were lined with endless groups of Filipino women, all domestic workers, sitting on cardboard boxes and straw mats. They were laughing, playing cards, painting their nails, eating, napping, showing each other photos—basically hanging out on a Sunday afternoon. They didn't look homeless or destitute, so I asked somebody what they were doing there. The woman I asked explained that on their day off that they hang out there because they don't have their own homes; they all live with their employers. The women looked like they were enjoying themselves, they were not ashamed to be hanging out along these foot paths on a Sunday afternoon. I couldn't help but feel guilty—guilty because I am educated, guilty because I've had more opportunities, guilty for being an American. I guess I felt strange because who knows what would have happened if my parents never immigrated to America. Would I be hanging out on these foot paths on a Sunday afternoon with my friends?

Impossible is Nothing?

This is an Adidas ad for the Olympics I saw on my bus back to central Hong Kong. Did they mean to write "Nothing is Impossible"? Adidas needs to get a better copywriter!

I Found a Place!

So I found a place today in Ap Lei Chau, which is pretty out of the way, maybe a 40 minute commute from my job and a 20 minute commute to the city center, but the apartment is GORGEOUS!!! I was disgruntled trying to get there because it was about an hour away from where I'm staying now, but once I entered, I felt immediately at peace. It just felt right. It's located in Sham Wam Towers, and it's on the 48th (I was wrong when I previously typed in 38th, and I can't figure out how to do strikethough text on Blogger) floor! I've never lived that high in my entire life! My room is pretty small, maybe about 6ft. X 7ft. but it has a view of the South China Sea! The roommate is this Japanese woman who works as a consultant. The place is super nice, and at $6000 HK, that's still less than what I was paying in the East Village. And get this—as soon as I left, I had one text in my inbox from another place and a phone call from another potential roommate. I thought I wasn't going to hear from anyone else. Why does it always pour when it rains? Check out the pics:

The view from the entrance

Living Room

View from living room balcony

My room

The view from my room. I get to wake up every morning to this!

Bathroom

Kitchen

On the Hunt, Take Three

Apartment hunting sucks here. There's no one go to spot for listings, and what is available isn't so great, especially with my budget and time constraints. I've visited two rooms so far; one was in an apartment with a mom and I couldn't use the living room, and the other was in a small apartment with an older Filipino lady and another intern. Neither felt right. I went to take a look at the studio, and it looks like crap! It's $5,000 HK and barely 10 ft. X 10 ft.! It's very sterile looking. I want some place that feels more like home, but I don't know how much longer I can be picky, since the clock is ticking. Let me know what you think:

The room

Pantry area/Fridge (notice how there's no microwave.)

Bathroom (hand held shower head is on the left)

There it is

Hey, at least there's a TV, right?

Alien Earrings

Went to the mall and into the Marks & Spencer. I saw these earrings. Don't they look like aliens when they're upside down?