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?

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

Hostel Living, Hong Kong Style

I stayed at the Dragon Hostel in Mong Kok my first two nights. From the website, it looked pretty decent. Once I got there, I can only describe it as interesting. It was very old, it reminded me of the type of buildings you see in old Hong Kong movies. The hostel was on the 7th floor of a 14 floor building, but the rooms took up a few levels. The rooms depicted on the website look pretty nice, don't they? My room was SUPER small, about 6X6, with no windows. Thank God it had air conditioning and a television. The bathroom was super tiny, maybe 2.5 ft X 3 ft, and get this—the shower was a hand-held shower head above the toilet. I totally forgot about this, but in Asia, a lot of bathrooms have showers that are basically a hand held shower head and you just shower in the middle of the bathroom and there's a drain on the floor for the water to go down. I wanted to block all this from my memory, so I just took photos of the building. Thank goodness it was clean!!!

Does Coke Own Everything?

I know, you can't really see from this pic, but even these random Asian drinks have the Coca Cola logo on them.

My First Hong Kong Breakfast

Woke up pretty early on Thursday and had my first breakfast: shrimp dumpling noodles.

Mong Kok Night Walk

All the comforts of home.

My First Supper

Taiwanese minced pork and rice, sautéed broccoli and garlic and my favorite, bubble tea!!

Finally: Hong Kong!

After a 16 hour flight, I finally landed in Hong Kong on Wednesday afternoon.

First Stop: Toronto

After about two hours in the plane, I landed in Toronto where I would sleep overnight. Mary, someone who I met via couchsurfing.com picked me up from the shuttle stop and helped me lug my belongings to her apartment. She then took me on a night tour of Toronto, where she showed me a really cool restaurant, Richtree, but unfortunately, we didn't get to eat there! She also showed me the old City Hall and the new City Hall, and then we stopped into Fran's (I know, how fitting :P), a restaurant that's been in Toronto since 1940. I tossed and turned and she brought me to the shuttle stop early the next morning. Another good couchsurfing.com experience!