Stay Tuned

Shortly, I will be back to blogging and will update what happened in the past three months. This blog is as much for my benefit as it is for any of my readers. As you all know, I gave birth to a sweet baby girl, Sophie Madeline. Now that she is two months old, I am getting my sea legs. I plan to keep this blog focused on living abroad, not about Sophie, although I am sure she'll have a presence here. Thanks for continuing to read.

Crazy X'mas!

In Hong Kong, Christmas is widely celebrated. Since most people are not Christian, the decorations are often non-traditional and rather artistic or bizarre. I love the creativity and off-the-wall ideas most of the time, but this year’s Times Square Christmas display makes no sense. Entitled “Crazy X’mas!” the scene has lots of large spray paint cans and robots. I read the signs and tried to figure out the theme, wondering if it was about recycling, but I couldn’t come to any cohesive conclusion. I have asked friends if they get it, but no one seems to know what it is all about. Regardless, lots of people seemed to enjoy it and took tons of pictures as usual. Here’s to a CRAZY X’MAS!

Work BBQ

My job hosted a BBQ day as a little celebration for employees and their families. It was not the same as a US work BBQ but seemed to be a fairly typical Chinese-style one. The “park” was arranged for large groups to BBQ--no other activities. Each table was provided a container of meat that we cooked ourselves over very simple grills. The menu consisted of raw meat, white bread and soft drinks, followed by two suckling pigs that were grilled by a professional. It was quite an interesting experience.

This Little Piggy

It is common for restaurants to receive food deliveries on the sidewalk, so after three years in Hong Kong, I should be used to sights such as this one. It's a container full of suckling pigs just sitting on the sidewalk. I was quite shocked when I walked past.

Junk Trip

We had our first, and likely last, junk trip of the year in early November with Erik's colleagues. The weather was absolutely perfect. November and December in Hong Kong have the best weather of the year.

Happy Halloween

To celebrate Halloween Hong Kong style, here is a funky mall display. I love the pumpkin-head skeletons in bird cages.

Koh Samui, Thailand

We spent a long weekend in Koh Samui, Thailand. It is a small island off the southern coast, not too far from Phuket (were the tsunami occurred). The mini vacation was wonderful. Our resort was very nice, and we took a day excursion involving a boat trip, kayaking, and snorkeling. We ate lots of very spicy Thai food, yum! There are many more places we want to visit in Thailand, so I'm sure we'll be back soon.