A bit of a blur!
The work went fast, and I was able to do feats of archivist derring-do that seemed to impress my colleagues. How nice :)
Lunch was a both fun and a bit of a bust. We found a dim sum restaurant in one of Shatin's numerous malls. Dim sum restaurant with a menu? Funny. Instead of quickly picking food off carts, we waited forever. And my thirst to eat chicken feet goes yet again unslaked.
After work we dropped our bags and took three subway lines and a ferry to get to Happy Valley Racecourse. We grabbed a beer and a spot at the rail and quickly were watching the horses thunder past. All the while, people speaking dozens of languages surrounded us. I have rarely been in a more international crowd. This is clearly where young professionals from HK hang out on a Wednesday night. After slurping a bowl of noodles we took a cab home. I'm not sure I could have gone back the myriad of conveyances that got us there!
Back at the hotel, our Chelsea Smiler could be heard yelling at his friends on our hallway. Should have been an opera singer instead of a horse trainer.
Today is St. Patrick's Day, the day that Chelsea said he was in training for. Lo! And at work, the press event will see me pretending to do my job while Shee Jimmy describes the job I'm pretending to do. The press. They do love their forklifts.
March 16, 2011
March 15, 2011
Hong Kongia, Days 2 and 3
I hope to some day venture beyond this block, but so far it's been hotel to museum to mall to hotel.
The museum has been wonderful. This is the most that a venue has prepared in advance EVER. I continue to be awash with people. Not sure what I will do if we finish three days early as it seems we will.
Yesterday reminded me of Steve Martin in The Jerk: "I know we've only known each other four weeks and three days, but to me it seems like nine weeks and five days..." That one day culminated in a visit to the hotel bar, where we met / were discovered against our will by a very drunk and scary Irishman with a knife scar cut from the side of his lip to his ear. We pieced enough of his life story together (thanks to his loudly repeating himself) to conclude that he was maybe IRA in the day and lived in Canada and the US until being deported. We managed to extricate ourselves from him that evening, but now I've realized that his hotel room is next to mine.
BTW, a scar such as his is referred to as a Chelsea Smile. I'll let you look that up.
Day two was fabulous. I almost had a chicken foot on rice, but was thwarted when my colleagues were worried that we wouldn't have a way of knowing when our order was up. I drank my first coffee in months and as a result have been up since 3am Hong Kong time. It's almost a decent hour for going to the gym!
The museum has been wonderful. This is the most that a venue has prepared in advance EVER. I continue to be awash with people. Not sure what I will do if we finish three days early as it seems we will.
Yesterday reminded me of Steve Martin in The Jerk: "I know we've only known each other four weeks and three days, but to me it seems like nine weeks and five days..." That one day culminated in a visit to the hotel bar, where we met / were discovered against our will by a very drunk and scary Irishman with a knife scar cut from the side of his lip to his ear. We pieced enough of his life story together (thanks to his loudly repeating himself) to conclude that he was maybe IRA in the day and lived in Canada and the US until being deported. We managed to extricate ourselves from him that evening, but now I've realized that his hotel room is next to mine.
BTW, a scar such as his is referred to as a Chelsea Smile. I'll let you look that up.
Day two was fabulous. I almost had a chicken foot on rice, but was thwarted when my colleagues were worried that we wouldn't have a way of knowing when our order was up. I drank my first coffee in months and as a result have been up since 3am Hong Kong time. It's almost a decent hour for going to the gym!
March 13, 2011
Hong Kongia, Day 1
On an airplane there are no updates about Charlie Sheen.
That is one of yesterday’s greatest joys.
Well that and missing Daylight Savings Time in its entirety. When I get home in a week and a half I will not care what time it used to be yesterday when I wake up today. I have bigger fish to fry: it’s 10pm at home and I’m just about to go to work.
Where am I? Hong Kong. Why? The newly re-curated forklift show. So far Hong Kong looks grey and anonymous, but we drove over a gorgeous Santiago Calatrava-designed bridge today and just outside my hotel window is a 2002 Beijing Olympics mascot. Photos to come, I hope.
That is one of yesterday’s greatest joys.
Well that and missing Daylight Savings Time in its entirety. When I get home in a week and a half I will not care what time it used to be yesterday when I wake up today. I have bigger fish to fry: it’s 10pm at home and I’m just about to go to work.
Where am I? Hong Kong. Why? The newly re-curated forklift show. So far Hong Kong looks grey and anonymous, but we drove over a gorgeous Santiago Calatrava-designed bridge today and just outside my hotel window is a 2002 Beijing Olympics mascot. Photos to come, I hope.
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