the tiger roars

we return from singapore for a quick wknd and then head straight to shanghai for our first trip up to the mainland. can't wait...

shanghai - 4 days of business followed by a wknd of pleasure. we arrive on monday night and a guy is waiting at arrivals with our name and escorts us to the black mercedez taking us to the ritz carlton. i could not have imagined this would be our life 6 months ago! a long 1 hour drive to the hotel so only enough time to get some rest and prepare for the day of work ahead (sightseeing for malabika!)

shanghai, a city of contrasts. modern skyscrapers and modern retailers next to ancient temples, homes, and dimsum houses. the office is beautiful, on the 63rd floor, requiring a transfer on the 60th. funny, huh? an energy of power and change sweeps through the city. shanghainese are similar to new yorkers - they feel like they are on top of the world, their time has come. an absolute aura of confidence is felt in the people and rightfully so. it is their time. shanghai is also preparing to host the world expo this year from may to october so the city is under final construction preparing.

i have a couple of great dinners out - one chinese and one mediteranean with colleagues. malabika on the other hand enjoys one of our favorite dishes everday - the famous shanghainese dumpling. and has time to visit the beautiful museums. it was museum weather, 40 degrees, rainy and cold. my work week finishes around 4pm on friday and i meet malabika at the hyatt where we will stay for the wknd. with the weather how it is, we enjoy a wknd at the hotel - beautiful fitness center and swimming pool which we visit for a couple of hours everyday.

friday night we head out for a great dinner and to a jazz bar for the evening. shanghai used to be the 'paris of the east' before the cultural revolution shut down all of that activity. there are today still some great jazz and live band spots, much more lively than hong kong. a great night out followed by a day of light sightseeing. eat a lot of local food but can't do much due to the weather. a great introduction to the city. we look forward to coming back in july for another business trip and when the world expo will be in full swing.

while we were in shanghai, my parents were in siem reap visiting the temples. they arrive into hong kong the day after we get back. we spend their first night in hong kong watching the super bowl. go saints! so happy the saints pulled through and won.

parents will be staying with us for nearly two weeks and we have a lot to show them in hong kong. the first few days malabika takes them all around hong kong while i am at work. they love the city - feel extremely safe as they should. and we live right in the city centre so great for walking around and seeing the hong kong life pass by. we have 2 evenings out - avator in 3D and the merchants of bollywood musical at the performing arts festival. avator was quite good but the musical was fantastic. i have the next few days off for the chinese new year festival which is the biggest holiday in china.

it happens to be the biggest human migration period as well - nearly 300 million people are travelling across the country to see their family. lunar new year is a time to spend with family which is great to have mom and dad in town. we schedule a tour of northern hong kong on saturday followed by tickets to see the annual new year's parade. a lot of fun. sunday is the annual fireworks which we watch from my office which has a great view.

the weather remains cloudy and overcast which doesn't allow us to do some touristy things like getting out on the water but doesn't matter. so nice to spend time together. monday we head to macau for a day trip of sightseeing, eating, and gambling. my parents are not big gamblers but hey really enjoy the city and trip. we get back late on the ferry and rest.

i unfortunately had a last minute trip to singapore planned which i couldn't miss - i went for 2 nights / 1 day. malabika spent a bit more quality time with them, i wish i could have spent more time. i was so happy that they loved hong kong and loved our life here. so looking forward to them coming back for a visit!

the last week of the month was quite uneventful after such an exciting first 3 weeks. looking forward to the weather turning a bit warmer and some sun!

march holds another quick trip to singapore followed by an eagerly awaited trip at the end of the month - seoul followed by osaka. seoul for 4 days of business but malabika and i will go in one day early to enjoy a wknd of sightseeing. and osaka is 100% holiday - a quick one for 5 nights / 4 days over the easter break. can't wait!

i promise not to have such a lapse between writings. look forward to my next post in a month after the trips. until next time...

a new decade begins

a new decade, a new beginning...

2010, seems unreal, we are well into the new millennium now. seems like only yesterday celebrating the new millennium in las vegas in 1999. ten years later and life has found me working for chanel in asia.

january, the holiday in cambodia has come to an end. do i have to go back to work? indeed, but an exciting year awaits ahead. after the tough first 4 months, have a good understanding of the players in the region and the business model. and also my team and organization and what changes need to happen to prepare us for the future. all very exciting!

the first three weeks of the month are quite busy as expected. everyone catching up on the year-end results and planning for the upcoming year. we finally have some time to get the place a bit more settled - hanging up pictures, buying the last pieces of furniture, cooking up new asian recipes, finding our normal fruit vendors, our favorite noodle shops, and on and on. getting into a bit of a routine, as much as you can in asia. and enjoying a bit of time out on the wknds.

one experience was going to the green day show at the asia world expo here. not big fans of green day but we love to see a good show and there is not much live music surprisingly that comes through here. it felt like going to a shopping mall to watch a show! all the things one would hate about a show - extremely bright lights while hanging out and no drinks allowed inside the venue! very strange. and all of the teenagers lined up well in advance for the best floor standing areas so we were stuck at the back. nevertheless, green day put on a great show, played for over 2 hours, was a lot of fun. though i don't think we will be back to the world expo to see a show again!

the weather has been absolutely horrific - not extremely cold but just depressing. cold, rainy, foggy, polluted. no sun for weeks. very much looking forward to a week long trip to singapore to get some sun...

singapore, malabika joins me for this one. we stay at the four seasons and do our normal favorites - eat fish head curry, black pepper crab, and tons of hawker food at the stalls. the week is busy as usual for me but not overwhelmingly. i finish work around 9pm every night. and monday night we figure out how to hook up our laptop to the flat screen and watch the afc and nfc football championship games on delay through nfl.com. great games! so happy new orleans made it through.

the mellowest month since we have been here, january comes to an end. we feel more settled and refreshed for the year ahead. we also spend the last week preparing for my parents visit in mid-feb. a great start to the new year...

cambodia dreams

our first december is upon us in asia. it's amazing how much christmas is 'celebrated' in hong kong. decorations galore everywhere, all lobbies of buildings, and lights all over the buildings. strange you may say? not at all, it's a time for locals to spend with friends and shop. it's been commercialized to the max to drive retail sales. brilliant for my industry! a time for family for the locals is chinese new year, not christmas.

the day after the family leaves is our 6th year anniversary, december 2nd. i am so behind on the big presentation after the family visit that i can not enjoy the lovely evening my wife planned. a beautiful dinner at a very nice restaurant - when we sit down, i ask if we can leave. i wanted to go somewhere a bit more casual where we can enjoy a casual dinner. not very romantic i know, but i promise to make it up when my mind is at peace!

saturday, december 5th, we have tickets to the opening ceremonies of the east asian games. the east asian games are every year with the countries competing from this side of the world in various sports from aquatics to badminton to tennis to the games happen to be in hong kong this year which is fantastic and the ceremonies are done by the same group that did the beijing 2008 olympics. if you saw those, you can imagine how these ceremonies were. at the cultural center across the harbour overlooking the hong kong skyline, we saw a performance on a boat dockec on the harbour. with many boats coming by brightly lit resembling all things hong kong. followed by an amazing fireworks show over the city. fantastic.

earlier in the day we enjoyed watching the football (soccer) finals where hong kong pulled a big upset over heavily favored japan to win their first gold medal. on penatly kicks, great finish. on sunday we got to see our first rugby matches. great game - saw the china women's team crush all opponents. and then hong kong lose to korea. i was unfortunately at work in between the matches working on the final presentation. a very long week indeed and i am ready for a 3 day trip to singapore to get a break from the hong kong worklife.

bright, sunny days in singapore but the days are long still coordinating final touches on the presentation while the boss is in new york. get back to hong kong for a final wknd with malabika before she heads out to cambodia for our holiday one week before me. she leaves on sunday the 13th while i have a pretty easy final week - the presentation is over, everyone is exhausted, the first 4 months have come to a close.

it was exhausting, challenging, but absolutely rewarding. i've never learned so much in my life - nor worked so hard! i am ready for my two week holiday to cambodia, time to see friends i have not seen in years, time to enjoy some well deserved time off...

dec 19th, saturday morning, 9am flight direct from hong kong to phnom penh. my mind is racing, after only 3 hrs of sleep, i can't get it to rest just yet. after such an intense 4 moths of work, it's hard to let it all go. it will come, i tell myself. i arrive at the small, welcoming airport. my buddy hetal, who has been there for nearly two years, tells me to take a 'tuk-tuk' from the airport to a meeting spot in town. i ignore all the taxi drivers and find a 'tuk-tuk' which is a rickshaw or a 3 wheeler that is open. i have a small duffelbag for my two weeks, it's hot, i throw it by my feet and off we go.

driving through the streets of phnom pehn, reminded me much of india. warm smiles everywhere, crowded, quite poor, energetic, asia indeed. my mind still unable to let go - i can't believe two full weeks ahead with no work! after a 30 minute ride, i arrive at the destination in town and just happen to run into hetal right on the street. he takes me to a local cafe where malabika is and we enjoy a couple of beers at 1130am in the warm sun and catch up. it now feels like holiday, work is behind me...

the first day is action packed - i have to see my other good friend neil who has organized the paraplegics world cup volleyball to take place in cambodia. i showed up during the semi-finals and finals. we head to the stadium mid-day and see cambodia take on germany in the semis. amazing to see these athletes - all that have lost limbs and able to compete at such a high level. i see neil, for the first time in 10 years. a good friend from university back in england, we have kept in touch all of these years but have not seen each other. he has been in cambodia for the past 9 while me in new york. our paths never crossed until now.

it was incredible, i was so proud of him and all he has accomplished for himself in cambodia. it's going to be an amazing two weeks! we enjoy phnom penh - a very quaint capital town with nice cafes, restaurants, bars, and very friendly people. sunday we head out on our journey up north into the country. our main stop will be the ancient kingdom of ankgor wat in siem reap but first to battambang. a taxi ride north takes approx 5 hours through the country and rice fields. very flat land, easy drive. we rest in this small town for the night.

the next day we begin a 5 hour boat ride that will take us into siem reap. it's extremely hot, but we enjoy a very scenic ride through the waters seeing how many in cambodia live and thrive - off the river. houses on stilts, as seen throughout cambodia - not very much to call their own but bright smiles across their faces. a people that have suffered so much in their past, through genocide and back, and yet maintain a sense of true happiness. heart-warming, words can not describe it.

we enter siem reap shortly after lunch and check into our hotel. malabika and i stay at a small, quaint hotel with only 6 rooms - it's perfect. it feels like a holiday, feels so far from hong kong. the pace of life, the landscape, the people, the food, this feels real. we step out to enjoy the city centre which is full of restaurants and cafes to relax and get a bite to eat. the next 3 days will be filled with seeing the beautiful temples.

words can not describe the temples - they are in excellent condition and absolutely breathtaking. each in it's own unique way - hindu and buddhist temples dating from the 10th century. and the bas reliefs (wood carvings) are unreal - the entire ramayana (ancient hindu book) is depicted in wood carvings which took over 30 years to do! the absolute worst part about our trip was i lost our camera on the last day in siem reap which had all of our pictures! i will never forgive myself! luckily, my parents visited in feb and took many pictures but it's not quite the same.

we spend 3 wonderful days visiting temples, enjoying the local food, and relaxing in the evenings. the days would start early, once watching the sunrise over majestic ankgor wat. and they would finish around mid-day so there was enough time to relax and enjoy an early dinner. we met up with a friend of neil's on christmas day and a few other friends of friends for a nice italian meal. and then hit up the wild nightlife (that's a joke) of siem reap where i lost the camera!

time for our next adventure and we head back down the country to phnom penh for a 1 day stopover before heading to the south of the country on the coast. we pick up neil who is now done with work and the 4 of us head down to coast with a specific stopover in a town Kep for a special meal. Kep is a beautiful, quiet town on the southern coast next to Kampot which is famous for it's black pepper. it's a spicy but not too spicy with a very unique, somewhat sweet aftertaste. and Kep is known for it's fresh black pepper crab. needless to say, the best crab we have ever had. sunset on the coast of cambodia, black pepper crab, and a cold beer. watching children play on the beach, no one around. we wished that sun would never set.

off to our resting spot for the next 5 nights - sihanoukville. the cambodian coast is not known for it's beautiful beaches like neighboring thailand but it's best that way. they are not crowded, beautiful, and a great meal costs less than 5 dollars. we spend the next few days really relaxing - sitting and sleeping in hammocks, swimming, eating seafood, reading, some more sleeping. about the most adventure was riding scooters to more secluded beaches. this was truly an adventure - the streets in cambodia are no joke - there are not really any rules and lanes! we spend an amazing new year's eve on the coast dancing the night away.

time to head back to phnom pehn for our final couple of nights. two weeks (three weeks for malabika) had come to an end. feel refreshed, re-energized, re-awakened. this felt like asia, i will truly miss the warmness and kindness of the people of cambodia. i look forward to getting back to cambodia very soon. the western new year is upon us, but it's the only the 1st of 2 new year's to come this year...

the year of the tiger has dawned...

mid-march, last i wrote was early november. what a shame! yes, i am quite upset that i was away from the blog for 4 months. so much to share, time is flying by, the pace in HK is incredible - people are always on the move, the energy is exhilarating.

last i wrote, malabika had enjoyed her first month in nepal in october and i finished my 2nd full month of work...

november -

month 3, to be more tough, rewarding, exhausting, and challenging than the previous 2. all about work - no travel plans, the heat of the 1st budget season at chanel. ill spare you the boring details, but let's just say 7 day, 80+ hour weeks - work, work, work. i can't complain, business is booming and spirits are high. we can't seem to catch up with the positive trends causing us to continually revise figures. i also want to get up to speed as quickly as possible and so it requires getting involved in every facet of the business - organization, building relationships with local countries / paris / ny, business planning, strategy, consumer studies, profitability analysis, blah, blah, blah.

the day would start around 930am and would be action packed until 530 with meetings and various projects. 530 to 730 would be catching up on emails and phone calls. and 800 to past midnight would be doing real work. 6 hours of sleep per night. friday night would be usually a reflexology session at 8pm with tom. for those that don't know, reflexology, a massage technique utilizing the pressure points on the bottom of the foot that is connected to everything throughout the body. a 50 minute session on friday night with my favorite reflexologist reading people magazine catching up on the on-goings of lindsay lohan is absolute bliss after the tough week.

not much of a social life in november, the month with the best weather by far in hong kong. hong kong now that's it march i can comment, in my opinion, has the worst weather! humid all year round, not much sun, and polluted. oct-nov are the best months when the weather is 70-80 and the pollution clears so the rare blue sky above. 3 weeks fly by and looking forward to the family visit and my wife returning!

malabika and family come to visit from nepal on nov 26th for a week (well, the wife is staying for good!). we have a fun week planned in hong kong as well as a wknd away in macau. it's quite intense at work unfortunately but find time away to spend with the family. there are 7 visitors in all - my in-laws and 5 aunts. original plan - they wanted to all stay with us. bad idea! the 600 happy feet we have is not going to work. i book a hotel across the street for 3 of them and decide we will squeeze 6 into our place...

day 1. thurs. after a overnight flight from nepal through dhaka, the family is tired but excited about hong kong. i am at work and will meet up with them in the evening. malabika takes them around for some sightseeing and by the time i get home, they are exhausted! also, the 6 into our place thing was not going to work as we imagined so we got them 2 rooms at the hotel while only the in-laws stayed with us. we went to dinner at a local indian place and the family was ready for bed. not I, it's the 26th evening, i have a day off on the 27th, my first in 3 months. oh, and it's my birthday on the 27th and we are heading to macau. i drag malabika out to a local place to listen to some music and a few drinks and enjoy some alone time.

day 2-4. macau. we get the family geared up for macau on my birthday. the ferry runs every 15 minutes from hong kong and we take a mid-morning ferry to get there by lunchtime. check into the venetian, the biggest casino in the world. the family loves it. we have two large suites and i am finally able to disconnect from work for a couple of days and relax. lots of pictures, lots of fun! lunch at a dim sum place - the first time the family has eaten dim sum and they enjoy it very much. and then on to gambling - most of the ladies like to play slots. the tables are very hard to get on as the limits are super high. we take the family across the bridge to proper macau and to the wynn casino for the evening. enjoy a nice dinner for my bday and then some gambling. again, very hard to actually get on the tables but nevertheless still fun.

next day we take a four hour tour of macau through the hotel which was great. perfect for the family and it was quite well done explaining all of the history of this small portuguese colony and showing the main sites. dinner is at the best buffet in town - the grand buffet at the lisboa hotel. seafood, indian food, thai, chinese, you name it. fantastic dinner and we head back to the venetian to finish the night off with some gambling. next day (sunday) we head back to macau. a quiet evening - we head to one of our fav restaurants in the hood - saba's for some authentic malaysian food. the wknd has come to an end and back to a tough couple of weeks of work for me preparing for the big budget presentation in new york in december.

the next few days, malabika takes the family out sightseeing in hong kong (and of course shopping!) i meet up with them for dinner at home mostly since they were a bit tired of eating out so much. i arranged a boat ride for us on their last night which i couldn't make due to work. felt so bad, it was a cooler day with choppy waters, not the best conditions, and the family didn't have such a great last night. nevertheless, they really enjoyed their time in hong kong and are excited to return in 2010.

november comes to an end, the family leaves, malabika is back home, welcome our first december in asia...

october

well, not quite october, but it will be once i return to hong kong. it's end of september and i'm on my way to paris for a week of business meetings. arrange to fly out on friday night arriving on saturday morning. and arrange for malabika to fly out and arrive within an hour from me so we can enjoy the wknd in the city of lights.

paris, the french, a love & hate relationship that will always exist with me. i love paris in autumn, my favorite time of the year. the weather, the energy, the school trips that are all gone, and of course the style...

i arrive on business, i am so fortunate indeed, and wait for my wife that has to endure a 5 hour longer journey with a stop in qatar on economy. i await anxciously her arrival at the terminal, and it's always magical being together in paris. we head to the hotel and are well early so do something we have never done all the times being in paris - take a ride on the seine river. a nice, crisp, sunny morning and taking a walk through the park and taking a trip down the river was perfect. great to be in paris.

we then head to get our favorite brunch meal in paris - the croque monsieur. perfectly toasted bread, melted cheese, jamon, tomoto, and the fried egg. sounds simple enough, but so delicious!
and of course no brunch in paris is complete without a glass or two of wine, cheaper than evian.

all is perfect, we have a full two days before work begins for me to enjoy paris. we head to the hotel and the hate part of love / hate begins to show it's life. the utter lack of service that is a bit charming at first when visiting paris seems downright annoying this time. especially after being in asia, where the service is absoutely impeciable and genuine. beyond the service, the room, the breakfast, the amenties are so poor compared to asia. do i miss asia after being in paris only 6 hours?!

we are tired, jet lag, sleep, and get ready for a night out with some of my collegues. dinner at a very parisian restaurant followed by a few drinks and it's a perfect first day but sleep awaits us! sunday, brunch plans with other collegues, friends that we happened to meet in hong kong during our looksy trip in june. we meet in one of my favorite neighborhoods, marais, for a nice brunch and a stroll through the city. paris, much like new york, is such a scenic city to enjoy best by getting lost on the streets.

we visit a part of paris that afternoon that we hadn't been to, the scenic setting of the movie Amelie, Montmartre. we are fortunate to enjoy two sunny, autumn days and wind down the evening at a lebanese restaurant near our hotel. a bit overpriced and overrated, but a nice ending to our wknd together. we will split up tomorrow morning, as i stay in paris for work and malabika heads to germany to visit her friend (perfect timing - octoberfest!)

8am monday, never a good time is it? we head down to breakfast which is nice, but nothing compared to the spread in singapore with cuisines from all over the world. here we have soggy eggs, lots of cheese, bread, juice, and fruit. i say bye to my love after breakfast and i begin work while malabika heads for the train to germany...

work is busy - multiple meetings all day, but the days finish around 8pm which is very nice. get to enjoy a nice dinner most nights and take in the city. i do love paris, but i also miss asia. paris seems charming but old. asia so new and exciting. nothing has changed in paris since my last visit while everything seems to change everyday in asia. and the energy is non-existant here, while in asia you can't get enough of it. i do love paris, but i miss the pulse of asia...

and the same can be said of london, the next stop on this business trip. 3 nights, 2 days in london and a final weekend with malabika before she heads out to nepal and i head to hong kong. london, so familiar, yet so distant. very easy to adapt back into this western lifestyle - art, brunch, pubs, mates, blah blah blah. so nice to visit after many years, and see friends, but looking forward to getting back to asia.

it sounds so cliche, but it is so true when you experience life here after living in the west your whole life. the west has had its time, has colonised much of the world, has caused much sorrow and destruction in it's path, has done more harm than good, is due for a time of reflection and mellowness.

while the emerging econonomies time has come, growth is abound, spirits are high, and all are willing to sacrifice for the betterment of their children and generations to come. it's a new energy, a new blood, a new life, and everyone feels it. time to go home...

a week in europe was most memorable, but what i miss most is malabika. 7 weeks apart will be very tough, but i will be enduring the toughest part in my career ahead to keep my mind busy. october has arrived in hong kong, and the locals are beginning to bring out their autumn gear. they love it. while me, shorts & a t-shrit is perfectly fine on the wknd while a suit is more than enough to keep warm during the week. after all, it's cooled off from 90 and humid to 80 and cool!

i took the red eye and the next four weeks in october have cruised by. filled with 70 hour work weeks, a little time on the wknds to enjoy the local culture, and keeping busy planning for well needed holidays in december.

the local staff love when i say good morning in cantonese, it brings a smile to their face every day. partly because i am speaking cantonese, but moreso because my pronounciation is so bad! i have a month in the office without travel, i begin to get into a groove. spend more time with my staff and think about how we can restructure for the future. all at the same time during the busiest time of the year at chanel, oct-nov.

a friend pays a surprise visit from nyc which is a welcome break from the long hours. she is well a globe trekker spending time in hong kong but also vietnam and bali during her two weeks in asia. we spend an afternoon getting out of the city and hiking, hitting the beach (yes, there are beaches in hong kong) which is incredible. hong kong is full of places to go hiking and swimming away from the hustle and bustle and it's my first time out of the city since moving here which was great. she is in bali now and i look forward to one last night with her when she returns before she heads back to NYC.

a work filled october has turned a leaf to another work filled november ahead. but there is a light at the end of the tunnel - malabika and family come to visit from nepal on nov 25th for a week (well, the wife is staying for good!). we have a fun week planned in hong kong as well as a wknd away in macau. then our 6th year wedding anniversary on dec. 2nd. and tickets to see the opening ceremonies of the east asia games which are in hong kong this year. the ceremonies are done by the same group that did the beijing 2008 olympics so i a sure it will be an amazing experience. and of course a few matches - rugby and football tickets.

and then cambodia for the holidays - the land of a thousand smiling faces. people that have suffered so much and yet can smile and welcome all those that visit. can't wait, also to see our good friends living out there now.

life in hong kong, life in asia, what a blur the first two months have been. couldnt imagine being anywhere else...

the 6th week finale

another lovely weekend together in hong kong before we begin world travels. get a bit of exercise in and of course reflexology. for those that don't know, you need to know. the art of a foot massage, the ability to cure ailments throughout your body by massaging the foot. very therapeutic and addictive indeed!

i am off monday morning for singapore, the "GMM", general managers meeting. a meeting twice a year when all of the country managers of asian countries and the regional team in singapore and hong kong meet to discuss businessy things. last stay was at the grand hyatt, this one at the four seasons. the four seasons known to be the poshest hotel group around, but i enjoyed the grand hyatt much more. the grand hyatt was full of people and activity all day and night not to mention the incredible buffet breakfast with cuisines from all over asia and the gym / spa. the four seasons a bit more elegant but yet stuffy. ok, i can not complain!

full day of meeting with the president on monday and then the GMM takes place tues-thurs lunchtime, specifically so that everyone gets out of town on thursday before the action begins. yes, the singapore grand prix starts on friday but we all need to leave! there's a reason why we are so profitable here! great week where i meet the heads of every country and get to know the city / state of singapore more. love this place, how could you not?

head back on thursday night and arriving at HK airport reminds me how much of a rat race this place is. it's 11pm, getting off the air-train, and people are racing to the escalator to get moving! the one ironic part about the pace of this city is that when anyone, anywhere is on an escalator or electronic walkway, everyone enjoys the ride. no fast walking, let the walkway take you. it's the one time that everyone decides to take a break from the pace of life and enjoy 30 seconds of tranquility. i dig, but as a new yorker, i prefer to take my time of peace elsewhere!

arrive at home around midnight and need to pack for a week in paris and london. malabika is busy trying to get the place settled and packing also for europe and nepal! a long night of packing and friday, september 25th, is upon us. 6 weeks in hong kong of which 3 in singapore for me, two moves, one fashion show, a junk boat, a few reflexology sessions, lots of MSG, a bit of shopping later it's time to leave the continent.

this was known to be the plan but when in action, it seems a bit crazed. no one would plan something like this, would they? i guess that's the point. such is the journey of a globe trekker, an adventure seeker, a free spirit. to be fortunate enough to have the means to see, meet, and integrate with the global community.

fast forward to tonight - met a colleague from new york's friend out here, that's how it works amongst the travel community, you tend to meet someone that knows someone. she was dealing with personal things when the opportunity came up for a job in hong kong. she could have stayed comfortably where she was with her family. or she could experience a lot of sleepless nights, unfamiliarity, obstacles, and adventure. there is no right or wrong answer. just the answer that suits each individual. she chose 6 months of difficulty adjusting as a single, western girl in hong kong for now years full of bliss. much like our parents who take the giant step to move across continents,

the path that is most rewarding is never the easiest...

time to get settled...sort of

back from sunny singapore and back to the heat and humidity that is hong kong. sunday night and we are close to finalizing our new apartment and our days in Soho are coming to an end. Soho will not be far, but we are looking forward to living somewhere with a bit more of the asian feel away from ex-pat central. enter - wan chai...

wan chai, a neighborhood that earned its notoriety for being a popular hang out for military posted in hong kong post world war two. it's not quite as gritty any longer and now is splashed with modern shopping districts and restaurants throughout. nevertheless, it still feels like hong kong with a large local population, a scent filled wet market, and activity around every corner.

the week at work is busy as usual and malabika is packing up our place as soon as we unpacked. at the office, getting the lay of the land - common bathroom keys, fax machine that is from the 90s (yes, that is old), the only place i get a bite to eat conveniently in the building, and how to say good morning in cantonese - joh sah (this is clearly spelled wrong, but how to pronounce it!). the days are getting longer and my body is in need of exercise and a better diet...

three weeks of eating out every meal, although exciting in a city like hong kong, has me in search of a home cooked meal. our apartment in soho was not very conducive for cooking as the burner barely worked and only very simple cookware was provided. our items by boat coming from new york have just arrived at the dock right in time.

one big errand before we can secure the apartment - need to pay for two months security deposit with no bank account and my first check. we can't open up a bank account without a resident ID card which requires proof of residence. and you can't get a lease secured without a bank account. sound difficult enough?

solution - take my sign on bonus, open up a bank account with our passport, apply for a hong kong id card with our soho apartment as proof of address, and pay for everything in cash including two months security deposit. little things - we now have a bank account and even a credit card as well as our resident cards.

friday night, our last night in soho before the move on saturday morning. we visit our favorite places in the neighborhood and get ready for an early morning move. feeling a bit groggy, we get to our new place at 9am and the movers are there right in time. malabika has already moved our things from soho to the apartment the day before, and now we await our ship bound things. the morning is full of checking off boxes as they arrive into our apartment. 70 boxes in total including our mattress, dresser, bikes, a few tables, and personal effects. all goes well and we head out to get a few basics - shower curtain, garbage bags, some food, and we are thoroughly exhausted...

our first weekend in our new place, a lot of boxes to unpack and only two weeks to get settled before heading out to europe and malabika for nepal. has it been only a month! the weekend is quite restful, we enjoy the amenities of the building including a gym and clubhouse on the 2nd floor. we are on floor 19, with a balcony looking out into a sea of high rises but with a nice view of the harbour and the modern art museum across in kowloon. while we work, malabika cooks our first home cooked meal made some fresh fish from the wet market. oh, the wet market, much like many markets in non-western worlds, full of fresh vegetables, fruit, and of course meat and fish. it's called "wet" because the streets are always wet from the constant cleaning. a great meal of spicy prawns as an appetizer and grilled fish. we have a home!

malabika has a very busy week ahead of getting our resident ids, more pages in her passport, finding yoga studios, unpacking, building closets (yes, our place being brand new has no closets), getting a feng shui expert, and getting life sorted. another week of discovery for me at work and an exciting weds night ahead with the autumn / winter chanel fashion show at the four seasons hotel. and yes, two tickets of course!

ive been to a few fashion shows in paris - always exciting. now these are not the press fashion shows with the celebs but the ones for internal staff, buyers, VIP clients, and friends. in paris, i did see the infamous karl twice peering down from the steps of mademoiselle chanel's apartment on rue cambon. but the show in hong kong would be very different...

four seasons hotel, weds night. malabika looks as elegant and chic as ever when she meets me at the landmark, my place of work. we head over to the most luxurious hotel in hk to be greeted with champagne and passed h'or dourves of scallops, caviar, and chocolate. my colleague, the head of the fashion division, greets us and we take our seats. malabika's first chanel fashion show - very exciting. cameras, lights, models, music, food, drinks, time to enjoy the show which is always fantastic but very, very short...

what is different in asia is the models come walk down the catwalk with numbers indicating the outfit which is priced for everyone in the booklet given for all attendees. jade is the color of the season, how perfect for china and the asian market. the collection is amazing, and i have yet to see, but the funny part about hong kong is the wealthy find it quite fashionable to wear the autumn / winter collection in 70 degree weather! once it hits 70 here, it's winter, and the jackets and sweaters come out. fur coats come out for the two weeks in january when it dips down to 55! the other difference about this show is afterwards, it's quite commercial. VIPs, friends all have a chance to try on the pieces, and pre-order with transactions on the spot. in the west, prices would never be revealed and the show is an event, not a time to book sales. times may change very soon as there is a reason all of the growth is in this part of the world! a lovely sushi dinner at zuma follows to finish off the evening.

friday is a monthly lunch meeting at the office for new hires. at the office, everyone knows english of course, but no one speaks english unless it's with ex-pats like myself. so when i get to the luncheon, it's boisterous with conversation but a bit hard to get into the mix. i see a friend from HR across the way to break the ice and break into some english with the team. the buffet is unveiled and everyone enjoys food and a lot of pictures. i get to meet a bunch of the team and then again later in the day. every month, there is also 'birthday of the month' celebrations which are all out. i was quite busy in the afternoon, but i didn't know the head of the hong kong office wanted to make a special introduction of me at the birthday of the month fiesta. i received a call to get to the party immediately!

530pm, a room full of over 50 people, and i am introduced to the team and welcomed. very nice. and then i am asked to kick off the birthday of the month songs - ok, this can't be happening! luckily, i get out of this and sing along with the rest of the crew to wish the sept births well! and a piece of cheesecake to finish the week...

final weekend in hong kong, yes final weekend in hong kong before heading out to europe and my lovely wife leaves me for nepal...