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...