My friend and I did a quick Hong Kong trip yesterday.  The school is going to take our passports soon to renew our Visas so we are a bit panicky we won’t be able to get what we need. So, we stocked up on odds and ends and headed back to the ‘Kou.  I shot some video on my iPhone, added some music, and did a quick bit of editing.  It was a beautiful day yesterday in China and I wanted to show the enormity of Hong Kong that my aunt describes as a concrete forrest of buildings.  It’s a…

Today I explored parts of Shekou with my friend Jen and it was fascinating.  The great thing about Jen is her appetite for adventure and exploring.  She sees a little street and she’s the first one to ask, “Do you wanna check that out?’ In other words, Jen is fun. Our day started out with a bit of shopping and haggling.  One vendor told me a vase I was interested in was very old (meaning expensive)… he then proceeded to sell it to me for 50 RMB when I started to walk away.  This ain’t my first time to the…

I was walking around Old Shekou last night with a friend of mine and we happened upon these two guys playing their guitars and singing.  It’s something I haven’t seen here and it was inspiring. I am always in awe of people who can get up in front of people and just put it out there like that.  The singer was singing songs in Chinese and English so of course, I recorded it on my iPhone so you get the idea.  I don’t think they will win any Grammys but cheers to them for putting it out there. Enjoy some…

I’m sick. It’s been about a week and I can’t shake this thing. I have napped, watched DVDs, read books and magazines, even tried to positive think it out, and my internet connection is awful.  Seriously, I just wanna check out the latest gossip sites… nothing tricky there.  I have already been kicked off twice in the past half-hour.  Otherwise, I have about five channels to choose from and two of those are CNN and the BBC.   So yes.  I am in the land of self-pity but I will be out soon enough. A friend of mine is sick as…

“Do you feel like you are home?” A friend asked me that at lunch the other day.  The weird thing was, I had just been thinking that on my way to the restaurant.  Even though I had just left California, I did feel like I was home. For me, living here can be isolating at times.  Being home and visiting my family friends, I was reminded of just how lucky I am. I have such great people in my life surrounding me.  We can just hang out and do nothing because we are just enjoying each other’s company.  We laugh…

This morning I was busy making plans with one of my nephews to see him in Miami next week. I haven’t seen him in over a year and that is simply too long. You have to understand something. I have the world’s greatest nephews. You may think you do, but I am sorry to say, mine rule. I haven’t been home for a year. It’s so strange to think what it’s going to be like because I have no experience to compare it to. I think it will be overwhelming in the way that China was overwhelming to me at…

Now that school is rapidly coming to a close and summer is upon us, I have been planning my trip back to the States.  More importantly, I have been planning my wardrobe. One thing that I really miss about the States is Target.  Laugh if you will, but a world without Target is dark and lonely.  I miss roaming the aisles and finding that deal on something I didn’t know I needed or the $4.99 shirt that everyone asks about.  This is the stuff of life people and China doesn’t have anything to compare. What China does have though are…

For one horrifying hour, I thought I lost my iPhone. I felt like a rudderless boat floundering in an unknown sea. My Facebook post, Thursday, May 26, 2011. As I sit here typing, I think of all of the people that are on the internet right now, just like me. Yesterday, I went into Kowloon to try and find a video camera (no luck) and I saw all of theses people with digital devices. Have you ever accidentally kicked an anthill and it’s amazing to see just how many ants come pouring out? Welcome to the subway in Hong Kong….

If there is such a place as furniture heaven, I was there yesterday.  In my effort to explore this vast country, and more specifically, the region I live in, I accepted an invitation to go to Jiuzhou (pronounced Joo-high).  This place is known for it’s cheap, antique Chinese furniture.  Well someone there got the memo ‘cause it ain’t so cheap but we did manage to find some relatively good deals. As I’ve said before, I have zero sense of direction, but luckily I have a compass on my iPhone which I actually used a lot yesterday. However, I soon realized…

If you hadn’t noticed, I write about Hong Kong a lot in my posts.  For me, Hong Kong is so vibrant and alive; you can just feel the energy. At the same time, it has this other, beautiful nature side that includes beaches and hiking.  Now where I live is nice.  But it’s like comparing Manhattan to Hoboken.  There is a joke that goes something like this: Why are New Yorkers always depressed?  Because the light at the end of the tunnel is New Jersey. I might be a tad dramatic, but you get the idea. Well, things changed for…