The End of the Prolonged Silence

Sorry about the lapse since my last post. The last ten days have been pretty crazy. This could be a long one.

So, last Thursday I finished my two tests and then rushed off to meet the visitors for our 8pm reservation at Lung King Heen. It is rated the best restaurant in Hong Kong, as it is the only one with three Michelin stars. It is a Cantonese restaurant, and it is located in the Four Seasons: Hong Kong. It was quite good. And, of course, it was lovely to finally see a couple of familiar faces in Hong Kong. Dad hit a home run with some fried rice, as did Mom with prawns in some sauce-thing. I hit a bloop single, as I ordered scrambled eggs with crab for some reason. They were good, but not as good as the other two dishes. Dessert was quite good, as we got some mango stuff. It tasted like the classic Farrelly dish, jello and ice cream. After dinner, I went back with the parents to their hotel, as I was going to stay with them for the weekend. We stayed at the Langham Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui, and it was great. I was able to watch sports and CNBC, two things I sorely miss over here. I told Mom and Dad that I hadn't watched television since I left in August, and that's the truth. Also, I stayed on a cot. Normally, that would be followed with a frowny-face; the cot, however, was one hundred times better than the bed on which I have been sleeping for the past two months. It was a nice break for my back. Dad and I stayed up late watching a replay of some golf from God knows when.

Friday, we woke up and had a delicious breakfast at the hotel buffet. There were eggs, dim sum, bacon, an automatic pancake maker, etc. And, there was the most delicious croissants I have ever eaten. I think the three Jones members had a round dozen between us. I wanted to use Friday to walk around and such. So we did just that. We went around Central, walked on the long escalator, and walked down the small side streets marveling at the fish markets and butchers. Then we went back to the hotel because we were tired. We had reservations at the Pearl on the Peak restaurant on Victoria Peak. We started out early enough - we gave ourselves an hour and a half to get there. The traffic, however, did not agree that that was enough time to get there. We got to dinner at about 7:30, a half hour late, and a little stressed. But we had a great table with a great view, so the stress quickly went away. We had another great dinner. Mom got some noodles with prawns (and some scallops too, I think), Dad had a braised beef rib (I think) and I had steak au poivre, which was prepared table-side. Everyone enjoyed their dinner, and we also got some dessert. Mom got some crepes with an orange sauce and some ice cream, which was also prepared table-side. I got something too, but I don't remember what. I do remember that I enjoyed it, though. After, we went outside and enjoyed the view for a bit. Then we went back to the hotel, which took much less time because we took the Peak Tram, which was quite the experience. It went backwards down the Peak, at close to a 45 degree angle. It was a little disconcerting. We walked to the MTR station, then back to Langham. We meant to go to sleep, but Notting Hill was on HBO, so obviously we had to watch it. What a great movie. Loved it.

Next morning Mom and Dad had some breakfast, and I went for a quick workout at the gym at the hotel. After this, and a shower, we began our journey to Stanley Market. It is a great part of Hong Kong; there are small shops all over the place, and a street full of restaurants all with great views of the sea. We walked around for a while, did some shopping, and bought a few things. Mom found some "chops" (basically, Chinese stamps) and some other little trinkets for herself and others. I purchased a knife with a cool decorative blade (I don't know why), and a Dale Earnhardt (not Junior) windbreaker. A good day of shopping on my part. We then had a bite for lunch at The Boathouse; I had fish and chips and Mom and Dad split a sandwich of tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, and prosciutto. Back to the hotel, as the day tired us out once again. That night, we went to Delaney's, in TST, for dinner. It's an Irish pub. It was pretty good, but the bangers there were a disappointment (I got bangers and mash for dinner). Mom enjoyed her fish and chips, and Dad ate something too. Back at the hotel, I think that night we watched Point of Origin (one of the top ten worst movies I've ever seen) and Phonebooth.

Sunday, we went for Dim Sum in Causeway Bay, at the same restaurant I went to the week before. The food was again excellent. Both Mom and Dad very much enjoyed their meals, which I was pleased about. Afterwards, we walked around "Times Square" which is a very swanky/expensive mall in Causeway Bay. We then took the train over to Yau Ma Tei to go to the jade market. Mom and I walked around and did some bargaining, and Dad found himself a nice seat outside. There were some purchases made and some money spent. That night, we went down by the pier and walked around. We then hopped into the nearby mall and walked around looking for something to eat. We got lost, but eventually found Star Restaurant, and we had a great meal. We had fried rice, the common denominator in most meals, some prawns, and some other stuff I forget. It was really good though. We felt very local by the time we got back to the hotel, having gone to Dim Sum in the morning and a local spot for dinner. That night we watched Phenomenon with John Travolta.

Monday, we went to a restaurant in the basement of the hotel for breakfast. I got corned beef hash and two fried eggs and coffee. Easily the best breakfast I've had in Hong Kong. I can feel myself getting hungry as I write this. We also were able to watch some of the baseball game, and it was fun to feel as though I was back in the States for that time. After, we walked around TST for a bit. We then went back to the hotel, and then went for afternoon tea at The Peninsula Hotel. It was very swanky and fancy. The scones and little pastries were delicious. The tea was, well, tea. I don't think even the fanciest place can do anything besides putting some leaves into boiled water. That night, we took the star ferry from TST over to Central. We went to Lan Kwai Fung and ate outside at Good Luck Thai, my third time there. As always, it was delicious. We had fried rice, prawn cakes, some spicy minced beef, and chicken curry. All great. We walked around LKF for a bit, then stopped at Azure, a sky bar, just to see the view. We then went back to the hotel, and of course another Hugh Grant movie was on - Four Weddings and a Funeral. I didn't really care for it, mainly because Andie MacDowell is a useless actress, and the character she plays isn't too much better.

Tuesday, we again went to the same breakfast place for corned beef hash, eggs, and coffee. Mom had a bagel and smoked salmon in an attempt to keep kosher, and Dad got pancakes. I could eat that breakfast everyday and not get tired of it. After breakfast I had to go back to HKUST to attend my classes. Those went well, then I went back to my room to check my (bulging) inbox, as I had been without internet for the weekend. Mom and Dad then (bravely and successfully) navigated there way to campus. I showed them around, and then it was off to Sai Kung for a seafood dinner. We went to Chuen Kee Restaurant, and it was great. We had prawns, crabs, lobsters, clams, scallops, and broccoli. It was another great meal. I think Mom and Dad really enjoyed the "local-ness" of it all; Sai Kung is a very far cry from dinner at the Four Seasons. I didn't stay with the folks on Tuesday, as I had to be at class at 9am the next day. Which brings us to...

Wednesday, I had two classes. I was out at 4pm, and I then quickly made my way over to TST. Both Mom and Dad expressed interest in tasting Hong Kong pizza, so we went to Pizza Express. Another great meal. I had pepperoni pizza, Mom had something adventurous which escapes me, and Dad had the best of the night: Italian sausage with onions pizza. It was awesome. After dinner, we again walked around TST. There's so much to see there, and it also is my favorite part of Hong Kong. I got some mango juice (which is one of the best things ever), and Mom finally got to go into the world's larges Luis Vuitton store. I think she liked it, and Dad and I waited around outside for her. That night I stayed in the hotel.

Thursday, what did I have for breakfast? Corned beef and hash, eggs, and coffee. I wasn't kidding that I could eat it everyday. Then I went back to campus for a nice six hour block of classes. As our last dinner, we went to Spring Deer in TST, just a few blocks away from the hotel. We were a little worried walking there, as it was a bit further down the street than we thought. Then when I saw the entrance, which was up stairs through the middle of some small shop, I was further worried. When I walked in, however, and most of the tables were full, my worries seemed to be unfounded. We had Peking Duck, and it was absolutely delicious. You take the slices of duck and put them into a tortilla-like thing with a little quasi-barbecue sauce - incredible. We topped it off with some fried rice, and we had prawn cakes to start. It was a great last meal with the parents. We once again putzed around TST, and then went to Aqua, a sky bar near the Langham. I had an old fashioned (thanks, Don Draper), Mom had something with champagne and a liqueur, and Dad had a raspberry smoothie. We enjoyed the view and the drinks, and then headed back to the hotel. We then said goodbye until December 20th (at 11:48am, but who's counting).

All told, we had a great time. I ate better than I have my entire time here. The food was wonderful. The company was great as well. I was also able to re-experience some of my favorite parts of Hong Kong - Stanley Market foremost among those. Also, I got a chance to do some serious walking around in TST, which is still my favorite area in Hong Kong.

Thanks for a great time, Mom and Dad. I know the sleep situation was (and is) not the greatest, but I hope it was a good time regardless. Thanks for making the epic journey out here as well. I'll be back home sooner than you think.

Dim Sum Sunday

Before beginning my studies yesterday, I went out to Dim Sum with Wolfgang and a new friend, Eugene (goes to Cornell, from California, originally from Taiwan). We went to Causeway Bay and ate there. It was not very expensive, and it was delicious. I will be taking the visitors there, probably on Saturday or Sunday morning. Pictures are posted.

I also watched The Diving Bell and the Butterfly last week, and I would recommend it to everyone. It's a really good movie.

Also, I finished Moneyball by Michael Lewis last night. It was good. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes baseball and who wants to see how the "new" general managers are doing things. It's a cool book.

The Eagles had a great weekend. 59 points? Very impressive.

Too bad the Bears refused to win last night. Matt Forte seems like a completely different player.

Weekend

So, Thursday I went out with eleven other guys for all-you-can-eat sushi. It was in TST, where next week's visitors will be staying. It was actually quite good. I didn't set my hopes too high, as I thought the quality would be low for an all-you-can-eat type of place; it wasn't, and it was delicious. Some of the guys went out afterwards, but I was tired from a full day of class and went back to school.

Friday, I woke up, had some breakfast, read the paper, ran, and did some homework (during the day). Later, I went out to dinner with Wolfgang and Dominic. We were gonna look at a couple options, including a Lebanese restaurant and a Chinese restaurant, but both were rather empty. We opted to go to Pizza Express, which does not correctly convey the restaurant. It was very modern but nice, and the pizza was excellent. It was much better than the last place from which I got pizza, and it was less expensive.

The reason we headed down to the city last night was because a couple of girls here were having their birthdays at the same club. They also managed to get the entrance fee waved for the HKUST students, so a lot of people were going. I didn't know either of the girls, but my two co-travelers did. So after dinner, we walked over there, only to encounter a mass of people standing out front. There was a lot of confusion, but we eventually heard through the grapevine that the place was "full". So, most of the kids there, including us, had to find something else to do. I kinda felt bad for the two girls, as most of their friends were not able to get inside. I think this was a case of very bad planning: the two girls invited a lot of people, but I don't think they let the place know that. Anyways, we walked around for a while, then settled at a bar and had a couple of drinks before heading home. It wasn't a complete waste of time; it ended up being a pretty fun night.

Today, I woke up, ate breakfast, read the paper, worked out, and tried to do some homework. I had planned to eat dinner and then go to the library afterwards. When I was sitting at dinner, however, my friend Brian (from Toronto) told me that the library closes at 7pm on Saturdays. It was 7:07pm when he let me know that. So, I'm back in my room now, and I'm gonna get some reading done.

Hope everyone has a good Saturday. Go Bears. Go Eagles.

P.S. - I also made a dinner reservation for the visitors and myself for next Thursday. It's called Lung King Heen, and it is regarded as the best restaurant in Hong Kong. We shall see if that is true.

P.P.S. - This article from Malcolm Gladwell in the most recent New Yorker reminded me of when Uncle Jimbo remarked after Michael Vick was imprisoned on dogfighting charges that dogfighting was no better than UFC fighting or the like. It's an interesting article, if not his best.

Nothing Much to Report

I had a midterm test yesterday in Organizational Behavior, and today I had a presentation in Literary Classics in Visual Culture. So, needless to say, my weekend was pretty quiet. I was pretty much just in the library for the most of it. I do think both my midterm and my presentation went well, though, so at least I didn't waste my weekend.

That's about all I can do for an update. I'm looking forward to the weekend, which starts tomorrow night, so that's good. Hope all is well in Chicago.

Suit Picked Up and Pizza Eaten

I guess I never went into detail on my suit, and apparently some people want to know about it. It is black with a kinda subtle pinstripe. I don't know what it's made out of, but it is nice. The shirt is also nice - it is white with a small squares all over it (nothing too overt; pretty subtle). I'll put up a couple pictures soon.

I never mentioned my new books haul from the other day. I purchased Moneyball by Michael Lewis, which will be my next book. I also bought The Partnership: The Making of Goldman Sachs (the business section was a little lacking), and 1776 by David McCullough. I thought it was a little weird - an American buying a book on American history in Hong Kong. O well.

Last night I went out with Wolfgang and a new friend, Soeren (pronounced Sern - it's Danish). It was a fun night; we met some other folks at a club in Lan Kwai Fung and had a night of it.

Today, I picked up my suit and downloaded some new tunes (I got a really good new song - it's a bootleg mashup of a Radiohead song and a Dave Brubeck song. It's awesome). It was a pretty relaxing day. Tonight, I went with Wolfgang and his friend visiting from Germany, Max. I was online and a picture of pizza popped up, and I knew I needed pizza tonight. So we went to a restaurant in the city. It was quite good. It was funny though, as it was located in an nearly-empty mall yet it was extremely busy. We were lucky to get a table - they were turning away people a few minutes after we sat down. I had a thin pizza with sausage, pepperoni, tomatoes, mushrooms, and olives. It was very good. After dinner, we showed Max the views from some of the sky bars in TST. Actually, my favorite one is right next to Langham Hotel, where my visitors will be staying in less than two weeks. We actually had a drink in this one; I finally tried an "old-fashioned" and it was pretty good.

The reason I tried that drink gives me a good segue into my next topic: Mad Men. (The main character, Don Draper, always drinks old-fashioned's.) If you don't watch Mad Men, I would highly recommend it. It's major selling point (no pun intended, as it is about advertising) of the show is its attention to detail. Obviously, the acting and writing is excellent, but the small details really make the show. It is set in the 1960's, so it is before smoking was frowned upon, drinking was commonplace, even in the office, and children could play around in the back seat of the car without wearing their seat belts. If you can, start from season 1. You'll grow very attached to the characters. (Mom, I loved the last episode. I loved seeing Joan again - they're not gonna let her get off the show. She's too good and too important. Pretty much every episode this year has been great.)

If you want other shows to rent and watch, I also would highly recommend The Wire (for the mature crowd) and Arrested Development (the funniest show ever on television).

While I'm pontificating, I would also recommend to all the (male) readers to read Bill Simmons if you are ever bored on the internet and have some time to kill. He is really, really entertaining and very funny.

Tomorrow holds some studying, as I have another test on Tuesday, and probably finishing my book. Also, I plan to go to Dim Sum (Asian breakfast) on Sunday. I'll be sure to bring the camera.

And how about Mr. Obama? I think the Nobel might be a little premature, but it's pretty cool nonetheless.

Hope everyone has a good Friday and a good weekend. As always, Go Eagles (and let's hope the bye week doesn't slow down the Bears). Bye for now.

Busy Weekend Full of Nothing

I had a test today in Operations Management, so I had a pretty quiet weekend. I did quite a bit of studying, and not too much else.

Friday, I actually went back to TST once more. When I returned from having my suit fitted, I ran into a few friends (Kyle, from Ohio State; Priankha, from Texas; Amy, from Texas; and Yaser, from Minnesota) who invited me out to dinner. I accepted, then asked where we were going. TST. I was there and back three times in about 12 hours (mind, it takes about 40 minutes one way, so most of my day was on the MTR). We went to an Indian restaurant. The food was delicious, but the portions were tiny. We ordered just a few dishes for the five of us, thinking it would be more than enough, but it would not have been enough to even satisfy one person. We were a little disappointed when we left. We all came back to campus afterwards, and I read and went to sleep. I was tired after so busy a day. I was disappointed to hear, however, that Chicago had not gotten the Olympic bid. Oh well.

Saturday and Sunday involved a lot of library time preparing for today's test. Same with Monday. And of course last night.

The test went pretty well, I think (and hope). There were a few tricky ones, but there always are. Anyways, it's done.

I am picking up my suit today after my next class. Let's hope it looks good.

I made a reservation today for dinner in a couple weeks. I have some visitors, so I think (hope) they should like the place I chose. Anyways, that's all for now. Sorry this was such a boring post - school is becoming more school-like now.

Update - The suit was ready, but the shirt wasn't. I'm going back Friday. The suit looks very nice. I was able, however, to pick up a few books. I am about halfway though the last one I brought with me, so I needed to replenish my stock.

I also made a stop by the TST Langham Hotel, where my visitors will be staying, and it looks very nice. It's in a pretty busy part of town, but there's so much to do around there.

National Day Fireworks, and Other Things

The fireworks last night were quite impressive. If Uncle Jimbo and Uncle Bob could get to work on something similar to this, that would be great.

After watching the fireworks, I went with Dominic, Wolfgang, and Dominic's brother Manuel to grab some food. I actually ended up just getting a drink since I was really thirsty and not too hungry. I got a mixture of pineapple juice and coconut milk - it was delicious. We left to go back to the MTR, but on the way we stopped for a beer (an Erdinger, naturally, as I was with Germans) in order to hear a live jazz band. Wolfgang plays drums in a jazz band back in Germany, so he thought it would be a good idea. The band turned out to be pretty good, but more entertainers than musicians. We left at about 10 and made out way back to campus. I went to sleep (at least tried to) at midnight.

This morning Gunter and I woke up at 8 to meet his mother for breakfast. She is in town for a week with her friend. We had a delicious buffet downtown at her hotel. She was very nice. They invited me to come along for the rest of the day, but I declined as I had other things on my mind: homework, and a new suit.

So I got a new suit. It is currently being cut, and I'm going for a second fitting shortly. I got a tailored suit and a tailored shirt. I think they should be quite nice, and I got a very reasonable price. I ended up about paying less than half of the original price.

There are more pictures up as well (starting here). I'm off for the next fitting...

P.S. - I watched McCabe and Mrs Miller. It was pretty good, but a little meandering and slow. It's the type of movie I might have loved in the right mood. On another note, let's all hope Chicago has a good day. Though it could be a major pain, I think it would be really cool to host the Olympics. And the city has already spent a hell of a lot of money, so might as well see it through.