Hong Kong Chronicles: A New Installment for my Future Book, "Memoirs of a Klutz"

It is important to have read this post to understand some of the things I will describe:

Swinging Like a Monkey

The double-decker buses have narrow, steep, circular stairways that go up and down. I had a friend with me and we were sitting on the top deck of the bus. Unfortunately, I realized we needed to get off the bus at the next stop. There is ideal timing for ascent and descent of the steps and they should be between the major lurches (Stop Lurch and Start Lurch). I started down the stairs in the Start Lurch where the bus has just spit out passengers and the driver basically stomps on the gas to get back into traffic. One thing I did do (learned the hard way) before I go down the stairs, is adjust my two bags so the straps are firmly on my shoulder and tightly clutched under my arms. I also employed my Four Point Death Grip going down. The stairs face backward on the bus and this is what posed the problem for me because I started down the steps just as the bus was heaving forward. My feet came off the steps and I was basically swinging like a monkey from the railings until the bus settled into it's driving rhythm and my feet swung back to the stairs.

Hong Kong Chronicles: Confessions of a Klutz 2010 - April Edition

Remember this post? I've discovered there is a new aspect necessary for a klutz to know. Over the past 18 months I have learned the Hong Kong rhythm and can duck and bob as needed without too many crashes into people or objects.

However, with this rainy season, I've learned that there is another aspect to HK rhythm that includes umbrellas. It involves movement along two planes...up/down and duck/weave while moving forward. Can you imagine how that makes life even more perilous for the kommon klutz?

Anyone who is a klutz (or knows one) knows how hard it is to manage one plane of locomotion let alone two planes. Think rubbing your belly and patting your head...which, BTW, I can do, weirdly enough. I just can't walk and chew gum, or walk and bob an umbrella, or walk and...well, you get the picture. Sometimes even walking in a single plane is highly dangerous, as I've proved many, many times.

Hong Kong Chronicles: Food & a Giveaway

I can't help it. This sign just makes me laugh. Before I write any further, I need to make it clear that I love my adopted home in Hong Kong. I have many good friends, I eat the food, I'm getting used to life here. However, I just love this sign because it describes an issue that has been rattling around in my mind over the differences in food culture. I grew up thinking food should beckon you to the table, make your mouth salivate, and your stomach grumble in anticipation. Here, people put doors on their kitchens so they don't have to smell their neighbor's food. Food that makes you think of feet and encourages you to close doors just seems...well...different. (I had noticed my sense of humor seemed to be on a bit of a holiday, but it came back with this sign.)

Polymer Clay Pendant & Brooches Giveaway

And on to other matters. I'm finally finding my voice with polymer clay and have items that I think are nearly worthy of ownership by other people. I made one pendant and several brooches. I decided to give these away because I need people to test them for durability. I don't want to send my polymer babies into the world if there are going to be issues. So, this giveaway is calling for testers to claim the pieces, wear them, and report back on any durability issues. If there are, I will replace it with something similar (I'm not re-creating the exact same piece...blending clay makes every pieces unique). They seem to feel like they would go well with a Mad Hatter's Tea Party with the whimsy and color.

To claim your piece, please comment on my blog and let me know which one you desire. It will be first come first served.

#1) Sunshine Carnival Pendant

#2) My Heart is Full of Color Brooch

#3) Whimsical Purple Geometry Lesson Brooch

#4) Green Serenity and a Colorful Outlook Brooch

#5) Autumn in the Abstract Brooch

#6) Orange Sherbet Heart Brooch

#7) Orange Abstract Brooch

Hong Kong Chronicles: Light

I have been living in my flat for nine months and I still fall in love with my view every day. This was the lighting outside before a big storm rolled in. I love the slate gray and the glow. Reminds me of Labradorite.

I'm experimenting with some lighting. I still don't have it right yet, but I'm moving in a direction I like. These earrings turned out beautifully, though. I have created a few variations, but these are beautiful for everyday earrings or dressing up for a special evening. They are in sterling silver and small 3mm teal Swarovski crystal. About 1.25" in length.

Hong Kong Chronicles: Happy Feet

Eighteen months and 30 pairs of shoes later, I have found My Ideal Shoe for Hong Kong.


The 18 months is in migraine time. If I didn't have chronic migraines, I might have found these shoes in 6 months. Ah, well. I've found them now.

I saw a billboard advertisement for Geox shoes that said, "Geox breathes." I bought a pair of the Geox shoes three months ago when yet another pair of my shoes wore out. Three months later, they are holding up fantastically. They look as new as the day I bought them. They do breathe better than normal shoes, which is tremendously helpful in humid Hong Kong. They did need a little breaking in, since they are leather, but with gel cushions, I have been able to wear these babies all over and walk with very, very happy feet. They are a little pricey (I think about $125) but for the wear I've been able to get with the first pair, it's worth the investment.

I had a brief period of life (maybe 5 years) as a shoe fashionista. That era ended with my arrival in Hong Kong. I have attempted some 2-inch heels. My feet were not happy. With all the walking I do here, all heels have been banished in favor of comfortable, durable flats. Geox offer some cute styles in flats. And I'm very happy to find shoes that I can buy in shops near where I work. Yay! No more shipping from the US shoes that were probably made in China. It's beginning to feel like home!

Studio Time: My head is spinning...

By the time I finish explaining why, yours will probably be spinning, too.

(I know. I've been missing from blogland. I got sucked into a vortex of work and reorganizing my home life.)

I realized my head was beginning to spin on my way from the airport to the hotel last Friday evening. I was in Taipei when I started this post. I've been looking forward to coming here to practice my Mandarin. My first Mandarin teacher was from Taiwan. I've been learning Mandarin nearly 9 years now. (No...not even conversational yet...got a ways to go.) I can read some Chinese characters now. Mainland China has adopted a simplified system...much easier to read, but when you understand the traditional characters, you have a sense of the history that formed the characters. Anyway...either way you slice it, it's complex and challenging. I'll be learning Chinese for a very long time.

Here is what started the spinning: I now live in Hong Kong where traditional Chinese characters are used and Cantonese is spoken. After 17 months of living here, my head is beginning to wrap itself around that. I can speak a few Cantonese words (10. Maybe. Okay, maybe 15). Then I went to Seoul, South Korea. Can I say...I really liked Korea. I had the opportunity to spend 4 days there and got to see the blooming cherry blossoms on the way back to the airport. The mountains are gorgeous. It's a sprawling city. I loved the mix of traditional and modern. I bought a book (after I returned to Hong Kong...I'm strange that way...go to the country then read about it afterward...) to learn about the influences that created modern Seoul. I learned a few Korean words (anyonghaseyeo...hello...and thank you...kamsamida). I now have five language drawers in my head. English (native language), some Spanish (I can understand more than I can speak), Mandarin (same level as Spanish), Cantonese (I know the first ten numbers, how to order my breakfast in Cantonese and how to get home). The spinning began when I landed in Taiwan and I was reading traditional Chinese characters and having to think in Mandarin instead of Cantonese. My mind was open and slamming shut all the language drawers in my head as I struggled to figure out which language I was supposed to use. The "Overwhelmed" button was blinking in head.

I'm now back in Hong Kong and the world is beginning to return to level for me.

Polymer Clay

On an art note...I am finally picking up in polymer clay where I left off in glass...with swirls. Here is a particularly delicious swirly combo I'm calling Durango in the lariat style with cluster earrings and a simple bead and tube earring. I have to say...I'm swaying to polymer clay for earrings because they are so light. You can make them dramatic with very little weight on your ears. I love the gentle tinkle of glass, but polymer is more comfortable for the long haul on your ears.



Now that I'm where I left off in glass, I can see how clay will take me in a wildly different direction than glass. I still pine for glass. I have my boxes sitting here. Staring at me forlornly...or I'm staring forlornly at them... Either way, glass is now part of my DNA, but circumstances are pushing me to explore clay and I'm having FUN with color and the low overhead involved. I've got some new goodies sitting, waiting to be photographed, described and uploaded. Gobs. But, I have to unravel the twists of my home reorganization...that may take a little bit of time. No guarantees.

Toodles for now...just wanted to say hi and let you know I'm still here...

Hong Kong Chronicles: Elevator Etiquette

I think I'm getting used to life here. Nothing has hit me as strange lately...um...maybe it's more appropriate to say, I haven't done anything strange and out of sync with the rhythm in Hong Kong lately.

But, I do have something I just figured out lately regarding Elevator Etiquette. Even between Wisconsin and Texas, I found general differences. For example, in Texas, ALL men allow women to go first...through a door, on the elevator...even to the point of stacking up awkwardly to allow a woman to go first. That was kind of fun the first time I realized that. I really didn't know what to do. Wisconsin...well, let's just say it's a little more egalitarian...sometimes men let women go first, sometimes they don't...I mostly grew up there, so I never noticed the pattern until I moved to Texas.

From my point of view, the quirk over here in Hong Kong is when people get off the elevator, as soon as your coattails clear the door, someone is pushing the "Close Door" button to get the elevator moving. In other words, if you're daydreaming, fixing your hair in the mirror, or taking a nap, you'll miss the elevator. Heck, you may even miss it if you are paying attention! In Texas, this would be interpreted as a rude, "I-don't-want-to-be-on-the-same-elevator-with-you" move. Not here. This is an efficient traffic flow move. You should see the stacks of people lining up in the morning and at lunchtime! After the first few months, I jumped onto this habit. Now, I even step up to the elevator operator position to keep the elevator moving as the crowd peels off to their respective floors (although most people don't expect a foreigner to be manning the elevator buttons).

The other habit is one that just swam out of my subconscious into my stream of awareness. It's something that's been niggling at me for months, but my brain was busy processing so many other things, this hadn't pinged my radar of consciousness until recently.

It has to do with the Bunching Factor.

Observations about US characteristics...first, that people are individualized and personal space comfort zones are about 3 feet. When in a crowded space (such as an elevator or underground train) people will bunch and disperse based on the socially ingrained comfort zone. When a crowded space disperses, people generally reconfigure to the socially acceptable distance.

A few observations about Hong Kong: the culture is much more collective...you do things in groups. Combine that collective nature with smaller personal space zones, the tendency is to bunch into a group...and stay bunched, even when space frees up. This niggled at my subconscious for a long time...people would get off the elevator but maintain their position, much to the chagrin of my claustrophobic self. I had this feeling that something was "off" but just put my finger on it a few months ago...people didn't de-cluster from their groups even if space was available.

It was strange to go back to Dallas and have people evenly space out in the elevator as space freed up and actually wait for the elevator doors to close. I think I'm going to have reverse culture shock going back to the US...people will be looking at me strange as I stand at inappropriately close distances and close the elevator doors on them.

To sum up Elevator Etiquette by location:

Texas = Chivalrous

Wisconsin = Egalitarian

Hong Kong = Efficient

What is Elevator Etiquette like by you? Have you noticed differences when you visit somewhere else?

Hong Kong Chronicles: Lessons in Bargain Hunting

I thought I knew people who were the consummate bargain hunters. I've shopped with them. I am not one of them. My friends with mad skilz in shopping...if it comes to a showdown between me and them, they win hands down. I don't even hold a candle to their skilz. But compared to Hong Kongers, they are merely trainees. I do believe Bargain Hunting could be nominated as an Olympic Sport. And the people who live in Hong Kong would dominate.

My adventures in bargain hunting began by accident. I'm still discovering where to find odd bits and bites of crafty things as well as quality home accent items. Big box stores such as Britain's B&Q and Australia's Spotlight were tried. And failed. Bix box stores are NOT a hit in Hong Kong. However, the box store in the throes of failure is a gold mine for the Hong Kong bargain hunter. It means mega-discounts on quality merchandise.

Which leads me to a sad little aside about the demise of Spotlight. It was a home decor store with high-thread count sheet sets that included a fitted sheet that actually fit your bed. Not some scratchy monstrosity from Ikea that parades as a pseudo-fitted-but-is-really-just-a-flat-sheet-with-an-attempt-at-pockets. This thing will have you wrapped up as a mummy by the morning. They have real air tight containers that protect your food from mold and critters...unlike the cheap plastic rice bins that appeared to be air tight. Not. They also have a very, very modest craft section. Nothing like a Hobby Lobby or Michael's. But, I've been making do with being able to find some things I need/want.

My big idea yesterday was to pick up a few bars of Sculpey polymer clay to get to know the properties of working with the freedom of clay, how to blend colors, etc. I was planning on 10, maybe 15 bars of colors.

Oh. Dear.

I tracked my way to the store and found the shelves nearly empty. I moved toward where the Sculpey had been kept past a line that was 500 feet long that was beginning to wrap around back on to itself. I thought...no way. If I don't find the Sculpey, I'm out of here. But, I did find the Sculpey. It was 75% off. My 15 bars morphed into 53. Oops. I got in line. In about 10 minutes I found how heavy 53 bars of clay are. About 20 minutes in I spied a nice craft bag to start toting the clay. We inched past the yarn section. I had the opportunity to read the contents and picked up some nice skeins of bamboo/soya, recycled cotton/acrylic, cotton, and bamboo/cotton. Some dreamy new yarns I've been dying to try. I'm unfortunately still in scarfland, but my latest scarf is moving it up a notch...it's a waffleknit that will be a gift for a friend who adores purple. I managed to restrain myself from more yarn and more pillows.

While in line, I notice a guy in front me with nothing to buy. I figure it out. His mom stuck him in line to hold a spot while she shopped. During the hour and a half in line before I check out, I was bumped thousands of times. It's common when your personal space zone is much smaller and you share the crowded space with so many people. People are generally exceedingly patient with the constant bumping. It takes a lot to annoy a local with your pushing. However, I managed to mildly annoy the guy in front of me (the one with nothing to buy) as I loaded up my new bag. (What could I do? I was hemmed into a tight space in the line and no one was moving...actually, I was constantly being bumped from behind and the side as people walked past. This is where retractable elbows would be a great invention.) Also, I learned you couldn't even wander off the line in any way (I got distracted with some pretty yarn) as your space would immediately be slurped up by the person hovering behind you. I used my ignorance to slide back into the space I never really vacated.

I learned some tricks from the masters of the bargain hunt.

1. Hunt in pairs. A family pack is even more preferrable. One to get in line immediately and the others are left to shop while the queue inches forward. (Like the guy in front of me who was a plant by his mom.) I was able to observe the dynamics of this tactic. Mom and Dad would occasionally show up and claim the space while the other family members continued their shopping. Eventually it was just the dad in line and even he was summoned by a phone call and left the line a mere two people away from the cashier!
2. Which leads to learning another trick: split the family members into as many lines as possible to see who gets to the front first. The winner calls the other family members to their winning line.
3. Partners in crime can keep you stocked with food and drink, if you haven't already packed your own food and drink. They can hold your place in line should you need to dash to the restroom. They can also hold your place while you shop for even MORE bargains. And a folding, portable stool is also nice. Especially if you wait for an hour and a half.

I waited in line for one hour and a half. .... At least. I refused to look at my watch after a certain point to just ignore the amount of time it took. I prefer to remain generally ignorant or think it was an hour and a half. If it was more, I wouldn't know. I don't want to know.
But I survived my first Bargain Hunt in Hong Kong. I have some more digesting to do to determine if I've become wiser or just more averse to shopping.

Studio Time: Everything is Frizzled

I have had an entire week of frizzlement. The weather is frizzled (rainy and gloomy). I'm frizzled (migraines and just blehs). My camera is frizzled. This perfect storm of blehs and frizzles has led to the blog silence...

Actually, my camera is deep-fried frizzled. It's something I'm finding is happening with all of my US electronics. US is 120v and it's 220v here in HK. I have been using a converter for my camera battery and it was working for a while and now it's not anymore. My camera recharged just fine when I was in the US, but I've returned and now it's not cooperating. I've missed photographing two of my friends weddings. (But the digital age has allowed me to still have access to their pictures.) I've been trying to photograph my latest batch of jewelry and I haven't even been able to get one or two photos.

Finally, I have an alternate camera. I just need to get used to it. I don't like it as much as my other camera, but it's good enough.


So...just to keep things interesting here is some eye-candy. I need to take better pictures before I upload to my shop. If you're interested in any of the pieces, just email me. I'll upload to my shop later this week after I have some better photos.

Barrel Weave Earrings with Swarovski Crystal - $28

Super-fine delicate chain maille weave in 22-guage wire. The rings and the posts are in Argentium silver (more tarnish-resistant). Approximately 1" in length.





Barrel Weave Bracelet with Swarovski Crystal - $49

Super-fine delicate chain maille weave in 22-guage wire. The rings are in Argentium silver (more tarnish-resistant). Currently sized at 7.5" but can re-sized to fit your wrist. (Really! It's no problem...I enjoyed customizing the fit.)



Double Ring Chain Maille Earrings with Siam Swarovski Crystal - $28


Super-fine delicate chain maille weave in 22-guage wire. The rings and the posts are in Argentium silver (more tarnish-resistant). Approximately 1" in length.



Fine Silver Organic Heart Charm - $8

Thank you for hanging in there and coming to visit me!

Hong Kong Chronicles: The Passenger Chronicles

It's really hard to be a passenger here. I have had two good drivers where I didn't feel the need to wear a blindfold or take Dramamine...one taxi driver and one bus driver.

I have taken a lot of buses and taxis in the year I have lived in Hong Kong. Most drivers are more concerned with the conditions of the road than with the passengers slithering off their seats or plastered to the windows. Oh. Wait. Apparently, I'm the only one that does that.

I cannot be critical about driving here because I will never even attempt it...England. Me. Stone wall. Flat tire. There is no such thing as the open road or wide open spaces. Ah, for the open roads of Texas, Alaska, Canada, or the western states. I have driven in New York City, Boston, Dallas, Chicago, Seattle, and Paris when it's bumper-to-bumper traffic, so I understand you just need to do what you need to do.

To give you a picture: driving is left-sided on the pieces of rock that sprout out of the ocean. Street and real estate space are at a prime, so as much as possible is shoehorned onto anything that is potentially buildable or driveable. As engineering advances, previously unbuildable areas are claimed for expansion. In the meantime, skyscrapers, 7-8 million people, buses, trams, taxis, lorries/trucks, motorcycles, cars, scooters, and an occasional bicycle all vie to share space.

Floods of people crest the sidewalk rivers that are only 0.25 people wide. As people spill into the streets, taxis will whiz by, honking at the pedestrians. On a side note, I have observed that taxis don't stop for locals. However, they do stop for visitors. Locals hear a horn and smoothly return to walking on the sidewalk. Visitors have a dazed, shell-shocked look about them so the drivers deign to stop.

Double-decker bus drivers are pretty amazing, driving in these narrow, cramped streets or on winding, hairpin mountain roads. I hated driving my dad's truck with the fishing boat in light traffic on open roads so it boggles my mind that they are able to handle these massive vehicles in such tight spaces drowning in pedestrian and vehicle traffic. Then, if you sit in the "suicide seats" (the front window seats above the driver), you get a good view of everything going on. Including when you stop 2 inches from the bus in front of you. Oh yeah. That's fun to do to visitors. Those seats are usually available, too.

Because of the screech-and-peel nature of traffic and careening around hairpin corners, I am usually slithering off the seat onto the floor, plastered to a window, flattening fellow passengers into a people pancake stack (maple syrup anyone?), or wrenching my back with a four-point death grip on the fixed parts of the vehicle. Even when I am seatbelted into a taxi, because the seats are vinyl, I have insight into what cereal packaging means when it says "contents may have settled" as I am jostled into a stranglehold by the seatbelt in a nearly horizontal heap on the floor.

I am convinced people who live here go somewhere to have Velcro installed to secure themselves to their seat and a Weeble mechanism in their legs to keep themselves upright and from rocking into fellow passengers. Case in point, I came home on a bus with the proceeds of shopping. As I stood up to prepare to be spewed into the street as the bus lurched to a stop, I readied myself in my four-point death grip by setting my basket on the bus floor. In the process of suspending myself like a spider in my bus web, my watch popped off. I just figured I would scoop the watch up as I was stumbling out of the bus. However, there was a lady in front of me with three shopping bags, a purse and her office bag. She managed to steady herself with her burden and reach down to pick up my watch while the bus heaved to a stop. Oh yeah. She was that good. And I need to figure out where that Velcro/Weeble store is.

Hong Kong Chronicles: My first Hong Kong-er-versary

One year ago today, my feet touched Asian soil. I was neither a visitor but not yet a resident. My eyes glinted with the stars of my long-dreamed-of adventure. I had uprooted my existence and transplanted myself. The tentative roots bore bumps and bruises of settling into a new place.

This past year, I have experienced some tectonic shifts in my brain. A little wiser. Qualities sifted and refined. Flaws exposed for polishing. With a deeper understanding and appreciation for the gift of friends...from my native land and new friends in my current home.

I still take pictures like a tourist. I'm a resident adventurer.
My Year in Review

Home
Then: I landed and lived in a village on one of the outlying islands, Lantau, until this past August. It was a great transition for someone who prefers small-town/country living to transition to big city life. I do miss village living...the croak of frogs, the chirp of crickets, and riding my bike with Molly in the basket. (I don't miss the VLR.)

Now: I live on an inner island in Aberdeen Harbour. While I can officially confirm that I am an un-urban girl, I do appreciate the convenience of living in the city and am challenging myself to experiment with urban themes over the next year.


Habits
Then: a major addiction to iced coffee, cola, chocolate, and all things sweet

Now: I drink hot water...plain...to warm up or just because. I love an evening brew of honey, ginger, and lemon steeped in hot water...soothing, refreshing, good for digestion. I'm down to one cola per week or every other week, chocolate has been nearly eliminated (migraine trigger), and my overall sweet intake is reduced.


Money
Then: I used to hold out a fistful of coins and the store clerks would pick out the correct change.

Now: I know my money without having to read every single coin.


Breakfast
Then: Iced coffee and random breakfast things from the ubiquitous Starbucks

Now: Milk tea and a bun from the ubiquitous local bakeries

Looking toward Wanchai

Wanchai Food Market

View from the second level of a bus

Simplicity

Then: Arriving with two suitcases, sleeping on the floor until furniture arrived. I'm getting old and could only tolerate sleeping on the floor for two nights before I had to upgrade to a cot. Moving with two suitcases made me realize how little I really need. I had sold my house and possessions and stripped down to a little bit more than necessities. I enjoyed this process of simplifying and unattaching myself from “stuff.”

Now: A cozily furnished flat, but I have retained this lesson of simplicity. I actually work at not buying things. If I do consider buying something, it is with careful consideration as to where it will fit. I like the simplicity a small residence enforces.


Pets
Then: a neighbor cat volunteered herself as a temporary pet by showing up for an evening cuddling before we had to return her to real mama

Now: Resident Maltese, Molly, presiding...cuddling is doled out at a Molly-rate...whatever she feels is appropriate...or if I can catch her


Rhythm
Then: ducking and weaving around people and feeling like I'm playing a game of Constant Chicken while applying American rhythm to walking in Hong Kong

Now: I've tapped into a well of patience I didn’t know existed in me and have learned the rhythm of walking in crowds. Except for teenagers. Last week, I got walked into a truck by a teenage boy. I expressed multi-cultural disapproval with an Aiya! (Chinese) and mean glare (American). As I alluded to in the opening, flaws...such as my impatience...are exposed. I do have a sneaking suspicion that teenagers think they live in an alternate dimension. However, since they still exist with the rest of us, I must dig a little deeper this well of patience.

Shoes
Then: walking through a pair of shoes in two months and having my parents send me shoes from the US.

Now: Finding shoes in a store near work that fit and I can actually walk comfortably in.


Conversation
Then: as a language learner (Mandarin), I know I have had two conversations going on at the same time. No, not the kind you have with girls who have multiple conversation tracks in their head. The kind where the person you are talking to has one conversation, and me--entirely misunderstanding the gist of the conversation--has a very different conversation.

Now: I think I might be down to 1.5 conversations. I'm understanding conversational Mandarin a little better. But sometimes can wander off on my own track.

Aberdeen (on Hong Kong Island) near where I live

The Overall Transition
Then: Lastly, here were some observations I wrote to some family and friends regarding culture shock.

Learning humility from a new angle
This is another reason I like getting older...I'm starting to "get" things I've known intellectually but not with depth of personal understanding. Having moved around in the US, has exposed me to some of the subtleties of adapting to a new culture. Moving across the world has exposed me to the dramatics of adapting to a new culture.

To sum up my lesson: It's a test of humility to change things about yourself when you think it's silly or inconvenient to change. But, you change out of love for your local community and willingness to be more compatible and acceptable in your new community. It's also a test of humility to resist the urge to change your new neighbors when they say or do things that seem weird, strange, or "wrong" to you. It's not automatically wrong. It's just different.

Culture Shock

Which leads me to some thoughts on Culture Shock. I've been asked many times about what I am adjusting to here. Well, everything. I mean everything. I think that is where the shock comes in. Even the most adventurous of us are creatures of habit. The sum of our personal being is the collection of our experiences. We learn new things by layering life experiences on top of each other. When something becomes familiar and comfortable, our brain begins filtering the familiar and processing it through the unconscious sides of our brain.

When you move to a new culture, it's like becoming a child again...your mind is flooded with conscious sensations. Then because everything is processing through the conscious and your unconscious is twiddling its thumbs, your system becomes unbalanced, begins to overheat, and overloads. Culture shock. (Or frizzling.)

I was reminded of a class I took about communication. We use a model that basically says everyone has a frame of reference from which they operate...in other words, we all have our own personal pictures through which we interpret the world. Problems occur when the frames of reference are not aligned or the pictures in our heads are different. What I have found with crossing cultures is our frames of reference are completely different. Even our thought patterns are different. I have yet to find something in the Chinese culture, language, and thought process that overlaps frames of reference I grew up with.

Now: These observations are still true...but, with sheer repetition, the environment begins layering its own experiences on top of previous experiences and form their own frame of reference. I realized I had become comfortable with my new environment as I was hosting a visitor new to Hong Kong. I was walking at a fast clip with the ease of someone who is familiar to the environment...get off at this bus stop, walk on the right side of walk, measure my pace to the rhythm of the crowd, the crosswalk is blinking and I know when you can still cross the street or when it's wiser to wait for the next light, I look the correct direction for traffic, I can point out the bus stops and which buses lead back home, and know generally where to find what you need. Yes. Hong Kong is making inroads into my subconcious and breeding familiarity.

I feel there is still so much to explore and learn. But, it's fun to look back and realize I have learned much, I'm finding familiar things...hey, I'm just finding things! The tender roots of transplantation are spreading, growing, and finding firmer ground one year later.

Hong Kong Chronicles: Was I gone for 3 weeks or 3 years?

I have a favorite little western retaurant around the corner from me. It's not always busy, which is one of the reasons it's my favorite place to go. The traditional way to tell a good restaurant around here is by how crowded it is. The caveat to this is the western style restaurant because it's usually slightly more expensive and has less familiar fare. The main thing I'm looking for is a different place to sit (other than my desk) that gives me some elbow room once or twice a week. I went to this restaurant before I left.

I returned last week and approached the restaurant from a different angle. And passed it up. No. Hold up. Wait. There's the grocery store. There's the...okay. Maybe if I walk back that way, I'll. No. No. Am I on the right street? Okay. Wait. I have jetlag. Think. Think. Think. ... Ow. That hurts. ... I know, I'll go to the corner I usually start from... and walk back... and it's usually...wait. There's a completely gutted shell. But, wait. It was a bigger restaurant... and there is.... a fully functional Manning's drug store in the other part.

Walk to the end. Walk back to the other end. Stand and stare for about 5 minutes.

Was I gone for three years?

My brain fog is rolling in. I'm confused. I'm dazed. I'm puzzled.

I'm awed at the speed with which a determined set of people can rip out a restaurant, install a store, and have it fully functional and operating like it's been there for three years. The only evidence was the new cement on the step up to the store. The only evidence.

Sigh. I'll go to the sandwich shop that makes me retract my elbows.

On my way there, one of the flyer-ladies thrusts a paper in my face. I came to Hong Kong with a mindset that flyers were the street equivalent to junk mail. Mmm. Kinda. They are hawking something...a restaurant, service, or store. However, because of the vertical nature of the environment, you often have no idea of the wealth of little businesses run right under...er, above...your very nose without the assistance of these useful little brochures. So, I sometimes take them. Sometimes I ignore. This time I took.

Ah! My favorite restaurant moved! Here it is.

I go up, tastebuds re-tuning for my mushroom linguine and rose milk tea. It was crowded. I couldn't find one of the comfy seats I always enjoyed. However, my tastebuds were tuned and what can you do when you tune them. Twice. So, I ordered. I tasted.

This isn't rose milk tea. This is a rose latte. I don't want coffee. I want tea. I wanted the mushroom linguine. Hey! Their prices are more expensive! Am I in the right dimension? Did I end up in a special hemisphere as I flew over the international date line? Can I still contact my family? What year is it? Am I on Candid Camera?

Hong Kong Chronicles: The Headlines

I must be missing a gawkers gene.

Gawkers carry cameras. And videos. Or both. Or at least a video phone.

Like Cathy (who missed the Squirrel with his face in an empty peanut-butter jar but got the Oscar-Meyer-Weinermobile instead...you need to bookmark her blog...seriously funny).

Only I didn't get an alternative for you to ogle.

So, back to missing DNA...the gawkers gene...I'm really excited to be setting foot in the US again to see friends and family. I hope I will behave properly...i.e. habits I've picked up in HK won't unnerve my old friends.

Back the instigation of this post, I was finishing up the family trinket shopping and noticed what was normally a moving throng of people a stopped throng of people. Looking up. In addition to looking up, there was an impressive display of mobile power recording the event with whatever they had at hand: camera-phones, video-phones, i-phones, video cameras. If they didn't have video, they were on the phone telling someone about it. Since this was a major thoroughfare for tourists, this also included a fair amount of tourists in this gawkers crowd. When I looked up, I saw an anemic plume of smoke from a burning window air conditioner.

On the Richter scale of dramas, it might have been a 0.001.

I really wasn't impressed. I was more impressed with the display of mobile power. Once I determined that I was not really interested in gawking, I was trying to assess whether there was a trickle of non-gawkers moving through the crowd or if police had truly cordoned off the street to pedestrians.

Just at the time I had dismissed the burning air conditioner as a drama princess, the burning air conditioner decided to amp up the feeble display with a tiny, spluttering explosion. There was a collective in-take of breathe, cry of concern, and a micro-stampede about 20 steps backward.

Sigh...yes, alternative routes must be found...

At least Hong Kong is almost to scale. It really it just a matter of a few steps this way or that way. You pick.

And if I had the gawkers gene I would have something to show you. But, I am missing that piece of DNA. So you only get to hear my story about it.

P.S. - I have finally reached the vacation part of my US trip. I have many stories to tell, but was caught up in the whirlwind of work, friends, and travel and have not had any spare minutes until now. My stories are a little out of order. This was one of the stories that happened the day before I left. Since jewelry and blogging are hobbies...they get included in my vacation...

Studio Time: Equestrian Series - Saddle-Up! Necklace & Earrings

Sorry for the posting break! I had a post prepared last week when a tragedy befell one of my new designs (a corsage bracelet with disk beads). I've had to re-write the post. I also had a migraine for two days. I hate when I lose part of a week!

Anyway...some eye-candy as I get back in the saddle.

Speaking of saddles...here is a new design I'm testing in a line I plan to call the Equestrian Series. This one is called Saddle-Up! because they remind me of stirrups. I'm taking a mid-day stroll through downtown Hong Kong, twiddling, fiddling, and generally wearing my new design to make sure it stands up to regular daily wear.

How the necklace lays when worn and the earrings dangle. Once this design meets my "wear and tear" quality standards, I'll make some versions for you. None will be exactly the same.



Me on a tram. I got tired (and sweaty) walking one way looking for the post office and computer stores. I knew it was somewhere close to where I wandered. But, I never found it. Fruitless (as far as shipping and computer supplies), but entertaining and some decent mid-day exercise and relaxing tram ride back to blow dry.




Today It's Raining Cats & Small-to-Medium Size Dogs
It's been raining all day today. It's definitely raining cats. And some small dogs (Maltese and Yorkie size) and even some Terriers and Labs. But, it's definitely not raining Golden Retrievers, St. Bernards, or Great Danes yet...that's when nothing stays dry except maybe your eyelashes that are tucked way up underneath the umbrella.

I was crossing the hill that goes down to the waterfront. Sheets of water were cascading down it. I thought, "Throw plastic down on that there hill and you have a great Slip-N-Slide." Heh. I don't even need the plastic or hill. Just give me ceramic tiles and rain.

This is the sea level view down the hill from my complex.



Malt-Candy

I can't help it. These are my two favorite views. Molly and Aberdeen Harbor. This is my daily eye-candy.



Molly enjoys the views, too. There are kites (Hong Kong hawks) that circle in front of our window. Molly enjoys watching them. Did anyone see The Proposal? Remember the dog scene? I remind Molly that it's good there is plate glass between her and them.



Endless Sources of Amusement

My dogs have always provided a never-ceasing fountain of entertainment and stories.

I mentioned in a previous post that me and Molly are afraid of thunderstorms. Molly usually greets me at the door when I come home. Today she didn't. As a side note, I've been winding myself up with anxiety over leaving Molly for an upcoming business trip/vacation. She's getting older (nearly 11!) and she gets stressed when I leave. Plus, we just moved into a new flat. So, today, when I came home and no Miss Molly greeted me, I had a moment of panic.

But, I looked around and found this.



In Texas, we had a few whoppers of thunderstorms while I was gone during the day. There were a few times that we "lost" Molly. She was usually found in a tub. Good things here: my abode is less than 1/3 the size of the "small-ish" Texas house I had and I have a clear shower curtain. In Texas, I had two bathrooms and opaque shower curtains. Even when I looked in the bathroom, I usually failed to look in the tub.

I have no idea how long she was in there today. Poor baby. But, it was funny (and a relief) to find her hiding out in the bathtub. I need to teach her that under the bed in my bedroom is the darkest, safest spot.

Hong Kong Chronicles: Translations

A chronological review of the last 24 hours.

Strong Tropical Storm Koppa

We had a T-8 typhoon Monday night. It was coming off the Philippines as a Tropical Cyclone (Pacific equivalent of a Hurricane). Koppa sustained a T-8 status for over 15 hours, and we were only on the periphery of its track. Aiya!

Typhoons cause a significant fuss. The storm was brewing all day, culminating in being sent home early from work. It's the Hong Kong equivalent of a snow day in Dallas. I always loved snow days. They were "bonus days" and catch up days. The thing is, with snow, it's quiet. Brew hot cocoa. Watch Star Trek. Read a book. Typhoons? Not so much. They're a bit noisy. And this being my first big one ever, and first big one in the new digs, it was a nail-biter. I thought I was being a nervous nelly, but one of my friends who's been here for three years was also scared.

Anyway, I did get some bonus time, coming home early. Some of the bonus time was also borrrowed at the expense of sleep, but there have been a bunch o' shop updates as a result.

Molly's New Outhouse

I told you we were upscaling! Even Molly's toilet is luxurious. Too bad she's more interested in pee-mail instead of scenery.





I guess the dogs don't need to worry about spelling.



Molly has also been making new friends. We started off a little rocky...Molly was a little threatened, but with some Cesar Milan mommy-training reminders, we've been able to reassure her that she's okay. She's befriended a sweet little Yorkie named MoMo. MoMo has black poodle brother, named Baby, who is a wee bit aggressive but is settling down. There is a gorgeous Samoyed who is incredibly well-trained and calm. She's really nice to Molly and this is the first big dog Molly is warming up to. Then there are two, teeny little bits of Yorkies (I think they must 3 or 4 pounds). The male is friendly, but, I have to work on keeping Molly calm. She gets a little overexcited with the smaller dogs. Unless they're calm and laid back, she's a little intimidating. I didn't get the male's name, but the female is named QingQing. I love the Chinese familiar names...

Storm Prep

Preparations for the large plate glass windows in the lobby. A little intimidating for a newbie to typhoons. You'd think I'd be calmer after Texas weather. But tornadoes are over relatively quickly. Closet quaking is temporary. Although the high-rises are built to withstand a strong storm, I think what concerned me were the windows. If the wind took those out, then it would be a wind alley. (Sorry for the blurry photos...taken while walking...)






Brewing storm clouds...





Bowing palms...

The Sass-a-Frass Malt

After the storm...I wanted to capture a picture of what I leave behind as I leave each day for work...the adorably cute face (attached to the adorably cute dog) and the stunning views. I forgot I had my camera on a high white balance setting and it washed out the scenery. But, I caught a funny Molly sequence that gives you a smidgen of her personality.

Winding up...[head cocked to the left]

Ready?



Caught in the act!!!



The sass-a-frass attitude after mama shushes her. (She always has to have the last word.) [Head cocked to the right and turned away and one last "yipf".]

Post-Koppa

Some wind damage of young trees outside the office. Most of the time the majority of the damage is to the low-lying areas with poorly built homes.

And finally...

Shrizzled

I've invented a compound English grammar word. Not just a compound adjective like fan-tabulous (fantastic + fabulous). Ah. Language. It's such a living thing. And messing with it is so much FUN!

Shrizzled = Noun + Adj compound = a frizzled shrew

Yet another Shrizzled was in the bankline today. I could see the wind-up coming as I got in the queue. I think she was at 70 decibels when I arrived. By the time she was taken away (management finally came to assist), she was at 120 decibels and was drawing the gapers block. At least now I know it is EOG (equal opportunity gawking). I give the teller a lot of credit. She was handling her with great equanimity. I have no idea whether the teller was bureaucratic as this was conducted in Cantonese.

A side note on filling out online forms in person: one advantage of filling out forms is that the tellers know the forms well and how to fill out efficiently. You don't have to struggle with reading the form and figuring out what to do and where to sign. Yes...the tellers fill out the forms for you. Nice, eh? If I'm going to trade off the convenience of doing this online, might as well have a convenience to replace it! I was observing some of the other transactions to see if this had anything to do with me being a westerner, but this was happening with all the bank patrons. Sweet!
Wow. That was a lot for 24 hours!