We're going to miss you Dave!

On Dave's last day we took a "junk" boat around Hong Kong. I thought my dad had rented this boat and wondered why the guy we were meeting at the Clock Tower to take us on the boat was American.  Come to find out, my dad's best friend from Westfield set the boat ride up. Of course I wasn't filled in at all. So when he started to tell us where he was from back in the states and how he had an ex-girlfriend from Westfield I really looked like an idiot when I said, "NO WAY! What a small world, we are from Westfield!" Hopefully that will be the last time my dad doesn't fill me in...

That day was an absolutely gorgeous day! It wasn't too hot and definitely wasn't cold. Although you might have thought it was cold if you looked out your window and saw a bunch of people wearing puffy coats. We've come to the conclusion that its a fad.. they just want to dress in winter clothes. I don't know why they haven't died from heat exhaustion though. I'm walking around in a tank top, wishing I had sandals, while they are in big puffy jackets. I don't think I'll ever understand.

Anyways... back to this boat ride. It was great! Along with the free boat ride, we got free, unlimited beer. We could have gotten a free lunch but Dad lost the guys email address and couldn't tell him we would love to have lunch on the boat. They did have Doritos though.

After the boat ride we relaxed for a bit and then went to Jade Garden for dinner. The meal was delicious! At least Dad, Dave and I thought so... not so much mom. All you have to do is look at her napkin at the end of a meal to find out if she really enjoyed it or not.


At dinner we got drunken prawns. They bring the prawns out in a bowl of water... still alive. Throw some alcohol in there and put the top on. These prawns were jumping for air... literally. They did not want to go. After awhile our waitress came back over and lit the bowl of prawns on fire, tossed them around a bit and then served them to us. I promised myself I wouldn't eat them after watching that but I couldn't help myself. They were delicious.

That meal we also ordered "bao zi" a dish I couldn't wait to eat. I'm pretty sure I ate bao zi in Beijing almost every day. Bao Zi are steamed pork buns... DELICIOUS.

The apartment is definitely going to feel empty after Dave leaves! I wish he was staying for New Years Eve so I could have another "kid" to celebrate with. 

Va Bene is the new Angelo's!

If you couldn't tell already I am doing a lot of catching up with my blog. My last blog was titled "hit the ground running" for a reason. The week Dave was here was a marathon week. He hardly had anytime to feel jet lag. Although the day after Christmas he said, "I'm just going to take a quick nap. And then I'll be recharged for dinner" Yeah right... quick nap... no such thing. Of course I won the bet and he was asleep for 3 hours.

Drunk Grapes

That night we went to Lan Kwai Fong to have dinner at Va Bene. Do you know where the best Italian food is, outside Italy, of course.... HONG KONG. And I am pretty sure Va Bene has the BEST Italian food in Hong Kong. Everyone's meal was delicious. Mom even got fish that tasted like chicken... that's when you know it was a successful meal. Va Bene seems to be turning into an Angelo's for dad. The owner knows him, the chef knows him, they have strega... need I say more? One thing Va Bene has that Angelo's didn't is DRUNKEN GRAPES. Dads goal was to finish the glass of grapes before we left. We did (mainly dad and dave). When we were done.... they brought us another one. I guess you could say dinner at Va Bene was the college "pre-game" to going out in Lan Kwai Fong. Of course... it wouldn't be a college kid's pre-game spot without their parents paying for the meal!

Dancing to Fireworks... their favorite song

After dinner we did some bar hoping. Two bars worth mentioning- Grafitti and the Ice Bar. Grafitti was right next to Va Bene. Mom and dad went there after their first date night in Hong Kong. They told us we had to go... "It's so fun and they have a great band!" Well they did have a great band... and it is SO fun... if you're a guy looking for a prostitute. When we left mom said, "I can't tell you the last time I was in a bar with that many prostitutes!"

Ice Bar

Then there was the Ice Bar... Absolutely freezing. Mom and I wore Fink coats (fake mink). I got an apple cinnamon shot... delicious. Although I could hardly taste it because it was so cold.

It was a successful night out in Lan Kwai Fong!

It Feels A Lot Like Christmas

Christmas Eve

This year was my first Christmas away from home- Westfield in 14 years! So I was a bit worried that it wouldn't be the same and I would be upset and homesick for Westfield. Well.. my worries never came true.. THANK GOODNESS. In my last post I mentioned how the apartment is really starting to feel like home and that statement held very true for Christmas Eve and Christmas!

Christmas Eve we had our usually fish sauce. Only this time we made it in a crock pot and probably cooked the sauce a little bit too long. But hey, right now its all about living and learning.

We still put our stockings out... this time it was against out TV. No oven, definitely no fire place and chimney. Apparently here they tell their children they leave a key out for Santa. Not sure that would have passed with me.



 Our christmas tree this year was definitely different... a bamboo tree with red bows and 4 little tiny ornaments. But it was green and it was decorated! One thing we've done well here is making do with what we have.

Last Year

This Year

Usually on Christmas morning Steph, Julie, Dave and I wait on the stairs "patiently" while mom and dad make coffee and take macy out. When they were finally ready for us we would sprint down the stairs. This year we had no stairs to run down and Steph and Julie weren't here but we did have a LITTLE tiny hallway to run from to the stockings. The stockings haven't changed.. still the best. I got diamond earrings in mine!! And the presents were great! Its obvious Dave has a new girlfriend since most of his gifts involved HANNAH.

Mom and Dad made a leg of lamb. Best lamb I have ever had. Our little convection oven is working some magic.

That night we skyped with Julie and the Elletts and Steph and Derek. So I would say Christmas in Hong Kong was a success.  We miss you Julie, Steph, MACY and Derek!

Merry Christmas to all : )

Christmas at the Harbourfront Lobby

Hit the Ground Running

Big enough beer?

Dave got here on the night of the 21st (the cookie disaster day). He and my dad got back to the apartment around 9pm so we went to our "backyard bar" my dad calls Cheers. Dave really is quiet the trooper... after a day of flying he had enough energy to go out and drink... with my dad. Something I can almost promise you I wouldn't have the energy for.

Holding on for dear life

Since Dave was only here for 9 days (two of them traveling days), we hit the ground running. The first day mom, Dave and I did the BIG BUS TOUR on Hong Kong Island. I "listened" to the guided tour in Mandarin, Dave listened to it in Italian and can you guess what Mom listened to it in... CANTONESE.. kidding, she isn't fluent yet.

Shrimp at Bubba Gump

The BIG BUS TOUR took us to the Victoria Peak stop where we took a tram up to the peak. We ate at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and looked out at the MARVELOUS views. After our lunch we headed up to the lookout deck where we saw all of Hong Kong. It was an absolutely beautiful and clear day.

Victoria Peak

After the peak our next stop was Stanley Market! Dad told mom and I to absolutely NOT take Dave there because he didn't come to Hong Kong to shop. WRONG, Dave loved it and bought a tea set for his new GIRLFRIEND, Hannah and some new aviators (they were only $10 and he is convinced they really are polarized).

We left Stanley Market and met dad at Indochine in Lan Kwai Fung for dinner. It was good but I definitely ordered the wrong dish.

That week we also went to Macau. There we got the best $2 pork sandwich I have ever eaten.  Although, I should have remembered from Beijing that street food isn't always the smartest choice. After we did all the (boring) touristy stuff we went to the Venetian Hotel. Of course the second we walked in the gambling area they asked for my passport to make sure I was 18! I may not look 21, but 17... give me a little more credit than that! Of course we lost all money gambling.. and left to go HOME.

The apartment really does feel like home now. When you get back from a long day and you have that sigh of relief that you're back at home base... finally!

More to come about the rest of the week soon....

Live and Learn

Walk back from Wing On with the oven!

Yesterday, 12/20 my mom and I walked to Wing On to buy her Christmas Present from Julie, Dave and I.... a convection oven! Are you wondering why we would buy a convection oven? Well, apartments in Hong Kong do NOT come with ovens. CRAZY, I know! We couldn't have Christmas without Christmas cookies, so we decided to let mom pick out the oven she wanted as an early Christmas present. If the picture doesn't already tell you... WE ARE REALLY MISSING A CAR!

This morning we went to MEGA BOX to a grocery store called Wellcome. There we bought all of the ingredients to make peanut butter Hershey kiss cookies and thumbprint cookies. It took us awhile to find all the ingredients and we were very successful (surprisingly). However, we had to substitute vanilla extract for vanilla flavoring.

Sad cookies

 So we were all excited to bake and had everything ready. When we went to preheat the oven to the normal 350 degrees we notice the oven only goes up to 220. Oh well, nothing we can do about that. Maybe it will feel like 350 degrees we though. When first made the peanut butter Hershey kiss cookies. After 15 minutes we noticed the cookies weren't really baking but the Hershey kisses were frying... eventually we had to take the cookies out. We felt the oven and both thought it was much hotter than 350 degrees... how could that be possible? So I study the little temperature thing on the oven... DUHHHH... we are in Hong Kong, they use the METRIC SYSTEM. 220 degree Celsius= terrible cookies. So we made the next batch and then moved on to the thumb print cookies, hoping for better results. Let's just say today's cookie baking was a live and learn day...

Living Like A Rockstar

My dad always told me when "we" lived in Singapore "we" lived like rockstars. I put we in quotations because I was born 3 years after my family moved there and we moved 3 years after I was born. So what do I remember about Singapore? Pretty much NOTHING. All of the rockstar living seems to be BR (before Rachel).

My parents moved to Hong Kong a few weeks ago and I have the amazing opportunity to spend the holidays and Interim in Hong Kong! So now it's my turn to see what its like to live like a rockstar.

View from my window

On December 16th I left for Hong Kong. Three flights later and a total of 23 hours flying, I landed in HONG KONG. I woke up the next morning to a beautiful 70 degree sunny day.

My mom and I walked the promenade and had pizza on the harbour. I decided to take a nap before going to dinner at an Italian restaurant... bad idea. I woke up on the couch at 9pm and went to bed. Jet lag + lack of sleep from school= exhausted.

So far I can say after day one....  I am definitely going to enjoy the harbour life and I never want to leave.