After moving to Chicago in August, I am currently on a three week vacation in Hong Kong, where I obviously spent the previous two years. I'm enjoying HK again in all its overcrowded, overpriced, beautiful glory. People walk the pace of a terrapin, ads assail all your senses, and you can take the bus to beautiful... Continue Reading →
With visits, traveling, work, deadlines, and imminent holidays I neglected my blog. I decided to allow myself to take a break. But now I shall make moderate reparations. In December: We went to 3 nights of Clockenflap, Hong Kong's annual music festival, which started in 2008, had 1500 people and was free. It is now... Continue Reading →
I have grown to love holidays more as I have gotten older and moved around the world. Celebrating things while in different countries allows me to have a multiplicity of excuses to celebrate. New holidays are always a great time. We celebrated Handover Day on Monday with a Junk Boat: quintessential Hong Kong. It was... Continue Reading →
There are a few kinds of parties people have in HK–beach parties, dinner parties, karaoke parties, bar hopping, rooftop grilling parties and junk boats. Any public holiday: "who wants to do a junk!?" Any summer weekend: "who wants to do a junk!?" A junk boat is a yacht that has enough for a spacious party... Continue Reading →
I was on my morning commute the other day and saw this at a local shop: I was immediately struck by these paper shoes wrapped in plastic, as I thought they could serve no practical purpose–they must be ceremonial. There was also paper clothing, paper designer handbags and paper money. The shoes are preparation for... Continue Reading →
Chinese New Year: means stuffed snakes, red tassels and posters all over the place!! This was definitely my favorite: Only a few weeks from the holiday! I'm glad the snakes look like characters from a children's cartoon.
This past week, we de-christmased our flat. We still have our new years' hats, but that doesn't count. It was epiphany, and therefor the decorations had to come down. No more garish tinsel, no more santa hats on the TV, no more ribbons littering the room. The tiny Christmas tree is tucked in the closet... Continue Reading →
For the holiday we were cat-sitting a feline named Veronica. She is a gorgeous grey with stripes and a bushy tail, almost like a fox. I have never had a mammalian pet, and I was utterly fascinated. She is quite playful, so we made her toys; she would catch them and then forget about them,... Continue Reading →
It's the holiday season! It has been since Halloween, really. Hong Kong is decked out in fake snow and a plethora of poinsettias. It is actually mostly tasteful. There are lovely blooming poinsettias lining my street and in my office. Some stores have tasteful decor-the Cartier store is lovely with thick greenery and lights, for... Continue Reading →
When you don't live in America, Thanksgiving is a time when you invite everyone you know to cook something and bring it to one of the larger apartments. So last week I spent an evening cooking--Pete made bread and I made wild rice stuffing and a pumpkin pie--and we trekked over to a friend's place.... Continue Reading →
A repatriated American, living in Chicago for the first time, occasionally writing about it.
jamielynnwaters 