In Hong Kong I had an American craft beer subscription that brought two six packs of miscellaneous American imports, mostly from the west coast or Hawaii, to my door once a month. This saved me from the monotony of cases of Carlsberg or PBR or Tsing Tao at the grocery store, and was less expensive... Continue Reading →
It is finally over. There are flowers out; our balcony garden is sprouting; I can go running in shorts and a t-shirt. The thaw started in earnest in March, but April has started to get genuinely warm. Plants, no longer terrified of the sudden surprise cold snap that could destroy their spring buds, have begun... Continue Reading →
I had a 7 hour layover in Vancouver, so I went downtown to sit outside and write, then ambled to a brewery pub for dinner. It was August, and I ate outside. I had a good meal and a nice beer. The waitress was fairly slow; I sat at my table with a menu, by... Continue Reading →
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 →
The Chinese Opera is feared, mocked, and sometimes reviled. Everyone will tell you not to go, they’ll get a look of terror in their eyes, and say, “Why?! It’s awful!” You should ignore them. If they have seen it, they have an experience you lack, and if they haven’t seen it, they are just speaking... Continue Reading →
I splurged last weekend, and it was completely worth it. We spent the weekend in the Grand Hyatt, and never left the building. We did a small escape from stress of work/life/relocation by heading over to the Hyatt for a staycation. This hotel happens to have a special deal for HKID holders called "8-2-8": $828 per... Continue Reading →
On Monday, we spent the hours from 8AM to 9PM in Stanley, on the south side of Hong Kong Island, most of it in the sun on the beach. It was a public holiday, this time in honor of the annual Dragon Boat Festival. Last year I took off to Taipei, but this year I... Continue Reading →
In Hong Kong it may be advisable to avoid eating bottom feeders like oysters and shellfish from the area because of the water quality, but fish markets are full of styrofoam boxes filled with water and flapping fish the size of a cat. I love going to a stall and selecting my fish from a... Continue Reading →
I have taken up a new sport: Dragon Boat. Last year, while I worked every Sunday, P joined a dragon boat team that practiced Sunday afternoons in Stanley. I was not-so-secretly jealous. I like paddle sports, and I like fitness, and I love being on a team (ex-college athlete). So this year, without the Sunday... Continue Reading →
Every March Hong Kong turns into a rugby haven, with tons of extra foreign tourists. Last year I could only go to a couple of games, 10s matches before the big weekend, but this year P managed to acquire tickets to the finals of the sevens. Getting tickets is actually moderately difficult because they are... Continue Reading →
A repatriated American, living in Chicago for the first time, occasionally writing about it.
jamielynnwaters 