Monday, September 17, 2012

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRISTIE!!

Today is my sister's birthday!

Kristie, I love you and hope you have a fabulous day!

Friday, September 14, 2012

Hong Kong's Flower Market


While visiting Hong Kong, you must swing by the flower market in Prince Edward before leaving.  Flowers arrive daily from all over the world and are an amazing sight for the eyes.  I usually get there by taking the MTR (Red Line, Prince Edward Station, Exit B1) and return home via cross harbor taxi (due to the crazy amount of flowers I end up buying).  I wouldn't say it's convenient by any means, but even as an island resident, I find the trip definitely worth all effort involved. 

When I first moved to HK, I went to the flower market to check out the options for house plants.  I had serious doubts that it would compare to my old Home Depot or Lowes back in the states.  But as soon as I turned the corner at the beginning of the flower district, I was impressed.  I bought orchid arrangements for every surface in my flat, several huge palms for inside and enough tropical palms and flowers to transform the balcony into a tropical oasis.  All I had to do was pick out the containers and gravel accents.  The shopkeepers potted and delivered everything to my home the next day!  In the states this would have taken at least 10 trips to Home Depot or Lowes or both.  Not to mention hauling bags of potting soil, mulch and gravel.  FINALLY I discovered something that's easier in Hong Kong!!!!!  

Sorry you can't scratch-n-sniff... 





















If the incredible scent of the flowers isn’t enough, right in the middle of the flower market is a little street vendor with the best egg tarts in all of Hong Kong.  Actually, a bad egg tart is kinda like a bad Krispy Kreme donut, they don't exist.  



Monday, September 3, 2012

I may have broken the law, but...



I take crossing streets in Hong Kong almost as serious as the locals are with hitting the >close door< buttons in elevators.  Seriously!  I have to remember cars go in opposite directions than in the states, bus lanes have their own rules (or lack of), some streets have trolleys (which require tracks that can cause tripping), speeding cars (by drivers that aren’t great because they only drive on the weekends), speeding taxis and delivery trucks, little people pushing little metal wagons full of cardboard (???) or Styrofoam (???), all while making sure the sidewalk you are going toward has room for you!

A few weeks ago while crossing the street to my office, I noticed two police officers.  They waved me over- only me, not the other 2 dozen people that were crossing with me. Then again, I may have been the only person tall enough to see over the crowd.  I actually didn’t know what they wanted, but was informed I had crossed with a red light.  To be honest I wasn’t upset, but rather excited because the officers asked for my identification.   I haven’t mentioned this before, but getting my residential status approved was quite the process and this was only the second time I had been asked to show my HK ID (the first time the situation was totally in my favor and not with the little old man that jumped into MY taxi and wouldn’t get out until I yelled for police backup).  None the less, I was once again happy to present my HK ID. 

As one of the officers started writing in his little black book, I watched the other officer go out and stand in the middle of the street.  As he stood there a little old man walked across the street with red lights.  I thought poor guy- today’s not his day either.  Then I watched the officer basically pat the old man on his back and let him go about his way.  I immediately said to my officer this was discrimination.  Well, that comment definitely got the attention of my officer, the same officer that when asked for my address couldn’t spell my building or street name.  (I kept saying "Really?!?  Are you serious?!?  You don’t know how to spell that??")  Anyway, when I explained to my officer what I had just seen, he quickly ran out to talk with the other officer and then they both ran to get the little old man down the street.  I thought for a second I should make a run for it, but one of the offices still had my sacred HK ID card!! 

The two officers brought the little old man back toward me.  While one officer focused on the little old man, the other returned to me.  As I was spelling out every word of my address, I tried to explain my intentions were not to ticket the little old man.  But he was so focused on trying to spell HONG KONG, I gave up.  Turns out the little old man didn’t get a ticket after all, because within seconds he was freed again!  Only this time he came up to me and started pushing my arm and yelling at me.  And since the little old man had no teeth, there was nothing shielding me from the massive amounts of spit spewing out of his mouth into  my face, chest, arm and shoes (BTW- spitting is against the law in Hong Kong).  As a crowd formed, I stood there looking at the officers saying, "Really!, you don’t think this is discrimination?!?!"  

Yesterday, to my surprise I received not a ticket, but a court hearing date in the mail.  I don’t know what was more surprising, the fact that I got a court date and not just a ticket or the fact that the officer actually wrote my address down correctly!  Despite how I felt about the unfair treatment I received that morning, I did break the law.  I just wanted to pay my fine and go on.  However, in Hong Kong you don’t get tickets.  Every offense is presented before a magistrate for sentencing.  Because I don’t have time to go to court for jay walking, I had to mail in my guilty plea.  Now I have to wait for someone to present my plea to the assigned magistrate on my court date and wait to hear my punishment. 

Have I learned my lesson?  Well, the other day while waiting for a green light before crossing the street (thinking I have never felt so HOT in my life- literally sweat was POPPING out of my skin!), I just stood there while the other outlaws pushed and bumped into me, causing my shirt to become once again a second skin.  YES, I learned my lesson... don't look for green lights, look for police officers before crossing the street!



Street Crossing in Causeway Bay
Street Crossing near Time Square Mall
Man pushing wagon full of Styrofoam
Street Crossing in Central