LIFE UPDATE!!!!

Get excited

Fact: I SUCK.   At blogging recently, and for that I am terribly sorry!  If it helps, I have had horrible horrible guilt everyday about not writing it.  Somehow or another something else always comes up.  I shall now tell you what those elses were...

Tent City

This was started 1 week ago.


Oh camping and I have a long history.  From the waterbug catching days of yore, all the way to my last camping adventure in the backwoods of West Virginia.  It snowed.  They've been the best of times and the worst of times.

Who am I kidding, camping is always fun. Paul and I set out (now 2 weeks ago) to Tai Long Won for an evening of no tv, no iphone, no nothing but us, some marshmallows, a bottle of sherry, and a tent.  To get to camping at TLW you first have to MTR to Choi Hung.  Then mini bus to Sai Kung.  Then taxi to middle of nowhere.  Then hike 45 minutes down to the beach.

best part of camping

But then you're there, and it's amazing.  Big open beaches with less than 20 people, one restaurant, and the stars.  We put down our brand spanking new pop up tent and went about setting up a fire.  We had some rice at the local restaurant, went back to camp, lit our fire, and roasted marshmallows and drift wood until we fell asleep.

Paul packing up

We woke up at the crack of dawn (with the other 7 or so campers) to a surprising cool.  Went for a quick swim, packed it up, and head home for crabs with Kina.

Sunset dinner on the beach

Love Kina.  We always have so much fun cooking up something random and trying to figure out how to comfortably fit 4 people around our tiny side table.  And the Island East Market provided some fun entertainment inclusive of 2 different a capella versions of Gangnam style.  Sunday Funday.

Last week I'm sure we went to tastings and events, but I can't recall now and don't feel like getting up for my diary, so we'll just skip ahead until Saturday.

Paul and I attempting a tandem, no dice

Paul and I MTRed up to Shatin (NT) to meet Laura and Derek for a day of biking along the river.  It was a beautiful day, we got some sweet bikes, and biked it along birds and jumping fish until we found a little cafe where we all enjoyed some fish and chips (you shouldn't order fish and chips from a Chinese run establishment- smushyville) and a beer.  Good times and good news that Laura had entered a raffle with some really sweet prizes.

Beautiful day for biking in Shatin

Worked all day Sunday, then Monday...

Derek, Paul, and Laura take a break

6 of us had been going back and forth for weeks about scheduling a groupon date.  Jackie, Justin, Laura, Derek, Paul and I all bought a super groupon for all you can eat sushi and all you can drink sake for 2.5 hours.  But as you may suspect, getting 6 socially active people to sit down to dinner on the same night at the same time, can be quite difficult.  Paul finally figured out a solution, the night before Chung Yeung Festival (no work).  We were all pumped and then 5 pm Paul receives a phone call:

While I slave away working on Sunday, Paul goes on an amazing junk.  Nina seen grilling

'Hi, you have a reservation for 6 tonight'

'yes'

'I'm really sorry but we can no longer honor your groupon....there was a fire last night'

Awesome fashion show/concert last Thursday

For real!?  Apparently yes.  The running suspicion is that this groupon ran the poor guy bankrupt, and a week before expiry the dude lit it up.

Paul and I ended up using a different sushi buffet groupon (we have a problem) which was quite lovely!  All you can eat sashimi AND ice cream.  Yes, please.

Friday evening wine tasting with KVB Kunlin

Tuesday was Chung Yeung festival which is the 9th day of the 9th month in the lunar calendar.  Uber bad luck.  888 is best- 99 is worst apparently.  You're supposed to climb a mountain to avoid the inevitable flood (ancient folklore?), but really people go to the graves of their ancestors to pay respect.

Foodie 3rd anniversary party last week

Paul and I went around shopping for HOFWs tableware, hit up a great Indian lunch which later tried to kill me, then went for foot massages, also purchases via a groupbuy.  I told you, problem.

Paul junks, Lauren works

This alleged foot massage was no such thing!  It was torture.  Pure foot torture for one full hour.  The place was lovely- it even had a fish tank in the floor! But man this woman went to town on my legs.  I have the bruises to prove it!

Anyway, spent the evening recovering with Courtney, Patrick and Steve (2 floors below with same apt- and bestie) drinking wine watching the 3rd and final presidential debate.  Wine, beer, and friends generally leads to no TV watching, and this was no exception.  Good thing I have Facebook to tell me Obama won.  Sorry Mitt.


Today back to work.  Then hit up a wonderful Swiss wine tasting in Wan Chai before heading home to write this little diddy and talk to my parents and Aunt Elda on Skype.  Thanks for the blog chastise Dad, I needed some motivation!

Till next time, which I promise will not be 2 weeks later.

Scary old lady drinking Swiss wine at the Matterhorn