Perfect Monday

Feeling jazzed after a good (4k ha) run and planks this am, I head into work for a day of meetings.  As soon as I finished catching up on weekend emails, it was time to van it down to Sheung Wan to meet with a potential business partner.  Good meeting (as orchestrated by moi) followed by a nice Halibut salad at O Green Cafe, who just so happens to carry our Organics, followed by another meeting back in Kwun Tong.   This meeting, however, was with two Argentineans who just so happened to bring some lovely samples of their wines.  Full review coming tomorrow here. I really liked their Malbec, but REALLY liked their Cab Sauv, but alas had to bail early (2 hours into the meeting) for tutoring.  These girls are just the sweetest!  They're twins, super smart, sweet, and just wonderful to teach!  And they live 6 floors above me!  Sometimes I wonder if I should teach.  And then I have flashbacks of Cheongpa with children jumping on desks chanting 'f*ck your face,' and I realize I am in a much, MUCH better place.

So yeah here is is 9:30 somehow.  Where did the day go!?  This is just a tease as Greg is heading home on Wednesday for a couple weeks, so it'll just be me in the big (er-kind of) quiet warehouse.  The days are gonna creep...

Dragon Boating is Awesome

And I wish I hadn't left my phone at home so I had some pictures!  The weather FINALLY turned from grey and miserable to sunny and high 70s, and today was the perfect day to be out on the water!  After lovely drinks with Kina on the Peak, and quality time with Steve in Quarry Bay, Paul and I called it an early Saturday night to prepare for our first day of training.  Sunday we woke up early, had a nice eggy sandwich breakfast, and bused it the 1.5 hours to Stanley.  What a gorgeous day!!!!!!!!

Sun. Sun. Sun. Sun. Beach. Sun. Sun. Sun.Sun.

We met up with our team at 1 for some land training.  As with all groups there's always the stragglers.  We waited for probably about 20 minutes for everyone to get there and then begin our training.  Our coach, Nicole (from Trinidad, not Turks and Caicos as previously reported) started us with some stretches, jumping jacks, and then we got right into the planks.  D-boating is all about core strength, so planks are crucial.  We started with a minute.  Then a break.  Then a minute.  Then break. Then planks to failure.  We all had to go as long as we can and whoever lasts the longest sets the minimum for next week.  15, 30, 1 minutes and Paul and I are still going.  Look around and they are dropping like flies.  1:30, 2:00, shaking like crazy, but I'm determined not to let Paul beat me.  Finally 2:30 or so he drops, I'm against (what I think) is one other dude and he drops, so I fall at 2:50, only to be told that German dude won.  But, per team consensus (Paul, Alberto and myself) he was totally cheating and not doing the right form.  So yeah, basically I kicked ass.  Team leader = me...as voted by me!  A few more exercises later and twas time to hit the beach!

We met the rest of the (people that actually showed up) InterNations team at the boathouse.  There were probably 10 or so of us all stars for land training, and 18 for boat training.  Again, weather was perfect and it felt so good to get out on the water after sweating it out during planks.  We rowed our little hearts out, switched sides, rowed some more and poof, an hour was over!  I wish it went longer!  Paul and I both agreed we like rowing on the left side better, which works out because we have to pair up with someone our own weight.  Hard to believe, but Paul's got a few kilos on me.

After practice the all stars went out for a snack and drink.  Nicole informed us that we did EXCELLENTLY for our first time boating.  I believe her, too.  We watched some other teams go out and it was like watching a train wreck.  We were mostly in sync and moved!  When we were supposed to!  We have about 25 people which is enough for 1.5 teams, so we're trying to decide to do one team or two.  If we do one you'll have to try out.  Guess who's currently in the lead? Just saying.....

Paul and I are super pumped for next week, and just to clinch our love even more, post all star meeting we went out to Classified, my new favorite place...in Stanely.  We ordered a bottle of wine and a cheese plate and enjoyed our early evening on the water.  Sun, exercise, water, new friends, cheese, wine.  Nice little Sunday, no?

What's Your Klout?

Do you know your Klout score? Do you even know what a Klout score is?  Well for those of you who don't, it's probably the most widely accepted means of gaging your online presence and influence.  According to their website, Klout is the 'standard for influence.' 

From klous.com: 'The Klout Score measures influence based on your ability to drive action. Every time you create content or engage you influence others. The Klout Score uses data from social networks in order to measure:

• True Reach: How many people you influence
• Amplification: How much you influence them
• Network Impact: The influence of your network'

I'm going to go ahead and agree and here's why.

My scores a 47!!!

Again, for those who don't know the scores are based out of 100.  1 being no online influence and 100 being, well Mark Zuckerberg.   

My 47 means I am 'effectively using social media to influence [my] network across a variety of topics.   Word.

My HOFWs score is only 21, meaning I am 'influential to a tightly formed network that is growing larger.'  I'll take that.  

What's your score!?

Hankuk Snackuh Sackuh

So today was a totally weird day.  Got to work early again, did some stuff around the office, and then hoofed it down to Wan Chai to turn in my visa documentation!!!  Get a nice froyo despite the fact Hong Kong won't admit it's spring (sun, where are you!?), then  get back to the office and Greg's in a weird mood.  All of the sudden pops a bottle of wine to taste.  Invites Lionel and I to join him, then another, and finally one more. We just had a couple sips of each, but twas quite a nice surprise on a Thursday afternoon (despite the quality of the wines).

I still got my Korean reading skillz

An overall different kind of a day I suppose.  But allow me to share with you one of my new favorite things!  Hankuk Snackuh Sackuh!  Translates to 'Korean Snack Shack!'  I stumbled upon the gem the other day on my way to a new tutoring gig.  It's just a tiny cooler counter on the street selling sigh kimchi!!!  And a whole range of them.  Their normal run of the mill kimchi is a bit too salty for my taste, but they also have the radish cube one, the cucumber one, nakchi (octopus), various meats, and my favorite, fermented tofu.  Oh how I love this place! Somehow every time I go I get totally ripped off, but for some reason this just seals its place in my heart a little deeper.  The first time I got a kimchi.  Too salty.  Next I got tofu and nakchi and somehow the normally $25 per container turned into $65.  Hmmm.  Then today I noticed they had kimbap (Korea's version of rolls- seaweed wrapped rice with ham, egg, radish, etc.) and pointed at it and said not this time but later, and next thing I know it's in my bag with my tofu and the bill's $50.  In all fairness they threw in an ice tea.  ha.  If you hadn't guessed, no one there speaks a lick of English, but they all light up when they see my credulous ass walk up.  It makes my day, rip off or not, and now tomorrow I have a kimbap and tofu salad.  Asa.

Kimbap!

So this tis my new Thursday ritual because I have the sweetest new tutoring job.  I came as a recommendation to this family from Natalie, my Monday evening tutoring.  Micky is a five year old shy girl and her older brother, Ryan, has a pretty good hold on English.  Since they're both pretty young, we break class into half an hour each.  Man does this make the time fly!  We read, play games, and they are just the most respectful pleasant children I have ever encountered...in Asia!  So yeah, I'm now up to 6 hours tutoring a week; 2 Monday, one Wednesday, 2 Thursday and one Friday.  Where do I find the time :)  

MTR

Why in God's name would anyone in their right mind take the MTR to work??  It's just a nightmare during rush hour!  I had to go into work early the other day (9am!) and also needed a photo for my visa application.  There's no CVS here so in Korea and Hong Kong if you need a passport photo you head to the closest underground for a photo booth.  With that in mind I went and spent my $40 HKD for 4 awful photos, then hopped on the green line for work.  Ugh.  I'm not joking when I say there are people hired to stand outside every train car door with big signs and whistles that attempt to regulate people from pushing and smushing their way onto the train.  It's that bad.  They blow the whistle while everyone ignores it and pushes anyway. 


It's the perfect way to start a grey rainy Monday.  Cheers!

Today's MY Day.

Beautiful Start to the Day

Progressively throughout this week my smoothies have gotten better and better.  I'm learning the right balance between ice and soy milk. Oh the perfect balance is always a struggle, is it not?  Today I got it spot on.   A few ice cubes, little soy, banana, handful of blueberries, and here's the key to perfection....peanut butter!! Divine!

Big Crowds at the Rioja Tasting

And a delicious smoothie is just what I needed after a four hour wine tasting the day before.  This is definitely one of the perks of working in wine.  It's totally acceptable, no I take that back, encouraged to drink as many wines as possible during one of these events.  If you want full coverage on favs check out here.  But here's what I didn't share on the work blog.  You'll see why in about 10 seconds.  So the last time the Mira hosted a Rioja tasting, let's just say I was less than employeed.  My schedule free self head over mid-afternoon in October having gone for a long run and skipped lunch. Smart, no? I was alone, there were a lot of people in suits, and to be honest, I was totally intimidated by the whole situation because I didn't know what I was walking into. Hell, I RSVPed and attended tons of events I had no idea about.  Oh the good old days...In order to overcome my timidness, I promtly started tasting, keep in mind before becoming a wine professional (ha), so there was no spitting to be seen.  I'd say within 4 minutes I was buzzed, and by the time I left god knows when, I was hammered.  Paul can attest to this. Moral of the story, I lost my wallet, a little dignity, and was a little nervous to come back this go round.  But I did so good! I poured out wines, I spit, I ate the little delcious bread chunkers they laid out on every table, and I drank copious amount of water.  I think I'm learning :)

Peter (hat) Lead Sean to Some Fine Wines

It was such a riot watching Greg grill these wine makers about their marketing budgets and how they would try to brand themselves in Hong Kong.  And we got two or three meetings with some of the wine proveyors coming up.  Greg, Sean and myself all went out to the Chung King Mansions for dinner.  If you don't know the Chung King Mansion, you've never been to HK.  It's notoriously the cheapest, dirtiest, sketchiest place to stay/eat/get drugs in Hong Kong.  But there's tons of Indians there and they know how to cook...except for where we went to dinner. Ewwww gross fish and eww mystery meat, but Sean had snagged a nice wine from the tasting so it was all good.  Head home at 8:30 was asleep by 9. Nice-uh.

Saving Grace at Dinner

Months and months ago I was in a gourmet deli near my home where they were giving out wine samples.  I passed my bcard to the wine guy and followed up with a very polite email the next day, never to be heard from again until last week.  He said he was interested in organic wines, of which we have a bunch, and he came in today for a meeting with Greg and I.  Dude is legit!  He sources wines for a ton of restaurants and hotels around HK and wants to work with us!  Because of ME!  Let's just say I'm on the good list at work. Greg says this may even earn me another Philippines vacation to which I replied, 'Bali.'

A little sparkle never hurt some data entry

No Wednesday Wine Tasting again this week, but we did crack open a bottle of our Clearly Organic Sparkling Airen to test this AM with Andy (deli guy).  A bit flat but I enjoyed the subtle oakness.   How's your Wine Wednesday!??

Dragons!!!!!!!!

New bestie Steve

Saturday after both Paul and I worked and napped, we head down to Quarry Bay to meet our new best friend Steve.  Wow, what an apartment.  Not is it only across from his work, it's also above two wine bars, AND newly refinished.  It would be the perfect aparment for Paul and I.  A studio with open kitchen, big bath, and nice outside balcony, fully furnished.  Steve we're moving in! Then Paul and I surprised ourselves by going out past midnight!  In fact, we went out til 2:30 for the first time in a looong time. Steve knew we could do it, but P and I were skeptical.  I guess the nap paid off. 

Already team favorites as we booze it during the first meeting

Oh but the exciting news of the weekend is what Paul and I have gotten ourselves into.  We are official members of the InterNations dragon boat co-ed team. Woo.  Dragon boating, from what I gather, is like a row team in a big canoe.  I think each co-ed team can have 18 people, and we all work together to row as fast as possible. Apparently there is enough interest to have two teams, and A team and 'fun' team as they're calling it.  I'm calling it first place losers team.  Paul and I are going for A!

Dragon boating is the BIG event here in Hong Kong.  On June 23rd over two hundred teams come out to Stanley to compete in an all day boating bonanza.  Some teams get super competitive, some teams are just out for fun, and apparently our team is both.  In order to prepare for this event, Paul and I have given up our Sundays to bus it an hour and half down to Stanley to do an hour of land exercises and an hour of on the water practice.  Attendance must remain above 75%, oh and did I mention we pay to do this!? :)  It's something different, new people, and physical, so I'm hoping an overall pleasant experience.  Not so much looking forward to the water part next week.  It's still cold!

Lesson One; arm straight

Nicole, our esteeed coach

Our team is very international.  At yesterday's meeting there were probably 15 or so people; 3 Americans, 2 Germans, a Spanish man and woman, a Tunisian, a woman from Turks and Caicos, and everyone else I'm not so sure. Our coach Nicole seems really cool.  She's from Turks and Caicos, leads a bootcamp here, and has given up her dragon boating team in order to serve as our leader.  I'm going to try to sign up for her bootcamp next month!

Baiscally Paul and I have no idea what we've gotten into, but it sounds interesting, so I will keep you clued into the basics of dragon boating as I find them out.  Happy Monday!

PS Love the new blender!  Banana Blueberry Soy