Many Merry Xmases

Hong Kong Fluey, Part 4 (of 4)

Dec. 14: Still felt sick and too weak to even shower and slept poorly on couch mattresses laid on the carpeted floor. No blankets, so in hindsight bringing my sweatshirt was a good call. Felt much better in the morning, thankfully, although last night's bout of stomach flu probably helped. Guess it IS possible to get sick from eating too much Chinese food.

At this point I barely remember packing, much less where we had breakfast, although it was definitely not congee. What I do remember was the train ride to Central Station, where we and our 15 pieces of luggage checked in early. The next two hours were spent going around the IFC Mall.

Again I'm amazed w/ what the Chinese did to make what's in essence a really interesting train stop. Then again I'm not sure if the place was built before or after the train station, but either way the Shangri-La, Trinoma or Gateway Mall stops don't hold a candle to this place. Ultimately it was too high-end priced for my wallet, and getting lost wasn't difficult. There are definitely worse to places to kill time while waiting for your trip to the airport.

Our flight was fully booked. Evett and I were still a little sick, and the sight of a crowded flying bus filled even more coughing and sneezing passengers chilled my germ-phobic heart. Whoo, at least I'm conscious enough to enjoy the in-flight entertainment. (30 Rock rerun or a view from the plane's "belly-cam?")

When I finally got home and removed my socks I was surprised to see my left foot (and not-so-much my right) riddled w/ red spots. I thought What the hell? Am I allergic to my socks now? The spots didn't itch, but were still disconcerting to see. (Be thankful I didn't take pictures.) Online research pointed to sand fleas as the likely suspect. Lesson? Don't sleep on Excelsior Hotel's sofas, at least not w/o bedsheets covering it, or thorough vacuuming.

Hong Kong Fluey, Part 3 (of 4)

Panoramic shot of my hosts' flat in Tung Chung

Dec. 13: Tried but failed to keep my congee-resto breakfast light. Afterwards on the way to SoGo we noticed a lot of police cars and TV news vans parking right outside the department store, and on-site reporters getting their TV faces on, microphones at hand. Sunday Man-on-the-street puff pieces? Who knows/cares. I was there to pick out a housewarming/Xmas/birthday gift to for old classmate/friend/little sister Aimee Uy (Chong,) currently living here in HK w/ husband Richard. Settled for Baby shampoo-bath set.

After one MTR misstep (fyi, Chai Wan not the same as Wan Chai, but the the right-to-left reading can make things confusing for novices) I was off to Tung Chung, located at the end of Kowloon. With one transfer to Central Station the whole commute took about an hour and I exited into what turned out to be the Citygate Outlet Mall. With the exception of the restaurants and the gadget shop, all shops had items at presumably rock-bottom prices. And me w/o a shopping list. Oh, yeah, they didn't have any galoshes, either.

Aims met me at the Adidas shop and we (later joined by Richard) had dumplings for lunch, where ordering from the menu was like taking a college entrance exam: just tick on the right circle and hope for the best. And boy we ordered a lot of dumplings. I know Aims is supposed to be eating for 2, and Richard just looks like he is as well, but... whoof. (I kid, Bong. I kid.) After the hearty meal we took a walk back to their flat, located in a private compound in an area that reminds me of the apartment complexes rising up in Bonifacio Global City: a budding and quickly growing urban ecosystem.

After the brief tour Aims and I just bought some gum and spent the rest of the afternoon sitting by their park bench to shoot the shit. Preggy life for her (at 5 months and counting) is nothing but busy right now. When hubby's department was recently downsized she became the sole breadwinner, so Bong went back to school to get his Masters degree. But resiliency is her strong suit (as well as Numbers), so I wouldn't worry about her making it through this w/ head up high. I'm also cutting this short before I end up airing all the dirty laundry here.

When I got back to my hotel room I was blessed w/ an uninterrupted WiFi connection, so time was killed chatting w/ Robs and Eileen. I later met up w/ everyone else for some wonton and noodle soup dinner, as well as my first taste of HK gelatto for dessert. And the mystery of the parked police and news people is solved. Turns out while we were at the wedding banquet last night there was another acid-attack (the 5th this year) that happened nearby.

Evett wasn't feeling well so he got the bed this time. A couple of hours later I started feeling a bit under the weather, as well. Ugh, the one time my Internet connection's not going away I'm losing strength to type on the keyboard to chat.

Hong Kong Fluey, Part 2 (of 4)

Caught up on much needed sleep last night, but only because Evett opted to take the couch cushions while I got the bed. We all had breakfast at the nearby congee restaurant, frankly because it was only eating place open that early in the morning. Our carbo-loaded meals consisted of congee ('natch), twisted doughnuts, fried noodles and shrimp wrapped in glutinous rice blankets. Also had a first taste of cold soy milk in a long while. Funky.

While looking around Sogo (got a new Lamborghini wallet, 'coz why buy the car when this will do) I spotted a cool bowler hat I thought Lola would like, but the ridiculous HK$1990 sticker price -- with a comma after the 1 instead of a decimal between the 9s-- made my eyes water. And I would've preferred a top hat but apparently those were only for the display mannequins. And they had so many on them on display, all piled up and linked together by plastic rope. Add some snow,leaves and Hugh Jackman w/ a goatee it would've looked like the opening scene to The Prestige.

All that shopping made us late for the wedding, which was held in one of their national parks (I'm guessing it was public since we didn't have to pay to enter) where the families reserved one of the courtyards. Cousin Danny's sister's son Eric and bride Nicole had just finished the formal kowtowing and giving thanks to the Heavens, their parents and relatives. Then it was on to the kissing, as guests who came from as far as The US, Thailand and Manila watched. The snack buffet tent was a nice touch, as well.

But wait! They're not done. There was no priest to officiate (duh, we weren't at a church), just a Man In Black to handle the contract signing and formalize the newlywed's union while their fathers sat nearby. As my Cantonese is so rusty to the point of being toxic I can just sum up the whole ceremony to literal pomp and circumstance. And lots of picture-taking, w/c took a novel (imo) approach of starting w/ the huge group shots (all relatives and friends) before moving down to just the couple. All this and we still had 5 hours to kill before the wedding banquet.

Next thing I knew we Chinoys were in not-so-familiar Mody Road, checking out the shopping boutiques across the overpass from the Kowloon Shangri La Hotel (seems the common feature of SL hotels in Asia are large marble centerpieces in the lobby). Giordano's was having a sale, so I got several sets for boxers (personal use and Xmas gifts), as well as a couple of belts. The ladies ended up spending much more to reach/pass the $1000 minimum needed to avail of the free bags. At the shoe store next door they spent even more, and I got a pair of Hush Puppies.

It was at our last stop at G2000 where we went for broke (not literally) and yours truly a suit and tie for the occasion. Modesty aside, I know I can carry a suit, but I just don't like wearing them, as they are occasional clothes for me, as in worn only on formal occasions, of w/c I don't attend many. That said, the wedding banquet was a formal occasion, and frankly the clothes I wore that afternoon (see the first pic, where I wasn't even wearing my brown winter jacket that, along w/ my camera and tripod, made me look like the hired wedding photographer) was an embarrassment. Backhanded comments I received after my "makeover" were more of implying how badly I looked before. ("Wow, you really looked better now than this afternoon.")

Several shopping bags and one cab ride later we were at Harbour Plaza Metropolis Hotel. (I'm able to specify the venue only because I took home their complimentary wet-wipe) At Harbour View Chinese Cuisine the newlyweds were onstage in the ballroom, now wearing their formal Western wedding outfits and having their pictures taken with guests lined up waiting in front of them. Cocktail food and drinks were prepared just outside the ballroom for other guests before the actual banquet started. Beats peanuts and 7-Up, definitely.

Dinner started past 9PM and by frustrating coincidence for my palette, the food selection was 95% similar to what we had last night at the birthday party, w/ the small distinction of the roast pig having blinking lights in its cherry-tomato eyes. The newlyweds also didn't have a presidential table and instead just sat at the first table w/ their parents and immediate family. By their third outfit change (the Going Away Evening Wear) we were treated to a song number w/ Eric on vocals and Nicole on piano. Let's just say it's a good thing Eric was surrounded by friends and family.

Hong Kong Fluey, Part 1 (of 4)

Times Square Building, Causeway Bay

*The next 4 blog entries will cover my to trip to Hong Kong last weekend.

Dec. 11-- Early morning flight, so I didn't bother to sleep the night before and instead tried to finish watching some dloaded TV. Mom and I picked up my cousin, 3 aunts and 1 uncle before headed out, flying to and landing on Hong Kong airport. Despite having had breakfast at the NAIA and on the Cathay Pacific flight, my companions still wanted to eat before going to the Excelsior Hotel.

Lucked out finding a free WiFi spot just by the desk facing the window in my hotel room, but it blinks out so often that blogging in HK wasn't an option. Worse when you're on YM and crucial questions about to be answered go unanswered. And when we arrived there we barely settled in before heading for lunch. This is all sounding like a pretty condensed account of the last 5 hours, but seeing as how I haven't gotten any decent sleep it sure felt like it went by quickly.

If only the next 5 hours went by as quickly.

After lunch we all headed out looking for Percival Street trying to find one particular jewelry store. The ladies stayed and starting looking and bargaining for shiny shiny rocks on pins. Although I was in the minority (read: male) I refused to just sit there gawking at baubles. I must've gone around a block or three several times, but my quest to find galoshes for Lola also didn't bear fruit, probably because it wasn't the rainy season anymore so all they had to offer were leather boots and moccasins.

What was a surprise to me was when we all visited the Times Square building was the books in PageOne were crazy-expensive, and every appliance store highlighted LED widescreen TVs (good show, Samsung). Unbelievable was 14 floors and still no sign of galoshes.

Now while we came to Hong Kong to attend a wedding tomorrow it just so happened my Ah-kim was celebrating her birthday tonight. So this will also be the first time I'm attending a birthday dinner party (of any kind) in Hong Kong. Surprisingly it didn't differ much from your typical Chinoy dinner in President's Tea House in Ongpin. You had your fill of peanuts and softdrinks before the 8-10 course meal started. Two glaring differences were the usual starter of coldcuts replaced by lean roasted suckling pig. (Imagine lechon shrunk to half its size, spread on a plate like a bearskin rug, and proportionally as thick, meaning you had the crispy skin w/ lean portions of meat and/or fat underneath it. Top it off with cherry tomatoes for eyes.)

The other was they simultaneously brought out the fried noodles and rice near the end. Gah, I knew I shouldn't have filled up on broccoli, lettuce and scallops.

What reminded me of the dinner parties back home was the one table filled w/ Chinese men (but in this party Chinese men and one woman) playing the "finger guessing"drinking game. From what I learned of its mechanics it's Rock, Paper, Scissors meets Basic Math and Amateur Poetry. I thought it was considerate of some participants to take the shot for the losing player who looked had he's had enough to drink, like Cousin Sonny, whose long stay in Hong Kong gave him my father's yellow teeth and chain-smoking habit. He's what Dad would be had he not left China.

PostDated

My Wednesday afternoon last week was occupied w/ two meal-meets w/ friends, though the latter was an "early early dinner" (her words) date, as the lady-in-mention still needs to eat in-between jobs.

Lunch was at Eastwood (easy enough drive) w/ Jennifer Chua, who's in town from the US (where Trend Micro sent her) until early January. She arrived in late November and still had a craving for Filipino food, so we ate at Razon's (a first for me). Afterwards I walked her back to her office at the IBM building, killed time walking around Eastwood Mall, left the place and proceeded to get lost on the road (along c5) trying to drive to Podium.

After finally getting my bearings (and better map-reading) I made it w/ 10 minutes to spare, more than enough time to buy some roses for the occasion (corny, I know, but whatever's needed to remove any doubt that this was a date).

J (ooh, now I use initials) arrived and we had the early early dinner at Arya, where she showed a predilection for spicy lamb. If there were any bumps I think they were negligible. That said, don't over-analyze, as you are wont to do. Just try to see her again.

Party (4 Hours 'Til) Dawn

Day was spent w/ Sis and the kids at SM MoA looking for toys to get them for Xmas (only Hans picked out some 4-D insect puzzles). Afterwards I picked up the 'Rents at Century Hotel, then we stopped by National at Robinson's Otis and bought gift wrappers for Rencel's and Jaimie's presents, as well as a smaller picture frame for Renz.

Even though I arrived at Rencel's house fashionably late (though dressed in black I looked like a scrawny bouncer) I was apparently still too early. Even after a 20-minute nap in the car I was still "common friends" guest number One. Eventually everybody arrived, we had good food, quiz games (we won second place and got personalized coffee mugs), I had a my first taste of Jaegermeister (might as well be diluted cough syrup). And for the first time in recent memory I stayed out well past midnight (left the place past 2:30AM) at a party of someone who wasn't related to me. Sheer luck the 'Rents didn't check up on moi past midnight.

To top the looong evening off, friends of girl-I-met-at-Quiz-Night were already teasing her (will little subtlely) about me. Take it down a notch, dudes. Or at least wait til an actual first date. :p

Beijinoys Break Bread (or Nachos)

Joanne was in town w/ her husband Henry. Jane and her sister Elaine were also in the country, though whether they flew in from China or Australia I wasn't sure. Jella arranged for a dinner meet w/ the Original Beijinoys, i.e. the ones that came to Beijing before we came up w/ the term. We met up at the new Chili's in Greenbelt 5.

While Henry opted out to join us in scarfing down bottomless servings of nachos, Dave, JP and Die! managed to show up just in time. Conversations were often split evenly on both sides of the table, w/ topics ranging from the old life in China to upcoming births and nuptials w/in the group. Major events were all on the female side, as save for Fernd's upcoming trip to the UK to visit his girlfriend, there wasn't much happening w/ the guys.

Rad (flew in from Singapore, flies back Sunday) managed to show up, but unfortunately not catch up w/ us. He did go to Chili's, but to meet w/ other friends. The few of us that remained had a nightcap at Seattle's Best.

Someone Old, Something New

For Ma's 67th birthday it was decided we chip in to buy her a mini notebook, priced the same as the one I'm using, only better branded (Ever heard of Minix? Exactly.) and runs on Windows 7. Given that my mother's total hours of experience working a computer runs less than one Pixar movie, the term crash course may be an understatement. The funny thing is she only uses it to check on the local stock exchange reports in real time, assuming she remembers to refresh the PSE webpage regularly. That 160GB hard-drive isn't gonna be filled up anytime soon.

The Minix is now strategically placed on the table behind her office chair, so when she's not facing the office TV to check on stock reports live on ANC, she can turn 180 degrees to check on it online as well. Welcome to the future.

NagaDay and NagaNight

Flew in w/ the 'Rents to Naga via Cebu Pacific. Airport displays Thank You banners of JP Enrile and Bong Revilla, much to my disgust. The driver of 5-Kim's CBD Plaza Hotel shuttle service picked us up, and on the way to Mabulo (5-Kim's place where we stayed for the duration of this trip) I was given some insight into Gov. Villafuerte's ego (or insecurities) when every other multi-purpose hall and waiting shed had his named painted on their roofs.

Had birthday mi-sua for breakfast at birthday man 3-Ku's house in Bagumbayan before we headed out to visit dearly departed relatives at their gravesites. While dearly departed 2-Ku's gated tomb at Sto. Niño Memorial Park could use some work, 5-Kim's parents have an air-conditioned mausoleum complete w/ cable-tv access and welcome garden. Went back to 3-Ku's place and had krispy pata, clam soup and salted sliced tomatoes for lunch. Fruit desserts included grapes, home-made mango ice cream and insect-riddled lanzones.

That afternoon we went to CBD Plaza Hotel (located along the sycophantic sounding Ninoy & Cory Avenue), the latest working project of the Maryselle Olivan mini-empire (future projects include a wet market and an extra wing added to the 60-room hotel). While for me the room rates are a little steep (minimum 1000 for overnight stays 500 for... 3-hour naps), the rooms weren't too shabby. The Schindler elevator had a nice futuristic design, contrasted by act deco lighting fixtures in the lobby and their America-circa-1959 polka dot curtains. Someone should also talk to them about Photoshopping the wrinkles out of the not-so-tightly-tucked-in bedsheets on their room gallery menu.

When the (older) adults opted to drive outta town to check out the Seaoil refineries, I asked to be driven back to Mabulo, where I web-browsed and caught up on much-needed sleep. A couple of hours later Evett went in the room to change for the 3-Ku's bday party. Good thing he did, too, because everybody else thought I already went ahead to the party venue, and they would've gone ahead had Evett not decided to change to a red shirt.

I'm sure hosting 3-Ku's 70th birthday party at a place called Lolo's Music Bar and Restaurant was just a coincidence. Who cares, they served good cheesesticks, chicken fingers, cucumber and carrot sticks for appetizers, salad, angel-hair pasta and steak, and pie ala mode. The highlight of the program was the professionally produced/edited AVP of 3-Ku's kids, grandkids and wife Auntie Rose talking about him in one-on-one interviews w/ old pictures spliced in between. No star-wipes or corny-@$$ graphics, just sincere and heartfelt stories.

Another thing to look forward to at Olivan parties is when 4-Ku and my ninong, Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo sit at the same table for some political and business gossip. Screw SNN, this is where the really juicy stuff comes out. Thing was, it was hard to catch all the dirt when the restaurant's featured singing quartet kept belting out at crucial moments of Ninong Jess' anecdotes. Some highlights: Chiz and BF may be moving to support Noynoy, Erap's popularity waning, the Villafuertes feud is only for show, Mar may be in the closet, and retired generals really run The Show. We're actually living in a militocracy.

The storytelling, sans Ninong Jess, continued at a coffee bar nightcap. I learned it was bad to do business w/ SMC, warehouse rental is viable, and you have better odds at a casino than investing in the foreign exchange market.