Twitter messages, if you've missed them (and so i can have a record of them on this blog)

Language is PG-13 for anyone that is faint of heart...

These are all from my @NOLScgp twitter

Feb 21

This is a real Mr.MooMoo http://bit.ly/eFekN9 

This is a fake Mr.MooMoo http://bit.ly/fr0Z3Z 

It's like real Steve Jobs and Fake Steve Jobs

 

Feb 22

#Mrμμ is back!! No tail and all, he's not dead

#Mrμμ is currently crushing the shit out of some plastic planters while acquiring food, I'm sure he could avoid them if he wanted to

 

Damn, #Mrμμ just went out of his way to eat and stomp on that planter

#Mrμμ ain't got time for your shit, he does have time to take a shit,in your walkway,on the dark tiles,so you can't see it & then step on it at night

 

Now #Mrμμ taunting all the local dogs looking out the window at him, he just has a blank stare towards them while chewing his cud

 

#Mrμμ just disappeared, off to mess up more people's shit. Time for him to dig himself a mud pit in the center of someone's garden

 

#Mrμμ's to do list: 

chill out in the street & get honked at

look sickly & get free food from locals

act like I can't walk up or down stairs

#Mrμμ 's to do list: 

set off some car alarms & act like I didn't know any better

sit in same spot for 8 hours and plan next move

What do Cuban cigars and these have in common?

Maybe it's because I'm American but I really want to shove this entire chocolate egg into my mouth

Oh wow, good thing i didn't, there's some plastic yellow thing inside it

Heh, I would have looked like quite the fool if I had to pick this out of my stomach or my trachea

Must resist urge to devour entire egg

Answer: They will both get confiscated if you try to bring them into the USA.  Thank you lawmakers of 1938 for keeping me from choking on this awful monstrosity.

Macau Fever... (Part 3) The Finale..................................or is it?

Now for the conclusion (finally) of Macau Fever...I knew if I didn't finish it right away it would drag on for weeks..


We last left our adventurers in the security clearance portion of the Hyperjet Hydro-Plane Ferry at 8:10pm...

8:20pm: The air changes from the thick pollution of the metropolis to a pungent brackish aroma as the quintet scramble aboard their international seaworld vessel. The living quarters are cramped, especially because Dama has to deal with the great mass and density of his Janbo. The Janbo, known for his harsh and unforgiving tone, is also one of the few instruments that earth-gravity loves to grab and hold on to tightly, hoping to forever embed this forsaken implement in the earth's crust for all eternity. The vessel pulls away from the docking station and the quintet forgoes hypersleep as the excitement of the world's most densely populated country awaits.

8:30pm: Time is passed with Tane and Samje recalling a previous journey to "The Land of Cement and Casinos"

9:15pm: Arrival at the port is smooth and the four warriors emerge from the compound looking for an Armored Transport Vehicle that can bring them to the barracks.  The group agrees for this to be their home base for the remainder of the mission.

9:45pm: The robo-driver of the A.T.V has difficulties understanding the programming language Tane uses and must consult numerous databases before arriving at the desired address.

10:00pm: The group finds the barracks and luckily there is a single containment chamber with 4 sleeping units remaining.  Sweat soaks through Dama's clothes as he deposits his Kong$ into the manage-bot.  Luckily the containment chamber comes equipped with a heat removal device, as night time temperatures approach upwards of 150 degrees.  All extra mass is left secured in the barracks and the group leaves with their instruments.

10:30pm: The group acquires some local currency by handing a piece of plastic and some numbers to a group of men standing along the street.  After a few seconds the men return with paper money.

11:00pm: The group locates a defensible location suitable to make a final stand should they need to.  The large stone coated area has lots of movement and local organisms moving about.  The group produces their music creation devices and begins their presentation.  In certain instances, the large organisms would become mesmerized by the audible waves created by the trio and sometimes without warning their bodies would move in synchronization with the rhythms created.  After breaking the trance they would sometimes deposit money into the instrument protection device placed in front.

1:30am: Having exhausted their supply of musical arrangements the trio returns to the barracks and secures their instruments.

2:00am-7:30am: Earth-time seems to have warped between these two destinations as recollections of the events that transpired seem inaccurate. Events occurred in various orders, sometimes rewinding and replaying themselves, some events were simultaneous, and often the realities Dama found himself in didn't correspond with what Tane and Samje experienced.  Although Nibra was often on the same plane as Dama.

Entering the casinos was a very peculiar experience, often times earth-money would disappear from the quintets wallets without a trace, sometimes it was forcibly removed by the gamesman's tables, and sometimes for fleeting instants it would return to one of them, as if a long lost friend had returned and promised to bring all of the old crew back with them.  Dama and Nibra were very careful with their earth money, they resisted the trance and guarded their money carefully.  Tane became infatuated with a vid-robot that promised to bring him many earth-dollars.  He acquired many and Dama and Nibra were able to break his trance in a caffeine induced mind battle that allowed Tane to emerge with more old friends then he thought he brought along.  Samje however, would disappear and reappear, occasionally regaling us with the losses he encountered and was powerless to heed.

The trio flowed from place to place; caffeine, grease, and ethanol powered their engines as they were able to rent specially designed Segways.  However, acid rain at dawn hampered plans and the group took solace in a local "Grease, Sugar, 'N Sawdust"

Before their abbreviated sleep, Tane lost his battle and was hypnotized into losing all the earth money he gained, Samje battled furiously, but continued to be beaten into submission and deposited more of his money into the Black-jackoBot.  Dama and Nibra spent gingerly but still lost about 25 Hong Kong "Teeners" each, which paled in comparison to the amount the other duo gave away.

Samje and Dama returned to the barracks first, Tane remained hypnotized, and Nibra became lost and had to hire an A.T.V to return him to the barracks.

11:00am: The quartet emerged from their slumber, Dama purchased food and world renowned Egg Tarts, and then caught a Hyperjet Hydro-Plane Ferry back to his home-away from homeland...Wiser from his travels and satisfied that The Lapsap Stringband had one final epic night before going their separate ways across the earth's surface. He hopes will re-reemerge in the not so distant future.

----In the days following shortly after their encounter with Macau, Tane fell ill, followed by Dama, recent reports of Samje falling ill recently have also emerged.... Dama remains in Hong Kong to this day, Tane set flight for Malaysia, Nibra returned to the NorthWest, and Samje is in the Great North East.

Macau Fever... (Part 2)

Now for the stunning conclusion:

6:51pm: A massive blast is heard and the blur of a vehicle slams to an instant halt in the blink of an eye. Dama throws some money towards the captain and the other three jump out and race to enter the airlock and clear security.  Dama collects his earth-money change and views the countdown board from the distance.  He thinks to himself, "Why is there no time showing?" Has his super sonic journey slowed time? Stopped time? No, that's crazy; it's just that the "Cut-Off" buzzer has already sounded.  This name is derived from what happens if any body parts exist between the outside world and the airlock when time is up.

6:53pm: A large group of Slowpokes were entering the airlock chamber.  Known for their speed and dexterity this tribe of people often travels aboard the fast vessel bound for the urban jungle.  However, the entry guards tend to be very cautious when tendering fare and this can cause vast hold ups.  Luckily for the quartet, they were able to hop on the coat tails of this group, literally, as the Slowpoke tribe is known for their vast coat tails.  Here is a security photo of the quartet entering the airlock:
 
6:54pm: The quartet was safely aboard their vessel and entering hyper sleep.  Just before nodding off Dama spotted his Janbo next to Samje and released a nervous sigh of relief.  He had completely forgotten about it in the chaos when leaving the transport.

7:35pm: The supersonic vessel battles tidal waves and eludes pirate boats as it enters the CCA (Central Containment Area) Dama awakens from his sleep, grabs his janbo, and leaves the terminal.  He emerges from the megalith and enters a busy concrete metropolis.  Nibra takes off on a quest to acquire something to cover his legs, as this is the generally recognized custom of Macau.  Dama, Samje, and Tane head to a special area where Dama's pocket computer can receive specially crafted radio signals.  These radio waves tell Dama the earth-location of their destination in the density of Macau.

8:10pm: The trio acquire their tickets from the Hyperjet Hydro-Plane Ferry ticketing robot, then try to contact Nibra through special radio waves emanating from Dama's pocket computer.  Nibra is outside the compound unsuccessful in his quest to acquire his leg coverings.  He enters the complex, utilizes the motorized stairs, purchases his ticket, and meets with the group.  Samje and Tane finished their ethanol bubble water, which just so happens to have a slightly higher percentage of ethanol than 7-up, and entered security clearance.

--------That's all I've got for today, tune in tomorrow for a conclusion, maybe, it all depends on how this sickness is treating me.......

Macau Fever... (Part 1)

Pretty crazy last few days, I'll try to reconstruct the events that transpired recently (names were changed to protect the innocent) **Some events dramatized**

Monday:

Approx 5pm:  Dama meets up with Tane, Samje, and Nibra to acquire food at a nearby establishment; the name of which comes from the large American bird otherwise known as the Kutrey. Tane proceeds to inquire to Dama about possibly going to the most densely populated country in the world. Of which Dama takes careful consideration over his blended yogurt/mango drink and earth-potato grease sticks.

6:10pm: Dama realizes that it would be fun to go back to Macau, a place he spent either fleeting moments under cover of darkness or later, in a rain soaked fog.  Dama relays his decision to the group and they take into account their time allotment.  Dama knows a fast ferry leaves at 6:50pm and explains that it will produce a more desirable outcome in relation to earth-time if they are present on this vessel when it departs. 

6:20pm: It comes to light that the outcome may be unobtainable due to the great distance between the eager group and their special pieces of paper.  These papers prove that they are who they are and are actually from where they were born.  The feasibility of the 6:50 option heavily depends upon returning to this very location within 30 earth-minutes.  Thus, the group is compelled to hire a nearby small blue carriage, knowing from past experiences that these carriages can sometimes approach the sound barrier, much to the distress of their occupants.

6:30pm: The quartet reach their village and scramble to reach their individual residences and acquire their necessary components for international travel as well as their highly glossed wooden noisemakers.  Their rocket chariot needs 10 minutes to warm up its afterburners before it can return, thus, the group knows it needs to be prepared for reentry by 6:40.  If this occurs,they will be present at the entry gate before the fast boat leaves.  Dama takes off to his flat to grab his identity book.  Nibra runs to the village washer-woman in hopes of donning a clean pair of trousers, rather than is multi-day old board shorts.  Samje and Tane run to acquire their documents and the noisemakers.

6:35pm: Dama sprints to his mansion on the bluff overlooking Pui O, passes three levels of security, and enters his vast abode.  He throws off his crocs, imitation Billabong shorts, and "Urban Man" shirt (Dama likes to dress down on occasion).  He then dresses in a Ralph Lauren polo shirt and D&G Trousers.  Dama still wants to maintain his casual fashion sense, but still give the impression that he's a man of fine taste.

6:38pm: Dama races back to the launchpad, down the hill and across the bridge.  He grabs his Nexus 1 cellphone, newly imported from The Union of 50.  This one is refered to as "Nexus 3" though, he always buys everything in threes; Nexus 1 and 2 remain carefully locked away.  The wonderful device shows a holograph of Samje getting suited up for his supersonic journey back to the place the quartet started their epic journey less than two hours previous...

6:45: Delays with the supersonic fabric coating cause the carriage to depart late and hopes of the four dwindle to nothing as they race "Fi-dee, Fi-dee" towards their destination.


Will the unrelenting quartet arrive at their destination unscathed and on time? Will Dama almost forget his noise making Janbo in the trunk of the supersonic carriage? Does Nibra have pants on?

----These questions answered and more next time in the stunning conclusion of "Macau Fever"----

T8! And a whole lotta randomness...

Prepare for this post it started out as just the first paragraph and eventually evolved into a crazy random mess. You've been warned...


Here's a picture of the storm track (5000?) that everyone checks incessantly around here. This doesn't mean much really, it's a t8 if it has 60kmph winds or 150 kmph winds... I just looked and this one has 90kmph winds or 50 mph winds --thank you iPhone conversion app--

It does mean that we might get some decent surfing waves rolling into Pui O over the next few days.

Meaghan is leaving tomorrow to go back to the US for two weeks and then to Chile to start her new life.... That just leaves Bryan and I left or just me left since I'm the only one of the original spring crew that's been here the entire 7 months. (I wonder if that says anything about this company...)


I'm leaving for a week long trip to the Philippines this Sunday night, it should be pretty awesome. I've also gotten pretty heavily back into my nerd side, with installing new operating systems. Yo Dawg! I put an operating system inside your operating system so you can nerd while you nerd! I've also been getting more into networking and wireless setups. I just bought a new wireless card off from the Hong Kong eBay so now all 3 of my network cards can have a party and they don't have to keep inviting that mean external hard drive. You know the one that shocks you and leaves static electricity on everything.

I also got my iPod replaced this weekend but only after a multi-floored battle royal that started with a bare-knuckle street fight with several lowly interns. Then I made it to the computer techs level which ended very quickly considering the only weapon they used was pretentiousness. After several mini-boss battles it all culminated with a no-holds-barred octagon match with the brain behind Apple Computers, Steve Jobs himself. He may be fresh out of a liver transplant but that doesn't make him any less vicious. The match was held inside a white and black ring with brushed aluminum accents...

OK, as much as that might have actually happened, that was a really just a long way of describing how I walked in to the service center and walked out with my fixed iPod less than 5 minutes later...

I've also found a place that sells real Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Gummi Bears! In fact here's a picture Katy took of me eating my first Reese's cup in over 7 months, pretty appalling I know.
I also found "The Thru-Hiker's Bounty" aka Lipton Pasta Sides. Ahh they bring back some awesome memories. I also bought a nerds rope, I couldn't believe it nerds rope! They had soda with corn syrup in it too! Now I can by my own inferior tasting carbonated beverages right here in Hong Kong! What a wonderful place...

This post just got really crazy and sarcastic but I just can't draw it to a close, it's probably lack of sleep coupled with massively heightened blood sugar levels.

For some reason I never got a text or email notification from my Skype voicemail, sorry for not getting back to you mom!

Only 2 new posts in July...

I was going to twitter more but I'll just write a quick post since I really need to post more, only a week and a half left and I only have 2 posts this month.

Excuse the randomness...

Today really felt like being at home, woke up at 10 made coffee and pancakes, drank and ate while watching baseball...went in to work, ate lunch, set up beach olympics, pitched 3 tents, picked up surf camp stuff and came home before 4pm, did laundry and ate the appetizer sized dinner of pizza, i.e. loaf of bread with pizza crap on top of it. (Later they brought us a bunch of spaghetti because so many people complained...)

Ate some ice cream, now i'm watching Colbert Report and messing around with computer stuff...I could be sitting in New York right now. It feels good to be "going back to my roots" these are all things that I haven't done much of lately. It's tough when so many things go on to take care of these things.

I need a hair cut...

I bought some really good sun screen recommended by Karen

I'm trying to learn Down Yonder on the fiddle

The water coming from the sink is the color of yellow tea because of the typhoon that just went through.

One of the new staff is leaving to go back to New York next Monday, actually he's our flatmate, so we'll have an empty room for a little bit.

I have my first pair of flip-flops since I was like 5, I bought them on my birthday for 48 HKD aka $7 'merica bucks

McDonalds has a new summer promotion here with a Strawberry kit-kat mcflurry and a Italian coffee shake, they're both unbelievably spectacular.

I'm really really missing bluegrass festivals right now, they are such amazing places, I feel so free travelling to them every summer

I've actually found some decent icecream at the central ferry pier 6, 7 HKD for a soft cone, I think it's actual good instead of just Hong Kong good

I just found out there is a movie coming out with Johnny Depp and Christian Bale, thanks to Katy for keeping me in the loop


So there's a collection of a bunch of "Twitters" that I could have posted...

Tai Long Wan

We decided to go surfing over the weekend at a place in The New Territories on the mainland of Hong Kong. The three of us set out Saturday morning hoping to avoid the predicted rainstorm (up to 1 cm) that kept being pushed back and luckily didn't hit until today and it was very minor. It was a pretty nice day (in the lower 70s) as we caught the slow ferry to Central (damn you holiday schedule) . We ate a late breakfast at Subway and made our way to the MTR station and caught a train north off Hong Kong Island and into the mainland, then transfered to an eastbound train heading toward Sai Kung. We hopped on a mini-bus that brought to another bus stop where we were able to board a double decker that brought us the rest of the way to Wong Shek Ferry Pier (Seen in the background here, these pictures are from when we were leaving because I didn't take any on the way there...)

We asked around to see how we could get out to the Chek Keng Ferry Pier where we would then have to hike another 45 minutes to Ham Tin and finally Tai Long Wan (pronounced Die Long Wan, all T's are pronounced as D's in Cantonese). As we were looking at a map on the pier a lady who ran the shuttle boad came up to us and through the usual hand signal/pointing/broken Cantonese we were able to get her to bring us to where we wanted to go for $40 HKD each. So we were off.





We learned from the other few people before we got off the boat that we paid twice as much for the ride as they did. This happens so much, I like to call it Gweilo tax. I hope they feel real good about getting an extra $3 US out of some "rich" Westerners. The vast majority of people are really great and helpful, but the almighty dollar always wins out. And it's frustrating not knowing enough Cantonese to understand in these situations.

We arrived at the pier and started our hike in. All of the hiking paths in Hong Kong are actually paved with cement, brick, or stone. This is has its pros and cons, on one hand it's really good at stopping erosion and keeping people on the paths (nothing like a 3 foot fall into the jungle to make you stay on the cement).


We hiked along the sidewalk up and over the hill and down into Ham Tin and then Tai Long Won right after. There is a surf shop/gear shop/restaurant open on the weekends there.

We arrived at the beach and I was in awe of these massive waves and the beauty of this place. If it wasn't for the dozen other people and ton of garbage it could be one of those tropical island beaches everyone dreams about.











We got in around 3pm and went on a wood run then we went and had some food at the restaurant.















Then we returned to our site and set up our tents as we readied ourselves for surfing the next day. I used my knuckle striker and quartz and sparked a fire. It was so re-energizing being out there camping, I made a new rock sling and taught Meghan and Danny how to tie a monkey's fist knot. As I watched the sunset, for the first time in Hong Kong I really felt connected to everything, it's the same feeling that occurs when I take two steps into the Adirondacks. I really need to make a point of going hiking and camping more often without kids. It's hard to put the type of camping I like to do in the same category as T.I. camping, but that's another rant altogether.

















It will probably be hard for someone reading this to believe that I had one of the best nights sleep in Hong Kong out there, haha...

I was up and ready to go at around 7 so I got the fire going and boiled some water for some good ol' cowboy coffee, black as a moonless Adirondack night, with a handful of dirt and leaves just to make it authentic :|

We made our way back to the surf shop/restaurant and had a round of bacon, egg, and cheese, then rented 3 surfboards and we were back to the beach.

I don't really have a whole lot to say about the actual surfing. Except, surf paddling is one of the most exhausting things you can do. You lay with your stomach on the board and battle 4-5 foot crashing waves in order to get out past where they break so you can hope to catch one and ride it in. We had a few things going against us: 1) Beginners (me) have much better luck on long boards (unavailable), not the short boards we were on. 2) My surf paddling skills are not the most refined at the moment. 3) For some reason I can't keep gallons of sea water from entering my nose/ears/mouth/sinuses even though I try to blow out a bit as I dive under a crashing wave.

Anyway, long story short, I caught one wave and didn't even try to stand on the board, then couldn't get a wave after the second struggle back out into the sea. So, exhausted I stumbled back to the beach and met Meghan and Danny, also resting from the pummeling.



So we rested, read, then made some Ramen and then went out swimming a little later.

We packed up around 2:30, we felt some rain drops and my watch's barometer said the pressure was dropping fast so we decided to leave before the rain might come.





We thought it would be a two hour walk out, but only ended up being about 1:15 and we were pretty lucky that we cut out like 3 steps in the transportation by catching a Sunday only bus that took us right to an MTR station even closer to home than the one we arrived on. It still took us about 4 hours total to get back, it would have been less if we didn't miss the bus in Tung Chung by 5 minutes.

Overall it was a great weekend and a great trip, I can't wait to go back there some day.

This was a really long post, I usually like to keep mine short and sweet because I'm not sure how much people like to read these long ones. Anyway, thanks for reading if you made it this far.


Ahh, I can't finish this post without adding some of the usual randomness:
--T.I. gives us a tiny little tracphone and for me it's hard to hear and talk at the same time because the speaker is at my ear and the mic is like 4 inches from my mouth on the side of my cheek, so I'll listen and then speak walkie-talkie style into the phone, but that trips some reflex in my brain from my days on the radio at ALE and I start ending all my statements with "over" "I'm clear" and beginning with "that's a good copy." Back in the U.S. I would sometimes do that with voicemails.
--I'm either having an epiphany in my banjo playing or an existential breakdown; it's really not worth explaining, Austin if you read this please answer my IMs, lol...
--I'm going to use chopsticks alot when I leave Hong Kong, they're a pretty great tool.
--I really need to find an insulated coffee cup, I borrowed the one I have now and it's duct-taped all around the rim so it's sticky.
--Baseball season starts today, signifying that the long horrible winter is truely and definitely over, now I actually have a reason to mindlessly surf the internet.
--It was 66 degrees this evening and I had to put a fleece coat on because I was cold, what am I becoming?!?!
-

One Month and Counting...

I just realized I have been here for over a month now. Time goes by so quickly, especially being busy with work and always having things to do/places to go/explore here.

We have a day camp tomorrow with 4th graders and then a school next week coming for 3 days. After that it is the end of "Spring Season" and a few people are leaving us, hopefully only for the summer, but who knows. We will be off until June 15th or so, I'm actually working an Easter day camp with a few others up until mid-April then that's it.

I have a pretty good idea for somethings that I want to do, ride the gondola at Ngong Ping, hike the 40 miles of the Lantau Trail, experience Discovery Bay and Hong Kong Disneyland, take the ferry to Lamma Island just to see other parts of Hong Kong and go into the New Territories. I also will probably visit Irvin (a coordinator at Treasure Island) in the Philippines for a little bit.

Also if anyone out there that reads this ever wants to take a trip to Hong Kong between now and June 15th you would definitely have a place to stay for as long as you want, just let me know. There will be some empty rooms and we have a futon and if worse comes to worse there is a public campsite 5 minutes away; some expatriates have been living out of tents there for years. All you need is a passport and you know...just a couple grand for plane tickets :( Once you get here it's super cheap to live though.

_____________________________________________
Other random happenings on Lantau Island
-You can get a full value meal at McDonalds for less than $4 US, i think whenever they see me walk in the door they automatically start making a sundae, my icecream intake as increased 1500% over the last month.....MMMMM...Melamine...the world's greatest milk thickener and baby poisoner
-I found a decent coffee shop in the city, it's hard to get to and $4 for 16oz but it's the closest thing to 'merican coffee i've found
-I spent $280 HKD (~40US) on food that should last me for weeks now
-Every day I fall more in love with the fiddle I bought, it really sounds good and I'm getting my fiddle touch back
-I'm not sure if i mentioned this already, but last week we had the most ridiculous wind storm I've ever been in, we were stranded at the Ooh La La restaurant while airborne projectiles whizzed around outside.
-I found a stick ample enough to make a bow for my bowdrill set, Hong Kong coal busting is imminent
-They have these $0.50 US juice boxes here in all types of flavors, Guava, the most amazing fruit ever, and Orange/Mango are my favorite, I probably put down a good half dozen of them per day.
-I'm still trying to wrap my head around British English which almost all of the kids know....Now if you will excuse me I need to queue up, grab my torch, and head to the washroom. In addition I need to get ready for the programme and eat some toe-MAH-toes; touch wood will ya?
-I've realized that I need to slow down a little when I talk to the kids, some of them don't have the best english. I also tend to sometimesrunsomewordsinto others and it must be hard for a non-native speaker to understand.
-I have a Cantonese language course on my computer I'm trying to listen to it for a few minutes everyday. Newest addition to the vocabulary (Where is the bathroom?--Hai bean doo wah chi saw?) To which they reply, "Hello sir, take a right down at the end of the hall, you can't miss it" Then I say "Ngoi" (Thank you) and they say "no problem" :)
-I also just bought 6 months of travel insurance and finalized my Hong Kong work visa documents

Hong Kong Random Thoughts

I've had a long past two days of training, learning the overview of the way things work. They took us for a hike last night and we came across either a python or a cobra. It was pretty cool to watch it make its way back into the woods.

We also saw the Big Buddha, the largest bronze Buddha in the world, the day before yesterday. I took some pictures, but my memory card lost them all and I couldn't recover them. Karma maybe?

The kids are coming next Monday for "Adventure Racing" which will consist of repelling, kayaking, initiatives, and a bunch of other cool stuff.

I took some tricks from my ALE tool bag and taught my co-workers the wonderful games Bunny Bunny, Yee-Haw, and Mrs. Sally Walker with a rhythm circle thrown in there. It was great.

This is a pretty random post, I miss my banjo hopefully I can find one here or get mine sent to me soon. There are a lot of British people around here too. The public transportation is excellent and cheap, pretty much everything is 10-25% less than its American equivalent. It's been probably 10 years since I could buy a soda for less than $1 in the states and this stuff has real sugar in it! I also bought some Pocari Sweat, solely based on it's name, it's like Powerade but less concentrated. The only coffee you can get around here is instant, which pretty much means it's aweful. I still drink it, I can't help myself.

I'll have to leave my experiences with the Pui O/Hong Kong culture for another time, it's been pretty interesting so far.