Sjani and the City

Known as Hongkong’s premiere destination for entertainment and dining, you can find bunch of restaurants, bars, cafe’s and clubs in Lan Kwai Fong. Comparable to Boat Quay and Clarke Quay in Singapore, however without water :)

We went to a German bar and restaurant called Schnurrbart (means "moustache" in English) yesterday evening where people can enjoy "authentic" German food and drinks. They even serve "Schweinshaxe" (Roasted Pork Knuckle) which is actually considered very Bavarian. However it doesn’t come with "Semmelknoedel" as such is more common in Bavaria, but served with french fries. I myself was on a vegetarian trip last nite and ordered Linguini with Mushrooms which was not bad at all. Most guests are of course Germans and they somehow know each other. I guess it is something like Germans-in-Hongkong-stick-together kind of thing.

After Schnurrbart we went to Ha Ha Club which is located underground. The crowd is different since most are locals and not many foreigners inside. They played mostly R&B music which makes it still comfortable for people to talk while enjoying their drinks. It is more a place to chill out rather than to dance.

I had quite some fun in Lan Kwai Fong.

One thing you will never be running out of in Hong Kong is food. There is enormous number of variety of food the city has to offer; from American BBQ ribs over to Japanese sushi. As I am a typical gourmet person who enjoys every kind of food, you could say that it is for me here something like heaven on earth when it comes to delicacy.

Since my arrival last week, I’ve tried quite a number of food here. I’ve even been to a local food stall and tried their 10 HKD/portion wonton noodle, which was absolutely delicious. For additional 5 HKD I spent there I even got a portion of yummy fresh boiled vegetables served with oyster sauce. I shared the table with a stranger during my lunch time -which is something normal here-, but who cares about that?

When I was at the food section in a super store here a couple of days ago I was like perplexed; I didn’t exactly know what I wanted to try first since there were so many choices. They sell most of things in fresh and also in frozen form for those who prefer conveniency. I’m OK with both of them.

I wonder whether I would be able to taste all of them while I am here.

Actually, I had a wonderful afternoon today. But my problem is, don’t ask me where it came from, today I miss Germany more than I ever did before since I got here :( I miss my friends, I miss our family, I miss my job, I miss Cham, I miss talking German with my funny Bavarian accent, I miss my hectic life, I miss the road I took everyday to work, I miss the canteen, I miss the small shop around the corner, I miss everything about home.

I hope this is just temporarily and won’t stay in me too long. There are so many things and options I can do here in Hong Kong, but if my mind is somewhere else, it’s useless.

I feel that I am a just another stranger here trying my luck to survive. Like I’m no part at all at anything. Null, nothing, nada. Nobody.

I miss home where I feel close to everybody, where I can feel that they care about me and where I feel that I can do something for them when they need me. Basically there I am somebody.

Hope I will manage to go through this tough time soon.

I think I’d never seen so many stairs and elevators in my entire life before like in Hong Kong. They have public stairs and elevators like everywhere. This is what differs Singapore to Hong Kong since it is everywhere flat in Singapore so you don’t exactly need to climb to get somewhere.

Actually they might be good for your health when you have to walk them up and down everyday. Especially if you carry dozens of shopping bags with you while stairs-climbing. Can compare it to weight-lifting training in the gym. Good exercise :-)

From the three days I am here in Hong Kong I would say today is my busiest one.

I actually thought about taking it easy today because thanks to my jetlag I only slept about four hours last night. But plans and reality can be very different sometime. Especially when we are talking about me :)

So much about "relaxing day", I was somehow everywhere in Hong Kong today. First to IKEA at Causeway Bay (saw a nice couch, hope it meets Prince’s taste too so we can finally watch TV properly) and then back and had dinner nearby our place, and after that I went to Kowloon to check on curtain prices at Mong Kok. Through this day trip I got to know that there is another life in Hong Kong beside that in Kennedy Town :D

Everything I saw and did today is very nice and fun. Furthermore, I finally got a nice pair of ballerina shoes for 39 HK$! The colour even matches to one of my bags I brought from Germany. I think I love HK even more and more now.

Let’s see what new things I’ll be experiencing tomorrow. I’m already so curious :)

Today’s highlight of my quest "Discover Hong Kong" is hairdresser. I’ve been to one today, mainly because I can’t use the hairdryer and hair-iron I brought with me from Germany. Here in Hongkong they have a different type of plug, that’s the reason. Since I don’t have any clue yet where to get those two things here, I decided to go to a hairdresser.

My friends in Germany would definitely think I am out of my mind if I tell them how much money I spent today for this luxury being pampered having my hair washed and done. 28 HK$ exactly, which is about 2,80 EUR. The work is well done, so I can’t complain. The communication is a bit funny because I speak English and they speak Chinese back to me. Body language and gestures support our "conversation". The magazines they provide for guests are all in Chinese, so I had to look for those with lots of pictures while they were doing my hair.

I already see how my future looks like: at least twice a week I’d sit at my hairdresser of choice. Now I’m not too sure whether it would be worth it to buy new hairdryer and hair-iron with local plug anyway.

From this point of view, HK is really my thing!

Eventhough I was actually dogtired after not having any sleep within 40 hours during the journey (blame it on those irresistable inflight movies!) I was already on the move in HK today a bit to look around and to gain some orientation. Typical me :)

The weather was so hot and humid, I felt like running around inside a huge knotted plastic bag. But the place itself is nice and unique.

I got to know a nice couple, Shirley and Holger, who are so kind to me and took me around. Holger even let me eat those yummy (but to him kind of disgusting) chicken feet at the same table :) Shirley is just as nice and she will show me around in the shop-till-you-drop area in Wanchai sometime soon. I almost can’t wait!

Unfortunately my prince has to work this weekend so he hasn’t had the time to personally show me around in HK. But I can wait. I am not like leaving HK tomorrow!

I think they are wrong. I think there is no such thing like creepy Friday the 13th.

Here comes the proof. I managed to arrive in one piece in HK in spite of flying from Dubai to Bangkok, and then further to HK on Friday, October 13th, 2006. I even consider myself lucky because in all flights, nobody sat next to me :-) Furthermore, I got to see a bunch of new movies on flight which I didn’t manage to see in the cinema before like The Devil Wears Prada, The Break Up, X-Men III and The Lake House. Not to mention those short episodes of The Simpsons, Friends and King of Queens in between. It was totally cool! :-)

So guys, it’s absolutely okay to do things on Friday the 13th. Believe me!

Finally I survived the first day after my last working day yesterday.

Lucky I will still be involved workwise with the company. Can’t imagine if I would have to sit around everyday at home or at the mall doing nothing.

I think I would die hard in such circumstances. At least in the head.

Life pressures keep me alive.

As my departure day is approaching, mixed feelings are getting stronger by the day.

People come and go in life. Some are just individuals without any special meaning. Leaving friends are something different and by far more difficult.

Such moments like this remind me how much I love my friends. Hope I have the same special place in their hearts as they are in mine.

I am so lucky I have found my soulmate. Thank you, God.

Others seek desperately and simply grab the first one who comes by. "It would be very embarrasing if I come to this year’s New Year’s Eve Party alone AGAIN. They will surely make fun of me. So I must react now in time!"

Pathetic big time.

I have a heart, as big as the ocean
People do not understand me

I have an energy, as high as the mountain
People do not understand me

I have my own belief, as simple as the naked truth
People do not understand me

I have my own opinion, as strong as a typhoon
People do not understand me

On the other hand, I am obliged to understand people
What kind of world am I living in?

I guess most of people do not understand the true meaning of love.

To my personal opinion, you really love someone when you can put aside yourself from the focus center and highlight the happiness of the person you love above everything.

So it is not about yourself, it is merely about the other person.

And it is amazing how thin the layer is between love and hatred. People loving truly would let go peacefully, others simply turn to hate the person they "loved" once their craving is unsatisfied. How egoistic.

I wonder whether it was really love or just some camouflage of greediness.

Feeling so alone in this very moment. At work it is still bearable. Work distracts me from loneliness. As soon as I got home, emptiness rules all over.

Help me please.

People say, you’d never been in Bavaria if you were never personally at the one and only "Oktoberfest" in Munich. Being worried that people in HK might not believe me that I’ve been living about six years long in Bavaria, I see the urgency to secure some authentic proof before I take off.

So here are some pictures taken during my Oktoberfest visit on Oct. 1st 2006:

The Oktoberfest Gate, Augustiner Beer, Cheers, Augustiner Tent, Giant Ferris Wheel, Chocolate Coated Fruits