Finally, a new post!! And that's it. For now.

So, times have changed since I last wrote a personal blog, during Millie's gestation and first year. Turns out that for updating family friends Facebook is really the place to be. It's much more interactive and participatory, I can check in with you as well as the other way around. This thing is too one way. And the technology for uploading photos and videos is way, way easier and faster with FB than it is on blogger. I can do it in a minute, whereas here I have to carve out some real time. And that just ain't happening.

Blogs are really more for article based communications, and I'm just not in the mood. There's so much to do here in Hong Kong that I'm not up for sitting down to write long letters, short updates are easier. Which, again, is better suited to the social media model. If we're not connected on FB, friend me.

Also, I don't really have that much to say. The strangest thing about this move was how quickly everything started to seem normal. Play groups, groceries, schools, naps - it's all the same basic stuff no matter what side of the planet we're on.

Perhaps as we start to travel,  we'll have some articles to write. If this blog becomes active again I'll let you know - by posting it on Facebook.

xoxo

Toronto, April

Our New Couch

The couch is oh, about 45 seconds old, in this picture. The door had barely shut behind the delivery men. Didn't take anyone long to get used to it. If there's one thing we Kelly - Okes are naturals at, it's couches.

Diligently using the new couch.

Even the youngest among us are quickly adept at the nuances of couch sitting.

Starbucks Part II

 Did I mention we feel pretty at home in Starbucks?

 

Yes, that is Millie taking her afternoon nap in the store. We were sitting at a table (eating croque monsieur) and she says 'mama, I'm tired,' gets up, goes to the comfy chairs and puts herself to sleep.

Speaking of art... there's some great stuff at home!

While the Hong Kong Art Fair was cool, we also missed some artistic happenings at home...

...like Ginger's photo exhibit and Mark's book launch. Mark's an artist and his book, Grotesque, is a conceptual illustrated novella. It is gorgeous and compelling. You can get it on Amazon.ca, which I recommend doing. Right now!

And hey, while you're there pick up a copy of Lisa's nationally acclaimed novel, The Almost Archer Sisters. If you are a mother or a sister or a woman or a husband or a son or have ever had too much wine and made a big mistake (not that I know any of those kinds of people) - you will love this book.

It just wouldn't be a shout out to creativity if I didn't also mention Mary's eco-toons, always good for a chortle or two! And linked to by the New York Times - more than once, thanks very much.

So... what's the moral of this post? That people are really talented and it's fun to support them? Well, yes. But my real, un-hidden agenda is this: keep me inviting me to your stuff, I will attend in spirit!!

Hong Kong Art Fair

The Hong Kong Art Fair is an annual exhibition with top galleries from around the world bringing pieces to showcase and sell. It's quite new here and the city seemed really proud to be making a name for itself on the international art scene. It was really compelling.

We went on a Thursday evening and decided to go back on Saturday with Millie. She was pretty into it. Contemporary art is surprisingly child friendly, especially the sculpture. They just need to be old enough to understand about not touching, hence Dash was not invited.

My favourite piece, photos from top, top up close and side. I would tell you the artist but I forgot to write it down.

Steve Raizes' sister, Liz Raizes Sadeghi, was in town from NYC with the gallery she works for and we stopped by her booth to say hello. She was quite busy selling 12 million dollar Andy Warhols, amongst other things, but still took time to show us around her collection. Thanks, Liz!

The film director Baz Luhrman had a booth promoting an art charity he runs in India. It was the only interactive exhibit - they had markers all over for people to draw on the walls. So we did.

The Move

Last weekend we moved to the new place. The movers numbered all our boxes back in Toronto, and as they unload them they call out the number and we cross each box off the grid.

We are in flat number:



















All the boxes in our new flat.

Dash on Skype

Millie is a Skype pro. She starting using it to talk to Jason when he was away on work trips (back when he had meetings in Dallas instead of Bangkok) but Dash doesn't understand why he can't crawl in and hug grandma. He gets pretty mad about it, actually.

on the way to school in the morning...

Millie on the bus going to school. As we are STILL in our temporary apartment (that's another post... we've had 3 move in dates, the 1st one was May 24th. It will be worth it because our new place is GREAT, but the waiting... oh, the waiting!) we have a bit of a commute in the morning from the city over the hill to the South Side. This one is a double decker, now when she sees a regular bus she says "Mommy, look at that tiny bus! It's missing it's top."

Millie had her first job interview today. Ok, well it was a school interview. They are very serious about it here. 'You want to go to kindergarten? You need to pass our screening!' Currently she's enrolled in a Montessori pre-school but needs to switch either this year or next to go to kindergarten.

Her 'screening' today was at Hong Kong International School, which seems a lot like Branksome but with boys and Chinese Studies. Jeanette, as a seasoned IB primary teacher, wrote her a lovely letter of support and based on the laughing and singing I heard through the door her interview went fine. I will let you all know if we get accepted. If not she'll stay at Woodland Montessori through 2011 and go to start at a new school in Senior Kindergarten instead of Junior.

Say What You Want About U.S. Cultural Imperialism...

 ...but Starbucks is my home away from home. I go all the time and besides knowing that the coffee's going to be good it feels really comfortable and familiar. Plus, they have really good food here. Croque monsieur, Quiche Lorraine, Spinach Ricotta Pie - even the croissants are fresh. But the best part - when you go in with a child, or two, they give you a free little cup of milk foam called a Babycino. They put a chocolate smiley face on the top. Dash's babycino stache:

Shek O

The beach! The books said there were beaches  but being on one was still a thrill. A 30 min drive from downtown and we were on vacation... This was Mother's Day, Jason bought a picnic at the Expensive Imported Expat Emporium (not it's real name) and we had real cheese and pesto pasta and other non-Chinese foods I won't take for granted anymore. Great day.

What I don't have photos of...

...breathing diesel fumes by the side of the road, waiting for the bus while Dash screams in the ergo and Millie whines for more snack

...buying groceries that I don't really understand or know how to cook

...learning how to say the name of our street in Cantonese from a cab driver, who was quite a good teacher. I ended up writing it phonetically on a piece of paper I keep in my wallet, so now I can say "din hay dough" and the drivers know where to go

... frantically re-reading Hong Kong with Kids making sure I didn't miss a place to take them where they can play besides the laundry room of our building

Millie takes the field

Thanks to the encouragement of my new friend, Susie ("who cares if she's not signed up just bring her") Millie is now in soccer lessons and totally loving it. She does not seem to notice that she is often the only girl on the field.

Millie at the net, her friend Ryder on the ball.

There she goes... The class is at the Hong Kong Football Club, a beautiful facility right in the center of the city.

And she won Player of the Day! (wearing her Paris t-shirt from JJ and Charlotte)

Dash so badly wanted to get in on the action. Next year, buddy!

Millie's School Part II

On the top is the exterior of the plaza that Woodland Montessori is in, the other photo is taken just to the left of the building. Nice mountains. (The field is not part of her school, I think it belongs to those other buildings)
The Montessori is a pre-school, if Millie gets a spot in kindergarten she'll be leaving in Spetember, if she doesn't (there are many, many wait lists for all the schools) she'll stay at Woodlands until she's 5 and we'll re-apply to all the international/english schools for the fall of 2011.

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Millie's New School

This is Millie's new school, Woodlands Montessori Tai Tam. Tai Tam is where we'll be living once we move into our apartment. So far, she loves school and goes happily Monday/Wednesday/Friday from 8:45 - 3:30. We pack a lunch, it's a real school day. 

Millie coming out of class on her first day. The parents/nannies wait outside on the steps for children.

The Peak

This is the best view of the city. We waited in a loooooooooong line to get up here - but it was totally worth it.

The tram ride up - so steep at the end I swear we were vertical.

Dash at The Peak.

Our temporary neighbourhood: North Point

This is the view up our street, and also out our bedroom window. That is an outdoor escalator that runs up the side of the mountain to make commuting easier from the subway up the hill. Right now, we live in an area called North Point, right across the street from the Fortress Hill MTR (that's the subway) It's very busy and very local, it would be kind of like living at, say, Yonge and College. When we move to our cushy expat enclave at the end of May, the setting will be a little different...

Our building is the one on the left, the sign that says Shama.

We're right in the thick of the city. It's been great to get know our way around, we've taken lots of public transit, which is fast, clean and cheap. Hong Kong is really not very stroller friendly, though, so it's also quite a schlep with the children. But we're managing ok. There are endless things to do here and lots of playgrounds.

Expat Okes: A New Chapter

We've arrived in Hong Kong. It's crazy and boring at the same time. Even on the other side of the world the same rules apply: diapers, snacks, naps, playgrounds. Have them. Use them.

Today is our one week anniversary in HK. We landed last Tuesday night, our passports are stamped April 20, 2010. A nice date and my brother's birthday.

Our first moment of 'wow, we're really moved here' - getting in the Permanent Resident line up at the airport. Did they have to say Permanent? That makes it feel so... permanent. Yes, I know it's not. But still.

More posts to come. If you read one and it feels familiar it's probably because I cut and pasted it from an email I sent you. It's all about re-purposing content.

This blog is meant to keep us in touch with our friends and family at home, so you feel part of our lives here. Need to figure out how to post photos on this thing.