The happiest place on earth

Disneyland Hong Kong truly is the happiest place on earth. I've never laughed so hard in my entire life. "Crocodile" tears rolled down my cheeks during a guided tour on the river raft in Adventureland. Lucky for you, I caught this magical moment on video.

Yes...that is me cackling in the background
Yes...she is employed by Disneyland
And yes...this is the ENGLISH tour.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4yqtSmoqhc

The weather outside's delightful

Merry Christmas...Hong Kong Style

A day of (mis)guided meditation

One of my many goals for my new life in Hong Kong was to learn how to meditate. I've always has a hard time turning off my mind at night even though I currently don't have a single thing to be stressed about (let's hope it stays that way!)

My friend J asked me if I wanted to join her for some morning relaxation at a local mediation center. I didn't have high hopes for this 1 1/2 hour class since I have a hard time sitting still for more than 20 minutes, but I was ready to try something new.

When we arrived at the center, we were greeted by a nice British woman who was playing with a dog. She was talking to the dog like it was a human. "I will not be back until late tonight because I have to go see a sick cat," she said. Ok, so some people love animals. I am not one of them.

This animal lover told us she would be our instructor and that we were the only two scheduled for the class. "Great," I whispered to J. "Now I won't be able to duck out in the middle of the session if I don't like it!" As some of my teacher friends from NYC know, I have had to "duck out" of yoga during the meditation part a few times due to my uncontrollable laughter.

The instructor, we will call her R, escorted us into her studio. (she couldn't open the metal gate door and we had to slide our bodies through a small hole) R told us to sit on the floor while she got the materials ready. Materials? What kind of materials did she need for guided mediation. Oh she needed her magic crystals, angel cards, healing book, and background music.



She started asking us questions about our lives. She told me I come from a very spiritual family and that my mom and grandma are/were very spiritual ladies. She added that I really need to start embracing my spirituality. I swear I thought she was going to read my palm and tell me my fortune.

We participated in some strange stretching and chanting, which I couldn't handle because I was trying so hard to control my laughter. The three of us had to hold hands in a circle. I was squeezing J's hand so hard as to say "what the heck are we doing here?" She squeezed back just as hard so I knew I wasn't alone in thinking this was a little wacky.

We finally reached the guided meditation, the reason for attending this class in the first place. R put on some music and began. Her British accent was soothing and I thought to myself "this is actually going to be nice!" After a minute of focusing on our breathing and our inner child, we were in Stonehenge! Jesus, the saints, the gnomes, fairies, elves, and angels were among us. We went down into a crystal cave and there he was! Merlin, white beard and all! At this point, I thought I was listening to a recorded version of Harry Potter.

When we were back on planet earth, R had us pick angel cards and read them out loud. Mine said:



And it was...

Something's Fishy

When I first arrived in Hong Kong people told me I must check out the Wet Market. They said, "It's like nothing you have ever seen before!" I had a pretty good idea of what a Wet Market was. Walking through the narrow fishy smelling streets of Chinatown for 6 years has left visions that have been ingrained into my mind. I'm pretty sure those sights and smells will last a lifetime. Did I really have to experience them here in Hong Kong? Apparently, I did!



The seafood section of the Wet Market is kind of like going to a fish store...that sells live fish. As one stall owner put it "the more alive, the more better." Wet market products are generally stored for short periods of time and are always expected to be fresh. Freshness is so important that many of the fish are scaled, hit on the head, and cut before being killed. Some stall owners will slice the fish open right in front of you to assure the freshness. Others bag it for you while the fish is still alive. Yes, it's animal cruelty but no one here seems to mind.

As I made my way through the market I ended up in the shellfish section. The shrimp, since they were still alive, were trying to fling themselves into the bucket of water sitting beside them. The stall owner had to keep slapping them down into the basket! I wish I had gotten a picture of this!


There is such a vast selection of fish to chose from. There are fish of all shapes, sizes, and colors. I have no clue what each kind is since the signs are only in Chinese!

The stall owners take pride in the fish they sell. They will tell you their fish is the freshest fish in the market. I'm still not ready to buy my fish live at the market. I hope one day I will be more confident to make the purchase...I just wish I liked the taste (and smell) of fish!

Phone a friend

A while back, when I was complaining about the packed trains during rush hour, my brother Jason mentioned the underground discount taxi service. He told me I could call them up and negotiate a discount for my ride.

He wrote "The one downside to using a discount taxi service is the amount of cell phone chatter you have to bear with during the ride. Apparently a discount driver has 4-5 cell phones: one for Personal, one for the Official Taxi Association, one for the Unofficial Discount Taxi Syndicate 1, and one for the Unofficial Discount Taxi Syndicate 2. Coming from New York however, I think you should be fine since you are used to annoying drivers."

My brother always comes up with great ideas but I wasn't about to call a taxi and negotiate a price with them. It's hard enough getting them to understand my address. Luckily, I learned how to say it in Cantonese: Lobinson doh bat sup sum.

D and I were having dinner with some friends up on the peak and decided it would not be worth our while to wait in the massive line for the tram. We hopped into a cab and to our amazement, it was one of these discount cabbies! No joke there were 16 phones in the cab and they were all ringing simultaneously. There were 8 on the dashboard (see picture above) 3 on the windshield, 3 on the steering wheel, and 2 on the rear view mirror. Every time a phone would ring, it would light up the car.

I just HAD to get a picture of this. I begged D to snap a shot of the inside of the car. I was sitting behind the driver so I was at a bad angle. We didn't even have to use a flash since the phones were bright enough for us to take a decent picture!

The phones rang non-stop and there was chatter coming from each one of them. Talk about multi-tasking! I don't know how the driver was able to concentrate on the road! Although the cabbie didn't offer us much of a discount, he got us to our destination in one piece. I wonder what kind of cell phone plans he has. Hopefully his friends are "in network".

Hong Konukkah

Last night I had my first real dinner party here in Hong Kong. Even though Hanukkah has come and passed this year, I thought it would be fun to have some friends over for a holiday feast. Knowing that it would be difficult to obtain any Hanukkah related paraphernalia here in Hong Kong, I did a lot of pre-shopping when I was home in the states. I got everything from dreidels to menorah cookies cutters to decorations.

As many of you know I am a novice when it comes to cooking. I have no problem following a recipe but I just don't get any satisfaction in standing on my feet in a cramped kitchen slaving over food that I don't really enjoy eating anyway! I figured I would give it a shot. How hard could it be to cook a meal for 8?



The hardest task was learning how to use the old style oven in my apartment. I still couldn't explain how it works or even how to turn it on. As you know temperature here is measured in Celsius so once again I had to put my expert mathematical skills to work in converting each recipe from Fahrenheit to Celsius. Thankfully there's an app for that!

The oven is the size of a small child. You can really only fit one tray of food in there at a time, so your timing of each dish has to be perfect. Thankfully, my wonderful mom helped me create a time line to ensure that all the food would be cooked and still hot when served. After a few reheats, everything was just that!

Food shopping in Hong Kong can be a real schlep. I was able to get everything I needed (except peanut butter chips) but it took stops at 5 different grocery stores to get all the ingredients (not to mention the 4 trips I sent D on after I thought I had all the ingredients I needed!)

Well all that hard work paid off for the dinner party was a total success. Friends left with full stomachs and doggies bags of food to enjoy during the upcoming week. I had pulled of a multi course gourmet and had 7 happy customers. Well at least no one has called yet to tell me they were up all night with food poisoning!

Sweet Potato Latkes


Salmon, Veggies, Couscous



Chocolate Peanut Butter Caramel Cookies and Haystacks

Bet you can't eat just one.

Why did my students in Chinatown always vote for a Chips Party? After a recent trip to a Hong Kong supermarket, I found the answer to that question. I ventured into a Wellcome Supermarket even though I vouched never to step foot in there again after the swine incident. I was just looking for a bag of tortilla chip to go with my guacamole. To my amazement I couldn't find a plain chip in the entire store! I did however find...



and



I had a hard time deciding between the BBQ Crispy Pork or the Thai Style Fish Crisp. As my students would say, the fishier the better.


Indian food has never been a favorite of mine so I opted out of the Curry Flavored ones.


I think my stomach would look similar to that picture after ingesting the fiery tomato devil.


This was the closest I could find to normal since it was made by Lays. Swiss Cheese Flavor? Blah!



This beef flavor really tempts your taste buds...if you're a dog!



As I reached for the bag I thought to myself, "will Tums be strong enough or will I have to reach for the Maalox or Pepto Bismol?" Oh wait! They don't sell any of those products in Hong Kong!
I think it would be safer if I stuck with the Baked Lays I received from the lovely Continental Airlines flight attendant.

From China back to Chinatown

The winds were 65 mph! It was raining cats and dogs! Umbrellas were flipping inside out! I picked the perfect day to return to my home away from home....good old Chinatown, NYC.

I looked around at my surroundings as I walked through the neighborhood of the school where I used to teach. Most things were exactly the way they were when I left in June. Tour buses with soaked passengers were still whizzing by me, old men were still hocking luggies on the sidewalks, and the force of the wind still paralyzed me as I tried to walk forward.

For six years I would wave at the security guard at the visitor's desk on my way into the school office where I would sign in and pick up my mail and classroom keys.

It felt strange entering the school and having to stop at that same visitor desk to show identification. It then hit me that I had no mail to check or keys to grab.

I went upstairs where I had lunch with my old colleagues. It felt just like old times, minus the laughter of a few good friends who were part of the 20% turnover rate this year.

After lunch, I bounced from classroom to classroom catching up with teachers and the latest school gossip. Then the bell rang. I knew it was time to do what I had come to school that day to do....visit my students from the past two years!

I stood in the cafeteria doorway and one by one the students caught sight of me. They jumped out of their seats, ran to where I was standing, and almost bowled me over. I had about 40 students crowding around me asking for hugs and wondering if I was back for good. We talked about their new classes this year, Hong Kong, and what they missed most about 2nd and 3rd grade. I noticed many of them had grown taller, had a new hair style, or a complete set of teeth.

I walked out of the cafeteria with a smile on my face and warm feeling in my heart. I had made a difference in each one of my student's lives. I left the school with a sense of accomplishment. My job as a teacher there was done...well at least for now!

It's holiday time!

"May love and light fill your home and heart on Hanukkah"

-Author Unknown

Wishing all my readers a joyous holiday season!

A time of thanks...

Each year during the week of Thanksgiving, I would read the poem below with my class. We would sit in a circle and discuss all the things we were thankful for in our lives. The responses of the students were always so touching. I've heard everything from "I'm thankful for my Pokemon cards" to "I'm thankful there is enough rice for my whole family to eat for dinner." One student even told me that the poem I shared with her made her thankful for everything she had in her life!

Thanksgiving Delights
by Joanna Fuchs

On Thanksgiving Day we’re thankful for
Our blessings all year through,
For family we dearly love,
For good friends, old and new.

For sun to light and warm our days,
For stars that glow at night,
For trees of green and skies of blue,
And puffy clouds of white.

We’re grateful for our eyes that see
The beauty all around,
For arms to hug, and legs to walk,
And ears to hear each sound.

The list of all we’re grateful for
Would fill a great big book;
Our thankful hearts find new delights
Everywhere we look!

This year, like every other, I have a lot to be thankful for. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with family, friends, and food! I'm very lucky to be spending the holiday in the US with my family and friends (minus my wonderful husband, but since he's Canadian, he doesn't celebrate this holiday anyway!)

School Days

"School days, school days, dear old golden rule days."

While all my teacher friends were preparing their classrooms for the new school year, I was preparing for my new life in Hong Kong. It was a strange feeling to walk out my front door and see the little Chinese kids lining up in their uniforms. It was an even stranger feeling that not a single one of them would be in my class this year. For a whole 5 minutes I longed to be back in room 249 in Chinatown. Then, I realized how nice it was going to be not to have the responsibility of caring for the needs of 28 students on a daily basis. I took a deep breath of polluted air and a sense of freedom and relief passed through my body.

Now don't get me wrong, I loved teaching for the past 6 years. I got such a sense of fulfillment when a student would come into my room, not knowing a word of English, and leave my classroom at the end of the of the year with an entirely new vocabulary. I wanted to continue to make a difference in the lives of youngsters so I decided to volunteer my skills.

I started teaching a conversational English class at a local girls school on Hong Kong Island. The girls are a little older than my usual students (they are 15 instead of 6, 7, 8 or 9). The first time I entered the building it was hot September day so I wore a long strapless dress. The staff looked at me in utter disbelief. One of the other volunteers said, "you do know this is a Catholic school don't you!" I took my sweater out of the bag and have only worn sweaters since then.

The girls I teach are amazing. They speak better English than half of the people in NYC. Schools in Hong Kong are much more formal than in the US. The students wear uniforms and stand up behind their desks when they want to speak. The girls have a deep respect for their teachers and learning. Several of them told me they want to go to University in Austrailia so being fluent in English is extremely important to them.

The girls in my class give up their lunchtimes to practice their oral skills. We have a blast talking about everything from Gossip girl (which they stream over the Internet) to their favorite singers Taylor Swift and Justin Beiber (I had to google them to get the latest updates). They love the fact that I'm from America and enjoy asking me questions about NYC. When I told them I was going to be away for a while, many of them were so upset. "Make sure you bring us back something cool from America" one girl said to me as I walked out of the room. Does anyone know where I can get 9 posters of Taylor or Justin?

Hanging with friends in Florida

Crystal blue skies, sunny warm weather, large hungry gators.

If anyone wants to come down to Florida and play golf, our friend is waiting for you at the 3rd hole!

If you're not a golfer like me, you can hang out in our backyard....as long as you don't mind Florida black racer snakes! Hisssssssssssss..........

Another serving please!

Vegetables have always been a big part of my life. Growing up, my mom always made at least one or two veggie sides with every meal. In grade school, we learned the importance of eating several servings of fruits and vegetables each day. When dining with my girlfriends in college, salads were usually the most frequently ordered item off the menu. (ok this doesn't apply to ALL of my girlfriends!) I have to admit, I really like the taste of most fruits and vegetables...the problem is they don't like me!

I have always struggled with trying to maintain a balanced diet. I have the carbohydrate and protein area covered, but that's about it! Fruits and veggies have always been hard for me to stomach. One of my goals that I set for myself when moving to Hong Kong was to try some of the local fruits and vegetables.


One afternoon, I walked down to the Wan Chai market and was amazed by the variety of fruits and vegetables that sat before my eyes. There were stalls and stalls of green leaves and other Chinese vegetables I had never seen before. There was Bok Choy, different kinds of Chinese flowering cabbages, bamboo shoots, fungus, bean sprouts, and radishes. (none of which I would eat, but are served in many of the dishes I order!)

As I ventured further into the market, I came across the fruit section. My nose led me straight to a very strange smelling and looking fruit called a Dorian, a round fruit covered in hard spikes. I'm not sure what the fruit tasted like, but the smell was extremely overpowering. The man at the stand asked me if I wanted to try some but I was too turned off by the odor.

There was a large selection of other fruits which I did sample and bring home for D to eat. They had everything from sweet ripe mango and crispy Asian pear (D's favorite) to hairy melon, which can be described actually as it sounds.

Each week I plan on trying a new fruit or vegetable. With all of these choices at prices that won't break the bank, I guess it would be silly not to have another serving!

Falling Back

View from our NYC Hotel Room


Fall in New York...Fantastic

I've spent the past week wandering aimlessly around the city. I admired the leaves changing colors and falling off the tress in Central Park. I hit up my favorite department stores, (thanks D!) restaurants, and spent time with my favorite people...well most of them!

For the first time in 4 months, I've pulled on my skinny jeans (not as easy a task as last year) and boots. I wrapped myself in my cozy wool sweater and took my down puffy jacket out of the cedar closet. Several friends have commented on the fact that I'm overdressed for November but I couldn't be more comfy in my Uggs and cashmere scarf.

When I left Hong Kong a few weeks ago, we were all still wearing sundresses and open toe shoes. Our air conditioners were running all day and night, and D couldn't make it home from work without sweating through his shirt. I was ready for a change...in season.

One of my favorite things about the fall is the brunch food! I love pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pancakes, and pumpkin bread (which we all know is really cake!) On this glorious, crisp, Sunday morning, while many of my friends were running in the NYC Marathon, my brother, sister-in-law, and I ventured out for some brunch.

Since my brother was worried that I was eating too much Chinese food, and not getting the opportunity to enjoy my favorite fall foods, he decided to plan a special breakfast for me. As we arrived in the Jazz room of Blue Water Grill I noticed we were the only three diners. I asked "Where is everyone? It's 11:30 am!." "Oh I rented out the room for you," said J. Just then a three piece Jazz Ensemble started playing a private concert. We ordered Banana Foster French Toast, Omelets, Cranberry Pumpkin Pancakes, and Hot Chocolate.


My brother thought I might still be feeling a little out of place, so he tried to make me feel more at home and ordered me an omelet with 4 egg yolks. He said it was his way of making up for not sending me a moon cake during the Mid Autumn festival. Unfortunately though, he did not get a discount for waiting until after the festival like I did in Hong Kong. Thanks J!

Throughout the meal I couldn't believe we had the entire jazz room to ourselves. I was thinking the whole time it was crazy that my brother had done this. However, as we got up to leave I noticed people starting to fill the tables. I asked, "Did you really rent out the room or is everyone eating late today?" My brother said, "No its still early, it's only 11:45am." I looked down at my watch and realized I hadn't changed it overnight for day lights saving. I had failed to "fall back".

You're WELLCOME

One of the first things I did when I arrived in Hong Kong was check out the local supermarkets. Just like in NYC, you have your different tiers of markets. There are markets like 360, City-Super, and Great, which can be compared to a Whole Foods. This is where I spend most of my time…and my money. If you think Whole Foods is expensive, you don’t even want to know what I pay for an avocado in Hong Kong.

One tier lower you have your Park and Shop which would be similar to your Gristedes or Food Emporium. This is a good place to go for basics like yogurt, cheese, and canned goods. And on an even lower tier, we have the grocery store called WELLCOME.

WELLCOME stores can be found all over the city so I thought I would check one out to see what they had to offer. I was hoping to find an avocado that cost less the 2 USD but I found a little more than just that!

D was tired from a long day of exploring but I made him come inside with me to check it out. Upon entering the store, there was a strange odor which immediately turned me off from wanting to shop there. Like most people, I am very particular about the freshness of my food…ok I’m actually neurotic about it. I won’t eat anything that’s even approaching a sell by date and I hate leftovers.

As I made my way down an aisle, the stench was getting stronger. I said to D, “what is that horrific smell?” As I turned around the corner I saw a sight that made my stomach churn. The butcher had just slaughtered a pig in the middle of the grocery store! People were lining up for bloody pieces of pork. D is usually not fazed by this type of thing, but the sight and smell were so grotesque that he actually needed to leave the vicinity. I of course, needed to have closer look.

As I exited that store, amazed by what I had just witnessed, D said to me “thanks for making me go in there”. I smiled and said the obvious thing to say in that situation...”You’re WELLCOME”.

Fortune cookies...what are those?

Chicken with broccoli in a brown sauce? Vegetable lomein? Brown rice? Not here!

After a long work week for both of us, a typical Friday night in NYC consisted of renting the latest romantic comedy from movies on demand and ordering in Chinese food. We had our local Chinese restaurant on speed dial and we ordered in the same thing week after week:

Shrimp dumplings (for me)
Spring Roll (for D)
Soup (on cold days)
Vegetable lomein
Chicken with Broccoli
Brown Rice

I would place the order, hang up the phone, and in 15-20 minutes our food would be sitting on the coffee table ready to be consumed.

As many of you know I am a super picky eater but Chinese food has always been something I enjoy eating...for Dinner. I could never stomach the fish soup and congee for breakfast or the sesame chicken for lunch. Every day for six years, I brought my own lunch to work. On those days when I didn't have any fresh bread in the house, lunch consisted of plain white rice.

People warned me that the Chinese food in Hong Kong would be a little bit different than the food I was used to ordering in from my Tribecca favorite, but I didn't realize how different it would be.

PORK knuckles, PORK intestines, PORK buns, PORK feet, PORK ribs, and the list goes on. D and I don't eat PORK but it often surprises us in dishes we order.
"What's this?" I will say to D as I pick up my vegetable fried rice with my chopsticks. "Oh it's a mushroom," D will reply and we will leave it at that.

Since Friday nights are no longer order in Chinese nights, I might actually need to learn how to cook!

A pain in the neck

A simple hour of relaxation turned into a major pain in the neck. As most of you know, I have never been a fan of massages. Whenever we would head out for a girls day at a spa, I would usually opt for a Mani/pedi. It's not that I don't enjoy the light rub of my tense muscles, it's just that my body is really sensitive to touch. I didn't want to be laying on a table for an hour thinking about how each thrust into my body was going to leave a black blue mark the next day.

A popular thing to do in Hong kong is to have a massage in the very comfort of your own home. D works hard all day and really enjoys a good de-stressing massage every now and then. I decided to put my worries behind me and booked a couples massage for a Saturday morning. I had read a lot of wonderful testimonials on this company's website and thought it would be nice to treat ourselves to a morning of bliss.

Two therapists arrived that morning ready to get down to work. D's therapist who spoke not a word of English, was great. Her soothing touch lulled D into a deep level of relaxation. My therapist on the other hand, spoke a few words of English: pain, hurt, pain, and yes.

All of my massage nightmares had come true. I have never before experienced such rough treatment. I really don't know how D could have been able to relax with all the pounding, slapping, and shaking that was taking place just inches away from him. I would say "pain" and the therapist would repeat "pain" and continue pressing deeply into the sensitive spot. Once in a while she would say "pain?" and I would say "yes pain," but she wouldn't let up at all. I wonder what made her ask that? It was probably either the fact that my body was tensing up more than it was when she had gotten there, or the fact that I was loudly whimpering into my pillow.

I kept my eye on the clock and jumped up as soon as the hour had passed. My entire body ached from my poked in sinuses to my slapped calf muscles. As soon as the therapists were gone I stood in mirror inspecting some bruises that were already surfacing and cried.

Four excruciatingly sore days later I received an email from the company requesting feedback from the massage. Boy oh boy did I give them some feedback. I received a letter apologizing for everything that happened or didn't happen that hour. They said as a courtesy they would send the SAME therapist, yes the SAME therapist to work on me again at no charge. Needless to say, I politely declined the offer.

I guess I learned that massages aren't for me...they are more of a pain in the neck.

Masking the gas

(thanks mom for my princess piggy bank and my gas mask!)

Cough, Cough..I guess 6 years of breathing in the polluted air in Chinatown was not enough. I had to move to a location where the pollution is 3 times worse than New York City. There are days when the smog is so thick that I can't see anything but white smoky clouds out my window. Then, there are also days when it's actually harmful to go out and breathe in the air.

Everyone has their favorite websites that they visit on a daily basis. When I was living in the city, my favorites included The Weather Channel-to get the daily forecast, NY1-for local news, and The Superficial for local celebrity gossip. Now the most visited website on my computer is Environmental Protection Department which gives a daily reading of the API (Air Pollution Index).


Air Pollution Index at 17:00 12-Oct-2010010
Air Pollution Index at 17:00 12-Oct-2010

Station	API		Air Pollution Level	Contributing Pollutant
Causeway Bay	57		High	Nitrogen Dioxide
Central	77		High	Nitrogen Dioxide
Mong Kok	69		High	Nitrogen Dioxide

I live above Central, and today is good day....enough said...cough, cough...
(if anyone wants to know what Nitrogen Dioxide is, it's a reddish-brown toxic gas)

According to research preformed by Hong Kong University, around 1,100 people die and more than 7 million people become sick every year because of air pollution. When the API readings reach above 100, the government puts out a warning for people with heart or lung illnesses to avoid being outside in heavily polluted areas. Maybe all the people with the masks on, who I've desperately been trying to avoid, have the right idea. I guess I should buy cartons of masks on my next trip back to the states. Does Costco sell them? If not, you might see future pictures of me sporting the gas mask!

Sugar High Tea at the Hyatt

I've been told you are not an official Hong Kong Tai Tai until you've attended a fancy high tea. I guess I can now say I am an official Tai Tai (although I didn't actually drink the tea).

I've always thought of tea time as a social gathering of older woman sipping flavored tea out of fine china and eating English biscuits and scones. This was not the case at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. This tea time was literally fit for the Queen.

In Hong Kong, "tea" consists of a light meal served in middle afternoon from 2pm to 6pm. No one told me that "high tea" in Asian countries usually replaces lunch. If I had known there would be such a variety of food, I wouldn't have eaten lunch beforehand...or breakfast for that matter. The hotel had everything from your typical finger sandwiches and salads to exotic puddings and cupcakes sporting all colors of the rainbow. They even had a waffle with ice cream station that included a bar where could choose your own topping.



As we chatted and stuffed ourselves with an assortment of goodies, live music comprising of a three piece orchestra played in the background.



Although I was supposed to meet D for dinner afterward, I had fallen too deeply into a sugar coma to possibly eat anything else. This experience has left me with a completely different feeling toward High Tea...a sugar high that may take me a long time to come down from.