Made in China

My blogging absence can only be blamed on one thing...morning sickness. Sitting down at the computer to type was not on the top of my list, unless it was googling ways to control this nasty side effect that comes along with such a beautiful, life changing event.

When I first broke the news that I was pregnant to family and friends via Skype (amazing!!!) people were excited, shocked, and ready to ask 100 questions.

For Example:

1. Will you be having the baby in Hong Kong?
Yes, if I want D to be included in the birth of his child.

2. Are there good hospitals out there?
The one I'm delivering at is compared to a 5 star resort...and you know those don't come cheap

3. Does your Doctor speak English?
Probably better than most of the Doctors in NYC!

4. Will your parents fly out to see the baby?
I've been trying to get them out here for the past year and half. Now they have a very good reason to come visit!

My all time favorite is.....
5. Will the baby be Chinese?
Not if D is the father!

We are super excited about this new phase of our lives and we are looking forward to meeting our little one in May. While I wont be talking much about my pregnancy in this blog, you can follow my weekly diary postings at sassymamahk.com. Click on the section called THE GLOW. Each week I will be updating other expecting mothers on the changes going through my body or
different experiences I've had as a pregnant lady in Hong Kong! You know what they say...everything these days is made in China!

Sassy in Hong Kong

When I moved to Hong Kong 15 months ago (yes, it's been that long!) I didn't know a soul. A friend of a friend introduced me (through email) to one of her childhood friends who was living in Hong Kong. "L" filled me in on things I needed to know about the city including the popular social group for expats called Sassy Hong Kong.

I read the Sassy blog and saw that they were having a meet up in a private club later that week. Well if you know me, clubs really aren't my thing. I closed the blog thinking I would meet friends elsewhere.

Before I knew it, it was Thursday night and there I was hair straightened and dressed up walking into a private club by MYSELF. When I got to the door lots of ladies were in line eager to sip their complimentary drinks and chat it up with their friends inside. I took my free drink pass (not quite sure what to do with it since I don't drink) and headed inside.

I stood by the bar looking around at groups of women chatting and kissing hello. I felt beyond uncomfortable but smiled at others who were waiting to catch the bar tenders attention, hoping someone would strike up a conversation with me. Oh, how I longed for my friends back home.

I inched a little to the right of the bar so that others could pass by me to get their drinks and I heard two women speaking in American accents. We began talking and before I knew it, I was introduced to 5 or 6 of their friends including two of Sassy girls themselves!

The next day, I already had a lunch date lined up with "J" a girl from NJ, who to this day remains one of my closest friends in Hong Kong.

Later that week was my 30th birthday. A group of girls invited me to lunch that day. I hadn't told anyone it was my birthday, but to my surprise I was being showered with a bouquet of flowers, dessert, and was even treated to lunch by 4 girls I had only just met! None of this would have been possible if I hadn't logged onto the Sassy Hong Kong website and forced myself to get out there and meet others.

When I found out my friend Vinny, (the one who made the amazing programs and seating cards for my wedding) was selling his bag line here in Hong Kong, I knew that Sassy readers would love to hear more about his practical and beautifully designed handbags.

Today the girls at Sassy ran an interview that I did with Vinny. Come take a look!

http://sassyhongkong.com/skinny-vinny-now-available-in-hong-kong/

That was a Typhoon?

Two weeks ago I woke up to hear that Typhoon Nesat was in full force. It was a Signal No. 8 storm which meant that the city basically shut down. Work was cancelled, stores were closed, and transportation came to a halt. Of course this happened on the first day of Rosh Hashanah when I was preparing dinner for 10 people. Thankfully, I had done all of my grocery shopping the day before.

(Precautionary Announcements with No. 8 Signal)

1. Complete all precautions in your home. Lock all windows and doors, fit bars into position and insert reinforced shutters and gates if they are available. Adhesive tape fixed to large window-panes in exposed positions will reduce damage by broken glass. Storm water drains should be cleared of leaves and rubbish. Are there leaves in Hong Kong?

2. Do not stand near windows on the exposed side of your home. Move all furniture and valuables away from these areas. Make sure you have a safe place to shelter, should windows be broken. We have windows in every room including the two bathrooms. Everyone has always made fun of me for having a king size bed. You never know when a level 8 typhoon might hit and you need something to hide under!

3. Since seas are very rough, you are advised to stay away from the shoreline and not to engage in water sports. I didn't have to worry about this one. I don't go near the sea when it's not rough and I definitely don't engage in water spots.

5. Park your car where it is least likely to be damaged. We don't have a car here since everyone drives on the wrong side of the road.

6. Please listen to radio or watch TV for the latest weather information broadcast at the 15th, 30th, 45th and 58th minute of each hour. The radio channels are only in Cantonese and our US television doesn't work here. We never bothered buying one here since there are only a few channels were could understand anyway! Thank goodness for the internet!

I must say I was quite disappointed for my first big storm out here. The hurricane that hit NJ when I was visiting in August was a much bigger deal. I guess I should be thankful that I wasn't "blown away" by the storm...or lack thereof.

In Case You've Been Wondering What I've Been Up To...

A little bit of this...



this...


and this...

I heart Virgin Atlantic

On a recent trip to London, D and I flew on Virgin Atlantic for the first time. It was really quite an experience! Since the flight from Hong Kong to London was an overnight one (12 hours!), each passenger (in Upper Class) was given a pajama set to change into. This set wasn't one of those stiff ones, made out of cheap material. It was a nice, soft, black top with matching bottoms that were actually quite comfy.

The flight was smooth and I actually slept 6 hours which is a record amount of sleep for me on an airplane. Is that why I like Virgin Atlantic so much? That's only half of the reason.

On our way back to Hong Kong, we flew from Copenhagen via London and had a 10 hour layover! I thought, "What were we going to do in the Heathrow Airport for 10 hours?" There is only so much shopping we can do! (I did manage to buy myself an extremely nice birthday present!)

Thankfully we were invited to spend the day at the Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Lounge. We had heard that this was one of the nicest airport lounges in the world. I must say, it lived up to our expectations.

When we entered the lounge, we were given a tour by the friendly concierge. The lounge was huge! It had several different sitting rooms and places to eat! We found a seat and visited the on site Delicatessen for some lunch.


As you know. I'm a very picky eater, but they had such a huge selection. They served everything from salads to sandwiches to fine cheeses and meats to sushi!


The well stocked bar provided delicious cocktails for D and mocktails for me!

After we finished lunch, it was time for some pampering. I headed straight over to the salon to book some complimentary beauty appointments.

While D had a relaxing head, neck, and shoulder massage.....



I got my hair cut!


After our 'spa' treatments, we decided to kick back and take our shoes off...literally. D had his shoes polished by the on site shoe shiner and they came back looking better than ever!

Time for High Tea! Scones with Strawberry jam and clotted cream! YUM!


I spent some time wandering through the game rooms, the multimedia rooms and libraries.


Before I knew it, it was time for dinner! There was an extensive menu but the burgers being brought out to other passengers really seemed to tickle our fancy.




Even though I beyond stuffed, I couldn't pass up a trip to the candy bar!

I must say, it was an eventful day! The next time I'm in London, I might just spend a day "hanging" out at the airport!

Happy Chinese Valentine's Day!

For the past two years, D and I have been apart on Valentine's Day. It's not a holiday that we really celebrate, but it made me sad to think of all the loved ones sharing a special night together while were in two different countries. When I woke up this morning, I learned that we didn't have to miss celebrating Valentine's Day this year after all! Today is the Qixi Festival, also known as Chinese Valentine's Day.

To summarize the meaning behind this holiday, there is a "lonely cowherd named Niulang who comes across seven immortal fairy sisters bathing in a lake. Niulang falls in love with the youngest fairy named Zhinu, a weaver girl. The two lovers get married, have two children and live happily on earth. Everything was going well until the Goddess of Heaven finds out about the forbidden relationship between a mortal and a fairy. She pulls Zhinu into the skies and even Niulang’s efforts to reach Zhinu is no use as the Goddess divided the sky with a river.

Zhinu lived on one side of the river crafting embroidery, while Niulang lived on the other side taking care of their two sons. Nevertheless, each year magpies will fly to the sky to form a bridge across the river so that Zhinu and Niulang can be together for a night.

This romantic story coincides with the night sky. Niulang is the star Altair and Zhinu is the star Vega. The river separating the lovers is the Milky Way and the magpies are the cluster of stars seen in the Cygnus constellation. On the seventh night of the seventh lunar month, the stars Altair and Vega appear to be moving closer to each other. Light drizzle is also common that night, which are the tears of the two lovers." ---Yi from My Several Worlds

The Qixi Festival falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the Chinese calendar. Traditionally, young girls would carve melons and wish for a good husband. Since the weather report says it feels like 101F today, I think I might just carve a watermelon to keep us refreshed. While I'm carving, however, I won't have to make that wish for a good husband, because that wish already came true 2 years ago this past week!

Today is one of the busiest wedding days in China since the holiday falls on a Saturday and it is said to be good luck to get married on this day. Since we are such international wedding attendees, I'm actually quite surprised we weren't invited to a wedding today!

On the night of the Qixi Festival young lovers sit outside and gaze at the stars. We have quite a nice view of the harbor from our flat so I'll be sure to glace up at the sky tonight. D and I may not be exchanging gifts and cards, but we plan on having our favorite Chinese dish, Peking Duck, tonight in honor of this special Chinese day of love.

Who's Reading?

When I signed into my blog the other day, I was delighted to see that I had over 10,000 page views! Although many of my readers don't like to post public comments, I love receiving all the feedback in my personal email. I'm not quite sure who all my other readers are but thanks for following me on my adventures. I'll keep on BLOGGING...you keep on READING!

Happy 30th D! XOXO

Courtesy of Carla Green

The 12 Hour Swedish Wedding

When you don't understand what is happening:
Japanese weddings are long.
Chinese weddings are longer.
But Swedish weddings, take the cake!

We were so excited to attend our first Swedish wedding (Yes, I now have Swedish cousins!) We were told to be ready to board the bus for the countryside at 2:00PM for a 3:00PM start so I knew this was going to be a long day. As most of you know, I like to be prepared for outings so I packed an extra sweater, jacket, food, and bottled water for the day.

We arrived at the beautiful wedding location and the ceremony took place. We were warned that basically all of the wedding ceremony/reception would be in Swedish but we were just happy to be spending time with family.

As soon as the ceremony ended, the drinking began.



1. Champagne
For 2 HOURS the guests drank champagne and listened to speeches outside in the fields.

2. Elderberry Schnapps
We were then escorted into the dining room where the guests were given elderberry schnapps and a few more toasts were delivered.

3. Vodka
The waiters came around with shot glasses of vodka for us to raise our glasses for the next few speeches.

4. Carslberg Beer
Large glasses of Carlsberg beer were poured for us to sip while listening to loved ones praise or roast the bride and groom.

5. White Wine
White wine was poured for us to eat with our herring. (No, I didn't eat it but D loved it!)

6. Red Wine
After a few more rounds of speeches the Red Wine was poured for us to eat with our fish.

7. Sweet Dessert Wine
Paired with the delicious Creme Brule.

8. Whiskey Shots.
Each guest was given a whiskey shot to take with the others at the table.

9. Open Bar
When the dinner was over at MIDNIGHT and the dancing began (the band only came on at 12:30 AM, Sea-breezes and Melon balls were aplenty.

So as lovely as dinner was, we sat and listened to speeches in SWEDISH for 6 HOURS STRAIGHT. At Swedish weddings you don't get to sit next to your significant other! Thankfully, I sat next to J, a very friendly guy from New Jersey, who married a Swedish girl last month and explained a lot of the Swedish customs to me.

Swedish Customs:
1. Every time there is a toast you have to raise your glass, make eye contact with everyone at your table, drink, and then make eye contact with everyone at your table again before placing your drink down.
2. Every time the bride goes to the bathroom, all the ladies have to get up and kiss the groom. (and vice versa) I was kissing my new cousin all night!
3. Ladies do not wear red or black to weddings. Red dresses signify that your slept with the groom!
I didn't get the memo beforehand...No I wasn't wearing red...I was wearing black though. (The groom's half-sister, however, was wearing red...)
4. Anyone can give a speech at a wedding. The only requirement is that you email the toastmaster to let them know beforehand. (I was told that the 6 hours worth of speeches at this wedding was nothing compared to other Swedish weddings!)

The wedding went on until after 3:00AM, when the bus dropped everyone off at the hotel for an after party! I must say, after a few dances and some candy from the bar, we were out the door at 1:15 AM. Next time we'll have to learn to pace ourselves, and also learn a little Swedish, Skoll!

365 Days

365 days

Wow! Can you believe I've been living in Hong Kong for a year already? I can't!

In the past 365 days I've:

Visited 10 new countries

Had 9 visitors stay with us (5 Americans and 4 Canadians) Two more visiting in August!

Reached elite status on two different airlines.

Prepared more meals at home in Hong Kong than I have in any other city.

Experienced level 1 and level 3 typhoons.

Walked through amber rain and black rain.

Attended weddings in Virginia, Montreal, New York, Japan, Hong kong, Bermuda, and Sweden.

Learned how to divide by 7.78(sort of)

Suffered through weeks of jet lag.

Met ladies from London, Australia, Canada, Korea, norway, Lithuania, Malaysia, India, Singapore, Bulgaria, New Zealand , China, Sweden, and Belgium.

Failed to learn a new language (I plan on learning Mandarin and French)

I'm now taking suggestions for the next 365 days!

Safe...Clean...Green...

Beautiful greenery, clean streets, breathable air...Singapore is a country that gives you something to "sing" about!

D and I have always been advocates of recycling. Unfortunately, Hong Kong doesn't have a strong recycling program (or a least not one we've ever seen.) Even though we separate our papers, cans, and bottles, they end up getting thrown into the same place in the trash room.

Getting people to recycle in Singapore did not seem to be much of a problem.

The colorful recycling bins actually made me want to recycle even more!


Now there are many other reasons why Singapore is so clean:

1. Chewing gum is prohibited and is not sold anywhere in the country (I brought my own but didn't dare chew in public)

2. Falure to flush a public toilet can lead you to a $500 fine (Who doesn't flush!)

3. Spitting, Jaywalking, Littering, and Smoking in public are all prohibited and lead to big fines. (Good thing I don't do any of those)

4. You can be fined for letting water collect in a flower pots where mosquitoes can breed. (I like this law, because no one wants Dengue Fever!)

Even though it's located very close to the equator making it very hot and very wet, Singapore is a wonderful country to visit. Of course I wouldn't want to say anything too negative in fear of getting slapped with a fine...or a cane!

Getting Down With The Dog

As many of you know, I have tried several different Yoga classes. As many of you also know, I've left several yoga classes more stressed then when I first stepped foot in the door. During a recent trip to Thailand, D convinced me to try a couples yoga class one night before dinner. I said to myself, "Yoga in Thailand couldn't be any worse than Yoga anywhere else."

I put on my Yoga attire, grabbed my mat, and made my way down to the spa. When I got there, I saw that this was the spot where the class was going to take place...

Now most people would say, "This is such a beautiful and peaceful place to practice Yoga". I, however, said to D, "We are doing Yoga outside during dusk? Do they want us all to get Dengue Fever?" For those of you who don't know what Dengue Fever is, it's an infectious tropical disease spread by mosquitoes. The disease is prevalent in many South Asian countries. The mosquitoes that carry Dengue Fever bite during the day..especially right after sunrise and right before sunset. It's bad enough getting those annoying mosquito bites that keep you up scratching all night long. Did I want to get Dengue Fever, a disease with no cure, that has the potential to kill you? Heck no!

I got up off my mat and marched straight back to the room. I covered myself from head to toe in insect repellent. I went back down to the beach where I had D spray his entire body as well.


While we were busy drowning ourselves in bug spray, everyone else was in a pretty relaxed state.

The instructor was interesting. D and I could hardly follow what he was saying, not because we couldn't do the exercises (although we had a rough time) we couldn't understand what he was saying. He kept saying "Dog, now up and down to the dog" I couldn't help but laugh during most of the session.

When I wasn't laughing, taking pictures of the other couples, or reapplying bug spray, I was busy writing the word YOGA in the sand with a stone (see first picture).

I walked out of the Yoga class with the same amount of stress (not much) and lack of flexibility with which I walked into it. I did, however, walk away without a single mosquito bite. I guess you could say the class was a success after all!

The Racing Dragons

Guess what we had last week here in Hong Kong? Another public holiday!
The Dragon Boat Festival honors a Chinese patriot by the name of Qu Yuan who threw himself into the Mi Lo River in protest of a corrupt government. People raced out in their boats to save him and others banged on drums to scare away dangerous fish. Unfortunately, the locals were unable to reach him in time. Boat races are preformed each year to symbolize the attempts to save Qu Yuan.

The Dragon Boat festival is a major Chinese holiday so I just had to be part of the action. I dragged D down to Stanley Beach despite the 98 degree weather so I could check out the boat races. I figured the beach would be filled with people by I never imagined just how crowded it would be.

Different teams (most sponsored by their companies) were dressed in colorful uniforms. I asked D why he wasn't participating this year for his company team. Apparently there are team tryouts and lots of practices. The competitors take this event very seriously!


The Fair Dinkum Club, a social club made up of young professionals, posed for a team photo. The girls were wearing black tutus around their waists!

Even though we didn't stay to watch many races we could really feel the excitement in the air. The smells of sweat, alcohol, sunblock and pollution (of course) filled our lungs. Maybe I'll form my own racing team to compete in the race next year...or better yet I'll just watch.

Beautiful Bermuda

I've always said that I wouldn't change a thing about our wedding day. Everything was exactly the way I wanted it to be. I had the perfect dress, the perfect venue, the perfect flowers, and of course the perfect husband. After attending a wedding in Bermuda last month, however, I may have found a venue that exceeds my definition of perfection...Anyone getting married soon?

Where's Your Mask?

Just what I like to read in the morning newspaper. Can anyone guess what the most visited website is on my computer? I know what I will be purchasing on my next trip to Costco.

Happy Birthday Buddha

Once again, last week was another holiday in Hong Kong. These public holidays are starting to spoil me because I'm getting used to having D around during the week. It seems like he's been working more 4 day weeks the past few months than 5 day weeks. You won't hear me complaining about this one!

What were were celebrating this time? Buddha's birthday! Buddha has become part of my every day life in Hong Kong. I see him in the store windows, at the tourist sites, in the markets, and in a few of my favorite restaurants.

Since D had the day off from work, we decided to go for a long leisurly walk along our favorite walking path (despite the weather being 87 degrees feeling like 93 with the humidity). As we strolled along the walking path we managed to spot:

Buddha #1



Buddha #2



Buddha #3

The week before, P and I planned our entire day around visiting the Buddha at his home on Lantau Island. To see him we traveled...



through the air...

over mountains...

over water...


and up hundreds of stairs!

I may not follow the teachings of Buddha, pray to the statues, or know much about the Buddhist religion, but since he seems to be everywhere, I might as well celebrate his birthday...especially if that means I get to spend more time with my hubby and friends!