Happy 2012!

Wishing all of my readers a very happy, healthy, and prosperous year to come!

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.