2 weeks and 1 day after arriving in Hong Kong

Greetings from Hong Kong -- where I now not only live and work but, also (finally, as of only two days ago), have access to broadband at home as well as the office! :)

"Time flies when you're having fun" says the proverbial "they". There've been many a time when I've felt this. From more recent experience, however, here's additionally fully attesting to time being prone to feel like it's flying when you've got lots of work on your plate as well!

Don't want to go into too much details about work stuff since I get the distinct sense that my new boss actually checks out this blog at least every once in a while...At the same time though, I think it's safe enough to report that tomorrow, the latest issue of the bi-weekly magazine which I'm currently staff writer for will hit the streets and that those who lay their hands on a copy will find that five out of the six feature articles have been written by a certain YT(SL)! And that's not even the half of it as other sections of the magazine now have my imprint -- e.g., in the Cinema section, you'll also find my (extended) review of The Go Master. (And yes, if that title seems familiar, it may be because you've seen a previous mention of it on this here blog.)

Alternatively put: Yes, I've spent a good portion of my time thus far in Hong Kong at work. And yes, I've already experienced at least two working days that only ended at around 1:30 the next morning. (So, if you ever wondered, yes, it's true enough that Hong Kongers -- even newly transplanted ones like myself -- work very hard indeed!)

Furthermore, my first few days in Hong Kong were colored by finding myself saddled with the roommate from hell: a young woman who I had agreed to share an apartment with for a month without having met her. I know, I know...and yes, it could have been worse. But it still was bad enough that she turned out to not yet have housetrained her pet dog -- so that on my first May morning in Hong Kong, I had the...um...interesting experience of literally stepping into some shit on my way to the bathroom! Oh, and also be the kind of party animal who, unfortunately, doesn't seem to be able to hold her drink all that well; with the result that the bathroom sometimes could smell worse than the parts of the apartment where the dog was allowed free rein. :(

So, to say the least, it was with great relief that my frantic apartment hunting efforts actually resulted just four days after I landed in Hong Kong for this new great adventure in living in my discovery of an apartment that I'd be happy to stay in and settle into for what I hope will be a long stay in the Fragrant Harbor. And on the first Sunday of this latest Hong Kong sojourn (i.e., just one day after said discovery!), I moved into this veritable oasis that's located in one of those actually quite interesting as well as pleasant parts of Hong Kong which I'd previously passed through more than once on a tram but, I must confess, had never stopped to check out.

Some more minor yet significant -- at least, to me -- milestones reached in the past two weeks or so: My getting a Hong Kong phone number to call my own (this on the day that I came across the apartment I now call home); and my opening an account in a local bank (this only done yesterday). On a lighter note: Over the weekend, I also belatedly succumbed to the temptations of a Hong Kong branch of Krispy Kreme that, I've found, not only has a "buy five, get one free" offer in place but also can boast culinary attractions like delectable donuts with a green tea flavored glaze on top of them! ;b

Finally, what's a Hong Kong entry on this blog with movie mentions? Those of you who know me will doubtless understand that I really truly started feeling comfortable, if not yet outright settled, when I finally found the time, energy and such to go and get myself a DVD player (just this past Saturday). (If you're wondering, the apartment came with a nice enough TV set along with some other furnishings.)

And go watch a movie in a cinema. (For the record: It was only this past Sunday and the film was Spider Lilies, an affecting art house offering cum -- oh, heck, I'm not going to hide this fact! -- lesbian drama from Taiwan accorded but a category IIB rating here in Hong Kong which I found to be hypnotic, haunting and very much watchable due in larger part to Rainie Yang (a wonderful young actress who I had previously seen only in the under-rated Merry-Go-Round) than the more celebrated Isabella Leung (of Isabella fame).

Of course, this being in Hong Kong, I caught sight of a major film star many days before these two events occured. On the same afternoon that I landed in Hong Kong, in fact. And no, I really am not kidding when I tell you that the celebrity in question was ex-Shaw Brothers actress Lily Ho; and that I almost literally bumped into the still very lovely looking her -- and her pretty stunning as well young adult daughter -- while waiting to buy fruits at a small corner shop!!

And while I didn't dare to go up and talk to that charismatic female, I did talk to -- indeed, interview for work! -- none other than Fredric Mao last week! Should this luminary's name not immediately ring a bell, here's pointing out that he's the celebrated artistic director of the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre, an individual who the likes of Anthony Wong Chau San look upon as a sifu and call "Mao Sir", as well as someone who has made significant supporting appearances in small but worthy cinematic efforts like 9413, A Queer Story and Forever and Ever. And should anyone wonder: Yes, he was very nice and the interview went very well indeed... :)