Life in Hong Kong

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79670049553623549192010-03-18T21:59:14.045+08:00Life in Hong KongThe ongoing story of a stranger in a strange landStephen W Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875345159802577400noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967004955362354919.post-70488707080276017272010-03-18T07:51:00.015+08:002010-03-18T08:42:59.886+08:00A Trip to Lamma Island

Dear Diary,Monday was Steph's birthday, so I took her to Lamma Island for the day. (She took the day off work.) Lamma is a small island just off of the main Hong Kong Island. Neither Steph nor I had ever been there, so it was something of a new adventure for us.It took us about a half an hour by ferry to reach the island. We landed at the smallest of the piers that Lamma offers. The only things

Stephen W Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875345159802577400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967004955362354919.post-7109706637950505762010-03-11T21:02:00.003+08:002010-03-11T21:07:55.110+08:00Cool Headphones

Dear Diary,Don't I look cool in my new headphones?A belated Valentine's gift, these Skullcandy headphones sound great and they're wireless. Awesome. Thanks Steph!I remain respectfully yours,Stephen

Stephen W Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875345159802577400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967004955362354919.post-37015941185839623452010-03-03T16:46:00.002+08:002010-03-03T16:52:49.492+08:00If Wishes Were Horses

Dear Diary,Have you ever heard the expression, 'If wishes were horses then beggars would ride'? What does that even mean?Presumably, beggars wish for a lot of things because they don't have much. So, in this scenario, all of their wishes would become horses. Now, assuming this is even possible, why would they ride them? Why would a beggar ride around on a horse? How's that helpful to him/her?I

Stephen W Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875345159802577400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967004955362354919.post-65400799676086185212010-02-24T21:26:00.002+08:002010-02-24T21:29:45.741+08:00An Ode to Coffee

In the morning, it’s there for you,As reliable as the daily dew.A cup of joeAnd a morning TV show.In the afternoon, a coffee breakIs just what you need to stay awake.A tall cappuccinoFrom the capital of San Marino.In the evening, working late,Do not hesitate.An espresso is just what you needTo get you back at full speed.No matter what your flavour,There’s always something to savour.So raise your

Stephen W Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875345159802577400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967004955362354919.post-28762697644468719412010-02-18T16:26:00.003+08:002010-02-18T16:39:25.519+08:00A Cold Start to the Year of the Tiger

Dear Diary,It’s been a cold start to the Year of the Tiger. A couple of weeks ago, I thought summer was officially here. Boy, was I wrong about that one! In fact, it’s so cold today that I finally gave up on the summer mentality and put on a pair of pants!Now, I’m sure I won’t get much sympathy from people in actually cold places buried in snow, but 45 °F is really cold for Hong Kong. You see, I

Stephen W Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875345159802577400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967004955362354919.post-47100315659195415702010-02-13T20:42:00.003+08:002010-02-13T20:46:56.661+08:00Chinese New Year 2010

Dear Diary,Chinese New Year begins tomorrow and all of Hong Kong is celebrating. Saturday through Tuesday is an official public holiday and all over Hong Kong friends and relatives will gather to celebrate together.The celebrations began for me on Friday night when Steph and I met her family for a big dinner. (I think there must have been thirty people there.) As usual, they ordered way too much

Stephen W Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875345159802577400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967004955362354919.post-86664658029092369102010-02-07T22:09:00.003+08:002010-02-07T22:11:20.971+08:00Spring Cleaning

Dear Diary,The Chinese New Year is right around the corner, and all of Hong Kong is a buzz. The shops are full of stuffed tigers (the new year being that of the tiger), tins of snacks and all things “lucky”. The Chinese people are also busily preparing themselves for this great occasion.One of the traditions of Chinese New Year is that it is sort of something like a spring cleaning. It’s out with

Stephen W Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875345159802577400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967004955362354919.post-87156463691714981932010-02-04T18:47:00.002+08:002010-02-04T18:50:41.862+08:00LOST!!!

Dear Diary,The weather in Hong Kong has turned and it’s been quite miserable outside, but that won’t dampen my spirit. What’s got me feeling so jovial? I’m glad you asked.Well, for starters, my football team (not that kind of football) is doing quite well at the moment. Oh, and there’s also the small matter of LOST!Yes, the final season of Lost is upon us. Bittersweet in a way, I suppose — the

Stephen W Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875345159802577400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967004955362354919.post-77292237842703928852010-01-31T22:23:00.002+08:002010-01-31T22:26:47.068+08:00Life is Good

Dear Diary,I must admit that I’ve been rather lazy about my journal entries lately. You see, there just aren’t as many interesting things happening to me now that I’m at home most of the time — well, besides dogs constantly licking me and begging for attention.Anyway, today is the last day of January, and spring has arrived in Hong Kong. The sun is shining, it’s about 25°Celsius, and Sai Kung is

Stephen W Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875345159802577400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967004955362354919.post-78024357053530064752010-01-23T18:56:00.003+08:002010-01-23T19:00:35.193+08:00Stinky Tofu

Dear Diary,The smell hits you and then you know … you are in Mong Kok. Garbage, fried chicken, dog poo — left in the sun for a week — that is the smell, yes, the smell of a certain Mong Kok delicacy.It fills the nostrils with a horrid repulsion that is strangely addictive. Connoisseurs line up for an entire city block for this most revolting of treats. Its name is an understatement if ever there

Stephen W Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875345159802577400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967004955362354919.post-48616135151460487122010-01-19T23:41:00.002+08:002010-01-19T23:44:37.321+08:00Hachiko: A Dog's Story

Dear Diary,Last weekend I went to see a new movie called ‘Hachiko: A Dog’s Story’. If you’ve never heard of this movie, don’t feel bad, because I don’t think it had a big theatrical release, despite featuring Richard Gere. That being said, I felt that it was a pretty decent film.The story (which is based on a true story) is, of course, about a dog — an Akita to be specific. Now, if you haven’t

Stephen W Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875345159802577400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967004955362354919.post-2275953171149839822010-01-16T22:15:00.003+08:002010-01-16T22:18:11.495+08:00Garden Growing

Dear Diary,In Prince Edward, which borders Mong Kok, there is a place I will call ‘Garden Street’. Here you can find all sorts of things for your garden — plants, flowers, decorations, tools, you name it. Today I went there and bought three plants.One of the plants is a little rosemary plant. I could use the herbs when cooking. It also smells kind of nice.The second plant I bought was a cherry

Stephen W Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875345159802577400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967004955362354919.post-91438295365670627892010-01-14T12:12:00.002+08:002010-01-14T12:15:46.262+08:00Honey Lemon Water

Dear Diary,I’ve discovered something great recently (and here I mean discovered in the sort of Christopher Columbus way, e.g. loads of people already knew about it but I didn’t and maybe you don’t so I said I discovered it). The great thing I discovered is honey lemon water.Basically, honey lemon water is exactly what it sounds like — a couple spoons of honey mixed with hot or warm water and

Stephen W Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875345159802577400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967004955362354919.post-45556184027125372452010-01-10T21:14:00.001+08:002010-01-10T21:16:10.649+08:00Is That Curry or Curry?

Dear Diary,Have you ever sat down in a restaurant and ordered something only to have the food not quite be what you had anticipated? Have you ever ordered a dish you expected to be sweet turn out to be rather spicy? Or vice versa? If you’ve ever eaten curry, this may have happened to you.You see, the problem I’ve found with curry is that there are two basic kinds of curry, Japanese curry and

Stephen W Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875345159802577400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967004955362354919.post-62860200322264059632010-01-10T01:18:00.004+08:002010-01-10T01:21:51.154+08:00My Mong Kok Dream: Episode II

Dear Diary,On a cold winter day it’s a good idea to try some indoor activities. In Hong Kong (if you don’t want to sit in your apartment all day) that means just one thing — shopping. And there’s no better place to do that than Mong Kok.Our story starts at a Japanese restaurant called ‘Summer Snow’. There I enjoyed curry chicken and some of Steph’s sushi. I also had a huge glass of cappuccino!

Stephen W Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875345159802577400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967004955362354919.post-71152671481848436772010-01-07T00:17:00.001+08:002010-01-07T00:19:18.242+08:00Japanese Food and Poetry

Dear Diary,Despite the frigid Hong Kong temperature, tonight was a night out on the town for me and Steph.I boarded the bus in the late afternoon for the long trip into the city. One hour later, I finally reached my destination, Central (that’s basically downtown).First, we went to a lovely Japanese buffet. The price was very decent and the food was delicious. We enjoyed lots of sashimi, sushi,

Stephen W Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875345159802577400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967004955362354919.post-46124982592746450422010-01-04T22:28:00.002+08:002010-01-04T22:30:54.775+08:00Predictions for the Next Ten Years

Dear Diary,I must admit that years and dates confuse me a bit. Back in 2000, people kept saying that it was a new century, a new millennium. However, 2001 soon rolled around and other people started saying, no, 2001 was actually the start of the new century, the new millennium. Now, it’s 2010, and people are talking about how it’s a new decade. In 2011 are people going to start claiming that it

Stephen W Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875345159802577400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967004955362354919.post-66476417033250722792010-01-03T17:17:00.002+08:002010-01-03T17:20:12.653+08:00Stephen Dennis — Farm Boy

Dear Diary,My little “garden” is growing more and more every day. As of now, I’ve got two cherry tomato plants, some flowers and a cactus all in my tiny apartment. The cherry tomatoes are starting to blossom and soon I will be able to enjoy eating them (although one of the plants isn’t doing so well it seems).I’m also considering trying to grow some strawberries as well. I’ve seen them growing at

Stephen W Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875345159802577400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967004955362354919.post-60699952048111580412010-01-01T00:33:00.001+08:002010-01-01T00:35:17.725+08:00Is It Twenty Ten or Two-Thousand Ten?

Dear Diary,I keep hearing people saying that twenty ten is coming. It’s making me feel a little confused to be honest.You see, when I was growing up, we always said what year it was by saying two numbers. For example, I graduated high school in nineteen ninety-six (1996). Suddenly, about ten years ago, though, this way of referring to years changed. No longer did we refer to years with two

Stephen W Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875345159802577400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967004955362354919.post-70024970894309516632009-12-28T18:21:00.005+08:002009-12-28T18:25:59.145+08:002009 Top 5

Dear Diary,It’s nearly the end of 2009. Soon we will be writing 2010 at the end of all the documents we sign. For some reason, this is a big deal to a lot of people, so much so that we get a day off work for it (well, some people do).So I’ll play along and do the thing that’s often done at this time of the year — I’ll list my top moments of 2009!5. Moving to Sai Kung — Although it’s a small

Stephen W Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875345159802577400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967004955362354919.post-7543162803311072762009-12-25T19:29:00.003+08:002009-12-25T19:47:20.041+08:00Christmas Day

Dear Diary,It's Christmas everybody! I feel like singing a song ... but I won't, because nobody would enjoy that, except maybe for a good laugh. I celebrated Christmas today by going to Wan Chai with Steph and her mum for a buffet lunch. The buffet was at a restaurant in the Renaissance Hotel. I enjoyed everyone's favourite traditional Christmas foods — sushi and sashimi. Well, it’s traditional

Stephen W Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875345159802577400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967004955362354919.post-68482668420006912792009-12-25T00:27:00.003+08:002009-12-25T00:35:57.747+08:00Christmas Eve in Hong Kong

Dear Diary,It was Christmas Eve today. To me, that conjures up memories of years gone by and time spent with my family on all those Christmases of the past. Christmas in Hong Kong, though, is quite different from my childhood memories.In America, Christmas is a time to spend with family. In Hong Kong, Christmas is a time for partying. I can hear the revelers outside now even as I make this entry.

Stephen W Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875345159802577400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967004955362354919.post-6898825639831742412009-12-24T00:10:00.002+08:002009-12-24T00:12:22.435+08:00Happy Festivus

Dear Diary,Happy Festivus! I celebrated with a salad, a bowl of clam chowder and some bread. There's nothing like working over the holidays to spread that cheer!I remain respectfully yours,Stephen

Stephen W Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875345159802577400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967004955362354919.post-16189252347983898252009-12-22T00:17:00.003+08:002009-12-22T00:34:17.439+08:00Avatar

Dear Diary,So I took a break tonight from my busy writing schedule for a little R&R. I went to go see Avatar with Steph.First of all, I will say that it's a gorgeous film. The colours are vibrant and it really brings the entire thing to life. After seeing it in 3D, I would be curious to see how well it will translate onto a standard home television.As for the story of the film, I have mixed

Stephen W Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875345159802577400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967004955362354919.post-47072458476359448852009-12-20T01:00:00.004+08:002009-12-20T01:09:16.366+08:00My Mong Kok Dream

Dear Diary,What an eventful day! It all started on the minibus to Mong Kok. I found someone’s wallet on the floor. It didn’t belong to anyone on the bus, so what should I do with it?Give it to the driver? Well, what’s he going to do with it? Maybe he’d just take the $340 (US $45) and keep it for himself.Look through it and find a phone number? Nope, nothing there.So I took it to the Mong Kok

Stephen W Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875345159802577400noreply@blogger.com0