A little late... but time for a bit of an update

I will start off by saying that I feel as though we should have a lot more to update you on.  Unfortunately that is not the case.  So although our lives may not be as exciting as you think they should be.... or as exciting as they actually should be, I will fill you in with the 'boring' details!

We have been in Hong Kong for about 4 months now.  Now that doesn't sound like a long time, and in the giant scheme of things, isn't a long time.  However, when it comes to living in a new place, across the WORLD from everyone and everything you know, and working full time, it is a decent "control group" of time.  I feel as though I can comment, judge, and speak my observations about Hong Kong after giving it about 4 months. It's not as though I'm trying to understand the whole city in 3 days.

For the most part, things are good.  Brian and I, although STILL in the hotel room, are settling in.  Brian has been bored over the weekend lately (me as well, but spending a couple hours at Starbucks usually helps in getting me out of the house)... We used to go out with our friend Yolande every weekend.  Lately, due to family obligations, she has been unable to join us on random outings.  So, Brian has become restless.  This weekend, he realized that being able to play his playstation might help cure some of this boredom.  How, is slightly beyond me, but it works for him.  So...

He pulled his PS3 out of the box, for the first time in 4 months.  He went to hook it up to the hotel tv.  The hotel tv is extremely old, and flickers.  We thought that it might just be the 'cable' that flickered... it wasn't. It's the TV that is set on giving us both epileptic seizures (which is hard considering neither of us is actually epileptic). However, the playstation didn't work anyways upon hookup.  So then... Brian put his mind to getting a new tv.  Now normally, this would be a ridiculous idea considering we're moving to the apartment in 6 weeks and there is a large, perfectly good tv there.  However, this was an exception.  We can use the tv in the apartment bedroom, when we move.  We can play blue rays on it, and can even hook it up to the computer if we want to watch a tv show from the internet on it.

Although it could still be considered redundant, it was going to make Brian happy.  We hadn't watched a tv nor had he played video games for 4 months.  He went on a mission looking for a tv.  Within minutes he had found a couple that work.  After a few texts back and forth, he had verbally bought a 26" tv that we could pick up on Sunday.

There is an escalator in Hong Kong that goes from Central station to the mid-levels. It is the longest escalator in the world at 900m.  We missed it.  We, instead, followed our map, finding the most 'direct' route.  I'm pretty sure it was the most direct route as it was practically straight up.  We climbed stairs after stairs, hiked up steep hills, and just when you think it MIGHT level out, you turn the corner to find another 3 flights of stairs leading up to a steeper hill.   I am not in the best shape.  I haven't made it to the gym, and not being able to cook has been killing me... I honestly thought I wasn't going to make it to the top.  It...... just........ kept....... going...........

After a good 40 minutes of 'sidewalk' climbing, we made it.  Sweaty (it was bloody hot out), and exhausted, we made it to the ex-pat's apartment.  It was beautiful.  It was large (I think at least 2 bedroom), with a big kitchen (from what I could see) and a giant living room even for Toronto standards. This was a very expensive apartment to rent by any standards let alone Hong Kong.

We picked up the tv for about $150 CAD.  It was cheap, good, big enough, and worked.  The people were super nice, and besides wanting to die getting there, all in all a successful transaction.

We made it back to the hotel, hooked it up, Brian was all excited, and, the PS3 didn't work.  We got on the mtr, and headed to Sham Shui Po.  We had looked up the Computer 'market' (don't know what else to call it), and headed inside.  It was huge, with NOWHERE to walk, and too many people and counters.  There was a mass amount of computer, video game, and lord knows what else, electronics.  Everything you might want, was in there, I'm not sure where in there, but in there.  We purchased an hdmi cable, got some useful information by a video game salesperson, and headed home.

Putting the advice to good use, changing out the hdmi cable, and my magic touch, we got it up and working.... Brian was extremely happy.  So, we have made our hotel room, slightly more like home with a PS3 and some beautiful flowers that Brian picked out for me.  6 more weeks and counting.

It's dark, but this is Brian's new tv and ps3 set up.

While we were out, Brian said to me "nothing seems to be easy. I just want something to work for once". That seems to be the overall feeling of our time here.  Everything just feels like work.  Nothing just works, and works the way it should... there is always some sort of obstacle to get over, some sort of hiccup in the plan.

Not the best pic of the flowers, but it is a big bouquet of pink roses and lilies and white.... something else.

I keep saying to myself, 6 weeks and we are in the apartment. 6 weeks and I can cook our own meals.  6 weeks and I can join the gym across the street, and have time to go.  6 weeks, and we're moving.  6 weeks and we get to go traveling.... 6 weeks everything should work they way it should work.  I know it won't, but maybe living in a real apartment, and having home cooked meals, will at least make it FEEL easier.