World Traveling Bonbon

Bored

2010-09-15T07:27:00.000-05:00

Something that can happen frequently for me. Hence the new layout. It's amazing how easily it can be changed. What do you think?

Changing it up every now and again also prevents me from losing my html knowledge. Something I hope never gets old and dusty. A few changes here and a few changes there also helps me learn knew things. Such as adding a menu bar below my header

Menu About Me My Fickr Contact Me

Adding tabs, which in the end didn't make it off the drawing room floor because the menu bar ending up taking the blue ribbon and is wearing it with pride!

When I get more time I will be adding a new header to the menu bar "365". The intent of that link will be to display my 365 photo project in a more pleasing format. It is all over the boards within this blog at the moment, but I am happy to report that I am still going strong with it. I won't lie, there are times where I wish I had a little more time and was prepped a bit more for some of the photos. On the flip side to that, it is helping me challenge myself to think fast and understand that amazing pictures aren't always the perfect ones. Hence, September 12th's photo. In regards to the new format, I was really hoping to have it look like this: CLICK ME, but it appears the template won't be ready soon enough. No doubt I will set it up once they release it.

In the meantime, I hope you are still enjoying the posts, pictures and new layout!

Photomontages of Singapore

2010-09-13T10:36:00.000-05:00

Checking Out Singapore

A Hawker Dinner

Clarke Quay

Pulau Ubin

Singapore Botanic Gardens

Upper Seletar Reservoir

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserves

Singapore Cemeteries

Did You Think I Failed?

2010-09-13T10:19:00.000-05:00

I hope not because the pictures are still being taken, but getting time to load them is not always at my fingertips.

It has been great to finally get to Singapore, but I do have to say with all the pressure of trying to decide if this is the place for me to relocate it hasn't made it as enjoyable as I had hoped it to be. So I am not going to talk about that in this post.

Singapore is a great place. The climate, unlike what I had been told, is significantly better than Hong Kong. It is extremely hot, but on a different level. One that is more like home on a hot summer day. There is actually grass here, it is not one big city full of skyscrapers and people. You can actually move and breath here. As you will see from the pictures it is more than tropical here, there are rain forests and the most unsettling thunder & lightening storms that I have ever heard in all my 33 years being on this earth. The thought of it makes me want to laugh at the ones back home. Don't get me wrong, I also won't forget the first time the power went out in my place back home at night and I was alone, in the dark, with no one answering their freakin' phones to keep me company. If you haven't already guessed, I have a slight fear of the dark.

Since I have been here the weather has been sunny, wet with severe downpours, hot & humid enough to make you want to take your clothes off in public, and chilly after a nice cool simple rain shower. The people have been great and very welcoming. The client has even tried to slightly bribe me into staying. the one thing that truly surprises me is that it is not as clean as everyone had claimed it to be. Yes, there are areas that are cleaner than other, but it's really not that different than home.

The first weekend here I got to meet Shaan, Guy's partner of 11 years. What a sweetheart and breath of fresh air. He has been an expat in Dubai for nearly 2 years. It was great to talk with him and hear his insights. It was also nice to finally meet him just to meet him since I had been hearing so many great things about him for the past year. He had to leave only two days after I arrived, but what a pleasure it was while he was here.

The Sunday that Shaan left, Guy and I were welcomed with some serious rain, that did put a damper on our day, but we still got out there and ventured around the town. We saw the city and made our way on in and through Chinatown. I have to say the markets weren't as big, chaotic or anywhere near as cheap as those in Hong Kong, but it was still fun to walk around and take in the differences.

The work week, was the work week, but with an added surprise. I know I was missing out on Labor Day weekend back home, but we were awarded Hari Raya day on Friday the 10th. Hari Raya is a Ministry of Manpower Muslim holiday to celebrate the end of Ramandan. Hari Raya translated means "Celebration Day of Fasting". Knowing that we were going to have a long holiday I had visions of where I wanted to travel. Visions that were quickly squashed when I found out that all flights going ANYWHERE were sold out. It was truly unreal. Instead I traded one plane in for a bike and a set of wheels.

Saturday we set sail on a bum boat out of Changi, Singapore that took us to Pulau Island. I mentioned the cleanliness of Singapore above, however, even though Pulau Island is still technically a part of Singapore it is filthy. Trash and plastic bottles lay strewn everywhere amongst the island and in the waterways. With that said, the island is also beautiful when you stop and look around and see it's vast variety of greens.

After a casual Saturday night in with take out and a couple of movies, Guy and I thought it would be fun to rent a car and really see what else this island had to offer outside the city. We are so glad we did this. The original plan was to hop in a car, head to the Botanical Gardens, the Singapore Zoo and then just venture around with the time we had left.

We made it to the Gardens after first picking up a cash card for the parking lots. I have to say it is a neat system. All cars have these machines in them that you stick a card into. It works with all parking lots and highway tolls. The value on the card is reduced when you park or drive through a toll. Anyway, onto the gardens. They were beautiful, but surprisingly not all that colorful. There were plenty of greens, but had we not gone into the Ginger Garden or Orchid Garden it would have been the only color we would have seen. I think this time of year is when things must be changing over. The Ginger flowers/plants have a season of June to August, but I am not sure about the rest of the gardens. The orchids were amazing though and I didn't realize how many different kinds there were. I was in mesmerized by all the colors and smell that they offered throughout the air.

After the Gardens we decided to fire Richard, our Garmin Nuvi, up and see if he could help us get around town. Perhaps find us a place to eat. Right, Richard really does stand for Dick, because that is what this Garmin was. A true Dick! After causing a mild spat between Guy and I we finally figured out the trick to using this Garmin. Simply put "Don't". We opted to have it display the just the map so Guy could have it see where he was going while I read the old fashion map in my lap. Richard, his bad name, would say something was .8 kilometers away, but when we went where he said and reached the .8 kilometer mark he would say it was only 1.4 kilometers down the road. Seriously? That is just rubbish!

Once we realized the trick to Richard, we had smooth sailing again and were on our way around the Singapore Reserve. We even took a little detour to check out the Upper Seletar Reservoir. What we got was another surprise. There were wild monkeys! This made me so happy because I wasn't able to get to Monkey Hill while being in Hong Kong. They were so adorable, but I admit, I was going to heed the rules and keep my windows rolled up. I know what those little innocent looking guys can do. I watch YouTube like the rest of them. So I innocently took pictures with the windows rolled up.

As we casually made our way to the parking lot of the reservoir the monkeys started coming out in more and more rapidly. It was truly a sight to see. From the little babies, to the those that had definitely seen their time on this planet. They groomed each other and fed their little ones and just simply took care of each other. It was amazing.

When we finally arrived at the car park we got out to see something I couldn't believe. A family sitting on a park bench surrounded by the little guys. One monkey was only inches away with a baby feeding in her lap. When I got closer to take some pictures I truly did have a fear that they would be jumping all over me. When I actually crouched down to take a photo the living shit was pretty much scared out of me because that is when one of them pounced and ran right underneath my knees to attack another monkey. His fur scathed my knees! Minutes later I was hand feeding the mother monkey while her baby was still clenched tightly as she continued feeding. She had the softest, most delicate little hands and took the peanut from my fingertips with such grace. I was nervous at first, but she was just so gentle. It changed the way I saw her. Not the way I saw the others which noted by the family as the right way to think. I was just lucky enough to have that moment and get some great shots while doing it. I just wish I had my tripod with me for a few spectacular shots.

The day didn't end there. It was time for the zoo where I was eager to play with the tiger cubs, but that dream will have to wait just a little longer. The zoo doesn't do it and with the time allotted I opted to save the zoo for a full day when I am back in October. So back to the car when went. We opened the map and next up was the Singapore Wetlands.

The wetlands were awesome! Bug infested, so I have a few more red bumps to add to my collection previous Pulau Ubin collection, but hey what's a few more bites when your body is already covered in them right? The wetlands is what appears to be a large little island that you can walk around and take in the various plantation and wildlife that is Singapore. That was part of the issue for us. We had been hearing the rumblings of thunder from the second we got there and decided to venture on, but when we got just over a quarter of a way around and realized how long it had taken us, we were having second thoughts about going forward. We then factored in how dark the sky was getting and it was an easy decision. Turn back now and leave happy. Happy that we got to see all the kimono dragons on the way in, the vegetation, the crocodiles (okay they were only on a warning sign, but we were eager to try and see them), the butterflies and well everything that we did see.

You'd think the day would have ended there, but we decided to drive through the Chinese and Muslim cemeteries. This may have been a stop more for me than it was for Guy, but I do think he enjoyed it just as much. Not sure why, but I have always been intrigued by cemeteries and how they are laid out around the world. They offer such differences. From how the bodies are buried into the ground (horizontally vs. vertically), is there at headstone or a house that decorates the body below the ground, what do people share from this world for them to take into the next world (if they believe in that), the questions continue. So I asked if we could take a little tour. They were both massive in size, but extremely different as you will see from the pictures. There are only two of the Muslim cemetery as I am not sure it is seen as good natured to take photographs, but I wanted to share a little taste of what I saw. They were both colorful in their own ways and the gifts varied from food to flowers and incense. If you weren't able to bring food, flowers or incense they do have people selling them at the main road to provide as a gesture when you visit the deceased. This was just another little stop on our trip to make this a great day.

The last and final stop was Ikea, where this time Guy almost started a fight with a man in the parking lot who swore the space we parked in was his. Even though he was at the other end of the isle with his hazard lights on. I can understand why he would want the space, the place was zooier than the actual zoo, but really you need to actually be near the space to even think about claiming it as your own.

Now it's time for the photo-of-a-day catch up, followed by a photo montage!

MONDAY, AUGUST 30, 2010

Singapore or Holland?

TUESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2010

My last Hong Kong meal with friends at Charlie's Place

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2010

It doesn't come from a box here. All those dumplings are hand rolled each morning.

I had to include one more for this day...it was taken with my iPhone using the retro camera app.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2010

Finally, capturing Hailey on film.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2010

Singapore Airlines rocks!

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2010

Words every girl should live by

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2010

The RR of The Fullerton Hotel

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2010

Getting down and dirty at the Thai Festival hosted by the Thai Embassy

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2010

Tiger Prawns

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

Movies are so cheap!

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2010

One Tree Hill

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2010

Clinic

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2010

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2010

The other photos of the monkeys are better, but this is the most memorable. She was taking the peanut out of my hand as I took this shot with my D80. So precious she was.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2010

I think I will put the photomontage in a separate post. Hope you've enjoyed it so far.

No Monkeys

2010-08-31T18:31:00.000-05:00

I woke up with the anticipation of heading to Monkey Hill, however I didn't really do the research in the true time it would take to get there or how I would actually get there. When I did the calculations I opted not to go because I wouldn't have made it back in time for my home cooked meal. Sabine made myself and two of her friends stuffed pumpkins. They were delicious!

So instead of the trek, I opted to take one last tour of Hong Kong with the hope of making my way to the zoo before I got to Willi's place, but I got side tracked at the conservatory and bird exhibition.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Sorry no pics of dinner, abeit it was delicious! Here are some other pics from the day:

Traditional Dim Sum

2010-08-31T11:01:00.024-05:00

Saturday, August 28, 2010

This was an awesome day. Sabine shot me a message to meet her at the pool at the JW Marriott. Michael and Andrew were kind enough to sign us in for the day. I was in heaven from the first step. The pool area was huge, the sun was shining, the company was awesome, the views were amazing and it's always nice when someone is there to never let your ice water run dry.

After a short while the clouds did emerge their fluffly big white heads so Michael and Andrew had a great idea to go for some traditional Dim Sum. By traditional I mean we ate in a grand ballroom with hundreds of tables and hundreds of other people, but that wasn't the best part. The best part was picking your dishes from the trolley carts that they roll around the room!

After our belly's were full it was time to work some of it off by doing a little shopping spree, market shopping (for more food - Sabine cooked an amazing pumpkin stuffed dinner on Sunday) and a little late night dancing. What a great way to spend the day/evening...amongst friends!

Here are some other photos from the day:

Censored

2010-08-31T09:10:00.001-05:00

Friday, August 27, 2010

A little blurry for your censored viewing or in another way to look at it the happy ending you will get if you do the full Temple Street tour.

Is All Thai The Same

2010-08-26T06:22:00.000-05:00

The instant answer is NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!

I learned this the hard way. I ordered the Chicken Curry on my last trip here and unless you are in Tuk Tuk Thai (boneless chicken) or like chopped up chicken, you don't order the Chicken Curry. I am so not a fan of legitimate chopped up chicken. By chopped up chicken I mean, skin, bones, feet, whatever is still on the chicken when the restaurant receives it. Albeit, Chicken Feet is on most menus in Hong Kong, Thai or not and there are tons of people here that eat it. I am, however, not one of those people. It is all mind over matter I know, but my mind says "It doesn't matter if others eat it. I'm not gonna!".

I did venture down the street from my hotel last night and indulged myself in Vegetable Samosa's, Mixed Vegetable Curry and Naan bread. At first glance it looked like the Samosa's and Naan could have been of the frozen type, but boy did they taste yummy! The curry here is definitely a lot oilier than I am used to, but all-in-all I really enjoyed my meal last night and ate almost all of it. Unlike the first time around when the trash found my chicken curry more appetizing than me.

Today's photo of the day:

Wonderfish = Wonderful!

2010-08-25T10:42:00.001-05:00

When traveling to another country, even if just for work, you have no excuse to NOT step out of your normal little box and submerse yourself into the new culture that surrounds you. Again, no excuse. That means there is no blaming long hours at work for a lack of adventure. Long hours was something I had my fair share of last week, so I decided to take last night off and pamper myself. Maybe offer myself up as fish food is a better way to put it.

While on the plane to Hong Kong, this go around, I was seated next to a woman who was relocating herself and her two kids from Chicago to the heart of Hong Kong (aka Causeway Bay). During our first couple of hours together I learned that she was my new found wealth of knowledge. I'll keep it simple and jump straight to the best part: Wonderfish! Spa.

I will also share my picture of the day

Now this pic means so much to me, but you may not get it just yet. So why does Sabine have her panties in a ruffle and look like she is screaming bloody murder? Wonderfish! Spa of course.

Wonderfish! Spa is not your average spa where you lay back, relax, take in the soothing sounds of nature while getting a complete full body rub down. However, from what I learned last night you could submerse yourself in a Wonderfish! Spa, but I have a good hankering that there aren't too many people out there that are that brave.

So just what is Wonderfish! Spa then?

It is a fabulous fishy feet massage! Yes, that's right those little black spots in the pool of water beneath Sabine's feet are little Garra Rufa (Doctor Fish). These fish, also known as, Kangal Fish, Nibble fish Reddish Log Suckers and Little Dermatologists, truly are suckers! Mighty fine suckers I might add. Their natural behavior is to suck at the dry, hard skin on your feet OR whatever you put in the water for that matter. This is where the "I have a good hankering that there aren't too many people out there that are that brave" because there are people that not only put there feet and hands in there, they put their faces and even their full bodies! This little peanut was all about the fishies sucking on his hand, whereas Sabine and I were not liking it one bit.

Now for the best part...video:

So that was me, laughing and giggling and thinking there is no way in hell I was going to be able to keep my feet in that pool any longer than 1 minute MAX, but if I took my feet out then what? Then is the hard part because every time you take your feet out and then put them back in it is just as ticklish as the first time.

After the gigglefest continued for a bit, Sabine asked how much time we had left. The lady turned to us and said "12 - 15 minutes". I nearly died, it felt like we had been in there for an eternity! I should clarify at this point because it was an amazing feeling, but such a weird good amazing feeling.

These little guys have some strange honing device on skin. With even the slightest sense that you are near their sucking range, they come running in full force. If you hover your feet over the water, they jump to get what they consider to be the sweet nectar or your skin and they can't get enough!

Would I do it again? DEFINITELY. Would I recommend it to others? DEFINITELY.

Next adventure on tap is to check out the wild monkeys of Kowloon and see if they will eat out of my hand, but that will have to wait till the weekend.

More Pics

Unknown Street Fires

2010-08-23T12:23:00.000-05:00

What a great first day at the client...okay I have to interrupt this post because I just saw the building next to me get hit with lightening!!!! When it rains here it really comes down with the most amazing thunder and lightening.

K, back to it. It was a great day. The client worked hard before go live and it has paid off. It was another long day, but not a 3 am kind of day, so I did get to go out and play. I met up with Sabine in Causeway Bay for a little shopping and picked up a couple of cute things. This is when the rain started to come down, but that didn't stop us. A few stores and Hong Kong dollars later we had a yummy dinner and my most treasured dessert of Hong Kong.

PEANUT BUTTER FRENCH TOAST

Even though I took this picture as a memory, this was not my picture of the day. The picture of the day came on my risky walk home in the midst of the thunderstorm.

There were a ton of people in the streets building these fires. From what I could tell they were burning incense on the side of the street and burning pamphlets in the street. When I stopped to ask a few ladies why they were doing this (holiday? religious day? to honor someone, the dead perhaps?), they unfortunately didn't understand english. I thought no biggie, with so many people doing it, the hotel is sure to know. Nope, I think I actually scared the lady at the front desk when I asked "do you know why so many people are starting fires in the streets and lighting incense?". So much so that I think she may have dialed the police to find out herself. In the end it was a true site to see and no matter what it ended up being it was fun to be a part of it in my own unknowing way.

Wet Market - North Point, Hong Kong

2010-08-23T12:08:00.000-05:00

After an amazing weekend of fun in the sun Sabine, Anna and I decided to head to the Wet Market in North Point. If you're like me and like to eat where the locals do when you visit a new place and atmosphere doesn't bother you as long as the food is to die for, then the Wet Market is your place to visit when coming to Hong Kong. It was awesome.

My first internal visual thoughts of the Wet Market, was that it would be like our experience in Sai Kung. We would walk up and pick out our fish and dinning delights. However, this was all wrong. You take an escalator four floors up and walk into an old warehouse style room. From first sight you would think all the table make up one restaurant, but again I was wrong. Each segment of tables was a different restaurant, but only one was slam packed. That would be the one we would go to.

Everything on the menu was in chinese so it was nice to have a local with us. Yeah Anna! She did all the ordering and washing for us. Yes, I did say washing. It is tradition here that you are given your dishes before the meal and that you clean them yourself with Tea. Without further ado I present today's pictures...I know I am only supposed to do one, but this deserves a few more.

Our restaurant

Even the little ones like it

Sabine & Anna

Time to clean

Wash, wash, wash, then if there is left overs you can drink it or...

Yup, clean the table with it

First up...

Tomato Fish Soup

Beer in bowls

Razor clams in an amazing sauce!

Bottom left: was garlic shrimp (to die for!), bottom right: fried rice in lotus leaves (so yummy), top center: vegetables in shrimp paste (not my favorite)

Unveiling the fried rice with mushrooms...yummy hong kong mushrooms.

The creme de la resistance...Oxtail in a very spicy chilly sauce

I can't believe it so I had to take the picture...the bone on my plate is actually Oxtail. I tried it and have to say it was delicious!

What a way to wrap up the weekend. Thanks ladies!

Sand Up The Beach

2010-08-23T11:36:00.000-05:00

The weather was looking a bit sketchy all week, but we were happy to see the rain coming down early in the week because Saturday was sure to be a great day at Sand Up The Beach (click on that link for a small taste of what was to come). What we didn't realize was that the rain had nothing to do with it. Apparently there were wind forces of 4 to 5 on Saturday which prevented any high speed boats from getting to the island. No high speed boats means no music equipment and no people. The only other way to get to the island would be a leisurely 2 to 3 hour hike. So for the safety of the people they have decided to postpone the party until Saturday, September 4th (aka the day after I leave Hong Kong).

Such is life, right?

That didn't stop me from having an amazing girls weekend! Sabine, Anna and I headed for South Bay Beach on Saturday and Sunday. South Bay beach is an awesome little beach on the south east side of the island. It is like our little oasis. It might seem odd that we didn't go to the beach party, but did go to the beach. I agree, but to get to the beach party island we would have had to face open water to get to the island and with the wind (that we did feel at the beach on Sunday) I could only imagine how many sea sick people we would have had to share the island with. Wouldn't have painted a pretty picture. I like this one better:

Mass Histeria At 3 am

2010-08-23T11:20:00.000-05:00

I may have fooled you a little because I haven't posted anything since last Thursday, but in reality I have still been taking pictures. Even on a day that I worked till 3 am. Yes, last Friday was a nice 19 hour day at work. It started at 8 am on Friday morning and didn't end till 3 am on Saturday morning. What exactly was I doing? I was taking my client live. Yup, the glorious Go Live moment occurred at 3 am. There were no balloons released from the ceilings, doves weren't tossed into the air, nor was there even an ounce of confetti tossed. It was just me and a few ladies hanging out in an office building signing documents and agreeing that the system looked good. Sounds exciting huh? Truth be told even with none of the above stated things occurring, it really was a proud moment. We took the client live in less than three months and did it 3 days before the targeted date. Not to shabby for a team of two working in a foreign country!

Since I didn't have the light of day soak into my skin I was still able to capture a picture to remember the day...actually one is a video that Hailey took and the other is a picture I took.

There truly is no rest for the wicked, nor is there a sense of health when it comes to the eating habits of those locked in an office for 19 hours!

Oh those "crazy americans", you leave a portable foam hulla-hoop in a room and they just feel the need!

Okay, seriously would you have resisted? I certainly didn't and actually have the hulla-hoop in my hotel room. I am going to be a hulla-hooping queen by the time I come home...it's all in the hips. ;)

Many Pictures, But Only One Reflection

2010-08-19T12:59:00.000-05:00

What a week it's been. I knew full well on the way here that jet lag would be my enemy. Sure enough I it was, but finally this morning I broke the cycle. What I didn't expect was that I would be in the office long enough today to make me feel like I was back in the states. I just got home about 15 minutes ago and I know I should be sleeping, but my body isn't quite there yet. All I can say is that I am TRULY happy tomorrow is Friday. I am definitely going to be exhausted at the end of tomorrow, but am excited for what is to come in the next few days.

Tomorrow night I am going to meet up with Sabine for some good eats followed by our Wonderfish! Spa. There will be no "getting Hong Konged". Instead it will be an early night so I can get some good z's and be ready for the Sand up the beach party on Saturday.

Hong Kong Scaffolding

2010-08-18T17:50:00.000-05:00

Before it's built, this is what it looks like. Just a bunch of bamboo shoots in the back of a truck with a baggie full of rubber twist ties.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010: BBQ Pork Sticky Bun

2010-08-17T10:35:00.000-05:00

These have to be my most favorite edible thing here in Hong Kong. They are by far the most enjoyable little bundle of joy for your mouth. The gigantic flavor that explodes in my mouth makes the world come to a stop as I savor every lasting bite. It is only when I look down to see there is nothing left to consume that a harsh reality rushes through me.

My Attempt At A Photo A Day

2010-08-15T19:00:00.007-05:00

I am going to attempt something that others have done and may not seem like it will be a challenge, but I guarantee that if anyone else gives it an attempt they will soon realize it is more challenging than not.

I am going to try and take a photo a day and post it here, but if successful I will either be changing the design of my blog soon or adding a photo-a-day blog link here in.

Until then, here are my beginning photos...

Saturday Morning August 14, 2010

The book of choice may not be your own, but I have to say it is quite comical in nature. Albeit, a true story, it is very enlightening!

Sunday/Monday Morning August 15/16, 2010

This is the alarm clock and light system in the headboard of my bed. I fell asleep around 8 pm Hong Kong time on Sunday August 15th and woke up at 11:30 pm thinking I was doomed. I would be wrong because I was able to fall back asleep saving the teaser for later. Not just later...I woke up at 1:23 am Monday morning and that was it...I have been up ever since. I read quite a few pages of The Game, caught one episode of Mercy and then headed to the gym at 4:45 am for a lovely cross training workout. On a side note, the inhaler was a blessing in disguise. Now lets just see how well it does going forward. I will definitely be putting it to the test since the smoke and humidity are whats causing me to need it.

Monday Morning August 16, 2010

I thought I would share a view from my room. I am actually on the other side of the Novotel this time and just behind that pink building is the waterfront.

I am actually quite surprised because my views are showing me that I should bring an umbrella today. Strange. There aren't many days where the forecast of rain actually means that rain is going to appear, but with the clouds in the sky being as grey as they now are, I think it wise to stop at reception and borrow and umbrella for the day.

So what's on tap besides work for this trip? Wonderfish! Spa, if Guy and Sabine have the same twisted sense of humor that I do then: Modern Toilet and a visit to the Kowloon Hills to check out the monkeys that roam the streets just like squirrels do in Beantown. I just wonder if my perception of the cute little guys will stand true when we have an up close and personal look. I also found a site called Twangoo. It is basically Hong Kongs version of Groupon. The only difference is that Twangoo has deals that last for a few days. So I am hoping that Guy and/or Sabine will want to try out yesterday's at Dragonfly.

Now it's time for some breakfast and off to work. Happy Monday!

Everything Comes To An End

2010-08-03T20:42:00.000-05:00

Everything comes to an end, but hopefully you have been lucky like me and it all had a glorious start.

The summer started out in a new world of experiences when I shipped out to Hong Kong, met some great friends and had some wild adventures. It may have only been a month before I made my way back home to help my mom in her big race, spend some quality time on the Vineyard with the girls, enjoy the fun summer sun and just enjoy the surroundings of home, but the summer isn't over yet.

With that said, it's not to say that the summer was all good.

The cabrio is what took the hit. Literally. As a result it was time to make a decision. One that wouldn't be easy; considering MYCAB2 has been with me for nearly 11 years. None-the-less it was a decision that had to be made. What was the result? It was time for some new wheels to enter my world. Here they are:

Yah, I think it's a good fit.

Thankfully I was able to enjoy her for a bit before I hop back on a plane and end my summer back in Hong Kong. Only this trip has a little twist. I get to visit Singapore for two weeks. Hopefully I like it because another big decision is relying upon it.

It's 2am

2010-07-17T04:27:00.000-05:00

And since it's Friday you are either just getting in from a night out on the town or have been snuggled up in bed for a few hours now. For us the hotel alarm just went off signaling the start to our grand adventure. Mom's in the shower and dad and I are trying to grasp some actual sleep. I would love to say that we all got a solid eight hours of heavenly sleep, but reality is we may have gotten a combined (i.e., all three of us put together) 2 hours if we were lucky.

Next up registration and the serenading sounds of "Chariots of Fire" in the background. Although packet pick-up was the day before, the race officials want to make sure you are actually gonna start the race. They've also added a before and after photo shoot to this year's race. So just as it sounds, you get your photo before you start, looking all pretty and dapper, and then again after you finish and have put every last drop of blood, sweat and for some tears into the grueling 100 miles you just left behind you.

At the start we met up with our other fellow GAC'ers, those running, pacing, handling and even those just along for the ride to provide moral support. It may not seem like it, but every single one of these people are truly provide a world of assistance on a race like this one.

10 minutes later, with a 4 am starting time, they were off. All 468 runners with headlamps and flashlights a glowing took to the starting lines nice decent. A nice start, but a short one at that because the first hill was only about 2 tenths out.

GOOD LUCK AND HAVE FUN OUT THERE!!

I am currently hanging at at the Taftsville Bridge. We arrived at 4:30 am and I should be sleeping, but as you can clearly tell, like last night's sleep, that just ain't gonna happen. The sun comes up early here, but the day is starting out with an overcast. Fingers crossed for all the runners and riders today that that's here to stay.

Here's a few pics from the phone(sorry about the quality)

This is the first of many covered bridges that both the runners and riders will come through today. I love it!

Shots from inside the bridge

The dam that the bridge is just next to.

That's us just waiting for the fun to begin.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Takes A Licking And Keeps On Ticking

2010-07-14T18:45:00.000-05:00

What an amazing weekend. I woke up early on Friday morning and made my way to Woburn to say hi to Chuck and the kids, okay just Christopher because Ben and Riley were still in bed, before kidnapping his wife for the weekend. We were off to the Vineyard. It was my first time. I was super excited.

After I picked Amy up we first made our way down to South Boston to meet up with some of the other girls and then continued on to Milton to get the bride-to-be and her new sister in laws.

After all the cars were packed we were truly on our way, but we weren't taking the ferry as originally planned. Instead Julie's parents were gracious enough to upgrade our ride.

Meet the Sandpiper

Meet the girls: Kim, Rhea, Aimee, Erika (bride), Me, Julie & Amy

Along with Julie's parents we were accompanied by Julie's brother, Tom, and wife, Sarah, as well as John and Andy, Captain and first mate. I have to say this boat in my mind was a yacht. It had four bedrooms, three bathrooms with granite countertops, a grade A fisherman's chair on the back and three floors to take in the glorious ocean views!

Amiee and Amy enjoying the back deck

Julie and Aimee enjoying the AC on the inside

Erika and I did to ... it was a beautiful day, but a hot one too!

Kim and I chilling on the second floor

Leaving the second floor and making my way to the third

"Hey Big Bill; Hey girls!"

I have arrived and the view is AMAZING!

Seriously we were really high up.

"Hi girls!"

Playing with the zoom on my new camera

Driving the boat

Their gaining on us!

A cute lighthouse

Erika enjoying "her spot"

That's what we got upgraded from

This couldn't be a more perfect shot when arriving in the Vineyard. He's just living the life!

A quick 45 minutes, some great views, great company and we were there. Props definitely goes out to John and Andy for fitting this 65 footer into this little space:

Really? This boat, that spot, really?

Here we come

At first I was wondering what they were looking at.

I thought all was good till this I saw this. I am still in awe that we actually fit and went in so gracefully.

Noel joined us for the ride, but no worries he wasn't there for the girly stuff.

A cute family of duckies

This was our new neighbor since we couldn't stay in the old mooring spot. It's called the Nantucket and is a floating hotel that you can charter! There are hammocks and swings and patio furniture all along the upper deck.

After we finally docked, we walked around Haven Vineyard for a bit. It's a small town so the tour wasn't too, but we did make a pit stop at Sweet E's. Sweet E's is an adorable little cupcake shop where they make designer cup cakes. Of course I was in luck because they had the Peanut Butter Nutella cupcake that day. I was trying so hard to be good, but how could I possibly resist two things that I love in one little cupcake? It was delicious!

After we all enjoyed the savory taste of our delectible cupcakes we made our way back to the boat to collect our things and pack them in the cab. I truly wish I took a picture of our luggage because the number one question we kept getting was "are you here for a week or two day?" The only response we could use was "a girl likes options" and it was said with a smile! And that's when we made our way to the Winnetu. The Winnetu is a little resort that is just a 5 minute walk away from the beach. They also had a foosball table, ping pong table, life-sized chess board, pool and mini putting range. In a word it was "adorable".

I couldn't resist

Ernie Boch's House is the one on the right ... consequently it has 187 windows. It also has 3 grazing llama's in the front yard to provide a lovely little tax break for Mr. Boch.

A little fun in the gardens

I think the sign had it wrong. This felt like a squatting chair and not a Swati chair.

I would love to share the details of the weekend, but I'll keep it simple. We did a little shopping, painted the towns of Oaks Bluff and Edgartown red, had a couple of great meals, a few libations and maybe danced to a tune or two, but other than that my lips are sealed. Okay we may have also seen the white, overweight Michael Jackson; the largest engagement party that we assumed was a wedding and the tallest groom to be. Let me tell you an engagement party on the Vineyard is quite colorful! We also met a guy that used to once be a football player. Aimee that was for you ;) ;)

All-in-all my first visit to the Vineyard was awesome and marked as the first, but definitely not the last.

I admit I expected some sort of drama to occur. Putting 7 girls in a suite isn't always peaches n' cream 24/7, but this time it truly was. We all had a great time and couldn't have asked for anything to have been better.

I should have bit my tongue the second I got back to Boston and uttered the words "wow, there really was no drama this weekend. Nice!"

After Noel and Julie dropped Amy and I off and we all had a good chuckle about the condition of my car Amy and I went on our merry way recapping the weekends events. We eventually made it up to Atlantic Ave and stopped for a red light. Traffic was going by smoothly on Atlantic Ave until a metallicy grey Nissan Maxima stops on a dime just after going through the light. A cab is directly behind it flailing on its horn as others are flying past it in the left and right lanes. Amy and I continue on with our conversation and the light turns green. I make the turn, but again get stuck at the next light. We are chilling in front of the Intercontinental Hotel and as I look right I noticed something "hey that's that car. Oh my god they are drawing their guns!"

So you can all get an idea of what is going on. We are in the far left lane stuck in traffic. The lane to the right of us had cars backed up as well, but the spot directly to the right of us was empty or half empty because a transit police officer was standing in the far right of the lane unholstering and drawing his weapon (as was the officer on the right side of the pulled over car) on the girl driving. Not able to hear things because the windows were up and the AC was cranked, I didn't know what was being shouted back and forth, but you knew things were being shouted. Then it goes into slow motion. The girl driving says something like "hells no!" and slams on the gas as she whips the to the sharp left. That is when I see her come right at us. Since it was in slow motion, I don't know if I should slam on my gas or my breaks and WHAM right into my car she goes. Oh yah, if I weren't driving around a ghetto mobile I sure am now! The reholster their weapons, hop in there transit patty wagon mobile and take off after her....leaving us in dust ... as did the two cops on motorcycles. That is when I think to myself "why didn't you turn into her car as she came ramming towards me? Then I could have stopped her from getting away." As I am thinking this the man at the Intercontinental hotel came over and said he called the police and was gracious enough to move my car into his loading dock area.

Amy and I get out, check out the damage to my car. I am glad I stepped on the gas a little otherwise Amy would not be getting out of the car and possibly could have been seriously injured.

This picture really does the damage no justice. With the age of the car I am still waiting to hear if it will be fixed or deemed totaled.

As we are standing waiting for the Police we hear sirens. As they are directly across the street from the hotel, we saw the fire trucks (yes that was plural) pulling out. They were coming for us, but since there were no cars left in the street they went right back into the fire house! It took some time, but the transit police (not the guys going after the woman) made their way to talk to me.

Apparently the peeps in the car that got away decided it would be fun to pull a gun on a cab driver (on Atlantic Ave) to try and rob him. So here I am thinking (before I knew they were all carrying) that I should have turned into her to ensure she didn't get away, but now knowing she had a gun I am super glad I didn't because god only knows if she would have shot at us to try and make me move out of her way!

Today is a new day and I talked to the police this morning. Thankfully the reports are all filed so I don't have to venture into the city and deal with that. And on a happy note the girl and her friends are now wearing pretty silver bracelets and get to stare at the bars that make up their current bedroom walls.

What a way to end a gorgeous weekend in the Vineyard! Never I dull moment I tell ya.

Flight Now Passports, Really?

2010-07-07T13:20:00.000-05:00

If the cost of travel wasn't bad enough these days with the gas inflation, tax increases and now luggages premiums (which can be up the wazoo ... if you're lucky) they have to go ahead and increase the cost of a passport again.

It looks like starting next week the cost to apply for a passport is going up 35% from $100 to $135. If you already own a passport, kiss that $75 dollar renewal fee good-bye and start singing the tune $110 renew al fee here I come!

The buck doesn't stop there either. If you want to add pages to your passport, again, this is the week to do it. As of today it is a free service, but starting next week be ready to shell out, not $10 or $20 bucks, but a whopping $82!!! I see no logic in that at all. I may have to make a visit to the post office today since I have another 2 years of time on my passport with fleeting pages.

Wait there's more!

If you want one of those passport cards that are wallet sized, then the price is being up to $55 from $45 for first time applicants.

Now here comes the creme-de-la-creme. If you are trying to become a citizen of another country and choose to or are forced to renounce your US Citizenship, then go ahead have no fear because it's free. Until Tuesday of next week, then they are going to hit you up for $450!

Here's an overview:
Check your passport to see when it expires, check your pages to see if you are running out of room for stamps, make sure you want to keep your US Citizenship. If any of these things requires a visit to the post office because they are expiring or you need to make a renouncement, then this is the week to do it because next week or the weeks after that will be too late and that would be one expensive mistake to make and quite possibly the most expensive trip to the post office you could ever make.

Here is the link to the new: Fee Schedule

A Little Tempo In Life Is Necessary

2010-06-24T23:34:00.001-05:00

I have been living in Hong Kong long enough now to know that most, if not all, restaurants don't have napkins. If you do get one, odds are, you are in a fancy restaurant because the napkins will be made of some sort of fabric. If you get a wet facecloth even better because you either got lucky or are in for a very tasty, but very messy meal.

There are two places where I think it is a crime in Hong Kong to not provide napkins as a staple item; noodle and dumplings restaurants.

For our last meal, Guy and I were joined by Sabine and Maryann, we enjoyed some (ok 50) assorted dumplings.

The top left was fried mutton. Below the mutton is fried beef and chive. To the right of the beef and chive is the steamed vegetable. Above the veggies is the steamed pork and finally the steamed shrimp. Unfortunately the shrimp didn't make the cut.

Our waiter, a rather plump, but little disgruntled man wearing a rage against the machine shirt was anything but eager to see us come in. However, he was the only one to speak English so he was forced to deal with us. We knew this because when we tried to ask for napkins from the waitress she ran over to our oh so happy waiter who gave her a pleasant look when she shared that we were asking for something.

As he trotted on over we all got a good chuckle. Guy did the honors of asking and he gave it a thought for mmm I'd say 15 seconds before realizing he could either give us a couple of paper towels (the Hong Kong version) or charge us 2 HKD 25 cents) for a Tempo package.

It was a unanimous vote ... Bring on the Tempo!

The funny part is that I had been carrying these things around the entire time I was here, but last night I ditched my bag and went for the baby Coach. Go figure.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sai Kung

2010-06-20T05:29:00.001-05:00

Ever since I knew I was coming to Hong Kong I had visions of blue skies, sun and a nice big sandy beaches. When I got here I found the sky to be anything but blue, the sun was wishful thinking on a good day and the only way I was going to see a beach was in a mirage.

It's perpetually cloudy here with a humidity level that makes you think it is about to pour nearly every second of every day. On the off chance that it is sunny I am sitting in the office looking out the window wishing it was a holiday or weekend where I could be suited up in search of a beach.

Since the beach was looking more and more to never be an option I had something else in mind for this past weekends adventures. Taking a ride through Sai Kung on a sampan. We'd be going in and around the water ways checking out the sites and sounds first hand.

A sampan is a flat bottomed Chinese wooden boat that is roughly 11.5 to 14.8 feet in length (3.5 to 4.5 meters). Most of the sampan's we see here have a small shelter on board and the more elaborate ones are even permanent houses for the locals. Sampans aren't everywhere so to see one you need to be in the coastal areas or rivers because they are used for fishing and, as you'd typically think, transportation. The don't really go to far off the coasts as they are not built to withstand inclemental weather.

Sampan comes from the Cantonese term for boats 三板; which literally means three planks. One plank was the flat bottom portion of the boat and the other two planks represented the boats sides.

In my mind this is what our sampan would look like:

Our sampan was a bit more built up and wasn't really going to take us in and around Sai Kung as I had originally thought, but ain't she a beauty!

Even though our sampan wasn't going to take us in and around the water ways of Sai Kung she was going to take us to the beach! Yes, that is right. Yesterday was one of the most beautiful days I have experienced while being here in Hong Kong. The sky was shining brightly upon the gorgeous blue background. Although the clouds were noticeable they were so white and fluffy and provided the right amount of coolness to even out the hot summer sun.

Paradise was upon us for the day!

After a gorgeous day on the beach it was time to indulge in some of the best seafood in Hong Kong. I have to insert a clippet of my research regarding the seafood in Sai Kung.

While it may seem unpleasant to get up close and personal with the fish that is about to find itself on your dinner plate, you do need to point out the fish you want from the live tanks. Fish is often served by weight, so if you leave the choice up to your waiter you may end up with a Jaws sized feast.

This was a tad interesting and sad. Pour flipper, as I'll call him, was selected and flapping away in a red bucket as the price of 400 HKD was shared with us. Realizing our tally was already adding up due to the previously selected clams and shrimps we opted to spare the big little guy. We also saw our seafood man running down the street. We were told he was going to the other store to get us a smaller version of flipper that would only cost us 250 HKD. Seconds later there was the red bucket again. In it was flippers little brother. Last to be chosen was something I have always wanted to try, but never did. Tropical lobster. Since Guy and Sabine were not having it and were looking for things to share I opted to go it alone. If they didn't want to share that was fine, but I was here to try new things and that is just what I did.

As the food came out it looked amazing. Fresh from the pickens and straight to the table were the clams.

Next up were the shrimp or at last that is what Guy insisted. In my mind there is no way this was shrimp. It was too big and had a hard shell. For sure it was the lobster. Shell crackers are not necessary for shrimp. After Guy and Sabine both enjoyed this delectable dish out came the shrimp (which I forget to take a picture of). I don't know how the lobster was prepared, but was amazing. The shrimp were halved and prepared with tons of fresh diced garlic and soy sauce. Thinking about it I want more now.

The next and final dish was flipper and I have to admit he was yummy. It was a light white fish that was cooked in what I think was a garlic soy sauce and was absolutely delicious.

It's was an absolutely amazing day! Here are some more pics to enjoy.

The Dragon Dance

2010-06-17T05:45:00.003-05:00

For an entire month, Guy and I woke up and made the twenty minute walk to work. It was always the best parts of the day. Not sure why really. It was, hot, humid and 5 minutes before we got to work we had to climb stairs to make our way across the walking path (i.e., human overpass that connects from building to building) to make our way to the Sum Hung Kai building, or what we call the Sum Young Guy building.

Since we were on the second floor and needed to get to the 12A floor we obviously had to go down the escalator to get to the ground floor because that only makes sense right? Yah, the second floor had no access to the elevators. Not sure who's brilliant idea that was, but none-the-less this is our daily tradition.

While on the escalator down to the ground floor we have been blessed to see visions of McDonald's various 'deals of the day' posters. Such deals include the traditional McNuggets, Cheeseburgers and the such, but there is also the occasional pasta casserole dish day, some form of calamari pockets and the list just keeps getting weirder. In addition to McDonalds we also so that something was boarded up. We weren't sure if this was something that was under construction or if it was boarded up because no one had bought the space. There was a display for a lovely looking restaurant with some delectable looking dishes though.

Fast forward to today.

Guy and I make our way to the elevator to go check out a fancy grocery store for some lunch. We actually were hoping that we could at least find it. If we did we then were hoping it wasn't crap! We have made that mistake before and weren't looking to do it again.

Once the elevator doors opened at ground level we heard some insanely loud crashing sounds. Sounds of what I could only imagine to be enormous symbols being clanged against each other. We also saw a mad rush of women running with ginoromous floral arrangements. Of course we were curious and wanted to know what was going on so we followed and learned that the boarded up spot had been under construction.

When we turned the corner to where we knew the spot was we saw a whole slew of people captivated and/or capturing the moment on camera. Now more intrigued because we still couldn't see anything we decided to take a ride on the escalator to get a closer look.

This is what we saw (sorry taken on a moving escalator with my iPhone).

The Dragon Dance is a significant tradition throughout China; typically the dance is performed during such festivities like Chinese New Year, the openings of restaurants (as it was here) and weddings. The Dragon Dance is believed to bring luck and happiness.

The Dragon Dance rituals are dated back into the Han Dynasty (205 B.C. to 220 A.D in China) and during the Tang Dynasty (716-907 A.D.) it was at its zenith in tradition and popularity; it is chiefly performed during religious festivals. The lDragon Dance is a ritual not only in China, but also in Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam. The dances are not exactly the same in these countries in terms of style and costumes, but the symbolism is quite similar. The Legend of the Dragon Dance begins with Nian the monster.

Now we may just have to try this place and see if the Dragon's brought them any luck!

I know that Tuk Tuk Thai must have had an amazing Dragon Dance for their opening because this place is absolutely to die for and where Guy and I are off to soon to meet up with Sabine and her mom; she just arrived tonight.

Dreams Cont'd

2010-06-17T04:15:00.000-05:00

I had another one last night.

I am driving down the road that I don't know, but know I am heading to the beach. A beach I have never been to before, but want to try out. So I make my way to Stanley Road and turn right. A few more turns and I am where I want to be. I get out of the car and so does my mom; even though she was never in the car the whole time I was driving to get here.

We are now walking down the road and all of a sudden Nemo (my brother’s dog) is with us. Only it really isn’t Nemo. We keep walking by all these houses that have families who are throwing huge barbeques. Instead of joining in the festivities we continue on to make our way to the beach. It is gorgeous out and we are so excited to just be there.

We think we are just about there, but somehow we are in a cave like structure and are walking in something like a creek that opens up into the beach and ocean. Just before we make our way to the grand opening we come across a woman sitting in the cave in a beach chair reading a book. We stop to talk to her for a few minutes (about what I can’t remember, but there definitely was a conversation going on). In the middle of the conversation I look to my left towards the beach and see something that I think I know what it is, but definitely needed confirmation. I ask my mom and the woman, “is that a whale’s fin?” Sure enough it was.

My mom and I darted off to see what was going on. When we got out of the cave there was a sizeable beach with three varying sized baby beached blue whales. Two adorable little girls were already helping the smallest baby whale turn around and once my mom and I saw the largest of the three we immediately were set into action to turn the whale around and get it back to safety. Within the seconds it took us to get to the water I had turned around to see that many other people were starting to join in the efforts; even though no one called for help.

Seconds later I had woken up.

It’s amazing how I can go days, weeks and even months without dreaming and if I do barely remember the dream an hour after waking up, but these past few days here I have been having some strange vivid dreams where the details have stuck. Interesting. Simply Interesting.

Dreams

2010-06-16T07:25:00.000-05:00

I thought I had the recipe to beat jetlag and things were seriously looking good. We then got out of work yesterday and my eyes started drooping and my brain was easily on its way to becoming moosh. Guy had a conference call at 9 and wasn't feeling too hot to trot himself so we decided it best to check out the "complimentary aperitif buffet" at AK's (the Novotel Hotel lounge). Not being overly hungry I agreed to venture down with him, but with every step I felt myself just getting more tired and the amount of time between yawns was decreasing rapidly. In my mind this was okay because we didn't have any intention of staying long .. actually just grab a few things and go was the plan. The waitress had another plan. Force them to pay an outrageous price and make them order a minimum number of drinks. Mind you, all this was said after we had filled our mini plates. A simple discussion about how this whole shindig is being advertised as free in the elevator didn't go over so well.

Okay, I don't think I have ever done this before nor do I hope to ever do it again, but both Guy and I were not in the mood to mess around. He looks at me and says "fine" we'll just give the plates back and that is what we did. We then proceeded to finish our drinks; Guy a glass of wine and me a water (I was that tired and excited for bed).

I make my way back to my room and realize it was literally just before 7 pm. Thinking to myself "do I really want to go to bed this early? The consequences of that are the standard, early to bed = early to rise". Even though I didn't want that to happen I really couldn't keep my eyes open. So the pajama's went on and the covers were snuggly pulled up to my chest and out I went. I don't even think I was laying there for more than 5 seconds before I was truly out. If there was a fire in the building I was going down with it. I really was that tired. Next thing I know it is 5:40 am. I had slept for nearly 11 hours!

During that 11 hours and actually the night before I had some weird dreams. Was it the jetlag? Is it because I am once again in a different bed? I am not quite sure, but the other night I found myself going to work in my dream. Only I can't tell you where I worked. I just know I walked into a very large warehouse of carpet remnants only to leave through a back door and entered a completely white room with no decorations or furniture, but had lots of windows to a hallway. Once in that room I got in line behind other people. When I looked to the right through the windows I saw my coworker, who apparently worked at the scuba shop across the hall. He was funny because he had his mask and snorkel on and was goofing off. He then came over to say hi, but was carrying a baby shark. Cute little guy, but really kind of a weird thing to do, no? After a little while I made my way back through the door and found out that I sold furniture. Not really sure where all this furniture was the first time, but it was their when I walked backed into the room. Some time or days passed and I was once again going to work, walked through the warehouse to go to the white room to get in line only this time I didn't get in line. I walked over to see my coworker. Again he had his mask and snorkel on, but this time the shark was sitting in the tank and was now massive in size. If I could draw you a picture you would also see that it didn't look like a shark. It looked like a strange fish that was very colorful in spots and had grown coral out of its dorsal fin. So strange.

Last night's dream I was in a city, but the suburban part of a city walking down a tarred sidewalk. A girl comes running up to me and asks me to help her as she is unraveling a piece of paper. My assumption was that this piece of paper had an address on it and she need help with directions. I was wrong. She starts reading what is written on the paper. She said she was a girl trying to be an actress and needed help. I have no idea what help she needed though because she never actually says. I then realize this is some sort of setup so I tell her sorry I cannot help her and start to walk away. That is when she grabs my arm extremely tightly and does not let go. I try and ungrip her tightly wrapped fingers from my innocent arm, but the girl has got a grip on her! I finally get free and start walking forward and she of course comes along. I decide to turn my speed walk into a run, but the girl just won't let up. I notice a flight of stairs that go up to the main road and decide to make a break for it because for some reason and all of a sudden she is off to the left. At the street I decide to cross over to the median and then the other side when I am able to, but also realize I have no idea where I am now. Was this her intent? Do I keep going? There were a ton of cabs going by which I thought would be a good idea, but they were all full. Crap to wait for a free cab or keep going to get away from her because she is starting to come at me again. Since I didn't know where I was I decided to hedge my odds and wait for a cab. I got lucky and one finally came. When I got in I had no idea where I was actually going, but did end up at my house, more specifically in my room. Although like most dreams, I had never been in this house or room before because, although mine in the dream, in reality it wasn't really my house or bedroom. I started to pack a bag because I was going to meet up with two friends (friends that I actually no longer speak with). Why I needed a packed bag is beyond me, but why I was going to see friends I no longer speak to is even stranger.

Any dream interpreters out there that can decipher those?