The comfort factor

When you're in a foreign country there is nothing quite like having a few home comforts hanging around. Luckily for me, Hong Kong Public Libraries have plenty of them, the highlight of which came when I paid a visit to my local library and found this most wonderful of books on the library shelves:

This books has always been a favourite and curled up in my room I could've been anywhere. The story is told so brilliantly and however many times I read it I am still enchanted (no pun intended). One of the (smal) irritating things about moving away was not being able to bring my books with me. I love my kindle, but even so there is nothing like an actual book in your hands and turning pages instead of pressing buttons.

But now I have a new book to read, The Zahir, by Paulo Coelho was pressed into my hands only yesterday with the instructions to read it - instructions that I am now about to follow.... never having read any of Coelho's work I am intrigued....

The Properties of Elastic

So I have had my light-bulb moment. I recently heard someone say "Find what you love, then do it for the rest of your life." This got me thinking. What do I love doing? I love writing. So why wasn't I doing it. Was I scared? Did I lack the motivation to finish? Then I found a second quote from Syd Field; "Writing is a personal responsibility - either you do it or you don't."

I have taken my responsibilities back into my own hands and boy, am I writing.

The newest and rawest material is finding its way into the ethere here: http://thepropertiesofelastic.blogspot.hk/ I'm not going to lie it is terrifying knowing this is out there, but it is also liberating. I am writing. I am a writer. It's what I love, so I am going to find a way to do it for the rest of my life. Whether opportunities are made or not is debatable, but there's never any harm in trying!

A Little Bit of Calm

Sightseeing on a hangover - not the most sensible of things i'll admit, but it can be made bearable depending on the location. One such location was found on the mandatory Sunday sightseeing visit (before these were decided on being pointless when one was in a less than bouncy state, especially in the ever increasing heat!)

The Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lain Gardens at Diamond Hill were just the place to wander around on a lazy Sunday. Large, tranquil and not overcrowded, I felt so much like I was in China and rather zenned out (and shattered) by the time I was on my way home.

Entering into the gardens you are met by masses of shrubs, trees and rocks all laid out neatly and pruned to perfection. I find the precision in the gardens here far from fussy. On the contrary the neatness and organisation has a calming effect. Whether it is tailored to do so I do not know, but if this is the case it works and allows magical moments like this to pop up:

The path continued on its winding way eventually leading to more open views:

Eventually it seems that almost a full circle has been covered and signs (of which there are many, but subtly so) point you in the direction of the lily garden that is in fact in the same location as Chi Lin Nunnery. The two are linked by a bridge that crosses the road. Looking back on the Nan Lian gardens as you climb the stairs gives you this stunning view - I still have't tired of looking at it!

Finally you reach the Nunnery and the lily garden. It is a beautiful place, welcome and calming. There are often many people milling about but never does it feel crowded. 

This is one of my favourite places in Hong Kong and one I keep going back to. You can alter your route around the garden, find new nooks and crannies and focus on different details every time, sometimes it's just nice to sit and relax. The other thing I love about the gardens and Nunnery is a theme you will see running through nearly all of these picture. The city pops up in the skyline and yet is so unobtrusive. The meshing of garden and city, of peace and quite and hustle and bustle is handled with such a delicate balance and the results are captivating.

Typhoon... What Typhoon

So.... I managed to sleep through a T10, the equivalent of a Hurricane 4, and I didn't bat an eyelid! So I can add that to the list of "Things I Have Slept Through". The only other thing on this list is the Cumbrian Earthquake!

Typhoon Vicente looked like this (courtesy of those who uploaded to Localiiz Hong Kong http://www.facebook.com/localiiz ):

As this chappy partied hard he also managed to rip up a few trees, flood a few roads, and cause general mayhem around the city and surrounding areas as we battened down the hatches and (in my case) got a bit of shut eye.

There really is nothing like a raging storm to lull you to sleep at night!

The Ovenless Diaries #1

There is no doubt that one of the things I am missing most out here in HK is an oven. It's not something I'm used to being without and now I realise just how much I relied on it, so it almost feels like I'm going back to square 1 with my cooking. On the side of the pro-points, we do have a gas hob, which makes hob only cooking a little more variable.

This weeks revelation was a family fave (sadly now the all hallowed apple crumble and custard) but a tasty one nonetheless. Ginger and honey marinaded salmon with mashed potatoes (skin left on) and pak choi. I suppose this isn't really a recipe, but the marinade is simply chopped fresh ginger, runny honey and olive oil in the quantities of your choice. The oil works its way though the fish as it's marinading, making it so easy to fire into a wok/frying pan and cook gently through. I just wish I had taken a picture....

For now however, I need to bend my mind to more exciting things that I can cook and expand my hob cooking skills...

Three months in....

Ok, so not quite three months in, but almost there and finally I feel like I'm settling in here. The latest bump hasn't been nearly as much of a low as the previous ones... Slowly, bit by bit, Hong Kong is starting to win me over.

There is so much to love about this city - this Island - the people for a start are lovely. They are not exactly welcoming, or indeed overly warm, but they are accepting and happy to return a smile, say hello in the morning and even have a laugh with you when strange things happen when the lift reaches floor 13.... true story! It's the little things that make the people so appealing. True it is hard to understand anything, but that is half of the joy of it.

On top of the people there's the city and the weather. Hong Kong isn't a big place, but you certainly can't traverse it by foot. The place is labyrinthine in it's make-up. There is no real direct route anywhere, you have to go round in circles at least five times before getting to your intended destination. Far from annoying, this is becoming one of my favourite things about Hong Kong. You get to see so much of the city. In addition the transport systems function beautifully, making walking an option rather than a necessity - always a bonus!

The humidity is certainly a challenge to begin with, but arriving in May has allowed for acclimatisation whilst the humidity builds and now, as it's reaching its hottest I can deal with it better - Still think I'm more comfortable in cold weather, but not going to lie, it makes a nice change to be in the heat, even when there is a Typhoon.

Another amazing thing about Hong Kong is the amount of green that they have managed to cram into even the smallest of spaces. Hong Kong Park (though not the smallest space) is one of the craziest places I've been. You're in this garden haven, with beautiful ponds, masses of Koi Karp and even a waterfall, and all you have to do is look up and you see city.

It's made even better by the fact that these two towers look super-imposed in any photograph you take of them. Space age city and tranquil garden all in one.

So much more to share, but it'll have to wait for another day - off to enjoy the last wee pinch of excitement at witnessing (or rather sleeping through) my first proper Typhoon!