My birthday

Being my birthday, Michele gave me a present this morning. It was a 500 piece puzzle of almond blossoms. Other than that, it was a mostly normal Monday morning. I prepared for our weekly quilting session, met Pam at the gate. We drove to the SPC. As people trickled in, there was so much to talk about that we got a late start. No one had any quilt tops made, so all we could do was start a few people making them from scratch. Those who wanted to press or tie had to wait, and wait. I got some QOV fabric out to cut, but kept getting side-tracked into cutting strips sets for those doing the baby quilt kits. I finally got ONE kit cut. Kelly brought her tablerunner pattern and we made copies. It is good to have since I plan to teach it Thursday night. After quilting and lunch, Pam drove Tina and I to the post office. It is right by the thrift shop and the thrift shop ladies yelled "Happy Birthday" to me. Does everyone know? I even got birthday wishes from a young lady in China who has never contacted me before. Anyway, I spent the afternoon working on a tablerunner in silks. I wanted to try out the pattern AND make an item for 'Make it, bake it, or fake it' next week. It is a fundraiser and tomorrow is the last day to tell them what you plan to bring. I wanted to have something made before I made any promises. Other than that, all I did was clear out some e-mail and talk to my husband on SKYPE. All in all, a pretty good birthday.

Kinda normal Sunday

I woke up this morning a little before 8. I was worrried that without Chris here I might not wake up in time for church. I got on the computer until 9, then showered, dressed and went to church. It was the usual church service, except that the flowers on the side were now under the altar. That meant that I couldn't smell them on the way back to the pew after communion. At the end of the service the pastor asks if anyone is having a birthday. Then he gets them to come up and he prays with them. I almost got up (since my birthday is tomorrow) but another lady got tagged by her husband and had to get up. So I kept quiet. Since Chris and Michele were not there, nobody told on me. But afterwards, Rick asked if my birthday was soon and I admited that it was. I talked to Rick and Nancy in the fellowship hall too, so long that all the food got packed up. Oh well. He was telling me that in some Christmas traditions St. Nicholas is accompanied by a little guy named Black Peter who who puts coal in the stockings of misbehaving children.
I then went to the commissary to buy some groceries. It was raining so I gave the bag boy $2 for carrying groceries to the car. They work for tips only. I drove to the apartment building and Michele came down to help. I was going to put the car away, but was parked in. So I went up with her and came down later to move the car. After parking it in the garage, I thought of removing the door panel to see if I could fix it. But there wasn't enough light and I couldn't find any screws holding it on.
I spent some time with my computer instead, reading about foods most and least likely to be contaminated with pesticides. I also organized my trading stash of charm squares by color. Someone is coming tomorrow who wants to trade a stack of 50. I cut more charm squares from the international fabrics that I bought in Hongkong. I was going to cut up some Australian fabric too, but can't find it.
Here is a picture I took of a diagram of one floor of one building in Dongdaemun so you can see just how big and confusing it is.

Chris leaves and the @%$ hits the fan.

Chris finished packing and took a shower, as did I. Then he drove us to the DHL. He left the car running, took his luggage and got in line for the bus to the airport. He is on his way to the states for a 2 week course. I got in the driver's seat and drove to the PX, around 10. I got my hair cut and went by GNC. Then I got back in the car to drive home. But the car wouldn't start. I called Chris and he said let it sit for awhile and try again. So after awile, I tried again, then called a friend to jumpstart my car. When I hung up, the man next to me returned and offered me a jump. But, after the cables were hooked up and his car was running, I discovered that I was locked out of mine (with no money, ID or phone). Don't ask me how that happened. So I went looking for an MP. I found a marine doing Toys for Tots. He called someone to call the MP's for me. I returned to my car where the man who tried to jump it said he had called the MP's and they wouldn't come; that I had to go to the firestation and check out a slimjim. So I waited for the marine to finish his shift. Then he drove me to the firestation and checked out the slimjim (I had no ID). He picked up his wife and we all drove back to the PX. He had a heck of a time using the thing because cars these days are made to be slimjim resistant, which normally would be a good thing. Something he did to the driverside door popped the lock on the passenger side door. He crawled in that way and turned the key. The car started right up. So he went back to return the slimjim and I drove to the thrift shop. It was then 1:15. I spent 2 hours shelving books. I finished all that was there, but while I was doing it, someone dropped off 8 boxes more. What did I do to deserve this day? But it was time to leave, so I left them for next week. I drove home and had lunch/early supper. Michele was still playing a mod. I read through my e-mail and finished the 16x16 Sudoku puzzle. It might be the first one of that size I have ever finished.
I didn't take any pictures today so here is one of the jade market in Hongkong.

Last day in Hongkong

Tuesday morning we awoke leisurely, having no tour to meet. After breakfast we went back to the fabric market to see if we had missed anything. Also, we had Hongkong dollars left and HAD to spend them, right? So I bought more Chinese silk brocade.
We walked back through the park. We packed our suitcases and checked out of the hotel. Chris waited for the bus to the airport while I checked out one more store. Then we caught the bus. At the airport we went through security and immigration, etc. After waiting an hour for the plane, we boarded and settled in. There was a camera on the nose of the plane so we could see ahead of the plane as it taxied for take-off. Luckily my ears did really well on ascent and descent, so I had no problems. It was colder back in Seoul, but not as cold as when we left. We landed before 8pm, then waited an hour for a bus to the base. Our car was waiting and we drove it home. Michele had gone to bed so we did, too.


Wednesday Chris had off but he went in to work for awhile anyway. Michele had classes to attend. But she didn't leave before asking if we'd bought her anything. So I showed her the commemorative plate with our picture in it. She didn't want that. So I gave her the scarf we'd bought her. She wore it to college. Chris came home early and fixed a beef roast and some pumpkin pies. It was a big pumpkin and we have plenty left over. Michele brought home a friend for supper. She was very nice. We all talked for hours. Then Michele walked her friend to the bus stop. And it was time for bed.

Thursday was Thanksgiving, but not for Korean university students. Michele had classes to attend. So Chris and I went to Rick and Nancy's house for a late lunch. Nancy made steaks for everyone, and stuffed mushrooms. We brought rolls and bean salad. Another family came and they brought kimchi, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie. It was a feast. After eating, the mother took her daughter went to have a wisdom tooth removed. The rest of us sat around the table telling stories and anecdotes. We had pie (pumpkin and pecan) and whipped cream. After several hours, the mother and daughter returned. So we had more pie, except for the daughter who just wanted to go home. So we all eventually found our way home. Chris and I stopped by his office to check his orders for going to the states next week. But they weren't finished. When we got home, Michele was already back from classes. They were let out early. Nancy had sent some cornbread home with us and Michele made it disappear quickly.

Friday morning was the day after Thankgiving for us but the evening of Thanksgiving in the states. My in-laws were going to Skype us so that my parents could see and talk to me (my in-laws always have my parents and family over for Thanksgiving). We suggested that they call at 8am our time because I had promised Mary to take her to Dongdaemun at 9:30. But the call never came. I put Mary off as long as I could, but finally I called them. It wasn't a Skype call so we couldn't see each other, but at least I did get to talk to my parents and family. Chris then rushed me over to the subway to catch the train. Mary had hooked up with Cathy, Robin and Annette. So the five of us shopped together for awhile. Cathy had to leave after noon, so Robin and Annette went with her. Mary and I stayed a little longer to get trims and fiberfill. Then Mary got us a taxi back to post. We stopped briefly by the Chosun gift shop to buy more silk yardage. (I am thinking of making a silk handbag for the gift swap). She dropped me off at my gate and I walked home. But only Michele was home because Chris had gone to work. Yes, now they had finished his orders so he leaves tomorrow. Later he made chicken and chorizo for supper. He also washed the sheets on all the beds. That is really good because although I can remove the sheets from our kingsize bed, I cannot put them back on. After re-dressing the bed, he started packing. I spent several hours working on a 16 x 16 Sudoku puzzle. Michele left about quarter 'till 4 to go to college. Only today's class was canceled. Instead, she had volunteered to help cook a Thanksgiving feast for 50 international students. The university put up funds for the food. Michele made the mashed potatoes and gravy. She and others had planned for 50 people, but she said twice that many came. So they ran out of food, but all in all it was a success.

Monday in Hongkong

At the end of my last post we had just gone to bed on Sunday night. Monday we got up early to have the hotel breakfast before meeting our tour bus for the day tour. First we went to see two suspension bridges (which our guide pronounced 'britches'). Then we stopped at a beach to walk on the sand. The water seemed dirty to me. After that we went to a 500 year old fishing village. Our guide said it may not be around much longer because the kids leave and get jobs elsewhere. There was all kinds of dried sea animal parts hanging up for sale. We also saw the two village temples. Lest you feel too badly for them, I saw a concrete inset that said "Broadband".

After the fishing village, we went to see a huge bronze Buddha, sitting on a lotus flower. We went inside but were not allowed to take pictures in there. For 50,000 Hongkong dollars you can buy a ceramic tile of yourself or a loved one to hang in the temple. Many people do apparently because it is the richest monastery in the world. Nearby, was the monastery restaurant where we had a vegetarian lunch complete with tofu. We saw all kinds of flowers there. I was surprized how familiar they were: vinca, begonia, mums, azaleas, allemanda, salvia, etc.
After lunch I sat outside eating the cashews I had bought the day before. Then we walked around to the tourist stands (all proceeds go to the monastery of course).
From the tourist stands we took the skyrail back to the suspension bridges and were bussed back to our hotel.
Again, we were so tired we took a nap. After we woke up, we walked to the harbor to see the light and sound show put on by 68 of the buildings on both sides. We were early so we checked out the planetarium to see what we could watch later. We got spots on the wharf and waited. The show was not as spectacular as I had hoped. Stone Mountain was better. So then we went to the planetarium and saw a dinosaur movie on their IMAX. It was a pretty good documentary (in english on headphones). Then having missed supper we went in search of a restaurant. Chris ordered for us both. My eel and garlic dish was excellent. Chris had chicken. We went back to the hotel and fell asleep.

Hongkong

So much has happened in the last few days. We got on a bus for the airport at 6:30am. It was quite cold. We got to Hongkong about 2:30, and got a ride to our hotel in Kowloon, which is the peninsula side of Hongkong. Hongkong is a lot like Seoul. It is busy, crowded, full of highrises, smog, and signs you can't read. Unlike Seoul, there are also lots of signs you can read, and they reach out into the street to grab your attention, just like their owners. I can't tell you how many tailors tried to sell Chris a suit, or a Rolex. Within an hour of checking into the hotel, I was in the spa having a massage. Sounds wonderful, doesn't it? But I was sore for three days afterwards. Watch out for the Chinese accupressure massage. Our room was, well, adequate. There was no dresser and no room for one. But we had a bed, nightstand, desk and 2 chairs. The hotel boasted of a workout room on the 8th floor. But it was just a regular hotel room with 4 exercise machines and no furniture. Anyway, we weren't there for the room.
We walked outside and found ourselves a hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant where we each had an entree and shared an order of dim sum. The next morning we had a hotel breakfast (included) and walked to the fabric market. It was warm. Many were closed but we kept walking around waiting for them to open. I was able to buy fabric from several countries for charm squares, and a bunch of chinese silk brocades. . We also visited the jade market, but it was too overwhelming for me so we didn't stay long. We bought a bag of cashews for $32 a pound.
Sounds expensive until you know that it takes 7 Hongkong dollars to equal one U.S. dollar. We walked back through a nice park. We sat for a few minutes here and there on the benches. They had an aviary, and a pond with turtles and flamingoes When we got back to the hotel, we were so tired of walking that we took a nap. Then we got dressed for the night tour. We boarded a tour bus that took us to the harbor for a cruise (all the alcohol you can drink, wasted on us). That was chilly. But the skyline was beautiful. Then we went through the mountain to another harbor. This one had a floating restaurant. We ate dinner on the 3rd floor. After that we were taken up the mountain to see the city from a different view point. We got back after 10pm and went straight to bed.
** to be continued **

Last post before Hongkong

I slept in this morning being very tired from last night. When I did get up, I did laundry and put away all the stuff from the sewing class. I discovered that my two Christmas blocks had bright pink splotches on them, like from a leaky pen. Try as I might, I could not locate the source. So I tried getting it off with rubbing alcohol, but it didn't work very well. Finally I put them in a bowl of water to stay wet until I returned. You see, there was a dietician giving a tour of the commissary and spotlighting healthy choices. So I walked over there at noon. Some of the choices she highlighted were: brown rice, whole wheat tortilla shells, Darigold milk, korean eggs, and bison burgers. She also gave me the name of the website she orders her probiotics from: Swansonvitamins.com. Good to know.
I walked home, and had some lunch. I finished up the laundry and started packing. Chris can pack in 5 minutes but I have to put a lot of thought into what I pack. And I pack more than just clothes. We are flying to Hongkong in the morning. Michele has classes and will stay home. So we get some alone time, and so does she.
I didn't take any pictures today so I will post another picture from last night's class. I will not get to post again until Tuesday so I want to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving in case you don't check in again before then.