HK Light Show

So Wednesday night, after Erin and I ate at Gaylords (a fantastic Indian restaraunt), we checked out the Hong Kong light show. I had heard of this, but had nver actually seen it. At 8pm, the major buildings of the Hong Kong skyline put on a light show choreographed to music. Since we were already in Kowloon, might as well check it out.

Now, please remember that my camera has been dropped and beaten, so the pictures didn't turn out perfect. Skyline prior to the show.
Lasers! (look hard)
Overall it was a pretty cool show. Impressive that they got all those buildings to be synchronized to the music. There were some things I didn't like. One, it's kind of spread out. There are a lot of buildings on the waterfront, and only about 15 or so have lights and participate. Of those 15, just a few are really impressive looking. Second, there's a lot of ambient light, which kind of diminishes the effect. Not much to be done about that, however.

After the show, we decided to find a little bar. We were trying to find the bar featured in "The Man With The Golden Gun." Unfortunately we couldn't find it, and instead ended up at The Hair of the Dog.
Now, a dive like this, hidden deep in Tsim Sha Tsui, would normally not warrant any mention. The only reason I bring it up, is if somehow, you're in Kowloon, and someway, you happen upon this pub, DON'T GO. Were the drinks expensive, you ask? No, pretty reasonable, with happy hour until 9pm. Was it super busy? No, we found a table right away. What could be so bad, you wonder? Absolutely, without doubt, the worst. music. evar. The highlight of the night may have been Michael Jackson's ode to Macaullay Culkin, "You Are Not Alone."

Anyways, tomorrow I'll meet up with Erin in Guilin. Hopefully some good pictures will come of that.

No Truck Needed

Okay, this was a forward from a friend. But it's absolutely hilareous. Why? Because it's true. Basically, the motorcycle (125cc variety) is the primary mode of transportation in China. And they'll use it to transport ANYTHING. So you see people riding a cycle with the weirdest things. Some examples:

A Friend In Town

My friend Erin Cox arrived into Hong Kong yesterday afternoon. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to make it down or not, but fortunately I made it. Not a lot happened, though. We went out for dinner and drinks in Lan Kwai Fong, to a pretty good Thai/Malay restaurant. Then we hit some of the other bars in the area, and ran into some guys from Pittsburgh and Cleveland.

Friday we're heading to Guilin, which is supposed to be a beautiful place. I guess they shoot a lot of movies in the area. Next Monday I come back to Hong Kong to meet up with my parents and hopefully do some apartment hunting. Yes, I'm 99% sure the Hong Kong relocation is going thru. Yay!!

I'm Back

Back in China, again. This time the flight was amazingly easy. Probably because I slept 6 hours on the first flight and 2 on the second. I have very little jet lag today, which is a first. Usually it takes me damn near a week to get on track. In the past, I've typically tried to time my sleep on the flight to match up to where I'm going. Screw that. I didn't care this time, and it worked pretty well. And 16 hours of flying isn't that bad if you're unconscious! The flight attendents were quite amazed that I was out as solidly as could be.

Upon arriving in Guangzhou, I realized that there is a distinct Guangzhou scent. I could be anywhere, and I would notice the smell. It's not terrible, just noticable. It's filtered out quite well by the aircon, so it's not present inside.

This stint in Asia figures to be pretty long. I don't expect to be back in the States until Christmas time. Hopefully December 15th, leaving me 9 short days to do shopping and take in the Holiday spirit. To pass the time for the next 10 weeks, I'll have a number of visitors. Erin Cox arrives next Tuesday for a few weeks, my parents the week after that. And Kelsey and Caitlin come out the week of Thanksgiving. Hopefully that means lots of pictures for all of you watching at home.

A New Countdown Begins

Just 363 days until Oktoberfest 2007. This year's festivities were a blast. It was the first time in quite a while that Donnie, Mike, Derek, Chad, and myself were all present. Of course that means we had a great time. Friday night started off at the Sullivan household with a get together. I brought Moutai for everyone to try. As my dad said, "More diesel than unleaded." This stuff was pretty potent.
After the Sullivan house, a few of us headed down to the festgrounds. Anton was a 'fest virgin, so Derek, Kelsey, and I showed him the sights.
I don't know how Derek ended up on the ground.
Friday night ended late, but we were ready to rock on Saturday morning. For those not in the know, the highlight (for me, at least) of Oktoberfest is the Maple Leaf parade. This is a long parade, starting at 10 am, and the last unit crossing the finish line around 3 pm. It's basically an open party on the street. The attendees this year were impressive.
Bill Otto, a former Festmaster, had quite the fan club with us.
The boys (myself, Derek, Mike, and Justin) had a chance to jump into the band. Good thing the cadence hasn't changed in over 10 years.
Fellas hangin out.
After the parade, we headed to Jake's for a party, then down to the festgrounds. I didn't get any good pictures of that, unfortunately. Overall a very enjoyable weekend, if a little more tame than years past.