Will Work for Sugary Drinks

Yesterday... went to V.Li's church picnic to help with face painting. Everyone had this crazy misconception that I was an "expert" or "pro" because I said I'd done it once before (when I was 14) ha ha. The kids were great, it was really fun actually, makes me remember how much I love painting in general heh.... There was this one boy around three years old who insisted that he wanted a "pink butterfly!!!" (as in the kind that would make his whole face into a butterfly) and said it over and over again but his mom would not let him get it because it's "for girls." Then she tried suggesting other things, and said how about a blue butterfly, but no he wanted pink. Then she asked me to do a "masculine" butterfly, and I said "um...". Then she miraculously convinced her kid to get the Batman symbol across his face instead. I just don't get what the big deal was if this kid wanted a girly pink butterfly, it would've been cute and hilarious anyway....

On to the pics...

This "boy genius" (according to the pastor) was very specific in that he wanted a sword and a heart:

Me and V.Li:

This kid chose a monster pic out of a face-painting book that he wanted:

This is the pastor (Scott), he wanted an electric guitar with lighting bolts coming out of it. I know it's not great but gotta love his growl, especially since there is a rainbow on his other cheek. So I mean, he doesn't look like a pastor at all:

Went to Ocean Park with Jen (aka Princess) on Wednesday. It was much nicer than when I last went like 7 years ago. The grounds and exhibitions and everything are kept immaculately. Also used my new phone to take pics and the pics are pretty bad but oh well.

Moulin Rouge

Parts of this film are excruciatingly unpleasant, imho. I watch this scene just for kicks (have the same version with the Chinese subtitles). Love those musical ensemble pieces.

O Captain My Captain

The cheapest place to buy computer stuff and Converse shoes is Mongkok. So after I bought computer speakers, I looked for Converses. I've been worried about the best shoes ever and thinking that I need a new pair of Converses for everyday walking around. To my dismay, they don't make/sell laceless Converses anymore?! I really don't keep up with this type of thing at all. I went to about 7 stores, and all the hundreds of Converses were lame, I was going to settle for a pair of black leather Jack Purcell ones. Then finally, I saw the ones I knew really belonged to me:

I loovvve Sailor Jerry! (And any tattoo-themed things!)

New Most Eligible Bachelor Has Arrived

Congratulations, Lo Sai, you are now the most eligible bachelor in Hong Kong.

Name: Steve
Job: yes
Education: 2 degrees of the useful variety
Likes: beagles, manga
Dislikes: annoying babies who "act" cute, movies with misleading previews
Asset: good hair
Hobby: ironing
Drunken tendency: steals restaurant decor
Ambition level: once spotted passing out biz cards at Urban Roots hair salon
Notable achievement: placed second at Chinese Dictation Competition
View on global warming: when water levels rise, we'll shoot the H2O into space

Inquiries welcome

I know life is beautiful,

but sometimes this is how I feel.

Tote bags are sexy

[I had no idea today's Earth Day when I wrote this. Funny. I was informed by Google's home page.]

When I was moving out of Evanston, one day it was snowing slush, literally the stuff at 7-eleven in white. I carried a huge stack of old magazines to the recycle bins, which is maybe 100 feet from the backdoor (in jeans and a t-shirt). It was pretty gross, cold, trecherous, and hard to negotiate. The guy who parks in the space right by the bins says to me, "It takes a brave soul to treck all the way over here just for recycling."

A lot of things about Hong Kong have surprised me since arriving here three weeks ago. The biggest thing is environmentalism. I am astonished by how much people and companies here are into the environment. It's really nice. Compared to the U.S., ugh, over there it's all talk no action. Or rather, all Oprah no reaction. I've always been annoyingly environmentally conscientious since I was really young. Like I'd do things that annoy people, such as if someone is brushing their teeth with the faucet running, I'd turn it off. It just grates on my sanity for the water to be running like that. Or in boarding school, Mr. Dowdy (who I secretly detest) would do our room check and ask why I have so many plastic bags stuffed in my closet. "Uh... to be environmentally friendly?" Landfills! They're full. Why elect to throw away when you can recycle/reuse, it just baffles me to no end.

Well, walking down the street here, every woman has one or more tote bag in addition to a handbag. I was feeling very weird on the first few days here when I was the only one with a plastic bag. I really wanted one of those cheap-ass tote bags. I imagined how free I'd be with a cheap-ass tote bag. Stores actually give away those tote bags, and some are really nice. At the supermarket, if you don't need a plastic bag, the checkout lady says Thank you for supporting environmentalism. Today I was at the largest cosmetics chain store here, and the salesgirl was explaining to the customer in front of me in line that you have to pay for a plastic bag on Tuesdays. Wow! There's propaganda galore about the environment. I mean I'm feeling totally advanced. I bet it's like this in Scandinavia, those advanced countries. Tee-hee. I read in someone's blog that you get a ticket in the EU if you don't sort your glass and plastic!

In the 5th grade (I believe... oh loyal readers, please correct me) some people including myself founded The Useless Paper Club. Well, the way it came about... basically one girl in class, Angie, said she was going to recycle this garbage paper she had. She probably wasn't even serious. But then people started passing her paper trash in class, that she collected in a plastic bag, since she said she was going to recycle it. This act spawned the Club. I told my mom about the Club, and she asked whether it's "Useless Paper Club" or "Use Less Paper Club". I said I don't know, since both made sense. But it's really the former name that was our intention. What did our Club do, you ask? Nothing. I think we just wanted to be in a club. Girl26 and I made (wrote, illustrated, stapled) a newsletter/magazine one time, only one copy, all in English, which now I guess just made us sophisticated, but people were like, Why's it in English? Anyhow, it was a really great newsletter!

And hey, if you need a newsletter done for your organization, you have no idea how good I am at that! I can single-handedly write, edit, take pictures for, layout, and publish your professional newsletter! I am a biligual, experienced writer and journalist, high-school newspaper editor, Daily Northwestern copyeditor, photographer with a good eye, highly proficient in many publishing softwares, and know what I'm talking about at the copy place! I can even produce illustrations, which I've been doing since the 5th grade (see above)! HIRE ME FOR YOUR NEWSLETTER!

Doubt thou the stars are fire

My Gondolier Dreams... Dashed!

I have some very unconventional career aspirations. When I was in middle school, I wanted to be a TVB dancer. Like, literally. People thought I was kidding. Then around high school I wanted to be a backup vocalist. I just thought that would be the best job ever. People never take me seriously when I say stuff like that, but I totally mean it. I mean, right now I want to be a professional opera singer, the only problem is, I am technically grown up already.

OK, literally, I'm not even kidding, the best job EVER is a singer in a Cirque du Soleil show. Like, seriously, I can't even imagine a better job. But I thought I'd settle to be a gondolier at the Venetian. I love Las Vegas. The Venetian has always been my favorite hotel on the Strip. (But after I went to Italy for reals, the Venetian is just so whatever now.) Well, Macau is bigger than Vegas now. Their casino revenues beat Vegas last year. That's how insane it is. I found out the Venetian Hotel in Macau is the biggest resort in Asia, and it has three canals. I immediately was like, How can I be a gondolier at the Venetian in Macau???!!!

Last weekend we went to Macau and stayed at the Venetian. The suites were off-the-wall amazing. But anyways, the package included a free gondola ride, so what did I do? I go on the gondola ride and basically had 10 minutes to ask the gondolier everything about being a gondolier at the Venetian (sort of like the classic trapped-in-an-elevator scenario). "Where are you from?" "Where do people audition?" "Do you have a suite here?" "How many days do you work?" "Do you like living here?" She only sang for like 1 minute HA.

So my gondolier dreams have been dashed. First, you have to have been born in Italy. That's the end of that for me. Second, everyone auditions in Vegas. Ar! They are mostly actors in addition to singers. You have to learn how to operate a gondola and I'm just terrible at stuff like that.

Well, Cirque du Soleil's show in Macau is coming soon, so... I want to "run away with Cirque du Soleil," as they say.

The one who had to deal with me.

Updated website

Spent a few days creating a new website, so people will stop being confused and emailing me asking whether I'm gonna be accepting orders any time soon....

Gretchen am Spinnrade... Schubert...

Meine Ruh' ist hin,
Mein Herz ist schwer,
Ich finde sie nimmer
Und nimmermehr.

Mein Busen drängt sich
Nach ihm hin.
Ach, dürft ich fassen
Und halten ihn,

Und küssen ihn,
So wie ich wollt,
An seinen Küssen
Vergehen sollt!

Abysmal adventures in real estate

Wow, looking for an apt in HK sucks. Right now the housing market is insane. What we've been looking at are approx 700 sq ft, 2 bedrooms, somewhat close to Central, for around HK$24,000/mo. WTF. They are nasty. A few are new, but the older ones are either nasty (bathroom, kitchen) or entirely unpleasant in other ways. Even the ones that aren't nasty... it's depressing. I can't live in an apt that will make me depressed just sitting there. Not to mention the size--not even 50% of our crap will fit in these apts. I know I've been spoiled by Chicago/Evanston, but COME ON, for this price, one could rent a freaking three-bedroom apt on Michigan Avenue, and not the 800 sq ft type of 3 bedroom.

Meeting with an agent later today. Not promising at all....

And I LOVE this serviced apartment the company is giving us this month. It's almost an insult how great it is. Great location, brand new, gorgeous design, great service. And that's 874 sq ft, 1 bedroom. I would live here. Too bad it's HK$42,000+/mo. Do you know what I could get for THAT in Chicago? I dunno, maybe a penthouse apt facing Lake Michigan.

Re: my last post! It's made me sick!

I've been eating like crap, I know it, and you can tell just based on my last post.  Starting from yesterday evening I started having a stomachache, nothing major.  Then today it got vicious.  I mean, really bad, me collapsed on the bed, first reading the Bell Jar, then humming the death scenes of famous operas, then saying "ouch ouch ouch ouch," this went on for a few hours.  Then I decided I wanted medical attention and called my dad to take me to the hospital on his way home from work.  In anticipation of his picking me up, I charged my cell phone and went fetal on the couch.  Which, miraculously, cured my pain.  I tried to call him back and tell him I was feeling way better and he didn't need to get me anymore, but his phone was forwarding to the office.  Oh well.  He got here and I said I was feeling way better and I'd rather he take me to get congee.  So that's what we did.  And this is what you get for HK$30 set during afternoon-tea time (ends at 6pm): very large bowl of congee, a quite large fancy drink (such as what we got: mango tapioca drink, pearl coffee/tea yeen yeung), quite large dessert (such as what we got: sesame tong shui, tofu fa... ok I know these are like the worst translations ever).  I couldn't help getting zha leung, even though I know it's probably not good for the stomach.  My dad, having possibly never had set afternoon tea like ppl like me perpetually living in "recent college grad" lifestyle, was impressed with the cheapness.

Unlike most Hong Kong people, I'm not a foodie. People here just never stop talking about food or eating it. Like today in the elevator, I was holding food and a maintenance guy making small talk asked if that was lunch of afternoon tea. Just because people here often eat afternoon tea. As well as midnight snack. In addition to the normal 3 meals. I just don't care much about food. As long as it's keeping me alive and possibly healthy, I'm good. When I'm in the US, I often forget to eat. But the thing about living in HK is there's so much good and cheap food, even I feel relatively obsessed with eating when I am here. I pretty much have the urge to go buy food all the time since I am in TST (where my temporary abode is located). Everything is like 1 block away. I find pure bliss in the oil of roast duck skin melting over my taste buds (saving the fattest piece for last). Or when I go to my mom's office and she has breakfast delivered. Hot milk tea with a wimpy sandwich--untoasted white bread with runny scrambled egg and a piece of ham slapped together. Or congee and fried dough for breakfast. And I make special trips to the supermarket for curry-flavor Calbee chips. Today I went out to a Macau cafe that comes highly recommended to buy a hot milk tea and a Portuguese egg tart (the tart was an impulse buy). There's no bliss like slowly devouring that. And knowing that it only cost HK$20.

Finally done with my final order, the very torturous, terrible, terrifying, tedious, tumultuous, testing, taxing, time-consuming, tumor-inducing, tendon-straining, tension-creating order. I survived. Now it just needs to get there!!!

Now I've been "folded up." I've literally been curled up in bed with an awesome comforter and awesome pillows, no TV on, reading the New York Times Almanac or Time magazine or whatever book. Literally. Then I get tired and go to sleep. Or get up to binge on crackers. Like, "I'm not ready for this sort of thing" (Anna Begins, Counting Crows). Want to be folded up, in denial, away, alone, etc.

Quick entry here just so I'll remember this...

So I had my last voice lesson with my teacher on Wednesday. I just have to say here how much I owe to her. She believed in me and made sure I knew it. When I first started out with her about two years ago, she said it often, how much she believed in me. She said she believed I could do anything, sing any aria (within my range), pronounce any language, learn the technique, be a professional. No one's ever expressed this to me before, and I get weepy just thinking about SOMEONE BELIEVES IN ME. She knew I have a confidence problem. She told me that if I put myself down in my mind, I will fall. She says that just based on the way I sing, she knows all these things about me. (Interesting factoid: research shows that singers who are afraid to go for high notes are also afraid to fly.) She said that I have to believe that this is what God made me for, to sing classical. "This music was written for you, you can sing this better than anyone has ever sung it." Okay, that's an exaggeration, but if I believe that, it will be true, according to her.