Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone had a grand ole' time dressing up for Halloween!  We were pretty oblivious this year  - I didn't give any thought to costumes, we attended no Halloween parties... about the only thing I did to get into the spirit was to allow myself the guilty pleasure of a packet of sour strawberry belts (yummmmm) and some gummies (yummmmm).  Turns out, I haven't lost my sweet tooth for sour and artificial candies at all - just have been trying to keep it in check given the baby.

Michael and I went to a friend's new apartment in Tin Hau for a game night this weekend.  We ate Taiwanese food takeout, everyone (but me) enjoyed champagne and gin and tonics, and we admired the beautiful (seriously breathtaking!) and unobstructed view they had of Victoria Harbor.  Their apartment was really well designed - one of those refurbished ones in Hong Kong where you see how much thought and care had been used to make a small space not only live-able but comfortable.

They had Nintendo 64, which allowed Michael to revive some of his power-sliding and trash talking skills, and then they introduced us to this awesome game called "Ticket to Ride," which is basically a board game where you win by racking up the most number of points, which are accumulated by building up as many continuous segments of trains as possible.  Have you noticed that I really like board games that tend toward money, monopoly, cartels, control, market and economic domination, with a bit of strategy and luck thrown in?  I wonder what this says about me...

It was great fun but we left way too late (as always happens with game night) and while I was totally into it while we were throwing down, I had to admit that my back and legs were really sore and tired after hours of playing.

On Sunday, I went to a friend's baby shower, where we sat around eating all kinds of barbecued meat and sausages, followed by cupcakes and cake (it was as healthy as it sounds)!  There were lots of little kids there, and not just one but two (!) sets of baby twins.  My friend is due right around the same time as me, which is pretty fun.  We joke that we may end up in the hospital together at the same time - and we happen to be registered at the same hospital, Matilda.

Incidentally, on one of the deals I'm working on for a medical practice, a doctor told me that Matilda is good for "babies and bones," i.e., maternity and orthopedics.  Good to know!

Otherwise, the exciting news this week is that (1) we finally sold our guest bed (YES!) and (2) I've closed a deal today that started way back in early March.  Woohoo!  It feels so nice to get it completed and off my plate.

Hong Kong Wine & Dine Event

This past Thursday, I went to the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Event with a friend.

While I felt a little awkward attending an event where the predominant event was drinking, I still had a good time because I got to walk around and see what was on offer.  I think it was doubly fun for my friend because she got to enjoy all of my wine tokens in addition to her own!

 

We had grand wine passes which allowed us access to the Grand Wine Pavilion, which was definitely the place to be.

My friend enjoyed at least four glasses of incredible wines, including a 1982 St Julien bordeaux, a 2005 Latour burgundy, a 1996 Italian Sassicaia and a few sample sips of Italian barolos, Napa cabernet sauvignons, and Argentinian pinot noirs.  Some of the dates on these bottles were eye-popping!

We also walked around sampling food from the various booths, which were separated into regions - France, Spain, the United States.  

 

 In some ways, the event was typically inefficient like many Hong Kong events - way too many people, not enough space in the food tents, poorly arranged ordering and payment system.  In other ways, it was still kind of fun to walk around and sample stuff.

 

 They also had a bunch of wine sampling classes.

 

Overall, it was a fun event and I'm glad I went even though I didn't get to drink any of the amazing varietals that were on offer!

34 Weeks: Bump Pic, Please Buy Our Bed, List-Making and Organizing

Hello!  This week has seen me trying to (1) take it easy, (2) avoid working out, (3) sell a bed, and (4) organize our apartment, all to varying degrees of success.

First up: the Belly at 34 weeks!  Wowza, this thing has really made its presence known in the last few months!  I look super distorted and the angles in these pictures are all off because Michael doesn't know how to aim a camera phone properly, ahem ahem.

I am trying not to go to bed too late, although it's my lifelong tendency as a night owl.   On the flip side, I've also for the first time in my life been trying to sleep in (usually not a problem for me, but in the weird science experiment (joke?) that Nature decided to play on women, pregnancy has changed this).  I'm also still sweating and running a bit hotter than usual.  It's probably the first time in all of our time together that I am frantically lowering the temperature and blasting the A/C, while Michael complains it's too cold.

I have REALLY been on a list (get-things-crossed-off-the-list) kick, which is why it's kind of killing me that we can't seem to get rid of our single bed in the guest room.  It's a really nice bed, it's incredibly heavy, and we're almost at the point where we're going to pay someone to come and take it away (ok, not quite there yet - but getting close).  This bed is causing ruckus and mayhem in our apartment!  It is currently taking up all the space in our living room. 

We are also scratching our heads trying to figure out how to get a changing table, a huge wardrobe, a crib and a comfortable chair all into a tiny space.  Anyone with a beautiful nursery in the U.S. - I don't want to speak to you right now.  I think I'm working with about 1/6 or 1/4 of the space.  Apartments in Hong Kong are built so inefficiently.

I also haven't felt motivated to work out at all this week.  I signed up for a cycling class and promptly canceled it.  No yoga classes look or sound appealing.  I just end up walking home from work every night, which isn't so bad because it gives me about a half hour to listen to my podcasts.  I need to start looking into books on tape... 

Speaking of books, I've finally gotten around to reading "Strangers in Their Own Land" by Arlie Hochschild - and to balance the seriousness and sociological non-fiction aspects of it, I have "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" by Taylor Jenkins Reid as a fluffier fiction respite.

And that's about it.  Tomorrow's Friday, the weekend is in sight, and I'm hopefully wrapping up one of my two remaining big deals on Halloween next week!

A Slower Week and Fighting a Cold

This past week was a little bit slower on the work front, which was great.

My sister and I were both away from home for my dad's birthday, which was this past Friday, but we are looking forward to celebrating together over the holidays.  Christmas will be very special this year for a number of reasons, but it will also be my parent's 40th wedding anniversary.

My sister and I decided to get my dad golf lessons for his birthday.  He has his first lesson set up for next week and we're hopeful that this can be a new fun (or maybe just very frustrating?) hobby to keep him occupied in his retirement.  Speaking of retirement, I was chatting with my mom one of these past mornings and I got completely turned around after a while trying to keep track of the countries they're planning to visit next year.  So far it's Mexico in February, Iceland in March, Greece and the Mediterranean isles cruise in May.. and then something about Norway and Oslo, Ireland and Scotland, and the French Riviera after that?! Phew!

Nothing else too crazy or interesting to report - I channeled most of my energy into running errands, getting stuff for and packing up my hospital bag, ordering items off of Taobao... oh and getting sick.  Bah!  I've been fighting a stuffy nose, a bit of a dry cough, and a generally stuffed up head/sinus passages all week.

I can't seem to get to sleep easily anymore, and I wake up pretty early every morning.  My sleep during the night is still relatively uninterrupted, though I've been informed that that is about to change very soon as I progress later into my third trimester.  

Our new helper has started with us and suddenly life has become incredibly convenient and wonderful.  She has been engaged in a top to bottom complete scrubbing, washing, dusting and mopping of our apartment.  She is also making our meals, packing my lunch for work, and helping with our laundry.   She's been pretty great so far - has a good comprehension of English, is very energetic and motivated, and can joke around with us.  With two children of her own, I'm hoping her expertise will come in handy once the baby arrives.  She told me that a little baby is the "perfect therapy", because no matter how hectic life is, they're just so perfect and sweet and will put you in an amazing mood.  Hah!  I told her I was pretty skeptical, but ok, I'd have to trust her on that one.

I made her a recipe book (hole punched and with labels and dividers, because I can't resist) and so far she has made us eggs and toast in the morning, bacon, ham cheddar cheese and tomato sandwiches, guacamole, and, for dinners - steak with spinach and mashed potatoes, and chicken and dumplings.  She makes pretty simple Chinese food (stir-fry minced pork with chives, stir-fry cauliflower with pork, sauteed bok choy) and soups (pork bone broth with tomatoes, onions and potatoes, or noodles in pork bone broth with ginger and winter melon) , but that's pretty much what I like.

To cap off the week, on Friday night, we hung out with some friends and enjoyed some amazing, home cooked (but still fancy) cuisine followed by dessert (I bought a fruit salad and little cakes from the Mandarin, which were all very tasty), paired with water (for me) and whiskey (for Michael).  It was a perfect end to the week.

Endless Errands and Tasks

Oy, I don't know how it is that every time I return to my blog posts I realize that another week (or nearly another week) has gone by.  My only excuse is that Michael and I have been caught up in an endless whack-a-mole of work, errands and tasks.

Pregnancy

I'm now one day shy of 33 weeks and it's starting to feel REAL.  I am getting more tired and feeling a bit more swollen and bulky than before, though still moving at an okay pace.  If I walk too quickly now, I get some pangs in my lower abdomen.   I am also feeling very hot nearly all the time - something I am really not used to!  I have to consciously remind myself to slow down and take things more easily.  This does not come naturally. 

It's also getting harder to force myself to exercise.  I am starting to dread some of the poses in yoga (like downward dog or ardha chandrasana) because it kickstarts my heartburn.  I really should go swimming more often... for now walking has probably become my "exercise" of choice.  I listen to podcasts and then walk home from work, which takes approximately 20-30 minutes (although the second-hand smoke and bus exhaust I inhale along the way makes me question whether this could truly actually be "healthy").

I still have to sign up for antenatal classes (although, are these classes actually helpful?  I'm starting to think I'll just skip these), figure out what to pack in my hospital bag, and get some remaining basic baby supplies in order.   I haven't gotten any stretch marks yet, although I am watching my burgeoning belly every day with bated breath.   I have started, for lack of a better word, basting myself in oil every day and night, in an (I understand futile) attempt to stave them off.  I'm horrified (HORRIFIED) by the astronomical price of Burt's Bees body oil and Bio-oil in Hong Kong. 

Baby Shower BBQ

I'm hoping that the weather starts to cool down.  It's been an unseasonably hot summer and fall and I feel like I'm not going to get a break from the heat and humidity anytime soon!  We're throwing a barbecue to welcome the baby for a bunch of friends (men and women, I was adamant about that!) in our building at the beginning of November. One of my friends was alarmed that my baby shower was so late (almost exactly a month before my due date), but it was just how the times and dates worked best for maximum turnout.  Fingers crossed!

Nursery

The "nursery," if it can even be called that, is a disaster zone right now - seriously.  We have diapers, a diaper changing pad, the skiphop playgym, a stroller, a car seat, all haphazardly piled up all over the place, with a pile of clothes (some washed, some not) in a range of newborn to 6 months sizes, piled on top.  We need to sell the guest bed that's currently in there, before we will have room for a crib and a rocking glider/chair.

I did, however, buy two black and white prints of a baby zebra and a baby giraffe, for the wall.  They look a lot like these, but not exactly.  Because, you know, decorations vs. a crib?  Priorities.

Helper's Room

The helper's room has been transformed since I last wrote about it.  Michael built an entire frame bed with storage on top (where we are keeping our suitcases and mahjong table), and four clothing drawers under the bed.  We ordered a custom made mattress.  Michael also built little corner desk and we paired it with a cushion seat that we weren't using, which rolls underneath the desk.  We're outfitting it with a little desk lamp, blue area rug, and matching green flowered sheets and quilt.  I have to say, it looks very different than it did about two weeks ago!

We are keeping our fingers and toes crossed that everything goes smoothly with the processing of this helper's application.  

Taobao

I've also made some progress on Taobao - I'm still barely proficient, but definitely improving. I've since ordered a jigsaw (for Michael's woodworking), a set of shoe closets, and we are now looking at dining room chairs and a big bookshelf for the living room.  Encouraged by a friend's beautiful supply of home wares, I'm also looking to purchase some dishes, plates, kitchen utensils, etc. to round out our supply.

I spent hours on there trying to buy a soda-maker (the amount of sparkling water we consume is ridiculous and also really expensive), but no one will ship to me in Hong Kong due to the CO2 cartridges.  We had the same problem when we tried to bring one back from the U.S.  It's times like this that I get so frustrated with living here.  In any other country, this would be a simple task completed with two clicks of a mouse.  Here, it's been two years and we still haven't managed to figure out how to make our own carbonated water.

Education Fair

Last week I was invited to, and attended, an education fair hosted by Bloomberg showcasing about 20 different private schools in Hong Kong, and my takeaways from that are: (1) Bloomberg has an amazing snack pantry (the sheer variety of rice crackers alone, and the Greek yogurt, and fresh fruit, and their flavored water, dang)! and (2) Hong Kong is such a rat race.  I thought Manhattan private schools were bad.  Ugh.  I know there is a huge gap between rich and poor throughout the world, so it's not unique to here, but it feels so fraught when you dip a toe into the educational system.

Expats typically do not send their kids to local schools here (although that's not to say they can't) and instead opt for international schools.  There are a variety of reasons for this and I can't speak for everyone's reasons, but I think some of the typical considerations are: the language (local schools focus on Mandarin and Cantonese, with English introduced at a later point), the workload (local schools tend to give out far more homework) and the education principles (closely aligned to the former, local schools may focus more on rote or standard exercises, rather than creative or exploratory approaches).  Obviously, cost is a huge factor as well.

The fair that I attended was thrown by a huge corporation for corporate folks in the banking, legal and corporate sectors.  All of the schools had set up booths with fancy brochures and glossy packets, pictures, pamphlets and tuition information, and spokespersons were armed and at the ready to pitch their schools.  At one point when one of the schools handed me a tome (seriously, it weighed like 2 pounds) I couldn't help but think that that money could have been so much better spent... well, on anything except that.

Most of the schools had brand new facilities with state of the art gyms, labs, classrooms and facilities, very small teacher-student ratios, and either offered an IB and/or a bilingual (whether it be English and French, English and German, English and Mandarin) curriculum.  Here is also another feature of international schools that tend to really appeal to expats. 

The crazy part, though, is when talk gets to the admissions process, which is naturally where everyone seems the most anxious.  They've got a whole set of terms here that remind me of Harry-Potter speak, i.e., when your kid is old enough for "Reception," (kindergarten) whether the child is "matriculating" "pre-Reception" or only in "Primary," (often increases or decreases your chances because after a class is filled spots only open up when children leave), whether you have a "corporate debenture" (like the concept of legacy, but definitely prioritized and guaranteed, because - money) whether the child makes it past the "first round application" (yes, like a college application) and gets a "callback for the interview" (invited back for an assessment).

For Pete's sake.  Do we not have enough of these hoops when it comes to high school, standardized tests, SATs, college, entrance exams, graduate school, and life in general (job interviews, feedback sessions, upward and downward reviews, dating) that we need to start at birth or 2 years old?  And yes, at some places, the baby is eligible to be added to the waitlist as soon as they are born - while at other places, they take the more relaxed approach of waiting until your child is 2. 

After all that information, I still can't figure out, and couldn't get any of them to explain, exactly what criteria they're using in the assessment to determine whether the toddler is admissible.

Taxes

All I have to say is, they're done. Hallelujah, praise be, and thank goodness for our amazing accountant.

Attorney Registration and CLEs

Of course this turns out to be the year that I owe the NY bar $375 and have 20 credits of CLE that need to be fulfilled in the next month.  One of the not so great things about being dual-qualified as a Hong Kong solicitor and a New York attorney is the double dose of credits that you need.  I've just finished fulfilling my CPDs (for the Hong Kong Law Society) and now find myself in the unpleasant position of turning to the other set of requirements.  While you can get both CLE and CPD credit for certain courses or seminars (those are VERY worthwhile) often they are mutually exclusive.  Doh.

One Fun Thing

So amidst all of these errands and tasks, I am very excited to report that I'm getting a new fancy wallet!  I've been lusting after a Celine or a Bottega for a while to replace the very wonderful, but also very old and very abused, Kate Spade wallet that Michael bought me nigh seven years ago.  That wallet has accompanied me to SO many countries, so many places, and been such an integral part of my time here in Hong Kong to date, but alas, the snap closure is no longer really holding and I want something a bit more secure.  A friend is in London now and picked up a nice navy blue Bottega with a bright cobalt interior for me.  I am very much looking forward to handling that soft, buttery lambskin, woot woot!

 

Villa and Vacation Home Ideas?

We are thinking about spending a couple of weeks in a vacation home or a villa, once the baby has arrived, after shots and vaccinations have been administered, but before my maternity leave is over.  Michael's parents are also keen to meet the newest grandbaby, and would fly out to meet us.

We have friends who went to Indonesia with their newborn for a month, and listening to their stories of relaxing in pool villas was very inspiring!

It turns out that it's actually kind of hard to pick a location if you give yourself relatively free reign over the globe.  We have managed to narrow it down to the following:

New Zealand -

pros: a place we have wanted to go for a long time and have never been, beautiful natural settings, fresh food, not crowded, good weather in March/April

cons: remote, far for everyone, we wouldn't be able to do most of the activities that we want

Japan -

pros: very hygienic, baby and kid-friendly, delicious food, a new country/experience for all other visitors except me and Michael, less travel time for me and Michael

cons: still quite far for all our other visitors, will be cold

Southern France or Tuscany/Umbria -

pros: I confess I have a soft spot for spending an extended time in Europe (who doesn't?!), and the food and atmosphere will be amazing

cons: will be a bit chilly, some of the areas are pretty rustic and rural, and I don't know if we should be closer to, say, a hospital or a big metro center in case something goes wrong

Personally, I think a house or pool villa in Indonesia or Vietnam would be nice and relaxing, but Michael seems to be "over" the Southeast Asia thing (I mean, really, how ridiculous, but who am I to judge).

pros: cheap, beautiful, great service, likely very kid friendly, easy to get to, warm

cons: not that much culture, not a new experience

Finally, one of the other things to consider is whether we could baptize the baby while abroad?  One of my colleagues ended up doing that for his baby in Paris.  That could be fun too...but I have no idea the logistics of such a thing.  Yet another thing to research.

Happy Friday!

After my supremely whiny post from yesterday, I'm ready to channel some more positive vibes now that I'm on this side of Friday.  The weekend ahead looks nice - more so because I've decided I need to take action into my own hands (or, really, my own head).

Work and stress will always be there and I really need to learn better ways to cope with this stuff, whether by pushing back, erecting more boundaries, or even just compartmentalizing my feelings and giving more attention to the present.  These are all such easy things to type, but they're so hard to effect in practice.

I went to my prenatal check up today (they're getting more frequent now!) and was told by my doctor and the midwife to slow down, relax, and try to take things more easily now.  We want the baby to make it to full term, and I want to maintain a healthy, less stressed attitude for the remaining months.  I also don't want any mandatory bed rest or unexpected hospital visits...   I got the whooping cough vaccination (seriously, is whooping cough still a thing?!) but apparently there is an ongoing epidemic and babies are very vulnerable to it, so it has been recommended by the CDC and most doctors for women in their third trimester.

One happy thing that occurred yesterday that I didn't include in my post was my lovely conversation with my grandmother.  She is 89 years old, turning 90 in a couple of months - full of energy and spark, with a robust voice and plenty of cheer.  She lives in her own room on the third floor of my parents' house, which means she happily clomps up and down three flights of stairs every day (and refuses to have it any other way).  She has been very excited about my pregnancy, eagerly awaiting the chance to meet her great grandchild.

Meanwhile, my parents have been having a fantastic time in Peru, hitting up Lima, Cusco, and seeing the various amazing sights (including Machu Pichu).  I'm so happy that they now both have the chance to travel with their friends at every chance they get.  My parents have worked so hard their whole lives and scrimped and saved at every opportunity, so it really warms my heart that they are wholeheartedly embracing retirement with such zest and zeal.  I'm of course also really looking forward to their visit to Hong Kong in December (which is coming up so quickly)!

Despite all the work and craziness of work yesterday, I still managed to go and grab dinner in the neighborhood with a good girl friend, so that was also really nice.  We just sat around and chatted about all kinds of random and esoteric and interesting things, while catching up on life as well.  Soon I'm not going to have as much freedom or flexibility to do these things, so I am cherishing these moments now.

I also feel compelled to share my love of Eberjey pajamas, specifically the Gisele sets (they are so soft), and just got myself another set, this time in a nightshirt rather than top and pants.  Too bad I missed the 20% off Shopbop sale though - I was thinking carefully about what I wanted and missed the window!  Doh.

Phew, okay, that's a wrap.  Happy weekend!

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! And We're Now in October

Gosh, you guys, I just don't know where the days and nights go any more!  I really thought work was going to slow down after my craziness in Australia, but unfortunately two of my other deals have heated up.  With a myriad of other corporate housekeeping items (catching up on CLE and CPD credits, preparing presentations, answering one-off questions) and just generally dealing with all kinds of STUFF that keep popping up, it's been hectic.

And instead of getting a proper public holiday today like I should have, I got volunteered (thrown) onto a terrible work project that took up about 9 hours of my day.  And I am up blogging at half past midnight instead of going to bed, which I really need to do to ensure that I get enough sleep for my arduous, challenging, 9 am meeting tomorrow.  I am GRUMPY.

Then, of course, there's all of the life stuff that we have happening.

Last week, the domestic helper that we hired, and who we thought was ready to be settled, ended up falling through.  Her behavior was so odd, and her story so inconsistent, that despite our best efforts to give her the benefit of the doubt, we just could not proceed to hire her.  Basically, in the span of something like 48 hours, we went from having a signed contract, to her quitting, to us wishing her well in her future endeavours, to her changing her mind and wanting to work with us again, to our vacillating and deciding to give her another chance, to her telling us that she had already agreed to another contract because of our failure to contact her in time (i.e., 12 hours), to our wishing her well (again!), to her contacting us again (!) and saying that actually she would like to work with us after all.  My God.  By the end of this, I was dreading any message that popped up on my phone from her.  It was clearly not going to work.

I went into action mode and lined up something like 10 helper interviews in the span of five days, and then, we decided to offer the job to the very next helper that we met with.  I then proceeded to cancel all of the other interviews and now we are keeping our fingers crossed that her application and our paperwork get processed without a hitch.  It has certainly been an adventure!

We have also been trying to get the apartment ready, and part of that has been to clear out the furniture in the guest room and the items we currently had stored in the helper's room.  To our surprise, our landlord was amenable to our removing the bed frame and mattress that had come with our rental.  Michael also has to outfit the helper's room with a bed, desk, and some shelves.

I've also been on Taobao searching for new dining chairs, a bookshelf, a shoe closet... we are doing some refurnishing around here!  Taobao is a bit confusing, but the plus side is that it's forcing me to hone my Chinese skills.

We also have to get our taxes prepared before the looming deadline, which is already extended from April.

Sigh.

We are also still trying to decide on a name for the baby.  Bah.  It's currently feeling like a very big thing (it's going to be the name by which this person is known for life, and all the good or bad nicknames or connotations that will come out of it, and will probably shape the baby's personality, and...yikes!)

The saving grace to all of this is that the baby has been active and moving (the kicks feel different now, more like rolling and pushing and less like thumping or punching), I still feel great (really no lower back pain soreness or pain at all, and no discomfort except for some sporadic heartburn, especially in certain poses during yoga) - with all of this other stuff going on, I say, thank goodness!!