Back in Memphis...

All right it has been a little while since the last entry...but, hey we moved from Hong Kong back to Memphis, Tennessee...I think a little slack is deserved.

So...I will hit the key points of the last 60 days or so.

Randi, Henry, and I successfully moved from Hong Kong to Memphis. The trip was a little easier this time on Henry...as we flew direct from Hong Kong to Newark. We then drove from Newark to Washington D.C. and hung out with the family for a few days as that wicked early March snow storm moved through the country. I think Henry was a little shocked to go from Hong Kong to snow. Albeit he had a grand old time playing in the snow at my parents house. We eventually made it back to Memphis after a little bit of car trouble...my Dad's Mercedes Benz died on us 45 minutes into our trip...compliments of a faulty crankshaft sensor.

Once in Memphis we hung out at our friends' house until our household goods arrived from Hong Kong. That took a little longer than anticipated but David and Andrea were awesome and did not mind us staying for a few extra days. Our stuff finally arrived around the 18th of March and honestly since then we have been getting things settled. It is a heck of an event getting everything moved in, sorting through things that were put in storage, and of course getting things just the way you like them. I think there are still a few things left to be accomplished.

On the political front...I am shocked...well actually I am not shocked at the "mess" that President Obama is creating of our country. Sure, I will get lambasted by a few folks out there...but, seriously folks did anyone really think that an incredibly liberal State Senator turned U.S. Senator who ended up in the White House would be anything but liberal? Let's see what he has done thus far to really create a mess:

1. Bowing to the King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would be a great place to start. Did anyone not tell him that he and specifically the United States is not subject to the King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia? This is beyond belief...and quite frankly it doesn't surprise me...President Obama has kissed so much foreign ass since he stepped into office that Joe Biden needs to kick him squarely in the ass.
2. Giving Gordon Brown DVD's in the wrong format...priceless.
3. Let's get to some serious stuff...how about forcing the President of GM to step down...since when did anyone in the U.S. government get to make decisions about private industry.
4. Apologizing to Europe for the arrogance of America. I don't call it arrogance...I and most American's call it leading. Leading the world in relief work, leading the world in charitable giving, leading the world in defending those that cannot defend themselves (WWI and WWII ring a bell here), and too many numerous deeds done on the world stage to count...from saving South Korea to kicking Saddam's sadistic ass out of power in Iraq.
5. Nominating apparently every individual in politics who is either too stupid to figure their taxes out correctly, too arrogant to pay their proper taxes, or lacking the morals required to pay their proper taxes. For an administration that is all about "paying taxes" they sure don't take their own advice.
6. Nominating some truly left-wing nut jobs to important offices...Harold Koh as a prime example.
7. Creating some dangerous ethical grounds with "stem-cell" research changes...although the Dickey-Water amendment signed two days after by President Obama (probably without his knowledge) put many of the Bush-era restrictions right back in place.
8. Releasing state secrets (CIA interrogation memos) to satisfy the ACLU. Why don't we just broadcast all of our tricks of the trade to the terrorist organizations out there...that way they know what we are capable of...which will make them play fair...right?

Now I am not going to arbitrarily bash President Obama...I will give him kudos for few things:

1. Going to Iraq after his "European vacation" was a good move as the troops always need and want to hear from the Commander-In-Chief.
2. Not pulling troops out of Iraq precariously fast and actually listening to the commanders on the ground is a sound move.
3. Taking the fight to the Taliban and putting more troops on the ground is a solid move.
4. My personal favorite though has to be letting the special operations guys do their thing and kill three terrorists...I mean...pirates off the coast of Somalia to save a U.S. citizen.
5. I am also a fan of him telling Mexico's President Calderon that the U.S. is not going to enact a new "assault weapons ban" just to put a band-aid on the growing drug war in Mexico. Let's be honest if Mexico was securing their border...the guns would not be getting into the country and if we were securing our border...drugs would not be getting into our country...problem solved...secure the bloody border.

Now...let's move onto some lighter subjects. Where oh where do you think FedEx is sending me on my first project since arriving back in the States...you guessed it Asia...you have to love the irony of the situation. Moving all the way back to the United States just to get sent back to Asia.

I understand it though...expatriates are not cheap...and we are all in cost saving mode...even FedEx.

Randi is working hard trying to figure out what she is going to do...school...job...both. All the options are on the table. She had a second interview today at one company and I think she is pretty excited about her prospects there. It looks like it would be a good company to work for and it would provide a challenging environment for Randi to work in.

Lastly, when did humans drop down on the food chain. Today I was walking on the FedEx campus where we have some particularly hostile geese and noticed that several individuals were walking around the geese at the slightest hint of aggression from them. As I strolled closer to one particularly aggressive goose...he/she lifted his/her head and hissed at me. Now on any other day and particularly in any other location this particular goose would have ended up on the wrong end of a Benelli shotgun. However, being at work I suppose there were only two options...walk around this goose and let him/her think just for an instant that they were the apex animal on the block. Not a good option in my opinion...or number two charge said goose and make him move his aggressive ass out of my way. I chose option two and clapped and charged said goose and watched him get out of the way in a hurry. Hey folks...humans are apex predators in case you missed the latest addition of National Geographic. In order to stay that way...animals need to know their place...you can also check your bible for this...we are at the top of the food chain. There is not an animal on earth that we cannot hunt and kill. So...why would we as humans let some arrogant goose think that they are at the top of the food chain? All I have to say is that is one lucky goose...he/she should have been on my plate this evening.

Some fun facts about Pizza Hut in Hong Kong...

So, Randi and I had pizza and a movie night last Friday night in Hong Kong. In pulling up the delivery number for Hong Kong on the Internet; we found some fascinating facts about Pizza Hut in Hong Kong.

Now, first let me say that Hong Kong has just over 7 million people and covers around 386 square miles (which is close to the equivalent of New York City). However, 75% of the land is open countryside and mountains...that means that more than 7 million people live in an area approximately the same size as Washington D.C. proper, which has a population of around 600,000. On Hong Kong Island alone there are approximately 1,268,112 people which leads to a population density of around 91,500 per square mile. So, I hope you get the fact that Hong Kong is small and loaded with people.

So, now that we know about all the people and how big it is...the next questions comes to mind...how do all those people get their pizza...specifically Pizza Hut pizza?

Well, according to the Hong Kong Pizza Hut website Hong Kong is served by over 4,000 well trained professionals of the Pizza Hut Hong Kong delivery team. Thousands of people dedicated to getting you a pizza, broken down as follows:

1. 500 hotline order operators (covering Mandarin, Cantonese, English, and a few other languages);
2. 1,700 trained prime chefs;
3. over 900 take-out order operators (they drive mopeds and motorcycles with hot boxes on the back); and
4. over 1,000 support staff.

So, if you ever wondered, like me, that there seems to be a ton of Pizza Hut delivery drivers cruising around Hong Kong on their mopeds...yep, there are...there are close to a thousand of them. The coolest thing is that they have over 80 dedicated express centers (this is where the pizza is actually made) to serve the delivery orders. Your pizza is not coming from a restaurant...nope...from a specially designed express center. Pretty cool.

So, mathematically, even if just .1% of the population (7,000 people) order a pizza a night, that means a minimum of 7,000 pizzas are being ordered. That means (assuming 24/7 operations and equal distribution of orders and employees) each operator must take at least 14 calls, each express center must make over 87 pizzas, and every delivery driver must deliver 7 pizzas.

I found this fascinating...just thinking of all the work that goes into our steaming hot pizza making it to our flat.

A Wonderful Day...

Cool weather has finally arrived in Hong Kong. Friday night saw a "cold" front move into the region and temperatures have drastically changed. Saturday and Sunday were absolutely wonderful days...I would have to say they were perhaps the nicest days we have yet to have in Hong Kong. Almost no pollution could be seen in the skies...perhaps the election of President-elect Obama has indeed changed the world. I am kidding of course.

Randi and I had a great weekend...a busy weekend. My management was in town from the states and we had a "junk" trip on Saturday night. It was a beautiful night for a cruise on Victoria Harbor and the food was as tasty as always...courtesy of Jaspa's Junk. Sunday we spent the day outside with Henry enjoying the beautiful weather, pizza with friends (and other dogs) at Pizza Express, and then dinner with Erlynn and her husband (who is visiting before he returns to Manila).

It was a great weekend. Monday saw more beautiful weather...I am currently watching the sun set out of our office window over a shimmering (but still polluted) South China Sea and cool temperatures in the 70's. Randi's management is in town this week and she will be busy with work.

We are approaching the end of my contract and that means only 110 days left before we tentatively leave Hong Kong. It will be sad to leave but, as with all things in life...usually the best is around the corner. I just tell Randi only God knows what is planned for our next journey in life and all we can do is move forward with faith. I have figured out that in the last 6 years...over 3 years have been spent outside of the United States...who would have thought?

It will be an interesting week in the news...I am sure we will see more from President-elect Obama and his choices or ideas for his cabinet, etc. I am sure his world view changed Friday afternoon after his first Presidential security briefing...I am sure the reality of being responsible for the safety of 300,000,000 people hit home. In a world full of threats...securing freedom, protecting the citizens of our great country, promoting democracy, and ensuring capitalism continues to reign is a lot harder than just making a great speech and sounding "Presidential". I along with millions of people around the world pray that President-elect Obama makes sound, careful, and considerate decisions over the next two months.

A beautiful day in Hong Kong...

So, after Typhoon Nuri came barreling through Hong Kong...we have actually had some beautiful weather over the last few days. Clear skies, blue skies, minimal pollution, and some nice cool breezes...relatively speaking of course. Here is a shot from our family room window this evening:


It will be evenings like this that will make it difficult to move next year. Where else are you going to get a view out of your family room window of the South China Sea. Spectacular.

Pollution...Lovely...

Well...yesterday was supposedly the worst day in Hong Kong regarding air pollution since measurements were started in 1995. This just days before the Olympics are supposed to start. The pollution was so bad that from our apartment on the peak; I could not even see the South China Sea! Here is a normal view from our apartment:


I couldn't see the sea yesterday when I woke up. When I got to work (in Cyberport) it was even worse; I could not see Lamma Island out of my window...normally I have a great view...but, no such luck yesterday. China is understandably worried with the Olympics scheduled to start in just a few days. With the equestrian events taking place in Hong Kong the government is under pressure to at least have air that is safe for the athletes (man and animal). In Sha Tin the Air Pollution Index (API) hit 200, which is basically extremely severe. In other words...the air is so bad you probably shouldn't be breathing it. Today it is back down to a comfortable level of 71, which is high. Here is a shot out of my window this morning, absolutely disgusting:


Now can you imagine not even being able to see Lamma Island? I couldn't yesterday for part of the day. People ask me if I like living in Hong Kong; the answer is "yes" but a qualified "yes"; as in it is great but the air sucks. I am actually glad we are only living here for two years...who knows what the long term repercussions from breathing this air for years would be. I for one am looking forward to days when blue skies are the norm and not an exception. China, I have one piece of advice for you...no one will care about your low cost production capabilities if you are destroying the world one airborne particulate at a time.

Walk-About

So, I had the day off today so I had lunch with the wife at Wooloomooloo on Wyndham Street and then I went on a walk-about taking pictures. I just purchased my replacement DSLR (I sold my 20D to my brother) and I am loving the 40D. It shoots really nice pictures and controlling the different aspects of the exposure is a breeze. So, I walked around Lan Kwai Fong and Central and shot close to 400 pictures. I have put a few up on the flickr site and I will add more in the coming days.

The weather has been really rainy for the last few weeks and everything is damp. Take a second and do a search on the web for "Hong Kong Flooding" and see what you get for June 7, 2008. I think this has to be some of the worse flooding Hong Kong has had in awhile...it was bad...Black Rain.

Anyway, all is well in Hong Kong land...Randi was in Bangkok over the weekend with some of her girlfriends and Henry and I held down the fort. Randi will be posting some pictures of her adventures with the girls in Thailand...they had a good time and they have the pictures to prove it.

Keep the people of Kansas, Iowa, and California in your prayers as they are experiencing some poor weather (storms and wild fires). I am extremely saddened to hear of the murders of the two young girls in Oklahoma. It is sad when people resort to killing young innocent children...I think it speaks to us all that something must be done about this senseless violence. I am sure you have all heard that Memphis again posted top scores for being a violent city with more than 500,000 residents. Ah...good old Memphis...when are the citizens of the city going to learn that crime does not pay?

I hope you all have a great weekend...and remember to buckle-up and don't drink and drive.

My first weekend in Wuhan...

Greetings all from Wuhan, China...it is May 24, 2008 already and that means it is the weekend. One of the unfortunate things about my current project in Wuhan is that due to flight schedules it is next to impossible for me to head home over the weekend...even though Hong Kong is less than a two hour flight away.

So, that means I am hanging out in Wuhan while Randi and Henry are in Hong Kong...kind of sucks. Well, we had a long night last night at the office; I finally made it out of there around 2000 hours and then headed back to the hotel. I got a nice workout in (even though the gym is limited) and then I finished reading "Not A Good Day To Die" by Sean Naylor. This is a magnificent book abut Operation Anaconda. I strongly recommend everyone reading this book and "Lone Survivor" by Marcus Luttrell. These two books will remind you (vividly) that the United States is at war and that the great soldiers of this country are fighting and dying every day to ensure that radical extremism does not gain a foothold. Our soldiers are waging this war in extreme environments against determined fighters and they are conducting this war with honor, integrity, and morals. To say I am proud of our country is an understatement.

So, I stayed up until almost 0300 hours reading and am just waking up...well...actually waking up for the 2nd time today. I am not sure what happened this morning but at 0650 someone decided to set off some fireworks (the ones that sparkle and then explode on the ground) in front of our hotel. Now, I am not talking just a couple of fireworks...I am talking about enough to cover the entire sidewalk for a full block...I am not making this up. This...display...lasted for 5 minutes or so as firework after firework exploded. I swear for a second I thought I was on Takur Ghar.

Plans for today are not too exciting...one of the team members decided she needs to go into the office today...so...instead of heading out with the rest of the team to go site seeing in Wuhan; I am going to head into the office with her. Dad always told me to make sure that you never ask someone to do something you won't do yourself and I figured even though this was her idea...I shouldn't let her go in by herself.

So, I will take the time to study for the CFA exam which is just a few short weeks away. I am hoping that I am not going to be in the office all day. The rest of the team is going to go check out East Lake, which is a famous lake here in Wuhan, and then they are going to go to some museums and check out the Wuhan University. I think that would definitely be interesting...and maybe I will just go and site see myself tomorrow after I get the intel from the rest of the team on where and what to see and of course what to skip. I am here through June 4th...so, I have another weekend next week as well. We will see what I can figure out to do...although I am sure a majority of that time will be spent in the gym and studying for the CFA.

The hotel here has a little gym that has a few dumbbells, unfortunately the heaviest one is 25lbs. Now, at first I was a little disappointed as usually the lightest dumbbell I use is 30lbs when working out...but...I decided to just "rep-out" on everything. So, I have been doing 20 to 30 reps for each set in my workout...which is actually pretty tough. So, for my arm and back workout yesterday I ended up doing 6 exercises with dumbbells and I did 4 sets of 20 to 30 reps for each of those exercises depending upon the exercise. Let me tell you...that was actually a really good workout. My biceps were screaming to me after my 4th set of 30 one arm isolated curls...wow...I am actually a little sore this morning. I also did a lot of creative stuff and kind of used one 25lb dumbbell as a "kettle ball" and did some "dynamic" exercises working my core. So, even though a hotel gym may be limited you can still be creative and get a good workout. Also, the hotel has a pool and I always bring my swim gear so I can swim laps. Unfortunately, when we first arrived the pool was being repaired...but as of last night the pool is back in business...meaning I can get some laps in tonight.

Randi is in Hong Kong and I am sure right about now she is at Berlitz taking a Mandarin lesson without me. I have to say Randi is progressing really well with her Mandarin. I am doing all right...as I get to "practice" a bit on my travels...which is fun. I think she is going to go see the musical "We Will Rock You", which is set to Queen's music, tonight with some friends. I am sure it will be fun and when she goes out with the girls they always have fun.

Tomorrow is scheduled to be a Henry day and she is going to get together with more friends and their dogs and let the four legged friends play and socialize. I have to say Henry has some good "dog" friends here. In fact, our friends Phil and Lauren just got a new dog named Juno and Henry and her get along wonderfully. In fact, they get along so well we started joking that Henry has a girlfriend. Juno was at our house the other day and they played constantly for several hours just "flirting" with each other. Juno is a puppy so she has tons of energy and when Henry would collapse from exhaustion she would come over and nip and lick at Henry's face until he would get back up and go for another round of chase or tug-of-war. It was hilarious watching them play...the simple things in life are always so amusing.

Well, that is all from Wuhan...I think it is time to get up and get the day going. Have a great weekend and remember to be safe, buckle-up, and treat everyone you come across this weekend as you would like to be treated. Oh...and make sure you smile and say "hi" to everyone you come across...you never know it might otherwise brighten someone's dreary day. Here are a few more pictures from Wuhan:

A shot of me on the Yangtze with a few co-workers Jacko (my right) and Sally (my left):


Larry knocking back some boneless chicken feet...yummy:

The Weekend...May 11, 2008

Well, it is Sunday the 11th of May in Hong Kong and that means it is Mother's Day. What a great day. I am a huge fan of Mother's Day...you get to celebrate Mom. Randi and I are thousands of miles away from our Moms...but, we will definitely be calling them and wishing them a wonderful Mother's Day. Today is a cloudy wet day in Hong Kong and it looks like it is going to stay that way for the majority of the day. This weekend is another three day weekend in Hong Kong with Buddha's birthday being celebrated on Monday...not sure how old he is. Randi and I don't have any really exciting plans...just hanging out...spending time with the dog and friends. We went and saw Ironman on Friday night and I have to say that it was a great movie. It was incredibly entertaining, the acting was superb, and the movie offered the right mix of action, comedy, and drama. All I have to say is it receives a 9-F score on the Farage Movie Meter. Randi was actually pleasantly surprised as well...I think she thought it was going to be a little cheesy...but, she really enjoyed it. She even recommended it to my mother...so you know she enjoyed it. Randi and I were also pleasantly surprised that the movie was pretty much "foul language free" which was a nice change. We are scheduled to see What Happens in Vegas this evening and will report on that one as well. As of right now...Ironman is the best movie of 2008 in my opinion. Have a great weekend and remember to buckle up and don't drink and drive.

The Weekend...

The weekend is approaching. So, I write this entry from Shenzhen…still working on the project here and looking forward to heading home this evening. Due to the fact that I have approximately 12 months left in my original contract – Randi and I are aiming to do a bit more on the weekends in an effort to maximize our Hong Kong time. So, this weekend we are going to head out to Stanley on Saturday and let Henry play with his canine friends. I think Henry was a bit lonely when we first moved here…but, now that he has tons of canine friends he really looks forward to getting out and playing on the weekends. Last weekend he played pretty hard with a 10 month old Vizsla. They had an absolute blast…two sporting dogs playing together is definitely a pleasure to watch. Sunday is going to be an interesting day…I get to accompany Randi and her friends to some “chick flick” and then we are going to hit up one of our favorite restaurants for brunch. I will ensure that I post a movie review afterwards. In the words of one of my friends here, “how does it feel being one of the girls?” Well, to answer that…I certainly do not mind hanging out with a bunch of nice attractive women; I can think of worse things. I do have to state that I still manage to fit in some guy time with my male friend here in Hong Kong and I think I am going to go check out a shooting range this weekend. Those of you who know me probably wonder how I am surviving without my “required” range time. It is difficult but I am making it. If the weather holds I am also hoping to possibly get a little rock time…maybe by heading up to Central Crags. I hope everyone has a safe weekend. We will post some pictures of canine play time this weekend.

Happy Valentine's Day and the vacation is over...

Well, the vacation is over. Randi and I arrived back in Hong Kong yesterday a little bit before noon and nothing says "vacation over" like immediately heading back to work. I dropped Randi off at her office and then I headed to mine...sounds fun...right?

Well, Randi is officially a certified PADI Open Water Diver and I completed my PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification as well. Here is a quick picture of Randi after one of her dives...doesn't she look like a professional after a long day in the water


We had a blast in Boracay and it was difficult to come back; however, it was also nice to come back. It is always good to sleep in your own bed and we were both missing Henry a bit. To say that Henry was excited to see us, would be an enormous understatement. I have not seen that dog shake so violently with excitement in a long time, if ever. I was scared that his butt was going to come off. He spent a solid 20 minutes running around, shaking his butt, and bringing various toys to us to play with. He was definitely excited.

I don't really know the best way to wrap-up or final days in Boracay...other than to say they were fantastic. Randi ended up doing about four dives and I ended up doing a total of eight dives. To be honest I was actually a little tired after the final day of diving.

I started the day (11th) with an awesome deep water dive off of Boracay at a site called Yapak II. This was an absolutely incredible dive to say the least. I have to admit I was actually a little nervous/excited about this dive before hand. the dive was scheduled for a total of four people - two divemasters and two divers. Due to the fairly technical nature of the dive it was a recommended one-to-one dive...at least for the first time...by technical I mean: negative-entry, deep water (in excess of 33 meters), navigation (compass), and strong current. Additionally, it was a shark dive with the opportunity to see some whitetip reef sharks. So, you add all that up and I was experiencing a little bit of the nerves and a bunch of excitement. Randi will tell you if there is a little danger involved and a lot of unknown...I will be the first to jump in (in this case literally). So, the other diver and one of the divemasters didn't show up for the 7:30am dive which left Jeco (the other dive master) and me for the dive. To add to the excitement it was really windy and the waves were actually fairly large as we motored out to the dive site. The waves were actually in the 3 to 5 foot range which is actually pretty large. The New Wave Divers (the awesome diving company we picked) website has the following description for the dive:

Start Depth: 30 meters
Maximum Depth: 40 meters
Rating: *****
Description: Yapak 1 and 2 are actually two separate walls which begin at 30 meters and drop down to 70 meters. The most famous of Boracay’s dive sites, close encounters with white tip and grey reef sharks, dogtooth tuna, groupers, napoleon wrasses and giant trevallies are common. Surface conditions can be rough, and therefore a negative entry is often required, followed by a spectacular blue-water descent.

So, the "idea" behind this dive is that you do a negative entry (because of the waves and current) and meet up under water around 5 meters. Then you find your bearing (compass) as you are in deep blue water (100 meters) and then you swim with the current while descending down to around 33 to 35 meters - where if you were dropped off in the right location and found your bearing you end up on an awesome wall that slopes slowly up to the island. You then swim along the wall and get to take in the whole experience. Jeco pretty much described it as "God's Theater". He also stated that this was his favorite dive...it is now mine as well.

So, by the time we got to the dive site; I was pretty much pumped up for the dive. We donned our gear, deflated our BCDs (since we needed to do a negative entry) and got wet. Just going into the water was awesome as it was a deep blue and you are literally surrounded by water with nothing but blue water all around you. It was the definition of a blue-water descent. Jeco and I met up at 5 meters and then we headed down while checking our bearing and direction of descent every 5 meters or so. As we approached 30 meters it was as if the world just opened up. Suddenly the wall came into view and thousands of fish were everywhere. We headed to the wall and basically perched ourselves at the edge of a drop-off (down to 70 meters) and sat there just watching the fish for a bit. It was awesome. Due to the depth our bottom-time was limited. So, after about five minutes we just started to drift along the wall taking in the sites as spectators to God's awesome underwater creation. We saw baby sharks, tuna, and just about a hundred different kinds of fish. It was incredible. As our No Decompression Limits (NDL) got closer and closer we slowly swam up the wall a little bit more to extend our bottom time. Unfortunately our NDL came and we had to ascend up to our 5 meter safety stop depth. Ascending was pretty spectacular as well...as you slowly left the underwater world and were again surrounded by just deep blue water...it was as if the doors to the theater had just been shut. After our safety stop we surfaced and tried to find our boat; as the current is pretty strong we ended up probably 300 meters away from the boat. We signaled the boat and they made their way over to us. just sitting in the water waiting on the boat was pretty cool as well...as you are just floating on the surface...hanging out and you really realize how small we are and how large the oceans are. Very cool. Well, since the seas were pretty rough Jeco told me be prepared to grab onto the boat. So, the boat motored in on us and due to the swells it was pretty challenging to grab onto the grab ropes but, we made it. We got our gear off while attempting to avoid being bashed up against the side of the boat and climbed on board. All in all I have to say it was an awesome dive and definitely an experience that I would like to repeat. So, for those of you who dive and those of you who want to...get certified and come over to Hong Kong. We will take a two day trip over to Boracay and get a few dives in and we will definitely hit Yapak.

Randi and I spent our final night in Boracay at Cafe Del Mar...the same place we started our vacation. We enjoyed another beautiful sunset and we totally relaxed as we reflected on our first true vacation as a married couple. I've attached a few pictures of our final sunset...I have done absolutely nothing to these pictures.

As the sun slowly set, the small sailboats sailing along the beach made for a truly remarkable scene.

After the sun had finally set; the sky really became an absolutely beautiful canvas.

With a nice lantern on our table we enjoyed the final moments of the evening in full Technicolor.

So, we are back in Hong Kong and glad to be back although we will miss Boracay...and definitely the warmer tropical weather. Last night we found out that Randi's parents are going to come visit in April so, that will be fun. If you are planning to come visit us, remember that our two years is up in February of 2009...so plan your trips now.

Democracy, Vacation, and the end of January...

Well, it is hard to believe that the first month in 2008 is already behind us. One cool thing about living in Hong Kong is the fact that we are almost a half a day ahead of our family and friends in the US. Thus, it is always fun to call them in the morning and tell them that the day is going to be a good day, “Dad, Friday is going to be a great day…it was for us.” Randi and I had “dinner and drink” events Thursday night to finish off January. Randi had drinks with our friends Caryn and Jerry. Caryn works for W.L. Gore and Jerry owns his own business and is involved in consulting with oil companies. He is headed to Saudi Arabia for a business trip and I am sure we will have some great conversations when he returns. Meanwhile, I had dinner with my fellow FedEx Express ex-pats and one of our FedEx Trade Network (FTN) attorneys, John. I met John in Hong Kong almost one year ago when I was involved on a special project involving FTN. He is a great guy from Memphis and it was good to hear some stories from home. Apparently, we are not the only ones getting unseasonably cool weather. John informed us that it has been in the teens and low twenties in Memphis…which is cold…no matter where you live. February is going to be a great month. Randi and I are taking our first real vacation to the island of Boracay in the Philippines and then I will be heading to China for another project for the second half of the month. Boracay is supposed to be absolutely beautiful and we have heard nothing but good things from friends who have visited the island. Randi is hoping to learn how to scuba dive on this trip; that way she will be able to join me on some underwater diving adventures in the future. It is hard to believe but the end of February will mark one year in Hong Kong and it has indeed moved along very quickly; this will put is halfway through my assignment.

Now a few words from Randi…

Hmmm....words from me?....Well, I was supposed to write this on Feb 1 and now it's Feb 3, so from that you can deduct 1 of 4 things: 1.) I'm at work; 2.) I'm stressed; 3.) I need a vacation; and/or 4.) All of the above.

But honestly....(well, that is pretty honest)....I haven't sent one of my typical update emails since before Christmas. Christmas was a nice holiday once Mark's family arrived after a very chaotic travel schedule complete with uncooperative winter weather in the US and UK that left them stuck in London Heathrow for 14 hours (yes, sitting in Heathrow for 14 consecutive hours) and arriving in HK with no luggage after taking nearly 2 days en route. I think Mark and I will soon have to accept that requiring our families to fly anywhere to visit us seems to cause either: a.) natural disasters (the earthquake and flash-flooding that left my parents traveling nearly 3 days and arriving in Hawaii less than 24 hours before the wedding in Maui) or b.) logistical nightmares that paralyze the air travel industry on an international scale. I will contend that the real culprit behind the Hawaii debacle was a 4.2 ounce bottle of Clinique moisturizer and those rigid TSA rules about liquids, gels, and aerosols.

As for an update about life in HK...nothing really notable to add to the list of 257 of the craziest things I've eaten since living here. The last mass email sent had pics of the pigeon head for dinner in November attached but for some reason wasn't accepted by several email servers...how could pigeon head possibly be spam?? That's quality stuff. I have to say Mark's parents and brother were brave in trying the local flavors we offered them. Granted we were a bit tame...no internal organs, exposed heads, feet, eyeballs, anything with the viscosity of sinus drainage, etc...although neither us nor my friends could talk them into sampling the chicken feet with yum cha (dim sum) at lunch. Some things you just have to try.

The latest and greatest thing going on now is Chinese New Year. For us I suppose it would equate to a 4 day Christmas. It is the most important holiday of the year - most locals spend time with with family, have big meals, give red packets holding cash gifts (lai see), etc. This year marks the Year of the Rat. Allegedly the Year of the Rat symbolizes wealth, charm, and order...and here I was connoting it with death, disease, and filth....uneducated gweilo (white person)...what was was I thinking???

As for the expatriate community during CNY, most people take a holiday (vacation) and head out of town. We will be spending about a week in Boracay, Philippines. I cannot wait! I am so excited for some beach time. Boracay comes highly recommended as it is one of the few uncommercialized and naturally beautiful strips of beach around...and unlike a lot of similar destinations in Asia, western tourists aren't targeted and solicited so heavily to give money, buy useless souvenirs, and whatnot. From my understanding, it's a getaway with little more than a few restaurants/bars, beach, diving, and water sports. Yahoo consistently ranks it as one of the world's Top 10 Beaches...and what's good enough for Yahoo is good enough for me. I'm sure there will be future posts on flickr.com, so we will keep you updated.

Also soon to come out on Flickr maybe...I was on my way to the office today to do some catch up (on a Sunday afternoon--sigh) when I found myself in a Chinese protest march. The shouting, signs, and flags were all in Chinese so I have no idea what it was about. I'm sure onlookers and protesters were wondering where the clueless gwei mui (white girl) came from...just another typical I Love Lucy moment in life. Most likely it was a pro-democracy demonstration since reaction to China's decision to delay the possibility for universal suffrage in HK until 2017 (instead of 2012) has not been good. Ideas toward democracy here are as interesting as they are controversial - worth Googling "politics of Hong Kong" sometime. Anyway, I walked in the back of the protest march -- with the cops in case these usually very docile and non-confrontational Chinese suddenly went all Orange Mound on everyone (to non-Memphians that means homicidally crazy) -- until I found a way to get around; only then to try to cross the street when the light changed and left me stuck in oncoming traffic that involved multiple double-decker buses. Yet another predictable moment from I Love Lucy...one day I expect to go schizophrenic and hear Desi Arnaz's rebuking Cuban voice in my head when I do the absent-minded things I do. I have pics from the action I will try to post soon.

So until next time - Happy Chinese New Year...Kong Hei Fat Choi!!! We will update you on Boracay and the latest Hong Kong-isms later in February.

2008...Where did the time go???

So, obviously it has been awhile since I have posted some entries on this blog. It has been a bit busy of late but, 2008 is the year to kick this sucker back up. Have I been busy...you bet you. What has happened since the last post...well...try the following: (1) I got married; (2) changed positions and moved to a different operating company where I work; and (3) moved to the other side of the world...Hong Kong. So, Randi and I are living in Hong Kong...literally on the other side of the world from Memphis. I am sticking in a picture of our new home in Hong Kong.