My first day :D

...was great! :)

I had a bit of orientation in the morning with HR, then my "buddy" gave me a tour of the department and introduced me to everyone. Of course there's NO way I am going to remember everyone's names :b nevermind find the washroom by myself ;)

They didn't have my desk setup for me so I sat with the freelance/contractors and interns today and will probably sit with them for the week until I can move into my new desk.

My laptop will be ready in the next couple of days. Email is set up but I can't access it without my laptop :b I filled out a few forms for a corporate credit card, business cards, bank information (for salary deposit), and other HR stuff.

Everyone seems to be nice... let's just hope it stays that way :b

Apparently orientation will last about 20 hours (!) so I'll be soaking information for the first week or so...

The design department is staffed with two kitchen staff who make coffee and tea for us on demand. They also walk around the office clearing dishes and pouring water or refilling our mugs with whatever we ask for. It's like working with wait staff :b

We have a nice little lounge area with magazines and design books... the washrooms are immaculate! and we have a beautiful rooftop deck to soak up the sun and eat lunch on nice days.

I'll have to take some pictures of the building and of the view when I get a chance and post them :)

Ok, so I'm a little tired even though I didn't do anything today but surf the intranet and try to soak up branding guidelines. So I'm heading to bed... more tomorrow :)

No need to be alarmed -- everything's cool

So the typhoon was a bit of a disappointment. I was expecting flying trees, street signs ripped off of their poles, weeping mothers as they witness their small children whipped into the air...

Ok, so maybe thats a bit of an exaggeration... :b

It rained a bit last night and we had some wind but that was it. The typhoon had traveled back onto itself and was heading for Macau. Once it hit land, it dissipated and the warning went back down to a T3 then to a T1.

So we headed out to Macau as planned early in the afternoon. We took the MTR to 上環, bought tickets for the 2.30 pm TurboJet, walked back and forth from the West Gate to the East Gate because SOMEBODY didn't know which gate we had to use to board :b Once we finally figured it out, we sat down at Gate 5 and waited for the hydrofoil to arrive.

We had about 45 minutes to kill so I left RC sitting at the gate while I tried to find people to harass. I passed a couple of caucasians who were with 2 chinese girls standing in what I thought was the stand-by ticket line so I got a bit curious to find out how much their tickets were. So I decided to approach them. I mean what could they do to me? I don't know them, they don't know me, and I wasn't going to see them again anyways...

me: Excuse me, but are you in the stand-by ticket line?
him: Uh no. The stand-by line is OVER THERE (pointing at the line behind me with disdain)

Oh great, I thought. This dude was literally talking to me with a degrading tone of voice. What a prick :b I decided to just ignore it. I smiled and said,

me: Oh, you wouldn't happen to know how much the stand-by ticket is would you?
him: No, I don't know. (and literally turned his back on me)

O-KAY... So I walked back to RC and thought, what the heck was up his a&&? :b

I told my story to RC and he chuckled and shook his head... "EXPATs.. ;)"

Heh, I hope I don't end up acting like that...

We got onto the ferry and had some trouble finding our seat but once we did, the boat started to go and we were riding the green waves towards Macau.

When we got within 15 minutes, the water turned from light green to BROWN. Ick. I don't want to know whats in that water :b

When we arrived, we went thru immigration and I was attacked by a local trying to sell me a walking tour :b I wanted to karate chop him but felt I shouldn't since I may get arrested :b so I brushed him off and RC and I ventured outside in the pouring brown rain :b

Our first stop was Fisherman's Wharf, which was really nice! The buildings were done up to look a little like Vegas and a bit of Portugal too. It was really quite nice even tho it was raining hard. After a brief walk around, we walked to The Sands casino/hotel and waited for a taxi for 20 minutes! $21 HKD later, we arrived at Senado Square and walked to the "blank">Ruins of St. Paul. An *amazing* site especially as you walk along the cobblestone street leading up to it.

After a brief look around and some photos later, we headed back down the street to find some delicious goodies and beef jerky! :D (Momcy, I'm sending you a box of these goodies!) At 6.30pm, we tried a small Portuguese restaurant -- oxtail soup, baby octopus, mixed grill of porkchop, lamb, and chicken, and some veggies. Not bad... perhaps a tad on the pricey side but it was ok :) My mom can cook WAY better... especially the oxtail soup!

It was getting darker so we cabbed our way back to the ferry terminal and took some night shots of the white bridge. We had some time to kill so we stepped into Yaohan (!) which not only sold groceries, but clothes too! :b

We were both glad to finally sit down in our seats on the TurboJet. It was a long day for the both of us and I just wanted to get out of my damp clothes and into a hot shower...

At immigration, I finally got my passport stamped CORRECTLY (YAY!)...

Would I go back to Macau? Only for the goodies... ;)

Oh, if you want to see photos, they're on Facebook! :D

T8 Update

TROPICAL CYCLONE BULLETIN - Issued at 15:45 HKT

HERE IS THE LATEST TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING ISSUED BY THE HONG KONG OBSERVATORY.

THE NO. 8 SOUTHWEST GALE OR STORM SIGNAL IS IN FORCE.

THIS MEANS THAT WINDS WITH MEAN SPEEDS OF 63 KILOMETRES PER HOUR OR MORE ARE EXPECTED FROM THE SOUTHWEST QUARTER.

AT 4 P.M., TROPICAL STORM PABUK WAS CENTRED ABOUT 30 KILOMETRES WEST-NORTHWEST OF THE HONG KONG OBSERVATORY (NEAR 22.4 DEGREES NORTH 113.9 DEGREES EAST) AND IS FORECAST TO MOVE NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 8 KILOMETRES PER HOUR ACROSS THE WESTERN PART OF HONG KONG.

TROPICAL STORM PABUK IS CROSSING THE WESTERN PART OF THE TERRITORY. THE ASSOCIATED RAINBANDS CONTINUE TO BRING HEAVY RAIN AND SQUALLS TO MANY PART OF THE TERRITORIES.

(PRECAUTIONARY ANNOUNCEMENTS WITH NO. 8 SIGNAL)

(1) COMPLETE ALL PRECAUTIONS IN YOUR HOME. LOCK ALL WINDOWS AND DOORS, FIT BARS INTO POSITION AND INSERT REINFORCED SHUTTERS AND GATES IF THEY ARE AVAILABLE. ADHESIVE TAPE FIXED TO LARGE WINDOW-PANES IN EXPOSED POSITIONS WILL REDUCE DAMAGE BY BROKEN GLASS. STORM WATER DRAINS SHOULD BE CLEARED OF LEAVES AND RUBBISH.

(2) PARK YOUR CAR WHERE IT IS LEAST LIKELY TO BE DAMAGED.

(3) DO NOT STAND NEAR WINDOWS ON THE EXPOSED SIDE OF YOUR HOME. MOVE ALL FURNITURE AND VALUABLES AWAY FROM THESE AREAS. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A SAFE PLACE TO SHELTER, SHOULD WINDOWS BE BROKEN.

(4) SINCE SEAS ARE VERY ROUGH, YOU ARE ADVISED TO STAY AWAY FROM THE SHORELINE AND NOT TO ENGAGE IN WATER SPORTS.

(5) FLIGHTS AT HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT MAY BE AFFECTED BY THE WEATHER. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR AIRLINE FOR THE LATEST FLIGHT INFORMATION BEFORE DEPARTING FOR THE AIRPORT.

(6) PLEASE LISTEN TO YOUR RADIO OR WATCH YOUR TV FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION BROADCAST AT THE 15TH, 30TH, 45TH AND 58TH MINUTE OF EACH HOUR. YOU CAN ALSO BROWSE THE HONG KONG OBSERVATORY'S WEB SITE FOR THE INFORMATION.

Tropical Cyclone Bulletin

Phone lines are down...

TROPICAL CYCLONE BULLETIN

HERE IS THE LATEST TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING ISSUED BY THE HONG KONG OBSERVATORY.

THE STRONG WIND SIGNAL NO. 3 IS IN FORCE.

THIS MEANS THAT WINDS WITH MEAN SPEEDS OF 41 TO 62 KILOMETRES PER HOUR ARE EXPECTED.

AT 2 P.M., THE CENTRE OF TROPICAL STORM PABUK WAS ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 40 KILOMETRES WEST OF HONG KONG OBSERVATORY (NEAR 22.3 DEGREES NORTH 113.8 DEGREES EAST) AND IS FORECAST TO MOVE NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 8 KILOMETRES PER HOUR SKIRTING HONG KONG ON THE WEST.

PABUK IS NOW VERY CLOSE TO WESTERN PART OF HONG KONG. THE OBSERVATORY WILL ISSUE THE NO. 8 GALE OR STORM SIGNAL SHORTLY.

THE RAINBANDS OF PABUK ARE ALSO BRINGING HEAVY RAIN WITH SQUALLS TO HONG KONG.

WINDS AT SEAS OF SOUTHERN HONG KONG WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THE GENERAL WIND CONDITION OVER THE TERRITORY, REACHING GALE FORCE. IN THE PAST HOUR, WINDS OF ABOUT 94 KM/H WERE RECORDED RESPECTIVELY. PEOPLE IN THAT AREATHOSE AREAS SHOULD EXERCISE GREAT CARE IF THEY ARE OUT IN THE OPEN.

(PRECAUTIONARY ANNOUNCEMENTS WITH NO. 3 SIGNAL)

(1) YOU ARE ADVISED NOT TO DELAY IN TAKING ALL PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT YOUR HOME OR PROPERTY. MAKE SURE NOW THAT ALL LOOSE OBJECTS ARE SECURE. PORCH FURNITURE, FLOWER POTS AND OTHER OBJECTS LIKELY TO BE BLOWN AWAY SHOULD BE TAKEN INDOORS. CHECK AGAIN AND MAKE SURE ALL WINDOWS AND DOORS CAN BE SECURELY LOCKED.

(2) SINCE SEAS ARE ROUGH, YOU ARE ADVISED TO STAY AWAY FROM THE SHORELINE AND NOT TO ENGAGE IN WATER SPORTS.

(3) FOR SAFETY REASONS, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT ALL OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES BE CANCELLED.

(4) PEOPLE SHOULD AVOID WALKING OR WORKING IN AREAS EXPOSED TO GALES AND SQUALLS. DRIVERS USING HIGHWAYS AND FLYOVERS SHOULD BE ALERT TO VIOLENT GUSTS.

(5) ENGINEERS, ARCHITECTS AND CONTRACTORS ARE AGAIN REMINDED THAT ALL SCAFFOLDINGS, HOARDINGS AND TEMPORARY BUILDINGS SHOULD BE SECURED.

(6) SMALL CRAFT OWNERS SHOULD NOW COMPLETE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE SAFETY OF THEIR BOATS.

(7) FISHING VESSELS NOT YET IN TYPHOON SHELTERS SHOULD SEEK SHELTER WITHOUT DELAY. CHECK AGAIN THAT ALL DECK FITTINGS ARE FIRMLY FASTENED. IF AVAILABLE, HEAVY ANCHORS SHOULD BE PREPARED AND USED IN ADDITION TO REGULAR ANCHORS.

(8) LISTEN TO YOUR RADIO, WATCH YOUR TV OR BROWSE THE HONG KONG OBSERVATORY'S WEB SITE FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON THE TROPICAL CYCLONE.

Typhoon Cyclone warning

Tropical Cyclone Special Announcement
Issued at 13:41 HKT

THE HONG KONG OBSERVATORY ANNOUNCES THAT THE TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING SIGNAL NUMBER 8 IS EXPECTED TO BE ISSUED AT OR BEFORE 3:30 P.M. TODAY ( 10 AUGUST 2007 ). WINDS LOCALLY WILL STRENGTHEN FURTHER.

THE GOVERNMENT ADVISES MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WITH LONG OR DIFFICULT HOME JOURNEYS OR HAVING TO RETURN TO OUTLYING ISLANDS TO BEGIN THEIR JOURNEYS NOW. THE GOVERNMENT IS NOW MAKING ARRANGEMENTS TO RELEASE ITS EMPLOYEES ACCORDINGLY.

ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE EDUCATION BUREAU (EDB) : THE EDB ANNOUNCES THAT CLASSES OF ALL SCHOOLS ARE SUSPENDED TODAY. SCHOOLS SHOULD IMPLEMENT CONTINGENCY MEASURES TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF STUDENTS. THEY SHOULD ENSURE THAT CONDITIONS ARE SAFE BEFORE ALLOWING STUDENTS TO RETURN HOME.

HK Immigration -- not quite all there

My adventure started with a trip to Immigration yesterday. You see, when I landed in HK, the immigration officer made a mistake and did not stamp my visa, but stamped my passport with a Visitor's stamp. I didn't notice as I had opened my passport to the page where my visa was and handed it to him. I assumed he saw it and had stamped it as he was supposed to. So I grabbed my passport and headed out of that area.

When RC took a look at my passport, he noticed the mistake. So I went to Immigration in Wan Chai to see if anything can be done to change my status to the working visa status, and to apply for my HKID. After going up to the 8th floor and then sent back to the 2nd floor, I was told that I'd have to leave HK to Macau, for example, and get Immigration to stamp my passport correctly, validating my working visa.

How retarded is that?! Apparently there's no department within Immigration to amend a status. So now I have to fix someone else's mistake... sigh

Well, I guess I should have double-checked my passport... I didn't think the officer would have made a mistake :(

So, now I'm going on my first mini-trip to Macau on Saturday! :b Let's hope the typhoon will have passed Macau by then as I have to take a ferry there...

Typhoon 3 warning

We had a T1 (typhoon 1 warning) last night that turned into a 3 this morning when I woke up. Looks like it'll pass us on the outside of HK. Nothing to worry about (the city shuts down at a T8 warning), just lots of icky rain :b

TROPICAL CYCLONE BULLETIN

HERE IS THE LATEST TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING ISSUED BY THE
HONG KONG OBSERVATORY.

THE STRONG WIND SIGNAL NO. 3 IS IN FORCE.

THIS MEANS THAT WINDS WITH MEAN SPEEDS OF 41 TO 62
KILOMETRES PER HOUR ARE EXPECTED.

AT 9 A.M., THE CENTRE OF TROPICAL DEPRESSION PABUK WAS
ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 70 KILOMETRES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF HONG
KONG OBSERVATORY (NEAR 22 DEGREES NORTH 113.6 DEGREES EAST)
AND IS FORECAST TO MOVE WEST AT ABOUT 25 KILOMETRES PER
HOUR TOWARDS WESTERN COAST OF GUANGDONG.


DISPATCHED BY HONG KONG OBSERVATORY AT 08:45 HKT ON 09.08.2007

The Royal Treatment

I just got a delivery from my new employer! A huge gift basket of goodies and wine!!! :D Check it out! :)

My welcome to HK :D

Lillies!!!!! :D

RC surprised me with lillies! :( What a beautiful surprise :)

Now I just have to find a vase thats as beautiful as the flowers... :b

My new adventure

Well, I'M HERE!

I got into HKIA at 6am -- an hour earlier than my scheduled arrival time. A wave of panic swept over me when I realized I was going to be waiting for 20 minutes for my pickup to get there. All I could hear was my mom's story about how Grandma's bag was stolen at the airport. So I hung onto my purse and computer for dear life and looked at everyone with suspicion :b

It was then and there that I realized that I didn't have a return ticket home this time. This was a one way trip. I was going to live and work in Hong Kong. I just hope I don't turn out to be another rude Honger :b

I was so sad getting on the plane at YYZ. It was hard saying goodbye to mom and dad at the gate. I literally wanted to turn around and head home, but I knew I had a job to go to and I couldn't delay it any longer. I just hope and pray that my mom and dad stay healthy and take care of themselves until I am permanently in Canada. Then I can keep an eye on them everyday. I miss my mom and dad so much. I've gotten so close to them throughout the years I have been away. My brother has no idea how lucky he is to be living at home. I just wish he would appreciate them more -- take care of them more -- and spend time with them as much as possible. Maybe one day... when he's left home, will he appreciate them.

I cried on the plane as it took off and I broke down again while we were flying over the ocean. I feel bad for leaving home and being away from home for so long. I have to do well so that I can take good care of them and give them everything they want.

It was a good week in Toronto. I spent a lot of time with Dad dancing most of the days, talking till 4 am with Mom on some nights. I took Mom to the spa and she had her first pedicure! :D I think she enjoyed herself. She was watching the estetician the entire time, trying to learn a thing or two :b

I had such a good time spending it with my parents. I just wished I had some one-on-one time with my brother too. That would have made my trip even better. Maybe next time.

The week went by so fast. And now I'm here -- in stinky, humid, cockroach-infested, polluted, Hong Kong :b

WHAT AM I DOING HERE?! ;)