MORE FOOD! I should have used wordpress.. Sorry for the sloppy layout.

Hong Kong Entertainment

                                                    
                                                 Victoria Peak

In my first week in HK, I went up the Victoria Peak- which is a hill slash mountain in the middle of HK that you can take a tram car to the very top of and look out over the city.  It sounds like it would be calm and picturesque, but there are millions of tourists and shopping malls galore at the top.  The view was beautiful and the air is significantly cleaner up there (HK has some serious air pollution).  However, I wish it was a bit cooler out- seeing the sights in 100 degree weather isn't exactly as pleasant as it could be.  Hong Kong is as crowded as NYC (maybe more) but with the weather of Houston, Texas.

I suppose HK does look pretty badass from up this high..

More Food

This week I went on two food endeavors.  (My blog is becoming a bit food obsessed.  A bit pathetic.)

The first was to honor my Houston El Meson family.  There is a tapas place a few blocks from my flat and I wanted to see how the tapas made in HK by HK natives compared to the awesomeness at the El.  I had some of my usual faves.  It was actually quite good, but made me miss Houston, and having constant access to world's best black beans.  Oh and how I miss the garlic...  

Pollo al ajillo, sangria, patatas bravas, tortilla espanola, chorizo, calamares- all the old faves....

My second food endeavor was not quite as successful...  My roomie took me on my first real Chinese food excursion to have "Congee".  This is basically a dish where vats of rice are cooked for hours upon hours until it is liquified and then different ingredients such as pork, vegetables, fish, beef, etc are added to the liquified rice.  This wasn't my favorite- the texture really bothered me.  A bit slimy.  We also had an appetizer that was basically a donut inside of a rice paper roll.  At first taste, I enjoyed it, but it was an odd feeling to get used to the fact that I was eating a donut wrapped in rice.  But when in Rome... The upside- authentic Chinese food in HK is vair vair cheap.  Approximately $9 US dollars for 2 bowls of Congee, the donut appetizer, and 2 sodas.  woohoo.  

 

Emo photo credits to Andy Gilmore..

Anything to make you smile; it is my better side of you to admire.

It is really no surprise that I am not being very diligent about updating my "blog".  I have been here almost 2 weeks and so far things are going swimmingly.  I am doing work-related activities much of the time, but I have managed to find a few spare moments to enjoy myself.  This enjoyment naturally comes in the form of food and drink related activities- but maybe I should start to reign this kind of activity in so that I can still fit into all of my harp performance gowns.  Hmm..

I've been to many a high tea thus far.  Take note of fabulous cheese cake and macaroons.  And the tea cup that is actually the size of a soup bowl.  This is at the Shangri-La Hotel, a first class Hong Kong hotel, where I also had a crazy six course lunch the first day I was here.  Wine was involved.  It was a welcoming "business" lunch.  My boss says if we keep eating like this, she is going to have to roll me back onto the plane when I eventually return to the States.  Let's hope not...  My roommate and two of his British friends have promised to teach me how to play squash and there are many wonderful hikes around the hills outside of Hong Kong that I plan on embarking upon- so hopefully this physical activity will allow me to keep up my food habits :)

Tomorrow I am giving a solo recital in the Shui On business center where the harp store/studio is.  Please keep posted for possible video uploads of excerpts from the recital on the Hong Kong Harp Services youtube channel.  For my non-computer savvy family members, just click on the word "youtube" and it will point you in the right direction.


xoxo

Adventure can equal true happiness

"Adventure can equal true happiness"... this is what my fortune in my fortune cookie said on my 16 hour flight from Newark, New Jersey to Hong Kong!  Must be a sign.  Or maybe they just use that same fortune for everyone who is on a plane....  Just settled into my very VERY small apartment and have to wake up for work-related things at 9:30 am.  So much for getting over jet lag!

I am safe and sound, however, and that is what matters most.  I need to get a camera, because there are some wonderful sights I cannot wait to share with everyone.  Hopefully within the next few days I will get some pictures posted!  Tomorrow morning I am helping audition cellists and flutists for the chamber group I will be performing with.  Vair excited.

Love.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

So I am not really one to blog.  Not that I have a thing against blogging,  I just normally think I am not interesting enough to write something that people "follow".  But here I am, moving to Hong Kong, and in the past few days, I have realized that there are people who actually care about me enough to want to follow the things I do day to day.

So for those who do not know the details:  I am moving to Hong Kong for a year to play harp at different venues in the city as well as teach.  The move is for approximately a year.  I have no idea what to expect, and I am a mix of sad, excited, scared, and thrilled.  My biggest fear is that life will go on here in the States and I will not be able to put it on pause:  I wish I could make all of you put your lives on hold and not resume them until I returned from my adventure.  I am so excited to have this experience of living abroad, but terribly saddened by the thought that I won't see some very important milestones when I am gone.

One of my absolute closest childhood friends came to say goodbye to me this evening;  I am missing her wedding while I am gone and it breaks my heart that I won't be able to share in that joy with her while I am abroad.  Samantha- I want you to know that I think you are one of the most incredible and amazingly beautiful people I have ever met.  You have the dreams to help anyone and everyone, and you're one of the few people in the world who I think may actually be capable of doing so.

Enough sentimentality for me for one evening- please contact me via facebook or email (Juliana.Beckel@gmail.com) or comment here if you would like to stay in touch!  If you care enough to read my lame blog for half a second, then you probably at least partially like me.  Yeah?   My next post will be when I land safely in China!