Nani is Outta Here....

Will All Hell Break Loose?
Nani, the super-maid, has gone back to Indonesia. She recently got married and is returning home to start a family. I predicted all kinds of mayhem!

Miss Singapore Universe 2010

Beauty Definitely is Cultural
With one short phonecall our Mahjong night was canceled and we were off to the Miss Singapore Universe 2010 finals. A friend of Puffin's invited us at the last second so we got all dolled up (ok, I put on a boring suit) and hailed a cab. Her friend's company was one of the sponsors of the event and our table was going to be judging a subsidiary title: "Miss Body Beautiful." Such a tough life I lead....

Hong Kong - Ugly Buildings

You're Surrounded
With the exception of perhaps Mumbai, Hong Kong has some of the ugliest buildings I've ever seen. Many of them are decrepit cement blocks painted in garish colors. Some of the more modern buldings are ok but they should knock down the rest and start over.

Hong Kong - Riding the Tram

Highly Recommended
I first came to Hong Kong two years ago for work. The meetings were not so exciting to say the least. So, to spice up my trip, I left the office one day and jumped on the first tram that came by. I had no idea where it was going but Hong Kong is not so big so I figured it would be hard to get lost. The tram was on the way to Happy Valley, which I later learned is where the horse track is. I enjoyed sitting upstairs in the front window and watching the world go by. Two years later on this pleasure trip I went for another spin.

Another BBall Court Found

For Next Time
While joyriding on the top of a tram, caught a sneak peek of a nice little court on Hennessy St. I'll check this out on my next trip.


Link to Map

Hong Kong - More Touristy Stuff

One of the Better Views in the World
Ok, yes, it's super-touristy, meaning you are there with hundreds of other tourists, no doubt about it. However, if you let that stop you from coming to the highest point in Hong Kong and take in the view, you're an idiot. Why, they even built a gigantic viewing platform and they only charge you a couple bucks to get in.

Hong Kong - Basketball

Shooting in the Shadows
Nice playground right next to the Wan Chai subway stop called Southorn. I watched for a bit. Next time I'm in town I will get in a run.

Hong Kong - The Tourist Shots

Gotta Get Em Outta the Way...
When Puffin went to work today I took the opportunity to do all the touristy things she won't do. First up, shots of the tall buildings. This is looking south towards HK Island from Tsim Sha Tsui. The lineup of buildings is so long that I had to take three shots just to get them all. This is looking from the Star Ferry Terminal towards the western edge HK Island.

Hong Kong - Victoria Park

A Little Bit of Everything for Everyone
Two years ago when I visited HK for the first time I staggered out of my hotel at dawn, jetlagged to the core and stumbled into Victoria Park. It was around 7am on a weekday and I was amazed by the number of people that were there exercising so early. There were elderly doing Tai Chi, joggers doing laps on a running track and couples playing badminton. I didn't explore the park that day otherwise I would have learned that there's many more things on offer. The basketball courts are neatly tucked in a corner and were busy on a Saturday afternoon.

Hong Kong - Causeway Bay

My Girlfriend Can Out-Shop Yours!
The Puffin is a shop-a-holic. So, it was no surprise to me that our hotel was smack-dab in the middle of Causeway Bay, a neighborhood on Victoria Island known for shopping. We went out to dampen her cravings both before and after dinner. Check out the trams in the background, they're as tall and narrow as the street the streets they navigate.

Touching Down in Hong Kong

Traveling Swanky-Style with the Dodobird
Pingles has some work stuff here in Hong Kong, me, I'm simply along along. Here's a view south into the green hills from our hotel room. On the right is Hong Kong stadium, though I'm not sure what team(s) play there. We're in the Causeway Bay neighborhood.

Singapore - the Basketball Diaries

I Got Next!!!
It's been a while since I've played any serious basketball. I used to play all over NY with my boy Hatebean and we won more than we lost. We played in the Bronx, Lower East Side, Brooklyn - anywhere we could find a game. Don't get me wrong, I was no superstar - though I did hold my own on some pretty tough courts. After playing every day for years, I just stopped. I'm not sure what happened but one day I woke up old. I could no longer do things that used to be second nature: splitting the double team, taking it to the rack in traffic, drilling the open three and talking shit all along. When your game goes south, so does your ego and all that brave chatter quiets down.....

More Condo Stuff

By Popular Demand...
Ok, Sal needs to know so I dug up some stuff. I was wrong before, it is two buildings, side by side. This is an artist's rendering. If you look closely, you'll see that the top two apartments on the left have a trellis. Those are the two "penthouse" apartments which each have two floors, the top floor being the 900 sq ft roof deck. So, more like a duplex with a roof deck than a penthouse in my opinion.

Condo Update

Ain't Much to See Yet
They look to be working on the 8th of 17 floors, so about half-way with the basic structure. I went this past Sunday and wow was there a swirl of activity. Loud saws buzzing, people hammering things, yelling back and forth, the two cranes swooping left and right. From what they tell me, it's a typical workday for Singapore construction. They work seven days a week.

I looked around at some of the neighboring high-rises and many had trees on the tip-top of their rooves, so it can be done.

Everyone Remain Calm...

Tools of the Trade
The quacks didn't like a mole they removed from my back a few weeks ago. It was "atypical" so I went back today to have it and some surrounding flesh removed. They'll send that off to the pathologist and most likely that will be that. If the pathologist doesn't like what he sees, I gotta go back and get more removed - I'll know in about a week. The fun part? I'll be traveling around the world, so I'll have to find a doctor in Singapore to remove the stitches......

I told this story to Bryan, my right-hand man at work. He laughed. "That's nothing - check this one out and this one and this one......." He was showing me various scars on his shoulder, his forearm, his side..... He's had four so far and no biggie. So, everyone just relax.......

Trees on a Roof

Now You're Talking
I want trees like this on my roof! It may not come across in the photo, but these trees had to be close to 15 feet tall. Pingles - don't tell me it can't be done - here's the proof!

Manhattan - the High Line

I Didn't Think They'd Started Building it Yet...
There was a lot of talk about converting the abandoned elevated railway on Manhattan's west side, called the High Line, into a park. So much talk that I didn't think it would ever happen. Much to my surprise, it's already open, though not quite done. I climbed up the southermost tip, near Gansevoort St in the meatpacking district.

Paris - New Apartment for May

Swanks-Ville
The owners of my Paris apartment wanted to come stay in it during May. So, the rental company moved me to another one about 6 blocks away in a much nicer neighborhood. The apartment is much swankier, as you can see. Ironically, I'll only be spending about 5 days there - the rest of May I'll be "working" from Singapore and Hong Kong - gonna go hang with the Puffin.