Wrong language! How about Mandarin?
Today, at the end of the closing meeting, I embarrassed Bruce by letting the group know it was his birthday. There were probably about 10-15 people in the meeting, and Eve and Geraldine (the HR manager and the lawyer - and clearly running this office!) insisted on singing happy birthday to Bruce in Mandarin. I am quite certain it was a once in a lifetime experience! He was a little embarrassed, but took it well. As much as we pick on him, he has taken very good care of his ladies on this trip! (remember, he is the sweet cream filling in the middle of his queens! Whose crowns are still shining, by the way!)
And on that note, we are back to the hotel, the audit is officially over! Stay warm and we will see you all soon!
~Nicole
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Mobbing
Someone wanted to know what "mobbing" is. Simply defined, mobbing is pushing your way through the crowd to get somewhere, often while you are right smack in the middle of the crowd. It violates every personal space rule we have - we got over it because we did not want to wait all night in yet ONE MORE customs line...
Happy Brithday Kinsel!
Hello all,
Today is Bruce's birthday!! Happy birthday! He says his best birthday present will be coming home. We will take him to dinner of his choice tonight.
Well, hard to believe, we are wrapping up and getting ready to come home. The month has flown by and a lot has happened; we all have a greater appreciation for the things we have and are very much ready to come home. We are even willing to suck it up for the FRIGID temps..
We said good bye to bellhop Ishmail this morning - he gets off at 3PM today and comes in at 6Am tomorrow morning. Mr. Chia is picking us up at 4AM tomorrow morning (gulp) but I am sure we will all be so wired we won't care. We will likely be staying up most of the night tonight since we are getting picked up so early tomorrow morning.
It has been a fantastic experience and we look forward to telling everyone about it. Have a fantastic day and stay warm!
~Nicole
Today is Bruce's birthday!! Happy birthday! He says his best birthday present will be coming home. We will take him to dinner of his choice tonight.
Well, hard to believe, we are wrapping up and getting ready to come home. The month has flown by and a lot has happened; we all have a greater appreciation for the things we have and are very much ready to come home. We are even willing to suck it up for the FRIGID temps..
We said good bye to bellhop Ishmail this morning - he gets off at 3PM today and comes in at 6Am tomorrow morning. Mr. Chia is picking us up at 4AM tomorrow morning (gulp) but I am sure we will all be so wired we won't care. We will likely be staying up most of the night tonight since we are getting picked up so early tomorrow morning.
It has been a fantastic experience and we look forward to telling everyone about it. Have a fantastic day and stay warm!
~Nicole
Monday, February 5, 2007
Hong Kong Pictures
Skyline of HK - I think Bruce might have a better picture.
This was on Sunday - it was much more clear than Saturday and a beautiful day outside.
Sunset atop Victoria Peak. It was beautiful - and not too cold either. I expected it to be chilly up at the Peak, but it was quite pleasant. We saw the view from the peak during the day and at night.
I did not realize how pretty HK was. I took this standing near the Big Buddha. Really cool.
This is the Big Buddha. It is literally this huge statue of Buddha in the hills. It is on Lantau Island, the same island where the airport it. We had to take a 1/2 hr ferry ride and then a 1/2 hr cab ride to get there. But the drive was beautiful - we took in the scenery and the nice warm breeze on our faces. Certainly not something we are accustomed to at this time of year.
Charna and Bruce at the stairs of the Big Buddha.
This is the Big Buddha. It is literally this huge statue of Buddha in the hills. It is on Lantau Island, the same island where the airport it. We had to take a 1/2 hr ferry ride and then a 1/2 hr cab ride to get there. But the drive was beautiful - we took in the scenery and the nice warm breeze on our faces. Certainly not something we are accustomed to at this time of year.
Charna and Bruce at the stairs of the Big Buddha.Shangahi Pictures
My camera was too slow to get the best part of this picture...all the bikes had already crossed.
Got faster - this is what it looks like. And this is not even a lot of bikes! 
Want to take a guess at what this is?
You thought you knew what a traffic jam was until you saw this. Think again and then think about why we are terrified to cross the street!
Skyline of Shanghai taken at M on the Bund (restaurant) by CAH Singapore Finance Director KH Kan. Hope you enjoy these!
~Nicole
Regent Hotel Bellhops
Our bellhops, left to right - Hafiz, Valentine and IshmailToday was our first day back at work since being gone last week. We pulled up in the cab, only to find our three favorite bellhops waiting for us! It was like a reunion! Ishmail opened the door for Bruce, holds out his hand and says, Mr. Bruce, how are you? Valentine likes to kiss Charna on the cheek and Hafiz holds the door for us when we walk in the hotel. Hafiz came running out and took of his right glove to shake our hand and welcome us back and got Bruce's computer bag out of the trunk while he paid the cabbie. We chatted for a minute and told them they had to be there Wednesday night, we were leaving Thursday. Ishmail is the one who clapped his hands and the cab came driving over to take us. (Although improving, Bruce's clapping technique is not quite up to Ishmail's!)
We have received nothing but the highest quality service from all the folks here at the Regent, but these guys always welcome us like we are long lost family. It will be sort of a sad goodbye (but not sad enough I want to stay)
Hope everyone is staying warm. We are relishing every moment of it before we come home and freeze!
~Nicole
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Safely Back to Singapore
Hello all,
I hope you are enjoying the Superbowl, as we are over here in Singapore. Matt Poske is especially enjoying the Superbowl so far - has the monkey finally come off Peyton's back? (Charna and Bruce are hoping what appears to be against hope that Dan Marino will have a friend - all the way to show but not able to get the song and dance).
This weekend in Hong Kong was a lot of fun - it is a really neat place. After a fabulous Italian dinner (all the better, it was in our hotel, so we did not even have to leave the building!) we rested and met up on Saturday. We ended up going to Lantau Island (actually where the airport is) to see the Big Buddha. It is literally just that - this huge statue of a Buddha on top of a mountain. It was gorgeous - very peaceful. We took a ferry over to Lantau and then a cab up to Buddha - we could have taken a bus, but I am glad we did not. The road was steep at times and very curvy - not good bus conditions, at least for me. I think my team agreed. Again, I will try and post some pictures. I was quite surprised at how beautiful Hong Kong is - you would have thought we were at some tropical island as opposed to Hong Kong. The weather was gorgeous - sunny and about 65. We thought about feeling sorry for everyone back home freezing, but decided they would not feel sorry for us if they were here and we were back home, so we quickly got over it.
After seeing Buddha, we took the Ferry back to Hong Kong Central and then headed up to the Peak for dinner. The way to get to the Peak is to take this tram, but the tram was packed and you had to take a bus to get to it. We were in danger of not making our dinner reservation, so we opted to cab it up there. I am not sure where we would have taken this bus to, but the road was steep, narrow and curvy - again, not good bus conditions for me. We made it up to the top and the cabbie dropped us off at the Peak Galleria - and I thought to myself, we came up here for yet another MALL??? Thankfully, I was wrong. We got up there to see the sunset, and it was beautiful. By the time the sun set, it was time for dinner - at a restaurant overlooking the city. Hong Kong has a ton of lights. I think Bruce was able to get a couple of decent pictures, and I will try to get one from him. Dinner was great, company good, chocolate cake for dessert was to die for..umm. It was an adventurous ride down the hill - the cabbie drove like a maniac down the steep, narrow hill while talking on the phone. It was great. We then took the ferry back across the harbor (we stayed on the Kowloon side) and went to the night market on Temple Street. It was the first time we experienced the mob scene in Hong Kong.
Sunday was a much more relaxed day. We went and picked up a few last minute items and then decided we were shopped out. We spent our past couple of hours in Hong Kong shooting the breeze at a Starbucks and people watching.
The ride back to Singapore was rough. We managed to survive getting through customs and security (having to do a little mobbing) and even got a little something to eat. Somehow, we were in the section of the airport for US bound flights, so they hand search your carry on luggage. We got off on time, but it was very, very bumpy - we spent 2 of 3.5 hrs in turbulence. I can only imagine what smaller planes were experiencing - we were in a 747. Thankfully, it managed to calm down, but it was a long two hrs. We got through customs, got our bags and Mr. Chia was waiting to take us back to the hotel. Back to the Regent, and our little safety zone.
We are in the home stretch...next time we check out of hotel, we will check in at home. Next time we see Mr. Chia, it will be for the last time. Next time we are in Hong Kong, it will be on our way back to Chicago. Last night, the pilot let us listen to radio communications...hearing ATC say "United 895 clear to land" were the best words I heard all day. I look forward to hearing those words as we are about to land in Chicago and then in Columbus. The flight we are on goes all the way to Chicago from Singapore - with a stop for fuel in HK. The stop in HK is shorter on the way back than on the way over - we determined it probably takes them 2 hrs to refuel the plane on an inbound flight from the US. Given the 3 hrs it takes to get to HK, it should not take that long to get us a full tank to get us back to Chicago. We looked sadly up the stairs to business class as we got on the plane last night, but we will be headed upstairs on Thursday morning. We will take some champagne, reflect on the trip and get some sleep.
We have had a great trip, but it is time to come home. These last three days in Singapore should go quickly, but it was the right decision to come back, it will be easier to finish up here than trying to finish up back in Dublin with the time difference.
Well, Poske, the monkey it off Peyton's back. Your Colts have earned this moment, so bask in it - I am sure you will take more than your share of grief for it. And when you do, just tell them all one things - SCOREBOARD. Dan will have to find another friend to join him in the ranks of never winning the big game.
Have a great day, we are off to work.
~Nicole
I hope you are enjoying the Superbowl, as we are over here in Singapore. Matt Poske is especially enjoying the Superbowl so far - has the monkey finally come off Peyton's back? (Charna and Bruce are hoping what appears to be against hope that Dan Marino will have a friend - all the way to show but not able to get the song and dance).
This weekend in Hong Kong was a lot of fun - it is a really neat place. After a fabulous Italian dinner (all the better, it was in our hotel, so we did not even have to leave the building!) we rested and met up on Saturday. We ended up going to Lantau Island (actually where the airport is) to see the Big Buddha. It is literally just that - this huge statue of a Buddha on top of a mountain. It was gorgeous - very peaceful. We took a ferry over to Lantau and then a cab up to Buddha - we could have taken a bus, but I am glad we did not. The road was steep at times and very curvy - not good bus conditions, at least for me. I think my team agreed. Again, I will try and post some pictures. I was quite surprised at how beautiful Hong Kong is - you would have thought we were at some tropical island as opposed to Hong Kong. The weather was gorgeous - sunny and about 65. We thought about feeling sorry for everyone back home freezing, but decided they would not feel sorry for us if they were here and we were back home, so we quickly got over it.
After seeing Buddha, we took the Ferry back to Hong Kong Central and then headed up to the Peak for dinner. The way to get to the Peak is to take this tram, but the tram was packed and you had to take a bus to get to it. We were in danger of not making our dinner reservation, so we opted to cab it up there. I am not sure where we would have taken this bus to, but the road was steep, narrow and curvy - again, not good bus conditions for me. We made it up to the top and the cabbie dropped us off at the Peak Galleria - and I thought to myself, we came up here for yet another MALL??? Thankfully, I was wrong. We got up there to see the sunset, and it was beautiful. By the time the sun set, it was time for dinner - at a restaurant overlooking the city. Hong Kong has a ton of lights. I think Bruce was able to get a couple of decent pictures, and I will try to get one from him. Dinner was great, company good, chocolate cake for dessert was to die for..umm. It was an adventurous ride down the hill - the cabbie drove like a maniac down the steep, narrow hill while talking on the phone. It was great. We then took the ferry back across the harbor (we stayed on the Kowloon side) and went to the night market on Temple Street. It was the first time we experienced the mob scene in Hong Kong.
Sunday was a much more relaxed day. We went and picked up a few last minute items and then decided we were shopped out. We spent our past couple of hours in Hong Kong shooting the breeze at a Starbucks and people watching.
The ride back to Singapore was rough. We managed to survive getting through customs and security (having to do a little mobbing) and even got a little something to eat. Somehow, we were in the section of the airport for US bound flights, so they hand search your carry on luggage. We got off on time, but it was very, very bumpy - we spent 2 of 3.5 hrs in turbulence. I can only imagine what smaller planes were experiencing - we were in a 747. Thankfully, it managed to calm down, but it was a long two hrs. We got through customs, got our bags and Mr. Chia was waiting to take us back to the hotel. Back to the Regent, and our little safety zone.
We are in the home stretch...next time we check out of hotel, we will check in at home. Next time we see Mr. Chia, it will be for the last time. Next time we are in Hong Kong, it will be on our way back to Chicago. Last night, the pilot let us listen to radio communications...hearing ATC say "United 895 clear to land" were the best words I heard all day. I look forward to hearing those words as we are about to land in Chicago and then in Columbus. The flight we are on goes all the way to Chicago from Singapore - with a stop for fuel in HK. The stop in HK is shorter on the way back than on the way over - we determined it probably takes them 2 hrs to refuel the plane on an inbound flight from the US. Given the 3 hrs it takes to get to HK, it should not take that long to get us a full tank to get us back to Chicago. We looked sadly up the stairs to business class as we got on the plane last night, but we will be headed upstairs on Thursday morning. We will take some champagne, reflect on the trip and get some sleep.
We have had a great trip, but it is time to come home. These last three days in Singapore should go quickly, but it was the right decision to come back, it will be easier to finish up here than trying to finish up back in Dublin with the time difference.
Well, Poske, the monkey it off Peyton's back. Your Colts have earned this moment, so bask in it - I am sure you will take more than your share of grief for it. And when you do, just tell them all one things - SCOREBOARD. Dan will have to find another friend to join him in the ranks of never winning the big game.
Have a great day, we are off to work.
~Nicole
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