Bought this cos it was cheap and on sale in the airport, and I needed something to read. I've not read much Bill Bryson - only his European travel adventures in Neither Here Nor There. I know he's pretty funny. This particular book kinda - isn't. Its got some good, subtle giggles in there. But nothing laugh-out-loud-and-then-read-aloud-to-your-friend-or-person-sitting-next-to-you-on-the-underground-so-they-can-laugh-too.
Its interesting - I guess - if you're interested in Shakespeare (I am). What is refreshing about the book is that Bryson makes no qualms about admitting just how much we really don't know about Shakespeare. Arguably, the details of Shakespeare's life are not important (I'm a big believer in anti-author-ism myself), but they are still pretty intriguing - and deep down we all love a good gossip. What Bryson does really well is expose the vast amount of absolute bollocks that scholars have passed off for "fact" over the last 400ish years. Its shocking how many esteemed Shakespeare scholars and fellow writers have done such stupid things as - decide Shakespeare didn't write this particular play because it isn't very good. Or, decided that Shakespeare must have done this, because it would be nice if he had.
Overall this is a really easy read, which - if you don't know much about Shakespeare - and even if you do think you know something (I learnt quite a bit myself) - you will enjoy. This book will helpfully make you less ignorant overall. Not a bad deal really. You never know when those random facts may come in useful one day.
Tuesday, 4 November 2008
Hong Kong - Day 3 - Tseun Wan
My blog looks kind of sad :( Its one of them default templates. Soon I will work on prettifying it - but not today! Because I am tired!
Incidentally, the name of this blog is "Fan O Kei La" which is the Cantonese version of the Putonghua "Hui Jia Ba" or "Let's Go Home". I heard it at the end of a song and thought "Awe, that's nice...." So yeah :P
I visited my schools today. They're pretty nice, not particularly interesting. Imagine a kindergarten right? And... yeah that's all - you got it :)
Afterwards I collected my visa from Wan Chai, tomorrow I plan to go to Macau to activate it :) After that I can apply for my HK ID card! OooOOooooooOoo.
Me and Ronald bummed around in Ikea. Looks like we're going to be living in a(nother) all-Ikea house! Although we will probably have to look elsewhere for our Futon (cos the Ikea ones all suck) and Ronald's office furniture.
We went for sushi for dinner in AMP (big big shopping centre, somewhere. I forget. Its on the green line lol). There we met some of Ronald's distant cousins, a boy of 14 and a little girl of 2. I'm rubbish with kids. But somehow I became involved in a poking game with her and we became friends. She didn't understand English. I don't think she understood Chinese. I resorted to a weird mix. She was "helping" me to pick out some hair clips in a shop. I was yammering away like a real dummy - "yat go" ("one")... "learn go" ("two") ..... "or yew learn go..." ("I want two of them") (at this point she gives me one of them...) "LEARN go" (then I get the other one). The shopkeeper is listening in to all this. I manage to ask him whether the price is for 1 or 2 of the clips. "sup yi mun, yat go" ("$12 for 1"). Okay. Then he starts talking in cantonese like I know what he's saying. What? - no >< I speak baby-cantonese only! Tsk. Some people, honestly.
Words learnt today:
"Siu Sum" (Be careful!) - learnt when I was in danger of having my eye poked out during the poking game .....
Incidentally, the name of this blog is "Fan O Kei La" which is the Cantonese version of the Putonghua "Hui Jia Ba" or "Let's Go Home". I heard it at the end of a song and thought "Awe, that's nice...." So yeah :P
I visited my schools today. They're pretty nice, not particularly interesting. Imagine a kindergarten right? And... yeah that's all - you got it :)
Afterwards I collected my visa from Wan Chai, tomorrow I plan to go to Macau to activate it :) After that I can apply for my HK ID card! OooOOooooooOoo.
Me and Ronald bummed around in Ikea. Looks like we're going to be living in a(nother) all-Ikea house! Although we will probably have to look elsewhere for our Futon (cos the Ikea ones all suck) and Ronald's office furniture.
We went for sushi for dinner in AMP (big big shopping centre, somewhere. I forget. Its on the green line lol). There we met some of Ronald's distant cousins, a boy of 14 and a little girl of 2. I'm rubbish with kids. But somehow I became involved in a poking game with her and we became friends. She didn't understand English. I don't think she understood Chinese. I resorted to a weird mix. She was "helping" me to pick out some hair clips in a shop. I was yammering away like a real dummy - "yat go" ("one")... "learn go" ("two") ..... "or yew learn go..." ("I want two of them") (at this point she gives me one of them...) "LEARN go" (then I get the other one). The shopkeeper is listening in to all this. I manage to ask him whether the price is for 1 or 2 of the clips. "sup yi mun, yat go" ("$12 for 1"). Okay. Then he starts talking in cantonese like I know what he's saying. What? - no >< I speak baby-cantonese only! Tsk. Some people, honestly.
Words learnt today:
"Siu Sum" (Be careful!) - learnt when I was in danger of having my eye poked out during the poking game .....
Monday, 3 November 2008
Hong Kong - Day 2 - Tseun Wan
Today on the MTR (the Hong Kong Underground) I saw a poster that advertised the Hong Kong Wetlands Park. It told me to "Unroll the Hong Kong Diverse Green Temptations." Classic example of a direct translation fallen on its arse. Its not even funny but I laughed about it anyway ;)
We took Ronald's iPhone for repair in Mong Kok (ya - it broke), and he got a new phone, mMMmm shiney.
I dropped into Language Tree to pick up my work visa. Didn't get it! They only gave me the fax confirming that it is ready for collection, and told me to get it myself. Charming. I didn't have my passport on me so I have to go by tomorrow.
They did, however, have a school for me. Of all irony its out in Tin Shui Wai (N.T.) and also in Tuen Mun. It is one school but they have two campus and I will be alternating between the two. Its fairly straightward to get there from Olympic, either by MTR (+KCR) or there's a good bus service. However it will take between 30-45mins. Boo.
However! If you're wondering why I'm talking about distance from Olympic its because this evening we put a deposit down on a flat there! Its a brand new (shiney) building :) And we've got a harbour view AND we're on the 23rd floor, with just over 700square foot for 13k/month. The club house is really godly! Its got an outdoor pool, spa, indoor and outdoor jacuzzi, mini golf course, gym, badminton courts, tennis courts, function room, beauty rooms, piano rooms, fully equiped music studio (where I can use their drum kit!) a BBQ area, a mini private cinema, a bar, a reading room, cigar room, quiet room, billiard room, and... wait for it... a private karaoke room!
Yay!
All going well we will have access to it by Thursday, and can see about buying the furniture that we need.
I found it quite ironic that the landlord was telling us how picky he was about tenants, he was waiting for a good tenant, and had already refused families with young children because he was worried they might make a mess of the place. And they think that WE are good tenants. Shocker!
In England we'd be the last on the list because we're potentially noisey, party-throwing young unmarried couple of doom. (We're not really like that, but that's how we appear to most landlords.) However here we're suddenly highly desirable :o Its because I'm a Teacher now, and Ronald is an IT Professional. We sound quite fantastic :)
Tomorrow I have to go to Tin Shui Wai at 10am (/sad) to see the school with Helen from Language Tree. The school needs to "approve" me before I can start work there - hopefully on Monday next week. Will let you know how it goes -
Good night!
We took Ronald's iPhone for repair in Mong Kok (ya - it broke), and he got a new phone, mMMmm shiney.
I dropped into Language Tree to pick up my work visa. Didn't get it! They only gave me the fax confirming that it is ready for collection, and told me to get it myself. Charming. I didn't have my passport on me so I have to go by tomorrow.
They did, however, have a school for me. Of all irony its out in Tin Shui Wai (N.T.) and also in Tuen Mun. It is one school but they have two campus and I will be alternating between the two. Its fairly straightward to get there from Olympic, either by MTR (+KCR) or there's a good bus service. However it will take between 30-45mins. Boo.
However! If you're wondering why I'm talking about distance from Olympic its because this evening we put a deposit down on a flat there! Its a brand new (shiney) building :) And we've got a harbour view AND we're on the 23rd floor, with just over 700square foot for 13k/month. The club house is really godly! Its got an outdoor pool, spa, indoor and outdoor jacuzzi, mini golf course, gym, badminton courts, tennis courts, function room, beauty rooms, piano rooms, fully equiped music studio (where I can use their drum kit!) a BBQ area, a mini private cinema, a bar, a reading room, cigar room, quiet room, billiard room, and... wait for it... a private karaoke room!
Yay!
All going well we will have access to it by Thursday, and can see about buying the furniture that we need.
I found it quite ironic that the landlord was telling us how picky he was about tenants, he was waiting for a good tenant, and had already refused families with young children because he was worried they might make a mess of the place. And they think that WE are good tenants. Shocker!
In England we'd be the last on the list because we're potentially noisey, party-throwing young unmarried couple of doom. (We're not really like that, but that's how we appear to most landlords.) However here we're suddenly highly desirable :o Its because I'm a Teacher now, and Ronald is an IT Professional. We sound quite fantastic :)
Tomorrow I have to go to Tin Shui Wai at 10am (/sad) to see the school with Helen from Language Tree. The school needs to "approve" me before I can start work there - hopefully on Monday next week. Will let you know how it goes -
Good night!
Sunday, 2 November 2008
Hong Kong - Day 1 - Tseun Wan
Well.... technically its day 2 since we landed here yesterday, but since this is our first full day, its now day 1 :)
Welcome to my new blog! Not blogged in a long time but I shall try and keep this updated reguarly. Yesterday's flight was fairly uneventful, I slept through most of it - kept waking up with a cramped neck :( I still feel like we're here on a holiday, we're currently staying at Ronald's Mum's place in Tseun Wan, which is where we stay when we are visiting. The flat is pretty full up since Grandma is here as well. Aunty is having to sleep on the sofa! I think once we get our own place set up this will begin to feel much more like a real move. On that note, we spent today looking at different places -
Firstly we looked in Tseun Wan. We told the agents at Centraline that we had a king size bed (which we do), and they kind of freaked out. They spent AGES pretending to rummage through all their information trying to find a bedroom which would fit our mythical giant bed. They then told us it wasn't possible except for a Penthouse flat and a custom renovated flat above the City Plaza shopping mall in the centre of Tseun Wan. So we went to see them. The penthouse was FAN-TAS-TIC. Had gorgeous views over the city, was on the 33th floor, had ACRES of storage cupboards, and you could even see the harbour. It was over 900 square foot, which in Hong Kong terms is enormous. However it cost a whooping HK$14,000 a month (over £1000) which is okay for central areas but Tseun Wan is in the New Territories, which are supposed to be cheap. The building was pretty old too, even though the flat had been newly done up. We liked it a lot but the landlord seemed unlikely to compromise, so we headed downstairs (to florr 22) to see the other flat. It wasn't finished yet. No, really. It wasn't. It was a building site. The walls were gone. The floor was gone. The fittings were - gone. Everywhere was covered in rubble and builders junk. The only thing it didn't have was a hole in the wall. It's not due to be finished until December - so we left. But not before being shocked into silence by the price of it. 13k for 700 sqaure foot, in Tsuen Wan.
LOL.
I don't think so.
...gotta eat dinner now - will edit for more of day's info later :)
Welcome to my new blog! Not blogged in a long time but I shall try and keep this updated reguarly. Yesterday's flight was fairly uneventful, I slept through most of it - kept waking up with a cramped neck :( I still feel like we're here on a holiday, we're currently staying at Ronald's Mum's place in Tseun Wan, which is where we stay when we are visiting. The flat is pretty full up since Grandma is here as well. Aunty is having to sleep on the sofa! I think once we get our own place set up this will begin to feel much more like a real move. On that note, we spent today looking at different places -
Firstly we looked in Tseun Wan. We told the agents at Centraline that we had a king size bed (which we do), and they kind of freaked out. They spent AGES pretending to rummage through all their information trying to find a bedroom which would fit our mythical giant bed. They then told us it wasn't possible except for a Penthouse flat and a custom renovated flat above the City Plaza shopping mall in the centre of Tseun Wan. So we went to see them. The penthouse was FAN-TAS-TIC. Had gorgeous views over the city, was on the 33th floor, had ACRES of storage cupboards, and you could even see the harbour. It was over 900 square foot, which in Hong Kong terms is enormous. However it cost a whooping HK$14,000 a month (over £1000) which is okay for central areas but Tseun Wan is in the New Territories, which are supposed to be cheap. The building was pretty old too, even though the flat had been newly done up. We liked it a lot but the landlord seemed unlikely to compromise, so we headed downstairs (to florr 22) to see the other flat. It wasn't finished yet. No, really. It wasn't. It was a building site. The walls were gone. The floor was gone. The fittings were - gone. Everywhere was covered in rubble and builders junk. The only thing it didn't have was a hole in the wall. It's not due to be finished until December - so we left. But not before being shocked into silence by the price of it. 13k for 700 sqaure foot, in Tsuen Wan.
LOL.
I don't think so.
...gotta eat dinner now - will edit for more of day's info later :)
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