There’s been a main attraction this February: Maeve has been in town! It’s always fun when someone comes to visit because we end up taking on the role of tourist with our guest, and that’s what exactly what we’ve been doing with Maeve, my niece and the kids’ cousin. This means there’s been less Netflix binging and more site seeing. I also read a bit less this month being so busy hanging out or showing Maeve around Hong Kong. So this update of what I’ve been up to this February will be a little different than the past months. Don’t worry though; I will still start with books!
BOOKS
Educated by Tara Westover
I’m still reading Educated by Tara Westover even though we discussed the memoir at last week’s book club meeting. It’s been a tough one for me–mainly I’ve just been getting so angry at her upbringing. Also, it’s close to home as she was raised in Idaho; I know from vacationing in Idaho for many summers since 2002, that Tara’s family isn’t the only one bringing up their children in this way. What’s interesting is I loved Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens–also by a woman living in Idaho. Yet the difference in Crawdads is that the heroine was completely neglected–as in she raised herself. In Educated, Tara does have two parents and siblings (one absolutely awful!), but the neglect is so outward, so visible to the reader. It just makes me really sad. I will finish it though as I found out a bit of a spoiler at book club that makes me want to continue reading…
Becoming by Michelle Obama
In the meantime, I was distracted by the audiobook Becoming written and read by Michelle Obama. Wow! She is an amazing story teller and her voice is mesmerizing. She’s so candid too about her upbringing and relationship with Barack Obama. Imagine my distraught when I went to listen this week and the book had expired! Now I have three people in front of me before I’ll be able to continue listening to her very interesting life story.
MOVIES
A Simple Favor isn’t exactly a chic flick, but it’s definitely a chic thriller. I watched it with Kevin, and he wasn’t as enthusiastic about the movie. I loved it! All the twists and turns thoroughly surprised me. I thought I figured it out, and then I was shocked by the ending. I love a movie that is scary but not too much so. It was the perfect type of scary for me. I’m like Goldilocks when it comes to my scary movies–not too much and not too little, just right!
NINTENDO SWITCH
Gigi bought herself (and in turn the whole family) a fun game this month. With her own money she purchased a Nintendo Switch. While I have a bit of fun trying to play–Kirby and King Dedede are my favorite avatars–watching the kids play this past month has been really fun. In fact it’s hilarious! They’re commitment to winning and banter on the way was a hoot to witness.
HONG KONG SITES
We’ve taken Maeve all over Hong Kong! From Mon Kok to Big Wave Bay, we’ve tried to show her all of our favorite haunts. Big Buddha was included as was a the Peak Walk. All maybe favorite markets were shopped at as were my favorite stores. In addition Maeve spent two weeks volunteering at two different primary schools. I’m very proud of the independence she gained from getting to these places by 8 am each day. It’s no small feat to use HK’s public transportation; while it is easy, it’s very different from the usual mom carpool Maeve is used to. She only got lost once, maybe twice! For sure gained some street savvy confidence.
RESTAURANTS
Along with a visitor comes some yummy dining out. While we took Maeve to some of our favorite spots, we also tried new restaurants, like the Turkish restaurant in Mui Wo called Bahce Turkish Restaurant. Another hot spot that I’d always wanted to try is Yum Cha. They’re the dim sum place with the super cute dumplings. In fact one of them has a trademark: you poke a hole and then push the custard out. Yes, it’s looks rather gross (like getting sick), but makes for a great Instagram story. Oh, and the taste was superb. We have a new dim sum spot to go to!
This video is from Business Insider.
NEW PIERCINGS
One afternoon, Maeve and I needed to put a stop to her bad luck. First, she left her my assistant’s umbrella on the bus. The next day she left her wallet! And then on the third day she missed her bus stop and decided to just keep riding–I’m not sure of her planning there, but she figured it’d turn around at some point. (Luckily I was able to talk her through a more sensible solution like getting off, crossing the road, and getting on the same bus going back to where she needed to go.) We found out that at the start of the new Chinese Year, bad luck can come in threes. To put a stop to all her bad luck, we got similar piercings in our ears. Since her mom wasn’t to keen on a double pierce, we went straight to the third piercing leaving space for the double pierce later on. My logic is nonsensical, and I will most likely get in trouble with my sister, but it’s a chance I was willing to take. Maeve’s luck turned around! And now she’ll always have an ear piercing from one of her adventures with Auntie Annie!
March…
It’s now March 2nd. I’m a bit late on my February update. But I have a good excuse: I just dropped Maeve off at the airport. This isn’t the last you’ll see of her though. She’s a bit of a fashionista, so I got some great shots of her out and about in Hong Kong. I’ll save those for next week!
Here’s to March–and not missing Maeve too much.
Post Note!!
I can’t believe I forgot about another amazing visit this past month: Mary Kelly visited!! She’s my longest overseas girlfriend. Since we met in Venezuela in 2001, we moved on to Mumbai and her Shanghai. Then, she and Giovanni moved on to Dubai and now Chennai while we were in Beijing and now Hong Kong. We’ve stayed in touch the entire time and managed many visits between the years and distance. It was such a treat to see her, and her visit was a true testament to our friendship. Despite the distance, we’re still very close. I love you MK!! Thank you for visiting!! Next visit, we will all be coming to you and Gio in India.
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