Home Sweet Home - Oct 2008

The new month got off to a perfect start. Yes, I moved into my new apartment near Mei Foo MTR, but the address is in Kwai Chung’s Ching Lai Court on 264 Lai King Hill Road. I wrote this part on the first day of the month (Oct 1), which is a public holiday in Hong Kong. The IKEA movers called a day before to deliver my sofa and bed at 1 pm, Sept, 30, but I told them my appointment was at 6-10 pm. They apologized and said they will come at 6:30 pm, but they did not arrive till 11:35 p.m. and finished assembling the furniture the following day at 12:35 a.m. in the morning! They charge 10% more for delivery and another 10% for assembly.

While waiting for the movers, I scouted the nearest Starbucks located within Princess Margaret Hospital, minutes walking uphill on Lai King Hill Rd, the same road. After that I visited the Parkson Superstore on Lai King Hill Rd, which I regretted because I ended up buying a lot of stuff, including a big container of liquid detergent. Walking uphill home was murder with three bags of groceries. I promise myself not to do something that stupid again since there is a neighborhood store nearer us. Dinner was simple bread and bbq pork sandwich, the lateer courtesy of Wife’s sister. At 9:04 pm I went downstairs to the neighborhood store to get soap and shampoo, but they were closed, so I had to trekked all the way to the Parksons near MTR. Since I was there I decided to pick up a bag of rice, too, which I previously chose not to do due its weight. The movers did not come, so I watched the classic “Dragon Inn” which a colleague loaned to me. His father was one of the bad guys in the movie!

Moving day cannot be more dramatic: IKEA’s midnight delivery yesterday, and today local movers transporting my belongings from relatives’ residence besides another trucking company's 800 lbs. of overseas shipment arriving the same day, and finally, TV/Internet technicians coming on Saturday. I can hardly complain because all went well. The stacked boxes at home did not bother me even though competition for space is fierce. Home is merely 480 sq. feet and rent is HK$8,000 monthly, which less than a fifth of my previous house size but thrice its cost! Amazingly we still have room for house guests. The real estate agent told me there are around 60 real estate offices around the Mei Foo MTR area.The simple life purchases so far (HK$):
Sinomax 3” mattress, $2,040.50
IKEA Solsta sofabed, $899
IKEA Dalsev bed frame, $599
24 cm frying pan $179
18 cm saucepan $49.90
Adjustable rails-hooks (for wardrobe) $209
Hanging sweater bag (for wardrobe) $70.90
Used refrigerator $580

Be careful for what you wish for. The hot weather made a dramatic turn on Sunday (Oct 5). It was raining cats and dogs, so we took a taxi from Mongkok to the church I was speaking. I heard an MTR official said that it was "yellow level," next serious to "black level." A friend remarked he has never seen rain throughout whole day like that for a long time. Yup, not even on typhoon day. I asked Wife if we can share an umbrella to save labor, she answered, "Are you kiddig me?" The next day I was still OK and the weather was not hot and sticky like before, so much so I forgot to take a shower by 11 pm, which was too late to do so because my hair needs at least 90 minutes to dry in humid Hong Kong before I go to sleep. By Tuesday morning I was sneezing. I told a friend I met over lunch that I had allergies, but he said Hong Kong has virus, no allergies, meaning I was sick. I sneezed till my shoulders ached. The weather is so cool today (Oct 8) that I almost forget to shower again another time. I even begin wearing those cotton singlets again for a week to keep my body warm after giving up on them for good just last month.

Hong Kong cable is so lame. I finally bought a TV (Oct 15) to go with the cable I had already ordered and had installed more than a week ago, but to my frustration (and to the apartment management) I couldn't get it to work. I even invited the building security person to lend me a hand but he failed, too, even though it was not his fault. He came twice, the second time after 11 pm, to check on me and the TV. The next day a staff from the school who was formerly a handyman came over and he couldn't figure out the problem either. The cable guy came by the next day and discovered that the cable line is faulty; according to him, a problem common to many customers. Also, TV and cable are not integrated in Hong Kong. He said I have to use the TV remote "source" button to switch to "TV" for regular programming and to "AV" for cable, isn't that ridiculous? One has to be a genius to guess that cable is hiding behind the AV screen. By the way, can someone tell me what does AV mean and who came up with these devices anyway? It makes me regret ordering cable because I still have to buy a $12 TV line at Japan Home Centre日本城. Well, at least I have a student's help. The cable guy said previously they had a box to integrate both. How in the world do they live up to their "smart boxes" name in Chinese, I do not know!

I finally opened a bank account yesterday (Oct 21) at HSBC after two months two days in Hong Kong! Neither BEA nor HSBC would allow me to open one without proof of address, which I did not even have after renting an apartment on Oct 1. I had a government-stamped apartment contract but they would not honor it. Next I brought my cable bill, but they want to see my passport. Even after I finally brought bill and passport, they almost demanded to see my work contract, until they realize I have an identity card, even though it is not a permanent residence card, isn't that ridiculous? A pastor who returned to Hong Kong a month earlier than me told me he couldn't get an I-phone without a credit card, which is my next target. HSBC wants us to open a HK$50,00 time deposit in exchange for a credit card with HK$40,000 limit. Of course, giving them free cash flow is not an option. A few days later, I found out that I do not have checks sent to me because I have to use my ATM card to order them. Why didn't they tell me that in the first place? Or did they? Maybe they did, but the sytsem is too unfamiliar to pick it up all at once. By the way, do you know the Hong Kong postman does not pick up mail at home on the way out; he is only responsible for dropping them off! Customers will have to mail their letters at the post office. How inconvenient.