So Mark, Noah and I made it back to Hong Kong late last night. We arrived at 11:30 pm back at our apartment but I could feel an instant mood shift as soon as I stepped off the plane. People were just more annoying at the airport than I could remember. I was tempted to “accidentally” ram a few people with my luggage cart on the way to the car. And when I got home, I was instantly annoyed at how hot and musty it was. Clarita doesn’t like to run the AC when it’s just her. Admirable, yes, but unnecessary suffering in my opinion — we like to crank that sucker up high.
Noah, being Noah, was fine. Although I suspect that the traveling is starting to get harder on him. He is less tolerant of our waiting in lines, more prone to misbehaving, easily bored. Of course, it could also just be a function of his being 2 1/2. He picked up a weird habit in Tokyo. In Tokyo, most of the doors we came across were automatic sliding doors. He got into the habit of running up to a door and having it magically slide its doors open for him. So now, whenever he encounters a glass door, he runs up to about 5 inches away from it and yells, “Open!”
The weird Tokyo habit that I managed to bring back with me was bowing. I noticed it as we were getting into the car from the airport. The driver opened my door for me and I bowed in appreciation. Not just a little head nod either, but a shallow from-the-waist bow. It got me thinking how many people I had unknowingly bowed to on the way to the car…flight attendants, the customs officer, the airport smoothie lady…
When I finally sank my head into my pillow for the first time in almost a month, I had a sudden realization that my pillow, and the bed and sheets, smelled distinctly “Hong Kong” to me. You know how certain places have certain smells? Well, Hong Kong smell has invaded my home. It’s hard to describe what it is, but it falls on the musty side — a side effect from it being so hot and humid here — with a little detergenty smell to top it off. I guess being away for so long made me notice what had snuck up on me — I live in Hong Kong and the way my house smells is proof of it. So today, I’m going to run a few errands (which includes picking up a new detergent) and try to de-grumpify myself at being in Hong Kong again.
I won’t have to de-grumpify for long though since Thursday afternoon I leave for Las Vegas. Most of you know that I’ve been on a social networking site called Maya’s Mom for about a year now. Well, over the course of the year, I’ve managed to make some really good friends and this weekend we’re going to meet in Vegas. I know, I know…never meet anyone from the internet alone, right? But I regularly IM these women and we all have web cams so I’ve seen them and I know that they are not actually crazy old men out to kidnap me. So it’s off to Vegas to finally meet some good friends in person and then to the Bay Area for a week to see my family (it’s a short trip because Noah is staying in Hong Kong with Mark, and really…who wants to see just me?!).
Mark, being Mark, is already on another business trip. He left this morning to fly to Taipei and will be back tomorrow. I made him promise that he wouldn’t plan any business trips while I was back in the U.S. and so far he’s managed to keep his word…but just barely. So tomorrow will probably be another no-blog-entry day for me (for those of you keeping track…all one of you). And hopefully I’ll see you in Vegas this weekend!
I think that someone really did fall in love in Japan! Obviously HK has lost some of its luster. I look forward to seeing you!