Apartments and Holidays and Phases, Oh My!

Apartments

When Obama won the election in November, Mark and I resolved to head to Washington DC in January to see the inauguration.  But as the expected number of attendees started to climb part the 2 million mark, we resolved instead to go to the East Coast and visit his brothers in DC and Pennsylvania instead (plus a few of my friends in Virginia).  Well, all that’s gone to hell now.  It turns out that our lease is up and we need to be out of our apartment by January 31st so we’re having to scrap an East Coast trip for the time being.

After a couple of weekends of searching, we finally found an apartment that we liked and put an offer on.  Now looking for an apartment in Hong Kong is vastly different from trying to rent an apartment in the U.S.  For one thing, everything’s negotiable.  Including the price.  After some negotiating, we got 15% knocked off the original rental price.  Mark — never the type satisfied that he’s getting a good deal — also managed to secure an additional US$520 credit from the landlord to go towards putting up curtains and light fixtures.  Yay!

So now we’ve got a new place.  We decided to be lame and we’re moving to an apartment down the block from where we currently live.  What can I say?  I like our area.  Look — you can even see it from our current apartment:

One thing I noticed when Mark and I were still looking at apartments was the type of things you take for granted when you live in the U.S.  We were completely awed when we walked into one place that had a real walk-in closet.  A walk-in closet!  I haven’t seen one of those in over two years!  While our real estate agent tried to point out some of the “finer” aspects of the apartments (a tv in the bathroom, marble flooring and counters, an island kitchen, multiple en-suites in one unit, etc.) Mark and I were drooling over things like double sinks (!!!), a medicine cabinet (wow!) or actual rooms that wouldn’t be mistaken for a closet (double wow!!).  I’m sure she must’ve thought we were uncivilized morons.  We ultimately didn’t end up choosing the apartment with the walk-in closet or the island kitchen, but I’m happy to report that we will have the double sinks that Mark and I have been wanting (getting a fourth bedroom was merely a bonus).  Oh yeah, we’re moving on up.

Holidays

Initially, Mark and I were determined to spend the holidays here in Hong Kong.  We’ve been traveling for Christmas to visit family every year for the last seven years so we thought we could use a break.  However, with the prospect of our January East Coast trip out the window, I think we both started feeling a bit of cabin fever.  On top of that, Mark spent a week in Tokyo on business in early December and came back raving about how Tokyo was cold and beautiful and lit up for the holidays while Hong Kong was…well…Hong Kong — warm and commercial.  So at the last minute we decided that we would spend the week of Christmas in Tokyo.  Mark has some work to do in Tokyo that week anyway (the Japanese get December 23 off — the Emperor’s Birthday — but not Christmas) so it all worked out.  To top it off, my friend Jae and her family just moved to Tokyo so Noah and I will have someone to torture hang out with when Mark’s busy.

Phases, Oh My!

Speaking of Jae and her family…when we told Noah that we would be spending Christmas in Tokyo with Nevan, he freaked out.  But in a totally good way (sort of).  Ever since then, his Nevan-obsession has come back.  Not a day has gone by when he doesn’t talk about Nevan and regale us with stories of the silly things that Nevan did back in Sydney.  Every now and then he also cries when he realizes that we are not going to see Nevan righthisverysecond.  His Nevan phase comes at kind of a bad time for us since it coincides with another phase that Noah’s recently entered — the Why? phase.  Imagine the following conversation (and repeat it almost daily…just for kicks):

Noah: Mommy, what is the Grinch doing?
Me: He’s taking all the presents.
Noah: Why?
Me: Because he doesn’t like Christmas.
Noah: Why?
Me: Because he’s not very nice.
Noah: Why?
Me: Because his heart is too small.
Noah: Why?
Me: Noah, just watch the movie.

And combine it something like…having to explain to a three-year-old why you can’t buy certain things for the friend he’s obsessed with.  It gets ugly sometimes:

Noah: Mommy, I like my black jacket.
Me: Me too.  You know who got it for you?
Noah: Who?
Me: Aunty Jae.
Noah: Why?
Me: It was a gift.
Noah: Oh.  Mommy, we need to buy one for Nevan.
Me: Nevan already has one like it.
Noah: Why?
Me: Because Aunty Jae bought one for Nevan a long time ago.
Noah: Why?
Me: Because Aunty Jae is Nevan’s mommy and she buys him stuff.
Noah: Why?
Me: Because she loves him and…well she just buys him stuff.
Noah: Oh.  Later we need to buy Nevan a suitcase just like mine.
Me: I’m sure Nevan already has a suitcase.
Noah: Why?
Me: Because Aunty Jae probably bought him one.
Noah: Why?
Me: Because she’s his mommy.
Noah: And Uncle Dave is his daddy?
Me: Yes.
Noah: (thinks for a minute, and then) Why?
Me: Because Aunty Jae and Uncle Dave love each other. Just like mommy and daddy.
Noah: Why?
Me: Oh hey look over there! (pointing at the sky) A helicopter!
Noah: Later we need to buy a helicopter for Nevan just like Noah’s.
Me: (just shaking my head and rolling my eyes)

Ugly, I tell ya.  For my sanity’s sake, I’m hoping one of these phases is going to end soon.