Ferris Wheel

There is a huge Ferris Wheel installed in Hong Kong now right near the piers.

We decided to test it out this past weekend while Annette's parents are still visiting. It was a cloudy day but still fun. Would be better when more clear so you get better views.

Next to the Wheel is a carnival with games and rides. We were going to visit but the queue was too long to wait.

View from the top of the Wheel. That's the junk boat I went on the weekend before!

In our private car, Mark, Sarah and me on one side.

Annette, her mom, Kalpanna and Annette's dad on the other side.

The Human Day, the 7th Day of Chinese New Year Festival

Yesterday was The Human Day, the 7th Day of Chinese New Year Festival.

According to Chinese genesis, the goddess with snake body (2852-2738 B.C.) created chicken on the first day of the first lunar month, dog on the 2nd day, sheep on the 3rd day, pig on the 4th day, cow on the 5th day, horse on the 6th and human on the 7th day.
  



The goddess made many human using mud mixed by yellow soil and water. Also she taught human about the marriage; so human can reproduce themselves. Therefore, the 7th lunar day of the year becomes the human's birthday or every man's birthday.
  

Two birthdays in one year??? I really hope this doesn't mean I age twice as fast while living here.


Also, she created the chicken first... does this mean the mystery is solved? It was the chicken before the egg?

Superstition - Plum Blossom Tree

So apparently there is another superstition that I must follow.

One must walk 3 times around a plum blossom tree (not cherry), in order to bring luck to their interpersonal relationships. This is especially for those single people!

Sooo as to not miss out on luck, today after lunch Annette, Casey and I made our trek 3 times around the plum blossom tree in the mall seen below.

The more in-depth superstition is that you should be the first person to walk around the tree when it is placed because the tree has the most "fortune" to give at that point. After people have walked around it there is less "fortune" for each person. I wonder if there is a website or app where I can track when plum blossom trees are being placed around Hong Kong.

Chinese New Year Decorations

So just like Christmas, there is a huge amount of decorations for Chinese New Year.

The malls have some great displays with sheep and goats. The sheep are just SO cute!

This display is like a bunch of sheep got painted in Skittle colors. I love the floating clouds too!

There are lanterns and orange trees all over the place.

Oranges are popular this time of year and if you get invited so someone's house you traditionally bring oranges as a gift.

This picture is from a hotel in Shenzhen.

Chinese New Year Fireworks

So on the second night of Chinese New Year there is a huge fireworks display in the harbor. It lasts about 25-30 minutes!!! It was amazing show especially from our vantage point 19 floors up at Harlan's in TST. We sat outside for the first two courses and the fireworks and then moved inside where it was warmer for the remainder of dinner. 

Table was too big to get everyone in one shot so we took multiple group shots to capture everyone!

 

Fireworks AND the laser light show! Woot!

And of course dinner ended with a firecracker dessert. 

 

A smaller group also made an after dinner event as well.

 

Chinese New Year Parade - Year of Goat

So on the first night of Chinese New Year there is a large parade on Kowloon side in TST. A group of us ventured over there to fights the crowds (which were not so bad and very orderly). 

Here you can see the crowds. We found a space about 5 rows back and stood on our toes to see for while. But as people got tired and their kids got tired people left and by the end of the parade we were in the second row and had a great view of things.

Annette's parents and Annette, Mark & Sarah, Me and Kalpana.

Of course a parade has floats! Koalas!

And pandas.


















And dragons!

And large balloons!

  And then balloon animals made of smaller balloons

Dancing behind the balloon sheep were these adorable little girls with balloon sheep for hats!





















My favorite part of the parade had to be the dragons!

Then there were some interesting acts. These "women" in large moving "dresses" and singing "opera".

And then these women were walking on these HUGE stilts and dancing around in the streets like they were floating on air. I couldn't imagine walking and dancing the entire parade route!





































What a fun night!

 

HFE Office Renovations

Our HFE office in Hong Kong is under renovations. So I have been sitting in a conference room with other people for the past 5 weeks. This week the 12th floor renovation was complete so those of us assigned to that floor have been able to move back in. So that means I get to move out of the conference room and into my own space.

Here are some pictures of the renovations. It is a very open seating plan and the teams are now sitting together. So all the different functions sit together for each category.

Specifically this is my new fish tank aka "office".

At least my office comes with a sea view if I lean back far enough in my chair.

My office was too boring so the team here has helped me decorate it for Chinese New Year.

 

Once my work boxes from the US arrive next week I will be able to decorate a bit more.