Five Great Days in Hong Kong

Well, so as most of you know, last week my baby sister, Elizabeth (BIFF), and her husband, Brett, came to Hong Kong to spend five days with ME!!! I was lucky enough to have work off for 3/5 days- so we had lots of time together. It really was so much fun sharing my "Hong Kong Life" with my "Home Life." I loved it.

Biff and Brett arrived last Friday, the 29th. I was surprised at how awake they were after the plane ride. That night we just soaked up Hong Kong culture. I took them to Causeway Bay- a place where THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of people hang out on a Friday night. I wanted them to have their first look at HONG KONG in a place that SCREAMED Hong Kong culture. I loved watching their faces! We ate Mexican food in Hong Kong that first night. They come all the way to Hong Kong to eat MEXICAN food on their first night in China. Yup.

The next day, Saturday, Biff and Brett headed to the Giant Buddha while I did three shows at work. After that I met up with them, and decided that since the skies had cleared of their clouds and a good chunk of the pollution, we were changing the planned itinerary and heading to "The Peak." The day Biff and Brett got here the weather was gross... and I was NOT a happy camper. Luckily though, the forecasters were wrong and the weather was nearly perfect the whole time they were here! YAY!

Anyway, THE PEAK:

Eating at Cafe Deco- our table sported a great view of Hong Kong!

On Sunday we went to church, I showed them the Hong Kong Temple... and we had a GREAT New Years Eve hanging out at the Clock Tower in "TST":

Outside the Hong Kong Temple

The view from our table at Route 66- a REVOLVING restaurant

atop the Hopewell Center in Wan Chai.

"The Avenue of the Stars" in TST

New Years Eve in Hong Kong-

Looks like the ant piles that used to form on the sidewalks of my childhood home...

B & B at the Clock Tower- "COUNTING DOWN!"

On Monday, New Years Day, we were all pooped after the fesitivities of the previous evening. Sooooooooooooooooooo we didn't even leave the apartment until 1:00. :-) We traveled to Stanley Market... walked around, bought things, and then we headed into Mong Kok for dinner at this place called "Simply Thai".

Me and public transportation. This is my life. Right here. Life on the Citybus #962.

Cool sand in Hong Kong!!!!

Uh, I think this could be my bed. I love shoes. I love this giant pink shoe.

Food. We ate. A lot. This whole trip.

On Tuesday Biff and Brett finally got to come into Hong Kong Disneyland and see what it is I DO here- WHY I am here. It was SOOO much fun for me to see MY people in the audience. I loved it.

After work we headed to "Monkey Mountain." HA! LOVED LOVED LOVED this. We were all cracking up at the insane monkeys. Watch the videos on the previous post. Oh, good times.

So... that was it. Wednesday morning Biff and Brett packed up and left me. Sigh. It was awesome though. Loved having them here. I need MORE visitors. Time is really running out, people. :-)

Crazy, CRAZY Monkeys!

Today Biff, Brett, and I went to "Monkey Mountain." It was HYSTERICAL!!!! I will write more about it later... but for now, here's some video!

HAPPY 2007- HONG KONG STYLE!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Here we are in Hong Kong- Counting Down at the Clock Tower in TST!

People in my House!

As many of you know, after a few months of counting down the days, I FINALLY got my first visitors here in Hong Kong!!! YAY! My sister Biff and her husband, Brett, arrived on Friday afternoon and it's been crazy fun ever since! I LOVE VISITORS!!!

Their plane has landed!!! (Seoul/Incheon)

Looking really pretty after 18 hours of plane "stuff". Hee hee

I decorated their bed with holiday a holiday Mickey and Minnie and Octopus Cards! :-)

At The Peak

Merry Christmas to All! And to All a GOOD NIGHT!

As you all are waking up on Christmas morning, I am heading to bed. :-) But here's a little clip of my evening in Hong Kong!

SING DAHN FIE LOW!
(Sound it out... hee hee)
and
MERRY CHRISTMAS
to all!

Christmas here in Hong Kong was full of fun events and caring people who opened their homes to me!!! I was able to spend the holiday with two great families from the branch, and I was able to spend this afternoon with all my friends at work!

Me, Elisha, Alisia, and Michelle- sporting the silver Santa hat.
(These three girls are Ariel's in the show)

Jen, Julie, and me! 3/4 Belle's PIGGING out!!!

Christmas Eve at the home of the Carlsons. They are members of the Branch here and they invited me, and the Hawleys (who I stayed the nigth with), over for a Christmas Eve dinner and fun! It was great... funny connection too. Kelly Carlson used to teach my cousins, Brooke and Blake, piano lessons. There were pictures of MY family members in her scrapbooks!


The two little girls I spent Christmas Eve with:

Lydia (6) and her gingerbread house

Addy (2) and her gingerbread house


This is the present I gave Addy. She loves Cinderella!!

THANK YOU

again to Gayle and to the Carlsons
for opening their homes to me
and making me feel
"at home" for Christmas!!!

"My Cat" - The Tribute

Mitzi- "The Poop Cat"

* April 1, 1986 - December 16, 2006 *

The ninth life of Mitzi, "The Poop Cat", expired early in the morning hours of Saturday, December 16, 2006. She was cuddled and comforted by her companion Diane, and loyally watched over by the mournful poodle, Jasmine. She was twenty years old. (Over 100 in people years!)

Born on April Fools Day, 1986, in North Ogden, Utah, she was purchased by the Shreeve family in May of that same year when their four-year-old little girl, Amy, declared, “I want the baby girl kitty!” From then on Mitzi was a vital part of the Shreeve household- often believing that is was SHE who ran the show.

Mitzi quickly earned the nickname, “Poop Cat,” because of her defiant behavior and determination to do what SHE wanted. She acquired other “pet names” throughout her long life, including, “Mitz,” “Stinky Bum,” “Fat Cat,” “My Cat,”and more recently, “Old Lady.”

Mitzi always loved to sleep in the beds of the people she loved. One night, as Mitzi slept soundly in young Amy’s arms (like she so often did), she was rudely and abruptly awakened by immersion in spaghetti vomit. (For those of us who knew her well, this was a divine taste of her own medicine!!!)

Mitzi loved catnip, canned cat food, and being in charge. She loved doing whatever it was she knew that she SHOULDN'T do, and would often "plot" and "dart" out the front door whenever the doorbell rang. She LOVED the Great Outdoors.

Remembered fondly is the summer when she was “kicked outside” daily because her weight was becoming an issue. She would always come faithfully running home when Amy would stand on the front porch and yell, “Sttttttiiiiinnnnky Bum!” (No idea where THAT nickname came from)

She starred in several family Christmas nativities as the escaping Baby Jesus, and forcefully enjoyed playing the role of "baby" during many hours of “house” with Amy and Elizabeth. She looked fantastic in doll apparel, and often enjoyed confiscating stray Barbie clothes.

In August, 2001, Mitzi became a famous feline when her picture appeared on the front page of the Ogden Standard Examiner alongside her fellow refugee, Elizabeth. (Heather Drive Landslide-2001)

In November of 2001 she was diagnosed with liver cancer and the veterinarian suggested putting her out of her “misery.” We do not know if it was this cancer that eventually killed her, but she lived a good five years past the “expiration date” given by that stupid vet. Go Mitzi!

Mitzi was preceded in death by her fellow felines, Samuel- “Sam the Man,” Tiger-“Tigee”, the hamsters Wilber and Fred, Mrs. Tiggywinkle the hedgehog, Rigoletto, “Riggy” - a budgie, uncountable named and nameless fish, and many other kitties who adopted the Shreeve’s on Heather Drive.

She is survived by her “people,” Amy, Elizabeth, Diane, and Chad Shreeve. Her amigo of 12 years “Bobbie McMuff of the Heather,” and her playmate/greatest annoyance of the last six years, Jasmine, the poodle.

Mitzi, her cuddles and “love meows,” will be greatly missed. However, her shedding and barfing habit will not be.

Burial occurred in a lovely "casket" provided by The Department of Transportation, at the lot of her former home at 1423 East Heather Drive in Layton, Utah. Many thanks to Chad Shreeve for conducting the services.

Here I am on YouTube AGAIN!

This time I found myself singing with the HKDL Christmas Carolers on YouTube!!!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Bn6xkxdE5Wc

FOUR MONTHS!

Today I have officially been here in Hong Kong for

FOUR MONTHS!

CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT???

I can't! Soooooo, if any of y'all are still planning to come see me
I would suggest that you get your plane tickets...errr.... NOW!!!

(MOM: I AM SPEAKING TO YOU!)
Love from the HK.

More Video!

Again- not the best quality... but it's a taste of what I am doing/seeing here in Hong Kong. :-) The first video is the Fillipino Pop Culture dance I wrote about earlier, and then next is me and a few of the other cast members singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."

Christmas- Fillipino/Chinese/American/Aussie/Canadian Style!

Everybody getting into the craziness of Christmas! WAHOO!

Traditional Fillipino dance... performed by cast members from mainland China

The Fillipino version of the "Macarena" (I think this was called The Spaghetti Dance or something)

- Fillipino Pop Culture! LOVE IT!

Peter, Julie, Rabbi, Pheona, Fiona, Joe, and ME!

Me and my "Beast"s. Franz, Andy, and Sang

Me and Fiona Hui- Love this girl. She actually went to NYU but is originally from Hong Kong.

SHHHRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEVVVVVVVE

I WISH I would have recorded the ORIGINAL conversation- but this will do. I have not laughed so hard in a long time!

Kenny- the crazy costumer- asked me, "Whas youw rast name?" I told him "SHREEVE." Then Sam and Hang joined in trying to say "SHREEVE." Oh it was fun. These guys make me laugh... so here's Sam, Kenny, and Hang- costumers of the Golden Mickeys! Oh yeah, and I am not being mean when I say Kenny is weird... he just IS weird and he knows it. :-) This is also NOT meaning to make fun of these people in any way! We were all just having fun and laughing about it. I love these guys.

Mitzi - "The Poop Cat"

Sad night for me here in HK. My mom called me to tell me that my twenty year old kitty, Mitzi, passed away this morning around 3 AM. That cat has been part of me since I was four years old... sigh. She lived a good life with the Shreeve's from the time she was six weeks old. :-) I love my kitty.

Smiling "Ralphie" in Hong Kong

Thanks to my Aunt Jodi for remembering her niece who is all alone in Hong Kong this Christmas.

This

REALLY REALLY

made my day!

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2006

My time here is Hong Kong is officially HALF WAY through.

It seems impossible (AND extremely POSSIBLE), but today marks the "HALF WAY" point of my little adventure here in Hong Kong. 16 weeks from right now I'll be back in Utah doing...something. No idea WHAT, but I will be back with friends and family that I miss lots and lots. I'll also have a cute little Mazda6 to "Zoom Zoom Zoom" around town in. Hee hee.

But enough of the "in sixteen weeks" thing. I still have sixteen wonderful weeks to experience this great (but polluted) land and culture. I learn and enjoy things more and more every day, and most of all, I like the changes that this experience has brought about in ME as a person. I love the fierce sense of independence I have here, but I am also grateful for the sense of DEPENDENCE it's allowed me to feel for the people back home. 7000+ miles is a LONG way to be away from the people that I love, BUT as much as I love y'all (AND REALLY WANT YOU TO COME VISIT ME), I'll spend the NEXT 16 weeks living up life here in Hong Kong- loving my job, loving my apartment, loving all the people I work with and get to associate with at church... Yeah...

Life Is Beautiful

Welcome to My Home.... Ha ha.

Wal-Mart: I miss it.

So I decided that the blog needed a new look... exciting. Ha ha.

This is the Christmas tree in the Green Room at work. All of the decorations we have up around the theatre are quite interesting. :-) It's a great, RANDOM mix of an American, Aussie, Filipino, Mainland China, and Hong Kong Christmas. "Sing dong fie low"- Merry Christmas in Cantonese... I think. Hee hee.

Today was lovely. I did my two shows, and I was off work by 2:00!!! I LOVED it!!! First of all, it was AT LEAST 80 degrees outside (Yes people at home, I AM trying to make you jealous!), and I had time to just go do WHATEVER!!!

A friend of mine from church had told me about a mexican food place up the escalators in Central- in SoHo to be exact. (That means NOTHING to most of you...) I had been waiting to eat there ALL WEEK LONG- and today was the day! Don't worry, I ate FOUR fajitas, a basket of tortilla chips, and THEN I went next door to this deli that sells American candy bars. So after gorging myself on mexican food I ALSO downed a Reese's PB Cup AND a Butterfinger (a mini one!). Oh yeah- AND I had eaten a Krispy Kreme donut for breakfast. Hmmmm. I like food that tastes good.

After rolling myself out of Taco Loco, I wandered around, bought a hat I didn't really want but the Chinese ladies talked me into it... (THAT is the DANGER of those markets I tell you!), and then I went hunting for a new digital camera. It's one of my Christmas presents to myself. I found a great one- a Nikon CoolPix S5- it's pretty cool. I got a fairly good price on it, but then I made the mistake of coming home and googling it and finding out that at WAL MART I could have purchased it for $40 LESS! Sigh. Oh well, I will sleep better tonight knowing that Leo (the man who I bought the camera from) and his 6 children (ha ha) are eating better tonight because their daddy hooked up a Disney princess with a new camera. Sigh. :-) Won't lie though- I am buying a video camera from Wal-Mart and NOT from Leo in Hong Kong. :-) Hee hee.

BIFF AND BRETT (My sister and her hubby) come THREE WEEKS FROM TODAY!!!!

WHEN ARE THE REST OF YOU COMING????

Yeah well, that's about it for now. Life in the HK is rolling along swimmingly.

All in a Day's Work

Remember: We're all getting PAID for this:

This is my corner of the Green Room when I am on standby. Today's standby consisted of watching two movies: "You've Got Mail," and "Phantom of the Opera." (For you, Kallie)

Candy- my Hong Kong kindred spirit

Alisia... well, her HAIR


Harry- who always says to me, "Youll haut" (TRANSLATION: You're hot.") - and a couple of the other tuckered out cast members. This was at 4 PM. Hee hee.

La la la ...

Cute Duck. Love him.

Anyway, so last night I had the great opportunity of spending the evening with the Asian Area President, Elder Daryl Garn, and his wife. They had several of us single girls from the branch over for FHE and for an AMAZING dinner. AH! It was just SOOOOOO great. We got a lot of insight to the Church in Asia- it really is awesome and I love that I am a part of it! :-)

The pictures below are of the view from the Garn's apartment. The steeple of the church is right above their balcony!!! It's stunning! Again, I wish my camera was better... BUT I am getting myself a new one for Christmas... so soon I will have GOOD quality pics on here! :-)

The last couple pics are just of the "Christmas Tree Lighting" event at HK Disneyland. I went into the park after my shift tonight to watch it. They even made it "snow" on Main Street USA!!! I tell ya, thousands of cute Asian people freaking out over "snow" is really entertaining!

Hi! I'm an Elf!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?userid=5679adcecd9f947a604ba77122caa577

A Little Too Much Time on My Hands??? :-)

Today was a crazy day at work- I did ALL SIX shows! Wahoo! I set a new record for the "Belle" track. No Belle has ever done that many shows in one day. Yay for making history.

Anyway, so I came home and frittered away (did I really just use that phrase??) my evening playing with this celebrity look alike thing. Hee hee. It was fun. I have been told often that I look like Alexis Bledel and Tara Reid, and they both showed up on these things, but I wish I looked like Rachel McAdams. Sigh. Who is this Maria person? Anyone know? :-)

And another one... smiling. :-)