Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Letter 18 - Gold!!!!! Spending it & Coating in it....

Ok we have done/ are doing it!!!!! We have had an offer accepted on a 35 foot catamaran with everything on it you could possible need ever to go cruising around the world. (Not that I plan to but Pete might!). It's a bit more than I had hoped to spend so we have been having a total nightmare getting all our savings together and don't get me started about a loan. We have nearly all the money, but as we don't live in the UK full-time UK banks won't give us one (we tried lying but they want pay slips & recent UK bills!) and even though we are living in Hong Kong we aren't considered permanent residents so aren't allowed one here. Well, not without crippling interest for a very small fee. I got so fed up of talking to Indian call-centres I rang my ex-local branch in the UK and got all my savings moved into my account in 5 minutes, FINALLY, but have to wait another week to transfer it to Petes! So when we have it all together we send it to the broker in Australia & go to look at the boat. If its Ok & we like it, he sends it to the buyer and off we sail!

Slight problem is it's in Micronesia in a small island called Palau. Looks gorgeous & the current owner wants to take us on a trip round the islands (on the boat) for a few days, but due to irregular flights & my bookings, I maybe won't be able to go - gutted! (Not that I wanted the sail, I want to see the tropical paradise). The worst bit is that Pete has to get the thing back to HK, sailing 1200 miles with the Phillipines in the middle. Um. I am NOT going, he really wants to do it but I'd much rather just pay someone to deliver it (boat crews do that sort of thing). At the moment the only crew pete MIGHT have is his brother but maybe not in time!!!!! He can't sail it on his own you need a 24 lookout for shipping, the main danger at sea. Still, at the moment (the owner found Petes email on the web after receiving our contract and they are writing to each other) the owner is waiting for a few bits he ordered for the boat so it looks as if our mad rush is off a bit and we won't get it until after Christmas - but we can visit it before!


It has a double berth in the front of each hull and a single at each back point so come and visit! (thats also the really good thing about it, we can have a hull each after fights!). No real space indoors I reckon but we will put up some sort of shelter on the flat wooden bit that joins the 2 hulls. It has solar panels & a wind generator but I expect it will only run a light OR the laptop OR the mini fridge for my insulin.....still, hopefully we will be installed in it around Christmas. I'm planning to decorate the mast as a tree and Petes been wibbling on about how great it is to have kids on. Some idea that we could get one of those baby bouncer thingys and any sprog of ours could bounce off the yard-arm or whatever its called, naked, dropping 'stuff' down through the netting that makes up some of the decking, and so not need nappies! Oh nope he's correcting me, it will be hung over the side to poop into clear water. I'm sure teasing sharks is illegal....... He's also planning we become nomadic pirate types and home-school our entire family but I'm not convinced.

Pete took Sunday 'off' to do the round-Hong Kong race. Apparently he & his 2 novices (the blokes we sailed round with the other week) got a cracking start and passed loads of boats (about 200 in the race) then got becalmed for over 3 hours when they reached Middle Island where Pete works, and were actually doing 1 knot backwards with the tide! Then they got a small wind and managed to limp to the finish. He was miffed as his boss started earlier so didn't get becalmed and managed to finish 4 hours earlier, THEN Pete heard he had actually missed the starting flags so he had started even later than supposed! As only a few boats finished the race (just 2 in Petes class) they adjusted all the times to 'end' it before most people got becalmed and Pete thought he had only been about 15th. But after a phonecall from his boss & his crew late the other night, Petes super-happy as he won his class! Sadly as he didn't know that/ had flu we didn't go to the awards ceremony, think he won a glass or something. He says one ceremony he saw here the prize was a load of different cheeses - think I'd prefer that!

We both got a haircut last week. Not earthshattering/ amusing news but noticeable for the results. Nice salon, owner who did us spoke English but OMG the magazines he gave us were a laugh. They were in chinese script which runs in vertical lines, but also opened from the back of the magazine. I think Pete was meant to be choosing a style, there were 1000's of headshots of oriental men (some looked a bit suspiciously female tho) and every single one had a short spiked cut that basically looked either as if he'd just got out of bed, or that his stylist only cut 1/2 his head. Pete went for the traditional short english look shaved at the back which took a bit of explaining (ie gesturing) but looked fine. On my turn I asked for about an inch off the ends to tidy up, even demonstrated on my hair which reached a few inches down my upper arms. Took off glasses to let him get on with it so I couldn't see, at end discovered I had hair which no longer even reaches my shoulders. Not impressed! Shades of Emma's mad wedding hairdresser, must remember to wear contact lenses when I go into a salon.


Nearly got a bit embarressed this week - had on a pair of those Tibetan or whatever they are wrap trousers (the ones where you tie the front like an apron then pull the rest through & tie them). I got off the minibus and the ties on the front of then suddenly detached!!!! So I was waddling accross the road clutching them to keep my dignity with Pete squeaking as big buses bore down on me at speed. Luckily he had old shorts spare at work! He can't talk tho, his favourite pair of trousers have ripped up the back seam again and there is no way I can fix them this time - but he keeps wearing them around the house. It's like being outside a Soho bar, and I'm sure he will forget and wear them out at some point. I have a cunning plan to chuck them away but he keeps hiding them. Oh yes, Johnny, apologies but I have finally found why I couldn't find your blue trousers to post. Pete had them still, he loves them, sorry!


Did I say about the funny little street desks with vendors at them? They look like those victorian secretary/ clerk ones, like Bob Cratchett's, sort of skinny and tall with lots of drawers and nooks. Mainly very old men sit at them, ready to fix your watch or shoes. Mum's battery went flat, so when we passed one in Central we stopped and she gave the watch to the old boy. He unscrewed it, and cleaned the lid that came off. Then he took out the battery, cleaned the contacts & workings, put in a new battery; oiled and cleaned the insides again, screwed it together. THEN he cleaned the outside itself, including oiling the winder, set the time & date and cleaned the strap bits - all for the princely sum of £1!!!! Very impressive. Sadly I wear that limited edition Camel Trophy watch which needs special service as its for diving too...........

The other off thing that actually winds me up (cos I'd hate to have to do it) is GLOVES. They nearly all wear them in service jobs. Taxi drivers etc, fair enough, sweaty grip could be dangerous. Street cleaners, OK, makes sense but must be sweaty IN rubber gloves. But in shops & at tills they have little white cotton knitted gloves or rubber tipped ones. And they often look manky! Probably the rubber tips help pick up change etc, but........is it this hygiene obsession? And then why is spitting on the street not a problem (even though since the SARS outbreak you can get fined for that).

We had a good nose round one of the dried 'things' shops - not one of the stalls, which are far more authentic, but the high street version, called Ichiban, I think, which has the labels (mostly) in english too. Much of interest.....its like a pick-n-mix shop- kids/ adults buy a big bag and walk out munching. So on offer were; usual selection of jelly shapes, boiled sweets, large chocolate coins (all dutch!)& giant Quality Street chocs; asstd tiny round biscuits of almond, shortcake or seaweed origin; tiny rolled tubes of that shredded pork; plums (dried?) in asstd flavours (individually wrapped exactly like those white & pastel Italian biscotti); dried flattened fish, crabs, shrimp, prawns and squid, flavoured with sweet, spicey, chilli or 100's & thousands on them; interesting striped things looking like the black & white sandwich Liquorice Allsorts but turned out to be flattened rolled COD layered with black sesame seeds then chopped into squares! Then we got bizarre; the deep fried chicken knuckles I mentioned before; 1000 year old eggs (preserved/ pickled i herbs etc I think - not that old - just see a green slimey layer or brown liquid surrounding crazed shells); worst of all very sort of slimey-white oily juicy looking individually packaged feet (duck, pig or chicken), heads (asstd fowl) and necks. (George after your cheeky intro via email to your visiting friend, 1 of those is on is way to you - we want to see you eat it!). I have no idea (as most dried stuff here seems very sweet) whether this is actually healthier than UK kids pick-n-mix but I really don't fancy most of it!

Had a ball at my booking on Saturday - kids 5th birthday party, on the posh restaurant on the top of the tourist-trap 'Jumbo' chinese floating restaurants. I was placed outdoors under a huge pointed gazebo, lovely.
The decor in that place is 'amazing' if thats the word....if it can be it will be gilded, carved, mirrored, marbles and have sparkly lights in it too. The loos were beautiful with handpainted goldfish swimmin around the sinks. Nice chinese family, with American accents; kid hadn't had a party since his 1st so they had gone all out - electric kids size train, clown, balloon artists, and me.
I was a hit of course, (heh) they all seemed to think she had flown me in especially for it! Amazing view through the dull rain, as it overlooks the marina that both junks we looked at buying were in. The food was stunning - more like 5 star adult gourmet than for kids, with sushi, caviar and all the hot/ cold savouries possible, down to chips & sandwiches. I loved the profiteroles disguised as swans.


Sadly I was so busy (50 kids instead of 30 turned up, with adults - luckily there was enough going on I dodn't have to attempt to paint them all) I didn't have time to eat the platefulls their housekeeper tried to give me, though I did get a handful of the swans to take home! The hosts were a bit miffed as they had been told the place would provide containers to take home any spare food (there was LOADS left over), but discovered all they were offered was clingfilm which wasn't much use for anything except sandwiches! Each guest was also given a personal birthday cup-cake, decorated with personalised chocolate charcaters (Thomas the Tank Engine, Hello Kitty etc), which matched the prezzie-filled characters rucksack they got as goody bags.



Despite this being the dry, winter season, we have had rain most days since Mum left. Not as bad - mainly - as the typhoons, but heavier than Uk showers by miles. Best was coming back on the last ferry on Friday, after staying late at Petes office to argue with our banks over the internet. There was a big lightning storm going on, and the flashes lit up the whole sea, it was weird, pink or orangey! Going up the hill steps the sheets of light were bright enough to see what colours the flowers were - brighter than usual daylight here by far! Luckily no real damage, and the rain is quite opportune. The ancestor festival the other week is when most families visit/ clear graves, and light offerings or burn incense at them. As I mentioned, on the island graves are big ceramic pots grouped with a small curved wall behind them, randomly placed in the brush which up till now has been tinder dry after the end of typhoon weather. Apparantly EVERY YEAR careless people left things burning that set light to whole mountains on the island and kill loads of wildlife as well as damaging property, so there have been ranger police patrolling and huge banners up explaining how to clear around graves or only leave burning offerings in metal containers etc. the path keepers also had to strim & clear as many graves near paths as they could. So, the rain helped stop this, as far as I know nothing caught this year - but all the strips of white paper (maybe the 'hell' money? or prayers?) carefully arranged in fan shapes, held down by a stone, beside or on top of each grave pot, have been turned into mush and now look like white lichen!

I have been published again, but this time in a far better thing for my reputation in the 'industry' (sadly not my helpful for my career as its not available in newsagents!) as a face painter.
Its the new Face & Body art magazine, 'Illusion' - I never liked the old one which had been running for years from the USA, it seemed to be more a promo for the woman who ran it & her work/ internet sales, so a lot of the designs were a bit rubbish and not well presented. The new one is run by 2 ladies from the UK I really like personally & as artists, and is fab quality and very pro looking, love it. I had done 2 designs for them when asked this summer, on my mate Vicky (inspired by iris flowers in Granny Fins garden), and another after Gordy's UK wedding on wee cousin Steph (canadian 1).
Due to loads of the world's top painters agreeing to do articles, they only used 1 of my pics of Vicky (as an iris) in the 1st issue, still, I'm happy, mine is the biggest pic on the gallery! They have now asked to do either a feature on me or a step-by-step of one of my faces in the Spring issue. Panic - has to be new & unpublished work!
Thinking cap on & I really need a model. I was also asked to body-paint something for the new UK body-painters association (they did a calendar to launch it) but as Petes back was bad & I had no other model, I missed that, pants. But - woo hoo!

We are running out of geckos. First there was the sad demise of the entrance gecko, which I only realised when his flattened dessicated mummy fell out of the door hinge when Kate arrived (must have been slowly drying out & thinning after being squashed in the door till he slipped out).
Then taking the bin bag (we recycle shopping bags as ants go mad after a day or 2 of rubbish) to the bins, the tiny baby gecko suddenly appeared on the top of it, and leaped off Petes hand into the bushes! Petes getting good at crooning back to the burbly talkatve one behind the fridge but its the shyest 1, I miss the others. The 1 in the guest bedroom I think still lives in the AC and seems to spend most of its time pooing on the windowsill, also unseen. Hoping we can get ships cats; barring visits to Australia (some book Pete read the owners got told to kill their cats or leave the harbour/ country) and flid attacks (another round the world sailor realised that after its nightly mad turn their kitten must have leapt off the boat in the middle of the atlantic) they should be able to stay with us on board. After all the mast's just a giant scratching post, right? One sailor took a parrot but it decided the hatch cover was its home and tried to peck/ de-eye anyone wanting to climb in or out of the hull! Still missing my little cat, Gee says she is finally settling down a bit with them tho, poor thing.

Right, really odd booking for me! Aside from a few bits on backs/ shoulders/ chests at hot music fests etc, and the henna-inspired stuff I did on Sammy's back in Mombasa, I haven't really had a go at body painting; its a whole different ball game to faces and is a bit harder to find models for!
Anyway another entertainer I know, who has been using me for bookings he gets, rang on Thursday to ask if I could/ had ever body-painted models gold. He had even less of a clue than I did and thought it could be done in 30 minutes (takes an hour and a half just to paint them 1 colour, far longer for designs/ effects!) with eye-shadows or something. I have SEEN a lot of painted models - they were a regular fixture at the Natural History Museum when it was hired for corporate events; from stone effect to metal. I have also seen it being done at Face conventions (there is a bit of overlap), and heard the chat online so I knew the theory (and told him I had done some as a team!). But I knew (after comparison tests at one convention) the best gold body paint isn't available in HK, so hurriedly ordered some from the UK. As it was not guaranteed to be in time, I investigated the 2 tiny face & body art shops in HK and bought a 'local' brand which looked similar - you buy a special powder and mix it with a special bonding liquid. The problem is its not precise, mixture needed varies according to temperature, skin etc. My UK supplier was fab (the Bristol ones you know, mum), it arrived Monday night!

Tues morning (after not being able to sleep until the hour before my alarm- nerves & working out how/ which order to paint the models so they didn't have to stand the whole time ) I was a bit knackered! It was at the newly re-furbished Mandarin Oriental (reopened last week!) - beautiful!!!! They had taped a few tablecloths to the floor as asked, luckily I had still brought towels & a plastic tablecloth as the area wasn't big enough or waterproof - I was set up in a conference room round the corner from the Press Launch room. Sadly the agent mucked up & the 1st (male) model was an hour late so I was panicking I wouldn't finish in time. (The hotels PR agent dropped off the 'costumes' - and I spent the hour trying to 'soften them up' a bit. (She had spray painted tennis outfits with gold metal paint! You ever left washing drying on the line and its frozen? Was like that! Skirt & shorts stiff as a board! Socks & sweatbands I TRIED to stretch, not much success! The girls boob tube mini top was more like gold plate armour! Shoes looked great tho.)


Wilson was a lovely chinese guy - teaches & displays some sort of Japanese dance/ art/ movement/ karate thing, mainly. Luckily as the costume was all gold, he got dressed first so I didn't have to worry about drips showing on white tennis clothes (I had no idea what they would be wearing), or him ruining the paint as he dressed.
We gave up on the socks - even with 3 of us pulling them they were like razor-lined tubes trying to slice off the sides of his toes! (Normally body painters paint OVER costumes as they go so all matches/ is already fitted in place). Lovely body, very funny so we had a ball painting him. Zani, the entertainer/ organiser who booked me, turned up an hour after we had started & began sponging the female model (which he was quite enjoying surprisingly) but she was trouble from the start.
Despite me demonstrating that it all wiped off with soap & water, she wasn't keen on it on her face or really anywhere which was a bit off as thats what she'd been hired for! She was also so skinny she shivered even before she got painted - hotel would only raise the AC to a certain level so it wasn't warm. I had to do a second coat on her to get her shiny/ cover Zanis messy bits, but I don't think I mixed right as neither were as polished as I would have liked. But it was as well I spared the powder as the UK bottle only JUST covered both of them & the HK stuff was a totally different colour gold!


The PR Launch turned out to be huge, I had no idea. There were press & TV from all over Asia. It was for the Champions Challenge (sponsored by big brands like Canon, Cathay Pacific, San Miguel, Fila but mainly by Watsin Water), an annual tennis tournament, in Jan 2007.
They have most of the world's top 10 female tennis players including Sharipova (? even me the tennis hater recognised the names), as well as a few top locals (who I think won Wimbledon doubles this year), playing against each other. Big prizes, and the public who buy tickets (or even just the water brand that sponsors it) to go see it can win the giant 'golden ball' (see photos) hence the golden statues.
Positioned behind the big-wigs introducing the sponsors, rules and players, the models were 'allowed' to move slowly & occasionally after we pointed out how unreasonable/ impossible the PR woman was wanting them to hold 'lob' positions exactly for that length of time!!! Wilson was fab; the poor souls had to hold 'tennis' poses as long as possible for over 2 hours; but he somehow managed to keep the 'action' poses with his racket up for over 20 minutes at a time (didn't they use holding stuff up & out at arms length for long periods as a torture somewhere/ when??). The girl was too twitchy and also had no clue of tennis poses - I had shown her a sort of waiting for service position & backhand (about all I recall from mum trying to teach me) but her others were random.
Then as the golden ball was 'revealed' rising slowly up on a crystal podium, they had to pretend to be about to serve it - I was just waiting for one of the speech-makers to knock it off, as it was fairly hefty but not well attached & shook visibly. Sadly as the PR room was even colder they had been wrapped in my new fluffy towels which took the shine off the gold, but it still looked good on their legs. After the gourmet lunch (we got water from the sponsors & sandwiches out of sight!) they had to go back, and hand out thank you presents - think was gold gifts in them. While we were doing all that Zani got another request for a gold 'party' in China - if it happens & I can get a Chinese visa, he wants me to body paint Wilson again over there!
So, big learning curve but dead simple and far less hassle now I know than doing a painting party or whatever for the same money. Plus have just found lovely lady who helps organise her kids school's sailing with Pete who actually WANTS to be painted - all over or her face! New obsession coming I think....................

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Sunday, November 19, 2006

Letter 17: Tequila Launch to Tai O

I should have mentioned, Monday was Petes birthday, though he had to work. Wish he would get to 30 so I wouldn't feel quite so old! I got him some board games he'd been wanting (sadly only naff cardboard counter ones available) like Backgammon, and a 'learn Mahjong' set as he'd been on about that. We tried it but you need 4 people and have to know loads of 'hands', hard! Still looking for travel backgammon but think that will have to wait till I visit the UK. A lady i talk to on the ferry recommended an Indian place (new) - didn't think I would be facing that for a while after over-indulging in Africa - so we pigged again.

Mum and I decided to visit the southern peninsula where I had spewed my guts up sailing past on Sunday, but by bus. Ii involved a trip to the end of the bus line from Central, past amazingly crowded skyscrapers. It was scarey, 30 storeys or higher, all crammed so closely that the laundry hanging outside flat windows to dry in the traffic fumes was almost touching between buildings. You could have conversations with neighbours in 4 other buildings from your window, even shake hands I bet. We got another double decker form the terminus to the remote peninsual of Shek O, and what a change - from overcrowded bustle to deserted valleys & peaks. Bit shades- of- scarey-bus rides in Guatemala, seeming to careen around steep sharp curves overhanging vertical cliffs, but wow!
Shek O was fairly deserted when we FINALLY arrived (after 3 pm) and after a sit on the beach (still hot enough for bikinis if we had been as brave as the 70 year old there wearing one) we managed to find the 'old' quarters, decorated with those cool dragon-back triangular flags as they had just had the ancestors prayer festival. (Pete had 100's of little lanterns & boats wash up at work from the festival goers all around HK). Much nicer than HK's high rises, all little tiny bungalows and shacks. The Country Club golf course looked amazing too.

Temple, Shek O, Hong Kong
Originally uploaded by wildcatfin.



After getting the only bus back to the city outskirts we did find another one back to Stanley & Pete without having to go via Central - but at one point we were crossing a single lane road accross a dam, with the water on 1 side and a drop on the other - and cars wouldn't stop to let the bus cross! Definitely somewhere to visit when we have a boat/ calm day.



The tiny brown house ants are at it again - even found one in the airtight cereal box. Getting to the stage where we have to check everything for them before we eat it; they seem to ENJOY the new ant traps I have added to the collection already in the flat. And for some reason they have got excited about the mouthwash in the bathroom, no matter how often I rinse off the bottle or where I store it, they are all over it! Drives me nuts - surely mouthwash doesn't have sugar in it????


Cleaning Skyscraper, Hong Kong
Originally uploaded by wildcatfin.


Paper offerings? Hong Kong
Originally uploaded by wildcatfin.

Tues mum & I 'did' the Peak; got an open-topped bus for a short ride for Central ferry to the Peak tram and got on that.
Quite scary, you are sat at at least 45 degrees without the restraints you get in roller-coaster rides etc, nasty sensation you could fall backwards out of your seat, down the tram.

Lippo Skyscraper, Hong Kong
Originally uploaded by wildcatfin.

The floor had sort of scooped steps cut into it so you could actually get off at stops other than the less steep terminals without sliding down the carriage.
The view from the new Peak (yet another 'shopping centre') was great but would have been even better without the pollution clouds.

View from the Peak, Hong Kong
Originally uploaded by wildcatfin.


They actually had a Burger King (the rest of HK is all McD's, a monopoly which is a shame as if I do fancy junk food its BK I like!) so mum let me have that for a treat (not rice!!!!!). I must say I was impressed - more expensive than usual (prob cos its on the super pricey/ posh Peak) but our meal actually LOOKED like the lush ones they always have in their adverts, burger was huge, crispy veg etc, I was stuffed and mum couldn't finish hers - unusual experience in a fast food chain! Best was the view - see pic we took (along with the Barrista's cup George kindly sent out so I could join in his 'world cup' competition).


Thursday mum helped me to Sok Kwu Wan so I got the ferry to Central with all my painting gear, sweltering in all black as the PR agency asked me to wear that. Nearly another disaster - I KEEP reading the wrong bit of the ferry timetables, and if I had got it really wrong would have had to wait 2 hours for the next 1 - luckily only 30 mins this time!!!! The scandinavian bar hosting the launch was in a 'hip' hotel, very funky. The 4 models (Brazil, Denmark, Chezhk) were as shocked as I was by the 'elegant' dresses specially designed by some fashion designer. Plus as they'd been told ankle length skirts, 2 hadn't shaved their legs, only to find the 'skirt' was thin strips from the waist! See the pics - Abba in dayglo sequins! All the 'elegant' designs I had done went out the window as they had to compete with the 4 brash 'colours' of the dresses to match the 4 'flavours' of Patron Tequila.
Which comes in hand polished crystal limited edition numbered bottles, in violin-grade maple cases signed by the artist, don'tcha know. Dread to think how much it costs! Anyway hampered by the design crew either switching off ALL the lights, or only leaving a tequila- flavour-coloured spotlight on so I couldn't distinguish my paints, the 1st 2 girls faces went ok; last 2 not so good and I had to speed up as PR woman decided she wanted bee logo necklaces painted on them all too.
Worst was the awful cheap tinsel eyelashes she gave me to use on them - not sticky enough & I have only worn/ used them myself once, learning curve!!!! (The models agent kept asking me to put foundation etc on them & got stroppy when I said I didn't have/ do that as she was convinced I was a makeup artist). Never mind, I did it in time, converted my kit to the new gadget that sits on 1 arm and spent 3 hours wandering around the launch party painting random things as well as the bee/ vine logos on all the guests & bigwigs.
The girls had to perch and primp (and pimp) their bottles to the guests. They & the PR people seemed happy, hope they meant it! Fun bunch; there was a logo-graffitti wall, kinetic art made out of the tequila papers, juggling cocktail tequila guys, amazing ice tables etc. The food (I was offered some but too busy) was served actually on spoons in complicated decorative mini bites, you ate it from the utensil rather than as finger nibbles. I left about on time (even though more wanted painting but PR company didn't want to pay me for longer) and managed to get my last ferry home, thank gods!


Friday we got the early ferry to go see another junk we might buy, this one already converted to a house boat and currently sitting in the posh & expensive Aberdeen marina surrounded by multi-million yauchts even mum had heard of the owners of. It ticked 3 things off mums list - we got a sampan out there, we passed the 'Jumbo' (worlds largest floating chinese restaurant - overpriced, over-decorated & nasty round the back), and she got to see a junk. It was lovely, with a big bedroom (with a proper double bed AND storeage), tiny loo but nicer than ours, big enclosed glass living/ sitting space, open back balcony. Although it was 48 feet, it seemed to have less space than the smaller one on deck, and also was awkward to get onto from the water as it had no boarding platform. At double the price Pete wasn't keen even though it had a massive metal pole in the middle of the room which I am sure Sammy would have been dancing from! Then Pete realised his licence only allows him to drive boats up to 44 feet, and as the engine on this didn't work, and all the electrics were made to run from cabled supplies not battery/ generators, that blew it. So Mum & I went for a 2nd look at the original boat (after accidentally waiting 30 mins at the Aberdeen MARINA club - VERY posh, instead of the BOAT club next door!), 4 ft shorter, with a working engine. It did seem much bigger; older, more knackered, without a shower or proper bed too, but still..... At dinner in the 'Mediteranean Restauraunt' in our bay that night we arranged to see the chefs' flat which is next door to us. He rents it out as a B&B thing - nicer than ours with proper kitchen, loo & double beds, wow! Think if anyone comes to visit us & we have moved onto the boat, we'll rent a flat like that for a few weeks - much nicer out here than in smelly HK. And far cheaper! Petes aunt replies that there are no 4th floors as '4' in Cantonese sounds or looks the same as 'death' which is why it's unlucky. Still, nice out here on Lamma with only up to 3 storey high flats! We found an amazing at & crafts shop, with all sorts of tiny kits to make funky origami or those chinese knots..not that we can work it all out, we will have to go back & try to get the woman to demonstrate.


Sat I had been booked by a doctor for his daughter's party, and despite him spelling out his address i could only really understand the hospital it was near. Realising when I arrived he'd been saying 'senior' staff quarters, ahhh!!! He lived with his wide, 2 daughters shared 1 bedroom, and granny (traditional chinese, no english) had the 3rd bedroom. Lovely polished floors, and me being the clumping great foreign dufus didn't realise I had to take off my shoes before entering. I did when asked and there was a minor panic finding guest house slippers for me (explains why they sell loads of slippers so cheaply in the shops) so there was me poking out of fluffy man's teddybear slippers, in my fairy outfit. Terribly polite kids, again, busy choosing what they would like to be from my website as his PC was in the office nook where I painted. I apparently cannot say 'butterfly' in Cantonese, when I was copying them, much hysterical giggling and apologies but they wouldn't or couldn't tell me what I WAS pronouncing. I said I thought Cantonese was the hardest language ever, and they didn't aggree. Plus they all spoke it, Mandarin, French, English and at least 1 other language fluently! Wow! We got home to find a message asking if I could paint at a kids Rugby tournament in Kowloon on Sunday. A lady from the ferry had asked us to a BBQ on Sunday afternoon, but she said most of those things ended at lunch so we could still visit her, so we left on the early morning ferry. Slight fright when the taxi driver took us to the 'wrong' dock but it turned out we must have been one of the last few loads to get on the Star ferry at it's original pier, last week; despite much protest they have moved them to lovely new piers beside all the other ferries- made sense to me! The taxi in Kowloon had to dump us at the bottom of the hill we wanted, as the traffic into the rugby area was so bad. Turned out there were 5000 kids just PLAYING matches so you can imagine all the family & friends along to watch! I boiled in the sun, set up beside the bouncy castle, until the rugby club brought the promised gazebo. Which promptly blew away as it was extremely gusty, nearly taking the castle with it, and smashing a bottle of new pricey face paint I had just got - gutted! Mum was brilliant, entertaining the kids in the queue, collecting money & showing them the mirror. Also meant I got a lunch-break (at 2pm after breakfast at 6am!) despite angry parents shoving money at me to paint their kids when we had turned away 20 from the end of the queue telling them to come back after lunch! Got rid of a box & a half of business cards too, wish I'd had more, and loads of praise including the Director of some big american company saying she had never seen anyone as good as me which is all great for the ego/ business too! As I was still painting at 5 pm we had to cancel going to the BBQ, and I felt dead after that & dragging my kit home up the steps, but was good! Must charge more at pay-per-facelike that, as it isn't worthwhile at $30 HKD per face - it's just that I usually go double a bottle of water/ drink at event like that, and as food is so cheap here I seem outrageous already at that price. What I do notice is how the boys/ men are far more colourful in their choices here, AND like glitter - unusual in the Uk! Even did 1 12 year old rugby boy as a pink & purple butterfly with blue swirls, carefully dictated by him - nice change actually, why should girls get all the fun?

I bought a new printer, was pleased as it is the single colour cartridge so more economic as usually its the black that runs out before the colours. But despite the store saying yes they had ink, they don't for that model!!!! So we trawled loads of stationary stalls, with no luck - but did find cute kits for all sorts or origami etc which I will have a go at. Miffed as I needed the pics of practice faces I had tried for the models on Thursday, and wanted to do a proper book of face ideas for the chinese kids to choose at the party I did on Sat. Have since found the 'computer centre' in Wan Chai, several floors below a high-rise, stuffed with tiny booths stuffed with anything & all to do with computers and hi-tech gadgets. Gee & J would probably implode with excitement but we were the only non geeks/ females in it & it was HEAVING. Still, I got my ink!

Tuesday it POURED and was too misty to even see HK from Lamma. Mum & I took 2 ferries then a bus from Lantau island (2 times bigger than HK island but practically empty apart from the airport) which lies to the west of HK. It;s where our supermarket gets its milk from - bizarrely from a Trappist Monastry! The (now all chinese) monks with their vows of slience moved the cows over to China recently though. Lantau's main settlement is the posh 'Discovery Bay' area, mainly what they call a 'bedroom town' as people only sleep there and do all their living & work on HK; sounds a bit twee/ american as ONLY converted golf carts are allowed for transport and they cost more than luxury cars in the UK (no wheelies & drunken rides here, Gee). We landed in the rather dingy spot Pete & I ate at when we came windsurfing here, and hurried around looking for brollies as mine kept collapsing. Mum & I decided not to bother attempting to see the worlds largest seated Buddha through the rain, but went to Tai O, a fisherman's village on stilts, one of the last surviving in HK and allegedly the Venice of Hong Kong. It looked damp but quaint; (tiny shanty houses on stilts with boats moored under them); more worrying was the tiny dwellings out the back of it.
All clad in tin (noisy in rain hot in summer- why?), with their dimensions painted on the outside (for tax purposes??) - most not more than 7 ft x 7 ft!!!!! And again, all the stalls selling unidentifiable dried fish (even a dried skate bigger than me) and puffer fish.....yes with sombreros.
Someone had filled his entire rowing boat with live fish and hadn't noticed an egret perched on his motor eyeing them up which looked a bit ominous.
We also found most of the village stuffed into their hall, watching Chinese opera. Mum got invited in by the ladies but I preferred the slight muffling the rain caused if I stayed outside.....pretty painful stuff, that style of music, and we think the 'girl' was a guy in drag (amazing traditional blue silk dress) but his falsetto wasn't as obvious as most. We stopped in at the Meditteranean Cafe on our beach again, only to order a Baked Alaska as it looked impressive when other diners had it the other night, and I don't think i had ever tasted it. Nice - not too sweet, sat on bread instead of sponge, with different flavours of ice-cream scooped into fresh fruit salad. Yum!

Wednesday I had a meeting with a woman whose kids I painted at Rockit, the first festival I did here. She runs the performing arts side of the HK Arts Foundation, a charity that mainly gets big companies to sponsor them to run massive events offering free arty type stuff to kids and the disabled. Corporations seem to use it rather than run even more expensive advertising campaigns - all the posters/ people involved see their name as sponsor, AND it looks good in annual reports I expect. It is all very pro, unlike similar stuff I have seen in the UK: a lot of her events raised millions for the clients charities (or the client donated it to the arts foundation to go into schools etc) as well as being high profile. Big banks etc also get their staff to help kids paint murals or create art which then decorated their schools or the company HQ or public places. Anyway, she was dead keen to get me on their team/ involved - they have a really cool mosaic artist they use a lot, and wants me to help with a proposal to the Rugby 7s for next year. I think I mentioned several clients/ entertainment artists said how AWFUL the painters were at the Rugby 7's the last few years; charging at least £10 per face (!) for a few stripes to represent a flag? Well, many complained they wouldn't mind it so much if it was better OR went to charity (don't think the rugby clubs were impressed with the pittance the painting team gave them for their charities as they must have been raking it in), so I'm perfect for it. She already has a team they use (all theatrical trained) but wants to pay me to run a few training sessions and buy in proper paint etc, then pay me to paint/ lead on the days of the tournament. her clients loved the idea; we are just waiting to hear if their accountants rubber stamp it then I am getting paid really well for those 3 days in March, woohoo! She also wants me involved in other projects so she can hire me, often as project artist, and is interested in any other ideas I have - even looks as if they do environmental art and are starting to get into eco-activities, right up my street! Basically looks as if it could be all the sort of stuff I did at the Suffolk Wildlife Trust but with big companies bankrolling it - she said anything they need and can't buy, its easy to get MADE specially in China, wow. Some of their lantern decoration installations were amazing, and a wild art (Andrew Goldsworthy style) project they did in asstd nature reserves with several schools, they could afford a professional photographer to come and capture the finished works for later displays.
To celebrate we went to our favourite Thai restauraunt and even Pete couldn't finish the feast - ordered all sorts of odd stuff including yummy rice in a whole pineapple.


On mum's last day (dull again) we mainly wandered around Central. As Pete & his mum said, the view from the (boring mainly) 55th floor of IFC 2 (its the highest in HK at 88 floors - see it in Lara Croft Tomb raider 2).

Wierd, watching the birds of prey zoom BELOW us, and seeing all the formerly hidden roof top cafes!Found an amazing roof terrace garden with odd chairs, sculptures and fountains on top of the IFC shopping mall, deserted!

We finally found a Dim Sun cafe (means touch the heart - as its so full of fat i expect!) with soup so spicey we all cried. The dumplings were OK, not amazing, but think next time I'll find a place that does them in animal shapes (meant for kids) as at least that would amuse me! Did a lot of coo-ing at all the cute wee puppies in their transparent boxes in the pet-shop district. (Mainly so i could get the toasted waffle-like cocoa egg-ball things I love). Why do they shave them in funny patterns tho? Not just the poodles, most of them! And if anyone wants a fake Gucci bag specially designed to carry mini dogs in, or designer dog outfits, form PVC police uniforms to Prada scarves and hats, I know the place to buy them.

ART on rooftop of IFC Mall, HK
Originally uploaded by wildcatfin.



Pete had totally gone off buying a junk - mainly as he can't sail it and its wood (bad for maintainance costs) but more as only rich idiots seem to have them around here I reckon. Luckily we finally found a decent catamaran (not riddled with bugs like the last one) and as its the only one in 3 months of searching we can remotely afford/ get, have put an offer on it. Only problem is, its parked in remote islands half way to Australia. He's going to inspect it; the gear with it is more than we would ever need, its currently been crusing the Pacific so works fine, is newer than most we have seen, is set up for living on already (beds - 2 doubles 2 singles!!!)etc. I am just not happy about him sailing it back, (if it is OK and he takes it;) for time & danger. He's hoping to get a couple more 'crew' (don't expect me to volunteer) and THINKS it will take less than 2 weeks. So the agent's asking the oner while we scrabble all our savings together and try to get a loan. NOT impressed with how hard it is to access all my accounts that allegedly gave me internet banking - and he can't get a number or reply about why the official number doesn't work for his ISA! Typically we can't get a decent loan rate from the UK as we no longer reside there, ditto in HK because we aren't classed as permanent here! So off to see bank tomorrow, booo.
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