Confession from a Clothes-Trying-On Addict

So it happened again... I went clothes shopping today and ended up with a washing-size basket full of clothes to try on. They didn't even bother giving me the hangers.

And that was just the first of many stores I savaged.

I see it, I like it, I have to try it.

I'm one of those crazy women you see bulldozing her way through the racks, arms piled high with dresses, shirts, skirts, leggings, scarves, etc, trailing behind her - while the more discerning shoppers politely step through the mess, neatly carrying just one carefully thought-out item.

The sales girls look at me with glee, thinking "wow, she's going to buy all that!?" - and if they're on commission, they suddenly turn into rabid dogs feeding on their last meal.

Of course, I can't afford to buy 20 garments from one store, I just like to try on anything that looks cute, in the hope that at least one thing will look fantastic. Which I may or may not buy.

Poor sales girls.

If only they knew my intentions were never good.

But, thanks to some Christmas money from my pa, today turned into a bit of a haul:

2 dresses

2 shirts

1 skirt

1 pair of shoes

Face powder

Makeup brushes

False eyelashes (AGAIN - but these were a different size... good enough?)

Have a lovely Friday night!

New You Tube video is up!

This one's an easy peasy makeup look using fuschia pink + gold... I love colour!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMnqet7Zpvg

Another brilliant Hong Kong sign

Some things just don't translate.

I'm back!

So the experience of Vietnam is over... for now.

I will most certainly go back. The Vietnamese people had a real effect on me, more so than some of the other Asian cultures I have been privileged to spend time with since moving to Hong Kong. The Vietnamese are survivors, and have resisted every crude and naive attempt that has ever been made to conquer them. And there have been many.

But they have recovered with such grace and hospitality.

It's a beautiful place, and the people's passion for life and independence makes it shine even more so. It's also extraordinarily cheap - a few US dollars for a meal, and I was able to squeeze in more spa treatments and massages on my final few days than I have ever had in any one year!

Most of all, it was incredibly special to see family again and meet up with my dad and his girlfriend in Nha Trang. Living abroad is strange thing... while family are always missed and on your mind, when you don't see them you come to accept that you won't for some time. But when they are right there in front if you again, and it comes time to leave, it's heart crushing.

So after time in Ho Chi Minh and Nha Trang beach, here are my top ten Vietnam moments - in no order!

1. Seeing and spending time with my dad, I love him so much!

2. Vietnamese food... milder and less complicated than Thai and Chinese, just simple, gorgeous, fresh flavours

3. The prices... while it's not good for the Vietnamese, when you are paying as a tourist, it's certainly a help to know your hard-earned pennies go far

4. Discovering the spirit of the Vietnamese people - they are friendly, sweet and quietly strong

5. Getting five spa treatments in three days... heaven

6. Walking through a 'couples' park each evening, where young lovers cuddle away from their parents in secret... so cute and so old school

7. Learning how to bargain at the markets and actually getting a good deal... by the last day!

8. Early morning walks along Nha Trang beach followed by a glorious hotel breakfast buffet

9. Being only a 2 hour flight from home... never had that luxury whilst living in pretty Sydney!

10. After-dinner drinks and laughs each night at the Sailing Club, with candlelit tables right on the beach... the way every evening should be!

I hope you had a wonderful week...

Another holiday...

I find living abroad makes me take a looooot of holidays... this is definitely one for the plus column. I think I am happiest when I am travelling :).

Tomorrow I am off to Vietnam to meet up with my dad, take some time out, and no doubt cry like a baby at the war memorial.

Have a fantastic week, check ya when I get back!

Comfort food...

I had to post about my lunch today, because I NEVER get to eat this sort of food in Hong Kong.

We took B's Canadian family to Bubba Gump Shrimp for something that didn't include noodles, rice or pork.

I never knew this place existed!

I had fried shrimp, a BBQ cheeseburger with fries, and a soft chop chip cookie with vanilla ice cream for dessert that came on a plate as big as my burger.

I am SO sick of noodles, rice and pork.

And I am so very, very full.

Welcoming 2010 with open arms

2009 has been a massive year for me.

As it began I was blissfully living in my own apartment in Sydney's Inner West, working as an entertainment reporter in a job I loved (hello perks, how I miss you) and falling in love with Mr Marvellous.

By the end of 2009 I had moved out of my apartment and rented it to a Brazillian couple (I'm sure there's a green and yellow flag proudly flapping in the window), quit my amazing job through floods of tears, packed up my life, kissed my family and friends goodbye, and followed Mr Marvellous to Hong Kong.

It's been a year of extreme highs, lows and some middles.

I have surprised myself at how excited I was to leave all that was most comfortable to me, and start again with a clean, unplanned slate. I haven't felt that free and refreshed since I was an 18-year-old backpacking around the top end of Australia.

I surprised myself at how quickly I warmed to Hong Kong. I only just arrived, and I already know in my heart that I will shed a tear one day at how much I miss this place. It's made a significant impact.

I was thrilled to discover that living with B in a small city apartment in a brave new land has been nothing short of a pleasurable experience. I feel closer to him than ever, albeit a few couplish clashes here and there during high stress times.

I have been disheartened to find out that there really aren't any television entertainment reporter jobs in Hong Kong, and that finding job satisfaction that matched what I had before is most likely not going to happen anytime soon. That has been an extremely difficult adjustment for me and is still a work in progress.

But, I was given the rare chance to work freelance and have more time to smell the orchids, start my own business franchise, and return to the opportunities of university.

Highs, lows, or middles, I feel incredibly positive about what's to come this year and I welcome 2010 with open arms.

I am glad I am in Hong Kong.

I am glad I am with this man.

I am glad my family and friends are healthy.

I am a lucky girl.

Happy New Year!