Hong Kong (3/10 - 3/11): Weak Ends

Saturday I had arranged to meet up with X-Tina at the Jusco in Tai Woo around 11 a.m., but I was running late in the morning so we rescheduled for noon. After we met at the MTR station the first order of business was lunch, so we grabbed some food at the McDonald's above the station.

X-Tina brought her daughter along with her too. It was kinda neat pushing the stroller around and getting a feeling for what it might be like to have a kid, but I came to realize something. Well, two things. First, if you're a guy and you're pushing your friend's baby around, and your friend is female, most people are going to assume you're the father. Second, I have like ZERO energy when it comes to children. I suppose once you have one you manage to find it, but I get tired just standing still, let alone taking care of a child.

I realized that at some point in my life my energy levels severely dropped. I remember as a child that running around wasn't tiring at all. And then at some point it suddenly became exhausting to be upright. What happened there? Is it so gradual that you just don't notice it until it's too late? Or is it just because i'm so out of shape? Maybe a combination of the two?

In any case, as I was sitting next to two senior citizens (who had apparently come to Jusco to fall asleep on benches for extended periods of time), waiting for X-tina and her daughter to finish their "meal", I realized that, at least this week, I'm in no shape to have any Children. I suppose that's a good thing since I wasn't planning on having any kids this week.

Maybe next week ...

It also made me realize how important it is to stay consistent with my exercise.

Of course, I was super sore most of the weekend too, so that might have something to do with my lack of physical energy.

After we did some shopping (I bought a cheap, but good, DVD player, as well as a crock pot and a rice cooker/steamer -- which will both be delivered Wednesday "some time" in the afternoon) we headed over to her home where I saw her hubby and step-son again.

We did our Cantonese vocab session, which is basically where I bring a list of the phrases that I really wish I knew over the past week and she shows me how to say them in Cantonese, which I record on audio, stick on my mp3 player, and listen to all day at work. By the next time we meet in another week or so (this was the first time) I should have most of the vocabulary memorized.

After that it was time for me to leave. I grabbed the MTR back home and worked through most of the evening setting up my computer, DVD player and various A/V equipment to try to get my home entertainment system in peak, optimal shape.

One disturbing thing was that I saw the biggest cockroach of my life sitting behind my computer. It was literally bigger than my thumb (which ain't no small thing) withOUT the antenna. I left home, walked to the store, bought about a billion roach poison traps and the biggest can of Raid I could find. When I got back it had moved to the kitchen but the Raid pretty much made it the last kitchen he would ever visit. I also put the little roach traps all over the place. DEATH TO ROACHES!

I took some video and a picture of it, but it was so gross i don't even want to download the IMAGE of it into my computer.

Anyway, I went to bed kinda late that night and slept in the next morning.

Sunday was pretty relaxing. But mainly because my body was SO SORE from Friday night's return to wushu. I got a haircut, and went to eat dinner at an Indian restaurant just down the street from my home. (Holy Cow, it was delicious! -- no pun intended.) I spent most of the evening watching my American Idol downloads on my new computer / TV. Oh .. did some laundry and cleaning too.

And that was pretty much my weekend. More and more I really like just relaxing at home and not going out. Either I'm introverted or I'm getting old ... but this really is my little fortress of solitude, and it's nice to just be here by myself and doing my own thing.

I'm not trying to be anti-social.  It's just the way things turn out when I stay home all the time.