Week 18: 7/31/05

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#FFCC80" TEXT="#080000" background="67cc8b83.jpg"> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Random Things to Make You Giggle"><B>Random Things to Make You Giggle</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id77.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hong Kong Disneyland"><B>Hong Kong Disneyland</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Our Parkview Apartment"><B>Our Parkview Apartment</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 1: 4/3/05"><B>Week 1: 4/3/05</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id29.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 2: 4/10/05"><B>Week 2: 4/10/05</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 3: 4/17/05"><B>Week 3: 4/17/05</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 4: 4/24/05 "><B>Week 4: 4/24/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 5: 5/1/05 "><B>Week 5: 5/1/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id37.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 6: 5/8/05 "><B>Week 6: 5/8/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id39.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 7: 5/15/05 "><B>Week 7: 5/15/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id41.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 8: 5/22/05 "><B>Week 8: 5/22/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id42.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 9: 5/29/05 "><B>Week 9: 5/29/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id48.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 10: 6/5/05 "><B>Week 10: 6/5/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id51.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 11: 6/12/05 "><B>Week 11: 6/12/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id53.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 12: 6/19/05 "><B>Week 12: 6/19/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id55.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 13: 6/26/05 "><B>Week 13: 6/26/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id57.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 14: 7/3/05 "><B>Week 14: 7/3/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id60.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 15: 7/10/05 "><B>Week 15: 7/10/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id62.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 16: 7/17/05 "><B>Week 16: 7/17/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id64.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 17: 7/24/05 "><B>Week 17: 7/24/05 </B></A></div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f00000cc00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Week 18: 7/31/05 </B></div> <div> <A HREF="id67.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 19: 8/7/05 "><B>Week 19: 8/7/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id70.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 20: 8/14/05 "><B>Week 20: 8/14/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id71.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 21: 8/21/05 "><B>Week 21: 8/21/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id74.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 22: 8/28/05 "><B>Week 22: 8/28/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id76.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 23: 9/4/05 "><B>Week 23: 9/4/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id79.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 24: 9/11/05 "><B>Week 24: 9/11/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id80.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 25: 9/18/05 "><B>Week 25: 9/18/05 </B></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#BF0000" FACE="Australian Sunrise" ><B>Welcome to Chase family planet!</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Australian Sunrise" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >    |    </FONT> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Welcome to Chase family planet!">home</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Adventures in Asia">Adventures in Asia</A>   ·   <A HREF="id46.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us">Contact Us</A></div> <bR> <div> Week 18: 7/31/05 </div> <div> Hello There!<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> You would think things would be winding down around here as our stay in Hong Kong is rapidly coming to an end, but quite to the contrary, Mike is gone more than ever as the looming deadline of Disneyland's soft opening on August 16 is speeding headlong at him. This week I got a little relief, however, as my cousin Josh arrived on Wednesday to help out.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Houseguest!</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Josh is 15, and the son of my first cousin Kelly. His older sister Elizabeth visited us in Japan to help us out when Nathan was just a wee babe (is it possible my tall, lanky boy was <I>ever</I> a wee babe?), and we always said that if we ever got another international assignment we'd bring him out next. Fortunately, it's the right time and right place, with my two little boys clamoring for male attention and Josh relatively happy to give it. This first week was pretty difficult for Nathan, as we went eight straight days without the boys seeing their father at all. And then we toss in "cousin Josh" who we've been talking about for months ("we can't go on the helicopter ride until cousin Josh gets here") and Nathan just doesn't know what to think or where his allegiance should lie. One minute Nathan was thrilled that Josh was here, and then the next was very angry and upset at the "intrusion". Josh was bunking with the boys, but thanks to Nathan's snoring we decided to put Josh in the living room and Nathan was inconsolable for an hour, thinking that Josh was deserting him like he perceives his dad has, even though Josh had only been here 72 hours. Under the best of circumstances when our life is going along quite jolly and happy, my kids can be a little overwhelming. They have a zest for life and gusto that is barely contained within their small bodies. Unfortunately, our current situation could not be described as the best of circumstances, so their "big" personalities are bursting at the seams, overwhelming even for me, arguably the person on earth to whom they are most beloved. I can only imagine what must be going through Josh's mind as my children have perpetual meltdowns while in my greatly sleep deprived state I try my best to hold it together but find eight times out of ten I fail. Josh tells us he's having a good time though, so I'm just going to have to trust that he really means that!<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Food, Food, and More Food</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> On Josh's first full day here we took him to a French deli, the second day we went to an Italian place, and on his third night, a group of our friends arranged a night out at an all you can eat Japanese restaurant. That was actually pretty fun, the food that Josh and I could handle eating (the cooked kind) was all really delicious. Our friends were amazed that we passed up the endless trays of fresh sashimi and sushi, but we lived in Japan and didn't feel the need to eat sushi there, so I thought we'd stick to the precedence we set there and continue abstaining from it! Sorry to you sushi lovers like Greg C who is shaking his head right now, appalled that he considers us friends... And Mike even got to arrive at the very tail end of the evening just as we were ready to go home, which despite the late arrival, I was thrilled to see him. Saturday night we invited Robbi and Matthea over to see our apartment and to eat some Mexican food with us, this time sans Mike. Sometime on Saturday after our lunch of American style cheeseburgers, Josh was asking if there was such a thing as Chinese food here in Hong Kong! Figuring we should take him for some <I><B><U>CHINESE</U></B></I> food, we made our third trip back to Jumbo, the giant floating restaurant with the exquisite example of Chinese kitsch everywhere you look inside and out. And I have to say that despite what the reviewers say, we actually really enjoy the food there. We also went on a ride in a sampan, a motorized wooden boat, through Aberdeen Harbour and got up close and personal with the people who live on the boats throughout the harbor.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Update on HKDL</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Mike is buried in work as Hong Kong Disneyland's opening date gets nearer. As someone who needs a lot of sleep to function, I'm always amazed at Mike's ability to get by on four or less hours of sleep each night and still be in a pleasant mood. I've been stupidly waiting up each night to grab even 30 minutes with him at 1:00 a.m. before he passes out, and even though he gets up at 4:45 a.m. and I don't get up until 6:30 or 7:00, I can't believe how tired and cranky I am while Mike still has a smile on his face each night when he gets home. Mike is truly a gem, as most men I know who work those kind of hours (or even half those hours) get a day off and spend it in front of the telly or computer, or at least try to catch up on lost sleep. But with bloodshot eyes Mike is up ready to wrestle with the kids or go exploring around town, not willing to miss out on a single moment that he can grab with us. Michael's show is coming along pretty well, there are lots of last minute changes, common to finally getting a show on it's feet and seeing the real thing instead of just drawings, so he's still in the thick of things. We are crossing all our fingers and toes that Michael will get a day off after the first "rehearsal day" when certain fabulously lucky members of the public are invited to come spend the day at Disneyland prior to the grand opening on September 12. You can count Josh, Nathan, Benjamin, and I among those fabulously lucky people, as Robbi was exceedingly kind to us in giving up her tickets for that day so that we can make sure Josh gets a chance to experience on your behalf what all the fuss is about! Every day in the newspaper Disney is getting slammed quite viciously, but based on the number of people who are wearing Disney tees and riding the newly opened MTR train complete with Mickey-shaped windows to Disneyland just to walk up to the main gate and then go home tells me that there will be plenty of people willing to shell out the cash to spend the day in the Magic Kingdom. We also found out this week that as predicted our time here will be cut shorter by at least one week. I'd love to give you a definite date that we'll arrive back in the U.S., but I suspect it will be something along the lines of Mike calling up and saying "hey, Heather, they said we could leave in two days. Wanna?" and you getting a big email saying "we're on our way home!". So like always, we'll see what happens!<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Coming Next Week...</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> We somehow get roped into being involved in a film shoot for Michael's show and melt in the blazing sun and high humidity, we visit the Giant Pandas at Ocean Park, and Heather gets a much needed, and much appreciated massage at the new Parkview Salon... </div> <bR> <div> <B>Happy traveling!</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#00BF00" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> <B>Heather, Michael, Nathan, and Benjamin Chase</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="771" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 292 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="498680d0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="269" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Chi Ka Japanese Restaurant with friends</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="4ac680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Michael arrives just in time to finish all the leftovers!</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 325 WIDTH="376"><div> <IMG SRC="49e680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> At Jumbo they treat the boys like princes.  Here they made a throne for Ben, even fluffing little pillows behind him to make him more comfy.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="376"><div> <IMG SRC="4a6680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Chinese food at Jumbo with a view overlooking the yachts in Aberdeen Harbour..</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 308 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="4a2680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The decor is overwhelming!</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="376"><div> <IMG SRC="4a0680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> We show Josh what he could have had for lunch in the Seafood Exhibition...</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 308 WIDTH="376"><div> <IMG SRC="4a4680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Our sampan driver was eating her lunch as she took us around the harbor.  We had two near-collisions!</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="4a8680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> If you lived here, you could be home...</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 689 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="4adf49b0.jpg" border=0 width="500" height="667" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Jumbo with Joshua, Benjamin, and Nathan</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>