FOOOOOOD!!!!

So. We already know that I am terrible at blogging. We already covered that. It's not so much that I don't want to do it. I do. It's just that I am doing so much to blog about, that I don't have time to actually blog about it. That's not a bad problem to have in my opinion. Actually. I don't think it's a problem at all. So this whole paragraph was a waste of time. For you and me. But I'm okay with that. Moving along...

So. The food here in Hong Kong is really good. The only thing I didn't like was this really bland soup that I got from this restaurant. I can't recommend against the restaurant or the soup because all of it was in Chinese.

Here are some of my favorite things to eat.

This is lemon water with honey. It's like warm lemonade with a tablespoon of AWESOME in it.

This is seafood fried rice. 

This is calamari with a lemon batter. SOFA KING GOOOOOD!!! (I like to eat it with the above rice!)

These are some dumplings my friend Mike ordered. So good. I think there was pork in these.

This is eel and chives. Sounds crazy to some, sounds like AWESOME to me.

Not one of these dishes is more than $90HK... so nothing costs more than $10USD

There are a lot of ways to eat here. My favorite is street food. It's exactly what it sounds like. There'll be a little store front with some old lady grilling the hell out of fish balls, squid, chunks of beef, pork or chicken. They even have chicken KNUCKLES!!! I personally like them. 

Here is a picture of my friend Mike eating the "forbidden orange street food". Forbidden by all those SCAD students and faculty that have come before us even though none of them can actually tell us why. I tasted it too. I thought it was pretty darn good.

They have regular grocery stores here. Not as exciting as I thought it would be. The most fun is when you get to do HKD to USD conversions. -_____-

They do have little markets in town near our school, and they have these other markets that are in alleys. You can get EVERYTHING at these back ally markets. Even killed. I kid, I kid. Kinda.

Hands down the best beef jerky. It's SUPER tender so it's not "jerky" at all, and it has the best flavoring. They make it from Beef, pork, lamb, chicken, etc. Tell me. What's your flavor?

THIS! Did not sit will with me.

Yes. That is blood on his apron. That fish was ALIVE 3 seconds ago. Talk about fresh. Apparently there is a restaurant somewhere in Hong Kong that takes a live fish, batters it and deep fries all but it it's head so it is technically still alive and doing that fishmouthy thing when you eat it. I won't be sampling that. Not EVEN for good blogging material.

There are a LOT of other things I want to tell you about like the IMMENSE difference in bubble tea. (OMG!!!) and dim sum (which I haven't had yet) and the mall food courts. Yes, the food courts. I may do a video for that... You may not understand otherwise.

That's it for now! Cheers!

Love,

Moonie :)

FIRST DAY IN HONG KONG!!!

So. I'm not sure what I should talk about first.

I arrived starving and tired. Some random lady said something about SCAD and I thought, OMG I'm gonna be kidnapped, but then she mentioned my roommates' names. LOL

We hopped a rather cool looking bus and headed to the Gold Coast, which is considered rather swanky. Most of your ex-pats live there and it's on the beach over looking the harbor. There's a giant pool, a pier with restaurants, grocery stores and spas around. This is home for the next few months. :)

Anyhoo, I came in and dumped my stuff and crashed... That was a  LONG. FLIGHT.

The next morning we got up and went to SCAD Hong Kong on the shuttle. That was pretty funny. We were patiently waiting for the shuttle, enjoying snacks and beverages when we saw the shuttle speed off. We were at the wrong place. -______-

We were able to catch the the bus and look at the beautiful, messy, dynamic, mountainous, heavily populated city that is Hong Kong.

When we got to school, we had to cross the street. Here, YOU. WILL. GET. HIT. by a car. Don't be stupid about crossing the street. Here is the crosswalk button...

Here are some images from the outside of SCAD... I know one doesn't make much sense... Hey. Welcome to Hong Kong!

After that we went to the train station. That was intense. Very cool. Who knew you could buy so much useless stuff and be EXCITED about it? lol

We took a short tour of the city with our Professor Steve Aishman who is one of the smartest men I have ever met.

We rode the Star Ferry across the harbor. The Star Ferry has an interesting history. In the years before tunnels were made, it was the only way across the harbor. It's very old and seats a LOT of people. This is a terrible picture LOL! I promise to post a better one later....

On the way to the Star Ferry...

My view from the Star Ferry... OH! What's that??? SCAD!!!!!!!!!!!! *Does awkward victory dance*

 On the other side we saw rickshaws for sale. They are now illegal in Hong Kong because they contributed to the traffic volume. Hong Kong has the worst drivers ever can get pretty hectic. It's ALWAYS rush hour!

One thing about Hong Kong, these people seem to have a very strong sense of balance. In the middle of this crowded humid city, with all the traffic, smog, and people, finding peace is just as natural as waking up every morning. Inside a random mall...

I'm going to take a note and learn how to balance my life a little bit more. This was a lot for a first day. More soon! I can't wait to share my food experiences!!


Love,
Moonie

48 Hours Left!!! Ok, Ok... 49.

Just a couple of days until I fly halfway around the world. I'm not freaked out by that. When I was fourteen I flew to Australia and New Zealand to study abroad with Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower's People 2 People program... without my parents.

That was almost 20 years ago. Now, my parents are much older and there is a lot of concern there for me. I'm being modest. I'm panicking.

That said, I am cleaning and packing for catharsis' sake, wondering how I can ever get these last few people their images. As a new photographer, I have quickly learned to give clients  a number of edited shots to look forward to. I never thought that I would have someone call me and ask for ALL of them, even the bad ones, like when I left my lens cap on, or those ubiquitous shots of my stylishly shoed feet.

For now, I am logging off. Lunch is a-calling, and I have PLENTY of work to do around the house to keep me busy for the next 2 weeks, much less 2 days.

Love,
Moonie

BON VOYAGE!!!!!!!!!

I'm having my Bon Voyage party today with the friends that I have mad over the years. I'm really excited because there are people coming that I haven't seen in over 10 years!! It's being held at a local well known bar in Buckhead that has lots of seating, however, I have requested the rooftop area in all my diva-ness. We'll see how swell that is in this Atlanta heat.

Only a few days left before I leave. I'm not nervous or anything. I'm still not excited. What I am is stressed and tired, so I haven't had a chance to process anything related to my trip. I JUST went shopping to get the things I'll need and I'm not done. Maybe I will finish up tomorrow.

Hong Kong seems to be really exciting! Some people in my graduate program are already there and have been posting pictures. The FOOD!!!! I LOVE street food and I can't wait to be a fat(ter) kid with it!

I have to get ready. I have so much to do before this gathering and I only have four hours!! Here we go again!!

Love,
Moonie

BACK IN ATLANTA!

I just got in from New York last night and I had LOTS of fun while I was gone. I got to hang out with my friend and fellow photographer Donut for a short while. After getting lost because of bad directions from a passerby, getting passed up by at least 6 taxis, and then finally getting a cab that had no clue where my destination was, we had a nice lunch in a french eatery in Union Square.

Later, after shopping at B&H Photo/Video, I met my sister and her husband for sushi and drinks. I was supposed to meet a couple of other friends during my stay but between shooting and miscommunication, we'll just have to wait until next time.

My plane was stuffy and stinky, and they didn't bother to even vacuum the broken pretzels off the floor so I spent the entire plane ride trying to levitate and finish my book. I didn't accomplish either. :(

Now I'm back home and the amount of fun I had while gone is equal (or less than) the amount of work I have to do to make up for the time lost. It was totally worth it. Pics soon!

Love,
Moonie

HELLOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

This is the post in my new blog. I 'm actually really excited. I've been considering blogging for a while. I have started countless blogs before but nothing kept me motivated enough to update regularly. But now, here we are.

Right now, I'm in New York. Brooklyn, to be exact. I am visiting with friends and family before my three month trip to Hong Kong to further my studies in photography and the arts.

I'll be updating my blog on my daily goings-on, photo shoots, and the ups and downs of starting a freelance photography business as a graduate student. This should be a fun ride. I hope we can all learn stuff together. If not, we can have a good time laughing at ourselves trying.

Love,
Moonie