fine dining

I'm doing a quick post this morning because I was too tired to blog last night. And why was I too tired? Because I went out to a fancy dinner at the exclusive China Club. This restaurant was once owned by David Tang, Hong Kong's equivalent to Donald Trump (David Tang also used to be the owner of Shanghi Tang, the uber-expensive, extremely coveted chinoiserie store that all the celebs shop at). David Tang has moved on to other businesses since, but the China Club remains a swanky destination restaurant.

Which I was only lucky enough to go to because I gave a talk to the local SCBWI who took me out to dinner afterwards. At the talk, I met Roseanne Thong for the first time! I've been the illustrator for 3 of her books and her work in getting those books noticed in Hong Kong played a vital role in getting me this exotic gig. So I was very grateful to meet her and she is a super nice person to boot.





The China Club was very snazzy. Modeled after an English gentleman's club of the 1930's, it's a tasteful blend of the British and Chinese old and new world. It has many floors:


and many separate private dining rooms, including a library:



and original art by contemporary Asian artists adorn all the walls:



And the food is amazing! Here's a photo of some othe desserts we had. Mango pudding (that was luscious) and custard filled gelatinous fish. Can you tell they are fish? They were really neat looking in real life.


There was also a balcony with an upclose view of that I.M. Pei building, it's right across which means all the bad luck of the building is getting reflected onto the China Club. I wonder if David Tang sold the restaurant because he didn't want the bad feng shui.

    

today's junk

It's a well known truism that viewing other people's vacation photos is rather dull. But, I'm not on a vacation. I'm working! Today I did a full day of visits at HKIS.



Where I had two lovely suprises waiting for me in the teacher's lounge. First:


a gigant-normous amount of books for me to sign. This was rather aweing. The other was on the magazine shelf:



and it was bluerosegirl Linda! Linda had been featured in a magazine in the States and it had made its way here in Hong Kong. Neat! She's an international cover girl.

After school, the HKIS coordinator, Amy took me to some fun places around the city. First, I went to a tailor to get some clothes made (more about that later) and then we rode on an authentic junk. It was amazing; and because it was kind of misty and grey out, we were the only people onboard--so it was like our own private boat. As we passed the ports, people took pictures of us, well, probably, really of the junk. But we felt like celebrities.




The sun set during our ride and the city really glowed with lights. It was quite beautiful.

    

I only wish I had had the sense to take a photo of the junk before the sun had set, as the only pictures I have of it are shrouded in shadows. But it was very exciting for me to experience...which means it was probably really boring for you to read. Be glad I didn't post the whole camera-memory card.

jetlag and hong kong at micro/macro

After waking up at 5AM, I went back to sleep at 8, woke up at 10, back to sleep at 11, woke up at 11:30 and decided I had better try to do something or else my jetlag was going to suck my day away. And I'm on an adventure, right? Adventure doesn't wait for sleep (though jet-lagged children's illustrators do easily succumb to it). So, I dragged myself out of my hotel room and into the street.



It was 70 degrees out there! Good thing I left my jacket in the room. I wandered the area around my hotel, which is a prime shopping district. So far, Hong Kong feels like an enormous, very modern, very clean Chinatown.

Of course, that is the micro view of it. I decided I had better get the big picture so I took advantage of SCBWI coordinator Mio's offer to take me to Victoria's Peak...





and got the macro view of it. Also, a nice view of I.M. Pei's Bank of China, the "sting ray" convention center and Norman Foster's special building that has the best feng shui of the city. I only know this because Robert especially pointed them out to me before the trip and said to look for them.

From the peak, you can see Kowloon which means "Nine Dragons." This is because (according to the legend Mio told me) the emperor, as a boy, was on Kowloon when he noticed that there were eight hills and said, "There are eight dragons protecting us." His servant, replied, "With you, the emperor, there really are nine dragons protecting us."

Isn't that neat?

The sun was just starting to go down, so Mio and I decided to have dinner until it got dark so I could see the city all lit up. We went to the Peak Lookout Restaurant (that's Mio below. She doesn't like to have her picture taken which is why she is mysteriously shrouded in darkness)...



where I opened up the menu to see:



Boston Lobster! Gee, I traveled half way around the world to get Boston lobster! I'm sure it was quite good, even though I didn't order it because, heck, it came all the way from Boston. Probably not the freshest, though. Maybe that's why it was a "supplement."

Anyway, we spent so long with dinner that I forgot to go back to the lookout view to take the night photo I had planned. So instead I took the picture from my hotel room, where I am now about to fall asleep yet again. Here's hoping that I can stay awake for more than 3 hours at a time tommorrow.

honorably arrived

These are my feet in Hong Kong. I'm here (or there, depending on where YOU are), honorably arrived as they say in Japan.

And it was an honorable arrival. I have to say, HKIS sure treats you well. For the first time, I had one of those smart looking drivers holding up a sign with my name on it at the airport. And then I rode off in a fancy black limo. When I arrived at the hotel, I could see all the passerbyers watching thinking I might be a celebrity. I hated to disapoint them, for not only was I far from being a celebrity, I looked awful. Nothing like 17 hours on an airplane to make you look like the Wicked Witch of the West.

Also, nothing like 17 hours on an airplane to make you dull-minded. I got some HK dollars at the airport, but didn't figure out how the currency worked out. So I think I tipped the driver the equivalent of $1. and the baggage person $40. (I was trying to compensate for my $1. driver mistake). And then I got complimentary room service from the hotel; and I forgot to tip that fellow completely. Oops.



But I liked the room service. There was more fruit but I ate it before I remembered to take a picture. But notice the hot green tea. It was lovely, I had a cup before I completely collapsed into bed, asleep to the world until 5 AM Hong Kong time...



when I realized my room had a view. Isn't that neat? I'm on the 18th floor so I can see the city and the water and the rooftops. One rooftop in particular struck me:



because of the garden. There's just something poetic about a small rooftop garden like that, in the vast landscape of buildings. The inkling of story is now in my head...I might have to spend the rest of my day writing it. Good thing I have 2 weeks here.

far travels

Did I tell you? I'm going to Hong Kong on Friday.

Yes, I am. The Hong Kong International School and the Man Festival invited me out there for the next 14 days, I think due to the attention that author Roseanne Thong (who lives in HK) has gotten there for the books we did together. Thanks, Roseanne!

But the trip is a little bittersweet. It's been in the works for a while; originally Robert was going to come with me and it was going to be a grand adventure. Unfortunately, he now can't come and I am left to my lonesome.

So, go I will. And I am determined to still make it an adventure, even though I admit to being a bit intimidated trying to explore Hong Kong by my lonesome. Luckily, the HKIS and SCBWI coordinators have graciously offered their guidance--which I am SO going to take them up on. Boy, are they going to regret that. I've declined to tell them about one of my most annoying traits--my love of vacation photography. I am the worst Asian sightseer off the tour bus, clicking away and always asking people to take a photo of me in front of some iconic monument. That's the one thing Robert said he's glad he's going to miss.

ten pipe dreams

Alvina's post What I'd like to try/learn reminded me of the lists we made a while ago. On it we put done all the things we wished to accomplish--selfishness and hubris completely encouraged. I know they are pipe dreams, but dreaming is half the fun. Here are ten of them:

1. Be able to do a handstand effortlessly, with abs of steel.

2. Have at least one of my books become a classic, beloved by generations and never go out of print.

3. Be an illustrator for a Children's Book Week Poster

4. Be an author/illustrator of a Little Golden Book (like Dan Yaccarino's Mother Goose)

5. Decorate a cake (or cupcakes) at a professional level (I want to learn how to pipe frosting flowers!)

6. Be honored at an awards ceremony where I get to get wear a fancy Academy Awards-type dress (like this).

7. Have a nice big studio with skylights (or something like this).

8. Stand on the Great Wall of China and pat the heads of the lions on the Marco Polo Bridge.

9. Have one of the characters of my book made into a statue placed in a public space/park (like the Make Way for Ducklings statue or the Alice in Wonderland Statue)

10. Own a successful children's bookstore/bakery/gallery.

Hmm, looking over my list I'm starting to feel pangs of guilt over my narcissism. I want world peace and an end to global warming too! Though, truthfully, I would trade everything on this list for Robert to be healthy and for us to have a real chance to live the life we've always dreamed.

how to

Back in August, I promised to show instructions on how I make my folders. I'm not very good at writing directions, but hopefully with the images you can figure it out:


1. Make your folder with corrugated cardboard: two large pieces the same size and a spine. Bind them together with artist tape. The tape should be flexible so the folder can bend.

2. Choose your paper. You will need two sheets of paper that are wider than the height of your folder and one very large sheet of paper appr. double the size of your folder.




3. Glue your smaller sheets of paper onto right and left hand pieces of your folder. They should cover 1/2- to 1/3 of the cardboard with a generous overhang. The over hand is very important, there should be at least an inch of paper overhanging the cardboard.








4. Flip your folder over. You should see the underside of that overhung paper. At each corner, cut a notch. The notch should line up with the edge of the cardboard.










5. Fold the corners of the notch into the triangular shape seen in the photo. Glue the triangles down. Repeat for all 4 corners.










6. Fold the flaps (with the glued down corners) over the pieces of cardboard. Glue flaps down.











6. Repeat on other side. So far, your folder should look like this.











7. Flip your folder over. Take your large sheet of paper and cut it to a size that covers all the exposed cardboard with at least an inch of overhang on each side. You want it to overlap the other paper.









8. Glue paper down. The paper should overlap the already glued paper and overhang off the boards.











9. Flip folder over. Fold over hanging paper over and glue. It should look like this.











10. Take the remaining paper and cut it so it is about 1/2 smaller on all sides than your folder. It should be large enough to cover all exposed cardboard and overlap the glued paper--but it should NOT overhang.









11. Glue the paper down, so it looks like this. While the glue is still moist, fold up the sides of the folder so that the spine does not get stiff in the wrong position.











12. Ta-Dah! You have a folder. Now make some art to go in it.

little kitchen in the condo

In my youth, I would hide from my mother behind the sofa so that I could read Little House on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Back then, the incongruity of a t-shirt wearing, Asian-American girl dreaming about being Laura Ingalls was lost on me. I longed for calico dresses and my mouth watered for such exotic foods like fried potatoes with salt pork, mashed turnips and hulled corn.

But, now, no more! I’ve been captivated by my recent purchase of The Little House Cookbook. It’s been in existence for over 20 years, but I’ve just discovered it. My inner child rejoices! Finally, I can actually taste the foods I’ve read about for so long.

And so far I have made Almanzo Wilder’s favorite dish: apples n’onions. It’s a pretty easy dish (fry apples and onions) but the gastronomical joy is great. Highly recommended.

This tasty achievement, of course, leads me to fantasizing about a cookbook made from my own books. My mind explodes with possibilities. It could be a cookbook filled with Asian cuisine recipes, just like the dishes my mother cooked for me. Who knows, perhaps kids reading my books are suddenly developing a craving for bowls of white rice, sweet pork buns and stir-fried noodles. It could be a smash hit.

But reality sinks in. I realize that my book is called The Year of the Dog and that is just not an appetizing title for a cookbook.

Which is not the first time my titles have thwarted me. Just be glad that the cupcakes I’m making for our Cupcake Contest (that YOU can win) are not from a cookbook called, The Year of the Rat.

cover story

Last May, my friend Justina Chen Headley told me the back story of her cover art for Nothing But the Truth and a few White Lies. The book is about a “hapa”, a half white and half Asian girl, and the publisher was having problems finding an image of a girl that looked hapa-enough for Justina’s taste. Finally, they offered to let her find her own model and help art direct the cover. She found the perfect girl at a coffee shop, set up a photo shoot and voila! One of the most lovely covers I’ve seen.

And I have to admit I was a little envious. The cover of my book was my idea, but suddenly choosing a model and having a photo shoot just seemed so much more glamorous. And fun! I could have a call for entries, maybe a contest…my mind raced with the possibilities.

“Gee,” I said to my editor (who is also Justina’s editor), “I wish I could’ve chosen a model and done a cover like Justina’s.”
“I don’t think that would’ve worked,” she said, “How many girls would want to be on a cover of a book called, “The Year of the Dog?”
“Yeah, you’re right,” I said, “Maybe the next book.”
“But,” she said, “Your next book is called, The Year of the Rat!”

Ah, good point. Sigh.

years go by

Today, as I was drawing I found myself staring at my hands. As I looked at them, slightly chapped, with slight scars and wrinkles, I suddenly realized--these are my mother's hands. Through some alchemy of time, my hands and I have become practical and aged.

And these changes fill me with bittersweet thoughts. I remember once, in my youth, thinking that I wanted to be just like my Mom. She could play the piano, wear lipstick, and buy candy any time she wanted to (though she never did). Adults could do that. I thought they were so lucky.

But surprisingly, adulthood has not been full of the simple pleasures I imagined. I’ve buckled under its pressures and it’s left wrinkles that can never be smoothed. And as I observe the invisible transformation of carefree to careworn, I can’t help but wonder-- when did this happen?

And I realize that this has happened when I wasn't looking, as most important things go. It's the moments I miss, the minutes and seconds I cancel or forget that all add up and become what changes me irreversibly.

Unless you believe those Oil of Olay ads.