"Gone Shopping!"
by
First Lady Sea Princess

Well, I guess you already know where my priorities are! Shopping was my activity last week so I couldn't make my deadline. I was on vacation in Hong Kong and it needed my full attention. Even if DOV said he could email my article to Chuck from his Nokia in our hotel room, I was too busy concentrating on my last day purchases. After deciding not to give anyone pasalubongs (after all, it is just a weekend trip!), I ended up buying some for my immediate family - on my side only of course! So my list somehow got longer. Maybe someday, this pasalubong business will become obsolete.

We have been spending my birthdays in Hong Kong for the past years now, but this time (I don't know why!) DOV decided not to bring a yaya for Tyrone, who will be 4 years old soon. He figured Bryan could help out since it is just Ty. Annika was clearly out of the plan since she's too fragile to bring.

Well, all I can say now is "wrong move!" Tyrone proved to be more than a handful. We survived the very early morning plane ride and the whole check-in shebang, but once we got ourselves prepared for shopping, it all started.

DOV had already left for his South China Morning Post meeting, Rotary dinner, blah, blah, blah. In short, we were just going to see him in the evening. As we got ready to leave the hotel room, Tyrone announces that his shoes don't fit, so we go shopping in "chinelas." From our hotel to Toys R Us is quite a walk, so we have a quick bite at Pizza Hut. Ty just has a couple of bites and the rest of the time he's touching everything including the floor!

We finally get to Wonderland and Tyrone is in Heaven! After 30-45 minutes and a cart full of toys, we get out and he says, "I'm too tired to walk, Mom!" Bryan, who is helping with the very bulky toys, is just looking at me for a plan.

Still not so familiar with the exchange rate business and well early into shopping (meaning still liquid), I buy a stroller from Chico to sit Ty in and hang the rest of the purchases. Thinking the conversion of the HK dollar is 3:1, I thought the stroller was a great deal, especially since we really needed it. But when I realized the correct exchange rate, I wanted to return the stroller right then and there! Although as the days passed, that P15,000 spent wasn't so bad after all.

We get back to the hotel and Ty is exhausted and takes a nap. I completely forgot to put on his diaper. So he wakes up all wet - but we jump straight into a bubble bath so he's happy.