Pumpkin Pie & YIKES - my first HK ice rink!!! Dec. 6

This morning I baked a pumpkin pie. Turned out pretty well. It did take about 2 hours to cook though. I can't figure out this oven. It must be a convection & it must cook differently. I know I have the temp right because I'm figuring out the conversion online. Hey, I just had a thought, maybe the oven is Farenheit. It's european, it couldn't be. I'll have to reread the directions.

The Cadmus staff enjoyed the treat. I picked up my HK ID card, so now I'm an official resident. We can carry these cards instead of carrying our passport around town & also good for returning to HK. We now can go through the quick line. John is thrilled. I guess this will make his trips back from Mainland much quicker.

I went out to deposit some checks for Cadmus. This is always an adventure. The bank (Bank of America) branch that will accept the checks is several train stops away. Today I took the bus just to be adventuresome. Since this is my 3rd time out there I pretty much knew when to get off. I like the bus because I get to see so much & it's just more interesting. After getting rid of the checks, I visited that huge store I went to last time - Jusco. It's still huge. I went through the grocery store this time - it's huge. On one side of the grocery store there is a large food court, so I got a noodle dish. Pretty good. I wandered around the store, but it was too crowded to really buy anything.

Ruby had told me about another shopping center just around the block from Jusco, so I went there next. The malls are really decorated up for Christmas so I thought it would be fun to see this one. I also thought I recalled there might be an ice rink in this mall. The mall was huge & after some searching I did find the rink. It is on the 2nd floor off at one end. It isn't very large, not enough for a proper hockey game anyway. I asked & they don't have hockey there, just figure skating & it was packed. I guess it was afterschool lesson time. It just felt good to be near a rink. I even took a picture of the zambonie - I know I'm so strange.

Caught a bus back home, actually it took 2 buses to get here, but didn't have any problems. My map book was one of the best investments I've made since being here.

That's it for now. Time for bed.