Leaving the mainland . . .

Having decided a few months back that it was time to move on from China Daily after three years, I was offered and accepted a job with CCTV. The visa requirements have become much more onerous in those three years, however, and I was told to expect it to take at least five months. Add all the costs associated , including not working for a couple of months while I waited. Censorship has also gotten more noticeably silly of late.

Then, out of the blue, a recruiter approached me asking if I'd be interested in relocating to Hong Kong. A series of rapid turnaround stages later (about two weeks in total) and I was offered a Senior Sub Editor position with South China Morning Post, where a couple of former colleagues also work. I'm very happy with the offer, and even better, it will take only about six weeks to process with none of Beijing's arbitrary conditions. I finish here in just over seven weeks so the timing is ideal!

I've not lived in Hong Kong, having only visited, but love the beaches, markets, hiking opportunities and, best of all for me, sailing opportunities. I have quite a few friends already there who I look forward to catching up with and expect to see many others when they visit.

Now to find a rich yacht owner who needs a live-aboard caretaker . . . 

Mustang Sally . . .

I love words, love to bury my head in their hellacious awesomeness and inhale deeply . . .

I work in an industry where I am blessed with colleagues who feel similarly, but also cursed with copy writers who have never heard a cliche they don't want to buy a drink and take home.

Yesterday, I got to play with two 8-year-olds and try to help them love words also. We started with "Where The Wild things Are," moved on to them creating their own wild things and describing them to me. Ended up throwing/bouncing a Swiss Ball to each other while going through the alphabet with animal names (no, Giraffe can't be both "g" and "j").

I also asked them to name my motorcycle, which has been sadly nameless, despite them calling their wild things the most boring white folk names of Lisa and Tom. (Sorry Lisa and Tom, I don't mean you!)

They called her Sally, which I also thought a little dull, but I can't get "Mustang Sally" out of the soundtrack of my mind today.

"All you want to do is ride around Sally, ride, Sally, ride . . . "