Now it's "A Mathematician in Hong Kong"

In retrospect, my choice of blog names was somewhat limiting. Maybe it should be a dancing mathematician in Hong Kong now.

I've arrived! The flight, 15.5 hours direct from LA after leaving for the airport at 3:30am in Seattle, was relatively painless. I slept part of the way, and saw Ratatouille, which I'd been wanting to see anyway. The scene where the critic tries the food and is transported left tears running down my face--one of the best dramatizations of art being recognized and felt that I've ever seen on film. They also showed Once, which contained a surprising amount of swearing for a plane ride. And I started Twyla Tharp's The Creative Habit, which is a perfect book for me to be reading right now. It's a treatise in praise of the discipline that leads to artistic (or any) output. Relevant both to my dance work here and to math (which I'm intending to do here as well).

Hofan picked me up at the airport, jumped up to give me a hug as I emerged through processing, laden down with bags. From there, it was a couple hours on two buses to cross town to her parents' house, Villa Paloma, as it's called. Each floor is quite small, but there are five, so it turns into a largish house. Hofan kindly put me up in her own room, and took the basement for herself. We went up to the roof, where plants were growing and laundry drying, and looked out at the water. It's a beautiful outlook: the house is next to the beach, and mountains stretch up right across the bay. We went back inside, I put away my things and collapsed into bed.

At six the next morning, I was awoken by an unfamiliar bird singing outside my window. Hofan was up a few minutes later, her mom cooked me eggs (which we ate with Hofan's brother Homei), and we headed out the door.

The first stop was Tai Chi. It was a lovely and very interesting practice, which clearly takes years and years to master. There were seven or so of us, practicing on an outdoor basketball, Hofan and I by far the youngest. Everyone was very nice. It's a practice I can see pursuing when I return to the states as well, and I left feeling energized.

Next, we walked through the market, discussing our piece, with me becoming generally better acquainted with the neighborhood. By noon we are home again, and sleepy. Hofan is napping now. I will cook soon.

I'm looking forward to working.