A zebra perspective of Hong Kong

It's been a very funfilled but sometimes testing 4 weeks in Hong Kong. The island has not changed…. tasty, fast petit snacks are still as diverse, bright and attractive as ever, girls still aspire to their ever waif thin pretty and "sun" models and actresses.

I just spent last night watching "Miss Hong Kong beauty comeptition," which my cousin reached the last forty contestants. The show consisted of some cute, some graceful yet all pretty thin airheads prancing on stage. They were tested for their ability of IQ, Sport, Gracefulness, Charitability and bodily measurements.. a very deep and cultured society. Fast forward to today and we have a metropolitian hub.. the heart of Hong Kong; Times square, filled with asian phantoms floating in the incessant misty rain with their umbrellas to catch the weekend bargains.. another view; victoria park packed with phillopeano maids on a sunday like a mass gathering outside st peter's cathedral to see the pope… a less amiable view; a rubbish bin already brim filled and spilling over the floor with used umbrella "plastic bags coverings" (available almost at every shop to contain the wet umbrellas in). It's a love/hate relationship I guess that i have with Hong Kong. On the surface everything appears diverse and magical but upon closer inspection, it's the same type of entertainment, same arcade games..same types of cute snacks.. same fickle attitude towards fashion, music and media. Nonetheless, in it's intensity, in all those regards it’s amazing. The delicious food is unforgettable, the "dok bor lei" addictive, the new vivid outfits unique. Although a bit oppressive, but I have been back to this country 7 times now so I can't deny that it’s part of my heart, I just sometimes wish it wasn’t.

: 21 Aug 2005 19:46 |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Falling Leaves; Adeline Yen Mah

My stay in Hong Kong has totalled 3 weeks so far. In staying in the cute village of suen wai in the town of Yeun Long I have perceived the beautiful way of minimal, austere way of life. To see my mum's side of the family tree is to understand the way my mum is.. a return to her own origins, to reach back to her roots. Historys provides insight to the behaviour of people who lived in the past. It is interesting to see how fascinated I was with the way my Grandparents led their life. I wonder if that has anything to do with my own underlying culture. The chinese probably revere our ancestors and our history more than any other race.

I now refer to the second half of a couplet first published during the Song dynasty;
_Song Dynasty (AD 960–1279);_

_Shu gao qian zhang
Luo ye gui gen_

Even if a tree reaches the height of ten thousand feet,
Falling leaves return to their roots

: 16 Aug 2005 02:58 |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Happy three year anniversary baby

A trip to the “Venice of the East.” Bangkok was a city that really stretched itself in its’ extremes of experiences. A cute fusion of east meets west. From the myriad of canal alleyways to the highly congested six lane highways surrounded customarily by the fog of emission fumes from “tuk tuk” (their cute equivalent of taxis only in a mini jeep style with open backs), to islands of oasis planted erratically amidst the polluted jungle; traditional, serene, pious “wats” (otherwise known as the extremely decorative temples where devote worship to Buddha statutes takes place). Our first day in Thailand took is to the very epicenter of commotion. We made our way to the Grand Palace in Bangkok; “the equivalent to the Houses of Parliament to London, the Colleseum to Rome,” informed my lonely planet guide. Maybe it was the harsh afternoon sun combined with the cumbersome traveling backpacks but I was more distracted or more accurately, blinded by the glittering tiles, saturated by the vividness of colour and impressive size of the temples. It was definitely ‘Grand,’ but not such a beacon of sanctuary as I had imagined. I guess the ambiance is somewhat spoilt if there are 500 odd tourists swarming here and there from one ‘important’ statute to the next.

….and then off to Pattaya where we were to stay for 4 nights, one of the most seedy and touristic places you can get in Thailand. Such stigma provided useful insights. The trip in the tuk tuk to our hotel revealed a bizarre world of thai girls dolled up for the evening pursuing the “white middle aged male species” in shady nightclubs glowing under red florescent lighting, pumping out tawdry karaoke songs; miscopies of celine dione’s “my heart will go on” and ronan keatan’s “if you say nothing at all.” Any white lads wanting to pull yet need to secure themselves of victory each time?.. pattaya's where its at.

: 12 Aug 2005 05:04 |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

A return to the enchanting island called Hong Kong

From London heathrow to Behrain, (cool stalls filled with bongs at their airport by the way!.. and their lounge smelt of old carpets and sweat!) to a delayed stop in Bangkok,(cool frenchie i met on this plane who had lived in thailand for 2 yrs was teaching me fundamental thailiandish phrases to get me by in french.. hahaah.. what are the odds?) to Hong Kong airport to the rikety roads leading back to Yeun Long and finally the village that my mum grew up in.. and 30 odd looong tiresome hours later.. i'm back.. my seventh return. They say seven is a lucky number…hmmm i wonder what wonder lucky surprises this family vacation will bring.

Have now slept a full 12 hours.. hmmmm… sleep is deliciously good.. and chillin ironically in a very westernised air conditioned cafe called pacfic central with some delightful jazz musicl where servings off frappicino and lattes can be obtained. I guess one can never get away from commercialised coffe shops ever since starbucks was born.. but what the hell.. can't be complaining if you get free internet access!! ;)

And Hong Kong;.. an island as active as ever.. time IS still of the essence, and its like the people have not varied their routine, their past times, since i was there 3 years ago. Streets are still abustling and crammed with neon lights, all eager to shout out their advertisements. Hong Kong girls are still weighing like 0 pounds, on their next latest fad diet, dolled up in the latest fasion craze carrying their latest LV/gucci bag.

haha.. its cute… i can't help but smile, after all, this is weirdly my second home. The three year gap has brought me time to explore other countries in europe and the comparisons now come in to this asian island. To really oberserve the way of living, the economy, the way the children are behaving.. it's not all about meeting up with ure relatives for some dim sum or bargain shopping in sogo.. well it is that too…:D

I feel content for now.. lucky even that I have a unique ticket to integrate and really discover this country unlike any other places I have visited before. The language barrier that so often forces visitors to play the tourist role when travelling to another country has been lowered and time will tell how I percieve my distant second home.

Am I looking for myself.. arent we all? My search is now what country I want to work for and why.

: 29 Jul 2005 09:35 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

the book about laughter and forgetting

Exactly what the title promises- seven mini stories, part fairy tale, part literary criticism, part political tract, part musicology, and part autobiography- a great novel that has it all.

I love the ending..it closes with a group of naked men and women on an isolated beach exchanging opinions about the fate of Western civilization and the liberation of humanity- pretty cool huh!

extract of the book: litost as "a state of torment created by the sudden sight of one's own misery."

a contradicting moto for such a title as "The Book of Laughter and Forgetting" non?

: 26 Jul 2005 19:32 |  Comments (3) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

The beginning

hmm.. testing blogs one two three…

things are pretty new for me here. Ive always been a sceptic with the heavy reliance of internet use now that we can do just about anything on the computer, buy our weekly groceries, meet our future partner, study a degree online,even nuture a computerised pet!.. and here I am about to share my thoughts, ideals, goals in life, a cyberspace big brother in a nutshell.. wat the hell.. lets give this a shot.. it's just like writing a long mass email to all your friends, only everyone on the internet gets to read it.. nothing to it.

well that's what boredom does to you after 3 weeks in Essex and a cruel stark separation of my University life spent with comrades that has the same vision as mine, to have the best 3/4 years of your life.. and boy did we have that.. I miss u all….

and Tom, after reading your email coming back from tibet, I'm so envious.. I'll meet up with you for sure for the Everest thing.. just give me a few months notice so I can prepare myself!

: 26 Jul 2005 19:09 |  Comments (3) |  Close comments |  Report a problem