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Saturday, November 09, 2002
Return of the White Man's Food... sort of... This morning my cousin Shirley picked the restaurant for brunch. Being a typical English speaking teenager stuck living in HK, she wanted Pizza Hut =) So off we went to the nearest Pizza Hut for pizza. Pizza's gotta be the same in HK as it is in Canada, right? I mean, it's a chain, so what can they possibly do to make pizza not pizza, right? 
Dad, Goo Jeh, Ding Sok Wrong. Apparently, Chinese people like to eat pizza with a Thousand Island base instead of a tomato sauce base. Thank goodness the adults let us order, and Shirley and I both agreed pizza with salad dressing is DISGUSTING. We ordered a combo set that included soup (Cream of Chicken or Minestrone), appetizers (we picked chicken wings), choice of 2 pastas (beef lagsagna, which actually comes with mashed potatoes on either side of the weird tasting lagsagna, and pork chops with spagetti, the typical chinese cafe style dish, like at Timeless, but not baked), a large pizza (ours was similar to the Meat Lovers), and soft drinks. We also ordered garlic bread, but there's no such thing as garlic bread with cheese in HK. 
Me, Shirley, Mom It's amazing what they serve at Pizza Hut. There was a whole ton of other things on the menu that I've never seen before. One entire section of afternoon tea items is completely geared towards Chinese people. I took a pic of the placemat I had, which listed all the afternoon tea specials. Anyone want Pizza Hut's own bubble tea?!? 
$4000 What would you do with $4000? HK currency, of course, which is about $800 Cdn. I went shopping today. =) Finally found clothes that fit me. Translation: Finally found pants that fit my North American butt. I still can't get over how small everyone is here. It's as if they don't eat!! In Canada, I'm really short. I'm shorter than almost everyone I know, with a few rare exceptions. But in HK, I feel like a giant, both in height and width. Even the guys here are really scrawny, nevermind the girls. Some of the guys are pretty buff (yes, I noticed), but overall their entire body and frame is really small. In New Century Plaza, in Shatin, me, mom and Goo Jeh went to Mastina. I tried on so many things, but it just didn't fit. We went down two stores, into Wanko, and picked up over $4000 worth of clothes =) Here's the inventory: - Black suit jacket, pants, and skirt - Brown suit jacket, pants, and skirt - Black long suit jacket and pants - Grey long suit jacket and pants - Pin-striped suit jacket - Cream coloured blouse - Blue velvet sparkly two-piece evening outfit (tank & skirt) - Blue 3/4 length suede jacket - Black 3/4 length single-breasted rain jacket - Brown 3/4 length cord single-breasted jacket for Ga (though I assume she'll end up picking and choosing and borrowing from everything I bring home) - Rose top for mom 18 items in total =) Took about 2 hours in that one store to try on everything, and see if I needed anything else =) Granted, there were a ton of other things I could have picked up. There were some REALLY nice blouses, but at $350 HK a piece ($70 Cdn), even when they gave me a 50% discount for buying so much stuff, i couldn't justify paying $35 Cdn for a shirt. There was also a matching purse and shoes for the evening outfit I bought, but it's not worth it to buy shoes and a purse that'll only we used when wearing that one outfit. I'm not THAT crazy =) Hong Kong at last When I think of HK, I think of the Kowloon skyline, looking from HK Island, and of the HK Island skyline, looking for Kowloon. I FINALLY got to see both today. We went to the HK Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), where they held the official handover ceremonies when HK returned to China. We saw the Bauhinia flower thing, though the pics need to be brightened severely, since we went at night. But from the centre, looking back at HK Island, and also looking at Kowloon, it finally felt like I was in HK. Also cause last time we were in HK, we lived in North Point, so I saw the harbour everyday, and heard the airplanes take-off and land on the old airport. Living in Shatin now is different, it's definately the suburbs of HK. View from the balcony, Shatin Peace and Quiet I managed to get some time in silence today as well. Actually, got it twice =) This morning, I figured out that when I come out of the shower in the morning (bathroom is ensuite to the master bedroom we're staying in), if I lock the bedroom door, and tell my parents I'm changing, I can get at least 15 mins of peace and quite by myself =) And tonight, at the HKCEC, I was walking along the railings by the water, and managed to get away from everyone. It was really refreshing to stand with the wind in my hair, smelling the cool salty air, admiring both skylines, and not hear voices around me. Of course, that was until I was surrounded by the Chinese tourists. In Banff and Lake Louise, we were swarmed by Japanese tourists with tons of mass media equipment. At the HKCEC, it was tourists from China, speaking various dialets of Mandarin very loudly, partly because their culture is different, partly because they are all old and prolly have bad hearing. It was pretty funny too, cause one particular tour had all their participants wear bright red baseball caps. So picture a busload of grandparents, walking (slowly) around, some with canes, all with bright red caps on! Of course, I forgot to take a pic of them... Food =) Dinner was delicious and was Shanghainese food. Sorry, I have no clue what the restaurant name was, since I can't read Chinese. But we walked there from the HKCEC, if that helps. Food was really really good, and the service was pretty good too. Our waiter spoke Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese (well, enough to say thank you, good bye, etc to Japanese clients), and ENGLISH =) I asked my parents a question and he immediately switched to English to answer me. For someone my parent's age, his English was fairly good too. Of course, Chinese restaurants always fail in the bathroom category. Oh well. We had eel (which I don't eat), some egg thing that I can't remember what it's called, woh teep, siew long bao, serng hoi cho chow, some seafood dish, and a chicken & wonton soup that was SOOOOOO good!!!! Tomorrow Being Sunday, we're going to church, in particular, to the Chinese Methodist Church, North Point. My parents grew up here, though it's not the church they got married in. I assume that one's next week. This will be amusing, since I don't understand the Bible when read in Cantonese, and I'm sure the level of difficulty of the chinese words used in HK is much higher than that of Toronto, I have a feeling I won't be understanding much of the sermon. I but I know better than to ask my dad if I can go to church with my cousin, who attends an English speaking church. It will also be a day of meeting all my parents' childhood friends, and everyone who still goes to that church that my parents ever knew. And there will be a lot of, "Wow, your daughter is all grown up!", "Does she speak Chinese? Does she understand what I'm saying?", "Where's her sister, how come she didn't come too?", "So is she working now, or still in school, what did she study?", and of course, "So does she have a boyfriend, when are your daughters getting married?". Oh the joys. Notice none of the questions are directed to me, just at me... oh well, at least I'm guaranteed a good meal after church =) Post Script Ah Mui (aka Candy), you and Gen and Jo and Mary will be amused to know that I heard your song today (the one you played over and over and over again in the car and at home) when I passed by a store, and then it was stuck in my head the ENTIRE day!!!! BTW, please email me. I'm so disconnected out here, especially without my cell (no txt msging!!), I would greatly appreciate any communication (I suppose email, since most are not on ICQ at noon/1pm). How are things at home??? Sunday Nov 10 2:20am // Saturday Nov 9 1:20pm Okay, now that Ryan has posted on this site, perhaps I shall as well... No, I'm not sleeping yet, I have a tax project due on Monday. So now, instead of living and breathing Lifesong, I am living and breathing Tax, as scary as that sounds. First of all, Lifesong was awesome; as always, I am amazed by God's grace and God's providence. It's amazing what happens when you run on faith... anyway, you'll hear more about that on my own blog... it's not for here. I MISS HONG KONG!!! I wish I was there now to - zip around on the MTR - go among the crowds and cheap shopping and amazing street food in Mongkok (that's the correct spelling, by the way) - to the entertainment district in Tsimshatsui (Green Box Karaoke Box anyone??) - ride the Star ferry across Victoria Harbour and appreciate this little body of water right in the middle of the "City of Life" - go to Hong Kong Island: Causeway Bay (the "cool" area, I think =p) - to the financial district in Central - he quaint streets of Lan Kwai Fong - proceed up the mountain to the mid-levels, where it is relatively peaceful, high above the slight rumbling of the city, (you ride escalators up the mountain in open air =p) - even walk up to the Peak, and look down on the view of the City of Life at nighttime. It's a amazing view, I don't think there is a more breathtaking skyline, especially during Christmas with all the Christmas lights. You haven't seen Christmas lights until you've seen the ones in Hong Kong. Wish I was there with you, Janey, it would be so much fun. =) Oh yeah, I miss the British English when riding the MTR, "please mind the gap." It is so pleasant to the ear! And "alighting"... isn't the vocabulary just so quaint? =p Lastly, MUJI is *not* just a stationary store. *Please.* Enough for now, back to tax... Alight: 1. To spring down, get down, or descend, as from on horseback or from a carriage; to dismount. 2. To descend and settle, lodge, rest, or stop; as, a flying bird alights on a tree; snow alights on a roof. This sounds like a classic case of someone relying too much on a chinese-english dictionary or a left-over from the British. Alight has fallen out of use in modern english but was quite prominent before 1900. By reading such writers as Dickens, Hardy, etc. you will find it part of the common speech. Wow, my first blog entry and I'm such a geek! =) Hope you're having fun Chief - while the rest of us are slaving away. Friday, November 08, 2002
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I've discovered that I'm claustrophobic. Me, mom, and my aunt (dad's sister) went to Lui Yun Gai today. It was all good, until I started getting tired. Then, the claustrophobia started to set in. You have no idea how many people there were, and how crowded it was, and we didn't even go on a weekend. The other factor was that I'm not used to shopping for such a long time. In Canada, it takes about 1.5 hours to make me want to leave the mall, if I last for 2 hours, it's really good. We shopped all day today, in a congested little walkway, with tons of chinese people screaming their products in your face, some even pulling on your arms to get you to look at their stuff. Got tiring after awhile. The amusing part was running into all the white people. I had this tendancy to talk to all the white people I saw. I miss speaking English to people who don't tell me to slow down cause I talk too fast (Mom) or tell me to stop speaking English and speak Cantonese instead (Dad). It was neat too, cause as soon as I opened my mouth, it was like we had this bond, just cause we speak the same non-Chinese language, though the people I met were from England and Austrailia. These two guys from England were the funniest. They were in HK for the first time, but their friends had told them enough about shopping that they knew how to barter. The vendor was selling jeans for $100 HK ($20 Cdn), and he said that the ones he was wearing he purchased for $50 HK. So he told her he'd pay $50, she said no, that's too cheap, I'll give it to you for $80. He said no. Then he started to walk away, and she instantly pulled him back and gave it to him for $50. The really funny part was that the vendor said to her friend in Cantonese that these white guys were really good bargainers, so I translated for them and congratulated them for impressing the locals with their skills. =) They were amused, as was I. My aunt asked if I knew the guys, and when I told her that I didn't, she was surprised that I'd talk to strangers. But all the white people I talked to were really nice, all on vacation, and all realised they were getting ripped off more than the chinese, unless they were really agressive about bargaining. That's another thing I'm not used to. Bargaining is an art, one that my aunt is really good at, but one that I really don't care to learn. I have a very North American attitude where so long as I think the price is worth it, considering the purchase and the quality, then I don't care to bargain. Of course if it's overpriced I won't pay, but if it's already a good deal, I don't think it's worth haggling over the extra $5. People in HK are different. The haggle about everything, even when it's quite obvious that the purchase is a steal. So today I learnt to look without opening my mouth (cause once I do, I'm obviously not from HK, they'll charge me more), tell my aunt when I liked something, and she'd figure out the details for me. I realise I speak Chinglish so fluently that I don't even notice I've switched languages, until people around me all of a sudden turn and stare. That's another favourite past-time for me in HK. Today were were squished like sardines on the MTR during rush hour. I get a kick out of waiting until we're on some completely overcrowded and congested mode of transporation, and start speaking in English to my parents. It's always fun to count how many heads spin around in shock and stare at me like I'm... well, white =) My parents think I should stop cause they are afraid I'll get kidnapped, so I try not to do it too often, but I don't always realised I'm not speaking Cantonese. Family This morning, before going shopping, me and mom went for dim sum with my Goo Jea, Ding Sok, and Ding Sum (congrats if you can figure that out, esp if you're not chinese). Food was ok, nothing too spectacular, but the conversation was fun. Today was the first day dad let me and mom go out without him, so he was already out by the time we went for dim sum. Having a meal with dad's little sister and brother was hilarious, cause they told me stories about dad as a kid. My aunt recalled stories of my dad picking on her, like a typical older brother, and harassing her, and trying to get her into trouble, etc. My uncle told me how dad used to discipline him, since their father was more than 60 years older than my uncle. They also told me lots of background on the tons of relatives on dad's side, things like why this one doesn't get along with this one, and what happened when this one got married, etc etc... Hey Ga, if you want to drive Dad nuts, and make him laugh at the same time, ask him about the house in China =) Then came the comparisons. Primarily, it was that me and my counsin Shirley speak the same -- fast, and in English. She's a missionary's kid (MK) so she's always gone to English speaking schools, no matter which country they have lived in. She's as fluent in English as I am, except that she has more of a British style, and of course her Cantonese is better. Then we also got into a huge discussion about how my uncle and my dad speak alike in both tone, manner, and choice of words. It was pretty funy, especially when his wife was telling us how he disciplines Shirley, and I could finish her sentences for her, cause dad does the same thing. Oh, I almost forgot about the funniest thing that happened last night!!! I got off the internet last night about 2am after mom came and told me to get off. She went back to sleep, and dad was already sleeping. I got cleaned up, and went to bed (in the same room), and dad was awake, tossing in bed. Mom was snoring REALLY loudly last night, so loud that I couldn't sleep. Apparently, dad couldn't sleep either. About an hour after I got into bed, and was still wide awake cause mom was so loud, dad went and KICKED mom!!!!! She obviously woke up, was very pissed and retorted, "What the heck are you kicking me for?" Dad said, "You're too noisy." It was so funny, I couldn't help but laugh out loud!!! Then I got yelled at by mom too, cause I wasn't asleep yet, and I said "It's cause you're too loud" =) Then mom went on this rant about how when dad snores too loudly she never kicks him, so what the heck is his problem, and who does that anyway! So I told mom to kick dad next time he's too loud =) hehehehehe =) Anyhow, it's getting late, and tomorrow's another full day of walking around. Gladys, I hope you've gotten some sleep, and that everything is photocopied and ready for Lifesong. Don't forget to breathe. Sophia, I can't be there tonight, but I'm praying for you!! Saturday Nov 9 1:30am // Friday Nov 8 12:30pm Thursday, November 07, 2002
Interesting things today: "alight" Does anyone who has not visited HK recently know what alight means???? It's a verb, and is often used in phrases such as "Please mind the gap when alighting the train", or "Please alight from the left hand doors". This word is driving me nuts. In my mind, it should just be replaced with "leaving" or "exiting", but I hear this every single time I get on the subway (MTR) or train (KCR), which is often, but not only that, the automated voice repeats those phrases at every single stop!!!! cars & gas Not many people own cars here, cause public transportation is so convenient, but those who do have NICE cars!!! You guys would love it here, and Ryan and Adrian would have more fun spotting nice cars here than they did in Vancouver!!! I mainly see Benz and BMW (see you two, after two weeks of car watching, I can figure those cars out!), with the odd Lexus, Toyota, or Volvo. I don't think I've ever seen this many nice cars outside of a dealer's lot before. Gas. Now this in another story in itself. We think gas is expensive at 70 cents, even 80 cents per litre. We went for dinner with my dad's friend tonight and he drove. (Mercedes 300 SL convertible, tight fit with me and mom in the back, but it was fun. Stick shift of course. White with a black cloth top. I memorized the "300 SL" part just for you car people, cause you know to me it's just a black and white car) We went to get gas after dinner, at a Shell station near the restaurant... it cost approx $11.50 per litre. Granted, that's HK dollars, so divide that by 5 and you get $2.75 per litre!!!!!! He paid about $660 HK for gas ($132 Cdn) and it wasn't even filling the entire tank!!!! I think this is a factor in people not having cars.... HK Gentlemen Oh, if only North American guys would learn from their Asian (and prolly European) counterparts. Or maybe it's just cause my dad's friend is as old as my dad, so he learnt how to be a gentleman when he was a kid. We went for dinner, and it was my parents, me, and my dad's friend. The table we sat at was two facing two, so my parents sat together, and I sat beside the uncle. Not only did he try to involve me in the conversation by telling me about his son (a year younger than me) and asking about me as well, he served me practically everything into my plate/bowl!!! It was one of those many course meals, so each time the food came, he would first serve me, then mom, then him and dad would do the "it's ok, let me do it, I can do it myself" manners thing (I apologise to those who are not familiar with chinese etiquette and the art of declining everything). Also, he noticed when I liked eatting something, and would get me more of that, and when I avoided other things he wouldn't give me more! He even noticed that when I eat steamed fish I don't like to eat the skin!!! (BTW, that came up cause we were talking about eatting fish heads, and mom was saying how I like to eat them, and he was surprised, since I didn't eat fish skin) I guess this is also cause he's a HK businessman, so he knows all that stuff. Nevermind the fact that when we said goodbye, and he shook our hands, it was the good firm strong handshake that everyone in business is taught, not the flimsy one that most students in Canada have. Small World Weird how everyone knows each other. At my church in Toronto, there is a family by the last name Si, kids being Chris and Richard. They have an aunt who lives in Toronto, but also an aunt in HK. The aunt in HK is a minister, and works (and lives!) in a Christian middle & high school as the inhouse minister. She went to seminary with my dad's little brother. So today we went to go visit her. Neat how people are linked. Going to the school was fun too....I'm so glad I never went to school there!!! It's so different from north american schools. The school is HUGE, and there are no indoor hallways. The school is a building, cause everythign is build upwards. Seven floors at this school. And all the kids wear uniforms. My quest for MUJI Found one of their stores today, in Shatin... walked in, and there's NO stationary!!!! What a shock!!! So now, I've been told, I MUST go visit the store in Causeway Bay... My parents still think I'm weird for needing to go to a specific stationary store =) Oh yeah, in the same mall, found "Snoopy's World". So FOB =) But it amused my mom, so I took some pics of her =) That's it for now. Tomorrow is a full day of shopping, with mom and my aunt, without dad =) Cell phones, clothes, and everything in between. I think we're heading to Mong Gok, if that means anything to you. Good luck to all those involved with Lifesong, especially to Sophia =) Friday Nov 8 1:00 am // Thursday Nov 7 12:00 noon Wednesday, November 06, 2002
We went to Gow Loong Tong today, and went wandering around the mall there. It's crazy, there's a skating rink right inside the mall!!! I was so surprised, I actually took pictures... yes, I'm a typical tourist... 
Then we went to see Yeh Yeh and Mah Mah (grandparents on dad's side) at Chai Wan. Well, we didn't actually go to see them, went to see the "condo" where their ashes are kept. Last time we were in HK, we walked up the street that's on a hill, then at the top of the hill we climbed the building all the way up to the 9th floor. This time, we took a taxi to the foot of the building, but still had to climb up the building =) Ga and I gave the place the name "condo", cause it's essentially a building housing a whole ton of ashes. 
Mom, me, Dad 
My paternal grandparents We also went to visit another distant relative. I can't remember what I called her, and I can't remember the relation. She was fairly old, and in a nursing home. She had no clue who I was anyway, so I sat and watched chinese TV while my dad adn my uncle talked to her. We hit Po Lum and went shopping. I think I got a pretty good deal, at least it is when compared to Canada. Three long sleeved shirts (not button-down dress shirts, but not sweatshirts either), for $100 HK = $20 Cdn. That means less than $7 Cdn a piece, and there's no tax in HK. Not bad, I think. The MTR is fun =) We need their system in Canada, it's so efficient!!! You buy a card, and you put money on it. Depending on the distance travelled, it deducts money from your account. So when you enter the station, there's this thing you scan your card onto, and the gates open for you. You scan it when you leave as well. It's SO fast, even when there are tons of people, the line moves really quickly... unlike the TTC... The great thing about the card is that the sensors are so good, I don't even need to take it out of my bag. I just plop my bag on top of the sensor thing, and it registers everytime. I figured that one out when I watched all the HK women plunk their purses on the sensor without reaching into the purse. Cause we all know how difficult it can be to find a credit card sized pass that's kept in a purse =) The card works on the KCR as well. KCR is a train, MTR is a subway, and a Subway is a walkway for pedestrians that goes underneath the street. That one confused me for awhile. There are also double-decker buses, and "little buses", which are actually called Pulic Light Transportation (or something like that). I like the MTR and the KCR the best, they're the fastest. Not that much today. Shopping is nuts, their malls are all huge, and they are everywhere. At every MTR stop we got off at today was a huge shopping mall. It's COLD here. Well, think DC. In the middle of the summer, it's hot outside, but once you sit in DC for more than 5 mins, you're freezing, right? Well, in HK, everyone & every store blasts the AC on all the time... so even if it was a comfortable temperature outside, it's incredibly cold inside. And the other thing is that it gets really hot really quickly if you're standing in the sun, but if you're standing in the shade, there is a draft, so it can get chilly quite quickly as well. Crazy, I won't be surprised if I catch a cold... Thurs Nov 7, 12:30am // Wed Nov 6, 11:30am Tuesday, November 05, 2002
Good morning =) I just got up... My dad and my uncle have disappeared, in search of breakfast, but I have a feeling they won't be back for awhile. It's been years since they have seen each other, so it's a good time of catching up. Yesterday on the plane, I discovered there are things that Air Canada should recommend for people to bring as carry on when flying to HK: 1. Toothbrush & toothpaste. When I woke up from my various naps, that's what I craved the most. And also after eatting the instant noodles they served us. 2. Face cloth and soap. When we were close to landing, I went to the bathroom hoping there would be those wet nap thingys for me to wash my face with. No such luck, so you can imagine how horrendous I looked getting off the plane. 3. Pillow. I brought one, so I was happy =) Air Canada does provide pillows, but they are small, about 8.5 x 11 inches, not much fluff in them, and not really malleable. They are more like cushions than pillows. I recommend a pillow that you can squish and mold into various forms, so that the space between your shoulder and your head, and the chair can be most comfortably filled. 4. Contacts/glasses. I'm lucky I brought my contact case and solution, as well as my glasses. If not, I think my contacts would have been in my eyes for 48 hours straight... which prolly isn't good =) 5. Snacks. Fine, maybe it's just me, and I get hungry too often. But I kept having these cravings for salty food. So I ate two bags of popcorn that the stewards gave out, plus a pack of crackers that I can't describe. Then I bugged mom, and she found a bag of Bugles, which I finished as well. Thank goodness the instant noodles came after that, cause I was still craving MSG/salt. 6. Mints. First, it helps with takeoff and landing. When you have candy in your mouth, you will salivate. And when that happens, you will swallow. Which is good, cause that helps in clearing your ears. Second, mints are refreshing. After being in the plane for so long, you'll need it. Also cause mints are good for combating motion sickness, though if you're an extreme case, it prolly won't help. Have a good night =) Wed Nov 6th 10:15am HK time, Tues Nov 5th 9:15pm EST I'M HERE!!!! =) My Uncle has internet, thank goodness =) Though here's a question for all you computer types... what's broadband? The whole time my parents have been talking about going to HK, I don't think I fully understood what the flight entailed. Flying to Vancouver only took 5 hours, but by the time we got off the airplane and into the airport, I was ready to go back home!! I hadn't fully realised that Van to HK was 13 hours, so when my parents reminded me of that fact as we landed in Vancouver (after I whined about how long the flight was), I almost had a heart attack. Needless to say, I survived the long flight over the Pacific. Air Canada offered 3 movies, 2 meals, various snacks, and a barrage of audio distractions. Plus the fact that the seat next to my aisle seat was empty, so I raised the armrest, lied down, and slept, with my feet hanging over into the aisle. Though it became a bit of a problem when the stewards came with the push carts.. =) Airplane food was surprisingly tasty...either that or I was really hungry. Breakfast (on the TO - Van flight) was a choice of quiche or french toast. I took the quiche, it was good, though the pastry was a little...chewy. Lunch (on the Van - HK flight) was a choice of chicken or beef, I took chicken, which ended up being a processed version of chicken teriyaki, with some unrecognizable stuff that I didn't eat. The other meal (not sure what it would be... linner? dunch?) was the choice of shrimp or pork. I picked shirmp, and it was over a bed of noodles, that was suprizingly chinese-tasting. We also had instant noodles after that, but I'm not sure if that falls into the category of meal or snack. On the way to Van we watched "The Emperor's New Clothes". On the way to HK they played some chinese movie called "Summer Breeze" (I think), and two english movies, "Bad Company" and "Insomnia". I completely missed the chinese movie (it was only cause my mom watched part of it that I know they actually played it), only saw 75% of "Bad Company" (missed the beginning), and watched about 30 mins of "Insomnia". Ironic, "Insomnia" put me to sleep... Things I noticed on the way here. 1. My parents snore really loudly =) Well, I always knew this, cause they're really loud snorers at home too. But it was never clear HOW loud they were, until they woke me up. See, the plane is pretty loud itself, and I also had my earphones on cause I was listening to music before I drifted off to sleep. My parents' snoring was so loud that I could hear it, above all other noise, and that it would wake me up =) But all was good, I nudged mom, who in turn due to proximity, nudged my dad. And thus the snoring died down...didn't stop, just decreased in volume. 2. I don't think my parents fully appreciate silence. Or maybe they are just really excited. Then again, if I immigrated from Canada to some foreign country and returned home, I think I'd be excited too. Nonetheless, so long as my parents were conscious, they were talking about one thing or another. But they weren't talking to each other, they were talking to me! And they had it all worked out too, it was like tag team! Dad would talk, then stop, but then mom would start. And when mom stopped, dad would start again. So they got breaks, but my ears didn't =) Then again, maybe I should get used to this... I don't suppose many people get to enjoy silence in HK... 3. There are WAY too many chinese people. I'm think I'm going to suffer culture shock tomorrow morning when we go shopping. When we got to the Van airport, and we walked to the HK flight gate, I was completely overwhelmed by the number of chinese people. They were EVERYWHERE!!!!! Yes, I know I come from Toronto, and I went to school at Waterloo, but STILL!!!!!!!!!!! There were tons of them, and they were loud!!!!! Anyhow, so we got here, and I must say, the HK airport is impressive. It's not just a completely gorgeous building, but it's designed with efficiency at the highest priority. Granted, going through customs still takes forever, but they have a monorail system that whisks you from one part of the airport to the other. The train on that system is really fast, as a sign proclaims "Relax. Train arrives every 3 minutes." I guess HKers spaz a lot about slow vechicles... We're living with my uncle, who is my dad's little brother. Many of you have met my dad, and realise he's a goof. Instead of greeting his brother with a handshake, hug, kiss, or whatever, guess what they did? They bounced their stomaches together while yelling "Hey!!!!!!!!!" (I hope you understand what I mean, I was laughing too hard, forgot to take a picture). My other uncle (my dad's brother-in-law by my dad's little sister) also came, but prolly cause he's not of the same gene pool, he was much more normal. So the five of us took the bus back to Sha Tin, where I am right now. My two aunts, and two cousins were waiting for us for dinner, which by then was about 8pm. I guess I should stop and explain dad's family, and the chinese terms. In HK, my dad has a bunch of sisters older than him, who have a different mother. Dad also has one brother and three sisters, all younger than him, all from the same mother (Grandpa, "Yeh Yeh", had two wives). The uncle I'm living with is Ding Sok, "Ding" being his name, and "Sok" being the title uncle-cause-he's-my-dad's-little-brother. His wife's title is "Sum", so I called her Ding Sum. They have a 14 yr old daughter called Shirley. Of the three sisters, one lives in Toronto (actually, they live just down the street from me at home), and one lives in England. Both are married, with one son each. Fa Goo Jeh, Goo Gerng, and Sammy live in Toronto. Sup Goo Jeh and Goo Gerng live in England, but Joey came back to HK for University. Gow Goo Jeh, Goo Gerng, and Jackie live in HK. Now, "Fa" is my aunt's name, "Goo" refers to a sister on my dad's side, and "Jeh" means she's younger than my dad. "Gerng" refers to her husband. "Sup" means the number 10, and "Gow" is the number nine. Fa Goo Gea is actually number 11, but she gets called by her name and not number. I have no clue why. Oh, the numbers refer to their place in the family. My uncle is the youngest, he's number 12. So now that you're all confused, you'll be excited to know that it gets worse. Not today, but eventually, I'll have to meet the Goo Mahs ("Mah" refering to dad's older sisters), and then all the relatives on mom's side as well. All 10 of us went for dinner. Me, mom, dad, Ding Sok, Ding Sum, Shirley, Gow Goo Jeh, Gow Goo Gerng, Jackie, and Joey. It was amusing, seeing my dad with his brother and sister. They are constantly harassing and making fun of each other =) It's really funny, though I must say, half the jokes I don't follow, cause it's in chinese, and tends to be puns. My vocabulary isn't good enough. After dinner, we came back to Ding Sok's, and we started taking pics. It was all proper, until I requested a pic of just dad and Ding Sok and Gow Goo Jeh. I swear it must be in the genes, cause the three of them were SOOOO silly!! You guys think I'm silly, I'm nothing compared to my dad and his siblings! Finally I managed to take some pics of them. I'll post it sometime, I got a digital pic of my dad and Ding Sok on either side of their sister, with their lips all puckered up, ready to kiss her! =) And of course, she's wincing, cause it's so gross =) So funny =) 
HK is like how I remembered it. I've visited twice before, when I was 4 (don't remember much, just that we watched a chinese version of Disney on Ice), and again when I was 14. Ironic that I'm 24 this year. What I've always remembered about HK the most is the smell. No, it's not the putrid odour commonly associated with TO Chinatown, but it's the smell that comes from being a port city, off a large body of salt-water. The air has a different smell, because of the salt. And cause it's not too hot here (I was wearing fleece pants, a t-shirt, and a sweatshirt), it doesn't stink. The other thing I remembered about HK was how accessible everything was. The transportation system here is impeccable. Everything is accessible by one mode of transportation or another (and there are tons of different ways to get around), and everything is run on the principle of time efficiency. I haven't seen much of the city yet. I've seen a bunch of lights, of which the skyline is beautiful, since everyone lives in appartment buildings. Having tons of appartment lights reflecting in the water is really pretty as well. That's pretty much it. It's 12:30 am here, so technically it's Wed morning, Nov 6th. It should be 11:30am, Tuesday November 5th for you guys. Which reminds me, HAPPY 25th BIRTHDAY RYAN!!!! =) hehe =) Hope you have a good one =) Anyhow, I'm hungry again, but I'm getting tired as well. What a dilema. =) Monday, November 04, 2002
Grrr.... I have bad news. I might not be able to connect to the internet from my laptop while in HK. EY has an internal program that enables us to log onto the server from anywhere in the world. I can't find the icon right now, so I might not have internet from my laptop. I suppose if I really can't figure anything out, I'll just go to an Internet Cafe... Need to pack, it's 5:15 am, leaving in 45 mins!!! =) |
