Days bloop blah blah
I have considerably more respect for the household in Choi Hung where my Po Po lives because of the simple foundations that are established there. First, values are a priority. Courtesy is done without thinking among the majority of the household and it feels second-nature. When you do a good thing or something out of politeness and feel nothing from it because it’s always around you? It’s a great feeling. Family is also a priority. Although my cousins have their own lives and have to continue to work/go to school/juggle girlfriends, they have made time out of their schedules to eat with me. Chapman has gone as far as to invite me to drink with his friends and has called/answered all my phone calls when I wanted some insight into the places I was visiting. That’s pretty good already. The best part is when selfless acts for family were done without a second thought. Before I delayed my trip another 10 days, I was ready to board a taxi to the airport but not without the suggestion that my Kau Fu take me instead. He lives approximately an hour or so away, but without a second thought he volunteered. My Sam Kau Fu (third in the family) has given time away from work and his own resting time, including his room for my sleeping, to help me look and shop for clothes. He has also taken time out of his commute before work to guide me to see a priest in a place I had little familiarity.
I just like the small details of this family and its house. Sam Kau Mo (the wife of Sam Kau Fu) said that she never gave a thought about moving away from Po Po and the same house she’s been in since I’ve been alive. They keep one trophy in sight – a THIRD place award for a football tournament in ’77. There are graduation pictures, kid photos and family pictures around the living room and that is decoration for the house. The same plates and tables are used to eat for the past 20+ years. Sam Kau Mo keeps books under her pillow to read at night and she and Sam Kau Fu always hold hands when they walk outside. Po Po goes out of her usual dim sum routine at 8 a.m. because she wants to buy food for me when I’m up and about.
I don’t know where fundamentals and family values can be driven from 100 percent, but I have a greater understanding to where my own immediate family gets its consideration and morals.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Catch-up
Days bloop blah blah
I’m going to skip ahead a few days after Macau because I simply do not remember the moments at the..moment. Disneyland post!
HK Disneyland is basically America’s Disneyland for fetuses. It’s as pretty but it’s basically the Legoland equivalent in HK to Oceanpark (another theme park). Also, it’s basically the Legoland equivalent in terms of the size of the park. It’s got four lands: Frontierland (with three rides, all not named Indiana Jones), Fantasyland with your teacups and Dumbo ride, Tomorrowland with pretty much two things in Space Mountain and Astro Blasters and lastly, the new Toy Story land which I got to see. Main Street doesn’t count as a land, does it? Anyway, that brings me to why I got to go to HK Disney in the first place – I got to be a VIP because of the opening of the new Toy Story land. It’s really well-done and is designed to look like Andy’s backyard. Exaggerated grass sizes and basically some of the toy statues around the land. There’s also this really giant Woody with a soundboard muttering the same kind of phrases super loud and seriously at the worst times imaginable. Taking a picture with Woody was just strange with all phrases being muttered at the same time as any kind of picture countdown. That being said, the land has three rides. It has a toy soldier parachute drop where it just lifts you up slowly and lowers you down as slowly, a merry-go-round like Slinky the dog ride for kids and the “thrill ride” in the RC Racer ramp ride where it swings like a pendulum. There are little Toy Story goodies scattered throughout like the Monkeys in a Barrow picture-taking area or the domino chairs after the RC ride.
The best part, I thought, about going to the new land premiere was seeing both my cousin, Michelle and my uncle, Fred ride the RC Racer. For anyone who’s been to Six Flags and rode the damn swinging boat ride, this was basically it with RC sounds and a little more speed up. The funniest moments includes just watching my uncle man up and ride the back seat and my oldest cousin, Michelle, cover her eyes and yell in the front row (two different riding times, of course). Either way, I had a good time.
Oh, I forgot to mention that while this was going on, I was in the middle of my second HK-trip disease: diarrhea and stomach bug/flu.
Disneyland in HK has a mini Cinderella castle in the middle like its older brother and sisters as well as the signature dumbo elephant ride and teacups. Oddly enough, it only has one mountain, which was disappointing to say the least. It was of the space variety and it was basically Space Mountain circa early 2000s with all black and speed and none of that California big room universe swag version. I can’t really imagine people going to Disneyland for more than six hours because there are not that many rides to entertain the day. The fireworks at night may be the reason to go in the afternoon until the night, though. The highlight of the park was clearly the 3D show that has Donald Duck steal the Fantasia magician hat and traveled through most of the Disneyverse. It was delightful to see all my favorite and recognizable characters (minus Mulan’s world) and all the best songs for each film. It covered, to my memory, Lion King, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and other movies that I forgot. It was pretty creative and definitely enjoyable just to travel to all those songs and worlds again.
I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of the entrance statue of Mickey on top of the Whale that swallowed him. It was pretty epic, to be short.
Things I’m going to not miss:
The constant opening and closing of my door when I’m sleeping (I wake up and catch it happening a lot)
The constant bashing of the contracted servant and “disciplining”
The nagging.. oh the nagging.
The over preparing of food – I’m not trying to gain 30 lbs.
The constant reminders of mundane things when I’m moving anywhere, and I do mean anywhere (includes the house, a step, the room, the bathroom, the kitchen, the couch).
The first-world problems I’m being so prissy about
I’m going to skip ahead a few days after Macau because I simply do not remember the moments at the..moment. Disneyland post!
HK Disneyland is basically America’s Disneyland for fetuses. It’s as pretty but it’s basically the Legoland equivalent in HK to Oceanpark (another theme park). Also, it’s basically the Legoland equivalent in terms of the size of the park. It’s got four lands: Frontierland (with three rides, all not named Indiana Jones), Fantasyland with your teacups and Dumbo ride, Tomorrowland with pretty much two things in Space Mountain and Astro Blasters and lastly, the new Toy Story land which I got to see. Main Street doesn’t count as a land, does it? Anyway, that brings me to why I got to go to HK Disney in the first place – I got to be a VIP because of the opening of the new Toy Story land. It’s really well-done and is designed to look like Andy’s backyard. Exaggerated grass sizes and basically some of the toy statues around the land. There’s also this really giant Woody with a soundboard muttering the same kind of phrases super loud and seriously at the worst times imaginable. Taking a picture with Woody was just strange with all phrases being muttered at the same time as any kind of picture countdown. That being said, the land has three rides. It has a toy soldier parachute drop where it just lifts you up slowly and lowers you down as slowly, a merry-go-round like Slinky the dog ride for kids and the “thrill ride” in the RC Racer ramp ride where it swings like a pendulum. There are little Toy Story goodies scattered throughout like the Monkeys in a Barrow picture-taking area or the domino chairs after the RC ride.
The best part, I thought, about going to the new land premiere was seeing both my cousin, Michelle and my uncle, Fred ride the RC Racer. For anyone who’s been to Six Flags and rode the damn swinging boat ride, this was basically it with RC sounds and a little more speed up. The funniest moments includes just watching my uncle man up and ride the back seat and my oldest cousin, Michelle, cover her eyes and yell in the front row (two different riding times, of course). Either way, I had a good time.
Oh, I forgot to mention that while this was going on, I was in the middle of my second HK-trip disease: diarrhea and stomach bug/flu.
Disneyland in HK has a mini Cinderella castle in the middle like its older brother and sisters as well as the signature dumbo elephant ride and teacups. Oddly enough, it only has one mountain, which was disappointing to say the least. It was of the space variety and it was basically Space Mountain circa early 2000s with all black and speed and none of that California big room universe swag version. I can’t really imagine people going to Disneyland for more than six hours because there are not that many rides to entertain the day. The fireworks at night may be the reason to go in the afternoon until the night, though. The highlight of the park was clearly the 3D show that has Donald Duck steal the Fantasia magician hat and traveled through most of the Disneyverse. It was delightful to see all my favorite and recognizable characters (minus Mulan’s world) and all the best songs for each film. It covered, to my memory, Lion King, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and other movies that I forgot. It was pretty creative and definitely enjoyable just to travel to all those songs and worlds again.
I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of the entrance statue of Mickey on top of the Whale that swallowed him. It was pretty epic, to be short.
Things I’m going to not miss:
The constant opening and closing of my door when I’m sleeping (I wake up and catch it happening a lot)
The constant bashing of the contracted servant and “disciplining”
The nagging.. oh the nagging.
The over preparing of food – I’m not trying to gain 30 lbs.
The constant reminders of mundane things when I’m moving anywhere, and I do mean anywhere (includes the house, a step, the room, the bathroom, the kitchen, the couch).
The first-world problems I’m being so prissy about
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Macau. Part 1 of catch-up
Days blah blah
Macau destroyed me. First, it was pretty (tons of big buildings with over-the-top architecture) and the food was good. Of course, I didn’t do much sight-seeing as casinos do not count for the natural landscape (I didn’t mind too much until later). It wasn’t Vegas-like unless you count the names of the hotels and such, but it was definitely gambling-heavy. I wouldn’t go as far as to say it was a gambler’s heaven because the games that were offered appeal to the East side of the World. Baccarat dominated every casino and there were even Asian-sounding games that I didn’t touch. No hold’em, stud, Omaha or player vs. player games available – only house against the players. I played Craps the entire time while my uncles and aunts tried their luck at three-card poker (there wasn’t much). My second uncle arrived later in the evening and played Caribbean Poker (basically three-card on crack). We all lost, including my grandma who played lower stakes Baccarat, but it wasn’t a melancholy time. I think I met my second oldest uncle’s mistress of 25+ odd years. And I had to find out in probably my most awkward confrontation ever, and after having such a good impression of her when I didn’t know better. Awkward as in – walking in the suite to see both of them in bathrobes awkward or like holding hands while walking faster than me and Ma Ma awkward or like taking care and talking to my grandma like she was her mother-in-law awkward or like talking to me like we besties awkward. Anyway, shit got worse when the casino cheated me and went super sketch about it. The last hour of the trip, I was finally winning in Craps (finally winning meaning that shooters of dice didn’t go three rolls and then a seven) when I got hit with the most shady biz in casino experience.
*I had placed $600 HK on both the 6 and 8 (read Craps rules to understand or skip the next part) and was basically 45 percent committed to the best shooter’s roll on the table. I had around 2.5K on the table and when dude hit an 8, the dealer handed the guy next to me my winnings. I say my winnings because when I receive $700 after seeing my 6 hundie bet hit, I assume it’s mine and especially since dude next to me admitted to just committing 400 to numbers 5, 6 and 8 (uh.. ok, casino). So, I halted the game, and the roller (he wasn’t happy), to basically call to attention the fact that the dealer was sleeping on the job. Unfortunately for me, Macau’s workers are basically young students or graduates and probably possessed the same sass and ego that I do when it comes to dealing with people calling them out. Although, many of the dealers and such have gold hair and are not of the overweight variety (as far as the physical appearance goes, that’s up to personal opinion). So, I was being jipped by a bunch of Dragon Ball Z characters with too much sass. Of course, in casinos, there are cameras so I basically just said to call the supervisor to decipher how the $600 bet was not on my spot indicator for the table (it was on the guy next to me and his bet was on someone else – do your job, brah). We had to wait for 20 minutes before the dealer supervisor told everyone to just continue and to hold off and turn off both mine and the person next to me’s bet (for those counting, that’s 2.5K OFFLINE). So, I had little money to commit to the four 6s and three 8s that hit in consecutive rolls. For a game of chance, I couldn’t commit 100 percent of my bankroll to a shooter who has been halted for 20 minutes and could have since gone cold. Not only is my opportunity to take bets off but so was my ability to profit from the ridiculous 6s and 8s that were hitting. I tried to salvage things by committing smaller bets of $150 HK to 6 and 8 while playing the hard numbers. At the same time, I kept asking and watching the phone move from dealer to dealer and small looks exchange between co-workers. Finally, he rolled a 7 and the dealer went to collect bets. Mine was still off and when he went to collect 6s and 8s, he collected four bets (there were only three people on my side besides me). Of course, after waiting and losing out on my only opportunity to break even for 25 minutes, I called out to the guys again to ask them what the hell was going on. Why the silence treatment and why are you collecting my off bets when I didn’t even profit from it? Basically, the same sentence was repeated to me: “Sorry, I can’t do anything about it unless the supervisor says so.” This, for another 20 minutes until shift changes and I took my money and followed the off-shifters to ask what the fuck was the deal? Of course, I got the same repetitive bullshit and I was tired of making my family and the mistress wait for my ordeal. What turned out to be a hot roll and an on-time last-minute break for even money turned out to be $6.5K lost in Macau and tons of angry feelings. *
To add insult to injury to my losses in Macau (6.5K), we forgot my Ma Ma’s bag of stuff (pajamas and purses). I was doubly angry because at the last second before we left, my grandma had taken my clothes (except my “PJs”) and put it in her bag because she deemed herself responsibility for both the judging of whether my clothes are dirty and also as the holder of all dirty clothes. I had a backpack and was adamant to keep my shit to myself (her reason: I didn’t want to make you carry so much). Bro, it was a shirt, my boxers and socks. So, if you’re reading this Vivian, sorry that the “Noah and the Whale” shirt is now Macau’s property. I lost my pink Giordano’s that I always thought I was swag for wearing. Oh well.. Moving on:
Macau destroyed me. First, it was pretty (tons of big buildings with over-the-top architecture) and the food was good. Of course, I didn’t do much sight-seeing as casinos do not count for the natural landscape (I didn’t mind too much until later). It wasn’t Vegas-like unless you count the names of the hotels and such, but it was definitely gambling-heavy. I wouldn’t go as far as to say it was a gambler’s heaven because the games that were offered appeal to the East side of the World. Baccarat dominated every casino and there were even Asian-sounding games that I didn’t touch. No hold’em, stud, Omaha or player vs. player games available – only house against the players. I played Craps the entire time while my uncles and aunts tried their luck at three-card poker (there wasn’t much). My second uncle arrived later in the evening and played Caribbean Poker (basically three-card on crack). We all lost, including my grandma who played lower stakes Baccarat, but it wasn’t a melancholy time. I think I met my second oldest uncle’s mistress of 25+ odd years. And I had to find out in probably my most awkward confrontation ever, and after having such a good impression of her when I didn’t know better. Awkward as in – walking in the suite to see both of them in bathrobes awkward or like holding hands while walking faster than me and Ma Ma awkward or like taking care and talking to my grandma like she was her mother-in-law awkward or like talking to me like we besties awkward. Anyway, shit got worse when the casino cheated me and went super sketch about it. The last hour of the trip, I was finally winning in Craps (finally winning meaning that shooters of dice didn’t go three rolls and then a seven) when I got hit with the most shady biz in casino experience.
*I had placed $600 HK on both the 6 and 8 (read Craps rules to understand or skip the next part) and was basically 45 percent committed to the best shooter’s roll on the table. I had around 2.5K on the table and when dude hit an 8, the dealer handed the guy next to me my winnings. I say my winnings because when I receive $700 after seeing my 6 hundie bet hit, I assume it’s mine and especially since dude next to me admitted to just committing 400 to numbers 5, 6 and 8 (uh.. ok, casino). So, I halted the game, and the roller (he wasn’t happy), to basically call to attention the fact that the dealer was sleeping on the job. Unfortunately for me, Macau’s workers are basically young students or graduates and probably possessed the same sass and ego that I do when it comes to dealing with people calling them out. Although, many of the dealers and such have gold hair and are not of the overweight variety (as far as the physical appearance goes, that’s up to personal opinion). So, I was being jipped by a bunch of Dragon Ball Z characters with too much sass. Of course, in casinos, there are cameras so I basically just said to call the supervisor to decipher how the $600 bet was not on my spot indicator for the table (it was on the guy next to me and his bet was on someone else – do your job, brah). We had to wait for 20 minutes before the dealer supervisor told everyone to just continue and to hold off and turn off both mine and the person next to me’s bet (for those counting, that’s 2.5K OFFLINE). So, I had little money to commit to the four 6s and three 8s that hit in consecutive rolls. For a game of chance, I couldn’t commit 100 percent of my bankroll to a shooter who has been halted for 20 minutes and could have since gone cold. Not only is my opportunity to take bets off but so was my ability to profit from the ridiculous 6s and 8s that were hitting. I tried to salvage things by committing smaller bets of $150 HK to 6 and 8 while playing the hard numbers. At the same time, I kept asking and watching the phone move from dealer to dealer and small looks exchange between co-workers. Finally, he rolled a 7 and the dealer went to collect bets. Mine was still off and when he went to collect 6s and 8s, he collected four bets (there were only three people on my side besides me). Of course, after waiting and losing out on my only opportunity to break even for 25 minutes, I called out to the guys again to ask them what the hell was going on. Why the silence treatment and why are you collecting my off bets when I didn’t even profit from it? Basically, the same sentence was repeated to me: “Sorry, I can’t do anything about it unless the supervisor says so.” This, for another 20 minutes until shift changes and I took my money and followed the off-shifters to ask what the fuck was the deal? Of course, I got the same repetitive bullshit and I was tired of making my family and the mistress wait for my ordeal. What turned out to be a hot roll and an on-time last-minute break for even money turned out to be $6.5K lost in Macau and tons of angry feelings. *
To add insult to injury to my losses in Macau (6.5K), we forgot my Ma Ma’s bag of stuff (pajamas and purses). I was doubly angry because at the last second before we left, my grandma had taken my clothes (except my “PJs”) and put it in her bag because she deemed herself responsibility for both the judging of whether my clothes are dirty and also as the holder of all dirty clothes. I had a backpack and was adamant to keep my shit to myself (her reason: I didn’t want to make you carry so much). Bro, it was a shirt, my boxers and socks. So, if you’re reading this Vivian, sorry that the “Noah and the Whale” shirt is now Macau’s property. I lost my pink Giordano’s that I always thought I was swag for wearing. Oh well.. Moving on:
Thursday, November 3, 2011
I bought pants!
Days blah blah
The last few days have been recovery from being sick. Whether it was a cold or fever or whatever didn’t matter because the effect of feeling like crap was the same. Another annoying thing, besides being sick on vacation, is the fact that Hong Kong weather and humidity makes it impossible to cool down after a shower; EVEN a cold one. I mean, my glasses are on 24/7 fog control and I have to use a tissue to wipe down my forehead. I’ve made it a point to just let the sweat drop as it collects on my head. It also makes putting on lotion to prevent the breaking out (from my lack of exposure to humidity) useless because it’s water in a matter of moments. As I’m typing, five beads of sweat are about to drop on my keyboard. And now, I wipe that off.
I’m glad to say I’m really close to ridding myself of this horrible sickness. The second worst day of the sickness, I had to board the MTR (subway) for three 45-minute trips. Of course, it was my fault I had that many trips to begin with. I woke up super late (12 p.m.) for my vacation standard and missed morning mass. Ma ma told me that there was a 6 p.m. service and I was adamant on being there. The problem was that I was supposed to be at my Po Po’s before 7 p.m. where a barbeque was to be had. Two more drops of sweat. This isn’t your typical barbeque. It’s your open grill, everyone gather around with prongs and raw meat and cook like cavemen barbeque. Needless to say, I was excited for both the dinner and my potential to double my picture-taking for the trip. Anyway, the first MTR trip was to have hi-tea with my cousin, Phyllis. She didn’t know I was A. sick and B. on call for 6 p.m. mass in Mei Foo, so this wasn’t her fault at all. That being said, she wanted to hang out and eat near her house. This, as noted by the 45-minute trip, was at the opposite side of Ma ma’s place in Mei Foo. It takes three changes of subway cars to reach the place. Normally, I give my seat right away to any elderly or disabled persons, but I was so tired from just the first station, I took any available seat and just passed out. I can faintly hear the voice for each station and that kept me in the game to reach my change of cars. That ride was hell. I felt weak as crap and had to just let my body rest on anything—a pole, seat, my arm, anything.
Second ride – This was back to Mei Foo. Not eventful, it was as horrible as the first one except I had food in me and I had the self-control to make it to mass on time. A mass, I must say, I enjoyed because I slept through half of it. I’m on my third tissue for wiping sweat now; gross. The third ride to Po Po’s and the bus ride to the place was the worst because I had to pack and had another bag of stuff from the U.S. to deliver. Again, my fault because I had not given it to them the first time I visited. Anyway, here’s moral of the story: don’t get sick, stop messing up and oh well.
Ok. I found old men playing chess. Three tables full. And I found them on my elderly visiting day. It was Ma ma’s day, basically. This, being Thursday 11/2/2011. The days before today were pretty standard exploration days for me. I did buy pants though (38! American dollars), a pair in fact: one work-related and the other because I liked the color. Anyway, chess playing is super intense. There is usually three or four old men watching as an audience and each moved leads right into critique or conversation. There is seriously such deliberation and diligence. So, Ma ma’s friend is around 92 and they have been friends since she was 16 (she’s 83 now, or was it 84?). That’s more than people are alive, their friendship. She has no real teeth on her bottom row and she’s a little plump. Needless to say, she was my new favorite person in HK. She walks real slow, kind of swaying from side to side and always has a happy look on her. She still plays and gambles in MahJong despite her advanced age and has no maid or helper to assist her daily duties. She and Ma ma have a nice chemistry about them, chattering and laughing in their Star Wars’ language (Shanghai-wai). Anyway, she hands me a red packet (lai si) and then we have McDonald’s for lunch. Strange that today would turn out unexpectedly good and that I would meet the greatest person in HK.
The last few days have been recovery from being sick. Whether it was a cold or fever or whatever didn’t matter because the effect of feeling like crap was the same. Another annoying thing, besides being sick on vacation, is the fact that Hong Kong weather and humidity makes it impossible to cool down after a shower; EVEN a cold one. I mean, my glasses are on 24/7 fog control and I have to use a tissue to wipe down my forehead. I’ve made it a point to just let the sweat drop as it collects on my head. It also makes putting on lotion to prevent the breaking out (from my lack of exposure to humidity) useless because it’s water in a matter of moments. As I’m typing, five beads of sweat are about to drop on my keyboard. And now, I wipe that off.
I’m glad to say I’m really close to ridding myself of this horrible sickness. The second worst day of the sickness, I had to board the MTR (subway) for three 45-minute trips. Of course, it was my fault I had that many trips to begin with. I woke up super late (12 p.m.) for my vacation standard and missed morning mass. Ma ma told me that there was a 6 p.m. service and I was adamant on being there. The problem was that I was supposed to be at my Po Po’s before 7 p.m. where a barbeque was to be had. Two more drops of sweat. This isn’t your typical barbeque. It’s your open grill, everyone gather around with prongs and raw meat and cook like cavemen barbeque. Needless to say, I was excited for both the dinner and my potential to double my picture-taking for the trip. Anyway, the first MTR trip was to have hi-tea with my cousin, Phyllis. She didn’t know I was A. sick and B. on call for 6 p.m. mass in Mei Foo, so this wasn’t her fault at all. That being said, she wanted to hang out and eat near her house. This, as noted by the 45-minute trip, was at the opposite side of Ma ma’s place in Mei Foo. It takes three changes of subway cars to reach the place. Normally, I give my seat right away to any elderly or disabled persons, but I was so tired from just the first station, I took any available seat and just passed out. I can faintly hear the voice for each station and that kept me in the game to reach my change of cars. That ride was hell. I felt weak as crap and had to just let my body rest on anything—a pole, seat, my arm, anything.
Second ride – This was back to Mei Foo. Not eventful, it was as horrible as the first one except I had food in me and I had the self-control to make it to mass on time. A mass, I must say, I enjoyed because I slept through half of it. I’m on my third tissue for wiping sweat now; gross. The third ride to Po Po’s and the bus ride to the place was the worst because I had to pack and had another bag of stuff from the U.S. to deliver. Again, my fault because I had not given it to them the first time I visited. Anyway, here’s moral of the story: don’t get sick, stop messing up and oh well.
Ok. I found old men playing chess. Three tables full. And I found them on my elderly visiting day. It was Ma ma’s day, basically. This, being Thursday 11/2/2011. The days before today were pretty standard exploration days for me. I did buy pants though (38! American dollars), a pair in fact: one work-related and the other because I liked the color. Anyway, chess playing is super intense. There is usually three or four old men watching as an audience and each moved leads right into critique or conversation. There is seriously such deliberation and diligence. So, Ma ma’s friend is around 92 and they have been friends since she was 16 (she’s 83 now, or was it 84?). That’s more than people are alive, their friendship. She has no real teeth on her bottom row and she’s a little plump. Needless to say, she was my new favorite person in HK. She walks real slow, kind of swaying from side to side and always has a happy look on her. She still plays and gambles in MahJong despite her advanced age and has no maid or helper to assist her daily duties. She and Ma ma have a nice chemistry about them, chattering and laughing in their Star Wars’ language (Shanghai-wai). Anyway, she hands me a red packet (lai si) and then we have McDonald’s for lunch. Strange that today would turn out unexpectedly good and that I would meet the greatest person in HK.
Monday, October 31, 2011
I gots new glasses
Four days of being offline and yet I haven’t missed it for a day. I do miss being healthy as I am currently coughing up and sniffling up all the HK air. I am inspired to write a little of the four days that I have missed in the blogosphere. Is it sad that MS Word didn’t correct me for writing blogosphere? Is that even a real word? Currently, I’m at Po Po’s house again where I collect bug bites by the pairs. It seems that no matter what preemptive action is taken to prevent bugs in the rooms I sleep in (I’ve switched rooms from the last time already), I still get bites. I have now a collection of seven different bites. Bugs are having a buffet with my meat, man. Or is it my blood? Either way, it’s making me scratch more body parts than I want to. TMI. As I am writing this, I found another bite. Well, enough of that, let’s go into last Thursday:
First off, I have a goal in HK. This is one that I will not deter from, and that is to find the old folks who play Chinese Chess in parks in the mornings or afternoons. I hear that they also play for money which makes the stakes even higher. My goal is to find said elderly and play them at their own game. That, or learn how to play the game better. So, Thursday was a special day because I went to Kowloon Park to find these elusive chess players. Kowloon Park is one of the bigger parks in HK, so I figured that finding these guys should be cake. Nah, dude. No one was really there and I ended up just walking around taking photos of flamingos (which, by the way, is hardly a consolation). I’m going to schedule myself a park day and seriously get some freaking chess in.
Later that night, I went triad hunting since my elderly watch went fruitless. By triad hunting, I mean persuading Alex to come hang with me until 1 a.m. at Sham Shui Po and wait for the triads to show up. I think we had more fun just making everyone into triad figures than actually looking for knives and guns. Also, I learned that HK has a facebook-like website for finding prostitutes (and we were in a pretty ‘tute-full area). First off, I’m checking this site out for research purposes and secondly, whoa..awesome? Anyway, we basically just walked around after I beat some dude’s 9-game winning streak at the Sham Shui Po arcade (NBD) and looked for them triads. Or boba for me, I forget. Anyway, there was some 12-year old baller who whipped out an iPad in the middle of the shadiest stretch of street I’ve ever seen. Closed down open-markets on two sides, tattooed up Chinese and Indian men hanging around the other corner just talking and smoking and the other corner which was formerly occupied with cops (as if they just expected some shit to go down). An iPad in hell central? Yeah, that’s a dead man walking if I ever saw one. Almost on cue, he disappeared 20-minutes later. I like to think he just went back to the MTR, but real talk suggests he’s now in the sewers. I took a picture there on his last destination as a free man as a memorial.
First off, I have a goal in HK. This is one that I will not deter from, and that is to find the old folks who play Chinese Chess in parks in the mornings or afternoons. I hear that they also play for money which makes the stakes even higher. My goal is to find said elderly and play them at their own game. That, or learn how to play the game better. So, Thursday was a special day because I went to Kowloon Park to find these elusive chess players. Kowloon Park is one of the bigger parks in HK, so I figured that finding these guys should be cake. Nah, dude. No one was really there and I ended up just walking around taking photos of flamingos (which, by the way, is hardly a consolation). I’m going to schedule myself a park day and seriously get some freaking chess in.
Later that night, I went triad hunting since my elderly watch went fruitless. By triad hunting, I mean persuading Alex to come hang with me until 1 a.m. at Sham Shui Po and wait for the triads to show up. I think we had more fun just making everyone into triad figures than actually looking for knives and guns. Also, I learned that HK has a facebook-like website for finding prostitutes (and we were in a pretty ‘tute-full area). First off, I’m checking this site out for research purposes and secondly, whoa..awesome? Anyway, we basically just walked around after I beat some dude’s 9-game winning streak at the Sham Shui Po arcade (NBD) and looked for them triads. Or boba for me, I forget. Anyway, there was some 12-year old baller who whipped out an iPad in the middle of the shadiest stretch of street I’ve ever seen. Closed down open-markets on two sides, tattooed up Chinese and Indian men hanging around the other corner just talking and smoking and the other corner which was formerly occupied with cops (as if they just expected some shit to go down). An iPad in hell central? Yeah, that’s a dead man walking if I ever saw one. Almost on cue, he disappeared 20-minutes later. I like to think he just went back to the MTR, but real talk suggests he’s now in the sewers. I took a picture there on his last destination as a free man as a memorial.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Trends and stufff
Today was a day of trends. Things kept repeating themselves as if the entire day ended where it began. Not saying it’s a bad thing, but it was just something to note. Of course, most days when I’m by myself, I am either in a shopping area with the young adults or in an arcade getting beat by random HKs while mashing crouch tech. So, to begin the day (6 a.m.), I walked to the public gym area to get some internets done before the grandma suspected me of abandoning the house. I left after two hours to a phone call from the Ma Ma asking me where I was and if I wanted to eat breakfast. My plan was to get HK converters to charge all my stuff, but it turned out that Ma Ma had the equipment at her place. My plan was really to just get out of the house to go to Mong Kok and get some converters.
Next, I called up my oldest uncle to get some lunch with Ma Ma and we ended up going to Mei Foo for Shanghai food. It was pretty much the spread I enjoy the most with Shanghai food (hot and sour soup, can’t figure out the pingyin for it). It was an affordable 170 HK dollars for enough food to feed at least five patrons. This will be one of the reoccurring themes. After lunch, I went arcade hunting again and hung out in both Lai Chi Kok and Mong Kok for some window shopping and scrub bashing. I had an appointment for new glasses at 4 p.m. I ended up going to Central at around 3:30 p.m. and saw the financial district with my politician uncs. The glasses ended up being thicker foundations and frames and cost a whopping 1880 HK dollars. Talk about not breaking my bank. I just threw money at the cashier and didn’t think too much afterward about it. Ridiculous purchases will not be a reoccurring theme. So, I walked the area of Central and saw all of the HK Wall Street. Big buildings, old political buildings and business suit everywhere; not exactly the greatest tourist attraction ever. There were also only high-end businesses and shops around with the occasion newspaper stand and ice cream place around. We’re talking Prada and up; window shopping material only. I ended up looking for the arcade in Central. My theme for figuring out the HK map is going to arcades. I seriously think the idea if poetic and clever with a touch of nerdy. What better way to associate myself with a place as massive as HK as focusing on a small thing as an arcade. There are also conveniently arcades in every touristy and people-filled city around HK. Let’s see, there are two in Mong Kok (the city that never sleeps), La Chi Kok (next door), Central (Financial central), Prince Edward, Causeway Bay among other places. I thought it was convenient at least.
I met up with Alex shortly after playing in Central for a couple hours in Mong Kok. We promptly got destroyed in the first arcade (surprised me at least) and decided to cut our losses and move to the next one. Here’s theme two: getting bodied by regulars at Mong Kok. The arcade prices there are also super expensive (four and five dollars a pop HK). Losing isn’t exactly a very cheap option and winning only makes you feel better that you’re making the other person lose a buttload. I think we ended up playing some of HKFighters.net finest. We break and ate Shanghai food again (theme one) and discussed HK philosophies. By philosophies, I mean comparing HK boys to HK girls and how I seriously am thinking my theory on the men being 100x uglier than the girls is totally a fact. Alex taught me how movie theaters are treated as make-out studios and that girls in HK are pretending to be Taiwanese to be prettier. The Chinese guys need something to look up to because it’s just sad. The theme of getting bodied continued until 11:00 p.m. when we tucked our tails behind and went to our local haunt (Lai Chi Kok). Since this day, I have forgotten what other themes were evident and I doubt I’ll remember. Sorry for such a disappointing post.
Today (seventh day) was pretty busy as well. We honored the ancestors (my grandfather and my grandma’s Kai Mo) with both my Ma Ma and Walter, my oldest uncle. More on this later.
Next, I called up my oldest uncle to get some lunch with Ma Ma and we ended up going to Mei Foo for Shanghai food. It was pretty much the spread I enjoy the most with Shanghai food (hot and sour soup, can’t figure out the pingyin for it). It was an affordable 170 HK dollars for enough food to feed at least five patrons. This will be one of the reoccurring themes. After lunch, I went arcade hunting again and hung out in both Lai Chi Kok and Mong Kok for some window shopping and scrub bashing. I had an appointment for new glasses at 4 p.m. I ended up going to Central at around 3:30 p.m. and saw the financial district with my politician uncs. The glasses ended up being thicker foundations and frames and cost a whopping 1880 HK dollars. Talk about not breaking my bank. I just threw money at the cashier and didn’t think too much afterward about it. Ridiculous purchases will not be a reoccurring theme. So, I walked the area of Central and saw all of the HK Wall Street. Big buildings, old political buildings and business suit everywhere; not exactly the greatest tourist attraction ever. There were also only high-end businesses and shops around with the occasion newspaper stand and ice cream place around. We’re talking Prada and up; window shopping material only. I ended up looking for the arcade in Central. My theme for figuring out the HK map is going to arcades. I seriously think the idea if poetic and clever with a touch of nerdy. What better way to associate myself with a place as massive as HK as focusing on a small thing as an arcade. There are also conveniently arcades in every touristy and people-filled city around HK. Let’s see, there are two in Mong Kok (the city that never sleeps), La Chi Kok (next door), Central (Financial central), Prince Edward, Causeway Bay among other places. I thought it was convenient at least.
I met up with Alex shortly after playing in Central for a couple hours in Mong Kok. We promptly got destroyed in the first arcade (surprised me at least) and decided to cut our losses and move to the next one. Here’s theme two: getting bodied by regulars at Mong Kok. The arcade prices there are also super expensive (four and five dollars a pop HK). Losing isn’t exactly a very cheap option and winning only makes you feel better that you’re making the other person lose a buttload. I think we ended up playing some of HKFighters.net finest. We break and ate Shanghai food again (theme one) and discussed HK philosophies. By philosophies, I mean comparing HK boys to HK girls and how I seriously am thinking my theory on the men being 100x uglier than the girls is totally a fact. Alex taught me how movie theaters are treated as make-out studios and that girls in HK are pretending to be Taiwanese to be prettier. The Chinese guys need something to look up to because it’s just sad. The theme of getting bodied continued until 11:00 p.m. when we tucked our tails behind and went to our local haunt (Lai Chi Kok). Since this day, I have forgotten what other themes were evident and I doubt I’ll remember. Sorry for such a disappointing post.
Today (seventh day) was pretty busy as well. We honored the ancestors (my grandfather and my grandma’s Kai Mo) with both my Ma Ma and Walter, my oldest uncle. More on this later.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Day 2-3 "kids wear that?"
The now: At my Po-Po’s house (relatives on my mother’s side) and currently enjoying a no-cap, some limits, internet. Might be heading to the mountains for photo ops, but I’m not sure.
Let’s update everything else, now. First, I had hairy crabs at the end of day 2. They are smallish crabs that take a mountain of effort to open and enjoy. Its claim to culinary fame is the fact that it’s heavy on goo to eat and are fat at this time of year; with the word, fat being a very loose word. After many moments of my family taking hits on my inability to eat the damn things, I took to just drinking the warm Chinese wine and settling for my “American” deficiencies. The wine tasted like warm ginseng juice. Later that evening, my next bit of culture shock hit as my two cousins (Michelle and Phyllis) went to Phyllis’ room to sing Karaoke. I mean, I guess it’s not the craziest thing to see, but I never really think my form of entertainment in my room was singing karaoke. And this isn’t some generic karaoke machine you find, it’s a touch screen categorized by artist’s faces. So, yeah, not how I usually plan on entertaining guests at my place, but when do I do that (womp womp).
Let’s update everything else, now. First, I had hairy crabs at the end of day 2. They are smallish crabs that take a mountain of effort to open and enjoy. Its claim to culinary fame is the fact that it’s heavy on goo to eat and are fat at this time of year; with the word, fat being a very loose word. After many moments of my family taking hits on my inability to eat the damn things, I took to just drinking the warm Chinese wine and settling for my “American” deficiencies. The wine tasted like warm ginseng juice. Later that evening, my next bit of culture shock hit as my two cousins (Michelle and Phyllis) went to Phyllis’ room to sing Karaoke. I mean, I guess it’s not the craziest thing to see, but I never really think my form of entertainment in my room was singing karaoke. And this isn’t some generic karaoke machine you find, it’s a touch screen categorized by artist’s faces. So, yeah, not how I usually plan on entertaining guests at my place, but when do I do that (womp womp).
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