Twentysomething

After years of expensive education
A car full of books and anticipation
I'm an expert on Shakespeare and that's a hell of a lot
But the world don't need scholars as much as I thought
Maybe I'll go traveling for a year
Finding myself or start a career
Could work the poor, though I'm hungry for fame
We all seem so different but we're just the same
Maybe I'll go to the gym, so I don't get fat
Aren't things more easy, with a tight six pack
Who knows the answers, who do you trust
I can't even separate love from lust
Maybe I'll move back home and pay off my loans
Working nine to five, answering phones
But don't make me live for Friday nights
Drinking eight pints and getting in fights
Maybe I'll just fall in love
That could solve it all
Philosophers say that that's enough
There surely must be more
Love ain't the answer, nor is work
The truth eludes me so much it hurts
But I'm still having fun and I guess that's the key
I'm a twentysomething and I'll keep being me


I first started listening to Jamie Cullum in high school and now, this song is finally relevant (though you can replace Shakespeare w/ literary journalists & Asian American scholars ha). This past month I've finally felt the "Oh shit, I'm useless to society" as school ended and I'm not working either.

Everyone's been asking me what I've been doing in Hong Kong and well, to be honest it's pretty much just eating, hanging out, shopping, and dragon boat. I suppose I went for the "maybe I'll go traveling for a year" option (since this "study abroad" has been more about being abroad), but now what?

I'm still not 100% sure on what I want to do, but I hope when I go back home I'll find a job and this will probably be me: "maybe I'll move back home and pay off my loans; Working nine to five, answering phones."

-__- to reality....though for now "I'm still having fun and I guess that's the key"....

Snow White (Part I)

I was surprised to find found out last night that my (new & current) local HK roommate actually likes to tan!  I emphasize local because I have yet to meet a local Hong Kong girl who likes to tan. Considering she does, I have to explain that she isn't a totally typical HKer.  She told me that her parents are not 100% Chinese, as she is a mix of Chinese, Indonesian, and even a very tiny percentage of European blood, so she was born tan anyway and has taken it upon herself to embrace it.

The majority of women here, as in most of Asia, like to be "bak," which means white in Canto.  Of course, there are some who don't mind being "huk" (or dark) during the summer, but they equal a small portion of the female population.  My cousin mentioned that being a bit tan for summer is good, but they quickly revert back to whiteness when fall comes around.  What's funny though, is that it's acceptable/good for guys to be tan.

Everywhere from drugstores to cosmetic counters, whitening creams, masks, lotions, etc. etc. cover the shelves and women clamour to get a hold them.  It's pretty much equivalent to tanning oils, lotions, sprays, and salons that are everywhere in California.

As I learned in my Body, Beauty, Fashion course back in first semester at HKU, this whole skin color issue stems from notions of class centuries ago.  In China, people who worked outside (i.e. farmers) became tan, while those who were rich didn't have to work and remained inside, thus fair skinned.  As for Americans/Europeans, those who were wealthy enough could go on leisure cruises and beaches to faraway places where they could lie around under the sun and tan.  There are many other issues, but I'll leave it at that.

Having grown up in California, I've always liked being tan especially when summertime came around, which wasn't too difficult considering I can tan very easily.  All of my friends also liked to tan as we'd go to the beach or chill poolside.  Also, back in high school, being on the swim team caused me to be seriously dark.  This was something I never minded...until I came to Hong Kong.      

I have never once in my life wanted to be "whiter."  I always knew Asians liked to be fair and use whitening creams, but I scoffed at it.  The thought or "issue" never crossed my mind until this past year living in and being surrounded by Hong Kong culture.

Apparently, I wasn't alone either.

Help

Seeing domestic abuse happen on the streets of Hong Kong makes me ill.  I'd heard from others who've seen couples fighting or yelling or seeing a guy hit the girl and sadly, I finally witnessed it too.  What sucks is that it's one of those situations where you want to help, but you can't...or you can (because in reality, you always can in whatever way possible) and it doesn't help.

We watched the World Cup final in LKF at a bar near 7-Eleven where they didn't have cover (yay!) and in the end, they didn't make us pay for 2 drinks (just one and the manager/owner/whoever even decided to give us more drinks later on tehehe).  We all rooted for the Netherlands because Francis, who moved into PM a few weeks ago, is Dutch and none of us had any ties to Spain...and well, none of us are extremely avid fans of soccer...err football (though it is fun to watch).  Unfortunately, Spain won and we left to find a taxi as everyone, but me had to work the next day today.  Of course, considering everyone else in LKF needed a taxi as well, we couldn't find one.

On our way down, we saw a girl struggling in the arms of a guy--so much that eventually she was grasping onto his shirt to get him away and the shirt ripped apart.  We continued staring at them from across the crosswalk and weren't sure what to do...call the police??  He was holding on to her and wouldn't let her go no matter what she did.  If I was a superhero, I would've swooped right in to save her, but alas, I don't live in a movie.  By the time we decided to call the police, they were too far away.

While we walked around Central, we came across them again in line at a bus stop and she was still struggling.  He had his arm around her neck, practically choking her, and was pushing her face while cussing at her in Canto.  No one around them did anything, so being the brave one, Lizzy went up to him and told him to let go of her and that we'd call the police.  He proceeded to reply, "Mind your own fucking business," and everyone continued to stare.  Nothing happened, so we continued walking down (feeling helpless, though I can't imagine what the girl felt) and turned the corner only to bump into a policeman (yay, what we were looking for).  We told him briefly about the situation and to look for this shirtless guy, but when he left us we saw that he didn't stop to look for him at all.  I think he probably didn't even care.

All I hope for, is that the girl is ok and that nothing worse happened later on, but that's only hoping.  I also hope that soon she'll realize what kind of relationship she's in and will get out of it, but that's also only hoping as it's an extremely difficult cycle to get out of.  This situation reminds me of what we'd discuss in our Vagina Monologues rehearsals considering the main purpose of the show is to address violence against women.  This shit happens all the time, but no one ever talks about it, so I decided I'd talk a bit about it now...

If you were in our situation, seeing it happen, what would you do?

Windows Down

One thing I miss about home is driving.  I thought I'd never miss driving considering the awesome public transportation here, but I suppose what I and other people here miss is the freedom and control.  You don't have to wait for the bus or subway.  Sure there's traffic all the time, but you can arrive or leave whenever you want.

Not only that, but I miss blasting the radio...listening to top 40s, rock, hip hop, anything.  I realized that I don't know most of the popular songs back home now (though of course big ones like Lady Gaga play everywhere here), so my friend Chun replied on my fbook and gave me this awesome link:
http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/playlist/Popular+in+us/28331756

...and I don't know more than half gah.  I can just imagine being home listening to songs in the car or dancing at a club where everyone will be like, "Yeaaahh!! I love this song!" and I"ll be like "Huh? never heard it."

Have I switched a year of American pop culture with HK pop culture?

Not really.  I've come to be familiar with a few Canto songs due to karaokeing with some locals, but Cantopop isn't exactly the best.  Most of it sounds the same--breathy, slow, and about love.  As for movies, I've only seen two HK ones and they were mediocre/disappointing.

The big question: When will I go home?? Still not sure about that one.  I've decided to apply for jobs/internships here and see where that goes.  Now I just need to write cover letters...

Scrambled

There's a waiter at the Australian Dairy Co. who doesn't seem to understand your Cantonese when you have an English menu in front of you.

*points to lunch set on Chinese menu* Ngo yiu li go (I want this one)
You want fried? scrambled?
Chow
Scrambled?
Chow
Scrambled?
*sigh* Scrambled
Ham? Bbq pork?
Cha siu
Bbq pork
Yes, bbq pork...

That was the first time when I went with Alice, Paris & Justin.  About a week later, I went with Alice, Laura & Lydia and got him again.  This time, he eventually gave in midway and switched to canto.  Both times, I've found the conversation quite amusing.  Either it's a game of who gives in first or he just has a hearing problem.

Australian Dairy Company is a famous "Hong Kong style" restaurant on Parkes Street in Jordan.  It's always packed and the service is speedy.  Less than a minute after you order, the food arrives and the second you're done, the hawk-eyed waiters will snatch the finished plate away.

Every time, I get their popular lunch set of macaroni soup, buttered toast, ham, and the BEST scrambled eggs ever.  In my opinion, they're worth the be rushed, eat fast, and leave in 10 environment, but if you're lucky, you can get a corner table tucked away--giving you the extra 10 minutes to digest, which is what happened the first time.  When I still have room, I'll also get dun lai (steamed milk), which is a custard/pudding-like dessert that's really simple (milk & sugar), but oh so good...especially for a milk lover like me.

I still don't know why it's called Australian Dairy Co. when they use Kowloon Dairy milk.  Anyone know?

Alice & Paris<--the only thing Australian about the place

Our waiter :)

Finding Nemo

Photo taken while snorkeling in Dauin, Negros Island, PI

Every summer as a kid, I'd head to Industry Hills and swim for a few hours on their summer swim teams, head back home, watch TV and eat fast food and tons of watermelon.  My mom made my sister and me learn how to swim when we were wee little tykes because swimming was something she never knew how to do, but wished she could do.

I've always loved being in the water whether it be swimming  laps or playing around.  I'd often go to the bottom of the swimming pool and just look up to the surface--and that's exactly what I did the day I learned how to scuba dive in the Philippines.  I'd remember to do it every once in a while just to remind myself that yes, I was really deep below (12 meters or so) in the ocean and that yes, I was scuba diving that very moment.  After snorkeling in Thailand, I had an urge to try scuba diving.  It's something I've always wanted to do, a "things to do in life" item, but I didn't think this dream would be realized so soon.

When I was down there, my mind jumped around to thoughts from Am I breathing right?  Should I breathe in and exhale longer?  Ahh my throat is dry to OMahgahh I'm scuba diving!!  Omahgahh there's a sea turtle!  We're underwater!  Most of the time, I was concerned with my breathing.  You know the sound Darth Vader makes?  Well, that's what you sound like and all you hear down there.  Sometimes I had to remind myself to just look around and take it all in.  I still try and search for those images in my memory because I don't want to forget them.

Something about scuba diving made me feel like I was in space--not that I know how it is.  You sort of float around like I imagine an astronaut would.  You have weights that make you stay underwater, but then there's air in your vest that keeps you from hitting the bottom so you're free to glide through the water.  Oh and the water!  Crystal clear and a nice temperature, unlike the murky freezing cold waters of Cali's beaches.  We did a discover scuba package, so we got to do 2 dives, starting from the shore and into the ocean--no boring ol' swimming pool.       

To make things even more amazing, we got the boat to ourselves on our way there and learned off a gorgeous place, Apo Island:

Apo Island, PI

L

Welcome to Sea World! Laura, Kevin and me after our first dive

In short, my Philippines trip began on Monday in Cebu City to Moalboal on Cebu island.  Tuesday we arrived in Dumaguete on Negros Island and explored the city.  We stayed at Harold's Mansion, which I highly recommend for the price & activities they offer.  Plus Harold isn't an expat, but a local who owns the place and knows everything you need to know there.  On Wednesday we all went scuba diving and on Thursday, Laura and I relaxed by getting swedish massages and shopping, on Friday we snorkeled in a nearby city, Dauin, and by Saturday we returned to Cebu City for our flight and just stayed in the ginormous SM Mall the whole day for last minute shopping and grubbing.  Every night in Dumaguete, we hit up the restaurant/bar Hayahay for some drinks and good live music--from reggae to alternative depending on the night...a very good place to chill.  Out of all my trips so far, this was the perfect balance of activities and relaxing.

Dumaguete, Negros Island, PI

*Ah and yes, we found Nemo and were lucky enough to see 3 of Squirt's friends, Peach (the starfish), and thankfully, no Bruce.

Originality

Over the summer before coming to Hong Kong, I interned for adidas in Hollywood.  The office focused on the entertainment industry, so they mainly dealt with product placement in TV & films and giving celebrities adidas gear.  It was a fun internship--meeting celebs once in a while and dealing with their products (if they were a marketing division for say, office products?, maybe it wouldn't have been so fun haha).  Since they gave product as the form of pay, a good chunk of my stuff here is adidas.

After 3 months, I was of course, brainwashed, so now I notice any adidas product from a mile away.  In Hong Kong and Asia in general, adidas is huge!  Half the people I see on the streets of HK are sporting a pair or even wearing their clothes (which I rarely see in Cali).  They even know what Y-3 is, which most people back home generally have never heard of unless they're really into adidas or high fashion.  I've seen some bad knock-offs of Y-3 stuff...who knew?

During my internship, my supervisors were having talks and negotiating with agents/managers/whatevs to get people in on the new campaign for the year.  I left before I knew who they secured, but last night, I finally saw the new ad.  I'm lovin' the tune and seeing Agyness Deyn, Jay Baruchel, Ciara, Hyori Lee, Noel Gallagher and of course, Snooop.



I think it's a fine piece of advertisement.  It's super fun, makes me wanna be there, and get me some more adidas ish. When I get back home, I might be able to work for them if they get more positions *crosses fingers*

Tokyo

Almost four years ago, I went on a tour with my sister to Osaka & Kyoto during the summer.  When I was 9, I went to Tokyo.  All I remember was the subway, cool air, and seeing everyone dressed up in Harajuku.  Will I go again while I'm here in Asia?  Probably not since it's expensive and I don't have a huge urge to go, but hopefully I will sometime again while I'm in my twenties.  The point of this post?  Nothing, but I dig this:

Eh eh eh

One of my (unhealthy) obsessions this past year has been korean pop music aka kpop!  2NE1 is one of my fave groups because they have catchy tunes, crazy outfits, they bring a different vibe to the kpop scene, and they don't act super cheesy cutesy like most kpop girl groups.  At first I thought this tune was ok/pretty good, but I think the video brings it to life.

Unexpectedly, we saw a lot of Korean dive shops, restaurants, churches and people in the Philippines.  Wiki tells me that Koreans in the Philippines "form the largest Korean diaspora community in Southeast Asia and the eighth-largest in the world, after Korean Australians and before Koreans in Kazakhstan."  Something I would have never known otherwise. *I forgot to add that one of the girls in 2NE1, Sandara, is actually an example of a Korean who lived in the Philippines.

With the hallyu wave ever expanding, we also heard 2NE1's "Fire" twice and Wonder Girls' "Nobody" a few times during the trip.  While we were in a shopping center in Dumaguete, "Nobody" came on, causing an employee and Laura to sing right then and there.  Made for a fun shopping experience : )

Blue

I've been spoiled this past week.  Spoiled by the beauty of the beaches in the Philippines where the water is so clear you can see the sand below until it gradually deepens into a glittering aquamarine and borders a deep blue only nature can paint.


We arrived early Monday morning at 4AM in Cebu City and eventually made our way over to Moalboal, a small town on the southwestern coast of Cebu.  Other than a few small streets catering to tourists in Panagsama Beach, the rest of the area was rural, with families living what seemed like the simple life.  Moalboal was initially the destination of choice for scuba diving, but after walking around, we realized we only needed to spend a day there.

In the afternoon, we took a tricycle to Kawasan Falls and showed up only to find that they wanted to charge us 3000 pesos to take a raft to the waterfall.  If you ever go, don't fall for this trick.  We didn't want to pay, so Kevin led the way, hiking up above the waterfall until we found a lagoon above the main waterfall.  The others walked in first and after some hesitation, Laura and I eventually stripped down and went in.  The water was fresh and cool--a nice contrast to chlorine pools and salty ocean water.  I couldn't stop thinking, "OMG we're swimming on the top of a waterfall!" I floated along on my back looking up at butterflies and tree branches against the sky.  I don't consider myself a nature/outdoorsy girl, but when you're in a place like this, you can't help but appreciate nature for the beauty it offers.

After some more exploring around the falls, we headed back to Moalboal and took another ride to White Beach, where we watched the sunset.  I fell asleep on my towel and woke up to local kids laughing and playing nearby.  It was already dark and we looked up to see the stars--something I haven't seen in a while.

Panagsama Beach, Moalboal

Kawasan Falls

 

Susnet at White Beach, Moalboal

La dolce vita

In six hours, I'll be on a plane going to the island of Cebu in the Philippines!  With all the tsunami alerts and terrorist attacks in the south, I hope all of that won't be a factor in our vacation for reading week (a week off when we're supposed to "study" for midterms).  It's my cheapest round trip flight so far at $163USD.  I never even thought of going to the Philippines, but after googling pictures of Cebu (and the persistence of Kevin & Kenny), I was sold.  From what I saw, it's like a postcard perfect, paradise, island kind of place I'd vacation in when I retire.  Will it really be like that?  I guess I'll find out!

I'll be going with one of my roommates--Laura from Chicago, Kevin from Florida, and Kenny & David are from Britain...a semi-international group going on.  Surprisingly, I'm the only Californian (we seem to dominate the HKU exchange program).  We plan on scuba diving (apparently Cebu or specifically Moalboal is one of the best places in the world for it), snorkeling, and doing any water-related sports besides being lazy and chillin' on the beach.

Within the past six months, I've been lucky enough to travel to Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan and now the Philippines.  Oddly enough, I've yet to go to mainland China (I will when I get my visa stuff sorted).  I've always had a longing to tour Europe and since I accomplished that, I'm now exploring this side of the world--something I honestly never put much though to before.  How is it so far?  Amazing.

I mentioned to one of my roomies' boyfriend that I studied abroad in Tuscany, Italy before, to which he responded, "Wow! You've had a great life!"  It made me think about it and yeah, I kind of do ; )

No Fondue

Tonight Kiran rounded Paris, Laura, Kevin and I to go to The Melting Pot in SoHo on Elgin St. & Hollywood Road.  I googled it beforehand and expected to arrive at a jazz bar, but to my surprise, it was salsa night!  It was a diverse crowd, mainly middle aged folks who went to have a good time and get their salsa on.  I think we were probably the youngest kids around.  People were shaking their hips and showing off their fancy footwork everywhere.  There was this "man in orange," who could move it like no other.  The scene was definitely something we didn't expect to find in Hong Kong.   I think expats hang around SoHo a lot because it's like they never even left home considering everything is "western" there.  At the same time, I wonder if they ever experience "very local" areas of HK?  To our amusement, the spot was also great for people watching (awkward looking couples or this girl who who just had a "save me!" look on her face when this old white guy dragged her out to dance haha).  The highlight was the live salsa band--the trumpeter definitely made me want to get back, re-learn, and make use of those 5 years I spent learning how to play.

On another note, I have two left feet.  Coordinated dancing is definitely not my forte. 

I already know how much I'm going to miss this place. My departure is months away, but I know it'll be hard to leave.

Relax

I honestly never know what Radiohead songs mean, but I just love their music...

Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself

The past two/three weeks of the second semester at HKU have been pretty crazy.  There has been much more partying and crazy super random nights out this time around.  Not that there weren't last semester, but it's been heightened x 10 with the new kids, thus new atmosphere.  For about a week I slept at 6am every day.  It's all been super fun, but it's also come with consequences...being that I fainted today during dragon boat practice while we were running.  I was about to slow down and take off my sweater and the next thing you know, I'm on the floor looking up at my teammates extremely embarassed that I fainted for the second time.  It's never happened back home.  It was a reality check once again that I just need to take care of myself here.  I also don't want my own doings to affect my teammates...I don't want them to have to worry about me fainting every second.  This was the second time during practice that happened...sometimes I just overexhaust/exert myself here, which is no bueno.  I suppose I've been making choices for instant gratification without thinking of the long-run, which I think especially happens in this study abroad world.  It's a dream world of fun and now I just need to chill. out.

Because I also like this song.

Ting Bu Dong

My sister, Liz, me and my cousin, Mary in Ximen, Taipei

I started the new year off with a weekend trip to Taiwan with my sister and cousin from the first to the third--short, but eventful in that we left with full and happy stomachs and new clothes (can't have enough!).  Taipei essentially equals a shopping and eating trip, which is what we succeeded at.  My cousin had been there about five times before and speaks some Mandarin, so she led the way for a chill trip.  What surprised me was how much Taipei reminded me of Seoul.  They're both more spread out in comparison to Hong Kong (which I've realized is extremely dense compared to every other city) and Ximen, as pictured above, looked a hell of a lot like Myeongdong--another shopping district in Seoul.  Kpop was even playing in stores! (my not-so-guilty almost year long obsession)  I was also really happy to see friends from home especially Miss Stacey Shiau.  We went through Literary Journalism together at UCI and now we're both in the same boat--abroad  in our motherlands and still sort of lost in what to do in our lives.  

With Stacey @ Shilin Night Market (tons of people and an overwhelming amount of clothes!)

Reunion @ Primo

Somehow being in Taiwan inspired me to have a yearning to learn Mandarin and to read/write Chinese.  I can understand a few phrases that sound similar to Canto, but it's extremely limited.  Maybe I'll take it this semester?  Having another semester here is kind of fresh and exciting again.  I can't believe I've already been away for four months.  New roommates, new hallmates, new classes...new year!