Daily Updates...

I fail. I know. Bet lost. :(

Having said that... I'll be doing a batch update this Sunday (likely) and "magically" go back in time and update things from the past 2 weeks.

Suffice to say with school/research tasks, exploration of HK and "other" events, I haven't had time to unload the billion pictures/videos on the phone and make a proper update about it. But soooon!

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

- Blast from the past! And videos like these make me realize I'm no longer young

Yesterday, I crossed the Victoria Harbor from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island. The destination of choice was none other than the Bel-Air residential developments. (I guess if you wanted an easy way to associate yourself with wealth and pedigree, just name your apartment complex after some other rich neighborhood).

- I snapped a photo before I arrived at the entrance

- These two... I don't even know what to call them, greeted the people that entered through the front gate of the complex. There were a ton of other unique architectural designs (I was surprised to see such a heavy infusion of Greco-Roman and pre-Victorian statues and design templates) but, I was told that I should not be taking photos as it would make the residents uncomfortable. I complied... I did not want to get kicked out. Not yet, at least.

The primary purpose of the trip that day was to grab a bite with some people I know who happen to live here. They had just recently moved into the Bel-Air complex and since I happen to be visiting Hong Kong... the rest just fell in place. Breakfast, to put it simply, was breath-taking. I made sure a photo was taken along with a short video clip.

- I could have sat here for hours...

- Time to nom nom nom! Fruity breakfast get in my belly!

After breakfast, a little chit-chatting, some back and forth banter and the usual catching up topic of "what have you been up to in life," we headed out for another meal. The destination of choice was the Pacific Club, one of those exclusive country clubs you take your guests to when you want to impress them and show off. I guess I should feel flattered I was worthy of being a target of impression.

- The view from the Pacific Club balcony right outside their dining hall. The view was suppose to be gorgeous but the presence of fog and lack of complete nightfall limited what I'm sure would have been a spectacular viewpoint. The building to the left is also the 4th tallest building in the world (why you can't even see its top). I was told, over and over and over about this fact as if they personally built the tower.

- I managed to take one picture before people devoured the food. The seafood buffet had items imported from New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines and some other island states. Yummy in my tummy!

- We also had a private chef come into the dining hall to put on a cooking display. The most unique item he cooked was some kind of tiny, live fish. [Disclaimer: the method they cooked them, soon to be described, is not for the animal lovers out there]. What they did was they initially put around 5-6 "fishes" into a large glass container. They were extremely fresh, and you could tell because they were still jumping inside the container (flip-flopping around) as if they were just pulled out of the ocean. A few seconds later, someone comes in with a jug of liquid. (I presume its oil, but I have no idea) The assistant slowly funnels the liquid/oil into the glass container and the lively/fresh fish slowly flop around less and less (as if they were getting suffocated). Once the movement slowed down dramatically in the glass container, the liquid was funneled out and the fish quickly put into a brazen clay pot. The chef proceeded to spike up the fire (see picture above) and cook it before our very eyes. The meal was delicious!

A couple hours with the wealthy and the exquisite dining experiences makes for a fulfilling and unique day!

Welcome to the Tour!

Inquiring minds have wanted to know where I could have lived, where I am living now and why the switch? Visual answers will be presented!

Where I could have lived:

- Trader's Hotel (formerly Jen Hotel), really close to HKU campus

Where I am living now: (Presented in video format! as if you were being taken on a tour). Please note the absolutely-awesome opening musical score, composed by none other than myself.



- I know, I know, I will move quicker next time so the video isn't so long

- You might not be able to see the inside, but you can at least see the view I have! Which isn't very viewable since there's a ton of trees in the way.

And finally, why the switch: Let us just say that the savings will be in the ballpark figure of allowing me to buy a brand new "item" if I wanted to...

- Hello mysterious "item"

Meet My New Friend, Mr. MoneyBag

- Hello new friend!

One of the other students, also in my Santa Clara - Hong Kong program, flew in yesterday. After some emails and phone calls, we had decided to meet up. The plan was to grab a bite and some drinks.

He had checked out a room from the hotel "Butterfly on the Prat" in the Tsim Sha Tsui district (尖沙咀), and because his area was more "touristy," we decided it would be a safer bet to meet at his location over mine. (No, I do not live in the ghetto...well, not completely ghetto).

Getting down there was the first tricky part. Not only is HK's public transportation vast and complicated, limited ability to read the language also makes it difficult to navigate the streets. Yes, I could have taken a taxi, but learning the public transportation was a necessity and worthwhile experience. (Hello Mr. Budget!) After typing in Google "hong kong public transportation routes" some very complex internet research, I managed to figure out the bus route to take and where to get off.

- I can't tell if I like this better or San Francisco's 511.org

I was suppose to get off at stop #17, Mody Road Tsim Sha Tsui. Perhaps not all too surprisingly, I got off at New World Centre by mistake. This was not a complete mistake, since it gave me the chance to catch the harbor view of Hong Kong at night.

- Damn you crappy Blackberry camera

When we finally met up, finding a place to eat was more troublesome than we expected. Somehow, in our ill-fated excursion, we had wandered into the thick of the shopping district instead of the eating area. There were occasional restaurants, but they were definitely catered towards the more affluent crowd. (I'm not paying $30 for a sandwich!) I also saw more electronic stores in the span of 3 minutes than I could have seen at an electronics conference and symposium.

After eating, our attempt to find a local bar commenced. We somehow ended up in the wedding district instead though. (What is a wedding district? Imagine a bajillion wedding dress shops, tailors, cakes, etc. lined up along one street). As of that moment, I have officially walked more than the past 2 days than I have ever done so before in my life. We finally managed to find a pretty relaxing corner bar, along with American music blaring over crowded tables, and decided to go go in.

- I refused to get a beer like Tsingtao while in HK!

We bar hopped around for a little bit, went into some of the establishments nearby, grabbed a little more food and just let the time fly by. The sordid details of the night need not be fully chronicled, they would obviously be way too boring!

This brings us to the title of this post and why I have implicitly referred to my new friend as Mr. MoneyBag. (No, he was not super rich and he did not pay for everything). While wandering the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui, every merchant you could possibly imagine flocked towards him, and only him, to hawk their goods at him. (I was a little jealous! No one flocking to me the night before was understandable, but that night I had on more than a tank top and basketball shorts! I did not look like a hobo!) Watches, clothes, food, beverages and even foot massages (with the illicit connotation thrown in), were tossed at him as if he was a walking bag of money. After some discussion about this, he revealed that he had expected as much. He was a tall, Caucasian male dressed in decent attire and, as such, he had expected to receive a type of treatment which was similar to how he had been treated in other Asian countries. The idea that foreigners tip extremely well and splurge with their money was culturally infused into the commercial mind-set of many residents of Hong Kong. However, given the rate of rejection he doled out, instead of a money bag, this might have been a more appropriate caricature of who he was:

- A more appropriate analogy right?

First Impressions & A New Personal-Best Record

This initial post from Hong Kong would have, in any other situation, been posted much sooner normally. However, exigent circumstances intervened and not only removed the option of a quick posting but also forced me to set a new-personal best record.

Normally, whenever I find myself in a new environment, it takes me at least a day before I find myself doing something absurdly stupid and beyond reproach. In Hong Kong, it took me 1 hour to lock myself out of the apartment I was staying in... 1 hour!!

To paint the backdrop; I had opted out of the HK program's housing plan and found a room to rent from a relative at an extremely affordable rate. (It might put Bayview to shame, and Bayview feels like I'm getting paid to live there). After leaving the airport, I made my way to Kowloon (where the apartment was). Upon arrival, the apartment owner gave me a set of keys and explained that she was late to work, as a result of waiting for me to arrive, and had to rush out. I had a lot of stuff to unpack and prepare anyways, so I wished her well and saw her off.

After about an hour of unpacking, organizing and getting myself situated, I found myself in a huge sweat. Hong Kong's humidity is nothing to scoff at. The combination of a heat wave coupled with the saturated and wet humidity that pervades everything, made the feeling... icky? I took off almost every layer of clothing I had, picked up my Blackberry (I've realized having the BB next to me is more instinctual than actual necessity; the phone was not yet operable in HK and having it with me served absolutely no major purpose) and took a stroll outside in the community balcony.

After a few minutes and a lap around the floor, I made my way back to the apartment. I realized almost immediately the door was locked and I had no way in. (Ok, I confess, it was not an immediate realization. I did try like an idiot to somehow open the door for a good 5-10 minutes - sticking my hand into the mail delivery slot to somehow, maybe, reach the lock inside was definitely a low point).

And so, the (self imposed, because of my own stupidity) adventure began here:

I had exactly 6 items in my possession when I was locked out. (And when I say 6, I'm really, really stretching it) - a pair of sandals, basketball shorts, boxers, a tank top, glasses, and my Blackberry [which had not been setup to work in HK just yet]. I had no money on me at all.

9:38 pm Hong Kong local time

Once the dim prospect of getting inside had finally dawned on me, I tried to remain optimistic of the situation, something a friend had taught me to do. (Hello Le!). While I had no money or means of communicating with the apartment owner, I did have a functional Blackberry (minus the whole, slightly overrated phone call ability... just slightly). Even if the phone was working, I had left the owner's number on a piece of paper inside the apartment. When you couple this with the fact that I felt like it was inappropriate to call her since I had made her late for work already, contact with the owner did not seem like an acceptable solution.

Without a penny to my name and armed with nothing but a semi-functioning Blackberry, I decided to conquer the night. Thankfully, the area I was living in had a very robust nightlife, plus I had always wanted to see the city so I might as well make the most of the situation and check out the neighborhood...

- Right outside the front door of the apartment complex I was staying in... and yes, that bus was probably speeding.

- A billiard hall to the left and a outside dining cafe to the right... must drop by at another time, when I have more money than a hobo and look less like a hobo.

I also wanted to point out, I quickly noticed people starting to give me weird looks when I was holding up my phone and snapping pictures of a neighborhood that does not warrant much picture taking. I suppose it could have been worse. I could have had on less clothing at the time than the tank top and basketball shorts.

- This picture of a lone skyscraper seemed very symbolic of my destitution.

- At one point, I was trying to time it just right so that there would be a stream of lights on the freeway like you would normally see in professional photos. I failed.

- How do you know you are having a bad day? When a stray dog jogs past you, suddenly stops about 4 feet in front of you, lifts one leg and proceeds to take a piss practically on your shoes. I kid you not, and if I had not quickly taken a photo on the spot, I don't think I would have believed myself.

10:44 pm Hong Kong local time

- A park?! Have I found salvation?!

- Two simultaneous soccer games going on with subs and spectators watching... more and more promising as a potential savior...

- Hallelujah!! Basketball courts! With dozens of players playing/watching!

After more than an hour of drifting through the streets and market stalls of Kowloon, I happened upon a park with people playing basketball. Two things immediately cropped up in my mind. One, sandals be damned, I planned on playing. Two, the fact that the average height in the ballpark was significantly lower than the average height at an American park should negate any limited mobility issues as a result of having sandals and not basketball shoes.

I will be honest, it was pretty hard to get into a game cause I did not look like a serious baller wearing flip-flops. However, after some well-timed jokes and slight trash talking (de-emphasis on the word slight), I manage to get a spot in one of the games. In retrospect, it was probably not a good idea to talk trash at all since I had no idea where I was, who these people were and what was going on with the basketball game... but hey, desperate times call for desperate (and stupid) measures!

Proud to say, I proved a better player than they expected (although their expectations were pretty low), and I found myself enjoying a solid hour of basketball. I have to say, this was one of the most unique and random pick-up basketball games I have ever found myself in. I did not know what they were saying at times, I found myself instinctively yelling English comments, which no one really understood, and I am pretty sure they thought I was kind of crazy...

- All good things must come to an end. Once the park lights dimmed, people started to head out and I was once again cast into the ocean of desolation.

12:06 am Hong Kong local time (the next day, Friday the 13th... coincidence?!?!)

Once the basketball game ended, things started to go downhill fast. The streets were starting to thin out and any hopes of finding amusing and diverting activities faded with the passing minutes. I even had to take a $hit at this point.

- I happen to find, perhaps the only one in existence, a restroom without toilet paper in the stalls.

- The lone toilet paper dispensary stood at the end of all the stalls... Who the F*** designed this place?! Don't even ask how I have comments on all of this.

1:35 am Hong Kong local time

After these basketball and bodily function excursions, I returned to the apartment complex. I was slightly disappointed, although not too surprised, to learn that no one had returned home yet. I left a note on the door and indicated I would once again return in 3-4 hours. Round 2 of the Hong Kong walk-about started. With the dead of night squarely upon the city, the streets were near-empty and the lights of the metropolis got darker and darker. It got noticeably more difficult to find the impulse to take pictures.

- If I was less tired, I would have come up with a witty metaphor/proverb about crossing two separate bridges to arrive at nothing...

- This was a beautiful temple-like structure I found in a park that stood right in front of several towering skyscrapers... Hey, I've used that line somewhere before...

- This picture does not do this building justice. It seriously looked like it had two light-sabers flanking the front of the building. (Ahhh, delete Star Wars nerd moment!)

- I was somewhat amused by this sign on the road in front of a side-walk. In the States, you naturally learn to look left and right before you cross the streets, but I suppose they have the advice, literally, spelled out on the sidewalk just in case you never learned that lesson here. I wonder if they did it cause of past liability issues? Or simply because of altruistic reasons? If so, why not in the States? Do we not care or presume that people that fail to look left and right should get run over? (Ahhh, delete inappropriate comment moment!)

4:14 am Hong Kong local time

I returned to the apartment complex, yet again, after several hours of walking about the neighborhood. This time, I was surprised to not see anyone home. I had done the math in my head. Since the owner was late for work, she should have been back by now, but she wasn't. I started running through the possible scenarios in my head of why she was not back: maybe the commute was longer than I had guessed, or, worst case scenario, she was working overtime.

Having grown somewhat tired of the walking, I checked in with the apartment front office to see if there was some way I can get into the apartment despite not having my name associated with the formal lease. (Yes, I probably should have done this 6 hours ago... but hindsight is always 20/20). They flat out told me they do not keep spare keys and that there was nothing they could do. I have to say, I found that response suspicious but, I accepted it as a cultural idiosyncrasy, updated my note on the door, and went about Round 3 of neighborhood exploration bonanza... (even my sarcasm sounds labored!)

- I walked pretty far and came across this strange "Whampoa" place... It looked like it was an amusement park... in the middle of the streets?

- It even had a map of the place posted on a pole by the entrance...The place just looked weird.

6:10 am Hong Kong local time

I returned back to the apartment to (surprisingly and not surprisingly) find no one home. At this point, I was immensely tired, slightly hungry, extremely thirsty and even a little grumpy. To kind of put the cherry on top of all of this...

- the sun had begun to rise... I have walked until dawn apparently.

Too tired to continue with the street by street exploration, I found myself in a stairwell resting... A little bit later, I took the following video, aptly named "Prelude to Insanity" with the video-camera on my Blackberry (boy has it been useful for the night! Yet also useless in the most important regard...)

- Prelude or actual arrival?

8:00 am Hong Kong local time

One picture speaks a thousand words:

- I will see those 1,000 words and raise you a "F*** Me"

I did not get back into the apartment until about 9 or 10 am local time. (13 hours about... coincidentally?!) I stopped checking and caring. I would post more about the aftermath of my first night in Hong Kong, but, I am haggard to put it simply. (This post took more time to write than I anticipated...)

My final concluding remark: My first night in Hong Kong was unforgettable and forgettable at the same time. Oxymoron alert.

Oodles of Noodles

Imagine the most typical, or better yet, the most stereotypical, "small meal" or "snack food" that you can think of for Asian cultures. (No, you can't say rice.) Even if you can't think of it, deep down, you know the correct response would be noodles. In a contemporary setting, the more fitting response might be a cup of noodles.

I was surprised, maybe a little too pleasantly so, that they served it as a snack on the flight to Hong Kong. Normally you would expect mini-pretzels or mixed nuts but as homage to the destination of the journey, I found myself looking at a miniature cup of noodles the size of my fist (along with mini-chopsticks!)

- It's smaller than it looks!

Now imagine yourself as the CEO of a large airline company. You have just had the type of brilliant, light-bulb over head, eureka-esque moment that justify your unjustifiable salary: You decided to serve regional snacks to your passengers. (I wonder if they provide complimentary mini-vodka bottles on flights to Russia...) You want to mass-produce these items to cut costs, yet, still have it appeal to the myriad of localized ethnic-identities in the East. What do you do?

The obvious answer apparently was to make instant cup-noodles called, in English, "Chinese Noodles," with the description in Japanese and instructions in Korean. The noodles themselves tasted like Vietnamese phở. Hey, you just created a product that is patently safe from any accusations of discrimination. What more can you hope for?

Launching Pad

- And off we go!

Edit: Houston, we have a problem. Flight delay :(