HK thoughts

Found out Adrienne Clarkson is from HK. Neat.

Going to my family friend Sam's Sea Cadet ceremony tomorrow.

7/10/04 11:06
I am very stimulated here. Maybe this is what a vacation feels like.
i am losing my english a bit from talking simply and learning mandarin.

I am writng on my palm pilot - excuse the spelling/punctuation.

Everybody's house has an air conditioner-the houses are built with an outdoor shelf to fit an air conditioner. My aunt got one for her new place- I was talking, through my aunt to the air conditioner installation guy was my age. Delightful getting a perspetive from sombody "cool" (he hooked stylish) and my age about hong kong. He said as he left that it was too bad I don't know cantonese and that he doesn't Know Enghish or w could go out for drinks. He said that if we have luck we will see each other again. That's a very interesting saying. I have to remember that.

If we have luck, we will see each other again.

Sentence I say most often here: "mgui tze tze" (Ask a Heung Konghua to help you say it). Its what you say to get by people. There are ssooo many people-on the streets and in the malls in the urban areas that you need to get attention to walk by.

I notice my eye is getting more sensitive to the variation in faces. An anthropocentric adaptation, me believes.

In HONG KONG thoughts

I got a haircut on my second day here. I had to - it's freakin' hot here. My hair is the shortest it's been in over 12 years. It took the guy 45 minutes to cut. That's a freakin' long time. He cut each strand like 5 times. I was getting worried that the Chinese cut hair but gradually cutting shorter and shorter until you tell them to stop - and that I would end up with a shaved head - but he stopped...and I was late for Dim Sum with a family friend (Sam).

Had lunch with my family friend, Sam and his co-workers. Allen (27 years) is very patient and instructive with me. I hope I benefit him with practicing English as he benefits me with his guidance on Enlgish. His English is very good.

Went out walking today. I was telling Allen how Chinese and European are so different. I hear from so many people back home (Montreal) how it is easy to understand English/French, but not speak it. I think the opposite applies to Chinese; easy to speak, but hard to understand - i credit/blame the tones of the language.

Post-trip thoughts

HK Journal 7/7/04 8:25am

The time of the journal is now adjusted for HK time.
The difference in time is 12 hours - very convenient.

Just woke up. After only 5.5 hours of sleep, I feel surprisingly refreshed. Is it the freakin' hot humid weather?

From Mona (my aunt)'s place I can see the mountain - her building is surrounded by mountains. It's very comforting - though I did not live close to Mount Royal, I think Montrealers, or native Montrealers have a kinship to the mountain as their spiritual compass. A kinship so strong that we dispense with true north and real compasses to refer to the mountain as "true north", despite being at least 45 degrees off.

I'm still waiting for the Culture Shock. Maybe I had Culture Shock long ago - when I realized I am as much asian as I am quebecois. Being used to pointing out that I am half Chinese - it seemed, at a young age, odd that I ought not to point out I am half white. I think Culture Shock is what people feel when being devoid of their own culture. People enjoy it because it's like being pushed out of the nest, but you learn to fly to speak about it. I've been numb to culture shock - maybe it's just not extreme enough here - but it's still early.

My parents helped ease the shock though - it's great to finally see in person some of the images I only saw in books. High buildings, big huge outstretched neon signs, street vendors, mountains, ">high high high condos. The view from the plane was almost too whelming. To finally be here - I felt something in my chest. So beautiful, I fell akin to it here.

I'm trying not to be anthropocentric about things. Trying not to think that the Hong Kong people are 'backwards'. The smallest things are coming out to me - and about my culture too. They have weird plugs here. They drive on the other side of the street (the design change in cars and buses appeal to me more). Double-decker buses! They're cool. They have 13th floors in the buildings. The phone numbers are 8 digits. I suppose because they have 10x more people. It's freakin' hot. Things are really cheap here. I have to get used to the prices - must divide by 6 to get a good idea of value. (6 HKD = $1 CDN) They cover US news alot on TV.

I'm anxious to rollerblade - who said I couldn't!? I laugh in your face. You can no more rollerblade in Montreal as you can in HK - you need to take it to the streets! This'll be fun. Fortunately mine have REMOVABLE blades to compensate for the mountains, sights and steep slopes.

I think I'll get a haircut - the shortest I've had in - well ever in my double-digit ages. I need to get a cellphone. Need to start looking for a job.

Getting through customs was damn easy. Not even a minute after I submitted the application form I had to fill out.

In JAPAN

i am in japan typing on a computer that has no punctuation and weird
characters on the keyboard
STOP

got here safely
STOP

planes are like a 30 second-rollercoaster ride, but stretched over several
hours
STOP

this part of japan, where the airport is, lacks the buildings and dense people
concentration I thought it would have STOP disappointing STOP

A boeing 747 is freaking huge

STOP

air canada flight left ten minutes late - they kept apologising about it, in
both languages

STOP

I dont actually have to write STOP but I thought it would be funny
STOP

Okay, I will.

I:ll get in touch when I:m in HK with Mona.

Love,

Douglas

thoughts up in the air

HK Journal 7/5/04 12:03
It took the plane take off for me to realize-or accept that I've just left everybody I know for this venture, this 'test', journey.
The clouds are beautiful
wow
52 weeks? Damn.
It'll be nothing and everything.
Cannot-must not forget that the love of my family and friends is to be appreciated instead of missed.

----

I've made it to the Airport in Japan.

I think Air Canada is playing up the whole "Canada is really polite" bit too much. So the plane took off 10 minutes late, both the crew and pilot apologized, before taking off and when we landed, in both languages. Ridiculous.

Waited in Chicago - had a beer. Chicago looks like it sucks. The part I saw from the plane totally sucks: Flat suburban area - looked like a losing simulation of SimCity. I started complaining about Chicago at the airport bar - the bartender was a bit sensitive. Tip: do not buy or drink the local beer and complain about the city at an airport bar. Nor should you buy "Goose Ale" from Chicago or any beer named after a bird.

Got on to my 12-hour flight to Japan, on a HUGE Boeing 747, a plane the size of my College combined with an outdoor school.

The women on the plane ALWAYS smiled. My first exposure to Japanese culture. Japanese women always smile.

The plane was awesome - movie and games from a flight screen on the back of the seat in front of me.

PLUS I've always had the window seat.
TIP: To get window seat: get boarding pass EARLY.

Waiting for my final flight to Hong Kong.

Japan airport SUCKS. I see no buildings, with huge electronic billboards on them. No flying shuttle cars or running androids. No clammoring streets where you can get ticketed for standing still/loitering. Where are the hotels that rent rooms that are literally a hole in the wall? I am really disappointed.

The Japanese are like Americans with Asian faces, complete with their own language and fringe culture. Oops, did I offend anyone? Funky hair, neat clothing. I bet I can tell a Japanese from Chinese from looking at them. But it has to be in person. I think I can tell by appearance combined with mannerisms. I think they look similar enough - facially, but the way they cut their hair or comport themselves give it away. Perhaps Chinese are more conservative in appearance and 'comportement', but I can tell them apart.

The experience of being immersed with so many other cultures at the airport: I reflect back 4 years when I had a course in Anthropology; "every laughs in the same language". There kid behind me, a baby, on the 12-hour flight here - kept kicking my chair - but hearing the laughter made it worth it. Ah, a kid's laugh; the feeling is addictive.

Where is the cutting edge technology of Japan? The walking robots, the android shoe-shiners/hair cutters? Neon everything? I thought I would see a real-life preview of I,Robot (Will Smith), or something resembling what we see in Manga. I accept it, fine, the plane didn't transform into a Macross fighter and run down the runway, but at least it could have shot some clouds with its laser missiles.

Just had a hearty conversation with a man named Al, also waiting at the airport - from Edmonton, who does businesss in Beijing. Told me a lot about how the communists do business. Getting pretty privatised - I'm very curious. He told me after completing his academics in business he travelled to - but to the US. Very conservative/republican, but a hoot to talk to.