Reflections

Studying abroad in Hong Kong has been perhaps one of the most challenging, rewarding, and enlightening experiences altogether. Before I left, I attended orientation on how to adjust to the new culture and new people in the country I would be in. I was told (more like warned) to prepare for a culture shock. However, my mind told me not to worry because I would be studying in Asia. I’ve been to Taiwan several times as a child. How different could Hong Kong be?

Top Asian News @ 9:30AM-GMT

First time I’ve seen an article like this featured on Yahoo!

Some snippets:

• “TOKYO (AP) — Sony’s iconic gadgetry and the star appeal of Hollywood may have appeared to be a perfect match when the electronics giant bought Columbia Pictures in 1989. A quarter century later, it’s apparent that Sony Corp. has not attained the magic synergy it was hoping for. The stolid silence of Sony’s Tokyo headquarters over the hoopla surrounding Sony Pictures Entertainment’s “The Interview” underscores the longstanding divide between the Japanese parent company and its U.S.-led and -run motion pictures subsidiary, successor to Columbia Pictures.
• KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said Friday he was cutting short his U.S. vacation to deal with the worst floods in the country in decades that have killed five people and displaced more than 100,000. Authorities have evacuated numerous villages and towns in five Malaysian states that were inundated following unusually strong torrential rains. More than 105,000 people have sought shelter in schools, community halls and other relief centers, according to flood monitoring centers.
• SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea, the U.S. and Japan will sign their first joint intelligence-sharing pact next week to better cope with North Korea’s increasing nuclear and missile threats, officials said Friday. The U.S. has separate, bilateral intelligence-sharing agreements with South Korea and Japan, both American allies which are hosts to tens of thousands of U.S. troops.
• HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong police arrested 37 people overnight Thursday as pro-democracy protesters returned to the city’s streets for a second night demanding open nominations for the semi-autonomous city’s chief executive, according to police. The police said in a statement that protesters blocked five roads overnight in the Mong Kok neighborhood and disobeyed police orders to clear out. The age of the arrested protesters ranged from 13 to 76.”

Read more here.

Next time, Malaysia

My Goal was to hit every single non-visa country….but no time for Malaysia 😦 or Macau AUGH

Thailand
ChiangMai [Dec5-8]
-Chang Siam Elephant Mahout Training
-Flight of the Gibbon
-doi suthep-pui national park
Phuket [Dec-12]
-Naiharn beach
-KATA beach
-motorcycle riding

Singapore [Dec22-25]
-Sentosa Island (14th)
-Marina Bay Sands (14th night)
-Chinatown Heritage Center (13th, night)
-Macritchie Resevoir (12th)
-Little India (12th)
-Arab quarter (12th)

Malaysia [NT]
-Kuala Lumpur Bird Park (day 2)
-Batu Caves (1 days)
-Petronas Towers (day 1)
-Central Market (day 1)
-Taman Nat Park (day –)
-Penang
*Banana Leaf Dining (day 1)

First All-nighter

I’ve pulled various “all-nighters” during my time here at HKU but mostly for unjustified un-academic reasons. It’s a fact that I am a terrible sleeper. I don’t care enough to go to bed early. I’ve stayed up late for interviews and Skype sessions with friends; planned late-night study sessions which ended up being YouTube time-wasters; had various bouts of insomnia where I would toss and turn for hours. There were also random nights where I’d go out and stay out with friends doing who-knows-what and come back at 5:00am in the morning. In fact there was one night morning I came back at 3am from dimsum and I was too bloated to sleep even though I had a group project paper/meeting the next afternoon. I ended up not sleeping, working on the paper, not going to bed at all until 10:00pm the next night.

But tonight this morning I am up and sitting at Chi Wah tackling Financial Derivatives. Originally my plan was to finish review everything I was supposed to these next two days (in-class assignments, homeworks, discussion sheets) and then sleep in late tomorrow morning. Then I realized I have to meet my TA at 11:00am….which is in 6 hours. This exam is ruining my life. I can’t go out and drink or go to Macau or hang with friends because I need to stay in and study. Which is why I have no regrets about going out to 3am dimsum again with my friends. It was one of the best late nights I’ve ever had. No breakfast or lunch tomorrow for me. I’m going to stay up, meet my TA, then nap until 6:00pm, wake up at 4:00am and then stay up until 8:00am for my exam. Yes that is my idiotic plan for my econ final tomorrow. We’ll see how it goes.

Time to sleep. Good luck to any fellow readers and/or classmates out there who are still tackling finals. 加油!

Email update from our Student Union:

【港大學生會｜HKUSU】暴力鎮壓火上加油　必須回應市民訴求｜Raging against Police’s Violent Suppression Urging for Prompt Response from the Government towards Citizens’ Demands

Beating Innocent Bystanders

This video just showed up on my FB newsfeed. I clicked on it because I recognized the building in the background of the stills, and what do you know? It is the exact same building where we were standing in front of last night while waiting for the bus. Unless this video was edited, then the policemen really are hard-hearted! That man did nothing and the policeman just up and beat him with the club. I don’t understand how these locals could just walk away like that. They are either too passive or too forgiving. I couldn’t be either. Just watching the video makes me want to grab that club and smack the policeman straight across the face and knock him down.

The thing that really blows my mind is that I was there in that very spot yesterday, passing by the exact same group of policemen, standing in front of the exact same building. I took a picture of those policemen in that very spot.

Thanksgiving HONG KONG STYLE

Thanksgiving has always been the one holiday I’ve felt the most homesick. Most likely because it is the school holiday with longest period of school in between before I get to see my family again. This is the first year I will not be celebrating Thanksgiving at home with my family and I made no plans to celebrate. I guess thought it’d be like any other day because 1) I was in a country that did not celebrate it 2) I was too lazy to organize and find people to celebrate it with and 3) final exams were coming up…might as well study.

However, earlier this week somebody asked me if I had plans for Thanksgiving. I had briefly thought about going to a hotpot buffet if I could somehow find people so that is what I told him. I had found this place in Mongkok, located in Langham Palace called “Nichigyu Shabu Shabu & Sukiaki Restaurant (日牛涮涮鍋專門店)*. It was 148 HKD for 90 minutes and unlimited beer for 15 hkd per person. There was an assortment of fish balls, fungus mushrooms, needle mushrooms, baby corn, tofu, rice cakes, noodles (udon, soba, and thin rice), sauces, rice, and other varieties of vegetables. He said, “Great! Maybe we can even ask some locals and post on the FB page to see if anyone else wants to join.”

In the Shoes of a Social Worker

I was sitting alone at the vegetarian restaurant eating my dinner. Beside me were two former social workers. Neither were from Hong Kong. One was an European lady, perhaps seven months into pregnancy? The other was a Chinese man who had previously studied in Seattle. From listening, I learned that the lady was currently working with children ages 3 to 6 in Hong Kong. The man asked her, “Do you like children?”

“I don’t like children,” she said. “But there is something about teaching.”

Funny. I’m the exact opposite. I like kids but I can’t see myself working with them as a career. If I were to become a teacher, I’d choose to work with high-schoolers or college students. Imagine talking about colors or numbers or how to tie your shoes every day. Ironically this lady, who claims she does not like children, works the youngest group of children.

The lady is paradoxically interesting: she doesn’t like kids but works with children; she hates the academic system in Hong Kong yet is pursuing her degree here; she used to smoke and recently quit drinking. “My skin go so much better, and now it’s so hard to go back to that life. Like why would anyone ever want to look like that again? Drinking just makes you feel fat and depressed and smoking just makes you look terrible.”; she’s a vegetarian who’s parents think there’s something wrong with her because she doesn’t eat meat.

During this entire time the man did not say much but steered the conversation, asking questions that led to her responses. Their conversation was really one of the most interesting ones I’ve ever come across. The dialogue and the chemistry within the conversation…it was all just so interesting.

This man pointed, “Most people call me a ‘social worker’ and I am. But I don’t work for social work. No. I work for social change. ‘Social worker’ is someone who’s in the field of social work, someone who’s comfortable and content with the status quo. But I want to do something, I want to make an impact. So I say I work for ‘social change.’ There’s a difference.”

I didn’t want lose this opportunity to talk to them. After all, who knows if I’d ever bump into them again and if I did, what would I say? “Hey, remember me? I’m the girl who sat next to you that one time at dinner at the vegetarian restaurant and listened to your conversation without you knowing.”

Both of them were so kind. I asked them if they were still working in social work. They used to but both left to continue their degree at HKU. In fact, the man used to work with psychiatric patients and the woman used to be a nurse. “I loved it. You see so many things behind those walls and it’s amazing,” she said. “Yeah, it’s strange. I worked with schizophernics and basically crazy people, but you know, they’re just like us. As long as they’re on their drugs, they’re pretty normal. These people are artists, poets, scientists…”

If you loved what you were doing, why leave it all behind to come here? Here, in Hong Kong, of all places?

“Life,” he said. They both laughed because there was just no way to explain it properly in words. “Things happen and you know, they’re all connected with one another. Things you never expect to happen and you just go with it.”

Our conversation was short. I wish we could have had more time to talk, but they had to go catch their next class and I had an exam to take. Who knows? Perhaps I’ll get to see the again at the vegetarian restaurant.

Day before Singles Day

Group project team did a presentation today on Alibaba. More specifically, we discussed how and why Alibaba’s Taobao triumphed over U.S.-based eBay. The perks about studying in Asia and taking this class is how much more exposed I am to Chinese business environment and Chinese economy. Even though Hong Kong is part of China, it operates very much on its own. For instance, in class we distinguish the difference between the China stock exchange and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index.

After all the research we’ve done on Alibaba, I’ve learned so much more about the company and the importance of integrating Chinese culture. In America, we have Black Friday – the biggest shopping day in the U.S.; In Australia and many UK countries, they have “Boxing Day.” Well, in China, they have “Singles Day.” Last year, Alibaba hit a record of $5.71 billion in just 24 hours. They reached $16.3 million in just 55 seconds after the day started.

“Chinese “Single Day” Double 11 shopping carnival had just past, Alibaba made another record on November 11 2013: total transaction in a day hit 35 billion yuan (USD 5.71 billion).

Merely 55 seconds after 0:00 on November 11, the transaction amount reached 100 million yuan (USD 16.3 million). At 0:06:07, it reached 1 billion yuan (USD 163 million). At 5:49 am, it reached 10 billion yuan (USD 1.63 billion). Chinese shopping day Double 11 in 2013 easily surpassed Cyber Monday transaction which was USD 19.8 billion in 2012.”

[Read more: http://www.chinainternetwatch.com/4691/taobao-bachelors-day/#ixzz3Ie51HpMt]

It’s incredible. Tomorrow marks “Singles Day” for 2014 and I am so curious to see how this big day is going to shake the Chinese economy.

Update on the protests

It’s all over the news. Students gathering on Civic Square, protesters being peppered sprayed by the police, and infighting amongst the protesters and non-protesters. It is a significant moment in history and it is amazing timing how I am able to be here to witness and experience it all. When the protests first began in September, a few friends and I actually decided to head down to the big city of Central to see what was going on. The days of Occupy Central were a big deal. It was all over the news. Posters and banners were placed all across campus. The television programs on campus also constantly broadcast news updates of the protests (although from a biased point of view, of course).

Banner on campus, painted by student protesters

Professors and TA’s even excused absences for students participating in the protesters. Attendance marks for class and for tutorial sessions were suspended for a week because students skipped class to join the march. Half of my Derivatives class was absent. My parents warned me to stay near campus where it was safe, but who would want to miss this? My friends and I went around 10:00pm. It was the night before the BIG protest of “Occupy Central with Love and Peace” on October 1st. People were preparing for the protest. There were blankets laid out for the long over-night stay, water bottles and packaged food passed around for the protesters. People were cutting out ponchos from garbage bags and opening umbrellas for two reasons: One, to protect themselves against the pepper spray and Two, to shield themselves from the impending rainstorm that would occur in a few hours.

Protesters on the eve of Occupy Central

I was so amazed by the dedication and commitment of these people. And I was also so inspired by the way the protesters conducted themselves. One night a police car was completely trashed and a protester left a note the next morning apologizing for the damage. It read, “Sorry, I don’t know who did this but we are not anarchists – we want democracy.” [Check out this article here for more.]

Never would you see something like this in America. While all this was going on in Hong Kong, I was reading about Flood Wall Street back at home in New York. What a difference. In almost every article, I read how Americans were physically fighting against the police force, trashing the streets, making a big ruckus, so on and so forth. Here, in Hong Kong, the protesters were simply occupying the streets and literally “taking a stand” against the Chinese government.

Unfortunately, the protests have become more and more violent over these past few weeks. Just now, I read how three men were arrested in Mong Kok for obstructing police officers. That was rather disappointing. I’ve also seen videos on YouTube showing fighting between Hong Kong locals themselves. Non-protesters are angry that the protesters are still blocking the roads and causing disturbance. I’m actually a little annoyed too…Yesterday, I was trying to meet a friend for dinner in Causeway Bay but on the way there, the bus suddenly stopped and the driver told everyone to get off. I had no idea where I was and asked a random lady for directions, only to find out that I was literally only ONE stop away from where I was supposed to be. Close enough to see where I had to go but far enough that I still had to pay extra and take the MTR. It didn’t help that it was raining and I didn’t have an umbrella with me.

One very interesting update that I am rather curious to see how it will turn out is the most recent news that the protesters are threatening to bring the protest to mainland China. According to this WSJ article, “Members of the Hong Kong Federation of Students have threatened to bring their protest to Beijing during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, as a way to gain publicity for their demand that China allow free elections in Hong Kong.”

Very curious to see what will happen next!