Hello Sun!
Hello family, friends, pgn, comfy bed, Lou's, Portillo's, work, Blackhawks, home cooked meals, donuts, Jack Johnson, driving, U.S. sports, and more! It 's been awhile.
I'm on my way!
Random Quote: "DON'T WORRY ABOUT TEMPTATION. AS YOU GROW OLDER, IT STARTS AVOIDING YOU."
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Thank you!!
Thank you to everyone that read my blog, thank you to my blog followers, blog posters (Jay Lee, I'm looking at you specifically), postcard and letter senders (Mom, Dad, Alex, Aunt Mary, Uncle Juppe, Aunt Floopy, Uncle Pete, Ryan, Nick, Jan, and Jay Lee), the professors who did an exceptional to outstanding job of teaching (Lucia, Eunice, and Amy), Ozone for putting together fun events, Jon for being a cool roommate, Adrian for traveling China with me and being a reliable good friend, body for staying healthy, University of Illinois College of Business for making this semester possible, UST post office for accepting my postcard payment in 10 and 20 cent coins, Hong Kong for all the experiences and lessons learned, family and friends that stayed in contact with me, Mr. Haney for all the quotes.
Thanks for tuning in. It's been swell.
Random Quote: "NOTHING IS MORE TROUBLESOME THAN THE EFFORT OF THINKING."
Thanks for tuning in. It's been swell.
Random Quote: "NOTHING IS MORE TROUBLESOME THAN THE EFFORT OF THINKING."
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Goodbye Hong Kong
Goodbye dim sum, goodbye tea, farewell Ozone Lau, adios Ladies Market, Temple Street, Mongkok in general, bubble tea, UST, Taxi Denis, hk fog, bubble tea, dependable MTR, to the incredible picturesque mountains and christening water: don't go away, take care , until next time unexplored Hong Kong, wait for me Sai Kung jumping cliff, it's been nice knowing you UST exchange students, relax for me Bill but all the same I love how you live on the edge of every second, toodles 7-11, say goodbye to drinking in public, wave goodbye to all the good times, it's probably best I go now McDonald's, ciao honey glazed bbq pork w/ rice, diced chicken with chestnut fried rice, all the satay beef options, all the fried rices, #4 sweet and spicy fish fillet with rice, might as well just say peace out Thai stall, salud Milano's, I'll miss you 5hkd mega bars, you were always there for me chopsticks, stay cheap Tsing Tau, save the clear views for next time Victoria's Peak, glowing blue micro particles or whatever you were thanks for showing yourselves one night, to all the smiling faces in Hong Kong... keep it up, a smirk and a grin to all the antics and shenanigans in LKF and Wan Chai, rugby 7's may we reunite again. It's been real. I'll keep you in my memories =)
And for those I missed, you're hiding in my mind somewhere too. Don't worry I didn't forget you.
Random Quote: "LOVE MAKES THE WORLD GO AROUND, BUT LAUGHTER KEEPS US FROM JUMPING OFF."
And for those I missed, you're hiding in my mind somewhere too. Don't worry I didn't forget you.
Random Quote: "LOVE MAKES THE WORLD GO AROUND, BUT LAUGHTER KEEPS US FROM JUMPING OFF."
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Finals Trip
Vientiane (Laos)
Briefing: 1 night
Highlights:
- meeting a group of friendly, good guys from the UK
- staying in a family suite
- sharing stories from our travel journeys
- David being hit on by a lady boy
Vang Vieng (Laos)
Briefing:
2 days of relaxation and partying ( no tubing =/ )
Highlights:
- Ziplines, platforms, and atmosphere at Nam Song River
- Playing volleyball with Lao locals
- Checking out a nearby cave
- Tied for 3rd place in Shooter, pool game (funny b/c I had never played, and I'm terrible at pool)
Chiang Mai (Thailand)
Briefing:
4 days of straight greatness!
Highlights:
- Being able to hangout with Mike Keefer
- Walk around and in the old city, check out probably 5% of the wats [temples] in Chiang Mai. (I think there are over 100)
- Tailored suit
- Chat with some of the monks
- Be barked at, chased, and glared at by countless number of dogs, especially ones in the wats (finally started carrying rocks in my pocket to scare them off)
- Night Bazaar (endless number of vender stalls)
- Thai Cooking Class with Keefer
- Elephant Owner for a Day
- Enjoy all the delicious foods and drinks that Chiang Mai has to offer (too many to list)
- Rock Climbing for the first time
- Meet all friendly locals and travelers
- Staying at Huen Panicha were the family owners are the nicest people
- Attempting to learn some Thai
- Waking up in the morning without an alarm clock (curfew every night put me to bed early for a change)
Bottom Line:
LOVED CHIANG MAI! Had a blast and made it back to Hong Kong safely. Time to study for my only final on Saturday and make the most of my last 8 days in Hong Kong. Ay Kamote!
...Pictures from Chiang Mai to come
Random Quote: "DON'T BOTHER ME . . . . I'M LIVING HAPPILY EVER AFTER."
Briefing: 1 night
Highlights:
- meeting a group of friendly, good guys from the UK
- staying in a family suite
- sharing stories from our travel journeys
- David being hit on by a lady boy
Vang Vieng (Laos)
Briefing:
2 days of relaxation and partying ( no tubing =/ )
Highlights:
- Ziplines, platforms, and atmosphere at Nam Song River
- Playing volleyball with Lao locals
- Checking out a nearby cave
- Tied for 3rd place in Shooter, pool game (funny b/c I had never played, and I'm terrible at pool)
Chiang Mai (Thailand)
Briefing:
4 days of straight greatness!
Highlights:
- Being able to hangout with Mike Keefer
- Walk around and in the old city, check out probably 5% of the wats [temples] in Chiang Mai. (I think there are over 100)
- Tailored suit
- Chat with some of the monks
- Be barked at, chased, and glared at by countless number of dogs, especially ones in the wats (finally started carrying rocks in my pocket to scare them off)
- Night Bazaar (endless number of vender stalls)
- Thai Cooking Class with Keefer
- Elephant Owner for a Day
- Enjoy all the delicious foods and drinks that Chiang Mai has to offer (too many to list)
- Rock Climbing for the first time
- Meet all friendly locals and travelers
- Staying at Huen Panicha were the family owners are the nicest people
- Attempting to learn some Thai
- Waking up in the morning without an alarm clock (curfew every night put me to bed early for a change)
Bottom Line:
LOVED CHIANG MAI! Had a blast and made it back to Hong Kong safely. Time to study for my only final on Saturday and make the most of my last 8 days in Hong Kong. Ay Kamote!
...Pictures from Chiang Mai to come
Random Quote: "DON'T BOTHER ME . . . . I'M LIVING HAPPILY EVER AFTER."
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Thank you!!
Thank you Mom, Dad, and Alex, Aunt Mary and Juppe, Aunt Floopy, Uncle Pete, Ryan, and Nick, and Jan for sending me birthday cards. I was so excited and loved hearing from all of you! (Not sure when it arrived because apparently I have been checking the wrong mailbox)
Happy Mother's Day to all! Love you Mom!
Random Quote: "EVERYTHING IS HUMOROUS WHEN IT HAPPENS TO SOMEONE ELSE."
Happy Mother's Day to all! Love you Mom!
Random Quote: "EVERYTHING IS HUMOROUS WHEN IT HAPPENS TO SOMEONE ELSE."
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Pickout the Important Things
Here are a list of things that happened today in my life that I feel passionate about or that are worthy enough to mention:
- I love cold Taiwan classic pearl milk tea with the tapioca balls aka approx. ≈ Dong Lai Cha
- I had sushi (shrimp, california rolls, salmon, inari, eel, and octupus) in TST for 50% off. It wasn't bad, it wasn't great, it was good. Meaning I'll have it again.
- I booked a flight for Laos for the 17th till the 25th.
- I realized that where you're born has a big impact on your life, should be fairly obvious, but I didn't see the significance of being a U.S. citizen. I'm fortunate.
- I worry to much, need just relax and try to sweep away perception and fear.
- I like this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7W33HRc1A6c&feature=related (ok looking back on my comment in number 5, at the time comment 6 had no relevance to comment 5 but subconsiously there could be a connection) Sorry if you're offended by the video.
Random Quote: "DON'T WORRY.....I FORGOT YOUR NAME, TOO."
Friday, May 7, 2010
Beijing and the rest of the trip in a condensed state
Sorry to kill the excitement but I really needed to put a post
Rest of Spring Break from way back when:
Beijing: 4 great days exploring the city
Day 1: Hit up all tourist spots: Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square,Hutongs (alleys w/ homes)
Day 2: Lose my traveling buddy at the Olympic Stadiums, Peking Duck
Day 3: Hiking the Beijing Wall
Day 4: Summer Palace, train to Xi'an
Xi'an: Growing city with construction all around
Day 1: Bike the city wall, walk around and visit tourist spots (Drum and Bell Towers)
Day 2: Terra Cotta Soldiers and night markets, Fly to Yangshuo
Yangshuo: Beautiful town that must be experienced
Day 1: Bike ride and explore, hangout and play poker on rooftop bar
Day 2: Mopeds, Dragon Cave, bamboo raft, poker and beer pong on rooftop bar, Bus ride to Shenzhen
Pictures hopefully say more than words:
Done with the only class I'm taking for a grade, I'm losing motivation in the others. Last month in Hong Kong Aiya!! The nice weather and the humidity are starting to become more common, I like it.
Random Quote: "OF COURSE I WANT IT TODAY. IF I HAD WANTED IT TOMORROW, I WOULD HAVE GIVEN IT TO YOU TOMORROW."
Random Quote: "OF COURSE I WANT IT TODAY. IF I HAD WANTED IT TOMORROW, I WOULD HAVE GIVEN IT TO YOU TOMORROW."
Thursday, April 22, 2010
I kept you waiting, and now first stop in Spring Break = Shanghai
Spring break changed my views, gave me a better perspective of China, and was long enough but I needed more time everywhere I went. Now for the reasons why or actually what I remember/want to talk about:
Shanghai: The Expedition Begins
- loved walking around and taking in the combination of old and a growing/large amount of new.
1.5 days - definitely not enough time, but that wasn't the objective of the trip (a taste of some of the popular cities in China)
Why go back? 1. I left without having a single donut although I saw at least 6 places selling donuts [my obsession comes from a: no donuts in hong kong b: spending an entire marketing classes talking about dunkin' donuts (makes no sense seeing that 99% of the locals had no idea who they were) 2. I didn't get to try the delicious Shanghai food because... I didn't argue with my companion Adrian when his suggestions were well western cuisine, which I despised each time. First, it was KFC where I order all of 2 chicken fried wings because I never go to KFC, didn't know what to order, and the language barrier between me and the woman taking my order. We chose to have a drink at a german restaurant where they dress to fit the stereo type, and there is a band that fails at singing western music with locals dancing awkwardly to accompany them. Then, it was an empty western café where there are waiters sitting around w/ nothing to do, our waitress looks at me funny when I ask for a "regular" hamburger aka a plain hamburger so I get a bacon grilled cheese. All my western purchases came with cognitive dissence (post purchase regret) We agreed at the western cafe, no more of this. And I said right in front of our waitress, "Finally we'll get some good food" oops... nothing against your food it's just not what I came here for.
Our hostel mates well they smoked in the room, didn't speak English, went to bed at 9 pm, and woke up at the crack of dawn with the goal of making as much noise as possible. That aside, the Bee Home hostel itself was great.
Prices in China are so cheap!! Hey all you travels never! I repeat never take the Bund Unground tunnel, waste of 45 yuan and the lamest "ride" I've ever been on for that cost. And we made or may not have been scammed by the infamous tea ceremony scandal. These two mainland China girls started talking to us on the street, and asked if we wanted to join them to see a "play" or that's what I thought they said. Lo and behold it was a Chinese Tea Ceremony, and it was supper expensive at the end of the day. We divided the costs between the 4 of us, but as soon as we left they had to go meet up with one of their sisters for dinner, suree. All in all, take away the price and it was fun, plus these teas apparently cleansed my body one making me more beautiful, another improving my health and healing my body from any drinking. Others did something too, and made me stronger I think. (6 different teas in all) I did learn more about tea from the experience as well!
Went to the Jade Temple, probably got scammed there too, buying a drawing made with only the hand and pinky finger nail of 1 of the only "5" trained professionals in the world who have the ability and knowledge...right (eye roll) and I may or may not have taken a picture of the Jade Buddha, just sayin.
World Expo is in Shanghai this summer if you're interested... I just missed it. And next stop = Beijing! Mode of transportation: train... just made it after I get us lost for almost an hour looking for the station. Then the hard sitter from 13:30 till 8:00 the next morning... seriously what were we thinking?? Oh wait we weren't! Learn the HARD way, no pun intended. Saga continues with Beijing...
(This is the "light" version of Shanghai or as much as I want to type)
Random Quote: "IT'S TOO BAD THAT ALL OF THE PEOPLE THAT KNOW HOW TO RUN THIS COUNTRY ARE BUSY DRIVING TAXIS AND CUTTING HAIR."
Really made a habit of waking up or rather sleeping in till 11 am. Needed to make sure I was fully rested before starting the day. Well, specially exceptions did exist when forced to wake up at 5:30am
- loved walking around and taking in the combination of old and a growing/large amount of new.
1.5 days - definitely not enough time, but that wasn't the objective of the trip (a taste of some of the popular cities in China)
Why go back? 1. I left without having a single donut although I saw at least 6 places selling donuts [my obsession comes from a: no donuts in hong kong b: spending an entire marketing classes talking about dunkin' donuts (makes no sense seeing that 99% of the locals had no idea who they were) 2. I didn't get to try the delicious Shanghai food because... I didn't argue with my companion Adrian when his suggestions were well western cuisine, which I despised each time. First, it was KFC where I order all of 2 chicken fried wings because I never go to KFC, didn't know what to order, and the language barrier between me and the woman taking my order. We chose to have a drink at a german restaurant where they dress to fit the stereo type, and there is a band that fails at singing western music with locals dancing awkwardly to accompany them. Then, it was an empty western café where there are waiters sitting around w/ nothing to do, our waitress looks at me funny when I ask for a "regular" hamburger aka a plain hamburger so I get a bacon grilled cheese. All my western purchases came with cognitive dissence (post purchase regret) We agreed at the western cafe, no more of this. And I said right in front of our waitress, "Finally we'll get some good food" oops... nothing against your food it's just not what I came here for.
Our hostel mates well they smoked in the room, didn't speak English, went to bed at 9 pm, and woke up at the crack of dawn with the goal of making as much noise as possible. That aside, the Bee Home hostel itself was great.
Prices in China are so cheap!! Hey all you travels never! I repeat never take the Bund Unground tunnel, waste of 45 yuan and the lamest "ride" I've ever been on for that cost. And we made or may not have been scammed by the infamous tea ceremony scandal. These two mainland China girls started talking to us on the street, and asked if we wanted to join them to see a "play" or that's what I thought they said. Lo and behold it was a Chinese Tea Ceremony, and it was supper expensive at the end of the day. We divided the costs between the 4 of us, but as soon as we left they had to go meet up with one of their sisters for dinner, suree. All in all, take away the price and it was fun, plus these teas apparently cleansed my body one making me more beautiful, another improving my health and healing my body from any drinking. Others did something too, and made me stronger I think. (6 different teas in all) I did learn more about tea from the experience as well!
Went to the Jade Temple, probably got scammed there too, buying a drawing made with only the hand and pinky finger nail of 1 of the only "5" trained professionals in the world who have the ability and knowledge...right (eye roll) and I may or may not have taken a picture of the Jade Buddha, just sayin.
World Expo is in Shanghai this summer if you're interested... I just missed it. And next stop = Beijing! Mode of transportation: train... just made it after I get us lost for almost an hour looking for the station. Then the hard sitter from 13:30 till 8:00 the next morning... seriously what were we thinking?? Oh wait we weren't! Learn the HARD way, no pun intended. Saga continues with Beijing...(This is the "light" version of Shanghai or as much as I want to type)
Random Quote: "IT'S TOO BAD THAT ALL OF THE PEOPLE THAT KNOW HOW TO RUN THIS COUNTRY ARE BUSY DRIVING TAXIS AND CUTTING HAIR."
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Ok well I wouldn't have posted this if no one would have said anything, and perhaps never posted again
[Posts all about Mainland China and Spring Break in the works], Since I've been back from break, I have hmm well the truth put nicely is I've put less "emphasis" on school work and more on other areas of life. This weekend I took a stroll around Hong Kong, took some pictures, bargained at the markets, and enjoyed what Hong Kong has to offer.
After Spring break, I have a new appreciation for Hong Kong. I haven't given it enough credit. Although it tends to be foggy in the spring time, I've gotten use to it, and I can say Hong Kong has a lot to offer: architecture, urban development, the nature and views (on a clear day), beaches, islands, awesome food and drinks, tourist attractions, transportation, and more . It's a unique and great city. Now with only a little over a month to go, time to make the most of it!
Time to create a list of things I must do before leaving: a random trolley ride down central for one... and put up some posts about the greatness of Spring Break!
trolley's... and still able to find room for a basketball court in the tiny city w/ large buildings/skyscrapers
Ok Janet, you've motivated me to get at it and get to work. =P
P.S. Thanks for the package mom, dad, and brother! (Although I don't know where to go to pick it up yet) My first piece of mail Woohoo!
Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes! (I decided to order pizza as my gift for my birthday, and it was everything and more than I could have hoped for.)
After Spring break, I have a new appreciation for Hong Kong. I haven't given it enough credit. Although it tends to be foggy in the spring time, I've gotten use to it, and I can say Hong Kong has a lot to offer: architecture, urban development, the nature and views (on a clear day), beaches, islands, awesome food and drinks, tourist attractions, transportation, and more . It's a unique and great city. Now with only a little over a month to go, time to make the most of it!
Time to create a list of things I must do before leaving: a random trolley ride down central for one... and put up some posts about the greatness of Spring Break!
trolley's... and still able to find room for a basketball court in the tiny city w/ large buildings/skyscrapers
Ok Janet, you've motivated me to get at it and get to work. =PP.S. Thanks for the package mom, dad, and brother! (Although I don't know where to go to pick it up yet) My first piece of mail Woohoo!
Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes! (I decided to order pizza as my gift for my birthday, and it was everything and more than I could have hoped for.)
(to the right) some exquisite street food dessert
Random Quote: "I WAS GRATIFIED TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND PROMPTLY, AND I DID. I SAID THAT I DIDN'T KNOW.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Spring Break!
Off to Mainland China for 10 days! Yahoo!!! Hopefully, have plenty of pictures and stories when I return. Happy Easter and April Fool's Day!
Random Quote: "NEVER PICK A FIGHT WITH AN UGLY PERSON, THEY'VE GOT NOTHING TO LOSE."
Random Quote: "NEVER PICK A FIGHT WITH AN UGLY PERSON, THEY'VE GOT NOTHING TO LOSE."
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Time Spent
Probably spent an hour trying to order pizza to UST, but by the time we had everything figured out, they all closed at 23:00 (11 pm)
1 800 Lou to go... where art thou?
in the end I bought a mint chocolate mega bar from Seafront, always a good alternative
I don't think McDonald's has shamrock shakes... but they have smarty McFlurries
and guess what: you can eat fried cockroaches, rats or spiders in Cambodia so many choices yum.
Random Quote: "DON'T SWEAT PETTY THINGS OR PET SWEATY THINGS."
1 800 Lou to go... where art thou?
in the end I bought a mint chocolate mega bar from Seafront, always a good alternative
I don't think McDonald's has shamrock shakes... but they have smarty McFlurries
and guess what: you can eat fried cockroaches, rats or spiders in Cambodia so many choices yum.
Random Quote: "DON'T SWEAT PETTY THINGS OR PET SWEATY THINGS."
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The Past Few Weeks at Lighting Speed
A post a day keeps the complainers at bay or is it brings the children to play for the way to obey is to reach open your arms and enjoy a great day. I write without reason, grammar, spelling, or rhyme.
1 week ago
Implemented Stage III of Personal Development Project [objective: improve Time Management, Procrastination (ok leave that one for next semester) and Study Strategies]
Heritage Museum in Sha Tin
Billy Boozer's Pub in Kowloon Tong learned Chinese drinking games, came back at 6am, had McDonald's at 7am, homework at 8am, sleep till 3pm
Past Weekend
Hurt Locker, saw it. I liked it.
Midterm on Saturday
Traditional Korean Food -
Victoria Peak on what went from a sunny day to the foggiest day
What's to Come
Midterm Wednesday
Going to Rugby 7s Tournament this Friday
I'm healthy, doing well in school, and enjoying my time in Hong Kong. Please do the same.
Missions:
Go to Mainland China for Spring Break, Get a costume for Friday, Stop my time waster in 2 minutes, Take a nap, study.
Random Quote:"IT'S HARD TO MAKE A COMEBACK WHEN YOU HAVEN'T BEEN ANYWHERE."
Things I left out since the post a long while back (just in case): [blank for now]
1 week ago
Implemented Stage III of Personal Development Project [objective: improve Time Management, Procrastination (ok leave that one for next semester) and Study Strategies]
Heritage Museum in Sha Tin
Billy Boozer's Pub in Kowloon Tong learned Chinese drinking games, came back at 6am, had McDonald's at 7am, homework at 8am, sleep till 3pm
Past Weekend
Hurt Locker, saw it. I liked it.
Midterm on Saturday
Traditional Korean Food -
Victoria Peak on what went from a sunny day to the foggiest day
What's to Come
Midterm Wednesday
Going to Rugby 7s Tournament this Friday
I'm healthy, doing well in school, and enjoying my time in Hong Kong. Please do the same.
Missions:
Go to Mainland China for Spring Break, Get a costume for Friday, Stop my time waster in 2 minutes, Take a nap, study.
Random Quote:"IT'S HARD TO MAKE A COMEBACK WHEN YOU HAVEN'T BEEN ANYWHERE."
Things I left out since the post a long while back (just in case): [blank for now]
Monday, March 22, 2010
Mold strikes again
Open the closet and delve a little deeper to find what I feared mold:
Found a new friend: my dress shoes (I don't approve)
Latched onto my white dress shirt- thanks for that
Found the outside of my suit garment bag (sigh of relief as I examined my suit and found it mold free..knock on wood)
Jumped on board my suitcase (don't worry I think yours is safe Aunt Mary and Uncle Juppe)
But have no fear Duck Tape is here! I didn't bring my handy dandy duck tape for nothing. It's got the power rip that mold right off. Hurry for Duck Tape!
So much to talk about and yet I have not blogged in ages... time to catch up
Random quote: "ALWAYS DO RIGHT. THIS WILL GRATIFY SOME PEOPLE AND ASTONISH THE REST."
Found a new friend: my dress shoes (I don't approve)
Latched onto my white dress shirt- thanks for that
Found the outside of my suit garment bag (sigh of relief as I examined my suit and found it mold free..knock on wood)
Jumped on board my suitcase (don't worry I think yours is safe Aunt Mary and Uncle Juppe)
But have no fear Duck Tape is here! I didn't bring my handy dandy duck tape for nothing. It's got the power rip that mold right off. Hurry for Duck Tape!
So much to talk about and yet I have not blogged in ages... time to catch up
Random quote: "ALWAYS DO RIGHT. THIS WILL GRATIFY SOME PEOPLE AND ASTONISH THE REST."
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Shout Outs/ Clearing My Thoughts
So this post has been a work in progress for quite awhile and here it is:
Although I'm in Hong Kong I still think about everyone from back home and here are some comments I have:
Uncle Moo, I didn't believe you but there are living cows in Hong Kong and probably everywhere else for that matter including the Philippines!
Uncle Ted, you were right about the weather. Even though it's in the 50-60s, it's still (or was up until 2-3 weeks ago, but I think it's back as I'm wearing my winter coat as we speak) winter season and being by the ocean makes it cooler as well. I packed for spring and summer weather. I have met some Polish exchange students here as well, they love people from Chicago as a matter of fact everyone loves people from Chicago or maybe just the name "but I've got that going for me... which is nice."
Jan: I went to Stanley market and it was a cool place. Not easy to get to, but I plan on returning.
Forgot to mention: please don't send me any packages (way too expensive) I appreciate postcards and letters if it's affordable though. It's the thought that counts, so thank you Mrs. Ostling!
Hey America: wake up and realize that we are the only country that doesn't use the metric system... do us a favor and get rid of these so called feet and pounds, no one knows what I'm talking about here.
Dear local students who decide to attend the COMP101 lectures: 1. If you're going to come to class, come on TIME!!! otherwise don't bother coming thanks for being a huge distraction 2. Learn some respect, when the teacher is talking that's your cue to SHUT UP and LISTEN! 3. You provide so many distractions during class, walking around and leaving randomly that congrats I'm not sure why I still come to class any more. I can't take your shenanigans any more! [Deep breath... in through the nose, out through the mouth]
To room 910, please refrain from singing to your chinese music when I'm trying to go to sleep, I can hear you through the paper thin walls, thank you, perhaps if you could take some lessons it would be less of a hinderance to my ability to fall asleep.
Thank you to everyone on my floor who sings in the shower, always brings some humor to my life
Atrium promoters please go away, you know who you are.
To those of you curious about the drinking scene in Hong Kong: There are many bars/clubs that have "Ladies Night" on Tuesdays Wednesdays, Thursdays, and probably every night of the week for that matter = girls drink for free. The hot spots in Hong Kong: Lang Kwai Fong (LKF) and Wan Chai ohh and 7-11 of course, the cheapest place for a drink. Bar on campus- Uni-bar: the happy hour special from 5-8 buy one drink get the second free.
Taxi Denis, best taxi driver in Hong Kong!
Guidebook Ben- you truly do live up to your name... the next step: write your own
Dear mold, please stay out of my room please and thank you.
Shai- I now understand your addition/ love for tea, I have fallen victim to it.
The local students that talk to me: thanks, I enjoy our conversations (Francis, my buddy Carol, Ozone, and Ebe to name a few of many)
Sandwich makers at the Western Café and meal prepares at the Japanese stall, Please! I repeat PLEASE do not put any mayonnaise on my food, you know those bottles that you use profusely on almost anything edible! That would be great, thanks.
To all the people that read my blog: THANK YOU! I appreciate it.
I'm grateful for: family, friends, life, and everyone in between!
Note to self: I think I'll do this again. [breath of fresh air]
If you would like your name to be in the next shout out, just let me know, and I can make it happen. =) Best, Eric
Random Quote: "I DON'T SUFFER FROM INSANITY... I ENJOY EVERY MINUTE OF IT."
Friday, March 5, 2010
Taiwan
Before I left Taiwan I was excited, but I didn't really know what to expect except for Taipei 101 and hot springs. Thanks to "Guidebook" Ben's itinerary, we were able to see and do a whole lot more than that in the span of two full days. (Granted there were some minor "tweaks" to the schedule.)
Friday at 2 am, went to a 24 hour dim sum restaurant...two taxis, 2 different drop off locations, 2 different restaurants, both of us saw a car get pulled over by a cop, yet our dim sum was less than satisfactory and overpriced, while the our group had good dim sum (peculiar)
Da'an Park- saw a ton of Tai Chi advocates
Taipei 101- clear day actually saw the entire city from the observation deck, pretty cool
Longshan Temple? I think- they all look very similar to me, perhaps I knew more about their religion and why they leave all this great food on the tables I would have a better appreciation for the temples
Grand Hotel- really big, would like to take a tour of the inside
Martyer's Shrine- Changing of the guards- all businesses, no messing around except for the tourists (but don't touch them, they stomp their guns on the ground and have a real P.O.'d look on their faces)
Hot Springs in Beitou- atmosphere equivalent to health club sauna- lots of old people that I didn't need to see in swimsuit, felt like a hot tube, with 3 different levels (couldn't handle the hottest)... let's just say we didn't exactly fit in and innocently broke the rules (Jason what where you thinking when you decided to dive under that water?? nasty!)
Shilin Night Market- awesomeness, like Ladies Market but BIGGER and lots of food and carnival game stalls! I had corn with special spicy sauce on it, shrimp with an unexpected addition of sprinkles and frosting(not as good as straight up shrimp), 2 milk teas, and a thin bread with honey filling
Saturday
Pinglin: Bike ride along a river and through the tea fields, take a break and swim in the river (the guidebook said we could swim in it, so it must be ok)
Fisherman's Dwarf: Tip to any guy who want to take his girlfriend on a romantic date = go here, this was couples central, great place to watch the sun go down, we missed it unfortunately and have dinner with live music, ordering our food was interesting, they were serving SARS as a beverage and I believe one of the entrees was mainland girls (from China?) the translations didn't make it all the way through. Saw some fireworks up close and personal and people sending off lanterns for the Lantern Festival (which officially started on Sunday)
Party!: Go to Spark in the basement of Taipei 101, get in for free thanks to Bobby workin' his magic!, take a moment to enjoy being in one of the top clubs in Taiwan and then take a nap at the table before calling it a night
Sunday
Mister Donut and make it back to the Airport by means of train (saw the high speed rail in Taiwan) and taxi. *Thank you to our friendly local young man for aiding us to our destination
The experience had it's ups and downs, it's good and bad. Majority's consensus: Taiwan was incredible, more westernized than Hong Kong, and hope to return to Taiwan in the future. My personal opinion: glad I went, enjoyed it, won't be going back anytime soon.
We met a fair amount of people from North America that had come planning to stay for a few days and it turned into a few months or even years teaching English or working at a the club they partied at every night (surprising). Taipei must put a spell on people, but as for me, I could not overcome the sight of cockroaches on the streets and smells coming from the sewers. The goods: I was actually able to find a seat on the MRT subway system 9 times out of 10! The food was good and cheap, people LOVE Mr. Donut in Taiwan as well, and eight elephant's was an upscale and very friendly hostel. For those of you reading, I'm sorry I have been lazy, and therefore just now posting this. The weather in Hong Kong is nice and humid now. On the one hand, my Philippine souvenirs did fall victims to mold. Not too much else to say. I am grateful to be staying in Hong Kong this weekend.
Due to my failure to take photographs on this trip here are some great photographer's who successfully captured the dynamics of Taipei:
Ben Boerema's Pics
Bobby Tran's Pics I
Bobby Tran's Pics II
Jason Chan's Pics
Jon Shen's Pics
Random Quote- "WHY DO WE WASH BATH TOWELS? AREN'T WE CLEAN WHEN WE USE THEM?"
Friday at 2 am, went to a 24 hour dim sum restaurant...two taxis, 2 different drop off locations, 2 different restaurants, both of us saw a car get pulled over by a cop, yet our dim sum was less than satisfactory and overpriced, while the our group had good dim sum (peculiar)
Da'an Park- saw a ton of Tai Chi advocates
Taipei 101- clear day actually saw the entire city from the observation deck, pretty cool
Longshan Temple? I think- they all look very similar to me, perhaps I knew more about their religion and why they leave all this great food on the tables I would have a better appreciation for the temples
Grand Hotel- really big, would like to take a tour of the inside
Martyer's Shrine- Changing of the guards- all businesses, no messing around except for the tourists (but don't touch them, they stomp their guns on the ground and have a real P.O.'d look on their faces)
Hot Springs in Beitou- atmosphere equivalent to health club sauna- lots of old people that I didn't need to see in swimsuit, felt like a hot tube, with 3 different levels (couldn't handle the hottest)... let's just say we didn't exactly fit in and innocently broke the rules (Jason what where you thinking when you decided to dive under that water?? nasty!)
Shilin Night Market- awesomeness, like Ladies Market but BIGGER and lots of food and carnival game stalls! I had corn with special spicy sauce on it, shrimp with an unexpected addition of sprinkles and frosting(not as good as straight up shrimp), 2 milk teas, and a thin bread with honey filling
Saturday
Pinglin: Bike ride along a river and through the tea fields, take a break and swim in the river (the guidebook said we could swim in it, so it must be ok)
Fisherman's Dwarf: Tip to any guy who want to take his girlfriend on a romantic date = go here, this was couples central, great place to watch the sun go down, we missed it unfortunately and have dinner with live music, ordering our food was interesting, they were serving SARS as a beverage and I believe one of the entrees was mainland girls (from China?) the translations didn't make it all the way through. Saw some fireworks up close and personal and people sending off lanterns for the Lantern Festival (which officially started on Sunday)
Party!: Go to Spark in the basement of Taipei 101, get in for free thanks to Bobby workin' his magic!, take a moment to enjoy being in one of the top clubs in Taiwan and then take a nap at the table before calling it a night
Sunday
Mister Donut and make it back to the Airport by means of train (saw the high speed rail in Taiwan) and taxi. *Thank you to our friendly local young man for aiding us to our destination
The experience had it's ups and downs, it's good and bad. Majority's consensus: Taiwan was incredible, more westernized than Hong Kong, and hope to return to Taiwan in the future. My personal opinion: glad I went, enjoyed it, won't be going back anytime soon.
We met a fair amount of people from North America that had come planning to stay for a few days and it turned into a few months or even years teaching English or working at a the club they partied at every night (surprising). Taipei must put a spell on people, but as for me, I could not overcome the sight of cockroaches on the streets and smells coming from the sewers. The goods: I was actually able to find a seat on the MRT subway system 9 times out of 10! The food was good and cheap, people LOVE Mr. Donut in Taiwan as well, and eight elephant's was an upscale and very friendly hostel. For those of you reading, I'm sorry I have been lazy, and therefore just now posting this. The weather in Hong Kong is nice and humid now. On the one hand, my Philippine souvenirs did fall victims to mold. Not too much else to say. I am grateful to be staying in Hong Kong this weekend.
Due to my failure to take photographs on this trip here are some great photographer's who successfully captured the dynamics of Taipei:
Ben Boerema's Pics
Bobby Tran's Pics I
Bobby Tran's Pics II
Jason Chan's Pics
Jon Shen's Pics
Random Quote- "WHY DO WE WASH BATH TOWELS? AREN'T WE CLEAN WHEN WE USE THEM?"
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Good Day-Studying, Markets, and Korean BBQ
Although I didn't wake up until noon, I made the most of it! Went to my favorite place (with exception to the BIF), the library of course! Studied for my quiz on Tuesday in the class that actually counts for a grade! Anyway, I was returning to my dorm with a sense of accomplishment when
First words out of Cyril's mouth,"Hey! Come to Ladies Market with us!" Now here I am with a backpack, sweat pants, and [Ponder for moment] "Ok, sure. I'm in!."
Ending up going to Temple Market where I bought 5 pairs of socks including Pumas!! and a couple classy Armani and Ralph Lauren Polo dress socks, a mountain climbing clip(which I need to clip my shoulder strap onto my duffle bag because it broke off) then off to Ladies Market where I haggled my way down from $20 USD for one Armani belt to a 2 for 1 deal. Tip: You must go into the markets with budget cap, otherwise things can get out of hand.
From the market's to Causeway Bay's all you can eat Korean BBQ Buffet, where you cook your own meat in front of you. Now, I do realize how unsanitary these places specially around the time that I'm putting loads of raw meat onto my plate, but none the less the variety of crab, fish, chicken, pork, and steak was all delicious (the ox tongue was a bit chewy)
In the beginning, there were two of us and we helped ourselves to a couple small sized plates, but then two of our other companions joined us, Ole and Larz, (whose real names will not be revealed for confidentiality purpose). We were given a warning that the meat would be taken away in 15 minutes, so as any hungry college student would do, we loaded up 6 plates with mountains of meat. The management and staff gave us looks of doubt and warned us to take only what we could eat, but we knew or at least thought we could handle it, we'll show them. The place closed at 1 a.m., and it was already 12:15 a.m. It became a race against time.
By 1 a.m. we devoured 4 of the 6 plates. We owned the place, as the only people still in the restaurant. I hit a wall. A very big wall, that made me sick to my stomach. The most meat I've every eaten. The staff laughed and talked Canto with Ole, saying, "Your friend looks a bit sick over there." I still managed to eat 4 more watermelon slices and 3 more orange slices to finish off the meal. We left them a nice tip(which you're "not supposed") for staying past 1 a.m. for us. The hard part was standing up. Thoughts of sickness clouded my mind, but I was able to make my way outside and into the cab.
This morning I woke up with the taste of pork in my mouth. Ugh..I didn't think these words would every come out of my mouth, but I don't want to think about, look at, smell, or taste one piece of meat right now... maybe in another 4-8 hours. That meal covered late night dinner, breakfast, and perhaps today's lunch as well. I'm not doing that again; I prefer to enjoy my food. Korean BBQ, I will be back, just give me a week or two. It's just too good of a deal not to go back; I can promise you that I will enjoy my food next time and eat at leisure.
First morning in a long while that I woke up and wasn't cold! Yahoo! Good start to a great day!
Random Quote- "WHEN A PERSON WITH EXPERIENCE MEETS A PERSON WITH MONEY, THE PERSON WITH THE EXPERIENCE WILL GET THE MONEY AND THE PERSON WITH THE MONEY WILL GET THE EXPERIENCE."
First words out of Cyril's mouth,"Hey! Come to Ladies Market with us!" Now here I am with a backpack, sweat pants, and [Ponder for moment] "Ok, sure. I'm in!."
Ending up going to Temple Market where I bought 5 pairs of socks including Pumas!! and a couple classy Armani and Ralph Lauren Polo dress socks, a mountain climbing clip(which I need to clip my shoulder strap onto my duffle bag because it broke off) then off to Ladies Market where I haggled my way down from $20 USD for one Armani belt to a 2 for 1 deal. Tip: You must go into the markets with budget cap, otherwise things can get out of hand.
From the market's to Causeway Bay's all you can eat Korean BBQ Buffet, where you cook your own meat in front of you. Now, I do realize how unsanitary these places specially around the time that I'm putting loads of raw meat onto my plate, but none the less the variety of crab, fish, chicken, pork, and steak was all delicious (the ox tongue was a bit chewy)
In the beginning, there were two of us and we helped ourselves to a couple small sized plates, but then two of our other companions joined us, Ole and Larz, (whose real names will not be revealed for confidentiality purpose). We were given a warning that the meat would be taken away in 15 minutes, so as any hungry college student would do, we loaded up 6 plates with mountains of meat. The management and staff gave us looks of doubt and warned us to take only what we could eat, but we knew or at least thought we could handle it, we'll show them. The place closed at 1 a.m., and it was already 12:15 a.m. It became a race against time.
By 1 a.m. we devoured 4 of the 6 plates. We owned the place, as the only people still in the restaurant. I hit a wall. A very big wall, that made me sick to my stomach. The most meat I've every eaten. The staff laughed and talked Canto with Ole, saying, "Your friend looks a bit sick over there." I still managed to eat 4 more watermelon slices and 3 more orange slices to finish off the meal. We left them a nice tip(which you're "not supposed") for staying past 1 a.m. for us. The hard part was standing up. Thoughts of sickness clouded my mind, but I was able to make my way outside and into the cab.
This morning I woke up with the taste of pork in my mouth. Ugh..I didn't think these words would every come out of my mouth, but I don't want to think about, look at, smell, or taste one piece of meat right now... maybe in another 4-8 hours. That meal covered late night dinner, breakfast, and perhaps today's lunch as well. I'm not doing that again; I prefer to enjoy my food. Korean BBQ, I will be back, just give me a week or two. It's just too good of a deal not to go back; I can promise you that I will enjoy my food next time and eat at leisure.
First morning in a long while that I woke up and wasn't cold! Yahoo! Good start to a great day!
Random Quote- "WHEN A PERSON WITH EXPERIENCE MEETS A PERSON WITH MONEY, THE PERSON WITH THE EXPERIENCE WILL GET THE MONEY AND THE PERSON WITH THE MONEY WILL GET THE EXPERIENCE."
Friday, February 19, 2010
Paradise Take I
Philippines Debriefing:
Went to the Philippines for Chinese New Year with two other HKUST exchange friends, "Guidebook" Ben and Shray. We left Wednesday night, flew Philippines airlines 1hr 45min flight (they served us refreshments and dinner!) Made our way 2hrs by bus, 1hr by boat to White Beach. We returned to Hong Kong Monday night. Total of 5 days, 4 nights. I could talk for hours about this trip but here's the low down:
To wrap it up here are some things I forgot to mention:
It was a very nice break/change of pace from Hong Kong in terms of the weather, the people, and the culture.
People in the Philippines are extremely friendly, amiable, laid back, and willing to help you. They also speak English well. For example, Adrian (in his 20s) showed us around his home town and went with us to Batangas just to make sure we got there safe and sound (we paid for his lunch and gave him 20 pesos, which in realty still wasn't enough).
With that being said, Filipino time requires some translation. As a heads up, when some tells you to meet them for lunch at noon that means 1 or 1:30pm, and when the boat says it's leaving at 10:30am, what they really mean is that it will arrive at 11:05am and start boarding at 11:15am. The local are also really into karaoke and henna tattoos (or just tattoos in general).
I had the best vanilla ice cream at the couple's home at Aninuan beach ever!
I tested my bargaining skills while I was there, and I think I'm ready for the real deal, perhaps Ladies Market this weekend.
Make the Philippines a group trip, they love to give discounts on everything from bus rides to scuba diving!
and don't worry, although we didn't exactly celebrate Chinese New Year, we still wore some red clothing for good luck or in my case, actually turned my skin red just for the occasion. (at this point I'm learning how it feels to shed skin... unpleasant)
I don't know if I could live in the Philippines, but with this cold 10 degree (Celsius) weather with no heat and these people leaving all the doors and windows open, I'm ready to go back!
Random Quote- "NEVER ACCEPT A FREE DRINK FROM A UROLOGIST."
Went to the Philippines for Chinese New Year with two other HKUST exchange friends, "Guidebook" Ben and Shray. We left Wednesday night, flew Philippines airlines 1hr 45min flight (they served us refreshments and dinner!) Made our way 2hrs by bus, 1hr by boat to White Beach. We returned to Hong Kong Monday night. Total of 5 days, 4 nights. I could talk for hours about this trip but here's the low down:
To wrap it up here are some things I forgot to mention:
It was a very nice break/change of pace from Hong Kong in terms of the weather, the people, and the culture.
People in the Philippines are extremely friendly, amiable, laid back, and willing to help you. They also speak English well. For example, Adrian (in his 20s) showed us around his home town and went with us to Batangas just to make sure we got there safe and sound (we paid for his lunch and gave him 20 pesos, which in realty still wasn't enough).
With that being said, Filipino time requires some translation. As a heads up, when some tells you to meet them for lunch at noon that means 1 or 1:30pm, and when the boat says it's leaving at 10:30am, what they really mean is that it will arrive at 11:05am and start boarding at 11:15am. The local are also really into karaoke and henna tattoos (or just tattoos in general).
I had the best vanilla ice cream at the couple's home at Aninuan beach ever!
I tested my bargaining skills while I was there, and I think I'm ready for the real deal, perhaps Ladies Market this weekend.
Make the Philippines a group trip, they love to give discounts on everything from bus rides to scuba diving!
and don't worry, although we didn't exactly celebrate Chinese New Year, we still wore some red clothing for good luck or in my case, actually turned my skin red just for the occasion. (at this point I'm learning how it feels to shed skin... unpleasant)
I don't know if I could live in the Philippines, but with this cold 10 degree (Celsius) weather with no heat and these people leaving all the doors and windows open, I'm ready to go back!
Random Quote- "NEVER ACCEPT A FREE DRINK FROM A UROLOGIST."
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
I'm back!
Made it back safe and sound from the Philippines! Back to reality and home in a way. For those of you who think it's warm in Hong Kong (currently in the 40s), I'm freezing here after being in 80-90 degree weather. It was a great time, now the hard part is trying to condense it all into one post.
Here's my address for those of you who are curious:
Room 912
Undergraduate Hall VI
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Clear Water Bay, Kowloon
Hong Kong
Now you can come visit me, look me up on google maps, send me a card if it suits your fancy, or be grateful this isn't your address whatever, I just thought I would let you know. (My only hope is that you use this information for the good of mankind only) Thank you.
Random Quote- "IF CON IS THE OPPOSITE OF PRO, THEN WHAT IS THE OPPOSITE OF PROGRESS?"
Here's my address for those of you who are curious:
Room 912
Undergraduate Hall VI
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Clear Water Bay, Kowloon
Hong Kong
Now you can come visit me, look me up on google maps, send me a card if it suits your fancy, or be grateful this isn't your address whatever, I just thought I would let you know. (My only hope is that you use this information for the good of mankind only) Thank you.
Random Quote- "IF CON IS THE OPPOSITE OF PRO, THEN WHAT IS THE OPPOSITE OF PROGRESS?"
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Today will be a good day as it should be!
"Today is an 8"(always a good feeling), and it should be because today marks the day I leave for paradise in the Philippines! Sources: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/horoscopes/...Oh wait, I'm in the future, so yesterday was an 8.
My faith in horoscopes just dropped tremendously; I'm going to have to kinda, sorta disagree. After reflecting on yesterday, I have come to the conclusion that 1. New definition of "nose to the grindstone" = procrastinating and getting little to no work done and 2. I have some questions of my own for Linda Black such as who is this "female" making "final adjustments"? I recall nothing of the sort.
Conspiracy: Horoscopes are a manipulative plot to alter your life and force you to come up with irrational explanations, so you can make sense out of nothing. All that aside, I think I'll keep reading them for pure enjoyment and humor.
Happy Chinese New Year!
Random Quote- "I USED UP MY SICK DAYS SO TOMORROW I'M CALLING IN DEAD."
My faith in horoscopes just dropped tremendously; I'm going to have to kinda, sorta disagree. After reflecting on yesterday, I have come to the conclusion that 1. New definition of "nose to the grindstone" = procrastinating and getting little to no work done and 2. I have some questions of my own for Linda Black such as who is this "female" making "final adjustments"? I recall nothing of the sort.
Conspiracy: Horoscopes are a manipulative plot to alter your life and force you to come up with irrational explanations, so you can make sense out of nothing. All that aside, I think I'll keep reading them for pure enjoyment and humor.
Happy Chinese New Year!
Random Quote- "I USED UP MY SICK DAYS SO TOMORROW I'M CALLING IN DEAD."
Friday, February 5, 2010
First Week of Class
To sum up the first week of class:
Already gave a 2 minute group presentation in my marketing class, got the crazy idea in my head that it would be a good idea to take a finance course Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management, a class that is 70% mathematics.
Taking a computer class where the first day they showed us how to use basic tools of the internet like google and some people apparently were opened up to an new world as the class owwed and ahhhed as the TAs showed us how to use google maps, gmail, google calendar, and other very very basic tools of the internet (I felt a little bad for these people).
Mandarin class, all exchange students making fools of ourselves trying to repeat the teacher, I need to be taking that class 5 days a week to really get the ball rolling.
Got in some soccer and ping pong this week. Hot pot dinner aka Fondue in the West, where we had so much food and made a garlic and spicy soy sauce for added flavor: shrimp dumplings, coral, fish, crab, pork, beef saved for last, mini sausages w/ cheese filling all of it delicious. Good thing we had Ozone with us to make sure the food was cooked. Went to LKF from there, nightlife hot spot.
Today- no class on Fridays! Slept till 11:30, relaxed, check gmail, take a 3 hour nap, overall I would say a pretty productive day.
Some observations of the week
1. Different people have different reactions to the exchange students- Professors seem to like us more because we participate more in class than the other students. One professor was so excited when he saw a group of us in the hall way, he asked if we would meet with his students and do some sort of project with them (how hopefully I can live up to his expectations which may be impossible feat as he treated us like prodigies). Most students aren't phased by exchange students, some are very friendly and helpful aka Ebe, Ozone, my buddy Carol, and Francis in my study skills class. The workers in the dining halls are probably frustrated/find humor in watching the exchange students go in wrong lines and scratch their heads wondering where their food is.
2. The dorms have some hard core pride and spirit for their individual halls. Each hall (with the exception of my hall and hall 7), rocking out in their sick uniform/costumes and setting up their lego like structures, promoted their hall in the atrium. Every day they were out there handing out chips or rubber duckies, haggling students, and the most intriguing aspect occurred at 5:00 PM each day. Just observe for yourself:
Quad day on crack
I'm not sure what the best part was the uniforms, the hardcore energy, or the fact that I have no idea what they're saying, nor what's going on. Just try to picture the halls at UIUC doing this, I don't think so. These people need to find a hobby or something.
Other sites and sounds on campus:
Saw a man playing the bagpipes this morning
We had a fire drill, all serious business, no messing around (good news, I made it into the elevator before the alarm went off), security had all possible escape exits taped off and guarded. Police with microphones telling us where to go, and then RAs checking us in once we got down there. Half an hour later, I finally make it out there. I can only imagine what a real fire drill is like.
Guy named Bill (his english name) in my marketing team, lives each minute with an enthusiasm and liveness few have, makes every conversation interesting and really grabs your attention. Quite a character, real jumpy fellow. Anyways week one full of class intros and ready to take on week 2. Short week, 3 day week and then off to the Philippines for Chinese New Year break!
Random Quote-"TIME IS THE BEST TEACHER. UNFORTUNATELY, IT KILLS ALL OF ITS STUDENTS."
Already gave a 2 minute group presentation in my marketing class, got the crazy idea in my head that it would be a good idea to take a finance course Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management, a class that is 70% mathematics.
Taking a computer class where the first day they showed us how to use basic tools of the internet like google and some people apparently were opened up to an new world as the class owwed and ahhhed as the TAs showed us how to use google maps, gmail, google calendar, and other very very basic tools of the internet (I felt a little bad for these people).
Mandarin class, all exchange students making fools of ourselves trying to repeat the teacher, I need to be taking that class 5 days a week to really get the ball rolling.
Got in some soccer and ping pong this week. Hot pot dinner aka Fondue in the West, where we had so much food and made a garlic and spicy soy sauce for added flavor: shrimp dumplings, coral, fish, crab, pork, beef saved for last, mini sausages w/ cheese filling all of it delicious. Good thing we had Ozone with us to make sure the food was cooked. Went to LKF from there, nightlife hot spot.
Today- no class on Fridays! Slept till 11:30, relaxed, check gmail, take a 3 hour nap, overall I would say a pretty productive day.
Some observations of the week
1. Different people have different reactions to the exchange students- Professors seem to like us more because we participate more in class than the other students. One professor was so excited when he saw a group of us in the hall way, he asked if we would meet with his students and do some sort of project with them (how hopefully I can live up to his expectations which may be impossible feat as he treated us like prodigies). Most students aren't phased by exchange students, some are very friendly and helpful aka Ebe, Ozone, my buddy Carol, and Francis in my study skills class. The workers in the dining halls are probably frustrated/find humor in watching the exchange students go in wrong lines and scratch their heads wondering where their food is.
2. The dorms have some hard core pride and spirit for their individual halls. Each hall (with the exception of my hall and hall 7), rocking out in their sick uniform/costumes and setting up their lego like structures, promoted their hall in the atrium. Every day they were out there handing out chips or rubber duckies, haggling students, and the most intriguing aspect occurred at 5:00 PM each day. Just observe for yourself:
Quad day on crack
I'm not sure what the best part was the uniforms, the hardcore energy, or the fact that I have no idea what they're saying, nor what's going on. Just try to picture the halls at UIUC doing this, I don't think so. These people need to find a hobby or something.
Other sites and sounds on campus:
Saw a man playing the bagpipes this morning
We had a fire drill, all serious business, no messing around (good news, I made it into the elevator before the alarm went off), security had all possible escape exits taped off and guarded. Police with microphones telling us where to go, and then RAs checking us in once we got down there. Half an hour later, I finally make it out there. I can only imagine what a real fire drill is like.
Guy named Bill (his english name) in my marketing team, lives each minute with an enthusiasm and liveness few have, makes every conversation interesting and really grabs your attention. Quite a character, real jumpy fellow. Anyways week one full of class intros and ready to take on week 2. Short week, 3 day week and then off to the Philippines for Chinese New Year break!
Random Quote-"TIME IS THE BEST TEACHER. UNFORTUNATELY, IT KILLS ALL OF ITS STUDENTS."
On a side note: Fact or Fiction- "Healthy Addiction"
At what point are you crossing the line? Usually, I learn the hard way. There's the addiction to television, bacon, cigarettes, alcohol, Facebook, gambling, checking your email, watching Jersey Shore, possessed by Scrubs, drinking coffee, and ___________ (fill in your own addition here). Of course, don't forget my addiction which in no way can I call a "healthy" addiction: I crave: desserts (sugar, sweets, pies, puppy chow, candy, cake, ice cream, milkshakes, you name it) (In fact, I currently have a severe stomach ache from eating to many Cigar Biscuits dipped in Nutella chocolate) Hong Kong is the king of candy. Every other shop you look into is loaded with candy and sugar. When I arrived in Hong Kong and saw these places, first thought = no wonder these people have bad teeth. I mean I thought I had a problem, whoa not compared to these people, I mean whose eating all this stuff. Imagine the candy shop from Willy Wonka and then put two on every block. It's ridiculous.
I digress, with a week and a half under my belt, I was doing well, hadn't had a single dessert.< Actually felt better not eating dessert, and then my addiction got the better of me.
What started as one Oreo Mcflurry turned into a vanilla ice cream cone too. And then as the days went by, the habit kicked in and the self-control fell apart. Oh I think I'll have a vanilla ice cream cone after dinner and then 10 choco pies, some tiramisu after lunch, a box of Milano's and sure I'll try some of that, and oh my childhood favorite Koalas filled with chocolate on the inside aka Koala Walas as I call them (if you know what I'm talking about, then you know they're too good to pass up).
If you can keep your addiction under control, then good for you because you have a special gift for self-control and a strong will power. As for me, dessert is my achilles' heel, and there's nothing "healthy" about it. With Chinese New Year around the corner, I suppose I have the opportunity to try and redeem myself, or perhaps tai chi will be my remedy or Buddha can solve my problems. In the mean time, at least it's an addiction with some short term gratification. (I think I'll have some more Nutella) =) First step: I have an addiction to dessert.
Random Quote- "NOTHING CHOCOLATE....NOTHING GAINED."
I digress, with a week and a half under my belt, I was doing well, hadn't had a single dessert.< Actually felt better not eating dessert, and then my addiction got the better of me.
What started as one Oreo Mcflurry turned into a vanilla ice cream cone too. And then as the days went by, the habit kicked in and the self-control fell apart. Oh I think I'll have a vanilla ice cream cone after dinner and then 10 choco pies, some tiramisu after lunch, a box of Milano's and sure I'll try some of that, and oh my childhood favorite Koalas filled with chocolate on the inside aka Koala Walas as I call them (if you know what I'm talking about, then you know they're too good to pass up).If you can keep your addiction under control, then good for you because you have a special gift for self-control and a strong will power. As for me, dessert is my achilles' heel, and there's nothing "healthy" about it. With Chinese New Year around the corner, I suppose I have the opportunity to try and redeem myself, or perhaps tai chi will be my remedy or Buddha can solve my problems. In the mean time, at least it's an addiction with some short term gratification. (I think I'll have some more Nutella) =) First step: I have an addiction to dessert.
Random Quote- "NOTHING CHOCOLATE....NOTHING GAINED."
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Winter Break Finale
-Wake up at 10:30 in the morning with the sun out and 26 degree weather (78 for the fahrenheit people out there)
-Have dim sum and green tea for lunch
-Go for a run and admire the beautiful view of the ocean and mountains
-Play soccer until 9 PM *playing in cleats makes a big difference
-Eat a vanilla ice cream cone, a double quarter pounder (first time I've ever had one, i kid you not), and an oreo mcflurry *McDonald's was the only place that was still open
-Try to get a good night's rest
Great note to end the break on!
I love my pumas!
RANDOM QUOTE- "IF YOU COULD BUY A LITTLE TIME, HOW WOULD YOU SPEND IT?"
-Have dim sum and green tea for lunch
-Go for a run and admire the beautiful view of the ocean and mountains
-Play soccer until 9 PM *playing in cleats makes a big difference
-Eat a vanilla ice cream cone, a double quarter pounder (first time I've ever had one, i kid you not), and an oreo mcflurry *McDonald's was the only place that was still open
-Try to get a good night's rest
Great note to end the break on!
I love my pumas!
RANDOM QUOTE- "IF YOU COULD BUY A LITTLE TIME, HOW WOULD YOU SPEND IT?"
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Tours, Tours, Tours
Try saying that 5 times fast, well the title sums up the last two days and tomorrow.
Today was orientation, that's right I actually am taking classes in Hong Kong. Picked up a double entry visa today for mainland...note to future Hong Kong students don't be lazy like me go to the Consulate in the U.S., so you can get a multi-entry visa. Exciting news, I bought a pair of sweet "football" cleats (also known as soccer in the states) at Harbor City. The number of malls in Hong Kong is unbelievable and yet there's only one notable sports store, quiet different from the U.S.
Why repeat what's already been said before. These are basically summaries of Wednesday and Thursday's Tours. If you want the the details that only the experience can give you see below.
---
Tour: Lantau Island Day Tour
"Travel back to the times when fishermen roamed the waterways in this part of Hong Kong. Experience the sights and smells of Tai O, a relatively untouched fishing village set amidst the mountains. You may even spot the rare Chinese white dolphins as you explore the area. Thereafter, experience Chinese Buddhist traditions while feasting on vegetarian cuisine served in a temple. You will also see the world's largest sitting bronze Buddha, and glide across the scenic Tung Chung Bay to Ngong Ping Plateau on a cable car."
Tour: Hong Kong's Urban Chinese Heritage
"Explore the architectural heritage of Hong Kong's Chinese side. Gain unique perspectives into our Chinese culture and values (Wong Tai Sin and Chi Lin Buddhist Nunnery ). Then, learn about an interesting chapter of the city's history at the Kowloon Walled City Park, once a lawless slum that was considered off-limits to both the Chinese and British governments. Finally, recollect these stories over a sumptuous seafood dinner."
---
Both tours were all about getting away from the skyscrapers and city life, and more about the scenic/religious areas. Our lunch at Lantau consisted of jello looking tofu, meatloaf looking tofu, orange chicken looking tofu, fish looking tofu- bottom line tofu, vegetables, and delicious pineapple. The fishing village was very run down and sold "red" drink which only the tour guides drank because they warned that foreigners may not be adjusted enough to this drink made from herbs and served out of unsealed bottles... supposed to be good for the throat, maybe next time. Some of us were lucky enough to see the endangered white dolphins that look more like cotton candy; however, taking pictures of them just wasn't going to happen on this rocky fishing boat.
Tour number two had some interesting stops, the walled in city from the looks of it was a slum with terrible living conditions similar to cities during the Industrial Revolution. At the Taoist Temple I burned incense sticks, knelt inside the temple, shook fortune sticks until one of the hundreds of fortune sticks fell out, and then based on the number had my fortune read. Fortune (which is good for one year and then I have to go back) in broken English he said my family will have happiness, i will find profit in business, go hiking, spring will be full of color, sing, dance, and enjoy life.
dinner- shrimp with heads (be careful shrimp brains can get messy), crab, pork w/ onions green peppers and pineapple, scallops, fried rice, beef vegetable soup, fish, squid, bacchoi, orange slices. Fresh seafood = deliciousness
Finished with the Symphony of Lights, and there was a reason I fell asleep the first time: it's a bit overrated. Tomorrow, another tour with my buddy Carol to Stanley Market and Victoria Peak. Sounds like fun, hope so.
Random Quote: "FISHING IS JUST ONE JERK ON THE END OF A LINE WAITING FOR A JERK AT THE OTHER."
Today was orientation, that's right I actually am taking classes in Hong Kong. Picked up a double entry visa today for mainland...note to future Hong Kong students don't be lazy like me go to the Consulate in the U.S., so you can get a multi-entry visa. Exciting news, I bought a pair of sweet "football" cleats (also known as soccer in the states) at Harbor City. The number of malls in Hong Kong is unbelievable and yet there's only one notable sports store, quiet different from the U.S.
Why repeat what's already been said before. These are basically summaries of Wednesday and Thursday's Tours. If you want the the details that only the experience can give you see below.
---
Tour: Lantau Island Day Tour
"Travel back to the times when fishermen roamed the waterways in this part of Hong Kong. Experience the sights and smells of Tai O, a relatively untouched fishing village set amidst the mountains. You may even spot the rare Chinese white dolphins as you explore the area. Thereafter, experience Chinese Buddhist traditions while feasting on vegetarian cuisine served in a temple. You will also see the world's largest sitting bronze Buddha, and glide across the scenic Tung Chung Bay to Ngong Ping Plateau on a cable car."
Tour: Hong Kong's Urban Chinese Heritage
"Explore the architectural heritage of Hong Kong's Chinese side. Gain unique perspectives into our Chinese culture and values (Wong Tai Sin and Chi Lin Buddhist Nunnery ). Then, learn about an interesting chapter of the city's history at the Kowloon Walled City Park, once a lawless slum that was considered off-limits to both the Chinese and British governments. Finally, recollect these stories over a sumptuous seafood dinner."
---
Both tours were all about getting away from the skyscrapers and city life, and more about the scenic/religious areas. Our lunch at Lantau consisted of jello looking tofu, meatloaf looking tofu, orange chicken looking tofu, fish looking tofu- bottom line tofu, vegetables, and delicious pineapple. The fishing village was very run down and sold "red" drink which only the tour guides drank because they warned that foreigners may not be adjusted enough to this drink made from herbs and served out of unsealed bottles... supposed to be good for the throat, maybe next time. Some of us were lucky enough to see the endangered white dolphins that look more like cotton candy; however, taking pictures of them just wasn't going to happen on this rocky fishing boat.
Tour number two had some interesting stops, the walled in city from the looks of it was a slum with terrible living conditions similar to cities during the Industrial Revolution. At the Taoist Temple I burned incense sticks, knelt inside the temple, shook fortune sticks until one of the hundreds of fortune sticks fell out, and then based on the number had my fortune read. Fortune (which is good for one year and then I have to go back) in broken English he said my family will have happiness, i will find profit in business, go hiking, spring will be full of color, sing, dance, and enjoy life.
dinner- shrimp with heads (be careful shrimp brains can get messy), crab, pork w/ onions green peppers and pineapple, scallops, fried rice, beef vegetable soup, fish, squid, bacchoi, orange slices. Fresh seafood = deliciousness
Finished with the Symphony of Lights, and there was a reason I fell asleep the first time: it's a bit overrated. Tomorrow, another tour with my buddy Carol to Stanley Market and Victoria Peak. Sounds like fun, hope so.
Random Quote: "FISHING IS JUST ONE JERK ON THE END OF A LINE WAITING FOR A JERK AT THE OTHER."
Monday, January 25, 2010
Macau: First Time for Everything
Day 1
Chaos at Porto Exterior Upon Arriving as cell phones don't work and the group of 20 quickly diffuses in an array of directions
Check into Hotel Guía
Spend 1 hour looking for Portuguese Restaurant Caravella in a dark and hidden ally only to find that it's closed on Sundays
Walked through cobble stone streets filled with shops and stray dogs w/ shirts on
St. Paul's Ruins and Mount Fortress
Taking a stroll along the Docks
Observing baccarat and blackjack at the Grand Lisboa Casino
Falling asleep outside my hotel room, waking up with an hotel employee standing over me, trying to communicate that I'm locked out, finding my way through the pitch black room (because no key = no power in the room)
Day 2
Waking up at 9am wondering what the football score is and 3 phone calls to the U.S. to receive updates on the Viks vs. Saints game. (Tension was high w/ 3 Viking fans dying to see the game) you would think that with all the casinos, one would air the game..but no
First time having Dim Sum- 15+ dishes of deliciousness either steamed or fried food including spring rolls, chicken claws, dumplings, and biscuits filled with pork = Yum!!
First time bungee jumping- 233m jump off of Macao Tower, pure greatness, let's do it again shall we?!
First time trying an egg tart- thumbs up
Ending in Chaos for some as Kevin and Jon searched all over Macau for Max with his passport and belongings, returned to HK only turn right back around as they received a phone call from Max stranded in Macau
Even though the Venetian did not make it into the agenda, all in all a great trip, and believe it or not, my spanish skills came in handy when reading maps and street!
Today as in Tuesday's highlights were bargaining down the price for our visas w/ a woman who probably wasn't even talking to anyone on the phone (we decided not to call her bluff though)
From there, I rushed back to HKUST to have lunch with my buddy Carol! I found out we had more in common than anticipated. Neither of us really knows why we chose business as our majors, good teachers make all the difference in the world, chop sticks are difficult to use... She tried to teach me some Cantonese, but it's a major work in progress as slow as molasses. Send air hugs and wishes to all my friends and family. Hope life is good =)
Random Quote- "DON'T COUNT THE DAYS....MAKE THE DAYS COUNT"
Chaos at Porto Exterior Upon Arriving as cell phones don't work and the group of 20 quickly diffuses in an array of directions
Check into Hotel Guía
Spend 1 hour looking for Portuguese Restaurant Caravella in a dark and hidden ally only to find that it's closed on Sundays
Walked through cobble stone streets filled with shops and stray dogs w/ shirts on
St. Paul's Ruins and Mount Fortress
Taking a stroll along the Docks
Observing baccarat and blackjack at the Grand Lisboa Casino
Falling asleep outside my hotel room, waking up with an hotel employee standing over me, trying to communicate that I'm locked out, finding my way through the pitch black room (because no key = no power in the room)
Day 2
Waking up at 9am wondering what the football score is and 3 phone calls to the U.S. to receive updates on the Viks vs. Saints game. (Tension was high w/ 3 Viking fans dying to see the game) you would think that with all the casinos, one would air the game..but no
First time having Dim Sum- 15+ dishes of deliciousness either steamed or fried food including spring rolls, chicken claws, dumplings, and biscuits filled with pork = Yum!!
First time bungee jumping- 233m jump off of Macao Tower, pure greatness, let's do it again shall we?!
First time trying an egg tart- thumbs up
Ending in Chaos for some as Kevin and Jon searched all over Macau for Max with his passport and belongings, returned to HK only turn right back around as they received a phone call from Max stranded in Macau
Even though the Venetian did not make it into the agenda, all in all a great trip, and believe it or not, my spanish skills came in handy when reading maps and street!
Today as in Tuesday's highlights were bargaining down the price for our visas w/ a woman who probably wasn't even talking to anyone on the phone (we decided not to call her bluff though)
From there, I rushed back to HKUST to have lunch with my buddy Carol! I found out we had more in common than anticipated. Neither of us really knows why we chose business as our majors, good teachers make all the difference in the world, chop sticks are difficult to use... She tried to teach me some Cantonese, but it's a major work in progress as slow as molasses. Send air hugs and wishes to all my friends and family. Hope life is good =)
Random Quote- "DON'T COUNT THE DAYS....MAKE THE DAYS COUNT"
Glowing Microbes
Well I realize that I need to blog in blurbs because after a a day chilling on campus and a couple days in Macau I have way too much material talk about. Just relaxed and read up on Macau on Saturday after going to Club 9 near central the night before. Played soccer with some of the other exchange students, so I will work on my game in preparation for next falls PGN soccer squad (I hope I will make the cut).
Food is pretty inexpensive here costing as low as 2 or 3 US dollars for a meal definitely a plus. To add more fuel to the fire, I enjoy the meals and am up for almost anything, so far I've had duck, chicken, pork, eggs, and tons of rice. Still working on the chops sticks, some meals are a workout/struggle on the mind and fingers.
That night a group of us went down to the shore and sat on the ledge overlooking some disgusting looking water, but the view of the mountains was amazing. Someone decided to spit into the pond, and we all thought we were going crazy when the spit made a neon blue splash into the scum. Apparently there are these glowing microbes in the water that light up whenever the water moves, so tossing rocks and spitting into the water became the excitement for the night.
Random Quote- IF YOU LOOK LIKE YOUR PASSPORT PHOTO, YOU'RE TOO ILL TO TRAVEL.
Food is pretty inexpensive here costing as low as 2 or 3 US dollars for a meal definitely a plus. To add more fuel to the fire, I enjoy the meals and am up for almost anything, so far I've had duck, chicken, pork, eggs, and tons of rice. Still working on the chops sticks, some meals are a workout/struggle on the mind and fingers.
That night a group of us went down to the shore and sat on the ledge overlooking some disgusting looking water, but the view of the mountains was amazing. Someone decided to spit into the pond, and we all thought we were going crazy when the spit made a neon blue splash into the scum. Apparently there are these glowing microbes in the water that light up whenever the water moves, so tossing rocks and spitting into the water became the excitement for the night.
Random Quote- IF YOU LOOK LIKE YOUR PASSPORT PHOTO, YOU'RE TOO ILL TO TRAVEL.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Without Further Ado: the Arrival
I made it!
Well for the most part I'm settled in. Nothing to call home yet, but thanks to the help of all the study abroad alumni, especially Shai, Sibu, and John (who know how amazing Hong Kong is), your advice and knowledge helped prepare me more than anything else could. Thanks!
It's been quite awhile since the last update, so I have plenty to fill you in on starting with my flight "back to the future." I booked a flight from San Fransico to Hong Kong 12:05 a.m. and a separate flight from Chicago to San Fran at 4:30 Jan. 19th. Thanks to mother nature my flight from Chicago landed in LA instead. Our flight did not land in San Fran until 11:00 p.m. and I didn't get my luggage till 11:30, so I was the person you see every blue moon sprinting through the airport. I checked in my luggage with a special radio call in to the baggage crew "O hold on we have one more person," and then continued walk right on to my flight. Thank you 2 hour time relapse, i wouldn't have made my flight with your help =)
Needless to say, all's well that ends well, and what fun would the trip have been without a little panic and chaos. From there, the number one airline, Singapore, took great care of me. Providing newspapers at the entrance, hot towels, brand new blankets and pillows, a delicious seafood dinner and breakfast, morning towels, personal tv screens with remote control/video game controller, very kind flight attendants, and more. During those 17 hours on Singapore, I was able to watch the Informant (not recommended), read all about the best parts of HK, learn some basic Cantonese by playing dungeons and dragons, and sleep for 8 hours.
Got in at 7 a.m. on Thursday Jan. 22, so I'm in the future now! The fact that this was actually happening, that Hong Kong will be my place of residency for the next 5 months finally hit me as I was blown away by the mountains and surreal environment in Hong Kong.
Once my cab arrived at Hong Kong University Science and Technology (HKUST), which didn't take long as the driver was going 120 mph or km/hr either way he flew. It didn't take long before I met another exchange student Ben and then 10 more who I joined up with for an action packed day. What started as a simple trip to look into visas for mainland China turned into Avenue of Stars, taking the Star Ferry across the water, going to IFC mall, getting lunch, going to the mall with the longest indoor escalator where we caught up with one of the RAs from HKUST, Ebe (lucky for us she is a tour guide at heart) where she continued to take us to the Toilet Bowel ( a restaurant with seats as toilettes, urinals on the wall, and food/dessert served in...toliets), walk down Nathan St., from there to Ladies Market, Eve has us try a variety of street foods which include Octopus ball and other mysterious cultural foods), short break in a park, walk through Temple Street (more street shops), then back to Ave. of Stars to see the Symphony of Lights (light show every night at 8pm where buildings on the street light up in every color and I'll have to go back because I dozed off a couple times throughout due to exhaustion), then back to HKUST where I feel asleep on the bus and almost fell out of my seat if it hadn't been for Kevin catching my fall. Little did I expect my day to be so action packed. Let's just say I sleep very well that night even though my mattress is like a slab of concrete. I didn't have a camera, and due to a minor case of jet lag I pretty much just went with the flow that day.
Today as in the tomorrow of the United States was another day of adventure as we went to Ocean Park to see sting rays, pandas, sharks, fishes, roller-coasters, jelly fish, red foxes, and a gondola! Off to dinner and then downtown, pictures to come. Apparently I had a lot to say, hope all is well in the U.S.A. =)
Random quote: "HIT OR MISS METHODS USUALLY MISS"
Well for the most part I'm settled in. Nothing to call home yet, but thanks to the help of all the study abroad alumni, especially Shai, Sibu, and John (who know how amazing Hong Kong is), your advice and knowledge helped prepare me more than anything else could. Thanks!
It's been quite awhile since the last update, so I have plenty to fill you in on starting with my flight "back to the future." I booked a flight from San Fransico to Hong Kong 12:05 a.m. and a separate flight from Chicago to San Fran at 4:30 Jan. 19th. Thanks to mother nature my flight from Chicago landed in LA instead. Our flight did not land in San Fran until 11:00 p.m. and I didn't get my luggage till 11:30, so I was the person you see every blue moon sprinting through the airport. I checked in my luggage with a special radio call in to the baggage crew "O hold on we have one more person," and then continued walk right on to my flight. Thank you 2 hour time relapse, i wouldn't have made my flight with your help =)
Needless to say, all's well that ends well, and what fun would the trip have been without a little panic and chaos. From there, the number one airline, Singapore, took great care of me. Providing newspapers at the entrance, hot towels, brand new blankets and pillows, a delicious seafood dinner and breakfast, morning towels, personal tv screens with remote control/video game controller, very kind flight attendants, and more. During those 17 hours on Singapore, I was able to watch the Informant (not recommended), read all about the best parts of HK, learn some basic Cantonese by playing dungeons and dragons, and sleep for 8 hours.
Got in at 7 a.m. on Thursday Jan. 22, so I'm in the future now! The fact that this was actually happening, that Hong Kong will be my place of residency for the next 5 months finally hit me as I was blown away by the mountains and surreal environment in Hong Kong.
Once my cab arrived at Hong Kong University Science and Technology (HKUST), which didn't take long as the driver was going 120 mph or km/hr either way he flew. It didn't take long before I met another exchange student Ben and then 10 more who I joined up with for an action packed day. What started as a simple trip to look into visas for mainland China turned into Avenue of Stars, taking the Star Ferry across the water, going to IFC mall, getting lunch, going to the mall with the longest indoor escalator where we caught up with one of the RAs from HKUST, Ebe (lucky for us she is a tour guide at heart) where she continued to take us to the Toilet Bowel ( a restaurant with seats as toilettes, urinals on the wall, and food/dessert served in...toliets), walk down Nathan St., from there to Ladies Market, Eve has us try a variety of street foods which include Octopus ball and other mysterious cultural foods), short break in a park, walk through Temple Street (more street shops), then back to Ave. of Stars to see the Symphony of Lights (light show every night at 8pm where buildings on the street light up in every color and I'll have to go back because I dozed off a couple times throughout due to exhaustion), then back to HKUST where I feel asleep on the bus and almost fell out of my seat if it hadn't been for Kevin catching my fall. Little did I expect my day to be so action packed. Let's just say I sleep very well that night even though my mattress is like a slab of concrete. I didn't have a camera, and due to a minor case of jet lag I pretty much just went with the flow that day.
Today as in the tomorrow of the United States was another day of adventure as we went to Ocean Park to see sting rays, pandas, sharks, fishes, roller-coasters, jelly fish, red foxes, and a gondola! Off to dinner and then downtown, pictures to come. Apparently I had a lot to say, hope all is well in the U.S.A. =)
Random quote: "HIT OR MISS METHODS USUALLY MISS"
Monday, January 18, 2010
Last Full Day in Illinois!
The last day before take off, and a day well spent at that. Low key and relaxing on my mom's birthday. The final pieces of the puzzle are falling into place, and I'm indulging in my favorite foods and beverages. Portillo's italian beef and vanilla milkshake for dinner, Aunt's Mary's amazing cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and french silk pie for dessert.
Hopefully my posts are more exciting once the adventure begins. I'm not promising to give you unbelievable stories like the nine o'clock news (hopefully my stories are more optimistic though), but I'll try to make my life in Hong Kong as action packed and full of adventure as possible.
The butterflies are starting to set in. I hope they let me into the country with this cold. I know what you're thinking and the answer is yes I am bringing health masks for the courtesy of others.
Hopefully my posts are more exciting once the adventure begins. I'm not promising to give you unbelievable stories like the nine o'clock news (hopefully my stories are more optimistic though), but I'll try to make my life in Hong Kong as action packed and full of adventure as possible.
The butterflies are starting to set in. I hope they let me into the country with this cold. I know what you're thinking and the answer is yes I am bringing health masks for the courtesy of others.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
T - 3 days
Well the moment is upon us. Leaving for Hong Kong on Tuesday, which leaves enough time to say goodbye to friends and family at home, finish packing, and attempt to learn some basic Cantonese. Then, let the experience begin!
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