Reflecting

This past year has been full of wonderful experiences and memories that I will cherish for years to come. I couldn't have asked for a better year to discover and explore the world around me. One year ago, I came across an article by mindbodygreen regarding several issues to reflect upon for a new upcoming year. I've been keeping this article in mind throughout 2014, and found that it has really helped to shape the person I am today. Below is an excerpt of the article, listing 20 things to let go of before the new year:

1. Let go of all thoughts that don't make you feel empowered and strong.

2. Let go of feeling guilty for doing what you truly want to do.

3. Let go of the fear of the unknown; take one small step and watch the path reveal itself.

4. Let go of regrets; at one point in your life, that “whatever" was exactly what you wanted.

5. Let go of worrying; worrying is like praying for what you don't want.

6. Let go of blaming anyone for anything; be accountable for your own life. If you don't like something, you have two choices, accept it or change it.

7. Let go of thinking you are damaged; you matter, and the world needs you just as you are.

8. Let go of thinking your dreams are not important; always follow your heart.

9. Let go of being the “go-to person" for everyone, all the time; stop blowing yourself off and take care of yourself first … because you matter.

10. Let go of thinking everyone else is happier, more successful or better off than you. You are right where you need to be. Your journey is unfolding perfectly for you.

11. Let go of thinking there's a right and wrong way to do things or to see the world. Enjoy the contrast and celebrate the diversity and richness of life.

12. Let go of cheating on your future with your past. It's time to move on and tell a new story.

13. Let go of thinking you are not where you should be. You are right where you need to be to get to where you want to go, so start asking yourself where you want to go.

14. Let go of anger toward ex lovers and family. We all deserve happiness and love; just because it is over doesn't mean the love was wrong.

15. Let go of the need to do more and be more; for today, you've done the best you can, and that's enough.

16. Let go of thinking you have to know how to make it happen; we learn the way on the way.

17. Let go of your money woes — make a plan to pay off debt and focus on your abundance.

18. Let go of trying to save or change people. Everyone has her own path, and the best thing you can do is work on yourself and stop focusing on others.

19. Let go of trying to fit in and be accepted by everyone. Your uniqueness is what makes you outstanding.

20. Let go of self-hate. You are not the shape of your body or the number on the scale. Who you are matters, and the world needs you as you are. Celebrate you!

Let go to make room for new thoughts, new ideas, new inspirations- Have a Happy New Year everyone!

Tip of the tongue

I can't really describe how I feel leaving Hong Kong. All I know is that there's this weird sinking feeling in my stomach when I look up at the window and see the buildings of the Hong Kong side of the island. My mouth tightens when I look around the room I've been living in these past few months. I think I'm sad.

It's hard to sum up my summer here in Hong Kong into a few measly paragraphs. I've experienced so much, had so many highs and lows (but fortunately less lows), and am so heartbroken to leave such a dynamic city; it feels like I'm breaking up with someone.

I still have yet to come to terms with leaving this place in a couple of hours. I've become so attached to the charm of Hong Kong that I'm already thinking about the next time I'll be here; so as to divert my mind from the upsetting realization that I am about to leave.

Although I wish to go back to Canada to see friends and family, I have this dreading premonition that once I've reunited with them, feelings of disappointment will wash over me and I'll have Hong Kong nostalgia. Even now, I feel like I'm missing the city already, even though I'm physically still here.

I'm just a stagnant blob of sadness and honestly don't want to leave the room I'm in currently. If I do, it's like my mind has given up on wanting to stay here and that my memories here will vanish and disappear. That, and it's just so damn hot that I really can't bear to move.

Hong Kong was a dream; and I just don't think I'm ready to come to terms with reality.

Minor Cogitations

The following topics below have no flow or cohesiveness- verbal upchuck is imminent...you've been warned (but hey, at least I titled them)

Air
The air in Central is terrible right now- 9 on the AQHI scale. The ubiquitous white fog reminds me of when my contacts become too dry and everything becomes blurry and faded. On lunch breaks, I used to eat outside and walk up the Soho escalators, listening to music as a sort of calming exercise before I head back. Now that I'm aware (mostly paranoid) of the detrimental health effects of air pollution, I fear even being outside for more than 5 minutes to get lunch during peak hours. 

Ovens
I've been on a baking escapade with my sous chef/partner-in-crime Yolanda, while I've been staying at her home. It helps to fill the void of baking and cooking back at home- at least for a little while. I still don't think I'll ever get used to oven temperatures set in Celsius- such a nuisance having to look up conversions...

Personality
My friend sent me this list that describes my personality in a nutshell- a nail on the head on channeling the thoughts of an ambivert. Reading this made me feel better that there are other bipolar hermits such as myself, haha...point 11 essentially sums up my how I make my life decisions.

Work
Three new interns entered the ring of fire this month- all in my department.  I feel a little hostile as I've been the only intern in CorpFin for 2 months, and these new guys ARE GONNA SHOW ME UP– just kidding, I'm just feeling territorial. I've eaten and socialized with two so far, but have yet to introduce myself to the newest guy. They all seem nice, but who knows....who knows...

Ma Wan
Last week I ventured off to Ma Wan to celebrate my Aunt's birthday along with her family and friends. I ended up meeting some uncles and aunts I never knew I had (seriously, my grandmother (dad's side) had 7 siblings....who knew?) and a 14-year old awkward cousin named Ryan. 

Air (Update)
There has been some thunder in the area (3 pm), and hopefully some rain will come down on us to sanctify our air pollution sins. Also, my view has turned into this foreboding yellow-y haze. Not very conducive to keeping me awake during prime siesta time (3-4 pm, everyday).

My life- in JPG format

shanghai

 suzhou

Insert ambiguous title

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A Look Back- June

This month flew by, with the days being filled with work, friends, sightseeing, and overpriced karaoke (more on that later...)

This month I spent weekends traversing the HK Islands to Stanley, Cheung Chau, and Sai Kung.

Stanley- Very tourist-y. My cousins and I only visited here for an hour or so, as we only made it a pit stop from where we were going to eat dinner. The view of the harbour was very nice, and the breezy weather made the walk around the town very comfortable and relaxing.

Cheung Chau- We went on a packed and toasty Saturday afternoon, with the sun rays shooting down on us like lasers. We spent the majority of our time there eating (as per usual), and enjoyed sporadic moments of walking on the boardwalk (fearing the UV rays, we went back and forth from the boardwalk to the shade). Belly fillers included frozen pineapple, glutinous mango desserts (it tastes better than how it sounds, I promise), and fried tofu skins. We had an incredible dinner at one of the many outdoor seaside restaurants, where in that time, the weather became a beautiful breezy air with the sun setting off into the distance. Razor clams, fried squid, and steamed garlic scallop w/ vermicelli galore. I'd have to say this was my favourite meal in HK thus far. We took a ferry to and fro, which made me a little nauseous both ways- but nothing a little sleep on the boat couldn't fix!

                                                            sunny days                                                 frozen pineapple 
 

                                                      mango mochi                                           iced coffee contraption

fried tofu skins

6:00 pm

7:00 pm

Sai Kung- I went wakeboarding with a friend and some of her friends here in HK this past weekend. We took a 小巴 from Mongkok and met up with the others along the way. The weather was quite bipolar, with bouts of heavy rain and total sunshine. But the relatively cloudy day made it perfect for being out on the waters- no sunburn and tan lines for me! As this was my first venture into wakeboarding, I sought guidance from my experienced friend and the wakeboard instructor/driver, and (kind of) succeeded in getting up and holding on for a little while. I still need to work on straightening my back (which haha...doesn't even happen off the waters, #hunchbackproblems), but it was all in all a fantastic experience. We ended off the day with round 2 of seaside dining; this time with lai liu crabs and other delicacies of the sort. It was nice to meet new locals around my age and to spend the evening with them.

my best smile ft. saltwater in my eyes

Work
Around mid-June was quite exciting, as I had the chance to work at the Transformers 4 premiere here in HK, and the Imagine Dragons concert which presided afterwards. It was a tiring event to put on, amassing record-breaking working hours, but a great learning experience throughout. This was the first time for a world premiere for a Hollywood film to be set in Hong Kong, so it's a relief that everything came together in the end. I was fortunate enough to be able to invite some friends to see a pre-screening of the movie, as well as tickets to see Imagine Dragons, so I hope they had a good time as well.

I became closer with my colleagues this month, with several events and projects that had me in and out of the office, working with several different teams within the department. I also became good buddies with the only other intern in the office (!), and am looking forward to another great month at the company.

Sights and Sounds
I spent a Saturday with my uncle and aunt visiting Ocean Park. I hadn't been since I was 8 years old, so it was nice to re-experience the park with older eyes. I favoured the zoo and aquarium exhibitions of the park a lot more than the amusement rides, and found that my favourite attraction by far was the cable car ride. The view was spectacular- the 5 minute ride was a great way to get away from the usual hustle and bustle of the city.

plushies galore

The Sunday afternoon afterwards I was with my cousin Janice, visiting the Hong Kong Heritage Museum near Shatin. Although we originally went for the Studio Ghibli (Totoro, Spirited Away, etc.) exhibition, we arrived only to see a two hour queue- just to enter. After entering, many had to wait another half hour to forty-five minutes to enter certain galleries, so we ultimately decided to view the other exhibitions and come back another day for the little Ghibli creatures.

Along with some colleagues after an event on a Friday morning, we went up to SoHo and visited the 1,600 display of papier-mâché pandas at PMQ. The sun was burning and shining down on us, but the pandas (and photo-ops) were worth it.

Later that night, I met up with Stephen and Joseph to eat some delicious (albeit overpriced) Korean bbq at KimChee in TST. Although I admit, the premium on its prices was justified by the stunning view of the harbour the restaurant had. Afterwards, we traveled north to Mongkok for some karaoke at Neway, which is surprisingly expensive for HK standards- $140 HKD/person for 2 hours (around $20 CAD). In Mississauga, my local favourite Kbar is $20 for a room/hr (so in a group of 5, that's only $4/hr, and $8 for 2 hrs)! Even with a complimentary drink, I'd say HK karaoke isn't worth the money.

June passed by way too fast―now only a month in HK until i go back to Canadaland. Although I'm missing home for its people, I'm excited to have a another month ahead of me. To new adventures!

Things I miss back home:

-Cheap berries
-Barbecuing
-Big ovens
-Multigrain bread
-Almond butter/Apple butter
-Cheese (good cheese)
-Juicer
-Avocados that don't have a 24 hour shelf life
-Family
-Trees

...in no particular order

Work+Fun+Food

Work
I've been working now for a couple of weeks, and I must say that I'm quite enjoying the experience. Although there are (many) times during the day where I'm not assigned any work, and am forced to re-read the South China Morning Post and Wall Street Journal (I've learned how to bypass the subscription limit), I believe that, in retrospect, it has led me to feel unprecedented joy when I actually get to do work. The excitement of having something to do helps with the quality of work I do too, I guess. A gripe I have with working in Hong Kong, however, is the fact that contract hours aren't really patrolled and followed to a tee, regardless of how high up you are in the working ladder. It isn't uncommon if I work consecutive 10-11 hour days, and even less so for full-time workers. My co-worker told me recently how she was in the office until 11 pm, waiting for an measly e-mail from a client. She also had to attend that client's meeting the following day, early in the morning. There's one other intern in the company who works in the other department, and regularly works until 8-9 pm everyday. Just in case you might think I'm slacking in comparison (which I know you must think I am), the other department tends to work longer hours than in the department which I'm in. Overall, I'm in awe of the work ethic here, which I believe will be a good thing for me to learn from moving forward. 

I've been a lazy pig throughout the month and usually opt to eat out for lunch, like the majority of my co-workers. Unfortunately, that means I've been a big spender (for HK prices at least) as well. Average prices in HK for lunch range between $30-40, but in Central, one pays a pretty penny for even regular lunch boxes. I've now made it a goal to pack lunch from now on, as it not only keeps my wallet filled, but also makes me cognizant of what kinds of food I eat. Food here is abundant and delicious, but often oily and not the most nutritious. 

Fun
On June 1st, I had the chance to go to a K-Pop concert with my friends, Tania and Jenny, both from university. We went to see EXO who were playing two nights at the Asia-World Arena. It was quite the experience. EXO is one of my favourite pop acts, so I was excited to see them live in concert, but was taken aback when I arrived and saw endless masses of fangirls.....4 HOURS before the concert even started. I suffered a few minor scratches here and there by the claws of the crowd, and realized why so many bands in Korea fear for their lives in front of their devoted (and crazy) fans. As well, I was quite disappointed that many of their songs were lip-synced (although it probably was a decision that had to be made, given their intense choreography). My favourite performances of the night were by far the select live performances (My Turn To Cry+Baby Don't Cry, piano), as well as the power ballads (Angel, Moonlight). Special mention goes to Luhan's solo performance, woooooh! I was pleasantly surprised when some of the members conversed in Cantonese in efforts to please the crowd, yet chuckled when a member said 大'街'好, instead of 大家好.  (although I probably make worse mistakes on the daily....) 

crazy crowd at 3pm

my light saber

sea of silver

Tuesday marked the 25th anniversary of 6-4, or the Tiananmen Massacre. I accompanied my relatives here to the annual vigil held at Victoria Park, and managed to find a place to sit in the aggregate crowd of 90,000+ people. It was surreal to see so many people (old and young) come together to remember those who lost their lives fighting for democracy, and standing today, lobbying the Chinese government to bring those individuals justice. Passion for politics is very rare amongst the teenagers and young adults in Canada, and it was interesting to see how groups such as Scholarism are played out in the media here.

That same week was my close friend, Emily's, birthday. On her birthday, Stephen, her, and I went out for some late-night dessert in Tai Kok Tsui. We celebrated further that Friday, venturing off to LKF to experience the city's bars and nightlife. (that, and 米線, which is a completely different story...). We all met up again in the afternoon the day after to do some final shopping (for Emily at least) and to buy Stephen's shoes (which took forever and a day). 

I went to meet up with my family friend, Yolanda, and her parents to eat at Thai Basil in Admiralty, where I gorged on some pretty spectacular Thai food that isn't all that prevalent back in the GTA. We later met up with some of her friends to watch Maleficient, which I highly recommend if you want your self-esteem to drop tenfold...thanks Angelina. I spent the night at their place, and the majority of the day after with them as well. They treated me to some darn good dimsum, which Yolanda and I tried to walk off later by walking around some shops in Causeway Bay. 

That day in particular had an AQHI level of 10+, which means that smog and air pollution levels were at a dangerous high. Although I was unaware of the index level while shopping, when we came out of the mall, we noticed the air was extremely hazy and had a pink tinge. It was the worst pollution I've personally experienced since coming here. The pollution ended with a red rain alert, ensuing a frightful night of lightning and rambunctious thunder.

Food+ Friends

din tai fung w/ Sass

teawood w/ Sass

                                    lunch break with Tania                                back at the UCC with Emily

ucc café

typical

happy birthday ermuhlee!

I apologize for the lack of update on the blog...fatigue on weekdays after work, as well as time spent exploring on weekends hasn't made for the best schedule for frequent postings. However, I'll try to post shorter content more throughout the week to help manage. 

Japan

Japan was a blasty blast (to quote Dane Cook). My mom and I toured around the Kansai area (consisting of cities Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto) with a small tour group. The first day was spent travelling through multiple modes of transportation- car, plane, bus, spaceship. (...) We arrived at a hotel in Shirahama, which is a town known for its dazzling white sands that line the sea. After getting settled in, we went downstairs to the hotel dining area and were presented a traditional meal:

Although well-received by most other diners, I myself found this meal a bit too rich in some dishes and lacking in others. Maybe I just wasn't eating the dishes right.......however, the visual aspect of the meal made up for the taste, tenfold. 

The hotel was an onsen, which meant they offered several hot springs for the guests to use. Before going in one, I had to shower beforehand, as to not contaminate the waters. I spent the rest of the night taking advantage of the hot springs and the in-room foot soak, and crashed before midnight.

The next couple of days were spent sightseeing around the Kansai region: (brace yourself for myriad scenery shots)

shirahama beach

rocks shot #1

rocks shot#2

colourful rock cave- oooo

a tiny waterfall at the bottom of a trail

a temple in Kyoto

ghost cave

bamboo trees

that temple emoji in real life

We only had one day to shop in Osaka, and went to Shinsaibashi, the city's main shopping area. Mom and I spent most of our time there searching for specific products that our relatives and friends requested, so we didn't have much time to scour around and shop for ourselves. I did, however, manage to buy a well-loved Japanese crepe (which, in all honesty, tasted like a regular crepe with a lighter whipped cream)

Our last day was spent in Kobe, where Mom and I devoured a Kobe steak (which, in contrast to the crepe, exceeded our high expectations), and watched some Japanese kindergarteners play with deer.

a glorious piece of meat

kindergartners

deer

kindergartners and deer together

Before we knew it, we were back on a plane to HK. It was great to have had my first experience in Japan around scenic Osaka, but I'd love to go back someday to explore Tokyo!