-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
Wednesday, 11 June 2014
Monday, 9 June 2014
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....)
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
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.
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.
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