Due to blogspot not working too well here in Beijing, please visit my new blog at:
laughinginot.livejournal.com
Friday, August 21, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
Just a Tourist in HK
UPDATE: 10:30pm (in HK) on 8/11.
Notes followed by a NEW video and a few pictures:
In the past 2 days, I've visited, unbeknownst to me, a themed park called Oceanpark (haibian gongyuan). It featured a boardwalk, rollercoasters, pandas, acquariums, dolphin shows, a cable-car ride and more. This much raved about place failed to impress me. It was the hottest, most humid day of the week, not to mention, a Sunday. For some of you, think of the line at Sugarloaf or Six Flags Great Adventure on a holiday. Imagine that with everyone sweating and smelling.(Now, when I first heard about this place, my expectation was that it was a beach with a nice park and shops. However, it wasn't. )It was nice, but not something I couldn't get at 6-flags Great Adventure, with the exception of seeing a panda.
During the week, we went out a couple of times to play basketball at Victoria Park. Again, not something I can't do back in the US. However, I've never played with so many fouls called in a single game. One of the nights, I met up with my cousin (biao ge) that I had just met over yum cha (dimsum) that morning We strolled over to a massage parlor that I would never recommend. (Note to self and others: never get a HK massage)
Today (Monday 8/10) was pretty amazing. Since it rained, we didn't make our way to Macau island (maybe on my return, I will). Instead, we went off to MongKok and wandered aimlessly and even went NY style when crossing the streets (bad idea, drivers have no mercy). We enjoyed some pretty yummy snacks, went shopping, and headed home. Apparently, when you spend enough time with one other person, silly things begin to happen and everything becomes a big joke (..and we all laugh... 哈哈大笑). 1st story: Justin and I walk into this HK-based shop with clothes for the young and the hip (haha). He first tries to put on a sized-Small blazer. To be perfectly honest, I thought it was something that would fit me, so how could it possibly have fit him. And of course, it doesn't fit so he tries and a Medium and he rips it. So they decide to get him a large which looks like a good fit until he flexes and is about to bust out of it. So I decide to try on the men's Small and I'm about to bust out of it. So lesson learned, gals my size (you know, normal girls) need to wear a men's Medium in HK brands. Also, you know the employee that helped us? Well, his arm was the size of my left wrist (smaller than my right). 2nd story: Coming off the metro at Causeway Bay, Justin bumps into the glass pane/door. So unlike in New York, the HK metro is extremely safe, well-ventelated and inted to be more orderly. However, there's no such thing as "pai dui" or, standing in line, when it comes to Chinese people so Justin squeezes to the front to get ready to get off the subway. The subway doors open and he walks forward and walks right into the clear platform doors (haha) then when it starts to open, his foot gets caught, for a split second, in the gap between the platform and the subway. As everyone pushes him he stumbles out w/ me following behind and apparantly laughing like a hyena b/c everyone was straight looking as if I was crazy. Moral of story wait for both doors to open.
Happy b-day to my friend Beeyan who just turned 21 on 8/9 ! You'll be getting your gift in 4 months!
(L)Sorry I'm not great at taking pics of food. I only got the first dish. When more dishes come, I just forget about pictures and pig out. (R) guy making Dragon Beard candy-so hard to find!
(L) Mahjohong & (R) SHOUTOUT TIME: DER DER DER DER!!! What a coincidence that we found a RED here! haha
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========================================
It's been 4 days since I was not in any country (flying in the air), 5 days since my last full day in New York City, and 3 days since I landed in this Asian populated continent. Crazy as it sounds, I feel right at home. Homesickness hasn't become a problem (yet) probably due to the fact that I'm surrounded by my kind, Chinese people. I think. So far, I've been to Causeway Bay, Tsim Sha Shui, Kowloon, Central, and I if I travelled elsewhere, I'm not too sure of the names. What was done at these places? Well, touristy stuff, of course! Shopping, eating, museum hopping, and well I guess playing basketball at a park until 11pm isn't touristy. But we did that and boy was it hot!
Anyway, I won't bore anyone with long essays just yet. I'll just get right down to business w/ posting some wonderful video(s) and pictures before my 12pm date with my HK friend!
(L) Is this city beautiful or what?! (R) Popular pose w/ Jacky Chan
We stayed at The Peninsula.....see this is the hotel.... that we snuck into... and then visited the swimming pool... and then.... we helped ourselves out and went to the Arcade (which wasn't an arcade, rather a a basement full of foreign shops that charged ridiculous prices for everything)
Science Museum: Candies Unwrapped: The Nose Flavour. Thought some of you might like this.
Just.... WATCH JUSTIN
Notes followed by a NEW video and a few pictures:
In the past 2 days, I've visited, unbeknownst to me, a themed park called Oceanpark (haibian gongyuan). It featured a boardwalk, rollercoasters, pandas, acquariums, dolphin shows, a cable-car ride and more. This much raved about place failed to impress me. It was the hottest, most humid day of the week, not to mention, a Sunday. For some of you, think of the line at Sugarloaf or Six Flags Great Adventure on a holiday. Imagine that with everyone sweating and smelling.(Now, when I first heard about this place, my expectation was that it was a beach with a nice park and shops. However, it wasn't. )It was nice, but not something I couldn't get at 6-flags Great Adventure, with the exception of seeing a panda.
During the week, we went out a couple of times to play basketball at Victoria Park. Again, not something I can't do back in the US. However, I've never played with so many fouls called in a single game. One of the nights, I met up with my cousin (biao ge) that I had just met over yum cha (dimsum) that morning We strolled over to a massage parlor that I would never recommend. (Note to self and others: never get a HK massage)
Today (Monday 8/10) was pretty amazing. Since it rained, we didn't make our way to Macau island (maybe on my return, I will). Instead, we went off to MongKok and wandered aimlessly and even went NY style when crossing the streets (bad idea, drivers have no mercy). We enjoyed some pretty yummy snacks, went shopping, and headed home. Apparently, when you spend enough time with one other person, silly things begin to happen and everything becomes a big joke (..and we all laugh... 哈哈大笑). 1st story: Justin and I walk into this HK-based shop with clothes for the young and the hip (haha). He first tries to put on a sized-Small blazer. To be perfectly honest, I thought it was something that would fit me, so how could it possibly have fit him. And of course, it doesn't fit so he tries and a Medium and he rips it. So they decide to get him a large which looks like a good fit until he flexes and is about to bust out of it. So I decide to try on the men's Small and I'm about to bust out of it. So lesson learned, gals my size (you know, normal girls) need to wear a men's Medium in HK brands. Also, you know the employee that helped us? Well, his arm was the size of my left wrist (smaller than my right). 2nd story: Coming off the metro at Causeway Bay, Justin bumps into the glass pane/door. So unlike in New York, the HK metro is extremely safe, well-ventelated and inted to be more orderly. However, there's no such thing as "pai dui" or, standing in line, when it comes to Chinese people so Justin squeezes to the front to get ready to get off the subway. The subway doors open and he walks forward and walks right into the clear platform doors (haha) then when it starts to open, his foot gets caught, for a split second, in the gap between the platform and the subway. As everyone pushes him he stumbles out w/ me following behind and apparantly laughing like a hyena b/c everyone was straight looking as if I was crazy. Moral of story wait for both doors to open.
Happy b-day to my friend Beeyan who just turned 21 on 8/9 ! You'll be getting your gift in 4 months!
(L)Sorry I'm not great at taking pics of food. I only got the first dish. When more dishes come, I just forget about pictures and pig out. (R) guy making Dragon Beard candy-so hard to find!
(L) Mahjohong & (R) SHOUTOUT TIME: DER DER DER DER!!! What a coincidence that we found a RED here! haha
========================================
========================================
It's been 4 days since I was not in any country (flying in the air), 5 days since my last full day in New York City, and 3 days since I landed in this Asian populated continent. Crazy as it sounds, I feel right at home. Homesickness hasn't become a problem (yet) probably due to the fact that I'm surrounded by my kind, Chinese people. I think. So far, I've been to Causeway Bay, Tsim Sha Shui, Kowloon, Central, and I if I travelled elsewhere, I'm not too sure of the names. What was done at these places? Well, touristy stuff, of course! Shopping, eating, museum hopping, and well I guess playing basketball at a park until 11pm isn't touristy. But we did that and boy was it hot!
Anyway, I won't bore anyone with long essays just yet. I'll just get right down to business w/ posting some wonderful video(s) and pictures before my 12pm date with my HK friend!
(L) Is this city beautiful or what?! (R) Popular pose w/ Jacky Chan
We stayed at The Peninsula.....see this is the hotel.... that we snuck into... and then visited the swimming pool... and then.... we helped ourselves out and went to the Arcade (which wasn't an arcade, rather a a basement full of foreign shops that charged ridiculous prices for everything)
Science Museum: Candies Unwrapped: The Nose Flavour. Thought some of you might like this.
Just.... WATCH JUSTIN
Friday, July 31, 2009
5days & 4 nights til Departure
Update: less than 10 hours til departure. I'm nervous, excited, scared, ambitious, afraid of this journey- not so much the plane ride, but the distance from home. It's time to make new friends and a new home, and turn old friends into close friends. See some of you in Beijing, as for the rest of you, have a wonderful fall semester!
Update at 6pm: Going to start packing. Don't think it's going to get done, but i'm going to try!
And what better to do than to pack? Anything but pack! Before I head outside, I'm going to show a picture from dinner last night at Lombardi's with Cadie, Joyce, Carmen, Dambee, and Jessie. Where's Waldo?
Update at 6pm: Going to start packing. Don't think it's going to get done, but i'm going to try!
And what better to do than to pack? Anything but pack! Before I head outside, I'm going to show a picture from dinner last night at Lombardi's with Cadie, Joyce, Carmen, Dambee, and Jessie. Where's Waldo?
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