Daily

Dinner with K & M

July 27, 2010

This evening, Kevin and Martin and I met up for dinner in CWB. (I seem to go to cwb every other day.) I found out that Martin decided to stay and work in HK instead of going back to Australia, and am quite surprised, but it's not totally unexpected given his 'nature'. Eitherway, I'm sure he'll be fine. After dinner, we went to dessert under the wet weather. @ where? 糖百府! I wanted to try it for a while now. Their fluffy ice indeed taste very delicious.

Magic track pad is released. But as I have a track pad on my mbp, I cannot think of a reason to want to have an external one. The new cinema display looks nice however..

Another weekend

July 25, 2010

On Friday night, the usual five of us gathered for hotpot at tak hing in CWB. Kevin called it "dinner with Eugene", but I think "dinner with Martin" is more suitable as he's flying back to Australia next week (sooner than I). Eitherway, it was an enjoyable evening, though the outcome is that my persistent cough resurfaced, which I thought could happen but didn't expect it to. Any remedies? Perhaps I'll visit 健康公房 more times this week.

As for Saturday, once again I went to play tennis. And today, I visited K11 for the first time. It has almost nothing to shop.. There are however a few nice places to eat there, just like i-square. I also met a foreigner who seem to be lost in the mall. He seemed very frustrated and blurted "how do I get out?!" as I walked past him. Then I said:

Me: Probably not that way. It's the MTR station. You should get up one floor to the ground level.
Him: Oh thanks.
He walks to elevator, then looks back, and says
Him: How old are you?
Me: I'm 22.
He mumbles something I couldn't hear.
Him: Thanks again.
Me: No problem. Enjoy your day.

I'm not sure what he mumbled, but why did he ask about my age? Hmm. Anyway, I'm quite polite, right?

Weekend; camera case; HB to Lihan

July 18, 2010

Once again, it’s weekend. On Saturday, I went to play tennis with dad. I’ve done so for every week now so far, which means I’ve been exercising once a week in HK, more than I do at Hopkins… (Even though the gym is only 5 minutes away.) Then today, I finally got myself a camera case. Yes, I already have a bigger one, but I wanted a small one to throw into a bag. It’s quite nice:

Kevin and I then met up for dinner at CWB. We first had tea at Tai Hing, which was not a very good experience because we were forced to be seated with someone else on the same table. The food was quite good – I got French toast + milk tea. Afterwards, we walked for some more before eating at Azabusabo. The food was decent. Here are some pictures (I’m perhaps more inclined to bring my camera around, now that I have a bag):

Last but not least, may I wish a most happy 22nd birthday to Lihan.

P.S. My site looks so much better on a mac.. Especially the fonts. Makes me want to stay as a Mac user :-)

Service in HK

July 14, 2010

In short, the service industry in HK is very good. In fact, it’s too good.

If you travel to work, or to school, in the morning between 7am and 9am, you undoubtedly know about the free newspapers. One can usually obtain them across MTR stations, as well as in business districts. Yet, they are not stocked in a rack for you to pick up before they run out; on the contrary, workers personally and gratuitously hand them to you, as if you would be most kind to oblige and accept a copy.

If you enter a Watsons or Mannings, whichever aisle you walk into, a service representative will approach you and ask kindly, “may I help you find what you’re looking for?", in which you’d usually reply, “I am just looking around, thx" (when in fact you’re finding something, but don’t want or don’t require her help.) In the US, who greets or notices you when you enter a Walgreens or Safeway?

If you eat at a fast food place, say KFC or Maxims, within seconds you finish you meal, a cleaning lady (out of many who cruise around the area, eyeing for empty trays) will come around and ask, “may I get this out of your way?" They then wipe the table clean. Of course, this courtesy is provided to move you along the process, so other people could be seated during busy hours. But in the US, I always have to pick up the tray and empty it myself.

And now the best of all – tips and tax. I never have to spend fifteen minutes calculating the tax and tip for everyone. There is no tax on food. If there is a service charge (it will always be less than 15%, usually 10%), it will be included in the final amount; if there isn’t, it’s at your disposal whether to leave a tip or not.

Perhaps in general, service is better in Asia. But this could be an overstatement. Once, I dined in a big Chinese seafood restaurant in Shenzhen and complained about the quality of a dish to the waitress. She tried to explain her way through, then gave up, frowned, and walked away. They don’t understand, or perhaps not care, that they would lose a customer. However, one has to marvel at their efficiency – once the bill comes and say the amount is $238, if you pay $300, she’d take it and flip open a separate bill holder; inside you’ll find change of $62.

In the end, this high level of service spoils HK people, and they complain. One day, when they travel to the US, rent a car, drive to a gas station for gas, only to realize that there is no worker standing by to fill the gas and clean their car window, they’ll note how great HK is.

HB to Amy

July 12, 2010

First and foremost, a happy birthday to Amy. May you achieve satisfaction and happiness as you continue your stage of life.

I didn’t realize it’s already the 12th, meaning it’s been more than 10 days that I last wrote. Wow, time has definitely been passing quickly. I wish I have more time to enjoy myself during non-working days, since on weekdays I am occupied by work. Only in evenings and weekends do I have the privilege to dine out and meet up with friends.

Living this lifestyle – 9am-6pm, Monday to Friday – makes me wonder if it is something I truly want to devote myself into, for perhaps the next two decades or so of my life. Do I really want to work in finance? Or in banking? How does a person advance when his lifestyle is so repetitive and monotonous? A conversation with Vivian yesterday during a tea “session" in le pain grille (I call it a session because it’s very therapeutic to listen to her, and fittingly, she is a clinical psychologist) brings up a good point – working in the same environment or the same field for a long time does not mean you’re not advancing. A farmer who tends the field, waters and harvests crops for most of his life, is still advancing, in his own stage in life. Vivian mentioned her father, a broker who has pretty much worked in the environment on the same job for 30 years. “Is he happy?" Amy asked. “He seldom misses work. He is very satisfied."

Of course, every person’s satisfaction is achieved differently. The most common and most superficial way is advancing in work. I believe that’s where I am heading – at my stage in life, a stable job with good income will bring me satisfaction. But Vivian, who has already past this stage and currently has a stable job and some savings, is looking to quit her job, take a break, be inspired, and find a meaning in life.

To find a meaning in life. What a daunting task this seems to be. We always hear the saying, “everyone has his purpose in existence". But what purpose? If only we’re born with a tag attached to our umbilical cord that pre-determines what our purpose is. Fortunately, we are given the freedom to choose what we do. The price is we have to find and work our way towards it.

July 1st

July 1, 2010

Today is a holiday.

P.S. From March to June, visits total 2414 (35341-37755), averaging 19.8 visits per day.