I had a mild case of food poisoning on Wednesday so after popping some meds for safe measure, I passed out in my bed.
Day 3: Living the life of a TVB character
A few years back, I was a closet fob. I was listening to tw/canto/j/kmusic and was watching k/j/tw/ch/canto/sg drama (yes i kid you not, all of them). Now that I am actually in Hong Kong, I recognized several landmarks from various drama. There is a ferry that connects Kowloon to HK island called Star Ferry and I realized that every single drama has a scene where the characters are jumping on a ferry to get back home/go to work. While I was waiting for the ferry, I had a sudden epiphany that it was this exact ferry that they take! How awesome. Upon the arrival to the other side of the sea, I arrived on Hong Kong Island, the financial hub of the country. There can only be one word to describe my initial reaction: OVERWHELMING. Overwhelming in the sense of HOLY SHIT THERE IS 10X MORE PEOPLE THAN IN KOWLOON type of overwhelming. After getting lost on the small streets, I stumbled upon a very steep road where there is an escalator that goes up to god knows where (I stopped half way and I still don't know if that is a stairway to heaven) called Shelly Road (part of it leads to SoHo, yes, just like in NYC). Once again, a mental flashback of a drama scene came to mind and I then realized how common this area was too!
Speaking of life of a TVB character, women characters are usually uber sweet or uber bitchy mean, i-am-going-to-fuck-you-up-if-you-are-in-my-way type of mean and jump on the first rich character. I had dinner with a friend who lives in HK and she's telling me how all the girls here are fighting to find a rich man and hope to marry him and not have to work ever again. Rather scary if you ask me
Day 4: Big Buddha (Tai-O)
To be honest with you, this is a destination where you do it once in your life to say "I DID IT" and carry on with your life. The highlight is there is a GIANT statue of Buddha and the scenery is BEAUTIFUL. That's about it. If i were to come back, it will be for hiking since there are a myriad of trails and the mountain sceneries are just breathtaking. I just don't know how people deal with the heat... imagine 20km of roads to walk.. in a mountainous area?
Day 5: Macau
Yet another greatly overrated destination. Sea sick people beware, the ferry ride can get bumpy and if you have a sensitive stomach, chances are, you'll get to see what you ate prior to the ferry. Macau is known for two things: cathedral/ruins and casinos. The ruins are literally ruins: one of the main highlight is a cathedral that is built next to one of the biggest fortress in Macau. The catch, all that is left of the cathedral is the front wall (And the arches) that's it. The rest burned down a few centuries back. The other ruins are the remains of fortifications. The casino itself are also pretty underwhelming. Maybe I had expected something like Vegas where there are BIG statues with lights and what not. I went to the Venitians and if it wasn't for the sign that says: "Venitian hotel", I would have never guessed. The outside looks like a typical 5 star hotel. Inside, it's golden, big and nice. The casino area has a surprising amount of bacarrat tables, a bunch of slot machines and your usual games (craps, blackjack, roulette etc) and ONE poker table area (with a 500$ buy in which is about 60$) where it's a cash game. My biggest beef is that people can SMOKE. Terrible.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Day 2: Hong Kong - Lost, dazed and confused
After a somewhat good night sleep on a bed that is exactly 6 feet long (I am so grateful that I'm not a mutant like Yao Ming) and waking up at 6am (thinking i have over slept), I have ventured into the urban wilderness of Hong Kong. First thing I learned was to to look RIGHT before LEFT, something I have forgotten since my trip to the UK 4 years ago. I finally arrived in Mong Kok for the quest of a new cell phone (for those who do not know, my current cell phone is an ASIAN model, which means it lacks the 850 band which seems to be mandatory around my house). My coworker referred me to this placed called "Sin Tak" which apparently tells 2nd hand phones. What I didn't know was that it was a PLACE (ie mall) called "Sin Tak" and not the store.
The heat is another thing I'm having trouble coping with. Growing up in a country where the temperature is below freezing point for about 3/4 of the years, a 38 with humidity area is quite a shock for me. I think i downed about 1L of water within an hour and I had to buy more. This is something I have to get used to and quick because once I exhaust my desire to shop (which will probably end tomorrow), I have trips which involves walking around non air conditioned area and then I have singapore which is worst. Oddly enough, night time is as bad, minus the heat, but it seems that everybody comes out at night. It's like i'm living in a twilight movie or something :P
As for food report, there isn't much to report today. I am still taking it easy on the "exotic" food just to avoid weird surprises, so I went to Cafe de Coral (it's a fast food chinese chain) for char siu and duck and rice, and dinner was fried lo mien on a street corner. The language barrier is going to be rather tricky since I barely know any cantonese and my mandarin is mediocre at best. Speaking english is the equivalent of putting a huge "I'M A TOURIST" sign above my head.
Going to try to exhaust myself by staying up as much as i can and hope to get a good night sleep. My objective is to NOT crawl back into my hotel and take a nap. If i have to drink 10 coffees to stay awake, then dammit that's what i will do!!!
The heat is another thing I'm having trouble coping with. Growing up in a country where the temperature is below freezing point for about 3/4 of the years, a 38 with humidity area is quite a shock for me. I think i downed about 1L of water within an hour and I had to buy more. This is something I have to get used to and quick because once I exhaust my desire to shop (which will probably end tomorrow), I have trips which involves walking around non air conditioned area and then I have singapore which is worst. Oddly enough, night time is as bad, minus the heat, but it seems that everybody comes out at night. It's like i'm living in a twilight movie or something :P
As for food report, there isn't much to report today. I am still taking it easy on the "exotic" food just to avoid weird surprises, so I went to Cafe de Coral (it's a fast food chinese chain) for char siu and duck and rice, and dinner was fried lo mien on a street corner. The language barrier is going to be rather tricky since I barely know any cantonese and my mandarin is mediocre at best. Speaking english is the equivalent of putting a huge "I'M A TOURIST" sign above my head.
Going to try to exhaust myself by staying up as much as i can and hope to get a good night sleep. My objective is to NOT crawl back into my hotel and take a nap. If i have to drink 10 coffees to stay awake, then dammit that's what i will do!!!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Day 1: Hong Kong - The adventure begins
After over 7 years, I am returning to Asia, but this time, I'm going there alone. After the usual 20+ hour long flight, walking through a maze called HKG and having the shuttle bus drop you off at a corner where the hotel is nowhere to be seen, I have arrived in one piece! I'm hoping jet lag won't kill me tomorrow. I have already ventured around my hotel (which is conveniently located a block away from the Temple Street night market) and went on a hunt for street food, mostly something easy to eat (read snacks) and also to scout the area and see what there is to offer around here.
Between the overwhelming feeling of what seems like an infinite amount of stalls selling knock off tshirts, random accessories and cell phones and tourists, I found a few places which sells meat on a stick. With my incredibly limited cantonese, I pointed to squid and this thing that looks like sausage and said one of each. Quite interesting, the squid is not really my cup of tea though, boiling it isn't hitting the spot, probably grilling. It's amazing how there are so many tables outside taking over the corner of the street. One thing for sure, I'll check out those restaurants.
Speaking of food, I just have to comment that Delta Airline has one of the worst food I've ever had on a plane. My flight from Montreal to London on AIR CANADA was better. Note to self: when they offer a CHINESE and a WESTERN menu, stick to WESTERN. The chinese one was just a plain insult to the cuisine
Between the overwhelming feeling of what seems like an infinite amount of stalls selling knock off tshirts, random accessories and cell phones and tourists, I found a few places which sells meat on a stick. With my incredibly limited cantonese, I pointed to squid and this thing that looks like sausage and said one of each. Quite interesting, the squid is not really my cup of tea though, boiling it isn't hitting the spot, probably grilling. It's amazing how there are so many tables outside taking over the corner of the street. One thing for sure, I'll check out those restaurants.
Speaking of food, I just have to comment that Delta Airline has one of the worst food I've ever had on a plane. My flight from Montreal to London on AIR CANADA was better. Note to self: when they offer a CHINESE and a WESTERN menu, stick to WESTERN. The chinese one was just a plain insult to the cuisine
Monday, August 16, 2010
Changes...
Just because everything is different doesn't mean anything has changed. ~Irene Peter
Phew.. wedding season is over for 2010. Two weddings, two weekends, back to back. Weddings are great occasions to meet new people but more importantly, catch up with people that we haven't seen in years, even decades. My cousin's wedding is a great example: it's the first time in almost a decade that the cousins have been in the same house. We all grew up and changed: one became (is going to be) a doctor, another one is in the air force. We are older but yet the complicity is the same, we still had fun reminiscing about the past (while having a few/lots of drinks).
Last weekend was one of my childhood's friend's wedding. I've known her for well over a decade. I also caught up with one of her cousins who spent every summer of his pre-teen life in Montreal (he was from Dallas). The minute we said hi, it felt like time has never stopped and we picked up where we left of, 15 years ago. There was no awkwardness nor weird silence. Just laughter and old stories.
We might all grow up and change physically and mentally, however, there is always that one element that defined us as a kid that will never change. No matter what we experience in life, a person will never change.
Phew.. wedding season is over for 2010. Two weddings, two weekends, back to back. Weddings are great occasions to meet new people but more importantly, catch up with people that we haven't seen in years, even decades. My cousin's wedding is a great example: it's the first time in almost a decade that the cousins have been in the same house. We all grew up and changed: one became (is going to be) a doctor, another one is in the air force. We are older but yet the complicity is the same, we still had fun reminiscing about the past (while having a few/lots of drinks).
Last weekend was one of my childhood's friend's wedding. I've known her for well over a decade. I also caught up with one of her cousins who spent every summer of his pre-teen life in Montreal (he was from Dallas). The minute we said hi, it felt like time has never stopped and we picked up where we left of, 15 years ago. There was no awkwardness nor weird silence. Just laughter and old stories.
We might all grow up and change physically and mentally, however, there is always that one element that defined us as a kid that will never change. No matter what we experience in life, a person will never change.
Friday, June 4, 2010
How Awesome Are You?
Tell me once, and I’ll believe ya. Tell me multiple times, and I’m gonna get more skeptical each time. The same goes for any of a slew of statements that I’ve heard friends assert recently. Statements like these:
“I’m perfectly happy being single. I am. I don’t need a boyfriend.”
“Girls are easy to talk to. I could talk to those girls if I wanted to. They just look stuck up.”
The more you broadcast statements like these, the more you broadcast your underlying insecurities. So now, I guess we’re left with just two lingering questions….
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
5 things you should know before dating a programmer
My friend sent me this article the other day, and it inspired me to write my version of the article, but with my point of view as a programmer.
You're at a party and start to mingle. You start to talk to a rather interesting person, things goes well, you're having fun. "So, what do you do as a living?" you asked. "Oh, I'm a programmer at X" he answers. All of a sudden you picture a cool swave Ryan Phillipe hacking to a server. Before you ask for his number and hope for a happy ending, here are a few things you should know about programmers.
1. No, we will not fix your computer. If that is first thing that crosses your mind, then give up. Stop. Do not pass go, do not collect 200$. There is nothing more annoying that assuming that a programmer can fix your computer "because it's so slow that I can't go on facebook". In fact, we hate fixing our own computer. Our solution to a slow computer? Erase the damn thing and reinstall everything. Actually, if you reply to "Oh I'm a programmer" is, "oh, so you know how to fix computers right?", we will instantly pretend to not know anything about computers and slowly walk away.
2. We are smarter than you. It's not really our fault. The IT industry is very competitive. Programmers are a dime a dozen, so the only way to stand out is to be the best and to be the smartest person in the room. Google, Apple, Microsoft, amongst others, only hire the best and the smartest people out there to create the next best thing. Due to the competitive nature of our field, we tend to be arrogant and prove that you are wrong and we are right. Furthermore, a lot of programmers have masters or phD degrees.
3. Work trumps everything, including you. We are passionate about our work and give the extra mile to get things done and to make it look good. Sometimes we even forget to eat or sleep to meet our deadlines. When we are absorbed in work, we are in our little bubble world, especially during crunch period. So if we forget to eat or sleep, don't expect us to call you back. We are borderline OCD perfectionist, so we spend our waking hours trying to make our project as close to perfect as possible.
4. We love our toys and gadgets. Don't be surprised if we jump like a 5 years old when we see a new gadget in the wild. It's usually something that we have been reading and hyping up for the past 5 months, so it's only normal to be excited when we see it in real life.
5. We are worth your time and effort. We consider our job as an extension of our personality. If our work is an extension of our personality, chances are, our relationships are the same, for better or for worst. If the disclaimer above is putting you off, consider this:
The fact that we won't fix your computer doesn't mean that we cannot fix computers, we just don't want to because we've done it so often. As a matter of fact, any good programmer started their life with fixing computers as a hobby, usually at a rather young age. But if fixing your computer gives us the opportunity to see you and ask you out on a date, we will gladly fix your computer, and we'll even do it with a big smile! (see point 1)
We like to use our brain to create the coolest thing out there. That also means we always have something smart and interesting to say. Beside, with all the research that we do, we are bound to have something in common with you (and if you think our research is uniquely about computer stuff, think again, we love to read about non-related work) and we can show you new things that you might never know you liked before. (see point 2)
Our passion for our work shows that we are dedicated to our relationships. Yes we might ignore or forget to call you back, but we DO call back (caller ID!), but most importantly, we will give the extra mile in the relationship and make things work. (see point 3)
Always fed up with unoriginal and boring gifts? Our love for toys and gadgets can remedy that. The fact that we love new toys and gadgets means that we can give you the most unique and cool things that nobody will ever think of. Once again, just because we like our toys and gadgets doesn't mean that it has to be geeky and nerdy by nature. We are the best at finding the quirkiest and cutest thing which will make you laugh or smile. (see point 4)
Ladies (and gentlemen), despite all the bad press and stereotypical concepts you have read/seen, and the 5 things you should know before dating one of our kind, let me reassure you that we ARE worth your while.
You're at a party and start to mingle. You start to talk to a rather interesting person, things goes well, you're having fun. "So, what do you do as a living?" you asked. "Oh, I'm a programmer at X" he answers. All of a sudden you picture a cool swave Ryan Phillipe hacking to a server. Before you ask for his number and hope for a happy ending, here are a few things you should know about programmers.
1. No, we will not fix your computer. If that is first thing that crosses your mind, then give up. Stop. Do not pass go, do not collect 200$. There is nothing more annoying that assuming that a programmer can fix your computer "because it's so slow that I can't go on facebook". In fact, we hate fixing our own computer. Our solution to a slow computer? Erase the damn thing and reinstall everything. Actually, if you reply to "Oh I'm a programmer" is, "oh, so you know how to fix computers right?", we will instantly pretend to not know anything about computers and slowly walk away.
2. We are smarter than you. It's not really our fault. The IT industry is very competitive. Programmers are a dime a dozen, so the only way to stand out is to be the best and to be the smartest person in the room. Google, Apple, Microsoft, amongst others, only hire the best and the smartest people out there to create the next best thing. Due to the competitive nature of our field, we tend to be arrogant and prove that you are wrong and we are right. Furthermore, a lot of programmers have masters or phD degrees.
3. Work trumps everything, including you. We are passionate about our work and give the extra mile to get things done and to make it look good. Sometimes we even forget to eat or sleep to meet our deadlines. When we are absorbed in work, we are in our little bubble world, especially during crunch period. So if we forget to eat or sleep, don't expect us to call you back. We are borderline OCD perfectionist, so we spend our waking hours trying to make our project as close to perfect as possible.
4. We love our toys and gadgets. Don't be surprised if we jump like a 5 years old when we see a new gadget in the wild. It's usually something that we have been reading and hyping up for the past 5 months, so it's only normal to be excited when we see it in real life.
5. We are worth your time and effort. We consider our job as an extension of our personality. If our work is an extension of our personality, chances are, our relationships are the same, for better or for worst. If the disclaimer above is putting you off, consider this:
The fact that we won't fix your computer doesn't mean that we cannot fix computers, we just don't want to because we've done it so often. As a matter of fact, any good programmer started their life with fixing computers as a hobby, usually at a rather young age. But if fixing your computer gives us the opportunity to see you and ask you out on a date, we will gladly fix your computer, and we'll even do it with a big smile! (see point 1)
We like to use our brain to create the coolest thing out there. That also means we always have something smart and interesting to say. Beside, with all the research that we do, we are bound to have something in common with you (and if you think our research is uniquely about computer stuff, think again, we love to read about non-related work) and we can show you new things that you might never know you liked before. (see point 2)
Our passion for our work shows that we are dedicated to our relationships. Yes we might ignore or forget to call you back, but we DO call back (caller ID!), but most importantly, we will give the extra mile in the relationship and make things work. (see point 3)
Always fed up with unoriginal and boring gifts? Our love for toys and gadgets can remedy that. The fact that we love new toys and gadgets means that we can give you the most unique and cool things that nobody will ever think of. Once again, just because we like our toys and gadgets doesn't mean that it has to be geeky and nerdy by nature. We are the best at finding the quirkiest and cutest thing which will make you laugh or smile. (see point 4)
Ladies (and gentlemen), despite all the bad press and stereotypical concepts you have read/seen, and the 5 things you should know before dating one of our kind, let me reassure you that we ARE worth your while.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Flashfoward
Last night was the series finale of Flash Forward, an amazing sci-fi tv series that ABC decide to cancel due to bad ratings (don't get started on that). The premise of the story is that on October 6th, the entire world blacked out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds, allowing them to see 6 months into the future (which is called a flash forward). Some saw the impossible, others saw their everyday life, others saw nothing (which we learned that they died). It got me thinking. If I had the chance to see my future, would I want to see it or just leave it as a huge surprise? At first, I thought I really want to see what my future has in plan (will i get married? Will i die alone and miserable? Will I still live with my parents 5 years down the line? [i really REALLY hope not]), but the more I thought about it, the less I want to see my future, especially if it's a positive outcome. I think that if one see a positive outcome, one will take the result as granted and might not take the effort create that future. For example, in my flash forward, I see that I'm a really successful doctor, racking up awards and patents, etc. Knowing that I'll be great and successful, I might just sit on my ass, saying "oh i'll be rich and famous and amazing, because i saw it in my flash forward", rather than working really hard at it to achieve the future. If it was a negative outcome, one might be depressed and just say "why bother, i'll be miserable in the future". Not everybody has the will power to change their own future. Let fate do its job, don't play with it.
Given the choice, would you want to see your future or let fate do its thing?
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