Chronicles of HK: Life as I see it

The buildings in HK are towering above us. Reaches to the sky. It brings new meaning to concrete jungle. Some areas you can see only glimpses of the because the towers faded in the clouds. (i'm exaggerating)

With such limited space and a blooming economy there really isn't many places to build but up. My hosts live on the 40th floor and there's still up to go.

There are many flats and apartments (have not seen a landed property yet) in the area that is too small to live in yet fits your grandparents, your parents, single siblings, you and your new wife. I was told some people rotate sleeping hours and work on different time shift just to fit into that kind of lifestyle. Space is a luxury. The ones you see in the movies are larger than normal.

The picture is your regular flats. Yes flats.

On weekends and holidays (which I was caught in), people come out to roam. They don't mind the late nights to avoid going home. The streets are crowded everywhere you turn. Everywhere. For those with crowd phobias, you might need to move in and out very fast! Faster than their average fast. Everyone seems to be in a hurry.

With all the walking people do here. You rarely see any overweight people. Everyone is slim and fit. That solves the general cholesterol problem in the country. (I wouldn't say the same about the anxiety and depression rate though)

Everyone wears flats (with rounded tip), sports shoes or boots. I could count the number of heels I saw in these last few days with my hands. Remember, by now I've probably seen thousands of people. (the pic are hazel's collection of shoes)

Speaking of health... with the not-too-long ago SARS scare and death in hongkong, every sector has taken extreme precautions to sanitize and practice good hygiene. The picture on the left was taken from INSIDE an elevator. And these kind of sign can be found everywhere. You are EXPECTED to practise good hygiene. Smoking is strictly prohibited and punishable.

Hongkong is turning green. With all its civilty, they are encouraging recycling and other forms of enviromental friendly practices. Including not giving you plastic bags. You are encouraged to bring a bag or put everything in one bag. (as seen in the pic) Children and the common people are being educated about the environment and earth.

Ironically the country consumes more energy than (probably) the entire Malaysia. It's a city of lights that shine ever so bright as a beacon and shout-out to the world for attention.

Though we've heard many times that people here can be rude (which is true for the common folk), they do try to be courteous and instill civility. Banking on Confucius' ethical codes for communal living, it is common to see/hear instructions like the picture on the left. Mind the doors please. Hold the handrail. Mind your step. Mind everything! And people do follow. Stand on the right side of the escalator. Let people out of the train first. Line up to take the lift or public toilet.

The picture on the left is the only clubbing scene in HK and its filled with ang mohs. Apparently it's not popular to club or pub here. People practice healthier living and hobbies. Hiking, exercise, movies and shopping. With the stress level HK faces and no personal space, it only make sense to have a better kind of lifestyle to survive here (and not go insane).



Despite their insanely busy lifestyle, general retail shops don't really open till about noon. We were walking about before noon and many shops were not open yet. And we thought Seremban was a sleepy town. Perhaps it's due to the late nights.

However, around every street corner, advertising is on the rise. People are brand conscious, style conscious and every other kind of conscious. Signboards outdo each other in size, caption, style. They are in your face and not afraid to offend. You think salesperson that dog you in the shop is irritating? This will be infuritating. But when you think about it, shopping IS their commerce.

Food and things are generally very expensive here, even after conversion. You need to close one eyes and just accept the regularly accepted pricing. But though food is expensive, the portion is huge. Check on the picture. The unagi is huge while the rice portion is smaller. And the size portion everywhere is that. I guess you WOULD need to eat more with all the walking you're doing.


We also figured the town planner / developer here is a little OCD. Everything is lined up neatly or in boxes. Trees in the middle are also in boxes. Buildings are all square. It's just the little impression we got. It is neat and nice and good and all though.





Oh the bamboo sticks we see in kungfu shows... they really use them here. This thing goes all the way up and is surprisingly very sturdy. I was too afraid to climb it but it didnt budge at all. We see this on every building under construction. No metal bars anywhere. Cool eh?

There's bacon in this burger. Need I say more?

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We caught the night show on the island. The Symphony of Lights. The entire city shots out lazer and beams and lights that dance to the music. The show is on everyday at 8pm. Don't miss this. You won't see this anywhere else. I wonder how they coordinated so many buildings across the plane? (and use up so much power)


Next: Disneyland