aotw

Got blog readers from us, uk, australia, hk, korea, singapore, china, france, italy, new zealand, malaysia... malaysia? who's stalking me from there....

Talk about myself being globalized. Haha forget china (essays ugh).

Thanks for checking up

hung gwee

At Hong Kong Int'l Airport... and I would spend remaining hk dollars on gifts and starve myself... eff.

Said goodbyes to the friends and family I stayed with. Sad stuff

Starting at ground zero once again. Korea- new environment, new friends, new everything!

Here I come

Wonders of Hk

Been done with the program but still have many essays to write. Meh

Hong Kong's been awesome. And I mean awesome. It's nearing the end of my 2 weeks of stay here and in less than 5 days Ill be flying to motherland.  I couldn't have spent my days in HK better.

Hong Kong is the place to be.  It has everything- boasting the vibrant city life interconnected by efficient and affordable transportation system (trams, buses, mtr, taxis) as well as beautiful islands that are easily accessible by ferries or cable cars.  How much more can you ask for?  This is truly the model city of the 21st century.  If you're young and looking for some exciting 20's, visiting HK should be a top priority.

street shopping in mong kok

many, many ballin malls here

ah the good ol view from Chinese Univ. of HK. i miss waking up to it

almost as busy as shinjuku

dimsum originated here and is usually eaten for breakfast

so tall...ah my eyes hurt!

my favorite street snack- egg waffles : )

hk is rich in culture as well. dragon boat race at Cheung Chau Island! I got lucky

I love ports!

and I love to eat next to ports

I used to not like cats... not saying I do now. But they are pretty interesting. Super keen

Cable car upto Lentau Island to see...

BIG BUDDHA! hello there

how fishermen and islanders still live

chilllin.....walking around the old village like elders

cartilage earring I bought to represent and remind myself

One of the best meals here. Wonton noodles with beefball and iced milk tea. FAVORITE! This place was a featured one and had newspaper articles all around

Swimming at Cheung Chau Island after wearing the thickest top on apparently the hottest day of the summer. Swam to the buoy in the distance and relaxed. I love hk.

One hour ride getaway to the islands from the busy city

Bar hopping at lan kwai fong in Central. Love

stunning view from star ferry. 360 degree view of citylights so beautiful. much better than the peak I think.

Great start. Loved the company and will miss it much.

+ and -

It's day 2 in hk and I'm loving the city.  Efficient, lively, friendly and disciplined citizens, good food.  Only downside is the high living expenses/transportation costs.  

Agh it's been tough though because the program is ending this saturday and my friends and I are squeezing everything we want to do into one week... so after field trips and lectures, we stay out/walk around in the city until midnight and only get about 4 hours of sleep a night. then do it all over again the following day... :\ no time to rest = sore throat, body aches, and a financial deficit for ellie.

Today we had an inspirational guest lecture, ate at a dimsum buffet, went to street shops, went to a high-class mall (equivalent to rodeo/bev hills) with good looking faces and attires, and ended the night with a visit to the Peak (comparable to Roppongi Tower, Japan) where I got to see the unique geography and complex urbanization of Hong Kong.

Epitome of a vibrant city

Huge group to Little Sheep, a dimsum buffet

yum

The Peak. One characteristic about hk that strikes me is its harbours. Hk has 3 peninsulas and there are bodies of water that separate them.  This makes water more easily accessible as well as opportunities for tourist attractions and a unique transportation system.  Hk is awesomely different from other urbanized cities like Tokyo for example, which has thousands of similar high-rises that are on one land area.

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One month is almost coming to an end. How am I going to survive 9 more months out? Exciting yet tough.

So good to me

Living up my dream of traveling and going on spontaneous adventures. daily. ugh too good to be true!

A short recap on my last days in Beijing, China-

Beijing fell short of my expectations. Nevertheless, it unblinded me to a different kind of lifestyle, one that I thought only existed far, far away. One that I thought would be present in only stereotypical third world countries.  Beijing taught me to live simply and optimistically with bare essentials and nothing more.  Seriously lived on the edge here, always late to field trips, clumsified, writing papers only few hours before deadline,  overload on pijou and others, no desire to buy an umbrella even when there were thunderstorms, dgaf yet cautious... lived each day to its fullest.  I have no regrets. I entered with curiosity and openness, and I came out having conquered my fears and weaknesses. Unforgettable experiences, awesome company.

Arrived in Hong Kong today and it's the last week of the program I'm taking part in. Realized how simple life was back in Beijing- no options in choosing beverages (just water or tea), careless in fashion (tee, shorts, shoes, done), inexpensive meals and transportation, no glitter no stress no worries. But in HK I finally feel like I'm in Asia! Similar atmosphere as Korea and Japan, a very fast-paced culture.  Enter a small yet crowded  restaurant, and you get seated in less than 5 seconds with numerous waiters delivering and cleaning up your orders. There's no choice but to eat quickly and gtfo.  Even the escalators run much faster than those back in Beijing haha.  Time to adjust to a new environment and watch out for my feet this time!

To much luck, my roommate and I got a room that has a "million-dollar view," one that faces out into an endlessly peaceful body of water with high-rise colorful apartments right on shore, and luscious green trees that make a beautiful contrast with the clear, blue sky with fluffy clouds.  Hong Kong surprised me real well.  Excited for days to come =]