For the next few weeks, I’ll be blogging about the things I love most while in my childhood home of Hong Kong. I think that’s pretty awesome — that I get to be back.
♥ Cathay Pacific is an awesome airline. They gave Haagen-Dazs ice-cream for dessert! And also had a great selection of movies, as usual, but I didn’t think that the flight was a good time to watch Black Swan (if I ever do), so watched Groundhog Day, Chocolat and Quest for Camelot instead.
♥ The fact that my parents have moved from a valley to a hill. While still ridiculously far from where my friends are, it’s easier for me to get out and catch public transport. We also get amazing views and it’s nowhere near as hot as our old place, which reached 40°C+ in the summer.
early morning in fragrant harbour
♥ The many public holidays that Hong Kong has — all the Western ones left over by the British, like Easter and Christmas, and all the Chinese ones like the New Year, Mid-Autumn, Ching Ming, and most recently, the Buddha’s Birthday on Tuesday. I was once told that when HK switched from being a British colony to being back in Chinese hands, we couldn’t very well celebrate the Queen’s birthday anymore, but didn’t want to remove that public holiday, so replaced it with the Buddha’s birthday instead.
♥ Steamed fish with soy sauce and green onions, just the way I like it. You really don’t get fish like that in Vancouver. I plan on eating this a few times while I’m here!
♥ Speaking of food, I’ve got a long list of food I want to eat while I’m here and have started work on it already with steak and creamed spinach. Yes, I know, it’s weird to crave creamed spinach, but it’s been on my mind for months and I just can’t make it the way I want!
♥ Reading for pleasure. I’ve been a little bit lazy (and also incapacitated) for the last couple of days, so have been devouring books, some new, some old. I’m updating my reading blog bit by bit, though I don’t think I’ll be hardworking enough to log all of them.
♥ Bonding with my beloved piano. My real piano. As happy as I am with my electric in Vancouver (a belonging I hover over protectively), it doesn’t compare with an acoustic that really responds to my touch. It’s also lovely to be able to look outside at what is practically a jungle outside my bedroom window.
♥ Lastly, I finally got all my grades — and I did well, even managed better than I expected, all things considering. I even managed to lift my GPA up by 0.3%, which I’m impressed about since I don’t think I’ve ever managed more than 0.1% at a time. With all this comes an immense sense of relief — I don’t have to do any more classes and I don’t have to worry about my grades anymore. I’ve only got 3 more credits to complete and they won’t kill my GPA no matter how badly I do — and I have no intention of doing badly. I can take a couple of classes I’m interested in next year for Credit/Pass/Fail, and concentrate on work and grad school and job applications. I’m so glad.
