Hong Kong - Spring 2006 (March)

I've always wanted to visit Hong Kong and Taiwan because they have huge Chinese communities - a legacy of the Chinese immigrants decades back - and it's interesting to see how these communities have evolved; especially when I myself am from a community that has a great percentage of citizens from similar origins. Last spring, I finally got a chance to go to Hong Kong and Taiwan. Open jaw tickets usually cost lots, so I must thank Vivi for helping me get the round trip tickets from Hong Kong to Taipei and H I S Travel for their fabulous online tickets to Hong Kong from Japan. And not forgetting Charles-san - thanks to him, I got a business class seat and free hotel lodging! And Sandra and Pauline showed me great hospitality too. I'm lucky that I've had lots of help from people on all my trips (I've just been too slack to write about them promptly).

I found Hong Kong similar to Singapore in many ways. It's no wonder why we are often compared. Apart from economic and historical similarities, the subway (MTR) in the SAR also bears an uncanny resemblance to our good old MRT. [add: I think I read an article somewhere years ago why this is so but I can't remember the details. And by the way, in case I forget to mention later, subways in Hong Kong and Singapore look alike and the trains in Taiwan and Japan are as like as peas. It's almost like I left Japan to go to Japan II and left Singapore to go to Singapore II - when I take the trains, that is.] By the way, "subway" in HK refers to the underpass, NOT the trains (MTR) - at least that's what the signs would like us to believe.

Like Singapore, Hong Kong is a major Asian financial hub. Walking through the tall office buildings and shops at Central, I felt like I was home for a moment. Perhaps Asian cities are becoming more and more alike. In Hong Kong, especially, with Chinese food that I was used to seeing everywhere in Singapore (and used to not seeing anywhere in Iwaki or even Tokyo!), posters featuring Asian artistes and music by Asian singers, it made it easy for me to feel at home for a while. And yes, does anyone remember the days when Hong Kong was said to be the Hollywood of the East?! Being in the SAR made me feel like I was relieving the good old memories of going to the theatre to watch Chinese movies made in Hong Kong (when was the last time anyone watched a Chinese film at the theatre??). Names of places were especially nostalgic - Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Portland Street, Temple Street, Hong Kong Island, Lantau etc etc. Some of these names still appear in Hong Kong drama serials popular today. I look forward to the day when Singapore drama serials/ movies will make known to others places like "Orchard Road', "Chinatown", “Bukit Batok” (good for ghost stories!!) etc.

And then yeah, the bitchy Singaporean emerged and suddenly it became obvious to me how cluttered and erm, how much litter there was on the streets (Lan Kwai Fong, especially, was in need of extra hands for cleaning). And having lived in Japan for more than half a year at that point, I was really not used to the way people behaved. People just don't bother to give you directions. And I know that because they say they don't know the way even before you finish your question! According to V, Hong Kongers don't tend to talk to strangers as it's seen as potentially dangerous. I guess this mentality is telling of how safe the place is in general? (But S & P were very generous and kind to me though. HKers can be great too ((even though it’s true that they chide people who get in their way when they walk too slowly))!!)

But word has it that the more dangerous places are where all the fun is! Singapore may be good for raising families and gaining an education (I hope) but HK is probably more fun for most people. The night scene at Lan Kwai Fong was more vibrant than what I have ever seen in Singapore and the people (many yuppies and expats among them) actually look like they were really having loads of fun. I also enjoyed the ferry ride when commuting between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. Somehow, taking a ferry to work every morning just sounds surreal to me. It sounds more like a holiday, eh? I enjoyed the tram rides too, better than what I had in Nagasaki. It could be because that I felt more familiar with them, having seen them in HK dramas.

Probably almost every tourist to HK will leave their footprints on Victoria Peak and that was exactly what I did too. VP has got some of the most insanely expensive houses in the whole of Hong Kong (with typically endless driveways and gates so high you can't see anything inside) and also, it probably offers the best view of the rest of the island at night. I made the mistake of taking the bus up AND down. I had planned to take the peak tram on my way down from the peak but I forgot about it when I saw a bus about to leave the depot!

Hong Kong's cool. I never thought there was so much there that I could relate to. That's how shared histories and media bind people together, I think.

recontracting decision: my new lives

Last week, I had to turn in my recontracting form to my supervisor. While I had been really sure that I was not going to outstay the 2 year period I had stipulated for myself (well, it was supposed to be just 1 year originally), the filling out of the form was still far trickier than I had imagined it to be. It took me 20 minutes just to put my signature on that piece of paper.

I found it hard to let go. My "new" life in Japan (if I can still call it that), the hobbies I have here (will my next job allow me to keep them?), the friends I have made here, all the food I received that truly warmed my heart in the long winter here, the identity I have acquired (I guess it is true that we never stop acquiring new identities and traits throughout our life), the river that flows by my apartment and greets me every morning when I cycle to work... and oh yes, my beloved Opel Versatility bike that is touted to be the chio-est in town ... the entire culture here articulated through a language that I have truly fallen in love with .... It's a bit hard to believe that all this is about to disappear in the not very distant future. Well, I don't have to let it disappear though ...

I do miss all my friends in Singapore. But I do believe that because Singapore is my home, I will go back to it someday anyway; but, when I leave Japan in July, can I be sure that I will be back again? And even when I do return, will I be able to revisit this precious episode of my life - in a largely forgotten corner of Tohoku - in I w a k i?

But still, I do believe that there are things that I have to go back to in Singapore. My friends and family, my aspirations, the familiar sights that I want to see again beckon. Many of my friends who have gone overseas are full of complaints about Singapore when they compare it to the countries they have been to. And indeed Japan (and Norway too!) is so much more fun than Singapore in so many ways. So many times I had asked myself "what is Singaporean-ness" (or in particular, "what does it mean to be Chinese Singaporean) before I came on the programme. I never really did believe that there is a distinct identity we have as a nation, or as an ethnic group within the nation, especially since we are a majority group. But after coming on the programme, having seen people from countless countries, and having told the story of Singapore countless times, I am totally convinced that we are unique and I am eager to go home to re-experience the place that I thought I already knew well enough. While I don't want to "get stuck" there forever, I believe that my new life in Singapore can be an adventure too, for there are still so many things to rediscover. I am at peace with my own decision. I am looking forward to starting the next phase of my life.

It's time to pack those bags again.

音乐会感想与做兼职

第一次以演唱者的身份登台，感觉真的跟在台上弹钢琴很不一样。弹钢琴对我来说就好像是在说自己的母语般的亲切，唱歌就好像是在说外语一样的陌生，还令人有 点战战兢兢的感觉。第一次登台唱歌，就以a cappella 的方式进行，而且队友都是高手，这是我初到日本时完全没想到会发生的。不过这个经验对我来说也算是很有意义的，因为它让我暂时踏出舒适区的框框，让我体验 了不一样的艺术领域 。

昨天，菅野老师-我们的指导老师-告诉了我们她孩子在便利店做兼职的事情。听说她孩子因为店里有太多东西要学，要 张罗，回到家时就哭了。这让我想起当年高 中毕业到驳船工作的情形。那时，我也很紧张。要面对那么多不属于自己但却又要对它负责的钞票和用一台看似简单但又难以驾驭的收银机，开始还真不习惯。我还 记得第一晚下班回家，我便把家里的电话当作是收银机来练习。现在回想起来还觉得当时的自己很好笑。当然，当时的工作不只是充当收银员那么简单。。能到驳船 工作，对我来说，是一件很值得自豪的事情。哈哈。可以想象，在超讲究服务态度的日本，在便利店和加油站之类的地方工作肯定是连学算钱的方法都要下很大的苦 工。但这又何尝不是生活的一节经验之课呢？

no need to..

there is no need to accept every job given to u ..
not all jobs are meant for u.

there is no need to do everything there is to do...

not everything is worth undertaking.

there is no need take others too seriously....

not all of them are serious.

there is no need to take ... yourself too seriously too.

you are nothing compared to the greatest of them all

There is, however, a need to take stock of the things we are doing that are, incidentally, needless..

revealed!

後一年日本国民の税金を食いつぶすつもりだ！後一年日本国民の皆様方に多大なるご迷惑をおかけします。 ;)

revealed!

Whacko!

Did you know that Whacko is a SINGAPOREAN game?
- Well, at least, no one from the UK, the US, CN, AU, NZ, SA and Ireland that I know knows the game!
- And even MALAYSIANS don't seem to know it!

On the other hand...

Zero Point, Five Stones, Hopscotch are also played in other countries, although sometimes known by different names!

So I was supposed to present a Singaporean game to 80 elementary school teachers yesterday. The presentation actually went well! It was kinda unnerving at first, doing an English presentation to a bunch of teachers who don't really speak much English and in front of nit-picking ang mors. But I'm glad it turned out okay in the end.

revealed!

revealed!

今日の発表は大成功だったぜ！

やっと発表が終わったから、ほっとした。

仕事をやればやるほど、ほかの人からのコメントはもう信頼できないと分かるようになった。もちろん日本人だけじゃなくて、外国からの同僚たちもい つも建前でお互いにいいコメントを言ってばかりいる。人の陰ではまた違う話をする。やっぱり自分の判断は必要だね。（でも、地元の人はダイレクトのほうが 多いじゃないかと思ってる。どうかな。）今日の反応からみると、成功だったと思っている。発表の前には結構緊張してたけど。

なぜかというと、まず、日本語禁止っていう状態で、英語がほとんど分からない人に英語で発表するのは大挑戦だった。結局、皆聞き取れたと思ったか ら、良かったと思う。あとは僕たちのなかで、もともとアジア系の人は僕だけだから、欧米からの皆さんはいつも僕の仕事に気を使ってるらしい。間違いがあっ たらよかったなぁと思ってるのかな。良く分からないけど、そういうことはあるみたいね。。でも、ここまでよくできたから、これからもがんばれば、彼らの偏 見を消せるのかな。

the green mile

many years ago... 有人说过。。。 这部电影。。很dark。
当时只觉得可惜，因没时间看而错过了一部叫好的电影。
今天晚上，在电视上，在这时阳光稀少寒风狂吼的磐城市，
我终于看了，也明白了所谓"dark"的意思。。。
头重重的，心沉沉的。。
有点要呕吐的感觉
只是一部电影
还是现实的面纱
？