You aint seen nothin yet
Date: Sunday, August 14, 2005
Location: Hong Kong
Cockroach count: another 2
Pervert count: why do I bother counting anymore?
People wearing SARS masks: lots, including my aunt.
Today, I went to Mong Kok where I went to Langham shopping centre (big, brand new mall complete with hotel and really long escalator with skylight over top so it looks like you are rising into the sky), Women’s street (literally called “woman’s street” in Chinese and is famous for its shopping market), Nathan Road (busiest street in Hong Kong apparently) and the Avenue of Stars again to watch the light show at night.
Women’s street was super packed and bustling, as was Nathan Road. My aunt was insisting I wear a mask ala SARS pandemonium as I was still sick and she had no doubt in her mind that the throngs of people would carry more germs to make me more sick. She took out the mask from her purse and shook it at me but I obstinately refused. She said she’d where a mask to make me feel less awkward about wearing one around, so she put it on and I was just about to give in when my uncle thankfully arrived on the scene and stopped me. Yay uncle!
Either way, I snapped a picture of my aunt wearing the mask whilst some international news reporting crew showed up out of no where and also started snapping pictures of my aunt. My uncle laughed and said, “Well, tonight when they see you [my aunt] on the news, they’ll all think there’s a resurgence of SARS. You’re going to be famous.” I laughed while my aunt began going on about how many people and how many different germs were present in the street but my uncle and I just smiled benevolently at her.
I then made my uncle take a picture of me in the street making the FOB peace sign. Totally awesome. I need a pic of me mopping my forehead with the Kleenex my aunt gave me, while wearing a SARS mask and holding the fan my aunt gave me while standing in the shade of an umbrella in the sunlight. That would be the ultimate description of how hilarious my aunt is. She’s absolutely germ and sweat-phobic poor woman.
In Woman’s street, I bought so many accessories and random souvenirs that my aunt and uncle had to cut me off again. It started raining and we decided to go eat at “The Spaghetti House!” which is a pseudo American/Italian eatery nearby. I turned around for one second in the street and lost my uncle in the crowds. I was panicking but luckily, as I am taller than average in Hong Kong, I saw him waving at me from a distance.
I had to push and shove my way through the throngs of people, careful of the pickpockets and perverts my aunt so lovingly warned me about, and eventually got to him. “Do we need to get you one of those dog leashes?” he joked, and I almost confessed that maybe he should have one for me. The crowds were that crazy. “You think this is a lot of people?” my uncle asked me. I nodded in assent. His only response was, “YOU AINT SEEN NOTHIN YET.” I smiled. It was a favorite saying of his.
At the Spaghtetti house, I had my first authentic “Hong Kong style tea” which was so rich and creamy that I was trying to scarf down my cream and pumpkin tapioca dessert in the hopes that it would make the tea more bearable. How sad is that? I swear there was an entire can of Carnation evaporated milk in the little teacup. Crazy. Never again.
After a late night, after-dinner stroll, we found ourselves on the Avenue of Stars, trying to push our way through the crowds to the railing by the harbour to watch the light show. Every night, fireworks, fibre optics and lasers shoot off from the buildings in downtown Hong Kong and there is a 20 minute light show accompanied by music and the “Ooohs” and “aaaaahs” of the tourists. It was pretty cool and everyone was snapping pictures like crazy.
I was trying to take more pictures of the Jacky Chan souvenir shop behind me and some pictures of Andy Lau’s handprints, but the hoard of mainland China Andy Lau fans were a bit daunting and I had to settle for pictures of fireworks shooting off the HSBC building instead. My uncle turned to me and gave me his usual “You think this light show is impressive? You haven’t seen it on the special occasions when they use roof top pyro technics. YOU AINT SEEN NOTHIN YET.”
On the trip home, I took revenge for the sleeping-on-the-ferry picture by snapping paparazzi photos of my uncle and aunt holding hands. Despite my uncle’s constant taunting and teasing of her, I do believe he has a genuine fondness for his wife. I can see where he’s coming from though as despite her neurotic obsession with her bowels and germs, she’s a wonderful, kind, generous and patient person.
My uncle, on the other hand, is more of a self-proclaimed “cool guy” who has to blow sunshine up his own arse to feel appreciated. It’s kind of sad but endearing. He’s like a little boy always looking for someone to pat him on the head and tell him he’s done a good job. I believe it is due to the lowly background that my mom’s family started in. Either way, he talked to me about his Masters degree the whole bus ride home.
I kept goading him on (horrible girl that I am) and by the time that we got to the Ma On Shan station, he was telling me all about the greatest achievements of his life. “I’m an honourary advisor to the Chinese university of HK you know. Soon, I’ll be a district counselor. I’m already chairman of [this committee] and [that committee]. Everyone knows my name in this district so if you ever get lost, just mention my name and you’ll be fine. I’m a manager at work you know and you want to know why? Because I have something that those other men in my office don’t.”
“Humility?” I offered innocently.
“No,” he paused as he comprehended my jibe and gave me a humourous dirty look, “I have confidence and ability. Management is not a hard job. I read 5 newspapers a day, wait till one of my employees asks to treat me to lunch, make a few phone calls, read another newspaper, then I go home. Then the higher-ups and my employees tell me what a great job I do. ‘Best manager ever!’ and I laugh and think that I am not even using 1% of my ability. What would they do if I used all of it? Ha! THEY AINT SEEN NOTHING YET.”
I nodded and smiled and he took it as encouragement. By the time we got back to the apartment, he was pulling out all his photos with the bigwigs of town and showing me his photos from his lectures that he gave in Thailand and New York and goodness knows where else. Then he pulled out his newspaper clippings of all his great achievements that made it into the newspapers. He casually threw the clippings on the coffee table for me to peruse. “Not that I’m bragging or showing off. I just happened to come across these as I was looking for those photos your parents left here the last time she visited.”
My aunt burst his bubble and went, “Nonsense! You know we don’t even keep your newspaper clippings and the photos in the same drawers!” He smiled sheepishly and showed me the clippings anyway. I took it as a good sign that he thought I was worthy enough to bother impressing me. I have to say I appreciated him and his work a lot more after I read in one of the clippings that he implemented the use of solar power to run one of the biggest drug rehabilitation centres in Hong Kong as it was more environmentally friendly and economical. I mentioned this and he began trying to dig out even more of his awards and clippings.
By the time he stood up, his back was all stiff and my aunt was telling him to behave and sit down on the couch to rest a bit. It was hilarious. I suppose everyone wants appreciation, approval, the pat on the back, etc. at some point in time for all their achievements and hard work.
“What a clever boy you are,” I told him in Chinese as a sort of mocking tease, but he took me seriously and said in his usual tone, “YOU AINT SEEN NOTHIN YET.”
Funny man.
Well, this was my last night in Hong Kong and I have to say it was fun and eventful. I also got to talk to Jessie, my uncle’s other niece who lives in China. She is from my grandma and grandpa’s native province and she wanted to ask me about taking an English degree in a North American or English university next year. My uncle’s story of how he tracked down her family in China is amazing as she is really the daughter of my grandma’s cousin’s daughter. Convoluted, I know, but the story was cool as my grandma had lost touch with her cousin after she moved to Canada and the only way my uncle tracked down the family was that he remembered he always had to write the address and put on postage on the letters my grandma used to send back to China. Anyhow, he remembered the old address and name and looked up the family when he went to China for vacation. Crazy.
Anyhow, I talked to Jessie and her English was good and I enjoyed my conversation with her. After talking to her, I was impressed by how smart and motivated she was, whereas I, lazy and rather slow at times, have had the good fortune to be offered a North American university education on a silver platter. If I was from a poor family in a backwards village in China, would my English be so good? Would I have the smarts and integrity to want to attain a foreign university degree? It’s hard to say.
Well, better be off to bed now. I’ve had a wonderful trip, sickness and all, and I’m so thankful for everything. The experience, the chance to bond with my uncle and aunt, the chance to finally visit the motherland- everything.
Goodnight! Hope my flight tomorrow is good.
Location: Hong Kong
Cockroach count: another 2
Pervert count: why do I bother counting anymore?
People wearing SARS masks: lots, including my aunt.
Today, I went to Mong Kok where I went to Langham shopping centre (big, brand new mall complete with hotel and really long escalator with skylight over top so it looks like you are rising into the sky), Women’s street (literally called “woman’s street” in Chinese and is famous for its shopping market), Nathan Road (busiest street in Hong Kong apparently) and the Avenue of Stars again to watch the light show at night.
Women’s street was super packed and bustling, as was Nathan Road. My aunt was insisting I wear a mask ala SARS pandemonium as I was still sick and she had no doubt in her mind that the throngs of people would carry more germs to make me more sick. She took out the mask from her purse and shook it at me but I obstinately refused. She said she’d where a mask to make me feel less awkward about wearing one around, so she put it on and I was just about to give in when my uncle thankfully arrived on the scene and stopped me. Yay uncle!
Either way, I snapped a picture of my aunt wearing the mask whilst some international news reporting crew showed up out of no where and also started snapping pictures of my aunt. My uncle laughed and said, “Well, tonight when they see you [my aunt] on the news, they’ll all think there’s a resurgence of SARS. You’re going to be famous.” I laughed while my aunt began going on about how many people and how many different germs were present in the street but my uncle and I just smiled benevolently at her.
I then made my uncle take a picture of me in the street making the FOB peace sign. Totally awesome. I need a pic of me mopping my forehead with the Kleenex my aunt gave me, while wearing a SARS mask and holding the fan my aunt gave me while standing in the shade of an umbrella in the sunlight. That would be the ultimate description of how hilarious my aunt is. She’s absolutely germ and sweat-phobic poor woman.
In Woman’s street, I bought so many accessories and random souvenirs that my aunt and uncle had to cut me off again. It started raining and we decided to go eat at “The Spaghetti House!” which is a pseudo American/Italian eatery nearby. I turned around for one second in the street and lost my uncle in the crowds. I was panicking but luckily, as I am taller than average in Hong Kong, I saw him waving at me from a distance.
I had to push and shove my way through the throngs of people, careful of the pickpockets and perverts my aunt so lovingly warned me about, and eventually got to him. “Do we need to get you one of those dog leashes?” he joked, and I almost confessed that maybe he should have one for me. The crowds were that crazy. “You think this is a lot of people?” my uncle asked me. I nodded in assent. His only response was, “YOU AINT SEEN NOTHIN YET.” I smiled. It was a favorite saying of his.
At the Spaghtetti house, I had my first authentic “Hong Kong style tea” which was so rich and creamy that I was trying to scarf down my cream and pumpkin tapioca dessert in the hopes that it would make the tea more bearable. How sad is that? I swear there was an entire can of Carnation evaporated milk in the little teacup. Crazy. Never again.
After a late night, after-dinner stroll, we found ourselves on the Avenue of Stars, trying to push our way through the crowds to the railing by the harbour to watch the light show. Every night, fireworks, fibre optics and lasers shoot off from the buildings in downtown Hong Kong and there is a 20 minute light show accompanied by music and the “Ooohs” and “aaaaahs” of the tourists. It was pretty cool and everyone was snapping pictures like crazy.
I was trying to take more pictures of the Jacky Chan souvenir shop behind me and some pictures of Andy Lau’s handprints, but the hoard of mainland China Andy Lau fans were a bit daunting and I had to settle for pictures of fireworks shooting off the HSBC building instead. My uncle turned to me and gave me his usual “You think this light show is impressive? You haven’t seen it on the special occasions when they use roof top pyro technics. YOU AINT SEEN NOTHIN YET.”
On the trip home, I took revenge for the sleeping-on-the-ferry picture by snapping paparazzi photos of my uncle and aunt holding hands. Despite my uncle’s constant taunting and teasing of her, I do believe he has a genuine fondness for his wife. I can see where he’s coming from though as despite her neurotic obsession with her bowels and germs, she’s a wonderful, kind, generous and patient person.
My uncle, on the other hand, is more of a self-proclaimed “cool guy” who has to blow sunshine up his own arse to feel appreciated. It’s kind of sad but endearing. He’s like a little boy always looking for someone to pat him on the head and tell him he’s done a good job. I believe it is due to the lowly background that my mom’s family started in. Either way, he talked to me about his Masters degree the whole bus ride home.
I kept goading him on (horrible girl that I am) and by the time that we got to the Ma On Shan station, he was telling me all about the greatest achievements of his life. “I’m an honourary advisor to the Chinese university of HK you know. Soon, I’ll be a district counselor. I’m already chairman of [this committee] and [that committee]. Everyone knows my name in this district so if you ever get lost, just mention my name and you’ll be fine. I’m a manager at work you know and you want to know why? Because I have something that those other men in my office don’t.”
“Humility?” I offered innocently.
“No,” he paused as he comprehended my jibe and gave me a humourous dirty look, “I have confidence and ability. Management is not a hard job. I read 5 newspapers a day, wait till one of my employees asks to treat me to lunch, make a few phone calls, read another newspaper, then I go home. Then the higher-ups and my employees tell me what a great job I do. ‘Best manager ever!’ and I laugh and think that I am not even using 1% of my ability. What would they do if I used all of it? Ha! THEY AINT SEEN NOTHING YET.”
I nodded and smiled and he took it as encouragement. By the time we got back to the apartment, he was pulling out all his photos with the bigwigs of town and showing me his photos from his lectures that he gave in Thailand and New York and goodness knows where else. Then he pulled out his newspaper clippings of all his great achievements that made it into the newspapers. He casually threw the clippings on the coffee table for me to peruse. “Not that I’m bragging or showing off. I just happened to come across these as I was looking for those photos your parents left here the last time she visited.”
My aunt burst his bubble and went, “Nonsense! You know we don’t even keep your newspaper clippings and the photos in the same drawers!” He smiled sheepishly and showed me the clippings anyway. I took it as a good sign that he thought I was worthy enough to bother impressing me. I have to say I appreciated him and his work a lot more after I read in one of the clippings that he implemented the use of solar power to run one of the biggest drug rehabilitation centres in Hong Kong as it was more environmentally friendly and economical. I mentioned this and he began trying to dig out even more of his awards and clippings.
By the time he stood up, his back was all stiff and my aunt was telling him to behave and sit down on the couch to rest a bit. It was hilarious. I suppose everyone wants appreciation, approval, the pat on the back, etc. at some point in time for all their achievements and hard work.
“What a clever boy you are,” I told him in Chinese as a sort of mocking tease, but he took me seriously and said in his usual tone, “YOU AINT SEEN NOTHIN YET.”
Funny man.
Well, this was my last night in Hong Kong and I have to say it was fun and eventful. I also got to talk to Jessie, my uncle’s other niece who lives in China. She is from my grandma and grandpa’s native province and she wanted to ask me about taking an English degree in a North American or English university next year. My uncle’s story of how he tracked down her family in China is amazing as she is really the daughter of my grandma’s cousin’s daughter. Convoluted, I know, but the story was cool as my grandma had lost touch with her cousin after she moved to Canada and the only way my uncle tracked down the family was that he remembered he always had to write the address and put on postage on the letters my grandma used to send back to China. Anyhow, he remembered the old address and name and looked up the family when he went to China for vacation. Crazy.
Anyhow, I talked to Jessie and her English was good and I enjoyed my conversation with her. After talking to her, I was impressed by how smart and motivated she was, whereas I, lazy and rather slow at times, have had the good fortune to be offered a North American university education on a silver platter. If I was from a poor family in a backwards village in China, would my English be so good? Would I have the smarts and integrity to want to attain a foreign university degree? It’s hard to say.
Well, better be off to bed now. I’ve had a wonderful trip, sickness and all, and I’m so thankful for everything. The experience, the chance to bond with my uncle and aunt, the chance to finally visit the motherland- everything.
Goodnight! Hope my flight tomorrow is good.
posted by Viv at 2:14 p.m.
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