Cantonese 101

Wow, time flies!! Especially in HK. Even though there seem to be more waking hours in the day, including hours where you can eat, shop or just hang out away from home, the time just slips away quicker than ever.We've been in HK for a month now, and Halloween is tomorrow (gasp!). We don't have any plans yet (double gasp!!) which is astonishing, since it's actually my favourite day of the year, usually. This year might be a lil different, since I a) don't have any of my halloween gear here, and b) don't have a party to hit up :(Of course there are a ton of expat things going on in Lan Kwai Fong and various clubs (with a hefty price tag attached,...

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Boot-boot

The other day, me and C were out on the streets trying to find the minibus to Mong Kok from our neighborhood, when a man walked by and let a loud one rip."Did he just...???" I asked with a shocked expression."Yep," said C, matter-of-factly.I see... and that wasn't the only time it's happened. It seems that in HK, it's perfectly alright to let your natural gases escape when and where they appear, perhaps since the air quality is so bad anyway (?). I mean, who would notice right? Clouded with exhaust...

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What's in a name?

Lately, I’ve been looking thru the Nike address book in China/HK a little bit and couldn’t help noticing the interesting choice of names. Note I said ‘choice’, because I’m pretty sure these names were not the doings of parents, I mean, they are too downright egoistical and/or cute to have been, right?? So, how exactly does one name him/herself here? It seems that some people picked names that would easily start up conversations, since they were all weather-related:(Note: all names are real, unchanged, and followed by a Chinese last name, e.g. Chan)Snow Summer RainSunnyPossible conversation:S: Hi! My name is Sunny! Today is also sunny!R: Cool!...

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Dust, smog and soot

As most people know, HK isn’t known to have the best air quality. Most of the time, the view of the skyline is covered in a thick layer of fog/smog, and the air is thick and heavy. Luckily it’s lightened up a bit these days due to heavy rain, but it sure is dusty, especially inside our place!Just a few hours after wiping up, a layer of dust forms again. My aunt says it’s cuz we live on the 3rd floor, so all the pollution flies right in. =( We’ve gotta figure out a solution to this, so if anyone knows anything, tell us!! So far we’ve just been closing the windows more often…Funny too – they don’t have SWIFFER here (where it’s MOST needed)! They’ve...

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Update

Hi everyone!!First, thanks to everyone for a killer party last weekend!! I had a wicked time but I’ll never drink that much ever again!! Sunday was a total write-off :pAnyway, the trip to HK went surprisingly smooth. First, after we handed over our apartment keys to the housing agent, we needed to call a taxi but the line was busy. Luckily though, our agent offered to drive us to Central Station in his minivan (so nice!)!! Next, we arrived at Schiphol with way too much luggage (expecting to pay another 150 euros or so for an extra suitcase of stuff) but at the check-in counter, we were told that we could both check-in 2 bags each!! (Usually it’s...

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