1 comments 30.10.08

Cantonese 101

Posted by Miss Fong - Filed under

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, of course), but it just isn't the same without good friends around. Sigh... I guess we'll let you know how it ends up!

--

On another note, I recently bought a book called Cantonese Colloquialisms to expand my vocabulary, and it has the most ridiculous/hilarious things in it. Mind you, I've only read the first few pages, which funnily enough is all about bugs, but a few phrases stick out in particular.

For example, have you ever heard the phrase 'juhk chung yup see fut'? Literally, it means to catch a worm and put it up your a**. Apparently, it means bringing trouble to oneself (no kidding).

So, if you were to use it in a sentence, it'd be, "Oh, you've got blisters, have you? Who told you to walk in those 5" heels?? You totally caught a worm and shoved it up your a**!"

So there you go. Your first lesson in Cantonese, by yours truly.

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0 comments 14.10.08

Boot-boot

Posted by Miss Fong - Filed under
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 fumes, the smell of frying oil and gasoline, fart smells should naturally blend right in.

Now if only they would work on their sounds...



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4 comments 8.10.08

What's in a name?

Posted by Miss Fong - Filed under

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
  • Rain
  • Sunny

Possible conversation:
S: Hi! My name is Sunny! Today is also sunny!
R: Cool! My name is Rain. It rained yesterday.

Or, what about something inspired by nature:

  • Bamboo
  • Spark
  • Shadow

Are you a food lover? Then you’ve gotta be a(n):

  • Egg
  • Kiwi

Love animals? Why not name yourself:

  • Eagle
  • Bear
  • Lion

Proud of who you are? Then these are for you:

  • Handsome (Hello, I am Handsome!)
  • One (Hey there...‘I am…the ONE’ *wink)

So there you have it, the choices are literally endless! What would YOU name yourself?? :)


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1 comments 8.10.08

Dust, smog and soot

Posted by Miss Fong -
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 got all these imitation brands from Japan/3M, but it just ain’t the same. They’re not as staticky, and don’t have that 3D structure that traps dust so well. We shoulda brought ours over, dammit! It was the smoothest thing ever with a smart swivel head…

*dreams away of Swiffering S-shapes throughout the apartment*
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3 comments 6.10.08

Update

Posted by Miss Fong -

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 :p

Anyway, 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 only 20kg each.) So, everything went in without any extra costs!!

Next, we flew to London, then to Doha, and switched over smoothly for the last 8-hr leg to HK. Both landings were ultra soft and we were in HK before we knew it :)

Apartment
As my dad was in HK for a month, he helped us look around for some apartments to live in. The one he and our family friends found is Harbour X which we have now signed up for 6 months.

One word: W-O-W. I thought I would miss our W'park apartment, but this ALMOST makes me forget that I ever lived in A'dam…

The perks:

  • indoor/outdoor pool w/ lifeguards
  • brand new gym with built-in TV sets
  • free towel service
  • free reading lounge with English/Chinese magazines
  • free massage chairs with side-mounted TV (20 mins each time)
  • free Wifi in CNN lounge
  • free umbrella service
  • 24-hour concierge and greeters at base of tower with bellboys (for carrying suitcases/groceries)
  • free steam room, sauna, Jacuzzi
  • private karaoke, party and banquet rooms, private cinema room, private games room, all for about 3 euros/hour
  • beauty salon with member packages

Our apartment is pretty sweet too. It’s about 60m2 with two bedrooms, a shiny new kitchen, bathroom with a small LCD TV screen integrated into the mirror, and large balcony. We’re only on the 3rd floor, but it’s still higher than our old place =)

It came unfurnished, so me and C have been busy running around HK looking for cheap yet stylish furniture everyday. We’ll let you know how it turns out!! :)

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