O Singapore

My love for Singapore has been reaffirmed after visiting this awesome city with Seo over Christmas. I really want to move here because of its quality of life and the fact that their government is currently putting a lot of emphasis on museums makes me even more eager to move.

Some people think that I am weird for liking such a strict and boring city. For me, I like the rules and regulations. They make the city safe and clean. To be honest, I don't think their government is that much stricter than HK's government nowadays. I understand that I am looking at the environment from a tourist point of view, but hey, their government is selling this image really well.

I also like the multiculturalism. HK always praise herself for being multicultural, but that's a lie. Those that can afford it, generally the Expats, enjoy the benefits while those that come from the mainland and southeast Asia are discriminated all the time, from children's education to earning a better livelihood. Again, this comes from me who only hung out with Singaporeans that can afford to study abroad in the States. But even then, it seems like people have a greater acceptance of other nationalities.

I think this is a great place for families and raising children. When was the last time you went to fly kites with your parents? They have this huge area by the bay that had lots of families hanging out when we visited. It's amazing. OK, I probably can't deal with their education part, but I'm sure there's schools there that provide a different curriculum.

Last but not least, the food! O my, it's tasty and cheap! I love their food courts and their different cuisines from around the area. Theirs is so much more authentic than than hk-ised version of southeast Asian. I've found one place in HK so far that has slightly better food, just slightly.

All in all, I just love it there and I feel that Singapore has so much more potential. It's still growing and it might catch up to HK soon.

First Day

Today's my first day at the new job. I really didn't know what to expect since my point of contact there said absolutely nothing about it other than the things I already knew.

I arrived 5mins earlier than my appointed time and was told that my point of contact hasn't arrived yet. That's fine with me since I was early. However, after waiting for 20mins, I was finally brought to a room by a staff and was told to fill out forms. By the time it's past 9.30, I finally met my point of contact who finally told me the structure of the department, who's my mentor, whom I'll be working under and my rotation. WHY COULDN'T YOU TELL ME ALL THAT EARLIER OVER THE PHONE?!

Then I met the director and chief curator. The chief curator will be my 'mentor' but I highly doubt that get would have time for me. I was told of various really cool exhibitions that the museum will be holding in near future. Got super excited about that. I am now put into the team that's about to put up the upcoming special exhibition. I was also told that I would be helping out with the exhibition on the Qin Emperor. Wait, what?! I seem to never leave his footsteps. Let's see what kind of artifacts they got.

I met my team members and got a tour of the galleries. My immediate supervisor was out for research and didn't have time to clean my desk (he piled part of his stuff in my area because he has no space left in his area for piling. Super messy). I was given the typical "read all these things because we havent planned on giving you what to do" reading.

Went to our cafeteria for lunch with coworkers. Score! I seriously havent worked at a place without a cafeteria. Then through their conversations, I realize I was put in the most stressful team. Haha. The other trainee asked me which time did I choose to come to work and I answered 8.45. He gave me a shocking face :O. Then he said don't come this early since you won't get off on time, ever. My team members agreed. Basically, according to the administration people, there's a choice of working times: 8.45-5.33/9.00-5.48/9.15-6.06. I chose 8.45 originally because I thought since this is a government job, I can get off at 5ish or 6 the latest. I guess it doesn't work that way for us in the curatorial unit. Blah.

My first day went by smoothly with a little bit of anxiety. But that's OK. That's why it's the first day. I don't mind work, just not repetitive work, non-stop, which I don't think will happen at this rate. Haha.

Thank you

Since it's Thanksgiving time, I would like to say thank you to my family, friends and coworkers. Thank you for tolerating my temper, thank you for being there as my safety net and thank you for bringing  new adventures in my life.

Today marks the end of my first ever year long job. I thought I would stay at this company for 2 full years until my contract ends, but I guess fate has something else prepared for me. It was quite an experience for me and I am pretty glad that I got to start at somewhere big. The transition period was slightly difficult but my coworkers really helped me out a lot. I really thank them for taking care of me during this full year and trusting me in a lot of issues. I may still be the little girl in their eyes, but I learnt a lot from them, even though they think that they didn't teach me anything. I had a great time working here and I might have stayed if there was something to look forward to...

Thank you my friends for being my friends. They were there when I needed advice, when I felt alone, when I just wanted a simple hangout. Thank you for accepting me for who I am, as always. I am glad that I still have you guys around after so many years.


My family has always been strange. Although there's always some kind of argument happening at home and someone not satisfied with something, we are always a family. It was a turbulent year, with my dad going to court and such but we stayed together. I know that it is a place where I can always come back to if nowhere else in the world will accept me.


Thank you Pete for being Pete.


As for now, I'm taking a week off before the start of my new job. I'm not sure what's ahead of me (hey, I actually never know in every single job I had!) but at least I know there are people behind me, who trust me and would support me.


Off to watch Charlie Brown Thanksgiving!

Penn State Scandal

If you know me, you know that I love my college Alma Mater. I was really excited about our football games and also the rich traditions it has. I don't think I can get a better American college experience than that.

However, as of lately, being a Penn Stater also represents cover up and child abuse. It is absolutely shocking to the Penn State community due to the recent events. I think it's more shocking that side suddenly we lost a legend.

He is a legend. Our head coach, Joe Paterno, was fired by the Board of Trustees as of Wednesday night. It was a very sad moment for us and the worse part is that we can't do anything about. He has coached at our college for 62 seasons! He was really loyal and made our football program the way it is. How can you just fire someone like that because in the eyes of the public, he didn't do enough to stop the victimization and therefore is guilty. The attorney general didn't even consider him a suspect. You can't look at everything in hindsight. The incident happened almost 20 years ago! Even my parents who don't know much about football knew about his contributions to the school and the community.

As a dad and a grandfather and someone who supports our dance Marathon for pediatric cancer, I highly doubt that he would for one second put his and the football program's reputation before a child's well-being.

A career that has been so outstanding has now been ruined by a scandal that hasn't even started its first day at court! It's those stories that you hear all the time... when an old guy retire, he will soon pass away. I believe he will soon pass away because he lost what he love in such a tragic way. The Board of Trustees and PR handled the situation really badly this time.

I am still proud to be a Penn Stater.Our community will stay together to get through this scandal. I hope we didn't accuse someone wrongly and ruin a legend's name.

Bathrooms

Not to generalize, but I tend to think that girls are cleaner and neater than guys. 


However,


WHY IS THE BATHROOM AT WORK SO DIRTY ALL THE FRIGGING TIME!!! 


We already have a lady that cleans it from time to time but it's still always so dirty! Toilet paper on the floor, unflushed toilets, toilet bowls with unidentifiable liquids on them... UGH!!!

Food, with Love

Excerpt from something I read recently

"My daughter, then 6, asked why we were bringing our friend food. Because she's sad, I explained. And when you make people food with your hands, it can help them feel better.

She thought about it for a minute. 'Because when they eat it, it goes inside them,' she said, 'and then they know you love them, right?' "


Precious.


That's why it never feels like a chore when I cook because I know I made the food with love and the people that eat them will feel loved.

Home Sweet Home

How would you define your home?

I traveled back to the States last week and wish that I never had to leave. While I was there, I felt so much more at eased, relaxed and daily life seemed so good. I guess it's a skewed view since I was on vacation and there's no deadline or work. In some ways, the whole trip was like homecoming for me.

I felt comfortable there. I knew where things were, how to get to places, and even when I didn't, it's so easy for me to navigate. The weirdest thing was that I didn't miss Hong Kong at all. Partially I think it's because I envy everyone's work schedule there, well, except for Pete's cousin's boyfriend who's an iBanker and came home at 6 in the morning to go to work 3 hours later, meaning he worked for 21 hours that day. Generally speaking, people go to work at around 9 +/- 30mins and get off work at around 5. There's so much more time to do what you want, like sit at one of the many outdoor cafes till it's time to go home. Quality of living in Hong Kong sucks so much in comparison! By the time I get off work at 7, I'm already exhausted. I go home, have dinner and sleep. Repeat.

When we went back to our apartment, I was overwhelmed. Everything stayed the same but I knew so much had changed. I knew where to get my clothes, food, mugs etc. I still have my facial products there, my letters, my postcards! I sat on the couch and starting crying. This is my home. It's so familiar yet it seems like I left the apartment in a hurry and didn't have time to pack. I think it's similar to viewing Pompeii, without the ash.

The night before my flight back to Hong Kong, I was getting desperate and even considered the idea of getting eloped, Las Vegas style, just to stay there. Alas, I wasn't in Vegas and marriage registries weren't open for 24 hours. In a way, it's good for me, it put me back into reality. I have a job, another life somewhere else. I will need to be a grown up and settle everything before I move again. I will need to be responsible and can't just suddenly leave everything. *sigh* Why can't life be like TV/ movies?

In order for me to stop thinking about this trip, I have started planning our trip to UK! Woot! So excited already.

Will write a play by play of my trip later. Wetland Park with Seo later today :D

Reflection and Celebration

This weekend is a time for reflection for most Americans as well as a time for celebration among my best friends from college.

It's been 10 years since the attack of Sep 11, 2001. Do you remember where you were the moment you heard the news? Where were you? Who were you with? What did you do after?

I was reading the NPR and they have a special series about Sep11. I am not American and I don't know anyone that died because of the tragedies occured that day. However, while I was reading NPR Journalists Reflect: Sept. 11, Then And Now, I started sniffling, got teary eyed and blew my nose. 10 years ago, on the night of Sep 11 (in HK), I was watching TV when suddenly news came on showing a plane crashed into the Twin Towers. I called my mom and she switched to CNN and moments later a second plane crashed into the other tower. To be honest, I wasn't quite sure where the Twin Towers were at the time. I've only been to New York City once about a year before it all happened. I didn't know any of these people, I had no attachment to the city, everything seemed so far and removed from me.

It wasn't until the moment my sister was checking-in at the airport, about to fly back the States for a new school year in college, that I realized how Sep 11 would forever affect us and everyone. At the airport, even before my sister reached the check-in counters, her suitcases were opened at the departure hall, publicly displayed for everyone to see, while being searched. Not the "let's open it up, poke around, close it back" kind of search; but the "let's open it up, take every single piece out, search the suitcase, search every single object, examine all the bags and packages, 30 minutes later close it back up" kind of search. I will no longer be able to carry drinks onto the plane to enjoy. I will no longer be able to carry my makeup and bathroom kit with me. When I started going to college, I needed to get to the airport at least an hour earlier than people going to other destinations because I needed to leave time for people to search my bags. (And to wait for those idiots that slow down the security lines because they lived in a cave and didn't know the guidelines changed for the last...10 years.) Catching a flight gives me more headaches and panic than catching a Chinatown bus these days. It used to be exciting and less chaotic. I never used to think I will die on a plane because of a terrorist attack. Recently, news came out that some terrorists have began to invent bombs hidden inside a person's body. That, really freaks me out. It is also the reason why I fully support full body scans. It's better than a strip search because no one touches you.

After the attacks, the United States (more like Bush) decided to go to war. It wasn't big for me then since I am, once again, far removed from the war zone. However, I now know people that went to and still are at war. I also think about all the people that lost their homes, their lives, their time because of the war. This war which nobody really knew what's going on and what to expect and manifested itself into something starting to become a never ending war. It is sad knowing people lost their loved ones to... to what?! What is this war for? Freedom? Freedom of whom?! Do Americans seem freer now because they went to war? I don't think so and everything they do is pretty much watched more intensely than before. Do people in Afghanistan seem freer? May be parts of the country, yes, but only a small part and they also live in constant fear. Is that really what going to war is about?

This weekend also marks the wedding of two of my best friends from college. I am so excited to see everyone and have a mini reunion. Without realizing, I have left the States for more than a year. People got engaged, people gave birth, people got married over the year. I am really happy to be able to witness the beginning of their marriage since I missed so many other important moments of people that made a difference in my life. I still remember the first time I met the bride in college, us going to the commons together, not being able to wake up to our 8am class and going to our first party in college together. Then the bride and groom started dating, getting to know the groom (started liking the groom). Haha. And soon they'll be husband and wife :D

This is a weekend which I celebrate my survival of a long-distance relationship for a year as well. I don't know how many more years of long-distancing will there be, but at least I can tell myself may be it's not THAT hard as people put it. It is hard, but not something that you can't manage. I didn't know how this year will be like coming back to HK. I had no expectation. Turns out, it wasn't that bad and I somehow managed to live with my family for the past year. I somehow got a job in the field I like and having great coworkers is another plus. It's sad that I don't know where I'll be in the next 5 years career-wise or life in general. I am, however, taking this as it comes. I may be going back to college in the States, going to stay at this company, moving to a new company, or moving to Singapore (I checked, they have openings for a job similar to mine right now... I'm not sure if they'll hire foreigners though as it is a government related job). I will, one day, settle down. One day... whenever that may be... If I do pursue as an Anthropologist, I may not even settle, ever.

So for this weekend, I mourn the lives lost during the Sep 11, 2001 attacks. I mourn the lives lost subsequently because of the attacks. I also celebrate the beginning of a wonderful marriage and the beginning of a new family. Hopefully in the next 10 years, the war will have ended and people will be able to rebuild their lives. While we will be reminded of the attacks every year to come, I hope I will be reminded of all the celebrations that will happen in the coming 10 years as well.