I’ve been walking aimlessly around Taoyuan International Airport for the past two hours and needless to say, not only do I find myself bored to death but now that I have access to a computer with internet, I am desperately google-ing ways I can somehow cause a “crazy random happenstance” that will allow me to extend my stay in Asia!  Ideas are very much welcome, extra points for those that don’t involve my arrest or deportation!

My return to the States, at least in my mind, will bring about nothing more than a stark and cold plunge back into a reality that involves a rushed attempt to grab the final credit hours I need to graduate, the beginnings of a potentially long and tedious job hunting process, and perhaps most importantly, my departure from a place which has become my home over the past year!

“This is my goodbye to all of the wonderful people with whom I have made fond memories and lasting friendships!”
-is what you thought I would say!
Reality?  Ha!  As if reality can hold the reigns to this whimsical individual’s life!

Don’t think this will be the last you ever see of me!  I’m currently in the midst of a very [un]sinister scheming process that will involve my eventual (and hopefully permanent) flight from the North American continent! 
[insert stereotypical villian laugh here]
Of course, my bachelor’s degree will have to come first, followed by an unavoidable “set my life straight” period.

See you all in hopefully less than a year!  Keep in touch and as usual, expect me to keep you all posted as to what kind of hijinks I am up to (not that I’m very reliable with these sorts of promises)!  Of course, if my sporadic rants and photo dumps on this blog are not enough to quell the intense flames you have that burn for me (joking!  or am I?) there are other means that function in real time for you to contact and keep in touch with me!

Asia, you’ve been great!
Au revoir (for the time being)!

[A final set of images will be added to this post once I get situated back at home that will conclude this chapter of my faux photoblogging endevour, keep on the look out!]

The school year is coming to and end, along with my stay in Hong Kong and I must say,  I am getting quite sentimental!  My return to the United States has been long awaited, however, and I will be looking forward to the completion of my degree (which potentially won’t happen until December).

But that’s besides the point.

I’ve done and seen so many more things this year than I have in my entire life.  I can now proudly say that I have blacked out on a beach in Thailand, jumped off of a skyscraper with only an elastic cable attached to my feet in Macau, rode a bicycle around Hong Kong Island, yada, yada, yada.

All of these are memories, good or bad, that I will take with me forever. My time spent in Hong Kong will be the best year of my life for quite some time to come.

Before I make my final trip from 6 Sassoon Road to HK International Airport, I am vowing to myself to make the best of the little time I have remaining here!  Keep on the lookout for at least one other post in the upcoming month!  I promise not to disappoint!

On to the pictures!  Bear with me as this will possibly be the most random collection of pictures I will ever put up!

Moving on to hall life I guess.  To my knowledge, most students in the US (at least at UIUC) move out of the dorms after their first or second year.  This is not the case at HKU!  There’s a sort of hall culture here and the only thing I can somewhat compare this to is the greek systems back in the US or the separate houses in the Harry Potter series haha.  It’s actually a privilege to live in the halls here!

Students here have an extensive application process to enter the halls and once they enter, the hazing begins, especially for first year students.  The impression I get from what I have heard and from what I have seen is that if you don’t participate in “O Camp”, which takes place during the weeks before the fall semester starts, you won’t be allowed to live in the hall the following year.  Yikes!  Thankfully, I’m an exchange student and I don’t speak a lick of Cantonese so I didn’t have to go through this.  I’m too old to have to go through a week straight of sleeping 2 hours a night and running around all day in sweltering 45°C weather haha.  That and I was able to avoid the swine flu outbreak that went around my hall!

On top of the week of mandated hall hazing, each floor in each hall has it’s own initiation process.  Again, as an exchange student, there really was reason for me to participate in any of these functions.  I don’t participate in most of these events, but I do try my best to get to know my floor mates.

One way to sum up hall life at HKU: Hall pride is HUGE.

Anyways, my floor held a “Wild Camp” earlier this semester, which was meant to instill floor pride and belongingness, and I decided to tag along.  This was a month or so ago but better late than never, right?

Here are some pictures with captions to help give an idea as to what happened exactly.  There’s already way to much text in this post for me to continue to write too much!

Chronological Pictorial of Zephyrs Wild Camp 2009!:

On the bus to Aberdeen for afternoon tea.  At this point I had no idea what was in store for the day!  All I knew was that I was going to be spending a day and a half with my floor mates instead of  romping around Macau with essentially all of the exchange students I’ve met here at HKU.  I still wasn’t sure I made the right decision.  No regrets though!

Afternoon Tea!  Any meal that has the word “tea” in it in Hong Kong is dim sum.  Yum!  Olutayo (TY) ate a chicken’s foot at my suggestion only to spit it out after I told him what it was haha.  He eventually finished it after he was told that chicken’s foot is good for soccer.  How gullible!

Waiting for the right buses takes forever and a day in Hong Kong; specifically any buses to Stanley!  At this point my shirt is completely soaked with my own sweat because of the incredibly hot and humid weather of Hong Kong in September.

We got off the bus before Stanley at Chung Hom Kok Beach.  Quite a lovely place I must say!  Besides the sparse population of beach bums, we were accompanied by tons of these crabs!

The Zephyrs Floor Cheer being performed on the beach and on a floating raft.  I just thought it’d make a pretty cool shot.

BBQ on the beach for dinner!  Everyone was just sitting around waiting for the supplies and ingredients to arrive.

And more waiting… We probably waited almost two hours for the food to arrive!

And spent another hour trying to light the charcoal!

Skewered meat covered in honey and bbq’ed over a charcoal pit.  One for all and all for one?  Yeah right!  We were all fighting for the fire to cook our food with haha.   It ended up being a very satisfying meal, and a fun one at that!

A few of us were bored waiting for the rest of the floor mates to finish eating so we ran around the beach catching as many crabs as we could.  These little buggers are freaking fast!

After dinner and a few bus stops down, near the southeast corner of Hong Kong Island, we ended up at some sort of reservoir for a floor bonding activity.  This is by far one of the most amazing sights I’ve seen in my life!  Sadly, I couldn’t quite get my camera to capture it as well as I’d have liked.  I felt like I was in some futuristic cyberpunk movie and was half expecting someone on a high tech motorcycle to zip down that bridge!

Another shot from a different angle.  Again, a failed shot!

And our end destination: Stanley Pier!  After a few hours of bonding activities, games, and learning the floor cheer, we had a “beer party” on the pier.  To my surprise, this was actually much more fun that I’d originally expected, and the heat and humidity was all but forgotten as I downed beer after beer haha.

Well, it was fun and games…  until I found out that we’d be role playing bums and sleeping on cardboard boxes on the pier for the night!  For the guys that were tired enough, sleep came easily.  For me, I couldn’t get myself to fall asleep on the concrete floor!

Oh well, I got to catch the sunrise which kind of offset the waves of exhaustion coming over me!  This was about half an hour before the actual sunrise, which ended up being a much more amazing sight than the actual sunrise!

This is Olutayo, he’s a British-Nigerian.  And no, that’s not a traditional Nigerian garb.  It’s just him being funny and wearing his shirt half way!

After two hours of running around Stanley doing some sort of scavenger hunt, we ended up catching the bus back to the hall.  Everyone was knocked out and this is Yuta pretending to be asleep.  Didn’t quite work out haha!

Anyway, I’m going to try to breathe life back into this blog so bear with me and I think I can promise not to have such a long gap between posts again!

I am being completely honest in saying that I had no idea what I was getting into when I left the US to do an exchange program in Hong Kong.  It didn’t hit me that I wouldn’t be seeing familiar faces or sights for another five months or so until I actually got on the plane to leave.  In fact, the thought of getting off the plane in Hong Kong kind of scared me into not sleeping on the plane at all.

I ended up watching Seventeen Again, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, and Hotel for Dogs on the plane while thinking up ways to yell at the kid sitting in the seat behind me who insisted on using the back of my chair as a punching bag.  One day when I make my own money, I am never flying economy and NEVER flying United again.

I digress.  I’ll fast forward fifteen and a half hours to save all of you the boredom of reading about my terrible flight with United Airlines.

Hong Kong is absurdly hot!  Two steps out of the airport and the three or four layers of clothing I had worn on the plane ride to keep warm became instantly drenched with my sweat.  There is no way I can put into words how beffudled I was!  I thought Chicago summers were bad enough but nothing  I have been through in my life could have prepared me for such a drastic climate change.

After a week I am slowly growing more accustomed to the weather and my daily shower count has dropped from five to two or three.  Maybe one day I’ll be able to last an entire day with just one shower!

Hong Kong is amazing.  I am in love with this place!  Things tend to smack you right in the face here, but if you take a step back, you realize how beautiful they are.

ie: My first impression of the residence I will be living in for the next few months was FAR from being anything positive.  The actual buiding is covered in tarp and surrounded by bamboo scaffolding.  My room at first glance was run down and poorly ventilated; not exactly what I was hoping would make me feel at home in a foreign and very unfamiliar country.

I have since spruced up my room and after getting the air conditioning unit working, the room is actually quite spacious and surprisingly comfortable!  Although under renovation, the halls are great and facilities are sufficient and quite satisfactory.  I have met so many people here it’ not even funny!  I have a hunch that the university dumped a significant chunk of the international students into the three nearby halls to make adjustment to life in Hong Kong much more easy.  I haven’t spent a single day bored or alone since arriving and I suspect that this trend will continue until the week before finals.

Anyway, you didn’t visit my blog to read a very elongated and random string of thoughts so here are some pictures I’ve taken from this week.

Enjoy!

DAY 1: Central and Causeway Bay Mayhem!

IFC Mall

-The entrance to one of the world’s busiest financial centres.  There is quite a sizable shopping mall inside with some of the world’s most pricey and fashionable retailers, go figure!

Aaron and Vander

-Following Vander’s trusty Lonely Planet guide to Hong Kong, we took a lift up to the 55th floor of the IFC (unfortunately the public is not allowed access to the upper floors which are occupied by companies and the like).  There is an observation deck and an exhibit on the currencies of Hong Kong.

Observation Deck

-I couldn’t manage to take a decent picture of the view from the observation deck so this one will have to suffice.  It’s a damned amazing view and if you’re ever in Hong Kong, make your way to the IFC, it’s well worth it!

Observation Deck 2

-And yet another view.

Yoo Rim and Aaron

-Random picture, but I guess they were just as amazed with the view as I was.

Decisions Decisions

-After leaving the IFC we made our way to Causeway Bay.  We can never decide what to do because there is just too much to do in Hong Kong!

Times Square

-Right outside of the Causeway Bay MTR station.  Times Square Hong Kong, not New York.  There is a huge mall here.  I am told the retail space on the ground floor of Causeway Bay is some of the most expensive in the world.  You can really see this being true inside of the mall; the stores on the ground level are super expensive, then as you go up the stores become more and more typical.

Das Gute

-Yasmin posing in front of a German bakery.  She seemed appalled at the selection of baked good inside as they didn’t seem to be very authentic.  Hong Kong has a ton of international chains; not just McDonald’s and Yoshinoya!

-We ended up watching Inglourious Basterds at the cinema here.  It’s crazy, watching an American film abroad.  The movie wasn’t half bad but when we left the cinema, I was really surprised that I was in Hong Kong and not at home!

Packed Street

-It’s hard to capture the idea that the streets in Hong Kong are incredibly packed at all times!  Apparently Hong Kong is by far the most densely populated area in the world.  It makes sense since the actual square footage of the islands are not that large and yet the population is quite immense!  Don’t quote me on this though, I was told this during orientation and have not actually looked up the exact figures but there are something like 6,000 people per square kilometer!

Street Food

-I need to start taking my time to stop at street vendors to sample local foods.  I’ve been eating at the university canteens and restaurants and while restaurants are nice, to really get to know the local flavour, street vendors are a must!

Fried Stuff

-A closer look at what was being served at this particular vendor.  A fried, doughy thing.  While super unhealthy, they’re surely delicious!

Cane Juice

-I personally chose to treat myself to a cup of pressed cane juice.  Sugar cane is delicious so I couldn’t resist!  Quite refreshing and cheap!

Busy Street

-Driving in Chicago I thought the streets were hectic enough but Hong Kong is on a whole other level.  Public transportation is great here though and I don’t see myself ever trying my hand at driving here!

Bay

-As with all countries in Asia, Seven Elevens are everywhere.  In fact, they’re so abundant that they have become our haven here in Hong Kong.  We make multiple trips to various Seven Elevens each day, and as touristy as this may seem, every street becomes our club/bar!  We chose to buy a few beers and to sit down here after a long day of walking.  I’m guessing this is Causeway Bay, since we couldn’t possibly have strayed too far on foot from the MRT station.

Victoria Park

-And on the same day…

This past week in Hong Kong has been amazing.  I have a ton of other pictures to upload but that will have to come later.  And even still, the number of pictures I have taken thus far can’t even come close to depicting how crazy this week has been.  I’ve only taken my camera out twice and the pictures above are only a select few from one day!  Not to mention that I have absolutely nothing to show from the three days I’ve gone to the beach and the five nights spent at Lan Kwai Feng (where foreigners and ex-pats party at night)!  Alcohol and sand don’t mix well with cameras.

Well, I guess that’s it for now!  Classes start tomorrow and I have a long day ahead of me so it’s time for bed.

Best of wishes from Hong Kong to all of you at home and to those of you in Hong Kong with me!

Clothes:
-Shirts
-Pants
-Jeans
-Undies
-Socks
-Suits and other Formal Attire
-Sneakers
Dress Shoes
-Fall Coat

Electronics:
-Laptop and Charger
-Cameras and Chargers
-NDS and Charger
-iPod and Charger
-Phone and Charger
-Power Converter  - I guess I’m buying this in Hong Kong
-Power Strip

Misc:
-Bedding
-Pillow
-Guitar

Necessities and Toiletries:
-Tooth Brush
-Tooth Paste
-Razor
-Fingernail Clipper
-Contacts and Case
-Glasses and  Case
First Aid Kit
Pills (Vitamins, Lactaid, sadly, I’m lactose intolerant, Antihistamines, cold meds, stomach meds)

Paper:
-HKU Admissions Letter
-Passport with Visa Label
-Emergency Contact Information
-Copy of Insurance Policies and Cards
-Passport Photos
Plane Tickets

I have about three hours before I take off for the airport and I think I’ve just about listed every item I have packed in my two suitcases so far; I’m still frantically running around my house making sure I have the bare necessities to hold me over for the next five months abroad.  I can’t help but to think that I’m forgetting something vital and that I’m going to kick myself in the ass a couple weeks down the road for it, oh well!

Since my last post, a lot has happened and at the same time a lot of nothing has happened.  The one thing I find most worth mentioning is that I once again have come into possession of a wonderful, new DLSR (a Nikon D40 +lenses that I bartered with my brother for)!  If I’m going to be uploading any decent posts to this barren blog, I now at least have all the necessary equipment; it is up to me, from now on, to actually make these posts!  Also, let this be the official declaration of my intent to become a freelance/amateur/sub-par travel blogger, at least for the next few months!  Travel Channel here I come (one can wish can’t they?)!

All in all, I’m stoked.  I can’t wait to step off the plane twenty or so hours from now.  I’m giving my iPod one last charge for the fourteen hour flight and I’m crossing my fingers that I won’t actually need to have my iPod last the whole way.  I fully intend on knocking out once the plane takes off but just in case I can’t fall asleep, I made a trip to the local Barnes and Noble earlier today and picked up a few books to read.

Anyway, I’m going to take a quick look around the house before I turn in for a quick nap and then it’s off to Hong Kong!  The next time I post I will be settled into my [hopefully] cozy dorm on my [hopefully] welcoming new campus.  Visuals coming soon [hopefully]!

I have all these plans to begin working towards my aspiration of being a part time travel blogger/photographer but I don’t know where to start;  I’m not a good writer in particular and I no longer own a DSLR.

Random thought, come to think of it, I once took a very nice picture of glazed strawberries on a stick while I was in Taiwan one summer and the fact that I can no longer find the RAW file (or any file format at that) anywhere on my hard drives is really bugging me.  I don’t think I’ve ever taken a better shot of anything.  Oh well.

Also, looking back at my previous post, I can’t put my finger on the reason why I refused to capitalize any letters.  I can hardly read it without straining my eyes!
Note to self: embrace <shift> key for the sake of keeping my vision from getting worse.

I think I am going to get a job over the summer while I’m taking summer classes so I can save up to buy a new camera.  And while I am still stuck in Chambana, in the middle of nowhere, I’ll just keep posting meaningless ramblings in preparation of the glorious posts that will grace this blog sometime in the near future.

Well I’m off to bed now since I don’t want to waste too much time — time that should be spent writing this paper.

Toodles!

today for the twentieth time this year someone has made a comment on my socks.  i’m wearing a grey sock on one foot and a black sock on the other.

i’m no trendsetter and as much as someone might think it’s cool (or uncool) that i do wear mismatched socks from time to time, i must object!  i have accumulated over the course of the past three years, a humble collection of different socks, in different lengths and colors.  it is simply too time consuming to dig through my laundry hamper (of washed clothes) to find matching socks.  i make no conscious decisions when it comes to my choice of foot attire, and until you point it out, i won’t even know my socks are mismatched!

oh, and if you care to know, FedEx charges $42usd to ship a document to Hong Kong.  i am now kicking myself because i just realized that my student visa application for next semester was filled out incorrectly and i am going to have to send out another copy.  with another 42 dollars and one weeks time, my application may or may not meet my study abroad deadline.   if i become ineligible to study at hku because of this i am going to throw a fit!

also, i just got waitlisted for the internship i applied for at the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy in Taipei.  i now have no plans to be productive for this summer.  so much for trying to act more my age!

on that note, i bid you adieu.  i must now further investigate the heinous decision to deny my acceptance for an intern position and express my outrage!

to do list for the rest of the night:
-angrily write a polite email demanding a reason for my rejection/waitlisting
-cook myself supper.  i think i shall have some sauteed veges and a nutella and jelly sandwich.
-dust off my mandolin and guitar and write a ditty about my disdain for filling out forms and applications.