Re-visiting New Year's resolutions

On New Year’s Day my family agreed that we would write down our resolutions. For me most resolutions are promptly forgotten, but this year I thought I would try to have a bit of a review. As it is now nearly 6 months in it seems a good time to recap. This year my resolutions were to do yoga twice a week, send 2 papers off to journals by June, try something new each week, and improve my Cantonese. I have failed horribly on the first. I have one paper that is in e-publication (Thanks Andrew!), but I had better get a move on for the other. It is do-able still. I am taking Cantonese lessons every week with a lovely guy from Iowa, called Bo, who is here in Hong Kong to be in Kung Fu movies. He is a really great teacher and I do believe my Cantonese is, in fact, improving. I can certainly say much more that “Please stop at the quarters (Sook Sai, MGoi) to the mini bus driver. More on this in a bit. While I have not necessarily done something new every week, I have certainly done enough new to have a weekly average of one new thing a week--and that is what this blog will be a rundown of. Because of the length of the list, I’ll be relatively brief on each thing, but expect more info on some of these in later blogs. Also, if there is anything in this list (or anything else for that matter) that you would like me to expand on, please do let me know and I’ll try to accommodate requests.

So, in no particular order here is a brief account of the new things that I have done, that I can remember.

1. I went to Macau: Macau is like Hong Kong in that it is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) as well and so is under this one country, two systems rule also. It is a poorer, less developed and smaller version of Hong Kong on several levels, but has the distinction of also being somewhat like Los Vegas. In one part of Macau there are lots and lots of very large casinos. Indeed, recently the man who started the gambling in Macau was in the news because two of his wives were fighting over how his fortune would be distributed once he died--he is not dead yet.

2.Had my fortune told at the temple in Wong Tai Sin.

3. I tried Traditional Chinese Medicine. The doctor told me I had heat in my liver. I stopped going just before the Chinese New Year because they didn’t tell me to come back. Not really sure that it worked. I pretty much feel the same.

4. I got a Tattoo. It is a dragon.

5. I got a Chinese name: Bat Mou Kwong. Bat means finish or accomplish. Mou means admire or yearn for, and Kwong means vast, spacious, free from worries and petty ideas. My tutor gave it to me. Not really sure what to think of this.

6. I got Gell Nails. They are wonderful and girly.

7. I have been Swimming in the South China Sea and seen a coral reef.

8. I went to Sham Shui Po, which is one of the poorest areas of Hong Kong and visited a cage house and a homeless shelter. This was as part of a conference field trip. It was eye opening. I’ll explain more about cage houses in another post, but it does cause one to pause and reflect.

9. I have eaten Sparrow, which I did not like, but which was an honor.

10. I have spoken (a very small amount) Cantonese with a native and been understood.

11. I won and lost on the races

12. I have eaten egg tarts. These are wonderful. The best are some we had in Macau from a place called Lord Stow’s Bakery (apparently there is one in Hong Kong), but these can also be purchased for about $2 HK from the bakeries in Mong Kok. The Mong Kok Daan Taat are a bit different, but just as good. It is best to eat them slightly warm.

13. I’ve been to China--Shenzhen--several times now!

14. I went on a boat ride in a Caldera--the area just off of the eastern side of Hong Kong (Mainland, not the Island) is an old, very large, now dead, volcano. Really lovely islands.

15. I’ve visited a Buddhist Monastery.

16. I’ve shopped in the wet markets (these are the fresh food markets) and are where you can see ordinary life in Hong Kong.

17. I’ve bartered--I’m not very good at it. You are supposed to offer about 1/3 of what they ask and then somehow get to about or just under half of the original price. I have a hard time with this as I already often think the prices are quite inexpensive and after visiting the housing I feel even more like these people need the money. I’ve been told that by not bargaining it makes things more expensive for everyone, but I have a hard time buying that argument, particularly as the sellers give different, higher prices to the foreigners than they do to the natives.

18. I have had a dress made from a photograph. I’ve also had favorite things copied. I love the tailors.

19. I tried white port--and quite liked it!

20. I have been to a party at a foreign embassy, which was a lot of fun.

21. I’ve been to a spa and tried the body sculpting machine. I don’t really think this works. I don’t look any thinner.

22. I joined a club--the China Tee Club--in Central. They do a great Dim Sum tea set in the afternoon. Very civilized.

23. I had a pair of shoes made for me, to fit my feet. Wonderful soft leather, no rubbing. Absolutely terrific and less money than one might think. There are several places in Hong Kong that do this. There is a place in Admiralty Centre that will make shoes in any style and while they are made according to your specifications, these are more like copies than tailored shoes. There is another place in Tsim Sha Tsui where they will make shoes, again any style, but you go in for a fitting half way through to make sure they fit properly. The place is called Shoeman Lau and is located in the Sheriton Shopping arcade. Mr. Lau has been making shoes for over 40 years. The styles on the wall are fairly conservative, but he has told me that they will copy anything if you bring a pair in. I’ve not done this--yet. Give me time.

24. Celebrated Chinese New Year. Great holiday, but the Chinese people I know say that for them it is difficult because it involves lots of time spent visiting relatives.


I am sure there are other things that I have done for the first time that I cannot remember, but so far this seems a pretty good list. Like I said, I’ll expand on some of these later a bit more.