Reflective Saturdays #7

Turning 20 did not seem very significant, in fact it seemed like the least significant age I have turned so far. The partying was all for the sake of a party, and the birthday meals all for the sake of meeting up with everybody. But as I have matured into a 20year old, it seems that 20 was quite significant. For the first time I have not felt home sick. Sure I miss home, sure I have had days where I have felt and told people that I miss my family, the weather, my car; but after each of these little speeches I am over it. That short pang of missing my family and England just goes away. 

I have found that despite only being half way through 20, I have matured in more ways than one. I am more emotionally mature, I find myself being able to control my emotions more, if people hurt me I know to control my emotions enough not to hurt them back. I understand that being with somebody means giving them your all, your time, your emotions and your physical being. I find myself controlling  how I interact with people. The biggest step I have had to make, from my perspective anyways.

To expand on this issue I will start with my years growing up. 

As a girl I have always grown up with a big family, so people everywhere. Meaning I was always thrown into situations with a lot of people. But always with people I already were familiar with. My cousins growing up were some of my best friends, so we basically did everything together. This left me feeling very comfortable, but ONLY when I was with somebody I knew. As the years went by and as we grew up we needed to be apart at some point. The time came when we separated for secondary school. There I was on the first day of school, in A BIG SECONDARY SCHOOL all alone. Without my best friends from Junior school with me, without my cousins. Just me. I was shy. Very shy, so shy to the point where I would sit and have crisps in the locker room everyday, sit in the library every day during lunch and break time. Until I made friends of course, even then it did not help with my ultra shy nature. My shy nature did not help when I was very much the nice nice girl, the girl who was too nice, the one who would always say yes. That was me growing up, the girl people either really liked or were indifferent too. I was never hated, and I never hated. Because I could never find a reason too, because I never spoke up for people to ever anger me, annoy me or make me upset. 

As the time at secondary drew to a close, I still found it difficult to speak to new people, and to just simply TALK. Talking about myself, my situations, my feelings I found especially difficult. Long story short, I did not change much in secondary school. So much of my time was spent with the same people it was hard to develop. 

Now that part of my life was finished, University approached. This was a total shock to the system. Thrown into an apartment with people I did not know, people in different classes and having to make a totally different life for myself in a new city. It was more difficult than I first expected. Home sick within the first few days, home within 5. I was only an hour away from home. What contributed to this was the fact I was in a long distance relationship. However I do not regret this, and it kind of shaped how I perceive relationships now. It was a good stepping stone. A stone I am quite happy to throw away. Although after this it was still difficult to open up to people, it took some time.

This leads me on to the most recent portion of my life, my longest period away from home. These 6 weeks have really allowed to flourish, to talk to everybody. Whether they will be a part of my future is not is irrelevant, but whether you take the first step to talk to them or not is the easiest part. Developing that further is the hard part. Without the first leap you will never know whether they were supposed to be part of your life or not.

This journey has taken me through some pretty cool highs, and surprisingly little lows. The home sickness never kicked in. So here is looking to the future, but saying goodbye to some good friends made on this journey.. for now!

Last Few Weeks Combined

So, it is already week 6! I have reached the final stretch of my internship in Hong Kong, and despite a few speed bumps it has been an amazing experience, the people you meet, the emotions you feel and the work I have done. Hong Kong is not new to me, but this whole experience has opened up my eyes up to a newer, more developed and more open Hong Kong, and I am now more open to it. So here is a round up of the weeks following the previous posts!

 Dinner at Victoria Peak 

Despite the terrible weather all day on this day, it cleared up enough for us during the evening for us to enjoy the view. It is incredible to see the lights of a city from a distance. It feels like for that little amount of time you are away from the chaos and mass amounts of people in Hong Kong. This dinner gave us an opportunity to enjoy friends companies as well as meeting new people. 

Claire looking like she is having an enjoyable time, secretly like the rest of us ready to devour the steak that we have been so patiently waiting for! "Steak fries" as they referred to them in this restaurant were delicious, just as most chips are! 

Bad quality picture, this camera on my phone seems very temperamental, it needs to enjoy a specific light setting before it actually comes up with a good quality picture. I ordered the same as Claire, not disappointed but not overly amazed about the steak. Although I did thoroughly enjoy the vegetables which I have eaten so little of as of late! 

For dessert we went for nothing less than a Chocolate fondant, I may have accidentally ruined Raman's first fondant experience (sorry!). The caramel biscuit was too hard, too sugary and generally just not very tasty. The fondant however flowed out nicely and the ice cream always a great compliment to the chocolate dessert. Overall quite happy about the dinner at the peak! 

So just in time for Cryster's last day, the bosses Simon and Kirsten arrived from their travels. They treated us to a little champagne at a small Korean bar/restaurant in Kennedy Town just off of Smithfield Road, the place is decorated nicely (I thought, until Rebecca points out rather it looks like a factory). This was a nice opportunity to talk considering our office time is mostly spent sitting behind the computer in silence. 

 Our final dinner together was in a bar in LKF, so very classy. This bar plays live music, so though it was enjoyable, it was MUCH too loud, the service much too slow and the food mediocre. Seafood risotto, my favourite! Filling and tasty but probably not worth another visit. 

Over the weekend I visited my family over in Shenzhen, it was a good opportunity to get away from hectic Hong Kong and see some sort of family. Considering I have been at University for 2 years, I have not spent this amount of time away from family. (The sad reality, 20 years old and never been away from family for more than 2 weeks! I am a big home sick baby). My grandma managed to dig out some photos they found from their home town that my grandad buried, it was a nice little reminder of him as well as a nice opportunity to see my grandma so happy to reminisce about the nice memories of my grandad.

 During one of the weeks for a couple of days we had the opportunity to assist a photoshoot and video shoot. This was both a fun, tiering and stressful experience. I had never been put into a situation and under the command of such a bipolar individual, EVER. This creative director was extremely confident, brash, nice, nasty and basically every way you could describe a person. Definitely had its up and downs, but at the end of it it was so rewarding. I hate a few problems during this and had to leave early on the second day however, any time spent experiencing is so worth it. 

So many "final dinners" for Cryster during this week, this time it was with Claire, Holly, Cryster and Christy. We had szechuan food, because we cannot resist ourselves some spicy food. This place was in Elements in Kowloon and it was delicious, not too spicy as Chilli Fagara was but also not bland spice! Perfect! And those little free chicks peas or nuts to the left side of the picture below.. YEAH they probably MADE the meal! 

I never thought I would love green beans so much, but everytime I eat them in Hong Kong I just LOVE them and I keep going back for more. No restaurant seems to get them wrong here. 

 Japanese restaurant in Sha Tin, I have been to so many restaurants in so many places I have basically forgotten all the names. Maybe upon my return I will update you guys with the list of various restaurants I visited. This place is famous for its fried tempura black pork, the black pork was delicious, it was nice and soft and the tempura on the outside is just thick enough to cover it so you do not feel like you have just drunk a cup of oil. Not the cheapest for the tempura, but worth a visit if you fancy a more upscale japanese restaurant, OR just love tempura. 

 Burgers in Sheung Wan, looks a little like GBK burgers and suprisingly quite rare to find unless you are on Hong Kong Island, as Hong Kong Island tends to cover the western food more. Pricey as a GBK burger would be, wedges are so so, I prefer more chip like wedges. Burger so so, but worth a visit if you miss your meaty burgers from UK. 

 Over this weekend I had another bit of a food extravaganza! First dim sum in Central and then for dinner in Festival Walk in Kowloon Tong. I had been eyeing up this "school food" Korean there for a while. It did not disappoint, the mari (looks like little pieces of sushi were really delicious), the fried chicken salad delicious..just all round deliciousness. Korean food for me is NO 1, I just cannot get enough. 

 Before our trip to Kowloon Tong and before ditching the boys, we made our way to Wong Tai Sin, I did not think this was a place I would visit again but it was a nice surprise that I did because I did not see the gardens last year, this view of the man made fountain.. PICTURE WORTHY. 

After this what seemed to be an extremely long day me and Christy decided to go for a little movie screening. LUCY! I enjoyed it, I have seen many bad comments about the movie but it is one of those action movies with a pretty actress e.g. very generic. However I kind of liked the message it gave, (I will not spoil it for everybody) but it is a good movie, maybe not worth a cinema ticket, but who cares? 

A few days later, onto dinner with Christy. Thai restaurant in Admiralty, I have to admit I am NOT, I repeat NOT a big fan of Thai food but this place could almost change my mind. We had some minced chicken salad, fish cakes and a deep fried tofu curry. I enjoyed the curry, surprisingly! The fish cakes were ok, I have had MUCH better but overall it was nice! Fast, efficient service and good decor. 

 

A cheap dinner in Jordan I resorted to this place. In Hong Kong you quickly learn, cheap normally means bad service, unhappy waitresses but quick service and good food. A supposedly "famous" dumpling place near Temple Street. These dishes below and 2 more cost less than $50 HKD! Happy tummy = happy Christine. And lesson learnt, if you want good cheap food you sometimes will have to compromise on the atmosphere, people and service.

To end the 5th week, once again we went for drinks. This time at Bulldog opposite the coast in Kennedy Town. Hong Kong is not always sunshine and hot weather, considering the day I am writing this it has been raining for around 24 hours! But on this particular Friday we was lucky enough to catch this beautiful sunset. 

 And so, as my journey in Hong Kong almost comes to a close, it begins a new adventure in a new country. Despite having so much fun here, having met so many people and developed in my own way, I am almost ready to come home. England is and always will be my home, even if one day I leave for good, it has been nice to call Hong Kong home for several weeks. 

More Food

A little weekend trip to Macau meant an opportunity to try more food. Formally a Portuguese colony there is a lot of "western" food to offer. This was the only meal I managed to capture all weekend, but the two other places we visited were just as delicious. One being a buffet restaurant named Bambu in the Venetian. This buffet restaurant had a lot to offer, from sushi to traditional chinese style dishes to a full range of delicious desserts, including creme brûlée. Believe me, the temptation to have another was so strong but I refrained. Perfect place to indulge if you are on holiday. 

Below is a restaurant in the Old Town of Macau, nothing special about the food but it is more for those with a heart appetite, with starters being a larger portion than at normal restaurants. And WHY when there are western dishes with cheese on do the chefs of Hong Kong decide they need to engulf the dish in the cheese. Minus the cheese the spaghetti bolognese was delicious, oh how I've missed it these several weeks. 

 Below is the abnormally large portion of chicken wings that was a perfect portion to share between the three of us dining together. A little on the salty side but delicious and crispy. 

Fried rice in a pineapple, so sign of pineapple actually being in the dish, which works for me considering my dislike of pineapple. It's a soso dish, nothing special, but if you are in Asia, the land of rice I guess it is hard to compete. Nicely presented however. 

Another restaurant, a popular Korean restaurant called JANG on Queen's Road Central, between Central MTR and Sheung Wan MTR, worth a visit but in my opinion not amazingly special. However some did say it is THE BEST restaurant they have tried in Hong Kong, so probably worth a visit. The food was tasty, the Kimchi pancake is nothing I have ever wanted to try but I must say I am a convert, it is delicious. The portion sizes are small so ordering a larger number of dishes to share amongst friends is better. (Waitress adamant we should all do this!) Chicken wings were nice and crispy, and the bimbimbap phenomenal, but it will not ever compare to my favourite korean restaurant in London on Tottenham Court Road (more on that when I return home!). 

The good thing about this restaurant was the free appetisers to snack on, the kimchi, bean sprouts, tofu marinated in spicy sauce, mushrooms, and the potato salad. This was unlimited so it just kept coming, we did not complain. Having come all the way, we decided to experiment with some Soju, probably the weaker stuff but that did not mean that my friend Cryster could handle it. Surprisingly I really liked this brand of Soju, having tried it this time last year in London, the one in London seemed to burn, whereas this one had more of a tasty taste!

As I mentioned earlier, the appetisers for this place were endless. But it was lovely to have them keep coming, because the chef surely did not lack in effort in producing these. 

One of these days we went to another restaurant located in Kennedy Town for lunch. This place had excellent service, despite only one waiter being out front. He was gracious, had perfect english and extremely patient, despite 6 hungry girls asking him if he could hurry a little, and yet at the same time taking our sweet time ordering. It is refreshing when a lot of places in HK are notorious for their bad service. At lunch time, this small little pub like restaurant has a set menu (which is quite broad, serving to a range of dietary options.) For a starter I ordered a salad, not knowing yet again it comes with sauce! DISAPPOINTED, but I should have expected it, others loved it and the apple inside was a nice addition to the salad. 

For the main I ordered a battered pork chop with rice. Again it came with a creamy sauce, so I decided to leave that out! The pork chop was not too chewy, nor to dry and not too moist. For me it was very good, maybe a little too heavy for lunch. The rice was of an okay consistency, maybe more towards the hard side. All in all, an enjoyable main. The service definitely makes up for the dodgy rice. For dessert which comes with the $98 HKD price tag was a cheesecake. Rather small but with that price it was kind of expected and was quite nice. (Lack of a photo for the dessert due to having to basically run back to the office, having already taken too long for our lunch!)

Another photo and another visit to my favourite vietnamese restaurant in Jordan. This time they mistakenly gave us pork chop in the cold vermicelli, still delicious. Anything with vinegar definitely just steals my little heart away. 

Upon our return from Macau me and Cryster were starving so we made a quick little trip to a Japanese restaurant/cafe around the corner from both our flats. This was cheap and cheerful, coming in at below $50 HKD. Jordan is a wonderful place for cheap and yummy food. (I returned here another day by myself when I was in a rush). The service is okay here, not amazingly crappy like many of the other cafes, so it feels slightly more welcoming. The pork chop and duck isn't the healthiest of choices but its delicious and filling. If you are a meat eater and a fatty like me you would love this place!

Traditional chinese? Not exactly, but close enough. Located right in the middle of Temple market it is definitely a tourist aimed restaurant, though still a few locals here and there. The dishes are slightly more expensive than if you go into air conditioned small local chinese cafe (I know, this is outside and is still almost double the price!) but it was good, especially to a westerner, e.g. me!!! The duck was an okay price, but it was a skinny duck, so hardly any meat! But sweet and sour was also a bomb! It was just a win win win, because we were hungry!

Reflective Saturdays #6

Sometimes the people you meet in life despite being with you for such a short period of time can make such a big difference. They can make years of friendship in comparison to weeks of friendship into similar things. The people you meet on your journey change you in some shape or form. The people I meet on a night out affect my way of thinking, in some way. The people I see on the streets place a role in how I see the world around me. 

Having been to Hong Kong on several occasions I don't think I expected it to alter my thoughts about my many things. I didn't think I'd meet the people I met, I didn't realise how valuable these few weeks would be. I've met people from around the globe, people who have moved across the globe for work, people who simply came to party, people who came to explore. The people you meet in places like Hong Kong is an endless variety. It also makes you realise how small the world really is, how people are so linked together with all the people we meet. 

Once you've met these wide variety of people you realise people talk to just talk. It matters what you say, but not all the time. It matters what you say if you are saying something hurtful, it matters when it is not the truth; but other than that talk is for fun, which is why language to so many people is a fun learning curve. Me being one of them, language is so enjoyable, it allows you to have a little laugh when you do not want to talk about a serious subject. Just a little giggle about the differences of how people speak, the accents people have or the way people pronounce words. 

All in all, do not ever be afraid to talk, there is no loss in speaking to that person first. In most cases they are probably waiting for you too, thinking the same thing. If they do not want to talk they will probably make it obvious in the first encounter. So then what have you lost? Nothing, if anything you would have lost time thinking about what if. So in other words, without sounding like a nike advert, JUST DO IT.

If you want to speak to somebody, just do it.

If the situation might be awkward, so what? just do it.

You never know, the people you meet in that situation and the conversations you have may change you for the better. The people you meet through one conversation with a single new person may lead to countless opportunities and exciting new direction in your life.