(I opened the fridge, only to have this plate of chicken, spinach, onion and shrimp to fall on the floor… I was pretty hungry too…)
It’s been almost two months away from my “home away from home” that is Hong Kong. But a solid 2 months back in North America and in some ways I’m going to miss it but on the flip side of things, some times there seems as though there’s just too much shit going on here as well… Yeh Edmonton has earned itself the nickname “Deadmonton” for its perceived lack of fun things to do so they say, but that doesn’t mean the place sucks, just means you’re hanging out with bunk ass people haha. Maybe I’m still in visitation mode and it would have been different if I had stayed longer, but I do look forward to going back to Hong Kong and having my own agenda once again, working on my own schedule, not worrying so much about having to meet people for lunch every day cause they hadn’t seen me in so long etc. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy catching up, but it seems as though every day there was somebody new that hadn’t seen you that wanted to get down haha.
Right before I left HK, I was so eager to leave and with good reason. Shit had changed me for real, I felt like I couldn’t leave the house without worrying about causing a ruckus on the street with some random that happened to bump you the wrong way or look at you funny. This really wasn’t me… I think I may have mentioned it before, I don’t really remember. Coming back to Canada, yeh you do forgo some of the amenities that Hong Kong can provide such as speed and efficiency, yet you also gain so much more. I think the general respect for other human beings around my parts is leaps and bounds ahead of anything I could generally find back in HK. I actually LIKED being around a ton of people whereas in HK, I’d avoid that shit like the Swine Flu ha. Furthermore, this wasn’t anything new to me, but everything in Hong Kong is viewed with dollar signs. Hong Kong as a city is like the Internet, all about instant gratification with a very short foresight… how much fucking money can you make and how fast? Where is the sustainability when you go into everything looking to make a buck at every corner? Fuck this shit… I’m pretty sick of it, people ask me how Hong Kong is… I hate it. Everybody’s worried about their own skin and don’t give a fuck about wanting to contribute to the larger picture. The foundation from what I see anyways in Hong Kong could be improved a ton. Hong Kong/China as a whole will see the gap widen and the wedge between the classes driven more and more and I smell shit a brewing. I’m not preaching some socialistic rhetoric either, I just think that there has to be an equilibrium to your growth. I understand the role of money in culture and society, it is an important piece of everything around us, but to what degree and where does it lie in the balance of things? Grimey things to make your buck, not so cool I’d say? That’s what I’m wanting to figure out, making money is somewhat a measure of success and with it comes a false sense of respect… respect goes much deeper than how many stacks in your wallet no?
HUB on University of Alberta Campus…
I don’t think West Edmonton Mall can claim the title as the world’s largest mall, I’m sure they built something 50 times bigger in China
“I’ll get you that stuff that Gretzky skate on”
My girl Blonna aka Black Donna!!! I hadn’t seen her in forever since probably 2002/2003? She was playing soccer at College of William & Mary living the high life, a life only somebody on a full-ride can live haha. Too bad career got short when some clumsy plumber on her team decided to body-check her in mid-air and she cracked her hip. Caught up over the latest brunch ever and it was good to hear life after soccer and how to deal with shit on your plate you didn’t order. Next time we meet is in Malawi!
Yeh the girl likes CREAM.
Me and Coolianne go waaaaaaaay back, her mom helped my pops find his current job where’s he been at since like ’82. Sister I never had and the Queen of Lobster boils haha.
Old roommates threw a Texas Mickey party for me before I left, probably want see another house party for awhile haha
Carl on the left and Shay on the right (aka Fernando Torres’ long-lost sister) are seriously still on some hippie shit. Tree huggers to the max… still think they’re anti-establishment in 2009 by not having a cell phone haha. Jay in the middle… I’m pretty sure he was pretty ripped and had to work in 3 hours haha.
Errol and I used to play mad sports when we were kids… and I remember the time we stole a case of beer from my grandpa and hid it in the forest… we would spend our mis-guided youth drinking hot beer and walking around aimlessly.
Koel Train, the pint-sized fury… basically the reason I came back was for his wedding. Congrats once again!
Good way to end the trip… celebrating Mama Kan’s “27th” Birthday with a Dairy Queen Blizzard Cake… Best lady ever!