Hong Bong Smong Dong Kong

Hello hello, I believe it's been quite a while and that's because I've been feeling rather lazy of late. Yes, it really is as simple as that. Now of course there were times when I did feel like putting something down here but then when I got to the computer the laziness sets in, and there really isn't any point in me blogging when I don't feel like it because then you won't to read whatever it is I've written either. No, really, I did come here about a month ago but because I wasn't in the mood it didn't turn out quite the way I wanted it to be and so I stopped there and then.

If you don't already know I am currently in Hong Kong, not for holiday, unfortunately, but rather for more mundane purposes. Education, if I remember correctly. Now I get a lot of people asking me why I chose this place out of the more conventional choices, and the reason is quite simply, really. Money, or rather, the lack of. My first choice was the UK but since I failed to get a scholarship, probably because I wasn't brown enough, Hong Kong was the second best choice. It even beats ALL the Australian unis as far as Engineering is concerned.

Since I got here you lot have been asking me what it's like, and I shall now proceed to describe this place as best as I possibly can. Hong Kong, you see, is a lot like Malaysia in many ways. It's hot, it's humid and it rains quite often, just like in KL. At least that's how it is in the fall season anyway, they say temperatures can drop to as low as ten degrees during winter. Malaysia is an Asian country, and so is Hong Kong, therefore everywhere you go you will see Chinese and sometimes Indian people, just like in KL. A big difference, however, is that you don't see rubbish and brownies strewn all over the place, which for me is the best bit.

When I tell people that I shall be studying in Hong Kong, the first thing I hear would be mutterings about how the cost of living here is exorbitantly high, and how if you're not rich you will die because you will soon run out of money and therefore won't be able to buy food, and if you have no food you will die. While this is indeed true, because I'm a student living on campus my accommodation and food costs are greatly reduced. On campus food prices average from 20 to 30HKD, while outside you will see yourself spending around 30 to 60HKD for a meal. While this may seem a lot to fork out for lunch, the helpings they give you are HUGE, so I pretty much end up paying the same as I would in KL anyway. I know this makes no sense to you now, but I shall make you see how it does make a lot of sense. You see, anyone who knows me well will know that your typical plate of chicken rice will NEVER be enough for me, and so I will keep on ordering multiple dishes until I am full. Here, however, the food portions here are so big that just one is enough to satisfy my venerable stomach. Shum-sized portions, if I may.

They say that Hong Kong is a shopper's paradise, and it is. The reason for this, in my opinion, is because everything here apart from the food is really ridiculously cheap. Things like clothes, shoes, gadgets and everything in between can be found for boner-inducing prices. I am, of course, talking about this in relation to KL prices. For example, your standard black-and-white Chuck Taylors will be about RM115 in that Converse store in 1u. Here, however, they can be found for less than RM70 if you know where to look. The best part though would be the Cotton On stores. Back home, a miserable t-shirt will demand that you pay over RM60 if you wish to be its wearer, but here, you can get TWO for less than RM70. Then you have the gadgets and other things with wires and buzzing bits in them. I paid HKD1090 for a pair of rather big and heavy Shure headphones, which really is quite a bargain because that very same pair would come with a price tag twice as heavy in KL, and I know you will think I'm mad for paying that much for something as seemingly unimportant as that, but for me it's money well spent because every time I put them on I get the most wonderful eargasms. And at least I don't spend 500 quid on a pair of bloody shoes.

Movie prices here are preposterously high though, the cheapest being HKD60 for a single ticket, no popcorn, no drinks, no hot dogs. Based on the current exchange rate, 1 Ringgit is approximately 2.4HKD, so you do the math. If you're a KL dweller and you feel like having a good time with your mates, you'd go to 1u or The Curve for lunch/dinner, bowling, pool and a movie. Here, however, the people don't go for dinner and to the movies after that, oh no, here they go clubbing. The most famous clubbing district here is Lan Kwai Fong, or LKF as it is so fondly known as, with clubs and bars at every nook and cranny, and the crowd really is something to behold. Just imagine Petaling Street, but at 2 a.m. in the morning and you pretty much have the picture.

Anyway during my first week here, my new found mates were talking about going to LKF the coming Saturday night. While we were on that topic a few of the girls kept saying things like 'I haven't danced for such a long timeee!' and 'Oh I wanna dance soooo badly!'. Now when the word 'dance' is put that way what I picture is proper dancing, not ballroom dancing obviously, but more like salsa or contemporary social dancing like you would see at an urban dance competition. Yes I know that I probably sound like a naive imbecile, especially if you're a clubber yourself, but what you must understand is that I was a clubbing virgin at that point of time. So when I stepped into a club for the first time in my whole bloody life, what I expected to see was people dancing in the aforementioned manner, not shaking about like a scarecrow being shagged by a cow. For the first half an hour or so I just stood at the bar ordering and consuming my share of 'free drinks' (typical entry fees are HKD200 and above, what you get with that varies depending on the club of your choice). Usually when my mates have big parties with the DJs and the dance floor I would always be with the same bunch of people sitting down at a table and stoning while everyone else danced and grinded the night away. I intended to do the same there, but then after some time I got rather tipsy and when you're tipsy you're shaky and when there's music you start shaking to the music. Makes sense now why clubs are filled to the brim with all sorts of alcohol. Halfway through the night things started to get interesting: an obviously drunk girl tried to make out with me not once but TWICE. Being the gentleman I was though I just wriggled out of her arms and let her friend take care of her. And then towards the end another mounted me from behind when I bent down to tie a shoelace. Very interesting indeed. A real pity though because those two girls were rather good looking.

My mid-terms are next week and it is because of this I shall be forced to start my feeble attempts at this activity known as 'studying'. I will try to include pictures next time and until then, happy boning.