October 2010
12 posts
Lucie & Courtney - Oct 12, 2010
I regret to inform you that today was not a very eventful day either. I did, however, get to have dinner with Courtney and Lucie. I rarely get to see Lucie (mostly because I’m too lazy to make the trek up two flights of stairs), but she is really sweet and really tall. She’s from Edinburgh, and has some French blood in her. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to get to know her...
Stuff - Oct 11, 2010
They say you can tell a lot about a person based on the items they own and how messy their room is.
Not really. Nothing went on today so here’s a picture of my cabinet!
I have snacks galore, hygiene products, and pics of my friends/family. I think this tells a lot about me: I like food and being clean.
McDonalds Delivery - Oct 10, 2010
WHEN YOU DON’T WANT TO GO OUTSIDE TO GET DINNER BECAUSE YOU’RE TOO LAZY OR NEED TO STUDY, WHO YOU GONNA CALL?
MCDONALD’S DELIVERY!
HE COMES UNDER 20 MINUTES, EQUIPPED WITH A LITTLE RED SCOOTER, A RED HELMET, AND WITH A GIANT ATTITUDE!
But all worth it for the nuggets (don’t these sizes look small?? These are regular sizes! Americans are fat!)
Also, I did my laundry...
East Mongkok - Oct 9, 2010
East Mongkok is known for its abundance in pet shops and knock-off clothing, so Chin, Vivien and I decided to go check it out because we wanted to look at animals. But of course, we wanted to get boba first.
It’s a good 15 minute walk from the Mongkok stop where we got off the MTR, and you need to cross a bridge to get there, passing by vendors and numerous apartment complexes. Everything...
Chungking Mansions - Oct 8, 2010
I love Fridays, because I have them off to do whatever the heck I want!
Like run errands! But first, we must dine!
Drool, Baggy noodles and Hui Lau shan drinks. A cheap and delicious meal.
People needed to get their hair cut, so I tagged along with them to @Hair, the place where we always go and I can catch a glimpse of my lover hairwasher boy. Man was he CUTE. Peter and I sat giggling...
Happy Birthday Donna! - Oct 7, 2010
Woo hoo! Finally an exciting day where we get to party, because Donna is turning 21! And what else do we do on a party night? We go to LKF, because it’s LADIES NIGHT, AND WE GET FREE ALCOHOL!
First stop is my all time favorite place: La Bodega. Delicious free mojitos, and since we got there early we just cam-hoed a bit. Obviously, lily is already done with her drink while the rest of us are...
Starbucks Sandwiches - Oct 6, 2010
I became a Starbucks convert.
Shocking, I know. But the food that they sell in Hong Kong is so much cheaper than it is in the US! My favorite part about eating lunch at school is just buying a SANDWICH at Starbucks because it’s only about $24 HKD (<$3 US), and you get a pretty awesome meal!
Granted, it is a bit small compared to “American sizes,” but this is just right.
I...
Homework Sucks - October 5, 2010
I don’t know why people said that it was easy to write essays at HKU. It’s a misconception that “Americans write better than natives.” I was given the gift of a hard-grading TA, so I actually had to try in all my essays. Trying just means sitting in front of the computer staring at the screen.
I did find solace in the Bueno chocolate bar and my aloe vera juice.
I...
Boba Run in Sheung Wan - Oct 4, 2010
I crave boba, all day, everyday. Luckily I have friends who like to indulge my cravings, even if it requires taking a 20 minute bus ride down to the city and walking to the boba place.
Unfortunately, I got us lost because everything looked the same at night. Courtney no le gusta.
But it’s okay, because we eventually got there and found boba, right before they were getting ready to close....
Mochi Break - Oct 3, 2010
School nights have become boring nights. We all stay in to study, and the breaks we take are to go eat at the canteen or to swing by Seven Eleven for some snacks. In this case, we bought mochi ice cream for dessert, and ate some together.
You don’t see any pictures of the mochi because we ate it all. But of course, I can steal from somebody else’s blog instead.
Purse Shopping- Oct 2, 2010
It was bound to happen. I stuff everything in that purse that Shelly gave me that the strap finally gave out, and I was forced to go look for a new one.
The whole day consisted of going around Mong Kok and TST to look for something that was affordable and durable. Obviously, since I’m cheap, it took me a while to find anything. We did see some pretty interesting things:
1. Half and half...
National Day- Oct 1, 2010
Happy birthday CHINAR. This is the day that you officially became the People’s Republic of China, and Hong Kong shall celebrate in your honor by blasting fireworks into the sky!
But first, we must eat dimsum.
Chin’s fail #10000: he ordered the sponge cake thinking it was the egg custard buns. We made him eat most of it. :D
Second stop: Edmond Travel agency to check out plane...
September 2010
30 posts
Roomies & Mos Burger - Sep 30, 2010
I don’t think I’ve ever introduced my roommates before, so I guess I’ll just do that today since one of them offered to make porridge with grits instead of white rice (which I’ve never tried).
Here’s Xi Yue, the roommate from Fudan University in Shanghai. She goes by Twinnie because she likes Winnie the Pooh. I’m not sure where she got the idea to add the...
Titi- Sep 29, 2010
My uneventful posts result from my attempts to stay in and study. Right, like I actually can get myself to study. I’d rather play around with a sleeping person instead.
HI TITI.
YOU’RE AWESOME.
And so is your roommate Lily.
Too bad Leanne was somewhere studying in the library and she couldn’t join in on the fun. :D
Devil Movie Day- Sep 28, 2010
The plan for the day was to see this movie by M. Night Shyamalan (which I was pretty skeptical about because his movies have been sucking for the past years):
We originally wanted to see this movie, because I really wanted to watch a Hong Kong scary movie, but it didn’t stay long enough in the theaters for us to catch it:
Peter, Chin and I bought our HK$60 movie tickets (a bit cheaper...
Planning for Reading Week- Sep 27, 2010
OMG I FAIL. FAIL FAIL. THIS THING IS SO BEHIND AHHH. Let’s just pretend this is still happening in the present.
Reading Week is coming up in the next three weeks, which means I get a week off! Since HKU is a school that emphasizes independent study, the students get a week in the middle of the semester before midterms to “study.” Obviously, since I’m an exchange student,...
Macau Aftermath - Sep 26, 2010
The alarm clock rang at around 10:30 AM, and I woke up to find that the three girls who I shared a bed with were gone. They had already planned the night before to get up early so that they could try some Portuguese food for breakfast, and I didn’t want to go with them because I wanted to stay behind to take care of hotel matters and the hot messes after they all wake up.
Peter woke up and...
Macau Hot Mess - Sep 25, 2010
I understand that I’m a failure to the blogging world. Don’t mind me as I write about things that happen months ago as if it happened today. The present still exists in my mind, and I’m only 2 months behind.
ANYHOO, Who goes to Hong Kong without making at least one trip to Asian Las Vegas for the weekend? Not us cool kids, of course. We chose the weekend of the International...
Food & Flats- Sep 24, 2010
I knew I should have brought my flats to Hong Kong, because I didn’t realize that I can’t always wear my flip flops when it comes to a classy venue, and I’m too picky to wear heels that my feet will die in. I guess the good thing is that I can buy flats anywhere in Hong Kong, since this place has so many shopping districts.
Our first stop of the day was to hit Sheung Wan for...
Shopping & Wine Party - Sep 23, 2010
I’ve always wanted a pair of Chucks with a hand-drawn graphic design, and Chin took the honors of designing a pair of shoes for me for my early birthday gift. He practiced on a pair of shoes for himself first, which look incredible. It’s just a skyline silhouette, but I love how creative it is. I can’t wait to see how mine will look!
Peter, Chin and I were craving the dimsum...
Sandra Ng & Mid Autumn Fest - Sep 22, 2010
Lily and I skipped our Japanese culture class to go to a movie panel for the movie All About Love, which has the famous HK actress Sandra Ng. I have no idea who she is, but apparently she’s well known for being in a bunch of comical HK movies, so I’m guessing you Cantonese speakers probably know her. Yea, I GOT TO SEE HER IN PERSON! The panel was in Cantonese, so I had to get a...
Rain Still Sucks- Sep 21, 2010
Since it was my day off and the rain was still pouring, I spent the day in my room. I only left to go eat and use the restroom.
Yes, it’s a sad life. Another unproductive day.
The hallway looks ridiculous on rainy days, because everybody puts their umbrellas outside to let them dry.
Rain Sucks- Sep 20, 2010
When it rains in Hong Kong, I don’t want to do anything but nap and watch TV in my room.
So that’s basically what I did today when I came back from class.
At least the view was pretty though.
Uniqlo Shopping- Sep 19, 2010
I am so unbelievably behind on this thing, I don’t even think I will finish this before I come back to LA. But let’s try!
The plan for the day was to do what we do best in Hong Kong: SHOP! Leanne, James, Will and Peter and I all went to the Uniqlo in Causeway Bay so that the guys could buy some shorts. Leanne and I found some jackets that we really loved, but they were a little out of...
Causeway All Nighter- Sep 18, 2010
Lesson learned after this night: Do not plan to pull an all nighter when you are recovering from a cold OR a hangover. Also, do not pull an all nighter in Causeway Bay, where there is practically nothing to do.
How do I even start describing our shenanigans?
We can probably point the finger of blame at PETER, who was dying from boredom as if he were experiencing withdrawal symptoms. He IMed me...
Morning After Dim Sum- Sep 17, 2010
HK people are so fashionable, even kids’ clothing have fancy store names.
I won’t describe how enjoyable my morning was after going a little crazy on the mojitos. Like I said, what went on was quite similar to Hoopla after party effects, but for a shorter period of time. The toilet was kind of my best friend for a while.
ANYWAYS, today wasn’t that exciting either, because...
LKF Mojitos! - Sep 16, 2010
Guess what? Ladies’ night tonight, where the girlies can get crunk for free! I made sure to do some research before we headed out, because I was not looking forward to drinking those disgusting Cosmos at Club97 again. I found information online about bars that serve mojitos, vodka mixers, and other more bearable drinks.
Chin met up with us at HKU, and pimped it up with us as we headed out...
Gong Cha Run - Sep 15, 2010
I’m boring during the weekdays, don’t hate me. I don’t have much to report about the exciting things happening in life since I actually have to start doing homework these days, but I can tell you about what school is like at HKU!
I’m taking the following:
Cantonese for foreign learners- The teacher is super enthusiastic and incredibly nice. This is the only class I have...
Staying in again! - Sep 14, 2010
I really don’t know how I manage to waste away a whole day without being productive at all, especially when I don’t have class. This reminds me so much of Freshman year when I never had a job, and spent all my free time eating and sleeping and NOT doing work.
At least I get to spend my Tuesday with Lily, who also doesn’t have class. It’s my date day with her, since she...
Cocky Bar- Sep 13, 2010
Where are all the good pho restaurants in Hong Kong? Why is it that everytime we think we find a possible good one, it turns out to be fake pho because the restaurants use he fen (the flat noodles) instead of proper vermicelli? I miss good pho so much, especially the ones back home (Pho Filet! Come to me now!)
After class, Peter wanted me to tag along with him to go pick up his suit at the...
Xiao Long Bao - Sep 12, 2010
Chin has been raving a lot about some restaurant that serves really good pork dumplings (xiao long bao) and handmade noodles (la mien) for a really long time in an attempt to get us to visit him. The bad news: it’s in Sha Tin, which is close to his school in the boonies. The only time we’ve ever ventured that far was just to visit his campus, and we’ve never gone back since. I...
Dim Sum in Rain - Sep 11, 2010
I’m a simple girl with simple tastes who likes to eat light food, especially noodles. I’m happy just eating my BBQ pork + noodles meal at the Queen Mary Hospital canteen, and it’s cheaper too.
But, I’m in freaking Hong Kong, so what do I do all the time? Eat dim sum as much as possible, and try to go even when it’s not lunch time. To be completely honest, I’m...
Dim Sum & Suit Tailoring - Sep 10, 2010
Who is ever going to pass up free food, especially free dim sum? People living in Patrick Manson and the student flats were invited to a paid dim sum lunch, and since I have no class on Fridays, I joined in on the mooching.
Apparently our food was already chosen, so all we had to do was sit down and eat. The organizer of the event told us that if the waiters didn’t bring out any of the food...
Sick Day in, NO LKF! - Sep 9, 2010
I pride myself in having the ability to read Chinese when it comes to food, so I normally order my food in Mandarin. Unfortunately, while I was trying to order “Cold Ovaltine,” I somehow said “Cold Viagra” instead. For some reason, I’m more fluent in saying the words “Wei-ah-geh” (Viagra) instead of “Ah-hua-Tian” (Ovaltine). The cashier...
Temple Street with Kam - Sep 8, 2010
I haven’t made that many local friends yet, so my friend group here in Hong Kong consists of mostly international students. I’ve been congregating mostly with UC people, many of them from the San Gabriel Valley.
Luckily, I found out that one of my old coworkers Kam from the library is studying to get her masters in Urban Planning at HKU, so she asked to meet up with me for dinner...
Day Off- Sep 7, 2010
Tuesdays are my day off, when I can sit around and not attend class like a perfect delinquent. No, it’s not because I willingly ditch, it’s because I actually don’t have class on these days!
And lucky me, I get to be sick today.
I slept in and bummed around before finally getting out of bed to skype with my parents, groom my eyebrows, and brush my teeth (at 2PM! it was awkward...
Lost in Causeway- Sep 6, 2010
The days are becoming more uneventful because we’re all getting into a routine, and are finally realizing that withdrawing HK$1000 every couple of days or so is putting a nice dent in our wallets.
Unfortunately, when Peter gets his cravings for food, I like to go along for the ride. The guy was hungry and wanted to get some Jollibee, and when am I ever going to say no to fried chicken?...
Lightshow- Sep 5, 2010
It took me a while to notice this, but I finally figured out why it is that everywhere I look I see couples. It seems as if guys and girls don’t hang out alone platonically with one another. I have yet to see a single male and female hang out together who aren’t touching, or maybe I just have mad tunnel vision.
Today was dimsum day for me and Chin, where we found a restaurant in...
Tung Chung Shopping- Sep 4, 2010
Hong Kong locals are pixies compared to the foreigners, because they’re so small and petite (including the boys.) I still have yet to figure out why they are not fat, because there is so much food to eat. Maybe I’m just spoiled by American sizes, where everything comes large, even the bras.
Look guys, we’re pixies too!
The plan for the day was to go to the Citygate Outlets...
Rainy Hong Kong- Sep 3, 2010
I don’t think I’ve ever been able to go outside in the rain in shorts and flip flops before arriving in Hong Kong (other than Hawaii). Even when it begins to pour and lightning cracks through the sky, I’d much rather be wet in HK subtropical rain than in cold California rain.
It’s hard to really go anywhere when it’s raining, and people pile inside shopping malls...
LKF for Peter's 21st - Sep 2, 2010
Second day of class today, where I went to Psychology of Personality and Cantonese. There are 9 tones in Cantonese, but we are only learning the first 6. I can’t tell the difference among most of them, and in Mandarin I only know of 4 VERY clear ones!
Here’s the view of the library and from one of the main quads of campus. Do you see the gloominess? It may look like cool weather, but...
First Day of School- Sep 1, 2010
It was the first day of school today! The first two weeks of school is considered the “shopping” period, where we sign up and attend as many classes as we can until we officially choose the ones we like. I had difficulty choosing classes because most of the interesting classes that I want to take are being offered second semester, but today I had “Hong Kong Popular Culture”...
August 2010
9 posts
Visiting CUHK- Aug 31, 2010
Condom brands here look like either cigarette boxes or juice boxes. Would you like the French Kiss flavor or the one on the very left that looks soybean flavored?
Today was the day we promised Chin we would visit him and his school in the boonies. Peter and I met up with Chin first in Mong Kok because he needed to mail his postcard since he couldn’t seem to find a post office in the...
Roaming for Stationary- Aug 30, 2010
I killed a mosquito with my hand this morning. It was quite interesting to see a bug with red blood, but it was most likely mine that it was sucking anyways. Sweet, sweet revenge.
Today was a simple day without any plans, except I really needed notebooks for class. I really wish I brought these from home as well. Leanne and I went to Yau Ma Tei to find a bookstore, where I bought some extra...
Ave of the Stars - Aug 29, 2010
Asia has everything that’s great in the food world. Did you know the 7-11s here not only sell boba, curry fish balls, and various other snacks, but also condensed milk in squeeze bottle form? How handy is this, to not even have to go through the hassle of using a can opener; but instead, you can squeeze this on EVERYTHING? I seriously wonder why local Asians don’t get fat.
The day...
WatchSneak Peek of Aug 29, 2010 -Avenue of the Stars
Peter recorded this video bc he forgot his camera.
Beach Party- Aug 28, 2010
I wonder if I’m the only person who gets cold in the MTR. My goosebumps show and my hair stands up, while everybody is comfortable in the air conditioned train that provides a safe haven away from the humidity. I find the heat pretty tolerable, minus the HEAT RASH that I got on my neck.
One of our friends Alan got invited to DJ for some “Last Minute Beach Party” event hosted by...
Orientation- Aug 27, 2010
A girl came up to me today and asked me if I wanted to join the HKU rugby team. “You look sporty,” she said. I was so flattered. ME? Sporty?? Forget the fact that I’m one of the weakest girls you’ll know, forget the fact that I’ll probably break in half playing rugby against other girls, I look athletic! Honestly though, I think it’s just because I’m dark....
Registration - Aug 26, 2010
I’m surprised that I’m not feeling as jetlagged as I was when I travelled to China years ago, but my sleeping schedule back home has been so messed up anyways during the summer that I can pretty much function on any time given to me.
I had my first breakfast in Hong Kong today, which was in the Queen Mary Hospital cafeteria that’s across the bridge from my dorm. Apparently we live next to the...