I think I'm best off explaining why I've decided to start this up (I probably could have decided upon a more hardcore hobby like watermelon-pip spitting or paragliding.... blogging seems kinda vanilla in comparison).
Inspiration hit this afternoon, where it was raining so hard that I momentarily thought I was back in the UK (THAT heavy) and made the executive decision to not leave the house and ruin my only pair of boots (sparkly Doc Martens fyi). No seriously, there was an actual chance that I could've drowned, its raining that bloody hard. So, there I was, casually catching up on trashy UK news courtesy of dailymail.co.uk (I'm not even ashamed to admit it either!) when I came across an article about that girl in Scotland, who takes pictures of her 2 quid school dinners and rates them. It was literally a lightbulb moment.
Approximately three months ago, I made a somewhat impulsive decision to book a plane ticket and relocate myself 6021 miles away from home. I arrived with 46kg of my worldly possessions, nine pairs of shoes and what I thought was a competent grasp of the language. Having being born and raised in a tiny town just outside of Manchester, UK, for the entirety of my life, I kinda have to say this is a big-ass change.
Now, I can readily admit that even when I was in the same country, I was absolutely atrocious at answering texts, calls, emails, and any other forms of communication. Now that I'm not in the same country, and throwing the time distance aside, I haven't really made much of an improvement on this front. SO! That's where this blog comes in. (genius!) I'm thinking I can keep you all updated on my weekly adventures (but mostly misadventures) this way, and then you can't get so mad at me. :)
I've had enough time to 'settle-in' and all that, but frankly there are still so many things that can only be described as an absolute culture shock. I think the main problem is, although I'm ethnically Chinese, my mentality and way of thinking is completely like a Brit.
For example, when waiting for a train (YES I did catch public transport..a few times) in the UK, one tends to wait for passengers to alight first before getting on board. Makes sense. This does not happen in Hong Kong. It is literally survival of the fittest. The second the train doors start sliding open, you march right on inside that carriage like your life depends on it, and even if there's no more space, you will cram yourself in regardless (there was one time between TST and Admiralty in the morning where I swear my feet weren't actually touching the carriage floor).
And that's the other thing. I could understand the mad urge to wedge yourself in if the next train doesn't arrive for another half hour, but the trains here run every 2-3 minutes. (I realised I was a true Hongky when I was getting irritated waiting more than five minutes for a bus..actual foot-tapping and watch glaring too!)
And the other thing. I thought I was bilingual, and my Cantonese was fluent. (operative word: thought) This is not the case. My language skills, frankly do not cut the mustard. My vocabulary is somewhat to be desired for, and don't even get me started on pronunciation!
It's actually embarrassing. It's getting to the point where even I don't even understand what I'm trying to say sometimes.
But I digress. What I'm trying to say is that I apologise for not being around, but please accept this blog as a token of my affection. I promise to write frequently! :)
Aaaand now I'm going to go. Final Destination, the couch and strange Japanese snacks are calling.
Peace out, cub scout xo
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