hong kong trip
uncertain of wad to expect, unsure of wad is in store, i embarked on a 6 day 5 night academic trip organised by biz school to hongkong on the 8th.. to me it was juz an opportunity to get away from the country after the long and tiring exams..hongkong has always been a place i loved.. attribute it to the countless hk drama serials i watch.. haha.. the atmosphere admist the colourful billboards and neon lights with the vibrant night life.. the must see hongkong skyline.. and the view from the peak.. i never seem to get sick of all that.. but i din noe how different this would be..
*** my double life *************************
I choose to call it double life.. because it seems as if i'm living twice the time i'm usually awake.. haha that means i suffer from a severe lack of sleep over there.. definitely.. my average sleeping time is 4 hours.. but having a lack of sleep means that i'm doing something i value more than sleep.. which is cool coz as always.. sleep is super impt to me.. but i juz couldn't miss out of the fun over there.. hence the usual schedule is 9am to 5pm of work stuff.. and 5pm till late is play.. haha..
*** highlights ******************************
1. Bloomberg HK. let's talk abt work first.. haha.. so first on my list is my dream company.. it was our first company visit in which i was totally impressed by the dynamism of the company and their live news broadcasting studio.. haha.. (trust that that'll interest me..) had a great time there looking around and acting professional.. of course their job scope seem to interest me a lot.. hmm..
2. Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA). another impressive place we visited.. where we were taught abt the history and the hk currency.. as usual.. people get happy when they see money around.. haha joking.. but the view from the tallest building in hk island was juz fantastic.. though the fog was a little disappointing..
3. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). the name is enough! the first university we visited in our schedule.. proclaimed having the best biz school in hk.. i'm so tempted to go there for exchange (and it's available!) because the students there just click so well with us as if we were long lost frens.. and never forgetting the breath taking view.. if biz had a library with the seaview and overlooking islands.. u'll see me there probably everyday.. not mugging but juz staring at the wonderful view.. *jealous..
their hospitality amazed me.. almost the whole of their BSU skipped lessons to host us.. to think that their exams are round the corner.. i was really touched.. and they are super fun, happening and fabulous people! oh and i met my hongkong counterpart there.. haha.. a super funny and interesting guy whom i realised i was fighting with for the best angle to take photos of the activities.. haha.. got their publication from that side.. hence my motivation to cover hk trip in BZ mag such that we could send them a copy too.. =)
4. Hong Kong Skyline. the view from kowloon to hk island is beautiful.. i love it as always.. a muz go everytime i visit hk.. hee.. juz merely sitting there silently.. looking at the buildings of lights and colours across the river.. with those romantic music playing in the background.. one of the top in the best dating places list.. haha.. it’s also a perfect atmosphere to reflect upon life or merely doing nothing or feeling sentimental..
5. the peak. overseeing the high rise buildings and the habour of hk.. self explanatory! though i’m a little afraid of heights and the 2.8km walk on heels wasn’t exactly very comfortable, the view takes my breath away.. also top on the list for best dating places! haha.. not to mention that i met my bro’s friend (also my fren i guess) whom i haven’t seen for 5 years.. when i heard my bro was meeting him i insisted on following.. and my insistence paid off catching up with whom seemed like an old fren.. and i enjoyed talking and taking photos with him.. haha.. (he speaks perfect English with a British accent.. trust the hk lawyers.. haha.. but i loved listening to it..)
6. the streets, the food and the shopping. temple street.. the streets of mongkok, Nathan road, causeway bay, etc exudes the air of hong kong as a whole.. and i din really eat a lot of food or do a lot of shopping as the familiar hk promotion campaign goes.. but i loved juz walking down the streets to feel hk..
7. HK disneyland. no matter how much negative feedback i got abt disneyland.. i was determined to go pay a visit.. never wavered.. even when i was prepared to get disappointed.. i still insisted on a trip there.. don’t ask me why.. perhaps due to my low expectation.. i enjoyed myself there and i was glad that i went.. it was a place which relived my childhood dreams and magic.. which brought out the child in me once again.. i think i was like a kid at disney.. being fascinated by everything and posing with disney statues and characters.. haha.. of course it is much smaller than the ones in US or Japan.. and significantly lesser thrilling rides.. (they prob only have space mountain which is thrilling) but i loved the fireworks at the end.. it was not mere fireworks.. but it was fireworks telling a story.. and the grace and beauty of it can be felt together with the fantastic lighting, laser and music.. the thing abt hk disneyland is that it cannot be seen as a theme park.. enter with a heart and innocence of a child.. and it will be a place where fantasy and magic comes true..
8. lan gui fang. no doubt one of the highlights of this trip.. because for so many times i’ve been to hk, i’ve never been to LKF.. i was never a clubber.. but i love experiences.. and i like pubbing in a mild manner.. juz sitting there listening to music and drinking.. again my insistence on going there after disneyland (which was super tiring such that most of my frens wanted to give it a miss) paid off as i was immersed in the culture of hk.. we came to realize that the culture of hk and Singapore are rather similar.. even pubbing/clubbing culture.. haha.. i didn’t have a lot to drink.. but we did talk a bit and i watched people drink.. and there was the right company.. plus Wilson and Chris from HKUST who were happening enough to go clubbing with us.. haha.. who of course made use of the coasters at the pub to exchange (not phone numbers) but blog addresses.. hee.. it’s still in my possession now.. =) no doubt we had lots of fun juz talking and drinking.. and thanks to the HKUST guys who sent us back to our hostel.. after which they interestingly walked till 7am in the morning.. think they got lost.. oops.. to think that i freaked out when i realized after my shower that it was dawn already.. haha.. 6am..
*** the upside **********************************************
perhaps some may think that i brought back perhaps nothing more than a keychain from hk Disneyland.. contrary to wad many might end up after going to hk.. haha.. but i believe that i brought back much more.. the consolidation of old frenships through our drinking and bonding sessions.. the formation of new frenships in within our group as well as with the Hong Kong students.. the overdose of Chinese (history and literature), Canto and Hokkien.. haha.. the better understanding of myself, my feelings and my actions.. the experience of love, protection and concern..
*** the downside ******************************************
the zero internet connection and mobile service.. which i feel so handicapped without.. staying for five nights without the comfort of my room, my bed and my bathroom.. the severe lack of sleep.. the aftermath.. (writing for business leads, BZ mag, a report, and my blog!) hmm which means there’s work to do.. sigh..
*** the response ******************************************
many have asked casually how the trip was.. i couldn’t explain so much.. hence i juz gave them a word – happening! haha.. enjoyed myself totally.. and i am thankful to all those who made it so.. =)
rebec inspired @ 5:42 PM
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