going through rush hour on a daily basis for the past six months, i can only say one good thing can come out of it: great rush hour episodes to share with friends and family when you run out of things to talk. let me share one here.
this happened on a very unusual day where i actually managed to grab a seat. a very tall lanky man with red pants (nothing wrong with this, i own one too) wearing a blue shirt came walking in from one of the stops. and because tall asian guys are just naturally a rare specie in hong kong, he immediately grabbed my attention. it also didnt help that he had a bob trimmed to perfection at shoulder length. he carried a certain type of aura. which is usually a good thing but his was just... strange. not only did he weave through people in the midst of rush hour back and forth as if he couldn't decide where to stand, but he also carried a ginormous book with loose paper sticking out in all directions and would stop just to read sections of this book before he resumed his previous roudabouts.
and since i was sitting, i had the honor to observe every move he was making and i got to decipher what he was reading (yes i think i somewhat judge a person by its cover literally). it was called: "extraordinary encounters: an encyclopedia of extraterrestrial and otherworldy beings." i remember it so well because i had to say it in my mind couple times before i could understand the title. this man was reading about aliens, ufos, and people's intereactions with non-human creatures. who knows if he really believes in these things but i was just in awe that such a book exists. and i couldnt agree more on the encyclopedia part. its not a book you would just carry around and this man had nothing but this.
so lets say he does believe in these things. personally this is not an issue for me, but it does make me wonder what his views of the world are like. he would've been one of those people i wished sat next to me on a long flight instead of on a train during rush hour. i would've probably had one of the most interesting conversation and the long hours wouldn't seem as bad.
April 24, 2011
April 14, 2011
Never Underestimate the Word "Really"
hong kong has been charging fifty cents per plastic bag since 2009. i think this is one of the smartest moves made by hong kong following the invention of octopus cards. it's amazing how this "law" works on people psychologically. we never give a crap about our loose cents jingling in our pockets and yet when we are forced to pay a mere fifty cents for a plastic bag, we become hesitant. why is that? either way it's definitely motivating people to carry around their own shopping bags. hong kong already has issues with littering and pollution so reducing the amount of plastic bags can only do good for the environment.
today i was asked a very interesting question. i went to a fruits shop, ordered a freshly squeezed juice along with a fruit salad. i had my hands full with my wallet in one hand and some papers in the other. i gave the lady my money and asked for a fork as well as a straw. as she gave me back the change, she asked "do you really need a bag?" now this took me off guard. you see, if she had just said "do you need a bag?" then i would've said yes without thinking twice. but by her just adding the word "really" i thought, why yes, can't you see that my hands are full and i could really use a little help of a bag? but now that you ask, hmm i guess i dont really need a bag.
so i left holding my wallet and drink in one hand, my fruit salad with the fork strategically placed between my fingers and my pile of papers tucked under my armpit - all without the help of a bag.
and i left thinking, wow all shops should just simply rephrase the question just like how the lady did and soon enough people will naturally say no to plastic bags even without the fifty cents levy.
today i was asked a very interesting question. i went to a fruits shop, ordered a freshly squeezed juice along with a fruit salad. i had my hands full with my wallet in one hand and some papers in the other. i gave the lady my money and asked for a fork as well as a straw. as she gave me back the change, she asked "do you really need a bag?" now this took me off guard. you see, if she had just said "do you need a bag?" then i would've said yes without thinking twice. but by her just adding the word "really" i thought, why yes, can't you see that my hands are full and i could really use a little help of a bag? but now that you ask, hmm i guess i dont really need a bag.
so i left holding my wallet and drink in one hand, my fruit salad with the fork strategically placed between my fingers and my pile of papers tucked under my armpit - all without the help of a bag.
and i left thinking, wow all shops should just simply rephrase the question just like how the lady did and soon enough people will naturally say no to plastic bags even without the fifty cents levy.
April 9, 2011
Inspiration
when i was young, i dreamed to be a singer. i watched in awe every music show available in japan that my grandma would record just for me to be sent to hong kong. i especially adored this one j-pop star, namie amuro, and i loved her so much, i was determined to name my daughter after her if i ever had one.
but i was too shy and i couldnt sing. at least not as good as my brother and i was able to take that as a sign as something i shouldn't pursue. that dream still remains in my heart but it is more of a fantasy dream than a realistic dream.
then my love for dogs came. i know many people love dogs, that's normal. but what's not normal is to spend your allowance on dog encyclopedias and to spend your free time copying exactly word for word what's written in that book onto another notebook. i still have this notebook in fact and as i skim through, i realize that i even copied down the friggin index. oh and the page number of course. i knew exactly what category a certain breed would be classified under, what their personalities are, what kind of food you should feed them, what their average weight and height are etc. not to mention i took the time to draw out what these dogs look like. it is insane. which is why i have such a hard time throwing this dinky little notebook away after all these years because of the time and effort i sacrificed for this.
but i couldn't even let a dog survive for more than two weeks after spontaneously buying a shitzu at a random pet store. honestly, there was nothing we could've done, the puppy was apparently already sick when we bought her at the pet store (just shows how some dogs are poorly taken care of). but to a dog connoisseur that i thought i was, it was purely devastating. why couldn't i prevent her from dying? that was my only thought when i went to bury her away with my mom and my brother. i think ever since, ive stopped my crazy dog obsession and i think i can safely say that i am just an average normal dog lover.
so why am i writing about this? because im starting to understand what it means to be passionate about something. my best friend is a very passionate person. she knows exactly what she wants and she'll sacrifice a lot of things to achieve that dream. i tell her she's damn lucky she knows what she wants in life. but she tells me she wishes she weren't so passionate so she doesnt have to feel like she hits rock bottom every time things don't work out. so i tell her, but imagine when things do work out eventually, how fulfilling that would feel! would you rather look back on your life realizing you haven't accomplished a thing just because you were scared to face hardships? she gave me a hug.
i know my life revolves around work these days and my responsibilities keep increasing by the day. i really do like my job and my teammates make it worth going to work. but am i passionate about what i do? probably not. and it makes me wonder if i ever will find something i can be passionate about.
to me someone who knows what they want, full of passion and works hard to achieve that dream is simply inspriring and rather attractive. it is my hope to be that person one day.
but i was too shy and i couldnt sing. at least not as good as my brother and i was able to take that as a sign as something i shouldn't pursue. that dream still remains in my heart but it is more of a fantasy dream than a realistic dream.
then my love for dogs came. i know many people love dogs, that's normal. but what's not normal is to spend your allowance on dog encyclopedias and to spend your free time copying exactly word for word what's written in that book onto another notebook. i still have this notebook in fact and as i skim through, i realize that i even copied down the friggin index. oh and the page number of course. i knew exactly what category a certain breed would be classified under, what their personalities are, what kind of food you should feed them, what their average weight and height are etc. not to mention i took the time to draw out what these dogs look like. it is insane. which is why i have such a hard time throwing this dinky little notebook away after all these years because of the time and effort i sacrificed for this.
but i couldn't even let a dog survive for more than two weeks after spontaneously buying a shitzu at a random pet store. honestly, there was nothing we could've done, the puppy was apparently already sick when we bought her at the pet store (just shows how some dogs are poorly taken care of). but to a dog connoisseur that i thought i was, it was purely devastating. why couldn't i prevent her from dying? that was my only thought when i went to bury her away with my mom and my brother. i think ever since, ive stopped my crazy dog obsession and i think i can safely say that i am just an average normal dog lover.
so why am i writing about this? because im starting to understand what it means to be passionate about something. my best friend is a very passionate person. she knows exactly what she wants and she'll sacrifice a lot of things to achieve that dream. i tell her she's damn lucky she knows what she wants in life. but she tells me she wishes she weren't so passionate so she doesnt have to feel like she hits rock bottom every time things don't work out. so i tell her, but imagine when things do work out eventually, how fulfilling that would feel! would you rather look back on your life realizing you haven't accomplished a thing just because you were scared to face hardships? she gave me a hug.
i know my life revolves around work these days and my responsibilities keep increasing by the day. i really do like my job and my teammates make it worth going to work. but am i passionate about what i do? probably not. and it makes me wonder if i ever will find something i can be passionate about.
to me someone who knows what they want, full of passion and works hard to achieve that dream is simply inspriring and rather attractive. it is my hope to be that person one day.
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