Hayashi's Back

Last night, me and my mum went to a Taiko Drum concert. We were really excited. Unfortunately we didn't realize Eitetsu Hayashi was collaborating with the HK Philharmonic Orchestra. Not that the Orchestra's bad. Just that I'm not really into classical music. The promos for this have been pretty misleading. When you have a huge poster of Hayashi beating on a drum, you're not expecting the orchestra to play 3 REALLY long pieces before getting a glimpse of Hayashi!

After an hour (felt more like 3) of soothing classical music, zzzzzzzzzz. FINALLY it was Hayashi's turn. You could see everyone kind of sit up (wake up), and feel the energy in the hall. When his drumstick first connected with the drum, you could hear the vibrations bouncing off the walls because it was so quiet. The drumming represented the thunder, and the organ the wind. With a little bit of orchestra thrown in. AMAZING combination. Hayashi's just go this huge presence, which keeps you mesmerized, hypnotized to the rhythm of his drumming. So many different sounds were coming out of the drum too, awesome. Too bad it was his one and only piece.

We the audience madly clapped and cheered until he came back onstage for an encore. The encore was even better! Without the organ and orchestra. Just straight on Taiko drum. Which was later joined in by a younger dude in the back on another mini drum. Such an image, Hayashi in his traditional Japanese garb, with the younger guy dressed in a dark suit & tie, both beating in unison, demonstrating their physical capabilities, POWERFUL.

Stranded

Back in Sunday School

I must admit I had no idea what was in store as I signed up as a weekly volunteer for 9-10 yr. old's Sunday School. The first week was BRUTAL. The picture on the left depicts the total opposite of what was happening in our classroom. Pretty much total chaos. Even with 2 teachers and me the assistant. OK, specifically a few BOYS. No respect at all!

This second week was a bit better. Less paper airplanes, less boys crawling under the table, and less ripped up worksheets. I think we're improving!

Oftentimes during the chaos, I couldn't help myself from comparing them with the Mongol kiddies. They really wanted to learn and be loved. But not these kids at Sunday School, they were just wasting time and they seemed so spoiled to me. I felt really frustrated at first, but now I've realized that there is a lesson to be learned from this challenge. It's always easy to love the cute, well-behaved kids. But to truly LOVE, I need to learn to love the not so loveable ones. Hopefully I'll get to build up some meaningful relationships with those boys as we travel on this journey of learning together!

The Good Samaritan

I take back all the times I complained about HK people being uncaring and unhelpful towards strangers.

Today, while walking to the minibus station, digging for coins in my wallet, I dropped a wad of money on the ground without knowing. I was listening to my ipod, oblivious to the world around me. Suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turn around, and there's this slightly out-of-breath guy holding out a wad of money at me. Before I could take out my earphones and figure out what was going on, he had already ran to his bus and hopped on. It was 1/2 a second later that I realized that it was MY money that he had just handed me! I was so touched. One, this good samaritan was probably running after me, calling out to me (of which I was oblivious to). Two, he actually bothered to run after despite the risk of missing his bus. Three, he could have kept the money.

Actually this is the 2nd time someone has picked up my money and returned it. Two lessons learned. HK people are not so bad after all. And I need a better wallet.

Rain rain go away come again another day

Had another interview this week at the Canadian Workshop. It's an afterschool/tutoring centre. They apparently liked my "accent". I should've thrown in a couple more "eh's" for good measure. It was one of the most relaxed interviews I've ever been to. I can even say it was fun. The interviewer discovered that we had the same birthday. Random chatter like that. Hope I'll make get a call back for a second interview with the director.

In other news, it's been raining for a week straight. Flash floods commonly occur now in our little river down below. Makes crossing the bridge quite scary. I like rain, it's soothing and calming. But I do miss the sun. Weather's been really cool and lovely though. All this rainy weather is good training for adjusting to London weather.

Oh yea, I'm going to London & Paris in November!! With my daddy for 9 days:) So excited. Actually I'm more excited about seeing friends in London! I still can't believe I'm going to Europe.

Learn Something New Everyday

Aussies and Kiwis are quiet fascinating. Often I need them to translate what they've just said into REGULAR English.

Sometimes its just the accent that gets me, but I adore their accents.

Wicked, eh? Kiwis pronounce it as weeekideh.

The phrase 'fair dinkum' in itself just demands a huge question mark. I was momentarily shocked into silence. WHAT did you say? Actually my Aussie friend said fedinkum. Apparently he was trying to say 'are you for real?'.

There's loads more, like (Aussies) cozzies = swimsuit = togs (Kiwis), (Aussies) thongs = flip flops = jandals (Kiwis).

The ultimate question mark I had was when I heard the phrase 'bat in the cave'. I forget if its Aussie or Kiwi. Guessed yet? NO CHEATING, no googling.

Ready???


It means.............................booger in your nose. So next time you see your pal with a booger in his nose, you know what to do;)

Things I Have a Thing For

Fire - I have a thing for the flame. I love to burn candles, even when its 30 degrees in HK. I like burning stuff in general, wish we had a fireplace. I have acquired many matchbooks over the years. I prefer matches over lighters. BBQ pits in HK, when your chicken wing grease drips into the coal it gets really fiery! Campfires are the BEST, especially during chilly weather. Roasting marshmallows on an open fire! Nothing beats that. This (photo on left) by far is the biggest bonfire I've ever experienced, it was in Mongolia. We helped collect the firewood, and the camp kiddies helped build it up. They're real pros, look at that fire! I nearly scalded my face off trying to roast some marshmallows. But it was worth it, all for perfectly roasted marshmallows.

Sunrises/Sunsets - Not being able to see it much in HK makes it extra special when I actually do catch it. Being trapped on a really slow bus making stops every few minutes allowed me to catch a beautiful sunset from atop a double decker. When it comes to Mongolia, it's hard to beat their sunrises/sets. There's just nothing blocking your view. And the skies are so clear its like seeing it for the very first time. Anywhere, any rising or setting of the sun just mesmerizes me. There should be some kind of law allowing people to just stop what they're doing and just enjoy these two special times, dawn & dusk.

Sea Water - Although its salty, and not necessarily clean water, there's just something about being in the ocean. That's one of the reasons I love living in HK, being close to the sea. Tons of beaches to choose from, there are secluded, quiet beaches out there for all you skeptics! On a recent junk trip with some friends, we visited the "turtle beach" on Lamma Island. You can only reach it by boat, we were the ONLY ones there!! I have a thing for floating in the ocean too. It's easier to keep floating in the sea than in a pool of chlorine. When I was floating, ears submerged in water, looking up at the sky, I felt like I was the only one on Earth. And yes this photo is actually of a beach in HK;)

Random Thoughts

I've been watching way too many Korean movies. They're pretty much all the same. Love story with some sort of complication, half way through one of the leads gets some sort of fatal disease. Cheesy/depressing ending. But I can't seem to stop watching. Oh boy.

Shocking news from Ada's blog, STEVE IRWIN HAS DIED!!! Stung by a stingray. I still haven't totally absorbed it, at first I thought it was a joke. Steve Irwin always seemed invincible to me. Grabbing deadly snakes, poisonous spiders, wrestling crocodiles, and the list goes on. And yet in the end he was conquered by a stingray. Human life is so fragile. One moment you're here, the next you're gone.

I've kicked my lazy butt into action, albeit a slow one. I've started sending out my resumes FINALLY. And I've decided to apply for Masters for next year. I've also decided to stay in HK for school.

Once upon a time...

I love kiddies, being around them, playing with them, even just sitting with them. That’s mainly the thing that’s stuck with me the most from this recent trip to Mongolia. The landscape was breathtakingly beautiful. But above that were the people. The kiddies at camp, the teachers and translators we worked with, my 40 other teammates. This trip didn’t cause any radical transformation within me, but it was REAL and honest. I can’t really put it into words. It just felt natural. Being in Mongolia, going with the group of churchmates, interacting with the kiddies. Way too many things happened to share all of them with you.

I’ll share one specific story. From this camp, the kiddies taught me so much about myself and how to better love others. There was this one 18-year-old boy that I bonded especially well with. He actually reminded me a lot of my brother Enoch. He was in my “family” for the first week, so we got to hang out a lot. Up until then, we had a teasing/joking atmosphere going on. I guess he was more or less a clown and enjoyed making people laugh. One night during the second week, we the team, were treated to a “good-night song circle” where all 120 camp kids and us held hands in a huge circle and they sang for us several Mongolian songs. All us foreigners spread out and distributed ourselves around the circle. I inserted myself between two little boys and held their hands.

It was dark, so people were still settling into the circle. Then I saw a figure running towards me from across the circle. After some squinting, I realized it was my 18 yr old guy! He ran over and smoothly squished in beside me while we all made room for him. Throughout the singing, I tried hard to keep my tears from spilling over. I think he realized that I was close to crying so he gave my hand a reaffirming squeeze. I’m glad it was dark that night. Just the fact that he ran over to stand next to me showed how much love he was capable of. Someone whose parents left him at a shelter since he was a little boy. And I, someone with so much, have a hard time demonstrating my love to others. So from this boy, I've learned to take courage and to SHOW others my love for them. Put my words into actions. Because you never know, the smallest smile or touch could move and touch a person beyond any words you may say.

(Doesn't he look like my bro??)

Questions

Who am I? What do I want to do with my life? Those are some of the most dreaded questions I cringe at when I hear them. That’s why I never fill in the fields that say “description of me” in my profiles. I change my mind so often that I no longer have confidence and surety in my decisions anymore. Recently someone mentioned I was “easily impressed” and a “hippie”. Those were two different people by the way. And I guess I would have to agree with them. But the problem is I never saw myself as THAT until they mentioned it. It took some convincing on their part that I was an impressionable young hippie.

So how well do I actually know myself? At this moment, am I just reflecting what others think of me? Alright, I’ve concluded that I’m laid back, mellow, go with the flow sort of gal. I love to travel and see other people’s different cultures. I enjoy noticing the differences and similarities between my own culture and theirs. That’s why usually after almost every trip, I end up wanting to go back for more. Some places I even consider living longer term in. Nowadays I don’t even bother to articulate some of my wild dreams of living in faraway places. In case I change my mind two seconds later.

Why is it that when I have time, I don’t have the money to do all the things I’ve always wanted to do. And when I am making money, I don’t seem to have any time for the things I really want to do. Oh, the irony of it all.