People going home

My ass doesn't hurt so much from badminton, even though I played singles for an hour and a half the other day. Singles is more physically demanding because there is no partner to help cover half the court.

I'm starting to find some direction in my work and have thought of some possible topics for short papers. I've also been starting to put in more productive time every day and wasting less time on administrative matters.

I've been reading a book on Thucydides account of the Peloponnesian War. It's an interesting read, and it indeed demonstrates the value of Thucydides' work as an example of how understanding history can help us understand ourselves.


I left campus on Monday, something I still do once or twice a week, to have dinner with a friend. We went to Stanley, a very nice area on the south side of Hong Kong Island, to eat German food at Murray House, a building moved brick-by-brick from its old spot in Central. Great choice, Man. Yes, his real name is Man!

Man and I had to meet up in Causeway Bay to catch a minibus to Stanley. Causeway Bay is busier than usual this week, and will be as busy the first week of May, and possibly during Chinese New Year. Why? It's Golden Week! One of three, actually. While Hong Kong people still have to go to work and school this week, students and office workers in China get the whole week off. For Hong Kong and Macau, this means a huge boost in retail, tourism, and gambling revenues. For Hong Kong people, it means that the already crowded streets are even more crowded with slow-walking people with their hands full of shopping bags, sometimes even towing suitcases full of merchandise, gawking at the huge signs, gleaming skyscrapers, shiny luxury cars, and swarms of people.

While some people who enjoy Golden Week go on vacation and others stay home to relax, yet others go "home". By home, I mean either their ancestral homes or where their parents live. Chinese New Year is when migrant workers, students, and transplanted professionals usually return home. I don't know why, but I do know that it's a tradition, and everyone is expected to go home. Anyway, a handful of Mainland Chinese students from my residence have gone home for at least part of the week, maybe the whole week, to join their friends and families who have the week off.

A lot of people ask me when I'll go back to Vancouver. I honestly don't think I'll go back for at least two years. I went back home for two weeks this past June and regretted it. One week would have been sufficient. It was nice to see my family, relatives, and a few of my friends, but they don't really need to see me for that long. And though I still have many good good friends in Vancouver, my very best friends aren't there. What's worst is that Vancouver no longer feels like home. My sister has annexed my bedroom and has turned it into her office - I had to sleep in my brother's room, in my late grandma's old bed, or on a couch. My parents sold my car, and if you live in any Canadian suburb, you'd know you more or less need a car to get around. Also, I'd rather spend my leftover scholarship money and very limited 14 days of vacation time per year exploring places I've never visited. Cambodia, Egypt, Turkey, and Brazil are very high on my desire list, but perhaps Cambodia is more realistic. Thailand will be a compromise destination, but not a disappointing one, I'm sure.