Charles
great shirt and... child... that sounds weird. Maybe I should've said "great photo of the shirt and your child looks lovely" instead! Your wife makes custom tees? Cool
Mike, I can't seem to get those pigeons in my shots when I want them there. Those little buggers keep moving!
Frank, despite my frequent visits to Toronto, I haven't seen or been to any of the places you took photos at... I should explore more.
This post will be quite... lengthy... just a warning, I guess?
I've only been in Hong Kong for about two days, I really can't tell if I like it here. The bad things first... it's extremely packed. The apartments are tiny, the one I'm living in is probably about 60-70 square meters. The washroom is about 2x2, the shower is about 1x1. each room is probably around 2x3. There are a total of 7 people living in this apartment, including my family and I. Everything's really dirty... after being outside all day, a white shirt can turn a little grey, and you really want to avoid any liquid that's on the ground. The people are... mostly rude. It's also always around 30 degrees here, with the humidity making it feel like 40, you're always sticky when you're outside... it's also impossible to breathe.
The good... the food is cheap, decent portions (a small bowl of noodles, a piece of french toast, and a pop is about $2CAD), plenty of cheap technology, and transportation is extremely efficient.
I noticed something, though. It seemed like most parents I encounter in Hong Kong don't quite... have their priorities straight. It was mothers day when we landed, so my dad's side of the family went out for breakfast. At the restaurant, we sat next to another family who was also out for mother's day. The father was making a scene, screaming at his child because he didn't do his homework until late into the night. For the entire 45 minutes they were there, he kept yelling, and when he wasn't yelling, he kept quiet, looking angry. The mother went unnoticed, sitting quietly watching this happen... at least she got a rose. This morning, I saw a father sitting quietly at a restaurant, his child, about 3-4 years old, calling out for his attention. The father snaps at the child after a while, the kid keeps quiet. The kid burns his tongue, cries, the father ignores him. The kid's grandma finally takes care of him.
Though, that's not to say that all parents here are horrible... I did see a few things that made me smile. I wrote this to Hillary:
So I think I found the two most beautiful people in Hong Kong today! There was this girl, she was about 5'4, probably around our age (give or take a year or two), long hair, pretty, but not extremely good looking. She looked really plain, no make up, simple clothes, nothing too special. She also had a younger brother, or cousin... he was about 2-3 years old, cute, really cute, a happy child! The girl's aunt asked her to take care of the kid while she went to buy bread, so the girl picked him up and started playing with him. The kid kept laughing, smiling, and pulling on her shirt. She kept a smile on her face while she talked to him and played with him. I thought it was the most beautiful thing, and I couldn't take my eyes off them. I don't know why. I thought about taking a photo, but I didn't want to take one and not talk to them... though, I didn't know enough chinese to talk to them. Sucks...
I also saw a family of 5, Dad, Mom, 3 daughters, no older than 6. The dad spent all his time playing with the kids, joking around with them and such. It was really nice
This kind of all made me realize that I want a child. Of course, not right now (I'm only 19!!!), much later in life. I've always been shakey on the idea... didn't want to mess up the child's life, didn't know if I could handle the responsibility. Though now I kind of realized that children are almost... vital to my idea of a complete life. I the joy that the girl holding her cousin got, the same joy the father entertaining his children experienced, is joy that can only be felt through children. Though, I also learned that I've got to be ready for them, I've got to put them first. I don't want to end up like the other two fathers I mentioned.
AND FINALLY... I hate how it's impossible to photograph anything or anyone without getting yelled at by someone here. I photograph my grandma and cousin at the hospital, I get yelled at for invading privacy. I photograph people at the market, I get yelled at because they're afraid I work for a publication, writing an article on animal cruelty. I photograph people outside a 7-11, I get yelled at because... apparently 7-11 holds some pretty important goods that they can't have photos of floating around online (I made that last one up... can't imagine why). I can't even take a tourist landscape photo, or a photo in a crowded street of vendors without people telling me I'm in the way, or thinking I'm taking a photo of them. I gave up taking photos on the street today... but here's what I got so far.
Papa and Mama Cheung at the HK Airport.
Re-united on Mothers Day
Papa Cheung and Grandma Cheung
Mama Cheung and her mother... well... only Grandma Wong!
One more of my dad's family... well.. about a third of them
And... the subway