Reflections of Hong Kong @ 4 months

It's been four months since my relocation and I just thought I'd share a few thoughts on this metropolitan, superstar city of Asia...

1) Cheap food can be DELICIOUS. Expensive food can be CRAP.


e.g. The photo above was taken at Stanley, at a nice French restaurant. Don't be fooled- The meal was relatively cheap. Only costed around $20US for an authentic three-course French meal. DELICIOUS food at a good price. I need not mention authentic CHINESE food, which is usually a delight to taste buds at an even cheaper price! On the other hand, a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to dine at an exclusive private club called Kee Club. I felt sick the entire evening after eating the (not so fresh) fish. The bill? About $1000US for 6 people!

2) Money cannot buy you happiness. On my way to work everyday, I see billboard after billboard, ad after ad, of the latest fashion, luxury goods, tech gadgets, real estate properties, automobiles- whatever material possession you can name, there will most likely be an ad for it...  I see lots of ambitious people striving to get to the top- to make the most money, to fight for the highest position- and when they're there, they are... empty. They're not really happy. I say this from observing my patients, who (or whose family) probably fall in the highest income bracket. Sure, having some money makes life easier, but money doesn't equate to happiness. The blind pursuit of money or having lots of it can even be the root of many problems. Also, I find many rich "tai tai"'s to be quite pretentious here (or perhaps they are this way all around the world but I didn't realize it because I've been the good ol'  ignorant Canadian until now! ). Of course, there are the really nice people, as well. I guess I shouldn't generalize, but I do find that people are in much more of a pursuit for luxury here in Hong Kong, as compared to Toronto.   

3) It's easier to take SHORT vacations in Asia. This is because of the proximity of the different countries. For $300US per person (flight and accomodation), you can go on a 3-day trip- to a totally different COUNTRY! And lots of different things to do on those trips as well...  Imagine feeding the monkeys on the weekend and then returning to work on a Monday!  



4) If you walk around wearing shades and an ALIVENOTDEAD hat, some locals do doubletakes and stare. I guess not many locals like wearing caps or shades... or perhaps they're trying to figure out what "ALIVENOTDEAD" means...