-eXtreme
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Pictorial Adventures
Here's an amalgamation of the last few weeks... about a week or so of what I've been up to... I'd usually fill in with some text but I'm pretty tired and got a decently big day ahead of me tomorrow... Fridays usually are. Tokyo was unreal... while my first time there was as a true tourist when I went with Dee earlier this year, this time around it was a true submersion (or at least a much deeper one) into Tokyo's under-belly of culture. All the shit I dig and crave was before me and never before has it made me so inspired to jump shit and move there. Probably sort something out for that mid-2009 but who knows. Most people wouldn't consider HK boring... but to me it has become exactly that. Whether a city like Tokyo will fall victim to my own personal changing tastes, I won't rule it out but if you've ever been you'll realize how special it really is.
-eXtreme
-eXtreme
Saturday, December 6, 2008
SNAP SNAP SNAP
It's sort of ironic that following my trip to Japan, my whole perspective changed quite quickly on a great deal of things within such a short period. Looking to perhaps make a middle-term move to Tokyo is definitely something I want to explore for beyond just better work opportunities. Having felt that new challenges are in order, hopefully I can do something interesting and fruitful over there and break-free from a certain level of staleness I'm met within Hong Kong.
I actually missed Andy's second last post regarding intentions of life. I think that I still have the same measuring stick in some aspects which I'll never truly be able to escape from, but yeh it does come down to how hard you can cake it haha... But I think that my reasonings some how justify my position a little better... but Andy is still the little humanitarian angel ahahaha... now onto what I was going to talk about...
I'm not sure when I got super down in photography, but like many things in life, it takes awhile to "connect the dots" as Steve Jobs would put it. As a kid, I was absolutely terrible expressing myself visually with things like drawing, painting etc... my little brother Nathan got the long end of the stick in that regard. However, that's not to say that I didn't have (in my opinion anyways) an eye for aesthetically pleasing forms... I just couldn't replicate it on my own.
Enter photography and the advent of digital photography. I definitely don't want to take anything away from seasoned professionals and world-class snappers, but unlike other forms of visual communication, photography is something much easier to pick up then say actual illustrations and painting. And while good equipment will help grab you that Kodak Moment, obviously consistency and a good photo sense speaks volumes for the best around.
However, I guess another great drawing point to my "photographic career" was that I took shots that I genuinely liked on my own. Regardless if everybody else thought they were shit, they were something that appeased me and in some ways were a split second memory in life for me... however inconsequential.
It's been quite comforting to just take some shots which even surprise you... and I guess as a hobby my opinion is the only thing that matters is my own thoughts. I have an album of what I considered some of my favorite pics which I printed out and it's just nice to leaf through them whenever you're bored... feel down or in a general state of poopiness.
I ran out of text to insert photos... so I'll just put up some of my favorites from the last little while hahaa... I wish I had more "photography" pictures rather then just candids... as of right now it seems like it's a bit contrived to make artistic photography rather then just let it happen... hopefully it becomes a little more organic and natural.
-eXtreme
PS: Click on images to see them @ 800 px wide.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
CHANGE
(the photos I've taken and inserted here have little to do with the context of the blog post... but straight reading is boring.. but blog post on photography... coming next!)
Despite having ample time to conjure up a decent blog post as I awaited Andrew's submissions (we've unofficially decided to go back and forth 1 to 1 whenever possible), I'm actually going into this winging it. I sort of thought that I would speak about how living in HK has changed me, and as I glance down to the bottom right corner and see 5:46 turn into 5:47 am, I wonder if I have the patience to do it. Might as well make a (futile) attempt at it.
But before I go any further, within the last few seconds I really questioned if any personal changes that went down were so much un-discovered characteristics I myself possessed deep within or that Hong Kong really did have an evolutionary effect on me. The most glaring change which in retrospect I don't think is really that great due to my surroundings is the theme of being a "hard worker". People always say Hong Kong is great cause everybody is grinding, trying to get somewhere... and often I've told people... yeh HK is great cause it makes you a hardworker. But now that I think of it... not so much. True, I never put in a solid effort in school but that was far from me not understanding what hardwork and commitment were. I always went pretty hard for the stuff I was passionate about, whether it be the obvious one in soccer and the weights to deeper darker secrets my roommates only knew like skipping school to play Age of Empires II by myself. But looking upon things, Hong Kong is not without its own series of un-motivated and "lazy" people. However what makes things interesting is the secondary factors related to this "hardwork". While not proud of it so much, so-called hardwork/talent/competition for the most part can be seen thrusted in your face on a day to day basis. You can't walk a quarter of a city block without some balling ass car swoooshing by you. Or walk the street without passing a big fashion house displaying handbags that cost more then your monthly salary. These in itself are motivation...
Now I'm not saying I need some expensive ass piece of designer fashion to satisfy my pathetic little ego, it goes beyond that... it's a feeling of achievement. In other parts of the world, materialistic wealth isn't deemed the most important precursor to success, but unfortunately I've succumbed to that in more ways then others. I am that yuppie that wants to be driving the Nissan GT-R or Ferrari (yeeeeh GEE-TEE AHRRO compared to the Prancing Horse... WHAT), living on the mountainside with two domestic workers... well not necessarily, but I do want that freedom of having cash in the bank to do what you want whether it be start new projects or just jet-set. As well, I've always been big on objective measures. Life is wholeheartedly a competition to me which makes it so fun. I hate losing, I hate being bested... so in the grand scheme of things what better ranking system then your bank account. Having written the last few words, I think already you can draw some massive parallels between Andrew's quest vs. Eugene's. I guess I was fucked from the start getting into a consumer driven industry while Andy is out literally saving the world. Actually I'm not even that proud of my views, but hopefully at the young tender age of 24, I still have years ahead of me to figure it out properly However, at least one thing I've found out is that within Hong Kong, for the most part people that want to do something... do it... straight up. They don't putz around and waste time... it gets done. Hopefully this is something that I can embody and really drive me forward from here on in. I've been pretty pro-active in finding my weakness and trying to effectively eliminate them or lessen their impact on my life. It's this constant self-reflection and analysis that will sort my life out... I hope haha *stops the emo*.
Actually... another big gripe of mine is how I've become so impatient and constantly become a slave to anything time-related. I'm constantly trying to lifehack my way into gaining some precious few moments. Brushing my teeth in the shower (I know lots of people do this), becoming proficient in left-handed chopstick use (so I can eat while using my mouse/computer at the same time) and reading on the bus on my phone instead of the computer are all things you try to do to get ahead of "TIME". Going back to North America is like working in slow-motion and the cultural differences in eating have really changed my mindset as well. While eating-out in Hong Kong is often considered a necessity and common occurrence, it's not like back home when the only time any of us would get together to eat out would be as a social gathering. It's more then common to see people eat by themselves in restaurants and it really changes the social context... you're eating to eat and that's it... eat and screw-off so I can move some more customers. I can't stand the seemingly long ten mintues it takes for you to get me my appetizer in Canada... although hahaha conversely I complain when I'm eating in HK and I've yet to finish my appetizer only to see my entree emerge with no room to spare on this tiny table before me. Ultimately, patience is something that can't be bought and not easily possessed and definitely a quality that requires a great deal of understanding regarding how you can use it... I just need that clock to run a little slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwer.
6:14 am... done... (was done like 8 minutes earlier but I ran through it once... eyes getting heavy : /) time to hit the showers and sleep!
-eXtreme
Despite having ample time to conjure up a decent blog post as I awaited Andrew's submissions (we've unofficially decided to go back and forth 1 to 1 whenever possible), I'm actually going into this winging it. I sort of thought that I would speak about how living in HK has changed me, and as I glance down to the bottom right corner and see 5:46 turn into 5:47 am, I wonder if I have the patience to do it. Might as well make a (futile) attempt at it.
But before I go any further, within the last few seconds I really questioned if any personal changes that went down were so much un-discovered characteristics I myself possessed deep within or that Hong Kong really did have an evolutionary effect on me. The most glaring change which in retrospect I don't think is really that great due to my surroundings is the theme of being a "hard worker". People always say Hong Kong is great cause everybody is grinding, trying to get somewhere... and often I've told people... yeh HK is great cause it makes you a hardworker. But now that I think of it... not so much. True, I never put in a solid effort in school but that was far from me not understanding what hardwork and commitment were. I always went pretty hard for the stuff I was passionate about, whether it be the obvious one in soccer and the weights to deeper darker secrets my roommates only knew like skipping school to play Age of Empires II by myself. But looking upon things, Hong Kong is not without its own series of un-motivated and "lazy" people. However what makes things interesting is the secondary factors related to this "hardwork". While not proud of it so much, so-called hardwork/talent/competition for the most part can be seen thrusted in your face on a day to day basis. You can't walk a quarter of a city block without some balling ass car swoooshing by you. Or walk the street without passing a big fashion house displaying handbags that cost more then your monthly salary. These in itself are motivation...
Now I'm not saying I need some expensive ass piece of designer fashion to satisfy my pathetic little ego, it goes beyond that... it's a feeling of achievement. In other parts of the world, materialistic wealth isn't deemed the most important precursor to success, but unfortunately I've succumbed to that in more ways then others. I am that yuppie that wants to be driving the Nissan GT-R or Ferrari (yeeeeh GEE-TEE AHRRO compared to the Prancing Horse... WHAT), living on the mountainside with two domestic workers... well not necessarily, but I do want that freedom of having cash in the bank to do what you want whether it be start new projects or just jet-set. As well, I've always been big on objective measures. Life is wholeheartedly a competition to me which makes it so fun. I hate losing, I hate being bested... so in the grand scheme of things what better ranking system then your bank account. Having written the last few words, I think already you can draw some massive parallels between Andrew's quest vs. Eugene's. I guess I was fucked from the start getting into a consumer driven industry while Andy is out literally saving the world. Actually I'm not even that proud of my views, but hopefully at the young tender age of 24, I still have years ahead of me to figure it out properly However, at least one thing I've found out is that within Hong Kong, for the most part people that want to do something... do it... straight up. They don't putz around and waste time... it gets done. Hopefully this is something that I can embody and really drive me forward from here on in. I've been pretty pro-active in finding my weakness and trying to effectively eliminate them or lessen their impact on my life. It's this constant self-reflection and analysis that will sort my life out... I hope haha *stops the emo*.
Actually... another big gripe of mine is how I've become so impatient and constantly become a slave to anything time-related. I'm constantly trying to lifehack my way into gaining some precious few moments. Brushing my teeth in the shower (I know lots of people do this), becoming proficient in left-handed chopstick use (so I can eat while using my mouse/computer at the same time) and reading on the bus on my phone instead of the computer are all things you try to do to get ahead of "TIME". Going back to North America is like working in slow-motion and the cultural differences in eating have really changed my mindset as well. While eating-out in Hong Kong is often considered a necessity and common occurrence, it's not like back home when the only time any of us would get together to eat out would be as a social gathering. It's more then common to see people eat by themselves in restaurants and it really changes the social context... you're eating to eat and that's it... eat and screw-off so I can move some more customers. I can't stand the seemingly long ten mintues it takes for you to get me my appetizer in Canada... although hahaha conversely I complain when I'm eating in HK and I've yet to finish my appetizer only to see my entree emerge with no room to spare on this tiny table before me. Ultimately, patience is something that can't be bought and not easily possessed and definitely a quality that requires a great deal of understanding regarding how you can use it... I just need that clock to run a little slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwer.
6:14 am... done... (was done like 8 minutes earlier but I ran through it once... eyes getting heavy : /) time to hit the showers and sleep!
-eXtreme
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Welcome to The Hive
Andrew* and I** discussed this prior to him leaving for Malawi, and both feeling semi-warmly to writing we figured a personal blog would be a nice touch... Few if any will ever truly have the ability to experience the culture and surroundings as well as understand our thoughts on how over 20 years of experience in the City of Champions would translate. After being thrusted into all new societies in Hong Kong and Blantyre, Malawi (it's coming up) respectively, you really don't know what to expect. At over 10,000 and 15,000 kms away from Edmonton respectively, you'll never forget about Edmonton but the new chapter of life takes place in this new locales. I still remember the day I left Edmonton, you'll never forget something like that. I was cleaning my room the other day and thought to myself... I can't believe I picked it up and left. Here I am two years later yet feeling that I've survived long enough to return back to a comfort zone that resides in Edmonton. I can't speak on behalf of Andrew, but moving away to a place you've had little to no experience since childhood is more then just a daunting task. But for real, time to get somewhere. I'll never ever talk shit about Edmonton, yet at the same time your own personal desire for achievement trumps the relatively microscopic world of E-Town. I've traded it the numbing cold of Edmonton winters to sweating my sack off 9 months of the year. Sometimes I need to stop myself before my words become a complex jumble with no direction, but then's a double-edge beauty of the blog world. Despite the hyper-connectivity that manifests itself in the present-age, we're lucky to have the ability to share ourselves amongst friends and family alike we'll probably rarely ever see. Oh and for the name... We figured what's black and yellow... obviously a bee and then it "Segway'd" into The Hive.
-Eugene
*Andrew Alinafe Mataya (born 11 May, 1984 in Lilongwe, Malawi) is a Malawian footballer who currently plays for EDSA Division 1 side Southwest United in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. After 21 years in Edmonton, Mataya recently decided to return to the country of his birth to pursue a career in medicine-- a move which he feels will allow him to "enrich his personal development and fulfill his life goals to their fullest potential." Mataya departs for Malawi on Monday, November 10th, 2008 so his final match for United will be one week earlier, on the 3rd against KC Trojans Reserves.
Although acquainting himself to his new surroundings and taking care of his scholastic responsibilities will keep Mataya's plate quite full for much the foreseeable future, he does not consider his move a retirement from competitive football. "I'll play until I die," he has recently remarked. "Consider this an indefinite leave [from football].'
--This biographical article related to Malawian football is a stub. You can help expand it by contacting one of this blog's contributors (seriously, If you have something to add, let us know and if it's good, we might post it).
**I moved to Hong Kong after graduating university to play soccer (pay sucked pretty bad ahah). Knowing full well it was only to mess around after school, I fell into the internet blog world and was lucky enough to find a job at Hypebeast.com where I currently reside as a Managerial Editor. Unlike Andrew, I quit soccer and just lift weights in prepration of winning 2009 Mr. Hong Kong.
-Eugene
*Andrew Alinafe Mataya (born 11 May, 1984 in Lilongwe, Malawi) is a Malawian footballer who currently plays for EDSA Division 1 side Southwest United in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. After 21 years in Edmonton, Mataya recently decided to return to the country of his birth to pursue a career in medicine-- a move which he feels will allow him to "enrich his personal development and fulfill his life goals to their fullest potential." Mataya departs for Malawi on Monday, November 10th, 2008 so his final match for United will be one week earlier, on the 3rd against KC Trojans Reserves.
Although acquainting himself to his new surroundings and taking care of his scholastic responsibilities will keep Mataya's plate quite full for much the foreseeable future, he does not consider his move a retirement from competitive football. "I'll play until I die," he has recently remarked. "Consider this an indefinite leave [from football].'
--This biographical article related to Malawian football is a stub. You can help expand it by contacting one of this blog's contributors (seriously, If you have something to add, let us know and if it's good, we might post it).
**I moved to Hong Kong after graduating university to play soccer (pay sucked pretty bad ahah). Knowing full well it was only to mess around after school, I fell into the internet blog world and was lucky enough to find a job at Hypebeast.com where I currently reside as a Managerial Editor. Unlike Andrew, I quit soccer and just lift weights in prepration of winning 2009 Mr. Hong Kong.
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