The Plus/Minus

I'm over two and a half years deep into my time in Hong Kong... time for an assessment. If there's anything I learned these days, point form, well spaced text is the best way to convey a lot of different subject matter. That means point form and well differentiated sentences (read: space between topics ha). So here's my break down of the plus (good) / minus (bad), keeping in mind how shit was back home in Canada.

Plus

Convenience: Regardless of what service you're looking for, electronics, food, laundry etc, they're all spread out everywhere. The per capita of convenience stores is overwhelming. Depending on how I walk home, I can come across like three convenience stores in a 5-minute walk.

Great Food: I rarely leave a meal in HK saying that shit was wack. It happens but not often. Maybe given the fierce competitive nature, everything is quite good. Good or great. Even the most basic of meals comes across as being delicious. As well the diverse culture (even more diverse than Canada I'd say) allows for a number of interesting cuisines.

Work Atmosphere: For better or worse, shit is s crazy here. Everybody is grinding all the time. I've touched on this before, there are so many instances of wealth and success flashed in your face on the day-to-day, you have nothing else but to be motivated to get your shit in gear and make it.

Good opportunity: As a gateway to Asia in some ways and one of Asia's most foreign-friendly cities due to its Western culture, you get tons of opportunity. You get the best of both worlds in terms of having people make a deliberate stop in Hong Kong for its business hub nature (prior to going to China perhaps) while still having the ability to get a lot of back-end production stuff done just an hour away in China. So many people I've had a chance to meet that I probably wouldn't have had I still been in Edmonton.

Great Transportation: Other parts of the world, a car is almost expected. Luckily Hong Kong's transportation is dope. I don't feel like a useless bum without a car and nobody will really look down on you haha. I felt so bum-ish having to take the Edmonton Transit to work at the Nike Factory Store back home haha. Anyways, the MTR (subway) covers pretty much most of the places you want to go minus the boonies or the real baller places (you have a car anyways you rich fuck). Taxis are cheap(er) and in abundance, double decker buses run relatively regularly and the iconic mini-bus is like a taxi with a pre-determined route, but no stops. People wave that shit down like a taxi but otherwise it will keep trucking along.

Leisure Time: Whatever time I have left to chill, seems like there's a lot more to do. Sports (which I participate rarely in), the club, the bar, karaoke and just general drunk fests are in abundance. You have a large number of poisons to pick from that's for sure. But alas, no winter sports, no GTing at Connors Hill in -30 weather. In retrospect, I listed all the great venues for getting drunk, I'm so wack... FML hahaha.

Negative

FOB thinking: Some locals just have retarded ways of thinking. Generally quite conservative, ignorant, the list goes on. Most often people only think of themselves, pretty selfish and assholes. I can't think of a day that goes on where there isn't so asshole that deserves a punch in the face for some dumb shit they've done. Everybody is usually impatient as well. But these are almost canceling factors, sometimes they're good, sometimes they're bad.

Pollution: While the pollution isn't necessarily Hong Kong's fault due to production in the Pearl Delta in China, nevertheless we have to put up with it. Physically I don't really feel it on the lungs cause I'm a physical specimen (ha!), but you can see it all day everyday. Sooooooo hazy, an otherwise beautiful skyline routinely gets ruined by the haze.

Crowding: Man, I used to like going to Mong Kok, but shit is so packed. I have somebody accosting me every 5 steps. Same goes for clubs. The lack of physical space makes it extremely claustrophobic. As well rent is sooo expensive which leads to my next minus...

Expensive: When I first came back, I was like damn homie everything is so cheap... ehhh not really. Relatively cheaper but not really. Gas is hella expensive, rent is expensive, housing is expensive, high-demand products have fluctuating pricing etc. As cheap as Hong Kong is, there are cheaper joints only a few hours away like China, Thailand, Taiwan etc. Did I mention

Social Hierarchy: The gap amongst poor and rich is sickening in many ways. So many people think they're too good for some people. You have one of the largest populations of per capita millionaires yet people are soooo poor in other parts of Hong Kong.

Lack of a creative community: As touched upon a few times already, everybody is so competitive and looking after their own shit. There's a lack of a creative community cause nobody is taking care of one another and helping uplift the overall scene when it comes to the arts, music etc. Makes for something real boring and shit. But it is a multitude of factors I must concede, I mean galleries, show venues etc are so expensive cause of rent. No issue is truly clear-cut when it comes to solving it.

Weather: Right now, it's super cold (by my standards), windy sea breezes do their fair share of damage ahaha. But come summer time, it's sickly hot. So humid, it's disgusting. You come out of the shower and never really get dry. Winter is dope, almost t-shirt weather but still gives you the opportunity to rock outerwear, but summer ugh... you'll sweat your pouch off in shorts and a tee.

I'm sure there's more wack/good shit, but these are off the top of my head.

Peaaaaaaaaaaaace

-Eugene