Everyone tells me California is the land of the fit. I spent the weekend in LA with a friend. My first stop on my garden leave tour of the U.S. Michael, our visiting guide, tells us that everyone is obsessed with the gym, health, and looks in LA. Jay Leno often makes the joke that if you have a silicon magnet, you'd attract every girl's boobs in LA.
I am no expert in nutrition or health - I'm not even super diligent in what I eat. However, given what I saw in LA, I now have no doubt why most Americans are overweight. Every restaurant we went to, I could not finish a single serving/meal, whether it's burgers and fries, a salad, or a sandwich. For a full meal in Hong Kong, a table of 4 would usually share an appetizer or two, then each have an entree. On the boardwalk of Manhattan Beach, three of us shared one appetizer, which was only half done and none of us even made a dent in our food, which were 2 salads and a sandwich. The size of the servings were simply out of control. Each portion is at least 2x the portions in Hong Kong.
Of course, we get use to it as we dine out and our appetite gradually increase/shrink with the sizes we are served. My parents mentioned that I seemed to have lost weight since we last saw each other in February. I have taken no concious effort on that in Hong Kong. Yet when I was taking close care of my nutritional intake in U.S., it was difficult to lose even a single pound. Portion sizes matter.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Lack of Trust
I resigned my job on Friday - one of the MD's asked why I didn't do it earlier - I didn't say why but he assumed it was a lack of trust over compensation here in Hong Kong.
In New York, leaving was a normal thing for analysts - people left all the time for other opportunities - they would still be compensated properly because it's the norm. In Hong Kong, not the case. People don't trust anyone here; and they should not. Too many people move around; too many people change jobs; too many people have been to too many places to really care. In the end, one must take care of its own self surivival. The bankers I know are ugly, cruel, and heartless.
I had a great time here in Hong Kong - how it's ending breaks my heart.
In New York, leaving was a normal thing for analysts - people left all the time for other opportunities - they would still be compensated properly because it's the norm. In Hong Kong, not the case. People don't trust anyone here; and they should not. Too many people move around; too many people change jobs; too many people have been to too many places to really care. In the end, one must take care of its own self surivival. The bankers I know are ugly, cruel, and heartless.
I had a great time here in Hong Kong - how it's ending breaks my heart.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Thailand's Tourism Villages
Throughout my trip to Chiang Mai, I noticed something over and over again - villages whose existence is for the sole purpose of tourism. While tourism makes up only 6.5% of Thailand's total GDP, it seems to dominate Chiang Mai's economic purpose. It seems that the hoards of tourists that visits each village each today completely sustains the entire livelihood of everyone in the villages.
The first village which tourism was a major theme was the Jungle Flight. While the Flight of the Gibbons was the major attraction everyone named, Jungle Flight was equally amazing, for a much cheaper price. a 7 hour adventure with Jungle Flight costed 2,100 Baht, where a 5 hour Flight of the Gibbons tour costed 2,990. We went through 34 platforms on various ziplines, drops, and amazing stunts. Absolutely one of the best tourist attractions in Chiang Mai - if you have one day to do something here, do this. You drive an hour to a remote Jungle, where the village is abuzz with groups and groups of tourists ready to whirl their way through the jungle. The women cook - there's a lunch or dinner at the end. The men are guides for the tour. We saw little kids practicing zip lines on the side, getting ready to be tour guides. It seems that this entire village has flourished (everyone does seem to have a very nice pickup truck and well-fed) because of the Jungle Flight.
The second village would be the Elephant Camp we visited. Riding an elephant is the defining tourist activity here. The men ride the elephant, given tourist an hour ride, where the halfway point is a banana station selling bananas to feed the elephant. Afterwards, there's also lunch provided. So people either trianed elephants, looked after them, sold bananas, or cooked for the tourists. I was told the elephants are extremely valuable, costing more than most cars. Those who owns them are more powerful than landlords.
The last village would be the Long-Neck/Big-Ears village we visited. According to our guide, the Long-necks came from Burma a few years ago to escape the repression of the Myanmar's regime. The village we visited were simply stalls and stalls of shops selling different souvenier items, most of which are mass produced and are the same from stall to stall. While it's interesting the women wear the rings around their necks, the village was 100% driven by tourism revenue, through what we purchase and the admissions fee we pay to enter the village. Very disappointing was very little was learned about how they lived and the history of their people. Everything was simply about money.
The first village which tourism was a major theme was the Jungle Flight. While the Flight of the Gibbons was the major attraction everyone named, Jungle Flight was equally amazing, for a much cheaper price. a 7 hour adventure with Jungle Flight costed 2,100 Baht, where a 5 hour Flight of the Gibbons tour costed 2,990. We went through 34 platforms on various ziplines, drops, and amazing stunts. Absolutely one of the best tourist attractions in Chiang Mai - if you have one day to do something here, do this. You drive an hour to a remote Jungle, where the village is abuzz with groups and groups of tourists ready to whirl their way through the jungle. The women cook - there's a lunch or dinner at the end. The men are guides for the tour. We saw little kids practicing zip lines on the side, getting ready to be tour guides. It seems that this entire village has flourished (everyone does seem to have a very nice pickup truck and well-fed) because of the Jungle Flight.
The second village would be the Elephant Camp we visited. Riding an elephant is the defining tourist activity here. The men ride the elephant, given tourist an hour ride, where the halfway point is a banana station selling bananas to feed the elephant. Afterwards, there's also lunch provided. So people either trianed elephants, looked after them, sold bananas, or cooked for the tourists. I was told the elephants are extremely valuable, costing more than most cars. Those who owns them are more powerful than landlords.
The last village would be the Long-Neck/Big-Ears village we visited. According to our guide, the Long-necks came from Burma a few years ago to escape the repression of the Myanmar's regime. The village we visited were simply stalls and stalls of shops selling different souvenier items, most of which are mass produced and are the same from stall to stall. While it's interesting the women wear the rings around their necks, the village was 100% driven by tourism revenue, through what we purchase and the admissions fee we pay to enter the village. Very disappointing was very little was learned about how they lived and the history of their people. Everything was simply about money.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
New York City - One Year Later
Look at my passport - you'll see that my entry stamp to Hong Kong was July 27, 2010. My first entry back to New York City was exactly 2 days and 1 year later. The funny thing is, nothing in New York has changed. Sure, there is the Book of Mormon, the new hottest show on broadway, and new restaurants spurring up here and there. But overall, New York has not changed. I went to restaurant week at One if by Land, Two if by Sea, a restaurant I always wanted to go but never made time for in New York. I went to brunch, I went to Museum on upper east side. I went to my favorite restaurant next to my old apartment. I went to 745 7th Ave to work. I went shopping at the Banana Republic at the Rockfeller Center and bought clothes. It seems nothing much has changed at all.
I thought about my trip in New York - I realized I liked New York when I lived there, but I have no regrets on moving. If I do it over again, I would do the exact same thing, for my life in Hong Kong has offered me a chance to travel and opened my eyes to different cultures and people, the way my life in New York would have never been able to. In New York, I hung out with the same crowd: work and school. Here in Hong Kong, the people I have met came from all walks of life. They have exciting stories. They have views that I would never have thought of, comprehended before. I have traveled to more places this year than I have in the previous lifetime combined.
I'm glad I returned to New York. It was great catching up with friends. I'm equally glad that I'm in Asia now.
I thought about my trip in New York - I realized I liked New York when I lived there, but I have no regrets on moving. If I do it over again, I would do the exact same thing, for my life in Hong Kong has offered me a chance to travel and opened my eyes to different cultures and people, the way my life in New York would have never been able to. In New York, I hung out with the same crowd: work and school. Here in Hong Kong, the people I have met came from all walks of life. They have exciting stories. They have views that I would never have thought of, comprehended before. I have traveled to more places this year than I have in the previous lifetime combined.
I'm glad I returned to New York. It was great catching up with friends. I'm equally glad that I'm in Asia now.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Travel Observations
By a stroke of lucky, a friend of mine was taking a flight 5 minutes before my flight to New York. We decided to have a late dinner in the first class Cathay lounge – he recently got a gold/platinum status in one of the One World Alliance memberships. Naturally, we, being immature little kids who discussed various inappropriate subjects during power breakfast at the Mandarin Grill, got super excited to go. As we were entering the lounge, we noticed this 40ish year-old white European male arguing with the lounge attendees. He was so angry that Cathay Pacific did not upgrade him from Business Class to First Class. He demanded to know if anyone has received a free upgrade on his flight, then started yelling at the attendees’ because he’s a Marco Polo member etc. etc., he should be upgraded.
Hong Kong really is a place about luxury. People get angry when they don’t get upgraded to first class! Business classes are considered “inadequate.” I wonder sometimes, will I become one of them? Just a few days ago, I went to the Mandarin again for breakfast with someone. He kept on complaining about the wait staff, how the coffee came late, how the food was not exactly what he ordered, etc. He is a good friend so I don’t wish to judge. But the spoiled nature of Hong Kong is always difficult to predict.
Hong Kong really is a place about luxury. People get angry when they don’t get upgraded to first class! Business classes are considered “inadequate.” I wonder sometimes, will I become one of them? Just a few days ago, I went to the Mandarin again for breakfast with someone. He kept on complaining about the wait staff, how the coffee came late, how the food was not exactly what he ordered, etc. He is a good friend so I don’t wish to judge. But the spoiled nature of Hong Kong is always difficult to predict.
Does New York Ever Change?
A friend once told, New York never changes. Since I left New York last July, I felt my world has changed completely: my thoughts on work, my thoughts on career, where I thought I would be now, whom I thought I would be now, what I would have done in Hong Kong, all completely different from what I expected. I have done things I never thought I would, been to more places than I have ever done in the previous 23 years of my life. I have changed more in the past 367 days than I have changed in the two years I was living in New York. I know I will have a blast in New York, but instead of feeling excited to go, I feel anxious. How do you greet an old friend who has changed at all while you have become a completely new person?
Everything in New York has stayed the same. I’m going to restaurant week with my friends on Friday – a restaurant I wanted to try before I left but never had a chance to. I’m going to lunch with the same co-workers, drinks at the same time square bars, and museums with the same friends as I did a year ago. It feels like I will be stepping backwards in time, but seeing everything with whole new eyes. It’s almost an out-of-body experience as I’ve been planning my activities in New York – it’s the same drama with the same people. It’s the same planning process with the same people. By coming back to New York, I have realized how much I have changed. It might not have been for the better, but I have changed.
Everything in New York has stayed the same. I’m going to restaurant week with my friends on Friday – a restaurant I wanted to try before I left but never had a chance to. I’m going to lunch with the same co-workers, drinks at the same time square bars, and museums with the same friends as I did a year ago. It feels like I will be stepping backwards in time, but seeing everything with whole new eyes. It’s almost an out-of-body experience as I’ve been planning my activities in New York – it’s the same drama with the same people. It’s the same planning process with the same people. By coming back to New York, I have realized how much I have changed. It might not have been for the better, but I have changed.
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