Me, Wonder

I used to find the relaxation music amusing, with the sound of nature at home is just unthinkable. After knowing I could easily spend time in the countryside, I get to hear the waving trees, the flowing waters and the singing birds. This is the natural dolby surround sound experience.

At least two friends of mine had asked me the exact same question:
They asked if I’m planning to hike all the mountain trails in Hong Kong. I just can’t think of another answer when ‘Yes’ was the easiest way to put it. I want to see every part of Hong Kong.

I guess that’s a goal that I’ve in mind. I know one day, likely the end of this year I’ll be going back to the same trails. That might be an end to my exploration. I think it’s a good excuse to get out of the apartment and spend a day somewhere else. In a way, it’s also my body training and quite a confidence builder.

The ruins (abandoned village) that I went by last week and left me shocked by the changes at the original site. Many of the houses had collapsed, plants grew out of the house. The nature is as if reclaiming back the land.

There were left behind rice cookers, made me wonder how many family members had it served. There were left behind radios, made me wonder how many typhoon reports had it announced through. There were left behind light bulbs, made me wonder how many nights had it lit up for a family. There were left behind sandals, made me wonder if that lady is still around.

Some Stories

The Chinese New Year this year briefly went by. It went by with a bit of chaos on the news. The riot happened in Mongkok regarding the disputes between the supporters illegal hawkers and the police. A lot had gone wrong between them such as why the police did not contain the escalated situation earlier, or why they’ve gone so violent (the first time in my generation). Critics say it’s a very complex situation when the violent riot broke out, policies are outdated, ramification between the youngsters and government. There’s just not a compromise in sight.

Once people started to lose faith in their own government, they’re very vulnerable. They start to look for people with the same ideology in mind. It’s no surprised that many local activists have formed groups to speak their own voice.

Many of our younger generation is lacking a sense of belonging, a sense of security. These people will witness Hong Kong return to China in their middle age. Believe me not, they do not want to see Hong Kong get controlled by the PRC. There’s just so much uncertainty ahead. And to be frank needs PRC is still not a likable new China that we love so much about, such as the safest food to get on earth, no more uncivilized acts anywhere, openness to human rights. At this point, it’s just hard for us to imagine if we could use Google, Facebook in the year 2047. Most of us do not know how the future would turn out.

To me, it’s too much time wasted to think about the future. The social media can be an insidious parasite. The suggested results on the news feed aids on what the readers wish to read about. The longer you stay on it, the more you’d get bombard by it. I’ve told people I do not update my Facebook much, at the same time that does not mean I do not spend time on it. I feel very awkward to make friends to people. I suck at it when I think about how inactive i’m on the social media, how rare i hang out with a bunch of people. It’s true that we all have priorities.

My recent experience on asking a girl out. It reminded me of how much a crush can do to me. I lose sleep, anxiously wait for messages, my mind can get fixed on her all day long. Although she’d eventually refused, i did try with no regret. I learned that how difficult it’s in real life to pair up. Indeed, it is in my social circle. I put all these thoughts away and continue with my hike journeys.

I told that girl about these hikes.

Lost Forever

Previous weeks had been freezing cold. For the local Hong Kongers, it was a bit of a surprise. As a matter of fact, it recorded the coldest temperature since 1950s. There was even rumor circulated that there would be snow! That made everyone get to the higher ground to witness this nature phenomenon – the frost. Everyone got stuck on the mountain due to the frozen slippery ground, people suffered from hypothermia. It then transformed into a comical rescue operation. Everyone slipped on the frozen road, including the rescuers. And there was the viral video of a disgruntle woman yelled at the police for not allowing her to go further for safety reason. I admit I planned to get to the third tallest mountain. The rain left me no choice but to forbid this idea. It continued to rain for over a full week.

There’s always a beautiful sunny day as an interlude. I missed being out there on foot.

Over the course of my recent hikes, I learned that there’s more than one way to see the city. There’re many opportunities to develop an alternative tourist destination. There’re just many more creative ways to re-build Hong Kong’s tourism. I never get why everyone puts so much effort in the retail sector while it’s not sustainable as a way to attract tourists in long run, especially they’re focusing on the luxury fashion, jewelry brands. It really has nothing to do with Hong Kong, just another extravaganza global name. These names are there because we wished to please and satisfy the bulk of the tourist market.

You can’t blame the lost in sales when mainland tourists no longer come here. They should question why the rents had gone up crazy, making the only tenants who could afford (franchise) sell what they’re selling. Why aren’t there local brands or locally made products that are so established we could be proud of? It’s just short sighted when we see it from the beginning. They knew all along this day is going to come.

And how about the government tries to sale their super expensive ‘food truck’ idea to the public. What good does it do when the start up costs are so high and lots of can’t do? The franchise will be the only winner just pick it up and take over. To me, it’s just a facility, not a tourist spot of its own. And certainly not a lot of ‘public’ space in the city to do that freely. It’s not going to be the next big thing, at least that’s not how we try to incorporate a community-like environment when everyone thinks/talks/smells money. They’re really desperate in driving the tourism industry back up.

The ‘food truck’ is just a tip of an iceberg. Without its roots or any basis from the original  site, It’s just not going to last very long. It’s like they’re trying too hard to serve up a nicely grilled dry aged steak with a SOHO price tag, and being served in a wonton soup noodles. Oh, and some people don’t eat beef!

The dying businesses are the heart and soul of the city. They cannot sustain due to the limitations in a modern setting. Without sufficient marketing and new thinking to re-brand, re-create the products, they’ll die sooner. When it’s lost, then it can lost forever..