Posts in category "Daily Life"

A Day in the Hong Kong Life

Grandma has been handling the chemo well. We’re trying to slow the growth of the major tumor so that there are no blockages. She’s not supposed to eat meat, but we want her to enjoy life (along with the fact that we’re glad she’s eating at all because she has no appetite) so we let her.

Most days are unplanned, just seeing how she’s feeling before we decide to do anything.

I’m beginning to sleep a little better now. For the first week and a half, I’d still wake up in the middle of the night, unable to fall asleep again even though I’d be completely exhausted from jet lag and walking around all day. I’m not sure if I’m just getting used to the day/night pattern, or the fact that I’m tapering off one of my colitis medications which has sleeplessness as one of the side effects.

So the current schedule is:

Wake up around 7:30
Eat breakfast
Watch TV with grandma
Fall asleep on the couch — The windows are left open all the time and the air is relatively cool in the morning, so i’ll just let myself succumb to the breeze and drowsiness. Normally I need to be lying down, wearing a sleep mask, but not in this case. These naps are awesome.
Eat lunch
An activity with grandma if she’s feeling up to it — this can be a walk to the park, getting her hair done and her feet massaged, or a walk to a restaurant
Afternoon tea — Snacks can be sweet, salty, or both
A chance to write, work on pictures, or edit videos because grandma takes a nap
Have dinner
Hang out with guests/family
Watch TV — There are two shows that seem to be big right now that my family enjoys watching; an undercover cop television drama, and a Chinese fantasy called “Big Winter Melon”. I’m really getting into the former because it’s well written with lots of intensity (although the directing style is so out-dated by Hollywood standards). The latter is another story…I’ve tried watching a few episodes and still can’t figure out what’s going on, or even if it’s a comedy or drama.
Shower (a nice way to cool off before going to bed)
Some more writing while everyone is asleep.

It’s been an endless cycle of people coming through the house, whether it’s family or friends, dinner or tea, a chat or a visit. Spending time with them leaves me somewhat lackadaisical. I don’t want to be anti-social and get up to do something else, but I’m rarely involved in any of the conversations, and the topics are often vapid.

Unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to hang out with my Uncle Joe much because I’m trying spend as much time with grandma as possible, but next week should offer a better opportunity. I hope to do more exploring then.

It’s certainly a bittersweet existence here. Being in Hong Kong again fills me with wonder, but seeing my poor grandmother going through so much breaks my heart.

Wong Tai Sin Temple

As a Taoist, I felt it was only natural that I visit the most famous Taoist temple in Hong Kong while here.

Maybe I was being naïve, but I was picturing something like Washington Square Park, except instead of chess board tables, there would be people sitting around, discussing Chuang Tzu’s parables, or sprightly conversations about the happiness of fish. Instead, it was more like a gigantic fortune-telling, wishing well extravaganza. People go there to worship Taoist deities by burning incense, praying to them for their wishes to come true, and have their fortunes told through the practice of kau cim, which is when they shake a container full of bamboo sticks until one falls out, and the character on the stick is interpreted by a soothsayer¹.

It amazes me how vastly different the Taoist philosophy is from the religion. I couldn’t relate to any of this at all. The Taoists here are trying to get a holiday — on Lau Tzu’s birthday, if I understand correctly — because other religions get a day off. This strikes me as somewhat strange, since Lao Tzu is still disputed to be a mythical figure, with an unknown date of birth. I also have to wonder if Lao Tzu would approve of such a ritual.

At one point, there was an old lady worshiping at the entrance of a building, and a woman came out and said, “Ma’am, this is the information booth. You don’t need to worship us.” My uncle and I couldn’t stop laughing.

(This was a quiet day in the middle of the afternoon. Apparently, on special days of the Chinese lunar calendar, it’s packed, and the incense smoke too thick to breathe. Superstition has always been a part of the Chinese culture.)

That’s the part of the video where the people are kneeling, and you can hear the bamboo shakers. It’s a short clip because I wasn’t allowed to film there. [↩]

Hong Kong Food Diary: Week 1

Thumbnail: Stir fried abalone mushrooms with pork

Thumbnail: Coffee, citrus, and sago taro root jellies

Thumbnail: Stir fried crabs in black bean sauce

Thumbnail: Chrysanthemum honey and aloe jelly

Thumbnail: Strawberry and chocolate mousse

Thumbnail: Phoenix talons (chicken feet) and spare ribs in oyster sauce

Thumbnail: Fried black pepper pork chops with onions and potatoes

Thumbnail: Pork knuckles, eggs, and ginger in Chinese black vinegar.

Thumbnail: Steamed scallops with black bean paste

Thumbnail: Steamed shrimp in garlic sauce

Thumbnail: Black steamed fish in sea salt.

I’ve decided to break up my food photos by week, since there’s so much to write about. I’m an extremely picky eater, but I’ve ravenously consumed everything that’s come across my plate (aside from one type of fish, and a dish involving bitter melon). I’m not sure if it’s because the food is fresh, cooked well, or because I can’t cook Chinese food myself and have been without for a long time, but everything tastes so good. And these aren’t photos of all the food I’ve eaten so far; there have been a few times I didn’t have my still camera with me.

Fish is bought fresh every day since the markets are so close. I don’t get a chance to eat fish very often, but now it seems to be in every meal. I don’t think I’ve had the same dish more than twice. This is the reason why I was going to come with Pat and Jen last year, who are gourmands beyond me. And Bronwen, because she loves trying new things, especially food related.

If you want descriptions and explanations on each dish, you’re going to have to break out of your feed readers and use lightbox to see the captions. They look so much better on black anyway.

Other weeks in my Hong Kong Food Diary

Week 1
Week 2
Week 3

Another Day With Grandma

My aunt tells me that my grandmother is a very still sleeper. Sometimes she gets scared when they’re lying in bed together, because my grandma doesn’t seem to breathe or move at all. I find myself hoping that she goes this way, painlessly and peacefully in her sleep.

But every morning, when she slowly walks out from her bedroom, I’m relieved and happy that she’s with us another day.

Speaking Chinese

I’ve been speaking pure Chinese for almost an entire week straight. Certain muscles in my tongue that I didn’t know existed are tired. People tell me they’re surprised at how good my Chinese is — not just in terms of pronunciation, but vocabulary as well — and wonder how it’s possible without any means of practice. I can’t explain this myself, aside from a constant interest in learning new terms, and a love of Chinese movies (although this is more of a love of Hong Kong, and Chinese movies are my sentimental way of revisiting it). There are also some Chinese terms that have no English equivalent, and people are always shocked when I know them.

Somehow, I can switch between the languages quickly when I’m here. I even catch myself counting in Chinese now, which they say is what reveals your mother tongue.