Ryu2.mind

Hello from Hong Kong!

Crossing the border from the mainland, thedifference hits you intangibly, yet immediately.  It's my 5th time here, but for weary mainlanderslike my friends and myself, the most welcome "fragrance" here is and will always be that of civility: People queuing up andnot pushing on the subway.  Not a single wad of spit to be foundon the street.  Drivers that actually heed pedestrians on theroad.  I nearly had to slap myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming... colonialism is good for at least one thing! ;)

It was exactly one year ago thatI first stepped into this chapter of my life.  One year ago thatI took a leap of faith into a new world, leaving everything familiarbehind to start from nearly a blank slate -- a journey involving coming to terms with mytwo cultures, how they play together, and above all the Purpose that brought me here.

Perhaps it is fitting then, thatfor the one year anniversary of my China sojourn's start, I'm here resting and being renewed in a placethat more than anywhere else on Earth represents the fusion of China and theWest, the influence each has had on the other, for better and for worse...and just perhaps, China's future ahead.

They don't call it Clearwater Bay for nothing...

17:05-17:15
Church in HK => Sheung Wan (walking, free)

17:17-17:18
Sheung Wan => Central (MTR)

17:20-17:30
Central => Yau Ma Tei (MTR, HKD 10)

... take care of some stuff...

17:40-17:55
Yau Ma Tei => Kowloon Tong (MTR, HKD 4.6)

18:00-18:45
Kowloon Tong => Lo Wu (KCR, HKD 33.2)

The train itself was standing room only.  The border wasn'ttoo bad, considering it was the end of the CNY holiday and all that...but...

19:20-20:10
Lo Wu => Shenzhen Airport (airport bus, RMB 20)

22:05-23:55
Shenzhen Airport => Shanghai Pudong Airport (Air China, free ticket using UA miles, RMB 155)

The flight wasn't too bad... basic Air China service, still better thanUA domestic tho.  The time slot was the only flight that wasavailable for mileage award redemption.

But... every time I fly a Chinese airline, I hit some snag that causesa delay, and this time,  despite the seemingly on-time arrival, the Chinese god of airline delays rears itselfwhen our baggage takes 30+ minutes to arrive on the carousel.

00:35-1:30
Shanghai Pudong Airport => the street corner of Yan'an Xi Lu and Tongren Lu (airport bus, RMB 20)

Too late for the maglev, and continuing the ghetto cheapness, I decidedto forgo a cab.  This was the bus ride from hell. Apparently, after midnight or so, they combine the seven bus lines fromPVG, and a nonstop to Jing'an, where I live becomes a multi-stop. Ever wonder how you can get from PVG to downtown Shanghai without usingfreeways?  I pretty much found this out tonight. Overcrowded, luggage strewn everywhere, and people smoking as usual.

BTW, the bus dropped me off not at the Jing'an bus terminal, but some street corner in rain and near-freezing weather.

1:35-1:45
the street corner of Yan'an Xi Lu and Tongren Lu => my place (taxi, RMB 13)

Total: 8 hours, 40 minutes door to door, HKD 47.8, RMB 208

Now, I fall somewhere in between the "starving-English-teacher" and "executive-in-a-serviced-villa-with-a-car-and-driver-who-eats-at-Xintiandi-or-the-Bund-every-single-day"ends of the China expat spectrum, but just living in China with a cost of living much lower than the West, regardlessof or what you do, or how much you make, it's often easy to fall into the Save-Money-I-Can (wink, wink ;) ) trap, just as it's easy to splurge and spend like there's no tomorrow.   The titular adage applies to all.

I've realized that my apartment is one of these areas, and apparently,long-distance travel is another one.  Mental health andwell-being,just like physical, is an area that people (or their employers...)shouldn't be cutting corners when it comes to investment -- especiallywhen you've already got the transitions of cross-cultural adjustment todeal with.

Next time, I'm flying Dragonair to/from HKG and Airport Expressing/cabbing it, no questions asked... =P

let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles...

Today, I threw off something that hindered and entangled me, a fact I only realized very recently...

and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us...

Now I need to get back on the track... running a race that's marked --but how do I see the markings?  Do I even see them?  I know arough sense of direction I should be running in, but where are thelines to guide?  How do I pace myself in a race where I don't knowwhere the end is?

So, with that in mind... welcome to Year 2 in Shanghai.  Thefirst year was just about getting acquainted with the field and thefellow contestants.  Now comes a time where I'm going to try andfind some of those markings on a grand competition being held on thetrack that is this wild and crazy city and country...

--------

The Canon office in Shanghai finally got back to me about my 10D.

Turns out there was more damage than suspected.  =P  Repair cost will be about 20% of the cost of a new 20D here.  Should I do it?

Or should I wait and get a 30D (widely rumored to be announced at this year's PMA show in Orlando, in a few weeks)?  Or get a 20D once the inevitable price drops occur?

It's been too long, that's for sure...

Lots of events for me -- a new year in life (older but none thewiser?), a new place, the pre E3 rush to name but a few... I'll writemore when the dust settles down.

For now, I give you this: My friends from back home -- BSB style!

There's a Quicktime movie of the whole shebang.  bayjeemong,the w-team leader is practicing serenading his girlfriend.  Ummm... yeah. =)

Yes folks, this is part of the community back home that's sending and supporting me here in China... are you happy or sad?