Hong Kong University of Suicide and Tragedies

Needless to say, I should address this issue in my blog just in case anyone googles it and no true blog on the Hong Kong experience would omit such an important issue. 

I will edit this post later, but this well-written article (pictured above) by our Editorial Board stands very well on its own.

Wild monkey sighting at HKUST!

Taken from a friend's Facebook (Ray).

It finally hit me that not only am I studying in Asia’s World City, one of the most densely populated and frequented financial center of the world, but I am also studying  on a beach-side, semi-tropical campus!

Taken with my iPod!

Night time view from our very own sea port

A lot of international students at HKUST talk about how we take for granted the stunning views we get of the ocean each morning. We're so busy partying up in LKF or, in my case, sticking a nose in a textbook and gorging eyes out in front of a computer screen. Despite the "University of Stress and Tension" accolades, we also overlook Clear Water Bay, a three hour kayak from Sai Kung and a peaceful place to watch the sun rise. 

And in between all the greenery, tropical trees, and plants, nests our little modernized school with a Red Bird (“fire turkey”) right at the center.

The RedBird at night.

The bridge link.

Side-view of the library.

I’d seen bat-sized moths, gigantuous millipedes, amazing green mantises, annoying June bugs, and super-sized fire ants. After talking to some local friends, I found out that these wild monkeys are actually pretty common in the countryside locations of Hong Kong (e.g. Sha Tin) where tourists go to have their food stolen.

I didn’t see the monkey but it was hilarious seeing all the Facebook posts about it. Completely beats out urbanized woodland creatures. B-)

Pictures, unless otherwise stated, are taken from: Ryan Kow Photography

Pick-up basketball in Hong Kong: a non-local univeristy student's perspective

I think it's safe to say that I've played enough pick-up at HKUST to describe it with accuracy. I know I could be biased since I have the perspective of a female non-local student; whether I like it or not, I'm going to be treated differently. Still. Even though generalizations do not speak for the exceptions, I can still offer some perspective.

What I absolutely love about basketball is that it's ubiquitous across cultures. We all watch the NBA and I see people of all cultures wearing the jerseys of their favorites: BRYANT, WADE, JAMES, ALLEN, PIERCE, ANTHONY(Carmelo), RONDO ( ♥ ), and yes (isn't it obvious?), LIN.

Hard to say which jerseys I see the most often, but I think the Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics, and the Los Angeles Lakers (just Kobe) are the most represented. Sometimes I see New York Knicks jerseys (especially for Carmelo, Stoudemire, and J.Lin). I wish I saw more Dwight HOWARDs but maybe I'll see that after this year's NBA regular season starts. No Rockets yet. Not even a Yao Ming...

The rules of pick-up

Most people start arriving at the seafront court at around 8pm, with pulsating flow every hour (lol, Chemical Engineering thinking...). Lights go off at 10pm. I like to arrive a few minutes before 8 so I can start shooting on the court and then force my way into a game when one starts. Otherwise, I have to do that awkward task of asking to play. When that happens, people are sometimes hesitant to let me play. I guess as long as I wear my jersey, my presence is tolerated.

Half-court games are the standard and people shy away from playing full-court unless there are exactly 10 people present and someone REALLY pushes for a full-court game. There's always one person who says they'll be too tired, haha.

Forming teams can happen in one of three ways:

1. Bao Dap (Cantonese for stone and paper): Stand in a circle and use the rock and paper (from rock paper scissors) until teams are divided evenly.

2. Spin the Basketball: Stand in a circle and one person uses a basketball and spins it around. The hole used for pumping air indicates the person that should step out of the circle. The first half of people who step out are one team and the remaining are the opposing team.

3. Imaginary Line (quick teams): Someone uses their finger and draws an imaginary line between everyone. It's usually friends playing together or people standing on one side versus people standing on the other.

Obviously, there are differences between pick-up culture of mainland students and local students. If you go out to play, you should be aware of some differences. "Taking it back" past the 3-point line is the most important. I still get confused. When I played in the states, if the ball didn't touch the rim on a shot, then there was no need to take it back if there was a change in possession. However, in most games I've played, a change in possession off a shot means you should take it back no matter what.

Different cultures, different people

At HKUST, there are three primary groups of individuals that play pick-up, listed from largest proportion to smallest:

1. mainlanders subgrouped between (a) PG students and (b) UG students
2. locals, and
3. non-locals (inclusive of locals who have studied at international schools in Hong Kong).

Mainlanders are likely to play at the seafront court because they live on campus and there's simply no other place to play (well, there is a court on LG5 next to the parking lot, but for some reason no one really goes there...). In group number 1, you have the extremely competitive guys that play rough, take a lot of shots (in many cases, with good accuracy), and rarely pass to weaker players. You also have the not-so-competitive ones that come regularly with their friends. They play for fun and are usually not exclusive. Getting to know some of them has helped me play more games. A lot of them are very strong individual players. The Mainland Student and Scholar Society (MSSSUG) has their own team which plays against mainland student societies in other universities so I often see their captain at the courts.

Local students have active undergraduate hall lives. Usually, they play for their UG Hall (I through V) or for the departmental team (e.g., CBME, ECE, etc.). Most of them are friendly and, if you ask, they are very willing to let you play. I don't think they come to play as often because department events and UG hall events are pretty frequent. They have a lot of opportunities to play by booking the sports hall for society events or intramural sports. They hold regular practices together so sometimes there's no need for pick-up games. For example, ECE recently had a 3v3 tournament and there is an inter-hall competition every March/April.

Contrary to what one may think, there's almost like a great divide between local and mainland basketball groups. They play pick-up together just fine, but one would think that there would be more mainland students playing in departmental or student hall teams. It's simply not the case. The divide is true in more ways than just basketball, though (e.g. classrooms, social groups, etc.). The primary reason is language but, inherently, I think it's a culture thing. On the surface, it'll be more likely for you to play "together" with society teams if you could have rapid communication with everyone else. But if that was true, then how would I explain Cantonese-speaking mainlanders from the Guangdong province who still draw closer to their fellow mainlanders? A strange phenomenon, indeed.

International students are sometimes anomalies. But those that make friends with non-locals and locals are well-recognized and welcomed (i.e. - token "black" guys from various departments or European caucasians from the School of Business). Most Asians have a preconception that non-Asians are physically stronger (and taller). Thus, while Asians depend on finesse and shooting ability, it's difficult to overpower their caucasian counterparts. The conception is true in some cases but I feel that abilites are, for the most part, very even. Oh yeah, the vocal frequency of non-locals feels very different from groups 1 and 2. Maybe because I am a native English speaker, I feel that internationals are lot more vocal?

My personal experience

Over the summer, I saw one other girl with her boyfriend and mainland friends come to play. That group of friends was pretty light-hearted and fun. But since I have such a small female sample size, I can only speak for myself. There are compliments involved when shooting, passing well, and driving fancy. It's all very flattering but I think it's very normal. I feel like if a guy did that, it would be so normal. I honestly like the attention but let me save some face here by saying I started playing a lot at seafront so I could get better. Playing on the HKUST women's team taught me that there are a lot of girls in HK that can hoop so I'm definitely not a great female basketball player but at least I'm athletic enough to keep up with guys. So far, the only thing that's really improved is my passing and my tendency to fake a pass or shot. Also... confidence. 

I've never experienced or seen any antagonizing behavior. One time when I was playing pick-up in the states, I witnessed one of those stereotypical street-talking name-calling almost-brawls. "Man fights" I like to call them. It also depends on where you play I guess. Maybe somewhere out there on a Hong Kong public court, pick-up basketball is a lot different. And possibly a lot scarier. And I would not be welcomed.

I'm happy to report that basketball culture at HKUST is pretty awesome. Making new friends is very cool. I've had my problems before but again, I have to emphasize that basketball culture is so ubiquitous cross-culturally. On the weekends, I see the three groups play together all the time. And it makes me so happy to see it work despite our many differences.

We speak not only in English but in the language of basketball.

UROP @ HKUST (An International Student's Perspective)

When I say I'm a full-time student from the United States, people look at me quizzically. They might try to verify if I am really an exchange student instead. And when I say nay, they might point out to me that "people in Asia usually want to go to the U.S. to study, but [I] came [to Hong Kong]."

My usual response is that I wanted to do something different and find new experiences.

This situation has happened to me so many times that I sometimes wonder if I really am doing something worthwhile. Is being unique and having unique experiences enough? What if my critics are right? And what if that legion of supporters eventually becomes disappointed with where I end up?

In recent days, that hasn't been the case since I'm doing a summer UROP project. Although I would certainly lament that the bioengineering resources at HKUST are not that glamorous when compared with CDU/UCLA, I am convinced that coming here is part of a grander scheme.

First, the negative. The lab feels crowded with a lack of desk space and it is hard to keep things organized when there is so little space to keep our equipment. Compared with UCLA, our lab has a second-rate feel when you first walk in. Part of it is because we're in Hong Kong (where we would get purchase minicentrifuges and some of our less accurate micropipettes from China) and the other, more important, part of it is that the university hasn't allotted our department a lot of space because our department is still too young to truly predict its future trajectory. We should be getting more room soon though, since my PI just got promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor.

Another thing I would lament about HKUST is that it doesn't have a medical school or an on-site hospital, which is something I think that this university sorely needs--if it wants to step up its game and live up to the global ranking that it currently possesses (#1 in Asia). Since we are in the New Territories/Sai Kung region, I can see why we wouldn't have a hospital on campus. We're not exactly in the buzzing heart of Hong Kong. Still, I wonder why I haven't heard of any forward steps towards getting a medical center.

But what's great about HKUST UROP? Of course, any research experience is specific to the PI you have and I sought out my PI's mentorship for a long time before I got a project in her lab for the summer and our final year project. She was, in my opinion, the best chemical engineering teacher (Ying Chau) with interests that aligned with mine the most. What I didn't expect was the level of mentorship I'd receive from my coworker and the level of independent thinking I am encouraged to embrace. It was a pleasant surprise and a great reward. For an undergraduate student, I think HKUST is an incredible place to start doing research, especially since the competition for research projects is not very fierce (for the moment, at least). As far as I can tell, local student culture does not place as high a value on research experience as the student culture in the United States. So it means that there is a large window of opportunity for people who are serious about exploring research.

International students in research is a hidden charm about HKUST. To note, HKUST received a huge boost in ranking largely because of its number of international students as well as our international and renowned professors. Naturally, you'd see that manifest itself more in research than within the undergraduate student body (which I and many other internationals have many complaints about). For example, there are several people in my lab, all with very distinct personalities that may or may not have to do with culture. Two other undergraduate students, one hired from MIT, a guy from Bangladesh who worked in MIT for some time and has been to more foreign countries than I can count, a few others from mainland China, and a few locals. In another lab I worked in, we had a similar mix. I'd say that the casual English-Cantonese language use ratio is about 45-55, which is pretty good.

This summer has been good so far, but there are only a few weeks left.

And I am definitely looking forward to the trek home in late August. It's been a whole year since I last saw my family and hometown!

"520"

It is the 5th month, on its 20th day. In Mandarin, they say that these numbers are very special in the 520 combination because the way you pronounce those numbers sound very much like how you would pronounce "I love you." (我爱你)

Add on the numbers 1314, and you modify it with "for a lifetime" or "forever." (一生一世)

I am simply loving the lyrics of this song. Every. Single. Word. I can relate to it so much...


我依然愛你   或許是 命中注定
多年之後   任何人都無法代替
那些時光是我這一輩子最美好的
那些回憶   教我如何忘記

I still love you, maybe it's fate
After many years, no one can replace you.
Those times together were the best times of my life
How can I forget all those memories?

You hear stories, y'know. A dear friend of mine is currently en route to a six-year relationship with his high school sweetheart, passing the five-year mark just this month. They were long distance for the duration of his undergraduate career. He, at Duke and she, at UCSD. They had their ups and downs but this year they graduated and he came back to start an awesome engineering job in Los Angeles. Come to think of it, they're not the only high school sweethearts I knew of that are still going strong!

This is the kind of story that give you so much faith in committing to love one another even from a distance.  I mean, how does that even happen? How does life not get in between those 100-1,000 miles? Well, I suppose the correct way to think of it here is that life does get in the way, but it's how you choose to deal with obstacles and how you grow together that counts. It's like my friend once told me, you have to focus on the present and being happy in the present. The end goals you are waiting for are nice, but that will never replace what you have now so treasure it!

Being apart while being in love is tough but you can still be happy. & I would think that the gratification of being in the same city while being in love is worth the wait... Good things don't come easy, after all.

Navigation: Summer Plans

What a day today! So you know those days where you feel like everything's going right for you? This was one of those days (except for an annoying group project but eh, let's not dwell on that, shall we?).

I'm excited to finalize my plans for the summer to do a research project on hyrogels in my professor's lab. I will be learning how to characterize crosslinking densities and other skills related to hydrogels.

Before finalizing the plans, I had gotten into a slump, wondering what I've been doing with my life, thinking I'm going nowhere and believing my dreams are further than I think. I was having one of those weeks where I felt like nothing was going right for me. But that just shows that emotional slumps are just matters of emotions and that they are not always a reflection of reality. Even if I was feeling really positive, I must absolutely be wary of complacency.

No matter what, I've got to keep dreaming. I've got to keep forging my own path. And stop fearing the future and keep trusting in God.

“If you wait to do everything until you're sure it's right, you'll probably never do much of anything.” -- Win Borden

Today, I also found out that the high school I attended (Oxford Academy) is ranked the number 1 public school in California as well as number 7 in the nation. That was a nice throwback moment when I found out. It made me proud of where I came from. But at the same time I have to remember: where you come from isn't necessarily an indicator of where you are and where you will be going. Only you are in control of that based on the decisions you make now and your attitude.

“More than anything else, I believe it's our decisions, not the conditions of our lives, that determine our destiny.” -- Anthony Robbins

I also FINALLY bought tickets to go back home in August! Granted I'll only be in the US for 3 weeks, but I don't mind, seeing as I nabbed a USD$635 round trip ticket. I've marked the calendars for August 28th - September 16th! I'll probably be giving a recruitment talk for HKUST to one or two high schools, too. :D

Plenty of other stuff happened today but I'll just end it there. Time to get back to work!

I'm high on inspiration right now. >__<

Yes I can see it! Can just about make it:It's the light across the ocean.It must be a lighthouse calling my ship home.It's there to show me where I'm going.
Take me to home~

Language Barriers in Hong Kong (Student Edition)

First, I am grateful to every Hong Kong-er, local friend, teammate, and classmate. I am grateful that you've gone out of our way to translate for me at times and I'm grateful that you include me in your daily lives. I really am grateful that you're my friends. I like the people of Hong Kong despite the fast-paced lifestyle. I appreciate the ambitions of my peers. I get along well. People make friends with me. I am glad that the house associations finally got their act together and allowed some international students to play in their inter-house competitions (some of you may remember last year's distasteful incident where I wasn't allowed to play in the 3-on-3 female basketball matches because I was an international student).

But at the end of the day, I still haven't found anyone I've connected with on a deeper level. And even if I can get past the language barrier, my closest friends and I have to struggle to overcome cultural barriers, which can be exhausting. I know if I'm not happy with something, I should start by changing myself and I should learn the language to a fluent level. After all, it's better than complaining. On the other hand, when will I find the time to learn Cantonese with the life that HKUST has burdened its students with?! (P.S. I will be staying in HK over the summer, so that will definitely give me time to perfect my Canto :D) 

I just hope everyone can understand where I'm coming from when I express my frustration. 

Here's a list of some of the most frustrating parts of being a non-Cantonese speaker in Hong Kong:

1. Constantly asking for a translation. This is one of the most frustrating things... not because I have to do it repeatedly, but because I feel... like I'm annoying to people. I feel like I'm bothersome. Useless. Just some body that people are obliged to translate for. I'm just another chore. Not having an instant understanding of what's going on is difficult.

2. Missing jokes and when funny things happen. When you think about it, jokes and sharing laughs are one of the main ways people bond and grow together. As an international student, I can share a bond with my local friend over the funny things that have happened because of language and culture. In the end, however, missing the funny cues that happen in class or the funny things that people say make me feel isolated... even when people try to explain what happened. It's just different laughing with people when compared to laughing after it's explained to you.

3. Wishing people would just talk to me instead of (a) being afraid that I'll judge them for "poor English" or (b) assuming that I don't want to chat. First of all, even if I thought your English was bad, I would understand. Even if I appear frustrated and even if I act frustrated, deep down, I don't mind. I've had professors with terrifying English. (more on that later)

Also, don't assume I don't want to talk. I'm sad that sometimes people won't pay attention to me because I can't speak Cantonese. There would be times when my roommates would chat happily with each other in Cantonese and I'd just sit there on my computer, having an idea of what they're saying, but not wanting to ask what they're talking about. Now that's not fair. Don't isolate me. It all goes back to item number 1 on this list, though. Maybe they find it annoying that they'd have to translate every single thing?

4. Teachers with incomprehensible accents!!!  Because of this, I have to self-learn course material and going to class almost always seems pointless if I can't understand 70% of what my professors are saying.  It sucks. When you can't understand the teachers, how would you ever feel motivated or inspired to learn the material?!?! Even my local classmates have a hard time understanding some professors. However, there are a few teachers that inspire me and have good command of spoken English.

5. Missing out on useful discussions about coursework. Even though the language of instruction is in English, that doesn't mean that students talk about the coursework in English outside of class. It's hard for me to discuss classwork with classmates. While being self-reliant academically isn't that bad, it's still hard compared to when I used to have frequent study groups back in the U.S.

6. Fear of people talking behind my back or making fun of me. Okay, this is an item that's more for the insecure. And at times, I can be. I guess it speaks for itself, no? There was one time in basketball practice, I was particularly sensitive that day. I said something in Cantonese... and one of the captains turned around to a teammate and repeated what I said in a mocking tone. Was that even necessary? Was it funny that I spoke Cantonese? Why disrespect that I try to fit in? Why disrespect that I try to learn the language. That's not fair. But I guess that's just on my sensitive days.

7. Sports. Instant communication has been another barrier to climb. No need to explain this one. 

----------------

The list goes on, but there's 7 main points for you and I hope that locals can understand what I go through on an almost daily basis. Some international students deal with these problems by further isolating themselves and teaming up with other international students. Korean students with Korean students. International school kids with international school kids. Locals with locals. Indonesians with Indonesians. It's the natural order of things, I suppose. At this moment, though, I'm demanding respect from my local friends. 

Don't try to see me for where I come from or what language I speak. I'm a woman who has passions, dreams, and, yes, insecurities. 

Halfway there. Is HKUST worth it?

Time for reflection (caught in a cold sweat, stuck splitting hairs). Often, I think about the coulda-shoulda-wouldas in my life and I double over thinking about the things that were just within my reach. (Were they really?)

Sometimes, I look back and I think, Did I really do the best thing for myself? Was it worth it coming to Hong Kong and doing something so radically different from my peers? Was it worth leaving everything I once knew? A tried and true educational system (though that is easily debatable), a boyfriend (now long distance), a family still living paycheck to paycheck, sisters who have yet to grow up, caring friends, and stable (but stagnant) spiritual guidance?

One finds his- or herself tugged between the great ambition to lead an uncommon, exceptional life and the other, more simple life. Which is harder? Neither, I'd say, as long as you had the other life in view. Both are riddled with obstacles towards personal growth and both lay out the choices for you: (1) grow and change for the better, (2) revert back towards the worse, (3) do nothing and let life happen to you. The question then becomes, which is more lonely?

The way I've chosen to live my life, by coming to Hong Kong, is just another way of doing things (i'll be fine even though I'm not always right). It caused a lot of discomfort and sparked a lot of changes in me. It witnessed many tears of loneliness and frustration. It brought me to my knees, it forced me to face life head-on, it made me realize that choices (1) through (3) are really the only choices we make in our life, on a daily basis. But at the end of the day, I'm still that girl, daydreaming about my life ahead. Not really sure what I want but I know the direction I want to go (before you ask which way to go, remember where you've been). And when I dream something up, and I'm really passionate about it, I make it happen. I'm stubborn. So I guess that's what is unique about me. Not to mention a bit of luck that floats my way at times. (I also think that God must have some higher purpose for me but that's still unclear at this point.)

When I look back at the courses I took, I could say I learned a lot. But not as much as I would have had I gone somewhere else. The friends I've made have been great but I've never been able to connect to any of them on a deeper level. There are too few people of my same background for me to connect to. I've sacrificed my health to slaving over countless group projects overnight. And the courses are so reliant on self-studying (and no actual in-class learning) that it frustrates me to no end, having had good teachers with comprehensible accents all my life before UST. Finding a job is going to be hard because there's no active recruiting process for U.S. companies. But...

Is HKUST worth it?

A month or two ago, I would tell you I wasn't sure if I'd do it over again given the opportunity. Now, I'd say I'd do it again, but differently. And that's all there is to say.

It's too soon at this point to say whether or not HKUST has gotten me closer to whatever end goals I might be dreaming up. But I have faith that things will work out in my favor as long as I follow my passions. (You ain't the only ones who wanna live it up)

  

Neurobiology! And HK for the Summer

It's a great joy when I end up having one of the top scores in the class for my neurobiology midterm! People in the bio major told me it was going to be hard... so I'm glad going to classes actually paid off. Competing against the students that are actually in life sciences... it's made me realize that perhaps I was destined for a life science career. But I'm not complaining about taking chemical engineering right now. I'm convinced that it will be useful and it is the best fall-back option for me. I still want to be in physiotherapy research.

Second order of business... It feels like a stab when I tell my mom that I will probably need to stay in Hong Kong for the summer. I miss my family big time but I suddenly have to face a harsh reality right now. It's better to stay and do an undergraduate research project (in either nanoparticles or polymer devices for drug delivery). I still want to have an internship in the states. But alas...

Number "123" repeats

Do you think it's a coincidence when you have three events, of random number assignment, significantly different in participation quota, and different affiliations... assign you the same bib number?

Granted, I've had other bib numbers... For example, USFHK Cross Country: 090 and the Standard Chartered HK 10km: F2843. But those 123's are not things you expect to happen.

I want to think it's not coincidence. Because such a unique racing number doesn't land on you so frequently. And it got me curious. What does it mean? Numerology gives us a number of different theories. The one I like the most is the angel number theory. I've always loved those theories (it's why I still make wishes at 11:11).

In a nutshell, the number 123 says "Simplify your life. Get rid of anything that’s pulling at your energy, time, or finances—especially anything that pulls you away from your life purpose. The ascended masters are helping you with this simplification."

If there's anything my life has had in the past year and a half--it's clutter. Messes that I haven't cleaned up, places I've yet to go, and things I've yet to prove. Over-ambition is one of my greatest vices and it always leads me to never being able to do one thing excellently. I've always been that 'jack of all trades, master of none'.

Well, here's where I draw the line.

In a time of metamorphosis, I believe that God is telling me to calm down. Even if it's just coincidental number repeats, I feel that this is a very important lesson and my life's huge turning point in perspective:

I must take life in stride and be happy in the now; things will naturally fall into place if we do things consciously and happily for the future. I have to focus my energies where they are most needed. In the past year, I've been putting my energy in things that are simply not worth the time. Why? I guess because I think that I have to. To prove myself. I want so badly to do something awesome. But perhaps... perhaps God has some other plan for me. You know, we don't always know what's best for ourselves. Sometimes we chase things that don't even make us happy. And ultimately, it doesn't help anybody else or make anybody else happy. Ultimately, life is really simple in that sense. A meaningful life is not about doing many things; a meaningful life is about making an impact where it matters.

Frugality is one of the most beautiful and joyful words in the English language, and yet one that we are culturally cut off from understanding and enjoying. The consumption society has made us feel that happiness lies in having things, and has failed to teach us the happiness of not having things. --Elise Boulding

Priorities:
1. Academics
2. Finances
3. Self-improvement (personal fitness and language learning)
4. Fitness Connection/REDbird

A lot of major events since I last posted. A lot of it has been landmarked by my 365+1 Photo Project but I'll re-document it here.

Clearwater Bay Chase Charity Run 2012 (1/15)

Ebeneezer School for the Visually Impaired Athletics Meet (1/19)


A Hong Kong Chinese Lunar New Year (1/22-24)


Adventure Terra Race 2012 (1/29)


Fitness Connection Nam Sang Wai Trip (2/4)


Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon 2012 - 10km (2/5)

Snapshots (Fall 2011)

Athletics Meet 2011

CBME! Chemical Engineering!

Cross Country Beloveds 2011

HKUST A-Meet 2011

Every year, HKUST holds an annual athletics meet between the departments of the university. I represented CBME (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering) this year and I had a blast!

The day started off pretty rough. That day, all the events started about an hour late; pushing the rest of the schedule to an hour's delay. Worse, they didn't accept any other form of identification except for student ID cards, and being the silly goose that I am, I had lost mine in the laundry room earlier that week. In a last ditch effort to find my ID, I ran all the way back to Hall VI to ask the hall office if anyone had picked it up yet. Thankfully, it was turned in the previous night and I ran all the way back to the long jump pit to claim my competing rights.

Number 123!

Long Jump: The truth is, I haven't been able to long jump since high school; at least not to the standard I'm used to. And I was not up to standard with my previous self. But I got Women's Champion for Long Jump!

400m Heat: I ran in the first heat for 400m and placed first. Felt good and I felt like I still had energy. Maybe my trainings need to be more intensive from this point onward. I was positioned first seed in the finals.

Cheering for the people I knew!: In between it all, I met some pretty cool people and was able to make a few more friends which made me pretty happy. Bringing back memories of high school (mainly Crystal Ho and her inspirational ways of motivating people during runs); I sought to carry on that tradition. Dennis, Steven, Edison were amazing during their 5K. Jessica was also incredible; championing 800m and 1500m. I'm sad I couldn't watch everyone's events but a high school nostalgia was definitely still there.

400m Finals: Only 4 of the 8 competitors showed up for the final heat. To my disappointment, Patricia disappeared. She had seeded 0.4 seconds away from me and I was looking forward to a bit of competition. In the end, I was pretty happy with my results, reaching 70 seconds without spike shoes, and still feeling energetic afterwards. Women's Champion in the 400m!

Not long after my finals heat, I had to check in for the 4x100m relay.

4x100m relay: CBME WON! That was a big surprise for me. Our hand-offs were perfect even though we didn't practice and we dominated in a champion sense. Anchoring for the team... I was so happy!! Awesome Winnie, Zoe, and Jessica for their excellent hand-offs. Champion in 4x100m relay :).

Immediately afterwards,

4x400m relay: Hand-offs were good but CIVIL had a big advantage; we were far in second place after the second runner. It was alright though because we maintained it and we got 1st Runner Up in 4x400m relay!

10x200m mass relay: Represented Track and Field in a fun mass relay. Loads of fun! I love the track team <3

Later, we went to go out eat where the Women's Overall Champion (my roomie!) treated eight people to dinner in an italian restaurant in Hang Hau. Cheap and good food and one of the rare places in HK you can get "free refills."

Overall, a fun and memorable day! :) More pictures to be shared later~

iPhone craze and a pie chart

The picture on the right was taken on a hiking trip in Pasadena over the past summer. I love the outdoors... and I love being active. I firmly believe that the body and the mind are two parts of a complete whole and each has a need for the other. But this post isn't about that.

*insert smooth transition here*

Hong Kong is all about trends. Things become popular fast and in waves, which means things don't die out that quickly either. That's why every time you walk in the MTR, you are almost certain to see someone in the same compartment playing on an iPhone. It's the new "it" phone and a fad which has a tempting and lasting power on consumers. I admit... I've wanted one. Its functionality, ease-of-use... and just the fact that everyone has one! The many different covers available out there make it so hard to resist. iPhone covers are sold in almost half of the shops at the Ladies Market and you can almost instantly find one in any street shop or MTR. They give that illusion of uniqueness--you can choose your favorite color or cartoon character. "Yeah, I have an iPhone, look at my cool cover!"

It is a well-known fact that the Apple market in Hong Kong is incredibly omnipotent. Everything is so well-advertised. And most consumers, surprisingly, don't mind being victims. It is a good product, after all, but its performance as a smartphone pales in comparison with some of its competitors. Again, it's marketing at work. That and the fact that the anti-capitalist sentiment you find in the USA is almost absent in Hong Kong, at least in the people I've talked to.

Another point of observation is that technology is so immersive these days. Remember when video games were just up, down, left, and right in a 2-D world? Imagine how far its come since then and notice how it made the transition to handheld devices. You will see most people in the MTR wrapped up in an iPhone game, texting, browsing the internet on their smartphone, listening to music through their headphones, talking on the phone, or simply browsing whatever electronic device they have because there's nothing else to do.

Don't get me wrong. I'm glad technology has the capacity to cure boredom during your travels... and I don't see anything wrong in doing so in moderation while traveling on the MTR... but I fear the implications this has for our future. The real world will become more surreal than the immersive technological world we delve ourselves into. Functionality outside of technology might just become awkward and, I believe, the rift between the human mind and the body will become even greater. Ohh, now you see the connection with the photo? I value how physical activity gives us a sense of being alive. Technology just feels dead after some time.

The observation is easy to make but... what about solutions? I don't know, I'm still thinking...

Speaking of technology, I did an analysis of why I have so many friends on Facebook and how that even happened. My hypothesis was that I have a lot of different places to come from with a lot of opportunities to meet people. I estimated it as this (and no, I'm not bored out of my mind... I was just curious):

The friends of friends category was surprisingly large, but it also includes other categories such as when I worked at UCLA for a summer or family friends, et cetera. In the end, it was just interesting data and in no way suggests anything about my social behavior. What? I'm not a sociologist!!

Hiking in a typhoon (Nesat impacts Hong Kong)

It was early 8am when I woke up for my 9am class. And to my surprise, I found out that a Typhoon warning signal level 8 was issued. That's a warning level high enough to cancel classes in Hong Kong, with gale wind speeds greater then 63km/hour (local articles stated that they were up to 100km/hr).

Not surprisingly, there is a popular myth or joke among the locals, called Li's Force Field (李氏力場). The name is adopted from the wealthiest man in Hong Kong, Li Ka Shing, and the basic idea behind the force field is that Li will prevent and steer away any typhoon that will cause a signal 8. It is disadvantageous for Hong Kong businesses to stop even for a moment. For example, during Typhoon Nesat, stock markets were closed and such time-sensitive things in a Hong Kong business-crazy society have the potential to cause a bit of economical damage. Workers get to go home once a warning 8 is issued but the Most Powerful Man in Asia who owns most of the wealth in Hong Kong does not want to let that happen. The force field theory was built on the observation that "typhoon 8 never comes" even if the perceived weather seems to be pretty bad.

So what does a university student do the afternoon a typhoon 8 is issued?

GO HIKING AT HKUST.

First of all, I don't recommend that anyone do this unless they have made sure the weather allows. For example, you shouldn't go when the typhoon is the closest in proximity, but at the time we went, the typhoon had already making distance away from Hong Kong.

My friend, the publication secretary of the Yohoo (Adventure) Club at our university, told of us of the "tallest waterfall in Hong Kong" and suggested we go there after the rains from the day before. It was ill-advised to go out in this weather but Hong Kong hikes, for the most part, are not as challenging as, say, backpacking in Yellowstone. Ergo, I agreed. Plus it was an opportunity that didn't come up very often.

From the bus stop of HKUST, we entered a hidden gate and walked down a staircase hike to a nearby beach.

I should mention that before entering, a laminated sign was posted in front of the gate in Chinese. It said that a skeleton was found in the immediate area and the police were investigating the identity of the skeletal remains and if anyone had any information about it, they should contact the police. Creepy, no doubt. I was under the impression that there was nowhere in Hong Kong that was perilous. Oh well..

The hike down to the beach took about 20 minutes. However, due to the wind and rain, the path that led to the base of the waterfall from the beach was flooded. We tried to take a detour by going through an organic farm we had seen. But first, we had to battle giant red ants.

After going through the farm, we found the river but no path. Not knowing what to do and not wanting to go back, we finally decided we should just travel upstream and see if we can make it to the base of the waterfall that way. Needless to say, we failed.

But we got a lot of good photos and had a really good time jumping on rocks. I think it was mainly the silliness of it all to try a hike during a typhoon signal 8 that made it a good experience. At least we did something with our day off from classes, right?

In the end, we spent 2.5 hours hiking down stairs, upriver, and back. We got to see the waterfall from a distance and got a little workout out of it.

The Sports Hall opened after the Typhoon signal was removed and changed to signal no. 3 instead. I assume that the rule is the same as the library: if the signal is removed at least four hours before closing, then the staff will resume their normal duties. Yeah... Hong Kong is a place that hardly ever stops. It's a meager equivalent to what a snow day feels like in the east cost of the USA, I suppose, except for the fact that people are obligated resume work once it is possible. To close the night, I played basketball in the gym with some of my teammates and roommates. Yay for happy basketball! :)

--Praying that all those truly impacted by the severity of the typhoon are safe.--