After 6 months of living in hk coming back from Belgium
Monday 27 December 2010
Work and life issues
Hello all,
I am not sure if you have ever got stuck in something like this. First of all, I am a hk Chinese, grown up and studied in hk. During my past few years, I tried my best to build up a wider mindset by joining summer programmes in australia and usa and luckily I could work in Belgium when I graduated last year.
Coming back to hk, I now start working in a family business with only locals. I don’t mean anything but I have been enjoying working/living in an international environment. When I talk about my experiences randomly, some people may think I am showing off. Sometimes I find it difficult to banter with their mean jokes and topics, and doubting to have built an international mindset once emphasized by my Uni.
I also look for any chance to meet people of similar backgrounds or those who think on other’s feet. It seems I may be labelled already with certain characters due to my appearance when hanging out in some bars (as if I once labelled Belgians
no offence), whereas in another case my friend is viewed by her colleagues as ''foreigner'' (better?!), who studied in uk since she was seven. I am pretty annoyed with some people's blindness on praising other cultures without really knowing them. HK is not bad, isnt it?! haha
Well, I try staying with an open mind and saying to myself that not everyone would have these abroad experiences at this early age. But I have been losing my positive insights in this realistic and materialistic city I grew up, or an local would tend to see the bad things in their own country usually when u have lived for a long time (but u see the great things when u are an alien overseas!)
I am not sure if you have ever got stuck in something like this. First of all, I am a hk Chinese, grown up and studied in hk. During my past few years, I tried my best to build up a wider mindset by joining summer programmes in australia and usa and luckily I could work in Belgium when I graduated last year.
Coming back to hk, I now start working in a family business with only locals. I don’t mean anything but I have been enjoying working/living in an international environment. When I talk about my experiences randomly, some people may think I am showing off. Sometimes I find it difficult to banter with their mean jokes and topics, and doubting to have built an international mindset once emphasized by my Uni.
I also look for any chance to meet people of similar backgrounds or those who think on other’s feet. It seems I may be labelled already with certain characters due to my appearance when hanging out in some bars (as if I once labelled Belgians
no offence), whereas in another case my friend is viewed by her colleagues as ''foreigner'' (better?!), who studied in uk since she was seven. I am pretty annoyed with some people's blindness on praising other cultures without really knowing them. HK is not bad, isnt it?! hahaWell, I try staying with an open mind and saying to myself that not everyone would have these abroad experiences at this early age. But I have been losing my positive insights in this realistic and materialistic city I grew up, or an local would tend to see the bad things in their own country usually when u have lived for a long time (but u see the great things when u are an alien overseas!)
Tuesday 14 December 2010
Depressing time - a cultural/mental change?!
Yesterday, I finally tried to get into SpeakEasy to make some friends out there. I was tired after work but hope to build up a long term international network in hk. So I got into this bar and chilled myself seeing if there was any chance to get to know any of them. Talking about Ricky Martin’s coming out, I got myself involved in the conversation as natural as possible and it worked out nicely.
Speaking of work, today, 15 Dec, was my 10th day of work in hong kong. Because I am working as a sales representative in a dental company, there is a need to familiar myself with various dental products the company is offering to the market. Studying intensively, I am getting a bit sick of it.
Recently, I realize that I could hardly make myself happy. There are several ways I should do to keep my positivity. First trying to friend with expatriates and hanging in the G scene is one. Second, stop thinking too much about unforeseeable future which I worry too much about. Coming back to talk about the reasons as to the unhappiness I am confronting could be that, a) I demand higher and set a more difficult objective in my life and b) I have been to a lot of places and met many different kinds of people in my early age of life, I can scarcely find things that bring me surprises!
Time will get things fixed up! Cheeseeeeeee
Saturday 11 December 2010
First step out of accounting life
Just tonight, I had a day out with my accounting friends from university.
On one hand, I really think they are hard-working people. Living in HK is already unbelievably hectic. Plus they decide to take the professional accounting exams which is called HKICPA in Hong Kong. Comparably it is more complicated and harder than any other professional exams from Australia (Australia CPA) and from the UK (ACCA). Being an accountant has been a money-making career in elsewhere other than in HK as there are already too many. Apparently, some people has lost their mind what to do in their lives. So just follow the crowd!
On the other hand, the whole discussion and chat over the night was limited and boring over the sole topic on the exams. Coming back to HK for nearly six months from Belgium, I realise HK people would only be interested in talking about stock market, real estates and money. Alleged itself as an international financial centre, our exposure had been very limited. Thinking back my experiences, I enjoyed very much discussing politics, sports, languages and cultures, food with a bunch of people from the States, Europe and of course Asia :) And now living what alone is low quality, stressed and fast-paced life in HK.
Currently, I am working as a sales and marketing assistant for a dental trading company. Hopefull ouside work, I will be able to make some international friends. For example, I saw a nice bar opened not far from my home which is owned by a chinese australian as heard as well as some other pubs down in the business districts where the expats hang out often.
As soon as I still have little memory, let me remind myself some of the characteristics (stereotypes) I got on peoples. Belgians - Calm, shy, indirect, helpful and passive. Dutch - direct and humorous. Germans - strict. French - patriotic and arrogant. Italian and Spanish - free-minded and very easy-going. Polish - nice and friendly. English - gentle?! In general europeans respect privacy but are cold compared with asians.
Write soon.
On one hand, I really think they are hard-working people. Living in HK is already unbelievably hectic. Plus they decide to take the professional accounting exams which is called HKICPA in Hong Kong. Comparably it is more complicated and harder than any other professional exams from Australia (Australia CPA) and from the UK (ACCA). Being an accountant has been a money-making career in elsewhere other than in HK as there are already too many. Apparently, some people has lost their mind what to do in their lives. So just follow the crowd!
On the other hand, the whole discussion and chat over the night was limited and boring over the sole topic on the exams. Coming back to HK for nearly six months from Belgium, I realise HK people would only be interested in talking about stock market, real estates and money. Alleged itself as an international financial centre, our exposure had been very limited. Thinking back my experiences, I enjoyed very much discussing politics, sports, languages and cultures, food with a bunch of people from the States, Europe and of course Asia :) And now living what alone is low quality, stressed and fast-paced life in HK.
Currently, I am working as a sales and marketing assistant for a dental trading company. Hopefull ouside work, I will be able to make some international friends. For example, I saw a nice bar opened not far from my home which is owned by a chinese australian as heard as well as some other pubs down in the business districts where the expats hang out often.
As soon as I still have little memory, let me remind myself some of the characteristics (stereotypes) I got on peoples. Belgians - Calm, shy, indirect, helpful and passive. Dutch - direct and humorous. Germans - strict. French - patriotic and arrogant. Italian and Spanish - free-minded and very easy-going. Polish - nice and friendly. English - gentle?! In general europeans respect privacy but are cold compared with asians.
Write soon.
The Queer
Hi everyone, this is my first blog ever. I have never come up with the idea of having a blog. Until recently, one of my acquaintances I met in Antwerp during internship, he starts blogging about his new life in Brazil
First, blogging can network people from all over the world, to discuss issues in common, exchange information from the other side of the world, and so on. To give you an idea of my background, I am from Hong Kong and just graduated with a degree of accounting. I am a gay asian and I love exploring different cultures; that’s why I went to work in Sydney , Orland and Belgium
Second, after finishing my bachelor, I have a desire to polish my writing skills. The rationale behind can be the fact that I want to become a PR specialist on a particular subject, say Finance PR. Or it can be that I have a bond with English language, especially difficult English like those in National Geographic and the Economist. Highly descriptive and knowledge-based. Coming back to a Chinese world, I find it difficult to keep in touch with the language and here comes a means I can do what I want. Why not? Although I have a thought to further study in English language & Literature, or Public Relations or Communications and Journalism, I may have to save money for that to happen!
Lastly, I set up this blog to document my stories, my adventures and ultimately my life. Isn’t it interesting that when you keep writing what is happening in your life, and one day you look back, you see how you have changed or grown up.
Time is tight because now I plan to go out for a haircut. If you find my blog interesting, just leave me some comments, or even criticize on it, no matter it is about my angle, my grammar, language, tone or whatsoever.
Write soon. xxx
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