Chopstick Dreams and Bamboo thoughts

Well, it has been a couple of weeks since my last entry as things were winding down at school and Chinese New Year was coming up. I was experiencing a bit of burn out already as it will be almost two months come this February 27th. that I will be here. I've decided this time to add a bit of Maritime flavor to my entry as I am always thinking about home and comparing Hong Kong to Nova Scotia or British Columbia. They are completly different of course, but it's just human nature to compare the known with the unknown or the past to the present. There is not a day that passes where I don't think about the family and friends and all that I was used to in Canada. Every time I venture out, there is something that grabs my full attention, immediately, I think of home and compare it to something I know of back east or west of Canada.

To start, I couldn't believe that when I was picking up some special food staples at my one of my favorite, yet yuppy grocery store, I stumble upon Duso's pasta! Oh, my God, I thought. I couldn't believe it! For those of you who don't know, Duso's pasta is a household name in grocery stores in British Columbia. And, speaking of the Duso name, I do have connections with the pasta itself! My dear cousin Sherry, is married to Greg Duso. Greg's family are the operators, and I believe owners of this BC pasta company. I was so excited to discover that I can enjoy some great Duso pasta in Hong Kong. Also, when I was websurfing on some Cape Breton sites, I found some great photo websites featuring our amazing landscapes and beauty. Of course, I bookmarked them all and I visit them now frequently whenever I get lonley and crave for some down home comforts. Since Friday past, I now have permanent internet connection. Now when I open up my web browser, The Front headlines from the Cape Breton Post pop up and I'm able to catch some local news and weather. This was how I found out that Ashley McIssac tied the knot with his partner. Congrats, Ashley! To re-establish my Nova Scotia, British Columbia connection, I have tuned into some radio stations that I would listen to frequently while in NS or BC. In BC it was 99.3 The Fox, 94.5 The Beat and Z 95.3. Now for Halifax, my morning radio station was C100, some easy listening morning music while I got ready for school and while I rode in the car with Tanya on my way to work. Since tuning in to C100 via internet over my holidays, I decided to let the radio know I was an active listener in Halifax and now in Hong Kong. My email was passed along to the breakfast crew and they wanted to contact me by phone so I would speak on their morning show. Next day or evening for me Kelly, Peter and Moya phoned me and I was featured live on the air during their breakfast show. They all asked me what I missed most, I told them it was the people of the eastcost that I miss the most, especially my friends and family who live there.

In Hong Kong, there are more 7/11s that you can shake a stick at! Honestly, how many do you need? What Starbucks are to Vancouver, 7/11 is to Hong Kong; one on every freakin' corner. And while speaking of chain stores, one morning while I was getting a muffin from McDonalds, I sat beside three men enjoying their beer at 7am in the morning! Yes, apparently, you can enjoy your alcoholic beverage anywhere, and you don't even have to conceal it. Also, for those of us who enjoy gourment food and enjoy dining out, you don't even have to go out in Hong Kong to enjoy a fabulous meal. You can call Cusine Courier, a delivery service that will bring you hot, gourmet meals from almost any restaurant of choice, right to your door. Convenient eh? There is something else I noticed in the city here; you can't rent videos or dvds. There is not a video rental shop to be found anywhere yet. I guess the reason to that is you can go on any corner and buy pirated videos cheaper than it is to rent. ???? Maybe, I guess. In my neighbourhood, I have a post office, 2 7/11s, lots of little shops/restaruants, a Japanese restaurant I like to go to, and a little Starbucks. There is everything you need right in my neighbourhood, but when I went out today to find light bulbs, do ya think I could get one? NO. So many obvious comforts that I took for granted are a little hard to come by here. Like, I don't have a dryer to dry my clothes and have to hang them outside on the drying rack or inside my apt, Chinese style! I haven't had toast yet either since I arrived. I really need to buy one as I miss my peanutbutter~jam toasted sandwich and my clothes dryer. Also, believe it or not, I really would love to have a coffee from Tim Hortons and I don't even like Timmy's coffee that much. I have been craving the fresh, salt-water air that the sea gives off when I am trecking to Ingonish, Baddeck or to Crystal Cresent beach outside of Halifax. When I wave watch at my favorite beaches back home I inhale the sea air, I feel it run through my lungs then through my veins.

Now that things are almost back to normal, or somewhat normal, I can attend to the smaller details of Hong Kong. Where as before, I could not even remember what I had to eat that day because I was flooded with so much new information. Now, I'm able to observe more carefully and take note of differences and similarties of Canada and Hong Kong. And yes, there are similarties between the two...one being a couple dominated city! Love and companionship is really universal as I see many couples holding hands and a public display of affection here and there too. Also, I've noticed that people here love to shop, shop, shop! Whoa...and people have the money to buy the good stuff....Prada, Gucci, Chanel, you name it -they can buy it. In weeks to come, do stay tuned on a future feature, shopping in HK -this should be a popular one for all my female readers!

But, while I observe and take note of all these unique things about Hong Kong, I still think about all of the things I love about Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and BC. I'm already planning where I'll be going in Cape Breton when I return home on July 14. I am so excited thinking about all of the places I will visit, one of them being Halifax. I will probably visit there for two days seeing my pals and visiting my favorite places in the small yet great city. Then off to CB! Of course, I think my first stop will be to get some Lick-a-Chick chicken, donairs, and some Alexander Keiths beer. And, of course, a trip to Ingonish for a few days to see my friends there and also, to make a visit to my old stomping grounds, the Keltic Lodge! I'm getting so excited already as I listen to my Jimmy Rankin cd as I type! The rest of my time will be spent with my mom, BBQing and visiting friends and the rest of my family who are still there. Well, that about wraps up my blog for now telling you all about my cravings from Canada. My next entry will be on Chinese New Year and what went on in the city during my holiday. For my trip back home, I'm already counting down, only four months and 22 days to go....

Take care all!