Tell me about your life, and welcome to mine

[The Sith'ari]

I don't know what you guys think about Hong Kong. I'm a HK student and I've been here since I was born. Lately, I start to think life could be so stressful in HK compared to other western countries, or countries with western cultures. Here, people work 9:00a.m. till evening, some even 9-10 p.m.; it's not uncommon for people to work through extended hours. And everywhere is so crowded I don't even feel like going out during weekends.

 

Yes, people here are quite smart and they're definitely diligent. Committed employers and employees that are equally (and perhaps more) committed. Things are cheap but stylish, and people here they care about what to dress, what cars to drive, what mobile phones they use...etc. You can always fulfil your primitive and aesthetic needs by going down the street. But...it all just don't seem right for me.

 

Why? Coz there're just so many other things I want to do other than working for a living, but in HK, I don't see people having the time and space to do so. I want to make funny movies, take funny pictures (with lightsaber effects), explore funny places and new faces, play and learn to mod KOTOR, sleep early and enjoy life, while at the same time working, like, as a lawyer. You guys seem to be able to do this with little difficulty, like when I know Darth333 is a lawyer and at the same time she's the moderator of a web forum (and she knows how to mod), I was jealous. I mean, in HK, I doubt any lawyer can actually do that, even if they'd like to.

 

That's why lately I've been thinking about moving to another country after I graduate, to find a life that suits me more. But there's a lot to worry about. Anyway, these are just my thoughts. I'd like to know how exactly life is over there, in the US/ UK/ Australia/ where ever you're in? And what do you think about life in HK.

 

Sorry if it's a boring topic.

[HerbieZ]

No topic is boring.

 

I know what you mean revanchow. Here in the UK i have just left college and im now struggling to find a job and start earning. But a part of me is holding back, saying "I don't want to be stuck in some job i don't like for the next 20 years" I too want a life of fun, i want to travel and get away from this place. I have been in the same city, town, house for the past 20 years and i need a break. Life can be a struggle, and even though im not looking forward to finding a full time job. It is one of those things i must do.

 

I promise myself that i will have fun. One of the best ways to reassure yourself or how i reassure myself is by trying to stand out and have fun. Being different and finding the funny angle on everything. I will never ever surrender myself to being the serious business guy type who works those long hours in that job for the next 20 years. Alot of people are always trying to aim for the top and forget to have fun along the way. Me, you and others on this forum see things differently. My biggest worry is while getting a job, il end up with it for ages, and i won't get to travel til im much older. It can be a big worry but when you stand back and think about it, it makes no sense to worry because if you have the motivation and you be yourself, you can do what you want.

 

Life here for me is ok. Im supported by my parents at the moment. UK is certainly not the place for living cheap. Housing is expensive but things are relatively mellowed, for me anyway.

[Negative Sun]

No topic is boring.

 

I know what you mean revanchow. Here in the UK i have just left college and im now struggling to find a job and start earning. But a part of me is holding back, saying "I don't want to be stuck in some job i don't like for the next 20 years" I too want a life of fun, i want to travel and get away from this place. I have been in the same city, town, house for the past 20 years and i need a break. Life can be a struggle, and even though im not looking forward to finding a full time job. It is one of those things i must do.

 

I promise myself that i will have fun. One of the best ways to reassure yourself or how i reassure myself is by trying to stand out and have fun. Being different and finding the funny angle on everything. I will never ever surrender myself to being the serious business guy type who works those long hours in that job for the next 20 years. Alot of people are always trying to aim for the top and forget to have fun along the way. Me, you and others on this forum see things differently. My biggest worry is while getting a job, il end up with it for ages, and i won't get to travel til im much older. It can be a big worry but when you stand back and think about it, it makes no sense to worry because if you have the motivation and you be yourself, you can do what you want.

 

Life here for me is ok. Im supported by my parents at the moment. UK is certainly not the place for living cheap. Housing is expensive but things are relatively mellowed, for me anyway.

Man do I hear you...I'm up in Scotland but it ain't easier here, it's expensive to live here it's like, like we'll pay £20 for a DVD and yanks (not meant offensively) will pay like $20 for a DVD if I'm not mistaken...The thing is the pound is worth like 2 dollars or something...So imagine paying about $40 for a bloody DVD!!!

 

I'm struggling to find a job at the moment, but because I have no experience yet no one will give me one...And not to blow my own horn but I do have a lot to offer, I'm smarter than the average John Doe (says my IQ test and just common sense) and I am more than capable of holding a decent job, I can speak 3 languages very fluently (since I was born and raise in Belgium, but now live in Scotland), and I know assloads about almost everything...I'm mostly self-taught but you need degrees for this and that is f***ing bull***

 

I'll stop here before I end up talking about the government and how they try to screw you every chance they get...

[CountVerilucus]

I lived in Hong Kong for 2 years, my advice...get out. Too much urbanization, noise, and people. I happen to have time because I am a high school student, not a working adult. That's my only trick to having time.

[milo]

Huh, I've always wanted to go on vacation to Hong Kong. Sounds like it's better to visit than to live there.

[REDJOHNNYMIKE]

Despite the eternal whining of people who suck at life, America is still the land of opportunity.

 

Things are cheap but stylish, and people here they care about what to dress, what cars to drive, what mobile phones they use...etc. You can always fulfil your primitive and aesthetic needs by going down the street. But...it all just don't seem right for me.

 

You can get cheap stylish stuff ( but I don't get much, don't even have a star wars poster on the wall), I don't worry about dress (most of my clothes have paint, caulk, etc. permanently ground in, and I don't let anyone give me crap over it), I don't use or need cellphones (or even watches, people can't annoy me without doing it to my face, and they can't even remind me to be somewhere at a certain time...watches look stupid too IMO), unless you live in the country you're never too far from everything you need.

 

If you can afford it, you should take a couple trips to the countries you're interested in before you decide to move (you might realize you liked it more where you were:lol: )

 

The U.S. has a near infinite number of positives and negatives, but it's still a solid choice.

[Sabretooth]

Hi, revanchow, I live nearby - in Mumbai, India. Our cities are quite similar, I believe, both fast-paced and desperate to catch up with western cultures. I've felt jealous numerous times about my western counterparts, but in the end, you have to believe in the philosohpy our great Eastern masters propounded upon -

 

Be contented with what you have, because you shall never have everything. I bet we easterns have something those westerners don't. Sure, we're workaholics, sure our populations crave after every mundane social material (read: car/mobile/clothes/style). But we excel over the westerners anyways. It is not what the other has that you should look at, but what you have. Sure you have limitations, but forget them and explore in what you can do yourself, at what you have and I bet you will be amazed.

 

Anyways, welcome to the forums, revanchow! Nice to find another Asian in the bunch! (And I'll detail my lifestyle later).

[MachineCult]

...sure our populations crave after every mundane social material (read: car/mobile/clothes/style).

You and revanchow are mistaken if you think that isn't true for westerners.

[St. Jimmy]

Hey, I live in Australia.

I don't really ahve anything to compain about considering all the things I do have. Growing up I lived in Adelaide (South Australia's capitol) for thirteen years. It's a wonderfull place (city of the churches) and is very green and open but at the same time very VERY dry. And there's the world to do there. I did Archery, Russian folk dancing (I'm part Russian), Boy's Brigade (like the scouts but better), just to name a few.

Then, I moved here.

Boorowa New South Wales. Rural. Dead. Drought stricken (like the rest of Australia). Boring. The town has about 1400 people max and I consider it very humid here. I've been here a few years now and I still can't like this place. There's nothing to do here. I joined the Australian Army Cadet Corps and that's my one release. There are very few decent job oppertunities here for me but I don't intend on staying here... On the up-side, We now have a swimming pool in our back-yard, Our property is about 4 times the size of what we had in Adelaide and I'm SLOWLY meeting new people. But when I move back to Adelaide I'll have everything I want (almost) As you can probably tell I like Adelaide's lifestyle better but that's just who I am.

 

I have quite a few international friends and I've spoken to all of them about their lifestyles (and mine) and I've come to the conclusion that, many people like many different things but in the end I still think Australia is where I want to be.

[Totenkopf]

It would be incorrect to imply as you do that easterns are superior to westerns. What is obvious, though, is that there is a fundamental shift of resources going on globally. Fact is that labor is enormously cheaper in parts (perhaps most) of asia, as well as a dearth of overregulation of business. Furthermore, I'd be willing to bet that in most cases, the educated classes are not much larger as a percentage of total population in the east than in the west. But in the end, no amount of studying any subject will put anyone ahead w/o some business having solid reasons to set up shop. A PhD is nice, but if the jobs aren't there, you may end up driving a cab. NY is full of "over- educated" cabbies.

 

As to your query, Revanchow, RJM is quite correct as to the big pic. Think about where you'd like to live, research it and maybe even, time and money allowing, visit it. Don't know if you ever saw the Wizard of Oz, but Dorothy latches on to a sort of truth when she realizes that......there's no place like home, there's no place like home. By that I don't mean you should stay in HK for the rest of your life, just figure out what's most important to you and take it from there. If the world is your oyster, you now only need pluck out that pearl. good luck.

[The Sith'ari]

Thanks guys.

 

Like most people, I do have dreams (perhaps most of them unrealistic- I've yet to discover) about what I'm gonna do in the future, and where I'm gonna live in the future. And you're right, maybe after all there's no place like home. But this feeling, this revelation might never come to you unless you try out something else, try out those things that you dream of and find out if they're what you expected. That's why I wanna know you all and your life out there, sort of like conducting a survey.

 

Australia, I heard, is a peaceful country. People there do everything slowly- they walk slowly, eat slowly, work slowly- I experienced that the last time I visited Melbourne. And unlike HK, the shops there close real early- those in HK close at about 10 pm, some even open overnight. A friend of mine told me that unless you had friends and family there, expect a boring life in Auestralia. Ha...don't know if it's true, but so far it seems to me a comfortable place to live in.

 

There's one place I've had many fantasy about though. That's Miami in the US, you know, the sunshine, the beach, the nightlife... sounds pretty cool to me. I wonder how exactly life is there? Is it just in my fantasies that it's a beautiful place? I'd really like to know.

 

You and revanchow are mistaken if you think that isn't true for westerners.

It's also true for westerners, but I thought they're less money-minded? Since developed countries are used to self-sufficiency, and therefore people there are more likely to shift their attention to something else, like fitness, hygiene, art, etc.

[Astrotoy7]

come to Oz.... plenty of space here. Everyone very laid back.

 

There are alot of uni students from HK here I must admit. Maybe that's something you can do, spend some time living and studying here...get a feel for the place

 

mtfbwya

[Darth333]

I want to make funny movies, take funny pictures (with lightsaber effects), explore funny places and new faces, play and learn to mod KOTOR, sleep early and enjoy life, while at the same time working, like, as a lawyer. You guys seem to be able to do this with little difficulty, like when I know Darth333 is a lawyer and at the same time she's the moderator of a web forum (and she knows how to mod), I was jealous. I mean, in HK, I doubt any lawyer can actually do that, even if they'd like to.

It may not be Hong-Kong here and there are quite a fewer people but everywhere where you go, you'll have to work. My student life was a long vacation in comparison to now. I usually work about 55-60hours/week and some weeks (but that's rather rare) it can be up to 85 hours/week. That means bringing work at home during the weekend and the evening and when I take vacations, they are often interrupted. The advantage with that job is that I can hire help for my apt so that leaves me enough free time. The rest is a matter of priorities. During the week I always eat restaurant food (no time to make lunches) and in the evening I get pre-made meals most of the time (there are excellent catering services on my way home). I only cook during the weekend.

 

I often wish days were 36 hours long instead of 24 .

[St. Jimmy]

Thanks guys.

Australia, I heard, is a peaceful country. People there do everything slowly- they walk slowly, eat slowly, work slowly- I experienced that the last time I visited Melbourne. And unlike HK, the shops there close real early- those in HK close at about 10 pm, some even open overnight. A friend of mine told me that unless you had friends and family there, expect a boring life in Auestralia. Ha...don't know if it's true, but so far it seems to me a comfortable place to live in.

 

There's one place I've had many fantasy about though. That's Miami in the US, you know, the sunshine, the beach, the nightlife... sounds pretty cool to me. I wonder how exactly life is there? Is it just in my fantasies that it's a beautiful place? I'd really like to know.

Yep, that's pretty much true. mainly because Australia, as a nation 'Doesn't give damn'. If you think about it, that's the Australian spirit. What more could you ask for?

I too, would like to visit/live in Miami. It's one of the few places I've always wanted to go to. That, and Italy. Come to think of it, They're all pretty laid back places...

[The Sith'ari]

come to Oz.... plenty of space here. Everyone very laid back.

 

Sorry, but what does Oz refer to?

 

It may not be Hong-Kong here and there are quite a fewer people but everywhere where you go, you'll have to work. My student life was a long vacation in comparison to now. I usually work about 55-60hours/week and some weeks (but that's rather rare) it can be up to 85 hours/week. That means bringing work at home during the weekend and the evening and when I take vacations, they are often interrupted. The advantage with that job is that I can hire help for my apt so that leaves me enough free time. The rest is a matter of priorities. During the week I always eat restaurant food (no time to make lunches) and in the evening I get pre-made meals most of the time (there are excellent catering services on my way home). I only cook during the weekend.

 

I often wish days were 36 hours long instead of 24 .

D333:

What you've established is cool... I mean, you manage to balance things in your life quite well- I bet you belong to the Virgin sign.

 

I'm currently studying Law too, plus Business. Law is could be an interesting subject, but I often hear people say just how demanding being a lawyer is gonna be- super heavy workload, long workhour, etc. And I'm personally quite scared off by the fact that I've got to dress formal every day. It just feels so...un-free. I think I'd prefer to be something like a travelling journalist, but then it'd seem that I'd have wasted all that I've been investing all these years.

[Darth333]

I'm currently studying Law too, plus Business. Law is could be an interesting subject, but I often hear people say just how demanding being a lawyer is gonna be- super heavy workload, long workhour, etc. And I'm personally quite scared off by the fact that I've got to dress formal every day. It just feels so...un-free. I think I'd prefer to be something like a travelling journalist, but then it'd seem that I'd have wasted all that I've been investing all these years.

What you heard about the schedules and workload is quite accurate (that's one of the reasons why my forum posts are a bit short these times) but there are quite a lot of other things you can do with law apart litigation or being a corporate lawyer. Law can give you a solid background that is useful in various areas even if you decide to do something else later. What you learn is never wasted (I made a degree in music before studying law and I don't regret anything).

 

Btw, I just happen to have a cousin who studied law, disliked practising law and became a journalist right after his internship ended

[Jae Onasi]

I think I'd prefer to be something like a travelling journalist, but then it'd seem that I'd have wasted all that I've been investing all these years.

 

Knowledge is never wasted. I switched majors I don't know how many times, went to nursing school for awhile, went to grad school for a year, went to professional school, you name it. I may finish my history PhD when my kids grow up, who knows. My undergrad majors were history and French, and I'm working in the medical field now. However, knowing a broad range of topics gives me lots of things to talk about with patients. In your case, there are plenty of journalists who report on business and legal affairs, so your education wouldn't be wasted.

 

I tell people to take classes that you really like--you'll eventually get a major out of it and it'll be in a field you like. Don't pick a job you don't like. It's something you're going to be doing for quite some time and you _have_ to like what you're doing or you'll be miserable every day. Life is too short to be miserable every day. If you'd rather be a journalist than a lawyer, then that's probably what you should be doing.

 

My other piece of advice is to follow someone around who does the job(s) you're interested in. It lets you know right away if that's what you really want to do, and it gives you a contact in that field--very helpful if you need a reference later on or some advice.

 

@Darth333--if the days were 36 hours, we would manage to fill up those extra 12 quite well, and we'd get even less sleep.

[Commander Obi-Wan]

Wow. I only experience such "chaotic-ness" at West Edmonton Mall (World's largest mall for the time being and parkade, and indoor amusement park), and at Oilers games.

 

Though, you'd get used to the masses of people once you've lived there for a while.

[MachineCult]

It's also true for westerners, but I thought they're less money-minded? Since developed countries are used to self-sufficiency, and therefore people there are more likely to shift their attention to something else, like fitness, hygiene, art, etc.

Don't presume such things. You can't sum up an entire culture in under three lines, and remember Hong Kong was a British Colony.

[Sabretooth]

You and revanchow are mistaken if you think that isn't true for westerners.

 

Well, yes, that's rather obvious

 

But my emphasis was that India, China and most other Asian countries try desperately to match up as Americans. Its almost as if somebody has declared that mimicking the West is the only way to progress. You bungee, we bungee. You jump in a well, we jump in a well.

 

The sad part about this is that the infinitely rich cultures of our countries get diluted and eventually destroyed due to this onslaught of the West. My mother tongue, Marathi is now getting diluted with English vocabulary. Marathi books are dying out and nobody seems to care.

 

Also is the social stigma that classical and Indian stuff is for the lower classes and that the West, English and just about anything related is for the higher classes. Its sad, really that nobody likes what they have, what they inherited and instead run for the West, with the philosophy had West is good.

[Davinq]

What can I say? I'm just the smartass, 13-year-old-genius who rebels against any sort of authority. I actually happen to have a life despite the prerequisites. My life sucks, but I can't find it in myself to go emo. I have a nice house, family, and funds. My school staff is littered with s***ty b****es whom I seriously dislike, and are the main root of my disrespect towards authority. I'll go look for the school thread to find my descriptions of them.

 

Revanchow, I love your avatar and your sig pic!

 

edit: Ah, here's that post!

 

The gum nazi - b***h who is an uncanny gum catcher, chews it herself, and worst of all... she's an ozzie, so I am inclined to view her with contempt anyways.

 

The Fyfenator - Our new vice principal is from South Africa, and I swear he escaped imprisonment there. He always makes you feel like you're in trouble when you're not, and worst of all, almost in every aspect resembles the terminator.

 

The witch - Nothing much more to say there, except she is a cynic who jumps to the worst conclusions at the worst possible moment...