More Random Thoughts on Hong Kong/Arriving Shinjuku, Tokyo
Thank you all for your e-mail messages and comments. I miss all of you back home--you've been on my mind. I just checked into my hotel room in Shinjuku, one of the busiest neighborhoods in Tokyo, known for delicious soba (cold noodle), sushi and katsu don (deep fried pork chop over rice). Before I dive into sights and thoughts of Japan, I have to rewind and share some random thoughts in Hong Kong.
(1)
My gaydar totally failed in Hong Kong. I was waiting in line for the bus that would take me to the Big Buddha in Po Lin Mnastery and standing behind me were a mixed group of ruggedly-looking, atheltic, bearish (meterosexual?) men who from time to time stole a glance or two at me. One of them, who had a close-fitting Armani Exchange t-shirt on and was clad in the trendy Keen sandals (which I bought myself a pair after seeing him wearing), was probably in his mid 30s, maybe 5'8", was smiling at me in a countenance as if he was going to buy me a drink at the bar. Anyway, we never talked, and I regretted not initiating a conversation. About half way through the bus ride, that group of guys got off and it turned out that they were reporting to their week-long shift at the Correctional Service facilities! Something about their profession and their interaction among themselves told me that none of them, not even the cute one with a rugged look, was gay. Oh well.
(2)
I've been scouring bookstores for the last few days looking for a detailed street map of Tokyo. Hong Kong, in my opinion and impression, is not a readerly city, a fact that can be easily corroborated by the bestseller chart, which is usually dominated by DIY books, weight loss journals, and comics. I mean, the last time a work of fiction that topped the chart, was Da Vinci Code. So go figure. Maybe The Devil Wears Prada will stand a chance. Usually a work of fiction of literature will have its 2 days worth of glory on the chart if it is made into a motion picture. So no sooner you walk into a bookstore in Hong Kong (which is usually not bookish but more like an interior design salon) than you see a section called "Movie Tie-in". Anyway, I want to say there might be hope for the future generation as I have spotted more and more people browsing the literature section. I saw a guy reading Shopaholic--whose effort I compliment, although I would rather have him picked up a copy of Chekov's Short Stories, which exemplify precise, descriptive, and arresting prose. In the meantime, I'm still reading Heinrich von Kleist's The Marquise of O-- and Other Stories--a collection of intriguing works that with the psychological mysteries and covulution keep on reversing what I might have speculated about the outcome of the stories.
(3)
I purchased a new digital camera--I know, you all might be craning your neck and waiting for my pictures--which I will post very soon. The new one is also a Canon, the ixus 900Ti, with 10.1 mega pixel resolution and a 3x optical lens. This one also is endowed with the picture-in-picture function and is upgraded to ISO 3200. I'll be taking lots of shots with the newbie in Japan, and yes, I promise the pictures of me in swimtrunks. LOL
Stay tuned for more. Until next time, be well. By the way, I'm writing this post at the airport internet terminal while waiting for the shuttle bus.
(1)
My gaydar totally failed in Hong Kong. I was waiting in line for the bus that would take me to the Big Buddha in Po Lin Mnastery and standing behind me were a mixed group of ruggedly-looking, atheltic, bearish (meterosexual?) men who from time to time stole a glance or two at me. One of them, who had a close-fitting Armani Exchange t-shirt on and was clad in the trendy Keen sandals (which I bought myself a pair after seeing him wearing), was probably in his mid 30s, maybe 5'8", was smiling at me in a countenance as if he was going to buy me a drink at the bar. Anyway, we never talked, and I regretted not initiating a conversation. About half way through the bus ride, that group of guys got off and it turned out that they were reporting to their week-long shift at the Correctional Service facilities! Something about their profession and their interaction among themselves told me that none of them, not even the cute one with a rugged look, was gay. Oh well.
(2)
I've been scouring bookstores for the last few days looking for a detailed street map of Tokyo. Hong Kong, in my opinion and impression, is not a readerly city, a fact that can be easily corroborated by the bestseller chart, which is usually dominated by DIY books, weight loss journals, and comics. I mean, the last time a work of fiction that topped the chart, was Da Vinci Code. So go figure. Maybe The Devil Wears Prada will stand a chance. Usually a work of fiction of literature will have its 2 days worth of glory on the chart if it is made into a motion picture. So no sooner you walk into a bookstore in Hong Kong (which is usually not bookish but more like an interior design salon) than you see a section called "Movie Tie-in". Anyway, I want to say there might be hope for the future generation as I have spotted more and more people browsing the literature section. I saw a guy reading Shopaholic--whose effort I compliment, although I would rather have him picked up a copy of Chekov's Short Stories, which exemplify precise, descriptive, and arresting prose. In the meantime, I'm still reading Heinrich von Kleist's The Marquise of O-- and Other Stories--a collection of intriguing works that with the psychological mysteries and covulution keep on reversing what I might have speculated about the outcome of the stories.
(3)
I purchased a new digital camera--I know, you all might be craning your neck and waiting for my pictures--which I will post very soon. The new one is also a Canon, the ixus 900Ti, with 10.1 mega pixel resolution and a 3x optical lens. This one also is endowed with the picture-in-picture function and is upgraded to ISO 3200. I'll be taking lots of shots with the newbie in Japan, and yes, I promise the pictures of me in swimtrunks. LOL
Stay tuned for more. Until next time, be well. By the way, I'm writing this post at the airport internet terminal while waiting for the shuttle bus.
4 Comments:
Travel always brings with it the most captivating stories.
I'm so jealous! I wish I could travel!!!!
Have much fun and take many pictures!
Did episode (1) happen on the bus to Lan Tao? I think it was that bus line that drove past that prison on the way to Big Buddha.
Yep that was it! :)
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