i hate HK vendors

after lunch just now i went to get a fruitcup which is a pretty popular thing to do here. i asked the lady how much and because i didn't understand what she said and it was busy and loud, i asked two more times very politely; on the third she screamed "ELEVEN!", rolled her eyes and did that "tcheh" thing asians do with their tongue. i said the first thing that came to my head which was just "YOU DON'T HAVE TO FUCKING YELL." and walked away. i'm still fuming. why are people like that? why are they such miserable human beings? i was telling eug that i think lots of people here are just mean-spirited. in the states, they're rude. here, they're just mean.

you know you're getting old when...

a lot of the music you love is the stuff from your youth...i was in the middle of making my gym playlist "jane fonda" when i came across these songs i downloaded a while back...both one hit wonders, but aren't those the ones that conjure up the most memories sometimes?? nostalgia is awesome.

i can't figure out if you can upload audio, so here the videos i've just looked up on youtube...so enjoy ya old farts :)

sundays

this picture is super blurry because it's taken from a moving bus (stupid, slow me), but i'm putting it up because i've been wanting to capture this phenomenon but didn't want to be rude by being so in your face. so instead, i'm being sneaky about it. every sunday swarms of overseas workers, mostly filipinas i believe, congregate in parts of central and hang out. while you can't really see people's faces in the pic, you can at least see how large the numbers are. and this is just one area. they also meet in underpasses, along walkways, and on sidewalks of closed down streets (which i think might be closed specifically for them). they mostly sit around and play cards, probably gossip and chat. they also play with eachother's hair while listening to music. some read. the first time eug and i experienced this, we walked through a courtyard to get to this restaurant, there were some small groups practicing choreographed dance numbers. i wondered if it was something they did for fun to pass the time or whether they would be eventually performing somewhere.

these women, on their day off, basically have no where to just hang out freely. their rooms are usually very, very small - narrow enough for just a bed smaller than a twin-sized. and i hear they don't get air con either so it's not exactly a place they can bring even one friend to chill comfortably. jamie and i wondered why there wasn't a place - some sort of rec center - where they could go, but i guess that would actually require planning, and time and money...

oct 5,6,7

(i'm not feeling too creative about my title today)

eug and i enjoyed a lovely weekend together. friday we didn't do much...i went out for drinks with some ppl at work and waited for eug...we then went and had some yummy dumplings, came home, and feel asleep watching old ab fab episodes.

saturday we had dinner with a few friends at yellow door, one of many private kitchens in HK. we're on a mission to test them all out. it was szichuan, but could've been spicier for sure. overall, it was good but not sure if it was worth the price. it wasn't terribly expensive but we've been to some that are better that cost less. we then went to some bar called lotus that was way too loud. though, the great thing about hong kong is that you can bring your drinks outside and hang out there, which makes having conversation possible, even enjoyable. then i was able to convince eug, with sarah's help, to go dancing! it ended up being just me, sarah, eug and his friend han (sp?) - everyone else who i didn't really know went elsewhere. i took them to the only place i knew was easy to get into that played hip hop. ran into some ppl from work and drank and danced. the place itself was not so hot, but i always have fun when i'm shaking my bootay...

sunday, we slept in and then met up with our friend phoebe and her fiancee for brunch and then headed out to yung shue wan island. it was so nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of hk. it's quite bohemian there and everyone is nice - someone actually told us to enjoy our day...we found a cheesecake place and read for about two hours then had some seafood for dinner. anytime i see deep-fried squid, with chili and salt i have a great urge to order it. and that i did. i'm on a forever search for something as good as a dong's (in houston), which is no more. but, alas, i am always disappointed.

here are some pics...

i took this picture from the pier in HK because the tarp looks like a pair pajamas belonging to a giant 5 year-old.

balance

i was going to balance my two complaints from tuesday's post (thus my clever title) with a few props for HK, but i'm tips and i'm sleepys so here are two photos instead.

one from this morning...three compltely different acts and expressions as if this were a photoshoot. it's all au naturel, i promise.



and one from this eve...this on the other hand, is quite posed. outside of jubilee, a bar we frequent frequently.

2 big annoyances

1) "umm..nooo...sorry, can not"
each time i hear these words, it's like a subtle screech of the proverbial nails on the chalkboard. it drives me insane. while i love the orderliness of everything, people here follow the rules too the t, never straying from them, not knowing how to improvise, go with the flow. there's this strange unwillingness to think outside the box. and sometimes, things just don't make fucking sense.

example: me and jamie shopping around. ooh, look, an item on sale. cute! cheap!
me: hi, can i try this on please?
salesperson: umm...nooo...sorry, can not
me: um, why not?
salesperson: umm...nooo...sorry, can not. item on final sale. 70% off.
me: um, exactly, which is why i need to try it on. because i can't return it.
salesperson: umm...nooo...sorry, can not (all the while with an annoyingly, apologetic smile, slowly walking away)

example: me at mcdonald's (yes, i still got to mcdonalds. and yes, by myself.)
me: hi, can i get the cheeseburger happy meal please? what size is the coke? oh. can i get a larger size? no? i'll pay more for it. can i supersize it?
salesperson: umm...nooo...sorry, can not.

example: eugene and i many times have walked into the wrong location (streets and #s here suck) and asked to be directed to the right place. what's the answer?
"ummm...nooo...sorry, can not."

sure, sometimes it is the language barrier thing. but most times, they just don't want to be agreeable.


2) the rude/ultra hard sale salesperson
i'll go over the hard sale first since i experienced it in a big way over the weekend. eug and i walked into california fitness because i wanted to check on the membership, maybe take a tour. the sales guy goes over very quickly the hours and differences in the two types of membership, and then i'm whisked away on a tour with a trainer.

when i get back to the esk, i'm ready to talk numbers. but, that proves to be tougher than i anticipated.
me: do you have discounts for ogilvy/wpp employees?
him: (he checks) yes, we do. a good one. (doesn't tell me how much) so, do you think you will sign today?
me: um, well, maybe. what's the pricing?
him: today is last day of promotion (points to a deflated balloon with the promotion). last day of month.
me: well, i need to know what it costs first.
him: tomorrow all rates increase. today is good deal. so will you sign today?
me: i need to know what the rates are. what are they today? and what will they be tomorrow?
him: today is very good deal. this pen (he picks up a pen from his desk) - today this pen one dollar, tomorrow it is 5 dollars (like straight outta a russell peters standup! fer reals...)
me: ok...sure. still, i can't make any decisions until i know what the pricing is.

at this point we're both getting frustrated. what? right? he finally leaves comes back with some numbers for the two types of memberships, crosses numbers out, writes in smaller numbers, circles a few, writes down what the initiation fees are, crosses them out, writes down numbers for the application fee, crosses them out, tells me what the first month will cost vs. the other 11 months. suddenly, he's bombarding me with numbers. as if to say, you want numbers? i'll give you fucking numbers.

he then lays out weekly plans that are cheaper (tues, thurs, sat vs. monday, wed, fri) not sure what happened to sunday. i'm sure it was there somewhere. i tell him i want to be able to go any day of the week. he lets out a small sigh. i ask him if the gym has a pool and/or steamroom. he smirks, shakes his head and says no, like i'm crazy for asking. what?? i want to punch him. walk out at least. but i don't.

him: so you sign today?
me: so what exactly is the corporate discount?
him: well, tomorrow no more. everything increase.
me: wait, tomorrow, there's no more corporate discount? hmmm...
him: you sign for three months?
me: well, if i want to sign today, i'll give you a call. if i miss the promotion by calling tomorrow, i understand it's my fault. it's ok.
him: you want to come in for one day pass?
me: (phew, something i can give into) sure, great. i'll do that.

the rude salesperson is someone we've all encountered. but it's quite prevalent here and it's almost always the same type of treatment. i won't go into detail or talk about any specific examples, but if you don't buy then they essentially shoo you away with a flick of the wrist. the smile immediately turns to an almost scowl and they quietly curse you under their breath for wasting their precious time. of course, it is not always this harsh. sometimes, it is just a very curt ok, thank you. smile drops. and they turn away as if you never even existed...

booooo

eug and i stopped into a vietnamese restaurant today called coconut forest vietnamse restaurant. we noticed the misspelling and still ventured in. it was my fault. my craving got the best of me. it was like a scene out of a horror flick. like, why couldn't those dumb kids take a hint. needless to say the food was awful. bleh. i wish i had my camera.

it was cheap though, about $9 US for two drinks, two bowls of lemongrass chicken/pork vermicelli, and two disgustingly greasy side dishes of springrolls and something else.