There is this funny thing in the world called 'family'

One of the biggest realization from my trip to Hong Kong was about family and I have a lot of thoughts and reflections on it today.

'Family' are the closest strangers one will ever meet and be with in the world when one is born and come to this world. You have no choice in who they will be nor the fact that they are closely related to you - whether you like them or not. However, I am grateful for the creator (maybe it be Buddha or God or whoever else that I may not know) for making me a family of interesting individuals of which some are loving, warm, kind, caring while others are strange, rude, demanding and weird. Through so opposite, they all exist in one family; isn't this interesting don't you think?

I am someone who had been away from my hometown for 10 years until my recent visit; families are all I have got there even through not everybody is still alive that I knew as a child. Some had received me with great joy and love while others didn't seem to tell any difference whether I was there or not. This image warms my heart while it also breaks.

But God, I am determined to look on the bright side of every incidents that occur in my life. I am still grateful for those who love me after my 'disappearance' for 10 years, I have long to feel part of a bigger 'family' than my own immediate one. I think I now know what it means to be family. On the other hand, it is sad to see my invisibility to some part of my family. Gender inequality was rather clear and seemingly the social norm. The 'drumstick' phenomena hurts deeply as I understand the underneath meaning of the action. It is sort of a statement that says 'who cares if you are going to wed 'out' of the family soon and hasn't been around for 10 yrs, men are still more important' (even through they cause so much trouble and do so little while farting around). It also hurts when my offer of food (it's in Chinese culture for respect if done by a younger person to an older one or it represent love if it's the opposite) to a particular individual was rejected after much struggle within myself. Through I kept comforting myself tht I am proud of myself for stepping over my own limitation and boundaries; I know this is going to take a while for me to journey out of the pain it provokes in me.

God & Buddha, allow me to understand and be open hearted so that I may endure pain and suffering of the world brought upon me by myself or others directly or indirectly as well as intentionally or unintentionally. I ask that you will also give me the confident and strength to voice myself when it needs to be stopped and learn from all that I experience through life.

Lastly, thank you God & Buddha for my family; for both the loving ones and the not so understanding ones. At times they may seem demanding or challenging, but I trust that you have tasked me to face them all as learning and growing opportunities.

3 days in China

It had been a rather unsuprising visit to China this time after 10 years away from 'home'. We didn't get up to much in these 3 days, we skirted around the complex where all my relatives live in the same streets within it - so far I remembered, eating food, playing cards, chatting to cousins and the major event of going to visit my great grandmother and grandpa at their graves on a rainny day.

However, I think one can regard this as an occupational illness; I did a lot of observation and reflection of what I heard and observed. It saddens and frigthens me - some of these seemingly possibly normal imagine and reflection of normal every day society of china today.

1) you will hardly ever see any children in the streets playing together. Firstly, there just isn't enough of them around under the one child policy and secondly if they do exist; they are hidden at schools all day (until 6 pm or 10 pm at night). I wonder what can one learn within the walls of schools except academics for that long!! At some point I am sure the brain stop working. What kind of life is this at the most enegetic and exciting moments of youth?

The pressure to compete and do better than one's best takes children's breath away.
The mixture results?? In rebelious youth who will not listen to their parents or make any beneficial and responsibile decisions that is good for their own future. And yes, if they need/want to try out drugs, not go home and become part of a gang - so be it; that's the path they will follow. The society is ill and it is sick - who can be the doctor that maybe able to fix this?

2) relating to children, the attitude and interaction between adults and the perceived children also took me by suprise a little. Some parents 'love' their children too much (unable to disipline them) vs. others would chat with friends in resutrants completely ignoring the child who is desperately looking for affirmation and attention from her mother.

3) The wealth of the few and povetry of many hidden faces - the ugly face of materialism

It is suprisingly infrequent to see 'poor' faces in Shenzen even through I am sure of their existence. I somehow wonder about the voice they have in this society - probably not very loud I guess (well it's not like I can validify this with them seeing they are so hard to find). The amount of wealth the wealthy people have - from the clothes they wear, the designer shops they buy things from and the cars they drive. My only response... is silence.........

A day on the Peak of HK

Uncle Min, Mum, Tony & I had spent a day on the peak of hk. We visited the peak itself, taken photos of the view of hk central; saw waxed figures in the musesum there(some people look so real that it scared me a bit).

I felt I have eaten so much food that at the end of the evening (for the whole trip back in hk) that I want to quit eating for the next month....@@

Here's photos from the peak and the wax figures musemum on top of the peak

2.7.08 - a journey to the oldern days through modern times

Today we did a few admin stuff in the area where I grew up...

Through it seems so ordinary, it was very heart warming I thought.

First time we did was to go and visit the doctor that I used to visit twice a month for my weak lungs and nose. That doctor is so so great, I think he really is such a friendly and good doctor. No much thing as a status ego thing that some doctors have.

Secondly we went to a shop where my mum bought a watch for my dad as a kind of an engagement gift like 25 years ago; it made me even wanted to buy a watch from them too because of the shop's significant. :)

It was a remmencience day. It felt very good!

1.7.08: a day in Macau

1.7.08 a special festival in HK as it is the day that HK returned to China 11 years ago. And it is the first time that I am actually in HK when it is this time, however I have spent most of my day with my family in Macau for a one day tour......


A few of the very famous landmarks of Macau







These belongs to a old mansion of the Lu's family in Macau from the Ching Dynasty






These belongs to a street where they try to show the styles of the olden times of Macau as well as mixing a bit of a few famous buliding of the world:









View of Macau - the city











A look at the one million and one casino there exist is in Macau: