Back in the US of A

I knew I was back in the States when:

I asked a flight attendant to help me put my carry-on luggage in the overhead compartment. The attendant remarked, "You are too little. Are you still growing? I hope so!"

I was on campus waiting in line to get some food. The guy behind me inquired, "I don't mean to be rude, but can I ask you a question? How tall are you?"

Yes, I am officially back from Lilliput and in the land of giants, where I can get a handicapped driver's license in Jersey because I am under 5 feet tall. Hooray!

Actually, that last part isn't true, unfortunately.

Overheard while waiting for the bus in la la land...

"Yea, I got drunk with my mom that time...when she made me drink with her and that other time when I was naked with my friends."

More on La La Land to come...

Help! Help!!!!! Anyone?

I'm walking down the street to my apartment when I hear a woman screaming. At first I think its just some friends in the middle of an escalating argument. Her screams get progressively louder and more frantic. 

When I turn around, I see a man sprinting towards me with a bag clutched against his chest. Behind him is a woman screaming, "My passport is in there! My passport!!" Accompanying the woman is a male friend who continues to chase the robber when he turns a corner. I instinctively reach into my bag to call the police but realize that I left it at home. I ask two onlookers to call the police. I get empty stares in response. Thinking that they don't understand Mandarin Chinese, I then approach another bystander and ask him to call the police. He takes out his earpiece when I say, "Excuse me?" but then puts it back in and keeps walking down the street after he hears my request. I then ask my doorman to call the police. He asks me, "Yea, but where is the robber?" Hello?! He's running down some alley - I don't know where he is! Apparently, if you don't see the criminal, there is no point in calling the police. How is this mentality helpful?

Is it that hard to help a fellow human being when he or she is in need? Apparently, yes. There were about 15 bystanders who were staring at the robber and its two victims. No one bothered to lift a finger to call the cops. 

Trucker Hats

One of my friends, John, was visiting Hong Kong back in April when he asked me about the trucker hat phenomenon. Young teeny boppers in Hong Kong indeed are sporting bulky trucker hats - not on their heads - but on top of their heads. I thought it was an amusing trend and started to take photos of kids with these trucker hats. They look quite funny with these gigundo hats protruding out from the top of their heads. I think its a hip hop trend...the more I see it, the more I like it. I guess thats how mainstream mags brainwash you with trends and get you to make wild purchases!

Top 15 Reasons Why I Will Miss Hong Kong

 

In no particular order...

1. Fantastic food

2. Clothes and shoes that fit perfectly for petite Asians

3. First-world city with third-world prices for certain services (spas, massages, laundry) and food; you don't have to be a millionaire to be pampered 

4. People from all over the world live in Hong Kong

5. Beaches and numerous hiking trails are just a bus ride away

6. Shopping, shopping and more shopping

7. The subway system - the cars are meticulously clean and run quietly; you get cellphone service inside the cars; the subway station is air conditioned; there are glass doors that open and close when the trains come to prevent accidents (like London's Jubilee line) 

8. The airport - runs efficiently; there is a cheap and fast train to get into Hong Kong's CBD; you can check in your bags in Central before boarding the train to get to the airport

9. Built-in closets and bedframes in the apartments

10. Taxi fares are cheap because the city is so small

11. You can live in a Soho / Village-esque area in Hong Kong and pay Battery Park / Brooklyn-

esque rent

12. Hong Kong's location is great for traveling around the Asia-Pacific area; Bali and a host of other cities are just a few hours away which is great for weekend trips

13. Nightlife is very accessible and in a concentrated area, making bar- and club-hopping extremely easy

14. Salespeople in stores are generally very polite compared to London or New York

15. Last but not least, my newfound girl friends who have made Hong Kong fun, exciting, memorable and fabulous ^c^ 

Coinslots here, there, everywhere

Nope, not in Vegas. I mean that one... Yep, the one down there. You know, the kind that peeks out when someone sits down and oops! Butt crack alert.  

On a recent trip to Australia, I must say, I've seen my fair share of coinslots. While sailing through the Whitsunday Islands, I must have seen about 100. Ok, I exaggerate. 

The sailboat crew consisted of three people - the skipper and two helpers. They had a full boat with 26 rowdy passengers on board. Their duties ranged from cleaning the deck to cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner. As you can imagine, it isn't easy taking care of so many people in a cramped space. 

Board shorts are commonplace in Oz, and are almost an unwritten uniform on the east coast. The two helpers, who I'll call Jack and Jill, were both wearing board shorts. Whenever Jill moved around to hoist the sail or do whatever she was doing...bam! Coinslot alert! When she was operating the motorboat to haul us back from Whitsunday Island, it was literally in your face. Hard to miss. Jack's boardies stayed on the most of the time, except for one or two slips from what I could see.

I mentioned the coinslot sightings to a fellow traveler who had lived in Australia for some time and she didn't think anything of it. She pointed out that most Aussies were pretty laid back so they can't be bothered with coinslots, or covering them up for that matter. It is precisely this type of attitude that I fell in love with while in the land down under. After living in New York and Hong Kong where people are considerably more uptight, Oz was like a breath of fresh air. Well, maybe not the coinslots.  

Its 10pm. Do you know where your children are?

After skydiving in Queenstown, NZ, which was amazing and I will write more on that later, I sent my parents an email with my photos. I expected a long and winding email from my dad, who is probably the most risk-averse person that I know. Here is what my parents wrote back:

Erin:

The pics looks cool. :)

Have a nice and safe trip.

Mom and Dad