Letters From Hong Kong

Letter 35 - Is This Goodbye?

2010-10-05T05:15:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Quite some time has passed since summer and my last post. As for what has happened, it was orientation, start of term, course registration, a couple of ISA events and everything as usual. Will be a long and busy year being my final year here in CUHK. I have decided that my usual write ups take too much time and that I will doing the easy thing and just upload pics directly from my phone to my facebook mobile folder. I might decide to write here ocassionally should I decide that I have something I want to talk about. In the meantime, watch my facebook to see whats happening.

From,
Ivan

Letter 34 - Summertime

2010-06-13T08:21:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

I am still alive and still here in Hong Kong. Won't be heading back till August. Doing a summer job here as a social applications developer. Make sure you support my releases (on facebook!)

June 4th Demonstration where they moved the Goddess of Democracy to The Chinese University

Moving to the summer hostel sure was a big hassle. Lucky I had two extra pairs of hands =)

Beautiful Sai Kung on a nice sunny summer day. (Unfortunately, doesn't happen too often)

Huge (and tasty) pizza that we had at Men's Group. See the plastic plate for comparison.

Done with Men's Mondays series, "The Quest for Authentic Manhood"! Great Series!

Putting on our thinking cap over at the office =)

Remember to check out the applications I have made so far!
Ask Me Some!
thelolcam (Similar to Photobooth on Macs)
Movie Trailer App
How Well Do You Know Men Quiz
How Fast Can You Click?
Click Statement
Note: Log into facebook account using the same browser first

Your friendly nieghbourhood friend/relative,
Ivan-man

ps. The A-Team was A-wesome! "I Pity the fool"

Letter 33 - Goodbye Sophomore Year

2010-05-21T22:49:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

It has been one whole week since the end of my last finals. Summer has arrived and so has hot weather, rainy days and lots of sweat. I have decided to stay over in Hong Kong for most of the summer to do some work. That means I will only head back home to Malaysia in August. I'm still wondering how I should spend my 21st birthday though. No plans as of now. But I have a feeling it will just pass by like any other day.

Study Study Study.

View from my usual spot in the Law Library.

ISA Hike @ Dragon's Back.

It wasn't too hot but then it was extremely misty and we didn't get to see much of the scenery.

Where will the path ahead lead to?

Went to the beach after the hike.

Lights show @ Victoria Harbour, TST.

Poly University Campus Pic.

Night pic taken at Kowloon Park, TST.

The view I will be seeing very often throughout summer.

Yours Truly,
Ivan Kow

Letter 32 - Still Alive

2010-04-28T22:38:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Been awhile since my last post. Basically been busy with assignments and activities. Finished up the "Fu Cup" competitions where we lost the 3rd place match in football but were second runner-up in basketball and runner-up in the tug-of-war. It's exam time now and I'm already done with 2 out of 6 papers. No concrete plans for summer yet though. I feel like time is passing by too fast. I'm going to graduate next year!

Beer Tower!

Body Art?

Went cycling to Tai Mei Tuk during easter break. I enjoyed it.

No Eating & Drinking..at a restaurant. =)

Parking at the Upper Basement = PUB. Fail!

Somebody is free from Physical Education at CUHK. =)

Beeeeeeerrrr

Farewell Night at MHT. Ended up getting chosen for some couple games. This was one of them where they had to pass a "Siu Mai" using only their mouths. Censored for privacy.

Bottle Collection. All in one week.

Studied in the library study room.

Studied in the outdoor reading area.

=)

My favourite view from my current favourite spot.

加油 to everyone with exams and 再见 to all readers.

順頌時綏,
高伟家

Letter 31 - Under The Bridge

2010-03-29T18:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Finally done with mid terms. Things seem to be going on smoothly. Will be having a short easter break but with the end of term approaching, would be about time to start on my projects. As usual, been busy with lots of sports and activities. The ISA seems to be moving along pretty well and we hope to have another event before the end of the semester. As for me, I am surviving.

Spring came and the flowers were all in bloom. Still having good weather now but the flowers arent in full bloom anymore. And its gonna be a gloomy next few days with the sun gone.

Grad Students Picture Day @ CC. Can't believe it is my turn next year. =(

Somebody doesn't have a very good shooting angle.

HK Culture: Happy Corner.

My 3 point shot. Had a terrible game where i didn't get any points at all. And as you can see, no form in my shot.

We still won that match though. Only to get pummeled in the next one.

Soccer.

Also won this soccer match. And we got the beat down in the next one too.

Too many late night activities makes a tired Ivan.

Classes running as usual.

ISA Scavenger Hunt. It was fun!

=)

And guess what? I woke up at 6am this morning. I declare myself a non-morning person. So much for my Sleep Campaign last year.

Yours Sincerely(maybe),
Ivan the terrible and tired and t..er.....t-rex?

Letter 31 - Forward

2010-02-27T06:40:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Another month has passed. This post has been long overdue. However, I have been busy as usual and nothing new and interesting has been happening lately. Went back home for a week and it was a pleasure meeting most of you guys (and girls) again.
Chinese New Year break was too short and now that I'm back in Hong Kong, its business as usual. Still trying to balance work, sports, self improvement and social activities. I'll be participating in the 10km run of the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon tomorrow. My first time running in Hong Kong. I'm just worried about the time. I have to get to Hong Kong Island by 5am in the morning. That means I have to wake up at just past 3. And that is less than 5 hours from now. Definitely will not bode well for my body's internal clock.

Tug Of War Training

End of Year Meal / Reunion Dinner

Would you eat this cake?

Tug Of War Competition. We(MHT) have advanced to the second round.

SC HK Marathon Shirt

From,
Ivan the terrible

Letter 30 - Improve

2010-01-14T06:41:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Happy new year to all readers. The new semester has started and it is gonna be a tough semester. Just as the title of my post, my current goal is to improve. What do I want to improve? My fitness level, my basketball, football, badminton, studies, self.....and the list goes on. As it is the second semester, there will be hostel games and I will be involved in alot of the practice if not the games itself. That coupled with tough courses makes for a tough semester. What doesnt kill you makes you stronger. Hopefully this doesn't kill me.

Happy New Year @ IFC, Central.

New Year Eve Crowd @ MK.

Pool.

Foggy Days. Or maybe smog.

Hello Guangzhou!

Went for a river cruise with a buffet dinner and a magic show. The food wasn't that good and the performance lacklustre. Plus living in a city of highrisers like Hong Kong makes the skyline of other cities seem a little dull.

Titanic..all over again. The only difference was that if he jump, i dont jump.

Me and Man Man, my hostel mate whom I went on the trip with.

Shopping district in GZ.

Good Dim Sum.

Six Banyan Tree Temple & Pagoda

National Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall

5 Rams Statue at YueXiu Park

I felt like i was in Alice and Wonderland with the tiny door.

Excellent Parking Lot. I wonder what is so excellent with it. And no vehicle was parked there.

Muslim King preserved in Jade. It didnt work because all that was left was the jade enclosure/dress.

Jade Horn.

Cosplay Cafe @ Shenzhen.

The comics at the cosplay cafe.

GTO

Went to Macau again. This time with my sis.

Macau's famous pork chop bun. Crispy bun with a pork chop in between.

Taken at Hard Rock Casino, Macau.

Disneyland MTR Car.

Went to Disneyland with my sis. It was indeed magical. Made me felt like a kid. And this was supposed to be the least impressive Disneyland.

They were good.

My favourite - Goofy.

Don't you think they realy suit me? =)

View at night. There was fireworks at the end but I am too lazy to post up the long video.

The famous Egg Tart @ Tai Cheong Bakery, Central, Hong Kong. Coming soon to Flavalogy.com

Award winning roast goose from Yung Kee.

That's all for now. I just got my name announced on the Mic at my hostel telling me to go down for tug of war practice. Haha.

Yours Truly,
Ivan Kow

Letter 29 - Seasons Greetings!

2009-12-29T23:43:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Blessed Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you out there. Especially to my family members and close friends you know who you are.

After finally finishing all my exams and projects, it was partay time down here in Hong Kong. Had lots of fun going out with my friends here. And so many December babies which is all the better because tis the season to be merry! I'll be heading over to China, probably Guangzhou and Dongguan for a couple of days after new years. After that, my family will be coming up for a visit. Hopefully it all turns out well.

Setting up for the farewell party

Farewell to Chairman Lin (we we're playing him as Chairmain Mao)

Reading the great teachings.

Had another Sing-Along KTV party afterwards.

Hot Pot/Steamboat/Da Pin Lou with the grad students

One of the many birthday celebrations - This was Lydia's

Happy Holidays People!

From,
Ivan K

Letter 23 - Piffle

2009-12-03T22:53:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Time for another quick update! Weather has ben good lately. Warm but not warm enough to make you sweat and lots of sunshine. And I had my last class of this semester yesterday. Now its just a couple of assignments and exams and then i'm done with this semester.

LKF Carnival. Just a crowded street with lots of stalls and lots of people with beer in their hands and in their bellies.

Oh the irony. Toys"r"us kid's street at LKF festival.

Dress up week at Church. Hip-hop.

Lan Party @ Men's Monday! Had fun shooting and blowing up the men from church.

Hostel Performance again!

Supper @ Fo Tan.

Had Steamboat/Hotpot/Da Pin Lou with the guys at my hostel!

Went to the rooftop for an impromptu MV sing-along session! =)

Ever had bees to go with your beer? Definitely one of the worst things I have put in my mouth. And you can actually feel the "juice" from its insides. The beer somehow felt very sweet after that.

Photo session at Ming Hua Tang.

Right after I got back to my room, I got pulled out by the other guys and got a tattoo. Supposed to be Edward Elric from Full Metal Alchemist.

Michael casting his vote at the ISA Election and Movie Night

ISA Movie Night.

Time for exams. That means no update till...next year perhaps. Also, I'm finding something to do for christmas and the first week of next year. Anyone got any plans?

From,
Ivan

Letter 22 - Zoom!

2009-11-15T08:25:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Yes. It has been a month and a half since my last post. And yes, I am still alive here. I just never found the time to update my blog and I decided it was about time to pull a quickie (I mean quick update of course). At first there was midterms examinations but right when I thought it was over, the assignments and projects rolled in. Also, the International Students Association (ISA) of CUHK has finally been formed and I will be moving from preparatory committee member to a proposed committee member and then a full one. That means more work but at the same time. I just hope that the other international students here decide to come out of their shell (and holes if they are hiding somewhere) and join in our events. That will mean a big change in environment for international students. Currently, I think the large campus and collegiate system segregate us too much and creates an atmosphere not so suitable to that of a new and foreign student. And hopefully, I'll be able to find time to do my applications to summer interns. So basically that's what has been happening lately. Trying to juggle all those Uni related work with my other activities such as church groups and sports. Although I always observe the sabbath day, I kinda envy the people with one extra day to work. But I am sure god has his reasons and ways. And so, just as the title of this post, life is going by. Albeit a little too fast. I'll leave the rest to the pictures.

Church Camp. I was helping out with the kids and I have to say that I don't plan on working with kids again for a while.

View of my campus from across the river.

The boys playing mahjong in my room.

View of Chung Chi Campus (Lake Ad Excellentiam). Taken while I was roaming around on a beautiful day as I was waiting for a friend.

The Chung Chi Thousand People Feast. Just like last year, part of the founder's day festival.

Haloween @ LKF

Btw, the weather has finally gotten colder! Time for winter experience number 2! I am enjoying the cold weather.

Yours truly,
The Tired Ivan.

Letter 21 - Unexamination

2009-10-09T00:47:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

It's been a month since I posted something and what has been happening? Basically the events around campus are the same from year to year. And so suddenly I find myself back in the same position in last year but with the knowledge of whats happening instead of being lost between language and uni culture like last year. This also made me choose what to attend and participate and what not to. Somehow, I am able to avoid doing things i don't want but in a way, I think i also lose more oppurtunities to meet more people and see more things.

Anyways, I am going to be busy busy busy from now on. Assignments, projects and a few events as well as my new commitment to Monday Men's Meeting (Church Based) and of course my usual Sunday Church followed by hanging out with the Lunch Bunch. I know I am slowly being swallowed by the current which is going to take me far away and further on in life but at the same time I will have to struggle not to drown in it. I really also have lost much of my passion for blogging (if i did have any at all). I wonder who reads my blog? Somehow, the traffic feed shows most people come to my blog through google and not through blogsphere and bookmarks. So perhaps my posts shouldnt start with "Dear friends anf family". I think "Dear strangers who accidently got directed to this blog through google's web page ranking search system" would seem more appropriate.

As usual, I'll keep the words minimum. If any of you readers are actually a friend or a family member of mine, do message me personally for a talk if you want to know what else is going on.

Ever wanted to know what true manhood is? "We men are in a confused state". Really interesting series done in the Men's Monday!

Farewell for no.19 - Merlin. Hostel mate who used to live 2 doors away from my room and is now studying in UK.

Term Opening Supper! I downed a large bottle of Tsingtao beer in less den 10 seconds that night. I recommend all of you to try that. Disclaimer: Extreme amount of gas will cause you to feel like your stomach is exploding. Try at your own risk.

The "Big Boy" Hummer that I stumbled upon randomly one night when we were.......

Hostel Welcoming Dinner. A real mess especially with the food. It was like being in a war zone.

Balling in Hong Kong at night. One of my favourite activities.

My poor laptop has now morphed itself into a desktop. No..actually, the battery just reached its "end of usable life" and now only lasts for 5 minutes or less. That makes it a portable computer and not an operable laptop.

Oh..Did I mention that I have three roommates in a twin sharing room now?
After a day of rearranging, here are pics of my new room.

Sleeping area

Door Area: Now my table is beside the cupboard instead of beside the window

Windowside: What was previously my working table area is now my bed and drawer area.

My side of the room.

Back to studying.

Yours humbly,
Mr Ko

Letter 20 - Year 2 in Asia's World City

2009-09-08T23:52:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

I have safely arrived back in Hong Kong. After few days of unpacking and reorganising everything again, I think i have settled back to life here. Right now its really hot and humid here in Hong Kong. I just keep sweating the whole day and change probably 2 shirts a day. Other than that, alot of people have left the hostel and around campus and so I will have to get used to that and try to meet other new people. And I have to get back to routine. Having been on holiday for over 2 months, it is a little tough to drag myself out of bed and to do work.

I also would like to say that i enjoyed my holidays back at home and in Hong Kong. I will post some pics from my holiday but just a few. And let's hope that my fondness for blogging has not deteriorated over the holidays. (I was never big with blogging in the first place)

At Macau with my MHT buddies!

Went to Penang with my dad. This was taken at Fort Cornwallis.

Chan and Amanda's B'day Party!

Haha. Sorry for posting this but i like the pic. Taken on Merdeka Eve.

Beautiful waters of Phuket.

Literally swimming with the fishes at Phuket.

From,
Ivan @ HK

Letter 19 - I'm Coming Back!

2009-06-22T02:25:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

I have just finished my spanish course this morning. It was fun learning another language and i'm sure it will be useful. But for now, i think i need to sharpen up my chinese and malay when i go back home to Malaysia...which is..this friday! I will be taking a short trip to Macau with my mates and then to Malaysia from there. I am excited but at the same time a little sad that i will miss out on stuff happening here. Nevertheless, I am sure I will enjoy my summer back home. It would be near perfect if only everyones new best friend, Mr Swine Flu (or H1N1) hadn't appeared.

So, lately I have been going out alot for basketball and for dinner and supper. Had a friendly yesterday with another church and some international school teams. And I also went to Po Toi Island last saturday with my hallmates. It was a nice place with a good hiking trail. But you need to have alot of imagination and a nature loving heart to be able to appreciate the abundance of oddly shaped rocks, marvelous ocean view and greenery. I'll keep it short this time as I have other things running through my mind right now. Have a look at the pics. And I am guessing my next post will be in around 2 months time as I shouldn't publish letters from Malaysia on my blog which is aptly named: Letters From Hong Kong. =)

Randomness - Created a colour coded pillow pyramid at Solid Rock (youth group of Shatin Church) with David DF!

Went around with my cousins; Emily, Stephanie and Hermann Kam. Pic from The Peak. Best city view in my opinion.

For Sam Lai's b'day, we ended up having his cake in the middle of the streets of Mong Kok.

Went to another Japanese buffet. It is quite cheap and good but I am quite sick of buffets. I stick to my opinion that paying less and eating less is better if the quality is good and t he ultimate satisfaction is there(by not stuffing yourself). Quality over Quantity!

Out to Victoria Harbour to chill.

To Po Toi Island: Nice Wooden Boat

To Po Toi Island

To Po Toi Island

The boat we took to the island.

The Deserted Mansion of Family Mo, (巫氏廢宅)

View of the harbour

Me. Need I say more?

Rock trail.

Monk stone.

Tortoise Climbing up the Mountain (靈龜上山)

Buddha Hand Rock (佛手巖)

The crew at the jetty.

Pondering upon the future!

From,
Ivan Kow

Letter 18 - Wet Wet Wet

2009-05-29T01:04:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

It is almost one month since the end of my finals and today was the day of my summer course mid term test. What has been happening lately? Mostly end of term events, saying goodbye to hostel mates and so on. I have been moving around alot also, to temporary rooms and then I will move to my summer hostel this sunday. Spanish classes have been quite fun. It is a little complicating having to coordinate each sentence with gender, plural and singularity and between 1st 2nd and 3rd person. Nevertheless, I am coping quite well. Yo estoy bien!

Also lately it has been very very wet. It has been raining almost everyday and bringing an umbrella everywhere you go is a necessity. A part of me can't wait to go back home; for the comfort, the people and for an end to this packing and moving around. But, this would also mean that i will miss out on things and people here. Some of my friends have graduated and are moving on and others just will be busy somewhere else. As they say, "Out of sight, out of mind". I think that is quite true because no matter how you try to hold on, you have to move on and with the fast paced lives we lived, it is so easy to get too engrossed in your everyday tasks no matter how menial.

Bought a new bicycle with my other hostel mates. My 2nd hand bike cost me 450HKD(RM210)

Went to celebrate Irene's birthday in Neway. This is a shot of Irene doing what she enjoys.

Went for supper with my hostel mates. Sushi is cheap late a night in some restaurants in HK, half off in this particular one.

Went to the racecourse in Happy Valley to have a look at horse racing and to feel the atmosphere. There were many people and the amount of money they put on horse racing is really high. Each race could have a couple of million HKD in the pool.

Checking the board for the horse's informations. Horses here have names such as Kung Fu and Value Choice.

Making a wager. We pooled our money to make a bet for the fun of it. We were so close as the horse we bet came in 2nd. Then again, you are always "just so close" but never there. That is the stigma of this addiction.

The race.

Parading the horses before the race.

Standing at the ledge.

Me and Michael at the racecourse.

The whole group just outside the racecourse.

Everyone else moved out of hostel last Sunday. And when I came back that day, I found an extra fridge in my room. Guess what was inside.

The crowd during the Tuen Ng Festival or Dragon Boat Festival at the Shing Mun River, Shatin.

The winning team for one of the races. Although it was a "festival", there weren't many people cheering so I didn't really feel like it was a "festival". Most people just stood around and took pictures.

The crowd.

One month to go and I will be heading back home to Malaysia. Looking forward to meet the people back home. And if any of you who will be there when I am back, make room in your schedule for me!

From,
El hombre llamado Ivan.

Letter 17 - Un Año

2009-05-07T23:24:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Been busy lately thus the lack of updates. Right after the last post, there were pre-finals events and then final examinations. And so right after i finished my exam, I came back to the hostel to find almost everyone asleep including my roommate. That was because almost everyone is done with finals and some people have a few papers left. I ended up doing lots of cleaning and packing. My room is now spanking clean and I really felt the need for that as I started to neglect my weekly cleanings in favour of studying (and the other occasional in betweens). Packed all my winter clothings as it has started to get warm. Right now I am able to sweat just walking outside, something that didn't happen for a while. I am trying to get myself to face the horror of sweating all the time when I am back home in Malaysia.

And so, my last paper ended just 3 hours ago and it hasn't really hit me yet that one year is over. I have been in Hong Kong for a year already(9 months exactly, but one yearly term). What have I achieved? How have i changed? Have I matured? Has my University education changed the way I think? Has being in Hong Kong made me a different person than i previously was? These and many more questions now lie in my thoughts but I know that they will not be answered so soon. These are questions that you usually answer "on the hind sight".

I will be taking a language, Spanish for my summer course. I only get half a week of break because summer session starts mid next week. Ouch! I will be looking to have more fun and doing more exploring during summer too because summer course is less time intensive. And then its back to home!

Me being photographer for Arief, an indonesian final year student friend of mine. Here is a shot of Arief, May, Irene and me.

Having dinner with all the Engineering Guys from MHT. (and one from social sciences)

Went for a japanese buffet with people from Ming Hua Tang. I still think that buffets arent good. They usually get away with borderline if not disappointing food (and usually not fresh). And to get your money's worth, you stuff yourself.

Graduation night at MHT. I didn't take many pictures but here is one where they were playing a game.

Link to a video of my Hostel Committee President and his infamous shower issues.(from the grad night year 1 videos)

1 HKD per chicken. Went there one day with the guys from "3 East" (3rd floor east wing). Thats like Rm0.50 for a chicken. Crazy.

A new campaign at MHT. It roughly translate to "No lovey-dovey actions permitted in hostel". We just went crazy one night amidst studying and this was the product.

My room door.

3rd floor pantry.

Announcement Board.

PS2 and TV.

Btw, I(or we) aren't particularly against couples or anything, it was just fun to do something like this. You only get to live through university and do these kinda things once.

Ah. One thing that is worrying me is my excessive palm sweating. It is getting really bad, sometimes sweat can drop from my palm. And a lot of my exam papers got partially wet (and crumpled) because of it. Ouch.

Here I come Summer!

From,
Ivan Kow from the Justice League

Letter 16 - End of Spring

2009-04-02T06:56:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

I have been good. Just finished with mid terms. Will be having some final assignments and then the final examination itself at the end of this month. I have to say that right now I feel that I am very used to life here already, the weather, language, culture and everything that used to feel different now feel like a part of me. I even feel that maybe I might feel less at home if I were at home. But worry not, I will be back for summer break. Long enough to make home feel like home yet short enough for me to be able to adjust back to life here without much effort.

As for the events happening lately, there was the HK Sevens which was the biggest sporting event in Hong Kong. It was a 7 person and 7 minute a half rugby game. I got a cheap admission through a Tertiary Student's Reward Card. The atmosphere was good but I only had admission for the first day and it was a little bit hard to concentrate when they keep switching teams every 20 minutes and I do not know much about rugby from the start. The "Fu Cup" games were on as usual. I only joined in the basketball and we lost by 2 points ( bummer :( ). There has also been lots of end of term events happening like the graduation shots. I have decided to take a language course during summer but am having a problem deciding which language as of now. I feel that time does pass fast indeed as it is almost the end of my first year abroad.

HK Sevens

Exploring Hong Kong - Mid Levels. Thats a very very very long elevator up to the mid levels, a residential area which also has alot of chic hang out areas. Feels very foreign however, you wouldn'd have guessed it was in Hong Kong should I have taken more pictures.

Before pic. Lights off during Earth Our 2009. (28 March 2009)

After pic. Lights back on but not that bright due to the mist covering the island.

Went to Itamae sushi for some good and reasonable sushi!

Tower of plates. That does not include our side orders. For four people, we ate a whole lot. I can hardly comprehend the true capacity of my friend's stomach as they weren't bloated by that time. (And I could hardly stand up straight)

Seen anyone fall asleep in front of a computer in this position?

From,
Ivan Kow

Letter 15 - Locomotion

2009-03-14T07:49:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

As days get hectic and schedules filled, the feeling of continuously working or locomotion sets in. That was what i felt over the past few weeks as I go through my mid terms and the Fu Cup games. Mid terms were okay so far but I still have 2 more to go. As for the games, my hostel (Ming Hua Tang) won the Tug Of War. We didn't do to well in most of the others. I was also involved in football (that is my fav sport) but unfortunately we were unable to pull a David vs Goliath feat. The other team had 6 out of 7 players from the Chung Chi College Team and we ended up playing a bad strategy - overdefensive and overpredictable, losing 2-0 in the end seemed okay but I was more disappointed on my own inability to be able to make a real impact in the game. However, Basketball is next Friday so do wish me luck!

Also, I did say that days were starting to be warm. That was last month, February. It recorded the highest average temperature and highest temperature in a day since temperature recordings were started in Hong Kong. As for this month, it has been cold and wet. The sun seems to have hidden his glorious self behind clouds and gloomy skies. Rain ( or what I would call drizze ) pour down all to frequently and makes the act of hanging the clothes out to dry impossible. However, many flowers are in bloom and the scenery around campus is beautiful...If only I had more time to appreciate them. However, being in Hong Kong, I have gotten used to lifestyle here; fast paced and with breaks few and far between. It accounts for the efficiency of Hong Kong but of course as everything else, there is another side to it.

The flowers around Chung Chi College in bloom.

Scene from the coridoor of my hostel. Indicator of how wet it was at one period.

Tendang Bulu Tangkis or Shuttlecock. They somehow take it very serious.

Having a pizza with my football teammates after the match.

Football Team Photo.

Tug Of War!

Tug Of War Team Winning Pose.

Me with Irene, Arief and May during Shaw College's Photoday (Irene's Grad Shots). I was her photographer for that day.

Well, I also saw a status update from someone indicating a good news for my fren XJ. I would like to say congrats on the offer.

Hoping all is well with the rest of you out there.

From,
Ivan K

Letter 14 - A Few Steps Down The Road

2009-02-21T00:30:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Family,

It has been some time since my last post. Right after my last post, I went back to Malaysia for the Chinese New Year break which was exactly one week. Flight was three and a half hours and I met an interesting guy on the way back to Hong Kong. And in Malaysia itself, Chinese New Year was just like it has always been in previous years; back to Johor for a few days for the Reunion Dinners and then back to KL. Since I was only back for a week, it was a real busy week. After coming back, I met up with most of my old friends and some teachers. It was good seeing you guys after such a long time.

As of late, I am struggling to keep my head above water. A deadly combination of presentation, assignments and sports practice sure works well to put you out of it. And if you are wondering "Sports Practice?", that is because the inter hostel games or "Fu Cup" are underway right now. I am playing basketball, football and tug of war. I also went to practice badminton and volleyball a couple of times. Sleep has also become a problem as many of the trainings are at night. But other then that I am doing fine.

I'll post up some pictures of what has been happening. And I expect my next post to be in almost a months time from now as I get busier with Mid Terms and the Fu Cup games.

My current phone, the Nokia 5800 Xpressmusic also called the Tube. Bought it for 3855HKD (Rm1800 as of current) Pretty nice to use and worth the money. But I still find it not comparable to the iPhone. Recommended for those people who like the iPhone features but are not willing to pay the price and still want to stick to Nokia.

Fu Cup Opening Ceremony- Head of MHT Hostel Committee officiating our ceremony with roast pig and sparkling juice.

Fu Cup Opening Ceremony - People from Ming Hua Tang

Fu Cup Opening Ceremony - Tug Of War between previous and current Committee Heads.

Birthday Celebration for Charles (aka Water Brother) at McDonalds.

Valentines Decorations at Langham Place, Mongkok. Valentines was just like it has been every other year for me.

Me with Sam and Charles on our way to the Cinema to watch 7 pounds. Story was straightforward but execution was excellent. Cost 46HKD (RM21) at Elements, Kowloon.

Post Movie - Waiting for the others who walked behind us.

Post Movie - Having Dessert or Tong Sui at Mongkok.

First Fu Cup Match - Ping Pong ( Table Tennis ) match between Ming Hua Tang and Mdm S. H. Ho Hall ( called "Hor Suk" in Cantonese)

Also, the temperature has risen here as we approach the end of winter / almost summer. It is supposed to be Spring but many of my friends deny the existence of spring here. It is just winter and summer. It is still cool but the humidity is back and it rains alot. I really enjoy the cool breeze in this weather. I'd also like to thank you guys who came to see me during CNY. And to those who couldn't get the chance, I'll be back during summer. See you guys then! For now, I'll keep paddling and hope i don't get swept away by the current of coursework and activities.

From,
Ivan K

Letter 13 - Back to Business

2009-01-20T04:28:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Classes started right after the new year. After such a short holiday, I was thrusted right back into university life. Been very busy lately, with classes running till very late this term as well as more sports with the upcoming inter hostel games. My parents also came to Hong Kong to visit me early this month. I spent my weekend with them and unfortunately got sick right after that. I think it was due to a mixture of cold dry weather and going out too much. Other than that, I have been on a few trips around HK with my friends and pretty much everything else has been quiet.

Chinese New Year is coming soon and I am looking forward to it. The main reason is that I will be going back to Malaysia. I will be able to meet all my relatives and friends back home. If you are reading, make sure to reserve some time for me. But, It is going to be a big difference in terms of weather. It is winter now and back in Malaysia, it is hot as usual. For now, I must finish my assignments and work. I am also taking putonghua this term so that I can learn how to speak mandarin and read chinese characters ( It has been very inconvenient to not know chinese ). And I am still trying to improve my Cantonese.

Let's move on to pictures. As they say, pictures are worth a thousand words and I currently do not want to type a few thousand words.

Scenes from the Kowloon City Park.

More scenes from the Kowloon City Park.

Zodiac Statues at the park.

Good use of english.

Start of Term Dinner at Ming Hua Tang (My Hostel). I helped cook some of it. Those below are the ones i mainly helped in.

Meat sticks.

Enokitake with beef strips.

My Indonesian and Malaysian friend. ( and one local there too )

Taking a tram up to The Peak.

In the Tram with May.

Starbucks at The Peak. It was the only cafe (drinks place actually) open and we were the last customer.

View of the city from The Peak.

The Sky that night.

Me at the Peak.

Another angle of the city at night.

The whole lot of us.

Took a cable car ride up to the big buddha at Ngong Ping, Lantau Island.

Through the beautiful hills.

Some booth they set up for the upcoming Lunar New Year.

Through the village streets at Ngong Ping.

Say Cheese.

Me with the big buddha.

The Big Buddha.

View of the surrounding area.

Me and Irene (fellow Malaysian).

In the cable car on the way back.

Thats all for now. I hope to see all of you guys (relatives and friends in Malaysia). And to those i won't be able to see, I'm sure we will have another chance to catch up. Perhaps during summer.

From,
Gao Wei Jia (My name in PinYin)

Letter 12 - It's a New Year / Welcome 2009

2008-12-31T23:48:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Happy New Year.

All too fast, another year has passed by yet again. This year has been a generally good year for me and it has been very eventful, be it personal events, national or global events happening around. It is also my first year away from home, studying in Hong Kong and my first year of blogging ( although I started only during fall of this year )

As stated in my last entry, I went to China with 2 other friends. We first went to Shenzhen, only stopping to shop for some winter clothing and food. It can be seen that things are very much cheaper and that bargaining is a must in China just from this leg of the trip. We then took a train to Guangzhou. Guangzhou is just slightly north of Hong Kong and is a place where Cantonese is widely used too ( Kwongtung = Canton ). However, I found Guangzhou to have not much interesting places or things to see. It was dirty and rowdy at certain areas. Most of the people we asked also said that Guangzhou would be the most dangerous places in terms of vice and criminal activities. Good thing that nothing happened there and at least know I know what Guangzhou is like.

After a night and getting some rest at the airport before our flight, it was off to Nanjing. Nanjing is where Kevin's parents live and work. They were very hospitable and took good care of us, inclusive of food and lodging. Nanjing is a nice city overall. Very clean and organized. The sites there are also very beautiful. However, site-seeing wasn't our priority here in Nanjing. After 3 nights of visiting the city and having lots of rest, we headed of to Shanghai by train.

Shanghai is an extremely large city. Famous for its good local food such as La Mian and Xiao Long Paos, food was alot of what we had in Shanghai. We stayed in Shanghai People's Square Youth Hostel or Y35. Cheap Lodging costing only 45RMB per night ( RM22 approx ). But of course, you only get what you pay for. The place was cramp, lacking facilities and you could hear people singing Karaoke next door. And the smell of the wet market beside in the morning. But for that kind of price, I still think it was quite a good deal. We went around many shopping areas and a few sight seeing areas such as the Bund. Massages was also good and reasonably cheap here but you got to watch out for certain things. We took a day trip to Suzhou too. Suzhou had many sight seeing places but we made a mistake by taking a cheap tour which pretty much wasted our time as they moved very slowly and took us to places to spend money instead of just pure sight seeing. And we met some Korean ladies and we ended up trying to help them get around. After that it was back to Shanghai, and I can say I probably have enough of the nightlife.

The trip overall was good. I think its safe to say I have enough of the big cities in China. Except Beijing, I probably won't choose to go to Chinese Cities for quite some time. Maybe somewhere with more site seeing and outdoor activities.

And after coming back, I just chilled and hung out with some other Malaysian friends from CU. Went for the countdown yesterday at Kowloon, getting the same view of Hong Kong Island as that from Victoria Bay, but with a significantly smaller crowd. I also met up with Justin, my buddy from Inti College. He was here for holiday and mostly shopping. We met up for lunch and just went around town, finding things to do. It was good to see him again and I was wondering how it was not long ago we were still having classes together. Less den half a year actually. Those days seem so far away now and time seems to have passed by too fast. But of course memories of them are what we carry along with us no matter how time passes.

Shenzhen - Right out of the Train Station.

Shenzhen - Street Views.

Shenzhen - Where we had a good cheap lunch.

Shenzhen - Lunch!

Shenzhen - Guangzhou - Fast train ride ( up to 220kmh ).

Guangzhou - Busy area outside the Train Station.

Guangzhou - That is how they move things around.

Guangzhou - Streets at night.

Guangzhou - Sitting outside the area famous for it's nightlife.

Guangzhou - Random picture by my friend.

Guangzhou - Trying to get some rest at the airport.

Guangzhou - PSP-ing at the airport.

Guangzhou - Nanjing - Plane Window

Nanjing - View from the car window. The leaves have all fallen off the tree.

Nanjing - Home cooked food at Kevin's place.

Nanjing - We stayed at this company's campus.

Nanjing - Poor Tony being buried alive.

Nanjing - Tony's revenge.

Nanjing - Around the campus.

Nanjing - Around the campus.

Nanjing - Beautiful scenery around Dr. Sun Yat Sen's Memorial

Nanjing - More beautiful scenery

Nanjing - Me in a dried up river stream.

Nanjing - The Guys.

Nanjing - They didn't want to explore with me so they consulted the map.

Nanjing - Outside the Memorial.

Nanjing - shopping street.

Nanjing - Making good wishes at the tree.

Nanjing - Me, Kevin and Mr. Panda.

Nanjing - Standing on Ice.

Shanghai - Good and Cheap Xiao Long Pao . 5RMB ( RM2.5 )for 8 pieces.

Shanghai - Scenes from Nanjing Road, the busy shopping area.

Shanghai - Scenes from Nanjing Road.

Shanghai - Me in front of a famous old building at Nanjing Road.

Shanghai - Old Colonial Buildings at the Bund.

Shanghai - Buildings across the Bund.

Shanghai - Good old YangRouChar. Like satay but its goat meat and its larger sticks. Notice the sticks in the bin.

Suzhou - Scenes.

Suzhou - Scenes.

Suzhou - Getting Silk from the Silkworm.

Suzhou - Emporer's Silk Robe Replica.

Suzhou - Us guys at the bridge.

Suzhou - Scenes from Liu's Mansion.

Suzhou - We boys at Liu's Mansion.

Suzhou - Train delayed for one and a half hours.

Shanghai - At airport, waiting for the plane back to Shenzhen.

Barricaded area at Kowloon, waiting for the clock to strike 12.

The crowd.

Buildings around the area.

Malaysians in Hong Kong!

Fireworks!

Thats all for now. Happy new year to all again.

From,
Ivan Kow

Letter 11 - Done!

2008-12-18T00:06:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Done! My exams that is. Finally done with my exams this morning. Hopefully i did well.
As of what has been happening lately, it has been quiet due to exam periods. Just had a few cooking sessions and been doing a little exercise.

And I will be heading off to Mainland China tomorrow. Together with two of my fellow international students here at CUHK, Kevin and Tony. Our schedule is probably to Shenzhen and Guangzhou on the first day and then to Nanjing on day 2 till 5 or so. After that its off to Shanghai. Kept our schedule flexible there. And we will be semi backpacking, finding youth hostels around except for in Nanjing where Kevin's family stays at. It's good to do these stuff that you can only enjoy in your youth ( for most people at least ). So I probably won't update my blog till after new years. And don't be surprised to not see me online. I'll post up some pictures of what has been happening around me lately.

Ingredients for the meal - bought by Michael.

Me chopping up some capsicums.

Michael frying the vegetables.

Me with my Mapo Tofu.

There it is - Mapo Tofu, Fried Vegetables, Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs and rice.

The Guys in Ming Hua Tang.

Random knifeplay with some wierd evading pose from Herman.

Out for food with the guys after football. This food stalls are called "Tai Pai Thong" and this one was quite good. Sushi chicken, deep fried oyster crackers ( or something like that ) and the Goat Brisket was good.

Randomness - A nice flower i picked up with the view out my window from my computer / study table.

The view around Chung Chi Campus. Beautiful. And you can tell the sun is very bright. It is pretty warm for winter. I think its quite a nice feeling. Having a cool winter breeze and yet being able to enjoy the warmth of the sun.

The road up to my hostel.

And up again.

Ming Hua Tang's front door. With flowers!

Christmas season is here. And that's the board informing of upcoming events or happenings.

Christmas Tree in Ming Hua.

Alright. I'm going out to catch a free movie today. Got the voucher when signing up for my bank account. And I will be off tomorrow morning.

Blessed Christmas, Happy Holidays and Have a Happy New Year to all out there.

From,
Ivan Kow Way - Jia

Letter 10 - Exams!

2008-12-08T05:24:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Family,

As the title says, it is the exam seasons. I have finished 3 papers and still have 3 more to go, not including a chinese paper which i have requested exemption from. Lately I have been eating more and more (Don't worry Pris, you weren't the only one with the failed attempt). I could blame it on the decrease in temperature but personally I think i just eat more during exam times. I put on 10kg during spm itself. Boredom = Eat. Simple equation there.

As for what has been happening, I am doing okay here. Hanging on. Trying to study. Nothing much been happening and study period is supposed to be a boring period. Haha.

Shots of Victoria Harbour from the I-house Exchange Students Farewell Boat Trip.

Another one. Couldn't get any good ones from my phone.

Neil asleep on my bed. My bed has been the ultimate fly trap. What flies? Guys on my floor actually.

Sophie and Michael making dinner. ^^

My last class of college general education!

Me and what many would call "Ivan's Trademark Pose"

Out!
- Ivan K

Letter 9 - Time, oh Time

2008-11-22T23:08:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Family,

It is reaching the end of my first semester here. Time passes very fast. Not long ago I just arrived in Hong Kong. Not long ago I started my journey in university. Not long ago I was trying to find my place in this new environment. Not long ago i started a blog to let my friends and family know how I am doing. I now have one week of classes left. It is definitely going to be my busiest week because all my courses have assignment and essay datelines next week.

As for what happened since my last post, lots happened actually. I have been going out alot with my new friends. One trip was to City University of Hong Kong, a small university somewhere in Kowloon. I also attended a trip to Aberdeen and Lamma island organised by the Incoming Students Section of the Office of Student Affairs. Also, I took part in the inter-hostel performance which was loads of fun but lots of practice too. I also went to visit my friend's house in Yuen Long and had sushi there. The weather here is fluctuating now between 15 to 25 degree celcius. I have gotten used to the weather but my skin has not. As for the rest, I'll let the pics to the talking.

]
City University Of Hong Kong

The inside of City U. Close knit.

Public Housing in Aberdeen.

Warehouse - A Teenage Outlet Area.

Me and my friends at the warehouse.

On the Jumbo Restaurant.

Characteristically Hong Kong even from across the sea.

Hideout used by the Japanese for their Kamikaze Boats.

Me and Kevin up on the hiking route.

Renewable energy, the power of wind.

Final practice for the hostel performance.

Freshman performance. I'm somewhere in the background.

Whole hostel performing here.

Posing for a pic after our performance.

Out to supper after the performance.

Our little gourmet session. I made Indian Curry. There was also kimchi soup, apple filling with pancakes, rice, vegetables and coke.

Herman and his pancakes.

The gang.

View from a hill in Yuen Long at night.

Kevin and the pagoda in the park.

View of the city from the top of the pagoda.

Guys at the top.

Sushi! That's a super thick sashimi.

Sashimi with long tail?

Unagi with long tail too?

Me enjoying my sashimi.

To all my friends who finished their exams, be it A levels, O levels or SPM, congrats and go enjoy yourselves. That's all for now. I gotta have my lunch soon. Haha.

Yours truly,
Kow, Ivan

Letter 8 - Diving Deep

2008-11-05T02:52:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Family,

As you know, Obama won the in the elections today. Haha..I would say i prefer him although I am not too sure on his policies as I have never taken much notice of it.

Anyway as for how things have been, all is good. Mid terms are over but no time to catch my breath as work has piled up and most activities are scheduled for right in between midterms and finals. I will most probably be joining the international student society or UCIPEA ( United Coalition of those in Pursuit of Educational Attainment or smth like that ) and also the hostel committee. What else is up? The hostel performance, where we will perform a dance ( or 3 in my case ). I will be going out soon so I'll keep this short and let the pics do the talking. I have lots of them.

First up, dessert. What I have been exploring the most in HK. Haha.

Thats the carnival during the Chung Chi Founders Day Celebration ( College Anniversary )

Some lightings.

Free Red Bull!

Games stalls.

Me and a ghost from the haunted house.

Just before entering the haunted house with my hostel mates.

Me and what consists of mostly koreans.

The guys.

Herman and me ( with ears! )

Me with Mina and Olive, my friends from General Education Class.

Me!

Scenes from the Chung Chi Ball. Thats me and my partner (random assignment)

My buddies here.

Herman teaching Ross to dance.

The whole GEJ bunch. ( College general education class in english )

Pumpkin carriage and me.

During the Thousand People Feast. Waiting for it to start. That's my roommate on far left and another guy few doors away.

Magic show. There was also a game like the game show where they asked some foreigners to sing and the contestants to guess the song. I became one of those singing foreigners.

My table. 3rd Floor West Wing people.

Eating with them was pure madness. The minute the plate touched the table, all is finished.

Drinking Contest (beer)

I was blocked!

Here is a clean shot.

Me and my hostel flag.

Gone for a drink in a bar. We were in the darkness.

My hostel mates and the glowing drink.

Going to the Ten Thousand Buddha Monastery. The sign was so small.

Ten Thousand and one.

Cleaning up after a meal. I do work too ok!

That's all for now. I'm rushing off somewhere. Take care all.

From,
Ivan

Letter 8 - Let's Get Going!

2008-10-24T22:30:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Days have been good lately. I am still in the midst of mid terms and in which I have 2 more papers next week. It will be a busy week with assignments and mid term examinations. Then I will be meeting up with my cousin from Aus who I have not seen in a while. I also will be attending the Chung Chi College Ball or something like that. And there is the Thousand People Feast. That is an event for my college's founders day festival which is something like an anniversary festival actually.

I will also be trying to be more active and try out more stuff like societies and events. Although most events and activities run in chinese ( and even worse, they do all announcements and reminders in chinese too ), I should be able to get around with help of friends and some helpful office people who translate the more important announcements.

As for ankle, its an awfully long time to be not fully well and i feel wierd not doing any exercise and sports. I want to recover faster to get back into my active lifestyle. I also signed up for the Athletic Meet and really wanted to participate but I didn't in the end and instead signed up as a student helper. Nonetheless, I think it seems to be getting better as the pain is reducing. Lately, I have also been trying to learn how to cook. Anyone with any recipes or any pointers feel free to tell me. I don't have many pictures this week as I didn't go out much and neither did I take pictures around. It was mid-terms after all. But i did manage to get alot of stuff done this week.

That's the Ikea Meatballs with cream sauce and mash potatoes that me and my friend made.

Me and Herman, my hostelmate and cooking mate ( and supposedly running partner but i havent done any running )

Another cooking session with Herman and Tony ( My Korean mate ). They are nice people and that was a very satisfying meal.

Up close, there is Kim Chi Chige ( something like kim chi soup..and i dont know how to spell it ), sausages with tomato and japanese mushrooms, some take away food from lunch and rice. And 2 guys.

Me and the Hostel Commitee President during the College Athletic Meet. Another person called his handphone to ask us to pose from far.

Me doing my work as student helper. I was posted as helper for pole vaulting, discus and then photographer.

My hostel people posing after the Collete Athletic Meet. Ming Hua Tang!

That's all for this week. I hope I will be able to find some pics and stuff for next week amidst my busy schedule. And the people here do kinda celebrate Haloween. It is relatively small in Malaysia though.

From,

Letter 7 - Mid Terms

2008-10-14T04:36:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Life is ok here. Mid terms have arrived and i will be having a few papers over the next few papers with the first beginning tomorrow. I am writing this as a break from revising. As some of you heard, i sprained my ankle last week. Happened during basketball with my hostel mates. Although it was pretty bad at first ( I couldnt walk for a day ), I am doing much better now. I am able to walk freely and can do limited exercise with my ankle guard on.

And to my college mates reading this, I can say that Justin's "super" syndrome is probably from his cantonese roots. The people here also use "super" (in cantonese) as the main superlative for all their words. Other then foul language that is. Haha.

I also spent a bomb yesterday on Sushi. It was a mini-farewell for my buddy Peter. Spending money is so easy and i feel kinda bad spending that much but it was some kinda mini farewell and well worth it. Haha. Wishing him a safe journey back and hope to see him soon.

Interesting and very convenient flush, operated by foot.

Went for Dim Sum last week during the Chung Yeung holiday with a couple of friends. It was good dim sum and the serving was so much bigger den in M'sia. With 27HKD ( RM12 ) I ate until i almost burst.

Walking through the reflexology path after breakfast. Pain!

Bridge across some river which I cant remember it's name. At Shatin.

Entrance to a local park at Shatin.

View inside a park. Can't imagine anything like this surviving in M'sia.

Even a mini waterfall.

Ming Hua Tang ( My hostel ) Welcoming Dinner. We had Steamboat which is called hotpot or "ta pin lou" here. My roommate is inside this picture.

That's me with the stuff i bought from ikea. My matress there too. At the advice of the security guard, i tied strings to it so that i can carry it on my back as seen here.

Crutches, Leaflet on Sprained Ankles and my Meds.

What i found inside the plastic bag when i borrowed an ice pack from my friend. Thanks again if you see this.

Some "Tong Sui" my friends and I ordered at Tai Wai. I had mango and pomelo soup which wasnt too bad.

That should be all for now. I hope to hear from you guys soon too. Haven't talked to some of you guys for a while. And there seems to be less people online. Partly due to exam season.

Wishing All Well,
Ivan

Tagged!

2008-10-14T04:27:00.000-07:00

Tagged by Chen Chen

1. Your handphone model?

- Nokia 6680

2. A picture of it?

- http://s428.photobucket.com/albums/qq3/ivankwj/?action=view&current=Nokia_6680.jpg

3. How many times did your phone get tortured by you?

- ?

4. Which part of your handphone you hate the most and why?

- The fact that it has nothing with it. No cables, no software nothing.

5. Like the most and why?

- Good Personal management software ( Calendar, notes, to do)

6. If you're given a chance to change your phone colour, what would it be?

- Wont

7. What icon do you click the most?

- Green Phone Icon

8. What else to change to become a perfect handphone?

- Change one

9. You need a handphone because...

- keep in contact

10. Who bought this phone for you?

- Not my phone. I took it from my dad's drawer on the day i was flying to HK because my own phone died on the day before.

11. With the total amount of your handphone price, what could you buy other than phones?

- Lots of stuff

12. Is your handphone model popular in the market?

- Limited popularity but it was the launchboard for the N series nokia. Almost exclusive in hk. Never seen anyone with it.

13. Describe yourself as a smart handphone user.

- I use what i can and need to.

14. How often do you charge your phone?

- every 2 to 3 days.

15. Estimate, how long could your handphone survive?

- 3 Years if i was that desperate to keep it.

16. Actually are you interested in phones?

- Yes

17. Are you happy with you phone condition now?

- Acceptable

18. Every morning, what is the first thing you do with your handphone?

- Turn off the Alarm.

19. Imagine someone takes your handphone away for 1 day. What would happen?

- I will find that person and take it back. haha. On a more serious note, i would feel "naked".

20. No handphone no life. Agree or bullshit? Explain.

- No handphone is really very inconvenient but it doesnt mean no life.

Letter 6 - Into Routine

2008-10-01T06:32:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and family,

Here I am again. I am doing fine. I have been feeling some itching lately though. My mum says it could be due to the changing weather but i'm not sure of it yet. I can feel that the season is going to change as although it is still hot under the sun, the breeze just feels different. It feels more refreshing and that extreme heat is no longer there.

I feel that I have gotten used to life here. I am into the routine like classes and back. I still have many free days which i want to fill up with activities but I am unsure of what i should fill it with. I am hoping to be able to join at least one society and one sports club.

Most of my friends here are from the hostel actually. I cant say i communicate well with them but they do talk to me and call me along for stuff like dinner and exercise. My classmates still seem to move around in groups and i have not been able to meet anyone new other then a few mainlanders.

I miss home though. Mostly for the comfort of home, my friends and my family members. I always turn distinctively to my door and expect to hear a soft bark from Meeko calling me to open the door for her. But it always happens to be some of my roommate's papers flying around the room. I miss being able to go out easily and spending time with my friends whenever i want. Haha. And having a family around. Plus i didn't need to manage my budget so strictly and everything is provided at home. But i guess its part of growing up right. I now realise this and I have been learning to be independant. Don't worry about me though, I am not crying tears and stuff. If you know me, you would know i'm not that type of person.

As for what has been happening around here, I will leave it to the pics.

Pork Burger. That one is for Mr. XJ especially since he kept going on about pork burger. It is really tiny though.

Chilli sauce. That is quite rare here. You have to ask the counter and they give you chilli sauce that is not spicy.

Shopping at the supermarket with a few other hostel mates. Yes, I have to do my own shopping here.

Steamboat to me, Ta Pin Lou for them HongKees. Cost me like 120HKD (RM 50) for that meal!

There was another typhoon last week. In the evening though, so no classes cancelled. The canteens were closed though so we ordered pizza.

My room is situated beside the toilet and my roommate complains that many people enter our room which makes it just like the toilet. So i did this out of randomness.

There is this thing called "Secret Angel" where you draw lots to become a secret angel of someone and you get one too. Supposed to be nice and send gifts. I got mine and i wanted to send one out too but then the product was taken off shelves right after i bought it. Wouldn't be nice to give out suspected products now right.

That's my friend from 2 doors away, herman. Taken during the time we wanted to make corn for ourselves but ended up making corn soup for the whole floor.

Me, herman and the hostel head, hopeful. Cleaning up after the soup session.

That's Kok Kuan who visited me from Malaysia. Nice of him for calling me out all the way in Hong Kong. We had street food which was Smelly Tofu ( Chow Tau Fu ) and Curry Fish Balls. Good stuff.

That's us at Victoria Harbour.

I took him on a cheap ferry ride across to Central on Hong Kong Island. Only 2.20HKD ( RM1 )

Streets in the city are so full with signboards, you can barely see the sky.

I have been doing some of my own cooking. This is one of them - Noodles, chicken stock, vegetable, meatball, luncheon meat, and eggs.

That is all for me. I have been pretty busy with assignments and homeowork. Mid term exams are approaching too. I haven't been hearing from most of my friends lately. Don't tell me I have been forgotten already! Haha. I'm available for msn, skype and webcam at most nights. Don't hesitate. Haha. I sound desperate.

From,
Ai Fern ( That's how they pronounce ivan over here )

Letter 5 - Mid Autumn

2008-09-20T01:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

I am doing fine here. Still surviving. Health-wise okay except for my toenails. One is already off and i have a feeling the other one will follow soon. I will spare some photos and more details as i have many people reacted by claiming it is disgusting. Haha.

Last saturday, I went to HKU ( Hong Kong University ) for a visit and to listen to a free lecture on Macroeconomics. I am impressed by HKU as it is a very nice university. Although the campus is not very large, its just alot of tall buildings situated close to each other. What i did like was the atmosphere there as it really epitomises Hong Kong. It is also more comfortable with places like Starbucks, Oliver's Super Sandwiches and a lounge with actual comfortable couches. Haha. I also envied the fact that everything was run in English over at HKU. My Uni, CUHK has a much bigger campus with lots of greenery ( which is good, but i consider myself a more "city" type of person ). And they adopt bilingualisme which i think is just a way to cover up. Haha. Most societies and talks other then those from certain major subjects ( like mine ) run totally in chinese. And the priority to international students are priority to mainlanders actually since they make up the bulk of the Non- Local students at CUHK.

Also, last Sunday was the Mid Autumn Festival. I went with a bunch of friends, mainly Malaysians, an Indonesian and a few exchange students. We had dinner and then went to Victoria Park in Causeway bay to see the lantern carnival there. The lights were quite good but it was extremely packed with people. It was very hard to get some space to take some pictures and we kept losing each other in the crowd. The monday after was a public holiday and i took the oppurtunity to go shopping for groceries and resting in the evening.

As for classes, they are running as usual. I have not found any problems in class as of yet and the homework and assignments are slowly coming in. I am having a sore muscle due to a tackle i recieved in the Rugby Club meeting. To me, it was totally avoidable because the person who tackled me was just over-enthusiastic and it was just a min-game where touching would mean losing ( and not tackling ) but I must admit that it was partly my fault for charging through and I was abit pissed after that incident.

It seems also wierd to be missing fast food and chain restaurants. Back in SS15, McDonalds was a weekly affair and if we had those buy one free one coupons it would be almost daily. Here in CUHK, I have been deprived of anything other then canteen food which i am already sick of. Haha. I shall survive nontheless.

A typical Hong Kong street - Narrow, Tall buildings on both side. All that's missing is lots of people

King's College. Taken from the front seat of the upper floor of the double decker bus.

Some nice scenery in the HKU.

Classes corridor in HKU. I like the kind of "traditional, old" style there is to it.

Have you seen a public toilet that big? 3 floors for a public toilet. And it looks clean!

Entrance to the Lantern Carnival.

Some random Rat statues. Lots of it there. Supposedly because its the year of the rat.

Group Picture!

And another one.

That's me and the two mascots for the East Asian Games, to be held in HK in 2009.

My favourite shot on the lanterns display. It wasn't easy going this close to take a shot.

That is all for now. I hope to hear from you guys soon too. It does get a little quiet here in the evenings and weekends.

From,
Ivan

Letter 4 - Settling Down.

2008-09-12T07:13:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Just to let you all know, I am doing well. Health-wise okay. Except i did injure my toes. One of my big toe is coming off and has pus coming out. The other is just bloody. But i saw a doc and she drilled a hole to drain the blood out of the nail. Classes are fine. My schedule isn't that packed as i only have 18 credit units this semester. The only problem I have is that i have forgotten most of my high school maths and the maths and physics from high school were in Malay. Haha.

This week my hostel had lots of activities. I participated in most of them but it was a little hard for some because it was done in cantonese. People in the hostel are mostly nice people. I also did my HKID card at the Immigration and Registration of Persons office. It should be ready for collection in 2 weeks. As for today, i went to the SEEM Non-local students dinner together with lecturers and tutors. Because i was the only Malaysian (and only one not from china), i felt wierd that even in international students gathering i was lost as everyone there was from mainland, thus putonghua ( mandarin ) was widely spoken. Haha.

I am feeling a little lost now between to pack my schedules full with clubs or to leave it slightly empty. Haha. And another thing is that I am very irritated by the bank. I have been to the bank almost 15 times already. I'm not gonna explain why cos its a long story. Anyways, I'll let some pictures to the talking for now. I am having trouble finding things to rant about and pics to post. Pls excuse the pic quality cos they were spontaneously taken by phone cam.

My Feet. Notice left big toe is white and right big toe is black. I can't wear shoes for now.

Excempted from PE classes for now.

My hostel activities. It's first week so its pretty packed for orientation i guess.

The big group went out for supper yesterday. Made lots of noise. But there was lotsa food, drinks and fun too.

The police came by to check up on us making noise. There was 2 or 3 other hostels having their supper there too.

Beer. What is a good supper without one? Haha. We played a few games and the loser had to drink beer. And after a few times it became beer with soya sauce and so on. I only had beer though.

Random shot from the dinner tonight.

Thats all for now. I hope all of you are doing fine. And next week is the dateline for Sept 16. Let's see if anything happens. And everyone please take care. Never know what might happen.

Also, i heard Giju will be leaving for Russia. Wish you all the best. Do contact me.

From,
Kow, Ivan Way Jia ( Notice how my name is kow ivan and not ivan kow. Irritating )

Letter 3 - Off We Go!

2008-09-02T00:09:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Classes have oficially started here and I am already at my permanent dorm. I've been pretty busy with buying stuff for the year and i feel like i might actually have budgeting problems as i slowly find that i need more and more stuff. It is no wonder that those year 2 and above have at least 5 bags of stuff. Some students have their room loaded with coms, tvs, heaters, refridgerators and lotsa stuff. So packed. Classes have been okay so far. Some professors have a really bad english accent and are hard to understand while others are okay. And because i am the only one who doesnt understand chinese, they have to do all explanation in english. Haha..I felt some sneers and maybe silent curses as i raised my hand to show that i dont fully understand cantonese. Haha. Other than that, I've been settling down quite well. The hostel people are very fun and friendly. Most of the locals and those from Macau are happy to talk to me be it in english or canto. I feel like i can fit in well once i overcome the language barrier ( hopefully faster since im not totally banana now ). I havent met many classmates as they all kinda group together, either from high school or from orientation camp friends. Lucky me i still have my ex-roommate who is my coursemate. I have also been hanging out with an American guy who seems to be the person i am best able to strike a chord with. In other words, we are on the same freq on stuff. Haha. Anyways, I think i better let the pictures do the talking.

As requested, shots of my new camera, the Ixus 80is. I bought it for around 2.2k HKD ( est RM960 at current rate ). Comes with case, 4gb sdcard, extra battery, screen protector and a few other small stuff.

Something random. Its SLSF if you can read that. My gang members will know what that is.

Inauguration Ceremony for new undergraduates. It was really formal and followed by a tea session. Some student union people gave speeches and the english ones actually had me in stitches trying to contain my laughter. Yes. The people here know english but they just have that funny cantonese slang. And wierd choice of words.

The Ming Hua Tang. My current hostel in Chung Chi College, CUHK. It is the oldest, built in 1959 (i think) and is named after the Bishop who gave the land to the college.

Stairs beside the MHT, easiest way to the bus stop.

Other way out will be walking downhill from this road which will lead to the Lake (see previous post) and the Train Station.

Toilet. Its pretty clean i guess.

Pantry. Each floor has one. They have boiled water, hot water, a stove and minimal cooking utensils i guess.

Also, a refridgerator and a table.

My room. Thats the bed and the table.

Another perspective of my room. The bed and the cupboard. Btw, i had to buy my own pillow, bedsheet and blanket. Bought from IKEA. Lols. Again IKEA right?

The biggest problem i have encountered in CUHK is that all the hostels provide mattresses that are as thick as my palm. It feels like sleeping on paper but i have gotten used to it. I bought an extra thick blanket so that i can use it through winter and it acts as an extra layer so i can have a more comfortable sleep during other seasons.

My new All-in-one HP Deskjet F2235. Been told that i need one since i will probably have to print most of my own notes and other stuff. Got a super deal. Its only HK99 ( est RM 43 at current rate ) whereas the usual price was HK 560 ( RM 242 at current rate ). Thanks to my friend NingYu who purchased another deal ( 9K for a 13K laptop ) which allowed me to get this deal.

Just some random shot from roaming the city with Peter ( That's the american friend's name ). Its an old Rolls Royce Corniche. Pls excuse the lousy shot. Its on the phone cam with night mode.

Well thats all for now. I hope all of you back in Malaysia ( and everywhere else ) are doing fine. I heard Merdeka celebration was pretty mundane this year but some of you enjoyed your night with certain activities *wink*. Wishing all the best of health and please to keep in contact.

From,
Ivan Kou Wai Ka (thats cantonese for ya)

Letter 2 - Week 1 in King Kong

2008-08-27T07:32:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Tomorrow I will oficially have spent one week in Hong Kong. Over the past week I have been mostly around campus. My legs have definitely hurt as the campus is on the hills and I have done a lot of walking ( some unnecessary ones too as i was kinda anti-bus at first ).

I feel like i am finally starting to settle down. I just cant wait to get into my permanent dorm which is on friday. Then after that i can really settle down and try to get used to the place. I'm sure noone bothers about what i type about if my post is extremely long and full of words only. So I will put in some pics. You could say that I am not a photo taking person and I still am. Haha. Its always better to be in the picture than to take it. At least it is for me. But I did take a few. Just a few to document my journey in HK. I'll try to add pics as I recall my days. Maybe after a few more posts there wouldnt even be words so please bear with me as I really do want to do my rambling. Haha.

Lets see.
Day 1 was my arrival where i took the MRT from the airport and changed 4 stations to the University. I used an octopus card which i bought and mind you, the transportation system there is very efficient. It is very fast and convenient. I arrived at the campus in around 70 mins. Then i took a taxi to the I-house which is my temporary lodging place. I met a Swedish guy at the airport, an indonesian at the office and my rommate who is a Mainlander as they call them here. Next day there was Typhoon Signal No 8 which meant indoors and everything was closed. Lucky the office sent new students some cup noodles.

Luckily on saturday the International Orientation Camp continued as usual and we had our HK City Tour. We first visited a temple, supposedly one of the oldest in HK.

Incense filled the place and it really stinks. I had to get a breather so i stayed outside most of the time.

To place the josticks and some ppl went ahead and did the luck thingy ( shaking that cup full of wooden sticks )

Next up was to repulse bay.

My two current mates, Felix from Indonesia and Ningyu from China.

Then to the busy streets of MongKok. We went ahead on our own as Ningyu knew the area. And it is said to have lotsa pretty ladies too. I could half agree with that.

Busy as usual. This road was on the outskirts area.

I spent the next few days doing my course registration and passing my forms all around the campus. Apart from that i had to explore the campus too. It is indeed large. 134 hectares to be exact. I didn't run around with camera in hand. Mind you, the pictures here are all from my dad's extra handphone ( mine died one day before i left for HK )

Chung Chi College - Lake Ad Excellentiam. CC is my college. Largest and most well funded but its near the bottom so no nice view.

Shots from one of the Art building.

One of the two sports stadiums.

It was election time so some politicians held a talk in front of the Uni Library.

Did I also mention to you guys that the library here is super large. There are 3 libraries that i have been to. The Uni Library has 4 floors and it is full with stuff. Books, newspapers, magazines, reports,... you name it. They even have government documents. I wonder what that is. One of the other library is a multimedia library where there are many self learning books and audio. Even a DVD section where u can watch old and new movies. Yes, they do have some newer movies too. That means less trips to the cinema. Haha.

And for today, I went with my roommate (really nice guy) to MongKok to do shopping. I myself spent almost 3k HKD which is the most i ever spent in my lifetime. He spent close to 5k. Although we started at MongKok, we went to Prince Edward for dinner and Tsim Tsa Shui for nite shopping. Then we went to Victoria Bay to see the night lights. Spectacular.

This was the restaurant menu. It's all in chinese as u can see. I had to request another one with english from the waiter.

The amount of stuff we bought. Even my roommate said we were "Pedestrian Attention Grabbing". Everyone had to see this 2 students who seemed more like on a holiday shopping spree.

Night View at the Victoria Bay. They have Night Lights Show at 8pm too. Its really good.

Just in case you didn't believe it's me. Here i am at Victoria Bay.

Oh yea. Did i mention I have been talking in Cantonese (albeit broken) during this whole time. I add my english words to those technical ones of course. Even my english is being "de-Malaysianised". I'll talk about that some other time. I think this letter is too long already. I bet it wouldn't fit in the mail unless i pay for bulk charges. But it's online. Haha

And i hope all of you ( my friends and family ) are in good health and condition. ( And I don't mind if you guys say you miss me too )

Yours Truly,
Ivan the tired shopper

Letter 1 - Safe in Hong Kong

2008-08-25T02:29:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Just to let you know, I have arrived safely in Hong Kong. I have also decided that making a blog would be the best way to keep my friends and family updated with my status and well-being while I am away from home. Usually I am not into blogging because I find it superficial but of course that depends on the author. I am still figuring out how to do blogging and I am only willing to spend an intermediate amount of time on updating and managing this blog. So if you guys have any tips, please do tell me. Thanks