More random sights

Merry Christmas to all of you. May the Lord bless you richly this season with his presence.


Here are some pictures of moments we've come across and tried to capture.

Wha??

Whoa. A new and genius invention.






















Monopoly HK style. This at the MTR station.
























Dinner with Emily before she left for home.






















Look who it is! Guess what kind of cuisine we ate at this restaurant?






















So which one is it?






















Timmy!! We were looking for shoes when our search lead us to a store with a "hourly" hotel above it. Hmmm. I didn't know they charged sleep by the hour.

 

We went to Shenzhen on Friday. At the last stop before the border, a posse of people burst into the MTR and started unloading wine. And when we arrived, they left their box and trolly in the train. I guess they can afford to buy new trollies each time.


Anyways, gotta go. Wishing you a merry, merry Christmas here from HK. Drop us a note!

Peace!

The New and Improved!

Racist much?

Thanks Anderson Silva lookalike! I think I WILL get that coffee!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Random Sights

Cheung Chau

We went to Cheung Chau yesterday with our sisters and Karen's friends. It was such an awesome day! We went to this pirate cave and a reclining rock that sat on the face of a slope.

Michelle will add the video of the cave later.

We miss you all!


















Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Library Argument

We were at the library when we heard two ladies arguing. Apparently one lady told the other lady off because she was talking to her husband too loudly. They, therefore, decided to resolve their conflict by yelling at each other - in the library.

This is the tail end of their argument. They had gone on for 5 mins and continued for a couple more after I was stopped for filming.

Rest

Today is sabbath and I am late for church. I keep glancing at my wrist to check for the time on the watch I intentionally didn't wear today, but it's no use. I am late. It's not as if having a watch would get me to church any faster. I go as the ferry goes.

And the whole idea is such a contradiction: rushing off to sabbath. There's something a little twisted about that.

Michelle and I have been busy here in HK the last couple weeks. Mostly with school, sometimes with people. But mostly we are busy because we feel a pressure to be busy. For me, life had been a whirlwind of assignments, announcements, and papers to push. I feel much like a robot who had forgotten how to feel. Perhaps thats why it was so nice to relax this morning and ride my bike and actually talk to another human being.

There is much to Hong Kong that we have come to not like. I mean, there's still a fascination about the place, but there's much to not like and much to miss about home. For example, the lady who is screaming into her phone beside me- that is not cool. Or the people that sprint from one side of the MTR platform to the other- that is not cool either. But as much as I have come to dislike this place, it has come to slowly change me too.

I find myself walking faster now, even on a Sunday morning, and I frown when I get stuck behind old people. It's so strange but I'm sprinting for buses and running from place to place even though I'm in no hurry. But apparenty I am because my heart can't stand still.

Today is a good reminder to rest and just chill. It's ok to be late for church because church hurried would not have nourished my soul, it would have stolen sabbath's essence. To rest is to trust. It is to be reminded that the world won't break down if I take a break ab life will continue if I take a rest. It is to remember that God holds everything in his grasp and it's right to let go and allow Him to call the shots.


Now to somethin kinda related but not really related, yesterday Michelle and I went to Stanley for the afternoon and we had so much fun hanging out there. It totally reminded us of Steveston with all the tourists and ocean side restaurants. Here are a couple pictures. We miss you all!

Stanley Market



Yay for home!



At Stanley

  

blowing those bubbles


















With Uncle Marcus





Small World

Hedy with us during National Day

Flora and Family + Daniel

This morning Daniel flew over from Bangladesh on route to the States. We went to church together, and ran into Flora and her family. Strange connections. Flora used to work in Vancouver at the missions agency where Pastor Leung, Daniel's dad worked. It was the same agency that sent me and Michelle to Ghana a few years ago. Michelle now teaches at the school Flora's daughter attends.

Small world, eh?

MTR fun!



Divine Appointments

As a kid, I always used to wonder why God didn’t reveal himself so readily to people anymore. I mean, Jacob wrestled with God, Moses had his burning bush, and Jonah rot in the belly of a fish for three days before being unceremoniously spit out in Ninevah. Each encountered their God. Each came to a real and obvious epiphany of their own folly in light of God’s grandeur. So why not now?

For me, I’m beginning to realize why I’m here in HK. I almost feel as if I’m unwrapping a present in slow motion and I’m finding out what’s inside. I can anticipate the gift inside and almost palpably feel it in my hands, but in reality I’m only still peeling the corner of the tape holding the paper together with my fingernail. But I can sense it and guess it. And I am beginning to understand why God brought me here.

The last week or so has been a little rough at school. I think the lustre of a new school year has worn off, and I am beginning to catch the routine and see the mundanity ahead of me. Oh, and there was a little epidemic of Foot and Mouth Disease in the Form 1’s. I felt under-the-weather on Friday and didn’t teach. So things haven’t been the greatest, to say the least.  

On Monday night, I had finally fallen asleep when my phone rang in the middle of the night. It literally rang at 2:03 in the morning. I looked at the unassigned number. I decided to pick it up.

“Hello?”

“Hello? I would like to know who this is.”

“…… sorry, what?”

“Yes, I’d like to know who this is.”

“You just called me. What do you mean you want to know who this is?!”

“Yes, I found this number on my phone, but I don’t know who it is.”

 

By now I had kinda pieced together in my groggy disorientation through his thick accent that this was the Ghanaian friend I had met at TST a few weeks back. Apparently he had stored my number on his phone without adding my name, so he decided to call in the middle of the night to try to figure out who I was. I told him that I was sleeping at the moment and I couldn’t talk, but that I would love to meet up with him some time. I promised I’d call him in the next couple of days.

As I put the phone down I just had this alarming sense that God was trying to set something up. For the last couple of days I had been thinking of Babu (since I had blogged) but I didn’t have the courage to just call him out of the blue. But now it had become all too apparent that God was working.

Yesterday, Babu and I met after Friday prayer at the mosque. I went to find him, but he had turned off his phone so I roamed around the mosque trying to find him. The first thing I noticed upon entering the mosque was just how plain it was. It wasn’t flashy or gold-laced as I had expected. It was lined with water-stained marble and worn out carpet. But as I approached the prayer hall, I had an imposing feeling of reverence for God. Here are people that consistently interrupt their Friday work plans to come and approach their God at a mosque. There is nothing magnificent about their refuge- but they have come nonetheless with their bare feet and capped heads, to pay homage to their King in the sweltering heat.

What a sense of reverence. I asked Babu about it later, and he gave me this analogy. “Imagine you are going to meet your president, or a king. How would you approach him? But now imagine you are going to meet not just a king, but the King of Kings. How can you not respect him by taking off your shoes?”

I know for us as Christians we believe we approach God without fear because of how Christ has interceded on our behalf on the cross and torn the veil that shrouds God’s holiness. But I wonder if, as a result of our presumption and apathy, we have lost a proper reverence for God’s magnificence. If, I too, believe in a designer God who throws mountains into place and orchestrates hurricanes to their arrival, then how do I not bow to this King?

Yesterday, I learned so much about being a Christian from a Muslim. Babu and I talked for about 2 hours at the park. We wrestled with theology, shared about the Trinity, and discussed Christ’s claims and the differences in our faiths. In the end, we still disagreed about who Jesus was. But as sad as that was, we were both encouraged because we came back to the essential truth that God was good. God is good and way beyond our comprehension and much deserving of our worship. And though the journeys of our faiths are different, I am encouraged to know that at least the journey starts here, in our pursuit to know God and love God. And who am I to say that God doesn’t speak out and reveal Himself today? I think He did, through my friend Babu.

Salamu Alaykum, 

Tins

The Joys of Squash Soup, Russians and Farts

Today is a national holiday, which means I can sleep in! But this morning, I automatically woke up right at 6:15 am and couldn't fall back to sleep. Why does it always happen that I want to sleep in, I can't, but on the days I need to get up for work, I can? Ahh...the torture! =p I guess it doesn't help when the first thing I woke up this morning were all these things I have on my "To-Do" lists. Sometimes, I see my mind as this bag gigantic ball of colourful post-it notes with reminders and action items. It's quite sad picture actually. Haha. But anyways, one of the mental post-its reminds me to 'blog.'  So, here I am!

Yummy! Taste like mom's

This week, my sister made soup for me and it was oh, so good! She made pumpkin and fish soup. (Mom and dad, aren't you proud?) She also made soy sauce chicken wings with mushrooms and this broccoli with minced meat and tofu. The photo doesn't do it justice, but trust me, they were good. I was just grateful to come home with home-cooked food!

At school, my grade 4s have been a lot of fun to teach! We got to do some fun activities in class. Just yesterday, for our Science unit on "Waste and Our World," our librarian dressed up as a Russian who barged in with a huge bag of garbage. He walked up to a student's desk and plopped it right in front of him. He told the class he was sent by the Russian government to distribute garbage to our class. The scene provoked the class to ask many questions, which was what we wanted! "Why here? Why this class?" many students asked. Hopefully, it will provoke them to think deeper about the politics in our global system of waste 'management.'

So, teaching has been quite enjoyable. And I am learning how to be more strict when necessary. At the end of the day, I am not their friend. I am their teacher, someone whom they should respect. I can be friendly, but I am not their friend. On the note of discipline, there is a story to tell. One morning after recess, I decided to have them practice lining up in front of the class. They lined up and sat down at least 3-4 times. On the last time, some kids started to squirm a bit. Several had their hands cupping their nose and mouth. I had no idea what's going on, until one student came up to me and said, "Miss Koo.... 'Bob' farted and it really stinks. He farts when he gets nervous or scared. That's why we were all covering our mouths." I had to keep a straight face, but inside I couldn't help but laugh a little. It was pretty funny. I was surprised I had the power to cause a kid to be that nervous of me. I felt pity for him for having an uncontrollable flatulence condition. I really hope that it doesn't continue as he gets older. But I guess everyone has a different way of reacting when they get nervous. I learned in my Language Arts unit, that when a puff adder snake gets nervous, his head puffs up to the size of an orange! Crazy, eh? Imagine if we all had puffed up faces when we get scared, wouldn't that be a funny sight?!

Anyways, apologies if my updates are all about teaching, because in actual fact, teaching does consume a lot of my time and headspace. Alright, time to go.  For those who are interested, I will leave you with a video tour of how my classroom looks like.

Mid-Autumn Festival

Michelle and I finally got our iphone 4's after 3 weeks of waiting and our last day has been a blitz of messaging and discovering new apps and functions on our phones. I have to admit that it's neat to finally be organizing my life, and having a camera AND facetiming with Michelle certainly doesn't hurt.

Today is mid-autumn festival and we get tomorrow as a holiday. I don't have any memories of Mid-Autumn from my time in Hong Kong as a toddler, so I'll say that this one is my first. It is intriguing to watch how excited people are over this holiday. I took a couple pictures with the phone.

unlit lanterns

lots of people congregating

 

look at the boat in the ocean!

Tsing Ma Bridge

I love Hong Kong

TST

Ahhh, Tsim Sha Tsui.

So good...

TST is such a happening place! For those of you who don't know, TST is right at the tip of the Kowloon Peninsula, and arguably the heart of the city. For years, it's been a tourist and export center with stores lined along Nathan road. It is a busy place. We normally don't prefer to go there, but it's nice to take in the lights and crowds once in a while.

Tsim Sha Tsui

Just wanted to share a brief story with you about a guy I encountered in TST last week.

Last week, I had dinner with a former teaching colleague of mine who was visiting from Vancouver. Yvonne and I were at TST having a very nice donair meal and decided to walk around for a bit after our dinner. Sure enough, as it always happens, we both had to go to the bathroom. So where else to pee than the wonderful FREE restrooms at the golden arches?

After relieving myself at McDonalds, I sat down at a table to wait for Yvonne. I suddenly realized that someone's food was still on the table- actually uneatened. I stood up abruptly just as I noticed a man walking towards me, and I began apologizing. "I'm really sorry, I didn't see your food there. So sorry about that," I kept saying. But the man was super nice and mentioned I could sit with him.

At this point, I figured there was nothing to lose since this man was being so nice, so I sat down and tried to make small talk. I asked him where he was from, and he told me he was from Ghana. "Ghana!" I exclaimed, "I've been there!" The man seemed excitedly intrigued and asked me why I had gone there.

At this time, Yvonne had come back and sat down with us at the table and the man invited us to continue chatting with him. So we went and ordered some coffee and sat down again. When I sat down again, the man put his hands on the table, looked me in the eye and said, "So, you say you believe in Jesus, right? I want you to convince me why you think actually died on the cross because I'm a Muslim, and we don't believe that."

"What?!" How do you even begin to answer that? You can't just ask questions like that...

So that began our super-meaningful dialogue about faith. The guy was very cool, by far one of the nicest people I have met so far in Hong Kong. We talked about the similarities of our faiths, the differences, how we lamented they were poorly represented in our world, and how they were misunderstood by others. We weren't out to convert each other, we simply wanted to talk and learn. At the end of our conversation, we exchanged contacts and promised to meet up again.

I left that night with this overwhelming sense that God really wanted me to be here- right here in Hong Kong. Yes, at first, I didn't want to come back. And yes, it may have taken me leaving the comforts of home and friends in Vancouver, but if the reward is to see and meet one person and have a meaningful conversation about Christ - and to know that God was behind all of it and purposed every fragment of that discussion- then I am happy. I am happy to know that God brought us here.




Here's a random video of the rain in HK.

And the "egg-sons" (dan-chai's) we bought at a food stand. Sooo bad. Note: do not get dan-chai's at street meat-stands. We watched the food lady pour pig intestines into the cooker and then bag our snack into a bag without washing her hands. So gross. I guess we shouldn't expect them to... Man, we were so stupid.

boooo... made our tummy's mangry

  

ok. goodbye for now.

Hi everyone,



It's Michelle again. So, I have been MIA for awhile. You're probably wondering whether or not I'm actually enjoying life here in HK. Surprisingly, I have been liking it. The smog, crowdedness and the busyness don't phase me much anymore. Maybe, I'm just used to people shoving me on the MTR stations or used to finding black boogers because of the air pollution. Or maybe it's because I am finally finding a routine in my week. 

This is how my day looks if you're interested:
6:15 - Wake Up. Brush my teeth. Make my peanut butter and ham (yes, ham, not jam) sandwich and wear teacher-looking clothes.
6:45 - Speed-walk to the mini-bus stop and wait for #13. Some days, I phone my parents on their HK line while I"m on the bus. On the bus, I also eat my sandwich quickly because my school is a nut-free zone.
7:20 - Arrive at school.
7:40 - Attend staff devotions and prayer time. I really value this time every morning.
8:05 - The day of teaching my class of 24 sweet kids begin. 
3:15 - Teaching ends.I stand at the door to give kids their daily "high fives."
3:15-7 - Planning happens!
8:30 pm - I am back at home and eating home-cooked food made by my wonderful sister! She has a knack in cooking!!!!!!!
9:30 - 10:00 - Phone Tintin Time.
10:30 - 11:00 - Sleep Time.


  The weekends have been relaxing too. I really want to leave work at school, so I make an effort to finish everything before the weekend comes along. And I have been able to keep it up for 2 weeks. I just want to rest and sabbath. I need to walk the talk, especially when I told my students to do likewise. I told them that's why I don't give out homework over the weekends. (It's also a school policy that we have not to give out homework for the weekend, so that quality time can be spent with family). So, weekends have been great.  Last weekend, Tintin and I attended a four-day conference given Gary Thomas, the author of "Sacred Marriage." His talks on marriage and how the spouse can influence the husband positively were all very convicting to both Tintin and I. Hopefully we can apply what we have learned in our imminent marriage. We have also enjoyed going to church at Island ECC, even though it's quite like a mega-church. The sermons are stimulating and the worship is so reviving to the Spirit. I have yet to find a small groups to get plugged into though. It'll take time.

So, all in all, it has been an positive experience. God has really paved the way for me and is affirming me that I am supposed to be here in this point of my life. There are lots of people in HK who need to know God, even at my school. Actually, I had a neat conversation with a janitor lady the past week. She usually comes into my room to clean. They love talking to anyone who can speak Cantonese.  However, our conversations went from her ranting about how she wants to be served in  the next life to me sharing about the hope of heaven. She is a Buddhist. One thing led to another and I ended up sharing my testimony to her. All this was spoken in Cantonese as she didn't understand a word of English. I thanked her for listening to my story and she left the room with a smile. Looking back, I realized that it was totally the Spirit speaking and using me to reach out to her. It was in such most unlikely of times that God spoke through me to her. So, I was really encouraged by this divine appointment to just continue to love and make connections with all types of people, from my students to the janitorial staff.


That's it from me...for now! =)


Lots of love to you all in the 604. I miss you all. Send me an email to see how everything's going.

-Michi

English Customer Service

So recently I had a few overseas cheques from Vancouver that I wanted to deposit into my bank account here in HK. I went to the bank and asked them to help send these cheques back to Canada to get them authenticated.

Dad had told me to speak in English at the bank, so I thought I was already being smart when I started conversing in English. The lady at the counter told me that they usually have a commission fee of 250HKD per cheque for this type of service, but that she was willing to change this fee to just 100HKD per cheque because I was a “valued customer”. So I went home pretty happy that day.

A few days later, I get a call from the bank telling me that there was a problem with my cheque. Apparently each cheque had a have a minimum of at least 200CDN on it, which one of the cheques didn’t have, so it couldn’t be cashed for me. They asked me to pick that cheque up.

So the next day I returned to the bank and picked up the cheque. I asked whether the 100HKD service charge would be waived now that my cheque had bounced. The lady at the counter said that they couldn’t do anything for me since they had already tried to send it. I went home pretty unhappy that day.

I told my Dad about it that night and he scolded me for not being insistent enough. This was Hong Kong after all. “Call up the customer service line and start speaking in English. You will get your money back.” So I called. And I spoke in English. I sounded indignant and dissatisfied. The lady not only gave me my 100HKD for the cheque back, she also refunded the other cheque’s service charge.


So the morale of the story?


Learn your English well so that you can take advantage of people in HK, because Eurocentrism pays off. At least on the phone.




 
Take care, and speak Engrish!
 
Tin

I am alive!

Hi everyone,

It's Michelle here! Yes...some of you are thinking, "She's actually alive!" It has taken me a while to write a blog! There are many reasons that I haven't blogged lately, first being tremendously busy trying to stay afloat for the first week of classes. Second, I haven't had time to really sit down and reflect. Third, I think I am a perfectionist and somehow, I need to create a written product that appeals to my audience. So when I think of writing a blog entry, it's a daunting task. Fourth, Tintin's blogs are amusing and he writes well.

Actually, the third and fourth reason is probably the real reason why I have pushed off blogging. But I should stop always thinking that I'm writing for others and just write for enjoyment and reflection. These two reasons are also why teaching has been busy and challenging. It's because I am indecisive at times as to what I want because I want to present the best lesson. But then, I end up wasting my time when it could have been used better to manage other tasks that are pressing. Worst of all, I end up with a mediocre lesson. Then, I don't enjoy it and my students won't enjoy it. So, the conclusion that I have learned is to just chill out and enjoy whatever I am doing - may it be blogging or teaching my students.

So, some of you are wondering, is she actually enjoying teaching? I am enjoying it, despite how much work and energy it demands from me. My students are great and they all speak their mind, which sometimes can be a headache. The staff is great and supportive. When I have time, I will post some photos of my classroom.

Anyways, when you remember me in prayers, pray that I would have the wisdom to teach clearly and love loudly to my students in my words and actions.


Love,

Michelle 

Office Space

I've been hoping to share some pictures of my workplace to you, and I finally got around to taking some pictures. Yesterday I build a sweet chair cover for my chair, which I'll show in a sec. Super excited! Now I can work allergy-free! Anyhow, I'll update you on what a typical day look like at UCCKE.

I wake up at 5:55 each morning. I don't think I've ever woken up this early on a regular basis. Why 5:55 though? It's really just 6 except it compels more sympathy when I tell other people I have to commute a long way. I leave home at 6:30 and arrive (if I'm lucky around 7:30). Sometimes I get to school just before 8.

At first I was pretty anxious about my teaching schedule. But the actual teaching is all planned out in terms of curriculum. Teaching here is mainly out of the textbook so I follow that and add ideas here and there. It saves a lot of prep hours, which I'm thankful for because I don't think I want to be spending my nights lesson planning.

The blanks are the prep blocks I have!

For the first time in my life I'll be working in an office. I'm not sure what it's supposed to be like, so the whole idea of it is new and foreign to me. No more taking off my shoes and fooling around in my own classroom. I have to work now (or at least pretend to). Here's a view of my desk area.

 Oh, to the sweet, sweet chair cover I made:

When I first arrived, the school didn't have any chairs for my cubicle, so I was standing for a couple days. I then came across a broken, really nasty-looking mouldy chair that someone had discarded by the side. I was tired of standing so I took it.

For the last couple of days my throat has been hurting and I figure it was from the dust and deadskin that had accumulated on the chair. I made this:

It was originally a cardboard box

yes!

So that's my workspace, where I'm currently blogging rather than prepping lessons. But then, I don't really have lessons to make because they're all planned :P Sweet....


See you all soon!

Peace

Grocery Store

2 cans of beer for about 1 CDN!! WHAT?!

no comment.

Sabbath Rest

The last week has been admittedly stressful for the both of us with our school years beginning with meetings and orientations. The school retreat was overwhelming: there was so much to take in (most of it in Chinese) and a very different teaching pedagogue than I am used to. I was very down the first few days because I found out that I had to work some Saturdays. And then I found out that I won't even get off for Summer holidays until the 18th of July when our wedding is on the 30th. Mich and I had hoped that we would have a full month to hang out with friends in Vancouver and get ready for our day.

But today, God was so good to us. We went to church at Island ECC with Emily this morning and God quelled our anxiety about the upcoming school year and our transition here to HK. The pastor, Matt Dean (who looks so much like Mark Driscoll, it's nuts) preached about our purpose of resounding God's praises with our lives (Ps 117) and how often our lives become a mess when we lose perspective of this greater purpose. It was very powerful because I think both Mich and I have felt a little lost in terms of our purposes here in HK. I really felt God reassuring us of our journey here, especially to rest in the character of God. The Psalmist writes, "For His faithfulness is great towards us, and the truth of the Lord is everlasting." We are to rest in God's covenant love towards us and move forward in that love for Him, for others, and the nations. The holy God we worship is wholly worthy of our lives. A big God does indeed overshadow our minute trials.

Lately, I've been struggling with this idea of striving and doing, and I think God is teaching me a lot about my motives for working. Looking back on the last year, I have to say that my motives may not have been in the right place even for the purest of aims. I've been reading a book recently called "The Emotionally Healthy Church" by Peter Scazzero, and I find one line particularly intriguing. He writes, "You (the Christian) can be yourself because there is nothing left to prove." Our standing with God, past, present, or future, is never based on our merit before God. It is solely based on Christ's work. So he says, we can be free to risk, and love, and even fail, because in the eyes of the Father, we have been fully loved and accepted through Christ. What a freeing truth!

That is what I want to know and experience at the depth of my being. I think coming to this far away and strange place brings me face to face with this part of me that I've hidden away. Maybe deep down I'm still striving for my dad's approval and that A in math I could never get, or trying to better the competitor next to me. But there is always a reason to strive and achieve. There is always something to be earned.

What if there wasn't?


This morning mom, dad, and I rode our bikes towards the New Territories. Those two hours were a slice of heaven- when time just stood still for a moment, when all that really mattered were me, God, and the road. There were no thoughts of school, no worries about the wedding- just the wind in my face and the sea view in my sights. There is only the thought to enjoy the ride.

I want to rest in that. I want to rest in that and know that I'm OK with God.

new bike!

Mom and Dad in their matching gear.

oh yeah

UCCKE

Tin here:

I apologize in advance for not having photos up for this post. I am waiting for a credit card so I can get a smartphone soon and add to the blog more regularly. The DSLR is too bulky to carry around.

Today was my first day of work at United Christian College in Kowloon East. After months of wondering what this school is about and why the principal hired me even after I missed and bombed the interview, I finally got my chance to go to the school and meet the staff. Today was the new teacher's orientation day and it went pretty smoothly. I met another NET teacher from the States with whom I think I'll get along with quite well.

The coolest part of today was when I met an experienced local teacher who transferred to UCCKE from another campus. This lady, Mrs. Chan, was super nice, and asked me about my name during lunch which I found to be particularly odd. Anyhow, she asked if my parents were Otto and Sally, and started grinning when I told them they were. She explained that she used to hold me as a baby when I was still in HK. ( :S what?!) Turns out she was part of the church we used to go to in HK 25 years ago and was with child at around the same time my mom was pregnant. So after we were born, she and mom would often take turns caring for each other's babies during church time. So crazy. A colleague of mine once cuddled me.

Anyhow, the campus is really nice. Here's a link for anyone interested in seeing a "typical" Hong Kong secondary school layout. The architecture is quite common. The facilities inside, however, are top notch. There's an archery range INSIDE the school. INSIDE! I feel very fortunate to be here.

Campus Pictures

I'll be at a school retreat for a couple days so I'll talk to you all when I'm back!

Peace!

new sight and sounds

Hi everyone.  It's me Michelle! Tintin says it's my turn to post since he posted the last 2. It has been difficult to decide what to write about because my mind and being has been overwhelmed by new sights and sounds. So, on that note, I shall share in particularly the new sight and sounds I am getting acquainted to in HK.

Sights -

My Apartment:

It's so weird to have my own apartment. The night I walked into the place, I just loved it! The place was well furnished with an amazing view of the HK harbour. I was so excited to have my own place that I unpacked 3 of 4 luggages that night. (I think it was also motivated by the need to feel rooted in a place). The next few days, my sister and I went grocery and kitchen-ware shopping. It's amazing how much you need to buy to just get by. Mom/Dad- thanks for spending so much money all these years buying thousands of toilet paper rolls for me. Also, I find that with my own apartment now, I like to keep it neat. I find myself doing my tidying than I would at home. I guess it's true that I do take parents for granted when I live at home.

Here are some pictures of my new place. Check them out!

my room

the living room

the kitchen 

sitting area

eating/work area

sis' room

Sounds -


Noise:

There are a lot of noise in HK, whether it be angry taxi drivers slamming the horns to hearing the incessant chatter of people in crowded fast food restaurants. It's incredible how much the human mind can just zone them all out. And then there are cell phones. You can somehow hear cell phone ringing quite frequently. Then, there is your own too. I can imagine it can get quite annoying, always having to be tied to the phone. With all the noise from the outside, it's nice to find quietness at home. But what's ironic too is that the absence of sounds makes me feel lonely too. Weird, eh? The presence of what we call as "noise" actually, at times, may reminds us of our human connectedness, regardless of how obnoxious it could be. And maybe that's why some need to have noise around them to remind them of their existence. In any case, I hope that you will pray with me in both the quietness and the noise, I may hear the soft "noises" of God's voice that remind me of my existence and purpose.

Now to leave you with some random photo capturings of the day:

what's funny guys?

tintin at 75

these happy meal toys at McDees were part of the "What is your future" Hello Kitty Line. I guess becoming a bride can be an aspiring occupation. 

you can be a Mcdee's ambassador!

can you spot the scandelous occupation?