Monday, February 23, 2009

Hola from the far east

Hey all!

Life here is going pretty well!

I've been very busy. I've joined my school debate team just too help them crush the opposition for fun! So I've been doing practices with them. The proposition is that "Class sizes in Hong Kong secondary schools should be limited to a maximum of 30 students." we are against...

That's coming up on Thursday.

I've also been preparing for the AFS Intercultural fair. That's this Saturday. Seeing as how I'm the only American this year I get to run the America booth. This also means I get to decide what is American culture!

I've decided that TV, Football, and Budwiser are NOT what America is all about America is infact about pulling on that pair of cheap sunglasses turning up your favorite band and rocking out on your AIR GUITAR!!!!!!!!!!!

that's right I'm going to be teaching a room full of Chinese kids how to solo on their imaginary AXE!!!!

I'll get some pictures and videos for you guys.

Another recient even of note

I WENT TO TOP GEAR LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*disclaimer if you don't like cars stop reading*

Top gear as the rest of you know is a ridiculious car show on the BBC with Richard Hamond, Jeremy Clarkson, and James may. Though James may didn't come it was FUCKING AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(sorry i think china is rubbing off on me i'm using exclamation marks way too much now. i'll try and stop.)

There was a car show, with all sorts of super cars and a few old cars as well.

and of corse the live show where they had foot ball soccer. the stig, precision driving, drifting, stupid challenges, and many other things.

along with a procession of super cars INCLUDING THE BUGATTI VEYRON!!!!!!!!!!! yes i got to see one.. it was pretty!

so that was basically my weekend...

the pictures will be up on myspace soon.

Hope your all well

Patrick

Friday, February 6, 2009

A bought of Sickness

Hello all,

Still here in Hong Kong,

Thursday I went back to school, where I failed a chem test.
Thursday night I went out with a friend and we wandered the Streets of Mong Kok looking through all the interesting piles of crap they where selling.

I got home and went to sleep, at 4 am i was up getting water when i realized i was probably sick. so i turned off my alarm and spent yesterday at home sitting around.
It's nothing that serious. Lot's of sneezing and a low fever, but enough to keep me out of school.

other than that thing's have been going spiffingly. I downloaded "Surely Your Joking Mr. Feynman" on Book on Tape and listened to that this week. That book is a whole lot of fun.

that's about it for now... i really can't think of much else note worthy that's going on. so yep

take care of yourselves I'll be back this summer.

Patrick

Sunday, February 1, 2009

New Pictures!

Same place as usual! I've posted about 600 new photos.

My Camera has a 4 gig SD chip so I went a bit power crazy. There are pictures from A trip I took to Lamma Island with some friends. We came across a Brush Fire at one point which was pretty spectacular. I've been keeping busy over break running around Hong Kong with friends!

On a sad note one of my friends has headed home. Jessica from Switzerland was here on a half year not a full year program and went home last night my time. Luckly there was only one student here for a half year, the rest of us are here together till the end!

In the run up to her departure there where many parties (similar to my departure from Seattle). Jessica was a bit different from the rest of the exchange students in that her mother is from Hong Kong and she came her with more than a cursory knowledge of the language. While maybe not completely fluent she was definitely conversational in Cantonese. So at the various parties for her departure there where many of her classmates as well as exchange students.

Her classmates as you can imagin3e are more prone to speaking Cantonese than English, and I've been practicing my Cantonese with them. I have learned a lot in the last few days and it's nice to feel that i can communicate basic ideas at least.

I'm hopeful that i'll be able to speak some by the end of this year though Chinese has proven harder to tackle than I originally anticipated.

Hong Kong is much as it ever was. Full of people rushing this way and that. I'm starting to get very familiar with the different parts of the city. Hong Kong island where I live and go to school is very easy for me to navigate now. I'm still amazed by the efficiency of the public transportation here, being used to the convoluted mess that is Seattle's bus system.

All in all Things are well.

Back to School on Thursday.

More later

Hope you are all doing well

Patrick