Back to my roots where I was made

Trip Start Jan 12, 2011

Trip End Apr 24, 2011

Loading Map

Map your own trip!

Map Options

Show trip route

Hide lines

Flag of China Hong Kong, China
Thursday, January 13, 2011

I love Hong Kong not only because I was made here. It's such a fun city with the best Chinese food in the World. Unfortunately, this time around I have a lot of prep work to do and Chinese work visa concerns to take care of instead of just wandering around town meeting people, eating, drinking and hiking. (not necessarily in that order) It's been 20 years since the last time I was in Hong Kong for work. My summer internship at Motorola seems almost like an entire life ago. I think I actually was bright eyed and bushy tailed when I set off to work at my first real job full of enthusiasm about how to change the world through better Human Resources Management, one company at a time. Well that idealism got knocked out of me so long ago, I can barely remember that I even felt it much less what it felt like oh those many moons ago. Fortunately, I no longer have to commute from Wanchi to Tai Po Market anymore and now my commute only consists of a short 5 minute walk from my apartment to my office

Sunset

.

Part of my preparations include downloading the latest proxies to defeat the Great Firewall of China as the Party is finding and blocking proxies all the time. I can't even fathom what life without free unfettered internet access would be like in this day and age. And since Google's battle and subsequent withdrawal from China, I'm not sure what to expect once I really get inside the belly of the beast. Now you geographically knowledgeable folks out there might be wondering if I'm in Hong Kong, aren't I already in China and behind the GFW? Well, in a simple answer, NO. Hong Kong is nothing like China, even though technically since 1997 (hmmm... strange isn't that when Judgement Day was also in T2?) when Chris Patten sailed out of Victoria Harbor and handed over sovereignty of my island, it's been part of China. It sucks that every time I enter HK, I get more stamps in my passport and it invalidates my current China visa even though they are supposedly the same country. It'd be like going from Quebec to Ontario and getting a stamp in my passport. (Of course, there are separatists that would probably like that, but... that's a whole other can of worms) It's amazing how much I have come to rely on the internet and The Google specifically. I literally use them for everything from an information source, maps, to communications... Of course, I realize that The Google is actually a wholly owned subsidiary of Cyberdyne Systems and when Skynet gathers enough information about us, they will wipe us off the planet. Do no evil, my Arse. I bet in the secret conference rooms behind the scenes Sergei and friends remove the 'no' from their motto.

Slideshow