Hey folks, Tad Light here once again. It’s been a long time, but I’m back. There for the longest time I didn’t feel that I had anything to blog about because I hadn’t been doing anything affiliated with 4-H in Hong Kong. Then I thought to myself, “Hey, I should at least relay some stories back, or some stuff that I think about while I’m over here. Even if it’s nothing profound, I can still maybe entertain some people.” So, here I am. I feel I must warn you (the reader of this blog) that most of this stuff is going to be presented randomly. So, with that being said….let’s go!!!

A couple months into my stay here in Hong Kong my hair started getting out of control. Being the adventurous soul that I am, I decided that I was going to take it upon myself to stop this mass of hair from completely overtaking my head. So, I bought some clippers and decided to put the to use. Initially I bought the clippers to trim up my beard (that’s right, I grew a beard), but when I bought them I made sure that they doubled as hair clippers.
Anyway, I cut my own hair. I suppose it could’ve gone worse, but next time I’ll leave it to trained professionals.

At one point I obtained a job at this little joint on the beach in a little village called Shek O. I ended up not being able to work there, due to only having a student visa, which doesn’t allow me to work. I was only wanting to work there so I could hang out on the beach every weekend anyway. Maybe I’ll petition the HK government to put in a “just-in-case-you-get-a-dream-job” clause that would allow me to work at a beach-front restaurant. Here’s a pic of part of the beach, with an island not too far in the distance.

Most recently, I spent my Thanksgiving with a friend at Disneyland. That’s right – there’s a Disneyland in Hong Kong. It was a really good time! The only bad part was that the park is almost brand new, and it’s still developing, so it’s rather small. Even so, I had a blast. Check me out by the fountain near the front gates….

Alright, now that I’ve covered some of the interesting events that have happened, it’s time for the more random part of the blog. This won’t read very coherently, so just for reference, know that there’s not a story-like format to the rest of this blog. Here we go…
Some Random Thoughts:

Since I’ve been over here in HK, I’ve taken it upon myself to expand my mind. I’ve been watching a lot of classic movies, catching up on my reading and listening to tons of new music – especially jazz. I’ve always loved jazz, but now I’m getting deeper into it.

Right now I’m on my 5th novel this semester – 1984. I think everyone should read this book. But beforehand, learn a little bit about it. Don’t just jump in and read it, because if you know nothing about totalitarianism you won’t grasp the full weight of it, in my opinion anyway. If that’s worth anything. hahaha!
Oh, and I also read Atlas Shrugged, which should count as about 3 novels. hahahaha. Only read that book if you’re down for the cause, because if not, you’ll never make it to page 1100.

As an American, sometimes I wonder how my generation and the times in which we live will be referred in the history books. Now that I’m living in Hong Kong and am outside the US looking in, it’s really an eye-opener. Not to say I’m going to take an extreme political stance, but I’m going to keep a closer eye on what’s going on.
To anyone who reads this, if anyone does, I encourage you to look at what’s going on in the US more objectively. Get multiple points of view on current events. Also, see how we as Americans are represented in the news around the world. Hey, you might learn something. Oh, and comment this blog. hahahaha!

I think that cats, in general, look at humans more as business partners than as friends.

After eating real Chinese food every day for every meal, I’ve realized that American Chinese food is pretty bad. Although it’s only bad when compared to authentic Chinese food. Taken by itself, it’s still really good. hahaha. It’s a lot better than Mexican food is in Hong Kong, I’ll tell you that much.

I love cultural differences. I hope everyone has a chance at some time or another to be completely surrounded by people that come from different countries and backgrounds than they do. A lot of the people that I hang out with over here aren’t from Hong Kong, but they aren’t from America either. It’s fun to find out differences and learn new stuff that you would never have heard about before. Just for example, my friend Alex is half German and half Greek. His Greek Grandmother told him about how when the Nazis occupied Greece, the soldiers would come around at night and tell them when to turn off the lights, and the girls wouldn’t want them to leave because they were so nice and handsome. You tell me – was that in your history textbook? Of course not.

But you know, that’s just a small example. Constantly dealing with people from other countries is a great learning experience. It’s hilarious too. Communication breaks down all the time, and it’s really entertaining as long as you’ve got a sense of humor about it.

I’ve noticed that some Americans think that if they talk slow and loud that people who don’t understand English are going to somehow understand. Well, I’ve got some news for those people – they’re wrong. hahaha!! It’s so funny watching people do that. Whenever I speak to people over here that I know probably don’t know English that well, I always speak at normal speed, because if they don’t know the words it won’t matter how slow or fast I speak them. I just make sure I speak clearly and use my hands.
That reminds me, some woman at the grocery store thought that if she yelled the amount of money I had to pay, that I was going to understand her Cantonese. lol, I must say, I laughed really hard while handing over the money. Of course, since I had no idea what she said, I just gave her a 100 dollar bill and waited on my change and receipt.

People stare at me a lot over here. Probably because I’m rather large compared to most people. I’m not really taller than the average person – I’m wider. Plus, I’ve been lifting weights constantly and getting bigger as well. So, I guess the stares are a good thing. I get them most often from little kids. I just smile back. :)

Why does everything have to mean something? Why can’t people do something just to do it, instead of people having to read too much into it. My eyebrow and both my ears are pierced. It’s not a social statement, they’re just fashion accessories. I did it because I thought it might look good, and I kept them for that reason. People in the States always asked me, “What are you trying to say with that?” Nothing.
How much of anyone’s personality can be attributed to their appearance? I know not much of mine can. I certainly don’t look the type to love R&B or playing Scrabble – but hey, that’s me.

-Tad “The Incoherent Blogger” Light