Thursday, August 4, 2011
Musings at a Coffee Shop
More specifically... Starbucks.
Completely unedited and uncensored, so the writing isn't going to have a particularly coherent subject. I just wrote things down as they popped into my head.
-----------------------------------------
Coffee shops should never, ever be this loud. If I can't even hear my own ipod music, there's a problem. I feel like I'm in a Chinese restaurant. Yes, it's that loud. Ridiculous. I could have gone to a McCafe and it would have been less noisy. Sheeesh, noisy Chinese people.
I can't concentrate, I'm just so annoyed by all the noise. I think I'll just people watch this time.
There's a lady with an obnoxious lime green purse... I love it.
Asian babies are fuggin adorable.
How can I describe the wonders of Hong Kong? It's just an amazing place. The constant hustle and bustle of millions of people, the blazing chinese and english neon signs hung everywhere, endless streams of cars, bunches of people congregating at the crosswalk during a red light.
Men in ties and white collar shirts, and women in pencil skirts and heels strolling alongside casual pedestrians in shorts and t-shirts... all trying to invade the fliers being handed out by street advertisers. The stifling heat and humidity, followed by the inviting, brief blasts of air conditioning that flow from the street-side stores; their doors wide open in invitation to enter. The air-conditioner water that drips onto you from several stories high, while you challenge yourself to seamlessly navigate through the sidewalk overloaded with open umbrellas.
Couples PDAing everywhere, people engrossed in their phones (a majority of which are smartphones with 3G data plans), street-side vendors hollering out the wonders of their goods, hoping to entice people to buy. A plethora of fashion statements; no one ever sporting quite the same style. Flashing traffic lights and ticking pedestrian "walk" signs.
It's 10:30pm in Hong Kong and the streets are still alive as if it were the middle of the day.
Tourists wander around, lost in or in awe of the sheer magnitude of the city. Heads turn as a very flashy, yellow sports car rounds the corner.
I wish I could look at every single person who crosses the street, but that would be impossible unless I had another 3 sets of eyes. There are just too many people.
The fashion-forward mannequins in the display windows, electric tram cars steadily rolling by... I want some frozen yogurt. Or those baked balls of goodness.
... Frozen yogurt topped with baked balls of goodness. YEEEEEEESSSSS!
In HK, the man purse is embraced. Hey, if you don't have a car to put your shit in, you gotta carry something to hold all of your stuff in. It's either a backpack, briefcase/satchel, fanny pack, shoulder bag, or stylish murse. I have seen a lot of men opt for the murse.
I love seeing men holding their girlfriend/wife's purse. It makes me smile.
I can't wait to get away from the city and go camping. Star-studded, diamond skies, please! Now whenever I think of stargazing, I think of watching the stars with Michael, Patrick, and Carmen at Deer Park. That was perfection. Probably one of the best moments I've had while camping... and there are A LOT of amazing camp moments for me to choose from. Star gazing with Matt comes a close second. If only it wasn't so darn cold that night.
I love it whenever I'm in close proximity with non asians. Like right now, 2 europeans guys just sat down at the table across from me... wait a minute, I just saw those 2 guys cross the street below the Starbucks. NICE!
11pm. Streets are still teeming with people, although significantly less. Time to go get my baked egg balls of goodness before the shop closes. That was fun. I need to find a nice place in Mississauga to people watch from.
-------------------------------------------
**The following was written while walking to get my baked egg balls of goodness.**
I wish there was a way to stare inconspicuously... or at least politely. A group of white people decked out in varying, mismatched assortments of traditional Chinese clothing just got off a bus. Now I have no clue why... maybe they have a very good reason, but they look friggin funny. Oh wait, there's one asian guy and a brown guy in the mix. Yes, I followed them for a few blocks, cause you know, in HK you can do that and not look suspicious or creepy. But then I got bored and I really want my baked egg balls of goodness. Thus I shall never know why those guys were dressed so ridiculously. Sad times. However I will get my egg balls of pure yummy, so all's well.
The abundance of food in HK is phenomenal. I once again question why HK people are not fat and how the hell they stay so damn skinny. There is no way simply walking everywhere burns off all that oily food they consume.
