Sunday, April 29, 2007

Blog talk and moving announcement


What I've felt like I've been walking on
for a large part of the last few days! ;b

As some of you may have noticed, something has been awry with this blog's "Labels" section for a few weeks now. For example, and for reason that I can't fathom, although I have personally only attached a "HKIFF" label to a total of fourteen out of -- including today's -- the one hundred and thirty-nine posts on this blog, the section of Blogger that's charged with counting such things appears insistent that their actual number is thirty-seven.

Additionally, although I have attached a "Mainland China" label on to only eleven of this blog's posts, the relevant section of Blogger has, again, decided to inflate the number -- this time up to twenty-six! At the same time, although the number of posts labelled "Hong Kong" and "Penang" respectively also have been artificially inflated by the Blogger machinery, it's true enough that there are more Hong Kong- than Penang-focused posts on this blog.

This is something that may strike some of you who are reading this as on the weird side. After all, as I have revealed on this blog, I not only currently reside in Penang but it also is where I was born, was raised for the most part, and is the part of the world which I consider to be my ancestral home; with at least one branch of my family being able to trace back its residence in this area by at least five generations in addition to my parents having been true blue Penangites years before Malaysia achieved its political independence from Britain.

However, the fact of the matter is that I've actually spent more years of my life outside of Penang than in it. For the record: These include a spell at boarding school in Britain, four years at college at Beloit (in Wisconsin, U.S.A.), eleven years or so -- spread over two separate spells -- in Philadelphia (also in the U.S.A.), two years in Tanzania, and another two years working in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia's capital city) before I returned once more to Penang in August 2005.

And as far as Hong Kong is concerned...well, firstly, the cinema of Hong Kong has been a big passion of mine for some years now. Furthermore, at some point amidst it all, my love of Hong Kong movies got me starting to love the territory from whence they came and which many of them so lovingly and vividly as well as colorfully depict; and to such an extent that I not only took to regularly visiting Hong Kong but nursing fantasies and dreams of some day getting to live there.

To cut what could be a pretty long story short: In only a little bit more than thirty-six hours from now, I will be getting ready to board a plane that will send me on my way to making that dream into reality. Put in more prosaic terms: four days ago, I formally accepted a job offer that will see me start work in Hong Kong on May 2nd, 2007 (i.e., just three days from today!)!

As you can imagine, it was quite the scramble to find a place to live in time for that fast looming start date! But a place -- in one of those parts of Hong Kong which has been featured in more than one local Hong Kong movie, no less! ;b -- has indeed been found that should at least temporarily serve my purposes.

At the same time though, since it's minus a broadband connection -- until I arrive and arrange for that to be set up -- and other certain items, I foresee that it will be a while before I will have the opportunity to regularly log on to the internet from my Hong Kong home. (By the way, I just felt a shiver go down my spine as I wrote the phrase "my Hong Kong home" there!)

When all this is coupled with the pretty strong likelihood that I'll be using up lots of energy, nervous and otherwise, at work there and spending a lot of my time besides doing the necessary to feel like -- and actually become! -- a real Hong Kong resident, I think it would be best to place this blog on hiatus for at least a week or two. (Right now, my plan is to try to fit in one more blog entry tomorrow but the way things are or are getting to be (i.e., frenzied!), I don't dare to unconditionally promise that this will happen...)

With that, I'm off to do more bidding of au revoirs along with preparing and packing for the trip -- nay, move! -- post haste!!! And to those of you readers who are Hong Kong residents: Yes, I sure would appreciate any advice and tips that you think that is worth offering me with regards to working and/or living in Hong Kong... :b

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

wow, so u are actually heading HK! welcome!!! :)

YTSL said...

Hi "mad dog" --

Yes, indeedy...and now close to freaking out as d-day looms! ;b

GoldenRockProductions said...

Wow, congratulations on the big move. Hong Kong can be a tough place to like, but it's just the type of loud, dirty, polluted, crowded metropolis that I love!

As far as tips go, what type of tips are you looking for? There are all types of little things about HK to know about, but none of them seem to spring to mind. Perhaps wear an extra layer of clothes in an HK cinema in the summer?

Anonymous said...

Googled this in 20 second.

http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/places/china/hong-kong/tips

Good luck and have fun in Hong Kong.

YTSL said...

Hi goldenrockproductions --

Thanks for the congrats and me too re Hong Kong being the type of loud, etc. metropolis that I love. :)

Re tips: Remember that I have visited there quite a few times -- so know about such as it's cold cinemas; so was looking for more "living and working there" type advice... ;b

Hi laicheukpan --

Thanks for the link. BTW, if you click the title of this post, you'll be able to see that it does show up in its entirety and all okay. :)

steve said...

Yvonne, I hope one day I can make my own dream, which sounds just a bit like yours, a reality as well. ;) I wish you all the best and can't wait to read you blogging from Hong Kong. :)

May I ask what type of work you're picking up in Hong Kong? Is it related to the movie industry?

Anonymous said...

AWESOME!

Another blogger moves to HK -- I was happy and astounded when Ross of lovehkfilm.com actually got a job in HK and now you are going there too. I am envious but glad for you.

I think your love of Hong Kong comes through in your posts about HK cinema and I look forward to even more once you actually settle in over there.

YTSL said...

Hi munin --

Before anything else: hmmm...do you know me from somewhere else by any chance? ;)

"May I ask what type of work you're picking up in Hong Kong? Is it related to the movie industry?"

If you don't mind, I'll just answer with "writer for a magazine" to the first question. And tantalize you with the following: i.e., that funnily enough, I've actually spent the greater part of this past month working on something movie related.

(So maybe one day, should you ever continue viewing as a Hong Kong movie's end credits roll, you'll see my name appear on screen... ;b)

Oh, and good luck with making your own dream a reality! :)

Hi Glenn --

Thanks for your kind words. And I hope that I'll be able to return to blogging before too long after my move. :)

steve said...

Hey,

No, I suppose we don't know each other, other than me reading your blog pretty frequently and commenting occasionally. I'm sorry if I've been too personal. :)

YTSL said...

Hi again Munin --

No worries about your getting too personal -- at least, not just yet! ;b

And, actually, what I was referring to earlier was that you know my first name but I guess it's not too hard to find this out if you know your way around the Hong Kong film fan world... ;D

Anonymous said...

well, do u read chinese? if so, my blog URL: dorablahblah.blogspot.com
(i was a student of bordwell a decade ago. :) )

Stefan S said...

a HK cinephile dream come true!

bon voyage! keep us updated on some of the cool releases from the fragrant harbour!

YTSL said...

Hi Stefan S --

"a HK cinephile dream come true!"

You said it! And fingers crossed that it'll stay that way for a long time to come. :)

Willow said...

Wow. Big move. Will be patiently waiting for your blogs to continue.

Anonymous said...

I will miss your Saturday Photo Hunters pix while you're an hiatus! Good luck with the move, and congratuations!

Anonymous said...

Awesome!! Congratulations on your big move.

I'm also a fan of Hong Kong cinema and this has, in a round about way, led me to quit my job to go back to school so that I can move to Hong Kong to work as an English teacher once my B.Ed. degree is finished in a year and a half.

I'll be spending the entire month of August in Hong Kong this summer as a treat before I head back to school full time in the fall. I'm looking forward to seeing sites from some of my favorite Hong Kong movies, and maybe even running into Francis Ng or Lau Ching Wan or Louis Koo. How cool would that be?

I hope you love your new job and your new home and that it's everything you hoped for and more!! The way I see it, life is too short to be miserable and you should live life to the fullest and always aim for happiness.

Sorry for being so verbose. I'm really excited for you (and a bit jealous), but I'll get to Hong Kong eventually too.

Best wishes,
Wanda

YTSL said...

Hi "mad dog" --

Alas, I don't read Chinese. And wow re your having a Bordwell student: Did you get in touch with him when he was in Hong Kong last? Am sure he would have liked for you to have done so! :)

Hi Willow --

Yup. Big move. In some ways, bigger than I anticipated. But fingers crossed that I am starting to feel somewhat more settled this week than previously. :)

Hi Lulu --

Hope to have an entry for this Saturday's Photo Hunt. So come back and visit, if you haven't already! :)

Hi Wanda --

Thanks for the lengthy comments and sorry for not replying to them sooner than now. And no, I didn't think that you were being verbose at all! Heck, if I did, it'd be a case of the pot calling the kettle black, don't you think? ;)

"I'll be spending the entire month of August in Hong Kong this summer as a treat before I head back to school full time in the fall. I'm looking forward to seeing sites from some of my favorite Hong Kong movies, and maybe even running into Francis Ng or Lau Ching Wan or Louis Koo. How cool would that be?"

Seeing sites from favorite Hong Kong movies will be easy. Catching sight of the stars will be more difficult but not at all impossible. And even if you don't see them in the flesh, I think you'll get some thrills and amusement out of seeing them on billboards and such. I realize that I'm someone who's easily thrilled and amused but yeah, I must admit that I really do! :)

Anonymous said...

yes, i met bordwell when he was here during the hkiff. we had dinner last yr during the festival too, so did us this year. i saw your photo w/ him outside mandarin hotel on your blog. so funny!

YTSL said...

Hi again "Mad Dog" --

So...are you one of the people whose pictures he took and put in at least one of his HKIFF blog reports?? :b

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
YTSL said...

Hi ToniL --

Sorry but your post sounds like spam too me. Hence its removal.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
YTSL said...

Hmmm, looks like the "Blog talk and moving announcement" entry might well get the prize for attracting the most spam to this blog... :(

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
YTSL said...

Wow, 8 months on and still attracting spam... :(