Praying

What does it mean to be inside or outside a person? If we keep our emotions bottled up, we should seek therapy, open up, release our pent up feelings. What could possibly demarcate the boundary between that which is contained or pent up and that which is released? Disclosure to another. We disclose our feelings to release our feelings. Why such reliance on others? Without others, there is no release. Socialization is a prerequisite condition of healthy living. If disclosure perhaps represents some admirable higher self-awareness, then we shall admire it. But, the locus of disclosure need not be the other! Prayer is perhaps a close approximation of self-disclosure, only then with an alternatively feigned or genuine belief that the true platform of disclosure is some providential Higher Platform that you most certainly cannot understand. This imagined wireless connection with God disillusions the faithful, by placating them with the idea that their disclosure is indeed social. The release takes place. Amen. Prayer is self-disclosure masquerading as real socialization. A true palliative for a true man of God.

Delusions on China

In June, China agreed to lessen control over the exchange rate value of the Renminbi in part due to pressure from the United States amidst concerns over the burgeoning trade deficit. American economists and politicians (including Obama) have postulated that China purposefully suppresses the value of their currency in order to stimulate exports by making them comparatively cheaper in overseas markets. Thus, when China allows the Renminbi to appreciate without exchange rate intervention, Chinese goods in America will be costlier relative to domestically produced goods. Americans will buy more US goods and less Chinese goods. This will purportedly assuage the growing import-export gap between China and the United States, and also stimulate domestic consumption within China. Currently, the ratio of domestic private consumption (spending by private citizens) to GDP is less than half of that in the US. China's exploding economic growth is comprised mostly of government spending, state-owned enterprises, and export growth. "Common" knowledge amongst economists is that spurring domestic consumption in China will lead to drastic increases in quality of life for Chinese citizens and instill stability in China's continuing economic growth, which needs to maintain annual gains of 8% simply to keep pace with the increasing population. Pressuring China into allowing their currency to appreciate, then, is a high priority in America.

However, this analysis, that Chinese currency revaluation is key to US and Chinese economic stability, unfortunately reflects a crass understanding of their economy. A recent WSJ op-ed, "Bashing Beijing Will Not Help Our Trade Deficit," argues that "the value of the yuan is not the main driver of the U.S. trade deficit. The wages and social safety net of Chinese workers are more important." This is on the right track, but the belief that increased wages for Chinese citizens are tenable is a pipe dream. China remains, more than most contemporary Sinologists are willing to admit, a largely state-run economy. Wage growth will come exclusively at the will of Beijing bureaucrats, not from the idealism and hopefulness of US policy-makers. To charge that we simply must increase wages in China to solve the U.S. trade deficit is akin to asserting that we should just start providing more healthcare to North Koreans in order to improve their quality of life. It's a wonderful aspiration, but pragmatically unattainable.

Pozen writes in the op-ed that "if wages rise in China, its workers would have more money to spend." And, "if wages go up in China, then the prices of its exports will rise." So, Pozen, a senior lecturer at Harvard business school, has solved all our problems: "[American politicians] should support higher wages and a stronger safety net for Chinese workers. These measures would not only help reduce the U.S. trade deficit but also would be consistent with recent efforts of China's officials to improve the living standard of its workers." And we thought cold-blooded capitalists lacked that twinkling idealism. This grand conclusion to his piece begs a question I would've hoped WSJ's editors would've demanded an answer to within the incomplete musings of the article: How do we support higher wages and a stronger safety net for Chinese workers? Perhaps a spirited letter writing campaign to Hu Jintao will do the trick.

Under the Clinton administration, we attempted to "support Chinese workers" by demanding wage increases, strengthened workers' rights, and crackdowns on human rights abuses as precursors to our approving China's admission to the WTO. Ultimately, though, we agreed to forego annual evaluations of our trading relationship with China, relinquish bargaining power over human rights abuses, and adopted China as a permanent trading partner. This gave China free reign over the US economy, as we substantially reduced tariffs and allowed Chinese companies, fueled by low-wage, indentured servitude cost advantages, to flood the US market with abundant, inexpensive goods.

Unfortunately, this favor wasn't reciprocated. US companies wishing to enter the Chinese market face stringent controls over how their business can be operated. China's most effective means of exerting influence over American companies in China is selective enforcement of the law. The way in which Chinese business law is written means that, essentially, in order to do business in China, a company will be violating a whole host of regulations. Companies that follow the Beijing dictums find themselves free from enforcement of China's amorphous blob of business regulations. However, when Beijing is displeased with a company, they swoop in with a variety of fines and punitive measures. China even went so far as to arrest four Australian executives working in Beijing. When US and Chinese values clash, American companies wishing to remain in the Chinese marketplace must placate China. In China, American companies operate entirely within the confines of the interests of Beijing.

For example, Cisco "is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate." How did they make their money in China? By designing and implementing the firewalls that restrict Chinese citizens' access to information, censor dissidents, and provide Beijing with the intelligence to find and make disappear those who disagree with the party line. Many internet writers and bloggers in China have found themselves placed under house arrest, banned from the Internet, and detained for years without charges.

American banks also face severe restrictions. Most are allowed only one or two branches in the country. And, there are only two foreign-owned ATMs in China. 85% of Chinese citizens don't have access to credit cards. Most have no access to mortgages or other loans. And, the property market in China is so tightly controlled alongside access to mortgages that most Chinese people have to save for 20 years, without the ability to invest or earn interest, in order to purchase a modest apartment at an exorbitant price.

My point is that China's economy is structured to extend state influence, restrict the autonomy of private enterprises, bolster state-run export industries, and force the average Chinese citizen to save an enormous portion of their savings simply to obtain lower-middle class luxuries such as home ownership, reasonable access to health care, and sufficient money for retirement. In fact, China has the world's highest private savings rate. Consider that the ubiquitous American loan: car, house, second mortgage, credit cards, and student loans. They constitute negative savings. As Chinese people have significantly limited access to loans of any kind, they are structurally forced to save more.

Back to my initial point, American policy-makers believe that supporting modest wage growth will spur domestic demand and economic freedom. However, it is clear that despite the influx of McDonald's, KFC, and other bastions of "freedom," China maintains unflinching influence over its economy, wage growth, property prices, access to loans, and business development. That wage growth, globalization, and American companies will lead China to more and more economic and political freedoms is an unfortunate delusion.

Crack and Kong

The final assignment for my journalism class was a feature article. I wanted to profile a rich, successful, normal marijuana user as an alternative to the catch-all "Drugs Are BAD!" policies of Hong Kong. However, since I waited until three days before this journalism assignment was due, I had to piece together a somewhat lacking and certainly broader piece on drug usage and drug policy. Surprisingly, wealthy investment bankers don't want to talk about their drug habits to students with voice recorders... After agonizing over what clever, insightful words I wanted to use to entitle this piece, I landed on "Hong Kong's Drug Policy." So, enjoy.

The Beauty of the Game, a new show on TVB Jade Channel in Hong Kong, plays like a Chinese version of the American HBO hit Entourage, a show that depicts a young superstar actor and his buddies from New York navigating the quintessential Hollywood lifestyle: attending movie premiers, partying with all the big names of Los Angeles, and basking in fame and fortune. In a similar fashion, The Beauty of the Game is a drama about young actresses grappling with their careers in the Hong Kong entertainment industry. But, unlike Entourage, this show isn’t just trying to entertain. Hong Kong’s newest television drama is funded and produced by the Hong Kong Narcotics Division of the Security Bureau and the Action Committee Against Narcotics. It is one of the government’s latest moves in a series of initiatives designed to address rising youth drug use in Hong Kong. And, just as every television series begets devoted fans and adamant critics, the anti-drug initiatives are drawing both praise and skepticism.

Depicting the demise of seemingly normal young adults at the hands of drug use on broadcast television is just the latest in a breadth of actions by the Hong Kong government targeting a reduction in drug abuse, especially among youths. “Juvenile drug abuse has become serious in Hong Kong,” Chief Executive Donald Tsang said in a recent address to local parents. A report by the Central Registry of Drug Abuse (CRDA) states that the makeup of drug users is becoming younger. According to the CRDA’s report, the proportion of under-21 drug users has increased by 24% between 2004 and 2008. Further, schools are becoming the locale of drug use, with usage at schools increasing by 135% across the same cited time period.

Hong Kong clearly hasn’t been ignoring the latest statistics. “The Government has geared up law enforcement activities to curb the supply of drugs,” Mr. Tsang said. Alongside more banal measures like an anti-drug music video and anti-drug text messaging competition at a recent concert, one of the most contentious programs being implemented in Hong Kong is a voluntary “Trial Scheme on School Drug Testing” in the Tai Po school district to “tackle the problem of hidden drug use,” according to Mr. Tsang.

Contrary to Mr. Tsang’s suggestions, the seriousness and frequency of youth drug use in Hong Kong is not a recently developed problem, nor is the idea of drug testing Hong Kong students a recently developed solution, according to twenty-seven-year-old Amanda Chen, whose name has been altered at her request. International schools were implementing random, mandatory drug tests during her days of attendance, although she was never tested personally. And, the program didn’t have the desired impact. “I didn’t care that there was mandatory drug testing at school. The kids that wanted to use drugs used them,” she said.

Ms. Chen worked in marketing for a prominent Hong Kong magazine until she was laid off in February. I met her at a local hair salon, where her hairdresser does double-duty as her drug dealer. “Marijuana is my drug of choice. I can’t handle ecstasy anymore, that used to be my favorite. I’m too old now, my body can’t handle it.” Although Ms. Chen said she was a “late-bloomer” when it came to using drugs (she didn’t start until the age of 17), she found herself immersed in a culture of drug use since secondary school. “When I was sixteen, my aunt asked me if I knew anyone who didn’t use drugs. My honest answer was none,” she said.

Although Ms. Chen uses drugs, she thinks “the age at which children are beginning to experiment with drugs is definitely a problem.” She added, “I used to go raving. I would take “E” (ecstasy) and go to giant parties. Some of the girls there couldn’t have been older than twelve or thirteen. It was shocking, but what can you do?”

Later, she noted that she wasn’t opposed to voluntary drug testing initiatives. But, her and many others have concerns over the potential effectiveness of the government’s policies. Her hairdresser cum dealer James, who requested that his last name be withheld, chimed in that “the program is useless! Unless students are compelled to test, there is no point in spending money on this.”

The program also drew the attention of a prominent professional organization. The Hong Kong College of Psychiatrists issued a strident criticism of the proposed voluntary drug-testing campaign. In a written statement, Dr Lam Cheung said, “There is a dearth of data on the effectiveness of school-based drug testing as a means of combating psychoactive substance abuse and its potential harm.” Concerns range from privacy and confidentiality to cost and effectiveness. Dr Lam Cheung goes on to say that “because it is a voluntary program, active drug users may simply refuse to be tested.” He added, “It is well established that the window for detecting most drugs of abuse is 72 hours or less.” As a result, a student can temporarily delay a drug test in order to ensure a negative test result, before resuming drug use. So far, the government has reported that 61 percent of eligible students have enrolled in the testing program. “That leaves 40% of the population that may be active drug users who will never be tested,” wrote Dr Lam Cheung.

Another concern with the government’s policies arises from the one-size-fits-all approach to drug abuse. Nicole Fung, a professional piano teacher, used to sell marijuana with her ex-boyfriend. She spent her days teaching piano and her nights driving across the city delivering to customers. She likens marijuana usage to legal drugs like tobacco and alcohol and believes there should be a distinction in public policy between marijuana and harder drugs. “The people who we sold to all had jobs. They were normal, working people, not scary, not addicts. But, marijuana and heroine are both treated as the same thing,” she said, adding, “I don’t think it is fair to punish and treat possession of marijuana the same as harder drugs.”

Ms. Fung touches on a point that resonates with many critics of drug policies. Reports on the harmfulness or addictiveness of marijuana are hard to come by. Alcohol is reported as having a higher rate of addiction than marijuana. Yet, Hong Kong remains adamant in refusing to parse drugs into categories. At the premiere for The Beauty of the Game, Principal Assistant Secretary for Security, Eric Lee, said, “There is still misunderstanding about drugs despite concern from all sectors of the community. Some people think drugs can be categorized as ”soft” and “hard.” … It is necessary to enhance our publicity and preventive education efforts so that the public will understand there is no distinction between “soft” and “hard” drugs. They should never try!”

Hong Kong’s catchall, abstinence-based approach to drug use is reminiscent of United States President Ronald Reagan’s infamous “Just Say No!” anti-drug education program. Started in the 1980s, Reagan’s program funded billions in educational programming and literature, spanning from car bumper stickers to posters to guest speakers in schools. Unfortunately, the program quickly became synonymous with wasteful spending and lacking results, rather than declining youth drug usage. In fact, a study by the University of Michigan to track the success of the program found marked increases in youth drug use over a ten-year period. The failure in President Reagan’s ambitious program was attributable to the very same concerns being raised about Hong Kong’s anti-drug campaign.

The absence of nuance in the government’s approach to drug enforcement and education percolates into related sectors of public policy such as rehabilitation and treatment. Hong Kong publishes myriad literature on drug use. One bright green leaflet implores: “Be free. Illicit drugs are all addictive. It is extremely difficult to quit drugs. Be free. Don’t even try drugs for once.” Obvious issues in syntax aside, Ms. Chen expressed concern over the nature of the dialogue. “I think it is important to bring drug use and addiction into the open, and I’m okay with public service announcements,” Ms. Chen said, but added, “Something like this reflects poorly upon the government. Any student with exposure to drugs isn’t going to take this seriously. … Not all drugs are addictive.” Ms. Chen asked, “How can the students trust the government’s message when it is so uneducated?”

Those who work in the treatment community have also expressed concern over their preparation and ability to provide adequate care to addicts and drug abusers. Herman Chung-Shing, a member of the Social Welfare committee, expressed concern that “the amount and type of preparation amongst the medical community responsible for providing youth drug abuse treatment is not enough.” He added, “We need to train more doctors on how to treat children struggling with drugs.”

Chief Executive Tsang acknowledged a need for dialogue, saying, “Prevention of drug abuse begins at home.” But the “Not Once. Not Ever.” educational program leaves little room for a productive exchange between students and their parents, teachers, and social workers. Ms. Fung is concerned over a lack of addiction and counseling services for existing drug users, and feels the policies address prevention, but not treatment. “The program might work for someone who has never tried drugs,” Ms. Fung said, but added, “What about all of us who have already started? I don’t feel there is anyone students can turn to to ask for help.” Hong Kong’s motives are admirable. But, if you find yourself addicted to watching all the latest episodes of The Beauty of the Game, consider the many other addicts who aren’t watching.

Profiling a Former Hong Kong Investment Banker

Things are winding down for my stint in Asia. This is the last week of classes. I have finals and projects over the next two weeks, and then will spend a week in Beijing, a week in Colorado for Christmas, a week in New York City for New Year's Eve, a week in Minneapolis/Sioux Falls, and then back to WashU for classes in mid-January.

Looking back at this experience, it has been tremendously informative as a cultural endeavor. However, academically, CUHK didn't leave me satisfied. Aside from my Chinese language courses, which were developed through a partnership with Yale University, my classes were neither engaging nor particularly instructive. I believe that is primarily the symptom of the classes being taught by non-native English speakers to classrooms of non-native English speakers. Everything felt distilled, and there was absolutely no student-teacher dialogues or interaction. Further, it is difficult to take a class seriously when the exam is rife with glaring grammatical errors. This was especially frustrating on True/False questions, where poor syntax made interpreting the precise meaning of the sentence guesswork.

I have been taking a graduate journalism workshop, and recently completed a profile of a former investment banker who switched jobs to work at a school. Here's my article:

With the highest density of skyscrapers in the world and one of the longest average workweeks, Hong Kong isn’t known as a Mecca for leisure and relaxation. In a recent struggle within Hong Kong’s legislative council over what sorts of democratic initiatives should be advanced, the pro-Beijing camp argued that Hong Kong, as an economic city, was full of profit-hungry go-getters that could care less about democratic reforms or, more largely, politics in general. As long as taxes are kept low and controls on the capital market are limited, the politicians argued, the citizens of Hong Kong would be satisfied. On the basis of Hong Kong’s global reputation, it is easy to take these sweeping generalizations at face value. However, glossing over Hong Kong as a city of dollars and cents belies the deeper struggles and triumphs of its citizens.

With such great emphasis on accruing wealth, an oft-encountered dilemma found within Hong Kong’s 7,000-plus high-rise buildings is striking a proper work-life balance. Lawyers, investment bankers, and businesspeople face ultra-competitive colleagues, and many times sacrifice any semblance of free-time, family, or friends in order to advance their careers.

Wayne Yuan, a fit thirty-something who lives in Po Lam and worked for Bank of New York for the last sixteen years is all too familiar with the heavy demands of a professional career. Mr. Yuan worked in trade finance and relationship management and says, “the top management only cared about profits and cost-cutting.” He added that the corporate atmosphere “put me under tremendous pressure to sell more, sell more, sell more.” Frequently, he would be asked to stay until midnight to complete a conference call with his New York associates, only to be asked to return at 8am the next morning.

We meet in his apartment, nicely appointed, but also, like most public housing in Hong Kong, excessively cozy. He sits on a piano bench in a small bedroom shared by his housekeeper and seven-year-old daughter Angel. He married his wife, a physical education teacher and librarian, in 1996. His other daughter, Annie, is twelve, and actively involved in pre-teen pursuits: texting and Facebooking.

Up until May, Wayne Yuan could have been described as just another suit, a hard-working, moderately wealthy executive biding his time in the office. Unlike many in Hong Kong, though, Wayne was unwilling to give up his health and family as payments towards advancing his career. After sixteen years of high-pressure sales, Wayne found a job at his wife’s secondary school, and now works as their accountant. “In Hong Kong, most people work their entire lives for a nice flat,” Wayne says. “But you have to find a balance between your job and your life,” he adds as he leans back against his daughter’s piano, still wearing his workout clothes from a game of racquetball with a colleague.

This philosophy put him at odds with the heavy demands of his banking career. For Wayne, the decision to change jobs was far from a knee-jerk reaction to a stint of unhappiness at work. In order to qualify himself for the accounting position, Wayne enrolled in City University of Hong Kong and took classes at night for the last few years. It seems, at first, counterintuitive for a man who values time with his family to commit himself to even more hours away from home. But, it becomes clear that his discontentment stems not from the number of hours worked, but the corporate culture to which he was subjected. After a number of mergers a few years ago, Wayne notes that “the old-style management, which focused on making customers happy, changed dramatically when the bank was taken over by a foreign firm.” He adds, “Later [post-merger], the top management no longer cared about making our clients happy. We were to push for more business, more money, before our clients began to trust us.” He adds, “The money might have been lower before, but at least our clients trusted us, and I enjoyed my job.”

The push for account growth became so fervent that Wayne felt his clients were becoming annoyed with how often he was required to call them. “If they need something, they will call me. Now, I have to call them twenty times a month, just to satisfy my managers,” he says.

There was no end to the calls for higher revenues, in Wayne’s eyes. “Top management demands five percent growth, so the lower management wants to impress them and demands ten percent,” he says. With a hint of desperation in his voice, he adds, “There is no need to maximize the profit. How do you maximize the profit? One million? Ten million? One billion?”

Working at the school couldn’t be farther from the intense ends-justify-the-means environment at the investment bank. Wayne doesn’t miss much from his old career. “My school does not have profit goals, daily meetings, or overbearing managers,” Wayne says. However, there is one aspect of his former life that was harder to give up. “The money is much, much worse now. I make less than half what I made at the bank,” he says. Wayne is saving far less now than in his previous career, but surprisingly, he doesn’t feel he has had to make drastic changes to his lifestyle. The family retained their live-in housekeeper, and they still manage to pay for private English lessons, piano lessons, and weekend trips to China.

So far, Wayne seems happy with his career change. “I am happy now. I feel better. At Bank of New York, I couldn’t escape the high stress,” he says, adding, “I have time to exercise. And, I have more time to communicate with my wife and kids. Although, my oldest daughter has started to outgrow her daddy.”

Wayne says that many of his colleagues at the bank want to leave, but find a career change financially unviable. “They can’t afford to leave, even though they are unhappy,” he says.

Under the shining veneer of gleaming skyscrapers and well-dressed executives, there lies in Hong Kong a sense of unease among some people unable to escape from the fast-paced structural pressures of their careers. Wayne represents, for Hong Kong, a seemingly rare success in managing the demands of a career without abandoning family, friends, and health.

“When you become a top manager,” Wayne cautions me, “please remember that it is not all about the money.” Perhaps Wayne doesn’t care about politics or democratic initiatives, but the members of the legislative council would be deeply mistaken in pegging him as just another profit-hungry go-getter.

Bill O'Reilly Does Something Good?

In this clip, you'll see O'Reilly initially making a bet that Lou Dobbs would not be fired from CNN. Somehow, the 24-7 media machine has simultaneously offered up two good things: Lou Dobbs leaving CNN and Bill O'Reilly, in a moment not unlike the Grinch suddenly relenting, donating $10,000 to Habitat for Humanity. Would it be too much to ask for Glenn Beck's resignation for Christmas?

I'll Save The Pecan Pie For Later

I'm pretty sure that I'd like to have chocolate-chip cookie dough ice cream in my last meal if I were on death row. Virginia executed John Allen Mohammed today, the infamous DC sniper. He kept his last meal request secret.

However, this website chronicles the final meal requests of all of the inmates executed by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Some of my favorites are:

Stacey Lawton, a former carpenter, who requested one jar of dill pickles.

Gerald Lee Mitchell, also a carpenter, who at the age of 17 shot his brother-in-law with a sawed-off shotgun, requested one bag of assorted Jolly Ranchers.

Cornelius Goss, who shares my birthdate of May 24th, requested one apple, one orange, one banana, a coconut, and some peaches.

James Smith requested yogurt.

James Powell, an electrician, requested one pot of coffee.

Poor Ruben Cantu did not have his final request entirely filled. He requested barbecue chicken, refried beans, brown rice, sweet tea and bubble gum. Unfortunately, bubble gum is not permitted in Texas prisons.

Ricky Ray Rector, suffering from severe brain damage after shooting himself, apparently couldn't comprehend his final sentence. After finishing most of his meal, he set aside his pecan pie and told the guards he wanted to save it for later as he was lead away to the execution chamber.

Finally, Odell Barnes, Jr., who sexually assaulted, stabbed, and shot a woman, requested Justice, Equality, and World Peace as his last meal.

My New Friend Mukesh

I think that it is important to notice people. New-age Evangelical proselytizing strategists suggest using this tactic as a means of forging new relationships. The old school bible-thumping involved bait-and-switch sales techniques. For example, in Florida on spring break, they tasked bikini-clad women (drunk with the love of Jesus H. Christ) to hand out fliers for a Luau Party! with "live music and drinks." When the hormonally-induced attendees arrive, they discover Diet Coke, skits about God, and literature on Christianity in place of Captain Morgan and wet t-shirt contests. This kind of bait-and-switch approach failed, though, to produce results, meaning converts. We capitalist humans are good at smelling a sale coming from a mile away.

The new strategy, as I mentioned, involves "all bait and no switch" in the words of Ira Glass. Disciples are trained to avoid the misdirection and overt persuasions and instead sit in malls and coffee shops and simply notice people. Not surprisingly, when someone asks "How are you?" and then actually lets a person finish a few sentences without interjecting about themselves, they are taken aback by the genuine show of interest. So, that is step one. Step two is build friendships, gain proximity to new groups of people, and exert Godly influence through assimilation, leading by example.

Back to my original thought: I think it is important to notice people. Case in point, I spent this whole weekend with people whom I had met in completely random settings. I hung out with an Indian multi-millionaire property mogul named Mukesh after chatting with him in an Indian restaurant a few weeks ago. I joined his brother and some of his close friends for dinner, got driven around in a chauffeured Mercedes, chatted with the CEO of Air India, sat in on meetings with Uzbek diamond traders, sang Hindi karaoke, and got served breakfast by servants in a penthouse...all because I was willing to chat with a stranger in an Indian restaurant.

I am not sure if I engaged other people this openly while I was Back In The USSA. I am partially motivated by the fact that, halfway around the world, I don't have a circle of friends and family to fall back on. So, perhaps I am more open and more likely to show an interest in others. It has lead me to meet some great people. The people with whom I have spent the most time with in Hong Kong are two locals, Nicole and Lillian. One I met on an elevator, the other in a train station. They've invited me into their homes, shown me the non-touristy side of Hong Kong, and introduced me to their friends. I sat down and had dinner with Nicole's family on her birthday, and it was the first time they'd ever had a white person in their home.

My most poignant experiences in Hong Kong have come from the friendships I have forged through happenstance encounters with complete strangers. Upon returning to the USA, I'm going to behave like a tactically-minded Evangelical and spend more time noticing people.

On An Aeroplane Over The Sea

From Studying Abroad in Hong Kong

This was a roller coaster at Ocean Park, a theme park in Hong Kong. Very, very tame rides. Asians frighten easily. It's science. But, the views were incredible.

This weekend I went to my first horse racetrack. The stadium is 1/4th mile long; the seats were at least half-filled the entire length. It reminded me of a casino because everyone was there to gamble and it reeked of desperation and empty hopes. There were losing betting slips scattered everywhere, and at the end of the night they came out with leaf blowers to blow them away. Many of the "professional" horse-race gamblers use hyper-obsessive techniques like monitoring the weights of the jockeys, examining how the horses walked before the race, and perusing extensive publications devoted entirely to predicting the winners of the races. From my short stay at the track, I found that there was no correlation between the favorites to win and the actual winners. But, the professionals would dismiss this as purely anecdotal.

One interesting thing is that Chinese people are afraid of the number four. If they paid attention, they should be afraid of seven, because seven eight nine. Nonetheless, there is a going theory that the number four horse enjoys abnormally good odds because even if it is a favorite to win, no one wants to bet on it.

I went to my first movie in Hong Kong. Despite the fact that people rarely hang out in their apartments and are always out shopping and eating, cinema is not a popular past-time in Hong Kong. I wouldn't be surprised if Sioux Falls, South Dakota had more theatres than Hong Kong. Anyways, one cool thing about the movies in Hong Kong is that you get to pick your seats, like you're on an airplane. I requested a window seat.

Also, they serve chocolate popcorn and fish meat balls. The chocolate popcorn is very similar to the 'Kettle Korn' they serve at fairs, in that it is sweet and salty at the same time. Pretty delicious, but I prefer salt and butter.

In other news, I changed my flights and will be spending Christmas in Colorado with my family and New Year's Eve in New York City.

On Second Thought...

A contrary view to the Slate article I linked to in my last post, which discussed the scourge of constant distraction and our mind's fixation on "seeking" appears in a Wired Magazine article.

"Most jobs don’t allow that [daydreaming on a three-hour walk], of course. That’s why I’ve begun to think that the “social” Internet has become a rough substitute. If your boss is trying to force you to focus on PowerPoint and Word documents, you might gravitate to mentally discursive, floaty experiences — the idle surfing of Facebook updates, Wikipedia entries, YouTube videos, casual games like Bejeweled. Maybe these things aren’t so much time sucks as desperate attempts by our brains to decouple from the go-go-go machine and head off on its own."

Mid-Life Crisis

I am thinking about buying a Corvette; I am halfway done with my semester in Hong Kong. Time has been passing much more quickly as I've settled into a routine with class, gotten used to campus, and am no longer continually buffeted by random Asian novelties.

I went to Taiwan a few weekends ago. My extreme nerdiness shone through on the flight back from Taipei, as I was excited about it being my first time on a Boeing 747, which is the airplane with two stories and a big hump at the front. I took a video of myself walking onto the airplane, which I don't really recommend watching, except for the ambient Chinese voices and funny stares from people realizing I'm videotaping them.

Taiwan was pretty cool. People are aggressively friendly. That is, they will come up to you, without provocation, and try to help you find something or get somewhere. Perhaps their behavior stems from their fixation with white people/English speakers/rugged good looks? For some reason, and I don't remember doing this, I ordered Kosher meals for the flights to and from Taipei. As an aside, Asian airlines are far more enjoyable than American ones. They gave me copies of the International Herald Tribune and Financial Times, served me a full meal, and checked back with me at least three times to see if I wanted more coffee, all during a one-hour flight. So, they came up to me with this Kosher certificate and asked me to inspect my meal as we were waiting to push back from the gate. Then, amidst a sea of Chinese/Taiwanese people, the lone six-foot (okay, 5'11") white dude, moi, gets served fifteen minutes before everyone else. And, everything was individually wrapped, so it was a noisy, messy ordeal getting everything open. I'm putting my best foot forward to assimilate fully into the Asian culture. That's why I buy Starbucks in the airports.

A highlight from Taiwan was visiting a tea house at a tea plantation in the foothills outside of Taipei. It was very foggy and wet, and it made the whole experience of drinking tea on a patio overlooking the lush hills of the plantation very surreal.

I got a job as an English tutor for a private family. Each week, they have me over for dinner, which their domestic helper cooks, and then I tutor their daughter for an hour. It is fun to hang out with the family in their home, which is much different than interacting with locals in restaurants or on campus. Last week, the daugher and I played piano, and the cousins were all pretty excited to have me around and had lots of questions for me. It is the most welcomed I have felt so far in Hong Kong.

The family I tutor for is relatively wealthy. However, for the two parents, two kids, and their live-in domestic helper, they have a mere 700 square feet in their apartment. The home is comfortable and well-decorated, but I don't know if I could adapt to such a cramped living arrangement.

We have a long weekend coming up. I don't have class Friday or Monday. Many people are traveling to Tokyo, Cambodia, Thailand, mainland China, and Taiwan. Unfortunately, I have to teach English on Saturday, and try to finish all of my law school applications. Having it as a nagging obligation while being over here in Hong Kong, along with my research paper, has been pretty frustrating. I hope that I will be able to relax after finishing them, but recognizing my own neurotic inclinations, I will more likely consume myself obsessing over potential acceptances/rejections.

Finally, some unsolicited psychoanalysis. Sometimes, I feel as though I am in a continuous state of restlessness and distraction. It is difficult for me to maintain focus on one activity for a long period of time. While trying to focus on something like studying Chinese, I'll feel an overwhelming urge to check my email or go get a drink or engage in any other inane distraction. After coming upon this surprisingly relevant article (which I likely read while distracting myself from whatever task I was supposed to be accomplishing), I decided to divert my fleeting attention into a necessarily longer-term activity: reading books. So, I still pull myself away from studying and other obligations just as readily, but I make an effort to avoid checking Facebook or surfing Digg, and instead try to read. I'm not sure if it is at all helpful, but I have gotten way more discretionary reading done in the last few weeks than what I'd normally accomplish in a year. I read "Brave New World," "The Stranger," and an eerie, very entertaining book, which I just finished, "Dangerous Laughter."

Post Cereal in Asia...

I worked for Ralcorp Holdings this summer and Post Cereal is one of their recent acquisitions. It is fun to see my summer office's address (800 Market Street, Saint Louis, MO) on cereal boxes in random Chinese grocery stores.

Today, I encountered what I consider to be an egregious failure in custom-tailoring cereal boxes to the region in which they are sold. They are pulling at the heart strings of the burgeoning wealthy at the local discount grocery stores by imploring: Let's Feed America Together!

Not Sleeping When I Need It

It is 4:45am and I cannot manage to fall asleep. I need to "wake" up in about two hours to take the circuitous bus, train, and then bus route to the airport for my flight to Taiwan. My flight leaves way earlier than everyone else's, so I'll have the day to sleeplessly wonder around Taipei and I'll meet everyone else tonight at the Chocolate Box Hostel.

I got a research fellowship through the Center for Research in Economics and Strategy at WashU, and have been supposedly working on a research paper on franchise regulations all summer. The final deadline is tomorrow, and predictably, I still have quite a bit of ironing out to do before I can turn it in. Thus, I am bringing my laptop to Taipei as a sad consequence of my procrastination, and will be hanging out in a coffee shop for part of tomorrow in order to finish the paper. I am actually quite excited about handing it in, though, as it will be the longest paper I've ever completed at around 40-45 pages. If you require some light reading to put you to sleep at night, let me know and I'll send you a copy.

As I was restlessly daydreaming, I reflected on the fact that other than purchasing my airline tickets for Taipei, I have gone the whole month of September without making a purchase with a credit or debit card. I've been using cash for everything, as Visa levies a heavy fee on individual foreign currency transactions. This exclusive use of cash contrasts sharply with my normal spending, which takes place almost entirely through my credit or debit cards. I am curious what psychological effect this has been having on my spending, to part with cold-hard cash rather than swiping a card. I recently heard on a Marketplace podcast that when it comes to discretionary spending, people tend to spend over twice as much with a credit/debit card than with cash. However, perhaps this is negated by my spending in psychologically dissonant Hong Kong Dollars, where a $15 coffee is actually only around two US dollars.

In other news, I watched the very first episode of Mad Men (my procrastination knows no bounds) and am really excited about watching the rest of the series. I especially enjoyed the Bob Dylan song that concluded the episode.

Happy Birthday, People's Republic of China!

It is a very exciting time for the Communist Party of the People's Republic of China. On Thursday, they celebrate sixty years in power. The government has organized a massive celebration to take place in Beijing. There will be a military parade showcasing the best of China's new military technology and arms, involving 5,000 personnel and 150 aircraft. Also, there will be a 200,000-person parade with bands, dancers, and floats. They've been holding rehearsals for the last four months, and the grand finale is a 34-minute fireworks display in Tiananmen Square.

One Chinese man casually expressed his feelings for the upcoming celebration, saying "We just wanted to show our affection to our motherland and deliver the message that solidarity is power." Simple, but so eloquent.

This all sounded pretty exciting to me, especially because they only throw these giant birthday bashes once every ten years. I looked into arranging a trip to Beijing to experience the parade first-hand, only to find that I had underestimated the absurdity of the Chinese government.

Sure, they're closing down airports, streets, and businesses, hiring hundreds of thousands of extra security forces, preparing for four months, and setting up random ID checkpoints throughout the city for the month leading up to October 1st. Local businesses are losing money from random closures and street blockades,citizens are being constantly disrupted by parade rehearsals, and even kites have been banned during the celebration. But, it's all worth it, as the people of China get to come together and celebrate their love for their country in a massive display of pride. Right?

Oh, actually, no one is allowed to attend the parade. All of the hotels with views of the parade route are not allowed to rent out their rooms. Only a select few government officials and VIPs have been invited to watch the parade in person. The thousands of local university students that are marching in the parade are participating because it is mandatory. And, everyone in Beijing will be forced to stay at home and watch the celebration from China's TV network.

So, my plans to go to Beijing were thwarted. What could be a more fitting and symbolic way for the Communist Party to celebrate its sixty years of success in maintaining power in China?

Congratulations, Beijing...

My singular act of rebellion:

Why Sleeping Was Troublesome & English Debate

Probably in a fitful rage of pro-environmentalism, the Chinese University of Hong Kong has installed timers on all the air conditioning switches in the dormitory rooms. In order to turn on my air conditioning and insulate myself from the 90-degree heat, I must put money on my student card and load hours onto the timer.

Last weekend, at around 12:30am, I noticed that I had only 01:30:00 of remaining air, sort of like Apollo 13. My student card was depleted, the office was closed, and after donning my robe and going downstairs, I found that the add-value machine wasn't working. Luckily for the environment, my A/C remained off that night, saving hundreds of watt-hours for Mother Nature!

Also, I went to the information session for the English Debate Team, where "silence ISN'T golden." Yes, that's their actual slogan. In order to whet the appetite of the audience members, they staged a mock debate on the following resolution: The House supports that schools should mandate compulsory drug tests for its students.

The English Debate Team takes itself a bit more seriously than WashU's team. For example, I had to fill out an information sheet detailing my past debate experience and personal information to "apply" for the team. Tomorrow, to try-out for the team, I will give a speech for a panel of judges and then debate with the collective panel on random topics.

Despite how seriously they take themselves, they are still inherently and noticeably disadvantaged by debating in a second language. None of the speakers in the mock debate were particularly charming or persuasive, and much of their language and speaking is over-formalized and forced.

I also wasn't impressed with the scope of the debate. One side argued that catching kids was the only way to bring the "terrible moral dilemma of drugs" to the surface, while the other side noted that the "terrible moral dilemma of drugs" needed to be solved at its roots: parents, teachers, and drug smugglers. They all agreed positive results should be promptly investigated by the police. Neither side parsed the term drugs into anything more specific, nor did they question relevant issues like privacy, the efficacy of the war on drugs, logistics of enforcement, or protectionism.

I look forward to wooing them with my first language tomorrow. And, my favorite picture of the week:

Imitation Las Vegas

I think that I have finally figured out my classes. At this point, I'm registered for: Intermediate Financial Accounting, International Finance, a graduate journalism class called 'feature writing,' and two Mandarin Chinese (Putonghua) classes. After one week I have learned how to say I love you (wo ai ni), you are my friend (ni she wo de peng you), and my favorite: do you love me? (ni ai wo ma). I have been practicing this last sentence in public places, such as the subway, much to the chagrin of my Mandarin-speaking friends.

The first week in my Putonghua classes was spent mostly practicing all the strange noises that my American mouth is not trained to create. Making nonsensical sounds over and over again as a class with a slightly over-enthusiastic teacher made me feel like I was in a rehabilitation class after a massive stroke or horrifying car accident. (Think "fee fi fo fum" x100)

In other news, I traveled to China's cheap attempt at Las Vegas this weekend, a city on the south coast of China called Macau. We took the TurboJet ferry there on Saturday morning, which took about an hour. Macau was a Portuguese settlement and was controlled by Portugal until ten years ago, when it was handed over to the Chinese government. Like Hong Kong, though, Macau maintains an independent currency, legal system, and basic government structure.

There is beautiful Portuguese architecture, such as churches, statues, and museums, interspersed among a relatively dirty and busy Chinese city. Macau feels like an underdeveloped Las Vegas. Just like Las Vegas was grimy and unpolished fifteen years ago, Macau is still undergoing growing pains. There are giant new casinos, cranes, and construction projects all over the city, but the current offerings of casinos feel empty and soulless. I've never been to Las Vegas, but I feel like there are things to appreciate aside from gambling: world-class restaurants, art museums, Cirque de Soleil, Broadway productions, the Bellagio fountain, and lots of other entertainment. In Macau, it just feels like they transplanted a bunch of glitzy buildings from Las Vegas, but only brought the slot machines and gaming tables.

Also, everything seems unpolished. The one museum we visited was empty, un-air conditioned (it was 95 outside), and staffed by Filipinos that knew nothing about what was inside.

On a more positive note, a dude from Miami and I went to the MGM Grand, which felt much more legitimate, and used the concierge service to get recommendations for a good Portuguese restaurant. They made reservations for us, booked us a taxi, and we spent our hour and a half of free time with our feet in the water at the beautiful infinity pool which looked out on the Friendship Bridge and the South China Sea. When we returned, the women was standing in the lobby waiting for us, greeted me as Mr. Fancher, and they escorted us to our taxi, which cost us $2 US each.

It was my first time trying Portuguese food. I had African Chicken, which is supposedly a renowned Portuguese dish. The origin of the name baffles me. My friend had octopus rice, which was also quite delicious. A big benefit to living in Southeast Asia is that my money takes me a very, very long way.

Before we caught the ferry back to Hong Kong, we saw Taiwan's display for the international fireworks competition.

I'll end this post with a little gem I found in the middle of Macau. Perhaps this sign means something completely innocuous, but those symbols look vaguely familiar... Notice my utter disgust:

Coffee & Fireworks

There is plenty to appreciate about Hong Kong: its energy and modernity, its proximity to yet freedom from China, cheap food, lush mountains jutting out of the South China Sea, efficient public transport, and a beautiful skyline. However, I must regretfully admit that after one week in Asia, I've found myself missing facets of American life.

I miss walking along tree-lined streets with no one else around. I miss a flat, easily walkable campus. I miss seventy-degree weather and less-than 85% humidity. I miss being able to carry on a fluid, cogent conversation with any of my classmates. I miss whole-wheat toast, vegetables, tomatoes, drinks without loads of sweetened condensed milk and sugar, and boneless chicken breast. I miss real coffee.

Adjusting my coffee consumption has been one of the most noticeable changes to my daily life. In the States, large cups of normal, drip-brewed coffee are readily available. Commercial access, along with my home-brewed cups of Joe enable me to fulfill my routine consumption of 4 cups of coffee easily. Here, a cup of coffee is usually instant and always small.

I've pared down my consumption to one mini-cup a day, complete with undissolved particles of dehydrated instant coffee powder, which, by comparison, makes the dregs of my American coffee seem like Kopi Luwak.

I miss the ritual of my habit. I miss waking up and looking forward to the smell of my morning coffee. That this is my most significant source of cultural dissonance on my first visit to Asia, I should consider myself privileged. And, I can look forward to the smell of gunpowder this weekend at the Macau International Fireworks Display Competition.

Classes? I Thought This Was Vacation...

I had my first day of classes today, which was just two Mandarin Chinese language classes in a row. Normally I'd have a third class in the morning, but it was cancelled today. We are given fifteen minutes between classes, which is NOT enough time to make it across campus, especially when navigating the campus bus system, among other reasons.

Some observations:

1) Cryptic Casino-Style Buildings from which you can't escape

This one relates to not being able to make it to class on time. I'm not sure if it is specific to the university, or a general architectural principle in Hong Kong, but the buildings are EXTREMELY confusing. Sometimes, what seems to be one building on the outside will actually be two completely separate buildings on the inside. Transferring from one to the other requires walking outside. Or, being forced to take astoundingly slow elevators. Pretty sure my average wait for an elevator to arrive today was over 150 seconds.

Or, it is just impossible to get out of a building, because of random dead-ends and staircases that don't go all the way down to the street-level. For example, I was released from my first class today at 2:15PM. I did not escape from the building until 2:25PM... Hopefully, I will master the labyrinth.

2) CUHK students don't listen to iPods or wear sunglasses

I perhaps encountered one or two other students over the course of the day that had either sunglasses or an iPod. From speaking to some Singapore students, it sounds like they generally regard it as stupidly dangerous to drown out the ability to hear what is going on around you, for fear of getting eaten by a dragon or hit by a bus.

And, it sounds like sunglasses are regarded as frivolous. Which is odd when considered alongside my next observation:

3) Umbrellas are primarily used as a provider of shade.

Many people walk around the campus on a bright, hot day with umbrellas. It hasn't rained yet really, even though it is monsoon/typhoon season, but I am excited to see if umbrellas are ONLY used for sun protection. This would amuse me.

4) Learning a foreign language in English with a bunch of people whose first language is German/Cantonese/Finnish/Spanish/Korean/French is supremely awkward.

I am the only native English speaker in one of my sections of Mandarin Chinese.

Finally, a picture:

This women makes REALLY delicious thousand-year-old preserved egg tarts. I don't know how old the rotten egg actually is, but when you bite into it, it gives off a bit of an ammonia aftertaste...and it is supremely delicious. The place is called Tai Cheong Bakery. In the picture, she is baking egg tarts, which are much less weird, and equally amazing.

Trip to the Mall

I thought I would share a video of my orientation roommate Nicholas from Singapore doing one of his magic tricks for 川西晴奈 from Japan. He didn't elicit quite as strong of a reaction from me...

This was in a little "fast food" joint in the Sha Tin mall, about five minutes by train from the university. A giant pile of fried rice and a Coke cost under $4 US.

From Hong Kong!

Discounts in Asia

Today is the last day in the orientation dormitory. I will move to my permanent residence in the "International House" tomorrow. It is apartment-style, with a balcony, TV, and living room, and kitchen split amongst 10-15 people. It is towards the top of the mountain, so the views of the surrounding area are incredible. Unfortunately, I am on the first floor, so I won't enjoy the view quite as much.

From the International House to the closest student canteen requires climbing 100 steps and then riding an outdoor lift up another 100 feet. There are many outdoor lifts and elevators on campus for people to go from one level of campus to the next, because the campus is built into the side of a mountain and in some parts it is too steep even for stairs.

I have found that one of the cheapest ways to garner huge discounts is to pretend that you're Asian. For airfares, I have heard that a flight that may be $400 USD on the American website is the equivalent of $150 USD on the Chinese language version of the website. Also, there seems to be quite a premium attached to Western-styled food.


You can see the menu for the "Western" coffee shop in the student canteen across from my orientation dorm. The price for a large brewed coffee is approximately $2 USD. However, literally steps away in the same building, you can order coffee from the cashier for under thirty cents US. Incidentally, in order to get the coffee from this "Western" menu, you have to order it through the SAME cashier that you would use to buy coffee for thirty cents. Yet, inevitably, many of my American colleagues are ensnared by this rather clever pricing scheme.

Arrival in Hong Kong

I arrived in Hong Kong last night after a collective 20 hours on airplanes, and had a day of orientation activities, setting up bank accounts, getting ID cards, etc. First and foremost, Hong Kong is SO HOT. It is insane. And, the campus is on a giant mountain, which makes it both beautiful and incredibly exhausting to walk around.

One of the things that has surprised me the most is how little English is spoken on the campus. Many times, when I have asked for directions, the students have absolutely no idea what I am saying. An interesting habit of Chinese people that speak English is that they add the word "actually" even if they're agreeing with you. For example, I asked a girl on campus if I needed to go left to get to a building I was looking for. She responded, "Actually, yes, you will go left." Perhaps it was taught as a polite gesture for the beginning of a sentence?

A couple pictures from my first days:

My first view ever of New York City, taken from the Newark airport


Yum. On-campus canteen (student dining) My lunch consisted of a giant pile of white rice with a chopped up piece of chicken which still had the bones running through it and a bit of oily cabbage. It cost $19.5 Hong Kong Dollars, which is approximately $2.50 US. Food is VERY cheap, and a little bit sketchy.

Slow-motion NYC

New York 2008 from Vicente Sahuc on Vimeo.

I'm just goin' down to the Oyster Shack, man. Come on!

Meet Steve. He knows his rights.

Part II: Notice the lawn mower pulled up to the house.

This is an ACTUAL news story.

I'm not sure if I should laugh or cry. This is beautiful.

Always Sunny.

Clearly, Kim Il-sung is happy to have had his portrait drawn. The late leader's photograph brightens the day for the North Koreans working below.



A glimpse into a North Korean border town, taken from China.

Volcano Sledding

Sledding down a volcano at 50 MPH.

Your Grandpa Was Dumb.

Half the population of 1917 would be considered mentally retarded by today’s measurements. The average IQ of a person in 1917 would score only 73 on the current intelligence quotient test, with 100 being the average.

I Want To Be Patrick Bateman.

7 minutes every morning, Patrick Bateman style.

War on People

For the vast majority of drug users, especially marijuana users, it is a victimless crime. In the "War on Drugs," the victims are the drug users, their families, their communities, and their workplaces. They are sent to jail or treatment, to the detriment of their careers and families. Most of the time, the treatment is cookie-cutter at best, designed to treat the general topic of "addiction" with lectures about inanely general topics like "change." Instead of being productive members of society, the law consigns these "marijuana addicts" to waste away in jail or treatment.

The law is the problem, not marijuana. Anti-drug advocates try to create an inseparable idea of harm, the coalescence of all the problems drugs cause. However, a closer examination reveals that the cause of all the harms elicited to justify harsh punishments for drug laws arise from the enforcement of law itself, rather than the effects of the drug usage.

Why can we not focus our efforts on eliminating real crime by addressing the greater root causes? Instead, we let our cities fall into oblivion, all the while still blindly enforcing possession laws with greater vigilance than violent crimes. The "War on Drugs" is a war on people.

Man-Date CHAMPIONS on the Fox 2 Morning Show!

Here's a clip. Jason and I ended up dominating. He won the air guitar competition, and I won the corndog eating contest.

Jason and I won bro-date VIP passes to the advance screening of "I Love You, Man" tonight.

Today's Titillating Tidbit.

One in three children eat fast food EVERY DAY.

Titillating tidbit = kid with man tits.