Being an English major has its advantages. For starters, while my science-minded friends slave away in labs, my schoolwork normally consists of reading novels. Most of my work involves arguing a well-researched thesis, so I generally don't have to memorize lots of dates, formulas, or figures. And, of course, there's the perk of not dealing with numbers, but lately I've had all sorts of digits running rampant through my consciousness. 3. 1. 10. 8,000. 16. 7. 4. 5.
Three final exams.
One research paper.
Ten days.
Eight thousand miles.
A sixteen hour flight to New York.
A seven hour layover.
A four hour flight to Florida.
Five months- to the date- until graduation.
That's all that's left. A meager handful of very important numbers are the best representatives of the things I can quantify in my last days here. With classes over, I've had a lot of time to become acutely aware that this adventure is coming to an end very, very soon.
But- I'm not in a frame of mind to get philosophical just yet. Finals are fast approaching, so my time these days is limited, and sentimentality will have to wait. As per usual for this time of year, I've been overdosing on holiday cheer. I even spent a slightly obnoxious amount of time foregoing my Moral Leadership readings to make this Elf Yourself video of myself and my friends (click here to see it in all its silly glory).
Random Hong Kong fun: David Blaine, the famous illusionist and street magician, was spotted wandering around Wan Chai last Wednesday! I kept hoping he would make himself disappear, or perform some other really impressive feat ("Watch as I single-handedly resist all of these local middle-aged women who will flock to me because I'm a westerner!"). It didn't happen.
David Blaine in Wan Chai
I managed to take a picture of him, though. It's a bit blurry, and now that I think back on the whole incident, I'm not really sure why I bothered taking the picture. I'm really ambivalent about celebrities, especially ones that I saw on ABC Family Halloween specials when I was 12 years old.
Reminders of the impending (insert whatever consumer-driven/religious holiday you'd prefer) are EVERYWHERE in Hong Kong, and I feel lucky that amidst all the commercialism, I managed to find some worthwhile ways to get my fix of holiday magic. One of my favorite holiday traditions back at Stetson is the annual candlelit Christmas concert that the School of Music presents in Elizabeth Chapel, and I was sad to miss it this year. Luckily, HKBU has a great music department as well, and they performed an excellent collection of holiday songs. Here's their rendition of Handel's Messiah, their concluding number:
My friends and I ventured to the Jade Market and Temple Street Market a few nights ago to do some Christmas shopping, where I managed to cross off almost all of the people on my nice list. There's still a few things I need to pick up, but for the most part, I was able to find amazing items for people back home at unbelievable prices. I'm definitely going to miss the market culture of Hong Kong, where you can basically name your price for an item if you're willing to argue, stand your ground, and walk away.
No pictures of the gifts I bought- I wouldn't want anyone to get a sneak peak!- but check out this little goodie that I picked up for myself. I've been keeping my eyes open for a jade chess set for a while now, because even though I don't play chess that often, I figured it would make a great souvenir that I could keep for years to come.
I FINALLY FOUND ONE, and haggled the seller down to $250HKD (from $500), or around $30USD.
Isn't it pretty? I can't wait to break it in with a good round or two of chess (so if anyone's willing to refresh me on the rules when I get home, please feel free!)
Besides the Christmas concert and shopping, I also indulged in a ticket to see the Disney remake of A Christmas Carol in 3D. Before I regale you with my opinion of the film, I feel that I should mention the fact that I'm a bit particular about certain things that I'm fond of. For instance, I prefer dark chocolate, always; men (not boys) who stand at or above 6'0"; and red wine over white, etc. And when it comes to stories, I prefer well-crafted ones with at least a hint of a dark undertone, which is why I've always loved A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (I'm just not one of those sunshine-and-rainbows-all-the-time kind of readers).
Dickens and I go back. I grew up with the animated Disney version, and was introduced to the original text in junior high. Then, during my second year of college, I took a course on Dickens, and fell even more in love with his ability to weave literary delight using the entire spectrum of human emotion and experience. That being said, I was thrilled that Disney gave the classic another go, and that Jim Carrey would be starring as the humbug (btw, though, when did he claim the corner on the Christmas-villain market?).
Everything about the film impressed me. As would be expected in large Disney projects, the score is phenomenal, and that was only a minor aspect. The 3D aspect was utilized tremendously, from the snowflakes which threatened to whirl right onto you, to the thrill ride over London when Scrooge takes a spin with the Ghost of Christmas Present. But what really impressed me the most was the attention to the gloomy horror of the story, and the way that director Robert Zemeckis so skillfully utilized silence, sound, framing, and 3D to bring that horror to life in a truly terrifying way.
(Sorry to go on and on about this movie- but it put me in a phenomenally good mood. Go see it!)
Gotta run- I have to do some major studying over the next few days so that I can go out on Friday to celebrate my 21st birthday! I must admit, though, that a lot of the fun of these past few anticipatory years has been nullified by the fact that I've been legally drinking since my first day in Hong Kong. And, of course, there's the minor detail of my Moral Leadership final exam on that afternoon (sometimes my life is just a little too ironic...).
I'll be home in ten days, and there's a lot to do between now and then- but I'll do my best to update at least once more before I head home. Thank you for keeping up with my life over the past few months, it's been so much fun to share my stories and pictures with you :)
