Yep, a good ol' fashioned police raid was on.

The entire mall empties, all the gates to the stores came down, and we were herded out of the mall. Even the "4th level" porn shops (we were like, is that even possible? As far as anyone knew, HK movie ratings only go up to 3 levels...but apparently, there's an even higher level of filth, *ultra*-porn...?) closed down. We see all the triad guys smoking up outside, lined up waiting for the police to leave...I don't think I've ever seen triad before, and I mean the real ones, not the kiddie-wannabes in Toronto. I swear, they look like they were straight out of the HK movies...which is kinda scary if you think about it, it's possible the actors that play the triad in the movies are actually real-life triad, and the movies are financed by the triad...I really wouldn't be surprised after what I saw.

So being left in the lurch, we decided to go to the Future Shop-wannabe in the basement - the one store that was still open in the mall. And on a total impulse buy, I picked up my sexy new Torica MP3 player, with 256megs of memory, FM tuner, and built-in USB memory stick function. All for only $840. Sweet!

Problem is, the restrained spending that I've attempted to keep myself on in HK has now been broken by my first big-budget purchase for myself, and combined with the random heavy Gs I've been dropping for my uncle, I fear my spendaholic instincts are kicking in...besides, I've got less than 2 weeks left in HK. Sigh, and I just started having fun.... =(

[sotm] Mis-teeq's Scandalous.

Guess what friends?! A new movie's comin' out and its really cool! It's called CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, and it involves a lot of kicking and punching. If you like ACTION and your girlfriend is gonna drag you to a ROMANCE, you might as well not have a hissy fit and have FUN. Zhang Zi Yi (opposite Cow Yun Fat) is in this Chinese fight fest, and she flips people aroud like an obsessive compulsive making pancakes. If you love action, and we all know you love action, see the GREAT movie, So it's time to get your action satisfaction. Cuz if you looooved The Matrix and you looooved Gladiator, then you will looooooooove CROCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. So come on down and see the movie! Did I mention the fact that CHOW YUN FAT is in it ?! Cuz he is!

If reading that doesn't make you double over laughing, you must have had some serious issues as a child. =)

Finally updated my gallery...yeah, I've gotten so much flak from everyone back home about not keeping in touch, not posting pics, blah blah blah...so I caved in to public pressure and finally posted some pics. They're in the gallery. Enjoy.

[sotm] Black Eyed Peas' Let's Get It Started.

1. Cute nicknames
"What are you thinking about, Itsy-Poo?" "Just how much I love you, Frumkins." Listening to a happy couple is like being trapped on the set of H.R. Pufnstuf. Even worse than these insipid monikers is the incessant baby talk - "Ooh, are we a wittle upset today, lamby-kins?" - which, if nothing else, confirms the widespread impression that newfound love causes your I.Q. to drop by at least 50 points.

2. Public displays of affection
It'll be summer soon, so brace yourself for all those smug, magazine-gorgeous happy couples who won't be satisfied until they've recreated that famous beach scene in From Here to Eternity, with as big an audience as possible. If it's any consolation (and it's not much, I admit), the only reason these folks indulge in such blatant PDA is because, deep down, they're insecure about themselves and about each other. As if that matters.

3. Finishing each other's sentences
"You know, this appetizer reminds me of..."
"...that delicious ceviche we had down on Cape Cod! Oh, Frumkins!"

If you're looking for a way to kill an evening, try staking out a happy couple near you and participating in this mind-reading routine (expressing your thoughts out loud is, of course, optional).

"Didn't that waitress look just like..."
"...that friend of yours I hit on after our last date? Oh, Inky-Doodles!"

4. Utter condescension
He's smart and good-looking; she's smarter and even better-looking. So, naturally, they want to set you up with their dumb, unattractive friend, and can't understand why you should be the slightest bit ungrateful. This "we didn't settle, but we expect you to" act is only slightly better than the related "Gosh, how can you stand being single?" routine, as sure an incitement to happy couple homicide as ever was invented.

5. Even more utter self-absorption
A happy couple could cruise by a twenty-vehicle interstate pileup involving a bus full of nuns and a Girl Scout troop, and all the gal will say is something like, "you see the orange-yellow upholstery in that car? That's what I had in mind, only a little less summery." But don't despair: science has proven that "Happy Couplehood" has only a six-month duration (a year, tops), so they'll be immersed in the unpleasantness of everyday existence soon enough, just like the rest of us.

[sotm] Sugababes' Too Lost in You.

Yet here I am, doubting myself.

Do I live for the moment and take a shot, because I don't want to regret not trying later on? Or do I make the smart choice and walk away, because this just plain doesn't make good sense to me?

There are so many conflicting schools of thought here. Maybe my smart choice decision is just a cop out, just an excuse for my fear of the crash and burn. Yet maybe my living in the moment decision is merely short-sighted, trying to satisfy the basic human need for happiness.

Tina, you were right. I didn't need to say anything, and you already knew this would happen. Guess that's why you're my sis.

The head or the heart. They're always on the opposite end of the spectrum in my case. That's probably why I'm always so screwed up.

[sotm] Dido's Here with Me.

There's just so much I want to say, but I'm just too dead exhausted to. The fact that I'm at work right now doesn't help matters very much. =) The past 2 weeks of school have been crazy fun...I'll try to post pics asap.

[sotm] 311's Love Song from the 50 First Dates soundtrack.

And it hit me hard.

I don't really know what triggered it. I was visiting my just-turned-90 year old dad's side grandfather in Hung Hom. He can barely move from his chair to his wheelchair. I see him and my heart just sinks, it's tough to see him like that. My uncles have hired a full-time maid to take care of him and bring him places at least. My grandmother, on the other hand, you can't even begin to imagine her true age - you'd think she's some 50-year-old the way she moves around, talks freely (and makes sense!), and takes care of my grandfather. She's amazing. Every morning she gets up to go have jo cha with her friends at the seafood restaurant across from their place.

Somewhere during the night with them, it hit me smack in the face - the night before, I had dinner with my Uncle Hubert from my mom's side in Times Square. There's a lot of talk about incorporating me into the family business here in Hong Kong - I'd be the third generation, passed down from my mom's side grandfather to my uncles, and now to the third generation. I've already been hearing a lot about this from my mom, about how they want me to work at the office as often as I can, how they want me to learn as much as I can, how they want to train me. But hearing it from Uncle Hubert himself, and having him breakdown the benefits of coming to work full-time in HK as a career, why I'd fit in, what it would mean in the grand scheme of things - I knew I had a lot to think about. The timing of things is perfect, I'd be able to really dive in head first into a new division that I'd be pretty much in charge of once I graduate next year.

Talk about pressure.

Long term, I'm already thinking that this is where I'm going to end up. Not only is the economic opportunity of Southeast Asia immense, but the fact that I have the family business waiting for me here makes my leaving Toronto almost inevitable. But in the short term, I really don't know if I'm ready for this yet. All my life, I've had things handed to me on a silver platter, whether it's from family, friends, or using the incredible gifts I've been given from God. Every job, every opportunity, has been handed to me just waiting for me to take it. But the downside is, I completely lack discipline. I've become almost complacent, always thinking that everything's gonna be alright in the end anyway.

I've been thinking, in the short term, I want to become my own man, to establish myself on my terms, to develop some discipline, and work without the golden safety net I've always had the luxury of having. Maybe follow-up on the investment banking aspirations that I've had since high school. Get a job where I can be fired if I'm late, or be reprimanded if I do something wrong. Get a job where nobody sucks up to me, and I have to fight for my place just like everybody else. Get a job where excuses don't exist, only results. And only when I'm thinking about this do I realize, I've only got one year left in University. All summer long I've been saying I'm ready to graduate, and how sad it is to see the friends I've entered uni with go. But now it's hit me, I'll be there in not too long.

When I do get there, how will I survive? The only reason why I can survive right now is because everything is done on my terms. I sleep til I'm ready to wake up for work. I eat when I want, for as long as I want. I stay indoors to avoid the heat. I'm completely out of shape, but having a life that really isn't that stressful allows me to get by everyday. But I also realized that I can't live like this, especially not if I'm diving into a career with immense responsibility on my shoulders. I need to get into shape. I need to start sleeping regularly. I'm going to get my MBA in a few years, but I need to pull up my grades dramatically. I need to get to work at 9, and get the respect of my colleagues not as the boss's spoiled nephew, but as a leader in the firm. It won't be fun and games anymore - I'll be out in the wilderness on my own.

It's weird, really. When Uncle Hubert and I discussed my future over dinner, I was thinking about it a lot in my head. I'm like, okay. But it didn't hit me, and I mean really hit me like a freight truck, until the day after.

All it took was dinner and an evening spent with grandpa and grandma.

[sotm] Hoobastank's The Reason.

That's right, my mom's friend called at 7am. On Sunday.

Who the hell calls at 7am on a Sunday morning? I was supremely pissed off at this uncle. He's like, "is your mom awake yet?" "Uh, no..." "Oh, why? Is she not over jetlag yet?" "She's over jetlag, it's just that we don't have church for another 5 hours." "Well, I called your mom's cell phone and she's not answering. Her cell phone is off." "That's because she's still asleep. Of course her cell phone is off." "Okay, then, write down my number and tell your mom to call me back." (getting furious to the point where I'm imagining the things I would do to this guy if he were outside my door)...

If that's not enough, he calls me again this morning. At 7:30am. Is half an hour difference supposed to be enough for me to wake the frig up?! And this uncle is going on the Northern Europe boat cruise with us next month! I swear, if he shows up knocking at my door at 7am, or anywhere before 11am, I'm going to throw his ass overboard.

Seriously, some people.....argggghhh...

[sotm] BEP's Hey Mama.