Hong Kong is so full of mainlanders, full of Mandarin-speaking Chinese who behave as if they haven’t taken an elevator nor enjoyed such a thing as a buffet brunch in a hotel before. The average conduct of the locals, in contrast, appear almost saintly. One can’t help but lavish praise for the good service they receive in Hong Kong, as compared to that they get in Singapore. It is almost as good as the Japan’s, only less elaborate.
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My interview was extremely long, one-on-one meetings with one manager after another. There is this thing about conversing with Asians (in English) that puts me at better ease than when I have to engage a gweilo. I have to switch modes. But so long as it’s in English, I’d be comfortable. I was asked to describe my extra-curricular activities and internship experiences in Cantonese, and it felt weird, the interviewer continuing her questions in English while I replied in Canto interspersed with English expressions. I code-switch a lot, and it is difficult to break this habit, even if only for a few seconds. All-in-all I enjoyed the interview immensely, but the question remains of whether to work in London, Singapore or Hong Kong. All three places have their pros and cons, and while my current approach via speculative applications isn’t returning much success, I am still able to explore which of the many varied paths to the future I’d like to embark on. Still honeymooning, still in a dreamlike state of transition, but this can’t go on for too long.
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More than a year after I’ve changed my address in Singapore, Imperial is still sending posts to both the old and the new addresses. Two weeks ago when I wrote in to re-confirm my address, I received an auto-response: “… At present we have a large backlog of emails to get through which have come in over the Christmas break. Please bear with us as delays to our usual processing time will be inevitable as we clear the backlog.”
I’ve only just received my results slips which were sent in December. They were sent to the old address, and the tenant there had slipped it into our current mailbox. The invitation to postgraduate ceremonies arrived at the new address. I’m still waiting for my postgrad degree certificates to arrive - long overdue now, since I know my coursemates in London and HK have already received theirs.
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Been spending most of my time these days working on 10 mini-essay answers to an assessment for Associateship of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment. The AIEMA is a sought-after credential for many job postings, but I wonder how much this actually helps. Still, having yet another set of suffixes wouldn’t do any harm - that’ll make the sixth if I do get it.