Blessed By A Little Old Lady


The Hong Kong Park Aviary – Photograph by Stephen Bay

 The Hong Kong park Aviary is definitely worth while a visit. Aside of being situated in a beautiful green space it is a nice activity to add to your overall park experience. 

Despite the lovely settings, I was forced to retreat as it was just too damn cold to stay outside, so I grabbed a coffee and jumped in a taxi to Hollywood Road in Sheung Wan area.

I had run out of bottled water, so before I headed home I made a quick stop at a small local shop around the corner, which is more like a makeshift temporary hut used by an elderly Hong Kongese couple to run their own partially open-air convenience store. I mean, why give the fat cats the money when it's these folk that know the real meaning of earning a HARD living? Even though they don't speak much English they always make an effort to converse with me through random words of Cantonese, English and lots of hand gestures. In their own humble ways, they seem to enjoy my company, and without fail always put a smile on my face every time I see them. 

 The lady sold me two bottles of water, and helped me put it into my big laundry bag. She then tried to lift the whole bag herself but couldn't pull the weight, which she was thoroughly entertained by as we shared a laugh with each other about how strong I must be. Once she finished laughing she helped lift the bag onto my shoulder, touched my two bags, touched my shoulder and blessed me by holding her palms together and bowing. She pat me on my back and with a little push sent me on my way. I couldn't help but feel elated, by being blessed by this special, little old lady.

The reality of my Hong Kong journey has sadly been this; the wealthy discriminate against me because of my ethnicity and colour. The poor embrace me as an individual and appreciate my curiosity into their culture. My daily experiences here keep making this divide even more clearer. It's an odd feeling, quite often like a dream. ᐂ

Location: Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

Comments

Post a Comment

If you enjoyed reading my post or just want to share something please leave me a comment below. Would love to see what you have to say!

Popular posts from this blog

Bad Walkers, Fake Fox Tails And Exercise Parks For The Elderly...

Image
The walkway between Hong Kong and Central MRT stations during rush hour – Photograph by minalism  It's m y second day back in Hong Kong after my winter vacation. I'm eager to get back into my routine, so I immediately throw myself back into work, also  throwing myself back into the crowds of Central and Hong Kong MTR stations. All or nothing, straight into the deep end. Within a week I'm reacquainted with Hong Kong rush hour manic walking. Bad walkers to put it lightly. Anyone who has lived in Hong Kong will know what this expression means. Walking on pavements, around the many shopping malls, in MTR stations, strolling in parks, around sports fields, walking to the supermarket, walking through the many back and side streets, running for a bus.... bad walkers everywhere! If you're like me, most of the time you remember these moments with a smile and have a chuckle about it. But when you're trying to get to a destination at a particular time, BEWARE! Add at ...
Keep reading

How To Accept Personal Change, Growth & The Person You Are Today

Image
Change.  We all go through it, even though most of us try to avoid it. Change is uncomfortable, especially the older you get. You've spent most of your life "learning" who you are. When you reach adulthood you feel like you know everything there is to know about your own identity. Your beliefs, your ethics, morals, and how you see the world. But the reality is, this is not true. Although your self-learning may feel slower than it used to be as you were "growing up," that doesn't mean you have stopped growing... developing... learning.  I used to always be afraid of change, trying to stay as far away from it as I could. I've been lucky to have a life rich of love, friendship and meaning. And honestly, I thought it was always going to be that way. Throughout my teens, I struggled with the conventional norms of life, but had a generous network of people around me to help me understand and work through my issues. When I hit my 20's, I can honest...
Keep reading

Food For The Soul: My Love Affair With Minor Key Music

Image
    Isn’t it funny how we generally associate minor key music to emotions like sadness or sorrow? Or how in movies you'll always hear minor key music with scenes of darkness or destruction. Although this is not true across the board, there is a general stereotyping of sounds, and what we associate them with in our everyday life and emotions. We're taught to make these associations, almost like a programming from childhood, and at the very least in the general education that we receive at school. What I find fascinating is how a sound can mean a feeling, how it translates to thoughts and words. Music has always been in my life, having started playing the piano at 7 years old after begging my parents to take me to a teacher, and then studying music throughout high school. I have always been drawn to minor key music. I find quite the opposite to the general consensus, minor key music is expressive and open, it’s melodies always uplifting and hypnotic. I find a c...
Keep reading