Come Buy 香草奶茶.wmv

So many fun times just hanging out -- "haee" (do nothing 无谓)-- but something about this Soy Street that I enjoyed. The lively atmosphere and local places nearby really made me call it home. So I thought it would be appropriate for me to end my Hong Kong experience here. The video doesn't portray the full Soy Street experience because my friends Stephy, Flora, Craig, Vanessa, Jason, or anyone else could not make it. I will sure miss drinking Vanilla Milk Tea here!

Beach

Jacob - you're hilarious. Hallie - your photogenic. As for me - I am soozai傻仔

Filipino Dinner

Thanks Filipino Baptist Church!!! You guys are such a joy to be around and I will miss coming to visit you all. I enjoyed the food and I'm glad that you didn't make me eat a "balut" aka Chicken Embryo!! Can't wait to go visit the Philippines someday.

Volleyball

It was a great day - gonna miss these fun times. Not too easy to get to the beach from my neck of the woods.

'Pearl TV' Interviews

Thank you Hallie - and happy birthday to you. I will be praying for you as you go to the United Kingdom for a year. Please know that we will always be in touch!
Thank you Jacob - I look forward to working with you in the future. I know that you have a big calling in life and I will support you wholeheartedly as you share the Good News of Jesus.
Thank you Nate - for all of the great arguments on who is the best NBA team. I appreciate your love for Lebron James and hope that your 40pt loss to the Celtics in Game 5 was acceptable :) (Rondo is amazing, isn't he? Probably because he is from Kentucky!)
Thank you Joshua - for your hilarious jokes and your fun personality. Be sure to get Thai food in Kowloon City more often!
Thank you Rodolfo, for caring about my future and giving me advice on how to be a minister. Your kind words have impacted me as well and I hope to be partnering with you in mission opportunities with the Philippines.
Thank you all, especially KIBC, for being such an encouragement for me in my transition back to the States. I am definitely Asianized and that means I will have to come back sooner or later. If not next summer, then hopefully after I graduate in 2012.
Know that I am trying to live my life according to Jeremiah 29:11 and Romans 4:1-2. My Life in Hong Kong is coming to a close, but I'm anxious to see where I end up next. Hopefully I will still be posting on this blog and please help me think of a new title!

乒乓 Ping Pong.wmv

Aaron, Peter, and I in the infamous ping-pong room at HKBU. Though I didn't play as often as they did, I did manage to dominate them both in a few friendly matches towards the end of the semester :)
Just good fun and good memories here on video for keepsake - I sure hope I don't get addicted to ping-pong when I go back to Georgetown College!

香港 Hong Kong: UNPREDICTABLE

Hong Kong is UNPREDICTABLE. Kowloon Tong is my neighborhood; more quaint and home of the rich. Jackie Chan lives right down the street - Bruce Lee's childhood crib is also here. My church is Kowloon International Baptist Church and it is a wonderful church with a cowboy pastor from Texas with members from Liberia, Pakistan, China, Philippines, US, everywhere! Kowloon Tsai Park is right next to HKBU's campus and it's awesome. From the park there is a nice view of Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui at the edge of Kowloon.

Mong Kok is crazy! If ever I feel the need for a busy, local atmosphere then I go to Mong Kok. Here is where people of all walks hang out. But the best hang out spot in Mong Kok is definitely Soy Street. That's right - Soy Street. Here you can get Curry a la King, Vietnamese, Shanghai, Japanese Udon, Gaidanzai (waffle balls, Dantart, and most importantly....VANILLA BUBBLE TEA @ Come Buy! I probably go here at least once a week. You can also go the market and bargain/practice Cantonese :)

Tsim Sha Tsui aka TST is probably the most international hub in the world (I would argue). Indians hanging out at Chung King Mansions, tourists from all over the world to watch the light show at 8pm from the city skyline at night from the harbor. Businessmen and locals like myself also enjoy the occasional ferry ride to and from Hong Kong Island to TST for only 2 HK! I love taking bus no. 7 from TST to Kowloong Tong because I can see all of the activity going on from the double-decker bus second floor.

Hong Kong Island is definitely the highlight of Hong Kong. Only the rich can call this home and all other visitors simply admire the high class culture that goes from Wan Chai to the oldest city zone of Sheung Wan. You can enjoy the nice bars and restaurants at Mid-levels in Soho District or if you are a crazy party person unlike myself then you can have late-night fun at Lang Kwai Fung aka LKF. As for me, I enjoy putting on my suit and pretending to be an important businessman! Or I can dress casually and go to church on the 75th floor of Central Plaza to worship with Hong Kong City Church - which is such an amazing experience (and view)!

So what makes Hong Kong unpredictable? Well, alllow me to introduce you to the New Territories. North of Kowloon in between Shenzhen is quite a bit of mountains and reservoirs and of course beaches! Besides being home for a lot of residents, you can also hike and explore many areas around here. Kowloon Tong is the last train station before entering New Territories and my favorite train station on the line to Shenzhen is definitely Sha Tin. Something about the atmosphere and the fact that it's not on the tourist book that attracts me and I could definitely see myself living here if I were to ever consider coming back to work in Hong Kong.

If I wasn't coming back to Hong Kong, I would then consider Shenzhen. This is a recently sprouted city that is also like a Hong Kong a Special Economic Zone (SEZ). This SEZ is bigger now though and it's where I should be because it's in Mainland China! This would mean I could speak Putonghua! Cantonese is also used here, but Putonghua is encouraged as the lingua franca. Although I enjoy speaking and learning Cantonese, it just makes more sense for me to speak and learn Mandarin. So much more useful! Especially when all HongKongers nowadays can speak English.

Yea, but that's just a brief recap of my now home away from home. I have learned so much about Hong Kong and China having now lived here a year and I definitely want to come back and see how things change. I know they will because construction is the biggest business in Hong Kong and with all the tall residential buildings all over this small patch of land I can see why that is so!

Somber Goodbye.wmv

Time flies! I can't believe two semesters in Hong Kong are getting ready to be a thing of the past, but my time is nearly up. It's funny how I've traveled to Tokyo and Hong Kong, two of Asia's prime-time cities. You'd think coming from Kentucky I would go somewhere more quaint!

Either way, I'm gonna miss seeing the city lights and the crazy amounts of people on the streets. I guess I'm a city-boy now...and I was thinking about what it would be like to come back and work on Hong Kong Island. That would be nice, but who knows where I will end up in the next few years. I'm sure those few years will fly by too, and when that time comes I will be anxious to see where I end up.

I'd like to go to Indonesia, or back to rural China (uniquely quaint). But I'd also like to travel to Singapore and Korea. Then I'd also like to check out Shanghai. Those would be my long term stays - my vacation would definitely be a 2 month Euro Pass (extended stay in Spain and then Austria with my friend Daniel). So much to see in this world, but I guess I better first see the Grand Canyon and Rocky Mountains!

Pizza Party.wmv

HK Museums and Sushi Buffet.wmv

This video is in honor of HKBU student ambassador Stephy Pang, my favorite Hong Konger hands down! She and I both are "Soozais", but when we are together we always have a good laugh. She helps me learn Cantonese and even tries to help me improve my Mandarin, so for that I'm very appreciative. Stephy is convinced that I am going to come back and work in Hong Kong so that we can have bubble tea and gaidanzai together at least twice a week, haha.
Thanks Stephy for helping Craig, Vanessa, Craig, and I have such a good time in Hong Kong. We will never forget you and will always keep in touch. Promise me that I will forever be your number one exchange student :)
Finally, promise me that you will see us again - even if that means you have to come to Kentucky!

Temple Street & Chinese Studies

旺角 Mong Kok with Jessica_0001.wmv

This video is in honor of my 知己 (best friend), who has been with me through thick and thin the past two semesters as exchange students at HKBU. She is from Guangzhou, China and is a student in Beijing studying abroad in Hong Kong. We will be keeping in touch for sure and though it is sad to go our separate ways, I know that we will always appreciate our friendship. Wish you all the best Jess!

HKBU *Star*

http://buwww.hkbu.edu.hk/eng/main/index.jsp
Check out the link! I'm on HKBU's website - that's right I'm a star (I'm guessing less than 1,000 people visit the 'prospective students' part of HKBU's website)

Crane House Interview - TA position

As my life in Hong Kong comes to an end, I am beginning to plan for my summer back in Kentucky. I'm excited, but I have mixed feelings. It's been a wonderful year with amazing experiences and lessons learned. My eyes have been opened to the world and my global perspective has skyrocketed. Although Hong Kong is pre-dominantly Asian in population and cultural heritage, it is also a special economic zone that attracts people from all cultural backgrounds.

But I definitely am in love with the Asian culture. I appreciate the history and how they try their best to uphold traditions of old. The Chinese are very thrifty people and I enjoy letting them share with me about their history and philosophy on life. Not only have I studied Chinese geography, politics, and philosophy, but I have fallen in love with the language. It has been difficult learning Chinese, especially when you are having to learn two dialects - including the most tonal dialect of Cantonese. My Mandarin proficiency has improved significantly, but I am still not as proficient as I would have liked due to the predominance of Cantonese.

When I compare with my classmates though, I can see how far I've really come. I've really worked hard and put a ton of independent study in these past two semesters. Doing this has rewarded me with the highest grade in my Mandarin class both semesters. Having taken Elementary Chinese twice now, I really feel like I have a solid foundation of the Chinese language and although it has been boring at times going at such a slow pace, I know now exactly how foreigners should approach Chinese. If I had gone at a faster pace, I probably would not have been able to see so clearly how best to approach Chinese.


I posted this video of my interview for a summer job position with Crane House Asian Institute as their teacher's assistant. With all of the time and effort I've had to put in learning Chinese, I've become very passionate about helping others better approach Chinese and I hope to be of help for Americans interested in learning. So, if you are an American considering studying the world's most useful and interesting language, then send me an e-mail or contact me through this blog and I will try to give you my advice.

I really would recommend you to come to Hong Kong if you are interested in living in Asia because it is the perfect jump start or "gateway to Asia". Although you don't here Mandarin that often, you can still get a more welcoming experience for the beginning stage of your potential lengthy stay in Asia. Anyways, I don't regret being in Hong Kong one bit. It's been the perfect city for me to start my career in Asia and I can't wait to come back because I know I can forever call it home.

Destination: 北京

This Easter was without a doubt an Easter that I will not soon forget. I had the blessing of celebrating Jesus' death and resurrection with my dad in Hong Kong and Beijing. He arrived in Hong Kong on Good Friday and we went to worship our awesome God together in the 75th floor of Central Plaza on Hong Kong Island. This is where Hong Kong City Church meets each Sunday for it's worship service, but they happened to have a special Good Friday service which worked out perfect because Easter Sunday Dad and I would be flying to Beijing for my Easter break.

Wow, where do I start? Well, how about the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square? Here's some pictures of our walk “逛一逛” around this very historical place. By the way, these pics do not show you how ridiculously ginormous the Forbidden City really is. There is no way the Emperor had time to check out all of his crib!






After a nice stroll through the Forbidden City, we began to be curious about all of the billions of corridors we were passing. Ashamed for passing up so many, yet hurried because of our appointment with Elizabeth in a couple hours, we decided to check out an art gallery at one of the eastern hallways. Choi Choi, my Chinese Art Studio professor (who by the way is the epitome of traditional Chinese heritage still alive today...with his long white hair and 100 years of age and spontaneous behavior just like Laozi would propose in his Taoist book Daodejing) would be extremely proud of me for the studying I was doing of ancient Chinese artifacts. Very interesting to see and I wish I had more time to read and learn all the gory details of each artwork.




As we approached the northern gate of the Forbidden City, we were able to enjoy the serene Imperial Garden for a little while before meeting Elizabeth back at the southern gate of Tiananmen Square. Here dad and I really felt warm and fuzzy because of all of the beautiful ancient trees throughout this part. What we had seen before was nothing but a bare, vast concrete city. But now this area had been specially preserved and was much more lively. It seemed that we saw people from all over the world gathering in this garden and the atmosphere was splendid!






After a long morning in the Forbidden City, we met up with Elizabeth. Being an encouragement for her was such a blessing and we had productive conversations as we stopped by Starbucks and then journeyed to Summer Palace. Although Elizabeth has been to Beijing quite a few times, she has yet to see the Summer Palace. So it was a perfect way to spend the day together! Although this wasn't the prettiest time of year, this park is just as big as the Forbidden City and much more beautiful.






After Summer Palace, we headed over to Beijing University before dark. Walking the streets of this very prestigious university where very very few are accepted gave me a cool vibe. I've been strongly considering going there for grad school and so being able to get a sneak preview with my dad and Elizabeth was pretty neat. Can you tell how geeked out I am about possibly studying Chinese language and culture here?


Now onto day 3, where dad and I began our endeavor to the Great Wall. This was our dream and it was about to come true! I could hardly believe that we were actually headed to hike it together and everything felt so surreal. When that sunset and dad and I were gazing out onto the wondrous maze of a wall dating back to 7th Century BC, I knew I had to snap out of the dream and soak up every second. That we did. Dad and I had probably the best conversation I've ever had with him in my life and I can see how we are now becoming best friends. Dad, I know you'll never forget conquering Simatai Great Wall with me, nor will you or I forgot those annoying villagers following us so we could be their stinking book! I highly suggest that everyone go and see this historical site before you die - it's crazy to think that it is still standing after all of these years.

阳朔，广西，中国

The last days of Chinese New Year were spent in Yangshuo, Guangxi, China...sleeper buses, rock climbing, bamboo boating, amazing drinks and food, and incredible fireworks!

Public Diplomacy and Strategic Communications Review: Key Issues for Congressional Oversight | The Heritage Foundation

Public Diplomacy and Strategic Communications Review: Key Issues for Congressional Oversight | The Heritage Foundation


你会不会说中文？
If you can't answer that question above in Chinese, then I can answer it for you: You don't know how to speak Chinese. Well, though I have spent 1 and a half years of fairly intensive study in Mandarin, I am far from gaining fluency in the immensely challenging language.

Think about globalization and the role that United States plays in our global society. Now think about China and the role they play. Pretty big responsibilities for these two nations, huh? Well there is a problem: language barrier. If diplomacy is going to be effective, we need to be able to communicate with them effectively. That being said, China has already started to learn English. Now, America needs to make an effort to improve relations with one of the globe's most influential countries if not the most influential in relation to the global economy. Our national strategy for strategic communication is thankfully realizing the need for promoting outreach programs for China and Chinese language teaching for Americans. I for one am convincing my friends here in Hong Kong to start learning as I have because it just makes sense to know Mandarin when you think about the number of speakers. In our flat world it is just so useful. If you are considering to learn a foreign language because you only speak English and feel that you are at a disadvantage (which you are) then please take my advice and start learning Mandarin - also known as Putonghua 普通话; meaning "the popular language". So be cool, 学中文！

Kunming

It's a bit late, but here is the last video of Kunming made by Craig. This was the tail end of our Chinese New Year trip and we were tired. It was great to see Quqi though and go to her hometown in Yuxi! Although I regret the food that we had...never want to eat Yuxi BBQ again.

Why Are Parent-Child Suicides Rising in Hong Kong?

Why Are Parent-Child Suicides Rising in Hong Kong?

Just read this article online and it struck me hard because I just heard a deep lecture given by Ravi Zacharias. Ravi is a well known Christian apologetic who has been referred to as "the present day C.S. Lewis". He was born in India and is now a professor at University of Oxford. He is remarkable keen with his words and thus is a marvelous communicator. His explanations for life's toughest questions in today's intellectual world are so awesome. The question which he is now going around the world to answer is "What does it mean to be human?"


The other day I was watching him speak on you tube because of my friend Daniel recommending me too check him out. My friend Daniel is from Austria and is studying Religion and Philosophy as an exchange student here at Hong Kong Baptist University. Anyways, he is very passionate about apologetics and its importance in today's society due to the great influence that professors have on the educating of our next generation. I really admire his heart and see much truth in the need for making sure that Christian education is emphasized more amongst the body of Christ. We need to be able to stand firm in our faith and know the Word and be able to defend ourselves against the enemy. The word is like a double-edged sword. So, I started to feel bad because I don't memorize verses enough. I do on a number of occasions, though not regularly, open my Bible for encouragement and direction. But also when I am needing spiritual nourishment - which when I go a day without opening the Bible, I tend to become hungry rather quick.

So that day I spent around 5 hours or so watching Ravi Zacharias and other speakers about apologetics and debates they would have with Atheists or Muslims. The following day, I went to my Mandarin class which I take with Daniel, and he tells me that Ravi Zacharias will be speaking at Hong Kong University on March 18 at Hong Kong University....that very night! I was like, "are you serious?" Yea, very surprised, I couldn't believe it was true because I had just watched him on you tube the day before after he recommended me to listen to him probably a month ago. Luckily, I didn't have plans and decided that I must go with Daniel to hear Ravi speak.

Low and behold, he was speaking on the question which I stated earlier and saw on you tube: "What does it mean to be Human?" (in accordance to the Christian faith). So Daniel, our non-Christian friend Billy from mainland China who is an amazing student, and myself set off for Central Hong Kong which was home to the area's most prestigious university - HKU.

Seeing him in person was crazy - his hair is white like the snow and his dark Indian toned skin makes his hair look even whiter than snow! That's not really correlated with anything other than the fact that this man had a demeanor that was up to par with the likes of Billy Graham. Anxious to hear him speak, including all other 1000 in attendance from all kinds of backgrounds, I started to feel a little giddy about where I was and couldn't wait to hear what he had to enlighten us with! He's just that smart. Before he started his lecture Daniel and I were thinking of questions to ask him because the best part is the Q&A session afterward. The one we wanted to know was how he would define evil. However, it was unnecessary to ask because he answered it in full within five minutes of his lecture!

It's really hard for me to extract his lectures and let you know in full what I got out of it because for one I can't remember it all and two it's just so highly academic! But he has made me sure of this: All humans have intrinsic value and the Declaration of Independence is the only national document that adheres to that truth for human rights with this statement: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

Wow, talk about a bold statement with some rock solid truth to back it up. The only absolute in this world is found in God. Nothing is naturally absolute in man and though we as Christians believe that we are made in God's image - we are absolutely not capable of answering all life's questions. Realizing that we all have this freedom to choose, I know that Christ is our only choice for salvation - which is found through God's perfect love and grace which being what we all naturally long for.

I appreciate Ravi Zacharias and what he is doing for the defense of the Gospel and the God's Holy Word. I will be considering Oxford as he has programs for students and coincidentally Georgetown College has a partnership with the Regent's Park College in University of Oxford.

U.S.-Indonesia Relations: Build for Endurance, Not Speed | The Heritage Foundation

U.S.-Indonesia Relations: Build for Endurance, Not Speed | The Heritage Foundation

This is a wonderful article composed by Walter Lohman, Director of The Heritage Foundation's Asian Studies Center. As I hope to be taking part in a summer internship with an Indonesian non-profit organization in July, I was hoping to gain a better perspective of our nation's relationship with Indonesia. It seems that our relationship really plays a significant role in today's global economy and especially in regards to the War on Terrorism.

As a representative of the United States, I hope to help develop a good relationship with the 10 Indonesian students that I will be partnering with this summer. Knowing that George W. Bush and now Obama have done much to promote democracy in Asia through the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Nations) as places like Burma struggle politically. As well as promotion of education through the $157 Billion annual funding for Indonesia to start more schools. As for the promotion of peace and the war on terrorism, George Bush formed a wonderful relationship with former Indonesian President Megawati who condemns the attacks on 9/11 and now after having terrorist attacks from Islamic terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah in Bali and other parts of Southeast Asia they are desperate to make sure that they can control these extremists. We have a mutual perspective towards the War on Terrorism and I feel that new Presidents Obama and Yudhoyono will take the necessary steps together even though Obama has yet to make a visit to mother's husbands home country of Indonesia.

As for the economy, I find it ironic that I am now in Hong Kong and in high pursuit of Chinese language and culture. When you think about the rise of China and the impact they are making towards the global economy - especially when they are undervaluing the renminbi for successful exports - you can't forget that Indonesia is just a short plane ride across the South China Sea for quick and easy trade transportation. Especially when you realize that Indonesia is the 4th largest country in the world! That makes it clear that a partnership is needed to be built. Our bilateral relationship with Indonesia as far as imports and exports must increase so that we can start to have closer trade and investment ties with our highly influential economies.


Of course our main goal is to establish democracy in Asia. I think that Indonesia is our best bet for starting any political trends in the Asia Pacific and the rest of Southeast Asia. Please take the time to read this if you have nothing else to do because it's very informative. I definitely recommend all Global Scholars to have a look at this.

If not, at least be supporting me as I pray that God shows me the way this summer - if that means acceptance into this highly competitive summer cultural exchange internship then so be it! Regardless, he is always faithful and will lead me to the cross where his love conquers all. Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter and be sure to sing praise for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ! Glory to God and may we be forever thankful for the Gospel.