Communism: A KFC On Every Block

I think I'm going to officially stop calling China a "communist" country.  I'm pretty sure "authoritarian" is more accurate, since it gets across the attitude of the government without commenting on its economic policies.  Because let's face it, China is the new home of rampant capitalism and anyone who thinks differently just needs to spend a few hours there to see what's up.  True, it may not be pure capitalism, what with the smorgasbord of protectionist policies and government regulations, but China is nothing if not a profit-driven and increasingly consumer-driven society.  How else to explain a KFC on every block?

My trip to Shanghai last week during Korea's Chuseok holiday was somehow enlightening despite the fact that I've learned all these things before.  I learned so much about China during my semester in Hong Kong and particularly during my week-long spring break in Beijing, but that was over 6 years ago and it was almost as if I'd forgotten everything already.  I kept finding myself shocked by things that I've already experienced, which just made me feel silly.

Motivation

I have been having a difficult time getting motivated over the past month or so, for a number of reasons, mainly because I've been feeling down and thus distracted and in my own head.  Strangely, the thing that has started pulling me out of my funk is the overwhelming process of grad school research.  The more research I have been doing into getting a Masters degree in International Development, the more I've realized how much work I need to do and that my intent focus on studying in Australia was fairly myopic and not very well thought out.  It turns out that the decision that would make the most sense, in terms of time and money, would be to get my masters in England.  One year studying instead of two, no application fees, significantly cheaper tuition, and the option of converting a student visa into a work visa upon graduation.  I was so intent before on Australia that I wasn't researching schools elsewhere and this just made me remember how determined I was at the age of 17 to go back to southern California that I wouldn't even consider looking anywhere else for college.  And the result of that was Pepperdine, which, while not a decision I regret, certainly wasn't a school to which I was well-suited or an appropriate fit for my personality.  This time around, I need to think of every facet of this decision, especially fiscal responsibility, and it looks like the UK is it.

Summer Vacation, Part 2

Wow, I missed Hong Kong.  August saw my first trip back to the city since I left Hong Kong Baptist University over 6 years ago, and I'm so happy I returned, even just for a few days.  I forgot how much I love the city and with my friend Jonathan from San Francisco living there now, I even had a really nice place to stay with a great host.  I managed to not only visit my old neighborhood and see most of our old haunts, but I even did a few things I never got to do the first time around.

Hei Yin's photo of Tom, me, and Jono at the Peak

When I arrived on Thursday night, Jono and I went to the IFC to meet his friends Tom and He Yin for drinks.  Tom was visiting Jono from San Francisco and our visits overlapped by a couple days.  After getting to know each other, the four of us went to the top of Victoria Peak, which is the best lookout point from which to get a view of Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon peninsula across the harbour.  Again, I'd forgotten how spectacular the HK skyline is at night, with the plethora of boats and skyscrapers and concentrated clusters of lights.  That just can't ever get old.  Later on we returned to Jonathan's incredible 47th-floor apartment in Sheung Wan and I realized that, while not quite as panoramic as Victoria Peak, that lucky bastard gets to see a similar view every day when he wakes up.  I made sure to take some photos in the morning from his balcony.