Journal entry

This week is finals week (our term is split into two halves), so it has been relatively quiet. I have two presentations, two papers and one exam, all of which are quite manageable and not overly stressful. I do most of my work in coffee shops, but did venture to the school library for a full day earlier this week to write a paper.  Made me feel a bit like an undergrad again – especially since the campus is somewhat removed from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong and full of young college students! Also spent some time meeting with one of my teams to work on a presentation we will be giving tomorrow. 

Study group

As a little break, a group of us spent a few hours mid-week at the beach in Repulse Bay, which is only about a 15-minute bus ride from Central Hong Kong.  And no, Repulse Bay is not repulsive!  Apparently Repulse Bay received its name from a battle in 1841 when the British repulsed local pirates.  It is a very nice beach, next to Discovery Bay and not far from Stanley.  The beach has an extensive protected swimming area surrounded by shark nets and several floating rafts.  

Repulse Bay

We had a great time relaxing at the beach until the busloads of Mainland Chinese tourists started arriving… they were more interested in us than in the beach!  It was fun being in pictures with the first busload, but there is only so much smiling for a camera one can do.  When we hit our limit, it was time to go. 

Photo of photo

This week I also had a funny déjà vu moment.  Was jogging along Victoria Harbor in the Sun Yat Sen Park, but felt as if I was jogging my old familiar route along the East River in NYC (which is not quite as nice as the run along the Hudson). The placement of the path right on the water, the benches alongside, the boats in the Harbor, some sports fields nearby, the sound of cars, an industrial building that reminded me of NYC's ConEd building, etc. Many similarities to transport me back to my old stomping grounds.

Now time to study for an exam tomorrow!