Sandy's life as a small potato in Hong Kong (April, 2002)

April - adapting...

Well, I had to start my first job since graduation in the UK just two weeks after return to HK. I still had not adapted to the new life back home. I missed those things like cereals, pasta, the walls of my room, an afternoon nap, my friends that I had in the UK, as well as my laziness...

What was I like at this moment? Like a robot saying something time and again with the same movements (pressing the phone buttons) because I had to make hundreds of phone calls to students for a project as a part-time research assistant... A fat baked potato - 'fat' because she ate a lot, thanks to her mom with her cooking and those she bought, and 'baked' because she was exposed to the Sunny Uncle in an oven-like environment. You know, potatoes have to be kept in a cool place without exposure to the light but now I was...

Just click on any of the following underlined dates and you can get to know what's going on with me that day.

April 4, 2002 (Thur)

Interview

I think I was very lucky. While the unemployment rate in HK remained constantly high, I was lucky to get a chance for an interview soon after returning to HK. I sent application letters for jobs in Hong Kong while I was still in Hong Kong. That's one of the good things about the Internet through which you can get to know job vacancies in HK. I thought my chance was gone when the university lecturer who was in charge of the recruitment for the post that I applied for told me he'd contact me again if the position was still not filled as I was unable to attend the interview with him in mid-March. Perhaps that's the fate - I got his email again and was given an interview today.

I forgot how to do a job interview, really; or in fact I don't know the techniques of making a good interview. The last time that I had a job interview was when I applied for the post of research assistant in my university in the UK. This time I was also applying for a post of research assistant and again there were two interviewers. At first I was a bit nervous since in fact it was a good chance of getting a job; but I told myself to take it easy. After all, it was the first job interview I had since I graduated from my MA course. It'd be a good experience. This attitude did help as I think I performed quite well during the interview and talked to the interviewers like friends. Perhaps I'm a kind of persons who can perform well only when under no pressure?!

The result of my interview? You can guess it. Yeah, I got a job!!!

April 5, 02 (Fri)

Got lost

It was just a week since my return to Hong Kong. I was still trying to get myself familiar with Hong Kong, a tiny city where I grew up. Today was Ching Ming Festival and I went to pay tribute to my grandma with my family. Her tomb was not situated in any modern cemetery but on a hill of one of the outlying islands. My dad is the only person who knows and remembers the location of grandma's tomb. After a futile search for more than an hour in such a hot weather, we gave up and went down to the foot of the hill.

April 6, 02 (Sat)

A short exploratory trip to Shenzhen

What I mainly did since my return to Hong Kong was getting myself familiar with the city. This time I drew my attention to Shen Zhen, a city in China which is just across the border of Hong Kong. This was the second time I went there. Last time was after Christmas of a year when I graduated from my BA degree course in HK.  That was also the first time I had my trace in China.  At that time I didn't have time to have a clear look at what our country was really like.  My impression of the place this time? It was crowded with many cars and people on the streets; chaos; many HK-related stuff such as CDs and VCDs were sold there.

Before I went, my mom kept asking me to be on alert during the whole trip as there was a danger of getting things stolen. It was as if traps were everywhere.  Perhaps because she thought I hadn't been here for a long time and didn't know what was really going on and so was worried about me wherever I went?!

April 11, 02 (Thur)

The first day of my job

It was the first day I started working.  Basically according to the contract my job hasn't started yet until 2nd of May. But I was asked to work on a part-time basis for another project.  I was shown my desk in an office which I would share with other research staff.  Every one seemed to be busy with their own work then. My first day wasn't very busy. Just did some clerical work.  A colleague who shared an office with my supervisor bought me lunch at a staff Chinese restaurant.

April 12 - 14, 02 (Fri - Sun)

Working, working and working...

Working on a part-time basis means I have to work on irregular hours and even on the weekends. That's what happened to me these days. Just some data entry work, suitable for a lazy person who doesn't want to use her brain like me!! ^0^

April 15, 02 (Mon)

Dinner with another Beckham's fans

Had dinner with a best friend of mine who's a Beckham's fan, and her 'little friend'.  Shared with them the photos that I had taken in the UK and of course, an Owen's book with Owen's autograph as well...

April 16, 02 (Tue)

Sorting out clothes

I got a break from my work today and I thought it'd be a good time to sort out the clothes that I had since coming back from the UK. It was a good practice as it gives me an idea what I've got in my wardrobe.  Some of the clothes were old-fashioned and not fitting any more; I tried on many clothes and my mom thought I was having a fashion show. I found I had waste a lot of money buying clothes that I later didn't wear.  Suddenly I don't wanna buy new clothes any more.  I think next time if I have any desire of buying new clothes, I should go back home immediately and sort out the clothes that I have and remind myself of the fact that there isn't much space for me to store more clothes.

April 18 - 20, 02 (Thur - Sat)

Horrible phone call making

I've made a Guinness World Record (by my standard) today!!   I'm glad I haven't gone crazy after making over 500 phone calls in the space of 3 days.  I'm not kidding nor exaggerating.  I did make so many phone calls for my part-time job. It was kind of mechanical. My hands had the same movement whenever I picked up a phone and dialed a phone number - my right hand was holding the ear phone while the fingers of my left hand were pressing on the buttons of the telephone.  My eyes were always upon those forms with names and phone numbers.  What's most amazing was I could utter the same words without any thought (sometimes I do like doing this kind of mechanical work as I don't need to use my brain!); it was like a programme had been input to my brain and when the person on the receiving end picked up my call, I'd say, "Hi, I'm XXX.  I'm calling to tell you... if you've got any question, you can contact me on XXX. Bye bye."  It was not an easy task as I had to sound like I was calling with enthusiasm, hoping the person to agree to participate in an activity. Toward the end of the day, I didn't feel like talking as I had spoken so much within a day in my life! 

April 25, 02 (Thur)

A small potato is becoming bigger and bigger...

I was in a bad mood today. My dream of seeing Manutd lifting a trophy of any kind this season was smashed when they got knocked out of the Champions League by Leverkuson on away goals. Another thing that I felt a bit unhappy was I was looking more and more like a ball as my weight continues to rise - 103, 105, 107, 109... these are not the bus numbers (Note: in HK they are the numbers for cross-tunnel buses) but my weight!  Lots of people say I look too thin and it may not be a bad thing about getting fat. But the problem is, all the fat has gone to the lower part of my body and I'm now

April 30, 02 (Tue)

Time to reflect on my life?

It has been a month since I returned to HK.  It's time for me to reflect on my life back here. In fact I seem to have less time here than in the UK and that's why I didn't have time to sit back and think about what I've been doing until now.  I still have a strange feeling about my return. When I sorted out my old stuff that I had left behind in HK during my MA study in the UK, I had to think hard what that thing was about and how and why I got it. It is as if the things do not belong to me but another person; and I'm like having become another person who has tried to look at the things of this 'old' me...

This page was last updated on Thursday, 16 October 2003.

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