Memories of Hong Kong, Part 1

I had planned on publishing this on Sunday night, but storms happened…

This month marks the 10-year anniversary of the beginning of my life’s greatest test and experience. It was August, 2001. I had just finished grade 6 in a Salt Lake City suburb.
“We’re going to Hong Kong,” they told me. Little did I know that the next four years of my life would test my ability to adapt, while striving to survive in a foreign country with no prior knowledge of the language or culture.

In memory of my time spent in Hong Kong, I would like to share a series of photos from those four years.

Some of my favorite memories of Hong Kong were made on Hong Kong Island (a territory of the overall city). Everywhere else in HK had bumper-to-bumper traffic, millions of black-haired heads bobbing up-and-down to the flow of the walk, and local and franchise retail shops and restaurants lining the inner-city streets. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the hustle and bustle that I could never be a part of in Salt Lake City – but Hong Kong Island just seemed different than the rest of HK.

Central is known as HK’s financial/business district. Think of it as the New York City of the United States. A lot of big-buck Western businesses and companies make their homes in Central and its neighboring districts, such as Admiralty, Wan Chai, and Causeway Bay. Instead of millions of black-haired heads bobbing, there were blonde and brown-haired businessmen and women (but mostly still black-haired); they wore suits, carried briefcases, checked their watches and mobile phones, and everything else a busy businessperson does. Instead of the typical Chinese fashion shop or restaurant, the streets were lined with Western outlet shops, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Polo Ralph Lauren, steakhouses, burger joints, and Western-style bars. Most significant of all, though, was that instead of hearing Chinese being spoken 99% of the time (and “Engrish” slang 1% of the time), actual English was a constant sound heard in this part of Hong Kong Island.

By no means did Dior or LV remind me of home, but I guess it was the concept that Western civilization had influenced this area that made me feel like I wasn’t alone in this foreign place. And, of course, I didn’t get to experience any of this until my dad got a job in Central. Many times my mom and I would head down there to meet him after work, go to the gym, and have dinner. By the time we were finished, the streets would be empty and the cart-shops on the infamous stone stairway of Pottinger Street would be folded up for the night.

I’ll never forget walking past a dark Shanghai Tang on the way to the MTR (subway) station, or even a lit one walking from the MTR. I’ll never forget the two-story “something-Gei” restaurant we had dinner at many a-time. I’ll never forget that little building-top park where businesspeople would frequently take lunch. I’ll never forget sitting in the U.S. Embassy, waiting to renew my passport (I will never, ever show anyone that picture!), after walking half-way up a hill just to get there. I’ll never forget paying $35HKD to take the Peak Tram up to the Peak, which provides for that infamous city skyline photo of Hong Kong, Victoria Harbour, and Kowloon (and for the inevitable sight of young lovers making-out). I’ll never forget the time me and my parents saw Open Water at the IFC (International Finance Centre, you know, that one tall building that Batman jumps off of in The Dark Knight, or Angelina Jolie jumps off of in Tomb Raider). I’ll never forget foraging through HMV for the latest American girl-pop CD (yes, I mean Avril, Britney, and Ashlee). I’ll never forget always wanting to take all the escalators to the top of the HSBC building. I’ll never forget the fountain at Hong Kong Park I could sit under. I’ll never forget the Christmas festivities that would take place in that little square near the dock, or the Halloween and New Year’s festivities that would take place in Lan Kwai Fong.

There are so many memories of mine that are associated with these photos, yet my memories cannot be shown through it. Just know that you missed out

Taken atop a footbridge crossing over Connaught Road on Hong Kong Island, July 21, 2005. This location is approximately Admiralty, near Hong Kong's financial/business district.

Hong Kong is known for some of the longest moving walkways in the world. This photo was taken during a journey home, in which we had to make a five-minute walk from the Central MTR station to Hong Kong station of the Tung Chung Line. 2004-2005.

Lan Kwai Fong is basically known as an "international" hub. Here, you will find plenty of foreign (non-Chinese) people, goods, food, and bars. This photo was taken on New Year's, and it shows the jolliness of locals and foreigners alike. January 1, 2005.

July 1 Marches have sort of become a tradition since China regained Hong Kong as its territory. This photo clearly displays the vast amount of Hong Kongers who believe in human rights. The area is Central, where government offices are located. July 1, 2004.

The International Finance Centre, also known as the IFC, stands nearly 1,400 feet tall. It doesn't look that tall in the photo, but your neck will literally hurt to look up that far. September 18, 2004.

Bank of China Tower at night. What a wonderful and beautiful piece of architecture. January 1, 2005.

Besides marriage and birthdays, do you have any personal anniversaries like mine? I’d love to hear about them.

To be continued…

Another Thunderstorm in Salt Lake City

And I quote, “Round two, baby.” Less than 24 hours later, Salt Lake City experiences yet another summer thunderstorm.

I couldn’t quite make it to higher ground for this one, but my balcony proved to be a great viewing spot, nonetheless.

Lightning strikes in West Valley City, Utah. August 28, 2011 at 10:47 pm.

A lightning strike as captured looking up into the sky. West Valley City, Utah, August 28, 2011 at 10:54 pm.

This was a crazy (and scary) storm because it was closer to us than the previous one. In fact, I’m pretty sure lightning struck no more than a mile away from us a few times because (very) loud, cracking thunder would sound immediately after. I would also like to disclose that I dared not stand at all near my camera, which was placed on the balcony, because I didn’t want my metal tripod to assist in my death. And, oddly, Chloe (my dog) did not show any signs of fear towards the thunder.

Let’s see if tonight brings round three.

P.S. I like how all these lightning photos have dressed my blog in purple

A Thunderstorm in Salt Lake City

Thunderstorms are probably one of my favorite things in the world, even if I do get anxious at the thought of being electrocuted to death by lightning.
Last night, one of the best lightning shows I’ve ever seen in Salt Lake performed in southern Salt Lake/northern Utah counties.
Bored with nothing to do on a Saturday night, Kyle, Chloe, Camera, and I headed south to get front-row seats.

They (they meaning I) say photographing lightning requires just as much patience as fishing. I had set my camera up for high-speed continuous exposure, at first for 10″, then for 6″, then for 3.2″, then for 2.5″. Since longer-exposed photos take longer to process than well-lit ones, each photo’s processing time took about the same time as it did to expose for the photo in the first place. For a 10-second exposure, I was waiting another 10 seconds to be able to expose again. The flashing “busy” indication in the viewfinder was almost as annoying as the continuous beeping your car makes when you don’t put your seat belt on. My 50/50 chance of capturing lightning played against me, for lightning seemed to only strike when my photos were processing. Grr.

Nonetheless, I did manage to capture some great shots, but not without the virtue of patience. In total, we spent about two hours at the Point of the Mountain, changing position/location every-so-often. Yet, I only got three “better” shots. Here they are:

Aug 28, 2011, 12:02 am.

Aug 28, 2011, 12:11 am.

Aug 27, 2011, 11:35 pm. Boom! How would you like to be struck by that bad boy?

Photos of the Tour of Utah, Stage 4

For the past few days, Utah has played host to the Tour of Utah. Stage 4 took place today in and around the Avenues, and seeing as how intrigued I’ve become with the race because of my job, I figured it would be a great day to go and check it out. Besides, how many times do you ever get to see professional cyclists zoom down South Temple at 45 miles per hour?

It's a Tour of Utah Po-Po, riding in front of a group to ensure the path is clear for them to pass.

One group of Tour of Utah riders pass by as we spectate on South Temple in Salt Lake City.

A United Healthcare Team rider

He's taking a drink! Doesn't look easy to me.

Technically, all of the riders were "battling it out" but you can just tell that these two are rivals. Really.

It's a sandwich...made of bicycles...

Until your next lap, my lovelies.

It wasn’t the most action-packed thing I’ve ever seen but still neat to have witnessed. Tomorrow’s Stage 5 takes place from Park City to Snowbird, so if you’re in the area, it might be worth it to go check it out.

Center of Rio Tinto Stadium

From the center of Rio Tinto, taken with a Canon PowerShot SD750 on July 21, 2011. I am captivated by the vivid colors.

View From My Office

Taken July 19, 2011 with a Canon PowerShot SD750, f/2.8

Did I tell y’all about my new job?

Photos From a Weekend Retreat at Kingfisher Bend Ranch, Wyoming

A while back, (a long while back…I told you, I’ve been busy!), I, along with about 10 other Bennion Center Student Board members, traveled to a little ranch in Wyoming for a weekend-long training/retreat.
Nestled in the brushy hills 20 miles south of Evanston, I wasn’t expecting my weekend to be spent in complete seclusion; on top of driving into what seemed like uninhabited territory, we had to take a dirt road just to reach our destination.
It wasn’t anything I expected, I mean, I had never been to a ranch before.
For starters, I definitely did not expect the dirt road. I imagined a normal paved road, leading to a large complex that sat on a large property of well-maintained, green grass, with a rainbow of flowers blooming all around…(sorry, getting a little too imaginative here!)
Little did I know that it was just…a house – a house with cute porch decor, a crappy front lawn, and horse stables to the side.
Around the back was a corral, a small enclosed pen with multiple bird feeders hanging from it, and the beginning of a wild habitat; it was brushy (as I mentioned before), dry, and gray.

I stepped inside. The hardwood floors creaked beneath my socked feet. I was welcomed by my fellow retreaters and the aroma of cooking food.
Regardless of almost two full days of orientation (which I will not talk about in this post), I knew that it would be a great weekend.

In terms of free time, I would say I used it well.
Even though the area was brushy, dry, and gray, that did not mean that beauty did not exist there. I found plenty of subjects amidst my surroundings, both easy and challenging to capture “on film” (as they would say in the old days).
The first photo I would like to display is this one:

I spy with my little eye...an eye. What do you spy?

If you haven’t noticed yet, the photo above is not just an abstract of dead branches. Look closely. Look very, very closely. There’s a doe (a deer, a female deer)!

Next we have a hummingbird captured in midair.
Even shooting at 300mm, I still had to get relatively close to get this good of a shot. Luckily, my super “coy ability” was able to aid me in doing so (for those of you who don’t know me, I’m pretty quiet).

I just love how its wings blend together from the fast rate at which they flutter, yet you can still see some detail in them. This was the exact photo I was aiming to capture!

The following set of photos were taken during our free time activity of horseback riding. It was my first time on a horse, and I’m happy to say that I enjoyed every second of the hour-long ride.
Trying to title the next photo reminded me of this song:

“Home, home on the range
Where the deer and the antelope play
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day”

Our guide and ranch owner Ned, accidentally manifesting that iconic cowboy demeanor against the backdrop of the range.

Scenery of the Wyoming range, seen from atop a horse.

An overview of Bear River, seen from the "summit" (if you will) of a hill located near Kingfisher.

The view as we descended the "summit" towards the west.

Besides my camera, I was largely removed from technology that weekend.
My phone didn’t receive reception and my laptop was too slow to function (as was the satellite internet).
Overall, a great weekend was made even better with great company, great scenery, and time to “recharge my batteries” (technology pun, how ironic!).
Being without technology was liberating, to be honest. I think I actually became too fond of that feeling, and have since avoided my computer, TV, and cell phone whenever possible.
I also became very fond of the seclusion and have since been camping a handful of times, eager to regain the serenity.