exploring

Woke up with a massively sore throat, but have put it at ease with some chloroseptic spray and a couple of cold pills.

The sluggish race continues as i spend hours and hours browsing online for work, courses, volunteer options, etc. in Hong Kong.

There are an amazingly high number of english schools and english centres focused on the 'alternative teaching method' using 'fun, creative and hands-on' approaches. Sometimes i feel that i have a lot of these bases covered in terms of experience and sometimes i feel like a small fish in the ever-expanding sea.

As for courses, looking at several options (mainly education and journalism/media), and i get constantly excited when i read the course descriptions. Think i will apply to several and then make the decision if and when i get accepted.

I'm also amazed at the amount of social and youth services in HK, LOCAL ones, that is. I've only just skimmed the surface of researching these organizations but they all have good intentions for serving the community in a non-profit capacity. Very uplifting.

Went to see the British theatre piece "The Argument" at the HK Cultural Arts Centre last night. The show has already toured the UK, the US and Mexico and yesterday was its second showing in HK.

Witty and humorous, with excellent performances by the 4 actors, it's about a dysfunctional family that learns to never speak their true minds in front of each other after the death of the mother, propelling themselves into this false world where they are merely tied by obligation and guilt.

Matt is in Singapore for a few days and so i went alone, which made me see again how appreciating the arts is fun and rewarding whenever and wherever, but perhaps more engaging when you are with a close other. Not only in the sense that it's pleasurable to attend such cultural events with someone, but also in the fact that you both share and experience the same event and can learn and grow from it together.

Going home by ferry last night, the area of Wan Chai was completely blocked off due to the escalating riots of the WTO protestors. Several cars, buses, taxis and pedestrians were trapped and couldn't get out and some poor bystanders got swept up in the fights and were injured themselves.

The whole of HK was swarming with police in their riot gear and while crossing the harbour on the Star Ferry, I could see a few dozen police boats on standby, lights flashing.

Going out now to attend a presentation given by the Epoch Times on "The Future of China". With panelists from various parliaments and organizations, topics to be explored include: communism in China in the past and China's future in the world.

Very much enjoying the amount of these public discussions that are held here, be it social, political or educational issues. It's a great way to meet people and network.. and, fingers crossed, weasel my way into a job! Ah, and it keeps me learning.

After the presentation, i'm meeting up with an old family friend from Cornwall for dinner. Her and her husband moved back to HK ages ago and I haven't seen her in probably ten years, so it'll be nice to catch up and fill each other in, just updating her on my past year will take several hours! :)

Eek, i'm late. Off i go.