a great today

Whoever said everything happens for a reason was spot on.

After a successful morning of sending parcels at the post office (what a queue, xmas rush indeed!) and paying some overdue bills at the bank, i went to buy some second-hand indoor plants, carted them home by a taxi-van which you can call up at anytime for a ride in DB, and then headed downtown on the ferry.

It's always a nice ride, 25 minutes in total, enough to read the paper, stare out into the sea without getting bored or antsy or to scarf down a meal on the go.

I headed straight to the HK Youth Group centre in Wan Chai. I walked into the building and posted on the wall was a notice of a panel discussion being held right at that precise time on the 1st floor, anyone welcome.

The discussion was "Civil Society Dialogue Project Hong Kong Seminar" and so i went out of curiosity. There were 4 panelists who were representing their proper organization from South Africa, HK, the EU and Lithuania. They came as delgates to the WTO ministerial conference and it was very interesting to hear their views and opinions on what was actually happening in the seminar rooms behind closed doors these past two days.

Head of the Global Network, in Hong Kong, Elizabeth Tang spoke passionately about her commitment to a freer and more just society for HK through the channels of education, empowerment and engagement.

One guy, the General Secretary for Solidar, a European network based in Brussels whose goal is to bring about positive change in alliance with trade unions, labour movement organizations and civil society, put being a delegate and advisor at the WTO conference in an interesting light: "It's like riding a tiger all week. You don't get to stop when you're tired, you only stop when the tiger is exhausted."

Many of the panelists expressed concern that these ministerial conferences were nothing but inefficient and extremely costly. They said that it wouldn't be surprising if something drastic in terms of scaling down such conferences were to happen in the near future in order to have everyone heard and to simply get things done.

With one of the main questions being "Does civil society dialogue actually influence the trade agenda?", our group was met with a resounding YES! when during the seminar, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson called the European Comission Representative of DG Trade, who was one of the panelists, to ask and confirm a meeting for tomorrow to meet with civil society groups and organizations and discuss certain issues.

efore, just a few years ago, politicians would cringe at the mere thought of having to have an open forum or dialogue with civil society groups. Now, as evidenced today, they are taking the initiative to ask for meetings to be held themselves! In any case, how refreshing it was to hear from the mouths of the people who are actually attending the meetings.

So many protesters demonstrate, and all for different reasons, but unfortunately the media sensationalizes and homogenizes them so as to make them seem that they are fighting for similar, if not the same, cause. And as we are all linked into this civil society movement whether we like it or know it at all, our inactions speak just as loudly as our actions.

It was humbling and reassuring to have sat amongst these people, to actually see them several inches away. What many people forget and probably don't even stop to think about, is that these so called hot shots who are making waves on the civil society frontlines with other countries' ministers and international organizations, are just as human as you and i.

It's no big revelation but it's extremely humbling to know that whatever hat we wear on the workfront, on our lifestyle choices and in the way we conduct ourselves with other people, we all have similar needs and wants as humans. It brings me back to what a dear friend and (at the time) my team leader, Jon, said to me about living and working overseas with people of different backgrounds: "You are just like the brother across the pond."

Shops were closed after the panel discussion ended, and so the shopping i was intending on doing had to wait for another day. No big loss, i wandered around the neon-lit streets a bit and decided to finally do what i've been meaning to do for a while, and that is to rid my hair of the roots growing back in and to dye the whole head to its natural colour.

It's at that really awkward and ugly stage, and since it doesn't give such a good impression at interviews, i thought i might as well do it seeing as i've got two more on Friday back to back.

Being in HK for about 3 weeks now, i notice my level of Cantonese rapidly improving, both in speaking and listening. All those years of what i thought were wasted Saturdays at Chinese School is paying off big time now, my parents will be happy to hear me say! There is something really satisfying in using a skill that i've been taught since childbirth where i can see the benefits and progress in my day to day activities. If only i could read and write though.... well, I've got Matt to translate! :)

Sigh, back home now and a bit tipsy having just downed some really delicious girly wine. Was getting into the usual rut of being new to an area and needing and having to start over again and wanting to meet interesting people but desperately impatient in the meantime.

Today was just what i needed to stimulate my intellectual side and pamper myself a tad. That said, going to cook some dinner and watch a film i think.

Whoa!! Matt just walked through the door! He was away in Beijing for two days on business and was supposed to come back tomorrow afternoon, but decided to catch the evening flight tonight instead after changed plans!!! Ahh, yay!! Soo happy! Enough here for now.