The End of a Year

Up until now, I've been pretty good about updating my blog at least once or twice a week. So what happened? It's been over two weeks since my last blog entry. Simply put; I've been busy. So busy that I missed that last days of the WTO. I did manage to snap this picture of the fully assembled sculpture. It was nice to see this put together after seeing it in various stages of assembly. I found this image of starving Africans balanced with one cow against the backdrop of modern Hong Kong to be a very interesting image. It's got great contrast, balance and a strong message. (Almost sounds like settings on a TV).

So what'd I miss? Oh not much. Just many Koreans jumping into the Hong Kong harbor in protest and trying to swim to the WTO meeting. I heard they got sick from the polluted Hong Kong waters afterwards. There was also the siege of Wanchai (the neighboring disctrict that's about a 10 minute walk from me). One of my friends participated in the siege and said it was great fun. The Korean farmers were really nice and gave him a mask and goggles (kind of a makeshift protester riot gear) and he taunted the police as they tear gassed him and the protesters. While he was playing with the police and protesters, his wife waited nervously at home! I heard from another friend the final day was very peaceful. She told me the Korean farmers made peace with the police and danced in the streets with them on the last night of the protests.

How the heck did I miss all this fun? Well, I took my first trip into China since I've arrived in Hong Kong. I went to Shenzen to visit an animation studio. Since I spent all that money on a single-entry Visa, I decided to stay through the weekend. It was an awesome experience. But the most memorable thing about the trip for me was the food. It was good and cheap. My former coworker has been officialy dubbed "The Restaurant Hunter" and brought me to the most amazing places. For about $6 USD you could feed 3 people. The food was amazing. It was so colorful, flavorful and spicy! This shot was the first of many meals I had there. Every dish rocked! My favorite in this meal are the barely pictured bowls of noodles that cost about 60 US cents. I'm lucky to have my friend show me around, because Shenzen is known to be the second most crime-ridden city in China. There are many horror stories of people getting knocked out on the street or attacked by gangs in public bathrooms to get your ATM card. Luckily, I left with only good experiences. In fact, I left with a final, pleasant experience waiting in the immigration line to return to Hong Kong. I bumped into "Roller Girl" who I met at a Halloween party. What a small world! Because the prices are so much cheaper there, she was in Shenzen to do some Christmas shopping.

So that was my business/pleasure trip into China. Work has been quite hectic. I did a talk at a digital entertainment conference last week. Next week I will be teaching my first class; a 2 day workshop. I'm nervous about it as I haven't had much time to focus on preparing for it. I've just got so many other projects I'm juggling at the moment. So I'm trying to be efficient about it. For example, yesterday I filmed a blue screen test with some students which I hope to use in the workshop and also for a film project I'm developing with a local director. The old two birds w/ one stone, yet I'm still overwhelemed with too much to do!

So here I am in Hong Kong at the end of year. I started 2005 in San Fran and recall thinking to myself; "'self you've got to make a change this year." So I guess I succeeded in that regard. It's been a hell of a year. But I have to say that the first two and a half months I've been here stand out as the highlight. Incidentally, this isn't my first New Years Eve here. I was here almost 15 years ago with my mom and brother. That time, my mom took off to celebrate and left my brother and me in a hotel room where we almost slept through New Years Eve. That sure as hell ain't gonna happen this time! I've got a full day ahead of me and an even fuller evening planned. I'm pretty sure it'll be several days until my next blog entry as I'll need a few days to recover from tonight.

Until next year; I wish all my friends and family a very Happy New Year!