I’m having a shocking day so far.

This morning, as I walk down Shan Kwong Road to get a taxi, I see a little old lady walking across the road, perpendicular to me. Spatial awareness tells me our paths will cross. As we come to meet, I slow down, to pass behind her. She was carrying two big buckets and a mop. The mop was swaying in time to her steps, I noticed too late. It happened in ‘bullet-time’, you know, like from The Matrix or Max Payne, when things slow down. I saw the big brown drops of genk leave the head of the mop and head straight for my lovely clean shirt. I attempt the ‘lean-over-backwards-to-avoid-the genk-bullets’ manoeuvre, but I’m not Neo. Back to normal speed, I turn around and head home to change my shirt.

So I get to Exchange Square, well, underneath, and look on in wonder at the 12, yes 12, I counted them, HK Land employees watching two guys fixing a blocked drain. Jeez, how many man hours are being wasted there I’m wondering as I cross the road behind a taxi that sprays up all the minging water from the road onto my replacement shirt. FFS. Too late now, I have to go to work in the filthy shirt.

Lunchtime comes, and I hear my Cantonese boss come in and babble something to the team. He’s invited them all for lunch. Everyone except me. Right. Got a lot to say about this boss, but I’d better not. I’ve been here two years and try to fit in, try to be culturally sensitive, try to not get annoyed at loud talking and eating around me, try not to get annoyed at being left out of things, but sometimes it’s hard. Example of something you wouldn’t hear in England:

cantonese colleague I don’t know that well: “Hello fat man”
me: “What?”
colleague: “Did you put on weight?”
me: “Yes, a little, did you get shorter?”

I know people in HK are obsessed with weight, and I wouldn’t mind if I knew him well, it’s true, since I did my ankles in, I haven’t played football or done any running, so I have put on a little weight, but I don’t really know this guy. Yes, I have to just accept it, be culturally sensitive, but where’s his cultural sensitivity!?

Ah well, it’s all part of living here. The good and the bad.

Talking of running, I went for a run last night, starting training for the Standard Chartered 10k run. The run last precisely 3 minutes. My ankles are not better yet. Not sure I’ll be able to do the run.