Thursday. It’s raining like crazy. It’s very dark outside. Yet somehow I feel… better.
My day started with my Neighbor messaging me asking me to check if his mail is in my mailbox. He messaged me out of nowhere (no apology included, of course) claiming that he “put the wrong apartment number on a piece of mail.” Yeah right. Whatever! That’s the lamest excuse I’ve ever heard.
This slow burn is getting a little tedious for me. It’s like…
Me: That’s it. I can’t do it anymore! HK isn’t right for me. I’m giving up and packing my shit and leaving!
Neighbor: Wait, don’t go! I need you…
Me: Yes?
Neighbor: … uhh… I meant I need you to pick up my mail for me! Yes, that’s it!
[audience audibly groans]
Later I went down to investigate the mailbox situation and discovered there is only one box for the entire floor. Ridiculous! I can’t believe this is the excuse he invented to talk to me again…
So I decided to use the rainy day yesterday as an opportunity to watch The Season on Hulu, which is about rich people in Hong Kong. It was ridiculous and absurd. Very entertaining for all the wrong reasons.
It’s definitely a show for an American audience. Everyone in the show has an American accent, except for the one evil old money British guy. There were more Americans in this show than I’ve ever met in HK, lol. I guess now I know they’re all hanging out on a yacht. How do I get invited to that party?
Then there’s the Personal Trainer/Actor who “gives out extras on the side.” As it turns out, my neighbor auditioned for that role. I think he would have been better. The guy they cast came off as rather sleazy and gross. Maybe that’s what they were going for, but there was also a moment where he gets to be sincere and he completely failed to play it off that way. It just came out as creepy. Again, maybe that’s what they were going for, but I think my neighbor would have played it a different way.
The main character lived in what appeared to be a one-bedroom apartment with a balcony above a famous bar on Peel Street. It was furnished and decorated with a grungy SoHo theme to it. They were definitely trying to signal that she was “roughing it” compared to the others, who were living up in the Mid-Levels and on the Peak.
I would hardly call living in Central “roughing it” but, again, this is for an American audience and they neeed to be reminded of the Brooklyn vs Upper East Side rivalry of Gossip Girl. It’s the only way we can relate.
Since real estate speculation is a sport in HK, I decided to snoop on the public transactions records for the apartments in that area to see how much she would be paying for rent. My guess was $15k-$25k ($1900-$3200 USD).
Much to my surprise, the average rent for a unit that size in the building was actually slightly lower than I expected. It was about $13k-$20k ($1600-$2500). It probably has to do with the fact that she lives on Peel Street, which gets rowdy, loud, and crowded late at night.
If given the chance, I personally would not choose to live on that street. I much prefer living in Sheung Wan. I’m right next door to Central, but I’ve got my own little quiet space to escape from all the chaos and noise. Plus, it’s French AF. I love that for me!
Generally it’s just one big tourism commercial for HK, which I’m fine with. There are so many gorgeous shots of Hong Kong. I stuck with it till the end just for that. It’s so crazy to me when I watch tourism footage of HK. Like, “I actually live here now! That’s amazing!”
Overall, I was entertained. It was way better than Expats, which was one of the most depressing shows I’ve ever watched. Sure, the characters in this show were also hateable, but in a fun way! It was fun to watch. The first episode is a slog to get through, but after that it gets much better.
I think the funniest part is episode 5 when the main character goes out with “the boyz.” She’s like “Show me the real Hong Kong!”
Meanwhile they’re sitting there like Beavis and Butthead going, “Heh heh heh, heh heh heh, yeah we’ll show you the REAL Hong Kong…”
I’m watching this like “They’re about to take her to some sketchy back alley bar and do coke off a toilet seat.”
AND THEN THAT IS LITERALLY WHAT HAPPENED! I was laughing so hard, I was crying. Yeah, I’ve seen “the real Hong Kong” too. Don’t fall for that trap! You don’t know what you’re really asking for, lol! Ask me how I learned that lesson the hard way…
I’m pretty happy I watched it. Yeah, it was silly, but at least it was entertaining! I woke up in a pretty good mood today in spite of the black rain and dark sky. I guess that little boost of inspiration is just what I needed to kick my ass into gear again!
This is why I love Hong Kong!
What to do today? Update my CV and apply for another round of jobs? Maybe so!
Off we go now! Have a good day!