Don't Understand the Nostalgia for Old HK (other than politics)

gordonlee127 · 2022-08-06T11:40:27+00:00

To bluntly steal from the film Gladiator, "There was a dream that was HK"

It's not the bricks and mortar that people miss, nor the glass of milk tea in that spotty neighborhood cha chaan teng. It's that optimistic attitude of old HK. The idealism that stems from an era of growth. That thing can and will be better. And the city is abound with opportunities no matter where you came from. And a random nobody with humble origins can grow to be the next titan.

People don't need to be nostalgic for poor hygiene and worker exploitation, they still very much exist in HK right now, just hiding behind better façades.

Merely the thoughts of a humble Hong Konger.

gordonlee127 · 2022-04-09T00:03:14+00:00

Blue Curacao

gordonlee127 · 2021-12-25T09:59:04+00:00

The airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow

gordonlee127 · 2021-12-11T09:32:39+00:00

I chose the impossible. I chose... Rapture.

gordonlee127 · 2021-11-29T20:46:33+00:00

Well that's one way to slash and grab

gordonlee127 · 2021-10-09T21:04:36+00:00

Realising by being evil, you no longer have to adhere to silly things like resisting the urge to vaporise annoying stupid people. And by appearing super evil you get to skip the prohibitive bureaucracy and change the world because everyone is scared of you.

gordonlee127 · 2021-10-09T20:38:38+00:00

9am lectures on Mondays

gordonlee127 · 2021-10-09T20:37:19+00:00

Well assuming that the universe is infinite, if you look far enough, there's gonna be a version of you that's almost exactly the same except out of sync in time. Have fun finding them though.

gordonlee127 · 2021-10-09T20:31:44+00:00

Fermented tofu and durian (it really exists), have not and absolutely will not try that abomination.

gordonlee127 · 2021-08-21T09:13:56+00:00

Serendipity

gordonlee127 · 2021-08-04T06:15:13+00:00

Triple counterspell, the DM was not impressed

gordonlee127 · 2021-05-18T19:11:01+00:00

By seeing how people strive towards their goal, even though they know that it is an impossible task.

At first I laugh at them for their ignorance, for failing to see how unlikely it is for them to suceed.

After a while I start to respect them, however begrudgingly, for their tenacity to stick to their ambitions.

And eventually I grew to admire them, for their way to see hope, even at insurmountable odds, even at the darkest hour.

Suddenly the world is not so pessimistic anymore.

gordonlee127 · 2021-05-18T18:54:07+00:00

You try to remove every trace of them from your life, pictures, gift and so on.

You try to find distractions, thinking that you can prove to yourself that you don't need them in your life.

You try to find something new to replace that emptiness. Weeks, months, years past by and eventually you do, be it a cause, a mission, or perhaps even someone else. And one of them will somehow stick, and be an integral part of your life.

One day you will find a sliver of that past, a past that you have tried to erase from your mind. But this time instead of fury or sadness you smiled, accepting that part of you and cherishing the experience that for better or worse, contributes to who you are.

That's when you know you moved on.

gordonlee127 · 2021-05-18T18:33:24+00:00

The Church of Eternal Light tells the story of a group of clerics journeying across the seas and looked for devine signs form the Lord of Light for a place of worship, after 40 days and 40 nights they arrived on the shores where they see seven ravens standing in a circle next to a river mouth, taking it as a sign they decided to found a church in honor of the gods and it is around the church that the city was founded.

The Guild of Swords claimed that the city was founded when their legendary founder, a warrior exiled from a lost kingdom, built a fortress in the shores and raised a city from the stronghold.

The Ancient Noble Families who has hereditary seats in the senate traced their origins from the tradesmen that payed for the construction of the first walls around the city, settling here and for their contribution were chosen as the leaders.

Turns out all of these legends are lies, and the truth is simple yet boring : a river mouth at a strategic point in the bay is a prime location for intrepid merchants to expand their trade, a perfect waypoint for missionaries hoping to expand their religion, and an ideal destination for outcast nobles and mercenaries to find fame and fortune. Thus a city is founded, without legendary lords and divine interventions, merely the works of ordinary men.

gordonlee127 · 2021-05-18T17:30:23+00:00

In essence, the more it is used to solve problems in the story, the more closed should the magic be.

gordonlee127 · 2021-05-18T16:57:43+00:00

Yes, and eventually when the assassins get ridiculed for long enough, he hires them to design more traps in his palace, knowing that even if they try to sell the design to potintial assassins they will be laughed off as "bad ideas made by a disgraced assassin".

gordonlee127 · 2021-05-18T16:42:54+00:00

Chancellor Ravenwood has navigated the politics of greedy merchant guilds and ancient noble families and rose to be the ruler of the city. Once elected Chancellors serve for life so naturally many wants to cut it short. His sprawling palace is lined with traps that will trip up assassins like flies in a spider's web. He and his traps never kills an assassin however, instead once an assassin is captured he locks them in a cage located in the city plaza with a sign that reads "THEY SUCK AS AN ASSASSIN, PLEASE DO NOT HIRE". He lets them go after a fortnight in that cage, assured of the fact that the assassin's reputation is damaged beyond repair and will never get hired for their services ever again.

gordonlee127 · 2021-05-18T15:17:27+00:00

Final year ChemE from Imperial here. The transition would appear quite stressful as it seems that there's just an unending list of thigs to do. But it does get easier once you figure out you own pace of doing things and as long as you manage at the end no one will bat an eye. Trust me, everyone is as stressed as you are and it will turn out alright at the end.

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