Friends staying over

My girlfriend and her hubby is returning home tomorrow morning. It was really nice having them staying at our place for couple of days. Each time I see Vince, I get to laugh more. He's a good chap. Honest heart and fortunately doesn't overly shy away and keep to himself. Even more fortunately, not at all a smarty mouth. The worse nightmare for me is not liking any good gf's partner because it would be quite dreary to see a detestable companion in any gathering. Luckily for me, that number has been far from few. It is really quite a relief that bunny girl's partner was easy to converse to easily and enjoyable to have them stay over.

I wasnt much of a hostess since there wasnt much places I know to bring a 6months old pregnant mum around as well. I had limited knowledge on where to get nice but non expensive baby wear and stuff...

I was amused when bunny girl told me Vince doesnt like HK much, and this was his first trip ever. The only place he liked was Stanley, which to me was too expaty. In general, he found HK to be too congested, packed and crowded with people, and the roads small and narrow. Kowloon was even more nitemarish for him.

I laughed at the feedback because that was the EXACT reaction I had when I first moved to HK years back. Being used to wide space elsewhere, HK narrow (uneven) walking lanes were something to get use to esp on rainy days where everyone's opened brolly was a potential weapon to poke my face or eyes by inconsiderate human traffic rushing off to hell.

I told Vince it was a matter of adapting and getting used to, and finding little things that u like. Once u stay in a place and get use to it, it really isnt that bad. I am used to living in HK now and I rather enjoy myself. I try to look for the good sides than just complaining about things I cannot change like the bad air quality and higher price tag amongst other things, and lack of decent jogging tracks and public pools. Make do I guess....

On the flip side, I like the transport here compared to Singapore where I am often pretty much distressed or rather frustrated at the time wasted just waiting or paying through my nose for the cabs, or the lack of it at peak hours. I confessed I am spoilt by HK transport (so long i dont deliberately head on a cab to somewhere congested at peak hour.) And I love the market way of life where I get my fresh poultry and live sea produce here in HK, it is a good alternative compared to the frozen/ chilled and worst, unenvironmentally packaged in plastic/ foam food sold in the supermarket. Honestly, I told bunny girl, I wonder how long it will take for me to get use to changes if I move back to Singapore.

Vince was just telling me how Singaporeans are complaining about the supermarkets not giving out plastic bags when I told them HK supermakets no longer issue it unless you ask for it. Even if we started this Go green programme later than HK, but shouldnt Singapore which is often more keen to be booast itself as "Number 1" country push for and adapt to this environmental practice more readily? Going green shouldnt be about "convenient" thing to do. It should be something that is worth the effort to do. Sometimes, I just wonder why is it so hard to convince another person it is the right thing to do, to minimalise waste?

Earlier when we were watching national geographic, Bunny girl revealed they had a huge disagreement discussion about not serving shark fin in the menu for their wedding last year. I supported bunny girl of course since we both support non consumption of non ethically fished sharks. She had asked the hotel if the source was from farmed sharks but she was told prob not. So both of us started to "remind" Vince how cruel it was to just slay off the fin and leave the shark to struggle to die in waters, not to mention how rampant overfishing will destroy the marine balance...and hence eventually the ocean and then earth. Well, we know who won the day since there was no fin served during the wedding reception.

I guess animal conservation esp shark and whale is still somewhat an abstract concept that not many people concur with, esp Asians brought up with eating shark fin. I suppose, Singaporeans with generations of population brought up purely in a city surrounding, with no exposure to natural habitat to admire, with very very minimal education and knowledge about animal kingdom and marine life would probably find it harder to support animal conservation.. They just eat whatever was fed to them from their parents.

While we (and our ancestors) didnt know better then, yet we do now. Plus Fishing techniques were less sophisticated then and quantities were much less damaging then but now we fish by thousands and million tons. We are well informed now, educated and caught in the chain of it all Now. Hence, it is and will be irresponsible to claim or feign ignorance, and continuing partaking in the wrong culinary practices, esp where their shark fins in itself have NO TASTE and neither a natural form of a staple diet.

Alright, I'm going off track ranting into thin air again. Must be the hour at 2am.
Ahhh..it's gonna be a quiet household again after the couple return home. Not before I cheekily asked bunny girl to relay my regards to her dad aka my driving instructor, as to who has he been peeking at the toilet to get his red sore eyes:)