Concerning That Which Cannot Be Understood

12.7.2014 - Day 1 Hong Kong

Notes before, during and after my flight to Hong Kong, Dec 7th, 2014

I am reminded that packing is quite terrifying at times, a wrestling match with bundles and rolls of clothes amongst which are fragile items half buried like a mine field. The luggage appears a bloated corpse, bulked up and parting at the seams. Then I sit on it.

Scramble out of the house, feeling late but not late at all, I feel like a child as my parents fuss.

Security line ups are long and hot. Tons of people, tons of bags and jackets, tons of breathing and not enough room. Though I tend to be extremely travel efficient meaning everything is in my bags except for my passport and the liquid and gels bag I present, it still seems more complicated than not.

I had a free pass to the first class pre-boarding lounge and treated myself to ambient mood lighting and padded armchairs. Yogurt, chai tea and fruits later, I'm on my way to the sleek iPad rigged gate, bar stools, counter tops, free internet and all but as such, lacking practical mass-consumable room. The announcer at the gate has a severe Mandarin accent and I can barely decode what he's saying.

I am the last batch to board, orderly in a line. Of course, there is an innumerable amount of Asians and a high percentage of Caucasians in business class. This time I'm flying economy with a leg room boost - one of those front row seats with the TV screen miles away. None of the younger women catch my eye. I begin to see the degradation of fashion. I forget I'm not in Japan and that it's a fifteen hour flight of bed hair and sleepy restlessness.

Indeed, I don't end up sleeping much. I've got the chargers, the in-ear earphones and music, I've got my lip balm, moisturizer, mint candy and refilled thermos with my hot tea, I've got the eye mask, I've even got the surgical mask against germs - but they offer no aid for sleep. (Music of the flight: "Papa, Can You Hear Me?" by violinist Itzhak Perlman, "Clair De Lune" - Claude Debussy, "Bratja Brothers" FMA theme by xclassicalcatx, Chopin's "Mazurka no.36 in A minor", "Last Carnival" Norihiro Tsuru, "Prelude Op.23 no.5 in G minor" Rachmaninov, "Apollon Blue" cover by xclassicalcatx, Beethoven's "Archduke III Andante Cantabile", "Liebestraum" by Franz Liszt, Stenhammar's "Sentimental Romance op. 26 no.1 Andantino in A major)

I ended up speaking to my seat neighbours, one to my left - an IT programmer woman from the Philippines - and one to my right - semi-retired Toronto immigrant who's a printing and publishing consultant - a lot. Many deep interesting conversations ranging from: graphic design, printing and publishing, in depth printing tech and technical knowledge, business and marketing, book industry, online culture, society, work ethics and trends, politics, democracy, countries and their history, international policy and global market, capitalism, outsourcing, entrepreneurship, parents and family values, retirement, teaching, and of course I shared about my writing and my novel, and we even had a show and tell of whatever pictures were on our devices. Interesting. I learned a lot about the scientific details behind printing graphics and specialized products especially. I sounded like I did everything though - which I kind of do. I sort of both revelled in and was disturbed at my smooth talk and eloquence.

I was actually looking forward to movie watching. As a fifteen hour international flight, there were tons of movies. And Kenichi Matsuyama (I believe that's his name) is in essentially all the Japanese ones. I settled with Edge of Tomorrow because I have been meaning to the watch it. It was fantastic, but the ending was entirely too predictable and anticlimactic for me. It was actually too reminiscent of the Pacific Rim ending.

I didn't actually end up reading much but I enjoyed the smell of the Murakami novel I'm planning to read, and the tactile feeling of flipping through my own published novel in its hefty massive weight (550 pages, 6"x9"), and proofreading through a few pages, reminiscing on the fond memories from its pioneering six years ago.

As soon as I disembark from the plane, I smell the humid Hong Kong air and I know I'm in Hong Kong. It's a good scent, one that says tropics and reminds me of spring rain. Clearly better than Toronto winter. It is also comforting to be a nobody in a sea of Asian faces. It is also comforting to see the lack of fashion standards with a good portion of the common populace, which makes my lack of fashion, fashionable. On the other hand, in Tokyo, my best fashion would be considered unfashionable. I can't deny my place in the fashion ladder of society does subconsciously (or consciously) provide or take away confidence and identity.

My luggage is arm-numbing as usual. I had to pack winter and summer clothing which makes it most of my wardrobe. I feel lucky I bought a 360-revolving wheely suitcase last time.

I went and arranged for my rental pocket wifi device. Unlimited data for all the cities on my trip.

Outside, the horizon is a fog and the sky above is a grey canvas. Somewhere mystical beings shroud themselves in what is unseen. Islands become shapes and shadow and slumbering creatures in the water. Out from them rise towers of human machination and capitalist control. They rise vertical yet they are not bridges to a higher consciousness, they stack flesh and metal and compress, one by one as grounding.

Things don't seem so new and exciting anymore. I've become used to Asia and the upbeat energy and convenience and the cultural vibe. And perhaps I myself have become a lot more upbeat and energetic within than I was previously. Perhaps in the past two years I've received such tremendous enlightenment and transcendental epiphany, and I now operate at a different frequency. I see the world and the universe as a whole, the massive fabric that we are all connected to, the past, present, future in convergence, all lives becoming one in the lifestream of humanity,

My head is swimming. I have severe struggles with jet lag. Let's see how long this will take. I'm also extremely concerned with healthy diets these days, and my eating habits in Asia while on the go often will be a drastic system shock.

I realize I write quite negatively or critically, but it's necessary because it's quite overdone to praise a vacation experience. The experience is no doubt enjoyable, but I enjoy it even more trying to look at it from the other angle. It would be being mindless and pretentious to just soak in what's on the surface and what gratifies the senses.