Whimsical Times: Memories from Hong Kong

By Mukta Arya

Whimsical Times: Memories from Hong Kong distills on its pages the sensations and reflections of Mukta Arya, a writer and poet who works as a human resources professional in Hong Kong. Over the course of her time in the city, she captured in writing her experiences and the thoughts and feelings that sprang from the events and observations of her days.
Even the small details of Hong Kongs life prove worthy of reflection. For instance, the author draws in the reader by illustrating the wonder and mystery of the ordinary: The glittering shops in Hong Kong with every possible type of bling available- for phone covers, bags, clips, purses, ipad covers..you name it and they have it. The glitter can actually kill a person by the combined strength of the coloured rays! I always used to wonder who are the target buyers for these really, really BLINGY articles which seem to be shouting boldly -LOOK AT ME. Why would someone actually buy these in-your-face things...and guess what? I was in for a surprise, a very big surprise.
If you find joy in connecting with the deeply human moments of life, particularly when they arise from unusual and unexpected locales, then Whimsical Times: Memories from Hong Kong will satisfy you with its personal musings on life in that city. In the end, the lessons Mukta Arya extracts from her reflections reveal the universal truths of human life, whatever place one calls home.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Singapore
• Release date: Mar 24, 2016
• ISBN: 9781482853292

Mukta Arya

Mukta is an observer of life and loves to pen her thoughts in the form of poetry and prose. She has been writing since her childhood and is a published author of three books – Wanton Thoughts, 3:15 pm -Musings in Hong Kong and Whimsical Times. In her day job, Mukta has more than two decades of experience as a Human Resources professional in multi-national organizations in India, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Book preview

Copyright © 2016 by Mukta Arya.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

www.partridgepublishing.com/singapore

Contents

About the Author

Dedication

Introduction

In a New World

Life after Mumbai

Apartment Hunting and Moving In

A Glimpse of Rural Life in Hong Kong

Compassion and Kindness in Hong Kong via a Locked Door

Racing with the Dragons

A Twist Here and a Turn There

Diving into Cultural Depths

Indian Dance Mania in Hong Kong

If There’s No Option

A Charming Era of Celluloid

Toughest Thing to Do!

The Bond of Love

Coincidence

So Little Time

Stand-Up Comedy

Unstructured

What’s in a Name?

Shining Pates

Life is like Water

Unpredictability

Differences

There’s a Whole New World Out There

What’s Your Poison?

Masala Chai

Love Affair with Nature

Hot and Spicy

Amused

Amazed by Everything

Being a Dragon Boater

An Ode to Enthusiastic Youngsters

Face to Face

Bond for Life

The Festive Spirit

Just Do It

Bits and Pieces

Sunday Afternoon Adventure

Hot Pot

Drawing the Parallels

Down Memory Lane

Getting Used to Things

Hello Kitty

Laughing Away

The Wonder Years

Reliving the Past

Being Human

Catalysts in Our Life

Pure Passion

Don’t Let Them Go

Names Have Power

That Extra Mile

Your Destination Will Find You

Life Is Like a Glass of Bellini

Really Refreshing

It’s True

A Tale of Every City

An Interesting Journey: Mid-Levels Escalator in HK

Feedback

Pause

Pleasant Surprises

Women of Substance

All Things Natural

Circumstances

Bling Really Makes Me Sing

Shortcuts

Tell Me Why?

The Extraordinary Difficulty of Making a Choice

There’s a Time for Everything

Those Moments …

Horoscopes

Hard to Get Bored

Light a Candle

Elephants Never Forget

Epilogue

About the Author

Mukta Arya, born and raised in India, now lives in Hong Kong, where she works for a multi-national bank as human resources professional. She is the author of two collections of poetry: Wanton Thoughts and 3:15 pm—Musings in Hong Kong.

Dedication

I would like to dedicate this collection of memories to the vibrant city of Hong Kong, which not only made me discover a part of myself, which was hitherto unknown to me but also gave me tremendous opportunities for introspection and reflection on life in general.

This collection would not have been possible, if my ex-manager from Ogilvy and Mather –Kalpana Rao had not told me to jot down my first impressions of Hong Kong, during my farewell party in Mumbai. Her words remained with me when I moved to Hong Kong and motivated me to write my first impressions and thoughts.

Introduction

After I moved to Hong Kong in April 2010, a variety of thoughts related to life bubbled up in my mind, and I jotted them down at that point in time. Now, when I look back, it gives me great pleasure to relive these wonderful moments. The memories have been gathered into Whimsical Times, which is often cheery but sometimes profound.

The memories are in the form of my Electronic Diary entries, written between 2010 and 2012. This was the time during which I was still new in Hong Kong. The places, things and events in Hong Kong during those 2 years (and even now) triggered my thought process to connect seemingly unrelated things in my life.

For those of you, who live in Hong Kong, or have lived here in the past, the memories may re-kindle the love for this magnificent place.

Monday, April 26, 2010

In a New World

I just moved to Hong Kong from Mumbai. This is my first time living on my own in a different country. I don’t remember feeling any anxiety or apprehension when I arrived at the Hong Kong airport, when I entered my new office for the first time, or when I first went out in search of groceries. Strangely, it just seemed natural to stay in a serviced apartment, buy staples for my meals, and go to the office every day as if I were in Mumbai (the only difference being that my office is just a ten-minute walk from my temporary abode and I sometimes do miss driving). However, the only difference I felt was in walking (as in walking and walking) and the impracticality of my block heels and the diminished value of Indian Rupee. Otherwise, I feel as if I have been here for ages. The cosmopolitan nature of the country, the happening eating joints, the pubs, and the general buzz make it just the right place to be. With the help of my friend Reena and her husband Kshitij, it is just so easy to fit in.

I was just reflecting on this and wondering if things would have been different if I had moved when I was twenty-five, not travelled to few other countries, had not known my boss here, or if a few of my colleagues were not known to me. Perhaps it would have been a completely different experience.

For now, I look forward to aimlessly roaming around on weekends (as I have to earn my living during weekdays), soaking in the atmosphere, and settling in.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Life after Mumbai

It has been two weeks in Hong Kong, and it seems