August 26, 2006, a year since Hong Kong...

Queenie just called me a while back on my mobile and though the convo was short since we got cut off, we started out by reminiscing what it was a like exactly a year ago on this date.

I remember being fidgety while waiting to board the plane bound for Hong Kong. I was thinking "What the hell did I get myself into?" Four months isn't a short time and I was leaving behind everything that I had grown secure off and was stepping into a world wherein everything would be new. I was frantically texting my friends good bye and all and in my head I was just a big mess.

Now looking back at my blog entries about Hong Kong and my time there, most definitely I wouldn't have experienced such memorable moments if I did not take the courage to submit my application, to step into that plane, to meet new people and to be independent.

A year later, I have grown so much and livin' and lovin' Hong Kong has grown as a part of me as well. Though sometimes looking back might be hard because of the knowledge that those days can never come to pass again and that some things have definitely changed, still somehow I manage to smile and feel happy... because maybe somehow I believe that my Hong Kong, "wo de xianggang", will endure forever in my being no matter what happens.

In Hong Kong, I enjoyed, partied, danced til I dropped, shopped non-stop, studied well but moreover I found myself, I left my heart, gave my all, found answers, had more questions, accepted unconditionally, understood, stood up for myself, hoped and for once was truly truly happy...

And despite all that has happened... though I try to turn away... a little part of me still turns back, and still believes...