I'm on my way to Hong Kong next month to get new visas for my kids so I'll have more chances to observe the lifestyle there. On my previous trip, I was struck by how there were neither elderly nor kids using the metro. The only time I saw parents with kids were other obvious tourists. Instead, everybody appeared to be roughly 25-35 in age. I don't know if this is simply stereotypes but here is roughly what I was told about Hong Kong:
* Hong Kong is a consumerist economy on overdrive. People are constantly in search of the next dollar to pay their bills. So who takes care of kids while parents are working? Nannies from the Philippines apparently. In the residential neighborhoods, I saw plenty of young Filipino females ferrying around kids either to playgrounds or between classes. Why not have grandparents watching over kids? English factor -- Hong Kong still has it's British legacy and being an international finance center, interacting with with other English speakers is not uncommon. So instead of grandparents using a Chinese dialect, kids are getting English immersion from Filipino hired help (nannies, maids, drivers, etc).
* The elderly (say over 50) generally do not work. What I did see was huge throngs of elderly crowded in local bank branches making a big racket. A bank run? Nope, "watching stock prices" my wife replied. Chinese really like to gamble. Mahjong, card games, private lotteries, bets on ping pong/pool/bowling? You name it, they play it. Of special sport for elderly and housewives in Hong Kong is stock speculation.
* The vast majority of workers in Hong Kong are very young. I'm sure
you've all watched police drama shows on TV -- say CSI or Law &
Order -- the officers portrayed are usually grizzled veterans in their
40s and 50s. And on reality police shows, officers are often heavyset if
not a bit chubby. So when I watched police TV shows from Hong Kong, it
seemed strange how the rank & file seemed to be fresh-faced 20 year
olds. This can't be realistic right? Except when I arrived at the
Hong Kong airport, the police patrolling the area were exactly that. Hong Kong is not only consumerism-driven but brand-driven and image-driven -- even men carry designer handbags.
By comparison, Singapore's commuting and working populating is diverse in age and race -- it's one gigantic melting pot. Singapore does have it's own interesting quirks of course.
* I did not see beggars anywhere. To not see this sight in a major city just seems unreal -- especially areas where they can hit up on tourists. The closest I saw was a visually-impaired person playing a keyboard for donations at a metro station in a residential area. Perhaps partly because Singapore is a relatively new country (independence from England after WW2 and then separating from Malaysia in 1965), the citizens are very patriotic. For them, working to build the economy and pay taxes is part of their national duty. And you probably know Singapore has very harsh rules on littering, jaywalking, crime, etc. -- I would not put it past the government to be very aggressive in getting jobs and housing for the homeless.
* Everybody eats out. Hawker stalls are everywhere and the food is cheap. At the airport food court, I had a delicious Masala Thosai for $2.50 SGD ($1.90 USD). Where locals might eat, I can imagine $2 SGD or even $1.50 SGD. You can get take-out at hawker stalls also -- a common sight is vendors filling up big clear plastic bags of curry and masala. This is why I think I could not live in Singapore -- the cheap, amazing cheap food would fatten me up like a pig to the slaughterhouse.
(Filed in misc)
Superficial Lifestyle Observations
Posted by Mossy
December 10, 2010 8:59 PM
* Hong Kong is a consumerist economy on overdrive. People are constantly in search of the next dollar to pay their bills. So who takes care of kids while parents are working? Nannies from the Philippines apparently. In the residential neighborhoods, I saw plenty of young Filipino females ferrying around kids either to playgrounds or between classes. Why not have grandparents watching over kids? English factor -- Hong Kong still has it's British legacy and being an international finance center, interacting with with other English speakers is not uncommon. So instead of grandparents using a Chinese dialect, kids are getting English immersion from Filipino hired help (nannies, maids, drivers, etc).
* The elderly (say over 50) generally do not work. What I did see was huge throngs of elderly crowded in local bank branches making a big racket. A bank run? Nope, "watching stock prices" my wife replied. Chinese really like to gamble. Mahjong, card games, private lotteries, bets on ping pong/pool/bowling? You name it, they play it. Of special sport for elderly and housewives in Hong Kong is stock speculation.
* The vast majority of workers in Hong Kong are very young. I'm sure you've all watched police drama shows on TV -- say CSI or Law & Order -- the officers portrayed are usually grizzled veterans in their 40s and 50s. And on reality police shows, officers are often heavyset if not a bit chubby. So when I watched police TV shows from Hong Kong, it seemed strange how the rank & file seemed to be fresh-faced 20 year olds. This can't be realistic right? Except when I arrived at the Hong Kong airport, the police patrolling the area were exactly that. Hong Kong is not only consumerism-driven but brand-driven and image-driven -- even men carry designer handbags.
By comparison, Singapore's commuting and working populating is diverse in age and race -- it's one gigantic melting pot. Singapore does have it's own interesting quirks of course.
* I did not see beggars anywhere. To not see this sight in a major city just seems unreal -- especially areas where they can hit up on tourists. The closest I saw was a visually-impaired person playing a keyboard for donations at a metro station in a residential area. Perhaps partly because Singapore is a relatively new country (independence from England after WW2 and then separating from Malaysia in 1965), the citizens are very patriotic. For them, working to build the economy and pay taxes is part of their national duty. And you probably know Singapore has very harsh rules on littering, jaywalking, crime, etc. -- I would not put it past the government to be very aggressive in getting jobs and housing for the homeless.
* Everybody eats out. Hawker stalls are everywhere and the food is cheap. At the airport food court, I had a delicious Masala Thosai for $2.50 SGD ($1.90 USD). Where locals might eat, I can imagine $2 SGD or even $1.50 SGD. You can get take-out at hawker stalls also -- a common sight is vendors filling up big clear plastic bags of curry and masala. This is why I think I could not live in Singapore -- the cheap, amazing cheap food would fatten me up like a pig to the slaughterhouse.
(Filed in misc)
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