Notice: I'm restructuring my Flickr a little since I have multiple copies of every picture. As a result, I've fucked up some of my posts on here that linked to the flickr images. So instead, I'll just link my flickr up here and you can use your imagination to fill in the missing pictures in my posts ;)
Edit: so I can't edit the thread title anymore...?
SmugMug
Flickr
500px
Some tidying up of the thread:
1. Hong Kong at a glance
2. Taipei, Taiwan
3. Shenzhen, more HK, and some Shanghai
4. A quick look at post processing photos
5. Dragon's Back Trail + preview of holidays in HK
6. My school + some sunset pictures
7. Yangshuo, China
8. Hong Kong Disneyland, Hong Kong
9. Seoul, South Korea (part 1)
10. Singapore, Singapore
11. Tokyo, Japan
12. New York, NY
13. New Camera!
14. Miscellaneous Photo Update 1 - 8/10 + request
15. Miscellaneous Photo Update 2 - 8/11 + first macro shots
16. Miscellaneous Photo Update 3 - 8/12 + Hong Kong throwback
17. New York, Fall 2012
18. Lots of Asia throwbacks
19. Actual decent shots of the Hong Kong skyline finally!!!
20. Winter Break 2012 - New York
21. Winter Break 2012 con't - Sunrise silhouettes
22. Winter Break 2012 con't - Astrophotography!
---
23. Zürich, Switzerland (very brief)
24. Zermatt, Switzerland
25. Interlaken, Switzerland
26. Preview of things to come/my blog/website
27. Stoos, Switzerland
28. Budapest, Hungary
29. Grosser Mythen, Switzerland
30. Back in the U.S.
31. New York
32. Winter Break in Taiwan and Hong Kong (brief overview)
33. Roadtrip across America
34. New Zealand (part 1)
I kind of had a loose photography thread going in the art forum but it wasn't getting many hits. This is a thread that will just focus on my travels and use pictures to help guide it.
I'm studying abroad in Hong Kong right now. My family is Chinese and speaks Cantonese (a dialect of it anyway) but I don't know much. It wouldn't have helped me much anyway as the dialect my family speaks is only about 25% intelligible with Hong Kong/standard Cantonese. I know a few phrases though if I need to get myself out of a bind, mostly stuff like where's the bathroom, how do I get back to the university, how much does this cost, etc.
This is my first time living for an extended period outside of the U.S. and I have to say I really enjoy it. I go to school in Houston and live in NY so I'm already used to be pretty far from home, but it's different when your parents are up your ass with phone calls and texting every day. For me, being abroad is a lot about personal space as well. I live in the suburbs of NYC so the whole metropolis/concrete jungle feel of Hong Kong isn't much of a change for me.
I've been exposed to a lot of the local food here before as well, so it's not really new to me. I think it's funny that many people consider Americans to be uncultured and stupid, but we're at least pretty cultured with food. All the Americans I've met here have eaten most Chinese food before, can use chopsticks, etc. whereas most of the Europeans I've met have no clue how to hold chopsticks and everything is very foreign to them.
Some pictures of Hong Kong at the break:
Just a note on my pictures: I feel like since arriving in Hong Kong 3 months ago, my photography skills have vastly improved. Many of the pictures I've posted so far have been taken fairly recently. I have pictures from my early days here but the difference in quality is very noticeable imho.
I've done a fair bit of traveling since being here so far. I've been to Macau (a gambling paradise similar to Vegas), Shenzhen (a Chinese city along the Hong Kong-China border), and Shanghai. I'm going to Taiwan in 5 days actually, and have flights booked to Seoul, Tokyo, and Singapore at the year's end. But I have nothing on some of the other exchange students here who seem to travel every weekend. I have no idea where these kids get the money. They're going to places like Cambodia, Bali, Phuket, every weekend and even staying in a hostel, the costs really add up fast.
I'm exhausted now since it's like 3 am here, but next post I'll posts some pictures from my travels so far and expand on Hong Kong. and lastly, this is my flickr page. I'd appreciate it if you could share with your friends etc. if you like what you see. and if you have a flickr, feel free to add me :)
Edit: so I can't edit the thread title anymore...?
SmugMug
Flickr
500px
Some tidying up of the thread:
1. Hong Kong at a glance
2. Taipei, Taiwan
3. Shenzhen, more HK, and some Shanghai
4. A quick look at post processing photos
5. Dragon's Back Trail + preview of holidays in HK
6. My school + some sunset pictures
7. Yangshuo, China
8. Hong Kong Disneyland, Hong Kong
9. Seoul, South Korea (part 1)
10. Singapore, Singapore
11. Tokyo, Japan
12. New York, NY
13. New Camera!
14. Miscellaneous Photo Update 1 - 8/10 + request
15. Miscellaneous Photo Update 2 - 8/11 + first macro shots
16. Miscellaneous Photo Update 3 - 8/12 + Hong Kong throwback
17. New York, Fall 2012
18. Lots of Asia throwbacks
19. Actual decent shots of the Hong Kong skyline finally!!!
20. Winter Break 2012 - New York
21. Winter Break 2012 con't - Sunrise silhouettes
22. Winter Break 2012 con't - Astrophotography!
---
23. Zürich, Switzerland (very brief)
24. Zermatt, Switzerland
25. Interlaken, Switzerland
26. Preview of things to come/my blog/website
27. Stoos, Switzerland
28. Budapest, Hungary
29. Grosser Mythen, Switzerland
30. Back in the U.S.
31. New York
32. Winter Break in Taiwan and Hong Kong (brief overview)
33. Roadtrip across America
34. New Zealand (part 1)
I kind of had a loose photography thread going in the art forum but it wasn't getting many hits. This is a thread that will just focus on my travels and use pictures to help guide it.
I'm studying abroad in Hong Kong right now. My family is Chinese and speaks Cantonese (a dialect of it anyway) but I don't know much. It wouldn't have helped me much anyway as the dialect my family speaks is only about 25% intelligible with Hong Kong/standard Cantonese. I know a few phrases though if I need to get myself out of a bind, mostly stuff like where's the bathroom, how do I get back to the university, how much does this cost, etc.
This is my first time living for an extended period outside of the U.S. and I have to say I really enjoy it. I go to school in Houston and live in NY so I'm already used to be pretty far from home, but it's different when your parents are up your ass with phone calls and texting every day. For me, being abroad is a lot about personal space as well. I live in the suburbs of NYC so the whole metropolis/concrete jungle feel of Hong Kong isn't much of a change for me.
I've been exposed to a lot of the local food here before as well, so it's not really new to me. I think it's funny that many people consider Americans to be uncultured and stupid, but we're at least pretty cultured with food. All the Americans I've met here have eaten most Chinese food before, can use chopsticks, etc. whereas most of the Europeans I've met have no clue how to hold chopsticks and everything is very foreign to them.
Some pictures of Hong Kong at the break:
This picture is so quintessentially Hong Kong. You have the container terminal in the foreground with one of the most congested highways leading off to the left. Across Victoria Harbour (which is just behind the container port) is Hong Kong Island proper with mountains in the background. Much of Hong Kongis actually very hilly and mountainous, and parts of the island are actually built along it utilizing the world's longest outdoor escalator to help get around. This photo is actually a 2x3 stitched panorama. It's my first attempt at a pano and I'm pretty pleased with how it came out
Lai King stacks - take 2 by justindong, on Flickr
Here's the island and Kowloon (the part that's attached to mainland China) at night as seen from Victoria Peak, the highest point on the island proper. It's really rare that there's a clear day in Hong Kong without smog. On this day, you could even see the full moon, though it was still a bit smoggy. I'm going to attempt a shot like this again before I leave, since I know how to properly do panos now
The moon comes out above Hong Kong by justindong, on Flickr
The following two shots are of the Bank of China building in Central, which is a big financial district of Hong Kong. While it's not the tallest building by any stretch, its unique structure and lighting dominate the skyline. You can pick this building out from all of the cityscape shots I've taken of Hong Kong.
Bank of China and Lippo Centre by justindong, on Flickr
Bank of China take 2 by justindong, on Flickr
Last is just a photo of myself and two friends I've made here who are also exchange students. They're Americans too, so I find it a bit easier to get along with them. Don't get me wrong, I love making friends with an international crowd and everyone is really interesting and nice, but not being able to fully communicate with people is a barrier to the best things that come with language: sarcasm and humor.
Anywayyyyyy, this was taken at the top of Victoria Peak. You're at the top of Hong Kong but it truly feels like you're on top of the world. Feel free to guess how old we are ;) I guess we look pretty young
On top of the world by justindong, on Flickr
Lai King stacks - take 2 by justindong, on Flickr
Here's the island and Kowloon (the part that's attached to mainland China) at night as seen from Victoria Peak, the highest point on the island proper. It's really rare that there's a clear day in Hong Kong without smog. On this day, you could even see the full moon, though it was still a bit smoggy. I'm going to attempt a shot like this again before I leave, since I know how to properly do panos now
The moon comes out above Hong Kong by justindong, on Flickr
The following two shots are of the Bank of China building in Central, which is a big financial district of Hong Kong. While it's not the tallest building by any stretch, its unique structure and lighting dominate the skyline. You can pick this building out from all of the cityscape shots I've taken of Hong Kong.
Bank of China and Lippo Centre by justindong, on Flickr
Bank of China take 2 by justindong, on Flickr
Last is just a photo of myself and two friends I've made here who are also exchange students. They're Americans too, so I find it a bit easier to get along with them. Don't get me wrong, I love making friends with an international crowd and everyone is really interesting and nice, but not being able to fully communicate with people is a barrier to the best things that come with language: sarcasm and humor.
Anywayyyyyy, this was taken at the top of Victoria Peak. You're at the top of Hong Kong but it truly feels like you're on top of the world. Feel free to guess how old we are ;) I guess we look pretty young
On top of the world by justindong, on Flickr
Just a note on my pictures: I feel like since arriving in Hong Kong 3 months ago, my photography skills have vastly improved. Many of the pictures I've posted so far have been taken fairly recently. I have pictures from my early days here but the difference in quality is very noticeable imho.
I've done a fair bit of traveling since being here so far. I've been to Macau (a gambling paradise similar to Vegas), Shenzhen (a Chinese city along the Hong Kong-China border), and Shanghai. I'm going to Taiwan in 5 days actually, and have flights booked to Seoul, Tokyo, and Singapore at the year's end. But I have nothing on some of the other exchange students here who seem to travel every weekend. I have no idea where these kids get the money. They're going to places like Cambodia, Bali, Phuket, every weekend and even staying in a hostel, the costs really add up fast.
I'm exhausted now since it's like 3 am here, but next post I'll posts some pictures from my travels so far and expand on Hong Kong. and lastly, this is my flickr page. I'd appreciate it if you could share with your friends etc. if you like what you see. and if you have a flickr, feel free to add me :)
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