october ‘22

life updates, things I’ve learned / deeply contemplated this month, and some things that I just wanted to share for fun

I’m definitely not gonna lie, this month sure was something. First of all, I finally got around to writing this newsletter after several weeks (by that I mean a whole month), and I’m really excited to share some highlights from October! :)

The Big 8 - Dinosaur Exhibit

This year is the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover back to China from the UK, and in honour of the occasion there was big dinosaur exhibit at the Hong Kong Science Museum that was free for all citizens :0 Some fossils were from places on the other side of the world (the US) and there was a diplodocus fossil set that was 99% complete, so I was looking forward to it for a really really long time, and I finally got to go this month :)) I went there with some friends and we had such a great time looking at different fossils and learning about the great beasts that once walked on our planet.

Awesome applications of AI and virtual reality

One thing that I loved about the exhibit was that it wasn’t just about dinosaurs. There was also lots of information about the applications of AI and virtual reality within the exhibit and in palaeontology labs. Here’s a step by step process of how insanely realistic models of dinosaur fossils are made to put in museums!

Below is a glass box with some fossils inside, but there was also a short movie that was playing at the front of the box, which I thought was really cool because the video wasn’t visible from the sides so people could look at the fossils with and without the vid playing.

There were also qr codes hidden throughout the exhibit, and when I scanned them the virtual versions of the dinosaurs popped up on the screen, which I thought was a really nice touch because the dinosaurs looked so cute walking / swimming 🥹🥹 This little guy is a Spinosaurus, and they used to live in the ocean, hunting for fish!

Diplodocus details…

Here’s the diplodocus fossil set that was 99% complete, along with some cool LED displays (Not the best angle because I took this pic going down on the escalator)

Aaaand here’s a pretty sunset to conclude this section! In Hong Kong, our History Museum and Science Museum are neighbours, so say hi to the History Museum (that white building right outside the window)💗

Contemplations

This September, I began my TKS journey. The Knowledge Society, or TKS for short, is a program for teenagers that gives us the training and guidance that we need in order to make it in the real world, to put it simply. Every week, we learn about new mindsets and technologies, and in one of the sessions this month, my director Andrés and associate director Steven got vulnerable with us and told their stories from the very beginning. That session in particular really stuck with me because it was so inspiring and comforting in a way, like it reminded me that we all have our challenges to face and we’re never alone in the midst of all this chaos.

We also had a discussion about success, and what it means to be “successful”. After some long and hard thinking, I’d like to offer some insight from the East.

There’s this running joke on social media that Asian parents will only be satisfied if their kids get straight As (because we’re Asian and not Bsian) and if their children become lawyers or doctors. Those are jobs that are high paying, and what could be more important than earning a stable living? Personally, I completely agree that earning a stable living in important. But here in the East, it seems like “success” is completely defined by how good your grades are when you’re younger, and how high your income is when you’re older. This mindset is deeply rooted in our culture, because Hong Kong has a really large population, and in order to stand out from the crowd if you wanna be noticed by a potential employer or a university, you have to come out on top.

I know kids that have no idea what path they want to take in the future, because their parents have dictated everything for them and they never got to discover their interests before their parents decided that medical school was the way to go. Sure, their income will definitely be stable, but what if they’re not happy doing it? What if they have absolutely no idea what kind of life they want? How are children supposed to work towards their goals if their goals weren’t theirs to begin with (if you get what I mean)? Is that really what success is?

Though being financially stable is important so that we can sustain our lifestyles, I vouch that what’s most important is that we stay authentic to our true selves and what we want. Showing our elders and parents respect is a definite must, but at the same time, your life is yours only and if anyone tries to tell you what to do with it, are you living or just existing for others? A little something to think about.

Midnights. 🌌

On another note, Taylor Swift released her new album this month and I’m so obsessed HELP I highly recommend you give it a listen if you haven’t. My favourites are Anti-Hero (because it’s relatable), Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve (because the lyrics are amazing), and Sweet Nothing (because how can I not love it).

Halloween !!

On the day before Halloween (30/10), my friends and I went to Disneyland dressed as bananas and we looked so weird for doing it, but honestly you haven’t lived until you’ve done funny group costumes with your friends. If I’d chickened out I don’t think I’d ever get around to doing it, so here’s to taking the unconventional path and taking the plunge!

There were so many little kids who wanted to take pictures with us and it was so sweet! My heart completely melted. It was really hot on that day but we had such a fun day at Disney and I’d do it again in a heartbeat!

Here we are in the line for the ‘It’s a small world’ ride (I’m the girl on the left with the long blue pants). As you can see, there were lots of people (I’m convinced half of Hong Kong’s population was there), and let’s just say I won’t be forgetting this anytime soon.

Hope you all had a great October, and let us welcome November with open arms and open minds to see what it brings!