1 post tagged “travel”
Apparently HSBC was founded by a Scotsman, one Thomas Sutherland. I'd heard this years ago, and the nickname Home to Scottish Banking Clerks. See, I'm Scottish, and my thoughts upon arriving in Hong Kong were not, "you know what, I'll form a banking empire that will eventually grow to be huge, only to undo itself slightly with a misplaced acquisition of a US sub-prime lender shortly before sub-prime goes really wrong." No, my thoughts have been "it's too hot I'm melting". Which I think is the correct response a Scotsman arriving here would have. Shorts have been bought, jackets have been ditched.
HK is strange, but in a confusing with familiar reference points way. Japan (well Tokyo) was cool, and mental, but obviously not the West. I didn't stumble across Waitrose pasta on the shelves there, it didn't have 3 pin UK plug sockets and UK road signs (even the bizarre traffic merging one). All post colonial hangovers I know, but it makes what to make of it more difficult.
I had a visual analogy going on that it reminded me of a 2lmc bathroom one party. We liked putting lighting gels up to colour to house a bit and that party we turned that bathroom greeny/bluey. It wasn't white, but when you closed the door, it was near enough white that your mind tried to white-balance, but it couldn't and so you feel a bit ill. (I believe Richard Clamp ripped the gel out from the light not long after the party started.). In short, big changes are easier to deal with than changes which are almost, but not quite, within the realms of acceptability. The former you deal with, the latter play with your mind a little.
Right now, dinner.
(and yes, i'm well aware this post kind of contradicts my previous post...)
