HK Day 5 - the grid
from the jogging lane that rises above the parking lots on and around the sixth floor platform i leaned against its railings and looked up till my head could be thrown back no more: a towering presence of more than seventy floors overhanging a tiny humble creature like me. in its overpowering shadow, despite my relative physical unimportance, i contented myself for being small and free, for a tiny cell in this gargantuan machine was all i wanted to live and thrive. or, so i wished.
the five towers at GP, where i picked after two weeks of search, i found out later, were status symbols of upper middle class comfort standing out from its close neighbors in the old and modest east district on the island. its grid of windows and sea facing balconies never failed to remind me of the many rungs of a corporate ladder i was personally encouraged to climb as an aspring young career woman and its inevitable fret and regret inspired by an insatiable drive to trample the opposite under foot and avoiding a fate likewise. these towers overlooking the harbor can been seen at a distance. its platform extends an all-encompassing view of the opposite kowloon with a long stretch of densely packed similar towers. from the platform, i often wondered, with my chin on my arm rested on railings, what life was like there. although it couldn't be too different, i believed it might very possibly be better, though in what ways i couldn't name. i stubbornly and secretly believed or wished the grass was greener. and one day i decided to board the ferry and see for myself.
in the nights prior to my journey, though, i entertained myself with that idea while i covered the jogging lane with my untired footsteps. a night sky offered a quiet and benevolent canopy. a lone fisherman sat below by the water and patiently expected his catch in a spot of light shed by an orange shaded street lamp. it was a peaceful corner, disserted by morning foot passengers. in fact a closer look revealed the plot of land the fisher occupied belonged to a fenced off private marina, which lent more secrecy and self delight he must have savored. how i envied it. and meanwhile was ashamed for the prying. a man left to himself, in the joy of a hobby, without a care, is a man to be envied. before i realized it a long time had elapsed such that the evening wind turned chilly. i resumed my walk and the moment i looked the glittering lights from afar seemed all the more alluring.
the five towers at GP, where i picked after two weeks of search, i found out later, were status symbols of upper middle class comfort standing out from its close neighbors in the old and modest east district on the island. its grid of windows and sea facing balconies never failed to remind me of the many rungs of a corporate ladder i was personally encouraged to climb as an aspring young career woman and its inevitable fret and regret inspired by an insatiable drive to trample the opposite under foot and avoiding a fate likewise. these towers overlooking the harbor can been seen at a distance. its platform extends an all-encompassing view of the opposite kowloon with a long stretch of densely packed similar towers. from the platform, i often wondered, with my chin on my arm rested on railings, what life was like there. although it couldn't be too different, i believed it might very possibly be better, though in what ways i couldn't name. i stubbornly and secretly believed or wished the grass was greener. and one day i decided to board the ferry and see for myself.
in the nights prior to my journey, though, i entertained myself with that idea while i covered the jogging lane with my untired footsteps. a night sky offered a quiet and benevolent canopy. a lone fisherman sat below by the water and patiently expected his catch in a spot of light shed by an orange shaded street lamp. it was a peaceful corner, disserted by morning foot passengers. in fact a closer look revealed the plot of land the fisher occupied belonged to a fenced off private marina, which lent more secrecy and self delight he must have savored. how i envied it. and meanwhile was ashamed for the prying. a man left to himself, in the joy of a hobby, without a care, is a man to be envied. before i realized it a long time had elapsed such that the evening wind turned chilly. i resumed my walk and the moment i looked the glittering lights from afar seemed all the more alluring.
