This week: Happy New Year
Once again another new year is upon us, one that, as always, represents many different things for many people. For some it is a new beginning, with the previous year's events audited and filed away as things of the past. This provides them with the opportunity to start with a clean slate, to give life another go, starting out with optimism that they may score better in the next 12 months than in those just passed.
For others it could be the beginning of a bitter year with nothing to look forward to. Given the current financial turmoil, there is a level of tension bothering many of us, especially in terms of job and wage uncertainties, which inevitably erode consumer confidence.
As a Hong Kong-born Australian, the New Year has special meaning for me, not just because it is a rare chance to dust off winter clothing and dress up as if we live in Siberia. It holds special symbolism because it marks 11 years since I returned from Australia to the land of my birth.
It has been a long struggle for me to redefine my place in the world. With the outward appearance of a local and the laid-back attitude of an Australian - like a half-breed that doesn't seem to fit in anywhere - I have had a tough 11 years of integration.
There is a large expat community here and you can get by without speaking much Cantonese because most people speak a certain level of English. But I have always felt I would miss out on what being a Hongkonger is all about if I didn't try my best to understand the city and fit in. I would miss all the subtle and not so subtle nuances of the rich culture that stirs just beneath the western veneer.
Not trying to fit in or to understand the local way of thinking is like going to Paris and spending all your time in a shopping centre and eating Chinese food. I don't think anyone can see that kind of behaviour as exploring another culture. But it amazes me the number of people who do the equivalent while living in Hong Kong, some for many years.