Living in Hong Kong: Just your average (hilariously weird) day

These are snippets of what I’ve experienced living in Hong Kong over the past years: from the funny to the weird, and everything in between. I’ll continue to update this post as I come across more strange and wonderful things around the city.

70. Where this anti-smoking ad is more likely to make you laugh than to quit smoking. 

69. Where honesty is key.

68. Where you’ll find “Monkey Head” on a menu.

67. When monks wear “spicy” shoes on the MTR.

66. When people have too much money and too little sense, and decide to cover their Porsche in black velvet. 

65. When restaurants need to specify that liquor is intoxicating, as opposed to it being..? 

64. When these are the things I see on my commute to work in the morning. 

63. When the Hong Kong Observatory issues a T8 (strong typhoon warning) without it even raining, and the whole city literally shuts down..

62. When precautions are taken very seriously around a work site..

61. Where people need to be reminded of proper hygiene practices.

60. When it’s 30°C outside and people are wearing a down jacket and Hawaiian shorts.

59. Where this outdoor display is meant to entice you to eat here. 

58. Where the elderly take their exercising seriously.

57. Where the world’s most insane beauty products exist. 

56. Where people are badass.

55. Where seeing this becomes normal.

54. Where clothes can be incredibly ironic.

53. Where you can purchase a “Mini Portable Toilet”.

52. Where you can find people sleeping at the bottom of stairwells.

51. Where soup exists for your hands. 

50. Where department stores display Halloween and Christmas decorations side by side.

49. Where fashion is taken seriously.

48. Where products like this actually exist and famous soccer players actually promote them.

47. When you’re not sure what the marketing strategy is.

46. Where people own incredibly large cellphones.

45. Where you always get a good laugh out of locals wearing English shirts.

44. Where you can find a truckload of bamboo just lying on the street.

43. When fancy port-a-potty’s equipped with carpeted floors, a full length mirror, and a framed picture are rented for the Rugby Sevens. 

42. Where drying your entire wardrobe along a public walkway is a thing.

41. When a notice regarding “throwing animal discharge from height” is posted in your apartment building.

40. Where the love of egg tarts is real. 

39. Where you’re just not quite sure what to do in some situations (so you just take a photo instead)

38. Where you can wait for the bus in style.

37. Where you have announcements like this in the MTR:
“Please hold onto the handrails and not just look at your mobile phone.”

36. When businesses run out of the back of a van.

35. Where you can get some exercise on the side of the road.

34. Where the food safety and hygiene guidelines are questionable.

33. Where people will queue for hours on end.

32. When a water pipe bursts, construction workers are more concerned with taking a picture of the flooding street than fixing it. 

31. Where advertisements sure know how to catch your attention.

30. Where DIY projects consist of sticking oven mitts to the handle bars of motorcycles.

29. Where you can buy wine by the plastic glass in the grocery store. 

28. Where this is considered entertainment at a nightclub. 

27. Where your choice of local grocery store is based solely upon how much its name makes you laugh. 

26. Where public stretching in short shorts and no shirt is serious business. 

25. When candy wrappers warn consumers that “children and elderly people should not eat absolutely.”

24. Where you can’t walk more than two blocks without seeing one of these “litter cum recyclables” bins.

23. Where you can find horse figurines, among other oddities, randomly stuck into large rocks.

22. When these are a few words of wisdom imparted on you by a local restaurant owner:
“Don’t go back to Canada. So many animal. So few people. Don’t waste your life.”
*Mr. Wong from Mr. Wong’s, Mong Kok

21. When eating pig skin is considered a delicacy.

20. When your concept of what dessert is  completely flipped around.

19. When signs like this are posted outside of the washrooms at a bar.

18. Where people are really serious about Hello Kitty.

17. Where this is on display at an amusement park.

16. When this becomes a regular sight on a night out.

15. Where adults dressing the same is a thing.

14. When the smog is so thick you can no longer see half of the tallest building in your area.

13. Where embarrassment does not exist.

12. When the weather is more indecisive than I am.

11. When owning an oven is the epitome of wealth and the envy of all your friends.

10. When you can take the escalator up to the gym.
Bonus: having a McDonald’s right underneath.

9. When you can find preserved whole baby crabs in a snack bag.

8. When Groupon sells stuff like this.

7. When you climb up a mountain and have this as your view (just ignore the smog).

6. When the only way to get hot water in your flat is by turning this on.

5. Where people either fear or are obsessed with dogs.

4. When families and couples coordinate their outfits so they all match.

3. When it is 20° out and people are wearing winter jackets and boots.

2. When you’re on the MTR and see a man plucking out his facial hair with tweezers.

1. When you’re at the gym and
a) Men are wearing shorter shorts than women
b) People are wearing their work clothes
c) One in five people are talking on their cellphone