my soul left hong kong but it still often comes up in conversation, usually with me saying 'yeah it was crazy' without further explanation followed by a credit length run of [uncomfortable laughter and/or short spasms] as the person i'm talking to tries to figure out if i'm sincere or deranged. tell me this isn't crazy:
- working 48 hours straight, finally breaking down at 3am and hailing a cab home. worst is when you try to find solace in others they will out-work you like 'well i worked 118 hours this week/haven't eaten since monday/fucked up a billion dollar sale' and you know what they've said is true, because this is hong kong.
- hiking to the infinity pool in man cheung po. hot tip: there is an infinity pool on top of the infinity pool.
- walking into a drug deal and the buyer pretending i was his friend so the dealer wouldn't murder me. juan diablo (the fake name juan diablo who clearly looked more like a 'dante' or 'levi' gave) probably wouldn't have murdered me because he also carried pizza deliveries on his vespa. people with vespas take you on romantic dates through the cobblestones of rome before convincing you to take the place of their singing collaborator at the italian music awards and despite what was sabotage, helps you actualise the confidence you have within.
- going to all the concerts phoenix/jamesblake/justin bieber/every other musician who landed in hong kong because one of my greatest friends was always given free tickets by his superiors to compensate how little he was paid for his actual job.
- being genuinely joyful and laughing on shoots with diane von fursteberg, olivier rousting, and other super inspirations i met.
- allowing a girl i crossed paths with once to crash at my apartment for the night. she ended up staying for four days, taking my headphones and a few hundred dollars when she reluctantly left. months later police call in and i find out she's a homeless runaway amongst other things i can not repeat.
- mongkok on a saturday.
- lethargy that never goes away.
- spending several consecutive days on a yacht with a friend island hopping. it was like groundhog day, some days we picked up his acquaintances at central pier but would do the exact same things, visit the same places, eat the same food, at the same time. lots of writers and investors talking scripts and real estate, and when they didn't have anything else to say they would ask me if i have ever thought about dating someone the age of my dad and being able to travel wherever i want without financial worry. which prompted me to throw up overboard and give an answer at the same time.
- rats and cockroaches everywhere.
- being cyber bullied by a then 28-year-old kindergarten teacher who majored in psychology or something that makes you think she isn't mentally unstable. i've never met her. i got messages from her through every channel on the internet. who cyber bullies someone 10 years younger than them? who cyber bullies aimee? i pick up rubbish at the beach?
- hong kong as a concept.
- embarrassing myself by making some basic-ass food (veggie rice paper rolls wtf does that!) for all the michelin star chefs i'd met because they were always feeding me wonders from this land and sea and i wanted to show them i could be hospitable too.
- i was playing basketball. i tripped. my knee got hurt. then infected. i ended up going to hospital a week later, chauffeured in a maybach belonging to a stranger who heard from the restaurant table next to mine that my knee was purple and gold and starting to accumulate moss-like substance. he came after my friend and i as we left halfway through the meal, 'you should take my car' and signaled for his driver to pull up in front of us before disappearing behind the noren.
unless this happens to everyone and i'm just a wide-eyed country bumpkin who's simple and plain and loves Jesus and thinks this is crazy.
