I was born in Hong Kong, but moved to Canada with my family when I was 4, so I'm practically a CBC. I was, however, able to take trips back to my hometown with my family for many of my summers thanks to my mom's job package; which included having our tickets paid for by the company she works in. This incredible deal was in turn made possible by my mom's uncommonly kind (a great understatement) boss; she practically treats us and a bunch of her employees' families like, well, family. Most of my family on my mom's side stayed in Hong Kong, while members of my dad's side lives with us in Vancouver, so it's pretty neat dividing my world between Canadian school years and Hong Kong styled summer vaycays...whatever that means.
All in all, I've been pretty lucky so far in life. I've got parents who love and support me, an older brother who's always got my back, a steady household income, and a small group of close friends I can count on. Don't get me wrong, things weren't always that rosy, especially in my childhood years. Since I was the second born, my parents have always doted on me more than my brother, which has its own pros and cons. The upside was, everything was made easier for me. Whenever there was something new or hard to do, my brother was the one to do it first. I basically didn't have to work much for anything, it was just there for the taking. The downside, as you'll probably expect, is that over time I became too sheltered, and had a harder time adjusting to life than my peers. I wouldn't go so far as to say I was spoiled...but maybe I'm just in denial.
That being said, my parents did do a good job of imprinting in me a set of good moral values, teaching me to show good character etc. The problem was, they might've done too good a job. As an example, when I was in elementary school I was such a sensitive goody-two-shoes that I stopped my friends from stepping on ants; believing that they were actually complex, sentient beings. To add to that, I was born an introvert and naturally short in stature. Because of these traits, I was subjected to my share of verbal teasing from classmates, which obviously reduced my ability to fully enjoy my elementary years.
However, things started to turn around when I entered high school. Maybe it was because I 'toughened up' after elementary or maybe it was due to people being generally nicer in high school (probably a bit of both), but I found it a lot easier to make friends, and to form more solid bonds of friendship. To this day I still have my group of close friends who I met and befriended early on in high school.
And I guess that's all for today, feeling a little jet lagged since I only arrived last night. Good night everybody, and in case I don't see ya, good evening, good afternoon, and good morning!
All in all, I've been pretty lucky so far in life. I've got parents who love and support me, an older brother who's always got my back, a steady household income, and a small group of close friends I can count on. Don't get me wrong, things weren't always that rosy, especially in my childhood years. Since I was the second born, my parents have always doted on me more than my brother, which has its own pros and cons. The upside was, everything was made easier for me. Whenever there was something new or hard to do, my brother was the one to do it first. I basically didn't have to work much for anything, it was just there for the taking. The downside, as you'll probably expect, is that over time I became too sheltered, and had a harder time adjusting to life than my peers. I wouldn't go so far as to say I was spoiled...but maybe I'm just in denial.
That being said, my parents did do a good job of imprinting in me a set of good moral values, teaching me to show good character etc. The problem was, they might've done too good a job. As an example, when I was in elementary school I was such a sensitive goody-two-shoes that I stopped my friends from stepping on ants; believing that they were actually complex, sentient beings. To add to that, I was born an introvert and naturally short in stature. Because of these traits, I was subjected to my share of verbal teasing from classmates, which obviously reduced my ability to fully enjoy my elementary years.
However, things started to turn around when I entered high school. Maybe it was because I 'toughened up' after elementary or maybe it was due to people being generally nicer in high school (probably a bit of both), but I found it a lot easier to make friends, and to form more solid bonds of friendship. To this day I still have my group of close friends who I met and befriended early on in high school.
And I guess that's all for today, feeling a little jet lagged since I only arrived last night. Good night everybody, and in case I don't see ya, good evening, good afternoon, and good morning!
