On this particular Saturday morning, which was a holiday, I had read one chapter from each of two books, read and replied several email messages for work and otherwise, read online newspapers for half an hour, took my youngest daughter to MacDonald’s for breakfast, read a hard copy newspaper for an hour, went jogging for an hour, and took some photographs of the TsimShaTsui East promenade. By noon, I was on my way home after buying some 油炸鬼 to go with our home-made congee lunch (made with smoked turkey bones - yummy).Along the way, I heard this lady in blue telling her friend she was buying breakfast for her daughter who was yet to get up.
I was not surprised that some people get up late. But I do wonder what does it tell us about our young people in Hong Kong. And what does it tell us about the mothers in Hong Kong?
I do know there are a lot of night people in Hong Kong, some because of necessity and others by preference. But mornings are the best time of the day. The air is fresh and cool, not yet completely polluted. The sun is low in the sky, bright though not too hot yet. The streets are relatively clean and the garbage have not yet piled up. We ourselves are fresh and full of energy. People you meet are also starting out and energetic. This is the best time to go out and see the world, to work, to do things. What a waste to spend it in bed.
And the parents. They really do do everything for their children, so that the children can do as little as possible. Ostensibly so that they can concentrate on their studies, on their work. But do they? Often the result is over-reliance. Lately many of our colleagues have been discussing how we have to save enough money not just for their children’s education, but also to buy apartments for them, or at least to pay for the down payment for the apartment. For fear that the children, when they grow up, might not be able to afford buying an apartment. Is this truly the expectations of Hong Kong parents? It is rather sad if it is true.
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