Confessions of a Cat-holic (55)

Amy, you were just a pathetic new money who accidentally acquired wealth out of serendipity. How dared you show off your then newly renovated apartment in South Horizons? True Hong Kongers wouldn't have the money to hire an interior designer for renovation.

True Hong Kong people would save up every penny to live in districts like Siu Sai Wan, Quarry Bay, Shau Kei Wan, Chai Wan, Sai Wan and Sai Ying Pun, and Kennedy Town. Only residents of the older run down districts could have the privilege to be called urban dwellers. I was just living in the outskirts on an outlying island, a remote place where no one wanted to stay. If I had the money to own a car, buy a dog, eat McDonald's after games, afford to share a cab to Pacific Place, renovate my home, why wouldn't I upgrade my district? Spending my childhood in Wanchai should be a shameful experience. Ap Lei Chau was for new immigrants. Real Hong Kongers all ran their life like monopoly the board game. I must have been from another planet. Otherwise, with all the excess disposable cash I possessed, why didn't I take on a more aggressive mortgage to squeeze and sneak into Old Peak Road, or Robinson Road, or Conduit Road, or even May Road?

Hey, if wearing an esprit shirt reminded you of bambi the deer, like what Ling Lee mentioned in her college application essay, what else was more nonsensical than being mocked and ridiculed for buying a McDonald's full meal after school? I didn't expect having more than 20 HKD in my pocket to spare could spark so much jealousy and bring me such hatred towards my choice of residence in South Horizons. This was Central. This was the urban mentality that they took pride in. This was the most sought after and commercial area of Hong Kong. This was what we called international lifestyle with an open mind. Welcome to 852.

Talking about esprit, I actually wanted to make a statement that the chosen brand was not a random pick or an arbitrary favorite. There was a story behind my every decision. My uncle, Vincent Tsang, was my closest family friend. He was the sole owner of Esprit in the 90s and he sold all his shares to Michael Ying Lee-yun at its peak but he decided to remain rather low-profile ever since. He was also the uncle of my mathematics tutor, Tsang Fei Lung, and Kit Hui who was introduced to my family prior to my transfer to SPCC. So you would know why I said Nelly's reckless dissemination of defamatory slander about my sexual affairs with my maths tutor was an offense to a family friend whom I could not afford to upset. Nelly might think she was intelligent enough to kill two birds with one stone by spreading fake news about me and any opposite sex around. But that could also be Nelly shooting herself in the foot by offending both parties within the already closed and somewhat scanty blue blood circle at once. That was the best she could do. Would it tell you the level of tactics among the students in the most prestigious co-ed school in town?

But I had a bit of a self reflection. I actually wanted to give myself an excuse to forgive their ignorance. I asked myself again and again what the hell had gone wrong? These people attacking my neighborhood were not living at the peak or mid-levels. They were from the shanty areas of Hong Kong. When I studied in St Francis, I was never looked down upon or belittled for where I came from. Perhaps you might not have heard the brand of my alma mater as it remained a local label still. But you should have at least known that Wanchai had long been ranked as Hong Kong's richest district in GDP, surpassing the Southern District and Central Western area.

Wanchai was home to many top schools in town. Out of the 17 high schools in the district, many of them were listed in band 1, including Hong Kong Tang King Po College, Island School, French International School, Marymount Secondary School, Queen's College, Rosaryhill School, Sheng Kung Hui Tang Shiu Kin Secondary School, St. Paul's Convent School, St. Paul's Secondary School, Tang Shiu Kin Victoria Government Secondary School, True Light Middle School of Hong Kong, Wah Yan College Hong Kong and last but not least, St Francis Canossian College.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGBjtYdncFo