Autumn

"Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever" (superchan7)
10/20/2018 at 18:21 • Filed to: Alfa Romeo, 4c, California, Northern California

One thing that I like about my neighbourhood is the thick blanket of seasonal trees. By Californian suburbia standards, it looks spectacular at this time of year.

DISCUSSION (18)

PyramidHat > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
10/20/2018 at 18:37

Willow Glen area?

sony1492 > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
10/20/2018 at 18:37

“California" is a broad term, there's tons of spectacular forest

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > PyramidHat
10/20/2018 at 18:43

Close, Campbell/Saratoga side

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > sony1492
10/20/2018 at 18:43

Bay Area suburbia.

Svend > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
10/20/2018 at 19:22

Confused.

‘California’

Then the use of ‘autumn’ and ‘neighbourhood’ with a ‘u’.

I'm assuming your not American.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Svend
10/20/2018 at 20:16

And to confuse you further, I’m yellow.

I’m from one of those ex-colony things. I don’t do British slang, though. They don’t teach that in the colonies.

Svend > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
10/20/2018 at 20:31

Got ya, Cantonese!?

Amoore100 > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
10/20/2018 at 20:35

Country Lane?

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Amoore100
10/20/2018 at 20:41

Yeah, are you around or away?

Amoore100 > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
10/20/2018 at 21:02

Very much away, about 1000 miles so! Spent a lot of summer near Country Lane, though; totally recognize the streets!

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Svend
10/20/2018 at 21:54

Yeah. Sufferer of Special Administrative Region Syndrome.

Svend > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
10/20/2018 at 22:18

I’ve few Cantonese acquaintances who will angrily say, ‘I speak Chinese, I am not Chinese. I am from Hong Kong, I am British.

Our family watched the hand over ceremony with many of us recounting experiences of going there.

I only heard the other day there is a 50 year period where China won’t take direct authority, I thought if the last few years hasn’t been direct authority, God help them when the 50 years is over.

What are you doing stateside? Student, family, etc...?

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Svend
10/20/2018 at 22:40

I live and work in California.

I was there during the handover and I visit every year as my family is all there.

You’re correct, HK (formally the HKSAR as I joked about earlier) gets 50 years of self-government in all areas except military and foreign affairs, but politically China seeks to align HK with the mainland to prevent the establishment of foreign bases (the same reason it acts so aggressively to contain Taiwan’s international space). The presence of the Chinese army (a special elite unit separate from the rest) is restricted to the military areas formerly operated by the RAF.

Honestly I think HK’s biggest problems are internal. Some official across the border will say something inflammatory from time to time, but IMO everything bad/controversial that happens in HK is their own damn fault. People there love to spread rumours (the media makes it worse) about Beijing doing this and that, but nobody has any proof and it’s all reading too much between the lines.

The biggest problem, as in any major city, is affordable housing. HK does too much to protect its property developer oligarchy. You can wrestle control of the housing market like Singapore is famously successful for, but nobody in HK wants that kind of authoritarian government either.

Svend > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
10/20/2018 at 23:15

I think there is a general fear of China trying to impose much further and take control that nobody wants to lose any ground for fear that if it does turn out bad, they won’t be able to go back.

Many have first hand experience of living in mainland China and they don't want to see Hong Kong go that way.

DipodomysDeserti > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
10/21/2018 at 04:01

Knock all those walls down and you’d have a beautiful street. Or kick the people out who want to have walls around their front yard.

NYankee1927 > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
10/21/2018 at 09:16

I was gonna guess Willow Glen too. That’s where we are.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > DipodomysDeserti
10/21/2018 at 15:31

That’s a backyard and the McMansion looks a bit out of place in the mostly older 1-storey block.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > NYankee1927
10/21/2018 at 16:55

We have enough for a gang, sounds like.