Pause and Reflect

Hong Kong is one of my favourite cities. There is just something so wonderfully unique about this tiny, bustling metropolis. The bright lights, constrasting against the backdrop of towering hills, draw me in from the moment that I land. The obsession with food, shopping, and "fro-yo" projects a very endearing air. I thrive in the buzz of the city. I love the place. Beneath all of this, however, the real intrigue of Hong Kong lies in the island's powerful identity. Nothing embodies this more than the pictures we have seen these past few weeks. In Hong Kong, you have a city that is so incredibly proud of what it has become, and so incredibly proud of what it now is not. This is not a city in China. This is Hong Kong. Its own place destined to be separate from the constraints of Beijing. A democratic city where its residents are free to express their views. An important and influential financial district, which gains increasing international importance with each day. The U...

I spent a part of my summer this year debating feminism with some friends. Sitting on a veranda in beautiful Hvar, these girl friends of mine passionately spoke about their point of view that women are still suffering from fewer opportunities in our day-to-day life. As they spoke, I could see that unspoken thought in our male friends' eyes: here go those man hating women on their rant again. I carefully listened to what the girls had to say, but I couldn't relate. I have always considered myself a supporter of feminist movements overseas, as I believe women definitely do not have equal rights in developing countries, and that must change. Girls don't have the right to an education, girls are not accepted in families, girls are forced to marry young, girls face sexual and physical abuse. The list goes on. One only needs to look at all of the media coverage coming out of India recently to see that basic liberties for women just do not exist in these countries. But here, in t...