nick’s (n)-line life

A strange things has been happening in China & Hong Kong in recent days. A new sort of Politics is taking shape: the kind that shifts and moves before one’s eyes; the kind that can be hard to pin down or define; and the kind that appears to be largely subjective. One might go as [...]

As the days tick down towards the four-month anniversary of my departure from the UK, I find myself reflecting on the way things have turned out. In spite of all the difficulties things seem to have gone remarkably well. It is no exaggeration to say that a new chapter of my life has opened-up [...]

After several months living in limbo at my parents place I’m finally back in Hong Kong. It’s nearly a year since I was last here but things carry on much the same. So it is that I find in a down-trodden Jordan room, cigarette in-hand, with Nathan Road’s traffic-noise providing the background ambiance.
This entry [...]

The Site
nick’s n-line life is an ongoing account of the experiences, thoughts, and irrationalities of Nick Cook. The site's content retains a strong focus on China and SE Asia with a dash of technology and ongoing contemplations on the Human Rights movement.
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My college were kind enough to award me a travel grant over the summer.Following my return, the College asked me to produce a written report of my summer and I thought I’d post a copy here for general interest: Travel Grant Report (PDF format)
Photos From the Summer

Hong Kong

China

Northern Laos

Luang Prabang

Central Laos

Cambodia, General

Housebuilding Laos

Thailand

[not all [...]

(Via BWG) Hong Kong journalist Chip Tsao has commented that
In this day and age [Hong Kong women] have to be careful when choosing a gweilo [foreigner; lit: "foreign devil"]. They no longer have cars or property. You might end up stepping on a penniless landmine. It’s too much to sacrifice for a passport.

It’s sad [...]

[pre-dated entry]
Kunming is cold. Not cold like England, admittedly but still cold. If England was an ice cube pressed against the back of your neck then Kunming would be a wet flannel to the forehead. Trust me, after the turbo-charged sauna that is Canton province this is cold enough to notice! Enough that I spent [...]