it seemed like half of hong kong’s tourists showed up for the 8pm show they call symphony of lights along the tsim sha tsui waterfront. it’s a free show, which is obviously why we were there. i erroneously thought it would be some sort of a grand fireworks display but the tourism office staff was kind enough to point out that “no, it’s a laser show.”

so i immediately thought it would be the likes of star wars’ laser sabers — only grander. in my head i dreamed of a starburst of colors and lights dancing against kowloon’s velvet sky. it had to.

suffice it to say i was disappointed. i froze my ass out to watch several buildings light up to the rhythm of some music. it wasn’t anything grand, really. i kept waiting for the climax but all i got was an exposition which somehow progressed to rising action which slid downhill back to exposition again which crawled its way up to rising action again, or so the pattern seemed. oh, well. at least i got to see what all the hype was about.

but, man, you gotta love hong kong for its gorgeous skyline at night. yeah, i know i said i’m not really into looking at buildings but come on, even somebody as jaded as me can appreciate something like this for as long as the cold outdoor weather allows. it’s a nice view. until you start thinking about earthquakes. that thought pretty much ruins everything. but still.