The Hong Kong therapy

LEGO in Hong Kong is generally cheaper than that in Singapore. This statement does not apply to collector's sets though. Since relocating to Hong Kong in 2010 for work, I have built up a modest collection here, 26 sets in total and counting. Well, strictly speaking not all the 26 sets were purchased here as some of them were brought back from Singapore where the majority of my collection now resides. I am resisting the temptation to bring more sets here as the boxes seldom survive the trip unscathed.

Hong Kong is not a place known for spacious accommodation. Those living spaces we watched on those TVB series are mostly NOT true so do not be taken in by the over exaggerated living conditions portrayed. I am lucky to have some space to store these 26 boxes, occupying the bottom shelves of 2 Billy book shelves. Last weekend was the first time I assembled all the boxes to do a major spring cleaning, no thanks to the inferior air quality here, saturated with the dust and dirt originated from the adjacent road.

Other than 5 boxes here, the rest have been opened and constructed. In fact, some have already been dismantled to make space for the construction of a new set. A constructed set never goes on display for more than 2 months due to the accumulated dust on them. When the time comes, I took much pleasure in dismantling them brick by brick and sort out the bricks according to the shapes and sizes. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to sort them back to the original packaging which would make re-construction much easier.

I sometimes describe the building and dismantling process of these LEGO Star Wars set as 'therapeutic'.  The pleasure of seeing those little bricks coming together to take the shape of your favorite Star Wars vehicle, appreciating the mechanism and brilliance of the LEGO engineers who designed the sets, celebrating the finished product, these can only be felt when you undergo the whole experience personally. If patience is necessary for building a set, it is even more critical when it comes to dismantling and sorting. LEGO has done such a good job with the quality control that the bricks can sometime be difficult to separate. Despite the aid of the LEGO 'key', I can hardly get through the dismantling process without chipping my finger nails or scratching my palms. Friends who know me for years asked me how I can be so patient as a person. 'LEGO therapy' is probably the most apt answer I can offer.