it's rude to stare

i have something to gripe about.
i notice that many people in HK like to stare. at other people. and no, i'm not talking about "guys checking out girls"-type of staring. it's the "gee, you look different, so i'm going to stare at you"-kind.

i've caught so many people staring at me in HK, mostly other women, both around my age and older. i'm sure they don't mean to be rude, but i find it rude, especially if i catch them staring at me and defiantly look them back in the eye, and they keep staring back at me intently. AND they'll look me up and down and continue staring! sometimes after i look away several times, each time when i look back i'd find their eyes still locked on me. i'm sorry, but that's rude!

it's happened many times on the subway. one time, a woman across from me was talking to her friend next to her, but kept looking me up and down. i tried staring back at her, but she kept looking back at me and talking. at one point, she whispered to her friend and laughed while looking at me. call me paranoid, but it made me feel like she was making fun of me in some way. how rude.

last weekend, i was jogging in a park on a track where a lady stood nearby, and she was watching me as i was approaching. she looked me up and down, then proceeded to stare point-blank at me. i stared back in a "what are you staring at?"-way (i'm still jogging, mind you), but she just kept staring straight at me. finally i looked away and jogged past her. dude, i'm all tired and sweaty while trying to jog, i don't need to be engaging in a staring contest!

some people here probably stare because they're just curious or bored, or don't even realize that they're doing it. i'm sure they aren't trying to be rude, but i hate it and it makes me feel self-conscious and uncomfortable, especially when they're looking me up and down and whispering and all that sh*t. normally if you're harmlessly staring at someone and they catch you and your eyes meet, you'd look away rather than stare them down, right? i don't get it...

in NYC, it's an unspoken rule that staring at other people is a no-no. people who catch you staring at them on the subway or bus might make a face or even yell at you. i must've gotten used to their mentality of "it's rude to stare". apparently some people here in HK have never heard of it, or don't care.