Tsing Yi

This year my employer has launched a new imaging initiative. It includes a name changes and complete rebranding of the firm. Part of this image make over is a new global volunteer program. It's a little bit of a popularity contest with all the MDs in the firm trying to get the most number of volunteers for their planned programs. So far our Hong Kong office has had: Packing freight containers for Africa, Cleaning South Bay and more recently spending a day with the elderly. I helped with the freight containers and decided I would also mingle with the elderly.

The residents here spend their time in shared dorms, some have family, some exhibiting mild senility, a lot however are quite old and too frail to walk. The morning was spent meeting the residents and learning the intricacies of manning a wheelchair. We took them through the Tsing Yi Park and for a sumptuous Yum Cha lunch. Funnily enough, communication wasn't the biggest issue here. My Cantonese is shocking but the hardest challenge was that my lady didn't seem to be in the mood for socialising or eating. The other caretakers explained to me that she was in a grumpy mood and even their attempts to strike up conversation with her were met with the silent treatment. Thankfully I managed to squeeze a smile out of her towards the end and I knew then my efforts weren't completely fruitless.

Australia

It's safe to say that weddings usually dictate my Australian visits. Given that this is the period in our lives where people are tying the knot, you can almost always expect a handful of invites throughout the course of the year. The hard part is deciding which to attend, obviously you want to attend them all, but this isn't feasible. The upside of these ceremonies is that it makes it easier to catch up with people. Lots of people in one place always makes reacquainting easier.

The groom, a close friend from University, who now when I think back has been through a lot with me. He was kind enough to let me stay with his family in Vietnam during our "End of University" South East Asia trip,  during this trip we discussed our interests to move to Europe and surely enough a few years later we were both living in London. He moved back after his Working Holiday expired to be with his now wife. It was a no-brainer that I would return for his Wedding. It was my first "Westie" wedding, held in Crystal Palace which was a massive affair. With over 500 attendees and with enough food and alcohol to host an awards night it was a spectacular night.

It had been a good six months since I was back and decided to make a trip out of it. Headed up to Queensland's Great Barrier Reef where I spent a few days unwinding and taking my mind off the mess of living in Hong Kong. Introduced to my first Scuba Diving experience (Loved it, will have to get my open water some time). This trip also coincided with my 30th Birthday, secretly I was happy to be escaping the craziness of Hong Kong, as I know how a birthday party ends up in LKF. Albert kindly arranged a surprised birthday down in the city. I was suspicious but the turn out genuinely shocked me. Uni friends, family friends, cousins, parents, couldn't have asked for a better 30th!

Great trip, really enjoyed my time back home. Home cooked food, familiar faces, great weather and fresh air. The house is so quiet without Sam kind of eerie in a sense. This was one of the first times I thought about returning back home to Sydney.

Early Birthday Present

Sister was visiting Hong Kong in the wake of Singapore F1 so we ventured over to Tsim Sha Tsui to get some shopping action going. Actually, we were looking for a guitar leg rest for my dad and headed over to Hong Kong's largest music store, Tom Lee Music.

Unfortunately, we couldn't really find any stands. I did however pick up a Ukulele, 1200 HKD (~150 AUD) purchased on a whim and in appreciation of YouTube uke sensations.