Booster

It's been more than 8 months since my last Covid19 vaccination, based on the studies and anecdotal feedback my antibodies are probably very low right now. Since booster shots are available in Sydney, I decided it probably is a good time to get the booster.

Given the meteoric rise in cases, it looks like I'm not the only one looking to get the jab. Hundreds of people flocking to the Olympic Park site to get protected. I waited around 90 minutes for the jab. 

Update, this third jab, like the second jab really knocked me out. The side-effects kicked in around the 24 hour mar: feverish, tiredness and muscle aches. Felt worse than the second jab; Could be the fact that I went with Moderna. What a way to spend a day off.

Two more weeks and I'll be at maximum protection, at least in theory.

Omicron: Change of plans

A new variant has been detected in South Africa, the Omicron strand. As such, all travellers to Hong Kong from countries with local Omicron transmission will be 3 weeks quarantine. Unfortunately, I had only booked my hotel quarantine for two weeks. I'm now on a waitlist to extend the hotel for one week. Unfortunately, this change of quarantine requirement has taken a lot of Christmas holidayers by surprise.

Category A - three weeks Rebooked for Feb 3rd - I get another month here in Sydney!

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202111/29/P2021112900754.htm

Sydney

Back in Sydney after almost two years. It's nice to be back!

Baby Charlie

New parents. New grandparents. New uncle!

80%

 As per Channel 9 news: "Friday, October 15: NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has said 'Sydney and NSW is now open for business' after announcing the abolishing of hotel and home quarantine for international arrivals on November 1"

https://www.9news.com.au/videos/health/quarantine-a-thing-of-the-past-for-nsw-travellers/ckurkwk53000l0imno7hmnley

Tropical Storm Lionrock

Typhoon Lionrock remains memorable for two reasons. One it's one of the longest tropical typhoons to hit the city, with the signal 8 warning being hoisted for a record 22 hours (most typhoons come and go within the space of hours, sometimes they can go for 12 hours). The public had previous experience, with the countless lockdowns, staying indoors for 22 hours was but a piece of cake. I however, was not one of those people who would stay indoors for the duration. Which brings me to, Two. Lionrock is the only time I've ventured out and left my apartment during a T8. The typhoon had actually already passed the main part of Hong Kong, however, for precaution reasons, the signal isn't lowered until wind speeds have come back within reason across the entire SAR. 

Had a mate in town, it was my birthday, so if there was any night to head out on a Typhoon, it would be tonight. The problem with T8 is the lack of taxis. Ended up waking home to Happy Valley from Central, which usually isn't too bad, except when the rain is coming in sideways. Shoes very wet.

Update: Two days later Typhoon Kampasu hits Hong Kong. 

Live with covid, state of mind

Originally labelled as a "Stroll out" due to the apparent lack of urgency with the Australian Covid response, the Australian public has responded in tremendous fashion to the draconian lock downs where New South Wales now stands at 82% of the eligible population having received at least one dose of the vaccine. The adoption and willingness to get vaccinated has been labelled as one of the fasted globally. Australia has also abandoned the notion of a "Zero Covid" country and conceded that for the country to move forward it has to adopt a "live with covid" approach, which can only succeed if majority of the population is fully vaccinated. Majority in this case has a number, that number is 80%. If forecasts are to be believed, NSW should reach this milestone by the end of October, with the entire country slightly behind NSW with early November target date. 

Selfishly, this is all very encouraging news for me - those dates, although touch-and-go, do align quite closely with my existing flights. There is also speculation around changing the Australian quarantine rules for inbound passengers, with a new pilot scheme being tested as we speak. Again, it's still early to tell, but things are moving in the right direction. 

I have joined a forum called "Aussie Expats Coming Home", which I will say is an excellent resource for Australians trying to get back home. Lots of posts sharing experiences with quarantine, flights and changes in policy affect Australians overseas. Unfortunately, there are countless stories of people having flights canceled as their flights draw closer. At times it can be difficult to read with some people in less fortunate positions than I. There are some who are desperate to visit sick relatives, or are looking to repatriate back home, terminating rental, quitting jobs etc. Where a canceled flight results in a delay of their plans for up to 2-3 months. 

So I wait here, and will just have to see what happens. As of writing, this week people have posted news of early October ticket cancelations. Two weeks before the flight seems to be the sweet spot when tickets are canceled. For me, that means between now and mid October is when, and if I get that dreaded email. As November draws closer, I am fear the sight of an email from Singapore Airlines with regards to my flight. Fingers crossed!

Top and tail

It's dawned on me that I'm coming to that age where suddenly, I qualify for a new set of health checks. A new set of concerns that "people at my age" need to be "aware of", and "checking for". What this means is that there are new scans, or probes or fingers that were never part of the medical interactions. If 2020 was the year of mental health, then 2021 the year of physical health.  

I've now seen a Cardiologist, for the Premature Ventricular Contractions. A Haematologist, for errant low White Blood Cell counts (this proved to be nothing to be concerned of). Most recently I have no added a Gastroenterologist to the list because I've been spooked with all the cancer talk of late and the hereditary concern of colon cancer. Warning, this post is not fun.

The thing about a Gastroenterologist, is that for any diagnosis to be given, they kind of need to put a camera into your stomach (Gastroscopy/endoscopy), and/or the same for your colon (colonoscopy). The problem then lies with the state of the internals for them to get a "clear picture", your insides also need to be "clear" or "clean". What this essentially means is medical grade laxatives to clear the pipes so that the specialist can go in and inspect the innards without obfuscation from food, or waste. So what does this look like?

For the days before the procedure, you are prescribed a low residual diet, that contains minimal fibre and with food that is easily digestible. I interpret this as no consumption of fruit and vegetables but lots of white rice and white carbs. Essentially this translates to toast and congee for 2 days. I'm given a "loosener" and half doses of Picoprep to start the clearing out 3 and 2 days before the eve of. Then for the 24 hours before the procedure, it's a liquid-only diet followed by a night-before purge courtesy of Klean-Prep. The Picoprep is gentle, 125 mls of solution. The Klean-prep is aggressive, 4 litres over 2 hours (6-8 pm). Initially my bowels don't feel like they're responding, then at around 9, it kicks in. My bowels calm down around 11, and I'm exhausted and ready for bed.

This isn't the first time I've experienced laxative, think Peru. However, I will say the low fibre diet definitely makes it more bearable (not entirely sure, why this wasn't prescribed in the Andes), but still, I'm glad this is something that isn't part of the annual health checks. No water from now until the end of the procedure.

I check in to Adventist hospital at 7 am. I'm "upgraded" from a "semi-private room" to a "private room" and for a moment there's a flutter of what it feels like to be upgraded for a flight, or a hotel room. Reality settles in. Second time in 12 months I've been at this hospital. I meet the Specialist and the Anaesthesiologist, the procedure is explained to me and within moments I'm lying on my side, drinking a solution and biting on a mouth guard before drifting off to sleep. After 40 minutes I'm being woken up. Other than being thirsty, I think that went pretty fast. The hardest part was the prep. That was less than easy. 

I'm made to drink some water, have some food and go bathroom, after 2 hours I'm discharged with a bill and a small coloured sample. I've been given a sample for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) test. I'm supposed to see if this changes colour from orange to pink after 24 hours indicating a presence of this bacteria in my gut.

Update: this did not change colour.

TMC

With the recent acquisition at work, employees have been advised that our current medical insurance coverage will be updated to align it with industry standards. Basically, downgraded. We, have had one of the most comprehensive coverages available and it comes as no surprised that this is one of the employee benefits to be withdrawn. So as I look through the list of benefits and coverage items I put together a list of appointments to be made before our plan expires later this year. Examples include: dentist, optometrist, physiotherapist as well as other specialists that I have accumulated over the last couple of years. One item that appears on almost all Hong Kong-based Medical Insurance is coverage for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). 

The challenge for TCM, for me and for foreigners is trying to find a practitioner who can speak English. Turns out there's a slightly premium for those who can translate the concepts Chinese Medicine to foreigners. After some recommendations from colleagues and some research I eventually land on a TCM in Central. 

The first thing they ask you is "What can I do for you?", unsure how to verbally articulate "I want to maximise my medical insurance before it expires", I eventually land on "Digestion, tiredness and poor sleep", which for the most part are conditions that I have been experiencing lately. This is what they call "General Maintenance". 

The consult includes checking of the pulse, the tongue, the abdomen, some of the lymph nodes. The different pulse checks are interesting, checking on both the left and right side. Interestingly enough, they identify differences in the left leg and the right shoulder, which are both recent injuries; something to do with blood flow and circulation. I'm told that I'm "Cold" and "Damp" and need to remove this with tonics and acupuncture. I'm prescribed a 4 week plan, which requires 4 consults, 4 sessions and daily herbal tonics. Watch this space.

Covid updates

It's been one month since I booked my flights to Sydney. The headline news is that, covid is running riot through parts of Sydney and the city remains in lockdown. As a result, the Australian government has once again slashed the number of allowed inbound passengers from 6000 to 3000 per week. In addition, the process to leave Australian Shores for Australians has changed with the introduction of a new approval to depart. Hong Kong has also responded to the current state in Australia, with the reclassification of Australia to a 'medium risk' country.  Things are becoming more difficult.

So what does this all mean? 

From a flight perspective, suddenly there are no more available flights to Australia and there's a high chance my existing flight, or at least my ticket might actually be canceled. Secondly, I need to look into the approval process to leave the country, depending on how strict this process is, there's a chance they might decline my reasons to return to Hong Kong. Finally, travellers from Medium Risk countries are now required to fulfil a 14 day quarantine period. So quarantine from Australia has moved from 7 days back to 14 days of hotel quarantine. All these things are not ideal.

A "Virtual" Funeral

There's no eloquent prose or philosophical way to start this entry. The Covid virtual series continues, as we move through the events: Weddings, Graduations, Celebrations and now, mourning. It's particularly difficult dealing with death in a virtual world. There is a certain celebratory perspective of one's life and post-event coming-together with people from the past, people inextricably linked by memories and friendships of a common person. Death is not something that I have avoided, family and loved ones have passed, funerals have been attended, lives have been mourned. However Frank's passing jolts the system on very personal, intimate level. 

We met in first or second year university. An over-achiever (unlike myself) who enrolled in a double degree of Science and Engineering. It was really in the third year of university where I got to know him. Hailing from China, meant that he ate everything. Everything (he used to eat crab shells). Growing up in New Zealand, mean that he supported the All Blacks. A double STEM degree, meant that he was a nerd. I say this affectionately, as he was diligent, but made getting good grades look effortless. He was intelligent, but made friends with all.

There's really two ways to get to know somebody in University, either through extra-curricular or through studying for exams and actively contributing for group assignments. As a student, it's the sharing these moments of desperation, struggle and accountability in the student environment that forges friendships. I look through my USYD emails and see the joint assignments we worked on together. We lived in adjacent suburbs and we would start driving each other from school. He in his Black Honda CRV, me in the red Toyota Corolla (although he drove a lot more than I did). In 2004 we would both receive Internship offers at Toshiba in 2004. 

That three-four month internship would include endless hours carpooling to and from work. Talking shit. Battling horrendous traffic. Eating and hanging out at Macquarie Park, Eastwood, Chinatown and Campsie. Attempts to motivate each other to go to the gym before work. Dropping me home before driving back out to pick up Vanessa. Going for drinks after work, going "clubbing" on weekends. The transition of being a student moving into full time employment and from one chapter to the next is something that I hold dear and something that I share with very few people. Frank would complete his studies and move to Honeywell and eventually pursue a Part-time MBA, I would move to London. In 2010 Frank and Vanessa got married, I was asked to be a groomsman, I could not make it back to Sydney for the wedding.

The years passed, we kept in touch. I moved to Hong Kong, he moved to Singapore. We would catch up in Asia before he eventually moved back to Sydney to start a family. He joined a new firm as CTO. He had two beautiful boys. He had scaled the heights personally and professionally. Fifteen months ago I heard he had been diagnosed with Stomach Cancer. Two months ago I heard he had been moved into palliative care. The shock of palliative care lessens the blow. It's so final. So indisputable. 

The tributes and memories on today's service was beautiful. Character descriptions of "intelligent", "awesome", "inspirational", "hard working", "focused", "inclusive", "successful" and "loving" are the adjectives that turned up time and time again. It makes you wonder what will people remember you for? How did you make others feel? The final anecdote, where Frank said he didn't want morphine because he wanted to keep a sharp mind as he recorded messages for his two boys for the future. That just sums it all up. On the 27th July 2021, Frank said goodbye. Today we said thank you and goodbye. Goodbye friend, you will be missed.

"In my heart is where I'll keep you friend" - Diddy

Freebies

There are a handful of franchises/chains that get me excited to travel. Some of these include: KFC (in Australia), Donut King, Oportos, In and out, Chick-fil-A, Krispy Kreme and Cinnabon; this is by no means a comprehensive list and I'm sure if I spent more time I could easily build on this list. 

In any case, the exciting news that warrants a post is that Cinnabon has finally opened in Causeway Bay, which is exactly 15 minutes walk from my apartment. I've walked past this store and seen the "Coming soon" sign, the slow renovation and finally, the grand opening. 

The sugar rushes to my head as the euphoria subsides.

Zero covid, state of mind

I've been keeping an eye on the Australian Border control and the inventory of flights to and from Sydney. At this point in time, it doesn't look like there's any way around the two week arrival quarantine into Australia. The restricted number of travellers currently stands at 6000 people per week into Australia. Airlines have been allocated quota and control the flow of arrivals. Hong Kong has currently categorised Australia and New Zealand as low risk, so the return quarantine back into Hong Kong is currently 7 days. At the time of writing parts of Sydney and NSW have been in lock down for a few weeks in attempt to contain the Delta Variant.

Unfortunately, without spending a small fortune there's no listed direct flights. So with that in mind, I've pulled the trigger and purchased indirect flights via Singapore back to Sydney for early November. Depending on how the situation plays out it gives me some optionality. If circumstances change, then at least there's an option to return home later this year.

The norm

Hong Kong has clicked back into gear, despite the poor vaccination rates, majority of the city has re opened. Venues operate with the standard restrictions however the social calendar resembles one of old. Invites for farewells, weddings, junks, birthdays, bachelor/hen parties, baby showers are reappearing in social calendars. The good thing is, most people are in town so 100% attendance is common. 

There is a slight distortion of time, the weeks are the same, each day of the week is exactly as the same as the previous week. It's almost like a groundhog-week. The 2021 calendar has slowly filled up and slowly there's more and more things to look forward to - this has made the year feel incredibly slow, but I also can't believe it's already the end of June. 

Malaysian food

 

Weddings

 Finally, a non-virtual event.

Sleep aids

The apartment is so noisy. I've loaded up on things to make the sleep experience easier. Eye masks, ear plugs, new mattress. 

Fully vaccinated

 

Settling into the new hood

After 16 months I finally have a bed frame - it's funny how we adapt to a way of living that would be considered non-practical. I would argue not having a bed frame is pretty practical, but then the judgemental eyes that see a mattress sitting directly on the floor would suggest otherwise. Found a pretty nice second-hand bed frame, 800 HKD for the bed, 800 for the movers. Moving is big business here in Hong Kong.

Here's a couple of snaps from the new apartment. (T-B) Outdoor terrace with feature wall, my Taobao standing desk, mattress on the floor in bedroom without curtains, kitchen, bed with bedframe in bedroom with curtains. 

New home

After 14 months in Sai Ying Pun, it's time to move East. It's funny, moving from Soho to Sai Ying Pun, I literally had 10-15 boxes worth of possessions and a mattress (that I need to replace). Now I have 20 boxes, a mattress (that I still need to replace) and a stack of furniture. Consequently the cost of moving has gone up to 5K HKD (~650 USD). 

Initial thoughts, I am loving the apartment and the new suburb. There's a big BUT though, it's SO NOISY. Not sure if I'll be able to survive 12 months.