Macao Bridge Half Marathon

First run of the year. Really enjoyable race, along the 55 km Macao-Zhuhai Bridge, this Half Marathon takes you 11 km across the border and then brings you back. Fun course, not oversubscribed, long declines, challenging climbs. Sunrise, and airplanes. Only issue, it's an early start. Get to Asia World Expo by 6 to get a bus out to the start line. What more could you want?

Mis-timed my fuelling, was on PB time until I bonked around the 18 km mark, 4 gels not enough. Official time 1:45:25. Happy with that all things considered.

 

DNA Tour: Backstreet Boys

Third-wheeling in Hong Kong, what a fun, unexpected evening. Highlight include the diversity of the crowds, local aunties, school kids, domestic helpers, tourists, expats all jamming out to the Backstreet Boys.

John Legend

The year is 2004. It's the year that I hear about John Legend. The Get Lifted LP was on repeat. I had the Ordinary People sheet music and was trying to learn how to play it on keyboard. The first time I saw him perform live was at Metro Theatre on George Street. He performed to a small, intimate, 300 plus crowd. The crowd sang along to the majority of his songs. He was of course an up-and-comer at the time with a smaller discography.

Fourteen years later, he's performing in Hong Kong. I'm always apprehensive about Hong Kong concerts. Majority of the crowds (in my experience) are at these events to say that they were at the event versus being there for the music. Dilettantes of culture, as opposed to fans of the artist. Or perhaps things are just different in Hong Kong. The irony is, I had stopped listening to his music and wasn't familiar with his latest work. I am part of the problem.

My plus one had been hospitalised and an SOS was sent out by a friend to find me a last minute plus one. Mr Stephens still puts on a show, he belted out his big hits, dipped heavily into Get Lifted and the songs he collaborated on as well as the off cover. The last minute plus-one knew the lyrics and it was one of the better concerts I've been to in recent times. The man still knows how to put on a show!

"How can I blame you; For taking over my daydreams?" - John Legend

August: Week in review

It has been a very interesting last couple of days. My 6 months of unemployment sadly comes to an end with my first week at work. It's nice to have a little routine back in my life and the difficulties of waking up each day slowly returns. Starting a new job is always the most tedious period. Learning about the different functions that each person contributes and the interaction they will eventually have with your role. Making first impressions and gauging personality types and of course just remembering people's names. I'm terrible with people's names and the problem with starting a new job is that you meet so many people in a short period of time. Thankfully I've been given a seating chart with all the names. Then there's the hassle of setting up email/access accounts and just getting used to the system. At the end of the first week I still don't have a computer. An IT professional without a PC, I'm good, but I'm not that good.

Work aside, I have finally opened a Hong Kong bank account and applied for my HKID. Still, there's so many outstanding things that I need to sign up for. This week also marks my very first live performance in Hong Kong, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Surprisingly entertaining gig and almost every single expat in Hong Kong made the journey out to Asia World Expo to see them live.

In other parts of the world, the UK has been hit by a ravaging gang of morons wrecking havoc through London 'burbs. Quite a surreal feeling hearing about areas in London and seeing images on the news. Meanwhile in the United States, America has had its Credit Rating downgraded to AA+, first time since 1941. This has rocked economic confidence which has reflected in the global markets. Quite an interesting start to the new role with a broker.

"Where I go I just don't know, I got to got to gotta take it slow" - Red Hot Chilli Peppers