Monday night blues

There is a moment of confusion when you're suddenly CC'd into an existing email thread. The confusion is magnified when you see a large list of email addresses and you have to scroll down to see the initial seed message. Sometimes if you're lucky, the agenda of the chain is obvious - this email thread read "Monday night Touch Football @ Happy Valley". Monday nights would never be the same.

Hypothetically speaking, if I could engineer a perfect start to a week it would incorporate the elements of Monday Night football at Happy Valley. 8 pm, a group of 20+ people head down to Happy Valley Racecourse for a social game of pick up football. Let's breakdown why this works. 

Firstly, it's Monday, and nobody looks forward to Monday. Any Hong Kong denizen will tell you that weekends in the Administrative Region are usually quite destructive; excess alcohol and consumption leave most feeling less than 100%. Combine that with the thought of having to endure another 5 days until the next weekend and Mondays really lack the redeeming qualities found in the other days. 

One way to rectify the Monday slump is with exercise. Touch football is less about football and more about cardio. Don't let the adjectives "social" and "pickup" fool you. It's 60 mins of high intensity movements: sprinting, changing levels, moving laterally and constant back-peddling. My first night was a shock to my cardio-vascular system. The lungs, the lactic acid, my body was red-lining and exposed to some severe stress.

Secondly, the group of people who participate are really awesome people. Admittedly majority of them are Australian, but you do get the odd, English, South African and Hong Kong local. Best part is, you always get the odd random person who was "walking by and decided to have a go".

Finally, it's not just about the sports but more about the post game feed. On the first night I made the mistake of ordering a water and a grilled chicken salad. As anticipated, as soon as my order was brought out it received raised eyebrows and silent judgement. Healthy food has it's place, Monday night is not that place. I've since adopted a more rewarding/satisfying meal plan, some ale and a hamburger with a side of fries and a slathering of tomato sauce. Is Monday the new Friday?

"You don't win friends with salad" - Homer Simpson

Wash before use

Not the worst thing that I've found in my salad.

The Shaolin Mafia

Dragon Dash, a unique urban challenge for charity that takes you across Hong Kong in search for "The Dragon" (reference, official website). The description appealed in many ways, it was spoke to me and my insecurities. It (the description) knew the selfishness of Hong Kong life and the self-centred drive of the Hong Kong local. It also knew that I had probably seen less than 20% of Hong Kong and that I was more than happy living within the confines of my Hong Kong Island bubble. It was a no-brainer, and took very little convincing to assemble our team of five, the Shaolin Mafia.

The maximum team size for the event was five people, with the restriction of at least one female and at least one male. The Shaolin Mafia, 2 males and 3 females were up early on the Saturday morning and ready to find 'The Dragon' with the team moto "Let's not come last". The event turnout was amazing, a sea of red t-shirts converged in Admiralty for the start of the event. Smartphones would be a requirement with the clues and guidance being streamed to each team via the mobile site.

I really wish I had documented the day better, the reality of it all was that it was a mad, frantic rush around Hong Kong. We found ourselves looking for clues in Admiralty, Mongkok, Ngau Tau Kok, Kowloon Walled City, North Point and Happy Valley. The clues ranged from "Tall Africans", to Hello Kitty trinkets, novelty ties, photo challenges, running around MTR stations, fruit challenges, 3-point challenges, physical activities, planking, looking for buskers, steps, so many steps, counting challenges, reading plaques, decoding riddles and plenty of trains, cabs and steps.

Excellent day, tremendous amount of fun, laughter, moments of stress, defeat and elation all done with a close group of friends. After what appeared to be a tragic start we somehow rallied and managed to come in 3rd place. The elation was short lived when we, well, I realised that I had dropped the tie along the way - We had been disqualified! 

One of these is not like the other

I woke up this morning with beer and the latest issue of National Geographic in my fridge. There were also new messages on my phone "God I hope you're alright", "I'm changing now" and "What are you doing?". Most people, if presented with this scenario would be slightly perplexed, and I will be honest, it took me a few moments to realise what was going on here. Conflicted with choice, I grabbed the milk (why I had originally opened the fridge) and the Nat Geo. The magazine was crisp and cold, it felt sterile and new, I momentarily considered storing all of my literature in the fridge. Sanity prevailed and I sat down and ate my oats whilst replaying the events of the prior evening. 

It all started at the Sevva rooftop bar. We, our team, were celebrating the recent marriage of a colleague. Mid Autumn had just passed and as expected, the weather was cooler, making for a lovely evening to be amongst the Hong Kong Skyline. I received a message from a girl, it contained a picture of butterfly in a jar, childhood innocence or animal cruelty? I wasn't sure, I was four beers deep and toasting with a glass of champagne. It was also Friday and Friday's are hands down the best day of the week. Turns out the butterfly in a jar was a present for her friend's house warming party.

Drinks eventually turned to into dinner and dinner turned into home time. It was still early, and I walked home feeling rather proud that I wasn't drunk and that it was still before midnight. It also felt a little unusual going home so early, I immediately began to plan my day knowing that the Shaolin Mafia were about to take on Dragon Dash the following day (see next post for explanation). 

New message alert, it's another message from Butterfly Girl asking if I want to come to the house warming party. Why not, the party is in Sheung Wan and it's still early. Realising that I can't show up empty handed I walk into the nearest 7/11 and grab some alcohol; beers. Perusing the store, I look for a suitable house warming gift. Cantonese Music DVDs, Umbrellas, Condoms, Chewing Gum, Chinese Gossip Magazines, I grab the National Geographic. Shortly after, that undeniable feeling, I'm lost, call it coincidence but her phone battery has also died, I wander Bonham Strand for the better part of 5 minutes and realise the futility of it all. It's just after midnight, I open a beer and head home.

"I hate these blurred lines" - Robin Thicke

Absolutely Rental (Part 2)

A few months ago I received a message from my real estate agent, it was sent on behalf of my landlord. The message stated that my lease would be ending in October and that the landlord would allow me to extend my contract. The catch being, that a rate rise of 10% would be incurred. I told them I would consider the offer and let them know my decision by the end of September.

My current apartment is great, the location, the finishings for the price was good value. However, there were little things that annoyed me: the en-suite, the lack of storage, the small-ish kitchen and I was starting to get a bit bored of the neighbourhood. I decided that I would explore the market and see 'what else was out there'. I contacted my reliable agents from two years ago and embarked on what would be my second most testing experience with Hong Kong property.

Forty viewings in, I was reminded of the nightmarish Hong Kong rental market. Despite expanding my search to Causeway Bay and Wan Chai the extra districts proved to be fruitless. It was my last viewing that convinced me to stay at my current apartment. I was scheduled to see an apartment after work. The landlord was currently staying in the apartment and an appointment had to be made. I arranged a viewing with the agent at 7 pm.

Having escaped work early we managed to get to the apartment early at 6:50, we proceeded upstairs and found the front door ajar. How odd. The agent knocked on the door, "hello?". No answer, again we knocked and as we pushed the door open the landlord greeted us at the door. She was wearing nothing but a robe (that she was busily tying up) and a sheepish look on her face. "Uh, hi" she said, "welcome, come in". We walked in and immediately down the corridor to the left was the bedroom, I stuck my head in and saw a stark naked guy on the bed, he was frantically putting clothes on. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on here.

Shocked, I pretended to ask questions about the apartment. "So how do you find the size of the kitchen?" (Who shows somebody around an apartment in a satin robe?). "You mentioned that this place is completely furnished? Including the sofa, and erh, the bed?" (The very bed where that naked dude was lying?). "Twenty Two thousand per month?" (I need to get out of here!). "Let me think about it, and get back to you" (Screw this!). Upon leaving I messaged my agent and told him I would accept the new terms and conditions. Looks like I'll be here for at least another 12 months!

The Reception - Sydney

During the last two-and-a-half years living in Hong Kong I have returned to Sydney a handful of times. Each and every visit has been tied to a wedding. The wedding is the proverbial stone that kills two birds. Bird #1, I attend the wedding of close friends. Bird #2, there's a a high chance that the wedding draws together common friends from Sydney, making it an excellent place to reminisce and of course, catch up.

Sydney trips share the same theme for all people: Catch up with things that you have been deprived of living overseas. For me, this includes fresh air, low humidity, great food, fresh produce, driving and the company of family and friends. Just like there's a standard list of things that have to be seen and done by the Hong Kong visitor: Eat in a Dai Pai Dong, hike the Peak, catch a tram, shop in Causeway Bay and go out in LKF. I have my own Sydney list: Sleep in my old bed, go to the Fish Markets, drive around listening to Mix 106.5, walk around the CBD, eat, attend a wedding and create a new meal decoying as an excuse to meet up with somebody. Anybody fancy a meal between brunch and lunch?

The wedding itself was held on the first weekend of Spring. The weather gods could not have planned a more glorious day, blue skies, wisps of clouds and crisp breeze made for a perfect backdrop to the Wedding. Thankfully, all activities including the Bridal Party games, tea ceremony and reception were all held in the same venue. The wedding was small intimate and included close friends and family of the bride and groom. For the bride and groom, this was far more relaxed compared to the Bali Ceremony. It was more of a formality and neither appeared to be stressed having already declared their love.

Other highlights include Dad's Birthday dinner, sumptuous Japanese dinner with the family, took quite the effort to convince the family to steer away from Hurstville and Chinese Food. Experiencing Lizzie and Viv's new yoga class, excellent teachers, great sequences, oh and of course the massages. Dies. Huge family feast with extended family and finally being afforded the chance to train with Mr AIS.

I really don't visit Sydney enough...

I think there's a spider in my ear

L-Arginine, an amino acid commonly found in most high-protein sources is touted as assisting with protein synthesis and cell division, it is often stated as being a precursor to Nitric Oxide production. Higher Nitric Oxide production leads to blood vessel dilation allowing for increased blood flow and better circulation. Other benefits include healthier Urea function, faster wound/injury healing and athletic performance improvement to name a few. On paper, these benefits seemed like they were worth the extra effort to increase my Arginine levels. I immediately stocked my kitchen with foods that had higher-than-normal Arginine/Lysine ratio, foods such as: Whole Grains, Nuts, Red Meat, Soy, Dark Chocolate, I also added an Arginine Supplement to my morning ritual.

I had been on an Arginine high diet for a couple of weeks and was definitely feeling stronger and more productive in the gym, I was less tired during the day and recovery time between sports felt improved. This may have all been placebo so I had no reason to stop the Arginine Experimentation. That was until, I woke up one more with a itch on the left hand side of my neck. Initially, I thought nothing of it, something had bitten me in the middle of the night, no big deal. The next day another bite! I fumigated my room and changed my bedsheets, that pesky critter had got me again, trick me once ... Day 3, the itch had spread up to my ear, I inspected the bites and they didn't look like ordinary mosquito bites. Additionally, I had a pounding headache localised around my left eardrum. I jumped online with the search string "insect bites on neck and ear". The search results all pointed at one conclusive answer "A spider had bitten me and crawled into my ear". Convinced that I was now a host to an arachnid that had decided to nest in my left ear drum, I headed to my local doctor.

"What seems to be the matter?" asks the GP, I boldly tell him that there's a spider in my ear and show him the bite marks that have led me to this conclusion. He smirks and takes a look in my ear and at the rash. "The good news is, there's no spider in your ear, the bad news is you have Shingles". For some reason when he mentioned Shingles I thought immediately about the First Fleet of Australia - and Scurvy. The Doctor reassured me that the symptoms of Shingles was not the result of a Vitamin C deficiency. "Are you stressed?", "Have you been getting enough sleep?" he asked. I was prescribed medicine and for the next two weeks endured some of the most testing physiological trauma on the left hand side of my upper body. Chicken Pox version 2.0. Ridiculous sensations of itch, unusual tingling, blinding flashes of pain and headaches that would cause my face to contort and twitch. I must reiterate, the flashes of pain are excruciatingly real.

Turns out, there have been reports of Shingles outbreaks as a side effect of high Arginine diets, particularly in the body building world. This explains how I managed to piss off the dormant Varicella-Zoster virus at such a young age. Again, this conclusion is on the back of sound online research tactics, the same tactics employed to help me reach my initial hypothesis of having a spider living in my ear.

[Update: I'm Shingles free and off the L-Arginine supplement.]