North Queensland: Annual Family Trip

The five day forecast shows icons of clouds, rain and lightning. The annual trip up to the tropics of North Queensland was already off to a bad start. We touched down in Cairns Airport on the 23rd of December and immediately retrieve our transport from the local car rental. Dad is his gregarious self, with the hire car folk exchanging holiday pleasantries. The KIA Carnival would be our primary mode of transport for the next few days. We loaded up the car and started our journey north up to Port Douglas. The weather forecast was accurate, with temperatures hovering between the 26-30 degrees punctuated by the high humidity and the constant fall of rain.

First stop,Woolworths. We stocked up on groceries, enough food for breakfast and lunch. We would eat breakfast and lunch everyday treating ourselves to the odd meal out in Port Douglas. With the weather so prohibitive, we opted for the following itinerary: Day 1, The Daintree. Day 2, Hike. Day 3, The Great Barrier Reef.

Day 1, went off without a hitch, the roads were fairly quiet, which probably had to do with the fact that it was pouring torrential rain. We drove up north, taking the ferry across the river (we would lose the return ticket), through to the famous Daintree Ice Cream Shop, which led us on the Great Jackfruit Hunt of 2018. Armed with the directions from a 15 year old teenager, we drove 30 minutes at 10 km/hour all peering out the sides of the car looking for the fabled wild jackfruits. We continued up to Cape Tribulation before we conceded that it was probably time to admit defeat head back to Port Douglas. We stopped by a roadside fruit vendor and managed to purchase some jackfruit. Success!

Day 2, Christmas Day. The weather has cleared up a little bit. We started the morning off with a hike around town. Christmas Day would be the best weather of the trip, which was an understatement. With most of the shops closed, we spent our time in the apartment watching the Carols on TV, lazing in the pool and continuously grazing on food.

Day 3, Boxing Day. The Great Barrier Reef. We woke early and triple checked the apartment before our departure. Unfortunately the weather had since taken a u-turn and was quite wet. We decided to do the tour from Cairns and started off early to get to the ferry terminal by 8. Unfortunately, the weather was deemed too rough and all tours were canceled. We had our breakfast and decided to explore Cairns, with our morning at the Aquarium, lunch at a Vietnamese Restaurant and the afternoon navigating the Cairns Boxing Day Sales crowd.

"I like your grinder, it's really big" - Dad to the gay barista

Imagine

There's a scene in the final episode of Scrubs where the main protagonist John Dorian exits Sacred Heart Hospital for the last time. He walks down the main corridor and lined in the hallways is every single person he's met during his time working at the hospital. Imagine the same thing happened when you got married and you passed through a hallway of every person who has been romantically interested in you. Would you feel flattered? Or even surprised? Would there be sadness and regret?

Imagine seeing that person from work? That person you see on the bus? That person you don't recognise? Nobody at all? Your neighbour? Your barrister? Your best friend? Your primary school crush? That person that broke your heart? Your future wife? Would you feel free?

East Coast

Blocked sinuses, sore throats, heavy feet. It's been a long East Coast tour. From New York, to Boston, to DC to Chicago. Meetings in the middle of the night at coffee shops, restaurants and bars. Good exposure to the overseas client base, good quality time with colleagues and even some sightseeing. Looking forward to getting back to Hong Kong.

New York

One thing that still stresses me out, are mandatory events during the school semester. I've touched on this point a few times, and the anxiety that takes places leading up to the event is something I still haven't been able to manage. From weddings to work obligations. What happens, if there's an assignment due that week? What happens if I can't finish it in time?

Each time I've been abroad, there's been something due and it ultimately comes down to just better time management. This time I would be traveling during final project submission and one week before final exams. Yes, there's some apprehension, but changing how I approach school as optional study, versus mandatory study has shifted my own expectations and allowed me to deal with it a little better.

First stop, New York City. Good to meet the US team that I have been working with for the last two years. Caught up with New York folk and even a sneaky Rick Ross concert.

Bloomberg Square Mile

New fitness tracker, morning training sessions, nutrient timing and active recovery planning. I miss having to train for something - there's focus and a a reason to do things even though you might not want to.  Kind of like studying for an exam. Admittedly, a 1 mile run through a winding circuit in the evening isn't something that warrants a serious routine, but you do have to start somewhere. Our firm submitted two teams, the "serious team" and the "not-so serious team". I was in the serious team. I say serious, in the sense that we were looking to be competitive. Historically speaking, the winning teams were stacked with middle-distance runners who have run their entire life, this was a team made up of runners who consistently ran the mile under 6 minutes (a sub six minute mile is considered respectable).

At the helm, we had an iron man, who routinely ran marathons and managed to whip us into decent shape with morning runs and training plans. Overall, we performed well coming in 10th our of a total of 124 teams, with a time of 61 minutes, 53 secs. This year's winning team ran the event in 55 minutes, 23 secs and the fastest lap clocked in at 5 minutes, 4 seconds! Blindingly quick! For me, it was 6 minutes and 20 seconds - next goal, sub six minute mile.

London

Flight back from Jeju to Hong Kong, the switch of the suitcase and straight back to Hong Kong Airport. The red eye flight into Heathrow, the black cab through the centre of Oxford Street, the swift hotel check-in in Shoreditch and a brisk walk into the office. It's a cool 7 degrees, that's cold in my language. Everything feel so foreign, the Liverpool Street area has changed, but has the same feel. It's like a new car model, familiar but different. Everything from the Old Street kebab stores to the storefronts on Bishopsgate, same same, but different. Highlights include: Dirty Chinese food with Isa, morning run along the Thames, dinner at Gauchos, visiting the London office.

There is an overwhelming sense of nostalgia, I really wish I could have spent more time here. It almost feels like not having enough time at a school reunion. Productive work trip, plenty of networking, product strategy and plans for 2019 dominance. I forgot how much fun London can be. Would I move back? Could I move back?

Currently reading "The Dark Forrest"

Korea

My first trip to Korea - Well technically, my second but who's counting the layover in Incheon in 2008. Me and Korea go way back. There was a period when I was fascinated with Korean culture. The line between fascinated and obsessed, was a fine line. My best friend in tenth grade was Korean, I dressed like a Korean (think baggy jeans, polo shirts, a baseball cap pulled down to the eyes), heck I even listened to K-Pop!

The Hong Kong Family are under the impression that when it comes to Korean Girls, I am nothing more than a deer in headlights. A dumbfounded doe paralysed in white light ready to be struck down by the vehicle. Women aside, the food was another thing that got me excited about the trip.

The reason for the journey to Korea was for a wedding. This would include a short stay in Busan, followed by the wedding in Jeju. The highlight was the groom's entry. Running down the aisle as "The Final Countdown" blared over the speaker. In comparison, the bride gracefully walked down the aisle to "The Blower's Daughter".

"Will things ever be the same?" - The Final Countdown