Tokyo + Halloween + Stag

Passed the exam. There's a certain satisfaction in not having to read through the material and instead jump on a flight to Tokyo for 24 hours. Ended up talking the 1 am flight on Saturday morning arriving in Tokyo at 6 am local time. Mental note, try to avoid this flight time at all costs.

I arrived into Narita with just a backpack, toiletries and the clothes on my back. The direct bus to Roppongi shuttled me into Tokyo in a short amount of time and I was checking in at 8:30 am. The Whatsapp group was littered with activity up until 7:40 am. Either they had a quiet night in or they had a late night back. Given this assemble it was highly probable that they have only retired to their hotels within the last hour.

Turns out, one person was awake, not awake early, but rather, still awake. It was was a friend who had flown in from New York and with my freshness and his jet lag, we hit up Tsujiki fish markets for breakfast. Checked into the room and heading straight to lunch and kick started the buck's party. What would follow would be a romp around Shibuya dressed up as Street Fighter characters and the buck dressed as a lone Chun Li. The Halloween romp was followed by a group dinner before we retreated to the hotel to reassemble for the club.

Headed back to the hotel to drop off some water before heading to Agaha. Only to fall asleep. I wake up propped up against my bed with a million messages along the same line "Where are you?", "Wake up", "Get here now". It was 4 am, I had flown in for one night and managed to sleep through the entire evening. I pulled myself out of bed to meet up with more stragglers at 6 am for some morning sushi. What a whirlwind 24 hours in Tokyo.

Study sessions

SFC licensing. 60 questions, 70% pass rate. Material, oh so dry. Currently reading, this.

HKSAR: National Day

First day of work

Quiet - lots of interesting projects, big data, data mining, first impressions, great culture. Welcome pack included two books. First observations, I will most likely put on weight with the open pantry and open fridge.

Train to work - quite inefficient - almost as long as Quarry bay - need to figure out a more efficient way to work. Bus? Ding Ding?

Update: Bus

Currently Reading: "Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service"

Blood Donation + Watford

Turns out Climbing Mount Kinabalu has been identified as a risk when donating blood in Hong Kong. The risk is that Malaria may be present and the blood may be contaminated. Have I had Malaria for the last 6 months? What about all those Gin and Tonics I've had between then and now?

This is the first time I've donated blood. My ex colleague convinced me to donate blood with the promise of waffles. The interesting thing is that majority of the donors are the Causeway Bay Donation Centre were all helpers. I wonder what attracts helpers to want to donate? Is it because a lot of them having Nursing or Medical backgrounds?

Much needed extra week

I had expected to only have a one week off between jobs. Thankfully the Visa transfer process has taken a little longer than expected with the Immigration Department requesting evidence that my previous employee has acknowledged my resignation. Having the relaxing few days in Sydney and now a couple of extra days in Hong Kong to decompress and unwind has been exactly what I needed. Lots of long sleeps, yoga, beach and running around completing apartment errands (clothes donation and installation of some black out curtains).

Visa was approved on Wednesday evening, and with Friday being the Mid Autumn Festival public holiday we have agreed to an official start day on Monday the 19th September. Which means that I've had two whole weeks off in between. Can't wait to get started, looking forward to new challenges and new learning.

Sydney

I have a break between jobs! Exactly one week worth of doing nothing. As much as I would like to spend that time in Hong Kong catching up on errands (think: going to the tailor, fixing the halogen lights in my bedroom, getting new bedsheets, buying a vacuum cleaner, buying some new kitchenware, eliminating the light pollution from my bedroom, relaxing, the list goes on ... ); my mind raced through the endless possibilities. I entertained the usual destinations: Malaysia, Thailand or Korea. With the standard agendas: eat, sleep and yoga. However a recent trip from my dad convinced me that it would be nice to return to Sydney and decompress on home soil. With the help of CX Fanfares I managed to pick up some opportune flights back to Sydney (only 4400 HKD return).

3 days in Sydney. Mom had time off due to recent eye surgery and it presented a good opportunity to hang with the family. It was exactly what I needed. Cool, early Spring weather. Great food: hotpot at home, Sydney Cafe, Butter Sydney Fried Chicken, food court Sushi and Pho An. Lots of sleep and the recalibration of my body clock. Shopping for bedding, sports equipment and kitchenware. Physical activities, walking, (double) yoga and my first float. But most importantly some quality family time.

Currently reading: "Four Hour Chef"