Year of the Snake

It's nice having something to look forward to. Despite only being back a month earlier, I was excited to returning to Sydney once again. Namely, seeing family, seeing friends, catching up on sleep and hopefully experience a little more of the amazing summer. Thankful that my job isn't that important where I need to co-ordinate leave with other members of the team, and to date haven't had major push back to any of my scheduled annual leave. I return to Sydney with a large suitcase full of snacks. The flight back has me carrying a near-empty suitcase.

The 9 days, as expected went by rather fast. A 100 day celebration, Australia Day BBQ, 40th Birthday, 39th Birthday. Chinese New Year, long run, more Chinese New Year all featuring a healthy amount of eating. It was also an excuse to renew my passport. Which expires in July, but actually is really only valid up to 6 months prior to the expiry. Note, express passport, via Rapid + 2 day processing 712 AUD. Processed on the same day, pick up in Central. Not cheap, but not bad.

Left the house hold with non urgent whooping cough scare. Back to Hong Kong.

Taipei

Pseudo Tokyo, because well, traveling to Japan for New Years was just way too expensive. Ended up traveling to Taipei, for some hot springs in Beitou, hiking in Yangmingshan, night markets in Taipei and New Years around 101. Icing on the cake, a nice upgrade on the return flight home. Not a bad plan B. 

Sydney

MBL. Mandatory Block Leave. 10 days where an employee is forced to be out of the office and removed from operations. The idea being that the employee is forced to take a break, and from a risk management and compliance perspective, removes any single point of failure from operations. It's been a while since I've been "forced" to take 10 days of annual leave from work. Sydney would be the destination. Christmas and end of year would be the occasion. 

Jam, jam, jam. Quite a busy time of the year. Catching up with people, health check ups, errands. Blessed with an amazing summer, although there were some stinkers (read 40 degrees).

Best of Hong Kong

 Nice little stretch of not traveling - it's good to be in one place, especially as the weather starts to become cooler.

Last Singapore trip of the year

The anticipation for long weekends never, ever gets old. October also happens to be a great month for days off with National day and Chung Yeung Festival. Cheung Yeung festival happens to fall on Friday which means, an extra day in Singapore. Well, really just an extra meal in Singapore, I decide to take the morning flight into Singapore that gets me in around 4 pm. Having an extra meal in Singapore is small minor but makes a huge difference. The weekend was pretty relaxed, which is nice when traveling. The theme of the weekend was Apam Balik, or Min Kiang Kueh, or Ban chan Keuh.

Dinner and cards with Albs in New Bahru. Saturday we caught up with my cousin, had some hawker food and tried some Bryani and a Studio Ghibli evening with pizza and left over Pavlova. There was a covid scare (yes, this is still a thing).  Sunday, New Bahru market for breakfast, ice bath and sauna, some Vietnamese for lunch and off to the Airport.

The weekends go by so fast. I'm losing track of these Singapore trips. Which I guess is a good thing?

Weird to think that this is the last Singapore trip for 2024. Currently reading: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow.

The meaning of life

42 - Gosh time is rocketing by. Let me pause for a quick reflection. It's almost the answer to the trite question of "How's it going?". Things are going well. 

Work and career feel good, there are obvious pain points with work, but no job is perfect and lately I've managed to really take control of my time and managing work a little better. I can't help but feel what the next step is? 

As for Hong Kong, I'm enjoying this phase of Hong Kong, it has almost everything that I need. Going out less, still socialising, catching up with people, drinking less, doing much more exercise, really trying to eat better, sleep better. I've settled into North Point, and have a great routine going. Can't help but wonder if I'm coming to the end of my Hong Kong chapter. More on that later.

Relationship. Things with the shorter long-distance are doing well. I've lost count of the number of times I've been to Singapore this year, but the trips there are easy, not tiring and have really enjoyed that being my, second, maybe third home. At some point in time need to see how to get over to Singapore.

Sydney, would like to get back more, lots of stuff happening back home I wish I were there for. Loved ones growing older. Feel like I'm missing out, need to try to get back a little more. Although I am excited to be back in a few weeks.

Some of the highlights of the recent birthday. Egg tart from the intern (not for my birthday, but happened to be on my Birthday). Some Magic cards from a friend. Some Minties from relatives and a Pavlova from the lady. Low key dinner topped off with Birthday messages from friends. My kind of Birthday.

Everything in real time

There used to be a saying in Hong Kong which went along the lines of "Everything in real time". It was a saying popularised by Rob, which referred often to last-minute, impromptu trips around Asia. Legend has it that Rob once did 14 trips to Taipei in a single calendar year, most of them decided "in real time", ie. On a Friday afternoon during work, deciding that he would rather not spend the weekend in Hong Kong would proceed to the airport, sometimes without an advance purchase of a flight or a hotel. With passport in hand and "figure it out". Rob left Hong Kong in 2015, and with it the saying of "everything in real time". 

Fast forward September 2024, and Rob happens to be back in Hong Kong for business. It's on the Tuesday and I get a message "Taipei this weekend?" - four days notice, not quite real time, but definitely on a whim. After much deliberation, I managed to find a couple of cheap flights on points and a reasonable rate for a Taipei hotel for one evening.

Not quite the same gusto of yesteryear, but 24 hours in Taipei was really good. Plus a special guest.