Online Shopping

I'll admit, the downtime has been nice. It has also allowed me to save money due to forfeited evenings out and the social meetings I just can't be bothered attending. I don't need to give any excuse as the inconvenience of crutches seems to be widely accepted as a reason for my absence. My fear is that this level of reluctance to socialise will eventually carry on even after I am able to walk.

The cash flow hasn't been all one way. One problem that I have developed is that Ive been doing a lot of online shopping. I mean, a lot. This started off with online delivery of groceries and has since spread to supplements, clothes, books, anything really. My two recent purchases have been a new laptop as well as the the Optimum 9400.

Christmas on crutches

First time I've been out on crutches. Merry Christmas!

My left foot

The fractured ankle has been both an interesting and frustrating experience. I've learnt a great deal of patience and have finally accepted the slower pace of life attributed to only having one leg and being denied the use of hands whilst on the move. The first two weeks were incredibly frustrating, having to factor in extra time for showering, changing, preparing, planning any logistics. During this time I had developed a reliance on Hong Kong cab drivers which have allowed me to commute anywhere further than 500 meters. Learning to use the crutches, agonising over staircases, dealing with a fatigued right leg and having to battle the tribulations of trying to keep the cast dry and clean whilst showering are all challenges that frustrated me to no end.

The concierge staff at my apartment, Grandview Gardens were particular helpful. Holding doors open, often with reassuring words of "Slow down" and "be careful" as well as helping me take my dirty laundry out to the local laundromat. My disciplined house cleaning had disappeared with my lack of mobility and after almost two and half years living in Hong Kong I finally succumbed and enlisted the help of a cleaner to come in and clean and tidy my apartment on a weekly basis. Another service that was employed was online home delivery of groceries and supplies, this meant that everything I needed was delivered to my door (My first order was a calcium rich invoice full of milk, yogurt and cheese).

A lot of time was spent horizontal, with the injured leg raised above the head to reduce swelling. Given the bulkiness of the short cast there are a limited number of activities available to an injured person in that supine position. For me, that meant a lot of time watching TV series (Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones and Scrubs all featuring heavily on my TV). Reading, managed to finally finish up on Confederacy of Dunces and Gladwell's Tipping Point. The unfortunate thing was that my internet had been canceled and I was rather disconnected from the outside world. It was a recluse lifestyle and despite the lack of physical stimulation (update: I have started going to the gym) I managed to keep myself relatively sane and boredom free. Still I enjoyed the forced downtime and afforded my body the much needed rest that i've been longing for.

The biggest disappointed was the cancelation of the end of year trip to Europe. I had planned a Paris and London trip between Christmas and New Years and due to the severe swelling and my incompetence on crutches the thought of being in Europe during the winter made the cancelation an easy decision. Despite protests from my friends, as well as the forever battle with 'fomo' I decided to cancel the trip and spend Christmas in Hong Kong. To date I have only taken a 3 days of annual leave, with work continuing unaffected aside from the odd physiotherapy and specialist morning appointments.

From my point of view, there are things that I am thankful for. There are certain advantages to being in Hong Kong - despite the frustrations of uneven footpaths and the high crowd concentration, the short distances and relatively affordable taxi system has allowed me to remain quite mobile. So far, there's no itch or irritation with the cast and I believe that has to do with wintertime. 5 minutes on crutches and the perspiration starts even in 10 degree weather, I can't imagine the inconveniences in summer. Finally, the constant support from family and friends. Yes, there have been raised eyebrows when people discover that yoga was the cause of my fracture but the messages, emails, calls and Oolaa lunches have made it a lot less painful.

I'll let the doctor explain ...

Turns out that loud "pop" was the sound of my medial malleolus breaking (right hand side x-ray). Upon waking to an ankle the size of a grapefruit I hopped (literally) over to the medical centre only to find out that I had fractured my ankle. I had two options: (a): Put a cast on it, (b): cut it open and stick a couple of screws inside. I went with option (a). 

The recovery time for lower limb fractures was 2 months. The end of year Europe trip is looking unlikely; devo.

Adho Mukha Vrksasana

There are certain cues that help with a handstand. Squeeze your shoulder blades and lock your scapula. Spread the fingers and keep your weight evenly distributed under the top knuckles. Look slightly in front, between your hands. Keep the hips above the shoulders. Squeeze your core and buttocks. Slowly pull your feet off the wall. One foot. Two feet and there you have it, Adho Mukha Vrksasana aka the handstand.

If at any point in the pose you hear a loud snap, it's safe to say that you've probably done something wrong. In fact, a pop sound in any facet of life probably mens something is not right. Unless of course you break joints and ligaments for a living.

It started with a handstand. Ended with an ankle eversion. I'm going to be sore tomorrow.

New phone!

I'm honest not too sure how I last ten whole months with a busted up mobile phone. In any case, I finally have a new phone. I'll admit, it's strange using a phone that doesn't have a splintered screen.

Month of Fraud

Citibank Premier Miles, Cathay Pacific American Express and HSBC are probably the most prevalent Credit Cards in carried by people in Hong Kong. I challenge you to find somebody in Hong Kong that doesn't own at least one of them, particularly in the expat sample space. This, combined with the fact that merchants in Hong Kong rarely verify that the signature on the receipt matches the signature on the back of the card. Given these two pieces of information it's easy to see how Credit Cards can be misplaced.

It's commonplace to split a bill over multiple cards, the merchant will simple create separate bills for each card. So when the cards returned for signing and my card was nowhere to be found, I looked at the remaining card. It looked like my card, except for one distinguishing factor, the faded name on the card was not mine. I immediately called American Express to cancel the card. "Sure sir, we can cancel your card, can you please let me know when the last time you remember using it?". After explaining that the last time I remember seeing it was at least a day ago, the operator proceeded to read out the most recent transactions "Did you use your card last night at Common Room at 1 am?". Nope. "How about 3 am at Volar?". Nope. "5 am at Bloop?". Nope. "Sorry sir, looks like somebody has used your credit card, you'll need to get a police report".

In total, somebody had racked up approximately 4000 HKD on my card, which in the grand scheme of Credit Card fraud seems quite reasonable. There were no attempted transactions of bottles, or laptops or luxury watches, just the odd round of drinks here and there throughout the course of an evening. The reasonable answer is, the person using my card probably didn't know it wasn't their card they were using. Regardless I still needed to file a police report to claim back the charges. I don't think I've ever felt like I've wasted a public servant's time more effectively than having to sit down for almost 2 hours recounting the last moments I remember using the missing card.

I remember profusely apologising to the detective, she shrugged it off and suggesting that all crimes needed to be reported and that it wasn't a waste of time. The first thing they ask you when you file for a missing/stolen/lost credit card is "Is this the first time you've lost a card?". Strangely enough, after so many years of owning plastic it's the first time I've had somebody else use my card. First run in with the Hong Kong law and I can say they were more than hospitable. 

Update: Two weeks later, I lost my Citibank Card. Turns out somebody had purchased a bottle using my card. Two cases of fraud in one month, his has not been a good month for me...

T8 in Shanghai

It turns out touch football has quite the following in Asia. The migration of antipodean expats has expanded throughout the region with a large percentage of the major cities running domestic leagues. As a result, the governing bodies have put together and Asian Touch Rugby circuit, where teams fly to different destinations in attempt to win the country title and claim bragging rights for the year. These annual tournaments are held in Tokyo, Seoul, Bangkok and even Hong Kong.

As a new joiner to the T8 Touch Team I was both flattered and thrilled to be invited to play in the upcoming Shanghai International Touch Tournament. The reality was, they were short players and it was an excuse to tell people the reason for traveling was to participate in an "international touch rugby tournament".

By the time we had landed in Shanghai, cleared Chinese Customs and checked into the hotel it was already time for bed. It's an odd feeling to be taking a Friday after work flight and going straight to bed. Most weekend trips have a set routine, after work flight, check into hotel, and head out to experience the local nightlife. It was one weekend, where we were trying to be athletes. No alcohol through out the week, calculated carbohydrate loading and going to sleep early.

The hotel we stayed in was less than desirable. Many team mates complained of cigarette infused bed sheets and the incredibly thin walls. The 6 am wake up call and strange "Continental Breakfast" interpretation solidified the fact that we would forfeit our second night's stay and look for a more appropriate abode. After a rushed breakfast we jumped into a minibus and were soon on our way to the rugby club for the tournament. The sun was out and the weather was amazing, a perfect day for sport.

For a lot of us, it was the first time playing together and the lack of cohesion was obvious. We were pooled in group A, and came out with 1-3-1 record. Despite feeling a little disappointed with our performance, we had adrenaline surging through the body which delayed the soreness and stiffness that would eventually arrive. We sat down in the cafeteria after the group stages and treated ourselves to a feed. Pizzas, pies, hamburgers, fries and beer. It was then when somebody ran in screaming "T8! We're in the shield semi-finals! All the teams are waiting for us to field a team!". We booted up and ran onto the field in a semi-dazed state only to lose in the semi-final by one point.

The rest of the trip was spent exploring the city, changing hotels and consuming a lot of dumplings. So. Many. Dumplings. Excellent trip with a nice balance of activity and debauchery.

The Gang head to Taipei

Weddings aside, it's rarity that the Australians and the Texan steal away for a holiday. In fact, over the course of my Hong Kong stay we have managed to travel a total of two times; both for weddings. Considering that we as a group spend so much time together here in Hong Kong and that we always have a great time overseas it was decided that we should try to arrange a non-wedding trip somewhere in Asia. To avoid problems with annual leave and destinations it was decided to travel somewhere close. Taipei.

The funny thing is, this trip went from a initial group size of eight to final number of twenty two people.

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.]

Caught up

It's been a while that I've lost track of time in conversation.

"It's amazing I'm in this maze with you" - Holy Grail  

Kale in Hong Kong

Finally found Kale in Hong Kong! Imported from the US.

O2H
Shop A, G/F, World Trust Tower, 50 Stanley Street, Central, Hong Kong

Anybody know any good Kale Recipes?

The Ceremony - Bali

I always enjoy writing about friend's weddings. The highlights are always different and the ceremonies all unique. Each incomparable and each special in their own way. The redeeming factor of the wedding was the Groom's inability to understand the thick Balinese accent of the celebrant, mispronunciations and pardons ensued but after much faltering they finally got to the most important part "I now declare you husband and wife".

They say a picture speaks a thousand words - here's a couple thousand for you.

The Stag Party - Macao

You can always count on engagement announcements to tug the proverbial heart strings. For friends and family of the couple, it usually comes as no surprise with news of romantic proposals nothing but a formality. Once the wedding date has been cemented the last thing to be decided upon is the Stag, Bachelor, Buck Party. I often wonder who conceived the idea of the Stag. Was it the single man clinging on to his last moments of freedom or the friends standing at the departure hall of single life. It's been over 5 years since I had the pleasure of partaking in my first Stag party, and I can honestly say, that they only get bolder and more reckless as we get older. The entertainment become more outrageous, the costumes more demeaning. and the duration longer. However, this all correlates to more fun and more memories.

This trip would be no exception - the playground would be Macao, the theme would be Australian 80's sport stars and the highlight, the groom leaping off the world's tallest bungee. 5000 HKD would finance accommodation, travel, jacuzzi boozing, dinner, table at Cubic and group headbands. The ferry on the way home was not kind, provoking my already brittle stomach. Thank goodness for the "sea sickness" bag.

"Chan! Chan! Chan!" - Stag Party

(The Thriller,) In Manila

In response to the global economic downturn, organisations were forced to streamline operations and go through the unfortunate process of culling the labour force. Financial institutions went through countless job-cutting exercises, with wave after wave of announced redundancies; it would seem nobody was safe. It was seen as an exercise to 'cut the fat' and remove those positions that were no longer profitable/beneficial to the business. The East was not sheltered from the massacre, businesses needed to justify costs and the same people who previously approved headcount were soon having to draw the bottom line. As a result, the famous Lewis and Albert household came to an end in 2012 Q4. This is the house where many new chapters have started, where guests would visit routinely and where nights were immortalised. It was also the same place where I started my Hong Kong adventure.

Albert would later move in with an American-Born Filipino who kindly offered to give us a weekend tour of his local hometown, Manila. I was quietly excited as this was my first time to the Philippines and had heard good things. Our Friday afternoon flight had been rehearsed on many occasions, pack an overnight bag, leave work straight for the Airport express and get to the gate 30 minutes before departure. This, for the most part was routine. 

The problems started when our flight was delayed, passengers eventually boarded and we were soon in the air, I slept most of the trip. That was until I was abruptly awoke by the crackling of the PA system. The captain revealed that "unexpected delays in Manlia" had forced us into a holding zone . He also mentioned that planes were being diverted to the nearest airport and that our aircraft, CX913 had approximately 30 minutes left of fuel before we too would be forced to make the diversion. Fortunately for us, we managed to land (we later found out that the President was flying in that evening, hence the unexpected delays"). We landed almost an hour after the scheduled arrival time. At least we had made it!

We checked into the hotel where our friend's driver was waiting for us, he informed us that we would be going to the Skybar to hook in with the others who had arrived on an earlier flight. To say that the weather in Manila was torrential might have been an understatement. The rooftop bar with it's tarpaulin canopies were collecting water and periodically bucketing them onto those below. We quickly retreated to the comforts of a drier, more indoor location. The evenings were atypical, the days were spent lounging about pool side at the hotel or at the country club. It was a taste of Filipino High Society with the customary Jeepney ride. One of the highlights of the trip was the 5:30 am continental breakfast, suffice to say we never slept hungry.

(Crunchy Peanut butter at breakfast buffet = Loving life)

E-Reading

For the longest time I resisted the electronic reader fad. Either the romantic, or the psychopath in me that believes a bond is built during the process of a book. Looking back at the last few reads, some books are more weathered than others, some with dog-eared pages, some with notes scribbled, some with water marks, food  crumbs and even hair. Ok, those last few points potentially reinforce why you probably don't want to keep books around. I was recently given "The 13 1/2 lives of Captain Bluebear". Now this is a big book, there are times where you could be excused for thinking that this is a phone book on first sight. The sheer logistics of carrying this book around forces you save it for at 'home' reading.

So I decided to go for the impersonal Kindle, a device so sleek and incognito that it shrouds the user in an air of mystery, is it 50 Shades of Gray or The Iliad? Neither actually, currently reading 'A Confederacy of Dunces' both via hard and electronic mediums. In any case, I feel the person loses the tag of being well-read and immediately assumes the "gadget lover" moniker.

Update: Loving the back-lit e-paper, not loving the fact that I can't read during take off and landing aboard airlines.

My first day

The very first thing my boss says to me: 'Oh, we weren't expecting you this week'. Hum.

Currently reading Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle. 

Malaysian Islands

The end is in sight. The contract has been signed, the background checks are taking place and my visa is being processed. All that remains is for me to enjoy the last few moments of unemployment. It's been a love, hate relationship over the last six months. Relief, guilt and anxiety the most recent of emotions that overwhelm me; it has been a love/hate relationship. I look back at the list of achievements over the last six months. Dabbling in cooking, ukulele, Cantonese and yoga, but nothing concrete and nothing that I can take away. It's always the case, you expect this much, you demand that much and you might achieve more, or less. With my remaining time, I decided to check off something on my bucket list. Open Water Diving Qualification. So that's what I did, I went diving.

With a bias and the longing to be in Malaysia it was decided that the islands of the Perhentian and Redang would be an appropriate location to submerge into the underwater adventure. Our dive instructor was Jon from the Perhentian Quiver Diving team (Thoroughly recommend these guys for any Open Water Training or even for a cold drink). We stayed at Senja Bay, which wasn't exactly what we expected (Think, piss weak air conditioning, mosquitoes and frogs inside the room). After meeting other Kecil Island patrons, this appeared to be the standard in terms of mid-range accommodation. 

Back to the diving! It was a good mix of theory, closed water and open water sessions. Each morning started with a breakfast buffet, morning theory, the occasional roti, mid-morning confined water skills, lunch by the beach, afternoon theory and an open water dive. Evenings were a relaxing combination of BBQ seafood, the 8:00 pm movie, light banter before lights out by 12. After 3.5 days we were qualified to dive down to 18 metres, Beginner's PADI Open Water.

Given that the last 6 weeks in Hong Kong had been gray, wet and humid the weather gods had treated us well in the Perhentian. In fact, it had been nothing short of spectacular, blue skies with wisps of cloud drapped over a moderately temperate island. As expected, out time here flew by and after starting the advanced module we were soon on a 50 minute speed boat racing towards our next destination, the Redang Islands. Here we dived, ate relaxed, and explored. That, in a nutshell is what about all we did! 

We arrived back in Kuala Lumpur one week later feeling like a blob of golden goo. Tanned from the gentle sun and relaxed from the lack of worries. Our final night was spent gorging ourselves on Malaysian delicacies and street cuisine all while the Malaysian public awaited the election. I'm too old to be working ...

Tokyo

If you find yourself starting a sentence with the words "I remember" or "Back in my day" it is fairly safe to say that you're old. Long gone are the days when I use to look at thirty year olds and wondered if their thirty years of existence was everything they imagined it would be. So here we are, with our generation slowly leaving behind the twenty-something age category and starting off our freshmen years in the thirties.

Let's compare eras . The year was 2003, we were deep into our university degrees with little end in sight. Endless hours of Calculs, Signal Processing and Computer Science courses had forged what would be a friendship that stands until this day. Commemorated by tactical use of designated drivers, night rides and taxi pooling Sydney Birthdays ended up at nondescript venue, with plenty of classmates, sometimes a bar tab and if we were lucky KFC or Superbowl to round up the procession.

Ten years on, it's a little different. Market turmoil and reactive budget cuts have left me unemployed. Still, it's Albert's birthday and we're grabbing our overnight bag and rushing off to the Airport Express. In under four hours we will be in Tokyo to celebrate a 30th Birthday.

We arrive in Tokyo on the Thursday evening. It's Lewis and myself. The entire journey has been his reiteration of the previous weekend in Kaohsiung, Taiwan and how I "should kill myself for missing out on the best weekend in his life, ever". Our first evening is spent in Asakusa. Unfortunately, we would soon realise that we have no Yen and that both our accounts have had overseas withdrawal limits set to 0. We ended up at bar and managed to make a decent night out of it surviving only on credit. The highlight was undoubtedly meeting the owner of the bar, a Japanese born expat now living in Singapore. I quietly sip Grey Goose and politely nod as he introduces me to his mistress, talks passionately about Japanese Taxes and offers advice on how to buy mines in Asia.

Friday evening and the rest of the group arrives. Most weekends trips follow a standard template, most people leave early to mid afternoon, it's rare that everybody is on the same flight due to work schedules. Rendezvous is usually at dinner or at a bar, the night generally forks off in two directions. Club or hotel. Due to the nature of the trip, we ended up at a club. The rest is a combination of good times, room service and a very tired Monday morning. Currently reading When Genius Failed.

"I wonder if you know, how they live in Tokyo" - Terikayi Boyz

Re-employment

I've been offered a role! 'Congratulations' and 'Great work', all around - I reluctantly accept. The reluctance derives itself from the fact that me and my pal unemployment were becoming quite well acquantined. Sure, my bank account  and ego would disagree with me but I was genuinely getting used to the whole 'not working thing'. One thing that I will miss is that unemployment forces you to do absolutely nothing. In a city that barely has time to sleep, unemployment affords you the time to tune out and really thinking about the important things in life. Things such as "Why does my friend eat his Weetbix with peanut butter?" or "How do they make Char Siu?".

Turns out, Char Siu, like most things isn't that difficult to make. Bit of Pork Shoulder, some red bean curd, Hoi Sin sauce and the regular Cantonese condiments, marinade, roast and there you have it, BBQ Pork.

Ps. I don't think I'll ever cook that again, much easier to buy, especially when you live in Hong Kong. Where's that Peanut Butter gone?