She's engaged

:)

Sister in town

Pause. Reset. Refocus.

The class schedule this year has been erratic, last minute changes to assignment deadlines and presentations have made planning for trips extremely challenging. The stipulation is that during the course, students should try to be in Hong Kong for the entirety of the semester. My strategy for this is to book all trips ahead of schedule and ensure that I have travel insurance and a decent cancelation option as not to absorb the costs of a forfeited fare. I have already started to get used to the internal struggle, with the usual questions being tabled: “should I really be traveling around and compromising grades?” which is always countered with “should school really be dictating who I hang out with and how I spend my time as I get older?”

I desperately needed this trip - Psychologically I yearned for some therapy or release valve for all that anxiety. Deep down, I knew that it wasn’t as simple as going on a trip. In any case I managed to get to Bali. The reason for the trip was because my dad’s best friend’s daughter’s was getting married. From a trip perspective, it was therapeutic in the sense that we were in a resort, with not a lot to do. I managed to have some quality family time and even catch up on some sleep. We had a nice group dinner by the beach on the first evening with the wedding on the Sunday.

One of the more enjoyable parts of the trip was witnessing the interaction of my parents with their university friends. It was as expected, a barrage of the same line of questioning “How’s Hong Kong?”, “When are you getting married?” and of course a dad joke. So many dad jokes. As I watch them interact, I see who the instigators of the group are, and try to match up individuals with characters in my circle of friends. For example, there’s the uncle whose smuggled a bottle of whisky to dinner, there’s the other uncle who is always encouraging people to drink, there’s the quiet uncle and then there’s the uncle that doesn’t drink. One of the uncle harasses a twenty something “Hey, f**k you, drink that now!” while I overhear my dad consoling another young adult “You should stick your finder down your throat if you want to throw up”. I guess group dynamics remain constant even through the generations.

With the aunties, I overhear them talking about how the men have gotten “grumpier” and “more forgetful” over the years. There’s idle chit chat about which degenerative disease such-and-such has, or what stage cancer was recently found. All of my parent’s friend’s children are married. My mother is grilled as to why her two children still remain unmarried, she brushes off the questioning with a “my kids have their own lives, they can do what they want”. The conversations bring a smile to my face but also exposes a certain emptiness that I was not expecting. I often forget that as I get older, so does everybody else around me. Parents included. This alone was the grounding experience that I had wanted, but not expected in this manner. I feel already closer to home.

"My kids have their own lives, they can do what they want" - Mom

Still the man of the house

Dad has been in Hong Kong twice over the last month, I've missed him both times due to travel. Still is nice to see these hand written messages.

Care Package

Couple of familiar faces and familiar snacks passing through Hong Kong.

Home Sweet Home (Part II)

Departing Taipei with less than 2 hours of sleep and a belly full of delicious Din Tai Fung generally indicates a successful trip. With the bulk of the crew heading back to Hong Kong I was lucky to have found myself a travel buddy to keep me company on my AirAsia flight to Malaysia. Despite being afforded luxury of not sitting next to a complete stranger the majority of the 4 hour flight was spent sleeping. We arrived in Kuala Lumpur just after 8:30 am and I was generously offered a lift from LCCT back into Central KL as well as a quick snack in Petaling Jaya. It feels good to be back in Malaysia!

First two nights were spent at Swiss Inn just off Petaling Street which was convenient but not so comfortable. The final nights were spent at Furama, Butik Bintang and a customary night spent on my friend's couch (I've become a professional couch surfer). My time was spent catching up with old London faces, relatives and of course, eating periodically at every waking hour. Hawker food around Bangsar, Petaling Street as well as delicious sit down meals at Green View and Loong Foong. Unfortunately during our Malaysian Road Trip I had missed out on kuih which meant I obsessively spent my days searching for it around KL.

I definitely have an affinity with Malaysia. I wonder if I could live and work here for a while? In any case, I've probably put on 5 kgs in the last few days and need to get out of here ASAP! I miss the caramelised pork from Seng Kee already ...

End Point

I distinctly remember leaving Sydney with the mandate to try Hong Kong out until the beginning of May. By 'try' I had intentions to see if Asia required somebody with my skill-set. This seemed like a reasonable plan, and if after 6 weeks there was zero interest in my resume I told myself (and others) that I would attend the wedding and simply return to Australia and resume life in Sydney. I secretly knew that this wasn't really an option.

So, now it is May and I've not much to report. The market has been extremely slow. A far cry from my first few weeks in London where interviews were constant and consistent! I think this contrast is part of the reason why I still remain here, determined to set myself up in Hong Kong. To this date I have had zero interviews with companies and I'm starting to feel like I've outstayed my friend's couch. As strange as that sounds I find the lack of interviews re-assuring. The general feedback I've received from recruiters is that my resume will definitely provoke interest and that I just need to exercise a little patience as the market was "unusually" slow right. So enough about my situation and back to the main post topic, the wedding.

It has been over 5 years since I was last in Taipei and it still remains one of my favourite Asian Destinations. Friendly people, excellent food and an overall great vibe - not a lot has changed. Despite being here before I was secretly excited to spend the weekend in Taiwan. Firstly it would be the first family gathering since my Grandma's funeral and I couldn't wait to see Aunts, Uncles and immediate family from Australia. Secondly, the two getting married (my cousin and his fiancee) helped me a lot while I was in London and I owe them so much for the way my London Experience panned out.

The wedding itself was traditional, intimate and a lovely ceremony. I was, by default the best man, by tradition, the definition, an unmarried male from representing the Groom's side. Wonderful time, excellent food and a renewed vigor to get back to Hong Kong to set myself up!

Sydney Baby!

Gotta love this place!

Home Sweet Home

The simple act of having somebody pick you up and drop you off at the airport is such a touching gesture. This is even more evident before or after a long trip. I'll always remember the people who saw me off at Heathrow and it was equally as nice to see my family at Kingsford Smith. It's a strange feeling of disconnect being back in Sydney. To be honest, the void has nothing to do with Sydney but more because of the sudden absence from London. No matter how bad or good the experience anything that occupies that much time in your life is going to have an lasting affect. After catching up with friends and family the reality of it all settled in. I was indeed having London withdrawals, I missed the conveniences and the lifestyle that had dictated the last 3 years of my life.

Since being back, I've come to realise how amazing the city of Sydney really is. The sights, the food, the people. Everything. There is one but...

Everybody here is so settled. I've lost count of the number of weddings, engagements, baby showers and house warmings. I can understand why people here in Sydney engage in these life choices. It, for me, feels like a place to settle down. Heck, even I went through moments where I wanted to get a stable paying job in Australia, save some money, buy property and find a nice girl to set myself up for the proverbial "and they lived happily ever after". So here I am, single, unemployed and with very little to show in terms of achievements over the last two years. Yet as I lie on the couch reacquainting myself with cable TV the memories and experiences from London flashback and make me feel over privileged and lucky to have experienced it all. It's for that reason I need to get out.

Lovin' London

I am, without a doubt thoroughly enjoying my time here in the UK right now. Not too sure, if it's the impending depature date and my incessant need to make the most of my remaining time but everything right now is fitting together. Weekends, will always be weekends but it's the weekdays, musicals, live sport, gym, sports, mid week catch ups. There's so much going on, I fear the routine that awaits me back in Sydney.

The English eat and breath sport and there's nothing more they love than giving it to the Australians. Nothing beats being an Australian living in the UK during the Ashes - I cannot wait.

Dubai

The Emirates Airline website states, 'Pets are not permitted in the cabin, with the exception of falcons between Dubai and certain destinations in Pakistan'. Strange yet true, this is one of the traditions that remains true in the present day; falcons allowed in aeroplanes. My visit to the United Arab Emirates, or more specifically, Dubai has been one of the more enjoyable trips this year. This is a somewhat partial comment as the agenda was to visit my sister on her last weekend in Dubai.

Not reknown for the sites, it was drastic change in scenary and culture which made this one of the more memorable trips of 2010. I have been meaning to swing by Dubai but given the nature of her job and the unpredictability of her whereabouts it's always a challenge to be able to meet her. The August long weekend proved to be ideal, she had no passport and I had nowhere to go. So with my stand by tickets in hand I headed to Heathrow after work in hope to catch a flight into the Middle East.

Arrived at Dubai International early Saturday morning, the flight had been comfortable but sleep was hard to come by. Greeted by my sister in the 'meeting area', also known as the pavement outside the Airport. It was hot, insanely hot. I could feel perspiration developing on the top of my feet. A short 30 Dirham cab ride and we were soon signing into one of many Emirates crew lodgings in Al Garhoud.

Plenty of activities to keep me busy. Lunch at Pier Chic, accessible by a simple cab, a gondola ride and a golf buggy down the wooden pier. Sister was cunningly encouraged by the restaurant to make the lunch time agenda my birthday which meant I had to pretend I was celebrating my special day all while enjoying the wonderful view of the Burj Al Arab. Being Ramadan, meant that majority of restaurants were not able to serve food until after sunset.

Managed to see most of the sights. At The Top - Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world (100 AED). Ski Dubai the indoor ski slopes at The Mall of Emirates (180 AED) . Dinner at Atlantis at the Palms and the dancing fountains of the Burj. Plenty of international food: Bobotie, Sushi and the traditional Iftar buffet.

Great trip overall. Don't think I've experience such a culture shock in a while. From the rules governing Ramadan. To the way people present themselves outside of the walls of their houses. Public Displays of affection aren't a common site, where even married couples don't hold hands. Yet you'll see grown men holding hands as a sign of friendship. Then there's the mash up of old and new. Men will sport the traditional Thwab or Dishdash, but you can't help but notice the Rolexes, Ipods and Blackberry accessories. The women are far more influence by western trends. Burqa clad women women littered with the latest array of Jimmy Choos and Chanel handbags - the only form of visual individualisation. Then there's the transient lifestyle of Flight Attendants, remarkable. Had to leave Dubai early, but the trip was definitely well worth it. It's opened a new desire to explore more Arabic/Middle Eastern destinations - there's so much out there!

Airplanes

My suspicions lie with the pressurised cabins, the high altitude, the overly nice cabin crew and my appetite for aeroplane food. Whether it is specifically, or a combination of the afore mentioned, there's something about long haul flights that causes my penis to detach and become replaced with a massive vagina. It's only a theory, but the more I fly, the more I subscribe to the idea that airlines are pumping some kind of hormone-laced sedative into the cabins. My perceived estrogen levels sky rocket and I'm reduced to what can only be described as a Spider Woman experiencing her periods (I can only imagine). Spider senses tingle!

There's something about flying that makes me react to the following scenarios in the same manner. A young infant with no desire to sleep but to make as much racket as humanly possible. An elderly couple sitting together holding hands on take off. Or even the simple smile of a stewardess. It makes me smile and think. So with this hypothesis, I decided to test this out. I sat through the following: How I Met Your Mother, Date Night and She's Out of My League just to see how I would react to each. Sure enough, each and every one managed to make me tear up; much to my own resistance. The conjecture being, that two of the three were Rom-Coms, but How I Met Your Mother? C'mon now!

The sample space is hardly warranted and you could easily argue that this is far from conclusive. It could have benefited with perhaps a different genre of movie. Unfortunately, I don't have the attention span or the willingness to concentrate on anything more than a comedy. Especially when an action or thriller would only be dealt an injustice on the 6 inch entertainment unit. Perhaps it's a coincidence - business trips, my initial flight out from Sydney, my flight to Singapore, my flight back to London. One thing for sure, I can honestly say I've welled up at some point in time to something insignificant and probably less stimulating on the ground.

It must be noted, this is not a symptom exhibited by short flights through Europe. The early morning starts, the group of familiar faces and the excitement of a new country coupled with the sheer fatigue of traveling weekends overwhelms all emotions. Invariably, it is the trips between home, family and old friends. Perhaps it's not the actual flight, but the transient nature of flying from point A to Point B. Where at some point there is an emotional attachment to the destination. It reminds us of who we will see, or alternatively, who we are leaving behind.

"Can we pretend that air planes in the night sky, are like shooting stars, I could really use a wish right now." - Hayley Williams

Reunions in Europe

Excuses, the currency of life. Where each unmet expectation or failed obligation can be exchanged for an excuse. It's a barter system where the more plausible an excuse the smoother the transaction. "I couldn't come into work because I was sick" Bear in mind it has to be worth wild, otherwise people simple won't buy it. "I couldn't come into work because my dog ate it". So here I am bartering the reasons for my tumbleweed-excuse of blog activity.

#1. Work. There has been shock exodus of employees at work over the last couple of weeks, suddenly I find myself overwhelmed with the amount of work and the reduced amount of bludge time (proportionately correlated to blog time).

#2. Lifestyle. Despite being a somewhat unconvincing welcome of summer (unless you consider those two days of 26 degrees a season) the months of May through to July historically are the busiest for travel and out-and-about-ness.

#3. Familiar faces. Most importantly, I've been lucky enough to have a wealth of visitors from Sydney coming over to London for holiday. Those included, close high school and university friends and most importantly my family. Good times.

So, where's my change?

Easter Midlands

All signs pointed to me being stuck in London over the upcoming Easter long weekend. Majority of the "Londoners" had months in advance pre-emptively organised trips month and had taken the opportunity to make the most of 4 days away from London. Generally, I would welcome this situation with open arms, unfortunately my mind has been uneasy over the last week. I needed to get away from the familiar and minimise any form of reflective alone time. I need a distraction or anything to occupy my thoughts. Unfortunately most flights out of London were booked out and the few remaining fares were inflated beyond logic. Car rental lots were empty and I was forced to do the only sane thing a person in my situation could do. I jumped on a train out to Sheffield, the Midlands (£20).

I was conscious of keeping myself occupied over the 2 hour train journey and had deliberately packed a stockpile of entertainment. Book, Freakonomics check. DS, check. MP3 player, check. I was armed with the necessary tools to prevent me from drifting into a contemplative country-side stupor. The likes of MOS Annual, Kings of Leon and Kid Cudi kept me upbeat until the earphones drummed through the mood changing Missy Higgins and Jay Sean. Sure enough, I was soon staring blissfully out the train window at the slideshow of rolling hills, lush paddocks and flowing rivers. I was in a hypnotic lull and a million thoughts and hypothetical what-ifs bludgeoned my brain. I really need to re-sync my music.

I was welcomed by a close family friend and after a crash-course Sheffield tour we embarked on our Midlands romp. The beauty of this trip was that it was unscripted and unplanned. We we're winging it through the UK. A cheap National Express ride (£7.50) from Sheffield and 1 hour later we were in Nottingham, the home of Robin Hood. Our spontaneity had backfired! We had somehow managed to arrive into Nottingham on the night of the playoffs for the Ice Hockey. The entire town was brimming with people and after visiting 5 hotels the common theme was that no rooms were available. We sucked it up and each checked into the Hilton for one night (£107).

Easter Sunday, we woke early and gorged ourselves on the continental buffet before setting out to Nottingham Castle(£5.50), the oldest pub in the UK( Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem) and finally onto the Peak District. Nottingham to Bakewell via Matlock on the Transpeak Zig Zag (£8). We stopped off for some Yorkshire Pudding Pub lunch and the famous Bakewell Pudding.

Another 1 hour bus ride from Bakewell to Sheffield (£3.90) and we were back. We decided to find some Chinese Dumplings and ended up drinking Red Wine and chatting into the early hours of Easter Monday. I take for granted having a familiar person to talk to without having to think twice about divulging details. I crashed out in the Hospital Residency Common Room for my final night of accommodation. Another worthwhile random weekend in the UK, successfully managing to substitute the emptiness with friends, travel, food and alcohol. Surely, this can't be sustainable ...

YTZLLO

Very jet lagged. So familiar, yet at the same time foreign. It's great to be home!

Looks like it's time to wash those jeans - Still I can't wait to get back to London. I miss her ...

Sydney Goodies!

Nom nom nom - Thanks sis!