Hong Kong 101: The Basics

Welcome to Hong Kong.

Tsing Yi

This year my employer has launched a new imaging initiative. It includes a name changes and complete rebranding of the firm. Part of this image make over is a new global volunteer program. It's a little bit of a popularity contest with all the MDs in the firm trying to get the most number of volunteers for their planned programs. So far our Hong Kong office has had: Packing freight containers for Africa, Cleaning South Bay and more recently spending a day with the elderly. I helped with the freight containers and decided I would also mingle with the elderly.

The residents here spend their time in shared dorms, some have family, some exhibiting mild senility, a lot however are quite old and too frail to walk. The morning was spent meeting the residents and learning the intricacies of manning a wheelchair. We took them through the Tsing Yi Park and for a sumptuous Yum Cha lunch. Funnily enough, communication wasn't the biggest issue here. My Cantonese is shocking but the hardest challenge was that my lady didn't seem to be in the mood for socialising or eating. The other caretakers explained to me that she was in a grumpy mood and even their attempts to strike up conversation with her were met with the silent treatment. Thankfully I managed to squeeze a smile out of her towards the end and I knew then my efforts weren't completely fruitless.

Australia

It's safe to say that weddings usually dictate my Australian visits. Given that this is the period in our lives where people are tying the knot, you can almost always expect a handful of invites throughout the course of the year. The hard part is deciding which to attend, obviously you want to attend them all, but this isn't feasible. The upside of these ceremonies is that it makes it easier to catch up with people. Lots of people in one place always makes reacquainting easier.

The groom, a close friend from University, who now when I think back has been through a lot with me. He was kind enough to let me stay with his family in Vietnam during our "End of University" South East Asia trip,  during this trip we discussed our interests to move to Europe and surely enough a few years later we were both living in London. He moved back after his Working Holiday expired to be with his now wife. It was a no-brainer that I would return for his Wedding. It was my first "Westie" wedding, held in Crystal Palace which was a massive affair. With over 500 attendees and with enough food and alcohol to host an awards night it was a spectacular night.

It had been a good six months since I was back and decided to make a trip out of it. Headed up to Queensland's Great Barrier Reef where I spent a few days unwinding and taking my mind off the mess of living in Hong Kong. Introduced to my first Scuba Diving experience (Loved it, will have to get my open water some time). This trip also coincided with my 30th Birthday, secretly I was happy to be escaping the craziness of Hong Kong, as I know how a birthday party ends up in LKF. Albert kindly arranged a surprised birthday down in the city. I was suspicious but the turn out genuinely shocked me. Uni friends, family friends, cousins, parents, couldn't have asked for a better 30th!

Great trip, really enjoyed my time back home. Home cooked food, familiar faces, great weather and fresh air. The house is so quiet without Sam kind of eerie in a sense. This was one of the first times I thought about returning back home to Sydney.

Early Birthday Present

Sister was visiting Hong Kong in the wake of Singapore F1 so we ventured over to Tsim Sha Tsui to get some shopping action going. Actually, we were looking for a guitar leg rest for my dad and headed over to Hong Kong's largest music store, Tom Lee Music.

Unfortunately, we couldn't really find any stands. I did however pick up a Ukulele, 1200 HKD (~150 AUD) purchased on a whim and in appreciation of YouTube uke sensations.

Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO)

One of the perks about living in Europe was, irrespective of month or season, there is always something to look forward to. Europe offers a proliferation of events throughout the course of the calendar year. Festivals that cater for every walk of life. This includes whiskey, cheese, toy, food, cultural not to mention the various music festivals always keep you looking forward to the next event. Some events of course form the cornerstone of the European calendar: Glastonbury, The Running of the Bulls, Oktoberfest and Christmas Festivals round up the bigger ticket items.

Thankfully Asia also has its share of events. Chinese New Year, The Full Moon Party in Koh Samui, Cherry Blossoms in Japan, the Hong Kong Sevens are some that come to mind. Which brings me to the next event, Singapore F1. It's a time where Singapore hotels rates increase up to 150%, where flights to the island become more regular and where tickets to the hottest night race of the year get sold out. Due to reasons unknown, I missed out on last year's F1. I never heard the end of it, "You missed out on an excellent weekend! You should have come". So here I am 12 months later, in Singapore, managing my expectations for a great weekend.

The siblings joined us for the weekend; a reunion in Singapore. Funnily enough we ended up watching the race from our Marina Bay Sands room all while the cars whirred around the hotel. Excellent weekend, hanging with the sister, relaxing by the pool and  attending possibly the best Sunday party I have been to in Amber Lounge. Read,  €500 per person for entry,  €12,000 for a table of 8. This includes, brushing shoulders with the drivers, live performances by Lemar and free flow Champagne. Suffice to say, my 6 am Monday morning flight was hell. I arrived at work smelling distinctly drunk and wishing I were in bed. Now I understand what they were talking about.

Next thing you know, they're all grown up ...

It's a little sad actually, not having somebody to chat with when you get home from work. Actually, even if you don't talk to them it's nice to know that there's somebody there. After 10 months, my living room has been returned and I have lost a house mate. Good story actually, despite the initial set back he managed to find a job at Goldman Sachs and find his own apartment. Don't think he could have planned it better.

So with my living room back and less obligation, I find myself with a lot more spare time. Better start getting this blog back up to date, especially since I've received a "Thanks for letting me crash on your couch" gift (see below). Thanks bud!

Sam

Despite my Swiss Cheese-esque memory one of the more vivid memories is the arrival of our first pet. I'm not talking about that goldfish that died after one night back in Stone Street or the time we looked after that bird or our neighbour's flea-harbouring pooch (Simba), that pet I refer to is the wily, enthusiastic Weimaraner.

It was thirteen odd years ago, while I was still in Highschool when the gray puppy arrived in Earlwood. I remember there was discussion on what to name our first dog. The names Cookie, Max, Rover were thrown around but we eventually decided on Sam (He would also eventually take on the names, Great Stone Dragon and Horse). At that time, the household was busy. The adults were off at work and the children were at school, which meant we had to cage Sam in the basement of our house. We (well mostly Dad) constructed a fence at the base of the staircase to prevent him from roaming up in the house.

I remember my sister and I returning home from school excited to see our pet for the first time after school. We rushed down to the basement and lo' and behold the barricade had been pushed aside and the pup' was no longer downstairs. Lesson #1, puppies that have been recently separates from the litter cannot be left alone in the basement of a Malaysian house for an extended solitary period. We searched the house and eventually found him on the top level in my bedroom. He was cowering in the corner with his big floppy ears next to a bright yellow puddle of urine. The sight of people made him instantly happy although getting him to get downstairs proved a little more tricky. Lesson #2, going up stairs can sometimes be easier than going down stairs for puppies.

Admittedly, I felt a little bad for not being able to spend more time with him, especially during the later part of his life. I still remember the walks, him standing outside the door waiting to rush in, his hip surgery, him eating bees, him killing kittens, him killing blue tongue lizards, him drinking one litre of chicken oil and him sniffing my crotch. Hope we were as enjoyable as you were Sam.

One of my favourite photos of him kicking back on the lawn with a tub of crunchy Peanut butter. Rest in Peace.

"Woof" - Sam