Squatter

I've had a squatter at my place for the last 3 weeks. Kev's on his 4 week medical rotation, working at Beth Israel hospital.

There is a "pay it forward" feel about this arrangement, as I had similarly squatted at Bjee's place for 3 weeks!

Whilst my place is a bit squeezy for two people to cohabit for any stretch of time, it's been awesome having him here. Good to catch up, recall old memories, share in new ones.

Old friends are such that there is an immediate comfort when meeting up, anywhere in the world. We've all grown a little bit older and hopefully a little bit wiser but the old jokes are still funny.

Kev and I share the same relationship status :) It's fun to live vicariously off someone else for a change! Too many late nights, but if one is in NYC for a short period of time, one has to make the most of it. Random pics will appear on Facebook for sure.

I've enjoyed the time, Kev. Thanks for coming to visit me in NYC. Hopefully you got the experiences your were looking for here! Circle will miss you :)

Hong Kong #2

It was wonderful to see the extended family again, I can't believe how many folks made it over. I've been relegated to the "younger" kids table, not mature enough to hang with my older cousins (all of whom have kids). I did chaperon my younger cousins for New Years Eve, felt very responsible there :)

Had a fantastic seafood dinner, near Kwun Tong. There is a specific "seafood market" next to the restaurants where you get to choose the specific food that you want for that night. Yum.

Got to hang with Jay and Glorya, and see their business in action. I'm inspired! It's fun to talk to friends that have taken a different path, and the trials and tribulations that come with that path. I wish them all the best in the new year.

Of course there was some additional partying. Billion, Play, Vola, random other names of places I can't remember. For the first time my "don't talk, just dance" approach landed some success!
I have come to the conclusion that I need to be more of a baller. It's expensive to party in HK, possibly even worse than NYC. If only I was hot enough for other people to buy me drinks...

More photos uploaded of people and landscapes.

I miss the (relatively) warm weather already!

Hong Kong

A friend of mine once said that every time she goes back to Hong Kong it's like going home.

I never used to feel that way about this place, even though I share the same ancestry and migration patterns as her. However, having stayed here for nearly two weeks now, I understand a bit more of what she meant.

I am starting to understand the jumble of streets in Central, the smells of curry chicken rice everywhere I go, the crowds of Causeway Bay, the random big nights in Lan Kwai Fong. I have also come to appreciate the serenity of the Outer Islands, the (relative) quietness of mid-Levels and that just wandering around Hong Kong is a great way to take in the city.

Yes, I could live here.

The trip has been fun because of all the different activities:
Trish and Roy's Wedding - lovely and heartfelt, and the first time I have seen one of those "chairman's suites" in a 5-star hotel;
Mary-Ann's birthday bash, seeing all my relatives, catching up with old friends, making new ones.
I still have a week to go, to see my immediate family and Por Por's 91st (!!) birthday.

It's been good to be able to do some thinking as to where and what I want to do next year. There seems to be a few options on the table, need to see what is best.

Thanks Bjee for letting me have the run of your apartment. It's an awesome place. And no, I swears I haven't had any parties here!

Glee

I don't usually watch that much TV. Actually, the cable for my internet doesn't even connect up to the TV.
So it's lucky that they replay certain programs on internet to watch.

One of the shows that I am a big fan of is Glee. It's a high-school drama/comedy (mostly comedy), with lots of random musical numbers that people perform during the epidose. Glee Club, as it is known in US, is the equivalent of the Aussie "jazz ensemble".

The fact that they sing tons of catchy modern pop songs ("Thong Song", "Bust a Move", "Defying Gravity") is great. What makes it stand out is the Glee Club's teacher is very talented (both in singing and dancing), and all the kids in the club can really sing well. One of the main girl leads came from the musical "Spring Awakening", which was playing in NYC a while back. Side note: Don't watch Spring Awakening, I thought the storyline was quite bad, with nudity that really wasn't necessary in any way.

Now, many of you may associate Glee with High School Musical. Having never watch High School Musical, I can't comment on that, and hope that others may provide some insight into that comparison.

I think that liking Glee is probably for guys a bit of a "closet" thing (perhaps it's High School Musical and its association with wild teenage girls screaming for Zac Efron). There seems to be a certain shame in admitting that it's a great show and yes, that "I do sing along to the songs". To that I say, who cares?? It's good fun, buy the album :)

Here's to hoping Season 2 is as good as Season 1!

Cambodia, Thailand, Wedding

In one word, fantastic. Let's break it down in more detail:

Cambodia
Angkor Wat and the temples around Siem Reap are definitely worth seeing. It's great that we are able to walk through the temples. Yes there are lots of tourists there, but not overwhelming and there is a serenity to the place that no amount of people can detract from. Angkor Ta Prohm (otherwise known as the "Lara Croft" temple) has melted back into the forest, with all the vines that grow through the stones. Banteay Srei Temple (otherwise known as the "Women's Temple") has some of the most intricate carvings in stone that I have seen.

Of course Angkor Wat is very impressive. I would recommend going to the National Museum before going to the temples, it provides a much needed background on why certain things were carved on the stones. I have a much better understanding of Hinduism and Buddhism now, although all those names of entities gets pretty confusing!

We also managed to get out and about in the touristy town part of Siem Reap. Women are aggressive there, probably because they are of the "working" type. Couldn't look at anyone in case they came up to say "what's up"!

Got to do a Cambodian cooking class, that was a ton of fun. My aim is to make some coconut sticky rice soon!

Pictures here.


Thailand (excl wedding)
I have been told that Thailand is much better outside of Bangkok. From a pollution perspective, they are probably right. However, some good things to see there: the Grand Palace is bling! It's as good as the palaces in Europe. It's impressive that Thailand still has a constitutional monarchy, that's probably why those palaces are so well maintained. Wat Pho (with a massive gold-plated reclining Buddha) is worth a visit too.

I rate the outdoor bar on the top of State Tower. Only in Asia, where safety concerns are much less of an issue than they are in western countries!

Of course there was the bucks, good bunch of guys that went out. Yes, I went to a "Thai show" and yes, I saw things that I don't think I ever want to see again. I wonder what makes people decide to train to shoot darts from there?? Apparently the show that the hens went to was even more fascinating to watch!
We even hit the town, Bed Supper Club was swanky. There's a rule in Bangkok that all clubs close at 2am, except for the dodgy police controlled ones!

Pictures here.

Tax & Dex's Wedding
After a massive Friday night out, on to the bus to go to Hua Hin, a beach resort town 2 hours south of Bangkok. The wedding was wonderful. There was a slight comical hiccup when the celebrant couldn't pronounce Dexter's name ("Doctor Liu"), but everything else was flawlessly executed. Outdoor dinners are always risky (due to weather etc), but it was starry, balmy night. With the beach, fireworks and great food, everyone was happy and celebrating, and that's the main thing.

Congrats Tax and Dex, see you in Feb hopefully!

Pictures here.

Friends
Finally, the best thing was catching up with everyone. From UK, HK, Aust and everywhere else, it was a grand gathering. Partying and reconnecting with old friends (until sunrise) is just plain fun. Even made some new friends! Those animated GIFs are coming. Here's a preview



Until the next wedding :)

Halloween

A brief synopsis on getting a costume for Halloween

1. Don't think too hard about the costume until the day before the party.
2. Decide to change the outfit on the day of the party from normal pimp to Eastern European pimp
3. Proceed to wander around Chinatown looking for "fake Adidas" gear. Get blank stares from Chinese shipowners when asking for "sweatpants".
4. Receive inspired advice from a friend to go to Century 21 to buy discount sportswear.
5. Buy sports gear (only had Nike), move on accessories.
6. See the ridiculous lines outside Ricky's and other Halloween costume stores where everyone else is in the same boat, getting last minute stuff.
7. Inspired thinking on my own part to go to St Marks Place to look for fake bling.
8. For the first time in 2 years living in NYC, actually go into one of those St Marks Place "variety" stores that sell random crap.
9. Acquire fake gold peace sign necklace. Even bargained the guy down!
10. Get wig and sunnies off mate.
11. Also get wife beater singlet off mate.
12. After dinner, miraculously grow sideburns from black cosmetic outliner.
13. Decide that if I ever take off the jacket, I'll just have a singlet on. Proceed to desperately bulk up with a few push ups and pull ups.
14. Put the outfit together, drink and have a great time.


It's funny, being out in NYC during Halloween, you almost feel out of place WITHOUT a costume on. Some people go all out (I heard reports of a 12 foot tall Optimus Prime) so it's fun just to be costume wandering around. Good times, and more photos here.

New Record

I have had alcohol in my system every night since Wednesday. It's Sunday morning now.

Luckily, most nights have been on the "gateway"-level of 3 drinks, which is the point where any further drinking will lead to a rapid decline in ability to stay coherent. The exceptions to this have been Saturday...and Thursday...and maybe Friday.

In New York, with such good infrastructure, thoughts of drinking and driving are never an issue. So that "ok, one more..." comment never really has any illegal activity attached to it. I expect that Hong Kong would be similar in ease of alcohol intake.

I am sure my tolerance for alcohol has increased substantially. However, that tolerance is only reserved for the following:
1. Malibu and cokes
2. Strong cocktails, of the type produced in speakeasy bars
3. Random tequila shots

I am a lightweight when it comes to beers and wines, keep that in my if you are taking me out.

Does this make me a (semi) alcoholic? I sure hope not. In my assessment of other people in NYC, I'm not even close. Drinking is so prevalent here...plus Dad says that it has to be 5 drinks a night minimum, so if I only do that once a week, I'm sure it's ok. Right? Right? Cheers!

Side note to family: This post in no way represents my abilities to be a responsible son / brother / uncle.

Chicago

I like Chicago. I like the structure, the cleanliness, the hot Caucasian women that live there.

Two things struck me when I visited my cousin who is doing his MBA at Booth School of Business.:
1. Rent is cheap. The amount of space one gets is fantastic value, at least from the perspective of someone who is living in a small studio.
2. B-schoolers seem to be having a great time, living it up as uni students once again.

On the second point, it made me think once again whether I should do an MBA. However, I know that going to grad school just to hit it isn't going to do my career any good. And it's not for free (unless you get sponsored), that's a $150,000 party, not to mention lost income for the two years. If there is no expected career change or boost, then it's not really worth it. What one MBA'er did say was that it really opens your eyes to the breadth of opportunities that are out there in the world.

Go to check out a college football game. It felt more like "Friday Night Light" than the NFL. Northwestern (the home team) are apparently not that good a team, and yes they did lose. However, they did make a game out of it. Here's a clip of a touchdown that Northwestern (in the dark blue) scored. Action starts around the 20sec mark.



Good also to catch up with a friend who had moved back to Chicago from NYC. I'm impressed by the freshness of the sushi and sashimi I had at a place called "Coast".

I didn't need to do the touristy stuff (having done it last year) so it was a lot of chillin out and talking shit. That is sometimes the best thing for a holiday.

Age

So the more I get out and about in NYC, the more I am meeting people of a variety of ages.
I started high with those Korean cougars in L.A. but things have gone progressively uphill/downhill (depending on your outlook).

Am now meeting 22 year old women and even 21 year old guys. WTF?

I don't think of age as an issue, and that comes from the fact that I would hang around people in the same age vicinity as me. I still think the same way. However, for some of these young'uns, there is some surprise and the "why aren't you settled?" question has indeed come up. I'm tempted to reply, "because life doesn't always work out you the way you think it does at the ripe old age of 21."

Trying to remember back to when I was that age, I would think the same way as them. However, that was Sydney where no-one goes out beyond 26 and this is NYC where older people party just as hard, so I do feel I'm not that much of an outcast!

I did hear once a friend of a friend lied about their age when they first met a girl (I think he's around my age) but he told the truth later and now they are all good as a couple. There's a part of me that thinks, surely putting a lie out there that early is not conducive to a good relationship?

Thank goodness for the Asian gene :) Most people think that I look younger than I am. So maybe the key is to avoid the topic altogether!

Red Cross

I recently volunteered for the Red Cross. What surprised me was how strict they were in terms of making sure that the volunteers were proper, committed people. I'm subject to a background check as well as an interview. In essence, it's like applying for a new job! It's probably a good thing, it weeds out the people who thought "why not?" and sign up for it. And truth be told, a part of me is in that category. It's easy to volunteer for stuff, but it's harder to stay in it for a long period of time. Red Cross does emphasise the "we want you to be doing a job that you want" instead of the "throwing bodies at it" approach that many other agencies take.

So I did do some browsing and I'm thinking that the Disaster Response Reserves sounds interesting. I'd like to be able to use some of this project management skill (or lack thereof) to help out in disaster situations. And surely if I can work calmly in a disaster situation, everything else in my normal line of work will be a piece of cake!

I went to the orientation the other day, to get a history on the organisation and all that jazz. A few random facts:
- Red Cross symbol is the second most recognizable symbol globally, number one being Coca Cola
- Red Cross responds to about 8 "incidents/disasters" per day. Obviously a disaster is anything where bad stuff happens, right down to a family.
- Red Cross have about 4,000 volunteers in the Greater New York region, and they are aiming for 10,000. That's bigger than my company!

It will be interesting to see how this goes. My previous concepts of charity were more slanted towards teaching a person to fish, as opposed to giving the fish away. With disaster relief, it's really all about giving stuff away to make sure people get through the initial "survival" phase. Will see if it's fulfilling or not. Either way, any charity is better than none.