The Hong Kong Muse

2011 - Year In Reflection

2011-12-31T09:37:00.000-08:00

I found my review of 2010 here and I am very glad I have penned my reflections and conclusions down when the year ended. I also did say that 2011 would be the year of fresh experiences and excitement. My key focus in 2011 was to expand my knowledge and expand my comfort zone. Boy, did I do that right.

Here are the key events of 2011

1. I found a job in the financial sector of Hong Kong and moved there, leaving all friends, family and everything familiar behind

2. It was my first time renting an apartment. It's my first time having to take care of the bills, laundry, non-working lightbulbs etc by myself. I appreciate my parents a lot more than ever.

3. It was also my first time living with someone else other than mom and dad when Bryan came over as well

4. I started specializing in equity at work, and at the same time I have made many firm friends. I have picked up an interest in derivatives as well. Talk about expanding knowledge. I have never expanded my knowledge this fast ever in my life.

5. I have a more vibrant night life (considering the fact that now I am living away from parents, I do not have to worry about waking them up at 4 am)

6. I exercise a lot less. Firstly, I think my work hours have never been so long in my life, hence either I reach home late or I am dead tired. Secondly, summers are too hot and winters are too cold. Thirdly, I could be making a whole lot of excuses because I have just become lazier.

7. I visited Beijing with my mom - we have fulfilled what we kept talking about so many years ago. It was one of the best trips of my life because my mom is a great travel companion. I am glad to see the Forbidden City as well as Great Wall of China with her.

8. I visted Tokyo with Bryan for the first time and I purchased my first Burberry item which is an androgynous brown leather wallet by their Blue Label

9. Bryan and I ended our relationship towards the end of the year. I am not going to comment about it but it was on good terms and we are still friends

10. I have gotten to know Wiener, my lil handsome dachshund. Through him, I learn about responsibility and a higher tolerance to poor hygiene. Wiener also got me to learn to be more considerate to his feelings, because he does expresses his dissatisfaction with you sometimes.

I think I spent 2011 living in the moment a lot, collecting all my new experiences as they come along. I really did not have much chance to pause to reflect on current happenings in my life this year. I wouldn't exchange anything in 2011 for anything. I believe I have lived up to the goals and expectations of 2011 (just not the exercise part).

In 2012, here is what I wish to see

1. Drive much deeper into the knowledge zone

2. Travel to 2 places I have never been to, with mom

3. Take on leadership responsibility

4. Be healthy

5. Quality friendships

2011, you have fucking rock my world. I think 2012 is going to be truly awesome. I am looking forward to it immensely.

Weather and Work

2011-12-03T03:20:00.000-08:00

It's fucking freezing cold in Hong Kong.

It got so cold, so fast. The time I get up is the worst - 6:30 am - your most fucking chilly time. Sorry mom, I know you read my blog but it's really awful cold and you need to select words that allows you to express yourself best. Due to my limited vocabulary, I always choose the most versatile word to ever exist in English language.

The month's been a hectic one at work. It's usual to work 12 hours straight a day, with no room for slacking. I was overseeing some stuff, and making sure new joiners are okay and surviving. I got to be the mentor of this guy, who seems like a nice, reserved guy at first. After two weeks of being my neighbour, I kept hearing random vulgarities aimed at the terminal. It's largely my fault because it's an infamous habit of mine. The power of peer influence. No wonder they say you should choose your friends properly.

A great thing that happened yesterday was that I was awarded rep of the month. It was a nice surprise definately. I was recognized for delivering great work and making good contributions. Most times, I just enjoy what I do. Albiet random swearing, a bad habit built from young I must say, I really do enjoy this field and glad I plunged into it.

Today I get to spend the day alone. I chose to hung out with my gramps in the morning. Walked around to hunt for a cardigan worthy of keeping me warm indoor in this coldness. Got home to play a bit with Wiener and spent my time reading New York Times and Slate. Then I invested SGD 183 in online shopping within 15 minutes. Talk about cutting to the chase. But I need work clothes. I have been recycling the same thing for past year that I get so bored.

Speaking of spending money, I suddenly realized I need to book air tickets back to S'pore... Bye, before I forgot again.

Who Put Shots In The Jello?

2011-11-11T21:16:00.001-08:00

Jello shots were made by Joey. Happy birthday Joey, whoever Joey is. I think it's some white dude with curly hair.

Last night had dinner with both Sean and Bryan at Sabah, a Malaysian restaurant at Wanchai. Char kway teow costs HKD 60 but we willingly pay for it because we craved for Southeast Asian food. Then Bryan and I headed down to TST for someone's party. The party is so white. Full of white kids but in a typical Hong Kong fashion, as long as you speak good English, you are an expat and everyone is suddenly your best friend, over a beer or two. Oooh, you love house band, come meet this girl, she loves it too! And we will hang out, and we will talk. And then we raised our glasses and bang our cans of beers and we would be best of friends, just for that night.

So backtrack, the night before last night (which is Thursday), I headed down to LKF to have drinks with the girls from work, as well as some Japanese colleagues. I had an omlette at China Bar and that was pretty good. This Japanese dude told us that he would go for drinks till 11 pm every night, sleep at 2 am, then his morning starts from 6:30 am. I believe him. He definately looks capable of this lifestyle but I wonder how people survive with so little sleep. I wasn't supposed to go to LKF. I was actually staying back at work to learn. But after studying, I am so tired, I need a beer. LKF is right next door.

Let's backtrack one more night before (which is Wednesday), I had dinner and drinks with friends from work. We were just talking about work in general, how things can be improved, what could be done differently. I also heard that I am supposed to be someone's mentor, that poor kid. It makes me want to work even harder on my knowledge so I can guide another person properly. At the end of the day, knowledge is the core of everything in my line of work. I wasn't supposed to have dinner and drinks. I stayed behind for mandarin lessons (I am taking up Business Mandarin, twice weekly till next year). Then I helped out a new hire because she was struggling with some excel formulas. It was late, I was tired, I need a beer.

Right now, we are looking at Saturday. I am spent but I feel energetic and I wish to go out. I love it here in Hong Kong.

I'm going to head out for quick lunch, then I am going to take Wiener out to the dog park for couple of hours. I will visit my gramps and hopefully, end the night with Bryan with Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels.

My Perfect Saturday

2011-10-22T02:35:00.000-07:00

You know what? Five years ago, if you were to ask me what my perfect Saturday would be, I'd say something like, "being out with friends, at KTV, having drinks and talking cock till midnight". Not that I dislike doing all these now, but I can't seem to do so much of late nights anymore.

Heck, the last time I went out late was...I don't know, a month ago?

Maybe a quick happy hour on Friday night would be fine but I'd need to be in bed by midnight. As much as I attribute this to the nature of my current job, I suspect the key reason is due to bloody aging. When I started my first year at Kimberly-Clark, I could go out with Lian having beer till late on consecutive weeknights. If I were to do it consecutive weeknight drinks now, I think I would literally die.

My perfect Saturday now would be waking up at 10 am, having coffee then catching up on the news. I hope for fine blue sky with cool weather, so I could go for half hour jog. Then I take a little walk with Wiener. I wish to laze on my sofa to read a book and end the night watching a movie while sipping wine. Perfect.

Do I sound like a old lady now or what?

Catching Up

2011-10-11T07:52:00.000-07:00

Wiener has been running away from us. It started with our lack of discipline on our part. Oh, he's just a baby, eventually he'll control his bladder. Never happened.

Everyday when we come home, we are greeted by at least 3 pools of pee and 2 piles of shit. Everyday when we come home, we got to clean up. I bet Cinderella had an easier time than us. But we are people who will take action to lift us up from the treacherous daily greetings. We have started smacking Wiener on his butt once he's not peeing at his toilet. Hence, he's been running away from us. He's a smart boy though, he only comes to us when he knew he has done something right, or he would employ avoidance when he knew he had screwed up. I suspect he might pee next to my feet sometimes as an act of rebellion.

Beijing has been awesome. I went on the week of China's national day. It wasn't that bad. It was crazy crowded but crowd means the city is more alive. I stayed at Crowne Plaza on Wangfujing Street and I couldn't ask for a better location. The Great Wall of China is magnificent. The city is absolutely charming. I don't miss people spitting on the street so much though.

Oh, I am now reading The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson which I highly reccomend if you like thriller/intellectual plot/twist/violence/lives of fucked up people. This is the sequel to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo which I did not read, but saw the film instead. I'd describe the movie as having a clever plot with some violent rape scenes and a great ending. HMV in Hong Kong sells the cheapest English books (HKD 99 for 2 copie) but limited titles. I bought the two sequels (the third part to the Millennium series is The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest).

I also saw Super Rookie in my hotel room late one night when I could not sleep because my legs were cramping up from walking around The Forbidden City. You can click on the link to watch it for free. It's my kind of humor. A screwed up guy who could not find employment but landed in a management trainee program of a prestigious company through computer error. I quite like the angle of this korean drama. At least it's not about a boy who meets a girl, found out that they are long lost brother and sister, and later on one died from leukemia.

My mom is flying home coming weekend. Time passes quickly. There's some strong wind these days and the temperature is falling. I think we are coming to winter days soon.

First Times

2011-10-01T10:31:00.001-07:00

For the first time in two years, we were lucky enough to get hit with typhoon 8 in Hong Kong. It's an official day off for most white collars and schools. Alas, we have a work from home system should disaster strike so I spent the day working. It was nice with Wiener on my lap, and uh occassional "KKKK OOOOOO" 'cos Bryan was playing Street Fighter.

I got Bryan a FCUK hoodie for his birthday and (I think) he loves it. We had fish, spring chicken and sausage platter at Table 18 (APM) with my mom. I think Bryan's birthday wish is that he's 20 instead of 27.

For the first time in my life, I'd be going to Beijing for a full week. Super looking forward to touring historical sites and indulging in street food.

Day Off

2011-09-10T21:09:00.000-07:00

I'm just very happy that I am getting 4 days off work. Catching up on sleep is as sweet as a melting toffee in the mouth. I've decided I'll do nothing but really just to read, sleep and spend time cuddling Wiener.

I took Wiener out to Emax which is HKD 20 cab-ride away from my house. Emax has a giant pet shot that is extremely dog friendly. People bring their doggies out to Emax just to get dog stuff and for their dogs to socialize with one another.

There was a giant german shephard who walked into Emax yesterday. All the little dogs just ran away or their owners picked them up. I thought the german shephard looked so gentle. Wiener immediately went over to say hi, he rolled over and asked the giant for a belly rub. The shephard looked bewildered. Wiener got impatient and jumped on him. The shephard looked startled and walked away. Wiener is a tiny terrorist.

Then I took a cab down to my gramp's place, another HKD 20 ride away to have dinner and so that Wiener got play at new places. He's stuck at home all the time, sometimes I wondered if he's bored. But these days, he walks a lot better. At least he follows and stop sniffing the ground so much.

Think I'm going to grab lunch and come back to read a bit. Nice...

Wiener at 4 months old

2011-09-10T07:24:00.000-07:00

Naughty boy was playing with my pj's drawstrings

He's a lil grumpy in the bag on a hot day

On his first walk. He simply refuses to walk or look at me.

Wiener was sleeping in the bag after a day out

His fave chicken bone

"Wiener, look here!"

There's food on the table, hence the look of focus

I just removed his bone, so he was concerned.

Wiener must sit and wait patiently for his food until we tell him it's okay to eat.

Wiener's First Walk (by Bryan)

2011-09-04T08:41:00.001-07:00

(This post is contributed by Bryan)

Wiener took his first walk at Sai Kung today.

We put him down by the road as he was getting heavy. He found tons of crap to nibble and eat, for example glass, dirty needles, leaves, sand, dried up dump. He would not walk no matter how we pulled, tugged and choked. I put treats between my toes to coax him but the dirt on the streets proved far more attractive. I dragged him on his ass for quite abit. We then took a break in a clean pet store where he proceeded to make 2x diarrhea and eat 1x of it. We asked if they had products to improve his walking and the shopkeeper told us you just gotta train him (with a judgemental tone and a massive stink-eye).

We reached the doggy zone and Wiener started playing tonsil hockey with a few random dogs. They smelled his butt but he was uninterested in returning the gesture. He was quite the aunty killer and made many aunties stoop to pet him. Some tried to carry him but Kitty laid the smack down on them. Wiener walked a little more now with me cheering him on in my "special voice" (the embarassing tone I use to talk to 1 year old crying/autistic children). Apparently a lot of people were staring at our little spectacle and Kitty signalled to me to cease embarassing myself in public (we have a secret signal for when such situations arise, it usually involves Kitty laying the smack down on me and bellowing at me not to be a doosh bag).

We went for dinner with our exhausted boy and he slept soundly in his own chair at a dog friendly restaurant. The dog friendly waiter pet him vigorously as we were paying the bill and he fell off the dog friendly chair struggling to hold on with his front paws and legs dangling. The waiter stood there with a dog friendly smile pretending nothing had happened as we screamed and dived to catch him.

The end.

Tai Tum Hike

2011-08-07T08:05:00.000-07:00

I haven't been exercising for the whole of this month, so it was nice to go for an easy hike at Tai Tum, where the scenary is spectacular. It was a particularly hot day, but taking deep breaths of fresh air was just refreshing.

Wiener at 2 more days to 3 months old

2011-08-07T07:56:00.000-07:00

Wiener at 2.5 months

2011-08-07T07:49:00.000-07:00

Wiener fell asleep in the midst of playing

Obeying the sit command

He guards his automatic feeder faithfully when we first bought it. Now he knows it's not a magical lunch box that drops food in front of him all the time.

He pulls my FBT shorts strings every night.

It was a particularly hot day. He wasn't that happy in the bag but we were on our way for his vet visit.

Content after we have fed and played with him.

Fell asleep in the midst of chewing his toy.

Fell asleep on my lap.

Taking a quick sit on his toilet, hoping to get rewards from it.

Wiener's favourite tray, where he will dutifully keeps his toys after playing.

678 International Club and More of Wiener

2011-08-05T22:03:00.001-07:00

This month has been horrendous because I kept falling sick. I treated myself to a day off on Friday and make a trip to Shenzhen with Bryan. He knows how much I love massages. He got a lil sick of Water Cube, and we heard from my uncle that 678 International Club is just as good (my uncle's a massage-whore too).

There's a direct bus from Kowloon Bay MTR Exit A to Hoi Gong custom and 678 could pick you up by car. The lobby isn't as grand as Water Cube but we thought everything else within is just as good and the toilet seems bigger and cleaner (Water Cube's already pretty high end). I had a shoulder massage at the lobby, where you can watch TV with drinks and free flow of fruits served to you. Then we had dinner at the restaurant and the food is very good. Then we went back to get a head massage, took a shower and leave. The whole thing cost 300 RMB a person, and we ordered quite a bit of food. We'll definately return.

We received a very sweet postcard from Wiener's vet, the East Animal Hospital at Shau Kei Wan. Apparently, they have scanned Wiener's microchip and found out his actual date of birth. They gave us a postcard with Wiener's photo and details of his background. It's quite a lovely surprise as we did a basic health check up for Wiener on its first visit. We didn't know that this would be included. So Wiener was officially born on 9 May 2011. We got him from the pet shop on 3 July 2011, of which the pet shop actually lied about his real age and make him sound older (2.5 months then which makes him 3.5 months now). In reality, he was barely 2 months old when we first got him. We were happy to know about Wiener's real age, but at the same time, we were quite sad to know that he was so young. It just means he left his mom at a frigging young age. Also, only after we got him from the shop, then we educate ourselves with the puppy mill situation and we were pretty sure that Wiener was one of the products from puppy mill because responsible breeders wouldn't let puppies leave their home before 8 weeks of age. We could have educate ourselves better then but Wiener's part of family already. It's history. Looking forward, we have to take good care of Wiener and constantly educate ourselves to be responsible owners. On a happy note, Wiener turns 3 months on Singapore's National Day.

Wiener at 2.5 Months

2011-07-30T02:52:00.000-07:00

Nightly tummy rubs.

Ugly sleeper

Wiener always have this expression when you have food in your hand.

No food in your hand. He looks more chillax.

He hates having his photo taken.

Wiener - Almost 3 Months Old

2011-07-30T02:14:00.000-07:00

What a tranquil 10 minutes this has been as Wiener decided he has enough of me and is taking a nap. Bryan and I have a new weekend routine as he needs to work on Saturday. What do I do when I am alone with Wiener? Cleaning up after him of course. He's a barely 2 kg minature dachshund but he sure poops like he is a 10 kg German Shephard. I have never seen something so small shit so much. I could tell he enjoys pooping, and he enjoys eating his own poop. To me, it's no big deal but it really bothers Bryan. Most wild dogs mask their scent by eating back their own poop anyway. As long as Wiener doesn't lick my face after, I won't be too harsh on his lack of hygiene.

This morning, I was picking up his toys and cleaning the floor. This little fella suddenly barged right past me, like he's in a huge hurry. I was wondering what the big commotion was and turn out he was rushing to his toilet to take a crap.

Recently, I bought him a jigsaw toy as well. The petshop owner told me that his own dog spent a couple of hours figuring out how to get the food out. The toy is shaped like a beer can. It's got tiny mouth, like a beer can, for you to insert food in. So the shopkeeper said that his dog spent hours chewing and crushing the toy to get the food out. I thought it'd be a great toy for Wiener and probably give me couple hours of peace when I am at home.

Now, I don't mean to be a gushing dog-mommy but I think Wiener is really bright. I sat on the sofa to observe how he play with the toy. He was chewing and chasing after it at first, since he knew there's food in it. Then he actually pause to peep into the hole. I thought it was me, humanizing his behavior but for the next few times I gave him the toy, he actually repeated the process. He would peep into the hole, then he sat the can upright. The food falls out, he pushes the can away with his paws, and repeat the whole procedure till he got all the food out. It took him 20 minutes to complete the whole thing and...he got bored of the toy and went back to nipping at my toes.

Wiener is consistently following the sit and stay command. He would carry his toys back to us with "bring toy back", if he feels like it. He's more likely to follow through a command if you are holding food in your hand. I was trying to teach him "give me your hand Wiener" moments ago. He doesn't really get that, but eventually he did gave me his tiny paw when I said "hand". I have been trying to teach him how to walk with me on a leash at home, so that when he finished all his jabs, he would know how to walk on leash. It's pretty good so far. He walks on "come Wiener" and pauses with "sit Wiener". Of course, he only listens if you are holding food. Calculative bastard. But I adore you.

On the night that there was typhoon signal 3 in Hong Kong, the house was howling with crazy wind blowing. Wiener's not allowed in the bedroom so he sleeps in the kitchen. I was worried that he'd be afraid, shivering and crying with the loud howls of wind. I kept waking him to check on him. What's there to worry about? He was sleeping so soundly, with tummy up. I accidentally dropped something on the floor, he just lifted his head slightly and gave me do-not-disturb face and continued with his sleep. I guess he's a big boy.

Healthy Is Awesome

2011-07-29T07:41:00.000-07:00

The past 2 weeks have been horrid. First, I was down with a bit of flu. Then I passed it to Bryan who passed the flu back to me. I kept having fever and my face was swollen. The swelling came down and I am just stuck with running nose and lethargy. I missed the times when I was so healthy, going hiking on weekends instead of staying in at home to nurse a cold.

That said, we just experienced typhoon signal 3 here. All of us were praying we get signal 8 so that we don't have to go to work, but no such luck. Oh well, got to stay home with the stormy season anyways.

Gotta go. Wiener is biting the wire of my laptop.

Wiener's Second Vet Visit

2011-07-24T08:08:00.000-07:00

Wiener went for his 2nd vet visit today and has gotten his 2nd jab. He's a step closer to be my jogging buddy soon. He has put on weight, from 1.0 kg to 1.6 kg. I must say, we've done a pretty good job in keeping him healthy so far. He's shedding his young coat of fur, and it seems that his new coat will be a darker shade of gold (like sand).

My family loves Wiener, but there's something I really dislike takng Wiener out to meet new people - people love petting him because he's cute and good. I freaking fear the germs on people's hands as he was not in the best shape of health when we first got him. To top that of, he has not gotten his full course of vaccination so he' still got a weak immune. Like yesterday, my uncle heard that we've gotten Wiener and he could not stop giving him treats. Wiener then has a mild diarrhea this morning, and honestly I was quite annoyed. It seemed rude to tell my uncle not to feed him, so I quickly kept the bag of treats before it has gone too far. It seems rude to tell strangers "hey, don't touch my dog" or "hey, don't feed my dog". I think the best course of action to take to protect Wiener's health is to keep him away from other people first. He should only meet people when he's gotten all his jabs and is healthy, so I won't beat myself up for all these aww-you-are-so-cute-let-me-pet-or-feed-you-shit from random people.

Life's been very busy. Bryan has started working last week. Everyday after work, I just want to spend quality time with Wiener. Today, the three of us watched Hachiko together but Wiener fell asleep. We noticed the only time Wiener spends in front of the TV is to watch Dog Whisperer. Noticed how I've been watching tons of doggy movies as well. I used to not understand why people pay to watch movies of such predictable plots, but now I can relate how it feels after I have Wiener. I'm also getting used to my 8 am - 6 pm shift, plus I'm getting the hang of finance jargons and theories. I think for every thing new in life, it just takes time to learn or get used to.

Some of my colleagues could not understand why I would get a doggie, since you need to clean, feed and walk it. It's time consuming. But life's short, you got to try it before you decide whether it's suitable or not for you. I have thought through the consequences and responsibilities involved before getting Wiener. I feel so protective and motherly towards him and this is something new as well. Wiener has never gotten angry at us so far although we leave it roaming about at home when we go to work (we hate caging animals). He is always so happy and joyful with simple things, such as a pat on the head or food. He's teaching me a thing or two about loving the simplicity of our life too.

Sleepy Boy

2011-07-10T21:32:00.000-07:00

Wiener's favourite spot to nap would be on our bed. He doesn't bother us at night, when we really need to sleep. But it's been really hot over the weekend so sometimes, we would switch on the aircon and Wiener would join us in the room. He'd hop onto the bed and fall into a fast, deep sleep. Sometimes he would dream and wave his paws around. He doesn't wake up when we put a blanket over him as well. He knows he's not allowed to play on the bed, so he would just lie at the foot of the bed. It will take a few shake to wake him up. Wiener is still having flu, but we think that he looks stronger and sturdier after a week being with us.

Wiener's Photo Diary

2011-07-10T01:31:00.000-07:00

2011-07-09T02:34:00.000-07:00

Wiener visits the vet for the first time today, one week after we got her.

Bryan researched extensively for a reccommended vet, and we settled on East Island Animal Hospital at Shau Kei Wan. It's a lil far from home but we read horror stories of pets dying after treatments from irresponsible vets.

He was a darling to travel with, and generally very good. The vet says that Wiener is generally healthy, although very much underweight. We showed her the amount we have been feeding Wiener for the past week, as advised by the pet store. The heartbreaking thing is, most pet stores underfeed the animals beacause starvation keeps them smaller. We are to increase his food intake. Also, Wiener is either having flu or an allergy to cloth. He sneezes on the carpet or if he's introduced to a new piece of cloth. Wiener was prescribed antibiotics, vitamins as well flu med. While talking, the vet's assistant was carrying Wiener around and she stuffed her finger in his mouth for fun. I was quite disturbed but didn't want to seem rude to ask her not do it. I am feeling very protective of my lil Wiener as he hasn't got all his immunity jabs yet.

Every dog owners in the vet loves Wiener. There was a woman whose dog just had a surgery, but she couldn't stop snapping pictures of Wiener and kept asking about him. We were afraid that Wiener would be fidgety at the clinic where other big dogs are around. However, he just slept soundly in my arms and it took me a while to wake him up.

Ah Wiener. I am so in love with him.

All About Wiener

2011-07-06T08:31:00.000-07:00

Wiener is as affectionate as he is stubborn. By now, he knows that he is a part of the family and shows no inhibition. On its first few nights, he slept curled up like a ball, safe and protected. He's quite an ugly sleeper now. His belly faces up the sky, and we have seen it wiggle and yep in its sleep. Noise does not wake him up as well.

He's very affectionate and loving too. He greets us by placing its little head on our feet or on our hands unexpectantly. He greets us a lot this way.

Wiener is a brilliant boy. He pees at the right places consistently. By today, I've made him grasp the command of sit after half an hour of training, with no treats but just praises given. But he enjoys doing things at his pace, for when he gets bored of his training, he would glanced up with at me and starts chasing invisible butterflies, pretending that he's distracted.

However, he shows no sign of grasping the concept that toes are not bones. He loves chewing on our toes, especially Bryan's. I'd smacked it on the backside, it would stop awhile and came to lick you on the spot that he has bitten. When he's excited again, he'd forget and once again, you are his chew toy.

Wiener is also a laid back kind of guy when he's alone. Last night, when I came home, he was chilling out by the sofa, looking contented and relaxed. We have also discovered it chilling out on the sofa watching TV alone for a good amount of time.

Wiener is also very determined, when he wants to do something. He's not allowed to enter our bedroom, toilet and dressing room. When he knows that we are entering the forbidden zone, he would strategically stationed himself outside the door. Nothing could distract him then. He would stubbornly hang outside the forbidden zone, waiting for the right moment to dash in.

But Wiener is an awesome, loving boy. I really enjoy having him around.

Tiny Wiener

2011-07-04T08:39:00.000-07:00

Wiener is a 2.5 months mini daschund who has just joined us. We bought him from a pet shop at Mong Kok at Goldfish Street. He was housing with a Corgi and we think Wiener doesn't like that mad dog much. Wiener was not really interacting with us much at the shop because that mad dog was so overwhelming. But Bryan loves its sweet demeanor. It was so tiny and shy, which is not exactly my idea of a pet dog. We decided to give it a chance and made friends with it at a play pen. Wiener was sweet and playful (when not around that mad dog of a neighbour).

Wiener takes time to warm up to strangers. Once you are his friend, it just wants to snuggle up next to you the whole day, or bite your heels/fingers/toes/face/hair and Bryan's nipples. He loves to pee outside our toilet and has taken a fancy to pooping on our carpet. When we're busy, Wiener likes suggling up to the dustbin. He's a silly thing but very loving too. We just had it for 2 days but we can tell what kind of puppy he is. Right now, he doesn't have very good habits because he has no concept of what he can bite, and what he could not. I just have to thank God that he's not biting my shoes and sofa (yet). I look forward to training Wiener and providing it a loving home, so that it could be a happy, healthy and marginally obedient dog.

Big Wave Bay

2011-07-02T09:10:00.000-07:00

We barely have time to hang out with each other the entire week. Firstly, I am taking the 7 am shift, which means I am always yawning from 9pm onwards. Secondly, my parents visited last week. I have not seen my pop for whole half year, so I hung out with my parents every night. We got some time to spend with each other at last today and we hit the beach at Big Wave Bay. Unfortunately, we turned up at 5pm and the sea was calm, so we didn't have a chance to boogie board. We went for a quick swim though and the water's not bad. I think I'll definately go again.

300

2011-06-13T06:32:00.001-07:00

Last night, Spartan 300 was on TV.

Bryan stood in front of me and screamed, "Kneel before me for I am your lord."

Me, "Have you washed the dishes yet? I think the pot's not washed."

Bryan, "Damn it. I must retreat to my rightful place now."

Macau Sights

2011-06-11T21:02:00.000-07:00

Zhuhai - Macau Trip

2011-06-11T20:29:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the Dragon's Boat Festival and we office peeps get Monday off, so Bryan and I took a 2-days trip to Zhuhai and Macau. Bryan booked us a room at Yong Tong Hotel at Zhuhai, which cost only HKD 300 and it's a steal because of its awesome venue. There's a free shuttle from the port to the hotel area, which is smacked right next to the Underground Mall as as well the custom to Macau. We took a direct ferry from HK to Zhuhai (HKD 190) in the noon after breakfast on Saturday. It's a 90 minute ride so we napped for 90 minutes. Upon reaching the hotel, it was already 2pm and we found a food street at the Underground Mall. I'm not sure if we were hungry or the food was really awesome, but it's definately a good meal. We ordered xiao long bao, pan-friend buns and noodles and the meal cost us only 25 RMB. We walked a bit at the mall and then went for a leg massage. At night, we went to a steamboat dinner but you don't order the food from the waiter, you shop for your own grocery and bring the food back to your table. The restaurant would provide the soup. So between the two of us, we paid 50 RMB for our meal which was really cheap. We ended the day at Bar Street, that contains many concept bars/restaurants/clubs.

The following day, it took us almost 2 hours to cross over to Macau because there was a freaking long line for people holding foreign passports. Our goal for that day was to casino-hop because we wanted to see all the casinos. We saw MGM, Wynn, Venetian (again), the new Galaxy... We also went to Taipa Village and tried the famous pork bun and curry fishballs. This time in Macau, we also found the famous Lord Stow's egg-tarts (at Venetian) but Bryan and I probably have sweeter teeth, because we were hoping the tarts would be sweeter.

Last weekend was pretty amazing and it was very fun to spend some time with Bryan travelling. It would be my second time to Macau and I think I'd have to put it aside for awhile. The next holiday, it would be time to check out new places.

New Hobby

2011-06-03T09:42:00.000-07:00

Hey ho! I think I live for the weekend. My weekdays are pretty good as well, but I don't have much to say about it because it's pretty routine by this time (I could try. I get up at 6:30 am and the latest time I have to leave my house is 7:10 am. I'd reached the office, get a slice of toast and a cup of coffee and start the work day. I'd end the work day at around 6:30pm to 7pm. I'd head home and have dinner with Bryan, watch some TV and then try to catch up on the news. I'd hit the sack at around midnight. I don't find it boring and it's quite pleasurable, but Bryan said on days that I don't get enough sleep, I look horribly tired. And I probably don't get enough sleep. But once come weekends...wahwahwheewah!).

So this is a long weekend (yeayea) thank's to Dragon Boat Festival. Bryan and I would be visiting Zhu Hai and Macau tomorrow. So looking forward to it.

Good news, I've completed the verbal exam today and (yeayea) passed. I always thought my concepts aren't that strong but I surprised myself when I was able to verbalize an equity risk premium concept and what raw beta indicates. Now that finance makes more sense to me after being in it for a month (you gotta remember, I am complete finance-noob), I'm finding it more and more interesting. It's like red wine. It's a bit of an acquired taste. Now I know why some people like reading financial news because I am starting to enjoy doing it. Just last night, I was reading about volatility spreads trading for the heck of it.

So, gotta go prep for my trip now. Long weekend, whooot!

Weekend On The Dragon's Back

2011-05-29T01:37:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the Pirates of Caribbean: On Stranger Tides yet? Movie ticks were going for HKD 30 - 5o at my apartment's theatre so we saw on Thursday night. I haven't seen a single Pirate movie (I know, where have I been?) and I am surprised it was so good. Thank Channel Pearl, they have been doing a Pirates of Caribbean movie nights on every Saturday so now I could see the rest.

On Friday night, the four of us (Jason, James, Bryan and I) went for a Reddit drinks at Knutsford. It was nice having a couple of beer when the work week ends. It gives closure to the week. It's also nice seeing your friends before the start of the weekend. One of the best things about Friday night is stumbling into The Indonesian Restaurant at Graville Road, TST. The food is actually very good, and it satisfied my craving for spicy Southeast Asian food. Awesome, awesome, awesome.

That said, my weekend has been pretty fruitful. On Saturday, Bryan and I went hiking up Dragon's Back at Shek O Country Park. The hiking book says it's meant to be a strenuous trail but we thought it was alright. It was a 2.5 hours hike and the views of the Shek O Village, the beaches and Stanley are glorious. We grabbed a quick lunch at a Char Cang Teng, then took the MTR to Shau Kei Wan and Bus 9 from the bus depot which was another 20 minute or so ride. The best part was, when the trail ends, we discovered Big Wave Bay. The waves are huge enough for boogie boarding. It made me so happy to discover that gem because we used to travel to Phuket for boogie boarding. Now this could be done in just 40 minutes away from home. Hong Kong rocks my world.

And now it's Sunday, I'm wishing that weekend could last much longer. We went to Jusco to grocery shop today and spent quite a good few hours there. I used to find grocery shopping a really boring affair. But recently, we bought a fridge and have started cooking at home, so it's always fun to buy grocery to improvise on dinners.

Coming weekend is a long weekend and we are planning to make a trip down to Macau again. Can't hardly wait.

Movies and Rain

2011-05-21T21:29:00.000-07:00

There's a cinema below our apartment. Tickets for residents of this lil condo pay HKD45 which I think is pretty cheap. We've seen Thor, Gantz Part 2 and last night, that Aaron Kwok detective movie. We also have a TV that allows you to stick your thumbdrive innit and run movie files. Apparently a lot of families in HK have such TV but it doesn't seem as common in Singapore? I don't know. Maybe I'm just ignorant but I really like my fantastic TV because it allows me to see The Office and HIMYM as and when I'm free. Screw you expensive cable TV.

It's gonna flood in Hong Kong over the next couple of days. We stocked up quite a bit of food but ate half of it last night for supper. Hmmm. Because it's raining these days, I couldn't run and I'm feeling quite restless...

This is sick week

2011-05-20T21:23:00.000-07:00

This is a sick week. Literally. First I was down with flu, then once come weekend, Bryan's down with fever. Baaahhh.

On a brighter note, we got our fridge at last. So we went for proper grocery shopping at Jason's Marketplace (it's 5 min walk away from our apartment). Bryan made spaghetti bolognese for dinner. I made dumpling soup noodles dinner on Wednesday after work. Friday night, Bryan made spaghetti alfredo with sausages and bacon bits. This morning, Bryan prepared continental breakfast. I am very spoiled.

I'm gonna take it slow to chillax at home this weekend. No crazy Shenzhen massage trips or hectic shopping escapades.

2011-05-14T08:56:00.000-07:00

Company dinner was at Watermark last night, that overlooks the pretty sea with colorful reflections of the city lights. I think I am getting old. I'm getting a handover with swollen eyes the next day after one too many drinks. Those were never my problem when I was...maybe last year. Maybe I just drank a lil too much this time.

So I spent Saturday having late high-tea set with Bryan at the Sphagetti House. Then I nursed my lethargic day by spending with mom and had dinner with my family instead. I was pretty impressed by my mom for within just a day, she found out how to Skype, download apps, reply my emails, surf the net, watch YouTube videos and change her display settings on her Galaxy Tab (yesh, Mother's Day pressie). I think I have made the right choice in getting the tablet instead of a laptop for her.

I haven't been reading as much as I'd like to. These days, I picked up the guitar at home and could play two chords. Bryan's patiently teaching me how to play Mad World on his acoustic guitar. I like to play for half an hour after work.

I am always not sure what to say when people ask how's life in Hong Kong. I definately go out a lot more here than in Singapore. I supposed when you live in a foreign place with your boyfriend, you just like to milk the fun hours. Just Thursday night after work, both Bryan and I head down to a local pub at TST to drink beer and play a round of darts before heading home. I probably end up drinking alot more in Hong Kong since alcohol's cheaper. I probably end up working out a lot more here too, since I sit on my ass for at least 10 hours a day. It's tiring to sit on your ass for that long. Life is just....very good here. I guess the only thing I lack here is my various groups of friends but I am meeting a lot of cool people here and I have never felt alone. To sum it up....I guess I am having a blast (:

China Dominates My World

2011-05-08T08:27:00.000-07:00

Easter Period, Too Much Food

2011-05-08T08:23:00.000-07:00

Weekend Snapshot

2011-05-03T07:57:00.000-07:00

The weather has been humid and stuff. Did Spring lasted only 2 weeks and we are into Summer already?

Bryan's parents were over the weekend. We visited Windows of the World at Shenzhen. On a scale of 1-10, I'd give it a 2. China can pirate everything, from Gucci to LV and even "Niagra Falls". But to be fair, the weather was really bad. The good part was, the mall opposite Windows of the World has really, really, really good Chinese food. On a scale of 1-10, I'd give the food a 10.

Argh, it's time to buy a fridge and a fan. It's also time to pack those thick clothings and blankets away.

Bryan's Home

2011-04-16T08:48:00.000-07:00

Bryan got home on Thursday (:

On Friday night, we played tennis and today, we took the day easy. We went to yum cha in the morning, just the two of us. After doing the laundry, we toured a nunnery that's 15 minutes away from our house by MTR at Diamond Hill. The place was really pretty, but it's a lil too hot to walk around the park today.

We went to Tsim Tsa Tsui for high tea at a Macau cafe that sells awesome food (TST MTR Exit A1). Went shopping at H&M and I got my set of Kiehl's products at last. I've decided not to sign up for any facial plans here, so I'd try taking care of my skin myself.

We met up with James for beer, and played 2 rounds of darts. I'm certainly getting better 'cos I could cluster my darts at one spot. They normally end up in the 1-point spot unfortunately. We ate ramen and went home.

I'm sorry I've no interesting opinions to pen down of late but I really want to keep a blog to record my day-to-day life in Hong Kong. I want a record of something to look back on those memories, and of the fun stuff I've done.

Work is pretty fun as well. The job is really demanding and the learning curve is steep, but I'm pretty much enjoying every minute of it. I do wish I have a stronger finance background so I could do it better sometimes, but then again, I'm here to learn. Some clients are really demanding, yet I've met people who are really nice. So far, the job seems to suit me well 'cos I get to talk to so many different people everyday.

Just Another Update of Life

2011-04-12T07:25:00.000-07:00

Life, is very fast-paced. Time just whizzes by. I've finished with my 2-months training and have started my duty since Monday. So far, everyone's been really pleasant and nice - customers, colleagues and team leader. So far, everyone moves fast and demands you to be fast too. Since everything is totally new to me, I try to push myself to make the extra effort.

I need to write down this moments, so should there be a time in future that I need to help my new batch of colleagues, I could put myself in their shoes. There's many things racing through my mind when I started my duty at the desk. Am I answering the client's questions right? Am I polite enough? Am I responding fast enough? Oh my god, what is he talking about when he asks about variance? And when I am guiding someone through the function of creating a new portfolio, am I seeing the right things and am I making sense to him? I want to be able to help new colleagues in the future so I must bear that in mind.

Since Bryan went back to Singapore for 3 weeks, I have a lot more spare time. I still go running on weekdays and I cover an average of 6 km per run. On weekend, I cover around 8 km. I really need those runs since life has been so hectic so running clears my mind.

On Monday, I got back from home and ran for 45 minutes from 8pm. Then I'd shower and do some laundry. By the time I hit the sack, it's midnight and the next day at 6 am, my day would start. Today, I decided to skip the run so I could get some cleaning done at home. I want to watch some TV as well. Tomorrow night, I'd be having dinner with colleagus. There's always something to do. I do enjoy living independently and I don't think I could go back to living with my parents. I enjoy keeping my apartment clean and coming home to enjoy the place as I please. So far, life is good and I try my best to make each moment count.

I think one thing about living away is that I am more aware of how I feel towards my environment and people. There are too many times we drift through life without being aware of our feelings or surroundings. When we live away from a familiar area, our sense of awareness turns more acute.

The Other End of Hong Kong

2011-04-09T22:36:00.000-07:00

Weekends just whizz by. Although I did many things, I don't remember doing much. I haven't seen Dush since I came to Hong Kong. On Friday night, I had a glass of wine with colleagues before I meet Dush for Mexican's at Soho. It was really nice seeing somebody from school at last.

On Saturday, I got up at 10 a.m to travel for an hour to Tin Shui Wai...to play tennis with James who doesn't know how to play tennis. Since I was at the other end of Hong Kong, we took the Light Rail and explored Yuen Long and Tuen Mun. I haven't truly explored this end of Hong Kong and I feel that I've entered into a different world. You can tell when you're in Kowloon because it's always crowded, noisy with too many neon lights. You can tell when you're in Hong Kong island because the buildings are more colonial looking, there more boutiques and cafes catered for the expats...but in New Territories, it's a league of its own. I could see farms and many 3-storey houses when I was on the train. Farms in Hong Kong. I've never seen that, till yesterday.

Tried the really famous B Chai Leung Fun that cost HKD 63 for a giant bowl at Yuen Long. We were contemplating having dinner at Shenzhen (since we were at the borders) and exploring Tuen Mun and settled at the latter decision. Tuen Mun was pretty close to the sea, and there are some beaches. We had dinner at a local restaurant by the beach. Then, we went back to James place to see The Bank Job, some British action flick that I think is good. By the time I got home, it was already past midnight 'cos it takes over an hour to travel t the New Territories area.

Today's Sunday and I got up at 10.30 a.m to clean my apartment. Made some cup noodles and watch The Office. As you can see, I'm just trying to recollect where my weekend have gone to. I seemed to have done and seen so much but it went by too quickly.

Ah well, I'll catch some TV, read a book and visit my gramps in a bit.

Cleanaholic

2011-04-04T22:35:00.000-07:00

There's 2 places in the home I'm particular about - the bathroom and the living room. The bathroom is the place for cleaning, peeing and shitting. It's the place I want it to sparkle and smells nice. Today, I learnt how to bleach my toilet bowl. It's not effective if you just bleach the bowl, you gotta bleach the water in the water tank as well. Besides tackling the toilet bowl, I scrubbed the sink as well as sanitized the shower area.

The living room is the place where I wind down. I like a glass of wine as well as read or watch some TV. It must be uncluttered and clean. It's the place I clean up everynight before I sleep so that when I'm home, the place that greets me would be sparkling, smiling and look wonderful.

When I lived with my parents, I took all these things for granted. I always wondered why my mom's always so enthusiastic about cleaning. To me, it was a chore.

For the first time, I got my own place to stay, I noticed it's not so much of a chore. I am doing all these so called minion tasks for myself. It's the same for my mom. She said it makes her happy to have a clean home and finally, I know what she truly meant.

Days In The Pictures II

2011-04-04T05:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Valley fields.

Bryan showing off his (BB) gun.

This is a blind panda that Bryan got from donating to the blind.

Twisted.

Ghastly Reflection at Sheung Wan.

View from office.

Happy Valley running track.

Lunch at Fat Angelos, Soho.

Days in the Pictures

2011-04-01T21:58:00.000-07:00

Milo that cost a bomb.

Never lacking cabs.

Gotta wear that thick coat with black stockings in Feb.

Held at gun point. That's Bryan's new toy and we are not friends.

My breakfast every weekend.

A spot behind my house to do the vertical marathon.

Lost my tan during these cold winter days.

HKD 40 lunch at Canteen, Central.

Lunch

2011-03-30T07:02:00.000-07:00

One thing I really love about living in Hong Kong, is the variety of food.

My friends and I either eat at kopitiam or restaurants in Singapore during lunch hour. However, restaurants have a tendency to replicate in Singapore. It's always the same ol' thing that I could get in town as well. Think Soup Spoon, Coffee Bean, Sweet Secrets...

In Hong Kong, there's good old char cang teng. I was really hard core about lunching at char cang teng initially, but very soon, I got bored of the same ol' menu.

The thing with working at Central is that I could walk to Soho where there's a huge variety of restaurants and cafes. Food is not generic. It's like boutiques. You're not eating at another franchise. Each of these cafe at Soho has their personality. It's the same with shopping. There are way more boutiques in Hong Kong.

So though we were cladded in high heels and thick coats, we still climbed uphill, up the steep slopes of Central and Soho, to Fat Angelos, which is an Italian restaurant that serves decent pasta with free flow of salad (the coffee's crap though). Fat Angelos wins in decor but I think Caffe Habitu is cheaper, has better pasta and the coffee's really yummy.

That said, I miss Singapore food like mee siam, laksa, chicken rice...Oh god, my mouth's watering just thinking about it. Nothing beats home food.

Running in the cold

2011-03-28T06:01:00.000-07:00

{from Urban Hong Kong}

On Saturday, Jason took me to run at the Happy Valley Racecourse. It's a beautiful, open space and every round is worth 1,200m to 1,600m (nobody's sure). I ran 4 rounds of it and have enough. My biggest problem? Running in the cold.

I've never ran in the cold before. I don't even know what's the appropriate attire. First, I wore a running sweater and shorts. Then it got too hot, so I removed the sweater. Then, it got too cold and mucus popsicles formed out of my nose. Also, Tse Tin Wah was running on the same track and I must say he's pretty fit.

I was determined to make running in the cold work for me. So at 7pm, I put on my gear (this time, it was sweater and track pants 'cos the temperature has dropped to 14 degrees celsius). I was jogging all around to find a safe spot with clean air (not an easy feat in Hong Kong, especially if you live at Kowloon side). Eventually, found one right behind my apartment and I covered around 2.2km before I couldn't take it. The cold air choked me and my nose can't stop dripping.

I have a theory. Our bodies fear change. It's probably getting accustomed to the cold. At least I covered an estimate of 7 km this week. It's a nice change from not having a single work-out for the past 3-4 months since I've been so busy making a move here.

If we want something, we got to put in the effort. It's important to keep expanding our comfort zone in life. If I want a good work out, I need to adapt to the cold. There's no way around it. And that applies to everything in life.