Blur of a weekend.

This weekend was action-packed with activities, but I definitely did not get enough schoolwork accomplished. Friday, I Skyped with Aaron in the morning, then headed down to the Chinese consulate to apply for a Chinese Visa. Unfortunately, they keep your passport for four days for processing. You can get it sooner, but it costs more. I'm going to the Philippines on late Monday night so I wouldn't be able to submit my passport to them. Now, I'll make another trip out to Wan Chai at a later date. I also worked a bit on my homework assignment for my Irrational/Rational Thinking in Management course. The assignment was to look at instances in our life when we had a memory errors/distortion. I wrote about how at my last job (at Anthem), I worked with so many clients on a regular basis and many of the campaigns were very similar so my memory of which client was doing which tactics blurred together. Primarily, new memories distorted old memories and vice versa. This is pretty common and its called interference. That evening, I went to a networking event at the Beijing Club, a high end club right around the corner from my house. The event was put on by InterNations and was an enjoyable event. I was able to connect with a few interesting people and explore what I want to do when this whole experience is over.

Saturday, I had my Irrational/Rational Thinking class in the afternoon, then met Lili and we went to a BBQ at a classmates house. His name is Federico and he's from Italy. He also is an exchange at HKUST, but is also working in Hong Kong, in Finance. He has an amazing flat in the SoHo area of Central, which includes access to a fantastic roofdeck. It was a balmy night and kept raining intermittently. Overall, it was a multi-cultural BBQ, with attendees from Korea, many Italians, Columbia, India, Hong Kong, the UK and of course, the US. We struck up some really great conversation. After the BBQ, we went out in LKF to a club called CASA. We met up with a bunch of other classmates. The night was a ton of fun, but I stayed out way to late.

Today, I've spent all day paying for last night. It's partly a hangover, but also a lack of sleep. I have been trying to work on my project for Applied Strategic Thinking on Luxury Goods (specifically Prada) and also work on an assignment for China in the Global Economy. Both require a lot of mental energy and my mental capability is lacking at this moment. It's not been a good day and I can only blame myself for not getting more done earlier in weekend. 

Justin

Happy Valley Races

Last night, I was still feeling a bit weak from the morning's incident. Luckily, I was able to take a big nap in the afternoon, which boosted my energy. For dinner, Lili (a full-time MBA-er at HKUST) and I went to Jade Crystal, a Shanghai-ese restaurant. We got some noodles with seafood, a vegetable salad and sweet and sour fish. The food was pretty good (and farely healthy). Most of our conversation centered around Lili's job search. She presently has two offers on the table- one at Louis Vuitton and also a job at a training company, called Alpha. The job at LV would be back in China in a Tier II city and not as lucrative as it sounds. The job with Alpha would be in Hong Kong and sounds more attractive. Lili is from China (she grew about two hours south of Shanghai), but doesn't really want to go back. She likes Hong Kong much better. Everyone I talk to who is studying in HK is trying to stay here. Unless you're in finance, it is much more difficult to find a company that will sponsor you, especially if you don't speak Cantonese or Mandarin.

After dinner, we went to the Happy Valley Racetrack. Every Wednesday night, they hold the horse races. Gambling is not legal in Hong Kong (which is why everyone goes to Macau), except for gambling on horse-racing. It's pretty popular, especially with expats. I was actually surprised by how many young, Westerners were at the racetrack. It's also a beautiful track- it's right in the middle of the city, surrounded by high-rise buildings. I wasn't really in the mood to mingle so Lili and I sat in the grandstands and watched a few of the races.  Midway through, it began to rain. This is HK in April and it all the time (kind of like Florida) so you would think people would be used to it. Guess not, everyone bolted for the grandstand when the drops started to fall. Lili and I were already sitting in the grandstands so we didn't get wet. The horse-races ended around 11 pm. Lili and some of the full-time MBA students headed out to Wan Chai for drinks (ladies night). I was still a bit tired, so I decided to head home and get some sleep.

Below are a few pictures from Happy Valley.

Odd (and scary) morning

Last night, I went to bed around 11 pm to get up for my early morning class. There was a lot of noise outside my place and I needed to get some sleep so I took one NyQuil. Even with the sleep aid, I didn't sleep very soundly. I woke up at about 6:45 am (my normal time) and while I was a bit tired, I felt fine. Things took a turn for the worse though when I got into the shower. All of a sudden, I became very dizzy and lightheaded. It was actually bad enough that I had to sit down or I was going to pass out. I ended sitting there, in the shower, for awhile waiting for the dizziness to pass. I'm not sure how long I sat there, but it was probably at least 10 or 15 minutes. Finally, when I mustered up the energy to get out of the shower, I laid down on my bed. I ended up falling asleep for a half hour or so. When I woke up, I felt better. I ate a nutrition bar and drank some water and finally regained most of my energy. Unfortunately, I still had to go to class. I really wanted to skip and I probably should have, but I really needed to go. Next week, I'm missing class because I'm going to the Philippines. I also had to meet up with my group about our project too. I took my time getting to school and ended up getting to class a half hour late. Once I was finally there, I felt better . For the rest of the day though, I did out of it.

This whole experience was really odd (and scary). I'm still not sure why it happened. I didn't drink at all last night so it wasn't alcohol related. I don't think it was the one Nyquil I took either. I've taken two before and not felt dizzy like that. Also, Nyquil usually lasts about six hours and I got over seven hours of sleep. I also thought it might be low blood sugar. However, I didn't go to bed hungry, I wasn't starving when I woke up and my normal routine is to eat after taking a shower. Food poisoning also popped into my head, but I didn't get sick or have even have a stomach ache. I guess I'll never figure out why I got so dizzy, but the experience did make me stop and think. What if I had passed out and hit my head? Who would have checked up on me? I live alone in a foreign city. I don't see anyone regularly enough that they'd wonder where I was. I've made a few close friends,  but it's not like they stop by my place to see if I'm okay. If they were to text me and I didn't respond, they would assume I'm busy. Even the landlord and I communicate strictly through email and rarely stops by my apartment. I really need to be more proactive with my safety.

Looking ahead, I need to construct an emergency plan with the friends I've made. For example, if they text me and I don't respond within 24 hours, then there is a problem. It's probably a good idea to give them contact information for my parents and Aaron, for emergencies. That way, if I get sick or hurt while in Hong Kong, I'll be prepared.

Justin

Today's Activity: Victoria Peak

I really needed some fresh air today so I did one of the most touristy activities in Hong Kong, riding the Peak Tram up to Victoria Peak. The Peak Tram has a long history in Hong Kong; it was the first cable funicular in Asia, with service first commencing in May 1888. The Peak Tram was featured in the 1950s movie, Soldier of Fortune, starring Clark Gable and included in an episode of the Love Boat. Read more about the history of the Peak Tram. 

I waited for about an hour to get on the Peak Tram. Normally I would never wait an hour for such a short trip, but I was feeling touristy, so I went with it. Overall, the trip is 1,365 meters (4,478 feet) long and takes about seven minutes to complete (one-way). Once at the top, I went to the 360 Viewing Deck, where you can see a full view of the city. To the north, you can see Central Hong Kong, Kowloon and Lantau Island. To the south, you can see Lamma Island and the South China Sea. 

Besides the viewing deck, there is also a mall at the top, which is not surprising. There is also a square, which is great for people-watching. The Peak includes plenty of trails that wind around the peak and picnic areas. I walked one of the main trails, which took about an hour to complete. It was so refreshing to get some air and a little exercise. Overall, it was a great day. 

Below are some of the pictures I took on today's adventure. 



Peak Tram Entrance



View from Peak Tram



Victoria Peak Viewing Deck

The Mall at the Top

View of Hong Kong (facing north)

Facing South

Justin

Friday Night On Campus

Last night, I ended up staying at the main campus until pretty late. I had gone there earlier in the day to meet with my group for Applied Strategic Thinking to play this Monopoly-type game for class, called Hyper! and stayed. I get much more accomplished when I stay on campus and I am able to interact with the other MBA students so I usually stay all day. In the late afternoon, I met up with Kriya and we hung out in the MBA study room. We attempted to study and I got a lot accomplished, but probably less than if we were alone. But who wants to study alone? On a sidenote, it felt odd to be studying on a Friday night. Back home, I would usually only study on weekend nights during finals week. I was also working during the day though.

After studying drained us, we went to dinner at the restaurant on campus. During lunch, they serve dim sum, but at dinner they serve more traditional Chinese dishes. Kriya is a pure vegetarian and I only eat seafood so we ordered a bunch of veggie dishes and shared them. Of course, we also ordered a bottle of wine and shared that as well. I still haven't found Chinese food as appetizing as other types of asian foods. I love Thai food and Vietnamese, but most Chinese dishes are just okay. Maybe they are more of an acquired taste, especially for American palettes. However, I have become more of a fan of tea though. Most of the Chinese restaurants I've been to serve tea with every meal.

After dinner, we headed to the Park n' Shop on campus and bought a bottle of wine and snacks. We also went to the McDonald's Cafe (McCafe) on campus and bought a piece of cookies n' cream cheesecake. Yes, we just finished dinner and already bought dessert and snacks. What can I say? Kriya and I both love to eat. After getting our refreshments, we went and hung out in the common room of Kriya's dormitory. Most of the exchange students stayed in this dorm, although some did live in downtown Hong Kong, like me. We also met up with Lili (a full-time MBA student), from mainland China and Juan, an american exchange student. The rest of the night, we ate, drank, chatted about school and listened to Lili's eclectic mix of music. It took me back to undergrad at University of San Diego, hanging out in the dorms. It was a good time.

Justin

School work...and rain.

It's been a few days since you've heard from me. Nothing too exciting has happened...that's why. I've gotten much more focused on my studies. When I worked full time and attended classes part time, it was really difficult to fully dedicate myself to school. Now that I'm doing this exchange program and taking a break from working, I promised myself I would put much more effort into my classes. So that's what I've been doing the last couple of days. I've been reading like mad and researching economics concepts because I've forgotten them all.

It has also been raining constantly. Wednesday and Thursday, it rained non-stop. Friday, it rained intermittently.  All this rain made me realize I need a new umbrella...a bigger one. Everyone is carrying around the big, Mary Poppins-style umbrellas, which I have at home. Aunt Nancy gave me it for Christmas, but I didn't bring it because it was a pain to pack. Doh! Some have asked me about the weather. Well, April in Hong Kong is pretty mild (22C/72F). The humidity is still at a reasonable level, but supposedly in May, June, July, it is unbearable. I'll have to do a comparison of HK humidity to DC humidity. In April, it does rain quite a bit though. Today, however the clouds finally cleared and the sun showed itself.

Below is picture of a pretty typical day in Hong Kong in April...overcast in the morning. Usually, it clears up toward the afternoon. It's actually pretty similar to San Diego's morning marine layer.

Justin

1 Buddha, 2 Buddha, 3 Buddha...

Today is Ryan's last day in Hong Kong. We got some lunch and then went in search of Temple of the 10,000 Buddhas. The temple is located in Sha Tin, which is part of the New Territories of Hong Kong. Why are they called New Territories? Because they became part of Hong Kong in 1899 instead of 1841...so not really that new. We had to take the MTR (subway) to a rail line. Hong Kong honestly has one of the best public transportation systems I've ever seen. The stations are clean, the trains are on time and you can get pretty much anywhere. Other cities need to learn from Hong Kong's mass transit system. Once we finally arrived to Sha Tin, we found the entrance of the 10,000 Buddhas. You have to walk up this really steep path, which is lined with dozens of life-sized golden statues of Buddha's followers. It was drizzling the whole time. Because it was a Tuesday afternoon, there was no one around. At the top of the steep hill lined with gold statues, there are several temples and pavilions, filled with Buddha statues. There is also a simple vegetarian restaurant at the top as well, where we had some spring rolls, Japanese noodles and tea. In actuality, there are more than 10,000 Buddhas in the entire complex, but who's counting. I've included a bunch of pictures below. Honestly, the pictures don't do the temple justice. If you ever have a chance to visit Hong Kong, add this little excursion to your must-see list.

Justin

Nice ending to a full day.

For some reason, I couldn't sleep at all last night. Ryan and I purposely went to bed around 11 pm so I could get up at 6:30 am for my class feeling rested. I was so tired, but I just couldn't stay asleep. I don't normally have problems sleeping, evident by all the naps I take (the Zielke way). On second thought, maybe that means I have problems sleeping. Regardless, I got up feeling tired and headed off to school.

After class, I had lunch with a few of my classmates, Jo, Susanne and Kriya, at the restaurant on campus. Jo is from the LA and went to University of Southern California for her MBA. Kriya is from South Africa and studied at the University of Cape Town for her MBA. Susanne is from Norway and is a full time MBA student at HKUST. The on-campus restaurant serves dim sum (a Hong Kong staple food) and it was pretty good, although the service was a bit frazzled. What amazed me was how cheap the food was. Compared to the restaurants in Central HK, my portion of the bill was only about $6 US dollars. I need to start eating on campus whenever I'm there in order to save money.

After lunch, I had some errands to run on campus. I didn't get a proper tour when I first arrived so I didn't know where anything was. First, I went in search of a photobooth that could take passport pictures for a mainland travel China visa. After wandering for at least a half hour, I found the photobooth. Of course, it was out of order, but now I know where it is. I also picked up my Econ course-packet in the MBA office and went to the IT center because my computer wouldn't connect to the wi-fi network. Luckily, after some troubleshooting, they were able to fix the issue. From my wandering, I also learned there are a ton of amenities on campus, including a large cafeteria, a student co-op, a McDonalds, a pool and even a grocery store. 

Late in the afternoon, I headed home. It had rained when I was at school and resumed raining again once I reached home. Perfect weather for a nap. Ryan and I slept for about an hour, then made dinner. We went with Italian and made rigatoni noodles with green peppers and small Asian mushrooms, all in a marinara sauce. The food was good considering my kitchen is pretty limited. The rain finally stopped so Ryan and I decided to go for a walk. We weaved in and out of the SoHo and Mid-levels neighborhoods, basically doing a big loop. The weather was cool and very few people were out. It was refreshing to see and one of my favorite experiences so far.

Justin

Frustrating class schedule change.

Today, we got up really late because we didn't get in until 5 am. I know, bad Justin. I woke up both tired and with a splitting headache. Luckily, I got to talk to Aaron on Skype for a bit. It was good to talk to see him in my hung over state, but I was only cheered up for a moment. Midway through our Skype session, I received some bad news from the Masters Program Office at the University of Maryland. The class that I thoroughly enjoyed, Politics and Socioeconomic Environment in China, which is on Wednesday evenings in Central with all the other exchange students, will not transfer back to UMD. The course is pass/fail and for this reason, UMD will not accept it. This means I need to drop the class and take a different class or I'll be one class short of graduating. The deadline to add/drop is Monday.

On such short notice, I had to pick up a Saturday class, which had already been approved by UMD. This threw off my whole schedule though. Instead of classes on Mondays and Wednesdays, I now have a class on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. As you can imagine, I was thoroughly pissed off. This limits my ability to travel throughout the semester unless I skip classes. It also means that I have to go to main campus (which takes an hour by train/bus) for all three classes. In the grand scheme, this change to my schedule isn't a big deal, but it really threw me off. I am pretty easy going unless I have something set in my head and you try to change it. Then, I get really pissy. Also, this sudden changed is paired with being tired and hung over- my coping skills are definitely lacking right now. Tomorrow, I'll be okay, but right now, it's best to stay out of my way.

The Saturday class started at 2:30 pm so I zoomed off to main campus. Luckily, I made it to my new class just in time. The class is called Rational/Irrational Thinking in Management. It involves a lot of psychological theory, which ties in nicely in nicely with my undergraduated degree in psychology. The class ended up being really interesting but it I still would have preferred my old schedule.

Justin

Go To Big Buddha

This morning, Ryan and I got up and took the ferry from Hong Kong Island to Lantau Island. We met up with Ryan's aunt (Lerma), who now lives on Lantau Island, but has lived in Hong Kong for over 20 years. Aunt Lerma is quite a character - energetic, full of spirit and talkative. All the personality traits I love in a person. The three of us took a 40-minute bus ride up to see the Big Buddha, called Tian Tan. It is the largest seated bronze Buddha in the world. It was so neat to see the Buddha, surrounded by fog. It was very tranquil...except for all the tourists. I've included a few pictures below.

After eating our free ice cream (which was part of the admission price) and browsing through the souveniar shops, we took the bus back to Lerma's house. We were able to meet Lerma's soon-to-be-husband and see how local Hong Kongers really live. Ryan and Lerma were able to catch up and I was able to hear all about Ryan's family and living in the Philipines. It made me really want to visit the Philippines with a local...especially Ryan and Aunt Lerma. After finishing a bottle of wine, we took a taxi back to Mui Wo and ate at a small Turkish restaurant. I had the falafel, which was authentic and amazingly good. After finishing our meals and saying our goodbyes, Ryand I took the ferry back to Hong Kong island. Overall, it was a fun excursion and thanks to Aunt Lerma for showing us around.

PS...Ryan and Aunt Lerma gave me a Filipino nickname. It is "Budoy", which means young brother.

Justin

Getting busier. And Ryan comes to visit.

It's been awhile since my last post because it's been a busy week. Wednesday, I had my two other classes, China in the Global Economy and Political and Socioeconomic Environment in China. Both were really interesting, especially the latter, which basically discussed history and politics of China. After class, a couple of the other exchange students and I went out to a bar in Wan Chai. Back in the old days, Wan Chai housed all the strip clubs and brothels. Now, they have been replaced by bars and restaurants, however, there are still a few bars of the darker variety there. Not surprisingly, I ended up drinking too much and cabbing home well past midnight. Luckily, I don't have class on Thursdays.

On Thursday, I spent most of the day cleaning my apartment and getting ready for Ryan to come to visit. Ryan and I met in San Diego about 6 years ago when he was a traveling nurse. He bounced from city to city, but now resides in San Francisco. He works in pediatrics at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University. He also grew up the in the Phillapines, but his family moved to Chicago when he was 10. I was really excited for Ryan to come visit so we could explore Hong Kong together. Plus, he's a great houseguest.

I picked up Ryan at the airport and we took the train back to Central Hong Kong. We went out for dinner in the SoHo area (which is close to my apt). The weather was warmer so we sat at a table which allowed us to watch all the people passing by. Hong Kong is so multicultural so the people-watching is fantastic. After pizza and calimari, we headed back to my apartment and discovered there is a bar on the second floor of my building. I had no clue! Keep in mind, I'm using the term "bar" loosely. Picture an apartment, which someone converted into a bar. It was definitely not a legal drinking establishment. The place was small and all of the patrons were local. Most were smoking, drinking and playing darts. And the best part...to get in, you have to ring the doorbell to enter. After having a cheap drink at my new study spot (j/k), we ventured out to a club. The music at the club was good, but it was empty. That didn't stop us from befriending the only other people at the club. It was a group of americans from San Francisco who all worked at Gap, Inc. They were in Hong Kong to meet with their suppliers. The picture below is of me, Ryan and our new Gap friend, Kimmie.

Justin

First Day of School

Classes started today. It was a bit of a rush getting out this morning. Today's class was at 9 am on the main campus, which is located far outside the city (similar to how College Park is far from downtown DC) In total, it takes about an hour away by subway, then bus. Also, I hadn't been to campus yet so I had planned to get up early. Of course, I got up late. I made it to school in good time, but finding the classroom was difficult. There are a series of lifts (elevators) placed all over campus and they are all numbered. The goal is to find the correct lift number, which will take you to the correct floor and the correct classroom. I'm not sure who designed the school this way, but hopefully they are no longer designing buildings. I did make it to the correct classroom only five minutes after class had started, but I would have preferred to be early.  Below are a couple of pictures of the HKUST. I couldn't get a good picture of the main circle so I pulled one from the internet. The latter is a picture of the school's overlook of Clearwater Bay.

This morning's class is called Applied Strategic Thinking. It is taught by Chris Doran, a professional with 15 years experience in applied strategic thinking, particularly for major multinational companies. Specifically, the course will teach how to think strategically and will provide plenty of opportunities to apply what we've learned in a team environment. So far, the course was pretty interesting. I'll some good tidbits when they come along.

Justin

Last day before classes start

Today, I spent a great deal of time walking around the city. My only real objective was to locate a temple and after a little oniline research, I discovered there is one located near my apartment. The temple is called Man Mo Temple and it's pretty small, probably because it is wedged right into the city. When you enter, you're asked to make a small donation. Then, you take incense and place it on the front altar. Below are a couple of pictures I took.

After offering a blessing and leaving the temple, I continued my walk west along Hollywood Road. This particular stretch of road is well known for its antique stores. If you're looking for a 17th century Chinese vase or valuable jade, the hundreds of small antique shops n Hollywood road is where you go. I continued my walk and came upon Hollywood Park. The park had a memorable gateway arch and an interesting pagoda-like structure. There was also a sweet, old woman, doing Tai Chai. 

I continued my walk along the harbor and ventured through Sheung Wan, Wan Chai and ended up in Causeway Bay. Causeway Bay is the place to shop. There are all the familiar western brands along with smaller lesser-known shops selling Korean and Japanese clothing. Supposedly, you can find some deals there. Finally, I ended up in Victoria Park and sat by the racing pond. This where Hong Kongers come to  race remote-controlled motor boats. I would show a picture of the pond, but my camera ran out of juice.

This evening, I am meeting up with two classmates for dinner. They are both exchange students at HKUST too. The first is Jo Chan, an american, from LA. The other is Kriya Pillay, from South Africa. We're going to a Japanese restaurant in Tai Koo, which is quite a ways away from Central Hong Kong. The food is supposedly good and the sake is cheap. Should be fun.

Justin

Exploring Hong Kong

Last night, after I wrote my blog post, I hit up a couple of bars in my area, LKF. One was an Irish bar and the other was a generic american bar, which played classic american tunes. It felt odd to be at an Irish bar considering I was in Asia, but I went it. At the Irish bar, I got a nice Stella draft and read a local Hong Kong Arts & Entertainment paper about Hong Kong. One of the articles featured six Hong Kong photographers using their iPhones to photograph the city. They explained that they shed all of their bulky, expensive photo equipment and opted for their mobile phone because of their simplicity and covertness. All of the photographers seemed to be using the iPhone app, called Hipstamatic. I had never heard of the app before. I'll have to check it out when I get back to my computer.

This basic article inspired me to find a creative outlet. When I was in undergrad at USD, I was really into photo. I took an Intro to Photography course and Portraiture course. I even worked in the darkroom for a semester. But when I moved to DC, work and school became my focus and it left little time for taking pictures. Being in Hong Kong is my chance to kickstart this creative outlet once again. With this in mind, today, I'm feeling energetic and motivated to explore the city through a camera lense. 

I left the apartment around noon and headed East. Rather than give you a verbal account of where I went and what I saw, I've posted a bunch of pictures below. Enjoy!

 



View from Hong Kong Park



Government House (in foreground)



Justin

Keeping busy by exploring HK

My emotions were running high today. Last night, I walked around my neighborhood looking for dinner. I settled on Indian take-out. There were plenty of people out at the bars and restaurants, laughing and having a good time. To see all these people enjoying themselves, made me feel really lonely. I don't have a problem being by myself, but it is definitely more fun to explore a city with someone else. For a quick second I thought, "What the hell was I thinking to move across the world and not know anyone?" But then I came to my senses. This is only the beginning and it's only natural for there to be hesitation. I'm still settling in.

Luckily, before I pitied myself too much, I was able to talk to Aaron on Skype. I couldn't help smiling the whole time. It was so good to see him. He brightened my spirits and motivated me to stay strong. He also gave me some helpful advice...get out of the apartment and walk around. Sounds so simple, doesn't it?

I left my apartment and went on a search for a store to buy groceries and staples, like laundry detergent, paper towels and toilet paper. When on vacation, you don't really have to worry about these type of things. The hotel takes care of these types of things. For food, you just eat out for every meal. But that's not feasible (or affordable) for two plus months.

I ended up on Gage street, which is well known for its outdoor market. It gave me a glimpse of old Hong Kong. The street is lined with stalls selling dried foods, fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and live seafood. See a couple of pictures below.

After picking up a few groceries on Gage street and locating a store that sold the staples I needed, I continued my walk north to downtown Central Hong Kong. This is where all the action happens. It's where all the multinational banks have offices, where the Hong Kong Stock Exchange is located and where the fancy hotels can be found (Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Shangri-La, etc). It's also the skyline you usually see in photos. Hong Kong is well known for its shopping. Stores are everywhere so naturally there is a huge mall below the international finance centre, appropriately called the IFC Mall. This particular mall is one of the nicest I've ever seen. It contains every high-end store you could ever want imagine. There is also a massive Apple store, which takes up two floors. It was packed to the brim. I spent some time walking around the mall, ate at Pret a Manger, and then ended up at the ferry terminal. This is the main termainal, which has ferries to Kowloon, Macau and the outlying islands around Hong Kong. Below is a picture from the ferry terminal. Look how foggy it was. It was only 70 degrees, but humid as hell.

Justin





Move-in day

Today's post will be short, but filled with photos. This morning, I moved into my studio apartment in Lan Kwai Fong (LKF), which is part of Central Hong Kong. If you look up LFK, Wikipedia says, "Lan Kwai Fong is a popular expatriate haunt in Hong Kong for drinking, clubbing and dining." And I live smack dab in the middle of it. Weeeee!!!

This afternoon, I met Gary Woo, the representative from the management company that owns the studio. He gave me the full run down of the studio, which didn't take too long, considering the studio is small. Gary was so friendly. He showed me exactly which keys went with each of the doors and even made me test them out to ensure they worked. He also explained how the TV and DVD remotes worked, how to use the air conditioner and actually set up the internet on my computer for me. Finally, Gary showed me exactly how to get back to the Central MTR station. Gary was so nice. He was almost a fatherly figure. It's reassuring to know I can reach out to him if I need anything.

Below I've included pictures of my studio in LKF. I warn you- the apartment is tiny. But it does have all the amenities you need (including a washer/dryer, stove, microwave and two mini fridges). Plus, being so small, it encourages me get out and explore the city.



The Kitchen



The Bathroom



All of the "rooms"



The View

Justin

Flight to Hong Kong

Tonight, I arrived in Hong Kong. The first flight, from LAX to Beijing, was over 12 hours long. The second flight, from Beijing to Hong Kong, was about 3 hours. Both were on Air China. On both flights, I made sure to request aisle seats, so I could get up anytime I wanted.

Surprisingly, the long flight didn't have TVs in the headrests. You would think it'd be standard for a 12-hour flight to have TVs in the headrests. As an alternative, there were projection TVs on the front wall, but they were so far away and the quality wasn't good, so I could barely see them. Thus, I spent most of the long flight reading and listening to my iPod. I also caught the second half of the movie, Cowboys vs. Aliens, which wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. For some reason, I couldn't sleep very much. Probably because the flight took off at 1:20 pm.


Plane to Beijimg



As with all travel, there are hiccups along the way. About an hour into the first flight, I spilled my entire glass of soda all over myself. I drenched the right arm of my button-down shirt, the right side of my jeans and spilled all over the carpet. The American couple, across the aisle, witnessed my spillage and just stared at ,r. For some reason, this really pissed me off. I guess I was expecting them to help or something. Luckily, I was wearing a white tshirt under my button down so took off the wet one. Then, during mealtime, I dropped food on my white tshirt. I was a slob.  



When I was in the Beijing airport (photo below), I almost boarded a flight to Manila. It wasn't my fault, or I don't think it was. The monitors said my flight was at gate at E57, but it was a flight to Manila instead. I tried to get on, but the attendant just stared at me. Then she sternly corrected my stupidity. Maybe I was just tired and delusional. 



Beijing airport (PEK)



After 15 hours in the air, I arrived in Hong Kong. It was surprisingly easy to get from the airport to downtown Hong Kong. They have a nice express train that goes directly downtown. I ran into a small issue with the MTR (subway). I went past my stop because I received vague directions. When I got off, I had to buy a ticket for a different train line, but the machine wouldn't accept $100 HK bills, which is all I had. It only accepted $5, $10 or $20 bills. Some nice tourists gave me the fare. I felt like a beggar, but I didn't care. With all travels, you're going to feel vulnerable (or stupid) sometimes. 

Now I'm in my tiny hotel room in Hong Kong. I barely know a soul in this big city. It's both exciting and anxiety-inducing. Tomorrow, I move into my apartment. Time for sleep.

Justin

A few days in SD

Because of my delayed flight the day before, I was only able to spend a few days in San Diego. Nonetheless, I had an action packed schedule. On Sunday, I got up early and drove down from Dana Point to San Diego, taking Pacific Coast Highway (PCH).  Below is a picture I took in Dana Point in the early morning.

For lunch, I met up with Briana Smoody, my ex girlfriend from college. We ate at JRDN, the beachside restaurant in Tower 23. Briana is doing great. She's kicking butt at her job at Concerro, engaged to be married next month and her sister, Meagan, is expecting. It was great to catch up with Beej and happy to hear everything is going well for her and her family.
Yesterday evening, I met my old college roommates, Tim Golden and Matt Soleimanpour. Matt's girlfriend, Tina, also joined us for dinner at PrepKitchen, in Little Italy. The food is farm to table Italian. I had the crab bisque and butternut squash raviolis, both of which were very good. Matt and Tim are doing well. Tim is finishing up his last semester for his masters degree in counseling and Matt is doing the lawyer thing at  Manning Kass Ellrod Ramirez Trester LLP.

Today was the day for meeting old coworkers. For lunch, I met my old boss from the American Lung Association, Diane Sutherland, for lunch. For the past six years, she has been the Assistant Executive Director at the Burn Institute. She looks great and seems like everything is going well.

In the late afternoon, I met up with my old ALA coworker, Sacsy, for a drink downtown and then dinner at an El Salvodorian restaurant in Logan Heights. When I lived in SD, Sacsy and I were really close. We worked together, were running partners and I even accompanied her Thailand to visit her family. Sascy is doing good. She has a new job selling medical supplies and her daughter, Malaysia, is college bound. I still can't believe Malaysia is 18 and that that Sacsy has an 18-year old daughter.

Overall, my trip to SD was really good. I was able to catch up with my old friends and coworkers. The trip also made me nostalgic. I really miss the SD vibe and fondly remember the memories I made there. It's unfortunate that SD is so far away from DC

I ended today by driving up to LA and checking into a cheap hotel room right near LAX. Tomorrow, I fly out to Hong Kong.

Justin

PS. While in SD, I did have a chance to visit USD. Below is a pic I took while walking around campus. It always amazes me how beautiful the campus is.

Made it to Cali

Shortly after I wrote my last post, I made it on to the 5:25 pm flight to LA. I'm still not sure how it happened. I was 13 on the stand-by list, but there were only six seats. Miraculously, seven people didn't show up so I ended up getting a seat. Thank you to those seven people...you made my day.

When I finally boarded and sat down, it was surreal that I actually made it on the plane. I ended up sitting next to guy in  his mid-20's, who was traveling to California because he had an overdue ticket. In a month, he was going into the Coast Guard so he needed to take care of the ticket ASAP.  His dad was a pilot so he was a stand-by rider as well.

The flight wasn't too bad. It was a big jet, a 777, with 2 x 5 x 2 seats across. Luckily, I got an aisle seat, so I didn't have to make everyone get up everytime I had pee.  I spent the 4.5 hour flight reading, sleeping and watching the movie, New Years,which was better than I thought it would be.

I made it into LA right on schedule, around 10 pm. Once I picked up my bag, which luckily hadn't been lost because it had been sitting in LA for 8 hours, I went to the car rental counter. The line was sooo long and sooo slow. It took my forever to get to the front of the line. If this had been the East Coast, there would have been a riot. When I finally got my paperwork and got outside, it was raining hard. Since when does it rain in LA? The car they gave me was a little subcompact (I paid for a compact) and my suitcase barely fit in the trunk. At least it was good on gas mileage.

I made my way down to Orange county and met my friend, Rose, at the St. Regis in Dana Point. She let me stay with her and her friend, Alex, in their room for the night. Thanks to both for letting me staying with you.  BTW - the hotel was AMAZING. Stay there if you ever get a chance.

Justin