Is it already mid-April?!

I can still remember the first month I was here, which was November. 
5 months down.
Excuse me while I lay down for a second to process that.
Time really does fly. I still remember growing up here.

Last Monday was my last full official day at work in Hong Kong. It was such a bittersweet moment and the end of a very memorable, once in a lifetime experience. There were definitely ups and a lot of downs, but I had a goal and I was able to accomplish it. For that, I am grateful. I am grateful for all the wonderful people that I was able to work alongside with and got to form great friendships with.

As my treat for my coworkers who have bailed me out of trouble countless amount of times, I was able to have Sift hold Red Velvet, Salted Caramel, and Carrot cupcakes for me the night before (they were still super fresh and very moist the next day when they ate them!)

Although I am sad to be leaving, it was time to move on. I was talking to my (ex)coworker and she asked me a really interesting question. She asked, "I know I'm selfish.. but have you ever thought about staying?" My answer was simple, "All the time." I said before in my other posts that I wish there was a possibility to make the gap between HK and SF closer or maybe being in two places and living in both places at once (half of that is possible, I guess, if I have enough money to afford that kind of lifestyle). After 5 full months, it has occurred to me that Hong Kong people are such hardworking people. But it's to the point where hardwork does not equal reward or any benefits to themselves. I have not only seen my coworkers work overtime 5 to 6 days a week, some days from 9am until 10pm, but I have experienced it as well. My cousin doesn't come home until 2am at least twice a week (not because he's at happy hour). It just made me wonder, what is the motivation? There are so many variables that factors in. Is it really worth working until you get really sick (whether its from a real sickness or just wearing your body down/overworking)? I guess growing up in both worlds and finally realizing the difference is really shocking. The standard of living and the balance between life and work is much more relaxed in the US than here (you're probably thinking duh but it never occurred to me that there was such a huge difference). Anyways, the question my coworker asked sparked this internal debate inside listing the reasons WHY I should stay and the many many reasons why I need to cherish this experience, move on, be successful in what I have in store for myself in the future, and be able to have the luxury to stay in Hong Kong for however long I wish. 

One more day until I fly off to Korea! Stay tuned lovelies.

Chubby Cheeks Edition

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'Tis the Season to be Homesick

4,838,400 seconds, 80,640 minutes, 1,344 hours, 56 days ago I set off on a journey. To do what exactly, I still have to figure that part out since my objective seem to keep changing.

It's interesting because I never really thought about it before I left home. I have realized that I didn't think about a lot of things until the time actually came. I consider both places home as I have spent an equal amount of time in the two cities. But it seems like whenever I'm in one, I terribly miss the other. We can't ever be happy with what we have, can we? I already know I'll miss Hong Kong the second I leave and the second I land, I will be planning my next trip out. It's predictable because it happens every time. If only the two places were closer to each other.. like San Francisco → Oakland or Hong Kong → Kowloon. A girl can dream..

It really hit me that I was homesick when I got off the bus today returning home. I didn't really have time to think about things like this since work took up 120% of my life. As I stepped off the bus and waited for the pedestrian light to change from red to green, it hit me. I don't have work tomorrow. Since today is Christmas Eve, tomorrow is Christmas day and I finally have a break from work. (Is it sad that all I want to do is sleep?) Having a break from work seems far-fetched and unreal. I walked across the street suddenly feeling lost and homesick.

Being by myself all the time is quite nice since I've always had somebody by my side all the time for the past four years. Especially in a busy city like Hong Kong, people are so busy rushing to work/home/school that nobody really notice that you're there. It gives me a lot of time to think about the possibilities of my future and to worry less (I know, how is that even possible). I have identified a huge problem that I desperately need to find a solution for-- living in the moment and enjoying it. I feel like I'm always thinking about what the next step is and anticipating that than enjoying what is in front of me. Who cares if it's old Asian ladies walking really slow blocking the entire road, I should probably find something to enjoy about those moments. The only downside of being by myself is when I think of random moments that makes me laugh out loud or when I start having conversations in my head and end up talking to myself (I swear I'm not crazy...) 

On a lighter note (•⊙ω⊙•), this is probably holiday depression. It will eventually pass and I will be back to work in no time (not sure if that's a good thing or not..) 9gag definitely helps during times like this.

Anyways, I was definitely missing the freezing nights at the apartment last (or was the the one before last?) December, where my two favorite people were surrounding me on my bed watching Supernatural and eventually ending up getting a $100+ PG&E bill from our portable heaters. ლ(́◉◞౪◟◉‵ლ)

Life in Hong Kong

Part procrastination, part overworked-from-work-leaving-me-no-time-to-sit-down-and-blog. 

I've been in the beautiful, wonderful, fast-paced, intense city of Hong Kong for 33 days/a little more than a month now. It was such a hard decision moving here but I honestly feel like I've gotten to know myself so much better. It also feels like it was something that needed to happen before I settle down or else I would never be satisfied. Although this move is temporary, it was still hard to get up, and just leave. The period from the moment Amar dropped me off at the airport to when my mom arrived in Vietnam was the hardest, thinking about all the things I'd miss back home. Not only Thanksgiving and Christmas (which I definitely did not think about before booking my flight *No Thanksgiving or Christmas feasts (ಥ ̯ ಥ)), but also my niece and nephews birthdays and watching them grow, going home for dinner with my parents, having lunch with my mom, waking up next to my favorite person in the world, the list goes on and on. However, this experience has taught me so much and if there is one thing I am certain-- it's that I will never work an entry-level position in Hong Kong. If I am coming back later on in my career, it will be as a professional in my field. 

Let's start with what's happening right now and work our way back, shall we?

As of right now, my days of the week looks like this. Every week.

Monday
6:30AM Alarm goes off.
6:45AM Crawl out of bed looking like that.
6:45AM Change into my gym clothes. Brush teeth and wash my face.
7:00AM Walk down to the gym.
7:00AM 20 minute workout to wake up so I don't slip/fall/die/fall asleep in the shower.
7:30AM Shower/get dressed/dry my hair.
8:00AM Walk back home.
8:05AM Run down to the MTR.
8:17AM Get to the MTR.
8:23AM Arrive at desired MTR stop. Now time to run to catch the 8:32 ferry.

8:30AM Arrive at the ferry terminal and get on the ferry at 8:32AM ^. (The ferry leaves EXACTLY at 8:32. It pulls in and people get off at 8:30 and once everybody has gone through the gate and onto the ferry, it closes the door and pulls away from the dock. Super reliable-- that is since I haven't experienced riding the ferry while its raining or during a typhoon, but hopefully I never have to. 
8:47AM Arrive at To Kwa Wan ferry dock and book it to work.
8:54AM Arrive at work.
7:30PM-9:30PM Get off work. (Keep in mind, there is no such thing as OT pay for entry-level employees.)

The last ferry is usually like this ^. Super peaceful and quiet but that's because everybody is at home already. 

View from out the ferry's window.

8:30PM-10:30PM Return home via bus (1 hr ride or ferry then tram *below (more or less 1hr, but the last ferry is at 7:35PM). Eat dinner (my grandma sets aside a little of everything for her grandchildren ^___^ Home-cooked meals are the best!)

Only HKD$2.3, takes longer but it's relaxing, especially with little to nobody on board.

11:00PM Get ready for bed. Sleep

Tuesday
Repeat Monday.

Wednesday
Repeat Tuesday.

Thursday
Repeat Wednesday.

Friday
Repeat Thursday.

Saturday.
Repeat Friday, but I technically get off at 1PM but today (it's Saturday over here), I got off at 4PM. 

Sunday
Sleep in, run all the errands humanly possible, and dread for Monday's arrival.

#mylifeasofrightnow #untilApril

If there is a gym nearby with clean nice showers, I would highly consider sleeping in the conference room at night.

With that said besides being overworked and draining every bit of energy out of me, I do enjoy working as I am learning a lot. Both about working in Hong Kong and the culture. I thought I knew it before I moved here, but there's still so much to learn. 

I will get into more of what I have learned and such in later blogs when I have more time (is that even possible in Hong Kong?). But onto life before work (duration= one week). 

After my mom and I arrived in Hong Kong, there were many errands to run and my mom had many things she had to take care of so it was one thing after another. Busy busy busy, always on the go (much like the city itself). A few pictures I captured to show how I spent my week in Hong Kong before the hectic work life took me hostage. 

I love that picture. The photographer (Me ^__^) captured the perfect moment. Cherishing it forever.

My mom usually comes back this time in the year because it's my grandpa's birthday in November. It's probably the second time in the past 10 years, I've been here to celebrate his birthday. He turned 88 this year with many more years ahead of him! 

I would think fruits in Hong Kong would be better than the ones we have in the States. But that's not very true.. Maybe because it's without preservatives lol! But above is a dragonfruit (which is one of my favs) but from Korea! And it's all purple. It also stains whatever that comes in contact with it (my hand and my tongue) and has no flavor what-so-ever. Strange! None-the-less, I've eaten so many persimmons and dragonfruits since I've been here, I don't think I can handle any for awhile. 

Hui Lau Shan is a franchise, much like Starbucks but instead of coffee and drinks it's Hong Kong desserts-- mostly consisting of fruits, specifically mangos. So yummy and they're literally everywhere in Hong Kong. Above is the mango delight with real mochi. Soooo good. 

I sent Amar those two pictures and he asked me, "Why are there so many people?" The pictures above were taken when I boarded the bus to go home in Causeway Bay. This is already nothing. At least you can see holes where people can fit. I can't wait until Amar gets here so he can experience Hong Kong during rush hour, especially since he greatly values his personal space. Bahaha. 

Ever since I've been here, I've spotted so much of Andy. #makesmemissfattyevenmore

That is all for today. I'm counting down to the day Amar arrives and the day my break from work begins! Beijing adventure coming up soon but before that work is about to get real crazy (as if it hasn't already) because we are one of the main sponsors for the Hong Kong Expo, therefore, the days before the Expo (next week) will be hell on earth. Wish me luck! 

To conclude experiences good and bad I can say this,

Disclaimer: All this would not be possible without the support of my family, boyfriend, best friend, friends, and loving co-workers. ♡♡♡

CAT Lip Dub 2013

Had to share this video of my brother and his school. 

Four Months Anniversary

It's been close to (holy crap) 4 months until I said hello to the real world. Crazy how time flies! As my first post, it would be appropriate for me to recap what I have been doing since graduation. (For my own sake. Just in case I develop amnesia one of these days or get bopped in the head by my lovely best friend and lose it.) 

Right out of graduation, I continued working my two part-time jobs so it didn't feel like anything out of the ordinary-- or the fact that I am done with school (until I study for the LSAT and the GMAT). My first step into the *real* world was on June 3, 2013 when I began my *first ever* full-time job in a field of my interest. After the shopping spree the week before that stocking up and investing in my professional wardrobe, the full time job couldn't have started any sooner. 

Backtrack: Before I was offered a full-time position, I had booked my flight to Bosnia for a whopping 3-weeks! $1,500 taken out of my savings later, my supervisor was kind enough to let me take the time off. A month into my full-time job, I went on vacation with my boyfriend and his family to their home country, Bosnia for the very first time. (I will blog about details in another post.) It was overall a wonderful experience and I was able to get to know his side of the family and where he grew up in person. (And I love traveling so the trip was definitely awesome.)

*Taken July 4, 2012 hence the American flag and the patriotic colors*

Another huge event that occurred after graduation was moving out of my apartment less than a week ago and into a whole new less-popular, more crime ridden city. I have *always* been a city girl so this was a huge change. Although I am sad to have to commute to the city for work, it is honestly not that bad.. despite having to wake up at 6:30am to get to work at 9am with a bed time at 10:30pm the latest. Good thing the boyfriend has to commute to the city too for school and work so we are able to take advantage of carpool in the mornings and to be able to drive through the Golden Gate Bridge every morning on our way to the city. (Let's see how long this will last..) The things I miss most about my apartment: living a divider away from my bestie, barging into her room the second I get home, being able to walk to the store to buy groceries, and being so close to the bus lines. The things I don't miss about the apartment: discovering a huge gigantic monster spider in the bathroom when I am still half-asleep trying to take a quick shower before work, not being able to open my window at night or insects would get (and stay) int the room, which leads to bestie sleeping on my carpet, aaaaand last but not least, the amount of dirt and dust that piles up after awhile (I'm allergic to dust so that's no bueno). All in all, this move was bound to happen (and expected) and it was time to go. 

Okay, let's wrap this up and bring it back.. Close to four months into the job and I love it. I see where Confucius was getting at when he said, "If you love what you do, you'll never have to work a day in your life." Cheesy, but true. Although the work is a bit repetitive at times, I am responsible for something different everyday and there is always work to be done. I love the professional, rigorous environment. Not to mention, everyone here is so nice and helpful (cause God knows I be asking a million questions..) Every day passes so fast. I look at the time and it's 2pm and the next thing I know people are starting to leave at 5:30/6pm. 

That is it for now! Expect posts on-- my Trip to Bosnia 2013, the hardest decision of my life, and whatever else that comes to mind. My goal for this blog is to be able to capture exciting *and scary* things happening very soon..