Follow VSB '09 alum Paul Parisi

Follow VSB '09 alum Paul Parisi as he starts his international financial career in Asia

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

As Summer Ends...


The joke out here goes something like this: You know you live in Hong Kong when you can say, “Oh, what a cool day,” when it's 82° outside.

Technically, summer may be coming to a close, but weather-wise, you’d never know it. The heat and humidity are still in full swing as far as I’m concerned, and it’s hot enough to hit the beaches and enjoy weekend boat trips to soak up the beautiful days and the sun’s rays.

My mom has been back in the States for a good two weeks now, and Jamie (my friend from Villanova who was working in Singapore for a few months) has also returned to New York, so I have no more excuses to jet set around Asia spending all my savings. Although the months of July and August were a complete delight, I must say it is better on my bank account and my (physical and mental) health to have those two back home!

With my mom on the Duk Ling, an old Chinese junk that still plies the waters of Victoria Harbor

Looking back on the past two months, I realize that I never slept, spent far too much money and gallivanted around so much that I could not have kept it up much longer. Anyway, the memories of my first summer in Asia couldn’t be better. Now I hope more people from back home decide to come out to visit!

At the daily firing of the Noonday Gun in Causeway Bay

On my mom’s last weekend here, I took her down to Macau, a former Portugese colony (much like Hong Kong used to be a British colony) about thirty miles from Hong Kong. Macau has a distinct European flair combined with a Chinese heritage. It was actually established by the Portugese long before Hong Kong was set up by the Brits, and it remained under Portugese control until 1999, two years after the British handed Hong Kong back to the Chinese. As such, it was both the first and last European colony in Asia, and it is a great place.

Old Macau's most famous sight: the ruins of St. Paul's

In recent years, Macau has had a rebirth as Asia’s Las Vegas. There are dozens of casinos, including the Venetian, the MGM Grand, the Wynn, the Sands and scores more. But what’s especially nice is that the town has managed to maintain its cultural and historic roots while building its reputation as the gaming capital of the East. So a visit to Macau always includes generous portions of culture and gambling-related fun.

An old Portugese church, San Domingo (Saint Dominic's in English), in the center of Macau

Sitting by the pool at our hotel in Macau, we struck up a conversation with a young American couple, Devin and Julie, who had just relocated to Hong Kong. My mom and I had a great afternoon chatting with them, and in the end, we all decided to go for dinner at Fernando’s, a popular Portugese restaurant on Hac Sa Beach. We exchanged e-mail addresses, and now we’ve gotten to hang out back in Hong Kong, so it was definitely great to meet them.

In fact, tonight after work, I am supposed to meet up with them again at the races in Happy Valley. The races stopped for the summer after the July 14th meeting, but last week they started up again. I am very happy to have my favorite Wednesday night activity back on my calendar!

Another recent addition to my Hong Kong life came in the form of a new roommate. When I first found out that a French girl was moving into Julian’s old room, I was a little apprehensive. You see, I’ve only ever had guy roommates before, so I am not used to living with girls. My thoughts on the matter completely changed after Solène offered to cook dinner! She is delightful, and it is great to improve my French-speaking skills by conversing with her. And late last week, when we came home to (yet another) flood in the living room, the whole mess was mopped up and fixed before I even had a chance to think about helping. Best. Roommate. Ever.

Alex, my Swiss roommate who took over Guillaume's old room, is currently back home. His internship ended, but he's trying to figure out a way to stay in Hong Kong. Hopefully he'll get lucky and come back soon.

Workwise, we are entering the end-of-the-year stretch, as our customers at the banks are all trying to clear their positions to have an empty book for year’s end. This is good news for a broker, because people are buying and selling and relying upon our services to get things done. I have several new accounts I am starting to build up, including one that I got two trades done with this morning! Hopefully the streak continues throughout the coming months.

And, finally, I now know about my first trip back home! On Friday, November 19th, I will fly back to the States for my birthday (November 24th) and Thanksgiving (November 25th). Instead of returning to Hong Kong, I will simply stay home through the New Year, working as much as possible via our New York or Jersey office. That means I get a total of 45 days back in the States, more than half of which will be pure vacation. I couldn’t be more excited, especially since I will have been away over a full year by the time I touch down back in the USA!

Ready for a trip home: Me in front of the US Consulate