March—as you probably know—is one of my favorite months in the city that I called home for the past three years. The weather starts to get better after the short winter, and several events occur that have come to define Hong Kong for me. The first junk trips are organized, signifying the start of the summer season; Saint Patrick's Day—always a good excuse for a party—takes place; the infamous Rugby Sevens tournament lures in visitors from every corner of the globe; and the extraordinary Hong Kong International Film Festival turns the city into a cinephile's paradise for the last two weeks of the month.
A Saturday afternoon picnic at Victoria Peak Garden
On top of all of this, I needed to renew my Hong Kong working visa, pay the second installment of my Hong Kong taxes and apply for a new passport, since my old one had only six months validity remaining! (In true cliché fashion, my new passport photo has got to rank among the worst pictures ever taken.)
So even though I've officially moved to Singapore, I couldn't resist the temptation to return to my old stomping grounds for March. My visit also coincided with the return of my friends Will and Tory, who moved back to New York around the same time I relocated to Singapore. In fact, I was hardly on the ground for two hours when I met them and some other friends for dinner at Chilli Fagara in SoHo. It was great to catch up and hear about their new life, all the while reminiscing about the good times we used to have when we all lived in the Pearl of the Orient.
So even though I've officially moved to Singapore, I couldn't resist the temptation to return to my old stomping grounds for March. My visit also coincided with the return of my friends Will and Tory, who moved back to New York around the same time I relocated to Singapore. In fact, I was hardly on the ground for two hours when I met them and some other friends for dinner at Chilli Fagara in SoHo. It was great to catch up and hear about their new life, all the while reminiscing about the good times we used to have when we all lived in the Pearl of the Orient.
Singapore friends have also made their way to Hong Kong. My new buddy Issam, who used to live here too, came up and stayed with me for a weekend, and Taz found herself here for two days on business, giving us the chance to meet up as well.
The weekend Issam came to visit from Singapore
And of course there are the usual Hong Kong happenings, like the Wednesday night races, leisurely Saturdays basking in the beautiful weather and catch-up sessions with old friends. It's great to be back here, and at times it feels like I've never left.
With my friend Ric at the Wednesday night races
On Thursday, I once again participated in the Canadian International School's annual college fair. It's hard to believe, but this was my fourth straight year representing Villanova at the fair. The past three years, I've gone alone to speak about my college experience with international and local students and parents trying to find their own perfect fit. This year, I recruited my 'Nova friend Christina to join me. As always, it was a fun experience, and hopefully we reached some future Wildcats who might not have otherwise heard of our alma mater! Of course, Christina and I also had fun at the post-fair reception, chatting with Hong Kong-based alumni from many colleges and also university admissions representatives who had travelled out to participate in the fair.
The Canadian International School's college fair
On Saturday, my friend Romain organized a junk for his birthday, and although the morning weather didn't look ideal, it quickly turned into a beautiful day. We sailed to Repulse Bay, and since Romain and 99% of the boat-goers were French, you can bet the homemade food was way better than your normal run-of-the-mill junk grub.
Romain's birthday junk
The next day, Sunday, was Paddy's Day, and we used our Happy Valley rooftop to host our second annual Irish-themed bash, with green beer, car bombs, leprechaun hats and John Ford's The Quiet Man playing on loop throughout the day.
Happy Saint Patrick's Day
Yes, these past couple of weeks have been a fun but exhausting onslaught of nonstop action, and what's more, there doesn't seem to be any end in sight. With Saint Patrick's Day having come and gone, last night, I attended my first movie screenings of this year's film festival: an Italian documentary called The War of the Volcanoes and a strange but none-the-less intriguing Portuguese noir called The Last Time I Saw Macao, set in our neighboring SAR. I have a packed agenda for screenings as the week goes on.
This coming weekend is the highly anticipated Rugby Sevens tournament, and friends are flying in from far and near to be in town for the beloved event. As in years past, the whole city is buzzing and nobody seems to have anything but rugby on their minds.
In the past, these events have always occurred relatively near to one another, but this year, the calendar gods have taken things to a whole new level, with literally no break between anything. One event seamlessly turns straight into the next—boom, boom, boom!
The film festival continues throughout the Rugby Sevens and carries on the next week as well, which happens to be Holy Week. That week's crop of films includes the one I think I'm probably most excited for—a restored print of David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia being projected on the massive screen of the Grand Theatre of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Of course, Holy Week culminates in Easter Sunday, and then it's suddenly April! You see what I mean about time flying faster here than anywhere else I've ever been!?!
So far, this trip back has been chock full of the things I love and miss most about my old home, and I can only hope the next two weeks continue to be as fun and memorable. Somehow, there's hardly any doubt in my mind that they will!
No comments:
Post a Comment