The Year That Disappeared

I remember my mother telling me when I was very young that the days were just going to keep whizzing by faster and faster as I grew up. "The older you get, the quicker time flies," she said. And it's certainly proving to be an accurate appraisal. I've dubbed 2014 the year that disappeared, because I can't even fathom how it's already in its final hours.

This year, time didn't just fly, it zoomed by at supersonic speeds. And I had a blast throughout all of it. There was Shea and Jen's wedding on Cape Cod, the unforgettable Villanova five year reunion, two layovers in California to catch up with old friends, and visits from some very special people to Hong Kong. 

And there were more momentous events that were extremely important, some on a personal level for me—like starting my new job and celebrating my fifth anniversary in Hong Kong—and others that were more far-reaching—like the inspiring Occupy Central protests of the Umbrella Revolution I was lucky enough to witness firsthand. 

I hardly traveled at all, only setting foot in Hong Kong, Macau and the USA over the past twelve months. (I'm not counting my hour in Tokyo's Narita Airport.) So one of my New Year's resolutions is to pick up the pace a little in 2015. That being said, spending so much time in Hong Kong this year amplified how much I love the place, and reaffirmed what a special, exhilarating, invigorating city I call home.

Here's my customary year in review with a single photograph from each of the preceding twelve months. Happy New Year's Eve everybody, and may 2015 be a year of genuine happiness and fulfilled ambitions for us all! 

January

The weather was glorious as Chinese New Year approached, so of course I soaked up the January sun on my roof.

February

Here's a shot that captures just one of many visits to Happy Valley Racecourse this year.

March

I took Penny on the Cheung Chau ferry while dog-sitting her for the first time back in March.

April

It was a great Good Friday, complete with a bike ride in the New Territories.

May

There's nothing like an early morning rooftop cigar in NYC.

June

Five years later... The Class of 2009 is reunited at Villanova's Reunion Weekend.

July

Véro took this one of me on the balcony of an old, abandoned mansion we explored near Fanling in the New Territories.

August

Sid was back in town this summer, and her friend Harry came to visit at the end of her stay.

September

This snap is in memory of all the great Thai meals I enjoyed in 2014!

October

On China's National Day, a group of us took the ferry to Lamma Island for a beachfront barbecue.

November 

My favorite people in Hong Kong help me celebrate my twenty-eighth birthday at American Restaurant.

December

It was truly one of the best Christmases ever this year, celebrated at Sarah's lovely apartment on Lamma Island.

A Very Hong Kong Christmas

Happy Christmas Eve from Hong Kong. As I’ve written in years past, Hong Kong is a wonderful place to be during the holiday season. It takes Christmas decorations to a whole new level, and thanks to a British colonial history, we get the day off not only on Christmas itself, but also on Boxing Day. So I have a nice little four day weekend coming my way.

Life’s just been chock full of Christmas of late, and although I’m thousands of miles away from last year’s traditional American Christmas, I’m loving every minute of it. The city decorations in the various shopping malls are as eye-catching as ever, the mulled wine just as tasty, the mince pies as ubiquitous.

It’s funny, but this year, I’ve really been amazed at the number of poinsettias around town. I don’t know why it’s never struck me before, but they are absolutely everywhere. No building lobby or public square or shop is seen without generous heaps of them strewn all over the place.

Ever since Hallie’s visit and our nighttime trip to the Peak, I’ve been in the Christmas mood. And things have only escalated since then. Another great event that helped augment Hong Kong’s holiday spirit was SantaCon, the enormous Yuletide pub crawl with thousands of participating Santas. Last year was drizzly and cold, but we lucked out this year with pitch-perfect weather. 

Riding the Star Ferry from Central to Tsim Sha Tsui, parading along the Avenue of Stars as tourists stopped us to snap photos, imbibing in front of the skyline at waterfront bar The Dog House, caroling on the MTR back to Hong Kong Island, and partying on the streets of Wan Chai – it was a jam-packed, incredible day.

I didn’t make it to Lan Kwai this year because Sonia was back in town for her parent’s annual rooftop Christmas party that same evening. So, as a lone Kris Kringle, I hopped the tram back to Happy Valley and had a wonderful night.

The next day was even more packed, with Sha Tin’s International Races followed by two rooftop barbecues that I managed to squeeze in, one in SoHo and the other on Lamma Island! The weather, again, was glorious.

This year, Christmas is also blessed with an old friend and former flatmate visiting Hong Kong—Ally! After a seven week stint teaching in Dalian in the mainland, Ally made her way back to her old stomping grounds last Friday and will be here until Monday, when she and Sarah fly off to Japan for New Year’s. The last time Ally and I saw each other was during the London Olympics back in August of 2012, and it’s been great to catch up. 

Friday night, before heading home to see Ally, I had a quick dinner with Eleni so she could pass Penny off to me. I'm dog-sitting her until Eleni returns to Hong Kong in early January, and something feels particularly appropriate having a dog around the apartment during Christmastime.

We had a mini-Christmas party at my apartment that first night, replete with egg nog, mulled wine and some festive YouTube-ing. And on Sunday, Ally, Sarah and I attended the poignant, candlelit Fesitval of Nine Lessons and Carols at Saint John’s Cathedral, where we will attend midnight mass later tonight.

Sarah is hosting Christmas day at her Lamma Island flat tomorrow, and I'm sure it will be a great time. So Merry Christmas from Hong Kong, everybody. Wherever you are in the world, I hope the next few days will be full of family and friends, good food and drink, and true Christmas spirit! 

Hurricane Hallie Hits Hong Kong

I’ve always said that I love Hong Kong best when I get to show it off to a newbie. And a perfect case in point occurred last week, when my friend Hallie came to visit. Although she was only here for about four days, we crammed a ton of sightseeing into her itinerary. And, in my book, it certainly ranks as one of the highlights of this quickly-vanishing year.

Hallie and I met back at the very beginning of 2007, when we both studied abroad in Paris on the same program. We became fast friends and spent lots of time together over those five months overseas. Since the end of our semester in France, we’ve done a pretty good job of keeping in touch, and I even stayed with her for a couple of nights back in October 2012, when I passed through Chicago on my way to Joe’s wedding in Minnesota.

A long, long time ago... on the Paris metro in 2007!

So I was over the moon when, in October, I found out that she was in the midst of a Southeast Asian extravaganza, working in the hills of Chiang Rai, Thailand, teaching English. I always knew she’d love Hong Kong, and I was thrilled when she informed me that she had actually booked her flights to the Pearl of the Orient.

Hallie arrived around 7pm last Tuesday evening, complete with Thai elephant pants and an enormous backpack. Walking from my office to the Airport Express station to pick her up, I noticed that a gentle rain was steadily falling from the skies above. Nevertheless, I held fast to my original plan to dine on street level at a popular dai pai dong called Shing Kee. 

Covered by some umbrellas, we took our seats at the end of Stanley Street, sharing our table with a friendly local who offered us some of his Carlsberg while he made suggestions about what to order. Delicious beef with vegetables was a real winner, while a squid dish was just so-so. Still, the ambiance can’t be beat, and even with the precipitation, it was a lively spot for old friends to catch up on each other’s lives.

Dai pai dong ambiance

Post-dinner, we had some gelato before I had to head back to the office. I have offbeat hours these days, working 3pm until midnight several times a week to adequately cover European and African markets. Instead of a lunch hour, I now get a dinner hour, which fit in well with Hallie’s arrival. But my business day wasn’t finished yet.

At the stroke of midnight, we were Happy Valley bound, on a tram of course! With a cheeky 7-Eleven beer, Hallie got her first good look at Hong Kong as we glided homeward. 

On my roof, there was some more catching up and some more beer, in addition to homemade pumpkin pie leftover from Thanksgiving—a welcome treat for Hallie after two months in the Thai jungle. And then, we headed out to Wan Chai for some neon lights and live music at Amazonia.

Although we stayed out late enough to catch a tram home around 6am, Wednesday still started bright and early. I didn’t have to be in the office until noon, so I wanted to take the morning to tour Hallie around Sheung Wan, a favorite neighborhood of mine. We took the tram once again, and wandered up Graham Street Market towards Hollywood Road, walking down side alleys and quaint streets taking in the charming atmosphere. I call it Sheung Wandering, and I can’t think of a better way to get to know this part of town.

We walked past Man Mo Temple and up steep Ladder Street, eventually coming out onto Blake Garden and Po Hing Fong, in the shadow of the picturesque Museum of Medical Sciences (housed in the Old Pathological Institute). Inspired by passing several coffee shops, we grabbed a table at a neat place called 3rd Space for a hot drink, until I had to head to the office.

Coffee shop on Po Hing Fong in Sheung Wan

Hallie took the afternoon to explore the markets of Kowloon while I did my best to sell some insurance policies, but we had plans to meet up for my dinner break later that night. None of my visitors leaves Hong Kong without a meal at Crystal Jade, my favorite Chinese restaurant, and this was the natural time to fit it in. Luckily, the queue for a spot wasn’t bad at all, and before long, we were feasting on xiao long bao and dan dan la mian in ifc mall.

Stuffed after the meal, we somehow found room to squeeze in Tim Ho Wan’s signature char siu bau, delectable buns filled with the most delicious roast pork you will ever eat. "It's like eating pork candy," Hallie observed as we enjoyed these scrumptious morsels atop the mall’s public roof deck, taking in the view of the surrounding skyscrapers, as the nightly laser light show kicked off. And although it might sound a little offbeat, that's not a far-off description. I guess you'll just have to come and try them for yourself if you don't believe me.

I put Hallie in a taxi back to the Valley while I ran to the office again. But at 9:30 we met up for a night of live horse racing. I have it set up that I only work until 9pm on Wednesdays, so as not to miss my favorite mid-week pastime. And I was thrilled to bring Hallie to my local track.

Playing the ponies at Happy Valley

The tram whisked us to Wan Chai after the eighth race had finished, and we met up with some friends for our second successive night on the town. Amazingly, we outdid our record from the previous night, and weren’t homeward bound until Thursday’s morning light shone through.

I booked both Thursday and Friday off from work to devote myself full time to tour guide duty. And Thursday was perhaps the highlight of Hallie’s brief visit. We got a bit of a late start—completely understandable owing to the night we had on Wednesday—but at 2:15pm, we were sitting on the aft deck of the Cheung Chau ferry as it departed Pier 5 for my favorite of Hong Kong’s outlying islands.  

Pulling into Cheung Chau

We didn’t have much time to stroll around, but we did duck into Pak Tai Temple before our seafood lunch. Cheung Chau’s waterfront promenade is known as the Praya, and it’s lined from one end to the other with open-air restaurants showcasing the freshest catches from local waters. At the far end of the Praya is my perpetual pick, New Baccarat, first recommended by my Frommer’s guide and a place I’ve been returning to ever since my first visit in 2009.

Hallie in front of Cheung Chau's Pak Tai Temple

You can’t really go wrong here, and I’ve sampled many of the menu’s items over the past five years, though there are some staples I almost always order. That day, our meal consisted of steamed scallops covered in minced garlic, crunchy salt-and-pepper squid and outstanding clams in black bean sauce, all accompanied by simple steamed rice to sop up the sauces and a big bottle of Tsing Tao to wash it all down. The weather certainly could have been better, but overlooking Cheung Chau’s colorful harbor, we hardly cared. It was a heavenly feast.

Fresh seafood feast on Cheung Chau

A very brief visit to the beach so Hallie could officially “feel the ocean on this side of the world” brought our short but sweet visit to a close, as we re-boarded the ferry to head back to the Central Piers.

Waiting for us as we disembarked was Sarah, eager to accompany Hallie and me to Victoria Peak. The 15 bus hit a bit more traffic than usual, but the cloudy day had turned into crisp, clear dusk. As the city’s buildings started lighting up, we began our ascent to Hong Kong Island’s highest locale.

I deliberately chose Thursday for our Peak visit because a special event was taking place at the Matilda International Hospital. Local school groups and choirs were performing Christmas carols, while volunteers served mulled wine and Santa posed for photos. With the Peak’s chilly night air augmented by festive songs, the Yuletide atmosphere was undeniably palpable.

That stately colonial edifice, the Matilda International Hospital

The Matilda is unlike any hospital you’ll ever see. In fact, a friend we bumped into up there explained to Hallie that it’s “not really a hospital but rather a five star hotel with an attached maternity ward.” The gorgeous old colonial structure was built in 1907—the year the first patients were admitted—and ever since, it’s been one of the classiest hospitals on the planet.

Schoolkids caroling outside the hospital

Post-carols, we did the Peak Circular Walk, blessed by one of the clearest nights I’ve ever had the good fortune to experience here. You could see straight out to the Kowloon Hills, with a perfect vista showcasing Hong Kong’s immense cityscape in all its magnificence. 

View from the Peak

The Peak feels so far removed from the metropolis below, like you’re looking out over a colossal, impossibly glorious movie set. But when you walk down, you quickly realize how close the city really is, as things change from jungle to civilization in the blink of an eye. 

We said goodnight to Sarah as we headed to dinner and she caught the ferry back to Lamma Island, where she recently moved. And then we met up with my friends Bernadett, Edouard and Ines at one of Hong Kong’s best restaurants, Man Mo Café.

Located on bric-a-brac-filled Cat Street (officially Upper Lascar Row), lined with tin stalls selling all manner of curios and collectibles, Man Mo is the brainchild of a Swiss chef named Nicolas, who struck upon the brilliant idea of encasing Western flavors inside the buns and dumplings of traditional Chinese dim sum.

Nicolas is always eager to talk about the combination of tastes in his creations or perhaps about the ever-changing local art adorning the café’s walls. He’s also good friends with Edouard and Ines, which means we got VIP treatment that night—including a sample of a new dish that’s not yet on the menu!

One of his two head chefs used to work at Joel Robuchon while the other was at the Michelin-starred dumpling restaurant Din Tai Fung. Together, and under his guidance, they create pitch-perfect fusion. As far as I’m concerned, this place is the apotheosis of dim sum, with combinations like fois gras xiao long bao, cheeseburger buns and truffle brie dumplings. Inside others you’ll find chicken and mustard, ratatouille or maybe tomato and mozzarella.

Mix in a couple of bottles of wine, delectable desserts and the best dining companions imaginable and you have a meal I’ll remember for a very long time. It rubbed off on Hallie, too, when about midway through dinner she announced in all seriousness that she’s planning on moving to Hong Kong in the new year.

 

With Bernadett, Edouard, Nicolas, Ines and Hallie at Man Mo Café

A pair of chic cocktail bars in SoHo made for a couple of ritzy post-dinner drinks, while we further discussed Hallie’s future in the Pearl of the Orient. But in order to take full advantage of Friday, we were on our best behavior and hailed a cab before it got too late, taking scenic Kennedy Road back to Happy Valley.

The next morning was set aside to explore Wan Chai by day, since the quarter completely transforms when the sun rises. Meandering along energetic market streets, we took in the sights and sounds of butchers and fruit vendors and fish mongers selling their products to local residents. 

It was nice to finally see a few patches of blue sky above our heads, so we rode the glass elevators in the Hopewell Center up and down three times before walking down to Wan Chai’s Pak Tai Temple and the colorful tenements along Stone Nullah Lane.

Having fun riding the Hopewell Center's glass elevators

One thing I desperately wanted to make sure Hallie got to experience while here was a walk through the Umbrella Revolution in Admiralty. Although it’s not quite as crowded as it was in early October, it’s still a sight to behold: the multi-lane highway occupied with tents and protestors, colorful street art as far as the eye can see and an infectious spirit of astonishing, inspiring peace. Messages of encouragement are hanging everywhere, and Hallie added her own supportive note to the multitude of post-its lining a particularly popular wall.

Tents along the highway, part of the Umbrella Revolution

Post-it notes of support from people all over the world

The Star Ferry transported us to Kowloon for a quick view of the skyline from the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront and a jaunt through the legendary lobby of the plush Peninsula Hotel on Salisbury Road. Then we boarded the bus to Fanling to hike the Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail.

After an hour’s ride through the heart of Kowloon into the New Territories, we made our way from one ancient walled village to the next, gaining a tangible, first-hand peek into a lifestyle that has nearly completely disappeared under the veneer of modern-day Hong Kong.

In the main gate of an ancient walled village called San Wai

We picked a spot in front of the Tang Chung Ling Ancestral Hall to enjoy a picnic lunch of tasty cold chicken, amazing chocolate cake and a bottle of Côtes du Rhône, and then continued the trail to the final walled village of San Wai.

Picnic in front of an ancient ancestral hall

On the MTR back to Hong Kong Island, it was hard to believe how fast the past few days had flown by. But sure enough, Hallie had to head home to finish up some packing while I attended a company Christmas party with some colleagues.

My roommate Derek linked up with Hallie at the apartment, and we all met at RED Bar around 11:30pm to head into Lan Kwai Fong for some Friday night revelry. Of course, we hit up Al’s Diner and Le Jardin, bumping into friends and having a ball of a time in the streets of Hong Kong’s premier nightlife district.

Looking up at the International Finance Centre from RED Bar on Friday night

Although my somewhat optimistic plan for 6am dim sum before Hallie’s 8:45am departure shockingly didn’t materialize, she made her flight to Bali and plans to return to Hong Kong in early 2015 to give it a go in the greatest city in the world! And I’m ready to catch up on some much needed sleep!

5 Years...100 Posts

November 9th, 2009, will always rank as one of the most important dates in my life: the day I moved halfway round to world to start a new job and launch my life on a fresh path. In all honesty, it was probably the single best decision I’ve ever made, and I’ve never regretted it for a second.

It’s difficult for me to fathom this, but yesterday I celebrated five full, jam-packed years of life in Hong Kong.

It feels like a major milestone. I know I've made a big to do about all my "Hong Kong anniversaries" but this one really seems special. Five full years in every sense of the word: full of adventure, fascinating people, amazing food, late nights, early mornings, hikes, boat trips, tram rides and culture. I love this place more than anywhere else, and it’s truly changed my life.

This year, I count myself doubly blessed. When I celebrated my fourth anniversary last year, I was job-less and unsure if I'd even get another go-around on the Hong Kong carousel or if I'd have to throw in the towel and return home. Now, about three months in at a great new company after a long search, I again have some degree of certainty that I will be able to stick around a while longer. I also managed to hold on to my apartment and extended my lease for another two years. And, quite simply, I’m more in love with Hong Kong than I’ve ever been before.

Naturally, I wanted to do something special to mark the occasion.

When I looked at the calendar a couple months back, I realized my fifth anniversary was falling on a Sunday. And since Sunday brunch is one of those beloved Hong Kong traditions, I immediately decided to host one to commemorate my big day. 

Most people who know me well (and many who don't) know that horse racing is one of my favorite pastimes. So I selected Hay Market at Sha Tin Racecourse as the venue for the meal. I've been wanting to try it for a long time, and have even taken two tours on previous visits to Sha Tin, so it was the perfect spot for the occasion.

Taking its decorative inspiration from an old English stable, Hay Market is an amazing spot, and one I’ll surely return to many times in the future. With a stylish interior containing many equine nods, the restaurant enjoys a great location in the grandstands overlooking the whole of Sha Tin Racecourse. Televisions scattered around offer up close views of the action, and an outdoor viewing platform is the perfect place to head when the race is about to kick off.

Interior at Hay Market

I booked a table for eight, and the seven friends who joined me—Emilie, Ben, Angèle, Lou, Anna, Romain and Thomas—helped me to celebrate my milestone in proper Hong Kong style. By that, of course, I mean with a free flow open bar!

Mix in complementary iPad rental, an omelet station, a sushi bar, a main course selected from the menu and the obligatory dessert buffet, and you have my new favorite brunch in the whole of the SAR.

Anna, Emilie, Thomas and Romain at Sha Tin yesterday

It was truly a spectacular way to spend the day, and one that reconfirmed for me how special a place Hong Kong is. There were even some Hong Kong celebrities buzzing about, since it was a major race day. 

As I celebrate a major milestone in my Hong Kong life, this blog also reaches a noteworthy moment: its one-hundredth post! When I first agreed to maintain a blog for the Villanova School of Business back in 2009, I don’t think I ever thought it would still exist five years down the road. But here it is, going strong! I must confess, although it wasn’t my idea to start it up, I’m very glad to have it as a record of my "adventure of a lifetime." 

My Halloween escapades also seem to feature in my annual anniversary blog post, so here it goes.

Hong Kong, as I’ve written before, goes crazy for Halloween. The shops and restaurants are all decorated with spider webs and tombstones. All this really helps you get in the mood for the holiday, even though crisp autumn weather is seriously lacking.

Earlier in the Halloween season, I went up the Peak with Sarah to watch the 40th Annual Sedan Chair Race at the Matilda Hospital. It’s one of those things I’ve always meant to attend but simply never gotten to.

Sedan Chair Race

Back in the good old days, before the construction of the Peak Tram, sedan chair was the only form of transport to Hong Kong’s most prestigious locale. Now, teams dress up in costumes, decorate the sedan chair and race around the Peak as fast as they can to raise money for the Matilda Hospital and local charities.

The Wizard of Oz

This year's theme was Hollywood, so most teams dressed up as characters from famous movies, like The Wizard of Oz and Up, among many others. There were prizes not only for fastest time, but also for best costume and best decorated sedan chair.

Up

It was a quirky and wonderful event, and a full day affair, complete with music, beer, gorgeous views and a great atmosphere. We took Penny along with us, since I was dog-sitting her again for Eleni, and it was great to spend the day outside in the beautiful weather.

  

Post-race festivities

As Halloween itself drew nearer, costume preparation got underway. Originally, I had grand visions of a massive group costume comprising all the memorable characters of the Robin Williams filmography. I pictured Mrs. Doubtfire, Genie from Aladdin, Peter Pan from Hook, Popeye, Patch Adams and Mork all joining in the fun. My friends had other ideas however, so in the end, it was just me as Mrs. Doubtfire.

I opted to go for the scene where, maskless, Daniel dips his face into an icing-topped cake so his ruse will not be discovered. I tried out several options to get the right effect, and wound up going with genuine vanilla icing. It turned out to be a huge mistake.

"Hellooooo!"

I have a history with Halloween face makeup going horribly wrong. (The most painful was junior year at Villanova, when I opted to cake my face with flour to go as a French mime. It wouldn’t stick at first, until I ultimately had the brilliant idea to spray myself with water and then dip my head in a bowl of flour. All was good in the beginning, but before long it started to turn to dough on my face and was extremely painful to remove after it hardened.)

Anyway, again, for the first fifteen minutes or so, the makeup worked pretty well. And then it started to drip everywhere. It got so bad and so uncomfortable that I soon had to go to the bathroom at the bar and wipe it all off with paper towels. 

Halloween night

Of course, then I was simply a guy in a bathrobe with a blonde wig with some curlers. A few people thought I was Mrs. Bates from Psycho, and I even borrowed a fake knife at one point to go with it. Many hours later, my friend Lou convinced me to reapply the icing, and—to borrow a phrase from Poe—gin-nurtured, I agreed. This time, although it again began to drip everywhere, I stuck it out until I got home.

In Lan Kwai Fong

I would probably be wise to simply nix all future Halloween face makeup completely, but of course, I’m sure this list of disasters will continue to grow. It was still a very fun (and very late) night.

As the year enters its final stretch, there is still a lot to look forward to, including some friends who are making their way to Hong Kong to visit in the coming weeks. I'm very excited and hope to send 2014 out with a bang!  

I am thrilled to have gotten my Hong Kong life back on a sustainable track. And just like every year, I'm so excited for all the Hong Kong adventures that lie ahead!