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!