october

well, not quite october, but it will be once i return to hong kong. it's end of september and i'm on my way to paris for a week of business meetings. arrange to fly out on friday night arriving on saturday morning. and arrange for malabika to fly out and arrive within an hour from me so we can enjoy the wknd in the city of lights.

paris, the french, a love & hate relationship that will always exist with me. i love paris in autumn, my favorite time of the year. the weather, the energy, the school trips that are all gone, and of course the style...

i arrive on business, i am so fortunate indeed, and wait for my wife that has to endure a 5 hour longer journey with a stop in qatar on economy. i await anxciously her arrival at the terminal, and it's always magical being together in paris. we head to the hotel and are well early so do something we have never done all the times being in paris - take a ride on the seine river. a nice, crisp, sunny morning and taking a walk through the park and taking a trip down the river was perfect. great to be in paris.

we then head to get our favorite brunch meal in paris - the croque monsieur. perfectly toasted bread, melted cheese, jamon, tomoto, and the fried egg. sounds simple enough, but so delicious!
and of course no brunch in paris is complete without a glass or two of wine, cheaper than evian.

all is perfect, we have a full two days before work begins for me to enjoy paris. we head to the hotel and the hate part of love / hate begins to show it's life. the utter lack of service that is a bit charming at first when visiting paris seems downright annoying this time. especially after being in asia, where the service is absoutely impeciable and genuine. beyond the service, the room, the breakfast, the amenties are so poor compared to asia. do i miss asia after being in paris only 6 hours?!

we are tired, jet lag, sleep, and get ready for a night out with some of my collegues. dinner at a very parisian restaurant followed by a few drinks and it's a perfect first day but sleep awaits us! sunday, brunch plans with other collegues, friends that we happened to meet in hong kong during our looksy trip in june. we meet in one of my favorite neighborhoods, marais, for a nice brunch and a stroll through the city. paris, much like new york, is such a scenic city to enjoy best by getting lost on the streets.

we visit a part of paris that afternoon that we hadn't been to, the scenic setting of the movie Amelie, Montmartre. we are fortunate to enjoy two sunny, autumn days and wind down the evening at a lebanese restaurant near our hotel. a bit overpriced and overrated, but a nice ending to our wknd together. we will split up tomorrow morning, as i stay in paris for work and malabika heads to germany to visit her friend (perfect timing - octoberfest!)

8am monday, never a good time is it? we head down to breakfast which is nice, but nothing compared to the spread in singapore with cuisines from all over the world. here we have soggy eggs, lots of cheese, bread, juice, and fruit. i say bye to my love after breakfast and i begin work while malabika heads for the train to germany...

work is busy - multiple meetings all day, but the days finish around 8pm which is very nice. get to enjoy a nice dinner most nights and take in the city. i do love paris, but i also miss asia. paris seems charming but old. asia so new and exciting. nothing has changed in paris since my last visit while everything seems to change everyday in asia. and the energy is non-existant here, while in asia you can't get enough of it. i do love paris, but i miss the pulse of asia...

and the same can be said of london, the next stop on this business trip. 3 nights, 2 days in london and a final weekend with malabika before she heads out to nepal and i head to hong kong. london, so familiar, yet so distant. very easy to adapt back into this western lifestyle - art, brunch, pubs, mates, blah blah blah. so nice to visit after many years, and see friends, but looking forward to getting back to asia.

it sounds so cliche, but it is so true when you experience life here after living in the west your whole life. the west has had its time, has colonised much of the world, has caused much sorrow and destruction in it's path, has done more harm than good, is due for a time of reflection and mellowness.

while the emerging econonomies time has come, growth is abound, spirits are high, and all are willing to sacrifice for the betterment of their children and generations to come. it's a new energy, a new blood, a new life, and everyone feels it. time to go home...

a week in europe was most memorable, but what i miss most is malabika. 7 weeks apart will be very tough, but i will be enduring the toughest part in my career ahead to keep my mind busy. october has arrived in hong kong, and the locals are beginning to bring out their autumn gear. they love it. while me, shorts & a t-shrit is perfectly fine on the wknd while a suit is more than enough to keep warm during the week. after all, it's cooled off from 90 and humid to 80 and cool!

i took the red eye and the next four weeks in october have cruised by. filled with 70 hour work weeks, a little time on the wknds to enjoy the local culture, and keeping busy planning for well needed holidays in december.

the local staff love when i say good morning in cantonese, it brings a smile to their face every day. partly because i am speaking cantonese, but moreso because my pronounciation is so bad! i have a month in the office without travel, i begin to get into a groove. spend more time with my staff and think about how we can restructure for the future. all at the same time during the busiest time of the year at chanel, oct-nov.

a friend pays a surprise visit from nyc which is a welcome break from the long hours. she is well a globe trekker spending time in hong kong but also vietnam and bali during her two weeks in asia. we spend an afternoon getting out of the city and hiking, hitting the beach (yes, there are beaches in hong kong) which is incredible. hong kong is full of places to go hiking and swimming away from the hustle and bustle and it's my first time out of the city since moving here which was great. she is in bali now and i look forward to one last night with her when she returns before she heads back to NYC.

a work filled october has turned a leaf to another work filled november ahead. but there is a light at the end of the tunnel - malabika and family come to visit from nepal on nov 25th for a week (well, the wife is staying for good!). we have a fun week planned in hong kong as well as a wknd away in macau. then our 6th year wedding anniversary on dec. 2nd. and tickets to see the opening ceremonies of the east asia games which are in hong kong this year. the ceremonies are done by the same group that did the beijing 2008 olympics so i a sure it will be an amazing experience. and of course a few matches - rugby and football tickets.

and then cambodia for the holidays - the land of a thousand smiling faces. people that have suffered so much and yet can smile and welcome all those that visit. can't wait, also to see our good friends living out there now.

life in hong kong, life in asia, what a blur the first two months have been. couldnt imagine being anywhere else...