What I found these days is that my time is limited. Between caring about work, running errands to keep the apartment in shape, working out, meeting friends and also keeping an eye out for the next best work opportunity, there leaves little time for anything else. This makes a bit impatient when I meet some friends and become trapped in a situation without learning anything new. As one friend pointed out, the opportunity cost is getting higher every time.
I met up with a business school friend of mine new in town from Europe, her husband, and another friend Friday night. I was reluctant to have dinner when I didn't feel exactly hungry so ate beforehand, but wanted to meet them anyhow to socialize. I then became quite impatient because I went to drinks afterwards and felt awkward about leaving. All three people I know very well and I didn't feel like our friendship would become stronger by spending more time in LKF checking out new bars. But because there are only three, I felt compelled to stay the entire time. I could have rested at home and did my work, whether researching for investments or relationships. They came to my place afterwards and I had to gather enough courage to ask them to leave past midnight.
Anyway, lesson is that I really need to be more independent and take time into my own hands. Those single friends were quite strategic and never stay that long in activities that seem to drag on. At this time in my life, I think I'm quite sure about who I am and do not need to bum around to find my interest or my goals, to find out who I am. When one is young, he or she is trying to find out his/her place in the world, a track to follow. For me, I think those decisions have been made both consciously and unconsciously, and we all need to just deal with what we have. Which means, carpe diem.
Had lunch with an undergrad friend in the investment field and his wife - both transplants from Canada a decade ago. Unlike me, often confused and undecided about where I should be, the guy is quite certain about his choice to be back in Hong Kong even though he was born and raised in Vancouver and attended the best undergraduate and business school in the States. Like me, he is not entirely interested in technology that dominates the San Francisco bay area. Granted that he is now married and has a young kid, I think I should still learn from his single-mindedness. There is no time in the world to ponder about all the possibilities. We are all working with the limited time and resources on hand. I do appreciate Hong Kong and need to focus.
I did check out the new Swire building in my neighborhood. An ultra luxurious building, the inside was really nice. Average rent ran above 10K USD per month. I thought about sharing the apartment with two to three roommates so we could all enjoy a nice lifestyle, but it is probably not that practical. My taste for good living keeps increasing. There is nothing wrong with that. It keeps life motivated and interesting. Can I still fall in love and be loved with such driven heart for a ever better life?
To end the evening, I went to a Shanghainese university's new year's party. Being by myself and unrelated to anyone, I felt awkward but quickly made many friends. People seem more focused on improving their lives, and I did learn a lot professionally and socially. What I find is that people who are trying to make it tend to be more modest. I liked the crowd, where I did meet a few interesting people. The one guy who graduated a few years before me from the university sat next to me but later revealed that he already has a seven year old kid. Good to know since other than meeting the age criteria and background, I didn't find him physically attractive. Another guy seems very nice and down to earth and is also in finance, but he is three years younger.
The MC of the evening, a guy, began the party by commenting that 70% of the participants are female and he could do nothing about people's complaint how limited the number of guys are here in Hong Kong and even fewer the number of available guys. This makes the situation for someone crashing the party just a bit embarrassing. Good thing is that quite a few girls there were just friends of the alumni and did not attend the school themselves. On the way back, a young IB girl complained some more about the notorious ratio of men vs. women. She said the reason is that in Hong Kong has more girls in general from birth. From the mainland side, the statistics is skewed because the girls tend to do better than guys in school and more qualified for schools in Hong Kong. They also dominate the junior positions in finance as well. I said perhaps they are more easily controlled. In any case, that topic is so talked about and there is no need to dwell on it. We should just look forward. Enjoy the present and plan for the future.
It was an evening well spent. I learned about how to get a driver's license in Hong Kong, the intricacies of enrolling a child in school, and the two golf courses in Shenzhen. I also learned that the university's alumni are working in all professions, such as teacher, journalists, media, in addition to finance. Lots of people are young and also attending school in Hong Kong. Most want to stay for the PR status and hoping not to get fired in the financial crisis coupled with unemployment here in Hong Kong. It's good to connect with them and understand their lives. I find a closer connection there.
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