When You Were Young - The Killers
It's been two weeks since I returned to Hong Kong after two and a half phenomenal weeks back home in Vancouver, and I still have yet to blog about my trip . . . Going back to Vancouver at this point in time was equally good and bad. I had just gotten over "I hate Hong Kong and I want to go home right noooooooow" but I had yet to get over "I'm so goddamn homesick I don't know what to do with myself."
What came out of this trip was a realisation of how lucky I really am. Despite all my whining and bitching, the truth is that I am loved and I have a wonderful group of friends who were not shy to spoil me silly and show me just how missed I was. To them, I say a heartfelt thank you.
But they are the precise reason why I'm once again back in the "I want to go home right now" phase. Halfway through my trip home, the following thought started bubbling in my head and has yet to leave me alone:
In Hong Kong, I am merely living the life of a robot. Going to work, going home, and spending way too much money on the weekends trying to dull the contempt that I have for this city. But in Vancouver, I was LIVING. Acute difference. Previously to my trip, I had thought maybe I should do my two years in HK before calling it quits here. But now, I think I really want to get back to living instead of just passing time.
It's like that quote from
The Holiday. In the movie, they say [and I'm paraphrasing here] . . .
In the movies, there are the leading ladies and and there are the best friends. You're at least supposed to be the leading lady in your own life! That's exactly it! My gut is telling me that as long as I stay in HK, I won't be the leading lady in my life.
Out of all the years I lived outside of Vancouver and all the trips I've taken back to the fair city, I truly feel this is amongst if not the best return I've had. Anyway, if you're interested in the day-to-day of my trip back, read on:
Day 0 - 17 July 2008 - Arrive YVR 2130hAm lucky enough to have Walz come grab me from the airport. First stop: bubble tea!!!
Day 1 - 18 July 2008 - A Bat, A Clown, Dresses & SangriaMy first full day back and the first occurance of G-Spoil. Walz takes the day off so we can chill! He and I go watch
The Dark Knight in IMAX on opening day. Good thing we went to the matinee showing. I'm immediately taken by Heath Ledger's performance and vow to watch it again in theatres. After the movie, we head downtown and grub at
Caffè Artigiano - my favourite! Then it was errands time and I'm lucky Walz is such a patient guy! Two days away from the wedding of two of my oldest friends, I desperately need to find a dress for the big day! Good thing the old standby, BCBG is having a sale and it's not long before I find something. I run into Doogan and Lyds, who inform me when their big day is going to be. Looks like I'll be in Vancouver in May 2009! Later, Walz and I are joined by Kennings, Shim, and Kevin at
Ebisu where we quickly polish off over $200 worth of sushi and sangria. Yuuuumz. Then we were off to Blueberry for some yummy frozen yogurt.
Day 2 - 19 July 2008 - Pre-Wedding FestivitiesA very simple day of meeting with my co-MC for the wedding and then manis, pedis, and dinner with the bridal party.
Day 3 - 20 July 2008 - Batman Marries Doraemon!Wake at 5am to get the day rolling . . . hair, make-up, wardrobe! So much fun. I could not be more honoured to have been asked to be a part of the wedding. Donn't get home until nearly three.
Day 4 - 21 July 2008 - Finally, A Chance To RelaxSleep until 2 in the afternoon after being completely drained of all energy the day before. The afternoon is a lazy one at home before heading out for dinner and drinks with my boys. Patios and bellinis are a summertime must.
Day 5 - 22 July 2008 - E DayIt's day 5 back home before I have the chance to see my bestie, E. She swings by after work and after we reserve our rental car for Thursday, we go for eats and bubble tea at Pearl Castle. They were out of curry, damnit!!!
Day 6 - 23 July 2008 - Bye Bye WalzHaving promised to drive Walz to the airport, some disorganised planning leads to his picking me up then us going to the airport together and then my taking his car after he leaves on his trip. Yaaaaaaaay, zippy Mini Cooper! I'm happy he and I condensed our catching up time before he took off. CC and I head down to
The Celebration of Light to watch Canada do their thing . . . but not before I taste my first
Japadog!
Day 7 - 24 July 2008 - Sea-Town, Here We Come!E and I meet up at the car rental place at the crack of dawn and charm our way to a rental upgrade. Yay! We are at the
Seattle Premium Outlets by 1020h and spend the next four hours scouring the stores for deals. Then we head to Bellevue, eat a late lunch [happy hour deals!], and check out Aritzia in the US. LOL. Yes, we are dorks. We head to our hotel around dinnertime and then shop around downtown a little bit before hitting our usual dinner spot -
The Cheesecake Factory. But this time, we did not break our record of spending $100 on food there. LOL.
Day 8 - 25 July 2008 - Sea-Town Part 2The weather cooperated magnificently for our little road trip and we tear through downtown Seattle with a mission. I have another wedding to go to in one week and need another dress! BCBG to the rescue again! E tries on this gorgeous dress at Nordstrom but doesn't buy it. We head back home, crossing the border at ten. The super nice customs agent lets us through even though we are bringing back over $500 worth of goods. Sometimes it pays to just be honest! We head to Pearl Castle to meet up with Rick, Shim, Doug, Mariko, Kennings, and Jacq. Good times, good times.
Day 9 - 26 July 2008 - BBQ and 151AC and Vana pick me up mid-afternoon and we go to Shim's for some bbq-ing and Rock Band-ing before heading to Century House for "Get G F*cked Up" night. Unfortunately, I miss the surprise that Rick has prepared for me during his DJing set. I gulp down some rather nasty drinks but somehow I end up okay, which is more than I can say for CH.
Day 10 - 27 July 2008 - RecoveryIt's a lazy Sunday after a night of partying. But wait a minute, are those cops knocking on my door? Turns out, some stupid kids decided it'd be fun to go around my neighbourhood spray painting expensive cars. Victims include my neighbour's minivan [one of those fancy ones], the brand new Mercedes Benz C300 down the street, and yes . . . Walz' Cooper. Omigawd. Shim comes over to see what can be done and after concluding that the car needs to be looked at by the pros, the two of us head out to do some shopping and grab some food. Hmm, more bellinis and patios.
Day 11 - 28 July 2008 - Time With My Girls
M comes over to pick me up for lunch [at my absolute favourite Japanese place, Maruwa] and some shopping, then I head out for dinner with two of my UBC girls. It's good to catch up with them since it's been awhile.
Day 12 - 29 July 2008 - Quiet Cleaning DayIn the early afternoon I head downtown for a long overdue visit to my stylist, Tai, at
Suki's. Tai's been my stylist for about two years now and I've never trusted anyone with my hair more than him. Then I head home because, with only a few days left in Vancouver, it's time to get serious about packing up my old rooms. E is sweet enough to come by after work and help out. We spend the night sifting through my childhood bedroom and find proof of some rather unfortunately wardrobe choices. Fun fur! Button-fly jeans! Plaid shirts - oh wait, those are coming back in.
Day 13 - 30 July 2008 - More Packing UpIt's not easy to pack up the past. And the more I dig into my old bedroom, the more I rediscover. But I've never had more conviction to throw away what I don't need. Out with the old, in with the new. The new won't come unless the old leaves. All those clichés. No time to waste, don't even think about reminiscing. Just chuck, chuck, chuck. But I can't help calling out the troops for one more dinner at Nanchuu.
Day 14 - 31 July 2008 - Hennessey Is Gonna Be The Death Of MeI'm well into sorting through all my stuff now and it isn't until after dinner that I venture out of the house. FayJay picks me up for my night at Hennessey, planned by Rick. It's a small group of people but damn was it fun. I savour the taste of Dirty School Girls and even get dirty with a Rocky Mountain Bear F*cker before leaving the premises.
Day 15 - 1 August 2008 - It's Foxy TimeTime for wedding #2. Yay, gives me an excuse to get all dolled up . . . nails, hair . . . then back home to change before driving out to New West for the festivities. It's a fun night with old friends. It's an opportunity to make amends with demons from the past. All capped off by Bubble World with Shim, Kennings, and Jacq.
Day 16 - 2 August 2008 - OMGWTFBBQ/BittersweetOn my last full day at home, I get up early and continue the task of packing everything up. As a farewell to my family home [which my parents are selling], I have invited the crew over for a proper send-off. It's a night full of hilarity, the rehashing of old memories made at the house, and new memories to be taken with me. After the last of the partygoers leave at around 2 in the AM, I get right back to work packing up my old room.
Day 17 - 3 August 2008 - Au RevoirThis brings me to my previous entry. Saying goodbye to my house. I finish packing my old room at about 7am, at which point I grab my camera and take some snaps of the place. Only now do I bother packing my suitcases to bring back to HK with me. As tired as I am, I don't want to sleep . . . only wanting to enjoy my house that much longer. In the check-in line at the airport, I talk on the phone with Yenny, who suggests I see if our other friend, Kevin, is working . Indeed, he is standing behind one of the business counters so of course I quickly ditch the economy line. Ahh, the perks of business class.
