Paddy in HK

.......continued from here

As this post goes live I will be sitting on a plane for eleven hours on route to Hong Kong. I've been there before for work with a previous employer (a bank). On that trip, I spent five 12 hour work days going from the hotel to the office and back to the hotel and I saw nothing but I managed to wangle staying on for the weekend and loved it. The harbour view is magnificent and there's a great vibe to the city with a interesting cosmopolitan mix of expats and obviously the Asian food is great.


I'm going out on spec and have absolutely nothing lined up right now but I'm going to do my damnedest to find work and have been in contact with a few recruitment agencies. I booked the trip a few months ago and the outlook was relatively positive. There is a bit of a surplus of people with my skill set on the job market right now so I was advised to be available, on the ground so to speak, for face to face interviews. Asia hasn't been hit as hard by the financial meltdown as the US and Europe. Things have taken a turn for the worse in the last few months however so I'm keeping my expectations in check.

I going to stay for a minimum of four weeks and if I'm lucky enough to get either a perm or contract position this will be the new home base. Jaezuz - what am going to call the blog now? - Paddy in HK? The missus is waiting back in Buenos Aires for the nod to pack her bags and follow me over. It's not easy being apart for so long but the trip wouldn't have been financially viable if we had travelled together as I've been couch surfing with friends and family this last three weeks. Thankfully Skype with web cam means we can stay in touch practically daily.

Since travel is a passion for us both we decided that making a base in Asia would give us ample opportunity to hop, skip and jump to the far flung corners of this continent and quench our nomadic thirst for exploration. We looked at a few options in Asia but decided on Hong Kong based on feedback of quality of life and reports on availability of work opportunities.

I've done a lot of soul searching recently on what I want to do (when I grow up!) and have to be honest that I'm not very highly motivated to get back into banking. The carrot on the stick was always the year end bonus but even that now seems likely to be drastically reduced or eliminated altogether. Apart from my recent full time job as a beer swilling, steak eating gaucho bum, I haven't been able to come up with an alternative career options however so I'm going to give it one more shot ('shit or burst!' - as say back home).

If it works out, all well and good and if it doesn't, I'll be heading back to Argentina in a months time with my tail between my legs. Life is like a box of chocolates but the selection seems to be mostly dark n' bitter flavour at the moment.


Tags: .Paddy in hong kong..


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17 comments:

TCL February 11, 2009 5:21 pm  

Best of luck in HK and I hope you get what you wish for - whatever that is. Meanwhile enjoy the city. You already know it's a blast.

At worst you come back to a nice meal of bife de chorizo in BsAs.

Baino February 11, 2009 6:48 pm  

Talk about a whirlwind tour! I heard you were even in Glasgow! What a mover and shaker. All the very best in Honkers. You're just a hop skip and a jump from the land of meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars! Isn't Skype a lifeline! I'd be lost without it. So did you and Ted ever meet?

Thriftcriminal February 12, 2009 4:20 am  

Ah sure, the ones we all hate are the sickly sweet strawberry jobs.

Best of luck, and on the work front, no harm thinking mad and crazy shit.

Anonymous,  February 12, 2009 4:32 am  

So that was your mystery destination! Best of luck with your work search, hope something turns up and you can dig in and get to know Hong Kong properly - and all those other exotic locations roundabout.

You're one of those bonus-padded fat cats who brought the banks to their knees, eh. Now your secret is out....

Anonymous,  February 12, 2009 4:48 am  

Paddy, check out this letter in the irish times. I think you will like it.

Ronan

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2009/0211/1233867931066.html

Anonymous,  February 12, 2009 4:48 am  

I like the anonymous post with my name attached! I'm a luddite

paddy

Anonymous,  February 12, 2009 8:58 am  

I thought luddite was one of those fossil fuels we're running out of. I gather there's just one small luddite mine still functioning in northern Tasmania.

Paddy in BA (Quickroute) February 12, 2009 10:05 am  

@ TCL: Thanks - yeah there worse things to come back to for sure

@ Baino: Yes I met Ted a couple of times before I headed away - he's settling in well and yeah Skype rocks!

@ Thrifty: Thanks - wish I could think more crazy shit!

@ Nick: Thanks - but no I never got silly money but it was the expectation of silly money that kept you there

@ Ronan aka Anony: very good article which I shall now append to my previous post

@ Nick: Canny perception you have as Ronan lives in Oz

Unknown February 12, 2009 10:41 am  

Best of Luck!
At least you have an internet connection fast and stable enough!
We won't when the time of departure comes. Soon. :(
Ever thought of getting into photography (stock market and such?).
I guess those are your shots I mostly see here?
You could do it at least during the time you sit on the Couch ;)

Martin February 12, 2009 1:22 pm  

Wow, best of luck.

It does look quite stunning.

Anonymous,  February 12, 2009 3:35 pm  

Are you stalking me? First Coventry, now the home-base of The Stevo?

Drop me a line, I'll meet ya for a pint. Delaney's in Kowloon?

Paddy in BA (Quickroute) February 13, 2009 12:53 am  

@ Nicole B: Thanks - alas most of the pics are not my shots - i usually just google them

@ Xbox: Thanks - it's easy on the eye alright

@ Stevo: i didn't realize you moved from Beijing - yes will drop you a line for sure

Broke But Still Drinking February 13, 2009 7:58 am  

It's too bad we can't be professional nomads.

Ed & Jeanne February 14, 2009 9:56 am  

Good luck in HK! Have a beer over a Dan O'Brians for me! Oh yes, VE is travelled too and has been to HK many a time. I remember flying into the old airport where you could see into the windows of the high rises as the jet went by them. Weird.

Anonymous,  February 15, 2009 11:41 am  

Good luck Quickie!! Keep us posted!!

Paddy in BA (Quickroute) February 16, 2009 3:44 am  

@ Broke: Yes how true - I'd be top of the class for once

@ VE: Yeah I remember that too - I was here just before the handover in 97

@ Queenie: Thanks - will do

Anonymous,  February 17, 2009 1:25 pm  

I am late! I am on my trip at Yunnan now!

But I know you already fell in love with Hongkong. Haha, Though I am not. :P

Enjoy your days, Paddy!

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