Friday night, and I’ve spent it alone in my shoebox-sized flat in Tin Hau. Had I been in Singapore, I’d be out with friends having great conversation over a delicious dinner. The feeling kinda sucks; I’m not very good at being alone these days. I guess I’m sick of being lonely. When I went back to Singapore for 1.5 days I was SO happy to be able to catch up with my closest friends and have deep, heart-to-heart conversations with them without afraid of being judged. How I miss that!
I guess thank god for Internet broadband where I can download episodes of “How I Met Your Mother” and “30 Rock”, two of my favourite comedies. And thank goodness for online chatting which allows me to chat with friends back home.
The hardest part about relocating is really the building up of a social network again. I’m not Miss Social Butterfly or Miss Party Goer so I don’t meet that many people. Hell, I haven’t met anyone new in the past month or two. Also, being new, you just can’t be someone’s next best friend over night. Such things take time and sometimes I wonder if I’m strong enough to stick around that long.
Not taking into account the emotional side of things, I have to say I really love living in this city. I’ve always known I love it, but now I love it even more. Hong Kong really does have an immense charm of its own. There’s always something dwelling in the small alleys and side streets waiting to be discovered. The food’s fantastic in this city and there’s good food catered to every budget.
I love the hiking and paddling, and the easy access to the scenic spots. Many people don’t realise that Hong Kong is actually very beautiful. Did you know there are actually waterfalls on Hong Kong Island itself? Waterfalls, streams, rock pools etc…all waiting for the intrepid traveller to discover. The hiking and paddling are things I’m definitely going to miss when I leave Hong Kong.
In a few days’ time, I’ll have been in Hong Kong for four months. It’s been a pretty good four months I guess. Work’s been manageable (albeit I work overtime every day and I have to work tomorrow – on a Saturday morning) and colleagues are nice. Yet, I never feel I’m settled. The other day, my colleague asked me if there was any point in my life where I felt very settled, where you could tell yourself ‘This is it. This is home.’ I told her immediately that, no, I’ve never felt that way. I’m too restless a being. I guess I might feel settled if I have a partner and that’s probably when I might have a sense of where home is. For me, home is where the heart is. Cliched but true.
No regrets in coming to Hong Kong though. I’m enjoying the change of environment and love discovering new places in the city. It’s nice to be away from Singapore for awhile – makes me appreciate home more. Am getting more chances to practise my Cantonese as well!
Anyway, am just rambling and writing out some random thoughts here. Sorry if I sound whiny and repetitive, but writing is cathartic for me. And heck, no one really reads this blog anyway.
Have a good weekend everyone.