Hong Kong.

So I have arrived in Hong Kong...

Let's start at the top...The story is very snooty. Because the circumstances under which I have been operating have been inherently snooty. And lavish. And absurd. And thus, I will discuss them as such. Because that's just the way it is...bitch.

I believe this picture serves my purposes well. Aside from the Aristocratic
bearing of this fine gent, he's got a gesture on his
hand that makes it all somehow bearable.

So on Thursday afternoon, after getting slammed with work from the M&A partner I've been working closely with, the summer supervisor gives me a ring and asks if, by chance, I would like another assignment. Eager to try something new, but not knowing how the fuck I am supposed to get my work done before the end of the day Thursday...I hesitantly say yes, and take on a brand new capital markets assignment. And thus, the "don't come in on Friday before your flight" turns into a "Shit, it's friday, my flight is in 4 hours, and I have 3 assignments to complete."

The end of this brief story, of course, is that I'm awesome. And I finished. And got to the airport in a black luxury car in my pinstripe suit to board my 16 hour business class flight to Hong Kong. So I checked in, went upstairs to the first class lounge, ate about 15 mini sandwiches, lounged on a beach chair sipping a free Heineken and reading the Times when I realize I don't have my cell phone. The cell phone I did have while I was in the car on the way to the airport....Jesus Fucking Christ. (Long story short, I call up my omni-competent assistant, and I believe that it's been taken care of...but I'm really not sure.)

Anyhow, I want to take a moment to describe Business class on an Asian Airline (Cathay Pacific). So the seats are huge. They are each fully encased and fully enclosed in the back, so when you lean back...the person behind you doesn't actually have the seat invade their space.

Then, the seat slides down mechanically in its own little cubby, and becomes almost horizontal. And there's tons of leg room so that a 6'2" Chinaman is able to extend his legs fully for the first time in his life in an airplane. With the pink silken pillow, 'tis bliss to be flying.

Then comes the movie selection....of which, I shamefully admit, I overindulged. If you're going to be sitting on a plane for 16 hours, it's no time for class. It's no time for thinking. It's no time for anything except the guilty pleasures. So out of the 60 movies on demand to choose from, I chose: Ghost Rider. Letters from Iwo Jima. Shooter. And...yes...Because I Said So. (Which none of you have heard of, because it is the Diane Keaton Mandy Moore vehicle. Even as low as my standards go, it was not good...) And then I watched 5 straight episodes of Sex and the City (for some reason the nudity wasn't blocked), the Office, and Scrubs.

And then came the meal. A 4 course meal brought out cart by cart. The first course, a Mesclun salad, a roll, and braised carmelized scallops on an avocado puree. The second course, either steak, chicken, or pasta. The third course, a choice of fruit, cheeses, and olives. The fourth course, tiramisu and coffee....and thus the flight was over. And so soon!

Hong Kong. It's fucking muggy man. It's like 100 degrees, and you could eat the humidity with a spoon. (I've decided that cliches are awesome. Especially if you just slightly modify them.)
I did learn a few things.

1) I had no idea Hong Kong was tropical. I believe it's further south than Delhi. that's not good.

2) Hong Kong is actually like...a Mountain. It's extremely hilly, and the mountain is always in the background...covered in tropical foliage.
3) Hong Kong is a very dense dense city. Full of white people.

So...we were picked up at the airport by those funny little people holding up signs, and we got into the car and jetted off to our hotel/apartment.


This is where I'm staying.

These pictures do not include the kitchen or the second flat screen located in the bedroom.

And then I actually went out into Hong Kong.

Verdict?

Eh. It was ok. The first place I went was about 40% white people. Which...all of you should know how I would react to. The second place was just boring.

So the actual Hong Kong Saga has not begun. I will go to work early tomorrow morning and see how my first real day goes. So...until then....