Blogger-Block
I have not blogged in ages. I can tell that you're starting to get bored coming back here for no update because weekly I get a report of traffic and it's been pretty dismal these last months. I don't blame you really. I want to promise to be more boggeriffic in future but there's no way i can promise that right now. I can however give you an update on what's going on lately. As much as I feel like I have repeated this a million times, I realise there are many who I haven't spoken to.
Where to start?
1. Yes we are still considering moving to Hong Kong. "HUH??" you say. "But I thought you WERE moving!" Well yes it is our intention to move, certainly. But this is not as binary (going/not going) as some may like it to be. We came up with this bright idea nearly 6 months ago and we've been working it since then. Surprisingly (or not) it is not simple. There are about 347 things to think about before you even get to the fundamentally important question of whether you want to go. So first we had to find out if we could bring the dog (yes, but he will hate us and be jetlagged for months we've been told), get a visa (yes again, but I may have to be an ESL teacher as that is all that whitey is good for over there... well a few other things perhaps but this is a family blog so let's demure), and on it goes. So having gotten many of the questions answered in terms of CAN we, now we're at the point of figuring out do we want to.
2. Eric is in Hong Kong on a 6-week assignment for his work. The premise of this entire adventure is to live/work there, and the impetus for the current timing is that his company is willing to transfer him. So he arranged a 6 week secondment to their HK office that started this week. He flew over on Saturday morning, hung over and a bit sad (thanks to all who turned out to see him off at woody's Friday.) Eric's work thing has turned out a bit differently than we'd originally intended, but in the interests of diplomacy I'll say no more. What is cool is that he's there for a long enough time to really know if he wants to live there. And they have given him a nice apartment in Happy Valley.
3. I'm going for two weeks. On Tuesday (coming up) I'll fly to Hong Kong for my own reconnaissance trip. I've already got 4 job interviews set up already and hope to get a few more while I'm there.
4. Timing. Well that's the hard part right now. So far we've only gotten as far as planning the current trips. Go to Hong Kong and check it out. IF we like it and IF we can get jobs there (or at least thing we can) and IF it does not seem like a totally daft thing to do, THEN we'll make a firm plan on when/how we go. Because let's face it, if I get a job 5 minutes after landing and they want me to start a few weeks later, well that's a different ball of hair than if I don't at all. So in answer to your question "when are you moving?" we have not effing idea.
This week has been taken up with finishing up as much work as I could so that my clients don't notice my absence (although one of them - a college I write for - is going to have me do some profiles of grads of theirs in Hong Kong, so the trip's now officially a write-off!). And tomorrow is laundry day. Although I am tempted to take my friends' advice and just show up and buy everything. However, I have seen underpants that are made in China, and they tend to be daft, unattractive on any but the most well built, concoctions of string and netting. And besides I'm quite sure that I would be a triple XXL in Hong Kong terms and frankly my ego can't bear the thought of shopping in the "big'n'tall" section. So Saturday I will launder and prepare to pack, do some banking and such like.
As for blog-block? well I may blog while I am over there. I'll try to be good about it and post some pics and stuff, but we'll have to see how much time I have and how much energy i have for it.
Have a good couple of weeks and I'll catch up with you all when I'm back. IF on the off chance I do blog, please post comments so i'll know you're reading (and this includes you PJ and Damien, even if you post bloody anonymously!!!)