I am here ->

The marathon is almost over… only a few more days of regional meetings and I’ll have a short break to catch my breath. You know things are nutty when you wake-up on Saturday morning looking forward to the NEXT weekend. The big crest of the week’s activities finished yesterday and last night all the regional visitors headed off to their favourite haunts for dinner. We had some HR visitors in town who we took to dinner at a Japanese restaurant on the far side of the island. Four of us in total: two of us based in Hong Kong (one from Canada, one from US and a long time friend); one HR Manager from Japan who has lived half his life in Japan and the US; the final HR Manager from China who spent several years in the US, too. A real global mix.

Typically, these evenings are a great cross-cultural and bonding session as we talk about life in the Asia Pacific region, how long we’ve all been where we are, where else we’ve been and where we might be going. We had a lot of laughs that kept me going despite my fatigue and a few thought provoking moments, too.

I have been in Hong Kong over nine years. HK is a fluid, transitory place. While here, Tess and I have had many friends come and go, we’ve even had friends leave and return. We are often asked, "how long will you stay in ?" We say to ourselves and anyone who asks "three to four more years." This answer also affects all decisions we make. Even when buying large items we stop to ask ourselves (1) do we want to keep this item for a lifetime and (2) if yes, will it fit into a shipping container. Another example: for a long time we have wanted to buy real estate, but the temporary nature of our existence in Hong Kong always has us deliberating on the right purchase.

When the Terrific Trio was born all bets were off. For six months we had no idea what direction their health might take. Had there been serious, long term issues (which could still surface, too) we probably would have promptly returned to Canada where a wider variety of long term preemie therapies is available. As life slowly returned to normal and the triplets’ health became more certain and predictable, the "three to four more years" time frame returned.

Having lived outside of the "three to four more years" paradigm for six to twelve months, returning to it made us very aware how temporary we always considered our lives in Hong Kong. Where is home? For Sebastian and the Terrific Trio, home is Hong Kong. They know no other place as home. (Sebastian is even developing a British accent!) Tess and I started thinking that maybe we have been fooling ourselves. Perhaps Hong Kong IS home and we should make that commitment now. Doing so open the doors to decisiveness, long term plans with family, investment plans and real estate purchases. We often encounter people who have lived in HK for twenty years by accident! We don’t want to be those people – if we end up being in Hong Kong for twenty years or more, it should be a choice not an accident.

Being alone in Hong Kong while Tess and the team are back in Canada amplifies the introspection that swirls around these issues. Everyday MoZiLLa (aka Tess’ mom and Seb/Terrific Trio’s gorgeous gran) sends photos of Tess and the Team having loads of fun in Canada. (Okay, the Terrific Trio are not having fun when crying for their evening bottles, but it is hilarious to watch and the photographers are clearly having fun at the Terrific Trio’s expense!) These photos are deeply appreciated but also stir-up all sorts of questions… where is home?

Flashback to dinner with the HR Team. Lots of interesting discussion when finally I discovered Google has a new tool called Google Earth. During the breaks of the management meetings some of the folks were playing with the tool. Google Earth is actually really neat – a collection of satellite images that allow you to pinpoint places all over the planet. The tool is based on satellite photos, not actual live cameras on live satellites. (I pulled up HK at night to find it covered in sunshine according to Google Earth.) In the heavily populated areas there is very high resolution. In the less populated areas the images are not as good… therefore, I never got a decent picture of the Fintry dock or lighthouse but I could clearly see the area. I pulled up several pictures of Pokfulam, Hong Kong and sent them back for Tess and Sebastian to see… just so they wouldn’t forget what home looks like. I marked on the photo common places where Sebastian likes to go.

Then I went hunting for other places and what an out of this world exercise. First I went to have a look at "home" in Toronto where I grew-up. There home sat with my dad’s burgundy Subaru in the front yard. Sitting there at 5000 feet above the earth I saw my old schools, the trails where I used to run, the side streets where I road my bike, the hills where I used to toboggan. I mentally drove down the Don Valley Parkway to Toronto Island to find the Royal Canadian Yacht Club. Based on photos, (# of boats still on dry dock at the yacht club) I concluded the satellite images were pulled around late April/early May. Images of my being at the RCYC at those times of year flashed through my head. I found my sisters houses and a few other places that hold fond memories. Weird.

Then I drove up to the Farm in Omemee, Ontario – a fuzzy area where I could only see the pond – but for sure, that was our pond! I poked through Peterborough, then with a flick of a button spent a few minutes pouring over Vancouver before returning to Hong Kong.

If I had the energy I would have wondered out onto the balcony for a thought provoking cigar but I was just too tired by that point. As I shut down the satellites I couldn’t help think of the implications. I lay in bed contemplating all the places I had been to in my life that I could now go back to see… to have a second look… cities I have visited, trails I have run through, lighthouses I have sailed by. Daily the world seems large, but from a satellite a hundred miles away it seems small. If I travelled a billion miles away, home would be Earth. In such a case I’d probably say to people, "I want to retire on Earth." If people asked me, "where do you want to die?" I’d probably say "Earth."

But I am not a billion miles away, and chances are, never will be. Instead I am here, in Hong Kong, asking myself the same questions. The answers don’t come easily but on the other hand, does it really matter?

The SOS Car

Okay, who asked about the Porsche?

Many people hold incorrect assumptions about Hong Kong.  One of those assumptions is that cars are expensive in Hong Kong . They aren’t. New cars are expensive… VERY expensive. But used cars are inexpensive. There are several reasons for this. First, practical: after seven years a car needs to have an annual road worthiness test and certification. Most people don’t like this hassle and expense (even though it costs almost nothing.) Second, prestige: many often argue that  Hong Kong is about money, glamour, looking good. A used car doesn’t look so good. Third, superstition: local culture suggests that a used car may have had many owners. Therefore, one cannot be certain the car has good feng shui. What if the car had been in an accident – that would be bad luck for all subsequent owners – or a bad luck car in the first place! Therefore the costs of cars in Hong Kong drops off quickly as the car gets older.

As an example, I have owned three cars in  Hong Kong . The second was a gorgeous 1989 7-Series BMW that cost less than US$ 2,000. I spent another US$ 2 K in mechanical repairs and the car was an absolute pleasure to drive. We LOVED it. The BMW was sold to an Australian car dealer for US$ 2 K, where it had an Australia resale value of US$ 8 K. After shipping and some minor fix-ups the dealer probably made a tidy profit. The third car was, and still is an Espace Renault that cost US$ 2,200. (Yes, we splurged!) I spent next to nothing on mechanical repairs and this rather large workhorse serves us well. (See pics in the June blogs.)

The first car was a June 1985 Porsche 944. (The date is important for enthusiasts – the first person to give me the correct reason why wins a prize!) Tess and I first saw this car in November 2000. I was planning a job change for which a car made sense. We traveled out to Sai Kung in the New Territories for a test drive. It was gold at the time and Tess, who spent most of the trip back to  Hong Kong Island (about an hour) telling me why I should not buy this car, truly disliked it. Eventually, after convincing Tess it was a steal and a once in a lifetime opportunity, we agreed to buy it. Big mistake… always listen to your wife… the car only cost US$ 5 K but one year later I had spent twice that on repairs and never mind the aggravation of a constantly breaking down car. Tess called the Porsche the SOS car, which stood for “Sack of Sh*t.” Tess never really understood why I bought the car since we were planning a family at the time. 944’s and baby car seats don’t mix that well!

Despite the 944’s notoriety for breaking down, it was extraordinary to drive and very sexy to look at. Big fat wheels kept the 944 welded to the road. It was impossible to make this vehicle squeal – it took tight corners effortlessly and quietly. At modest speeds that tires made a very an atypical 944 humming sound against the road. The throaty engine was like music. The Porsche 944 was a head rush and that is probably what caused me to keep this black lemon for so long (Yes, I also had it painted.)  or to buy it in the first place.

If you know the 944 – or most any Porsche for that matter except for the Cayenne – it rides very low to the ground. When Tess woke me up on November 30 to tell me she was in labour the first thought through my mind was, “Oh my gosh, can I drive?” The night before we’d been out celebrating an award I had received and yours truly might have failed the 0.08 test. But that was several hours earlier so I concluded I was fine. After collecting our things we cautiously walked down to the Porsche. Tess took one look at it and said, “I can’t sit in that.” The car was too low to the ground for Tess to realistically get in and out of the vehicle or to even sit comfortably inside.

“We can take a taxi if you prefer,” I replied.

“No,” Tess responded, “I will kneel in the front seat.”

And so, we drove to the hospital as Tess knelt in the front passenger seat, having contractions every three minutes. It was a gorgeous, sunny November morning in Hong Kong. I prayed silently that the SOS Car would not breakdown. Fortunately we made it safely to the Matilda Hospital where Sebastian was born a few hours later.

The ride to the hospital was the beginning of life for Sebastian and end of the road for the Porsche. I found a buyer a few weeks later and sold the car for half of the original purchase price – because used cars are cheap in  Hong Kong ! The BMW entered the scene and I somewhat redeemed myself with a car that was a pleasure to drive and very reliable. And from then on I listened to Tess.

The Eagle Has Landed…

… back in Hong Kong. Wow, what a buzz.

Exercise: How to get present to your Suppressed Joy and/or Grief and or Both? Answer: After nine days at Fintry (see pic at left) leave your four kids and wonderful wife at a quaint Canadian airport on a gorgeous sunny Sunday morning, knowing you won’t see them for seven weeks and that two of those kids will probably walk for the first time during that time. Subsequently drive with Dad for five hours through the most beautiful scenery Canada probably has to offer. Drop Dad off at Tsawwassen Ferry, a location that holds deep, significant meaning from previous, life defining era. Scoot off to spouse’s dear grandmother who lost her husband of 50+ years a few short months ago but manages to still be an extraordinary hostess and cook great-son-in-law superb dinner complete with local  ale refreshments. Collapse with exhaustion, sleep ten hours, enjoy breakfast with same wonderful gran. Rush off to shop, shop, shop. FAIL to find (argh!) what wonderful wife has on shopping list. See Porsche 944  in mint condition. Have flashback to day Sebastian born. Arrive back at Gran’s to pack. Present huge bouquet of flowers. Gran threatens, don’t ever do this again. Self says out loud, "I will always do this again." Both giggle. Leave for airport. Mind once again focuses on Asia… Hong Kong… work… write 45+ e-mails on plane, sent upon landing via Blackberry. Receive 60+ in return within a few minutes of landing. Think to self, "WOOF… how long can I maintain this pace?"