Look at the forest, not the individual tree

I've just emailed a local charity to help them out. I want to give something to the community while I am in Hong Kong. Give something back to the city that has already given me so much. The charity is called Feeding Hong Kong http://feedinghk.org/

The charity distributes the left over food, which normally goes to waste, to people who can't afford to buy food themselves.

There is no social security in Hong Kong so many people live in poverty. I am keen to stay busy while I am job hunting and what better way to do this than to volunteer for a charity that is doing something I believe is so important. I am also obsessed with food, eating healthily for the lowest cost, so I think I will be able to do some good work for them. It's also a good opportunity to meet some locals.

First meeting in Hong Kong 'Suit me up and bring me success'

I'm sure putting make up on is one of the most useless tasks I have done today. By the time of my meeting I am sure there will be no sign of it left. I have my first meeting and it is a cool 36 degrees outside. My iPhone App informs me the 'real feel is 43degrees'. I guess living in these climates is a test in itself. To go about your daily business with a cool wave of exuberance. To remain relaxed and happy when your body feels like it's dying and being cooked.

My meeting today went really well. I met with Robert in The Central Building at 2pm after a lovely lunch at Shelly's Yard. Minestrone soup (a bit watery, more like a broth, I can do better), and Dhal (i.e the most carbs I have ever seen on one plate)

I had a sample and left most of it. My heat rash is a constant reminder to not eat too much, or rubbish food. The healthier I am, the less my skin will suffer and the less make up I will have to wear. Both essential for my HK living. Make up doesn't stay on your face, in fact today was the first day I have even bothered to apply any so not needing any will help in the humidity. My skin is and always had been very sensitive. I will continue to stay healthy and I am sure with time this will adapt too.

The downside of drinking your own body weight in water daily, as is required by this city, is you constantly need the toilet. Luckily, HK has public toilets EVERYWHERE. Forgetting to 'nip to the bathroom' before you leave anywhere can be a painful mistake. Humidity PLUS desperate to go to the toilet equals A VERY uncomfortable 10 minutes.

My meeting was another piece in my Hong Kong puzzle. I like Robert, I think he is genuine and I am sure that something good will come of this. If The Quantum Physics Quest is to be believed, which I clearly think it does, then I will have a job in no time. I have a plan, and I will stick to this. Being patient for the next four  weeks and focusing solely on events roles, after this, if I am still not finding anything then I will open up to sales roles. I will leave Hong Kong at the end of October/mid November if I have given it 110% and still haven't found anything and head to Australia, via the Philippines for Christmas cocktails on the beach.

But for now, 110% commitment to find me my dream role, settle into city life and enjoy each day that I am lucky enough to be here.

All the buildings have names, 5 minutes late and other observations

As a country girl, the naming of buildings is a strange concept to me. This is clearly something I will have to get to know, pronto. I have my first meeting tomorrow. I will meet Robert to discuss events roles. He has sent his address, now all I have to do is find it.

I remember the first time I went to an interview in London, and getting hopelessly lost. After months of interviews, and getting lost I found my barring’s and can navigate central London with ease. I have always found, if you look lost enough, someone will eventually point you in the right direction.

Problem number two. Heat, sweat and suits. I have spent the last 10 minutes discussing the best way to get to the meeting with the least amount of sweating. Tram then MTR? Tram all the way? Taxi? Tram is the cheapest and longest but the hottest, no air con. The tram then the MTR as Happy Valley doesn't have its own MTR stop. So I would have to catch a tram to the MTR, which is air conditioned and takes me to the building I have my meeting in. Taxi, the most expensive, but the coolest and will drop me outside of the building. Alternatively, I go into Central early in the morning, find somewhere to base myself near, cool down, have lunch. It really is a hard part of humidity.

Why is it when you put on a crisp white shirt, you suddenly forget where your mouth is and pour coffee all down your front?

'I'm running 5 minutes late' is one of the most painful sentences you can hear in HK. With temperatures soaring, strutting round HK to meet people on time, for them to say they are running late, by which time you are covered head to toe in sweat. NOT COOL HONG KONGERS!!!!  

I realised, I'll have to slow my walking speed down. I have developed the London strut, the determined, 'I know where I am going, and I know when I need to be there' walk. This wont do in HK. I will have to slow down to the Chinese pace. They tend to amble down the street. The sort of speed I walk after one or too many at the pub.

Dripping air con units!!! Ewwwwwwwwwwww That is all on this for now.

This is THE city of expensive things. Of showing your worth through cars, apartments and appearance. It's made me realise what's important to me. Being satisfied. Not wanting more. Loving exactly where you are, at this precise moment. As I explained to a friend yesterday, 'I can't stand arrogance, it's boring, it makes for a one subject conversation, you'.

I like diversity and variety. I will be me in this city, a caring, kind and loving girl. Someone of depth and feeling. A girl who knows herself and doesn't need to prove anything to anyone. I think a city needs a girl like me. Someone who doesn't just think about themselves.

Mount Everest of Hong Kong. We climbed The Peak

As what only can be described as the shortest night sleep ever, we headed out on a good old Sunday walk, with a twist. After reading lots about Hong Kong before I left, mainly things to do that are free to occupy my time while I look for work. I thought the walk up to The Peak would be a great day out. I want to get back into shape before I start work.

We packed a backpack and set off, jumping on a tram to Queens Road East. We took a detour to the supermarket to pick up some lunch to eat at the top. Some fresh Sushi and rolls. We then headed through a shopping mall to reach the road we needed to take to start our climb. This is a funny thing about a city built on a mountain. You have to navigate your way through shopping centres to reach roads, in our case, on floor 17, where we would take Kennedy Road and begin our climb.

Another slight detour took us to a separate lift. A glass lift on the outside of a building, The Hopewell Centre. What a sight. The views while heading up what must have been 100 floors, actually 57^th, was spectacular, if the journey up wasn’t a tad scary. Glass lift plus side of building equal heart stopping.

From Kennedy Road we started our vertical walk up to the Peak, passing very few people going the same way as us. We walked past some of the most expensive places to live in Hong Kong. The lushness of the Peak and the cooler air means the rich and famous choose this as their preferred place to live. The living hierarchy of Hong Kong.

The walk became more strenuous the higher we climbed, till we found Old Peak Road. This was the equivalent to the top elevation setting on a treadmill and the hardest setting on a cross trainer. After over an hour of walking, this was hard work. In 40-degree heat, you can only imagine the sweat dripping from us.

We arrived at the top to a man who simply said ‘there is a tram you know’. Made me smile. We headed straight to the mall to embellish the air con and sit in a freezer followed by some more embracing of the air con.

We finally cooled down and headed to a picnic point to have our lunch and sit in the sunshine. A great feeling of exhaustion. We popped to the shops on route back to the apartment to buy ingredients to make squash and sweet potato soup. Yam and Pumpkin it is as squash and sweet potato aren't cheap or easy to spot. Another wonderful day in HK.