Local Canadian man retires at 33

oh wait, we already ran this one last Jan.
instead, let's go with - Kung Hei Fat Choi, friends!
it's a fresh new year of Freedom, full of hope, dreams and dragons.
trust me, at the moment i am very unretired, but did enjoy my sabbatical over the Christmas break. to those who i had the pleasure of embracing, thank you and thanks for the kind words shared regarding these scribbles of mine. if we weren't able to cross paths, i extend an open invitation for a raincheque on the far east side, any time.

although tough to leave home, I return back to Hong Kong with renewed optimism that the next 365 will be easier than the first. a job, a Jacky, and in 2-months, a country club membership.
that's the way we roll in the Kong. (note - the bank is paying for most of this).
a few trips planned as well - Singapore in less than 24hrs, over the Chinese New Year break…along with our first ever trip to the land down under over Easter. no complaints, mates.

well, maybe one.
as of Monday, we relocated offices….and gone is my luxurious door-to-door mini-bus chauffeur. i'm choked. we've moved a little further away from the WASPy comforts of Central, now clocking in at an area known as Quarry Bay.
would i recommend out-of-towners to come check this hood out? nope.
don't get me wrong, it's still on the Island side of HK, but it's fairly desolate in parts…aside from the 7-11 & McDonalds on every other corner. and yes, it may be true that on my first day, i just happened to stumble upon a dead mouse & a lizard on route to the office…but hey, it's like seeing a squirrel & a bluejay scurry across the sidewalk back in the burbs.
upon crossing the threshold of the building, we're still not home yet. it's a very typical space in this region of the World - an old industrial building turned white collar. the hallways are dim and long, and the preferred option to get up & down from the 22/F are the service elevators.
non-ironically, smoking does go down in the boys room; i keep telling myself the persistent wetness on the floor is from avid hand-washing.

now to the positive. our office space is actually quite nice. it's bright, with consistent wifi & an actual meeting room to take up private conversations. (not having this private space previously required me to dismiss my employee in the pantry of a shared workspace. awkward.)
it's also the first time in 8-months that everyone is in the same room, sharing ideas, banter and my Absolute 80's selections……go team. before we moved our staplers in, it is a local custom to have a Fen Shui expert come in to help us, amongst other things, get our shuit together. i'm still very unfamiliar with the 'in's&out's' of it all, but i do know that they've stuck me in a prime seat in the 'wealth corner'. no, this doesn't mean they'll pay me more, however, it's meant to help me bring in more money for the biz. with that, and my 'Always Be Closing' poster on my wall, i can't fail. they've also placed a money plant in my corner, which i was sure to water the shuit out of as well before leaving this weekend.
happy new year, folks….get your dragon.