hong to the kong

i love not working. i love my friends. i love hong kong. these three things put together can not be described in words. my 9 day trip to my favorite city on the planet was a non-stop party and an all-around great time. if anything, it reaffirmed my love for the city, the people, the transit, the geography, the lifestyle and the energy. the trip was great because, even though it was my second time there, a new slew of people made it from all over the globe.

james from taipei; vlad, govind, alex from toronto; rory, ayham and i from the uae; and epa and tai from hong kong. not to mention girlfriends, friends, sisters and randoms came along for the ride too. i would especially like to thank epa and dorcas for showing us a good time. wakeboarding and partying and boating and restaurants and all that. you guys are great hosts.

there are plenty of pics so here are some select ones.

so where next?

oh canada

i had a great trip back home. it was short, 2 weeks, but was jam-packed with fun times, relaxation and a reacquaintance with my homeland. i don't really get homesick but that doesn't mean that i can't reminisce and haunt my old stomping grounds. after being in dubai for a year, i've come to realize that toronto is an amazing city. dubai's alright but it just doesn't have the electric feel.

i came with rory, who worked the etihad flight from abu dhabi. it was great because we had a weekend together in toronto and i got to show her around a bit. she met my parents who had come to meet me as well as a brief introduction to my cousins sean and sarah. there was a lot of walking involved and a lot of great eating. after the weekend, rory flew back and my parents and i went to sudbury. i got to see my grammi and my auntie colleen and auntie chrissy and unkle jim. i stayed at my mom's new place and spent a few days just visiting. it was nice to catch up with everyone, even though i didn't get to hang with my cousins as usual.

i spent the last week back in toronto just spending the days wandering around the city and catching up with friends. i saw my friend renu's new baby and most of my toronto friends. i regret that both my brother and sister were in BC and i couldn't see them. i also wish i could have made it to ottawa to see my friends there. i just didn't want to spend all my time travelling as i only had two weeks.

it was great seeing all of you and i appologize to those i couldn't catch up with. i also know i left in a bit of a hurry. don't worry, i'll be back and y'all can come visit us here in the desert anytime.

i flew back and arrived home just in time for a large house party at my place. such is the dubai life i guess. pics can be found here.