Pacman tiles

Thought these were cool.

Furniture

Sold my fridge and oven last night. I think I underpriced it by a good amount so there were a few people interested. Like you cannot get a fridge for that price. I think I will have to do the same to sell my closet which may be even harder because you can get something really cheap that will do the same job. Anyway the fridge selling was really easy and quick. The guy just picked it up and took it down the stairs. Glad that went well. He even recommended a website for me to sell my closet. I can do some cleaning of the old place after that is gone.

I bought a bunch of furniture from IKEA on Tuesday. Well, a loft bed, set of drawers, and a desk. Didn't get the desk color I wanted though. Delivery date is set for the 10th, which is later than I would like. All the stuff is available and it is just a matter of finding a suitable delivery time and date.

I went back to the office last night and it felt strange to see so many people at work after 5:30pm. I talked to my supervisor about this research project that we are doing. I left to sell my fridge and then remembered that I promised someone else something. So I went back and had dinner with some of the guys who were still around. There is definitely a different pace of life between site and the office.

First night at the new place!

Just spent my first night at the new place. The moving guys were pretty good. They were fast and efficient. They got everything down the elevator in two trips and up to the new place in two trips. They managed to fit all my stuff in one minivan. They seem to do this a lot. Anyway, no mishaps but the place is now a mess.

I actually didn't sleep very well last night because there was a big thunderstorm and the rain falling on the AC was quite loud. I also didn't have curtains because I took mine out to be washed. They were getting moldy with the humidity!

I still need to sell off my closet and fridge and see about getting a dresser, loft, table, and chair. Maybe I can use the racks I have to hang clothes. I previously used them for kitchen stuff storage but the new place has some storage space in the kitchen.

Moving!

All packed! Now I'm just chilling and waiting for my moving guys to come. I don't know why but every time I need to move it is either really hot or raining. This time it is raining again. HK observatory is forecasting less rain later at night. Hopefully it won't start pouring while I am actually moving my stuff. Anyway, glad to finally be moving out of this subdivided flat. Looking forward to having more space and being in a better neighborhood. I will miss my wall decorations though. The new place does not have tiled walls, all painted.

I still need to sell off my closet and fridge. There seems to be interest for the fridge. Not so much for the closet. Anyway, I think it will be easier to take pictures once all my stuff is out of the way. I am thinking about getting a loft for my bed so that I can fit a small dresser and table. I want a proper desk and chair for doing stuff. I think I will put that to use now that I have more time at site. But will definitely get something that is easy to take apart and is not bulky.

Change is in the air

Getting the keys to the new apartment on Monday! Excited to finally be able to move out. I think these next few weeks before I go back to the US will be busy. My parents are flying to Hong Kong as I am typing this post. They should arrive early tomorrow morning. The plan is for us to meet on the ferry to Zhongshan. There is a ferry that leaves HK Island and docks at the airport before going to Zhongshan. Hopefully everything will work out.

This week is a short week because of Easter holidays. The plan right now is that I will move on Thursday night. I have already booked the guy, who was recommended by a friend. I really need to find some time to pack this upcoming week. We have Friday to Monday off (inclusive). So after the successful moving on Thursday night, I will go to Zhongshan again and hang out with family until Saturday. Mom and Victor will be flying back to SF on Sunday night so they will come to HK with me. We'll get to hang out at the new place. Dad is staying in China for a few more weeks. Anyway, I think I'll have Monday to recover from all this. The week after this is also a shortened week because Thursday is also a holiday. I am really hoping that I will have enough time during these holidays to study.

Speaking of studying, I have found that my math skills have degraded. Not as fast with mental math as I was in high school. Or maybe I just don't really do actual calculations these days. Anyway, my supervisor still thinks I will go back to the US immediately after I get this license, which makes absolutely NO sense to me. I mean, I can go back anytime. I don't need to wait for the license. In essence, this license is just something that I've been thinking about since I've found out about it in high school. Anyway, I don't know how I can make it clear to him but sometimes people are just set on their ways of thinking like this.

Anyway, another person joined me at site this past week. The guy also worked on the project so he knows the background and some of the people. He's also been working at site for the past year so he knows how things should run. So it's nice that he can show me what I should be doing. The only thing is that there were times this week when I felt that I had less time because we have to spend time discussing things or chatting. I think I was very efficient and did a lot of stuff when I was by myself because I didn't have another person to talk to. Anyway, we're going to try to implement some new rules for the contractor to follow. I think if the system works, then things should be better for us. I really wish that there had been someone to guide me to begin with. I feel like I have set something in motion and it's hard to adjust. And I think it will be an even bigger adjustment when the real RE gets to site. We will only overlap for a week before I leave for the US. I hope people can figure things out when I am away.

Moving

After living nearly two years in a tiny subdivided apartment, I am finally moving out! I'm moving with a friend to the Island (yes, moving over to the dark side). I think met up to look at apartments in Tin Hau, which is a neighborhood near Victoria Park. It is a not as crowded and dense as Causeway Bay, which is a major shopping area right next door and is a little more residential. We met up last Friday night, had dinner in the area, and started poking into real estate agencies near the MTR station. We went to a couple of big ones that just didn't have anything for us. We walked by this one agency whose store front was tiny and had one guy in it. He thought about our requirements for a little while and was like, "I have just the place for you two!" Unfortunately, it was late and he couldn't get the keys until the next day. We met up with him the next day and fell in love with the place. It's an actual 2 bedroom that's about a 5 minute walk from the Tin Hau and Fortress Hill MTR station. We ended up meeting with him again on Sunday and signed the papers. The owner was happy to rent to two girls so we're tentatively getting the keys next week!

Anyway, looking forward to having a shorter commute. I am also thinking about getting loft bed so that I can put a dresser and table underneath. In the meantime, I need to sell my big closet. I really don't know why I bought such a big closet in the first place. The new place has a good size living room for future guests. I think the arrangement works out for both of us. We're both saving a substantial amount of money. Renting in HK is just too crazy.

 Living room:

 

Bedroom 1:

Bedroom 2:

Kitchen:

We've also moved to our office space at site. The contractor renovated an existing building to make office space for all the staff. So we've moved out of the containers today. The new office space is much nicer than the container. The RE staff has an independent room with its own VIP room. The only downside is that there's no windows but I think we'll be outside enough that we wouldn't miss it. I should be getting help at site early next week! Very excited to finally have someone else to come help out.

Site office:

 

More updates

Saw these guys at an MTR station and decided to try out the camera on my new phone. I was on my way to hotpot with some former coworkers. We did the hot pot at someone's apartment. HK apartments are so amazingly small that I don't feel like I could ever get myself to buy one. I mean, it's just not worth the money and effort to buy something so small. And only for 50 years!

I've updated the sidebar on this blog with all my upcoming flights! Time goes by very fast. I really need to make a decision about where to live soon or else it will be hard to host all my future guests. Having an internal debate about whether or not to move farther out and be in a better environment. One of my friends remarked that she really wants her apartment to be somewhere that she wants to come home to. And that's why she likes to keep her apartment very clean and neat. Her place is very nice. I think I can afford to live better. I mean saving money is nice but now that I have more spare time, I would like my apartment to be bigger and nicer. 

I've been hoping to have more spare time, anyway. Site is getting very busy! We are hitting the critical path of construction and there are more and more people and machinery at site. The first month was extremely chill compared to what is coming up. I wish I knew more about the kind of record keeping needed so that I had used the previous month to get everything in order. But I guess it's part of the learning process. I think I'm going to stay being the RE for at least the first 3 months of this project. The base works is only about 9 months and the major geotechnical part is around 3 years. Hopefully I don't mess things up or lose track of important stuff before the full supervision team arrives.