On Friday night, I experienced an event I would have never had the opportunity to experience in New York: Professional Mixed Martial Arts Fighting.
Seriously, I went to watch grown men beat the crap out of each other in a ring. Unlike boxing, mixed martial arts (mma), has very little rules. You can kick, punch, wrestle, etc. etc. There are of course a few generic rules of safety like (don't kick anyone in the head or balls, etc.), but really anything goes as far as this goes. During one of the nine fights displayed, I saw a fighter lift another one upside down and slamming his head on the ground, 3x! I have no idea how he was not paralyzed after all of that. He did leave the ring in a neck brace but seems to still have movement in his limbs.
The fight was actually quite interesting. I usually am not a big fan of violence. Blood tends to make me queasy (and a few of the fights definitely produced a LOT of blood). However, for unknown reasons, I was very intrigued by the thought of men competing with each other without made up rules. I feel the winners of these fights are legitimately great fighters because they can use any techniques. I thought it would make me really uncomfortable (and at the beginning it definitely did). I was oddly and unexpectedly entertained.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Corporate Travels
Last week, I embarked on my first business trip to Beijing with the rest of my team. Business travel in Asia is absolutely in another stratesphere.
First, my MDs and VPs travel so much around the world that they're all diamond plus members on Cathay Pacific (the airline that flies in/out Hong Kong exclusively). With their diamond plus membership, I was able to join them in the first class lounge. It was absolutely something else. There are gourmat food, fine champagne, excellent service, internet, comfortable couches, even showers and rooms for sleeping, all for free. When I asked for the restroom from one of the waitresses, she showed me a room with beds rather than a bathroom. The luxury of business travel in Asia is really something else.
The Hotel we stayed at - the Park Hyatt in Beijing - is probably the nicest hotel I have ever been. The rooms were gorgeously designed - everything was perfectly made. The great part is, it was CNY1,300 - a little over $200 USD. You cannot get this type of quality with that much in New York. Not even close.
http://beijing.park.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp
After check-in, the team went to celebrate our MD's birthday at the rooftop bar. Everything was beautifully decorated and it seemed a piece of western seclusion in the bustling town of Beijing.
However, Corporate travel does have its downsides. In one day, we managed to squeeze in 3 2-hour meetings with three different clients. In transit, we managed to get a ticket because the license plate was the wrong license plate for the day in Beijing (in Beijing, only certain licenses can come out during certain days to limited the traffic). Even then, we sat in traffic for over 2 hours to the airport. We barely made our 8:30PM flight even though we were done with meetings by 5:30PM. Thank goodness because it was the last flight out of Beijing for Hong Kong.
My MD and VP were scheduled for the 7:30PM flight - however, since they were triple diamond members, they managed to get on the 8:30PM flight, business class. I don't even know who they bumped to get those seats. All I know is the ladies at the CX counters were freaking out during check-in when they realized their MarcoPolo status.
While the luxury of corporate travel was something I have never seen before, I don't envy those who have to do this. It was truly exhausting. I did not get home until past 1AM. If I had a family like some of the senior bankers, I wonder when I would actually have time to spend with my family.
First, my MDs and VPs travel so much around the world that they're all diamond plus members on Cathay Pacific (the airline that flies in/out Hong Kong exclusively). With their diamond plus membership, I was able to join them in the first class lounge. It was absolutely something else. There are gourmat food, fine champagne, excellent service, internet, comfortable couches, even showers and rooms for sleeping, all for free. When I asked for the restroom from one of the waitresses, she showed me a room with beds rather than a bathroom. The luxury of business travel in Asia is really something else.
The Hotel we stayed at - the Park Hyatt in Beijing - is probably the nicest hotel I have ever been. The rooms were gorgeously designed - everything was perfectly made. The great part is, it was CNY1,300 - a little over $200 USD. You cannot get this type of quality with that much in New York. Not even close.
http://beijing.park.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp
After check-in, the team went to celebrate our MD's birthday at the rooftop bar. Everything was beautifully decorated and it seemed a piece of western seclusion in the bustling town of Beijing.
However, Corporate travel does have its downsides. In one day, we managed to squeeze in 3 2-hour meetings with three different clients. In transit, we managed to get a ticket because the license plate was the wrong license plate for the day in Beijing (in Beijing, only certain licenses can come out during certain days to limited the traffic). Even then, we sat in traffic for over 2 hours to the airport. We barely made our 8:30PM flight even though we were done with meetings by 5:30PM. Thank goodness because it was the last flight out of Beijing for Hong Kong.
My MD and VP were scheduled for the 7:30PM flight - however, since they were triple diamond members, they managed to get on the 8:30PM flight, business class. I don't even know who they bumped to get those seats. All I know is the ladies at the CX counters were freaking out during check-in when they realized their MarcoPolo status.
While the luxury of corporate travel was something I have never seen before, I don't envy those who have to do this. It was truly exhausting. I did not get home until past 1AM. If I had a family like some of the senior bankers, I wonder when I would actually have time to spend with my family.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Things I miss
1. Firefly Vodka - unfortunately, the glorious sweet tea vodka from Charleston has yet to make its way to Hong Kong. Maybe I should start an importing business surrounding the vodka.
2. Banana Republic - without my favorite brand, I am at a lost for shopping. I don't even know what I would wear here. Such a despair. In fact, right now, I'm wearing a Banana dress and a Banana jacket.
3. Victoria's Secret - someone told me all the sizings here work differently between the Chinese brands, the Japanese brands, and the western brands. I'm sad VS chose not to have any stores abroad.
4. Icebreaker sours - my favorite mint. Gone. Eclipse is available but it is just not the same.
5. Western food - really none here. Very expensive and not worth it at all. Chinese food more than makes up for it though.
6. My iPhone - that's my own fault. I need to find time to unlock it.
7. Black cars - New York banking had black cars that makes it so much easier to get home in the rain. Here in Hong Kong, it's almost impossible to catch a cab in the rain and it is almost always raining.
8. Nail salons - I'm sure they are very easy but I haven't figured it out yet.
9. Newest movies - some of the movies release later here in Hong Kong, which is a bummer.
10. Friends and family. It's been exciting here but it hasn't been the same without the support and love from those who cares about you.
2. Banana Republic - without my favorite brand, I am at a lost for shopping. I don't even know what I would wear here. Such a despair. In fact, right now, I'm wearing a Banana dress and a Banana jacket.
3. Victoria's Secret - someone told me all the sizings here work differently between the Chinese brands, the Japanese brands, and the western brands. I'm sad VS chose not to have any stores abroad.
4. Icebreaker sours - my favorite mint. Gone. Eclipse is available but it is just not the same.
5. Western food - really none here. Very expensive and not worth it at all. Chinese food more than makes up for it though.
6. My iPhone - that's my own fault. I need to find time to unlock it.
7. Black cars - New York banking had black cars that makes it so much easier to get home in the rain. Here in Hong Kong, it's almost impossible to catch a cab in the rain and it is almost always raining.
8. Nail salons - I'm sure they are very easy but I haven't figured it out yet.
9. Newest movies - some of the movies release later here in Hong Kong, which is a bummer.
10. Friends and family. It's been exciting here but it hasn't been the same without the support and love from those who cares about you.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Hello, Lightning
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-09/hong-kong-hit-by-record-13-000-lightning-strikes-during-one-hour-of-storm.html
Weather is not a joke here in Hong Kong. And this was only a "yellow" rain. I wonder what "black" rain is like.
Weather is not a joke here in Hong Kong. And this was only a "yellow" rain. I wonder what "black" rain is like.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
College, part 2?
As an expat in Hong Kong, I can't help feel that I am transported to the adult, foreign version of College. Much of the lifestyle and mentally are crazy similar. Everyone comes to Hong Kong knowing that they will be staying for a definitive amount of time (usually a couple of years). Some people end up staying for a long time (think of all the graduate students and Ph.D.'s who never leaves college), but everyone came in at least thinking it was just a short-time gig.
All the young expats are concentrated in a close quarter called Mid-levels. Bars and alcoholic places are usually a couple of minutes walk away. People are stumbling around drunk at all hours of the day. Everyone lives so much on top of each other that I have 3 friends who are literally 1/2 a block from my apartment. We all either live on Mosque street or Mosque Junction (the street above Mosque Street). After work, I would go around visiting people's apartments in my PJ's - either drinking or just hanging out on random weekdays. It is as if we lived in dorms again. Since the bars are so close by, everyone just randomly go drinking on Monday nights, Wednesday nights, and simply stumble home. No need to plan ahead or worry about transportation. Especially since everything is so close by, it's even hard to turn down a late (after 10PM) weekday requests because it's less than a 5/10 minute walk.
People also all had the college mentality. Since everyone comes to Hong Kong knowing few or no one at all, everyone is incredibly open to meeting new friends. That was the one aspect that I missed in New York. Outside of work, I made no new friends in the city because everyone already had their set group of friends/circles. Outsides of work, people barely have enough time catching up with their old friends, let alone meet new ones. Here in Hong Kong, I have definitely made many new, meaningful friendships outside of work. That is something I have missed.
When I was working in New York, I felt I only met people in my field. My friend circle has became very homogeneous. In college, there were people with various nationality, backgrounds, interests, and majors. Here in Hong Kong, because of the diverse people you are with, everyone you meet is not a banker. Instead, they are pursuing new interests and ideas. Some have vastly different values and lifestyles than mine. It is incredibly meaningful to have that exposure again after 2 years of cookie-cutter lifestyle in New York.
All the young expats are concentrated in a close quarter called Mid-levels. Bars and alcoholic places are usually a couple of minutes walk away. People are stumbling around drunk at all hours of the day. Everyone lives so much on top of each other that I have 3 friends who are literally 1/2 a block from my apartment. We all either live on Mosque street or Mosque Junction (the street above Mosque Street). After work, I would go around visiting people's apartments in my PJ's - either drinking or just hanging out on random weekdays. It is as if we lived in dorms again. Since the bars are so close by, everyone just randomly go drinking on Monday nights, Wednesday nights, and simply stumble home. No need to plan ahead or worry about transportation. Especially since everything is so close by, it's even hard to turn down a late (after 10PM) weekday requests because it's less than a 5/10 minute walk.
People also all had the college mentality. Since everyone comes to Hong Kong knowing few or no one at all, everyone is incredibly open to meeting new friends. That was the one aspect that I missed in New York. Outside of work, I made no new friends in the city because everyone already had their set group of friends/circles. Outsides of work, people barely have enough time catching up with their old friends, let alone meet new ones. Here in Hong Kong, I have definitely made many new, meaningful friendships outside of work. That is something I have missed.
When I was working in New York, I felt I only met people in my field. My friend circle has became very homogeneous. In college, there were people with various nationality, backgrounds, interests, and majors. Here in Hong Kong, because of the diverse people you are with, everyone you meet is not a banker. Instead, they are pursuing new interests and ideas. Some have vastly different values and lifestyles than mine. It is incredibly meaningful to have that exposure again after 2 years of cookie-cutter lifestyle in New York.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Business attire
One thing has stood out to me in the office here in Hong Kong – women’s work clothing. At the investment bank I work at, business professional is the dress code. However, when people are not meeting clients, everyone tend to trend towards business casual. That makes sense to me. Ties are uncomfortable. Suit jackets can be stuffy. Happens in NY all the time. In NY, however, there was a standard for business causal. Everyone still looked professional and belonged in a corporation. Here in Hong Kong, the clothing can be much more, creative.
Today, when I was walking into the office, I saw someone wearing cotton cargo shorts and a flow-y, floral-patterned tank top. It’s the equivalent of this top with flowers instead + cargo shorts. http://www.forever21.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=FOREVER21&category%5Fname=top&product%5Fid=2072913003&Page=1&pgcount=100
Yesterday, another analyst was wearing a shiny cream top with a puffy purple skirts and bright blue snake-skin heels with a bow on top. I couldn’t help but stare. This ruffled dress is also quite popular with the women here. http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/luella-pink-ruffle-dress I saw similar versions in pink and grey this week.
In a way, I feel very old-schooled and conservative as I am writing this blog entry. I feel that I am actually quite liberal in dress back in the office in New York. I wore bright colors, I rarely wore a jacket, and I probably pushed the business professional line on quite a few occasions. Sometimes, in Hong Kong though, I feel that the attire is not even close to business casual. Some of the clothing are clothing I would wear going out on a Friday. Some of the clothing, I don’t think I would wear just lounging around my house. I don’t mind the clothing because it’s showing skin. Quite opposite, I think people here wear far more clothing than Americans, despite the hot weather. I am just confused on the combination of the clothing everyone is wearing.
Today, when I was walking into the office, I saw someone wearing cotton cargo shorts and a flow-y, floral-patterned tank top. It’s the equivalent of this top with flowers instead + cargo shorts. http://www.forever21.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=FOREVER21&category%5Fname=top&product%5Fid=2072913003&Page=1&pgcount=100
Yesterday, another analyst was wearing a shiny cream top with a puffy purple skirts and bright blue snake-skin heels with a bow on top. I couldn’t help but stare. This ruffled dress is also quite popular with the women here. http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/luella-pink-ruffle-dress I saw similar versions in pink and grey this week.
In a way, I feel very old-schooled and conservative as I am writing this blog entry. I feel that I am actually quite liberal in dress back in the office in New York. I wore bright colors, I rarely wore a jacket, and I probably pushed the business professional line on quite a few occasions. Sometimes, in Hong Kong though, I feel that the attire is not even close to business casual. Some of the clothing are clothing I would wear going out on a Friday. Some of the clothing, I don’t think I would wear just lounging around my house. I don’t mind the clothing because it’s showing skin. Quite opposite, I think people here wear far more clothing than Americans, despite the hot weather. I am just confused on the combination of the clothing everyone is wearing.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Phuket's Sat Night
Now, I know we all went to Phuket for work function. However, given Phuket's fame around the ladyboys, I had to go take a peak. On Sat night, I went out with a hostful of co-workers to the "sin city" of Phuket - Patong. The city is famous for its ladyboys, Thailand's 3rd gender.
We took a van/minibus 30 minutes to Phuket after dinner on Sat. For B2,000 (roughly B30 = $1), the van/minibus will wait all night for you to be done partying and drive you back. Roughly 12 people can fit in (usually more since everyone is drunk). We all went to a club called Seduction (think of Prive or Pink Elephant but with trashy tourists and ladyboys). The place got so intense that I had to leave because I had no idea who was a girl and who was a guy.
Next, I went to Tiger Bar, where I watched from the balcony on these pole dancers on tables below (similar to the Spanish Medallion in Myrtle Beach). I tried to convince my two co-workers to go hit on the girls dancing to figure out if they are really girls or hot ladyboys. However, since both of them were married men, they refused.
A few more drinks in and we decided to wander around. It was 5 male bankers and me. Regular day in New York City but in Phuket, all the girl/ladyboy bartenders started pulling me into their bars on the street. They actually gripped my arms and wouldn't let me go! It all got very aggressive, but entertaining. Once we crossed the agressive bar street, an MD we were with still wanted a drink. The moment he said that, two small Thai men came out with menus that said free "ping pong" show. At this point, I had no idea what it is. But I wanted to be agreeable so I suggested we drink and maybe watch. My co-workers stared at me and said "do you know what a ping-pong show entails?" After their descriptions, I would say that going to a strip club would be considered G-rated by comparison. If you need to know, just google it. I am embarrassed just thinking about it.
We took a van/minibus 30 minutes to Phuket after dinner on Sat. For B2,000 (roughly B30 = $1), the van/minibus will wait all night for you to be done partying and drive you back. Roughly 12 people can fit in (usually more since everyone is drunk). We all went to a club called Seduction (think of Prive or Pink Elephant but with trashy tourists and ladyboys). The place got so intense that I had to leave because I had no idea who was a girl and who was a guy.
Next, I went to Tiger Bar, where I watched from the balcony on these pole dancers on tables below (similar to the Spanish Medallion in Myrtle Beach). I tried to convince my two co-workers to go hit on the girls dancing to figure out if they are really girls or hot ladyboys. However, since both of them were married men, they refused.
A few more drinks in and we decided to wander around. It was 5 male bankers and me. Regular day in New York City but in Phuket, all the girl/ladyboy bartenders started pulling me into their bars on the street. They actually gripped my arms and wouldn't let me go! It all got very aggressive, but entertaining. Once we crossed the agressive bar street, an MD we were with still wanted a drink. The moment he said that, two small Thai men came out with menus that said free "ping pong" show. At this point, I had no idea what it is. But I wanted to be agreeable so I suggested we drink and maybe watch. My co-workers stared at me and said "do you know what a ping-pong show entails?" After their descriptions, I would say that going to a strip club would be considered G-rated by comparison. If you need to know, just google it. I am embarrassed just thinking about it.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Phuket Weekend Offsite - Firm Bonding Activities
One of the best perks of coming to Asia so far is the Asia-Pacific-wide offsite in Phuket, Thailand. Basically the offices of Asia span from India to Australia to Hong Kong to Japan, it’s very difficult for the members of the different office to form a bond together. Usually working through email or phone, all the bankers’ relationships are terse and superficial. Every year, the division would have a regional offsite at a location in Southeast Asia because it is the center for most of the divisions. This year, the firm picked a tropical resort on the Northern part of the island of Phuket. A few reasons why Phuket was chosen: 1) it’s more centrally located to most offices, 2) it’s incredibly cheap given it is rainy season, and 3) everyone would enjoy themselves on the beach.
Despite being rainy season, the weather last weekend was absolutely perfect. Over 300 people flew into the island on various different flights. Interesting fact, the firm couldn’t fit everyone onto the direct flights because of the special “business continuity” rules. There are a set number of bankers that can be on the plane on the same time. Just in case the plane crashes, the firm would not lose an entire office. The weekend was PACKED with activities. Friday night reception was held at the courtyard by the pool, where everyone mingled with all the different offices. Being new to the Hong Kong office, I was delighted to have been able to meet quite a few new faces in the Hong Kong offices as well as many of my counterparties in India and Australia. The Australian bankers are totally hilarious. Chill and funny, no wonder everyone wants to be at Australia. While many people decided to venture out to the streets of Patong (to be explained later), I stayed and hung out at the beach. The beach under the stars at night was one of the most gorgeous views and Phuket’s beach was no different. However, we could not go into the water because the waves were too strong. There were guards on the beach making sure no one goes in.
On Sat, everyone woke up bright and early for their morning bonding activities, where everyone had to pick an activity of their choice. While I ended up with my second-choice of go-carting, it was by far the best activity of the choices. It turns out there are heats and waves and races. Put 60 competitive male bankers in a go-cart with races involved and you’ll get the most intense go-carting experience of all times. The MDs and Directors literally ran people off the road, driving aggressively and bumping into anyone that’s in their way. One of the first-year girl’s cart almost got ran into the barrier by one of the MDs’. Everyone got so into the races and the competitive tension was super high. Definitely the most fun activities of them all. It totally went above and beyond my expectations.
Immediately after the morning activity and lunch, we gathered on the beach for “IBD Olympics”, where everyone got divided into 16 teams of 25 and battled each other in all sort of random camp bonding activities. Definitely got competitive as well, where the head of IBD Asia pulled me and another girl onto the floor trying to pull out our flags (during a flag football type of activities). At first, I thought it would be corny and annoying, but turned out everyone got super into the activities and it was a great experience. Unfortunately, our team, the Grey Goose, did not win. All good fun though. During the activities, the leader of our group, head of Corp Fin, decided that we needed to steal the flags of other teams and we stole the battle flag of Head of IBD’s group. Everyone totally had a lot of fun.
After the activities, the division went to a private island to have dinner with everyone, where entertaining skit was provided by the analysts making fun of all the senior bankers and groups around the region. The analysts really did a great job. While the food wasn’t great, the atmosphere was engaging. It was well planned in that every table of 10 had 2 reserved seats for MDs only, forcing the junior and senior bankers to mingle with each other. Costumes were also required from every group representing their groups. The FIG team won with their FIG decorated yogas. The Japan team definitely went all out as well, even performing a sumo dance on stage. For 3rd place, there was a dance off among the Australian team, the Financing Team, and the Vikings (co-heads of Corp Fin). The Vikings won with their Haka dance, imitating the New Zealand All Blacks Rugby War dance. Afterwards, everyone participated in the Thailand tradition where we put our wishes on an hot air balloon and released into the sky. Overall, the entire event was extremely well planned and definitely achieved its goals. I left Thailand with a much better sense of team spirit and feels much closer to several of the offices around the region.
Despite being rainy season, the weather last weekend was absolutely perfect. Over 300 people flew into the island on various different flights. Interesting fact, the firm couldn’t fit everyone onto the direct flights because of the special “business continuity” rules. There are a set number of bankers that can be on the plane on the same time. Just in case the plane crashes, the firm would not lose an entire office. The weekend was PACKED with activities. Friday night reception was held at the courtyard by the pool, where everyone mingled with all the different offices. Being new to the Hong Kong office, I was delighted to have been able to meet quite a few new faces in the Hong Kong offices as well as many of my counterparties in India and Australia. The Australian bankers are totally hilarious. Chill and funny, no wonder everyone wants to be at Australia. While many people decided to venture out to the streets of Patong (to be explained later), I stayed and hung out at the beach. The beach under the stars at night was one of the most gorgeous views and Phuket’s beach was no different. However, we could not go into the water because the waves were too strong. There were guards on the beach making sure no one goes in.
On Sat, everyone woke up bright and early for their morning bonding activities, where everyone had to pick an activity of their choice. While I ended up with my second-choice of go-carting, it was by far the best activity of the choices. It turns out there are heats and waves and races. Put 60 competitive male bankers in a go-cart with races involved and you’ll get the most intense go-carting experience of all times. The MDs and Directors literally ran people off the road, driving aggressively and bumping into anyone that’s in their way. One of the first-year girl’s cart almost got ran into the barrier by one of the MDs’. Everyone got so into the races and the competitive tension was super high. Definitely the most fun activities of them all. It totally went above and beyond my expectations.
Immediately after the morning activity and lunch, we gathered on the beach for “IBD Olympics”, where everyone got divided into 16 teams of 25 and battled each other in all sort of random camp bonding activities. Definitely got competitive as well, where the head of IBD Asia pulled me and another girl onto the floor trying to pull out our flags (during a flag football type of activities). At first, I thought it would be corny and annoying, but turned out everyone got super into the activities and it was a great experience. Unfortunately, our team, the Grey Goose, did not win. All good fun though. During the activities, the leader of our group, head of Corp Fin, decided that we needed to steal the flags of other teams and we stole the battle flag of Head of IBD’s group. Everyone totally had a lot of fun.
After the activities, the division went to a private island to have dinner with everyone, where entertaining skit was provided by the analysts making fun of all the senior bankers and groups around the region. The analysts really did a great job. While the food wasn’t great, the atmosphere was engaging. It was well planned in that every table of 10 had 2 reserved seats for MDs only, forcing the junior and senior bankers to mingle with each other. Costumes were also required from every group representing their groups. The FIG team won with their FIG decorated yogas. The Japan team definitely went all out as well, even performing a sumo dance on stage. For 3rd place, there was a dance off among the Australian team, the Financing Team, and the Vikings (co-heads of Corp Fin). The Vikings won with their Haka dance, imitating the New Zealand All Blacks Rugby War dance. Afterwards, everyone participated in the Thailand tradition where we put our wishes on an hot air balloon and released into the sky. Overall, the entire event was extremely well planned and definitely achieved its goals. I left Thailand with a much better sense of team spirit and feels much closer to several of the offices around the region.
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