Still not in Changi Airport ...but soon!

Hello! Seems like my visa is taking a while to be approved, so the move-over date has been now rescheduled to the start of August.While I was a little disappointed by the delay, I guess it now gives me more time to settle loose ends of matters here and do more research for HK (including the possibility of enrolling into an educational institution to help in my final year of law studies).

Anyhows, something exciting for this post...my relocation agent has informed me that I'll be staying at...

Simmons mattress oh yeah

Twenty One Whitfield!

Quite swanky a place don't you think? Although it's no Pan Pacific like my Legal colleague predicted, but I think it suits my needs. Ok, I have to confess, I probably won't have a view like this since they're giving me a low floor, but I figured out it's no biggie since I have a morbid phobia of heights. And I don't think it's a good feeling to wake up right at the edge of floor-to-ceiling glass windows....

Weekends...whoosh! Where did they go to?

It's almost the end of the weekends! I started the weekend with a Midsummer buffet at IKEA (and $5 vodka snaps), and ended it with a Korean BBQ buffet. Time to go back to my normal eating habits tomorrow :D
I know I shouldn't be complaining, but all the lunch time farewell treats are starting to show on my arms...Oh well, at least like Ms. T from Sydney points out, I'm popular! Haaa

Anyways, there hasn't been much progress in packing the luggage since last week. But there's some progress in getting my new room to a livable state! I've just placed the order for the mattress today so yes, I'll soon be able to go to work for the remaining few weeks from the new place. Alright, enough of talking and I'll let the pictures do the work...

OK wait. I still haven't figured how to get the photos from my phone right into Blogger, even though I already have Google+ installed on my phone. Oh well, no photos for today I guess.

Anyhows, inspired from the repetitive questions that I keep getting and having to answer regarding my move (I swear I have answered most over 50 times by now), I thought I'll do an FAQ on this site:

Q: When are you moving to HK?
A: See, I wish I had a straightforward answer for you. But I don't, honestly. The process entails me getting a working visa which takes 4 weeks to be processed by the HK immigration guys, before I can produce that to my immigration agent/travel agent to book an air ticket. And thereafter, the agents will be able to help secure my first-month serviced apartment.

Q: But you are a Singaporean citizen, aren't you? Why does the visa take that long to be processed?
A: I don't exactly know either but my general knowledge tells me that a working visa is not like a travel visa (which Singaporeans do not require for travel into HK, by the way). So it doesn't matter which country, race, creed one is from - you just gotta wait.

Q: Where will you be staying at?
A: See answer to 1st question.

Q: Why HK?
A: Why not?

Q: What are you gonna be doing there? Isn't it / is it the same as what you are doing in SG?
A: I've gonna be hanging out at the pubs or golf areas trying to meet my future-husband. Haaaa
Ok, back to serious business. I am still gonna be working in Compliance in a consumer context, perhaps less of the offshore bit but I'll have to defer to my future boss on that one. As of now, my portfolio hasn't been confirmed.
Since the role still revolves round the consumer space, it won't be entirely different, though granted, the product suite could differ. The laws and regulations are obviously something I have to pick up, though a cursory glance of the materials show that the 2 regulators are pretty much similar. The noticeable difference is that SG is more principles-based while HK works on a more prescriptive manner.

Did I manage to bore you already? :P

Q: How are your parents taking it?
OK, I have to say this is seriously one question I don't understand at all. What sort of reaction are my parents supposed to have? I guess perhaps they have no insight as to the dynamics within my family...but the answer is
A: Very well! They can't wait for me to be over so they have an excuse to then visit!

Hopefully, my next post would be typed from my favourite place in SG - Changi Airport! Hohoho

Packing starts!

And I finally had the urge to start packing for HK today (ironically, after a tiring day of building my loft bed for 3 hours straight, but more of that in another post...if I ever get round to it lol).

Mum had bust out the suitcase of crazy dinosaur-us proportions which my brother lugged to Germany for his internship 7 years ago, a couple days ago. Since I foresee that my next couple of weekends will be busy while I try to put in my bit of work for the new apartment, I thought I had better start somehow this weekend!

It started with the shoes (all new) !

After 1.5 hours...it morphed to this. Not too shabby I think?

Please excuse the woolly sockies thrown in (literally) at the side. I think this is almost half of what I'm bringing over. Just a couple more work ensembles, some fall-winter coats, cosmetics + toiletries, and I'm good to go! Weee~~~Oh yea wait, I think I forgot the undergarments...

With this move, I had to also get a laptop. I've always worked on desktops most of my life, aside from the laptop for work and the ASUS mini notebook - which by the way, I was the first ten peeps in SG to lay my hands on it. 

Image taken from GoodGearGuide. Unfortunately, my purchase didn't come with a a view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Anyhows, I got myself this a couple of weeks back. Think it's actually pretty good for value, considering it actually is touchscreen and goes below a thousand dollars. Hurray for milking the best of my moolah!

Ok, gotta go catch some sleep...cos Universal Studios here I come! 

Handing over and gearing up for HK

Since there isn't much (progress I mean) on the packing of luggage, I thought perhaps I should blog a little on the work front.

1. Handovers
With about a month before my departure, I would have thought most most colleagues would be anxious about the handover. Well, apparently not.  Coworker X decided to skip a meeting with the business and I ended up fronting it for the department. He better pray that odds are with hin when it falls into his lap when I leave.

2. Gearing Up
Future boss and colleague sent me a couple of relevant documents as promised last week. Can't wait to start delving into them...I'm serious!

I'm already craving for some awesome dim sum. Get me over quickly HK immigration! :D

A step closer to 許留山 (and I don't mean the outlet in JB)

After a bad spate of events yesterday, things finally got much better today - Yippee!

The visa application form is finally ready! Just gotta paste on my no-nonsense professional mugshot and a couple of docs, and it's good to go!

Never realised how regal-looking my passport actually is!

Anyhows, I'm still nursing the remnants of the sticky cold which has taken an apparent liking to my body and refuses to budge! Been coughing so much that my mum had me take some bird's nest (I think she may be secretly trying to impart me ways of being a tai-tai.. LOL)

Oh no, the news flash just reported that a part of the population's Singpass has been compromised (cue McD's curry sauce joke, K&K haaaa)...Gotta check out what that is all about in the news later hmm

Testing Yat, Yee, Sum

Inspired by my awesome friends' blog over at Toes in the Sand, I've decided to resurrect my blogging habit!

Xanga still isn't up unfortunately so there you go Blogger, you've got yourself some business from yours truly. In any case, I wasn't too keen on digging out all those years of archived entries, and the purpose of this is to share my new and soon-to-come experience with the circle of "乖乖吃lontong" (and to provide intelligence to any spies who may be sent my way to be my boyfriend). Anyways, I digress.

Since I'm not actually in Hong Kong yet, I have zilch pictures of mine to show..but fear not! I'll let you guys salivate over a picture of some gorgeous dollops of 烧卖 grabbed from Thirsty for Tea.

Looks healthy doesn't it?

Oh yea, credits are important. Don't want no people feeling unappreciated, do we?