I kind of dreaded writing this post because it would showcase just how terribly pathetic and depressing my trip to Sydney was... I truly did not leave the hotel or the conference room on any day until well after the sun had set, and I did not traverse more than four blocks in any given direction from my hotel room, the bank's conference rooms, and the local counsel's offices during any of my four working days in the city.
There was one bad stretch when I didn't leave my hotel for over 24 hours, and had ordered room service (dinner, breakfast, dinner) three times in a row, while I worked on drafts.
But the deadline was met (funny how that happens) and drafts were turned and calls after calls were made and joined and finished... just in time for me to get back on a plane on Saturday afternoon. I never made it to any of the famous sights and sounds of Sydney - the beautiful Botanic Gardens, the Opera House (in the daylight), the museum... or just even a good ole' ubiquitous coffee shop!
My parents wanted to know why I didn't just stay the weekend - and it was hard to explain, but without Michael, and having worked flat out for five days straight, and knowing that another typhoon was blowing through Hong Kong and picturing the hours of delays that that would cause to my homeward journey...I just didn't really feel up to it. If I weren't pregnant, if sleeping on red-eye flights weren't so painful, and if I weren't *so* sick of my hotel room, then the ordinary me would absolutely have jumped at the chance to stroll Sydney's shops, have a cuppa (or three) and do all kinds of beautiful strolls and hikes. Instead, I jumped in a car, left all that sunshine and beauty behind, and raced to the airport to take a 9.5 hour flight that had me landing at Hong Kong at nearly 10 pm at night. I landed to gusting winds and rain as the T3 (typhoon signal 3) had just been hoisted. Hong Kong has been wet and gray ever since.
I kid you not, these are the only things that I saw on my trip:
In the thirty minutes of "free time" that I had between submitting our final documents and the airport car pickup, I went to David Jones and purchased a few baby wondersuits from the famous Australian brand Bond's. I couldn't stop marveling at how cute and tiny everything newborn is!
To showcase how exciting my life is at the moment... I got a stand up workstation at work! It's fitted for my (rather massive 32") computer screen and keyboard, and I like that it forces me to stand a little bit. I'm at my desk so much that sitting for 10-12 hours at a time has to be a health hazard.
I've also gotten a new bookshelf to help me manage my slippery stacks/piles of paper everywhere. (At some point I should really get around to filing some stuff.) I've managed through woefully negligent care to keep my orchid plants alive, but they do not seem to ever want to flower ever again.
Inspired by this refresh of my office, I am thinking about bringing in some picture frames and maybe a few new prints or paintings, to warm up the space. I've also been thinking about some more green plants, maybe a bowl of succulents, or else a spider plant or a snake plant?
There was one bad stretch when I didn't leave my hotel for over 24 hours, and had ordered room service (dinner, breakfast, dinner) three times in a row, while I worked on drafts.
But the deadline was met (funny how that happens) and drafts were turned and calls after calls were made and joined and finished... just in time for me to get back on a plane on Saturday afternoon. I never made it to any of the famous sights and sounds of Sydney - the beautiful Botanic Gardens, the Opera House (in the daylight), the museum... or just even a good ole' ubiquitous coffee shop!
My parents wanted to know why I didn't just stay the weekend - and it was hard to explain, but without Michael, and having worked flat out for five days straight, and knowing that another typhoon was blowing through Hong Kong and picturing the hours of delays that that would cause to my homeward journey...I just didn't really feel up to it. If I weren't pregnant, if sleeping on red-eye flights weren't so painful, and if I weren't *so* sick of my hotel room, then the ordinary me would absolutely have jumped at the chance to stroll Sydney's shops, have a cuppa (or three) and do all kinds of beautiful strolls and hikes. Instead, I jumped in a car, left all that sunshine and beauty behind, and raced to the airport to take a 9.5 hour flight that had me landing at Hong Kong at nearly 10 pm at night. I landed to gusting winds and rain as the T3 (typhoon signal 3) had just been hoisted. Hong Kong has been wet and gray ever since.
I kid you not, these are the only things that I saw on my trip:
Then, I enjoyed this view from the Sydney airport lounge. Sigh. Work trips suck.
To showcase how exciting my life is at the moment... I got a stand up workstation at work! It's fitted for my (rather massive 32") computer screen and keyboard, and I like that it forces me to stand a little bit. I'm at my desk so much that sitting for 10-12 hours at a time has to be a health hazard.
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