My deal signed! I am alive and back in Hong Kong! I am still reeling from that experience and my body is definitely still in recovery, but it's brilliant and wonderful. The sun is out and shining and there is a nice breeze blowing through my living room.
I had no time to see much of Sydney, but over the weekend we did go to the Park Hyatt by the water for a nice brunch and some views. I caught a glimpse of the underside of the bridge, the cruise ship in the harbor, and the opera house in the distance.
In the last days before signing, I essentially pulled two all-nighters back to back, working 20 hours each day at least. After the deal signed and was announced, the team went out for breakfast (at which point I was so tired I barely had an appetite) and then, after everyone had a quick nap, a long, long lunch. It was a great team that I had the privilege and pleasure to work with on this deal, and it made so much of it so much more bearable.
This was our view from the Cafe Sydney during lunch:
We went out for a celebratory drink after that, at the Opera Bar, which is right at the foot of the Opera house:
To say we were delirious by the time signing rolled around would be an understatement. The funny thing about doing this is that at the time, while I was running on fumes, I managed to make it through on pure adrenaline. It's after the deal is done that the trouble starts popping up. On the flight home, my head hurt so much, likely from a combination of residual tension and caffeine deprivation, that I thought it was going to split. On the car ride home, I was shaking and feeling so sick that I was worried I would hurl all over the backseat. I had a very tearful reunion with Lola just as she got home from playgroup. It felt so nice to hold her little body in my arms again, and give her smooth cheeks big juicy kisses.
These are pictures that my mom and dad captured when I was away from Lola. She kept touching my face on the screen. The picture of her leaning forward to stare at my face on the screen breaks my heart. Michael showed me a video of Lola pointing to my picture on the bookshelf whenever he asked her, "where's Mama?" Heartbreaking.
Now that I've returned, all I want to do is hang out with my parents before they leave (in a rather ironic twist) for their cruise in Australia and New Zealand, and with my dear, darling Lola.
We celebrated my return (second lease on life, baby) by going to the dim sum buffet at China Club, and then going to a little Halloween party in our building. It was a pretty action packed day, to be honest.
They had a nice spread, with a ton of dishes, as well as a Peking duck station, a noodle station, a congee station...
Lola had a blast, eating a ton of food - her noodles and beans, plus steamed fish, plus fruit (mango, watermelon, grapes). She ate so much that I was worried her little belly would explode. She also liked the fresh flowers on the table, and kept fingering the gerber daisies and pink roses. She loves flowers. After our meal, we took a tour of China Club.
I had no time to see much of Sydney, but over the weekend we did go to the Park Hyatt by the water for a nice brunch and some views. I caught a glimpse of the underside of the bridge, the cruise ship in the harbor, and the opera house in the distance.
In the last days before signing, I essentially pulled two all-nighters back to back, working 20 hours each day at least. After the deal signed and was announced, the team went out for breakfast (at which point I was so tired I barely had an appetite) and then, after everyone had a quick nap, a long, long lunch. It was a great team that I had the privilege and pleasure to work with on this deal, and it made so much of it so much more bearable.
This was our view from the Cafe Sydney during lunch:
We went out for a celebratory drink after that, at the Opera Bar, which is right at the foot of the Opera house:
To say we were delirious by the time signing rolled around would be an understatement. The funny thing about doing this is that at the time, while I was running on fumes, I managed to make it through on pure adrenaline. It's after the deal is done that the trouble starts popping up. On the flight home, my head hurt so much, likely from a combination of residual tension and caffeine deprivation, that I thought it was going to split. On the car ride home, I was shaking and feeling so sick that I was worried I would hurl all over the backseat. I had a very tearful reunion with Lola just as she got home from playgroup. It felt so nice to hold her little body in my arms again, and give her smooth cheeks big juicy kisses.
These are pictures that my mom and dad captured when I was away from Lola. She kept touching my face on the screen. The picture of her leaning forward to stare at my face on the screen breaks my heart. Michael showed me a video of Lola pointing to my picture on the bookshelf whenever he asked her, "where's Mama?" Heartbreaking.
Now that I've returned, all I want to do is hang out with my parents before they leave (in a rather ironic twist) for their cruise in Australia and New Zealand, and with my dear, darling Lola.
We celebrated my return (second lease on life, baby) by going to the dim sum buffet at China Club, and then going to a little Halloween party in our building. It was a pretty action packed day, to be honest.
Nice views over Central |
They had a nice spread, with a ton of dishes, as well as a Peking duck station, a noodle station, a congee station...
In other fun news, we had to take Lola to the doctor to give her the second booster to her flu shot. Poor thing, she didn't know yet what was coming. She was having a great time playing on the way to the doctor, and also giggling like crazy in the doctor's waiting room. She was decidedly less happy after enduring a shot in her leg!
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