Staying put, part IV

1) I'm starting a new series, first photo to come in a day or two, of the construction that will probably make my life not quite so fun over the next year. The entire block of buildings behind me was torn down, and it was an empty lot for a few months. Not anymore; the heavy machines are starting to move in, heralding 17 months of construction, a site manager said, and 6 months of pile-driving. Yaaaay!

2) Despite that, I re-upped my lease for one year. Every other time, I have re-upped it for two years, but this a) let me keep my rent the same and b) gives me the option to leave if it is really bad at the end of the year.

Real estate is cooling off a little bit, but I still would have taken a hit by moving right now (here, you pay a half-month's finders fee as a renter if you use an agent, which most everyone does; plus all the costs of paying movers), so I still have a deal, I think staying here. And with the beer venture entering phase 2, I do not have the time to move.

3) Speaking of, there is some pride to be sitting in your favorite watering hole. When someone random orders a beer you import and talks about how they love it, it does make you feel happy, especially considering all the effort that goes into getting a shipment over. I always wonder (and kvetch, naturally) about how expensive some stuff is over here compared to back in the U.S. But after going through the import game, the bigger question for me sometimes is why a lot of stuff is not more expensive. I know we have no economies of scale, but it still boggles the mind sometimes when something here only costs 25% more than in the US, considering all the logistics it takes to get something from there to over here.

4) That said, you'd be amazed at how many US brands are made over here. Doritos are ubiquitous; Skittles are everywhere (though they are made in Malaysia, and swap out lime for green apple, so they just taste .... off); so are Johnsonville sausage products and Ben and Jerry's ice cream (Though it's hard to find Cherry Garcia in most outlets.)

5) The raging has gone down over the years, possibly because a) I've gotten older and b) more likely to stay home on weekends. But when I meet friends older than me who still rage at how congested Hong Kong is, my first thought is, "Why do you live in one of the most congested neighborhoods in the city then?" If you want fewer people (but still more than any American city per sidewalk square foot), live in my neighborhood or somewhere more remote. Honestly, if you are here five years and still rage daily about the people, something has to change.

6) I have now lived in my apartment longer than I have anywhere else since I left for college. Weird. Would not have seen that coming in 2005.