Hong Kong...final thoughts

So I finished my internship 2 days ago. It probably deserved a blog entry but...well....I was drunk. Despite the fact I did mainly general stuff on my office that wasn't very research intensive or that I don't really want to pursue a career in high finance anymore I have to say it was good experience. I really enjoyed working with the people in my office and I got to see some cool shit through my job (i.e. Morgan Stanley board room). Most importantly, I learned what it's like to be a professional working the grind in a big city. Waking up, grabbing breakfast, jumping on the MTR and getting to work then doing it in reverse everyday is a routine I have come to enjoy. That is exactly the type of life I want after school and now look forward to it even more. If you're from ISDA and happen to be reading this I would like to thank you for an awesome summer and great internship experience.

Most notably, today is my last day in Hong Kong. I'm sitting in my room right now not wanting to pack when I really should because I don't want to come to the realization that my trip is actually over. I cannot express in words how fucking awesome of a time I've had here and I will remember this summer (the parts I DO actually remember) for the rest of my life. The people I've met here have truly changed the way I see things in life and I thank them for that. I won't go into naming specific names but fellow "dreamers" know that it was a real pleasure getting to kick it with you all for the past few weeks and I look forward to seeing you all again sometime soon.

The things I will miss (to name just the ones that come to mind)
- Getting weird in LKF, Wan Cheesy, TST, and yes... 9th floor common room
- Lunch with Chris, Jason, Andres, and Rob and Lu when they make it over
- Threading at work....shit was TOO much hahaha
- Legit Chinese food
- Wilding out to "I Gotta Feeling"...that will be the song of the summer
- Andres wilding out to house music doing that hand in the air dance move
- GL talking (Woot woot, what's really good, cuckoo)
- Walking around in Central
- Tearing up the MTR en route to work and partying
- Hanging out in my room with everyone
- Joking and fucking around in completely inappropriate ways
- Breakfast at Homie's
- The bathroom and balcony view at Azure
- Happy hour at Beirut. Kalaish and Marvin...you my boys.
- The MTR voice (Ching mut cow gun che mon, or however you spell it)
- The happy security guard
- Beer from Taste
- The view from TST pier
- Drunk cab rides home
- Getting lost in weird ass places
- Lazy Sundays waking up at 2 and going exploring

It's an odd feeling wanting to stay somewhere but wanting to leave at the same time. Rob mentioned today that he wishes we all went to the same school and I truly second that. I have had an amazing summer here and I will miss this city and everyone in it dearly. No homo, this summer was really a dream for me.

Weekend in Macau

I spent this last weekend in Macau, basically the Las Vegas of Southeast Asia. I have to say that after frequenting Vegas for most of my younger life I would say that Macau is an ok city. Not fantastic and definitely nowhere near what Vegas is, but it's alright. Drew, Brian, Rob, and I got there a day before the rest of the program and stayed at the Waldo Hotel. We reserved a themed room cause they looked sick but unfortunately the theme of ours was "comfort" so it basically looked like a regular hotel room...huge ripoff. We made our way down to the casino at the MGM and started gambling. I threw $500HK on black in roulette as my first bet and hit it. The start of a good gambling streak, or so I thought. I then proceeded to go up $700HK in blackjack before hitting a cold streak that lasted the entire weekend.

The next day I had a bungee jump scheduled but realized that morning that my debit card was frozen as an anti-fraud measure since my bank didn't know I was going to be in Macau. Needless to say the bungee jump didn't happen. I did get to hear how great of a time EVERYONE else had and what an amazing experience it was which was just as good...

Anyways, we spent the day mulling around casinos and had a pretty good dinner at this place in the MGM. My favorite part was definitely the all-you-can-eat oyster bar since I haven't had oysters in forever. I finally got my card unfrozen around 1am and then began to gamble. I was up and down at various times the whole night and mainly stayed between blackjack and roulette. After seeing some of the money my friends were making in poker though I definitely want to learn how to play it better. I have also noticed how different gambling is between Vegas and Macau. People in Macau take it so seriously and do not get really excited about a win (outside of high stakes baccarat). For example, at roulette people were taking notes on what numbers were coming out and tryign to bet accordingly. Shit like that makes for some very boring gambling, especially when you're used to the excitement and fun with gambling that people in Vegas have.

Sunday we just kind of hung out while Robert did some gambling. Seriously Rob if you're reading this....get some help. We made it back to HK via a Turbojet boat that sounds faster than it actually is. Nothing else to really note of that day.

High(and low)lights of the weekend:
Rob getting up thousands of dollars despite being blacked out at the table

Not having a cell phone. Kinda liberating but hard to manage a group of people casino hopping without one

Not bungee jumping...DAMNIT

Will writing yes for Crew in his health declaration form cause "Yo, I'm with my crew aren't I?"
The weirdest strip show I've ever been to and will probably ever go to in my life
Throwing $500HK on black and winning....then doing it again and losing twice. fml.
Aron getting fucked at the blackjack table

Ok...back to work now. 1 week left in HK, my thoughts on that are forthcoming.

Peace.