Visa approved

So my Visa application has been approved. I'm getting the label shipped to me on Tuesday. One more step completed. I'm beginning to get really nervous.

Last game

On Sunday I played my last soccer game. I imagine I'll still be around and available next week, but I'd like to heal a bit and have all of my skin when I arrive in Hong Kong, so I'm sitting out that game.

This is the team that I've played with for 6 years now, being one of the founding members of the team. I've brought in my brother and my brother-in-law to play with us, as well as some other friends who only lasted a year or two.

It was kind of fitting that the game played out how it did. For the record, it was a nil-nil draw, which is somewhat appropriate as the team always has had defence as it's strong point. We've probably had the least turnover on the back line (where I play) as it's been the same 5 guys there for probably 3 or 4 years now. I played left back, as I've done for the last 3 or so years, since we acquired some height and I didn't have to play inside back anymore. I managed to stop a couple crosses, draw a couple fouls, take two or three people down with clean slide tackles and of course, go down in a heal as I took a shot to the testicular region. Oh, and I removed a layer of skin. I also got a yellow for an extremely late tackle that was deserved.

I'm going to miss the team a lot. The team went from being doormats the first 2 years (think 11-1 losses) to being one of the upper echelon teams of the middle division, and it was sometihng that I helped build. I'm going to miss the camraderie of the guys, and I'm going to miss playing with my brother and brother-in-law. I'm not going to miss the carpetburn from dry astroturf, and I'm not going to miss the sore ankles for 2 days after games, but they were definitely worth it.

Fokkers!

Getting started

So, I promised that I'd start this and update it with my struggles with moving and adjusting to a new life, and stepping out of my old one. I imagine everyone that could possibly be looking at this is someone who knows me, so introductions probably aren't necessary, but for the sake of arguement, let's go ahead.

I'm probably known to you guys as a number of different names, but whichever one you choose to use, I'm still the same person. Addle/Pip/Phil or whatever else you may call me (which I'm almost sure I don't want to know). I've lived in Vancouver, Canada my entire life. Born and raised in Vancouver, I think of myself as Canadian first, and Chinese second. I speak one and a half languages, English.... and French; I play hockey and live and die with my Calgary Flames.

Don't get me wrong, I still consider myself Chinese, no matter what my girlfriend thinks. I believe strongly in the whole family thing, and think people putting their parents into nursing homes is disgraceful. I think family is more important than anything, and feel bad when I see so many people I know who have had divorce been such a major factor in their lives. And I am extremely happy that my brother, sister and I are close.

But, as time went on, and I realized that certain things in my life would have to change, I made the decision. It was time to move on. Move on and see more of the world, see if I could live outside of the comfy confines of Vancouver and my family. It's going to be exciting. It's going to be difficult. It's going to be a huge adjustment, and I hope that this space might help me with that. Hong Kong, here I come.