Saturday afternoon.
Good News: Finally got my housing situation sorted out. I don’t have to move until my visa expires in June AND I’m getting a rental discount. Hurrah! This also comes with the very nice bonus of more rooftop chats with my hot neighbor. Now I just have to clean and get everything organized so I don’t have to worry about anything for the next 2-3 months, at least.
Bad News: The baristas at my coffee shop say the Aussie Guy is creeping around the coffee shop looking for me. They also say he’s been harassing one of the girls working there as well. I asked them if he was still wearing the same outfit. They were like, “Yeah! Do you think he’s homeless?”
They say they want to get him banned for harassing both the staff and the customers. They actually take that kind of thing seriously out here. It’s refreshing to see.
In the meantime, I am taking care of lots of very boring things. Specifically, my financial situation. I definitely feel like I’m drowning, but I’m trying to be optimistic over here.
For example, I sat down and calculated my average monthly cost of rent over my year abroad and was pleasantly surprised to see it came to about $1500 USD/month. That is the average, so all of it added together and divided by 11. That was about what I expected/budgeted for. I’ve just been sloppy in keeping my accounts.
The 12th month on my financial calendar accounts for random short-term travel and stupid mistakes that have cost me unexpected amounts of money. I call “the learning difficult life lessons the hard way tax.” Make sure you have the ability to absorb any potential financial damage of this nature before planning to live/travel abroad long-term.
I am actually spending less now on rent in Hong Kong than I am in Bangkok, but my apartment is a tiny shoebox with a shower over the toilet and no fancy amenities. The cost of this apartment is actually decreasing over time because the landlords prefer long-term stays and incentivize accordingly.
In Bangkok I was living in a loft in a luxury high-rise building with all the extras. I noticed the cost of that place actually increased over time. By the time I left, it appeared they were transitioning from hotel to co-op and leasing/selling apartments for the longer term. Should I ever return to Bangkok, I will not be staying there again. I can get a better deal elsewhere.
Somehow I’m exactly where I thought I’d be, even though I wasn’t planning for it. Still need to get it all together. I’m giving myself grace for the learning process here.
So here I am, trying to be a responsible account and keep my financial accounts, and here comes Mr. Aussie FinLaw Bro, ready to fuck up my day.
OMG
This entire coffee shop situation is unraveling fast. First the Aussie showed up drunk as a skunk. He is SLOPPY AF! It’s 2:30pm in the afternoon! He literally walked up to my table and slammed a tall boy from 7/11 down in front of me. He is clearly, visibly drunk. Like definitely “On A Bender” drunk. Now he is just standing/sitting/loitering here in front of my table at the cafe.
Maybe he is actually homeless. He’s definitely giving homeless vibes. Perhaps he is in the middle of a nervous breakdown brought on by too much ketamine and cocaine. I feel like there is a name for that here. I have to look it up though. I guess it’s called a Calvin Klein. Hmm. I heard it’s a very common cocktail choice for the businessmen here.
The baristas’ solution was to send a regular customer out to sit with me. Now I am trapped inside this tiny little alcove being guarded by two different men, neither of whom I want in my space right now.
I am desperately trying to keep a straight face right now, but it is not working. I’m just trying to pretend everything is totally normal and drink my coffee fast. This is too much for me right now!
Okay, time to go back home and clean up my apartment. Motivation found!