Friday Goodbyes

When I first moved to HK in 1996, I used to find it a little bit unsettling that there seemed to be farewell drinks every Friday for staff who were either moving to greener pastures or just generally moving out of HK.

It was the year before Hong Kong was to be handed back to China, and there were a lot of uncertainties about what the territory was gonna be like post-handover. 1996 saw a lot of movement of staff at work and in Hong Kong in general.

For someone who had joined the company at such a volatile time, it was rather unnerving. But I soon got used to it, plus given that I worked for a big media company, staff turnover was a given, even without the handover factor.

I got so used to saying goodbye that it almost became routine. Perhaps this is where I began to learn to let go, to get a bit cold and move on, but at the same time treasure the connections that can happen in any given situation.

So it's Friday in Hong Kong and I'm about to attend another farewell drinks for a good friend at work who's moving to Singapore to take on a majorly huge new assignment. I'm very happy for her and at the same time, this place will not be the same without her.

On a personal note, she's taught me a lot about certain aspects of what I do for work, and for that, I will always be grateful. See you in Singapore, Karen.

Funny how some things never change.