19 February 2018

3 comedy + 2 improv shows...Kung Hei Fat Choi?!

Well first of all, it's Chinese New Year weekend! The one time Hong Kong totally slows down and people are in happy spirits to give away money!
Each year we try to do a special Cantonese comedy show around this time, last year it was the last day of the new year and we got a full house, this year it was the 3rd day of the New Year (the day where arguments are supposed to happen) and we managed to put together a string of 5 shows back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back! The longest Cantonese-only comedy show streak we've done ever! Not to mention, 2 of those shows were 1 hour full improv comedy shows, a milestone we've worked really hard at trying to make possible.

The cool thing is, each show bring a different vibe of an audience. You've got the family-oriented audience that already comes in with a smile. You've got the rebels who come in leaning back against the chair looking around thinking "hmm...what should I expect?" and you've got our favourite, the audience who's been here, enjoyed themselves so much, they brought a friend to come enjoy it again with them. Sometimes that makes us feel the best, that someone felt our shows were good enough to act as a volunteer salesperson and sell it to their friends. Word of mouth is powerful.

Well it's CNY and down to the 4th day now, it's the last day of a string of public holidays. It's been a good few days, as usual, time always zooms by way too fast, but I've caught up a lot on my work. I head out to India in a few days for a string of shows there but otherwise, February is pretty much "over" for me. I'll be in India for the rest of that, before returning to HK and boarding on a cruise ship for a week, come back and head over to Melbourne for the comedy festival.

Poof! Time is totally going to ZOOM by for the first half of this year!! WOAH!

The cool thing is, comedy is picking up which is great, the bad thing is so is my appetite for junk..oh man, the shirts are getting tighter, the food portions are getting bigger lol.

Well I guess in Asian culture it's good to be a little chubby, showing you have wealth to eat...so here's wishing everyone a fantastic year of the dog! Woot woot,....er... I mean woof woof! My year! Have a great 10 days and I'll speak to you when I'm in India!

07 February 2018

Well 2018, you're here already?!

So it's February of 2018 and I have to admit, this year has been zooming by so fast I can't believe we're 1 month into the new year...so much has happened in just the last month, my life has gone upside down, back to normal, spinning etc... I hope it's been kinder to you.

Well I've kind of settled that this is the year I close up my web business and dedicate the rest of my time (which was around 10% left in my web stuff) to comedy and developing both my career and the comedy scene in Hong Kong. The whole of Asia is exploding and I'd hate to see Hong Kong get left behind.

But other than that, it's been the same ol' madness as usual. Just that everything for some reason became super urgent at all times. If you know this chart:

you'll know that the worst thing to happen is to have things that are urgent and important at the same time.. that pretty much summarized most of my January. I've been trying to force myself to just go away from my work by gaming since I knew once I get the ball rolling I'd let my brain get engrossed in the game for a whole hour...but man this is crazy that I have to force myself to game.

But the good news is, we're in the final throws of all the madness, but the bad news is I'm going to be traveling quite a lot starting the end of February...got a tour of shows in India, then a cruise ship week, then a whole month in Melbourne for their comedy festival. So the next time I get to sit at home and go "no plans on leaving here" is literally May. We're just starting Feb!

Oh don't get me wrong, this isn't me complaining, I wouldn't have it any other way, it's more like me taking a step back and going woah..this...is...quite a ride.

So how is your ride so far for 2018? I hope those resolutions, if not all, at least haven't completely faded out. I'm getting back on track with things and I'm trying to work out my diet so I don't end up fueling myself badly and affecting everything down the line. When I'm stressed, I forget how much food can influence my day, energy and mood and it kind of hurts me back when I end up being tired and grumpy because I didn't have enough energy and motivation to do what I needed to do.
The vicious cycle.

I guess it's quite interesting because the more I do my thing and the more I get challenged to maintain this optimum condition, the more I realize how I'm where I am because of years of training and discipline, not just a matter of "I work hard". It's one thing having that mindset, but it's a whole different thing implementing that mindset in the real world, especially when you work for yourself, the sky's the limit and you have to realize that you ain't never going to reach the sky, but the point is to have it as your goal.

Well here's to everyone going towards their goals even if they don't reach it...anytime soon. I got a lot of great things in store for this year and I just need to make sure I don't let the tarpit that is reality pull me down and slow me into a ditch. Well, let's see, maybe by the time May comes by, I'll miss my time on a plane and out of Hong Kong?