Jakarta, Dec 2022 If you asked me what’s my biggest achievement this year, the answer would be having the courage to finally leave Hong Kong. Don’t get me wrong. It’s my second home. It’s where I go through my adulting phase. I love how efficient the city is. I love the people I’ve met along the way. I love how much the city push me to break the limits every single time. I love the money I’m earning with low tax. From the outside, or at least from the social media perspective, what my life in Hong Kong is #lifegoals.

I could bore you with all the rational reasons I made to justify my decisions, but it all comes back to one —

I was overwhelmed with everything happened in my life and Hong Kong took the blame

Maybe it’s the pandemic, maybe it’s HK tough travel restrictions, maybe it’s the breakup, maybe it’s the long working hours, maybe it’s the intense pressure at work, maybe it’s my craving to explore other city to live in. I don’t know.

All I know, Hong Kong is no longer fun for me. The longer I stay, the more grudge I grow towards the city that I used to adore so much. Every little thing that went wrong, I blamed it on the fact that I was still in Hong Kong. It doesn’t make any sense, I know, but it was truly what I felt earlier this year.

Sure, the idea of leaving Hong Kong wasn’t new. It wasn’t an impulsive decision. I had been thinking about this since my second year of working but wasn’t sure what and where to head next so I stayed. I was clearly enjoying my life then. Then, the pandemic happened. It was sort of an excuse for me to delay the plan again.

So, I took this momentum to push myself doing the thing I had always wanted to do and the thing I needed to do at that time.

I decided it’s time for Hong Kong and I to take a break, giving me chance to miss Hong Kong from afar, seeing this city from a new perspective while slowing down to figure out life.

Today, 5 months later, I have no regrets. Maybe Hong Kong is one of my islands, maybe not. Till I know for sure, I’m thrilled to discover my next chapter. This year was an eventful year but I’m glad I did what scared me the most.

Missing HK from afar,

Mickey