What did 2013 look like? An extension of 2012 this was a year mostly surrounding my academic life, with most of my travels associated with with academic adventures around the world.
Since I’m always behind on my blogging, and the previous summary of 2012 still had a lot coming I’ll start off from a the summaries of the 2012 adventures:
- Puerto Rico Trip Summary and Suggested 6D5N Travel Itinerary
- Boston Trip Summary & Itinerary : Massachusetts
January 2013
The year started with my family in New York City and the morning after we took a flight down to Florida and did over a week venturing across the beautiful sunshine state.
New York City
- Visions of New York City : Trip Preview
- Central Park : New York City
- Leonard Cohen Live Performance : Brooklyn
- Brooklyn Art Museum : New York City
- China Town : New York City
- The Jewish Museum : New York City
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art : New York City
- Columbia University Campus : New York City
- The High Line : New York City
- Brooklyn Botanical Gardens : New York City
- Eldrige Street Synagogue Museum : China Town – New York City
Florida family trip
- Epcot Center : Walt Disney World – Orlando
- Visions of Saint Petersburg, Sarasota & Tampa Bay : Trip Preview
- Saint Petersburg Pier : Florida
- Treasure Island Beach : Saint Petersburg – Florida
- Ringling Museum of Art : Sarasota
- Ringling Estate, Grounds and Mansion : Sarasota
- Ringling Circus Museum : Sarasota
- Sunken Gardens : Saint Petersburg – Florida
- Palm Beach : Florida
- The Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens : Palm Beach
Saint Augustine (combined with previous visit in 2012)
- Dow Museum of Historical Houses : Saint Augustine
- The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Augustine
- Oldest European House in America : Saint Augustine – Florida
- Castillo de San Marcos – Oldest Fort in the US : Saint Augustine
- Walking Tour Around Saint Augustine : Florida
- Old Music Boxes Collection : Lightner Museum – Saint Augustine
- Saint Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum : Florida
For the SPSP conference in New Orleans I did a road-trip from Tallahassee stopping in Alabama and Pensacola along the way…
- Pensacola Beach – IHMC visit : Florida
- National Naval Aviation Museum : Pensacola
- Pensacola Lighthouse and Museum
- Museum of Mobile : Alabama
- Mardi Gras : New Orleans
- Longue Vue House & Gardens : New Orleans
- Destrehan Plantation : New Orleans
February 2013
During this month I was mainly wrapping up things in Tallahassee and getting ready to head back. As a summary of my wonderful time in Florida I spent a few days in gorgeous Miami and visiting the Everglades :
- Miami Trip Summary & 3D2N Suggested Itinerary : Florida
- Summary of Tallahassee : Things To Do & Attractions
March 2013
In March I had the opportunity to do a quick visit to Israel and spend some time with my family and my sister’s new born.
- Visions of Jerusalem : Israel
- Ramon Crater Observatory : Israeli Negev
- Machane Yehuda Market Festival – Baal Basta : Jerusalem
- Knesset – the Israeli Legislator : Jerusalem
- King Herod the Great Exhibition : Israel Museum – Jerusalem
- Monastery of the Cross – Emek HaMatzlevah : Jerusalem
- Beit Guvrin National Park : Ancient Caves in Israel
Right after Passover night I returned to Hong Kong and experienced a real reverse culture shock.
April 2013
The professor who hosted me in Florida came to visit Hong Kong and we toured around a bit. This was mostly a month of readjusting back to Hong Kong reality.
May 2013
After harsh April, I needed a getaway and May offered a nice surprise, with Xiamen as a gate to the wonderful Taiwanese Kinmen Island where I celebrated the City God birthday festival, and made my way back through Shanghai with some of the local campuses :
- Kinmen Island Visit Summary & Suggested 4D3N Itinerary
- Revisiting the charming Gulang Island : Xiamen
Shanghai stopover:
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University campus visit
- ZhouZhuang Watertown : Shanghai
- People of ZhouZhuang Watertown : Shanghai
- Quanfu Temple – ZhouZhuang Watertown : Shanghai
And, also got to do a few things in Hong Kong:
- Eating at a Dai Pai Dong : Hong Kong
- Mobile M+ Inflation : HK’s West Kowloon Cultural District
- Rubber Duck visits Victoria Harbor : Hong Kong
- Victoria Harbour from above : The Excelsior – Causeway Bay – Hong Kong
June 2013
Spent most of the month teaching a summer course for the second year. Was an intense month with very high pressure.
Still, got to do a few things around Hong Kong :
- Ohel Leah Synagogue : Mid-levels – Hong Kong
- St. Stephen’s Beach & Military Cemetery : Stanley Hong Kong
- Hong Kong From Above : Wan Chai – JResidence
And visit the nearby Shenzhen and Guangzhou on weekend daytrips :
- Shenzhen University Games 2011 Stadiums : Day & Night
- The Zhujiang New Town Skyscrapers : Guangzhou
- Guangdong Museum : Guangzhou
July 2013
After the long teaching month was able to get away for a bit longer to a weekend+ getaway to the charming Diaolou village in the nearby Guangdong province:
Meanwhile, in Hong Kong :
- Eddie Lau Fashion Exhibition : Heritage Museum – Hong Kong
- From Wan Chai to TST : Victoria Harbor – Hong Kong
August 2013
University decided that I need to move out of the university apartments and most of July was spent looking for an affordable contract free place in Hong Kong. Luck brought me to a wonderful apartment in Tiu Keng Leng with a great flatmate:
Was able to do a weekend getaway to the nearby Shenzhen and explore the eastern lesser-known parts:
- Minsk World Military Park : Shenzhen
- Da Mei Sha Seaside Park : Shenzhen
- Dapeng Fortress Ancient Village : Shenzhen
Towards the end of the month was able to do a longer getaway and revisit Beijing :
- Yuan Ming Yuan – Ruins of the Old Summer Palace : Imperial Gardens – Beijing
- Confucius Temple and the Imperial College : Beijing
- Revisiting Beijing’s 798 Art District
Still more to come from that Beijing visit.
September 2013
Had the most amazing vacation in the area of Tokyo Japan.
- Owakudani Hell Valley : Hakone
- Lake Ashinoko: Hakone – Japan
- Hakone Open-Air Museum : Japan
- Golden Gai Tiny Bars Area : Shinjuku – Tokyo
- Ueno Park and Yanaka Cemetery : Tokyo
- Museum of Yebisu Beer : Ebisu – Tokyo
- Yuigahama Beach near Hase : Kamakura – Japan
- Hakone mountain train and cable car : Japan
- Tokyo love motels
Still have lots more from that visit.
Also got to revisit Macau :
And do a few more things around Hong Kong…
- Back on the Dragon’s Back : Hong Kong Island hike
- Cheung Chau’s local life : Hong Kong’s Outlying Islands
October 2013
Didn’t get a chance to do much away from Hong Kong, but still, was able to explore Hong Kong a bit :
- Kun Ting Study Hall – Ping Shan Heritage Trail : Hong Kong
- Sheung Cheung Wai – Old Walled Villages : Hong Kong
- Tang & Yu Kiu Ancestral Halls – Ping Shan – Yuen Long : Hong Kong
- Tsui Sing Lau Pagoda – Ping Shan Heritage Trail : Hong Kong
More to come later.
November 2013
This month was an intense data collection month, and the month I defended my thesis proposal. Not to mention that I decided to try my luck with the job market. One of the most intense months of my academic life.
(had a trip to Peng Chau, more on that to come later)
December 2013
Intense academic life continues, pressure rises and so does the uncertainty. Had a few visitors to Hong Kong, and revisit Beijing to see Beijing University. More on that to hopefully come later.
Overall 2013
Overall, this year I’ve been to the Unites States (New York, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana), Israel, Taiwan (Kinmen Island), China (Beijing, Xiamen, Shanghai, various places in Guangdong province), Macau and Japan, with lots of explorations of Hong Kong. A much slower year than 2012, 2011, 2010 and 2009, so I hope 2014 will bring lots of new adventures and interesting places.
What else in 2013?
- Got a relatively active Instagram account. I think I’m really getting good at this stuff. 514 photos, 167 followers.
- Kept going with the Management and Social Psychology blog (Twitter account here, ~276 followers).
- Kept going with Acadecomic (207 Tumblr followers)
- Fili’s World has ~1197 followers on Twitter and ~275 followers on Facebook. No growth, but that’s expected as the travel blog takes a Google rankings dive.
What to expect in 2014?
This will hopefully be the last year of my PhD. I aim to find an academic job as a next step and that may take me anywhere in the world. After almost 5 years in Hong Kong, it might be time for a change. There’s no doubt that I’m somewhat tired of student life and definitely ready to upgrade my life to something a bit more stable. But, we’ll see how things work out. You can never know…