Non-stop Nights Out.

22.10.2021 - 26.11.2021

When I was working, I was permanently tired. We usually only managed to eat out with a friend every Wednesday and generally ate out after swimming on Sundays. Since I resigned, people keep organising farewell events. Maybe they just want to make sure I go!!! There were two within school time, which I already wrote about, and several in the evenings. I will combine them into one blog.

The first event was to celebrate me finally making the decision to resign after saying I was going to do it for around a year and a half. I'm not the most decisive person you could meet!!! To celebrate we went to the Hong Kong Football Club in Happy Valley after school one Friday evening. It was mainly a year group event with my two year three teaching colleagues and two primary three teaching assistants. One of the teaching assistants is currently on maternity leave and brought her husband and tiny newborn baby. One of the primary three teachers brought his daughter who also attends my ex-school. In fact, last year I was her teacher.

It's only possible to go to the football club if you are a member or if you know a member. I've known two members in my time so have been here a few times. The food is generally very good and the prices are reasonable. There's a wide choice of alcoholic drinks. This time we sat inside the bar. Usually we sit outdoors overlooking the football fields, because our other friend who is a member smokes. We ordered mainly snack food: nachos, dumplings, pizza. When we were leaving we visited the football club shop. I bought some halloumi and my friend bought some steak. Both were excellent quality indeed.

The Group.

Mother and baby, Karise.

Taking turns to hold the baby.

Inside the bar.

A View Across the Stadium.

The next event was my farewell dinner, but I asked for it to be after I had left as I was exhausted and I could bring Peter if it was after I left since I'd go to it from home rather than from school. His eyesight is too bad for him to get there by himself.

This event was in the Aberdeen Boat Club. Again this is members only. One of my fellow primary three teachers is a member. It was my first time at this club. We went to the Waglan Bar and Deck. We sat outside on a terrace overlooking Aberdeen Harbour and the Jumbo Floating Restaurant which is apparently currently closed down. It was a truly beautiful setting and so relaxing and peaceful. I felt much better than at the first event, because the trauma of leaving was finally over.

Peter had a toasted cheese sandwich, but the rest of us shared some curries. One was chicken Punjabi masala, one was spinach and paneer, one was chicken Madras and one was lamb rogan josh, I think. The food was delicious and the drinks kept coming. To get back we took the 70 bus from just across the road all the way to Exchange Square Bus Station in Central. This was really convenient for Peter and I to then jump on the Tung Chung line to Sunny Bay and catch our bus home.

Clubhouse Spiral Staircase.

Stairway decorated for Christmas.

Club's Christmas decorations.

Inside the Waglan Bar.

The Whole Group.

Perusing the menu.

Peter and I.

Maggie and Yang.

Our Delicious Curries.

Spicy Poppadoms.

View over lower floor restaurant at Aberdeen Boat Club.

Restaurant and Pool on Lower Floor.

The Club Pool.

Night View over Aberdeen Harbour.

Looking towards the Jumbo Floating Restaurant.

Jumbo Floating Restaurant and Aberdeen Harbour.

Play Area for kids.

Night out number three was in the Pier Three Bar which is above the Discovery Bay Ferry Pier in Central. We arranged this to celebrate me and a friend who teaches Primary Two's resignations as she decided to leave a couple of weeks after me. We invited a former colleague who had also escaped. This was mainly a drinking evening though we did have some spring rolls and samosas, too.

The Whole Group.

Suman, fellow leaver.

Daisy and Jason.

Photos after drinks.

View from the bar.

Misbehaving again.

The next night out shouldn't be included in this blog, as it's our regular Wednesday night out, which just happened to take place on a Thursday this week, but I've decided to add it anyway. We are in the Peony Chinese Restaurant in Discovery Bay Residents Club. This restaurant will close down next Thursday and open up elsewhere. We had beef with celery, stir fried broccoli, crispy barbecue pork and sweet and sour pork.

All of us.

Bonnie.

Peter.

The Food.

Bye bye the Peony.

And, last but not least, yesterday was after school leaving drinks for Suman and I in the Enoteca Restaurant, Tong Choi Street, Quarry Bay. We had drinks and nachos. It's pleasant to sit outside here. Everyone kept commenting on how relaxed and happy I look now I don't have to go to work anymore.

The group.