Sunday night fever proceeded my first day as an unemployed member of HK society. As Sunday turned into Monday I was determined to push on for the sake of my wife and my unborn son. Already with a child on the way my previous arrogance and pride has been replaced with the desperation of a Filipino cleaner. There’s a certain something that makes you do humiliating, degrading jobs and I now know what it is. Responsibility. Years ago I could have just fucked off to any part of the globe and began a new, crazy adventure maybe like Tom Cruise in Cocktail and opened a bar on a beach. That kind of thing. Now, wife and kid on board I’ll be more than happy cleaning toilets if it means my wife is happy and the baby has some food on his back.
Of course I try aim a little higher but some of the Handbag companies that I have written too are little more than the toilets of the handbag world. And you know what? Even these guys are not getting back to me. What is it? What have I done? Seems like something is pushing me in a certain direction but where and what is hard to fathom. This town is boom town right now for Handbag makers, especially overseas experts but, I can’t get a gig for love nor money. I don’t even mention salary on my correspondence so it cannot be the wedge so what is it? Why is nobody calling me up? I thought I’d be beating them off with a shitty stick but I could not have been more wrong. Even my the headhunting shark has so far turned up with nothing. Not a sniff.
I cold call a couple of factories in the morning. Seems most have got my CV but nobody is doing anything because Mr X is on holiday. I persist and I think things may move this week (they better). My wife and I wander around IFC in the afternoon like naughty kids playing truant from school. It’s weird being in Central in the weekdays – watching the gainfully employed skit around the shopping malls and restaurants, seemingly laughing in my face. We have some lunch and wander back and there in my email is an interview set up for Wednesday. I punch the air. I may not get it but there is hope.