I left a tennis ball in the room. It was for showing the estimated size of a bombie in Laos.
There are some good news for you guys. Yesterday, I came up with an idea to make more money. While I am looking for a job, I’ll land a pilot scheme to test my business idea. I will record the process in details.
However, I must share what I did today. I first met my friend in the afternoon. We prepared the materials for the sharing session on life and working experience in Laos. Initially I prepared the scripts for my part, but I forgot to grab my phone when I started my presentation. Basically, I just wing it.
Fortunately, the students listened to our talk and asked questions related to the slides. During the Q&A session, they inquired about the food, weather, culture and life style of the people in Laos. It showed that they paid full attention to our powerpoint slides, and I was very grateful for that.
Until the end, the staff gave us money as honorarium. The amount was beyond my expectation. I was very happy to receive their generous gift, but my friend felt a bit guilty since she was unsatisfied with her performance.
When we walked out of the building, we saw the beautiful sunset in the sky. I quickly took out my GH5 and captured the beautiful scene in front of me. Let’s see the result!!!!!📷
Panasonic GH5 with no filterI love the color tone.The same filter, different objects. The filter does not work well with this white object. The contour is a bit confusing … 😅Still the cross-processing filter.So far it is the best photo I’ve captured today. Used the cross-processing filter again.
Life is full of possibilities and… unexpected accidents…
Being unemployed has made me wonder about the lifestyle I truly want. In these days, I’ve kept asking myself what makes me feel happy. All I can remember is the peaceful, quiet life I lived in Laos. Even though my job there was tedious and annoying, living alone enriched my soul 👻 and nourished my body.
my little paradise, a large bed for myself
In that apartment, I felt safe enough to be my real self. Compared to living with my family, I could spend time alone without worrying about interrupting anyone or triggering my parents. At that time, I thought I was living in paradise. Somehow, it was similar to entering Nirvana*, a state without any worries or negative emotions. But those moments didn’t last long. Soon after starting my second task, I returned to my anxious and stressful old self.=
*For those who don’t know, “Nirvana” refers to a state of enlightenment in Buddhism—the highest stage of spiritual freedom.
Until now, I’m still trying very hard to recreate those peaceful, worry-free moments in my life.
I probably will share more about my journey and my current progress on creating a blissful life.
Reality Check:
Apart from that, today I also realized I need to be more practical to reach my goals. In the morning, I joined a training session for the sport coach program. I overheard the coaches and social worker discussing the program’s details and development—they’d just received the second round of funding. When I heard this, I knew my plan wouldn’t work out: relying on slashing (multiple gigs) to earn a living wage. Even with high hourly pay, it doesn’t mean there are enough job opportunities for coaches. I nearly missed that point when planning my future. I must get a full-time job first.
Bumped into my secondary school Chinese Literature teacher
Let’s go on with the unfinished story.
I got the interview and I think I performed very well.
But something strange happened.
For the first time in my life, I felt overqualified for a job—and at the same time, I didn’t feel I should get the offer.
The full story
When I arrived, there were seven boys already in the room. I soon realized we were all applying for the same position: Program Assistant at a youth center. The job required shift rotation, including late nights (2 PM to 6 AM).
Half an hour later, the interviewers asked us to form a circle and introduce ourselves.
The climax?
As everyone shared their stories, I suddenly felt like I was living in a different world. Most of them were high-school dropouts or current university students with very different life paths.
At that moment, I knew I shouldn’t have applied for this position.
So I turned into a professional actress. I shared my personal experiences, my strengths 💪 and weaknesses 💩, just like everyone else. Even though I knew I wouldn’t get the offer, the show 📽 had to go on.
The hidden story
Later, the interviewers asked us to share any personal experiences working with or relating to marginalized youth.
A few of them raised their hands. Their stories were incredibly touching—one even cried while speaking.
“People always neglect youth facing domestic violence, drug addiction, or street violence. But we really need others to care about us.”
He was talking about himself.
In that moment, everything became crystal clear: they were the better candidates. I couldn’t take this role—I simply didn’t have enough relatable lived experience.
Have you ever walked away from an interview knowing it wasn’t the right fit for you? Or realized someone else was more suited?
Short answer: Although the experience itself is unpleasant, the answer is NO
Jpeg
Four years ago, when I knew that I was going to spend the next four years at this university, my world collapsed instantly.
The familiar truth
You will find it strange if you are not from Asia.
Since I am from Hong Kong🇭🇰, I found that I was deeply affected by Hong Kong culture. It’s because in this small city, people define your ability based on your education background.
Therefore, students who can get into universities with higher QS ranking will have more job and networking opportunities. While students from other universities can apply for overseas exchange programs, all I could do was stay in the cozy classroom at the university.
Soon after I enrolled in the program, I realized that linguistics is not my cup of tea. The theories and classes were super boring. But I don’t want to waste more time and money to switch to another major.
Then I lost my direction. Just like my classmates, we were all very clear that the training and resources provided by the school were insufficient for us to become a professional translator or linguist.
Everything seemed hopeless until I saw a school email, which included a program that is open to university students in Hong Kong. I immediately applied for the program and Accidentally got the chance to become a UNV (United Nations Volunteer).
Six months later, the contract ended, and I returned to Hong Kong.
Current situation
Job-hunting has become a challenging task in the recent situation. People moan about being jobless for six months, and unemployment figures keep rising every day across multiple social media platforms.
I was quite lucky🌱. Apart from the interviews I am preparing, I have already joined the training program for future sports coach in a local program.
Ironically, I met students from the famous universities in the same program as well. It seems like even a stem degree from a famous university can’t give you a stable future as well.
Now I look back, if I didn’t finish my studies, wouldn’t have gotten the internship offer or had such an unforgettable experience.🤪
Since today is Sunday, nothing unusual happened. I just collected my clothes and returned to my home. Apart from losing weight and preparing for moving out, I decided to learn more about organization’s structure and psychology to enhance my chance of achieving career success.
In the future, I will write down my discoveries on this website as well. Maybe the same rule is not applicable to another place in the world.
(This post is to avoid me breaking the cycle. I need to post something everyday)
I had never imagined that I would leave a hotel without worrying about wasting money.
Although I accidentally got the hotel room, I soon realized why the person in charge would dare spare me with a 7-day free hotel. To be honest, staying at this hotel gives me goosebumps.
How it started?
Four days ago, I was preparing the teaching materials for a Philippines girl who came to Hong Kong to learn Cantonese. Unfortunately, the agent forgot to prepare the documents for the girl, leaving her being trapped in the Philippines airport.
The agent immediately asked for cancellation for the hotel. However, the hotel rejected his request. Running out of solution, he asked me to use the quota. That was how I got the 7-day free hotel room.
Why I left?
Three days in this hotel, I had already realized the girl may be lucky enough to stay in Philippine. This is one of the worst hotels I have visited in my life. There was a strange smell in the air, and strange things were happening all the time.💀
For example, it took me more than 30 trials to open the door of the hotel room, and the lift couldn’t be used once I entered it.
My instinct kept reminding me to leave this place.
Ending
When I told the receptionist that I wanted to check out today, he was a bit shocked.
“But your booking said you will move out on 3 March. You are leaving today…”
I don’t care since I trust my gut feelings. Also, this is not paid by myself. SO it is not a stupid decision to leave this place. 🥶
There is no one-man fits all solution or life path.
Panasonic GH5 P(Programe AE) mode, outside of the free hotel room I got
I have a new goal: Moving out before the end of 2026.
The story behind
Soon after returning to Hong Kong from Lao PDR, I realized that I couldn’t endure the stress and tension in my family anymore. Compared to the freedom I had living in a foreign country, I suddenly felt trapped at home. I don’t even have my own bedroom or any real personal space. Deep down, I know very clearly: if I keep living like this with my family, I’ll go crazy.
That’s why, despite all the real-world challenges staring me in the face, I’ve decided to move out before the end of 2026.
Challenges:
It can be a daunting challenge due to the expensive living cost in Hong Kong. But there are two ways to view it.
There is a famous saying in our culture:
“If a problem can be solved by money, it is not a problem.”
In fact, it is true. If I have enough money, I can move out at any moment, or even hiring professional delivery people to bring my stuff to my new home. But what’s the problem?
I am just a fresh graduate with 6 months of experience at a UN agency, a loads of unrelated working experiences/internship, and a translation and language studies degree that is going to be useless in this AI-driven era.
And of course, I don’t have a pair of supportive parents.
Meanwhile, the job market is stagnating. The number of job openings are cutting back, and people rarely resign from their jobs. Basically, getting a job is difficult as well.
(Until this moment, I am still jobless 😅. But I have already foreseen myself living alone in a comfy house in Hong Kong. Yeah~)
Every Cloud has a silver lining
The external environment make things look gloomy and hopeless. However, since I have already known my strength and weaknesses, it will make things easier.
I may have potential to become a good short video/documentary videographer. And I have just joined a sports coach training program for game sports. At the same time, I am trying to see if I can use my writing skills to get more job opportunities.
Even if none of these turn into my “ideal” career right away, I’m ready to take whatever job comes to make sure I can save enough money to move out.
What will happen?
Starting today (February 26, 2026), I’ll post every day, sharing real progress, discoveries, failures, and breakthroughs. Job hunt updates, side-hustle experiments, money saved (or not), mindset shifts, and rental scouting tips in Hong Kong.
If you’re reading this post and find it relatable, please leave a comment.😁
Returning from Lao, I became unemployed. However, it gave me a chance to take a good rest and reflect on things that happened in my life.
Three days ago, while watching an episode of A Bit Personal with Jodi Shelton—the interview with Jensen Huang—I suddenly found his words hitting home:
“I would relive in our day… And the reason for that is because I thought that our 20s was happier than these 20s.. and um… I think everyone deserves some time to be oblivious and not to have… not to wear all of the world’s problems on day one. I just don’t think it is necessary.
“They’re cynical because they just see too much stuff…”
For anyone who doesn’t know me: I’m from Hong Kong 🇭🇰, a tiny but intense city.
Before returning from Laos, I assumed my six-month UN 🇺🇳 experience would open doors here. Reality hit hard—I got zero responses from the job market.
Seeing the situation, I changed my strategy. reached out on LinkedIn to people in specific roles at target companies, asking for advice or inspiration.
Messages sent. Zero replies. 🤪
Change in mindset
Finally, I understood that I have already done everything I could have done to get a job. Although blaming the environment seemed to be an excuse, the environment and the resources I have really limited my options and opportunities.
I checked the data: Hong Kong’s youth unemployment rate (ages 15-29) has hovered around 6-11% in recent periods (e.g., around 6.2% overall for 15-29 in 2024, with seasonal fluctuations into 2025-2026 showing similar challenges for young job seekers per Census and Statistics Department reports). Knowing it’s not just me helps me stay calm—the external environment is genuinely tough.
Knowing it wasn’t my fault, I adopted another mindset: Try my best and let go of my expectation. I felt like worrying about my future and career prospect was too much for me.
Changes in action
I will still apply to 1-2 jobs every day, but after that, I would rest and do anything I love. I no longer care about when can I get a job or move out, given that I had saved enough money to survive for at least 2-3 months without a job.
For the first time in my life, I have the chance to learn how to live with the flow and enjoy my life.
What changed my mind?
I finally realized that many things are beyond my control after living and working in Laos for six months. I tried extremely hard to a point that I got sick for many times. Unfortunately, things still didn’t work out. At last, I realized that not everything in life is under my control. 😚
I am unemployed. There was nothing for me to do. Maybe I can become a photographer and make some money out of it?
Sony A7 II, the camera for videography?
Where did I get this idea?
When I mentioned to my colleague that I want to become a photographer in the future, he said,
“An inconvenient truth. It may be better if you were taller. It can be difficult for you to take photos with your height.”
I didn’t believe in his words. I told myself that I must give it a try.
Experiment
After returning to Hong Kong, I found myself jobless. During this time, I began to wonder:
Can I become a photographer since I had some related experiences in Lao?
With that question lingering, I applied to volunteer as a photographer for an NGO’s inauguration ceremony in Hong Kong—and surprisingly, they accepted me.
It turned out to be more complicated than I thought.
Including me, there were three photographers in total. From their gear and confident postures, it was obvious the other two were far more experienced.
Unprofessional-professional photographer
Compared with them, I looked like a silly duck without a clear sense of direction.
When I pulled my dad’s old tripod out of the bag and discovered a piece was missing, I had to use something to fill in the gap. (Stupid me😑). At last, I could only use a charger to maintain its balance.
At the same time, due to lack of experience, I encountered another problem: not able to include all the people in the frame. To save money, I’d rented a prime lens (fixed focal length), which made framing group shots tricky.
But that wasn’t the worst problem.
On that day, the participants were very tall (By Asian Standards). Their average height was around 6ft., and some were over 6.3 ft. Even though I had already set up the tripod, I had to look upward all the time due to my height. It was exhausting. I had neck pain after the event.
At that moment, I understood my colleague’s meaning. Maybe I shouldn’t consider becoming a photographer with my height. But at least I gave it a shot and knew that it didn’t fit me.
How to find an expert? Very simple: you just need a 3-letter word—H O W.
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by a deadline, you’re not alone. We’re taught to hustle but rarely taught to strategize. This is the key realization that separates academic success from real-world expertise. How to find an expert? Very simple, you just need a 3-letter word – how.
In my academic life, I often felt that the emphasis on “using the right methods for planning” was sorely lacking. We are encouraged to plan ahead, but rarely did anyone teach us the most effective strategy to achieve our goal.
I used to believe that working “Fast, Hard, and Accurate” was the definition of capability.
But the professional world changed my mind completely.
I’ve discovered the truth: a true expert starts by thinking about how to approach the task. They choose the most efficient path to reach the goal instead of rushing forward blindly.
Just two months into corporate life, I realized my former mindset was completely wrong. Poor planning ensures you lose half the battle, regardless of the plan on paper.
📉 The Cost of Poor Planning
When a project is not properly planned and structured, it typically spirals into predictable chaos. This is what usually happens:
Budget issues start to surface.
Manpower or resource allocation proves insufficient.
Work assignments become messy and disorganized.
The deadline gets extended, then extended again.
Ultimately, you may not even be able to deliver the final product 🥶.
Once you reach this point, no amount of hard work can miraculously save the project.
♕ Chess, Life, and Project Management
It reminds me of a game of chess. If you make the wrong move in the opening, every subsequent move will be an uphill struggle. Life is similar, but more complex and forgiving than a chessboard.
A single misstep won’t sink the ship, but it’s the cumulative effect of consistently failing to plan that creates an irreparable, return-impossible scenario.
Success isn’t about how hard you work; it’s about how smart you start.
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