My third week at the Lion Rock Institute has been full of activity as the office gets ready for the Christmas break. Around the city, its festive atmosphere is reaching a peak and I have been fortunate to view several choirs and orchestras performing Christmas songs from my office window as the tram takes them around the city to perform. The weather is beginning to get cooler as well, adding to the festive vibe (Christmas day is predicted to hover around 15 degrees).

In the office I have been continuing with the development of my article on Competition law and have started (with the help of one of our directors) learning how to cultivate and express my own opinion effectively on topical issues regarding Hong Kong’s economy. This week has focused primarily on the publicity surrounding Hong Kong’s two major energy companies, CLP Power and Hong Kong Electric, and their recent tariff increases to 9.3% and 6.4% respectively, which have caused considerable public outcry as the region begins to move into the colder months. I have been given a crash course on how the power industry works in Hong Kong and the different political standpoints that have been flooding the media recently, which has been very interesting.

Winter solstice, the shortest day of the year in Hong Kong, occurred on the 22^nd of December and is a large event for the people of Hong Kong. For many, including the Lion Rock office, this means that the work day is cut short and workers leave to go home and prepare dinner for their families in the afternoon to celebrate and come together. This gave me a great opportunity to catch up with one of our directors (and fellow Australian) to discuss his points of view on the Competition Law Bill in Hong Kong as well as his own experiences working and living in the region. I was also able to gain some insight into achievements of Lion Rock of late and how that has affected the continuation of public policy approval.

Next week I will return home to Australia for a few days over Christmas before flying back to Hong Kong to continue my work with Lion Rock. The first few weeks have been such an exciting experience and I look forward to continuing my time in such a bustling and dynamic place.

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