Rites of passage and a tale of two cities retold

Approaching the landmark of seven years in Hong Kong, when one can officially lay claim to being a true-blue native, I find my thoughts returning to when I first landed at overcast Chek Lap Kok as a would-be resident.

I had left behind a Beijing resplendent under a sparkling late-February sky - it was still only a few months since the euphoria of the 2008 Olympics, and the now-infamous smog had yet to tighten its grip.

The trees that lined the seemingly endless boulevards were still bare, but hummed with expectations of spring and the first blooms that would make a million smartphones flash.