Freshly graduated and unemployed, Manila native Miko Chong made a move to Hong Kong. After hearing Frankie Lam and Wendy Wenn spinning at Yumla three years ago, Chong was inspired to turn his bedroom hobby of DJing into a serious gig. Now you can find him spinning anything from minimal and techno to indie and mashups at Destroyed HK parties, Yumla and the Adidas Originals shop. We sit down with Mr Van Chong to find out why on Earth he gets his weekend started three days early.

Tuesday to Thursday
While the weekend officially starts on Friday, mine starts unofficially on Tuesday. Tequila Jacks’ (33-35 Chatham Rd S, Tsim Sha Tsui) Taco Tuesdays do tasty soft-shelled tacos for $10 and $30 margaritas – you can’t get any better than that, really. I would go once a month but nowadays it’s been almost every Tuesday. After chowing, my friends always want to go to Carnegies (53-55 Lockhart Rd, Wan Chai) for their $10 vodkas. Being the idiot I am, I would say no but I somehow end up with a glass of said cheap vodka. Next thing you know, I’m all curled up like a foetus in bed. Later in the week, I usually get dragged out for Wanchai Wednesday at Xperience (33 Lockhart Rd, Wan Chai), then the Hong Kong Pub Crawl (www.hongkongpubcrawl.com) on Thursday.

Friday
Considering the week I’ve had, Friday would always be rest night. So we’d go for dinner somewhere like BBQ (129-133 Third St, Sai Ying Pun). It’s a small local Chinese place that is cheap and tasty. Then we’d go for one drink only, which we all know, is never just one drink. We might have a Bloody Mary at The Keg (52 D’Aguilar St, Lan Kwai Fong) – they’re the best! Then we’ll head on to Sense 99 (2/F-3/F, 99 Wellington St, Central). You can jam with the available instruments and play as bad as you want. Then we might finish at Insenses (13 Lyndhurst Tce, Central) as they have a nice open space out back.

Saturday
Saturday usually starts early for me. Early is 10pm. That’s when I finish my gig at Adidas Originals (6 Kingston St, Causeway Bay) where I spin every Saturday. Some customers will grab a T-shirt and ask if I have it in medium size. It’s too early to go clubbing then, so I usually go to The Blck Brd (6/F, 8 Lyndhurst Tce, Central) for a pint of Sapporo. From what I know, there’s only four pubs in Hong Kong that serve it on tap, The Blk Brd being one of them. Then we’ll go onto Fly (24-30 Ice House St, Central). It’s not as commercial or mainstream as Volar, but not too underground for the masses. I’ll stay for a drink or two then go on to Yumla (79 Wyndham St, Central). Things get a little hazy at this point, with all the drinking and dancing. You can ask the others there – they love making up stories about me, but you can never trust them. XXX (212 Wing Lok St, Sheung Wan) would be the last stop as I live nearby. It gives you that old warehouse rave vibe. What’s unique is that they don’t have regular DJs or a certain sound that defines them. It’s just a huge space where people can just go to party and dance. No bullshit. Can I say bullshit?

Sunday
This is a beach day. South Bay Beach (South Bay Rd, Repulse Bay) is easy to get to, and nearby – only 45 minutes by bus. But if I’m feeling lazy, then I head to the Kennedy Town Swimming Pool (2 Sai Cheung St North, Kennedy Town) and float about for hours, staring at the clouds while the pro swimmers swim around me. I’ll finish the day with a meal at Pasta Mio (27-29 Hollywood Rd, Central). I love that place! Their lasagne is addictive, although the bacon pasta is a close contender.

Interview: Andrea Yu