Good post as usual Shep.
Even if basings change, that won't be you, for ages.
May I just add, on the subject of future bases, that I very much doubt that anyone who joined on the HKPA (rather than full housing) will ever see a base, quite aside from the hundreds of people ahead on the seniority list wanting one. Bases lose the company a bit of crew flexibility, but more importantly they lose them control, and they
hate that. Not to mention all those pesky labour laws that have to actually be followed.
There is only one good reason bases even exist, and that is the airline saves massively on housing costs, which represent a very substantial chunk of the crew budget. For those who have joined in the last 6 years or so, there is absolutely no incentive for them to ever send you on a base, the HKPA being a pittance compared to "proper" housing.