As you may have heard elsewhere already, the much dreaded Fourth Wave has descended upon Hong Kong. I’m pretty sick of writing about it by now, having covered our first, second and third waves in previous posts.
Anyway, we’re told that in the coming days, there will be more restrictions imposed upon us by the government, the exact nature of the new rules still unknown. If the past is any guidance, they’ll limit the number of people allowed at a table—currently set at four—down to two. They might also play around with the hours, like they did back in late July, mandating restaurants cease dine-in operations from 6pm. Whether the cinemas or gyms or beauty parlors will remain open is still unclear. To be safe, I’m heading to the Grand Ocean shortly to see Blade Runner, in what might prove to be the last chance I have to catch a movie on the big screen for a while.
But enough about the benighted coronavirus. There’s been so much more that has happened over the last few weeks of perhaps my favorite month that I’d much rather fill you in on birthday and Thanksgiving updates, with a liberal sprinkling of some other autumnal highlights.
Of all the wonderful November events, I guess my birthday takes the cake—pun intended—so I might as well start by summarizing the day for posterity.
I awoke to a few lovely messages on my phone, which set my day on a fantastic course, putting me in a magical mood from the start. My colleague Laren had arrived in work before me that morning and placed an awesome gift on my desk: a portable speaker. I guess he’s gotten to know me pretty well over the past few months, with all the music I play during lulls at the office. And with the dismal built-in speaker included in my work computer not really up to the task of blasting tunes to a suitable level, he hit upon an item that was truly lacking in my life. Let’s just say, I love it. And it’s gotten ample use in its brief period of service.
Two other colleagues, Pauline and Cherry, joined Laren and me for lunch at Café Rangoon, the Burmese-style restaurant near SoHo that I’ve written about a couple of times before. Over a million laughs and some delectable dishes, the four of us had a wonderful feast, including a homemade cheesecake courtesy of Cherry, and the restaurant’s signature Burmese umbrella presented to guests who happen to dine in the venue on their special day.
Post-work, I zipped down to the ferry piers, where I met up with my friend Max for a celebratory beer. He couldn’t join for the dinner I had organized, because he had a soccer game scheduled at 8pm—and if the rumors are true, group sports are another one of the activities that will be axed in the coming days, so he wanted to squeeze one in. But it was great to briefly connect with him as other friends started to arrive.
Eventually, after Max’s departure, our dinner crew took shape. We headed up to Market S.E.A., another new favorite restaurant of mine, located in ifc mall, with an expansive terrace looking out over Victoria Harbour, plus wonderful Southeast Asian cuisine coupled with some pretty insane happy hour specials. It was great to be with such close friends during increasingly uncertain times to mark the passage of another year.
Last stragglers Gabby and James kept me company until midnight, the current official closing time of the bars, and, apparently, I pocketed a potted cactus because, “it’s technically not stealing if it’s your birthday.” You see, old and wiser.
So my thirty-fourth birthday was definitely a success, and I had little time to prepare for the next late November event a mere two days later, Thanksgiving. You probably know the drill by now. I’ve eschewed the traditional American Thanksgiving and created a bespoke Hong Kong iteration perfectly suited to the specifics of the situation here.
Owing to the glorious weather that normally accompanies this time of year, an indoor celebration would just feel a little wasteful. I mean, how could we not take advantage of the balmy evening breezes that blow through the Valley on a warm November night? Also, tracking down all the ingredients necessary to create a full-on homecooked Thanksgiving meal would just take up too much time without an official public holiday to prepare.
And so, long ago, I struck on the idea that has delighted countless friends for years. Step one: move the party to the roof to take full advantage of the glorious weather. Step two: as the host, procure a turkey from a local rotisserie to ensure at least one element conjures a connection to the American holiday. Step three: every other guest bring a dish of his or her choosing, plus a bottle or two of wine. Step four: place everything on the middle of the table and go to town, potluck style.
This Thanksgiving was one of my favorites ever, with a rollicking crew. We partied until the early hours, and I was reminded in so many way of how grateful I am, 2020 be damned!
So, as the last month of this long year approaches, as the finish
line nears, though the last yards of the race will be uncertain, I’d like to
thank everybody who wished me many happy returns last week, and reiterate how
fortunate I feel to have you all in my life!
