Adieu, 2013

It's hard to believe that 2013 is already drawing to a close. But indeed it is, so once again, for posterity, here are twelve photos condensing the waning year into a concise visual synopsis. 

In all honesty, 2013 was a notch or two below 2012 for me. And I guess that's not really a big surprise. After all, there was no standout "once-in-a-lifetime" event I got to take part in like 2012's London Olympics; I wasn't a member of any of my best friends' wedding parties like I had been the year before; and I only set foot in seven countries in the wake of last year's twelve.

Nonetheless, 2013 had some very high highs: the double-visit of Rusty and Britney to my two Asian homes; a stellar vacation to Shanghai to spend time with old friends; my current trip to the East Coast for my first American Christmas in three years; and perhaps most importantly, my return to Hong Kong after an absence of three months—and hopefully for good. It all just flew by, but it was another full string of months. And it's going out on a high note, with my friend Silja visiting from Germany as 2013 becomes history.

So without further ado, here is my twelve picture instant replay of the year...

January

During my January trip to Hong Kong, Courtney and I zipped over to Macau for a memorable day of wandering. 

February

For the past few years I'd wanted to attend the Philippines Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Clark... In 2013, I finally made it!

March

In Asia, random things happen when least expected, like meeting "cats" out for a walk along Singapore's Marina Bay.

April

 Perhaps my best memory of 2013 is when my Villanova roommate Rusty came to Asia with his girlfriend Britney.

May

The food in Shanghai was out of this world, although I was in desperate need of a haircut and a shave!

June

On the last Saturday in June, we donned patriotic garb to pre-game Independence Day in Philadelphia.

July

In East Hampton, Long Island, this summer, I celebrated "Christmas in July" for Kristen's birthday. 

August

Nothing signifies a New Jersey summer more for me than a day of horse racing at Monmouth Park.

September

The night before I flew back to Hong Kong, we had a family dinner at our favorite local restaurant, The Pine Tavern.

October

Halloween is almost always a highlight any year... This shot is from a party the Saturday before the big day.

November

Celebrating Thanksgiving with good friends on my roof made me realize how thankful I am to be back in Hong Kong!

December

Getting into the Christmas spirit in Lan Kwai the weekend before flying home was a great start to the holiday season!

SantaCon Hong Kong!

Yesterday, I participated in my first SantaCon, here in Hong Kong. I came very close to joining in the festivities last year in Singapore, but in the end, it just wasn't in the cards. And somehow, in all my Christmases back home, I also never got involved in the massive New York event. So it was with incredible anticipation that I donned the red hat yesterday afternoon. 

For the past few weeks, the weather has been just beautiful here, probably the most temperate Hong Kong December that I can recall. I still enjoy many hours on the roof of our apartment, and I even spent one afternoon on St. Stephen's Beach in Stanley not too long ago. However, all that changed last week. The rains and clouds have invaded our fair city, and it's been pretty dreary for the past stretch of days. Unfortunately, things did not improve in time for SantaCon, but at least torrential downpours didn't coincide with the event. Despite the drizzles and slight chills, it was still a very fun day.

In case anybody out there is unfamiliar with SantaCon, it is a Christmastime pub crawl, observed in three hundred cities spread across forty-four countries, in which participants donning Santa suits or other Christmas-appropriate attire make their way around town from one bar to another. And one of the coolest things about it for me was knowing that all across the globe, hundreds of thousands of people were all participating in the tradition.

The first stop of the Hong Kong crawl was rooftop RED Bar, atop IFC mall. I went with my friends Allan and Lou, and we met up with my flatmate Sarah there. Unfortunately, we arrived late, and the vast majority of revelers had already made there way to the Dark Side to bar number two. Still, about twenty or so Santas were still at RED, and we decided to stay there a bit.

Allan and Sarah at Red Bar

Instead of crossing the harbor and joining the party in Kowloon, we opted to take the MTR straight to Wan Chai, where everybody would eventually be heading anyway. Because we had already arrived late, it seemed like a better idea, otherwise, we'd have invested lots of time and energy in getting to the Dark Side watering hole, only to have to then cross back to the island again a short time later.

It was a good decision. We got to bar number three, Coyote on Lockhart Road, and enjoyed some sidewalk Coronas, sang some Christmas tunes and awaited the arrival of the masses. Other people seemed to have the same idea, a couple of Santas joining every few minutes. And then, after an hour or so, the throngs arrived off the MTR. All of the sudden, the bar, sidewalk and street were filled with a thousand Santas. Bumping into old friends, and making new ones, it was a great way to celebrate the coming of Christmas. And people just kept on filtering in.

The final bars of the night were in Lan Kwai Fong, where the Santa crew merged with the rest of the LKF party goers, of course in full force on a Saturday night. I can't ever remember running into so many old pals, some of whom I hadn't seen since my return to Hong Kong three months ago. Although I'd love to arrive on time next year and fully participate in the entire crawl, I have nothing but fond memories from yesterday. I'm in a very festive mood, and ready to fly home on Friday for my first American Christmas since 2010!