Monday, September 29, 2008

My first High Table Dinner...

"High Table" dinners are long-standing traditions, imported through British colonialism, conducted by all HKU residence halls. They are formal banquets, with guest speakers, held about once every other month during the school year. The name is derived from the head table, where guests of honor are seated (the guest speaker, the warden, the warden's hubby, etc ;>), which is usually placed "high" on a stage (though ours wasn't). You could liken it to the large dining scenes in the "Harry Potter" films.

Last night was my first and it was great fun.

This is a shot, from my seat at the "high table" of the guest speaker in action. He spoke keys to successful leadership and was absolutely fantastic.

And here's another shot taken from my seat, too low because I balanced the camera on the table, of one table of hall residents. There were many more.

A great experience and I look forward to the next!

My first interaction with the Hong Kong Hokie Alumni Association chapter...

The past two weeks, a fellow in the HK VTAA has organized tape-delayed viewings of Hokie football games on Sunday afternoon. Last week I declined since the game (vs North Carolina) was aired live at 3:30AM and, after watching it, I was too exhausted to join a rewatching. This week's game (vs Nebraska) was at 8:00AM, so I got a little more sleep beforehand, watched it live, then joined everyone later at the designated location...


"The Wheel" - on Hollywood Road - right in the shadow of the Mid-levels Escalator...


It was only a five-person turnout, unfortunately, but it was nice to meet a few other Hokies (the first I've met in Hong Kong - and also the first Americans I've met). It was also nice to share a big victory over a historical powerhouse program!

Fui Fui's new favorite resting spot...

Recently, we've discovered that Fui Fui really loves to curl up and sleep / recline in...



...our bathroom sinks! The shape must be just right for making him feel secure.

An early birthday dinner for Katherine!

Katherine's birthday is in a few days, but this week's schedule is a bit busy, so I thought I'd whip up her birthday meal on Saturday instead (and maybe another one next Saturday, providing nice birthday bookends). Here's a look at the goods...


On the left, we have eggplant creole and on the right a bowlful of Cajun (i.e. low-tomato) jambalaya. I'll leave you with a shot of the birthday girl getting set to dig in...

Friday, September 12, 2008

An early Mid-Autumn Festival celebration!

Technically, the Mid-Autumn Festival doesn't occur until tomorrow (September 14th), but last night a group of 40+ residents from all over the Hall came up to our balcony for an early observance. The small group who organized the event decorated with colorful lanterns and served us all gobs of mooncake, as is customary during the Festival.

Here they are in our kitchen, getting the mooncakes unwrapped, drinks prepared, etc...


And here are a few shots of folks on the balcony...


It was another great Friday event that was followed by another impressive apartment cleaning by the participants.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Time to vote!

...at least, for representatives who will be serving on the Hong Kong Legislative Council (rather like a unicameral version of the US Congress). Just before dinner, we walked down to the closest polling center in Kennedy Town and Katherine exercised her right while I waited outside (I am a legal resident of Hong Kong, but not a citizen, so I don't have the right to vote)...
Afterwards, we crossed the street and enjoyed a "Japanese BBQ" restaurant...

Oddly, though, it was pretty much all Korean food. So, I suppose it is more accurate to call it a Japanese-style Korean BBQ place. At any rate, it was mighty good.

Related to this post, you may be wondering how I'll vote in the next US national election from Hong Kong. The answer: absentee ballot. I've already sent in my ballot request form and expect to see it in the next month or so. Interestingly, the process requires you to register with whichever state you last legally resided in. For me, that's Michigan, so that's where my form went.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Hong Kong style BBQ on the balcony!

The residents of the second floor came up to visit us last night and, at their request, we all had a little cookout (or "barbecue", as it is broadly termed in Hong Kong).

Out on the balcony, with long two-pronged forks, we all gathered around small charcoal grills...
...and made our own meals. The students provided all the vittle components: beef, chicken (a whole one!), meatballs, hot dogs, fish, corn-on-the-cob, etc. Not only was it delicious, but it was a great social experience for Katherine and I.

After polishing off all the grillables, we returned indoors...

...where I served everyone banana pudding (a classic family recipe from my great aunt Nanu). It was a fantastic hit and, after they gobbled it all up, they asked for the recipe in order to "impress girls". ;> Incidentally, the original recipe calls for vanilla wafers, but I've yet to find any in Hong Kong. So, instead, I used ladyfingers (which are fairly common here) and they worked quite well.

The cake you see came from Maxim's and was used in celebrating the birthday of Luke, one of the residents in attendance.

The whole gang - all 21 of us (including Fui Fui)!

Once the festivities were over, right around midnight, the students snapped to attention, organized themselves, and proceeded to efficiently clean everything up!
From sweeping and mopping...
...to washing all the dishes.

It was extremely impressive and not something we asked for at all. They just considered it to be part of their responsibilities as guests! You can bet that we'll want to have them back!

Now I'll go find something else to do while waiting for college football to start in a few hours! Woo!
 

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