Happy Thanksgiving!

The Holiday Season officially begins with Thanksgiving. It's one of my favorite times of the year, along with March Madness! You can almost parallel the two since the next few months people are running all over town like madmen trying to find the best deals, beating the rush, and blowing all of their money on indiscriminate items...similar to your yearly March Madness Bracket. It's insanity wrapped in a convenient package!

I am more of the type that relishes not in the sensationalism and consumerism of the holidays but more so in its "sentimental feelings" to borrow from the holiday song. While it's cheezy to state, it rings truer to the core as this will be my second year in a row spending the holidays away from my "immediate" family. I definitely do not take for granted my family here in Vietnam as this year (exactly one year this week) has been one of the most fulfilling experiences I could have ever imagined. Simply stated, it's just not the same (I really never expected it to be anyways).

I am headed out to a local restaurant that my friend is a co-owner of. The other owner and head chef is an American and they will be serving an "authentic" Thanksgiving dinner buffet ($25). It's not gonna be anything similar to my tasty Deep Fried Turkey w/ Cajun Rice (my brother-in-law's recipe) but it will do in the absence of me getting my hands on a deep fryer, cajun spices, and most importantly...A TURKEY! I am headed out w/ a few other expat friends to give thanks for life, family, and friendship!

With that said, I'd like to wish all of you out there a Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your holiday and enjoy your Families!!!

-- Jerome

P.S.

Here's the menu for my dinner:

• Roasted stuffed boneless turkey filled with corn bread and sausage stuffing
• Whole roast turkey (traditional) Corn bread stuffing (traditional)
• Special homemade whisky sausage
• Giblet gravy
• Mashed potatoes
• Candied sweet potatoes
• Candied beets with orange liquor
• Sweet and sour carrots
• Grease beans “ that’s green beans slow cooked with bacon”
• Green salad
• Cranberry sauce
• Fresh buttered corn “of the cob”
• Hot homemade dinner rolls
• Macaroni and cheese (kids and adults)
• Sweet potato pie. Pecan pie, Pumpkin pie, Apple pie
• Cranberry Sangria
• Beer, soft drinks and juices

My Weekend in Hong Kong

It has been a little over 13 years since I decided to attend a small liberal arts institution in Alliance, Ohio – Mount Union College. At that time, as a freshman in college, all I could think about was having fun, playing basketball, studying occasionally, and making new friends. Many people say that our time spent in college defines who we are and what we will become both professionally and personally. They say that college is a place where we develop life-long friendships that test the hands of time. Well, I can honestly say that I am a firm believer and witness to the above statement.

This past weekend, I was able to re-unite with friends that I haven’t seen in almost a decade. What made the weekend special was the fact that we all had met each other at this small college in Alliance and now were able to get together for the first time (as a group) in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong was a great destination! The architecture of the high-rise buildings were phenomenal and the landscape was amazing. The food was absolutely exquisite – there was nothing I tried and didn’t like! Ain’t no place like City Hall Maxim’s Palace for Dim Sum...Delicious!

However, there was more to the trip than what I just mentioned. An old sage I know once told me his reasoning for traveling, he said about he and his wife, “We travel not to visit places, but to visit people. The places you get to see are just the added bonuses while meeting your friends”. Truer words could never have been spoken, especially for the weekend I just had.

A few parting words to my FRIENDS:

Hong Kong Hosts: Ella, Kit, Ada & Andy

You made our weekend especially remarkable. I can speak for all of us when I say that you exceeded all of our expectations in your hospitality and kindness throughout the weekend! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Ella: You always have a job to fall back on if things in your current career does not work out---Tour Guide! That Excel Spreadsheet of our itinerary was quite impressive.

Kit: Meeting you for the first time (again) was almost, if not, better than our first encounter. Please don’t forget me!

Ada & Andy: Thanks for driving us around and taking care of us…you guys will make excellent parents one day!
---

Masa: Glad you could make it from Japan. Do you miss Los Angeles as much as I do? By the way…there’s a support group out there called AA – Alcoholics Anonymous!

Hang-Meen: You haven’t changed a bit! Ok, maybe you have changed more than a bit..but you are still the same funny and likeable guy I’ve always known! By the way…there’s a few things in the new millennium that you should be aware of….”email and Weight Watchers”! (Just joking!).

Neil & Wei-Leng: It was great to be able to see you guys at Dim Sum on Saturday and meeting you Wei-Leng. Thanks also for letting me crash at your place too. Neil, thanks for being our “token-white-guy”! Macau is lucky we didn’t have more time to take their money!

Tee: Thanks for traveling the 2000km for the day, it was great to see you! Vietnam is closer so come visit anytime. By the way…we were playing bowling…low scores are only good in golf!

Yuki: Just as cheerful and funny as I remember you…Glad you were able to make it! Next time try to use the bowling ball to knock over some pins!

Naoko: You definitely know how to put a smile on peoples faces! So serious at times, yet so amuzing...I guess you're seriously just funny! We never knew you didn't know how to use a straw! Hahaha! Just kidding.

Again, I just wanted to thank everyone for making this past weekend really something that I will remember for a very long time. I just hope it doesn't take us 10 years to get together again!



If you want, you can check out MY WEB ALBUM of the Hong Kong Trip and my previous trip to Cannes, France last month. The pictures are of Cannes, Nice, and Monaco. I went to the Monaco Casino and cleaned them out for over 200 Euros at the craps table! I don't have time to explain all of the pics, so if you have any questions just let me know...you'll know what I'm talking about when you see some of the pics.

Until next time!....God Bless!