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!
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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!