I wake about 9:30, and have pancakes at McDonalds. At about 12:00 I meet my friend T who has invited me to go to an Xmas party with her. T is from the Philippines, and a social organization that she belongs to is having their annual Xmas party this afternoon. We take the MTR to Central, stop to pick-up a couple gifts for the gift exchange, and then take the bus to Kennedy Town on the west side of HK island. Across the street from the end of the bus line we find the Bayanihan Community Center. It is an old school, the use of which has been provided by the HK government, and which houses several Filipino organizations and educational activities. Bayanihan is Tagalog (the Philippine language) for "unity".
Of course most of the Philippines' people in HK are domestic workers, and thus are women. There are about 40 people at the party, 3 men including me (I am the only non-Filipino). But the lack of men did not deter the ladies from having a good time. There was music, singing, dancing, food, and general good times and cheer. There was also a short appearance by the local Consul (Maria Theresa B. Dizon De Vega) and the Cunsul-General (Corazon Belmonte Jover) of the Philippines. All in all a very pleasant Sunday afternoon. There was even a beauty pageant! Actually, it was just a way to get the group members to raise money for the group.
That evening I met my friend L and her sister S for dinner. They are from Indonesia, and I wanted to go to an Indonesian restaurant. We went to the XXX restaurant where we enjoyed a very nice meal of grilled prawns, greens, lamb soup, and rice. We also tried some Indonesian desserts, and I had some Indonesian coffee (very strong). As I headed back home after dinner I noted again, for perhaps the thousandth time this trip, that yes I was a very lucky man to have yet another really nice day!
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