Sevens and sustenance

Yesterday was one of those Sundays that felt very long, yet extremely unproductive. It started out with a delicious, fast-paced dim sum outing with the cousins on my mom's side. Our party was too big for the table, so we basically had to stand up and reach across the table each time anyone wanted some food. And despite having eaten straight through the past week, it was as if we'd never eaten before and the food would disappear instantaneously upon arrival.

After inhaling lunch, my siblings, their significant others and I headed up to see cousins on our dad's side up on The Peak. There, we spent several hours watching the Hong Kong Sevens on television and taking turns in the fancy massage chair.

Rugby is a pretty interesting sport to watch. I don't really know the rules, but each game lasted only about 15 minutes, which was great for my short attention span. Add some chips and other munchies, and it was a nice afternoon while it was cold and rainy outside.

I walked through some stores on the Kowloon side, then it was time for another meal. We went to Xi Yan, one of those "private dining" restaurants that's becoming pretty ubiquitous in Hong Kong - where you are treated to an innovative meal and don't have to deal with crazy crowds.

Our meal consisted of several courses, each prepared with great care and presented artfully. Some dishes seemed Japanese-inspired, others had flavors of from different parts of China and all were delicious. It wasn't your typical Chinese buffet and it was a special meal that I won't soon forget.

Ain't no party like a Hong Kong party

After a long day of travel yesterday, I arrived in Hong Kong, the final leg of my Asia trip. My father hosted a big family dinner with my grandmother, my uncles and all the cousins in town. Like always, it was a big feast and I continue to overeat at every chance I get.

When dinner was finished, all the "youngsters" headed out to Lan Kwai Fong to a newish bar called Hyde. But first, we had to get through the drunken masses in town for the Hong Kong Sevens - an annual rugby tournament that brings people from all over the world for a crazy weekend of messiness.

People were wasted, wearing all sorts of costumes, and spilling into the streets. Even for Hong Kong, it was unusually active and reminiscent of Mardi Gras. Probably something that would have been fun for me about a decade ago.

We finally made it to our destination, ordered up some ginormous beers, and caught up. The bar quickly filled up and the party really got going - only to be stopped abruptly by a police raid.

The po po came in with a cute dog who seemingly was sniffing for drugs. They pushed their way through and made it impossible to enjoy ourselves in the bright lights. Apparently, this happens in Hong Kong when nightclub proprietors don't cooperate with or pay off the police. It was a relatively minor annoyance, and we were able to get over it quickly once they left.

And once the lights dimmed again, I noticed a familar face in the crowd - a friend from b-school who was in town for the rugby tournament! I hadn't seen this friend since our graduation in 2004, so it was fun to catch up with him - very random to run into each other in a crowded Hong Kong club.

After downing some magnums of champagne, it was time to call it a night. It was fun to go out with the cousins, tear it up a bit, but return to my hotel without being a complete disaster. I guess that has come with my advanced age.

Rolling on the river

Most of my family has arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, so there are people for me to hang out and talk with during the weekend! Today we embarked on an organized tour of the Mekong Delta - a part of Vietnam apparently known for fertile land, coconuts and high-grade sand.

I've been on many of these kinds of tours where you're loaded onto a bus, the tour guide tells you about local history and points out sights, you stop at a bunch of stations where people sell "artisan" crafts (at 200x the price it should cost) and you eat a big lunch of local food. The routine's the same, whether you're in Mexico, India, South Africa or Vietnam, yet I continue to go on these excursions.

It's all so fakey, but I don't know any other way to see new parts of the world. 10 of us loaded onto a bus, learned about the Mekong area, and stopped at a temple where people offered to take photos of us with a ginormous buddha, seemingly made especially for tourists. The photographers reminded me of my visit to the Taj Mahal, but the background was a lot less impressive.

We then took a boat to some island where they harvest honey made from bees who pollinate longan plants, so it's especially sweet and fragrant. We looked at a bunch of stuff made from coconut wood and shells, sat down to eat fruit and try the honey tea, then were serenaded by a local "band."

The band consisted of a few musicians who looked extremely bored, two female singers dressed in traditional Vietnamese dresses and one male singer who, sadly, was not wearing a traditional Vietnamese dress. The first song they sang was about the region. The second song was about tourism (Really?). The third song was a love song and I didn't catch what the fourth song was about. I didn't really enjoy the music, but we felt guilted into tipping, of course.

We then got onto these wagons dragged by tiny horses to another spot about a mile away. This part of the tour was a bit sad - the poor little horses were pulling carts of overweight tourists up and down a stretch of road in the blazing heat. I thought maybe this would make a nice campaign for PETA.

After a brief spot to take a photo with a python around our shoulders (no thanks), we got onto little rowboats that cruised down a canal. This part of the tour felt very much like Disney-Vietnam, since it was obvious the boats had motors, but women rowed us along anyway. Vietnam is so charming and romantic!

We boarded the original boat, made a pit stop at another island where a local family made some icky coconut candy and sold arts and crafts made from coconut shells (I overpaid for a small gift for Puppy.), then re-boarded the boat for land.

Then it was time for lunch. These tour lunches are always so awkward. All the tourists sit at tables in one area, while the tour guides sit sequestered in another area of the restaurant. The food, however, was very interesting and pretty good. We had weird puff balls made from rice flour, some frightening-looking fish, tasty vegetables and other dishes I cannot remember. The highlight for me was the super-sweet Vietnamese coffee.

We then bussed back to the hotel, and received a geography/history lesson along the way. I think the most interesting thing to me has been learning that the Vietnamese refer to the "American War." It makes sense that they don't call it the Vietnam War, but I never really thought about it before.

Irish eyes are smiling

In my continued adventures visiting with my friends' children, I went to Dorchester this morning to spend time with Safety First and her two toddlers. Even though it is a 10-minute drive away, it was my first visit to Dorchester, which some claim is Boston's new gay mecca.

Well, instead of rainbow flags, shamrocks and leprechauns adorned all the homes! It seems the city is home to a very large, proud and visible Irish population. After breakfast, "jumping practice," and various other activities with the kiddos, we took a walk to a nearby Irish bakery which featured genuine Irish workers!

We enjoyed cupcakes, some more coffee, then we walked back home, the kids singing most of the way...

Dining delay

When one makes a restaurant reservation, one expects to be seated at or around the time of said reservation, right? After all, isn't that what a reservation is for?

Well, last night Puppy and I had dinner plans with two of his friends, Fakey Saccharine and So So Deaf at 8:30. Apparently, the people at our table were taking their leisurely time finishing up their meal, so we ended up waiting for an hour before getting seated. By that time, I was quite ornery.

Dinner ended up being a tasty affair and Fakey Saccharine and So So Deaf weren't nearly as irritating as I expected, but the ridiculous wait put me in a sour mood and by the time we finished, it was beyond past my bedtime. I am an old panda.

T-shirt tiiiiiiiiiiiiiime

Since I didn't have work today (Happy birthday, Mr. President!), it seemed like a good idea to go out on a Sunday night. Puppy and I met DJ Mother Nature and one of his Brazilian friends at the cabaret lounge act that DJ Mother Nature supports every week. It was the usual: bald man singing standards and making terrible jokes, us drinking beverages and giggling at the other patrons.

Fortunately, a "one time only" gay disco was happening upstairs, so DJ Mother Nature and I decided to check it out. It was my first "dance dance dance all night" type of event since moving to Boston, so I was interested to see what it would be like.

The space was pretty neat, and the DJ was one of my favorites, so I had high hopes. It quickly filled up, but one thing I noticed was that the clientele leaned more toward Jersey Shore reject than circuit queen. Maybe I've just been out of the scene for so long, but I really didn't expect to see so many horrible Affliction t-shirts!

The party's theme was "Miami" or something equally nonsensical, and there was a fat Samoan aerialist who was twisting and turning, while suspended from the ceiling on a piece of purple fabric. He reminded me of the homeless Samoan guy who hangs out on Castro Street in San Francisco - only this guy was wearing much less clothing. Not necessarily a good thing.

Other entertainment included four guys in ill-fitting wetsuits with electronic piping. I think it was supposed to reference TRON, but it just looked kind of looney.

Overall, the music was good and it was relatively easy to get drinks, so that was nice. I think I only saw one crazily wild-eyed nutjob, but all the gorilla juiceheads were too much! And strangely, only a handful of people took off their shirts, even when the dancefloor got crazy-crowded.

I decided to leave early because I got bored and didn't want to be stuck in the coat check line when it shut down, so maybe things took a turn for the better after I left at 1am, but I'm not so sure.

Wool brunch

It's Sunday in the middle of a three-day weekend. So, you'd expect me to take the day off from work and enjoy the time off. Thanks to my job, however, I've become one of the retail industry voices on wool and animal welfare - at least to a group of Australian wool farmers who are trying to promote their progressive farming practices. And when the CEO of an organization representing a group of Australian farmers is in Boston for only seven hours, it's only polite for me to make time for him.

Thus, I trekked down to South Station, met this fellow when he arrived, and went to a nearby restaurant to discuss sheep. During the course of our conversation, it became clear that he added a Boston stop only to meet me, so I'm glad I didn't blow him off like I wanted to!

In the end, it was a good conversation, I got a free brunch and a nice bottle of Australian wine, so it was time well spent. I just wish he could have made his trip during business hours.

John Daly dinner

IronWoman was in town for some smartypants event, which became the catalyst for a wonderful dinner college swim team reunion! Puppy spent all day cooking and cleaning, preparing a delicious dinner of Tuscan chicken and mushroom risotto for the occasion.

Flabs, Jillian and their husbands also came for dinner, leaving their kiddos at home with sitters. An adult evening! With adult beverages! Puppy had concocted a lemonade/iced tea/vodka drink which is apparently called a John Daly. And after several dozen glasses, it became a much boozier dinner than anticipated.

Surprisingly, I wasn't very hungover this morning, but even if I had been, it would have been worth it. Last night was a nice visit and great to see IronWoman while she was in town.

Tea time

Another indication that I'm getting old? I spent yesterday afternoon with a good friend at her suburban home having tea and cookies! I will concede that she has a 1-year old to take care of and that she is 8.5 months pregnant with twins (Man, she is huge!), but wow, my weekends are not like they used to be.

Queen Titania and her sparkly fairies

Puppy, DJ Mother Nature and I went to Cambridge last night to see "The Donkey Show," a disco spectacular based very loosely on A Midsummer Night's Dream.

It featured a bunch of scantily clad boys and girls, covered in glitter, a bunch of cross-dressing, some references to drugs, dancing and yelling. It was very difficult to follow the plot, especially since the actors jumped and danced through the audience.

But the plot was beside the point - really, people were there just to drink and dance and have a good time. Interestingly, the audience was mostly composed of middle-aged folks who were sweating to the oldies. And after the show ended, and the event turned into a disco dance extravaganza, it sort of felt like we were at a wedding. A wedding where the bride was getting married for the second or third time.

Why do you go by Mr. Rings?

Robyn's opening act was a tall, skinny blonde boy from Toronto with the stage name Diamond Rings. I'd recently read a favorable review of his music, but I didn't make the connection until he actually took the stage.

He put on a pretty good performance and has a surprisingly low voice for a kid who wore stretchy gold pants and blue eye shadow! Afterward, he stood by his merchandise table, waiting to engage fans and to sign posters. After the three or so people approached him, professed their admiration and took photos with the young man (including DJ Mother Nature), he just stood there by himself, so I figured I should talk to him.

Turns out his name is John and the Diamond Rings monicker has something to do with the Toronto Blue Jays. I asked him why he went by the name "Mr. Rings," which didn't seem to go over so well. And when he described an upcoming music video that features him in drag, gobbling a pizza, I suggested he should have been eating poutine.

After entertaining a few more of my ludicrous questions, he excused himself politely to "get a lamp" for his table. We thought he was just exiting the conversation, but minutes later, he did return with a lamp!

Stilettos and broken bottles

Last night, Puppy, DJ Mother Nature and I stuffed our faces with Mexican food and went to see Robyn perform at the House of Blues. As a teen, I did enjoy the catchy "Show Me Love" of which she is probably horridly embarrased.

She put on a great show - jumping around and flailing her arms about frenetically. And all while wearing some Timberlands with three-inch platforms! She is a truly small little pixie!

And for me, it was notable that I ran into two whole people that I knew!

Rooty tooty fresh 'n fruity

If anyone wonders why my posts have become less and less frequent, I think it's a reflection on how interesting my life has become. Take, for example, this weekend. I think the most interesting thing we did was go to IHOP for brunch yesterday.

And yes, I did have the rooty tooty fresh 'n fruity.

Happy 2011!

I have just spent the tamest New Year's Eve of my life! No big parties, no cute outfits, no booze-a-palooza and no trannies! Instead, DJ Mother Nature and Jimmy Jam came over for a calm dinner and television celebration.

Since Puppy was working on Friday, it was up to me to do all the cooking! I have a feeling our guests were nervous since Puppy is the one blessed with culinary talents, but I think I did a pretty good job, thanks to recipes on the internets.

The good thing about our low-key NYE celebration is that yesterday was hangover-free! We were able to get food, do some shopping, get a workout in and have a normal, productive day. Not the most exciting way to start the year, but probably one of the healthier in recent memory. I wonder if that's a portent for 2011. Or my life.

San Frandisco days, San Frandisco nights

On Friday, I took Caltrain for the first time to escape from suburbia and return to the land of the living in San Francisco. The train journey was pretty easy, and I thought it was a deal at $6, but I realized some people use it to commute round-trip every day!

So, for four days, I enjoyed visiting with friends, celebrating the holidays, doing a little maxxing and relaxxing and eating everything in sight. It was a self-indulgent few days, but I deserved it!

Whenever I come back to SF, I sort of slip back into a routine. I may hit the gym. I definitely enjoy drinks at the bar with Beetle, Roommates A&J, Mahogany Sparkle and Lucy Ricardo. I end up on at least one big night out (this time courtesy of Blanca and Mattress). I eat Mexican and Japanese food. I get to meet recently born babies. I even end up doing some work-type activities.

I do miss my SF life.

Cat people

Walking home after dinner with Reebs and her husband, Puppy and I were discussing our cat nanny, the lady who visits with Stefano Di Mera and Victor Kiriakis when we're both out of town. We described how she got around with a cane, loves to eat the sweets in our home and leaves cards describing how she spends her time with the cats.

Just seconds after we discussed the nanny, we heard a lady exclaim, "Hello cat people!" and lo and behold, it was her! She was making her way down the street, wrapped in a black wool coat, a hat and a fur muffler around her neck, which she said was "a former client." Cane in hand, she intercepted us, gave us hugs and asked what special treats we'd leave for her during her Christmastime visit. She complimented Puppy on the banana pudding he made when she last visited.

I don't know how I feel about being referred to as "cat people" in the neighborhood.

Photographer Panda!!!!

After a very tasty dinner last night with Puppy's friends from New York and friends from Lynn, we all went to the nearby gay bar and enjoyed some Friday night libations. DJ Mother Nature met up with us and it was a pretty fun night out.

A tall, pasty, dull-seeming fellow took a liking to Puppy and started chatting him up and doing some lash-batting. Apparently, he was in town for the weekend from Austin and he was looking for fun things to do. Discussion turned to where we should go next and DJ Mother Nature offered to take the new fellow to a different, hopefully more lively bar. But before they left, our friend from Austin wanted to remember his night with Puppy forever, so he pulled out his phone and asked me to take their photo together. The first two didn't come out properly, so I had to do it three times.

Fortunately for everyone involved, Puppy went home with me, but DJ Mother Nature did take the Texan to his next destination. Maybe he pulled a Jersey Shore-style "robbery!"

Happy birthday, whoever you are

Fleshjack came to town for a good friend's birthday, so Puppy and I joined him for the festivities. We hoped that the party, located around the corner from us, would be a good way to meet people in Boston and would serve as a fun Saturday night event.

It had all the makings of a good party - a beautiful home, red velvet cupcakes, bacon-wrapped hot dogs, a boozey punch and a pageant theme. We didn't, however, do a great job at mingling. As soon as I met a couple who attended my undergraduate alma mater, we basically stood in a corner and chatted for the duration of the night.

And when it was time to leave the home and head out to dance, dance, dance all night, Puppy and I opted to just go home. We are, after all, very old.

The outcome was sort of disappointing since I still cannot recall the name of the birthday boy. Puppy also reported that the red velvet cupcakes were dry.

The big greasy

It's been a few days since I've returned from New Orleans, and I still haven't fully recovered. I think I'm still catching up on sleep and my body is still detoxing from all the excess. I haven't been to the gym and my gut has grown increasingly soft. I guess I'm just not as resilient as I used to be.

New Orleans is a city known for its rich, delicous food and I believe I sampled my fair share during the weekend (not that I remember everything). For the big birthday dinner bash, Lezzie N organized a very nice 3-course meal accompanied by an open bar. Clearly, that meal is lost somewhere in my "memory."

While everyone else did a swamp tour, Selives and I had some local lunch favorites. I opted for a nice jambalaya and he had red beans and rice. It was a good way to line our stomachs with grease while I recovered from the previous night out. No boat rides for this panda!

And in the hour before I flew back home, I ran back into the French Quarter, ordered up a fried shrimp po boy and ate it by the river. It was like a little picnic with the homeless! Only I had a really good meal and the others had none.

The big easy

I just landed in New Orleans to celebrate Mahogany Sparkle's and Lezzie P's joint birthday party. With a rowdy group of 21, I don't know that the French Quarter will be the same again.