Surviving is hard but oh so much fun (sometimes)
Everybody back to work so the Old China Hands lunch 1 June saw some 22 participants “only”.
Nevertheless everybody was happily chatting with each other.
We are now looking at the hot summer months when attendance could be rather low but yes, we keep it on.
Be ready for the upcoming lunch on Friday 6 July, then later on Friday 3 August on what will probably be a “Beijing sauna” day!
This time a very special occasion: the Old China Hands lunch 4 May was our fifth anniversary! We also beat our attendance record with far over forty people. On top of that, the birthday of our friend Raja who is one of the OCH with the longest history here. Click the link to watch Raja’s celebration:
It was a fun lunch with people pretty happy and excited. Even for once I was pictured!
The “member” list is now just under 100, it is always kept up to date. Some people leave Beijing, some new people join and – yes – some people are removed if they don’t show up or don’t RSVP.
This time, more pics than the usual!
A great many thanks to our friend Greg who made a movie of the event. As it is pretty large I had to put it on YouTube (yeah need VPN in China – the link is https://youtu.be/4DE4dILH1lEZ):
Be ready for Friday 1 June, our upcoming lunch.
Our Old China Hands lunch 6 April saw again a “normal” attendance level with 26 people present, despite the fact it was an official holiday, Tomb Sweeping Day, but then again no excuses that one had to work. As usual many people traveling, for holidays or work.
We also had a surprise visitor: the Belgian Consul General in Shanghai, with his family. He actually happens to be an OCH!
Another very relaxing lunch with good food.
The next lunch will on Friday 4 May and it will be a special date: our 5th anniversary of OCH!
I can’t believe how time flies, we have never missed one lunch in those six years and always at the same location, Morel’s Restaurant.
This time our Old China Hands lunch 2 March saw a pretty normal attendance of exactly 28 people. All pretty normal also – lots of good conversations, food and drinks.
Yes I have the pictures, posted here a bit late as I was away most of March to work on my books in Phuket (no joke! And the book is about JOKES!).
I am back in time for the upcoming lunch on Friday 6 April!
We had a real quiet lunch on Friday 5 January, when many were still on their way back or just busy after the festivities, with “only” some fifteen attendants. Yeah it was so hectic I forget for the first time in years to make pictures!
One month later at the Old China Hands lunch 2 February we reached the other extreme, with a record attendance of 38 people.
Again, the wide mix of nationalities, the usual “hard core” and the pleasure to have our Belgian ambassador as a special guest.
This time, yes, pictures!
The following one is planned for Friday 6 April.