Massachusetts. November 28 - December 6, 2025.

A few months ago Anne and I said we would go to a few BSO concerts with Joe P and Emmie.  On Saturday 11/29 the concert will include Dvorak's cello concerto and his symphony No. 8.  For this year, Emmie is on the NEC Preparatory String Orchestra (PSO).  Her concert for this season is December 6, the following Saturday.  So instead of coming up to the area twice, we decided to stick around for the week.  It would be nice to spend some extended time here anyway.

Then Anne's dental problems got in the way.  She needed a couple of her teeth looked at, and given our mid-December trip to Europe, doing it sooner is better than later.  Her dentist could see her early Tuesday, so she would return to NJ on Monday.  If the process goes well, she will come back to Boston.

Meanwhile, Ember Community Church will have her first public service on November 30, so we plan to attend that as well.

Friday 11/28/2025.  Our original flight was to leave Newark at around 5 pm, and arrive Boston at around 6:30 pm.  I probably picked it because I didn't know what the day after Thanksgiving would be like, and probably because that flight is considerably cheaper than earlier flights.

Today there were Newark to Boston flights that left at 3 and 4 pm as well.  So we decided to standby for the 3 pm flight.  One thing I didn't take into account was that United flights could leave from Terminal C or A.  If the 3 pm and subsequent flights were to leave from different terminals, that would be an interterminal transfer, which would be a bit stressful.  Last time I went standby (from Boston to Newark) I was on a standby that was somewhat stressful also.  Today the process worked quite smoothly.  We got our seat assignments at around 2:25 pm, before boarding began.  With pre-boarding we got on early and found places for our rollies.  Middle seats are tolerable for a short flight such as today's.

Alamo Car counter was quiet, three agents, and I was the first off the bus.  The agent said since we were renting the car 2 hours early, the rental would cost $120 more.  This was a first for me (I have encountered problems before with early returns).  After I said I would sit at the terminal for a couple of hours to save the $120, she offered to see what she could do.  It ended up being about $20 more expensive, which was okay.  The "standard SUV" is a Nissan Rogue, which is quite a bit bigger than I expected.

Because of possible conflicts with visit from Jess's sister, Joe P booked a hotel room (award) for the evening.  Turned out that wasn't necessary, but we decided to stay there for the night, and take advantage of the free breakfast the next morning.

Accommodation: Hyatt Place Medford (1 night).

Saturday 11/29/2025.  Anne and I went to the Harvard Museum of Natural History and ended up spending quite a few hours looking at the impressive exhibits.  In the same building is the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology.  Many exhibits are covered up, as part of their "Ethical Stewardship in Action" initiative, awaiting a team to decide on their appropriateness for display; other exhibits have been returned to the appropriate communities.  Perhaps that's why we didn't see a display of Mayan sacrifices; or we simply missed it.  I find it hypocritical to not acknowledge a civilization's dark past (and every civilization has a dark past), while at the same time touting great strides such civilizations have made in the arts and science.  If I recall correctly, the British Museum's display on Assyrians covers both their great achievements as well as their brutality.

The extensive collection of Glass Flowers was created by a father-and-son team of Czech artists.

The Glyptodont was a relative of the armadillo.  They just weighed in at about 1000 kg.  The species died out 10,000 to 15,000 years ago.

This kronosaurus from Queensland, Australia is about 135 million years old.  The skeleton is 42 feet long.

Diversity of hummingbirds.

The museum has a large of collection of beetles donated by David Rockefeller.

A Mayan altar from Honduras, dated from the 8th century AD.  Peabody Museum.

"Why is this case empty?"  Peabody Museum.

"Ethical Stewardship in Action."  Some may consider this an erasure of some group's cultural heritage.

It was about 3 pm when we got to Harvard Square, and we grab some pastries and coffee at Tatte (a subsidiary of Panera Bread, Jess told me later; turns out it is now majority owned by Panera's founder).  Food was okay, and quite overpriced (perhaps everything is nowadays).

After eating leftover for dinner at Putnam, the four of us (Joe P and Emmie) drove down to Symphony Hall for a BSO all-Dvorak concert.

Pablo Ferrandez and Samy Rachid after the Dvorak Cello Concerto.

Accommodation: Putnam Road (rest of trip).

Sunday 11/30/2025.  Emmie's fellowship group was to do the first advent candle lighting and scripture reading.  Anne and I drove to CBCGB in Lexington, saw the "event" and left for Quincy.

Lighting of candle and scripture reading for first Advent Sunday at CBCGB, Lexington, MA.

Another reason we visited was to attend the first public service of Ember Community Church.  I have been involved with the planning activities of this church for several months.  We got to Quincy at about 12 pm.  The service started at 1 pm, with refreshments and cleanup (Anne did a lot of the cleanup), we were done at about 5 pm.  We picked up some items from a nearby Stop and Shop before having dinner with the start-up team at 6 pm, at South Garden Seafood Restaurant in Quincy.

Selfie with Anny, Susanna, and Kam.  Anne was an usher.

Pastor Barry and his wife Sophie.

Overflow seating in Upper Room.

Kam, Susanna, Anny, Anne and I in front of photo booth.

About 30 people showed up at the dinner.  (I used Apple Intelligence to "erase" a couple of people on the right.  The result is a couple of headless people.)

Monday 12/1/2025.  Anne had to return to NJ to have her teeth fixed, so I dropped her off at around 10 am (for a noon flight).  CBCGB has a monthly meeting for retirees, called the Joshua Fellowship, which I attended.  That included lunch.

Afterwards I went to Somerville Parking to get a permit for the week.  The wait was a bit wrong, but the agent was reasonably good natured about my lack of documentation for the rental car, offering to take as "proof" the photo I took of the license plate.  (Now one can argue why do they need to be so specific.)  Parking at the Parking Office is always a problem - which I find rather ironic.

Tuesday 12/2/2025.  This morning was spent trying to monitor Anne's dental situation (not that much information can be had while her teeth were being worked on).  It turned out okay, and she plans to fly back up tomorrow.  Ellie was with her during the dentist visit.

Lunch was with Joe and Jess at An Nam in Assembly Square.

It has been raining since around noon today.

Wednesday 12/3/2025.  I took CC and DN Costco shopping after they got out of school, and then it was off to the airport to pick up Anne.  She felt good enough to fly back up.

Thursday 12/4/2025.  Weather turned cold today.  It started in the 30s in the morning, and will get to single digit by tomorrow morning.

We tried our luck to see if we can find parking near the Harvard Museums, and luck smiled on us.  We found parking on Kirkland Street, a couple of minutes away from the Museum of Ancient Near East.  It's displays are in three major areas: Assyria, Egypt, and Mesopotamia (that's my recollection, anyway).  There is a lot of information on the web on how the museum has been using silicone to make models of artifacts.  Perhaps something of interest to students of archaeology methods, the rest of us just want to learn something about the civilizations.

With my disappointment at my British Museum Assyria experience, I was somewhat hoping Harvard would save the day.  It didn't.  If I had no prior exposure to Assyria, all I learned was how lack of beard would indicate the person was a eunuch; how the "good" guys were made to be bigger in size than the "bad" guys; how the lion represented the enemy (thus killed in close quarters); and scattered facts about various kings.  I didn't find the other two displays particularly illuminating either.

Reconstruction of a village house from the Iron Age II (1000-586BC).

Slaying of a lion.

In front of the Stele of Esarhaddon

Dream Stele in front of the Sphinx.

After lunch at Kelly's Roast Beef, we stopped by Hong Kong Supermarket (used to be Asian Market) to buy groceries for tonight's meal.

When I looked for classical concerts in the area this week, I saw that Boston Conservatory (of Berklee) was going to do a "dry run" of their concert in Carnegie Hall tomorrow (12/5).  The program certainly looked interesting, and it's rather easy to get to the venue: Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.  The acoustics in the cathedral was such that all the sounds were blended together.  I left during the intermission.  It was getting very cold in the intervening two hours, Joe came to Assembly station to pick me up.

Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

Boston Conservatory Orchestra.

Friday 12/5/2025.  We left for Lighthouse Fellowship a bit after 9 am to attend the Ember Finance meeting.  This was followed by lunch at Granite Links with Ember Board members. The location has a beautiful view of the Boston skyline.

At about 3 pm we returned the rental car from Alamo to the airport.  The weren't enough agents to handle the cars that came in, so we were told to just leave the car behind.  For a while I was worried I never got the final bill from them, turns out it was sent to another email address of mine.

We had dinner at 90 Putnam.  Jess cooked.

Saturday 12/6/2025.  PSO's concert was at around 9:15 am, we got to the area early enough that I could take DD and CC to Dunkin' for breakfast.  After the performance Emmie went for her Robotics competition, and Jess dropped us off at the airport.

With both sets of grandparents.

We were there early enough to catch an earlier flight at around noon, which we could confirm right away (instead of being on standby).  And we had enough time to stop by the Chase Sapphire Lounge; the lounge visit was a bit of a disappointment.

Our flight in a commuter plane was uneventful.  I got to try out the free Starlink WiFi on the plane, and it was fast.  We took an Uber home.

455 mb/s download speed.  Of course one can't do much with it on a short 50 minute commuter flight.

Hong Kong. November 7 - 17, 2025.

As excuses go, this is probably one of the flimsiest I have offered.  Last time I met up with my "fellow" scouts in Hong Kong, they were talking about a planned "Grand Union."  I said I would come if the timing is correct.  Indeed, GR2 started on Saturday November 8, and for some dedicated folks the event would end with a multi-day trip to Taiwan.  My plans are to attend a few get-together meals during this week.

Friday 11/7.  My flights to HKG were the exact same ones we took in March.  A 6 am flight meant I could at best get a couple of hours of sleep the night before.  And I couldn't fall asleep except perhaps dozing off every now and then (Apple Watch couldn't get any sleep data).  I started to get ready at about 3:20 am, and Anne got up at 3:40 pm, all so that she could drop me off early enough.

I also chose to bring over two bottles of wine for Tim.  The Touchless ID drop off line was long, but the 1K counters were quite empty, and checking luggage there didn't take long at all.  Just to jump ahead, the wine survived the trip.

I bought economy tickets but used my Plus Points to get on the upgrade list.  For UA2434 (EWR-LAX) there were many empty seats in Premium Economy, and I was reasonably high on the list.  At about 5 am I began to notice people getting upgraded, but they all seemed to be people behind me in the queue.  I got the last seat just as I was about to board, and it was 22E, a middle seat.  Not ideal, and probably not much better than an aisle seat in Premium Economy.  They do serve meals in the cabin, and - as last time - I was served two eggs meals.

A lot of people behind me on the upgrade list were cleared.  I got the last empty seat in Premium Economy.  Not sure what happened.

Breakfast was being served at the LAX United Club, and I had more eggs.  It was a lot more crowded than March, though.

The LAX United Club was very busy today.

UA152 (LAX-HKG) was fully booked with only a few upgrades and a long list of waitlisted passengers.  I stayed in coach, and it felt reasonably okay as I had an aisle seat.  The flight, at more than 15 hours, did feel a bit long.  Again didn't get much sleep on the plane - the Sleep APP showed "no data."  I watched two movies: Jurassic World Rebirth and Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning.  The two combined lasted over five hours.

I had some problem with the USB charger on the plane, so it is important to always bring along a fully charged battery pack.  (TIP/HINT)

Saturday 11/8.  The plane arrived on time, and luggage showed up soon afterwards.

Joe T was at a conference nearby, so we met up and had dinner at the airport (some Japanese restaurant), and he drove me to Causeway Bay.

I slept well tonight.  The Sleep APP gave me a first ever Excellent score.

Sunday 11/9.  Tim and Whitney picked me up around 10 am, and we went for a boat ride to Lamma Island, joined by a couple Raymond and Carmen, whom I had met before.  We all did the walk from Sok Kwu Wan to Yung Shue Wan, about 3 miles, a little over an hour.  It was easier than I remembered.  Lunch was at a Dim Sum restaurant in YS Wan, a place where the customer has to go grab the dishes as they come off the kitchen.

After returning to Causeway Bay, I went to the optical shop to have a lens replaced to accommodate my "new" eyesight after cataract surgery.

"French Toast" served at Glee Cafe next to the optical shop.

Dinner was leftover lunch, supplemented by a trip to Cafe de Coral.  I ended up eating many meals at various CdCs.

Monday 11/10.  As she did last year around this time, Pauline L plans to be in Hong Kong for most of November to be with her parents.  We met up for lunch at Hika Causeway Bay.  While dinner can be pricey at this restaurant, the set lunch menu is okay price-wise, and offers a variety of food items.

Pauline and I have known each other for about 30 years.

Of the 45 or so scouts attending the re-union, 12 showed up tonight for a Christian fellowship.  We shared our life stories, and had communion together.  The event lasted close to four hours (5:30 pm to about 9:15).  People shared their joys, their regrets, their struggles, their journeys in faith, and their insights.

While DBS is an Anglican school, I don't remember encountering many Christians during my years there.  Indeed more than 1/2 of those present became Christians after high school.

The Christians among the GR2 participants had a dinner together for communion and fellowship.  It is interesting that no denomination issues came up at all.

Tuesday 11/11.  I met up with Arthur for coffee at Fineprint Happy Valley.  He was quite positive about his health, and hoped that he would be visiting the US in the coming year.  I have known Arthur since my college days.

I went to Central Plaza in Wan Chai to meet with some bank personnel.

The evening was the "main event" of GR2.  More than 50 people were in attendance, with many from overseas (about 10 each from the US and Canada).  The gentleman I sat next to is three years ahead of me.  He offered to take me back to Causeway Bay so we could chat some more.  He lives in Yau Yat Chuen, which is only a few minutes away from school, taking me to CWB was quite a detour.

We all signed our names on this scarf.  I botched mine, but did put down my year next to my name (1969).

This set of steps leading down to the field is a popular location for photos.

This is at the GR2 dinner.  Seated in the middle is the current headmaster, and next to me is Crystal, the official (but unpaid) historian of Kowloon Troop No. 6.

I picked up my glasses with one lens replaced to accommodate the cataract surgery.  It was frustrating as my two eyes didn't seem to coordinate properly (or was it my brain).  I hope the brain can eventually adjust.  (Actually things were better the next day, still not perfect, and I have to be extra slow, and extra cautious, when coming down a set of stairs.)

Two projects across the street on Caroline Hill Road started at about the same time.  The one on the left is a commercial project, it's now over 20 storeys high.  The one on the right is basically still a hole in the ground.  One thing it doesn't speak to is government efficiency, for which the HK Government used to be well-known..

For HK$81 I got these two trays' worth of food.  (Behind the covered soup there was half a salted egg.) Quantity, but not necessarily quality.

Wednesday 11/12.  I spent half a day in Stanley Market, to get the Chinese name of Maisie written out in "flowery script," and to buy some clothes for the Garsson kids.  I also bought a small drone for the grandchildren to play with.

Tim gave me hyaluronic acid injections in both knees.  Today the shots were painless.

Thursday 11/13.  The GR2 event of the day was a hike on Lamma Island, in the reverse order I did on Sunday.  I decided to not go for the hike, but would meet up with them for dinner when they got to Sok Kwu Wan.  A ferry ride from Central to SKW takes a little over 30 minutes, with the ferries cruising at about 20 mph.  Lamma Island is very quiet on a regular weekday evening, and we were the only table at The Lamma Mandarin Seafood Restaurant (I think that's where we ate, one of the few that are not part of the Rainbow chain in SKW).  There were 8 of us (7 of them did the hike).  A couple of restaurants down were quite a few DBS alumni from class of 1975, celebrating their 50th reunion.

Lunch at Pepper Lunch in Hysan Place.

View of HK skyline (Northwest part of island) from the Ferry.

West of HK Island.  Queen Mary Hospital can be seen in the background.

Photograph taken together with people attending the 1975 class reunion.  This was at Rainbow Restaurant, Sok Kwu Wan, Lamma Island.

Friday 11/14.  Joe Tang and I had lunch at Luk Yu Tea House.  I must have written about the place before.  For some, this old restaurant, which opened in 1933, hold a specific nostalgic value.  For others it is just a place that is snobbish and serve overpriced dim sum.  We ordered only a few dishes, and the bill came to about HK$700.

After lunch we took the Central Escalator to Robinson Road, where Joe and Alex live.  Liliana will be celebrating her 100th day birthday (evidently that's a thing nowadays) on Sunday. They had a family photo session, so they picked up Eden from Kindergarten early to drive to Saikung.

Tea (kind of like a cover charge) costs HK$42 per person.

With Lilianna.  In Joe's new apartment.

The Kindergarten Eden goes to is run by the church Anne attended as a teenager.  I ran into someone who claimed she remembered her and some of her fellow St. Paul's Coed students.

I had no plans for the afternoon, so I decided to give Yuen Long a go.  Many years ago Alfred started a restaurant there; it soon closed.  Today it is a home for the elderly, if I go by the address.

A home for the elderly is now at Cafe-a-Roma's location.

Dinner was at a Chiu Chow Restaurant.  Alyson and Johnson joined us.

Saturday 11/15.  Considering it's been close to a week, it was about time I mixed up some time zone differences.  Indeed I called into an Ember meeting scheduled for Saturday evening Boston - thus Sunday morning Hong Kong.  That would mean I had a completely free day.

I started out at around noon, and first took the MTR to Hang Hau.  I spend a couple of years of my childhood in Hang Hau, although I really have no recollection of the place (Mang Kung Uk specifically).  In any case, Hang Hau is quite developed these days, with modern looking shopping centers.  After spending some time there, I caught Minibus No. 16.  At first I was going to stop by Clearwater Bay or Tai Wan Tau, but decided to ride the bus to the terminus - Po Toi O.  It's a small, sleepy village.  As today is Saturday, I guess this is as busy as it gets.

Sign inside a Minibus.  Singapore calls itself a fine city; Hong Kong wants to do even better.  To be fair, wearing a seatbelt in these minibuses is not a bad idea.

Quite a few boats moored in the area.  But the village was very quiet.

Po Toi O Chuen Road is the main (and only) road through the village.

This used to be a common sight when I was a kid growing up in Hong Kong.  Indeed Luk Yu was often frequented by bird lovers who would bring these cages into the restaurant.  This photo was shot at Po Toi O.

When we were here this past March we bought octopus cards for Ellie's family.  I returned them for credit on my card, it was about HK$750.

Sunday 11/16.  Today is my last full day for this trip.  It started with an Ember BoD meeting.

It was then a mad dash to Wan Chai, and I made it on time for the GR2 farewell lunch.  About 24 people showed up.  I sat next to this person (Paul) who sells horses for a living.  He buys yearlings (mostly in New Zealand and Australia), raises them on a farm in NZ, and then sells them to prospective horse owners when the animals are three years old.  Some interesting numbers: there are about 1200 race horses in Hong Kong, the upkeep is between HK$50,000 to $70,000 per month; each race day sees about 140 in action (14 per race, 10 races); horses typically retire at age 6; he has 55 horses in New Zealand (so that means he sells 25 to 30 a year); and there are more people who want to own horses than allotments.  It is fascinating how specific industries work.

Alex and Joe Tang had a dinner to celebrate their child's 100th day - a custom I wasn't aware of until now.  They originally planned it for lunch today, and I thus couldn't come.  He texted me to say it is now a dinner event, and they could squeeze me in.  (It indeed was a squeeze, see photo below.)  The venue is University of Hong Kong, which the MTR now reaches.  HKU has a sprawling campus, but Google Maps did a reasonable job of navigating me there.  I got to meet quite a few people I know through Hope HK, and some of Joe's and Alex's relatives.  There were quite a few small babies there, but overall they were quite well-behaved.

Nathan and Sharon were going to take a taxi back to Happy Valley, so I rode along with them.

Today's Senior Appreciation Day, those with the applicable cards got their charges waived.  (Well, it's HK$2 per ride otherwise.)

I started packing this afternoon.

At the 100-day celebration for Liliana.  There was a time of prayer and worship during the dinner.

I see some of these people quite often, at Hope HK events.

Joe T calls this "HOPE's original team reunited with babies."  Sadee is the baby's name.

Monday 11/17.  My flight HKG to LAX was to depart at 11:25 am.  I woke up early enough to think I would have a lot of time.  Somehow I managed to have only about 10 minutes for a quick bite at the Chase Lounge at HKG.

One reason was I hesitated between Uber Taxi and Uber.  For rush hour Uber is a safer choice.  Another nugget is that JoyYou card holders get 50% off Airport Express.  (HINT/TIP)

A hastily assembled - and consumed - breakfast at HKG Chase Sapphire Lounge.

For UA153 I got upgraded to Premium Economy (I think there was only one seat left).  It was a middle seat again, but at the bulk head, making stepping over the aisle passengers relatively easy.  And I conclude (perhaps again?) that the 787 is a better plane for economy and premium economy passengers.  The person sitting next to me started his day in SGN (same plane); we shared a bit of our travel stories.

I didn't sleep much - if at all - on this flight.  Watched two movies - Superman (2025) and Captain America: Brave New World.  I am quite sure I had seen the second one before.

All seats were taken in the business cabin (this screen shot is the front half; the rest of the cabin was also full).

Yet this would indicate there were still 14 available seats.  Similar situations with other flights I checked.

The flight touched down early (7:30 am arrival, scheduled for 8:05) but had to wait about 1/2 hour for a gate - so it was technically on time, but somehow still managed to get customers quite frustrated.  The MPC lane was slow today; the officer said Lanes 65 and 66 would have worked better.  Not sure why the line agent didn't tell us that.  All said and done, it was 9 am when I got to the UA Club in Terminal 7; well, waiting and then giving up on the transfer bus didn't help.

UA2127 worked a lot better, even though I was in coach.  It landed at 6:03 pm, but again had to wait a little for a gate.  So I was at the curb just a bit before Anne showed up to drive me home.

It was good to be home.  Anne had bought some food from a nearby Panda Express.