In midst of the lingering and worrisome protests that are happening everywhere in our city on a nearly daily basis, I managed to keep my social life intact and engaged in many rare and satisfying meetups this week…

It started off with a buffet lunch to celebrate my calligraphy classmate’s 91st bday on Tuesday! I drew him an ink portrait and had everyone signed during class. He was really happy that day, ate a lot of food, and even tricked us by paying the entire bill himself while getting a cup of coffee!

Then came the long awaited date with the girl-I-like on Thur. evening. She dressed up beautifully and had makeup on. I, on the other hand, did put on my jeans and shoes, an improvement already from my usual attire of shorts and flip flops. It’s been months (or even a year?) since I last met up with her, but it didn’t take too long for us to catch up and start engaging in more genuine conversations. I’m not much of a foodie, but I really enjoy sharing a meal with her and seeing her satisfying smile. Asked her out to see an exhibition together later this month. May God continue to bless this relationship.

The week ended with 2 more separate mini reunions, one with my primary school classmates and the other with my university fellowship, and both meetups happened because of friends visiting from US. The fellowship friend said he hasn’t been back to HK for 11 years and was transiting here only briefly for a day from a business trip. Glad we made it to meet up with him late last night in TST in midst of chaotic protests in the district.

As the protests in our city becomes ever more chaotic, I seem to yearn for closer relationships and cherish the time more when I’m with family and friends. At the same time, I also seem to be more easily irritated by loud noises and bickering. Honestly, I’m getting more and more tired of following the protest news and trying to sieve rights from wrongs. Can we take a break and get a little breather?