Every two years the East-West Center, a Honolulu-based Asia-Pacific research institute that funded my M.A. studies in Hawaii, holds an alumni conference biennially somewhere in Asia. Having served as the official photographer for the last three conferences (Hanoi in 2006, Bali in 2008, and Honolulu in 2010), I almost had to miss the conference this time around despite it being held here in Beijing. Another job in Los Angeles came up at the same time as the conference, but the week before the conference the job dates got pushed back, so I was able to join my dear friends as they gathered from all over Asia to pose for my camera. Ok, so they actually came for the booze and partying, not my camera. But alas it’s nice to think they enjoy having me blind them at every conference with my rapidly firing flash. When it causes them to trip and fall I just blame it on the booze of course.
This year’s conference featured yellow dancing dragons, a dapper US ambassador, loquacious Chinese technocrats, a cute 6-year-old who stole my wife’s heart, and the usual crowd of rambunctious older alumni who can actually afford to come attend the conferences. Fortunately a dozen or so of the younger crowd I knew from my time at EWC made it to Beijing for the conference as well, including my good friend Wilmar who I hadn’t seen since a 2007 visit to LA. We commemorated our reunion with a “special” picture on the Great Wall together, and by special many of you know what I mean. There is a reason that picture didn’t make it onto the website.
The next conference location has yet to be fully decided, but it looks like it might be a tossup between Manila, Okinawa, and Seoul. I’m hoping to be there for my fifth alumni conference in a row!
