by Mike Souza

It was time again for another social event after a short break from the holidays. We decided to have the party at Chin’s House Restaurant in Brisbane for the Chinese motif. This was our third time at this location, and we have seen an increase in attendance of about 15-20% each time. At a little over a hundred members and guests, the place was just about at capacity. If the trend bears out, and we continue at this run-rate, we shall have to scout for a larger facility for the next party. This is in part because Lusitano Club saw growth in unprecedented numbers just in the last six months. The increase in new membership was easily twice the rate of attrition, mostly from non-payment of dues.

It seemed like everyone showed up together right on-time, and the chattering quickly reached a crescendo a few decibels above the Bossa Nova that DJ Chris Brown had playing...the party was in gear! Beer, soft drinks, and authentic Portuguese Vinho da Mesa and hors d’oeuvres were being served just as Peter Chan arrived with the Chinese-style roast suckling pig. This pig-thing has become regular fare at our parties.

It was encouraging to see some new members at this party. Christopher Xavier and Madeleine Blanco are two chums that I’ve known practically forever, from my boyhood days at Escola Camões in Hong Kong. Christopher’s sister Fernanda was my classmate at Camões and George Washington High in San Francisco. His brother Tony is also a long-time friend who I have not seen in years. And Mrs. Blanco will let me know if I’ve misspelled her name. I was hoping to see her husband Bernardo there...oh, well, next time. Chris Brown’s uncles Bernard and Fred were also there partaking in the festivities.

I was asked by several people if I was going to give a guitar/vocal performance this time. When I replied “I’m sorry, not this time,” I was not sure from their reactions whether they were disappointed...or relieved! However, I do hope it’s the former. I’d rather you get a belly-ache from an over-indulgence of food and wine. However, since there were so many requests, I’ll see what I can throw together next time. And if I can give someone a bad case of indigestion because they don’t care for my musical talents (or in their opinion, a lack thereof), then maybe they deserve it!

Dinner was served buffet style. This time, I should mention, the food seemed to be a little slow coming from the kitchen at first. But once the manager was alerted, the situation improved. It was a nice assortment of entrees, with something to please everyone’s palate. Dessert came in the form of a large cake decorated with “Kung Hay Fay Choy” in English and Chinese. Kristen & Stacy Ozorio, Ian Brown Leung, Allison Saborido showed-off to their proud parents when they served cake to a hundred people, without dropping a single morsel! Besides the cake, Maria Roliz also had another surprise for us: Red Lai-See envelops with the new gold-tone dollar pieces in them. That’s an improvement over the gold chocolate coins we got last year...or was it?