Happy #LunarNewYear everyone. THESE pics represent possibly the most special+memorable pre-New Years celebration dinners I’ve ever experienced in my 40 years of life. A very good friend, film director Stephane Gauger of indie #OwlandtheSparrow fame that I had the pleasure of working on+with in my previous life, unexpectedly passed away last month in Saigon+so many people gathered, shared and mourned in his honor last weekend in OC. After the memorial, many of our close circle of friends wanted to get together in his honor to remember him... and this dinner... this gathering... this serendipitously timed celebration of our Vietnamese heritage and our love+respect for our dear friend re-iterates how important it is to me to not take for granted our finite lives on this earth and our relationships with the ones we love. We ate (a shitload) of Vietnamese food. We drank (some stuff that’s so stiff for me, because I admittedly am a pussy when it comes to liquor... #sorrynotsorry😭) in his honor, and we played a traditional Vietnamese kids gambling game #baucuacacop most of us haven’t played since we were wee lil ones (the median age of the room I estimate is... I THINK 40??? #dontkillmeguys BUT #asiandontraisin 😅) in possibly the rowdiest+most raucous session I’ve ever personally experienced. And in that moment, I was reminded about how uncomfortable+confused I was with being Vietnamese growing up in North Dallas... but now I’m all growns up and these traditions I took for granted as a shy+quiet not trying to be different+made-fun of-anymore-than-I-already-was-child I am SO proud+happy to share LOUDLY with others. I’m so happy Stephane brought us all together, that he was part of a special time in my life and will remember him always. I’m so happy to pass all these customs down to our cutest Cillían so that he’ll have a sense of community+foundation that he’ll hopefully cherish as well when he grows up. Most of all, I’m just so happy to be Vietnamese-American, and I wouldn’t have it any other way 👍 #yearofthedog #adventuresinstarrykitchen #failingupwards #stephanegauger
