Derek has the most fabulous house I've ever been to, honestly. And that includes the mansions of the Marcoses and the sundry presidential palaces I've had on my sightseeing itinerary whenever I traveled overseas. That's because Derek's house is not only old; it's a living, breathing creature.
Derek collects antiques and various objet d'art. Silver, ivory, crystalware, scrolls, screens, furniture, rugs... His collection lies proudly in display around the house, gloriously eclectic but miraculously pulled together. It's a reflection of Derek, himself, who is a colourful, multi-faceted character.
Derek's house is a proper house. And that's a rarity in Central Hong Kong. A property like this, even in the luxury segment, comes along, like, never. It's gobsmack on Upper Albert Road, in the middle of the city's iconic skscrapers. When your'e on Derek's roof top, you can almost touch IM Pei's Bank of China or Lord Norman Foster's HSBC. That's why I immediately knew I wanted to have Mr Gay Hong Kong's first official pictorial at Derek's house. Happily, he agreed.
Last Friday night, Derek threw what was likely to be his final birthday party in his fabulous home. The wrecking ball is coming (insert collective cussing here) to make way for yet another skyscraper.
So we partied and had a good, old time.
Derek had four Filipino helpers to assist him with entertaining the guests. His kitchen was like a suburb of Manila. I missed speaking Filipino so much, I spent most of the time hanging out with my four, new tita's.
Billecart-Salmon Rosé flowed. Like, really flowed. Like a flood.
And what did I pair it with?
Doritos.
This is Octavia. She is young, beautiful, and sassy. She can be a future Miss Hong Kong, if she wants. She can be anything she wants to be.
And this is Mandy, who likes champagne just as much as I do. She likes Louis Roederer more than Billecart, but who are we to be so picky? After all, the master of the house curated his guest list with just as much thought as he curates the rest of his life... We were grateful to be amongst such objects of beauty.
Besides, when you're swimming in so much champagne, you simply let the bubbly do its work. And when you close your eyes, you may even - for a while - block out the image of the horrible wrecking ball.
Bye-bye, fabulous house.
And happy birthday, dear Derek!
With Affection,
James
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