It’s the second time I’ve gotten coffee from this lady. The first time she didn’t think I spoke Cantonese, so she said to her coworker, “Wow he’s really handsome.” I looked at her with understanding and said thank you.

A couple months later, I see her again, and she mutters under her breath, just loud enough for me to hear, “He really is handsome.” This makes me feel good.

We love compliments. Asian cultures don’t often use their words to express affection. Because I sometimes exhibit cowardice and for the sake of this blog, I’ll write down some compliments here for my friends.

1. Trevor has a kind caring heart. He visited me in the hospital many times and tried to pull his doctor connections to get me through the emergency room faster. He also has a nice smile. He would be an excellent politician with his true North.

2. Teresa also has a nice smile. Is kind, real, isn’t ashamed to be herself, and is quick to laugh and be joyous. What a great trait!

3. Uday loves coding. You can tell he feels it in his bones. He has a knack for solving coding problems  and that translates to everything else in life.

4. James looks good without hair. He is a leader. Whether that is from learning on the job or being a natural at it, whatever it is, he’s put in the necessary and hard work to get to where he’s at now.

5. Joe is a world traveler and has a heart that deeply feels.

6. Jae can command a room with his presence.

7. Aidan is loud in all the right ways.

8. Emily looks great for her age. Her friend Shegalla too.

9. Fabio is the best bjj teacher in Hong Kong and his gym is making a statement.

10. Greig can beat your ass and also has a heart that has a large capacity to listen, care, and feel. I will regret having never gone skiing with him.

11. Christina is the best out of all of us. She can laugh, listen, be serious, get things done, be a supermom, command a stage, sing, rock a baby to sleep while giving a presentation on mental health, be a superhero, care deeply, cook delicious shabbat food, and much more. If I didn’t meet Christina during my time in Hong Kong, my time would’ve been robbed of more than half of its goodness.

12. Wes is funny. He doesn’t turn away when I jokingly shove the karaoke mic down his throat. He claps with his feet and is himself no matter who’s in the room.

13. Kelly is musically gifted.

14. Jojo is the most gifted person I’ve met at thinking of funny puns on the spot.

15. If Joy from Inside Out was an actual person, it would be Karene.

16. Gabe possesses deep theological knowledge.

17. Flo would be famous if she worked in Hollywood because of her administrative, organized, leader-heavy, and scrupulous personality. Even with all of this, she’s joyful, funny, and kind.

18. Sophie is good looking.

19. Alex excels in everything he points his mind to.

20. Evelyn has a deep, rich way of thinking with nuance. She also would excel at being a movie producer. She has an empathetic heart, loves deeply and widely, and is really cool.

21. Francis is a ride or die. Perhaps to a fault. That means ride or literally die. He’s athletically gifted, is hilariously witty, actually sings really well on the karaoke mics, and works hard.