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So this weekend had a few rather nice unexpected surprise, the highlight of which was the rather pleasant meeting of Kelly Hu and her boyfriend Mitch Allen who where here for a special evening to raise awareness of the organization Reef Check.

The event was held at the Casa de Campo Marina Yacht Club, and a very nice event it was. The yacht club was beautifully lit outside and took place at dusk, just as the breeze began to pick up and the heat began to fade away.

Upon arriving it was first mentioned that Kelly Hu was at the event, to which I believe my response was “Kelly who?”, but after a quick Googling, I found out that not only have I seen her in various movies – but these are movies that I actually liked (e.g. X-Men 2).

While most people had dressed up or the occasion sporting a Caribbean Elegance look, I had regrettably shown-up unaware of the event, and thus was attired more towards the ‘Caribbean Casual’ style. So for anyone who may be reading this that saw me there, I apologize for any offence due to breach of proper etiquette. Nevertheless, I feel that overall my transgression went largely unnoticed. Or so I hope.

The event itself, was sponsored by the global organization, Reef Check:

Reef Check is a volunteer, ocean conservation organization designed to save coral reefs globally and temperate reefs in California. Reef Check is active in over 82 countries and territories throughout the world. To learn more about how you can save coral reefs, visit the Reef Check website or learn of ways to volunteer.

After saying hello to the few people I knew and recognized (as I was having a bad contacts day and could not see clearly), I ended up speaking with this chap which only later did I learn that it was the boyfriend (Mitch Allen) of the celebrity guest speaker – Kelly Hu, whom I eventually had the pleasure of meeting as well. Both of them where incredibly down to earth; which made spending some time with them a real treat, as I have never been much of a fan of the snooty and stuck-up – which the defiantly are not.

A few glasses of Champaign and a few Red Bulls later, I had the pleasure of being able to sit with the actress and her boyfriend and have a pleasant conversation that really ran the gamut of topics. Though their trip to Casa de Campo was destined to be rather short, I got the distinct feeling that they where quite impressed with our ‘little’ resort. In fact, they expressed to me a desire to return and really be able to spend a little more time here in paradise; to which I extend them warm welcomes should they decide to return one day soon.

In the end, it was a lovely event one to which I was happy to have attended.

UPDATE: Information regarding the event can also be found on the Reef Check website, by visiting: http://www.reefcheck.org/events/reefrescue2006dr.asp