Live Performances

This is our second rehearsal for our ifc performance on 11/12/2016

**You need to register in the below link to attend the meetup** [Register here](https://forms.gle/eYxjmEEB72xDZVw99) **NOTE: This meetup is exclusive and the final list of attendees is at the discretion of the host. You will receive an invitation via email before the meetup date.** We are delighted to announce that our next meetup will be in cooperation with **Bullish**. Special thanks to our sponsor, **Bullish**, for making this event happen. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **Speaker 1: Sébastien Borget** **Topic:** Unchaining Creators by moving the Creators Economy onchain **Bio:** He is an entrepreneur and father with 14 years of experience in growing startups, including 4 years in blockchain and 11 years in mobile gaming. He is the Co-founder and COO of The Sandbox, a pioneering virtual world where players build, own, and monetize gaming experiences using NFTs and SAND, the platform’s utility token. In 2020, he became President of the Blockchain Game Alliance, representing over 250 industry leaders. Recognized among CoinTelegraph’s Top 100 most influential people in crypto, Sébastien holds a Computer Science Engineering degree from Telecom SudParis, one of France’s leading ICT graduate schools. **Summary:** He will share how his journey in user-generated content and gaming led him to co-found one of the largest decentralized virtual worlds, partnering with more than 400 major brands. He’ll highlight why creators across all platforms still struggle to get discovered, build communities, and grow their economies; despite the industry’s progress. These challenges inspired him to launch SANDchain, designed as the financial backbone of creativity, empowering creators to introduce loyalty points and access on-chain financialization in a transparent, interoperable way. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **Speaker 2: Olaf Torne** **Title:** Accelerating equity exotics RFQ response times using ML **Bio:** He leads the APAC front-office equity derivatives quant team at Barclays, with over 15 years of experience in quantitative finance spanning flow and exotic derivatives and quantitative investment strategies (QIS). Holding a PhD in mathematics from Brussels University and a graduate certificate in artificial intelligence from Stanford University, he combines classical modeling with machine learning to tackle complex financial challenges. His career includes roles at Merrill Lynch and research collaboration at Ecole Centrale Paris, where he published academic papers and built advanced models. As a team leader, he values collaboration, integrity, and innovation, mentoring others to drive excellence and impact. **Summary:** We present several use cases arising in equity structured product issuance, where time-consuming Monte Carlo or Finite Difference based approaches can potentially be enhanced using Machine Learning models. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **Speaker 3:** MA Jianfei **Title:** Enhancing LLMs' Phonological Reasoning in Chinese via a Fine-tuning and Reinforcement Learning Framework **Bio:** He holds a BA in Translation and Linguistics from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University （PolyU） and is currently a first-year Ph.D. student there. His research interests lie in computational linguistics. Under his supervisor's guidance, he is currently working on speech disorders in autism, with future plans to explore AI for therapy. He is currently including one first-author EMNLP (oral) and one ACL (oral, second author), alongside three workshop papers. His work primarily focuses on analyzing linguistic phenomena within model mechanisms （interpretability） and leveraging these phenomena to enhance model performance. **Summary:** This talk addresses a key challenge in Chinese NLP: the language's complex phonological system leads to a vast number of homophones. Netizens often exploit this for wordplay or to circumvent content filters, which impacts tasks like high-quality web scraping and sensitive content detection. While Large Language Models (LLMs) possess some innate phonological knowledge, we argue that explicitly teaching them to align phonetic and textual information is crucial. To this end, we constructed a comprehensive Chinese homophone dataset, encompassing typing errors, ASR misrecognitions, and real-world online puns. We then developed a framework combining Supervised Fine-tuning (SFT) to mimic human-like reasoning and Reinforcement Learning (RL) to stabilize the acquired skills. Our results show that even smaller models can achieve phonological reasoning abilities comparable to their larger teacher models. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **Time:** Thursday, December 18th, 2025, 18:30 PM to 9:00 PM HKT (Registration start at 6:45pm) **Venue:** The Centrium, Building **Address:** Bullish limited, 31/F, The Centrium building, 60 Wyndham St, Central

Come to see **free** comedy in primal form. Have a laugh and a giggle. It's open mic, so get up and perform if you feel like it! No drink minimum. Convenient location in the heart of Central.

Have you always wanted to try yoga but felt that you are not flexible enough. Or you wanted to give yoga a go but felt intimidated in regular classes. This class is for complete beginners and older adults and seniors too.. We take things slow and break down each pose and use props too so that each person learns how to do the pose properly.. only simple exercises. The goal of the class is to leave with a sense of well-being and a bit of lightness. Booking is necessary 🙏 DM if you have any questions or to book your spot 🙏 Details: Class fee: HK$170 drop-in (4 and 8 class packages available too) Class time: 6:25pm to 7:40pm Address: Hatha yoga by Helen 6-12 Wing Kut Street, Shing Li Commercal Bldg 8th floor, Room D Central, Hong Kong (Closest MTR - Sheung Wan exit E2 or Central exit D) Namaste, Helen 🙏 https://www.facebook.com/Hatha-yoga-by-Helen-559077784243806/ Insta: @helenyogi555

FREE FIRST SESSION IF YOU LIKE OUR IG & FB PAGE \- www\.instagram\.com/deedreamlife \- www\.instagram\.com/deedreamlife\.hk \- www\.facebook\.com/deedreamlife HKD200 per session HKD1800 for 10 prepaid HKD3200 for 20 prepaid WhatsApp 63344266 to register Dee Dream Life 1 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central 14/F, 1401 Our signature class that makes this the top rated Zumba class in HK according to Sassy Hong Kong for many years! Dance to amazing fun rhythms including Latin, Hip Hop. Pop, Funk, Bollywood and more while dripping in sweat and feeling fantastic! Lose weight, burn calories and raise your vibrations with this super uplifting class! Enjoy yourself and feel completely refreshed and energised after a workout! This class is more intense that most other dance fitness classes in town, be ready to sweat and have a proper workout! Easy to follow with repetitive moves, no need to memorise steps and open to all levels including complete beginners to dance and fitness :) At night, we dance to disco lights making this class the party you need to loosen up after a long day at work! Come and enjoy music, movement and fitness like you have never before!

Slow down, feel your breath, and let go of unnecessary effort with a gentle class that blends restorative and yin poses. The class will teach functional stretches to release muscle tightness and deeply held tensions in the connective tissue of the body known as fascia. This class is ideal for beginners or experienced yogis who are looking for a slower practice which helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system and counteracts the effects of stress in the body. By holding each pose for 2-3 minutes on each side, self-reflection and self-compassion is cultivated by turning your attention inward, away from external events and distractions. Enjoy this inward-moving experience Details: Class fee: HK$170 drop-in (4 and 8 class packages available too) Address: Hatha yoga by Helen 6-12 Wing Kut Street, Shing Li Commercal Bldg 8th floor, Room D Central, Hong Kong (Closest MTR - Sheung Wan exit E2 or Central exit D) Namaste, Helen 🙏 https://www.facebook.com/Hatha-yoga-by-Helen-559077784243806/ Insta: @helenyogi555

LAST MOMENTS before the bar will be closed permanently on 1 Jan 2026 * **Date & Time**: Thursday 18 Dec, 8pm * **Meeting Point & Venue**: exact spot shared after payment * **Cost**: HK$190 including one signature cocktails worth $130-150 Excluding extra drinks pay-at-bar * First come, first serve. FPS or Payme to 55073213. Please provide the payment slip to WhatsApp: 55073213 to keep your spot! * **Highlights**: \- Instagram\-able background decoration: Capture your moment with a camera \- Themed cocktails; casual bar seating for mingling * **Vibe**: Relaxed group hangout for expats, new comers and locals to unwind and talk with a drink * **Why Join?**: Experience a bar inspired by the history of a place with the highest density of people per kilometre in the past before its site redevelopment; good for sharing stories over drinks **RSVP Now** — limited spots. Share your drink preference when you join. Meet for drinks and chats at a hidden bar in Kowloon. The bar has a nostalgic old HK city theme with signature cocktails for some instagram-able photos/reels and let your friends be jealous about the place. #HongKongBars #TsimShaTsuiNight #KowloonWalledCity #Hangout #LocalDrinks #FragrantHarbourVibes #BarHoppingHK #HappyHourHK #CulturalNights #Hidden #Bar #OldHongKong #Social **Photo Consent Notice**: By joining, you consent to photos/videos from the event being used for future promotions. If you'd rather opt out, let me know!

聖誕就到，一起食石燒/丼飯/拉麵，看聖誕燈飾+光影匯，歡慶於中環，(自由選段參加)。 To pre-merry Christmas, let us have various-option Japanese dinner, go to Christmas Town, take photos on the 20m Xmas tree and enjoy lighting show Central in Sunday night! 日期：2025年12月21日(星期日) 時間及地點： 日式晚餐@5:45-7:15pm @滿滿食堂() (中環皇后大道中58-60號振邦大廈地庫, 中環港鐵站D2出口步行約3分鐘) 聖誕燈飾@7:30-8:30pm @中環一帶 集合時間及地點：1)餐廳內/中環一帶 / 2)電聯 名額：8人 Date: 21 December, 2025 (Sunday) Time & Address: Japan Dinner @5:45-7:15pm @Man Man (Basement, Peter Building, 58-60 Queen's Road Central, 3min walk from Central MTR station exit D) Christmas lights @7:30-8:30pm @Central area Assemble: 1) Restaurant/Central area / 2) Others: by call Seat: 8 people limited MeetUp費用：自由定價價值,(晚餐費另計). 報名：按Attend-> 填寫1)聯絡電話號碼, 2)男/女, 3)你願意付出此次活動費用, 4)一起用餐否?一起看燈飾否? -> 確認入選活動-> 繳費(入帳恆生銀行號碼: 359-366101-882 (NG Y\*\* S\*\*\*)/ FPS/PayMe: 97419423)-> 再以閣下電話whatsapp(97419423)以下資料: 1)MeetUp名字, 2)過帳通知書. MeetUp fee: Free pricing as you value, (Dinner price excluded). Join: Click ‘Attend’-> Write down your 1)Contact number, 2)Male/Female, 3)Fee that you would pay for this event, 4)Meal together? Christmas lights also? -> Get confirmation of being in the event-> Pay to Hang Seng Bank acc: 359-366101-882 (NG Y\*\* S\*\*\*)/ FPS/PayMe: 97419423-> Whatsapp 1)MeetUp name, 2)Payment notification 餐廳介紹：https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/ -滿滿食堂-中環-日本菜-r656608 食家推介：石燒牛/滑蛋包飯/鰻魚飯 \*\*\*a) Welcome foreigners. Please remark your language if you are foreigner. [歡迎外地本地人一同熱鬧.請外地人指明語言.] \*\*\*b) No refund or seat transfer after payment, unless is the cancellation of activity or by our group. [交費後若未能出席參與者,繳款不獲退回及轉讓.(除非活動取消而全數退款).] \*\*\*c) Photos taken by our group during activity will be as record and promotion. [活動如有拍照,以作記錄和宣傳用途.] \*\*\*d) When there are 3 No Show, we have the right to ban you out from our groups. [凡超過3次No Show者,本組有權將該組員移離本群組.]

玩轉大館馬戲季又來了，今次同大家一齊睇@大館， 接著食晚飯+影燈飾@中環，(自由選段參加)。 To active the Christmas time, let us enjoy the Circus Play in Tai Kwun, have Japanese dinner, watch Christmas lights in Central in Sunday night! (If too long time, can select to join.) **Presented by：** **Company Pol & Freddy (from Belgium)《C兄鬥C弟》@3pm – 3:50pm** **La Triochka (from France)《馬戲木人巷─再見時間》@4pm- 4:45pm** **本地新生代雜耍與馬戲人才《反轉人生》@5pm – 5:30pm** 日期：2025年12月21日(星期日) 時間及地點： 雜耍馬戲@3-5:30 pm @大館 (可選段參加) 晚餐@5:45-7:15pm @滿滿食堂(日本菜) 聖誕燈飾@7:30-8:30pm @中環一帶 集合時間及地點：大館/餐廳內/中環一帶 /電聯 名額：8人(同場另有公眾參與) 座位: 自由劃位 Date: 21 December, 2025 (Sunday) Time & Address: Juggling @3-5:30 pm @Tai Kwun (can join in anyone/ all) Dinner @5:45-7:15pm @Man Man (Japanese style) Christmas lights @7:30-8:30pm @Central area Assemble: 1) Tai Kwun/ restaurant/Central area / 2) Others: by call Seat: 8 people limited (Other audience in event as well) Seating: No seating is set and seats are served on first-come-first-served basis MeetUp費用：自由定價價值,(晚餐費另計). 報名：按Attend-> 填寫1)聯絡電話號碼, 2)男/女, 3)你願意付出此次活動費用, 4) 參與哪段雜耍欣賞?一起用餐否?一起看燈飾否? -> 確認入選活動-> 繳費(入帳恆生銀行號碼: 359-366101-882 (NG Y\*\* S\*\*\*)/ FPS/PayMe: 97419423)-> 再以閣下電話whatsapp(97419423)以下資料: 1)MeetUp名字, 2)過帳通知書. MeetUp fee: Free pricing as you value, (Dinner price excluded). Join: Click ‘Attend’-> Write down your 1)Contact number, 2)Male/Female, 3)Fee that you would pay for this event, 4)For which circus session? Meal together? Christmas lights also? -> Get confirmation of being in the event-> Pay to Hang Seng Bank acc: 359-366101-882 (NG Y\*\* S\*\*\*)/ FPS/PayMe: 97419423-> Whatsapp 1)MeetUp name, 2)Payment notification \*\*\*a) Welcome foreigners. Please remark your language if you are foreigner. [歡迎外地本地人一同熱鬧.請外地人指明語言.] \*\*\*b) Participants are required to follow instruction of the venue. [參與者要遵守場地規則,違者則有可能被邀離開.] \*\*\*c) Late comer may be restricted to admit and continue in the activity. [主辦組織不作逾候,逾時者有可能不被參加,請預早抵達.] \*\*\*d) No refund or seat transfer after payment, unless is the cancellation of activity or by our group. [交費後若未能出席參與者,繳款不獲退回及轉讓.(除非活動取消而全數退款).] \*\*\*e) Photos taken by our group during activity will be as record and promotion. [活動如有拍照,以作記錄和宣傳用途.] \*\*\*f) When there are 3 No Show, we have the right to ban you out from our groups. [凡超過3次No Show者,本組有權將該組員移離本群組.]

Time flies, and it's Christmas gift-giving season again. We hope members will bring gifts to exchange too. Ho Ho Ho, Santa comes to town, December 19th Friday, Pre-Xmas International Gathering 2025 will be at K-97 Lan Kwai Fong. Located on the G/F of the Cosmos Building (8-11 Lan Kwai Fong), K-97 a legendary bar in the HK scene, an elegant open environment with a soft and relaxed atmosphere during happy hour. In this occasion we will make a warm and Christmas oriented mood on our led walls. Feel free to join Friday after work, come early to get free Santa ��� hat, wear something red to blend with the Christmas atmosphere, meeting interesting people .... let's keep the fun continue, party till late! Pre-Christmas Networking Drinks @K-97 LKF Date: December 19, Friday Time : 6 pm to 11 pm ( Happy hour till 10 pm ) * This event only till 11pm , come join us early, thank you! K-17: G/F, Costmos Building , 8-11 Lan Kwai Fong , Central , Hong Kong. * Free-entry (Buy a drink) before 6:30 pm specials for early bird, re-entry not arrowed. * Door HKD100 (Cash) per person includes one standard drink, happy hour till 10 pm special, join early to enjoy Happy-hour & chat with members enjoy holiday mood! * Holiday Lucky draw Special at 10:30 pm, don't miss it ! \*\* The first prize is a bottle of wine🍾🍾... Standard drinks include: House white and red, Beer, Vodka, Gin, Whisky, Rum, Tequila, Juice & Soft drinks. The dress code : Smart casual. No shorts and /or flip-flops! W/ Santa's hat.... Come join early to enjoy special holiday happy hour, and get free Santa Claus hats (Limited supply)….lets enjoy the Christmas atmosphere under big screen with members... All guests must be 18+ and provide valid identification card with recent picture, entire door policy will be under the Company’s policy and the Company reserves the right to make the final decision for the guest entry! \* To facilitate venue’s handling for our events, please order a drink before starting to introduce yourself and chat with members ( Indoor & Terrace ). \* Kind reminder : Bring some cash.

Backstage Comedy showscase series featuring Hong Kong's top talent and exciting touring acts Hosted By: [Mohammed Magdi](https://backstagecomedy.com/comedian/mohammed-magdi/ "https://backstagecomedy.com/comedian/mohammed-magdi/") Featuring: [Maitreyi Karanth](https://backstagecomedy.com/comedian/maitreyi-karanth/ "https://backstagecomedy.com/comedian/maitreyi-karanth/") [Pete Grella](https://backstagecomedy.com/comedian/pete-grella/ "https://backstagecomedy.com/comedian/pete-grella/") [Tim Chan](https://backstagecomedy.com/comedian/tim-chan/ "https://backstagecomedy.com/comedian/tim-chan/") [Garron Chiu](https://backstagecomedy.com/comedian/garron-chiu/ "https://backstagecomedy.com/comedian/garron-chiu/") [Bryan Bentley](https://backstagecomedy.com/comedian/bryan-bentley/ "https://backstagecomedy.com/comedian/bryan-bentley/") Baiwan **This show is in English** Date: 20-Dec 2025 Time: 8 PM Location: Basehall 2 in Jardine House Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.hk/e/saturday-comedy-showcase-tickets-1817587827119 PLEASE NOTE: This is a paid event. Tickets starting at 200 HKD

🥘聖誕豬骨煲🥘 
《第二組 豐衣築食吃喝會》 
[1912 懷舊炭爐風味豬骨煲@深水埗金和記] 🥘🍽 
日期：12月19日(五） 
時間：2000-2200 
地點：深水埗 
人數：4 - 8人
消費：每人@400-500左右(包括EF$10) 
Event fee: $10/位(出席時付） 
訂位：訂4人起/必須提早訂枱 
Host：CC ✡️大排檔特色✡️ ✡️全港少數絕無僅有的炭爐風味 ✡️深水埗老字號地道港式火鍋酒家 ✡️新猛海鮮要預訂，每個炭爐需另付$28，醬油$18 ✡️環境懷舊，喜愛懷舊港式炭爐風味打邊爐，不能錯過👍 💖人氣推介💖 ⭐️豬骨煲/花雕醉雞鍋 ⭐️極地手切牛/新滑牛肉 ⭐️蒙古羊肉 ⭐️西班牙黑毛豬頸肉 ⭐️新鮮掛骨 ⭐️鵝腸/花膠 ⭐️鱔片/桶蠔/珊瑚蚌 
{火鍋菜館資料} 金和記海鮮菜館 (深水埗) 網址: https://s.openrice.com/QrbS0aK0000~uAyTUAw 地址: 香港深水埗九江街145號地舖 電話: +852 91787803 =====================

Our weekend Yoga sessions have been running since 2010. This practice group is for anyone interested in a Hatha Yoga practice! Our purpose is to release the stresses from the week gone by and prepare you for the week ahead. 🧘‍♂️ **Our practice includes:** * Hatha Yoga postures * Pranayama Breathing * Guided affirmations * Dynamic stretching flow * Combined into mindful sequences **What to bring?** Yoga mat, Water bottle & wear comfortable clothing. **Fee: By Donation** Please donate to help us cover the costs (minimum contribution $100). You will receive the following benefits: 1. Air-conditioned studio to practice 2. Purified environment to breathe 3. Event arrangement every Sat 4. Includes meetup organizer fee 5. 2 hours of learning/ practice 6. Mental, Health & Emotional wellness **Request for Cancellations** A humble request for you to cancel minimum 2 days in advance, your kindness will enable waitlisted friends to benefit. Please remember, consideration for others creates good KARMA. 🙏

# **Band: Firefly Trace, caller Kenny Greer** Beginner lesson at 7:30, regular dancing begins at 8:00 **Sponsor: All Soles Contra and Square Dancing, First Unitarian Universalist Church, 93 W. Weisheimer Rd., Columbus OH 43214** WHAT IS CONTRA DANCING? Picture the Grand Ball scenes like you’ve seen in period films such as “Pride and Prejudice”, where the dancers are lined up in long lines, across from each other. That’s English Country Dancing, the predecessor of contra dancing. Now, add moves like “swing your partner” and “do-si-do,” like you’ve seen in square dancing. Set it to fabulous, high energy, live music with fiddles, guitars, percussion and more, alá “Riverdance.” Finally, set the whole scene down in the middle of Woodstock, with a hip, groovy atmosphere, a bit of tie-dye, and hints of counter-culture attitude. THAT’s Contra Dancing! Wear cool and comfortable clothes (you will get warm) and clean shoes that won't mark up our nice wood floor. Be sure to come for the beginner's lesson from 7:30 - 8:00, followed by dancing 8:00 - 10:30. All dances are taught; we will help you learn! Beginners always welcome, no need to bring a partner. Cost is $10.00 adults, $5.00 ages 12-26. Under 12 free. Free parking in church lot. Please bring your own refillable water bottle.

**Caller: Gaye Fifer** **Band: Hot Coffee Breakdown** **Big Scioty Contra Dance** **temporarily returning to our long ago location for Jan-March - First Congregational Church, 444 E. Broad St., Columbus 43215** WHAT IS CONTRA DANCING? Picture the Grand Ball scenes like you’ve seen in period films such as “Pride and Prejudice”, where the dancers are lined up in long lines, across from each other. That’s English Country Dancing, the predecessor of contra dancing. Now, add moves like “swing your partner” and “do-si-do,” like you’ve seen in square dancing. Set it to fabulous, high energy, live music with fiddles, guitars, percussion and more, alá “Riverdance.” Finally, set the whole scene down in the middle of Woodstock, with a hip, groovy atmosphere, a bit of tie-dye, and hints of counter-culture attitude. THAT’s Contra Dancing! Wear cool and comfortable clothes (you will get warm) and clean shoes that won't mark up our nice wood floor. Be sure to come for the beginner's lesson from 7:30 - 8:00, followed by dancing 8:00 - 10:30. All dances are taught; we will help you learn! Beginners always welcome, no need to bring a partner. Cost is $10.00 adults, $5.00 ages 12-26. Under 12 free. Free parking in church lot. For more information contact me or check out our website: [www.bigscioty.com](http://www.bigscioty.com/) Please bring your own refillable water bottle. Snacks to share are always welcome!

We'll start with social time over drinks from 8:00-9:00pm. Then we'll get funky with a great live MJ/Bruno Mars/Prince style cover band, the [Fabulous Johnson Brothers](http://www.thefabulousjohnsonbrothers.com/) (they even have a horn section)! ***No cover***. Attire: dressy casual. **FOOD AND DRINK**\*: Drinks. No food service. Bring your own or order in.\* As usual, I'll have a basket of SNACKS on hand. Parking in lots surrounding the big red barn (property community center off Hayden Run). [[https://livethebarn.com](https://livethebarn.com/)]

We'll start with social time over drinks from 8:00-9:00pm. Then we'll get funky with a great live MJ/Bruno Mars/Prince style cover band, the [Fabulous Johnson Brothers](http://www.thefabulousjohnsonbrothers.com/) (they even have a horn section)! ***No cover***. Attire: dressy casual. **FOOD AND DRINK**\*: Drinks. No food service. Bring your own or order in.\* As usual, I'll have a basket of SNACKS on hand. Parking in lots surrounding the big red barn (property community center off Hayden Run). [[https://livethebarn.com](https://livethebarn.com/)]

The topic for December is "Reunion" Speak Easy: true stories, told live. The idea is simple: an audience, an open microphone, and great stories. Hilarious, gripping, poignant- it's up to you. Audiences are invited to come to listen or come to tell as folks from all corners of Columbus offer their stories live on stage! Held at Wild Goose Creative's warm, intimate space, this night of tales occurs on the 3rd Thursday of every month. Doors open at 7:00 pm, show starts at 7:30 pm. Please arrive early if you want to tell, as we generally only have room for a limited number of tellers, and the sign-up sheet has a tendency to fill up fast. Formed around the idea that people need stories--they're what hold and draw us together--SpeakEasy celebrates the strangeness and commonness of being human. And in a world of smartphones, Facebook, Twitter, and more . . . it gives people a real, breathing, in-person way to connect. The night is geared for true stories of all kinds, taking the best tales told around kitchen tables, in darkened pubs, on the street corner, and at late-night parties and giving them an audience. Speak Easy is also a great outlet for performers, writers, and artists looking to share their favorite stories and perfect their skills. We strongly encourage tellers to please tell the story rather than read it so we keep within the spirit of good storytelling and stay engaged with the audience. All are welcome. Hang around after the show for a drink and build community!

Join us as we kick the New Year with a fun Happy Hour and your choice of two fun, new films! Option 1 is the biographical-musical-docu-drama, SONG SUNG BLUE, which stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson in the story about a real-life couple and Neil Diamond Tribute Duo. Option 2 is the comedy-action-adventure ACACONDA, which stars Jack Black and Paul Rudd as part of a group of friends remaking a favorite movie from their youth. Here’s a complete description, trailer and our plan for this event: SONG SUNG BLUE: The film follows Lightning and Thunder, a Milwaukee husband and wife Neil Diamond tribute act, who experience success and heartbreak in their musical journey together. Not a tribute to Neil Diamond, but a tribute to a Neil Diamond Tribute Band! The film is based on the 2008 documentary of the same name and is directed by Craig Brewer. It stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, along with Michael Imperioli, Ella Anderson, King Princess, Mustafa Shakir, Hudson Hensley, Fisher Stevens and Jim Belushi. Critics call the film, “a crowd-pleaser with a ton of heart!” TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCM0Ztp3o1o ANACONDA: In this action-thriller-comedy-adventure, a group of friends going through a mid-life crisis head to the jungle to remake a favorite movie from their youth but encounter “unexpected events.” The film is directed by Tom Gormican and stars Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Selton Mello, Daniela Melchior, Thandiwe Newton and Steve Zahn. The film is a reimagining of the 1997 original. TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMsFsfrPNaw PLAN: We’ll kick off the event with a pre-show Happy Hour at nearby Bravo! We’ll confirm the details and exact meeting time once we get the showtimes, but planning for 5 to 5:30pm for the Happy Hour and a 7pm-ish showing of both films. For the movies, we’ll meet inside the lobby area about 20 minutes before showtimes! Once showtimes are announced, advance ticket purchase is advised. Once you have yours, please list your Movie of Choice and seat number in the Comments below. Complete details will be confirmed and announced as the date gets closer. Look forward to seeing you there, Dan