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| Dear Old Same Learn - Lao Tung Xue Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg... 2004 has been quite a year ! The year began with the passaway of Anita Mui on 30 December 2004 who was the most loved CantoPop diva and ending with the loss of James Wong - a multi-talented one of a kind genius in Chinese history. I had the pleasure of working with both of them briefly on two films and one TV programme. We all grew up with their music, movies, lyrics and more.... Hong Kong people of all ages mourned for their departure. It also symbolized the closing of a creative era in Hong Kong's cultural history. Hong Kong - Things are still in a topsy turvy. Unemployment rate is around 7%. Petty crime rate has gone up because of the increase of individual tourists from the Mainland. Air pollution has hit all time high - "One Country One Pollution". By 1 July 2004, I had already participated in four protest marches for causes ranging from political, environmental to historical preservation. Writing letters to government departments has become a routine in my life. I think the majority of the people here would be overjoyed if we could eBay Hong Kong ! The core problem is that we don't have any candidate who possesses political wisdom, leadership and vision necessary to serve as Chief Executive. We need a new solid agenda to reinvent Hong Kong. "The Pearl of the Orient" is turning into a plastic bead ! Everyone, including myself - often resorts to nostalgia of the colonial era for consolation. We especially miss the 80's. Dunhuang Tour Highlights - In April, Henry and I took a marvellous trip to Dunhuang on a learning tour with the Oriental Ceramic Society. A professor from Chinese University travelled with us to give us lectures on art, architecture and religion. He also served as an on site guide during the 8-day tour. We spent three days focusing on paintings of the caves in Mogao Grottoes and Yulin Caves. A lot of the cave paintings filled us with awe and speechlessness, especially on the first day when some of us didn't know what to expect. The arts and heritage of Dunhuang are just so profoundly rich and unbelievably amazing that it could easily take several life times to never finish exploring. In Gobi desert, we visited two fully intact 1500 yr old tombs with exquisite architectural features; Dunhuang Great Wall of Han Dynasty and Devil City where you can find wind-eroded stone sculptures spreading all over the area. When strong wind blows, queer sounds can be heard like ghosts' moaning - that's how it got its name. We spent three days driving very slowly through the desert and being turned into human jerky during which I just could not stop thinking of Tripitaka wandering through Gobi desert without Evian! This trip has really turned me into a Dunhuang addict! If you're interested, you may download some pictures of Dunhuang taken by a friend by clicking here or you may download three cave paintings by clicking here. |
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| Sherry Kwok |
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| Oscar Wilde Monument, Merrion Square, Dublin |
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| ReJoyce Tour Highlights - One of Henry's dreams came true this year when we departed in early June for a one month tour during which three weeks were devoted to a Pilgimage of James Joyce to coincide with the celebration of Bloomsday Centenary. (Bloomsday is 16 June 1904 - the extraordinary day during which the epic journey of "Ulysses" takes place in Dublin.) James Joyce is Henry's most connected author, and "Ulysses" is his all time favourite. He had been looking forward to Bloomsday Centenary for several years! Our first stop was Trieste / Northern Italy where Joyce began writing "Ulysses". We were able to find many Joyce related places like restaurants and bars; the Berlitz school where he had taught; apartments he had stayed and a brothel he used to visit frequently. It's not a brothel anymore but the building is still there. For Trieste used to belong to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austrian heritage can be seen everywhere. Since Henry is from Austria, he could immediately feel an affinity with this lovely seaport town of which is also the hometown of illy Coffee. I did not want to leave when we had to depart for central Italy to visit a wonderful couple from San Francisco who has emigrated to Spoleto / Umbria. Spoleto is a small, lovely, very attractive hill town where "The Festival of Two Worlds" (Festival dei Due Mondi) is held every year between June - July. We fell in love with Spoleto immediately. The ambience was very medieval and historical. It felt as if all the people were not wearing the right costume. From Spoleto, our friends drove us to Toscana / Tuscany where we had to meet another friend whose in-laws own a huge beautiful farm. Both Spoleto and Toscana were so beautiful and lovely that it was heaven on earth for us everyday. We felt like angels ourselves. In Toscana, we visited a Russian painter / sculptor who was going blind because of the toxic chemicals with which he used to create eroding effects on his sculptures. For the first time in my life had I met someone who is willing to die for his art literally. The chemicals were apparently affecting his health too. To catch our flight for Zurich - we spent one and a half day at the tourist infested Rome. We wanted to be in Zurich at Joyce's grave on Bloomsday - 16 June. We arrived Zurich on the 13th. The next day we immediately went to look for the cemetary Friedhof Fluntern. Bloomsday - Dramatically appropriate for the occasion, it was a rainy day. To Joyce's grave - we brought Joyce's favourite Proseco wine from Trieste - one transparent green glass and three pebbles that we picked up in Trieste, Miramare. We arrived Friedhof Fluntern (cemetary) at around 11:30 am. You can imagine how intimate a ritual it was for Henry. To our surprise, we were the only people there until around 12:45pm when we were about to leave, a young man finally appeared to pay his homage. We then went to the Kronenhalle Restaurant for lunch where Joyce used to dine. In the evening, we attended a mini concert organized by the Zurich James Joyce Foundation. They invited an Irish singer Mary Ryan from Dublin to perform some of the songs from Ulysses. After the mini concert, there was a viewing of the latest movie adaptaion of "Ulysses". After the movie, we strolled along the Limmat River to return to the hotel feeling a bit lonely that Our Bloomsday was about to become history. |
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| Dublin - the literary Mecca - was the last destination of our pilgrimage. I was overjoyed that my feet were finally on the Irish soil where Oscar Wilde was conceived and borned. I have been a Wilde fan since my sophomore or junior year at Morrison after I read 'Picture of Dorian Gray' for a book report. Joyce's books, CD, posters, postcards, stamps, and Bloomsday souvenirs were everywhere. "ReJoyce, ReJoyce, oh!" Yes, I was very excited because Susan and Mrs Pacitti came to spend a day with me. Our rendezvous point was breakfast at the famous Bewley's Oriental Cafe on Grafton Street. They arrived at around 7-ish am and had to leave within the same day on an evening flight. It was a day for the girls. We went to visit the house where Oscar Wilde spent his childhood on Number One, Merrion Square; and the monument across from the house. |
| After a quick round at an art museum and tourist office, we had a quick lunch at O'Neill's Pub near the Trinity College where we were to see The Book of Kells and the 400 year old Trinity College Library. I didn't think much of the Book of Kells but when I made my grand entrance into the Trinity Library - my olfactory senses began to dance - I couldn't lower my eye brows or close my mouth! What an exhilarating body odor of books - of millions of books - of millions of antique books! The building was intelligently majestic; the roof was very very high; the ambience was slightly gothic - I was so overwhelmed! I had always wanted to live in a library, and I thought to myself "Eureka" ! Plus, this one must have some ghost lodgers around! Cooleroonie! After we left the library, it was time for a DEE-licious Irish dinner. Henry joined us for dinner at the Roly's at Ballsbridge Terrace. Before the sun was down, Susan and Mrs Pacitti left for the airport. It was such a fantastic day! Thanks to Suzie & Mrs Pacitti for making the trip. Three weeks went by like three days. We spent the last week in New York. We celebrated Henry's Mother's 98th Birthday and visited a modern Chinese painter whose works we love. His name is Wei Dong , and he lives in Hoboken, New Jersey. The meeting was very interactive and stimulating. His studio was as neat and tidy as a traditional Chinese scholar would have it. We didn't want to leave Europe but New York made us want to go HOME ! |
| Celebrations - 2004 has so also been a good year for Henry. A series of banknotes that he designed for Standard & Chartered Bank has been released in circulation, and people are very pleased with it. In November, he was awarded an honouary degree of Doctor of Social Sciences from Hong Kong Baptist University along with John Woo and Lin Hwai Min from Taiwan. I was thrilled to have met with John Woo and Lin Hwai Min. Lin founded the brilliant Cloud Gate Dance Theatre. |
| Summer Party Pt II - The Power of Estrogenic Trinity ! |
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| We arrived Home on 30 June - my birthday, for I had to participate in a protest march on 1 July. As soon as my jet lag was over, I greeted Cynthia Zimmerman at the Hong Kong International Airport on 14 July - not knowing whether she could recognize me or vice versa after an interval of only 2.3 decades. As you can see, she looks almost the same as she did in HiSchool - just more huggable and voluptuous! It was so GOOD to see her again ! Unfortunately, Cynthia's sunny aura brought the jealousy of a typhoon with her as soon as she arrived Hong Kong, and we couldn't go places at all but we managed to go to the Peak and to catch up with each other before Debra arrived two days later from Guangzhou to pick up Cynthia. Debra's husband is stationed with the US Consulate in Guangzhou. Cynthia left Hong Kong after three nights. I don't know what Mrs Z had fed these girls or what life has done to them. They both possess a vivaciously wicked sense of humour and wit that I had not noticed when we were at Morrison. They are such a symbiotic pair, especially when they start playing verbal ping pong with each other! I was most heartily entertained acting as their hostess. These girls are definitely the panacea for aging! |
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| Lotfi Zadeh, John Woo, Henry Steiner & Lin Hwai Min |
| 7 Emotions & 6 Desires I forgot to mention that I went to Taipei for two days in January and Keith (Brown) so sweetly took me out for lunch. However, he was very crossed with me after I opened my big fat mouth and uttered something honest but not musical to his ears. Keithie, are you still angry with me? I hope you aren't! If you were, would you have read this far? Don't be a stranger! Work hasn't been very smooth this year. As some of you knew that I have been working on a B2C website. We have finally finished the storefront with shopping cart capable of sending shipments to multiple addresses in one purchase. Now we are still working on building the backend systems of which include content management, customer service management, contact centre, inventory and access control. I am hoping to wrap it up before CNY. Good news at work is that we have successfully won our appeal in China for our logo registration. Logo registrations with both the US & Canada Trademark Boards have also been approved. I really miss working on short term project. However, I shall persist and take it one step at a time. |
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| In retrospect, 2004 has been a very inspiring and exciting year for me. I have met a lot of disgusting people as well as profoundly interesting and talented people. Fortunately, it's the funny, the brilliant , the beautiful, and the kind that one remembers at heart. I am truly grateful. Being 40 is a peculiar reality although it feels better than being 20's, it's a wee bit more awkward of a phase than puberty. You're neither young or old. Not old enough to have solid wisdom and not young enough to commit blunders and be forgiven instantly. I find myself fussing a lot inside my head thinking and rethinking - afraid of being a smartass. Afterall, I am not young enough to know everything anymore, and that's tough! The day to day life in Hong Kong can be very frustrating, now that we are part of schizophrenic China, especially with such a lame government. The social and political problems are bottomless. Looking at it in a wide shot, it can be funny - viewing it in a close up sometimes hurts! The same feeling applies for global issues. I think I am a misanthrope at heart but lack the courage to act like one straightforwardly. For that reason, I have taken a serious interest in studying Buddhist sutras, and I find it very compatible with my temperament. As I was typing the updates, Susan Vandenberg mentioned "Dreams", and it really got me thinking. I have always wanted to have a group of intelligent, sincere and fun girl friends whom I can discuss and carry out great ideas with in Hong Kong! I shall make this my dream for now! It's nice to be reminded that I should renew my tangible dreams periodically. Thank you, Susan ! Class of '82, Keep Rock'in & Have a Great New Year! Lvoe & Cheers Sherry p.s. Hallelujah! I am done ! |