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| Beth Jones Thomas Merry Christmas Classmates We're fine. God is still working on each of us - thank the Lord. We enjoy vollyball once a week. We recently began hosting a bible study at our house once a week. That's about it. Beth |
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| Sherry Kwok Season's Greetings 2003 has been the best of years and the worst of years for Hong Kong. It has been a crazily eventful 12 months full of the most unpredictable drama. Hong Kong has been going through a mid-life crisis since the hand over in 1997. Things have hit all time low this year. We have been passively enjoying deflation for quite a few years now with an unemployment rate fluctuating between 7 - 8%. SARS was truly a blessing in disguise. More than anything else, I think it was a total panic because the contraction rate was 0.03% and the death rate was much lower than that. The annual death toll from penumonia is more serious than that of SARS's. Herny and I had a great time when SARS was at its peak. The city was quite wonderful with less traffic and zero queue at all restaurants. People started cleaning the city and finally paid attention to both environmental and personal hygiene. Hong Kong suddenly became cleaner for the first time since the pirates moved in. I wouldn't mind SARS returning for a weekend visit because people are gradually reversing back to their bad habits. With minimum interference from the mainland on social and administrative levels, our own people have turned this place upside down. The government that is being lead by C H Tung is running Hong Kong like a Mickey Mouse Club. Unfortunately, we are getting a Disneyland in 2005 where I think the government headquarter should be relocated. Actually, after the handover - rather than the mainland government - it is the local typcoons who have gained more power to get things done with black magic. The most important and historic event this year was the march on July 1st. The protest march was to fight against the passing of Article 23 (a bill of the basic law to protect national security) without the process of a white bill. The article involved issues like sedition, treason, theft of states secrets, subversion and etc... a list of political crime that colonial minded Hongkongers had never heard of before. The lack of consultation and the urgency to pass the article posted the gravest threats to our civil liberties. We became very angry and distrustful with a deep sense of insecurity. Yet, the government refused to listen to us or to the opposing political parties. Finally, half a million people from a broad spectrum of society marched peacefully to express our discontent and anger over Article 23 and our impotent leader - C H Tung. (Our present population is around 7 mil.) As a response to the protest on July 1st, the vote for Article 23 was delayed and has been rescheduled for further consultation with the people but we are still stuck with C H Tung. In short, merely staying afloat in the ocean of social and economic problems, Hong Kong is still caught in an impasse. Since the handover and the Asian crisis, Hong Kong hasn't managed to reorganize its value system; to renew its identity as an Asian city or as a city of China's or to confront with all the problems intelligently. Hong Kong is still lost as for how to reposition itself economically in both Asian and global context. Hong Kong will never be the same again ! My life - I am still working on my B2C website - we have postponed the launch date to next fall due to SARS and others. My web developer went out of businness half way, and we are putting Humpty Dumpty together on our own. I had finally visited America this year! I spent a little over a month between August & September visiting four cities - San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston and New York. Herny and I spent 3 days together in San Francisco before he took off for two weeks to the Bohemian Grove. I then went on to L.A. and Boston on my own and rejoined Henry again in New York. I loved New York! Wouldn't want to live there for good but it's a great city to visit. San Francisco is probably the only city on earth where you have more good looking men than women ! Everything was lovely except for the prevelance of panhandlers. I thought it would be my first and last time to Los Angeles - the man made nature was impressive but since I am neither an orange or a palm tree - I didn't find the city attractive at all. However, the best thing that happened in L.A. was my short reunion with Ben Beckon after some twenty odd years! We had a great time catching up with each other and getting shocked from exchanging underground drama starring by Morrisonians. Now that we are grown ups, all our delicious teenage secrets finally have a chance to see sunlight! Will probably drop by Boston and New York again next summer - will I get to meet up with some of you ? Henry and I will be entering our 14th year in 2004. Our relationship really made me believe in fate although we have worked really hard to have come this far because both of us are very self-centered. It's a real blessing that we are each other's best friend. Mom and Jason are still in Taiwan. They are doing all right. It's been over three years since my last visit. Will probably visit ROC in 2004 to see my relatives and one Keithie Brown ! Should any of you drop by Fragrant Harbour - you know how to find me ! Happy Holidays! With Warm Wishes Sherry |
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| Kwok & Ben Beckon in L.A. |