Hi friends,
Remember the epistle that I was talking about last month? Here it comes. Hope you'll enjoy reading it.
I have received some exciting suggestions for the names, such as Color of the foliage from Bess Chan, Ourdays from Maggie Chan, 89 Arts reunion, The echo of 89 Arts and Togetherness from Vanessa Wong. For the time being, I would like to make it "A-Touch". Let's finalize the name after we have successfully carried out a vote for it. Until now, only a handful of people have made up their choice. It is supposed to be a serious thing and we can only finalize it with a reasonably high response rate.
It was very encouraging to have received quite a number of positive comments regarding the introduction of the newsletter. Kenneth Wan Yuen Leung and Bess are the two who replied within a matter of hours after my email. What does that mean? Well, they are nice guys, no doubt about it. And, they are possibly computer addicts!
The first piece of information I received was from Bess. Bess is now living in Seattle, Washington State, which is, in Bess' words, a place for hikers, skiers, mountaineers, naturalists, artists, performers, programmers and engineers. No wonder Bess has moved into Seattle. Cynthia and I visited Bess five years ago in Hawaii, she was taking us here and there and one day she took us up to a hill, overlooking the majestic Pacific. Bess is certainly a nature-lover who once sent us pictures showing that she was in the middle of nowhere with her friends.
Bess is married to Darrel Toshitake Tanaka, the wedding was in a small church in January 1999. For those who are not yet married, just imagine how romantic it'd be when you were entering the church with the one you love, with all the eyes on you two! You are correct, Darrel is an American born Japanese. You may even have a right guess that Darrel loves the nature, too. According to Bess, Darrel is interested in rock collecting, spelunking, hiking and 'anything related to the nature' - a heavenly made couple! I could remember Bess telling me that Darrel did geography, just like what I did, and Darrel once wrote me a letter but I found myself reading a letter from another planet. I must appreciate Darrel's deep knowledge about the subject but I just didn't follow. To me, geography is one thing but to Darrel it is certainly something more specific.
Bess and Darrel have four babies - two kitties and two hamsters. I remember that last time I talked to them, they had only two kittens. So next time when they are to receive any of us in Seattle, we may find more family members with them*
It has almost been ten years since we graduated from STGSS. Bess has moved to the States whereas the majority of us remain in Hong Kong, our first home. For most of us, it is actually the only home, a home that is suffering from recession and instability. In the time of a storm, we look for a port. However, there is one who acts the other way round.
Kenneth is going to quit the present 'crazy job' at the end of this month - a brave move in such a time of uncertainties. We recently exchanged some ideas about the economy and some other things and I just hope that Kenneth will find a job which is not as crazy as the present one and which he loves. I remember that in the wedding banquet of Maggie Chan and Andrew Au Yeung last year Kenneth was speaking to me and I just felt that he was actually looking for some kinds of new challenges. Therefore, his announcement to quit the job didn't surprise me. Kenneth hasn't failed to come up with both funny and exciting ideas and moves since I knew him in Form 6, some 12 years before now, and he remains an amazing guy.
So, ten years after our graduation from STGSS. How many memories you have of the time we were all together in the small and dim classroom? Stella has sent me an email, reminding me of the gift, which was a box of candy, from Mr. Chung, our Chinese language teacher (Chung sir, to me, was only second to Leung Ying Kit to supply the knowledge of Chinese) for full marks in a dictation across the class; of the 'accident' of Mr. Ho in an economics lesson; of the 'Pork Chop Guy' - a song with modified lyrics for a drama in Form 6; and of the bridge we played after school - yeah!
Remember all of them? those happy days. Being a serious person, Stella shifts to her way of seeing the world. The first issue of the epistle, in her view, gives her a chance to look back and think about her life. It's a pity Stella has concluded that she made a wrong focus and chased something not worthwhile, but it's also encouraging to know that she believes 'there is no such thing as "too late" in life'.
Stella recently read a book called Tuesday with Morrie by Mitch Albom. She recommends it. Tuesday with Morrie is about the remaining life of a professor who is at the terminal stage of a neurological illness and about the way the professor faces his expected death. (NB : see quotations of the season for more)
There were those who said would send me something but finally didn't. Please try your very best in the coming issues.
OK, some information about Cynthia and me. When asked what she wants to say? Hmms, she lives a fortunate and happy life and is busy working in a garment manufacturing firm and is handling the shirts and pants from Nautica and Calvin Klein Jeans. Cynthia spent a week in January in France, including ski-boarding * la montage Jura, wondering in some famous wine climats in Bourgogne and tasting some fine cuisine française. But you know what her first opinion when she's back is? She will never go to Europe for holidays in winter again!
I am working as a freelance writer, contributing to several magazines and newspapers in Hong Kong and China. Writing mainly motoring articles, I am very happy to work with a lot of car lovers around the world. Getting paid only for what I write makes me work harder to learn more about cars, write quicker and hopefully better. I am very free to manage my work and time, and for a couple of times in a year, I plan for myself a couple of overseas trips to drive some cars and to take pictures of them. In fact, I'm going to Europe in June and July for a trio of cars, spending a few days in Germany and France with Eric Mak who is going there in the summer too. Anyone else Besides writing articles, I am also involved in African business, a business run by my sister. Last January I spent ten days in two small African countries, Togo and Benin. Traveling from Lom*, the capital of Togo, to Cotonou, the biggest city in Bénin, are a lot of taxis, bush taxis and vans. Bush taxis are perhaps unique in Africa, they are wagon-like vehicles, something between sedans and vans. Going by bush taxis means that you have to squeeze into the cabin but you are rewarded with the contact with interesting locals. The cars don't seem to leave until they are full - that is, the normal seating capacity is apparently exceeded. To get potential travelers into the car, the operator has to make the car look almost full and about to go, some people are made sitting inside but they will leave the car eventually. Funny? That's only a way of earning a living out there.
Quotations of the season :
1) '…accept what you are able to do and what you are not able to do; accept the past as past, without denying it or discarding it; learn to forgive yourself and to forgive others; don't assume that it is too late to get involved* to live with dignity, with courage with humor, with composure* so many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they are busy doing things they think are important. This is because they are chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning* without love, we are birds with broken wings* death ends a life, not a relationship……'
--Tuesday with Morrie by Mitch Albom
2) 'It's supposed to be hard. If it were easy, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.'
--Ms. Theresa R. Agius of Ford Motor Company.
Announcement :
We are going to have a gathering on Saturday 3 April, will possibly take a late breakfast at around ten or eleven in the morning, after that we'll have a short walk of say three hours on a trail in the New Territories. For those energetic, you can play tennis or squash in the building where Maggie and Andrew recently moved in.
RSVP.
Reply to Gary Tsang : email : gcynthia@netvigator.com
A brain exercise :
Monica and Hillary are talented musical instrument players. When they were in high school a couple of years ago, Monica was considered the best saxophone player and Hillary was second to none in piano. They were closed friends and good partners. They took part in a national musical contest, won the duo champion with a comfortable margin and returned to the school with a big trophy. After their graduation, the trophy was returned to them from the high school.
For some unknown reasons, one day they were found to have a ferocious hatred of each other. Monica then moved to London, leaving Hillary in New York, with the trophy.
Fast forward to the present time, one year after Monica moved to London, the trophy suddenly enters the mind of Monica and she wants to take it back from Hillary. She rings Hillary, making herself clear that she wants to inherit the trophy. Hillary is not OK with Monica's idea but they both agree to solve the problem with a coin toss.
However, there are two problems; one, neither of them is willing to fly across the Atlantic to toss a coin in front of someone whom she is not very fond of seeing; two, neither is willing to make the choice and to have the other one, at the other end of the line, toss the coin and say,"here you go and you lose!"
The ladies are clever and finally come up with a method to solve the dilemma. Can you figure it out?
That's the end of our first issue. Of course, there is room for improvement but I may not be able to spot it. With our effort, we certainly will improve our newsletter, and will make it more readable with the future issues. If you have any comments on the contents, the layout and the language, or if you would like to complain, to supply information, or to answer the exercise, reach me with the phone, fax or email. - GT
[My Home][My Friend][My Church][My Netmates][Childhood][My Works]
Sign
My Guestbook
View
My Guestbook
