Archive for November, 2003

SLS Hong Kong Gathering

Published by
James
at 11:59 HKT Nov 29, 2003 in News, Education and Arts&Crafts. 2 Comments

After several weeks of preparation, Shawnigan Lake School Hong Kong alumnus got together this evening of 29th of November 2003 to welcome Steve Housser, Judy Detchon - the new Head of Advancement, and her daughter Miriam for a dinner gathering which was held at the Kowloon Tong Club. Looking at my logs, it was exactly one year to the day when we last had a relatively large gathering.

Originally we had 9 alumnus confirmed to be able to join us, but due to various reasons, Cornel Kwan and Vincent Chui was not able come and with Richard Chang needed to leave early to pick up his parents at the airport shortly before the dinner. Although there were only John Ma, Denny Chan, Kerby Wong, Edmund Poon, Joyce Yen and myself there, the six of us still represents a good span over 3 decades of alumnus.

The dinner went well and we had lots of fun talking with Steve, Judy, and Miriam, with topics from politics and languages (hac hem… ^_^), to most importantly the latest news from the School. We were all well behaved considering the 9 of us finished 3 bottles red wine, and an entire bottle of “Gim Laan Cheun” which is something like a 56 proof chinese wine courtesy of Kerby, all within 3 hours.

After dinner, Edmund was very nice to have invited us over to his house. We met Edmund’s wife Teresa there, who was very kind to serve us more red wine, tea, and munchies. We got to see some of Edmund’s fine collection of antique decorations, and Steve got to try out OSIM’s “iSymphonic” - the latest multifunction CD player equipped ultra high tech leather upholstered electronic massage chair (not to be confused with the guy from Monty Python’s The Holy Grail).

By about 12:00am (…or was it 12:30am?) we went home merrily, promising ourselves we would try to meet more often on our own with the rest of the gang.

I would like to thank Kerby and Edmund who had helped me organize this event.

Photos…

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Group photo

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Edmund explaining his traffic ordeal

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same

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Danny having his first “handicapped meal”

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Steve showing us some recent SLS photos

SPAM

Published by
James
at 10:48 HKT Nov 29, 2003 in Computing. 0 Comments

Today marks the first day I have received SPAM comments on this site.

Best Kept Secrets

Published by
James
at 10:06 HKT Nov 28, 2003 in Thoughts. 0 Comments

Should best be kept secret.

Cable TV news just had a special on one of Hong Kong’s many protected parks just outbound of the Tai Po area. The report showed a series of Hong Kong’s oldest granites in that area and some even have traces of gold and natural crystals. The host mentioned that being a protect park, unless one has obtained a permit, mining regardless of any amount or form is strictly prohibited.

I can just see that this Sunday, the park will be jam packed with tourists taking away crystals and rocks and leave the place with garbage all over.

‘Tudes

Published by
James
at 23:56 HKT Nov 27, 2003 in Thoughts and Education. 4 Comments

A local TV show this evening expressed concern about U grads having trouble getting decent jobs after graduation. They had two employers, a fresh grad employee, and two grads without jobs as guests. The fresh grad employee was well dressed, tidy outlook, humble, articulate, and well mannered.

When the show host asked the employers what they think the problem was with the two unemployed guests after he had let the unemployed told their sides of their stories, the first employer immediately pointed out what my first impression was on those two unemployed grads - attitude.

You see, the first unemployed guest, although dressed with a tie and jacket, he sat with his legs crossed and even more laid back in the chair than the employers did, and spoke with a most arrogant tone and body language. The other unemployed dressed and spoke like a dude, and sat with his legs as wide open as the chair allowed him.

I’m sor’ dudes, but these kinda ‘tudes just ain’t gonna gettu nowhere. D’unowhaImin?

Too Close for Comfort

Published by
James
at 19:45 HKT Nov 26, 2003 in Health. 0 Comments

19 students from Alec’s school are reported to have caught the stomach flu virus today. Apparently, they all missed school on Tuesday.

Alec is OK now; however, he did have a stomach ache, some diarrhea, and vomited once Sunday night only. There was no school on Monday and Alec also did not go to school on Tuesday either. Not sure if Alec was accounted for since no one from the school or the authority ever contacted us.

Still no source has been found.

Be Well.

Shit Can’t Be Allowed to Hit The Fan Twice

Published by
James
at 9:40 HKT Nov 26, 2003 in Health. 0 Comments

During the SARS period earlier this year, Baptist Hospital was accused of not reporting cases of SARS admission to the authority.

This morning, the media reported a man from Baptist Hospital was transferred to QE Hospital before dawn this morning who had shown “signs of a fever”. The reason of the transfer was worried to be a possible case of SARS, but no lab test result was reported nor the case has ever been confirmed.

My niece was admitted to Baptist Hospital two days ago. She had a fever of 104F down to 102F today. Her lung X-ray was a bit murky. Her overnight SARS diagnostic result was reported negative.

What does “signs of a fever” mean anyway? 98.7F?

Let’s hope the man and my niece is OK and there will be clarification to the man’s medical report soon.

Update (4:40pm) : The guy who had been transfered from BH to QEH was reported to be not a case of SARS.

Be Well, y’all.

The Better Service

Published by
James
at 11:32 HKT Nov 25, 2003 in Vehicles and Thoughts. 0 Comments

Yesterday evening, I got my 5′er back after several hours at the dealer on a recall for a replacement of a potentially faulty air-bag control unit. Although the car is already a year and a half out of warranty, being a recall service it was certainly free of charge. I had also asked the serviceman to check on the condition of air-con micro filters.

Upon receiving the car, it was all washed and vacuumed up inside and out with the tires, dashboard, doors, and leather upholstery all dressed with protection conditioner so the car looks and smells brand new like.

The check on the air-con micro filters was also free of charge.

This might be the norm of what every other services should have been, but it sure feels good to actually have a company who takes good care of your processions and to have good after sales services in this day and age in Hong Kong.

One Cool Looking Idiot

Published by
James
at 0:32 HKT Nov 25, 2003 in Thoughts. 2 Comments

No matter how cool one and one’s car might look, the fact remains when walking out of court with a ruling of a temperary strip of one’s license for reckless driving for the third time around indicates an idiot with a cool car who just doesn’t know how to drive.

Free PDA, Or Is It?

Published by
James
at 15:12 HKT Nov 24, 2003 in Thoughts. 3 Comments

Just received a call from some giant magazine mail ordering agent who deals with local mail ordering of “over 72 magazines from around the world” - (what exactly does “over 72 magazines” mean anyway, 72 and a half?).

The lady just babbling on and on about how they have selected 500 subscribers who have previously mail ordered one or more of their magazines thru them within the South East Asia area and they are now giving out 100 of 500 PDA’s to Hong Kong subscribers. She kept going really fast but repeatedly saying this PDA is absolutely free and that upon receiving a yellow slip, one can simply ask anyone be it a wife, an assistance, a maid or… but not necessary oneself (explicitly) to personally pickup the PDA from their office. She then said the PDA would not be delivered with or without charge whatsoever, because the offer is only limited to 500 PDA and only 100 is for HK… the other 400………. bla bla bla ………….

When I told to her that I have never mail ordered the magazines she just mentioned, she said they offer over 72 magazines from around the world and that I must have at least ordered one from them before. (I haven’t.)

When I asked her if there were any sort of money involved, she said no, because the offer is only for the 500 bla bla bla………….. when you receive the yellow slip……..bla bla bla…………………..

Then she said not only are they offering this PDA which is one of 500… bla bla bla… but they are also offering one of 4 magazines to the lucky subscriber, and that since I am one of the chosen one… bla bla bla…(”the chosen one” - as if I were the Golden Child) I simply choose one among 4 magazines which is Times, NewsWeek, Fortune or another one, and this offer is also “at their cost”….

I interrupted her and asked if there were any money involved, she said it is free and they are only charging me a minimal charges of HK$10 or so (note the “or so” bit) to cover their cost….

I interrupted her again and told her that I don’t read any of the 4 magazines she’d mentioned. She said they are only financial magazines. I said I know, but I don’t read them and I have no need for them. She sound surprised and replied “No need? But it’s free”. I asked her if she just said there was a charge, she repeated that the charge only as much as their cost… I interrupted her once again and told her that if they were absolutely free of any charges then it’s OK, but since there is some sort of a charge involved and that I don’t read those magazines, then I have no need for them.

“OK, maybe next time.” dooooooooo……… She hung up on me.

I have seen this similar deal on paper before. A subscription of just over HKD$10 per copy of a weekly magazine for one year or more and you get an el cheapo electronic device of some sort free. The limited offer is just a hoax. If you do read them anyway, by all means. If you don’t, it isn’t free. Had it not been such poor sales technique and they’d offer a photography or another type of magazine of interest to me, I might think about it.

Note: On the look out on the caller display for local phone numbers that start with a “3″. They are all about “special offers” or sales of some sort where money is definitely involved.

Damn those SPAMmers.

For Your Eyes Only

Published by
James
at 21:57 HKT Nov 23, 2003 in Thoughts. 2 Comments

8:55pm.

We have just finished dinner at Festival Walk. Melinda was looking at some hair accessories at a shop called Alexandra arcoss the asile from the Aigle shop on LG2 while the saleslady was looking at Melinda through the shop window inside the shop right by the door.

8:57pm, just as Melinda was walking into the shop, the saleslady close the shop door before she could get in.

Better luck next time…. at another shop.