Golden
News
Volume 13 - Number 39 - 27
March 2000.
The weekly newsletter of the Rotary Club of Kowloon
Golden Mile, Hong Kong.
Web site: www.rckgm.org
The Final Countdown .....
Well folks, we are in the
final 100 days of the Presidency of President Ram "Bo", so all eyes are upon him
to see whether he will be able to achieve the targets he declared when he
assumed office. Of course you will remember that these were, er, ah, um, well
there is no need for me to remind you, right ?
Anyway, the Hong Kong Rugby
Sevens are over yet again, and the winners of the cup this year were New Zealand
(or was it Fiji ?). Whatever. Ho-hum ! The sun rises every morning, water
is wet, President Ram finishes his meetings late and New Zealand or Fiji win the
Hong Kong Sevens every year. There were throngs of drunken gwai-lo doing their
very best to unsuccessfully drink Carlsberg and Fosters dry again, and those who
were not quite full enough at the end of their three day binge retired to
Wanchai or Lan Kwai Fong after the match to have another drink to
commiserate.
It's nice to know some
things never change. At least newcomers China fielded a decent (but
inexperienced) team to the Sevens, and the final scores do not fairly represent
the Herculean effort they made against stronger teams such as the
Irish.
Last week's meeting
included a presentation from the visiting GSE (Group Study Exchange) members,
who hail from New Jersey, in addition to our guest speaker Mabel Mak who spoke
about the environment. Unfortunately we were unable, due to a lack of time, to
induct either of our two new prospective members, so I hope and expect we can
accomplish this important task this week.
Annual Ball - 6
May 2000 - Grand Hyatt Hotel.
OK folks, it's on again
and, without revealing any secrets, if Elissa Cohen and her team can achieve
their objectives, the next ball is going to be "The Mother
Of All Balls". Sounds a bit disgusting, but you know what I mean, right ?
Hello ? HELLO ?
Anyway, as usual, if the
ball is to be a success, we need the support of EVERY member in KGM.
Unfortunately we keep going back to the same old pots each year, but it's about
time you, yes YOU, got off your backside and did something positive for the club
for a change, OK ??. There are a number of ways in which you can assist, and the
main three are:
1) Take
at least ONE TABLE - no, you do not have to pay for it yourself -
ASSEMBLE a table among friends who are not members of KGM. You do have other
friends, don't you ? Or why not use this opportunity to invite your Bank
Manager, your Accountant, your Legal Advisor and your Parole Officer ? Table
sales are being handled by PP Raju and Rtn. Notan Tolani.
2) Place an ADVERTISEMENT IN THE BALL PROGRAMME - contact Neerja
Sujanani, who will happily suggest an advert which is not one of those boring
"With Compliments" styles, but something which is more interesting AND more in
keeping with the "4-Way Test". For example, "Buy your next suit from Ali Baba's
Tailor Shop - ready in 24 hours, guaranteed for 12 hours" !
3) Contribute A PRIZE - no, I don't mean that free lunch for one at
McDonald's which you won last week at another ball. We don't need a lot of
crappy stuff that you don't want - we need maybe a dozen DECENT
prizes, OK ? Contact Rtn. Balu Chainrai with your proposed
contribution.
OK ? Get the hang of it ?
Simple really.
International
Service:
International Service
Director Patricia "Maggie" Blair informs us that our Japanese Sister Club, the
RC of Hammamatsu South, will celebrate their 35th anniversary on 23rd
April, 2000, which is over the Easter weekend AND during Cherry Blossom
time !
KGM Members who would be
interested in making a visit to our sister club during that time
should send a brief email to Patricia care of patricia.blair@regus.com.hk as a
"non-binding" expression of interest !
Farewell !
Sadly we have lost another
member in Angel Yan who, due to business pressures, is unable to maintain her
attendance.
On behalf of all remaining
members of KGM, I wish Angel the very best for a safe, happy and healthy future
and we hope that she will consider re-joining KGM (no re-joining fee !), when
her circumstances
permit.
Rotary Information
Seminar.
(Disclaimer: The
following is a personal commentary by the Bulletin Editor, which is not
necessarily shared by other members of the KGM Board or other club
members.)
This was held at the KCC
last Friday evening but, WHAT A WASH-OUT !!
There were only 11
attendees, but 8 of them were "senior" Rotarians, such as President Ram,
PP's Raju, Louis, Bryan, Robin & Vince, Membership Director Carola
Masuch, Vocational Service Director Miranda Kong, Assistant Fellowship
Director Hans Peter and "old KGM hand" Rtn. Don Sahkrani.
The "newbies" ?? Rtn.
Neerja Sujanani and yet-to-be-inducted member Danielle Adams (thank you, ladies)
!
What the hell is wrong with
you people, huh ?? I am NOT a happy camper and, frankly, I don't know why we
bother.
Those who attended as
"educators" gave up their Friday evenings so that YOU can learn more about
Rotary (the organisation which you joined purportedly to serve your community),
in a friendly and informal setting, with refreshments, dinner & drinks
graciously contributed by PP Raju.
A few months ago we
arranged a Vocational Service visit to Miranda Kong's label factory and nobody
turned up and hardly anybody had the common courtesy to say they could not
attend, for whatever reason.
Listen up people, here's
the drill. If you just want to have a place to hear guest speakers on Wednesdays
when you have nothing else to do, KGM is NOT it, OK ? We are actually trying to
accomplish something for the less-fortunate in Hong Kong and elsewhere and, if
you don't want to be part of that, fine, but please have the courtesy to be
honest about it.
If you just want to be a
"pretend" Rotarian, you can buy Rotary pins for $10 from Harilela's Tailor Shop
at the Holiday Inn.
This Week's
Speaker: Board Of Directors
Topic: Club
Assembly.
For the benefit of newer KGM members, the Club Assembly
usually occurs four times a year, and this is when your Board reports to you on
the activities of their respective committees since the previous Club Assembly.
This is also an opportunity for members to ask questions of each Director after
he or she has made their report (i.e. Give 'em hell !!).
Directors are reminded to come to the meeting suitably
prepared but, if you are unable to personally attend, you are required to send a
brief written report to the President, or appoint a spokesman, so that he
can make a presentation on your behalf.
Next Fellowship Event:
Horse Racing Night !
Date and Time: Wednesday 12th
April, 2000. Fellowship commences 1 hour before the first race.
Venue: Hong Kong Jockey Club
Racetrack, Happy Valley, Hong Kong.
Cost: Cheap ! (To be confirmed,
but under $300 per head, excluding the $50 "Badge Fee" for non-HKJC
members)
Our Assistant Fellowship Director Hans "Hi-Ho Silver" Peter
has finally done it and organised what has always been one of the most
popular fellowships of the Rotary year. Space is limited, so make your
booking with Hans pronto.
Oh, and by the way, IF you commit to a fellowship but fail to
turn up, you still gotta pay the piper, OK ? There were at least six (6)
people who committed to the "Mexican Night" but who did not show up and have not
yet paid.
Do the right thing without being chased, OK ?
This Week's Birthday
Celebrants:
29 March - Kumar "Rumpole"
Ramanathan, who shares his birthday with Australian "Super Model" Elle
MacPherson.
PS: Elle, if you're reading
this, please call me. I love you too (but not as much as Jane March) !
Forthcoming Club and District
Events:
1-2 April - 40th Annual District
Conference, Landmark Exhibition & Convention Centre,
Macau.
The big push is on yet again for this event, which is when
important District matters are discussed. Please contact Rtn. Patricia Blair for
more information, however I understand that KGM is (yet again) subsidising this
District event.
30 April - District Basketball Tournament,
Harbour Road Indoor Game Hall, Wanchai.
The last time I joined the KGM team, I suffered quite a few
injuries, however most of them were caused by my team mates Liam Drake and
Meryvn Cragg !! If they ask you to give them the ball, I urge you NOT to argue
....
KGM Web
Site:
Well, to my surprise, we
have been advised that the KGM Web Site has been selected as winner of the
inaugural "Best Club Web Site" award in District 3450 (out of 16 contenders),
and we will be given an award at the District Conference. Unfortunately our
Webmaster will be unable to attend the District Conference in person, as he will
be in the Philippines, so the award will be received by President Ram on behalf
of KGM. Although our Webmaster is not an "awards" type of guy, he is
nonetheless delighted for KGM.
I understand we will also be receiving
recognition for hosting the last District Assembly, which was very capably and
efficiently organised by PP C.K. Tsang. Well done, old mate !!
By the way, if you visit the KGM web site, you
will note there is a special greeting in Dutch near the top of the page in
honour of the Rotary Club of Beverwijk, The
Netherlands. Last Wednesday, that club had a live Internet presentation to
their Board and members on how useful a web site can be for them, and they used
the KGM web site as their example. More kudos to KGM !
The Webmaster has
also added a "Standard Disclaimer" below the "Special Disclaimer". If he has
forgotten anything, please let him know urgently, to avoid potential legal
liabilities ! :-)
Cool Internet
Sites:
http://www.coolquiz.com/ All
dressed up, with nowhere to go. No problem. Visit this web site and you will
find dozens of trivia quizzes to help you pass the time. Excellent during
typhoons.
Quote Of The
Week:
"I never give 'em hell. I just tell 'em the truth and they think it's
hell".
Harry S. Truman.
Joke Of The Week:
A man dies and goes to hell. He's wandering
around when a demon comes up and asks him why the long face? "Well, you know, I
just died and I'm in hell, so its going to be bad." The demon says, "Naw man,
you got it all wrong! Hell isn't so bad! Tell ya what, you like smoking?" Yeah,
the guy replies. As a matter of fact, its part of the reason why I'm down here.
"Great!" the Demon says, "Because every Monday,
all we do is smoke. Cigarettes, cigars, pipes, all kinds of tobacco. All day!
And it doesn't matter, because you're already dead!" Well, I guess that's good,
but you know, its still hell, and it just isn't great all the time. "Well" the
demon retorts, "you like drinking?" The guy nods, yeah, its part of the reason
why I'm down here.
"Fabulous! Because every Tuesday, all we do is
drink! Beer, wine, mixed drinks, cocktails, shots, we do it all! Anything you
want, all day, and it doesn't matter because you're already dead!" Hmmm, the guy
thinks, this might not be so bad after all "Tell ya what. You like drugs?" Well,
yeah, the guy says, that's why I'm down here. I overdosed on some drugs.
"Good! Because on Wednesdays, all we do here is
drugs! Anything you want: pot, acid, cocaine, crack, heroin, all day! And
it doesn't matter because you're already dead!" The guy is thinking, wow, this
is starting to sound really good! Hell might not be such a bad place after all!
Then the demon asks, "So, do you like men?"
And the guys replies: "No"!.
"Well, you're gonna hate Thursdays then...."
The
Phantom