Golden News
Volume 15, Number 15 - Monday 8 October 2001
The bulletin of the Rotary Club of Kowloon Golden Mile - published every Monday.
Visit our website

Postcard from Tsuen Wan:
 
Well folks, it's been one of those weeks when I have no idea what's going on at KGM.

Firstly I missed the last KGM regular meeting because I was in Manila. To make matters worse, my two regular spies Mata Hari and Monty Python were also out of town, so I have no juicy bits to report.

This reason this issue is being published later than usual is because I spent the entire weekend officiating at a major shooting competition in Hong Kong. Apart from forcing me to delay my usual publication time, this also resulted in me having sore feet, a sore back and no voice, the latter being caused by my spending two days screaming at all the competitors and other officials. Then again, most people agree my not having a voice is a good thing.
 
My final excuse is that I had two close shooting buddies in town over the weekend who helped me with the competition. On Sunday evening, after it was all over, we celebrated in Wanchai with two other close buddies, Mr. Jack Daniels and Mr. Johnny Walker and this caused me to sleep-in later than usual this morning.
 
The only reliable information I can report is a message from our Attendance Director Neerja "Da Numbers" Sujanani, who advises that our YTD attendance continues to hover at the 73% mark, which is not too shabby.

This Week's Meeting:

This week's speaker is District Governor Johnson Chu, who will be making his official visit to KGM. We therefore hope that all KGM members will make an effort to attend this very important meeting, which will also be attended by other District 3450 officials.

DG Johnson is highly dedicated Rotarian and a gentleman, so please support your club and help us to give DG Johnson a warm KGM welcome.

Milestones:

Birthday congratulations for 9 October to Rtn. Balu "Kojak" Chainrai who shares his birthday with former Beatle, the late John Lennon.
 
Member Updates:

1) KGM toreador Rtn. Pico "Lo" Dialdas advises members that his new email address is pico@mdshk.com
 
2) We are sad to report that Rtn. Erika Taylor will soon be leaving KGM (and Hong Kong), for greener pastures in Singapore. Erika advises she has a number of household items she wishes to sell before she leaves and a list has been uploaded to the KGM website. Members interested in acquiring any of the items should contact Erika by email or by telephone 9030 1818.
 
3) Our intrepid traveler PP C.K. "Calvin" Tsang recently returned from a business trip to Brisbane, Australia, during which time he had an opportunity to visit KGM Charter President Chandru Parmanand and our original First Lady Sheila at their new home on Queensland's Gold Coast.

Apparently the Parmanand home is larger than the Governor's Mansion in Hong Kong! The good news is that our old mate Chandru has kindly offered to host a KGM Reunion Barbeque for members attending the Rotary International Convention in Brisbane in 2003.

KGM members who have never visited Australia should consider doing so in 2003, because Brisbane and the Gold Coast are some of the most beautiful parts of the country, and the Parmanands are terrific hosts. 
 
Fellowship News:
 
Our annual Oktoberfest fellowship is on again. This is when KGM members shamelessly drink copious amounts of beer, eat enormous sausages and do the chicken dance while wearing lederhosen and silly hats. In other words, you get to act as though you are at a KGM Board meeting!

The Oktoberfest Fellowship will be held on Saturday 27 October 2001 at the Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel (not at the Holiday Inn Golden Mile, as in previous years). The cost is only $300 per head, and this includes two pints of beer served in a souvenir beer stein, a main course, dessert and lots of schnapps. Prost!

Members interested in attending should contact Herr Biermeister David "Oom Pa Pa" Harilela on telephone 9168 8333 or, better still, send him an email which will be efficiently handled by his Secretary "Amazing Grace", who is more organised and far better looking. She also has nicer legs.

District 3450 News:

1) The District 10 Pin Bowling Tournament will be held at the Mei Foo Sun Chuen Fun Bowl on Sunday 28 October 2001. Any KGM members interested in participating in this event should contact PP Bryan Van Dale on telephone 9481 5586 or by email.
 
2) A District Vocational  Service Seminar will be held during the regular club meeting of RC Peninsula from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Tuesday 30 October 2001 at the Hong Kong Hotel, Tsimshatsui. There is no charge for the seminar; attendees only need to pay for their lunch.

KGM members interested in attending this seminar should contact KGM Vocational Service Director PP Louis "Trailwalker" Thomas (who needs KGM members to accompany him and buy him beer). Call PP Louis on telephone 9171 3769 or send him an email.

District 3450 Special Request - Reminder:
 
The Rotary Club of Ulaanbaatar, currently the only Rotary Club in Mongolia, is part of our District 3450, which also encompasses all Rotary Clubs in Hong Kong and Macau.

We have been advised by District 3450 that a small delegation from RC Ulaanbaatar are planning to attend our 42nd District Conference, which will be held at the Kowloon Shangri-La Hotel on 16 &17 March 2002. In an effort to reduce their expenses, our colleagues from Mongolia are seeking "home stay" accommodation for one or more (male or female) members for the duration of their brief visit to Hong Kong.

KGM members who are willing and able to assist in this matter are asked to contact District 3450 Membership Development Coordinator PP Herbert Lau of RC Tolo Harbour by email.
 
Rotary International News:

RattakulA) Rotary International President-Elect Bhichai Rattakul (pictured, left) has established his own website. RIPE Bhichai will be the first Thai national to lead Rotary International, and he will assume office on 1 July 2002.
 
B) October is designated "Vocational Service month" by Rotary International. For more information about Vocational Service, visit the RI web site.

C) The 2001 Rotary Institute for RI Zone 4 will be held from 19-21 October 2001 at the Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. For more information about this event, visit their web site.

D) An RI Presidential PolioPlus Summit will be held from 22-24 February 2002 in Mumbai, India.

E) An RI Presidential Conference will be held from 22-24 March 2002 in Taipei, Taiwan.

F) The RI Annual Convention will be held in Barcelona, Spain from 23 to 26 June 2002, and you can register on-line here. For more information about the convention, visit their web site. Viva Espana!
 
Web Side Story: 
 
Want to learn more about Rotary? Visit the KGM website and click on "Rotary Links & Information" at the top of the page then scroll down to items 14a and 14b, which provide two hyperlinks to "The ABC's of Rotary".
 
Dear Geek:

The Geek is on holiday this week, however his insightful advice will return in next week's bulletin.
 
Who Am I? 
 
What is the more common name of raunchy black American singer Anna Mae Bullock?

The answer appears at the bottom of this issue.
 
Cunning Linguist:

Have you ever wondered about the origins of the expression "wrong side of the bed"?
 
The "wrong side of the bed" is the one that leaves you grumpy and unsociable first thing in the morning (note the Phantom's bed has four wrong sides!).

There are many similar expressions that begin with "the wrong side of" such as "wrong side of the blanket" for a child born illegitimately, "getting on the wrong side of somebody" which means you have annoyed somebody, the "wrong side of the law" meaning you have broken the law, and "being on the wrong side of forty" (or thirty, or fifty, or almost any age, really).

All express the idea that there are good and bad aspects of any situation.

Some writers say there was once a superstition that to get out of bed on the left side, the sinister side, led to bad luck, but this sounds like a well-meaning attempt to explain the mysterious. If there ever was such a belief, it's not reflected in the recorded use of the expression, which is actually not that old; it seems to have been derived from another phrase of similar type.

Golden Smile:

Mr. & Mrs. Wong had three daughters who were going to marry their respective fiancés on the same day in a joint ceremony.
 
However as their daughters were raised in a "prim and proper" manner, they were concerned that their sexually inexperienced daughters may become distressed during their honeymoons.
 
The concerned parents therefore suggested that their daughters each send them a brief email to describe their wedding night experiences but, in order to avoid embarrassing their husbands, the parents suggested the daughters use advertising  "code words".
 
After a few days, they received an email from their first daughter with the code word "Duracell". On checking the newspaper, they were pleased to note their slogan was: "It keeps going and going and going".
 
After a few more days, they received an email from their second daughter with the code word "Timex". On checking the newspaper, they were even more pleased to note the slogan was: "It takes a licking, but it keeps on ticking".
 
Another week passed. A month passed. Two months passed, but there was still no word from their third daughter, so the parents were becoming very concerned.
 
Three months later, they finally received an email from their third daughter with the code word "Cathay Pacific", so the concerned parents rushed to the nearest 7-11 to buy a newspaper. Mrs. Wong started flipping frantically through the pages to find the Cathay Pacific advertisement and, when she found it, she promptly fainted!
 
After reviving his wife, Mr. Wong opened the newspaper to see what caused his wife to faint.
 
The Cathay Pacific slogan was: "3 times a day, 7 days a week, non-stop" !

Quotable Quotes:

"Always carry a bottle of whiskey in case of snake bite. Furthermore, always carry a small snake".

-- WC Fields --

 

The Phantom
"Who am I?" answer: Tina Turner.

If you no longer wish to receive this bulletin each week, click here. For previous issues of the bulletin (or to view them in their full HTML glory), visit our archives. © 2001 Rotary Club of Kowloon Golden Mile. All rights reserved. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author (who is under heavy medication), and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of any other member of the club.