Golden News
Volume 16, Number 44 - Monday 28 April 2003
The official bulletin of the Rotary Club of Kowloon Golden Mile is published
most Mondays and is distributed to all club members, District officials and
other "friends of KGM".

Winner "Best English Language Bulletin" in District 3450, 2001/2002
Lunch is served:
 
Well, folks, KGM is back in business. Our regular lunch meeting scheduled for this Wednesday 30 April is on.

However please note that while your attendance is encouraged, it's not mandatory.

 
This Week's Meeting:

Didn't you read the section above, homie? Oh, you wanna know about the guest speaker, huh?

Well it's a surprise ...............

 
Milestones:

1) Our heartfelt condolences to KGM Member Tim Wong on the recent passing of his mother. Member's wishing to personally pay their respects are invited to attend the Hong Kong Funeral Home, 679 King’s Road, North Point between 5:00 p.m to 10:00 p.m. on Saturday 10 May 2003. Members who are unable to attend will be represented by members of the Board.


2) There are no members celebrating birthdays this week.


3) Congratulations to Vincent "Bone Bender" Lam, who this week celebrates the 3rd anniversary of his induction into KGM on 3 May 2000.
 
Fellowship News:

I guess our old mate Fellowship Director Miranda "King" Kong is still recovering from the Thai style Hot Pot and garden BBQ Buffet held last Saturday at the Yau Yat Chuen Garden City Club, because she's nowhere to be found.
 
Watch this space ------>   <------ for a report on the last event and an announcement concerning the next event.


Walkathon: 

Send money. Now!

If you haven't already done so, please send a cheque payable to Rotary Club of Kowloon Golden Mile to "KGM Walkathon", P.O. Box 98129, Tsimshatsui as soon as possible, in respect of all the money you raised.
 
And remember to write your name on the rear of your cheque so that Her Royal Frivolity can identify you.
 
Fund-Raising KGM Polio Plus Cookbook:
 

About 40% of our stocks of our "Dining In with Great Chefs of Hong Kong" cookbook are still available for only HK$188 (US$25) per copy. This is excellent value and an image of the cover has been uploaded to the KGM website.

To purchase your copies, contact President-Elect Patricia "Iron Lady" Blair on telephone 9312 3606 or by email or you can order copies online by major credit card through PayPal.

 
District 3450 News:
 
 
1) A number of Rotary Clubs in District 3450 are starting to resume meetings this week, and notices are published on the District website. While this list is not exhaustive, KGM members intending to visit other Rotary Clubs are advised to check the list before proceeding, in order to avoid possible disappointment.


2) The District Contract Bridge Tournament is now cancelled.


3) The 43rd Annual District Assembly at the Kowloon Shangri-La Hotel, Tsimshatsui East, has been rescheduled to the new date Sunday 18 May, 2003.

 
Rotary International News:
 

KGM members are invited to complete a brief online survey at the RI website in respect of possible membership benefits.

 
Rotary Information: 
 
First names or nicknames?: From the earliest days of Rotary, members have referred to each other on a first-name basis. Since personal acquaintance and friendship are cornerstones of Rotary, it was natural that many clubs adopted the practice of setting aside formal titles in conversations among members. Individuals who normally would be addressed as Doctor, Professor, Mister, the Honorable or Sir are regularly called Joe, Bill, Charley or Jerry by other Rotarians.
 
And the characteristic Rotary club name badge fosters the first-name custom.
 
In a few areas such as Europe, club members use a more formal style in addressing fellow members. In other parts of the world, mainly in Asian countries, the practice is to assign each new Rotarian a humorous nickname which relates to some personal characteristic or which is descriptive of the member's business or profession. A member nicknamed "Oxygen" is the manufacturer of chemical gas products. "Trees" is the nickname for the Rotarian in the lumber business, "Building" is a construction contractor and "Paper" is the stationery or office supply retailer. Other members might carry nicknames like "Muscles," "Foghorn" or "Smiles" as commentaries on their physical features.

The nicknames are frequently a source of good-natured fun and fellowship. But whether a Rotarian is addressed by a given first name or a nickname, the spirit of personal friendship is the initial step which opens doors to all other opportunities for service.

KGM Note: The official "Giver Of Nicknames" for KGM is yours truly, The Phantom Bulletin Editor, who tries to be as kind as possible.

Hence, rather than using nicknames like, say, Brian "Do You Like My Fishnet Stockings?" Hodgson or Susie "Spanky, Spanky, Who's Your Momma?" Misini, less incriminating nicknames are used.


Ask The Geek:
 
Dear Geek, When I travel overseas on business, the roaming charges I pay my Hong Kong cellular service provider are exorbitant. Do you have any suggestions on how I can save money? Yours truly, Telly Funken.



Dear Telly, Before I go overseas, I divert all calls on my Hong Kong cellular telephone to my voice mail or answering machine, and I change my standard greeting to inform callers that I'm out of town, but that I'll be checking my messages once or twice a day.

When I arrive at my destination, I purchase a local prepaid SIM card, which I use to dial Hong Kong to check my messages. This way, I avoid the many non-essential (and now very expensive) calls I usually receive each day, and I only return calls to important callers.

Of course I give my temporary foreign number to Mrs. Geek and my office staff so they can find me at anytime. If you're a regular visitor to a country, you can probably retain the same foreign number forever, because most prepaid SIM cards are valid for 6 to 12 months from the date of their last recharge.

For example, I've had the same number in the Philippines for over 5 years. This not only makes it convenient for Mrs. Geek and my staff to find me, but my friends and colleagues in the Philippines can find me too, without costing them or me a long distance call.

Unless you're travelling to a third world area like Central Africa or North America, prepaid SIM cards are easily and cheaply obtainable.
Who Am I?
 
What is the more common name of dashing American 50's & 60's actor Roy Harold Scherer Jr? Clue: He looked like a "ladies man", but apparently he wasn't!
 
The answer appears at the bottom of this issue.
 
 
Golden Smile: 
 
A guy was talking to his friend at a bar about his wife's birthday.
 
He said, "I really don't know what to get my wife for her birthday today. She has everything, and besides, she can afford to buy anything she wants, so I'm really at a loss what to give her."
 
His friend said, "I have an idea! Why don't you make up a certificate saying that she can have 60 minutes of wild, passionate and tantalizing sex. She'll probably be thrilled."
 
Adam thought the idea had merit, and decided to follow his friend's advice.
 
The next day at the bar his friend asked, "Well? Did you take my suggestion?"
 
"Yes, I did," Adam replied.
 
"So, was she happy?" the friend asked.
 
"Oh yes! She immediately jumped up with excitement, hugged me, kissed me on the forehead and then ran out the door yelling "I'll be back in an hour, honey!"


Quotable Quotes:

 
"The Statue of Liberty is no longer saying 'Give me your poor, your tired, your huddled masses'. She's now got a baseball bat and she's yelling, 'Hey, you want a piece of me?'".
 
Robin Williams
 
 
The Phantom
Who Am I answer: Rock Hudson.

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