Your First Million Dollars

第一桶金 /邱立本

我的朋友小謝在香港書展期間買了一本書，書名是《如何在三十歲之前賺取第一桶金》。小謝說，他要學習種種技巧，要努力去賺生命中的第一桶金。我說這不容易，但也很容易，關鍵是對工作的態度。

小謝看著我，說太玄了，要我把話说清楚。

我說要有第一桶金，首先要懂「垃圾桶哲學」。

小謝困惑地問：「垃圾桶？垃圾桶也有哲學？」我和他說，應該去買一本台灣企業家嚴長壽寫的《總裁獅子心》，就知道箇中的玄機。小謝說他不知道這本書和這個人, 追問有什麼特別?

我說嚴長壽今天是台灣亞都麗緻酒店集團的總裁，但他當年只是一個中學畢業、剛當完兵的小伙子，進了台灣的運通集團American Express當辦公室的小弟，每天就是做些雜務，幫忙收發信件。

小謝問：「他後來怎麼可以青雲直上，脫穎而出？」我說這位英文名叫Stanley的小伙子，不僅努力把自己份內的工作做好，還把辦公室內所有人的工作都加以仔細觀察，主動去幫忙，當別人要休假或偷懶等，他就把工作接過去做，也就是說，在別人的垃圾桶內，他發現了機會。幾年後，他精通了辦公室的所有業務，也被美國老闆賞識，提升他為台灣區的總經理，造就一段企業界的傳奇。

因而第一桶金,就从垃圾桶开始.

Welcoming Sephen Lau in Hong Kong

Mok Kwok Yum sent this picture and the following brief note for the lunch we had to welcome Stephen Lau's flying visit to Hong Kong. Stephen is the founding President of the BHJS Canada Alumni. Thanks to Cheng Yat Hei for booking the Peking Restaurant at the Star House, TST. We were most delighted to have Ms Lin joining us.

We had a fun-filled lunch date in Hong Kong today, thanks to Lau Ki Chun. There were 12 of us, including Ms Lin. You can go to http://www.e2121.com/remembrance/bhjs to view the pictures. The dozen standing for the group picture are, from left to right:
Chu Kit Hong, Lau Kwan Chark, Wong Tak Ping, Mok Kwok Yum, Lau Ki Chun, Lam Kwok Yan, Susan Yu, Cheng Yat Hei, Ms Lin, Lee Yu Tung, Kwong Hoi Chau and Tam Ka Yuen.

Bringing Back a Taste of Childhood

一粒話梅 /邱立本

味覺的記憶總是難以預測。那天偶然經過九龍城的一家零食店「么鳳」，買了一包話梅，讓那種又鹹又甜又酸的味道在口腔中滾動，也立刻滾動出我童年刻骨銘心的味道。

這也是一種隱密式的味道。每次祖母或一些叔叔伯伯嬸嬸給我一毛錢或五分錢港幣時，我的舌頭就立刻變得又鹹又甜又酸。我會穿著一條短褲，光著上身從四樓奔跑到街上，到街角的一家叫做「公記士多」的小店，去買話梅吃。這家店的話梅很貴，但也很好吃。一毛就可以買兩顆，五仙就只有一粒。我大多買五仙，只有一粒。那個胖胖的老板娘，把那粒又圓又大的話梅，放在一張裁成半張信紙大小的舊報紙上，我如獲至寶地拿著這一粒話梅，先咬一口小小的，讓那種酸甜鹹合一的味道進入我口腔，享受那種在匱乏年代奢侈、隱私的感覺。

我知道這種味道要慢慢感受，但又不能表現得太享受，否則就會被我的姊姊、妹妹、弟弟知道。他們會跑過來要求也咬一小口，很小很小的要求。我大多不能拒絕這種要求，讓這粒話梅也沾滿了他們的口水，但我一定會很堅持，最後我要吃下整粒話梅，要徹底地擁有它，讓它在口腔停留很久很久。

一直到幾十年後，這種味道還在滾動……

For Lovers of Cats, I Mean BIG CATS

To enjoy the pictures taken by our naturalist traveller photographer classmate Malcolm Au Man Chung during his recent trip to Africa, please click here.

Kwong Hoi Chau Revisits Toronto

This is a report from Irene Tsai Yan Ying (F5A, 1967).

Breaking News!
Kwong Hoi Chau revisits Toronto
LAU BOK needs Viagara!

Date: Sat, Aug 19/06
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Place: Ruby Restaurant, Toronto
Present: Kwong Hoi Chau and Jackie, Lee Lai Chu, Kot Kong Ping & Phyllis Wong, Lau Yuk Hing, Chui Tak Shing, Irene Tsai Yan Ying, Ho Kit May, Cheung Kwok Ying, Stephen Lau (Lau Bok)
Regrets: Tsui Sun Man, Sexologist (all sexed out!)
Chow Kum Fong(last min family emergency)

As promised, I ran into the restaurant a few minutes earlier to grab a big table for all (table for 14, in case additional bodies may just show up). I can't believe how quickly we filled up that table, literally within minutes! We joked around, yaked and yaked, laughed and laughed with and at each other for a good chunk of time, there was no chance for me to snooze away on my chair at all despite the fact that I actually had no sleep the night before from another yesterday once more. Everybody was looking smilie good @ the table.

So, you're wondering what we talked about eh? Well, let me tell you..quite an array of things', such as life @ Jubilee in the 1960's, different lifestyles in Hong Kong, retirement home in Hong Kong/China/S.E.Asia/Timbuktu, the CHIU CHAU coolies way back in our growin up years, that nice Phys. Ed. CHIU CHAU LO teacher, the late HUNG SIR, AH LANG GOO and all those God damned WWI and WWII signed treaties we were expected to know, the late SEE TAU POH, the late DAI POW LAY, the laid back FAY LO AU MAN CHUNG, that smoky memories of Form 1C YAU LOP POON, those daily assemblies, that janitor who bailed LAU BOK out because of Lau's cigarettes, etc., etc.

The list just went on and on, with the sky being the limit, anything and everything, including Lau Bok's colourful right wrist stacked up with his sentimental bracelets. He was also wearing an eye-catching leather purse to match the rest of his outfit!! This senior citizen must have thought he was asked to model on the fashion runway @ Ruby or something! F.Y.I., this is also the man who takes 7 showers/baths a day in Thailand ! Hey, watch out! Comes next Aug, he may be taking 27 showers a day in the Yangtze River/Vietnam. He's really obsessed with cleanliness and holy thou art and that's when Fay Lo Au Man Chung's name and his shower/bath habit jumped into our conversation . Pretty hilarious stuff!

The whole time we were all teeth, noisy, immature like hell and spraying saliva if not spitting out phoenix claws remains all over the place. Mind you, everybody had the right to remain silent throughout, you know. But, everyone had chosen to let their hair down for a change. In slightly over two Dim Sum hours, we virtually encapsulated entire world views. Having a good time is just an understatement. Hey, what do you expect? It was a mini preliminary reunion, a prelude or foreplay to our 2007 blast. I had to intercept everyone to take pictures to share our fun moment with the nosy/concerned lot who could not be with the Toronto crew. Altogether we took 4 shots. Using my camera, LAU BOK took one group photo, followed by the DIM SUM MUI and then Kwong Hoi Chau snapped one with his fancy black camera. By the way, he took off right away the next morning, holding onto his black baby, of course. He's gone romancing Cuba to mango tango with his lovely better half. I swear she looks like a no bull shit aerobic instructor, looking the fittest among us all. I am green with envy that KHC got a personal trainer 24 hrs/day. This lucky ducky may show you guys the other group shot upon his return to Canada/Hong Kong. The one taken by the on-site DIM SUM MUI fortunately turned out OK (See above) .

After we picked on LAU BOK'S loud bracelets, I couldn't resist but to take a photo of his decorated wrist for your eyes. The last time I saw something similar was @ the Toronto Gay Parade as shown on the 6 O'clock News. No kidding! But, help! Lau Bok ZHOU CHUN CHUN (shaky arms and hands), the 1st group picture taken by him had to be scrapped entirely. Why? We all looked like vampires, as if we were going through the last worst earthquake in Turkey . LAU BOK, perhaps your other body parts may still be in tip top A1 shape, but regarding your lovely, fancy arms/hands/fingers¡K¡K¡K hey buddy, you definitely should seek Viagra ASAP from our Chicago drug mart doctor, the mighty pharmaceutical-based DAI FU. Did your sexy, sentimental bracelets hinder your performance in proper picture taking??? Start taking your Viagara, and stop being ZHOU CHUN CHUN @ our next alumni meet! Can we make you promise us? Hahaha! Hehehe! We had a lot of fun picking on LAU BOK's LAU LAU LING LING (fuzziness)!!!! As we walked away from the table following his wiggly ass, we all laughed and said collectively that LAU BOK is the kind of guy who will always look macho no matter how many purses, necklaces and bracelets he wears.

Reporting from Toronto by Irene TSAI Yan Ying

A Nostalgic Dress

唐裝衫褲 /邱立本

深夜重看港產片《五億探長─雷洛傳》，看到邱淑貞飾演的五○年代香港普通人家少女的角色，穿上了當時流行的「唐裝衫褲」，不禁心頭一震，勾起早已淡忘的記亿.

這其實也是當時香港街頭觸目皆是的衣著。大姊、二姊每天下課回家後，換下了學校制服，穿上了唐裝衫褲到街市去買菜回家燒飯。這是最流行的服裝，尤其在基層的庶民社會。從少女到老太太，都喜歡穿上這種上身像旗袍，下身是一般褲子的衣服。年輕的女孩都喜歡穿上碎花的布料，年紀大的女性則喜歡深色的。在夏天，無論老少，都穿上一種很輕、很薄的「黑膠綢」，可以通體透涼。

但唐裝衫褲其實是一種「普羅版」的旗袍，讓女性的身材可以展現無遺，但又毫不拘謹，可以非常方便俐落，不用配上高跟鞋，不用為了婀娜多姿而行動不便。如果旗袍是屬於尹雪艷，那麼唐裝衫褲就屬於玉卿嫂；如果旗袍是大家閨秀的「戰衣」，那麼唐裝衫褲就是小家碧玉的「戲服」，在生活的舞台上縱橫自如，讓女性舒坦，讓男性不小心地驚艷。

然而唐裝衫褲和旗袍一樣，都在八○年代間逐漸在香港社會飄然而逝。沒有人知道 真正的原因，但我只知道在回憶童年的夢境中，永遠出現唐裝衫褲的風采。

August for the French

Yau Lop Poon sent me this article for posting in August. Unfortunately getting onto the internet in Cuba was not easy and my apologies for the delay.

另一種法國假期 /邱立本

進入了八月，假期的影子在法國人心中拖得長長的，期望要感受不一樣的山水. 在城市的叢林待了太久，總期待呼吸歷史或大自然的氣味，揮別地鐵車廂的汗味，也要暫時割斷那些似乎永遠割不斷的工作壓力。

法國人永遠是暑期休假的忠實信徒，到了八月, 他們成群結隊地離開巴黎，忘掉那些示威遊行鬥爭和永無休止的意識形態辯論。他們在地中海的海灘裸體游泳，或是到魁北克法語區去經歷另一種法蘭西風情。他們當然也會跑到非洲，去法國球王施丹的故鄉，去發現法國足球魅力的泉源……

法國人也喜歡重訪越南，在河內新建的五星級大飯店，看越南崛起的中產階級在悠閒地喝法國咖啡，然後不動感情地和他們談五十年代的奠邊府之役，笑說兩個民族濃得化不開的恩怨情仇。

法國人也喜歡飛去上海，在飛機上閱讀錢鍾書小說《圍城》的法文譯本，發現男主角方鸿漸當年就是坐一艘法國郵船回到上海，並且書中的對白用了不少法文驚嘆用語「 O'la la」。他們漫步在上海當年法租界的霞飛路，發現這條取名法国将军霞飞的馬路, 早已改名為福州路，但上海街頭的法國梧桐樹，還是永遠那麼法國。

Mara Crossing

Millions of wildebeests and zebras cross the Mara River to Kenya looking for greener pastures during the dry months.

This summer, Malcolm Au and daughter Juliana were there to witness this magnificent feat of nature and he is happy to share with us some of the beautiful pictures he took. Please click here to enjoy.

Guess who was coming to dinner?

Mui Lai Yee reporting from New York:

Hi Folks,

Mok Kwok Yum made a special bus trip from Atlantic City, New Jersey to New York
to meet Lam Yuen Yiu and me on Wednesday at 4PM. The N.Y. trio is missing one for Kan Yu Tung is away in China. We met MKY at the bus stop in Chinatown and we recognized one another immediately because of our recent pictures.

We strolled along the streets, passed the City Hall and came to the site of Ground Zero where MKY wanted to see. It is sad to see the site, where thousands of lives vanished and where the Twin Towers once proudly stood, is now a large empty hole.

We walked to The South Street Seaport by the East River and came across a museum that the 'Body Exhibit' from China is in display. It is nothing X rated but a very educational exhibition with real corpses for demonstrations.

We had dinner at a Seaport restaurant. Did we ever have a slight idea that we would eat at the same table in a foreign country forty years after BHJS? Our conversation centered about those school days, of course. We reminisced until the night was drawing on. Lam Yuen Yiu and I 'escorted' MKY back to the bus stop and bid him adieu.