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NEWS

Each month I will keep a running list of news items, including info on my schedule, etc. It's in order from LATEST entry at the top on down to the OLDEST entry at the bottom. 

Here are the "News" archives, feel free to browse them for some interesting tidbits:

***This is the archive of the July/August  2003 news***

27 August 2003

"All is well. All is well." -- just keep saying that and you can know exactly what it's like to live in my head right now. 

(Not that you want to, but I'm just saying)...

BR2
So I happen to hook up with my friend the other day, see?, because he's leaving to go to school in the old USA next Monday. And we're sitting there eating at this restaurant, and just "catching up" and all that, and he tells me about this Japanese film called "BR2", and he says, "Oh, I assure you -- they could NEVER show this film in the USA because it's too anti-American!"

Okay, so first things first, I calmly responded that they most assuredly COULD show it, because unlike in, oh, say, CHINA -- or most of the REST of the stinking world -- we can pretty much do and say and watch any stinking thing we want. You know?!? I mean, give me a BREAK... And I was mildly surprised at how roiled I was suddenly feeling that this guy -- my friend, who has actually lived and studied in the USA, and whose family is trying everything in their power to emigrate there, and who in fact is himself leaving in less than a week to MOVE there -- but I was surprised at how hearing him say such a groundless thing, that "they could NEVER show this film" (and he said it TWICE), just made me feel like that was a pretty stupid thing to say. I'm not saying HE's stupid, not at all -- in fact this is a really smart guy -- but I mean it was so comically out of sync with reality that it actually was making me mad to hear him say it, because whether this makes sense or not, I couldn't help feeling that he sort of meant it as a slam, right? Like, "It really nails you guys, they'd NEVER let it be shown!" -- so you can see why I was wanting to put pay to THAT silly idea right off the bat. I'm like, dude, we freakin' INVENTED freedom of speech! 

ANYWAY, my curiosity was piqued about this film, so of course I went to see it yesterday. 

Oh, and I almost forgot this part. Okay, the movie is rated "Level III" -- which in HK means that no one under 18 is allowed inside the theater. I don't know anything about this, right?, because I've never been to a "Level III" movie in HK, so as I'm buying the ticket, and there's a HUGE crowd by the way, because Tuesday is discount day, and the matinee on Tuesday is like "Double Secret Discount Day" -- it's only $35HK, which is only $4.75 in US dollars -- but anyway, there's this huge crowd, and the girl can speak no English, apparently, and she's trying to make this big flourish with her hands, and pointing at all these signs, and I'm like, "Girl, I have no idea what you are trying to tell me, but you're making me feel like I'm in a Lassie film!" .. ["What is it, girl? The movie's about to start?!? I should go get my popcorn while it's hot and fresh?!? Good girl, Lassie! GOOD GIRL!!"]... but I didn't say that out loud, obviously, no one would have understood it anyway... But finally she just gives up, thankfully, and says, "Enjoy da phillum!" -- which is what the ticket sellers always say in HK, and I point that out NOT to make fun of their Engrish, but just so you can be "in the moment" with me. 

Right, so about this "Level III" thing -- before the movie starts, there is this huge warning that comes on the screen, and first in Chinese and then in English the guy says something to the effect of, "This film has been rated a Level III by the teller, absolutely no one under 18 is allowed in the theater! If anyone under 18 is in this theater, you must leave immediately! If anyone under 18 is in this theater while the film is being shown, and if their presence leads to the prosecution of the theater or managers by HK authorities, then the management reserves the right to bring civil action against the persons involved!" 

And I'm like, "Whoa, that's some serious stuff!" -- and just as I'm thinking that, the manager and two ushers -- TWO!! -- come up to me, and she says, "Sir, dipple dee, fum rebel free phillum, eye tea card two mumble!"

And I'm like, "What?!?" and she says it again, and it only sounded a little bit different this time, so I still have no idea what she's saying -- but now something bright came up on the screen, and I can finally SEE her face in the dark, and she's motioning me to come outside the theater.

(I can't believe I almost forgot to tell all this)...

So we get outside, and she explains that this is a Level III film, so she must see my Hong Kong ID card to ensure that I'm over 18. And I just couldn't help but laugh out loud, in a maniacal, "that's-so-funny-it's-killing-me" way -- but actually I guess I did help it, because I only laughed that maniacal way in my head. In real life, standing there with this lady and her "Level III" goons, I just quietly mumbled, "Wow, that's so funny" -- and after she checked my card I went back inside. 

(Actually, she was really nice, I should say)...

But my point in telling all that, besides that it is funny, is that it all went together, if you can follow me, to make me feel like this was really gonna be some kinda film! I mean, geez, my friend "warned" me about it, and now I'm seeing it under the risk of arrest -- it is probably a thought-provoking, challenging film that's gonna really make me reconsider my place in the world... 

Indeed, it WAS a challenging film to watch. But NOT because of any anti-American sentiment -- IT'S JUST A HORRIBLE, RIDICULOUS FILM!!!

The plot of the film -- and this is a sequel, remember, so heaven only knows what the FIRST one was about -- but the plot is that there is a group of terrorist teenagers who have declared war on the adults of the world. As best I could gather, three years ago these kids committed a terrorist act, which was basically blowing up the government's twin towers (wink, wink) in downtown Tokyo, along with about 6 other buildings. This act of terrorism, the collapse of the towers, is the first scene of da phillum, and I'm sure it's supposed to evoke all kinds of 9/11 something, but it didn't (though it was a pretty cool special effect, by the way). 

So the plot somehow involves this teenage girl whose father was killed by the leader of the teenage terrorists, and it's got something to do with how she is vowing revenge on him for killing her father, though it must be noted, I think, that in every flashback of the film to her father, she hates his guts, and calls him an idiot to his face, so much so that her father asks her at one point if he should just kill himself, to which she just responds, again, "What an idiot"... and she hisses it out with that "teenage-girl-hating-you" face -- and I mean, this actress can really do that look. 

So somehow because of all this, the girl goes to a middle school for losers, supposedly it's well-known that they are a "loser" middle school, and they are shown playing rugby and getting covered in mud (and losing, by the way), and then on the bus home, after expressing their love and undying friendship for each other, they all fall asleep, and when they wake up, lo and behold, they have "Logan's Run"/"Planet of the Apes"-type necklaces on, and it turns out they have been chosen as the group of loser kids who will take on the terrorist teenagers in the Battle Royale 2--Survival Game: Requiem (which turns out to be the full title of the movie, we discover). This is a battle to the death, where they must attack the teenage terrorists on the island where they've secluded themselves, and they either kill or be killed, and, let's see -- oh, yeah, they are all paired with their seat-mates from the bus, so Girl #1 is paired with Boy #1, and if one of them dies, or if they are separated by more than 50 meters, the necklace will blow up and lots of blood will spew forth over the other actors and the camera. The kids LEARN about all this from their teacher, who, it turns out, is in on the whole thing, and who -- between popping pills and making cartoonish faces of madness -- looks remarkably like a Japanese Wayne Newton, without the moustache. 

I swear, I wish I had the time and energy to go into how crazy this film is, I mean, maybe if you saw the FIRST film, or maybe if you spoke Japanese, maybe THEN it would make sense -- but remember, I've only told you the first 5 minutes of the movie!!! I'm not joking, that's just the first 5 minutes!!!

What's the film really about? I'm not totally sure. But I think they were trying to make out that these teenagers (the terrorists) are the lovers and dreamers of the world (a la Kermit), and they are fighting all the adults (Americans) because the adults (Americans) are killing people and "is that really the way for adults to behave?" So in between the hammiest, most pathetic acting I may have ever seen, we are treated to several completely unrelated diatribes about how America has bombed all these countries (and they list them all, with great drama, several times -- always beginning with China, by the way), and they try to say that there are 6 billion people in the world, so there are 6 billion kinds of peace, and 6 billion kinds of justice, and 6 billion kinds of who knows what else, I suppose, and whose right is it to go around killing people, bombing them, and telling other people what is right? ... (Which begs the question, is this argument FOR or AGAINST Muslim militants? Because I thought you were talking about Americans, but you just described the real terrorists, you moron!)... 

Now, understand, this "moral" of the story has nothing to do with the plot or any action taking place on the screen whatsoever -- they just break into the action to give a speech or two, and that is supposed to be the "damning" anti-American sentiment that will ensure that "they will NEVER show this film in the USA!!"

Just so you know, I was disappointed. 

I was looking forward to something interesting, and instead it was possibly the worst film I have ever seen in my life. Certainly it was the worst film I think I've ever PAID to see. No joke, it ranks right up there with this film called "Q" -- which, in case you've never seen it, is the story of a pterodactyl/dragon that, without ever being seen, terrorizes the people of Manhattan (a film which features the following dialogue: Bartender: "Hey, they ever find that guy's head?" -- Protagonist: "Oh, it'll turn up!").

Anyway, if you ever have the chance to see this movie, BR2, I wish you WOULD, just so you can tell me if I missed something here... I doubt it, but then again, who knows. 

As for me, all I'm saying is that there may be 6 billion people in the world, but there's only one way to spell C-R-A-P...  

23 August 2003

I made it back to HK with very little incident, and I'm hard at work trying to adjust my body clock to the complete OPPOSITE time zone here -- right now there is exactly a 12-hour difference between where I've been the last month (Louisville) and here. 

It still seems sort of weird to come back to HK to no one -- I can never seem to get over that one...

But I had a BLAST being at home for a whole month, and I've been wondering if I'll ever get a whole month free like that again. The thing is, you need that much time just to get adjusted from jet lag and time difference, etc., it just made everything so much more enjoyable. 

Did I get everything done that I expected to finish while home? NO WAY. And I spent the last few days running around like an idiot trying to fit everything (and everyone) in -- but I just couldn't do it all. 

So, note to self: "Next time, write everything down and make sure you start working from Day One"... 

Okay, well, I've got several things I must do today, running to the Post Office to get some certified mail, etc., and there's also a Typhoon Signal No.1 hoisted as of 9:30am this morning, so we may be in for some rough weather the next few days.

Take care...

19 August 2003

Okay, so I had planned a LOT of updating of photos while I was here (I'm writing from the USA, where I am currently sitting, all comfortable and cozy)... but none of that happened. Before embarking on this once-in-a-lifetime trip home, I had seen these past 3.5 weeks as an inexhaustible resource of fun and food and friends and food and freakiness... and food... But it really just kind of blew by and now it's almost over and I didn't update here at all the whole time. 

It's alright, hopefully I'll have time when I get back to HK to do it. Right now I'm scheduled (God willing) to leave here on Thursday morning (the 21st), arriving back in HK on Friday evening (the 22nd). 

In the meantime, if you happen to be reading this, I sure wish you'd shoot up a little prayer for me in my travels. 

Talk to you soon!

23 July 2003

Well, I'm off. 

It's 5am now, HK time, and -- God willing -- I should be in Louisville in about 25 hours, give or take several excruciatingly uncomfortable minutes. I don't know if anyone cares, but I expect to still be making updates in the coming days, with photos of my niece (who I will be meeting for the first time), and other famous celebrities that orbit my aura. 

If you don't mind, give me a little prayin' time over my trip -- "traveling mercies" is what we normally axe for... 

Okay, take care, talk to you soon...

22 July 2003

I'm doing fine about now -- I really am. So you SURELY shouldn't worry about ME.

But I still feel this unspeakable sadness this afternoon. I'm learning that the end of school makes me feel that way, all the saying goodbyes and the cleaning everything up and throwing all the papers away and putting the books in boxes... It just feels like such an "ending" to me, and I get a bit weepy over it -- I did last year, I remember, and I did again today.

But of course, what was different today was that it was also our memorial service for my friend, Erica. 

It was a very beautiful service, very simple and to the point, and I think Erica would have liked it that way. And do you think we cried? Of course we did. It was just so heart-wrenching to see her father there, a short, earthy man who must have been terribly proud of his daughter, the teacher... his sweet, beautiful daughter, the gardener... As everyone swarmed around him at the end of the service, trying to express their sympathies and how much they missed Erica, his face distorted in a painful show of his own grief. No one could stand there and watch that poor man's sorrow and not understand that as much as we have lost, as Erica's friends and co-workers, HE has lost so much more.  There was a Christian doctor who was killed during the SARS crisis, she was about 30-something, beautiful, with a very strong "Christian testimony" as they say... And she died because she had volunteered to help the SARS victims, but caught the disease and succumbed herself. And the church in HK has rightly celebrated that woman's life, and her sacrifice (made explicitly "in the name of Jesus")... And they've rushed to make films and books and posters, and I'm not joking, there are about 3 films being made about this woman's life -- seriously, 3 different films all being made at once of this one person's life. It's like they can't get enough of praising this girl and her "martyrdom" to SARS. I have been thinking for weeks how it must help that doctor's husband and family to know that so many people are grieving with them...  And so today I thought about how Erica wasn't famous at all -- and yet she was so loved by those of us who knew her. I suppose no one will make any films about her life, or how funny she was, or how beautiful her smile was, or how tender her spirit was... There aren't people lining up to hear her story, or to think about what her life could have become had she not been killed in that bus crash.  But WE won't forget, those of us who feel the hole in our guts this afternoon. Time will "heal" our hearts, and soon enough we'll be able to think of Erica without the tears coming.

But Erica won't be forgotten -- trust me on that one... 

. . .

I had told some people about how I remembered the first time I really spoke with Erica. It was Christmas, 2001, and even though we'd been working together teaching 3 classes a week since September, still we had never really found any time outside of the classroom to chat and get to know each other. I remember quite vividly how she slowly approached me and initiated our conversation, and it seemed clear she had been wanting to talk for a long time but maybe felt there had never been a good chance to "start" before... 

That night we talked for a good while, and I remember she kept saying I looked nice in my coat and tie, that I was a "handsome boy" (which I comically remember at the time feeling that I was probably supposed to read into that statement that I NORMALLY looked like a bum)... She was so sweet and funny, and it was very cute the way she felt so self-conscious about her English -- I'd never really noticed those things before. But we hit it off immediately, and I've thought of that night often the last week or so, as it was obviously from that night onward that we began to become friends.  

. . .

God willing, I will spend the rest of this evening preparing for my trip back to the USA tomorrow. It is approximately a 24-hour trip, not counting the time it will take me to get to the airport tomorrow morning. I like sitting in the same position for 24 hours with minimal blood circulation, so it should be pretty fun.

And please note that in typical "Mistah Grenn" fashion I have so-far (with about 14 hours to go until I need to leave) packed nary a thing. Nothing. But I'm not worried because I'm not planning on taking much back with me... I need to have an empty suitcase so I can bring clothes (American-sized clothes!) back to HK with me... My MAIN concern is that I ALSO haven't cleaned this place (my so-called apartment) very well for about, oh, two or three months -- it's in a horrible state, don't you know. I'm just saying, don't go licking the bathtub yet, if you catch my drift. 

The weather is a concern for my travels, I should point out, as there have been two tropical storms off the south China coast the last few days. The first one ("Typhoon Koni") basically missed HK (only giving us some wind and rain yesterday), but the second one is still hanging around being a nuisance. It's called "Typhoon Imbudo" -- but if I weren't leaving tomorrow I'd be lobbying for them to call it "Typhoon Menudo" which seems to have a much more entertaining "ring" to it. 

Anyway, hopefully this "Typhoon Phil-Rizuto" will stay loose out in the Pacific and NOT affect my flight plans to Japan tomorrow, dig?

20 July 2003

The typhoon "standby" signal number 1 has been hoisted since this morning, and there are actually TWO tropical storms parking their big blustery butts in the region. In real life terms, that means it's cooled off some this evening, and we are expecting "squally thundershowers" overnight and tomorrow. 

Actually, tomorrow is the last day of school this year -- can you believe this? My second year in HK, down the drain (er, I mean, "finished"). We will be having special ceremonies for all the P1 to P5 students, giving out all the awards, etc., with "yours truly" as the official photographer. Sounds like a party. 

Then Tuesday is the school memorial service for my dear friend, Erica (see posts below starting July 10th). I have made a power point presentation for the service, featuring photos of Erica as well as a poem written in her memory by the headmistress of the school. This is going to be the most difficult day of my whole life in HK, I don't doubt that. I know we can really have comfort from Erica's faith, but we all are still in shock that she is gone. I am still in that place where I am still thinking about Erica several times an hour -- but almost every time I have this moment where I remember, "Oh, wait -- she's GONE"... And it still hurts every single time I remember that... every time... 

Then Wednesday, I'm outta here -- that's right, off to the old U-S-of-A States of America. Stay tuned for more details...

16 July 2003

Two quick things this early Wednesday morning that I wish you'd keep in mind for us:

1) Today is the first day back for our P1 to P3 students since last Wednesday. It was a pre-scheduled "holiday" for the younger students which was planned due to the normal end-of-school arrangements (this is the last full week, and several days have been reserved for older students' exams only). But the timing of this "holiday" -- and Erica's death last Thursday -- means that this will actually be the first day that Erica's students will really be at school since she was killed. I don't know how much her first grade students (the ones I taught with her) will understand what has happened, but surely her second and third graders will be affected. Please pray it all goes okay.

2) Also, yesterday afternoon the P6 students received their secondary school assignments from the Education Department. It was literally the most important day in their academic lives so far, and while many did get into the secondary school of their choice, quite a few did NOT. I don't have time to try to explain the system, but they vie and interview for secondary school spots almost like one would try to get into a University, knowing that the secondary school they attend will have a tremendous affect on their future academic potential. The pressure is huge, and now that the results are known, many are relieved and satisfied. But there are those who didn't get their choices (one of our favorite and most-clever students only got into her TENTH choice). Of those who are disappointed, some will take it TOO hard -- just Monday a 12-year-old girl down in Tuen Mun jumped from her 23rd-storey apartment because she "couldn't take the pressure" (she didn't live to see that she was awarded a spot in her first-choice school). So you can see that the kids (and their parents) take this very, very seriously. Pray especially that our kids who feel let-down by their assignment will not consider it the "end of the world" -- and pray we might be able to comfort them in their disappointment, showing them the INFINITE potential they have no matter WHAT stupid secondary school they go to. That is NOT the HK way of thinking, but how I wish we could communicate it clearly to these guys...  

14 July 2003

Our tremendous grief continues over our friend Erica's death last Thursday in HK's worst traffic accident ever (see the July 10th post below). To say the least, last Friday was a hard day at school as we all began to come to terms with the fact that she's really gone. 

Those of us who are believers in Jesus can take great comfort in knowing that Erica loved Jesus very much -- but I think it goes without saying that we still miss her horribly, and I, for one, am still nursing a broken heart over it...

I want to give those of you NOT in HK (that'd be MOST of you, then) some more info on the accident, and I'm also going to put the following info here for MY benefit, too -- I just know I need to write this stuff down. 

(Please note that the graphics here are all "stolen" from news media websites -- I know this is not right, and I don't want you to see me dismissing it as "nothing" -- but then again, I hope I can be allowed in this case to post these few images).

(graphic from South China Morning Post)

The above image (a computer graphic, obviously) shows the general layout of the scene, and gives the generally accepted facts about what happened when. Note that the bus route (shown in the top right corner) ends at Tin Heng, in Tin Shui Wai (where I live and where the school is located). 

One thing you need to understand is that when they first told me on Thursday that there had been an accident, they said something like, "A bus on the Tuen Mun Highway went through the rail and down a hill." 

Now, no offense, but that did NOT give me any idea of the scope and violence of what had happened. The spot where this accident took place is a FAMOUS spot, and when you are riding that route (like Erica was doing that morning) you will see SPECTACULAR and EPIC views of that part of the New Territories, it's really a spot that ANYONE who rides through there regularly would know. But that same highway, when near Tuen Mun itself, doesn't have ANYTHING like this big drop-off. In fact, this spot is so far from Tuen Mun, that I NEVER would have imagined that the accident took place HERE, see -- so in my mind, and my heart, that whole day (when we still had no official word on Erica) I was still thinking, "C'mon, how bad could that be? The bus goes off the road and down a hill -- surely she's okay?" 

Only when I got home on Thursday and saw the images on TV did I finally understand what had happened. 

I think this photo speaks for itself.  The fact that ANYONE survived is truly a miracle. What you can't tell from this photo (if you don't know HK), is that the bus went over the edge at the absolute TALLEST spot in the entire highway. You can almost see in this photo how the hillside slopes to form a huge "V" underneath the highway, and the bus went over at the exact tallest/deepest spot of the "V"... Notice that the bus came to rest quite close to the highway itself. Based on survivors' accounts of feeling the bus STOP first for a few moments before falling, the police have speculated (in at least one report) that perhaps the bus only broke through the railing half-way, but that the passengers panicked (as would we all) and ran to the stairs to try to exit the bus -- that movement, they suppose, sent weight to the front (the part that was over-hanging the road), throwing the bus off-balance and causing it to tip and then fall.

In the photo at right (taken from the opposite direction), you can again see how the bus fell at the tallest spot possible.  This particular photo is of the crane hoisting the wreckage back up to the highway, and for me it pretty dramatically suggests how horrific the fall from the bridge must have been. In typical HK fashion, the newspapers talked endlessly about the "carnage" at the scene, and no wonder -- this was LITERALLY like a plane crash, in that the bus was basically in a "free fall" the height of an 8 or 9-storey building...

This final grisly image is a close-up of the wreckage itself. The bus was completely flattened from the front back to the stairs -- again I suggest that it is a miracle that ANYONE survived. 

. . .

So, here are the things I want to let you know, in the hopes that you will really PRAY for people:

1) We had another school staff person on the bus who DID survive, but she is still in critical condition. Her name is Leui Jie (as I would spell it), and she has been moved to another hospital due to "bleeding in her brain" as they put it. She also suffered broken ribs and shoulder bones, and was cut on her back by broken glass. 

2) The impact of the accident on this community (Tin Shui Wai, where the bus was going) is only just now being realized. The thing is, this is a "bedroom" community and everyone LEAVES Tin Shui Wai in the morning. At that time of day (6:30am), the only people (for the most part) who would be taking that route towards Tin Shui Wai would be TEACHERS and school workers, and construction workers. That's not completely true, of course, but mostly. So the schools in this area are greatly affected -- they told me that 14 school workers were on the bus, from 9 different schools, and that 5 of them were killed. I don't know if they told that right, so I won't stand by those numbers -- but the obvious point is that a LOT of people have been affected. For instance, I think about how Erica's death has struck our school, and then you multiply that same scene by 9 schools, with 50 or so staff in each, and 1200 students each, and then all their parents -- you're talking THOUSANDS of people in Tin Shui Wai affected by this accident. 

3) Beyond the teachers and school workers, are the construction workers -- these are often the sole bread-winners. There are a LOT of families that are now without fathers or mothers, it's just tragic. One report was of a victim obviously in late pregnancy -- so someone out there has lost his wife AND his coming child. My heart just gets heavy when I think of what that man must be feeling tonight. 

4) The police have publicly expressed horror at the fact that there is a lack of witnesses who have come forward to report what they saw that morning. There had to have been LOTS of people who saw what transpired, who might shed light on WHY the truck driver suddenly lunged into the slow lane in front of the bus -- but the police say almost NO ONE has come forward to help. I believe the police spokesman used the word "heartless" to describe those who have remained silent. 

. . .

Okay, so I know I'm always coming on here and "begging" you guys to pray for stuff. Partly, I think that's my JOB, see? I'm here trying to do whatever I can figure out to do, but I'm ALSO here to help YOU know what YOU can do... And in this case, like so many times before in so many other situations, I just want to keep asking you to pray, pray, pray. The news media have already backed off on this story, I think, so the public consciousness may soon fade. But there are SO MANY lives that are left to pick up the pieces. 

I think of Erica's students, for instance -- I have just been so thankful these last few days that Erica was able to finish the year with them. What a gift to those kids. But now they all have to face her being gone. 

There are also the other teachers (the ones who knew Erica) to consider -- Erica's best friend at the school has really taken this hard, especially as she is not a believer herself, so she is missing that one "comfort" of knowing that Erica is finally "home"... 

Then there's Erica's family -- as I understand it, she was really the only Christian, besides a cousin who is a pastor. How bold she was to stake her life on Jesus when everything in her life and culture were "against" it... But I really feel for them, and what they are going through tonight. 

And the list goes on... So FINE, here I am again, asking for you to remember us all. 

Meanwhile, we'll all try to adjust to missing one of our sweetest friends... 

10 July 2003

My good friend, Erica Chan, was killed this morning in a bus accident. 

It was a double-decker bus running route 265M on Tuen Mun Highway, and it was "fully loaded" about 6:35am when it first struck another truck and then careened out of control through the safety barrier and then off the elevated highway, plummeting down about 150 feet to the ground below. 

In fact we had two staff from the school on that bus, and we first knew of the accident when the other staff person's husband called the school. This was about 7:45am (school was scheduled to start at 8), and the teachers immediately had a prayer meeting. However, by the time they finished that prayer meeting, just before 8, someone realized that Erica hadn't shown up yet, either. This was odd, because she was supposed to lead a group of first graders on a special outing today. They tried calling her, got no response, then called her family, who also were unable to reach her. 

By about 8:45am, when we still had literally no news of Erica's whereabouts, I finally started to really believe that maybe she was on that bus. What I mean is, the idea that she might have been on there and been injured seemed impossible at first -- surely she just got stuck in the traffic behind the accident, or maybe she decided to take a detour or something. But hearing NO NEWS left open the possibility that everything was fine. 

By about 1pm, someone told me that our other staff person who was on the bus had confirmed that she saw Erica sitting in front of her before the accident -- and that made my heart sink. Suddenly, "no news is BAD news"... you know? But still, because the police had not yet stated for certain what had happened to Erica, I couldn't help thinking that maybe there was just some mix-up. 

It was not until about 6pm that someone finally called me at home and said they had confirmed that Erica was among those killed. 

But there was definitely something about Erica that always made me wonder if she felt the same way about me as I did about her... 

. . .

So far the news says 21 are dead, including Erica, and "it is HK's worst traffic accident ever." The driver of the truck which apparently ran the bus over the railing has been arrested for "dangerous driving leading to death." 

Please pray for us all, including Erica's little students, and especially the FAMILIES of all the victims. 

9 July 2003

6:50am
Today is our P6 (sixth grade) graduation ceremony. For the first time in the school's three year existence we will be having a HUGE histrionic extravaganza, and when I say "huge" I mean the "pomp and circumstance" will be out in full force. 

Yes, it's a "formal" affair, coat and tie for me, which is so ridiculous that I can't stand it. The weather observatory has predicted this will be THE hottest day of the year so far, maybe up to 34 or 35 degrees Celsius. I mean, really -- what better way to spend a morning in that heat than to put on a coat and tie and then pack yourself into a non-air-conditioned assembly hall with 500 other people?

And don't think we are making this a quick one because of the heat -- oh, heavens, NO. The ceremony will last for approximately TWO AND A HALF HOURS. Dude, I'm quite sure there are UNIVERSITIES that have shorter graduation ceremonies. 

Whatever, the main thing is that it is memorable, right?

Okay, so now I've got to get ready and get to school. 

Film at 11... 

. . .

10:14pm
Okay, it's not 11pm yet, and I don't have any film footage of the P6 Graduation -- but suffice to say we made it okay. Oh, it was HOT alright, but through some miracle of the God who made us, we actually finished the whole thing in just under 2 hours!

Now please understand that this is impossible. We have had DAYS of rehearsals, and in fact YESTERDAY had the "final, big time, absolutely last chance" dress rehearsal -- and it took forever. On Monday the P6 kids (and teachers) literally spent from 8am until after 12 noon rehearsing -- I'm not joking, four hours without a break -- and they got through the program ONE TIME.

So though the program was supposed to be 2 hours long, we all expected it to take at least 2 and a half hours, maybe more. 

Miracles do happen, mi amigo... 

. . .

Man, I got busted BIG TIME today. Now, this concept -- the "busted" concept -- is something that is interesting to try to explain to someone, as I found out when I tried to, er, explain it to someone (I guess they hadn't watched enough American cop shows or something). 

But here's how it happened, and note that I'm not ashamed to tell you this episode because I'm such a mature and well-balanced person...

(ahem)...

Basically, it starts out (like most "busted" stories) with the fact that there's this girl, see, she's a teacher at the school, and I reckon she's one of the cutest girls I've ever known. That sounds a little too superlative to be true, so just NOW I stopped typing this paragraph to think about it, and decided that even though it sounds overly-superlative, it's still true. This girl is CUTE. She's quite thin, with this beautiful long, straight black hair, and she always dresses PERFECTLY, not in the HK style but in an even more "cosmopolitan" style, if that makes sense. I might say she dresses "New York" -- if that tells you anything. 

And I point that out because it's like, HK girls have this thing where they can dress very smartly, but there's always something "off" (from an American perspective). I don't mean any offense to any of my HK friends who are girls (this is just my "American" viewpoint, after all), but usually HK girls dress very nicely, yes, but then there'll be ONE THING that makes you go, "Huh?!?" -- sort of a "what's wrong with this picture?" kind of thing. And just so you know, 9 times out of 10 that thing is: "The Shoes"... because, dude, HK girls wear the funkiest dress shoes imaginable. Seriously, I'm talking FUNKY shoes, yo. But not THIS girl -- which is why I say she dresses "perfectly" -- I have NEVER looked at her and said to myself, "Ooops -- the shoes!"... 

Okay, but the thing is, I don't know this girl, we've only spoken a few times, and while she seems very nice, I should IMMEDIATELY say that I'm not really "attracted" to her. I really don't want you reading anything like that into this story. Trust me: "cute" (even "VERY cute") does not necessarily equal "want to date her" -- didn't I mention how mature and well-balanced I am?!?

Anyway, so it's after the graduation ceremony this morning, and I'm sitting there at my desk, just minding my own business, when I just happened to swing around in my chair to look back across the staff room. Well, when I did that, there were about 15 people standing right in front of me. But somehow, I mean SOMEHOW, in the tangle of arms and heads and other stuff that was immediately blocking my view, SOMEHOW there was this little, tiny "window" of space, like, under someone's arm pit, and next to someone else's neck, that let a little light shine through -- and sitting there, at just the right height, and just the right angle, I could SUDDENLY spy this very cute girl standing all the way across the room. She was just behind some books, so that only her face was showing as she stood there. 

So I'm sitting there, and I see this girl through the armpit-and-neck hole, and SUDDENLY I lose whatever thought I had had just before that. It's like, I'm pretty sure I was thinking about world peace or trying to solve complex mathematical theorems, I can't remember EXACTLY -- but I see this girl, standing there, reading a piece of paper, and suddenly the ONLY thought going through my mind is, "Wow, that girl is really, really beautif--"...

And it was in that EXACT moment -- just about the time that my mind's voice was saying the "-ful" of "beautiful" -- that she looked right at me. 

BUSTED!!

I couldn't believe it, man... I just couldn't believe it. 

Of course, I immediately initiated an E.E.D. ("Emergency Eye Diversion") and attempted a T.T.L.C.A.I.Y.W.R.L.I.H.D. Procedure (you know, a "Try To Look Casual As If You Weren't Really Looking In Her Direction" Procedure). 

But I don't think either of those really helped. I was busted, dude. BIG TIME. 

And even now, the thing I keep thinking is how if I had WANTED to get that girl's attention, I mean, if it had been life or death to try to get her to look across the room at me, and with all those people crowded around right in front of me, leaving only the armpit-and-neck hole -- if I had been DESPERATE to make eye contact with her -- IT NEVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED, you know? 

Oh, well. I just hope I didn't give her the CREEPS or something. Because, imagine if you were a really cute girl, standing there minding your own business, when you suddenly looked up, and all the way across the room, behind a group of 15 people standing there, you see just this one tiny armpit-and-neck hole of space, and framed within that tiny "window" of space was a fat, bald white guy's head, and he's looking right at you. 

(Geez, I just gave MYSELF the creeps!)

. . .

Only two more weeks before I'm headed home for a vacation -- I can't wait!!

7 July 2003

I'm sure by now you've heard about the demonstration by the people of Hong Kong on Tuesday (July 1st). 

I told you it was going to be big, but honestly I don't think a single person in HK believed it would be so big. In a city of 7 million people, something like 500,000 turned out! They had originally hoped (against hope) that 100,000 might show up, but then estimated that maybe it would be as large as 300,000. But to see half a million people out there, in the absolutely excruciating heat of the day, was -- how do we say? -- impressive. 

It definitely made an impression on ME.

The so-called "march" started at 3pm in Victoria Park (in Causeway Bay), and at 9pm there were STILL people marching up to the government offices in Central. Part of the problem was that the government had made clear they would ONLY "count" the people demonstrating who actually entered Victoria Park -- there was the "threat" that several hundred thousand people might show up, but that the government would dismiss the turnout as much lower. So organizers were DETERMINED that every single person who marched would FIRST enter Victoria Park where they could be counted, and THEN head off down towards Central. 

It's not easy to get half a million people in and out of Victoria Park, yo. TRUST ME.

Okay, so I went with my friends -- just as an observer, mind you (I don't intend to get too wrapped up in this kind of thing) -- and let me first say that I almost regretted it. It was hot, and I mean it was truly the hottest day of the year so far (it's since been hotter, actually). But the heat was just horrible. You can see in this shot (from where we first really got into the crowd) that most brought umbrellas -- it wasn't raining, no, those umbrellas were for protection from the sun, and if there weren't so many people with umbrellas it would have been even HOTTER, and I would have just had to leave much sooner.  This scene is from the northern end of the "gathering" area, basically we are all facing towards the Park, trying to get in. But understand, we stood in this same general area for about 45 minutes with almost NO movement. It was just too packed, and no one was able to get into the Park. This shot was taken about 3pm, and at about 3:45pm we were still only about in the MIDDLE of the area in this photo (we'd moved about 50 feet, in other words). All in the exposed sun. Yuck.

Okay, so by about 5:15pm, we had moved down a side street and taken a turn, and were NOW (at the time of THIS photo at right) at least LOOKING at the Park, though with no hope of actually getting in any time soon. You can see in this photo how packed people were, and by this time they were hot and tired and thirsty and anxious to get on with it, and the crowd had started erupting into spontaneous shouts and cheers against government officials, etc.  I might add that what you CAN'T see in this photo is the SMELL of "yours truly" -- because I was stinking it up pretty good by this time, after over two hours standing in the sun and heat, packed in with approximately 500,000 people. As a mere observer, I really was pretty miserable at this point, especially seeing that we were still HOURS away from getting even NEAR the Park, much less taking part in any so-called "march."

Ah, finally -- the Park!  No, we're not IN the Park -- are you kidding?!? But the trees you can see in this photo at left are the "Pilgrim's Hope" we were heading for.  Can you notice in this photo how we are about 50 yards from the edge of the Park, but there are still about 30,000 people in the way? Yeah, I noticed that, too. The whole 30 minutes we stood in this spot, I was noticing it. The whole sweaty, stinking time, I just kept on noticing that -- that we were a few feet from the Park but weren't ever moving CLOSER.  It was at THIS point in particular that people seemed to start getting kind of mad. Sort of like the way *I* was getting mad. It wasn't anything more than, "Geez, for the love of God, we have been standing out here for HOURS, and now we're this close and we STILL can't cross the street and get moving?!?" You know what I mean -- it really wasn't anything but impatience -- but still, people started to lose their nice, gentle natures.  And I know this wasn't just me whining (though it WAS me whining, I admit). But it wasn't JUST that -- everyone was feeling pretty sore about now. And remember -- we hadn't even started marching yet...

Anyway, as I had really only come as an observer, and as I was getting pretty hungry, and as I was absolutely the smelliest, funkiest person involved in this whole half-a-million-people affair, I resolved to end my observing and head HOME. Don't judge me for this, I wasn't letting The People down -- I was doing them a favor, because the way my shirt was smelling about now was beyond belief. 

. . .

After what were surely some tense meetings, Tung made the announcement that some of the more controversial sections of Article 23 would be thrown out, BUT, he said, the vote would STILL take place this Wednesday, no matter HOW many people went a'marching last week. I got the sense that people were incredulous that they were STILL trying to force this thing through -- but no, "the vote must go on," Tung said.

And that's the way it stood until TODAY, when they finally announced, at 2am this morning(!!), that the vote would NOT take place as planned, and would be delayed. 

Understand: This was the ONLY "acceptable" answer for most people. To have had to wait this long for it to come just makes them feel even that much more desperate and hopeless regarding Tung's administration, as I understand their feelings.

. . .

So what's the "big picture"?

I'm no expert, so whatever. But it seems a couple of things are clear. The "one country, two systems" idea has been dealt a VERY serious blow. Tung's administration has been in place for this long ONLY because he is Beijing's man. And he was going to go through with this vote on this legislation no matter WHAT anyone in HK said, because he felt Beijing wanted it (I repeat, no matter WHAT anyone in HK said). He seemed to delay even responding seriously to the protest last Tuesday until he heard what Beijing wanted him to say -- at least that's the impression many got. 

So where are the "two systems"?!?

This does NOT bode well for HK's future, in my opinion. Suddenly the freedom of HK to make their own laws doesn't seem so certain. Maybe THIS time things went "right" and the vote was delayed -- but what about the next time? Or the time after THAT? What about all those much SMALLER issues? It was easy to find a crowd to come out against such sweeping legislation as this -- but what about when Beijing realizes that it will be much easier to sneak by lots of small laws limiting freedoms rather than one big stinker? Will HK people keep coming out to protest the small things? I don't think so. 

Whatever. 

I realize I can't really tell you the "big picture" because I don't know enough about it -- I admit that completely -- but I do know enough about Chinese history to say that this whole thing makes me feel very, very uneasy for HK's future. 

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