Rotary Club - HK East Newsletter October 31st, 2007

The meeting today was held in the Victoria Room, 3/F, Regal Hotel, with President Laurence in the chair. This time 15 members and 2 visitors were in attendance and the meeting started at 1 pm.

PE Andy introduced HKIE Rotaractor Gilbert Fung, who would share with us their proposing project in community service in Hong Kong. We have a visiting Rotarian Mrs. Chinda Lucoski from Rotary Club of White Sands, New Mexico, USA. They all received a warm welcoming applause from our members. President Laurence then exchanged banner with our visiting Rotarian.

Our birthday boy today was PP Tim Lui who has chosen Rtn. Peter Yeung to lead the birthday song. We all gave PP Tim a warm round of applause after the song.

Then our Rotaractor Gilbert Fung was asked to present his idea of a community service project to help the patients, especially children, to fulfill their dreams. He together with another 39 youngsters who share the same vision had done a lot of ground works and would like to seek our Club's endorsement to support the project.

President Laurence thanked Gilbert for the excellent idea and good service-above-self initiative and urged the members to support the project which would also be discussed in the coming board meeting of our Club next week.

President Laurence then announced the followings:

1) inviting all members to join our farewell dinner to our visiting Rotarians and guests from our Sister Club, Osaka Jonan, Japan on Monday 5/11 at the World Trade Center staring at 7 p.m.

2) telling our members that he and Rtn. Nancy Yee had attended the District PR Workshop on Saturday 27/10 at the Tai Fook Securities Training Centre in Central. The workshop was well organized and well attended and Nancy was asked, and she accepted, to join the District PR committee after the meeting.

3) for our planned Joint Luncheon Meeting on 5th December 2007 with Prof. Dennis S.C. Lam being our honorable speaker, so far RC Hong Kong City North and
RC Hong Kong South had confirmed to move their regular meeting to join ours. More similar confirmations from our daughter and grand daughter clubs would come. Members of RC HKIE were urged to mark in their diary and make an effort to join the luncheon to share the fellowship with our visiting Rotarians and guests that date.

SAA Dir. Heman then reported the intake of the Red Box was $900.

Our speaker today who needed no introduction was none other than our own member Rtn. Nancy Yee.

Nancy started the speech by declaring herself not being a terrorist but she was always taking a bit longer in time to go through the immigrations wherever she traveled. Just because her birthday is on September 11, many immigration officers would always take a long time to screen at her passport.

Her hero idol is Mother Teresa and apart from using the name Teresa as her Christian name, she has been inspired to participate in various charity and social works, both in the past and at present.

Nancy has started her community service ever since in high school. Since then, she has never stopped contributing her time to the community. Nancy joined the Rotary Club of Vancouver China Town last year and soon she has contributed her expertise in publishing the 25th anniversary brochure for the Club.

Nancy's profession crosses from publishing, advertising, PR to media. Her current challenge in HK is in Out–Of–Home Media, JCDecaux Pearl & Dean. She has added in a lot of content elements in her new challenging job. In her past year's service, Nancy has initiated 5 new projects (10th Anniversary of HKSAR, Monthly Galleria with theme, Interactive Panel, Central Luxury Zone & Shopping Guide Map).

She regarded herself as a challenger as well as a creator at work. She loves to initiative new ideas & concepts no matter it is a Newspaper, Magazine, Internet, Out-Of-Home Media......all in all, they are just a platform for her to excel her imagination & make her falls in love with all those new toys!

Our speaker was thanked by PP Henry Chan. PP Henry has shared with us his feeling towards our first lady member and an enthusiastic round of applause followed.

President Laurence asked everybody to rise and give a toast to RI coupled with Rotary Club of White Sands of New Mexico and Rotary Club of Hong Kong Island East.

Meeting adjourned at 2:00pm and everybody was asked to stay for a group photo.

RI & TRF Honored

The United Nations Association of New York honored Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation of RI with its 2007 Humanitarian Award on 25^th October 2007, in recognition of Rotary's significant efforts to provide safe water and sanitation and its commitment to sustainable development worldwide.

In the years since Rotary International has started focusing on water as one of its annual service emphases. We've learned just how much can be accomplished with relatively little, how a single small water project, perhaps a pump or a filter, can change the life of a community, says RI President Wilfrid Wilkinson. However, our work has also included participation in many other major water projects.

The award is presented annually in observance of United Nations Day (24^th October). This year's award ceremony will focus on the global water crisis. Other honorees include Antony Burgmans, former chair of Unilever, and Cirque du Soleil's One Drop Foundation. Prof. Jeffrey D. Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and special adviser to the UN secretary-general, will serve as honorary chair of the event.

Last October, the association honored Robert L. Coreoran, president of the General Electric Foundation and Ann M. Veneman, executive director of UNICEF, for their significant work in global education.

The proceeds from the black-tie dinner will benefit organizations and enterprises working to alleviate water-related problems around the world.

District News
Two new Interact Clubs will be chartered in November 2007 in district 3450. Interact Club of Queen's College sponsored by Rotary Club of Hong Kong Northeast while Interact Club of Lai King by Rotary Club of Metropolitan Hong Kong. Hearty Congratulations.

Another Interact Club of Tsung Tsin Christian Academy sponsored by the Rotary Club of Tai Po will also be chartered soon.

Carrot, Egg, or Coffee...(You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again...)

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners.

She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.

The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity - boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"

Think of this:

Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the Heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level?

How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

You might want to send this message to those people who mean something to you (WE JUST DID); to those who have touched your life in one way or another; to those who make you smile when you really need it; to those who make you see the brighter side of things when you are really down; to those whose friendships you appreciate; to those who are so meaningful in your life. May we all be a COFFEE and do enjoy our COFFEE!

May GOD Bless You Always!


PDG Uncle Peter, Rtn. Nancy Yee & Pres. Laurence Chan at the Head Table	Hon. Sec. Norman Lee, visitor Rotarian Chinda Lucoski from RC of White Sands of New Mexico USA & Rtn. Peter Yeung


(L to R) PP Stephen, AG Eddy, PP Rudy, Dir Heman, Mimi (Rotaractor) & Rtn. Peter Yeung	(L to R) PP Henry, PP Tim, Gilbert (Rotaractor), Dir Jason, Rtn Kishu & Rtn Tony


Pres. Laurence Chan exchanging banner with Ms Chinda Lucoski of Rotary Club of White Sands of New Mexico, USA	Pres. Laurence Chan presenting a gift to our birthday boy PP Tim & Rtn Peter Yeung lead the birthday song


Rtn. Nancy Yee, our speaker of this week presenting her vocational talk	Luncheon group photo with members & guest


Token of thanks presented to one of the speakers during the District PR Workshop on 27th Oct. 2007	Over 60 Rotarians attending the District PR Workshop


Rtn. Nancy and Pres. Laurence attending the District PR Workshop	Our grand daughter club, RC Hong Kong City North received the RI PR Award

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