A Delightful Reunion Message From TK Wong

It was a great pleasure to see so many classmates attending the dinner on May 15, 2013, and I particularly want to thank Adrian Hung for arranging this warm and enjoyable reunion for me. When Adrian requested me to write something (about 500 words) to post in the blog, I immediately felt like I was back in secondary school and was being asked to write a composition. I assume everyone must well remember that writing a composition was a headache, so I decided to simply start it with what had happened to myself since graduation because I feel I am obliged to tell my story to the classmates.

After I graduated from Confucian Tai Shing Secondary School, I had also completed a two-year matriculation but I was unable to attend further studies in Hong Kong because I immediately obtained a job with decent pay to work for an American company in Prince’s Building at that time.  It was a marine insurance business and I was under the training of an English Average Adjuster.  During the mid-year of 1975, my parents migrated to the United States but I was unable to join the family because the U.S. immigrant quota for Hong Kong citizens per year was limited which also had to be shared with other Commonwealth Countries.

When I arrived in the U.S. in November 1980, I first landed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which is in the Midwest.  Minnesota is called the State with 10,000 lakes, and no doubt, Minneapolis is pretty, quiet, people with slow pace, and as known by its name, you can even find many lakes in the metropolitan area.  After enjoying a little more than a year of fantastic life in Minneapolis, I decided to move from this inland State to New York for a better career.  I was lucky enough to rejoin the same American firm which I worked for in Hong Kong.  Since then, I have stayed in the same career as an Average Adjuster in the marine insurance field for all these years.

I came back to Hong Kong numerous times both for pleasure and business because my Company had clients here.  I want to tell everyone that each time when I was in Hong Kong, I went back to visit Tai Shing Street. I took video and pictures there and with a hope that I could bump into one of my classmates on the street who still lives in the neighbourhood.  I take this opportunity to thank my sister who forwarded me Tai Shing’s website and through visiting this website, I was able to contact and reunite with my old high school classmates.

The dinner on May 15, 2013 was a warm and enjoyable one and I was surprised that I could still recognize most of the classmates there which I miss for 42 years.  I was also happy to see Ms Ho Po Yuen at the dinner because I was told by other classmates that this was the first time she showed up at the gathering.  In my memory, Po Yuen was a quiet and shy person. I did not talk to her too much that night but it appeared to me that she was not as shy as when she was at school.

I was also impressed by other female classmates who showed up at the dinner.  They are very active and sociable.  Unlike in the old school days,  I remember that it was hard for the girls to talk and get together with the boys.  Am I right on this?

At the dinner, Irene Ko was one of the classmates to whom I wanted to talk to. As she was sitting across the table from me and  I didn’t want to shout at the table. So, I planned to talk to her after the dinner. Since she left early, I have to save my words till now! ‘Irene, it seems you have changed a lot (of course for the good) and judging from the work you did for the committee you must have a bright and optimistic personality.’

I am glad to see that everyone looked great at the dinner –  healthy, bright and with smiling faces.  I wish everybody stays with these characters all the time as these are the essential elements we need in order to achieve longevity and happy lives.

I have deep sorrow to learn that we have lost three classmates and I want to send my condolences to their families.

This blog message is getting too long and boring so I decide to end it here.  As my retirement is approaching, I wish we can keep closely in touch with each other and if time allows, I will try to participate in all your future activities.  I also wish that the search for the other missing classmates by the committee members will eventually be successful.

TK Wong
30^th May 2013