All’s well that ends well

It was an interesting ten days since my last blog. I started writing about me and my cars after my last blog which ended with a note that I might do that. I wrote two paragraphs quickly on the family car I had driven for more than a year during which I had it refurbished but had to have it sold for scrap eventually after it broke down on a vehicular ferry crossing between Central and Jordon Ferry Pier. It could be the start of a novel, but let’s leave it as such for the time being. Tomorrow I would collect my first electric car.

I had to tie up a few loose ends in preparation for receiving the new car. First, I need to register as a user with the Hong Kong Electric Vehicle Power Limited so that I can use the e-charging facilities they provide, including the few charging points at the car park in Mei Foo from where I rented a space. I had to get over some IT issues before I finally managed to register, with Su’s assistance. I then need to seek approval from the car park management for using the facilities in Mei Foo specifically, which entails written consent of the owner from whom I rented the parking space as well as documentary proof of the landlord and tenant relationship, so that I had to have one such an agreement produced and signed with a very helpful Mrs. Chan. The car dealer had told me to obtain a bank draft to pay for the balance of the car. I went to the bank to fix the transaction, put it in an envelope and carefully placed it in my gym bag rather than in the back pocket of my pants. I then hurried to meet up with Su who had just had her first bridge session after some 18 months. Su had seated herself comfortably in the Family Lounge of CCC by the time we met. It was rather hot and stuffy – a tropical cyclone was developing. We ordered some snacks and I decided to skip the gym session, but to leave the spare gym clothes in the locker. What I didn’t realize was that in the process, I had inadvertently dropped the envelope under a bench in the locker room, which I failed to notice. We then went to do some shopping with a view to trying out the Government vouchers. It didn’t work, for I had yet to install the necessary password without which my spending would be capped at HK$500. We went home by MTR and I took a nap after a bath. I woke up halfway during my nap with thoughts of the bank draft in the envelope and got up to look for it, when it was then I discovered to my horror that it was not in the gym bag. I switched to crisis management, but tried to stay calm. I have complete faith in the Hong Kong banking system and I made the assumption that I had dropped it on the floor in the locker room. I called the club house locker room and explained my problem. A very helpful staff member agreed to hold the line while he went to search underneath the benches where I thought the envelope would be. He came back after two minutes to congratulate me on my luck and good fortune that he had found it. I was over the moon. I hurriedly went over to the club and picked up the envelope before I went to my next appointment, which was my regular Rotary Club meeting. That was Monday, and what a day; and I was all praises to God and Providence.

I had two extraordinary appointments the next day, which was yesterday. A young brother had bought for us an electronic device – Chromecast Google TV – which provides interfaces with which we can access freely to all the popular and musical programmes on YouTube, Spotify, Netflix and many more. A few friends had boasted about how easy this could be done but we had never tried them out. The young friend turned up at 8:30am and got our TV at the living room connected to everything before Su could heat up the coffee machine. So we decided to consume some rock oysters with champagne instead, to start with. Our young friend then fixed our speakers connections; and on finding an almost new turntable beneath a sofa, offered to have it wired up. Su had bought the machine when HMV was under receivership some two years back, but had yet to have it in operation. Well, our friend fixed it; and it was a big improvement. We asked him to pack up the old turntable and try it at his home. He promised to report back how the machine fared. It was a very productive Tuesday morning.

I then went for my second appointment, which was a lunch with the Founding Warden of Old Halls of HKU, Mr. Fung Yee Wang. Old Halls was opened in 1969, but closed in the early 1990s. An alumnus, a Dr. Jones Fok whom I had not met in person all these years, had organized the event and had invited me to the lunch. To cut the long story short, I brought with me a copy of my book that I had autographed and presented Mr. Fung the book after lunch. Some years back, Mr. Fung had shared with me his autobiography and I have been thinking of reciprocating the move after I had mine published in January this year. The lunch was enjoyable. I picked up a few friends I haven’t seen for ages; but that would be another story.

Still on my book, I was invited to talk about it last week at a Rotary Club meeting. The new President of the Club had asked me to bring 12 copies which he had paid for and which he would present to his members as gifts. I was pleased with the gesture and in return, I offered to donate half of the proceeds from the sale towards his club’s community service projects, which I did. Everyone seems to be happy with the deal.

There were some other parties and dinners I had attended in the last ten days, including a dinner last Sunday at Mei Foo which Su had organized for a couple – Alex was a chef himself and we haven’t seen his wife Sally for quite some time. Alex brought a friend along, who happened to be the Club President who bought 12 copies of my book last week. I was pleasantly surprised, but rather tired out after all these parties, which could have led to the minor lapse on Monday which could have caused a lot more problems. Well, all’s well that ends well.