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A Long Lost New Friend
James Koo (A40)
As we grow older, we tend to be more conservative in making new friends and sharing our personal information. Then there are exceptions. Ed Sung (C30) and I really met for the first time in NYC reunion. But we immediately feel like long lost friends possibly as we both spent first years in US living with Americans, became “Americanized” and have many things in common. He gave me one of three CD's he had then of his brother at the Gala Dinner, and drove hours to NYC for the farewell party brunch and sat next to us (photo attached). Then he said he is coming to HK and will look us up— 40 years since he last visited HK.
Later, I got a CD of his with about 200 videos and photos of the reunion for uploading. That raised privacy concern making the Lighters website the “Wikileak.”
About a month later, he called from his hotel in HK, and suggested have a drink together. Probably he read my “gibberish” emails about longevity and cancer, on the phone, he started to talk about two factors that will prolong the life span: starvation before 30 and genetics. Many Jews from concentration camps, and his mother during the Japanese occupation , starved in her youth lived to 90's even was very over weight but normal lipids etc and never did any exercise.
Then he elaberated taking vitamin supplements will have a higher propensity for cancer as the fast growing caner cells require more nutrients and resist to be destroyed, and higher breast cancer rate for woman taking prenatal “supplements” for over a year.
He broached the theory of fix number of total life time heart beats for all animals. Animals with high heart beat rate (humming bird) will have a shorter life span than those with slow heart beat (turtle), and athletes are squandering their heartbeats on trainings.
He initiated how playing piano got him into medical school; but either his wife or daughter or both suggested we stop, for them to see HK instead. I prompted him to write an article on these diverse subjects, but he hates to write and asked me to write for him.
Next day, we went to have a drink at 102nd floor lounge bar of Ritz-Carlton, so he, a serious photographer can have a birds-eye view of the Victoria Harbor. His wife and daughter granted him a leave of one hour.
He elaborated a tortuous story about how he got into medical school by playing piano. His mother came from a poor family, insisted on her children to learn piano to enjoy the life. He had a mild case of “learning disorder,” can never learn to recite the Chinese literature (I had the same problem!). Instead of “出貓” like his classmates did, he would turn in blank papers. The Chinese teacher, respected his honesty, passed him anyway. He barely graduated from PuiChing.
He applied and got in William and Mary (selected by his father), the 2nd oldest college in US (behind Harvard), a “public ivy” college in Virginia. He was the only foreign student in the school and lived with Americans. He, with learning difficulties, could barely make good enough grades to stay in school even with Phys-Ed.
Then a powerful student group needed a “dummy, silent” partner to occupy a seat at the student council, and chose him. He got elected as a novelty item —at least that was what he told me.
The student council tried to raise money for charity by inviting a hot rock band to perform. Last minute, the band pulled out. While most suggested canceling the event, he said he will perform, and will invite the President to join him. While the President's wife thought a crackpot came to the door, the President overheard him, asked him in, and accepted his invitation to recite poems at the event. The fund raising was a success. The President was impressed with his piano performance and his audacity. They became good friends and he, their guest often. One day, the President asked what he intend to do. He said he wanted to be a doctor. Knowing he was a D student at the best, the President either skipped a heart beat or two, or fell off the chair, but collected himself and told him even the best student sometime could not get into medical school. He calmly said if he fails, he cannot return home as his parents will kill him. The President had the dean of the Biology department to contact the Admission's office at Medical college of Virginia for special consideration. This is how playing piano allowed him to get into medical school.
I have been told writing too long, verbose articles. So far I have only written about how playing piano got him into the medical school. We chattered about how he earned pocket money in Pui Ching by forming the “Three Friends” company, how he got his visa speaking little or no English, how he and his wife would disown their children if they wish to be doctors and lawyers and how his daughter wanted to be an artist and etc. To make it brief, I will only list some other subjects we conversed:
By the way, Ed did visit Pui Ching later and sent me these two photos to show it.
If you talk to an American in an hour, you would know three generations of him, his past, present love and everything else in between. This is true with both of us. 酒逢知己千柸少,話不投機半句多. Soon I had to warn him his hour is up. Leaving, he said, “You write a story about my visit, and post any pictures you choose.” So this is it. Now regarding the photo opportunity, it was a smoggy day and you can hardly see anything from about 1,500 feet up at 102nd floor.
The British are the opposite. Sam Leung (A22) now spends majority of his time in London. Two of us spent 4 days touring Shanghai last week with me as a tour guide, I did not even know if he is married or not.
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