Matters of Recollection

Peter Tong

CW Chiu was in town a few weeks ago. His wife was attending her high school reunion and he was on the loose. So, we had dinner on a Saturday night with Josh Hung and my wife, Connie. On the way to the restaurant, I showed him a little book of Chinese poetry with the title 藍色小夜曲 by 鄧禹平. It ontains the following excerpt.

夢

是誰撥開了我底心扉

昨夜

讓她

輕輕地飛進了我底夢里

讓她

昨夜

是誰撥開了我底心扉 ..............

Having read a few of the poems from the book, he commented that the poems are very nice. Of course, I thought the poems are nice too or I would not have kept the book for the last forty years.

I asked CW if the book triggered any special memory. His reply was in the negative. I was a little disappointed. After all, he sent me that book and a few others from Hong Kong nearly forty years ago. When I came to the States with my family, we brought clothing and we brought Chinese mushrooms but we did not have any room for books. After a few years, I was getting a little nostalgic for some Chinese poetry, classic and modern. So, I asked him to send me some books and this little book was part of the result. Here is another example.

我送你一首小詩

用草原寫上羊群

用藍天寫上星星

我送你一首小詩

用稚心寫上憂鬱

用眼晴寫上愛情

我送你一首小詩

用我的牧笛小聲吹弄

又邀來夜鶯輕輕朗誦

我送你一首小詩

當紫丁放香

牽牛花爬上你窗的時晨

After dinner, Josh and I dropped CW off at his hotel and we came home. As usual, the subject turned to something that happened during our high school years. Josh maintained that during exams, perhaps only the finals or perhaps the mid-terms as well, all students at Pui Ching were required to change classrooms and mixed the seating with other classes. I do not recall any such maneuver, presumably to prevent cheating.

Josh insisted that he was not mistaken. To settle the question, we called CW at his hotel and we sent an email to SS Lau and one to Tony Kwok. CW and SS unequivocally said that no class mixing took place in the finals or during mid-terms. Tony's reply was, to my surprise, that Josh was 100% correct. Now, the score is 3 to 2. What is your recollection? Please, send me an email and we shall settle this question fairly, squarely and democratically, i.e. by voting.

One final reminder, next year at reunion time, we are still planning to publish a Class Reunion Book. I expect every one to make a contribution. Even if you cannot make it to Toronto, we promise to send you a copy of the publication, assuming that we have your correct address of course.