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­ì©«¥Ñ av8s ©ó 2011-1-23 13:49 µoªí

Did the project brought you a small fortune, what we can be here to chat and would be meeting in the future ...

My Dear Little Brother av8s, since you¡¦re my dearest brother, I¡¦d like to tell you a strictly confidential top secret for which I¡¦d never told anybody before. So, don¡¦t say nothing, it¡¦s just between you and me, eh?

Since I was one of the four Works Order Control Clerks controlling the movements of all those installation orders for the whole area of Kowloon and New Territories in the SID Headquarters situated at the Lai Chi Kok Exchange, I¡¦d easily sort out those orders received from the girls of the Telephone Service Department of the Prince¡¦s Building, and save them for me in such a way that I¡¦d do them on my overtime work after the normal office hours or during Sundays and Public Holidays.  

It¡¦s quite legal to do that, and nothing to do with corruption or what, as there were actually too many orders but too little staff to do the jobs. The management didn¡¦t bother who¡¦d do them, they just wanted them to be done right away, because the telephone subscription fee, i.e. the phone bill could get to start counting as soon as the phone was up and running, therefore sooner rather than later.

In order to be more efficient, I¡¦d screen those orders in advance to ensure that they were on the same floor of a building. I then asked my younger brother to bang the doors of those subscribers as soon as we arrived the scene, telling them to standby, as we¡¦d be available for telephone installation within couple of hours. They¡¦d be more than happy to wait for you at home the whole morning or afternoon as long as they learnt that we¡¦d install a telephone for them.

I¡¦d done it in this way remarkably at ©W¥Û§ø, whereas¬ü§··s§øwas not that efficient due to the layout of which was not that desirable and I needed to go up and down of the building.

My record high of a day was getting about 30 telephones installed. The tips ranging from $5 to $20 each, take the mid point, it¡¦s $12.5. Get it multiplied by 30, it¡¦s around $375 a day. Being a Works Order Control Clerk earning $472 a month, it¡¦d be quite a considerable amount of money, isn¡¦t it?

Yes, the world is getting smaller. It¡¦d probably be quite a coincidence that on one day, when both of us sitting next table enjoying our lovely afternoon tea at Fortnum & Mason of Piccadilly in Central London, and suddenly realize that we¡¦ve known each other long ago over this forum already! Great, isn't it?

Dear Pen Hing: I will keep it as a secret although many friends can see this forum. May be some of our old colleagues watching have same feelings about it. If so, please join and tell us what you see and do at that time. One question, as a clerk he should be worked in the office, if your position was a clerk, how came you could perform installation works. Did your group have an ES (Engineering Supervisor) head the team? My estimate that you could have three 500 to 600 sq ft flats in one year? I am sure you did not have any habits like majong, horse, wine and night clubbing etc.,Of course smoking too. I will tell myself next time if I have afternoon tea there. Peeping anyone there which looks like you with my imagination..

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­ì©«¥Ñ av8s ©ó 2011-1-23 23:14 µoªí

I will keep it as a secret although many friends can see this forum. ...

Sorry mate, I ask you don¡¦t say nothing, is just a joke, I¡¦m just going to fool you, therefore don¡¦t take it serious, all right?

In fact, what I was doing was an open secret at that time, just like smoking in a restaurant, it was totally legal and acceptable for so doing, and you can¡¦t blame me at all, as it was the prevailing social culture during that specific time in Hong Kong.  

With regard to what you expecting me to tell you here about what I¡¦d seen and done. I will, and I¡¦d be more than happy to tell you everything I know, as an effort to contribute myself in saving a record of part of the early history of telephone services in Hong Kong.

I¡¦ll tell you next of the queries you raised.

Pen Hing: Understand that and await your next reply.

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­ì©«¥Ñ av8s ©ó 2011-1-23 23:14 µoªí
.. as a clerk he should be worked in the office, how came you could perform installation works...

Yes, you¡¦re damn right, mate; being a Works Order Control Clerk, I was not supposed to be allowed to carry out those installation jobs outdoor. But nothing is considered impossible in this world.

It¡¦s all accountable to Guanxi (Ãö«Y). Quite a coincidence, there came a young British engineer from England who lived on the same street as me at¤ëµØµóof Kwun Tong. His home was just around the corner of mine. As a result, it allowed us to start our conversation with some common topics.

Being an alien and the Head of SID, he was quite lonely and boring in the office. His subordinates were scared to speak to him because of language barrier, in addition to his senior status.

I¡¦ve no intention to comment my colleagues¡¦ ability in commanding spoken English, but I¡¦d found that they all tried to avoid to have any contacts with this young British engineer as far as possible, actually just like seeing a White Ghost or a foreign devil, not to say speaking to him while waiting for the lift, in the corridor or in the toilet. On the contrary, I¡¦d say hello to him whenever I met him and I¡¦d treat it as a very good chance for me to practice my English.

I did speak broken English, and I knew how clumsy and funny of my spoken English was. But so what? As long as I understood what he was saying and he knew what I was talking about!

In order to kill the time or get relax, he used to come to my table to talk to me about those things like where to buy cheap and smart in the Kwun Tong area.

My dear brother av8s, it seems that you know SID quite well. Yes, I was under an ES (Engineering Supervisor), and my ES was under this young British engineer. Under such circumstances, what do you do if you were the ES? Do you think you¡¦d be that stupid to upset your boss¡¦s friend or you would do him a favour?

I¡¦d of course not be able to do it during office hours, I therefore asked for overtime to do it only after office hours or on Sundays or Public Holidays. Don¡¦t forget that I was initially a technician of SID, I knew all those techniques in handling the telephone installation on my own.  




You know, when I told him that I¡¦d got a new job with the Hong Kong Government and would quit soon, he quickly invited me, as a celebration, to go sea bass¡]Æt³½¡^fishing at«CÀsÀYwith those British engineers and senior staff of the Prince¡¦s Building.  

You may have got a question in asking me as to why I¡¦d be that stupid to quit the job as a technician in that gold mine department, SID and took up the job of a Works Order Control Clerk in the office. Do give me a little time, I¡¦d tell you the full story next time, okay?

Pen Hing: Kai Fong and Guanxi together brought you had overtime and tipping, wow! how you spent your multiple incomes. Yes, at that time many Engineers from Britain, my division were Chinese E only. You were pretty smart could communicate with the British Engineer without any problem, at that time most of the technical guys were seldom speak English. That caused them less opportunity for promotion, too bad. As a clerk he or she must pass "E" grade in English syllabus B but technical post might not require that. I think my English speaking would the same as you at that time, but I also willing and happy to talk. Was the Brit smoke? You were not. I had attended some courses, so company structure knew a bit. But I think the ES was only scared the Brit, did he doing anything on you secretly? Did the Brit caught any fish by using traditional hand lining fishing method and what was the outcome. Sure, please let me know and what post was that  and you were in Vienna as a waiter in 1976 ???

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­ì©«¥Ñ av8s ©ó 2011-1-23 23:14 µoªí

I am sure you did not have any habits like majong, horse, wine and night clubbing etc.,

Although your office was at the Prince¡¦s Building, I know you¡¦d heard quite a lot about what was going on at various departments/depots outside the Headquarters. I can sense it from the fact that you¡¦d ask me if I¡¦d like those nasty hobbies like smoking, playing majong, gambling on dog/horse racing, wine drinking and night clubbing.

Being a school leaver some 40 odd years ago, I was as white as Snow White. I was only a stupid, too simple, sometimes naïve young lad, living in the small world of my own, knowing nothing about those aforementioned dirty and nasty hobbies, not to say ass licking, playing trick, doing dodgy & cunning things,¡K etc.

I¡¦d not got those bad hobbies largely because I came from a beggar-like family, several grades down below the grass-roots class. Hence, I love money from day one, and I do love it persistently right now even after so many years. I can¡¦t afford to see my hard earned money being thrown down the drain, and I believe that I¡¦d got that DNA to save everything like a squirrel, particularly money.

My dear brother av8s, let me finish my story for you next time, as I¡¦ve got to go now, okay?

Pen Hing: I am sure that you are not the guys had such additive habits prevailing at that time. You needed some of their hobbies to blend or get along with them. How came you could dealt with it without such habits. Majong, Jo Wui were quite common. Everybody has their way to manage their money, hard to tell which is right or wrong. I await your exciting story please at your own pace, no rush!!!

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­ì©«¥Ñ av8s ©ó 2011-1-24 22:19 µoªí

please let me know and what post was that and you were in Vienna as a waiter in 1975???...

Before I go on the story with my job in the HKTC, I¡¦d like to spare a little time in answering your questions you¡¦ve asked.

I¡¦m sorry, mate. It's so unfortunately that I¡¦m not allowed to disclose any of my job natures with the then Hong Kong Government before 2047, as the disclosure of which to the public is governed by the British Empire Crown Colony (Hong Kong) Sensitive Data Act 1997, signed by China, UK, Prussia, Austro-Hungarian Empire, and North Korea as well, otherwise my pension with the then British Hong Kong Government would be forfeited instantly.

With regard to my job as a waiter in the Vienna Hilton in 1975, thanks to the windfall that I¡¦d got from the HKTC, I¡¦d saved enough funds to cover the tuition fee for my religious study, together with necessary travelling expenses, I then asked the then Hong Kong Government to grant me one year no pay study leave for my study in Vienna of Austria.  

It¡¦s was another lucky experience I¡¦d got in my life for getting a job in the newly built Vienna Hilton, for which I¡¦d like to tell you another exciting story, of course if you don¡¦t mind in listening to such kind of boring stories though.

Pen Hing: It's all right, sorry that I didn't know such regulations are bound on you. You do speak French and German, right? No I don't mind and I am all ears please go ahead

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­ì©«¥Ñ av8s ©ó 2011-1-25 21:29 µoªí

sorry that I didn't know such regulations are bound on you. You do speak French and German,  

Oh, my dear little brother av8s, I¡¦ve sufficient reasons to believe that you must be a very nice and straightforward person, what we called it in Chinese -担«Ë­ø°½­¹, otherwise the British secret agent MI5 would not offer you a contract with them in England.   

They¡¦d already carried out an extremely intensive security check on everything of you, including your 18th generation ancestors, just because you know nothing about it.

Anyway, please accept my apology for fooling you on the fictionalised Act I made. You¡¦d easily find that it¡¦s just a joke as it¡¦s ridiculous for the Act to be signed by Prussia, Austro-Hungarian Empire and North Korea.

Go back to your question, yes, I do speak little German, but no French.

Pen Hing: Thank you for your compliment, I am only a law abiding guy like you. HK Government also search 18th generation it depends on the post sensitiveness, of course Britain would be more comprehensive. No harm done and still waiting your fascinating stories.

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­ì©«¥Ñ av8s ©ó 2011-1-23 13:49 µoªí

you didn't need to use the normal pay .. I think the outdoor jobs were free and flexible ...

I¡¦ve once mentioned it here before, I really didn¡¦t know how could I be that lucky to be able to work in such a gold mine department ¡V SID.  

Being a technician, I might be placed in any departments, like Cable, Exchange or Maintenance. I thought it was Mr Chan Shiu Kee, the then Personnel Manager who¡¦d done me a favour, and of course I¡¦d appreciate it very much.

I first reported to the then SID Headquarters at Hunghom in 1968. It was an old cottage, situated somewhere near the«C¬w­^ªd.I believe that the nickname ¤j´×
might be come from it (Do correct me if I¡¦m wrong) because of it¡¦s funny appearance.

I was then redeployed to a SID depot at the Shamshuipo Exchange situated at 营½Lµóafter receiving couple of days¡¦ basic training over there.

I worked as an apprentice, following a ganger (®v³Å) in carrying out those telephone installation works around the Shamshuipo district. My job was fantastic and I enjoyed it very much, though the duties of which were fiddling little jobs like wiring, holding the tall wooden/bamboo ladder for him, etc.  

The most wonderful thing was that every morning, after getting orders from the inspector, and issuing necessary equipment for the jobs from the store, we¡¦d take our breakfast at the nearby¾Â‰Ë¦B«Ç and the bill could normally be paid by the ganger who held a fund for which the money came from the tips.  

Nobody knew the balance of the fund or how did it operate except he himself. Our lunch would of course come from the fund and I¡¦d get about $5 to $10 in the evening from time to time depending on how much tips we¡¦d get during that period.

Unfortunately, such glorious days didn¡¦t last too long. I¡¦d tell you why next time, all right?


[ ¥»©«³Ì«á¥Ñ mtpen ©ó 2011-1-26 16:06 ½s¿è ]

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­ì©«¥Ñ mtpen ©ó 2011-1-25 22:06 µoªí


Anyway, please accept my apology for fooling you on the fictionalised Act I made. You¡¦d easily find that it¡¦s just a joke as it¡¦s ridiculous for the Act to be signed by Prussia, Austro-Hungarian Empire and North Korea.

...

perhaps someone, but not he, is the one being fooled...

Don't understand

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­ì©«¥Ñ suewong ©ó 2011-1-26 20:19 µoªí

perhaps someone, but not he, is the one being fooled...

That¡¦s the sense of humour I learnt from the Britons. We can¡¦t always live poker-faced, isn¡¦t it, my dear little sister Sue?

Being the dearest little brother of mine, I strongly believe that he won¡¦t mind for being fooled like that, am I right?

Peng Hing: What a coincidence! SK Chan's office was next to my division at 3F PB. He really was a nice guy should address as gentleman and I hope he could see our chat here. Pen Hing you were very lucky that he helped you indeed. Also I was interviewed by him in 1974 and a Brit last name "Kitchen" funny surname. At that time usually called "¦³¤j­¹¤j", it was a good tradition, as we follow those seniors most expenses like lunch, tea payable by those seniors. Quite save a lot. Don't care about it "¦³¿ú¤j®a¬~" since we are family ma??   await your next story to come, Thank!!!

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­ì©«¥Ñ av8s ©ó 2011-1-26 21:02 µoªí

those seniors most expenses like lunch, tea payable by those seniors.  since we are family ma? ...

You¡¦re really very lucky to have those lovely co-workers working with you in the same office. And that¡¦s why you told me that you¡¦d a glorious time while you worked there, isn¡¦t it?  

But why you¡¦d decide to quit that lovely job? You can ignore this silly question if it¡¦s also governed by the Sensitive Act 1997 like me.

Pen Hing: It was a really happy time for me to working there with many beautiful people, I was really young at that time and want to seek different type of works to work for, and no intention to work to retire. There was no such act1997 bound on me, no worry!

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­ì©«¥Ñ av8s ©ó 2011-1-24 22:19 µoªí

Did the Brit caught any fish by using traditional hand lining fishing method and what was the outcome....

My dear little brother av8s, are you an expert in fishing?

Guess what? I¡¦d caught a two feet long wild sea bass¡]Æt³½¡^in that fishing event with those HKTC senior staff at«CÀsÀYin 1970 during the Christmas time. Good, isn¡¦t it?

Yes, we just used the traditional handline fishing method. The result was remarkable well as all of us had caught one at least.   

I¡¦ve sufficient reasons to believe that our excellent result was largely due to the fishing bait we used - the tiger (king) prawn with a size of about half foot long but I really forgot if they¡¦were live or not.  

To be honest, if I was not free for that fishing event, I really didn¡¦t want to take part in such a luxury game. I really couldn¡¦t afford for it as I¡¦d only be able to take such kind of king prawn once in a year, i.e. during the dinner of the Chinese New Year¡¦s Eve, not to say for fishing bait.

But it¡¦s worthful, as the meat of the wild sea bass was so sweet and delicious that every part of which was lobster-like, and I¡¦d never tasted such a nicely seafood before, and not even now so far.

I do really wonder if we¡¦d catch that wild sea bass over there now, as the water around the Pearl River estuary is so badly polluted in the last 30 years or so. Sad, isn¡¦t it?

Pen Hing: I am not expert in fishing just for fun and gathering, I had been there couples of times by boat or sea side, but never caught fish over a foot. May be I did not invest on the baits like Tiger Prawn, I rather keep it for dinner. That's the obstacle for me to become an expert. In the 70's there were many events held for Bass fishing in the winter time, now seldom heard due to less fish there and environment tremendous changed. I can imagine how good was the taste of those fishes!!!

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­ì©«¥Ñ av8s ©ó 2011-1-26 21:02 µoªí

SK Chan's office was next to my division at 3F PB. He really was a nice guy should address as gentleman ...

Absolutely, Mr Chan Shiu Kee, the then Personnel Manager of HKTC was a real good man, who played a key role in helping me to get the bright future of my life. Without his generous help, I couldn¡¦t get that little fortune, which allowed me to pave the way for my study in Vienna, and in turn had changed my destiny as well.

Unfortunately, I didn¡¦t cherish the precious chance that I¡¦d get for working in such a wonderful department whilst everybody was eager to join. I just took it for granted and didn¡¦t know how to do it smartly in not only ¡¥take¡¦ but should ¡¥give¡¦ as well.

I do really blame myself for too simple, sometimes naïve. I always thought that my ganger (®v³Å), who was the sole in charge of our fund generated from tips, could look after me and do everything for me by taking money out of the fund in settling all those necessary expenses on the monkey business required for maintaining the win win relationship with our Inspector and the Engineering Supervisor.  

I¡¦d only be able to realize that the game was not playing as what I thought on the day when I was redeployed to the Block Wiring Group of SID, where no more free breakfast, free lunch and of course no more tips as well.  

Another fatal mistake I made could probably be not getting along with them after work on those nasty hobbies like smoking, playing majong, gambling on dog/horse racing, wine drinking and night clubbing.

I¡¦d let you know what I was doing in the Block Wiring Group next time, okay?

Dear Pen Hing: Have you seen SK when you returned to Hong Kong? I think at that time it was not easy to be there I mean SID or rather SMD. So that's why I worried about how you could be a member with them playing with those small circles, since you were quite individual without any mutual habits. SK would also scratch his head when dealing with them. The tipping was hardly to keep usually used as social expenses, so after hours or even within 9-5, SID working might longer work hours. They would do what they like mentioned above hobbies! Please do tell your exciting story. I'll be waiting

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­ì©«¥Ñ av8s ©ó 2011-1-20 19:15 µoªí

I had been working there as a spotter. Job need go everywhere when no land line available ...

In fact, a little early prior to my redeployment to Block Wiring gang, my life was getting harder and harder, and my jobs were not that straightforward anymore. I needed to go erecting poles (ºØ·¯) in those rural areas like¤EµØ®|, and many other unknown small villages deep inside the hill around there.  

Setting up a 20 feet or 25 feet long metal pole was not an easy task at all. We needed to dig a big hole in the first instance, deep enough to hold the pole standing firmly. Once it was erected, we needed to climb up and down of the pole without the aid of ladders, like a monkey, in fixing the overhanging wires running along the hill and the valley.   

It was quite a dangerous job though, as we¡¦d have a chance to fall down from the pole. The worst of all, those poles were used to be erected along the little footpath whereas one side of which could be a deep valley, hence casualty could be unavoidable if we¡¦d fallen down literally.

My dear Brother av8s, since you were a spotter and worked in the Spotting and Statistics Office, you¡¦d know it quite well how hard our job was. And I do believe that it was you who designed how the overhanging wires to be run and where the poles to be erected, isn¡¦t it?

[ ¥»©«³Ì«á¥Ñ mtpen ©ó 2011-1-29 15:16 ½s¿è ]

Dear Pen Hing: It really was a hard job, how came it be. The work nature like "¤u§L" in military term. Dangerous with extreme weather and terrain conditions. I knew pole erecting so well since I had learnt from telephone school's courses. It need to dig a hole 1m depth, and climb up sure without ladder just like a monkey. Of course no banana for reward. I had seen many times those guys climbing pole, you should be very fit in physical. We were need to spot the locations where subscribers were unable to serve without poles, that our job needed find the location on the map and oversee the circumstance to see the possibility to provide land line for the subscriber. Then we processed a map marked all details and sent to the unit where subscriber belonged to. The unit then sent instruction "Order" to SID to follow up. Another section "External Planning" will reconsider if our proposal was not satisfied safety, overhead high tension crossing, poles not allowed erect on private land etc., So, how long did it last?