December 1, 2003
A sad day for Hong Kong's creative scene as talented writer Richard Lam Chun Keung was laid to rest.....
He died last week of leukemia at much too young an age...but as the saying goes, the good die young....
We worked together on a lot of commercials before we got the chance to write an HK-TVB theme song for Rowena Cortes called (in Pinyin) Dou Ya Meng....
Prior to that Richard came up with a novel idea for Hi-C Lemon Tea jingle....combining some Afro-American rhythms with Chinese temple chanting....the result...some 20 years ago, mind you....was very similar to today's rap sounds...
He was truly ahead of his time, in more ways than one, and broke down many creative barriers and inhibitions.
Richard, you will be missed.
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Mayday, 2003
These are scary times we live in....Hong Kong is under siege with the SARS virus and the already weak economy has taken another hit.
But there is a bright side.....perhaps now we will wake up to the dangers of abusing our environment....I firmly believe that mutant viruses are the result of irresponsible farming mehtods...both modern and, in the case of Southern China, old-fashioned and dirty....and in both cases driven by greed!
(While taping a HK/China-made TV series in Southern China two years ago I personally witnessed some of the disgusting farming methods still being practised!)
Hong Kong is in many ways a much cleaner place today...but can we keep this up?
How long will it be before chefs discard their plastic gloves and masks and go back to handling food with their bare hands?
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Monday, December 30, 2002
Is it just me, or do some years appear to whiz by faster than others?
2002 seems to have sped by at the speed of light......and it is a shame, because for me it was a very good year!
With just another day to go there are so many things to finish off before we greet 2003.
One of the highlights of the year was producing an expo here in Hong Kong, promoting my father/motherland....Sweden....it was a great success and chances are it will become an annual event, not just here, but in major cities in China as well.
It was called it'Sweden, and it has a site....www.itswedenhk.com....
Happy 2003, everyone.....I don't make resolutions, but I will try to add to this journal and my site more regularly in the New Year!

Tuesday, September 3, 2002
Elvis influenced me to take up a career in showbiz....
It was the Summer of 1958, and I was 12 when I heard Wear My Ring Around Your Neck on the radio and I was completely blown away.
I knew from that moment on that I wanted to be a singer.
I was proud, therefor, to be asked by the International Elvis Presley Fan Club (Hong Kong) to MC their commemorative party last Saturday here in Hong Kong......a very touching tribute to The King and the 25 years since his death.
But it was a surprise email from Jack Soden at Graceland that really made my night....
I will soon be adding my whole Elvis story to my site....stay tuned!
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Saturday, August 17, 2002
Elvis Presley inspired me to get into the music business, so August 16/17 is always a time of reflection for me.
This year is special since it is 25 years since The King left us, but his music shows no signs of waning, let alone following my hero anywhere but back into the charts in one form or another.
The current Mandarin hit version of Can't Help Falling In Love by Taiwan boyband F4 is ample proof of that.
The one thing I hate most about the media coverage of The King is the need of some scribes to make snide remarks about the way he died.
So what if he died with his head in his toilet....overweight and overwrought? SO, how many people get to die they they want? One of the few was my dear late Mother Solveig, who left us last year in her own bed, with her dear husband....quickly and without fuss, and definitely NOT hooked up to machines to keep her alive beyond her expiry date. This was her wish and I am happy that it was fulfilled.
I hope I'm so lucky when my time comes.
Long live The King!
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Friday, August 2, 2002
Has the World been hit by an epidemic of stupidity?

Sunday, July 28, 2002
Some days I just feel like climbing up on that old soap-box and complaining about stuff. Maybe it's the weather here in Hongkong, which has been miserable for the past few days....maybe it's just me!
I'm all for people riding bikes, but here in Hongkong there don't seem to be any regulations related to bike riding....seems none of the usual rules apply...simple stuff like which side of the road to ride on and the need for lights after dark!
I just drove to the nearest town to where I live to get something and almost hit bike riders several times....
I always tend to look on the positive side of things, however, so I see this hazard as a way of keeping my reflexes in shape! I'll bet that for a guy who is over 50, I have the reflexes of a 30-year-old cat!
What also get up my nose is newspaper reports of cars going out of control.....what bullshit! Cars don't go out of control, drivers lose control of their cars.....hey journos, let's get this right!
Well, that's my two cents' worth for now.....
It always feels good to get stuff off your chest!

July 6/7, 2002,Toronto, Canada

This evening I performed as MC and singer at a very special wedding....Edith Tso married Ken Yau.
So what was so special about this? Well, I also performed the same roles when Edith's parents, Thomas and Mary Tso got married many, many years ago, in Hongkong!
The wedding banquet was held in the ballroom of the Hongkong-owned Metropolitan Hotel and it was a nice surprise to find several old HK friends working as waiters there.....people who had held similar jobs in various hotels and restaurants here years ago.
My old friend Mike Remedios, who is managed by Thomas Tso, also performed at the wedding and had the other guests at his table in fits with with his amazing anecdotes from a long and successful career.
A few nights earlier I had had dinner with Mike in Vancouver, where he now lives, together with old Kontinentals' band-mate Danny Piry. Danny and I hadn't seen each other since 1986, when we played together at our old school, KGV, at a 25th anniversary reunion for the band.
I had laboured under the misconception that Danny had been working for years as an undertaker and was pleased to hear that in fact he is an underwriter. No offense to undertakers around the world!

It was my first visit to Toronto and it was fun to meet with old friends Ricky Chan and Evan Choi.....we all played together in a band in the 60s. I also met Evan's brother Don, TV producer (and singer) Lanny Shum, and bassplayer and former colleague David Tong.
Just before leaving Toronto for home, Ricky interviewed me on his Sunday-afternoon radio programme and I was touched when many old friends and fans phoned in to say hello....
When I arrived in Toronto earlier in the week I was amazed at how friendly people were...many of them coming up to me to shake my hand....until one of them said "Hello, Mr Dion, how's your wife Celine?"!!! Seems I bear a resemblance to that particular diva's husband!

July 9, 2002, Hongkong

I arrived back at the magnificent Chek Lap Kok airport just before 6 am......and had a bad experience with our infamous HK taxi drivers....well, one driver at least....he was fast asleep in his cab....in airconditioned comfort, while his old diesel taxi spewed exhaust fumes into the morning air. Shame on you, driver of taxi number HH7384.
Neither he nor the 'taxi jockey' on the curbside greeted me with a cheery 'good morning' or 'welcome to Hongkong'......no wonder Hongkong is going down the tubes as a tourist attraction! Shape up guys!
Riding down the road from the airport I always think what a shame it is that the government didn't grab this opportunity to immortalize Bruce Lee by naming it Bruce Lee Boulevard.....
Members of the old Urban Council repeatedly turned down suggestions to build some sort of monument to our most famous son on the grounds that he died 'inappropriately' in the bed of a woman who wasn't his wife.....months later, several of these same people were caught by the press in the company of hookers in a Karaoke bar somewhere in China. Ironic!

I always make sure that my daily newspaper is kept for me while I'm away from home....and it's good to catch up on the local news...especially when you're wide awake in the middle of the night with jet-lag.
Sadly one of the obituaries announced the death of John Negus, who for many years was a director of the local performing rights society, C.A.S.H. he was instrumental in getting the society into the computer age many years ago. R.I.P. John.

Sunday, June 23 2002
Hongkong is not the easiest place in which to be environmentally responsible, but more and more people are trying.
I cannot say I'm ahead of anyone else, but I have been trying to cut down on waste for years, and try to recycle as much as I can....even using the cardboard cores of toilet rolls to keep spare hi-fi and computer cables under control, much to the amusement of some of my friends.
Where I haven't been too responsible has been in the area of cars.....
For many years I drove a 1973 Lincoln Continental Towncar....completely impractical on narrow Hongkong streets and, of course, a huge gas guzzler. I didn't improve things much by switching to a Range Rover Vogue....1987 model and with permanent FWD, also a a heavy drinker of petroleum. I have driven this for about 11 years.
The time has now come for me to behave myself in this department and I am about to downsize to a Mini Cooper.
Perhaps not the ultimate in gas efficiency, but a step in the right direction, I hope.

April 20, 2002
I started this journal with the best of intentions, but like my New Year's Resolutions.....well, I don't want to waste your time with that sad story!
Last weekend I travelled to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, one of my favourite places, and a spot where I could see myself living.....especially as I have some great friends there.
If you visit K.L., make sure you try the exotic Nonya cuisine.....one of the original 'fusion' cooking styles....but one that is hundreds of years old.
I can highly recommend AH TUAN EE'S PLACE in Petaling Jaya....a true family restaurant run by the Cheah family.....daddy Frankie retired not long ago from running BMG ASEAN, and he can often be seen hobnobbing with government officials and captains of Malaysian industry, when he's not in the kitchen washing dishes....something which he claims is great anti-stress therapy!
The address is : 74, Jalan SS 2/72, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.....but please call to make a reservation: 03-7957 2915......

Friday, September 7, 2001, Hongkong
Tonight I was on a panel of judges at a Karaoke contest staged by one of the leading Hongkong companies and a consultancy client of mine.
Frankly, I was amazed at the high standard of the singers, mostly from Hongkong, but also from various cities in China and a couple from Taiwan.
I have always cursed the inventor of Karaoke, as his infernal machines have created a couple of generations of singer wannabes who, thanks to the technology, think they can sing.
But at this particular contest, the finalists were required to sing to a simple piano backing....no lyrics on a screen and no heavy rhythm section to keep them in perfect time.
This really separated the men from the boys, the women from the girls.........
As a singer myself, there is nothing quite like singing to 'live' backing...especially a really hot band......
Mr Karaoke's invention may be great for practice, and it may have made somebody somewhere millions of dollars, but PLEASE, isn't it time to give this a rest and bring back live music?
One of the most ironic comments I have heard in recent years was from a bar-owner who claimed to have introduced 'manual karaoke' on certain nights......'manual karaoke?' When pressed for an explanation he revealed that this consisted of real musicians who played 'live'!!!

Funny how appearance can influence judges' opinions...even in singing contests.....
Not just the judges...often also members of the audience.....I have lost count of the number of times I have been asked after a contest "why didn't the girl with the long hair and legs make it to the finals?".......Is there an answer?

Wednesday, August 29th, 2001
Hongkong's favourite uncle, "Uncle Ray" Cordeiro, has been an Elvis Presely booster since day one.
I can't claim to have personally heard him play That's Allright Mama on the day of release, but I can vouch for the fact that he did play plenty of Elvis when he was young, lean and mean!
So when the President of the International Elvis Presley Fan Club (Hongkong) called to tell me the club was bringing "Uncle Ray" to Graceland for Elvis Week this year and would I try to arrange for some sort of recognition for his support and achievements in broadcasting, I naturally said "consider it done" before you could say All Shook Up.
Now before you accuse me of name dropping, I should tell you that from 1989 to 1992, I was MD of BMG Pacific Limited...and German media giant BMG of course owns RCA, Elvis' record label. During this time I represented Asia on an "Elvis Committee" dedicated to making sure Elvis' re-releases were respectfully and lovingly put together and marketed. I am sure Elvis fans have noticed a huge difference in quality and reverence pre and post "committee"...I'm proud to say.
I called my friend Jack Soden who runs Graceland and Elvis Presley Enterprises for Priscilla and Lisa Marie and he said they could definitely do something to give Ray lots of face and he wasn't talking about a mere Elvis coffee-mug or a typewritten certificate. No sir, they came up with a magnificent plaque which was presented to Ray during a fan club presidents' luncheon at Graceland and again last Saturday here in Hongkong by yours truly. Ray has stated publicly that this is a high point of his life and career and I am happy to have been able to play a small role in this.
Oh, and did I tell you? I was the one who gave Ray his moniker "Uncle Ray"...during the sixties he was truly like a surrogate uncle to budding popstars here in Hongkong, offering advice, songs and the occasional shoulder to cry on. He was the one who suggested I sing A Whiter Shade Of Pale...a song I never recorded, but which is associated with me by many Hongkong people to the extent that when I do a gig from time to time, this song is a must. Thanks Ray!
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Sunday, August 26th, 2001
I had originally intended to start this journal on August 10th, the day my family and I buried our dear mother Solveig's ashes in the cemetary plot belonging to the Church of Sweden's Mission in Uppsala. After the brief ceremony, which our father Daniel had bravely decided to conduct himself, sitting down in front of my computer was the last thing on my mind. I apologise to those of you who visited a blank page.

It had rained most of that week, but we all awoke to a cloudy sky with small patches of hopeful blue. Just as my sister-in-law Lillian made an emotional speech about Solveig's special way of touching the hearts of everyone she came into contact with, the sun peeped through the clouds to light up the small family gathering.
The name Solveig is made up of the words 'sun' and 'power' in Norwegian, and she always brought sunshine into our lives. She continues to do so.
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Summer in Sweden certainly proves the age old adage that it is quality that counts, not quantity! There is nothing quite like sitting on the shores of one of the thousands of lakes, or the Stockholm archipelago, when the sunshine is glittering on the waters, birds are chirping in the trees, and you can take deep breaths of clean air!
Arriving back in my adopted home of Hongkong on Tuesday, August 21st, the first thing I noticed was the difference in air-quality.....let's shape up!
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I travelled to and from Sweden via London and I must congratulate Cathay Pacific on the new team they have in place at Heathrow's Terminal 3. I'm sure ex-KGVer Tim Lillywhite played a major role in the revamp. Well done.

Speaking of airports......why doesn't Hongkong's magnificentChek Lap Kok have a large clock or two hanging from the ceiling? Or, better still, some high-tech devices.....perhaps holograms....telling the time? Yes, there are little digital clocks at the bottoms of various screens.....but it would be nice to be able to just look up and see what the time is without having to move or search.....
And whilst on that thought....now that just about everyone has a watch strapped to their wrist, clocks in stores have disappeared. In the 'olden days' just about every shop in Hongkong had a large clock on the back wall, clearly visible when you walked in. I'm not proposing to turn back the clock of time, but with time differences and jet lag, I am often asked by tourists in the street what the correct time is.
Why don't we combine this service with better signage in this town? Along with the shop clocks, street numbers and road signs indicating places of interest seem also to be on the decline....unhelpful to tourists and locals alike when you're trying to find a particular number along nathan Road.
So, Mr Tung and old friend Selina Chow, (now head honcho of our Hongkong Tourist Board), how about some interesting road signs topped with a clock?
For the sake of argument, let's place the first one on the corner of Nathan and Kimberley Roads, indicating that you can find the wonderful Knutsford Terrace entertainment and dining area just off Kimberley, with one of Tsim Sha Tsui's few public toilets a little further down, (don't get me started on Hongkong's disgusting public toilets!!!), Kowloon Park just across Nathan Road, plus indicating which way is South...towards the Star Ferry...and North...towards Jordan and Temple Streets...
Just a thought...but it's little things like this which make a place 'user friendly'...
I was happy to see that while I was on holiday a fairly major budget has been allocated to improving Hongkong as a tourist attraction...but let's not forget that all-important ingredient...soul...that's what we seem to have lost somehow over the years, in favour of gleaming glass and impenetrable concrete...bring back the 'poor mans nightclub', improve the night markets, make the seafood restaurants of Lau Fau Shan more accessible and attractive...how about a seafront esplanade right there on the old oysterbeds...all free advice!
Back to the airport...and I've said this before...why does the road to the airport have such a boring an unimaginative name? If I'm not mistaken, it is called something like 'Airport Road'...not good enough, guys! Here's my vote for 'Bruce Lee Boulevard', please take note Master Tung and Madam Chow.
Just read an article in the Sunday edition of the SCMP by friend and 'HK good guy', journalistic maestro Kevin Sinclair...on Tom Goetz's efforts to turn Ship Street in Wanchai into a 'maritime-themed dining, entertainment, retail and historical district'...let's hope our bureaucracy
doesn't drive this into the ground with red tape and its usual negativity!
To end on a low note...I have heard that the now-defunct Urban Council turned down many ideas related to Bruce Lee tributes of one kind or another because of the circumstances of his death...what hypocrisy! I wonder how many of these
erstwhile city councillors have lead totally clean and blemishfree lives!
Elvis Presley's Graceland is now the #2 tourist attraction in America after the White House...(neither of which can claim to be stainfree!), so let's loosen up a little.
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