Subject: An experience of your life time! (our proposal) Date: Sun, 13 Sep 1998 01:35:47 -0400 From: Xiaohua.Leng.WG98@wharton.upenn.edu ((Eric) Xiaohua Leng) To: 83jc@CS.YALE.EDU So you have read Starr's XXX files a couple of times. So the leader of the free world had fun. Now what?! There are at least ten reasons that you should be in the sunny and cool Bay area in two weeks. Never mind he lives on the other side of the globe, Jiang Liu will be here, with all the first hand experience on Asia financial crisis, and of course his exotic adventure in Malaysia and Thailand. Never mind Fedex trusts him with millions of dollars and he has the pulse of the world most reliable delivery system at his finger tip, Wei Lai will be here -- together with his understanding of life, afterlife and financial wiz. Never mind she once had the most powerful man in the world at her mercy, Xiaowei Chen will be here. She once looked deep into the "devil's eye" and she will tell you how she felt then, and now. And the list goes on: Sheng Liang, Timothy Liu, Andrew Mao, Jingsong Mao, Wei Wu, Sam Yuan and of course yours truly. (Let you in a secret: Yunfei Chen has accepted a job here at the Bay and he is loading up his collection of fish samples, fly baits and table tennis rackets -- I personally donate a bottle of wine to whoever beats him in Ping Pong.) Over a quarter of our classmates are here and shouldn't you be here! No, we DO NOT want a regional reunion. NO, we DO NOT want to wait another 5 or 10 years. It's now or never! Here are our proposals: Activities Friday (Sept 25, 1998) -- civilization west of the Hudson river. A dinner at the spinning Embarcadero Center or by the Golden Gate bridge -- promised to be at least on par with the Window of the World. We will finish the evening at Fisherman's Wharf or Golden Gate Reserve. Clubbing or Karaoke is in preparation. Saturday (Sept 26, 1998) -- the Bay showcase. BBQ, tennis, rollerblade, golfing, card games, Majiang, Karaoke and if "permitted", wind surfing and sailing. (I will investigate the possibility of shooting.) If our plan is still shaky, it won't be by the time you get here. Andrew and I are checking on a deep sea fishing trip (that is if no one volunteers to steer a sail boat.) Whatever your interests are, you will find them, here at Bay! Sunday (Sept 27, 1998) -- a day at Napa valley and enjoy the best of wine country. Tours among wineries and farmland. Breathe the natural beauty and wildness of NoCal that has inspired millions of tourists around the world. These is no MaoTai or Wu Liang Ye but who knows, you may fall in love with Robert Madavi and bring home a bottle of Chardonnay or if you like sweet, Raisling (my favorite). Your commitment A weekend of your time and a trip, a token to show your goodwill. We realize this is indeed a heck of lot to ask and we prepare to make it easier for you. Our commitment Andrew, Sheng, Jingsong, Wei (Wu) and I (and Tim and Sam) have agreed that we will manage to provide everyone with quality and free lodging and boarding. (Your regular expense here should be minimum if any.) And for at least five couples, we will pick up half of your air expenses. But there is a catch: you have to respond early. The first three who reply before this coming Friday will automatically qualify. For those who can not make up their minds by then but come nevertheless, they will be entered into a lottery for the rest of the awards on site. (Must be 18 or older to play and certain rules apply.) Yes, our schedule may not be perfect and the lead time is indeed too short. We could have planned this earlier and we sincerely apologize. But there is still enough time to make sure your stay will be pleasant and enjoyable. We are not asking for your leap of faith on this. Andrew will follow with an agenda of all the deadlines and persons in charge, and we will report day by day where we stand. (You have down to the last minute to change your mind.) Yes, we could have done a lot more and we have not ordered vegetarian dishes yet. But we have taken the first step. With six engineers, three MBAs and one national TV anchor, please believe this will only get better. (Our spouses will be supportive too. At least Shi Li will be standing by for our medical needs and Stanford hospital has all the best health care the nation is to offer.) Now we ask you to come to us, for something we will indeed treasure for many years to come. Please pick up the phone and make your reservation. If you can't come, send your spouse with your pictures. If you can't make it on Friday, you still have another 48 hours to live for. We can't accomplish all these without you. We promise: this will be an experience of your life time. 83JCers at NoCal ============================= (Eric) Xiaohua Leng The Wharton School 3600 Chestnut Street, Box 1148 Philadelphia, PA 19104 215-417-4725 (Tel) 215-417-2032 (Fax)