Got back from the 2003 Jean Lumb Awards (alt. website) presentation and dinner which happened earlier this evening at the Ruby Chinese restaurant (Woodside Square). It was as about as large as last year (you can read about that here)

FYI: Jean Lumb (1919 - 2002) was a very active community leader, the list of organizations she's worked with reads like a charity/non-profit directory. One of her big achievements I can remember is that she successfully fought against racist Canadian immigration laws that worked against chinese/minorities, won many awards: including the Order of Canada in 1976, and the Queen's Golden Jubilee award later last year . The Jean Lumb Awards was something she set up only a few years ago, for recognizing outstanding achievements of Toronto high school students of chinese descent - 4 awards for the categories of academics, athletics, community services, and arts.

I got invited this year again as an alumni award winner (arts, '98, the first year of the awards) and this year, again met the new award winners, who all have the usual things jean lumb award winners have (except me maybe) : exceptionally extensive accomplishments and awards/decorations for them =p

And whatever they got the award for, they are still going at it .. like the athletic award winner, who currently gets up at 6AM in the morning 6 days a week for swimming (most likely she lives on campus..).

It was too bad that there was only me and 2 other past award winners who came to this year's event (compared to last year where there were a lot more), and it could have been only 1 if I hadnt received that extra $50 complimentary ticket which I then passed along to Phoebe (Academics, '99). I only found out later at the event that the only reason she didn't receive any invitation or notice about this event was that they had lost her contact info. lucky i was there.

The food was ok, loved the lobster (altho, coming home I was verry dehyrdated.. too much talking? or the food ?), there was more programming this year like the children's choir and violin performance, as well as the good mandarin speaking skills of Noel (a Canadian, went and lived in nanjing, China for a year where she learned how to speak mandarin and so was the co-Mc along with Pam tonight) . And it was definitely nice meeting the new award winners.

Its always an eye opener for me learning for instance about charities I didnt know existed, things that could be done, like how the community service award winner, Joyce, started the Terry Fox Run at her high school, which is close to mine (just one of her many accomplishments..). Or what the Duke of Edinburgh's awards were at my very own U of T, which Carmen (Academic award) received a bronze for.

The names of awards/achievments will probably be posted on the Jean Lumb site, but since I actually sat at the tables of the winners (both tables, actually, since I got switched from the table with the 3 girls, to the table with the arts winner guy) I got to find out more about what they did/what it was like, which I always find very interesting and worth noting.

Now I shall go get some beauty sleep because tomorow I have to get started on my 8-10 page history essay about SOE support of subversive warfare operations in France during WWII, whether it was just a way of venting anger but otherwise insignificant.. or if it it actually did play a significant role in the overall war effort .. I must get started..