The biggest surprise at Operation Santa Claus' closing ceremony was not the astonishing HK$11 million tally, which topped the HK$10 million target. The biggest shock at the Tuesday fete at the Central Plaza's Apex was seeing Civic Party members Ronny Tong Ka-wah (above right) and Alan Leong Kah-kit sing a folky duet. As part of the night's entertainment, the two lawmakers proved once and for all that Legislative Council members aren't just dull politicians. With Tong strumming a guitar and Leong warbling the high notes, they were like a Chinese Simon and Garfunkel, harmonising the ballad Relying on Love as everyone chimed in or clapped. 'I've been doing this for the past 40 years of my life,' Tong said of his musical hobby. 'We actually only practised for 10 minutes yesterday. It was the only time we had to fit in a rehearsal.' Yeah, criticising the government's wrongs can take up a whole day's work. However, the duo of Tong and Leong was upstaged by a group of underprivileged young dancers from the Youth Outreach School of Hip Hop, and 23-year-old blind Filipino pianist Jezrael Lucero, who melted the crowd with a falsetto rendition of That's What Friends Are For. 'I can relate to these kids, whom society has cast aside as rejects. Growing up blind, I've faced my own share of discrimination, especially in the music world,' Lucero said. If you get a chance, the pianist is well worth catching live.
