APEX EVENTS...

01/01: Tsunami Earthquake Emergency Fund Raiser/Rose Bowl Watching Party
01/21: Bowling Membership Mixer @ FunFest
01/22: Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) Annual New Year Banquet
01/27: January Happy Hour
01/27: APEX Toastmasters Club Demo Meeting



COMMUNITY EVENTS...

01/22: Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art: Tibetan Buddhist will construct a sand painting

APEX EVENTS...
01/01: Tsunami Earthquake Emergency Fund Raiser/Rose Bowl Watching Party

Date: Saturday, January 1st, 2005
Time: 3:30 - 6:00 PM
Location: Chaucer's in Mockingbird Station, 5321 E. Mockingbird Lane
Contact: Justin Hung, justin@apexdallas.org

The Asian Professional Exchange of Dallas sends our thoughts and well wishes to all of the victims affected by the earthquake and tsunami in South Asia. The devastation has been estimated to be one of the costliest ever and relief agencies are asking for monetary donations. In an effort to assist the disaster relief, we are organizing a fund raising drive on Saturday, January 1st at the Chaucer's in Mockingbird between 3:30 to 6:00 PM.

APEX-Dallas is coordinating this disaster relief donation drive in conjunction with a Rose Bowl (Texas vs. Michigan) watching party organized by local Asian American alumni from the University of Texas. We welcome everyone to come out and contribute as much as they can to help the victims.

For check donations please write them out to the American Red Cross. In the memo field, please earmark your checks to Tsunami Earthquake Emergency Response. If you wish to have a Tax Deductible receipt form, we will collect your name, address, and amount to send to the American Red Cross.

Those of you whose companies match your donations can go to the Red Cross website and donate directly: https://www.redcross.org/. You can also reach the local American Red Cross at 214-678-4800.

APEX EVENTS...
01/21 Bowling Membership Mixer @ FunFest

Date: Friday, January 21st, 2005
Time: 7:30 - 10:00 PM
Location: FunFest in Addison, 3805 Beltline Rd., Addison, TX 75001
Phone: 972-620-7700
COST: $5 for members, $12 for nonmembers (shoes included)
RSVP: Anna, anna@apexdallas.org

APEX-Dallas starts a brand new year with our first membership mixer at FunFest in Addison. Show off your bowling skills and impress others as you aim for a perfect 300. We've reserved 8 lanes so show up on time to ensure a space and enjoy a full 2 hours of bowling.

We'll also be signing up for the 2005 membership at $30 for the whole year. See you there!

APEX EVENTS...
1/22 Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) Annual New Year Banquet

Date: Saturday, January 22nd
Time: 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Location: Maxims, 310 Terrace, Richardson, TX
Cost: $30 per person
Contact: RSVP to Les Tung (les@apexdallas.org)

APEX Dallas would like to invite you to join us for a fun-filled evening to celebrate the Year of The Rooster. The banquet is hosted by Organization of Chinese Americans. There will be a 9 course dinner, auctions, prize raffles, cultural performances, and more!!!

APEX Dallas has 2 tables reserved for this special event. Seating is limited so please RSVP early.

COMMUNITY/CULTURAL EVENTS...
01/22 Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art: Tibetan Buddhist will construct a sand painting

Date: Saturday, January 22nd through Saturday, January 29th
Time: 10:30 am
Location: Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art
2010 Flora Street (between Harwood and Olive Streets and adjacent to the Dallas Museum of Art)
Cost: Tickets are $25 for non-members and $10 for Friends of the Crow Collection, students and seniors for each event
Sponsors: Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art

Tibetan Buddhist monks from Drepung Loseling Monastery will construct a mandala sand painting from Saturday, Jan. 22 through Saturday, Jan. 29 at the Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art, 2010 Flora Street (between Harwood and Olive Streets and adjacent to the Dallas Museum of Art). Other activities are also planned. See more information below.

The opening ceremony will be Saturday, Jan. 22 at 10:30 a.m. and the closing ceremony will be Saturday, Jan. 29 at 10:30 a.m. (after the closing ceremony, the monks will take the sand to the Bath House Cultural Center to throw into White Rock Lake). Tickets are $25 for non-members and $10 for Friends of the Crow Collection, students and seniors for each event. Call (214) 979-6438 for reservation as space is limited. Doors will open at 10 a.m. both days. The museum will be
open for mandala viewing Saturday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (including Monday and on Thursday until 9 p.m.) The final viewing of the Mandala will be Friday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. (before its dismantling).

Painting with colored sand ranks as one of the most unique and exquisite artistic traditions of Tantric Buddhism. Millions of grains of colored sand are painstakingly laid in to place in this ancient spiritual art form in order to purify and heal the environment. The opening ceremony consists of the monks chanting and performing music and mantra recitation to consecrate the site and call forth the forces of goodness.

The monks dismantle the painting in a closing ceremony by sweeping up the colored sands to symbolize the impermanence of all that exists. Vials of sand will be distributed to visitors and the remainder will be taken to a free flowing body of water (White Rock Lake, near the Bath House) where the remaining sand is poured to disperse the healing energies of the mandala.