2009

Happy New Year!!!

Cycling

Today was supposed to be cold and wet but I did not feel it. I went cycling with three of my colleagues. We had breakfast in Tai Wai. Then we started our 'long' journey at 11:00 am. We rode from Tai Wai to Tai Mei Tuk in Tai Po.

The best part of the trip was along Tolo Highway. The scenery was fantastic and the weather was perfect. It was an ideal day for cycling. We did not see many people on the way because most people were afraid of the cold weather. We took some photos on the way and we had fun taking some silly photos too. It reminded me of my good old days.

We had lunch in a small restaurant in Tai Mei Tuk. After lunch, one of my colleagues had to leave. The rest of us continued to ride along the dam of the Plover Cove Reservoir.

When I was cycling, I found many cyclists not obeying the rules. That could explain why there were so many accidents. Some ignorant people just stopped on the cycle path, chatting or talking on the phone. Some cycled with high speed on the opposite direction. I think these people should be educated to be responsible cyclists to avoid hurting innocent people.

I can't remember the last time I rode a bike. My thighs are so sore at the moment. I have not used this part of the muscle for so long. I think I will have a few more days to suffer :-)

Ocean Park

In my memory, Ocean Park was a nice place to go to. And I used to like it very much. It changed my mind after being there today. I was quite disappointed and dissatisfied with it. Ocean Park used to have a high standard before. I used to go home after a happy day but today I did not.

First, a large area right in the middle of the park near the main entrance was under construction. From the cable car, you can see down below a big piece of mud that spoil your mood. I felt like being cheated because the price of the ticket was the same under such situation.

Second, the show at the Ocean Theatre was rubbish. You could only see the dolphin show and one or two sea lions imitating humans.

Third, the facilities there were so old now, especially the toilets. The price of the tickets were kept increasing but the facilities have not been improved.

Fourth, it was nice to let the elderly go in free of charge but it was not 'elderly-friendly'. You have to walk up steps almost everywhere. It is difficult for them.
I used to be proud of Ocean Park, a park that belongs to Hong Kong. It was professional with high standard but now..........

A day with the young people

I spent a day with my niece, Vickie and nephews, Karl, Ken and Hey Hey, today. In the morning, we went bowling. We have played for two hours. I had two games over 100 points. Not bad ar ;-) Ken was the best, he got two games with 155 points. I think an eight pounds ball is better for me than a seven pounds ball because I could get more strikes when using an eight pounds ball.

After bowling, we had lunch with Lourdes, my sister. Actually it was afternoon tea because we ate after two in the afternoon. After lunch, we played games in 'Jump Jim Joe' in Cityone. It was fun.

At five o'clock, we played tennis. Ken and Karl were quite good. Hey Hey had tried very hard to play well too. He was not bad playing the first time. We had booked for an hour. After six, there were nobody playing. So we continued to play until seven.

I felt good playing with the youth. First, I like all those games, playing with them made me feel younger :-) Second, I would like to see them playing physical games rather than sitting down consentrating on the PSPs all day. On the whole, I had a good day although my body might be aching for the next few days :-)

Tomorrow, we will go to Ocean Park. I can't remember my last time there. It was a long long time ago.

Where is the chicken?

Where is the chicken which laid this golden egg? :-)

Guess where it is.

This is a building in the Hong Kong Science Park in Tai Po.

Because it was Sunday yesterday, we could not enter the building. I wonder if it opens during the week. What is inside? Really want to have a look.

We went to have 'yum-cha' in a Chinese restaurant in the Science Park. This Park is a very nice place. I hope the government can make the best use of it to promote the Science Technology in Hong Kong instead of just wasting money on it.

Hey Hey's birthday

Yesterday is my nephew, Hey Hey's birthday. He is fourteen years old now. He is the youngest of our family. To celebrate his birthday, we went to Outback in Hunghom to have dinner. He was happy that he had a birthday ice-cream cake for his birthday.

A Macau trip

I went to Macau with my 'tribe' on 23rd and 24th December. There were eleven of us. We stayed in the Royal Hotel. This hotel was quite good - clean, quiet and newly renovated. It was not close to the town centre but easy to get to.

Macau is quite different to the old days now. It is full of high buildings and lots of casinos. People say it is more 'Las Vegas than Las Vegas'. I have watched a programme interviewing a resident there. He said if you wanted to see 'the old Macau', you have to go to Taipi. Actually, we like Macau because of its tiny, old and simple ways of living and because of its Portuguese style buildings. It has changed a lot nowadays.

I need a break

Today is the last school day in 2008. Hurrah! The long vacation starts at last. I have been longing for this holiday and I need this holiday. I had flu twice in December which was my new record ever. I felt lethargic at the end of the day.
I didn't know if it was caused by too much workload at school, too long the working hour or caused by my getting old. Prolonged lethargy affects my immune system. I became vulnerable and easily attacked by viruses.

I hope I have enough rest during the holiday and get back in good shape. I love being healthy.

A staff common room

Something good about the school I am working at present is its staff common room. It is clean and tidy. I took the photos in the morning of the Open Day. It has no table clothes in the ordinary days but it does not matter. I think if we can watch TV there will be perfect :-)

Shenzhen

The school's Open Day was held last Saturday. I worked from eight o'clock in the morning until six o'clock in the evening. So I think I deserved the day off yesterday. It was also my brother-in-law's holiday as well. So we joined my parents, two sisters and my nephew to Shenzhen.

First we went to a place where there was a big stationary centre. It was a wholesale as well as a retail market. The stationary was very cheap there and I bought quite a lot of high light pens, correction tapes and shuttle cocks as presents for my students. I have bought a magnetic dartboard for my husband. It was my favourite. We can play a game of dart at home now :-) It reminds me of the old days.

In the evening, we went to an area where the whole road was full of I.T. shops. We also went to a big department store. Inside, there were lots of very expensive clothing. I did not know how much an individual earns in a month in Shenzhen. I just couldn't imagine how they could afford to buy the trendy fashion. What surprised me was that many people were spending lots of money there. My brother-in-law said lots of people in Shenzhen were involved in the stock market. Maybe that could explain the astounding phenomemon there.

Stay healthy

I haven't written for nearly two weeks. I had a flu two weeks ago. Since then I have not recovered completely. I keep coughing from time to time, feeling very uncomfortable. One would realize how important to stay healthy when you are ill.

However, compares it with my old friend (anon), a flu is nothing. My dear old friend has brease cancer. I went to see her in the hospital this evening. It was pleased to see her looking fine after her surgery yesterday. I hope she will be strong enough to face the agony of chemotherapy later. She is not the single case recently. One of my friend's mother suffers from uterus cancer. Knowing people suffer from cancer really makes me feel very depressed.

To avoid the chance of having diseases physically, all one can do is to keep healthy and stay happy mentally. Of course, there are other reasons nobody can tell. Maybe that's life.

3 in 1

Three things happened in one day yesterday. The school's sports day was held in Wong Chuk Hang, Aberdeen. The weather was beautiful, not so cold and not so hot, a typical autumn in Hong Kong. My Blue House was the Champion of all the races as well as of the cheer-up group :-) My class came third in the overall event. A great harvest!

After the sports day, I rushed to the funeral parlour to attend the memorial service of my ex-teacher, Mr Alan Wu, who died in a motor cycle accident a few weeks ago. I have expressed my condolences to my teacher, his wife, Mrs Miranda Wu. I felt sorry that I could not control myself and I cried in front of her. This morning, I read his "sweet memory" and I found it so touching and sweet.

After the funeral service, we (my old friends) took cabs to the reunion dinner of St Catharine's. It was the 40th anniversary of the school. An interesting episode on the way - while we were getting on the taxi, we saw a girl also getting a taxi. We shouted to her if she was St Catharine's girl and she said yes. We shared the taxi and we laughed in the taxi because St Catharine's girls are unique and easy to tell :-)

During dinner, we talked a lot (of course, we were girls). I met quite a few familiar faces that I have not seen for years. I felt quite excited. We were happy that we had the chance to talk and share the lost memories. We took photos and nobody knew if the food tasted good or not. I met my old 'little friend', "Pony Ma' and we took photos together. We brought home with a 40th anniversary newsletter, a lovely teddy bear in school uniform and most of all, the sweet memories of the night.

Flu

I can't remember the last time I have got a flu. I rarely get one but this one is a big one. I have taken two days sick leave. It is unusual for me too. As far as I remember, it is my first time to take two days off ever since I started my career.

I could feel phlegm in my throat first. I could have stopped it if I knew it would lead to a flu. Then I had a sore throat. I started to cough and I could not sleep well. I could feel my back bone aching. I felt fatique, fever and I had a runny rose.

I went to see the doctor that I have not seen for a long time. He realized that I had not see him for a long long time too. I went to see a doctor only because I need a letter for my sick leave. I would not go if I did not need one.

I nearly recover now. You know how good to be healthy only when you are suffering from a disease. Just like you know something is precious only when you lose it. At present, to be honest, I am not having a healthy life style. Every night I sleep about six hours which I do not feel long enough. To be like this for six weeks is too much for me. I feel like a rubber band which has been stretched and stretched and then breaks in the end.

I am looking forward to the Christmas holiday.

The recession is here

On 27th October, I mentioned the big fall of the Hang Seng Index and the financial tsunami which led to companies closing and people losing their jobs. Now the 2008 economic recession arrives.

In the fast few days, there was news about cutting staff in big companies like the HSBC. The second round of layoffs of HSBC cut 450 jobs. There will be more and more companies firing their employees starting from the financial business and the estate agencies. The middle of next year will be the peak season of the layoff period. Graduates from universities are worrying about finding jobs now. If people cannot find jobs they want, they will enter the educational field as a stepping stone. So next year will have a big rivalry on getting a teaching post.

The Sands syndicate closed down the construction site in Macau led to thousands of unemployment. I hope the price of staying in the hotels in Macau will fall :-) so we can go the Macau at Christmas at a cheaper cost.

Lesson observation

I had a very good lesson today. The EDB official came to the school to check if their money is worth spending on our school. They checked necessary documents as well as observed my lesson.

To be honest, being observed by others, I had to do extra preparations. I had prepared different games and, with the help of the power point, I had prepared lots of visual aids like colourful pictures to help them learn. Our students have different learning difficulties therefore lots of visual aids are needed. By the way, I did not like the response of one of the games very much. I am going to try it again in the next lesson. I am expecting a better result.

The official of the EDB appreciated the lesson. She was impressed by the response of the students throughout the lesson. She said the students were trying hard to learn and to do better. She said the lesson was challenging but the students could manage it. She felt there was so much different our students were compared with those of the main stream school. She was amazed by the tacit collaboration of me and the co-teacher, Mr Rowntree in the lesson. I hope she realizes that our students have their own learning difficulties. I hope she realizes that our students are far difficult to take public exam.

Anyway, today's lesson is very encouraging. I wish I could spend more time preparing lessons for the sake of the students' bendfits.

I hate 'Road show'

If you want to lead a peaceful life, stay at home. I start to be disturbed by the public media early in the morning. When I get on the bus, I usually go up to the upper deck because it is not so crowded. I also like to enjoy a better view from the top window so going up becomes my habit. Unfortunately, I have to tolerate the noise from the roadshow. Some are not so noisy but some really reach an annoying level.

I look around the deck. Most of the passengers are sleeping or simply closing their eyes. I can hardly see anyone watching it. The first time to come across something may be interesting. But For a regular customer, watching the same thing day after day is like your brain being washed and your mind being controlled.

To avoid the noise, I have to use the noise to cover the noise. That is, I put my ear-plugs on to listen to the radio or MP3 to stop the irritating noise entering my ears. It is like an ostrich burying the head in the soil. What an enjoyable journey!

I have found out from my friend recently the sound is mute at the lower deck. I wonder why there are more passengers there. The fact is nobody like the roadshow, at least early in the morning. Then I asked why the driver did not turn it off. The answer is it is not allowed because the bus company is paid to do it.

There are roadshows on the bus and on the MTR. There are TV shows in restaurants or in fast food shops. There is even a huge TV screen with loud noise at the corner of the crossroads near where I am working.

Well! You can never win.

It's sad but true

Just click on the following web site. It is sad but true about Hong Kong's future. (it is in Chinese version)

http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/ed-sigh

My nephew, Martin

My brother took his son, Martin, to the golf course where he works on 'Take your kid to work day'. This day was originated in the United States where employees invite his/her prepubescent-aged girl to spend a day in their workplace. The aim is to expose the girls to various career opportunities. The programme was expanded in 2003 to include boys. The source is from WiKipedia.

Martin is 15 years now. He was born in Canada and has been living there ever since. I have met him twice. One when he was about three years old and another one when he was about nine, I think. Time really flies. He is a big boy now. I am looking forward to seeing him again.

Feeling cooler

Today is the first day to feel cooler in this season. It is about time to feel cooler. The temperature is about 20 degrees C. On earth, the temperature increases each year because of global warming.

I like the weather in Hong Kong because we can experience all the four seasons in a year. And again, autumn is my favourite season :-)

My sister's new Flat

My sister bought a new flat in Cityone today. She saw the flat in the afternoon and the deal was made within the same day. I hoped she had made the right choice. At this present moment, if you have extra money with you, I think to buy properties is the right choice. People do not feel secure putting money in a bank. Moreover, the interest rate is so low and the money 'will shrink' in the bank. Other ways of investment are no longer secure. So putting money in properties is the right time now.

Goodbye, Mr Wu

I heard a shocking news today that my former teacher, Mr Wu Tat Sung (he was a lab tech but I regarded him as my teacher) died in a traffic accident today :-(

The accident happened when he was riding his moterbike on Bride's pool Road near Chung Mei towards Sha Tau Kok. He lost control on his motorbike and swayed to the opposite lane while a car was coming towards him. He slid into the bottom of that car and was certified death half an hour later in hospital. What a tragic accident!

I remembered once he gave me a lift on his motorbike when I was at school. I was in the cycling club at school and we had an outing on the bikes one Saturday. After cycling with my school mates in Tai Po, he rode me back to Hunghom because we were in the same neighbourhood. He was very kind and that was my first chance on a motorbike. He was a good motor cyclist and I enjoyed the ride.

I regretted that I missed the chance of saying 'Hello' to him when I met him a few years ago at St. Catharine's.

Here I would like to send my condolences to his wife, Miranda Wu, my ex-teacher, for the loss of her beloved husband.

Mr Wu. I'll miss you forever.