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.