買龍崗雞(問題答案)

[1] D.「起來，起來…….」正是耳熟能詳的中國國歌其中的歌詞。
[2] A. 兩斤半以下的龍崗雞最好。
[3] E. 120元
[4] B 有雞味

A Concert by Sarah Brightman on TV

Yesterday night, I enjoyed watching a singing concert by Sarah Brightman with a Symphony Orchestra on TV at St. Stephan’s Cathedral in Vienna, 2008.

Sarah Brightman was a famous English classic crossover soprano, actress, songwriter and dancer.








I recognized the tunes of some of her songs, but I did not know their names. The most impressive song I heard and recognized was the song, “The Phantom of the Opera”. I wish I could hear her singing in other concerts in future.








Sarah was so famous that she was invited to sing "You and Me" jointly with Chinese singer Liu Huan in both Mandarin and English at the Opening Ceremony of Beijing Olympics 2008.

千元一個蘋果

昨晚我第一次看ATV著數台，固然該時段所介紹的大多數東西都是非常著數的。但其間，該節目展示了在九龍城找到的特貴日本蘋果，價錢是每個港幣一千元，是普通蘋果的400倍。
以下是一些關於這種蘋果的資料:
1. 這種蘋果是一年一度才種得出
2. 種植時間需要最少一年
3. 這種蘋果特別大，產量少
4. 要競投才能買得到
5. 這種蘋果是來自日本青森縣
6. 被譽為世界上最大的蘋果品種
7. 每個蘋果直徑是11厘米
8. 重量約兩磅左右
9. 蘋果上的花紋很漂亮
10. 保存這種蘋果的溫度是攝氏2至8度
11. 要在半個月內食用
12. 這種蘋果多用於供佛或供奉

中國國歌日日播(Chinese National Anthem Daily)

香港每日六時及六時半兩電視台新聞之前一定播出中國國歌的片段。
每一片段都是精選之作片段，值得大家一同欣賞。

以下是八月份出現的其中幾個(過了一段時間會有新片段出現)，請各位細看：
[1] 一眾跑手一併向前衝刺；中間穿著黃色背心的運動員張開嘴巴，像發生吼聲似的，正對應著歌詞「每個人被迫著發出最後的吼聲」。
[2] 一隻駿馬已經躍起跳欄，正正配合歌詞的「起來」。
[3] 香港的金融股市節節上升，再次配合歌詞的「起來」。
[4] 中國人民解放軍海軍部隊官兵將一位小孩子提起，又一次配合歌詞的「起來」。
[5] 用燦爛的煙花代替戰火，非常明智，配合歌詞的「冒著敵人的炮火，前進」。
[6] 一班歌詠團成員繼續唱出「冒著敵人的炮火，前進」。
[7] 「心繫家國，志在四方，承我薪火，共耀中華」正好講出香港特區的心聲！

Answers to Two M & M beans

Here are the answers to Two M & M beans:
[1] These two M & M are watching a film.
[2] They are in a cinema.
[3] They are watching a 3D or even a 4D film.
[4] In usual cases, there is pop-corn inside.
[5] The red M & M bean praises the film, so he raises his thumb.
[6] He feels scared.
[7] It is a ticket for the film show.

Winds that affect the flying of an aircraft

Recently in a gathering, I am glad to meet one of my students, Christopher, who supplies me with the following information of the winds that affect the flying of a plane.

Pilots are in favour of headwinds (逆風) to take off or land because headwinds give a lifting effect. On the other hand, they avoid taking off or land with tail winds (順風) because the latter reduce the buoyancy of an aircraft.

In actual flying, pilots prefer flying with tail winds because the aircraft can fly faster and save fuel. On the other hand, an aircraft will fly slower and use more fuel when facing headwinds .

Winds that blow towards the side of an aircraft are called cross-winds (側風). Large changes in cross-winds may deviate the plane on landing from the runway which is dangerous.

If there is a change in the headwind or tailwind for more than a few seconds, a windshear (風切變) occurs. It decreases the buoyancy of the plane and the pilots must do some sort of corrective actions to make the plane stable and back to the desired height.

Rapid irregular movement of air creates Turbulence (湍流) which causes bumps and jerks. In severe cases, the aircraft may become out of control momentarily.

Windshear and turbulence may occur at times of tropical cyclones, thunderstorms, cold and warm fronts. At low levels near ground, sea breezes, strong monsoon winds and strong winds climbing the hills may cause windshear or turbulence.

Flower singled out (一枝獨秀)

This was the yellow rose that a spotlight shone on in the garden of my eldest brother this Christmas Eve. My sister-in-law told me that my eldest brother would show this rose to whoever loves flowers.


I have not seen a yellow rose for many years. What I saw in the past were only red roses. This rose, in particular, became the centre of interest and the Flower of the Month in the garden.



Obviously it is good to display the best “product” of the garden at different times of a year. I remember last time when I attended the birthday party, I saw “starfruit”.

Here I show you the two “stars” of December in two different years.

買龍崗雞

去九龍城買龍崗雞並不是我，而是蘇絲黃。每逢HKTVB要訪問和雞隻有關的新聞，一定會去九龍城街市找玲姐，因為她是其中一雞檔的檔主，經營雞檔多年，人緣又好，又肯出鏡接受訪問的另類明星。

不講不知，玲姐是我嫂嫂早年教出來的小學生。有這樣知名度那麼高的學生，我嫂嫂一定很驕傲的。

今次蘇絲黃一見到玲姐就和她擊掌打個招呼，來一個見面禮。奇怪的是蘇絲黃竟然要玲姐唱一隻大家都認識的歌。但畢竟玲姐害羞或普通話不靈光，所以唱不出整首歌。

蘇絲黃繼續買她預訂的龍崗雞回廠拍煮白切雞的烹飪節目。

以下有幾條問題讓大家估估答案:

[1] 究竟蘇絲黃要求玲姐唱那一首歌？
A. 聞雞起舞 B. 叉燒飽 C. 早睡早起 D. 中國國歌 E. 笨小孩

[2] 那個重量範圍下的龍崗雞是最佳呢？
A. 2斤半以下 B. 2斤以下 C. 1斤半以下 D. 1斤以下 E. 半斤以下

[3] 平時蘇絲黃用大約七十元去買一隻普遍的雞，今次她用幾多錢買龍崗雞呢？
A. 80元 B. 90元 C. 100元 D. 110元 E. 120元

[4] 為什麼要用龍崗雞做白切雞？
A. 肉色白淨 B. 有雞味 C. 肉嫩多汁 D. 容易煮 E. 完全沒有脂肪

Purple Allamanda (紫嬋)

I was lucky enough yesterday in finding these beautiful flowers grown in a small white pot in Shun Lee Estate.

I like these flowers because

[1] The petals were in an attractive purplish red colour.

[2] Their texture was like that of velvet (天鵝絨) - smooth, thick and silky.









[3] The five petals are distinct and simple in shape.

[4] The flowers are proportionally much bigger than the leaves.

[5] The flowers look healthy and strong.

[6] The flowers appear to be round-edged red / purple stars.

Gingerbread in 2006 and 2008 and the letter "Y”

I tasted gingerbread for the first time in my life in Sydney in Australia when May “demolished” the beautiful gingerbread house she made at Loretta’s home on December 29th, 2006.

The walls and the roof of the house were made of gingerbread. White Icing-sugar created a snowing effect on the roof and walls. Jelly candies were used to decorate the edges of the wall, perhaps to seal off the walls and to pave the floor. Long narrow pink marshmallows were for the door frames. Windows were made from chocolate beans or marshmallows. The most interesting one was the robot-like “snowman”with a pink head and orange hands. It was happy time indeed to break it and eat it at "hot" Christmas in Australia.

Thanks to May who spent an hour or two on constructing this little house to “share” with us.

At Christmas 2008, Tony brought home two small bags of Gingerbread.

Inside each bag were a Snowman, a Christmas tree and the letter “Y”.

What do you think that letter “Y” represents?

The Arch at Night

It is interesting indeed to see the long rectangular “hole” of The Arch (凱旋門) flooded with lights of different colours. Maybe it is due to Christmas that spotlights are lit to produce colour variations of this building on the southern shore of West Kowloon.
















Let us have a look at the light effects on the walls of The Arch. Even an “empty hole can be turned into something that we spend a few minutes to watch with admiration.

Three High rises fringing West Kowloon

This photo was taken from the one of the piers for Outlying island ferries.

There are three outstanding high rises on the opposite shore shielding the southernmost end of West Kowloon:
[1] The building still in construction is ICC, in short for International Commercial Centre (環球貿易廣場).
[2] In the middle is The Harbour Side (君臨天下).
[3] To the right is The Arch (凱旋門). You can see its look at night above.
[4} Behind them are some other buildings such as
(a) The Water Front (漾日居)
(b) Sorrento (擎天半島)
(c) Union Square (天璽).

The first building ICC is the sister of IFC (International Financial Centre) in Central. So these two buildings, IFC and ICC form two “Tall Pins” which govern the narrowest strait in our Victoria Harbour. Turning your head left and right from a ferry in the harbour there, you can see at the same time the two tallest buildings in Hong Kong.

水晶大道

“S”牌子水晶出品商藉著聖誕佳節將連接港鐵中環站和香港站的通道佈置得星光閃閃似的。

以千計的雪花形狀的水晶被吊在天花版下約一米的地方，巧妙地構成一排排的水晶陣，在射燈下閃爍。

有相機的人，包括我在內，紛紛拍下這些難得的景象!

Two M&M beans

Here are two M&M beans sitting together.
Please answer the following questions.
[1] What are these M&M beans doing?
[2] Where are they?
[3] Why does the Red M&M bean wear a pair of glasses with red and green lens?
[4] What is supposed to be inside the cylindrical container on the ground?
[5] Why does the Red M&M bean raise his thumb?
[6] What does the yellow M&M bean feel at that time?
[7] What is it on a sole of the yellow M&M bean?

Paintings seem never finished

To me, these new paintings which appeared at different stations of the East Rail line recently are low-grade ones.

[1] Low painting technique –
(a) The flowers are not realistic.
(b) The colours are not attractive.
(c) The drawing skill is of primary level

[2] The outlined flowers give people an impression that they are not real and that the painting has not yet completed.

[3] The number of stigmas and stamens are irregular in different flowers.

[4] The leaves do not have veins.

[5] The whole picture looks plain and plane, without perspective (3 dimensions).
The Chinese calligraphy of “九龍塘”at Kowloon Tong Station (East Rail) this time is inferior to those at MTR stations on Hong Kong Island and those at the newer stations from Yau Tong to Po Lam.

Here I show you the artistic one at Po Lam Station.

Views along Shing Mun River

No winds can possibly turn Shing Mun River into a mirror. Mirror images can be created in this way and the shore line is the line of reflection.

Here are a few pictures I took recently along the river.

Let me introduce the places and buildings on the opposite side of the river:

[1] Wo Che Estate (禾輋邨), the white low building to the left of the centre of the photo is a shopping centre. To its right is Wo Che Estate. The area nearest to the shore with some greenery is the Shatin Stadium (沙田運動場) .

[2] Lek Yuen Estate (瀝源邨) is the tall white buildings are Lek Yuen Estate. In front of it is 娛樂城.

[3] Shatin Town Hall (沙田大會堂) and its neighbouring buildings

(a) Shatin Town Hall is the light brown and red low building.
(b) Shatin Centre (沙田中心) is the tallest white buildings to its right.
(c) Lucky Plaza (好運中心) is the group of white buildings to the right of Shatin Centre.
(d) Magistracy – (裁判司署) is the black-and-white low building left of Shatin Town Hall
(e) New Town Plaza (新城市廣場) is the group of buildings behind the Migistracy.
(f) The 4 slimmer buildings behind Shatin Town Hall are 希爾頓中心 and偉華中心.

[4] Lek Yuen Bridge (瀝源橋)

[5] Close-up of Lek Yuen Bridge – Notice the arches of this bridge now form circles under the reflections of the stagnant river.