Another Ace from U.S.A.

I received an e-mail from William that Anna was back to Hong Kong from San Francisco. He mentioned that Anna wanted to see Miss M. Ng and me. Soon a dinner was arranged on July 20th and we met at a restaurant in Yaumati.

Anna was a quiet girl at school, a brilliant student in Mathematics. She was often top in the subject. I never expect that I have given such a big impact to my students at school. I was glad to go to see this student that we had not met each other for more than ten years.

Anna looks great. She has grown up a lot. I amaze at her talent in thinking and organization. She told me that she was working in Silicon Valley of California at the moment as an engineer and that she was interested in Mathematics at time of study. I don’t think I had given her much inspiration or big surprises when she was learning Mathematics with me, but it was her interest and thirst for the secrets of Mathematics that brought her very good results in Mathematics.

At the table, there were four doctors, a doctor’s wife, a lawyer, a consultant in investment and an auditor, all friends of Anna. I am glad to see old friends come together and students meeting their teachers.

Interesting indeed it was Carrie’s birthday that day. A number of Chinese birthday buns were brought in front of her. Anna smiled, but Carrie still kept her smiles away. It might be that Carrie used to be serious-looking before cameras.

Paper Games

In the old days, at leisure, my children played paper games like these:

[1] My children both prepared a long roll of paper beforehand. They started to draw some roads or rather paths along which a player could go. Beside the roads or paths, my children drew shops, parks, libraries, cinemas, schools and many different buildings or sightseeing places. The roads might branch out or come together at certain distance.


I was usually asked to play with them. Since the paper was rolled up first, I never knew where I would go to. The long strip of paper was unrolled slowly. Whenever I reached a junction, my children would ask me to choose one of the roads or paths to continue my journey. The game was over when the paper ended. There I might reach a pond, or a supermarket or a fast food shop or a pier.

It was good to see my children design their games in their own ways. They put down the places they knew into the games and they were eager to find out where I would go finally. Bravo were my children who could have thought out such games.

[2] My daughter was fond of drawing floor plans of a house. I remember that she once drew the plan of a flat with more than 6 rooms. It was quite interesting to see her creativity at that time although sometimes, the things she drew might not be in the right proportions, I quite admire her talent in bringing out her bold ideas in housing furniture, beds, sofas, tables, chairs, desks in various places in the flat.

Today, I cannot imitate their drawings nor I can reproduce their “masterpieces”. I just illustrate their games in my own ways (see the photos).

Device at a Pedestrian Crossing

Before crossing a road at a pedestrian crossing in Hong Kong, we have to touch or press at the yellow device at a vertical pole near by.

In the past years, a hand can be put near the device to give it a signal that you want to cross the road. A red light will be on telling you that you may cross the road in a short while. Usually I hit on it hard because I don’t know how close I should put my hand to it so that it can react.

Today, I found a big button for the device, a new design I think.

I like it because when I press it, I am quite sure that I have given it my signal and when the red light is on, it has received it.

The previous device gives me uncertainties, so the design of a “button” is more practical although the idea maybe somewhat old.

Self-made Toys

From the recent display of toys in the old days (懷舊玩具) at Sunshine Plaza, Ma On Shan, I notice two self-made toys which I know how to play.

[1] Toy guns made from a number of wooden sticks from ice-bars (雪條棒) (see the top photo) :

A rubber band is pulled and linked between the tip of the gun to a vertical wooden stick (a lever). The rubber band can be released by pulling the above lever backward. The rubber shoots out by its elasticity. It is really a wise use of the sticks and a simple mechanism in the design of such a toy gun.

[2] Turning-wheel :

A metal soft-drink bottle-cover (汽水蓋) is hammered flat and two holes of drilled through it. Long strings are then pushed through these holes. The bottle-cover will be swung in clockwise or anti-clockwise direction. When the cover is swung for a number of times, followed by the pulling of the strings, the cover will swing in the opposite direction. The whole mechanism is like the winding of a spring and releasing it.

There are other self-made toys in display in the same window, but I have no idea of how to play them. It is time for YOU to tell me what they are and how they are made and played.

Sea Gulls on land and at sea

I saw a real yellow-beaked sea gull at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco and a red-beaked one walking on a flower bed at Sydney Harbour, Australia.










In 2007, my brother-in-law showed me a photo of two red beaked sea-gulls standing on a bench in New Zealand and my brother yellow-beaked twins at Antarctica this February.

To share with Felix his experience at sea with sea gulls flying alongside with the ferry he was riding on, here I post a photo of similar seagulls that flied at the same speed of a launch at Sendai (仙台), Japan(photo provided by my sister-in-law during one of her travels). The sea gulls were so skilful in catching the food the tourists threw to them. This is always an entertainment at sea around the area.

Other Cruises at San Francisco Bay

BLUE AND GOLD FLEET provides other cruises at San Francisco Bay:

[1] ONE HOUR SAN FRANCISCO BAY CRUISE

The Blue & Gold San Francisco Bay cruiser will depart from PIER 39 and sail along the historic San Francisco waterfront, under the world-famous Golden Gate Bridge, past Sausalito in Marin County, by Angel Island and around Alcatraz.

The passengers will experience unobstructed views of sensational skylines and bridges in every direction and view the Palace of Fine Arts, Presidio National Park, the Marin Headlands and Mt. Tamalpais.


[2] Escape From the Rock San Francisco Bay Cruise

It is an hour and a half bay cruise journey that sails under the Golden Gate Bridge and then circles Alcatraz, on it was a maximum-security prison, allowing the passengers to see every angle of this mysterious island. On the cruiser, the passengers will hear chilling accounts of harrowing escape attempts by Alcatraz’s notorious criminals as well as their descriptions of the brutality of life on the island. This special San Francisco bay tour is“fully-loaded” with sound effects and intriguing stories about Capone, Billy Cook the Killer, Clyde Johnson’s escape attempt from the island.

One thing to notice: This cruise does not land on The Island of Alcatraz.

[3] Blue and Gold Angel Island:

Angel Island is a California State Park and Wildlife preserve in the Bay Area. It includes military garrisons and compounds from every major war dating back to the U.S. Civil War. Also known as the "Ellis Island of the West", Angel Island's Immigration Station was the first stop for millions of Pacific Basin, Asian and Russian immigrants entering the United States. The official park concessionaire, the Angel Island Company, offers a variety of visitor services in the island's Ayala Cove area. Seasonal services include: economical mountain bike rentals, naturalist-led kayak tours, a one-hour, audio-enhanced Tram Tour of island historic sites, and a moderately priced menu of food and beverages at the Cove Cafe. The company also offers special catering and recreational equipment rentals for groups and picnics.

No scooters, skateboards and roller-skates or in-line skates are allowed on Angel Island. Only service animals allowed on the island.

San Francisco Bay Cruises

The two lunch cruises on board Sydney 2000 around Sydney Harbour last time in Australia arouse much interest to me in exploring the cruises in San Francisco Bay.

Basically, there are 3 cruises operated by Red and White fleet:

[1] Red and White Fleet San Francisco Golden Gate Bay Cruise – 1 hour

The cruiser sails along the San Francisco Waterfront, under the Golden Gate Bridge, and around Alcatraz on our 1-hour Golden Gate Bay Cruise (route indicated by in red)

[2] The San Francisco Explorer Cruise – 90 minutes

The cruiser sails a long distance past all the piers and along the north-eastern coast of the city and loops back (route indicated in green).

It includes 3 Audio Narration Choices: Native American Culture, Natural History or Architecture Explore San Francisco's unique Natural History, Architecture, and Native American Culture.

[3] California Sunset Cruise – 2 hours

The cruiser sails round the Golden Gate Bridge, then to Sausalito, around Angel Island and goes past some of the piers and back. It is a relaxed twilight cruise with hearty appetizers and music.

Ya Kun Kaya

Last time in Singapore (Jan 2007), we tasted kaya toasts at a café inside Raffles City. The toasts gave us a new taste of sweetness. In Hong Kong, we often eat toasts with butter (牛油多士) or peanut butter (花生醬多士) or a combination of jam and butter (油占多士).

My brother told me that the kaya toasts (加映多士/咖央多士) at Ya Kun (亞坤) Coffeestall were the best in Singapore. Ya Kun also sells bottled kaya, Singapore-styled coffee and tea, half-boiled eggs and other beverages.

Let us look at a little history of this coffeestall from Wikipedia:

The coffeestall/company was founded in 1944 by Loi Ah Koon from Hainan, China at Telok Ayer Basin. After 15 years, the stall moved to Telok Ayer Market. It was renamed as Ya Kun (equivalent to Ah Koon). In 1984, owing to restoration works at the original market, the stall then moved to Telok Ayer Transit Food Market. In 1998, the coffee stall was passed down to his children and it moved to a new location at Far East Square.

Ya Kun International was incorporated in 2001 in Singapore, to expand the chain of coffee stalls islandwide and regionally. Ya Kun has 24 stalls in Singapore, with franchises in Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea.

It was this summer that my brother bought me a bottle of Ya Kun kaya from Toyko. The cover of this bottle showed the pride of having established this coffeestall for 65 years. The "logo" bears a picture of a cup of coffee with white smoke of steam coming up. The bottle was put inside a box made of cardboard. The package looks cute like a small house with a handle at the top.

The green to yellow kaya is paste-like, mainly made from egg and sugar (maybe coconut oil has been added too). The slightly sweet taste is very different from butter, peanut butter or jam. We agree that kaya provides another choice of taste to our toasts at breakfast or tea time.

Birth Announcement From Connie and Philip

This photo looks like a birth certificate of our new-born grand-daughter, Elianna, in short, Elly.

In the photo, Elly opens her eyes wide. To our surprise, she wears such thick and dark hair.

Relatively big are her eyes. Her nose is slightly elevated and lips quite thin. Above her upper lip, the philtrum (人中) is distinctively deep. Believe us or not, we expect her to speak very well in the future.

Although her face looks round like a ball, her chin is slightly sharp at an angle. We discover that her eye-brows are not distinct at the moment, but we are sure they will grow thicker soon.

The Jungfrau

The Jungfrau (少女峄) means "maiden/virgin" in German [see top photo]. It is one of the main summits in the Bernese Alps, situated between the cantons of Valais and Berne in Switzerland. Together with the Eiger and Mönch, the Jungfrau forms a massive wall overlooking the Bernese Oberland and considered one of the most emblematic sights of the Swiss Alps.

The Jungfrau (4158 m) is the third highest mountain of the Bernese Alps after the nearby Finsteraarhorn and Aletschhorn, respectively 12 and 8 km away.

The Jungfrau is the westernmost and highest point of a gigantic 10 km wall dominating the valleys of Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald. The wall is formed by the alignment of some of the most distinctive north faces in the Alps, with the Mönch (僧侶山 4,107 m)[see photo in the middle] and Eiger (艾格峄 3,970 m) [see the bottom photo] alongside the Jungfrau, and overlooks the valleys to its north by a height of up to 3 km. Jungfrau is approximately 6 km from the Eiger; with the summit of the Mönch lying roughly in the middle, 3.5 km from the Jungfrau. The wall is extended to the east by the Fiescherwand and to the west by the Lauterbrunnen Wall.

A Rare Single-decked KMB bus

Yesterday at Lok Fu Bus Terminus, I was surprised to find a modern single-decked KMB bus. It was a “7M” bus running the route from Lok Fu (樂富) to Chuk Yuen Estate (竹園邨).

Chuk Yuen Estate is high above Lok Fu on the slope of Lion Rock. Certainly the residents of this estate must use this bus service apart from using minibuses.

I remember that in the past there were two bus routes, “207” and “208” running from Tsimshatsui to Kowloon Tong and Broadcast Drive respectively. At that time, the bus company said that these buses are “luxurious” ones. I did not agree because they were just like ordinary tour buses. The “207” service vanished for a long time while “208” service remains. Perhaps, the market at Broadcast Drive is still big.

Owing to the fact that the bus company eyes on the “hilly” factor of Chuk Yuen and the need of the residents to go to MTR station at Lok Fu, the “7M” bus service has been launched for years.
I believe double deckers "7M"s are running at peak hours while single-decked buses at non-peak hours.

The single-decked bus in the photo is stylish because its windows are big and the seats are lower than the other buses. I, myself, would like to ride on such a “luxurious” bus because if I sit inside when the bus is moving, it seems to me that I shall be walking in the street side by side with the pedestrians.

Interesting Introduction

In an introduction to a documentary series on TV, a globe is turning. I am anxious to see when and where it will stop.

The spinning globe turns anti-clockwise. Asia is visible first, then the Middle-east, then Mediterranean Sea, then Europe. The camera lens zooms in at the Alps on an enlarged Europe. The name of a summit, the Jungfrau (少女峰), appears.








This famous summit is 4158 metres above sea level. Tourists come by train to see it at a distance. To reach its very top needs mountaineering.

We shall explore more about this summit some time later.

Double Rainbows

They are not UFOs, but double rainbows. I can say they are rare, but possible to appear before our eyes.

David, my in-law, living in Toronto was able to capture this golden moment of two rainbows some distance away from his apartment with his camera.

Let us see what David discovered in the sky after rain one day in May this year:

“The double rainbows showed up on May 30, 2009 around 8 p.m. to 8:10 p.m. They occurred after a heavy thunderstorm in Toronto area.

My apartment is located in Scarborough and the rainbows appeared in a somewhat southeast direction. We could clearly see them through our windows. So I immediately took some snapshots before we had our dinner with lobsters and noodles and enjoyed with red wine. We were so happy and excited for the whole night.”

Gundam at Odaiba

A life-sized 1:1 scale Gundam RX78 (高達機械戰士) model is now in display in Shiokaze Park at Odaiba (台場) in Tokyo. The exhibition, part of the Tokyo Green Project, starts on 11 July and will end on 31 Aug. Such an enormous robot model attracts lots of people to take photos of it and its fans, most of which are middle-aged, may buy souvenirs and models from a number of stalls there.

Its height reaches 18m. It lights up and gives off steam every night.

My brother tells me that year 2009 marks the 30th Anniversary of the launching of this cartoon of Gundam.

Home-coming Day

Elly returns home today.

Earlier Philip drove Connie and Elly home from hospital. They were warmly welcomed by Abby and grandma.

Since on Canada side, the indication green light for Cheng's family on Skype was on, we expected that we could chat with Connie, Philip, Abby and Philip’s mother. We were sure that we could see Elly, our grand-daughter for the first time through Skype.

Soon we got through the line and video-chatted with Connie, Philip, Abby and Rebecca for a short while.

From my observation, Elly loves sleeping. Her skin is white to rosy.

At the moment she was disturbed by voices around her, she became annoyed and her face turned red with a strong desire for silence. Obviously, for the sake of letting Elly sleep again, we stopped chatting . Before we went off-line, Abby took hold of her little sister's arm to say "good-bye" to us.

Abby and Elly

Dated back to May 4th, 2009, I saw this decoration on a flower bed. To me, this will be the future scene of two children, the elder pushing the younger on a swing. I puzzled at that time in May if Abby would be pushing her brother or sister.

Yesterday revealed the whole picture in my mind. Abby will be pushing her sister, Elly, gently on a swing. I think Abby can do this well.

In the past few months, Abby had been talking to Elly when the latter was still inside Connie’s belly. There were touching moments when Abby taught her sister, still developing, how to call us, “Gung, Gung” and “Por, Por”. I hope Abby will be a good teacher as well as a nice companion of Elly. Soon Abby will be in her leading role, instructing her baby sister to do this and not to do that.

雨中行

過去幾天，香港天氣悶熱得很，終於在今天下午有所改變。東南至東北風帶著雨把熱氣減退了攝氏幾度，偶然打了幾響雷。我希望未來幾日涼快地過就好了。

窗外的景色也變了。大雨過後，天色比起悶熱天氣下清爽得多。稍新而像短蛇的四卡馬鐵火車繼續奔馳，它們比起十幾卡陳舊的東鐵火車走得敏捷得多。

初到境的雨帶先頭部隊離開後，天又開始放晴，平日的晚霞再現，一些都不覺得有一個低氣壓正迫近香港。

隨著這個低氣壓增強成為熱帶風暴，已經被天文台冠以「天鵝」(GONI) 這個美麗名字。它正向北移，吹向香港！八月四日清早沙田上空，風未起，雲已湧！

The Beetham Tower

The Beetham Tower is a landmark 47-storey skyscraper in Manchester city centre, England. Built in 2006, it is named after the developers, Beetham Organization, was designed by Ian Simpson and was built by Carillion. It is the tallest building in Manchester by a significant margin. It consists of a Hilton Hotel up to level 23 and apartments from level 25 up to the triplex penthouse on level 47. There are also 2 basement levels, which contain car parking for the residents of the apartments.

Located along Deansgate at the junction with Great Bridgewater Street and Liverpool Street, it has 47 floors and is 168.87 metres (554 ft) in height, making it the tallest building in the UK outside of London, the UK's 7th tallest building and the tallest residential development in Europe. It is the tallest building in Manchester, having overtaken the CIS Tower. In comparison, the UK's tallest building, One Canada Square, is 235 metres (771 ft) tall.

The tower contains a five-star 285 bedroom Hilton Hotel for the first 22 floors. The 23rd floor is deeper than those below by 4m, and has two glass windows in the floor, offering views down to the ground from the skybar Cloud 23, which is the only skybar in Manchester. The floor also has a bar and lounge, both operated by Hilton. From the 25th to 47th floors, the tower is occupied by residential apartments.

The tower offers views of the set of Coronation Street and on a clear day, it is also possible to see Liverpool, the mountains of Snowdonia, the Pennines mountain range, the Peak District, Liverpool Cathedral, Blackpool Tower, much of the Cheshire Plain and the Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory.

The tower can be seen from many towns around the area including: Bolton, Hyde, Bredbury, Oldham, Ashton-under-Lyne, Wythenshawe and many more.

An Orange-red Sky

To see an orange-red sky like this, we have to pay. The intense heat trapped inside the “hot-pot” of Shatin created a temperature of 34.6 degrees Celcius. We, citizens of Shatin, have to bear the heat for the whole day yesterday.

I felt that the heat waves pierced through my skin. I took an afternoon sleep, but it could not last long. My wife and I turned on the air-conditioner in the sitting room to reduce the heat from coming into our flat.

The whole sky turned orange-red towards evening. To keep this strange colour of the sky, I captured a few photos with my camera. Here were two of them.

I notice that every time when the sky over Hong Kong turns colourful or orange or red or purple, a typhoon or a tropical low depression is near. From the recent weather chart of our Hong Kong Observatory, there is a low depression in the south-east of Hong Kong. The depression is moving towards us, but it is expected to change course later from north-west to north-east (a 90 degree turn). Thus it will not approach to Hong Kong. Let me see if the forecast of the track of the depression is correct or not.