2011世界大學生運動會開幕式

上星期六，八月十二日晚上2011世界大學生運動會開幕式在深圳「春繭」舉行。
今次運動會有152國家或地區參加，運動員約八千人。
開幕式中有升旗禮、運動員列隊進場、傳遞火炬 點火儀式、運動員宣言及五花八門的表演。
文藝表演的四個偏章為:
第一章: 世界在這裡相逢
第二章: 未來在這裡剪綵。
第三章: 文明在這裡交融
第四章: 夢想在這裡起航

Sunset Apples

Today, I discover some attractive apples called Sunset apples (日落蘋果) from a nearby "W" supermarket.

Let us look briefly at these apples:

Sunset is a popular Cox-style apple, which is much easier to grow. Disease resistance is far better, and cropping is good. It is also self-fertile, which is fairly unusual in apples and means it can be grown without the usual requirement for a pollination partner.

Like Cox it is a mid-season variety, ripening slightly ahead of Cox - so ready to be picked around mid-September in northern Europe. Sunset does not keep especially well, and is best stored in a refrigerator, where it will last a month or so.

The fruit tends to be small, often with a slightly more yellow hue to the characteristic orange flush, but here the apples blended beautifully with red and green.

The flavour of Sunset apples can be very variable. There is no doubt that in principle it is quite close to Cox, with similar aromatic qualities and good sweetness. It remains a crisp and sweet apple though the flavour can be very disappointing in a poor year.

However, taking it purely on its own merits, Sunset is undoubtedly a good apple for the northern European gardener, crisp, sweet-flavoured, reliable cropping, easy to grow ... and in a good year the promise of some of the aromatic flavours of Cox too.

The quality of these apples is still a mystery to me, but I dare to find out. To fulfill my curiosity, I can’t wait to taste one before ending up my investigation report, so I cut one. Although it takes some strength to peel off the skin with a knife, it promises me with a crisp feeling to each bite, totally sweet to my satisfaction. The apples come from South Africa and from now on, I consider them as first-class apples which beat the tastes of Washington apples, Canadian apples, Chinese Fuji apples and even New Zealand crunch apples.

愛心生日餅

這個充滿愛心的生日餅是母親康妮為艾莉親手製作的，所用的蛋糕粉是由加拿大帶回來的。康妮對做這類餅富有經驗，舊年一月她特別為我和阿比做了一個生日餅，當然我和阿比尤其吃得開心。

今次餅面設計是艾莉心愛的芝麻街卡通人物Elmo。康妮用紅色糖漿做Elmo的面，白色棉花糖做眼球的部分，再用朱古力色糖漿做瞳孔和咀唇。我覺得全個餅最吸引的部分是黃色蜜桃作鼻子，因為它是最突出，軟和甜的部分；如果Elmo有多幾個鼻子，那麼就好了。我個人覺得餅面糖漿的顏色稍怪，太甜，相信美國人是喜歡的。我現在還未知道艾莉是否喜歡這個充滿愛心的生日餅呢。

Flamingos

Flamingos (紅鶴) are large long-legged, long necked wading birds with pink feathers. They live in Africa and areas eastward to NW India, Southern Europe, SW Asia, South America such as Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Argentina and the Caribbean Islands.

Flamingos often stand on one leg, the other tucked beneath the body. Some people suggest that the flamingo has the ability to have half of its body go into a state of sleep, and when one side is rested, the flamingo will swap legs and then let the other half sleep, but this has not been proved. Recent research has indicated that standing on one leg may allow the birds to conserve more body heat, given that they spend a significant amount of time wading in cold water. As well as standing in the water, flamingos may stamp their webbed feet in the mud to stir up food from the bottom.

Flamingos filter-feed on brine shrimp and blue-green algae. Their beaks are specially adapted to separate mud and silt from the food they eat, and are uniquely used upside-down. The filtering of food items is assisted by hairy structures called lamellae which line the mandibles, and the large rough-surfaced tongue. The pink or reddish color of flamingos comes from carotenoid proteins in their diet of animal and plant plankton. These proteins are broken down into pigments by liver enzymes. The source of this varies by species, and affects the saturation of color. Flamingos whose sole diet is blue-green algae are darker in color compared to those who get it second hand. Zoo-fed flamingos, which often lack the color enhancer in their diet, may be given food with the additive canthaxanthin.

Flamingos are very social birds that live in colonies that can number in the thousands (see the photos here). These large colonies are believed to serve three purposes for the flamingos:
[1] predator avoidance, [2] maximizing food intake and [3] exploiting scarce suitable nesting sites.

The most basic and stable social unit of flamingos are pair bonds which are made up of one male and one female. The bond between them tends to be strong, however in larger colonies, where there are more mates to choose from, mate changes will occur. In pair bonds, both the male and the female contribute to building the nest for their egg and defending it. Before breeding, flamingo colonies split into breeding groups of around 15-50 birds. Both males and females in these groups perform synchronized ritual displays. These displays serve to both stimulate synchronous nesting and establish pair formation for birds that do not already have mates. A flamingo group stands together and display to each other by raising neck, followed by calling with head-flagging and then wing flapping. The displays do not seem to be directed towards an individual but instead occur randomly.

A Grand Birthday Party

It is like a miracle that two cousins, Jasmine and Elly have the same birthday on August 3. Mother Karen and Father Innes held a birthday party for three-year-old Jasmine yesterday.

It was a big party for about 12 children and their parents and the first time that four cousins could together meet in this occasion.

Besides food, there were games and lots of presents for the children. Taking photos was one of my jobs, but I found it difficult to take good, sharp and beautiful shots because the four cousins (all girls) took part indifferent activities – Elly stuck to the ball-pool with a slide, Abby and Jasmine wandered about and Hayley sitting quietly or eating beside her mother.

Calling for a group photo, Dr. Sung was able to collect all the relatives together. With this “union”, all the four cousins could have a photo together with their parents or grand-parents.

At one time, Abby and Jasmine miraculously danced in the centre of the room. Dr. Sung and some others created the beats by hand-clapping and shouts like “AB-BY, JAS-MINE, HAY-LEY, AB-BY, JAS-MINE, HAY-LEY……” to encourage the children to dance together. Hayley with her ballet legs also joined in. Elly was too young or may be a little shy. She held her grandma’s hands to dance as well.

Another big chance came when Jasmine and Elly were sitting on a rocking sea-saw. Abby joined them by sitting in the middle. We grasped this golden moment of asking Hayley to sit in front her three cousins. This photo was taken fast because I never knew when they would stand up, dismiss and mix with the other children.

The Dreamliner

The first flight of a Dreamliner (夢幻客機), Boeing 787, will be launched this October by ANA (全日空). It will fly from Tokyo to Hong Kong. From then on, these medium-sized long-distance planes will fly to and from different cities of Japan.

On December 15, 2009, Boeing conducted the Dreamliner's maiden flight with the first 787-8, originating from Snohomish County Airport in Everett, Washington at 10:27 am PST, and landing at Boeing Field in King County, Washington at 1:35 pm PST. Originally scheduled for four hours, the test flight was shortened to three hours because of bad weather.

Boeing claimed the 787 would be lighter, faster, quieter and near to 20% more fuel-efficient than the 767, with one-third of the efficiency gain from the engines, another third from aerodynamic improvements and the increased use of lighter-weight composite materials such as titanium, aluminium and carbon fibre, and the final third from advanced systems.

The planes can carry about 300 passengers each and the cabins are newly designed.

馴斑馬記

艾莉的騎術一向都不俗的，話說她歲幾的年紀在加拿大已經可以輕而易舉駕馭她那匹有彈力的木馬(有橡膠繩索把木馬凌空繫在一個架上面)。最初她是需要別人參扶上去的，稍後她已經像一位小小柔軟體操選手似的攀上馬背去了。看她騎馬時那種滿足及自信感，我也替她開心不已。

艾莉一早已經辨別出斑馬這種動物，我猜想她一定是從家中的英文ABC的書籍學回來的。

相中這匹氫氣球斑馬是韋亦信叔叔及蘇珊娜嬸嬸早一個禮拜六送結她的生日禮物，幾天來它都是精神奕奕，飄浮在半空，由下面兩塊膠片持著的；艾莉只可以看著它，想騎上它上面簡直無可能的，因為它是懸掛在空中及身太軟。

昨天早上氣球斑馬已經洩了一些氣，軟下來。在客廳坐著的我突然間發現艾莉將這軟體斑馬一下子拉了下來，極力將它按下去，情景像大力士在古代鬥獸場與獅子老虎搏鬥一樣。畢竟這塑膠斑馬飄浮不定，艾莉弄了一陣子都無辦法制服它。我耐心地看艾莉怎樣馴服這隻馬呢？結果是：艾莉把斑馬塞入去她面前姐姐做功課用藍色小桌子下面，然後跑開了。虧艾莉可以想出這個好辦法來，我真欣賞她努力不懈、絕不放棄的精神，佩服！佩服！

Looking at San Francisco from mid-air

By chance, Tony took a few photos of San Francisco from a north-bound plane to Canada on March 4, 2011. Here they are.

The sea water in San Francisco Bay looked like a mirror at that time. It reflected the clouds in the sky and everything remained peaceful. The skyscrapers in the city centre did not look tall any more, but there were lots of people working inside. The north-east shore-line of San Francisco was filled with piers. It was interesting to see some ships kept sailing in or out of the Bay area.

A Guessing Game

We had dinner at eight with our family members on August 3, 2011.

Please study the photo and guess the answers to the following three questions:
[1] There were four people in the photo. Who were they?
[2] There were eight dishes of food on the table. What are they?
[3] I learn the term “Lazy Susan” recently from TV. It appeared on the table in the photo. What is it?

Christ the Redeemer

Corcovado, meaning "hunch back", is a mountain in central Rio de Janeiro(里約熱內盧), Brazil. The 710-metre (2,329 ft) granite peak is located in the a national park called Tijuca Forest.

Corcovado hill (基督山) lies just west of the city centre. It is known worldwide for the 38-meter (125 ft) statue of Jesus at its peak, entitled "Christ the Redeemer". On July 7, 2007, in Lisbon, Christ the Redeemer was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

The peak and statue can be accessed via a narrow road or by the 3.8 kilometer (2.4 mi) Corcovado Rack Railway, opened in 1884 and refurbished in 1980. The railway uses two-car electrically powered trains, with a passenger capacity of 360 passengers per hour. The rail trip takes approximately 20 minutes and departs every half hour. Owing to its limited passenger capacity, the waiting time to board at the entry station can take several hours. The year-round schedule is 8:30 to 18:30.

From the train terminus and road, the observation deck at the foot of the statue is reached by 223 steps, or by elevators and escalators. Among the most popular year-round tourist attractions in Rio, the Corcovado railway, access roads, and statue platform are commonly crowded.

Two years old

Today, August 3, 2011, Elly is two years old. She, sister Abby and Mother Connie arrived at our home before noon. The first thing the children did was to play the toys stationed here. Next, they drank cream milk. Grandma cooked some spiral pasta and mixed it with ham and mixed fruit. The mixture was stirred up with Miracle Whip.

It was time for lunch. The children liked the ingredients of the meal in this priority:
[1] ham [2] mixed fruit [3] pasta.

We gave birthday ‘Lai See’ s to Elly. Abby also wanted hers. Grandma was so generous as to give her too. Of course, we took some photos together right at this moment. What we were looking forward to was the evening meal with a bigger party of our family.

Figs

Let me show you the figs that are grown in Croatia, Europe. They look beautiful when opened. The inside flesh appears pinkish red.

The Common fig is a large, deciduous shrub or small tree native to southwest Asia and the Mediterranean region (from Afghanistan to Portugal). It grows to a height of 6.9–10 metres tall, with smooth grey bark. The leaves are 12–25 centimetres long and 10–18 centimetres across, and deeply lobed with three or five lobes. The fruit is 3–5 centimetres long, with a green skin, sometimes ripening towards purple or brown.

The Common Fig is well known for its edible fruit throughout in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern region, Iran, Pakistan, Greece and northern India, and also in other areas of the world with a similar climate, including Arkansas, Louisiana, California, Georgia, Oregon, Texas, South Carolina, and Washington in the United States, south-western British Columbia in Canada, Durango, Nuevo León and Coahuila in northeastern Mexico, as well as areas of Argentina, Australia, Chile, and South Africa.

Figs can also be found in continental climate with hot summer, as far north as Hungary and Moravia, and can be harvested up to four times per year. It has been an important food crop for thousands of years, and was also thought to be highly beneficial in the diet.

Figs can be eaten fresh or dried, and used in jam-making. Most commercial production is in dried or otherwise processed forms, since the ripe fruit does not transport well, and once picked does not keep well.

Figs are one of the highest plant sources of calcium and fiber. According to USDA data, dried figs are richest in fiber, copper, manganese, magnesium, potassium, calcium, and vitamin K, relative to human needs. They have smaller amounts of many other nutrients. Figs have a laxative effect and contain many antioxidants.

Although commonly referred to as a fruit, the fig as eaten is actually the a false fruit or multiple fruit of the tree in which the flowers and seeds are borne. Sometimes people incorrectly refer to it as the flower, but it is a hollow-ended stem containing many flowers, as one may see by splitting a fig open.

Cutting up a dragon fruit

Since the outer skin of a dragon fruit is quite soft, it is easy to cut it up in any way you like. The fruit can be cut longitudinally, or transversely or diagonally.

Here is an example of cutting a dragon fruit:
[1] Cut the top of the fruit first because this part is not edible.
[2] Bisect the fruit into two halves by cutting it longitudinally.
[3] Lastly, bisect these two pieces again longitudinally.

In this manner, the fruit is cut into 4 identical parts and they can be served for 1 to 4 people.

Dragon fruits can be chopped up into even smaller parts so that they can be served as one of the tasty, sweet and soft ingredients in a salad. The seeds are edible and at last they pass out from our intestines.

If one decides to eat it with a spoon, follow step [1] and [2] and shovel your spoon into the flesh and enjoy eating it.

Orange Colour

We do not know Elly’s favourite colour until July 18, 2011. We showed her a number of umbrellas in a drawer. She picked up an orange one without hesitation. We opened it for her. Since the umbrella is for an adult, it looked excessively big to Elly.

This little girl, almost two years old, possesses a powerful grip so it was easy for her to hold the umbrella upright and firmly with two hands.

Gomphrena globosa

I find this kind of small purplish-red clusters of flower bracts in our public garden below. They are called Gomphrena globosa (千日紅/百日紅/老來驕), commonly known as Globe Amaranth or Bachelor Button. It is an annual plant that grows up to 24 inches in height. The true species has magenta bracts (紫色苞葉). Tiny white flowers grow out of these bracts (see the photos here).

Its native is in Brazil, Panama and Guatemala.

In Trinidad the flowers are boiled to make a tea which is used for baby gripe, oliguria, cough and diabetes.

In Hawaii, it is commonly used in long-lasting leis since it retains its shape and color after drying.

This flower is used to make a garland for Brother's Day in Nepal. The garland is put around the brother's neck by their sister for Protection.

The Thousand Islands

The Thousand Islands is an archipelago of islands that spread across the Canada-U.S. border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. They stretch for about 50 miles (80 km) downstream from Kingston, Ontario. The Canadian islands are in the province of Ontario, the U.S. islands in the state of New York.

There are 1,793 islands in all, ranging in size from over 40 square miles (100 sq km) to smaller islands occupied by a single residence, to even smaller uninhabited outcroppings of rocks. The number of islands was determined using the criteria that any island must be above water level all year round, have an area greater than 1 square foot (0.093 sq m), and support at least one living tree.

The wall map in the top-left corner shows these islands, big and small. Some islands are so small that it only has enough space to build just one house on it, then a few feet from the house is already water. There are many such single houses on one island. Some islands are bigger. It is interesting to learn that some people have bought 2 islands and link them up with a bridge.

The name "Thousand Island dressing" comes from the Thousand Islands area. One common version of the dressing's origins says that a fishing guide's wife, Sophia LaLonde, made the condiment as part of her husband George's shore dinner while Actress May Irwin requested the recipe after enjoying it. Irwin in turn gave it to another Thousand Islands summer resident, George Boldt, who was building Boldt Castle in the area. Boldt, as proprietor of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, instructed the hotel's maître d'hôtel, Oscar Tschirky, to put the dressing on the menu.A 1959 National Geographic article states, "Thousand Island Dressing was developed by Boldt's chef."

香噴噴的港式麵包

滿地可的唐人街雖然比紐約和三藩市的細，但這裡香噴噴剛出爐的香港式麵包簡直是贏了後兩者的足足有一條街那麼遠。麵包獨特之處是質地很柔軟，形態優美，樣子十足十像香港茶餐廳伴喝奶茶的麵包。單看這裡的椰絲奶油包，白色軟綿綿的奶油好像快要從夾縫中湧出來，而幼細的椰絲像嫩草一樣鋪在麵包上面，非常之吸引人；黃圈作記認的忌廉麵包，樣子猶像飛鏢鈀，內部卻藏著美味的黃忌廉；至於這裡的甜餐包竟然鋪上白色的糖粉末，吃入口時，即時加添了甜蜜味道；未吃這些麵包之前，這等等的麵包已經令人垂涎三尺，吃下來時則勾起了以前的一絲絲回憶。

記得上次我的舊學生陳國光用他的車子載我和太太到三藩市市中心走一走，路過唐人街其中一條下斜街時，國光指著前面一間麵包店對我們說: 「這裡的蛋撻是不錯的。」於是夫妻二人跳下車子，鑽入麵包店買了兩個一美元的蛋撻。一嚼之下，在口中的蛋撻實在沒有帶給我任何驚喜。心想香港西餅店的蛋撻又便宜(當時論約港幣三元半至四元左右)、又美味。那時的心情是恨不得立即飛回香港吃一個美味的蛋撻呢。

Fruits of the month

To us, fruits are healthier food each day. Recently fruits we select are cheaper ones, mostly from South Africa.

[1] Cara Cara Outspan Oranges from South Africa – HK$8.8/3
Personally I love Cara Cara Oranges. Previously we eat those produced by Sunkist, California. Now we find those from Outspan. Both brands of Cara Cara oranges are tasty.

[2] Packhams pears (maybe they are from Australia) or pears from South Africa - usually below HK$10 for 4.

They are best eaten when ripe (the colour of pears changes from green to yellow).

Hints for storage:
Pears have a storage life of about 1 - 5 months.
Storage temperature should be 32° F (0°C), with a relative humidity of about 90 - 95%.
Pears mature in 3 to 5 days after removal from cold storage.
Once mature, they last a couple of days.

[3] New Zealand Royal Gala apples (recently Kiwi Crunch /Enza) - HK$8.8/3
The 'Enza's are softer than the 'Kiwi Crunch's. I perfer eating Kiwi Crunch.

[4] Dragon fruit (火龍果) from Vietnam – HK$8.8/4
Abby and Elly are crazy at eating this kind of fruit.

[5] Grapefruit from Outspan, South Africa - HK$9.9/3
With the skin on when eaten, the grape fruit appears a little bitter.

In terms of size, dragon fruit > grapefruit > Cara Cara orange >pear > NZ Gala apple.

In Red-hot T-shirts

Auntie Betty and Uncle law buy Abby and Elly two T-shirts in “Red-hot” colours.

The small T-shirt fits Abby perfectly well and funny enough, Elly accepts the larger which immediately becomes a skirt for Elly.

The cartoon figure on Abby’s T-shirt is Arale Norimaki (小雲) while that on Elly’s is Minnie Mouse (米妮). The two cartoon figures fits Abby's and Elly 's ages.

The Garfield Show

Recently, I enjoy watching the Garfield Show (大食懶加菲貓 ) on TV. The cartoons are in delightful colours and the scenes are three-dimensional.

Long before this, we only see Garfield in comic books. Later on, it appears in films and now on TV. The Garfield Show is an international animated television series which was first shown in France as early as 2008, and in the U.S. and U.K. in 2009. Garfield was created by Jim Davis.

The main characters of the show are Garfield (加菲貓 ), Odie (阿的) and Jon Arbuckle (阿北).

Garfield is an orange, fuzzy, tabby cat. He enjoys eating, especially lasagna, and sleeping, which makes him lazy. He is teased about being overweight, He is also selfish. He is best friends with Odie, but torments him occasionally, along with Jon. He hates Mondays, and is often struck by bad luck in Monday comic strips. He enjoys performing at the wooden fence next to Jon's house in the middle of the night, although he is usually criticized. He can't stand spiders, and although he doesn't chase mice, he is often seen trying to eat birds (usually without success). He frequently destroys Jon's curtains and ferns, as well as the flowerbeds of Jon and their neighbor, Mrs. Feeny.

Odie is a yellow, long-eared beagle with a large, slobbering tongue, who walks on all four legs, though occasionally he will walk on two like Garfield. Jon adopted him from his friend, Lyman. Odie is naïve, happy, affectionate and blissfully unaware of Garfield's cynical, sadistic nature. Garfield abuses him, including regularly kicking him off the kitchen table or tricking him into going over the edge himself.

Jon Arbuckle, nerdy and clumsy, is the owner of Garfield and Odie. Jon loves or occasionally hates Garfield and all cats. Many gags focus on this; his inability to get a date is usually due to his lack of social skills and his poor taste in clothes. His eccentric interests range from stamp collecting to measuring the growth of his toenails to watching movies with "polka ninjas". Jon lacks of intelligence. He occasionally visits his parents, brother and grandmother at their farm.

Another interesting character I saw yesterday is Jon’s grandma, the very fat lady dressed in pink with glasses on in one of the photos here.

果實的紅綠燈

屋苑裏的花園的石榴樹 (pomegranate)最近頻頻長出果實。我很容易忽略了綠色未熟的石榴，因為它們經常隱蔽在綠葉之中。黃的石榴的出現正好像告訴我它們開始成熟。紅色的石榴自然是熟透了的果實，這種顏色是吸引雀兒幫助它們播種、傳宗接代。

Self Portrait (2)

This time two 4 year-old Canadian boys, Alexis and Benjamin (twins, I suppose) at Quebec are drawing themselves behind a transparent glass board.

In the picture, they are playing some sports games such as skiing, parachuting and somersaulting. They are energetic, full of spirits and cheerful. They love to play outdoor games all day long.

To see clearly, please double-click the collage photo.

Self Portrait (1)

It is really interesting to ask a five year-old Turkish girl like Irem to make a self portrait. She is standing behind a transparent glass, drawing herself with a marker pen. She begins to draw a circle which is her face, next add her eyes, mouth, lips and nose. Then she draws her hair, colours it black and goes on drawing a flower and finally a flying bee.

With a little of moving effects, the “girl” is waving the flower to attract a bee to come near her.

In my opinion, this little girl is very clever and systematic in thinking. She begins to draw her face first, next the details on it. The picture shows that she is not alone. She loves nature, so she includes a flower and an insect. Naturally she brings out her daily experiences and can possibly tell everybody a story when asked.

Miss MOS

Abby and Elly were crowned Miss MOS yesterday. Their grandma first made a crown for Elly from loose plastics pieces which could lock together by bolts and nuts. One crown was not enough for two girls, so Mother Connie made another one.

As I am always the reporter, I took some photos to record this historic moment of the birth of two Miss MOS. Immediately the two “Miss” went to see how they looked in a mirror. Elly, especially, smiled broadly and enjoyed the moment of her victory.

A Full-stop to flights of space shuttles

July 21, 2011 marks the end of flights of space shuttles in U.S. The space shuttle, Atlantis, completed the last mission, the 135th one and landed safely at Kennedy Space Center in Florida early in the morning.

The space shuttles were, for 30 years, reusable orbital spacecraft operated by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for human spaceflight missions from 1981 to 2011.

The major missions of space shuttles included launching numerous satellites and interplanetary probes, conducting space science experiments, and servicing and construction of space stations.

From history, six airworthy orbiters were built; the first, Enterprise, was not built for orbital space flight, and was used only for testing gliding and landing, followed by Columbia , Challenger , Discovery, Atlantis , and Endeavour. Enterprise was originally intended to be made fully space-worthy after use for the approach and landing test (ALT) program, but it was found more economical to upgrade the structural test article STA-099 into orbiter Challenger. Challenger disintegrated 73 seconds after launch in 1986, and Endeavour was built as a replacement for Challenger from structural spare components. Columbia broke apart during re-entry in 2003. Two space shuttles were lost. Only three remain and now they retire.

The 4 photos in the right-hand column show the landing of Atlantis at Florida in its last flight.

June Harvest

This June is Harvest time to my old friend, Daisy Mak, at her home-yard in Texas.

Daisy said, “I practice organic farming. The vegetables I planted are tasty! I grow tomatoes (4 types, big and small), chili pepper (4 types, some long, some round, some hot, some not hot) and okra (it is not a cucumber, it is also called lady's fingers; commonly used by Thai and Pakistani; we can get it in some wet markets in HK; my mother never uses them; I use it for stir-fry or to put in Thai curry; it tastes a bit like 絲 瓜 but smaller and more tender). I also grow herbs (basil, rosemary, sage, green onion and chive).”

“I also attached the 9.5 inches diameter hibiscus photo. Last year I got 12 inches diameter hibiscus. This year I got only 9.5-inch ones because I didn't fertilize the flower bed.

The butterfly shown is Called Eastern Tiger Swallowtail,” Daisy added.

Before landing on John F. Kennedy International Airport

The right-hand top photo is an aerial one showing the Jamaica Bay (Gateway National Recreation Area) taken on a plane before it lands on John F. Kennedy International Airport. The flat piece of land at the top of the photo is JFK Int'l Airport. The straight white strip is one of the runways. The other runway is shorter and vertical the white one. They together look like a sword placed on the ground.

On a page of an atlas (1988 edition), the Jamaica Bay was full of islands (see the bottom right photo) in its centre.

The satellite photo of part of Jamaica Bay in the top-left corner indicates that the coastline, the heart-shaped island and the linkage road to a big island match with those features in the aerial photo on its right.

Jamaica Bay is in the south-east of New York City Proper. It is a wildlife refuge where birds find it a paradise. Well, I wonder if these birds will interfere and disturb the flights of planes to and from John F. Kennedy International Airport.

A Photo worth to be treasured

To me, this photo of Night-view of Hong Kong should be treasured because it was well taken by Tony who flied back to Hong Kong from San Francisco in March this year.

Tony did not know right away that it was Hong Kong Island at the front. He knew that the plane was going to land. Since he saw a bright piece of land lit by thousands of lights, he took a photo of two of such views.

This photo covered a lot of districts of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula, New Kowloon, N.T.and even Shatin can be seen in the background.

I have labelled some of the districts for reference: To see clearly, please double-click the photo.

On Hong Kong Island:
[1]WF : Wah Fu
[2] AP : Ap Lei Chau
[3] AB : Aberdeen
[4] WCH : Wong Chuk Hang
[5] SW : Sheung Wan
[6] C : Central
[7] WC : Wanchai
[8] CB : Causeway Bay
[9] HV : Happy Valley
[10] NP : North Point
[11] VP : Victoria Peak

Kowloon, New Kowloon and the New Territories:

[12] KC : Kwai Chung
[13] SSP : Shum Shui Po
[14] MK : Mong Kok
[15] TST : Tsim Sha Tsui
[16] HH : Hung Hom
[17] SPK : San Po Kong
[18] KB : Kowloon Bay
[19] LR : Lion Rock
[20] ST : Shatin

The most important feature is the strip of water that separate Hong Kong Island from Kowloon Peninsula. It is our Victoria Harbour.

When I say this photo is worth treasured, it means that a photo of this kind cannot be easily taken. Time, height and route of flight, location and weather are important factors of a successful photo.

Grandma’s socks

Elly likes looking at this pair of grandma’s socks because the latter looks funny when grandma moves her toes.

Today we let Elly wear them on her feet and legs. Once they were on Elly’s legs, they looked long. I could not imagine that Elly would make a few poses automatically when I took a few photos of her wearing the socks.

The Sea Organ at Zadar

We can enjoy the otherworldly sounds of the Sea Organ on Zadar's Riva. This man-made organ works with the motion of the waves and 35 pipes to create a musical soundscape. The purpose of building this sea organ is to attract more boats to anchor and tourists to come. It is a favourite for locals and tourists alike. At night time, there is a light display that creates visualisations of the sounds being produced by the organ. The source of electricity comes from solar energy stored in the daytime.

Zadar (扎達爾) is a city in Croatia (克羅地亞) on the Adriatic Sea (阿得里亞海). It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Zadar faces the islands of Ugljan and Pašman, from which it is separated by the narrow Zadar Strait. The promontory (headland) on which the old city stands used to be separated from the mainland by a deep moat which has since become a landfill. The harbor, to the north-east of the town, is safe and spacious. The population of Zadar is 75,082 citizens in 2011.

Santorini

The paintings hanging on the walls outside a gallery in Greece reminded these two Korean young men of their visit to an outlying island, Santorini. Santorini is easy to be recognized because most of the houses are whitewashed and their domes are in outstandingly blue or brownish red. There are windmills among these houses.

Santorini is an island located in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km southeast from Greece's mainland. It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago. It forms the southernmost member of the Cyclades group of islands, with an area of approximately 73 square km. Its population reaches thirteen thousands.

Santorini is what remains after an enormous volcanic explosion that destroyed the earliest settlements on what was formerly a single island, and created the current geological caldera. A giant central lagoon, more or less rectangular, and measuring about 12 km by 7 km, is surrounded by 300 m high steep cliffs on three sides. The main island slopes downward from the cliffs to the surrounding Aegean Sea. On the fourth side, the lagoon is separated from the sea by another much smaller island called Therasia; the lagoon is opened to the sea in the northwest and southwest. The water in the centre of the lagoon is nearly 400 m deep, thus making it a safe harbour for all kinds of ships. The island's harbours all lie in the lagoon and there are no ports on the outer perimeter of the island; the capital, Fira, clings to the top of the cliff looking down on the lagoon.

Grand-daughters’ Bedside Toys

Here are the toys Abby and Elly place on their bunk beds.

Upper bed:

Abby shares her bed with a mascot of Winter Olympics in Canada, 2010, a plastic baby, a brown furry lion, a soft doll, a teddy bear, a flat plastic chicken, plastic milk cows and Abby Cadabby (a doll in Sesame Street).

Lower bed:

Elly puts at her bedside another mascot of Winter Olympics, 2010, a red dog, a plastic baby, an elephant, a donkey called Eyore, a dialing telephone and a book of “ABC”.

Smog

It was a gloomy day on July 11. The photo somehow showed the smog I saw outiside my windows. I guessed it was a mixture of heavy dust particles and fog that persisted in the air. Breathing seemed difficult to everybody because the air was dirty. All day long, we felt hot and agitated because of the weather.

The photo shows the scene of my part of Shatin in different tones of brown. The visibility at that time varied with distances. The buildings nearer the lens of my camera were clearer, but they are all dressed in muddy brown. Further away were layers of buildings in lighter brown. I like this photo particularly because this smog of the day had created a picture of blurred objects layer by layer.

These Mangoes must be “Sour"

It so happens that another mango tree at the corner of the school (the school I mentioned last time) bears out some yellow mangoes. The yellow mangoes are more inviting than the green ones because they are ripe.

All these mangoes must be “sour” to me because I can never eat any one of them.

These trees are adorable because the mangoes are hanging down like light bulbs, some green and some yellow. The view of hundreds of yellow (ripe) mangoes lighting up the trees at one time must be beautiful.

Plastic Lipstick and Mirror

The toys that Abby and Elly often played in Canada have recently shipped back to Hong Kong and arrived at their renovated home. The two children were so happy to see them again.

On July 7, 2011, they both climbed up to the top deck of their bunk beds. Abby first picked up the toy lipstick and mirror and struck the former over her lips.

Next came Elly’s turn. With her left hand holding the mirror, Elly brushed the lipstick lightly over the lips with the other hand. It was amazing to see her press her lips against each other a little so as to spread the lipstick colour evenly.

Wow, she was approaching two years old and was imitating a grown-up in using cosmetics. I wonder when she learned this?

To see larger photos, remember to double-click the collage photo above.

Pat Sin Leng

Pat Sin Leng (八仙嶺) is a mountain range in the northeast New Territories of Hong Kong near Plover Cove Reservoir, Tai Po. The name Pat Sin Leng literally means "Mountains of the Eight Immortals", who are famous xian (fairies) in Chinese Mythology, and symbolizes the eight peaks along the Pat Sin Leng mountain range, each named after a different Immortal.

In the photo below, the peaks are numbered (1 - 8) from west to east (left to right) as follows:

[1] Shun Yeung Fung (純陽峰), 591 m high, is the westernmost and highest peak of Pat Sing Leng. The peak is named after the leader of Eight Immortals, Lü Dongbin (呂洞賓)'s secular name Chunyang Zi (純陽子).

[2] Chung Li Fung (鍾離峰), 543 m high, is named after Zhongli Quan (漢鍾離).

[3] Kao Lao Fung (果老峰), 530 m high, is named after Elder Zhang Guo (張果老).

[4] Kuai Li Fung (拐李峰), 530 m high, is named after Iron-Crutch Li (鐵拐李).

[5] Tsao Kau Fung (曹舅峰), 510 m high, is named after Royal Uncle Cao (曹國舅).

[6] Choi Wo Fung (采和峰), 510 m high, is named after Lan Caihe (藍采和).

[7 ] Sheung Tsz Fung (湘子峰), 510 m high, is named after Han Xiang (韓湘子).

[8] Hsien Ku Fung (仙姑峰), 514 m high, is named after Immortal Woman He (何仙姑).

Popeye arrives in Hong Kong

Recently, Popeye, the Sailorman, appears at Sunshine City, Ma On Shan, Hong Kong. There will be Sports Meets in the shopping centre for children only during this hot summer.

Event 1 – Weight-lifting
Event 2 – Boxing
Event 3 – Striking tennis balls into small holes on a wall
Event 4 – 6-lane running tracks for children
Event 5 – Shooting at pictures of the characters with football
Event 6 – Playing of sports TV games (beach volley ball, bowling, table-tennis,….)
Event 7 – Planting of spinach seedlings

I remember that in the old days, Popeye Cartoon films were usually shown in cinemas to fill the gaps for reasons, say, if the original film was too short or the films had not yet arrived at the cinema.

Back to the characters of the film:

Popeye is supposed to be a middle-aged sailor with his unique strange way of speaking. His features are – muscular forearms with two anchor tattoos, thinning hair, and he always carries a corncob pipe.

The writer placed him in conflict with enemies such as the Sea Hag and Bluto. It is always the case that Popeye is punched by the much larger Bluto and Popeye becomes ridiculously strong after eating a can of spinach.

There is a love triangle between Popeye, Olive and Bluto, and the latter endlessly claim s Olive at Popeye's expense. Very often Popeye overhears of villain plots and "accidentally" sneaking on the villains. Popeye uses his fists, in the name of justice, to beat all the villains.

Mango flowers and trees

I love mangoes ever since I was a child. This fleshy stone fruit grows on flowering trees in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common mango or Indian mango – is the only mango tree commonly cultivated and its fruit is distributed essentially world-wide.

The colour and sweet taste of mangoes always attract me. I am never allergic to mangoes but my daughter was. Whenever she ate them, rashes went around her mouth. As time passes, her allergy towards the fruit has gone.

According to Wikipedia, Mango trees can grow up to 35–40 m (115–130 ft) tall, with a crown radius of 10 m (33 ft). The mango tree is long-lived, as some specimens still fruit after 300 years. The leaves are evergreen, alternate, simple, 15–35 cm long and 6–16 cm broad; when the leaves are young they are orange-pink, rapidly changing to a dark glossy red, then dark green as they mature. The flowers are produced in terminal panicles 10–40 cm long; each flower is small and white with five petals 5–10 mm long, with a mild sweet odor suggestive of lily of the valley. The fruit takes three to six months to ripen.

The ripe fruit varies in size and color. Cultivars are variously yellow, orange, red or green, and carry a single flat, oblong pit that can be fibrous or hairy on the surface, and which does not separate easily from the pulp. Ripe, unpeeled fruit gives off a distinctive resinous, sweet smell. Inside the pit 1–2 mm thick is a thin lining covering a single seed, 4–7 mm long. The seed contains the plant embryo.

On April 16, 2011, I took a photo of a flowering tree growing inside a secondary school in Shatin because of its beautiful flowers and never noticed that it would bear mangoes. It was yesterday my wife told me that mangoes were hanging down from the tree. I love those greyish green mangoes. I wonder if they will change colour as they ripe. Believe me. I shall keep watching them closely in these few days.

The last thing I would like to say here is that I love Australian mangoes. They are big, sweet and in beautiful orange to red colour. Ho Keung and Yin Ping served us almost every day during our visit to their home in December, 2006. Thanks to their hospitality!

魔法擂台

差不多這兩個月以來的星期六我都對翡翠台的大眾化節目魔法擂台
着了迷，因為這裡的魔術表演不是經常大家可以看得到的。

昨晚正是魔法擂台所有比賽當中最高分四位的高手對決時候. 評判團中有很多有名的魔術大師去打分數，也有少部分的分數是來自觀眾的。

第一號參賽者是麥杰，魔術名稱是夢傘魂。
麥杰不斷變一些棍棒和細小雨傘，後者數量可觀。

第二號參賽者是王宇翔， 魔術名稱是Rose with Love。
王宇翔用一副白色的啤牌，在牌面上變出玫瑰花和紅心。最神奇的是他可以將兩張紅心牌加一張利箭的牌合成為一張一箭穿兩心的牌。

第三號參賽者是陳柏宏，魔術名稱是妖魔扇。
陳柏宏扮相真是有點像小魔頭，有一雙熊貓眼，變扇子的手法利落快捷，配樂又震撼，表演算精湛，得到很多現場觀眾的讚賞。我認為他是坐二望一的高手。

第四號參賽者是李澤邦， 魔術名稱是雪。
李澤邦有型有款，看他從容不迫的從手中變出白球和啤牌。其中他用小雪人公仔，飄雪和離開時的雨傘帶出寒冬的感覺。我覺得他的表演很出色，也加插一些美麗的意境。

第五號參賽者是張國洲， 魔術名稱是神奇的硬幣。
張國洲是另一位玩近距離魔術的好手，可以轉移牌下的錢幣。

最後結果是由一眾魔術師評判拋出啤牌，而首席評判將手中的劍刺出勝利者的號數牌。不負我的期望，終於四號香港李澤邦以些微分數勝出。