Pancakes near the sea (1)

Ho Keung and Yin Ping brought us to a strange sight at the western coast of South Island of New Zealand on September 6th, 2007. They were "pancakes", as described by the local people. They, I believe, are sedimentary rocks that were first built up layers by layers. These layers created a natural wall at the coast, but on and on they are eroded by the sea, wind or rain.

These rocks are not lonely at all because tourists, picnickers, campers and even hikers would stop to gaze at this magnificent sight of Nature.

利是封幾面觀

這裡是幾款新年的利是封：

[1] 東亞銀行最傳統的壽星公利是封
封上自然有壽星公、鹿、福鼠、梅花及浮雲，古色古香，適合老人家用。




[2] Citibank的利是封是「明與暗」年花作設計，有紅底金花，也有灰綠底金花，算幾優美。




[3] 星展銀行的利是封來得特別搶眼，一遍紅的花和葉，用黃色襯底，很美。




[4] 港鐵(以前地鐵)這幾年來都有派利是封。當初是地鐵卡車正面加上密不可分的年花襯托；近年用填字遊戲的格式道出「荃」港興旺。


[5] 今年見到的是可愛的卡通人物利是封─有小熊維尼(Winnie the Pooh)，哈囉姬蒂(Hello Kitty)及多啦A夢(Doraemon)。我相信小朋友及年輕人都喜歡收到這些利是封裝的利是啊。

請留意這裏是四個利是封的合照，並不是單一個封。

年花年年開

紫紅色的芍藥花盛開時，四五環的花瓣向周圍伸展，形態優美極了！奇怪的是有些芍藥花是夾雜紫色和白色，究竟它們是否天然的嗎？










黃色菊花的花瓣彎得恰到好處，很多形成球狀，最好用作結婚花球。



單托的水仙花就是那般簡單，六塊白色花瓣圍著正中的一個搶眼的黃色小盆，蠻特別。花散發出的幽香，與眾不同。






年桔是新年不可少應節的盆栽，買者都認為它們可以帶來「吉利」，又可以過了年後，把它們洗淨，醃製成鹹柑桔。

牛將軍向大家拜年

這裏有兩位笑呵呵的牛將軍，穿綠色鱗片盔甲是男，粉紅盔甲是女。牠們背上插著令旗，冠上有雉雞尾，威風凜凜似的握著金元寶和利是向各位拜年，祝願大家財源滾滾來，萬事勝意，身心愉快！

Dinner at our Canteen

I always consider Windsor Restaurant to be the canteen of my family. On Chinese New Year Eve, Tony, my wife and I went to this restaurant to enjoy eating its delicious food.

Tony ordered a dish of mixed steaks which comprised of beef, pork chop, chicken wing (mid-section), ham and a thick sausage, garnished with cucumber, broccoli and potato chips.

My wife chose Salmon as main course, but a waitress returned to say that there was no salmon in the kitchen at that moment, so she changed it to sole fillet. The dish was served with rice (orange in colour) and garnished with broccoli and carrots. My wife and son both said that the rice was not good to taste. Perhaps it was due to the taste of sauce that did not suit them.

I love beef best, so I chose a dish of Angus beef steak. With the lesson I learned from the one 100% well-done (as hard as iron) in Australia last time, I ordered 80% done. I was quite satisfied with the three pieces of delicious beef steak, still juicy. Of course, I still refused eating rare-to-raw meat. My next favourite was the spaghetti, but I found that I had better eat it with the onion sauce provided.

Besides the main dishes, we had vegetable soup, creamy or chilli, small bun with butter and tea or lemon drinks.

It was a night with food satisfaction for us three.

So 多才多藝

蘇絲黃真正多才多藝，在新春前去到樂富人來人往的港鐵站寫揮春送給街坊。排隊取揮春的多數是家庭主婦、學生及小朋友。只見蘇絲黃在方形紅紙上用毛筆劃幾個大小圓圈加上一個交叉便完成了。我覺得她寫的「福」字蠻有氣勢動感，圓渾得來很像滾著過來似的！








有趣的事發生在蘇絲黃邀請一位名張家豪的小朋友去寫揮春的時候。小朋友已經寫好「福」字及下款其名字，蘇絲黃叫他寫上上款蘇絲黃的「蘇」字，但小朋友竟然寫不出來。你估蘇絲黃化怎樣對小朋友講呢？她說：「記著，要他留級，老師」，小朋友尷尬到要掩著嘴臉呵！稍後，她安慰小朋友說：「不用留級，一直到大學！」

新年猜一猜

這一對橙色白色東西是甚麼呢？
A. 玉璽
B. 對聯
C. 年糕
D. 肥皂
E. 磚頭

轉轉財神

今年這個玩具財神特別好玩，又會發聲，又會轉出彩虹。

細看這財神，他滿是笑容，拱手向大家拜年，為大家招財進寶。頭上的金元寶其實是上錬的手柄；當以順時針的方向上幾次錬之後，按下頂部的制，這個玩具財神開始狂轉。

精彩的景象出現了 ── 財神背後的三盞紅綠藍燈仔隨著轉動發出彩色光點或環。有紅色激光從身上發射出去，劃出一個紅色大圓圈。

財神轉動的同時，也會唱許冠傑的經典歌曲「財神到」，帶來特別的新年氣氛！

「財神到，財神到，好心得好報；財神話，財神話，搵錢依正路」再重唱，又重唱，直至到它的轉動力開始弱起來，光點也全部消失了，這個小小演出就落幕了。再想看多次好容易，馬上上錬吧！

賀年畫

今天送這幅賀年畫給阿比及大家，因為它有大大的燈籠，小孩嬉笑地點炮竹，簡簡單單就帶出了農曆新年的歡樂氣氛。看看那剛剛爆發的炮竹是那麼的逼真，真希望大家和阿比一同感受到中國傳統的春節氣氛！

我代表家人向各位拜年，希望大家身壯力健，今年好過舊年！恭喜！恭喜！

動物農場(Animal Farm)

香港麥當當最近推出十二生肖布公仔，令我想起每一個家庭都存在著一個動物農場。














我的家庭動物農場裏面有一隻/條：
[1] 會煮飯及精打細算的老虎
[2] 不停寫網綕及影相的老鼠
[3] 中英文皆精及感情豐富的龍
[4] 永遠喜歡食雞及叉燒的兔
[5] 最近學騎馬又人見人愛的雞
[6] 未知似邊個及還未出世的牛
[7] 按幾萬次鍵盤都不倦的羊





























你們的動物農場有甚麼動物呢？

八方皆旺

在迎舊曆新年之時，特別向大家拜個早年，並將以下的金牛送給大家!
謹祝大家牛年行好運，個個都健康快樂!
旺牛仔 – 送給 Connie, Philip, Abby and Bebe-to-be {Milk Bottle, Toy-car}
常滿牛 – 送給 KS2, LH, Lit and Viv. {Money}
富貴牛 – 送給 KS1, ML and Conrad {Gold Apple}
福祿牛 – 送給 Felix, Audrey, Anthony, Joanna and my CCSC colleagues and students
{Gold Firecrackers}





















迎運牛 – 送給 HK, YP, Loretta, Kenny, Ally, Tammie, Tim and May
{金風車}
開運牛 – 送給 Dik, Daisy and Hayley {Fat Choy}
添寶牛 – 送給 PSGS classmates {金元寶}
招財牛 – 送給 Karen, Innes and Jasmine {金元寶及錢幣}
你們喜歡金牛嗎?