Come and Go

Before the Cross-harbour Tunnel was completed, Queen’s Pier (皇后碼頭) used to be the pier for the British Governors, Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, Prince Charles, Diana, Princess of Wales and all important people of the British throne to step ashore or leave Hong Kong Island. This symbolized that Hong Kong was under the British rule.

Apart from these official “come and go” of Governors, rich people usually use this public pier to go on board their luxurious launch boats for touring round the harbour or to outskirts of Hong Kong to enjoy swimming or skiing.

Throughout the first ten years or so of the establishment of CCSC, our supervisor, Mr. Y. L. Cheung, invited all the teaching staff to a launch picnic in summer so that the new and the old teachers could get to know one another. We boarded his launch boat (金枝玉葉) by this pier and the boat usually sailed its way to the bay at Po Toi O (布袋澳) or Clear Water Bay (清水灣) and anchored there. People who were good at swimming could jump into the water. Others could row a small sampan or even rode on a speed boat. The rest would chat or play card games on deck, sipping drinks at the same time. Towards evening, a buffet dinner was served. Through this kind of picnic, we teachers knew one another well and worked better together at school.

As a matter of fact, not only rich people used the pier, but also the employees of big firms, banks and other organizations who joined similar launch picnics organized by their bosses at different times of the year.

This Friday, April 27^th, 2007, my wife and I went to Central to have tea lunch with our friends and I suggested to take the last few photos of this pier because it would be pulled down soon so that a road could pass through it.

There were big banners saying that this pier should not be pulled down. Some people of Hong Kong want to restore their memories of this public pier and asked our SAR government to preserve it and somehow rebuild it at another place.

It came (was built) in 1957 and now it goes in 2007. It has served our citizens of Hong Kong as well as the British Governors and Royal Family for exactly half a century!

What is the name of the building in the reflection?

See if you can recognize the building in its reflection from the window screen of another building.

Here are some hints:

1. It is in Central District, Hong Kong

2. It is near the waterfront.

3. It is famous.

4. It is funnel-like in outlook.

Here are four answers for you to choose:

A. 大會堂 B. 郵政總局 C. 中國人民解放軍駐港部隊大廈 D. 怡和大廈

606 and 610

The Gifts from China arrived at Hong Kong International Airport yesterday afternoon at about 4 o’clock. I witnessed the arrival of two healthy and energetic giant pandas, 606 and 610 in TV.

Early last morning, these two pandas were brought inside two separate cages and driven through rugged roads from Wolong (臥龍), Sichuan(四川) to Chengdu Airport(成都機場).

It took about a 4 - hour ride to the airport and then they were lifted by a 747 cargo plane to our Hong Kong airport.

At our airport, there was a ceremony of the hand-over of the pandas to Hong Kong and their names were unveiled. The male panda was named as Le Le (樂樂) and the female Ying Ying (盈盈). I was extremely happy to learn that the panda girl had a name similar to that of my daughter. Starting from yesterday when people call (盈盈), they are calling my daughter too.

These two lovely pandas will be isolated at Ocean Park for 3 months and will meet our Hong Kong citizens on July 1^st, 2007 which marks the 10^th anniversary of the territory’s return to Mainland China.

The photo above shows a giant panda living at San Diego Zoo, California. It was taken by my good friend, Felix Ching during his trip to Southern California.

May I wish our pair of pandas live happily ever after in Hong Kong! Same to the panda living at San Diego!

Human Camouflage

It was a big surprise to me that my wife suddenly disappeared before a take-away fast food shop at Pier 39, San Francisco on April 22^nd, 2006. This fast food shop was so designed that it looked as if it was inside an old Volkswagon. There were windows opened for showing the food, “Order here” and “Pick-up”.

The three colours on my wife’s clothes matched exactly with those of the shop or I should say the Volkswagon:

Wife <=============================>Fast food shop

White collar of jacket<======> Colour of top half of the Volkswagon

Orange-red pull-over<=====> Colour of lower half of the Volkswagon

Light blue jacket <======> Colour of the strips on the body of van

It seems that my wife had the power of Camouflage at that moment!

Well, this fast food shop “ Wipe out to go” sold Snacks, Seafood, Burgers, Pizzas, Tacos and Drinks. It publicized three things here, “ EAT DRINK SURF”. I did not quite understand why it urged people to surf. I thought the waters near the piers were not suitable for surfing because they were full of activities of different kinds of boats and ships. Perhaps Felix can tell me the answer!

The bottom photo shows the same effect. It is an advertisement at one of its stations on Ma On Shan Rail. The family of four is sitting at a sofa. Their clothes, the reading lamp cover, the wall, the floor and sofa match altogether.

I have a few questions to ask you here:

1. Have you taken a family photo like this kind?

2. Does the father in your family wear glasses?

3. Do the father and son in your family often wear bow ties?

4. Do the mother and daughter in your family wear long hair? Do they look alike?

5. What do those “percentages” in the advertisement to do with?

6. What idea, in your opinion, does this advertisement convey?

Sunbathing equals Sunburnt

To me, sunbathing results in sunburnt. When I was in San Francisco last April, it was cool in the morning, dropping to about 10 degrees Celsius. The afternoon temperature went up to 20 degrees or more. I felt the heat of the sun when I reached Fisherman’s Wharf. In that two hours’ stroll about the street along the piers, the strong sunlight pierced my skin. I felt that my forehead was somehow painful, not inside of a headache, but outside on the skin. I did not expect the San Francisco sun to be so strong. Soon I became a red-foreheaded man.

Similar thing happened to me after eight months when I stood on Bondi Beach, Sydney, watching people sunbathing, swimming and surfing. I noticed that there was not a single tree at this beach. Winds were strong here so my hairs flied up high! Soon I felt the skin of my forehead burnt in the sun. I wonder why the people taking sunbathing on the soft sand here could bear the heat of the sun. They seemed to have lain for a long time and so peacefully.

Parking Fee

The photo showed a sea gull landed on the roof top of a white car at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. It had the privilege of free parking, but the driver had to pay US$2 (HK$15.6) for every half hour (Maximum US$28). If the driver went to a restaurant in the list with the requirement of a minimum charge, he/she was entitled 3 hour free parking. If to a crabstand with a minimum charge, he/she would be entitled an hour free parking.

Think of parking there for 2 hours without visiting the restaurants in the list on the road board. The parking would reach US$8 which was equivalent to HK$62.4.

The hourly parking fee at the roadside in Hong Kong is $8/ hour in busy streets and $4/ hour in quiet streets. The parking fee at car-parks varies from $12/ hour upwards to $30/ hour. The parking fee of a car-park bases on whether it is situated in a busy district or not. The parking fee at open car parks in the New Territories can be as low as $4/ hour.

I learned from Ho Keung and Yin Ping that the parking fee at Kingsford Smith Airport (Sydney International Airport) is A$7/ half hour and A$13/ hour (HK$84.5/hour). It is really expensive!

The parking fee at San Francisco International Airport was US$1/12 min, i.e. HK$39/hour. It was less expensive than that at Sydney International Airport.

At Hong Kong International Airport, the parking fee for Car Park 1 and 2 (Open) is $16/ hour, but that in Car Park 4 (Multi-storey) is $20/ hour.

National Flags

The first U.S.A. flag I saw was at Los Angeles. When I first opened the window of our room in Wyndham Hotel and looked out, I saw a huge American Flag flying high across

the highway opposite to us. There was no doubt I was standing on U.S. soil. The feeling was good because it was the very first time my wife and I land on such a vast piece of continent to study the life of the Americans. I kept on seeing this flag at Disneyland .

In Australia, I first saw Australian National flag at the topmost part of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Actually I saw two, one on each side. Taking a closer look, I noticed the two flags were a little different. Perhaps Yin Ping and Ho Keung or any of my readers can tell me what they actually are. We again saw one at the New Parliament House at Canberra.

In Singapore, I could only see one of its National flags at the top of a beautiful classic building with colourful windows. Perhaps there were others flying, but I did not have a chance to see them!

First Trip to U.S.A. (Day 9)

We woke up early on Saturday morning, April 22^nd. It was sad to leave United States of America same day last year. I just wondered when we would be back.

Our luggage was packed the night before. It ought to be heavier because we had bought home some key-chains, T-shirts, golf balls (souvenirs), ball-pens, a pictorial map of San Francisco, a toy rugby ball and a toy basketball, post-cards, coasters, some fifty U.S. coins and two bottles of wine given by Felix.

Connie showed us her manicure on her finger nails the day before at Gladys’ home. She was going to be the bridesmaid at Gladys’ wedding to be held on Sunday.

Before Felix arrived, Roger was so kind to pick up Connie and drove her to Gladys’ home at Fremont. Rebecca promised to drive Connie to the airport on the day Connie returned to Hong Kong.

Felix came to Travelodge at about eight. We had to return the key of our room before we left the motel. Then Felix took us to a restaurant on Grand Avenue to take a Hong Kong styled breakfast.

Soon we headed for the airport. Felix dropped us at the Departure floor. We once more used e-ticket to check-in, but learned that we the seat numbers would be confirmed later. This time our boarding passes had 4 “S” which Ken, our tourist guide told us before, would mean that we had been selected to receive a special inspection on everything. We had to stand inside a door-like booth and received X-rayed screening and later the contents of our hand-carried luggage had to be checked thoroughly under my supervision. The security guards wiped my cameras with some papers and they put the latter inside a machine for analysis. I believed they wanted to detect if there was any content of explosives. The search took about five to ten minutes before they signalled us to leave.

We waited for our seat arrangement before the counter to our departure gate. We had to wait for a long time for getting our seats arranged. It was a big relief that we could take the plane home at the last minute.

It was a long boring 14-hour journey home. The clock seemed to move very slowly. At times, I checked the locations of our plane and other information from the screen before me.

It was 6:30 p.m. when the plane landed at our airport in Hong Kong. It took another 20 minutes before we could get back our luggage. It was a happy Sunday to us because we could get home safely!

First Trip to U.S.A. (Day 8)

It was about 9:30 on Friday Morning of April 21st that Gladys and her fiance, Michael picked up Connie from the airport. Connie arrived and left her luggage behind. Next Michael drove Connie to Gladys' house at Fredmont.












Felix and Audrey arrived at Travelodge at about ten. First we went to Golden Gate Bridge. We crossed it first and stopped at its North Vista Point.

Next Felix led us walk for about a hundred meters on the bridge. Later Felix drove us to a fishing port called Sausalito.

It was a small town with few shops and restaurants. Felix parked his car at a roadside parking space.














Felix suggested to have some light breakfast inside a cafe. We selected some cakes, but found that one of them was covered with mould. Audrey asked a shop attendant to change it for us.
It was about eleven or so that we arrived at Muir Woods National Monument. We were amazed at the diameter and old age of the giant redwood trees in this area.

Soon it was time to return to San Francisco city by southbound Golden Gate Bridge. We stopped and took a few photos at the Palace of Fine Arts. Next we went past Ghirardelli. Felix parked his car near Aquatic Park. We walked past the Cable Car Station. My wife and I boarded an empty cable car to have photos taken.

Not far away was the Hyde Street Pier. We saw USS Balclutha there. Further east, we reached Fisherman's Wharf. We went inside a fast- food shop called "In and Out". The burgers are first class! While eating, through the window I saw a magician in old-fashioned clothes playing some simple tricks. I believed he would earn some money from the passers-by.
At one of the shops selling seafood, Audrey bought us a bowl of creamy fresh crabs and chowder soup. next we spent some time strolling at Pier 39.

At about five, we picked up Connie from Millbrae BART Station. Next we went to Fu Yuen Restaurant on Grand Avenue to have dinner with CCSC alumni. It was happy time to meet these past students, most of whom I had taught before.

First Trip to U.S.A. (Day 7)

It was a sunny Thursday morning of April 20th. Felix and Mrs. Sinn arrived at Travelodge at about nine o’clock. My wife and I boarded Felix's car. Soon Felix used the Oakland Bay Bridge to cross San Francisco Bay, passed University of Berkeley. Soon we reached Felix’s grand house. We met Audrey at the door. She had prepared a nice breakfast of ham and egg for us all and I snapped photos in and out of Felix’s house.

At first, we were a little afraid of Felix's dog, Glory. She looked fierce. She sniffed us for some time to get used to our smell. Later on she did not bother us any more. I thought she well knew that we were not strangers.

I admired Felix's skill in keeping his great varieties of plants in his garden and outside his house.

It was the first time we met beautiful Joanna sipping her porridge in the living-room.

I called Felix aside to give him the presents I brought from Hong Kong, a bag for key chains and a "Doraemon" Octopus watch so that he could use it when he returned to Hong Kong. In return, Felix gave me a number of shiny new American Quarter dollar coins.

Next Felix and Audrey both tanked up their cars at a nearby station. For the first time, I saw that American dollar-notes could be inserted into the slits of the gasoline refilling machines. Next Audrey picked up Joanna's friend, Vicky. Felix then drove along Highway 80 East, turned into 37 and then 29. The intersection of these roads was new, so Felix almost could not recognize it. He was hesitating until Audrey called him on the cell phone and said that we were on the right track. He crossed the Vallejo Bridge and went towards Napa Valley along Highway 29.

We did not stop at the city of Napa, but passed Yountville. At Rutherford, we stopped at St. Supery Winery to look at its wine refinery and tested its wine. Then we continued going up north. We went into another one with a big fountain. We still continued to move North until we reached V. Sattui Winery.

Mrs. Sinn and Audrey did wine tasting, tried the Mascat (sweet wine), and each purchased 2 bottles. They also tried the other things, including Duck Pate.

In the afternoon, we had dinner at a Chinese Restaurant called Golden Harvest (金園). The food was somewhat fried rice and noodles. They were okay for everybody at the table. I was delighted to be the boss!

Felix continued driving North. We stopped by St. Helena and had window shopping along its Main Street. We went further North and this time stopped at a town called Calistoga. We went window shopping again. Next we reached a place providing Indian Spa and Mud-bath. We did not want to have such high-class skin treatment but sat on the empty chairs outside. Felix bought a cup of coffee to refresh himself before driving back.

It was almost four o'clock and it was time to return home. Felix then drove back along Highway 29 again, back to Highway 80 West and back home. We took a short rest at Felix's house. Then we went to dinner at "Applebee", an American-styled restaurant at Pinole (City) The customers and waiters and waitresses were mostly Americans. The dish of beef steak was delicious to us and this time Felix was the host. It was dark when we left the restaurant. Felix then drove Mrs. Sinn home and us to Travelodge. It was a day of looking at a grand house, the country house and eating American beef!

First Trip to U.S.A. (Day 6)

On the April 19^th, Wed., we took a UA plane to SFO Airport. All the way from LAX to SFO, I enjoyed taking aerial photos.

We phoned Felix by the Courtesy phone. Roger, an old student of mine, with Mrs. Sinn picked us up to Travelodge. At the car park, I was happy to see my old colleague, Felix, a good friend of mine, finding a parking space for his car. We had not seen each other for almost 15 years. He looked plumper than before. I asked Roger to follow Felix's car and park next to it . Later Felix told me that he noticed a strange car following his all the way.

Next we went to have Dim-sum lunch in a Chinese restaurant called Fu Yuen(富源) on Grand Avenue.

After lunch, Felix went back to office while Roger took us to the City proper of San Francisco. We first visited the City Hall, then to Golden Gate Bridge. Later our car climbed hilly roads to Coit Tower. There we could see the harbour. Down we went the Crookedest Street (九曲街) from its top. Following this, we went in a cake-shop at Chinatown to buy two of its famous egg-tarts to eat! I also bought several oranges from a store there. Then Roger drove Mrs. Sinn to a bank in the Fifth Street. At Powell Street, I found those famous tramcars we often saw in films.

Soon it was time for us to meet Felix and Audrey at Richmond. Altogether we went to Chinatown to take a look at the shops. On we went to Golden Gate Park. We took photos before its Greenhouse and at its lakeside. Andy and his wife came to meet us at the Japanese Garden.

The sky began to lose colour and so we went to Tai Yuen Restaurant (太源酒家) to have a nice dinner. Inside we were glad to meet Anthony. He was polite and mature. It was a bit cold when we walked out of the restaurant. Mrs. Sinn was the first one to yell for shelter from the coldness. Roger took us back to Travelodge. It was the night that I discovered a spider on my Queen-sized bed.