Love from children

In the animated film “The Valley of the Wind”, Naussicaa, princess of the Valley of the Wind, was taken as a hostage by Kushana who attempted to return to Tolmekia. As Naussicaa was going to board the plane, a number of children ran towards her and gave her the nuts they collected from trees. Such an action touched the princess. She said she would treasure the gift forever. She promised she would bring these nuts when coming home and eat with them in future.

This reflected that the children loved this princess so much. They neither had money to buy anything nor they could make any food. What they could do was to collect nuts from trees and put them in a bag to present it to their “idol” of the country.


I remember that my daughter baked a chocolate cake for me on my birthday last year. Although it did not look like ordinary creamy ones, the taste of every bit of it to me was doubly sweet. Thank you, Connie.

Meeting whales at Antarctica

On one occasion, the captain of Clipper Adventurer called the passengers on board to witness the whales that cruised about the waters offshore Antarctica. To capture this magnificent sight, the line of passengers at the bow raised their cameras and started clicking at their shutters. They did not want to miss this precious moment.

In the top photo, two whales were swimming alongside, almost to a stop. Perhaps they were resting for a while and then continued their way.

In the bottom photo, a whale was thrusting their tail out of the water and then slapped it on the water surface. This created a very loud sound. Some people said that it was a warning of danger to the rest of the party of whales.

Firecracker Vines (Flaming trumpets)

Firecracker Vines (炮仗花) originate from Brazil. They are evergreen creepers which blossom for 3 to 4 months. They love high temperatures and need much sunshine and good ventilation. That is why they usually grow on roof-tops facing the sun or overhang themselves from walls.

Their tendrils swing round to find nearby supports and their branches can be more than 20 metres long. The clusters of orange flowers are most attractive among their compound leaves. The tube-like flowers will break open and curl up when they blossom. At time of full bloom, the flowers can outnumber the leaves.

These creepers are best for decorating corridors, fences, roof-tops, walls, poles and shelters for sunlight or rain.

魔盜船

相中的兒童玩意像魔盜船，不過升起的旗幟是紅色的，不覺得恐怖。一直以來，海盜船是掛著有骷髏骨頭的黑色旗幟，見者要趕快逃亡，否則被劫之餘，也被殘酷對待！現在非洲索馬里海盜猖獗，用小型快艇，現代武器(即槍械、火箭炮等等)攻擊商船、貨輪及油輪；他們得手後向船公司索取巨款。相信他們不需要掛上任何旗幟以作識別，佯裝普通漁船罷了。

這艘魔盜船甚可愛，有帆、桅桿、瞭望台及船艙。穿窿的船身讓兒童穿插進出追逐玩耍，寬闊的梯級給他們攀登，實屬有趣兒童玩意。倘若這是一艘真船，有那麼多的船窿，相信它一早已經沉沒了。

值得一提的是這個兒童樂園除有魔盜船之外，在膠墊上已印上了藍色的海，海島的樣貌，也有尋寶路線給兒童玩遊戲。

Seals on Antarctica

What we are looking at this time today are the seals on Antarctica. My brother took the photos and I collect information from “AntarcticConnection”.

Antarctic seals are truly fascinating marine animals and a signature species of the Southern Ocean. They can be found throughout the Antarctic region, with some species living farther south than any other mammal. The Antarctic supports a much larger seal population than does the Arctic, in part because of the highly productive feeding areas that exist. Another reason is the lack of native predators such as polar bears, which also helps explain why seals in Antarctica show little fear of people. Of the six types of seals which are found south of the Antarctic Convergence, four of them are considered true Antarctic species: the Weddell, the Ross, the Crabeater and the Leopard. Both the Southern Elephant Seal and the Fur Seal do occasionally venture onto the continent, but prefer the more northerly islands of the warmer subantarctic seas.

Seals were the first Antarctic species to be commercially harvested. In fact, it was the search for new populations of seals that led to much of the early exploration of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. During the 19th and 20th centuries, several species of seals were heavily exploited for their skins or fur and for oil. Whole populations were decimated as early as the 1820's and some, including the Antarctic Fur Seal, were driven to the brink of extinction. Today, seals in the Antarctic are protected by the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals, which nonetheless allows for a small quota of specific species to be taken for science.

Though most of their time is spent in the water, all Antarctic seals, unlike whales, must return to land to breed. Breeding sites are found primarily on fast shelf ice and pack ice surrounding the Antarctic continent or on coastal shores of the more northerly islands. Breeding behaviors vary greatly among seal species. Ross, Weddell, and Leopard seals breed alone. Other species, such as the Antarctic Fur seal and the Southern Elephant seal prefer larger groups where dominant bulls aggressively defend 'harems' of females, with territorial disputes a common occurrence during breeding season.

All seals feed at sea using sonar (echolocation) and the enhanced sight of their large eyes. Diets vary but generally consist of krill (a key species in the Antarctic ecosystem), fish , and squid.
There are two main types of seals: the 'eared' seals (Otariidae) and the 'true' seals (Phocidae), which have no protruding ear. Only the Antarctic Fur Seal belongs to the Otariidae, or eared order. The 'eared' seals have hairless hind flippers that can be brought under their bodies making them very agile both on land and at sea. 'True' seals have furred hind flippers that they use to swim, but on land they are dragged behind the body in awkward 'snakelike' undulations.

創意車票

港鐵最近為其友禮會(MTR Club)會員推出兩款港鐵車站大使創意車票。究竟這些車票是否有創意，就由大家判斷吧。

第一張所謂創意車票名為「太先生@德福廣場」。它的換領日期是2009年3月1日至4月30日，換領獎分要400。另外一張則5月1日才出世。

這張車票上的車站大使是男性，衣著像太子多一些。他站立在九龍灣站德福廣場面前，而背後的灰色大廈正是港鐵總公司大樓。

這張車票限期為一個月，只可用於一次車程(不適用於機場快綫、輕鐵、東鐵綫頭等，往來羅湖及落馬洲站、港鐵巴士及港鐵接駁巴士)。

Changes in Scenery

It is good experience driving on a road between forests of tall trees. The trees here in New Zealand are so tall that they have built wooden walls which shield the road almost from rain and wind.

The open sea far out from the west coast of South Island is slightly curved along the horizon. Not a single ship is sailing on its calm surface. Only white foams of water are created when sea water strikes on the off-shore islands. On the right-hand side, the sandy beach looks ideal for swimmers and sunbathers.

Ho Keung and Yin Ping remarked, “Driving between places in New Zealand involves a lot of bridge crossings. Once we even drove on the train track on one bridge – it was so scary because we thought we had made a mistake.”

Sheep on fields, farm houses, high mountains with snowy caps and woods are common on the sides of country roads.

"Blue sceneries, including “blue” mountains, are along the way. Blue is such a pretty colour – oceans, lakes, mountains, ice….,” said the couple.

The second last photo shows Lake Wanaka which is to the south of Mount Aspiring (National Park) and the last photo, Lake Hawea. These two lakes lie almost parallel to each other. Funny, isn’t it?

East Point City

Today I went to East Point City(東港城) to have lunch with my classmates. I was impressed by the beautiful decorations on the tall pillars. The sight of the actress of the film “Pirates of the Caribbean Sea 3”, Keira Knightley, attracted my attention. I could not help taking photos of her on one of the pillars.

I have not been to this shopping centre for years and find that it has completely changed its look after renovation. It becomes a modern shopping arcade in bright orange colour with a spacious hall which can hold hundreds of people for watching the big TV screen during hot events in our city or variety shows organized by different TV broadcasting companies. Shops and restaurants fill the first and second floors.

Penguins on the Antarctica

It is interesting to see different species of penguins on the Antarctica.
Here you can see some of them:

I do not know their classification or names but I can tell you how special in their look.

General speaking, penguins stood like human and they “dress” like gentlemen in “tuxedos”, a white front with a black suit.











[1] One kind of penguins is black-headed leaving the eyes in the centres like beads on fur coats.
[2] Another kind of penguins looks as if they are wearing glasses or goggles. Interesting!
[3] Third kind of penguins has red beaks.

These penguins live in groups. Their territories are clear-cut because the grounds they live and walk about are usually dirty, smelly and reddish-brown. You and I know why the grounds look like these.

The adults are clean because they often go to the sea to find food and clean themselves up. The infants are different because they are not old enough and have not learned the skill of hunting fish or other sea food. They appear a little dirty in their thick fluffy furs.

The adults will feed their young ones with the food they find from the sea, but sometimes the sea birds are so cunning to snatch the food during the feeding.

Princess Mononoke

Princess Mononoke (幽靈公主) is a 1997 Japanese animated historical fantasy feature film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It was broadcasted on ATV yesterday.

It is a jidaigeki (period drama) set specifically in the late Muromachi period of Japan but with numerous fantasy elements and centers on the struggle between the supernatural guardians of a forest and the humans who consume its resources as seen by the outsider Ashitaka. "Mononoke" is not a name, but a general term in the Japanese language for a spirit or monster.

This is the story from Wikipedia:

Set in feudal Japan, a time of upheaval of samurai warriors and isolated villages, Princess Mononoke follows the journey of the last Emishi prince,[2] Ashitaka, and his attempts to make peace between the human settlement, Irontown (Tataraba in the original Japanese), and the creatures living in the forest that surrounds it.









The film begins with Ashitaka receiving a curse during a battle with a demonic giant boar which is threatening to destroy his village. During the fight, Ashitaka receives a wound on his right arm; the cursed wound will spread to the rest of his body and eventually kill him. Ashitaka resolves to journey to the boar's origin, the lands to the West, and find a cure for the curse. He cuts his hair, signifying his permanent departure from his village, and rides out with his steed Yakul, his loyal red elk.








On his journey, Ashitaka passes by a village suffering a samurai attack. Some samurai attack him, and Ashitaka defeats them with the supernatural strength of his cursed arm. In a nearby town he meets Jigo, a wandering monk impressed by his feats of arm, who informs Ashitaka that the god of the forest in the mountains of the west may be able to help him.








A nearby iron town in the mountains of the west continually clears the nearby forests to make charcoal to smelt ironsand, leading to battles with animals attempting to protect their diminishing forest.








In one such battle, a pack of wolves, led by the wolf god Moro, attack villagers transporting rice. They are accompanied by San, a human girl adopted by the wolves whom the people of Irontown call 'Princess Mononoke'.









In the attack Moro and several villagers are injured. The day following the battle, Ashitaka finds two injured villagers near a river. While rescuing them, he sees San treating Moro's wounds, and she disappears quickly. He returns the villagers to Irontown passing through a forest full of animal gods, including diminutive sprites called kodama. Also in the forest is the Forest Spirit (Shishigami in the original Japanese), described as a "god of life and death", which takes the form of a deer-like kirin during the day and a large shadowy "night-walker" (Daidarabocchi) at night.








Ashitaka is given a warm welcome when he reaches Irontown. He learns from the leader of Irontown, Lady Eboshi, that the giant boar which cursed him was once a forest god called Nago and that Eboshi had shot the boar, driving it to madness. On hearing this Ashitaka is filled with rage and must restrain his right arm from killing Eboshi. He is dissuaded from doing so by lepers whom Eboshi has taken under her care and employed as gunmakers. She also employs former prostitutes in her famous ironworks in order to free them from brothels.








Irontown is then infiltrated by San, who attacks Eboshi. Ashitaka intervenes to stop the two sides' fighting and takes San back to the forest, but is severely wounded when he is shot through the chest. With his curse's power, he manages to open the gate and leave the town, but collapses soon afterward. San presents Ashitaka to the Forest Spirit who heals his wounds but does not remove the curse.















San soon learns that the boars, under the leadership of the boar god Okkoto, are planning another attack on Irontown. Eboshi prepares for the assault and sets out to destroy the Forest Spirit. The head of the Forest Spirit is believed to grant immortality. Jigo, who is now revealed to be a mercenary-hunter, plans to give the head to the emperor; in return the emperor promises to give Irontown legal protection against the envious daimyos coveting the town's prosperity.

Eboshi, however, suspects (rightly) that the emperor's agents are also assigned to take control of Irontown at the most opportune moment. Meanwhile, Ashitaka recovers and falls in love with San, something she has difficulty accepting due to her lifelong hatred of other humans.








In the ensuing battle, Irontown successfully sets a trap for the boars, devastating their army. Jigo's hunters also succeed in corrupting Okkoto in the same way as Nago, and San becomes entangled in Okkoto's demonic tentacles. Moro, also badly wounded, saves San, and then is killed, along with Okkoto, by the Forest Spirit, in mercy for their suffering.








Eboshi then succeeds in shooting off the Forest Spirit's head while it is transforming into the night-walker. Jigo collects the head while the body is transformed into a god of death covering the surrounding land with a lethal black ooze that completely destroys all life and turns the land barren. The hunters scatter before the ooze and the population of Irontown moves into the surrounding lake, leaving Irontown to destruction.















Ashitaka and San manage to take the head from Jigo and return it to the Forest Spirit. It collapses into the lake and the land becomes green again. Ashitaka and San part, vowing to see each other occasionally while Ashitaka, finally freed of his curse, helps rebuild Irontown. Eboshi survives, albeit without an arm, and vows to rebuild Irontown along more harmonious lines. The film ends with a kodama appearing in the rejuvenated forest.