A Dearer kind of Cakes

I will never be their customer, but I can be their eater. What I am talking about are these colourful sweet cakes.

Much money (HK$248 per box) is gone with its gold-colour box, lovely ribbon, its container and cakes too.

From a long-distance look, one never knows that they are cakes that are edible. He or she will think it is an artist’s palette of colours for painting. Do you agree?

What are inside?

This cardboard-made boat looks very much like a Noah’s Ark. From the pictures, we know that it carries animals such as owls, pandas, rabbits, cows, monkeys, tigers, horses, pigs, rams.

What are expected to be put inside this paper boat?










Hints can be seen from the pictures of the ancient Chinese people on the deck of the boat and the words on the roof-top of the strange house on the deck.

Granville Island Public Market

Inside Granville Island Public Market, Vancouver, people can buy sausages, ham, bacon and many kinds of meat. They are expensive meat with strange names, selling at 2 to 4 Canadian dollars for 100g. The prices are equivalent to around HK$64 per pound to HK$128 per pound.












At a bakery, the loaves of bread are made into long bars, thin or thick, full of textures. They look rather like branches of trees, strange and rough, but not welcoming. The bagels (麵包圈) are better in outlook. I am earnest to try some when I have a chance to go in the coming days.

Fruits are also inviting to wife and me. No matter how expensive they are, I think we shall buy some to taste.

We expect to see more in this market when we actually step inside for the first time.

全球第一張150元紙幣

真奇怪，香港將要出現150元鈔票。該種鈔票只會由渣打銀行(香港)印製，原因今年正是該銀行一百五十週年紀念，同時具有慈善及紀念價值，因此售價特別高。

150元鈔票的特色有：

[1] 鈔票可以自訂號碼(學足運輸署車輛自訂車牌)，英文字頭一定是SC (代表Standard Chartered)。每人可以申請五組自訂號碼，若果有自選號碼出現一模一樣的話，就會採取抽籤方法去決定誰會得到該鈔票。這種自訂號碼鈔票售價每張是888元，票值當然仍然是150元。銀行暫訂做一萬張。申請人可以入表或上網申請。


[2] 至於非自訂號碼的150元鈔票由十月一日起在渣打銀行及灣仔會展公開發售，賣280元，數量有75萬張，先到先得。



[3] 紀念鈔票亦有四連張(模仿郵政署的售賣郵票方式)，有一萬套，每套售1888元；還有令人作舌的三十五連張(共6000套)，售價達18888元，用抽籤方式發售。

[4] 市民要在9月9日至9月15 日申請。

[5] 一些幸運號碼如SC888888、SC999999等等要入申請表競投。

[6] 鈔票以渣打銀行的藍綠色為主調，背面有百幾年前衣著打扮的人物在太平山頂去欣賞今時今日的景色(由時光機把古時的香港人帶往現今的香港去看一看)。

Fortune Villa vanishes

For over 3 decades, we lived at Fortune Villa, Kowloon Tong. Our Wat’s family eventually branched out into four in the 60’s and 70’s. One by one, 6 Small children were born in this order, BGBBGB. They entered famous kindergartens, primary and secondary schools and we, adults and children, lived happily together in different flats of Fortune Villa. To us, this villa is a paradise, although supermarkets and markets are not near.

My family said good-bye to it in March, 2002 (My brothers and their families left earlier) because we found new flats in Shatin and moved into them.

Recently Fortune Villa is being pulled down and will be rebuilt. Our original flats have disappeared already, leaving behind only debris of concrete and twisted iron bars. From now on, we cannot see our flats at Fortune Villa anymore, but their images have firmly been embedded in our mind for long and the photos of this past “Watsland” can always remind us of the old days of laughter, joy and pride of our families.

Sea Food at Steveston

The fishes sold at Steveston are usually big and heavy. They are sold for a large sum of money. If a large fish, say 10 pounds, the cost will reach C$40 if it is sold at $4 per pound. That means its cost is equivalent to around HK$300. The pay for the fish is one thing, treating the fish and cook it is another thing.

Prawns are different. Their sizes are rather small. They can be steamed at home easily. If I have a chance to be there, I would buy some home for salad or cooking or steaming.


Another choice of eating fish is here is by purchasing the fried fish with chips or fish burgers at the wharf.










Although the fried fish and chips at Steveston are not cheap, but I suppose they are tasty to some extent because there is always a long line of customers queuing before the sale window.

I remember that the wonderful fish and chips that my wife and I ate at Manly Beach, Sydney. The boss of this beach-lunch was one of my primary school classmates. I guess the fish and chips here at Steveston should be as good as those at Manly.

Fisherman’s Wharf at Steveston

Recently, I saw from TV and read from Wikipedia about the Fisherman’s Wharf at Steveston, Richmond, Vancouver. What’s more I learn from is a clip of this wharf from You-tube.

These are what I observe about this wharf:

[1] The wharf here really facilitates the fishermen who bring home their catches from the sea, fish or prawns or lobsters.

[2] There is a long bridge linking the street level to a very long parking platform where fishing can park alongside and fresh sea food is sold there directly into the hands of the tourists or buyers or housewives.

[3] On the shore, there are big restaurants, obviously serving mainly sea food.
[4] Some of the boats, not stream-lined, looking like old toys floating in the water. I guess they still work. Time cannot change their look or uses.

[5] Among the fish sold, dogfish is the cheapest, C$1 per lb., while Halibut is the dearest, C$7 per lb. If I were a buyer, I prefer C$4 to 5 fish.

[6] Prawns that are sold here are bright orange to red in colour. Tourists or buyers can have free tries. How generous are the fishmongers.










[7] There are three flags at the wharf. The tallest is the Canadian flag. One looks like the Japanese flag with a big red circle in the centre. I think it is the flag representing this wharf. The last flag may belong to the fishery union at Steveston.

馳名蛋撻

昨天(九月一日)驟見沙田中心平台上有一間泰昌餅家。我心動，慕其名上前看一看。 店舖小小，不難看見馳名中環而以前要排隊才買得到的蛋撻。它們全被放在透明的膠罩下，以保持溫度。
最初我打算買兩件蛋撻、一件燒餅及一個雞批，但店員甲向我說買五件則有紙盒送。這麼的笑話，令我笑了出來。我問她若果我買四件將會是那麼一回事，她說會用膠袋，我立即反問她「會不會收膠袋稅呢？」店員乙說不會，若要都會算在價格上。

以下是我對其泰昌餅家餅食的評價:

[1] 蛋撻 (四塊錢一個) ─ 有微溫，味道像吃燉蛋似的，尚算不俗，不肥膩；我相信末代港督愛它的原因與我的相同。

[2] 燒餅 (四塊半一個) ─ 從小至大未曾試過買一個來吃，只聽過武大郎(武松的兄長)是在街上賣燒餅的。餅身微軟，有點肥膩，餡料是叉燒，多多少少像吃著叉燒酥，味道不俗。

[3] 椰撻 (四塊錢一個) ─ 體積纖細，沒有甚麼驚喜，下次不須要再試了。

[4] 雞批 (六塊錢一個) ─ 體積中型，不大不小，餡料有雞肉、粟米粒、紅蘿蔔碎、青豆及蘑菇碎，味道很好。

以下是維基百科全書提供的資料:

泰昌餅家(Tai Cheong Bakery)，是香港一家傳統餅店，位於香港島中環擺花街蘇豪區內，以蛋撻馳名。

泰昌餅家於1954年開業，現時東主是歐陽天閏。泰昌餅家最馳名的食品包括蛋撻、沙翁與菠蘿包等，全部以傳統方法人手製造，與現時香港普遍餅店採用機製方式生產相比，除了更有特色，也多了一點點人情味。

香港最後一任總督彭定康，十分喜愛泰昌餅家的出爐蛋撻，更多次親自前往品嘗，餅店內亦掛有店主與彭定康的合照與致謝信。因此，餅店被認為算是香港人集體回憶的一部份。

2005年5月，泰昌餅家曾因業主加租而暫時停業。2005年7月28日，泰昌餅家正式註冊為有限公司。2005年9月30日，泰昌餅家於香港中環擺花街35號地面之新舖重新啟業，除以停業前原價發售蛋撻、沙翁等餅食外，亦引入芝士蛋糕、咖啡等西式餅食，復業首天門外大排長龍，至今當蛋撻出爐時仍可見人龍。2005年11月11日在旺角新世紀廣場的分店開張。當時身在香港的彭定康亦參加餅店的開幕。2006年7月，在香港的觀塘物華街開設第二間分店。2006年9月，在澳門的俾利喇街開設當地第一間分店。2006年11月中，由於湖北省發生「蘇丹紅雞蛋」事件，十多年都使用廣州蛋的泰昌餅家也受牽連，生意跌一成多。2007年11月，稻香集團以逾100萬港元入股泰昌餅家20%股權，有權於3年後按照已定的價格作全面收購，並積極開設新店。2008年初，在香港的銅鑼灣渣甸街開設第三間分店。2009年3月，稻香集團增持泰昌股權至80%，成為單一最大股東。

相中鳥

記起兒時，閱讀益智書籍時常見到一些圖畫特意地隱藏了一些動物或東西，叫小朋友找尋出來。今天的我攝製了一張相來示範一下。

相中有一隻美麗的雀鳥，你是否找得到呢？想清楚地看見牠，左Click你的「老鼠」兩下便可！

Beautiful Hibiscus

This morning at Shatin, I was happy to find a beautiful Hibiscus flower hanging down from a very long green stalk near the pavement. The flower grows out from a pod-like flower-bud formed from sepals.

The beauty of the flower comes from its lay-out. To me, it looks like a parachute. The fountain-like curly red petals look as if it is the parachute while the stigmas and anthers together look like the hanging parachutist. From another perspective, some people may imagine that these flowers look like ear-rings hanging down from ladies’ ear lobes.

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.