The Memories...

It may be the end of a story,
but it's just the beginning of the sweet memories...

順德、番禺之旅（二）

起床時間：七時正（拍門式morning call...）
早餐：福盈酒店西餐廳－－自助早餐

節目：祈福農莊

順德、番禺之旅（一）

起床時間：八時正
交通：火車
集合地點：羅湖關口
往順德交通：直通巴
到達時間：大約十二時
午餐：福盈酒店旁酒樓－豪華的貴賓房

節目一：清暉園

只需十五元正便可進入這個名為中國十大名園之一的「清暉園」。當日實在太熱，我想大概有卅四五度左右，所以便直闖「清暉藝廊」。原因很簡單－空調。內裏有多個展覽，包括順德粵劇名人、龍舟、自梳女及科舉制度。


其中的自梳女介紹最吸引我。看了那些內容及相片，令我想起我的姨婆（即祖母的姊姊）。原來，早在幾十年前，她們這些自梳女就是獨立女性的代表－女權主義的先鋒－失敬失敬！

按這裏看更多清暉園的及其他相片。

遊畢整個園，經過一輪汗水的洗禮，最後再到藝廊－－「過冷河」。

節目二：順德雙皮奶

出了清暉園，對面街有一間老字號食燉奶，正好可以順道歇一歇。我吃的是凍雙皮奶。吃了一半，才懂後悔。那碗甜品甜得像一大碗煉奶！下次還是學精一點－－燉奶是要熱吃的。

離開店簡直是萬般痛苦，在街上彷彿看到海市蜃樓－－太熱了！！！

節目三：新世界購物中心

到了一座叫新世界的購物中心，好比香港的旺角中心。我指的不是它們相同的受歡迎程度，而是商場的殘舊程度。一間又一間的小舖，賣的低品質的衣服及飾物，沒有一間吸引我。倒是頂樓密集式的美容中心叫我吃驚。每一間美容中心都滿是容人－－有的修甲，有的沐足，有的做面部謢理等等。更吃驚的是客人的年齡－－少至小女孩（大概只有十歲吧！），年長至五十多歲。原來順德的女士都懂得打扮起來。不久的將來，纖體應該會成為潮流吧！

節目四：美的海岸花園

大概五時，已經厭倦汗水的痴纏，便坐計程車回到「豪華別墅」。我說的這座豪華別墅總共有三層，屋外有小魚池及石子路。說說內裏的結構吧：
地下：一個三層樓高的客廳（有Plasma大電視）、飯廳、廚房、麻將房、車房
二樓：主人房（有一個mini theatre及大浴室）及一間客房（有浴室）
三樓：兩間客房（均設浴室）
我入住三樓的其中一間客房，以日式設計。面積不知有多大，但肯定比起自己自住的單位大一至兩倍！不能不提，那個浴室內有日式大木桶作浸泡用，另外還有一個有按摩、蒸氣、放音樂等功能的浴室設備。進了去，我不想到外邊走了。

晚餐：名酒樓，嚐了多個得獎的菜色－－好滿足！
飯後消遣：沐足

I'm a marking machine, just a marking machine...

Monday is a lovely day.
Tuesday for lazy bones.
Wednesday a heart attack - killed the F.1 listening exam paper and the first 4 tasks of F.4 listening.
Thursday another crazy morning - marking non-stop (while listening to MP3 songs at the same time) from 9 to 12 - F.4 listening (Task 5). Craze for sports - ended up playing 3 hours' badminton.
Friday could stun everyone with my obsession with marking:
-- 2 hours in the morning - F.4 listening (Task 6);
-- 5 straight hours in the afternoon - F.4 listening + reading (finished!);
-- NOW, having marked for 1.5 hours - F.4 writing (Task 2);
......
The list carries on...
Content...
Accuracy...
Organisation...
Genre...
TERRIFIC!

Dragon Boat Festival

It's another BOILING HOT day when all these BRAVE people rowing to be the champion of the annual dragon boat festival in Shing Mun River in Shatin.
Named one of the largest and most celebrated competitions in Hong Kong, it's included in the list of programmes of celebrating the 10th year of the handover this year.
Having lived in Shatin for almost 7 years, this is the first time I got so close to the crowd and the boats - really exciting!!! The paths along the river banks were cramped with enthusiastic audience, squeezing themeselves into space for better views of the boats and the competitions and amateur and professional photographers setting their cameras to shoot the best shots of the competitions. I was one of them.
One of the most unforgettable must be this boat (see left) which couldn't went straight -- ended up crossing the line towards the banks. And at this point, the crowds couldn't help but teasing and mocking how stupid and unprofessional these boat rowers were. Well, it's a scene, I must say. The boat finally reached the finishing point about 2 or 3 mins later after the second last one.
Funny, huh?!

5 mins save lives

近來因為睡得太少，不敢亂闖捐血站，否則又是「無功而回」。
昨晚睡得充足，今早一直想著捐血這事情。
坐言起行，下午走到旺角銀城的捐血站。
站內已有大概三十人等候捐血，所以見過護士又驗過血紅素，還得等上一個小時。
曾捐血的都知道右手執筆寫字的人，多數捐血時都是在右手插針的。還是我比較特別，「強勁」的血管竟然在左手。護士叫我試捐右手，因為未有捐左手的椅，我說可以。主要原因是上一次捐血時，有一位護士曾幫我檢查過兩邊的血管，都說可以。
今次這個護士，「掃」了幾次我的右手都見不到血管，說了這些話：
「妳咁瘦，應該容易搵到血管，但係妳睇，一條都見唔到，妳係咪好凍呀，d血管收埋哂。」
無奈...
卒之，還是用了左手捐血。
今次是我第一次不打麻醉針... 事實... 也不是那麼痛 － 太好!!!
五分鐘，那暖暖的一包血便填滿了。
「心滿意足！」

Experience more important than health?

Quantity: 1,000 scripts
Time allowed: 4 weeks
Place: Assessment Centre
Equipment needed: Computer

Would there be any insurance on my eyes? And what about sudden heart attack after sitting in front of the computer for SO LONG marking?

CRAZY

First marking day: 121 scripts (5 hours)
Second marking day: 149 scripts (5 hours)
Third marking day: 90 scripts (3 hours)
Fourth marking day: 113 scripts (3 hours)
Fifth marking day: 82 scripts (3 hours)
Sixth marking day: 157 scripts (4 hours)
Seventh marking day: 105 scripts (2 hours)
Eighth marking day (LAST DAY!!!): 176 scripts (4.5 hours)

TOTAL: 1,001 scripts

'好燒'好食!!!

星期二的晚餐：

前菜：菠菜
主菜：．．．好．．．燒（日文漢字）

最重要：自家製的

"The Last Polar Bears"

Author: Harry Horse (Richard Horne)
Place of birth: COVENTRY!!! (Oh, how I miss Warwick...)
Age: 47 (1960-2007)
Occupation: Author, illustrator, political cartoonist

Plot:
In the winter of his life (78 years old), Grandfather embarks on a journey to the Great Bear Ridge to search for the Last Polar Bears. Accompanied by his faithful dog, Roo, a dog of character and strong views (she can even talk and speak for herself!), Grandfather sets sail on the ship Unsinkable and pursues his life-long dream. He regularly writes to his 'child' about his encounters with the weird talking animals - penguins, rabbit, wolves and many more. Will Grandfather and Roo reach the G.B.R. and see the last polar bears?

NEED MORE? Drop me a line and I can give you more about this wonderful book!

An expedition to Kiu Tsui Island

Getting so tired of the city life, I decided to go to Sai Kung, one of my favourite 'countryside' in Hong Kong. Just couldn't waste the blue sky and the bright sunshine!

Was originally just intended to stroll around the town centre, after taking the delicious 'trolley noodles' (a poor translation it might seem, but was coined by my lovely students some years ago, HAHA!!!). But by the time we walked towards the pier, a woman came to sell us the boat trip ticket to Kiu Tsui Island, where, I must say, had ever been heard of yet with no idea how it looked like and what it's about. It cost only $20 for a round-trip and it's worth taking a ride simply to explore this 'mysterious' island.

Then, we hopped into the 'kaido' and headed to the island. As I heard, there's this small island called Kiu Tau (see the picture) linked by a tombolo (check this out from wikipedia!) to Sharp Island, where the pier is in Kiu Tsui, at low tide. It sounded EXCITING already! We're so lucky as to see that tombolo, with swimmers walking through the crystal water on what I called 'pebble path'. It's amazing! Feeling the waves splashing each other from two sides of the tombolo - it's the very NOVEL thing I've ever seen in my life! The water was so clear that some people were actually snorkelling. But the sand...

What a fun expedition today! Haven't really enjoyed myself this much since the trip to Pattaya in the Chinese New Year holiday. And I said to myself: OK, the summer holiday is just 1 1/2 months from now, let's look forward to that!!! HAHA!!!