Oct 31: Fanny (Heli)Pad
The nickname poll for the future permanent helipad (see below, bottom left in light blue) has just ended and a clear winner has emerged:
Fanny Pad, invented by Fortune Chan. He cleverly enlisted his private fan club to vote for him, collecting 12 of the 29 votes, over 40% share. Congratulations to him, as it seems he STILL has a few friends left. Sometimes we wonder why, especially after he was dissing the poll at first with a message of "How about we simply call it nothing at all?" But all too quickly he changed his mind - as he's known to do - and came up with the winning suggestion.
"Drop-a-chopper"
by Sneaky-O ranked #2 with 8 votes; but none of the other suggestions got
more than 2 votes each, not even my own favourite of "Official UFO
Landing site" (my own suggestion, of course). Here are all the proposed
nicknames, demonstrating the diverse range of creative local talent: often
pretty bad, but also with a few good ones:
Spinney's Landing (ChuckM), Magical Spinney Thing Landing Site (ChuckM), Hippie Haven Heliport (ChuckM), Avalon (Soundbydesign), The Bug Bite (Miss Piggy), The Lamma Squat Spot (Miss Piggy), Heli Pier (Casanova), The Horizontal Wind Turbine (Casanova), Hunter's Heliport (Casanova), Chopper Board (Lam Ma Ma), YSWHLS (YSW Helicopter Landing Site - Down the Deli), Blackhawk Down (Down the Deli), Lamma Grazier Union Memorial Helipad (Alan), Yu Lai Heli-Fan (Alan), The Dropsy Zone (Guy Miller), Preeminent Premanent Heliport (Lamma-Gung), Yu Lai Fan Helipad (Big Bad Bill).
In
typical irreverent (and backbiting) Lamma style, our Fight Club moderator,
Granola Eater, put up a poll asking if, "In your
opinion, having a poll to nickname a helicopter landing pad is: 'Stupid' or
'Fucking Stupid'". This poll has also just ended and, as
expected, the vast majority (5-2) voted for
"Fucking Stupid". And then they proceeded to run another poll if
they should have another poll or not... Really stupid...
P.S. The above up-to-date map with the helipad comes from the Planning Dept website, sent in by new arrival and Alert Reader Lamman. Looks like the 2nd phase of the harbour reclamation is still active & planned. Click to enlarge.
Sorry, no easy legend available yet to explain all the letters, like the two red buildings on a huge slab of further reclaimed land (green) all along the YSW waterfront. It explains it as a "Commercial Area" designated "for a future small-scale commercial development to provide purpose-designed premises for commercial uses and to add vibrancy to the locality. It will also serve as a focal point for the Yung Shue Wan area...plot ratio of 1.5, 2 storeys (7.6m)."
No timetable is available either, but read this for a lot more detailed info about planned future govt. constructions all over Lamma. Big surprises coming up...
Oct 30: Charity Origami
Yesterday, Saturday, walking past our
City Hall (Rural Committee HQ), there was a charity collection in full
swing. by Lammadonna & friends (see above). For a minimum donation of $20
you'll get a little cardboard origami-style
set, to fold by yourself into a collection box. Then you have to get it
filled with donations to put into "The World's Biggest Donation
Box" in a shopping mall in town to receive more origami sets of little
donation boxes. Yes, it's like a pyramid scheme of donations, the perpetual
giving never stops!
Following the instructions to the letter (see below), I ended up with this non-functional contraption which looked more like modern architecture than a donation box. Trying again, I finally got the standard shape, a neat little box! Now I just need to find some people to donate cash into my box... Any volunteers?
Oct 29: Eulogy for Kiwi Cafe
Lamma-Por's and my own favourite place for
breakfast, Kiwi Cafe, has closed down permanently last week, after a few
days of "vacation" (English sign) or "renovations" (Chinese sign). Today,
Saturday, I caught them cleaning out the place while I was walking by,
giving me a chance for a good farewell talk with Henry. 7 months ago, I was
their very first customer and we've become fast friends in the meantime.
Best value breakfast, best Chinese cafe-style breakfasts, cheapest ($25 at
teatime) but very good & huge fish & chips, friendly & cheerful service by
our Kiwi-Chinese friends Henry & Mo Yee and a local Chinese couple living
just above the premises...
Kiwi Cafe closed because the
below-30-years-old local Chinese lady got a stroke a few weeks back, leaving
her half-paralysed and she's still not recovered... Business was going OK,
it seems, but it had to feed 6 mouths. The slowly recovering lady and her
husband lost interest in the business and the Kiwi couple is going back into
retirement back home.
I've written about Kiwi Cafe
several times, even though they never advertised, just because I liked the
place and the people. It's really sad news for Lamma-Por and me and their
regular customers. Lamma-Por will miss her Tuesday morning congee. It
is...was a special order, not on the menu, like
quite a few dishes we got
tailor-made...and we tipped generously for them.
Walking by Nam Wah Yuen Cafe on Main Street today, we noticed that they had bought all the soft chairs from Kiwi Cafe. We received a few plates as souvenirs from Henry ourselves. We're both feeling more wistful than after any other of the quite frequent & cyclical restaurant closures in the last 4 years we've been living here.
In memoriam, Kiwi Cafe, successor of My Cafe, successor of Offtime Cafe, all in this same location. Three times unlucky, maybe the next proprietor should NOT use a restaurant name with the word "Cafe" in it...
P.S. In the
meantime, Kiwi neighbour Yo Lau Gei (Old Friends, best Wonton noodles
in the village) might also be closing down in a few weeks' time. The
rattan shop opposite Kiwi Cafe has just closed and the CD/DVD shop
"Music Gallery" on Back Street also shut down end of Oct. What's going
on here, a really bad trend in a supposedly recovering economy?
Oct 28: Ever Been Photographed From a Helicopter?
HeliAdventures was running another one of their 15-minute flights over Lamma, giving me exact advance notice where they'll be by when, so I could shoot a few close-up heli pictures of them in action (see right). That was that. But a few days later, I got a CD-ROM, all photos shot from that particular flight by well-known AFP photographer Froggy.
One of the photos showed the ferry pier from above and you
can seven pot me waving! Not a very flattering perspective, almost from
straight above, but a really rare shot! The helicopter has to stay 500 ft
above the surface, avoiding too much noise pollution on the ground, so
Froggy didn't get much detail. But I like it!
More of his fantastic pictures from the flight will be published in a few days, when I'll have some time to select the very best shots. Stay tuned!
Oct 27: Half-Time of Late Ferries Trial
Exactly one month ago, Sep 27, the 2-month trial period of "night sailing service between Central and Yung Shue Wan" started. Reviewing the trial half way through, I've asked Lammadonna and the ferry company for some feedback. It doesn't look good at all so far...
The new three night sailings (2:30am Central-YSW; 12:30am and 5am YSW-Central) have been almost empty. The average numbers are 20-30 persons for all 3 new sailings combined per night, according to official HKKF figures. Surprisingly, even the weekend passenger numbers fail to live up to expectations.
The record so far was around 100 passengers on the 2:30am ferry on Oct 1st, a holiday. But there have only ever been over 100 passengers on all 3 new sailings combined about twice so far. Detailed numbers have been promised after the end of the trial, in one month's time.
A number of complaints about noisy late-ferry revelers have been received, walking home singing and shouting through Main Street after 3am...
According to another local survey, 30% of people supported the late ferries, 30% against it and 40% were not supporting it IF it means a general ferry price hike. Something a bit strange about these numbers, but that's what I got from Lammadonna, who was the initial main local driving force behind the 2-month trial.
The
ferry staff is not happy about their extended shifts and additional
sailings. It seems that the ferry co. hasn't made any staff schedule
adjustments for the 2-month trial...
More promotion is necessary, for example the garish, lime-green, new big banners (see above) all over the village. But if the numbers don't improve significantly, HKKF will have sufficient reason NOT to continue the trial. They'll be happy, but most of us won't be.
There's still a rainbow of hope (unique picture courtesy of
Down the Deli), one month to go. But if we can't get these passenger
numbers to improve dramatically, the trial sailings won't ever become
permanent. If you personally want to keep at least the late sailings, tell
all your friends to party more off-island, coming home late! That shouldn't
be too difficult, especially as the partying would be for a good cause!
Oct 26: High-Flying Heli-Hippies?
Scene: Inside a helicopter, flying high over
Victoria Harbour en route to Lamma Island on a late Sunday afternoon, Oct 9:
The pilot is asking his passengers the routine tourist question:
"So, where are you all from?"
"We're all from Hong Kong; in fact, we're all from Lamma!"
"So you're all hippies?"
"Yeeeeaaah!"
Our all-Lammaite party of 5 set off from atop the Peninsula Hotel's helipad on the flight path I made up myself (see map on right).
First, we're flying over Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior in Victoria harbour! They're on an Asia tour, promoting wind energy in HK - while we're en route to Lamma's very own windmill!
See the photo gallery with detailed captions about our flight, with my own and Gavin's photos: click on any photo or here: Helicopter Flight Over Lamma.
After
traversing The Peak (great view of Matilda Hospital where many Lamma babies
are born every year) and Aberdeen we explore South Lamma from 500 ft -
avoiding Sham Wan turtle beach - scouting the area of future planned luxury
housing developments (the flat area top right, south of SKW).
Even though it's the Sunday closest to Chung Yeung, we notice no smoldering hill fires on Lamma. We've been lucky this year, despite 50+ hill fires all over the SAR. Circling Lamma's new landmark, the wind turbine, our own horizontal wind turbine feels safe and steady, whirling above our heads.
Unfortunately,
no private heli landings are permitted on the temporary helipad in YSW
harbour, so we have to be content in hovering above YSW, spotting our own
homes from 500 ft above, snapping photos like mad on a reasonably clear, but
cloudy day. Returning over The Peak, back to Tsim Sha Tsui, we could even
spot the Lamma ferry pier from above (top right, below ifc)!
Do you want to see YOUR house from above? Here are a few high-resolution shots I (first 3) and Gavin (other 5) took. Click and cut your neighbourhood from the huge 4-6 MPixel photos. Great wallpaper!
A truly amazing adventure and an unforgettable experience! I've asked the other passengers to come up with a few words about their own personal impressions:
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Donna - part-time employee of HeliAds: |
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My first flight was a last minute decision. As a person scared of heights, I never thought that I'd ever go up in a helicopter! The opportunity suddenly arose, so I decided to give it a go. I was very nervous, but once we were airborne, I forgot my fear. To see Hong Kong from the air is an absolutely amazing adventure, a real HeliAdventure! Hovering over Lamma is a very exciting experience in itself and I wasn't scared at all anymore. I took my son with me, but kept it as a surprise until the very last minute. When I finally told him he was very excited and couldn't wait to go! He enjoyed it very much and is still talking about it now. |
| Christopher - Donna's son: |
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I was told that I was going in to translate for Gavin's clients, Cantonese-English. Then we got to the lobby and my mum said we where going up in a helicopter! I was very excited taking off the Peninsula, just amazing! I liked that part and flying over the windmill the most! Afterwards, when we started walking through Central, I felt as light as a feather... |
| Lamma-Por - Lamma-Gung's Ah-Por: |
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I've been flying on helicopters 2 times before (from Macau back to HK - very smoggy - and in a medical emergency from Lamma - lying on my back with a hyper-racing heart). This time, finally, I could really enjoy the flight! The windows were so big, even offering spectacular views straight down and all-around. I've suffered from high anxiety all my life, so it was quite a scary idea when my hubby asked me to come along. I tried to contain myself and it wasn't frightening for me this time. HK is so beautiful from the air and I enjoyed it very very much, feeling "on top of the world"! When landing afterwards back atop the Peninsula - an absolutely amazing 360-degree view all by itself - my first question was, "Was this really 15 minutes?". Time flies when you're having fun! What did I like best? Trying to find our house in YSW, flying around the windmill, seeing the new 4th Power Station chimney from high above, crossing Victoria Harbour...Wow! Afterwards, hubby & I decided spontaneously on High Tea. Seeing the long line in the Peninsula lobby, we strolled over to the Kowloon Hotel for their sumptuous High Tea buffet. So many choices, a rare treat for us, so we were really pigging out, combining a late lunch and early dinner. It was even more delicious because we had fasted from breakfast till the late afternoon flight, to make sure not having to use the in-flight sick bags... What did I like the least? Getting a form handed to fill in before the flight, while waiting in the China Clipper private club atop the Peninsula. They didn't tell us what it was, so I suspected something really bad, life-and-death-related, like a liability waiver, life insurance form, a power of attorney in case of an accident, or even a will in their favour! But, even worse, it was asking us to provide our weight for the flight preparation. Asking a lady about her weight, how dare they! It's even worse than asking about her age!!! |
For more info on this new tourist option to see any part of Hong Kong, have a closer look at www.HeliAdventures.com. There are fun videos and musical slide shows of recent flights, most over HK Island & Lamma. For just $2,700/trip, up to 5 people can enjoy a 15 minute-ride. Make up your own flight route!
P.S. HeliAdventures has just become a Lamma-zine Blog advertiser in the meantime, but this flight took pace well before. This story is NOT an advertorial, representing our honest opinions & impressions, no promotional strings attached. Many thanks to Gavin & HeliAdventures!
Oct
25: 'Show Us Yer
Turbines, Baby!'
The musical event of the Lamma year is less than a week away, DickStock 2005 on Sat, Nov 5! The logo has been confirmed, see right, and you'll be able to get a B/W version on a T-shirt at the event, as well as food and drink. This great logo - by ex-Lammaite Gavin Coates - is really up-to-date, incorporating our already spinning windturbine and the just completed 4th half-height gas chimney - HK Electric must be mighty pleased! Can we get them to paint the 11-year-old slogan Peace, Love, Lamma onto the blades?
Trying to get any details from the organiser, Mr. DickStock, is like pulling teeth from an unwilling subject. He writes that the organisation and the band lineup so far are all a bit "Hippy-Dippy" and that there's "no need to be too organized too far ahead of time."
Asking about confirmed
bands (only Red Star Rising and Yung Shue Wankers so far) gets
a typical response of "Confirmations? We don't need
no stinkin' Confirmations! Suffice to say that a LOT of the USUAL SUSPECTS
will be there."
Sounds
like a really typical Lamma event! Great people, great music and great fun,
but it'll start when it starts and whatever musicians will turn up on the
night will be playing & jamming. Just show up and you'll have fun, for sure!
"Just do your thing," as Mr DickStock so
eloquently expressed it. There might be a little handbill and poster about
the event early next week, maybe or maybe not...
In the meantime, waiting with bated breath for Nov 5, you could have a look at my DIXSTOCK 2004 photo gallery and Andy's DickStock 2002 Photo Comix.
Oct 24: Earthquake Relief Charity Event
Over
$12,000, that's what was raised at the charity event in the
Island Bar on Tuesday, Oct 18, 2005, for Earthquake Relief in Pakistan.
Mr DickStock: "Band played, Rajen got scalped like an Indian, and Kelly & Sara kissed for 30 long, slightly uncomfortable seconds."
Here's a little photo montage
I've created from photos submitted by Mr DickStock. Click on the
individual photo tiles to enlarge, so you can spot your friends behaving
badly, having fun while doing so and even raising a lot of money for charity
at the same time.
Well done, Island Bar, the only local fundraiser for this horrendous
earthquake in Pakistan & India...
Oct 23: Lammarina Close-Up
Passing by on the ferry, you might have noticed the huge tower crane on Nga Kau Wan beach, just behind Po Wah Yuen on the way to Pak Kok. Here's a crane shot from the rooftop of Mr. DickStock's residence, submitted by The Man himself.
For very detailed info on what's actually being built, see my little Q&A with the site engineers a few months ago. The proposed beachside road from the ferry pier to the Lammarina and their proposed private ferry to Cyberport have been put on ice for now. I'm trying to get an interview with the developer himself...
The latest news was a Chinese newspaper story, where the developer hoped to sell those Village House-size units (2-3 floors only) at up to $7,000/sqft. A truly unheard-of price on Lamma where the very best flats go for much below $3,000/sqft. Property Jackson was visibly salivating when telling me about the $7,000/sqft mentioned in the article... Bad news for people renting flats here?
Here are a few brand-new close-up Lammarina
photos, shot from above and from the beach below. The beach will remain
publicly accessible even after the "Lammarina" (no official name announced
yet) will be ready to move in end of 2006.
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Oct 22: Wear Helmet, Spectacles & Safety Belt in Beer Garden!
According to this new notice posted outside the Beer Garden opposite the Island Bar, you have to take all of these safety precautions right now before entering the "Yung Shue Wan Sitting-out Area"! As this Area is most heavily used late at night by patrons of the Island Bar, I can understand the safety belt instruction, drunken patrons might be falling off the benches otherwise. But helmets and spectacles seem a bit of an overkill? Preventing accidents from flying beer glasses & bottles and from drunken fight injuries, maybe?
Looking at the
fine print, it all becomes clearer: "repair works". I couldn't find
anything broken or defect in this beautiful area with the multi-coloured
seats and bright-orange creepers on the seat canopies.
Well, they killed off all the creepers (see photos before and after) and ripped out all the seats and flooring so far. They'll continue with these "repair works" till end of the year, all through the prime "sitting-out" time of the year. Looks like another jobs-for-the-boys project to me, but let's hope they do a good job and don't mess up this formerly beautiful and cozy area too much. The canopies will also be replaced soon and some new plants & creepers planted, we hope. But we cannot be sure, as no information of any kind has been available so far on this project, no gazetting, no announcement, no works plans...
At Christmas, you should be able to enter the Beer Garden again without helmet, spectacles and safety belts. But watch out for those flying beer glasses...
Oct 21: Painterly Cancer Survivor
Great
& wonderful news from our Official Court Artist, Andy Maluche!
His chemotherapy for testicular cancer has just ended and seems to have been
successful! Read his fascinating & gripping 87-days account by clicking on
the left.
But even having lost almost all his hair from all the poisonous drugs hasn't stopped his good spirits (see poster below). He's even found a new use for his bare scalp - as a painting canvas and advertising billboard!
Quoting from the invitation to the opening of
his paintings exhibition tonight in Manila:
"After 5 successive photography exhibitions it's time again to show another
side of me.
Naawww, don't worry I am not going to expose any indecent body parts of mine
again.
But I would like to cordially invite you to my newest show:
Painterly
"Paintings by Andy Maluche
Friday October 21. at the Basement Salon,
Powerplant Rockwell.
Cocktails sponsored by Jack Daniel's at 7 pm"
A paintings exhibition in a Powerplant? With so many great artists living on Lamma, now there's an idea worth following up on...
He'll be visiting Lamma again for DickStock on Nov 5 (of course!), hopefully taking loads of amazing shots of the performers and the audience alike, as the Official Court Photographer! See his last time out: DickStock 2002 Photo Comix.
Oct 20: Lamma - As Seen From Afar
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ChuckM - Lammaite Wannabe & Occasional Rabble-Rouser |
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Here's my
golden opportunity to irk & tease just about everyone and get myself run
out of town even before I arrive. Before I dive in, I should mention that my interest in Lamma was sparked by a current resident, whom I’ve met here in HongCouver quite by accident. Although my interest in Asia and things Asian had been greatly heightened by a job transfer from Canada's east coast to the west coast, I had never given any thought to actually living in the region. Now I dream of the day when I can perhaps afford to spend part of each year on Lamma... just as soon as I win the lottery. OK, so I started out imagining Lamma as some sort of expat paradise on the outskirts of Hong Kong, where my severe lack of language skills might not be such a hindrance. It has picturesque hillside villages, lots of fresh air, no streets or vehicle pollution, a relatively small population of friendly folks, is close enough to Central as need be, has scads of gourmet eateries and fun pubs, is blessed with clean paths, almost zero crime, meandering countryside paths, and is as carefree as a paradise can be. Oh, and it has its own 'Magical Spinney Quixotine Thing'. Well, I got some of it right, did I?
My daily routine now starts with a read through the Lamma-zine Blog and the forums. So, how does Lamma appear to these foreign eyes despite all the weird things I have read about in this website? I herewith offer a few observations as seen through my morning caffeine haze... It
appears that a feeling of community and family can be found in
the Lamma expat gang. Even though I am not part of your community, I get
the impression that the denizens of this web site can be a close-knit
bunch at times, despite the arguments. Perhaps it's a result of the
normal human tendency to circle the wagons when living as a minority in
a foreign land. On the other hand, perhaps misery loves company.
Not having been exposed to the Fight Club yet, it's possible I'm being really naive. Still, it seems a great place to raise children in a multicultural setting. I guess I'm too late to have picked up the impression of it being a 'hippie haven'. Too bad I can't read the Chinese discussions, because I'd probably benefit from a very different perspective of the community. I get a distinct feeling that there is a much higher than average proportion of artistic talent on Lamma than in most places. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Lamma seems to be the starting point for an above-average number of stage bands. As for me, I couldn't draw a straight line with a ruler and I can't hold a tune in a bucket, so I guess my talent for building computers and web sites will have to do. (Hey, Lamma-Gung, care to sponsor me for a job in HK? LOL!) I'm mightily impressed with the photographic talent displayed in the forums. Guy Miller, and lately Harry Li, have me waiting each day for what's coming next and wishing I knew how to find the shutter button on a camera.
And speaking of gourmet food... all these reviews of the restaurants and pubs frequented by the Gweilo population has me a bit concerned at times. Reputations seem to go up and down like toilet seats. Does this mean I might have to learn to cook for myself? Ugh! Aaahh... politics! It would appear that Lamma is almost as well blessed with political shenanigans as we are here on the 'left coast' of Canada. I have the feeling that Lammadonna elicits almost as many different opinions as there are people living there. And it's quite wonderful to see that my part of the world is not the only place occasionally blessed with political inertia that would make a tree sloth anxious. By the way, would getting into the concrete mixing business be a good career move on Lamma? Characters I just gotta meet, in no particular order ... Nick the Bookman, Lamma-Gung, of course, Granola Eater, Beanburglar, Fortune Chan, Lammadonna, Zep, Alan, Daffyd, Guy Miller, and too many others to list. I could
ramble on about a few more things, but you would be bored to tears. I
must say that Lamma.com.hk appears to be very unique and nicely
focused on its community. Once in a while an outsider like me will
chime in with something inane, but you kind folks have
shown lots of tolerance. I certainly haven't lost my
enthusiasm for visiting some day
Oh, and is it Pinky Chan I should contact about renting an upscale stone cottage? P.S. One thing I just gotta say... This site has become an addiction for which no cure is desired. Happy to contribute more... it's the least I can do in repayment for a great web site! |
Responding
to a gentle nudge (Oooomph!) from Lamma-Gung, I've been thinking about
writing down my thoughts of Lamma Island, the good folks who live
there, and this web site.
Part of the fun of reading forum entries is
the occasional extreme topic drift. More than once I have been
left with a very large grin as the original topic is run roughshod in
all directions. And let's be honest, where else could discussions of
gourmet food be derailed by talk of fresh dog's eggs and complaints
about peeing out the back of the opera tent?
Oct 19: Xmas Panto 2005?
Our 5C forum member (Crazy, Creative, Carnivorous, Convoluted & Cuarrelsome), Fortune Chan, is trying hard to revive an old Lamma tradition, the Christmas pantomime, also called Xmas Panto. A most commendable community initiative! Is he trying to redeem his somewhat tattered public reputation? He writes:
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Fortune Chan - Official Court Poet & Tourism Ambassador |
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I would like to play Lamma-Gung or Beanburglar and feel Granola should play Alan. Gung should play Legless, Alan should play Fortune and Guy Miller may wish to play himself. Many other roles are up for grabs. Costumes will be provided by the Man Kee. |
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A creative script writing contest ensued, with various members adding their own ideas to the story, even including me in their role playing. An anonymous designer even made up a small animation, see below! Looking at it, you can truly feel that Halloween is in the air, when Lamma gets even crazier & zanier than usual... Our very creative forum member Beanburglar writes: |
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Then the children shout "Behind you!" As I swing round, an as yet unannounced character skips out of my sight and back behind me. I declare scornfully "There's no one behind me", to which the children shout "Yes, there is and he's trying to brown-nose you!" After more to-ing and fro-ing I declare "Why, it's Lamma-Gung and he's not trying to brown-nose me, he wants to design me a poster informing people that I am really Prince Charming!" Hoorah! |
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Soulkitchen put it all in historical context: |
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Lamma has already had 3 pantos - Aladdin, Jack and the Beanstalk and Cinderella (with Clive Keep and Chunny as the fab ugly sisters) and Nick was always Widow Twankie. A scary hunchback of Notre Dame character also popped up when any bells rang or if the audience got a bit exuberant gambling for chocolate money, to scare the little buggers back into their seats. Panto is not crap, it's a farce which involves the whole family, there are probably several young men and women on Lamma who remember sneaking off to Hunter's to watch the regular Xmas show in the early 90s, not to mention "Alice in Hunterland" a very special performance of Lewis Carroll's famous story complete with a massive Jabberwocky, completely constructed of recycled bits and pieces from Hunter's collection. Hope to see more about the reinvented Lamma panto - good luck! |
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Finally, an
active participant of several past pantos joined in and described her
fond memories of a recent but very different time on Lamma. |
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As Aladdin, Cinderella and Alice in Earthy`s Best Friend by Gavin Coates, I totally recommend putting on a panto for the community. There are lots of talented individuals there who could do a great job. You'll need music and costuming and set building. It takes a load of commitment and sweat so don't do it if you think you are too busy to begin with. Don't let that put you off though. I loved doing Earthy's Best Friend, Gavin Coates beautiful story and performed it on the roof of Phil and Trish Milton's (1999?). Gavin was our guest of honor. It took about 6 weeks to rehearse that one. The Aladdin and Cinders were a little relaxed by comparison... three or four days and lots of funny cigarettes. As someone who played in three of the pantos and helped make and operate the Jabberwocky for Alice In Hunterland, all I can say is GO FOR IT!!! The kids love it, you'll love putting it together!
Good luck. Look forward to
seeing the photos. |
If I play Buttons, I want the pantomime to start like
this: "Hello children, has anyone seen my chair?" The children
then shout: "There it is, imbedded in Cinderella's head." To
which I reply "Oh no, it isn't!" This goes back and forth, until
I finally admit that it is perhaps imbedded in Cinderella's head.
Let's see if
all these fine ideas can make the giant leap from a funny little farce in
our forums to the reality of an actual performance? It's doubtful, but
"May the farce be with you!"
P.S. Despite asking a number of people involved in the pantos back then, none of them could come up with a single photo. Do YOU have some for publication, please?
P.S. II: YES! Jon sent over a link to the two past pantos! Guess who was Widow Twankie in this pix, still living here?
Click for Lamma Pantos - Cinderella,
Alice in
Hunterland.
Oct 18: 'Itchy Eyes...Itchy Nose...Hoarse Throat...'
Our forums have reached topic #2,500. 2,500 discussions/threads/talking points in the 3 years since this website was launched! 1,058 active registered members have posted over 23,200 messages so far. We've averaged about 16 new messages every day on average over the past 3 years. But a LOT more messages are posted every single day nowadays, with the majority in Chinese. Check out our forums!
I've just streamlined the groups of forums a bit, merged several little-active forums and moved the currently inactive ones into a new Miscellaneous group. So it should be easier now to find the forum you'd like to post in:
| General Chit-Chat | Discussions; Discussions in Chinese. |
| Special Interests |
Bars &
Restaurants; Flora & Fauna; Lamma Oldsters; Lamma-zine & Blog; Pictures & Movies; Music; Fight Club! |
| Campaigns & Causes |
Late ferries
to/from Lamma; Environmental & Political; Pets. |
| Noticeboard |
Buy & Sell,
Rent & Let; Services, Work, Personals, Lost & Found; Local Events. |
You're always welcome to moderate or co-moderate an existing forum. You could even open your own forum for your own special interest! Contact me!
Fortunately, the poster of message #2,500, Jimmi James, doesn't live on Lamma (yet), so he wasn't talking about our fair isle when complaining about the severe and worsening air pollution in much of Hong Kong in general:
"Feelin'
a little tired........Itchy eyes......Itchy nose.......Hoarse throat......
Irregular heartbeat........GASPING FOR F***ING OXYGEN..........?????
Some serious pollution we got goin' here......."
We're quite lucky, even with one of the worst air polluters in HK located on our island - the Power Station burning up to 5 million tons of coal per year. Lamma still remains a haven for fresh air, with low pollution on most days. Just one more reason that some of us Lammaites dread the ferry ride into town, the "Big Smoke" as we call it, every morning...
Well, another warm, stunning, blue-sky fall day on Lamma and you can see for miles from our scenic hilltops; 360-degree panoramic views over many of HK's 235+ islands and the South China Sea. Hiking & biking weather, finally! Photos coming soon!
Oct 17: Lamma Off-Road Biking
Yes, Lamma Island is a great place for mountain bikers and bike riders in general. Clean, fresh air (on most days), cooler weather, sunshine, scenic views and, best of all, NO CARS, the #1 enemy of all bikers! But you'll have to avoid angry pedestrians, some of them not exactly fond of sometimes careless, impatient, bell-ringing bikers...
If you avoid the main hiking route from Yung Shue Wan to Sok Kwu Wan on weekends, then you'll have all the concreted and natural paths of the island almost for yourself. Some paths might be a bit steep, but that only adds to the health & fitness challenge (see right).
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It takes a LOT of gear to be a fashionable
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You can rent bikes locally in
the bike rent/repair shop in Sha Po Village on Back Street, on the way to
the Hung Shing Yeh public beach, about 250 metres from Main
Street, close to the LAWC animal welfare shop.
After a hard day off-roading
on the gentle hills of Lamma - don't forget your camera! - take a rest on
the benches provided in many spots. The benches pictured on the left - just
opposite our brand-new "Magical Spinney Thing" - have already become major
pit stops for curious bikers & hikers alike.
Go off-road on
Lamma! (photo gallery)
Oct 16: The Red Star Keeps Rising...
(465KB)
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Katherine - RSR Fan, reviewer & photographer. |
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But soon after the man without black nail varnish and his band took to the stage the place was really rocking, and by midnight rolling in great party mood too. Good to see Steve belting it out again with guest comrade Hamada from Overadogma for Bambara and other numbers. There were encores for what have quickly become old favourites – Man from Ma On Shan, Last Ferry to Lamma (click to play music video above, 8MB, downloaded 361 times so far) and Shopping Malls, but new stuff too. Shampoo the Dogs is one for those real men occasionally seen sheepishly leading five preened toy dogs down the Lamma High Street – what they do for love. Steve and Hugh have given us a great Lamma shaggy dog tale in this one! |
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Steve Cray - RSR co-founder & lead singer/guitarist |
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It was a stormin' night at the Deli on Saturday night . . . and great to be playing on home turf after The Venue, Amnesia and The Edge across the pond. A great big thank you to the huge number of Lammaites who turned out to hear Red Star Rising do its thing. There were so many people who couldn't get in that Parksy relayed sound through the Deli's outside juke box speakers. Pretty cool considering there was a big soccer match on, a festival in Lan Kwai Fong and Garoupa on a Rockit audition in town. It was great to try out new numbers - Dollar Arcade and Shampoo The Dogs - and judging by the Deli reaction, they're now firmly in the RSR set. After so many gigs in a short space of time we're now looking forward to a couple of quiet weeks . . . and a chance to finish some new songs. Our next gig will probably be DickStock . . . can't wait! P.S. to LG: Fantastic job on the montage, mate - really good work. It captures the atmosphere of the night perfectly. Thanks for that!! |
Oct 15: Man Plans, God Laughs!
The
most frequent enquiry I receive is about how to rent flats on Lamma, from
one night holiday resorts to long-term rentals. As none of the property
agents has a "for rent/sale" website, I forward these enquiries to our
"Rent & Let" forum or to my two blog stories, giving detailed advice
and contacts:
July 20: Looking for a Holiday Resort?
Apr 17:
Lamma Property:
a Good Investment?
One of the people asking for my advice was Barbara. After successfully finding a flat via our "Rent & Let" forum in record time, I sweet-talked and cajoled her into sharing her flat-hunting experiences. Her observations definitely sound very familiar to most of us with recent local flat-hunting experiences:
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Barbara - Lamma Resident-to-be (Dec 2005): |
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Raising the energies of flat-hunting In Tobago last July, I reflected on my Hong Kong accommodation and lifestyle. A Trinidadian expression came to mind … 'Man plans, God laughs'. Living Hong Kong-side had fast turned out to be different from what I had expected. In a high rise flat looking into a college where accountancy students studied every night had dulled my senses, as well as restricted sitting on my sofa in my underwear. The concrete was lifeless and I was tired.
Off the ferry … I was a person with a mission and an umbrella. First stop Man Fung. 'Sorry nothing with sea view. All flats now gone! Many people come in July. Will phone you' … Mmmm! Two weeks later nothing - he had not wanted to get his feet wet either. On to the next agent. Different story – lots of lovely sea view flats – look at them now? Up Tai Peng hill, puffing… "this one good!" But no sea view. Onto the next three properties… still raining… hey, where's the view? No this isn't a sea view! No, I don’t want to put a deposit down now! Finally, sodden, I retreated to the Green Cottage and wondered where I was going wrong. A different approach was definitely needed. Maybe I just hadn't tuned into Lamma's energies? Later, I re-write my requirements: "Special space wanted where I can drink a glass of wine and draw in the evening" and posted it on Lamma.com.hk's forum. Forget the middle man! Three hours later I get a phone call, "I think you should see this flat, it's a bit different". Later, I walk from the ferry ever hopeful. A beautiful view of the sea awaits me, sun is shining, breeze is blowing. I find a great flat. Thanks Lamma for enabling me to 'tune in'. |
Oct
14: Mr Jones, the
Chunky Hunk of Love
We haven't featured a "Lammaite of the Day" for quite some time. Your suggestions would be most welcome, but no need to restrict this honourary title to human animals only, let's include "companion animals"! Walking past Lamma's "Democracy Wall" at the ferry pier, Mr Jones was grinning at passersby from posters, part of another "Mass Wallpapering Operation" by LAP.
But who could resist such a pretty face, the face of "a gentle and cuddly fellow, a chunky hunk of love!". Such a great description, I wouldn't mind to be described like that by Lamma-Por! For more posters of "a little ball of energy" and other "gorgeous, little dogs", click on the posters below:
For
fair balance, here are the contacts of the other 2 local pet adoption
charities on Lamma. They all do great work and get free advertising in the
Lamma-zine. These are their ads linking to their websites with all contact
details.
Oct 13: Corruption Rots - Report It Now
Coming home from another afternoon of photo-taking and interviewing Lamma-zine Blog correspondents in the village, I found this big envelope pictured above in my letter box. So official-looking, hand-addressed, even a "Corruption Rots - Report It Now" warning printed on it! Closer inspection revealed it to be from the police force ("Serving the Community" printed on the envelope). Getting more and more worried, I tried to guess to which of my recent misdeeds, transgressions & general scofflawing this letter might refer to. Of course, I couldn't remember any! (The local police is actually reading this blog occasionally, so I better be careful not to admit to anything even slightly unlawful in writing...)
Well, anyway, opening the letter with jittery hands and sweaty palms, I didn't find any court summons, severe reprimand note or an invitation to jury duty, but just the photocopies below: another "Bicycle Clearance Operation at the Covered Area of Yung Shue Wan Pier", supposedly for publication in this blog and in our forums.
Be warned, all ye good citizens of Yung Shue Wan, remove your unicycles, bicycles, tricycles and quadcycles from this area by Tuesday night, Oct 18, or you might lose them! This very narrow covered area is getting so congested by vehicles these days, the crowds coming off the ferry can hardly get through anymore. They should be cleared out every weekly, IMHO. A parking area is planned around the bridge to the Library, but it might take a very long while to happen, if ever. Meanwhile, both sides