Jan 31: Shockin' Start to the Year of the Do...nkeys
Lamma
band Shockin' Rockin' Donkeys bade farewell to the retired Year of
the Rooster and greeted the new Year of the Donkey, err, DOG, in the typical
hee-hawing, galloping
Donkeys style. Successfully avoiding to make jackasses of
themselves, they brought the house down and the Island Bar patrons to their
dancing feet, grinding away (well, some of them, the younger ones).
Many enjoyed the shockin' rockin' sounds outside the bar in the newly redecorated, now pinky Beer Garden, like this cozy, contented trio of Donkey fans. Click on any picture for the Donkeys photo gallery!
P.S. Somebody from Lamma's DVD Magazine MomentEYE shot some video of the Donkeys and the local fireworks. Thanks! Enjoy by clicking below:
www.MomentEYE.com. If you have problems - it'll take quite a while to download the video from their website - you may first need QuickTime 7.
Jan 30: 'Wish You a Pleasant Journey'
Seen at the top of the Lamma ferry pier in Central, we'd like to share in this simple greeting. We wish you not just a pleasant journey between Central and Lamma, but also a pleasant journey through your life in the Year of the Dog. Lamma is a pleasant enough place to live, which helps making your journeys more pleasant. For those Lammaites who have to make a hard-working, non-pleasant living off-island, it's an even more pleasant journey to return home after work.
Today, just a few New
Year-themed photos I've taken in the last few days.
Click on the banner below for my subtitled Lunar New Year '06 photo gallery:
Jan 29: Kung Hei Fat Choi & Fireworks
Kung Hei Fat Choi to all readers of the Lamma-zine Blog!
Are you planning to watch the official fireworks over Victoria Harbour tomorrow night? Forget about it! The main fireworks of the Lunar New Year have happened already, at the very beginning of the Year of the Dog, this morning after midnight over Yung Shue Wan harbour. I've got the photos to prove it, see above!
The ear-shattering sound and ultra-bright flashes
from the chains of firecrackers going off like machine guns all over the
village. Rockets rising from many rooftops, illuminating the clear night
sky. Occasional, rare rockets exploding on the ground or just taking off a
few meters before exploding, making the eager audience scramble for cover.
Roman candles shooting up series of exploding, fiery balls. Dense, brownish,
powder-smell clouds wafting through the streets...
Ahhh, the smells, sights and sounds of Lunar New Year, many Lamma teenagers and adults alike turning into mad pyromaniacs, I love it! Nobody got hurt and everybody had a great time, I think.
Let's hope that they'll legalise fireworks soon in Hong Kong, following the example of Beijing and other Mainland cities this year. But a main local supplier of fireworks was raided and arrested recently in Yung Shue Wan - about ten days ago according to several reliable local sources - after a tip-off by a resident worried about children's safety. For the record, I did not discharge any fireworks this year (I couldn't get any in time) and only took photos, which is not a fineable offense yet, I hope!
My pictures above were all taken with 4 seconds exposure time
with my trusty Nikon digicam; mounted on a tripod. It was drizzling with
light rain, that's where the "spots" in most pictures come from: the
fireworks illuminating rain droplets on my lens. I like them! For more
fireworks shots in 2005, see my Blog: Midnight
Fireworks!
On the left, the firecrackers' aftermath. Red is the Chinese lucky colour, so YSW will surely be VERY lucky in the Year of the Dog!
Jan 28: Over 300 Complaints, Suggestions and Opinions Received
Click above to read & view the entire bilingual Lunar New Year's message from Lammadonna, our District Councilor. The original message was printed in her favourite pink colour only (including the photos) and inserted into the card pictured below the form. I managed to get the full-colour version of the photos showing some major "local political activities" of 2005.
A
discussion of this letter to all residents has just started in our forums.
Join in!
Or, even better, send some feedback to Lammadonna directly. A call or
personal visit would be best (Chinese interpreter strongly recommended),
and a letter or fax are more likely to get a reply than an email:
|
We Value Your Opinion - We Handle Your Complaint * * * * * * * Please use this form to communicate with us or call our office directly. We will follow up with your concerns or arrange an appointment to meet with you as necessary.
Address: _______________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ Comments: _____________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________ |
2nd page of Lammadonna's Lunar New Year message:
Activities Organized in 2004 / 2005:
Community Chest Fund Raising
Christmas Carnival
“Caring for the Elders” Activity; Talk by Paramedic to explain about Influenza
Promotion of the “Islands Cleaning Day”
Promotion of the “Prevention of Mountain Fire” by Islands District Fire Prevention Committee
Dragon Boat Festival Rice Dumplings for the Elders
Writing “Lucky Verse” in celebration of Chinese New Year
Site-Visits & Follow-up with Govt. Departments on Projects Status:
Dam & Wind Shelter in YSW O Tsai
Improvement of Road Condition in Tai Yuen Village & Wang Lung
Tai Wan Tsuen Ditch Problems
Pak Kok Tsuen Ditch Improvement
Hung Shing Yeh Ditch & Road Condition Improvement
Meeting with Sha Po Village Residents for their Recommendation on Ditch Issues
Projects Report - 2005 to 2006
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Construction of Emergency Heliport in Kam Lo Hom, Yung Shue Wan. (Project starting April 2006, to be completed July 2007)
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Replacement of Ferries’ Seats & Improvement of Noise Pollution. (November 2005)
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We communicate closely with the Transportation Department for any traffic issues, through Mr. Tam Yiu Chung, Legislative Council Member.
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Improvement & Lighting Installation Projects in the Barbeque Field in Hung Shing Yeh Bay. (Completed November 2005)
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Building Shelter & More Seats in the Resting Area near the Tin Hau Temple in Yung Shue Wan Main Street. (Completed June 2005)
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Reconstruction of the Changing Rooms in Yung Shue Wan Soccer Field to Washrooms. (Construction work to be started in 2006)
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Water Pipes Renovation in all Villages.
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Trial Night Ferry Service.
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Improvement Projects on Road Condition, Drinking Water, Washrooms & Railings in Po Toi.
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Follow-up on the Bicycle Parking Area Construction Project (located between the Library and the Pavement in the Pier).
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Maintenance Project of the Yung Shue Wan Ferry Pier. (To be carried out between February to April in 2006.)
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Footpath improvement project, Lo So Shing to Hung Shing Yen, Southern Lamma. (From January to June 2006)
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Maintenance of temporary helicopter landing strip, Yung Shue Wan, Northern Lamma (Will use the airfield of Hong Kong Electric Holdings Ltd. from 16th January 2006 to 18th February 2006.)
Jan 27: Typically Hong Kong
Lamma-Por an I were visiting the Victoria Park Lunar New Year market today to get a few traditional items not available on Lamma. A deck of playing cards with cartoons of HK celebrities and major HK events in 2005 took my fancy. I bought one deck at $40. While I was paying, they offered me 2 decks at $70. I declined, but right then the Chinese lady behind me jumped in and asked me to buy 2 decks, 1 of them for her, and we'd split the savings of $10! Of course, I agreed and everybody was happy. Click on the cards to enlarge:
We had a good laugh at the brazen and quick-witted bargaining of this local lady. A real "Only in Hong Kong" moment! The local economy seems to be returning to better days, shoppers are buying but haggling, as usual. The flower market was heaving and grinding with activity. Don't dare to visit on Lunar New Year's Eve, tomorrow, Saturday, as you might be crushed by the sheer number of Mainland tourists, local extended families and flocks of last-minute bargain hunters.
By the way, there has been some talk in the Islands District Council meetings of a regular, official marketplace to be set up outside the Water Front Restaurant. This could become a legal space for the hawkers on Main Street who are now frequently being harassed by groups of Hawker Patrol officers. Hawking is technically illegal in public areas, even on Lamma where strict rules are often more relaxed than in the rest of the SAR. This local marketplace is just talk for now, but let's hope it becomes reality someday.
Jan 26:
Advertising Deadline!
Many thanks to our old and new advertisers on this home page
who help to finance and improve this entire website. The following fine,
very successful companies have signed up or expanded their advertising in
the last few weeks:
Island Bar, Village Bakery, Bookworm Cafe, Concorde Travel, Fok Ming Estate Agency and HK Electric (who remains the largest sponsor).
We offer free photo shoots, ad design &
production, changes & updates and even free web pages for advertisers. Click
the new ads in this story to see what I mean: a
full restaurant menu, a mini-website,
a property photo gallery
- all done for free for advertisers.
The ads on this home page have often been very successful and generated a lot of exposure and feedback for the advertisers. The traffic and the readership of this website have more than tripled since the still-low ad rates were originally set 2 years ago (2 million hits/month now). So the ad rates at the top of this home page will be going up by 35% from Feb 1! Sign up right now at the old rates! Reach a large part of the Lamma population with your products & services! See ratecard for details.
Jan 25: Mystery of the Day
What are they building on top of the Lamma ferry pier in Central?
Even some of the people I've asked who are working in that building have no idea. It might be something temporary, like a fashion show they did up there recently?
A Lamma fashion show? Well, we've got the catwalk already, we even named it "Yung Shue Wan High Street" for all the "High Fashion" that gets paraded on it.
Anybody got an idea what aqualuna (water moon in Italian and Latin) is building up there on the roof of the ferry pier?
Guesses so far in our forum range from wedding reception to pirate bar opening!
Jan 24: Best of Blog of 2005, Part III
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Best of the Blog - Sep-Dec 2005 |
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Date |
Story title |
Contributor |
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Sep 1 |
Katrina - Remembering New Orleans Now that levee has broken in New Orleans we are very worried in H.K. It sucks that such an awesome place was destroyed. |
Colette |
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Sep 2 |
Best Blogs in Asia and Hong Kong ...who's currently the top dog, eh, top blog, #1 in HK? This Lamma-zine Blog! Wow! Rated highest at 8.86 out of 10!. |
L-G |
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Sep 6 |
Going out on a normal Tuesday afternoon in Yung Shue Wan, it's really surprising what you can come across in just an hour or two in our active community life: |
L-G |
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Sep 15 |
'Last Ferry to Lamma' Music Video! Red Star Rising just had their debut gig in the Island Bar on Sep 3 and they've already got their first music video out. It takes other bands YEARS to get to that stage in their careers! |
Steve Cray, John Palmer, Santi Sunarmah |
|
Sep 28 |
'Benign Space Aliens, Murmuring in the Wind' Lamma's wind turbine is currently THE hot topic popping up in so many local chats around the village. It has really touched a nerve with Lamma's tree-huggers, eco-warriors & holistic gurus, but also with our many world-weary cynics and Mochaccino-slurping, wannabe-sophisticates. |
Oliver, Pit, Russell Johnson, Zep & others |
|
Sep 30 |
'Our World Champion - Alain the Panther - Did It Again' He won by KO in the first minute! It was a 3-fight elimination tournament and he won all 3 to qualify to represent Hong Kong next December in Bercy in France. |
Impakt Gym |
|
Oct 5 |
We are using a set of village pathway maps for our policing matters. This would be very useful when dealing with not Lamma-based persons who are less familiar with the island. |
Joe Wu, Police Senior Inspector |
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Oct 8 |
Pizza. One word...so many memories and flavours. I do not think that it is possible to be a glutton and not be a pizza hound. |
Official Court Glutton |
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Oct 10 |
Add your own suggestion and vote in our nickname poll. |
Many |
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Oct 12 |
Recently, I've been getting so many news, gig posters & photos from Lamma bands! The autumn musical season has truly begun, loads of gigs coming up in the next few days & weeks! |
Katherine, Steve Cray, Nick Lovatt, Gary Hill, etc. |
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Oct 19 |
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! |
Fortune Chan, Beanburglar, Soulkitchen, Roz Keep |
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Oct 26 |
Scene: Inside a helicopter, flying high over Victoria Harbour en route to Lamma Island on a late Sunday afternoon, Oct 9: |
Donna, Christopher, Lamma-Por |
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Oct 29 |
Lamma-Por's and my own favourite place for breakfast, Kiwi Cafe, has closed down permanently last week,... |
L-G |
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Nov 3 |
Lammaites Anonymous, Mischievously Misbehaving Abroad ...several current & former Lammaites, all charter members of the infamous LAMMA club (Lammaites Anonymous, Mischievously Misbehaving Abroad).. |
Andy Maluche |
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Nov 11 |
Just a Normal Friday Afternoon in YSW The sheer diversity and small surprises of everyday village life never cease to amaze me! |
L-G |
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Nov 13 |
Lamma's Good Old Times, 27 Years Ago? Read Yves' honest, uncensored opinions about the ancient days when there were "less than 10 foreigners" on the island & why "Lamma is much better off now": |
Yves |
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Nov 17 |
Loy Kra Tong - Thai Lantern Festival Would you believe that most of these stunningly beautiful Thai ladies above, decked out in their traditional festival costumes & jewelry, are long-time Lammaites? |
L-G |
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Nov 24 |
Cristobal de Lamma Gives Thanks... At first, I tried to write the list myself, but it turned out too sentimental, quite blissful & new-agey, so I canned it as unworthy for publication. |
Cristobal de Lamma |
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Nov 25 |
Lammarina - Development #1 of 7 It's a future luxury residential development - with swimming pool, clubhouse, gym and security - on the beach just below the "DickStock Residence". |
CAPITAL magazine |
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Nov 29 |
'Happy, Relaxed and Laid Back About Everything' We both found Lamma Island to be a quiet and relaxing place to be after the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong and Kowloon. |
Pete & Jen Neale |
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Dec 6 |
'Downtown Vancouver's Favourite Blood Sport' TWO of our readers in Vancouver sent us weather updates from their hometown. Like Lammaites, Vancouverites aren't really used to "cold" weather and start behaving in strange & funny ways. |
Chuckm, Tricia |
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Dec 10 |
Another new Lamma band is making its debut tonite in the Island Bar, together with Lamma oldies but goodies Garoupa: Trans?noodle! |
Garoupa, Gary Hill |
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Dec 17 |
Many people still remember Louie the Violinist prodigy... |
Rie Wada |
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Dec 19 |
Merry Christmas, You Tool Borrowers! But here on Lamma, Christmas is so much more of a community event, full of fun & charitable events, family-oriented & children-focused, arts & crafts-inspired, retaining a cheerful & often irreverent Christmas spirit. |
Alastair, L-G |
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Dec 21 |
Operation Santa Claus Quiz Night This was the official kick-off activity for the pub's annual effort on behalf of Operation Santa Claus. |
Streetman, Dan Peterson |
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Dec 28 |
The Self-Sufficient and Enterprising Village ...a little background is in order. We had of course seen photos and had paid several visits to the website prior to our actual trip. |
Vyrn & Betty Peterson |
Jan 23: Very Bouncy Castles
Lunar New Year Carnival: Sun,
Jan 22, 2-5pm, Football Pitch, YSW:
2 bouncy castles and various sports-themed contests for children, organised
by Leisure & Cultural Services Dept. of HK Govt.
All pics below by Lamma-Gung (like all the unaccredited pictures in this
Blog).
Jan 22: The Weather Today...
|
Guy Miller - Lamma's Bird-o-grapher Extraordinaire: |
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Cold and mainly cloudy. One or two rain patches in the morning. The minimum temperature will be about 11 degrees in the urban areas, and two to three degrees lower in the New Territories (that's us). The maximum temperature will be around 14 degrees during the day. Moderate to fresh northerly winds. Outlook: Cold tomorrow. Still rather cool in the morning midweek this week. So definitely a need to wrap up........ |
Jan 21: Bilingual Yellow Pages
The most frequently requested addition to this website has always been Yellow Pages. Well, we finally got around to taking a crack at this big and labour-intensive task. Our Chinese Forum moderator Samson, Gilman and friends expanded on our long-running Bar/Restaurants Index and added shops, services, accommodation and other contacts and made it bilingual.
Have a look at the draft version so far by clicking below or in the left-side navigation menu on this page, under Quick Links:
These bilingual Yellow Pages will be widely promoted to locals and tourists alike, so get your favourite places' details listed here!
I've also got a good source to design a fun map of all the places. Then this long and constantly updated forum message above will be converted into a proper web page and linked from all the non-forum pages of this website.
I'll also publish all the name cards (front/back, Chinese/English) of all places I can get the cards from. I'm still missing quite a few. Send me scans of the name cards of your favourite places! Which places are still missing or have basic bilingual info (address, opening hours, telephone, email, website) missing? Tell me!
Jan 20: Loads of
Grunts & Laughter!
"Dragon Boat Racing - You either love it or haven’t tried it yet!
Expect a load of fun, water, sweat, muscles, team spirit, trophies, drums, medals, pain, roast pigs, sunshine, push ups, squads, seaweed jokes, success in 7 local and 1-2 international races, socialising, grunts & laughter, champagne, beers and MORE trophies!!!
Lamma Dragons Men and Women are now recruiting new paddlers and steers men.
We welcome you to drop by The Island Bar this Saturday - have a chat and get your name on the list for season 2006!
Venue:
Island Bar (Main Street, YSW)
Date: Sat, Jan 21st, 4-6pm
Contact Dina (6204 6255), John (6197 6135)."
Jan 19: A Virtual Democracy Wall?
Do you want to reach a large number of Lammaites to sell your goods, products and services, sell or let flats, garage sales, etc.?
The
"unofficial notice boards" all over Yung Shue Wan (see right) are a
good and free bet to spread your message, as long as you don't mind
replacing your posters very frequently and get a bit lost amidst the sheer
volume of posters. Feedback ranges from none to OK, depending on what you
have to offer and how eye-catching and attractive your poster is.
The most prominent and successful spot seems to be the so-called "Democracy Wall" at the ferry pier, just besides the Post Office. It's got a short reprieve from the formerly almost daily poster cleanings over the holidays. But the cleanings will resume shortly, as our powers-that-be still don't like the posters and consider them messy, illegal and unattractive to tourists. I strongly disagree!
This website was originally set up as a kind of virtual "Democracy Wall", announcing news, concerts, events, services. Even the background of all web pages was a photo of The Wall, before they repainted it white. On this website, nobody will take off your posters and messages after you've put them up yourself, at least for a full month! Emailed to me, I've even been posting them for free in our Noticeboard forums these last 3.5 years and will continue to do so.
But to reach a great lot more people than in the free, non-commercial forums, nothing beats the top of this home page for wide and prominent exposure to Lammaites. The paid ads at the top and the left side of these pages have become very popular with advertisers. This "Lamma-zine Blog" has grown into a kind of daily free e-newspaper for many local residents. The readership has also more than tripled since the current advertising rates were set 1.5 years ago.
So, from Feb 1, right after the Lunar New Year, ads at the top of this home page will cost 35% more! But ads confirmed before end of this month will still enjoy the old low prices and discounts of up to 50% for year-long placements. Free photo shoots, ad design and web pages, as before. Check out the rate card for details and contact me for any questions!
These ads finance this entire website - including the non-commercial, free-speech forums - and help it to survive and thrive. Nobody's getting rich here, but it helps to cover the site's bills and all the expenses in maintaining and growing it. Thank you for your support and for reading on!
Jan 18: Which Restaurant in Yung Shue Wan Never...?
Which restaurant in Yung Shue Wan never
advertises?
Which restaurant in Yung Shue Wan never changes
its menu?
Which restaurant in Yung Shue Wan never tries
to attract tourists?
Which restaurant in Yung Shue Wan never
promotes itself in any way?
Which restaurant in Yung Shue Wan never offers
any new dishes or specials?
Which restaurant in Yung Shue Wan never fails
to be reliable & dependable?
Which restaurant in Yung Shue Wan never changes
its waiters or owners?
Which restaurant in Yung Shue Wan never fails
to be full at lunchtime?
Which restaurant in Yung Shue Wan never
disappoints its customers?
Which restaurant in Yung Shue Wan never stopped being one of Lamma-Por's and my own firm favourites for breakfast and lunch, where we can be seen almost daily on weekdays sharing one of their big, tasty lunch sets for below $30?
Yes, Man Kee Restaurant on Main Street has no need to polish up its fine and reliable reputation. But always cheerful and friendly Ah-Yin is seen here polishing their shiny chrome sign in preparation for their yearly complete clean-up before Lunar New Year!
Jan 17: Breakfast (and Lunch) with Lammadonna
What's new in Yung Shue Wan, from the unique perspective of the elected District Councilor of Yung Shue Wan, Ms Yu Lai Fan? I've recently managed to get another breakfast date with her - extended into lunch on the same day. She must have gotten tired of me stopping by in her office frequently and asking too many politically sensitive questions.
Lamma-Por did her best to interpret the rapid-delivery, almost non-stop, stream-of-consciousness communication from Ms Yu, interrupted only by her frequent infectious laughter, mischievous smiles and an occasional Aieeyaah! She's very passionate about a wide range of topics, especially when they concern the "best interests" of local residents. Fun Tse (Sister Fun), as she's known locally, discussed the following topics over breakfast in Nam Wah Yuen and lunch in B&B, two of her favourite local restaurants:
Helipad: Construction will begin in April this year and last till July 2007. 20 pillars will have to be pile-driven into the seabed for the bridge leading up to the round helipad. It'll cost $15 million, a big portion of it for all the consultants involved over the last 10+ years since the project has been proposed. Here's an artist's impression (courtesy BMT and District Council office) of how the helipad will look like after completion, as seen from the ferry pier opposite:
(That should read "Refuse Transfer Station" above. EVA means "Emergency Vehicular Access", basically the bridge connecting the road from the Clinic to the Helipad.)
Ferry matters: Late ferries: This issue is dead for now, unfortunately. There was a signature campaign by a private local group some weeks ago and a meeting with the ferry co, arranged. The discussions went nowhere and even an idea of raising the fares all day long by $3-5 to pay for the late ferries was raised, obviously totally unacceptable to everybody. Ms Yu ended the talks. Instead, she's preparing a letter to the Transport Dept. to tender late ferries to another operator than HKKF, the only alternative left for now, it seems.
The
timber fenders around the YSW ferry pier need to be replaced. The repair
work is scheduled from Feb-April this year. A temporary pontoon will be
docked at the end of the ferry pier and the ferries will be docking there.
Passengers will have to go to the end of the ferry pier, through a temporary
door onto the pontoon, then onto the ferry (click for map).
By the way, the ferry pier is obviously owned and maintained by the Govt. and rented to the ferry co. HKKF is a subsidiary of Sun Hung Kai, the property conglomerate. They also built the Park Island property development and own/run its classy 24-hour ferry service. It's heavily subsidized by Sun Hung Kai to attract more people to move to Park Island. Food for thought...
The current construction on the bridge to the Library: They're putting up a "Pai Lau", a temporary construction, a big display for Lunar New Year, from next Mon, Jan 23 for one month only.
In exactly the same area, we might see a bike park someday. I've just seen 3D computer renderings, but they'll probably kill me if I'd publish them, as it seems to be still a BIG secret! Anyway, it's a simple, square "widening" of the Library bridge, on piles, with enough room for over 150 bikes. Just another not yet approved / financed proposal for now...
Chow Yun-fat: Fun Tse's brother was a classmate of Lamma's favourite son and Hollywood movie star Chow Yun-fat when he went to Lamma Primary School. He's been very busy filming several movies recently. He'll be playing the famous South China Prince of Pirates Cheung Po Tsai in Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean II, to be released later this year.
The Lamma connection here is that there was a Cheung Po Tsai cave on Lamma, close to the Power Station helipad, at Por Lor Tsui, destroyed when the Power Station was built. Fun Tse played in there as a girl, she told us. It was a pretty steep and deep cave and she only dared to go in half-way. It was much bigger and longer than the only remaining, famous Cheung Po Tsai cave on Cheung Chau Island, which is heavily promoted to tourists these days. Chow has also been mentioning this former Lamma cave during his 50th birthday lunch in Sok Kwu Wan's Rainbow Restaurant last May.
For the local release of this movie, maybe we can get a little interview with him, introduced by Ms Yu? She's got photos of herself together with Chow, but doesn't want to publish them here.
Fat Gor (Brother Fat, his Chinese nickname) has been promoting Lamma in the major Mainland China newspaper Sheng Pao recently: "Through the Eyes of Fat Gor - Bright and Sunny Lamma":
P.S. Jan 22: Just got an email from our "Official Court Correspondent on Chow Yun-Fat Matters", Charlotte. I should have fact-checked with her before publishing my article above which was based on facts just a few weeks old. Things change quickly in the movie biz. Charlotte writes:
"I enjoyed the recent article on CYF. From all reports he is not in Pirates of the Caribbean 2. The name of his character is in POTC 3: Uncharted Waters and has been changed to Capt. Sao Feng.
I'm not sure why they changed it, but perhaps it is because of the rather good reputation (for a pirate) that Cheung Po Tsai had which would not match the actions of the pirate in the movie. Who knows?"
Jan 16: Another Pizza Review?
Finally, another one of our popular food reviews by our Official Court Glutton. As a pizza lover he couldn't resist to review more pizzas. Pizza Milano has been consistently voted as one of the two best non-Chinese restaurant in Yung Shue Wan (92% Gooood or Excellent! votes), leading our on-going restaurants poll together with Blue Bird Japanese Rest.!
Check it out in our comprehensive Index of Bars &
Restaurants.
(Click in left-side navigation menu on this page, under Quick Links.)
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Official Court Glutton - Restaurant Review #4: |
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As Lamma-Gung prodded me into action, it is only fair that I drag him (and his camera) for another pizza review, especially as he never had a Pizza Milano pizza before. Pizza Milano has been here on Lamma since I can remember, which would be about 9 years. I have had a few Pizza Milano pizzas over the years and normally months go by between each visit. I must admit to being a pizza hound, as I do like a satisfying pizza.
I arrive somewhat hungry, but not over-hungry, as hunger does affect my taste buds. I order a glass of house red, $28 HKD. Crostini arrive, L-G wants to dive in... but I remind him to take pictures. Mixed toppings (tuna fish, mozzarella cheese + anchovy, salami + tomato) on sliced French bread and baked. Kind of a mini-pizza. Pictures taken and I have to outrace L-G, who is obviously more hungry than me. Menu is reviewed and some thought given to the pasta dishes, but pizza was on the mind and pizza is ordered.
This time L-G remembers to take a picture before his attack on the pizza. Plus his packing up the camera afterwards gives me a head start. First thing is that the crust is very hard to cut with the knife, though if eating by hand the crust would be OK. Tomato sauce is bland, though the variety of toppings makes for some flavour combinations. L-G complained that the green pepper pieces were too big and would be more convenient if smaller sized. Pizza was finished completely. Finished my red wine. Overall impression ends ups as an "OK". The Crostini were definitely good and somewhat memorable. The pizza was OK but average to me.
Somehow in my way of thinking, a pizza place that specialises in pizza should simply have the best pizza! It should be "great, outstanding, wonderful, satisfying". Any and all competition should be in second place. I can not say that this is the best pizza in Yung Shue Wan. Kind of a disappointment. |
P.S. Pizza Milano is not a Lamma-zine/Blog advertiser.
Halt! Stop the (virtual) presses! This email just in!
Referring to the very first restaurant review of the Official Court Glutton on Aug 16 last year: "Best Wonton Noodles?", Taipengshan wrote:
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Taipengshan - Frequent Lamma-zine Blog Contributor |
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Re: Lo Yau Gei Following your review of this friendly tuck shop
in Yung Shue Wan's backstreet opposite the "Shelly Cake Express"
outlet, I am pleased to report this friendly, no-frills eatery was as
good as you described it in a review last August. |
Jan 15: Petition for Reinstalling Outdoor Seats on Slow Ferries
As regular ferry commuters know, the outdoor ferry seats at the back of the slow ferries were are removed by HKKF a few months back, following a single noise complaint that was published in the Oriental Daily newspaper. It seems to have made HKKF lose some face in public, so they removed the seats, without asking their customers' opinions first, as usual.
I've just received the following petition from Lamma Island District Councilor Ms Yu Lai Fan to the ferry company. Lammadonna is asking for our opinions and votes on this issue: Who's missing the outdoor seats on the slow ferries?
This petition & poll is running in our English and Chinese forums. Both polls will run till end of this month. Thanks to Samson for the English translation. Voting is in full progress already! Cast your vote!
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Lammadonna - (translated by Samson, Official Court Translator. Click here for original Chinese version) |
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Re: Reinstalling Seats on the Non-Air-conditioned Areas on the Slow Ferries Local residents have demanded that seats be installed in the non-air-conditioned area of the lower decks of the slow ferries over five years ago. This request is aimed at providing seats for passengers: |