A new official Lamma Celebrity is born: Lamma Romeo,
take a bow! See the modern Lamma Romeo above centre (with a hoodie? Photo by
Lara Day), from
the upcoming theatrical play
11 Variations of Friar John's Failure
in the Fringe Theatre in Central, from June 13-16,
7:45pm - Tickets: $150/$120 (concessions) available from HK
Ticketing (www.hkticketing.com,
3128 8288) and Fringe Club; benefit for the
Kely Support Group.
Lara Day writes:
 "Phoenixation
Productions is excited to present "11 Variations of Friar John's
Failure". Inspired by Shakespeare, popular literature and contemporary
culture, the play is a fast-paced, high-energy, irreverent double-take on
the Bard's best-known tragedy, Romeo & Juliet, turned inside out and re-spun
for today's audiences."
The play features Lammaites Emily Woo-Zeller and
Sam Haley-Hill. Multi-talented thespian Emily is playing Ms.
Shakespeare, Queen Gertrude and The Messenger.
|
Exclusive interview
with Lamma Romeo:
[Conducted by
Producer Nina Fussing, the play's producer and a self-proclaimed
"wannabe Lammaite", on request from the Lamma-zine] |
|
Q/ How did you get into Theatre?
L-R: I started when I was six years
old. My parents thought I might enjoy it, so they signed me up for
an audition with a local theatre company. I have been doing it ever
since.
Q/ What's the Theatre Scene Like in Hong Kong? How can other
Lammaites get into it?
L-R: The Hong Kong theatre scene is
under-publicized, but surprisingly vibrant. There are several
companies operating and they advertise their auditions all over.
There is a shortage of actors around here, so often people don't
need much if any prior experience to get cast in a play. The best
part for Lammaites? Most of the shows happen in the vicinity of
Central, making for easy ferry access.
Q/ Tell me about your current performance "11 Variations on Friar
John's Failure?"
L-R: The show is a series of scenes
about possible explanations for the fate of a minor character in
Romeo and Juliet. It is very funny and has a grungy sort of urban
theme to it. Not dense Shakespeare at all. It's for charity too, so
come see it.
I am actually playing four characters [Editor:
Romeo, Tom Sawyer, Robin Hood, and the Ghost], each of which is
radically different from the other three. Romeo is probably the most
significant of the four (as he appears in three of the eleven
variations), but all are meaty and complex. It was an interesting
new acting challenge to create a distinct physical presence for each
and I hope the stretch is as enjoyable to watch as it was to create.
Q/ How do you like living in Lamma?
L-R: I adore it. Ferry issues aside, I
need to live in a place with clean air and green growing things. I
really appreciate the quiet atmosphere and the small village feel of
Lamma. It's a great place for artists and expats. |
We've just recently mourned the untimely death of a former member of the
Royal Shakespeare Company in the UK who had made her home on Lamma for many
years, Susan Sheers. She even shared a house with other RSC members, like
Oscar winner Dame Judi Dench, during her early theatre career. But then she
dropped out and retired early from acting, moved to Lamma, becoming a local
low-key designer, artist, writer and poet.
 I
hope we'll soon hear more about the local romantic exploits of our Lamma
Romeo? Will we spot him prowling Main Street, sweeping fair (and not so
fair) maidens off their feet, enchanting Lamma vixens with the bard's
eternal words, for example "Dost a maiden blush bepaint thy lovely
cheek?" Will he be serenading Lovely Lamma Ladies of all nationalities
below Village House balconies? A truly fertile topic for more Lamma-zine
stories, I'd reckon. But asking Lamma Romeo about his love life, he writes -
to the massive disappointment of many Lovely Lamma Ladies, but to his big
credit:
"I have to confess that Lamma Romeo is very much a one-woman man (dating
Emily who plays Gertrude and also lives on Lamma). Emily does not have
publicity photos from he show, although I have attached one of her older
headshots. Thanks for covering the show."
I dub thee Lamma Juliet, oh fairest of maidens on our fair isle!
Lamma's favourite and most famous son, Chow Yun-fat, is
starring in the new movie "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End". It has
broken all previous worldwide box office records with over US$400 million
gross in the first six days, being shown in over 100 countries, beating even
Spider-Man #3's opening box office. Half the cinemas in HK's multiplexes
seem to run this blockbuster, but it's still sold out for many shows.
Lamma-Por and I caught an evening show in the ifc Palace
multiplex in the Yung Shue Wan Shopping Mall (ifc mall) on a Tuesday when
the ticket prices are "reduced" (from $85 to "only" $65.)
It's another fine acting performance for Fat-Gor - Brother
Fat, as Chow Yun-fat is known in HK to his legions of fans, including myself
and Lamma-Por. She simply adores him, having grown up with his many
heartthrob roles in TVB soap operas. Fat Gor's doing a great and impressive
job in this movie - smirking, swaggering, glowering, threatening,
condemning, sword-fighting - in what's actually an awful, bloody mess of a
story.
 Being
very familiar with the first two Pirates movies and having read several
reviews in advance, I nevertheless got lost in the myriads of confusing plot
twists, everybody cheating everybody else at the drop of a (pirate) hat.
Lamma-Por simply fell asleep from all the confusion. Fantastic special
effects, art direction, cinematography, editing and action scenes, though.
The light-hearted romp feeling of the two first Pirates movies has basically
been lost by this third installment. There are almost no real laughs, just
slightly amusing betrayals, but even they get tired quickly by being so
random and frequent. It all just doesn't make much sense and it makes even
less sense when you start thinking about it all.
This movie suffers from Sequelitis Bloaticus, a rampant affliction this
summer: sequels getting bigger and bigger, longer in duration and packed
with so many villains and special effects that the story sinks under its own
bloated weight. All the past favourite goodies and baddies in the series,
plus several new ones, all sharing the same movie, trying to be everything
to everybody, but ending up being little more than a boring mess lacking in
emotional impact to most viewers, but more expensive, gorgeous and amazing
to look at than ever before.
Well, some of the scenes in there are definitely well worth the ticket
price. I'm looking forward to see them again on DVD and find out how they
did them in the making-of featurettes.
Chow
Yun-Fat was born and bred on Lamma - some of his family and
relatives still live here, even though he's become a HK$-billionaire
nowadays, living in a Sai Kung villa. According to Wikipedia, he has a
"housewife mother and an oil rigger father. Of Hakka origins, Chow grew up
in a farming community in Southern Lamma in a house with no electricity. He
woke up at dawn each morning to help his mother sell dim sum and vegetables
on the streets and in the afternoons he went to work in the fields. He quit
school at seventeen and started doing odd jobs," till he applied to a
TVB talent search ad. The rest is history...
Lamma-Por and I only met him once in person on Main Street, after his yearly
family duty visit to an ancestor's grave on Lamma, rushing to the ferry
pier.
The pirate captain
Sao Feng
he's portraying is based on the legendary 19th century Chinese pirate
Cheung
Po Tsai, according to numerous sources. This most famous Chinese
pirate was rumoured to have a treasure cave on Cheung Chau Island, a tourist
attraction up to this day, the
Cheung Po Tsai Cave.
There was another Cheung Po Tsai Cave, according to Lammadonna and other
Lammaites, at the site of the Lamma Power Station, just history now.
For more info, updates and pictures of Chow Yun-Fat, check out his
IMDB pages
and this great
fan site
and blog.
After an unusually quiet month of May, the Lamma Bands scene is heating up
again with the debut of a newly conceived Lamma Band, formed from various
other former and current Lamma Bands. The musically fertile in-breeding of
Lamma Bands continues unabatedly and produces some very interesting,
unexpected new sounds and groupings. Some popular musicians seem to belong
to so many local bands that they might lose track of their memberships
themselves...
The Inconceivables are the inconceivably cool lead singer Ivy, Wig on
guitar, Stuart on the bass, and Matt on drums. Click on the
comic banner above to see their full and very eye-catching poster. Yes, a
cool poster like that might get you onto this home page, especially
if it's a really special event like a debut or farewell show... or anything
totally unusual and/or inconceivable...
But any "Lamma event" can get into our
Lamma Events Calendar where all events happening on Lamma or
involving Lammaites anywhere in the world will be posted for free by Yours
Truly.
Email me your event details, posters, photos, slide shows, videos,
media kits, whatever you've got in terms of info and promo!
Become inconceivably cool yourself and join the debut show of The
Inconceivables tomorrow night @ The Wanch!
One of the most visible birds in Yung Shue Wan, especially in the
beautiful, subtropical Yung Shue Long valley, are the cattle egrets. According
to our master bird photographer, HarryLi (forum avatar on the left),
about a dozen arrived there last week. He rushed out of his valley home to
record them, having watched these Lamma visitors passing through for several
years already.
According to our Flora and Fauna Forum moderator, Dr. Zep: "The
cattle egrets are inhabitants of marshy or grassy land and feed on small
animal food there."
Click to enlarge or see more of HarryLi's gorgeous bird photos in our
Lamma's Top 10 Birds forum, a topic running for several years now
with the most messages and photos of any of our bilingual forums!
  
 
Three sunsets, shot from my rooftop in the last six days, after very rainy
days. Who needs a TV when there's a free light show almost every evening?
Spotting other sunset watchers on neighbouring rooftops, I seem to be in
great company...
Today, Sunday, May 27, 2007
Friday, May 25, 2007
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
|
Bobsy - Co-founder and Chairman of ABLE (A Better Living
Environment - an official and registered charity.)
He likes to thank KADOORIE BOTANICAL GARDENS & FARM for
supplying the local trees - including two endangered tree species -
as well as HK ELECTRIC for their ongoing support of the Lamma
Forest tree planting initiative.
[Editor: Bobsy writes in all
lowercase below intentionally.] |
|
Tree planting day story, 2003
Tree Planting story, 2006
dear one & all,
you are getting this email because i know you care
and would be interested to come and join us in planting another 500
native trees up in the lamma forest.
ABLE CHARITY has been consistently planting trees in one scenic area
since 1997. as a result the hills of north lamma are covered in a
lush canopy of trees with a remarkable return of native flora and
fauna as well as an increasing presence of butterflies and birds.
on SUNDAY MAY THE 27th
we will be planting another 500 local species of trees up in the
hills. this may well be the last planting in this part of the
expanding forest.
please come and join us from
9am onwards, we will keep going until all the trees are
homed in their new beds. i suggest you come early in the morning
before it gets too hot, plant as many trees as you want and then
spend the rest of the day exploring lamma island or visiting one of
the many cafes, restaurants and bars or just hanging out in the
forest under the shade of some pine trees.
if you have never planted
trees before, know that it is a most rewarding service which is not
only self-rewarding and fulfilling but also is a good form of
exercise and a chance to take in some fresh air and admire some
pleasant views of the rolling hills of north lamma. an area
 very
few people have seen, let alone been up to.
take an early morning ferry
from PIER 4 IN CENTRAL heading to YUNG SHUE WAN. get off the ferry
and walk down the pier. AT THE END OF THE PIER YOU WILL SEE A SET OF
STAIRS GOING UP. LOOK OUT FOR THE RED RIBBON TIED TO THE STEPS AND
THEN FOLLOW THE RED RIBBONS ALL THE WAY UP
TO THE TREE PLANTING SITE. APPROXIMATELY A 12 - 15 MINUTE WALK NORTH
ALONG THE COASTAL ROAD.
please come prepared by
wearing long trousers, some sturdy footwear, your supply of water,
sun cream and a hat if you need one. we will provide
gloves and all the necessary tools for planting the trees. take note
that all 500 holes will be already dug on the saturday and that you
won't be digging any holes, just planting the trees.
please email me if you would like to come and feel
free to spread the word (and this email) or bring your friends. the
more the merrier.
one love.
Bobsy Gaia
"Be the change you want to see in the world" |
|
Spinoza1112 - One of Lamma's numerous "Ghost Teachers"
wrote this poem after the extremely rainy Sunday yesterday (100
mm of rain): |
|
 
The passing rain and persistent clouds keep the crowds away
But the frogs, or are they toads, are out in force:
The light is green and the light is grey.
The light is green and the green on grey
The black cloud takes the sun away.
But the light remains, clarified
A light that shows blue mountain with mist
The ocean laps feebly, gorged with rain
Upon the packed damp sand of the desert beach.
It's a good day to watch your step,
Lest you crunch a sentient being and rack up time in Buddhist
Hell
And to film a snail's progress across the path.
It is also a good day for imitating
The frogs and being green and being grey.
For imagination before and after: it would be so queer
If you were not here.
Bach in the monsoon forest, a paradox perhaps
Something to make the lion lay down with the lamb?
Or, the plink plank plunk of Pentatone music of China
We're all foreigners here, it's a strange place.
It's a place not a place, of villages that Time forgot
From which you can see ships taking stuff to the USA
And returning, empty handed.
The Earth has drunk deeply and is ready for sleep.
Things prey, so children pray
Keep the Centipede from my bed
Let its stingerbite be not here.
China turns her face from the sun to the moon. |
P.S. What are those
things that make those deep, loud sounds at night after a heavy rain?
Frogs? Toads? Lost Souls? To vote and see the results,
click here.
Pick up a copy of the free, biweekly bc Magazine this
week!
It
features a very nice cover story -
"Lamma Lifestyle" (click to read) - written and photographed by two
Lammaites. Elizabeth Briel - Lamma Artist of the Month for June 2007
and a friend, see below - wrote the story and contributed many of her great
photos as well, for a fee. Congratulations to her on a
great promotional job for Lamma, hopefully bringing in more week-day and
off-season tourists, plus more business for our local restaurants and shops!
 Ansye Sopacua - an Indonesian Lamma Newbie,
forum member and PhD candidate -submitted the rest of the article's many photos, for
free (more
Lamma photos.) They contacted me and selected four photos from our
Lamma Photos of the Day gallery featuring the best of the best of
over 50 photographers. I got the high-resolution, print-quality files from the
three photographers. But I dared to ask about bc's photo fees, suggesting a
minimal one, but being ready to let them use them for free, knowing the
notoriously cheapskate local publishing business.
They ditched all our photos without even telling me or any negotiation, two days
before the deadline, using Ansye's free photos instead. Well, c'est la vie
dans Hongkong. Here are the four
former
Photos of the Day that bc magazine selected but didn't publish
(click to enlarge):
Yung Shue Wan, by Bobby Chiu
Maximum Tide 360-Degree Panorama, by Lamma-Gung
 
Power Station City, by Bobby Chiu - Power Station Bay, by Wingman
"Do You Want to Have Sex With a Goat?"
This is the intro question to the latest edition of the first of the
new-look
HK Copy News
23, created and presented by Lamma's very own Daniel "MomentEye"
Clarke. It's a clever, well-written and -acted spoof on the recent big
controversy about Chinese University students publishing a sex survey in
their student newspaper and being severely punished for it.
This issue of HK Copy News is all new and improved and animation-free! Instead of
the (very labour-intensive) bubble-headed, helium-voiced pipsqueak newsreader many of us have grown to
love it features a smooth-talking, suave, well-coiffed and amazingly
handsome newsreader: Daniel himself! We might be witnessing the difficult
birth and meteoric rise of a brand-new, home-grown standup comedy talent!
Well, I actually quite liked the animated bubble head with his great comedic
timing and his deadpan delivery of
even the most hilarious lines...
This issue of HK Copy News is "chockfull of sex, violence and pornography",
according to Daniel, so it seems to be trying to go more mainstream? It even
mentions "cannibalism, incest and fratricide in the bible", and something
intriguingly mysterious called "Deuteronomy 22 20" ("Look it up!",
Daniel advises). If all these titillating teasers don't make you click on
the link below, nothing will!
"Naughty! Naughty!"
Well, it looks like Daniel has finally joined the "League of Awesomeness"
(He's even got the T-shirt to prove it!) and we're looking forward eagerly
to more Copy News, HK as viewed through the (pink, grey or multi-coloured?)
glasses of a Lammaite.
|
Adie Hart - Lamma Dragons Men's Team member
and media liaison:
(Photos by Lamma Dragons, except last photo by L-G. Click to
enlarge.) |
|
Sunday, May 13th, saw the Lamma Dragons sail out on
the 6:40am ferry for the 8th Deepwater Bay 500m Dragonboat Race. The
Sun was shining, the team was geared up and the first race was just
after 9am!
We have stepped things up a level and dramatically changed the
training this year. The guys were aiming to show other HK teams that
they are serious contenders for the trophies. With improved
technique, structured training and great team spirit the guys took a
blistering start, winning the days first race, and guaranteeing a
spot in the semi-final.
As the day went on, the team continued to do well and secured a
place in the Plate Final, proving that they are serious contenders
to the teams who are winning frequently.
The teams final race went on to an extremely close finish, with the
guys taking 4th place with a time of 2:13.
Not too bad for a team that has many new paddlers! After proving
they can get up there with the best, where do they go from here?
Good technique, perfect timing, keep it long, up the pace and paddle
like @#$%! |
Men's team in training
Race results: Lamma Dragons #1!
The mixed Lamma Dragons team (in pink & blue) handing over the
dragonboat to the yellow team, after their race at the YSW Tin Hau
Festival, May 9, 2007. |
|
Mark Burns - Co-organiser of the
Lamma
International Dragon Boat Festival, former Lamma Dragons
Men's team member, and one of the
masterminds behind the
Lamma Cricket Club
and several
International Cricket Sixes Festivals. |
Fifty-five teams to compete in
the first
Lamma International Dragon Boat Festival, 10th June 2007
Organisers of the Lamma International Dragon Boat
Festival, to take place on 10th June 2007, announced today that
entries were now for the first ever international dragon boat race
to be held on Lamma Island as all 55 berths in the Festival had been
filled.
"It has been an incredible response from the Hong
Kong dragon boat community," said Race Convenor Ms Gina Miller.
"To gain 55 team entries in the first year of the
event is fantastic and showcases the popularity of the sport here in
Hong Kong," Ms Miller continued.
The Lamma International Dragon Boat Festival will be
held at the picturesque Tai Wan To Beach on the Yung Shue Wan side
of Lamma Island.
The 55 teams will compete in Men's Open, Women's
Open and Mixed Division race categories.
Races will be staged on a six-lane, 500-meter course
specially created for the Festival.
"We felt it was important to offer a good
quality, international-standard event for teams who are serious
about their racing," said Tournament Director Mr Brad Tarr.
"There are a lot of dragon boat races around in Hong
Kong, but very few over the full 500 meter distance. The Lamma
Festival gives dragon boaters the opportunity to show their mettle
at an international standard race meeting," Mr Tarr continued.
Races at the Lamma International Dragon Boat
Festival 2007 will commence at 8.45am and be completed by 5.30pm on
June 10th.
Spectators are welcome to join in the festivities
and their entry is free of charge. For further information see the
tournament website at
www.LammaDragonBoat.com |
|
Men
-
ABN AMRO Men's Crew
-
AIS Southside Massive Urban Gorrilaz Men
-
Auxiliary Medical Service
-
BGC Stormydragons – Men
-
Castle Peak Power Station DB Team
-
CLP Eastern Dragon Boat Team
-
Dubai Flying Dragons – Men Team
-
Freudenberg & Vilene Dragon Boat Racing Team
-
HKUST Alumni Dragon Boat Team
-
HKUST Dragon Boat Team
-
HKUST Rowing Team Alumni
-
Hong Kong Freedom Dragon - Men
-
IPC Men
-
Lamma Fishermen
-
Lamma Dragons – Men
-
Liechtenstein Princely Navy
-
Lingnan University Men Team
-
MTR Corporation Dragon Boat Team
-
OUHK Dragon Boat Club
-
Royal X-men
-
Tai O Happy Dragon Boat
-
Tong Fuk Sports Club
-
Thirsty Horse A
-
Thirsty Horse B
|
Mixed
-
Australian Association Jackaroos
-
Auxiliary Medical Service
-
BAT
-
BGC Stormydragons – Mixed
-
Dubai Flying Dragons – A Team
-
Dubai Flying Dragons – B Team
-
Go2Nature
-
HKUST MBAAA
-
Hong Kong Freedom Dragon - Mixed
-
Hong Kong Institute of CPAs
-
IPC Mixed
-
Lamma Dragons Mixed
-
Lingnan University Old Student Team
-
Microsoft Team
-
MTR Corporation
-
On-and-On
-
Prudential
-
Royal X – Mixed
-
Seagods
-
VIVA Macau Fair Dinkum A
-
VIVA Macau Fair Dinkum B
-
Way Young
|
Women
-
AIA Southside Massive Urban Gorrilaz
Women
-
Australian Association Jullaroos
-
BGC Stormy-dragons Women
-
Dubai Flying Dragons – Women Team
-
ING Lady Buzz
-
IPC Women
-
Lamma Ladies
-
Lingnan University Women Team
-
Royal X-women
|
|
Celtic Viking - Registered
Lamma.com.hk forum member #100, appointed Mr Lamma.com.hk
over 4 years ago. It's an honourary title he still holds as nobody
has dared yet to follow in his trail-blazing footsteps.
Celtic Viking wrote: "Are you interested in an article about
beach cleaning, combined with genealogy, skin cancer awareness, and
eco-friendly power?
No scary stuff this time, only skin cancer
protection, and all Lamma-based."
How could
I resist such an article about some of the Lamma-zine favourite
topics? Here it is, see below. (Photos above by
LammaDragonBoat.com) |
|
Just recently I have acquired some new-found energy!
Going down to our beloved Power Station Beach for a relaxing float,
I decided to do a quick clean-up. Before sitting down, I picked up
all the bits of plastic and fag ends (cigarette butts for Canadians
and Americans) and other ugly crap within a three-metre radius of my
patch.
This took two minutes and made my little part of the
beach look really clean, looking around I saw no more crap. Nice!
Out floating it's very easy to ignore the noise and
sight of the power station. Looking back inland to our wonderful
whirling turbine - and listening to some African drumming nearby - I
couldn't help hoping to - one day soon - see many more turbines out
to sea, as HK Electric has in mind and on the drawing board.
At about mid-day, as I covered up from the burning
sun, I couldn't help remembering - sitting on Phra Nang beach in
Krabi, Thailand, once voted the world's No.1 beach by the London
Times - being approached by an Australian doctor who said in a dark
and commanding voice with a grin on his face, "Get off the beach!"
"Er, um, well, er." I said, eloquently, "Why?"
"Because you're a Celt". He said.
"Er, um, what the phuqs has that got to do with anything?" I
gurgled.
"It's people of Celtic origin that contract the most skin cancers in
Auzzie!" Looking deep into my eyes for effect, and hoping for a
freaky reaction he added, "By far!"
He then introduced himself as a doctor working for
the Australian Sports Council as a skin cancer specialist, and being
a Celt himself, told me that Celtic noses and other parts, often
drop off and litter the sandy beaches of Australia! Alarmed, I
quickly donned my T-shirt, placed a large crispy sun-dried leaf on
my head, and headed for the shade trees at the back of the beach.
He joined me and asked me my name, he was a Jones.
"Vivian" I replied, and he looked at me puzzled. "It comes from the
Viking name 'Vyvyan', a traditional old Viking name from the 10th
century AD, before they were cajoled into becoming Christian in the
12th century, and took on often enforced names ending in -sson," I
informed him.
"Oh, that's good news for you" he said. "The
Scandinavians are the ones with the least skin cancers of all
Europeans! That's why you can see bronzed Scandinavians basking on
beaches worldwide at mid-day."
So, next time you're down at Power Station Beach,
take a quick look around, and take two minutes to pick up all those
bits of plastic, fag ends (that's still cigarette butts for
Canadians and Americans) and other bits of ugly crap, and deliver
them to the nearest bin, but don't forget your sun factor 25 if
you're a Celt. I'll meet you under the shade trees at the back of
the beach for a wee bit of bagpipe blowing, bhodran banging and
singing. Never mind if you're a Viking, though. You lucky lot can
just stretch right out in the sun and enjoy! |
Power Station Beach
(Photos by Sonya, L-G, 4 shots by Lucy, Becky Kong):
 |
by Katie Flowers
|
Jay Scott Kanes - Official
Court Pet Correspondent and Official Court Interviewer of the
Lamma-zine, submitting another cute masterpiece in his own
inimitable style, this time the result of a two-village special
investigation!
(Text and pictures
below by Jay Scott Kanes, courtesy of
Cairns
Magazine): |
|
Lovable
Rogue Two-Times
Families and Villages
Divided loyalties,
natural charms and wandering ways make a fluffy dog named
Bianchino one of the most intriguing and lovable characters
to roam across his home turf on Lamma Island.
Meandering between
Lamma’s two largest villages – from Yung Shue Wan in the
north, where he has an adoring family and many admirers, to
Sok Kwu Wan in the south, where he has another family and
more fans – is Bianchino’s routine.
Like a polygamous
man, he spends a few hours or days at each home before
vanishing, trotting along footpaths through the hills on a
one-hour-plus journey to his second abode. Along the way, he
takes a keen interest in everyone he meets, consistently
making more friends.
To Bianchino’s
advantage, he looks a lot like Benji, a canine movie
star famous in the 1970s and ‘80s. He combines the celebrity
good-looks with potent doggy charm.
Sonia Dessi and
Piero Paolini, an Italian couple living on northern
Lamma, adopted the dog about a year ago and called him
Bianchino. But in Sok Kwu Wan, where he likes to relax and
dine at the seafood restaurants, he’s known as Bobo.
“He’s my dog and
has a microchip to prove it,” insisted Sonia, who sources
fashion accessories for a living. “We took him to the vet
and had it implanted.”
“Before that, he
was completely unregistered,” Piero said.
At the Lamma
Veterinary Clinic in Yung Shue Wan, Dr Hans de Vries
estimated Bianchino’s age at three years.
“I love
Bianchino’s lifestyle,” Sonia said. “He’s like a typical
Italian man with one wife and family in Rome and another one
in Milan.”
“He’s such a
character, a cocky little bugger,” Piero added. Sometimes
Bianchino respects human authority, as when trotting hastily
past the “No Dogs Allowed” signs at Hung Shing Yeh Beach. At
other moments, he doesn’t, as when stopping to urinate on
bicycles parked outside the police station.
If other dogs show
hostility, Bianchino neither fights, nor flees. He freezes
submissively until the dangerous moments inevitably pass.
“Bianchino’s
special. I respect his personality,” Sonia said. “He’s very
clever. When we speak to him, he understands some Italian.”
Seeking their
wayward dog, Sonia, originally from Sardinia, and Piero, a
fashion consultant from Florence, once walked to Sok Kwu
Wan. There, they found him stretched out, relaxing on the
main street.
“He looked very
shocked to see us,” Sonia said. “I’m sure he thought,
‘What’re you doing here? You’ve discovered my secret life?’”
Sonia and Piero
spoke to the dog’s Sok Kwu Wan humans, who work in the food
industry. The two sides agreed to share custody.
“The Chinese
owners are happy that we look after him,” Piero said.
“In Sok Kwu Wan,
everyone knows and loves Bianchino too,” Sonia said.
Bianchino first
caught Sonia and Piero’s attention a year ago. He had plenty
of dirt matted into his long fur, like a homeless mutt badly
needing a shower. The Italian pair made friends with him, as
did Flo and Tara, their other dogs. “I was convinced he had
no home,” Piero said.
Partial to Sok Kwu
Wan’s famous seafood, Bianchino initially refused offers of
dog-food. “He didn’t know what dog biscuits were,” Piero
said. “So we gave him leftovers. Those he ate. Now he eats
dog biscuits too.”
With his
double-life exposed, Bianchino sometimes visits Sonia and
Piero accompanied by two canine pals from Sok Kwu Wan. “Then
we have five dogs at home,” Piero said. “It gets a bit
much.”
If a closed door
or gate hinders Bianchino’s freedom to leave, he scratches
and whines until it opens. “This dog must be free, no
chains, no gates,” Sonia said.
Not everyone has
the charm and audacity to juggle two families, especially
once “caught out”, but Bianchino swings it with ease. “He
brings us good luck,” Sonia said. “I’m always happy to see
him. After he first came to us, my life changed completely.
I found a good job and began to make more money. He gives
more to us than we give to him.”
Piero adds: “A lot
of Chinese people, who never used to speak to us, say hello
now because we’re associated with Bianchino, whom they know
from one village or the other.”
Lamma Islanders
and day-visitors meeting Bianchino on his hikes through the
hills shouldn’t be surprised if he stops to shake hands, er,
paws and follows them for a spell. That’s his nature. But
soon he departs, continuing on his way. He has places to go,
people and pals to see.
Call him Bianchino,
Bobo, or a two-timer. This renegade dog cares little about
names. His priority is the great lifestyle he loves. A real
Lamma dog...
|
Bianchino, alias Bobo, relaxes in Sok Kwu Wan.
Always amiable, Bianchino greets a passing pal.
Piero Paolini and Sonia Dessi admire the come-and-go canine.
On the road again, Bianchino pauses to pose on his way between
villages.
Bianchino and a pal assess human traffic along the trail.
Hastily, Bianchino trots past discriminatory signs at Hung Shing
Yeh Beach.
At the beach, Bianchino surveys a sandy expanse.
A face everyone loves: Bianchino, the two-timer. |
May 14:
HK Copy
News Gets Informatationalised!
News about HK Copy News from Daniel
MomentEye:
"Hong Kong News is undergoing some changes. There's a
special announcement online now and you can expect some 'real' news in the
next couple of days."
P.S. It took over three weeks to build... and only 2 days to take
down:
the Cantonese opera bamboo arena dissolves back into its components:
sheet metal, blue-white-striped plastic sheets and bamboo poles,
fully recycled, to be rebuilt somewhere else:
May 13:
Can Sumo
& Peggy Be Saved?
An urgent appeal from Keren and LAWC, as Sumo & Peggy, Keren's beloved pets,
are in imminent danger of being taken away by force by the Agriculture &
Fisheries Dept. to be slaughtered:
|
Dr John Wedderburn -
Lamma Animal Welfare Centre: |
|
The Government seems determined to kill
Keren's pigs and they will probably get their way as the people
involved appear heartless and unfortunately have the law behind
them. They could easily make an exemption for this exceptional case
(a "grandfather clause") but they have so far refused. We don't know
which day they are coming to take them away for auction and
slaughter but it will be soon unless we can do something to change
their mind.
Any publicity you can muster up will be
appreciated. In addition, please could you allow Apple Daily
to use the photos of the pigs that you took earlier [Editor:
click on photo below]. Appended below is what Keren has written. |
|
Keren
Goldman - Owner of Sumo & Peggy, landscaping
artist:
Tel: 9010 7970,
E-mail. |
Peggy and Sumo
These two pet pigs are in immediate danger of
being killed by the Government. I am appealing to everyone to
help allow them to live out their natural lives.
I had been keeping the pigs for several years
already before I discovered that Lamma Island is a restricted
area and it is against the law to keep "livestock" here. I have
been trying for the last year and a half to legalise their
status. I consulted all the relevant Government Departments.
AFCD and EPD have proved inflexible. One would
have thought it not too difficult for them to make an exception
in this case with the understanding that no more pigs would be
brought in.
Sumo is a male Vietnamese Pot-bellied Pig who we
estimate to be around 6 years of age. I rescued him 5 years ago
after he was abandoned on Lamma Island. He was overweight and
had to go on a diet to ease the pressure on his legs.
 Peggy
is a female Vietnamese Pot-bellied Pig who is 4 years old. She
had been kept in a flat for her entire life and had never even
seen another pig and could barely walk. Her owner had been
advised by a Feng Shui Master to get a pig but when she grew to
the size of an adult pig the family did not want her anymore.
It was decided that to provide a proper
environment for Peggy she should be kept with Sumo. They were
introduced to each other slowly and are now inseparable.
Both animals are very healthy, they have been
de-wormed and microchipped.
They are being fed organic food and their weight
is monitored. They cannot breed!
In order to obtain a license from the AFCD I
gave up my house, moved to a new location and built the
facilities where the pigs are now kept. The facilities are up to
the standards and requirements of the AFCD. I passed all the
AFCD inspections and was in the process of obtaining a licence
from the EPD concerning waste disposal.
The AFCD informed me 3 months ago that my
licence application was rejected, they stated that a license can
not be issued on Government land.
The EPD contacted me one month ago saying that
since I am not holding a valid licence I am committing an
offence, I will be prosecuted and will have to surrender the
animals to the AFCD. Surrendering Peggy and Sumo to AFCD will
result in their being sold at an auction and sent to a
slaughterhouse.
In order to avoid such actions and save the
lives of Peggy and Sumo I have to find a place where they can be
kept legally, a place with a license for keeping livestock.
I am in contact with every possible animals
society in Hong Kong, among them SPCA, HKDR, LAWC, LAP, trying
to help find such a place but with no success so far.
Anyone given a chance to get to know Sumo and
Peggy and their loving characters and unique charm falls in love
with them.
The trend of having pigs as pets created a
situation where they might be put down and killed as livestock.
Please do anything in your power to help me give
them a chance to live.
If you need any more information please don't
hesitate to contact me.
|
P.S. Exclusive Sumo & Peggy story in
Apple Daily, May 20, 2007 (in Chinese).
May 12:
Mo Tat
Wan - End of the Earth?
|
Jay Scott Kanes - Official Court
Interviewer of the Lamma-zine
(Text and pictures
below by Jay Scott Kanes, courtesy of
Cairns Magazine): |
|
Magical
Mo Tat Wan
Who could imagine a place more pleasing than a
seaside village in the tropics, one warmed by bright sunshine,
caressed by gentle breezes and seldom swarmed by tourists?
The description perfectly fits Mo Tat Wan on
Hong Kong’s outlying Lamma Island. Linked to the big city by
infrequent ferries, this serene village lies over the hills,
separated from the more bustling Lamma communities of Yung Shue
Wan (a 90-minute hike away) and Sok Kwu Wan (30 minutes away).
Even the notorious smokestacks of Hongkong
Electric’s power station on northern Lamma stay hidden behind
the hills, unseen to individuals happily strolling along Mo Tat
Wan’s beach. It’s a magical setting – maybe magical enough to
warp the laws of geography.
A prominent sign at the edge of the sand gives
directions to “all places”. Its single arrow indicates a left
turn up steep steps and into the hills.
Everywhere else in Asia has destinations to the
north, south, east and west. Could a tranquil paradise like Mo
Tat Wan really represent the end of the earth?
|
Mo Tat Wan: serene, magical.
One direction leads to “all places”. |
May 11:
Official
Court Artist in the Limelight
|
Sina.com - Story in many Chinese
newspapers last weekend, plus many websites and blogs. Lisa S. seems
to be a somewhat famous fashion model. The "Official Court Artist of
Lamma.com.hk", Andy Maluche, was hired to body-paint her back in the
Festival Walk shopping mall in Kowloon Tong.
(Text and pictures
below from
Sina.com.cn, May 5, automatically translated by the Google
translator programme. Hard to read but you'll understand): |
|
Lisa S
- Fashion Shoot
Back Painting
Sina Entertainment -- May 4, LISA.S attend the
"KISSES OF LOVE" lip corners and to promote different brands of
lipstick, Lisa wearing a large red-hot pace and evening wear,
invited German artist Andy Maluche in Lisa-back lips logo
painted on the human body painting. Finally, recall more at the
request of a reporter Lisa-back kiss for a moment.
Lisa said that the first test of human painting,
said with a smile be her boyfriend in bed with each other these
paintings painting, music increased accordingly.
Andy-back for a little kiss, she did not mind.
When asked whether she would accept a naked body paint? LISA
were used said they did not patient, because the human body
painting to spend six, seven hours of painting. She asked
whether the fear of nudity note leaked? Lisa naked candor is not
a major event, the most important thing is to make a U.S.
To make nudity, would have to ask whether her
boyfriend? Lisa candor would ask her boyfriend Tunpanjie views
to Table respect. Asked her boyfriend, together with the
equivalent occasion as naked, Lisa admits that had thought, hope
left to shoot photographs of their own children, to their
parents before they know how America. TUNGSTAR/text and photos.
|
Andy back-painting Lisa S.
Andy painting with his lips... |
May 10:
Best of
LAMMA
DAY
A few shots out of 451 I took yesterday. "Shoot a lot and maybe you'll get
lucky occasionally" is one of my mottos at big events like yesterday. Photo galleries by some
fine Lamma
photographers below, after my own snapshots.
Cantonese opera bamboo arena in the Yung Shue Wan Football Pitch
Lion laving the Tin Hau temple after blessing it and the offerings
Confetti canon to announce the stand-off of the lion dancers
Outside the Tin Hau Temple, right after the lion dances
Everything must go... into the oven
Lamma Dragons disembarking on Yung Shue Wan beach after the race
Wow, these guys are really acrobatic!
A day at the races.
(click for SoundByDesign's
photo gallery)
Tin Hau 2007 Lamma (click for Donna's photo gallery)
Tin Hau Photos (click for Elizabeth Briel's photo gallery)
Tin Hau
(click for Leggova's photo gallery)
Cantonese Opera @ Night
(click for bobby's photo gallery)
May 9:
LAMMA
DAY Today!
Take a day off from work (like Lamma-Por did) and join in the festivities
all day long on Wednesday in Yung Shue Wan: starting at the Tin Hau Temple in the morning,
Dragonboat races at 10am and 2pm, Cantonese opera in the afternoon and
evening, to name just a few of the many events of LAMMA DAY!
Here's the detailed programme of the day, plus some background:
English:
page1,
page 2 (see below) - Chinese:
page 1,
page 2.
Last night on the Football Pitch, May 8th, the first show of this season
Send me your best pictures of any of the happenings
and I'll publish them in a shared community photo gallery, giving you full credit,
of course.
May 8:
Committing All Seven Deadly Sins
Cartoon by Harry Harrison, donated for the Lamma Dragons fundraiser auction
All Seven Deadly Sins were well-represented at the Lamma Dragons party in
The Island Bar on Sat night, May 5th! Copious sinning has been observed and
a great time was had by all sinners. Sin-busting was banned! Click on photos below (by L-G) to
enlarge them. More photos in this
sinfully comprehensive photo gallery.
  
  
   
  
Even more photos in this
sinfully comprehensive photo gallery.
|
Gina Miller -
Lamma Ladies captain,
reporting on the sinful events and fundraising games of the night: |
The games:
·
There was the Kinderegg challenge
·
Jello shots
eating contest
| |
